Marion Phauna, Puppet Master...

It was a warm outside, despite the time of year. Kids were outside, playing in the snow, laughing, enjoying themselves. They were playing near an old Mansion. The Phauna Mansion to be exact. The date was February 27, and little Marion Phauna starred out the window, standing on a stool, watching them. She wore a light blue dress with small white frills on the end, her long blond hair went down to her waste, her green eyes having a sad look in them, even though she was only Four, almost Five.

"Mari wants to play too…" she said quietly. She heard foot steps behind her but she didn't turn around to see who it was.

"Miss Marion, your mother and father want to see you," a maid said named Sophie. She had short brown hair and kind brown eyes.

"Ok," Marion jumped down. She took Sophie's hand and let her lead her to where her parents were. Her family were rich and well known in the small town in Italy. Of course, Marion didn't know this. Why would she? She's just a kid.

Sophie took her to the living room down stairs. Marion's mother, who also had long blonde hair but with blue eyes, was sitting in a chair by the window. Her father, a tall man with brown and a beard with green eyes, stood behind her.

Marion let go of Sophie's hand and ran over to them. Her mother picked her up and placed her on her lap, smiling softly at her.

"Thank you Sophie, you may leave," She said to the maid.

"Of course Lady Phauna," Sophie curtsied before giving Marion a small wave and left.

"Mama and Papa wanted to see Mari?" Marion looked up at them, curious.

"Marion, We told you not to talk like that. When you talk about your self you say, 'I' or 'Me', understand?" Her father scolded gently.

"Ok Mari…um, I understand," Marion nodded.

"Good, now, we have a gift for you Marion," her mother said. "Tomorrow's your birthday and you'll be Five. We won't be here so we decided to give you your gifts early."

Marion watched as her mother reached behind the chair for her gift. "I hope you like it, I spent two weeks trying to make it perfect for you." It was a doll. A cowboy doll. It hand light brown hair and had a sheriffs outfit. The only thing it was missing was a hat. Marion's eyes widened. She reached for the doll and held him close.

"M…I like him," She said.

"Well, you also get this," her father handed her an old antique looking gun. "Now Mari, this is not a toy, it's very special to our family," her father kneeled down in front of her. "A good friend gave it to your grandfather, who gave it to me, and now I'm giving it to you." her father handed her the gun.

"Honey, do you think you should really give it to her? She only turning Four," his wife asked, frowning. He chuckled.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. It's not loaded." he picked up his daughter, who was clutching the doll in one hand and the gun in the other. "You know, there's a story about that gun."

"Really?"

"Yup," sitting down on the couch, Master Phauna placed his daughter on his knee. "They say Chuck was the best sheriff in the Western World. This," he tapped the gun. "Belonged to him. And they say that his spirit protects whoever owns his gun, which is why I'm giving it to you."

Marion smiled and looked the her two gifts.

"Marion, why not go put those in your room so your father and I can talk." Her mother said.

"Yes Mama," Marion hopped off her fathers knee and went back to her room.

She put the Gun on her nightstand and her doll on her bed. She tipped her head to the side, thinking about what her dad just told her.

"Mari will call you Chuck, so you can protect Mari like in Papa's story." she said.

"I'm flattered." Marion jumped, startled. Turning around, Marion saw a man who had short really light brown hair and green eyes. He had on a white, buttoned up long sleeved shirt with a brown vest over it. He wore brown pants with a belt and brown leather shoes. He looked like her doll.

"Your Chuck," she said. He blinked, surprised and smiled.

"Yes, I am. I'm surprised you can see me," he said.

"Why?" Marion pulled herself up on her bed and held her doll close to her.

"Well, normally people can't see me," he said.

"But I can see you,"

"Yes, you can. That makes you special," Chuck said. Marion smiled. She was never called special before.

The next day Marion put her green backpack on and clutched her doll to her. She didn't want to leave Chucks spirit alone in the house and she started crying. Seeing her upset, Chuck told her that he could go into her doll so she wouldn't be alone at school.

So now she was sitting on the bus holding Chuck to her.

"I won't be alone today, because your with me, right Chuck?" she said. The doll nodded. Smiling, Marion looked outside. When she got off the bus the wind blew her pigtails to the side.

"Let's go Chuck."

All morning Marion held Chuck, refusing to put him down, even when the teachers told her too. It annoyed them but they soon gave up since the thing seemed to make her happy, something they've never seen. The students gave her weird looks, like she was crazy. They weren't used to her being so…cheerful looking.

At lunch, that's when things started to change. Marion was sitting outside under a tree, eating her food peacefully, Chuck beside her.

"Did Chuck like his first morning at school?" she said. He nodded.

"Why are you talking to yourself Mari?" Marion looked up to see Bella, a girl with light brown hair glaring down at her. Two of her friend, one with blond, almost white hair, and the other with really dark brown hair were behind her.

"Mari's not talking to herself. She's talking to Chuck," Marion said. She didn't like these girls, they always picked on her just because she was younger then them by a year.

Bella laughed. "It's a doll, it's not real idiot!" before Marion could stop her she grabbed Chuck.

"Ew, it's really ugly," She said. "It belongs in the trash!"

"No, give Chuck back!" Marion stood and tried to get him back but the girl with light blond hair tripped her.

"I don't think so," she laughed seeing tears form in Marion's eyes.

"Give- Give Chuck back," She sniffed.

"Why should I? your families rich, I'm sure you can get a new one. One that isn't made of rags!" Bella went to throw the doll over the fence but dropped him instantly with a cry of pain.

"OW!" she yelled, holding her wrist.

"Bella!"

"What's wrong?"

Her friend went over and saw that her wrist was bleeding a little.

"That-That thing scr-scratched me!" Bella said in disbelief.

Marion look from Bella to Chuck, who was lying motionless on the ground.

"Are you ok Chuck?" she asked.

The three girls glared at her.

"Why are you talking to that doll again?"

"Bella's the one whose hurt!"

"What did you do Mari-AAHHH!"

The girls let out a scream when Chuck stood up and walked over to Marion.

"Your ok?" Marion whispered. The doll nodded. She smiled. "I'm happy." she looked over at the three girls that were starring, terrified, at her and Chuck.

"What-What the-" the dark brown haired stuttered.

"How-How's it moving?" the Blond haired girl said.

Bella's eyes widened as she took a step back. "Witch…" she muttered. "She's a witch…Marion's a witch!"

Marion watched as the ran away, confused.

"Mari…Mari's not a witch…"

"Is Mari a witch Chuck?"

"No."

"Then why did those girls say she was?"

Marion was sitting her bed, holding her doll close to her. Chuck's spirit was sitting on the end of her bed.

"Because they don't understand that you're a Shaman Marion," Chuck told her.

"Sha…Man?" she never heard of that before.

Chuck nodded. "Someone who can see spirits, which is what I am."

"Can Chuck tell Mari a story?" Marion asked. "Since Mama and Papa are gone?"

"What do you want to hear?"

"How you became a spirit."

Chuck hesitated. "That's not a story for little girls."

"Please?" she gave him a pleading look. He sighed and nodded.

He told of how, when he was just twelve years old, he got arrested for stealing food and for homicide. Marion asked what homicide meant and Chuck told her. He came to realise that, though she was just five, she could understand and handle things better then most her age. He soon respected that about her, despite her age. It didn't scare her, she didn't even ask why he killed people. He told of how the Sheriff of her town took pity on him and adopted him, teaching him about Guns and how to be a great gunfighter. But when Chuck was twenty, the Sheriff died so Chuck took over as Sheriff. He died after being shot multiple times but his spirit stayed with his gun. After many years of being traded, he finally came to the Phauna family and swore to protect whoever owned his gun. And now, since Marion owned it, he promises to protect her from anything.

A few months past since then, and after hearing how exiting Chucks life was, she found things boring. She ignored the kids at school that called her a witch. Her parents became worried when she would spend hours in her room by her self. And soon, despite their best efforts, she stopped saying 'I' and 'Me'.

One day, when Sophie went to check on her, she heard Marion talking. At first she thought she was talking to a friend she brought home before she realised no one was replying to her.

Hesitating at first, she opened the door a crack and saw Marion, sitting on the bed, her back facing her, talking to herself.

"Mari's bored. What do you want to do? We can't, Papa would get mad. No, Mari doesn't know how. That's mean!"

Uttering a small gasp, Sophie closed the door and ran down the stairs.

"What did you say?"

Sophie flinched.

"For-Forgive me Master Phauna," she said quietly. "But…I believe something's wrong with Miss Marion, your daughter."

'Why do you think this?"

"Just now, in her room, she was talking to herself. There was no one there, but she was talking as if someone was answering her and-"

"Enough! I'll hear no more of this. Sophie, from the day on I don't ever want to see you on my property!" Master Phauna shouted. Sophie's eyes widened.

"What? Please, don't-"

"OUT!"

Master Phauna told his wife about what Sophie had told him. She was horrified at the thought of her daughter being mentally ill, so kept an eye on her.

Soon, however, she began to think the maid was on to something. She also found Marion talking to herself on numerous occasions.

Marion didn't seem to notice her parents distress. She didn't seem to notice anything.

"Mari's bored…" she said. She grabbed her doll and went down stairs.

"Marion? What are you doing, it's almost midnight," her mother said, seeing her daughter about to go outside.

"Mari's bored. Her and Chuck are going to go play and-"

"STOP!" Marion's eyes widened when her mother yelled. "JUST STOP IT! CHUCK IS A DOLL! HE'S NOT REAL!"

"YES HE IS!" Marion shouted back. "Chucks real, he's been protecting Mari from the bullies at school because they say Mari's a witch!"

Lady Phauna eyes widened. A witch…why didn't she think of it sooner! It was so obvious!

Marion's eyes widened when she saw her mothers eyes narrow dangerously as she approached her. She didn't even notice that Chuck had disappeared.

"Get out!" Her mother hissed.

"Wh-What?" Marion took a few steps back.

"Get out of her body you witch! Stop possessing my daughter!"

Bang!Master Phauna's eyes flew open as he heard a gun shot. He jumped out of bed, running down the stairs to seeing a horrifying sight. His wife, lying on the ground, blood coming out of a wound above her heart.

Standing beside her was his daughter in a black dress with pigtails starring at her. Standing, yes standing, beside was her doll. It had a gun in it hand.

"Ma-Marion, what did you do?" he gasped. She looked up at him, tears forming in her eyes.

"Mama…Mama tried to-to hurt Mari." she said. "And Chuck-Chuck protected Mari, like he promised."

Master Phauna's eyes widened. Sophie was right, something was wrong with his daughter.

"Witch…" he said. "You're a wit-"

Bang!

A boy no older then seven with long dark brown hair walked down the street of the small town, looking for the strong source of Furyoku he could feel. Just as he turned the corner into an alley a gun fired. The bullet would have hit him if it weren't for his shield made of his Furyoku.

A girl covered in bruises from tripping and being hit covered her arms as she looked, clearly terrified, at the person in front of her. Beside her was a doll, holding the gun that fired.

"Mari…Mari isn't a witch…" she said.

The boy nodded. "I know. You're a shaman. I also know that those humans tried to hurt you."

Marion looked at him, nervous.

"If Mari comes with me, I can teach her to control her powers. Mari can get back at the humans that hurt her." the boy walked over to her.

"You will help Mari?" she said quietly. The boy nodded.

"Mari…Mari will come." she said. She picked up her doll, whispering, "We safe now Chuck. Nothing will hurt Mari or Chuck again…"

I find that there are not enough stories about the Hana-Gumi. So I'm going to do a three or four chap story about them and what their life was before Hao found them. And it's going to be in the order that they joined him, Mari first, then Macchi, and lastly, Kanna. Plz R&R!

P.S, I know this sucked alot, I'll try to do better next time.