STORY TITLE: SWITCH

Chapter 9: Deal

Her left brow raised. "What's that?" the eleven-year old blonde grimly asked while staring on the basket Yoh was carrying. Her arms remained crossed while leaning her back against a tree.

"ORANGES!" the young brunette exclaimed with sparkling eyes as he offered the basket towards the gal.

She snorted. "Am I blind, Yoh?" But the boy plainly beamed with his calm, trademark grin, also waiting for the girl to accept his present. She heaved a sigh while looking at her earth-drenched fiancé, "Baka! Next time…" she pulled out a pink cloth, "don't dare fall again from a tree…" and gently patted it on the innocent boy's face, "Geez. How old are you actually?"

Yoh's eyes widened in surprise; later, tears gushed out. Anna panicked, "Yoh! Are you hurt?"

He shook his head, "Nope. I'm just glad…" he grinned once more, while wiping off his teardrops, "…I never thought you also have this gentle side, Anna."

She gaped in shock; later, nerves snapped. And in an instant, she spoke, "Urusai!" while flinging her right hand slap with her hanky as if each were disguised slaps and punches, instead of gentle pats, onto Yoh's brown-with-mud, now swollen-red, face.

"Ittai, Anna…" whimpered the poor brat in his mind, nevertheless, the young lad stayed silent… dreamingly, while ignoring the insults and sadistic acts of his fiancée. Despite her stoic façade, still he felt the joy and enthusiasm together with Anna, despite the fact that he still ends up crying whenever he meets her. Even though it was still their second meeting (the first one was on age 10 when the engagement was officially called for), they felt as if they had lived long with each other. The comfortable aura has been and will always be there.

Both kids were the same. Because of their shamanic abilities, they were alienated by the normal human crowd. And that's how they found comfort and empathy amongst each other. They learned to understand themselves.

"But we can't be together now," mumbled Yoh while leaning his back against a large tree, which led him to recall the past. But now, seeking empathy from that girl entails a new responsibility, and definitely a harder one.

"Ne… Amidamaru…" summoned Yoh, thus the depressed spirit emerged beside him, "I shouldn't have followed Chocolove and Horohoro, right? It is I who killed her… (silence) Maybe if you possess her, she'll wake up."

"I don't think she would accept me easily, Yoh-donno. I believe she would prefer you to save her instead."

He peered on the dusky sky, staring blankly onto the brightness the moon shone unto him… and also to her. His eyes reached her closed ones. Her frail skin shimmered like small crystals of starlight. His tear fell.

"Yoh," spoke a velvety voice somewhere in the vicinity.

The depressed kid glanced above, and then smiled half-heartedly upon figuring out the shadow moping on the branch over him. "Ah. It's just you, Aniki," he uttered lowly as his bangs dimmed his sight.

Silence swarmed for a minute or two, then Hao finally broke it up rather cheerfully, "Hisashiburi! You seem upset. Mind sharing a guy-talk with your brother?"

Another silence responded him. Hao glanced towards the sleeping beauty. He spoke again, "I can help, you know," he hopped towards Yoh and curled his arm around his younger twin's neck, "I'm the Shaman King after all." He smiled encouragingly.

The boy's eyes flickered with hope and faced the guy beside him, "That's right! If it's you, you can revive Anna!"

Hao tapped his brother's back and turned around, "In one condition."

"Sure thing! I'll do anything, just revive Anna! I will give you anything…" he paused thinking, "…even…" then he continued with confidence, "…even the inn."

Hao laughed, "Baka! That's too bold, Yoh. She'll definitely knock you out without you knowing it."

"She'll understand. If you don't want that then I'll accept being your slave… even for a lifetime!"

"That's not it, Yoh," he sighed wondering how stupid his twin could be, "Here's the deal. I'll do you one big favour in exchange of a one big condition as well. And that involves your most precious thing in the world."

Yoh's brows wrinkled thinking of his 'most-precious-thing-in-the-world' and guessed, "You mean… oranges?"

Speechless with shock at first, but Hao merely shrugged with a face-palm, "Mataku… You never matured, Yoh. I'm talking about a person… your precious person." He approached the frail maiden and carried her with his brawn arms.

The younger sibling's eyes widened in disbelief while extending his right arm to stop, "What are you doing, Hao?"

Then the spirit of fire, now glimmering in gold, appeared lifting Hao from the ground as he spoke, "Offering her to the Great Spirits as the Shaman King's Queen… MY queen… That's for everybody's best, right, Otouto?"

Finally, it was Yoh's turn to remain speechless. His bangs dimmed his eyes; his fist clenched; his voice faintly whispered, "Even if you say that…" his stare shifted in stabbing glares towards the golden figure fronting him, "I'm still Anna's fiancé, Hao! I'll never give her to you, even if you are my brother…" he rushed towards his twin, "Amidamaru! In harusame!" and added, "…I'll never forgive you, even if you are the Shaman King! Shinku Butagiri!"

But the Spirit of Fire effortlessly dodged it away, causing a loud blast enough for the others to hear from inside the inn. They all rushed outside just in time to see Hao's spirit absorbing each attacks of the infuriated guy. "YOH!" they chorused.

"What a shame," Hao commented, "That weak body you have isn't enough to beat me, Otouto. But maybe it's a good thing. I can easily seize Anna away from you." Then he smiled and motioned to flee, but Yoh screamed…

"Bring her back, HAO!"

"It's the will of the Great Spirits, Otouto!" the fading voice replied as he bolted away and vanished from everybody's sight, leaving the astonished Yoh bending on his knees, tears flowing in desperation, fists striking the ground in frustration, and senses numbing in resentment…

"ANNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"


tsuzuku


A/N: HONTONI GOMENASAI, MINNA! (~o~) - for the very (1 million times) late update. Pupu~! (T_T) To compensate, I decided to finish this fanfic ASAP and update every day (fingers crossed) . (-_-) Thanks SK for inspiring me once more (me just re-watched the SK anime for the third time… hehe… ^_^ ) So, please RxR - onegaishimasu! Yoshi! Ganbarimasu! (^o^)