Ch 5. Finally Meeting

AN: I kept staring at the image of Hao and Anna on the seashore. I think it was in volume 30 of the Shaman King manga. This chapter is what came out of it.

The king missed his son, so Hao was summoned to the Palace. This marked the beginning of their encounters. A wisp of her long blond tress lightly skimmed his shoulder when she passed by. It made him turn his head to look back at her elegant figure, clothed in heavy layers of lavender and violet. The train of her dress trailed behind and a wash of floral notes carried over to him with the blow of the wind.

Awed-struck by her golden hair and porcelain complexion, his body thought to follow her, but his sensibilities returned when the same wind blew his own hair to cover half of his face. He let it be and looked through the one eye remaining unveiled by his dark hair. Something stirred. A loud pulse? A quickened heartbeat?

In front of his father, Hao gave a polite bow. The king dismissed the formalities and stepped down from his throne to inspect his beloved son.

"Oh, how much your dark eyes resemble your mothers," the king exclaimed.

"Have you been well, father?"

"There are enough changes in court to drive me mad, but somehow I'm dealing with it."

"Changes?" Hao's brow furrowed. "Was the young woman who just stepped out of here a prospective consort? A new one?"

Merry laughter regurgitated from the king's throat. "No, I am much too old to be thinking about marrying a new wife! That was Kyouyama Anna, a rare favorite of the queen's. This Anna is a smart girl. Because of that, the queen brought her from Osorezan and gave her a permanent home in the palace."

"Kyouyama." Hao paused, and then articulated, "Anna." His eyes turned fiery which went unnoticed by the king. "What a strange name."

"Not much was told to me about Anna. I only know she has some foreign blood in her. Putting that aside, tell me how you've been."

Hao feigned interest for the rest of the conversation. Inside he was pleased with the queen for the first time, for bringing in such a curious character into the palace. Exactly who was this Kyouyama Anna?

On his way out, he passed by some servants who were sweeping the courtyard. He couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"Haven't you heard? That demon Anna wants to spend a week by the sea. We all fear being picked to accompany her. You agree right?"

"Really! Only that scary woman can ruin a nice trip."

"I've never met anyone as shrewd as her. She's got a sharp tongue and a mean slap!"

The blissful sky awed Anna, who couldn't discern where the expanse of the sea and sky ended or began; the azure air and water merged together. She looked down at the white foam at her feet and stuck her toes in the sand; they squished between her toes, tickling the nerves on her feet.

Automatically, her defense went back in place when muted footsteps on soft sand approached her. Anna straightened herself up and kept her gaze on the sea, not showing any acknowledgment for the intruder.

That didn't bother Hao, who studied the change in her expression. Whatever thoughts she had, they were well guarded. And he liked it, the fact that she was not so transparent. Mystery always drew him in.

Noticing the man's constant gaze on her, Anna turned to leave.

"Finished with the scenery already?" he asked.

She paused and finally looked at him. "I've had my fill."

A flicker of surprise registered in his eyes. It was rare to hear a woman speak with such grit (yet seem so refined) around him. "That's unfortunate; I was just beginning to admire the scenery." He gave her a sincere smile, hoping to ease whatever suspicions he may have aroused in her.

"Is that all you wanted to say?"

"Yes, that is all." He moved towards her. His shoulders nearly touched her own, when he passed by, making Anna want to retreat. To her dismay, he walked right past her so casually, letting Anna watch him as he leisurely sat down on the shoreline. The bend of his arms rested on his knees while the saltwater lapped at his feet.

The scenery was indeed stunning; its openness was invigorating compared to the domestic walls that confined him. It was devoid of jealous mistresses, gossiping servants and petty political strife, which bored him. His own mother had fallen ill because those things existed all around her, eventually pushing her to her death. Here, those flaws were non-existent. If only he could build the entire world over to resemble this.

"So why does a beautiful woman like you speak in such a harsh tone?"

"Was that an attempt at flattery?"

"Maybe. I've wanted to meet you, Anna."

Anna hid her surprise in his knowing her name. She warned him coolly, "Don't use my name so liberally."

"Are you always this mean to people you've just met?"

"That's something to be concerned about?"

"You might get your head chopped off for being sharp with the wrong person."

"Oh, so now a threat comes from the king's beloved son." She had been warned by an acquaintance about this prince, Asakura Hao, who was notorious for his philandering ways.

Hao laughed. "I was only joking." His lit eyes lit up with sudden seriousness. "I am flattered that you seem to know who I am."

"You're mistaking it for a compliment."

"Oh look! The sun is beginning to set." He completely ignored her, but she let it slip. The sky was breathtakingly beautiful with its spilling colors. The stripe of pink had gradually bled through the stretch of horizon and darkened with time. Anna and Hao watched the magenta sky together in silence.

"Want some?" Hao waved the bottle of sake, which he had brought out of his bag, at her.

"I'll have to politely refuse." She was really biting her tongue for form's sake.

"But you do drink then?"

"You can take it either way." It was none of his business, actually.

Hao popped the top off the bottle and took a swig of the liquor before getting up from his spot. He carelessly dropped his bag to the ground and proceeded past her. Curious, Anna watched as he scoured the beach for something. He appeared to be collecting broken branches and driftwood.

"What are you doing?" she asked when he stopped a few feet away from her. The wood dropped from his arms with a giant thud.

"Making a bon fire."

"Why?"

"It looked like you were getting cold."

Now he was pushing it. "What makes you think I'd stay here for that long?"

"You've already stayed with me up to this point."

"Oh really? So you naturally assumed I desire keeping you company."

"Was I wrong?"

"This discussion is becoming too odd; I'm leaving."

"Were you afraid I'd get you drunk?"

Her eyes lit up. She knew it was bait, but she couldn't back down from a challenge. "I'm confident I can beat a delicate pretty boy anytime."

"I may be pretty, but I'm certainly not delicate."

She batted her pretty lashes and flashed a devilish smile. "Let's see what happens then."

"Yes, let's."

By the fire, they passed the bottle back and forth. Anna matched every gulp that Hao took, exceeding all his expectations.

He tossed in another piece of driftwood, and the flames engulfed it, letting out a rapid crackle. The setting sun had burnt out in comparison, as it sat beneath the horizon, almost disappearing completely. In its place, the pale moon emerged.

"Your priorities seem to be twisted. Why do you have such a large appetite for seducing women?" Her bluntness reminded Hao of his wife. The difference was the truth always broke Jeanne. In contrast, Anna didn't seem capable of breaking.

If he made her his, would her fire always burn? Jeanne's had been extinguished so long ago. All that remained was a skeleton of what used to be the woman he admired.

"I already have wealth, power and recognition. Even if I had ambition, there's nothing left to desire."

"You aren't sitting in the king's throne yet."

"Ha! That stuff bores me."

"Don't lie about not having ambition. You don't seem like the dull type."

He couldn't figure out if her insight was starting to annoy or amuse him. After all, this was supposed to be his game. Perhaps he underestimated her. To think that the object of conquest had now become his challenger excited him.

"Now, Anna, it seems you're the one making all the assumptions now."

"They're not assumptions. You're actually quite easy to read."

"What if I told you that my large appetite for women is a false distraction? Without that, those noble snobs would be troubled. You can say they are lucky I decided not to take out trash like them." His frank answer surprised even himself. What had gotten into him? Was it really because of this strange woman?

"You call them trash, but you aren't acting any different from them."

He thrust the empty bottle of sake into the fire, causing it to land with a jarring clunk. "DON'T. COMPARE. ME. TO. THOSE. FILTH." The blond didn't flinch at his raised voice; she remained silent, inspiring Hao to regain his composure. The bit of rage went away as quickly as it had appeared. As an apology, he waved a new bottle of sake in front of her. She took it and bit off the top with her teeth, chugging its contents down to the last drop. This made him smile.

"You need to answer a question, Hao. What brings you out here, away from the palace? Don't tell me you followed me." She dropped the "sama" off of his name, but he only noticed that her words were slower than before, just short of slurring.

"Actually I sort of did."

"That's absurd. How do you just follow someone you've never met before?"

"We never met. But I caught a glance of you. That was enough. Remember, we passed each other a few days ago? Really, you don't remember?" His ego was hurt for a moment. "I heard you would be coming here, so I arranged the same excursion for myself." The alcohol was starting to affect her, that's why he didn't mind blurting out the truth.

"Ohhhhhhh? So that's how it was?" She got up abruptly, swinging her legs in a wild fashion that alarmed Hao. He rushed to support her because it looked like she would fall into the fire if she continued to stagger around. "I'm not that drunk, so don't think you have me at that point." Her words came out muffled with her face smashed against his chest.

"Okay, you're not drunk," Hao mused. His arms encompassed her drunken swaying. Anna's messy hair was tangled around his fingers as his hands held onto her back. Now that his hands were pressed onto the heavy layers of her clothing, he realized that she was frailer than she looked.

There was warmth all around them, permeating from their close bodies, radiating from the fire, and----something else. Hao watched the auburn glow of the fire. He found it strange that his lungs felt tight with each breath that he took.

AN: Thanks to the ones who always leave reviews, you know who you are (please nudge the other folks for me)! This chapter's for you!

Hao bored with ambitions for the throne? What a lie!

July 23, 2005----

11/16/05—changed the dialog to make Anna less snappy.