Yoh grabbed her shoulders. "I can't find her!" he cried, his voice
high pitched in fright. He gave her a little shake. "I can't find her, I
can't find her!"
Pilika blinked several times. "Can't find who?" she asked.
"Anna!" Yoh sobbed. "She's gone. She's just gone!"
Pilika put her hands on Yoh's. "Sh, Yoh," she soothed. "Calm down. She's probably just going off on her own thing somewhere. I'm sure she'll be back soon."
"Will you help me look anyway?" Yoh asked.
"Sure," she said, hoping to calm him down. It didn't help. The frenzied boy took off running, dragging Pilika behind him.
If only he'd looked up...
"A hit-and-run accident occurred on Murakami Street just a few hours ago. The young girl hit has yet to be identified. She is between eleven and fifteen years of age, 5'1" and weighs approximately ninety pounds, with blonde hair and brown eyes, dressed in a black sleeveless dress with a string of blue beads around her neck. She suffered severe injuries to her head and back, and regained consciousness only half an hour ago. However, she has been diagnosed with traumatic amnesia. The driver was a man in his late forties or early fifties, driving an American 1989 Oldsmobile. If you can provide any information on the young girl or the driver, please contact the studio, or Funbari Hill General."
If only he'd looked up...
But while he was not, someone else was.
*****
"I've come about the girl."
The nurse at the desk looked up, smiling brightly. "You can identify her?" she asked.
"Yes," the young man said. He showed her some ID.
"Oh, please come with me," the nurse said. "I'll be happy to take you to her."
The slender little girl was tucked snugly in bed, bandages on her forehead and shoulders. Her left arm was exposed, the IV taped to her hand. Large dark eyes stared wearily out of her pale, pale face.
"Do you recognize him, dear?" the nurse asked.
The blonde squinted. "Not really," she confessed. "But he looks a little familiar."
The young man placed his left hand on hers, then leaned forward to kiss the top of her head. "How are you feeling, sweetling?" he said.
She stared up at him. "Why did you call me that?" she asked him.
The young man's wide brown eyes were sorrowful. "Is that bad, my darling girl?" he said. He stroked her hair away from her face tenderly. "Don't you know your own fiancé?"
"Fiancé?" she repeated, hints of recognition glinting in her eyes.
The young man sat down on the side of the bed, holding her hand. "We have been engaged since our childhood ," he said. "You grew up down the street from me, and my parents took you in when your parents passed on. Our engagement has been arranged since we were children. I am Hao Asakura, and you are my fiancée, Amiko Kurogasa."
*****
Within an hour of seeing the broadcast, Hao had managed to manufacture the ID and the papers proving her to be his fiancée. Within even less time he had swayed every nurse and every doctor in the establishment to bow to his whims, and the whims of his Ami-chan. He had hurried it along to prevent Yoh from coming to identify her, but yet a week passed and Yoh never appeared. Soon "Amiko" was well enough to go home.
"Hao-kun," Amiko giggled as he picked her up out of the wheelchair to carry her inside the house. Now that she was Amiko, laughter came to her easily. Amiko was a spoiled only child, the daughter of wealthy and loving but absentee parents. She had never been abandoned on a hillside to die, or grown up with so much rage that it had been forced to physically manifest itself. "Hao-kun, there's no need for you to carry me."
Hao kissed the side of her neck. "I love to hold you," he said. "Please let me, Ami-chan."
She paused. "Well, if it means so much to you, Hao-kun," she laughed.
He carried her into the house and set her on a soft, comfortable couch. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"A little tired," she yawned. "But otherwise I'm fine." Amiko leaned against the cushions, but suddenly straightened. "Hao, who is that?"
He beckoned to the young woman standing in the doorway. "My...sister, Mari," Hao said. "I don't suppose you remember Mari, do you, love?"
Amiko shook her head. "Hello, Mari," she smiled.
"Hello," Mari said, "Amiko." She did not smile. Her green eyes were sharp as she wheeled around and left.
"She seems so unhappy," Amiko mused.
Hao stroked her cheek. "She is distraught over your injuries," he reassured her. "I promise you, Amiko, I will find the best care. You will walk again, I swear it."
She smiled again, but this time it did not quite meet her eyes.
*****
Jun walked silently into the room. Her young brother and his friends were grouped around the television, staring glumly at the flickering screen. Yoh was sitting on the couch, his knees drawn up to his chest. She saw the faint glow of tears on his cheeks. "Yoh-kun," she whispered. "She'll come home."
Yoh only turned his head away and flinched when she lightly touched his hair.
"There's nothing good on," HoroHoro said in exasperation as he punched the channel button on the remote.
Suddenly Yoh leapt from the couch to kneel in front of the screen. "Go back! Go back!" he shouted. Bemused, HoroHoro did.
"Last week, we brought you the tragedy of a young girl hit by a car, only to wake up with amnesia. But thanks to this station's efforts, she has been identified and is going home today. Thirteen-year-old Amiko Kurogasa was walking home from school when a still at large driver hit her and left the scene. She was taken immediately to Funbari General, where she was diagnosed with a cracked skull, a separated shoulder, and several badly bruised vertebrae. She woke up several hours later with no idea who she was. Luckily, one young man recognized her as his fiancee and childhood friend."
The screen changed from the brunette reporter to the exterior of Funbari General. A young man was holding a tiny young girl in his arms. She waved to the crowd, but her face was shielded by her long hair. The young man carried her to a waiting car. As he set her inside and buckled her in, the camera finally snatched a glance at her face.
"Anna," Yoh whispered, his fingers touching the cold television screen. "Anna, I found you."
Her brown eyes were wide and smiling, but she didn't smile at him.
Author's Note: Hao is soo cute, but soo evil. Oh, well. I've got more coming...slowly...Yoh comes back to find her...should be interesting...
Pilika blinked several times. "Can't find who?" she asked.
"Anna!" Yoh sobbed. "She's gone. She's just gone!"
Pilika put her hands on Yoh's. "Sh, Yoh," she soothed. "Calm down. She's probably just going off on her own thing somewhere. I'm sure she'll be back soon."
"Will you help me look anyway?" Yoh asked.
"Sure," she said, hoping to calm him down. It didn't help. The frenzied boy took off running, dragging Pilika behind him.
If only he'd looked up...
"A hit-and-run accident occurred on Murakami Street just a few hours ago. The young girl hit has yet to be identified. She is between eleven and fifteen years of age, 5'1" and weighs approximately ninety pounds, with blonde hair and brown eyes, dressed in a black sleeveless dress with a string of blue beads around her neck. She suffered severe injuries to her head and back, and regained consciousness only half an hour ago. However, she has been diagnosed with traumatic amnesia. The driver was a man in his late forties or early fifties, driving an American 1989 Oldsmobile. If you can provide any information on the young girl or the driver, please contact the studio, or Funbari Hill General."
If only he'd looked up...
But while he was not, someone else was.
*****
"I've come about the girl."
The nurse at the desk looked up, smiling brightly. "You can identify her?" she asked.
"Yes," the young man said. He showed her some ID.
"Oh, please come with me," the nurse said. "I'll be happy to take you to her."
The slender little girl was tucked snugly in bed, bandages on her forehead and shoulders. Her left arm was exposed, the IV taped to her hand. Large dark eyes stared wearily out of her pale, pale face.
"Do you recognize him, dear?" the nurse asked.
The blonde squinted. "Not really," she confessed. "But he looks a little familiar."
The young man placed his left hand on hers, then leaned forward to kiss the top of her head. "How are you feeling, sweetling?" he said.
She stared up at him. "Why did you call me that?" she asked him.
The young man's wide brown eyes were sorrowful. "Is that bad, my darling girl?" he said. He stroked her hair away from her face tenderly. "Don't you know your own fiancé?"
"Fiancé?" she repeated, hints of recognition glinting in her eyes.
The young man sat down on the side of the bed, holding her hand. "We have been engaged since our childhood ," he said. "You grew up down the street from me, and my parents took you in when your parents passed on. Our engagement has been arranged since we were children. I am Hao Asakura, and you are my fiancée, Amiko Kurogasa."
*****
Within an hour of seeing the broadcast, Hao had managed to manufacture the ID and the papers proving her to be his fiancée. Within even less time he had swayed every nurse and every doctor in the establishment to bow to his whims, and the whims of his Ami-chan. He had hurried it along to prevent Yoh from coming to identify her, but yet a week passed and Yoh never appeared. Soon "Amiko" was well enough to go home.
"Hao-kun," Amiko giggled as he picked her up out of the wheelchair to carry her inside the house. Now that she was Amiko, laughter came to her easily. Amiko was a spoiled only child, the daughter of wealthy and loving but absentee parents. She had never been abandoned on a hillside to die, or grown up with so much rage that it had been forced to physically manifest itself. "Hao-kun, there's no need for you to carry me."
Hao kissed the side of her neck. "I love to hold you," he said. "Please let me, Ami-chan."
She paused. "Well, if it means so much to you, Hao-kun," she laughed.
He carried her into the house and set her on a soft, comfortable couch. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"A little tired," she yawned. "But otherwise I'm fine." Amiko leaned against the cushions, but suddenly straightened. "Hao, who is that?"
He beckoned to the young woman standing in the doorway. "My...sister, Mari," Hao said. "I don't suppose you remember Mari, do you, love?"
Amiko shook her head. "Hello, Mari," she smiled.
"Hello," Mari said, "Amiko." She did not smile. Her green eyes were sharp as she wheeled around and left.
"She seems so unhappy," Amiko mused.
Hao stroked her cheek. "She is distraught over your injuries," he reassured her. "I promise you, Amiko, I will find the best care. You will walk again, I swear it."
She smiled again, but this time it did not quite meet her eyes.
*****
Jun walked silently into the room. Her young brother and his friends were grouped around the television, staring glumly at the flickering screen. Yoh was sitting on the couch, his knees drawn up to his chest. She saw the faint glow of tears on his cheeks. "Yoh-kun," she whispered. "She'll come home."
Yoh only turned his head away and flinched when she lightly touched his hair.
"There's nothing good on," HoroHoro said in exasperation as he punched the channel button on the remote.
Suddenly Yoh leapt from the couch to kneel in front of the screen. "Go back! Go back!" he shouted. Bemused, HoroHoro did.
"Last week, we brought you the tragedy of a young girl hit by a car, only to wake up with amnesia. But thanks to this station's efforts, she has been identified and is going home today. Thirteen-year-old Amiko Kurogasa was walking home from school when a still at large driver hit her and left the scene. She was taken immediately to Funbari General, where she was diagnosed with a cracked skull, a separated shoulder, and several badly bruised vertebrae. She woke up several hours later with no idea who she was. Luckily, one young man recognized her as his fiancee and childhood friend."
The screen changed from the brunette reporter to the exterior of Funbari General. A young man was holding a tiny young girl in his arms. She waved to the crowd, but her face was shielded by her long hair. The young man carried her to a waiting car. As he set her inside and buckled her in, the camera finally snatched a glance at her face.
"Anna," Yoh whispered, his fingers touching the cold television screen. "Anna, I found you."
Her brown eyes were wide and smiling, but she didn't smile at him.
Author's Note: Hao is soo cute, but soo evil. Oh, well. I've got more coming...slowly...Yoh comes back to find her...should be interesting...