Mikau: Sorry that I've taken so long to get this up…as you can tell, it's sort of a longer-type chapter, and a lot of thought went into writing it. I didn't get the ending quite perfect, but I think it more or less accomplished what I wanted of it. Once again, I'm really sorry about the long wait. It's been a terrible week full of tests every other class, tons of homework, musical practices, and all other sorts of stuff. It's been a tough week; one of my best friends since forever told me how she was thinking about committing suicide. I think she's better now, but…yeah…I think the reason that Hao sounds so depressed during the first part of the chapter is because I'm having a really depressing week. Well, I hope you all enjoy this one, I actually like it despite the depressingness.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King.

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Delusional

I slowly made my way up the stairs to the old abandoned bedroom. I sometimes went up there just to look at old pictures, and remember all the good times before my life became a living hell.

Not that I didn't love my daughters or being Shaman King—it's just that without Ivy there with me, I felt so dead and empty inside. Everything was pointless without her. She was the reason that I lived, and now that she was gone, I had a hard time finding reasons to get up in the morning. It was barely enough to stop me from killing myself, but it was a reason to live. I lived for Hoshi and Thorn.

Once I realized that that was all I had in the world, those two girls, I started thinking if they were even worth it. They would be fine without me; it's not like I was a good father or anything. Sure as Hell, I tried, but I couldn't help but feel that I had failed miserably. I was too lenient on Hoshi, and she had managed to turn herself into a whore. I tried to stop her, but found that it was too late to do anything; all I could do was pray that she didn't get any STDs or unplanned pregnancies. So instead of fixing Hoshi, I protected Thorn. I think I protected her a little too much; I hardly allowed her to be a girl. She was too sheltered, and wouldn't be able to survive in the real world. Either way, I had failed them both as a father.

Soon I turned to drinking. That and women. I couldn't do anything to keep them from knowing about my drinking problem. After all, there are only two things that a man can't hide: 1, that he's in love, and 2, that he's drunk. Since I could do nothing about the former, I made sure that no one found out about the latter, especially Thorn. She'd hate me for it.

I think Hoshi finally found out what I was doing; sneaking off at night to drink and sleep with at least three different women each night, and then sneaking back into the house before anyone else was up. One morning Hoshi told me about a more effective method of getting lipstick stains and perfume scent out of my clothing. Hoshi didn't tell her sister what I was up to, and Thorn remained in the dark about my late night escapades.

It didn't take long for my undying lust for women to become an unquenchable thirst. It was like an incurable disease, or some kind of drug addiction. That's when Thorn started to get suspicious. I tried to tone it down, but I just couldn't control myself any more. Mari and Macchi came to my rescue that time, happily offering their services since neither had gotten married.

They helped a lot. Soon I was back to my normal pyromaniac self. Sure I still needed Mari and Macchi sometimes, but I wasn't so sex-driven anymore. But still, I felt badly using them like that when I had absolutely no feelings for them, but they were so in love with me. After sixteen years, I was still in love with Ivy, and had refused to remarry dispite all of Kanna's lecturing.

Soon, I only drank on anniversaries, birthdays, and other holidays. I was pretty happy with my dull, pointless life. I even once considered dating again, but seconds after the thought had formulated in my mind, I ruled against it. I decided that I was doomed to be a single dad my whole life, and I would force myself to be happy that way. I was mentally unable to date again: I would just end up calling the girl 'Ivy', and that just would not do. Plus, I was the Shaman King; girls would probably date me for my power or to try and get rich whereas Ivy had married me for love…At least I was pretty sure she did…

One year, my drinking got pretty bad again; it was the year that the twins were sixteen. I don't know why, but I just was so depressed, and started drinking more and more. Soon I found myself coming home drunk a lot with woman's make up all over my pants, and shirt collar.

One day, March tenth, Ivy's birthday, I hit rock bottom. I came home early in the morning, so drunk that I couldn't see, think, or walk straight. Thorn met me at the door, but I couldn't tell it was her. I was just too drunk. The thing that woke me from my drunken stupor was when she sighed in such a defeated way, and stated: "You're drunk."

That was the worst thing she could have said to me. "Dad, I hate you." would have hurt less. I tried to deny it, but facts were facts, and I had to admit that I had a problem. I let Thorn go to town that day because I thought that maybe I had been wrong about her, and that she could take care of herself. I thought that maybe I had been too overbearing. I kept on telling myself that up until the point where she didn't come home on time.

I waited an hour more, thinking that maybe she had lost track of time, or had just forgot what time she was suppose to be home, even maybe that her watch stopped and she didn't know what time it was. 'She'll be home any time now.' I repeated over and over to myself. I tried not to worry when I noticed that it was raining really hard. I used the storm as an excuse for her not to be home. 'The rain must be holding her up. She's the smart one, and she knows better than to try and make it home in this weather.' I really started to worry around four o'clock when the rain had blown over an hour or so earlier and she still wasn't home. When at four fifteen she still had not shown up, I went out and looked for her.

It was no use; she was nowhere to be found. By the second day she had been missing, I just gave up and told myself that she had run away, just like all the other important women in my life. I forgot about the promise I made to Thorn and got really drunk.

And those are the events that led to me walking up the stairs to the abandoned bedroom. I just needed to sit down and think. I needed to reassess my life and my reasons for living. I finally made it up all those flights of stairs and into the room. I walked over to Ivy's vanity, and picked up a random piece of jewelry.

I jumped when a hand rested hesitantly on my shoulder, "What are you doing Hao?"

I spun around, my face as white as a sheet, and my eyes the size of tiny pinpricks. All I could do was stare; two raven-black eyes stared back at me. "Hao?" A soft, creamy white hand gently caressed my cheek. "You don't look so good…"

"You're…" I could hardly catch my breath to talk.

"What? Stunningly beautiful? The most gorgeous woman in the entire universe? Sexy beyond sexy?" Two crimson lips smirked evilly at me.

"All of the above…" I took her in my arms, and ran my fingers through her coffee brown hair. "Are you really here?"

Ivy only raised an eyebrow at me and felt of my forehead. "Are you feeling okay? Of course I'm here, where else would I be? I didn't have any last minute shopping to do, and besides, it's too late to go anywhere."

"Ivy, I had the scariest nightmare! You were gone, and Thorn had run away, and Hoshi was—"

"—Whoa, slow down! Why would I leave, and how could Thorn run away? She's only a few days old." Ivy paused for a moment, and carefully scrutinized me. "Are you drunk?"

"Uh…" I couldn't answer her at first because I was busy taking in what she had just said. 'How could Thorn run away? She's only a few days old.' "Ivy, what day is it?"

My wife raised a concerned eyebrow at me before reluctantly glancing at the diamond-studded watch I had gotten her while we were in Paris. "It's New Years Eve, 11:43 pm. My sister is coming over with Pai Long, and Ren is bringing Pilika and Akira any time now, so you should probably get ready for the party. You know, I still can't believe that Pilika was pregnant during the last few months of the Shaman Fight before they were actually married…who knew? She hid it so well, and Ren did a good job hiding it too…Anyway, I'm getting myself off track. Get ready, they should be here really soon." Ivy was about to walk off to greet the guests, but I grabbed her arm, stopping her in mid-step.

"Ha—" I cut her off with my lips, taking out all my sorrow, frustration, loneliness, and pain on her in that one kiss. I had missed her so much, and I needed to have her there with me.

I held her in my embrace like she would disappear if I let go. "Ivy, please never leave me…I love you."

The confused brunette relaxed in my hold and fiddled with a loose strand of my hair. "God, Hao…we've been over this: I love you, and I don't want to leave. You'd have to force me away from you. I'll die before I leave you. Though, I must admit, you're acting a bit clingy, Hao…" Ivy smirked seductively up at me.

I took her invitation to kiss her again. "Clingy am I?"

"Hehehe! Yes! But Hao, one more thing…"

"Yes?"

"Wake up." Her voice came from far away, and had a hollow echo to it. "Hao? Wake up! Hao-sama?"

I sat straight up in bed, and my head nearly collided with Macchi's. "Hao-sama?" Her right hand came to rest on my shoulder while the other held the bed sheet up to cover her chest.

"Ma-chi?" I stuttered slightly, my voice having a ghost of a slur in it.

"You sound disappointed…" She looked away, a faint blush highlighting her cheeks.

I tried to take in my surroundings, but they weren't very familiar. It looked like a room in my mansion, but it wasn't my room. The walls were painted dark purple with orange jack-o-lanterns. Fake spider webs hung from the ceiling, and other Halloween decorations adorned the room.

"What happened? Where the hell am I? And why do I have such a killer headache?" All of the sudden, the numbness of sleep left me, and I could once again feel pain. My head was throbbing, and my body was unusually heavy and useless.

Macchi gently brushed a bang out of my face. "You're in my room. Last night, you were really depressed, so you got really, really drunk, and then we…" Her voice trailed off, and she refused to look at me.

I was left to make my own assumptions as to what had occurred between the two of us the previous night, but I could make a pretty good guess based on the fact that we were both sharing her bed. "Macchi…I am so sorry…I…I shouldn't have used you like that…I—"

She pressed a long, slender finger to my lips, a cute blush reappearing on her cheeks. "—Shhh…You know I don't mind. I'd do anything to help my Hao-sama…I love you…"

"Macchi…" I sighed apologetically. She knew I couldn't say it back to her, and yet she said it anyway. It only made me feel even worse about using her.

"I know…I'm sorry." It was as if she was the one able to read thoughts.

"Thank you. You're the best friend anyone could ask for. I'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble without you." I playfully flipped a strand of her bright orange hair and she smiled wryly at me.

I caught a fleeting thought as she lay back down facing the wall so that I couldn't see her tears. 'Yes…I'm your best friend now am I? That's only because you can't sleep with Opacho! You call me a friend, but what you really mean to say is play toy! I mean nothing to you, yet you mean everything to me…'

"Macchi?"

"What…?" She reluctantly rolled over onto her back so that I could look down at her.

"You know I don't think that way about you." I wiped the tears from her eyes lightly as I had done for Ivy so many times before.

Her pale blush returned, and she closed her eyes, trying to act defiant. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I rolled my eyes and teasingly nipped her at the collarbone. "Fine. We can play that way if you want."

Macchi swatted me away and sighed "Hao-sama, don't…" She paused before switching topics completely. "You know, I was thinking that it would be a good idea if you got remarried."

"WHAT!" I stared blankly at her, sitting straight up in bed.

"You heard me; the girls need a mother, and you need a woman."

"But I—" I started to protest.

"No buts! Promise me that you'll try to fall in love again." I looked away from her, sighing in the most depressed way I could muster. "Hao! Ivy isn't here for you anymore, so you need to just forget about her, and think of what's best for you and your daughters!"

"Macchi, Thorn isn't coming back, Hoshi has no need of a mother, and I have you and Mari. My life has become completely pointless, so I don't see the need to get married again. It was hard enough the first time…"

A loud THWACK resounded throughout the entire four stories of the house. My hand shot up to my cheek in pure shock. Macchi's slaps weren't as powerful as, say…Anna's, but they still had force to them. I blinked a few times at her, desperately trying to understand what had just happened to me.

"Hao, don't say that. Only one of those things is true. Yes, Mari and I will be there for you, but we are not your wives, and we can only do so much. Sure, we do everything that wives would do, but we aren't rightfully yours. We can't always be there to dig you out of every ditch you fall into. You need to get married. You just can't hold together on your own any longer."

"But who could I get to marry me when I'm still so obsessed with my first wife?"

Macchi looked like she might explode. 'You idiot! MMMMMMEEEEEEE!' She pushed me down forcibly onto the bed, and pressed herself up against me, kissing me hard and full on the lips. She kissed me passionately, but I only kissed her back reluctantly. She pulled back and smiled down at me, triumphantly. "The right woman is closer than you think. Open your eyes and you just might find her."

I knew she was talking about herself, but I also knew I would be unable to marry her, so I just played along and gave her a soft peck on the cheek. "Thank you Macchi."

"You're welcome." She smiled sweetly. "Now go downstairs and eat something."

I nodded, and did as she said. I pulled on a pair of pants, and went down to the kitchen, where I was surprised to find that hardly anyone else was in the room. A few servants, a few followers, but other than that the house seemed dead. 'Just like everything else in my life…'

Sebastian, the head chef, and Ivy's favorite, greeted me kindly and asked if I wanted anything. I winced slightly whenever he addressed me. His voice triggered memories of Ivy ordering her favorite, often disgusting to normal people, dishes. Sebastian always made the—for lack of better word—food without question, all the while trying not to throw up.

I acknowledged the older man with a nod, and promptly told him to tell all the workers to take a day off and get out of the house. The chef looked startled, and asked me if I felt all right. I simply replied that I wanted the house empty for the day.

I needed to think, and it would be hard with all the people in the mansion. After I was sure that everyone had left, I reentered the kitchen and started to make something remotely edible. I was told that I was a splendid chef, but I didn't really care to make my own meals. I took my plate to the table and sat down with my back to the main doorway.

"I thought you said that you didn't like cooking." A familiar, melodic voice accused.

I almost fell out of my seat as I whipped around to look at the woman standing behind me. The red tank top, black mini skirt, bright red lipstick, heart pendant choker, light hair, dark eyes, and black leather boots were a welcome sight after so many years of only seeing them in dreams.

"Ivy…I thought you were—"

"—Shhh…You should know by now that I always come back to you. I just can't keep away…" Something was off about the way she smiled at me, but I ignored it. I wanted so badly for it to be true that she had somehow returned to me.

Ivy pushed me back into a sitting position in the chair, and she too sat by straddling me while facing me. Her arms snaked around my neck, her fingers entangled in my hair, and her face crept closer and closer to mine.

My arms took an automatic position around her waist as she drew closer. "Hao?" She stopped a breath away from my lips, teasing me.

"Yes?"

"I'd get into Heaven before Ivy comes back to you." That was definitely not Ivy's voice. Two lips met mine for a quick kiss, but then pulled back.

"LUCIFER!" I pushed the devil disguised as my wife to the floor, and held an oversouled fire sword to his throat.

"Hello Hao!" He greeted pleasantly, but did not take on his own appearance. "It's been awhile since we've seen each other, and this is how you greet me?"

"You bastard." I wiped my lips clean and glared at the demon lying on my kitchen floor. "What are you doing here looking like that?" I tried to keep my voice steady, but had little success.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to torment you, and this is the best way I know how. Now, be a darling, and take that flaming piece of metal away from my throat." He gestured toward my oversouled Spirit of Fire. I have to admit, it was sort of freaky to hear Lucifer's voice coming out of Ivy's body.

"No. I'll sooner run you through." I held the weapon to his stomach and prepared to kill.

"Fine. Kill me. It's not like you haven't done it before." Ivy's voice echoed throughout the kitchen.

I couldn't do it. Even if it was only Lucifer pretending to be her, I couldn't kill her; not in the same way as eighteen years ago. It was bound to cause horrible nightmares of before…

"Aha…I see…You can't harm your precious Ivy. Even if I'm only using her appearance and voice…you still can't kill me." Lucifer smiled evilly and pushed the sword out of the way, stepping closer to me in the process.

I stepped back, and he followed me. It wasn't long before I was backed up against the kitchen counter. Trapped—He had gotten me, and he knew it.

The evil sneer on my wife's face was unbefitting at least, but it did give her a sort of demonic beauty. I slapped myself mentally, having to constantly remind myself that it wasn't really Ivy. "W-what do you want?" I was disgusted as I heard my usually confident voice stutter nervously.

"It's not what I want, it's what you want Hao. Ask anything of me, and I'll give it to you." Lucifer pressed himself up against me, taking full advantage of my attraction to the body he was currently using.

"I—"

"—Shhh…You don't have to say anything; I already know what you want." A promiscuous hand slid down my bare chest to play seductively with my belt buckle.

"Get your hands off of me!" I tried to push him away, but my body was too reluctant to let Ivy go.

"Oh, but I don't want to, and we both know that you don't want me to either. Say the word Hao, and I'll bring her back to you. I can even reverse the clock, and take you back sixteen years ago. You'll get all your wasted time back, and you can be together for the rest of your lives. What do you say Hao? Don't you love me?" He gently caressed my cheek and leaned in to kiss me.

"No." I finally came to my senses and plunged my sword through his gut even if he did look like Ivy.

"AHHHHHHHHHH! HAO!" He dropped to his knees and curled over in pain; intense flames cascaded from the wound in place of blood.

"Hello? Is, like, someone there?" A high-pitched voice echoed from right outside the doorway. Hoshi sashayed stylishly into the kitchen with a perplexed look on her face. She took one look at me and then glanced down to the figure on the floor. "Dad! MOM?"

I could only stare at her as she looked about ready to faint. Lucifer seemed to suddenly get over his excruciating bout of pain as he staggered to his feet and pulled out my sword. His wound instantly healed, and he took on his regular appearance. His mahogany hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and his eyes switched back from dark brown, to their usual chocolate color. He wore a black long-sleeved shirt that was cut to leave his shoulders exposed; it was trimmed in red, and had the characters for 'akuma' on the back. His pants were black at the top near the waist, but the legs themselves were red.

The devil looked at my eldest daughter, and then to me, choosing to ignore the girl. "Wow…that actually hurt. Hao, why do you always have to be so testy?"

"Because. You try my patience." I picked up my sword, never taking my eyes off of him. I returned to a standing position, and tapped his neck lightly with the sword, not enough to draw blood, just to let him know who's boss.

"Fair enough, and speaking of fair, who is that enchanting creature standing in the doorway?" Lucifer made a move toward Hoshi. Her lovely face still held a puzzled look.

I disappeared in a burst of flames, and teleported in front of Hoshi, blocking Satan's path. "She's my daughter, and if you so much as lay a finger on her, I will cut you into tiny shreds, burn the pieces, feed the ashes to fish, and then burn the fish to ashes as well."

My lethal tone seemed to get the point across to him, for he shrugged uninterestedly and turned on his heel. The demon picked up a piece of buttered toast and seated himself at the kitchen table. "That's okay…I have no interest in her anyway. She's not a virgin, and she hasn't been for a long time."

"Dad, like, who is that dude who looks just like you?" Hoshi tugged at my arm, ignoring Lucifer's insult.

"His name is Lucifer. Don't go anywhere near him; he's pure evil. Go up to your room where it's safe."

"Come along Chip." Hoshi motioned to her guardian ghost, and the little sparrow obediently followed her up the many sets of stairs to her room.

"Weren't there two of them?" Lucifer asked off-handedly, but I knew he had been waiting to bring Thorn in on the conversation.

"Leave Thorn alone."

"Ah, yes! 'Thorn'. That was her name…the one that looks like Ivy. Tell me, Hao, do you ever find yourself thinking about the girl indecently because of her similarity to her mother?" The smug smirk on his face leaked through in his voice.

I took a seat opposite him and glared menacingly. "Of course not, you sick bastard; she's my daughter." Then a thought came to me as to how I could turn his question on him. "But I bet you think about her that way because of your little crush on Ivy."

"Very observant Hao." The smirk faded from his demonically handsome face.

"What kind of deal did you want to make with me Lucifer?" I picked up the business end of his visit.

That same sadistic smile returned. "I knew you couldn't last much longer without her…Hehehe…very well, Hao; this is what I want: I'll bring her back to you, and give you back those sixteen years that you've wasted without her. Then, when she dies, her soul is mine for all eternity."

"Never. There is no way in Hell that I'll let you have her for even three minutes, let alone all of eternity. I'd much rather give up the Shaman King throne." I would never, in my right mind, give Ivy to him so that I could spend a limited number of years with her.

"Hao, you know I have no interest in the Title. All I want is Ivy." He sent a deadly glare across the table at me.

"Well, you'll never get her, even if it means I never get her either."

"Fine! Take her for all eternity, all even throw in immortality for the two of you, just give me the girl." Lucifer more or less demanded of me.

"What girl?" My eyebrow slowly raised in his general direction. Nothing good could come from bargaining with the devil.

His eyes glowed with a lustful fire, and his voice dropped to a low moan filled with evil intent. "Thorn."

I didn't respond for a minute or so, and for a split second, I actually considered his deal. Lucifer noticed my hesitation, and decided to coax me further. "What do you say Hao? It's more than a fair trade; you get Ivy for keeps, and I get Thorn. That way everyone is happy."

I finally snapped back to my senses, and my paternal instincts kicked in. I punched him. "Leave my daughters alone. You're not getting your hands on either one of them."

The intruder gingerly rubbed his sore nose. "God Hao! Warn me next time will you! Ah, Hell that stings!"

"Never suggest anything like that ever again. Now get out of my house."

"Like I said before—testy; did you wake up on the wrong side of Macchi's bed this morning? Can't you see I'm trying to help get the two of you back together? I don't even know why I bother…I could just take her by force, but instead I choose to do it the hard way. I will have her one day. Mark my words Hao. I will have her!" He jumped to his feet.

"Why are you so obsessed with my wife? Can't you find someone else's wife to mess around with?" I spat at him, pushing him back down in his seat.

A crooked smile graced his half-parted lips. "May I remind you that she is your X-wife? She doesn't belong to you anymore." I almost caused him bodily injuries, but he was quick to move on to his next sentence; one that made me stop, and look at him differently. "And I'm so obsessed with her because I love her. I want her to be happy, and the only way to make her happy is to reunite her with you, you lucky son-of-a-gun. I've tried over a thousand times to persuade her to become mine, but every time she refuses me, and insists that she will only take you. There's no room in her heart for me because all the space is already occupied by you."

Lucifer's smile had turned into a thin grim line, and his once smug and somewhat haughty voice had turned sincere and more than just a little bit depressed. He spoke each word from the heart, meaning every letter of it. He was in love with Ivy. I couldn't bring myself to hate him as much as I had before. I could identify with him now because we finally had something in common besides appearance: we were both in love with the same woman, and I knew how it felt to be scorned by her. Eventually I had won Ivy over, but at first she had hated my guts. I knew how Lucifer felt being rejected like that. It's the worst feeling possible in the world.

"I'm sorry." Was all I could manage to mutter.

"You'd better be, Jerk." He shoved a business card into my hand and walked towards the door.

"What's this? A Masquerade Ball at my brother's house tomorrow? Lucifer?" I sent a boggled look his way. Somehow I could feel he heard the confusion in my voice even if he had his back to me.

"Go." The demon's voice shook slightly, but I couldn't tell why. "Go, and make sure you introduce yourself to a girl named 'Valerie Kyôyama'. You'll understand once you meet her."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off. "Oh, and about your missing daughter…" He waved his hand over his shoulder, and a glowing orb of light was left behind as he left in a cloud of flames. "Goodbye Hao."

I investigated the little glowing ball more thoroughly, and found a floating image on the inside of it. My younger daughter and a blonder version of a certain headphone-clad brother of mine were in the backyard of Funbari Onsen. Thorn was teaching Hana how to spin a gun properly.

"Here, watch me: Isa, into the antique pistols!" Ivy's old guardian ghost did as her new master commanded. "Now, it's all in the wrists Hana, this is a right-handed spin," She spun the corresponding pistol. "and this is a left-handed spin," The other gun spun around her hand. "and finally, if you get good enough, you can do both at once." Thorn demonstrated the trick.

"Wow…who taught you to do that? You're so good!" Hana goggled over Thorn's impressive gunmanship.

"Isabelle showed me the ropes, and then I sort of started making it up from there." Just to show off, Thorn spun both pistols, tossed them up in the air, and caught one behind her back. At the same time, she caught the other in front of her and immediately went into another spin. As if to prove her point, Thorn threw both pistols in the air yet again, this time catching them in the opposite hands, and spinning them in opposite directions. Then, without slowing the spinning motion, she switched the directions that she was spinning the guns. I had had no idea that she was that good with a pair of pistols before.

"Whoa…I don't even want to learn now, you'll always be so much better than I will." Hana gaped at Thorn a while longer before the crystal went dark.

The phone immediately started to ring the second that the orb disappeared.

"Asakura residence…Hello Anna…Yes, I know…I'll be over to pick her up in an hour or so…No, I'm not an emotional wreck. I got over that two minutes ago…See you then…Thanks…Goodbye Anna." I put the phone back in its holder on the wall, and headed out the door for Funbari Onsen, leaving a note for Hoshi on the kitchen counter.

I reached out to knock on the Hot Spring's door, but Anna opened it before my hand got close enough to touch the wood.

"What took you so long!" She glared her usual cold glower at me. "I thought that after you found out she was here you would poof right over in a burst of fire. What kind of father are you!"

I donned a wry grin and pushed my way past her. "God, Anna. You sure know how to make a guy feel better…Why are you in such a bad mood?"

She followed me into the kitchen, glaring all the way. "I'm always in a bad mood. Do you know how stressful it is to be a mother?"

A low growl escaped my throat, and Anna rethought her question. "I'm sorry Hao…It must have been tough raising both of the girls by yourself."

"I had a lot of help." I admitted. "So…where is she?"

"Out back teaching Hana how to do tricks with a gun. She's really good with a pistol. Just like Iv—" I winced slightly at my X-wife's name. "Sorry Hao…" I received a pity look from my sister-in-law.

"It's okay…" I mumbled. "Is she doing okay?"

"Wait, who!" Anna looked at me in slight alarm.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "My daughter? Thorn? How is she doing?"

"Oh! I thought you meant…never mind. Thorn is fine. She had a really high fever, some minor bumps and bruises, and a bullet wound in her calf." Anna turned her back to me to mess with something on the kitchen counter.

"BULLET WOUND?"

"Relax—the bullet was from her gun…it was only a rubber bullet. Good thing you didn't buy her real ones."

"What kind of father would I be if I gave my child real bullets?" I smirked my usual smile at her.

"You'd be as irresponsible as your brother."

A loud explosion coming from the basement interrupted any further conversation between Anna and me. The whole house quivered, and coughing could be heard followed by a string of German curses, and the sound of footsteps thundered up the wooden basement stairs.

A woman's voice echoed up from the stair well: "ANNA! ANNA! Anna where are you! Anna it didn't work like you said it would, and my hair is still silver! Plus I hate this dress! ANNA! GOD, WHERE ARE Y—"

The footsteps stopped, and there in the doorway was a beautiful silver-haired woman with stormy blue-green eyes. Her silver hair hung down by her hips, and swayed in the wind as she walked. She looked heavenly in an off-white wedding gown complete with veil. Her pale red lips slightly parted and she stopped in mid-sentence when she caught sight of me.

Our eyes locked. My heart hammered against the walls of my chest, my mouth went dry, and I couldn't breathe. My blood froze in my veins, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from her. Never had another woman had such an effect on me. None save for Ivy, but I wasn't really thinking about Ivy at the moment; the only thing on my mind right then, was the silver-haired beauty.

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Mikau: Well? How was that for Ivy and Hao's first meeting in sixteen years? I'm excited about the next chapter! I can't wait to do some dialogue between the two of them, and then of course there's Hao's reaction to Thorn not coming home for two days to look forward to. That should be funny. Also, I'm excited about Lucifer, and THE MASQUERADE BALL! I hope that turns out well…there are only two directions that that can go, so it'll either be really good, or really disappointing. Anyway, I'm excited. Also, on Tuesday, musical tryouts for Beauty and The Beast are being held at my school. I really hope to be cast as Babette, the feather duster, or one of the Silly Girls, who follow Gaston around. If I get cast, I'll probably only be in the ensemble since I'm only a Sophomore, but ensemble is better than nothing. Tonight I'm going to a mixer with my friends, so I'm trying to get this posted before I leave. Well, thanks to the reviewers, and see you all whenever I get a chance to update again! Also, if you all don't hear from me in awhile, don't worry, I'm just impossibly busy.

Thanks To: animeren, HAO-Addictive, Kiva Kyoyama, morgan000, Hemila-Rose, KaZuYa MiNeKuRa, glitter galz, MaiValentinefan, DarkPisces33, dragonsunlight, ChibiAzn3, Danny, Shamanbabe, Strawberry, yo wuz up, LisaTheHedgehog, oo, and y0ur-w0rst-nightmARee.

PLEASE REVIEW!