Scene 3

Music

Whistling as he went along, Yoh felt the extra hop in his step, the wide smile he plastered onto his face, along with his beautiful fiancée walking beside him. Of course, he never told her that. He was happy, contented even.

This is what life should be like. Me, Anna, and Bob Love!

Digging his hands in his pockets, he walked in silence alongside her. It had been a while since the tournament and they weren't the young kids back then. Well, maybe he was, but Anna, boy had she changed.

Turning his head sideways to marvel at her, Yoh realized how much she had…matured. Her golden blonde locks of hair grew past her shoulders now, surrounding the face and person that meant everything to him. She was taller, slimmer, even fuller, as Horo Horo would tell him, although he had no idea what he meant. Her red bandana acted as a scarf, around her neck, letting her hair flow freely in the wind's embrace.

"What are you staring at, baka?" she exclaimed, breaking him of his stupor.

"No-nothing." He defended, before quickly looking ahead.

They walked in silence till they reached the shop, with Yoh immediately running off to the Bob Love section. Anna, on the other hand, shuffled around slowly, stopping at anything that interested her. Seeing that they had her favorite singer's album as well, she opened the sample CD case and put the CD into the sample CD player.

Putting on their headphones, she leaned against the shop window, captivated by the angelic voice of the female singer.

For once, Anna closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the music, enthralled by the soothing tunes which helped her to relax. She loved it, the music, and the voice, all surrounding her. She was in her own little world, even if only for a little while.

Yoh looked at her, allowing a smile to creep up on his face. It had been a while since he saw Anna so…serene. She was beautiful, he thought, she just didn't know it, or how much. He walked over to her, allowing himself to stare at his beautiful fiancée.

Feeling someone stare at her, she opened an eye, to see that it was Yoh, standing there, smiling gently at her. Removing the headphones and placing them on the rack, she walked over to the cashier and took out money from her purse, before handing it to Yoh.

"Here. Have you gotten the album?"

"Yeap."

"I'll wait for you outside." She walked out of the shop, hearing the tinkling of the bell placed on the handle.

Soon, they were on their way home, after getting what Yoh had wanted. Stopping at a traffic interchange, Anna leaned against the traffic light, expecting Yoh to stop behind her. Instead, he made a right and motioned to Anna to continue walking with him.

"Where are we going? Home is this way." She asked with slight confusion and surprise.

"To the park. It's still early anyway. We should take a stroll. We haven't done that in a while." He smiled at her, waiting for her to follow him.

"Come on Anna, it'll be fun."

Nodding her head, she followed him, as always, no questions asked.

When they reached the park, they sat at their usual bench, near the vending machine, facing the gorgeous Funbari Lake, its waters glistening under the dim moonlight, along with the buildings that surrounded the area. Anna noticed the vending machine, emitting its usual drone, along with the can of hot chocolate that it sold.

"Do you want one?" Yoh asked, sensing what Anna was thinking about. She nodded quietly, before leaning against the bench, allowing herself to soak in her surroundings. It was just like that night, the night before the Shaman Fight in America. Yoh didn't actually know how sad she was on the inside that night. Sad because she didn't want him to go. Sad because he could come back a different person, a different Yoh. Sad because she wouldn't be able to see him. Sad because she would be lonely. Sad because she would miss him. A lot.

"Here." He passed the hot chocolate can to her, before sitting down beside her. As always, Yoh noticed how Anna put the can to her cheek, letting the warmth linger on her skin. It wasn't winter, but Anna always did that. He smiled at her, grateful that some things in his life would never change.

"Oh, I got a surprise for you. Here, take my headphones." Removing his bright orange headphones, he placed them gently around Anna's head, before taking the headphone jack and plugging it into a CD player. (I know in the anime and manga that there is no headphone jack, but some things change, don't they?:)

"Where did you get that CD player, Yoh?" she asked, genuinely interested and curious on how he had money to buy a CD player.

"Oh that, I saved up some money, that's all. Along with the money you gave me today, I could afford to buy it, along with a new album." He explained, his hands busy fumbling with something hidden out of Anna's view.

"Look Yoh, it's nice you got a new CD player and all, but I don't really want to listen to Bob Love's album. Why are you making me listen to them anyway?" Anna asked, getting slightly annoyed at Yoh's weird requests today.

"Just listen to them Anna. I'm sure you'll like it." He replied, still busy fumbling with the CD player and a CD.

"Yoh, I said I don't want to listen to your-"

She was cut off in her speech with the sounds humming in her ear. This music, this song…she looked to Yoh for some sort of explanation, only getting a smile in return.

"Do you like it? Does it sound okay?" Yoh asked, a jubilant look spreading across his face.

"I…Yoh…how did you know I wan-"

"I saw you listening to it at the store," Yoh exclaimed, before fishing out the CD cover from his white plastic bag. "It really looked like you loved it. So I got it for you. I hope you don't mind." He replied, hopeful that it would make her smile.

Indeed she did. And to him, that was all that mattered.

"Arigatou, Yoh." Anna exclaimed, her eyes shining with a happiness that betrayed her stoic look. She mustered a smile at least, wanting to show her thanks.

"It's nothing Anna. Anything to make you happy." With a joyous look on his face, he reached over to pass the CD player to her.

"Here, this is for you as well. I already have the vinyl player at home, so I bought this for you too. You can bring it around and listen to it whenever you like. I know you don't have headphones, so you can borrow mine if you want to. Here, it works like this, so you plug this into…" Yoh explained to her, oblivious to the look on her face.

She smiled, eyes shining brightly, not wanting to hide her feelings any longer. Staring at him, she realized how much she loved him, although she never told him. Yoh wasn't the smartest kid, or the funniest one even. But he was genuine, real, honest, never putting up a façade unlike herself. It took courage to be someone like that, courage in which she admired.

"So, do you like it?" He asked once more, after his explanation was done.

"I do. I like it a lot. Thank you, Yoh." She smiled, a rare smile only reserved for him, and only him.

"That's good," he responded, glad that he had made her happy. Bob Love couldn't make him feel this sort of happiness. This…only Anna could do that. And he hoped she would remain the only one.

"Shall we go home then? You can listen to it on the way home." Yoh stood up, extending a hand to help her. Gladly accepting it, Anna wrapped her fingers around it, letting him pull her to her feet. They walked home, in silence, hand in hand, much to Yoh's surprise.

The can of hot chocolate, still warm, laid there till dawn.