Disclaimer: Story is based on ´Hum Tum´, I do not own Shaman King or Hum Tum.

Chapter 4

Engagement

"Asakura Yoh?", a voice asked behind him.

He turned around glanced at the person briefly and said "Yes.", before he turned back to Marion. He froze, his eyes widened and his breath faltered before he turned around rapidly to take a better look at the person.

There was the last person he expected there. He did not know why this person was there. The only thing he knew was that this person has the ability to look prettier each time they meet...

„This is just unreal!", he smiled wide, he could not suppress his joy of seeing her again. "Anna!", Yoh approached her with a wide grin and eyed her "You look pretty well! Your hair is longer!", he said and wanted to place a hand on her shoulder, but Anna slapped it away. "Don´t touch me!", his hand hit a employee and caused him to drop a vase.

Anna crossed her arms. "Not surprising. Every time we see each other something goes wrong.", she stated and studied him. "Wait... what happened to your hair?"

He looked at her in confusion. "Why? This is my Tom Cruise look.", he explained and tried to fix a few strands. Anna just raised an eyebrow. "But apparently you have no idea.", he added.

"Me? No idea? About Tom Cruise?", she pointed a finger at him. "You are a loser.", and looked away.

"Eh... anyway, why are you here?", he asked.

"The question is, why are you here?", she snapped.

"I am responsible for this event...", Yoh replied sweating, because nothing is going according to plan.

Anna looked around and nodded. "Ah... That's why it looks like this..."

The brunet laughed nervously. "Actually, my mother is responsible... I am here to help her just a bit." A girl next to them heard that and called out "How sweet!"

Yoh grinned at Anna. "You hear? How sweet of me. So, why are you here?"

She looked at him with both eyebrows raised. "Do I understand that right? You are organizing an engagement party with your mother without even knowing who the bride is?"

"Who is it?", he asked, but Anna just raised her chin and looked him deep in the eye. "Don´t tell me you are...", in reply he got a short nod. "What?!", he was shocked. The girl he's been thinking about for the past three years is engaged. "It´s too late...", he thought and tried to hide his disappointment by laughing. "You must be kidding!"

"No.", she spoke stern. "My suitcases are still in the car. Just get them and bring them to my room.", she commanded before she left him alone.

Yoh was outside by the pool, trying to avoid his obligations. And above all, he tried to avoid her. "It's time to let go. She belongs to another... you had your chance and messed it up...", he told himself and glanced into the sky. He wanted to leave this place immediately, but promised his mother to help.

Suddenly the chef cook approached him and asked. "Hey I should order for dessert Hanami Dango, but how many?"

"Hanami Dango? That's so old-fashioned. Who ordered that?", Yoh asked.

"The mother of the bride."

"And who is allowed to decide? Me or she?"

"You, sir. I guess..."

"Exactly! Then order Crème brûlée.", Yoh said confidently. It felt good to make decisions so confidently. He felt superior, till he turned around and meet a pair of amber eyes.

"Hello.", the blond women greeted him with a smile. She was dressed in a white Kimono with Flowers pattern on them.

"Hi.", Yoh replied short, overwhelmed by her beauty.

"I am the mother of the bride.", she stated. He nodded, "That´s Anna´s Mom? That could not be missed. Same blond hair, same gorgeous features and those amber eyes I will miss for sure. Both are absolutely stunning.", he thought and shook his head.

"If I knew you would prefer Crème brûlée, I would never had chosen Hanami Dango.", she said with a warm smile, while her eyes showed her anger.

„Sorry Madam, I.."

She cut him off. „What?! I think you have exceeded your competences."

Yoh grinned nervous before he said to the cook. "I was just kidding. What did the mother of the bride order? Hanami Dango? Get them!". He looked back at the mother and smiled at her, which she returned. "Thanks. You are the son of Keiko, right?"

"Yes.", he answered quickly.

"Then why are you so terribly stiff and formal? In my time, you got married very early and had children early on. So I'm not that old yet. You can call me auntie Karenina.", she said with a true smile.

The brunet smiled back. "May I tell you something? I noticed you immediately, you occur, your grace... where can you still find that today? Take a look at your daughter."

"My dear boy, I've been watching you since I arrived here. All day the girls ran after you.", she laughed, which caused him to grin. "Can Anna laugh like that too?", he thought. "Let's forget that. I wish you good luck."

"But..."

"Yoh?"

"Yes Madam?"

"Shut up.", she said smiling before she turned around and left.

"Shut up means probably goodbye in her family.", he muttered.

Yoh smiled faded. "Will Anna look so pretty as she gets older?", he wondered, but he would never find out, because their story would end here.

"Yoh, tell your people to get me a car.", the blond girl ordered.

"I would like to, but your people drove away with the cars.", he replied cheekily. She sighed annoyed. "But I have to go to the tailor.", she muttered. "Then get me a taxi!"

This caused Yoh to laugh. "Anna... We are outside the city. You will not get a taxi here. Let me drive you.", he smiled warm, causing Anna to look away immediately. "Not that smile again.", she cursed. "Alright."

"Why didn't you ride with the others?", Yoh asked in the car.

She thought about it before she spoke. "They just pick him up and I have other obligations."

"So the engagement was arranged...? Or...", he asked carefully.

"What do you think?", she asked and looked at him for the first time since they were in the car.

"I don´t know... arranged?", he asked. "Please let it be arranged and not because of love." ,Yoh thought and glanced at her. She shook her head lightly.

"Oh... Then it´s love!", he tried to sound happy for her, but failed. She noticed the trembling in his voice. "Well... it´s both I guess."

"Both?"

"Stephen and I studied together at the same college. We were good friends. He proposed to me and... I let him wait for several years. And yet he has been waiting for me... At some point, I said yes...", she spoke softly. "And our parents were good friends for a long time and suggested things. He is very educated, successful, sensible and decent Person. And not a "bring me the towel" type, like you are."

"What is the "bring me the towel" type?", Yoh questioned confused.

"You know. The types standing under the shower and call "Where is the towel? Where are my shoes? Where is the damn newspaper?" In short: Bring me the towel type.", she stated like it was obvious.

Yoh laughed. "And you think your Stephen does not ask you to bring him the towel?"

"He will not, I'll take care of that!", she said stern and glared at him, causing him to stop laughing. "And I mean where can I find a man like him ever again, who will wait for me that long?"

"Right here...", he muttered.

"What?", she asked.

"Nothing."

"So you lived together in New York?", the brown-haired asked after parking the car.

Anna sent him a death glare. "Before the wedding? Are you out of your mind?", she said stern and got out of the car. Yoh followed her and asked. "So you two not had..."

She stopped in her track and turned around to face him. "What?!", she asked furious and narrowed her eyes. Her eyes sent shivers down his spine, but he was too curious to stop himself. "You know..."

She was shocked, her mouth hangs open, while a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. "Do you think I would tell you that?!", she said disgusted.

"In other words, it means no.", he said in an innocent voice, grinned and walked pass her before she could hit him. "I knew it!"

Anna looked after him, still blushed. "You know nothing!", she shouted.

"You just look absolutely stunning!", complimented the dressmaker.

"Thanks.", Anna replied with a small smile, while she looked at herself in the mirror. "Here it could be a little tighter.", she said, while she tucked at the fabric around her waist.

"Yes, I can fix that!"

"Great."

"Hey, Anna.", Yoh called out, while he looked through the dresses. "Marion told me that Stephen is a computer specialist.", he glanced at Anna, but she was still looking at herself in the mirror. "Sounds very stuffy and very boring.", with that he approached her. "Damn, she looks beautiful!", he thought.

Anna raised an eyebrow and glared at him. "Just because he's dealing with computers does not mean he's stuffy and boring.", she said in a annoyed voice. "He's just not as immature and stupid as you are."

"Oh really?... Does that means, if I had been more mature, then you and me would have been..."

"Shut up!", she cut him off a bid louder then she intended. "I am engaged after all!", she turned around to face him. "You are insane...", she spoke in a quiet, but mad voice and stomped back into the changing room.

"Hey, who said that I talked about marriage?", he called after her.

"Such an idiot! Damn his handsome smile! Had we just met earlier again...", she thought sadly. "Then maybe everything would have been different..."

"I have not met your husband yet.", said Mrs. Kyoyama smiling. "Is he involved in the catering business? You take care the organization and he takes care of the food."

Keiko laughed. "No, he is photographer." The two of them were drinking tee together, while they planed the wedding, which will take place in a year.

"That's even better! Then he can make the wedding photos right away.", Mrs. Kyoyama cherred.

"He is a fashion photographer.", Yoh´s mother smiled. "Besides, he does not live in Japan anymore. More precisely, we have separated.", she spoke sadly and glanced down.

"So what? It's okay.", the blond mother replied encouragingly. "You know, I also live alone for some time now. However, our separation is due to higher levels of violence."

"Oh Karenina, you enjoy this here and now, I can still learn a lot from you!", Keiko smiled warm.

"Yes, but you seem to get on with your life quite well.", Karenina thoughtful and tilted her head to the side. "Your event management is going well and you have a nice son. What are you worried about?"

Keiko sighed. "My son worries me. As soon as he hears the word marriage, he runs away!", she complained.

"Indeed? But why?"

"Marriage is the sure death of love and passion.", the brown haired boy stated.

"He has no idea about love and feelings and talks about marriage.", a blond haired girl replied pertly.

"Anna did not have more experience than me.", he told the girls, who were sitting next to him. He sat in Anna's room and talked to her friends while Anna's makeup was applied and her hair was styled. "Seriously! were Adam and Eve married?", he asked and received a no. "No they were not! They were so in love that they still enjoyed their life.", Yoh said grinning, causing the girls to giggle. "Hey, there are more examples! Were Romeo and Juliet married?", he asked and received a no. "No. Caesar and Cleopatra? No. Tarzan and Jane maybe?", the girls were mumbling a no again. "And you know why not?", Yoh questioned. "Why?", the girls asked at once. "I'll tell you. If they would marry, their love story would have been over at that point and nobody would have ever talked about them again. That's why I say you have to choose between true love and marriage. And I chose true love.", he stated charmingly, causing the girls to blush around him.

"That's rubbish.", the blond called out, while she looked at his reflection in the mirror. "Stupid."

"Are you sure?", Yoh asked as he approached her. "And why do all the love stories end before the wedding? Hm? Or does anyone here know a love story of a married couple?", he asked.

Anna looked up with emotionless eyes. "But of course there are these stories!", she said stern and rose from her chair and threw her hair over her shoulder. "And I am talking about the greatest symbol of love and passion. Shah Jahan built it for his wife", she approached him. "The Taj Mahal.", with that, she bumped her elbow into his side. "These fair boys.", she started. "They keep shouting for love, they wander in the streets, but they don't want to get married. They can be anyone from inside, but they behave like heroes. They say life is fair, but marriage is a problem. Show them the door, when you talk about marriage.", she spoke to the girls. „They create a problem. Every girl is sweet for them, without any responsibilty.", she glared at Yoh, who was clutching his side. „Without any Juliet they act as Romeo. But, when they will grow old… they will be coughing all the time. And there won't be a hand on their shoulder. They won't have a soulmate with them.", she grabbed him by the collar and glared into his eyes. „They will stumble, then they will regret and then they will remember us.", she smirked at him. „So fair boys, keep shouting for love.", with that she shove him out the door.

That evening, during the engagement party, Yoh felt for the first time what it means to be jealous. He wanted to be at her side, he wanted to feed her with cake, he wanted to hold her hand and put the ring on her finger. Stephen smiled with so much love at her. And she tried to return the smile. At that moment, memories of their first encounter came back, and with that painful word.

"How will our story end?"

"Our story?"

"Yes. Everybody has a story."

"... You wonder how our story will end?! Well, there is no common story, but only an end, is that clear?! That's all, goodbye forever!"

And with that he ran outside. He could not stand the sight of her with another man. He does not want this image to be remembered, but only those with him.

The next day they were back in the airport. Anna has to fly back to New York and Yoh wanted to say goodbye to her. "That's probably the last time we see each other.", he thought and glanced at Anna.

Suddenly Anna spotted her mother and run up to her. "You made it in time! I thought you cannot manage?", Anna asked, but was happy to see her mother before she would check in.

"Fortunately, Yoh was there, he did everything important for me. He is a very helpful boy!", she said with a wide smile and winked at Yoh.

"Yoh?", she asked confused.

"Hey Yoh, could I talk to you for a moment?", Stephen asked.

"Sure!", Yoh replied with a grin. Actually he don´t want to talk to the guy, who was able to get Anna, but he can´t be just mean.

"Don´t worry. Anna made the right decision. I just want to spare myself the embarrassing scene in which I find out that you love Anna too.", Stephen said calm.

Yoh was taken aback. "No, no, that will not happen.", he laughed nervously.

"Even if you were, pity for you.", Stephen smiled. "You know, we men really need women more than they need us. There is a child in each of us that refuses to grow up.", he glanced at Yoh´s headphones and back at his confused face. "Even if women have less muscle... in their hearts they are much stronger than we are." Yoh opened his mouth to say something, but closed it.

"Maybe you do not understand that yet. But if you find your Anna one day, you know what I mean." Yoh eyes became glassy, but he tried not to let himself down. Not in front of him. Not in front of Anna. He ended up nodding, because he couldn´t say anything at that moment. Not with the lump in his throat. They shook hands and Stephen left him.

Anna approached him. "Yoh...", she started in a soft voice. "Will you come to my wedding in a year?", she asked him nervous.

Yoh smiled at her warm. "Do you think that would be a good idea?", he asked and tried not to sound trembling.

"Why not!", she snapped disappointed and mad at the same time. "Why should you not come to my wedding?", she asked and crossed her arms over her chest and sulked.

A faint blush appeared on his face. "Still so adorable.", he thought and smiled sad. "Alright, send me an invitation."

"And be warned! If you do not appear, something bad will happen!", she snapped with an angry face, before her face turned soft and she smiled at him. Yoh could not believe his eyes. Anna really smiles at him, with a true smile. Not even at the engagement party did she smile like that. She did not even smile at her fiancé that way.

"Goodbye... Yoh.", she said softly and turned around to leave.

Yoh watched her until she was out of sight and felt how a single tear were escaping his eye and runs down his cheek. "Anna... I think this time, we will not see each other again, I am sorry...", he whispered.

-To be continued-

xxx Hello Reader! I hope you like the extra Long chapter! I wanted her Engagement Party in one chapter and don´t wanted to split it in two. I hope you can forgive me for giving Anna an fiance, but isn´t that exciting? Let me know what you think and I am really greatfull for Feedback! :3 And again sorry for any language mistakes! And I hope you don´t mind that I am using mom and dad and not the japanese words, cause they are so Long and maybe I write them wrong... Anyway Stay tuned! xxx