The Last Few Minutes
A Yoh x Anna oneshot
Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King. If I did, Marco would have suffered a horrific and graphic death, Lyserg wouldn't have been such a stuck up brat and Yoh and Anna would have had more moments together.
What To Expect… a serious Yoh, a more self-confident Tamao, an assertive Pilica, a cranky Ren, a loud Horo Horo, and Anna.
Dew covered the frosty windows of the Asakura household as an early morning mist surreptitiously slinked among the shadowed pillars. It was unusual weather for July, but no one argued for everyone was still sleeping comfortably underneath his or her blankets, the sounds of crickets chirping adding to the lulling effect of the outside weather. Yet, among all the lifeless windows, dark and foreboding with sleep, there was one that held a single dim ray of light penetrating the dewy glass covering.
Asakura Yoh laid in his bed, blanket neatly folded and unused, spending night after sleepless night thinking and planning and yet, he was wide-awake and still without solution.
A sigh penetrated the silence as he forced himself up. Another day, another night, it didn't matter to him anymore. All he wanted was enough courage to ask the question he had wanted to ask since five years ago after Hao was defeated.
Another sigh escaped his lips. That led to another problem. With the Great Spirit gone forever, there was no reason for her to stay with him anymore. No Shaman King, no easy life. His feet automatically shuffled to the bathroom.
Soon he found himself standing under the shower faucet, warm water parachuting down onto him as he continued to fight the butterflies in his stomach. Sure he used to be afraid of her, but he had always found it quite easy to talk to her. He grimaced. Or at least complain to her. So why did he feel too nervous to ask one simple question?
The soap and shampoo lay untouched. He knew the answer. Because this one question would change everything between them.
There was a crash in the distanced soon followed by howls of pain. Horo Horo must have miscounted the steps and fell down them again, Yoh thought. Normally, he would have laughed and joined in the commotion outside but he was too worried to even move from his spot under the faucet.
"Hey Yoh! Are you done yet? What, is there no toilet paper again?"
Yoh jumped at the sudden voice. He had been so lost in thought that he didn't even notice Horo Horo's sudden appearance at the bathroom door.
"Uhh, I'm almost done." He managed to say without his voice quivering.
"Well, hurry up! When you gotta go, you gotta go!"
Yoh turned the knobs, stopping the water before glancing up at the circling steam above him. He always liked his showers very hot.
"That's it, Yoh! I'm coming in!"
Yoh thanked a very conveniently placed towel as he wrapped it around his waist before Horo Horo tore down the door. He walked in and stopped as he noticed Yoh staring at the floor, not even noticing what was going on around him.
"You've been acting funny for a while now, Yoh. What's wrong?"
There was silence before he spoke. "Nothing."
"Liar! I even fell down the steps just so you would laugh at me. I know something's up."
"Nothing…"
"Now you're going to tell me what's wrong or I'm going to force it out of you."
Yoh looked at the blue haired Ainu with surprise. He never knew he could be so assertive. It must have been the one thing he picked up from Pirica. "Well…"
"Hao's gone. What else could possibly be wrong?"
"That's just it. Now that Hao's gone-"
"I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING GOING ON BETWEEN YOU TWO!"
Yoh's eyes were suddenly very wide. "No it's not that!" All he needed now was a loud mouth Ainu to go around questioning his sexuality.
Horo Horo didn't seem convinced. "Then what is it?" he asked, his eyes narrow lines of suspicion.
"It's… Anna…"
"Anna has the hots for Hao?"
"No, not that either!" he shouted again.
Horo Horo rubbed the back of his neck in confusion as Yoh sighed for the third time that morning. Maybe this wasn't something he should be discussing with a hardheaded person like Horo Horo.
"Well… the only reason Anna stayed with me… other than her being my fiancée was… the thought that if I became… Shaman King… she would have an easy life…"
Slowly Horo Horo's mind began to piece the puzzle together. "So now that the Great Spirit is gone and she can't have an easy life, she's going to unleash a punishment five years in the making!" Apparently his mind puzzle was off a few pieces.
Yoh's mind suddenly comprehended what the Ainu said. He had never thought of a punishment that could have taken Anna five years to think of! His head hurt. Now he had another problem.
Horo Horo patted his friend on the back. "Don't worry, man. I'm here for you."
Yoh said nothing as he shuffled out of the bathroom, towel still hanging around his waist.
X x X x X
Ren leered at the mist hanging around his window. Among all the other things that annoyed him, unusual weather was defiantly among the top ten. He finally forced himself to stop glaring at the window and go downstairs for early morning training. Judging by the mist outside, it was still very early. He opened the door and walked out into the hall half expecting his footsteps to echo.
The sound that met his ears unfortunately wasn't the echo of his footsteps; it was the loud and obnoxious voice of a certain shaman screaming for breakfast.
Now Ren was angry. He never slept in and he surly never woke up later than his former teammate. As calmly as he could manage, he walked downstairs.
X x X x X
Yoh absentmindedly stirred the soup, not paying any attention to the screaming Ainu, the shouting Pirica, the soft and timid voice of Tamao trying to calm the two down or Ren who entered the room just a second ago. Someone was missing in the room and he could feel it.
Tamao stopped her unsuccessful attempts to keep the peace and looked at Yoh. She had easily noticed the slow change in Yoh's behavior over the past five years and she was also sure of the cause. She allowed herself to smile knowingly, happy at last to have finally opened her eyes to what was going on around her and gotten over her silly crush. "Yoh-sama? The soup seems to be done…" and now she could help him with his problem.
Yoh looked up at the sudden comment and looked down at the soup, shocked to find it hard and clumpy. He turned and smiled embarrassedly. "Thanks, Tamao."
"Eck! What the heck is this! You can hardly call this soup Yoh! What the hell were you thinking!"
Yoh stared at the wooden table; his cheek resting in the palm of his hand as his other hand twirled the spoon around in the soup.
"Yoh? Earth to Yoh! Yoh!"
Yoh remained unfazed by the shouting.
Tamao glanced over at him before finishing the last of her soup. "I'm done. Pirica-chan, will you come with me?"
Pirica arched an eyebrow but nodded.
X x X x X
"What is it, Tamao?"
"Have you noticed the way Yoh-sama's been acting lately?"
"Who wouldn't?"
"I think I know what the problem is…"
"Oh tell me!"
Tamao glanced around as if making sure no one else was around. "It has to do with Anna-sama."
"Really? Anna-san?"
X x X x X
Yoh felt like he was sleep walking as he made his way to the porch. The mist had long since lifted but his mind remained as clouded as ever. He didn't even notice when the porch door opened.
"Yoh-sama?"
There was no response.
"A-sa-ku-ra Yoh!"
Still no response.
"YOH!"
Yoh finally reconnected with reality. He turned around. "Sorry Tamao, Pirica."
The two girls sat on either side of him.
"Yoh-sama. I think we know what's going on."
Yoh looked at the pink haired girl with surprise. "You do?"
Pirica nodded. "We know it has something to do with Anna-san, so just tell us the details."
"Umm…" Yoh instantly remembered his talk with Horo Horo, but then again, girls were supposed to be better about this stuff. Still, confessing his feelings was still as hard as spilling his heart out to someone else.
Pirica winked. "Listen Yoh, if you realized now that you love Anna-san and want to get married, there's no use hiding it. I have a cake in the car."
"Oka- wait what! How-when-who-"
"Relax Yoh. We figured it out."
"You really have a cake?"
"Nah, it would get ruined. So, when are you going to tell her?"
Then he realized he didn't even know where she was. She usually would have waited until after she criticized his cooking to go somewhere.
"She left with note saying she was going to restock supplies for the Funbari Onsen with Faust." Tamao said quickly as if reading his mind.
Suddenly Yoh looked more alive than he had the whole morning, "I need a ring!"
Tamao and Pirica both grinned at his sudden outburst.
X x X x X
The sun was high in the sky when Anna and Faust returned, the good doctor barely visible from under the wall of boxes and bags. They had spent a good portion of the morning searching store after store for products worthy of the would-be-Shaman-Queen.
Anna's pace slackened at the sight of the house ahead. After her all morning shopping escapade, all she wanted to was to lay on the floor and watch TV while eating her favorite cookies and crackers. Though somehow, she knew that she wouldn't be able to relax at all today. Even from her location down the street, she could hear the wild screaming of two certain shamans.
The door opened to her touch and revealed Horo Horo and Ren yelling at each other while Tamao tried without success to stop them. Anna took her sandals off without a second thought, Faust following suit behind her. Some things never change.
As Faust and Tamao left to put away the supplies, Anna scanned the room, a slight frown covering her normally expressionless features. Horo Horo and Ren didn't seem to notice the absence of the easy-going laughing boy. She shrugged. It was about time for her favorite TV Drama anyway.
She climbed the stairs and made her way to her room. Her hand reaching to pull back the sliding door when…
"Anna-san! You're home! Just in time too! Tamao and I were just about to go shopping! You HAVE to come with us!"
Anna winced at the screeching voice of the overly excited Pirica. Her temper flared. She came home from a morning of store hopping and all she wanted to do now was sit in front of her TV with a bowl full of snack foods.
"I really don't want –"
"No is not an answer!" Pirica said in a sing-song voice as she latched onto the older girl's arm.
Anna resisted the urge to slap the blue haired girl. "I really don't want to." she said warningly, adding a slight edge to her words.
"But you simply must! Tamao would just love it if you came too!" Pirica grinned, tugging her arm in the direction of the stairs.
As if on queue, Tamao came up the stairs. "Pirica-chan?"
"Up here, Tamao! I was just asking Anna-san to come with us!"
"Anna-sama, you're home!"
Anna's eyebrow twitched. Just what she needed, more people getting in the way of her and her television program. She suppressed a scream of aggravation.
Soon she found herself being pulled out of the door and shoved into the backseat of Pirica's car as Tamao rode shotgun. Anna gave up on her show and stared out the window, preparing herself for an afternoon of walking.
X x X x X
Yoh watch the car leave from his bedroom window. Pirica and Tamao had succeeded in getting Anna out of the house so now it was up to him.
"Okay so here's the plan. Tamao and I will get Anna out of the house so you can go and buy the ring without her wondering where you are."
"But what if she sees me at the store?"
"Don't worry, we'll keep her away from the jewelry stores. Just don't take too long okay?"
"Right."
"So do you have a place picked out yet?"
"Well…"
"You do! Tell us! Tell us!"
"Anna always wanted to visit the Osorezan again…"
"That's so romantic!"
Yoh pulled on his jacket and left the house. It would take him a while to find a ring worthy of Kyouyama Anna.
X x X x X
It wasn't long before Yoh found himself at the mercy of the Jewelers. "This ring will make any woman fall in love with you!"
"This ring is made of only the purest yellow diamond!"
"Here have a brochure of all the latest styles!"
All the different colors and styles where mesmerizing. Each separate brand promised eternal love as well as happiness. But Yoh knew from looking at them, that none of them would ever be fit for someone like Anna.
Yoh smiled to himself. The only ring for Anna would be one just like her. She was beautiful, but simple. She wasn't at all overly fancy and not in the least bit gaudy. She could be a bit rough around the edges but when she put her guard down, even for a little, you could see how brightly she shone.
Yes, the only ring for Anna would be one just like her.
Yoh turned to leave, admitting defeat at yet another store when from the corner of his eye he saw it. Only with his guard down, could he see how brightly it shone.
X x X x X
It was already dark when Yoh raced down the many streets on his way back home from the jewelers, his heart racing with nervousness and anticipation as he turned the corner, not bothering to notice a funeral car turn right in front of him or the suspicious ring of crows flying high above him.
The now famous Funbari Onsen slowly inched closer as the sound of Yoh's sandals hitting the pavement echoed through out the silent street. His hand instinctively clutched the red velvet box tighter as he entered the gate, his heart pounding so much that if felt as if it would rip through his flesh.
He opened the door and walked in, envisioning seeing an angry Anna, the smiling faces of Tamao and Pirica, a confused Horo Horo, an unknowing Faust and an annoyed Ren. But the sight that greeted him was not at all like what he had imagined.
Horo Horo, Ren and Faust sat quietly on the couch, their eyes shadowed by the dark bags that hung there as Horo Horo's back heaved violently with his sobs. It was Yoh's turn to be in the dark.
"Hey guys, I'm home."
The boys jumped with a start, their ears so accustomed by now to the sound of crying that coherent speech was something they couldn't comprehend. Horo Horo desperately rubbed at his eyes before turning around to face Yoh.
"Welcome home, Yoh." He said with a fake smile.
"What's going on?"
For a second the Ainu's eyes seemed to widen. "Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all." Next to him, Ren and Faust seemed to sink deeper into the couch.
Yoh turned to look at them. "Ren? Faust? You guys are acting funny…"
Faust leaned over and took his head in his hands rather than face the clueless boy behind him and Ren looked as unreadable as ever, his eyes taking refuge behind his violet bangs.
Yoh forced himself to grin. "Don't tell me we ran out of food again." He chuckled trying to break the heavy air that threatened to crush him flat. "Come on, you guys are acting like someone died!" he said without thinking.
He knew something was wrong when Horo Horo looked away, his back again heaving with his sobs. He turned to Faust only to see tears leaking through the hands shielding his face. But Yoh's fears were confirmed when he looked at Ren. Though no tears were recognizable on his features, his eyes seemed to have buried themselves in his bangs and his hands shook violently.
"Tell me what happened." Yoh heard himself say, his own voice sounding so low and different.
It was Ren who broke the silence, his voice slow and steady. "Pirica, Tamao and Anna got in an accident on the way home. A drunk driver hit them in a head on collision. The police said that they tried to get out of the way but the drunk kept following their lights and they collided…"
Horo Horo's quiet sobs slowly grew louder as Ren neared the end of the story. Ren looked at the blue-haired boy before continuing his staring contest with the floor.
Yoh suddenly felt his whole body go numb. "What happened to them?"
Ren continued to look at the floor.
"What happened to them, Ren! What happened!"
But Ren continued to stare at the floor, his body shaking so badly that even he couldn't hide it.
"Ren! Are they okay! Where are they now!"
Horo Horo couldn't take it anymore. "They're dead, Yoh! They gone! Pirica and Tamao died on impact. Anna was unconscious and clinging to life when they got her out of the car. They said that there's a good chance she won't survive." He screamed, his voice breaking several times in the process.
Yoh stared dumbly at them. "This is a joke, right? This is just some sick joke, right? Faust? Ren? You guys can't be serious!"
Horo Horo rubbed at his eyes again. "Do you honestly think I would even joke about my sister being dead?"
"Funbari Memorial…" Faust whispered into his hands. "She's at Funbari Memorial…"
Yoh didn't even have to ask whom Faust was talking about.
Still clutching the ring he had just bought, he ran.
X x X x X
His body was trembling with cold sweat by the time he reached the hospital. He pushed his way to the reception desk, breathing heavily from his run. "Where's Anna?" he gasped, struggling to get air to circulate through his lungs.
The receptionist looked at him through narrowed eyes before looking through her list. "Do you know her last name, sir?"
"Kyouyama Anna! I'm her fiancé! Tell me where she is!" he yelled.
The receptionist's eyes were impossibly narrow as she glared at him. "She's in Emergency Room 2, but they're not accepting visitors right now."
Yoh didn't even bother to thank her as he ran, his legs already stiff and tired, to the Emergency Wing.
A nurse exited Room 2 as Yoh appeared. "Is she okay?"
The nurse looked up from the file in her hand. "I assume you're Asakura Yoh?"
Yoh nodded slowly.
She smiled. "Miss Kyouyama's been saying your name for a while now. You may enter if you like." She stepped aside.
Yoh bowed quickly and ran past her into the room. "Anna!"
The sight that greeted him was not what he expected. The girl in the bed was just barely recognizable, but she was Anna, his Anna.
At the sound of his voice, her head slowly, painfully turned toward him. "Yoh…" came a whisper.
Yoh winced. Her voice sounded so soft and vulnerable, nothing at all like the strong, full of life one he was used to. "Anna, I'm here now."
"Yoh…"
He leaned closer.
"What… took you… so long, stupid?"
Yoh couldn't help but smile. "I'm sorry." He whispered at he stroked her blood soaked hair.
"When they let me… go home… I'll make sure… you're punished…" she said as sternly as she could.
"I look forward to it." He said jokingly, fighting back the tears.
There was silence before Yoh spoke again.
"Anna, I should have told you the moment I realized it and then I should have kept reminding you so that you would never, ever forget it. I love you." He reached over and held one of her fragile, broken hands in his own. "Will you marry me?"
Anna stared at him through heavily lidded eyes. "Nice… place for a… proposal… you idiot…"
Yoh smiled. Even if it didn't sound like it, he could feel the gentleness in her voice.
"I guess… Asakura Anna… does have… a nice ring to it…" she said as she looked at his hand on hers.
Then, she did something that made his heart beat faster. She smiled. Even in her condition, she could smile and even in her condition, that single smile made her more beautiful than ever.
It was then that Yoh realized that his free hand had formed a fist so tight that it hurt. He gently eased his hand open and discovered he had brought the ring with him. He opened the soft, velvety box and pulled out the ring.
The band was milky silver with one large diamond in the center and two smaller diamonds on each side. Simple, yet beautiful.
He lifted her hand and slowly slide the ring on her finger.
"Lift my hand so I can see it…" she whispered to him. And he did so. "It's beautiful…"
"Like you." He replied.
She smiled an even more beautiful smile. "I…" she coughed aggressively causing blood to stain her white hospital gown.
"Anna, don't talk anymore." Yoh said with concern.
"I…"
"Don't talk anymore!"
"No, listen…"
Her voice caused Yoh to pause.
"I… I'm… going to… die soon…"
"Don't say stuff like that. You're going to be fine!" Yoh shouted.
"I just… want to say… thank you…"
Yoh couldn't fight the tears anymore and they steadily streamed down his face.
"I… love you, Yoh." She smiled for the final time as her hand went limp in his.
"Anna? Anna, no you're going to be fine! ANNA!"
The doctors and nurses ran in and immediately tried to revive her. The nurse from earlier pushed him out the door.
Despite what he wanted to believe, he knew they wouldn't be able to revive her. He knew he would never be able to see Anna alive again, would never hear her voice again. He returned home, not even bothering to stop his tears.
X x X x X
A cold wind ran through Yoh's hair as he stood, still as a stone, his black clothing rustling against the breeze.
Without looking he knew Horo Horo, Ren and Faust were behind him, waiting for him to come. Yoh closed his eyes as another steady wind blew past him. It was funny how their lives had changed in only a matter of seconds. It was funny how all the signs of bad omen where there all along but they were ignorant and didn't notice them.
Yoh said one final prayer to the figure laying before him as he watched the casket close and lowered into the earth.
Instead of a happy wedding at the Osorezan, Kyouyama Anna had a funeral. Yoh looked on as the last of the dirt covered her final resting place, buried in her wedding gown with his ring on her finger. There would never be another person like her.
With one final look, he turned and walked after the others, the sun glinting off of agolden bandon his left hand.
End.
Well I hope this didn't suck too bad. I actually had the idea for a while now but I've been too lazy to actually write it out. Oh well. You know the drill. R&R please!