Author's Notes: From your responses from my last chapter I gather that the cliff-hanger was cruel? Gomen. I didn't intend for that to happen. Oye, if you didn't like that one...ummmm...heh-heh-heh..Well, enjoy this new chapter!

Disclaimer: I'm serious. Do I HAVE to do this EVERY chapter? Does anyone know? Goodness. Until I know for sure then, "I do not own Shaman King". BUT I do own my own characters and this story plot. Yep yep yep. That I do.

Chapter 3: Amazonite, Rose Quartz, Sodalite

"What's going on?" Anna whispered, amazed, as she gazed at the glow emitting from her stone.

"A Yume Stone had just been discovered, Miss Anna," came a voice from behind a row of books.

Anna and Manta whirled around to face the newcomer.

"Jeanne? And Tamao? What are you two doing here?" Anna asked, startled by their sudden apperance.

"Like I said, Miss Anna, a Yume Stone has just been discovered. We have ours as well," Jeanna replied, as she and Tamao pulled out long, silver chains from around their necks, hidden beneath their dresses.

Tamao revealed a soft pink stone at the end of her necklace as she said, "Rose Quartz."

"And mine is Amazonite," Jeanne explained as she revealed hers as a pale green stone. "They are our Yume Stones."

"What are Yume Stones exactly?" Manta asked.

Jeanne turned towards Manta and replied, "I only know that they are the key to our salvation, but also to our captivity."

"Captivity? Who's keeping us here? Where is everyone else? Will someone please explain what's going on?" Anna questioned. She was beginning to feel like she had missed something and reasoned with herselfthat she had been patient enough for some time now.

Jeanne's eyes clouded over as she answered, "It's all the horrid womans' fault."

"SHE did all of this!" Manta exclaimed.

'Okay, now I know I missed something,' Anna thought as she became more and more irritated from being kept in the dark.

Tamao, sensing Anna's irritation, stepped in. "Jeanne, you had better be getting back before she starts getting suspicious. I'll explain everything, I have a few minutes time before I'm needed again."

Jeanne gave Tamao an appreciative nod of her head before she turned around and exited down the same row of books through which she had arrived.

Tamao turned back toward Anna and Manta. "I'll tell you everything I know. Which isn't too much I'm afraid," she started, "but you both may want to take a seat before I begin."

Manta climbed into a chair, but Anna remained standing.

"I can handle anything you have to say," Anna stated, folding her arms across her chest and looking at Tamao expectantly.

Tamao nodded her head apprehensively as she began. "We are no longer in our own world. Although none of us are positive of where we are, exactly, either. But we are in her land. She rules this place, as well as everyone in it."

"Who's she?" Anna asked.

"Akumu," Manta answered.

Tamao nodded in agreement. "Yes, Akumu, the current Queen of this castle. She is the evil woman who did all of this to us. Although we are not positive about how she controls us, we do know that she somehow suppresses our old memories and then controls us like dolls. However, we are partially released from her control when our Yume stones appear."

"Earlier you said that we had to go to our hime's quarters," Anna stated.

"That's true. I was referring to Pirika."

"What! Pirika is a princess here? How the hell did that happen?"

"I really don't know Miss Anna," Tamao replied with a searching look on her face. "I think it would be best to explain about what the rest of do here too."

'About time,' Anna thought.

"Now, where to start?" Tamao asked herself. "Let's see. Well, as you know Akumu is the ruler and Queen of this castle, but there is also Pirika, as a princess. And unfortunately Pirika is still completely controlled by Akumu, and believes her to be her elder sister. Both Pirika and Akumu have certain people who work under them, as servants. You will be able to tell which servant works for who by the colors they wear. Akumu's servants wear black, while Pirika's wear navy blue."

"So you and I both work under Pirika then?" Anna questioned."I bet your fiance isn't too happy about that."

Tamao's gaze fell to the floor and a look of sorrow crossed her face. "H-Horohoro doesn't r-remember that we're engaged, or even that P-Pirika is his sister. He's the g-ground's caretaker under A-Akumu's rule. He hasn't discovered h-his Yume s-s-stone yet; he doesn't have his old memories."

Anna's heart gave a jolt as tears fell from Tamao's eyes. "I'm sorry Tamao, I didn't realize..."

"I-It's alright Miss Anna, it's not your fault. How could you have k-known?" Tamao wiped the tear streaks from her face. She tried to calm herself down as she drew in a shaky breath. Shecontinued sadly, "Now where was I? Oh, right, the only other person under Pirika's rule, besides us, Miss Anna, is Jun Tao. But she too has yet to discover her stone. It's hard on Ren,since both his sister and his girlfriend have no recollection of him."

"Wait. Are you saying that Ren has his memories then?" Anna asked.

"Yes, Ren has already discovered his Yume stone, he was the third oneof us to do so. Ren is under Akumu's rule as a bodyguard and dungeon keeper. Actually, everyone else is under Akumu's direct rule. Lyzerg is one of her personal servants, Ryou is the gamekeeper, Chocolove is a cook, Faust and Eliza are the local doctor and nurse, Jeanne is her other personal servant, and even Manta is under her rule, but as a librarian."

"Does anyone else have their Yume stone, Tamao?" Manta asked.

"No, thereare just five of us, currently: You, me, Miss Anna, Jeanne and Ren," Tamao replied.

"What aboutYoh? You haven't said one word about him since this conversation began. What's happened to him?" Anna questioned.

Tamao bit her lip and avoided Anna's gaze by looking down at the floor. Manta sighed and looked up at Anna, "It's like I told you before, Anna. He's engaged to the Ojou-sama, Akumu, and they're going to be married in a week. He doesn't remember any of us."

Anna dropped into the chair beside her, stunned. "You mean it's true?"

"Unfortunately, yes, Miss Anna, it's true," Tamao answered her question. "But there's something different about him too. Even though we all had our memories suppressed, we still kept our personalities a bit, but with Yoh-sama...it's like he's a completely different person. He is completely obediant and under the full control of Akumu."

Anna felt a pang of loss ring throughout her body at these words. '...Yoh...'

Tamao walked over and placed a comforting hand on Anna's shoulders. Anna looked up to find a sad smile on Tamao's face and the same sense of loss swimming behind her eyes as she said," I know how you feel."

Anna gave her asmallnodin return. "Thanks Tamao."

Anna suddenly stood up with a sense of determination and her usual facade put back in place. "Alright. So let's take care of this Akumu woman and get everyone back home. I have a wedding I need to be a part of and no one or nothing is going to get in my way. Not even this Akumu person."

Tamao and Manta looked at Anna, shocked for a moment. Then they smiled.

"That's the Anna we know." Manta stated.

Anna smirked back. "So where to begin? Manta!"

"Yes!"

"I want you to research everything you can about Akumu, this place and these Yume stones," Anna said as she held up her own stone, which had finally ceased glowing.

"Right."

"Tamao! Let's go and force these stones out of everyone and get their memories back."

Tamao opened her mouth to reply, but Anna cut in, "Don't worry, we'll play along with Akumu's little game for now, but in a weeks time she's going to find herself standing all alone at the altar with a castle revolt on her hands."

With an evidentlook of relief Tamao agreed, "Okay, and we need to keep our stones hidden from Akumu at all times, but never take them off. Keep your stones hidden underneath your clothes. Don't worry, you'll know when someone has discovered their Yume stone. They are all drawn to each other and each will begin to glow."

Anna and Manta nodded in understanding.

"Manta, we will leave you to your research. Come on Tamao we musn't keep our hime waiting, because if I remember correctly, you mentioned earlier that I was new and hadn't met her yet," Anna stated as she began to walk down the aisle of books Jeanne had exited through some time ago.

Tamao quickly followed after her as Manta disappeared down a different aisle, to begin searching.

-----Late that Night----

"Finally, we're done," Anna said as she and Tamao headed outdoors to get some fresh air. "She's a very demanding little girl isn't she? I don't know if I can last the whole week without smacking her across the face...several times...in a row. I don't know how Horohoro puts up with it."

Tamao giggled. "Well I think you did a wonderful job of restraining yourself today. I saw you control your urge to hit her 12 times."

"Actaully it was 23 and that's not counting the times I almost yelled at her, hit her with another object, dumped water on her, or anything else."

Tamao looked at Anna with a look of admiration and exasperation. "Well, that's good, I think. Anyways,I'm glad you're back to your usual self again, Miss Anna. Your holding up very well, considering...everything."

Anna glanced over at Tamao. "And how are you holding up?"

Even in the dark Anna could clearly see the look of anguish on Tamao's face, as they continued to walk down a moonlit path on the castle grounds.

"I'll be alright. I'm more amazed at how strong you are, Miss Anna. I wish I could be like that, but it's just so hard with Hororhoro not---"

"Not what? What have I done?" came a voice from behind the two girls, causing both girls to start.

'What? Does everyone know how to appear out of nowhere around here?' Anna thought irritated that she was being suprised so easily.

"H-H-Horohoro!" Tamao stammmered, embarassed. "I-I-I, um, that is, I..."

Horohoro laughed. "Sorry to scare you like that."

Tamao blushed. "I-It's al-r-right."

Anna stood a distance away, watching the two indifferently; silently observing.

Tamao looked up into Horohoro's face, then quickly looked down again as tears filled her eyes.

""H-hey! Are you alright? What's wrong? Was it something I said? I didn't realize that I'd scared you that badly. I'm really sorry!" Horohoro blurted out, as he put his hands on her shoulders.

Tamao shook her head from side-to-side, her face still titled toward the ground. "It's n-not...It's not that...I-I j-just wish you'd r-remember."

Anna felt a stab of sympathy for the pair in front of her as she gazed on.

"Remember? Remember what?" came Horohoro's reply.

"T-that I-I-I...I love you...Tamao whispered desolately, tears streaming down her face.

A look of shock filled Horohoro's face before a soft smile replaced it and he pulled the trembling woman into a tight hug. " I love you too."

Tamao pulled back and looked up at Horohoro's face, suprised. "You do!"

"Of course," came his reply as a dark blue light filled in the space between the two.

Anna, Tamao and Horohoro looked at it in astonishment.

The ball of light diminished, leaving behind a midnight blue stone shaped like a crystal, on a silver chain. Horohoro clasped a hand around it and uttered one word, "Sodalite."

Suddenly a dark blue glow emitted from it, as a soft pink glow and a violet glow emerged from Tamao and Anna's stones.

Tamao drew her stone out as Anna pressed her hand hard against her dress, smothering the glow from hers.

Horohoro stood there with a look of bewilderment on his face.

Anna abruptly turned around and said, "Tamao, I'll leave you to explain," before she started walking back toward the castle.

Tamao nodded with a look of understanding. Then she looked back at Horohoro, sighed, smiled, and drew her fiance into a hug before she began to explain.

-------

Anna walked quickly and silently down the halls and up the stairs as she headed toward her room. The entire time she kept a hand over her dress.

When she reached her door, she opened it and slid quietly inside. She shut the door behind her, leaned against it and slid to the floor.

Finally, she released her hand and drew her stone out. It's fading glow softly lit the room, in the darkness.

Anna struggled to her feet and climbed atop her bed. She curled up into a ball and grasped the stone tightly to her chest.

"...Yoh...," she whispered as a single tear reflected the brilliant moonlight and her stone ceased to glow.