1I Wanna Be Bad
Chapter 2
I Do
By: Melis
Yoh walked
eagerly down the street, Manta at his side. He was very happy,
because today was going to be a very special day for him...and for
Anna too.
For months, Yoh had saved up all his money, every penny, to get Anna something very important, something she had been secretly wanting for ages and today was the day her fantasy became reality.
Manta couldn't be happier for his friends, was amazed that Yoh had been able to do something so serious at a young age. He was proud of him. Never in his life hd he heard of a 13 year old saving up 300.00. Most kids their age spent every dollar they had on video games, or food. Not Yoh. This was all for Anna. Manta smiled, noting his friend was far more mature then any boy his age.
"Thanks for lunch." spoke Yoh, Manta nodding.
"Sure thing. You deserved it." said his short friend, noting he had treated his buddy to a burger and fires.
Yoh smiled, nodding, was fully focused now that his stomach was full.
The two continued down the street, passing numerous shops and such along the way. It wasn't crowded, though it was probably due to the fact that it was early, a little after ten. Most places were just beginning to open at this time. That was fine with the two, as they knew the store they needed was only a few minutes away, not to mention was already open.
They were nearing the shop, Manta noting the large letters that read 'Basho Jewelers' in big red letters, a large diamond atop them, spinning slow and mechanically.
Manta peeked at Yoh, noticed his friend look rather relaxed, though could tell he was anxious, he was just very good at hiding it.
The two entered the small shop, a bell dinging above as the door opened and closed.
It was tiny to say the least, though the inside was rather vivacious. The walls were a deep forest green and were adorned with Asian decor and dragons. Large rectangular glass jewel cases lined the lower walls, keeping the treasures within safe. The owner stood opposite the two males, seemed to be cleaning a ring. His expression was slightly shocked at the youths before him...and suspicious as well. It made Manta feel a little annoyed, as if the male thought they were thieves. It did kind of make sense though. They were young and it was probably safe to say not many people their age came in here. The two didn't bother heading to the left where the new, trendy rings of today were kept. They instead headed to the back where the antique jewelry was kept, the two mentally crossing their fingers, hoping that the set they had their eyes on for months was still there and readily available.
The two stepped to the display the owner was at, though he kept his attention on the jewel before him, eyeing them from the corner of his eyes. The two skimmed over all the jewelry in the display case before them, searching for the one they wanted. There were so many to choose from, all looking just as beautiful as the other, not to mention some of the prices made them feel a little more then discouraged.
Manta focused quickly, noting Yoh was looking a bit out of it as they scanned over the goods. It took a few minutes, but Manta spotted it in the far back of the case.
"Found it!" he exclaimed, Yoh blinking, following Manta's index finger smiling.
"That's the one." he added in clarification, the owner, looking to them now, expression wary.
In the far back of the case was a ring of silver, beautifully detailed along the edges, complete with a diamond and numerous blue sapphires. It was beyond gorgeous, something a movie star might purchase because it was so stunning, but it wasn't because the ring looked fancy that Yoh wanted it. What really drew him to it was the words 'I Do' written on it in a beautiful, cursive handwriting at the center of the ring, the diamond between the lettering as the sapphires danced around the rest of the band.
Yoh smiled wide, thinking back a few months when he and Anna had first seen the ring.
He had taken a walk with Anna a few months earlier. It was relatively early in the morning, the two buying a few ingredients and magazines from a corner store. They had been heading down the sidewalk, when Anna had stopped in front of the small jewelry store.
Yoh blinked when she stopped.
"What is it Anna?" he asked, stepping to her some.
The blonde peered through the window, looking over the rather expensive jewelry, her expression blank.
"We haven't picked out our wedding rings...or an engagement ring yet." she spoke, gazing at the various rings and such.
"Oh." Yoh said, scratching the back of his head some as he stepped up beside her.
"We should pick one out then." He said, peeking into the window now, placing his hand against the cool glass to stop the glare of the sun.
Without hesitation, Anna raised her index finger.
"I want that set for our wedding rings." she said, pointing to a set of two silver rings that were carved in the likeness of a phoenix, the tails acting as the band, twirling about the silver, the edge of the tail coming together at the beak of the bird. Yoh blinked, looking to the set, thought it was rather pretty, liked how the wedding band for the male had a red ruby for the eye, while the girl's ring had a blue sappier.
"That's a nice set." stated Yoh with a nod, Anna nodding in agreement.
"See anything you like for your engagement ring?" he asked, looking to her some.
She stood silently, her hand against the glass some, expression still blank as she searched the numerous rings before her. A moment later, she raised her hand again, pointing to a ring to the far right.
"That one." she said softly.
Yoh blinked, noting that when it came to jewelry she knew exactly what she wanted. He couldn't help but smile, wondered how many times she had secretly walked past this shop and looked through the window, eyeing the rings that she wanted for her own.
Yoh quickly turned his attention the ring now, noting it was similar to the first, the band silver, with exquisite detail at the edges. The words 'I Do' were written at the center of it, a diamond between them, while sapphires lined the circle, the band nestled in the contents of the velvet box.
"You can have other words carved on it too." Spoke Anna, getting his attention once more, though puzzled him, as he wasn't sure what she meant by that last comment..
He shrugged inwardly, smiling a toothy smile.
"I'll get them for you then!" he all but promised, Anna looking to him with raised eyebrows, though a blank expression.
"Really?" she asked, motioning to the price.
Yoh blinked, looking to the rings again.
"Sure! I mean it's only...300.00!?" he shouted, eyes wide.
Anna watched unamused, closing her eyes and shaking her head, noting he never did pay attention to things like oh, prices. She turned, beginning to walk now, Yoh, still hyperventilating at the window behind her.
"Don't worry about it." she spoke, Yoh blinking, watching as she started home. He blinked, getting up off the ground jogging to her, gently taking her hand, Anna blinking as she stopped, looking to him.
"No, if you want that ring, then I'll get it for you." he spoke seriously with a nod, adding his cheesy grin afterward.
She blinked, searching his face, saw no traces of doubt. Then again, did he ever doubt? It was hard for her to keep her composure, suddenly torn between beating him senseless for promising something so unattainable, while the other half wanted to just give into her girly side and hug him until he turned blue due to oxygen loss.
Quickly she turned from him, hiding the mad blush that colored her face.
"Come on, you have training to do!" she stated firmly, walking briskly now down the sidewalk, Yoh watching her confused.
"R-right!" he stated, rushing after her now, balancing the large bags in his arms.
"Hello, Yoh?" said Manta, waving his hand before his friend's face.
Yoh blinked, drawn from his thoughts.
"Sorry!" he said, smiling sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.
"It's ok, but come on! I'm sure the nice store owner is busy." stated Manta, sweat dropping slightly.
"You're right." added Yoh, turning his attention to the store owner.
"Excuse me." he spoke, the male stopping a bit, turning to face them fully.
He was huge, in both height and weigh. His arms were large and muscular, though his stomach was round. He looked like he could have been an ex-boxer...and maybe he was. He was older though, probably in his late fifties, his hair curly and brown, his matching beard framing his face. He wore thick glasses, and grunted slightly at the youths before him.
Manta was already near fainting, while Yoh just stared, feeling a little intimidated. Quickly he recovered, flashing a toothy, but nervous smile.
"H-hello sir!" he spoke, Manta falling over anime style.
The man eyed him a bit before speaking.
"Yes son, how can I help you?" his voice gruff, but tone friendly.
Yoh blinked, smiling then, hovering his finger over the jewel case now.
"I'd like to buy that ring."
The man blinked some, looking at the young boy before him curiously, not to mention with slight shock..
"Really now?" he asked, sounding a little more then skeptical.
Yoh nodded.
"Yes sir."
The man stared, flabbergasted it seemed. He smirked then, crossing his thick arms over his broad chest.
"You are aware it's not a toy, right? That this is a genuine engagement ring?" he asked, Yoh blinking a bit, looking up some as if thinking it over before smiling with his eyes shut.
"Yes sir."
The man blinked, taken aback by the boy before him. He scratched the back of his head, shaking it some as he reached into his back pocket, removing a small key. He bent slightly, undoing the lock at the back fo the case, sliding the white shutter open, noting the position of the boys finger, taking the ring, complete with case, into his large hands setting it gently on the display case. Yoh and Manta watched as the owner retrieved the ring for them, Yoh unable to hold back a smile as he finally got to see the ring up close. Manta smiled too, both at the ring and his friend, watched as Yoh leaned in closer to examine it, running his finger ever so carefully over the delicately written words.
"You sure you're gonna be able to pay for that?" asked the man, breaking the tender moment.
Yoh blinked, smiling sheepishly.
"Yes sir, I sure can." he spoke wiht an assured smile.
The man raised his eyebrows some, still a bit wary, but took the ring, motioning them to the right now, heading towards the check out area, and to the antique looking cash register.
His large fingers began to prop at the register, hitting bottons here, writing something there. Yoh and Manta waited patiently, the dinging of the register echoing through the small room.
"Anything else I can get you?" asked the old man, eyeing them some.
Yoh thought a moment, his earlier flashback returning, noting Anna had mentioned something about having other words and such written on the ring.
Actually...yes." began Yoh.
"Would it be possible to have something inscribed on the ring?" he asked, the man tilting his head slightly, motioning to a sign on the wall behind him.
"Sure can, but it'll cost a little more." he added, Yoh frowning some.
The man watched the young boys before him, truly intent now, sensing no doubt from either of them. At first, he thought it a prank, or maybe a team effort to steal, but all of that was gone now as he watched them, both so intent, so determined, knew exactly what they wanted...mature. He felt bad that he had branded them trouble kids, noting the old saying 'you can't judge a book by it's cover' proved to be true. He also knew the boy didn't have the extra cash to get the inscription on the ring, could tell from his expression and the way he was staring at the ceiling, his face seemingly out of it, as if searching his brain for some way to make up for the lack of funds.
The man sighed deeply, scratching at the notepad before him, messing with the register once more.
Yoh blinked, Manta doing the same, looking to the owner now.
"What would you like it to say?" asked the large male, smiling as he winked.
The two blinked, exchanging glances, before smiles broke across their faces.
"I'll Stand By You." Yoh spoke without hesitation, the man smiling with a nod, typing at the register once more before, taking the velvet case in his hand.
"I'll be right back." he spoke, stepping around the counter and into the back of the store.
Yoh nodded turning his attention to Manta.
"Doing all those chores for Ryu and the others really paid off huh?" he said with a sheepish smile.
Manta nodded, noting that for months Yoh had secretly helped the others out with their chores, them in turn, paying him on the side. It wasn't much, seeing as they too didn't have much cash, but little by little, the money Yoh saved began to grow and within a few month he had managed to save the amount he needed.
The man returned then, case in one hand, ring in the other. He leaned across the counter, handing the ring to Yoh.
"How's that look?" He asked.
Yoh examined the silver band, noted the soft lettering inside the ring.
"Perfect." spoke Yoh said handing the ring back to the owner carefully.
The male nodded, taking the ring, placing it into the black velvet box, closing it as he faced the cash register once more.
"Alright...that'll be 300.00."
Yoh nodded, reaching into his back pocket, pulling out the cash and handing it to the man, who rang them up quickly.
"You take care now." he spoke, handing them a small blue bag.
Yoh nodded, taking it, smiling that toothy grin again.
"Thanks alot!" Yoh said happily, him and Manta waving as they exited.
"Good luck!" called the man after them, Yoh sweat dropping as he scratched the back of his head, knew he was going to need it.
"Thanks!" he called, the two blinded slightly from the sun.
The two strode down the side walk, Yoh's hands behind his head, the bag entangled between his fingers.
"When are you going to ask her?" asked Manta, Yoh blinking some.
"Well..." began Yoh, looking up ast the sky.
Manta waited as his friend seemed to debate. He wasn't too up to par on proposals, not to mention one such as Yoh and Anna's. From what he had seen on T.V. and in the movies was that it should always be special, a surprise really, but how did one surprise someone as cool and collected at Anna? Was it even possible to get her slightly worked up or possibly even excited? Manta figured that would be something Yoh had considered.
"I have no idea!" sang the onyx haired youth, Manta falling over anime style once more.
"Yoh!" he cried, noting his friend had apparently not thought this through.
"I know! I know!" added Yoh quickly, scratching at he back of his neck some.
Manta frowned slightly.
"It's just...I haven't really thought about that." he finished, Manta nodding some.
...just like Yoh... he thought, noting that his friend was thoughtful, though took things in stride, not so much planning ahead.
"Ah, well...when the time comes, you'll know." offered Manta, Yoh looking to him blinking sightly before he smiled, nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, you're right!"
Manta smiled, glancing to his watch, noting it was getting late.
"We'd better get home soon, or Anna's gonna kill us." he said, shivering some.
Yoh gulped then, feeling a slight shiver down his back.
"Y-you're right, let's hurry home!" he spoke, Manta nodding, the two racing down the sidewalk, hoping they wouldn't incur the Itako's wrath.
( Ahh yeah, still pretty much the same but took out a lot of the cheese XD Haha, need to make it "more shaman king like". For a while there the characters were acting kind of out of character. So yeah, still a decent chapter I suppose, but no worries the good parts are coming so please keep reading and enjoy this chapter and the next! -Melis)
