Curiosity

"I can't believe I bought so much stuff," Pirika said excitedly, "This is going to be difficult to explain to Horo."

Tamao and Pirika had two bags each that were filled with clothing and jewelry. Pirika was ecstatic to go shopping since she had never been able to, and had bothered them incessantly about it for weeks. Tamao was pleased with her purchase, but was troubled by Anna being obviously emotionally absent. She was walking in front of them and had been silent for most of the trip.

"Anna, do you like your dress?" Tamao asked anxiously.

"Yes. It's very nice," she said blankly.

"What did Yoh want to talk to you about?" Pirika asked.

"Nothing important," she sighed.

"Is everything okay?" Tamao asked.

"Sure," she replied blankly.

Anna's tone concerned her greatly, but she didn't know the right questions to ask. Pirika began rambling about a scarf she bought and seemed oblivious to the tension. Tamao wasn't listening to her and watched Anna as she continued walking in silence. Pirika dropped her bags and ran into Tamao when Anna stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Tamao whispered.

"Hello, Anna," his voice startled them although it was very calm. Tamao searched the surroundings for a few seconds and found him leaning against a tree. He was wearing dark colored jeans and a burgundy front buttoned shirt. His long brown hair hid one of his eyes, and his expression was very calm, "I've been waiting for you."

"Hao," Pirika whispered. She was suddenly very afraid and stood behind Tamao.

"Go back to the house," Anna said sternly without turning around.

"That would be best," he added calmly.

Tamao stared at him for a few seconds as if trying to decipher his statement, "But Anna," she protested.

"I'll be fine. Just go," she insisted.

They hesitated for a few seconds then Pirika gathered her bags and began walking away quickly. Tamao glanced at Anna briefly then reluctantly followed. Anna watched them disappear down the path sighing heavily. She looked at him again and noticed he was smiling.

"And you left her there?!" Horo yelled.

"I was scared! She told us to leave!" Pirika cried nervously.

"Oh Anna," Tamao sighed.

"Should we go get her, Yoh?" Horo stood suddenly.

Yoh stared at the floor for a few seconds and sighed, "No, she can handle him. She should be fine," he said finally.

"What?" Ren asked angrily.

"He wouldn't hurt Anna. I'm the one he wants dead," he sighed.

"You're not the least bit curious about what's happening right now?" Horo asked.

"You should be," Ren mumbled.

"It doesn't matter. I trust her. She wouldn't help him. It would be useless for him to try that angle," Yoh said, crossing his arms.

"We should still go," Ren said, "We have to send him a message."

"If we did, Anna would just be mad at me for not trusting her. I can't afford for her to be mad at me for something else," he replied.

"Listen to me, Yoh. YOU NEED TO GO. She might be mad but she'll get over it," Ren pleaded.

"I agree with Ren, Yoh," Horo added.

"We shouldn't have left her," Tamao whispered.

"We don't have to tell her we were looking for her," Horo said, pacing back in forth, "We could just be out doing anything and...happen to run into them."

"Are you suggesting we spy?" Yoh seemed irritated now.

"No, I would refer to it as protecting your fiancé," Horo replied.

"I can wear the scarf I bought," Pirika whispered.

"I've never been a spy before," Tamao said cheerfully, "We could use code names."

"We're not spying on them," Yoh said sternly, "And anyway, you're assuming they're still together. She could be on her way back by now."

"Yoh, come on!" Horo protested.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," he replied angrily.

"I see now why you frustrate her so much," Ren said angrily.

Ignoring his comment, Yoh walked away from them and disappeared down the hallway. He wanted to be alone now, and needed to think about the situation. He was very nervous, but didn't want any of them to notice. Once he was inside his bedroom, he sat on his bed and sighed, "What are you doing, Anna?"

Ren stood against the wall with his arms crossed and stared at the floor angrily. Pirika stood next to him and watched him nervously. Tamao was sitting on the floor in front of them with her legs crossed and rested her chin on her hand. After a few minutes of silence, Horo stepped forward in front of them and clapped his hands together.

"So, are we going or what?" He asked anxiously.

"Yoh said we're not going, Horo," Tamao said sadly.

"He may not want to, but I want to know what's going on. Come on, don't you want to know?" He sat down beside her and nudged her in the shoulder.

Tamao stared at the floor and bit her bottom lip, "It's none of my business," she said.

"Maybe not, but you still want to know...don't you?" He asked while nudging her again.

"Um, I do," Pirika whispered.

"Let's go," Ren said quickly and began walking to the door.

Horo stood immediately and followed him outside.

"We're really going?" Pirika asked timidly.

"Come on!" Horo called back.

She ran after her brother worriedly, "I can't believe we're doing this," she said.

Tamao stood to follow them but stopped short when she noticed Yoh standing in the hallway. She stared at him for a few seconds and swallowed hard.

"Go," he said blankly.

"Um, okay," she said nervously, "Do you want come with us?"

"I...can't," he paused and sighed heavily.

"Why not?" She asked worriedly.

"Because...I don't know if I can handle being wrong about this."

His statement caught her off guard and she wasn't sure how to respond. After a few seconds of hesitation she nodded at him then ran to catch up with the others.