Broken Wings

Chapter 1: Fake Family, Fake Joy

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King.

"Mommy? I don't remember…" Anna said in a confused tone. The woman just smiled then said, "It's all going to be alright…" The poor girl could only nod in reply. She had no idea who the person in front of her was. "M-mom, what's my name?" The woman's smile turned into a worried frown instantly. But she tried to force a smile. "Anna… Anna Asakura." 'Asakura?' she thought.

"Keiko…" a voice of a man called. "We must go now. Yoh and Hao might be killing each other by the minute." Keiko nodded in reply. "Just a second, Mikihisa." The woman then turned to Anna. "Let's go home." She took her hand to help her down the bed. But just as they were about to walk out of the door…

"OUCH! Aniki! What was that for?" A boy, shouted at his brother. A soft giggle was heard from halls. "Should I have a reason?" A boy ran into the room the room, almost knocking his own mother down to the floor. "Mommy! Hao hit me in the head!" the boy complained as the other entered the room. To Anna's surprise, both of the boys share the same face. The only difference was the length of their hair. But the sudden explosion of Keiko's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Hao! Do not tease your brother like that. You should protect each other as siblings." She said firmly to the longhaired boy. "Especially now that your sister is going home."

Hao smiled back then nodded. "Yes, mom" He then turned to Anna. "Let's go home!" Yoh stopped sobbing then approached Anna. He grinned lazily. "I'm Yoh!" He held up his hand to Anna. Anna looked at her 'brother' then at his hand. She gently smiled then took it. He ran out of the room, dragging Anna with him.

"So… Does it hurt? Your head, I mean" the brunette asked. "Oh… No. Not a tickle." Anna answered. "Good! Let's play then!" he said as they rushed past Hao. Hao smirked then ran after the two. "So having fun without me?" he shouted. Yoh turned to his brother then grinned. "Of course not!" They ran out of the hospital towards the playground. "So, what do you want to play?" Yoh asked Anna.

"I don't know… What do you want to play?" she answered back. "What about hide and go seek?" Hao suggested. Both Anna and Yoh nodded. Hao cupped his chin, and then said, "Otouto, your it!" Yoh took one-step back. "Why me?" he complained. Hao gently shook his head. "Do you want Anna to be it?" Yoh shook his head in defeat.

"8, 9, 10… ready or not, here I come!" the 12 year old Yoh shouted. It has been 5 years since the incident, and as you can see, nothing much has changed. They were playing at the Asakura backyard. (Which is enormous, by the way.) Anna never suspected that she wasn't really a part of that family. Yoh and Hao knew it of course, but never confessed it to her.

"When do you plan on telling Anna that we're not her true family?" Kino, Yoh and Hao's grandmother asked. Keiko looked anxiously at her, unaware that the twins are listening outside the door. They were only nine then. 'We're not supposed to do this…' Yoh whispered to his brother. 'Shhhh… Just listen." Hao answered back. Mikihisa heard the commotion outside the door and opened it, revealing the twins. They tumbled into the room. "What did you hear?" asked Kino in a sharp tone. "We heard nothing…" Hao lied. Kino raised an eyebrow, which made them both confess. "Boys, you mustn't tell Anna at any cost." Keiko said in a pleading voice. The two nodded.

"Anna!" Yoh shouted as he pointed out to her. She smiled, "I guess you caught me, huh?" Yoh grinned. "Let's eat!" "What about Hao?" "As if he's really hiding. Remember the last time? He…" "I know… I know… He was in front of the TV while you were still outside looking for him." Yoh and Anna entered the house without noticing that someone was watching them. "Aniki! Are you here?" Yoh called out when he suddenly heard a munching sound. It was coming from the living room. They marched into the living room. "Aniki!" his sudden burst of anger startled everyone in the room.

"Yoh…" Keiko's eyes widened because of the sudden interruption. "We are just talking about school…" Yoh saw his mother, his brother and his grandmother. He scratched his head in embarrassment, while Anna giggled beside him. "Nice entrance, Otouto…" Hao said with a smirk in his face. "Anyway, Anna, care to go to the mall?" Hao said casually. Anna nodded as she pulled Yoh out of the living room into the kitchen. Hao smiled at her mother. "I think my little sister has a favorite brother."

"That was… FUNNY!" Anna said as she bursts into laughter. Yoh couldn't raise his head. "No… That was my most embarrassing moment." Yoh looked up and stared at Anna, who couldn't stop laughing. 'Anna…' he thought. 'I hope this moment will never end…' Anna managed to stop laughing. "So will you come?" she asked. Yoh nodded. "Race you…" he taunted. They both ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs in record time, laughing along the way.

Anna was exhausted and was panting as she laid down the bed. "Wow, he's fast…" she said smiling. She soon stood up and walked towards her cabinet. "What should I wear?" she wondered as she opened it. She searched for a while when she finally found the perfect outfit. A pink hooded jacket and a mini skirt.

"Hey! Is Anna ready yet?" Hao asked his brother. It has been an hour after they raced upstairs. Then, they heard a loud bang coming from the stairs. The twins looked at each other then shouted, "ANNA!" They quickly went out of the living room only to see Anna laughing while rubbing her back. "Ouch…" They ran to her help. "Are you okay?" Yoh asked in a worried but firm voice. "Yeah… I shouldn't have run down the stairs." Hao let out a sigh of relief as he helped Anna up. "Next time, even though you're late, don't run, okay?" Anna smiled at the concern that her brothers were giving.