CHAPTER THREE.
Before they knew it, the man's spirit suddenly grabbed Anna with great speed. Everything just happened all of a sudden.
"Anna!"
Yoh was surprised that the man was still able to use his remaining strength to use the spirit's great asset-its speed.
However, even if she was in the threshold of danger, Anna was still very calm. She was sarcastic at all times. Her expression is like 'So-what-if-I'm-captured-I-don't-care' look. She even rested her chin on the spirit's arm.
"Anna-san doesn't seem to be scared." Manta whispered.
"Well, she doesn't seem like to be enjoying it, too." Yoh whispered also. He was staring at Anna. Anna seems to be staring back, now wearing the expression 'Hurry-up-and-save-me' look.
Yoh held out his katana once again, as much as possible not trying to use his Oversoul.
"Mister, I think you picked a wrong victim to hostage," a sweatdrop suddenly fell from Yoh. "Just saying."
"Shut up!" The man was now very pissed off. "I don't care what you say! If you ever made a mistake about attacking me, this girl will die!"
And that very moment, Anna's sarcastic expression turned to sudden nervousness. She began to shiver. She began to sweat. In short, she was beginning to get afraid.
Yoh noticed Anna's change of mood. It was after a moment before he realized it.
"Y-Yoh-kun! Anna-san was..." Manta rubbed his eyes to assure himself he was seeing the right thing. "Anna-san was afraid!"
Yoh never made a response. He was unable to move then.
The man however, realized that Yoh couldn't bear to fight with Anna as his hostage. He began to smile cruelly, proud of what he did. "What I want is simple," he stated, "You come with me and this girl lives. If not, then expect the opposite."
Yoh remained quiet. Amidamaru was worried to both Yoh and Anna.
"Yoh-dono, what are you going to do? I'm sure we'll be able to retrieve Anna-dono easily, let's just distract him..."
"No."
Amidamaru and Manta was surprised to hear something like that from Yoh. "Y-Yoh-dono?"
The both of them stared at Yoh, who at the other hand was staring at Anna. They turned to see Anna as well, and was shocked about the sight. Anna was paralyzed with fear.
"A-Anna-dono was..." Amidamaru can't take what he's seeing. "She was acting unnatural... She wasn't acting what she usually does..."
Suddenly a scream was heard from Anna. She began to struggle very hard, trying to let go of the spirit whose arms wrapped around her. "Let me go! Let me go!"
"Anna-san!"
"Yoh-dono, what are you going to do?"
Yoh was still unable to move even an inch, and unable to say something even a whisper. His eyes were glistening, concentrating very hard.
Meanwhile, the man was still laughing heavily. He was proud of himself that he consider on placing a hostage as a bait for Yoh.
"Let go of me! Let me go!" Those words were still heard from Anna. She keeps struggling like a captured little girl.
"What's happening to Anna-san? She was usually calm even though she was in the most dangerous situations! This is totally different!" Manta keeps on ranting, waiting for an answer from Yoh. "Yoh-kun!"
Yoh's eyes were hidden from his laid hair. He was totally serious right now.
"We all know Anna almost shows no reaction at all, whatever the situation is... But today is different, because..." Yoh hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and tells his story for a moment.
FLASHBACK
"Let go of me! Please!"
A little girl's voice were heard from afar.
However, 10-year-old Asakura Yoh never recognized the voice, which surprisingly arrived from nowhere.
Yoh was just resting under a huge tree just somewhere around his neighborhood, along with his little companion Matamune. He was about to go to sleep when he heard a little girl's scream from who-knows-where.
"No! Don't! Let go of me!"
Yoh, being very self-proud at that time, tries to pretend he doesn't hear anything. He doesn't want to waste some of his precious time going to see who could that be.
"No, no...!"
Yoh's eyebrows twitched. He was getting annoyed with that screaming. Still he refuses to leave his place, expecting someone would come rescue whoever-it-was. That girl must've been stuck from something.
"Please, no... Aaaahh...!"
Finally Yoh's eyes opened, his expression was irritated. He got up from his place, looking around, but no one seemed to be in sight. Was that only his imagination? Or...
"Won't you go see whoever that is, Yoh?" His little cat, Matamune, murmured.
"Why would I? I believe I shouldn't stick my nose with others' business."
Still, echoes of the girl's scream continued to catch Yoh's attention. His body was confused of what to do.
"You would want to go see, I know you would," Matamune licked his paws. "Come on, Yoh, let's go see."
Yoh stared at him, his face still covered with annoyed expression, but somehow he agrees to go see. They followed where the screams were coming from, and not so long the sound was getting louder and louder...
Until they arrived in a deserted place wherein they saw a big, creepy monster-like creature harrassing a little girl. They realized this is the place, and there was the girl, screaming.
Yoh's eyes widened. "Who was that?"
"The monster or the girl?"
"Both."
"How should I know!"
Yoh and Matamune can't help but stare on that horrible scene. The monster wrapped its arms around the blonde-haired little girl, which is unabling her to breathe.
"That doesn't look like a spirit. That monster must be different." Matamune hissed. He turned to Yoh whose expression was that of very amazed. His nails scratched a little of Yoh's leg, which made him fall down.
"W-what are you doing, Matamune? What's that for?"
"Are you just going to stare at them until the girl dies? You're a shaman, right? Save her!"
"How am I going to do that? I have no idea about being a shaman yet!"
Matamune sighed. He realized Yoh was still very young and still wasn't taught of advanced shaman techniques. He still has no spirit too, so he can't do anything.
"Noo! Don't!" The girl was slowly being crushed by the monster's arms.
However, Yoh's grumpy attitude has changed. Now he seemed to very concerned about the situation... About the girl's safety. He suddenly ran towards the scene, drawing out a wooden stick from the ground and started swaying it.
"You ugly, creepy monster! Let go of her!" Yoh slowly approached the monster and hits it with the stick.
"Yoh! What the hell are you doing? Come back here, or you'll get killed!" Matamune also ran towards the scene in fast speed, but doesn't bother to get nearer.
"Get away from her, I say! Get away!" Yoh just ignored Matamune. But seeing the scene, the monster was very big enough for Yoh to handle, so there will a hundred percent chance Yoh and the little girl to get killed.
It wasn't long 'til the monster was pissed with Yoh's unnecessary doing. He grabbed Yoh like a little toy, and tried to crush him like the little girl. Yoh's screams were then heard.
"YOH!" Matamune, who cannot bear with the horrible scene ongoing, ran as fast as he can towards them. Soon great power arises from him, and he was yet able to knock the monster down, leading it to let go of Yoh and the girl.
"Yoh, use me! Use me to defeat it!" Matamune said as he approaches the exhausted Yoh.
When Yoh was back to his senses, his eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"
"Use my power to defeat the monster. I assure you it will work out."
"How?"
"I'm going to go inside you, and you will be powerful. My power will be yours, now and then."
Yoh couldn't believe what he heard. "Y-You're going inside me? Until when...?"
Matamune's bright eyes glistened. "Forever."
These words shocked Yoh, but it only took him a while to be convinced and agreed. He concentrated for a moment, and not long Matamune entered inside Yoh. He felt more powerful than ever, and he felt he can do anything even though he was not fully trained. He picked up the stick once again and aimed for the monster.
The monster however, was still trying to kill the girl. As it was on its way towards her, Yoh suddenly flew from the ground and swung the stick and attacked the monster.
"I told you to get away from her, didn't I?" Yoh yelled.
"I don't care what you say! If you ever made a mistake about attacking me, this girl will die!" To his surprise, the monster just talked.
Even so, Yoh ignored it. "You will still do either!" Soon, he was able to cut the monster in half and it disappeared.
Even though it has ended, Yoh couldn't believe his only best friend was gone forever, even though it remained inside him. It wasn't a spirit, though, only Matamune's power.
Yoh approached the unconscious girl and tried to wake her up. Several wounds covered her body.
"Hey, are you all right?"
Not long, the girl opened her eyes. A blur image of Yoh appeared in front of her. It wasn't the monster anymore... Everything has ended.
Yoh, however, stared the girl. Even though several wounds were covering most of her body even her face, he was still able to tell she was beautiful. Just staring at her made him blush a lot.
"W-what's your name?" Yoh almost couldn't speak and was unstable.
The girl's charming eyes stared at him, and she said sweetly...
"Kyoyama... Anna."
Ehem. What you just read is what you call a FANFICTION. I based this according to my understanding about the real story, so I made something that somehow relates to it and was from my wild imagination and creativity.
Please don't hate me! I knew I kinda messed up Yoh and Anna's first meeting, but this is what I want my story to turn out. Heheh.
I just hope you guys enjoy! =" More reviews please!