Part three of three. Yoh/Anna and Hao/Anna. Funbari no Uta spoilers. Written for the 52flavours comm on lj.

part three: lost in order to become precious (#48)

46. in praise of surfaces

"We've grown old at fifteen," she said, tracing the contours of his face blindly. "We're lovers and now we'll be parents."

He blinked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He settled his warm hands against her bare stomach. She could feel the small foetus fluttering with excitement. "Can we name him Hana?"

She closed her eyes and tilted her head forward so that it rested against his collarbone.

36. above the thunder

"I'll return," he said.

"I know," she replied. The weight of his earphones were heavy against her rosary. Behind them, the Great Spirit rumbled with impatience.

24. so shaken as we are

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

"You're leaving me."

Anna turned to Hana and told him to wait outside. Hana nodded and shot a look at Hao. "I'm sorry," he murmured and darted out the door.

Hao leaned against the doorframe. "Where are you taking my son?"

"To Yoh."

"Who?"

She gave him her coolest stare. "You don't have to pretend."

His eyes flashed and for the first time since they had gotten married, Anna saw a bit of the Hao that she remembered. "Anna, we've been engaged since we were ten."

"I was engaged to Yoh for ten years. Yoh is Hana's father. I didn't meet you until I was thirteen."

Hao snarled something and pinned her against the wall, eyes teeming with insanity. "I am Hana's father."

"Yoh is."

His kiss silenced her protests with an expertise that she couldn't help but appreciate. His lips, his tongue, the very essence that was Hao was in that kiss. A few days ago, she would've drowned in it; now she clung to the memory of Yoh as if it were a raft. "I," said Hao, releasing her, "am your husband and Hana's father."

She fought the urge to rub her wrists; she knew from experience that they'd be red and sore for the next few hours. "It was never meant to be you," she said, wiping her mouth on her sleeve with deliberate precision.

"You chose me, Anna. You married me and we've been together for thirteen years." Hao narrowed his eyes. "Leave if you want. I'll find my son."

"Yoh's son," she corrected. "My years with you were a mistake. You were a dream, Hao. Yoh was real. Is real." She slid past him and out the door. Before she could close it, she looked over her shoulder at him. It was the last concession she would ever make for him. "I chose Yoh all those years ago and my choice remains the same."

1. five shades of white

Kino watched her wade into the lake. "It's not too late to turn back."

Anna paused. The sun was high and the water sparkled beneath her. She could see a reflection of herself, wavering and changing in its transluscence. One moment she looked young and fragile, and the next she was fifteen with a swollen belly until finally, she could discern herself at twenty-three and looking far too old in her white, white robe. "In order to sever a connection between an unwelcome spirit and the body, the exorcist's soul, mind and body must be purified."

Kino turned away. From the angle that Anna was standing at, she could see the whites of Kino's milky eyes, looking tired, withdrawn and more glassy than ever. "Do what you want."

Anna took a deep breath and plunged into the water.

12. wake unto me

The Patch Village was quiet, nearly deserted. She stared at the Great Spirit. Even though it was just a pillar of light, she could feel the menace in it. It looked unforgiving, imposing. Taking a deep breath, she clasped her hands together and began to mutter.

29. things in heavenly bodies

She pulled him from the Great Spirit with a minimum of ceremony. He fell from the sky, his mouth open and arms spread. She watched him, her knuckles tense and white and the pupils of her eyes dilated. Yoh's face rippled with pain and something that she thought could be regret as the light dissipated from his shrinking form.

When he finally landed in the lake, she stood and waited, clutching at the fabric of her white shift and watching his figure rise from the water.

40. a new iconography of resurrection

He brushed damp hair from his eyes. He had changed, hadn't changed at all. He was a little taller, a bit broader across the shoulders, but his smile remained the same.

"Hi Anna," he said, wringing out his shirt.

"Welcome home," she replied.

26. counterglow

"Anna, what are you doing?"

She was reforming the rosary around her and motioning Yoh back with sharp motions. "Sealing the Great Spirit."

Yoh's brows knit together in puzzlement. "But why? Think of all the good we could accomplish with it."

"I thought I was married to Hao."

Yoh blinked. "Oh. Carry on."

42. fidelity in adversity

Her skin felt like it had been stretched too thin around her frame. Pulling Yoh out had taken almost everything from her, and sealing the Great Spirit was going to require an even greater effort.

Yoh watched her from a safe distance, shading his eyes with his hand. During the entire process, he never once glanced towards the Great Spirit that had housed him for so many years.

49. tomorrow is something we remember

The sealing had come at a price: a thousand and eighty beads. A thousand and eighty beads and eight years, she thought. "Your son wants to see you."

"How long has it been?" he asked, sounding sheepish.

"Eight years." She paused. "You broke your promise."

"Sorry!" He gave her a rueful grin. "No wonder your hair is so long now. So how old is Hana?"

"Seven and a half. He looks like you."

Yoh laughed. His voice had gotten slightly deeper, but not much. "I'm glad." He reached for her hand. "Let's go home, Anna."