As opposed to what people seemed to have in mind about the famous couple, to all the conceptions they never failed to share with one another and pass off as gossip, Yoh and Anna's first kiss wasn't the one their friends witnessed the day Yoh left for America, when she dared to press her lips to his, uncaring, for the first time, of whatever audience they had and what they would think of her once the deed was done.

The girls had melted before the scene. The guys had seemed to finally come to the realization that, far from being the unluckiest of them all, the Asakura heir might be the complete opposite.

It wasn't the one they shared one Christmas, when the alcohol he had consumed rushed up to Yoh's head and gave him the courage to grab her around the waist and pull her to him, this time being him the one who completely ignored their gaping group of friends.

It definitely wasn't the sweet, tender touch of their lips that followed the customary, "You may kiss the bride".

Truthfully, it was nothing of what any of them expected or would ever have the capacity to conjure up; it wasn't incredibly romantic, nor was it incredibly violent.

But Yoh did get slapped for it.

Hard.

It happened one winter, when they were eleven. It was the year before Yoh left for Tokyo, the one that followed his first meeting with his fiancée. It was December, a very cold one, at that, and his grandmother had made the decision to come down to Izumo for his mother's birthday, which was surprising, because she almost never did, seeing as she was always too busy with her trainees.

Yoh's winters were usually very full and very fun. He was more of a fan of the balmy summer air than the terribly cold and heavy snowfall, that was for granted, but since nothing really ever managed to hold him down, he made the most of it and enjoyed it as best as he could.

He supposed it later on helped that it was during a winter as cold as they came that he met his fiancée for the first time.

People could play down their meeting as much as they wanted, but, one year later, Yoh was sure it was a meeting that had turned his life upside down and spun it on its axis. The consequences may not necessarily show in the present, but his future had changed the moment he saw her before his eyes, and soon, everybody would be able to tell.

Needless to say, far from trudging forward through the unforgiving winter in hopes that spring would arrive early so that he could at least have a chance of stepping outside the house without freezing together with the clothes that were supposed to keep him warm, Yoh found himself enjoying that December more than he had enjoyed any other in his entire existence.

It went without saying that everything that was special and stood out in his life had to do with the blonde girl that gracefully stepped into his way one snowy day in a city forgotten by the world.

He remembered how excited he had felt when he found out his grandmother was coming down to Izumo and, most importantly, bringing Anna along. By then, Yoh had already long since come to terms with the fact that he had fallen in love with her. It was a fact people might, again, call him crazy for, but it was the truth, and he had no reason to hide it or feel ashamed by it. He remembered butterflies and fear and happiness all rolling into a strange feeling in his stomach that was both pleasant and uncomfortable.

He would learn, later on, that it was something specific to Anna—making him feel everything at once and making it feel good.

For their second meeting, he didn't expect her to run into his arms and he didn't expect her to treat him as harshly as she had once done. He didn't expect much of anything, and perhaps it was that that kept him from being disappointed.

At the beginning, everything was exactly as before, only that she was much quieter and less opinionated; then, slowly, it began to dawn on him that she didn't know how to act around him anymore. It dawned on him that he'd saved her life, that he'd risked his own and sacrificed that of his friend in order to ensure that she would live on, and that she simply hadn't seen that coming in a million years.

Anna didn't talk much, and he'd known that beforehand. She seemed to find it difficult to interact with his mother, as well, but he could understand that; Keiko was probably the most overwhelmingly cheerful person the blonde had come in contact with that actually paid her any attention.

It pained him a little to realize she simply wasn't used to people being nice to her.

She spent most of her time in the guestroom she had been assigned, and he didn't dare to ask to keep her company because he was too afraid she would reject him—or, even worse, be mad at him for bothering her. He already knew she was very fond of her privacy and her personal space, and if she needed someone to have a conversation with, she would seek them out. Only that she probably wouldn't, because she'd grown so used to being alone.

In the short week of her stay at the compound, Yoh and Anna only saw each other during mealtime. Even then, she was silent, only answered questions when she was asked and in as little words as possible, and rarely even glanced at him.

They also saw each other during the small party his mother had decided to organize for her birthday. Someone must have asked her specifically to attend, he realized, but that didn't mean the circumstances changed. She still didn't speak. She still kept to herself. She still sat alone, in a corner of the room, away from everybody, and still looked so lost it made his heart clench painfully in his chest.

For an entire night, he battled with the idea of heading over to her and striking up a conversation. It could be about anything, he told himself. Anna wouldn't ignore him; the worst thing she could do was tell him he was stupid, but that was nothing new, and the reminiscence of the last time she'd told him that made him realize it wouldn't be unpleasant, either. It would be her and that would be great, because, even still, Yoh wasn't stupid enough not to realize he hadn't seen anything of the girl he'd met a year before in all the time that she'd been there.

So, for an entire evening, he debated.

And that was how he reached the end of the night without a conclusion.

It was an insane and almost unconceivable concept, considering his laidback nature and uncanny ability of always having the right words on board, but Yoh was nervous, and for what seemed to be the first time in his life, every time he made the conscious decision of standing up, his tongue tied up and his muscles locked up and he found himself unable to leave his seat at the dinner table.

He gave up after a while.

Instead, he watched her.

The truth was, she was even more beautiful than he remembered; her blonde hair was longer, brushing a little past her shoulders, and, although he was aware it may sound ridiculous, her honey eyes seemed to have gained a sparkle that hadn't been there before. She was clearly uncomfortable, though, sitting there, all by herself, in the lace dress his mother had insisted she bought for her. She was silent, gazing either forward, at his family and their well-entertained guests, or down at her feet.

The only expression visible on her face was that of discomfort. He furrowed his brows as if the realization was new, but in his defense, he had never thought he would live to see the day when Anna Kyoyama was uncomfortable. She could be sad or lonely or even happy, if he had a say in it, but uncomfortable? It wasn't her. She was the type of person that took things in stride, as they came, and learned to deal with them the best that she could, because there was simply no other way. Still, as she watched his family interact with their friends and with each other, she seemed to find it hard to understand what she was feeling herself.

Eventually, the event came to an end. The guests left, one by one, but it was only after she had been given permission that the girl stood from her seat and silently moved out of the room. He remembered being amazed by how incredibly graceful and elegant she was in every single one of her movements. The moment she was out of his sight, the power she seemed to have had over him disappeared, and he regained control over his muscles; his mind continued to be dominated by her image, though, as he immediately bolted out of his seat, but only for one reason: and that was to follow her into the hallway.

The Asakura compound that had been his home from the moment he sucked in his first breath was a ridiculously large property, with much more room than his small family could even dream to put to good use, but he had been paying attention when his mother explained where his fiancée's guest-room would be located, so it was easy for him to run in the right direction.

"Anna!" he called without a speck of hesitation. He seemed to have regained control over his words, as well.

Hearing her name being said, the blonde stopped and turned around, head tilted slightly to the side as she regarded the boy rushing to catch up with her.

With a couple more hurried steps and a large grin so characteristic to his persona plastered on his face, Yoh finally came to stand in front of the object of his thoughts, dreams, and nightmares. He opened his mouth to speak, unsure yet of what he would say, but that was alright, because he never planned what was about to exit his mouth, in the first place. It was normal. It was him.

But he had been wrong, because his control had not fully returned.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

He frowned. Anna simply gazed at him—blankly; though, after a while, he noticed a small spark of annoyance making its appearance in her eyes.

Once more, and for the umpteenth time that evening, the brunet found himself struggling with something he had never had problems in the past.

Asakura Yoh was never at a loss of words, but this girl—this beautiful, broken girl that had arrived in his life so unexpectedly but managed to capture his heart so completely with a single glance—disabled everything that was certain about him and rendered him unrecognizable.

Frustrated, confused, and at the same time, overwhelmed with the intensity of his feelings, Yoh did the only thing he had left that he could think of at that point and that actually made sense.

He kissed her.

He didn't wrap her in his arms or rested his forehead against hers or gazed into her eyes or pressed his lips to her cheek first. No, he dived in, headfirst, tilting his head down and capturing her soft, warm, full lips with his.

Needless to say, Anna was appalled. Abruptly and without hesitation, she pulled away, drew her hand back, and slapped him across the face so hard not only did his head turn sideways, but he very nearly lost his balance, as he had to take a step back to avoid falling on his ass.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she hissed, much more venomously that he had ever heard up until that point, before swiftly turning on her heels and stalking away. This time, there was no more grace in her demeanor; instead, her anger shined through, making it impossible for anyone unlucky enough to cross her path to miss it.

Yoh remained in his spot, motionless, simply staring after her, watching as she disappeared out of sight while he cradled his throbbing cheek.

The kiss barely lasted for three seconds, but that didn't mean he hadn't had time to soak up every single piece of information that was available to him. Her lips were warm, soft, and just as full as they seemed. They were moist and somewhat sweet, and sent shockwaves coursing through every nerve of his body. Never before had he felt something quite so powerful as the moment he had just shared with his precious fiancée.

And there was no doubt in his mind he would have a very pretty bruise to prove it the following morning.

A/N: I've had this idea for a while, but it had to wait, what with my senior year and final exams. I toyed with the idea of actually posting it, because I still have so many other stories to focus on, but since I couldn't stop thinking about it, I figured, the hell with it. Haha! As usual with first chapters, this was a pain in the ass to edit, so I might come back with retouches later on!

Before someone decides to say something about it, I am aware that people in Japan don't celebrate Christmas and I am aware that they live their lives differently then we (or I) do. Of course I do, every culture is different—as is every part of the globe. Still, it's my story, so if I want the Asakuras to celebrate Christmas, they will.

I looked it up on Wikipedia, but I was unable to find Keiko's birthday, so I took the liberty to place it wherever I saw fit. If you know otherwise, and it's incorrect, please let me know!

Also, the story won't follow the manga in its entirety. Some things will be different, but then again, it's a Yoh & Anna story, so their relationship is the main focus.

Please review and let me know what you thought about this first chapter!