"You know what's going on today, don't you?"
"No."
"They're setting up a nomi-no-ichi extravaganza on the streets of Tokyo."
"Oh?" It was slightly intriguing; lovely junk always had an odd flair about it to me.
"Yeah," he stated, filling the dead air so competently that it shut our door of conversation. He smiled a little and rubbed his neck as we walked on.
"So you bought my present at a flea market, mm?"
"Ah!" Yoh's face grew suddenly flustered. "Um, well…actually, Anna…"
"I don't care." My eyes nonchalantly shut, face lifting boldly into the crisp, chilly space that surrounded me.
I felt Yoh's eyes gawking directly at me; my cheeks were getting even pinker than the bitter wind could justify. He smiled that grin of his and gripped my right hand with his left even tighter.
The streets were absolutely buzzing with activity. The people all around me were living their own individual lives, all shopping around with an objective in mind. Or perhaps there were greater numbers who were just bored with their lives and felt the need to feed their spending addiction, no matter what they bought.
Either way, it still felt weird to me that I had no way of seeing how the other shoppers' minds were working. It had been over 5 years…
"Look, Anna!" Yoh's right hand flung out in front of us, index finger extended. "We're coming up to it. See?"
As if it was the most ridiculous question in the world (I had a sense of sight, after all), I huffed and responded, "Uh, yes."
Tokyoites came at us with gigantic shopping bags, all filled with the most bound-to-clutter rubbish in the world. From clocks to stuffed animals to gems, it seemed that the outdoor shops we were headed toward held pretty much everything.
Of course, all I had intentions for (and cash for) was Awaya Ringo's top-selling album, My Heart Wants Romance, My Soul Wants Love, My Body Wants Apples.
At that very moment, a record store found itself in my field of vision. What a convenience…suddenly my feet were being pulled in that direction…
"Come on, Yoh, we're looking at the CDs over there in front of Rabu Records."
His hand clenched by mine, he had no choice. "Ah! Chotto matte, Anna!! (6) I had something in mind…I wanted you to pick it ou—"
Shoulders slumped, my fiancé peered around at all of the teenage punks and bikers that perused my tastes in music. I simply blended, keeping my eyes locked on trek mode for my favorite songstress's new album.
I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Yes, Yoh?"
"Anna?"
"Yes."
"I don't see any reggae or pop here at all…"
"No one here is looking for that sort of thing, if you haven't realized."
His eyes shut, and he sighed greatly. "But Anna…"
"If you want to look for something else, you'll have to wait," I snapped.
"Suman, Anna."
"Hmph," I snorted. The table was extremely messy; I was beginning to doubt if finding any album of choice was possible at the booth…
"ANNA!!!!"
Everyone around jumped, their piercings catching the infrequent sunlight exposed in the Tokyo dinge.
I did not turn my head, for it was boiling hot and red as hell. "what."
"They have Bob-samaaaaaa!" he squealed. When I turned to face him, his obnoxious orange headphones caught my eye as his head swayed out-of-beat with whatever he was sampling music-wise.
Because I feared Yoh's safety among all of the gothic shop-goers and because I was just about to strangle him myself, I stated with a deadpan stare, "Shut. UP."
-SLAPPP-
His fingers massaging his cheek in surprise, I shook my hand out and turned to face the selection of CDs once more.
My heart tightened in my chest, however, after glimpsing his sad brown eyes shining toward me with sadness and confusion.
After this, I decisively fixed myself on finding what I had been looking for.
It ended up taking about fifteen minutes (during which Yoh was not heard in the slightest), but I finally set my eyes upon the world's most unique singer-songwriter.
The cover art, just as I had predicted, was as controversial as I had caught wind of. Awaya was nestled among the naked bodies of a hundred or so women, all painted entirely red or green. The singer herself was looking into the camera—her eyelids fully pulled back and dressed with the gaudiest black mascara possible. In her ungodly long-nailed hands was a clutched yellow apple, speckled with flecks of infrared.
No need for an album title printed on front with a memorable cover like that.
Just to confirm, though, I plucked the album from the stack and scanned the left side of it with my eyes. Yep. My Heart Wants Romance, My Soul Wants Love, My Body Wants Apples.
I took time to observe the tracks, only a few of which had been previously rendered public by radio or television:
Shave your arms
Share your arms
Scare your mind
Scathe your tongue
Sacredly embraced abdomen
Spider in my ear hurts
Eggs in my ears
Legs in my fears
Kegs of beers
Ugly cats cannot be changed
Lovely bats
Lovely dogs
Lovely chinchillas (the nachos with sour cream song)
Swinging golf club: SWING SWING SWING TO HELL
Marshmallows blackened in heaven
The Ballad of Apple and Moriin
Hmph.
I thought this was supposed to be a groundbreaking artistic achievement, but let's get serious here. Not one track name was slightly out of the ordinary…had Awaya Ringo gone lax on me?
Speaking of lax…
"Yoh? I'm ready to check out, now. Let's find the person who's running this…"
My voice trailed off.
Yoh was gone.
In the company of shady people all around, I hollered "YOH?!" in a frantic tone. I got some stares, but I didn't care. Where was my fiancé, dammit??
The street suddenly seemed completely uneven. Was this all my fault? Had my rashness scared him off? What if a psycho shopper had got to him without my knowing?
God. Paranoia. I've continuously been cursed with it, but at the time it always seems to be rational.
My heart pumped blood throughout my veins faster than a train in the city.
The cold wrapped around me as tightly as a fist. It was like I was a white piece of paper with nothing worthwhile written on it.
Time for the trash.
Like a nasty piece of litter feeling crushed and polluted, my knees brought me to the ground. I felt absolutely terrible, but inside I knew I couldn't just keep Yoh separated from me. I feared that he wouldn't be able to come back to find me at the sham of an outdoor record store, so I dashed off to search around the chaotic marketplace.
"Yoh?" I turned my head to the left. A man and his little girl stared at me blankly.
"Yoh??" I turned my head to the right. Countless faces, but none of them Yoh's.
This was bad. Really bad. I felt all choked up…
I need to get out of here, I thought to myself. I'd never experienced clautrophobia, but at that moment I had the clearest possible understanding of the feeling.
My feet plodding to the ground quickly in clunky burgundy shoes, I wiped a single tear from my eye. If I had to look for Yoh until dusk, I am sure that my tan jacket's sleeve would become soaked from being used as a handkerchief. My teeth clenched together, hoping that maybe Yoh would somehow know to find me in the park nearby.
Yeah, right.
Hopeless and overwhelmed at the loss I felt, I plopped myself onto one of those benches that the old men in tatters always sit on. I took off my red woolen stretch cap and sunk my hands deep into my straight blonde hair, sighing while my middle fingers put pressure into my temples. The massage was relaxing in a painful way, but it didn't help me gain any amount of confidence back. I needed Yoh for that.
"Oh, Yoh…" I whispered with a shiver. My words came out in the form of small plumes. I hadn't realized how cold it actually was, or I would have worn more layers. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sor—mmmm!!!!"
My lips were suddenly held hostage.
I trembled in fury, realizing that I was caught in a surprise kiss.
-SLLAAAPPPP-
"Ow!! Geez, Anna…you didn't have to hit that hard, even if you are still mad at me…"
Yoh rubbed the back of his head and got up from his crouched position.
My eyes round and enraged, I bolted up and took a giant step toward him. Uncomfortably close, I yelled in his ear, "HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT I WAS HERE??"
He hung his head low and murmured, "I know you're a solitary person…thought you might want to be alone—"
"WHY ON EARTH DID YOU SCARE ME LIKE THAT?!! DON'T YOU EVER, EVER DO THAT AGAIN!!"
"Suman!"
"NO 'SUMAN'!! DO YOU KNOW HOW SICK I WAS FOR THOSE TEN MINUTES THERE?! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME, OBAKA!!!"
"I'd never do that, Anna."
"YOU BE QUIET!" I grabbed his coat and pulled him close. I buried my face in the thick green fabric, which sopped up my tears to form tiny, but spreading, spots. "You just…you be quiet, right now…"
"Hai, Anna." He stroked my hair, each finger running through the tresses softly and evenly.
Everything was still except for us. The leaves in the park's trees were dying, stagnate, waiting until they were completely lifeless and ready to fall off. The vibrant green that had burst from the park's vegetation in the summer had all but faded away to dull oranges, browns, reds, yellows…even pinks…
Beautiful autumn leaves, nearly ready to face their fall.
"You, Yoh…" I broke through the hushed atmosphere, a dagger piercing a wall of glass. "You are such a jerk."
He pulled away a little to gaze at my entire expression. His hand still intwined in my hair, he asked bewilderedly, "Why is that?"
"You made me lose that CD," I responded exasperatedly. The fog that my breath created dissipated when it hit Yoh's face, smiling at me.
"We can go back," he suggested.
"No. It's a new album; it's probably gone by now. Besides, I didn't even see anyone working there. No simple 'irasshai.' (7) No anything."
"Well," Yoh shrugged. But an instant later, his smile turned down a little. His eyes focused hotly on my face. With a touch of his hands on each of my cheeks, my heart stopped inside me. "Anna…Your cheeks are so red…" One hand flit up to my forehead. "And you feel warm! Are you all right?"
I didn't, but Yoh wasn't helping. When he came near me, my emotions flared instantly. My pulse raced; my cheeks became rosy, and my breath quickened.
It was at that time I realized that being with Yoh and being away from him were the very same for me.
Love doesn't go away with the person you cherish; it stays with you always.
"Y-Yoh…" I stammered. Best as I could, I looked down while my face was still cradled in his palms. "I…I don't really feel good…"
"Aw," he whispered. "We should go home. I'll make you some okayu. (8) Sound good?"
I nodded. He kissed me above my brow and let my face free so we could walk home together.
A/N's
Wow.
I will start off with a really huge apology to anyone who is reading this fic, especially those who have reviewed in the past. I am really indebted to you, because if not for you this story would be garbage. Seriously. So, I really hope that you can forgive me for taking so long to post. I've done more in the last few weeks of summer than I have all YEAR so far, and my head's been absolutely spinning. So, a great big thank you and yet one more "gomen nasai," followed by...
Japanese notes!:
(6) "Wait a minute!"
(7) "Irasshaimase" is what you hear when you walk into a Japanese store. It's a "Welcome!!" The "irasshai" that Anna mentions is the plainest form of "irasshaimase," meaning that there was no shopkeeper to say even the simplest greeting to her. It was just a table full of music goods (obviously owned by someone irresponsible).
(8) Kind of like the Western equivalent to chicken noodle soup. The Japanese eat okayu (which is a misture of rice, eggs, and broth) to help get over colds. A Japanese friend of mine told me that it originated in China, which seems likely, but don't hold me to that...
...and that should be it. Yes. All right, then, I really hope you all have it in your hearts to click on that little [Go button down there by the "Submit Review" box. I'd really appreciate it, and I hope you are enjoying the story!
Hoping to (but not promising) I'll update soon,
SS :D
