Disclaimer/Note:

I do not own Shaman King, all rights go to Hiroyuki Takei.

I do not own the image I used to create the book cover.

Acknowledgements:

My Amazing Editor: ImperiSan (Quotev User) - (Chapters 1-TBD)

Chapter One: The Ghost Whisperer

Cram school is a necessary evil if I want to make it through high school and be accepted into college. Under normal circumstances, I didn't mind going. Studying was what I did in my free time. Tonight though, my concentration kept waning no matter how hard I tried to focus on the lesson.

I experienced a deep sense of relief when the bell rang.

"That'll be it for today," my teacher said as everyone began to gather up their things.

I was one of the last people to stand as the others began heading towards the door while resuming the conversations they'd started before class. Unlike many others my age, I tend to keep to myself and seldom speak unless someone asks me something. My aloof behavior doesn't earn me brownie points with my peers. They think of me as cold and unapproachable, someone not to waste their time with. A part of me prefers it that way. It's easier.

Most of the people in my class were already on their way home by the time I stepped out of the building. I took in a deep breath and enjoyed the fresh night air, which was impossible to get in the city during any other time of the day. The roads were always too congested with cars as people performed errands or rushed to and from work, polluting the air with their exhaust.

The feeling of being watched struck me moments later and made me glance around to try to find the source.

It was a familiar sensation, one that I had nearly become accustomed to over the last several years. Although, like any sensible person, I wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. I didn't get a sense of foreboding, as if something terrible might happen, but I could never figure out what was causing it. And tonight was no different. As always, I came out empty-handed in my search to discover who or what it might be.

Deciding there was nothing more I could do, I ignored it and started to make my way home with a sigh. I'd barely made it through two lights when a strange awareness of something tugging me towards it engulfed me, causing me to pause. It was calling out to me. Unable to dismiss the feeling in the pit of my stomach, I followed my instincts and allowed my feet to mechanically steer me forward. When my hand touched the cool metal of the small gate of a local cemetery, I regained my senses and let go of it as fast as I could.

Many headstones lined the ground, some worn with time and others appearing as if they'd been carved in the last year. A towering hill with a sharp cliff edge took up the right of the area that overlooked much of the cemetery and the surrounding businesses nearby. There was a Shinto shrine at its top that could be accessed by a long set of stone steps ascending from the base of the hill. A small piece of land, somehow separated from the rest of the cliffside, was connected by a wooden bridge.

A distinct frown appeared on my lips. "Why here of all places?"

This wasn't the first time I'd been led to some undisclosed location by instinct alone, but I'd never ended up at a place like this. I could only stand in front of the gate, wanting nothing more than to leave as a strong, warm breeze blew my waist-length red-brown hair forward. It was as if the wind itself desired to guide me into the cemetery. However, I kept my feet planted firmly onto the ground. The unstoppable feeling in my gut was the only thing preventing me from leaving as it tried luring me through the gate by its beguiling pull.

There was something here I was supposed to see, something trying to seduce me into taking those final steps forward to get inside the cemetery... But I didn't want to.

"Himiko?"

My purple eyes widened as I looked in the direction the voice came from.

A boy with clean-cut sandy-brown hair was standing next to me, staring up at me with confusion in his big, light brown eyes. He was short. The top of his head barely reached the middle of my thigh. And he was someone I would recognize anywhere.

He was my younger estranged cousin, Manta Oyamada. We were four years apart in age and had barely spoken a word to each other since he was born; my mother forbade it. I hadn't seen him in several years, not since the last time we were together at our grandfather's home for some sort of celebration. To say I was shocked to see him now out of all people was an understatement.

"Manta?" I whispered, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, wording the very question that had just entered my mind.

Collecting my composure, I spoke as I came up with an excuse. "I just happened to be in the neighborhood."

It wasn't like I could tell him the real reason why I was here. He would never understand.

"But why are you at Funbari Hill Cemetery?"

"I could ask the same thing about you."

"I decided to take a shortcut on my way home."

"I see."

Who in their right mind would take a shortcut through a cemetery?! Damn it! I should have just ignored my gut feeling and gone home!

"Aren't you wearing a Funbari High School uniform?"

"What?" I asked, caught a little off guard by the change of subject. My eyes moved down to the blue sailor suit school uniform I was wearing. "I... Yeah. Yeah, I am."

"I thought you and your family lived next to grandfather in Osaka. Did you move nearby?"

Before I could come up with a reply, the pulling sensation suddenly grew in intensity. My focus shifted away from Manta entirely as I intuitively gazed up at the piece of land the bridge led to. Whatever was calling out to me must be there. I could sense it.

"Yeah," I uttered distractedly, somehow finding a way to respond to his question.

As if in a trance, I opened the gate and stepped into the cemetery, completely unhindered by the doubts I had earlier. The pull was too powerful to resist. My feet had brought me over to the base of the steps before I began running up them, unable to stop myself from following my instincts once again.

"Himiko! W-wait!" Manta called after me.

The moment I reached the top, the feeling vanished without a trace. I came to an abrupt stop with it. Manta accidentally crashed into the back of my right leg as I attempted to regain my senses, clearly not expecting me to pause near the top of the stairs. I glanced back at him as he groaned while on the ground.

"What are you doing?"

Another boy spoke, saving me from needing to reply. "The stars are pretty."

"Stars?" Manta and I questioned.

Directed by the unknown boy to look up at the night sky, I tilted my head only to be graced with many sparkling stars across its entire surface. My eyes widened in amazement. It had been years since I'd seen them shining so brilliantly. The lights from the streets and buildings always obscured the view. They were also the last thing on my mind, given the amount of studying I did, so I rarely looked up at the sky in the first place. I didn't want to.

"Wow! No kidding!" Manta exclaimed.

"I'm astonished that there's a place left in Funbari that they can still be seen like this," I whispered, a heavy feeling threatening to enter my heart.

Realizing an unknown boy had just spoken to us, I shifted my eyes from the stars and looked at him, pushing away the thoughts trying to enter my mind. The sight wasn't what I expected.

Spirits from all walks of life were gathered around a boy with neck-length dark brown hair sitting on the ground with his back to us. He was gazing up at the sky, seemingly without a care in the world based on his laid-back demeanor. A pair of orange headphones rested on top of his head, the oversized earbuds placed behind his ears. From his silhouette, he looked as if he was probably around Manta's age. Next to him was a single headstone near the trunk of a large tree on the other side of the bridge.

I turned pale but tried to pretend as if there was nothing around him.

This boy couldn't possibly be the reason I'm here, right?

"Wait! Who are you?!" Manta shouted, also looking at him.

The boy stood and spoke, brushing the dirt off the back of his green pants. "You came to see the stars too, right?"

When he turned around, his dark brown eyes landed on us as he gave a relaxed smile. The loose-fitting white shirt he wore was unbuttoned, leaving his chest and stomach bare. A strange bear claw necklace hung down from his neck. Despite his surprising attractiveness, his appearance wasn't what made me freeze and my heart race. It was the feeling of his very presence. It felt all too familiar.

No, he can't be.

"Come on over," the boy said, taking a few steps towards us. "Let's watch it with everyone."

Everyone?

I took a step back, an unpleasant feeling hitting the pit of my stomach full force.

"I-It's okay!" Manta replied nervously. "It's kind of late already." A strained smile appeared on his lips as he continued to speak. "And by the way, isn't your grammar incorrect? When you're referring to three people, you don't say everyone."

"No, it's everyone."

Manta looked at him in confusion.

"The spirits!"

Two adult male spirits came up to him as the boy's smile widened, and he wrapped his arms around their broad shoulders.

Agonizing pain shot through my heart, nearly causing me to fall to my knees.

He is. He's a shaman, one that can see spirits and connects this world to the next.

Manta made a strangled sound then screamed in terror. My eyes widened in surprise as he ran as fast as he could, leaving me behind while I observed his retreating form. His response threw me for a loop and concerned me.

He couldn't possibly see them too... could he?

The boy gave an impressed whistle. "He sure can run fast."

Many of the spirits laughed, taking joy and amusement from the sight.

I have to get out of here. Now.

My expression became guarded as I composed myself as best I could and began to head back toward the steps. I was desperate to put as much distance between the shaman boy and me as possible. And the sooner I did it, the better. I had to get away from him.

"You didn't run," the boy said, causing me to pause at the top of the stairs. "Can you see them?"

"See what?" I replied, not daring to look back at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

It was best to pretend like I didn't know, better to repress my thoughts and emotions.

He didn't say anything else as I started making my way calmly down the steps and out of the cemetery. I was thankful the spirits had gathered around the boy, allowing me to walk through it without seeing another one on the way out.

This was precisely why I hated and avoided cemeteries as much as possible. It was unpleasant to see a ghost wandering near their grave. They reminded me of the ability I had and the past I'd fought tooth and nail to forget. Why did my gut have to lead me here? Why in the hell did it have to lead me to that boy? Why did I have to meet a shaman?

The walk to my house was shorter than usual. I stopped on the front porch and took several deep breaths to calm myself. On the off chance that someone was waiting for me, I had to make sure that nothing seemed like it was amiss. Under no circumstances was anyone to find out what had happened tonight. My freedom depended on it.

"Everything is fine," I muttered to myself. "It's over, and nothing more will come of it. You're over it."

After repeating those words to myself a few more times and taking several more deep breaths, I grabbed the brass handle of the front door and opened it.

As predicted, no one was waiting for me on the other side as I stepped into the entryway. And I was comforted by it.