A Tale of Four Shaman Ch. 2- The Argument
By Nyassa Kaiba
"NO." Yohmei Asakusa snapped.
"Please!" Yoh begged desperately. "For Anna's sake! And mine!"
Yoh's grandmother placed a placating hand on her husband's back. Yohmei shook it off. "Yohmei, dear, we can't force them to marry if they'd be miserable. There are other ways now for a person's bloodline to be passed on."
"None of which I'd like to see employed in order to preserve our family." Yoh's grandfather snapped.
"You're related to him?" Ren whispered, sweatdropping. "I would never have guessed! He's an idiot."
Yoh glared at Ren angrily and he shut up.
"The marriage is not being called off." Yoh's Grandfather snarled. He glared at Anna, as if the young Itako had betrayed him.
Anna clenched her hands in fists, lip curled in an angry sneer. Jun put a warning hand on her shoulder. "Don't get angry at him." She whispered. "He can't help it, he was raised that way."
Anna took a deep breath and unclenched her fists. But her lip remained curled in the snarl of a caged animal.
It was then that Yoh's mother whispered something that neither of the four younger shamans caught to Yoh's father. Yoh's father nodded and stepped forward. "Father, if Yoh refuses to marry Anna there is no way that we can force him. It is the same for Anna. Any relationship must be give and take to work out. Without synergy between them it is impossible for any kind of relationship to last."
"And as Yoh's legal guardians the final decision is ours." Keiko reminded Yohmei gently. "I understand that your expectations of Yoh are great, but who he chooses to marry or not to marry is not the most important of them."
"Smart woman" Ren whispered.
Anna stalked off, leaving them to argue. As she left Manta could have sworn he heard a soft sob coming from the direction she had gone. Jun excused herself hurriedly and left after her.
Yoh's grandfather growled in capitulation and stalked off in the other direction. Yoh's grandmother went to placate him. Yoh's mother and father pulled him aside. "Yoh..." Keiko pulled her son into a tender hug. "Is Anna the only one in this room, who's like that?"
"She's not alone." Yoh bowed his head in shame. "I'm gay. Although I never would have brought it up if she hadn't."
"You did a very brave thing." Yoh's father said proudly. "You hid your own suffering to help other people. Son, you have no need to ever be ashamed of yourself."
"Thanks." Yoh wiped a tear from his eye.
"Whatever you choose to do is up to you Yoh, my darling." Keiko held her son close, stroking his hair gently. "You were very brave, very brave."
Yoh took a deep breath and returned to his friends.
*** Anna's Room***
Jun heard music playing loudly from Anna's room.
It was somewhere in a fairy tale
I used to take her home in my car
Jun gently pushed the door open and chuckled softly. Anna was flopped dramatically on her back, lip-syncing the song, Taxi
We learned about love in the back of the Dodge
The lesson hadn't gone too far
Anna didn't realize that she was being watched. Jun thought that the song matched her mood. She sang softly along with the music.
"You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly
She took off to find the foot lights
I took off to find the sky."
Anna jumped. "Oh, Jun. Hi." She said nervously.
"I'd just like to say that I admire what you did today. It was very brave of you to stand up to somebody older and more powerful than you are, for what you believe in today."
"Thanks." Anna made no move to rise. The effort of finally getting herself to stand up for what she wanted to do, not what was expected of her, had exhausted her in more ways than one.
"They say that God gives his power to those that stand up for what they believe in. You found the power within yourself, something I never could do."1 Jun said, sitting on the bed beside Anna.
Oh I've got, something inside me
To drive the princes blind
There's a wild-eyed wizard, he's hiding in me
Illuminating my mind
Anna smiled faintly. "Thanks. I don't feel very powerful now. But maybe I can have some peace."
Jun rose and went to the door. "Maybe your power isn't too far away. All you have to do is turn inward and you'll see it."
***tbc***
I had a lot of fun with this chapter. For the record, I don't own shaman king, or Taxi. I have no money, please do not sue me for it because all you'll get are a few dust balls.
1) Jun is quoting my favorite CIT at Camp Howe, the night I came out, that's what he said to me.
By Nyassa Kaiba
"NO." Yohmei Asakusa snapped.
"Please!" Yoh begged desperately. "For Anna's sake! And mine!"
Yoh's grandmother placed a placating hand on her husband's back. Yohmei shook it off. "Yohmei, dear, we can't force them to marry if they'd be miserable. There are other ways now for a person's bloodline to be passed on."
"None of which I'd like to see employed in order to preserve our family." Yoh's grandfather snapped.
"You're related to him?" Ren whispered, sweatdropping. "I would never have guessed! He's an idiot."
Yoh glared at Ren angrily and he shut up.
"The marriage is not being called off." Yoh's Grandfather snarled. He glared at Anna, as if the young Itako had betrayed him.
Anna clenched her hands in fists, lip curled in an angry sneer. Jun put a warning hand on her shoulder. "Don't get angry at him." She whispered. "He can't help it, he was raised that way."
Anna took a deep breath and unclenched her fists. But her lip remained curled in the snarl of a caged animal.
It was then that Yoh's mother whispered something that neither of the four younger shamans caught to Yoh's father. Yoh's father nodded and stepped forward. "Father, if Yoh refuses to marry Anna there is no way that we can force him. It is the same for Anna. Any relationship must be give and take to work out. Without synergy between them it is impossible for any kind of relationship to last."
"And as Yoh's legal guardians the final decision is ours." Keiko reminded Yohmei gently. "I understand that your expectations of Yoh are great, but who he chooses to marry or not to marry is not the most important of them."
"Smart woman" Ren whispered.
Anna stalked off, leaving them to argue. As she left Manta could have sworn he heard a soft sob coming from the direction she had gone. Jun excused herself hurriedly and left after her.
Yoh's grandfather growled in capitulation and stalked off in the other direction. Yoh's grandmother went to placate him. Yoh's mother and father pulled him aside. "Yoh..." Keiko pulled her son into a tender hug. "Is Anna the only one in this room, who's like that?"
"She's not alone." Yoh bowed his head in shame. "I'm gay. Although I never would have brought it up if she hadn't."
"You did a very brave thing." Yoh's father said proudly. "You hid your own suffering to help other people. Son, you have no need to ever be ashamed of yourself."
"Thanks." Yoh wiped a tear from his eye.
"Whatever you choose to do is up to you Yoh, my darling." Keiko held her son close, stroking his hair gently. "You were very brave, very brave."
Yoh took a deep breath and returned to his friends.
*** Anna's Room***
Jun heard music playing loudly from Anna's room.
It was somewhere in a fairy tale
I used to take her home in my car
Jun gently pushed the door open and chuckled softly. Anna was flopped dramatically on her back, lip-syncing the song, Taxi
We learned about love in the back of the Dodge
The lesson hadn't gone too far
Anna didn't realize that she was being watched. Jun thought that the song matched her mood. She sang softly along with the music.
"You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly
She took off to find the foot lights
I took off to find the sky."
Anna jumped. "Oh, Jun. Hi." She said nervously.
"I'd just like to say that I admire what you did today. It was very brave of you to stand up to somebody older and more powerful than you are, for what you believe in today."
"Thanks." Anna made no move to rise. The effort of finally getting herself to stand up for what she wanted to do, not what was expected of her, had exhausted her in more ways than one.
"They say that God gives his power to those that stand up for what they believe in. You found the power within yourself, something I never could do."1 Jun said, sitting on the bed beside Anna.
Oh I've got, something inside me
To drive the princes blind
There's a wild-eyed wizard, he's hiding in me
Illuminating my mind
Anna smiled faintly. "Thanks. I don't feel very powerful now. But maybe I can have some peace."
Jun rose and went to the door. "Maybe your power isn't too far away. All you have to do is turn inward and you'll see it."
***tbc***
I had a lot of fun with this chapter. For the record, I don't own shaman king, or Taxi. I have no money, please do not sue me for it because all you'll get are a few dust balls.
1) Jun is quoting my favorite CIT at Camp Howe, the night I came out, that's what he said to me.