Guess what? I just downloaded a video clip from Ep. 62, and I realized how OOC Hao is in my story. He's too tame! . Stupid, stupid me! While I watched him beat the crap out of Yoh (and later take his soul), I couldn't help but cringe. My characterization is so wrong! Ah…*Syao sighs*
Nwei, on to the chapter…
Yoh faced his brother squarely. "I've come to take my fiancée back home."
Hao shrugged. "Your fiancée shall be my wife soon."
"Over my dead body," said Yoh seriously.
"For Anna's sake, I will give you the chance to leave this place unharmed," said Hao. "Go."
Yoh's grip on his katana tightened. "I won't leave without her."
"Don't be stubborn now, little brother," cajoled his brother. "You know that what you want won't happen. She had already traded her freedom for your Notes."
"I said, I won't leave without her." He walked towards Anna, who was speechlessly standing beside Hao, not moving. "Anna?" he prompted.
Anna snapped out of her trance. She still couldn't believe that Yoh followed her here. "Yoh?"
She gasped when Hao's arms found their way to her shoulders possessively.
"She's no longer yours, little brother," said Hao, his smile still pasted in his face, but his voice lowering dangerously.
"Don't touch her!" he yelled.
Silence.
"You're wasting your time, Yoh," continued the reincarnation. "I've been kind enough to let you live. I am handing over my ambition to be the shaman king to you. What else do you want?"
"Anna. I want her back," he repeated firmly.
Hao sighed. "I guess we have a situation here." He snapped his finger, and the Spirit of Fire came up. "I don't want to use brute force anymore, but since you insist…"
"Yoh, what are you doing?" cried Anna. "Amidamaru isn't with you. How can-"
He grinned. "The shikigamis." He summoned the two creatures as Hao watched, amused.
"You're going to recycle them?" asked Hao.
"This would have to do for the meantime," said Yoh.
"Oh, alright. I have to admit, I'm a bit disappointed. I thought we're going to have a real match…but it's been a while since I last played with my shikigamis." Hao raised his finger towards Yoh. "You better not bore me."
"You can count on that."
Hao's mecha began to attack, but Yoh jumped out of the way seconds before its claw tore the space he was standing at awhile ago. He then ordered Kouki to zoom towards the mecha.
"What are you doing?" asked Hao, grinning. "Only one?" He effortlessly slapped the shikigami away. "Really now, Yoh. You're making your defeat too easy."
Yoh smirked and suddenly moved his arm downward. Hao frowned, then suddenly sensed a force from behind. Seconds before Zenki was able to touch him, his mecha was able to defend.
He was able to order my shikigami without me sensing it? Hao looked on at Yoh. He certainly has come a long way.
"You used your furyoku to conceal the aura of your attacking shikigami," he said, looking at his little brother. "Aren't you worried that you might use up all of them even before you make your third attack?"
"I'm not worried," said Yoh calmly. "I have a lot of furyoku."
Hao was starting to dislike his brother's demeanor. He was too calm. He followed his determined gaze and found Anna standing behind, watching them. He turned to Yoh again. "So do I." He went back into his fighting stance. "Let's see if you can do that again to me, Yoh-"
A blow nearly sent him falling down. Kouki had sneaked up behind him again!
He wiped the blood at the corner of his mouth. He didn't like what was happening. Why couldn't he sense what Yoh was about to do? Why couldn't he anticipate?
Zinc watched, eyes burning. Just as he thought. Kyouyama Anna had weakened their leader. Obacho appeared beside him. "What's wrong with Hao-sama?"
"Everything."
Obacho shrugged. "It's not just him. Yoh has grown stronger too."
"To the point that he can do this to our master?" hissed the priest. "It's all that girl's fault."
"What do you intend to do about it?" asked Hao's servant.
The priest' fists clenched. "Wait and see."
Hao finally decided he had enough. "No more games!" He gestured to his shikigamis, and they turn on Yoh.
"Depriving your enemy with the last of his weapons when you have so much is dishonorable," said Anna, arms crossed.
Wrong, thought Hao. He still has the most powerful weapon right now. You.
Yoh used the sheath of his sword to block Kouki, then his main sword to protect himself from Zenki. He then pushed Zenki towards Kouki and jumped away as the two knocked on each other and fell to the ground.
"What will you do now that you have no more weapon?" Hao summoned the Spirit of Fire and it became a sword. He started towards Yoh slowly, deliberately.
Anna realized what he was going to do. "Hao!" she screamed before she could stop herself.
He turned to her. "I'm sorry. I'm not intending to kill him, but he made me mad." He turned away from her, ignoring her calls.
Yoh, who was sandwiched between the shikigamis, could only wince as his brother stepped towards him.
Suddenly, Anna ran towards the two, tearing the lower part of her wedding gown while running just so she could get to them faster, and took out her itako beads.
"Gouma Choubuku," she chanted, then chained the beads around the shikigamis. Yoh was able to free himself as Hao watched, stunned.
Anna landed on the ground, but Yoh cushioned her fall with his arms. "Anna? Anna?" he cried.
She was panting heavily – yet again, the shikigamis depleted her strength. But he was safe.
"You meddled," said Hao blankly.
"Why shouldn't I?" she asked. "You're not…playing fair…"
"It's not just that." His eyes saddened. "Very well…I lost."
Yoh was shocked. He knew that look in his brother's eyes. He sees that look in Horo's eyes too whenever he looks at Tamao.
He knelt down and caressed Anna's face. "Anna…"
A power shot towards them suddenly, piercing Anna directly.
Yoh and Hao's faces were paralyzed.
Zinc was standing on a treetop. "I did as you ordered, Hao-sama. I've finished her."
Yoh's face turned to Hao, who turned pale. "I…I didn't order you anything!" exclaimed Hao, finally finding his voice. He stepped back, confused. "I never…"
"Anna!" Yoh turned to his fiancée. "Anna, Anna?" He tried to exude his furyoku in hope of reviving her, but her hand slowly stopped him.
"S-Save it," she whispered weakly. "I-It won't help."
"A-Anna…" Relief washed all over his face when he heard her speak. "Anna, I-I'll take you home already. H-Hang on. You'll be well."
She shook her head slowly. "T-The fight…is not…yet over. Y-You'll need…all your…furyoku."
"I don't want to fight anymore!" he yelled, burying his face against hers. "I just want you back!"
She tried to move her hand to slap him, but only succeeded on running her hand against his cheek. "Moron…t-to be the shaman king…you must…prove your worth…and…and…I want to be the wife…of a shaman king…" A tear fell down her cheek. "N-Now look what you made me do…I'm…crying…damn you, Yoh Asakura…"
He carried her, standing up. "I'll bring you to my grandmother. She'll cure you and-"
"I love you," she whispered, smiling at him warmly.
He was stunned. He finally found his voice. "I do love you too, Anna. Very, very much-" He stopped when he saw her head drop against his chest lifelessly.
Hao witnessed it too. His blood stopped cold.
"Anna!!!!!!!!"
Horo Horo and the others were paralyzed when they heard Yoh's cry.
Ren was shocked. "A spirit left…"
Amidamaru's eyes widened. "Ms. Anna!"
"It can't be!" Chocolove dropped down to his knees, weeping.
Ryu was trembling. "Master Yoh!" He was the first one to spring into action, but he was stopped promptly by a group of people dressed in white.
A yellow-haired man stepped in front. "It's too late for you to do anything now. All we can do is watch the Great Spirit consume both omens of the world."
"O-Omens?" echoed Manta. "You can't mean to say…Yoh and Hao? But why Yoh?"
"Hao Asakura's other half," explained a girl, also dressed in white.
"Who are you?" asked Horo angrily. "Get out of the way. Our friend will die there!"
"I'm afraid we can't allow that. This is the only chance we have to defeat Hao swiftly and surely," said the man. "If you will insist to interfere however, the X Laws shall cast the heaven's punishment on you."
Chocolove stood up. "Bring it on then. We will go to the pillar whether you like it or not."
Faust arrived, holding a sword. "I second that."
"Hey, who are you?" asked Horo distrustingly.
"Faust!" cried Manta.
He smiled briefly at the midget, then turned to the pillar. "Yoh needs this." He gestured to the sword he was holding.
"No one will get past us!" yelled the man, and everyone prepared to battle.
"I have no time for this." Faust turned to them. "Where is Yoh's power spirit?"
Amidamaru stepped forward.
"Come with me." Faust then brought out a skeleton from his coat. "My Eliza, please protect us while we set off."
"One step closer and I'll-" The white-clad girl stepped back when the skeleton tried to slash her.
"Kororo, let's go!" Horo summoned his spirit.
Ren raised his spear. "Bason!"
Ryu took out his sword. "Tokageroh!"
Chocolove nodded. "Mic!"
The Gates of Babylon was finally completed. Jeanne smiled weakly, then collapsed against the arms of Lyserg.
"Jeanne-sama!" cried the dowser.
"Now all I have to do is to make Hao come here," she said. "The gates shall do the rest for us."
Lyserg fell silent. "It's strange…but I can feel that there is something wrong happening with Hao's aura."
"I know," she agreed.
"Take me there then," she said.
Lyserg's eyes widened. "It's too dangerous, Jeanne-sama! Ask me anything but that."
"Facing Hao is inevitable, so why make it wait?" She stood up shakily. "I want to see Hao myself."
Yoh's head hung as he collapsed back into the floor, cradling Anna's lifeless body. He was still sobbing as he kissed her unresponsive lips lovingly, then laid her gently on the ground.
"Hao…this is beyond forgiving anymore…"he hissed.
Hao was also grieving inside, but he knew that none of his words could ever help enlighten Yoh. He chose not to speak anymore.
Above them, the sky was swirling in frighteningly dark whirlpools – a sign that the Great Spirit was about to descend.
Hao knew that.
Everything smelled of death.
Everything felt of death.
He thought he was going to forget these once he marries Anna, but fate was cruel.
His nightmare was going to begin again.
Kino put her cup of tea down, then looked at Yohmei.
"The Great Spirit," said Yohmei, sighing. "Who will it take now?"
Zinc watched in bliss as Hao readied his Spirit of Fire again. His Hao-sama was back on track.
"You do know that the Great Spirit would interfere," said Obacho slowly.
"Hao-sama is mightier than the Great Spirit," said the priest proudly.
Obacho said nothing, but the servant seriously doubted if Hao-sama would ever be the same again.
Faust was able to get pass the X Laws, followed by Amidamaru.
"You can't get away-" Marco was about to follow them when Ren stepped in front of him, smirking.
"You should defeat me first," said the Chinese boy before attacking. The X Lawman had no choice but to defend himself, and in the process, let the two get away.
"We have to reach Master Yoh in time!" said Amidamaru as he and the doctor stepped into the pillar.
They then entered the field, and to the spirit's relief, Yoh was still standing. His eyes then went to the body on the ground.
"Ms. Anna!" cried the spirit.
Faust headed towards them. "Yoh, your weapon." He threw the boy the katana.
Yoh caught the weapon even without turning to the doctor. The latter hurried to Anna's side, hoping to revive her. Amidamaru went to his master's side.
"Yoh-dono?"
"I will kill him," promised Yoh.
It was only then that the spirit noticed the strange look in his master's eyes. It wasn't Yoh's eyes – it was the eyes of a killer.
"Let's do it, Amidamaru."
"Yoh-dono…"
"Amidamaru!!!"
Lightning tore the sky apart, signaling the beginning of the real match.
tsuzuku
