End of an Era II: "The True Ruler of All Shamans"

[Innle]

Notes: I DO NOT OWN SHAMAN KING. Right, with that out of the way: this is the story which the postseries AU "End of an Era" prefaced. It's been six years since that story was set. Hana Asakura lives at the Flame Inn with his parents and occasionally some of their friends. Lyserg and Ryu have been living in London, attracting the attention of the press. Faust and Eliza have been "busy," but so far are without "a result." There will be flashbacks to that six-year interval. This will be multichapter. (Bear in mind that some will be short like this one.) So keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times, and don't feed the Spirit of Fire. It makes Lyserg nervous.

***part I: ...in a handbasket!

I knew something was wrong when Mom called me "sweetie." She's really, really, really scary normally, if she's nice then somebody's hurt or dead and she doesn't want me to see it. (Like the time dad caught his thumb in the can opener because he fell asleep standing up.) Uncle Ryu woke me up by yelling, I didn't understand what he was saying because it was in English, but he sounded freaked out, and I got up and tried to go downstairs.

Mom was blocking the stairs. "Hana, sweetie, be a good boy and go back upstairs to your room."

"Somebody's hurt. It isn't Dad, is it?"

"No, your father is fine. Go upstairs. Now." She turned and yelled something in English to Doctor Faust. He said something back, and I heard Lyserg's name. (He doesn't want me to call him Uncle Lyserg, he says it makes him feel old.) He didn't sound nice like he normally does, he sounded really angry, and kinda scared. I don't know what they said, though. "I said go upstairs!"

Dad walked up then. "Anna, he's obviously not going to go back to sleep after all of this." There was blood all over his shirt, it was Lyserg's blood, but I didn't know that then, and I freaked out. "Hey, it's okay! It's not my blood, I'm fine!" I kept freaking out (okay, fine, crying and screaming) until Mom gave him the You're Sleeping on the Floor Tonight look and he went to go try to talk to Uncle Ryu.

That was when Uncle Ryu started yelling about there being some weird lady outside when he found Lyserg, that some lady in a mask had done this to him. He said some really bad things that Mom doesn't want me to repeat, but I'll tell you one of them: "When I find that f**king bitch, I'll rip her heart out and feed it to her!" I asked Dad what a f**king bitch was, and he just looked really shocked, and then sighed, and then said I'd understand when I'm older. Does it have to do with sex or something?

[Secretofmana]

Ah, you're doing a sequel to End of an Era? Awesome job so far, nice viewpoint expression. ^_^ Along with awesome writing as well.

..

Now if I can only get Gus to start his fic back up...>_>;

[kfttjdb]

This seems very intriguing. I didn't read the first one, so I wonder if I'll have questions...

*slinks away to find other thread*

*crawls back* And I've been trying not to be pushy with Gus on his fic, but I wanted to see how it played out. I know he's in school and all, (blah, blah, I gave him this bit) but don't just leave us hanging... not mad though. I haven't finished my fic either so...

Innle you update, don't you?

[Innle]

Notes: I don't own Shaman King, I simply enjoy playing with the characters. Had to change the title to fit into the subject line for this reply, because I'm odd like that. Kaonashi = No Face, for those who didn't know. And yes, I do update.

***part II: An explanation and something strange

Light. Bright light. Someone blonde... Marco? No, not him, no glasses... Faust VIII? "What's... happened?" There's someone crying, who is it?

"Don't try to talk. You were shot, Lyserg. Do you remember what happened before that?"

Why's he shifting in and out of focus like that? It's really annoying, makes me dizzy. "Stop going all blurry. Yeah, I remember. Went to investigate the cult Hao's worried about, asked a wrong question, got tailed and shot. Woman found me about half a kilometer from the station and sang to me while she dragged me back here and now you're doing something inside me right now aren't you?" It feels weird. Not painful, but I can hear his hands squelching around and a kind of pressure where they must be.

"I'm using my furioku to regenerate the damaged tissues. Stay with me, Lyserg, I need you to stay awake until I finish this."

I can't see him at all anymore, my vision's blacked out. "Am I dying?" It's hard to speak, feels like my tongue isn't moving right....

"Not if I can help it. Eliza, could you please get me bandages? I'm nearly finished!" Why's he speaking English? So I can understand what's going on?

I guess what Eliza just said was German for "Yes, dear," in reply to him. Never was good at German. Failed it in grade school when we had to take a language.

"She sounded like my mother. The woman. She sang like my mother...." I'm so tired. I'm sorry, Faust, but I'm going to go to sleep now....

"Damn it! Eliza, he's started bleeding again, I need your help!" I am? "Lyserg, stay awake! I don't need your soul separating from your body at this point!"

Goodbye everyone, sorry you had to put up with weak insignificant me for so long. Didn't mean to be an inconvenience. I'm sorry to leave you alone, Ryu....

"Lyserg? Lyserg! Damn it, wake up. Wake up, this isn't funny you idiot boy. Wake up!"

***

He's either unconscious or dead. Considering how much blood he'd lost, I suspect the latter. You go into terminal shock after losing so much, and then nothing can bring you back. Nothing short of a miracle will save him if he's lost that much blood. It's strange, how I can go back into being a detached physician when operating, even when I know the patient. "Eliza, go get Yoh... and my watch."

"He isn't going to die, Johannes. You won't fail."

"How do you know that? I failed you, what if it happens again?" My right hand is stuck up to the wrist in this boy's torso. If he dies, I will have caused it, not whoever shot him. Using an experimental technique of healing on someone who was fatally wounded wasn't a good idea, but there weren't any proper instruments here! I would have had to use kitchen utensils, otherwise!

"Johannes, I was the only patient you ever lost." Somehow Eliza can still smile at me, even when I'm panicking over someone who could die in front of her. It seems just a bit better when she smiles like that, like I'm not going to fail again. She turns and leaves, returning a few seconds later with Yoh.

"I need your help, Yoh. I'm running low on power right now, I need you to... give me a transfusion, if you will."

He nods. "Of course. If it'll help, I'll do anything."

***

Is it possible that Ryu wasn't hallucinating about this masked woman he saw? Faust-san said Lyserg mentioned her as well. He's asleep, it's been about three hours since we finished fixing Lyserg up. Eliza had to drag him out of the kitchen after he fainted, so I was left alone with Morphine to keep sure Lyserg didn't take a turn for the worse again.

"Dad?" Hana's standing in the doorway, looking scared. "There was something outside my window."

"Besides the tree?" I ask, and he nods.

"It looked like Kaonashi."

I told Anna not to let him watch weird anime movies, but apparently he found one of the old Ghibli films she keeps around. "Sen to Chihiro" something something, the one with the girl whose parents get turned into pigs by a stereotypical European witch. I do remember Kaonashi, though, it ate people. "Kaonashi isn't a real spirit, it's not going to come and eat you."

"But there was something with a mask outside my window staring at me!" He walks over and hugs me, and now I'm scared. What if there really was something out there that wanted to hurt him? Would I be able to do anything?

Maybe stuff like this was why Dad was never around when I was a kid. "Okay. I'll go up and look out your window to see if it's gone."

"Get Harusame and wake up Amidamaru." Right, there was definitely something outside my son's window, because otherwise he wouldn't suggest getting a weapon. This is no attempt to be paid attention to at eleven O'clock at night.

"All right. Morphine, you're okay with watching Lyserg by yourself, aren't you?"

She nods, still looking sad and worried. Then a window breaks and there's someone or something in the room with us.

"The crow on the cradle, the white and the black. Somebody's baby is not coming back," it sings in a woman's voice, moving like liquid over the floor towards us.

Hana screams. "That's the thing that was outside!" It does look like Kaonashi, all dressed in black robes and wearing a white mask.

It stops about a meter away. "Tell your brother the false king that the true king is calling for your and your family and your friends and his killings," it says, swaying back and forth so that its robes swish around. "That's all I've been told to tell to the falling leaf."

It jumps back out through the window it broke. "That was... scary," I hear myself say.

"Yeah," Hana answers. Thank the Great Spirit, it didn't try to harm him. I guess calling Hao would be a good idea now, then....

[Secretofmana]

*hop hop hops in*

Awesome chapter, once again, you're perfectly in character with all of your viewpoints, it provides an awesome reading experience. Wonderful mental image with the Kaonashi. I imagine something like a mix between the girl from The Ring, and a hollow from Bleach. *thumbs up* Great job, I anticipaite the next chapter eagerly!

*stares at time* Ooh, Bobobo in 10 minutes! *shot for being off topic*

Edit: Just realized what anime film it was. XD Awesome, I kindof got that mental image anyways. ^_^

[Gus]

Hrm, pretty nice story, huh!

...and as a side note... no offense, but I seriously doubt I'll ever get around to finishing. Someone else do it for me. D<

[kfttjdb]

Gus: ...

Innle: I really like this story. The mystery and suspense is so engaging. I like how you transition to each character's thoughts without confusing the crap out of the reader. *shoots a thumbs up and sits back for the next chapter*

[Innle]

Notes: Thank you everyone! I don't own shaman king. Ryokan = small bath-house inn, usually with under fifteen rooms. Tourists like them a lot. Oh Loooove-ly... Manta's got a piece of chapter here... you know you want to read it and criticise me! And yes, Bluebell’s a canon character. See chapters 91 to 94 of the manga for details, or just bug someone for spoilers.

***part three: One Team the Ren, two battle plans, and a very confused Manta makes Three

"Why didn't you wake us up, if there was something lurking around? It could have come back in and killed us all!" Ryu says, slightly panicky.

I can't blame him. Yoh's done some stupid things in the time that we've known each other, but not something that stupid. Nothing stupid enough to make me want to divorce him. At least, he hasn't done anything that stupid since we were married six years ago.

"But it didn't, and Ren and Horohoro and Chocolove should be here sometime today. Hao said he'll be here in a few days, Kanna's gotten stuck in some yakuza thing," my idiot husband replies, setting breakfast down in front of us. Lyserg bled onto this table last night. It doesn't matter if Yoh scrubbed it clean, he was still bleeding onto my table.

How dare that idiot get himself shot. Yoh was troubled enough to stay up watching him! I prefer my husband in my bed, not staring at one of his friends. "Why am I not surprised?" I ask. "She's never been able to stay out of trouble, has she? Neither have the other two, for that matter." I stab a pancake with my fork, glaring at the stupid western food that my stupid husband likes to make when his stupid friends are visiting.

I'm well aware that I'm being juvenile about this. After all, the inn is going to be open for business in a few weeks, I'll have to put up with a crowd of idiot foriegners then. But they won't stay after they're welcome, and they won't get themselves shot and then bleed all over the first floor of my ryokan.

"Anna, I'm sorry I didn't come back to bed last night," Yoh whispers into my ear, leaning close to me under the guise of pouring boiled tree sap on the cooked flour. I can't help but smile, he sounds so pathetically apologetic.

"It's all right, just don't do it again," I whisper back. The doorbell rings, and Ryu dashes to answer. I've got my men so well trained, it makes me happy.

The loud obnoxious Ainu who's announcing his presence to the household, on the other hand, does not. Neither do his teammates. Why did they have to arrive so early?

***

I wasn't expecting everyone to be at Yoh's when I came to visit. It's been a long while since we were all together. I missed being "one of the guys" despite my height. (Or lack thereof. Even now, I've barely topped one-and-a-third meters....)

If I hadn't expected everyone to be there, I definitely hadn't expected them to be drawing up battle plans.

"So this cult is convincing people that by killing us they’re going to get to heaven?" Yoh asks Lyserg as I walk in. I had no idea what was going on, and was about to ask when he noticed me. "Manta! I didn't know you were coming today! When'd you get here?"

I find myself being squeezed to the point of having difficulty breathing. "Er, Yoh-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you let go of me, please?"

He laughs sheepishly and puts me down. (He’s still quite a bit taller than I am. I suppose it was too much to hope that he’d stop growing after junior high just so that we’d be closer in height....) “We’re trying to figure out why they tried to kill Lyserg. ‘They’ being a group Hao is worried about.”

“It’s obvious,” Lyserg says slowly. “I asked the wrong questions, they knew who I was, and so they told someone to shoot me and scare you.” Ryu pulls him closer and nuzzled his hair, waving at me in greeting. “We’re in public, stop that. Hello, Manta. How’ve your classes been going?”

“Fine,” I answer. “So what’s this thing that has Hao worried?” If it could worry Hao, it was definitely worth looking into.

Ren sighs. “A cult, lead by a potentially god-level shaman, which is dedicated to somehow seizing the Shaman Kingship for its leader. We’re all evil, of course.” He sneezes. “Chocolove, give me the tissues.”

“O’ coss, massa! Youse want me to pick youse some cotton while I’se at it?” he nearly shouts, a deranged grin plastered across his face. “f**k you! I’ve had it with taking orders from you!” He storms out of the room, grimacing in anger.

“What just happened?” Horohoro asks, walking in behind me.

Ren sighs, again. “I suppose he got fed up with my ordering him around....”

“I can see why,” Yoh says. “You told him to get your bags at the airport despite the fact that he was on a longer flight than yours and was dead tired, you made him and me make you some special Chinese breakfast when you got here, and you’ve had him waiting on you hand and foot because you’re sick. I was starting to get angry at you, Ren.”

“Well, I’m not apologizing. He knew me back then, he should realize I haven’t changed.”

“You didn’t make us wait on you back then,” Horohoro says. “Um, anyway... allow me to introduce all of you to the reason I should have been late getting here, because I had to go to the airport to pick her up. Everybody, this is Bluebell Bloch. She was a park ranger until recently, we met a few years ago in America.”

I turn around and look up. A woman not that much older than any of us stands there, looking both nervous and faintly annoyed at what Horohoro had just said. (Tact has never been his strong point, has it?) “Hello. Horokeu’s told me about all of you, but I don’t think he’s ever mentioned me. Like he said, we met back in America, when he fell off of a cliff. My job was cut a few months ago, and he offered me a place to stay, so I’m here. Pleased to meet you all.”

Lyserg grins at Horohoro. “You sly dog. So this is what happened when you went off and disappeared that one time. You met a girl!”

“Oniichan! Get out here and help me with our luggage!” Pilica’s uncanny sense of timing saves her brother from an awkward situation, as he dashes out to help.

Unfortunately for Bluebell, he told her to stay and “get to know everyone.” She looks rather like a deer in headlights.”My Japanese isn’t really that good, is it okay if I speak English?”

“Yeah,” I answer. “Most of us know English. Yoh’s son doesn’t, but everyone else does. I’m Manta Oyamada.” We shake hands, and I'm surprised. She has a businessman's handshake!

“Yoh, why is Manta here?” Anna asks. “I told you not to have parties without my permission.” She looks Bluebell up and down. “You’re hired.”

“What?”

“I said you’re hired. We need someone to help keep this place running, and you’re here and jobless.”

“Thanks!” She plainly has no idea who she's dealing with. And how did Anna know about her job situation if she’d just walked in? Mind reading? Even for shamans, there are some things that aren’t possible... right?

“There was a reason we were all called here, no?” Ryu asks. I'm starting to wonder, myself. "I'd like to go back to the hotel and retreive my and Lyserg's belongings. After all, it'd be safer if we stayed here. Even with creepy masked things jumping through the windows." Bluebell looks questioningly at Horohoro as he walks back in, he shrugs as if to say he's as clueless as she is.

“Yeah, but that reason can wait,” Yoh says, looking out the door in the direction Chocolove went. “For now, let’s just get everyone settled in. We can talk over lunch when it's ready. Pick a room, we've got plenty.”

[kfttjdb]

Bluebell Bloch? Don't know why that amused the crap out of me. Nice chapter, Innle. You juggled the characters well. (which is so hard to do *groans*) *lingers for next chapter*

[MetaKnight]

This is a superb fan-fic! I especially like how you juggled the story to be aimed from each of the characters' points of view. Keep up the good work, I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Useless]

Read all of this before, but never had time to log in and review....

Incredible job, Innle. Great job earlier with talking from certain characters' view and that you just did not overfocus on anyone in the next chapter. Even with only seeing the dub, I could imagine them acting like that (even Choco's angry humor). I have some annoying questions, though:

How old is Bluebell? Plus, would she really be shy, considering she had no qualms about firing a shotgun at Horo and even running him over with her jeep?

Why would Ren be making Choco do things, considering that he was blind, and I think your story follows the manga version?

Just curious, but are you going to follow up on that RenxTamao thing you started in the first story?

[Innle]

Chocolove's able to sense where things are courtesy of Mic and Pascal. Ren's a bitch when he's sick, that's why he made Chocolove act like his servant; and yes, I'm going to be following up on that thing.

Bluebell has her reasons for being shy, even if she is three (?? I don't think she's in the character guide) years older than Horohoro (four years older than Lyserg) and everyone. Woudn't you be shy around the everyone if you'd only heard about them from Horo's point of view? (Besides which, he made the mistake of telling her just how powerful everyone is....)

I'll be updating this tomorrow, I swear!

[Innle]

Note: Erk. Sorry about the gap in updates! I was really busy! I also apologize if Pascal's dialogue is out of character for him... but I only have Chinese scanlations for the chapters after he shows up, and while Takei's art is expressive I might be "reading" it wrong. (Pascal came across as kind of... snarky, if that makes sense, so that's how I write him.) Bluebell should be a bit more like herself this chapter, for those who were worried....

***Part four: In which everything goes down the cosmic toilet, so to speak.

I'm by no means tolerant of whining angst. Hell, it's why I didn't go with the Topiary when he was in hell. Chocolove isn't usually depressed, but for the last few weeks he's been acting strange. Mick's worried, so I know it isn't just me being paranoid.

But to see him actually crying is disturbing.

"I would have died for him, back then."

"I know you would have, kid. But people change."

"Yeah, but you'd think he'd at least be glad to see me. Say hello instead of telling me to get his luggage. Guess I shouldn't have told him keeping Mick oversouled in my sunglasses lets me see, right?"

"There was something wrong with him. He's always been a dick, Chocolove, deal with it. Maybe he's fed up with being nice all the time."

A derisive laugh. "Nice? Ren, nice? Jesus Christ." That laugh doesn't lessen the fact that there are still tears falling down his face from behind the glasses. "He's never been nice, but he's never treated me like one of his family's zombies before."

"Maybe you should stop going around town yelling 'BRAAAAIIINS!' then." Ah, that got a real laugh out of him. "Come on, they're probably worried."

"I'm not going down there. Tell Yoh he can bring my food up here or something, I'm not eating at the same table as His Highness the Prick." Damn it, would he just cheer up already? "Bet nobody would give a damn that got a full ride scholarship for my first choice school, anyway."

So that's what's been bothering him. "So UC's in a city known for racism. So what. You've dealt with stuff worse than people calling you names for a long time."

He looks at me (well, turns in my direction) and the expression on his face is enough to make me wish I could go down there and beat the hell out of Ren without his warrior beating the hell out of me. "You're right, I have. But that was life, after a while. This is new. It still hurts to be treated like shit by a guy I considered a friend."

"You don't want to be hurt like that again."

"No. And I don't want to be viewed as a stereotype, either. That's what's got me worried." He looks thoughtful. "You know, you could make a killing as a therapist."

I laugh. "Damn straight I could. I won't charge you a thing, though." He smiles, and for the first time in weeks, Chocolove is back to being himself.

Wait, this means he's going to start with those godsawful puns again... crap.

***

So these are the people Horohoro warned me about? They look harmless. Well, with the exception of Ren, but his hair alone could be a weapon. (Not to mention his attitude. "Stick up the ass" doesn't begin to cover him.)

It's nice to be cooking for other people again. (Being paid is a definite bonus!) "Why are you just standing there? I wouldn't mind having some help...." He got free food out of me then, now he's going to have to be a part of preparing it.

"I'm trying to decide which is hotter, those peppers or you." It's great to hear his voice again... letters are fine, but there's no substitute for being physically near someone you care about. (This is still pretty awkward, though. That scheming look his sister gave me can't have been good....)

Somehow, I'm betting on the peppers. "Usui Horokeu. Get your ass over here or I'm not letting you have any dinner!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

I turn around and he's goose-stepping across the kitchen towards me. "Very funny. Could you start cutting the onions?"

"Sure."

His hair's longer now, and he doesn't wear it spiked up. It's still blue, though. Who'd've thought the skinny boy I saved back then would grow up to be gorgeous? And not in the sense that the effeminate characters from this country's comics are, either. He's a good substitute for the Prince Charming I wanted as a little girl... wait, he said something? "Sorry, I didn't hear what you said."

"I asked if you were staring at me like a piece of meat intentionally."

... damn it. "Would you be entirely angry if I said yes?"

He grins. "No."

"In that case, yes."

"Forget dinner for right now, why don't you." Is it possible to cross a room in less than a second? Then again, he can stop bullets with ice, so it's probably some sort of shaman thing. As is the way he's kissing me....

***

I'm coughing up blood again. It hurts. Oh god, but it hurts. Jun told me I should ask Faust for help... but if the doctors back home can't help, how should he be able to? I deserve this, a slow death.

I wanted to die back then. I didn't want to be brought back. But of course nobody wanted to hear that, and so they gave the X-Laws my body and I was revived. Little do they know....

I'm dying slowly. I have been since Jeanne was put into a coma when we were going to face Hao. With her essentially dead, I started to fall apart. My heart, my lungs, even my spinal cord: they're all slowly going back to the wounded state of that day. I'll probably be paralyzed before the end comes.

And I don't care. I'd like to go out fighting, so if Yoh wants a head-on confrontation with this "true king?" It's fine by me.

But for now, my god! It hurts! But I can't let that show. I have to be strong, and live, because I'm Ren Tao. I can't show weakness, or pain, or a wish to die.

I can't tell Yoh I want to die, and I can't tell Jun I'm sorry that I am. I never got to know that Tamao girl well enough that she'd care, and there's a part of me that wishes that I had and she would.

So I keep spitting my life on the floor and letting it rinse away. Hopefully nobody will check the onsen's shower drains anytime soon. I wouldn't want to traumatise anyone, of course.

[Useless]

HOLY DAMN, THAT WAS WORTH THE WAIT!

Seriously, that was a good chapter, Innle. It was cool that you could keep the story serious, yet you did not stretch to the point where it was overexaggerating the mood.

Wait, this means he's going to start with those godsawful puns again... crap.
-
"Forget dinner for right now, why don't you." Is it possible to cross a room in less than a second? Then again, he can stop bullets with ice, so it's probably some sort of shaman thing. As is the way he's kissing me....
-
So I keep spitting my life on the floor and letting it rinse away. Hopefully nobody will check the onsen's shower drains anytime soon. I wouldn't want to traumatise anyone, of course.

Nice ending lines, too. A good laugh is always needed after some good drama.

[kfttjdb]

So sorry, I didn't come back Innle. I had some "issues".

This was a great chapter. Crap, I hate when I can't think of anything constructive to say. I like it, Innle. You're very good at this. Much better than I am. I'm not that great...