Disclaimer: As usual, I do NOT own 'Shaman King' or any anime and their original characters. If there is a character or story that you never heard of before in here, it's mine and mine alone!

AN: This time, it's really shorter!

Shaman King: Ghosts of Hatred

A Cold Day – Part Three: I'll be there for you

Thursday, 20:13 at night.

"Ouch…"Yoh rubbed the bruise on his head, with or without his spirit's help, Geno sure pack quite a punch. It's been thirty minutes since he and Geno went their separate ways. By then, more of the lamppost had lit up the night sky. The temperature had drop drastically by the time the sun had set. Yoh wouldn't be surprise if it will snow tonight.

Yoh fished into his pocket, and pulled out a small business card. Earlier, Geno told him some known facts about his new spirit.

"So far we haven't identify all the abilities of this new prototype spirit," Geno said with a serious tone," That means that we don't know what it could react to. In an unstable condition, it would cause mutation…"

"As much as I want to reclaim it back from you, once the spirit have found a suitable host, it would be difficult to persuade it to leave…"

"The worst case is that, the spirit could change your character if your not strong enough…" Geno expression than returned to a cheerful grin, "But don't worry about it, I know you can handle it, if not I wouldn't have entrust it to you in the first place!"

"Trust me, huh?" Yoh flipped the card over, it has Geno's contact number all over it. "I guess it shouldn't let a friend down…"

Yoh smiled to himself as he places the card back into his pocket. As the night grew colder Yoh picked up the pace. It wasn't long till he made his way backed to the inn. From the outside, Yoh discovered the place to be completely devoid of light. Not in any window was there a shine.

But Yoh didn't think too much of it, with the threat of hypothermia at large. Yoh quickly took of his shoes and entered the house noisily.

"Amidamaru?" Yoh called out to his partner.

Yet the silence remains. Yoh did not like this feeling. Amidamaru always appear before him whenever he calls for him. Suddenly the house felt colder than outside, as if an untold evil had risen from the grave and set up residence here. Walking through the house, Yoh was half expecting some zombie to jump out from the corner to make an attempt on his brain…

"Yoh…"

A voice rang out from the abyss. A cold evil voice, dripping with malice, as if the words were spoken by death itself. The room temperature plumbed below sub-arctic level. Yoh developed Goosebumps on every square inch of his skin. Taking very slow steps, Yoh twirl around to face the owner of the voice.

Leaning against the wall with a binded Amidamaru, was Anna in her yukata holding a very big, very menacing spiked baseball bat slash makeshift morning star.

Yoh swallowed hard.

"H-hai, Anna-"

Anna gave him a look that silence him. At that moment, Yoh knew that he was going to died, long and slow.

"So you finally decide to come home, eh?" She advance slowly with the bat close behind.

"No! Wait! It's not!"

"Urusai!" Anna was tapping the bat on her left palm. Yoh took a lot of steps back.

"Do you have any idea how long I've wait for you!" She walked closer, "Did you had fun with your girlfriends!"

"NO! Anna wait! I can explain!"

"Sssssure you can…!" The look in her eyes tells Yoh that she was beyond reason.

The house then became a ground for domestic violence.


Seventy-two clomberings later…

"No really! I swear! Look if you don't believe here," Yoh took out Geno's card, "Look! This is the friend I met, he can confirm my words!"

Anna took and card and eyed it suspiciously, as if checking for any booby-traps. Then she looked back at Yoh and her eyes widen.

Shaking with fury, "So, Miss Geno, huh?"

"Miss? No he's a"

"Don't you mean 'she'!" She then pulled a long, dark hair from his shoulder..

"Huh? How did that" Then Yoh remembered the girl he saved, "Oh! I remember!"

"I'm ssssure you do, she must have been very hot girl, huh!"

"All I did was to cover her to" Yoh then realize what he just said, by then it was too late.

"OH REALLY! YOU TWO MUST HAD BEEN VERY CLOSE!"

"NO WAIT! It's not what it sounds like….!"

Too late.


Forty-eight clomberings later…

"Anna! Wait, stop! I can prove it! Look," Yoh, battered and bruised, attempt to summon out Sapphiron.

Master! I must warn you! Without another medium, I cannot

Once again, the message came too late to Yoh's mind.

A blinding light erupted from Yoh, both Amidamaru and Anna stare at it. When Sapphiron appear, he was of the same azure colour that Yoh first saw him. It's body became crystallize as it takes shape. Soon, the spirit appeared from the light.

At first Anna and Amidamaru were impress, Anna even thought of forgiving Yoh… Until she realize what shape that spirit was in.

Shaking from uncontrollable rage, Anna once again returned to the status of an active volcano.

"Erm, Yoh…Is this some kind of a JOKE!"

"Oh my…Yoh-dono! I would never in a million years thought that you would be capable of such…." Amidamaru stuttered, lost for words.

"Huh? What are you guy" Then Yoh took a better look, a closer look at Sapphiron's shape, then he saw what they saw. "What the! This is your true form!"

"As I was trying to tell you, without another medium, I 'm force to taken up the shape that I was place in by my creators…as you can see, they have a sick sense of humor…" Spoke the thing.

"But do you have to look like …like…THAT!"

(AN: Dear readers, if you have to ask, you're too young to know!)

Sapphiron shook what looks like his…er… 'Head', "They insisted that they were drunk when we asked for a non-gay explanation…"

That's when Amidamaru couldn't stand it any longer, "YOH-DONO! How could you replace me with such a…a…monstrosity!" Sapphiron sweatdropped.

"'Replace'?NO wait! Who said anything about"

By then, Amidamaru float up the stairs, crying like a little girl.

Yoh and Sapphiron stared, finally Yoh broke the silence, "Ooookkayy, that was weird…"

"Truly, it's a sight you don't normally find from big, strong samurai…"

"Eh hem…"

Anna was standing there, tapping her foot, and looking ready to kill.

"Oh-oh…" Yoh quickly recalled Sapphiron back into his body. Then turned to face Anna.

Master, there might be one more card you can play…


Twenty-four clomberings later…

Or maybe not…

Yoh had his backs against the wall, this was it, he was going to die right here, right now. Not by Hao, not by the X-LAWS, not even by the Tao family, but by the woman he…

Yoh then flashed a cheerfulgrin, which surprised Anna.

"What are you so happy about!"

Yoh looked up with that same trademark smile, "Oh nothing… Just thinking about what you would look like in the wedding gown…"

Time stops.

"W-what?"

"You know, the one that you're gonna wear for our wedding," said Yoh in a relaxed matter, "I don't know why, but these days I've thinking about it a lot…"

Blood rushed to Anna's head.

"W-Why are you thinking of such nonsense?"

Yoh looked at her, "It's not 'nonsense', Anna… It's the most important thing of my life…"

If possible, Anna's blush deepens.

It's now or never, Yoh took a deep breath and approach her. "I really want to see it, Anna…"

"I-I…?"

Before she could react, Yoh had his arms around her in a passionate embrace. Anna was speechless.

"Y-Yoh…!"

"You have every right to be angry at me…" Yoh spoke in a soft and relax tone, "I know I didn't keep my promise to you, I didn't become the Shaman King, I wasn't able to give you an easy life…"

"But I just want to let you know that I'll be there for you…" Yoh whispered into her ears, " Nothing is this world can force me away…"

He then kissed her softly on the cheek.

At that moment, Anna's anger had dissolve. It was almost as if a spell had been broken. Her eyes watered, and her body became relaxed. She had forgiven Yoh, but she's not gonna show it.

SLAM!

"Asakura Yoh! Don't even think about worming your way out of this one!" She stomped up the stairs, "There will be no dinner for you tonight!"

Yoh was a bit disoriented from the crash, he picked himself up unsteadily, "But Anna…!"

"But nothing!" She continued her stomping, "You're gonna be staying out side in the freezing cold, with no blanket, no sheets or anything along those lines! Got it!" With that said she went to her room and slam the door.

Silence.

I think the lady had forgiven you…

"Ya, me too…Call me crazy, but the whole experience seem to be little déjà vu… "


Thursday, 23:56 in the middle of the night…

Anna kept staring at the ceiling, she couldn't sleep.

No matter how much she twist and turn, she couldn't get the words out of her head.

I'll be there for you…

Turn to the right.

I really want to see it, Anna…

Turn to the left.

You have every right to be angry with me…

Anna had enough. She sat upright and kicked the cover away in frustration. "What's wrong with me…!" She muttered to herself.

Anna knows that she's been hard on Yoh these days. She immediately regretted her actions in this earlier today. Yoh didn't approach any of those girls, they came to him. Yet, she still takes it out on him. She didn't even bother to listen to him. She was lost in her anger. Then the way she treated him just now…

You have every right to be angry with me…

"No I don't…" She whispered, "You deserve better than that…"

Yoh had never let her down before. He had always exceed her expectations. Be it as a shaman or a husband…

Just thinking about what you would look like in the wedding gown…

Anna felt her face warmed up again. She places her palm on the spot where Yoh kissed. It felt warm. It was a comfortable feeling.

"Yoh…"

This is all my fault…Anna thought to herself. I should have given him the benefit of a doubt. I should have trusted him… Didn't I always said that? To Manta, to Silva…

"I'm sorry…Yoh"

She got up and left her room. Outside, it was pitch black and frigid. She walked across to his room, and found it empty.

You're gonna be staying out side in the freezing cold, with no blanket, no sheets or anything along those lines! Got it!

"Oh no…" She stared in these disbelief, "Don't tell me he really…"

She quickly race down, Yoh was no where to be seen. She then put on her coat and ran outside. Just a few hours ago, she hear the weather report that tonight's temperature would fall below zero degrees.

"What have I done…" She was on the verge of tears. "I didn't really mean it…"

She still couldn't find Yoh anywhere. There was only one place left where Yoh could be. She ran back into to his room and grab a thick blanket. Decided that it wasn't enough, she grab her own blanket as well as other one from the guestroom. She then climbs up to the roof.

Sure enough, there he was. Curled up in a ball. As she approaches him, she could see something in his arm. She bent down and took a better look.

It was his blazer. The one that he left this morning. The one that she brought for him…

"Baka… Why aren't you wearing it now…" She murmured

"Anna…." Yoh was sleep talking, "…I'm sorry…"

No, Yoh, Anna thought to herself. She couldn't control her tears anymore, she didn't even bother to, I'm sorry…

She bent forward to kiss him on the cheek. He was shivering uncontrollably.

She then proceeds to cover him with the blankets. He was still shaking. She then move in under the cover. She kneels down, and settles into it. She lies down, stiffly. Seeing that he was still cold, she hug on to his arm and brought her body closer to his.

She looked back up into the sky, the stars were beautiful tonight.

She realize that her soon-to-be husband was no longer shaking. She then began to relax.

Years ago, she remember being cold and hunger every night. Every night she would wish for someone to love her, someone to keep her warm.

"No, you did keep a promise Yoh," She thought before she fell asleep, "You had never left me…"

That's when it started to snow.


23:59:58

23:59:59

00:00:00


AN: Finally! Please leave your GOOD comments before you leave. I like to thank you for reading this. You could be busy with anything else in the world, but you're here, and I appreciate that. The next chapter would action-packed!

P.S. : This is the first time I write about romance. How was it? What can I do to improve?