"Thank you." The dark haired man breathed out finding a strange inner peace in his own body. He didn't look directly at Ryuu, but the next words jolted him a fraction.
"Not a problem." Ryuu answered back, and suddenly Nino caught sight of that smile again... Strangely like Matsu's yet not...."We're friends aren't we?" The last words caused the dark haired man to stare for a moment even as Ryuu seemed to move himself out of the room.
'We're friends'...... The dark haired man found his eyes moving to the floor even as he sat in the chair next to Matsu's bed, and for the first time.... in a very long time... a smile worked its way on the dark haired man's face. "Ya...." he sighed outwards. "Friends.... I guess." He didn't move after that but remained sitting in the chair somewhat away from any sight that could have caught him smiling.
Well ain't this something.... Doki chuckled to himself. Enough to even wake me up.... So you really can smile, Yang. However, Nino didn't answer this but just kept his head down with his hair mildly hiding the features of his smiling face.
~*~
Aiba looked one way and then the other way. "You're seriously lost aren't you," Elle's voice sighed in irritation. Aiba looked back at her and rubbed the back of his head forcing a nervous laugh. The girl who strangely looked a lot like Emiko just shook her head again and looked up the street. The ghost boy whose hand Aiba had in one hand said nothing but broke out into a fresh wave of tears.
"I'm.... never..... gonna... find..... Mommy...." he sobbed a fraction causing Aiba to look down at him and shake his head qickly.
"No that's not true," he said suddenly puffing up a fraction. "I'll help you! We're helping you!"
"What if... what if she's already passed on... what if Mommy is...." the boy suddenly managed to reduce himself to tears. Aiba shook his head again sharply.
"We'll find her! We will!" he insisted again.
Suddenly, a strange light caught Aiba's eye, and the dark haired boy looked up towards the roof on one of the buildings. Staring for a minute, Aiba became aware of Elle flailing a hand in front of his face. "What are you staring at?" Elle asked looking up towards the roof as if to try and find whatever was being stared at so much. Aiba shook his head and brought his sight down again.
"It's nothing," he answered taking a hand to his head and sighing outwards feeling suddenly weirdly drained. "I'm just.... tired...." That feeling though... of someone passing from the spirit world into this one.... my entire hand went numb just now... what is going on? Aiba stared down at the rings on his fingers each of them an animal of some sorts, and he was completely silent for a moment.
Suddenly returning his gaze to the ghost boy, Aiba's eyes widened as it appeared the boy had completely vanished. "Kid?" Aiba asked looking around in confusion only to hear something slowly walking up. Aiba's eyes shot forwards and found the face of Aíne. The dark haired boy took a step back in surprise at seeing an angel in broad daylight unsure of what to do on the matter.
"The child has been taken home.... the fierce red haired woman said aloud. "But there is something that involves Aisling that I need your help with." Aiba stared a minute and looked at Elle who just reflected a confused look back. Suddenly finding that the angelic woman had started walking, Aiba breathed outwards a moment unsure of what to do. Only people who could see ghosts could see angels as well... that's what Aiba thought.... The dark haired boy racked his brains to try and make this more of a statement in his head than anything. The question then perturbed him as to what she could want. However, after a moment, Aiba found himself moving in line with Aíne. He looked back and made an arm motion with Elle.
"You're a summon shaman," the angel woman commented aloud. "There is very little of your blood left in this world." Aiba stared a minute unsure of what to say or if it were right to say anything at all. "Those that can humanly reach past the normal death bounds and take spirits from their previous resting places to bring them into this world." Aiba found himself turning red and looking down t the pavement.
"Ya....." he more or less mused unsure of what to say on the matter. "I can summon spirits....."
"Good. Aisling is in the hospital at the moment asleep," Aíne continued.
"Wait what..." Aiba stopped walking all together and more or less blinked in confusion for a moment. Is everyone and their grandmother in the hospital or something? Aiba found his nail scratching the side of his cheek methodically. Aíne appeared unamused and stared putting her hands on her hips and turning around to face him.
"She will need your help when she awakes.... if she wants her cards back," Aíne sighed outwards as she finished the last statement.
"What do you mean if?" Elle asked before Aiba could. However, Aíne just shook her head and turned once more to start walking. Aiba sighed outwards and started following again even with the question remaining unanswered.
"Also... Mari and Kaki are there as well... they need a bit of peace for themselves, and I'm sure either of you would be willing to grant solace," Aíne sighed.
In only a few minutes, Aiba found himself staring up at the hospital front door wide eyed at the fact that Aíne had managed to navigate so well. I seriously just need.... a freakin' sense of direction..... Aiba but his hand over his face and sighed outwards. Elle looked at him for a moment and shook her head as she continued to follow Aíne inwards.
All three walked into an elevator, and in half a minute they were walking down the hallway towards what appeared to be Mari and Kaki sitting outside a door. Aíne looked surprised for a moment. "It's alright to go in...." she said aloud looking at both pale faces.
"I know...." Mari answered back waving her hand in the air as though trying to beat at the air itself. She appeared tired if nothing else. Aiba blinked a moment and then looked at Kaki who seemed more interesting in the room before him and who would look every half a second backwards to try and see in the room.
Aíne nodded a moment and then grasped the door handle and pushed it open walking inside. Aiba followed, and after it seemed like everyone had decided to take into the room once more. Seeing Aisling laying on the bed caused Aiba to blink in utter confusion. She appeared nearly as bad as Matsu had... well.... not in the way Aiba could put into words bu still.
"What happened?" Aiba asked, but after a minute of not receiving the answer, Aiba understood that he probably wouldn't get it at all.
"Can you summon the cards from here?" Aíne asked causing Aiba to stop.
"I thought you said..." he started.
"Can you?" Aíne putted back. Aiba stared a minute and looked at Elle, Mari, and then Kaki. Rubbing the back of his head, he forced a nervous laugh.
"Why?" he continued only to find the sharp eyes of Aíne staring at him.
"Because she wants to help Aisling fight to keep her body," a voice mused lightly from the hallway. Aíne appeared to stare out, and as Aiba looked as well, he found the familiar face of Ohno smiling back at him.
"Ohno?" Aiba asked aloud in confusion for a moment causing the red haired man to laugh a fraction.
"Yes, it's me, Princess Ai," Ohno smirked before pulling down his eyelid and sticking his tongue out at Aiba. The dark haired boy looked surprised. However, his eyes narrowed a minute and he was suddenly running and tackling Ohno. Unsurprised by the tackle, Ohno braced himself for it and instead of falling over, he more or less drew the younger man into a hug.
"I said not to call me that," Aiba half yelled down lightly pounding on Ohno with his fists in the way an irritated child would. "Find a better nickname!" Ohno just let a laugh out before returning his glance to Aíne.
"I see she wanted to use you to summon the cards back into the world," Ohno sighed a bit and smiled at Aíne who just stared back. "To keep her granddaughter's will from faltering to the next world." Aiba froze and turned his head back looking at Aíne now.
The sound of both Elle and Mari taking a step back hit the ears of the dark haired boy, and he found his head turned to them instead as if trying to make them make sense of everything. However, Elle just shook her head as though she were not ready for this and Mari appeared confused in the entire situation.
"She cannot afford to lose this battle..." Aíne answered back after a moment looking away. "But I fear her will is...."
"Then let me summon the spirit cards," Aiba said suddenly causing everyone in the room to look at him again. Placing a hand on his chest, Aiba looked directly at Aisling. "If she's fighting a battle, I want to help."
Ohno let a light sigh out knowing Aiba's nature all too well. It was how the boy always was;... willing to jump into the middle of anything in order to do something. I blame Nina for that one Ohno smirked to himself before looking at Aíne and finding her leering at him more or less with a forced smile still on her face. The red haired man simply returned with a smile.
"Aiba.... I think...." Elle began but received a sudden sharp look from Aiba. She stared a moment as if surprised by the boy's sudden determination before finally sighing and looking away.
"This is the card case...." Aíne finally lowered her gaze and looked at Aiba again.
Aiba reached out and took it instantly feeling a jolt of something from the last ring on his left pinkie finger. The wolf ring.... A great deal of power... I guess.... Aiba thought to himself. "I need room... get out," he said suddenly causing a better half of the room to blink at him. "Out! Out! Come on go stand in the hallway or something!" Aiba continued as he more or less forced Ohno to start out into the hallway. Elle appeared to roll her eyes and start out followed by Mari and Kaki. Aíne looked surprised as even she got forced from the room and was now standing in the hallway.
Returning into the room, Aiba more or less stood at the foot of Aisling's bed with the card case in his hand. Staring down at it, Aiba sighed to himself. I... have never... summoned card spirits before.... he thought to himself staring down at the case. I haven't even managed to summon forest spirits or anything other than human ones.... I didn't... have a teacher.... but... but I gotta try! I mean... if someone's fighting a battle then.... Aiba found his eye move towards the sleeping Aisling, and suddenly he looked away again shaking his head a minute as though trying to refocus.
Closing his eyes, Aiba began to gather what he could around him. The feeling that came from summoning always started not in his rings but in his heart. Finding the image of Nino's back, Aiba found once more the irritation... the want to surpass him so badly... the want of Nino to be proud of him, and yet... more than that... he wanted to be recognized... wanted to be favored.... wanted at least to be known. That emotion swelled in him and worked its way down to the tips of each finger.
"I call from the land of the dead...." Aiba began unsure if he was even using the right words on the matter. They felt right, yet he had never summoned anything besides human spirits. "The cards that protect Aisling... that she needs right now to help her fight... I call on my power as a summoner... to prevent any more harm to the present or the future... I call upon you!" Suddenly Aiba felt his rings seem to reach outwards, and his grip on the box tightened. However, in that moment, all matter seemed to suddenly die, and Aiba pretty much fell over twitching.
Everyone who had been watching from the hallway was now looking at everyone else. Ohno looked at Aíne. Mari looked at Elle. The only one who appeared to keep staring was Kaki. "I guess.... I failed...." Aiba blinked after a minute causing everyone in the hallway to all but fall over as well.
"How the heck could you fail when you were talking all those big words!" Elle and Mari all but yelled together on the subject, and Aiba felt a sudden set of palms smacking his face. Ohno's light sigh hit the room as well and mingled with Aíne's sigh. "You fail so bad Aiba!" both girls were continuing to all but beat him up right then and there.
Ohno sighed and walked back in the room. "It's not his fault he's never summoned anything besides human spirits before," Ohno forced a smile as he stepped between the two girls and Aiba. Both seemed to stare at him with minor irritation, and all Ohno could do was keep his smile on his face. "Now now... hahah... he can try again till he gets it right...." Ohno waved the air around him as though trying to make peace of things with this motion.
"What the heck did I do wrong...." Aiba said aloud as if unsure of what else to say. He already knew the answer, though. He didn't know the words..didn't know if there was something else that spirits of that nature needed... and he would never know... the summoning class was dying out, and a full teacher for said class was impossible to find. Defeated, the dark haired boy sighed outwards. "Let me try again!" he said all but flailing his arms. "I'll do it till I get it right!"
With that, time elapsed. Aiba tried over and over again with different words and different phrases as he tried to bring the cards to life. Soon enough, he found himself sore and extremely out of energy. Ohno, being the strange man he was, had started to talk to Elle and Mari in the way that was light and calm in nature. Aíne had all but elapsed into what could only be described as a meditation while the only one that continued to watch was Kaki.
Breathing outwards, Aiba stared at the end of Aisling's bed all but in defeat. I'm so tired... ugh..... the dark haired boy thought to himself. I can't even figure out if I'm doing anything right anymore.....
So why are we trying this again? a voice sighed in Aiba's mind causing the dark haired boy to all but recoil. Yoku sighed as if unsurprised by Aiba's recoil. You woke me up with your irritation... so what's up?
I don't want to talk to you.... Aiba answered remembering how Nino had reacted when his own vessel had gotten a hold of him. Yoku simply yawned back as if uninterested in Aiba's words. So you're trying to summon cards?
Will you just leave me alone??? Aiba thought to himself as he began once again to build the summoning power in his body.
Nada.... I'm bored.... hey let's go rob a bank or something! Yoku suggested suddenly all but cutting off Aiba's mental capabilities again. The dark haired boy forced away the vessel spirit as best he could and began to focus again... or rather try to. Disappearing, Yoku appeared to wander off again as if no longer interested.
"What am I doing wrong...." Aiba said aloud feeling even more irritated now that Yoku had woken up. Ohno turned his head away from the girls and stared in the room.
"Ya doing ok?" Ohno grinned a bit but found the irritated face of Aiba staring back at him. "Wow... you look so much like Nina when your face is contorted like that...." he blinked before laughing a fraction.
"Don't say that!" Aiba shouted suddenly picking up a chair and successfully throwing it smack into the face of Ohno who was suddenly forced back and smacked into the hallway again. Suddenly slamming the door, Aiba turned back and stared at Aisling's bed again.
I... gotta help her somehow.... Aiba thought to himself.
Why? Yoku was back and suddenly confused in Aiba's mind.
Because she's fighting something..... Aiba blinked remembering what both Aíne and Ohno had talked about. I'm... not exactly sure what... but... but... I want to help her....
Why? Yoku continued.
Because I gotta help someone! Aiba suddenly puffed up a fraction. Because... because... because I don't want to be like Nino and not help people.... The sudden realization that hit him surprised Aiba. I... don't want to be like Nino..... he thought to himself. Well... not... the way I've seen him... I don't want to be like that... I.... The image of Nino's back came to Aiba's mind again. I... want to go past... and not just be up there... I want.... Suddenly a different feeling took over Aiba. I want to be able to do what I want... when I want.. I want... I... I .... The feeling swelled through him suddenly and overtook him completely. A sudden twist in the air began to form a current in the room. I want... I want... to help..... Suddenly a glistening light appeared and twisted itself around Aiba.
"I call from the spirits of the great spirits that rule us... I call as a protector of those that need help... I call as myself Aiba.... Give me the power to reach past my wants and find what is needed.... I summon thee... Spirits of the Cards!" Almost instantly the energy twisted itself again and all but fell into the box still in Aiba's hand. In that minute, he looked down again and found all of the cards neatly stacked in the box. Breathing outwards, Aiba felt himself charged.
~*~
Being hit in the face with a chair, Ohno had fallen back and watched from one eye as Aiba slammed the door in front of him. Both Mari and Elle appeared in a state of shock. "Are you ok?" Elle asked.
"Hahahahah..." Ohno smiled a bit causing the concern to all but leave the hospital. "I'm fine..." he finished. "I just forgot how much of a temper Aiba can have when he's compared to Nino...." he shook his head a bit and put a hand up to his forehead.
"I'll say," Mari said crossing her arms as if reliving some irritation or the matter.
"It's.... not his fault though," Ohno shrugged his shoulders a bit. "When compared with the same person over and over again and told that you are the lesser of the two... then it's not really fun now is it?"
Aíne appeared to suddenly come out of her meditative state and stare directly at Ohno. "Mei Rin said hello, by the way...." she seemed to smirk this causing Ohno to completely freeze. However, after another split second, the red haired man laugh a fraction and continued laughing before finally crossing his arms in front of his chest and looking at the door Aiba had slammed.
"That's nice. Tell my darling twin sister that I say hello as well," he answered back as if unfazed by what Aíne had just said. "And... it would seem that something has happened...." The red haired man could feel the change in the spiritual pressure, and he doubted that no one else could feel it. Walking forwards, Ohno took hold of the door and opened it.
___________________________________________________________________
Hope this is ok~
I was on a writing spazum as you can see. ^^;
