A/N: YohXAnna oneshot. AUish. Enjoy! And pop in a review while you're at it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King. I'm just a rabid fan.
One By One
The streetlights flicker out, one by one, signifying the approach of dawn. Another night would pass soon. And Anna lay, reminiscing in her dimly lit hospital room. So much had happened, leading up to the present.
Anna counted her blessings, one by one. She had been granted the greatest gift of all in life – the joy of love. Did the Ancient Greek philosophers not state, logical as they were, that they would rather live a day in love's embrace, rather than live a thousand lifetimes alone? Anna agreed whole-heartedly with these Greeks. Wise people, she thought to herself. And there was a certain day that stuck out from the rest.
"Yoh Asakura, do you take this woman, Anna Kyouyama, to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
A grinning brunetted, dressed down in a tuxedo, replied with ease. He had been preparing for this day his entire life.
"Tch, of course!" he announced.
What he received next was unusual, quite different from other marriage ceremonies. But knowing Anna Kyouyama, no one was too surprised – unless you count the priest, who found it a bit shocking for a bride to slap her husband-to-be.
"Yoh! Say it right, like everyone else," she commanded, and he was more than inclined to obey his queen.
"Hai! I do!"
The itako looked pleased with herself, as she recited her own wedding vows immediately afterwards.
"I now proclaim you husband and wife."
As they leaned inwards towards each other, time slowed down. And as their lips met in the sweetest of caresses, time stopped altogether. It was just the two of them in their own little world. And only they were part of it... no one else...
Anna sighed, as she finished reliving their wedding day, then blushed as she remembered the night of their honeymoon. It was truly an unforgettable night. An irreplaceable passion, and a pure sort of love.
Anna mourned her losses, one by one, for all things must come to an end.
She faintly recalled the blaring of a car horn, as it prepared to flatten the young child crossing the road. And Yoh, dashing forward, courageously shoving the youth out of harm's way. But at the same time, sacrificing his life.
Anna had cried then. And she was crying now, the itako realized, feeling the wet tears flowing down her cheeks. She let them do so, freely. There was nothing more to hide now. Even though it was five years later, she still grieved for him.
But everything would be okay now. She would be joining him, soon. Because she was dying -–of cancer, strangely enough – and though she was drowned in wires and lying helplessly on her pearly white hospital bed, she never felt more free.
It's almost time, she thought to herself.
And one by one, the stars in the midnight sky faded out, for the sun began its ascent, filling the sky with light. And her soul faded with them.
The sun rose gallantly in the east, and at daybreak, two tragic spirits were reunited on the other side.
"It's been a while," he greeted with a smile, embracing her tightly.
She said nothing, simply nodding and resting her head on his shoulder. She let her tears do the talking. At that moment, all was right.
This was their fairytale ending. Or was it... a beginning?
THE END.