Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King. But Hiroyuki Takei never said I couldn't borrow them to play with them a bit...:grins:
Burn
-by A.S.A
He would never forget the day when he first met her.
There was a slim figure of a girl standing in front of him, dressed in a simple black dress, a red bandana tied around her neck, the necklace made of beads clinking slightly in front of her. The wind played with her hair, making blond, soft tresses flutter away from her pale face. She was beautiful, he thought and when he voiced that out loud, he was left to stare at her in shock when she slapped him hard across the face, glaring daggers at him.
He looked at her, astonished and then blinked, realizing that her previously cold, emotionless eyes were looking at him differently now. They weren't passive and indifferent anymore.
They burned.
÷÷÷
She was his fiancée now, an arrangement made by his grandparents long time ago. He was still fairly young to understand the full meaning of the words like engagement, marriage, wedding... He was too preoccupied by the Shaman tournament, the fights and battles that lied ahead of him, by his friends and foes, one of them being his other half, his own flesh and blood.
And there was of course her and her training agenda.
He could still remember walking home one afternoon...or rather – half-limping back home after a hard day of running numerous laps, doing numerous pushups and practicing soul unity with Amidamaru. He stopped for a moment to sigh heavily and looked up in surprise when he felt something wet on the tip of his nose. The sky was dark and the clouds were rolling heavily across it, a soft rumble heard in the distance. As if on cue, the rain started to fall, drenching him in a matter of seconds and he shivered, embracing himself tightly and sneezed loudly. He moaned in despair and continued to walk back home, lowering his head to prevent the rain from blurring his vision.
He made a few steps forward until he bumped into something pointy and solid and he quickly looked up, seeing her first, dressed in her yellow raincoat, the umbrella outstretched in front of her, the tip of it jabbing his chest slightly.
He said her name and it came out as a surprised squeak on which she only stared back at him coolly, not saying a word. She handed him the umbrella mutely and waited patiently until he opened it and raised it above his head, taking another moment to sneeze twice in a row. Her eyes softened for just a moment before he looked at her and grinned sheepishly, making her roll her eyes.
They headed back home and he would always remember the sensation he felt when her fingers accidentally brushed his and his eyes widened at the sudden jolt. He looked at her to see if she felt anything but she was looking straight ahead, tiny droplets of water trickling down her hood and onto her face. He blushed and looked at his hand, his skin still under the influence of the innocent contact and he wondered why his fingers and skin prickled, making him feel odd.
For some, equally strange reason to him, he felt warm.
And he realized that his cheeks burned.
÷÷÷
He was sitting on the wooden porch of the inn, gazing at the sky and the sparkling stars thoughtfully. He looked at the oracle bell resting beside him and sighed heavily. He had managed to defeat Hao but that left a bitter taste in his mouth. He looked back up, noticing the crescent moon shining brightly, illuminating the front of the inn and the wooden gates in front of him. He wondered where HoroHoro, Ren, Ryu and Manta were now and how they were doing, but his thoughts were interrupted when she sat down beside him with a mug in her hands, the steam rising from the freshly made green tea. The liquid shimmered on the moonlight and he could see her reflection in it, impassive and cool as always.
He remembers asking her if she was happy that he had become Shaman King. She was quiet for a moment before she replied that yes, she was. It was after all, his destiny and she believed in its fulfillment.
He was staring at her in mild surprise and turned to look at her better.
"But...are you happy?" He had asked her and she looked at him, black pools slightly wide in surprise, as well. She was staring at him for a few moments, him waiting keenly for an answer, her thinking about what kind of reply she would give to him.
"Yes," she said finally but her reply hadn't reached her eyes, he noticed. He sighed and shook his head. He knew she was lying. He knew her that much and that long to recognize when she was satisfied and when she was not.
"You're not, Anna," he said in a quiet voice, looking at her and searching her eyes. He shuddered slightly when he noticed the familiar flame in them – they almost burned with that same fire when he first met her.
"What do you mean?" She demanded; the confusion mingled with true unhappiness making her angry. "You've become Shaman King! Of course I'm hap-"
"But is that enough, Anna?" He interrupted her and she closed her mouth quickly, staring at him in shock. Realizing she didn't quite understand what he meant, he leaned in closer, and seeing her back away from him, put his hand on her own, making her jump slightly. He felt the same jolt again and closed his eyes for a second, sensing his heart beat quickly. He understood now what it meant and why he was feeling that way.
He opened his eyes to see her staring at him in a mixture of anger, confusion and...fear. Ah, yes – the unbreakable itako was afraid of emotions, was afraid of feelings...was afraid to love.
"Anna," he whispered and felt her hand jerk slightly, the indication that she was trying to run away from him. "Anna."
Her cheeks reddened and she turned her head away, staring intently at the gates and almost wishing for one of his friends to barge through them just to stop him from making her feel this way. She felt so weak...and she hated it.
"Anna," she jumped when she felt his breath on her face and turned around quickly, the sudden movement making them stare at each other, their noses touching.
"I..." She whispered, helplessly staring into his dark orbs, cloudy and heavy with emotions and couldn't help but tense visibly, the emotional battle inside of her raging. One side of her wanted to give in, let him kiss her, let him do anything he wanted to do to her, but the other side still rebelled against it, claiming that showing her emotions was a weakness, that she shouldn't give in, that it was wro...
Her thoughts were silenced when she felt his lips on hers, soft and sweet, just the way she imagined them to be so many times when she allowed her thoughts to wander occasionally after watching her favorite soap opera. And the hero would kiss the heroine and the kiss would go on and on and their love would last forever...
She closed her eyes and let herself drown in him completely, pushing all doubts aside.
And there was no doubt she was really happy after he had asked her later on, when they were sitting on the porch together, his arms around her, keeping her warm.
She closed her eyes, licking her lips involuntarily after his kisses.
Her lips burned.
÷÷÷
She was staring nervously at her own reflection in the mirror, the light in the bathroom too bright for her at the moment, the walls too close. She felt like she could faint any moment. She gripped the edge of the sink, shaking slightly in fear, anxiety and...need.
She took a deep breath and lowered her head, exhaling loudly. She could do this...it was Yoh...She lo...she loved him. She nodded. She could do this. She trusted him enough to know he would never hurt her...
"Damnit," she muttered and her insides turned once again. She never thought that a stupid wedding night would cause her to shiver and shudder in fear and trepidation. How was she supposed to...how was he supposed to...
"Oh, Kami..." she whispered and shook her head determinedly, willing her body to leave the bathroom and go to bed already. She turned the lights off and started walking down the corridor slowly, almost as if trying to delay the inevitable.
She stopped in front of the doors and pressed the knob down with shaky fingers. The doors creaked open and she took a hesitant step forward, closing them slowly behind her. The darkness greeted her and that only made her feel even more nervous. She waited until her eyes adjusted to the darkness and then noticed a bulge underneath the covers, lying peacefully. If she was lucky, he had already fallen asleep and-
"Anna?" She stiffened and her eyes widened when he moved and raised his head to look at her. There was something familiar in his eyes that almost mirrored the emotions in her own – fear and embarrassment.
"Yeah?" She replied, feeling stupid for standing there like an idiot so she started walking towards the futon, slowly unfolding the covers and crawling onto the futon awkwardly, choosing to stay away from him as much as possible. He was staring at her intently, his own thoughts racing, as well as his heartbeat. After hearing all those stories from the guys what to do and how to do it on the wedding night, he couldn't help but feel slightly scared and nervous. They had kissed already and exchanged small, affectionate hugs occasionally, but to...
He shook his head mentally, not being able to even think of it, let alone say it out loud. But...there she was, just a couple of feet away from him, her scent making his fists clench and his body react to the inviting smell of her shampoo, the softness of her hair, the smoothness of her skin and the hidden passion she would show when they would kiss...
She flinched and jerked a bit when she felt him move closer to her, his hands sneaking around her waist, pulling her close to him protectively. She shivered when she felt him inhale the scent of her shampoo, his hands warm and his embrace tight. She felt safe and secure and slowly, tentatively, she started to relax in his arms, letting him to nuzzle her neck slowly and enabling his hands to roam over her body.
She did blush and almost jumped when his hands brushed over the most sensitive spots but he didn't leave her any room to make complaints when he turned her around and kissed her passionately, making her head spin and her heart race madly.
As the night progressed, they both managed to release their inhibitions, little by little, and she would never forget the way his eyes burned and how much love she could see in them when he asked her if she was sure she wanted him to continue.
She nodded mutely, gave him a kiss and closed her eyes, surrendering to emotions completely and not caring whether they were wrong or right, whether she was weak or not.
And as their bodies joined in one, their souls burned together in perfect unity.
÷÷÷
He yawned widely, closing the book he had been reading for the nth time to his son who was snoozing soundly in his lap, blond, unruly tresses hanging down his face. He brushed a few strands away and smiled gently at the peaceful expression on Hana's face, lifting him up carefully and placing him in bed.
The small boy stirred slightly and mumbled something incoherent but didn't wake up.
His father yawned again and looked at the clock on the wall, his eyes widening when he realized that he had spent a whole hour reading to his son about trains, buses, flowers and meadows. He looked at him and smiled at the boy, turning the lights off and closing the doors behind him softly.
She was waiting patiently outside, leaned on the doorframe of their room in her white robes, her expression weary.
"Did he fall asleep?" She asked him and he nodded slowly, making his way towards her to kiss her softly on the lips and hug her gently, ushering her inside the room.
The moon was full when she looked out the window, staring thoughtfully at the shining orb but she dismissed her thoughts when she felt his hands around her waist, pulling her close possessively.
"Oyasumi," he whispered and kissed her on the cheek lovingly, making her close her eyes in silent contentment.
"Oyasumi," she replied, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, relaxing in his embrace and falling asleep soon after.
Invisible to most of the eyes, their spirits joined in the darkness of the room, sparkling flames dancing together, creating something beautiful and eternal.
Together, they burned.
a/n
Oh, uhm...haven't written anything in a...well, while, so I don't know...I think this kind of...sucks and all. I think I need to start writing again or I'll forget how to write good (well, hopefully, they are good) stories. :grins sheepishly:
Anyway, you're free to tell me what you think! Reviews are appreciated!