Celebrations
by Apple-chan
Disclaimer: insert witty disclaimer remark here
A future fic of sorts. Set approximately 11 years after the Anime. It's Funbari
Onsen's 3rd anniversary, and everyone's coming. Lots of fun, lots of chaos, lots
of madness are expected. And yeah...LOVE. Can't forget about that.^_^
Spoilers: The whole Anime series.
Warnings: PG-13 for adult situations, mild swearing, weirdness, chapter
length^^;;;
This is the day after the previous chapter. It's morning, right after breakfast
(ne, was it really necessary for me to say that...? Ah, well...).
Chapter 4 - The Preparations
"Are you alright?" Asakura Yoh asked his wife with concern as she got out of the
bathroom. The two of them were in the first floor main room, finalizing the menu
for the Funbari Onsen Inn Anniversary and Keiko-chan's birthday, both of which
will be held the next day. Incidentally, tomorrow was also the last day of the
Golden Week--the fifth of May. It was also the only day around this time that
the Inn was closed to the public, and only the staff, owners, and friends and
relatives of the owners were allowed inside.
Anyway, the person being addressed nodded her head wearily as she sat down on
the sofa beside her husband. "I think I just vomited out the whole pound of
strawberries and that whole box of cream cheese I ate this morning." She sighed
as she laid her head on his left shoulder and closed her eyes.
Yoh smiled at her gently and smoothed out her hair. "Why don't you take a rest
for a while? I'll take care of this. It's almost done, anyway." He tapped his
finger at the sheet of paper on top of the table.
Anna sat up straight and shook her head. "We should do this together. I need to
check it to be sure. And besides..." She gave her husband a look. "I don't
really trust you with food. How am I supposed to know that you won't be giving
our guests leftovers?"
He gave her a sheepish grin. "Can't you even forgive me about that...? I'll
never do that again, I swear." He vowed.
She rolled her eyes. "In case you forgot, you don't cook for me anymore." She
slid the paper across the table to her side to get a better view of it.
"Oh yeah." Yoh looked thoughtful. "Never mind that. Do you really think -I-
would give my friends leftovers?"
"I wouldn't put it past you."
Yoh gave her a hurt look. "I really wouldn't," he muttered.
"You wouldn't what?" Anna gazed expectantly at him.
"Give them leftovers."
She gave him an incredulous look. "And instead -you- would give them to me, is
that it?"
"I didn't say that..."
"Hmph." She turned her head away and looked at the paper instead. " So Ryu and
his staff would be cooking all the main dishes...and Tamao will supervise making
the desserts. Let's see...Western fare: roast chicken, mashed potatoes with
gravy, stuffed mushrooms, buttered vegetables, rolls...and chocolate pie for
dessert..." she muttered to herself. "What else?"
"Pancakes. Bacon and eggs."
Anna gave him a withering glare.
Yoh winced. "It was a joke." He muttered under his breath. He settled on the
edge of the sofa and pouted like a wounded puppy.
She looked back down at the sheet paper again, hiding a smile. Her husband
hardly ever frowned nor pouted, but when he did...it was extremely endearing...
"Green salad. Who asked for salad?" She wondered out loud.
"Lyserg," Yoh replied quietly. "Vegetarian, you know. He didn't want carrot
sticks anymore..."
The blonde woman examined her husband thoughtfully. Was he still frowning...?
Nah...it probably wouldn't last anyway...she turned back to the paper again.
"Chinese fare: yang chow-style friend rice, chicken with mushrooms, sautéed
noodles with vegetables, beef with broccoli...and almond jelly with lychees for
dessert. And steamed shrimps. Japanese fare: assorted sushi, okonomiyaki the way
Hiroshima makes it, ramen...miso soup with tofu...we can scratch the curry out
of the menu this year...and three flavors of ice cream for dessert: homemade
honeydew and soymilk ice cream for the twins, chocolate and peanut butter ice
cream for the birthday girl, and tofu ice cream for Ren-chan." She paused. "And
the drinks...four seasons punch for everyone. Champagne and wine for those who
like alcohol...but no beer, as always. And the cake. One large chocolate
birthday cake for Keiko..."
"You forgot the strawberry cheesecake." Her husband said suddenly.
"What?"
"The strawberry cheesecake. Two whole pies." Yoh repeated.
Anna narrowed her eyes at her husband. "For whom?"
He gave a wide grin. "For you. I heard you last night, you know," he patted her
cheek playfully. "You were dreaming of strawberries and cream cheese...and
cheesecake with fresh strawberries. I'd say we should add two whole pies of
strawberry cheesecake and strawberry ice cream on the menu, just for you.
They'll probably be the only things you'll eat anyway," he added, chucking her
chin and brushing his lips against hers.
She blushed slightly as he kissed her, and turned her head away to prevent any
further blushing. "We don't have enough strawberries -or- cream cheese."
"Yes, we do." Her husband nodded, turning his wife's head back towards him to
gaze at her face. "I went out and got a couple of kilos of fresh strawberries
yesterday afternoon. And the ice cream, too. And a couple of boxes of cream
cheese. That should be enough, ne?" He smiled at her again...that incredibly
wonderful, charming smile of his. Darn it, she could fall in love with his smile
any day of the week.
This time, she couldn't help but smile as well. His smile was so...so addictive.
It was like a virus...one virus she wouldn't mind having for the rest of her
life. "Did you?" She said softly.
His smile widened. "Uh-huh." So what did it matter if he had to trek up to the
nearest farming village way across Izumo just to get her the freshest
strawberries? Anything was worth all the trouble if it could make his wife
smile.
Anything at all.
Realizing that her husband -had- been staring at her for quite some time now,
Anna started blushing again. She turned her head back to the menu again.
"Alright...then we'll add that..." She murmured, writing strawberry cheesecake
at the bottom of the page in her graceful handwriting.
Yoh watched his wife write, still quite fascinated and enthralled at her
smile...and how she had sought confirmation from him in the softest of
tones...and her blush. It was really amazing how just one look, one gaze, one
word, one smile...can make him fall in love with her all over again.
"You know...I really hadn't meant to serve you the leftovers when I had given
them to you before, years ago," He told her quietly. "It was just...when I don't
wake up early, I still want to give you breakfast but I don't really have the
time to cook. If we weren't going to be late, I -would- have cooked, but then,
we were going to be late, so..."
"Yoh." Anna pressed a finger to her husband's lips to silence him. "It's okay. I
understand."
"You do?" Yoh took her hand in his and gazed at her with surprise.
She entwined her fingers with his and nodded with a smile. "I do." Then, she
leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Besides...it's not like you'll ever
need to cook breakfast for me ever again, anyway," She whispered against his
cheek.
A soft chuckle. "That's true."
Anna gave him another one of her rare, beautiful smiles.
Besides...knowing that you'll do anything for me...anything at all...that's
more than enough for all the breakfasts in the world...
More than enough...
*~*~*~*~*~*
Horo-horo frowned deeply as he surveyed each and every one of his friends who
were sitting quietly with him at the Men's Onsen. He couldn't understand why
they were all so quiet. They were all together, and they were supposed to be
having fun...but noo...they just had to be all thoughtful and quiet. It was
driving him nuts.
Also, he was getting quite bored.
He needed to do something about this. He was going to die if this continues. He
wasn't used to getting bored, -especially- not when he's with his friends. It
was quite unnerving. It was very extraordinary, too.
Sighing, the Ainu man examined each of his friends' faces, wondering what was
wrong with them.
Tao Ren, who was on his left, had his eyes closed and his arms folded across his
chest. He was frowning, but that wasn't quite hard to believe--he was Tao Ren,
and Tao Ren often had a frown etched on his face. The frown seemed to indicate
that he was...thinking. That wasn't quite hard to believe, either. Ren often
thought. In fact, Ren thought a lot--although maybe not as much as Lyserg or
Manta did.
And speaking of those two...Horo-horo turned his gaze at the green-haired
Englishman on his right--Lyserg Diethyl, who, unlike Ren, had his eyes open, but
just like Ren--he seemed to be thinking. He was staring far off into space too.
He wasn't frowning, though... his face was contorted into what seemed like an
expression of...worry--or concern, or perhaps both. But worry and concern for
whom? Horo-horo didn't know. And as much as he wanted to ask...it wasn't the
first thing on his "to do" list as of the moment. He was more concerned with
getting rid of his boredom.
Oyamada Manta, who was beside Lyserg, had his eyes closed just like Ren.
Although he wasn't frowning, he appeared to be thinking, as well. Of course,
that was no surprise. It also wouldn't be hard to guess what he was thinking
right now--something that had to do with computers or technology or of that
sort, no doubt. Manta often thought of serious things. Manta was a very serious
person. -Too- serious for his own good, in fact.
Speaking of seriousness, Horo-horo turned to the person on Ren's left. If
Manta was the epitome of seriousness, then this guy was the epitome
of...well...he couldn't really say comedy or jokes, for he had yet to encounter
a joke delivered by him that was actually along the lines of amusing. At least,
in his opinion. Funny, though--Chocolove, the said person, had an incredible
amount of following in England and in America, or so Horo-horo heard. Did that
mean he was funny? Or did that mean that Western people just had no taste...?
Hmm...well, Horo-horo was an Ainu...and he was "Oriental," quoting Chocolove,
and according to the American shaman, he hadn't quite grasped the humor of the
Orientals. Horo-horo wondered if it really takes that long to understand
Oriental humor...being friends with a passel of Orientals for more than a decade
should have been enough, shouldn't it...?
The blue-haired Ainu sighed again. Maybe he was just desperate for
entertainment. Chocolove was his only option, considering the man was a
comedian...but looking at Chocolove now...it seemed like he was in no mood to
tell jokes. Ren was often the butt of his jokes, but he wasn't even cracking a
single joke right now...and to think that he was beside Ren! Well...maybe that's
partly the reason. He was afraid Ren might do something to him...but that has
never stopped him before, has it?
Giving another resigned sigh, Horo-horo turned to the person beside Chocolove...Ryu.
Now, -this- guy, he was unpredictable--when he's in a hot spring, he's either
extremely energetic and talkative (mode 1), or he's thoughtful and he doesn't
say anything (mode 2). Horo-horo would give anything right now to have Ryu be in
mode 1. Unfortunately, silence and thinking were probably catching, for Ryu was
now obviously in mode 2. The guy was probably thinking of the best way to escape
Tao Jun's advances...personally, Horo-horo was weirded out. If he -had- been the
one being chased by a beautiful woman, he wouldn't be thinking of trying to
escape...he would catch her. It would never end up in a goose-chase that has
been going on for six years. He wondered why Jun was chasing Ryu, anyway. The
man looked weird, spoke weird, sang weird...but he certainly cooked well, and...wait,
maybe that's it! Jun probably fell madly in love with Ryu's cooking.
Ah, well. The man was lucky to have someone beautiful chasing after him.
Horo-horo -wished- he had someone chasing after him as well...but ever since he
was young, it was only Pilica. It had always been only Pilica, and she was his
sister. And she had chased after him because...she wanted him to slave away
training.
However, that was before. When he was thirteen, and until he was eighteen and
his sister was seventeen, Pilica had often chased him and tortured him into
doing training, very much the same way Anna does with Yoh. The only thing he was
thankful for was that at least, his sister wasn't as brutal and as evil as
that...woman that Yoh had called his fiancée, and later, his wife. Although,
Pilica had been admiring the way Anna trained Yoh, and was getting to be like
her. It was a relief to him when Anna's brutal trainings with Yoh solidly
weakened at the same time that she married him. Pilica was starting to imitate
the woman. Personally, Horo-horo wondered why anyone would ever want to be with
Anna, much less marry her...but Yoh did. He would never understand Yoh, and his
devotion with Anna. The woman had his friend wrapped around her little finger,
and he doesn't even complain. He would never understand it.
And his sister...if he ever finds out that there was a man out there who was in
love with his sister, he would demand to know why. He would demand for an
explanation. Pilica was a brutal woman--granted, she wasn't as brutal as Yoh's
wife, but she was brutal nonetheless. He would want to understand why in the
name of butterbur -anyone- would fall in love with his sister. He would then
give several warnings to the man. Pilica had many nice qualities, but they
weren't enough to compensate for her brutality. Any man who falls in love with
her would get wrapped around her little finger--just like him, and he was the
-older- brother!
And speaking of Pilica...he turned his gaze back to Ren. Not especially his
friends, and -especially- not Ren. Just imagining Ren with his sister
was...well, suffice it to say that he'd rather -not- imagine. He liked Ren, of
course...but as his friend, -not- as his sister's boyfriend! Not that it's ever
gonna happen between the two of them...no, no, it definitely won't.
"Pretty quiet around here, ne?" A loud voice commented, breaking Horo-horo's
trail of thoughts. He looked across the hot spring from where he was...and found
himself gazing eye-to-eye at Asakura Hao.
The said person smiled sweetly at him. "Everyone, your thoughts will make you
rich," he told all of them cheerfully.
Still, there was silence. No one seemed to have heard him. No one, except for
Horo-horo, who was now glaring at him.
"I'm bored," He announced, still glaring at Hao.
"Hmm...that's interesting." Hao continued to smile at him.
"Can you do something about it?" Horo-horo continued glaring at Hao.
The person being addressed cocked his head. "Ah, I'm afraid not." He looked over
at each of Horo-horo's friends thoughtfully. "Boredom is very relative. I
wouldn't know your preference in alleviating boredom. I don't know you very
well. If you were Yoh," he nodded confidently, "I would probably be able to
think of something."
"Hmph." Horo-horo frowned. "I should have known." He resorted to closing his
eyes and thinking up of a solution to his problem.
"However..." Hao began. "For the benefit of everyone here...you could always
sing," he suggested.
Horo-horo stopped frowning and opened one eye. "Sing?" He echoed.
"Yeah. Sing. As in songs." Hao nodded cheerfully.
"Eh?" Horo-horo opened both of his eyes and blinked.
Hao rolled his eyes dramatically heavenward. "Try something like...'Buttercup'
or whatever."
The Ainu looked at the long-haired shaman oddly. Then, he gave a resigned sigh.
"You know what? I don't like you, but I might as well." He shook his head. "I
don't have any other options at the moment, do I?"
"Iie, I'm afraid you don't." The long-haired shaman replied with a grin.
Horo-horo looked up thoughtfully, wondering what he was going to sing. Then, he
decided. "Okay, then." He coughed a little bit, smoothed out his hair some, and
stood up. "Ladies and gentlemen, coming to you live at Funbari Onsen Inn, is the
one...the only...HORO-HORO!" He boomed, loud enough to wake the dead. He kicked
his feet about as if to flex them, splashing hot water everywhere, most
particularly at the people beside him.
Ren broke out of his reverie and opened his eyes, wiping and blinking away the
hot water that got onto his face. "You IDIOT! What do you think you're
DOING?!?!?!?" He demanded, turning to glare at Horo-horo...what he came
face-to-face with were the Ainu's legs. "Why the HELL are you STANDING UP? This
is a HOT SPRING, and you're not supposed to be..." he was interrupted
mid-sentence as a hand hit his face, hard. It seems like not only was Horo-horo
kicking his feet about, he was also waving his hands about, as if he was doing
some sort of a dance. Ren could feel his anger boiling up. He was in the middle
of thinking up of the best way to approach and propose to Pilica, but it just
had to be interrupted by Pilica's dear darling wonderful brother...
"BEFORE I SING...JUST A BIT OF VOCALIZATION!" Horo-horo, oblivious to Ren's
anger, announced. "Ahem, ahem, ahem...mi-mi-mi-mi-miiiii.... la-la-la-la-liiiiiiii.....pa-pa-pa-pa-paaaaa...."
He waved his right hand around....
THUNK! "Ouch! Horo-horo-kun..." Lyserg stopped staring off into space and looked
up to stare at his friend, rubbing his head. "What -are- you doing?"
"Noo-noo-noo-noo-noooooh......" Still oblivious to the rest of the world,
Horo-horo continued his vocalization exercises.
Manta, who had long ago ceased his musings, was trying hard not to laugh at the
spiky-haired Ainu. "Horo-horo-kun...that's...that's...wrong...you know..." He
began.
Horo-horo ignored him, and finished his so-called "vocalization." He then
coughed again. "Okay, ah one, and ah two and ah one-two-three-four! Ahem,
ahem..." He clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
And then, he began to sing.
"THE HILLS ARE ALIIIIVE.....WITH THE SOUND OF MU~~~SIIIIC....WITH THE SONGS THEY
HAVE SUUUNNGGG....FOR A THOUSAND YEEEEAAAAARRRRSSSSSS....."
"Oh, God...-someone- please kill me now..." Ren groaned, dunking his head
underwater to drown out Horo-horo's singing...but heaven and hell, it was beyond
the power of hot water to drown out a voice like that.
"Oh...my...head..." Lyserg winced and rubbed his head, whose ache courtesy of
Horo-horo's hand was still in full force, and was now intensifying due to the
same person's singing. "Someone...please...make him stop..."
"Whose idea was -this- anyway?" Manta wanted to know. He had clapped his hands
over his ears, but it wasn't doing anything to drown out the sound much.
"THE HILLS FILL MY HEEEAAAARRRT....WITH THE SOUND OF MU~~~SIIIC....MY HEART
WANTS TO SIIIINNNGGGGGGG....EVERY SONG IT HEEEAAAAAARRRSSSSSS....." Horo-horo
crooned, his eyes closed blissfully. He was really enjoying this singing...this
was a good idea...he should -definitely- do this more often...
"Aaarrghh! He should -never- do this again, it's killing me," Ren groaned,
glaring at the Ainu. If I want to be with Pilica, I'll also have to risk
putting up with this idiot...damn. "Somebody STOP HIM!" He looked around him
frantically. "YOU!" He pointed his finger at Hao. "This is YOUR doing, isn't
it?"
Hao smiled innocently. "Hai. It was my idea, but I never forced him to do it. He
acted out all on his own," He said in defense of himself.
"It doesn't matter! MAKE HIM STOP!"
"Iie." Hao gave a cheerful shake of his head.
"WHY THE HELL NOT?"
"For one, he kind of sings decently. For another, I told you--he decided this on
his own. I am not one to spoil anybody's decision."
"WELL, THAT'S REASSURING!" Ren shot him a withering glare. Hao merely smiled
back.
"Ren-kun...could you please...?" Lyserg gave him a pleading look.
"Yeah, Ren-kun..." Manta agreed.
"Why does it always have to be ME?" The navy-blue haired shaman muttered,
holding up his hands in defeat. There has to be someone other than him who
could...he looked around. Hao, Lyserg, Manta, Chocolove, Ryu, Faust....bingo.
"You three," He pointed to Chocolove, Ryu, and Faust--who was also there at the
Onsen with them--and the three simultaneously looked at him. "Do SOMETHING. I
don't care what--just try to stop him. Crack a joke or something, Chocolove.
Threaten him with no food, Ryu. And Faust--jab him with a needle or something."
Chocolove glared. We have never seen Chocolove glaring. It was very rare. "You
THINK I can make a JOKE at a time like THIS?"
"I'm not the one who gets to decide who eats and who doesn't," Ryu replied
matter-of-factly. Damn the man and his loyalty to the Asakuras, Ren
thought. He was wrapped around Anna's little finger, just like the whole staff
of the Funbari Onsen Inn...although none of them was in a worst state than the
Danna himself.
Faust looked cheerfully at Ren and shook his head. "I don't have any needles on
me right now, I'm afraid. And other than that..." He looked up at Horo-horo,
"I'm kind of enjoying his performance. It's not everyday someone gets the
courage to sing at this hot spring."
Arrrgghh. Am I the acting leader when Yoh's not here? I didn't ask for
this...Ren rolled his eyes. "What am I -supposed- to do? I'm trying to
refrain myself from from fighting with him. The only idea I can think of right
now entails fighting." He muttered under his breath, glaring at everyone along
the way. Arrghh. If it wasn't for Pilica, I'd give him a punch and a kick
without thought...
Right across from him, Hao whistled. "Well...that EXPLAINS it," He remarked,
smiling at Ren. "I have a suggestion..."
"I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU AND YOUR SUGGESTIONS!" Ren exploded.
Hao held up a finger and waved it in front of him to silence him. "Temper,
temper, Ren-kun. Don't forget what you just said: 'if it wasn't for Pilica I'd
give him a punch and a kick without thought.' Now I SEE the problem here." He
grinned as Horo-horo hit another high note and the others (sans Faust) winced.
"WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!?" Ren stared at Hao. He didn't say that out loud. Did he?
Did he say that out loud? He was thinking it! Was he thinking out loud again? He
winced. Damn.
"Let's analyze the situation..." Hao began.
"We don't have TIME to analyze the SITUATION," Ren hissed. "He's gonna be
hitting a high note again any second now!"
Hao sighed. "Okay, Ren-kun. You win. THE PROBLEM WITH HORO-HORO-KUN IS THAT HE
DOESN'T HAVE A LOVE LIFE!" He said in a shout, loud enough for the whole Inn to
hear. Probably.
Anyway, no matter--the statement must have touched a nerve, for Horo-horo had
stopped singing, much to everyone's relief (except for Faust--he was really
enjoying the live performance) and was now practically nose to nose with Hao.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT, YOU LUNATIC? WHO ARE YOU TO TALK? YOU'VE GOT
NO LOVE LIFE EITHER!" He shouted.
"Ah." Hao tossed his wet hair over his shoulder and smiled at Horo-horo. "I
thank you for the compliment. And you're right: I have no love life." He agreed.
"HAH!" Horo-horo placed his hands on his hips and stood triumphantly in front of
Hao.
"But see, the thing is: I don't really need one."
The Ainu's head snapped. "WHAT?!?!?"
"You heard me." Hao said calmly. "I have enough things to occupy me, and I don't
need something like that to add to it. I think I could say the same..." he
looked around the men with him, "for Chocolove-kun and Lyserg-kun here."
"As much as I hate you," Chocolove said, "you're right. My job makes it
impossible for me to even bother with a love life."
"Well, I can't say I agree, but..." Lyserg began.
"I wasn't through with the explanations yet," Hao interrupted, grinning at
Lyserg. "Lyserg-kun, although -you- may have no time for love, I'd say love
definitely has time for you." He nodded with satisfaction. "And I can personally
attest to that fact."
"Me too." Chocolove piped in.
Lyserg narrowed his eyes at the two of them. "I don't have a love life. And I
don't need one. Not just yet." It -would- be nice to have one, though...
"I beg to differ," Hao countered. "If I can recall correctly, you've been
hanging around Miss Convent Girl for some time now."
"Who the hell is Miss Convent Girl?" Ren wanted to know.
"How the hell do you know I've been hanging out with her?" Lyserg demanded,
ignoring Ren. "And it's not a convent; it's a boarding school for girls, and it
just happens to be a little bit religious. Recognize the difference."
"Ah, that's right. Boarding school. That's interesting. Then tell me--is she
allowed out of there?" Hao asked.
Lyserg glared. "She finished last year. She's working around Europe now." He
paused. "How the -hell- do you know about her and me?"
"So...you're admitting that -you're- involved?"
Lyserg's face flamed. "We are NOT involved!" He said hotly. "She just knows
where I work, that's all. And she says I don't eat much, so she brings me lunch
every so often..." the second the last sentence was out of his mouth, he
regretted it. Damn, Marco-san is going to kill me...if...when...he finds out.
It's not as if it's my fault that she wants to visit me...not that I don't like
it...but she isn't supposed to...
Ren looked at Horo-horo. "Who's Miss Convent Girl?"
Horo-horo shrugged, then he turned to Manta. "You know her?"
Manta smiled, shaking his head. "It's not my place to tell you who she is. I'll
let you know one thing though: we all know her."
A light dawned onto the Chinese and the Ainu man. "Jeanne," They said at the
same time.
"Hai." Manta nodded.
"So...she visits you often?" Hao asked with a grin. "May I ask...what happened
in Venice again?"
Lyserg blushed even more. "How do YOU know about THAT?" He demanded.
Hao waved his hand about. "I've been around." He said casually. "I was in Venice
at the same time that you two were. I was taking care of something for the old
man at that time. And I'm in England a lot--business purposes. I saw her coming
out of your office once. And I have seen the two of you together at the coffee
shop near her convent twice."
"I SAID, it's a BOARDING SCHOOL, not a CONVENT." Lyserg snapped.
"Right, right," Hao said dismissively. "So anyway," he rested his chin on his
clasped hands and gazed at Lyserg curiously. "What's -your- status? I mean, the
two of you? How far have you gone?"
Everyone's heads snapped into attention at this. "Come on," Hao coaxed. "There's
nothing to be ashamed of. We're all adults here, ne?"
"We HAVEN'T gone ANYWHERE!" Lyserg shouted defensively. The most intimate
thing we've ever done was...hug each other. And even then, it doesn't
count....it was an accident. She slipped, she fell into my arms, we fell in the
water and both got wet. Not that being wet with her was so bad...it had been
quite fun, actually....
"Hmm." Hao raised an eyebrow. "If you say so." He didn't sound like he believed
Lyserg, but then again, this was Hao. Disappointed at Lyserg's answer, he looked
around to see who else he could victimize...jackpot. "Ne, Ren-kun...what about
you?"
Ren gazed at him warily. "What about me?"
"Well..." Hao looked at the wall separating the women's onsen from the men's
thoughtfully. "Let me put it this way: I'm gonna take a leaf out of
Horo-horo-kun's book just for you."
"No thanks."
The long-haired shaman ignored him. "Now, if you were to sing a song for
someone, what would it be?" He asked like some beauty pageant host.
"..." Ren glared at Hao. He saw where Hao had looked just a while before, and
knew -who- he was referring to...damn, the man was perceptive. Either that, or
-he- was -very- obvious with his feelings...was he?
"Come on, Ren-kun..." Hao said. "Or would you rather -I- be the one to suggest a
song? Then by all means," He gave Ren a meaningful look. "The song that best
suits your feelings for...HER right now is...'What Can I Do'. You know how it
goes, right?"
This time, Ren blushed. He -had- been blushing quite a lot lately. I haven't
slept at all in days...it's been so long since we've talked...And I have been
here many days...I just don't know what I'm doing wrong...What can I do to make
you love me? What can I do to make you care? What can I say to make you feel
this? What can I do to get you there...? The song echoed his thoughts and
feelings exactly. Damn that Hao. Damn him and his perceptiveness. Honestly,
that's what he has in common with Yoh. The perceptiveness...damn him.
Chocolove listened to the conversation without interrupting, then he turned to
Manta. "Who's the HER Hao's referring to?"
Manta shrugged. "No idea. I haven't been hanging around the Onsen much." He gave
Lyserg a look.
Lyserg, who was grateful that he was away from the limelight of embarrassment
courtesy of Hao, shrugged in similar fashion. "I don't know either. Whoever it
is..." He looked towards the direction of the women's onsen. "She's over at the
women's onsen."
"Ne...who's at the women's onsen at this time?" Manta asked Faust and Ryu.
Surprisingly, Ryu blushed. "Pilica-chan, Tamao-chan, and...Jun-ch...san," he
finished lamely.
Faust looked over at Ryu and smiled cheerfully.
"Jun-san's ruled out, so...which of the two?" Lyserg wondered.
"My sister." Horo-horo growled, scowling at Ren darkly.
"Ren-kun...and Pilica-chan?!?!?" Manta exclaimed.
"Hmm..." Chocolove mused thoughtfully.
"So that's why Horo-horo-kun's been so touchy lately." Lyserg said, looking at
the Ainu.
"In my opinion, though, you really don't need to sing that song," Hao told Ren.
"Because looking at you, and looking at HER, and looking at the way the two of
you look at each other, it's quite obvious, REN-KUN, THAT'S SHE'S VERY MUCH IN
LOVE WITH YOU!" He called out to the women's Onsen.
Ren turned a tad shade redder. He continued to glare at Hao.
Meanwhile, Horo-horo continued to glare at him.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"This feels nice, doesn't it?" Pilica sighed contentedly, stretching her arms
gracefully and relaxing in the hot water.
Tao Jun beside her smiled cheerfully. "Hai. I could stay here for a long time
and never get tired of it..." She stretched her arms out and gave a yawn. "It
does make me feel kind of sleepy, though," She told the other woman.
Beside Jun, Tamamura Tamao gave a tired sigh. "Wish we could. Stay here for as
long as we wanted, I mean." She closed her eyes and gave another sigh.
Pilica turned to the pink-haired fortune teller. "Ne, your work is pretty
tiring, am I right?"
"Exhausting." Tamao answered heavily.
"You should give yourself a break sometimes, Tamao-san," Jun remarked, patting
the younger woman's shoulder. "It's not like Anna-san or Yoh-kun force you to do
the work, ne? Anna-san's been insisting that you should go on a vacation one of
these days."
"I know." Tamao replied. "But I want to do the work for them. I owe Anna-sama
and Yoh-sama so much."
"Hey, I have an idea," Pilica chimed in cheerfully. "Why don't come with us on
the fields after the Onsen anniversary? You'll love it there, I promise.
Besides, it won't be too far from the Inn, so you can come back anytime you're
needed."
Tamao gazed at Pilica. "I don't want to be a burden to anyone..." She muttered.
"Oh, but you wouldn't! And Oniichan can use your company, anyway," Pilica
replied with a smile. "I won't be home for two weeks, see." She explained.
Tamao gave a little frown. Two weeks, alone with Pilica-chan's weird,
cake-loving older brother? It wasn't something she would really look forward to,
to say the least. But she said, "I'll think about it. I'll ask Anna-sama for
permission first." Then, she added in question, "Where are you going,
Pilica-chan?"
At this, Pilica's face reddened considerably. "Umm...see, Jun-san invited me to
the Tao Estate..." Her voice trailed off. Actually, Jun -had- invited her, in
particular, to Ren's section of the Estate...and it made her nervous every time
she thought about it...
"Hai," Jun agreed cheerfully, giving Tamao a meaningful look. "It's supposed to
be a surprise for my brother." She inclined her head towards the wall that
separated the women's onsen from the men's. "He'll be thrilled when he finds out
you're gonna be there for two weeks. He won't be showing you how thrilled he is,
of course. But that's exactly the reason why you love him, ne?" She told the
younger woman teasingly.
Tamao smiled slightly at this. Well, staying at the fields with Pilica's brother
would have its worth, at the very least, if it means a chance to get Pilica to
hook up with Ren..."You know, I think I -will- take you up on that offer to stay
on the fields. Heck, I'd probably end up baking lots of things for your brother
the whole time, but at least...you'll get to spend some time with Ren-san." She
smiled at Pilica.
Pilica blushed even more. "I-I can't believe the two of you," She stuttered. "I
mean, it's not like he's told me that he lo...loves me or anything like that.
Everytime I get so much as near him, he...he...it's like he freezes. He doesn't
even say anything."
Jun laughed, patting Pilica at the back. "I ask that you forgive my Otouto,
Pilica-chan," She said with a hint of pleading in her voice. "He's not used to
this kind of thing. I think you're actually the first woman he's ever liked
-this- much."
The azure-haired young woman sighed at this. "Ne, Jun-san...do you think
he...he....um," She struggled with the words as her face flamed even more. "I
mean, has he ever told you, or anything..." her voice faded as she gave Jun an
embarrassed smile.
"His feelings for you?" Jun supplied helpfully. The younger woman nodded. "I'm
not really sure. You know, I think you'd better ask him yourself. I know for a
fact that he's planning to tell you something, but I doubt if he would even get
it done without a little push. He's been planning that for six years." She
sighed, immersing her body deeper into the water. "Every single time, before we
visit Anna-san and Yoh-kun...he always tells himself: 'This time, I'm going to
do it. I'm going to tell her.' But somehow, he never gets it done." She shook
her head in exasperation. "My brother is brave and all that when it comes to
physical things, but when it comes to feelings...he's totally hopeless."
"Most men are like that," Tamao agreed. "The only man I've ever known who's
actually in touch with his feelings...is Yoh-sama."
Jun chuckled. "That's a matter of opinion." She paused. "But you're right,
though. Anna-san and Yoh-kun...between the two of them, Yoh-kun is the more
expressive one." Then she laughed. "But you never know...maybe it's different
when it's just the two of them together. Anna-san's definitely different when
she's with the children. Almost like a totally different person, really." She
then turned to Pilica again. "She's like Ren, in a way. He's got a rough mouth
and an iron hand...but he's different when it comes to me. And you." She added
meaningfully.
Pilica blushed even more at that. She wondered if she would ever stop blushing.
"He's a lot like Oniichan, then," She said thoughtfully. "Except that Ren-kun is
not all loud or rude. Oniichan says he loves your cakes, Tamao-chan, but what he
really means is that it's -you- he loves."
Tamao shook her head. "I highly doubt it." Strangely enough, that statement made
her feel...warm inside.
Recovering from her blushing and turning to Jun, Pilica added, "And whenever Ryu-san
runs away from you, what he really means is..."
"I know. 'Chase me even more and I'll eventually give in,'" Jun finished with a
laugh. "That's why I'm not giving up on him. One way or another, I'm gonna get
him." She vowed.
Pilica laughed at that. "Good luck. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to..." She
stopped mid-sentence and frowned as a strange noise reached her ears. A
noise...that sounded distinctly like someone singing. And from the pitch of that
voice, Pilica could guess to whom the voice that was singing loudly belonged to.
She'd know that voice anywhere. She'd known it her whole life. "Oniichan!" She
exclaimed.
"Noo-noo-noo-noo-noooooh......ah one, and ah two, and ah one-two-three-four!
Ahem, ahem...THE HILLS ARE ALIIIIVE.....WITH THE SOUND OF MU~~~SIIIIC....WITH
THE SONGS THEY HAVE SUUUNNGGG....FOR A THOUSAND YEEEEAAAAARRRRSSSSSS....."
"Oh. That's him, alright," Jun said cheerfully. "I wonder what they're doing
over there..." She looked thoughtfully at the separating wall. "Except for Yoh-kun,
all the men are there, right?"
"I think so." Tamao nodded, frowning at the separating wall. That
Horo-horo...what in the world is he thinking this time...? "Why is he
singing?" She wondered aloud.
"Oniichan's bored." Pilica announced. "He gets a little weird when he's bored. I
mean, weirder than usual," She added hastily.
The three women stayed silent for a while. A couple of indistinguishable voices
were heard for a couple of minutes, along with Horo-horo's continual singing of
"The Sound of Music." After a while, some voices were recognized.
"That sounds like...Ren-kun..." Pilica murmured. "Why is he shouting?"
"I can guess why," Jun replied. "The singing. He's annoyed, that brother of
mine."
"And that's Yoh-sama...no, Hao-sama." Tamao strained her ears to hear. "It's
hard to tell their voices apart sometimes...are they fighting?"
"...PROBLEM WITH HORO-HORO-KUN IS THAT HE DOESN'T HAVE A LOVE LIFE!" Was what
the three women heard.
"Eh...?" Pilica blinked, glancing at Tamao. The pink-haired young woman flushed
slightly. "Who's he to talk about people's love lives?"
"He's Hao-sama," Tamao mumbled.
The three women strained their ears a little further.
"Hmm...Horo-horo-kun is right," Jun said thoughtfully. "Hao-kun doesn't have a
love life, either."
"But he's got a point," Pilica said. "With all the work he's got...he doesn't
have the time for it." She paused for a moment, listening in to the conversation
on the other side. "That's...Lyserg-san..."
"Speaking of him..." Jun gave the other two women a curious look. "Jeanne-san.
Where is she? She usually comes earlier than everyone else. And that bodyguard
of hers...what was his name again?"
"Marco-san," Tamao replied. "Well...the board said that's she'll be coming along
tomorrow."
"That's good, then. For Lyserg-san," Pilica remarked.
"...And Marco-san won't be coming with her this time," The pink-haired young
woman added.
Jun chuckled. "Even better," She paused on a yawn. "She and Lyserg-kun can have
some time alone."
"Hai." Pilica nodded. "Every single time Jeanne-san comes here, she's always so
depressed. Of course, she doesn't say anything...but it's quite obvious,
really."
"According to the cards, " Tamao continued, "the two most important people in
Jeanne-san's life are symbolized by the following: the first person is
'Strength' and 'The Star.' The second is symbolized by 'The Pope' and 'The
Hermit.' Which of those
two is Lyserg-kun, and which is Marco-san?"
"We can't really say. I can guess which is which, but Jeanne-san is the only one who knows, ne?" Jun answered.
Tamao nodded. "Tarot cards aren't as accurate as the board or the palm."
Pilica threw Tamao a curious look. "Speaking of palm..." She said seriously, "Oniichan
said you did a reading for him."
The woman averted her eyes. "He was in the tea room yesterday afternoon..." She
muttered. "I wasn't going to, but he insisted. He was waiting for the extra
whipped cream he requested for his custard cake. Like a whole dollop wasn't
plenty enough! I don't know where he puts away everything he eats."
"Well, that's my brother for you." Pilica nodded, chuckling slightly. Ah,
that's him, alright...
"...REN-KUN, THAT SHE'S VERY MUCH IN LOVE WITH YOU!" Hao's voice suddenly called
out loudly.
Upon hearing that sentence, Jun and Tamao stared at the azure-haired woman.
Pilica, the said woman, blushed again for the second time that day. She -had-
been blushing a lot lately..."Ne...what's Hao-san doing in there? Looking into
and analyzing people's love lives? Doesn't he have -anything- better to do?" She
muttered, fanning her face, trying to get rid of the heat on it...without much
success.
"Apparently not," Jun answered cheerfully, gazing at the separating wall. "He's
already finished with Horo-horo-kun and Lyserg-kun...and now he's victimizing
Ren...the only people left are Manta-kun and..." She grinned widely. "Ryu-kun. I
think I'm going to enjoy this."
Tamao glared over at the separating wall. That cake-loving idiot...this is
all -his- fault...-he- started all this with his stupid singing...
*~*~*~*~*~*
At the men's onsen, Horo-horo continued to glare at Ren. Meanwhile, Ren
continued to glare at Hao.
The said person just smiled unfalteringly, and then, he added more fuel to the
fire by saying, "You should, instead, be singing 'I Love the Way You Love Me.'
Ne? That fits you and her and the two of you perfectly." He added sweetly.
Ren's face reddened even more, if that was even possible. He continued to glare
at Hao, hard. "Are you just about DONE embarrassing ME?"
Hao placed his hand on his heart. "Me? Embarrass YOU? Ren-kun, how -could- you
think I would do such a thing!" He exclaimed in a mock-hurt tone.
"You've done WORSE!" Ren shot back.
"So I have." Hao agreed, shaking his head sadly. "But you see, I'm trying to
compensate for all of it by being nice to you. Aren't you grateful?"
A dry laugh. "GRATEFUL? To YOU? For embarrassing ME? Hell, NO."
The long-haired shaman gave him a wounded look. "I'm hurt."
"Live with it."
"Ah, you're no fun." Recovering from his mock-sad state, Hao turned back to
Horo-horo, whose aura was now growing darker by the second. The Ainu man was
still glaring at Ren. "Now, now, Horo-horo-kun. It wouldn't be good to try
killing Ren-kun now, ne? Not unless -you- intend to die an even more painful
death." He added cheerfully.
Horo-horo simmered a bit. He knew what Hao was talking about, of course, and
dying by means of Asakura Anna's hands was not the way he intended to pass on.
No, sir. The dark aura around him gradually diminished. But he continued to
glare at Ren. "Don't you EVER touch my SISTER," He growled out.
Ren glared back. "I don't intend to." I intend to do MORE than THAT, he
thought to himself.
"That's too much over-protectiveness, Horo-horo-kun," Hao commented, tossing his
hair back gracefully. "Instead of worrying about what Ren-kun might or might not
do to Pilica-san, I suggest you find something else to occupy you."
Horo-horo moved his glares from Ren to Hao. "What are you talking about,
lunatic?"
"I mean, there are much more interesting things in the tea room than just the
cake," Hao answered matter-of-factly.
"Eh?" The Ainu looked confused.
Hao rolled his eyes. "You had your palm read yesterday afternoon, yes?"
"What does that have to do with ANYTHING?"
The person being addressed gave an exasperated sigh. "The one telling the
fortunes is much more interesting than the fortunes she tells."
"And your point, lunatic, is...WHAT?"
Manta, who had been listening the whole time to this exchange, smiled slightly
and said, "He means Tamao-chan, Horo-horo-kun."
Horo-horo narrowed his eyes at Manta, then he turned and glared at Hao again.
"And what does that WOMAN have to do with ME?"
Hao looked up at the sky, wondering why he actually bothered. Then, he looked
back at Horo-horo and gave a resigned sigh. "I give up. Really, it's quite clear
to me now why you don't have a love life. You can't see what's right in front of
you." He smiled sweetly again. "I'll tell you what: if you figure it out before
tomorrow ends, I'll lend you my best limousine for a whole month." He paused,
then added, "And before you ask: it's safe, guaranteed. I use it myself, so it's
highly unlikely that it's been tampered. Not that I would ever do that to you."
Horo-horo still continued to glare at him. "That's all?"
Hao rolled his eyes again. "The bar's freshly-filled."
"And?"
Another drawn-out eye-roll later, Hao said, "Refrigerator's freshly-filled as
well."
"One WHOLE month?"
"Hai. One WHOLE month."
"Hmm..." Horo-horo looked thoughtfully at the other man. "I'm holding you to
that, lunatic. And don't think you can get out of this--I have plenty of
witnesses." He said triumphantly.
Hao sighed for the umpteenth time. "Hai, hai." The things I do for my
brother's friends... "Ne, Lyserg-kun..." Turning back to his favorite
victim, who flinched and looked at him warily, he said, "I have a song in mind
for you too."
Lyserg backed away from him and shook his head vigorously. "No thanks."
"Oh, come on, don't be like Ren-kun..." He coaxed. "Anyway, if I'm not mistaken,
the song that fits your thoughts exactly as of now is...'I've Been Waiting For
You!'" He finished triumphantly.
Lyserg's face reddened again. I've been searching so long in this
world...trying to find someone...who could be...what my picture of love was to
me...then you came along... "I haven't been searching for her," He muttered.
"True. But you -have- been waiting for her, ne?" Hao remarked cheerfully.
"Anyway, I just wanted to say that."
"Good. Maybe now, -you'll- shut up." Ren muttered.
"Ah, but I wasn't finished yet!" Hao said with a grin.
Ren, Horo-horo, Lyserg, and Manta groaned.
"Hmm...just the person I've been meaning to talk to! Tanma!" Hao inched closer
to Manta.
The short young man flinched and inched away. "It's MANTA, Hao-kun."
"Ah, whatever." Hao waved him away carelessly. "I haven't got a song that can
fit you, I'm afraid."
"Thank god for that." Manta muttered.
"BUT," Hao continued, smiling like the lunatic that he was, "I've been meaning
to ask: who's winning in the tournament?"
Manta glared at the other man. "That's none of your business."
A laugh. "Oh, really?" Hao raised an eyebrow. "I do believe it -is- my business.
Your main opponent is my assistant, am I correct?"
At this comment, everyone turned to Manta curiously.
"Tournament?" Horo-horo.
"What tournament is he talking about?" This was Ren.
"Manta...how come you've never told me about this?" Ryu.
"Oya! I didn't know you were in some tournament, Manta-kun! You should have told
me!" A very cheerful Faust.
"What kind of tournament is this, Manta?" Chocolove.
"You're playing with OPACHO?!?!?!?" This was Lyserg, who knew about the
tournament, but Manta refused to tell him who his opponent was...now he knew
why.
Everyone except for Hao looked questioningly at Manta. The short young man gazed
at all of them nervously. "W-what?"
"It's a chess tournament," Hao spoke up for Manta's benefit. "Tanma's been in a
chess battle with Opacho since last Christmas. They're playing best of
twenty-five." He added cheerfully. "And so far, the one who's been winning
is..." He turned to Manta.
"No one," Manta muttered. "We're tied, twelve wins to twelve. Tomorrow's the
deciding battle."
Hao then turned back to everyone else. "There you have it."
"What's in it for you guys?" Horo-horo and Ren asked at the same time. They both
looked at each other and glared.
Manta flushed just a wee bit. "Well, uh..."
"WELL," Hao interrupted. "That's between Tanma and Opacho, ne?" He grinned at
Manta.
The person being addressed glared at his best friend's twin brother. Really, if
it wasn't for Yoh, he would have strangled this guy in his sleep long ago...his
teasings were most of the time way way way -way- out of line...
"Well," Hao said again, clasping his hands together, "Who else needs to...ah!
You! I haven't given you a song yet, have I?" He pointed at Ryu.
Ryu looked around him, and then pointed to himself. "M-me?" He asked blankly.
"Hai." Hao nodded, smiling.
"Why me?" Ryu scratched his head in an oddly Yoh-like way.
"Because, you're the only other person here who's got an unbalanced love life.
Now, I've done what I could with these four here," he pointed with his chin at
Ren, Horo-horo, Manta, and Lyserg, "and it's time for me to work on you. I don't
need to bother with Chocolove-kun, and Faust here has a very active love life,
so that leaves you."
"But you don't need to..."
"Ah, but I do," Hao interrupted. "You're the head cook here at my brother's
onsen, and your job is to make good food for everyone. Correct?"
"H-hai. But I don't see why you have to..."
"Now," Hao continued, ignoring Ryu's protests. "The first rule in cooking is to
always cook with love. And what have you got?"
Ryu's face flamed. "I don't have a..."
"Exactly. You don't have much of a love life, because you're refusing it," Hao
told him. "Thus, it makes the love you feel inside you unbalanced. And an
unbalanced love means...unbalanced cooking."
"Well, cooking and love are two very different things..."
"MEANING to say," Hao continued to ignore Ryu, "Your love life is not so good.
And that is reflected in your cooking. And thus, in the food you serve."
"Come to think of it, your cooking -has- been a bit bland lately..." Horo-horo
mused.
Ren gave a disgusted snort. He knew where this was coming...his Neesan. Heck, he
couldn't quite understand what his sister sees in the man. Ryu had weird hair, a
weird voice, weird temperament, a weird taste in clothes...in other words,
everything about him was weird. Of course, he -did- cook well, but...wait a
second...
Ren thought for a bit. He frowned. He closed his eyes.
Maybe it's the cooking my sister has fallen for...
"What I'm saying is that you should STOP running, and face the consequences of
your stolen kiss. It's not that she didn't like it, anyway. Why do you -think-
is she chasing YOU?"
This time, Ren choked. Kiss? Where the HELL did kissing enter the picture?
Ryu coughed, and blushed even more. He gave Ren a wary glance, and then turned
back incredulously at Hao. "How do you know about that?"
Hao smiled mysteriously. "I'm Asakura Hao. I know everything." He said simply.
"And speaking of your song..." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You're out of
luck. I'm afraid I can't quite think up of a song that best fits you right now.
However, I do know what SHE..." he pointed his finger up at the separating wall,
"has been singing to you for six years."
Ren glared at Ryu, who looked away from him. Six years? What the hell...?
Have I been too busy that I hadn't noticed how long my sister has been chasing
after this guy...?
"It's 'One Way or Another,' isn't it?" Hao looked at Ryu expectantly.
One Way or Another? WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!?!? Ren's glare evolved into
something much...more. He hadn't noticed that his sister had been singing a
song...he should really pay more attention.
"Hey, lunatic," Horo-horo called out to Hao. "When the HELL are you planning to
SHUT UP?"
Hao smiled at him. "I'm almost done here. I'll get back to you shortly. Ne, Ryu-san,
just think about what I said." He nodded. "And..."
"Oh, good GRIEF!" Horo-horo groaned. "Why the hell couldn't we have been allowed
to use Yoh's private onsen? Then we wouldn't have to put up with this guy."
"That's a good idea," Lyserg agreed. "Maybe we can ask Yoh-kun next time..."
"Ne..." Hao began.
Horo-horo rolled his eyes. "What is it this TIME?"
The long-haired shaman raised an eyebrow. "Would you -really- want to? Use the
private onsen, I mean?"
"Of course!" Horo-horo snapped. "It's a little bit smaller, but heck, at least
-you- won't be there..."
"On the contrary. Remember, it's the -Asakura- private onsen," Hao pointed out.
"I'm allowed to use it."
"Then why don't you?" Ren demanded.
"Well..." Hao closed one eye and raised an eyebrow. "Think about it. Who uses
that onsen?"
Ren glared at him thoughtfully. "Yoh, I guess. Him, and Anna. So what? That
doesn't mean...urgh." He grimaced as it dawned on him. "You don't think ...they
DO it THERE...?"
Hao gave a grin. "We can only imagine." He frowned slightly. "Scratch that. I'd
rather -not- imagine."
"DO what?" Horo-horo asked curiously, looking from Ren to Hao, then back again.
Ren gave him a meaningful look. "Oh. Oh. That," He gave a shiver. "On
second thought...I'll stick to -this- onsen."
"Hmm..." Manta looked at Hao thoughtfully. "I wonder...is it possible to
conceive a baby in a hot spring? Scientifically speaking, of course."
"How should I know?" Lyserg muttered. Imagining his friend and his friend's wife
doing it in an onsen wasn't on top of his favorite things to do at the moment...
"It all depends on how strong and healthy both participants in the act of
conception are." It was Faust who said this, cheerfully. "I assure you, though,
that it is perfectly safe for everyone to use the private onsen at the seventh
floor. You are not going to find any sort of...residue there, whatsoever, for
the water is replaced frequently. The kids use it more often than Yoh-kun and
Anna-san do."
"That's a relief." Ren muttered.
"Yeah." Horo-horo agreed, heaving a sigh.
"For everyone's benefit, I have reason to believe that the newest addition to
Yoh-kun and Anna-san's growing family was conceived, not on an Onsen, but on a
bed. After all, that's how it's normally done..."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Horo-horo, Ren, Chocolove, Lyserg and Manta exclaimed
simultaneously.
Hao laughed at them. "I don't think they're ready to tell us yet, you guys," He
said. "Apparently, my dear Otouto...in terms of basketball, you might say that
he...SCORED again." He finished with a grin.
"Anna-san is PREGNANT? AGAIN?" The five men said in unison for the second time.
Faust turned to Ryu. "Ne...you knew about this, didn't you?"
Ryu nodded. "Anna Okami's been eating nothing but strawberries and cream cheese
for several days now. I kind of figured. And yesterday, Danna went up somewhere
in a village near Izumo to get strawberries, fresh from the farm." He paused,
then added, "he bought a large of supply of cream cheese, too."
Horo-horo, Ren, Chocolove, Lyserg and Manta looked at each other meaningfully,
all of them thinking of the same thing.
"Poor Yoh." The five said simultaneously for the third time that day.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"AAAAHHH--CHHOOOOO!!!" Yoh sneezed, causing his wife, who was resting on his
arm, to sit up with concern.
"You're not coming down with a cold, are you?" Anna asked, reaching beside her
for the box of tissues and handing it to her husband.
"Nah." He took the box gratefully from her, pulled out a sheet, wiped his nose,
and shook his head. "I think someone's talking about me."
TSUZUKU.
End notes:
Yeah, I know...some ending, huh?_ And the women's part was a little...short...argh.
There are a LOT of men in Shaman King...
Updated August 30, 2003. Changed the title a bit.
yuri maxwell is the name of the evil being (haha...) who came up with the idea
of making Horo-horo sing at the Onsen. If you liked that part, thank her. If you
hated it, blame her.^_^ Just kidding. Thanks, yuri, for that bit of suggestion.
I hope the part lived up to your expectation. Hey, that rhymes.^^ Ah. Watashi wa
hen da yo...^^;;;;
I had a really good chapter 4 almost completely written last Thursday...but an
extremely EVIL power failure DESTROYED my computer and ate the stupid file. I
had to redo this thing. Even though I had a backup of all my notes...this didn't
come out as well as I expected. I just hope it doesn't -suck- that much.
Anyway, unless my computer gets fixed soon, I'm going to be updating much slower
than I used to, for I'll be writing the rest of this using my brother's computer
and my use of his computer is limited (right now, I'm using my sister's laptop,
but she's going to take this back to med school next week). Don't worry,
it's still going to be once a week, but I'm drawing the line at that. I'm a very
slow writer. I'm a slow spell-checker and proofreader too.^^;;;; Gomen ne.
The songs I used here are copyright of their respective owners. This is just
good, clean fun. I mean no disrespect to the owners. Yeah, and Ueda Yuji is
Horo-horo's seiyuu...and I can't imagine him singing "The Sound of Music"
without laughing.^^ Anyway, the songs I used are as follows:
The Sound of Music by Julie Andrews
What Can I Do by The Corrs
I Love the Way You Love Me by Mr. Big
I've Been Waiting For You by Guys Next Door
One Way or Another by Blondie
In tarot cards, the card "Strength" means the power of love, courage, and
determination. "The Star" means spiritual love. "The Pope" means ritual,
routine, religious guidance, and authority. Lastly, "The Hermit" means caution,
discretion, a wise guide, or spiritual mentor. It should be easy to guess which
one is Lyserg and which one is Marco, ne?
To all my reviewers, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. I'm really glad you're all
enjoying this as much as I am. I won't be posting my replies to all of you
individually as of yet (unless it's really necessary). I'll reserve that for the
final chapter.^_^
Which reminds me: to unmei, you don't
have to do anything for me...it's enough for me to know that you're enjoying
this.^_^ But I -will- think about your offer...that is, if I don't get inspired
to write a lemon for this...because I might.^_^
Backgrounder on Funbari Onsen Inn's inner structure (or
something^^;;; This will either serve to enlighten you on how Funbari Onsen
looks like, or confuse you even more.^^ Please let me know. I'll be happy to
clarify anything. Ne...I've never been to an Onsen before, so I don't know if
this accurate or not...^^):
The front entrance has a garden gate. And then, beyond that, is the large front
door. There's an entrance to the kitchens too, at the left side of the garden
gate. The kitchen is at the back. When you enter the inn, you step on the genkan.
The coat rack/closet is at the left side, and the shoe closet is at the right
side. When you go even further, at the left side is the open doorway of the
waiting room. Across from the front door, at the hallway, is the L-shaped front
desk. Behind the front desk, the room adjacent to the waiting room, is the
Asakura main room, a. k. a. the family office. Adjacent to that is a spare room used
by any of Yoh and Anna's friends and relatives. At the hallway across the spare
room, at the right side is the wide staircase, which people prefer to use
instead of the elevator. The elevator is behind the staircase. The inn has seven
floors. Eight, counting the penthouse.
At the very back of the main building first floor is the wide,
rectangular-shaped kitchen. The kitchen has four doors: two at the back, and two
at the sides. The left door leads to the parking lot (underground), and the
exit--this is where food and other kitchen stuff are delivered. The right door
leads to the dining hall--this is where food is brought to the dining hall. Most
people prefer to eat in their rooms, because there are dining areas there, too.
Anyway, we go back to the waiting room. Across the waiting room, across the
front hallway lobby, at the right side, are several doors that lead to a
straight pathway. If you go across the pathway, you will enter the tea room. The
tea room is where Tamao does her fortune-telling, and where all the cakes are.^^
Adjacent to the tea room is the dining hall. Both the dining hall and tea room
have doors on both sides: the left doors lead to the pathway, and the right
doors lead to the garden. The upper door of the dining room, though, leads to
the courtyard, and if you walk straight from the dining hall to the courtyard,
and straight more, you will eventually end up at the Hot Springs. The Hot
Springs are a detached area from the main building.
Floor 2 is where all the recreation area is located. Somewhere at the center
wing are the stairs and the elevator. At the north wing is the library. The west
wing is where Faust's clinic and the spa stuff are located. The east and south
wing is the main recreation area where the game room, entertainment center,
casino, etc, are located.
Floors 3-6 pretty much have the same plan. At the center wing is the elevator
and staircase. At the north, south, east and west wings are the rooms. The rooms
all have balconies. Floor 6 is reserved for Yoh and Anna's friends from May 2 to
early morning of May 6.
Floor 7 is the main staff floor. At the center wing is the staircase and
elevator. The west wing is Faust, Ryu, Tamao, and the rest of the live-in
staff's wing. The south wing is the Asakura children's playroom. The east wing
is the Asakura private Onsen.^_^ Ha-ha. The north wing is the Asakura family's
living quarters (Anna and Yoh have moved out of the old house ever since the
Onsen was built and opened, but they still go back to the old house sometimes to
do...stuff.^_~ Hehe).
The Asakura living quarters have five bedrooms. When you enter, the living room
is what greets you. At the right is the twins' bedroom. Adjacent to the living
room (which is at the left of the twins' room) is Keiko-chan's room, which she
never uses. Adjacent to that room is a spare room--actually Ren-chan's bedroom
when he grows up. Adjacent to that is the playroom. Adjacent to the twins'
bedroom is the bathroom (which is right across Keiko-chan's room), and adjacent
to the bathroom is Yoh and Anna's room. The area is pretty open-aired. All the
rooms have balconies. The bathroom has three doors: one leads to the center
pathway (to Keiko-chan's room), another leads to the twins' room, and the other,
Yoh and Anna's room.
Finally, the penthouse. There is no elevator here, only stairs leading up. The
center wing is open-aired; this is where the outdoor pool is. The south wing has
the indoor pool. The west, north, and east wing are all open-aired rooftop
gardens that have huts and umbrellas--sunbathing, rest, and viewing areas. These
places are the best places to view the city...and the stars. There are
telescopes here, too.^^
Wow...pretty long explanation.^_^ I have tried making a drawing of this by hand,
and then, using paint, but I can't. Dekinai yo. If anyone wants to volunteer
drawing this for me (if anyone actually understood my explanations), I thank you
from the bottom of my heart. It's not really necessary, though...
Reviews (for the chapter and the floor plan explanation or either) will be very
much appreciated.