Falling in Time
A Shaman King Story
By Satine89
Ren had his head hung over a balcony. His yellow eyes gazed over the bright lights of Tokyo, his black bangs flittering in the wind. His eyes seemed to be looking at something.
"Nice to see you…" Ren didn't move as he spoke. "Hao Asakura."
Hao walked out of the shadows, his brown hair swaying gently as he did so. Ren turned to face him, his bare back leaning against the railing of the balcony.
"Why, hello, Ren," Hao sneered, his eyes narrowing in intense dislike. Ren returned Hao's pitiless stare.
"Why are you here?" Ren asked heartlessly. Hao smirked slightly.
"I only want what is mine," Hao smiled eerily. Ren rested a hand on the railing.
"You won't have her," Ren gritted his teeth. "Now leave, before I kill you."
Hao raised his palms. "I don't wish to anger you."
"Well, you are."
"I only wish to warn you… I'll get Kimaguire. I have my ways." Hao lowered his arms, and the Spirit of Fire appeared before him, lifting Hao up as if a piece of paper. The shining red apparition didn't impress Ren, as it had before.
"Coward," Ren yelled at Hao. Hao looked down at Ren.
"Don't worry, Ren. I will be back. And she will be mine."
The Spirit of Fire took Hao away, leaving the bare-chested Ren cursing under his breath in the night air.
--
Horohoro's Oracle Pager had displayed the same message for nearly a week now. Tonight, he finally went into battle again.
"Attention," he read aloud for the umpteenth time, "your next match in the Shaman Fight has been scheduled. Time, today at six in the evening. Place, the Funbari Hill Botanical Gardens in East Funbari Hill. Opponent… Mito Mitori of Japan." Horohoro played with a small piece of his spiky light blue hair as he spoke.
Ryu looked at Horohoro. "You got assigned a match. I'm jealous."
"Why?" Horohoro screamed. Ryu's pompadour bobbed with the nodding of his head.
"I've already won three matches. I don't face anyone until the second round."
"You're lucky," Horohoro scoffed. "If I lose to this… Mito Mitori person, I get kicked out of the Shaman Fight."
A scream came from outside, followed by some random yelling.
"Yoh's got his work cut out for him," Ryu sighed.
"Anna's been merciless… and things haven't gotten any better, even though Tamao is helping out with the housework," Horohoro pointed out.
A short boy with dirty blonde hair peered over the top of the low, glass-topped coffee table. "His match is tonight. Of course his training has piled up."
"Manta does have a point," Ryu nodded.
"How did you escape from Pilika, Horohoro?" Manta asked. Horohoro sunk down in his chair but didn't answer the question, instead changing the subject.
"Well, how powerful can a boy named Garo be?" Horohoro inquired rhetorically. "Sounds like a wimpy name to me."
"But Yoh's never met a French shaman," Manta added. "He could be extremely robust…"
A silence followed.
"At least no one's attacked us lately," Ryu stated.
"Yeah," Horohoro said plainly as he stood up. "I think I'll go join Yoh in training."
"Good luck," Ryu and Manta grinned. Horohoro scowled as he walked outside.
--
Kimaguire shook her head. "Ren, why are you sitting on my windowsill?"
"I can't let Hao get near you," Ren stated flatly. Kimaguire looked at her brother. His face was, indeed, emotionless, and his kwan dao stood steadily in the crook of his arm.
"But why must you follow me everywhere, and why do you care so much about me?" Kimaguire asked. Ren blushed.
"You're my sister."
Kimaguire frowned. "But you seem… very protective."
"Look," Ren yelled, "I can't let that scumbag get near you because I don't want you to die! Is that all right with you?!"
Kimaguire seemed to shrink. Ren was acting very defensive, and Kimaguire felt a bit scared.
"If I didn't know better…"
Kimaguire paused, making sure that she had the right idea.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you still loved me, Ren."
Ren didn't show how red his face had gotten. Of course he still loved her. But all Ren wanted was to see Kimaguire, standing by Yoh's side, with Hao out of the picture, with Faust gone from her life, with him watching on, smiling. He just wanted Kimaguire to be happy… and there wouldn't be any happiness for her if Ren forced himself upon her, as he had tried before.
"I just want to make sure that you aren't attacked or anything. Is there anything wrong with that?" Ren asked her.
Kimaguire lay back down on her bed, her brown hair splayed upon the sheets, looking at Ren's back. She didn't answer his question, and she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to.
--
Hao looked into the darkness of his room, Opachao staring back at him blankly.
"Master Hao, Master Yoh has his match against the Frenchman tonight," Opachao said. "And the dumb one has the match against that girl."
Hao looked up, a small grin on his face. "Yes, Opachao, I understand. Tao Ren may be constantly watching Mistress Kimaguire, but he'll be no match for me."
"Is that one of those 'once you're mind's set, you won't give up' things, Master Hao?"
Hao thought about it for a second. "Perhaps it is. But when you've wanted something for so long, it's hard to give it up, wouldn't you agree?"
Opachao nodded. "Yes."
"I hope she doesn't expect me to give up. Because I've been waiting for her."
--
"This is where the match is taking place," Anna sighed. "Apparently."
Yoh looked around the desolate area. "It's a junkyard. Why here?"
Anna shrugged. "Don't ask me."
Yoh sat down, looking around for any sign of anyone. Suddenly, a small kid walked over to Yoh and stared him in the face.
"Are you…" the kid stuttered. "Yuh Ase-kur-aa?"
"Yoh As-a-ku-ra," Yoh corrected. "You must be Garo."
"Right you are," Garo grinned. He stepped back, and Yoh finally got a good look at him.
Garo was tiny, like a little kid. He had messy brown hair, covered by a gray beret. Garo wore a gray jacket that matched the hat, a white tank top that seemed a bit too big for him, and black shorts. On his feet were two different shoes, and only the left leg was adorned with a sock.
"So… where's your over soul?" Garo asked. Yoh pulled out a memorial tablet, and out popped Amidamaru, his spirit ally.
Amidamaru had already reached for his sword. "Master Yoh, this kid… he can't be more than ten, but do you see his jacket…?"
"What about it?" Yoh asked, but Anna nodded slightly.
"I see it," she breathed. "There's blood on that jacket."
"Heh," Garo sniggered. "An orphan grabs what he can, no matter how… soiled, I suppose."
"That kid is lying," Amidamaru mused. Garo's eyes flashed daggers.
"So maybe I am. Maybe an introduction of my over soul would be pertinent."
Garo waved his hand around in the air, and a man appeared. The man appeared to be barely twenty, with black hair and green eyes. He was tall, and he carried a sword with him.
"This is my over soul, Peirot. A real gentleman, one of my best friends," Garo frowned, as if recalling a painful memory. "But then my mom killed him."
Yoh shivered. "Your mom?"
"Correct," Garo nodded. "My mom became a bit frightened of Peirot, because he joined the guard, and became a swordsman. She feared for her life because of the sword that hung around his belt. So she shot him, and I found him…
"Of course, my mom didn't know that Peirot was a shaman, and had been instructing me in the various arts of the shaman… he had been waiting for the Shaman Tournament, too. And then… the comet came, a year after his death, and I came here." Garo looked at Yoh. "Now I want to know your story."
"Okay," Yoh said reluctantly. "I came here from Izumo to train, and then this girl, my fiancée, followed me, and I made a friend, Manta, who's not here right now. But my over soul, Amidamaru, came to me after I fixed his sword… that's pretty much it."
"In other words, you've never felt heartrending sorrow," Garo groaned. "You're just a fool."
"No I'm not," Yoh said crossly. "I've felt pain before."
Garo grinned wildly. "And you will feel it again. That samurai is no match for Peirot!"
Garo drew a blade from inside his jacket. Anna narrowed her eyes.
"Okay, cream puff. Before you so mercilessly obliterate Yoh, answer this," Anna challenged Garo.
"Go on."
"Why do you think Yoh's never felt pain?"
Garo sniggered. "Just look at him. He's a skin-and-bones dork with a simple samurai for an over soul. And then there's you… you're beautiful, go out with me!"
Anna smacked Garo. "No way, twit!"
"This is a rather strange turn of events," Amidamaru noted. "Uh, can we move on…? Please…?" Yoh begged.
Garo rubbed his cheek. "Fine, Asakura. Let the match begin, if you're in a hurry to die."
Yoh gulped, but armed his over soul. Harusame, the sword of Spring Rain, glistened an eerie blue as Amidamaru stuck his soul into the sword.
The blade that Garo held glowed a shade of green, and Yoh saw that it had grown much longer than before. Yoh didn't question this, however.
"All right. Our match officially begins in a minute… excuse me, 50 seconds… so we wait."
--
Horohoro stood in the center of the botanical gardens, staring at a girl with short, piercing red hair, nut-brown skin, and ominous black eyes.
The girl's strapless blue dress billowed in the wind, as did her black trench coat. Adorning her legs were black tube socks, and on her feet were combat boots. Dangling from her ear was a long metal chain, and at the end of that chain was a glass vial that held a few drops of red liquid.
"You must be Mito Mitori," Horohoro stated flatly.
The girl grinned, her lips shining pink. "Yes. And you're probably Horohoro."
Horohoro nodded.
"This conversation is growing quite contrived," Mito sighed. "So let's start kissing!"
Horohoro blanched. "What?!"
"I like you," Mito leaned over, causing Horohoro to look down her shirt. Horohoro began to run in the other direction, but Mito grabbed the collar of his shirt.
"Come on, don't run away from me! I need to win one more fight to advance… don't you want me to advance?" Mito pouted.
"I want you to let go of my shirt!" Horohoro yelled, slapping Mito in the face. Horohoro turned to face Mito, who was rubbing her sore cheek.
"All right, you," Horohoro snapped, "if I lose this match to you – fair and square, that means no flirting – you can do whatever you want to me…"
"Anything?!" Mito nearly fainted. Horohoro grew angry.
"Not anything TOO nasty!" Horohoro screamed. "I have limits too!"
"But what if you win?" Mito asked, still lying on the ground.
"I get to kick your butt back to where you came from."
Mito made a puppy-dog face at Horohoro. Horohoro sighed.
"Fine, I won't hurt you. But if I win, I get to decide if I ever want to see you again."
"Oh, fine. You party pooper," Mito frowned. Horohoro narrowed his eyes.
"We have a minute until starting time…"
--
Yoh flipped backward, avoiding yet another jab from Garo and Peirot. Yoh had been led to believe that, even though Garo was extremely strong, he wasn't very skilled; whereas Yoh was equally strong and skilled.
Yoh raised his sword. "Shock Wave… BUDDHA GIRI!"
A swipe-shaped ball of energy pelted towards Garo, knocking him flat off his feet. A huge amount of dust kicked up, nearly blinding Yoh.
"There's no way that stupid shrimp survived that," Anna said, shielding her eyes from the sand. Then she saw a small figure arise from the giant mass of sand. It was Garo.
Garo was panting, and his over soul was spluttering, but he still stood bravely. Garo wiped some blood off of his cheek with his sleeve and scowled.
"I bet you're thinking this a tad too easy," Garo sneered.
"I'm thinking that a bowl of rice would be good right now," Yoh corrected.
"What does that have to do with anything?!" Anna cried.
"Anyway," Garo shrugged, "I was just getting warmed up."
"But you're over soul is dying out," Yoh pointed out.
Garo looked at his sword. "I suppose you're right. But that doesn't matter."
Garo took a wild swing at the ground. A large fissure opened up, between Yoh's feet. Yoh jumped to the side, where Garo was waiting for him, sword poised to kill.
Anna was on the other side, waiting silently, as she always did.
Yoh was shocked that Garo's over soul was still engaged after such a powerful move. But Yoh got up and wielded his sword once again.
"Don't worry, Asakura," Garo grinned. "Your death will be quick."
"How do you know I'm gonna die?" Yoh shrugged. Without warning, Yoh jumped up in the air. Yoh stuck his sword straight down, above Garo.
"RAPID TEMPO!" Yoh screamed. He thrust himself down to the ground. Anna thought that he had killed Garo, but when the dust settled, it appeared that Yoh had broken Garo's sword.
Anna was a bit angry with Yoh, however.
"Rapid Tempo? RAPID TEMPO?! What the heck kind of attack name is that?!" Anna yelled. "I'm tripling your training now! Rapid Tempo… geez…"
Yoh wasn't exactly listening. He just stared at Garo's shattered sword wordlessly. Garo looked up at Yoh.
"You didn't have to spare me," Garo murmured.
"I don't like to kill things," Yoh replied.
Garo stared at his sword for a very long time. "That's one loss for me… I bet you've never lost…"
"Actually, he has," said a drawling voice.
Yoh turned around, looking for the source of the voice. Garo began to look too.
"Where are you?" Yoh cried.
"Right here."
Behind Yoh was Garo, and behind Garo was Faust VIII, standing solemnly on the dirt.
--
Kimaguire looked in her mirror. She was shocked to see another face staring back at her from her bed. Kimaguire turned quickly.
"Hello, Miss Kimaguire," Hao breathed. Kimaguire crossed her arms.
"You're pretty stupid to be coming here," Kimaguire said. "Ren'll kill you if he sees you… and I'll help him."
"So cold, Kimaguire," Hao sighed. "Don't you remember how close we were?"
Kimaguire spat at him. Hao rubbed his eye, scowling.
"Fine, if that's how you think of me." Hao stood up and walked up to Kimaguire. She recoiled slightly. She was wearing typical bedclothes – a loose tank top and boxers. Definitely not what she wanted Hao to see her in…
"Shall I show you what I think of you?" Hao asked.
"Get away from me!" Kimaguire yelled. She ran out the door and down the hallway. She knew that Hao wouldn't follow her, so she dashed into Ren's room.
Ren was pulling on a tee shirt when Kimaguire came in. He turned to the panting, red Kimaguire.
"What is it?" Ren asked quickly, fearing something was amiss.
"Ren… he's here… Hao is here…" Kimaguire sighed, before she suddenly passed out, landing with a hard thud on the ground.
Ren kneeled down above Kimaguire and scowled.
I hate you, Hao Asakura… Ren thought angrily. Absolutely hate you…
Ren took his kwan dao from off of the floor of his bedroom and stood by Kimaguire, protecting the unconscious flower.
--
Manta looked up from the television when he heard the door click open.
"Hello, Yoh – WAUGH! WHY IS HE HERE?"
Faust pushed a strand of blonde hair out of his face, and looked reprovingly at Manta.
"He says something happened to Kimaguire," Yoh half-said, half-yelled. "We have to get over to Ren's place. Now."
Manta turned off the television. "Right. But who's that kid?"
"I'm Garo," the kid smiled. "Yoh just whooped my butt, but I'm gonna help him save his girlfriend so that he can make out with her!"
Anna smacked Garo. "You really should shut up."
Faust looked around the Asakura household, and then sighed.
"What?" Yoh asked curiously.
"This house reminds me… of where Eliza and I used to live," Faust whispered. Anna remained expressionless as Yoh sniffled slightly.
"Come on. We won't achieve anything by standing around," Anna said. The five walked out the door solemnly, not really sure if they were ready (Manta), fearing for their lives (Yoh and Faust), too cocky to care (Garo), or straight-faced (Anna).
--
Horohoro skidded to a halt on the dirt below. Mito Mitori was good. Not only had her over soul, a wind spirit named Tohru, managed to withstand Horohoro's icy attacks, but Tohru and Mito had gotten through to physically hurt him.
It looked like he'd be forced to kiss the chick after all.
"Not so confident now, are we, Horohoro?" Mito smiled, staring at the panting Horohoro. "Get ready to make good of your promise."
Horohoro snickered. He still had one trick up his sleeve – his trump card, the move that only one person had managed to defeat.
Horohoro balanced on his snowboard, smiling precariously. Mito narrowed her eyes, her blue eye shadow glimmering.
"Why are you grinning?" she asked.
A few flakes of snow began to fall. Horohoro jumped up at least ten feet, atop his snowboard.
"Get ready to lose, Mitori!" Horohoro yelled. "EPITTARKI UPAS-HORKKEK! ALL-SWALLOWING AVALANCHE!"
Hundreds of tons of snow erupted below Horohoro. Horohoro was surfing it carelessly, watching as Mito Mitori was swallowed by it.
The snow stopped. Slowly, Horohoro saw Mito's over soul float over the snow, quickly followed by Mito's head popping out of the snow.
"That was a dirty trick!" Mito yelled. Horohoro laughed.
"Your over soul's disengaged. You lose!" Horohoro laughed.
Mito turned red. "Fine. If Hao wasn't busy tonight, I'd go tell on you to him!"
Horohoro immediately stopped laughing. "What?"
"I lost to Hao, but that doesn't mean I don't talk to him," Mito whined. "He said he has to go find some girl he really likes and 'win her over', as he said."
"Kimaguire!" Horohoro yelled.
"Yeah, that's the name," Mito snapped her fingers. She turned to face Horohoro, but he was gone.
"Where'd you go?!"
--
Kimaguire felt her body float across a dark chamber. Slowly, as she walked, lights appeared and torches lit. Kimaguire rubbed her bare arms, trying to keep her skin warm in the terrible draft.
Suddenly, Kimaguire reached a figure. She had a feeling she knew who it was.
"Hao!" Kimaguire yelled, repulsed. "What'd you do to me?"
Hao looked a bit filmy, and Kimaguire looked at her own skin. She was 'filmy', too.
"We're in a special realm, Kimaguire," Hao explained. "One that you can't leave."
"What about my body? What happened to it?" Kimaguire asked.
"Oh don't worry. It's fine. Ren is diligently guarding it from my unconscious self," Hao laughed. Kimaguire moved backward.
"Why do you want me so much?" Kimaguire asked. She didn't understand it, and frankly she didn't want to.
Hao walked closer to Kimaguire. She didn't move, even though every nerve in her system was screaming at her to run away.
"That's right… you don't remember, do you? You don't remember why they sent you to Funbari Hill…"
Kimaguire narrowed her eyes. "Spit it out."
"I made you pregnant, Kimaguire. Don't you remember?"
Kimaguire fell backward, on the floor, her legs splayed, her eyes wide, her mouth twitching, and her arms limp. "You what?"
"You heard me," Hao replied. "You're fourteen now… that made you twelve then… did you think Faust was lying when he said that my love for you nearly killed you?"
Kimaguire was breathing heavily. "Why won't you leave me alone?"
"I like to finish what I start," Hao answered with a wicked grin.
Kimaguire saw Hao kneel down above her, and she kicked him in the stomach and jumped up as Hao cringed. Kimaguire ran down the hallway, her feet making soft noises as if being cushioned. But then she ran into a wall.
"A wall?" Kimaguire sniffled, a tear falling down her cheek. A hand whipped her around, and Hao stood there, his hand on her shoulder.
"There's nothing you can do now," Hao whispered.
--
Yoh, Garo, Faust, Ren, and Manta were gathered around Kimaguire's unconscious body. They stared at it blankly.
"Where's Hao?" Yoh asked.
"I don't know," Ren shrugged.
Garo narrowed his eyes in confusion. "If Yoh is this girl's boyfriend… then are you her fiancé? Oh, she's cheating on you, Yoh."
Ren became bright red. "I am NOT Kimaguire's fiancé, I'm her brother!"
"Okay, that makes sense," Garo nodded. Manta swerved his head around the plain room.
"Uh… guys, where's Anna?" Manta asked in confusion. Faust looked around too.
"Yes," Faust agreed, "she's not in here."
Ren scoffed. "Go find her if you like, I'm not moving from this spot!"
"You really are devoted, Ren…" Yoh began. "You really are… you deserve her more than I do…"
"No I don't," Ren objected.
"We both love her," Yoh pointed out, "but if she were to die, you'd probably kill yourself, wouldn't you?"
"Maybe," Ren sighed. He was obviously lying.
"If anything were to happen to her, we'd both kill ourselves, Ren. You don't have to deny it. You consider yourself her brother, but inside you love her… a lot."
Manta looked on with wide eyes as Ren stood above Kimaguire, his kwan dao in the crook of his arm, and his eyes lowered.
"I… suppose so…" Ren became all business again. "If Hao comes back for her –"
"I doubt that," Anna called from the doorway. Every eye in the room turned to her.
"Why do you doubt it?" Garo asked, a bit lost and confused.
"He's unconscious the next room over," Anna shrugged. "Rather odd, that the both of them would be unconscious at the same time…"
Faust's eyes grew a bit wider. "I know what this is. It's ten-en – heaven-fire. The wielder of the technique takes his own consciousness and the consciousness of another person. The two people then meet each other in a hall filled with torches and flame, as spirits – hence, heaven-fire."
"Wonderful," Garo sneered.
"Who is that kid, anyway?" Ren asked Yoh.
"My last opponent in the Shaman Fight," Yoh responded. "Pretty good fighter."
Ren shrugged. "Now how do we save Kimaguire if she's in the spirit realm?"
"We use ten-en," Anna responded. Everyone in the room looked at her.
"Why?" Garo whined. "I don't want to be a spirit."
"How are we going to do that?" Manta asked.
"Ten-en is a simple technique. I was taught how to use it in my training…" Anna pulled of her prayer beads and placed them on the ground. Anna placed her hands at her side and began to chant, making the beads glow with power. One by one, everyone fell, Ren being the last.
Anna opened her eyes, and then her eyes closed again. She fainted, but her hands rested on her beads.
--
Anna, Faust, Ren, Yoh, Manta, and Garo landed in the hallway. Yoh heard the soft whimper of Kimaguire and immediately ran in that direction.
"Did you hear that?" Yoh asked Manta.
"Hear what?" Manta asked.
"That's Kimaguire."
Everyone followed Yoh, and they eventually found a dead end. In that dead end was Kimaguire and Hao.
Kimaguire was in the corner of a dead end, and Hao had just been knocked over. As he got up, he saw the group of people above him.
"Guys!" Kimaguire cried.
"Well, well… how'd you get here?" Hao asked the group.
"It doesn't matter!" Ren yelled. "Give us Kimaguire!"
Hao narrowed his eyes. "I remember you. Ren Tao, isn't it? You're her half-brother, right?"
"It doesn't matter what I am!" Ren cried as he jumped up. "VORPAL DANCE!"
Yoh gasped. Ren's over soul had equipped in less than .2 seconds. Ren thought he had hit Hao, so he dropped down and frowned. "Was I the only one that brought my over soul?"
Something struck Ren in the stomach. Kimaguire screamed. Hao smiled.
"It doesn't matter if I have the Spirit of Fire or not," Hao sneered, "I'm still more powerful than you ever will be."
Ren fell to the ground, grabbing his stomach and doubling over. He coughed up some blood, which splattered on the ground, but when he got up, he was smiling.
"Are you crazy?" Garo yelled.
"You're dying!" Yoh cried.
"Not exactly," Ren grinned.
--
Horohoro stared at Hao's unconscious body, resting in Kimaguire's room.
"All right, there's Hao," Horohoro shrugged. "So where's the rest of the gang?"
Horohoro saw that Hao was holding onto some beads similar to Anna's, only they were red instead of purple.
Horohoro frowned, and wretched the beads out of Hao's hands.
--
Hao had disappeared, and so had Kimaguire. Manta turned to Anna. "Okay, what happened?"
"There are only two ways to drop out of ten-en," Anna explained. "The itako can choose to drop out, or the itako's beads have to be taken out of the itako's hands."
"We have to leave here," Faust stated.
Anna nodded, and then focused. In a flash, everyone was back in their bodies and splayed on Ren's floor.
--
"Why'd you do that?" Hao asked Horohoro coolly. Horohoro smiled.
"Because I can!" Horohoro yelled happily. The entire gang – plus Kimaguire – entered the room where Horohoro was with Hao.
"Nice job, Horohoro!" Yoh cheered.
"Who's this dip?" Garo asked offhandedly.
Ren slunk away from the crowd and hid behind a bookcase near Hao. He placed his kwan dao in his hand, and Kimaguire knew what he was going to do – kill Hao while he was off guard.
Anna had another plan, however. She began to murmur things under her breath so no one would hear, and just before Ren emerged from his hiding spot, a blinding flash of light pierced the room.
--
"What… what is this?" Hao asked. Anna walked towards him, her prayer beads in her hand.
"Just erasing your memories of Kimaguire," Anna replied.
"Why…?"
Anna frowned. "It's for your own good. You realize that it's either this or be killed by Ren, right?"
"Ren's going to kill me?" Hao inquired incredulously.
"He'll try," Anna told him. "Just comply, okay?"
Hao nodded, and then closed his eyes as Anna used her skills to help her best friend. But she came across a memory.
She had to. I understand. There was no way. She was dying, and there was absolutely nothing that could be done.
Still, I guess she wanted that child, so she asked for some help from Kino. Not a wise choice, but nevertheless, Kino saw what was left of the dead fetus. It disturbed me, so I was not there.
Kino was a great itako, so it was no problem for her. Our child is, indeed, alive. Although our child is only two, Opachao is quite smart, and talks animatedly.
It's the one memory I want Kimaguire to keep suppressed. I told her that she, at one point, was pregnant with my child, but I don't want her to know that I still house and care for our child… our darling baby –
Anna didn't erase this memory, even though she concealed the rest of Hao's memories involving Kimaguire. Anna messed around with the memory, so that Hao didn't know whose child it was…
Anna figured it was better for the both of them, and she floated over to Kimaguire's brain.
Just some old memories to erase…
--
The light faded. Hao opened his eyes, and Anna clutched her beads tightly. Kimaguire inhaled heavily, waiting for Hao to say something. Ren rejoined the group without being seen.
"What am I doing here?" Hao asked himself. He shrugged, and walked out the door.
The gang was speechless, but they all turned to Anna.
"Well, that's one problem taken care of," Anna sighed, following Hao out the door.
--
Fifteen years later, Kimaguire was twenty-nine. She pulled a white veil over her face. She had waited for this day for so long, ever since she was fourteen. Today was the day she became the official Shaman Queen.
Anna, Kimaguire's maid of honor, tied the bow on the back of Kimaguire's white dress. Anna's slinky black bridesmaid number made her look very professional and very pretty.
"I'm happy for you guys," Anna smiled. Kimaguire grinned back.
"But aren't you a bit hurt… that your parents cancelled the arranged marriage?"
"Oh," Anna said. "About that… they arranged a new marriage for me."
"Really?" Kimaguire asked. "With who?"
Anna turned a shade of pink. "You don't know him."
What would you do if I told you I was engaged to Hao Asakura? Probably nothing... Not with both his and your memories erased. I don't worry about you, Kimaguire.
Kimaguire stood up and picked up her bouquet of roses. She was about to walk out the door when she turned to Anna. "Come on, Anna!"
Anna smiled and followed her best friend.
I don't worry about you at all.
The End
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King.
A/N: This is the official end to the story. I'm sorry to say that I will not continue this story, because I feel it has sufficiently ended. And this is my Christmas gift to all of my loyal fans… I don't have many, but I love them to death…
Ren: Merry Christmas, everyone… don't get drunk off of eggnog, like I did last night…
(Satine giggles)
Satine: Oh yes. I remember that…