Lightning-Dono: The more I write this fanfic, the more I love it! Unlike that...other one that I thought was going to be so great and successful. *shifty eyes towards "Drowning in a Nightmare"* Thanks everyone for your reviews and words of inspiration and corrections! It's helped me greatly! =D
Yoh: I'm not going to be beaten, am I?
Lightning-Dono: Why would I not let you beat someone that caused the reason why your grandpa want to kill you when you were born?
Yoh: I don't know.
Lightning-Dono: You'll be fine. I edited out a word in here. It was in japanese, but if you knew what it was, it wouldn't be considered a PG fic anymore. o___o This chapter is short, okay? I want to save stuff for the next chapter.
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Anna screamed as the Inn exploded. Yoh jumped up and pulled her away as wreckage and burned wood fell from above.
"Yoh...How could anyone do something so terrible?" She asked, sobbing.
"I-I don't know..." He pulled her closer to him.
A few yards away, Manta was absoloutly traumatized.
"No one's in there, right Yoh? Anna?" Manta pestered, running over to Yoh with a panicked look on his face.
"I don't think there is," Yoh replied softly, still shaken by all of this. "And if there was...I'm sorry..."
Hao took this as a signal for him to start running at the mouth.
"See, Yoh? See how weak you are? You care for mortals, such as yourself, of course. Then you now no longer have the will to fight me!" He laughed evilly.
Yoh stood up, bruised, but still willing to fight.
"I'm not stopping until you've been killed. Or vice versa."
"Hmph. Pathetic mortals, such as you-," Hao indicated Yoh with the wave of hand. "-will never become great Shamans. Much less earn the title of 'Shaman King'."
"I'VE HEARD ENOUGH OUT OF THAT MOUTH FOR TONIGHT!" Yoh jumped up and slashed at the stick one last time. It burst open and a river of lava spewed out of it. Hao was surrounded by it, but it didn't seem to affect him, although he did stagger backwards, catching himself just in time before he fell into the pool of lava behind him.
Tamao broke from Eliza's control and grabbed Manta's hand forcefully.
"Manta, we have to go!"
"But what about Anna...?" He glanced back at Anna, who was standing there quietly, watching Yoh.
"If you guys don't want to join the afterlife, go, and NOW!" Anna threw a threatening look at him.
"But what about you...?"
The beads in Anna's hand rattled restlessly.
"I'll stay here and help Yoh. You guys go on."
Tamao's expression softened towards the teenage girl standing there boldly, surrounded by the thick, burning liquid.
"GO!"
Tamao grabbed Manta's hand and they fled into the woods, Manta casting a frightful look back at Yoh.
Hao was standing there, unharmed.
"You can't beat me, Yoh. Face it."
"How could you do this?"
"I'm more powerful than you are. Look up."
Yoh obediantly looked up, no longer focusing his furyoku on his sword. Amidamaru floated aimlessly like a milky cloud behind Yoh.
Hao jumped up, grabbed the branch of a tree, and brought it down on Yoh's head, knocking him out.
Anna was horrified by the scene that was playing before her eyes. But the only thing that could come into her mind that didn't concern Yoh was that the tree weren't burnt by the lava.
"Why aren't the trees burning?"
"It would be pitiful to harm nature just to defeat my useless brother."
Hao strut over to Anna in a business-like manner. He reached down and put her hand in his. Anna jerked her hand out.
"What do you think you're doing? Don't touch me!" She lasooed Hao with her beads and drew him close to her. Hao looked dreamily at her, as if he were begging her to do something she wouldn't dream to.
"Hao, don't look at me that way." Anna's voice wavered slightly.
"Why not?"
"Because." Anna's other hand whipped out from behind her back and smacked Hao across the face hard. Hao looked shocked and Anna regained her bad temper.
"WHY did you do it? And to a person who's flesh and blood was shared with you! Why?"
"I hate him."
"Why do you hate him?"
"Look, I don't have time for these stupid questions."
"I DEMAND AN ANSWER!"
"Because he's a copy! A mere copy! We look alike! We have feelings for you! I'm older and existed long before he was even born!" Hao's rage grew as he spewed out all of his inner feelings. Spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted this. "I hate him! I hate his guts! I-,"
Anna clamped her hand over his mouth.
"Hatred doesn't get you anywhere," Anna said quietly, realizing how strange this seemed. The enemy of her future husband talking to her like they were just buddy-buddy and talking about their feelings about things.
"What?"
"I know this for a fact. Do you know a pink-haired girl named Tamao, don't you?"
"Yes." Hao's voice grew cold and stiff again.
Anna loosened the beads around Hao's neck and took them off of him.
"I made a mistake with her. I shouldn't have been so mean towards her. Now I know what can happen if we continue through this path of hatred. This world shouldn't be a world of violence, hate, and danger."
Yoh was half-conscious as he heard these words. "Anna...?" Anna didn't hear his whisper.
"I-I made a mistake! GET OUT OF MY LIFE!" Tears flew from Anna's eyes as she collapsed on the ground on her knees. Supporting herself with weak arms, she continued to cry. Yoh leapt over the pools of lava towards Anna. He put his arm around her shoulder and knelt down by her.
Hao, who was surprised by this sudden outburst, backed away and disappeared back into the woods, not bothering to make amends with Yoh.
"I'll see you again...Yoh." Hao said tauntingly.
"You too, my brother." Yoh nodded seriously in Hao's direction.
"I didn't mean to kick Tamao out...I just got so mad at her! How will I even talk to her again?"
Yoh helped Anna up from the ground.
"Knowing Tamao, she won't be mad at you."
"How? How can she still believe that I'm kind?"
"She might not believe you're kind, but she'll understand," Yoh assured her.
"Yes..."
Yoh and Anna jumped over the pools of lava and walked slowly to the edge of the woods, looking back at what was once their home. And right then, Yoh felt a pang of sadness.
"This must be how Ryu feels all of the time," Yoh remarked sadly.
"Yes...Too bad Hao had to go and ruin everything. But if he hadn't come, I wouldn't have realized how wrong I was about everything."
"Not about EVERYTHING..."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because my Anna is never wrong about everything," Yoh replied, as though he were Anna's father.
Yoh: I'm not going to be beaten, am I?
Lightning-Dono: Why would I not let you beat someone that caused the reason why your grandpa want to kill you when you were born?
Yoh: I don't know.
Lightning-Dono: You'll be fine. I edited out a word in here. It was in japanese, but if you knew what it was, it wouldn't be considered a PG fic anymore. o___o This chapter is short, okay? I want to save stuff for the next chapter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anna screamed as the Inn exploded. Yoh jumped up and pulled her away as wreckage and burned wood fell from above.
"Yoh...How could anyone do something so terrible?" She asked, sobbing.
"I-I don't know..." He pulled her closer to him.
A few yards away, Manta was absoloutly traumatized.
"No one's in there, right Yoh? Anna?" Manta pestered, running over to Yoh with a panicked look on his face.
"I don't think there is," Yoh replied softly, still shaken by all of this. "And if there was...I'm sorry..."
Hao took this as a signal for him to start running at the mouth.
"See, Yoh? See how weak you are? You care for mortals, such as yourself, of course. Then you now no longer have the will to fight me!" He laughed evilly.
Yoh stood up, bruised, but still willing to fight.
"I'm not stopping until you've been killed. Or vice versa."
"Hmph. Pathetic mortals, such as you-," Hao indicated Yoh with the wave of hand. "-will never become great Shamans. Much less earn the title of 'Shaman King'."
"I'VE HEARD ENOUGH OUT OF THAT MOUTH FOR TONIGHT!" Yoh jumped up and slashed at the stick one last time. It burst open and a river of lava spewed out of it. Hao was surrounded by it, but it didn't seem to affect him, although he did stagger backwards, catching himself just in time before he fell into the pool of lava behind him.
Tamao broke from Eliza's control and grabbed Manta's hand forcefully.
"Manta, we have to go!"
"But what about Anna...?" He glanced back at Anna, who was standing there quietly, watching Yoh.
"If you guys don't want to join the afterlife, go, and NOW!" Anna threw a threatening look at him.
"But what about you...?"
The beads in Anna's hand rattled restlessly.
"I'll stay here and help Yoh. You guys go on."
Tamao's expression softened towards the teenage girl standing there boldly, surrounded by the thick, burning liquid.
"GO!"
Tamao grabbed Manta's hand and they fled into the woods, Manta casting a frightful look back at Yoh.
Hao was standing there, unharmed.
"You can't beat me, Yoh. Face it."
"How could you do this?"
"I'm more powerful than you are. Look up."
Yoh obediantly looked up, no longer focusing his furyoku on his sword. Amidamaru floated aimlessly like a milky cloud behind Yoh.
Hao jumped up, grabbed the branch of a tree, and brought it down on Yoh's head, knocking him out.
Anna was horrified by the scene that was playing before her eyes. But the only thing that could come into her mind that didn't concern Yoh was that the tree weren't burnt by the lava.
"Why aren't the trees burning?"
"It would be pitiful to harm nature just to defeat my useless brother."
Hao strut over to Anna in a business-like manner. He reached down and put her hand in his. Anna jerked her hand out.
"What do you think you're doing? Don't touch me!" She lasooed Hao with her beads and drew him close to her. Hao looked dreamily at her, as if he were begging her to do something she wouldn't dream to.
"Hao, don't look at me that way." Anna's voice wavered slightly.
"Why not?"
"Because." Anna's other hand whipped out from behind her back and smacked Hao across the face hard. Hao looked shocked and Anna regained her bad temper.
"WHY did you do it? And to a person who's flesh and blood was shared with you! Why?"
"I hate him."
"Why do you hate him?"
"Look, I don't have time for these stupid questions."
"I DEMAND AN ANSWER!"
"Because he's a copy! A mere copy! We look alike! We have feelings for you! I'm older and existed long before he was even born!" Hao's rage grew as he spewed out all of his inner feelings. Spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted this. "I hate him! I hate his guts! I-,"
Anna clamped her hand over his mouth.
"Hatred doesn't get you anywhere," Anna said quietly, realizing how strange this seemed. The enemy of her future husband talking to her like they were just buddy-buddy and talking about their feelings about things.
"What?"
"I know this for a fact. Do you know a pink-haired girl named Tamao, don't you?"
"Yes." Hao's voice grew cold and stiff again.
Anna loosened the beads around Hao's neck and took them off of him.
"I made a mistake with her. I shouldn't have been so mean towards her. Now I know what can happen if we continue through this path of hatred. This world shouldn't be a world of violence, hate, and danger."
Yoh was half-conscious as he heard these words. "Anna...?" Anna didn't hear his whisper.
"I-I made a mistake! GET OUT OF MY LIFE!" Tears flew from Anna's eyes as she collapsed on the ground on her knees. Supporting herself with weak arms, she continued to cry. Yoh leapt over the pools of lava towards Anna. He put his arm around her shoulder and knelt down by her.
Hao, who was surprised by this sudden outburst, backed away and disappeared back into the woods, not bothering to make amends with Yoh.
"I'll see you again...Yoh." Hao said tauntingly.
"You too, my brother." Yoh nodded seriously in Hao's direction.
"I didn't mean to kick Tamao out...I just got so mad at her! How will I even talk to her again?"
Yoh helped Anna up from the ground.
"Knowing Tamao, she won't be mad at you."
"How? How can she still believe that I'm kind?"
"She might not believe you're kind, but she'll understand," Yoh assured her.
"Yes..."
Yoh and Anna jumped over the pools of lava and walked slowly to the edge of the woods, looking back at what was once their home. And right then, Yoh felt a pang of sadness.
"This must be how Ryu feels all of the time," Yoh remarked sadly.
"Yes...Too bad Hao had to go and ruin everything. But if he hadn't come, I wouldn't have realized how wrong I was about everything."
"Not about EVERYTHING..."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because my Anna is never wrong about everything," Yoh replied, as though he were Anna's father.