Shaman King Fan Fiction / Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Shaman Tournament ❯ Sign of the End ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Chapter 2- Sign of the End

"Well, do you want to tell me why you're not back at home to fix dinner?" Anna demanded angrily at Yoh. Everyone was slightly shaken by Anna and her commanding chaos after she came in the last twenty seconds.

"Is that his sister?" Tristan tried to get answers from Manta, but he was as stiff as a statue.

"More like…his fiancé." Manta muttered.

"Tokyo just keeps getting stranger to me." Joey commented, "You two engaged at your age?"

"Long story," Anna said coldly, "Come on Yoh, you still have twenty-five miles to run back. If I don't see you by midnight, you'll be sleeping outside tonight and I don't mean in the hot tub! And you can use Harusame for a pillow." Anna dropped the orange bag and stormed out to a taxi. She got in and left the front of the store.

"That was Anna?" Joey pointed to the witch that just left.

"Yep, I have to put up with that everyday." Yoh answered in again his care-free attitude.

"You mean you're not going to run back to Tokyo?" Manta asked.

"Nah, I can't possibly run the 25-miles back in four hours." Yoh sighed, "And I don't have money to bunk in a hotel. Mr. Motou, do you mind if I spend one night here."

"Huh?" Solomon looked at him confused.

"Please." Yoh pleaded on his knees and a mock-grateful smile. "Please let me spend the night and teach me how to play Duel Monsters?"

"Sure, no problem." Solomon smiled, "Perhaps we can get you to be as good as at least Joey here." Solomon began to explain to Asakura the cards and soon Yoh was given his choice to make his deck.

"Hm, spirits…" Yoh muttered and pulled his cards including the essentials.

"You sure you have this game down?" Yugi browsed over his shoulder as Yoh collected some of his spell cards such as Groundbreaking and Kaiser Coliseum.

"Or at least what the cards are, maybe when I begin playing I can see what I can really do." Yoh smiled and gathered up the rest of his cards from traps, "Well, there are forty cards. Now I think it's my turn to give you a hint of my hobby. Hey Tea, hand me that bag over there?"

"Uh, sure." Tea nodded and tipped off the bag to Yoh.

"We're gonna have to go outside for this." Yoh suggested and everyone fled out of the shop. For being eight-thirty at night, the sky was only an orange glow, enough for Yoh to be seen with his bag.

"So uh, what's Radiohead going ta pull?" Joey asked Manta.

"It's his Over Soul. Harusame's in his bag."

"Now what is a Harusame?" Joey jumped. Manta just pointed and saw Yoh grab a thin samurai blade out of the bag and held it out in front of him with the blade pointing to the sky and the wooden tablet in his other hand.

"Amidamaru, spirit form!" Yoh declared and flung the tablet out of his hand. In his palm was a blue fire that formed from ribbons of flame ejected from the tablet. "Into the spirit sword!" He continued and swung the flame into the hilt of the sword. The blue flames consumed the sword and steadily burned but didn't disintegrate the sword or even heat like the intensity of a regular fire.

"Whoa, how can Yoh hold that!?" Tristan jumped with Joey's shock.

"This is Over Soul, concentration of mana in an item. Mine is enough to deal some heavy blows." Yoh briefed and swung the sword around, the flames following the blade.

"I thought that was you, Yoh Asakura!" A girl's voice came about. By hearing it, Yoh sought mana in this one. Coming from the streets first like a light of a motorcycle but the engine was roaring, instead it was a glow coming from an animal spirit; a relatively large white fox with blue stripes assorted on its body and nine tails following it in the wind.

Behind the fox were two characters, one dressed with a silk vest that overlaid a black outfit, which stretched on her body to the boot-cut ankles and elbow-sleeves. She had a sword sheath on her left side, and two memorial tablets each strapped to a forearm, the left bind behind purple glass beads. Concluded were her traditional red streaks on her hair, symbolizing her great power in fighting.

Beside her was the renowned American Duel champion of the Dragon Class with his usual blonde spikes and laid-back attire of a loose shirt and jeans. He seemed as cocky as Joey yet as confident as Mai.

"So you've heard of me?" Yoh asked one of the three that came by. The blue flame faded off his sword as Amidamaru escaped the Over Soul.

"Yoh, they are another two of my friends, Miranda Guinaldo and Kevin Hunter, and Miranda's spirit ally, Raikoukou." Yugi introduced them. Again with the ghost sightings as Yoh saw another Miranda only older, much as the same case as Yugi. A third spirit was faintly visible, though it seemed restrained somehow.

"And who are your spirit allies?" Yoh wanted the introductions.

"Well, the female Samurai is Mirandragon, Miran for short." Miranda showed Yoh the memorial tablet on her right arm. The faint image of Miran stepped forward, Amidamaru instantly charmed by her.

"And what about the memorial tablet coveted in those beads?" Yoh pointed to her left arm, wrapped in purple beads. She looked to it nervously.

"This would be Yami Marik who threaten to destroy the world in the recent Dueling tournament." She answered, making Manta jump as memory served.

"Yoh, I think that's the spirit Yugi was talking about!" He cried and cowered behind Yoh.

"Interesting." Yoh did seem interested in the female spiritualist. "Well, maybe I can get my rounds with him in. Come on, fight me with Yami Marik as your spirit ally."

"OK, Yoh, you just went to your head." Miranda got startled. "You don't know how many memorial tablets this guy's broken out of before I discovered these beads held him inside. If I remove the beads, it's Battle City all over again."

"It's his request, not mine. I'll take his challenge." The left-handed tablet vibrated.

"I know you will, but not now." Miranda refused to Yami Marik. "I'm sorry, Yoh. But for the sake of this city's safety, I can't release Yami Marik."

"OK, if you say so." Yoh shrugged. Everyone else seemed relieved. Yoh took his look past the striped fox and towards Kevin. "And does it seem coincidence I see you with her? What, your girlfriend?" Kevin tried to look offended, but ended up blushing.

"She's not. She's just a friend who I met in Battle City." He answered. Raikoukou's ears perked up and the fox looked ahead past Yugi and Yoh. "Hey Fox, what's up?"

Someone's coming. Raikoukou answered as the sound grew louder as galloping hooves. Yoh turned in the direction of the sound's source and saw a strong white steed in the distnace.

"Well, you've met Anna, my trainer, now meet my rival." Yoh introduced as the horse slammed its hooves to a stop. Miran and Yami Yugi looked ready to pull switches with their hosts while the figure riding the horse was in shadow.

"Yoh Asakura, I didn't expect to see you this far south. But I see you've run across a couple more Shamans." He said with a hint of an Old English accent in his voice. The rider jumped off the horse and uncovered himself from the black cloak, revealing another kid probably no older than Yoh with black lying hair except a point from the back of his head, yellow iris eyes, and carrying a bladed staff probably twice as long as his height.

"And who might this be?" Miranda folded her arms over, not the least bit intimidated by his spirit ally of a Chinese Warlord.

"I am Ren Tao, and I claim your ghost in a Shaman Fight." Ren pointed to Miranda and charged forward with his cleaver ready to attack.

"Miranda, watch out!" Manta warned. The three evaded Ren's first charge as he went in for Miranda. She managed to dodge both of his attacks and landed in a squatting position away from Ren.

"Man, what is your deal?" Miranda mumbled and dodged a leg sweep from Ren.

"Pretty quick, but let's see your spirit ally in action. Bason, spirit form!" Ren announced as his warlord ghost shifted to a red spirit flame. "Into the cleaver!" He forced his Over Soul and added heat to his weapon.

"Very well, but I have several." Miranda barely evaded another attack in a backward flip with one hand and pulled a third memorial tablet from her left forearm band. "Kikaita, spirit form! Into the Sword!" Miranda unveiled a gold sword with an eye on the hilt. Kikaita as a white flame flashed into the sword and added three white triangles rotating around the blade along with a white burning flame.

"What is this?" Solomon jumped.

"I'd take a few steps back." Yoh advised and leaned on his sword like a walking stick. "Fights like this come with some damage."

"Then get them away from my store!" Solomon demanded.

In the fray, it appeared as a standstill when Miranda conjured her own Over Soul. "What is with those triangles circling your blade?" Ren asked as his cleaver still burned with a gold flame.

"It'd be the Zodiac element of my mother's. Sometimes blood is thicker than flame." Miranda responded and the triangles rotated faster until Miranda looked like she held a tornado in her hand. "Raikoukou, give me a barrier around Ren and me." The fox obeyed and created a semi-sphere barrier of blue lightning.

"What is this for?"

"I'm still kinda rusty when using my mom's spirit for Over Soul, but this should definitely force Bason from the blade." Miranda looked confident. Ren stood off from his fighter stance and smirked.

"Your mother, she'll be weak if she hasn't been a ghost for long. Bason is a Chinese Warlord from the twelfth century." Ren bragged.

"So what, my mother comes from a long line of swordsmen who have had faith under the Zodiacs and the elements. And I'm about to show you what this element of wind can really do." Miranda prepared to throw all she had against him. Ren prepared just the same.

"Then your ghosts are mine! Bason, attack! Rapid Tempo Assault!" Ren announced his attack.

"Kikaita, Zodiac Wind Scar Blade!" Miranda followed and swung fast with the tornado blade. The attack from both fighters bordered Raikoukou's barrier. The barrier was broken, but the worst of it was over. The winds cleared and it appeared both of them were unscathed from the crossfire but breathing laboriously.

"Impressive skills from someone who could deflect Bason's Rapid Tempo." Ren commented and stood up straight.

"And I agree you're the first person to escape one of my Zodiac attacks." Miranda said and stood to her full height. Both at the same time released their Over Souls and their spirits returned to stand beside their hosts. Ren then looked to Yugi.

"I see your spirit ally as well. I've got energy to spare how about a round with you?" Ren asked as he flipped his sword to balance on his shoulders behind his head and relax his hands on the staff.

"What? Me, fight?" Yugi looked startled. Joey and Tristan intercepted with their knuckles cracking.

"How about you fight us before you pick on Yugi?" Joey threatened.

"Yeah?" Tristan followed, "No one messes with our friends. Even if they do have a big…sharp…blade on a stick." Tristan grew nervous when Ren shifted his weapon so the point was inches from his face.

"Ren, wait, I don't know how to fight in these so-called Shaman Fights." Yugi tried to squeeze in between the two. Ren stood his weapon up and examined Yugi.

"That's quite evident. You don't even look like you fight. I've now lost my interest. You, on the other hand," He looked to Miranda, "I'm sure you'll join soon and then we'll fight for real. I'm quite intrigued in seeing what your other spirits can do, including the male that seems strapped down." Ren pointed to Yami Marik's memorial tablet that was wrapped with a necklace threaded of sacred beads. Ren stepped past Yoh and mounted his horse again. The horse snorted as Ren turned it around to face Tokyo.

"Quite a new pack of friends you've made, Asakura. But the Yugi kid needs something better to do than play cards with his spirit." Said Ren before he darted off on his horse with Bason as a red spirit flame behind him. Silence intruded again and everyone was a little shaken from what happened.

"OK, putting it lightly, that's what a Shaman Fight looks like." Yoh said and jumped everyone except Amidamaru, Yami Yugi, and Miran.

With everyone unnoticed, Amidamaru moved to speak with Yami Yugi and Miran. "Miranda proves an expertise to fight with other spirits." Amidamaru complimented to Miran.

"It takes her a while to get used to fighting without me. Heck, in Battle City she had to deal with a psycho spirit." Miran replied.

"Psycho spirit?" Amidamaru question. Miran pointed a finger to the male spirit Ren was referring to earlier.

"But in any case, after Battle City, she knew the only way to keep him out of trouble was to keep him with her, not spiritually connected I mean." Miran explained.

Amidamaru blushed in some embarrassment. "Please forgive me I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Amidamaru, I am Yoh's spirit ally of 600 years." He introduced.

"My name is Mirandragon, Miranda's spirit ally of 5000 years." She answered.

"And I am Yami, Yugi's partner also of 5000 years." Yami introduced himself as well, both making Amidamaru stiff as his own tablet. "Amidamaru?"

"F-5000 y-years?" He stuttered, "I've never seen female Samurais, especially dating back that far." Miran looked offended and quick of it.

"Tis a little known phrase called `self-defense,' and I was in service with Pharaoh Yami." Miran briefed. "On top of that, I'll introduce you to Miranda's other spirits." Miran pointed her sword towards her host and the tablets equipped to her forearms. "The fox is Raikoukou of the Blue Lightning, dating well over 5000 years old for being the fox demon it is. There is Kikaita, her mother, dead for nine years. Yami Marik as we call him was the assassin that spared me, also 5000 years, and the necklace houses the spirit of my own mother, Tsunami." Amidamaru was as stiff as the dead and his jaw hanging wide open.

"Those spirits are even older than Bason." Amidamaru stammered.

"Yeah, well, we're all compatible. But we all keep damage control on Yami Marik." Miran sheathed her sword.

Intruding on everyone's conversation, a low flying meteor flew overhead in a display of light and shot past Domino. Everyone appeared shocked except for Yoh. "What…was that?" Manta shook in his little legs.

"So the sign is here and now." Yoh muttered.

"Sign?" Miranda questioned.

"Yep, this is what I've been training for. That shooting star will signal the beginning of the Shaman Tournament." Yoh was about to do another one of his hobby-talks, "Shamans from all over the world will be fighting with everything they have and everything they know. Yugi, Miranda, I hope you get ready, I don't know what's in store for any of us. But if anything, one of us will be face Ren in the Shaman Fight." Miranda and Yugi took the thought in, "And maybe you might face me or each other."

"So I'm in the Shaman Tournament?" Yugi questioned Yoh.

"Yep." Yoh answered. The skies soon grew dark and everyone departed from Yugi's house. Yoh instantly made himself at home on Yugi's living room couch and nearly fell asleep when Yugi came in with a phone.

"Uh, Yoh. For you, it's Anna." Yugi laid the phone on the arm of the couch and plugged his ears.

"YOH, YOU LAZY SLOUCH! YOU'RE GOING TO GET TRIPLE MY TRAINING IF YOU DON'T GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!!!" Anna's voice blasted the receiver, jumping Yoh behind the couch.

"Man, what time is it?" Yoh looked half dead when he saw the clock reading ten p.m.

 

Miranda, Kevin, and Raikoukou were wandering their way home, cars passing by every so often. Both of them quiet for the first few minutes and Raikoukou treading ahead of them with its tails low as if smelling for someone.

I smell…perfume. Raikoukou lifted its head and looked ahead of them, a light was coming up from the road in front of them and stopped. Mai was in alone driving the blue roofless corvette.

"Kevin, Miranda, Rai. What are you three doing out in the dark?" Mai asked.

"We were on are way home." Kevin answered.

"Whatever, little Harpie Brother. Now get in." Mai beckoned and Kevin took the front seat of the car. "Miranda, you need a ride?"

"No thanks, Mai. I'm only five minutes from my house." Miranda replied.

Raikoukou appeared to shrink to the size of a kitten big enough to fit in one hand with its tail count reduced to three. Miranda didn't seem to notice until Raikoukou jumped to rest on her shoulder.

Kevin looked a little startled. "I've never seen Fox do that before."

"It's Raikoukou's form to conserve its energy." Miranda answered.

"Well, see ya later, Miranda. Say goodbye to your girlfriend, Kevin." Mai said before flooring it and roaring up the neighborhood with Kevin screaming louder than the motor.

"She is not my girlfriend!" Kevin cried as the corvette took a sharp turn. Miranda stood for a while, and then turned around and was heading home. She came to her training grounds, which was right next door to the house she moved in right after the Battle City tournament with her aunt and uncle. It was a quarter of an acre wide with hay bails sliced over to piles: her uncle's idea of fertilizing the yard.

"Miranda!" A deep voice bellowed from the roof of her house. "I am Chrom of the Tribe Patch authorizing the Shaman Fight Organization!"

"Shaman Fight Organization?" Miranda stood her ground and Raikoukou growled on her shoulder.

 

To be continued…