I think its safe to say that this is the end. Ok, so maybe I'll do a little bit of a epilogue if I feel the need to... Then again, I dont think i do... I just wanted to say before you read this that I thank all of you who reviewed or read the story. Thank you all and I hope you love this story as much as I've loved writing it. You've all been very supportative with your reviews. But all good things must come to an end and this is it... unless you want me to do a sequel, but there's room for discussion on that. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone. So, without further ado, enjoy!
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Chapter 23: Smells as sweet as a cherry blossom
Yoh stared at Anna. There was anger in her eyes. But above all, there was hurt. A deep kind of hurt that Yoh never thought Anna would show. She had shown the anger side so many times that it was part of her features. But that hurt… At first, Yoh didn't even recognize it. He had never seen it before. She was hurt that he had come. She was hurt that he was here…but why?
"Anna, come on. Lets go home. Everybody is waiting for you," said Yoh uncertainly. He didn't know where Horohoro, Ren, Hao and the others were but he needed to get Anna home safe and sound. Yoh walked up to her and took a hold of her hand. He was half expecting the slap, even if he was saving her.
Instead, Anna pulled her hand away. "Yoh, get away from here. You must. Please, will you just leave?"
She was begging and Yoh had never ever heard her beg. Either this wasn't the Anna he was looking for or something had happened to her.
"Anna please. We came all this way for you. Lets go already. Please…" he was begging too, anything to get Anna back but there was a sad look in her eyes that didn't want to do anything he said.
"Yoh. You've bothered me enough when I was alive. Now, you're going to do it when I'm dead? Go back home to your Aya. I bet she misses you. Go on! Get out!" her voice cracked as she said the word Aya and soon, she felt cold wet things falling out of her eyes and running down her cheek.
Yoh had never seen her cry. He wanted to hug her and make the tears go away, but he stood there, looking as huge tears fell from her eyes.
"Anna…" He couldn't think of the rest of the sentence. All he saw was her crying.
Silently, Anna wiped the tears away from her face. She was now more than angry. He make her cry and no man does that to her, not even the shaman king.
"So Yoh, why are you here? First you chose Aya, and now you are here to save me? Why? Can't you make up your mind on who you're in love with?" she asked, angrily.
Yoh looked met her eyes and there it was, the loneliness and the anger, the tears and the fears. She was everything he had ever wanted. She was the love of his life. Oh, she was perfect. And she still is. She hasn't changed at all from the Anna he knew four years ago. She was the same exact Anna he knew, if more beautiful.
"Anna, things have changed a lot in four years. I met someone new and I found someone I like, maybe even love. And all that time you were gone, you haven't changed a bit," Yoh faltered as he remembered to breathe. Taking in deep breaths, he continued, "But I have. Anna, don't you understand? I love you with all my heart. But will you still love me? Will you still think of me as the same as before? I've changed a lot from the person who use to get tortured into doing 100 laps and fight with you over the remote. I am the shaman king now. Instead of you ordering me to do 100 laps, I do it by myself. Instead of fighting over the remote, I have 100 TVs in my house to watch. I've changed so much Anna. And I'm afraid to lose you again, even though I stupidly did.
"I was so afraid that you would find out how much I've changed in life that you wont love me anymore. I know you loved me before, but will you still love me if you find out? Will you walk out on me like four years ago? I know why you walked out on me four years ago. It was because you saw how much I changed. You saw that I've changed from who I use to be into the shaman king. You know I've changed and you left me. Even if I am selfish, I can't bear to do that again. I cant bare to have you leave me again. I hate that feeling, of losing yourself…. And most of all, I hate losing the only person I've ever loved all over again. So Anna, that's why I picked Aya over you. I don't want to lose you again. I thought we would all be friends, like the old days. And we could all run the inn and have the happy times."
Anna was quiet as Yoh finished his speech. She looked at him with no readable expression on her face. They stood there, facing each other in complete silence. Yoh hoped Anna understood. He hoped with all his heart that she understood that she was the only one in his heart. Suddenly, he felt a warm tingling feeling all around him. Weight was pressed against him and a pair of arms was wrapped around his chest. Looking down, he saw Anna hugging him. She was holding on tight and it was the first time that Yoh had ever seen her hug him, let alone touch him. But it was there. The tight hug as she held onto his body. Without knowing what he was doing, he put his arms around her and placed his head right on top of hers.
So in the spirit realm, where colors splashed by and where the sea is the sky, two people, one dead and the other the shaman king, embraced each other with all their heart.
After a few minutes of hugging each other, they released. Anna was smiling and Yoh was grinning wider than ever possible. Holding each other's hands, they stepped onto the same piece of board that Yoh was on when he first started his journey. The platform started to rise slowly into the heavens and soon, they were greeted by a welcoming flash.
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Anna woke to the bright sunlight that hit the room through the windows. It was late afternoon and the sun was just setting. Looking over, she saw that she was in Yoh's room at the inn, and next to her lay Yoh, deep asleep. So they were back from the spirit realm. He looked so innocent and cute when he was asleep. His deep brown hair brushed over his forehead and closed eyes. His breathing slowed and he looked so peaceful that she dared not disturb him.
Anna smiled to herself. Then, she saw something in his hands. Moving closer, she took his hand in her own and pried it open. There was the pendant, dangling. Anna took it from his hands and tied it around his neck. She held the pendant up from his neck to smell as if it was a real cherry blossom. To her surprise, it smelled just the same as a cherry blossom. She bent her head over the sleeping Yoh. Oh he looked so wonderfully peaceful and happy. Anna wanted to live her whole life there. She wanted to live every single day of her life with Yoh, in that inn with all her friends.
She blinked back tears. She knew what she had to do. She bent down and kissed Yoh with all her heart. Oh how she wished he were awake for this.
"I love you, Yoh," Anna muttered.
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Yoh woke to the moonlight that shined on his windows. Looking up, he saw that he was in the inn, in his very own room. He always loved this room, where everything good in his life happened. Looking around, he half expected to see Anna. But all he saw was an empty futon. It was still warm. Smiling to himself, he realized he had saved Anna. They were going to live the life they had always dreamed of. But where were his friends? Suddenly, dread filled him. What happened to Horohoro and Hao and Faust and everyone else? Suddenly, Yoh got out of bed and rushed downstairs.
"Hey Yoh! You woke up!" suddenly, he was wrapped in a tight hug from Tamao. Food filled the air as he smelled the most delicious cooking. When Tamao let go of him, he saw the whole room. All of his friends were there from Hao to Ren to Faust. Everyone was back safely.
"Hey guys! How did you get back here?" Yoh was definitely confused.
"Well we survived the spirit realm!" said Horohoro.
"We were oh so brave!" said Ryo.
"And we did so much stuff to help!" said Hao.
"I cant believe this! Look Yoh, all we did was go in with you and then pop right out after we started falling on that piece of cardboard. We didn't do anything." said Ren honestly while staring daggers at the other three.
Yoh just laughed happily with everyone else. Then he realized that they were short one Anna.
"Where's Anna?" he asked Tamao as everyone else sat down to eat.
"She's upstairs still asleep isn't she? Last time I checked she was still there with you, deep asleep. What's wrong Yoh?" asked Tamao worriedly as she saw the pale look on Yoh's face.
Without a word, Yoh raced upstairs into his room. Nobody was there except two empty futons. Frantic, he looked all over the second floor and no one was there. Defeated and confused, he went back into his own room. And there it was, sitting on her empty futon all the time. A note, addressed to Yoh. All hope left Yoh as he stared at that note. He couldn't believe it. He went through the spirit realm for her and only her. And she was to leave him again?
Shaking, Yoh took the note up from the futon. It was definitely her handwriting and it was longer than her last note.
I'm sorry Yoh. I can't stay. I will always love you, even if you change. Aya is an adequate person. You will be happy with her.
Until the next bloom,
Anna
Yoh could only stare at the note. It was a longer one than goodbye but it didn't give any explanations. Why was Anna leaving him? Why did she say he will be happy with Aya? But most of all, the hope that had filled Yoh with a couple of moments ago drained from his body. Looking up from the note, he saw that there was a schedule on the table. It was a train schedule. Taking the note, Yoh sprinted down the stairs, past surprised exclamations from his friends and out of the house.
Yoh ran, with tears burning his cheeks. He ran with all his might as he wished to the Great Spirit that Anna had not left. Running so fast that he zoomed past people looking like a blur. He didn't see anyone but the road in front of him and the road to the train station. It was far but Yoh was making good distance. He couldn't let her go again, he just couldn't.
Dewdrops of rain started again. The moon disappeared behind the angry dark clouds and Yoh ran faster. Rain started splattering down on his back and soon his hair was wet but he had to get there. The rain mixed with his sweat as it poured down on his back. He had to get to Anna. Running past cars and intersections he finally saw the train station.
Pushing past people, he ran straight for it, his sandals pounding on the wet ground. The fear of Anna leaving fueled him on as fast as he could go. He still had the note she had written crumpled in his hands. He had to get to her. He just had to.
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Anna stood in line as she waited to buy her ticket. Rain had just started outside. So she was going to leave on a dreary night. Just like the last time she left. It was raining too, just like tonight. Thunder clapped in the far distance. The line moved forward. And soon, she stood at the ticket booth.
After purchasing her tickets, Anna stood at track number 3. The rain was really coming down now. The train pulled into the station. Anna somehow wished Yoh had seen that schedule and would come running and demand to take her home. Anna almost laughed at herself for such thinking. And even if Yoh came, she would not go home with him. She couldn't… but she so wanted to. Anna knew deep in her heart that if he asked, she would go.
The train pulled into place and she looked around, hoping to see Yoh. But there was no Yoh. Typical. Taking her knapsack, Anna boarded the train without looking back.
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Yoh looked around the station. There were no signs of Anna. There was no sign of yellow hair or black dresses. Yoh spotted the ticket booth. Pushing people out of his way, he made it to the surprised worker behind the booth.
"A girl with black dress and bandanna. You see her?" panted Yoh.
The ticket booth person was shocked and surprised. All he muttered out was track 3. Yoh ran out of there and into track 3, hoping against hope Anna hadn't left.
The train was still there as it steamed. Yoh rushed to the nearest door but it was closed. Looking over the windows, he looked for Anna. But she wasn't there. Hurriedly, he ran along the train, frantically looking for his Anna. People rushed out of his way when as he ran.
The steam blew and the train started slow in its tracks. Picking up speed, it moved. Yoh raced after it, looking for Anna and that's when he saw her, looking through the window at him as he was looking at her.
He raced after her, mouthing the word Anna. And she looked at him with all the sadness in the world, until the train pulled out of the station, and disappeared into the tunnel.
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Anna sat in her seat, looking back at Yoh. He was drenched wet from the rain. And then, the darkness of the tunnel came. There was a cold wet thing that fell from her eyes down to her cheek. It was tear. Looking up, she saw that they were pass the tunnel and all around were cherry blossoms. It was almost fall and yet the cherry blossoms fell. Anna watched, amazed. It seemed to be raining cherry blossoms and through her open window, one came floating down, landing right in her hands.
Sniffing the cherry blossom, Anna imagined that Yoh would be doing the same with the pendant. It smelled just as sweet.
Yoh watched the train pull away. He watched Anna pull away into the tunnel. He felt empty. He felt just as he had felt when Anna left four years ago. There was something itching in his shirt. Pulling it out, he discovered it was the pendant. So Anna did leave it for him again. Sniffing the pendant like a real cherry blossom, he realized it was just as sweet as the real one. Walking in the rain, Yoh headed for the inn. Holding the cherry blossom to his heart, he knew he wasn't going to give up on her. His feelings weren't going to change, just like this cherry blossom. Everything was going to be alright.
The End
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