"I can walk."

"I know, but-"

"But what?"

"Well, it's faster if we-"

"No."

Yoh groaned, clearly frustrated but was still hovering close to her in case she needed his assistance. Meanwhile, Anna held her head high despite the limp in her foot, making it clear to him that she wanted her pride intact, thank you very much, and immediately resisted his offer to carry her.

Thus, their current situation.

Manta had left before them, carrying Anna's bag with him so she wouldn't have to. He offered to take Yoh's as well, which the teen declined. He could carry his bag and Anna, no problem, he assured his friend. He was strong like that. Yoh even made a show of flexing his arms to prove a point, which earned him a slight smack to the back of his head by Anna.

Amidamaru had gone with Manta, to keep an eye on him or so the ghost said, although Yoh was sure that Anna suspected that the only reason Yoh made the samurai leave together with Manta was knowing the fact that she would not have accepted any of his offers to help if they weren't alone.

And he was, in fact, correct.

Had those two been around, Yoh would have been a bloody mess on the floor for even suggesting he give her a piggyback ride home. As it was, Yoh was thankfully alive and awake but his offer was still snubbed because Anna was stubborn like that.

With her insurmountable pride coursing through her veins, she trudged on, ignoring Yoh's constant worried glances and whispered cheers.

What felt like an eternity of walking for her was only a few steps away from their school however. If she turned right now, there was a big chance she would still be able to see her school and be reminded that, if not for her carelessness, none of this would have happened at all. And while Anna silently fumed her unfortunate circumstances, flashbacks played inside Yoh's mind.

It began in gym class, when she and the other girls were playing volleyball. Like him, she didn't know much about how it happened - just that the accident occurred when she and another classmate rushed to the ball to save it. They ended up colliding against each other, and in Anna's case she tripped over the other girl's foot, causing her to lose her balance and land painfully on the sole of her foot.

The pain that shot through her was instantaneous, Yoh could immediately tell by the way she reacted. She didn't cry out; she just huddled to where she landed, her fingers quickly massaging the redness in her ankle. Someone screamed and their teacher's whistle rang through the air.

Then, hands quickly wrapped around her, shocking Anna as she felt herself being scooped effortlessly from the ground and rushed to the clinic, Manta following close by. From her almost-dazed expression, she must not have realized that the boys' class bore witness to her ungraceful situation. Or perhaps, she had forgotten, due to the pain.

Either way, it concerned him, and he spent the rest of his time by her side in the clinic, where she was bandaged, given something to decrease the pain to a numbing sensation, and then advised not to put too much pressure on her injured foot to let it heal. It was an advice that Yoh took to heart while Anna ignored it to the best of her ability.

Or tried to, anyway. It was hard to forget when Yoh made it his mission to fuss over her like a mother hen.

"We're far from the school if that's what you're worried about." Yoh made another attempt to hold her. She quickly swatted him away. "Come on, Anna."

"I'm fine." Saying so, she winced when she accidentally stepped on her injured foot instead. "Damn it."

"See? It still hurts!" He placed a hand on her back, thankful that this time she seemed to reciprocate his touch with her own when she held his hand. Yet, she was still trying to walk by herself. "It's just a piggyback, Anna. It's not like you're weak or anything. It's very normal to ask for help once in a while."

He could tell she was distracted, by the careless way she stepped on her wrong foot again and almost stumble had it not been for Yoh's quick reaction to loop an arm around her waist. With a quiet sigh, she finally gave in.

"Fine." Anna watched as Yoh's face light with a smile, before he stopped in front of her, his back to Anna.

The blonde slowly maneuvered herself for the piggyback ride, her arms unconsciously wrapping around his neck when he stood with a jump the moment she was secured in his hold. There was a lightness to his steps that made Anna's brows raise.

"You are enjoying this, aren't you." It wasn't a question. It was a demand for an explanation, one that Yoh answered with a chuckle.

"Kinda." Yoh laughed when she pulled his ear. "If it bothers you, then you can always think of this as extra training."

"Oh? Are you calling me fat, Yoh?"

"Maybe...?" Anna yanked his hair. Hard. "Alright, alright, sorry! I was just fooling around, is all."

"You better be." She mumbled. A moment's pause passed between them when Yoh could almost hear an idea pop in her head. Instinctively, he tightened his hold on her, fearing she was going to be difficult all over again. "You said I could treat this as your training, right?"

That was not what he anticipated. Confused, he tilted his head slightly to her.

"Huh? But I thought you said-"

He stopped, thoughts suddenly incoherent, when he felt a slim finger card through his hair, her nail biting deliciously against his scalp. Soon, five of her fingers were scraping against his head in a pattern that sent tingles down his spine.

He felt warm all over. This was dangerous.

"A-Anna...!"

"I didn't tell you to stop, did I, Yoh?"

"But!"

"This is training." Her hand slid to his neck, leaving tickling sensations as she let her skin slide against his. She drew closer then, her lips almost touching the shell of his ear. "Mental training."

She pressed her legs tighter around his waist, her body impossibly closer to him. Soft fingers began touching his hair, his neck, his shoulders, his arms… Everywhere her hands could reach!

It was exhilarating! It was out of this world! It was the most dangerous situation Yoh landed himself in!

The shaman found himself gasping for air, his heart thudding, even when Anna was lighter than the weights he was used to carrying. He heard her chuckle like the enchantress she could be, when her mind was plotting something evil.

Softly, in a tone that was almost seductive, she whispered. "Move, Yoh."

It was the hardest piggyback ride Yoh had ever been a part of.