Disclaimer: Shaman King belongs to Hiroyuki Takei, not me.

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Anna sat up, wondering where the crazy dream had come from. It was full of her dim memories of her babyhood, of the night her parents died- but this time there was a boy there, a boy with soft gentle eyes who held her when she cried. She shook her head as the train entered the Funbari Hill station. There was no use thinking on it. She wasn't going to remember anything else, and even if she did, she doubted it would change anything. Anna sighed softly and stared out the window, watching the rain pour down.

She got off the train and walked down the road, her head down and her hands in her coat pockets. Anna would have continued on down the road, but a slight tug on her coat startled her.

"I'm lost."

It was a little girl- a pretty, delicate wisp of a thing. Anna bent down to her eyelevel. "Where are your parents?" she asked.

"I don't know," the baby said. "I don't know." Her eyes watered, sending fat tears trickling down her flushed cheeks. "I want my kaa'san!"
"It's all right," Anna said. "Don't cry."

The little girl opened her mouth to say something, but all of a sudden she fell into Anna's arms, unconscious. Her frail body was burning up. With no other choice, Anna picked her up.

-----

Tamao was the only one who heard the knock at the door through the din in the house. She got up and went to answer it.

Anna tumbled into the house, her long hair rain-soaked and her dress bedraggled. "Tamao!" she gasped. "Please...I need your help." Anna's whole body strained with the weight of the burden in her arms.

Tamao grabbed the child before Anna dropped her. "Poor thing, she's sick," she said. "What's her name?"

"I- I don't know," Anna said. "She told me she was lost...fainted...I didn't know what to do..."

Tamao looked at her carefully. "Anna...are you all right?" she asked. "You don't look very well yourself."

"No...I'm fine," Anna said. "Make sure the child's all right."

The pink-haired girl shook her head. "You need to go lie down," she insisted. "I'll take care of her."

"Hey, what's going on?" Yoh asked, coming down the stairs.

"Yoh, please make Anna rest," Tamao said. "She looks like she's coming down with something."

"I'm fine," Anna insisted vehemently. Tamao went upstairs with the toddler in her arms. Yoh didn't pay any attention to her. He held out his hand to Anna. She slapped it away weakly.

"Anna," he said. "Come. Now." There was a tone of command in his voice, but Anna couldn't hear him. She took a step, but her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell hard into his embrace.

Her forehead was resting against his shoulder, her arms drooping limply at her sides. Yoh took her by the wrist and slung her over his shoulder. Carefully he carried to her room. She didn't rouse as he laid her down on the futon. Anna's face was white as death, except for the two bright spots of red high on her cheekbones.

"Anna, you'll have to forgive me," Yoh apologized. "It's for your own good." Blushing a little, he rummaged in her chest of drawers for her yukata. He had to get her out of her cold, wet dress before she got sicker. The thin cloth dripped water everywhere as he pulled the sleeveless dress over her head. Anna's body was painfully thin, her shoulders bony under her bra straps. He slipped the sleeves over her arms and tied the sash loosely. It was easier to put her dry, warm yukata on her. But there was still the problem of her wet hair. Yoh took the brush from the top of the bureau and ran it gently through her tangled locks. With quick, light fingers, he braided her hair loosely and tied it with a ribbon, letting the braid rest over her shoulders. Then he drew the blankets around her and turned out the light to let her sleep.

He waited an hour or so before checking on her again. But as soon as he stepped into the room, he wished he'd come by earlier. Anna was tossing and turning, crying out wordlessly. Each time he tried to touch her she would shy away, whimpering. Her little mouth kept opening too, as if it hurt her to keep it closed. Yoh was torn in two. He wanted to get help, but he desperately wanted to stay with her.

Luckily for both of them, Ren chose that moment to stick his head in the door. "She okay?" he whispered. "She's been sleeping for a long time."

"No, she's not okay," Yoh said. "Where's Tamao?"

"With the baby," Ren said. "She called Faust, and he's examining her now."

"Well, get him now!" Yoh said. He stroked his hand along Anna's arm as she twisted around. "Something's wrong with Anna."

Ren had barely left when all of a sudden Anna's movements began to get bigger and bigger. She flopped back on the bed, her bony arms flailing. Her eyes were open, but the only visible part was the white. "Anna!" Yoh called, trying to stop her. "Anna, please wake up!"

Faust pushed him aside. "She's having a seizure," he said. Yoh stumbled back, grateful for Pilika's strong arms catching him and wrapping around his waist. It was something comforting as he watched Anna shake uncontrollably. But soon she stilled, her body lying quietly in Faust's arms. Yoh's breathing came hard. Pilika smoothed her fingers up and down his arm, soothing him quietly. "She's all right now," Faust said, laying Anna on the bed.

"Ren-san?" a little voice lisped. Ren turned around as a tiny hand tugged on his poofy pants. "Ren-san, I threw up again."

Ren rolled his eyes and started to pick up the sick child, but Yoh stopped him with a swift jerk. "Ren, where'd she come from?" he demanded.

"This is the little girl Anna found. Quit it, Yoh, you're scaring her." But she wasn't scared. Her big dark eyes widened in happiness as she ran to Yoh, flinging her arms around him in joyous abandon.

"Yoh-san!" she shouted. "Yoh-san, you come back!"

"How do you know her, Yoh?" Pilika asked.

The little girl batted Yoh's cheeks playfully. "Anna's friend!" she explained. "This is my best friend."

"What?" Ren breathed.

Yoh smoothed the child's blonde hair. "This is Anna," he said helplessly. "This is Anna, and so is she."

Pilika pressed her fists to her mouth. "Two Annas?" she gasped. "Oh, crap. Oh, crap. This is bad. This is so bad. If my kaa'san knew, she'd kill me..." She grabbed Yoh by the arm. "C'mon. Put Anna...I mean little Anna...I mean the kid down. We've got work to do. A lot of work."

Confused, Yoh handed the sick little girl to Ren and followed Pilika. She dragged him to her room, where she began riffling through a book on her desk. "What's going on, Pilika?" he asked.

"You stayed in the time rip too long," Pilika said, turning pages frantically. "Way too long. Amarante should have come sooner...you may have just signed Anna's death warrant." She glanced up guiltily as Yoh stumbled into a chair, his face white. "Maybe I should have gentled that..."

"Maybe," he mumbled. "Anna...will die? Which one?"

"That's just it," Pilika said. "There are two Annas in one spot in time. There's only enough room for one. That's why our Anna is so sick. The time warp is killing her."
"What can we do?"

"There are two options. Neither are pretty. The first one means that an Anna has to die. If our Anna dies, it will be the end for her. She'll grow up and die as she is right now. Or baby Anna will die. In that case, we'll have never known her, and it could change the course of time as we know it."

"Aren't there any other choices?" Yoh asked desperately.

Pilika turned another page, her brow furrowed. "If baby Anna dies...hm. I don't know. It could be easier to let baby Anna die than our Anna," she said. "We'll have to test it. Take this." She handed him a fragment of mirror that was hidden in the back page of the book. "Look into it. It'll tell you what we need to do. You take care of this, and I'll try to send baby Anna back."

With no other choice, Yoh took the mirror.

In a single glance he realized instantly where he was. He was in the exact same room, only it was empty of everything. A little sliver of light shone through the dirty and broken window, showing the dust and cobwebs collected in the corners. Yoh shook his head and wandered through the rest of the house. It was completely empty. Even his own bedroom was barren.

"Hey! You!" A man in a yellow hardhat yelled at him. "Get outta here, kid. We don't want you trapped inside when we smash this cave."

"Smash?" Yoh repeated. "You're bulldozing my house?"

"Your house?" the demolition man scoffed. "Ya off yer nut? This house been empty as a grave for near forty years, since it was burned down. Nobody's ever rented the place."

His thoughts racing, Yoh allowed himself to be shooed out of the old En Inn. As he walked away, the first crash sounded.

What to do, what to do? he mused. Where could he go? Who could he find? The first name that came to mind was the Taos. He headed off in the direction of their apartment.

Yoh hit the buzzer. "Hello!" he said into the intercom. "Anybody home?"

"Just a moment." The voice was soft and weak, but easily recognizable as Jun's. Yoh bolted into the apartment as soon as the door was unlocked by remote.

"Jun!" Yoh shouted. "Jun, where's Ren?"

The figure in the corner chair straightened. "Ren?" she repeated dreamily. Yoh took a step back. Jun's long hair was hanging down her back, gleaming white. She blinked her blue eyes once, twice, three times. "Ren?"

"Yes, yes, Ren!" Yoh said. "Where is he? I need his help!"

"Of course. Ren." Jun moved stiffly. Like a woman in a dream she took out a talisman. "Ren. Come here, Ren."

A soft swish, swish was the only sound as Ren approached from the next room. Yoh was about to run to him when he realized that the Chinese boy's skin was a strange color. It was white, whiter than Jun's hair. His amber eyes stared out wide and blank past the talisman on his forehead.

"Ren," Jun said. "This boy says he needs your help."

"Jun, you know who I am! I'm Yoh!" he insisted.

Jun stared at him as she slipped an arm around Ren's cold shoulders. "Yoh. Yoh. Like the Asakura boy." She wrapped her other arm around Ren's thin waist, drawing his stiff body closer to her. "Go away. Ren does not want to help you. Do you, Ren?"

Yoh ran.

-----

His steps finally began to slow as he passed the old cemetery. Amidamaru, he thought. Amidamaru might be here.

Sure enough, there was the tombstone marking Amidamaru's grave...but instead of lying in weathering chunks, it was in one piece, upright and pristine. Yoh knocked on it. "Amidamaru, come out. It's me, Yoh!" he called.

The grave did not answer.

"Amidamaru, very funny. Come on, I need your help."

Still no answer.

"Amidamaru!"

Finally, a voice growled, "I do not know who you are, or why you know my name, but in the name of all that's holy you will leave me alone!"

Yoh did.

Everywhere he went, it was the same. None of his friends were there. Manta's house was empty. Pilika and HoroHoro's apartment was rented by a young French couple with a toddler. Faust and Eliza's clinic was now a bank.

But otherwise everything was the same.

There was nothing left in Funbari Hill for him. So he headed home, home to Izumo.

His mother was in her garden, the sleeves of her kimono rolled up as she buried her hands in the sun drenched soil. Keiko looked up, smiling, as her son approached her. "Yoh!" she cried. "It's been so long since you've visited."

"Hello, Kaa'san," he said. He opened his mouth to ask her something, anything, but she interrupted him.

"I'll have to find your fiancee. She'll be so happy to see you!" Keiko said. She jumped up and went into the house. Yoh followed her, his heart pounding. Anna...Anna...

But it wasn't Anna. It was Tamao.

"Hello, Yoh," she said, her cheeks pink. "I am glad to see you again."

"Kaa'san, where's Kino?" Yoh demanded.

"Yoh, be kind to Tamao," Keiko said.

"I will later. Right now I have to find Kino," Yoh insisted.

"She's in the temple, Yoh-san," Tamao said, hiding behind Keiko.

Yoh didn't wait for her to answer. He ran off towards the little shrine. Sure enough his grandmother was there, praying. "Kino!" he shouted, interrupting her.

"Heavens, grandson, have you lost all manners?" Kino demanded. "I'm contacting your father about the tournament."

"What about the shaman tournament?" Yoh kept on.

"Still in process. The Chinese runt was killed there, by that necromancer with the purple eyeshadow. There was that other one, too...what was his name? Something dreadful. Began with an H. Anyways, he won all of his preliminary matches, but he and his sister were found murdered in their hotel room at the tournament site. Disgusting things going on. But just listen to me ramble! What is it you want, child?"

"Grandmother, have you ever had a pupil named Anna?" Yoh asked, breathless. "Anna Kyoyama?"

Kino paused. "Anna..." she mused. "Yes. Once, many years ago. She would have been the same age as you."

"Would have been?" Yoh repeated.

"Yes. She died of typhoid when she was three years old," Kino said. "What pity. She was such a bright child. Well, you'll most likely bump into her at some point."

"Why?" Yoh asked.

"Stupid boy. You are dead, after all."

"Dead?" he whispered.

"Of course. You beat that little Chinese runt, and his sister came back and killed you."

Yoh screamed. It was all he could do. He screamed and screamed until he had no more breath.

And then everything vanished.

He stood alone, his body cold. There was only one sound- a tiny, whimpering sob. The crying was coming from a tiny figure kneeling with his back to him. Yoh cocked his head. Why was she crying? He reached over to tap her shoulder.

Little Anna stared up at him, her cheeks flushed from crying. "Yoh- san!" she sobbed.

Yoh started to draw back. "Anna, what- are you?" He paused as the little girl hung her head. He tilted her face so he could look into her teary eyes. "It's all right, little one."

"No, it won't be."

Yoh turned around. His Anna was watching him, dressed in a soft kimono with her long hair waving around her face.

Little Anna looked at her. "Hello, Anna," she said.

There was a slight smile on older Anna's face as she watched her younger self. "Hello," she answered.

Yoh straightened, his fingers still framing small Anna's tiny chin. "Anna...what's wrong?" he asked.

She glanced away. "Do you remember...when we were little?" she whispered. "You were always so happy. And I...was always so jealous."

"Jealous?" he repeated.

Anna gestured at her younger self- a miserable little girl with flushed cheeks and eyes dew-bright with tears. "I was never happy. No one even tried to help me."

Yoh took her by the shoulders, feeling every bone in her arms as he gripped her. "Anna, I didn't know," he said. "But I do now. I promise I do."

She looked down. "Yoh...there's no way..."

He grabbed her hand. "There is," he insisted eagerly. "I...well, it's a long story, but I promise that I understand you better now."

Anna's eyes glowed. "Are you telling the truth?" she asked, her voice grave.

"Of course," he said. "Everything will be set to rights."

Anna let go of him and knelt beside her younger self. Gently she drew tiny Anna into her arms, letting the baby nestle against her knee. "We trust you," she said softly. "Go. I'll send her off."

"Will...will you be all right?" Yoh whispered.

"I can't say," she said. "Go. I'll be back as soon as I can."

With that, the image faded.

-----

"Is she...all right?" Yoh whispered.

Faust tucked the covers around Anna. "She'll be fine. Keep her in bed for the next few days, and she'll be as good as new." The blond doctor smoothed Anna's braid as gently as a father might. "I don't understand it. She was so close to death...but we highly prefer this, ne?"

Yoh took Faust's place at Anna's side. She was sleeping peacefully- no fever, no tossing and turning, no seizures. Pilika tapped his shoulder. "Anna-chan is gone," she said quietly. "Not

dead. She was just sent back to her own time."

"Good," Yoh said. He leaned over Anna. Pilika smiled and left them alone.

Yoh pressed his cold cheek against Anna's warm one. She blinked vaguely as a tiny smile touched her lips. Anna traced her fingertips lightly over his cheek. "Good morning," she said hazily.

"That was some scare you gave us, Anna," Yoh whispered. His skin tingled as Anna stroked her light fingers along his jawline. Her dark eyes were curious and searching. "What's wrong, Anna?"

"Boy," she said softly. "You were my boy. The one who held me."

"Hai, anata," he whispered, kissing the side of her hand.

"Will you hold me now?" Anna begged.

"Of course," he said, his voice ragged. Anna's weak body snuggled against his, his chin resting against her bright hair. Soft, hot tears ran down her cheeks and onto his hands.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Go on and cry, little one," he whispered, kissing her. "Cry as much as you can. I'll never let go."
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Author's Notes:

Aaaaaand this travesty is OVAH.

This one's better. I think the time-space-continum-"It's-A-Wonderful-Life" sequence helped. But still, this is terrible. I hope you survived.