----------

"Unnhh.." Anna woke up at the sound of a muffled thunder. 'Why is it darker than usual?' She asked
herself before giving Yoh a nudge at the ribs. THUD. It sent him rolling right next to her from atop.

"Huh? the boards...they're gone.." She spoke to herself, probably assumed that Yoh was already
awake... '..wait, Yoh!' She mentally screamed. "YOH!" She grabbed a handful of his hair and
shook him hard. "Wake up Y-" She felt something both dry and sticky; made her come to an
abrupt halt mentally and physically.

Blood

'Kuso..must have been those damn boards' She tried to examine the wound, because the room was
poorly lit,. 'It's dry..' She touched the wound and was rewarded a soft moan. 'The blood crusted
all over the cut..it stopped the flow...for now..i think..' She decided to find any kind of source that
would give off light, even a little glow stick would do. just so she could check on him. To see if
he would be alright. No, to make sure he'd be alright. She was worried, afterall. This moment
sure is similar to those days, she thought, while rummaging through the kitchen's cabinets.
Those days when she'd try so hard not to, but would always end up taking off a few of her masks.
Just so she could reach him, so she could check on him, to make sure...

She slid the last drawer open to find something she'd expected to be broken. 'Flashlight!'
She hurried over to his side, quickly dropped to her knees and flashed some light over to
his wound. 'knew it...' She grabbed the first aid kit that she kept in one of those cabinets.

'Damn...why is it so cold all of a sudden? is it snowing? and where's the wind if there's a friggin'
thunderstorm?' She reached out to the windows to move it aside. 'It's stuck...jeez..I can't see a
thing! what's goin' on?'

"uhhnhhh.." She shrugged her thoughts aside, thinking Yoh would need more attention.

------------------------

"Please! just calm down!"

"NoO! Not what after YOU did! you little-"

"What did I do, hm?" He was getting tired of this. Yoh had tried to help the old lady for almost
as long as he can remeber. She just wouldn't budge..maybe she can't be help. She's as
crazy as she looks. White nightdress with fresh bloodstains, typical widow in total confusion.
Does she even know she's dead? he thought, shifting his position.

"YOU! you have insulted me! I have powers, you know!" She screamed.

"Eh..? well..give it a shot." 'Powers? oh yeah..she's dead alright.' He smirked.

"AgghHH! YOUUU! I'm going to make you SUFFER! Weakness.." She took a step towards him.
"i'll read your mind..." Another step. "..and find your weakness.."

Yoh grinned. "Weakness? ..Sorry, iv'e got nothing to loose right now!" he puffed his chest. "And i
believe my training took it out off me a long time ago.."

She was silent, only to stare at him icily, as if reading his mind for real. Minutes passed by,
but the both were still silent. He was getting really really tired. Nothing was gonna happen, he
knew it by instinct.

"See?" His grin grew wider. "There's nothing that could poss-" A sudden grab at his back
made him stop. It was the lady's turn to grin.

"Yoh.." The figure clung on to him, it's voice soft and alien.

"Y-yohhh.." It repeated. He tried to pry the hands away, but the grasp on to his shirt was
strong. 'That's it, im breaking your bones!' Just before he fisted his hands to strike, the
figure yelled his name, audible and clear. "YOH!" Blood spattered on his shirt and pants.
And this time, he knew whom it belonged. 'Anna...'

"Help me...Yoh.." Her grip loosened, and she slid falling beneath him. "H-help..."

He froze, staring at her bloodied form on the ground. 'I don't believe this...I DON'T!'
His mind was ready to blow. 'There's no way...NO WAY that she could be here..NO!'
Looking back at the figure, he furrowed his brows. 'I'm not giving in!' He clenched
his fists, ignoring the figure beneath him. 'blood! there's too much blood!'

"THIS-IS-NOT-REAL!" He screamed.He found himself unmoving, panting, and his fists shaking.
Blood covered her lithe body. Cuts, bruises, were littered randomly to her skin. what the
hell happened? more importantly, how could HE let this happen? 'NO! this isn't real! not at all!'

"Yoh..help me..p-please.." And with that last whimper, he dropped to his knees and took her in his arms,
which were shaking violently. Seeing anna cry was nightmare enough. But this, THIS! This was HEll!
Hell and everything beyond it! This scene that played before him...this was his...true weakness.

"Anna stay with me! I'm taking you to Faust!" He positioned her so he can lift her.

"Aaauughh!" She screamed, her eyes filled with tears. "No! dont lift me! It hurts..so much.."
He stiffened, he was fresh out of options..he was loosing her.

She spat more blood, it slid down to her cheek. He wiped it off, even if it didn't help. It kept on flowing.
He couldn't stand staring at her any longer. He couldn't stand hearing her gasp a little louder as
it pumped blood off her mouth. He couldn't stand watching her die. He couldn't stand it when
she was leaving him, and there was nothing he could do.

"I'mghh..Shoohrry...Yohh.." more blood. She raised her face to see him one last time.

"I'm not ready to say goodbye, Anna..so stay with me!" Something. He thought, do something!
Instead, he squinted his eyes and hugged her tight. 'No, not yet! Not like this!'
But he could feel her aura slip away, like trying to catch fish with bare hands.

"Don't go...ANNAAAA!"

-----------------------

"DON'T GO!" He bolted up, not even daring to open his eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere, Yoh." Came a soft reply.

He turned to the source of the voice, and opened his eyes. "Anna..." He sighed and hugged her.
He didn't care if he'd be getting a slap or a bash. He just wanted to hug her, because it didn't
feel right thinking that everything was just a dream. He snaked his arms around her waist, his body
trembling slightly. It wasn't like him, he thought, being this scared and paranotic all of a sudden.

"I was so scared...It was so real! and you, you-"

"Bad dream, Yoh" She interrupted, and surprisingly returned the hug. "Bad dream.."

"Ahh.." Was the only word he could muster, and tightened his hold around her waist. He noticed
the atmosphere colder than he remembered, the lights were still out, and a single beam of
dim light that came from a flshlight.

"What's wrong?"

"Like you said.." He breathed, inhaling her scent. "Bad dream...but it was so real.." He closed his
eyes, hoping it would rid the scenes of his nightmare, and buried his face on her soulder.

"Yoh...THIS is real..isn't it?"

He simply nodded.

'She IS my weakness...yet my strength...this...my deepest secret..' He thought while closing the
gap between them by tightening the hug. 'A secret that i've overlooked...8 years..' (1)

Outside, the storm still brewed and the layers of ice were as thick as ever. Time passed, but
unluckily for them, nightfall has yet to come.

-------------------------------

(1) they met at the age of 10, right? so..8 years, that kinda makes
them both 18.So Anna's got that hotel thing she dreamed but she's
hired someone to run the business, cause' the gang's having a vacation.

(2)Yoh won the title of shaman king uhmm..3 years ago! i'll put it that way..

yeah! chapter 4 dooooone! thanx 4 readin', and review pleaz!