Chapter 13 everyone! Sorry I took so long to post this up, I was busy for the past few days. My grandfather was sent to hospital a few days back for an operation, but praise the Lord, he's okay! So now I'm back, and ready to write more. Love your beautiful reviews while I was away! Of course, besides a rather untasteful one by ' ass wipe mo fo' in chapter 9. winces But don't blame him (or her, for that reason) I was sure that this story would not appeal to some people, so if that particular reader is still reading this story by some chance, I would like to apologize for not keeping down the rating. And also an answer to ' hao-lover'. My God, I'm sorry for making you hate Hao. That was totally unintended. Especially because your nickname is just. . .the love for Hao. And if you're reading this, I would like to point out to you that " Yoh enjoying Anna writhering under him" was in Anna's imagination. Sorry if you didn't manage to see that. If you have any more inquiries please e-mail me or review me, and I'll keep in touch. In any case, this is chapter 13. Please enjoy this everyone! And please look forward to the following chapters to come! To those who felt queasy about the recent " scenes" in the chapters before, this one will be free of it. But in the next, back to what you others like the most! Thanks for your time!

SPOILER: There will be a scene of Anna and Yoh's past in this chapter. Tons of Yoh/Anna scenes in here.

CHAPTER 13

Anna pursed her lips angrily at Horo, her legs crossed as she glared across the room at Horo, who was currently tied to the plumbing outside Yoh's house. Anna glanced sideways at the other girls, who had come to peek every few minutes. She gave them a curt nod, and they smiled, and walked away to enjoy the party. She looked at her watch before glaring at Horo once more. " Well, it has been half an hour, Horo Horo." She said sourly. " You just have to hold up for another five and a half before I make you clean up after the party."

" It can't be that extreme, can't it?" Horo asked exasperatedly. " Yoh only had to be hung for one!"

" Th. . .That's because he's my fiancé. And he has the liberty to. . ." She said, stuttering slightly at his sudden question. But she pulled herself together in time, leering at him. " Besides, you peeked on Tamao and the others too, and that's why you have to pay the consequences." She finished that by crossing her arms across her chest.

Silence.

" Aren't you going to enjoy the party?" Horo suddenly asked, at the sudden sound of Ryu's laughter.

" No." she snapped. " Now shut up, you little pervert."

" That's a rather rash accusation." Horo said, smiling sheepishly.

" Then what?" she said coldly. " A freak?"

" Aw, come on, Anna. . ." Horo said, sighing. " Is it my fault that all of you are so darn beautiful, with such great bodies?"

Anna flushed.

Horo mentally slapped himself. That was almost a request to be killed.

" I. . .I didn't. . ." he started, spluttering, when he stopped in mid-sentence, when he noticed what Anna was doing. She was blushing. It was the most unknowingly beautiful and sensual thing he had ever seen her do, and that almost made her gorgeous in a new light.

" I'm. . .I'm beautiful?" she whispered, almost to herself.

He was shocked to hear her say that. But then again, that was no wonder. Almost all the beautiful women in the world didn't think that they were beautiful. All of them somehow saw some flaws or blemishes on their faces that they hated or to say the least, dislike. " Yeah." He said awkwardly. " You really are."

" And is my body. . ." she started, before stopping, and slapped him across the face again, his face hitting against the wall in recoil. He groaned, and she stepped back, alarmed. " Oh, sorry." She said, caressing his cheek; his face reddening with her touch. " I didn't mean that."

Silence again.

" Horo Horo?" she asked softly.

" Yeah?" he asked.

" Is my body really good?"

He wanted to force a laugh. " Like you wouldn't believe." He muttered.

She would have glared at him and called him a pervert.

But instead she bit her lip, hiding a small smile.

" Thanks." She said. " Nobody besides Yoh has ever complimented me before."

Horo was appalled. Was this the true façade of Anna Kyoyuma?

" Anna?" came a voice.

The two turned around and noticed Yoh standing there with a forced smile on his face, holding a cup of punch in his hands. It was also then when they then realized that Anna was still softly caressing Horo's cheek, and she drew away from him quickly. " Yes, what is it, Yoh?" she asked.

" I heard that you were here looking after Horo. . ." Yoh said, somehow sounding jealous. " So I wanted to bring you a drink."

" Right." She said, taking it from him. " Thanks."

Yoh nodded, taking a swift glance at Horo before walking off.

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed.

" I'm. . .going to have fun at the party for a moment." Anna said suddenly to Horo. Horo frowned. Was it just him, or did Anna just sound scared that Yoh had misunderstood her. " Just stay here, okay?"

Horo nodded numbly.

She walked off, disappearing past the wall.

Behind them, Hao let out a smirk, ticking a check box off the list he had. " That's the first one. Jealousy is such a beautiful thing." He whispered to himself. He looked up at the sky, and at the beautiful moonlight. " The next step all counts on yourself, Yoh." He continued, lighting himself a cigarette. " And you too of course, Anna."

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" Have you seen Yoh?"

Ren just shook his head and Anna walked off, scratching her head. Somehow, something inside her wanted to explain to him what he had just saw. It was ridiculous she knew, but even she herself thought that she was having a rather tender moment with Horo just now. And if even she though that way, what would it seem to an onlooker?

She bit her lip and walked up to Kino, who was laughing at a joke that Mickey had said. " Mickey? Have you seen Yoh?" she asked. Mickey shook his head good-naturedly. Anna opened her mouth and looked at Kino, mouth opening and shutting, not knowing whether she was allowed to ask Kino if she had " seen" Yoh yet.

" Is something the matter?" he asked.

" I was just looking for him. . .what's so funny?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at Kino, who was chuckling to herself in one corner. Kino just waved it away dismissively.

" It's nothing." She chuckled. " It's nothing. But this reminds me exactly of what happened seven years ago when you and Yoh were both eleven, when you met again. It was his birthday too, at that time."

" I don't remember." Anna said, raising her eyebrows. " And I don't quite care."

" Oh, don't walk away so fast, Anna." Kino said lightly, yet there was a definite sharpness in her voice that made Anna stay rooted to the spot. " I trust Mickey still remembers?"

" Boy do I ever." Mickey said, chuckling. " It was such a cute moment."

" Indeed it was." Kino said. " Indeed it was."

Anna said nothing.

Silence.

" Care to tell it once again?" Anna asked, failing terribly to sound reluctant.

Kino and Mickey both hid a smile.

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FLASHBACK 7 YEARS AGO

" Why do I have to wear a dress anyway?" Anna grumbled, lifting her hands in the air, so Kino could slip the dress onto her. " You didn't tell me that we were having visitors last night. You promised that you would give me a day's head start to make myself invisible when they would come."

" This time I didn't want you to go hiding again." Kino said lightly, zipping up the dress from the back and smiled at Anna fondly. " Because the person who's coming is a person very close to my heart. To yours too, I guess."

" And who is this person?" Anna asked suspiciously.

" It's Yoh." Kino said, eyes gleaming.

Silence.

" Who?" Anna asked.

Kino almost slammed her walking stick across Anna's face, but held herself by just giving her an exasperated look. " Your fiancée." She said quickly. " You can't have forgotten him that quickly, couldn't you?"

" Oh." Anna said, face reddening. " Him."

Silence again.

" Do you want me to make you look prettier then?" Kino asked, grinning at her.

" Don't be stupid." Anna snapped. " Why would I?"

There was another moment of silence that followed, Anna pretending to look at her fingernails while Kino just stood there, grinning at her. Anna sighed.

" Yes please." She said.

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It was three.

Kino said he would be here at two.

She fidgeted with the hem of her dress, chewing her bottom lip nervously. To tell the truth, she didn't know why she had bothered to use make up on herself anyway. It was not like Yoh would notice anyway. He seemed to be the type of person who wouldn't even be able to notice water in a rainstorm. She sighed and leaned her head against the wall behind her, shutting her eyes. " Why the Hell am I in love with such a useless boy anyway?" she muttered to herself.

" Because of his uncanny characteristics?" came a chuckle, and she sat upright, face flushed. Kino looked down at her, smirking. " Plus, he was the only one in the world who ever cared for you so much before."

Anna looked away.

" But he's late." Kino said. " Where could he be?"

They sat there in silence for a while longer, seconds turning into minutes, minutes turning hours, hours turning into what felt like centuries. Anna tapped her foot against the floor impatiently before rising to her feet. " It's late." She said restlessly. " It's already seven and he still hasn't shown up. I'm going to my room."

" Can't you wait for him for a little longer?" Kino asked, although she was already digging her walking stick into the ground, ready to wham it across Yoh's head. " I'm sure he has an explanation for being late."

" Right." Anna said sarcastically. " You do that. While I. . ."

" Forgive him this once, Anna." Kino said silently. " Trust me."

" And why should I?" Anna asked, cocking her brow.

" It's his birthday." She said.

Anna snapped her mouth shut. There was a knock on the door that disrupted the silence that passed between the two of them. They just looked at each other for a moment; and in this moment, something between them passed. A look of recognition, a reassurance, or a slight push in the back from Kino to Anna. Anna, body trembling from head-to-toe, opened the door with trembling fingers.

There stood Yoh, face reeked with mud, that stupid grin plastered on his face once more. He smiled at the two women, but it vanished from his face as Anna's hand slapped itself across his face. He stepped back, clutching his cheek in shock, noticing Anna's full-formed glare before smiling.

" Sorry I'm late, Anna." He said.

" Whatever." She snorted and turned her heel to walk into her room.

" Where are you going?" he asked curiously.

" My room." She said shortly.

" Can I follow?" he asked.

She stopped, raising her eyebrows. She looked at Kino who was standing behind Yoh, who was grinning at them like a schoolgirl on high. She nodded curtly and walked off. Kino sat down, nodding to herself as Yoh waved goodbye to her and followed Anna up the steps of the house. " It almost gives you the mood to watch romance movies, doesn't it?" she said, almost to herself, but a young man popped his head in from the window.

" Yeah." Mickey said. " Thanks for taking care of Yoh."

" No problem." Kino said.

Mickey grinned and hopped off into the shadows.

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The two of them entered Anna's room slowly, and she shut the door of her room slowly. He let out a whistle, and stuffed his hands in his pockets. " Nice room you have here, Anna." He said politely, looking around it, almost desperately looking for something to compliment.

" Keep quiet and don't touch anything." She snapped.

Her heart was hammering against her chest as she sat on her bed, clutching her chest painfully. She was so nervous that it was almost hurting her. He did so little, and yet had so much overwhelming power over her. It was appalling. Scary, to say the least. Still, she was disappointed. He had been with her for a full ten minutes so far, and he still had not complimented on how she looked. Sure, he was only eleven, but didn't he know common courtesy?

She crossed her arms across her chest sulkily.

Well, guess what, smarty pants. She thought. I'm not going to wish you a happy birthday until you at least say how nice my hair looks.

And you thought that Anna was always the mature self she was.

" How long have we not met each other?" he asked, picking up one of her dolls at the far end of her room before putting it back down once again.

" Twelve months, I presume." She replied simply, before she froze.

" Oh." He said, shrugging. " I see."

But he didn't know what she had realized. She had remembered something. She never remembered birthdays or occasions, or anything. Hell, she didn't even know it was Christmas until she saw huge fat men posing outside shopping malls, wearing ridiculous clothes that one wouldn't wear at a beauty shoot, let alone as pajamas. She glanced at him, hoping to steal a glance when she noticed he was looking at her.

He smiled.

She looked away, face burning.

" So. . .why were you late?" she asked, hoping to keep his small mind busy until she could get her flaming cheeks to recede. Yoh chuckled and leaned against the wall behind him.

" I was hoping you would ask that." He said. " Come on."

" Excuse me?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

" Trust me." He said confidently. " You won't regret it."

Reluctantly, she got up, only to notice his hand was raised in her direction, looking somewhat as a peace offering. " Follow me." He said, grinning cheekily.

Blushing, she took his hand and followed him. She could feel the warmth of friendship at the touch of his fingers as he ran out of the room, and into the living room outside. She had never touched anyone or was touched by anyone before. And when she finally did now, she realized what it was. It was like drinking a cup of hot tea on a cold day, or watching a sunrise on a crisp morning, or watching the sea lap across the shore as you watch the sun set. It was beautiful; and it was so sensual that she felt herself shiver at the very thought.

" We're going out for a moment, grandma!" Yoh called out.

" Have fun!" Kino called out, giving them both a knowing look.

They got into their shoes and ran out, Anna lagging far behind, her hand still clasped in Yoh's. It was soon after when she was about to snap at him on how much longer they would have to take when he stopped. She raised her eyebrows and felt his fingers slip away from hers.

" Here we are!" he said jauntily.

She looked around and noticed where they were.

" We're in a grass land." She said soberly.

" Darn right we are!" he said enthusiastically.

" Yoh, I don't get what we're doing h- - -"

" Shh." He whispered. " Wait."

He yanked on something, and in a sudden moment, there were hundreds of fireflies that surrounded them, illuminating the skies above. Her eyes widened in shock, and looked at Yoh. In his hands was a flower; it was a lily. He smiled at her, a blush grazing his cheeks. " It's our anniversary, in any case." He said. " I wanted to make this day special for us." He handed it to her, and she took it with both hands. " For the both of us."

She was stunned.

Bedazzled.

It was so strangely corny, that it was sweet.

Beautiful.

Amazing.

Tears started to fall from her face as she knelt to the ground, crying her heart out. His eyes showed concern and he held her in his arms, looking deep into her eyes. " What's wrong?" he asked. " Is something wrong? Did I do it wrong? What did I do? What?"

But she kept crying.

And he held her in his arms.

" You plagiarist." She said through tears. " Which movie did you copy this from?"

" Well, Matamune told me about someone who did this once before he passed away." Yoh said sheepishly, scratching his head. " If this offended you in any way, then. . ."

But he was cut short by the feeling of her lips on his cheek.

Her lips left him and she took a step away from him, chewing on her bottom lip. He stared in unflattering bedazzlement, before grinning cheekily at her. " You're really beautiful today." He said. " Did you put on makeup?"

Her eyes widened before folding her arms across her chest.

" Yes." She said huffily.

Silence.

She looked up at the sky, staring at the fireflies that illuminated the sky for a moment before looking back down at Yoh. " Happy birthday." She whispered.

" Thanks." He said.

END FLASHBACK

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Anna couldn't stop the faint tinge of red that was grazing her cheeks. Blimey, she couldn't believe that she had forgotten that. What an axe wound she was being. Mickey and Kino were looking at her with annoying grins on their faces, their arms across their chests. She scowled and turned her heel to walk off, when she heard Kino's voice ring in her ears suddenly. " I have a feeling you just broke his heart." She said, and Anna stopped in mid-step. " Do whatever you can to make him feel better. . .is that a deal?"

Mickey glanced at Anna.

Being the shaman that he was, he noticed her head move the slightest fraction of an inch downwards before continuing her brisk walk away from the two of them. He smiled to himself.

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Anna found Yoh sitting inside his room, his back facing her, those disgustingly orange earphones wrapped around his ears. He must have been listening to BOBLOVE again. Anna bit her lip and shut the door behind her, hoping for him to turn around to face her. But he didn't. She sat down right behind him; somehow not wanting to distract him from whatever he was doing. She licked her dry lips.

" I was hoping to have a talk with you. . ." she started slowly. " But it's probably going to easier for me if you can't talk back to me or look at me. . ."

When she received no reply, she continued.

" There's nothing going to between me and Horo Horo." She said. " I don't know whether I'm flattered that you would actually get jealous when I go off with some other guy, or whether I'm insulted that you would think I would end up with someone else other than you."

Silence.

" Kino reminded me on what happened seven years ago. . .the first time we celebrated your birthday together as a couple. I feel like such a bitch for forgetting that. I hate myself for that; even after all your efforts to make me smile that I just threw them all in your face. For Christmas you would buy me presents but I would just dismiss them. For Valentine's Day you would buy me chocolates, but I would give them away. For my birthday you tried your best to make me happy, but I forgot yours totally."

Silence once again.

" So I guess what I'm trying to say is. . ." she started, throat dry.

He remained quiet.

" . . .Is that I'm sorry." She whispered. " Will you please forgive me?"

He didn't answer and she smiled sadly to herself.

" That was really stupid." She snorted. " Saying that to someone who can't even hear me. . ."

" . . .I forgive you."

She stopped and turned around, and noticed him grinning cheekily at her.

" You're forgiven." He said. " Anna."

Her eyes widened before whipping her hand across his cheek. He gasped and cupped his cheek, confused. " That's for making me spout all that crap and acting like you didn't even hear me." She whispered.

He smiled fondly at her.

" I love you Anna." He said.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, staring deeply into her eyes. She flinched at his touch but accepted it, wrapping her arms around his neck.

" I. . ." she started, but he pressed his finger on her lips.

" You don't have to force yourself." He said. " Just say it when you mean it."

Her expression softened as her hold on him tightened.

" Okay." She said. " I will."

Silence.

" Yoh?" Anna said. " Can you do me a favour?"

" Yes?" he asked lovingly.

" Can you help me untie Horo Horo from the plumbing?"

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Outside, Hao looked upon them, smiling fondly.

" That's step two done." He said, ticking it off the list. " Just eight more and I'll be done." He looked up at the moon once more. " But I'm going to have to give Yoh some more of my lessons." He said, rubbing his chin. " Although I have to admit, he actually is one of the few that would make Anna show that sort of expression."

He crushed up the paper in his hands.

" Looks like I have much to learn."

He looked at Anna and Yoh once more before chuckling. He knew that if Horo was caught, he and Anna would have a silent moment together, and somehow or another that would make Yoh jealous. Everything was going according to clockwork. It was pure genius actually. Planning it right down from the pill which Ryu wanted to give the love pill in Anna's drink to the scene that was happening now.

Anna was so unpredictable and yet so predictable at the same time.

He had told Yoh that she would come into his room to apologize, and Yoh had immediately wanted to record it down for remembrance. Hao glanced at the earphones that Yoh was wearing. Then he saw it connected to the voice recorder. He chuckled to himself and sighed.

" Everything's going the way I want it to." He said to himself.

Then something inside him broke.

Everything. . .?

No.

Not everything.

Anna was being given to his brother, not him.

He opened the present that Anna gave him, and found out that it was a necklace, with the words "HAO" on it, flames erupting from the jewel found in the middle of the beads in the centre of the necklace. He put it on fondly before biting his lip in an attempt to hold back his tears.

One would say he cried.

One would say he laughed.

But in the night, in the darkness of the night. . .

It was hard to tell.

Extremely hard to tell.

END CHAPTER 13

Sorry for the sappiness of this story. But it's finally done! Chapter 14 will be back to humor, and there will be the scene of once again, Hao's lessons. If it's not in the next chapter, then it will be in chapter 15. Depends on how long my mind goes. But the story will soon be coming to an end I guess. There will be many twists in the chapters to follow, but I'll just tell you this. In the chapter where Yoh finally gets really angry is the climax of the story, and that's where this sooner or later will end. Darn, I was really enjoying writing this too. I hope all of you enjoyed it too. Right, chapter 14 will be up as soon as possible. Once again, I caution those who find this material distasteful, PLEASE just read the chapters with no WARNING words found on the top of the stories in it. Okay, thanks for your time!