A hazy glow of moonlight crept upon the Asakura household, casting shadows of doubt as it rose.
It had been approaching 10pm the night before Yoh left for America; the last night for him to spend in his home before leaving to compete in the Shaman Tournament; before venturing out to risk his life in pursuit of his dream; before he could say goodbye to his fiancée.
It had been all of these things and yet…Yoh had still not returned home.
This was the fact plaguing Anna's thoughts as she sat impatiently at the dinner table, a fidgety pink-haired girl to her right, a grand feast placed out before them – untouched.
"The food's getting cold…" Tamao mused as she shifted her weight in her chair.
Anna didn't respond at first, and simply continued to stare distantly at the wall ahead of her.
Where the hell are you, Yoh.
After a moment, Anna bowed her head, closing her eyes as she did.
"He's probably spending time with Manta," she said. Of course he is.
She swiftly picked up her chopsticks and reached out for a bowl of rice across the table.
As she began to eat silently, Tamao gave a disappointed sigh.
"I wanted to all eat together…" she murmured.
"Honestly, we prepared a feast for him," Anna said, a vexed tone to her voice.
Shortly after finishing the meal between themselves, Anna and Tamao departed to their separate bedrooms. However, whilst Tamao slept into the night, Anna stayed fixated on her window, staring into the garden and watching as a cold breeze swept through the trees outside.
She felt betrayed by Yoh's deferral.
But what were you expecting? She asked herself. Of course he values time spent with Manta above you.
This notion pierced at her nerves and made her stomach churn as memories of her childhood flooded back to her.
A time where each passing day was spent locked away in her room, away from people – humans and shamans alike. Away from the living.
That is, until she met Yoh. He would always be the man who saved her from herself, the man who taught her to open her heart, and the man she was in love with.
She knew this even then, as she watched the outside world pass by through the night. But she couldn't escape the undeniable anxiety crawling beneath her skin as the house fell into a still silence, and her memories festered inside her.
Like all those years ago, she felt completely alone in the absence of her Fiancée.
An hour passed and midnight was approaching.
By then, Anna had already retreated to her futon after having lost sense of hope or reason in awaiting Yoh's return from her window any longer. As she began to drift into a troubled sleep, she was interrupted by the sudden creaking of a door followed by lazy shuffling footsteps.
She remained motionless for an unknown length of time before standing and making for the door, grasping a small duffle bag on her way out.
When she reached Yoh's bedroom, she paused and let out a sigh. She entered the room emitting a sinister aura that had been ulcerating up until the point of his return. And now he lay in front of her; a dishevelled outline amongst the bed sheets.
"You're very bold." She stated, eyes burning into his back. "Once you got home, you went to bed without saying goodbye to me?" Her voice was low and menacing.
When Yoh didn't respond, she continued.
"You act like nothing's happening," she spat at him, "tomorrow is a special day."
The duffle bag Anna had brought flew at Yoh's duvet; "I renewed your battle outfit. Don't forget to bring it tomorrow. Good night." She finished bitterly before storming out of the room, leaving the door open.
After walking a few paces up the hallway, she stopped and lowered her head, strands of loose hair brushing her eyelids.
"Yoh…" she said, her tone softened to barely above a whisper, "you've truly… become strong. Although I said that to Tamao earlier, you've already become so strong and can still remain calm."
She hesitated, feeling a desolate chill pulse through her pores.
"The one who doesn't want you to go is me…"
She turned back to face his bed, where he remained still. Awake.
"Tonight… can I sleep with you…?"
Yoh could sense the seriousness in Anna's voice and clutched onto his bed sheets, his eyes deep and attentive.
After a moment's silence shared between the two, he spoke out, mimicking the low, hushed tenor of her voice.
"Yes."
Author's Note:
After years of reading fanfiction, I finally decided to upload something of my own. This is my narrative take on volume 9 in the manga, before Yoh leaves for America (I also included elements of the anime with the meal). I've got to say, I'll never judge an author on this website harshly again - this was hard! Even so much as coming up with a title is difficult, let alone the writing of everything else. :') I do want to write a plot of my own, but I thought since it's my first try I'd ease myself in.
Anyway, this was really fun to write. I was also going to go into the sex scene and see how that turned out; I may do it as a second chapter if I get good feedback. :)
Otherwise, I predict myself being more than willing to try my hand at my own story with YohxAnna sometime in the future! :D
Thanks for reading, would appreciate feedback; good or bad. ^_^
~Nonsensicalicity