A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you liked it, too. ^_^ This fic has a lot of pairings coming up but I decided to make Horo/Tamao the main pair. Hey, don't blame me, it's rare to find H/T in the net nowadays. And as someone requested, Yoh/Anna will be here in this chapter. Hehe...I'm vewy generous, ne? @_@ Lol...
Err, I think my humor is kinda corny so bear with it. *_*
This chapter is mostly about Yoh/Anna and Ren/Pirika. But more of Horo/Tamao on the beginning ang at the end. ^^;;; hmmm...maybe I'll be making Lyserg/Jeanne soon, too. I dunno...
Disclaimer: Shaman King and its characters are not mine...happy??!
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Clover: Chapter 2 By: Mendori-chanTamao was at the dining table with Yoh, Anna and Ren, eating dinner. She was staring blankly at her untouched food, still wondering why Horo horo refused to eat.
Is he feeling really bad? Does he hate my cooking?...Is there something I need to know? She began to think of murderous thoughts. Everyone knows that Horo horo (The Horokeu Usui) would rather suffocate to death than live another day without food.
"Tamao...?" Yoh called her.
The prophetess snapped and looked up at the shaman, who was obviously distracted the whole dinner time with her unusual silence. "S-Sumimasen, Yoh-sama...it's just that Horo-kun is--"
"He's stupid, but not stupid enough to die," interrupted the blonde itako, scooping a chunk of rice with her chopsticks. "He must have eaten so much that his stomach of abyss was too full."
Ren nodded in agreement, none of them making eyecontact. "She's right for once. That stupid Ainu almost made me suffer from severe hits from Pirika."
Anna just continued on her meal.
Yoh was feeling very concerned since Pirika was off to buy some medicine for confidential purposes, which was very unusual. He shrugged. "Anna...uh, I think Horo horo needs some attention around the house. He's been sort of...different," he suggested, trying to sound reasonable with his fiance.
Anna turned to him, her dagger-eyes gesturing him to shut up.
The shaman flinched, then faced Tamao quietly. He smiled nervously. "Why don't you look after him for now?"
The girl nodded and stood up from the dinner table. "Excuse me for a while..."
As Tamao made her way to Horo horo's room, Anna asked Ren to catch up on Pirika just incase it'll rain, considering the strong winds outside. He agreed to no avail and walked out the house with an umbrella at hand. It sounded pretty drastic to Yoh at first when Ren was suddenly doing as he was told, but it was for the better anyway. The Tao was sent to visit them in Izumo, and because of the storm, he had to stay a little while longer.
The Asakura finished his dinner and set aside his chopsticks. He turned to Anna, who also finished her meal, then smiled. "Do you want me to take those to the kitchen?"
Anna blinked, then averted her gaze. "I can do that myself, thank you..." she replied in a mutter.
But still, Yoh insisted and took her plate as if he didn't hear her. Anna, as her reflex action, gripped his hand tightly. "I told you I can do that myself," she repeated, firmness in her tone.
"You're having your period, Anna. Let me just help you this once," he replied with a sheepish grin plastered on his face.
The grip on Anna's fist loosened as an audible pink shade occupied her face. After she realized what he said, she almost exploded. "HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU KNOW??"
Yoh smiled nervously. "Ehehe...I went in the toilet and saw--"
"Shut up. It's none of your business, kono baka!" she threatened to slap his face, but the boy caught her hand in mid-air.
"O-Oi, matte. It's not my fault that we only have one trashcan!"
He tried to hold her up as long as he could, but to his disappointment, he lost his balance and fell on the floor. A thud was heard...then Anna fell right after. She barely missed Yoh's lips just by an inch!! (A/N: syet, ang sama ko naman! Hehe...)
"A-Anna...?" Yoh whispered, his face turning pink.
The itako slowly opened her eyes and found herself on Yoh's chest. She tried to fight the urge to blush with all her power, but only to fail once more.
He chuckled lightly and continued, "You're pretty heavier than Tamao."
Anna stood up quickly, a hint of jealousy in her eyes. "You mean you've carried Tamao before?" she asked with curiosity, fully aware that it wasn't of her business. But she made it hers anyway.
Yoh blinked, then laughed. "No, no, of course not!" he replied, much to Anna's sheer surprise. "Horo horo told me that she was like a feather once he carried her a long time ago."
The itako raised her eyebrow. "Tamao can never be a feather..." she uttered softly. Stupid. Yoh is just a baka and nothing more. And why in the world did I react to his reply anyway? Baka Yoh...
The shaman blinked. I may be imagining things but...was Anna jealous? Yoh thought about it again, then shook his head vigorously. Nah, that could never happen.
Meanwhile, Ren saw Pirika walking on the sidewalk with a small first-aid kit tucked away under her jacket. He watched her come closer to him, standing there like a pole. As soon as Pirika noticed the Chinese shaman, she stopped.
"R-Ren-kuu?" she spoke up, obviously confused why he was standing there.
Before he could reply though, it started to rain. Wordlessly opening the umbrella, he walked beside Pirika to shelter her from the cold shower.
"Ikou." He managed to mutter, and the Ainu girl nodded as they walked home...together.
"Neh, Ren-kuu..."
"I'd rather like you to call me '-kun' because the 'kuu' part sounds too sappy," he said straightforwardly.
"H-Hai...Ren-kun."
Both continued to walk, not exchanging eyecontact, words or any of that matter. Pirika looked up at him with her dark blue eyes.
"You didn't have to come pick me up, you know." She reminded him.
Ren blinked, then tried to avert his gaze. He hid a pink tinge on his cheeks while they stopped on a 'DO NOT WALK' red sign. Shit...of all the times, why the hell does it have to happen now?!
"Ren-kun?" Pirika called his attention once more.
"Because I was worried about you, okay?" he burst out.
Pirika felt her cheeks flush. "Anou..."
Ren snapped. "I-I mean...Anna was worried about you. She asked me to pick you up in case it rains..." he uttered softly. "And I mean it..."
"O-Oh..." the Ainu replied. Holy crap, what was I thinking?? Of course Ren-kuu...I mean, Ren-kun doesn't care. What am I so disapointed about anyway?
Back at home, Tamao walked in the dim-lit room of Horo horo. He was sleeping soundly on his bed as if there was nothing wrong. She sat on one of the chairs beside his bed, looking at him intently.
"Horo-kun...what's wrong?" she asked as if he could hear her. Tamao sighed, then stroked her hair. Am I just being too worried...?
"Don't you like my food anymore...?"
Silence…
"Horo-kun, are you okay?"
Silence once more…
"H-Horo...kun--"
"Don't worry about me, Tamao," came a muffled reply.
"Y-You're awake?" Tamao leaned in closer to the blue-haired shaman. He was looking at her with his smiling azure eyes.
"Am I not, Tamao?" he asked sarcastically.
The girl pouted. "Mou, Horo-kun. Please tell me why you didn't eat dinner. It isn't like you at all!" Her eyes turned moist. "And you worried me..."
Horo horo grunted. "Okay, I admit." He sat up and took Tamao's hand. She blushed at the sudden contact when he placed her palm on his forehead.
"Y-You're warm..."
"Common cold," he replied. "Nothing to worry about, Tamao." The Ainu then grinned sheepishly. "Pretty tough for a common cold to throw away my appetite, ne?"
Tamao managed to smile, but there was something in Horo horo's eyes that told her he was lying. She decided to stop worrying about it anyway. "Y-Yeah...I guess so."
Then suddenly, Pirika arrived in his room.
"Onii-chan, how are you feeling?" she asked, an aspirin at hand.
"Pirika-chan," Tamao spoke, walking up to her. "You're a bit wet from the rain. Why don't you change before you catch a cold. I'll take care of your Onii-chan."
"Tamao-san...I don't think--"
"Please do, Pirika." Tamao insisted as she took the aspirin from her.
But what surprised her the most was when Pirika replied, "He's sick." The Ainu girl gave emphasis on the 'sick' part...and walked to her room wordlessly.
As Tamao turned to Horo horo, he was lying on his bed once more. But this time, his temperature was burning.
"Horo horo-kun...?" Tamao tried to wake him up by jerking his shoulder gently, but only to fail.
"What happened?" Ren asked when he happened to pass by Horo's room.
The prophetess watched in horror. "Call Master Yoh and Anna-okami. Horo-kun collapsed!"
End of Chapter Two
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A/N: Horo horo has something Tamao doesn't know about... and there's something far deeper that just a common cold.
Weeeheee...^_^ As promised, I gave you guys some other pairs. Hope you liked it. As I progress, you'll know why this fic is under the 'Tragedy' section. I tried to make it all fluffy in this chapter, but in time, you'll know that's not my real plot. Sorry, but I type like a turtle...so slooooooowwwwwww...
Please review! @_@