FULL SUMMARY:
YxA, AU. 11 year old Yoh washes on the shore of a small island and ends up staying with the Kyoyamas, a noble family. The young daughter, Anna ends up befriending Yoh and as the years go by, they fall in love. But one day, a pirate ship belonging to the Pirate King Hao comes and Yoh leaves to protect the island. He ends up never returning. Two years later, the Pirate King Hao's ship returns and Anna decides to take action. She stows away on the ship until she is discovered by the Pirate King Hao, and he has no intention of letting her go.
Hi! I don't know if anyone here still remembers who I am so…If you do, long time no see! And if you don't remember me, well then welcome!
Just a few things I'd like to say before you start reading: I am notorious for writing really long chapters. And I mean, really long. And also, if any of you remember me, I used to update really fast. Unfortunately, this won't really be the case this time. I actually wrote this chapter YEARS ago and I'm barely uploading it now because I finally have the time to. I've been super busy, but I'm hoping that actually uploading this and knowing people are reading will get me back into the swing of things!
Also a little Disclaimer: I know I am also notorious for somewhat depressing stories…Well! Lucky for you this one is not depressing and this is my first attempt at an Action/Adventure type of story, so please bear with me! And I'm sorry, Anna and Yoh might be terribly OOC but hopefully the story will be good and you'll forgive me. (And of course, Romance is always my top priority!)
Without further ado, I do not own Shaman King, I just borrowed the characters so I can write a story.
Chapter 1:
"The Boy of Deep Brown Eyes"
The wind was blowing hard as the sound of thunder rolled on. It was so loud and strong that it made the window she was sitting at shake. Ten year old Anna Kyoyama did not flinch though. She knew this was coming, and she knew that with this storm, something was coming. Be it good or bad, it was coming.
Anna Kyoyama was no prophetess or fortune teller, but she could always tell when a bad storm was coming and if something was coming with it.
"Mother," Anna said as she finally moved away from the window, "Let me go out there."
"For heaven's sake, Anna, no! Don't you see how awful it is outside? Let your father handle it."
"But there's something out there," she looked towards the window, "I need to go see it. You know I've never been wrong before."
"And who's to say that that something isn't bad?" Her mother went to the window and closed the curtains, "The answer, Anna, still remains: No."
Anna pouted and crossed her arms as her mother exited the room. She had other plans.
The small island of Funbari was prone to horrible storms and pirated attacks, so Anna's parents were very protective of her. The Kyoyamas were a very noble and respectable family on the island, and Anna was always used to being treated as a princess. So when people didn't give Anna her way, she gave it to herself.
Anna grabbed a long cloak from her father's closet and wrapped it around herself, especially covering up her head. She wasn't very tall, so it would be tricky getting out of her home without anyone getting suspicious.
"Mother!" Anna called out.
"What is it?" Her mother called out from another room.
"I'm taking my bath now," Anna said as she locked the bathroom door, "Please don't disturb me."
"Alright, but when your father gets home, please let him use the bath, I'm sure he'll want one."
Anna made no response as she opened the bathroom window. It was a long way down. She looked carefully around to see if there was any path she could take to get down. Finally she spotted some vines, but she would have to be extra careful considering the wind and rain.
The Kyoyamas were considered to be courageous people. The father, Koshiro Kyoyama, was a master swordsman, very noble and respectable indeed. He also was the brave soul who always went out to protect the town from pirates and inspected unknown ships or helped people out during storms like this. Anna was very proud of her father and always tried to be courageous like him. Anna's mother, Alicia Kyoyama, was really nothing more than the governor's daughter, but she was considered very elegant and respectable, something Anna didn't care as much about as courage, but still hoped to be.
Anna leaned over and grabbed the vines, but once she did, she slipped. As she fell though, she made sure to hold onto the vine. She scrapped her knuckles against the plaster of her house, but it didn't hurt as much in the rain. She finally fell and landed on her bottom, but quickly got up to leave. It actually wasn't as hard as she thought it would be to get down. Since it was raining, the rain did all the work for her and it was actually quite fun (minus the scraped knuckles).
Once she made sure that no one was watching her from her windows, Anna decided to dash off towards the docks, where she knew something was waiting for her.
As she got closer to the docks, she started to get scared; there were huge ships all around. Her legs started to slow down…what if…what if her mother was right? What if the something that was waiting for her was bad? Just because she got the feeling didn't mean it was going to benefit her. Her pace got so slow that it stopped. She stood there, in the middle of the street with rain pouring down hard. She took deep breaths and wondered if it was even worth sneaking out and getting bloody knuckles.
She swallowed hard and decided to keep going. She had to be brave, like her father. And if something were to happen, she was sure her father would protect her. As she thought of her father, she ran faster. He was there and if that something out there was bad, then she had to do something to protect him too.
As she reached the docks, she found that a ship had crashed into another ship and was on fire. Now she was really scared. What if it was bad? What if someone was hurt by that fire or the crash? Maybe she should've listened to her mother…
"I guess the ship was hit by lightning…" Anna's head perked up as she heard the voice of her father in the distance somewhere in front of her. His voice made her venture forward.
"Are there any survivors?"
"I don't know," her father's voice got clearer as she ventured closer and closer, "It's so hard to see in his damn rain!"
This must've been Anna's time to shine; her eyesight was very good, even when the wind and rain were blowing. Maybe that something she felt was that she was meant to help out her dad.
As Anna started to survey the area, she continued to listen in to her father's conversation: "That ship looks like a pirate ship; maybe it's good that there are no survivors?"
Anna froze when she heard the word pirate, because right at that moment, she saw someone by the ship. But the figure was lying there, seemingly helpless and lifeless. Maybe that was the pirate's plan? Maybe when she went over there by herself, he would snatch her up? But the body didn't seem to be moving. She contemplated for a while whether she should call her dad or not. But then she decided that it would feel much more rewarding when she handled the situation herself and her daddy would be proud.
She approached the body cautiously. As she got closer, she saw that it was wrapped in a black cloak. She grabbed the hidden knife in her dress that her father made her carry around and put a hand on the cloak. She swallowed hard and decided that the best way to do it was just to do it quickly.
So she did.
The cloak slowly slid to the side as she anticipated the ugly pirate face she was going to see. But instead, she didn't see one. No, instead she saw a scrawny little boy, not much older than her lying there in raggedy clothes. Her eyes widen and she was suddenly scared that he was dead. She lifted the hood on her cloak and pressed her ear tightly to his chest. His heart was still beating. Good.
The boy's breath was starting to get shallow and slower, and Anna got frightened. She turned him over to his side so that the rain would not keep pouring into his mouth.
"Father!" Anna shouted, knowing that he was the only one who would know what to do, "FATHER!"
"Anna?" Her father called out as he approached the ship, "Anna what are you doing out here?"
"Never mind that!" She shouted holding the boy's head on her lap, "Just help him!"
Her father saw the boy and quickly rushed over to her side. He checked the heart beat and then did mouth to mouth resuscitation. The boy then coughed up water and opened his eyes. Anna had never felt so relieved. The boy started to look around in a panicked manner.
"Don't worry, son, you're safe now," Koshiro smiled.
The boy looked up at Koshiro with confused, deep brown eyes, "Where am I?"
"You're on the island Funbari," Koshiro explained, "Do remember how you got here? What is your name?"
The boy held his head, "I…I don't remember."
"Not even your name?" Anna piped in.
The boy looked at her and thought for a while, "…No…"
"Well, it says 'Asakura' on your cloak," Anna said as she picked it up and noticed there was also a leaf on it that said 'Yoh'.
"…It sounds familiar…" He held his head.
Anna opened her mouth to say something but her father shushed her, "Take it easy, son. You don't have to remember right now."
Then lightning crashed and as soon as the thunder rolled in, the boy fainted. It scared Anna. It had almost seemed as if the lightning hit him. She tugged on her father's sleeve, "Is he dead?"
"No, he just fainted." Her father ran a hand through her wet hair; the rain seemed to be calming down, "We'll have to take him to a hospital, though. And if he can't remember anything, then we'll need to find a place for him to stay."
"No," she tugged on his sleeve again, "He's coming home with us."
"A-Anna! Now we don't even know if—"
"Please, father!" She looked at him with beaming eyes, "I told you this storm was coming and that when it comes something is coming with it! What if he's that something?"
He looked at his daughter's pleading eyes.
"Please, daddy! You said that you were looking for an apprentice…can't he be it?"
"Anna, he might not be—"
"Try him out." Anna huffed and pouted, "Please, father!"
Koshiro smiled and patted her head, "Okay. We will see if he proves worthy of the Kyoyamas."
Anna smiled and looked at the boy. He must be the "something".
Koshiro took the boy and brought him to the house, Alicia was a little displeased at the thought of a stranger living at the house but more displeased that Anna lied about taking a bath. She got a scolding, but she didn't care, she cared more about the boy and the mysteries he held.
The boy, whom they decided to call Yoh Asakura, took a bath, was examined by a doctor, and was told to rest in the guest room. After Yoh bathed, it was Anna's turn, but when she was done, she went straight into his room. Her parents told her not to disturb him and that he needed rest, but she ignored their warnings and went in anyway.
She entered the room quietly, closed the door, and then sat on his bed. She was told that he had a fever, so she did the servants a favor and decided watch over him.
"Hey," she said quietly, "Are you awake?" Truth is, she didn't care if he was awake or not, because if he wasn't, she was going to wake him regardless. "Hey!" She nudged his shoulder.
"Ugh, what is it?" the boy moaned as he slowly opened his deep brown eyes.
"Hello, I'm Anna Kyoyama," she gave a sweet smile that soon turned curious, "Can you really not remember anything?"
"Nope." He shook his head.
"Nothing?"
"Nope."
"So you don't know if you were a pirate or if you were a captive?"
"Nope."
Anna frowned, "Stop saying nope!"
He looked a little startled, "W-what should I say?"
"You should make up an interesting story!" She leaned in to change the towel on his forehead.
"What do ya' mean?" He said, sitting up.
"You know, make up a story as to where you came from!"
"B-but that would be lyin'!"
"So?" Anna gave a devious smile, "Who would know? You could say anything you want! I'd believe it."
"W-well I don't know…"
"I got it!" Anna said, clasping her hands together, "You have to make up an interesting story for me, or else you can't stay here! If you make a good enough story, I'll let you stay."
The just sat there staring at her, blinking and raising an eyebrow.
"Got it, Yoh?"
"Yoh?"
"That's your name! Or at least, that's what I've decided to call you!"
"B-but, Miss Anna…Anna, right?" She nodded. "I don't even know where t' start…I…"
"Well, I don't expect one right away," she said as she crossed her arms, "Just think of one while you're lying around here getting better."
"B-but…"
"Look, if you're going to be living here with the Kyoyamas, you need be respectable, admirable, and mysterious!"
"And how do ya' suppose I do that when I can't even remember how I got here!"
"Well, my father says he's going to try you out."
"Try me out?" He repeated, "What does that mean?"
"My father is a master swordsman and he's looking for an apprentice," Anna gave a satisfied look, "I have faith that you're going to be his apprentice."
Yoh gulped. This was all happening too fast. He fell back onto his pillow and pulled the covers around him and let out a sigh.
"What's wrong, still not feeling well?" Anna said as she put a cold hand to his forehead. He jumped back from her touch and her hand immediately pulled back, "You're still so hot!" She got the towel that was once cool and refreshing and dunked it into the bowl of water to make it cool again. Then she gently put it on his forehead.
He smiled at her and closed his eyes, "Yer so nice…"
Anna lifted a brow; she didn't really think she was particularly being nice, but a compliment was a compliment and she would take it gladly.
"I…I don't really remember much," Yoh said with his eyes still closed, "…But I know that were I used t' be wasn't a nice place."
"What do you mean?" She leaned in because he voice was lowering.
"It feels good t' sleep on a bed…" his voice started to trail off and sleep was starting to take over.
"But what wasn't a nice place?"
He lazily opened his eyes half-way and smiled, "Thanks so much…"
Then he closed his eyes and did not say another word. At first, Anna thought he died, that is, until she heard his soft breathing. She let out a slight grunt of frustration as she crossed her arms. She was about ready to wake him up, but upon seeing his relaxed sleeping face, she decided not to. She let out a sigh and uncrossed her arms. He was sick and he needed to rest. She got up and out of his room quietly, trying not to make any noises that would cause her attention.
"Anna Sophia Kyoyama!"
Anna jumped at the sound of her full name.
"Did you just come out of that boy's room?" Her mother's voice was raised.
"Uhm…"
"Didn't I tell you not to bother him? He's sick! He doesn't have the energy to be bothered by you!"
"But I just wanted to know where he came from!"
"He will tell us that when he's ready!" Anna's mother put her hands on her hips, "Now, young lady, it's time for you to go to bed! And you will not get dessert tomorrow for lying to me!"
Anna grunted a "yes ma'am" and shuffled off to bed, though quite happy that she didn't get into as much trouble as she thought she would. Who needs dessert anyway?
The next morning, Anna went to straight to Yoh's room. She jumped on his bed, "Good morning, Yoh!"
Yoh bolted up with shock, blinked a few times, then fell right back down and pulled the covers over his head.
"Hey! I said Good Morning!" she shook him through the covers, "When I say that, you're supposed to say "Good Morning Miss Anna, you sure look lovely today"!" When he didn't respond, she shook the covers again, "Hey, did you forget your manners too?"
Suddenly Yoh reached for the bucket that was by his bed and vomited. Anna scooted back until she hit the end bedpost. Yoh used the towel that hung on his side of the bedpost to wipe his mouth, then he tried to smile at Anna, "Good Mornin' Miss Anna, ya' sure look lovely today."
Anna let out a small smile and then got off the bed. "Well, since you're still sick I guess I'll come back later. But don't think I'm done with you for the day, I've still got my questions."
"Great," he moaned as he held his head.
"See you later," Anna smiled sweetly; but her sweet smiles never really were sweet, they were always hidden with devious thoughts…her sweet smile of poison.
Yoh got shivers when she smiled at him and closed the door. He hid under the covers and mumbled, "I hope I don't get better."
Anna walked the halls straight and tall, lady-like. She still had her poisonous sweet smile on her face. She had big plans for Yoh. Even though Anna was only 10, she already had an idea of what she wanted. She already knew that she would probably end up marrying her father's top apprentice, which meant, whoever that was had to be strong and courageous, respectable and well-liked, and who could forget, of course handsome. Anna had high hopes that that person would be Yoh. Even though she had just met him yesterday, she had a good feeling about him. She knew that that storm would be bringing something and that something was Yoh. She must've felt that on purpose, it must've meant something. So of course Anna was going to put him to good use. He was a little shaggy looking, but once he feels better and is cleaned up he'll probably look quite handsome, and his sudden appearance gave him a mysterious air about him especially with his deep, dark, brown eyes. Anna smirked. And what's even better was that he had no memory, she could shape him however she wanted.
What she didn't really worry about was love. Love was a luxury that not everyone could afford, so she didn't worry about the prices, she wasn't even going to buy it. At least now she wasn't. She knew what she wanted; she knew what others expected of her, what with her grandfather being the governor, her mother a respectable and well-liked Lady, and her father a courageous swordsman. She had no time to think about love.
But as time went by, she found that maybe counting love in her plan won't be so bad. The more she talked to Yoh, the more she smiled. Living like she did, she didn't have very many friends or people around her age. She liked talking to Yoh and trying to get him to remember where he came from. Even though most of the time she got in trouble for sneaking into his room while he was sick, Anna did it a few times a day. She was pretty sure that she wouldn't get dessert for the rest of her life.
"So how are you feeling now?" Anna asked as she entered the room. It had been a couple of days since Yoh had first been discovered and had not even seen the house he was living in fully yet. Yoh had been staying this same room for almost a week now since not only was he sick, he was also malnourished and ordered to stay in bed by the Kyoyamas' nurses until he was "restored to health". Anna was obviously getting impatient.
"I'm feeling better." Yoh said with a sheepish smile.
"Hm, well you look better," Anna said as she sat on the bed, sitting across from him. She sat there and looked carefully at him, when she first saw him, he was very skinny and pale, and his hair was about up to his shoulders. But now that Yoh had been living in the Kyoyama mansion for almost a week, he had more color and his hair was cut, even his deep brown eyes seemed to have more life. He was still very skinny, but that was something that would change in due time.
"I know what you're thinkin', Miss Anna," Yoh said as Anna snapped out of her stare.
"W-what?"
"You want to ask me if I remember anythin'."
That was not what she was thinking as she stared, but she decided to pretend that it was, "Yes, do you?"
"Well not particularly," he looked up as he tried to think, "Just the same."
"So all you know is that you are 11 years old, and that wherever you were, it was cold?"
He closed his eyes, "Yes…and some voices…and…the sound of chains."
"Chains?" Anna repeated as she leaned in.
"Yeah…" he closed his eyes tighter, "But I can't remember where the sound came from."
"That's it!" Anna exclaimed, "I bet you were a captive on that pirate ship!"
Yoh frowned, "That would make sense…"
"Do you remember anything else?"
"I don't remember specifics, I just remember not bein' happy…I hated bein' on that ship…" then he tried to smile, "It's not at all like it is here. This place is warm and I can eat whatever I want!"
Anna giggled a bit and sat against the end bedpost, "Yes, but soon you'll have to earn your stay."
"Earn my stay?"
"Uh-huh. Actually you'll be benefiting from it, but its hard work."
"Well if it means stayin' here then I'll do it."
"Good," Anna nodded. "Meanwhile…" she leaned in, "You have to work on that story."
Yoh groaned.
"You thought I forgot, didn't you?" He didn't respond as she crossed her arms. "Well, since you remember that you were a captive on a pirate ship, make up some pirate stories. Like…like make up how you ended up on that ship or what happened on that ship!"
Yoh smiled and for some reason that made Anna's heart thump faster, especially with his deep brown eyes looking straight at her. "Okay, I'll think about it." Then he lied down and pulled the covers to his shoulders. That always seemed to be his way of dismissing her.
Well, Anna did not like it one bit when he did that and something told her that he knew that. "Hey! Don't just comfortably crawl into your covers! I'm still here!"
He chose to ignore her which only made her angrier.
"Hmph! Fine, get used to it now, but next week you'll be working hard! No more falling asleep soon after I come in to visit you!" She said as she got off the bed and crossed her arms, "And maybe after that I will stop paying you visits!"
"No, please don't!" Yoh said sitting up a bit.
"Hm?" Anna turned towards him and lifted a brow.
He gave a toothy grin and said, "I like when ya' visit."
She was almost sure she blushed at that moment. "W-whatever. I'll come back later."
Yoh let out a little chuckle as Anna reached the door. Before she left, she turned towards him, "Since it looks like you're feeling better, tomorrow I will show you around."
The last thing Anna remembered seeing before she closed the door was Yoh's beaming face.
So the next day, Anna's parents left to attend some important meeting that Anna didn't care too much to pay attention what for. Her parents, gone? Perfect. Now whether they thought Yoh was well enough to move about or not, they weren't there to scold her. Once she was sure her parents were gone, she practically ran to Yoh's room to tell him the good news.
"Yoh!" Anna said as entered the room. He was still covered in his sheets, so she did what she always did: jumped on his bed. "Wake up sleepy-head!"
He moaned and turned over, "Good Morning Miss Anna, you sure look lovely today."
Anna crossed her arms, "You have to open your eyes to say that!"
He rubbed his eyes and then revealed those deep, dark, mysterious eyes. Then he looked at her and smiled, "Why? It's always true."
Anna blushed but refused to smile. If she could've refused to blush too, she would've. She tried to prove her point of him having to say it with his eyes open. How did she know he wasn't just saying it because she told him he should? "You're just saying that aren't you? The least you could do is lie with your eyes open."
He gave a sheepish grin, "I'm not lyin'! You do look very lovely, like your mother."
She blushed again and got up quickly before he could see it. She hoped that he wasn't lying just so that she wouldn't get mad. "Whatever, just get dressed soon so I can show you around."
"Okay," he said as he got up and she left. She stood outside leaning against the wall. Come to think of it, she had never really seen him outside of his bed…she didn't even really know how tall he was. She hadn't even seen him out of his bed wear.
The sound of the door opening shook Anna from her thoughts of what he would look like in regular clothes. Yoh closed the door and looked around before looking at Anna. He smiled his usual sheepish smile and Anna smiled back. "It's so big, where do we start?"
"Follow me," Anna said as she led him around. She noticed that he was taller than her, but not vastly. She also took note that he looked quite fine in regular clothes too.
As she showed him around her home, he "ooo'd" and "awed" and smiled a lot. He would often comment on how he never imagined that a house this big could even exist. The last thing she showed him was the rooms. She showed him which room belonged to her parents, but didn't let him in.
"Which one is yours?" He asked.
"This one," Anna said as she walked towards it.
Yoh looked at the big brown doors, then he looked at her, "Can we go inside?"
Anna crossed her arms and thought for a bit. She shrugged her shoulders, "Okay, I guess."
She pushed the big brown doors open to let him in the room, at that moment Yoh's mouth formed an 'o'. He ran over to her bed. "Who else sleeps in here?"
Anna's eyebrows scrunched and was taken aback, "What do you mean? This is my room, I sleep in here."
"By yourself?" he asked disbelievingly.
Was he insinuating that she couldn't sleep in a room by herself? "Yes, by myself! I'm 10 years old already! I'm practically an adult!"
"Oh no," he laughed as he jumped on the bed, "I just meant that this bed is so big! I can't believe that only one person sleeps on'it!"
She walked over to the bed, straight and tall, and sat next to Yoh. He smiled at her, "Can I lay on it?"
She shrugged, "I don't care."
He let out a "Yippee!" as he fell back onto the soft bed. "It's so comfortable!"
Anna smiled as she watched him stretch on the bed and get comfy.
He shot her a look, "Lay down with me."
Anna's eyebrows furrowed, "Is that any way to ask?"
He gave her a toothy grin and laughed, "You're too funny, Miss Anna."
"And why's that?" she asked as she crossed her arms.
He sat up a bit and gave a sheepish grin, "Because you're so proper. We're about the same age and you're always walkin' tall and straight, while I slouch. You're all about manners."
"And that's funny?" Anna lifted a brow. "For your information, Asakura Yoh, I have to walk straight and tall and have manners if I want to be a Lady."
Yoh's eyebrows scrunched together, "But you're a girl, whether you like it or not, you'll be a lady. Do all girls have to act like this?"
Anna gave Yoh a frustrated look. She opened her mouth to explain that the "Lady" she was referring to was not the same as a regular lady, but then Yoh interrupted her, "Lay down with me, please, Miss Anna."
Anna's frustrated look melted down and she decided to lie down next to Yoh.
"See? This bed can probably fit another person or two on it!" he turned toward her, "Don't 'cha ever get lonely in this bed?"
Anna was quickly going to answer "No" but then thought about it. She laid flat on her back with her hands folded on her stomach, staring at the ceiling, "Sometimes."
"What do you do when you get lonely?" He asked, staring at her.
She could feel his stare, but didn't look at him, "Nothing."
He propped his head up using his elbow, "Nothin'? That's awful!"
"Then what do you think I should do?" Anna asked, turning only her head towards him.
He gave a little shrug.
"See?" Anna said turning her head back towards the ceiling again.
"
Well, then…maybe I'll come visit ya'." He smiled innocently.
"What?" She turned her head back towards him.
"Believe me, I know that nothin' is worse than being lonely," he said slowly as he looked down, then he looked up and smiled, "But now that we have each other, we don't have t' be lonely!"
Anna quickly turned her attention back onto the ceiling as she blushed. She knew that he was only being friendly, but it made her blush to hear him say something like that, especially since she had plans of marrying him someday because he was going to be her father's top apprentice. And those eyes! Something about his dark mysterious eyes made her heart thump faster. He had no idea of her plans and he was making it hard for her to focus on her plan.
"An' y'know," he said, lying back down instead on propped up on his elbow, "Ya' don't have t' act so lady-like in front'a me, Miss Anna."
"I have to be lady-like at all times," Anna said as she closed her eyes.
"Why?"
"That is what is expected of me."
"But why? Can't you be who you want to be?"
"I am who I want to be," Anna said as she opened her eyes and looked at him, not noticing how close he actually was. He could not ruin her plans with this nonsense talk about not being a lady.
"If ya' say so, Miss Anna," he shrugged. "I'm just lettin' ya' know that if you ever get tired of sittin' up straight and walkin' tall, ya' can slouch around me anytime." This statement was followed by Yoh's toothy grin that Anna could not resist.
She smiled too and closed her eyes, "Thank you, Yoh."
He gave a little "uh-huh" as he stretched. Then he hugged the pillow and nuzzled against it, "You sure are lucky, Miss Anna…these pillows are so comfy…and they smell so good, just like you!"
Anna blushed and buried her face in the pillow. Just what was he getting at? Was he trying to get her all flustered? He either liked teasing her a lot or he was extremely innocent.
"What's wrong?" He asked, innocence was all over his face. "I complimented you, was that bad?"
Maybe he was just dumb; Anna contemplated as she turned her head towards him, "Well this is MY bed, why wouldn't it smell like me?"
"I dunno," He shrugged innocently and then closed his eyes while smiling.
"It's 'I don't know."
"What?" He opened his eyes to look at her confusedly.
"It's not 'I dunno', it's 'I don't know'; its two words not one. Also, it's 'you' not 'ya''," Anna shook her head, "Honestly, Yoh, your speech is horrible."
Yoh closed his eyes and laughed, "Well, not everyone is as educated as you, Miss Anna. There you go with your properness again…"
He laughed but Anna pouted. Then she stared at him. "Hey, Yoh," she said softly.
"Hm?" His eyes were still closed, "What is it, Miss Anna?"
"Do you believe in fate?"
"I don't know," he made sure he said it properly as he squeezed the pillow, "If I really do become your father's apprentice, then maybe I do."
She smiled, "Then I will too." Then she decided to squeeze a pillow and close her eyes too. "You'll never believe this, but I knew you were coming."
"How?" He asked, opening his eyes.
"Well, I didn't know you specifically, but I can sense when bad storms are coming and if something is coming with it."
"Wow." Yoh said slowly, "Then maybe I do believe in fate!"
Anna gave a slight giggle and the rest of the day was spent with them just talking to each other. They got to know each other better, or rather, Yoh learned more about Anna since he couldn't remember much, but Anna also learned about Yoh through the way the responded and reacted to things. They chatted until both of them eventually fell asleep.
"Anna!" Anna's father called, "Anna, we're home!"
"Hm? Where is she?" Alicia asked as she entered her home. "Usually Anna greets us when we return…Anna! Anna, grandfather brought home a gift for you!"
When there was no response, Alicia got a little frantic.
"Relax, honey," Koshiro smiled, "Maybe she's in the bath. You don't have to be so panicked; you know Anna is capable of taking care of herself. Besides, the servants are here as well."
"It's not her I'm worried about," Alicia crossed her arms, "It's that boy."
Koshiro decided to ask the servants and maids if they knew where Anna was. They only shrugged in response. They refused to tell the Kyoyama parents that Anna had given Yoh a tour of the house today. Though they were very fond of the Kyoyama parents, their loyalties lied with Anna. Because Anna's parents were out most of the time, the servants and maids looked after Anna a lot and her little acts of sneakiness amused them and whenever Anna asked them not to tell, they were loyal and did not (unless of course whatever Anna was doing was dangerous). They just hoped that by now Anna and Yoh were in their own rooms.
When they heard Alicia's shriek, they knew their answer.
"What is it, Alicia?" Koshiro said as he approached his wife.
"That boy's not in his room!" Alicia shrieked as she pointed to Yoh's empty bed. "What if he's run away with our daughter?"
Koshiro laughed, "Calm down, sweetie, they're only 10."
"Yes, but that boy's a pirate! What if this was his plan? What if he puts a ransom on our daughter?"
"Alicia, honey, please calm down!" Koshiro tired not to laugh at his frantic wife, "The boy has lost his memory, he is incapable of doing that. Besides, I've had a few talks with the boy, he wouldn't hurt our daughter. Let's just keep searching the house and see if they're playing a joke on us."
Alicia crossed her arms. She loved her daughter dearly, but hated how Anna played tricks on them. They decided to check all the restrooms and extra rooms they had before decided to check the bedrooms. When they opened the door the Anna's room and saw Anna and Yoh both sleeping, Koshiro had to quickly cover his wife's mouth from making any shrieking noises. She shot a glare to him and he gave a smile, "Just let them sleep, there's no harm, right?"
"What are you talking about?" Alicia whispered a yell, "That boy is in our daughter's bed!"
"Yes, sleeping," Koshiro whispered, "They're only 10. Anna doesn't ever get a chance to talk or play with someone her age. And Yoh probably wasn't living a very good life before, so let's just let the kids be kids, okay?"
Alicia crossed her arms; it was easy to tell where Anna got her stubbornness from, "Fine. But she won't get away with this. She knows that I told her to let that boy rest. And he should know better than to get out of bed without the nurse's consent." Then Alicia turned towards her husband, "Since he's well enough, tomorrow his training will start." With that Alicia left, and Koshiro stood in the doorway.
Koshiro sighed as he saw Anna and Yoh sleeping peacefully on her bed. That bed was always too big for her anyway, he mused. He felt bad for Anna always being alone, but he hoped that having Yoh over would make up for it. The only thing that bothered him was that, yes, indeed, Yoh was a pirate. Granted he may not remember anything about being on that ship, he still might have family looking out for him. He had to be careful around this boy, and this boy had to be careful around his daughter.
Koshiro slowly walked over to the side Yoh was sleeping on. He sat down and shook him a little, "Wake up, boy."
When Yoh moaned and shrugged Koshiro's hand away, Koshiro shook harder which made Yoh jump up. Quickly Yoh sat up and covered his head, "I'm sorry, sir!"
Koshiro gave a slight, quiet laugh, "Calm down, boy."
Yoh slowly removed his hands away from his head to look at Anna's father, "Oh, it's you, Mr. Kyoyama…" Yoh said slowly and then something clicked, "AH! Mr. Kyoyama…I, um, uh—"
Koshiro quietly laughed, "Shh, calm down, don't wake up Anna."
Yoh looked over to his side to see Anna sleeping soundly and then nodded.
"Did you think I was someone else?"
Yoh sheepishly scratched the back of his head, "I…um, I dunno who I thought ya' were."
"Did you think I was going to hit you?"
Yoh looked away and then slowly nodded.
"Just what happened while you were on that ship…?" Koshiro mused quietly, knowing that Yoh wouldn't know. Then he gave Yoh a serious look, "Listen here, son, this is very important."
Yoh nodded as he gave Koshiro his complete attention.
"You like staying here, right?" Yoh nodded. "Well, you can stay as long as your loyalty lies here always. Got that?"
"I promise!" Yoh said with a nod.
"Also…" Koshiro's eyes went to his daughter, "I want you to protect Anna at all costs. That is more important than anything. Anna's safely will always be your top priority, got that?"
Yoh looked over at the peaceful sleeping Anna. He couldn't remember much, and he knew that that was probably for the better. He was here in this wonderful big house with people who were willing to give him anything he wanted as long as he protected this one girl? Well of course he would! Who would say no to an offer like that? Besides, had it not been for Anna sensing that storm and something coming with it, he wouldn't even be here. Then he looked at her father and gave a determined smile. "Of course. I promise, I will protect Anna, no matter what the cost."
"Good," Koshiro patted Yoh on the back and then got up to leave, "Then your training starts tomorrow. Make sure you're ready. And get back to bed…your own bed, please."
Yoh's face tinted red as Koshiro left. He sighed and was about to get off the bed until he felt a tug at his shirt. He turned to see a very sleepy Anna looking at him. He wasn't sure if she had heard the conversation he and her father just had or if she was just waking up. "Is there somethin' ya' need, Miss Anna?"
"Better train hard." Was all Anna said as she let go of his shirt.
He smiled. "You can count on me, Miss Anna."
She closed her eyes, "I'm a handful…"
"I know," he laughed.
"Are you sure you know what you're getting into?" She asked as she snuggled against her pillow. "I don't want you chickening out later on."
"If ya' really did sense me comin' with that storm, then you saved my life, so I owe ya' mine." He had a faraway smile on his face, "And if there really is such a thing as fate…then I should do this."
"Good." was all she said as she drifted back to sleep. Yoh smiled and brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. He was going to become her father's apprentice, no matter what.
The next day, Yoh was awoken early to do a couple of basic exercises. Koshiro said that he had to start off slow and get used to waking up early and exercises before he could teach Yoh anything. The whole day was a very busy day for Yoh and Anna didn't get to see him personally at all. While Yoh was training, Anna was dealing with her punishment: homework. Because of the problem the town has of pirates and because virtually Anna is an important person, she was forced to be home-schooled, so if Anna's mother said more homework, she got it. Also, Anna had more hours of her etiquette classes to show that it was not lady-like to let a boy sleep in her bed, at all.
So the next couple of days had been busy. Yoh would always be too tired at the end of the day to go visit Anna or have her visit at all. The only time Anna really got to see Yoh was from out her of window while she was supposed to be studying. She grew fascinated at the site of Yoh working so hard. At first she saw him as a lazy boy, but now she actually saw him "at work" and he worked hard. When the actual training started, he caught on very quickly. She would often hear her father coming in to tell her mother of how amazed he was of Yoh's ability to learn techniques so easily.
"I wonder if he's ever had to fight before," Koshiro told his wife. "He had no problem with the weight of the sword and he's catching on very quickly…"
"I knew it, he's a pirate, isn't he?" Alicia had a very concerned tone.
"Not anymore," Koshiro smiled, "He is a student of Koshiro Kyoyama now."
Anna smiled when she heard this. She had actually been hiding behind the door and eavesdropping into the conversation her mother and father were having, but she heard what she needed to. She decided now she should go to bed, she saw how rough Yoh's training was and new he wouldn't be up for visitors at this time.
Anna got dressed into her nightwear and crawled into bed. She hadn't seen Yoh for about a week now, and she hated to admit it, but she was feeling very lonely. She stared at the ceiling as to not think of the giant lonely bed she was trying to sleep in. She thought back to when Yoh was making a big deal of her bed being too big and ever since then, sleeping in it hasn't been right. Before she slept, she would always feel lonely, and not seeing Yoh just made it worse. Wasn't he the one saying now that they had each other they wouldn't have to be lonely? Now she was nothing but lonely without seeing him.
There was a tap on her window leading out to the balcony. She decided to ignore it, maybe it was the wind. But when she heard it again, she slowly got up. She clutched the knife her father made her keep under her pillow and approached the window. She decided it would be less scary if she just opened it, so she did. But when she did, she hit something.
"Ow…ow!"
"Yoh?" Anna asked as she saw a figure lying down on the balcony.
"Ya' didn't hafta open the window so quickly," he said as he rubbed his nose.
"What are you doing out here?" Anna whispered as she helped him up.
"Remember when I told you that sometime I would pay you a visit at night? Well here I am! I haven't seen you in forever!"
Anna blushed at his response and almost missed him asking, "May I come in?"
"It's not lady-like to let a boy into a girl's room after she has put on her nightwear." Anna said with crossed arms.
Yoh's face immediately dropped and sadly turned to leave.
"I'm joking," Anna said as she tugged on his arm to come in. "And how did you get here? Why didn't you use the door?"
"I didn't want to get you in trouble," he said as she led him to the bed, "So I climbed up to your balcony."
"You climbed up?" Anna knew how high up that balcony was, that's how she got the little scars on her knuckles.
"Uh huh," he smiled as he sat on her bed. "And I hope you're grateful, I'm already sore from today's trainin'." He said while laughing.
"You didn't have to do that," she said as she sat on the bed as well.
"Well of course I did," he smiled as he lied down. "I said I would visit you and here I am! I'm showing you I can keep my word!"
She got comfortable under the covers, "But how did you know?"
"Know what?" He smiled.
"That I…" she blushed and hid under the covers, "Never mind."
"What? How did I know what?" He asked trying to pull the covers off of her face. She struggled for a little while, but when he was finally able to take the cover away from her face, he was faced with an expression he'd never seen on her before. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her eyes glistened.
"How did you know that I was lonely?"
He hoped he never had to see that lonely expression on her face ever again. "I didn't…" he half-smiled, "I was lonely."
She sat up a bit to face him better, "Really?"
"Uh huh…that's why I came." He nodded and she gave a slight smile. She felt slightly better that she wasn't the only one who felt lonely. "Hey, we should have a code-word for when we feel lonely!"
"Like what?"
"I dunno…like…like "see ya' later"!"
"See you later? That's not code at all!"
"Yeah, but we can say it before we go to sleep. And if I hear you say that, then I'll come over!"
Anna thought about it for a while and then shrugged. "Well, I guess." Then she lied down fully and got comfy under her sheets, "Now. Tell me a story."
Yoh smiled, "You're in luck. I thought of one day!"
Anna smiled and listened intently. He told a story of how he came to be a captive on an evil pirate ship and how he used special tricks to fool the pirates. All of it was made up of course, but Anna enjoyed hearing it nonetheless. That's when Yoh noticed that Anna loved hearing stories. From that night on, whenever he visited her, he would tell her a story of either him or of a future where they would go on adventures together. He noticed that Anna had a sense of adventure, and that maybe…maybe she lied about saying "I am who I want to be." Maybe she wanted something more? Maybe she wanted adventure? Yoh promised himself that night that someday, he would take her on adventure.
Yoh would tell Anna stories until she fell asleep and then quietly return to his own room. The next day he would usually pay for staying up late because he was tired at his training sessions the next day, but he deemed it worth it. It was worth it if he knew Anna wasn't lonely anymore.
As years went by, Yoh and Anna got closer and closer. Yoh had been getting better and better at Koshiro's style of swordsmanship and on days that Anna's parents had meetings, he would teach Anna a few techniques. It was against her trainings of being a "Lady", but she decided to take up Yoh's offer and "slouch around him anytime".
But also as time went by, Alicia decided to open up etiquette class so that maybe Anna would make more friends. And almost at the same time that was happening, Koshiro had gained another student, Ryunosuke, who was older than Yoh and Anna, but still under in skill. So many people more people around Yoh and Anna's age had been obtained, but Anna and Yoh's relationship still stayed the same and was growing as years went by and as they matured. Yes, so far, according to Anna's plan, everything was going along perfectly, that is, until a storm came…and ruined everything.
Well? What did you think? Any comments, questions, suggestions, or constructive criticism? Like I said this is my first time trying to do an Action/Adventure fic, so I will gladly receive any comments or suggestions on the matter! So please make sure that you do review and give me some feedback!
Until next chapter, thanks so much for reading! Stay tuned for chapter two!