Free to Love

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King!

A/N: This is my first fanfic here! Please forgive me if I have any grammatical mistakes. Please review at the end!

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Chapter 1

"Cheers!"

"Wow! I can't believe we've known each other for exactly ten years now! It seems only yesterday when I met you guys for the shaman tournament!" Horo-Horo exclaimed as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "We were only kids back then and now we're grown-ups!"

"You don't look like much of a grown-up to me." Ren scowled as he watched Horo-Horo wolf down nearly all the food.

Horo-Horo grabbed Ren by the collar. "What did you say!" He spat.

"I said that you don't look like much of a grown-up to me you childish little git!" Ren yelled back, "Now let go of me you disgusting buffoon!"

"Why I—!" Horo-Horo was about to punch Ren but Pirika stopped him.

"Stop it, Horo-Horo!" Pirika pulled her brother away from Ren. "Don't fight in front of the food! And you!" Pirika glared at Ren, "Stop insulting my brother!"

"Well tell him to grow up!" Ren argued. "I can't believe he's still that immature little slob I met ten years ago!"

Pirika's voice began to tremble, "My brother...is not…" Pirika grabbed Ren's collar with both hands and lifted him from the ground. "An immature little slob!"

"Yeah!" Horo-Horo cheered, "Go Pirika!"

"Hey! Stop it, you guys!" Manta and the others laughed as the watched Pirika and Ren argue.

Ren managed to stand on the ground again and grab Pirika's collar. He pulled her close to him and stared into her blue eyes angrily, "Grrr…"

A small tremble of fear went over Pirika but she kept her hold on his collar and glared back. "Rrrr..."

"Kiss!" Chocolove yelled. "Kiss!"

The others joined in. "Kiss!"

Ren and Pirika suddenly realized how close their faces were. Immediately, the two pushed away from each other and blushed in a very deep color of red. Everybody laughed at them. Well, almost everybody.

Yoh chuckled and took another sip of his drink. As he did, his eyes fell on Anna who was eating quietly across him. 'She's been oddly quiet these past few weeks.' Yoh thought as he stared at her. Anna had barely opened her mouth ever since Manta suggested that they all watch this really scary movie three weeks ago. Ever since that night, she had not ordered Yoh or anybody to wash the dishes, clean the toilet, cook meals, or clean the house. She didn't even yell at him when she caught him listening to music instead of doing his daily exercises. Sure he liked the peace and quiet for a while. But, when she had been quiet for so long, he knew something was bothering her. Something's wrong. And he doesn't like what it's doing to her at all.

"Hey Yoh?"

Yoh took his mind off of Anna and looked at Horo-Horo. "What is it, Horo-Horo?"

"Since we're already done with school and you're already in the right age to marry, aren't you supposed to be preparing your wedding? You're still going to marry Anna, right?" He asked. Chocolove, Manta, Ryu, Amidamaru, Tokagero, Jun, Li Bai Long, Horo-Horo, Faust, and even Lyserg grinned teasingly.

Color started to make their way up to Yoh's cheeks. "Huh? Um…er…" He looked away, uncertain of what to answer. He looked at Anna who was… Yoh nearly fell back. Anna's blushing?

Anna closed her eyes and opened them to cast an angry look at the others. "What a stupid question." She stood up and left the room.

All of them stared at the door in confusion. "Stupid question?" Manta repeated.

'Anna?' Yoh began to wonder why Anna left so quickly without even saying 'Of course he'll marry me. I'm going to be shaman queen.' Or something like that. Again, Yoh felt that something wrong was going on. It's so unlikely of Anna to just walk out like that. 'I better follow her.'

He grinned at the others, "What she meant was… Of course I'm going to marry her! She is betrothed to me, right?"

"Right." But Manta did not look at him. "I wonder why she…"

"I don't know." Yoh stood up. "I better follow her. I'll be back soon. For the meantime, forget about that and…have fun!" Yoh walked out of the room and directly went to Anna's room.

"Anna? It's me. Open the door." He knocked on the door. "Anna?" Yoh opened the door only to find an empty room. Well, almost empty. Her books were still there and so was her guitar. But her closet was wide open and it was empty. 'Don't tell me she left!' Yoh said in his mind as he ran back downstairs and out of the house. "Anna!"

He was just in time. Anna was just about to leave when he came.

"Yoh?" Anna turned around and looked at him. Her bag slipped from her hand and fell on the ground. "What are you doing here?"

Yoh slowed his pace as he walked towards her. He looked down into her troubled big black eyes and sighed. "I was looking for you. Where are you going? Why are you leaving without even saying goodbye?"

This was one of the very few times (well except for the past few weeks) that he had seen her like this. No anger in her face. Not wearing her bossy old look. Just nothing but pure sadness and trouble written across her face. Yoh had wished he would never see her like this again.

Anna looked at the ground trying to get back her cool confident old self. But it was hard. Knowing that this may be the last time she would see him made it so hard for her to hide her feelings unlike before. "I'm going back home." She replied, trying not to make her voice quiver. "I didn't say goodbye because…" She struggled to make up a good lie. "Because you guys would be happy to get me out of your hair. What's the point of saying goodbye when the people I'm going to say it to would simply love it if I would go? I'm a real pain. I know that. All of you would be ecstatic knowing that I'm going."

"No we wouldn't." Yoh told her, "I know I wouldn't. Why would I be delighted about that?" He placed his hand under her chin and made her look at him, "You're a really special friend, Anna. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be like this. I wouldn't become shaman king. You're an important part of my life. I would be miserable if you leave. Even if you said goodbye." Yoh looked into Anna's eyes. "Hm…something tells me that wasn't the reason why you didn't say goodbye."

Getting a little of her old self back, Anna pushed his hand away and looked at the ground, "What are you talking about? Of course that's the reason! What other reason would there be?"

"Anna…" Yoh rolled his eyes and placed his hands into his pockets. "I know you're lying. You can always tell me the truth, Anna. What really is the true reason why you didn't say goodbye? And why are you leaving?"

"I am not lying." She snapped and picked up her bag. "If you don't believe me then fine! I'm no longer going to entertain your questions! And my reason is none of your business, Yoh. By the way, the wedding's off." She added before stomping away.

Anna hoped Yoh wouldn't follow…but he did.

"Anna!" Yoh ran after her and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Let me go!" Anna tried to pull away her arm but he held on tight. "I'm going to miss the train!"

"I'm not letting go until you at least tell me why you are leaving! And why is the wedding off?" Yoh tightened his grip when she tried to pull away again. "Why Anna?"

Anna stopped pulling and glared at him, "You're making this hard for me, Yoh."

"You're making it hard for me too, Anna."

Anna sighed and threw her bag to the ground. "Fine. I'll tell you why if you let go of me!" When Yoh released her, she avoided looking at him. She took a deep breath and tried to decrease the pain she was feeling.

"Have you ever actually liked the decision our parents made for us?" She asked with a trembling voice.

Yoh scratched his head and looked down at the ground, "I never really though about that. But, whether I like it or not, we still have to obey, right? I know you like the decision."

"Do you know why?"

"Of course I do!" Yoh said, "You want to be shaman queen. You always wanted to be shaman queen ever since we were little."

"No…" She murmured.

He moved closer, "What? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

"I love you, Yoh!" Anna exclaimed as she looked at him. Tears began to form in her eyes. "I had always loved the idea of getting married to you not just because I get to be shaman queen! It's because I love you! I always have! I loved you ever since we were children, Yoh! I had loved you even if I was too young to understand the true meaning of love. I really loved you. But I didn't really know how to act around you. Then I saw how your grandmother treats your grandfather so I…" She sniffed back her tears.

"Anna…" Yoh began. But Anna wasn't done yet.

"When our parents finally told us that we're betrothed to each other, I was ecstatic. It was like a dream come true, Yoh. But you…you said you'll only do it because your parents wanted us to be married. You didn't look happy at all…" Anna's hands began to curl into balls of fists. "All you ever wanted was to become shaman king. You never liked me back the way I do. You loved your dream more than me. So I respected your dream and I even joined your grandfather in training you. It was hard to hide my feelings while training you at first, but I got used to it. During all those times when I was giving you a hard training, I tried hard not to feel sorry. After all, you really wanted to be shaman king and I was helping you to be one. Then, your grandmother told me that I could be shaman queen if you become king. I used this excuse to hide what I really feel."

She paused and looked down waiting for Yoh to speak. When he didn't, she continued. "When you left Izumo, I couldn't sleep at all. All I could ever think about was you. I wondered if you were okay. I wondered if you got here safely. I also wondered if you were still doing your training. It wasn't long before I couldn't take it anymore and I followed you. But I didn't follow you here just to train you, Yoh… I also wanted to make you fall in love with me. But no…" Her tears broke out of her control and they began to pour out from her eyes. "You didn't. I tried to make you fall in love with me! I really tried! Even if I was always yelling at you and giving orders! I tried really hard, Yoh! I did… But…after the movie we watched three weeks ago, I realized that you can't… You can't because you like somebody else. It's Tamao, right? I was a fool to think that you would fall in love with me. You like Tamao better than me…why didn't I think of that before? After all, she is nicer and prettier than me... I think that leaving you two would be a good decision. I should leave the two of you…so you can be happy together." She paused to wipe her tears away. "There. I told you the reason why I'm leaving. Happy?"

"Anna I…"

"You're free now, Yoh Asakura." Anna told him as she picked up her bag once more. "You're free to choose whoever you want to marry now. Take good care of Tamao or whoever she might be. Okay? Love her and forget that there was an Anna Kyoyama who bossed you around in your life…And don't even think about sending some great spirit to go looking for me…Goodbye, Yoh." She gave him a quick hug and ran away towards the city leaving a speechless Yoh Asakura on the street.

"But…Anna…" As if just realizing she had just left, Yoh ran after her. "Anna! Anna!" But it was no use running. She was already out of sight. "Anna!" Yoh slowed down into a stop and fell back on the ground as if his life was suddenly taken away from him. He looked up at the dark sky above him. There was no moon and no stars in the sky. Just these dark clouds.

"Anna…"

He tried hard to imagine Anna standing above him but…all of a sudden…he forgot her face. He forgot the face that had haunted him for so long.

"Anna…don't go…"

He continued to lie on the street as rain began to pour down. He didn't get up to run for cover. He couldn't. He felt as if his world had just come crashing down onto him.

"Anna…"

Tears crept down his cheeks joining the drops of rain that fell on him.

"Anna…"

His memories of her came flashing in front of his eyes. It was too fast making it hard for him to see her. But he still watched them until his world went black.


A/N: That's it for chapter one! I hope you guys liked it. Please review!