A/N: My first songfic/oneshot! When I heard this song I though it was perfect for describing the way Tamao felt about Anna! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King or the song "Girl Next Door", which is by Saving Jane.
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Small town homecoming queen
She's the star in this scene
There's no way to deny she's lovely
Tamao put away the last of the dishes and sighed. She glanced at her watch. It read 5:30 pm. She would have to start cooking dinner soon.
She closed her eyes and leaned against the counter, letting her thoughts wander towards the guy of her dreams—Yoh Asakura. She smiled happily as she entered the familiar daydream, the one she thought about subconsciously every waking moment of day, and every night as well.
However, her reverie was interrupted by someone entering the kitchen. She was about to give an exasperated sigh until she turned around and saw who it was. Almost instantly she felt a blush creep up her face, but tried desperately to fight it down.
"Master Yoh!"
"Hey Tam!" he said, waving cheerily. Tamao fought the impulse to run up to him and leap into his arms. Instead, she just smiled nervously and blushed, wondering why he was here. Was he here to see her? If so, what did he want with her? Her heart began to beat faster as she watched Yoh eagerly.
"I was wondering…" Yoh said, looking directly at Tamao.
"Yes?" she asked breathlessly.
"Have you seen Anna?"
She felt her heart sink faster than a rock in water. She was instantly crushed and she felt as though she were on the verge of tears. Why do you have to be so damn sensitive?, she mentally scolded herself.
Tamao felt like a complete idiot. Of course he was looking for Anna. What would he want with her, Tamao Tamamura, who was still only an apprentice shaman, when he could have Anna Kyoyama, the strong and beautiful itako?
Perfect skin, perfect hair
Perfumed hearts everywhere
Tell myself that inside she's ugly
Just then, as if on cue, Anna barged into the kitchen
"Well, speak of the devil!" Yoh said happily. "Hey, An—"
"What did you call me?" she asked sharply, looking menacing with her hands balled into fists at her sides.
"It was just an expression, Anna!" Yoh said hastily, though his grin didn't falter. Tamao sighed. How could he get used to—let alone love—someone so intimidating and cold? It was one of those great mysteries in life she suspected she would never understand.
"Did you finish those laps, Yoh?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
"A hundred and twenty laps, just like you told me to!" Yoh answered, beaming proudly.
"Then stop smiling there like some kind of idiot and go do fifty more! Now!" she snapped.
Tamao instantly felt like hitting her. Why was she so mean to Yoh? If she really does love him, she sure has a crappy way of showing it, she thought to herself.
Yoh smiled apologetically at Tamao and left the room to go finish his laps. Tamao blushed furiously, causing Anna to look at her suspiciously. "Start cooking dinner Tamao" she said, her face still stone-cold.
Maybe I'm just jealous
I can't help but hate her
Secretly I wonder if my boyfriend wants to date her
"Yes Miss Anna" she squeaked, and hastily began setting up the pots and pans. Anna watched her in the doorway for a moment, and then turned on her heel and left the room.
By seven, dinner was ready. Everyone sat around the dinner table, laughing and chatting amicably, stuffing their faces with food. No one had even bothered complimenting her. Well, no one but Yoh, at least.
"This is great Tam!" he had told her across the table. Anna hit the back of his head.
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Yoh", she scolded him.
A few hours later, after all the cleaning up and washing and putting away, Tamao was once again the only one awake. Everyone had gone to bed with their stomachs full and their eyes heavy, but Tamao had to stay and clean up after everyone. Just like she always did.
She trudged upstairs and set her alarm clock for 5:00 am the next morning. Anna would probably wake up at nine, she thought bitterly. Then she would just sit around all day, doing nothing but watching her stupid soaps and ordering everyone around. It wasn't fair! She did almost all the work around the place and no one ever acknowledged that fact, while Anna did nothing and was suddenly the queen of the household.
She is the prom queen, I'm in the marching band
She is a cheerleader, I'm sitting in the stands
She gets the top bunk, I'm sleeping on the floor
She's Miss America, and I'm just the girl next door
It was because she never seemed to do anything wrong. Anna was perfect in everyone's eyes, she the fiancée of the Shaman King, beautiful, smart and strong. Maybe that's why Yoh loves her so much…Tamao thought miserably.
Senior class president
She must be heaven sent
She was never the last one standing
A backseat debutant
Everything that you want
Never too harsh or too demanding
Tamao lay on her futon for a long time, staring at the blank ceiling, trying to get some sleep. She finally gave up and tiptoed downstairs, praying she wouldn't wake anyone up. She decided to get herself something to eat, maybe it would help her get to sleep.
"Tamao?"
Tamao turned around sharply. She hadn't noticed anyone else in the kitchen. She saw Anna sitting at the table, drinking some tea.
"Miss Anna" Tamao said, looking at her feet. "I didn't see you"
Anna didn't say anything. She just looked at Tamao expectantly.
"I couldn't get to sleep" Tamao said in a small voice.
"Drink some tea with milk" Anna told her. "It'll help"
Maybe I'll admit it
I'm a little bitter
Everybody loves her but I just wanna hit her
"Thank you Miss Anna" Tamao said quietly, and headed towards the counter to make her tea.
She is the prom queen, I'm in the marching band
She is a cheerleader, I'm sitting in the stands
She gets the top bunk, I'm sleeping on the floor
She's Miss America, and I'm just the girl next door
Oh and I'm just the girl next door
The two sat across from each other at the kitchen table, Tamao not daring to say a word.
"I need to talk to you about something, Tamao" Anna said suddenly, breaking the silence.
"What's that, Miss Anna?"
"You should stop mentally putting yourself down" Anna said simply. Tamao nearly choked on her tea. "Wh-what?" she asked, confused.
"You heard me. You always seem to put yourself down" Anna sighed and got up. "Tamao…if it makes you feel better, Yoh barely compliments me on my cooking, but he compliments you every night. Just think about that next time you feel bad about yourself." She then turned around and left the room, leaving Tamao alone at the kitchen table, dumbfounded.
I don't know why I'm feeling sorry for myself
I spend all my time wishing that I was someone else
Maybe Anna wasn't so bad after all…Maybe she, Tamao Tamamura, wasn't so bad after all either. A smile slowly made its way across Tamao's face.
No… she thought to herself happily. Maybe I'm not so bad after all…
She is the prom queen, I'm in the marching band
She is a cheerleader, I'm sitting in the stands
I get a little bit, she gets a little more
She's Miss America and... she's Miss America
I'm just the girl next door...
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So what do you think? Horrible, awesome, or just plain BLAH? Please review!
Terria