Disclaimer: To cut the long story short: Own nothing, don't sue. Yeah.

For Apple-chan, doubt that Hao angst will cheer you up, but hopefully Yoh/Anna will. :)

Note:  More Hao angst, but I swear I didn't do it on purpose…

Exhale
written by: da*mouse

For every win

Someone must fail


He watched the two of them as they argued about a certain training regime.

"Anna…give me a break! There's only so much a guy could do…"

"And I expect more." A sharp voice cut into the complaining. "You need to train."

"I'm already the Shaman King…"

"You still need to train." Came the cool retort. She then threw him, her soon-to-be brother-in-law, a disdainful look. "I wouldn't put it past him to try anything."

Eyes turned towards him, and broad shoulders shrugged. "He's my twin." He said simply.

"He's Asakura Hao." She said, irritated at her fiancé's confidence towards his brother, confidence, Hao knew, that she lacked. 

Hao chuckled, and stretched languorously. "Don't worry, Otouto. I won't try anything."

"I know you wouldn't." The younger twin smiled cheerfully as his fiancée snorted derisively, crossing her arms across her chest.

Not that I can't, I won't.

He leaned against the wall, as Anna eventually won the argument, with Yoh dropping his head in defeat, and taking off in his runs, rounding off the corner.

He saw…in the mask of triumph on Anna's face, a ghost of a smile glimmered, and her eyes were soft, as she looked at Yoh.

She would never look at him like that, he thought with a pang. Those eyes, that look, and the reserved smile, they were all for Yoh.

As much as he yearned and hoped, and wanted, he would never have them. Have her.

For she was Yoh's. 

"What are you looking at?" She said testily, turning to him.

With him, it was always snappish tones and contemptuous glances. "You, my beautiful sister-in-law." He said lazily, showing none of feelings. He was becoming increasingly good at that lately, he found, at hiding his true feelings.

After all, that was what he must, and should do.

She huffed loudly, her eyes narrowed into the distance, scanning, searching.

Looking for him, he knew.

Always him, always Yoh.

But for now, Yoh was gone, and it was just him, and Anna.

She was the epitome of loveliness against the fading sunlight, her blonde hair fanning around her face, her black dress setting off the sun, framing her in almost ethereal light.

The icy, invulnerable itako. The one woman he wanted, and yet knew he could never, ever have.

He took a step forward, his hand raised, hovering above the curtain of gold that flowed down her back. Gently, his hand lowered, his palm flattening, as he traced the air around her hair.

She would slap him, he knew, and perhaps would never talk to him again, but for that moment, when it was just the two of them, he longed to touch her, touch the untouchable Anna. For once, he longed to have a moment, a memory with her.

And then he saw a figure jogging towards them in the distance.

His hand dropped, and he took a step back.

"Your time…" Anna said thoughtfully, as Yoh approached them. "…is decent."

Yoh grinned, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Get dinner started, won't you?" With that, she swept past the twins, and went into the house.

"She's something else." Yoh glanced at his fiancée's retreating back with a dopey look on his face. The look of someone in love, Hao reflected.

She is. Someone else's.

Yours.

"I know." Hao agreed, not without a touch of bitterness.

Yoh frowned slightly at his older brother's tone. "Onii-chan, is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine." He forced a careless smile on his face. "You better start dinner."

I'll be fine.


For every win

Someone must fail


She would never be his.

His feelings would never be reciprocated.

He loved her, but he loved Yoh, too.


For every win

Someone must fail


Silently, he wished them well.



-Finis-

da*mouse ®
posted 13th October 2003
4.40 a.m.

It seemed like a great idea to fit Yoh/Anna/Hao into these lines of the song, but now I'm not so sure. *frowns* And it's up to you guys to tell me what you really think. :) So go on, review/comment/flame/whatever!

If you want to know my way of thinking – For every win = the Yoh/Anna relationship, the two of them together, with the rest of their lives ahead of them, therefore 'win' and the next line – Someone must fail = like you need to ask…Yoh and Anna together means Hao-sama had no chance, hence 'fail'. Yeah.

So hey, wasn't Hao a total ladies' man? One moment he loved Jeanne, and the next, he was targeting Anna. Wow. ^_^  But to clear up any sort of confusion, there is no relation between the two chapters: Stand-alones. So last chapter you have angsty Hao with Jeanne and now angsty Hao with Anna.

Poor Hao. I hope at least for one installment in this Exhale series where he won't be angsty, feel like I owe him or something, ha.

By the way, my target for each and every chapter in this series is below 1000 words, so yeah, it is intentionally short. Sorry. :D

Kat-girl: Sorry for the angst in the last chapter. Since each and every story is not related, afraid that I can't give them a happy ending. Perhaps later in other chapters. ^_^ thanks so much for reading and reviewing.