Shaman King Fan Fiction ❯ Shaman King 2498 ❯ Companion ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

I follow Soun through the labyrinthine corridors, having to sprint just to keep up with him. He's surprisingly fast, for someone of small stature, though I suppose it lies in a kind of natural grace-- he doesn't even pause to think as he leads me down this rabbit hole.

And down we are going, through several flights of stairs and more iron doors. The cheery facade of the park has quickly become the dull reality of these dungeon-like passageways. Soun flips open another door and takes the stairs two at a time. I have to focus my efforts on not falling head over heels as I try to match his pace.

Why is he going so fast anyway? Is this some kind of 'initiation'? Maybe he's just in a hurry?

"We're here," the brown-haired boy says in monotone. I nearly trip over my own feet as I attempt to come to a complete stop. The area we're in now is clearly deep underground, and there's even something sloshing around in my eardrums as a sign of the altitude change. This place seems to be mostly used for storage, with several wooden crates stacked in quarter-pyramids against the walls, gathering dust.

I raise my foot, but then notice that Soun isn't moving and put it back down in the same place. He stands there in the doorway, his posture passive and his expression unchanging. What's he waiting for. I notice that the room before us is pitch-black, deprived of even the dull lighting the overhead lamps give us.

The room before us lights up, with pale illumination spaced every two metres. Soun steps in, and I can see that the room is a complete change from before: it looks like something out of a historical sim-- or fantasy, with the skull-trimmed altar and the spell circle on the ground. As I walk in I see that the lights aren't electric but ethereal-- simple spirits, letting their dim light shine throughout the room.

"Welcome, Soun, Natsume," says Darui, standing behind the altar. I smile weakly at him. Where had he come from, anywise? Soun deems not to respond, and walks into the hollow centre of the spell circle, managing not to step on any of the dust scattered in arcane patterns. Not knowing what else to do, I bow down in front of it.

"You know," Darui says, with a small laugh and a tinge of nostalgia in his voice. "In the old days -- and in some parts of the world today -- shamans didn't have partners assigned. It was their job to find ghosts that would take them on. Some didn't even know about the Shaman Fight until they encountered their fight officiate."

I try to crack a smile, but am too nervous. It feels a bit as though something is grasping at the insides of my stomach. I promptly become nauseous at my own imagery.

"Can we get this over with?" Soun snarked, now sitting cross-legged.

"Fine," Darui sighed, taking on a tone that signalled official business. "Do you, Natsume Takenouchi, as a citizen of Chinaka, agree to live by the codes of the Chinaka Shamanic Training Institute, and use this ghost only in accordance with the wishes of our government."

"Yes," I croak out. Of course, I haven't read the codes, but I don't really know what other option I have than to assent.

Taking an unseen signal, Soun produces a long string of prayer beads. He hums melodically, and the beads begin to shake in harmony. Spirit flames light up all around him, and the spell circle begins to glow. I have the sense of being on the verge of something huge, it's shadow creating an imprint in my mind.

He begins speaking. "One I place for my father. Two I place for my mother. Three I place for my brothers back home." His words seem to resonate in time with the world's rhythm-- the spirit lights dance in tune. I can feel myself drawn into his somatic web, becoming closer and closer to the spirit world.

"Here I offer my flesh to aid your soul's release." Soun tosses his prayer beads in an arc, looping around before his face. "Hear my voice at world's end and arise." The spirit flames dance more passionately now, and I can feel my heart beat rapidly as the spirit world approaches. "Hear the sounds of my prayer beads and draw nigh."

The world pulses quicker, causing me to tremble. Everything seems to be swimming in place, and the tempo has become rapid pandemonium. "Ghost of Ruhk! Let the dead take flesh!" The spirit flames explode in front of me, momentarily blinding me.

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Shaman King 2498

Chapter 4:Companion

A fanfiction by Amor

Disclaimer:Shaman King is owned by Hiroyuki Takei and a bunch of other people, which don't include me. The setting and characters are my own, however.

This story is rated PG-13:May not be appropriate for children under 13 years of age. This chapter contains graphic violence and bad language. Future chapters may also contain sexuality and shonen-ai.

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I recover my eyesight after about a minute. The room is now dark again, the light spirits mere torches, but I can still see the spirit in front of me. He has black hair and is clearly of African descent. The spirit is naked from the waist up, so I can see that he is quite muscular, if a bit dirty. The brown-eyed man's only articles of clothing are an animal hide cloth, draped around his waist and a sharp spear strapped to his back. In his left hand he carries a simple-looking shield.

"You're my vessel?" he asks, clearly unimpressed.

"Er... yeah," I respond. Was that what I was called, now that I had a spirit?

"Natsume, meet Rukh, a Zulu warrior of seven hundred years ago," Darui introduces. "Rukh, meet Natsume Takenouchi, your shaman."

Rukh looks me up and down, and I step away, uncertain. "Kind of scrawny, eh? But that's what all of your kind are now. Never should have came over her... but what's done is done." I am slightly confused at his speech, but decide not to mention it. "Good to see that we're taking up the torch again."

"Yeah, whatever," Soun says caustically, and I glance at him a bit edgily. He seems to be treating this as a business transaction, and I am still confused. A whirlwind of questions enter my head: Who is this Rukh? What do I do now? Why am I participating in this 'Shaman Fight' anywise? And what does a shaman do, exactly?

But I don't ask any of these questions. A bit shaken, I get up. I notice that the sign on the ground has disappeared. "Th-thank you," I stutter.

Darui smiles at me deeply. "You are welcome, Natsume. I hope your shamanic journey is a smooth one."

Soun guides me out, taking me up through the regular passages. His temperament seems no different than before. I wonder what's up with him. I mean, is he trying to be cool? Or does he honestly not care. That's a problem around here-- I just can't figure anyone out.

Rukh speaks, in a deep, gravely voice. "Shamanic journey, my ass. It's just a war, and I'd like it done with as soon as possible."

"A war?" I asked. "Is that what they mean by Shaman Fight?"

"I suppose," said Rukh. "These Japanese are as bad as the Brits when it comes to their titles and pseudonyms. But I suppose I'll take what I can get against the English dogs."

"Wait, England?" I asked, now thoroughly confused. "Soun, are we attacking the EU or something? Is that the real purpose of this shaman thing?"

"No," the brown-haired boy simply replied. "Your spirit is just an idiot."

"What did you say?" Rukh exclaimed, holding his spectral spear to the back of Soun's head. The itako shivered, but didn't respond, marching ahead.

"Look, we're not going to war with Britain," I say to my ghost, a bit irritated. It feels that life is just throwing me one curve ball after another, and it's starting to get to me. "You're here to be my spirit ally."

"Listen here, twerps!" Rukh yells. "I lingered around for six hundred years so that I could return to punish the British devils for invading our land and reducing our people to misery! I'm not about to-- gaack!"

Halfway through the speech, Soun casually tossed his bead strings along Rukh's neck and threw him to the ground. The ghost seems to be bound by the corporeal chain, though he's struggling. "You can't do this to me! I'm Impi!"

"Well then, you'd better start acting like one," the brown-haired boy says . "This is your assignment! You are to make sure that your soul can integrate freely into this boy, and that he can use your power to the greatest extent possible. Teach him your traditions, if they mean so bloody much to you. And when he becomes Shaman King, then maybe you can get him to wipe the damn Brits off the map. But until then, you are ours. Understood?"

A pink glow flows through the beads, and Rukh mutters something before nodding domestically. "Good," Soun says with a smirk, releasing the ghost. We continue walking through the underground passages of CIASOSM, Rukh now silent behind us.

"Thanks," I say to the itako.

"Don't thank me," he replies. "He was just getting annoying."

"So, um..." I begin. "Do you really think I'll be the Shaman King?"

"Nope. Probably that Asakura kid." A bit disheartened, I head to my quarters with my new ghost in tow.

* * *

Three hours later, me and Rukh have reached an impasse. I think he's finally realized that his private war is not on the agenda, but he still refuses to help me in battle. I lie on my bunk now, trying to figure out something to do-- there's a prog player, but it's been jury-rigged so that it won't work during the hours we're expected to train. I'm glad that I have the rest of the day off, as right now I don't feel like doing anything.

The door swings open, and Lu Han comes in, smiling. "Hey Natsume. State of the world?"

"Not good," I moan, rolling onto my side and propping myself up with my elbow. "I just got my partner, or spirit, or whatever the hell you guys call it."

"Oh really," says Lu Han, sounding intrigued. He unbuttons his red uniform halfway, more casual now that our training day is over. "What's he like."

"See for yourself," I remark, jerking my thumb in the general direction of where I had last seen Rukh.

The Zulu warrior materializes in a puff of smoke, looking just as irritated as ever. "So, you're one of the kid's friends? Eh... not much either. Oh well, I probably won't be sticking around this place much longer anyway."

"We'll see," Lu Han says guardedly. "So, what's your name?"

"You tell me yours," Rukh responds cautiously. It's at this point I notice something about him, or rather his nature: he acts like a warrior. His eyes are fierce and penetrating, and he speaks as though to the enemy. I notice that he has not set that shield down since I first saw him.

"Lu Han," the boy responds simply. Torrus stands behind him, silent.

"Rukh," the Impi introduces himself. "Lu Han, huh? You Chinese?"

"Korean, actually," says Lu Han. He pauses before moving in. "So, you said something about leaving. What's that about?"

Rukh tenses up. "I just want to get out of here. This is stupid. No offence, kid."

"You can try," Lu Han says, the corners of his mouth turned up in a sly smile. "But I doubt it'll work. Soun can always call you back, and I doubt he'll be happy to have to go to the trouble. You'll probably get punished... quite a bit."

The Zulu winces, and I can imagine what that guy could probably inflict on a spirit. It's strange how, even being about ten centimetres shorter than me, the guy still looks imposing as hell with those beads of his.

"All right," Rukh relents. "I'll stick around. But none of this shamanic stuff, okay? I figure you'll just fail the first shaman test or whatever, and we'll both get to go our merry ways. Sound good, Takenouchi?"

"Fine," I mutter. To be honest, I'm thoroughly tired of all this shaman shit. Lu Han frowns, but declines to comment and simply leaves.

* * *

A few more days pass, and my slackitude begins to weaken. I find myself in the training gym, lifting weights and learning some fighting from others. Darui even gave me a small gift to practice with: a spear and shield similar to what Rukh would have wielded. He appeared displeasured that I wasn't using my spirit, but again said nothing. That was almost as maddening as if he had openly lectured me, and I was getting it from everyone.

Having grown bored again from the physical exercises, I am now attempting one of the spiritual ones that Darui told me about. I sit cross-legged on the gym floor, a leaf in front of me. My eyes are closed. I reach out with my soul, attempting to speak to the leaf's spirit. Nothing. My eyebrow twitches, wondering if everyone around me was playing some sort of practical joke. How could something as small and insignificant as a leaf help me anyway.

Still, I press on, inflaming my spirit as I look deeper inside the leaf. An image appears in my mind-- a complex shape, like a rose petal. My astral self slides deep into the shape, as if looking for something. And then it finds it-- a small leaf spirit. Somehow, it seems to be smiling.

I pump my fist, and let go of my concentration. The spirit disappears, and my soul snaps back to my body. Feeling something akin to whiplash, I rub my head and stand up dizzily.

"Hey," greets Lu Han.

"Where did you come from?" I ask stupidly.

He laughs cheerfully. "Well, I was just hanging around, practising a bit with Torrus." His guardian ghost, dressed in a toga, appears and bows to me. I feel a strange flash of jealousy, at Lu Han's relationship with his ghost. Well, no matter. I was more or less giving up on this whole shaman thing anyway.

"So, anyway," he continues. "You know that sim we were planning to go out for on Friday night? Well, Shi said she couldn't make it. She's got a date or something like that."

"Too bad," I say, though not really--I don't know the purple-haired girl that well. "So, it'll be just the three of us?"

"Yeah," he responds awkwardly.

"Sounds like fun." I am glad now, that I have something to look forward to, no matter how small it is.

* * *

The week passes slowly. With Rukh still refusing to help, and me still not really giving a damn about training, there's not much I can do, but I am still forced to work for about nine hours a day. I'm in shape, sure, but it all seems like a colossal waste of time.

Friday night comes at last, and for once there seems to be a general happiness about the place. In the dinner hall that night, shamans are chatting amicably as they scarf down their dinner, many getting ready for a night out just like we are.

"So," I say. I'm still wearing my school uniform, as I lost most of my other clothes at the mental hospital. "What's this town like, anywise?"

"Ikori?" asks Janna, who is now wearing a plain but nice-looking blue dress. "Well, it's a small city-- as small as you can find down on Earth, anyway. Has all the typical stuff-- sim theatres, game dome, a good amount of bars..." She adds the last part with a sly smile.

"Mostly peaceful place," says Lu Han as he joins us, spooking me a bit. He is dressed casually, wearing slacks and a black T-shirt with Korean characters on it. "To be honest, I'd be kind of worried to live there. We're told not to use our shaman powers there, but sometimes people get a little caught up in the moment, and there's been more than one impromptu shaman match."

"No kidding," I mutter as the door opens, and the small stream of people heading to Ikori goes in. I notice that our spirits are accompanying us-- Torrus, Janna's animal spirits, and a reluctant Rukh. I feel suddenly very threatened, and realize that I had picked up the vibe much earlier than this-- for no palpable reason, I am carrying my spear.

We get on a bullet train, heading up from CIASOSM directly to Ikori. The train is worked into the regular train system, so the average person is none the wiser. We can spread throughout the cars of the subway, and that's good-- while waiting, the chatter was too loud for my tastes. For some reason, the training facility reminds me a lot of my high school.

Finally, the train arrives, and we get off. It feels so strange to be in a regular city again. People push past me on the train, their lives completely free of the end of the world and spiritual nonsense. A flash of envy passes through me before I move automatically up the stairs into the crisp spring air.

"You know, Natsume, you're going to have to get some actual clothes," Janna says, and I realize that the CIASOSM uniform is beginning to attract attention. And it's not the best thing at keeping you warm either.

"Yeah," I reply with the slightest blush. "But after the sim ticket I hardly have any money left."

"Well, I think I have some yanu stored up in the bank," Lu Han says whimsically, "from back when I first got here."

"Then don't spend it," I say, in an attempt to dissuade him. "I don't really need the clothes, and I suppose if it really got to be a problem I could just save up my money for a bit. Besides, I don't really care if I'm getting stares."

"Free spirit too, huh?" Janna asks with a grin.

"Nah," I shrug. "It just seems like too much work." We laugh, and the other two continue to lead me to the theatre.

* * *

The sim let out two hours later, the audience shuffling out of the theatres in a daze like after all holographic performances. The latest Ogara sim, Curse of the Black Swan, lived up to my expectations. It was a bit of a change of pacce from the Ogara prog series, but it was still nice.

"So, what did everyone think of the movie?" asks Lu Han. I think he's trying to make conversation.

"I liked it a lot," I gush. "That last batttle scene really had me on the edge of my seat, you know.

Janna frowned. "I dunno, I didn't like it that much. Too many plot holes, and the thing felt really rushed."

Lu Han shrugs. "I dunno, the movie was fine, but I liked the series better. Wouldn't it have been awesome if that one Muryomaru guy had shown up?" We are now walking into a skateboard park that seems to be deserted, though it's only around ten o'clock. Illegible graffiti covered the structure, and parts of it seem to be broken. We still had a couple of hours to kill, though I didn't have much money.

Janna's hawk spirit appears out of nowhere, and I remember for the first time that the spirits are with us. It urgently nips at her ear, and she turns as if to face it. "What's wrong?"

Torrus appears in front of us, holding his hands out defensively. "There is danger approaching."

I am frightened, before the man I remember as Goro steps out from the shadows. He is dressed like a thug and has a lopsided grin on his face. He is shortly followed by two people who I can only assume are his lackeys-- a hot blonde girl, wearing a tank top and shorts that cling to her bottom, and a big guy (whether fat or muscular I don't know) trying to hide some sort of very large weapon.

"Oh, it's just you," mocks Lu Han.

"Shut up!" Shouts Goro angrily. "I'm tired of you and your little geek friends making me look like an idiot."

"Then why don't you get better?" Lu Han asks, shifting into a defensive stance.

"All right, enough boasting!" Goro cries. "Us three against you retards, street style! We'll prove who's better." I wonder what "street style" is.

"Fine," says Lu Han, as Torrus snaps into spirit ball form immediately. Goro and his two lackeys also integrate, and I look at Rukh forlornly.

"Do you want to integrate?" I ask him.

"Er... right," the Impi grunts. There's a puff of smoke, and a lot of groaning from his area. It seems to take a lot longer than the others, who are now already fighting.

"Aoki, take that guy," Goro says, pointing to me.

"All right," says the big chummishly. This Aoki, I notice again, is really big. Probably like twice my mass. And he's carrying a weapon which is... Well...

It's a giant rock on a chain. And it's hurling right at me.

I yell as I throw myself to the side, and his weapon sails through where I used to be. I quiver in terror as Aoki reels it back in, and for a moment I see the others fighting. Goro is trying to attack Lu Han unsuccessfully, and Janna and the other girl seem to be staring each other down but not doing anything.

Aoki tosses the rock, and I dodge again. I've now forgotten integrating with Rukh and am now just running for my life. I see briefly the ghost of what looks to be a Mongolian barbarian over Goro's lackey, but I can't be sure. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to have good aim with his huge weapon.

After about the fourth toss, I realize that I can't just sit around and wait for him to hit me. Instead, I snap up my spear and charge while he's reeling his rock back in. He looks up, a frightened gleam in his eye. I grin and...

...miss. I try to jump away, but it's an easy shot even for him. The giant rock on a chain hits me point blank.

Ow. Pain rushes through my body, stemming from my cracked forehead. Blood runs down my face, and almost falls into my eyes. I hear Aoki say "Hey, I actually hit someone!"

Woozy, I stagger to my feet. "Oh, he's still conscious? Tough guy," Aoki says to himself. He raises his weapon for another swing. Can I dodge it this time?

"Oh, for the love of..." Janna says. A blur whips past me, and the Jovan girl interposes herself between me and the large weapon. Just as it looks like both of us will be pavement, she rushes forward and grabs hold of the chain, pulling down to send it in a backwards arc.

Aoki figured out too late where the end point of that arc would be. "Uh-oh," he muttered, before his own primitive weapon smacked him in the face, the blunt force knocking him down for the count.

"Er... thanks," I say to Janna, who has now disengaged her spirits-- a dolphin and a falcon.

"No problem," she replies nonchalantly. "Anyway, we should probably get going. The fight's just about over."

I look around and see that she's right. Besides the big guy laying at my feet, the blonde girl is also hunched over, moaning in pain, though I don't see any serious wounds on her. Lu Han and Goro are still going at it, though the latter's skin has turned blue from being hit with repeated Mercurial Arrows and is clearly almost out of energy.

"All right!" Goro yells. "This is retarded! Come on, guys, we're going home." He walks over, and helps the blonde girl up. She leans on his shoulder in an intimate manner. Aoki, meanwhile, gets up and crawls after the two.

"Skank," Janna says matter-of-factly.

The three of us dust ourselves art and start walking back-- it's generally unanimous that we won't be hanging around any later, after an incident like that. As we walk, Lu Han is wincing and rubbing his shoulder.

"You okay?" asks Janna, concerned.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," responds Lu Han, trying to be tough. "Goro just connected with one of his punches. That guy may not be too bright, or not have much skill, but he's awfully strong." He then turns to me, seeing my full profile for the first time. "Oh jeez, Natsume! You're bleeding all over!"

"Am I?" I ask. I realize that the burning pain in my forehead is still there, I just ignored it before. I bring a finger to my face, and then look at it. A drop of dark liquid runs down it.

Janna grabs me, and sits me down on the ground. The concrete is hard, but I don't complain. She produces some powder from somewhere, and I notice that her hands are glowing with spirit energy-- mana. She sprinkles the powder on my wound, and instantly a revitalizing surge flows through me.

She looks over me once more, and reports "It's not bleeding, but it's still an open wound. We'll have to wait until we get back to the base to clean you up, and put some bandages on it."

As I get up, I speak to Janna with a bit of wonder in my voice. "What was that? Are you a doctor or something?"

She shrugs modestly. "No, I just learned spirit healing back when I was young. Healing is a lot easier when you acknowledge and learn how to use the soul."

* * *

A couple days later, I am released from the infirmary. The wound was a bit infected, but it's mostly gone now. I return to my quarters, a bit defeated. Yesterday, I asked Darui if I could leave the place and stop being a shaman. The answer was a resounding "No."

"Hey," says Rukh, materializing beside me for the first time since that night. I notice he's adopted a more colloquial manner of speech.

"Mmm," I acknowledge him.

"Say... I'm sorry I let you get hurt out there," he says, shuffling his astral feet.

"Not your fault," I reply shortly. I don't feel much like talking today.

"Well, it looks like they won't let me go anytime soon either," he replies with a sigh. "So, listen, I was wondering... if maybe we could give this whole shaman and ghost thing a shot."

I look at him, feeling a mix of emotions. He seems to back away. "Well, I suppose so. I've got nothing better to do. Why?"

He grins. "It was just I was watching you fight the other day, and the way you used that spear is practically an insult!"

"All right, well then, how do you use it then?"

"Well, you really have to use the shield along with it for maximum use. But for starters, you should hold it upwards, like this..."

To be continued...

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Author' s Notes:

It's done! Yays!

Sorry about the delay, but I was working on other fics, and my computer crashed multiple times. It's all right, at this pace, I could be able to finish this fic by the 22nd century! (I kid you not... I've planned some of it out, and it's looking pretty huge now.)

As a side note, if you didn't figure it out, a sim is a holographic display similar to a movie. A prog is the TV equivalent.

And that's all. Hopefully I see you sooner rather than later.