Ch 10. A Morning Full of Song

AN: Hope you enjoy this chapter. Like always, thanks for your reviews; individual replies are at the end!

Was it morning already?

A drowsy Anna awoke to a Skylark's morning songs and blinked several times to shake off the heaviness of her lids. She wanted to roll over and stretch out her body but felt strangely confined by something. A foreign warmth encompassed her on one side while some kind of weight wrapped around her waist. Anna screamed inwardly as a shrill alarm sounded off inside her head. Her effort to move away was countered by a tightened grasp on her waist. All the events of the previous night streamed into her conscience. He had been there. He was still there.

A question came second in her head. Did she still have her clothes on? She glanced down. Good! They're still there! Her feelings of relief were soon followed by feelings of irritation. You cocky playboy! I'm not going to forgive you fo----

Oh.

A ripple went through her heart when she turned to face him. Now that his sleeping face was before hers, she took in the exquisite details she never allowed herself to notice before.

The bend of his lashes,

The arch of his thick brows,

Deep-set eyes,

Delicate nose,

Chiseled cheekbones,

Cherry lips,

Firm jaw line,

Fine chin.

A face of confidence. Smug too. All framed by severely straight mahogany strands of hair. So this is what your sleeping face looks like. Somehow it looks like you are scheming even when you are dreaming.

In that instance she understood why so many women were infatuated with the prince. Physically, he was the epitome of the perfect man. In personality, his confidence communicated an ability to protect, yield power and take action. He also presented a challenge.

People seek love that is not easily reciprocated. Women can love you wholeheartedly, but in the end, that love is unrequited. However, you are one who, if you loved in return, would love with a fierce passion beyond any other. So they stand in front of you and try to become the target, but your head is probably in the clouds, you won't see them----

Wait---why was she analyzing him, she wondered, obviously annoyed with herself?

Soon Hao woke up to find Anna peering at him. He gave her a sleepy grin and yawned, with his arms still embracing her waist tightly. Anna turned her head to face the other way.

"You really have some nerve, you know?"

"It's necessary Anna."

"How so?"

"Take last night's fools for examples. They approached you but left not even the faintest impression. Intent is nothing without boldness. "

"Interesting theory. Now please leave before the maids come in. I'm concerned about their tendency to talk."

"But you didn't finish telling me about your background. And I couldn't make any sense of some parts."

She elbowed him in the chest. "I'm not retelling the entire story."

After quickly recovering from her light blows and regaining his composure, Hao encircled her arms in his embrace again, pinning them down to the sides. "Fine, next time then. You don't need to be so violent."

"Then let go of me already."

"Before I go, I have something else to ask you." He spoke the last sentence with his lips grazing the nape of her neck. And he spoke in a quieter voice this time, yielding all her attention with its seriousness. The fine hairs on her body stood on end. "I want to make you my wife. An official wife. Please accept my proposal."

She couldn't help but feel stunned. By the time she was able to respond, a jarring knock on her doors disrupted their moment.

"Anna-sama! Anna-sama," came the voices outside. Anna and Hao both froze. Whoever stood outside the door paused. When Anna did not answer for a long time, they began again. "Anna-sama! Her highness is on her way here. We only have a few minutes to get you dressed. Please answer, Anna-sama!"

Anna took a deep breath before returning the calls. "I heard you."

"Hai, Anna-sama." The maids' relief could be heard through the door.

Anna turned back to Hao and warned him in a very low voice, "Stay down; don't move. I'll keep them from going behind the floor screens. You'll have to stay here until after they leave." Hao nodded and relinquished Anna from his hold. She slipped out, but not before adding a reproachful comment, "Look at how much trouble you're causing me!" Hao only smirked at her complaint.

He listened to the pattering of the wooden frames as the shoji slid open. Two pairs of feet stepped into the room. He heard them politely acknowledge Anna and move towards his area behind the floor screens. Hastily, Anna said they'll lose too much time and should just change her on the spot. The maids obeyed, but not without expressing confusion in their voices. Next came the rustling of clothing as Anna disrobed, which Hao didn't fail to take advantage of. Just enough light poured in from outside the room; an outline of Anna's unclothed figure was visible on the floor screen before him. Her clothes no longer hid the graceful curve of her hips or the slope of her bosom in the midst of her thin frame.

Her nakedness was short lived as the maids swiftly fitted her body with heavy fabrics. One maid ran a cloth over Anna's face while the other weaved a comb through her hair. They finished just as new footsteps could be heard outside the door. The two maids slid the shoji open and politely bowed to the person coming in. They left as Anna knelt down before the newcomer.

"Your highness, please have a seat."

"Don't worry about being so formal, Anna." The voice came from an older woman, a woman whom Hao had learned to dislike. It was unlike her to come directly to a subject rather than summoning them. It must have been urgent business, Hao surmised.

"Hai," said Anna. "I'm sorry to make you come all the way here. Has something happened?"

"Because I am so partial to you, I couldn't wait to deliver the news. There has been a proposal."

"A proposal?"

"A marriage proposal to be exact." Hao frowned at the news.

"I see."

"I dismissed it at first, but now I find there is some merit to it. I hope you consider what I have to say."

Anna's silhouette nodded.

"It was Oyamada Mansumi who approached me with the idea of marrying you off to his son. As you know, the Oyamadas are greatly respected amongst the noble families. I still have suspicions about that Oyamada Mansumi; he has an ambitious predisposition and comes off as overly aggressive. However, I do realize the proposal is not to have you marry him, but his son, Manta. It was when I spoke to Manta directly, that I felt secure in taking this offer seriously. I sensed the sincerity of his feelings; he should become a dedicated husband to you and be able to grant you an easy and happy life. Although it was just one conversation that I had with Manta, I trust my keen judgment in character. You are one example, after all. For now I have given him permission to send you correspondence. It should help you come to a decision later."

"That's not necessary; I accept the offer."

The queen did not bother to hide her surprise. "You don't want to meet the young man for yourself first?"

"I also trust your judgment in character. Plus, you are right; I want to live an easy life. If he can provide that to me, then it is enough."

The queen chuckled. "Anna, you are still the same."

Hao became annoyed as the two exchanged usual pleasantries, following the queen's news. He glowered at the ceiling above him. What is she thinking? To accept the offer so easily, after I have just given mine. And to accept it from him of all people. Is she trying to vex me?

He got up slowly after the queen vacated the premises. He crossed to the other side of the screens and looked at Anna. She made eye contact with him, all traces of feeling absent from her dark orbs. They stood before each other, like the night previous, but the air of playfulness was lost.

He shot her a wry grin, showing he was displeased, but not disheartened. His hands were full of desire to grab her feeble shoulders and rattle some sense into her head. He did none of that and walked away wordlessly. Anna looked on, the emotionless expression still on her face.

AN: We are caught up with the present time of the story---consider the next chapters to follow events in the first chapter.

Below are replies to last chapter's reviewers (don't worry; the petition you got regarding the new rules from was not entirely accurate. When you load a new story, it clearly says that replies to reviews could be included at the beginning or end of your chapter. You cannot, however, dedicate an entire chapter to only replies to your reviews. It has to have some content of your story.).

August 25, 2005---

Miakoda13: I hope you don't punish me for taking so long in updating! But I remember worrying about whether people would imagine Hao falling asleep on top of Anna. I mean, that would be EXTREMELY uncomfortable (no matter how lanky he appears in both the anime and manga). I sort of forgot to go back and add in the details when I wrote the story. He's supposed to be on one side of her, but still pinning her down with both arms.

Hannami08: You are such a YohxAnnaxHao fan like me! Trust me; this story will have so many chapters. I got them all planned out, so I'll keep updating. Be prepared though, for angsty rather than cute scenes!

silverfeathers: No sniff sniffs! J/K! And thnx 4 the compliment. Originally I had planned on turning this story towards a more angsty/tragic/dramatic ending. But now that you say that this is heartwarming, I'm beginning to feel guilty!

white artemis: Such a cool name you have there (I actually had to look it up in a dictionary)! I was feeling kind of lazy about telling Anna's past. Plus, I haven't really mapped it out yet. I'm still deciding whether or not it's crucial to the storyline. But since you're asking, it'll probably come up in the way future chapters.

pendulumxswing: I'm glad you think this is getting better. I was worried that the last chapter was kind of boring, because details won't matter if readers don't care about the things I'm describing. As you know from my other fic, I'm more into detail than plot. Let's see how I balance out in this story, right?

asn water: I remember you commenting that Hao was being so nice, instead of a jerk. So last chapter I tried to show how he could be such an arrogant jerk to other people, yet nicer to Anna (he does have a motive after all). And hopefully Anna's reaction to Hao doesn't disappoint you. I didn't make her too extreme this time. That's because she's like split with her personality. She could be deadly calm or eruptive.