Hao looked at his other half rise from the floor. Yoh's side was still hurting from Hao's kick, but that didn't matter to Yoh all that mattered to him was getting Anna back. Even if it cost him his life!

Anna looked at Yoh and took a few steps back until she was "safely" behind Hao. Hao turned to look at her "Do you wish to get rid of him dear Anna?"

Anna looked up at him, he gave her a smile, she nodded and moved forward. Yoh looked at Hao with fire in his eyes

"You know I can't hurt Anna" he said in an obviously tone.

"I know that's why you have two choices Yoh. One: to join me and become one, or Two: you fight Anna and then me."

Anna looked at Yoh furiously, if she knew one thing it was that she suddenly hated this boy, no matter who he was she hated him! For kissing her, for calling himself her fiancee, and for existing in the first place!

Yoh sighed to himself 'if the only way to save Anna is to fight her, then…'

"AMIDAMARU: BYA KKOU! SPIRIT OF EARTH!"

Both his spirits appeared by his side the Spirit of Earth disappeared into the BYA KKOU that Amidamaru formed.

Anna looked at him, she had read his mind so she knew what he was thinking 'why the hell does he want to save me! I don't need to be saved I am meant for the Shaman King only'

"why don't you just GO AND DIE!" she yelled as fire escaped her hands roaring towards Yoh and onto his oversoul. Yoh hanged on tightly, making sure the flames didn't harm him, not even once.

Anna noticed the flames didn't harm him, she stopped the flames, angrily she decided to move towards something else. She closed her eyes Yoh saw something white form in front of her swirling around in circles.

"A blizzard?" he asked himself, he suddenly felt cold, he thought the blizzard was harmless until he felt the ground start to shake.

'this seems familiar' he told himself, he looked forward and saw giant chunks of sharp ice coming from the ground, Yoh finally came to his senses and dodged each one coming from the ground, he noticed they got bigger and bigger so he couldn't dodge.

"SPIRIT OF THE SWORD!" his BYA KKOU transformed to the large sword that many were familiar with, using it he began cutting through the chunks with no hesitation.

Anna began to lose her temper and she concentrated even harder, the sharp ice was now being thrown towards him. Now Yoh began to dodge he was doing good until one came from behind and made a deep cut in his arm.

"Agh!!" he yelled in pain he came crashing down but then he looked up at Anna 'why doesn't she continue shooting?' he wanted to know.

Anna was on her knees she was clutching the fabric of her shirt that was closest to her chest she was breathing deeply once again "What. The. Hell?" she asked herself.

"why? Why is it every time I hurt you, this happens to me? WHY THE HELL CAN'T I KILL YOU!!" she yelled so loud it echoed through out the whole continent.

Yoh began to get up, his hand on his arm, he began to walk towards her "Anna…"

"GET THE HELL AWAY! I TOLD YOU, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL ME BY NAME! I HATE YOU!!"

Vines came from the ground grabbing on to his body, bringing out thorns into his skin. With his temper failing him and no hesitation, he cut the vines with his sword and looked up at Anna she looked away from him not wanting to make any eye contact.

He had enough! She was about to raise her hand to slap him when he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him so that they would be face to face.

She refused still to make eye contact – they were cast on the floor. She winced at his touch and flinched when she notice the position that he put them in, with him on top of her.

"Why do you hate me?" he asked.

"Let me go!" she hissed.

He began to get furious. "Anna, don't act as if I cant hold you." He lowered his face towards her.

"Leave me alone!! don't touch me! don't call me by my name!" Her eyes panicked. She desperately struggled to free herself, but his arms were as strong as steel.

She looked up at him angrily, but froze when she saw the hurt look in his eyes.

"Why, Anna? Why can't you love me?" he asked quietly.

"You've got some nerve to ask," she said furiously. "Are you so dumb?"

"I don't know," he said helplessly.

"How can you be so DAMN ANNOYING! LEAVE ME ALONE!" she yelled even louder, she quieted when she saw his face lower even more, getting their faces closer.

"I cant Anna. I can't ever leave you." he said sadly, Anna felt her chest ache but yet her temper was on an edge.

"HAO!!" she yelled loudly. Yoh's eyes widened he didn't expect her to call his brother.

Yoh began to see the ice that kept them from the others melt. Making a puddle of water around them.

Yoh stood up and turned as he saw Hao coming closer and closer to him. He saw Anna on the ground, he went over and picked her up, and put her back with Opacho and Manta.

He brushed back the hair on her face and gave her a light kiss on her forehead. Then he stood and turned towards Yoh.

"You have a lot of guts Yoh, especially to kiss my wife a second time." a smirk appearing on his face.

"SHE'S NOT YOUR WIFE! SHE'S MINE!" Yoh yelled at his brother coming at him with his Sprit of the Sword.

Hao easily dodge it and elbowed his brother in the back causing him to fall to the ground. Anna felt a sharp pain in her chest again causing her to begin breathing deeply once again.

Opacho looked at her curiously "Anna-sama?" she asked her Manta rushed over to Anna and looked at her, making sure she was fine.

"Anna, are you okay?" he asked her. Anna looked up at him still clutching her chest, "My. Body. isn't. reacting. Why. Wont. It?" she asked him.

Manta began to wonder himself, then something occurred to him "Anna, have you really completely forgotten, who Yoh-kun is?"

Anna was now confused. She looked at her hands, not knowing what to think, she really didn't know anything about that boy, but yet why…..?

Yoh slowly began to get up regaining his strength once more he wasn't willing to give anything up, nothing at all!

"why don't you give up, little brother? It's completely useless to do anything." Hao said getting closer to Yoh.

Yoh looked over at Manta who was looking over Anna 'Manta watch over Anna and just leave the rest to me.'

"Leave the rest to me'?" Hao asked reading Yoh's mind with ease. "what exactly are you planning to do?"

Yoh looked at him with calm eyes "Ah, you should know. shouldn't you?"

"I am intending to keep Anna for my whole life. Call me selfish, but I don't think I can give her to anyone else, even to you. And if I have to be the shaman king to do that, then I'm ready to move heaven and hell for that."

Anna looked up from her hands and stared at Yoh. The idiot is willing to die for her?

"I'll do anything and everything, if it would mean that Anna would be with me."

Anna couldn't speak, couldn't move. She was still struck by his words. She couldn't believe that he valued her that much.

Yoh took one last step towards Hao, and they were sword to sword.

Yoh gave a smile towards Hao. "I'll make Anna proud of me. I'll be the shaman king, then I can have the license to have her for keeps, even though she is already mine." he whispered huskily.

"You speak a lot of shit little brother, what makes you think Anna is yours!" he slung a sword at Yoh making the cut on his arm deeper than before.

"Agh!!" Yoh yelled in pain, his arm felt as if it would come off any minute as the blood spewed out of it.

Anna put a hand on the ground as she winced in pain as well, Lip and Rap looked at themselves clueless at what to do to help their Queen.

Manta looked at Anna, then he looked at Yoh who was still able to keep him oversoul in place.

He grabbed his SPIRIT OF THE SWORD with both hands and pointed it towards Hao, who gave a malicious grin.

"Face it Yoh, The Great Spirit, Anna, and the crown of the Shaman King are all mine. After I eat your soul Anna can begin the ritual to my sacred crowning. Then all humans will be gone before you know it."

"y-you don't even really care about her do you?" Yoh said giving Hao deadly eyes.

Hao came at him at incredible speed and kicked Yoh right in the stomach, knocking all the air out of him.

"Ugh!" Yoh flew against one of the pillars close to the throne, his body slamming into its hardness.

"I care about her, in fact she may be the only one I really care about. In this dirty world of despicable humans. Her slaps remind me of my mother, and her attitude reminds me of my wife from 500 years ago… I just say that Anna is exactly who I want her to be." with a smirk on his face he tightened the grip on a red sword in his hands, aiming the sword towards his brother's neck.

Manta was now sweating like crazy and was also a little stunned at the fact that Hao had a wife at a time.

"Ah, yes. I now remember who he speaks of. Don't you Lip?" Rap asked her sister knowingly.

Lip nodded and looked toward her twin "You're referring to the last Shaman Queen, Asakura Annaka. Right?"

Manta looked at Opacho who just stared at her precious Hao-sama watching his every move.

"Asakura Annaka?..."

--

"Asakura Annaka was the last Shaman Queen, when Mappa Douji was a member of the Patch." Ohachiyo explained to Matamune.

They were taking their time walking up the stairs in absolutely no hurry to arrive. Matamune was listening to Ohachiyo explain about his master's past.

"Was she related to Master Hao?" the cat asked, being a bit curious in the girl of which the demon spoke of.

Ohachiyo shook his head "she was Mappa Douji's wife, secretly of course. She got pregnant around the day the last twelve shaman arrived at the continent, so she decided to finally tell him the truth."

"I'm guessing Master didn't take it to well." Matamune stated raising a brow at the demon.

"Not one bit, that convinced him to go after the Great Spirits sooner and well after that..."

"I killed him" Matamune answered for his friend lowering his head so that he looked at the ground.

Ohachiyo nodded, and put his hands behind his head "The Patch chief soon found out about Annaka's pregnancy and marriage with Mappa Douji and was about to kill her and the child. Until they realized that they where now missing a priest, so they allowed both of them to live in order to keep the line of Patch Priests."

"But they knew that Annaka would deny the position of Shaman Queen since she fell in love with Mappa Douji." the demon continued "so that's when the Priestesses found out what the Patch song does to her."

"So they had no trouble in letting Anna go, because they knew they could just use the song on her" Matamune answered scratching his head, earning another nod from Ohachiyo.

--

"AMIDAMARU: DAI GOKOJIN!!" Yoh yelled as he came with his SPIRIT OF THE SWORD getting ready to cut through Hao's sword he held a grip and came down with a strike.

You could here the clashing of the swords constantly as they hit each other with impact. Yoh had been hurt

Many times now with blood on his suit. Hao on the other hand had not even a scratch.

What surprised Yoh the most and pondered constantly in his head was how his brother was able do so much without a spirit. But he set those thoughts aside and decided to keep fighting till his death.

"You're very ignorant, Yoh. You're willing to die just to over throne me in my position. Ha ha, how bold" he kicked his brother once more, Yoh's breathe came out instantly along with tons of blood coming out through his mouth.

"YOH-KUN!" Manta yelled as he saw his friend fall to the ground spewing out the blood from his body.

He turned to Anna, she was clutching her chest tightly breathing deeper than ever with Lip and Rap examining her.

Manta ran up to her pushing Lip and Rap out of the way.

"Anna, how can you just sit and watch this!?" he asked her. Through her hard breathing she was able to look at Manta " I hate that boy. He can die for all I care!" she hissed causing Manta to take a few steps away from her in fear.

"B-but Anna, you don't hate Yoh! You love him!" Manta blurted out. Anna looked at him so hard Manta thought she was going to burn holes through his body.

She began to stand then she looked down at the midget. "What THE HELL MAKES YOU THINK I LOVE HIM!?" she yelled at him, it didn't take a genius like Manta to figure out that he had just piss Anna off.

He had to find a way to get out of Anna killing him, something that would remind her that she did love him. He came up with nothing. He lowered his head... he had failed Yoh-kun.

"That's what I thought" she said to him "that boy, wont give up when he should. Why the hell does he want me?"

Manta looked up at the itako, "You're his friend, Anna."

Anna looked at Manta confused. "How can I be his friend? I have no memories of him, and out of all of it I hate that boy" she coldly stated.

"You may not have memories of him, but he has tons of you" Manta told her, she looked down at him not understanding him at all.

"He saved you once because you were afraid of your ability to read other's minds. Even though he knew he would have difficulties near you, like right now, he chose you as his partner. The one he would have to complete his promise to. He has gone through a lot of torture with you, many, many, times. But yet seeing you like he did five years ago hurts him. Because even though you're his fiancée, you are also his closest friend."

Anna looked at him with a serious face, as if the whole she had been reading his mind.

"..." she closed her eyes in an almost sad expression, she lowered her head not yet opening her eyes.

"I do not know this boy, yet he acts as if he has known me all his life. If I am his friend, then how is it that I do not remember him. Not even a bit."

Manta stared at her. Most of him was shocked by her reply, the rest was glad she was beginning to soften up.

'Maybe there is hope for Anna to remember Yoh-kun, after all!' he thought to himself.

Hao took a look at Anna who looked at ease, Hao noticed how calm she looked and wondered what had happened.

" Ah good," Yoh began as he started to stand up once more. "Anna, is opening up her heart"

Hao stared at his brother with a brow raised "opening up her heart...?"

"Yea," Yoh said with a grin wide on his face. " She's beginning to trust again."

"Trust is useless," Hao said dully "you trust somebody and then they turn on you. That's why trust and friendships are useless, to the Shaman King"

"And yet you trust Anna?" Yoh asked his brother, Hao kept Quiet for a while muttering under his breathe how stupid he was to fall for that one.

"Anna is different," he told her

Yoh smiled "how is she different?"

"Anna knows what I've been through my whole life, she's the only one that has suffered as much as I have. She at one time believed humans should all be destroyed, because of the way they treat those who are different. Anna is like me." He simply said. With a smirk on his face.

"You… are no better than humans, Hao." At that moment Hao grabbed his brother by the shirt and pushed him against the nearest pillar.

"YOH-KUN!" Manta shouted at seeing his friend getting worse and worse in his condition.

'What the hell is Yoh-kun thinking?!" Manta was constantly asking himself.

"Absolutely nothing." Opacho responded. "Yoh-sama doesn't seem to be thinking anything at all. He is thinking with his heart, by doing what he believes is right."

Manta looked back towards his friend 'thinking with his heart?..."

Hao was now looking furiously at Yoh, he was slowing chocking the air out of his other half.

"What did you say?" he asked Yoh warningly.

"I..ugh…said you are just like a human!" Yoh told him again. Hao brought his fist out and aimed it at Yoh's face getting ready to punch his brother hard.

"You say humans kill what they do not understand, you kill what gets in your way and that is people who you don't understand so you too, Hao, are a human."

Hao had enough he gripped his brother's shirt tighter and launched him against the pillar on the other side of the Sanctuary.

Anna looked at Yoh, who was now laying on the ground, for some reason it brought pain to her.

Manta constantly noticed that Anna's red eyes a few times would have a tiny speck of olive in them.

"Hao?..." Anna took a few steps forward towards Hao reaching out her arm to hold him. Hao took a look at her and took a few steps back.

"Don't get close, Anna." He turned away from her, Anna looked at him confused at why he was flinching at her touch.

"Why?" she asked him. She began to look mad, could it be possible that her Shaman King was beginning to lose his cool, just because of what that boy said?

'Don't get too close to the fire or you might get burned' she heard him think in his head. Her eyes widened as she heard him think this.

Hao clenched his fist tightly "Those were the last words said to my mother before she was burned, along with our house" he whispered to himself loud enough for only Anna to hear.

"I am the fire that burns." He said louder. Anna opened her mouth to say something until a figure moved on the other side of the room.

"You say you don't trust no one yet you only trust Anna, the one who went through something similar as you. But you can begin trusting someone now" Yoh stood up and held out his hand to Hao.

Hao looked at the hand angrily, Anna looked at Yoh who had a familiar grin on his face.

with that grin still planted on his face and his hand out he said "There'll always be a way. If you don't take a chance nothing will begin!"

Anna's eyes widened. 'that phrase' she knew that phrase. She had heard it before but where-

"it's too beautiful… I never knew that snowy nights could be so bright…"

"that's only the reflection of the light rays on the white snow. I don't think I'll go. Everytime I go out something bad happens."

"don't worry."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'DON'T WORRY'?!"

"Actually, it's because you really want to go that you came out of the house, isn't it?"

"uh…"

"it's a lot of fun when you go to the temples to pray. There'll be festivals and it'll all be very special. There'll always be a way. If you don't take a chance nothing will begin!"

Hao smirked and reach for his brother's hand, Yoh smiled. Their hands got closer, but then Yoh saw Anna's eyes grow wide.

BOOM! Hao had kicked Yoh right in his face causing Yoh to fall back on the concrete floor the hardest possible.

"YOH-KUN!!"

Manta looked at Yoh laying half dead on the concrete floor, then he looked at Hao, who had the biggest smirk in the world planted on his face. Then his eyes turned to Anna, who stared at Hao with the widest eyes you could EVER see on her face.

"Hao…" she looked at her precious Shaman King who started forming his sword once again in his hand. He began to walk towards his other half.

Manta saw something in Anna's eyes that he had never in his life saw before…fear. But that wasn't the only strange thing in Anna's eyes there was something about the color of her eyes they constantly kept changing.

Red, olive, red, olive, red, olive, red….

"what the hell is it about that boy that is causing me so much pain. Damn it what!'

memories began to flood her mind suddenly, memories of that boy, memories of…

"there's something about that boy," she said softly to her self as Hao approached Yoh.

Yoh slowly began to sit up a bit he opened his eyes to see a red flaming sword pointing at him with a reflection of him holding it.

"you really are insignificant, Yoh. But that doesn't surprise me because you are my weak other half."

Anna was lost in her thoughts with her eyes still constantly changing it's color. "that boy I feel like I…I …"

"I have begun to love this man"

"that Yoh is the one I love"

Olive…. "I love…him." she whispered. Her eyes were now their normal olive-like color. She blinked twice, and froze at the scene before her.

Hao brought his sword close to him "what an eyesore" he said as he sent his flaming sword toward Yoh's heart. Yoh closed his eyes until he saw and felt a warm bright light appear in front of him.

"YOH!!……..ugh!"

Yoh opened his eyes he say many things in front of him he saw blood, he saw Hao's sword.

Hao backed away, his eyes widened and his hand shacking, he let go of his sword and stared in horror.

There before the both of them the saw golden radiant hair flapping with the wind, along with the cloth placed on it's body. In the middle of the figure was the sword with red surrounding it and spewing it out.

Both Hao and Yoh opened their mouths and only one thing… only one word came loudly out of them that the whole world probably heard that day.

"ANNA!!"

--

CHAPTER DONE! AH PLZ DON'T KILL ME FOR THE ENDING!

PLACES HANDS INFRONT OF HER IN A BEGGING WAY AND BOWS CONSTANTLY

GOMEN! GOMEN!

GAH IT TOOK FOREVER TO PLAN THIS CHAPTER OUT! B/C I HAVE GOTTEN SO MANY REVIEWS (LUV 'EM BY THE WAY) THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO LET MY READERS DOWN.

YEA I CAN ONLY USE THE COMPUTER EVERY 2 DAYS (ONE DAY YES ONE DAY NO)

SO THAT'S NOW MY UPLOADING PATTERN, JUST SO U NO WHEN TO GET ON THE COMPU TO READ.

YEA ANYWAY TIME FOR THE THANK YOUS!!

THANKS TO:

DUB ZERO

MAYA AQUARIA

SUPREMA OMNYOJI NO KAMI SAMA

LADY. ZAYRAIH

CHROMATE

NIGHTGLIDER-STAR

FOR THE REVIEWS IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER.

BTW (MAYA AQUARIA KINDA GOT ME A BIT WORRIED) DOES ANYONE THINK THAT ANY OF THE CHARACTERS (ESPECIALLY YOH) IS A LITTLE OOC??

I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW INCASE I AM. THE STORY IS BASED ON THE MANGA U KNOW.

ANYWAY THANKS FOR STICKING BY ME AND JUST A FEW MORE CHAPTERS TO GO! YAY!!

CRYSTEL HIDALGO/ YohAnna4eva