I keep smiling. It's scaring me, and I don't know why. -eye twitches- I think it's because of you people's reviews. Or maybe I'm just insane. Yeah, that's probably right. ANYWAYS, keep voting if it should be HaoxAnna or YohxAnna...(personally, I like YohxAnna, just pretend I didn't say that xx) I won't reveal names till the last chapter, because it's more dramatic that way. TT Keep voting. Sorry this was such a delayed update. I might have made Anna and Pirika OOC. oO
To superannafan, yes, the use of 'he' and other pronouns like that is repetitive because I can't use names. -hits head with fist- I'm kind of stupid, you know that? Definitely, Yoh being evil would mess with my mind...88 And animefreak, I'll consider your idea...maybe...SailorLoneStar, thank you for being very nice and threatening me with the Spirit of Fire! That kind of stuff motivates me. Have a Hao plushie. -gives- And thanks to the other reviewers: Vash (TRIGUN!), kristy, Padfootikachu-chan, Animefreak, anony, ChibiQueen-Anna-Asakura, wingweaver22, void, me, tai'sgirl22, Cindy Asakura, YamiandAnzu4ever, and Nakashima-Michiyo. Jeez, I don't think I've ever gotten so many reviews for one chapter before.
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Votes so far--
YohxAnna: Eight votes
HaoxAnna: six votes
(you know, in the beginning, HaoxAnna had more votes, which kind of freaked me out for a bit, but nevermind. o.o;;;; )
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Disclaimer: someday, fools...I SHALL own Shaman King, and I'll make Hao be reincarnated or something and take over the world with no Yoh to stop him! Ahahahahaha! -faints- and if you review, and I actually DO get to own Shaman King, I'll remember you people and give you discounts! X
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Best Nightmare
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Chapter One: Stockholm Syndrome
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Main Entry: Stock·holm syndrome
Pronunciation: 'stäk-"hO(l)m-
Function: noun
the psychological tendency of a hostage to bond with, identify with, or
sympathize with his or her captor
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A day into January, the New Year (circa 1004 AD)--Master Asakura's room
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It has been nearly a week since my capture. So much has happened, I believe. The first, and foremost, though, was probably my being summoned by Lord Asakura.
Opacho, the little girl with brown hair, appeared in my room as suddenly and silently as Lord Asakura did when he visited me occasionally. I often speculated on how they did that, but it no longer bothered me.
The Asakura servant did not speak. She did not even move, except to beckon for me to come with her. I rose to follow her.
She led me into a huge audience hall. There was a huge mass of velvet-lined seats standing in a myriad of neat rows, with a huge throne in front of them all. But instead of sending me over to the throne, she guided me to an inconspicuous seat like all the others, which seemed so secluded and lonely, even though it was surrounded by other chairs.
I soon saw why. There sat Lord Asakura, the very epitome of power, attractiveness, and...loneliness.
Master Asakura had told me of his twin brother. He didn't have one friend in the world, besides perhaps his loyal servants. At birth his parents had tried to kill him. He had turned from the normal path that Asakuras took--the path of good--and turned to evil. But who could really blame him?
He crossed his legs elegantly and reclined, seemingly bored. Upon seeing me, his face lit with a guile, yet charming smile, and he gestured me closer. I reluctantly obeyed.
I sat in a seat next to him, trying not to recoil. Sure, he was handsome, but beneath that was immorality. Pure immorality.
"Frightened?" he asked innocently, still smiling. I tried not to spit in his face--Master Asakura had warned me that any disrespect for his brother and I would certainly get killed, fortune or not--and gritted my teeth. "No, milord," I managed to mumble.
His grin grew bigger. "I see my brother has taught you manners."
I nodded, casting my eyes low to my lap. "Yes, milord. What is it that milord has summoned me for?" I continued, feigning politeness. He could see that. I knew he could.
"Tell me the incantation," he said bluntly.
My eye twitched. That was how much emotion I displayed, as I had been taught not to show much at all. But inside, feelings were raging. How had he found out?
My family is an authoritative group in business. However, my father and mother are probably the most influential, for the fact that they are king and queen of a country, which makes me next in line to inherit the family industry, throne--and fortune.
But all the money is sealed away, in Iris Falls. I am the only one who knows how to unseal it, as I am the one who shall get all of it when I come of age, or when my mother and father die.
But no one was supposed to know that. Only I was to know. Then I was reminded of Master Asakura's words.
He knows everything, sees everything, is everything. He is all powerful. Even I can not stop him. That is why I have joined him...
Clenching my hands, I forced myself to calm down. Lord Asakura was clearly amused. "Well?" he inquired.
I was now composed again. Perfectly cool, and unaffected. "Never," I whispered, still not raising my eyes from my lap.
He laughed, now even more amused. "Oh, you will," he said when the gale subsided. "You will."
"Never," I repeated, shaking my head in defiance.
"Look at me," he demanded, seizing my chin and raising my head. I looked. I saw the truth in his black eyes. Black as his heart.
I was horrified that I would betray myself, and my family. How could I? How could I do it? There was no way.
Was there?
I tore myself from his grasp and ran. I had no idea where I was going. I just ran--right into Master Asakura's arms.
Have I ever told you why I say Master and Lord Asakura? I believe I shouldn't get too connected to them. Because I have a feeling if I do, everything shall end in disaster. So I never call them by there real names. Just Lord Asakura and Master Asakura. I will in my journal, and always shall. (Author's Note: not until the last chapter. Haha.)
He comforted me and led me back to his room. I had tried, multiple times, to escape my prison, and had failed, multiple times, because Master Asakura had ultimately caught me. Multiple times.
Each time after he had caught me, he would berate me teasingly--like this was only a game of hide-and-seek, not a matter of life and death--then lead me to his room, where we would talk. We'd just talk of anything on our minds, for hours on, until Nichrome appeared and told me to go back to my room. My personal prison.
But this time it was different.
After pushing me gently into the large room--Master and Lord Asakura were both such gentlemen, in their own strange ways--he looked up and down the corridor as if seeing if anyone was there before closing and locking the door.
"You can come out now, guys," he called to the closet.
The door slid open and two people tumbled out--a man with spiky purple hair and golden eyes and a woman with long, ice blue hair and bright sapphire eyes.
The man quickly stood up and collected himself, dusting off imaginary lint from his long black coat. He arranged his yellow scarf and helped the woman up, giving me a short nod that showed he knew I was there.
The woman was visibly flustered and didn't bother to hide it. She cheerfully smoothed down her milk satin no-strap dress and brushed her white-gloved hand through her hair, exchanging a swift, almost secret smile with the man, then turned to me, proffering her hand gracefully to me.
I had no idea what to do. Glancing over to Master Asakura, I saw he had folded his arms behind his head and was looking back expectantly at me. A slight blush tinting my cheeks, as I had been caught looking at him, I hastily turned back to the woman and shook her hand.
"So you're not a servant! You're Lord Asakura's new prisoner, aren't you?" her voice was icy, but in a good way. Strange, wasn't it? There was a difference between mine and her voice. Mine, as many people had told me, was cold. Heartless, I suppose. But hers was icy because...it just seemed it was supposed to be. It was icy and happy at the same time. Make sense? It didn't to me. But I'd find out why later.
"How'd you know?" I responded, startled. Master Asakura was chuckling softly in the background. The spiky-haired man looked indifferent.
The comely girl grinned. "Asakura-sama here told me any girl that came in here that, instead of kissing my ring, shook my hand, had blond hair, a certain attitude--" I glared at Master Asakura, who just laughed back--"and definite beauty would be you, Mistress Anna." I glanced back at Master Asakura, startled once again. He gave me a very serious look, unlike him and nodded that I should listen to what the woman was saying.
She curtsied, holding the edges of her gown delicately (1). "Usui Pirika, at your service. And that is--" she pointed to the man, opened her mouth to say something, then flushed and looked away. "Um...it was really hot in the closet, Asakura-sama!" she said instead to Master Asakura, playing with her hair nervously. He laughed in return. "Maybe it was because you were doing something besides just sitting there and waiting for me with Ren-kun?" he answered, raising his eyebrow. Pirika blushed madly, her red cheeks contrasting with her pale skin.
"Tao Ren," the man snapped, folding his arms over his chest. "My name is Tao Ren. Quite pleased to meet you, Anna-chan (he said this with a minor sarcasm), but we should hurry with on with our business, shall we?"
"Yes, business," Master Asakura muttered, still stifling a laugh. "As you might know," he said to me, "Ren-kun is another heir to a fortune, which my brother shamelessly kidnapped also, just like you. Unbeknownst to my dear twin, though, Ren-kun had a spirit accompanying him, who he had caught a few years ago. That spirit...is Pirika."
I gazed curiously at Pirika. She looked normal enough...or, no, there was an aura coming from her. A special aura.
"Pirika-chan is a ice faerie. The Purifying Ice Elemental, actually. Ren-kun contained her in a marble sphere which seemed harmless enough, so my brother didn't take it away from him when he was searched. Interestingly enough, Pirika-chan's magical status wasn't detected at all. So, we have a stroke of luck here. We can use Pirika-chan's powers to break out of here and escape to another place where my brother cannot reach us on the next full moon. However, we need a bit more magic power than just our three's, and we ask you to join us." Seeing the bemused look on my face, he added earnestly, "You don't really have a choice now anyway, because if we let you go without agreeing you might tell my brother."
I nodded slowly after a moment's thought. Pirika cheered. "Yatte!" she beamed happily, doing the peace sign. Ren turned away with a huff, as though embarrassed by the faerie's actions, but for a moment I thought I saw a smile on his face.
As Pirika danced blissfully about, I write all this on Master Asakura's bed. I personally do not believe we can escape, but looking at Pirika's ecstatic-ness, I was cheered into hoping we might just have a chance.
But my father had always told me that hope was just a denial of reality. (2)
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It was obvious that Ren and Pirika were in love, faerie or not. I saw them frequently offering each other shy smiles, and yet Ren stayed tenacious in his feelings and refused to admit he was in love.
I saw much more of Master Asakura from then on. I fear that I connected with him much, much more, after that, but, like Ren, I refuse to admit I am in love.
Well, maybe I'm not in love, but I'm developing Stockholm's Syndrome.
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tsuzuku
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Latcha, it's over! Jeez, that took me hours to write all of that. oO I'm PROUD of myself. Hahaha. Review and vote, and I'll update! (Duh.)
(1): "She curtsied, holding the edges of her gown delicately." That's because with Ren holding control over her, she kind of gains some of his...characteristics. Also known as, she gets all elegant. And un-clumsy. Don't ask, won't answer.
(2): "But my father had always told me that hope was just a denial of reality." -grin- Hope is a denial of reality--famous words of Raistlin Majere, from the Dragonlance series. Ooh, I'm too obsessed.