Author's Notes: Trick-Or-Treat! Happy Halloween! As a special suprise I'm posting up the seventh chapter. It is a bit shorter than most of my chapters, but don't worry chapter 8 will be very very very long. Fair warning, it may take me a bit to write and type it all up. But I will try and get it done as soon as I can. I also realize that the last chapter was very confusing, so please read my author footnotes at the end of this chapter for further explanation. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King. But NO ONE can own the spirits of the dead...

Chapter 7: Lace Agate, Moonstone, Malachite

Anna felt a pressure on her forehead. As she regained conciousness she realized that it was someone's hand.

"Her fever broke last night; she's out of danger now," a voice said.

Anna opened her eyes to find Faust looking down at her, as he removed his hand.

"Well, good afternoon to you. You've been between life and death for almost two whole days, Miss Anna. We were afraid we'd lost you at one point. You gave us quite a scare," Faust explained to a groggy Anna.

"Miss Anna!" a voice cried out from behind Faust, and suddenly Anna was engulfed in a hug. "I was so scared! First Pirika and then you!"

"I'm fine, Tamao," Anna mumbled, "just tired of lying down." She started to make motions to get out of the bed.

"I'm sorry Miss Anna, but you need to stay in bed for a little bit longer," Faust said as Tamao gently pushed Anna back onto her pillow.

Anna sighed in impatience, but none-the-less complied. In truth she was feeling better than ever and her ankle didn't even hurt anymore.

As if reading her mind Faust said, "Your ankle has nearly healed completely. My guess is that all of your rest allowed it to heal faster, despite all it was put throught the night you first hurt it. Everything else seems to be fine too, but I'd like you to relax today, just to be sure."

Anna crossed her arms and glared at the wall, "Fine."

Faust smiled. "Good." Then he left some instructions with Tamao and Anna before he went to his own room to get some much needed sleep; it had been an exhausting couple of days.

Anna looked around and, to her slight suprise, discovered that she was in her own room in the castle.

"...Two days...So it's really the sixth day already?" Anna thought outloud.

"Yes," Tamao answered. "You've been out for quite awhile; it feels like it was longer."

"What's happened since then?"

"Pirika's her usual self again. She was completely better by the next morning. Although, she hasn't gone back to one of Akumu's "lessons" since then, and Akumu hasn't sent anyone to get her. But that doesn't come as any suprise."

Tamao walked over to Anna's window and proceded to open it, to let in some fresh air.

"Also, Chocolove, Ryou and Lyzerg have all discovered their Yume Stones. Lace Agate, Moonstone and Malachite," she smiled. "Now all of us have our crystals."

"Everyone except Yoh,"replied Annain a monotone, "and tomorrow is the supposed wedding."

Tamao frowned slightly but nodded. "Hai, tomorrow is the day." She looked at Anna in concern.

Anna smiled faintly at Tamao. "Don't worry, I have no intention of ever letting that witch get her hands on my fiance."

Tamao smiled back. "Right, and none of us will either."

There was a sudden knock on the door.

"Hai, who is it?" Tamao asked as she walked over and opened the door. She opened it to reveal Manta with a book under his arm.

"Hi Tamao. Anna! It's good to see you well again," he said as he came in the door. "Can I talk to you?"

Tamao looked at Anna.

"I'm going to get some rest too, if you don't mind, Miss Anna. These last couple of nights were rather hectic and I haven't slept much. I'll be in my room, right down the hall, if you need me. Just send Manta down," Tamao said as she excused herself from the room.

Anna and Manta nodded in response.

When the door had shut behind Tamao, Anna turned to Manta and said, "Out with it Shorty. What have you got?"

Manta cut right to the chase. "I found the book on Yume Stones, Anna. I discovered it this morning and then I brought it right to you as soon as I heard you were awake."

'Word travels fast, doesn't it?' Anna thought, but waited silently for Manta to finish.

"I haven't told anyone anything yet. I wanted you to decide what to do."

"Right now I want you to show me everything in that book and then we'll decide where to go from there," Anna replied.

"Hai," Manta agreed as he handed the book to Anna. "What's wrong?" he aksed upon noticing a slight look of suprise on Anna's face.

She was staring at the book in her hands smirking in amusement. "Well, isn't this ironic?" she murmured aloud.

"What is it, Anna?"

Anna looked at Manta and her look of amusement grew. "It's the same book I almost grabbed off the table in the library our first day here. It was right before you found me and discovered your Yume Stone."

Sure enough it was the same thin, old book Anna had reached her hand out to. It was an ancient book, bound in dark brown leather. The title, Yume Stones, pressed in its front cover with silver leaf, had all but faded. The book's writing was difficult to read with its spidery script and the pages were thin and tore easily, but otherwise the book was in good shape. The only thing new in the book was a long, silk, silver ribbon, which was being used as a bookmark.

"I found the book buried under others on a table at the back of the library. It wasn't on a shelf, that's why it took so long to find," Manta explained.

"She made it that way on purpose," Anna replied as her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Who? Akumu?"

"Who else? She knew we would eventually begin to look for it, and so she made it as difficult to find as possible without removing it from the library entirely," Anna replied bitterly.

"Then why didn't she just burn it or hide it harder?" Manta asked, confused.

"She's playing games with us. She likes to toy around with others; like a child with her favorite dolls. Except that she's smarter and more powerful," Anna responded, spite laced throughout her words. "Manta."

"Hai, Anna?"

"I want you to give everyone a message. Tell them to meet me in the library at 11 o'clock tonight. Don't explain why, just tell them all to come and tell each of them personally."

"And what are you going to do Anna?"

"I'm going to read this book cover-to-cover, so that I can know as much as she knows. Now go, I'll see you later tonight."

Manta hurridly left Anna's room to pass along her message.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Anna opned the book and began to read. 'Alright Akumu, let's find out just how much you know, andhow muchyou're willing to let me know...'

--------Later that Night--------

Anna stood with her back against the wall near the fireplace.

The flames from the fire were the only source of light in the room, except for the slight sliver of moon in the night sky, among the millions of stars. Tomorrow would be the night of the new moon.

Anna's eyes were closed and her arms were crossed across her chest. She listened to the crackling fire and quiet chatter among everyone seated at the tables, gathered inside the library.

Faust had finally agreed that Anna had recoveredenough to walk onher ankle, earlier that afternoon.

It had been hard to concentrateon reading with people coming to visit her throughout the day, but she had still managed to finish in time. And now...

Anna opened her eyes as the clock struck exactly eleven. '..it's time...'

She walked across the fireplace's hearth until she was directly in front of the fire. Her shadow stretched across the room and the flames illuminated her slim figure. Her amethyst, which she wore out in the open, caught the glow of the fire, reflecting it everywhere, creating dazzling displays of color on any surface it touched.

Everyone became completely silent as she stood in front of them, expectantly. Then she began.

"Six days ago we were brought to this world. Starting tomorrow we will have been here a week. We didn't know why we were brought here, but it was clear that she was after something. Something involving us.

"When everyone first awakened here, you had no memories of your past lives, yet everyone retained who they were. And when something was triggered, your Yume Stone appeared and everything came flooding back. No one knew why...until today.

"We were brought to this world through our dreams by Akumu's Onyx crystal. And yes, we are actually physically here, it is not just our minds that exsist here," she answered the unasked question. " Now, when her Onyx brought us here it put everyone under a memory-supressing spell. When your Yume Stone was discovered you were free from its spell, but everyone is still under her own control. That is how all of you stillknow what to do and when and where to do it, even now that you are yourselves again.

"Yume Stones react to a person's heart and are activated by what they stand for. When a new one is discovered the other stones glow in response. Only when every stone is discovered can all of you break completely free from her and we can all return home."

"So we need Yoh to discover his Yume Stone before we can all get out of here?" Ren asked. "Well then, tell us what his stone stands forso we canleave."

Anna glared at him. "It's not that simple," she snapped.

Anna closed her eyes and sighed. "I guess I should tell all of you..."

"Tell us what?" Horohoro interrupted.

Anna shot him a death glrae and he seemed to shrink in his seat. She looked around the room. "Anyone else?"

They all shook their heads.

"Good. Now pay attention because I am going to tell you exactly what the book said...

"Amethyst can only be discovered by its true love, who gives it to their own. This is to ensure that the Carnelian will be awakened by Amethyst...

"Amethyst and Onyx are the two most powerful stones. Onyx's power exsists in its self, whereas Amethyst gains strength from the other twelve. Power is given to Amethyst one-by-one until it is equal to that of Onyx. Carenlian is last to be discovered and activates Amethyst's full power, dispersing Onyx's control...

"As long as one exsists, its counterpart exsists as well. To get rid of one, both must be destroyed by itself, then the other will simply vanish..." Anna finished.

The room was silent until Ryou spoke up.

"Okay, now I am confused."

"What Anna's trying to say," Manta explained, "is that Yoh must have given Anna her Amethyst, and that his Yume Stone will give her enough power to best Akumu's Onyx crystal. Because all of our stones have strengthened Anna's little by little until her power was equal to Akumu's, but she still needs Yoh's to overpower Akumu."

"Oooh! I get it now. Thank you for explaining it for me."

'Hmph. It's exactly what I said already,' Anna sighed. 'Oh well, moving on...'

"So is everybody clear on it now?" she asked.

When everyone agreed she continued on. "Alright as you all know, Akumu is under the belief that she is going to be holding a wedding tomorrow. But we are not going to let that happen. This is what everyone is going to do..."

-------------

"Tut tut tut, Anna. You should know better than to hold a secret meeting in my own castle and not invite me. It's very rude of you," Akumu's mockingly sweet voiceechoed inside the confines of her room, from her throne on the seventh floor.

Candlelight reflected off her dark crystal, sending more shadow then light across the room, as she gazed into a mirror in her hands.

A figure walked out of the shadows and stood by Akumu's side.

"She thinks she has it all figured out. She actually believes that she can take you away from me," Akumu's cool voice floated about the room. "Poor girl, she never should have discovered her Yume Stone. It's a shame that she believes she can win; that she can actually awaken your Yume Stone.

"What a fool. Does she really believe that I would place only one spell on you? That I would simply let all of you go free after all of this trouble? Tsk tsk tsk. I want the power for myself and I intend to get it, one way or another."

Akumu wore a sickenly sweet smile. "Once I marry you, everyone's power will become mine. She left out a few details in her explanation; trying to hide it from them was she? For you see, if the Amethyst and Carnelian are not brought together, a disaster will befall Amethyst and the power is transferred to Onyx. The rest is history."

She began to laugh.

The figure stood silently next to Akumu, never moving, never saying a word. You could almost say the figure was like a puppet, except that its eyes seemed to reflect pain, worry, anger and desperation...

...But maybe it was only a trick of the light...

Author's Footnotes: A lot of people were confused on the last chapter. So let me try to explain it a bit. Anna had a very high fever and was dreaming; she had three, altogether. The first was a nightmare involving Akumu. The second was when she was beginning to give up and just give in to death. That is what the voice was trying to convince her to do, but her memories came back to her and she wanted to live. The third dream will be explained more in the next chapter, as will the rest of that chapter. If there are any other questions, feel free to ask. I will be happy to answer them.

-oh! And chapter 8 is the last chapter of this part of the story. And yes, I did say this part, as in, I plan on having a continuation, a sequel. So, be sure to look for it after Chapter 8 is posted! Until Next Chapter then!