Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King so please don't sue me. I will not be responsible for any sudden bursts of tears that this fic may cause or the up and down feelings that you may experience from reading this. I've based this off the anime series with tiny hints of the manga and drama cds.
Chapter 10 – Lesson Learned
Anna took the washcloth off from the unconscious Yoh's forehead and dipped it into the basin sitting next to the futon. She wrung out the cloth and refolded the cloth, setting it back onto his forehead. Her eyes continued to stay on him, silently pleading for him to wake up soon because if he didn't awaken. He never would. That is what Faust had told them. It was to be expected, the dangers of using a spell that one wasn't well associated with. For her, it was a situation that she had been forced to use the spell or there was no telling what else Asakura Hao might have done to her besides kiss her. She forced the memory out of her mind. That last thing she wanted to be thinking about was him when Yoh continued to lie unconscious before her. She prayed that he would wake up soon or she'd never forgive him for giving losing his body to Hao.
"Asakura Yoh!" She looked up from his unconscious form toward the window toward the shout that had come from the front yard. She stood up and walked over to the window, glancing down at the crowd that was gathering in the front yard.
"We've come for Asakura Yoh so bring him here!" She glared down at the people down below. She could sense that they were Shamans, but she couldn't understand why they wanted Yoh. All of Yoh's friend had left even Faust wasn't around. He had gone to get groceries for dinner tonight with the others. Everyone had remained and shacked up at the house in hopes that Yoh would wake up any day now, but he continued to sleep. She walked downstairs and headed to the front door, but as she reached out to open the door, ready to tell them all off for trespassing on her property, a hand wrapped around her hand, stopping her from opening the door. No one was supposed to be there. She slowly turned to see Yoh's smiling face.
"Asakura Yoh!" The shouts outside were getting louder. Shock registered on her face as she stared at him. It was Yoh's smile. He was back.
"Everything will be fine." He had heard them from upstairs. His battle with Hao had finally come to an end, their circle of misunderstanding had concluded. Hao had left him to live his own life and passed onto the other world. His battle with his own self had begun and come to an end. He believed in Anna with all of his heart and knew that she would never do something like that to him so it was a battle that he wasn't ready to lose. She would kill him if he lost to himself so he refused to lose. The shouts from downstairs had drawn him out from his nap because he had been tired from constantly trying to keep up with Hao and his troublesome ways. Yoh was hoping to sleep just a little bit longer, but when he had heard Anna leave. He had to go stop her before she got hurt.
"But Yoh.." Amidamaru appeared at his side as he sensed the return of his master and friend.
"I'll handle it." He picked up Harusame, as it lied propped up near the door, as she nodded. He walked over to the door, but stopped to turn toward her and continued to smile. "Be right back." He turned toward the door again and slid it open. Amidamaru followed him outside.
"There he is!" Someone shouted and the crowd yelling seemed to quiet down as spirit and Shaman came outside. He shut the door behind him giving Anna one last glance before she could no longer see him. She could make out his profile through the door until he stepped away. His footsteps echoing as he walked down along the stone's trail that led to those that had gathered outside.
"We won't allow you to tarnish Hao-sama's name any longer. Though our master was destroyed by your hand, he will come again and the Shaman Kingdom will surely come long after you have perished!"
"Hao is no longer here. Go home!" One of the men ran forward and punched Yoh across the face, but before Yoh could fall back onto the ground from the force of the blow. The Shaman grabbed him by the front of his shirt and picked him off the ground.
"Your not Hao-sama... what have you done with him?" Yoh stared into the eyes of one of Hao's followers as the side of his face was beginning to swell up.
"I said that Hao isn't here anymore." The man threw Yoh across the courtyard into the front door.
Anna stood inside off to the side as she waited for Yoh to return. He had just woken up from another near death experience so he wouldn't be that useful in a fight against a mob. She couldn't hear much of what was going on outside, but she felt what was going on outside. The horde was going to get dangerous. They were going to get out of hand. By Yoh telling them the truth, it would only anger them since they didn't know the truth. Hao had voluntarily left this world for the fourth time, but how was Yoh suppose to explain that to them when even she didn't know this until she had read his thoughts. Anna knew that she would have to do something. If only she still had the Sen Hachi Ju beads she would have been able to fight or perhaps if she still had Hao's shikigamis. She would have been able to put up a fight, but with her Itako powers alone. She wasn't sure what help she could be to Yoh when he was still weak from his battle with Hao. She was sure of it that he had to fight Hao to get his body back because the older Shaman wouldn't give up the body so easily. She was glad that she had been able to help and weaken Hao with her attack to a degree for Yoh to regain control.
An idea struck her, but she wasn't sure if it would be a good plan or a bad one. They had just gone through so much to get rid of him both times. There was no way to tell how the crowd would react or if Yoh's body would be able to handle it in his weakened condition. She wasn't even sure if Hao would be willing to go through it, knowing that she hated him and cast him into darkness. His power was beyond even her, but she wondered if he would be strong enough to avoid a summoning from an Itako. 'I'll never forgive you.' She silently vowed to him since she believed that this was his entire fault. She grabbed her beads and began her chant.
"I fondle it once, for the seed of the father. I fondle it twice, for the seed of the mother. I fondle it thrice for the hometown. Mirror descend upon my body, if this voice is heard in the other world, stand up. If the sound of these beads is heard, come out now. Spirit of Hao."
Yoh flew into the front door and landed near Anna's feet. She finished her chanting and swung her beads through the air. "Fusion of the spiritualistic medium! Get inside!" Anna brought down the beads onto Yoh as the essence left her beads and entered Yoh's body. Hao slowly stood up and brushed himself off. He looked up and out the door toward the group that had gathered there.
"What's the meaning of this?" He walked back out into the courtyard. He wasn't supposed to be here in Yoh's body anymore. He had given this up to return to hell until he would be reborn again. He looked around at the Shamans that had gathered outside. His appearance darkened as he realized what was going on. "What's the meaning of this?!" He yelled through gritted teeth. He recognized those that stood not far from him and he suddenly understood. This is what Yoh had meant before that this all would just end up hurting everyone. There was confusion here and anger. It had all been brought down upon them all by his selfish actions. 'I guess this is why I don't friends and why she doesn't return my love.' He chuckled at his own thoughts and the fact that he was called back to stand on Asakura soil again, by her of all people and into the body of her precious Yoh that she had fought so hard to get back.
They continued to stand there staring at him. Some recognized the technique used and that another spirit had entered Yoh's body. They didn't know what spirit had entered his body, but they were there to fight for their master, the great Hao-sama. They wanted to teach him a lesson for killing the one that they had put so much hope into. They strongly believed that Hao would bring about a new world, a world of Shamans, the Shaman Kingdom.
It only took the sudden movement of one of the Shamans for Hao to respond. Anna stood in the doorway watching with Harusame at her feet, where Yoh dropped it earlier as it seemed to remain forgotten about as Hao advanced on the Shamans. If anyone ever said that Asakura Hao didn't know hand-to-hand combat. They are mistaken for he attacked the group of Shamans with his bare hands and easily defeated them in one fell sweep of an attack, his movements belonging to that of a warrior from long ago. He could have killed them so easily, but choose not. They were unconscious and no longer pestering anyone. For a moment he felt lost and in his own world, he didn't know where he was and only saw the bodies that lined the ground. There was no blood so he knew that he hadn't killed them though the images in his mind were filled with bodies that lined the ground, covered in blood.
He raised an opened hand and placed it onto his cheek, able to see out through his fingers as he forced the images from his mind. He was in the present he reminded himself, dead yet again. He slowly seemed to realize where his place was as he turned and saw her. His hand dropped from his face as his eyes began to tremble as his gaze centered on her. Anna was standing in the doorway still, watching him as she clutched her beads in her hands. It was her. She had called him. He closed his eyes and smiled trying to hide his feeling.
"Don't call me anymore." A tear slipped from the corner of his closed eyes and trailed down his cheek. Hao's spirit left Yoh's body and drifted off with the breeze, running free once again and returning to the place that was his sanctuary from the people that continued to live their own lives.