Author's Note: Hey everyone! This was edited on Wednesday, August 25, 2004. This chapter is PART ONE. That's right! Another chapter coming up after this! I wonder if you guys have noticed, but all the speaking is in italics… LOL you guys should have noticed… but if you didn't… Haha now you know! If you didn't know, Pirika's Eyes were modified so I would be grateful if you guys could read it again and tell me what you think? Again? LOL a lot to ask… you don't have to… but I just wanted to point out that. =)

Open Eyes

Anna's Eyes: Part One

StrawberryLove-sama Productions

Started on Saturday, July 24, 2004 and finished on Tuesday, August 11, 2004

Anna and Yoh pairing

I looked out the window of another gloomy day. The sun hardly ever shined and the grass was turning into a dull brown. Winter was coming and I wasn't too sure that I like it.

But then again, I was the famous Itako, famous and unfeeling. Although… sometimes… I don't know if I really like my reputation… But how would I look if I confessed that I too liked pink and cute fluffy things? I don't really like those things, just wanted to make an example.

Whatever, being too soft and silly. Must be the snow… snow? Snow! It was snowing! For a brief moment, a smile touched my face. I had always loved snow… Wait, no I didn't…

I don't like winter, I don't like snow, I don't like anything girlish, and fluffy and pink. But to me, it seemed a little bit like denial.

I was thinking too much, I decided and was just content to stare out the window. The snow fell softly and I wondered how it was like to be snow… Falling slowly… floating on drifts of air… well…

I shook my head furiously. Why was I thinking of things like that? Girly thoughts, and why would I be thinking them? I am most certainly not girly… I wrenched myself away from the window; it was doing strange things to me.

I turned and met a grinning Yoh. "Hi Anna!" he said.

Was he watching me? "Hello," I replied, and walked past him.

"Um, Anna? I thought we could… go out today?" Yoh asked me.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," I answered and walked away.

I didn't need to turn and look at him to see the big smile on his face. It practically glowed.

"Ok Anna, wear something… formal," Yoh said.

My brow furrowed in confusion. We were going somewhere classy? I whirled, but he was gone.

My thoughts raced. Why were we going to somewhere nice? Would it be expensive? All sorts of questions formed but one stood out. Why?

Oh, and Do I have anything to wear?

But I dismissed that thought soon enough. I would probably borrow something from Tamao.

What was I suppose to do till then though? Just hang around and watch some soaps? I rolled my eyes. Those TV shows were so stupid… but still sooo addictive…

I shook my head. Never mind that. I guess I'll just take a shower then.

Or maybe a bath. A nice long luxurious bath. With bubbles. I had to smile that that. Even as a child, I had always loved bubble baths. No matter how un-girly I was, I'll always love bubbles. [AN: Spongebob anyone?]

"Tamao!" I called. "I'm going to take a bath!" I didn't want anyone to walk in.

"Alright, Anna-sama!" she called back.

[AN: alrighteys… for… ahem… obvious reasons… I'm not going to write this part of the fic… hehe… just whistle for a bit… kays? =) ]

I walked out dry with my hair in a towel. Walking into my room, I found Tamao there. Her eyes were shining.

"Why are you so happy?" I asked a little insensitively.

"Ooh, you and master Yoh are going on a date!" she said, more like squealed.

I raised an eyebrow. "What of it?" I asked.

She looked at me. "You and master Yoh are going on a date!" She repeated.

I let it go. "How did you find out?" I asked.

"Master Yoh told me. Do you have something suitable to wear?" she asked, excitingly.

"I don't know."

Then, Tamao started to pull out some dresses that she deemed suitable.

Even Anna, who again, was not the least bit girly, was in awe of these dresses.

One was a bit too poofy but it was still beautiful. It was a light shimmery blue, no sleeves, no straps, that pointed down in the waist, and that sort of… bounced out to land gracefully on the floor.

The next one was a bit less poofy but again, still beautiful. It was lavender-y, lilac-y, purple-y, pink-y kind of color and this one had thick straps that went out the neck in the form of a halter. It didn't quite touch the floor; it was rather just above my knees. Not poofy as the other one, but went straight down, hugging at my curves. [AN: She's trying them on]

But the last one was the one that I gasped at. It was like an off white color. A sort of beige. It was neither too poofy nor too straight. I tried it on. It fit like a glove. The other two were as close as can be to my size but was either a bit too tight or a bit too loose.

But this one… it had… three petticoats so it wasn't too poofy. It had thin straps holding the dress and those straps went around my back and crissed-crossed and then pulled tight by Tamao, tied into a bow at the back. [AN: I'm modeling the dress after my grad dress =)]

It fell to the floor with diamonds glittering in the folds of the skirt. It had a light translucent material over the actual dress itself that shimmered. I twirled and marveled at how the skirt spun around. Tamao must have noticed my happiness for she wore a large smile on her face.

"You like that one?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Perfect!" she exclaimed and ran into her room. She came back carrying shoes and a purse. Also, a suspicious looking bag in her other hand.

She put the purse in my hands and dragged a chair over to where I was.

"Sit." She commanded, all with a smile on her face. I sat.

She placed the shoes on my feet and I grinned at the sparkles on them. They were the same color as the purse and had diamonds [AN: fake ones btw] all along the sides. To my surprise, they were comfortable to wear. I stood and almost fell over. Ugh, stupid heels. Then Tamao did something to the shoe and it was easier to walk in.

Then she went into her bag and pulled out a necklace. It was the prettiest thing I had ever seen!

It was shaped as a vine with leaves and tiny flowers. The leaves were made of a gossamer material and the flowers had little diamonds in every petal. She put it on. It hung around my slender neck perfectly! I smiled.

Then she pulled out earrings the matched the necklace. She put then on.

"Wow, Anna-sama! You look so pretty!" Tamao cried.

"It's all thanks to you, Tamao. Thanks." Tamao smiled. I did as well.

"Now! Your hair."

I sat placidly in the chair in front of the mirror and watched Tamao.

She fiddled with something and took out a bunch of pins and did some other stuff; I wasn't really paying attention.My thoughts wandered to Yoh. Why was he doing this? Did he have something special planned afterwards? Was I too formal? What if he laughed? If he laughed, I would slap him, I decided.

But why? Not why would I slap him, but why did he do this…

My thoughts drifted and I caught myself thinking of him again. Not why like before but… how… How his smile gently, everyday, somehow broke a piece of the mask I wore. How his hair softly curled. How he always had those orange headphones around his ears. How his eyes seemed to pierce into my soul…

He didn't know this… But I think I did. I think… I love him…

Tamao saw my blush. But thankfully, she took it for something else.

"Don't worry, Anna-sama, everything will be fine…" she said. I nodded.

Soon, Tamao stopped doing things with her hair and signaled the finish with a flourished, voila!

I looked up in the mirror and gasped. "Tamao…"

"Do you like it?" She asked.

"It's… beautiful…" I said.

My hair, normally in my red bandana, was now curled gracefully and hung around my shoulders in waves. Some strands of hair was twisted together at the back and made the completed arrangement elegant and stylish. A few locks of my silky blonde hair hung around my face.

Tamao then proceeded to do her makeup but I protested. I didn't want too much.

"Alright, alright, just a little lip gloss and some mascara, alright?" Tamao compromised.

"Sure,"

Then, it was finished. She was done.

I stood and Tamao stared at me with stars in her eyes [AN: so not Tamao, more like Tomoyo in CCS but who cares?]

"You're so pretty Anna!" Tamao said.

Nervously, I grinned. "Thanks." [AN: she isn't smiling too much, is she? =( She's OOC isn't she? Cries… I can never get them right!]

Tamao looked at her watch and gasped. 7:00! Almost time for your 'date'"

I smiled a little. "Thanks for everything Tamao,"

She waved it off. "Have a good time,"

"I will," Gathering my skirts, I made a wobbly step towards the door.

Determined to be able to walk in these shoes without falling, I did a little practice walk. I was fine.

I walked out the door and grimaced. The stairs. I knew I was going to fall.

One step… another step… I let out a breath of relief. I was at the bottom. Tamao was next to me.

"Yoh's waiting for you," she said.

"Alright," I began walking. He was at the door in a nice crisp tux.

If it were a bit more cliché, the scene would have me walking down the stairs, catching the eye of some handsome man. He would come to me and we would dance the night away.

But it wasn't like that and I'm not like that.

But Yoh was handsome.

Omigosh, did I say that? I didn't say that. I didn't say that Yoh was handsome. I didn't.

But he looks adorable just standing there. Oh no, he's spotted me. And he's coming to me.

I must sound like a total blonde…

[AN: SHE'S OOC ISN'T SHE! SHE IS!!]

I watched as his eyes lit up and how his jaw dropped. Then a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and he grinned widely.

"Hey, Anna," he gave me his arm, I took it appreciably; the shoes were killing me. "You look really nice,"

I nodded.

He brought me to the car and drove me to a really classy restaurant near a beach. It was rumored to be one of the most expensive.

We walked to the front desk.

"Reservation at 7:30 for Asakura, please," he said.

The lady nodded and he smiled at her. An unfamiliar feeling of jealousy swirled within me. But… I had no right to be jealous, right? Other than the fact that he was just my fianc

And he was only smiling… so… no point…

"Come on," Yoh pulled me towards a table on a balcony with stairs leading to the beach below. I gasped at the prettiness of it all. But… I wasn't supposed to like pretty things…

We had dinner and it was fun… Yoh made me laugh a couple times and I think I smiled more in that hour than in a regular day.

I could tell he was growing more and more nervous as the night progressed though.

"Come on, let's go for a walk," he said smiling, fretfully.

"Sure," I answered.

Taking my hand, Yoh and I walked down the set of stairs. But before we did that, I took off the heels. Yoh looked at me funny and glared back. Let's see him try to walk in those wretched things.

We walked along the shore, just talking quietly. He stopped so I stopped too.

"Anna," he began. I noticed him looking uncomfortable and extremely nervous.

"We're… we're engaged, right?" he said.

Worry started to creep onto me. Why was he asking me this? Did he want to break the engagement? I nodded mutely.

Why was I so worried? So if he did break it, why did I care? But I knew I couldn't fool myself. I was in love with Yoh Asakura and I couldn't help it.

"And, my grandmother arranged it so we had no choice in the matter but…" Yoh trailed off biting his lip. [AN: it was his grandmother rite? Or his mother? Or his dad? =S it was his grandmother… rite?]

I was about to say something. I was going to say that he didn't have to marry me. I opened my mouth but he placed a finger over my mouth.

My eyes widened and I made the mistake of looking into his. They looked down at me and pierced through my very soul.

"Anna, I love you and I want you to marry me but I don't want it to be like this. I'm giving you the choice. No arrangement. No pressure. Anna, I'm leaving you with your decision."

I knew I was gaping. Taking his finger away, he pressed into my hand a small velvet box. Brushing his lips against my forehead, he kissed me lightly.

Then he walked away.

I stood dumbstruck. I wasn't usually dumbstruck. It was a special occasion. Yoh just proposed to me. I let out a shaky breath.

Noticing the box in my hand, I picked it up and slowly opened it.

I gasped.

Another chapter done! Hey! Did you like this chapter? Sorry, cliffy… hehe. Um, this was edited, sort of… I took out the preview of Chapter Nine: Resurfacing because it's posted. =) Well, I hope you enjoyed this! The next chapter aka Part Two will come out shortly! Thanks for reading and review please! =)