Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King or anything that is associated with it…
"Jeanne-san!" everyone shouted in surprise.
"What are you doing here?" Horo Horo asked her.
"Well, I heard that Yoh-kun and Anna-chan were getting married and I haven't heard from much of you, so I decided to pay you a visit. Besides, Anna-chan invited me." Jeanne said. Everyone looked at Anna with confusion.
"What! If we're going to have a celebration, mind as well bring in the whole crowd." Anna said calmly. Jeanne went over to sit by Pirika. She saw Tamao and Horo Horo pretty close together.
"So, Tamao-chan and Horo-kun, are you two together?" Jeanne asked the two. Horo Horo, placed his arm around her shoulder.
"Does that answer your question?" Horo said proudly. Jeanne smiled.
"That's wonderful news!" Jeanne said. She turned to her left and looked at Pirika and Ren next to her.
"How about you two?" She asked with an innocent smile. Pirika blushed.
"What? There's nothing going on between us, just good old pals." Pirika stated calmly. Ren remained quiet.
"Oh, sorry." Jeanne replied sweetly.
"That's alright." Pirika said quietly.
"So, how's it been going Jeanne-chan? Where's Marco-san?" Pirika asked, wondering why her overprotective bodyguard is nowhere to be found.
"Well, I've convinced him that I'll be safe in the hands of the people that defeated Hao-san." She said. Pirika nodded understandingly. Ren was sitting there, every minute being completely saddened by the words Pirika had spoken.
"Well, it's good that he trusts us now." Yoh said. Everyone in the room could agree to that. The old group continued to catch up on some really good times as each one discussed their current situation and their humanly achievements.
After an hour or so, they heard the doorbell ring again. Anna, who was the closest to the door, got up with a roll of her eyes.
"Who could be here at this hour?" Anna asked to no one in particular. She opened the door in exasperation and then jumped back several steps.
"Wha-What are you doing here!" Anna shouted. Everyone became alarmed and Yoh, being her newly fiancé, quickly got up and ran towards the door.
"What's wrong Anna?" Yoh shouted through the hallways. Everyone came trailing after him. Yoh reached his fiancée and found her all the way backed up by the wall with an appalled expression on her face. He kneeled down beside her and held her shoulders.
"What's wrong Anna?" Yoh asked in a concerned manner. She silently lifted her hand and pointed to something in front of her. Yoh followed her gaze and jumped up.
"Hello little brother." Said the visitor. Everyone came scrambling in.
"What happened, Yoh?" Horo Horo asked as he saw Anna on the floor and Yoh standing there. He looked at the doorway and immediately frowned. Everyone gasped and prepared for battle.
"HAO!" everyone shouted at once.
"What is he doing alive?" Pirika asked. Tamao couldn't even manage a shrug, as she was stunned completely. Jeanne was with the other girls and suddenly felt herself clench her fist as well as her jaw. The boys all summoned their furyioku and guardian ghosts. But Hao held up a hand in protest.
"Hold on a sec guys." Yoh told the others. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, my brother and sister-in-law are getting married, and as a brother, I should most definitely be at this celebration." Hao said with a smirk.
"Listen, if you all want to fight, go outside! Hao, what are you still here alive!" Anna raged as she recovered from the surprise.
"Well, you see Anna, umm…I didn't actually KILL him the last time. I sort of just injured him quite a bit and yeah…" Yoh rambled on. Anna's eyes narrowed and her jaw tensed.
"You didn't kill him!" Anna shouted.
"Perhaps Yoh wanted to give him a second chance." Ren quietly said. Everyone's heads turned to his direction and looked at him with a confused expression. Pirika smiled fondly at Ren's revelation.
"Nonetheless, that was my intention. Wow, wouldn't have expected you to guess that." Yoh said in amazement. Ren was sort of angered but saw that this was not the time for a silly fight.
"State whether you want to fight or not, Hao." A soft voice from the back said firmly. Everyone turned their heads and saw Jeanne ready to explode.
"I'm merely here to congratulate my brother and sister-in-law. I'm a changed man." He said. Some of them snickered at the thought, some remained silent.
"What? Do you not believe me? I suppose it is hard to believe since I've done so much evil in the past." Hao said with sincerity. Anna still scrutinized Hao with her fiery eyes. Yoh looked at his brother and then looked at his fiancée. As much as he wanted to defend his brother, he couldn't face the consequences it would do to his relationship with Anna. Pirika glanced around and sighed. She knew Hao had caused much destruction for her friends earlier on, but perhaps he did truly change. The Spirit of Fire was nowhere in sight, and he didn't prove to be a threat. Perhaps he had changed. She stepped up.
"You know, maybe he's telling the truth. Yoh has given everyone a second chance in life hasn't he, so why would he change for his own brother. Now, I may not be trusting him myself, but for now, I think we'll give him a chance and then we'll judge him." Pirika said carefully. Everyone stared at her with awe and surprise. Horo went up to his sister.
"Sis, what are you doing, supporting an enemy!" Horo shouted. Pirika winced.
"Don't yell at her. She's right; everyone deserves a second chance." Another voice interrupted. Everyone's heads turn to the shaman behind Horo, Ren Tao. Pirika smiled.
"You too, Ren! Did you not forget that this dude almost killed Yoh here?" Horo shouted.
"I'm just doing what Master Yoh is doing. And since he has spared his murder's life, why shouldn't we? Think about it. Hasn't he given us all second chances? Imagine what it would be if he didn't. We wouldn't be as supporting as we are now." Ren replied coldly. Everyone took time to digest and nodded in agreement, even Jeanne. She studied the once evil shaman a bit. There was something different, something different with his smile. It wasn't a smirk, but a friendly smile of hope.
"Fine, for now, we'll grant you forgiveness temporarily. We'll judge you by later actions and sayings." Jeanne said, summing up everyone's thoughts. Pirika smiled fondly at their decision. Yoh sighed, relieved. Hao smiled gratefully and thanked everyone.
"So, when's the big day?" Hao asked his brother.
"Well, Anna was thinking of sometime in the winter. That way it'll be close and she'll enjoy it." Yoh said as he looked at his wife-to-be. Anna glared at him and then turned and returned to another hallway. Yoh ran after her. Everyone became silent as they watched their favorite couple walk off.
Yoh finally caught up with her and took hold of her hand. She pulled herself away from him. She was too infuriated that he dared to trick her about such a big matter. 'Didn't he know how worried I was when I first lost him! And yet here he is, bringing back the evil that nearly took him away from me. I was so scared, so afraid that I'll never see him again. Is he so ignorant of my feelings?' Anna thought bitterly as she felt an overwhelming sadness consume her. She marched to her room.
"Anna, wait! Anna, let me explain! I'm sorry!" Yoh said while he chased after her. Anna threw open her door and slid it close. Yoh managed to pull it open again before she locked it. He scrambled into the room as he knelt by his fiancée.
"Anna…" he began with desperation in his voice. She sat there, almost lifeless and cold. She turned to him and glared at him.
"How could you! How could you trick me?" Anna said through gritted teeth as the first tear fell.
"Anna, I-" he began, but he got cut off by a pillow. Another things came flying at his head.
"Get out, OUT!" Anna shouted as she continued to throw things, letting out her rage in the process. Yoh scrambled out the door just in time to hear Anna's sorrowful whimpers. He remained glued to the door, listening as each sob broke his heart. Everyone remained at the end of the hall, peeking to see the result of the talk. As soon as the heard the crack of glass, everyone knew it wasn't a good result and all grieved for the couple.
Everyone went to their beds with a heavy heart. Yoh still remained in the hallway, staring bleakly at the door. He had a pained expression on his face as memories of the good times with her flashed by. How did this turn out this way? Right, it was all his fault. 'If I had just told her the truth earlier.' He thought regretfully. Everyone was worried about his and Anna's condition, but Ryo convinced everyone to go to bed that night. Everyone returned to their rooms, refusing to continue the festivities while their best friend is breaking.
Anna laid in her bed, still wondering how Yoh could do this to her. She knew he was still outside, waiting out there. She felt somewhat glad that he's still standing by her, but for how long? She started to feel guilty about letting him sit there as the cold night approached. She had thought about going out there and talking to him, but in the end, her pride won the battle.