Hello again

Hello again! Happy to hear from me? Goodness, I hope so. My sister's been raggin' on me about how long the prologue is. So, again, I'm sorry the prologue was so long. I didn't think it would be, but I couldn't think of anything to edit out! But don't worry, Chapter 1 is not as long. : ) Oh, and the beginning maybe a little slow, but please bare with me.

And before I start up again, I'd like to THANK YOU ALL for reviewing. It means so much to me!! And thank you so much Kat-san for letting me know how to say "Welcome Home" in Japanese! It will come in handy in the future! And Jamesters, thanks reading my latest work. Your kind comments help me get things done faster. Haha, cause we know I'm a procrastinator at heart.

Please, Enjoy!

Chapter 1:

"Strawberries and Champagne"

It's nearly 8 years. It's been a long time. She'd be about 17 right now. This meant, if things didn't work out for her, she'd still be in Haijime's care. That is…if she was alive… No! I mustn't think like that! She's probably doing fine; she probably got away from that crazy man and her brothers by now. I was concerned for Anna. I didn't want to admit it, but I could live my life without her. I didn't want to, but the truth is, I'm living now without her. If I could have one wish, it would be to see her, to make sure she was happy. Sure I'd want her to stay, and we'd be best friends again. But if she didn't want that, then I guess I'd have to let her go. I figured that she would be mad with me, because I butted in, and she probably would blame herself for me being beaten. But I didn't regret it, no, not one bit.

Yoh looked at the papers on his desk. He sighed. He would probably be very busy today, but he was somewhat used to it. He was manager now, and he knew that that would come with certain responsibilities. Well, he was not only the manager, but now that he's 18, he was the soon-to-be owner.

I worked at an inn and onsen (hot spring) that my grandparents owned. Part of the reason why we moved to Funbari was to be closer to them. I had worked there ever since I was 16 and loved it. I got to meet new people and it gave me something to do. I was pretty strong, because after that whole ordeal when I was younger, my mom put Hao and me in a self-defense class (just in case I was to be "robbed" again). And I only used it just in case my friends were in danger, which wasn't very often at all. So I used to do the "heavy-duty" work and eventually got moved up to working the front desk and stuff.

Recently, though, my grandparents have decided to retire, but the "En Onsen" (which is what the inn was called) was so popular, they couldn't. So I offered to take over once I turned 18. They were a little skeptical at first, but I told them that I never really planned to go to college anyway.

"Hey, Yoh!" Yoh's thoughts were interrupted by a short guy and a blue-haired guy.

"What's up, Manta, Horo-Horo?" Yoh waved to his friends as they walked up to the front desk.

"We're gunna take our break now," the short one, Manta, said.

"But don't worry," Horo-Horo, the blue-haired guy, responded, "Ren, Lyserg, Tamao, and Pirika are still on the job."

"And Hao?" Yoh asked about his brother.

"He decided to break, but he should be back soon," Manta said while leaning on the desk.

"Argh!" Yoh growled in frustration, "I wish Hao would tell me when he's taking his break!"

"Don't worry, we'll come back soon and you can have your break," Horo-Horo smiled.

"Thanks," Yoh waved as his two best friends walked out of the front door.

Yoh met most of his current friends in Funbari. All except for Tamao, who was a friend of the Asakura family.

Tamao was a shy, pink-haired girl who also lived in Hick Town. But she moved to Funbari after she graduated from 8th grade. She said that there were hardly any people living in Hick Town when she left. I wasn't surprised though. That place was so old fashioned and hardly any people had farmland anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if no one lived there anymore. I wonder if I went back, would it be empty?

Most of my other friends didn't live in Funbari, but later came to it, like me. Manta, though, was the only one who lived in Funbari his whole life. He was the first friend that I had met in Funbari, and unfortunately for him, he's always been short. When we first met, he was 4'll" and now he's about 5'2". Not so bad, but still pretty short for a guy. All the rest of us are about 5'7" or taller, but who knows, maybe Manta will grow some more? And though he was made fun of because of his shortness, he was not to be taken lightly when it came to smarts. He was the top in our class, and he was somewhat a geek. He'd get loud and panicked over stupid things, and we'd all laugh. But all in all, he was a good friend.

Horo-Horo was a blue-haired boy who actually came from the mountains. I met him and his sister Pirika (who also had blue hair) when I was 13. I didn't know much about him, except that he was obsessed with snowboarding. I didn't know if Pirika was too because I didn't talk to her as much as I do with Horo-Horo. Pirika was best friends with Tamao and was a year younger than us. Pirika and Horo-Horo would get into little fights like brothers and sisters usually do and she usually got embarrassed by him. Sorry to say, but Horo-Horo wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. But that was perfectly fine, because I wasn't either. If we were going to fail, then we were going to do it together. Most of our friends were smart, so having a friend like Horo-Horo made me feel slightly better.

Ren was another close friend of ours, but he had a temper. He was Chinese, so he definitely wasn't from Funbari. He had black hair with a spike coming from the back. His personality was like Anna's though: smart, headstrong, hated to be wrong, and hated when he showed his weaknesses. He always got in a fight with Horo-Horo, but they were still friends through it all. And I think that Pirika likes Ren, so that caused even more fights. Their relationship kinda reminded me of mine and Anna's relationship. Though, Anna and I never fought that much.

And lastly: Hao. Hao was still really smart and grew up to be the "handsome" one (as the girls say). Yes, my dear twin brother had become somewhat of a ladies' man. His hair was way longer than mine and somehow the girls found that "sexy". His face was more "manly" while mine was still just a tad bit boyish looking I guess. The girls would say that Hao was the handsome one, while I was the cute one. Some of his girlfriends would tell me, "You're sooo lucky to share some of the same genes as him!" I would always roll my eyes at that. I didn't really care; the only thing I didn't like was that in front of the ladies, he'd constantly call me "little brother". And also, to impress the ladies, he'd say that he was the "heir" to the En Onsen and Inn, when actually it was me who did all the work and who was going to own this place.

I was glad to say that all the people who worked here were my friends. There were other people that worked here, but I didn't know them as well as Tamao, Manta, Horo-Horo, Pirika, Ren and my brother. Most of these people only worked here part-time anyway. But that was okay. I needed all the help I could get. It was hard to get workers because not only was it an inn, but it was an Onsen too. Some people didn't just work as one thing either. Sometimes we'd switch off from working the front desk to clean up duty. We needed to be prepared for anything. We always get a lot of customers wanting to try the Onsen. The style of it was traditional Japanese with the sliding doors and such.

Yoh looked down. He was extremely bored and wanted to go on his break soon. Once Hao came back, he was sure that he'd be able to go. Just then a nostalgic sensation came over Yoh. He smelt it, Strawberries and Champagne. He looked up, where was it coming from? He felt his stomach drop as he remembered what the smell reminded him of.

"Hello, Mr. Yoh!"

"Huh?" Yoh looked up to see a beautiful blonde woman standing in front of him, "Oh, Hello Julie-san."

The woman, "Julie", smiled. She looked about Yoh's age, maybe a little bit older. Her hair was straight and her eyes were blue, she was not from Japan. She seemed to be American, "You could stop with the honorific, Mr. Yoh."

"You can too, Julie-sa—I mean Julie," Yoh smiled, "You make me sound so old when you say "Mister"."

Julie noticed Yoh's face seemed pale and he looked a bit sad, "Mister—er, sorry, I mean Yoh, are you all right?"

"Um, yeah," Yoh put on a smile that was obviously fake. He couldn't help it, memories and flashbacks were rushing into his mind, "I-Is it you that smells so lovely?"

"Oh, why yes, it's my perfume," Julie took out a bottle that contained some kind of pink substance, "Strawberries and Champagne."

"O-Oh, I see…"

"Is it making you nauseous?" Julie looked concerned.

Yoh didn't know what to say. He didn't want to insult her, and the perfume wasn't bad, it was just making him feel…weird. He couldn't describe it. It made him feel sad and angry. It made him think of Anna. And it reminded him of that time that he had the beating of a lifetime. All those things combined somehow made him a little nauseous. He didn't want to. He loved that scent. But seeing this woman, Julie, wearing it and smelling it didn't sit right in his stomach, "Um, we-well, not exactly…"

"Ah, Miss Julie!"

Julie turned to the person who had called her name, "Ah, Hao!"

"Yoh," Hao walked to the front desk, "You can take your break now."

"Oh, thanks," Yoh stepped out from the front desk, "Excuse me. I'm really sorry about all this, Julie."

"Oh, no," Julie shook her head, "I'm really sorry."

"No, no," Yoh gave a weak smile, "No, I think just being cooped up in this place for so many hours is getting to me." And then Yoh walked out the door.

"Mr. Hao," Julie started.

"Julie, please," Hao put a hand up, "Just Hao will do fine."

"Um, Hao," Julie had trouble asking what she wanted to ask, "Do I smell funny?"

Hao laughed, "No, you smell lovely!"

"Th-then why was Yoh…?"

"Yoh's weird," Hao put an arm on Julie's shoulder, trying to comfort her, "Believe me, he loves that scent, but…" he tried to think of an excuse, "But sometimes if he smells it too much, he gets kinda sick of it…if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I see," Julie nodded, "So I suppose I should change my perfume then?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble…"

"Oh, no problem," she smiled, "I wouldn't want to get Mr. Yoh sick."

"That's the spirit," Hao smiled, "Thank you."

Julie smiled, "Anything for Mr. Yoh."

Yoh stepped outside and roamed the streets of Funbari for a little bit. He breathed in the fresh air. He un-tucked his shirt and unbuttoned it. He just let the wind hit him as he walked. The feelings that he just experienced slowly started to fade away. He wondered if he had insulted Julie back there. He loved the scent, but he felt that it just didn't…suit her. The only one Yoh could imagine having that scent is Anna. Julie may have blonde hair, but she was no Anna. Julie was a sweet foreigner while Anna was a tough resident. Yoh sat down on a bench and leaned his head back.

I couldn't stop thinking about Anna. The scent was fresh in my mind and every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. It was like she haunted my mind. No, I wouldn't use the word haunt…but, she roamed there, and wouldn't leave for some time. I could live without her, I just didn't want to. The urge to see her was constantly rising, but I doubt that would happen anytime soon. I sighed as I closed my eyes. I saw her crying; she was at the funeral, clinging to me and whispering. Then I saw her and Haijime. I opened my eyes; I didn't want to see that.

Yoh got up as he looked at his watch. He didn't have much break time left. He spent most of it walking around when he should've spent it eating or something. He decided he'd pick up a little snack on his way back to the Inn. He buttoned his shirt back up and neatly tucked it into his black uniform pants.

The rest of the day was uneventful and was like the others. By the end of the day, Yoh had a feeling of discontent. For some reason, he felt a little empty. This was normal, well, most of the time. He lied in his bed and stared at the ceiling. The scent was still somewhat bugging him. He decided to sleep it off as he closed his eyes. It took him a while to fall asleep as it usually did. It may have been an hour until he finally was able to fall asleep. The last thing he thought of was seeing Anna again. Then he slowly drifted off into sleep.

The next day started the same way as it did yesterday. Yoh worked all morning and then later on it was reported that Hao, yet again, took another break without Yoh's consent. And once again, Julie visited Yoh, "Hello, Yoh!"

"Ah, hello Julie!" Yoh was expecting to smell Strawberries and Champagne, but instead smelt something different.

"I changed my perfume," Julie smiled and pulled out a bottle, this time filled with a purple substance, "It's called "Love Spell"!"

"Oh, Julie, you didn't have to do that," Yoh gave a somewhat sad smile.

"Don't worry, this is one of my favorite perfumes," Julie smiled, "And besides, Hao explained it to me."

Yoh lifted an eyebrow, "He did?"

"Yes, he said that you love Strawberries and Champagne, but if you smell too much of it, you get sick."

"Oh," Yoh laughed nervously, "Right."

"Well, Yoh," Julie smiled, "I guess I'll be off. I'll see you later."

Yoh smiled, "Ja ne."

"Ja ne!" she repeated and left.

Yoh smiled and went back to his work. He was glad to have such a nice girl staying at his Inn.

He heard the front (main) door open. He was too into his work and didn't want to look up so he just recited what he usually did when a customer entered, "Welcome to the En Onsen and Inn, how may I help you?"

His eyes widened as he smelt the oh-so-familiar smell of Strawberries and Champagne, "Give me the cheapest room you got."

His eyes were as wide as they can be when he heard the customer's voice. Yoh looked up and stared at the girl in front of him. She looked about as old as him (or younger) with shoulder-length blonde hair. She was wearing a red beanie and a long beige jacket with black boots. She was looking the other way. But she looked and sounded so much like…

"Anna……?"

The girl's attention was caught as she slowly turned towards Yoh with her eyes wide open.

Those brown eyes…it's gotta be her!! "Anna!"

She backed away slowly; still wide-eyed, and then looked down. She closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. She turned around and exited quickly.

Yoh looked confused, "Why is she running away?"

He wanted to go after her, but he couldn't just leave his post. He struggled upon thinking on what he should do. Just then Hao entered, "Yoh……was that……Anna?"

If Hao saw it, then it had to be true. No way they could both be wrong! And there was just no way he was going to let Anna get away. Yoh jumped over his desk and tried to follow Anna, "Hao take over for a bit! Consider this my break!"

Yoh exited and looked around to see which path she took. Why did the streets have to be crowded today?! Then he looked toward his right and saw her red beanie, "Anna!"

He tried to squeeze through the crowd to catch up to her. It was surprising that Anna could get through this big crowd, but surprising people is sometimes what Anna does best. Finally Yoh caught up with her, "Anna! Please wait! Stop walking so fast!"

Anna stopped. Her back was facing him as she slowly said, "A-sa-ku-ra."

She turned around and her eyes seemed so blank, so…colorless, emotionless, expressionless. Everything about her seemed emotionless and expressionless. Even her next few words were emotionless and expressionless, but not meaningless:

"I thought you were dead."

Yoh froze. She thought he was dead? He thought the exact opposite! Why? Why did she think he was dead? He had a confused look on his face while he tried to think of what he could say.

"I'm glad you're alive," then she turned around and slowly started to walk away, "Excuse me."

"Wait, Anna!" She stopped, and he still didn't know what to say. He hadn't imagined their reuniting to be like this.

She turned towards him, "…Well, Asakura…?" She said as if waiting for him to continue speaking.

He really couldn't think of anything to say. His mind went blank and he was filled with the scent of Strawberries and Champagne. It was like the scent was cutting off his sanity. He just couldn't believe that Anna was here. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he didn't know where to start.

"It's just…" he started and she looked a bit impatient, "You want a place to stay, right? I own the En Onsen and Inn. I can give you a good deal." Yoh was disappointed to hear that that was the only thing he could think of to say to her.

Anna looked down and started to think. She looked up and said, "Alright."

Yoh smiled, "Great." Not now, but when he had time, he'd like to talk with Anna and find out what's been going on in the last 7 (nearly 8) years. Anna slowly started to follow Yoh back to the Inn. Not once did she look at him. Yoh frowned; no, this was not at all how he had planned it. It felt like Yoh was walking a complete stranger back to the Inn. He also thought back to when she called him "Asakura". Sure she's called him that before, but not usually. She usually called him by his first name because of Hao. If she called Yoh "Asakura", then Yoh and Hao would get confused. She didn't forget his name…did she? Yoh inwardly shook his head, there's no way she could've forgotten… right?

Once they reached the Inn, Yoh opened the door for her. She walked in and was greeted by Hao, "Hey, so it was Anna!"

"Ah, it's the other Asakura," she shifted her eyes towards Hao.

"Well, if it isn't the Kyoyama girl," Yoh rolled his eyes. He knew that look in Hao's eyes and that smirk on Hao's face all too well, "You've definitely grown more attractive these past several years."

Yoh didn't disagree with Hao's statement, but he didn't like how his brother was hitting on the girl he used to fight with. Hao was talking to Anna as if he and she were best buds.

"Well I wish I could say the same for you. What's with your hair?" Anna asked with a lifted eyebrow.

"What?" Hao sounded a little insulted, "I'll have you know that the ladies see it as sexy!"

"Tch. If the ladies don't see you as a girl first. If I were to look at you from behind, I'd think you were a girl."

"What? No way!" Hao argued.

Yoh frowned. What was going on? Why was Anna talking more to Hao than she was with him? He could understand why Anna was mad at him, but she didn't have to ignore his presence. This was not going as planned at all.

"Hao," Yoh interrupted, "Can you give me the key to room 107?"

"Sure," Hao handed Yoh the key and turned back to Anna, "You're just jealous because my hair's longer than yours."

"As a man, you shouldn't be proud of that," Anna simply responded.

"Argh! Anna! You're still the smart-ass you were years ago!"

"Worse, Asakura," she said to Hao and the turned to Yoh, "So, Where's my room?"

"Follow me," Yoh said as he guided Anna down a long hallway to room 107, "Here's the key."

She took the key and unlocked the room. She entered and put her bag down.

"Breakfast is from 6 to 9, lunch is from 11:30 to 1 and dinner is from 5:30 to 8:30, 'kay?"

"Got it," she said as she looked around the room.

"Anna…is that the only bag you have?" Yoh asked as he saw her lone duffle bag on the floor.

"Is that a problem?" she asked in an annoyed voice. Well, at least she has expression in her voice.

"N-no, just wondering." He said a little nervously and she gave a slight nod and slid the door closed.

Yoh stood outside of her door. His eyebrows furrowed and he was utterly confused. She was acting like she did years ago when her mother died. He knew nothing about what happened to Anna over the past few years, but it seemed as though she didn't want him to know. He wanted to talk to her, like he did last time, but this time was different though, he didn't know how to approach her. He couldn't just bring it up, especially if it was hard for her to talk about it.

Yoh backed away from the door and walked slowly back to the front desk. He decided that he'd give her some time. It was still a shock to him that today, of all days, to see Anna again. Maybe Anna was just tired. Yoh smiled; he still couldn't believe it, Anna was back.

The rest of the day, Yoh had not seen Anna. He started to doubt that it ever happened. At the end of the day, Yoh went to bed and stared at the ceiling. He smiled as he remembered all the fun times he had with Anna. The scent of Strawberries and Champagne entered his mind, and this time he smiled. He closed his eyes. Anna was back, and he was happy. He had no problems drifting peaceful off to sleep.

There was a knock at Yoh's door. Yoh moaned as the slowly got up and put on some pants. Yoh usually sleeps in his boxers and an undershirt. His vision was a little blurry. It seemed that he was in a deep sleep, something he hadn't had in a long time. He got to the door and opened it. His eyes widened: An-Anna? But then he looked closer. No, it wasn't Anna, it was Julie. And it wasn't Strawberries and Champagne that he smelt, it was Love Spell.

"H-Hello," she said in her American accent.

"Hello," Yoh said in his Japanese accent.

"I'm really sorry to wake you at a time like this," Julie looked at Yoh apologetically.

"It's okay," he smiled at her, "What is it you need?"

"W-well you see my light bulb must've burnt out."

"Oh," Yoh smiled, "I'll fix it for you."

Julie smiled, "Thank you so much, Mr. Yoh!"

Yoh laughed as he walked out of the door, "I thought I told you not to call me 'Mister'. It makes me sound old."

"Oh, well I read," Julie walked next to Yoh, "that it shows respect when you call someone 'mister', or in Japanese '-san'."

"Well, if you must, then call me '-kun'," Yoh smiled as he went to the utility closet, "But you have my permission to not call me by an honorific."

Julie smiled, "Okay. I'll try to keep that in mind."

Yoh took out a box of light bulbs and a flashlight. Julie went ahead to guide Yoh to her room. Once in her room, Yoh turned on the flashlight and handed it to Julie. She held it while Yoh fixed the burnt out bulb, "So why are you staying up so late, Miss Julie?"

"Well I guess I'm still not used to the time change," she said sheepishly, "I know I've been here for about a week or so, but it takes me a while to get used to things."

"Oh, so you were trying to occupy yourself?" Yoh asked.

"Yes," she responded, "I was studying for the college that I'm going to go to here. And you said that if there were any problems to go see you…but I'm so sorry to wake you."

"Oh, that's not a problem." Yoh finished up and the light shone brightly, "Whatever time it is, if you have a problem, come see me."

Julie smiled brightly, "Thank you so much!"

"Uh-huh," Yoh got up and headed towards the door, "Anytime."

"Goodnight, Yoh-kun!"

"Goodnight Miss Julie," Yoh smiled as he exited and walked back to his room.

On his way he stopped by the room 107. He stared at it for a while. He smiled and shook his head as he continued his way back to his room. Once there, Yoh lay in his bed. He sighed and stared at the ceiling. Though he was happy to help Julie out, he still wished that it was Anna at the door. He wanted to smell Strawberries and Champagne, not Love Spell. He also wanted to have proof that Anna had come back. Tomorrow, he decided, he'll see if she truly came back. With that settled in his mind, he fell asleep.

The next day started off like the others; Yoh went to work. Then he saw her: Anna. Yoh smiled, yes, Anna was back!

"H-hey, Anna! What's up?"

"I'm going to get breakfast," was all she said as she passed him by to go towards the dining area.

Yoh's eyes widened a bit. I may have been a little superstitious, but she had just spoken 5 words. She wasn't starting all that up again, was she? I really, really, hoped that she wouldn't. Yoh shook his head; he'd give her a couple more days.

While Yoh did just that, what he had feared came true. She was acting just like she had before and would speak no more than 5 more. He wondered what about happen if she had spoken 6. He wanted to ask her, but he just didn't know how. She's been gone for so long, it wasn't like he could just ask her and she would answer without argument.

I guess Anna's life was worse off then before. That was the only reason I could think of. I hated to think about it, but what could've happened to her? Did Haijime still beat her? Was it worse now that Kyosuke and Kosuke were older? There were so many things I wanted to ask her. And I'm sure none of them would come out the way I wanted to. I couldn't figure out why Anna was being so distant to me, though. Even if her life was worse off, why would she ignore me? I told her that I wouldn't give up on her, and that I protect her. I thought if anything, she'd be happy to see me, or at least explain what's been going on. But then again, that didn't sound too Anna-ish.

Yoh leaned his head on his elbow and continued to think.

But what if she's been living a whole new life, and doesn't want me in it? What if she grew out of that "phase" and didn't like me anymore? What if she ran away and wanted to forget her old life? Yeah, that sounded more Anna-ish. But if she wanted to do that, then I was out of the picture. When we were little, I was with her most of the time. So most of her childhood memories consisted of me, and if she wanted to start a new, then forgetting me was somewhere on the top of the list.

Yoh sighed. He had to talk to her. He had to figure this out. Tomorrow, tomorrow for sure; he wasn't going to procrastinate anymore. He had the perfect chance because he got off of work earlier tomorrow then he did today, and he was going to talk to her.

The next night made Yoh nervous. Inwardly he smirked; Anna still struck fear in him. He walked to her room and then he saw her standing outside of it, trying to get in. Yoh took this as a perfect opportunity, "Anna, can I talk to you?"

Anna turned towards him, "Now?"

"Yes and this I want more than 5 words," Yoh had a serious look on his face.

"Well, haven't you gotten more demanding?" Anna took out her key to the room, "How was that? That was 6 words."

"Anna, I'm serious, I need to talk to you."

"What is it then," she turned toward him looking rather uninterested.

"Why won't you talk to me?" Yoh asked looking for the truth, "What's happened over the years? Are you mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you," she mumbled as she turned away and said a little louder, "Besides, this is not your business."

"Anna—"

"It is not, Asakura!" She answered quickly. Her voice had anger in it, the only emotion other than annoyance that she showed Yoh.

"I think I have the right to know why you talk to everyone but me! Wasn't I your best friend once?"

Anna stood there with one hand on the door, ready to slide it open. She was looking down and her bangs covered her eyes. The key in her hand jingled when she almost dropped it.

"All I'm asking for is an explanation," Yoh calmed down, "I wanna know why you're mad."

"I told you I'm not mad," she almost whispered.

"Then why won't you talk to me? I know that you were probably mad that I didn't listen to you all those years, but that's not a reason to hold a grudge for that long; even if you are "The Kyoyama Anna". And I'm really sorry if my meddling made your life worse. But I want you to know that I don't regret protecting you. I would do it again if I had to. I'm just sorry if protecting you somehow made your life worse…"

"It was worse, but it would've happened either with or without you," Anna unlocked her door and slid it open, "But I would've rather been beaten, then sit there helplessly and watch you get beaten because of me."

Yoh's eyes widened.

"I want you to stay out of my business this time," she entered her room, "I don't…I don't want to feel guilty anymore. Just please stay out of my business…and you won't get hurt."

Just as she was about to close the door behind her, Yoh stopped her, "Anna. I will never just stand there and watch you get hurt. I made you a promise, and I will keep it. Kyoyama Anna is entitled to happiness too. So I'm sorry, but I'm not going to mind my own business. You can be as distant as you want, but that won't change my mind."

Anna sighed and closed her eyes, "Do whatever fits your fancy. It's your life you're wasting."

She closed the door and Yoh smiled, "Good night, Anna."

"Goodnight………Yoh," she whispered, but Yoh heard it. His smiled widened and went on his way.

Finally, I finally think I understand why Anna was acting so distant. She felt guilty, thinking it was her fault that I was beaten up. It was my own fault though, I chose it. I wanted to protect her. She said when we met again, that she thought I was dead. She probably had that heavily weight on her. And she probably just wanted to get me out of her hair, so that just in case it happened again, she wouldn't feel guilty. I felt better now, knowing that Anna wasn't mad at me, and that I now knew her reasons. She, in her own way, just wanted to protect me. Now that I understood, I'd say that she was perfectly in the right mind.

Okay. I told you it would be shorter. This time it was only 14 pages! Next chapter will be about the same. Any comments, questions, suggestions, or, complaints? I will gladly take all as long as you're not too rude. Please review and I'll get right on the next chapter! Thanks a million!

PREDICTION FOR THE NEXT UPDATE: Again, a week., more or less. No less than Saturday, no more than Thursday (of next week).

I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! : ) Stay tuned for the next chapter!