Disclaimer: Shaman King does not belong to me, and will never belong to me. What a shame. Sue me for the hole in my pocket. For what's it worth, it's bigger now. ^_^

For Satsu'mi: A more cheerful fic for you, sweetie. Hope this at least lightens up the day for you.

A Day Like No Other
written by: da*mouse

These are the days...

Wonderful day." Oyamada Manta plopped down onto the grass beside Asakura Yoh, setting his encyclopedia down beside him.

"Ah." The dark-haired shaman grinned and leaned back against the tree, closing his eyes. "I agree." Above him, a regal bird - an eagle - circled around and called out loudly, the sound loud and clear. "I just love the nature."

Manta, opening his book, eyed his friend. "Strange, that..."

"Hmmm?"

"Well, such 'great days' is normally equivalent to 'great training', isn't it? I seem to remember that these are the days where Anna-san will just love to have you go through her training, doubled."

Yoh pushed his headphones over his ear. "She insisted that I take the day off."

"Anna-san insisted you take the day off?" Manta's surprise was apparent in his voice. "That is very very unlike...well...very unlike her...when was the last time she allows you time off?"

"Uhhh...come think of it..." Yoh racked his brains. "Probably...this is the first time?" He laughed. "Even during the times I got totaled by Faust, and after that, Ren, she didn't let me off training the next day. Although, by her standards, it was light-training."

"Don't you think...it's weird?" Manta asked, his eyes wide. "That Anna-san…well…"

"Hehe. If Anna's going to give me time off, I will enjoy the time off...why should I bother about the reasons and all that? As long as I get to relax!" Yoh yawned.

Manta shook his head. Typical Yoh.

"I have to be back by five, though, to prepare dinner. That means I have to go by four, to get the groceries." Yoh sighed. "Too bad Amidamaru can't do my shopping for me."

"Wake me up, won't you, Manta?"

"Of course, Yoh-kun."

Yoh yawned again, settling happily and comfortably against the tree. Manta took out a pen, and was soon engrossed in under-lining text and making relevant notes.

The birds chirped.
         

A day unlike others...
.

The afternoon passed on silently, smoothly. Until...

"Yoh-kun!" Manta shook his friend.

"Hmmm...yeah...?" Yoh stirred. And yawned.

Manta was hopping about. "Yoh-kun, it's half past four. You better hurry if you don't want dinner to be late. Anna-san will have your head...!"

"Oh gosh!" Yoh leapt up. He rearranged his clothes hurriedly.

"I'm sorry..." Manta's voice was guilty. "I was too immersed in my reading, I didn't notice the time."

"You don't have to apologise, Manta." Yoh smiled. "It's not your fault. I should have known when to wake up."

A set of blank eyes met his. As if you know when to wake up. "Hehe. I guess I do need a little help..." Yoh laughed. "But no worries! I can make it if I hurry."

Yoh started down the hill, and turned back towards his short friend. "Coming for dinner, Manta?"

"Nope." he shook his head. "I have tuition classes until seven tonight, History and Science."

"Ah. You are very hardworking."

Manta laughed. I am not hardworking, it's you who are lazy, Yoh-kun...



Something seemed different...


Yoh walked along the aisle of the supermarket, tossing various items into his cart, barely looking at them. I have to hurry. Anna will kill me if dinner's late...again. He groaned to himself, remembering the time last week when he forgot to cook the rice, resulting in dinner being served half an hour late.

That had gotten him four extra hours of training the next day, and he thought his muscles was going to kill him before the day was out.

He raced towards the counter, when something caught his eye. An announcement, promoting a brand of Japanese curry. Stopping for a moment, he took a packet off the shelf. Anna loves curry. Especially this brand. Maybe this will get me off the hook if dinner is a *little* late today.

He then pushed his cart to the counter, where he hastily paid, packed his groceries and started the journey home. His eyes drifted to the clock just above the entrance of the supermarket.

Fifteen minutes to five. I might just make it!

Walking briskly along the road, Yoh was mentally going through the process of preparing dinner, when...

"Yoh-dono?"

"Yikes!" Yoh jumped in surprise, and then he saw the grinning face of his spirit. "Amidamaru!"

"Yes, Yoh-dono. I just want to accompany you on your journey home."

"Ah...thank you, Amidamaru." Yoh smiled.

"You're late for dinner preparation, are you not?"

"Not really, I..." Yoh replied rather absent-mindedly, for his attention was diverted, to...


Different in a good way...?

Daises. Growing in huge, beautiful and wild bunches in a field just beyond the road. Yoh stopped. And hurried into the field, to the flowers.

Setting down his grocery bags, he crouches down, eye level to the flowers, his face alight with a smile. "Amidamaru, look. Daises." He began gathering a few stalks.

"Yoh-dono! You shouldn't be collecting flowers!" His spirit floated frantically around him. "You're late!"

"Just a few moments. Anna loves daises. She'll like these," he murmured, almost to himself. He spent the next few minutes gathering the largest, most beautiful flowers. After he was satisfied, he straightened up, and smiled cheerfully at Amidamaru.

"Let's go."

"You're late, Yoh-dono." Amidamaru warned.

"I know...but..." Yoh shrugged. "Oh well. Come what may. If Anna punishes me..." he groaned. "...bear with it."

Something...

Yoh made a beeline for the kitchen as soon as he entered the house. Flipping a cap over his spiky dark hair, he hastily tied the apron strings as he got the chop board and knifes out of their kept places.

As he began chopping onions, something seemed amissed. He frowned, trying to place the feeling. Then it hit him.

No Anna pounced on him when he returned. Anna was not at home. Which was strange.

Anna was always at home. The only times she left the house...was often with him.

Yoh shrugged off the feeling. Anna can take care of herself. Right now, his priority was to take care of dinner. Refocusing his attention, he turned back to his onions. The clock told him he had exactly forty-five minutes to get everything ready.

Maybe...it won't matter much if dinner's late. Yoh grinned. Anna is not at home, anyway...

A day like no other...

Working hard, and fast, Yoh managed to get dinner ready at five past six. Looking at the spread on the dinner table, he crossed his fingers, hoping that everything will at least satisfy Anna.

Because if dinner was bad, things can't be too good for him.

"Anna?" he called. No response.

Strange. She was still not home yet.

"All the better. She'll never know dinner was late." Yoh thought, relieved.

His relief didn't last long.

"Yoh!" A sharp voice sounded at his ear. "Dinner's late."

He jumped nearly a mile high.

"A...Anna! I...I thought...you...were not at home."

Calmly, she looked at him. "That doesn't mean you can slack off. Extra training tomorrow!" she snapped.

Yoh dropped his head despondently. "Yes, Anna."

They sat down at the dinner table, and Anna picked up her chopsticks. They ate almost in near silence, until Yoh broke the silence by asking, "Anna, where did you go today?"

Bored, dark eyes, partly obscured by blonde bangs, met his. "Out."

"Oh. And..."

"Dinner's passable today."

"Ah. Thank you." They resumed eating, in silence, and then Anna spoke.

"I have something for you." From under the table, she drew out a small bag, and handed it to Yoh. Curiously, he opened it.

"Oranges!" Yoh exclaimed, a happy expression crossing his face. Nice, sweet oranges! But...he directed his gaze towards his fiancée, spooning Japanese curry onto her rice with her usual expression of indifference. "Where...did you get this?"

A sigh. "There was this article in the paper about some amazing oranges imported from China, but only available in Yokohama. So I took a train to Yokohama, and got them for you." She looked the bag of oranges in Yoh's hands. "They had better be sweet."

He hadn't even eaten them, but he already that the feeling that they will be sweeter than sugar. I...can't believe, she went all the way to Yokohama, to get these for me.

Finishing her miso soup, Anna took her bowls to the counter, when her gaze fell upon the bunch of daises Yoh has left on the kitchen counter, along with a few unused groceries.

She picked them up. "Yoh, this is...?"

"Oh. Hehe." Yoh laughed sheepishly. "I got them for you."

"For me...?" Anna's gaze fell upon the beautiful wildflowers. Her eyes went soft for a moment...Yoh noted. Then, she turned to him. "Clean up, Yoh, after you finished." Anna will always be Anna.

"Yes, Anna." He was still looking at his oranges, unable to get over the fact that Anna had gotten them for him, from Yokohama.

Meanwhile, still cradling her flowers as like they were treasures, Anna walked out of the kitchen.

But not before Yoh glimpsed a small smile on her face. He smiled, too.

Something, between Yoh and Anna, had changed.

The day had been different. It had been special.

A special day, like no other.

-Finis-

You know when I suffered from too much Economics when I posted two fics in a day.

Okay, I seriously don't know what is my point is with this one! There's like, no plot, is there even a storyline? You tell me! I wrote this…just that…I want to prove I am not a gloomy person! Bwahahahha!

Oh well…you know the works. Review, comment, flame, whatever! As long as it's constructive!

da*mouse ®
posted 4th June, 2003
4.07 a.m.