Scene 12

'It'

"Uwahhhhh….Ringo is so pretty this year! And look at her costume! How can anyone pull that off?" Yoh babbled in awe, his eyes seemingly awestruck at the elaborate costume that Awaya Ringo wore before his very eyes. A big peacock like fan of feathers stuck out strikingly from the back of the costume, with Ringo's headgear sporting delicate jewelry of all shapes and sizes. Her silver and white gown seemed to flow endlessly, all the way to the back stage. Amidamaru was in the living room too, seemingly interested as well.

"I told you Ringo would win this year." Anna replied, calm, cool and collected. Her expressions betrayed her feelings however, she was just as excited as Yoh was, only that she didn't want to show it. Her eyes scanned Ringo's gown thoroughly, a small impressed smile forming on her face.

With her eyes still stuck to the television screen, Anna didn't notice Yoh who snuck a glance as his mesmerized fiancé. He smiled lazily at her with the large goofy grin of his, unaware of his gawking.

It was only a matter of time when the blonde noticed.

Anna cocked her head sideways, staring right into his chocolate brown orbs.

"Anything the matter?" she spoke loudly, wanting to snap him out of his stupor. Hearing her words, Yoh jerked up in surprise, his knee hitting the corner of the table, spilling the tea all over the hard wooden surface.

"Ahh…gomen Anna, I'll go get it cleaned up." Yoh hurriedly left, not wanting to reveal his faint blush on his cheek. Digging his hands into his pockets, he shuffled slowly to the kitchen and took a rag from the closet. Turning the tap on, he rinsed the rag with the cold water before turning the faucet off. Walking back to the living room, he wiped the table down carefully, not wanting to disturb his fiancé who seemed to be totally engrossed in the program. Her small little eyebrows were scrunched up together, making Anna seem almost…cute.

Yoh smiled inwardly, almost wanting to laugh when he realized the amount of trouble he would be in if he told Anna she looked cute. Clearing the table with one clean sweep, he kept the teacups and was just about to leave.

Suddenly, Anna stood up, patting herself down and running her hands down her long shapely legs to remove the creases on her dress.

"I'll get that. Bob Love is coming up next." She walked over calmly, taking the tray from him before disappearing down the hallway.

Yoh turned to his mochirei and asked,

"Did she just help me clean up MY mess? That's the fifth time this week!" he asked with a smile, albeit his shocked expression. Amidamaru could only chuckle, crossing his arms in the process.

"Yoh-san, I believe you have not kissed Anna-san this week. Maybe you should say a thank-you to her?"

Upon hearing his mochirei's words, Yoh couldn't resist the faint blush that appeared on his cheeks. He was suddenly interested in the television commercials, his fingers twiddling with each other nervously.

As her footsteps getting louder and louder, he glanced at Amidamaru once again, flashing a sheepish smile before turning away to look at the television screen. His guardian spirit floated away quietly, bowing before he left. As Anna slid the door open, she walked in slowly, noticing the uncomfortable tension that radiated from her fiancée.

Kneeling down at the opposite end of the table, she smoothened out the crinkles in her dress before looking at Yoh. With an eyebrow raised, she poked him hard on his cheek.

"Ow! What was that for?" The brunette exclaimed, seemingly surprised at her random act of domestic violence.

"What were you talking about with Amidamaru just now? I can bet it had nothing to do with the television commercials."

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Yoh could only smile shyly, hoping that his fiancé would not kill him after she heard what he had to say.

"It's nothing Anna. We were just talking about you know…umm…"

"Stop mumbling you idiot. I can barely understand you. If it wasn't anything important then you don't have to tell me. Now shush, Bob Love is here."

Yoh turned to the screen, seeing his favorite singer come on stage. Anna was right, Bob Love's performance was up next. But a part of his mind couldn't focus entirely on the performance. With Amidamaru's words still ringing at the back of his head, Yoh thought about what he wanted to do next. Turning his head slightly, he saw Anna's left hand placed on the table, her eyes fixed onto the screen. She was completely distracted!

Time to go in for the kill…

Yoh put his right arm onto the table, trying to play it off as a casual gesture and that he had no hidden intentions. Slowly but surely, his fingers crept slowly towards Anna's, hoping to catch her hand before she could pull away.

Almost there…just a little bit more…

Just as he was about to reach her fingers, Anna's hand pulled away as she rested them on the floor. Yoh's hand was now draped almost entirely on the wooden table, with the only space where Anna's hand was previously before.

So close…

Removing his hand immediately to avoid any awkward questions, Yoh just sighed softly, before folding his arms on the table to act as a pillow. Turning his attention to Bob Love, he could only hope his favorite singer would offer him some comfort and encouragement.

Then, he felt it.

Yoh didn't dare to move, afraid that the feeling would go away. He remained still, shocked that she was actually doing this to him.

He felt her long smooth fingers run through his hair, stroking his messy head back and forth. Yoh didn't want to move, but at the same time, he couldn't resist asking why.

Reluctantly, he sat up, his eyes not tearing from hers at all. The look of confusion on his face said it all and Anna understood perfectly.

"What's the matter? Can't I touch your hair?" she exclaimed nonchalantly, as if it was an usual habit.

Yoh just stared at her, dumbfounded, a million thoughts running through his mind. However, one particular thought stood out the loudest, as if it was shouting at him and his body to do something.

Without hesitating, Yoh placed his hands on hers, quickly intertwining her fingers with his. Now it was Anna's turn to turn red, her cute gray eyes a huge contrast from the increasing flush of red that was appearing on her cheeks. She saw him gulp before leaning forward, slowly, over the small wooden coffee table.

He kept coming closer and closer, but she didn't move. She didn't want to move.

Anna could feel Yoh's hot breath fanning all over her forehead, he was only inches away now. Anna closed her eyes, hoping so much that he wouldn't back out now.

Then, she felt it.

Her heart started to do backflips. Her stomach seemed to have a million butterflies who all decided to flap their wings at the same time. Her forehead was so hot, just as hot as her hand was. It was making her feel all lightheaded and loopy. When she opened her eyes, he was still near, his hand holding hers. She swallowed her saliva nervously, looking away shyly, not wanting to look him in the eye.

As he sat back down slowly, she felt a tad rejected, because it was supposed to be somewhere else as well. Nevertheless, she was in bliss.

Yoh smiled softly at her, hoping that she would return his smile.

Nowadays, it was rare that she never did.

A/N: Sup guys! Can any of you guess what 'it' was? It's pretty obvious, isn't it? Pun intended.