As I said in my previous Shaman King fic, I am not very keen on the series as far as omnipotent knowledge goes. Very far from the truth, I just wing these things. So for the first time I am trying a Yuri! I see definite potential between Anna and Tamao.
So this fic is dedicated to Resuko for prodding me on, beta-ing my scraps of writing, and lending ideas. And to CTR who is also a supporter of this coupling and the first brave soul to post one (You rock!)
Don't worry this story wont spoil anything as it is set in it's own time really.
*Disclaimer: Shaman King does not belong to me no matter how much I beg.*
/If Only for one Night/
By: Nanashi
I watch as Yoh comes bursting through the door. His garments are almost shredded in some places and underneath the holes his skin is red with obvious signs of abuse. A large welt on his leg causes him to limp, but I know from experience that it's not enough to stop him. He shuffles his bruised and battered body by me quickly, heading straight for the shed in the garden.
Behind him a weary Manta wanders into the room. He is not as beaten up, but his clothes are soiled and he is obviously tired. Across the table from me Tamao sits in shock, absorbing the scene blooming before us. Manta makes it over to the table and collapses breathing heavily. I just turn my attention back to my rice bowl. The situation finally sinks into Tamao's head and she quickly regains herself only to fluster over Manta's condition.
"Manta! Are you ok? What is going on? What happened to Yoh?" she asks frantically.
The pint-sized boy raises his heavy eyelids and answers her between pants, "Ren has been captured by some unknown enemy. Horohoro has gone after him telling Yoh and I to come back for supplies."
Tamao's eyes widen, "You don't mean to tell me you're going back there are you!?"
Manta hangs his head in reply. I only continue to view him from the side. At that moment Yoh strides into the room again. His presence causes all our heads to turn in his direction and he only stops to give Manta a knowing look. Manta nods before standing to his feet. Tamao is visibly shaken by now as it dawns on her that this is really happening.
The pair make for the door and Tamao is the first to stop them verbally.
"Yoh-sama!"
He turns. She composes herself.
"A-ano..I don't think it's wise for you to go into a fight in your condition." she mumbles.
His gaze hardens uncharacteristically. Any other time he would have whimsically waved her off with a hand and thrown on his lazy smile. This time his determined stare tells a different story. I could tell Yoh was in 'no-nonsense, all or nothing' mode. It is a rare thing to see and it only surprises me each time it happens. It exclusively seems to come up in the most dire situations. I know better than to protest.
"I'm just worried.." she adds to reinforce her previous outburst.
He shakes his head and turns his view back to the darkening sky outside; one foot already out the sliding-door.
"I have to go." he says with an impatient ring to his voice.
"Ren needs me.." he whispers, quickly followed by "And I can't leave Horohoro to fight alone."
Of course he would say that. It's always like Yoh to go rushing off to battle like the hero of some war story, when a friend is in trouble. It's no surprise to me by now..that if it has to do with Ren, it doesn't have to involve trouble to get his full attention. Of course I have nothing to worry about..after all I am the one with the ring right?
I take my eyes off my rice bowl for a moment. I lift my head in time to lock my eyes with his. There doesn't need to be anything said. I know he means business and he knows I wont stop him. Tamao makes another gesture of concern but is stopped by the stern look I cast at her. She nearly shivers at the intensity of my glare and finally getting the message she bows, leaving the room quickly.
I take the opportunity to see him off. Rising quietly from my position at the table I walk towards him. He turns to hear what I have to say. I merely brush some dust off from one of his shoulders. It is the most concern I can show in a situation like this where there is no room for compromise.
"Be careful." I tell him and he nods all too briefly before he's bolting across the lawn and past the gates of our home.
Amidamaru makes a brief appearance beside me.
"Anna-sama, do not worry. I will take good care of him. You have my word." he declares and just about salutes waiting for my approval.
I give him a half smile and nod. He disappears after his master.
I have a right mind at this point to retreat back to the table and finish up the meal I was interrupted from, but I suddenly don't feel hungry. A relaxing dip in the hot tub outside would help ease the tension in my head though.
I stroll in the direction of the tub and stop in the washroom to disrobe. With that out of the way I quickly wrap my hair up and make my way to the spring sliding the door ajar. It's then that I hear the muffled sounds coming from inside the place. It seems Tamao had the same idea and she was sobbing into her hands at one corner of the tub. It's nothing I haven't seen before. The emotional girl always cries when it has something to do with Yoh. It's obvious enough how much she likes him, and if weren't for my place in the family and her shyness, she would declare herself to him a million times over and bear a whole herd of his babies.
She looks up in a fluster as she hears me come in, immediately wiping at her face in a weak attempt to hide the fact she was crying. I merely shake my head dipping one of my feet in lightly to test the water. It's hot, it shouldn't surprise me. Finally immersing myself in the steamy water I stretch to relax myself. Tamao is eyeing me cautiously, just across from me. Her lips are quivering with her face strained in an effort to hold back her tears. I huff at my bangs.
"Just cry already, it's no use trying to hide it from me." I tell her with a wave of my hand.
A silent tear rolls down her cheek and she blinks furiously. "How can you be so cold Anna-sama?"
Well this was surprising. It was a rare thing for her to speak out this way to me. I decide to prod a little further and see if she keeps up this brave trend.
"What do you mean?"
She scrunches her face angrily. A new look for her.
"You know exactly what I mean! Don't you care about Yoh? You are engaged to him for a reason right? Aren't you ever afraid you will lose him?"
An easy question with an easier answer, "I trust his judgment, there is no reason to fear. Yoh..always comes back."
This answer is shocking to her obviously, since she blinks at me. It is subsequently followed by her covering her face with her hands. There she goes again.
"Anna-sama.." she sniffs, "Do you love him?"
I nearly face-faulted into the hot water. It's hard to catch me off guard like that, very hard. I hadn't expected she would be so direct. Why would she question me anyway? Do I love Yoh? Yes..yes I do. Would I tell her that? Is it something she wants to hear? Have I ever told anyone? I was actually more curious to hear her say it.
"Do you?" I counter.
She let's her hands slide nervously off her face. She gawks in my direction before blushing furiously and staring down at the bubbling water.
Perhaps the silence answered it for both of us.
~*~
I fidget around with my hair a little, I am about to get out of the tub, but I catch her staring at me. I can see the questions on her face.
"Haven't you ever been jealous of anyone? Do you know what it is like to be second best all the time? Ignored even, Anna-sama?" she asks, trying to keep her voice steady.
That question does hit home a little. I am jealous. Jealous of so many. Manta, for being so close to Yoh..always the one he confides in. Ren, for being the object of his affection, the one he tries so desperately to know and..Tamao. She is so warm, so innocent and honest. She is nothing like me, she is wife material. She earns Yoh's smiles, while I..I only get his fear, his shivers. Perhaps it's my fault for making him cry so many times when he was younger. Perhaps if I had been more like her, he would not be running to someone else.
"Yes.." I reply, "I have."
"But why? You are beautiful, you're strong, you are what so many others want to be, you have what..so many..what I..would love to have." she confesses, looking away sheepishly, with a blush to her cheeks.
It was interesting, this reaction from her. I had seen it a few times before, but it was never directed to me.
"What I said before..I was out of line. I'm sorry about that. The truth is I admire you..I should be more like you and maybe if I was, I wouldn't be so worried and weak all the time.." she continues rambling, her gaze fixed on the water as her face continued reddening.
Of course I have no qualms pointing out her odd situation, complete with curious stare. "Your face is red Tamao."
She stiffens in the water, thoroughly shaken by the fact I noticed such an obvious reaction. "I-it's the water..it's too hot in here I should get out. Please excuse me."
She begins moving in my direction since her only exit out of here is behind me. The tension builds as she nears me and I only do what comes naturally at that instant. I grasp her arm and whirl her around to face me.
"Your face is still red Tamao.." I whisper right before my lips connect with hers.
For a moment she is responding to my actions, kissing me back with a deep fervor, but she pulls away from me just as my fingers begin to entangle in her hair.
"A-Anna-san..what are you..?" she begins to stutter but I grip her shoulders tighter pulling her closer to me.
"I know you feel more than admiration for me, there is nothing wrong with that..I.." I stop for a moment regarding her innocent face, running my hand along the border of her tomboyish features.
She leans into my caress and closes her eyes, a small smile broadening across her tinted face. "It's ok..I know, you don't have to tell me."
The lids of her eyes flutter open and she gazes at me for a moment with her warm depth. I smile back at her taking her hand and leading her out of the tub, our towels forgotten somewhere in the process.
"Tonight..if only for one night, let us find some comfort in each other."
~*~
I feel myself stirring uneasily on my mat. Lazily, I force my eyes open sitting up to pull my robes over my bare skin. The passionate heat I had felt, what seemed like moments ago, was gone as I realize it was the cold air in the room that woke me. I look to my left at the spot Tamao should have been in. Adjusting to the dark I get up and stretch walking to the source of the cold.
The sliding door to the porch outside is open and under the moonlight Tamao is sitting gazing at the cloudy sky. I walk up silently behind her, leaning gently against the slides. She felt my presence long ago and lets out a long sigh.
"Couldn't sleep?" I ask strolling beside her and taking a seat.
She nods as she fumbles with her Ouija board in her hands.
"I brought this out to see if he would have a safe journey..to make an attempt to see if he was all right. If he would come back to us soon..but it didn't work. I couldn't see anything." she says, her voice thinning with each word.
"Yoh wont.. ever love us will he?" she sniffs uncertainly, stifling a sob.
I sigh.
"I don't know what the future holds for us. I don't know if Yoh will be Shaman King, or if he will ever love me or you. I don't know anything beyond what I know now. And right now all we have is each other, even if it doesn't last forever..it can last tonight." I tell her firmly but softly.
There is a moment of silence as she sits pensively.
I lean back comfortably gazing up at the moon again, "All we can do is wait..be there for him, and trust him to make his own decisions. But it doesn't mean we have to be alone."
I turn to face her, but her gaze is still fixed somberly on the board. She runs her hand lightly over it's face a few times, holding it gently as if it contained all the answers of the universe. Slowly, and almost reluctantly, she places her board aside as one of her hands cups over mine, the weight in her body shifting close to me. Our eyes meet and we smile for that moment, before turning our view back to the moon.
"Let's make it last tonight.."
~ Owari
Started- Jan 31 2002
Ended- Mar 30 2002
Took a while so sue me! *sweatdrops and runs from Resu*
So this fic is dedicated to Resuko for prodding me on, beta-ing my scraps of writing, and lending ideas. And to CTR who is also a supporter of this coupling and the first brave soul to post one (You rock!)
Don't worry this story wont spoil anything as it is set in it's own time really.
*Disclaimer: Shaman King does not belong to me no matter how much I beg.*
/If Only for one Night/
By: Nanashi
I watch as Yoh comes bursting through the door. His garments are almost shredded in some places and underneath the holes his skin is red with obvious signs of abuse. A large welt on his leg causes him to limp, but I know from experience that it's not enough to stop him. He shuffles his bruised and battered body by me quickly, heading straight for the shed in the garden.
Behind him a weary Manta wanders into the room. He is not as beaten up, but his clothes are soiled and he is obviously tired. Across the table from me Tamao sits in shock, absorbing the scene blooming before us. Manta makes it over to the table and collapses breathing heavily. I just turn my attention back to my rice bowl. The situation finally sinks into Tamao's head and she quickly regains herself only to fluster over Manta's condition.
"Manta! Are you ok? What is going on? What happened to Yoh?" she asks frantically.
The pint-sized boy raises his heavy eyelids and answers her between pants, "Ren has been captured by some unknown enemy. Horohoro has gone after him telling Yoh and I to come back for supplies."
Tamao's eyes widen, "You don't mean to tell me you're going back there are you!?"
Manta hangs his head in reply. I only continue to view him from the side. At that moment Yoh strides into the room again. His presence causes all our heads to turn in his direction and he only stops to give Manta a knowing look. Manta nods before standing to his feet. Tamao is visibly shaken by now as it dawns on her that this is really happening.
The pair make for the door and Tamao is the first to stop them verbally.
"Yoh-sama!"
He turns. She composes herself.
"A-ano..I don't think it's wise for you to go into a fight in your condition." she mumbles.
His gaze hardens uncharacteristically. Any other time he would have whimsically waved her off with a hand and thrown on his lazy smile. This time his determined stare tells a different story. I could tell Yoh was in 'no-nonsense, all or nothing' mode. It is a rare thing to see and it only surprises me each time it happens. It exclusively seems to come up in the most dire situations. I know better than to protest.
"I'm just worried.." she adds to reinforce her previous outburst.
He shakes his head and turns his view back to the darkening sky outside; one foot already out the sliding-door.
"I have to go." he says with an impatient ring to his voice.
"Ren needs me.." he whispers, quickly followed by "And I can't leave Horohoro to fight alone."
Of course he would say that. It's always like Yoh to go rushing off to battle like the hero of some war story, when a friend is in trouble. It's no surprise to me by now..that if it has to do with Ren, it doesn't have to involve trouble to get his full attention. Of course I have nothing to worry about..after all I am the one with the ring right?
I take my eyes off my rice bowl for a moment. I lift my head in time to lock my eyes with his. There doesn't need to be anything said. I know he means business and he knows I wont stop him. Tamao makes another gesture of concern but is stopped by the stern look I cast at her. She nearly shivers at the intensity of my glare and finally getting the message she bows, leaving the room quickly.
I take the opportunity to see him off. Rising quietly from my position at the table I walk towards him. He turns to hear what I have to say. I merely brush some dust off from one of his shoulders. It is the most concern I can show in a situation like this where there is no room for compromise.
"Be careful." I tell him and he nods all too briefly before he's bolting across the lawn and past the gates of our home.
Amidamaru makes a brief appearance beside me.
"Anna-sama, do not worry. I will take good care of him. You have my word." he declares and just about salutes waiting for my approval.
I give him a half smile and nod. He disappears after his master.
I have a right mind at this point to retreat back to the table and finish up the meal I was interrupted from, but I suddenly don't feel hungry. A relaxing dip in the hot tub outside would help ease the tension in my head though.
I stroll in the direction of the tub and stop in the washroom to disrobe. With that out of the way I quickly wrap my hair up and make my way to the spring sliding the door ajar. It's then that I hear the muffled sounds coming from inside the place. It seems Tamao had the same idea and she was sobbing into her hands at one corner of the tub. It's nothing I haven't seen before. The emotional girl always cries when it has something to do with Yoh. It's obvious enough how much she likes him, and if weren't for my place in the family and her shyness, she would declare herself to him a million times over and bear a whole herd of his babies.
She looks up in a fluster as she hears me come in, immediately wiping at her face in a weak attempt to hide the fact she was crying. I merely shake my head dipping one of my feet in lightly to test the water. It's hot, it shouldn't surprise me. Finally immersing myself in the steamy water I stretch to relax myself. Tamao is eyeing me cautiously, just across from me. Her lips are quivering with her face strained in an effort to hold back her tears. I huff at my bangs.
"Just cry already, it's no use trying to hide it from me." I tell her with a wave of my hand.
A silent tear rolls down her cheek and she blinks furiously. "How can you be so cold Anna-sama?"
Well this was surprising. It was a rare thing for her to speak out this way to me. I decide to prod a little further and see if she keeps up this brave trend.
"What do you mean?"
She scrunches her face angrily. A new look for her.
"You know exactly what I mean! Don't you care about Yoh? You are engaged to him for a reason right? Aren't you ever afraid you will lose him?"
An easy question with an easier answer, "I trust his judgment, there is no reason to fear. Yoh..always comes back."
This answer is shocking to her obviously, since she blinks at me. It is subsequently followed by her covering her face with her hands. There she goes again.
"Anna-sama.." she sniffs, "Do you love him?"
I nearly face-faulted into the hot water. It's hard to catch me off guard like that, very hard. I hadn't expected she would be so direct. Why would she question me anyway? Do I love Yoh? Yes..yes I do. Would I tell her that? Is it something she wants to hear? Have I ever told anyone? I was actually more curious to hear her say it.
"Do you?" I counter.
She let's her hands slide nervously off her face. She gawks in my direction before blushing furiously and staring down at the bubbling water.
Perhaps the silence answered it for both of us.
~*~
I fidget around with my hair a little, I am about to get out of the tub, but I catch her staring at me. I can see the questions on her face.
"Haven't you ever been jealous of anyone? Do you know what it is like to be second best all the time? Ignored even, Anna-sama?" she asks, trying to keep her voice steady.
That question does hit home a little. I am jealous. Jealous of so many. Manta, for being so close to Yoh..always the one he confides in. Ren, for being the object of his affection, the one he tries so desperately to know and..Tamao. She is so warm, so innocent and honest. She is nothing like me, she is wife material. She earns Yoh's smiles, while I..I only get his fear, his shivers. Perhaps it's my fault for making him cry so many times when he was younger. Perhaps if I had been more like her, he would not be running to someone else.
"Yes.." I reply, "I have."
"But why? You are beautiful, you're strong, you are what so many others want to be, you have what..so many..what I..would love to have." she confesses, looking away sheepishly, with a blush to her cheeks.
It was interesting, this reaction from her. I had seen it a few times before, but it was never directed to me.
"What I said before..I was out of line. I'm sorry about that. The truth is I admire you..I should be more like you and maybe if I was, I wouldn't be so worried and weak all the time.." she continues rambling, her gaze fixed on the water as her face continued reddening.
Of course I have no qualms pointing out her odd situation, complete with curious stare. "Your face is red Tamao."
She stiffens in the water, thoroughly shaken by the fact I noticed such an obvious reaction. "I-it's the water..it's too hot in here I should get out. Please excuse me."
She begins moving in my direction since her only exit out of here is behind me. The tension builds as she nears me and I only do what comes naturally at that instant. I grasp her arm and whirl her around to face me.
"Your face is still red Tamao.." I whisper right before my lips connect with hers.
For a moment she is responding to my actions, kissing me back with a deep fervor, but she pulls away from me just as my fingers begin to entangle in her hair.
"A-Anna-san..what are you..?" she begins to stutter but I grip her shoulders tighter pulling her closer to me.
"I know you feel more than admiration for me, there is nothing wrong with that..I.." I stop for a moment regarding her innocent face, running my hand along the border of her tomboyish features.
She leans into my caress and closes her eyes, a small smile broadening across her tinted face. "It's ok..I know, you don't have to tell me."
The lids of her eyes flutter open and she gazes at me for a moment with her warm depth. I smile back at her taking her hand and leading her out of the tub, our towels forgotten somewhere in the process.
"Tonight..if only for one night, let us find some comfort in each other."
~*~
I feel myself stirring uneasily on my mat. Lazily, I force my eyes open sitting up to pull my robes over my bare skin. The passionate heat I had felt, what seemed like moments ago, was gone as I realize it was the cold air in the room that woke me. I look to my left at the spot Tamao should have been in. Adjusting to the dark I get up and stretch walking to the source of the cold.
The sliding door to the porch outside is open and under the moonlight Tamao is sitting gazing at the cloudy sky. I walk up silently behind her, leaning gently against the slides. She felt my presence long ago and lets out a long sigh.
"Couldn't sleep?" I ask strolling beside her and taking a seat.
She nods as she fumbles with her Ouija board in her hands.
"I brought this out to see if he would have a safe journey..to make an attempt to see if he was all right. If he would come back to us soon..but it didn't work. I couldn't see anything." she says, her voice thinning with each word.
"Yoh wont.. ever love us will he?" she sniffs uncertainly, stifling a sob.
I sigh.
"I don't know what the future holds for us. I don't know if Yoh will be Shaman King, or if he will ever love me or you. I don't know anything beyond what I know now. And right now all we have is each other, even if it doesn't last forever..it can last tonight." I tell her firmly but softly.
There is a moment of silence as she sits pensively.
I lean back comfortably gazing up at the moon again, "All we can do is wait..be there for him, and trust him to make his own decisions. But it doesn't mean we have to be alone."
I turn to face her, but her gaze is still fixed somberly on the board. She runs her hand lightly over it's face a few times, holding it gently as if it contained all the answers of the universe. Slowly, and almost reluctantly, she places her board aside as one of her hands cups over mine, the weight in her body shifting close to me. Our eyes meet and we smile for that moment, before turning our view back to the moon.
"Let's make it last tonight.."
~ Owari
Started- Jan 31 2002
Ended- Mar 30 2002
Took a while so sue me! *sweatdrops and runs from Resu*