Disclaimer: Shaman King belongs to Hiroyuki Takei and Shonen, not me.
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It all started when HoroHoro ripped his pillow in his sleep.
Pilika was furious. "How could you?" she shrieked, shaking the limp bag, small bits of fluff fluttering out in spurts. "Mama made this pillow before we left!"
"I can fix it, I can fix it!" he protested. "Gah! Calm down!"
"I can't calm down!" she retorted, smacking him across the head. He ducked and dashed out of the room.
"I said I'm sorry!" he shouted as he tore down the hallway.
"Sorry doesn't make it better, HoroHoro!" Pilika said. She stomped down the stairs, nearly elbowing Ren in the spleen as she pushed past him on the landing. "I'm calling Mama!"
She waved the half-dead pillow over her head like a lasso. Wads of cotton and feathers puffed out of the rip. And then, from out of the cloud of stuff, there floated one large snow-white feather. It glided down smoothly and fell neatly onto HoroHoro's head. He grabbed it, and a devilish smile spread across his face.
"I'm getting the phone now, HoroHoro, I am getting on the phone and I am telling Mama that you-"
Pilika's voice was drowned by giggles as her older brother grabbed her around the waist and tickled her in the tummy with the feather. "Hor….o…Hor…o….oh…I'm…c…calling….I'm going to call…" Her words dissolved completely as she kicked her legs up in laughter.
"I think I missed something…" Yoh said as the two of them stumbled into the kitchen, Pilika laughing hysterically and screaming at the top of her lungs. "Hey, watch the griddle! It's hot!"
"Tickle monster!" HoroHoro hollered. "Tickle monster!" He abandoned the feather to keep tickling his little sister with his hands. Pilika's laughing howls doubled.
The big white feather floated playfully to the floor. Yoh picked it up and tilted his head to the side. He had an idea.
Anna was in the TV room, almost asleep as she watched an early-morning talk show. Yoh smiled. She wasn't a morning person. This would be good.
He crept up behind her, his feet silent as he came closer. Anna didn't move. She lay quietly on the floor, legs curled up and her thin cheek resting on her elbow. Yoh brushed the tip of the feather against her nose. Anna squinched up her face, still not fully awake. He brushed it a little more. The blonde made a soft little noise of protest and turned her face away.
Anna's long golden hair fell away from her neck, exposing her small ear and jawline. Yoh stroked the feather against the curve of her ear, around her earlobe, and down her neck. Anna made a slightly louder noise this time, and jerked her knees up closer to her chest. Yoh brushed the feather mercilessly along her sensitive skin, tickling her neck, her shoulders, and her collarbone. Anna's noises of protest came in little spurts.
"Yoh, you know the pancakes are burning," Ren said. He stopped. "Yoh, do you have a death wish?"
Yoh ignored him. Anna twisted around to avoid the feather; her dark eyes were almost completely open. Yoh redoubled his efforts. Anna sounded like a rusty machine trying to wake up from a long period of disuse. Rough, raspy sounds broke from her throat.
It was time to move to heavier artillery. Yoh let go over the feather and tickled his fingers against Anna's ribcage. He felt a shock go through him as he realized how thin she was; his fingers could almost grab onto her small ribs. But his shock turned to pleasant surprise in a moment.
Anna began to laugh.
She was laughing, a bright and happy sound. Her dark eyes were half closed with the joy of it, and her pale pink lips were open in a smile. Yoh grinned as he tickled her soft thin tummy. His plan had succeeded.
Anna's laughter bubbled over like seafoam. She tossed her arms above her head, laughing with her mouth open. Yoh could resist her no longer. He stopped tickling the once-icy princess and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his arms. Anna fell against him, her laughter softening to a girlish giggle. She wrapped her slim arms around his neck as she smiled, and the smile met her dark eyes and lit them up like stars. For a moment she lay in his embrace, narrow chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. But Yoh took it away, stealing what little breath she had with an impetuous kiss.
It's a wonder what laughter can do.
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Author's Note:
I don't know where this came from. But have you ever noticed that Anna never laughs in the entire series?