One, two, better not sue...I do not own Shaman King! A coupling will appear in this fic! Try to catch it!
"I do not care if I die right in this room. I am not wearing this," Ren complained, his teeth gritting and his lips curled back in an angry snarl. Anna looked over at him through wisps of blonde delicately falling over her annoyed eyes. Her hair piled on the back of her neck was set in a hairnet with black gauze dulling the intensity of her light locks against her black clothes. Angrily, she tied the back of the dress of Chocolove's disguise, forcing a yelp of pain.
"I did not realize you still had any dignity, Ren," Anna said, icily. "You certainly do not have the common sense."
"And besides, you make a beautiful woman, CinderRen!" Chocolove yelled in agony again as Anna punished his joke with an artful jab of her sewing needle. She had found it deep in the closet, the ones she used to make Yoh's battle outfit. Ren eyes gleamed with resentment, glaring at Anna, which she ignored as usual. Ren grumbled underneath his breath, his hand ran down the beige skirt, gripping it angrily. A billowy blouse hung around his lean figure, the sleeves veiling his bruised and torn hands. The loose hood fell around his hair and the light foundation covered his scars. Chocolove was harder to fit into the same maid's outfit. Nearby, Tamao was fidgeting nervously, her eyes large and full of unshed and gleaming tears.
"Lady Anna," her voice trembled as she glanced toward to the door. Her hands folded under her chin, twisting and curling. "If...if Lord Hao...if he..."
"If he happens to walk in, which I suspect he will not since he is looking for others too. I take the blame. Right now, just be quiet." Anna, replied, concentrating on the final changes on Chocolove's maid uniform. When she finished, Anna stuffed the needled into a small pouch on her hip. Chocolove grinned, admiring the handy work and twirled around for a moment.
"Do you wish we could go to the ball, CinderRen?"
"I will kill you if you call me that one more time," Ren threatened.
"Lady Anna!"
"Shut up, Tamao," Anna voice rose intensely. Tamao backed away, tears trickling like dew down her cheeks. "You just go back to where ever you sleep and pretend you saw nothing, got it?"
"But Lady Anna, Hao will read my mind and then...then he will know I helped and..." Her voice trailed with sobs. In the distance, Ren and Chocolove were quietly fighting as Anna eyebrow twitched in frustration. Gently, Anna took Tamao by her shoulders, looking straight and forward into Tamao's wet and wide eyes.
"Tamao. Nothing will happen, okay. If he finds out, I will take the blame. This is my idea, my doing and you were following orders right?"
"Yes but..."
"Tamao," Anna warned. "Just go. Now."
The pink-headed nodded, her eyes large as she sobbed then rushed out the door. Anna shook her head, stalking gracefully over to the two fighting boys dressed in drag. Carefully, she took a robe from a nearby chair and draped it over her should, placing the hood on her hair. She was just about to break apart the boys when her eyes caught something. On a nearby desk, there was a small knickknack, a small stone the size of her first. It was smooth, cool to her touch, and made of small crystals. They caught the light, gleaming in different colors. Her fingers traced underneath, feeling crevices delicately chiseled in a pattern. Anna frowned; something began to slowly turn in her head. A shadowed memory, this stone was important, it meant something...it meant...
"Come on woman," Ren suddenly barked, behind her. Anna slipped the stone in a pocket of the robe, glaring at drag-Ren. He was dragging an unconscious Chocolove halfway out the door. "Let's go before your husband comes back."
"Ren. Next time you call me woman, I am going to chop of a point of your body. And I do not mean your hair."
In a hall
"That is a nice dream," Ren thought. They had been wondering down the hallway for an hour, searching the cool corridors for the rest of their friends. Ren looked tired as he looked down at his feet. Chocolove walked silently behind them, the gag nicely accented his brown skin. The hall was empty, sound of there feet against the floor and the gentle swish of the boys' dresses sounded like feathers.
"It can't be a dream. It is too real," Anna replied.
"Well it isn't how it happened, okay? Hao merge with Yoh, we fought, we lost, Hao became Shaman King, and you forgot about Yoh and became his Queen. End of story. You got a nice life with that pyromaniac while we been living...if you call it living...in misery, "Ren barked. Flinging her arm, Anna smacked Ren hard on the head.
"Then why is Hao so worried about me?" She muttered almost to herself.
"You are his queen," Ren said as if it was the stupidest question in the world. His finger tenderly messaging where she had hit him.
"No, idiot. This has happen before. He is hiding something." Ren looked at her, his golden eyes narrowed. Opening his mouth, Ren began to say something but his mouth pursed together. He withdrew his glaive; and gazed around, putting his body between Anna and the dark wall space. After a moment, froze in time something lunged out of nowhere with a loud attack cry. The person tackled down Ren, his skirts flying in the air. Anna backed into the wall to avoid being pulled into the mess while Chocolove tripped over the entangled Ren and his attacker trying to save him.
"Got off me, you stupid Ainu," Ren snarled as he pushed the blue- haired shaman off him. Anna shook her head, sighing. HoroHoro gasped for breath, a goofy smile playing against his lips. KoroKoro appeared next to him, cooing delightfully.
"You should have..." WHAM! Ren and Anna slammed their fists into HoroHoro's face, sending his body flying into the wall.
"Idiot," Ren hissed as HoroHoro tried to recover. Chocolove has muffled voice followed after; he slowly rose to his knees, dusting away the skirt. He shook his finger at HoroHoro then wagged it toward Anna and out toward the empty, amazingly silent hall. The blue-haired eyes narrowed, his lips twisted in disgust as he looked at Anna. Anna bit her lower lip, her eyebrow twitching with annoyance.
"What the hell is she...?" HoroHoro began to exclaim. The point of the glaive mocked threatening in front of HoroHoro's narrowed eyes.
"Keep you voice down, you idiot. She is helping us," Ren snarled.
"Why would you do that?"
"I am not explaining it right now. Why the hell to you make so much noise?" Anna demanded.
"I thought you were some guards," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. Anna looked over him; he resembled Ren and Chocolove with his tattered clothes and the aged look. What had Hao done to them?
"You are still an idiot," Anna said, coolly. "Attacking guards like a madman, you would have brought more."
"Who asked you," HoroHoro challenged. Anna returned with a glacial and hard gaze, silently imposing and taking his challenge. HoroHoro winced and looked away. "I was looking for where Jeanne was being kept."
"Jeanne?"
"The Iron Maiden," Chocolove replied, casually though his full mouth was smiling idiotically. Anna looked between the three boys, her eyebrows knitted together in a frown as they carried on there own conversation.
"Lyserg and those damn X-laws are probably with her."
"That is if they are not dead yet. If I had to deal with them like Hao did, I would have killed them," Ren said.
"He better not have," HoroHoro, said defensively, his tone was dark and hostile.
"Let's get moving," Anna, ordered, which was actually obeyed without complaint. The four of them made there way down the curving halls, there footsteps shuffling in the air and the soft drone of blended voices as they 'caught up'.
"He only cares if Jeanne has been hurt," Chocolove explained to Anna. "The other X-laws could suffer for all he cares."
"Well Lyserg, he ain't so bad," HoroHoro admitted.
"What about Pilica? Doesn't she have a say in this?"
"I have not seen her since the shaman tournament, "HoroHoro replied solemnly.
"Oh," The simple sound was all Anna could form. The conversation dimmed into a hushed silence, there feet was the only sound as they made there very aimlessly through the corridors. It was not until they nearly turned the corner when they heard voices coming down the opposite way. Everyone froze for a moment, and then rushed to hide the only one who was not dressed in drag. The people stopped in close range to see there shadows being cast from around the corner and to hear there voice clearly.
"Ironic how those simpletons escape when Queen Anna begins her episodes again, don't you think, Faust?" Ren took in a breath, hissing the name Nick out into the air. Anna nearly kneed him for it as she perked her ears to hear more.
"If you are implying I have anything to do with it..." Faust voice began.
"Of course not. Hao showed you some rare compassion, did he not?"
"That is none of your concern, Nick."
"Your darling wife," Nick continued the tone of his voice smug. "Would have vanished with the rest of the humans now, wouldn't she? You would never betray Hao, now would you?"
"Shut up, Rome. It is coincidence about Anna and my friends escaping."
"Your friends now? They still remain your friends. How interesting," Nick said. "I find it all rather interesting about Queen Anna, though. Her delusions upset Master Hao greatly and you control her condition...And your friends escape..."
"That's enough," Faust voice rose with his temper. "If I had planned on ever turning against Hao I would have done it the moment he became King! I would never betray him. For Eliza's sake as well as my own and my friends."
"Good evening," Anna interrupted. She stepped out from behind the corner where they had been eavesdropping. Faust and Nick stared for a moment then bowed quickly.
"Lady Anna," Faust began.
"Why are you wondering the halls with such danger lurking around," Nick finished, slyly for him. Anna glared. She did not like the way he smiled so cunningly.
"I could not go back to sleep. Then I heard something going on outside my door, I went to investigate and I saw two men spying around my door. So naturally, I went to fend them off but they ran. I been trying to look for some to explain to me why they were there," Anna said, confident and queenly. "I found two maids to accompany me if something would happen."
"I see," Nick looked over her shoulder at Ren and Chocolove. Faust looked too, staring with his almost tired eyes curiously at Ren and Chocolove. When Nick turned his eyes to meet Anna's, Chocolove gave him a signal that they were. "I will report to Hao what you say. But for now let Faust escort you and the maids back to your room."
"Fine. Go and do that. And tell Hao that I want to speak with him once the matter is maintained." Nick nodded, bowed, and took his leave. Once he was out of sight, HoroHoro fell away from where they had crammed him between the wall and Ren and Chocolove. Faust looked at them for a moment, his mouth gaping before words pushed through.
"Are you crazy? What if Nick caught you?"
"But he did not, so let us keep it that way," Anna replied. "I need to get back..."
"And what are you doing with them? If Hao ever, ever found you doing this... Anna this is reckless! "
"No one would give me a straight answer," Anna said, cold and hard; annoyed she was interrupted. "You avoided it. If this, helping wanted men and risking my life, is how I am going to get the answers I want..."
"Anna, please understand. This is just an episode. It will pass."
"Shut it, Faust, "Ren said. He did not tell Anna to shut it, a wise choice. "We do not have the time for you to go over this. Right now, just believe what she says."
"No. I cannot let her be lead by delusions. If this goes on."
"Then go with them, "Anna said, hastily. "Leave this place."
"What about Eliza?"
"And Jeanne," HoroHoro echoed.
""Take Eliza. As for Jeanne," Anna took a moment to think. She had to get back to the room. Everything was a rush for her; everything was colliding frantically together. "As soon as I find out where she is, I will send her to you, okay. Go find Yohmei and Mickey, okay."
"I cannot," Faust said.
"Then don't leave. Just get them the hell out of here. That is an order," Anna said, heatedly. Faust began to protest again but Anna would not hear it. She had to get back.
"Keep in touch with me, "Anna said to Ren, Chocolove, and HoroHoro. They all nodded in unison. "If I find the rest of them, I will send them to you okay? And whatever you do, do not screw this up, and get caught!"
With that, Anna left back toward the room. She was giddy with adrenaline as she hastily made her way back. It felt very exciting, as if her existence for a while had been dull. Maybe it was true but between herself as the Queen, it was invigorating. Yet as Anna, the thirteen years old, it was tactical. She had to find out even if she was risking her life and others. This reality would be shattered.
That is all for this chapter. I have some more twist to come in other ones. Enjoy!
