Aviantei

By: Aviantei

Part Thirty-Two: Life

His soul still stuck in the confines of his body as it was, Ren couldn't do anything. Not as Ivy interfered in Jeanne's resurrection, and not as her teammates snatched his body and escaped in all the commotion. He was grateful, yes, because Jeanne hadn't kept up her end of the bargain, so Yoh wouldn't be bound to fulfill his, but to have Ivy of all people take on the burden instead was a different matter.

Even you think that I…

It had taken some time after Ivy's teammates had met up with their leader, Ryu, and Manta, but now they had arrived in a wholly different building than the one the X-Laws had been using. It seemed that Yoh had wanted to have a discussion with them all later that evening, and this was the place chosen for the gathering. Though the whole of Team Funbari Onsen plus Chocolove and Manta were there, Ivy didn't so much as blink at their presence and entered the room as if she owned it, her teammates following her like attendants after their monarch.

And now, after all that, Ren's body once more lied on a bed as a girl stood at the side, ready to heal him.

Ivy was pristine as she began to form her Over Soul, the already natural scent of leaves around her intensifying to an almost cloyingly sweet aroma. Her teammates didn't bat an eye at the display of power, but the others all tensed up as they watched. Perhaps because Ren was on the receiving end of the ability, he could tell that the mana put into it was pure and warm.

At first, it didn't look like the technique was doing anything—until Ren recognized she was putting him together from the inside out. The most vital body functions came first: the reforming of the spine, the stimulation of the signals in his brain, the beating of his heart before the rest of the organs pieced together, then the skin reforming. The open wounds reclosed, piece by piece, a temporary scar forming from Ren's collarbone to his navel until the edges of that, too, started to fade.

With the strength and weight of his body returned to him, Ren reached out a hand to grab onto Ivy's wrist, startling her enough that the healing paused, if not wholly faded away. "That's enough," he said, but his voice didn't have as much edge to it as usual. "You can leave it."

She blinked at him once before a faint frown twisted her lips. "I wouldn't be able to call myself much of a healer if I left you with a mark like that, Lián. Now shut up and let me do my job."

"Well, it's my body, so I get to decide what to do with it." Ivy didn't budge, her frown only deepening, and Ren pulled himself up from the temporary bed he was on, turning to display the tattoo engraved in his back. Though Ren couldn't see it, he had felt the blade go straight through him. There had to be a scar marking through the tattoo there, as well. "This is… That tattoo is a symbol of a lot of hatred." Of what my family did to me. "I want it broken as a reminder. Since a certain someone decided to bring me back to life, I still need to make amends to Nichrome and move on from what happened with my family. So just leave it, Ivy."

Her stern expression crumbled for a moment, and then she dismissed her Over Soul and pulled her arm away from Ren's grip with a flick of her wrist, several leaves putting themselves away in the pouch hanging from her waist. "Whatever you say. Just don't come whining to me if you change your mind." Shoving her hands in her jean pockets, Ivy pivoted in her heel towards the exit. "I'll allow it this time because you've gotten stronger, but if you get yourself killed again, I'm gonna be pissed. Remember whose prey you are, Lián."

Ren, recognizing the tone in Ivy's voice, didn't protest. He'd said plenty of things like that before; it wasn't hard to recognize the same behavior in her.

"Issebella, Kaede, we're done here. Let's get going."

"Aw, you don't need to go already," Yoh said, as if he hadn't just witnessed the dead coming back to life, as if he almost hadn't sacrificed his dream for Ren's sake. Issebella Vargas and Kiha Kaede both stopped, glancing between Yoh and Ivy as if trying to decide which outcome was going to win. "You must've used up a lot of energy picking up Ren and bringing him back for us, plus it's getting late. Why don't you three have dinner with us?"

Ren had been around Yoh for months now, but the proposal was enough to surprise even him, though he should have seen it coming. Ivy, who had far less exposure, didn't stand a chance, immediately bristling. "Yoh-dono, with all due respect, don't you recognize the situation you're in? I may have helped Lián, but that doesn't change the fact that we're on different sides." She narrowed her eyes at him. "I just spared you from being in the X-Laws' debt. Unless you plan on repaying me by willingly giving up your soul to Hao-dono, I don't want to hear it."

Yoh's laugh was simultaneously irritating and reassuring all at once. "Ehehe. Sorry, I appreciate what you did, but I can't give up just like that. Anna's already upset enough with me as it is." He spread his arms out, as if offering a hug. "But, Ivy, as far as I'm concerned, right now, you're acting as a friend of Ren's. And any friend of Ren's is a friend of mine. What's wrong with friends sharing a meal every now and then?"

Ivy's head whipped towards Ren, an almost accusing look on her face. He shrugged; it wasn't like he had any control over what happened in Yoh's head. "By friends, he means us, fool."

"I don't need you to spell it out for me!" Ivy snapped, her face flushing with frustration. Behind her, Vargas sniggered, and it seemed like Kiha was stifling her own amusement if the sleeve covering her mouth was any indication. "I'm not going to stand around and get called a fool by someone who went and got himself killed not even a few hours ago! Who in the world gave you the right to go around like we're friends, huh?"

Ren didn't falter from the outburst, looking Ivy dead on. "Are you saying you don't want to be friends?" He adjusted his tone so it was a challenge, because making it sound like an appeal would only serve to agitate her more. Go ahead and say it. I know that you're lying.

Because Ivy was the same as he had been not even a year ago.

Alone. Absorbed in her strength. So dead set on a goal that she couldn't even see rest of the world around her. Unlike their encounter back at Mesa Verdede, though, she'd lost some of her composure. Whether it was because of the teammates she now had with her, the way Yoh blew into other people's souls and stirred them up, or something else, it didn't matter. If he could even provide the smallest piece of the puzzle to help her out of that mentality, then he would.

"At the very least," Ren said, his voice even, "I don't think that you'd go out of your way just to resurrect someone that you consider 'prey.'"

They way that Ivy sucked in a breath before gritting her teeth was enough for Ren to recognize that she was just getting angry to protect that small, fragile piece inside her that she didn't want anyone to see. "You don't know a damn thing about—"

"Come on, come on, Principessa," Vargas said, catching her nearly rampaging leader around the waist. With the difference in their heights, Vargas had no trouble lifting Ivy's feet of the ground, which was met with immediate flailing. Ren didn't bother to hide his smirk at seeing her so lose her cool so much. "You know that bringing someone back to life is tough on the mana reserves. Plus I'm super worn out from all that running around we did picking up Ren-chan. Let's just rest for a bit!"

"I'm the one who did all the running around," Kiha said, her monotone voice creating a particular effect with her narrowed eyes.

"You hear that? Kaede's tired! And you shouldn't push yourself so hard with your match tomorrow, after all. So come on! Cibo! Mangiare!"

"Okay fine! Just put me the hell down!"

Vargas cheered, leaping straight up into the air and sending her blonde and brown hair out in a curtain before putting Ivy's feet back on the ground. Yoh laughed once more, the grin on his face where it belonged. "You and Ren really are alike, Ivy." Ivy simply shot him a glare as she worked on putting her disheveled hair and clothes back together. "Alright. Even though the others aren't here yet, let's chow down. They'll show up when they show up."

That laissez-faire attitude was enough for Ren to let himself get swept up in it; Horohoro's absence was expected after what had happened. He'd come back once his head had cooled. Besides, even without Horohoro around, there were plenty of others to fill in gaps, as if Ha-Gumi fit right into their group like they belonged.

The small silver star pendant hanging from Ivy's neck sparkled as she tucked it back into her shirt, as if to remind Ren that he was wrong.

Ivy could not recall the last time that she'd felt so awkward and out of her element. Likely the last time had been in the early days of Issebella joining the group, when her loud and boisterous attitude had broken into Ivy's routine and destroyed it. The same thing was happening now, and it set her at unease.

Though they'd been moving around the world, the shifts in location never bothered her; they were part of life at Hao's side. The whole globe felt like her home. No matter where she was, it was simple to set up camp, wake with the light of day, train with Mya, talk with Hao, check in with Opacho, spend some time exploring nature, eat meals whenever they were set out, and participate whenever the Shaman Fight commenced. Having Issebella back and the fresh addition of Kaede back in the Patch Village hadn't really changed too much, either. Issebella acted the same as ever, and Ivy had experience dealing with that. Kaede was so reserved that she didn't disrupt anything. That life was Ivy's comfort zone.

Not sitting around a table with a group of people engaged in conversation. Meals amongst Hao's followers were a communal affair, but Ivy had isolated herself from them long ago. Her teammates weren't helping, as Chocolove had managed to drag Kaede back into another boke and tsukkomi conversation without any protest. Issebella, as insufferable as ever and an extrovert at heart, had fallen right into conversation with the members of Team Funbari Onsen, her laughter mingling with theirs. Even Manta, who had looked awkward when they sat down because Ha-Gumi were part of Hao's entourage, seemed to have relaxed and was talking with a girl with pink hair that Ivy thought she heard whose name was Tamao.

Ivy would have rather continued to fight the remaining forces of the X-Laws.

That was much more fitting for a weapon like her.

She didn't belong in situations like this.

She could have, she supposed, talked with Ren, but she chose not to. His proposal of friendship still left a sting in her heart, a reminder of something that couldn't work, not under their current circumstances. It made her wonder what their relationship might have been like if she hadn't escaped, even if Ander had decided to drag her back by force, rather than let her roam free.

But if I'm abandoning Lyserg, then I need to abandon Lián, too.

Whether he had an idea of what was going on in her head or not, Ren made no moves to talk to Ivy. The others didn't, either, but not for lack of trying. Ivy had steadfastly kept her mouth shut, and eventually the situation had evolved around her, as if she were a stone the rest of the river had decided to flow around.

"Are you just going to spend the whole time sitting around and sulking, or do you actually plan to eat?"

Ivy leveled a glare at the person who'd bothered to speak with her, and she glared right back. Kiyoyama Anna hadn't changed a bit since the last time Ivy had seen her outside of Mesa Verdede. Remembering Hao's words back then didn't make Ivy's mood any less sour, the jealousy forming a fresh coil around her heart, and she refused to blink, studying Anna's topaz eyes, as if that would make any difference.

"While I certainly don't approve of you as one of Hao's followers," Anna continued, sounding almost bored with the exchange, "even I have to thank you for making it so Yoh doesn't have to withdraw from the Shaman Fight. I can't be wife of the Shaman King if he doesn't participate."

Now I like you even more. As I expected, you're the perfect wife for the Shaman King.

Ivy's frown deepened. From the way Anna talked, her loyalty to Yoh was obvious. That wouldn't stop Hao from getting what he wanted, though. Nothing stopped Hao from getting what he wanted, nothing could. She knew that firsthand—

The sharp dogwood aroma of Mya's memory repression spell hit Ivy with such force that he had to raise a hand to her mouth to stifle the forming nausea, and Ivy bent over in her seat, bangs brushing over the empty plate before her. The bustle of conversation around her dimmed, and Ivy's brain worked on putting the pieces together. Whatever Mya had blocked within her memory, it was shortly after that encounter, or at least connected to it. Ivy could only assume it had to do with Hao, because another chance meeting with Anna seemed unlikely, so then—

The second wave of the spell was stronger, and Ivy stifled the groan that threatened to spill out of her lips. Even with all the potential risks, Mya was doubling down. Ivy got the message: This is not something you'll wish to remember here, Ivy-dono.

With a few measured breaths and focused meditation, Ivy was able to clear her mind, and Mya didn't need to push the spell so hard to make it take effect, the aroma fading from the air but still burning in Ivy's throat. The others' voices started to come back into focus as she came back to awareness of the world around her, and it was the concerned call of "Ka-san" from Kaede that made Ivy open her eyes and sit back up straight.

"I'm fine," she said before anyone could ask. Mya had shifted her attention to creating a mint-scented blend that abated Ivy's nausea, and she was feeling better by the second. She didn't offer an explanation. It wasn't anyone's business, after all. Ren and Anna, in their stubbornness, gave Ivy matching looks of piercing disbelief. She grinned right back at them. "If you were hoping to find a weakness of mine to exploit, sorry, but you're out of luck."

Anna harrumphed, as if that had been exactly what she was thinking about. Ren simply gave Ivy a deadpan look that showed he wasn't fooled, but he once more didn't call her out. From the far end of the table, Johan Faust VIII shifted as if to get up. "I'm a physician. If you're willing, I can check to make sure you're alright."

"Are you sure you should be saying that to someone who conducted a resurrection when you couldn't?" From the grimace on Faust's darkened lips, she must've hit a sore spot. Ivy looked over Yoh and the others, one by one. "You lot have come a long way, but you still have plenty to learn before you can even think about challenging Hao-dono. You can't expect me or anyone else to come save you whenever someone kicks the bucket. This is a war, and you're vastly unprepared to participate in what that means." Feeling stable enough to not pitch over the moment she stood up, Ivy rose from the table. "I'm tired. Issebella, Kaede, do whatever you want. We'll reconvene back at camp. If nothing else, don't be late for our match tomorrow."

"Principessa…!"

Kaede snatched onto Issebella's sleeve. "Ka-san needs time by herself to think. She'll be okay."

"Oh? That's a relief," Yoh said, his tone disgustingly genuine to his words. "Thanks again for the help, Ivy. Good luck in your match tomorrow."

And what Ivy hated more than anything else was, with how much Yoh resembled his brother, it was painfully obvious that, no matter how much Hao smiled, the expression never reached his eyes.

"Hao-dono. Tao Ren has been brought back to life."

Opacho's small voice echoed against the empty walls of the abandoned military fortress. Because of the way Hao was, he had also prioritized the strategic placement of their camp near a place that would make it difficult to launch a successful attack on. The building was one of those abandoned from previous war efforts, but it was sturdy enough for Hao's purposes. After all, he didn't need a building to protect him; it was more for the sake of making any enemy foolish enough to attack him waste more of their energy and resources.

And, at the moment, it was an excellent place to gather his followers and assess the situation.

Luchist spoke first after Opacho's pronouncement. "That means that Yoh-sama is out of the fight."

"No," Opacho said, surprising everyone with the objection. While quiet murmurs filled the room, Hao merely listened. "Aviantei-onee-chan revived Tao Ren instead."

Ah, she went that far, hm? Hao wasn't particularly concerned, seeing as he'd given Aviantei permission to do as she wanted. In the end, it was a net positive for him: The X-Laws had no sway over Yoh now, and Aviantei might even press the situation to gain further advantage. "Well, it's not if I was worried, anyways," he said, looking through the broken open wall, his cloak whipping up in the wind that passed by. "No matter if it's in the Shaman Fight or not, Yoh's quarrel is with me. And nothing will prevent me from becoming Shaman King. Yoh will become one with me soon enough."

"Then we definitely don't need the X-Laws anymore," Xang Ching said. Tecolote, his mind still shaken from his earlier encounter with Aviantei's anger, remained silent. "Do you want us to go and destroy them?"

"No need. With this course of events, it'll be better to keep them around so things stay interesting." If the tournament proceeded as planned, they would still have a few days before everything came to a head. Especially with the morale blow of Aviantei snatching the revival of Tao Ren from out under their noses, the X-Laws would at least take some time before they could pose even a fraction of a threat. "For now, I say that we enjoy the evening. We'll have plenty of time to indulge in festivities soon."

First, Aviantei would face Lon Ander and bring her long journey of vengeance to rest.

The Shaman Fight would continue.

And, hidden in its shadows, the Star Festival could begin.

[Author's Notes]

Ivy: Friends, who?
Ren: Us, dumbass.

Thanks go out to LyriaHart and SantiagoD95 for the reviews on last chapter! I super appreciate it!

I'm really glad I made the decision to add Ren into the POV rotation. There's so much to work with... We've also made it through this mini arc! But this day in canon isn't over yet. It wasn't until I got to this phase in the fic that I realized how much happens in this one day. We start in volume 16 and go all the way to 23... Thankfully, not all of that material is relevant to this fic, but there's still enough we gotta touch on.

Next time - Part Thirty-Three: "Protection." Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[07.06.2020]