Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.

A/N: You must have finished the manga before continuing. May contain spoilers. You've been warned =p

Chapter 1

It was the last night of the preliminaries of the shaman fight. After a month, they will be travelling to America for the next round; but for tonight, a celebration is in place at the Funbari Onsen.

"Why you!" Horo-horo shouted at Ren.

"Tamao, someone's at the door." Anna whispered to Tamao.

Bason and Amidamaru were busy chatting when the sliding doors opened.

"Ah." Someone's here. Tamao pointed to her paper to show the words, which stopped Ren and Horo-horo's brawl.

Everybody saw a flash of blue and Yoh was immediately lying on the floor. Amidamaru posed to help Yoh.

"Yoh! I'm back!" The visitor merrily greeted Yoh after she tackled him.

Amidamaru relaxed when he heard Yoh greet back chuckling, "Ahaha, welcome home, Rue!"

Anna, on the other hand, stood up and yanked their visitor away from Yoh.

"No one invited you here. Stop acting like a wild dog tackling anyone you see." Anna said, obviously pissed. Ren and Horo-horo quietly scooted away.

"Why would I ask your permission, Old hag?" Rue retorted as she squirmed away from Anna's hand. With this, the audience was sitting by the wall farthest the two females.

OLD HAG!

Anna was about to step closer when Yoh interrupted, "We were just having a celebration for the end of Shaman fight's preliminaries. I'm glad you could join us."

She sat herself near Yoh, while Anna glared at her. She suddenly looks at the others by the wall, which made them jump.

"Hey, why are you guys over there?" Yoh noticed. Everybody got back the table keeping as far away from Anna as possible. While everybody settled themselves, Yoh noticed the bandages all over Rue's legs.

"I thought you were in America to study, that's a really painful way to study." Yoh said getting serious.

Rue brushed it off with a smile and said, "Aren't you ever gonna be used to it? Anyway, don't spoil the mood. Weren't you going to introduce them?"

"Ah! Yeah, I'm sorry. "

"Everyone, this is Rue Asakura."

"Ehh – she's your relative Yoh?"

"Oh, yeah. I think we're sort of cousins, right?"

"Right."

"That was Horohoro. He is one of the contestants."

"Ehh? But, he looks kinda stupid." "Hey!"

"Beside him is his sister, Pirika." "Wait! Who gave you permission to insult my brother?!"

"Go on, Yoh." Rue paid no mind to the siblings.

"Uhh – okay! This is Ren, he's from China and one of the fighters, too."

"Brat." "Huh?" Ren retorted with a pissed off reaction.

Yoh sighes, "Ah, you've never met my spirit. He's Amidamaru. He's a 600 year old ghost. A true samurai."

"Amidamaru, huh? How's your technique?"

"It's good. I trained them myself." Anna interjected.

"Good."

"And this is Oyamada Manta."

Rue stared at Manta.

"He's not a shaman, is he?" Manta got suddenly intimidated at the question, even though not directed at him.

"No." Yoh answered.

"Oyamada. It seems familiar; a business man, am I right?" Manta nodded in response. "Hmm, curious. You are aware of what the shaman fight is, I suppose, yet you linger around Yoh. Say, what business, exactly, does your family do, Manta?" Rue leaned closer to Manta.

"Rue, I know where this is going. Stop now." Yoh pulled her in the arms to make her sit back up.

She stopped to look at Yoh. Everybody waited for her response.

She answered with a right-hand chop on Yoh's head. "I dare you to say that again, Yoh." She said in a dark voice, as she stood up.

"Ah! I give up." Yoh answered as he nursed his bleeding nose.

Right then, everybody had the same realization.

She's another Anna-monster!

Moments later, while the boys were hanging out in the hot bath, Tamao helped Rue to set up the room opposite hers.

"How are you, Tamao?"

I'm fine. Ponchi and Conchi, too. She answered by pointing on her sketchbook.

"No need to be shy in front of me. We've been good friends, right?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. I've been good. I've missed you, though. There was no one to talk to but Ponchi and Conchi."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I've been doing so much all around. But, I've never forgotten you, all of you, and of course, my duty."

Just then, the sliding doors opened. "You better have not. 'Cause Yoh's gonna be the Shaman King." Anna brought more sheets to Rue's room.

"No doubt about it." The other two answered.

At the hot springs, however, the boys were chatting about the new face.

"What's the deal with her Yoh, calling me stupid and all!?"

"Ah, don't mind her. It's just how she is. She's really doubtful, so please have patience with her."

"You talk like you know her very well. Are you sure you're just cousins?" Ren interjected.

"Well, we've grown together and became childhood friends."

"Tamao and Anna seem to know her, too."

"Ah that's because she was my first fiancée before Anna." Yoh answered without any sign of hesitation.

"WHAT?!" the others chorused.

"I give props for Yoh for saying that with a straight face." Horohoro commented.

"Master Yoh, even after all that, you and her are still close?" Amidamaru asked.

"Ah, well I can't deny that she has been my friend for the longest time. No broken marriage contract would have erased that."

"Ah!" Horohoro shouted. "That's why Anna and she don't get along!"

"You think so? I thought they're getting along well today." Yoh said, grinning. With that everybody looked at him with straight faces.

Ren is about to leave for China…

"Pointy-head has a curfew?" Rue commented as the two boys finished their conversation.

"Shut up. This is me preparing for the second rounds."

"Good luck." Rue said as she sat down beside Yoh. She noticed Ren still fixed in his spot.

"What? I thought you were going."

"Heh! Didn't expect something good to come out from that mouth, but I don't need luck. I'll do it with my powers." With that, he signaled his horse to go.

"Damn brat." She said silently.

"Can't sleep?" Yoh calmly inquired.

"Aren't you gonna scold me from earlier?"

"Of course not. It's better to stay in these good moments when you have so little of them."

"The second round of the fight is not until one month from now, you know."

"Yeah, but, you won't stay that long, right?"

Rue kept silent.

"What'll you do if I don't win?"

"That's not possible. I'll make sure you do."

"Your duty, huh?"

"All my life, Yoh, I've been preparing – ever since I was in diapers, practically. I can't let you lose. I'll do my best."

"I want you to be happy, too. You don't have to do so much; you're hurting yourself."

"Please Yoh, this," she pointed to her bandaged legs, "is nothing compared to the pressure everybody is putting on you."

"No, I'm not pressured at all."

"That's because you're you. Yoh," she faces him seriously, "when that pressure, if that pressure, finally sinks in, please remember, I'm here – the three of us will always be here, no matter who your choice is. You're never alone."

He pats her head. "I know."

"I'm not a child. I'm only one year younger than you," she said as she looked away. "Are you nervous?" she asked.

"You know, sometimes I feel nervous, but then I think, I can't do anything about it now. I surely can't stop it from happening. I'll just let it happen and decide what to do, then."

"I know I should be annoyed, but it somehow it puts me at ease."

Yoh smiled and looked up the sky. "We've never talked about what happened."

"Ugh, Yoh." She slumped and looked away.

"You understood with just that." Yoh said with a chuckle – trying to catch Rue's face.

"Because it the only topic we've never talked about." She retorted, as her hand went to Yoh's face pushing it away.

"But after seeing you and Anna getting along so well, I thought we could finally talk about it." Yoh said as he chuckled to himself.

"It was almost final. Its laughable, I think. Can you imagine you and me, fiancée?" she laughed breathlessly.

"Haha – I didn't mind it before. I was kinda sad when they said we'll cancel it, but…"

"But you fell in love with Anna"

"Rue…"

"No, Yoh, I know. Ever since you came back from that trip, you've changed a lot. You've become sensitive, too. I was glad because you've matured a bit."

Yoh was silently observing her.

"I thought, at least, partly, you've chosen for yourself and not just follow the family's demands."

"I didn't particularly hate what they gave me."

"But you did when you were a kid, I know, deep inside."

"Isn't it the same for you?"

"Of course not," she said smiling at him, "they did not have to force on me who to follow and support. And they surely didn't have to force who I was going to marry."

"I'm sorry." Yoh said sadly.

Rue held his hand, "Yoh, Anna was the best among us. You chose Anna because there was something in her that pulled you in, instantly. I wouldn't call it love at first sight. It's not as simple as that, wasn't it? Kino-sama chose her because she had the most power. She's the one who would fulfill your dreams. When I met her, I felt like no matter how strong I become, I couldn't compare to her. It's a familiar feeling; but I can't point it specifically. Weird, right?" She sighed and continued, "When I saw her I gave up all my hopes."

"Rue…"

"But don't tell her I said that."

"Okay."

"Or I'll kill you"

"Haha same as always, after opening up, you'll immediately return to your usual self."

"You know me all too well. Anyway, Yoh, you need to sleep now. I think Anna plans on torturing you tomorrow."

"Er – Okay gotta go." He pats her head finally and says, "Say sorry to them, Rue."

She lightly punches his arm, "Not a chance."

Once he was out of sight, Rue whispered to herself, "I'll make you win for sure."

"Ah – this is not good, Yoh actually left me when we said we'll buy groceries together." Manta said as he walked around the inn, checking if Yoh had really left. He stopped when he heard voices from the hot spring room.

"Wow! I've got to hand it to you, Anna. This place is great. This hot spring is the highlight, of course. I haven't felt this relaxed since the start of the shaman fight." Rue's voice echoed from within the room.

"I didn't expect you, of all people, to be that rude to Yoh's friends in front of him, no less. I thought after not seeing you for years, you'd actually have changed." Anna said in a monotonous voice.

"Straightforward, as always." She sighed heavily. "It's exactly because they are Yoh's 'friends' that I'm like that. We can never fully trust anybody. This applies to whomever he says is his friend. It's never an easy thing to give, you should know this, of all people. We should be extra careful, especially with people around him."

"That's exactly why he grew up hating other people. That's why he hasn't got any friends."

Rue did not speak after that. Manta, who froze at the conversation, heard footsteps coming out of the bath. He hurriedly hid behind the door of the opposite room and hoped they wouldn't see him. He heard the hot spring room's door open, and close. When he thought that it was safe, he went out the room and posed to walk to his intended direction.

"I'm still weak." He heard Rue say before she completely opens the door.

Manta froze just then. She found me out!

"We knew you were there from the beginning." Rue said as she adjusted her yukata.

Manta bowed down and apologized, "Sorry, I didn't mean to listen in."

"Manta, right?"

He slightly jumped at the mention of his name. What's up with her addressing me casually. He nodded in response.

"I'm sorry, I offended you the other day." Rue said finally. With that she walked past him towards the dining room.

"What just happened?" Manta said softly feeling a sense of awkwardness. Yoh when will you come back?!

"Hey, Manta! What are you doing here by yourself?" Manta hears someone say from behind him.

"Horohoro! Where were you? Yoh forgot that we'll be going buying groceries together."

"Ah – maybe he's still rattled from his fight with Ren, after all."

"No, that's not Yoh at all."

"Haha, you're right."

Yaaay! New story! I'm getting excited. I hope y'all like it!

The story would most likely follow that of the manga's and not the anime's. This is also kind of short, tell me if it's a bit rushed, so I can adjust. Enjoy!