Me: Thanks once again for the reviews, everyone. Once more, I don't own Shaman King, and don't plan on owning it anytime soon.

Anna: Smart choice. If I were you, I'd just stick to cooking-and, hurry up with dinner! Ryu hasn't shown up, and thanks to you adding him to the previous chapter, he probably won't show up again in this!

Me: (sighs, narrows eyes) Can you do me at least one favor-since you've sent my partner out to look after your fiancé again, answer those questions sent by an anonymous reviewer during the last chapter.

Anna: (narrows eyes) Only because your cooking skills are as good as Ryu's-that's why I'm doing you this favor. Don't expect anymore favors, though.

Me: (grins lightly) Trust me-I probably won't.

Anna: Hmph! This is all I need-another Yoh around to deal with. Anyway, let's see what this reviewer came up with for questions: (reads questions) Ch. 1-What's an itako? (smirks lightly) Who better to ask that question to than an itako? An itako is a traditional Japanese shaman, a kind of spirit medium. As an itako, I can summon ghosts from anywhere I want-even in heaven, where normal shamans-such as Yoh-couldn't reach. My specialty as an itako, by the way, is channeling.

Yoh: (gasps, enters in, he collapses to ground) That was a decent explanation…but, a bit long-

Anna: I'm doing this favor, Yoh, and you better have completed your training for today!

Yoh: (smiles lightly) Yeah-now, let's see what that next question is. (reads it, laughs) Ch. 2-That Anna is sure a slave driver. You have no idea how right you are-

Anna: (whacks Yoh to the ground with right hand) That reviewer better hope I never find him-or her-anytime soon! Now-what's the next question? Ch. 3-Integrate, is that the actual command that Yoh used even though the dub version called it "Spirit Form Unity"? To be blunt, yes-that is the actual command Yoh uses to merge with Amidamaru-or any other spirit.

BlackTerriermon: Now-what's the last few questions? (reads questions, lol) Ch. 4-At least it has some tender moments between Yoh and Anna. You better believe it, buddy-and there should be s'more as this story rolls along! (lol) Get it?! S'more? Some more? (screams, ducks Anna's right hand) Whew! (gets hit by Anna's left hand)

Anna: Do these other questions require answers?!

Me: (sighs) I'll answer this next one…(shakes BlackTerriermon awake)…he'll answer the last one. Let's see…Ever consider doing a Tamers/Shaman King crossover fic one of these days? Yeah-I'll see if I can come up with something along that line after I've finished this story and another one I have in the works.

BlackTerriermon: (shakes head, blinks) So-what's the last question again? (reads it) To BlackTerriermon: Who's worst, Rika Nonaka of "Digimon Tamers" or Anna of "Shaman King"? (blinks, gulps) To be honest with you-they're both on the same level! They torture the guys that they love, and anyone else who gets in their way! They even torture anyone who interrupts a moment between them-!

Anna: (grabs BlackTerriermon by neck) If I were you…I'd tread cautiously about what you say right now…!

Me: (sighs) Anyway…the next two chapters focus on the last two days Yoh has remaining before the rematch-on the chapter after this, Yoh will get some "special training" in. You'll find out what I mean.

BlackTerriermon: (gasps loudly, struggles to breathe) Can't…breathe…

Anna: That's the point! Besides-you'll just come back, right? So this is okay for me to do now!

Me: Oh, boy…

                                                                   Shaman King: The Rematch

                                                               Chapter IV-Triathlon Day repeat

"You're gonna make me the First Lady of the Shaman world…!" –Kyoyama Anna, Shaman King: Shaman's Ambition

"Extreme challenges are required to truly test one's abilities. Therefore, battle is the best way to choose the Shaman King." –Asakura Yoh, Shaman King: The Shaman Life

"Ren, please listen to reason-you don't need to do this!"

Glaring at his older sister with a look that screamed disappointment, Tao Ren replied, "I'm afraid I must-to redeem myself, and you, sister! Weren't you the one who said that it was 'unbecoming to take my frustrations out on my spirit companion?!' and that I should 'learn to use my subjects lightly?!"

"I had been blinded then-and, so have you. You don't need to have this rematch-you can just face Yoh during the Shaman Fight-"

Scoffing at her attempt to cause him to back out of his own challenge, Ren remarked, "Ha! By then, who knows how strong he would be, if he even does try to get stronger? No, big sister-I must redeem the both of us by any means possible, and to do so, I have to defeat that headphones boy and claim his spirit. That ends this conversation."

Tao Jun sighed irritably while watching her brother leave the room, noticing her jiang-si Li Bailong enter from the corner of her eye.

"Until this rematch of his comes to a close, Li Bailong, we'll have to keep an eye on my younger brother."

"Of course, Tao Jun. I won't let you down."

Morning had, of course, arrived for the inhabitants of Funbari, Japan, and already heading down a pre-determined route at 6:00 in the morning, Asakura Yoh was struggling to not fall asleep while continuing on his training, not just for the Shaman Fight that would determine who would be the Shaman King, but for a rematch he had agreed to be in with another shaman he had already defeated; this time, if Yoh lost, not only would he have to surrender his samurai spirit Amidamaru, but his fiancée, Kyoyama Anna, as well.

Despite having been angry at Yoh for accepting the challenge, Anna was still by her fiancé's side and training him to become the next Shaman King, as well as making sure he trained for this rematch. Since this was the second day Yoh had until the rematch actually took place, Anna had thought throughout most of the night what he should have to do, and at breakfast-which he had prepared quite well, to her amazement-she informed him of it:

"This took me most of the night to think about, and I didn't sleep much, so listen up-you do remember during Triathlon day when it was interrupted by that Ren character, right? I do, in case you've forgotten."

"Uh…no, I haven't forgotten, but what does that day have to do with-?"

"Simple: since Triathlon day was interrupted that day, you'll be able to complete the course as practice for this rematch you agreed to. The course is the same as it was the previous day, but with a tougher day ahead of you-run 60 miles down this track, then swim across the same lake within 15 minutes, and run the last 60 miles down the 2nd track you were on when you accepted the challenge."

"60 miles?! 15 minutes?! And, how long will this take me to finish?"

"This course should take you the entire day to do, if you don't slack off, and you wouldn't be getting home until it was time for dinner. And, in case you're worried about lunch, it's already taken care of. To be sure you don't slack off, I'm going to see if Manta is up-now, get moving!"

True to her word, Anna had gotten Manta up, and it hadn't taken him that long to get down to where Yoh was at-only about 15 minutes or so, and Yoh's lunch had been taken care of. Anna had actually prepared his lunch for him before she'd even woken him up, which confused Yoh to no end.

"So, what did she make for you, Yoh?"

Realizing he hadn't even looked at what was inside the bag, Yoh continued to jog with the weights around his wrists and ankles while opening the bag up.

"That's probably why she had an irritated look as I left-I hadn't looked inside the bag. Though, Anna always has that look, so it's not too much of a surprise-"

Yoh cut through his own thoughts with a light gasp of shock. Inside a plastic container was a mutsugoroemon buro, still warm despite the fact that it was early in the morning!

After looking inside himself, Manta blinked once, then again before responding. "She made that for you?! When?!"

Pulling out a note that was next to the food before closing the bag back up, Yoh said, "Probably sometime before she'd woken me up. But, why would she stick a list inside the bag as well? It must be something she wants me to get on the way back."

Manta nodded in agreement. "That must be what it is. Besides, she's already made you fish for your lunch-I can't think of anything else that would be on this paper other than a list of food items!"

To Yoh's disbelief-and Manta's, as well-the note wasn't a list at all!

"This is something I'd made sure to have finished before waking you up, Yoh-and after I'd planned out your day for today. Don't do anything even remotely stupid after what I've had to go through this past night! One more thing…be careful, and don't get hurt.

-Anna

Yoh smiled faintly as he caught that last sentence. Perhaps Anna wasn't as torturous as he had deemed her to be after she'd come to see him in the hospital. That's when he noticed the actual last sentence at the bottom of the page-

One last thing: be sure to pick up some more spices and food on your way home. No junk food!"

Yoh and Manta groaned loudly as the two of them continued their trek down the 60-mile path Anna had laid out.

"I should've known there was a catch!"

"With Anna, there's always a catch. You should know that even better than me-you've known her longer than I have!"

Both combatants were going through intense training to prepare themselves for this rematch that Ren had challenged Yoh to-and that Yoh had, of course, accepted-yet, while Yoh was being forced to endure his training-some would call it torture-regimen, Ren was not only doing some training, but also some thinking as well.

"How dare my sister try to convince me to call off this rematch…Just because she wasn't able to defeat that headphones boy doesn't mean she can't stop me from besting him this time!"

True, Ren himself had been beaten by Yoh during their first confrontation, but this aspiring shaman didn't see it that way.

"My sister knows this just as well as I do: it wasn't because of that boy's prowess and skill-it was because of that samurai! This time, I won't allow myself to lose…and, I'll make sure that I don't lose."

Laughing lightly, with a wicked grin on his face, Ren resumed his training intently, confident in himself and in his abilities.

Yoh gasped loudly while pulling himself out of the lake. True to his word, he had managed to swim across it within the required time limit-but, he'd nearly gone numb while inside the lake at the same time!

"Do you think Anna would mind if I ate lunch now?"

After double-checking the time, Manta shook his head.

"I don't think so. Besides, she probably expected you to either do well during this swim across the lake, or mess up and have to be saved to avoid drowning."

Yoh blinked in confusion after hearing what his best friend had said.

"She wouldn't think that, and I wouldn't drown myself! Anyway, let's eat. I hope you brought something for yourself-Anna only put one thing in here."

"Don't worry-I brought something for myself to eat, so it's no problem."

Unbeknownst to either Yoh or Manta, someone was watching them from a required distance…and getting closer to where they were at.

Speaking of the itako in question, she was simply looking through the window, with a look on her face that you normally wouldn't see coming from her…a concerned look.

"Don't you dare let me down in the next two days, Yoh…you've beaten this guy once before, and you can do it again. I believe in you…"

Closing her eyes briefly, before reopening them, Anna had resumed her usual demeanor so as to not show what had been revealed only moments ago.

It hadn't taken Yoh long to finish the meal that Anna had made for him, nor did it take Manta long to finish what he'd brought-it, did, however, take them a while to realize that they weren't alone.

"Someone's here, Manta…"

"What?! Where can they be? What do they want? Why aren't we running?!"

After concentrating for a moment, and realizing who was following them, Yoh smiled.

"We're not in trouble. In fact…"

"I'm telling you-if we stay here, we're gonna get skewered like all of Li Bailong's enemies were in his movies, so let's get going!"

"Lord Yoh, Lord Manta, thank goodness I've found you! We've got a serious situation that requires your immediate attention!" Instantly, Amidamaru appeared before Yoh and a near-panicked Manta.

"Wha-? Amidamaru!"

"What's the trouble, Amidamaru?" Yoh asked, instantly alert.

"It's Lady Anna. She's surrounded by an entire host of evil spirits, and they want to speak to the 'man of the house!'"

Blinking, Manta responded, "Well, Anna's there, right? So, why don't they talk with her instead?"

Yoh, for once, actually had to resist the urge to smack himself-or Manta-upside the head after hearing that.

"Anna's not the 'man of the house!' Though, she does give orders in that manner every single day. Still, there's no time! We have to get to her now!"

"Right! What's the plan, Lord Yoh?" Amidamaru asked as Yoh and Manta started running back toward Yoh's house.

"Simple-we drop Manta off at his place, then double back on this trail. This is the same one we used when Ren got the drop on us and challenged me."

"Right. We-what?!" Manta facefaulted in shock and surprise after hearing that and blanked out the rest of it, for a while, at least.

"What do you mean 'drop me off at my place?!'"

"It's not that I don't want you to come with me, Manta. It's just that it might be safer if you were out of harm's way." Yoh explained calmly-while still running, of course. After thinking about it for a while, Manta had to agree.

"You've got a point. Good luck, Yoh."

"Thanks, Manta. I'll need it."

After watching his best friend leave in another direction, Yoh looked up and noticed that the sun was setting, so he quickened his pace.

"Don't worry, Anna…I'm coming!"

"Yes, this is a very important delivery…of course I'll pay you for this, since I want it bright and early tomorrow morning! Now, don't mess this up."

Hanging up the phone with a look of irritation on his face, Ren turned to resume his final hour of training, already knowing his sister was waiting for him.

"Did you call who I think you called?"

"Naturally. Besides, if the Shaman King thinks he's more worthy of the title than I am, let him handle what I have planned to throw at him for his final day of training. Let us hope it's not his last…at least, not until I confront him."

Jun sighed lightly while observing her younger brother resume his training once more, that same smile on his face widening.

Yoh panted as he finally reached his house, only moments after the sun had set. Seeing that no one was outside, Yoh feared that the spirits Amidamaru had mentioned had taken Anna, so he kicked in the door-only to pull his foot back in pain after realizing the door hadn't moved an inch!

"Ouch! You'd think she put a brick or something in front of the door." Yoh grumbled as he pulled the door open before running in…and tripping over the two rows of bricks placed behind the door.

"When did she find time to set this up?!" Shaking his head, Yoh got up and ran up to Anna's room, opening the door instantly.

"Don't worry, Anna! I'm here to-"

"You're five minutes late! Don't you remember me telling you to be here before sunset?"

Yoh blinked repeatedly while focused on a glaring Anna, who tapped her foot in impatience. A moment later, he turned and glared at Amidamaru!

"I thought you said she'd been surrounded by evil spirits!"

"That was just a cover story I had him tell you so you would get back here sooner, but obviously, it didn't work, since you were still late. Did you remember to get the required items for dinner?"

Holding up the bag, Yoh nodded vigorously as Amidamaru chose this time to vanish. "Yeah. That's why I was late-I had to take another road just to get the food needed for tonight."

Anna allowed a light grin to surface while taking the bag and looking inside. Yet, when she looked back up, once again, she was glaring at her fiancé.

"So, Yoh…where's the spices I told you to get?"

Yoh facefaulted as he realized that he'd remembered the food, but completely forgot to get the spices!

"The way things are going now, I won't be able to face Ren if I'm put through anymore 'exercises!'"

"I think about…500 laps around the house-before and after you've cooked dinner-should suffice. Now, move it!"

Yoh groaned loudly while turning back around and preparing to endure more "torture" for the rest of the night!