Shaman King Fan Fiction ❯ Rules Of Shamanism ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 3 )

 

 

 

 

A large table covered with food was set up in the banquet hall. A small ensemble of musicians played soft music in the corner. This wasn't a very large banquet; only the most important people were to attend. Tamamura sat at the head of the table. To his left were some of his advisors and other members of Funbari's government. There was Duchess Jamanen, economic ministers, the top military leaders, and a few professors from the University. On the right side of his table were Ambassador Sakuya and his delegation. He had brought seven people with him. A few were guards, and the rest were his advisors. The whole group had just gotten out of an official diplomatic meeting, and was now taking a break for dinner. They could be casual now.

 

“I have to thank you for your hospitality to us, Tamamura-sama,” said Ambassador Sakuya. He was a man of relatively normal size; he was about six feet tall and was fairly thin. He had short, dark red hair that was neatly groomed. His clothes were fairly normal, but of a type that indicated that he was an important person.

 

“You're very welcome,” replied Tamamura. “It's my honor to be able to open official relations with the tournament. If you don't mind my asking, how come you waited so long to come here?”

 

“Well, there are many reasons for that,” Sakuya began. “Mostly because the tournament has not had good relations with other shamans in the past. Our history is fraught with fights and numerous deaths. The whole tournament is to determine who will be Shaman King or Queen. For millenniums, it has been the basis of our spirituality. And, of course, many others have tried to kill us and take the spiritual throne. So, after a while we completely closed off relations with any other shamans. But now, it's starting to hurt us. Shamanism is in rapid decline and we need to have a shaman king. The government decided to open official relations with the world's shamans. You are the last on the list, but you look like the most promising. You're not as hostile as some other shamans.”

 

“We've always believed in peace,” said Tamamura. “We try to solve problems with diplomacy instead of fighting.”

 

“If only everyone were so sensible,” said Sakuya somberly. “Well, let's not get ourselves upset,” he said, trying to lighten the mood. “This is a happy occasion for us shamans. You haven't told me much about yourself. Do you have a wife, or children?”

 

“Actually, I do have a daughter,” replied Tamamura. “Her name is Tamao. Sadly, her mother died during childbirth and I could never bring myself to marry anyone else. So Tamao is my only child. She's out at the moment, but she'll be back in a couple of…” Tamao running towards him interrupted him.

 

“Hi, Papa!” she said as she ran to her father and hugged him. Tamamura noticed Horo Horo standing in the doorway. “I brought Horo Horo home with me, I hope you don't mind.”

 

“That's fine honey,” he said. Tamamura turned to speak to the ambassador. “This is my daughter. Say hello to Ambassador Sakuya from the Tournament crew, honey.”

 

“It's a pleasure to meet you,” said Tamao politely as she gave a curtsey.

 

“The pleasure is mine,” said Sakuya.

 

“Horo Horo, you don't have to stand there, come in,” offered Tamamura. Horo Horo hesitantly walked into the banquet hall and scanned the room. Tamao didn't say there would be people here. Being around strangers made Horo Horo nervous; he didn't feel hungry anymore. He put on a smile for the people. Tamao stepped up to Horo Horo and grasped his hand.

 

“Papa, do we have to stay here?” complained Tamao. “Horo Horo and I don't want to ruin your party so we'll just go in the regular dining room. Horo Horo doesn't want to stay here, do you Horo-chan?” When Horo Horo didn't respond, Tamao gently jabbed him with her elbow and he nodded.

 

“That's fine dear,” said Tamamura. “You two run off, it's just grown up talk here.” Tamao smiled and tried to drag Horo Horo out of the room. Tamao pulled on his arm making him stumble backwards. His gaze didn't shift from the large ham on the table.

 

“What about… the food?” Horo Horo mumbled. It all looked so good.

 

“Oh, I forgot that you were hungry,” said Tamao. “We can just go up to the table and get some now. We can take the food with us to my dining room.” Horo Horo smiled, and they walked up to the table. Horo Horo was taken aback by the wide array of food before him. There was a ham, pheasant, roast beef, and a wide selection of pastries and pies. Tamao grabbed an empty plate and began to pick out the things she wanted to eat. Horo Horo was about to take a plate for himself, when he noticed a large platter near it. The platter was empty, and was two times bigger than the dinner plate. Horo Horo took the platter and began to pile food onto it. Tamao giggled as she saw him put a little bit of everything on his platter.

 

“Are you going to eat all that?” asked Tamao, eyeing the mound of food on Horo Horo's plate. “You must be really hungry.” The only response Horo Horo gave was a nod; he was too focused on the food. When he finished selecting, he reviewed the foods on his plate. He had a piece of pie, some small pastries, a large slice of beef, a slice of ham, some turkey breast, and some pheasant. He didn't even touch the fruits or vegetables; he had those every day.

 

“Okay we can go now,” said Horo Horo, satisfied with the dinner he had chosen.

 

“Let's go,” said Tamao. Horo Horo hefted the platter and followed Tamao to her dining room.

 

“That's so cute,” said Sakuya after the children left. “Who's that boy? He didn't look like he lived here. Is he a friend of Tamao?”

 

“Yes, that's Horo Horo,” replied Tamamura. “He's really the only friend she has. They really get along together. She's lucky to have found a friend like him. Of course, Tamao says she loves him and wants to marry him, but I'm not sure if she knows what she's talking about.”

 

“He seems like a nice boy,” said Sakuya. “He reminds me of myself at that age. You know, you shouldn't blow off Tamao's comments so easily. She might very well be in love with him. She's young, but she really seems to connect with him.”

 

“Perhaps you're right. She couldn't have picked a better person.”

 

 

 

Horo Horo and Tamao were eating their dinners in the smaller dining room. This was the room that Tamao usually at her dinners in. Tamao watched Horo Horo devour his dinner, bite by bite. She had finished her food long ago, but Horo Horo was still going. His plate was half-empty and Horo Horo was still hungry. “If you eat any more, you're gonna explode,” commented Tamao. Horo Horo paused his eating to glare at Tamao.

 

“What? I'm hungry,” Horo Horo said defensively. He finished off the last piece of turkey on his plate. Now the only food left was dessert. He started with a piece of pie. It was very sweet and made of some kind of berries. “You sure you don't want some?” said Horo Horo, offering her some of the pie.

 

“No, that's okay,” Tamao declined. “You go ahead. I'm having fun just watching you.” Tamao giggled and Horo Horo scowled again. After a few more seconds of wolfing down his desserts and pastries, Horo Horo was finally finished. Tamao was awestruck that a person could possibly eat that much food.

 

“See, I told you I could do it,” Horo Horo teased, sticking his tongue out at Tamao. She had bet him that he wouldn't even be able to eat half a plateful, let alone the whole thing. He proved her wrong.

 

“I have to give you credit,” Tamao said. “You're a bigger pig than I thought.” She giggled at him. She picked up a napkin, thrust it into Horo Horo's face, and began to wipe it briskly. “You have frosting on your face.” Horo Horo would've felt humiliated if anyone else were around; luckily they were alone. Horo Horo really didn't mind if Tamao babied him like this. It was a fairly new experience for him; he was accustomed to taking care of himself. “There, all better,” she said.

 

“I won the bet,” said Horo Horo. “Now you have to kiss me.” He puckered his lips, and made kissing noises. This was one bet that Tamao didn't mind losing. She leaned over and gave Horo Horo a quick kiss.

 

“Okay, I think it's time for you two to go to bed,” said Chishioko from the doorway. Startled, Horo Horo and Tamao turned to see Chishioko looking at them from the doorway. How long had she been standing there? Horo Horo's face flushed and he turned away.

 

“Oh, do we have to?” Tamao whined.

 

“Yes, it's getting late. If you can get ready for bed now, you can stay up a little while longer. Tamao, you go put your pajamas on.”

 

“Okay,” Tamao conceded. She walked off to her room to change into her nightclothes. Horo Horo still sat in his chair, unsure of what to do. He'd never been told when to go to bed before. He just went to bed when he as tired. Chishioko looked at this little boy that Tamao never stopped talking about. Tamao seemed to act as if Horo Horo were the center of her universe.

 

“I don't have any pajamas,” Horo Horo said, trying to break the awkward silence.

 

“That's not a problem. You can wear one of Tamao's nightgowns,” Chishioko joked. Horo Horo's face stiffened. Was she serious? No, she couldn't be. No one could ever make him wear one of Tamao's nightgowns, except for Tamao. Horo Horo would do anything for her.

 

“Um…” was the only response Horo Horo could muster.

 

“I'm just kidding,” Chishioko finally said. Horo Horo breathed a sigh of relief. “You have to learn not to take everything so seriously.” Horo Horo looked at Chishioko blankly. She sighed. “Come with me, I'll show you where you'll be staying.” Horo Horo followed Chishioko out of the dining room and into the hallway. After walking past a few doors, she stopped. “This is your room,” she said pointing to a door. Horo Horo opened it and walked into the room. He was taken aback by the sheer size of the bedroom. The bed was almost three times the size of the one he had at home. He ran over and felt the velvety sheets on the bed. The Tamamuras sure know how to live, Horo Horo thought. He started rolling around on the bed, trying to grasp the whole experience of living it up.

 

“Are you having fun?” said Tamao, watching him from the door. Chishioko had gone and now Tamao was there. She was wearing a short, black nightgown with patterns of light blue flowers.

 

“Um… it's just a really big bed, that's all,” said Horo Horo. Tamao ran over to the bed and stood on it.

 

“You know what's really fun?” she asked. “Jumping on the bed!” They both started to jump on the bed. Horo Horo thought this was fun, the bed was just like a trampoline.

 

“Hey, stop that!” Chishioko yelled. “I leave you alone for one minute, and look what you do.” Horo Horo froze; he didn't know what to do. Was Chishioko really mad at him? He didn't want to get on her bad side.

 

“Okay, it's bed time,” Chishioko ordered. Tamao sulked and walked out the door. She saw the almost scared look on Horo Horo's face. “Don't be upset,” Chishioko said in a motherly voice. “I'm not mad at you. Tamao always tries to cause mischief and I have to yell at her before she'll listen to me. My room is just down the hallway, next to Tamao's; it's the one with the blood symbol on the door. If there is any problem, feel free to come to me. You try and get a good night's sleep, I'll come and get you in the morning.” Chishioko turned off the dark oil lamp on the nightstand and closed the door. Horo Horo sat quietly for a moment, and then took off his boots and socks. He stripped down to his under shorts and tee shirt and climbed into the bed. It was so soft and fluffy. It was like sleeping on air. Horo Horo would have no trouble sleeping on this luxurious bed. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

 

 

 

“That was an excellent reception,” said Sakuya, thanking Tamamura for the wonderful meal and entertainment. It was late, and everyone wanted to retire for the evening. “You are such a gracious host.”

 

“It's my pleasure,” Tamamura responded. “I had guest quarters prepared for you and your group. The spirits will show you the way…”

 

“Allow me, Tamamura-sama,” Duchess Jamanen interrupted. “I'll take the liberty of showing them to their rooms.”

 

“As you wish,” said Tamamura. Jamanen led Sakuya and his entourage through the mansion and into the guest wing. She showed Sakuya's assistants to their rooms and then she and Sakuya were alone. A ghost passed them in the hallway as Jamanen led Sakuya to his room. “Your room is this way, Sakuya-sama,” said Jamanen. They both entered a guest bedroom and closed the door. It was safe now. “Okay, Kyoukan. We can talk now.”

 

“I think I've gotten enough information,” said Kyoukan. “Now that I know the layout of the mansion, it should be a lot easier for me to do my job. I have to admit, it was rather clever of you to tell them I was some kind of ambassador.”

 

“Yes, well… just remember that I'm paying you to do this job, so I expect you to do the rest of the work. Otherwise I would simply do it myself.”

 

“Don't tell me how to do my job,” Kyoukan said in a threatening tone. “Now, do you want to know how I'm going to do this? Because some of my customers like to be in on the planning.”

 

“Actually, I would like to plan with you,” replied Jamanen.

 

“Okay. I already have a plan in my head. You can meet me in one of my safe houses after I leave here.”

 

“Where is this safe house?” Jamanen asked.

 

“I'll tell you before I leave,” Sakuya replied. “And I need to know one more thing: why is that boy here? Who is he?” It surprised Kyoukan that he had seen Horo Horo with Tamao. And he didn't like surprises. That boy seemed like the meddling type, and Kyoukan didn't want him getting in the way.

 

“He is just Tamao's friend,” replied Jamanen. “He shouldn't be a problem. I wouldn't worry about him if I were you.”

 

“I hope you're right, because I'm not going to take care of him. Unless you pay me extra. I don't do things for free.”

 

“Just concentrate on your task,” said Jamanen. “If Horo Horo gets in the way, I'll take care of him myself.”

 

 

 

Chishioko looked at the clock in her room; it was eight-thirty already. She had to go wake up Tamao. Chishioko had already been up for minutes; she was never able to sleep after the second hour of sunrise. Now it was time for her usual morning routine of waking the pink-haired shaman. Actually, it was more of an ordeal. Tamao never liked to wake up in the morning; it was hell trying to get her out of bed. Chishioko took a deep breath and opened the door to Tamao's bedroom. The bed was empty. Where in the world had Tamao gone? She never got up on her own. If it were up to Tamao, she would never even get out of bed. Maybe she was wondering around somewhere. Tamao was probably with Horo Horo; Chishioko would go check in his room.

 

Chishioko walked to the guest room where Horo Horo stayed and opened the door. She saw Tamao, still in her nightgown, sitting in a chair in front of her bed. She only sat there, staring at the still sleeping Horo Horo. “What are you doing?” Chishiko half-whispered, half-yelled.

 

“Nothing,” Tamao said innocently. “I'm just watching him sleep. He's so cute.” Why is she watching him sleep? Chishioko thought. Tamao is so obsessed with that boy.

 

“How long have you been sitting there?” Chishioko asked.

 

“Oh, I don't know… a little while. Right after sunrise.” She must really like him to get up that early, Chishioko thought. The end of the world wouldn't wake her up that early, but apparently Horo Horo had the power to.

 

“Tamao, that's almost three hours! You've been sitting there for three hours, just watching him?”

 

“He's really intresting when he sleeps,” commented Tamao. “Every now and then, he rolls over on the bed and then he lays still for a while. And he snores sometimes, too. Sometimes he mumbles things, but I'm not sure what he's saying. Oh, and watch this.” Tamao leaned over and poked Horo Horo's side with her index finger. His response was an unconscious groan. Tamao giggled. “You see he doesn't wake up if you poke him.” Chishioko couldn't understand why Tamao found this entertaining.

 

“Well, it's time for him to get up anyway,” said Chishioko. She walked up to the bed and gave Horo Horo a hard shaking with her hand. Horo Horo's response was to roll over and groan again.

 

“He'll never wake up if you do that,” said Tamao. “This is how you do it.” She leaned over Horo Horo's face and pinched his nose shut. A second later Horo Horo abruptly gasped and woke up.

 

“What are you doing?” Horo Horo shouted, flailing his arms wildly. He was still half-asleep and didn't fully grasp what was going on. His eyes focused and he saw Tamao giggling and Chishioko glowering at her with her arms folded. “Oh,” he mumbled, finally understanding the situation.

 

“You have a very interesting way of waking him up,” Chishioko commented.

 

“It's the only way that works,” Tamao said. Horo Horo sat on the bed, feeling awkward. “Hee hee, your hair looks funny,” Tamao giggled, pointing to Horo Horo's head. One disadvantage of Horo Horo's now long hair was its tendency to go completely out of order through the night. Individual strands as well as clumps of hair pointed in every direction. Horo Horo tried to smooth it with his hands.

 

“Leave him alone for a while,” Chishioko said. “You need to get dressed, young lady. Come on.” Chishioko dragged Tamao out of Horo Horo's bedroom and closed the door. Tamao pouted and walked to her room with Chishioko.

 

“Chishioko,” Tamao said with a pleading look. “Please don't tell Horo Horo I was watching him sleep. It's… embarrassing.” She blushed slightly.

 

“Don't worry, I won't tell him,” Chishioko reassured her. Tamao then changed into one of the three Ainu dresses that Horo Horo had given her a few weeks prior. She already had one Ainu dress that she bought in Harajuku, but she liked the ones Horo Horo gave her. They were the only things she wanted to wear. Tamao had always preferred to dress herself, even though the spirits were “supposed” to do it. Chishioko had told Tamao it was part of being Shaman Queen. The spirits always did her laundry, until she got the dresses from Horo Horo. She insisted on washing them herself. She wouldn't let anyone else even touch the dresses, and she would have a fit if someone else did. She also never took off the jewelry Horo Horo had given her for her birthday so many weeks ago.

 

When Tamao finished dressing, she went back to Horo Horo's room to see if he was ready. She knocked on the door and entered without waiting for a response. He was sitting in his chair struggling to put his left boot on. I need bigger boots, he thought. Finally he squeezed his foot in the tight leather footwear. He gazed at how worn out his Ainu boots were. He had worn the same pair as long as he could remember; they had a sentimental value. But now he was growing, and they didn't fit well anymore. “Are you done now?” asked Tamao, interrupting Horo Horo's musings.

 

He looked up at her. “Yeah,” he responded.

 

“Okay, good. It's time for breakfast now,” she said, clutching Horo Horo's hand once again and leading him to the dining room. It always seemed like Tamao was grabbing his hand and taking him somewhere. Horo Horo didn't mind, though. It gave him an excuse to hold her hand. Her hand was so soft and delicate, not calloused from hard labor like Horo Horo's. When they entered the small dining room, Horo Horo pulled out a chair for Tamao and pushed it in when she sat down. Chishioko had told him that it was a polite, gentlemanly thing to do, so he gave it a try. “Oh, that's so sweet,” Tamao commented. Everything Horo Horo did was either “sweet” or “cute” as far as Tamao was concerned. But that didn't bother Horo Horo; he liked compliments. Horo Horo sat in the chair next to Tamao, waiting for breakfast to arrive.

 

“So what are we having?” Horo Horo said hungrily.

 

“Eggs and bacon,” Tamao replied.

 

“That sounds good.” Horo Horo couldn't wait. This would taste so much better than the fruit and bread that he had in the Ainu woods. Not that his normal diet was bad, but Horo Horo liked a little change every now and then.

 

“Are you hungry, Horo-chan?” asked Tamao. He nodded. “I would think you'd still be full after everything you ate last night.” Horo Horo shook his head. “You were so funny. I've never seen anyone eat so much. Are you going to stuff yourself silly today, too?”

 

“I don't know… maybe,” he responded. “I won't know for sure until the food gets here.” Aside from the diet, having food served to him was also a new experience. He and Pirika always took turns preparing meals; they did an equal amount of work. But Horo Horo enjoyed being pampered like this, it appealed to his inner lazy side. Horo Horo's face brightened and he licked his lips as a kitchen spirit entered carrying a tray. He placed plates full of scrambled eggs and strips of bacon in front of Horo Horo and Tamao. The spirit then gave them each a small loaf of bread.

 

“Would you like some tea, sir?” asked the spirit, holding a golden teapot.

 

“Um, okay,” Horo Horo answered, too focused on the food in front of him. He poured the tea into an elaborately decorated teacup and placed it in front of Horo Horo. The spirit bowed and left the dining room. Horo Horo paused his food shoveling to examine the beverage he'd been given. He had never had tea before. “So what is this?” Horo Horo whispered to Tamao, sniffing the steamy drink.

 

“It's brown tea,” Tamao answered. “It's real yucky and I don't like it. But you can go ahead and try it.” Horo Horo sipped it and quickly out the cup back down.

 

“It's hot!” He said, trying to air out his burned tongue.

 

“Of course it's hot, it's supposed to be.”

 

“Oh,” he responded. He started blowing on the tea, trying to cool it down. He decided to wait a few minutes and put the cup down. Then Horo Horo continued to devour his breakfast. Tamao smiled and ate her breakfast at the normal, slower pace.

 

“Are you going to take any time to breath?” Tamao giggled.

 

“M fnn,” he mumbled, his mouth full. Tamao shot him a confused gaze and he swallowed his food. “I said, `I'm fine.'” He finished off every last remnant of food on his plate and stared at Tamao's. She had some eggs left along with a couple strips of bacon. “Are you going to eat that?” he asked sheepishly.

 

“No, you can have it,” she replied, pushing the plate to him. Horo Horo smiled and quickly devoured Tamao's leftovers. When he was done, he sat back in contentment. “Are you going to drink your tea? I don't like it myself, but you might.”

 

“Okay,” he said. Picking up the cup again, he carefully sipped his tea; it had cooled down and it didn't burn him. “This isn't bad.” Horo Horo quickly gulped the entire contents of his teacup. “That was good, is there more?” he asked. Tamao pointed to the golden teapot, and Horo Horo leaned over and brought it over to him. He poured himself another cup and quickly drained that one.

 

“Wow! You really like that stuff,” Tamao commented. She couldn't understand how Horo Horo could like that tea; she thought it was repulsive. He poured a third cup and began to drink that one. “Slow down! You shouldn't drink it that fast, you'll choke.” Horo Horo tried to retort, but he ended up coughing and hacking. “See,” she said smugly. After he stopped coughing, he finished his third cup. This tea was good. And Horo Horo wanted more. It was almost… addicting. He emptied the teapot into his cup, which, to his dismay, filled it only halfway. Oh well, three and a half cups would do.

 

“Well what do we do now?” Horo Horo said in a quick, almost nervous voice.

 

“Umm… we could go outside. It looks like a nice day.”

 

“Oh, that sounds great!” Horo Horo said, jumping out of his chair and grabbing Tamao's arm. “Come on let's go,” he said, running to the doorway. He felt so energetic now; that tea was some kind of miracle elixir. Horo Horo ran through the corridors of the mansion to the entrance, and Tamao had to jog to keep up with his pace. He ran into the market in front of the village and sat on the ground. Tamao came and sat next to him a moment later, huffing and out of breath.

 

“What's the matter you tired?” he asked.

 

“I'm okay, I just need to catch my breath,” replied Tamao.

 

“Oh, you're fine! Come on let's do something.” Horo Horo was jumping up and down like a hyperactive three-year-old. He'd never had caffeine or any other stimulant before, so he was totally weird. “You know I that was really good tea and I think I'll have some more because it's really cool and really speeds you up,” Horo Horo jabbered as if the whole sentence was one word.

 

“Um… are you okay?” Tamao asked, concerned about Horo Horo. He had never acted this hyper before; he was usually calm and rational.

 

“Okay come on I'm fine let's go run around do you want to run around?” Horo Horo started running laps around Tamao, making her dizzy.

 

“Calm down!” she yelled, grasping Horo Horo's ankle, causing him to fall to the ground. Horo Horo stared at Tamao with a fanatical smile; he was definitely over-stimulated.

 

“What's wrong? I don't need to calm down I'm fine,” he rambled.

 

“I think you need to lie down, you had too much of that tea.” Horo Horo plopped down on the ground and pouted. He folded his arms and gave Tamao a pleading look.

 

“Oh, you're such a party-pooper,” he moped. “I just need to do something or I'll go crazy.”

 

“Fine,” Tamao said, rolling her eyes. She pointed to the stonewall at the other end of the market. “Go run over there and back,” she suggested. Horo Horo nodded his assent and quickly started running towards the stonewall. Maybe this would calm Horo Horo down. With almost unnatural speed, Horo Horo sprinted towards the stonewall and back to Tamao.

 

“Okay what next?” he asked. Tamao groaned and lay on her back. Horo Horo sat next to her and gave her an innocent smile.

 

“Your hands are shaking,” Tamao pointed out. Horo Horo looked at his trembling hands. All of a sudden, he didn't feel very well. He kneeled over and moaned.

 

“I don't feel good,” he complained, holding his stomach and grimacing. “I think I'm gonna be sick.” His face took on a grotesquely pale color.

 

“Maybe you should go back inside.” Tamao helped him stand up and slowly walked him back to the mansion. Horo Horo felt terribly nauseous and felt like vomiting.

 

“Uhhh… I'm thirsty,” he grumbled. Tamao quickly fetched him a glass of water, which he drank in one gulp. He groaned again. His hands still trembled, and he felt exhausted and wired at the same time. He was having a caffeine overdose from the pot of tea he drank. “I shouldn't have drunk that tea,” he said, groaning again. “I'll never drink that again.”

 

“I'm sorry, I didn't know it would do that to you. I guess I never had enough to know that it would do that.”

 

“Don't apologize,” Horo Horo said. “I just need to lay down for a while. I'll be fine in a little…” His face contorted and he covered his mouth. “Where's the toilet?” he asked urgently.

 

“Down the hall, second door on the right,” Tamao answered, pointing to the hallway. Horo Horo quickly bolted out of the room and through the hallway. Tamao heard retching noises coming from the bathroom. The feeling of Horo Horo being sick was starting to make Tamao sick. She walked down the hall to the bathroom and knocked on the door. “Are you all right?” she asked.

 

Horo Horo responded with yet another groan. “I'm fine,” he managed to say, followed by another bout of retching and vomiting. After another second, Horo Horo finally stopped gagging. He came out of the bathroom and saw Tamao waiting outside. Even though he had a sickly expression on his face, he managed to force a weak smile.

 

“Do you feel better?” asked Tamao, leading Horo Horo back to his bedroom.

 

“Unh,” he moaned. “I'll be better in a little while. I just need to take a nap.” He lay down on his bed and tried to relax. His hands and arms were still shaking from the caffeine overdose. He felt like he would be awake for the rest of his life. Horo Horo was exhausted, but he was still artificially awake. This really sucked.

 

“Just try to calm down and rest,” Tamao said in a gentle voice.

 

“I'm sorry I ruined our day,” Horo Horo apologized. “After I take a nap we can do something. It's still early.”

 

“Don't worry, Horo-chan. You didn't ruin our day. I just want you to feel better. You try to sleep, I'll come back later.” Tamao kissed his forehead and left Horo Horo's room. She would return later, after he had time to rest.

 

 

 

Today was the day Ambassador Sakuya was to leave the village. He had arrived early yesterday, and now it was the late afternoon of the following day. Diplomatic visits usually lasted for a day or more. Sakuya had told Tamamura that his meeting to open relations had gone well. The Tournament's officials would come to Funbari later in the month to open more relations; or so the mayor of Funbari thought. Ambassador Sakuya now prepared to return to his home. He had to give his farewells to the mayor of Funbari.

 

“On behalf of the Shaman Tournament,” Sakuya said with a bow, “I thank you for your hospitality and openness. Expect more delegations in the coming weeks. We'll be sending people to get more in depth information on your family, culture, and the standard stuff. But I'm sure Goldva will agree to open diplomatic relations with you. He'll want to come to Funbari himself, to do things officially. I'll send word to you when he makes a decision.”

 

“I can't wait,” said Tamamura.

 

“Before I leave, I need to have a talk with your foreign relations minister, to arrange some things. Is she around?” asked Sakuya, pretending to be curious. Duchess Jamanen was the Minister of Foreign Relations, and Sakuya knew exactly where she was.

 

“Oh, her office is in the administrative wing of the mansion. It's just down that hallway,” Tamamura answered, pointing to his hallway to his right. “It's the first door on the left, it says `Foreign Minister' on it.”

 

“Thank you,” said Kyoukan, heading for Jamanen's office.

 

 

 

Horo Horo tried to take a nap, but to no avail. After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, Horo Horo decided to get up. He felt a lot better now; his hands weren't shaking anymore and he wasn't feeling sick. He felt more awake now, like he had gotten a good night's sleep. He decided to go find Tamao and see if they could do something. Tamao saw Horo Horo enter her room and her face brightened immediately. “Oh Horo Horo! Are you feeling better now?” She ran up to him.

 

“Yeah, I actually feel better now,” he replied. “I think I just needed some time for that tea to work its way through me. What do you want to do now?”

 

“Hmmm…” Tamao thought. “Maybe we could just walk around the mansion. You've never seen the whole thing.” She leaned over and whispered in his ear, “We could sneak around where we're not supposed to go.”

 

Horo Horo thought about it. Tamao always wanted to get into trouble. Horo Horo realized that he didn't have to worry about getting into trouble when he was with Tamao; she was the mayor's daughter. She could do whatever she wanted. “Okay, why not?” agreed Horo Horo.

 

“Oh goody!” she replied. “Follow me, I can show you parts of the mansion that you're now allowed to see.” Horo Horo thought that this would be fun; he liked exploring. Tamao quickly took him downstairs and she walked him to the eastern wing of the mansion. This held many of the various government and administrative offices. It also held the high point of Tamao's tour: the dungeon.

 

“You're gonna love this,” Tamao said as they reached an old door at the end of the administrative wing. She opened the door to reveal a large library. It wasn't very interesting.

 

“You haven't seen the cool part yet,” Tamao said. She walked over to a bookcase at the far end of the room. “I found out about this when I was exploring here on time.” She struck her hand in a space between two bookcases and fiddled around. Horo Horo heard a click and Tamao swung the bookcase outward like a door. Behind the door was a rusted steel door.

 

“Oh neat!” Horo Horo exclaimed. “Is this some kind of secret passageway?”

 

“Better,” she commented. She opened the steel door to reveal a dark stairway.

 

“What's down there?” Horo Horo asked, peering into the blackness.

 

“It's the dungeon,” Tamao answered. “It's really old and they must've bordered it up when they put up all these books in here. Almost no one even knows it's here; it's my little secret. They don't put people in there anymore, so it's empty. We can explore it together now; I was always afraid to go down there myself. Come on, let's go.” She grabbed a lantern from the wall and they both walked down the stairs. The dungeon was dank, and humid. Strings of cobwebs hung from the ceiling.

 

“Wow! This place is awesome!” exclaimed Horo Horo, his voice echoing in down the rows of cells. “When was the last time anyone was down here?”

 

“I don't know,” Tamao answered. “But I think it's been a while.” Horo Horo walked up to one of the prisoner cells. The bars were rusted and corroded, and the door was half-open. Horo Horo walked into the cell and looked around. This was really cramped; there was no light and almost no ventilation. The cell was really odorous, too.

 

“Ooh, what's that?” Tamao said pointing to the corner of the cell. Horo Horo walked over and peered in the corner. There was some kind of stiff, furry mass there. It was a dead rat. And by the looks of it, it had been dead for a long time. Horo Horo poked at it.

 

“Yuck,” he commented. Tamao picked up the rat by its tail and dangled it in front of his face.

 

“You know it would be funny if we put this in Chishioko's bed or something,” said Tamao. They both thought of the endless mischief they could cause with the dead rat.

 

“No, that would be mean. We should leave it here,” Horo Horo suggested. Tamao dropped the rat back on the ground. “You know, any other girl would be freaked if they saw a rat. Pirika goes crazy when she sees a spider; she'd probably faint if she saw a rat.” Horo Horo liked how Tamao was never afraid to do things. She was so unlike some of the other prissy girls he'd known. She was like him, and he loved that.

 

“I never understood how other girls are afraid of those kinds of things,” said Tamao, shrugging her shoulders. “I guess they're just wimps. Well, what do you want to do now? You've seen the dungeon.”

 

“Um… let's go back upstairs,” Horo Horo suggested. “We can go outside or something.” Tamao agreed and they walked back up the stairs. Horo Horo and Tamao quickly closed the door and moved the bookshelf back into place. When they came to the door of the library, they saw two people enter the hallway. They ducked back into the library, only poking their heads out.

 

“Who are they?” Horo Horo whispered. Tamao caught a glance of the two people's face as they walked into the Foreign Minister's office and closed the door.

 

“I think that's the man who was visiting here last night,” Tamao said. “Remember the foreign man my papa was talking to while we were getting the food last night?” Horo Horo nodded, remembering him. “The woman is Duchess Jamanen'; she's one of the government people. She's the one who yells at all those people from other countries. Come on, let's go before someone sees us.” They tiptoed through the hallway, trying not to draw attention.

 

Tamao and Horo Horo stopped in front of Jamanen's door, and heard talking coming from within. “I wonder what they're saying,” Tamao whispered. “Let's listen,” she said, putting her ear against the door.

 

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Horo Horo whispered. Eavesdropping was a lot worse than just roaming the mansion. They could get in a lot of trouble if they got caught.

 

“Shh! I wanna hear what they're saying.” Horo Horo decided not to argue, and he put his ear to the door also. He strained to hear parts of the conversation. It was hard to make them out, but he picked up a few sentences.

 

“… Going to the place in Tokyo,” said one voice. “It'll be safe there and no one… what we'll do.

 

“… Sure no one will find out…” said the other voice.

 

“Don't worry,” said the first voice. “The plan is fool-proof… discuss the rest of it later. I need to go.” Horo Horo and Tamao heard footsteps approach the door and they quickly tried to get up and run away. The door opened and a stunned Duchess Jamanen looked down to see Horo Horo and Tamao crouched on the floor. The children gave innocent smiles.

 

“Um… hello Miss Jamanen,” said Tamao in a surprised voice. Jamanen stiffened and looked at her.

 

“Good afternoon, Tamamura-sama,” Jamanen said. “Are you lost?” she said sardonically.

 

“Um, no,” she replied. “Horo Horo was just helping me find my pet frog… that got loose. He hopped over here somewhere. Right Horo Horo?” She jabbed him with her elbow and he smiled.

 

“Oh, yeah,” he mumbled. “Right, we're looking for the frog.” Horo Horo and Tamao tried to look like they were innocent. Tamao glanced at the “Ambassador” who was staring at her. The look in the man's eyes gave her chills. She shrugged off the feeling and continued acting guiltless.

 

“Why don't you two run along?” Jamanen suggested. “We've got work to do.” Horo Horo and Tamao nodded and quickly ran down the hallway towards the main entrance. They went outside and sat down in the shade of a tree. Tamao looked to make sure no one was around.

 

“That was close,” Horo Horo said, his heart pounding like a jackhammer. “I thought we would be in big trouble.”

 

“I told you nothing would happen,” Tamao said. She hadn't been worried that much. “Remember, I'm the mayor's daughter. I can't get in trouble with anyone else but my dad… and Chishioko. She couldn't have done anything, they're not allowed to yell at me.”

 

“You mean you can do anything you want and not get in trouble?” Horo Horo asked.

 

“I can't get in trouble by everyone else. But then they tell Chishioko and then she lectures me for about two hours. So I still get in trouble, but just by Chishioko or Papa.”

 

“Oh,” Horo Horo mumbled. “Did you see how that guy looked at you?” It was kind of scary.”

 

Tamao remembered the look that Sakuya had given her. “I know; that was kind of scary. He sort of reminded me the bad shamans.” They turned to see a small group of people exit the mansion. It was Sakuya and his entourage. Some mounted horses, while Sakuya sat in an elaborately decorated limousine.

 

“Speak of the devil,” Horo Horo said. “There he is. It looks like he's leaving.” The group of people and horses began to move. They went down the path through the gates, and they were gone. Tamao felt relieved.

 

“That's good, he's gone,” Tamao said. “I'm sure there was nothing wrong about him. Besides, he's not coming back.”