I don't own Shaman King.
---
"Possibly the worst thing to ever happen to us"
"Why's he here? Doesn't he have other people to torture"
"He's not even doing anything, he's just standing there"
"With a drink"
"Whatd'ya give him"
"Average vampiric drink. Bit of blood mixed with booze, and a hint of spice"
"Do you think he's gonna attack"
"He looks like he's going somewhere"
"Of course he's going somewhere, have you heard what business he's in"
"Well, you never know"
"I think in this case we know. Someone's gonna die a painful death tonight"
---
Anna sighed, stirring her drink. "Horo, I'm depressed"
He laughed, cleaning a glass. "When are you not"
"Quirky. I need some action in my life again. I just feel so... I dunno, dead"
"Dead, huh?" He turned on the radio, turning to a channel that was specifically for demons. It could have been considered an underground station; it was advertised, and humans had no idea about it. The station played a variety of things, from news to music. Currently a news broadcast was on. The chatter in the bar died down a bit as Horo Horo turned up the volume.
"... and in further news, the mobs and protests have grown in number. Many human neighborhoods have been burned down, and dead and mangled bodies have been found in the most unexpected places, often with the victim with a sign with words written in their own blood, such as a recent one found that read, 'Beware humans, demons walk amongst you.' The few protesters that have been captured have been put into asylums by humans for believing so strongly in demons. We now turn to one of our leading experts"
"Is that enough action for you, Anna?" Horo asked, turning the volume down slightly. "You've been trained, why don't you stop protests yourself"
Anna sneered at Horo, ignoring gazes from others in the bar. "Why are you so edgy lately, Horo"
"No reason"
"Sure there isn't." She lay her chin on her arms, eye level with the soda in front of her. "Horo, my life sucks. I lived as an orphan for a good portion of my life, fell in love only for him to leave me, and then spent two years of my life tracking down lowlife demons that were up to some trivial mischief and killing them mercilessly. Not quite the ideal life, don't you think"
Horo put down his glass, chewing on his lip thoughtfully. "I think I may have something to cheer you up, Anna." He reached under the counter, pulling out a small box. He placed it in front of her, smiling as he said, "It came a long time ago, but you could say I was waiting"
Anna took the box unceremoniously, opening it. She gasped, sitting up. Inside was the most beautiful bracelet she had ever seen before. It was a silver link chain, with silver coins hanging from the chain like charms, twelve in all. One each coin there was a different stone; ruby, garnet, amethyst, diamond, sapphire, agate, emerald, onyx, sardonyx, opal, aquamarine, and topaz. "Oh, Horo, its beautiful"
"Don't thank me, thank the one that send it to you"
"Who"
"Who else would give a priestess a powerful gift like that"
She tore her eyes off the bracelet to look at Horo in confusion. "Powerful"
Horo groaned. "Didn't Megumi train you? That's a Zodiac bracelet. You're familiar with the zodiac, right? Cancer, Capricorn, etc?" Anna nodded, fingering the bracelet lovingly. "Well, each different member of the zodiac has a different domain that it has power over. This bracelet can invoke those powers easily." He chuckled. "The power of the stars is in your hands," he said mockingly.
Anna held the bracelet up, looking at it with wide eyes. "How do you use it"
"That's the catch. Can't have unlimited power for nothing, right? The one that made it is the only one that can use it. He bestowed a charm on it that will activate everything, but without it you're up the creek without a paddle. Find the person that made it, find the way to awesome power"
She fingered one of the coins, feeling a sharp shock go through her finger. Quickly she removed it, shaking her hand out. "That hurt! How am I going to wear this and not hurt myself"
"Ah, its just the bracelet registering you as its current user. I haven't seen one of these crafted so well in ages"
"It sounds like a demon trinket, actually"
"It is. Originally made by demons for demons, but humans got ahold of a few. Some of them are mass produced, but never with the same amount of quality. This is a real thing, right here." He took the bracelet from her, tracing the links. "Indestructible," his fingers moved to the coins, "solid," and finally to the jewels, "powerful"
"You never told me who made this," Anna wondered as she took the bracelet back from him. Laying her arm on the table, she put the bracelet on, holding her arm up so that she could admire it.
Horo laughed. "I expect someone shall be visiting soon"
Anna frowned perplexedly but didn't say anything, captivated by the sight of the bracelet. Why did it make her happy to see this bracelet? As if this was a message bringing good news. The only thing is she couldn't understand what the good news was.
---
"Bring up the report"
The lackey nodded, typing something quickly into the computer. A small bio and a picture appeared on the screen.
Age: 536
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Race: Demon
Occupation: Unknown
Status: Unknown
Brief: No information specified
Caution Strongly Advised
She frowned. "Caution strongly advised, of course. Are you sure this is the only information we have on him"
"Positive, ma'am. Though we did find something interesting while we were gathering this information"
"I wish to see it"
Again, the man typed something. Another bio and picture was pulled up underneath the first one.
Age: 18
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Race: Human
Occupation: Unemployed
Brief: Lives in Tokyo apartment. Recently finished training. Moderate fighter and healer, good intuition. Recent relationship ended abruptly two years ago.
"She had a relationship with"
"Yes, ma'am. There didn't appear to be much of a reason for the break up, though. There was hardly any gossip on the streets"
"That's not much either." She sighed. "But I guess its all we can do. Send her an invitation to our next bash"
"Yes, ma'am"
---
Anna crept inside her apartment building, hoping no one would see her. She had moved out of her old apartment because of high rates and had moved into a decent one that suited her needs for a lower price. The bad thing was her neighbors. Perverted men, young and old, lived around her. The girls there were complete scandals, and every night Anna could hear the sound of heavy drinking and partying from above and below her, and then 'other' sounds next door. There was one boy that lived down the hall who wasn't too bad, but she hardly ever saw him. He stayed locked up in his room, and only went out early in the morning when no one paid attention to him, coming back in when everyone was out.
She snuck up the stairs that would lead her closest to her room. She could already hear loud shouts coming from upstairs. On the second floor she gently pushed open the door, peeking out. No one. Everyone was in their rooms. Sighing in relief, Anna opened the door. She had taken only two steps before she heard a door open. "Hey look everyone, it's Anna"
She groaned, turning to look at the speaker. He smiled at her as others began filing out of the room. "Come on, Anna, why don't you come in and party with us for once? We don't bite"
---
"Much!" Someone added. Anna rolled her eyes, turning back around. At least they weren't drunk enough to chase after her like they had done on many previous occasions. She would have moved out, but there wasn't any other place around that had such nice places for a good deal. She walked down the hall, listening to the door close and laughing resume again. She stopped at her room, searching her pockets for her key. A door down the hall opened, closing seconds later. Anna didn't even look up as the person walked by her in a rush, accidently bumping into her. There was a quick, "Sorry!" before he was gone. Anna shrugged, opening her doorShe entered her room gratefully. Her living space consisted of one room. The larger part of it was a living space, with a bit of a kitchen next to the window. A chinese screen closed off the part that Anna considered her bedroom. She kicked off her shoes, walking on her carpet barefoot until she got to her bed. She collapsed, hugging her pillow. She looked at her night stand, admiring one of the pictures. It was a picture Horo Horo had let her have of Yoh. He had a fishing pole in one hand, a fish in the other. His expression of victory was adorable. "I miss you, Yoh," she whispered to herself. She could almost imagine him whispering comforting things to her. But it had been two years, and Yoh had stopped keeping in touch with her a long time ago. Was it possible that he had found some demon girl to share his bed with? Should she just give up her feelings for Yoh and find some other person to attach herself to?
She reached into her back pockets to find her keys, finding instead a small card. She pulled it out, looking at it in confusion. It looked like a business card. It was black, the lettering on it blood red. She read it quickly, frowning. An invitation to a bash. She hadn't been to one in a while. The question was how did it get in her pocket? Someone must have slipped it in without her noticing.
Anna sighed, putting the card and her keys on the night stand. It was late. The bash was tomorrow, and would probably last all night. If she planned to attend, then she needed her rest. Bashes weren't something to be taken lightly.
But who had nerve to invite a human to a bash?
---
And there it is. The first chapter. I must say I'm proud of myself. But anyways.
If any of you noticed, this isn't like my first try at Why Demons Return. At all. Most of the time I just think of the story as I go along, but I have a plan this time. I also think I'll be better about updating. More time after school. Please review.
