Declivity

The sunlight began to wane in the distance as darkness enveloped the sky. Clouds leaked the moisture as droplets at first, but the force of the weight caused them to break apart. The rain fell fiercely upon the ground in heavy sections, beating against the roof as an intruder. Thunder and violent lightning soon followed, causing a magnificent display of natural fireworks.

She should have been at home.

Her thoughts raced madly through her mind, and she closed her eyes in frustration. Arriving only minutes before the storm's onslaught, she stood at the front door in a daze. Hesitating to knock she said aloud, "Go home, Anna. Please go home," but for some reason she couldn't will her body to move. She stood paralyzed and grimacing as the door slowly opened.

"I knew you would come," he said calmly. His smile made her feel sick, but she couldn't turn away. As he reached for her hand, she sighed weakly. When he pulled her closer to his body he put his arm around her waist and she pushed away.

"Let go of me, Hao," she was finally able to speak after she was inside the house.

He smiled at her for a few seconds then turned to walk away.

"Why are you here?" He asked calmly.

She opened her mouth to speak but was suddenly at a loss for words.

"I suppose that was a stupid question," he added without turning to face her, "I know why you're here."

"This is a mistake," she whispered.

"Are you afraid?" He turned around again and his smile had disappeared.

"I'm going home. I'm going home now," she knew the words came out, but he didn't seem to hear her.

"I said, are you afraid?"

She stood in front of him in silence. All of her senses seemed to malfunction in the seconds that followed. She didn't see him move. He was standing directly in front of her. She couldn't hear his voice. He whispered in her ear. She tried to slap him, but her arms wouldn't move. He ran his fingers through her hair. Finally, she was able to speak again.

"Yes," sounded more like a whimper.

"Why are you afraid?" His whisper sent chills down her spine.

Her inability to insult him was frustrating. He held her in a tight embrace as she spoke.

"I need to leave. Let go of me," she felt very weak and was angry at herself for allowing the emotion to show.

"You don't want to leave," he whispered calmly.

"Stop," she whispered.

"You wouldn't have come if you didn't want to be here."

He was right. She knew he was right, and the realization crippled her. Thoughts bounced around uncontrollably, disabling her ability to reason clearly. The loud thunder increased the tension further. She pulled away from him slightly, hoping she would see Yoh's face and it would shock her back to reality. She stared at him for what seemed like an eternity, but she couldn't see them. There was no warmth in his eyes, no traces of Yoh anywhere in his expression. The discovery baffled her. He blinked slowly and watched as she was lured closer to his face. The intensity of his gaze was hypnotic and unyielding, and she found herself unable to turn away.

"What are you looking for?" He asked calmly.

"Don't do this to me," she said softly, utterly regretting her words.

"What am I doing?" His tone didn't change.

"I'm leaving. Let me go!" She seemed pleased with the sternness of her voice, although tears were beginning to fill her eyes.

"I think you would have left already if you wanted to leave, or actually," he smiled, "You wouldn't be here at all."

She was momentarily unable to speak as if he had cast a spell on her.

"You're afraid because you think you're making a bad decision. But you have to understand that this isn't a decision at all. There is none to be made. This is the path and there is no other way. Yoh is irrelevant. The sooner you understand that the happier you'll be."

"I love him," she said finally.

"No you don't," he responded quickly.

"Stay away from me," she whispered fearfully.

Ignoring her plea he engulfed her in a long, passionate kiss that made her toes curl. Attempting to pull away, she found herself grabbing his back and pulling his hair with her hands. Her moans definitely didn't help the resistance, and her eyes began to roll back behind her eyelids when she felt the rhythm of his tongue. Within seconds every line of defense had fallen, and every inhibition dissipated. He had succeeded in winning her over and removing Yoh from her thoughts.