And Then

It took a few hours for it to really sink in; in fact, they were in the truck, headed away from it all and back in the general direction of home, when it hit them, simaltaneously: Yoh had died. No--he'd been hollowed out and left as an empty shell. The fact of the matter was, he'd been destroyed; and they only just now felt the gravity of it all.

But he'd come back; he'd come back from wherever he was, for them--to fight with them, for them, to keep them alive. He was back--he was warm and soft and gentle and kind, always smiling and even now, gazing up at the sky. He seemed content, sitting in the truckbed, watching the world fly past him; Yoh was the type of person who didn't really seem to need a home. As long as there was sky above his head, he was at peace--because he was wind.

He'd been dead; but he came back. He came back for them.

This knowledge hit them with an intensity, and they were startled. They reached out to touch him, to make sure he was real. His eyes lowered from the clouds to his fellow shaman, and he tilted his head in confusion. Then understanding lit up his gaze and he said quietly, regretfully, "I'm sorry I made you fight on your own for so long." Apparently he'd misunderstood.

"Idiot!" Ren muttered, eyes averted. "Are you apologizing for what Hao did to you? That's really stupid, even in your case."

Yoh didn't smile. He instead looked more upset. "It was...nice, wherever I was." He seemed to be confessing to something. Amidamaru hovered close by, a silent support. "It wasn't painful, or peaceful but...it was quiet." The guilt in his eyes seemed ready to swallow him whole. "I felt heavy--like I was completely exhausted; and I had the feeling that if I shut my eyes, it would all go away...If it wasn't for Amidamaru, I might never have come back."

"Yoh-dono..."

"The fact is," Horohoro said at once, "you did. You did come back, and you fought for us, and won. You won against Hao!"

"We won against Hao," Ren corrected him with a half-hearted glare, but he was ignored for the most part and didn't seem to mind.

"Well, all that's behind us." Yoh yawned, and stretched like a happy housecat. "I'm glad we all came out of it alive." His untroubled smile and genuine open-heartedness were the same. It touched them, every one of them, and they didn't know what to say.

How could they ever thank him? For what he did, what he'd do--there wasn't a doubt in their mind, that if ever they were in trouble or needed help, Yoh would come. They were so lucky to have met him, to have known him, even if it wasn't for that long. Chance had crossed their lives, and fate would align them.

And then Yoh dropped his head onto Anna's shoulder, face relaxing into a sleepy ease. Anna's eyes softened as they only would for him, and everyone settled down to rest after the biggest adventure of their lives.

Even though they had no idea what lay ahead of them, they were together--and so their sleep was peaceful.

They all felt invincible--on top of the world. And it was nice.

Owari.

A/N: I don't really know myself. A drabble, because I love them, about Yoh and his nakama, because I love them, too. -frowns- I should really start work on an actually fic for them.