Ch 8. The Red Crab

The sky was shaded a deep gray, a heavy color that threatened to spill rain. The somber scenery should have inspired Anna, but nevertheless, she sat with the same brush poised between her fingers, the ink never touching the scroll. Her maids were afraid to go near her, upon sensing her foul mood.

At minimum, the maids kept a distance of ten meters. They made sure to never be alone with Anna.

She could frighten them with just a glance.

The blond didn't mind, it was actually quite amusing to her. Besides, it was preferable they kept away; the less distractions, the better.

Then he appeared. He walked onto the grounds of the vacation estate with the familiarity of a tenant and smiled at her with the kind of intimacy deserving of a lover.

The servants, who were sweeping the parameters of the courtyard, witnessed his arrival and gasped, their brooms still in hand, but unmoving. Though it was their first glimpse of him, it only took one look to identify the eminent prince. It's true what they say, reputation precedes the person. Now the servants knew what their peers meant, when they said you'll know you've seen him by the luster in his hair. It held darkness not so ravenous, but rich and deep with plum and auburn hues. It cascaded around his symmetrically structured face, the face of divinity. They continued to marvel, almost believing for a moment that he was a god who stepped down from heaven to bestow his blessings upon the small people of earth.

From Anna, Hao expected a scowl, yet none came his way. He sauntered over to the center of the yard, where she sat, and peeked at her scroll. It was blank. Not a single stroke on it.

"I was hoping to see that genius trait they always talked about. Yet not a single letter has been composed!"

"Perhaps their praises were undeserved. I'm sorry to displease you."

A space of silence fell between the two.

The wind blew and a pink petal fluttered by her face. She wondered if the cherry blossoms finished flowering already.

"Why the sudden change in speech? " he asked her.

"There is no change, your highness."

He paused to reflect on her affected way of speaking. When realization came to him, he said with conviction, "I think I understand what you are trying to do"

"What am I trying to do?" she asked coyly.

"You're trying to change my mind. You think that maybe if you act like the others, I would get bored and leave you alone." Of course, he couldn't have been more wrong. He forgot about the eavesdropping servants while she did not.

"Would that have worked?"

"No." He gazed at her for a long time. She didn't avert her eyes. "Before, you said I wasn't the dull type. The same could be said of you. You're not capable of being boring."

"Is that really so?"

"Yes, that is so. In any case, I came here with a proposal."

One of the servants leaned in, intrigued at the romance that was unfolding in front of her eyes. The sound she stirred reminded Hao of the little privacy they had. Every word they exchanged was being absorbed by unwelcome ears, ears with quick pathways to the mouth. He shot them a piercing look and the servants quickly understood their being dismissed, obediently taking their leave despite the curiosity of what should transpire next.

"I came here with a proposal, An-na-Don-no."

Anna scoffed. "Why the sudden change in your speech?"

"Because I respect you; it's only fitting that I treat you with respect. Although my actions from a few new nights ago would prove otherwise…I believe I owe you an apology."

"And what's this proposal you have for me?"

"It's simply really. Come live with me in my estates."

"Che. That's very bold of you, asking me when we've only met twice. Besides, the proper way to make a request would be by letter."

"This would be the third meeting. And as I've said before, a glimpse of you was all I needed. I'm a man of instinct. If a letter is what you need, then I'll write you one."

"Instinct or impulse? And what about your wife?"

"This concerns you, not her."

"It would concern her, if we were to live in the same quarters." Anna eyed him challengingly.

"You're mistaken; she lives in her father's quarters. I'm asking you to live on my own private estate."

"If I accepted, what number would I be amongst your mistresses?"

He raised an eyebrow, still slow to accept that his reputation had reached her, despite her commenting the other night on his appetite for seducing women. "You need not answer right away. Take some time to deliberate. Perhaps I'll get an answer from you after we've returned to the palace…"

"There's no need to delay an answer that's already been decided."

"Will you be so quick to reject me?"

"It's the only acceptable answer."

He smiled. "That's not an answer I'll take."

"Then there's no reason to ask, if you already think about taking whatever you want."

"No, that implies I would do things by force. Resorting to such uncivil things is unnecessary. I'll simply change your mind. It would be a result of time."

"Ohhh? You think so? Where does all of this confidence come from?"

"It's a feeling, my Anna,"

"Please don't use my name in such an intimate manner."

He didn't acknowledge the request. "Go on a walk with me."

"……"

"You aren't afraid of a little rain, are you?"

"No, there are umbrellas for that."

"Then why do you hesitate?"

"I'm not hesitating. I have no desire to go on a walk with you in the first place." A look of annoyance crossed her face.

"You don't want your maids to hear about you being dropped into the ocean, do you?"

"THAT'S...!" She stared at him with unbelieving eyes. Her mouth opened wide, ready to protest, but nothing more came forth.

"That's good leverage on my side," he finished, pleased at the reaction he got from her.

"How underhanded of you," she muttered.

"I disagree. I thought it was quite clever, actually."

She placed the calligraphy brush down on the table in a defeated manner, letting out a quiet sigh as she glanced once more at the blank scroll.

Another stroke of wind blew, littering the fallen cheery petals across the yard. As some swept over Anna's table, a piece fell into the ink stone. It floated for several seconds before giving into the bleakness of its surrounding. Hao watched the blackness seep through the pink, spreading slowly at first, and then going faster and faster until the petal sank down from the weight.

"Shall we get going, Anna-dono? A promenade on the seashore should do you some good, maybe it'll inspire a verse or two by the time we return."

"One condition," said Anna sternly. Hao didn't think she was in the condition to be giving him conditions, but nevertheless, he listened intently. "Drop the dono, I don't like it."

"Understood. It'll just be Anna then." He smiled at her sweetly as she got up from her chair without saying a word.

The roar of the ocean filled in the spaces for what little conversation the two had. Anna maintained a couple of paces in front of Hao as they walked, leaving him to study her back. He appreciated the non-conformal simplicity in her tri-layered dress. Though not as elaborate as the formal twelve layered robe she wore in court, its elegance resided in the unusual sleekness of its shape. There was an effortless vibrancy in its contrast of colors; the interior was a dark mauve while the second layer was a starch white color. A rich plum-violet mantle topped off the two layers. Neat ivory stitches trimmed the ends while the print of a single weeping plum blossom branch cut across the robe diagonally, beginning from one shoulder and ending at the train of her dress.

Hao nearly bumped into her when the blond paused unexpectedly at something on the beach. His eyes searched the silver sand to determine what suddenly commanded her attention; they rested on an upturned red crab. All of its ten limbs flailed wildly but its struggle proved unfruitful as it could not flip itself over.

Anna pitied the creature for a fraction of a second before recalling the words of the cocky Tao Ren.

"Did you wrestle with a crab on the beach?"

Idiot. She found it troublesome how the annoyances in her life seemed to multiply lately.

Hao, who had left her side for a short period, came back with a long stick in his hand. Is he trying to impress me with his kind side? By helping the creature get back on its legs?

The next thing she knew, the handsome and charming prince Hao was crouched down and prodding at the crab with the stick like a little boy.

At first she just stared with her mouth gaping. When Anna finally recovered from her initial shock, she snatched the stick from his hands, with her eyebrows still twitching violently. "IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HELP, LEAVE IT ALONE!"

Hao remained crouched down in his clean white attire. He looked sheepishly off to the side and then scowled with annoyance. "I wasn't hurting it. I would have flipped it back eventually."

"It didn't look like it."

"But I would have. Here, I'll do it right now." He held out a hand, waiting for her to place the stick in it. He looked back up when she didn't respond. "Well?"

Anna looked at him skeptically, hiding the stick behind her back. "I don't trust you."

Hao let out an exasperated sigh as he stood back up. "Fine, then you do it."

He watched as she flipped the crustacean over. It scurried away as soon as it could.

Anna tossed the stick into the sea and walked away. "Where are you going?" Hao called after her.

She called back over her shoulders, "Aren't we continuing on our walk?"

Hao grinned and rushed to catch up to her.

AN: I think "The Red Crab" is one of my favorite chapters. I had the patience this time to proofread and tried to keep Demoness Gang's comment in mind, to keep things clear. I have a tendency to be confusing when I try to show too many sequences. And everyone's reviews made me really happy! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I hope no one was bothered by the ooc-ness of Hao prodding at the crab. I wanted to imbed some of Yoh's characteristics in him. Not that Yoh would ever harm the poor thing…but he sure does have that childish innocence in him sometimes. I also tried to illustrate the dynamics of AnnaxYoh in the way Anna scolded Hao.

--August 12, 2005