For Your Sake

One Shot

Author's notes: This idea came out of nowhere, and I'm not sure if it worked the way I wanted it to. The pairing is definitely one of the rarer ones, but I won't take it too far considering the age gap between the 'couple' involved here…

I read the Shaman King manga and watched the anime, but this will likely follow the anime ending (After all, I am posting under the 'anime' section). If I do mix up some details, pardon me and do include it as part of your feedback in the reviews. Any comments will be greatly appreciated.

The afternoon sun hung overhead amid the cloudless sky, making its presence felt by all underneath it. Even the well-shaded path leading up to the Funbari Hot Spring provided little protection from the searing heat to the lone traveller on it.

She didn't mind the heat, though. Her hands were laden with plastic bags filled with food, brought all the way from home. Her plain white shirt was soaked with sweat, clinging onto her back as she trudged along the road. She didn't even dare reach up to wipe the sweat from her forehead, instead letting the little droplets fall to the ground.

"Remember, you're here to wish Yoh-san and the others a safe journey in their Shaman Fight… Nothing else…"

"Give it up, Tamao," the racoon-dog spirit beside her interrupted in her mutterings. "We all know that you're here to see your precious Yoh-san. Sometimes I wonder if you actually know that Anna-san actually exists…"

"Ponchi, Konchi! I thought you two said that you won't come… And aren't you two supposed to look after Yohmei-sama?" Tamao turned around to face her two spirits; of course, they had embarrassed her enough to the point where she felt like denying they were hers.

"Are you kidding? Two days with that old man? He has his spirits to keep him company; me and Ponchi have far better things to do than to stay back at home," the fox spirit beside her chimed in with a smirk.

"I'm here to wish Yoh-san and the others good luck. And you two really shouldn't be here… not after what Anna-san did to you two the last time…"

"Well, there's always the pleasure in watching you get all red-faced when you see your Yoh-san…"

Blood rushed into Tamao's cheeks as she hung her head low. Her spirits were making fun of her again. But it was true; she blushed every time she saw Yoh. Has she ever gotten over her crush on him?

She had no idea.

"Alright, you two get back home right now!" She had no idea why she flared up like that, but surprisingly it worked; the pair of spirits turned their backs on her and glided away, muttering to themselves as they went. This had to be a first, Tamao thought. None of her 'disciplinary' methods had worked before. Her confidence renewed, she turned back on track towards Funbari Hot Spring, and towards Yoh-san.

The rest of Tamao's journey took all but five minutes, though it took much lees time than that for her to start thinking about Yoh again. His relaxed demeanour, combined with his will and determination in combat… and his smile…

Hardly anything could wipe the smile off Tamao's face as she stepped within the premises of the Funbari Hot Spring. This place was almost like a second home to her; Yoh-san was like her brother…

That sounded wrong, Tamao chided herself instantly. Yet, it was true in a way. Yoh had taken care of her since she was young, but not in the way that would develop romantically. She knew it all along, yet there was still a part of her mind telling her that there was hope… A part of herself she couldn't silence…

She let herself into the house, first stopping to remove her sneakers. Tamao could hear movement in the kitchen. They were probably preparing for the dinner celebration later.

"Yoh."

It wasn't a command or a greeting. It was a mere statement, from the cool and collected Anna-san.

"Hmm?"

Yoh-san… The mental image that Tamao had of Yoh-san, the perfect image of him: in his unbuttoned shirt covering his lean body; the choker with three cat claws around his neck and the orange headphones over his dishevelled hair…

"You're going off again…"

"It'll be alright. I'll be with the rest of the guys. They've improved a lot since we've last been together…"

"Can I come up to your room again tonight… like last time…"

The mental image… smashed…

Tamao let her fingers loosen as her imagination took over. Anna and Yoh… They were…

They were due to be married.

The truth seemed to sink in for the first time since she first heard the news. Of course they were getting married. They were living in the same house; it was natural that they could…

She couldn't bring herself to think further.

The plastic bags in her hands slipped out of her fingers, landing on the wooden floor with a thud. Turning heel, she let her legs carry herself out of the house. Never mind the noise she was making. Never mind the mess she left in the front porch. She just wanted to get out of there. She didn't even notice where she was going.

She veered off the path she had taken; instead she found herself at the border of the woods, where she paused for a gasp of breath. She leaned against the nearest tree, her legs giving way as she sat against the rough bark. She didn't know when the tears started flowing.

Possibly when she first heard those words.

Can I…

She buried her face in her hands, her petite face quaking with each sob.

"A girl like you shouldn't be out here alone."

Tamao removed her hands from her face. The voice was so different from Yoh-san's casual tone; it was deep and mature… So much unlike Yoh-san.

Ryu buried his wooden sword in the grass, using it as a support as he sat down beside Tamao.

"Sake?" Ryu offered the flask of wine to her, knowing well that she would refuse it. She wasn't even up to drinking age.

Tamao stared at the ceramic flask for a moment, as she nodded her head.

"I was planning to save it for the party later, but looks like you need it more than they do," Ryu said with a laugh, pouring out a generous amount of rice wine into two cups. Tamao took one of the cups, and going against everything, emptied the cup in one gulp.

Ryu paused mid-sip, his eyes wide at the teenaged girl, whose face flushed red from the uptake of alcohol. She turned to face him, holding out her cup for more.

Ryu obliged, though he held back on the amount of wine he poured this time. He wanted a drinking partner, but not to the extent of getting her drunk.

As Ryu poured out more sake for himself, he tried to start a conversation, "I saw you running out of the Master Yoh's house, and followed you here… Is anything wrong?"

Another burst of tears erupted from Tamao, as she wailed, "Why… must it turn out this way? Why must he be with her? And why… must I be alone?"

Ryu caught on fast enough, hurriedly thinking something to say. "You're not. You still have the rest… From Manta to Horo-Horo, Ren, Jun, Faust… You may not realise it, but everyone's supporting you in their own way, just like you supported them on their journey. They'll always be with you, no matter where they may be. Even Master Yoh and Anna-sama… are behind you."

The mention of Yoh seemed to make Tamao even more upset, as she took another sip of her sake. "Ryu-san…"

"You know… When I first met Anna-sama, I wanted her to be my wife… But after seeing them together… it just seemed right that the two of them belonged together."

The truth struck like a dagger in Tamao's heart. Ryu was right. They did belong together. But that still didn't change her feelings for Yoh-san.

"You'd be letting Master Yoh down if you come between them. I know that Master Yoh can be quite nice to you at times, but you really should let him choose who he wants to be with." Ryu got up, picking up his belongings as he pulled his wooden sword from where he left it. "Right… I'll leave you to think things over… I'll see you back at the…"

"Wait! Ryu-san!"

Tamao leapt to her feet, pulling Ryu in a quick embrace. A friendly gesture, no doubt, as a form of thanks to the man who helped clear her mind. There was one thing she forgot, though.

Ryu had once liked her too.

"So does this mean you'll be with me?" Tamao felt his hand moving down her back…

There was a surge in Furyoku as Tamao's Over Soul left Ryu sprawled on the ground. She had no idea her spirits were waiting nearby; she was thankful for their presence, however.

"There's no way we're gonna let you mess with her."

"Yeah, she's ours so leave her alone, you pervert."

Tamao held her head low, obscuring her blushed cheeks as she ran back where she came from, her Over Soul still intact.

Tokagero hovered over his master, sighing in exasperation. "I told you not to do anything funny…"

Tamao knelt by the dining table as they dined in traditional style. Around her were the very same people she met since the journey of finding a Shaman King began, and the two people she had grown to respect.

They were at the head of the table, as hosts of the dinner. There were no signs that they were a couple, yet everyone knew that they were. Was it because they were betrothed to each other that they seemed so, or was it because they were meant to be so?

On the other side of the table, Ryu was sharing jokes with the others, occasionally laughing as he picked up a piece of sushi with his chopsticks. The flask of sake was on the table in front of him, now probably empty. He didn't share it with the rest like he said he would, for the same reason he didn't want her drinking it in the first place.

As they cleared up the last plates of food, Tamao found herself walking up to Yoh and Anna, her head hung slightly downwards.

"Yes, Tamao?" Yoh said with his sheepish grin, causing her to turn an even deeper shade of red.

In her mind, he was still perfect.

"Good luck… for the tournament…"

End notes: There you go… I tried to keep everyone in character, and I don't want to attribute it to the alcohol.

Ok, so there was no real pairing there. The part where Ryu gets hit just seems natural to me. The scenes were inspired from this mini-section at the end of certain books in the manga series, featuring Tamao, Ponchi, Konchi and Ryu.

By the way, the part that refers to Anna going to Yoh's room… I'm not sure if it was featured in the anime series, but it definitely happened in the manga. Just take it that it happened… though not in that context that you're thinking about right now.