Author's Note: My 2nd SK fic! This story is really out of the manga and the
anime. Read and Review... on with the chapter...
The Shaman King and the Maid Chapter 1 No direction
Anna sighed.
Another long, tiring day... It was already 7 am and I still have to cook breakfast for my so- called sisters and my so-called mother. Cappuccino and toast with strawberry jam to be served in their bedrooms at exactly 7:30 am. By the time I got there, each of them would begin their long speeches of complaints for my delay though I'm just a second late... What's new anyway? They're STRICT when it comes to time... Trust me... Then, they'll give me the long lists of things they want me to buy... Can't they buy these things themselves? I have to go to the market to buy the day's groceries. Afterwards, I have to clean this whole place or else... you don't want to know what they'll say... Blah... Blah... Blah... I have to clean the windowsills, change the drapes, polish the decors, mop the whole place, and dust the carpets and the tapestries until no trace of filth can be found. The skin of my so-called mother and so-called sister is sensitive or so they say. I still have to prepare lunch, then, I still have to set the table and wash the plates. After a minute or two of rest, I have to do the laundry. Good thing someone had the guts to invent the washing machine and the dryer and save me the time and energy... After an hour or so, I still have to fold them and bring them straight to their rooms. I have the afternoon to myself; my sisters and my mother were away... guess what? Shopping!! I 'm stuck with the household chores and they're stuck with shopping... Heck! Good thing I still have the decency not to kill them... Okay, I can't do that. I'm still in my right state of mind. Anyway, for the whole afternoon I can rest, watch my favorite show (I'm entitled to that...), or go out and breathe some fresh air (I'm not allowed to do that but will they know? I'm not stupid to tell them, anyway...). I'll just make sure that by 6 pm, dinner is ready and I have already set the table. They would arrive at exactly 6:15 (You see, I have to know that or else I'll be in trouble... big trouble). I'm permitted to eat dinner with them as always. They would ask how my afternoon went and of course, I would reply that I just stayed in the house and behaved like a good girl (Yeah right...). They would smirk and then start boasting (This is the worst part...) the new clothes they've bought (they're always in with the fashion...) and how expensive these clothes were (they're that rich to do that...) obviously to make me envious (which was not the case, I'm not interested anyway, I could have sleep if I didn't stop myself). After an hour, we're done talking (I couldn't believe that only an hour had passed, for me, it seems like a day...). They'll bid me good night and leave me with the cleaning (what's new, anyway?). By 9 pm, I'm done with everything. I'll retire to the confines of my own room, my only solitude, totally exhausted (Who wouldn't be exhausted anyway?). That's the story of my life each day, same as ever for the past 6 years, except that during Tuesdays and Fridays, I have to add ironing to the list of chores. My life was always like this... no direction... (Wait? Am I being emotional?)
Maybe you want to know why the hell am I acting like Cinderella for the past 6 years if I had the chance to run away and leave this miserable place. I'm not waiting for Prince Charming, anyway. You see, I happen to owe these people my life in a sort of a way. They're not really my family at least, biologically speaking. I was only 10 when I first came into Izumo, a Shaman country ruled by the powerful clan of the Asakuras, after running away from my terrible childhood. I stood alone at one corner, cold, alone, and hungry, suffering from a high fever. I have no place to go. I fainted, and when I woke up, I found myself in this place. Obviously, they pitied me when they saw me lying lifeless on the street amidst the storm so they brought me to their house and took care of me. They gave me food and nourished me until I was well. They decided to adopt me. All went well at first, until, the man who found me died few months later because of an accident. My so-called mother still agreed to let me stay in one condition: I have to do the household chores. I agreed, you see, I have no choice. Six years have now passed. No one still knew whom I really was, where did I come from, or why I ran away, even this family who adopted me. My identity remained hidden and my true family didn't succeed in finding me. I hid my presence very well that even the strongest itakos in my own family could not sense me. After all, they trained me to be the strongest itako alive, and they succeeded. True enough. I gained the title of being the strongest itako alive. I should have been engaged to someone or to be engaged to someone but I ran away the night they were supposed to announce my engagement. I was only ten at that time and heck, who in his right mind would want to be engaged at that age? I guess the only person who really knew about me is my mentor, the person I trusted throughout these years. Anyway, enough with my history. I agreed with the chores, and lived with them. Sometimes, I even wonder why they didn't bother to hire some maids for a change. They are rich and they could afford that. I guess they intended to make my life miserable; after all, they once blamed me for the death of the man. Whatever. It wasn't that bad, really. In exchange for the concept of my mother and sisters living in comfort, like princesses, and me, living in depression, like a maid, I have some benefits. I could use their surname, I'm considered and treated as one of the family (okay, I doubt this part...), I'm given food, clothing, and shelter, I have my own decent room complete with a soft bed, a study table, a lampshade, an air conditioner, my own television set, a walk-in closet, and my own bathroom, a monthly allowance, and my education. I have the chance to play the part of Cinderella (okay, Cinderella doesn't have those benefits, I'm still lucky, and she didn't run away, mind you, and heck, I'm not waiting for Prince Charming.) and them, the wicked stepmother, and stepsisters (okay, they're not that wicked, and they're not my stepfamily.). This kind of life is better than my life when I was a child, the kind of life I ran away from. Definitely better...
Anna stood. The rain shook her out of her reverie. She still has many things to do.
"The History of Japan began with..."
Yoh yawned.
Here we go again with this boring lecture told by the private tutor of the royal court. Why do I have to listen to this boring lecture anyway? Yeah, the reason for everything, I was the crowned prince, the future Shaman King.
He glanced around the room. Manta and Lyserg were jotting down notes, the only people who were listening attentively. Horo-Horo and Ren were having their usual argument. Chocolove was sleeping. Tamao and Pirika were busy chatting. Yoh sighed.
It wasn't really something to be the crowned prince of Izumo, next in line to be the Shaman King, after his witty brother gave up the throne and passed into him all the responsibilities. For the past 16 years, all he could remember was the reckless training his family gave him to make him strong, strong enough to defeat every opponent that challenged him. Okay, those trainings really made him stronger and gave him power worthy of a Shaman King, but as he grew stronger, the emptiness he felt grew deeper. In fact, he couldn't remember any particular thing about his childhood. If you could call, that period between 4-10 yrs old when all you did is train, train, and train some more childhood. All that came into his mind was the bruises he got from the training and once he nearly died, all the anguish and pain he felt, and the fanaticism of his family to train him and risk his life. He was able to master the spirit ball fusion at the age of 8, and the Oversoul technique at the age of 12, two things that made his family proud of him. He was always different. Of course, he was different. He was the Crowned Prince, the future Shaman King and sometimes he wished he wasn't.
"The Jomon period dates back to 8000 BC. People living during the Paleolithic Age characterize this period. Pottery is evident..."
He wished he was not a prince. He wished he was not the future Shaman King. He wished he was not born to this prestigious family, bloody hell obsessed with his training. He even wondered what his life would be like if things were different. Maybe he was just sleeping, eating, or listening to his walk man. He would not be bound by certain responsibilities. Maybe he had a family that minds him not only his stupid training. There are many times when he wished to give up and run away, to give up the throne, to live a peaceful life away from Izumo, to become happy... Happy... He didn't even know what was the real meaning of the word. He didn't know what it feels like to be one. He wished things would be different. Yet, there's nothing he could do. He was stuck with being the Shaman King. It was funny, possessing the unlimited powers and yet you couldn't do such easy thing: run away. He couldn't imagine what his family would do when he did that. His brother had given up the throne and was nowhere to be found. He was sure the Shaman World would be in chaos without their king. He was willing to sacrifice his happiness for the moment.
"The military ruled during the Kamakura until the Tokugawa era. Families struggle for power. The Minamoto family..."
His damn life had no direction whatsoever. He had all the material things one could ask for: wealth and status. Still something was missing. He was to be the Shaman King, the dream of his family for him but what was his own dream, his own goal in life? In fact, he didn't want to be the Shaman King. What's the big deal about being the Shaman King, anyway? He felt he still had to do something, something that would complete everything. The problem was, he didn't know what that something was. He didn't know what was his real goal in life.
"Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu succeeded in uniting Japan. Tokugawa Ieyasu..."
In spite of these things, he still managed to smile. He still managed to show everyone that he was fine despite the fact that he was not. How he did it, he didn't know.
"Yoh. Yoh..." Yoh stared at Horo-Horo who was shaking him. "What?"
**END of chap 1!! Please read and review! Next chapter... Yoh is frustrated over something his family had announced...
The Shaman King and the Maid Chapter 1 No direction
Anna sighed.
Another long, tiring day... It was already 7 am and I still have to cook breakfast for my so- called sisters and my so-called mother. Cappuccino and toast with strawberry jam to be served in their bedrooms at exactly 7:30 am. By the time I got there, each of them would begin their long speeches of complaints for my delay though I'm just a second late... What's new anyway? They're STRICT when it comes to time... Trust me... Then, they'll give me the long lists of things they want me to buy... Can't they buy these things themselves? I have to go to the market to buy the day's groceries. Afterwards, I have to clean this whole place or else... you don't want to know what they'll say... Blah... Blah... Blah... I have to clean the windowsills, change the drapes, polish the decors, mop the whole place, and dust the carpets and the tapestries until no trace of filth can be found. The skin of my so-called mother and so-called sister is sensitive or so they say. I still have to prepare lunch, then, I still have to set the table and wash the plates. After a minute or two of rest, I have to do the laundry. Good thing someone had the guts to invent the washing machine and the dryer and save me the time and energy... After an hour or so, I still have to fold them and bring them straight to their rooms. I have the afternoon to myself; my sisters and my mother were away... guess what? Shopping!! I 'm stuck with the household chores and they're stuck with shopping... Heck! Good thing I still have the decency not to kill them... Okay, I can't do that. I'm still in my right state of mind. Anyway, for the whole afternoon I can rest, watch my favorite show (I'm entitled to that...), or go out and breathe some fresh air (I'm not allowed to do that but will they know? I'm not stupid to tell them, anyway...). I'll just make sure that by 6 pm, dinner is ready and I have already set the table. They would arrive at exactly 6:15 (You see, I have to know that or else I'll be in trouble... big trouble). I'm permitted to eat dinner with them as always. They would ask how my afternoon went and of course, I would reply that I just stayed in the house and behaved like a good girl (Yeah right...). They would smirk and then start boasting (This is the worst part...) the new clothes they've bought (they're always in with the fashion...) and how expensive these clothes were (they're that rich to do that...) obviously to make me envious (which was not the case, I'm not interested anyway, I could have sleep if I didn't stop myself). After an hour, we're done talking (I couldn't believe that only an hour had passed, for me, it seems like a day...). They'll bid me good night and leave me with the cleaning (what's new, anyway?). By 9 pm, I'm done with everything. I'll retire to the confines of my own room, my only solitude, totally exhausted (Who wouldn't be exhausted anyway?). That's the story of my life each day, same as ever for the past 6 years, except that during Tuesdays and Fridays, I have to add ironing to the list of chores. My life was always like this... no direction... (Wait? Am I being emotional?)
Maybe you want to know why the hell am I acting like Cinderella for the past 6 years if I had the chance to run away and leave this miserable place. I'm not waiting for Prince Charming, anyway. You see, I happen to owe these people my life in a sort of a way. They're not really my family at least, biologically speaking. I was only 10 when I first came into Izumo, a Shaman country ruled by the powerful clan of the Asakuras, after running away from my terrible childhood. I stood alone at one corner, cold, alone, and hungry, suffering from a high fever. I have no place to go. I fainted, and when I woke up, I found myself in this place. Obviously, they pitied me when they saw me lying lifeless on the street amidst the storm so they brought me to their house and took care of me. They gave me food and nourished me until I was well. They decided to adopt me. All went well at first, until, the man who found me died few months later because of an accident. My so-called mother still agreed to let me stay in one condition: I have to do the household chores. I agreed, you see, I have no choice. Six years have now passed. No one still knew whom I really was, where did I come from, or why I ran away, even this family who adopted me. My identity remained hidden and my true family didn't succeed in finding me. I hid my presence very well that even the strongest itakos in my own family could not sense me. After all, they trained me to be the strongest itako alive, and they succeeded. True enough. I gained the title of being the strongest itako alive. I should have been engaged to someone or to be engaged to someone but I ran away the night they were supposed to announce my engagement. I was only ten at that time and heck, who in his right mind would want to be engaged at that age? I guess the only person who really knew about me is my mentor, the person I trusted throughout these years. Anyway, enough with my history. I agreed with the chores, and lived with them. Sometimes, I even wonder why they didn't bother to hire some maids for a change. They are rich and they could afford that. I guess they intended to make my life miserable; after all, they once blamed me for the death of the man. Whatever. It wasn't that bad, really. In exchange for the concept of my mother and sisters living in comfort, like princesses, and me, living in depression, like a maid, I have some benefits. I could use their surname, I'm considered and treated as one of the family (okay, I doubt this part...), I'm given food, clothing, and shelter, I have my own decent room complete with a soft bed, a study table, a lampshade, an air conditioner, my own television set, a walk-in closet, and my own bathroom, a monthly allowance, and my education. I have the chance to play the part of Cinderella (okay, Cinderella doesn't have those benefits, I'm still lucky, and she didn't run away, mind you, and heck, I'm not waiting for Prince Charming.) and them, the wicked stepmother, and stepsisters (okay, they're not that wicked, and they're not my stepfamily.). This kind of life is better than my life when I was a child, the kind of life I ran away from. Definitely better...
Anna stood. The rain shook her out of her reverie. She still has many things to do.
"The History of Japan began with..."
Yoh yawned.
Here we go again with this boring lecture told by the private tutor of the royal court. Why do I have to listen to this boring lecture anyway? Yeah, the reason for everything, I was the crowned prince, the future Shaman King.
He glanced around the room. Manta and Lyserg were jotting down notes, the only people who were listening attentively. Horo-Horo and Ren were having their usual argument. Chocolove was sleeping. Tamao and Pirika were busy chatting. Yoh sighed.
It wasn't really something to be the crowned prince of Izumo, next in line to be the Shaman King, after his witty brother gave up the throne and passed into him all the responsibilities. For the past 16 years, all he could remember was the reckless training his family gave him to make him strong, strong enough to defeat every opponent that challenged him. Okay, those trainings really made him stronger and gave him power worthy of a Shaman King, but as he grew stronger, the emptiness he felt grew deeper. In fact, he couldn't remember any particular thing about his childhood. If you could call, that period between 4-10 yrs old when all you did is train, train, and train some more childhood. All that came into his mind was the bruises he got from the training and once he nearly died, all the anguish and pain he felt, and the fanaticism of his family to train him and risk his life. He was able to master the spirit ball fusion at the age of 8, and the Oversoul technique at the age of 12, two things that made his family proud of him. He was always different. Of course, he was different. He was the Crowned Prince, the future Shaman King and sometimes he wished he wasn't.
"The Jomon period dates back to 8000 BC. People living during the Paleolithic Age characterize this period. Pottery is evident..."
He wished he was not a prince. He wished he was not the future Shaman King. He wished he was not born to this prestigious family, bloody hell obsessed with his training. He even wondered what his life would be like if things were different. Maybe he was just sleeping, eating, or listening to his walk man. He would not be bound by certain responsibilities. Maybe he had a family that minds him not only his stupid training. There are many times when he wished to give up and run away, to give up the throne, to live a peaceful life away from Izumo, to become happy... Happy... He didn't even know what was the real meaning of the word. He didn't know what it feels like to be one. He wished things would be different. Yet, there's nothing he could do. He was stuck with being the Shaman King. It was funny, possessing the unlimited powers and yet you couldn't do such easy thing: run away. He couldn't imagine what his family would do when he did that. His brother had given up the throne and was nowhere to be found. He was sure the Shaman World would be in chaos without their king. He was willing to sacrifice his happiness for the moment.
"The military ruled during the Kamakura until the Tokugawa era. Families struggle for power. The Minamoto family..."
His damn life had no direction whatsoever. He had all the material things one could ask for: wealth and status. Still something was missing. He was to be the Shaman King, the dream of his family for him but what was his own dream, his own goal in life? In fact, he didn't want to be the Shaman King. What's the big deal about being the Shaman King, anyway? He felt he still had to do something, something that would complete everything. The problem was, he didn't know what that something was. He didn't know what was his real goal in life.
"Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu succeeded in uniting Japan. Tokugawa Ieyasu..."
In spite of these things, he still managed to smile. He still managed to show everyone that he was fine despite the fact that he was not. How he did it, he didn't know.
"Yoh. Yoh..." Yoh stared at Horo-Horo who was shaking him. "What?"
**END of chap 1!! Please read and review! Next chapter... Yoh is frustrated over something his family had announced...