Chapter1: No Longer 15

A young lady strolled down the pathway of her high school. Her new high school, to be exact, because hadn't she just graduated from the middle school and will be attending high school for the first time in her dreadfully short 18 years of life? So she is, and there's no doubt that she will soon be well known all over the school despite being a new student.

Her long and silky golden hair, which was once above her shoulders, now flowed down smoothly to her waist, unconscious, yet harmonious, and as attractive to many as beauty itself. She possessed and air of independence and irresistible pride, and one could see it in the make and motion of her hands and the head that is always held high. She was also a regular snow maiden, making many girls around her green with envy over her fair complexion and flawless skin. The lines of her figure and flow of her dress often reminded people of an indescribable charm called grace. However, this lady wore an extremely cold and lifeless expression. Her brown eyes were blank and empty, and when succumbed to anger, it turns cold, icy or even deadly. Nevertheless, the coldness and emptiness can be replaced with love, warmth, kindness and even gentleness on rare occasions. Her voice, though sweet and tuneful, sometimes carry a deathly note when she's evidently furious. Her pale lips were rarely curled up into an angelic smile, but usually down turned to a depressing frown, like now.

As she made her way to the old, white building which was supposedly her new high school, she heard a male voice yelling her name behind her.

"Anna!"

She turned, and a careless looking boy around her height and wearing orange headphones on his dark brown head came into view. His blouse was unbuttoned as usual, revealing an extremely tanned and scarred body which shows that hardships have been endured for the past few years. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbow, and he wore a pair of baggy pants completed with white sneakers. His tanned face had a hint of sternness; yet, his brown eyes were filled with warmth and compassion, and, just by looking at the boy's cheeky grin as he came running towards her, Kyouyama Anna had to fight a smile back.

"And this goofy idiot has to be my fiancé." She thought as the boy stopped beside her, panting heavily. "Will you please stop yelling my name so loudly?" Anna demanded, staring coldly at him. "Ah…… Sorry about that…… Thought you might not be able to hear me since everyone's screaming at everyone." The boy replied, still panting. "Out of shape already, Asakura Yoh? I know the Shaman Fight is over, but if you're out of shape, you'll have to return to those training days." Anna warned him. Asakura Yoh gulped. "No way! I don't want that!" He exclaimed, recalling the times when Anna put him through though, torturous training sessions in order to get him the title he holds now- The Shaman King. "Hm. Let's go to class. If we're late, it's all your fault." Anna said, scowling as she started up the stairs. "Hey! Wait up!" And hoisting his bag pack onto his shoulder, the 18 year old ran after his fiancée.

During break

"It's been three years since we were engaged, isn't it? Seems like a long time, but it feels so short." Yoh told Anna as they strolled around the school garden during break time. The boys nearby stood, staring at Anna with interest before turning back to whisper to their friends while the girls could not manage to tear their eyes off Yoh.

"Yeah. So what?" Anna asked unfeelingly as she pulled on the black school coat over her neat white blouse. "I don't know. We have gone through a lot together……" Yoh's voice trailed off. Anna sighed. Now Yoh sound like he was going to get all mushy. "Get to the point, will you?" She told him shortly. At first, Yoh did not speak, but he gave a sudden sneeze, and Anna rolled her eyes and turned to him. "Are you an idiot or a fool?" She demanded as she buttoned up Yoh's blouse and rolled down his sleeves for him. "You're so dumb. Don't you know the weather is horribly cold today? Do you want to be frozen to death or something? And you still kept your blouse unbuttoned! Seriously! Where's your coat?" Anna continued. "Err……" Yoh stammered as he watched Anna pull off her own coat and thrust it at him. "Take it." She said shortly. Yoh took the coat uncertainly, then smiled. "But don't you need it too? Because if you weren't cold, you wouldn't have taken it out to wear in the first place, would you?" He asked. "Just wear it. I don't want you to catch a cold." Snarled Anna, blushing furiously. Yoh shook his head and laid the coat around Anna's shoulders. "You take it. I don't want you to catch a cold either." And he grinned at her.

"Watching you two gives me the Goosebumps." Said a smug voice from near the pond. Yoh and Anna turned, and they found themselves face to face with Yoh's older-by- a few-minutes, identical twin brother, Asakura Hao. The one way to tell Hao and Yoh apart, is by their hair. Hao's hair was long, brown and straight, while Yoh's hair was far shorter and spiked up a little at the back.

Hao had disappeared immediately after the Shaman Fight ended and Yoh won, but Hao's life was spared. For three years, no one had known where Hao had gone to, but Yoh have always known that he'd come back and look for him someday.

"Ah! Hao!" Yoh exclaimed in surprise. "What the hell are you doing here?" Anna demanded, groaning inwardly. "Ahahahahhahaha! You two haven't changed much, have you?" Hao said pleasantly, strolling towards them. "That-does-not-answer-my-question, Asakura Hao." Anna said coolly, feeling annoyed, although she didn't show it. "More importantly, how do you know we're in this school?" Yoh asked his brother. "I have my ways, lil' brother. I've enrolled in this school too. I've just only arrived." Hao laughed. "I see. Congrats!" Yoh replied cheerfully. "Don't congratulate him for making it to our school!" Anna cried incredulously. "Aah……. But Anna…" "He's going to annoy the hell out of me." Anna muttered, cutting Yoh's sentence short. "I won't." Hao assured her.

Yoh took the chance to observe his brother as Anna argued heatedly with Hao. "He hasn't changed too much," Yoh thought with a smile as Hao reached out and tugged Anna's hair, only to receive a sharp blow on his left cheek. "For three years…… You've not grown too much, but there's something about you that is different. You……are no longer cold-hearted. Not anymore. I can see warmth in your eyes and sincerity in your smile. That was the only change that took place within you. Besides that, you're still the same brother of mine, with ridiculously long hair and cunning nature, seeing that you're still flirting with my fiancée." And Yoh chuckled as he thought all these.

Hao and Anna stopped fighting and stared at Yoh curiously. "What's wrong with you?" Hao asked. Anna sighed. "Hm! I can't believe that I've got an idiot like you to be my fiancé!" She said, stamping her feet impatiently on the ground. Hao chuckled. "Like I said, none of you had changed much!" He said good-naturedly. Yoh continued to laugh as he slung an arm over Hao's broad shoulders. "Neither have you, brother. You have only turned kinder and friendlier, but you're still the idiot with ridiculously long hair. Oh, and you still like to flirt a lot! Mind your step before Anna delivers her killer blow!" Yoh exclaimed, voicing out his thoughts.

"What! How dare you call my hair ridiculous!"

"Don't you think it is?"

"It's not!"

"Oh, but it is!"

"Not!"

"WILL YOU TWO STOP IT ALREADY!"

Kyouyama Anna's diary entry for today:

I can't believe this! Hao's back! And he's enrolled in the same school as Yoh and I! He's even staying with us! Well, of course he stays with us, he's part of the Asakura family as well, so I guess it's just natural that he should be staying with us at the Asakura household as well. He still annoys me though. But he's changed. He has indeed become gentler and kinder. And a nicer person altogether too. It's really nice to see Yoh and Hao getting along so well even after all the things that happened. Guess this is the power of having a sibling.

Both of them are hot stuff to the girls in school, and I'm wondering what those girls see in to blockheads who always argue and fight and throw things at each other. But I'm annoyed because boys have been turning up and asking me if I'm attached. What can I say? I'm Yoh's fiancée, after all. I guess by tomorrow the whole school will know that Yoh and I are engaged. High school students just can't mind their own business.

Wonder how Tamao, Jun, and the others are doing now…… Darn it all. The two idiots downstairs are arguing again. I shall have to go down and give them a slap each. When will they ever realize that they're already 18 years old and hitting adulthood and they're no longer 15 year old teenagers!

Kyouyama Anna.