Disclaimer: I still don't own Shaman King or any of the characters.

Change

The next morning En inn was still quite peaceful. The sun was shining, a light breeze kept swaying through the trees, creating a very agreeable temperature.

Yoh woke up at 5 past ten o 'clock and stretched yawning. What a nice morning! He scratched his head and looked at the clock only to jump up in extreme haste, getting dressed in record speed and dashing down the stairs to meet the all destroying glare of his trainer/greatest nightmare/fiancée Anna Kyouyama. Arriving at the bottom of the stairs- already in position with bowed head and shaking knees, ready to beg her forgiveness- he noticed, well, that she wasn't there.

He blinked, he closed his eyes, he blinked again and then scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin on his face when the facts came back rushing to him.

Anna hadn't forced him to do anything for about a week. Yes, that's right, no training, no chores, neither for him nor for his friends. That was why he hadn't his alarm clock set, this was why he could sleep in.

One should think he enjoyed it and to a certain degree he did. In fact no one watching him without knowing him very, very well would know that something bothered him.

But it did, it was gnawing on him since it had started a few days ago, no even before that. various scenes had been preludes to their situation now.

The first signs had been a slight uneasiness on Anna's side, which to tell the truth had terrified most of them enough already. She had been giving out orders as usual but seemed confused and restless, forgot to give a certain task, gave out another twice, small things, small mistakes, but very considerable if they happened to Anna of all people. Anna whose mind was as sharp and clear as a razor blade, and whose concentration never, ever faltered for even the fraction of a second. And yet there she was struggling to keep the daily routine going.

Sign number two had been that she stopped yelling and/or using violence on anybody in the house, no matter how loud they were, what nonsense they were doing or what tasks they were not doing. She stopped putting her foot down on the chores being done, resulting in most of them not being finished. Instead of kicking up an all mighty stink because of that she retreated to staring blankly into nothingness with her eyelids half closed, lost in deep thoughts.

A few days later she started to have violent outburst about as much as the end of those attacks for milliseconds a look of deep pain in her eyes, a shiver going through her whole body could be seen, before she left the room and locked herself in her own.

This had been the situation for a few days, Anna kept in her room to herself, no one knew what she was doing in there or where the outbursts came from. She came out to eat once a day, didn't talk to anyone and disappeared as fast as possible.

Yoh knew just as much as anyone else, well he knew more and even suspected a great deal more but it was hardly noticeable in his behaviour. He seemed as laid back, as easy going and as relaxed as one can get. That is if one didn't look exactly into his eyes the second he saw his Anna shaking in pain. He was the only one that noticed this very short scenes, the only one who had learned to observe Anna at all times, taking in even the smallest detail of her every move, noticing the slightest of twitches in her face betraying the emotions she hid so well. But he never said anything to anyone, he continued grinning his idiotic grin to his friends, when they eyed him suspiciously.

Yesterday Ren had been there to watch one of the attacks, after the blond ice queen had taken her leave he stared at Yoh intensively for a while. "Aren't you worried?" He broke the silence. As expected the grin stayed in place "I don't know, I don't think worrying helps. She won't tell me what's wrong if she doesn't want to anyways, I trust she'll come out with it when she's ready" But Ren noticed a spark of pain that gleamed for a second in his friends eyes. " I don't believe a word Asakura, better not lie to me or I might get angry." Ren voiced.

Yoh sighed and partially hid his face behind brown strands of hair "I want to trust her, and I do but it's weird, I'm used to her shutting me out, but not like that. She's in pain Ren, serious pain and I can't help her." Again as expected when he looked up his trademark grin was in place "But I really think it will work out if I just give her time." Ren could sense that his friend was not telling the entire truth, not telling everything he knew or suspected. "Fine have it your way Yoh but I hope you acknowledge that there is a problem you should work on instead of waiting for it to miraculously just work out."

With this the conversation had been finished, Ren had drunken up his milk and gone home after a careless goodbye, leaving Yoh to the task of dealing with his future wife. The young Asakura had gone up the stairs and knocked on her room, but to no avail, she hadn't answered with one syllable. After a while he had laughed nervously. "Come on Anna, I know you are in there, come out and talk to me.. please?" Still no answer.

He sighed and leaned against the wall "If it's your reishi coming back, you know you can talk to me anytime, I won't let you down. In fact, what ever it is, I am here for you, please don't forget that." His voice had taken a serious tone, the one he used when he made a commitment, when he let down the carefree Yoh for a second and showed his innermost. But no commitment could provoke a reaction from the petite figure inside the room, curled up into a tight ball, not crying, not weeping just staring blankly ahead.

All this memories came back to Yoh in nothing more than a few seconds and made him sigh. So she wasn't going to come out today, again.

Yoh scratched the back of his head as he contemplated on what to do now. He could invite the guys over, have a chat, eat breakfast, maybe even train a little, just a little as to not totally forget about the shaman fight.

After all it was just another ordinary (as ordinary as this household could get anyway) day at En inn.