A/N: This is a gift for Shaza due to my horrifying laziness. If you're a devoted HaoXAnna fan, this is for you (but mainly for Shaza, of course).

ONE – MEDIOCRITY

Her hands groped in the darkness of the closet to uncover several books out of the clutter of paper, ragged dolls, and old wrappers from various sources. Magazines of entertainment and even a shaman magazine dumped onto the floor. She flipped through several of the books and picked out two she thought would be useful to her.

Long ago, he had left a book behind for her. Actually, it was not definitely left for her but it was something he may have expected her to read before that day happened. She thought silently of what reading it might mean. The other book that laid on the ground was blank. She knew it without having to open it. She left the mess as it was and left the room quietly. There wasn't much for her in there.

She entered the kitchen and seemed almost surprised that no one waited for her. She had half-expected that he would wait for her. She sighed and set the two books on the table and decided to make something for herself. Occasionally, people at school would ask her what had happened to Yoh. She said it wasn't her business to tell her and it wasn't.

Anna Kyouyama sighed at the empty pot as the foggy complexion kept her from seeing her true image. She didn't care at that point. She never cared. A part of her walked out the door when Yoh was no longer there.

To get to the point, it had been four years since the shaman fight had ended and there was no word. At some point in the competition with unforeseen circumstances, all who were not contestants were instructed to leave. Not to stir any trouble, she agreed to leave as well. The shaman fight had ended but the results were unknown. Whoever was the shaman king didn't seem to do a thing.

Anna strolled to the calendar and marked off another day. It would be three days before her birthday. Secretly, she wished he would return on that day to surprise her. No—she told herself—if he would fulfill that wish, he would have done that three other times.

As an update, Anna Kyouyama was approaching toward college entrance exams, which had considerably taken her mind off of many things. It was a very good distraction and sought to make it into a college whatever it would take. She knew it was a bad place where to place her value but her value as a shaman was no longer there without the shaman fight. She thought about summoning spirits to find Yoh but they came back empty-handed. She was suspicious for a while and then she grew bored and gave up.

Tamao Tamamura returned home at night and didn't say a word. Over the years, Anna watched as the apprentice of the Asakura family had become far more than an apprentice. Anna had always given the same sort of respect Tamao, if not greater than Anna gave to others, but now, Tamao had measured up to earn that respect. They both went to the same school although Tamao was a grade lower. She was a far cry from a stereotyped popular but was greatly admired in her grade for her originality from personality to clothing. This had made her part of the student council but she didn't contribute much and no one really minded. Her random ideas often provided enough motivation to fulfill her role as secretary.

In her grade, Anna saw herself as an outcast. Many boys had asked her out on several occasions and she would always turn them down. She continued to read minds of her classmates, and told their secrets through devastating rumors as a way to punish them for condemning her. Friendships were torn in pieces, rivalries were formed, and people fought one another. It was a wonderful way for her to observe the human specimen.

"Where is Manta?" Anna asked politely. Tamao shrugged. Manta Oyamada had grown up over the years. The mother's side of height had finally kicked into him. It is generally known that sons tended to take after the genes from their mother's side. He was fairly popular as his height had stabilized but he, like Anna, had turned down many other girls who had once condemned him for being too short just a few years ago. Manta never said anything about Yoh. She never asked why and they all kept it to that.

Out of all circumstances when Tamao had returned, Anna had noticed something peculiar.

"Is that Manta's?" Anna asked Tamao as she pointed to the package at the door.

"I think so. I didn't order anything." Tamao shrugged. Anna went to check the package, flipped it over, and saw Manta Oyamada's name on it as she suspected. However, what she didn't suspect was the return address. She looked around and took the parcel. "Is it Manta's?" she heard Tamao call from kitchen.

"It's for me!" Anna lied. "My shirt I bought from eBay came in today." She explained and took the box to her room. "Make dinner." Tamao didn't respond as Anna didn't need to repeat herself. Tamao never spoke too much. As Anna withdrew to her room and locked the door, she felt very conscious of whoever may or may not be watching. She closed the blinds and set the parcel on her mattress and examined the return address.

No word in three years—she remembered.

The return address was printed with Yoh Asakura's name.