New story! I know! I'm crazy! (crazy dance) This is my first Shaman King story so be nice, I only get to watch the dub on TV and I'm reading the manga as we speak…read. So please don't yell at me if it's kinda weird. I'm like that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King…drat.

This Fan Fiction and Chapter is dedicated to Mikauzoran, AKA Kara. The second biggest Asakura Twin fan girl other than myself. PLEASE GET BETTER SOON!

How did it come to this?

"Yoh!"

His head whirled around, his beautiful brown hair rising and then falling. His dark chocolate eyes widened in horror as she fell back, her head falling fast and her legs being swept out from under her, arm reaching out to grab something, anything.

"No!"

Yoh dropped his sword, not caring or listening as it clanged to the ground, making dust rise around it. He ran as fast as his wooden sandals and worn out legs would carry him. The shaman's rasping breaths rattled his beaten lungs as he blinked the sweat and salty tears from his eyes.

He narrowed his eyes, crouching down and leaping forward, sliding on the harsh and spiky gravel until he came to the edge of the cliff. Yoh prayed he wouldn't be too late as his hand shot out, grasping onto something solid.

Glancing over the edge, his heart back flipped in relief that he had grabbed onto her outstretched hand. She still seemed dazed as her eyes traveled from the darkness below her, to Yoh's extended hand, firmly secured on her wrist.

"Yoh…"

"Just hand on! I got you! I won't let you go!" he cried, gritting his teeth.

Behind them, a spine-chilling maniacal laughter boomed through the area. She took a glance back at the fire raging behind them, growing ever more powerful and unstoppable. Another glance at Yoh, he was holding onto her like nothing else in the world mattered, but that was the problem.

"Yoh, listen to me! You have to go back and fight! Forget about me!"

"I'm not leaving you!" his answer slightly snarled back.

"Yoh, you have to! The fate of the world rides on this battle!"

"I don't care!"

She jerked a bit from his answer. After all this time preparing, after all this time training with the trainer from hell, after everything that all of them worked so hard for, he was going to throw it all away? It was his destiny, his job, to defeat the one man that would destroy the world, as we know it, yet now he didn't care.

Her head bowed down, her free fist clenching as tears threatened to spill. They had come this close, they were going to spend their lives together after they defeated him and he became the Shaman King. She, as well as he, knew the risks, but they didn't care. It was her job to make sure Yoh won, at all costs.

"Yoh…" she murmured, head still lowered.

"Hold on! I'm gonna pull you up!"

"Yoh!" she screamed, finally getting his attention, "Yoh, I know how you don't want to, but you have to forget about me and become the Shaman King!"

"But…"

"No buts! You only have one shot. You have to do this!"

"What about you?" one of his salty tears splashed on her face.

She looked up and saw his face drenched with sweat and tears, unable to stop. Looking through his eyes, she could tell that he also knew that this was the only way.

"I'll be fine," she whispered.

Yoh choked on his tears, "Promise?"

"Promise."

Suddenly, the fire cried out a strange roar, as it burned brighter. A part separated from it, looking like an arm and headed towards the two, but Yoh couldn't see it fast enough. The flame hit him straight in the back, making him cry out in pain, arching his body. His clammy hand lost his grip on her wrist for a moment, causing her to fall deeper into the pit.

"No!"

He quickly recovered and bent down further to catch her again. The shaman's once carefree and smiling face and been distorted, scrunching up in pain with his right eye closed tightly. His brown locks now spread messily over his head and matted to his sticky face.

"Yoh!"

"Don't worry about me! Are you alright?"

"Yoh…" a tear of her own escaped her eyes, "Yoh, you have to beat him! This is your only chance! If you lose, we all lose, the whole world loses!"

"I know…"

"Then do what you were born to do. Destroy him once and for all! Then no one will have to go through the pain we did," she said sadly.

The laughter grew louder, the fire burning bigger once again. It reached out and started to pummel Yoh again and again, causing him to squirm in torture. The beating only stopped when the boy collapsed to the ground, still holding the girl's hand.

The shaman leaned over the side, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but you're injured! And he only grows stronger by the second! Please, Yoh! This is your only time to strike!"

He didn't answer. His other hand reached down as well, going to pick her up and carry her to safety. Meanwhile, the rest of his body wiggled closer and closer to the edge, if he lost his balance now, both would fall into the ominous black hole.

She closed her eyes tightly, blocking out all distractions. Yoh wanted to save her, no matter what the cost, but she knew that could never come to pass. If he wasted anymore time here, he would surely win. The girl didn't train that hard, go through that much pain to see that bastard take the Shaman Throne.

Her nose itched as she coughed, breathing in the stale, smoky air. Her vision began to blur, from the haze, fatigue and sweat on her body. The darkness was gripping on at the edge of her mind, begging to bring her into unconsciousness.

From her daze, her thoughts wandered to her friends, new and old, her family waiting on the other side, and her family still in this one. Right now, they were cheering with all their strength, praying, begging and pleading that her and Yoh were successful.

Both sides of her mind had good ideals. She wanted to remain with Yoh, but the feeling of total despair, which everyone else would suffer, became too great.

Making up her mind, she opened her eyes, a stare of pure determination fixed upon her face. Yoh gasped in surprise, not quite understanding as her other arm grabbed onto the one he was using to hold her up.

"Yoh, listen to me and do not interrupt. I've always said that fate cannot be changed, that the great spirits of this realm guide us in everything we do. This is what they are telling me to do."

He looked at her with confusion flowing through his eyes. His mouth mumbled words he couldn't say, his eyes looking around, still not figuring out the answer.

"Yoh…remember…I love you."

In a flash, she slapped away his hand, pushing away from the edge of the cliff. Yoh couldn't move from shock, as she fell, himself, not able to do anything. She fell backwards, only looking up into his face, memorizing it one last time, before she disappeared amongst the shadows.

Yoh started at the spot he last saw her, his mouth hanging open, unable to say any words. Behind him, the fire burned and crackled evilly, a faint figure's shadow seen though the flames. It started as a low chuckle, before the fire burst into a malevolent laughter, the noise bouncing around the area.

The shaman closed his eyes firmly, gripping the sand and rock between his fingers. She was gone, his one reason for living…gone. Through the anguish, there was only one thing he could say, screaming her name at the top of his lungs.

"KARI!"

How did it come to this?

Strange chapter I know, BUT BARE WITH ME! This all came to me in a dream so I'm doing as the dream says. Next chapter it will start out at the beginning, don't worry. Please review!