A New Beginning
Kiss #37
"And a new day will dawn for those who stand long, and the forests will echo with laughter…"
-Led Zeppelin, Stairway to Heaven
Rating: T for language, innuendo, and romantic themes.
Author's note: This is just a bit of fluff I wrote for the eighth anniversary of my last update (12/3/12). It's been a looong time, but I just recently started reading the Comixology™ re-release of the manga series, and it inspired me to revive this collection. I hope to continue updating as long as there is interest and time! Also, I anticipate this story causing some confusion, so to clear things up: I'm a guy. Enjoy! -Kefra, 12/4/20
I.
"Good morning, Anna!"
Yoh's cheery voice echoed off the spartanly furnished wood floors and walls of the En Inn. His hands were busy in the kitchen sink, but his head was free to swivel around and turn to the sound of footsteps he had just called out to.
"Anna?" he called again.
The footsteps drew nearer, but no response came. No surprise there, he thought, shrugging and returning to his dishwashing. He wiped his sweaty forehead on his sleeve, and redoubled his efforts to scour his frying pan clean.
He noticed the footsteps halt. He rather testily turned around and said, "Anna, your breakfast is getting cold -"
He swallowed the rest of his sentence in shock, for the person standing before him was clearly not his fiancee.
"Manta?!" Yoh exclaimed.
"The one and only," the short boy affirmed with a grin. "I hope I'm not intruding?"
"No, not at all!" Yoh grinned broadly at his old friend. "Anna may disagree, but hey, she's not awake yet."
"Huh," Manta said thoughtfully. "That's not like her at all."
"What's not like me at all, shrimp?!"
The two boys cringed in unison at the shrill voice that could belong to no other.
"N-nothing, Anna-sama," Manta stammered, so nervous that he addressed her with an unduly lofty title, "well, I was just saying, you're usually an early riser, so…"
"Oh." Despite the truthful answer, Anna continued to glare at the "shrimp." "What's he doing here?"
Yoh shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously. He actually didn't know why Manta had come. "Um ... To see his two best friends?"
"Two? I see one, Yoh, you and no one else. Tell me you don't think the midget and I are friends."
"Hey!" Manta protested, leafing through the compendium he always toted with him. "Please don't use that word. It's offensive!" He pointed to an article in his book for emphasis. "Nowadays we say 'vertically challenged', 'little person,' or just 'short.'"
"Okay. Sorry, little person, you're making my temper short. And our friendship is vertically challenged."
"That's better," Manta said. "Wait … grrr … no it isn't! I am not a midget! I mean, little person! I mean - I'm not!"
Seeing Manta about to have a conniption, Yoh interceded. "Anna, why don't you sit down and have some bacon and eggs? Here, let me pour you something to drink."
Anna put up a hand to stop him. "Not today, Yoh. I'm actually pretty pissed off. Not at you, mi - little person - but at myself, for oversleeping."
"But why?" Yoh asked. "It's a beautiful Saturday morning. If there was ever a day to sleep in a little, it's today."
"Nope." Anna waved away the orange juice Yoh was offering her. "I gotta go stand in line."
"Line? For what?"
Manta cleared his throat. "Wait … you don't mean … you're not going to the bookstore by any chance, are you?"
Anna looked ready to dole out a slap, but froze mid-windup. "Actually, yes, yes I am. How'd you know?"
"I didn't," Manta replied, "but I'm actually on my way there too. And I thought I'd invite Yoh to come along." Comprehension began to dawn on Manta's face as he continued, "Hold on a second. There's only one reason anyone would go to the bookstore on a Saturday, and know that there would be a line. Anna-san, are you also a fan of -"
The rest of Manta's sentence was drowned out by a resounding smek!
"Yow!" Manta rubbed his cheek vigorously.
"A fan of what?" Yoh asked, stepping in front of his diminutive friend to shield him from further slaps.
"Yoh, let's just go," came a muffled voice from behind him.
"Wait," Anna boomed, in a tone that could stop Death itself. Yoh and Manta froze.
"If you're going to the bookstore, you might as well pick up a copy for … my friend," Anna said, in a tone no less icy. Giving Manta a horrifying side-eye, she thrusted a few folded bills into Yoh's palm. "One copy of whatever Shrimpy is buying. Don't come back without it. You hear me?"
Yoh simply nodded. "Got it. Bye, Anna," he said without turning around. He didn't see Anna standing there, arms akimbo, but with an oddly anticipatory expression on her face…
II.
Yoh was laughing hysterically at Manta's revelation. "Bahahaha! Manta, seriously?"
Manta simply nodded.
"I can't believe … Anna is a Larry Kotter fan! Of all the … That's just too funny."
His friend looked a bit wounded. "Hey, Yoh, I'm a big fan too. Are you implying that there's something wrong with that?"
"Huh?" Yoh looked into Manta's large eyes and felt a twinge of guilt for having laughed so hard. "No, no, of course not! But think about what you know of Anna's personality, and then try to imagine her getting excited over a story about teenage wizards casting spells and shit. Oil and water, right?"
But Manta wasn't laughing. "Yoh, there's a lot more to the Larry Kotter series than 'casting spells and shit.' It's an epic tale of good versus evil, of an orphan and his friends taking on the very manifestation of wickedness! It's an overarching story that juxtaposes the minutiae of daily student life and relatable adolescent struggles with fantastic forces like mythical creatures and magic incantations -"
"Okay, okay," Yoh interrupted, waving off the rest of Manta's spiel. "I get the point. Jesus, where'd all that come from? The New York Times Book Review?"
Manta sighed. "I'm just a big fan, that's all. I guess I like it for the same reason I knew all about Lee Pyron, the kung-fu master. Anna-san was right. I'm just a scrawny little kid who idolizes power."
Yoh's lips pouted a little as he took in Manta's deflated expression. "Aw, come on, Manta. I didn't mean it like that. I guess I don't know anything about Larry Kotter. So, hey, tell me more about the book that's being released today," he went on, trying to change the subject.
At that, Manta's eyes brightened with excitement. "Ah, the long-awaited third volume of the series! Larry Kotter and the Prison of Ass-Kabang!"
Yoh badly suppressed a snicker. "Are you serious? Ass-Kabang?"
"Well, sure," Manta replied. "You know what happens in prison. Don't drop the soap and all that."
"That seems a bit … racy for a children's book series," Yoh observed.
"Well, let's not get into it anymore. It's a copyrighted title. And it is not a 'children's book series'!" Manta fumed. "I have to admit I'm a little disappointed in you, Yoh. I thought you'd be able to relate to Larry a lot. He's a teenage wizard and you're a teenage shaman. You both have unbelievably immense destinies to fulfill. There's really not much different between you two."
Yoh cocked his head to one side. "I'm sorry, Manta. Like, I'm sure you're right, but you know me. Reading isn't really my thing. At all. So I don't know the first thing about Larry Kotter."
"Now's the perfect time to catch up!" Manta said encouragingly. "Well, actually, you would have had plenty of time to catch up earlier. It's been almost exactly eight years since the last story was published."
"Eight years?!" Yoh exclaimed. "Why'd it take so long?"
"I don't know," Manta admitted, "but if we're lucky, maybe you'll get to ask the author in person. Rumor has it she's going to make surprise visits to a few bookstores today to do autographs."
"Sounds like your dream come true," said Yoh.
"Oh, 'dream' doesn't even begin to describe it!" A faraway look graced Manta's eyes then. "The things I'd ask! I want to know more about Rob Beasley's backstory and whether Professor Bumblemore is supposed to be gay -"
"Let's hope you get lucky," Yoh said, cutting off Manta's fanboy screed.
"Speaking of getting lucky," Manta said slyly, "how are you and Anna-san, um, getting along?"
"Uh, you know," Yoh said, color beginning to creep into his cheeks. "We're doing okay."
"Really?" Manta's eyes were even wider than usual. "Has she - have you made her your Prisoner of Ass-Kabang yet-"
"What the hell," Yoh cut in, laughing. "I'm not at liberty to discuss that…"
"You don't deny it!" Manta looked scandalized.
Yoh sighed. "I'm totally joking. Sadly. Manta, think about what you've seen from Anna when you're around. All the teasing, all the name-calling, the … indentured servitude. Have you ever even seen us kiss?"
Manta had to admit that he had, in fact, not.
"Exactly. And not much is different when you're not around. So no. But it's given me plenty of time to become very close with my right hand …"
"Really?" Manta gasped. "And that perverted old urinal ghost doesn't watch? I'd be way too creeped out to even try it."
"I don't do it in the bathroom! I wait till Anna goes to bed and go to my room. Then I set the mood with some Soul Bob, maybe light an incense stick, put some tissues down, and I get some cooking oil and dribble it onto my -"
"Look at that line!"
And Yoh was spared from accidentally sharing far, far too much by Manta's fortuitous observation. Indeed, the line stretched across the street and down the block. As they drew closer and eventually took their spots at the back, they observed several people in line with Larry Kotter T-shirts, costumes, paraphernalia, and even makeup.
"True fans," Yoh observed. Manta nodded. "Why aren't you dressed up?"
"Are you kidding?" Manta asked incredulously. "Anna slaps me enough as it is. Showing up to your house uninvited and dressed up as a wizard would just be begging her to kick my ass."
"Fair enough." The line was advancing steadily before them. Manta's excitement grew as they drew nearer to the bookstore entrance. Soon they could feel the air conditioning wafting out from the open door into the hot midmorning.
"We're almost to the front of the line!" Manta triumphantly announced as the duo crossed over into the bookstore proper. They took a second to savor their refuge from the sun outside as their eyes adjusted to the soft indoor lighting.
"Wait - what's that?"
A commotion was brewing ahead of them in line. The customers started murmuring among themselves. Some were pointing in the distance. Manta bounced up and down, hoping to see what was going on, and Yoh craned his neck as well.
"They're setting up a table next to the register," he called down to Manta. "And now someone's bringing over a chair. And another guy's got a stack of books."
"Hmm, interesting…" Yoh strained to hear Manta's voice over the growing agitation of the crowd. "It sounds like an author is about to do a book signing. But who would do that today? Against the new Larry Kotter book? That's setting yourself up to fail."
"I don't know," Yoh said, finding himself almost shouting to be heard over the collective roar of the patrons ahead of him in line. "Poor lady…"
"The author is a lady?" Manta was shouting now too, but not just because of the crowd. "Could it be … no, there's no way …"
Maybe there was a way, and maybe there wasn't. Yoh had a clear line of sight to the author, but he also had no idea who she was. Manta, meanwhile, was frantically flipping through his tome until he found the page he was looking for.
"Does she look like this?" Manta beseeched, pointing forcefully at a grainy black-and-white head shot of a woman.
Yoh squinted at the photo, and then took a good look at the author, who was now settling into the uncomfortable-looking folding chair that had been brought for her. "I guess it could be," he said noncommittally.
That was enough to really get Manta worked up. "Oh, my God! Yoh! I gotta see for myself. Give me a boost!" he begged, gesturing upwards at Yoh's shoulders.
"Are you kidding me … you're serious, aren't you?" Yoh sighed. "Do you know how stupid I'd look -" he broke off and caught a glimpse of all the fully-attired wizards and whatnot surrounding him - "actually, never mind. Sure. Anything for a friend, Manta."
With a heartfelt grin, Manta clambered his way to his makeshift outpost atop Yoh's shoulders. He had barely gotten his stubby legs in place before he exclaimed, "Holy crap! It's her!"
"Hey, watch your language," came a gruff voice from behind the boys. "Some of us brought our kids here."
"Sorry - but holy shit, it's her!"
The man's rebuttal to Manta's cursing was lost in the uproar of the crowd at that moment. "It's her, it's her, it's her!" Manta squealed, leaping square off Yoh's shoulders and back to the floor. "I'm totally unprepared for this. I don't even know what to say to her!"
Yoh put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Hey, hey, deep breaths. You have a little time to get ready. Just speak from the heart, Manta."
Manta smirked. "Remind me again what school you got your degree in corny from?"
"Whatever. It worked, didn't it? You seem a lot calmer now."
"You're right, Yoh. Okay, focus, focus…"
The boys were very nearly at the front of the line now. Even Manta could get an unobstructed view of the author now. He looked uncharacteristically calm. "I got it."
"Great," Yoh replied. "Just in time, too."
The final patron ahead of the boys was gone. Before them sat the author of the Larry Kotter books. Before Yoh could process what was happening, Manta scrambled directly before her table and gave a deep bow. His face red with excitement, he stammered, "It - it is an honor to meet you, K. J. Rollins-sama."
The author shook her head as Yoh came to Manta's side. "No need for all that," she said, in a well-enunciated voice. Yoh thought she sounded a lot more chipper than he had expected from a fantasy author, almost like a stereotypical anime voice actress. "It is an even greater honor to meet a devoted fan."
"Now, as you know," she went on as Manta continued to stand in awed silence, "an author is nothing without readers. I want to give each and every one of my fans a heartfelt thank-you for devoting their time and money to reading my work and allowing me to pursue my dream."
Manta remained silently starstruck. "Now," she went on soothingly, "I want to give everyone here an opportunity to ask me anything at all. The inspiration behind your favorite character, maybe? Or what's coming in future books? That's a very popular question."
At last Manta seemed to compose himself. "No, I'm happy to leave that a mystery. And part of what I love about your stories is the fact that your characters are so relatable. Knowing they came from somewhere else would kind of … dampen the magic, you know?"
"Of course," the author agreed, smiling at Manta's thoughtfulness.
"So, what I really want to know is, what were you doing in the eight years before you published this last book?"
Her eyes widened perceptibly at the question. "Wow. Most people have questions about my work. It's very rare that someone wants to know anything about my life outside of writing. That's very touching." She took a deep breath and went on with, "You know, there were a lot of factors. I had a bunch of ideas for the first two books, and then … nothing. I kind of burned myself out. Then I had bills to pay. You'd be surprised how much the publishing company and my agent get. Long story short, I had to work. Then I met the love of my life. No," she laughed, "believe it or not, writing is not my only love, nor it is my greatest."
Manta listened intensely as she continued, "Between burnout, work, and a serious relationship, you can imagine I had very little time to write. But after all those years, I still knew I had a story inside of me that was begging to be let out. And, of course, I couldn't forget fans like you, who I felt terrible about making wait for years. Yes," she said, favoring Manta with a warm smile, "above all else, I decided that I couldn't let my fans down. After all these years, I haven't forgotten about you. You are my inspiration."
"Now then," she said, picking up a copy of her book from the stack beside her, "I assume you're also here for this." She clicked her pen and opened the book to its title page. "I'm happy to make out my autograph to both of you," she said, now turning to Yoh. "Young man, what's your name? And do you have a question for me, too?"
"Err," Yoh said, "it's actually for my fiancee."
"Oh, my," she replied, visibly taken aback. "What a lucky young man you are to have found your true love so early in life! I know exactly what to write to her. What's her name?"
III.
"Man, I can't wait to start reading this! But naturally I couldn't leave you alone to walk back home," Manta said as the gates of the En Inn came into view.
"That's really kind of you," acknowledged Yoh. "I do enough lonely walking as it is." He turned his own copy of the book over in his hands. "I gotta say, this is a pretty badass cover. I just might start reading it myself once Anna's had her turn."
"I still can't believe I got to meet K. J. Rollins," Manta gushed.
"I'm not convinced," Yoh said. "You've only mentioned it sixty times on the walk back."
"Can you blame me?" Manta shot back. "What a transcendent experience!"
"I don't even know what that means, but I'm assuming it's good. Now," Yoh said as they came to a stop before the front door, "are you prepared?"
Manta gulped. "She can't still be mad, can she?"
"You'd be surprised. Oh well, no sense in putting it off." And Yoh pushed the sliding door aside to reveal…
"Hmph. There you two are. Hurry up and get in. Lunch is getting cold."
"You cooked?!" cried the boys in perfect unison.
Anna shrugged stiffly, her face betraying nothing as usual. "I was planning on standing in line all afternoon, but you did that for me. Besides, I was getting hungry and it was getting late."
"Well," blurted Manta, "I'm glad there was enough cooking oil left, since Yoh likes to use it when he -" A swift nudge from Yoh's knee interrupted him.
"What?" Anna asked blankly.
"Oh, nothing," Yoh said with a nervous grin. "Anyway, you're not going to believe this, Anna, but we were able to get you a signed copy!"
That was enough to make Anna stop untying her apron. "K. J. Rollins was at our little neighborhood bookstore?"
"Yeah!" Manta piped up. "I couldn't believe it, either."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Anna said, her piercing gaze now focused on her fiance. "The cat's out of the bag. You know by now that I'm a Larry Kotter fan. And I don't care what you think about that. Now give it here."
"Anna-san," Manta said quietly, "I never for a second questioned why you like Larry Kotter. I was telling Yoh there's a lot more to the books than meets the eye. I know you don't like me, Anna-san, I just wanted you to know I totally get why the books appeal to you."
Anna said nothing, but her gaze softened somewhat as it looked over Manta.
"It's true," Yoh added. "Manta totally gets it. And I think he gets you better than you think, too."
Anna cast her apron aside in a final gesture of frustration, then sighed. "I … I know, Yoh. Manta, look. I got nothing against you, shrimp," she said, but this time with something approaching affection in her voice. "I'm a little jealous of how close you are with Yoh, but mostly I'm just glad you're such a good friend to him. You're … you're all right, Manta."
He knew that was as close as Anna was going to get to acknowledging that they were, in fact, friends. His eyes were distinctly watering now. "You're … all right too, Anna-san."
"Can we cut this 'Anna-san' crap? Manta, you're my friend, all right? There, I said it." Anna studiously ignored the tears that now were forming at the corners of Manta's eyes. "Alright, enough chitchat. The book. Now."
Yoh flipped the book over in his hands and placed it, right-side up, into Anna's waiting hands.
"Ahh, it's finally here," Anna said in an oddly soothing tone. "And a signed copy, too?" She began to leaf through the first few pages. "Let's see -"
She gasped when she flipped to the title page. She slowly read what K. J. Rollins had written:
My dearest fan Anna -
Not even the most bewitching magic spell cast by the strongest wizard could ever possess a young man to stand in line on a fine Saturday morning to buy a book for his fiancee. That is the exclusive realm of true love.
Enjoy the book, K. J. Rollins
Anna was silent as she read it again and again. Neither boy knew what to say, although Yoh saw a rare smile start to break on her face.
At last she spoke. "Yoh, come here."
"Oh, good," he said as he strode over to Anna's side, "I'm dying to know what she wrote -"
But Yoh didn't get his chance to read it, for Anna had pounced upon him as soon as he got within range of her deadly slender arms. Not expecting the ambush, Yoh felt breathless as Anna's tight squeeze expelled the air from his body. He didn't get a chance to catch his breath again, because Anna had placed her lips directly on his, and was now suckling them, threatening to draw forth whatever air remained in his lungs. Luckily for him, the kiss made him gasp, filling him with much-needed air, but he quickly reciprocated, passionately kissing Anna and squeezing her a little himself with his surprisingly strong arms. Yoh timidly licked Anna's lips, but she placed a hand behind his head and let his tongue proceed. Their lips remained locked for what seemed like several minutes, expressing the love between them that all too often remained hidden away.
Finally the two lovers released each other and looked up.
Manta was frozen on the spot. He was blushing furiously and carrying his tome in front of his waist, as if trying to conceal something.
"Um," Yoh said, looking quite flushed himself, "wanna borrow some cooking oil?"
"What do you guys use it for?" Anna asked, sounding a little dazed from their impromptu makeout session. "Actually, never mind, I don't want to know. And it doesn't matter anyway. Yoh, I may like stories about magic and wizards, but K. J. Rollins was right. The true magic is our love. I know I don't say it enough - or ever, really - but …"
She looked deep into his eyes tenderly. "I love you, Yoh."
He returned her passionate gaze unhesitatingly. "I love you too, Anna."
Anna opened her arms wide to wrap Yoh in a warm embrace. He returned it tightly.
"Yoh…"
"Yes, Anna?"
She looked down significantly. "Feels like your magic wand is casting some spells of its own down there…"
Yoh blushed madly. "Oh God, I'm sorry, Anna…"
"Don't be," she whispered sultrily. "You have no idea how much of a turn-on it is to feel wanted."
Ka-thunk!
"Manta!"
"He'll be fine," Anna said. "Just a little shocked. He'll come around in, oh, 20 minutes or so. In the meantime…" Anna looked at the staircase meaningfully. "Let's go to your room, Yoh."
"W-what?"
"You heard me. And Yoh?"
"Huh?"
"Bring the cooking oil."
I hope you enjoyed this! I truly appreciate your feedback. Thanks!
