Disclaimer: Shaman King belongs to Hiroyuki Takei and Shonen Jump, not me.
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The next morning, Yoh went off to school and Keiko let Anna sleep in before her eleven o'clock appointment. At ten Keiko went in and opened the curtains.
"Rise and shine, Anna!" she sang out. Anna grunted, rolled over, and buried her face in her pillow. "Come on, come on. We have to be at the doctor's office in an hour." Keiko pulled a little apple-green sundress out of the closet. "Wear this, okay?"
Anna sat up, rubbing her eyes drowsily. "I didn't mean to sleep this long," she mumbled.
"It's okay," Keiko said. "Just get dressed, little miss."
Anna obeyed, putting on the green dress and brushing her hair back. The doctor's office was about fifteen minutes from the house. They got there with plenty of time to spare.
"Kyoyama, Anna?" the receptionist called. She smiled when she saw the thin, nervous face. "Your mama can come in with you, honey, if you want." Anna glanced anxiously at Keiko. She grinned and followed her into the office.
"Hello, Anna," the doctor said. She flipped through Anna's file. "Just a school physical, right? That shouldn't take too long." She listened to Anna's heart and looked at her eyes, nose, and mouth. "Have you ever had a serious respiratory illness like pneumonia before?"
Anna blinked. "No, I don't think so," she said. "I have trouble-" She clamped her lips shut. Keiko glanced at her sternly out of the corner of her eye. "I have trouble breathing sometimes."
"Is it just when you run?"
"No, it just happens sometimes," Anna mumbled. She twisted her fingers together so tightly the fragile, papery knuckles turned white.
"Hm…that sounds like asthma," the doctor said. She scribbled something down on a notepad. "You'll need to get that looked at. It could develop into something more serious."
"Do you think it could be serious?" Keiko asked.
"It might, and it might not," the doctor said. "Okay, Anna, I need you to take off your dress and put this on, okay?" She handed her a paper robe. "I'll be back in a few minutes." The doctor left the room.
"I'll turn around," Keiko told Anna. It took a short time for Anna to change. "Give me your dress. You can climb back up on the table." Anna obeyed meekly. Her thin arms were faintly lavender. "Are you cold?" Anna nodded. "Want me to rub your shoulders?" Anna shook her head violently.
The door clicked open. "All right, this shouldn't take long," the doctor said. She stopped and stared at Anna's exposed back. "Were you in an accident?"
"No," Anna said.
"Where did these marks come from?" the doctor asked.
Anna looked over her shoulder. "I don't know," she said dully.
Keiko stood and came closer. Thick white lines of scar tissue crisscrossed across Anna's narrow back. "I don't know what to think of this," the doctor stuttered. "I should get Dr. Jikuda to see this…"
Anna sat quietly, her back ramrod-straight. "Anna," Keiko said. "You know what happened."
Silence.
"Kino beat you, didn't she?"
Still silence.
"Anna, please. Talk to me. Tell me what she did to you. Tell me everything. I'm begging you."
She didn't even turn around.
"…and she doesn't even know where it came from," the doctor said as she reentered. "You can see the extensive buildup of scarring."
"Yes, yes, I can see that," Dr. Jikuda said. He touched the longest scar. Anna jerked away. "Sorry, sorry. My hands must be cold." He probed the scars lightly, and Anna leaped away from him, behind the table.
"Don't touch me!" she shouted. "I don't want you to touch me!"
"We're not going to hurt you, we're just-"
"I don't want you to touch me!" Anna repeated, screaming at the top of her lungs. She wrapped her scrawny arms around her body, protecting herself.
Keiko's heart thudded. The doctors tried to reason with Anna, but it was to no avail. She continued to scream, lashing out if they came too close. "Oh, Anna," she murmured. "What did she do to you?"
"Please, don't be afraid," the doctor pleaded. "We aren't going to hurt you."
Anna's shouted threats became a high pitched, wordless wail. She fell on her knees, pressing her temple against the wall. Her wails became jagged sobs. Anna's lungs began to seize up as she screamed. The sobs broke into sharp, gasping wheezes. Her pale skin began to take on a light blue tint.
"She's losing oxygen fast," the doctor said. Anna fell on her hands and knees, struggling to breathe. Keiko hedged closer to her as the doctors went for emergency equipment.
"Anna," she said, calmly and firmly. "Anna, I will not hurt you. I will protect you from her. But you need to reach for me. Just hold out your arms to me, and I can take care of you. Let me touch you." Keiko held out her hands. Please…please let her listen.
Anna collapsed towards her, gripping Keiko's forearms as her breathing became more and more desperate. Keiko pulled her close to her, feeling the chill that rapidly passed through Anna's body. The tiny, fragile hands clutched her; the bitten-off fingernails dug into her skin.
The doctors rushed back in. One of them held an inhaler to her lips. Keiko supported Anna's head and neck. The rapid frail breaths began to slow down as the medication traveled into Anna's lungs. When the medicine took effect, the doctor took the inhaler away and replaced it with an oxygen mask. Keiko settled Anna into her lap, cradling her close as the doctors coached Anna into breathing the pure oxygen. Warmth returned to the small body, and as her breathing relaxed, she fell into deep, heavy sleep. Keiko pressed her cheek to Anna's golden head and rocked her in her embrace.
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Author's Note:
I am absolutely convinced that at some point in her life, somewhere in her past, Anna was abused- physically, sexually, emotionally, or maybe a combination. She's just so, so…I don't know.
I think it comes from my personal life. When I reflect on things that have happened to me, I can see how that has influenced my personality and how I react to certain situations. Anna has such an enigmatic way of dealing with things, especially emotional things…there's got to be a reason.
