There are some things in this world only a woman can say, and there are others that can only be said by a man. On this particular evening, as the sun set on the red horizon, such words were said.

Yoh Asakura stood across from her, the love of his life and future bride. The wind blew through his loose auburn hair. The pink hues of the sun reflected on their faces. There was a moment of silence between the two.

Anna stood across from him, the love of her life and future husband. The wind blew through her short sandy hair and red bandana. There was a thought on the tip of her tongue. Up to this point, Yoh had given up his aspirations of becoming Shaman King for the sake of his friends, and Anna knew that she could not say what she had to say until she was sure he was happy with his decision. However, now Yoh was saying he would compete again.

The young man slowly approached the young woman.

"Picking up my Oracle Bell really did me a favor," he said softly. His eyes were their usual calm, but now with a hint of what Anna knew was love. "I need to thank you Anna."

His guardian ghost who was lingering not too far off turned away bashfully, leaving the young couple some privacy.

Yoh ran his fingers through Anna's silky hair. Then he caressed her cheek and kissed her. Anna could feel her usually cold heart melt into a fountain of butterflies. Something inside of her raced at a million miles per hour, making her smile. The young man pulled away and looked at her curiously, and at that moment, what Anna had been dying to say slipped out.

"I'm late."

Yoh stared at her, first in shock but then in confusion.

"What?" he asked, laughing uncomfortably. "Late for what Anna?"

The young woman stared back at him. The look on her face clearly revealing her opinion on his intelligence level, though she knew some of it could be denial. She straightened up and steadied her gaze.

"Don't be dumb Yoh…" She said crossing her arms in front of her chest, which, Yoh suddenly noticed, was slightly bigger than he remembered.

"So you're…" Yoh drew out the statement, his mind felt too fuzzy to comprehend what exactly was going on. Fortunately Anna helped him by giving a slow nod. He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. "Wow."

Something about the uncertainty in his voice made Anna feel even less sure about the situation. The two of them had spent a lot of time together during the breaks in the Shaman Fights, and she knew that some day she would have to bear an heir for the Asakura family, but she never expected to get pregnant before they were actually married. Perhaps that was proof of how naïve she was, of the fact that she was just barely more than a child herself, which made her even more nervous about the fact that she was going to bring life into the world.

But, as she looked into Yoh's eyes, she could see the blessing that they had been given. What if Yoh… She didn't want to think about it, but the reality was that Hao would be an opponent more difficult than they could imagine. There was the possibility that Yoh would not return.

Amidamaru watched them from a distance, from the look on his face it was clear that he had overheard their discussion. Anna glanced in his direction coolly.

"Come over here," she ordered. The samurai spirit hesitated. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He sighed and approached, avoiding Anna's gaze. He looked at Yoh, who was taking visibly deep breaths. Then he bowed his head in front of the two.

"Congratulations," he said formally.

"You must not tell anyone what you've heard," Anna stated. There was barely any sense of expression on her face.

Amidamaru blinked up at her. "What about your friends?" he asked, turning to Yoh, who was staring off into the distance. Yoh turned to him, and gave a solemn smile.

"They don't have any reason to know," the young man said.

The spirit clearly looked nervous about Yoh's unusual air, but he nodded. The samurai should understand the possible importance of silence for this subject.

"Why don't you go check up on everybody," Yoh added giving his friend a smile.

Anna squinted at her fiancé, trying to understand why he was sending the spirit away in such a strange way. She was certain that Amidamaru could clearly see through that forced smile, but perhaps Yoh meant for it to be seen through.

Amidamaru grinned weakly back and headed off towards their lodging.

Once the ghost was a decent distance away, Yoh's smile faded as turned back towards Anna. Her breath caught in her throat; there was a seriousness in his eyes which could only mean one thing was coming next.

"So what is your plan?" he whispered.

"You're not asking me to leave?" she replied.

A small smile crept across his lips, and Anna could see the tension ease from his gaze. He looked down at the ground and placed his hands in his pockets.

"There wouldn't be a point in that," he said with a natural simplicity that had always awed the young woman. She folded her hands over her stomach, and looked down.

"I will stay by you," she said. "Till this is all over…"

"That isn't what I'm asking about Anna."

Anna glanced back at him. Worry really didn't become Yoh, though Anna couldn't help but smile. Getting a serious emotion out of the laidback teenager was nearly impossible; it was an honor to receive that kind of concern.

"I have the shinigamis," Anna answered calmly after a moment of silence. "But I shouldn't need them. I do not believe Hao wishes for the Asakura bloodline to run dry."

She could see the doubt in the young man's eyes. "He's unpredictable right now. If he finds out and I can't beat him…"

Chemicals and electricity surged through Anna's brain, and her body acted before her mind had time to think about the hand which struck across his warm cheek. Yoh looked at her, shocked, as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I will protect this child," she breathed in his ear. "You just focus on protecting yourself."

Because if this child didn't make it, then perhaps they could try again, but if Yoh didn't make it… that was it. Anna could feel her eyes beginning to sting. She had let herself get carried away with the moment, probably due to hormones.

Yoh returned her embrace pulling her completely against him. Tears ran down her cheeks. Anna's body was reacting to him with an intensity it never had before. Her face was flushing and her chest felt shaky. Yoh chuckled, causing her to pull away far enough to clearly see his grinning face.

"Wow there really isn't a doubt you're knocked up," he laughed.

Anna shoved him away, and placed herself a decent distance from him, arms crossed across her chest. She was blushing, another unusual reaction for her.

"Don't be dumb, Yoh," she muttered.

Then she began making her way back towards the camp, praying that he couldn't see through her fear. He smiled, though he knew that fear, and followed her in silence, as the sun set in the distance, entrapping the world in a cloak of night.