[Shaman King] Hoshi ga Hoshii desu * chapter 12: convenience store

[lucathia]

Title: Hoshi - ga - Hoshii - desu
Chapter: 12/45

Author: lucathia_rykatu
Email: rykatu@yahoo.com
Series: Shaman King
Rating: PG
Genre: General
Feedback: will be highly appreciated
Spoilers: end of anime
Disclaimer: Shaman King belongs to its rightful owners (which does not include me!)
Archive: livejournal / fanfiction.net

Summary: "I want the stars" -- An amnesic Hao only remembers that the word "Hoshi" is special to him. Found unconscious in America, Hao takes on the name of Hoshi and eventually returns to Japan. This is his story after the anime.

-----chapter 12: convenience store-----

It was Hoshi's turn to go grocery shopping. This morning when he opened the refrigerator, he noticed that they were out of milk and eggs. Well, even though milk wasn't an essential part of his daily meals, eggs were. Since Sora did the grocery shopping last time with Tsuki, it was now his turn to go out. It was a good chance for him to take a look at some clothes and accessories for himself along the way. After all, he didn't want to be stuck wearing the deceased Hoshi's clothes for the rest of his life. Imagine, wearing the clothes of someone you murdered! Not a very inviting thought.

So on this bright, warm day, Hoshi left the house to go shopping.

Passing by a jewelry shop on his way to the convenient store, Hoshi drifted over to the windows. He placed his hands against the windows and peered at the delicate silver, star earrings.

Hoshi absently fingered his bare ears, uncomfortable without the usual weight of his heavy, round earrings.

-----0-----

He plucked at his guitar, listening to the sweet, resonating sound.

His name was Cutter. He loved playing the guitar. He also loved his guitar. Everyday, he would gently pick up his guitar and tune it to perfection. He even had a special, soft cloth that he used to polish the neck of his guitar. His guitar always shone brightly, thanks to its shiny coat of gloss that protected it from wear.

When he was in England, he had formed a band with his motley gang of friends. He had been the leader of this band. His subordinates called him "Meistersinger." Supposedly, it was a word of German origin. They had no idea what it meant. It just sounded cool.

They didn't have any money, nor did they have a manager, but they were still able to create a reputation (most likely a bad one) for themselves. They had played their instruments in the streets and had stirred up frenzy in the audience. Cutter always "charmed" the audience with his playing (or at least he thought he did).

After the shocking discovery that he was a shaman, Cutter decided to enter the Shaman Fight in Tokyo. However, he had no idea what the starting time of the Shaman Fight was, so when he finally arrived in Japan, the Shaman Fight was already over.

It was too bad that he missed the Shaman Fight. There was no doubt that he would have been able to become the Shaman King. After all, he had absolute faith in his Furyouku.

Despite his supposed strength, he had no money left for the return flight. Cutter couldn't return to England. He had no choice but to work part-time jobs.

And that was why he was stuck in front of a junky cash register in a dinky little convenience store.

The tiny bells above the entrance jingled as a teenage boy pulled the door open. The boy was wearing green pants and a white, unbuttoned, short-sleeved shirt. His hair was pulled back so that it stuck out in little spikes behind his head.

The boy wandered over to the CD racks and stood there for a few minutes, his eyes wandering over the different CDs. His eyes lit up as they landed on one particular CD. He reached out for the CD with his right hand and quickly walked to the cash register. With his left hand, he reached into the pockets of his pants to pull out some money.

Cutter's eyes glanced over the boy's orange headphones and then over the boy's face. The boy had the most relaxed expression Cutter ever saw in his life. He possessed the laziest smile ever and a pair of eyes that were lit up with childish joy after finding his favorite CD.

The boy handed the CD to him. Cutter grudgingly took the CD and scanned it. Why was he working in this stupid little store again? Oh yeah, to earn money for his return flight. Meanwhile, he needed to train some more with his spirit.

Cutter glanced over the front of the CD. It was Bob's new CD. What bad taste in music. His guitar playing was much better than Bob's songs.

"2,000 yen please."

The boy counted the coins in his hand and then handed them over.

"Thank you for shopping here."

The boy smiled as he took Bob's new CD. He held it up in front of him admiringly and then slowly ripped open the plastic. He placed the CD in his CD player while walking towards the entrance of the store.

The tiny bells jingled as the boy pushed open the door and left.

-----0-----

Cutter stood in front of the cash register, watching the flies fly in circles around the store. It was a warm day. Even the flies wanted to stay out of the heat. Cutter had to keep fanning himself. He wanted the day to be over already so he could continue his training.

The tiny bells jingled.

Cutter watched as a teenage boy opened the door and entered. The boy was wearing green pants and a white, unbuttoned, short sleeved shirt. His hair was tied up and...wait, wasn't that the same boy that came in just a few minutes ago?

Cutter watched as the boy went to the back of the store, towards the frozen food. He returned to the front carrying a gallon of milk and a carton of eggs. He placed the items in front of the cash register.

Cutter scanned the items, somewhat confused. Why didn't the boy buy these items along with the CD? Weird boy...he could have saved both of them the trouble of doing everything twice. Cutter was about to tell the boy the price when he noticed something.

"Hey, where'd your headphones go?"

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Headphones? I've never had any headphones."

"But you came in with them a few minutes ago..."

Cutter paused. He took a closer look at the boy's pants. They weren't a solid green like the ones he had worn before. They were spotted, more like camouflaging pants. Cutter glanced up at the boy's hair. Although it was tied back, it was so much longer than before that it didn't stand up in spikes. Instead, the boy's hair drooped down in a graceful ponytail.

Cutter then glanced at the boy's expression. The boy wasn't smiling that lazy smile, nor did he have those eyes filled with childish joy. The boy in front of him had piercing eyes and a patronizing smile.

"I came in a few minutes ago?"

Cutter shook his head. "Never mind. It wasn't you. He was much more cheerful than you."

The boy's eyes widened slightly. He pulled out some money and placed it on the counter. He then snatched the items and ran towards the door.

Cutter grabbed the money, holding it up.

"Hey, don't you want your change?"

The boy didn't even look back at him.

The tiny bells jingled jarringly as the boy pushed open the door and rushed out.

Cutter winced, shaking his head. He then resumed thinking about his night training. With some training, he will definitely be able to become Shaman King.

Little did he know that he didn't even stand a chance in front of the two boys that had visited his store that day.

-----to be continued-----

next chapter: funbari onsens