Summary: Thanksgiving arrives at the En Inn, but one of its residents is a bit under the weather, leaving the other alone for the turkey dinner. What's in store for them?

Written: Uhh, obviously I missed my projected Thanksgiving Day deadline for this piece. What can I say, other than "school bites"? (Finished 11/28/07, only 6 days late!)

Rating: T for suggestive themes and coarse language.

Comments: I just had to write a Thanksgiving bit. I found (I think) the perfect title for it, you'll see why ;) Enjoy!

Cold Turkey

Kiss #19

"I'm thinking of a brand new hope, the one I've never known, 'cause now I know it's all that I wanted."

-Green Day, Macy's Day Parade

Anna didn't like to confess it to anyone, much less her naïve fiancé, but she usually delegated the task of cooking dinner to him for a better reason than sheer laziness. Truth be told, she wasn't exactly well versed in the culinary arts. Neither was Yoh, really, but at least he made a convenient scapegoat whenever a dish came out too salty, too spicy, or charred beyond recognition. The kitchen resembled a makeshift chemistry lab now, with bowls, boxes, spoons and cups randomly strewn about, each dripping, oozing, or otherwise leaking a unique liquid onto the countertop. At the center was Anna, whose standard black outfit was obscured by a badly stained apron, frowning at a cookbook in a manner all too familiar to any student who's ever crammed right before a test.

She didn't panic, though—she knew she had a cheat sheet up her sleeve. Taking a deep breath and defiantly slamming her egg whisk onto the countertop, she tossed her head back, forcing herself to unwind like her hair, and took several confident strides up the stairs. "Yoh, you've slept long enough." She spoke in a voice that was at once monotone and exhorting, one that made throats tighten and palms sweat despite not being particularly malicious or even loud.

"Didn't you hear me? Our guests will be over for the Thanksgiving dinner soon. If everything isn't cooked by then, it'll be your ass on the line." Only now did Anna's voice betray even the slightest hint of annoyance, which normally was a warning signal.

The form beneath the sheets, however, remained still. It faced away from her, and only the top of his head was visible, just a few inches of messy black hair upon the mattress.

"Yoh, you bum—" Anna had placed her hands on both sides of Yoh's head with the intention of roughly drawing the sheets down, but instead paused. Gently she nudged the blanket lower, and stopped, feeling slightly embarrassed yet excited when she realized he was shirtless beneath the covers. But there was a heat of a different kind that gave Anna pause then. A delicate frown crossed her brow as she cocked her head to one side. Was it just her imagination, or did Yoh definitely look just a bit paler than usual? She dotingly brushed a few matted hairs off his forehead and laid her palm upon its surface.

"No…" As soon as she felt the clammy, intense heat of Yoh's brow, she realized why he had been unresponsive. At her touch, however, he stirred, rolling over until he was flat on his back. Groggily, he gave a noncommittal blink, followed by a couple more—and then unceremoniously gave a great hacking cough into Anna's face.

"Eek!"

With a final blink and a gross throat-clearing, Yoh grimaced. "H-hey, sorry about that, Anna."

"Say it, don't spray it," she sighed, dabbing at her face with the spotty apron.

Propping an elbow up on the mattress, Yoh looked as though he were about to rise from bed, but with a tremendous groan, he appeared to reconsider. "Agh, Anna, I…don't feel so well. I think I might be a little sick?"

"You don't say," she shot back. "Well, I don't see how forcing you to baste and batter is going to do you—or our guests, for that matter—any good."

Yoh could only manage a weak nod.

"I…" Anna felt a disarming pang of sympathy right then, as she looked into Yoh's half-closed eyes. "You better stay hydrated, Yoh. Let me…I'll be right back with some water."

She almost regretted her magnanimous gesture when she found herself back in the kitchen. The collage of pots, pans and bowls reminded her of why she had gone up to visit Yoh in the first place. She bit back her anxiety, though, and trudged back upstairs, a frosty glass of water in each hand.

"Thanks," Yoh acknowledged, his voice raspy.

"Yoh…I need your help."

There was the slightest hesitation in Yoh's reaction, but it was gone before Anna could blink. A look of sheer torment crossed his face briefly as he sat up. "Sure thing, Anna."

Yoh's cheesy grin looked somewhat more strained than usual, but its sincerity shone through. Anna stood thunderstruck before his sitting figure, moved by his gesture of selfless devotion, and for a moment she was thankful for his rescue, but even she had a heart sometimes…

"No!"

Yoh choked on his gulp of water; with his already agitated throat, it sent him into a severe coughing fit. Anna took a timid step forward, and followed it up with a confident one, and her hand gently rapped his bare back to ease the coughs. Although he had been somewhat pale earlier, it now almost appeared to Anna that he was blushing, but he was in good company…

"Err," Anna hastened to clarify, her eyes now looking anywhere but Yoh's naked torso, "I meant…I should let you rest and get better. But I was wondering if you could offer some suggestions for my cooking."

"Oh." An almost relieved look crossed Yoh's face. He relaxed and reclined onto the mattress once more; Anna drew back her hand much more sharply than she would have liked. "Well, I dunno…Don't overdo the turkey, it'll only make it drier. Oregano and basil in the stuffing, but just a pinch. And remember, the rule of thumb for pumpkin pie is, when in doubt, more sugar and less cinnamon."

Anna nodded, but said nothing; it appeared to Yoh that she was expecting more.

"Oh, Anna, what are you trying to pull? We both know I'm mediocre at best in terms of cooking. Your dinner will be delicious. I only wish I could taste some of it tonight."

"Th-thanks, Yoh." She didn't quite know what possessed her to be so…tender with Yoh that afternoon, but she rearranged the blanket and tousled his hair fondly before she left.

If only I were half as confident as you are in my skill, Anna thought as she ambled downstairs, not really wanting to return to the kitchen but knowing it was inevitable…

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"Geez, Ren, save some cranberry sauce for the rest of us!" Horohoro reprimanded, his large eyes stretched even wider upon seeing the huge quivering vermillion slab atop Ren's spoon.

"It's not my fault the turkey turned out so damn dry," he shot back, looking smug for a split second before catching a glimpse of Anna's livid, slap-happy face. "Er, I mean, maybe…uh, wouldja pass the gravy, Ryu?"

"Certainly," came the deep-voiced reply, and a thick, hairy arm maneuvered the gravy boat across the table.

"But seriously," Ren began through a mouthful of turkey once Anna looked slightly mollified, "this is surprisingly good."

"Surprisingly good?!" cried Anna. "What's so surprising about it, huh? Are you saying I'm usually a bad cook?"

The gravy arrived and Ryu's now free hand now descended lightly upon Anna's shoulder. "Anna, come now, has Ren ever been loose with his compliments? This is high praise, relatively speaking, and well-deserved high praise at that."

She chanced a glance at Ren, who now looked bashful, spooning gravy onto his plate docilely. "I…You're right, Ryu. After all, this is Thanksgiving."

"Indeed it is, Lady Anna, and this momentous day has arrived just in time!" That unique expression was beginning to cement itself on Ryu's countenance, one that, if anything, accentuated his wild hairdo. "There is so much to be thankful for this year. I am, for the third year running, indebted to you and Master Yoh for all you have done for me."

Anna nodded vaguely; she never quite knew how to handle Ryu once he got on a roll.

"If it weren't for Master Yoh's sagacity, I never—" The spacey expression on his face slid right back into normalcy. "But…Anna, where is Master Yoh?"

"Well," Anna began impassively, "if the cooking is better than usual, it's because I had to do it all by myself. Yoh isn't feeling well."

"What's the matter with Master Yoh?" beseeched Ryu, who looked as though he might sweep himself off his chair to prostrate himself before Anna.

"Oh," Horohoro interjected with an energetic smirk contorting his lips, "I expect he must be tired from all the se—"

"H-he wishes," Anna stammered, her cheeks a bit too red to be entirely truthful…

Ryu gave a low whistle from between his teeth, while Ren merely rolled his eyes and sank his knife into a slab of turkey with a bit more force than he intended. After a few seconds of dead silence crawled past, the snowboarder broke the silence.

"I, for one, am happy for the both of you. And I'm really glad things turned out the way they did. I couldn't ask for better friends. Or, well, let's not get greedy."

Anna looked mutinous.

"I'm just kidding! I love you guys." With that Horohoro threw his arms out, as though jumping off a diving board, and clasped them around Ren's neck, giving him a vigorous shake.

"Don't…touch me."

"Fair enough," the Ainu agreed. "But come on, little man, what're you thankful for this turkey day?"

"I am glad," he began slowly after a second's pause, "that there are so many shining examples out there of what I never want to become."

"Oh, here we go," Anna spat, thrusting her fork into her mixed vegetables so strongly that a lima bean nearly flew into the water pitcher.

"You're one to talk!" Ren blurted. "A paragon of compassion and optimism if I do say so myself!"

"I may not be the warmest person, but I don't hate the whole world irrationally."

"Yeah, you only push away the people who are closest to you!"

"Whereas you embrace us with open arms. Give me a break."

"Soooo," Horohoro broke in, "about that football—"

"I can't help it that I was raised by a paranoid, misanthropic tyrant of a father!" Ren bellowed, slamming his palm onto the tabletop, not even noticing the knife he had left there.

"Ah. And so it must've been my choice, then, to fall captive to a demon in my childhood. Very astute, Ren."

"Ugh, why do you always have to be such a bit—"

"You're so emo all the time—"

Ryu put down his glass of water calmly and finally resolved himself to speak, choosing his words carefully. "If I may?"

Neither Ren nor Anna interposed, although they seemed to stare right through him in order to continue glaring at one another.

"Let's try to be civil one day of the year. Thanksgiving seems as good a choice as any."

Looking as though he had just swallowed a cyanide pill…vomit-flavored…and lined with razor blades…Ren sat down again, as slowly as he could. Anna looked no less resentful, but nonetheless resumed her seat.

"How heartwarming. It occurs to me," Ryu continued, his prominent eyelashes pointing at Anna first, and then Ren, "that the two of you are not exactly on the best of terms."

"No. Really?"

"Horohoro, please." He merely shrugged and continued playing with his mashed potatoes. "Now then. Don't you find it ironic that you dislike each other with such intensity?"

"What's so ironic about it?" Anna's query was plaintive as usual.

"Both of you are children of unspeakable tragedy, whose very personalities were shaped by events completely outside the realm of your control. But more importantly, I do not think the apple has fallen far from the tree for either of you."

Ren and Anna ceased staring through Ryu, and now stared directly at him, the air among them taut with expectant silence.

"Yes, the tree of tragedy has borne both of you, and while you may be loath to admit it, you are more alike than you might think."

The silence persisted a few scant seconds longer, until the bubble burst.

"What? No way. I—"

"That's a crock! He—"

"But how can we be so…she's so cold—"

"I won't acknowledge that with a—"

Ren ran out of babbled retorts at exactly the same time Anna did, with the end result that both stared at each other, mouths agape, wrestling with the truth that slowly dawned on them.

"I think the two of you," Ryu said at last, "could learn and grow much from becoming closer friends. But more importantly for the moment, I think it's time for dessert."

He headed towards the kitchen, leaving the two to continue gaping at one another. Gradually they came to terms with the truth of Ryu's words. Anna favored Ren with a hollow smile—it may have been begrudging, but it was still a smile. Ren acknowledged it with a curt nod—it may have been stiff, but it was still an agreement.

"Geez, would the two of you lighten up? It's like I'm in a room with, oh, I don't know, Ren's dad and an oni in here!"

Both Ren and Anna rounded on Horohoro, who fought off their stares with a truly heroic shit-eating grin. It looked like they had finally found something they both unflinchingly agreed upon…

--------------------------------

Almost robotically, Anna tackled the mountain of dirty dishes in the sink one at a time. Her slender fingers combated caked food and congealed gravy, but she seemed preoccupied even though she finished the task methodically. There was one plate remaining on the kitchen table, and she picked it up before heading upstairs.

Even though she knew he had to still be there in his room, the sight of Yoh lying atop his bed stopped Anna in her tracks for a second. His body lay in a fetal position, bare save for a pair of boxers, and his thin yet sinewy arms caressed a ruffled pillow.

She hesitated again, but breathed deeply, and placed the plate on the nightstand. "Yoh," she whispered, kneeling just inches above his ear.

"Mmm…not yet, Grandpa, gimme five more minutes," he mumbled, rolling over and taking the pillow with him.

"Yoh?" she repeated, a little louder.

That got Yoh's eyes open, slowly. His arms abandoned the pillow, and his hands rubbed his eyes. "Anna? Oh, how was the dinner?"

"Feeling better, Yoh?" she pressed, sidestepping the question. The dinner itself was palatable, perhaps even good, but something that Ren had said stuck with her still…

"Yeah, actually. I guess I just needed to sleep it off, whatever it was."

"Good, good…There's only dessert left, I tried to save you some turkey, but…" Anna's voice trailed off, but even without that, Yoh sensed something was off-kilter. He sat upright and turned his head sideways, his eyes focused in the vicinity of her brow.

"Don't worry about it. Are you…okay, Anna?"

She began to nod, but abruptly clasped Yoh's left hand tightly. "Oh, Yoh…tell me…You don't think I'm…cold, do you?"

Even she seemed surprised by her query, as though she hadn't known that Ren's accusations had bothered her so.

With his free hand, Yoh caressed Anna's forehead. He had, as usual, taken Anna too literally.

"No...you're nice and warm, Anna."

She was just about to clarify before he continued.

"Sure, you can be cold sometimes." His hand lifted from her brow and tickled down her cheek until its fingers glided upon her chin. "Who isn't? But other times, you're so…so warm, you know? Like the way your hair is golden and light, like the best part of a sunset, or your eyes, they're always kind of…burning with a passion. Or even now," he said, moving his right hand so that he was now returning the favor and caressing Anna's hands, "this warmth, or…"

Yoh rose off the bed in one fluid motion, until he stood directly before Anna. He could smell the scents of hard work in the kitchen wafting off her petite frame: the fresh-lemon scent of detergent, a whiff of pumpkin pie spices, a trace of savory gravy. He grasped her wrist gently and laid her hand upon his bare chest. He placed his palm upon her heart; both of their pulses were quick and palpably warm.

"Feel that. Our hearts beat as one, and this…is the strongest warmth."

Anna looked up into Yoh's eyes, feeling his pulse against her palm, and it was indeed very warm. "Almost, but not quite," she corrected.

And then, instantly seeing the error of his presumption, Yoh felt the intense heat of Anna's lips upon his, a malleable warmth that flowed back and forth as his arms tightened around her back and their tongues touched, then cavorted. The heat radiated outwards; he felt it seeping into his chest from hers, and tingling at his legs, but it was still most powerful at their lips, almost as though they had fused together from the passion. Fortunately, they hadn't, as they gradually discovered, and Anna propped her chin upon Yoh's shoulder.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Yoh."

"You too, Anna."

The plate of dessert went untouched upon the nightstand, warming up in the still air. But Yoh held in his arms something ten times sweeter and already very warm, and he was thankful for whatever he had done to deserve her…