It was inevitable that rain began to fall. Hao looked up with mock surprise.

"Huh," he said staring at the sky. "Well, no matter. A little rain won't hurt, not even a fire shaman."

Anna concentrated. If she could locate one tiny crack…

Just one crack… please…

Yoh didn't trust himself to speak. He was still trying to put aside his anger, but it wasn't working. His mind was a whirlwind.

Save Anna—kill Hao—no, don't kill—but Anna—bring her back—bring her back—bring her back—HAO!

"Yoh-dono!" Amidamaru tried to yell, but Yoh was already moving towards his twin brother.

Anna dropped to her knees gasping, already exhausted. But she stood up and closed her eyes again.

I have to try harder…

"Let Anna go," he said, coming close to snarling. Easy-going Asakura Yoh didn't lash out in anger, not unless somebody important to him was in trouble.

"If you win," Hao shrugged.

"Kisama," Ren said. Horo Horo and the others agreed.

Hao smiled.

CREVICE

Anna was flying.

Floating steadily through a dark blanket of pure black, she moved on and on.

I have to find a flaw. One little split. Just one. One—

Her body slammed against the bed. She grit her teeth. Hao was so powerful, it was frightening.

She lay on the bed for a while. Tears threatened to come, but she still fought. I won't—

"Give up," Hao said, grinning. Yoh was on the ground.

"Yoh—" Horo began, but he got no further. Yoh staggered up again. He faced Hao, and resumed fighting stance.

"Ah," Hao said, not looking surprised. "You're really going to try—"

Again. Try again. Keep trying, until you break the barrier. Come on, Anna!

Anna was on the verge of blacking out. He spiritual powers were being spent fast.

"I will not give up," she said, and she closed her eyes again.

The floating sensation came back. The pitch-black tunnel. Not one hint of a fissure. The darkness, closing in, faster than before.

There.

Anna was thrown back into the door less room with a violent thud, but she shined with hope. Just before the barrier had shoved her back, she located the break.

She found herself speaking aloud. "Wait for me, Y—"

"—oh-kun!" Manta cried out.

"Yoh!"

"Yoh-sama!"

"Yoh—!"

"Yoh-dono!"

"Your friends can cheer all they want, Otouto," Hao said. "But you can't win. We all know it."

"Maybe," Yoh said, and he stood up. He had taken so many blows, and yet… "Maybe not."

Hao's eyes narrowed a bit. "You're certainly very—"

Persistent, Anna thought. That's what I have to be, if I'm going to break the wall down.

, Anna thought.

She closed her eyes. This time she was sitting in a lotus position, with her hands forming finger shapes of ancient spiritual ceremony.

Break it.

Break it.

Break it.

If I ever want to see you again, I have to—

"—defeat me, or kill me. Kill, more likely. But my point is, you want to see Anna again, don't you?"

"I won't kill you," Yoh said quietly.

"Pity," Hao said. "Your jump in strength would have been a lot better." He paused, studying Yoh with a serious countenance. "Though you are reasonably strong as it is. It's quite amazing how you are still standing."

"Yoh!" Ren suddenly yelled out. "Don't be a fool. Let us fight, too!"

"He's right, Yoh!" Horo said. In normal cases Yoh really would have listened. He was agreeing with Ren, after all.

"We can't just sit by and watch, Yoh-sama!" Ryu was gripping his wooden sword tightly.

"Sorry, guys…" Yoh said. "But I can't let anyone else get hurt."

"That, Yoh," Hao said, unsmiling and glimmering with something like annoyance. "is why you're not as strong as you should be. I think Anna would agree with me on this one."

"No, I wouldn't."

Everyone froze, including Hao.

Anna was there, in her white yukata, clutching her beads with trembling rage.

"Anna…" Yoh was looking at her with an explosion of emotions. Surprise, relief, joy, confusion, relief again, and…

She looked at him, and her eyes seemed to soften a bit. But then she faced Hao, with a kind of hatred shimmering in her eyes.

"You surprise me again, Anna-chan," Hao said. "I didn't expect you this soon. I apologize for doubting your strength."

"I don't accept your empty apologies," she said. Everyone held his or her breath. What would happen now? "And don't call me Anna-chan."

"Hai, hai," Hao sighed. He turned to Yoh, who was using his sword for support. "We'll have to finish this another time, Otouto."

"Nani!" Ren and the rest exclaimed.

"Aa," said Hao. "If Yoh won, I would have restored Anna to her body. If I won, which was what was happening, by the way, I would have been allowed to take Anna's body. But we never accounted for her escape, because I assumed she would take much longer. I guess this makes the duel null and void."

"If that's the case," Ren said, drawing his spear. "Then I am no longer interfering if I kill you."

"I guess," Hao shrugged. He hummed merrily. "I should be going. See you at the tournament Yoh." And then, as an afterthought, he added: "Though I'm pretty sure Anna will come to me in the end."

Before anything else, Hao was on the shoulder of his fire spirit, flying far away.

And then the strangest thing happened. Both Anna and Yoh collapsed.

WAHHH!

This was so hard to write! That's why it took kinda long. Up to now, I'm not happy with the result. I guess I'll just try to fix it later.

Anyway! One last chapter to go. And it shall also have my excuses—I mean, explanations. You know, like why I couldn't bring myself to kill Hao off, or even let him get defeated, and such. And a whole bunch of other fluff crap, because I'm a shallow, shallow one.

I shan't dillydally any longer. Time to post this chapter!