[Shaman King] Third * one-shot

[lucathia]

Title: Third
one-shot

Author: lucathia_rykatu
Series: Shaman King
Genre: General / character study
Character: Tao Ren
Spoilers: up to arriving in Patch
Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King

Summary: Ren's thoughts on Yoh before the fight between Team the Ren and Team Funbari Onsens.  "I am not the most important person to Yoh, nor the second.  I can't even hope to be third important."

A/N: Ren is my favorite character in SK. I'm glad that he's the first shaman that Yoh fights, so Ren is sort of like a rival for Yoh and has many appearances in both the manga and the anime.  Yet, Yoh has so many friends that Ren doesn't seem that important.  This thought is what spawned this fic.

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My name is Tao Ren. I came to Tokyo to participate in the Shaman Fight. While walking down the sidewalk under the wavering light of the new moon, I noticed the dirtiness of the world around me. Those stupid humans and their carelessness have polluted this world. When I become Shaman King, I will cleanse the world of this dirtiness.

These thoughts changed when I met Asakura Yoh. After my departure from China, he was the first Japanese shaman I met. Immediately, I noticed his careless attitude. Chatting with his short friend without a care in the world, Yoh lay on the grass gazing up at the stars. I wanted to crush that attitude of his.

I saw his primary spirit, Amidamaru. Powerful. I looked towards my own spirit, the Chinese warrior Bason. I scoffed at his obedient nature. He was nothing more than a servant. But that Amidamaru...he was much stronger.

So I challenged Yoh. I was ready to kill him to separate his spirit from him. Yet somehow...I didn't manage to kill Yoh. He blabbered that Amidamaru was his friend...and he won. How could a spirit be a friend? I laughed at his words. Spirits were to be used.

My sister Jun challenged Yoh next. I wasn't there to witness it...but Yoh managed to defeat her and Lee Pai Long. Yoh was supposed to be weak...those who don't use their spirits as servants cannot merge with their spirits 100%. I don't see how friendship can help him with that.

Before I knew it, the Shaman Fight began.

My next fight with Yoh came quickly. It was the third match of the first preliminary. I trained hard. I wanted to destroy that silly attitude of his. When I landed in front of Yoh, I noticed that Yoh was again accompanied by that short friend of his who wasn't even a shaman. Why was he here anyway? Did that short guy want to get killed?

The fight started. At first, it seemed that I had the advantage...but near the middle of the fight, I already understood that I had no chance of winning.

He defeated me.

He was like the wind...free. Only Yoh can defeat me. He wasn't part of the polluted world. Somehow, he was free from the rest of us, separated. Only he was different, untouched.

I still find it absurd that our fight ended a tie.

In my mind he truly did defeat me. He defeated the old Ren who no longer exists. I no longer find all humans dirty and distasteful.

When Yoh invited me to his house, I sat there, surrounded by his friends. I silently observed them. Manta, the short guy. Bokuto no Ryu, the guy with the funky hairdo. Horo Horo, the ainu and his sister Pirika. Then there was Anna, Yoh's fiancee.

Somehow, I became friends with all of them. They even came to help me when I was imprisoned by my father in China.

I traveled with Yoh to America for the second preliminaries. Along the way, we met Hao, who we later found out was Yoh's twin brother. We met so many people...Lyserg, the X-laws, and Chocolove.

And now, finally, it is now the day before my fight with Yoh. Actually, it's my team's fight against Yoh's team. Team the Ren against Team Funbari Onsen.

I am sitting in bed staring into the darkness.

Yoh is puzzling. He has a carefree attitude...yet he seems to be missing something. Yoh seems carefree...yet he's not carefree at all. He lacks some essential emotions, one of them being passion. Since Yoh was supposed to be part of Hao...I suspect that Hao has the other half of Yoh's emotions.

I don't understand Yoh that well. Does anyone understand that seemingly carefree boy? At one point I thought I did...but I'm not sure anymore.

What am I to Yoh? I am not his best friend. That goes to Manta. Manta follows Yoh around despite being a regular human being. I am not his confidant. That goes to his spirit Amidamaru. He places great trust in his spirit. He trusts Amidamaru to cover him in a fight. I am not his lover, though I would not want to be. That goes to his fiancee, Anna. Although strict and self-centered, Anna does a good job training Yoh. I am not the friend he laughs with. That goes to Horo Horo. Somehow, I think that Horo Horo is more like Yoh's brother than Hao is. They share many qualities. Like their carefree nature. I am not one who admires him. That goes to Ryu and Faust. They are like servants to Yoh and will do anything for him.

Even what I want to be has been taken away from me. I am not Yoh's rival. That goes to Hao. The dangerous, manipulative Hao. Yoh has already defeated me. He has no need to train to surpass me. He does not see me as a rival, nor does he see me as his best friend.

What am I to Yoh?

I am not the most important person to Yoh, nor the second. I can't even hope to be third important.

I am nothing...nothing more than a regular friend.

I will change that tomorrow.

I will win the fight and make Yoh look my way again.

Comments

[dragon-faere.livejournal.com]

Oh, I felt that Ren's justification was quite in-character, and a lovely fanfic at that. One of the things I'd be wary of is switching from past to present tense (I tend to do that often) and that only occured once or twice.

I've also read some of your other fanfics and liked them very much. If you don't mind, I've friended you. ^_^

[lucathia]

:3 Glad that you liked my fanfics! Thanks for the tip--I'll be sure to be more careful about tenses.

And thanks for friending me too! (grins)