Forgotten Memories

By Elle Pellano

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.

A/N: Thanks for the initial reviews from HPCS2 and complicatedmind21! Please keep them coming. =)

Anna stood up and walked away from the slab of stone she was previously sitting on to get a clearer view of who was right before her. She squinted her eyes a couple of times to check if she was not hallucinating. Perhaps he's nothing but a product of her imagination, her anxiety, her subconscious fear. She wanted to slap herself hard so she could finally wake up from this nightmare.

This is not real. This is just a dream. Everything will be back to normal.

She tried to convince herself. The baby in her arms had completely disappeared and she was wearing her usual black dress again. However, the image of the long-haired cocky shaman never left her sight no matter how fast she tried to blink him away.

"Missed me my dear Anna?" asked the unwanted visitor.

"You're supposed to be dead Hao," Anna tried to keep her cool.

"Isn't that such a sweet welcome greeting to someone who had just returned? I might have been gone for good if not for my twin brother's weakness."

"What are you talking about?" she was beginning to lose her temper fast.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Did he not relate to you the details of that fateful day? And I thought engaged couples should tell no secrets to each other."

Anna was poised not to believe anything Hao was going to say but deep down inside, she had this feeling that what he was about to tell next was the damn truth. The mere fact that he's alive and mocking her was a clear testament to an incident that should have taken place before but never did - the incident involving the death of a maniacal shaman by the hands of her fiancé.

"He betrayed you all Anna. He cannot kill me. He cannot kill a part of him."

"He told us you were gone for good," Anna defended Yoh's word of honor but her mind was racing back to that time when her fiancé had returned from his one-on-one fight with Hao. She couldn't remember a single word from Yoh telling them that he had finally put an end to his twin brother's life. All she could recall was a memory of him smiling and saying it's over.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you. He was able to defeat my Spirit of Fire if that would make you feel better."

"You are always full of lies Hao Asakura." Anna said with gritted teeth.

"Why would I lie to you my Anna? Didn't I say I'll be coming back for you? I even brought along a new friend." As soon as Hao finished saying this, a man who looked like a Patch tribe warrior materialized beside him. "Let me introduce to you my new spirit, Argon."

Anna was about to grab the 1080 beads from her neck but the long-haired shaman was just too fast. Next thing she knew, Hao had already seized both of her arms and held them tight in front of her. "I do not want to kill you Anna but you will play an important part in my plan. Argon, I hope you make this quick." Hao then threw Anna to the Patch warrior spirit who grabbed her by the shoulders. A green light had begun emanating from Argon's hands. Anna felt her whole body being drained of energy. The blond itako was getting weaker and weaker as the light grew brighter and brighter. She tried to shake herself free from the spirit's grip but to no avail. The flicker of light then burst into a bright green flare shining on all things within the perimeter. Anna started to scream in pain as the mountain breeze turned into a howling wind once more. The dry earth started to crack underneath their feet and the rupture got longer until it split the slab of stone into two. It was at that moment when she saw nothing but darkness.

"Grandma Kino, you called!" Yoh was a bit surprised to hear from his old folks back home. They weren't the type who would contact him every now and then just to say hi.

"How are you? How is Anna doing there?" Yoh asked remembering that it was the third day since his fiancée had gone to run an errand for his grandmother.

"Not so good," answered a grave voice from the other line. Yoh wasn't sure if she was talking about her health as she was suffering from arthritis or if she was talking about his fiancée. He became alarmed at the sudden seriousness of her tone.

"An apprentice brought her to the inn this morning. They found her out in the cold at Osorezan... almost dead."

Thanks for reading!