It was the same night, when the things happened between Hao and Anna. The blonde lay in her bed, eyes wide open. She couldn't sleep, thoughts about Hao running through her mind. Anna turned her eyes from the ceiling to the clock on her night table: 1 am. The woman sighed and got out of bed. She looked through the window, facing the slight light of young moon's falcate. Anna looked to the yard of her house, thinking. Suddenly, it poked her. Anna quickly opened the door of her wardrobe, put on a pair of jeans, warm, black pullover with high collar and jeans jacket. Silently, she walked downstairs and slipped into her black ridding boots. Then, Anna gone out side and carefully closed the door behind her. The blonde walked through the park, stopping and listening to a shuddering leaves, from time to time. As she reached the stables, Anna quickly came inside, closing to Emi's box. She found mare slumbering peacefully, but as Anna closed to her, the fiery mare woke up and sniffed softly. Anna smiled and stroked her hand through Emi's strong neck.
"Hey, girl. Sorry for waking you up, but I need a ride. Too much thoughts inside" the mare sniffed once again, as if understanding what Anna said. The blonde saddled Emi and ridded out of the stables, heading towards her spot. Anna could barely see the path of the forest, since tall spruces and pines were completely blocking the moonlight. But the mare knew the way to the lake, so Anna completely laid her trust on the horse.
As they finally approached the lake, Anna stopped Emi to walk and inhaled deeply, feeling the cold night air going deep into her lungs. But from all sudden, Emi stopped, her body tensed, head raised, only ears moving.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Anna asked, tapping gently mare's neck, calming her down. Anna narrowed her eyes, as she saw a dark figure moving in the distance. The shy moonlight didn't light it up enough to see what was it, so Anna urged her mare to ride closer. As she neared, Anna could recognize the dark man in black…Katashi. Anna stopped Emi only five horse steps away from the guy. Katashi arched his eyebrow to her.
"You shouldn't be here all by yourself, Anna" he said. Anna only scoffed to his oh-I-am-so-concerned voice, which sounded a little mockingly to her.
"I could say the same thing to you" she snapped back. Katashi gave out a slight laugh.
"My dearest Anna, I've never met a person like you" he said. Now it was Anna's turn to raise her eyebrow.
"What's that suppose to mean?" Katashi urged his black steed to go closer, stopping only when Anna's and his saddles merely touched one another.
"What I mean is that I admire your bravery, looks and everything that's about you" Anna smiled sarcastically, her flirtatious side waking up. Through these years, Anna really developed this, used to be unknown, skill and now the blonde used it not only to draw guys to her, but to her own ambitions.
"Which means you like me?" she asked, provocatively ramming her fists onto the pommel of saddle, leaning closer to the guy in black. Katashi knew how to play her hard game. He have seen this before, but one thing made it all harder: Anna was a lots cleverer and shrewder than any other girl he knew…or had relationship with. However, Katashi wasn't planning anything serious with her…for now.
"Do you read minds?" he asked his voice playful. Anna only laughed, instinctively stroking her hand through her hair.
"No. But I can predict person" Katashi smiled. Yep, she was good at these schemes.
"Now that's what I'm afraid the most: to be twined around Kyouyama Anna's finger" Anna gave him a smirk: she enjoyed playing cat and mouse with him.
"But you already are" Katashi leaned closer, his strangely cold breath touching Anna's face as he talked.
"You don't know much about me then, if you think like that" Anna arched her eyebrow. She felt the chills go p her spine, as she looked directly into those cold black eyes of the guy. Anna couldn't remember anyone as cold as him, besides herself that is, but anyway…that was strange and dangerous to her. For the first time in her life, Anna felt fear, growing inside her belly.
"What else I need to know then?" she asked provocatively once again, crossing her arms on chest, but not breaking an eye contact with Katashi.
"That I'm unpredictable" he whispered. Anna bit her lower lip, not completely understanding what to expect from him now.
"In which way?" she continued, sensing that something will happen just now.
"This" he leaned forward and kissed her lightly. Anna froze from this kiss: it was so cold, so voluptuously rough and it could freeze her all to death. Jeez, it's so much not like Hao's. Actually, a complete opposite of it: his kiss could warm you up for eternity to come and Katashi's…could freeze your soul. Nevertheless, Anna answered to his kiss, wanting to feel all of it. She felt how coldness goes down her veins and makes all muscles shudder from lack of warmth, but Anna didn't broke off; instead she deepened the kiss, putting her hand on his neck and pressing his lips tighter to hers. With each second, Anna felt colder and colder, frostiness locking her movements. But by the time Katashi broke off, Anna felt how slowly normal temperature returns to her body, relaxing frozen fingers. The guy looked right into her eyes, once again spreading chill to Anna's inside.
"Aren't you scarred?" he hissed to her. Anna smirked to him, but this smirk cost her unbelievable amount of strength.
"Not a single bit" she lied, feeling how cruel and unwanted presence of fear lingers on her heart as she heard his cold hissing voice.
"Good" he said and turned his steed around, but before leaving her asked:
"Do you know why your parents died?" Anna's insides, once again this night, froze to death. What the fuck..?
"How do you know about my parents?" Katashi shook head.
"Do not answer to question with question. So, do you know why?" Anna shook her head, completely lost. How the hell this guy could know, if barely knows her?
"It was because of a secret, that your family had been holding until now" Anna's eyes widened from shock and incomprehension. What kind of secret?!!!
"What kind of secret?" Anna demanded, urging Emi to go closer to Katashi. Anna rammed her gaze into his tunnel eyes and competitively raised her head. Katashi, however, answered her question, which only caused more questions to grow up in her head.
"About an arrangement, that was made, but your parents didn't want to keep it, since they saw that it won't be any good for you. They loved you do much, Anna" he said, sparks of some indefinite feeling, growing inside of him.
"And it would be?" Anna asked anxiously, but yet coldly: she was becoming angry, wondering why Katashi never told her before, since they'd been meeting almost every day past four years.
"I don't know the whole story, but it was something about your binding with that Asakura guy" Anna felt as if something hit the bottom of her lungs: she lost her breath for a moment, but immediately got back the balance.
"You mean Yoh?" she wanted to be completely sure.
"No. That wasn't his name" Katashi frowned his forehead, trying to remember the name, but here Anna helped him, saying out the name in a voice of complete shock. Actually, the state she was in was something between shock and being hit by a truck.
"Hao…" she whispered, feeling how her hands and feet are gone to sleep and her heart beats as fast as engine of car's turning around.
"Yeah, do you know him? The story said that you weren't supposed to even meet" Anna looked to him, anger and apathy growing greater.
"Yes, I do" Anna wanted to slap somebody, but she knew that it wasn't Katashi's fault "I know him so well. We use to dislike each other, but now…everything's changed when he came back after four years. You might say we became friends" And more. But he doesn't have to know about it.
"I understand. And I think I owe you an apology. I should've told you long ago" Anna nodded sharply.
"Damn straight. Anyway, how am I supposed to be bound with Hao?" Katashi gave her a weak smile.
"Marriage bindings" Anna almost chocked with her own saliva, which she tried to gulp.
"WHAT?! But I'm engaged to Yoh, Hao's twin! What kind of psycho could think of that?" Katashi shrugged his shoulders.
"Beats me, but it must've been really important" Anna nodded, shuddering from a sudden whirl of wind, came out of nowhere. Katashi noticed her action and pulled off his warm leather jacket. He wrapped it around Anna's shoulders, making her feel instantly warmer. Anna. However, looked to him dangerously. Katashi only smirked to her.
"Hey, someone's got to keep you warm" he said. Anna didn't smile, only wrapped the jacket tighter around her. She didn't know anything anymore; she was lost, feeling all alone in the world, with no one to trust and no one to talk to.
"Katashi, I don't know what to say anymore. I…"
"I know" he cut her "just don't say anything then. It's said enough for tonight. If I'll find out anything more, I'll tell you" Anna leaned closer to him and placed a warm kiss on his cheek. Anna felt how coldness touched her lips, but didn't react.
"Thank you anyways" Katashi nodded.
"Sure. You can keep the jacket for now" he said and turned his steed around he ridded away. Anna looked after him for a while and then turned around, heading back to stables.
By the time Anna reached her home, the eastern horizon was turning grey. The blonde walked upstairs and entered her room, sliding the door behind her back and felling on bed. She looked up to the ceiling for a while, until the drowsiness completely turned her into sleep. Anna gave in, leaving a whirl of thoughts and questions on the air…