Disclaimers: Shaman King is not mine.

(Where was I? Oh, Anna was finally meeting Aya…)

Chapter 12: Fated Meeting

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Anna examined the girl carefully as the girl slowly raised her head to meet her. Is it true that she really look like her? And when she finally met her face to face and eye to eye, a wave of shock went through her. The blond hair, the eye color, the body frame and almost the same height. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. It doesn't even need a mirror. They really both look alike. Contemplating the girl, she raised her eyebrows slightly. The surprise was concealed as quickly as it came.

"Konnichiwa, Anna-san. Aya desu." She bowed gracefully, looking straight into the itako's eyes waiting for any recognition. She let a small, warm smile grace her face.

"Konnichiwa Aya." Anna tilted her head too. "Nice to meet you. I'm Yoh's fiancée." Was that her speaking? She doesn't know where the hell did those words came from but they did left her lips freely. Her obsessive side was taking over or was it… jealousy?

Whatever it was, Yoh's ears sure did hear that. It was clear and sound. It was the first sign of their past engagement (that he thought was broken) and it surprised him. They never did have a formal break-up and with Anna saying that he was still her fiancé, it's saying something. Yoh studied Anna's face hoping a little expression would show but found none. But his heart surely lurched at the prospect… though one should not hope for too much…

"I know Anna-san. They have been telling me stories about you." Aya answered politely as though afraid that she might offend.

"Is that so? Well, I do hope they are rather…good ones. Aren't they?" Anna turned to glare at Yoh and Manta while suppressing a forced smile.

"Ack…" Manta almost gagged.

"Of course they are!" Yoh answered quickly.

"Good." Anna spat back.

Aya giggled a little.

So this is Anna-san.

So she is really what they said she is.

What Aya found so fearful just a moment ago, she find now rather amusing. People had been telling her how scary Anna-san was. How she could wring fear from the people around her.

Or how she could get these two guys to cringe in fear of committing some kind of sin to her.

Slowly, the fear and anxiety of meeting Yoh's fiancée diminished. At least now, little by little, she was getting used to the attitude. She wanted to be friends with Anna-san. Despite the image that people kept on picturing to her, she found her nice though not actually warm. But they still can be friends right?

"They are telling the truth." Aya assured Anna as she continued to glare at the two men beside them.

"Sou." She stopped glaring and once again, looked at Aya. The girl wasn't so bad after all.

"Anna, me and Manta would talk for a while. Aya you can stay here if you want." Yoh said before leaving Anna and Aya to themselves. They left the room. Their footsteps faded away to the hall.

"Please sit down." Anna told Aya and sat across from her.

"Thank you." Aya said as she took the sit across from Anna.

Completely at loss for words and not knowing what to say, Aya fidgeted on her shirt, staring at it quite stupidly for the past five minutes. Anna continued wondering what on earth this girl is doing. She seems fine a while ago, but the pale face that she had shown when she came here had begun to resurface again. Maybe the girl was ill?

"Aya?" Anna's voice broke the silence.

"Hai?" Aya stopped fidgeting at once and listened to Anna attentively.

"Are you ill?"

"Iie…"

"Then why are you pale?" Anna raised one arm to lean her head on. Curiosity flowed through, wanted to know much more.

"I am?" Aya touched her face and realized too late that you don't recognize a person's pale face by touching it but by seeing it. "Oh."

"Yes. Do you need medicine?" Anna still looked at her, raising her eyebrows.

"No." Aya let a warm smile flood her face causing Anna to furrow her brows a little. What is it that Yoh liked in her? Her smile? Since when did Yoh dig into smiles of other females in the world? Anna thought lamely. Wait a minute. Who said that Yoh liked her anyway?

Anna took a deep breath and focused once again on Aya. She is not jealous. She is not jealous. She tried to assure herself and ending up mentally kicking herself for it. This is stupid, she thought.

"I was glad to meet you Anna-san." Aya started once again, unable to bear the silence anymore. "Lot's of people have been telling me about you, Yoh-kun and his friends. It was… great to finally see you."

Now Anna turned out to be one of those famous artists. Why was she so eager to meet her? Wasn't she afraid that she might lash on her the way she always and usually did to Yoh and his friends?

"I hope it's good then."

"It is!" Aya exclaimed cheerfully. Suddenly she became quiet, as if thinking. "You know, you don't actually have to ask why I am pale Anna."

Anna's brows furrowed in confusion. "Well, I am asking because I don't know. Since I don't know, tell me about it."

Aya gulped. "I was almost scared of meeting you. It's not that you're scary or anything! It's just that…I have never met you before and they say that we almost looked alike and…"

"And what?"

"You are Yoh's fiancée."

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"Are you sure of leaving Aya behind? Well, you know…Anna," Manta asked again.

"Yep. It's okay, it's good that they would be great friends!" Yoh smiled.

"Good friends! You're not even sure if Anna will like her!"

"Hmm…well Aya is not a girl that is hard to like. She's kind and a good cook too!"

Manta poked Yoh. "Do you like her?"

"What?"

"Do you like her?"

"Of course I do. She is my friend."

"Do you like her over Anna?"

Yoh's face turned serious. "Why ask that?"

"Well… nothing."

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"I am his fiancée?"

"Yes."

"Does that matter to you that much, Aya?"

The question seemed to surprise her and for a moment she didn't know what to say. Why does it matter anyway? It's not as if they have some sort of engagement. Aya can't find reasons needed to answer that question. But the reason she needed is already at the back of her mind, screaming at her. She just didn't know what to do with it.

Because I like him. I do like Yoh.

Could she bring her tongue to say it? To her? To Yoh's fiancée?

"Aya?"

"Hai?"

"You haven't answered my question."

"Sorry." She smiled weakly. Will against will fought inside her head.

"I asked you does that matter to you that much?"

"If I had to be so bold as to tell you the truth, I will."

"Then what is it?"

"Anna-sama, it matters to me because…" Her heart was beating wildly now. "I… I like Yoh-kun."

"…" She said nothing. Why was it that to Anna, this didn't come much of a surprise at all? It almost seemed as if she were expecting it.

"Gomen nasai, it isn't right that I should say this to you."

"I can do nothing with what you feel but sympathize." Anna's eyes turned cold on her. "Spare yourself. I can't guarantee you anything in the process of loving someone like Yoh."

Aya can't do anything when tears start to fall from her eyes. She tossed a questioning look at Anna. "Why Anna-san?"

But Anna didn't say anything anymore. She just sat and stared at Aya.

There was no turning back now and Aya dared one more question at the itako. "Do you have deep feelings for Yoh, Anna-san?"

Then again, she made no effort to reply but stood and walked to the door. As she was about to open and leave, Aya spoke again.

"Why wouldn't you answer anything I ask, Anna? I was glad I met Yoh and I've never been so happy. Does he mean anything at all to you? Even if I gave hundred times thought about it, I can't find any reason why you should leave someone like him behind. He waited for you. He waited for your return."

Anna didn't turn at her but seemed to consider her words even she was half way through leaving. This time she answered.

"It was a mistake to leave. That's why I came back. I came back, to take and fight for what was mine."

Aya could only gasp and look at her. How can a person as cold as her fight for Yoh without so much as any emotion? Anna left her right there and then.

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A/n: revised as of 03/28/2007