Disclaimer: Don't own SK… or else Yoh/Anna fluff would be in every episode. LOL.
Notes: Wow… I got reviews! Thanks everyone! When I uploaded this I didn't really expect any. And due to Chibi_Dragon's request actually.. due to all the reviewers, I decided to post up another chapter. Again, thanks to everyone's support and I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I tried to make this one a teensy bit longer with new and weird conflicts! The beginning might be a TAD bit boring. Slight OOC? Sappiness? Cheesiness? Don't try to read the coffee order.. it's.. quite... painful. I planned uploading this earlier… on Good Friday, but unfortunately my internet got cut.. so it might be a tad while until the next one is uploaded. Thanks for being patient.
Thanks: Thanks to all the people I asked about Anna's coffee order! And yes, I know you all think I'm weird. A big thanks to a good cute friend of mine who pretty much gave me the whole order. 3/4's of it anyways.
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Running hard, the red haired boy panted, ignoring his body's fatigue and mental screams to stop and rest.
'Not yet... Almost there.. Damn, I'm definitely gonna get another detention. It's not my fault! It was the alarm! Damn machines can't make 'em right these days. You set them, they start, then when you sleep, they rebel against you, telling you, "No way, I'm not waking your ass up this morning." Then when you realized you overslept and glance and the clock, they grin evilly. Ugh!! Stupid things!'
He jumped over fences and leapt over cracks on the sidewalk. He wasn't going to lose to his alarm clock. Not now. Realizing that his destination was near he raced forward not looking at the tall man in front of him.
"Shindo Takuto, why are you late?" The man bellowed raising his finger.
"Well, sir. I can honestly say that it wasn't my fault. It was my alarm. It refused to ring to wake me up."
"Shindo-kun, I'm a reasonable man. I understand that technology does not favor lazy people like you and maybe I would accept the excuse once. But this is the 15th time you've had that excuse! If your clock doesn't work, get a new one. Better yet, get 3 extras in preparation. I'll even give you one!"
"Why sir, I've never seen this kindness in you before. Thank you very much! So I guess that means detention is out of the question for today.. hmm?" Takuto nudged the teacher playfully.
"3 O'clock sharp, you know the room. Don't come late." The man said as he walked back into the school building.
The young boy sighed wondering if he could ever win this fight. Walking with his head down, he headed towards the school entrance.
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Yoh lowered his head, taking in the scent of Anna's hair. It was a luscious scent, like flowers from a garden and a fresh spring breeze all rolled into one. A part of him felt like he was in Heaven... to be able to hold her this close without fears of getting clobbered or smacked. Without even knowing it, his eyes roamed above the sky, glancing and the clock tower.
"…. The bell is going to ring in 20 minutes." Yoh said softly unsure of why he said it, but still held his fiancée close to him.
She also made no movement but her arms slightly loosened his waistline. Cursing himself for mentioning such a useless fact, Yoh let go of her. His hands slid down her arms and eventually stopped to interlock with her fingers.
"Damn alarm clock!" A voice swore loud enough to make the young couple release each other completely. The redhead stopped as soon as he saw the two. "Sorry, I'm not having a good day…." Looking at Anna with interest, Takuto quickly forgot about the morning as he ran towards her. Slipping his arm around her shoulder he asked, "Hello there! I don't believe we've met. I'm Shindo Takuto. But enough about me, why don't you join me for lunch."
Anna quickly brushed his arm away, "No thanks. I'm sure you can enjoy by yourself."
A crowd suddenly began to gather around them, wondering what was going on. Some guys from Yoh's class began to cheer, "It's Takuto! He's trying to charm the new girl!"
With that whispers quickly followed through the schoolyard, "If that's the case, then that guy beside her doesn't stand a chance! He's a charmer." "A girl has never turned him down before!" "Poor guy. Once Takuto has his eye on something he doesn't let it go."
Sensing the crowd's anticipation, he recited a line of what seemed to be from those books on how to pick up girls, "How could I enjoy lunch knowing that a pretty girl such as yourself is nearby?"
"Sorry, but I'm already eating lunch with someone else," Anna turned away and took Yoh's hand, quickly leading him out of school property. 'Will this day ever end?!'
As he watched the couple leave, a group of his buddies came towards him. "Tough luck, eh? That girl is already taken."
"Taken? By him? Nah… It couldn't be. What could she possibly see in him?"
"It's true Takuto. She had her arm around his when they were walking together inside."
"Well, that's just another challenge for me then. I guess I just have to make her untaken by him, and then retaken by me," He grinned and laughed, not knowing the true relationship between Yoh and Anna.
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"What the hell is wrong with all the guys here?!" Anna sighed, resting her head onto Yoh's shoulder once more.
They rested in a nearby park that was unexpectedly almost deserted. A statue was spouting water upwards in a fountain near the centre of the area. Bushes had surrounded the place, making them hidden from unwanted visitors.
"They're pretty much like this every time a new girl comes in. I'm surprised that they haven't given up yet. Their senses usually come to during lunch. I guess you must be one of the lucky ones." He winked.
"Lucky?! That's the last word I would think of in a situation like this." She sighed and closed her eyes. "So since I'm one of the 'lucky' ones… When do you think they'll stop?"
Yoh looked at her for a moment and then replied with a grin, "I can't say for sure, but since you're probably the most beautiful girl in the whole school, I can't exactly say they'll ever stop."
Anna glanced at him, "…Maybe we'll have to show them that I'm taken in a more direct way."
A series of thoughts sunk into Yoh's mind – Anna and him kissing in public – kissing in a classroom – kissing in front of a video camera – kissing inside the girl's change room – kissing in-
"Yoh!"
The dark haired boy snapped back to reality a little saddened that his dream had to end.
The young girl looked at him, shaking her head she said, "Yoh…dear god, not you too."
"Sorry." Yoh gave a goofy grin as his face reddened.
Anna sighed, "…Men… They're all the same… Oh well. I don't want to think about this anymore. What's for lunch?"
"I don't know… I didn't really bring anything. Want to eat somewhere?"
"Hmm… that café down the block looks nice."
"Alright! Let's go then." Yoh stood up offering her a hand up.
And for the second time that day, Anna smiled and took his hand. The pair walked down the sidewalk, not afraid and unaware of the people staring and pointing at them. A part of Yoh still couldn't believe this was happening. 'Maybe this is a dream and she'll come and wake me soon. But wait! I don't want this to end! She has been acting pretty strange lately. Her training schedule has lightened a bit… And 2 weeks ago, I found her actually… doing something – Like cooking. I mean… not that I'm saying anything negative about her… or about the 'new' her… It's just a little… unexpected? Well… even if it was a dream, I'll cherish it till the end! And if it isn't…. then I'll still cherish this moment. Besides, this might be a rare moment where she's actually.. *ahem* It might never ever happen again. Might as well enjoy it while it lasts.'
"We're here," Anna said, hindering Yoh's conflicting thoughts. "Get whatever you want, I'll pay for it."
Yoh's jaw dropped, 'Whatever I want? Is she testing me? Is this seriously my fiancée? She's paying?? Well… she does pay for the groceries… B-b-bu-but..'
"Well?" Looking at his astonished expression she asked impatiently, "What is it?"
The shaman shook his head, "No, it's nothing. Well… Let me pay for it. It's the least I can do for what you did for me earlier. Please?"
Smiling meekly, Anna walked ahead, "Suit yourself. Alright then." She glanced at the one of the workers, "I'm only going to say this order once and only once, so listen up and pay attention. I want a grande mocha topped with whipped cream sprinkled with nutmeg and chocolate, a ginger ale with grenadine and lime juice with a twist of lemon, a french vanilla topped with whipped cream, also sprinkled with nutmeg, one of your Christmas blend of gingerbread flavored coffee, a cappuccino, 2 caramel chocolate brownies, a frapuccino grande made from low fat milk with extra whipped cream, hold the sugar, an Irish cream flavored grande made from low fat milk and lots of whipped cream, holding the sugar once again ... oh... and make that a double shot with another Irish cream flavored expresso with the coffee beans finely grounded combined with chocolate syrup and steamed milk topped with whipped cream again with only low fat milk and cocoa powder grande- no sugar-... oh... and make that a double shot.. with a coffea arabica-capuccino-caramel-chocolate brownie frapuccino-mocha java and an irish cream-amaretto-kahlua-white chocolate mousse-butterscotch with toffee-bavarian with turtle-white chocolate with russian cherries covered in kiss-guatemalan Antigua with organic-tanzanian with peaberry-jamaican with mountain blue-indian with monsoon-colombian with supremo-costa rican tarrazu-new guinea papua-yemen mocha with mattari-tiramisu-blueberry crumble-bourbon pecan with torte-hawaiian coconut-cinnamon hazelnut-cranberry creme with brulee-butter rum-highlander grog-sumatra strawberry ice-malawi with select-selebes kalossi-genuine italian expresso, the beans finely grounded and strictly high grown combined with chocolate syrup and steamed low fat milk-topped with whipped cream and cocoa powder-grande-no sugar- and… a piece of coffee cake on the side."
Yoh's eyes widened after hearing the first half of her order. He really hopped that he had enough to get all that…. Coffee.
"Anything you want, Yoh?" The itako turned around and asked.
"Uh… I guess I'll get.. the.. Cappuccino…. Non-decaf."
The worker sighed in relief when he realized that that was the end of the order, smiling back he replied, "Your orders will be coming right up. Please sit down while your waiting."
Settling beside the window and its clear afternoon view, Yoh takes off his school blazer and rolls up his sleeves, resisting the grasp of the sun's scorching heat waves.
"Can you lend me your jacket?" Anna asked with a tired look in her eyes. Yoh handed her his blazer before leaning on his elbow and looking outside.
Anna began to neatly fold Yoh's blazer, making sure each part was precisely symmetrical. She then placed it on the table in front of her and rested on it. "Wake me up when the orders are here."
"…Mm…" was the only reply.
Yoh watched Anna from the corner of his eye. Her eyes closed and her shoulders laid back in relaxation.
Wisps of her blonde hair covered parts of her exhausted face. A part of him wanted to reach out and uncover her hidden beauty but he was too afraid and didn't know how to answer questions of 'What the hell are you doing?'
Instead, he sunk down in his seat and imitated her position. His arms were folded in front of him supporting his head. Watching as his fiancée rest, Yoh could not help but wonder how he missed how beautiful she was over the last few years. Her face matured, becoming more molded to fit her growing body. Her silky blonde hair grew past her shoulders, which he saw often flying in the wind.
Yoh felt his body begin to immensely heat up. 'What's… going… on? ' He looked at Anna while placing his palm on his cheeks, trying to find where this sudden heat wave came from. 'Why am I burning up? ' He reversed his hands attempting to cool down his flushed cheeks and reversed them again when one side was gathering up enough heat.
He looked at the reflective material of the napkin holder and found his cheeks to be quite red. He couldn't stop it now… Anything he tried seem to either added to the problem or become ineffective. The heat was now overbearing and his throat was starting to dry up. He swallowed hard, hoping that it might solve at least one of his problems. Yoh began to undo the first two buttons of his shirt.
He looked at the waitress coming towards him and quickly blurted out, "Can I get a glass of water, please?"
The brunette nodded and giggled, "That's quite a red blush you have on your cheeks." She gave another grin before adding, "I'll be right back with your water."
Yoh gulped and quickly glanced at Anna praying that she didn't hear it. No reaction or movement came from the still body and Yoh was thankful for the extra time to make up an excuse… just in case he needed one.
The waitress placed the glass of water in front of Yoh, "Here you go."
"Thank you," He replied quickly pouring it down his parched throat.
"You know…."
"What?" Yoh asked cautiously after he finished his water and gently placed it within her reach.
"If you really want to get rid of the that blush of yours… You should just leave it alone. Rubbing on it isn't going to help it… In fact, it'll just make it ever worse."
"Aha..ha.. Is that so? …Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
"Mm hmm. Well, I'll leave you and your girlfriend back as you were." She smiled reaching for the cup and started heading towards other customers.
"Oh, she isn't my... girlfriend. She's my…"
"Fiancée." Anna finished. Her body rose back in a sitting position. She was fully awake and her dark eyes laid on Yoh.
The waitress grinned and corrected herself, "Really? Well, congratulations then!"
"Thank you." Anna responded, her eyes never leaving her fiancée. "I take it the order isn't here yet."
Yoh shook his head, "Nope, so you can continue to rest if you want."
She sighed, returning to her previous state. 'Yoh…' This time her eyes were open glancing out the open window. Children running around and playing variations of tag, seniors sitting on benches reading the newspaper, couples holding hands and mindlessly gazing in each other's eyes.
Another sigh left her lips as she began to close her eyes once more. Her restless mind refused to settle at ease replaying clips of the conversation Yoh and the waitress had. That's quite a red blush on have on your cheeks… That blush of yours… I'll leave you and your girlfriend as you were…
'What blush? He didn't have any blush when we got here. Well... I guess sitting near the window, under the sun could be the cause of it. Why am I even thinking about this? It's... nothing to be thought of… But it is something to be wondering about… No.. It isn't. Just erase it from your mind. It's nothing.'
"Here's your order!" 2 young men stood holding the numerous items, trying to keep their balance at the same time. Slowly and carefully they slowly placed each item on the table. "Enjoy!" They bowed their heads and cried simultaneously.
Yoh looked in disbelief at what could be described as the mountains of coffee cups in front of him. "Are you really.. going.. to.. drink it all?"
"Of course." She took the closest cup near her and brought it towards her lips.
Yoh made a slight face before taking his first sip. 'She's insane. I guess being an itako is hard work... Or maybe just being Anna is hard.'
"This isn't so bad after all…" He mumbled savoring the sweet aftertaste in his mouth.
Finishing her fifth cup, Anna watched Yoh as he grinned after every sip, his smile widening following each one. 'Damn his contagious feelings.' She thought, feeling the emotions of happiness engulf her. The corners of her mouth began to curve and soon enough a smile appeared on her face.
It seemed impossible no matter how you looked at it. There was a young boy whose face was beaming like there was no tomorrow… who could frown near such a cute cheerful face?
Anna sure couldn't.
"Here." She said, nudging a piece of a caramel chocolate brownie towards Yoh.
"Eh? Don't you want it?"
"No, I already have my own. It's alright, take it."
Like a kid who was easily amused at such simple things, Yoh wore a child's grin as he replied, "Thanks!"
Anna began consuming her own piece of brownie as she stared at him, devouring the desert like it was a food eating competition and by the looks of it, it seemed that first place was already claimed.
A memory from the first preliminaries of the Shaman Fight suddenly appeared in Anna's mind. "I love him. Real love is complete trust. If this is a test to become the Shaman King, then no matter whether he wins or loses, or has to choose between life and death, he must accept. Because… I believe that Yoh will become the Shaman King."
She knew she meant every single word she had told Silva that day before Yoh's match with Faust VIII. She does love him.
Even if he didn't become the Shaman King, she would still marry him.
But without a trace of doubt in her mind, Anna knew that one day… Yoh would grow to become the Shaman King. He will succeed, no buts and/or what if's about it.
Without even knowing it, Anna reached toward her last cup of coffee. Yoh was amazed at how much she had drunk in the last 10 minutes.
Slightly smiling, he stood up and headed for the cashier. He pointed at the table he was sitting at to the worker, who then slid him a paper that informed him of everything he needed to know. He paid the allotted amount and then headed back to where Anna was.
She held out his neatly folded uniform blazer, "Thank you."
Yoh nodded and released the folds of the jacket, sliding his arms into the two sleeves. "Shall we go then?"
Without a word having to be exchanged, the couple exited the café, returning to the school.
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