Chapter 21: Farewell, dear friend PART 1

Disclaimer: Don't own it any anime in here.

"Say ah!" Ai cooed as she popped the sushi into Horohoro's mouth. "Awww, so cute!" Ai squealed when Horohoro gulped the sushi. Tamao's eyebrow twitched when she saw that. Tamao looked at Yoh, beside her, who was happily eating his dinner without care. Tamao was frustrated because Yoh wouldn't even look at her and to think she was his fiancée.

Just then an image appeared on her mind, a memory from Anna. Just like in a trance, Tamao sat up straight and spoke in a soft voice.

Ai did not miss the eerie glow in the choker and Ai has no choice but to put a lovesick spell into Horohoro, so there would be no trouble between Yoh and Horohoro.

"Yoh?" When Yoh looked up an image of Anna passed by on Tamao's face. Yoh frowned at what he saw. "If you don't eat those vegetables I would make you run ten laps tomorrow." A look of disbelief was seen at everyone except for Horohoro and Ai.

Ai frowned and conjured a red rose under the table.

"Hey everybody! Look what I saw outside!" Ai showed to everyone the red rose that was in perfect bloom. "Doesn't it remind you of someone?" Ai asked innocently. The spell that was put in Yoh was suddenly broken. Tamao glared at Ai for doing that and suddenly she "accidentally" spilled her glass of water onto Ai.

"I'm sorry my hand slipped."

"Don't worry, I'm not the one who's going to wash it." Ai smirked at her.

"By the way, I read you're future and it says you're going to have a bad day." Everyone was shocked at the change in Tamao's attitude.

"Yeah I know, I saw your face that's why." Tamao bristled in anger but Ai just smiled innocently. She faced Horohoro and her smile turned soft. "But do you know what, as long as Horohoro is with me my days won't be as bad as you say." She lays her head on Horohoro's shoulders and immediately the spell had broken.

"Wow this dish is great!" Deimos broke the tension in the air. "Mrs. Asakura you're the best!" Keiko blushed and smiled at him.

"That's one of the reasons why I married her." Mikihisa proudly said. Just then…

"ANNA!" At the doorway they found an unconscious Anna slumped on Saga's arms. Yoh and Keiko went immediately to Saga's side with question and worry on their faces. Ai and Deimos frowned knowing what was the cause of it. Tamao smirked in triumphant and like a dream that had happened, she snapped out from the spell and looked at everyone in confusion. When Tamao's gaze landed on Yoh fussing over the unconscious Anna she frowned and left the room unnoticed to some.

"What had happened?" Yoh asked in a worried voice.

Saga couldn't tell that Anna's memory loss was slowly killing her so she decided to come up with the plausible excuse she could come up.

"Well, we tortured Anna on her training and I guess she just…broke down." Deimos and Ai sweat dropped at what Saga said. However nobody had expected Yoh's outburst.

"TORTURED MORE LIKE KILL HER…" Saga didn't let Yoh finished his sentence. Keiko just wordlessly picked Anna up with Mikihisa's help and left the room with Faust and Eliza not far behind.

"You disappoint me." Saga said. "I thought you knew Anna better than that." Yoh fell silent for that.

What Saga said is true. Anna isn't the kind of person who just gives up when the situation gets out of hand. She is the type of the lady who would fight until her dying breath. She is one of the persistent and stubborn people he knows.

But why did she faint?

"Okay, she persisted to finish the training even though her body couldn't take it anymore."

For Saga that was half the truth, Anna really did that but it amazes Saga that after the training Anna still has the strength to move around.

Yoh felt guilty for snapping at Saga like that. He apologized and went upstairs to check on Anna.

When Yoh left, one look at Deimos and Saga left with a blush staining her cheeks. Deimos avoided Saga's stare and pretended to be busy with eating. Just then Ren entered the room with a big smile on his face but it faltered when he saw the state they were in.

"Did I miss something?" Ren asked innocently.

Ai sat alone on the porch and staring at the moon with a dejected expression on her face. She was starting to have some doubts that everything would be okay in the end because of Damien's intervention. Heck, even her plan on flirting with Horohoro just to make Tamao realize her true feelings seems not great anymore. She was just glad Haku wasn't here to see all of this or else he would go berserk.

That thought brought a smile on Ai's face. Haku is so overprotective when it comes to her. Ai guessed it was because she was the first friend he ever had. It was just so sad that Haku never harbor any feelings for her.

"I see your enjoying yourself immensely when I'm not around." Ai flinched and turned to look at Haku. Even if his face is covered with a mask, Ai could sense the half amuse and annoyance in his presence.

"Your back…so soon." Ai has a wild guess that he already knew and she was having a horrible flashback.

Years ago, Ai decided to pose as a mortal and have fun. However, during her visit a handsome young man tried to hit on her. Annoyed, Ai planned to act like fallen for him then dump him off like a hot potato. Much to her luck, Haku saw her smiling at him and well…the rest was history.

"You doubt my capabilities on being a cupid? You wound me my dear." Haku said in a feign hurt. Ai laughed at the picture he created but she suddenly sobered up.

"Why are you here? Have you forgotten it's dangerous for you to be…" Ai's tirade was cut by Haku.

"Saga helped me in this one. Haven't you noticed the place all frozen up?" Ai looked around and true to his word everything really was frozen. But that still doesn't erase the worry in her heart. She remembered the stunt she tried to do just to take the gem from Tamao.

"Still…"

"I came here to tell you be careful. Damien is brewing something up and I have a bad feeling about it."

"I know. If only I could figure out that black sand covering the memory gem then everything would be okay." For a moment Haku was silent then his head snapped out and looked at Ai.

"Do you remember the book I once "borrowed" from the restricted section of Nori's library?"

"How could I forget, Nori had a fit over that."

"I vaguely remembered something written in it about… Damien isn't just to kill Anna. He's trying to own her soul!"

It has been hours since Haku had left and the night has fallen deep but there is still one person who kept awake even though his body was protesting sleep.

For Yoh, it seems that this thing has become a habit for him, watching Anna while she sleeps. Once again, he sat on the floor with the cabinet as support for his back wondering when will he be back at Funbari. He looked around Anna's room and noticed a bag of oranges on her desk. Yoh wondered why did Anna have those when he clearly knows she rarely eats oranges.

Just then Anna stirred and woke up. When her gaze landed on the smiling Yoh, her mood had turned surly.

"I'm glad you're awake. You had me worried there for a second." He laughed but stopped when he saw that Anna just stared at him blankly with her cool eyes. "I have to go…I still have some training for tomorrow." Yoh awkwardly said. He went straight to the shoji door with Anna's cool gaze following him, when Anna voice stopped him.

"You should be sorry for what you have done." Yoh stopped dead and his hand froze in mid-air. Panic and guilt swept into his heart praying everything was just a coincidence.

Funny how he always says that he is ready to grovel and beg for forgiveness when in truth he is scared. He is scared that he might loose her once again and he will be alone once again. But…if he kept on running away he would always live in a world full of regret and guilt.

"Guilty are we? I didn't know you had an evil side within you. Saying those words to her must have hurt…a lot." Anna sneered at him. Instead of denying or getting angry about it, as Anna had expected, Yoh smiled sadly at her and slumped on the floor.

"I don't know who told you that but…I really didn't mean to hurt her. I guess I was just too frustrated…no, what I did doesn't deserve any excuses." It is a wonder how Yoh had suddenly changed from an immature boy to a strong adult. Anna secretly admired this change in him and somehow felt proud. Anna was confused as to where did that thought came from.

"Why choose me to fix your fault? Why not Tamao, after all she's your fiancée." The last part was said with disgust. Yoh was silently watching her thinking of an explanation as to why chose her. "Is it because I look exactly like her?" Anna prodded.

Yoh was surprised at that question because deep inside he knew she is Anna, his and will always be his fiancée.

His silence gave Anna an assumption to her question. Anna thought she was wrong to thing he is an adult capable of handling everything but she was wrong.

"Your pathetic." Anna spat. "I'm going back to Osorezan tomorrow. I'm going to finish my training in there." Anna couldn't explain the feeling of tightness in her chest, the painful feeling of disappointment. "Please leave me now."

Yoh was shocked at her decision. She's leaving him once more? Could he stop her?

Oni was getting impatient with all of these waiting. He wanted to finish all of this right now but Damien kept on insisting it still isn't time yet. Everytime Damien said those words with an air of calmness irks him. If only he could attack without Damien knowing it. If only he could break the chains that Damien held onto him.

Maybe he could…with Damien out for who knows where he might have some fun with the insects and if he succeeds then Damien won't kill him. Heck, he could make him an immortal like that psycho fire freak.

He checked the crystal glass where Damien always observes Yoh and others and was glad at what he saw. He would kill the weakest first, the traitor named Anna.

His maniacal laughter echoed in the empty hallways as the bats screeched in fright and flee the eerie castle they lived in.

"Yoh?" Yoh snapped out from his trance and turned to look at Tamao with a surprised expression on his face. Tamao timidly sat beside Yoh on the porch where only a few hours and the sun would rise.

"What are you doing here? Why are you still awake?"

"I…I can't sleep. How about you?"

"I need to clear my head with some stuff." He gazed sadly at the starry sky.

"You must be tired with the training and…going after Anna." Yoh shook his head and smiled at Tamao.

"Nah! It's worth it…even for her." Yoh said with a wide grin. Tamao frowned and tore her gaze from Yoh.

"Why? Why is it that everything you do always has something to do with her? I'm you're fiancée and yet…" Tamao said as her tears started to fall. Yoh got frantic when he saw Tamao's tear fall from her face.

"Hey…ummm…please stop crying…ummm…" When he found no handkerchief on his pants, he just used his hands to wipe her tears away. "You look like a…bloated strawberry when you cry." Yoh sweat dropped at what he said. "Hinata told me earlier, that every tear you will shed someone's heart is going to break, so don't cry."

Tamao got the wrong message when they heard that. For Yoh, he meant that if Horohoro saw Tamao's tear-stained face once more, Horohoro might hate him once more and he really wants Horohoro and Tamao to be together once more. If only Tamao could see that.

"You mean? Does this mean?" As our ever-clueless Yoh, he only smiled at her not clearly understanding what Tamao really meant. "You really like me? You don't hate me?"

"Yup!" Yoh happily answered, thinking he liked her as a sister.

Behind the darkened wall, nobody noticed Anna's presence as she listened to every words that Yoh had said. She left the room soundlessly and prepared to leave.

Saga wasn't surprised to see Anna so early in the morning trudging the long steps of the stairways bringing a small pack with her. She had foreseen this coming; the only question was would she stop her?

Ai appeared beside her with a serious look on her face.

"This is so sad, the main actress quitted before the climax had begun." Ai solemnly said. Saga silently watched Anna as she disappeared from her sight. "I never expected this to happen…I guess we should return everything…I mean most of it to normal and we'll deal with Damien and Oni with ourselves…"

"What are you talking about?" Saga calmly asked. Ai was shocked at Saga's question. "You're just going to give up just like that, after everything that we've been through? What about Haku, what would he say? I know everything that was happening right now has thrown history into dumps but do you think I would agree to everything if I didn't know that everything would be alright in the end?" Ai's surprised gaze brought a small smile on Saga's face. "Even if I didn't check the future I know that Yoh would somehow do it. I believe in him…" Saga suddenly froze and then immediately looks at Ai with fear in her eyes. "A dark energy is coming for Anna…and somebody is going to die because of it."

Over the horizon a something ominous is gathering and only with spiritual powers could sense and see it. Nobody saw the lone soul reaper, dressed in a black kimono, bearing a sad message of death as it awaits its victim.

Anna couldn't believe that after that walk she suddenly felt so tired. Maybe a little nap won't hurt but…she must get away from this place as soon as possible. Every step she took seems getting harder and her eyes were getting droopy. Suddenly she couldn't take it anymore and she fainted on the grassy area of Izumo.

When Anna opened her eyes, everything around her was dark and not a soul could be found. Out of nowhere, a light flickered and a scene played out in front of her.

She was standing outside a church where the sky was clear. She was surprised when she heard the church rang its bell and out came Yoh's friend wearing their best suit ever. Her heart thumped in her chest when she couldn't find Yoh anywhere in the crowd.

Scared, she wanted this scene to stop. Her breathing got labored as Yoh walked out in the church door wearing a blissful smile on his face. Tamao stood beside him wearing a white bridal gown with a faint blush and a smile on her face.

"No." The scene changed, and she was transported into a graveyard.

She was standing in front of a forgotten gravestone. She cleaned away the leaves that blocked the name of the grave and her eyes widen when she saw her name written on it.

"You died after you left the Asakura household because you're weak." She turned her pale face to look at the newcomer.

Damien was dressed in Grecian style with shade of Indigo. He has tattoos on his arms and some on his face. A sword could be seen on his hips. With him looking like this, as a member of Great Spirit, Anna didn't recognize him as the one who attacked them before.

"I could save you…I could give you great power that you could imagine." When he saw that Anna's face still didn't changed he decided to change tactics. "I could take those weird feelings that kept on hurting you. I could do anything if you would put your faith in me."

"You could do that?"

The lone soul reaper stood silently as if waiting for someone. His presence seems scary that no living animal was near him. He was dressed in black gi and hakama.

AN: Familiar?

"How much time do I still have?" A voice asked in the darkness. The soul reaper didn't change his stance as he answered the newcomer.

"Not much." Was only his reply.

"Can I change my fate?" The newcomer asked once more as his voice shook his sadness.

"A lot of people had tried that and failed, do you think you could?"

"I don't know…but for her I would."

A.N SPOILERS: Now who could that be? Sorry for the delay! Yoh is pretty frustrating at this chapter but don't worry that scene is really necessary for the future chapters especially for HxT moments. Oh yeah, watch out because someone is going to return at the next chapter.