Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King so please don't sue me. I will not be responsible for any sudden bursts of tears that this fic may cause or the up and down feelings that you may experience from reading this.

Chapter 4 – Path

Anna stared at the horse that Hao was holding by the reigns.

"It's easy. Just get on it like I just showed you how to."

She stared at him as if he had just grown demonic wings on his back and was fixing to take flight devouring her in his path. Her only thought was that he was crazy.

"I'm not getting on that thing."

"Anna, please. It's just for a few hours, stop being such a pest."

"Pest! Who are you calling a pest, you insect!"

She swatted again at the buzzing insects that swarmed around her and included a quick swat in his direction. The outdoors always had things like this happening. She turned to storm off when he released his hold on the reigns and reached out to wrap his hand around her arm.

"Let me go Hao."

Her voice was almost deadly and he waved away the stable hands that had come to take the horse. His grip on her arm was strong, but not enough to cause any harm toward her. He moved closer, releasing his hold on her arm and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry."

He breathed into her hair as he drew her near to him. He hadn't come out here to fight with her, arguing was the last thing that he had on his mind. Getting her alone was his top priority, but just spending time with her was all that he asked for. His recent memories were continuing to plague him as he tried to keep his cheerful mood.

He was with her again after all, but the old memories were returning to confuse him. His need for her and his need for revenge was consuming him. He wanted to just get away for a while with her and let things return to as it had been. He knew there was no way to go back in time so he thought about the present. He was able to be with her again though she didn't remember. He was hoping to bring back those memories. He wanted to let her know the truth, the truth about them.

"You can ride with me then. Is that okay?" It took her a moment to decide, but with his hands wrapped tightly, protectively around her body. She felt herself give in as she sighed.

"Fine. I'll ride with you." She felt the tightening of his jaw as his cheek shifted against her head. He was smiling.

"I knew there was a reason why I loved you so much." She roughly pushed against him causing him to take a step back, but he regained his composure before he fell over.

"If that horse plays any tricks on me. You're the one that is going to have to answer to me."

He raised both of his hands in defeat, but caught onto her hidden meaning. She was smiling smugly at him. He knew that she had other things on her mind that involved punishing him. He motioned for the stable hands to bring the horse and he mounted. He reined the horse next to her side and stuck out a hand. As she started to reach out, her mind flashed as she suddenly recalled someone, a dark figure, a man atop a horse, reaching his hand out to her. The man's body was bigger, older than the boy that currently sat in the saddle. The look in his eyes was dark as if she knew him.

Hao's hand closed around her out stretched hand and he pulled her onto his lap. She was drawn back into the present as she shifted both on his lap and in the saddle until she had a leg on each side while seated in front of him.

"Don't move around so much." He whispered in her ear and she grinned seductively at him.

"If you weren't so aroused already, I'd be able to find a better seating in this saddle."

"Hmph." Was his only reply as he kicked the sides of the horse and they began their journey. He had wanted to leave early so that they would make it on time, but with their little quarrel. They had lost a few precious moments and he wondered if they would make it there in time before nightfall. Though he had said the trip would take a few hours, he had been lying, it'd take several hours. Tied behind him was a small pack of supplies to last a couple of days and a few blankets. They had awhile to go before he would be able to show her.

flashback

It was a spot that only the two of them had known about or at least the two of them had often ran off together to seek their own sanctuary in each others company. Even as children when the adults would scold the two for some mischievous behavior. They were in their early teens, acting up and getting in trouble as teens should and would run away to laugh about it, not having a care in the world. During those times she had been more cheerful, more innocent, but then her parents were killed in front of her and she had lost the ability to speak.

Doctors from far and wide had come to see if they could do anything for the girl who had lost her voice. There seemed to be no hope and Hao could only watch her from a distance. He was not allowed to approach her since she was still suffering from the loss of her parents. Then came the discussion among the elders, if she was suitable anymore to marry into the Asakura family. Her family was now dead and held no social status. She was nothing more than an orphan now.

Hao's eyes widened as the adults continued to talk about what to do with Anna. Some wanted to abandon her into an orphanage, others wanted her to stay with the Asakura family as a servant and the rest wanted to cast her out into the streets because a mute girl was of no use to them. Not one of them mentioned that she should stay and marry Hao as had been originally planned.

Hao clenched his hands into fists as he hid behind the thin walls and overheard everything. Tears filled his dark eyes as he began to grow angry. 'What hell did they know?' He thought. She was his friend, his fiancée, and his love. Couldn't they understand that? She belonged to him and he never wanted to give her up to anyone. He slid open the door and barged into the room.

"Grandfather! Please let Anna marry me!" He had to try to convince them that she belonged with him and not anywhere else. She was meant to be by his side always. She had always been by his side. Why would it change even now? All eyes fell onto the boy that had entered without permission. Slowly, Hao's grandfather rose and walked over to him. "Grandfather please.." Hao didn't get a chance to finish as he felt the backhand of his grandfather's hand hitting him hard across the face.

"Insolent boy! You know nothing of our current situation!" Hao rubbed the side of his face and looked at his grandfather. He had never known him to lay a hand on him before, but the pain in his cheek was increasing each second. The slap had been real. He narrowed his eyes. Anna was at stake and nothing, not even a slap would stop him from fighting for her.

"Anna is my fiancée. I will not allow you to cast her out."

"Get out!" He could see the furious expression on his grandfather's face. He had never talked back to him before, but there had never been a moment till now for the two to dispute over something. She was more family to him than any blood related relative. Hao suddenly realized that as he looked at the others that had gathered. They were all members of the Asakura family, the elders. He didn't wait another minute and took off, running out of the room.

'Damn them all!' He thought. He ran as fast his legs would take him. He wanted to be with her, no matter what, if the Asakura's accepted him or disowned him. He wasn't going to give her up for anything. She was his. He ran to the door of her room and opened it. Inside she was laid out on her futon, staring up at the ceiling. She didn't move from her position even after he opened the door and walked into the room.

"Anna.." She continued to lie there, not even blinking. He ran over to her side and fell onto his knees beside her. They had done this to her, not allowed him to come and see her. She was becoming distant to the world around her. He tried again. "Anna."

She didn't know who he was anymore. The world around her, she was lost to. Tears streamed down his face, there was no need for him to hide his feelings, at least not to her. Above anyone else, she understood him the most.

"Come on." He lifted her limp body onto his back and held on tightly to her body as he ran out the door. He made his way out of the house and through the front gates, hoping that no one had seen them leaving. His tears didn't stop as he continued to run. She wasn't responding. Her eyes were open, but it was if she were dead. Dead to him and the thought scared him causing a twisted pain in his stomach. It felt like someone had buried a knife deep in his side, but he refused to allow the pain to overtake him. He quickened his step and ran as fast as his legs would take him, faster than he had ever run before. He wanted to save her. His lungs ached, but his heart hurt more than that pain that plagued his body.

"Anna." He whispered out loud without realizing it. He had to save her, there had to be something that he could do. Very few things had ever scared him. He had always forced himself to act strong for her, to look out and protect her from anything. He planned to continue to do that until the very end. He was going to take her to their spot.

Minutes passed by and his pace seemed to slow down, sweat was dripping from his brow and it was getting hotter. His foot connected with something on the ground and he felt himself falling forward. There was no way to recover, no way to stop his self from falling so he did the next best thing. He twisted his body around and wrapped himself protectively around her body as he hit the ground, shielding her from the fall with his own body.

"Anna!" He cried out as he hit the ground and skidded along. He had been running pretty fast. He slowly sat up, wincing, looking over her body to see if she was all right. Still, there was no reaction from her. He stood back up and placed her back onto his back. He noticed the blood then. It was his own blood running down the side of his leg. He ignored it as he looked down the path ahead of him. He had to get there for her, before it was too late and took off at a run again. His thoughts centered on her and he didn't feel the pain in his leg as the blood continued to flow freely from his wound.

end of flashback

"Hao?" It was her voice. He hadn't remembered hearing her talk at that moment. "Hao." She was talking to him in the present.

"Yes?" He looked down at her. She was seated in the saddle, straddled in front of him as the horse trotted along the path. He had been remembering this path, this very same path that he had gone on so long ago. He closed his eyes remembering all too well that damned past of his, of theirs.

"How much longer before we can take a break?"

"Soon." He opened his eyes and smiled sadly at her. "We'll take a break real soon." He kissed the top of her head as she leaned back against his chest.

"It better be sooner than that." She murmured as he chuckled, the rumbling of his chest shaking her a bit.

"Anything for you, amai." Though he was laughing, his eyes were sad and though she couldn't see it. He held back the tears that threatened to fall from remembering this path and the many things that had happened along it. It was their path, the path that leads them to many things, but most importantly it always led them to each other. Even now it was returning them to the past, a past that haunted him and her though she didn't know it yet.