Yoh/Anna and sort of Hao/Anna. Written for the 52flavours community on livejournal. AU. Spoilers for Funbari no Uta. First part of three.

part one: the possibility of zero (#44)

15. bathing in artificial light

Yoh's joining with the Great Spirit left the world colourless. Sometimes she dreamed about it: his mouth open, back arched, and arms splayed in an awkward pose. Her eyes watched his growing form as he drifted towards that light that grew and grew and grew until it blinded the world.

03. four rings of light upon the ceiling overhead

She woke up with a suddenness that caused her husband to exclaim. Sitting up, she stared at him, reaching out to trace the contours of his face. Eyes, cheekbones, lips, jaw. A passing car lit the window and she could see his eyes, dark and sombre, watching her. Already, her dream is fading into forgetfulness; Hao had always been the filter through which she had defined her reality. "Nothing," she said, withdrawing her touch. "Go back to sleep."

21. new every morning

Hana was sitting at the table when she finally showed up for breakfast. His eyes were unfocused and hair tousled. "Good morning Mother," he yawned.

"You need to brush your hair."

Hana looked sheepish and just a little guilty before admitting, "I was feeling lazy. I wonder if it'd be easier to have long hair like Father."

Anna gave him a penetrating stare. At seven, Hana seemed a little too old and young for his age with his brown eyes and hair, pointed nose and lips that were too prone to smiling. "Get me a comb," she ordered. He stood quietly as she arranged his hair to her liking. "Have your father take you to the hairdresser today," she said, pulling the last tendril into place.

16. how fire took water to wife

After the Shaman Fight, Hao and Anna had a quiet ceremony. People raised eyebrows at the development; they were only sixteen.

"We've been engaged since we were ten," Hao told everyone, wrapping a possessive arm around his wife. She removed it from her waist with a quiet exasperation that suggested long familiarity. "It was natural."

Anna insisted having only family present. "A private celebration is probably best," laughed Hao, kissing her on the cheek.

Kino's hair was arranged in its usual coiffure. Yohmei could not help but comment on the oddity of wearing sunglasses during a wedding ceremony. The usual acid in her voice was missing when she told him, "Some things will never change."

"Oh?" Yohmei glanced at his wife. It was really uncanny the way she seemed to see through everything, even though she was blind. "Your grandson is getting married to your favourite student. Surely even you can put aside your usual gravity for such an occasion."

She replied, "I am as happy for them as I can be."

45. ownership of such fragile devices

"Mother! Mother!" Hana's steps echoed across the wooden planking of the porch. He was waving something small and orange in his hands. "Look what I found!"

Anna looked up from her calligraphy. The brush had splattered ink over the rice paper. "Don't run and shout."

Hana's eyes flickered to her ruined calligraphy and he gulped. "I'm sorry Mother," he apologized, kneeling next to her. "But look."

He gave her the earphones. The metal was cool under her hands, and she could see the scuff marks on the orange paint. The black padding around the ear piece had also been worn down so that it probably would only sit comfortably on the original owner. "Where did you find this?"

"On the top shelf in one of the guest rooms. The third one down the hall from your room. There's also a lot of boxes, but I couldn't reach them so I thought..." his voice trailed off. Anna fingered the scratches, tracing the grooves before slipping it over her neck. It felt heavy and unnatural, pressing against her shoulders and collarbones like a lover's hands.

"Wash my brushes. Don't ruin them," she told Hana.

The old guest room was covered in a thin film of dust. Pulling the door open, she reached for the first box.

She found various records and an old discman in the box. Frowning a bit, she rummaged through the music, reading titles and songs aloud. "Bob Love."

38. hard, but much truer

Anna slid the door open with a crisp motion. Kino sipped her tea, quiet, calm and expectant. "How did you remember?"

"I'm blind. I never saw the flash of light that everyone else did," explained Kino. "It wiped everyone's memories except mine."

"Why did you never tell me?"

"It was for the best, Anna." The words echoed between them.

"How do I separate him from the Great Spirit?"

The silence between them was deafening. Kino knew that at this point on, Anna would never call her 'Grandmother' again. "It's not possible."

"He's my husband."

Kino took off her glasses. Her pupils stood out in her white eyes, giving her the impression of sight. Anna returned the stare, curling her fingers in her lap. "Yoh is the Shaman King. Hao is your husband. You have a child."

Anna's eyes narrowed until they were mere slits and stated in her flattest tone, "Hao knows."

Kino didn't even consider lying. "Yes. But you're happy with him."

"Was happy. Yoh broke a promise. You don't expect me to allow him to get away with it."

"As far as I am concerned, Yoh kept his promise. He became the Shaman King and he would not have been able to do it without you. Things worked out to the way they were supposed to be; Yoh was a mistake, but the Great Spirit fixed it. Your child will carry the Asakura name. Hao is your husband. You are an itako and my successor.

Anna's hands flew to the rosary around her neck. She could feel the wooden beads warming against her touch. She stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"To make things right."

Kino set her cup down. "You will tear the foundations of the world if you do this."

"I don't care," said Anna and slid the door shut behind her.