Disclaimers: I don't own Shaman King so don't sue me. Just trying to write a fanfiction here so I'm borrowing the storyline of the series for a moment to alter it to my way of thinking, kinda a what if this could happen thing. Based on after ep 64 of the anime since I haven't gotten the manga or read the manga yet.

© April 2003, revised September 2005

Chapter 1 – Hao's Return

Yoh had spent all day training under Anna's keen stare since no recent news of the Shaman Fight had been received lately besides one last message from the oracle bell. Everyone believed things had ended at Patch Village, but the feeling didn't last long. The Shaman King fight was indeed going to continue, in one month's time. That meant more training for Yoh and Anna used it much to her advantage to train the young shaman more though he had already defeated Hao, who was known as the most powerful shaman to ever exist.

Yoh closed his eyes all too glad that the day had ended and started to drift off to sleep. A voice began to call him.

"Yoh." The voice whispered. Yoh rolled over since he was too tired to answer whoever was calling him. Again he heard his name and opened his eyes to look around. The room was dark and he saw no one.

"Who's there?" There was no reply. He closed his eyes again and drifted off to sleep finally. No one bothered him and he heard no voices for the rest of that night.

The next morning as Yoh was serving breakfast to Anna. "Anna?" Yoh asked as she looked over at him.

"What?" Yoh sweat dropped and played the words that he wanted to say over and over through his mind, but he just couldn't say the real question that he wanted to ask because it just wouldn't sound right no matter what he told himself. Earlier when he had asked Amidamaru if he had heard anything last night. The samurai spirit had informed him that it had been a quiet night and that he had felt no presences besides that of Anna and Yoh in the house. Then had came the discussion of Yoh explaining to Amidamaru that he had heard someone call his name and he wasn't sure if it had been Anna or not so he was planning to ask her.

Yoh had wanted to ask Anna if she had been calling his name last night and no matter how many times Yoh thought about it. Tiny sweatdrops danced across Yoh's forehead as Anna stared at him. He believed that if he asked Anna such a question. He would receive a slap or even a punch for such a question because of the way it sounding, a girl calling out a guy's name in the middle of the night. Amidamaru had also agreed that Yoh should not ask Anna such a question, ever. Instead they ended up rewording the question.

"Did you hear anyone calling out my name last night?" Anna continued to peer at Yoh for a moment.

"No."

"Ah." Yoh and Amidamaru looked at one another.

"Why?" Yoh looked back over to Anna.

"Because I could have sworn that I heard someone calling out my name last night." Anna's gaze narrowed on Yoh and a HUGE sweat drop began to form as he realized what he had just said. "That is, I was starting to go to sleep when I heard someone say my name, but when I asked if anyone was there. No one replied and I saw no one."

"You were probably dreaming." Anna replied and began to eat. Between bites she murmured. "Hurry up and eat or you'll be late for school." Yoh nodded and started to eat.

Though for some reason the voice sounded familiar, but he does not mention his thoughts to Anna. He couldn't quiet recall where he had heard it before. A voice that he didn't care to hear ever again and wondered perhaps that Anna was right. That he had been dreaming, but what if he had not been dreaming he wondered.

Later that night as Yoh lied awake and slowly began to fall asleep. He heard it again, but this time he ignored it as he drifted off to sleep. A dark figure appeared before him and smiled.

"Yoh. It's good of you to finally come and see me." Yoh stared at the dark figure in his dream. He couldn't make out who it was since the dream itself was pitch black. All he could make out was the figure of a person standing a few feet away from him. The darkness reminded him of being in the cave of Yomi that was in his hometown that had helped to boost up his Furyoku fast. He knew instantly that this darkness was different; it held a more sinister aura to it.

His senses adjusted to the darkness as he watched the figure begin to approach him. The figured paused beside Yoh and whispered in his ear. "It is your fault that this all ended up happening and like I had said before. You are mine and I've come back for what is mine." Light dawned upon Yoh as the voice finally reached him.

Light shined in upon the dream as a vast valley filled the scene. The beautiful scene that enveloped them with the plush green grass below their feet did not did not avert Yoh's serious gaze that rested on the figure that stood beside him. There standing beside Yoh was none other than his older brother, Hao.

"It can't be.." Yoh began, but Hao cut him off.

"Oh, it's true." Hao continued to smile at his little brother. "You destroyed my other body, but I've always had this one too." Hao reached out and caressed Yoh's cheek. "And I do plan to use it. I haven't achieved what I set out to do. Much is still to be gained in this life." Yoh's pupils faded to all white as he stared in shock at Hao.

'How could this be happening' Yoh wondered. 'Could this really be happening? It's a dream.' He told himself as he began to recover from the shock. 'It's just a nightmare. Wake up, Yoh.'

"Hmph. So you think this isn't real, do you? We shall put it to the test." Hao's figure disappears from the dream as the scene turns dark again into a pitch black. Yoh's eyes began to search the scene wildly for signs of Hao.

"Hao!" Yoh calls out seeing no signs of his brother anymore.

"Don't worry, Yoh. I'll take good care of Anna for you." Hao begins to laugh.

"Hao!" Yoh begins to run franticly throughout the empty void of his dream searching for any signs of his brother. "Hao, what do you mean by that?" He shouted as he ran. "Don't you dare touch Anna!" Yoh caught himself and stopped running. He stood in place as a smile started from the edge of his lips and spread into a nervous smile. "You're dead. There's no way that you can touch Anna." Yoh couldn't see the smirk on Hao's face.

"I'm going to prove to you dear brother that this is indeed real. I am now taking back what is mine. All that is yours is mine, your mind, your body, and your soul. Even Anna will be mine."

"Hao!" Yoh cried out again, but this time. There was no reply.. only silence.