"And this information is correct?" Hao listened avidly to the young boy's message while Opacho played with her toys and a few spirits on the ground next to his feet. He was in his chamber, sitting on his stone throne as he listened to the concerns of his shaman kingdom. The younger boy had come dashing in with some urgent news. It seemed that his brother's wedding had been interrupted by the Neo-Xs. They had taken away the bride as a bribe for Yoh to help them dethrone Hao. It was all too humorous. Unfortunately, because of this, the group had relocated to another area and covered their tracks pretty well. However, they did know where Neo-Xs strong hold was.
"Thank you. You are dismissed." Hao waved him away. Opacho looked up from her playing to watch the boy scurry off. The spirits continued in there little skit even though their mistresses attention was distracted.
"What will Hao do," she asked.
"Good questioned, Opacho. This can definitely work in our favor."
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"This is Ariel," Lyserg introduced the spirit. It was a lion spirit; his dark golden mane glowed around his severe features. He looked mighty and powerful with a sinewy body under velvety tawny fur and large paws. Despite his tough looking demeanor, he immediately took a liking to Yoh. The heavy spirit pounced upon him and ran his large, scratchy tongue along Yoh's face. Yoh smiled softly and gently pushed Ariel off. The lion was obviously still young and bounded around him, sniffing about curiously. Lyserg smiled and called Ariel. The lion came and Lyserg stroked his main as he began to purr.
"I tried to find the perfect spirit for you, Yoh. Strong and powerful but his personality someone you can deal with," Lyserg explained. Yoh simply nodded. Ryu was eying his spirit, an anaconda named Joben, warily while Ren was inspecting Lukas, a wolf spirit, very closely. Yoh did not say anything, just watching the new collection of spirits with a heavy heart. He missed Amidamaru. It was a suddenly feeling but seeing these spirits made him miss his companion. Anna had tried so many times to a point of pure exhaustion to get him back but with no luck.
"They seem strong, "Ren muttered under her breath. Lyserg smiled and took Jeanne's hand between his arms. Ariel prowled over to Yoh, sniffing him about and hopped around him. Yoh carefully stroked the cat's velvety fur. He purred and rubbed against him. Yoh sighed wearily but still smiled. This was going to be one hell of a training section….
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"So Anna, "Mariana began cheerfully. "I heard you are a very fierce trainer."
"Yes. What of it?"
"Nothing, really. Just making conversation. You will be able to train Yoh in a few days. They just need to get him acquainted with his new spirit." Anna looked at Mariana coolly from her seat near the window. Poor Yoh. He lost his spirit companion and his best friend and now they were forcing him to take another. A spirit was not something to replace like a pair of shoes. It was like trying to replace a parent after one has died. You can never do it. Anna turned away from her keeper and looked outside. She had gotten used to the surroundings outside her window. They were somewhere in the desert, she could see the Karenna Mountains in the distance. They were like hills against the darkening sky. It had been nearly a week since she kidnapped and she tomorrow she would see Yoh to train him. However it would take a day to get there from where they were, so they had to get an early start.
"I am sorry we don't have new clothes for you. It seems pathetic you are still in your wedding dress. Especially how crumpled and torn it looks," Mariana commented. Anna looked over her shoulder then down at her dress. Anna had stripped her sleeves, jewelry and veil to make it a bit more comfortable to be in. She refused to dress like a Neo-X and they had nothing else for her. Jeanne's clothes were too small and tight for her to wear. Sighing, Anna ignored Mariana's ruthless remarks to gaze out at Karenna and the dim lights of Silent Village.
"You know you really shouldn't be so distraught about this anymore," Mariana continued.
Anna head flashed over to the girl, who was gracefully lounging in her chair. For one who was three years younger than Anna, she certainly had a wicked streak.
"Are you mental? You ruined my wedding day," Anna snapped fiercely. Mariana wide grin was mischievously to say the least.
"Oh and I am sorry about the inconvenience of the moment but the extreme makes an impact," she said without any remorse in her tone, just light and friendly. "But think about, Anna, no more running."
When Anna did not answer vocally, she continued, "I know you must be tired of running. I can tell you are one of those people who don't lie back and hid like rats. But even though the circumstances are against you, they are in your favor as well. You finally get to fight. Finally, Yoh has the reason to actually do something other than run. Don't get me wrong. What happened at the Shaman Tournament, everyone lost something or someone…"Her voice trailed for a moment and her eyes went back into another time. "And I know it can be hard to get back into a fight that you lost so much from and could lose so much again. But than, Yoh needs to think what can gain because I surely know you could. First Lady, married to the Shaman King Yoh in the wedding you dreamed. Even if it fails and we all perish, things could not be any worse than what you are living now."
"Get out! Get out! GET OUT!" Anna yelled, jumping to her feet with a passionate. Mariana jumped up purely by surprise, knocking over the chair she was sitting in. Her grin was malicious and triumphant.
"I struck a cord, didn't I? Very well then, I will leave. But think about it, Anna." Anna snatched up her chair and made a motion to throw it at Mariana but the girl left with a quick slam of the door. Anna set the chair down and sat promptly in the seat with her arms crossed angrily. She was not angry at Mariana but at what she said. And what she said was true. She hated running, she hated hiding and she wanted to fight. Anna wanted to dethrone the cocky Hao by any means necessary. The life she was living now was not worth it all the running and hiding and utter disappointment. The only light in it was Yoh and the prospect of the life after their marriage. Yet she understood where Yoh was coming from and his reasons not to fight. And she respected them fully but she did not want to live her life that. Not for her or anyone else in her life.
"I am sorry, Yoh but I agree with them," she said to the wall, her eyes blurry. "We can't live our lives like this anymore. I will not allow it, not now. I will train you hard and long so you are ready to win. I make sure you will survive for…"There was a loud crash and screams of anger and surprise beyond her door. Anna jumped up quickly and immediately regretted it. She felt an immense wave of nausea hit her, crashing against her head and stomach. The sounds beyond her door intensified. A battle was brewing on the other side but Anna had to lean against the chair, feeling light-headed and sick. Her lunch was churning angrily in her stomach.
"Oh…" she moaned. The room seemed to spin. What was in that food? The doorknob fidgeted for a moment but she did not pay any attention. She felt horrible and dizzy and lightheaded and she was burning up. Her throat was tickling with the prospect of vomit. The door flung open and Hao stood in the door way as a dying scream came from behind him and fired crackled. Anna looked evilly at him, her ears filled with the roar of flames and sickness. Nothing clicked in her mind. She was vaguely aware of the fact that he was standing there, staring at her with an amused smile. The weight of the situation did not hit her. All she could do was turn away as her head pitched forward and throw up all over the floor.
Bump bum bum!