1. Ruptured: Nightmares and Daydreams

During the hours of his captivity, Yoh has a peaceful dream about Anna.

Nightmares and Daydreams

Yoh opened his eyes very slowly as a sudden warmth flooded his senses. The wind blew gently in the distance and tickled his arms as he sat upright. The park was always beautiful this time of day; the sun's rays provided a spectacular back light for the landscape. When he heard a soft moan suddenly, he smiled and returned to the grass.

Anna had fallen asleep before him; he remembered this at least. It was irresistible. The weather was nice and cool, too comfortable to complain. He rolled over onto his side and watched as her chest gently inflated and collapsed. She rested her head on one arm, and the other hand was planted firmly in the grass. Her mouth was agape, and she appeared to be mumbling something inaudible.

He laughed at her lightly and moved closer. The blond strands of her hair fell into her face as the wind increased slightly in pace, but she didn't move. As he carefully pulled the hair away with his fingers, she slowly opened her eyes and stared at him.

"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Anna didn't respond and rolled over onto her back, clasping her hands neatly over her torso. He mimicked her position, moving close enough for their shoulders to touch.

"Isn't this a beautiful day?" he asked warmly.

"Yes," she replied blankly.

There was a brief pause until he reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"We'll have more days like this," he said softly, "once we get married."

She smiled but didn't speak as he continued.

"Every day will feel like this."

"How can you be so sure?" she asked with a smirk.

"Because every day with you is beautiful," he smiled. "Every day is worth living as long as you're here."

"I love you, Yoh," she said softly. "I know I don't say it often. I wanted you to know."

He was greatly surprised by her confession. The truth was that she had never told him this. It was something he was sure to remember if it happened.

"I love you too," he replied after several moments of pause. "More than you'll ever know."

She squeezed his hand gently before rolling over onto her side to stare at him. He felt the change in her position and joined her, directly meeting her eyes.

"Kiss me," she said weakly. Her eyes were beginning to fill with tears, and the display bothered him.

"What's wrong?" Yoh frowned.

She pulled him close and kissed his lips with a great sense of urgency. He wrapped his arms around her waist and returned her embrace but was startled when she quickly recoiled.

"What is it, Anna?" he asked worriedly.

"You're dreaming," she replied quickly.

"What?" He seemed confused by her answer and frowned.

"Yoh, wake up." Her voice was soft but stern, and she didn't look at him.

"I don't understand," he mumbled.

"WAKE UP!"

The demand was accompanied by a swift blow to his face. His eyes opened as some sort of involuntary action, and he noticed Tamao standing in front of him clutching a knife in her hand. Before he could react in any way, however, she drove the blade hard into his left thigh and took a step back.

"I SAID, WAKE UP!"

He didn't realize his strength wasn't completely gone until he began screaming. His limbs shook violently as he stared wide eyed at her stomach. Although his body was now trembling from the shock, he couldn't seem to move his eyes away from her. Tamao folded her arms over her torso loosely and stared at the handle that was still protruding from his leg, and as the blood saturated his pants and began dripping onto the floor, she tilted her head and frowned.

"Did that hurt?" she asked him softly.