Lightning-Dono: Sorry about the lack of updates on this fanfic! My writing has gotten MUCH better (Or so I think) since I updated last, so you can expect a little more descriptive qualities stuck in.

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Anna gave Tamao a stunned look – it was the pure expression of horror and impending anger combined into one. Manta jumped several feet into the air. Not even he had the will to say such malicious things to Anna. Then again, his courage had always waned in the face of those who were larger than him and with the unrelenting nature to slap anyone who might confront her in an offending way.

"Y-You what?" Anna's fingers automatically curled into shaking fists.

"I hate you, Anna-san! You're always so mean to me, no matter what I do for you! I work for you! I work for YOU! What do I get? Nothing! Not even a bit of respect! I feel enslaved...all the time!" Tamao was seemingly on the verge of tears.

"Well?"

"...Sorry..." Even this one word that could've been thought of as a sentimental phrase for Anna came out cold as ice. She looked particularly vexed at this moment, feeling the urge to upbraid the girl. A girl that had such a whimsical fantasy that life was constantly fair. Anna knew that she had never made very many friends due to her unbecoming irascible personality, but if she was ever approached by someone who wished for her to accept them as a friend, Tamao wouldn't be nearly as content as she was now, which was saying something.

"No, you are NOT sorry!" Tamao got up quickly, water soaking her jeans. "You always say sorry like that whenever you're in a tight spot. And it never sounds sincere!"

"Fine then." Her face was as bland as the surface of a loaf ofwheat bread. Anna's stomach churned uncomfortably as she watched Tamao dry her jeans with her shirt haughtily, filled with unknown rage towards this feeble girl. Who did she think she was, pretending that she could take over in such a way? Someone like that could never please her.

Tamao, casting one last look upon Anna's calm visage, turned on the heel of her trainers and ran like the wind towards the heart of the city. Plunging her way through crowds, she flailed about, hoping that she could soon find the protection she needed. As long as there's no Anna, I'll be safe...As long as there's no Anna...

"Anna, this is ridiculous," intoned Yoh, who was standing on the sidelines, horrified by this sudden outburst from an otherwise quiet and reasonable person. Sure, Tamao sometimes grew teary eyed in his company for no particular reason, but she wasn't what you would consider a drama queen.

Anna's cheeks flushed a rosy crimson as she turned towards him, her eyes suddenly filled with unfound emotion. It was the compound created from years of suffering as she lorded over people who rarely appreciated her presence. Without her, Funbari Inn would already have died out and she knew it quite well. Even if the fact remained to be that the area where it used to stand was now occupied by an ashen building that crumbled, not reflecting it's grandeur from years before, she had kept it running for that long. And if they didn't have the heart to appreciate what she had done for the good of keeping it in motion, then she didn't feel the need to be merciful, either.

"Yoh, do you know how much this little girl ALONE has done? She's caused me to do things I never would've done otherwise, and done things that I never really wanted her to do to begin with! I just want to leave her here!" Anna raged, watching Yoh through dark eyes.

To her frustration, Yoh stood there, radiating the equivalent an angelic power that could overpower any evil. In fact, disturbingly so, he was smiling serenely at her, as though in defeated agreement that he hid.

"As you like. Let's go, everyone."

Manta stared at Yoh in disbelief, eyes boring through Yoh's spine.

"Do you mean...I'm going to stay here with Tamao!" He uttered bravely.

Yoh wanted to scream at all of them for having such false hopes that he was going to deal with this all without snapping. Instead, he said, "Manta, come on." He reached out his hand for his friend's.

The look in Yoh's eyes predicted the doom that would ensue should Manta defy his reasoning. But if Yoh was truly his companion, he would certainly understand why Manta said the thing he did next. Jerking his arm away violently, he reared his head and took a deep breath.

"Yoh, I've agreed with everything you've done so far...almost. But this is going way too far! Tamao is our friend and if you can't accept that, you can just leave!"

A blank, rather glazed expression appeared on Yoh's face, hazing out his previous look of kindness.

Instead of Yoh, it was Anna who opened her mouth and spoke in Yoh's defense. Her voice had returned to it's cold, controlled calm that Manta hated so much. How Yoh could even stand this woman was beyond him, but he wasn't going to let her control him any longer. "Manta, you have no clue what you're doing! We have to look for Lyserg and here you are, defending that-,"

"I don't care who the hell I'm defending! I care about Tamao and you would do the same if you loved someone!"

Silence reigned over the entire group. Yoh's eyes seemed as though they had been forced to endure magnifying glass treatment, Anna stood as stiff as a gargoyle planted in place, and Manta was blushing furiously. It was unbelievably tense.

"So," Anna managed to say, her voice now softer and more intimidating. "You like that girl." She managed a wry smile to make up for lack ofa genuine one.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Manta replied ruefully, feeling a bit afraid of this sudden feeling of anxiety that was rising into the air. His voice reeked of fear and despite his attempts to hide it, Anna could feel him shaking below her.

"Stay here, then."

"Anna..." Yoh had resorted to whining in the most unmanly way, trying to distract her from her stable position infront of Manta, who looked positively terrified.

"No, Yoh, I'm not going to make him keep traveling with us," said the girl, not bothering to turn around to take in his expression to be able to fathom his feelings. She no longer needed to sample the emotions of the people around her to know their very thoughts. Everything about them leaked the message that they were tired of her acting as queen over them and she had been around them for such a long period of time that she could practically read their minds. "If he wants to stay here with that wretched girl, he can go ahead and do so. I have no objections. I won't accept traveling with someone who bond with such filth."

Yoh looked desperately at Manta, pleading silently that the boy would give up on Tamao and just come along with him. But his prayers were in vain in the face of Manta's endless ambition.

"You go ahead, Yoh," Manta said. "I won't hang around someone who belittles someone like that just because they refuse to work for her any longer. Anna has no heart, Yoh, and I'm not going to accept just going along with what she says for the rest of my life." This went without calamitous effects as Anna was already brooding by a nearby building, sulking silently in the shadows and staring off into the distance.

The truth was, she didn't want to undermine Tamao in such a harsh manner. It was the idea that she had expressed so much anger towards that stubborn young girl, yet she wouldn't even do her share of work was sickening. Many people, namely Yoh and Ryu, had pushed themselves to please her, but not Tamao. Tamao claimed to work at her best on one condition: she was provided a decent amount of shelter and was allowed to leave and return at will. Anna had accepted this with open arms and all the girl ever did was clean the bathroom and wash the dishes. In addition to that, she often had fits of crying that not even Anna's brief consolations couldn't end, which was ridiculous. They had no cause, and even if they did, Anna would never know. The pink-haired, pubescent girl wouldn't reveal a single thing. What could she do but fight fire with fire? What could she do but slowly push Tamao away while separating herself from those in close contact with her? The more she was around Tamao, the more she craved the event in which the childish girl would just vanish from her life forever.

But no one bothered to interrogate her on what was wrong and what was going on to create such contempt against an innocent creature who was simply trying to please her mistress. All they cared for was Tamao while leaving her behind in their jubilant thoughts and heavenly reminisce where days were peaceful. Now it had lead to this, and for what? Anna was unwanted. There was no other way to say it to make it sound any friendlier. Yoh could say anything he wanted and it wouldn't matter. Those feelings she had felt of desiring the courage to simply break down and cry never left her alone.

Even as Anna clutched her waist now, wanting to crumple onto the ground, kneel there and sob, she couldn't. She had maintained a strong image for so long that no one could shatter and she couldn't just keel over now and start crying like mad over nothing. The only time she had actually cried in the face of pressure was the night of the burning of Funbari Inn. Otherwise, all other crying had been concealed and usually held back.

"Manta, come on," Yoh implored without much consequence. Manta was just standing there, stark still,engrossedby something that was heaving itself up and down as though it's soul had been destroyed ruthlessly. He could, in fact, hear cries that were released in intervals.

"Shush." Manta's eyes observed this with great interest. "Yoh, look..."

"It's just another person going through a midlife crisis," Yoh responded vaguely upon examining it without much care.

"No, Yoh...that's Anna."