Resurfacing by Strawberry'd
Chapter Seven: A Smiling Heart
"Pirika? Where's Ren?" Anna asked as she walked into the now spotless kitchen.
She blushed. "I-I-I don't know…" Pirika stammered and then turned away. "I'm going to look for onii-chan now, I'll see you later." With a wave, Pirika dashed off, hoping to cool her flaming cheeks.
Furiously rubbing her cheeks, she set off in search for HoroHoro. Pirika halted in front of the onsen. A shadow was cast in the setting sun. A person. Ren.
He was standing in the breeze his back to her, clothes swaying gently, the wind tugging at them, as if coaxing them to come and play. It was a classic picture, the sun a brilliant scene of vibrant colours with a figure standing there. Pirika paused and stared at him. At times, he could be such a pain, an annoyance, but at others, like now, he was mystifying and Pirika wanted more than anything to figure out the mystery that was Tao Ren.
"Hey Ren, what'cha doing?" HoroHoro said, ambling up to his friend. The spell broken, Pirika turned away. But not before Ren caught her gaze and their eyes locked.
Ren was staring past him and HoroHoro wondered what he was staring at. He was about to turn and catch Pirika but seeing what was about to happen, Pirika broke the link and ran away.
"Nothing, just thinking," Ren answered smoothly, like he didn't notice anything happening, like he wasn't staring at anyone and like HoroHoro not about to kill his best friend for staring at his sister. But HoroHoro wasn't that dense, no matter what his friends thought. He knew what was going on and secretly, he smiled.
Yoh yawned lazily as he got up from his futon. Looking around him, he noticed Anna was already up. She was in the bathroom brushing her teeth so Yoh decided to join her.
"Good morning," he mumbled as he reached for his toothbrush and toothpaste.
Anna nodded and finished brushing her teeth. That done, she reached for her hair brush and started to brush her hair. Growing uncomfortable, she noticed Yoh's gaze on her.
"Your hair has grown longer." He commented.
"Well, what do you expect?" she asked him, coolly.
He smiled and shrugged, the toothpaste forgotten. "I like your hair long. It suits you better."
Anna rolled her eyes but inside, was pleased by the compliment. When Anna finished brushing her hair, she walked out but not before ordering Yoh to make breakfast when he was done. He saluted her and grinned happily with a mouth full of toothpaste.
Smiling all throughout brushing his teeth, Yoh finally finished that and walked downstairs. He knew that Anna had to leave sometime but he didn't think of that time, promising himself that he would think of it when the time came. Yoh wanted to enjoy his time with Anna without any interruptions. And, if it could be helped, maybe even persuade Anna to stay.
Yoh quickly made breakfast and served it. No one was up yet except him and Anna so it was breakfast for two.
Anna stared at Yoh while eating her breakfast. She had to admit it, he had gotten better at cooking but she wasn't going to tell him that just yet. Looking at her food, Anna sat in silence. She looked up, to meet Yoh's eyes. He had been staring at her. Noticing this, Yoh looked down hurriedly.
This charade went on for some while until a couple of the other guests, namely Pirika and Ren, joined them for breakfast. Not much of a difference really, the same thing went on only this time, Ren and Pirika were doing the same, blushing at different intervals. No, the only comfort was when HoroHoro woke up and woke everyone who wasn't sleeping as well.
"Good morning!" he yelled down the stairs, running down for breakfast.
Anna rolled her eyes and Yoh grinned at him.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, onii-chan!" Pirika greeted him.
Ren nodded to acknowledge him.
Now, with the added numbers of Tamao and HoroHoro, the breakfast was no longer a silent gathering. It was once again full of laugh and talk and the happy rumbling of good friends.
Now washing the dishes, Yoh grinned in Anna's direction. The blonde was reading a book, oblivious to everything and everyone.
"Anna, what do you want to do today?" Yoh asked her.
"I don't know," she answered, still engrossed with her novel.
"I was thinking about going to the amusement park with everyone. How about it?" he suggested.
"Whatever." Anna said.
"Great! I'm going to go tell them!" Yoh finished drying the last dish, put it away and took off the apron, planning to run and find everyone.
"Yoh?" Anna called. He turned to her, happy.
"Yes?"
"You're paying."
"Yes, Anna." Yoh grinned again and ran off in search of HoroHoro. He knew without a doubt, that once HoroHoro knew, everyone else would soon follow.
Anna smiled and shook her head. Yoh was amused so easily. I wonder… does he… does he still love me? Anna shook her head angrily. Why would I think such thoughts? I must get my head out of the clouds. She shut the book that she thought was the cause of her romantic fantasies and took off her bandana, preparing to tie it again.
"Here, I'll do it." a voice came. It was Yoh.
"Yoh? I thought you went to tell everyone." Anna said, surprised.
"I did. I told HoroHoro." He smiled as he took her bandana. With surprisingly gentle fingers, he tied it with precision and care.
"Ok, HoroHoro must have told everyone now. Let's go." Yoh let her hair fall and waited for Anna to get her things together.
"Yoh, are we really going to the amusement park?" Pirika asked.
"Yes, who told you?"
"Onii-chan but I thought he was lying. I'm going to go tell Tamao." She answered.
"Go tell Ren, as well, if HoroHoro didn't tell him already." Yoh called after her.
"Alright," She called back with a pink face.
When she came back, Pirika had Ren and Tamao in tow, who in turn had HoroHoro behind her.
"Ok, we're all ready! Let's go!"
"Doesn't Ryu want to come?" Tamao asked.
"No, I asked him but he declined." Yoh answered.
"Hao called." Yoh told Anna as they walked out of the house. "He wants us to take Ayame-chan with us to the park."
"Ok," Anna said.
Yoh and Anna took one car while everyone else piled into the minivan.
"It's no fair," HoroHoro complained. "How come Yoh and Anna get the nice car?" he asked.
"Maybe because it's theirs?" Ren commented.
"No it's not! It's Yoh's not theirs." HoroHoro countered.
"You know as well as all of us, onii-chan, that anything that's Yoh's is Anna-sama's as well." Pirika told him.
A few grumblings and head-thwackings later, they arrived at Hao's.
Yoh walked up to the door and rang the bell.
"Oji-san, oji-san!" Ayame's cheerful face greeted him.
"Hello, Ayame-chan, how are you? Are you ready to come to the amusement park with me?" Yoh asked her.
"Yes I am, just let me get my bag!" Ayame ran off and came back quickly.
"Bye otou-san! I'm going with oji-san now!" Ayame called out behind her as she put on her shoes.
"Bye Ayame! Have fun!" Hao called back to her.
"Let's go let's go!" Ayame was excited about going to the amusement park with oji-san. And if oji-san was there, Anna-sama was to be there also!
Ayame jumped into the car happily. "Hello Anna-sama!" she cried out.
"Hello Ayame-chan. How have you been?"
While the girls chatted, Yoh started the car again and soon they were at the amusement park.
"Wow, oji-san, I've never seen anything like it." Ayame said.
Yoh grinned as he parked the car and got out. "Wait till you go on the rides."
Meeting the rest of the gang at the entrance, they all paid for their tickets and entered the park.
"Onii-chan, go on that with me?" Pirika asked.
"The roller coaster?" he paled a bit. "Um, not right now…"
Ren laughed. "He's scared to go on that!"
"I am not!" HoroHoro yelled.
"Then go on the ride with him!" Ren told him.
"I-I can't, 'cause…Tamao wants me to go on the carousel with her, Ren you go on the roller coaster with Pirika, that is, if you not scared!" HoroHoro taunted.
"I'm not!" grabbing Pirika, he muttered, "C'mon Pirika, let's go."
"When did I say I wanted to go on the carousel?" Tamao asked confused, "Personally, I would rather go on the roller coaster."
"You would?" HoroHoro gulped. "Um, maybe Anna would want to go on the carousel?" he turned to look at her.
She looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Yoh can go on the carousel with you if you want, HoroHoro."
They all laughed. "I don't think so…" Yoh said. And they all laughed again.
"Fine! I'll go on the roller coaster with you Tamao." HoroHoro said, making it sound that he was doing her a great favor.
"Great!" With a happy smile, she took his hand and dragged him to the line.
"So, what do you want to do?" Yoh asked Anna.
"I don't know; want to go on the carousel?"
"Sure,"
Along with Ayame-chan, they made their way to the carousel and got in line.
An hour later, Pirika had her fill of roller coasters and wanted to go on something a little less mild.
Since she was the one picking everything, Ren thought that he should pick something for once.
"Let's go there!" he pointed.
"The-the haunted mansion?"
"Don't tell me you're scared." He teased.
"I'm not! I just don't like it…" Pirika defended herself.
"Come on! I'll protect you, don't worry." Ren laughed and pulled her into the line.
"Ren-kun, I don't want to," Pirika protested.
"Please?" he asked her.
"Fine…" Pirika blushed a little.
"Now, this is my kind of ride!" HoroHoro announced as he stood in front of a water ride.
"It is?" Tamao looked at the people getting off the ride, all were soaking wet and laughing, saying how much fun it was and how scary.
"Yeah! Come on! I went on your ride, come on mine!" HoroHoro persuaded.
"I will…"
HoroHoro laughed excitedly as they got in line. "You'll see, Tamao, you'll love this ride!"
By the time they got to the front, Tamao was shaking with nervousness.
"Tamao, if you don't want to go on, you don't have to." HoroHoro told her.
"No, it's all right; you went on mine so I'll go on yours." Tamao nodded as to convince herself.
He frowned. "Ok, but only if you want to."
"I do," she said. Tamao felt that she would rather face terror and wetness than HoroHoro's disappointed face.
But as they reached the very front of the line, Tamao couldn't help it; she was scared.
"HoroHoro, I'm sorry, I-I just, I can't…" Tamao trailed off and looked at the ground, knowing that if she looked at him, she would see sadness.
"Ok, then, let's go on another ride." HoroHoro said cheerfully. So cheerfully that Tamao had to look up at him and was surprised at his reaction. He looked… happy, after I just let him down?
She smiled and linked arms with him, "Alright, let's go."
"Yoh… this is kind of boring…" Anna said after a while on the carousel.
"Yeah, want to get off?" he suggested.
"Yes."
"Ok, then, come on!" he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her. He jumped off the side with Anna and Ayame in tow. Laughing, he raced off to the shouts of the workers.
"Anna-sama, I want to go on the ferris wheel!" Ayame said.
"Alright, let's go on the ferris wheel." Anna, holding Ayame's hand, walked over to the ride closely followed by Yoh.
"Sorry miss, only two to a compartment." The worker person said.
"It's ok!" Ayame motioned with her hands and Anna bent her head to hear the little girl's whisper. "I can go on by myself! I'm big enough!"
"I don't know Ayame, are you sure you'll be alright?" Anna asked, concerned.
"Don't worry, Anna-sama! My father is Asakura Hao, what could go wrong?"
Anna smiled at the young girl's pride for her father. "Alright, then. Yoh come with me. Have fun, Ayame-chan."
Yoh and Anna went into one compartment, and Ayame went into another. Yoh and Anna sat opposite from one another.
Anna, bored, looked out the window and stared at all the people and things below. Yoh wasn't that bored but he joined Anna looking out the window.
"Look! That's HoroHoro and Tamao, near the water ride!" Yoh exclaimed.
"Hm, HoroHoro is probably making Tamao go on the ride." Anna presumed.
"I don't think so. If Tamao didn't want to go on it, HoroHoro wouldn't make her. He really likes her." Yoh said.
"I've noticed." Anna commented amused. She, along with everyone else, was present when HoroHoro and Tamao talked, or did something together. They were constantly together and it looked like HoroHoro's blush would be permanent.
"You know, Tamao likes you, right?" Anna said with a side-glance at Yoh.
"I know, but I don't like her like that. Tamao's a nice girl but she's not the one for me." Yoh said, with a side-glance of his own. Anna turned away with the faintest pink blush.
"L-look, there's Ren and Pirika," Anna stammered. That's got to be the first time I've stammered. She thought astounded. What is Yoh doing to me?
"I see them." Yoh said, still staring at Anna, wondering about her stammer. Sooner or later, she's going to ask to go home and I can only avoid it for so long. What am I going to do without you Anna, now that I just got you back?
Pirika screamed. This ride was so scary!
"Pirika, if you were that scared, why did you go on the ride?" Ren asked her.
"Because you'd just make fun of me." She pouted.
"No I—yeah, I probably would." Ren smiled at her and tried to get her to smile. "Come on, Pirika; show me your beautiful smile."
She shook her head stubbornly.
"Please? Onegai?" he wheedled. Pirika couldn't help smile a little at his pathetic face.
"There's that smile I love!" he grinned. Her smile widened a little but was wiped off by the next scary part in the ride.
She screamed again and buried her face into Ren's shoulder. He drew her close and held her.
"It's ok, Pirika, the ride is over." Ren said softly, not wanting to let go. Pirika hesitated. She didn't want to leave the warmth of Ren's arms but what could she do? How could she explain what they must look like?
"Thanks Ren-kun," she said, not looking at him.
"If you don't want to go on a ride, say so," he said gruffly.
Pirika smiled. No matter what Ren was like, Pirika knew that he was just putting on a front. She knew what he was really like.
"Anna?" she turned to him.
"Yes?"
"N-never mind," Yoh looked down. That was the third time he tried to get out his feelings but each time he would falter and then give up.
"Yoh, whatever you want to say, say it; you're annoying me." Anna said, irritated.
"It's nothing, really." He tried to smile. His former fiancée scrutinized him. Why is he being like this? He' s hiding something.
"Come on, the ride is over, let's get off."
"Alright." The two of them got off the ride and waited for Ayame and Amidamaru.
"Did you have fun?" Yoh asked her.
"Yep! You can see everything from up there!" Ayame giggled.
After three more hours of fun and laughter, they all met up with everyone.
"Well, this was a tiring day. How about we go home now?" Yoh asked Ayame.
With a slightly disappointed face, she agreed. HoroHoro and Tamao led the group to the car, with Ayame between them. Following was Ren and Pirika both smiling secretly. And last but not least, Anna and Yoh. Indecisively, Yoh's hand reached for Anna's and grasped it firmly. He squeezed her hand comfortingly and she leaned on him, her head on his shoulder.
And so that was the end of the day, with Anna and Yoh and Pirika and Ren and HoroHoro and Tamao. Their minds and souls and especially hearts, happy.
End of Chapter Seven
