Such as was evident in the local café The Royal Corn, where a floating, ethereal, cyan-haired woman was hanging off of a hapless young man, much to the amusement of his traveling companions. "Ryoko stop it, let go."
"Aw come on Tenchi, let's have a little fun, there's more than a week before the next round gets underway so we have plenty of time."
"Yeah Tenchi, you might as well take advantage of this opportunity now while you can," the psychic apprentice Yuusuke Urameshi snickered, "After all if you win she'll end up becoming human most of the time; besides how many men can say they've had the opportunity to date a real goddess after all."
*****
*Achoo*!!!
"Bless you Keiichi-san."
*****
"Forget it Yuusuke," the shrine maiden Rei Hino huffed with her face turned out of embarrassment, "You know as well as I do, that Ryoko's interested in a whole lot more than just a moonlit stroll; honestly how something so wild and uncontrollable could be considered a goddess is beyond me."
*****
*Achoo*!!!
"Urd! Stop sneezing on my lunch!"
"Shove it short-stack."
*****
"Guilty as charged," Ryoko said grinning like the cat that caught the canary, "But I wouldn't mind a regular date either; besides Tenchi think of it as practice on using my gems, after all there's a lot of powerful Shamans out there."
Deflating with a sigh, Rei recalled what her grandfather had told her, "Yeah I know, I have heard rumors of several groups that are downright lethal. One group called the X-Laws will kill anyone that won't submit to the divine will of their leader. Another is lead by this kid named Hao; I heard he exterminates anyone he feels are too weak."
"Then there's a group called the Gun-ho Guns, I know from experience that they'll take you out if you just get in their way; my friend Michiru went up against one of them called Midvalley the Hornfreak in the First Round. By the time she got out of the hospital the first round was already over, and her final match was declared a forfeit. Although she was probably lucky, from what I heard most of their opponents paid the ultimate price for fighting them."
Startled by this sudden revelation, Tenchi accidentally began to send power from one of the three gems imbedded in his ancestor's sword hilt, to Ryoko.
"Don't worry about it so much Rei," proclaimed the former schoolyard thug, "I mean between us we've got a goddess, a high demon king, and an cardinal guardian spirit on our side; we should be okay in the long run."
*Sigh* "I hope you're right Yusuke," said the miko, as she noticed Ryoko had finally managed to garner enough energy from her captive gems to drag Tenchi off for a date, "I hope you're right."
*****
Elsewhere in Patch another group had recently awoken from their ordeal in the Blue Cave, "Wow, this wasn't what I was expecting," proclaimed a young woman in a red sarong.
One of her companions, dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans spoke up, "Well you have to admit the American Southwest is a lot different from either Tokyo, or your home on back on Barou Ushio; by the way Ushio just why did we need to visit your island on the way to America?"
"Well to tell you two the truth," Ushio said nervously, "I needed to undergo a ceremony with my sisters Manami and Yuuhi to temporarily gain their powers; I never know when I might need to bring out Ranga's full power on my own.
"You can say that again Maze, we don't have towns like this in Tibet either," remarked their third companion, "It almost looks like one of the smaller coastal cities in China, of course here most of the smaller homes don't float in the harbor."
"Still Pai I'm glad we're finally at Patch Village," interjected the middle of the Shimabara sisters, "Now I don't have to worry about my ceremonial robes not exactly being street legal; all that dry heat is murder when you're used to warm sea breezes."
"You think you have problems," proclaimed the Tibetan native, "try coming down from the Himalayas, for me the heat here was a killer."
"All this heat is a problem for a lot of people Pai," Maze huffed, "I'm just glad there's a lot of shade here, all that glaring sunlight on the road was getting to me."
"Maze I thought that you're from this country, I shouldn't you be used to these types of conditions."
"I'm from Oregon Ushio, that's in the northwest not the southwest. What I'm used to are suburbs, mountains and forests not way-towns, mesas and the plains; besides I live on the other side of the continental divide. Also it wasn't the weather that was getting to me, the monotony was."
"Gee Maze, I hope those two will be up for the tournament," said the small fairy familiar that just emerged from the Ikaruga witch's shirt, "If the weather can bring them down I hate to think of what their opponents will do." "Randy be nice," was her master's reply, "You have to realize that not everyone is used to these types of climates, that's no reason to make fun of them. Besides each of us is powerful in our own right, I just hope that we can iron out our teamwork more before the next round begins."
*****
However it was no surprise that Maze's group was disoriented, the Blue Cave was not an easy experience for anyone as another group of shaman were finding out...
"Man this is dull," huffed an orange-blonde boy with a punkish air, "How much longer is this tunnel going to go on for anyway?"
"It'll go on for as long as it'll go on," answered the scruffy youth in front of him, "It isn't like your complaining will make this tunnel grow any shorter Ichigo. Say Amit, how are you holding up back there?"
"I'm just fine Duo," replied the smiling Indian girl with her hair cut short, "Walking doesn't bother me that much, and please call me Dipali; we are teammates after all."
"Come on you two love birds," Ichigo chided, "Now's no time for making out."
"Get your mind out of the gutter you dork," the orphanage raised mechanic barked, "Dipali's a friend; besides if Hilde thought I was cheating on her there wouldn't be enough left of me to fit into a thimble."
*****
Also many groups had either arrived at, or are about to leave the way station town less than a day from the Blue Cave. Such was the case of a group that contained a certain Japanese lad; who at present was busy harassing a waitress at the restaurant, "Come on all I want is a name and number; I collect them as hobby I swear."
"Anne Onymous" was the young annoyed waitress's response, "And the number is 0!"
Getting closer the teenager persisted, "Aw, come on don't be that way..."
"I would stop that if I were you," the waitress warned him with a hint of a smile begining on her face.
Currently puzzled, "And why is that?" the scruffy boy inquired; right before was doused with a pitcher of ice water and shocked.
"Because your girlfriend and her spirit were starting to look angry," the waitress replied, "but no matter," and walked off.
Looking over at the seething, short-haired apprentice-miko and her oni partner, "Now, now Shinobu-chan, Lum-chan, calm down it's just like I said," Ataru Moroboshi said as he began to nervously backpedal, "I'm just trying getting some things to remember our trip, that's all."
"Ataru," said Shinobu the apprentice miko, "I can't believe that you have the nerve to try and cheat on us while we're in the room with you."
"Darling!" exclaimed the oni-chan that appeared above the miko, "How dare you!"
"Really Shinobu-chan, Lum-chan it's not what you think!" Ataru proclaimed right as the miko and oni oversouled; fortunately today fortune smiled on him.
"Come now Shinobu-chan, Lum-chan," said another teenage boy dressed in an immaculate white uniform placed his hand on their collective shoulder, "Why do you continue to pursue this lecher; surely you know by now that he will never be faithful."
Unfortunately the young man was so enamored with himself (as well as the beautiful spiritual composite) that he failed to heed the warning signs ahead, such as the growling and the smell of ozone. "Shutaro, for the last time, hands off!"
Shaking off the warning the Mendou scion only pressed on, "Please ladies, be reasonable; why do you continue to wound you hearts by being faithful to that idiot."
With that last statement the final nail had been driven into Shutaro's coffin, "That's it Divine Retribution!" shouted the oni-miko fusion as they flash fried their would be paramour.
The next booth over the rest of their companions shook their heads and sighed, "How that idiot got this far I'll never figure out," said a shocking beauty in a white lab coat, "Not only is he clueless, but his spirit is a giant octopus. Still he is right about one thing; I can't understand what those two see in that letch."
"It is fate," answered an ugly old man that emerged from the lady's medical bag; then tried to go for their food.
"Back in the bag you old fossil!" the Miko/Nurse cried as she shoved her late uncle back in, and slapped a trio of wards over the top.
"Come on Sakura-sensei," said the tomboyish rogue sitting across from her, "You know that they say; love is blind after all."
Manifesting behind the tomboyish youth, her spirit decided to join in the conversation, "Yeah, besides I've known Lum for centuries; once sets here heart towards something she doesn't give up," Proclaimed a hovering lady in an unusual set of armor, "Besides both Shinobu's previous incarnation and Lum fell for this guy's past life, and he was just as much of a dipstick as Ataru is... to tell you the truth he was even worse."
"I don't know Benten," said the scruffy-youth in the kendo robes in their booth, "After all sometimes an ugly surface hides a hidden treasure; if you ask me Shinobu and Lum might feel sense Ataru's true character and not even know it."
*****
Meanwhile, a mile away from the small way station, another group approached with far darker intents. Midoriko would instantly recognize Matchitehew; (the eldest member of the small group) after all it's hard to forget a man who, in no uncertain terms, tells his spirit to feast on your entrails (not that a Wendigo needs to have much incentive).
However as has become the strange case by now, the youngest appeared to be in charge, "Now remember you two, you can do whatever you want to anyone else," the young boy said, "however Tenchi Masaki is mine!"
His colleague/flunky in the blue suit was the first to respond, "Whatever you say Kazuma," stated the skinny youth with the mild expression of mania, "just as long as you remember our deal."
"Yes Jinnai," 'Kazuma' replied with a sigh, "I remember, after I get what I want I'll aide you in crushing your eternal rival, and enslaving his girlfriend to serve you as your personal shock troop."
"Enough with you're petty ambitions," the Algonquin psychopath barked, "let's get this over with so that I may have my revenge on that crimson-maned whore that dared to stand against me; I swear I will paint the walls of Patch red with her blood!"
Ignoring the outburst of the raving lunatic next to him, Kazuma thought only on his approaching victory, 'Let those fools dream what they will; for as soon as Kain devours the Misaki clan's heir body and soul, I shall re-enslave Ryoko with her new mask. And once I have both Kain and Ryoko under my complete control then the world will learn to fear the name of Kagato as it did in days of old; for once I have taken my revenge on both the Misaki's and the Asukura's there shall be no stopping me, and with my power and skill I shall reign supreme as Shaman King until the end of time.'
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(Posted Thu, 15 Dec 2005 20:59)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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