A Change of Heart

Chapter 8: Those Special Words

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King or its characters. Please don't sue me!

I feel awful for not updating this one soon…Gomen-masai…I'm sorry, guys. School was just getting on me for the past weeks. This fic is almost ending..maybe about 2 chapters more and it's done I guess…Hey, if you've time, please check my other fic "Confessions of A Young Girl" (Lyserg X Jeanne) but it's a sad story, though.

Will you PLEASE forgive me?

"What?"

"I didn't say YOH. Why'd you answer me?" Anna asked Hao with a flare of suspicion.

"Did you say HAO? I thought you were calling me." Hao told her.

"If that's the case, I guess I was tired from choosing your clothes and I think I'm having a few ear problems. Hehe." Hao explained hoping Anna would fall for it.

'If you ask me, HAO sounds VERY different from YOH…' Anna thought to herself.

"Never mind." Anna went on. She knew this conversation would turn up nothing. Would it?

'That was PRETTY close.' Hao breathed a sigh of relief.

It was very late so Hao and Anna drove through the streets then Hao spotted a dim-lighted shop at a quiet corner in the town. He stopped the car and walked in asking Anna to come with him.

"That's PERFECT! I'll take that!" Hao finally rejoiced after finding the gown that satisfied HIS taste.

Anna was wearing a silky, maroon gown with sparkling and glittering gems on it.

He bought it and took Anna back to her house.

"Goodnight, lovely angel." Hao said with a grin on his face.

"Uh—yeah. Goodnight. Bye." Anna answered as she turned her back.

"No—wait." Hao interrupted as he took hold of her hand before she could leave.

He tightened his grip on her and stared at her with a serious face. Later on, he loosened his hold but then he wrapped his arms around her. He embraced her and caressed her hair. Anna could do nothing but hug him back.

"Anna, I love you." He whispered to her ear.

No one ever said those three special words to her before. In fact, it was the first time someone ever spoke it to her. Tears welled up in her eyes and they started falling one by one. They fell on Hao's shirt and he felt each drop. He was amazed. He never saw Kyouyama Anna, the person whom everyone was afraid of—the fighter, the terror and horror—CRY. She held on to his shoulder, leaned on it and cried on and on.

"Why, Anna? Why are you crying? Did I do anything wrong?" Hao concernedly asked. Even Hao couldn't believe the way he was acting, the tone of his voice.

"No. It's just—just…" Anna said in between her tears.

"Just what, Anna?"

"You were the first person who said he had affection for me. I really thought no one ever cared for me, no one ever LOVED me. But you proved me wrong. I hope you're telling me the truth, Yoh. Don't leave me. I trust you…" Anna looked like a young girl who had nowhere to run to.

'YOH…Yoh…Yoh…' the name repeated itself in the back of Hao's mind. 'Don't leave me. I trust you…' Those words continued to echo in him. It was bothering him. No, it was his conscience; it was starting to disturb him. 'Hao, what have you DONE?'

Hao couldn't glance at Anna's direction. He was washed up in dry, solid guilt. He waved goodbye without even looking at her and strolled back to his car and drove home. On his way back, someone was waiting for him…

"Hao, you're back."

The place was dark. The lights were closed. And the voice was familiar to him. It was Yoh! Yet, he was also taken by surprise since his brother called him ONLY by his name.

"Yoh! How come you're still awake?"

"Horo-horo told me everything."

Somehow, Hao had heard a hint of jealousy in his voice. But he wasn't sure though. Was Yoh uncomfortable about Hao being with Anna?

"It's late, Hao. We better get some good night's sleep." Yoh said with a smile.

But Hao felt that his brother was showing him a fake one. His voice sounded stern and strict. And not only did he call him "Hao" ONCE, but TWICE!

"Goodnight…"

Monday morning…

"Horo! Tell me, how would I ask Pirika out? What should I say!" Ren panicked while browsing though the dictionary which was upside-down.

"DO you EVEN know how to read a dictionary? Mou, you're so SLOW! I'll tell her myself!" Horo impatiently replied.

Horo-horo hastily approached his sister and shouted, "REN WANTS TO ASK YOU TO BE HIS PARTNER FOR THE DAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Why'd you ask her that WAY?" Ren worried even more, "Now, she'll NEVER really come with me!"

"Sure. I'll go with you." Pirika casually replied while applying powder on her face.

"WHAT? DID I HEAR THAT RIGHT!" Ren asked over and over again. Then he jumped up and down the hall many times until his spiky hair got stuck in the ceiling. He just hanged there with his feet kicking in the air.

"Get me down HERE!" Ren commanded.

But the students just continued marching in the hall without minding his orders. Luckily, after 2 hours, a person finally noticed him hanging on the ceiling and helped him get down to the ground.

During lunch break time…

Yoh was putting things out from his locker. Tamao was walking nearby and decided to talk to him.

"Hao, err…do you already have a partner for the..err…dance?" Tamao was blushing BIG time.

"Well, I have no one. But if you want, then I can be your partner." Yoh said while he continued to fix his things without even glancing at the pink-haired girl.

"Really!" Tamao giggled like an innocent little child. Then she bent down to plant a kiss on Yoh on the cheeks and didn't know why in the world she did that.

Yoh couldn't help but look back at her. He at last, stopped with his work to give a charming smile to the now, red-cheeked girl.

"Uhh…Thank you!" She cheerily said as she ran all throughout the corridors.

Mr. Bokutou, Hao's class adviser was also looking for a partner for the dance. He stepped into the faculty room, together with his bouncing Elvis-hair and dashed a flashing smile at the women teachers. Many threw up under their tables while the others just laughed. He walked at Miss Jun Tao's table, one of the youngest and newest teachers of the pack.

"Hi, baby. Wanna go out with me on the dance on Friday?"

Now, he received a HUGE, RED slap on his face.

The guy teachers burst out laughing, some even fell out of their desks. "No one will ever go out with YOU! And if someone WOULD, they're CRAZY!" Ryu just frowned at them.

The hours and days flew smoothly by…and it was already Friday, the BIG night.

Anna was wearing her maroon gown and was walking in her high heels. She had been searching for Hao. But she couldn't find him anywhere.

"Where are you, Asakura Yoh?"

Where is THAT Hao! He's kept Anna waiting too LONG! And more importantly, why did Yoh act like THAT? Is he hiding something?

Anna: I'm going to tear your FLESH open! I DON"T CRY! I don't care if I'm LOVED or NOT because all I do is TORTURE people! Why don't you GUYS get THAT! You're all STUPID IDIOTS!

Tash: Hey, that's not a nice thing to say…I'm going to ERASE you with a pencil eraser! You're just a drawing so you don't have the RIGHT to say THAT!

Anna: Oh, yeah? Yoh, KILL her! I command you or else BOTH of you are DEAD!

Yoh: But Anna-san, KILLING people is a BAD thing to do. You're starting to act like Hao. You probably caught his germs.

♥Hao♥:For your peanut-brain's information, I do not have GERMS!

Tash: YEAH! Hao-sama does NOT have GERMS!

Anna: Then I'd personally MURDER ALL of YOU! NYAHAHAHAHA! --evil laughs--

Everyone: --gulp--

♥Hao♥:Hey, that was supposed to be MY LINE…