Anna & Rewrich: Chapter 2

"Anna, you will be sent on a mission representing the dojo today." Her father announced after she wrapped up rice, salmon, furikake and takuan in dried seaweed.

"Understood." She took a bite of her roll that she had made, and the father directed his attention towards the fiancée.

"And Rewrich, you are to accompany her." Anna choked on a grain of rice.

"Whao?!" She said, muffled by her food.

"Anna, eat first, then speak." Celeste murmured.

"Understood, sir. I will protect her with my life."

"Yes, please."

"Father! I am plenty capable!" Anna rebutted after taking a sip of green tea.

"I know. However, now that you are engaged to be married, you will be in more danger than ever before. There are many people who would kill you to try and become a candidate for head."

"Right… Because once you are wed, you will become head of this dojo, along with your husband." Celeste explained.

"Wait… Then wouldn't they aim to kill Rewrich as well?"

"Maybe. But I can hold my own." He smiled to Anna, and she got pissed.

"Ugh! He's so full of himself!" She thought to herself.


"Don't walk so far away, princess." Rewrich called to her as she walked ahead. She wore her half-arm sleeved long-tailed coat, colored and styled like the one she wore to Al Revis. It was left open, and showed her chest wrapped in bandages as a tubetop. On her hands, she wore black, fingerless biker gloves, and on the top of her lower arm was a golden bangle. Her pants were black jeans, and her shoes were no-tie black tennis shoes.

"You might attack me." She looked back at him suspiciously."

"Whoa, she really does think I'm a pervert." He said in a quiet voice. "So, where is the client we're supposed to be meeting, and what's the job?"

"We're meeting a well-known information provider in town. Their family has been helping ours' for generations." Anna told him. "Apparently, they found an underground lair, an illegal alchemy lab. It wasn't their job, so they didn't go in, but… I'm worried about what's going on there."

"Wow, what nice people."

"Who said they were nice?" Anna looked at him with eyes, serious and cold.

"Oh, so they aren't sweet-ceneted."

"Their clan, the Hanekawa clan, was originally a brutal assassination family, not caring if their children died during missions… As long as they were paid and got something else out of it, they were fine." She closed her eyes. "My family fought their's for rule of this town nearly a century ago. We won, so they had to follow our terms. They had to give up all assassination professions, and instead, became information-gatherers for our family. However, we have to pay them for that information. Otherwise, they may get violent again."

"So they're not just good citizens, huh."

"No, and most of the Hanekawa hold great hatred towards the Lemouri. We practically exiled them with the pact we made."

"…" Rewrich walked ahead in silence. He now understood the burden that Anna had to take on. As the successor, she now had to take it on all alone. If he was there for her, she wouldn't have to suffer so much…

"It's not just Hanekawa. There are many clans we made pacts with in order for their surrender. Although we intended for peace and sympathy, we also took away their freedom."


"Excuse me." Anna opened the cloth door and walked inside. The house was a dark, traditional Japanese house.

"Lemouri girl, you've come." The current head of the family, Obaba, handed her a slip of paper. "There indicates the location of the lair. That's all. After your pay, you may leave."

"Yes."

"Wait, Anna!" A girl jumped down from the upper bunks of the house. She was Kilie, age 25.

"Kilie!" Anna said happily. "How's your child, Saffron?" Kilie wore her purple shorts and tank top with fur leg warmers. She wore her hair in a ponytail with a band around her head. They were her outfit for work, and even casual. It was the dress of young Hanekawa girls.

"That's the problem! I need your help." She looked down. "She was coming with us on that mission to find the lair, and… I-it was her first, and she… she got caught! I don't know what to do…"

"That's horrible! I'll look for her while we're there." Anna held her hand. "It'll be OK, Kilie. Don't worry."

"Please find her… She's my family…" Kilie held her hands to her chest.

"Where's your husband?"

"He's looking for her. He's asking for information around the streets, but I'm really worried…"

"I got it."

"The child fell behind, the child dies. That's life."

"Obaba-sama…!!!"

"Those were the old ways of the Hanekawa, were they not? After the pact with the Lemouri, things have changed."

"Things will never change!" The old woman, nearly 100 years old, spat. "I was but a whelp of 10 when the battle occurred, but I shall never forget. The horrid Lemouris who cut our family, one by one… And I'll never forget the taste of Lemouri blood." She grinned. "I will never trust you."

"You don't need to. This is purely business." Anna held it in. "Kilie is a business client. I believe that should suffice."

"…Keh." She took a puff of smoke from her long, pointy cigarette.

"Old bag, you shouldn't be so mean to her. She wasn't the one who made the pact." Rewrich smirked. "And if you ever say another thing like that to my fiancée…" His eyes slanted. "I WILL KILL YOU."

"Ah…!" The old woman coughed and tried to gain her breath. Kilie was silent. People didn't choose to be born into the Hanekawa, after all.

"Rewrich! That's enough!" She said sharply and threw the money to Kilie. "I'll find Saffron, don't worry!"

"…Thank you." Kilie softly smiled, and the pair left the house.


"Man, that was impressive." Rewrich said ecstatically. "I thought you'd blow."

"To that kind of childish taunt? I don't think so." She talked to him in the carriage they took to the neighboring town, where the lair was said to reside.

"…To be honest, I was about to rip off her head."

"Rewrich…"

"That person, not understanding such a woman as you… I felt insulted that my fiancée was being treated like that." Anna blushed, and looked at him.

"W-We're not getting married!" She pouted.

"Yes, yes." He smiled.

"But…" she paused and smiled, "Thank you… for standing up for me." He looked at her for a moment, baffled.

"…Anytime." He smiled calmly.


"Ooh, a nice warm bed…" Anna hopped on top. "Although… I wish it were a single room."

"I won't attack you, don't worry." He laughed.

"I wonder…" She rolled over in her bed.

"Mm… I wonder how Farion's doing…"

"I thought you hated him?"

"I-I do! Idiot! I just wonder if that girlfriend's a complete bimbo, or-"

"Anna…" The next thing she knew, Rewrich was on top of her, arching above her. He held her hands to the pillow.

"Wha-?! You see! You are…!!!"

"Do you love me?"

"O-Of course I don't…! You just come in my life so suddenly…"

"Then will you love me if I do this?" He put his lips next to her ear and kissed softly down her neck.

"Uh…!" She flinched.

"Or this?" He gently kissed her on the lips.

"Nn…!" She felt that she wanted- needed- to let go, but… She let him kiss her longer than she expected.

"I love you, Anna." He told her, softly. She gasped with a blush on her face.

"No…!" She thought, "He can't…! The one I love is…! My prince can't be…!"

"I love you so much I can't stop myself… When you talk about another guy, I just…" He continued to whisper in her ear, and kissed her once again.

"S-Stop!!!" She yelled. He looked at her.

"Anna… Do you hate me?"

"Yes! Yes, I do! So get off!" Anna gasped in realization of what she had said. He looked at her with shocked eyes, his mouth slightly open. He let her arms go, and stood up to put his jacket back on.

"Let's get some sleep."

"…A-All right…"


The next day as they walked to the Leana Canyon, Rewrich walked about 10 meters in front of her, the exact opposite of the previous day.

"Why are you walking so far away?!" Anna called to him.

"You hate me right?" Rewrich said without turning around.

"No, I-"

"Then what? Do you love me?" He looked at her seriously with cold eyes.

"…No…" Anna said quietly, and he turned back again. "But…!" She interjected. "Does that mean we can't be friends?!"

"…" He didn't show his face to her.

"Answer me!"

"…Pft… PAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed and held his stomach.

"Wh-What's so funny?!" She said, completely embarrassed.

"Oh nothing~" He smiled, a tear dripped from his eye. "You're just so cute…!"

"Don't call me cute…!"

"But you are." He walked to her. "That's why I've always liked you." He put his hand on her head.

"Wait…? Always…?"

"Oh… So you forgot…" He sighed.

"Wait, what do you mean by always?!"

"Just leave it! It's not important!" He called from ahead of her and waved his hand.