This fic is not dead, I promise! It hasn't been so much writers block in the way as that I've been working on an AU HaoxAnnaxYoh triangle that will never be posted. -_- It's based on the fangirls' speculation that Hana might be Hao's son, and not Yoh's. I have the whole story except for the end; I don't know who Anna should end up with. Logic says Yoh, but I personally prefer the dynamics that have developed between her and Hao. *sigh* Maybe I'll make her run off with Ren and be done with it.
And, Kaori: I am much displeased that you cleaned out your DeviantArt account – most of my favorite pictures are gone (though Hao meets llama is safely saved on my computer. ^__^)
Yoh frowned, slightly annoyed with himself. Figures he would, at the crucial moment, allow his hand to slip and accidentally hit the button for the twelfth floor. So now, the elevator would have to make an extra stop and it would be that much longer before he could get to where he was supposed to be. But there was nothing to be done; and he merely stood in the middle of the elevator, hoping he wouldn't botch up something bigger and more important. Especially not in front of Anna.
He started and involuntarily glanced around. Where had that thought come from? Slapping himself mentally, he straightened. C'mon, Yoh, muttered inwardly to himself. No one's here, no one's listening, and it's not like Anna can read hearts. Just chill.
The elevator slowed, the doors opening to reveal a bland hallway decorated in pastel blues. Yoh pushed the "close door" button immediately, wondering how Hao was faring with the Agents and if he would serve as a proper diversion. Knowing his brother, of course, there probably wasn't much to worry about.
The elevator opened on the next floor to a nearly identical hallway – except for the fact that the wall was perforated with bullet holes and burned in several places. Apparently, Hao had had no trouble irritating the Agents.
With slight trepidation, Yoh stepped into the hall, glancing cautiously to either side. The passage seemed to extend on almost infinitely in both directions, and for a moment, he despaired of ever finding Anna's room. What can I do? Hao can't keep the Agents away forever; I need to find her quickly. What should I do? What would…what would Hao do? Manipulating data…that's what Hao did.
So, feeling awkward and wondering if this seemed like something pulled straight out of a shoujo manga, he paused, concentrating, remembering the feeling he had experienced when he tried to break Mosuke's sword. The data could tell him everything he wanted to know if he approached it correctly, he was sure of that. It was only a matter of how….
From his left came a faint whisper of a feeling, a gasp of pain and despair, the anger of hopeless desperation. Turning, he followed the feeling that tugged at him; trying not to think of what might happen if it were a trick of the Agents.
*
The door was locked when Yoh reached it, though he was positive this was where his instincts told him to come. Both hands wrapped around the handle, he put one foot against the wall and pulled, straining (though he was perfectly aware of how ridiculous he looked.) It was no use.
Bending down, he shut one eye and squinted with the other into the keyhole, trying to have a look at the mechanisms inside. This too proved fruitless, though he hadn't really expected it to do much in the first place. Frustrated, he kicked at it half-heartedly and slumped back with a breath of annoyance that fluttered his bangs. "Pleeeeeease," he groaned, annoyed enough to talk to a door. He grabbed the handle again and tried to make it move. I need to get it. I have to get to Anna…
The handle gave way suddenly and the door flew open, sending Yoh sprawling across the floor. He scrambled to his feet in the darkness, oddly disoriented. Placing his hand on the wall, he felt about until his fingers hit the light switch and filled the room with a weak illumination. The place was empty except for a small table and a hospital bed in one corner. Someone was lying there, covered in crisp white sheets, a few strands of golden hair draped over the edge of the pillow.
"Anna?" he whispered softly, not fully trusting his senses.
There was no reply.
He walked slowly towards the bed, but paused, his eyes on the nearby table. On it lay a small bottle and a used hypodermic needle. He bit his lip, glancing back at the still form on the bed; what was it they had given her? The liquid in the IV bag looked similar in color to the contents of the bottle on the table, too; her face – he could see it now as he approached – was frighteningly pale, a bluish tinge on her lips, and her eyes slightly open with only the white showing. She was alive; he could see the rise and fall of her chest, but it was a mockery of life and the vibrancy he had seen in her not so long ago.
On a flash of impulse, he seized the IV needle and slid it from her arm. She flinched involuntarily, and a small trickle of blood issued from the break in the skin, but no sudden, dire consequences followed his action. On the contrary, he thought he saw a little color return to her face, though that easily could have been deception on the part of his hopeful eyes.
Now was the matter of getting her away from this place.
*
Hao raced around the corner; the Agents were gaining on him, and had thus far avoided serious damage from his flame-throwing tricks. He wasn't really worried, of course. They were still clueless when it came to his biggest advantage, and he was hardly feeling pressed badly enough to need it. Their pure irritation was enough entertainment; he could see it sparking in Marco's eyes and in the way Jeanne's face hardened every time he looked back at them (just right so that his hair flipped and swooshed like a shampoo commercial, too.) He almost wished Anna were there to see it all; how could she fail to fall for him then?
He darted into the elevator to add a bit of a twist to the chase, and then shook his head as the doors closed, making a semi-rude gesture at the Agents (who were a little too late) for good measure. A bullet sped through the metal as he lost sight of them, but did not come even close to its target, much to Hao's satisfaction. He grinned, casually examining the hole it had left in the back wall and humming along with the elevator music. Silly Agents; he had missed this, having been dead for a while. The machines had gotten terribly cocky with him gone and all.
But they would have to wait for the elevator to come back to their level before they could continue chasing him. Knowing how persistent they were, especially when it came to catching some object of irritation, he estimated this would keep them occupied more than long enough for Yoh to do a proper job of getting Anna to safety. Hao paused and rethought that. One could never really know, of course, when it came to little brothers; they had a way of doing the stupidest and most unexpected things. He certainly hoped that wouldn't be the case this time.
The elevator doors slid noiselessly open at the lobby level as Hao gave a small sigh, thinking about his brother. Yoh would probably get into trouble before this was even close to over.
And then he did a double take as found himself face to face with Marco and Jeanne, neither Agent looking remotely amused. In an instant, his hand flew for the "close-door" button, even as Jeanne rushed towards him, Marco right behind. She made it through the metal doors just as they closed, but her companion was a little too slow.
In an instant, Hao and Jeanne found themselves together in the suddenly claustrophobic space of the elevator. Fire in her eyes, Jeanne sprang toward him as they began their ascent, but jerked backward again with a look of faint surprise. True, she had managed to make it through the doors before they closed, but not all of her long, silvery hair had.
Hao stood, leaning on the railing, a faint grin on his face as he shook his head. "Tsk. Overly long hair is terribly impractical, don't you think, Jeanne dearest?"
She bristled at the mock-endearment. "Don't you talk, Asakura Hao!" In an instant, she had slid a small knife from its concealed hiding place at her side and slashed through the impeding tresses, freeing herself before Hao even had time to come up with a clever retort. The next moment, she had flung the blade at him; it stuck in the wall just centimeters away from his left ear. Following the knife a split second later, she whipped a fist at him.
He blocked it with carefree ease, his grin widening. "Well now, I guess it's just you and me, ne?"
She frowned, bombarding him with a volley of blows, each of which he deftly parried. "You've nowhere to run. This is how you'll die."
He almost laughed, catching her wrist and flicking her arm away. "I think not. You Agents failed to kill me before."
She bared her clenched teeth in frustration, sweeping at his ankles with one booted foot. "I can remedy that." He sidestepped neatly and sent a swift punch just past the side of her head.
"Can you? This place is greatly limiting to your skills. There's very little room, meaning you can't vary your attacks as much. And you're on the offensive; I just have the basic defensive blocking and such to reach my goal – namely staying alive. You're at a supreme disadvantage."
She gave no reply, but whipped out her handgun, shoving it suddenly against his forehead, forcing him back against the elevator wall. "Don't mock me."
He crossed his eyes slightly, studying the muzzle pressed above his eyebrows. "I'm not, Jeanne-chan. I'm merely stating the facts. And, you know, I haven't drawn my guns, so it's not very sporting that you should be using yours."
A trace of a smirk flickered over her face and was gone. "And what are you going to do about that?"
In an instant, his hands had wrapped around her wrists, forcing her to drop the gun, and pushing her against the adjacent wall. Nearly nose to nose, his chest daringly close to hers, he allowed a triumphant smile to cross his features. "I'll fight dirty, that's what I'll do, especially if it's with a pretty little Agent." He couldn't miss the furious shade of red that flared in her face despite her unaffected expression
"Get your filthy rebel hands off of me," she ordered, only the slightest hint of a tremble shaking her calm voice.
He remained as he was, his fingers tightening ever so slightly around her lily-white wrists. He inhaled, relishing in her frustration. She had an odd scent: untainted and overly-sterilized, reminiscent of a hospital. "I don't intend to move," he murmured, putting his mouth purposely close to her ear; he could feel the heat from her face. "So what are you planning to do about that?"
She moved swiftly and without warning, bringing her knee sharply up between his legs, taking advantage of how very close he was. He moved only just in time to avoid what could have easily been a disastrous and most definitely painful blow. "I'll aim below the belt," she shot back through gritted teeth. "Agents can fight dirty too."
He looked at her with mild surprise, careful not to show that he was aware of how close he had come to falling prey to a humiliating attack. "I never would have guessed. And from a sweet little thing like you…."
She did not reply, but lunged for the button panel by the door, trying to stop and perhaps leave a chance open for Marco to back her up. He blocked her way, pressing the emergency stop button instead. She glared and stepped back, calculating her next move. "Marco will kill you for this."
He couldn't hold back a smile as he felt their ascent cease. "I thought you were going to."
She snatched up her gun from where it lay on the floor and pressed the muzzle against his throat, squeezing the trigger before he had time to move.
*
The first obstacle, Yoh found, was the handcuffs. One end was secured around Anna's right wrist, and the other was linked to the railing of the cot, with the key nowhere in sight. He stood bewildered for a moment, completely unsure of what to do, then tugged halfheartedly at the links between the cuffs – an action that had absolutely no effect. He looked about for something to try to pry the links of the connecting chain open, or something to saw at them with. Finding nothing, he again pulled at the handcuffs, this time a bit harder, still feeling somewhat foolish. He had come so far already, found Anna while Hao was risking life and limb for their sake, and now Yoh found him stopped by a ridiculously simple pair of handcuffs. There had to be some way to get around this…like there had been with the door.
He gripped the cuff around Anna's wrist once more and pulled with all he had. Come on…come on…break…
A single link snapped, but it was all he needed. Caught off balance, however, he tumbled backward with a small noise of surprise, nearly dragging Anna with him. Almost falling from her cot, she still did not open her eyes, though her fingers twitched ever so slightly.
He stood up hurriedly, brushing himself off, laughing uneasily at himself. Inanimate objects were obeying his unvoiced pleas; he wasn't sure whether to be impressed or profoundly worried. This was not, however, the time to ponder such mysteries, but time to figure out how to get Anna away from this place and the Agents.
He sighed, again at a loss as what to do. Anna certainly was not going to be walking away on her own, which left him with the job of moving her. He eyed her limp form with reservation; it was as simple as sweeping her up in his arms and carrying her off, but he was quite sure she would make sure he faced utterly dire consequences if she woke up in his arms.
An involuntary shiver ran suddenly through Yoh, pulling his mind away from her. For some reason, it seemed that things had been too quiet for too long. Anna had still not moved, but he could not shake the feeling that he needed to get out as quickly as possible.
Pushing his small apprehensions aside, he gathered the limp young woman in his arms and burst out the door, hoping he could remember the way out of the building.
To be continued…