A/N: Herpderp, have another fic. Sorry, I haven't been in the mood to update Masquerade for quite a while. But I feel bad because it's been months since I last published something, so here, have a Hao/OC AU mini-series (it'll consist of a few short chapters)! It's set in the Edo period in Japan, which is the samurai era, I think. I guess, until I get my Masquerade-inspiration back, I'll have to make do with publishing mini-series and/or one-shots like this one; I don't want anyone to think I'm dead or anything. Please, I love you all too much!

A little info on my OC, I suppose? Nawako comes from the Japanese word "ushinawa", which means "lost". I guess you'll see why I gave her that name in the later chapters. She's one of those last-minute OCs of mine. xD

FYI, this fic isn't a romance fic. I mean, of course there will be some tints of romance here and there, but I have a reason for that! I hope it's a good one, though. I'll explain this in the last chapter, for sure. Other than that, this fic is mainly focused on hurt/comfort, aaaand a little bit of friendship, I suppose.

That will be all. Um. I do not own Shaman King. Yeah. Happy reading!

( Prologue )

The first cries of a baby rang through the wooden walls of the teahouse. Heavy panting echoed. The prayers of an old Buddhist monk followed, and in the background, soft murmurs could be heard. There were people discussing about something impatiently, as if their lives were at stake here, and they were lucky their teahouse was such a large building; at least the baby's cries would not disturb the peace of the night outside.

"What should we do?" an old lady questioned hastily, as if she was in a state of panic. "It is the leap year, is it not? What should we do?"

"Nothing," a much older man – seated right beside the lady – responded simply. His face was devoid of emotion, even as he continued to stare at the wailing baby before him. "We will just have to make do with this child. She is the only one."

"No!" the lady snapped, although her voice was still no louder than a whisper. "We cannot keep her! She will only bring us bad luck and misfortune." She lifted her head and shook her head slowly as she scanned the large, spacious room they were in. "We cannot afford to let our business fall. We have to do all we can to survive."

The man nodded. He understood completely what his wife meant. They were running a teahouse business, and the teahouse they were in at that moment was a place that served both shelter and entertainment to countless number of samurai almost every single day. One's worries would vanish almost immediately once he stepped inside the fancy little inn-like store, and anyone could feel almost completely at ease. Unlike the teahouse, however, the outside world was filled with blood and terror. There was a war between the shogunate and a rebellious samurai clan, and anyone found wandering the streets alone would be brutally murdered by either party. Home also provided shelter for the innocent residents, but what about their jobs? Everyone wanted to live through their poverty and strife, so naturally they needed the money and resources. It was a rough time for most of these people, but the situation could have been worst. They all had no choice but to bear with it until the very end, if there was ever going to be one.

The old man, however, wasn't bothered by the war, or his business; there was something more important for him to worry about.

"What are we going to do with the girl, then?" He frowned. "We cannot just abandon her."

The Buddhist monk, who had long finished his prayers and had been listening to the couple's conversation, couldn't help but flash them a warm smile, upon hearing those words. "Perhaps I can be of help," he began, as he turned to fix his gaze on the baby. "You can leave the baby with me. I shall find someone who will be willing to adopt her as their own. Until then, she can come and live at the monastery with us."

The elderly couple slowly turned to face each other, the doubtful looks clearly visible on their faces. Then, they turned to the young lady lying on the tatami mat before them; a large and thick cloth covered her from waist-down, and it was severely stained with thick blood. The young lady was panting slowly to catch her breath, and she was almost completely wet and sticky with sweat. She wasn't unconscious, though, and had been able to catch the monk's every word. Then, in her weakened state, the lady managed enough strength to nod her head. She didn't say a word, but everyone knew that she had agreed to the monk's generous offer to look after her own child.

"...Very well, then," the old man said. "We will entrust you with this baby. We trust you will take good care of her, and give her a better environment to live in." The man took the baby from his wife and, almost reluctantly, handed it to the monk, who nodded as he took the baby girl in his hands, eyeing her with the most observant eyes. She had already stopped crying by now, and she produced a yawn as she stretched nimbly. Clad in only a small stained towel, the baby looked beautiful, and managed to dazzle those surrounding her with her innocent charm. It was unfortunate how her charm could do nothing to prevent her separation from her family, however.

"I promise," the monk began, smiling. He couldn't take his eyes off the girl. "I promise to do as you say. This girl may be deemed unlucky, but I strongly believe that she will bring more than just misfortune."

The elderly couple turned to each other again; the lady's eyes only narrowed suspiciously this time.

"Please," she said suddenly, turning away so she wouldn't have to face the monk. "Don't ever bring her back. We wish to have nothing to do with her any more after this."

The monk couldn't help but snicker. "We will ensure that we erase all ties she has with you," he assured her, and almost immediately, the old lady finally relaxed and sighed in relief.

"We will see this child grow," the monk continued. "And we shall teach her the ways of living in honour."

A/N: Wow, you could tell this was a little rushed. I think I added some unnecessary details, but oh well. That's the prologue for you guys! There was something I wanted to say here, but I guess I forgot. Aha! I don't expect anyone to read this fic, but I still want it to be on this site, anyway.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, even if you didn't enjoy it. I don't like this prologue chapter, either. orz So, yeah. Oh, sorry for any mistakes as well!

- A