Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King. ;-;
A/N: Ah. My first Yoh/Anna fic is up. Firstly, I would like to apologise for any OOCness, 'cause capturing one's character in words has never been my forte. Secondly, I also want to apologise to those whom are disappointed in the length of this fic, but I know my limits, and that isn't much. --grins--
People seeking yaoi, such as Yoh/Ren, or Yoh/Hao, you'd probably wanna skip this fic, 'cause I only write Yoh/Anna, and I say YOHXANNA FOREVER. XD
One more thing. The words in italics are either thoughts, flashbacks, or stressed words, and I'm not telling which is which, so I'll leave that to you to figure out yourself. --sniggers evilly--
This fic is dedicated to all Yoh/Anna fans out there… :) --big smile-- And also to my dearest sistah, Aquarius Galuxy, who helped me a lot… "
That done…
Like a Fool in Love
By Cherry-Blossom-Blizzard
That grin. Always there, hardly ever leaving his silly face.
It made her happy. It made her happy because he was happy
Her left eye twitched. He grinned, even when she'd just slapped him, and called him a lazy bum.
That grin. It sent tingles down her spine.
It could not save her in any dangerous circumstances, and yet she could not live without it.
So infuriating. So irritating. So idiotic. So sheepish. So warm. So comforting.
That grin
She loved it, and she loved the person who grinned.
Asakura Yoh.
Kyouyama Anna frowned as she unsuccessfully tried to remove a grinning image of Yoh from her mind.
"Anna… One hundred and fifty-five… huff… Can I stop now?" A voice jolted her back to present, only to see Asakura Yoh himself, looking pleading up at her, in mid-pushup. "Please?"
That lazy bum. She narrowed her eyes.
"Make that twenty more."
She was reading again.
Her mind, however, refused to focus on the blurry black of the printed words on the white pages. Anna blinked, irritated. Her mind was becoming twisted. A simple word, 'you', became 'Yoh'. Yoh. She could not, no matter how hard she tried, to stop thinking about Yoh. It was ironic. How she tried to mask her care for him in the most unobvious manner. To others, she dominated their home, was heartless and cold, and trained Yoh to death. But she cared.
Her heart went out to him. The lean figure entering the Cave of Tartarus to undergo his 'death training'. She, Kyouyama Anna, was actually worried for the grinning, idiotic, shaman. She tightened her grip on the small log she happened to be carrying, and pulled it in towards her chest. What if he never came back? Anna noticed how much the cave resembled a mouth, hungrily devouring Yoh up.
Yoh entered the room.
Throwing the thick, paperback novel onto the table, Anna stormed off to her own room, sliding the door shut before the confused face of Yoh, who had hurriedly followed the irritated itako.
Stupid Yoh. Anna stared blankly at her reflection. Get out of my thoughts. Get out of my life. However, Anna knew that she could not live without the infuriating existence of the dense shaman. Damn you, Yoh. The sound of Yoh's footsteps shuffled dismally away.
Anna's eyes scanned the spacious, traditional Japanese room for something to do – or rather, to keep her mind off Yoh. Her gaze landed on a neatly folded, black-and-orange battle costume lying innocently at a corner of her table. Sighing in frustration, she chose a needle from her sewing box and began to sew up the ripped fabric, exactly where she had sewn up two days ago. Yoh always tore that spot.
In. Out. In. Out. Anna was sewing Yoh's new battle costume, having copied its design from the outfit he wore when he was five. She thought the design was cute – no, acceptable on Yoh. In. Out. In. Out. Anna drew in a sharp breath when the cold metal of the needle pierced into her finger. She stared at the wound, watching as a perfectly round, crimson drop of blood formed on where she pricked herself. Yoh had better appreciate this.
In. Out. In. Out. Anna completed her last stitch, cut the thread, then looked at her completed patching, searching for inexistent errors. She let out a breath, staring at the mended costume, and folded it into a neat square. Unlike how Yoh keeps his things, all in a big mess, strewn about the room. Yoh… She knew her feelings towards him. She knew his feelings towards her. Yet Anna longed to hear it from Yoh himself. She needed to know that he loved her. She needed the reassurance.
Then it struck her.
He meant so much, so much to her. Yoh eased the hurt and pain inside her. He caused the loneliness, the bitterness, and hatred and anger in her to fade. He freed her from the cold, thorny prison of her heart.
Anna's slender fingers brushed against the orange hem of the folded outfit. Onyx black eyes softened, glistening, refusing to let tears fall. Anna pulled Yoh's black costume towards her chest, breathing in his scent, in an uncharacteristic gesture of affection. I'm glad Yoh's not here.
The figure behind the door stood up, after watching Anna through a hole poked through the paper of the sliding door. He grinned, adjusted his orange headphones, then walked away. Anna-chan.
The sky. Its beauty was breathtaking, and Yoh often felt waves of peace wash over him as he got lost in the fluffy, sheep-like white clouds or the warm hues of pink and orange during a sunset. Relaxation is good.
He closed his eyes, as the warm summer breeze rustled past his hair. Yoh loved beautiful things. The sky, the flowers, the weather, nature… all of these he admired. But still, these paled in comparison to what he thought was most beautiful. Anna. Yoh smiled.
A passing thought caused his brow to crease slightly. Every time he attempted to tell Anna his feelings for her, his words all caught and jumbled in his throat. Somehow, he could not bring up the matter with the itako, no matter how clear their feelings were for each other. Yoh sighed, his grin appearing on his laid-back features almost immediately after. Everything will work out.
A glance at the position of the sun told him that it was four in the afternoon. Wasn't I supposed to have fifteen more laps to run? Yoh shot up, stumbling over his feet as he hurried to complete his training for the day, lest he suffer Anna's wrath.
The air was like a blanket, covering everything in its heat. The sunlight shone on the street in front of their home, burning the ground and the occasional unfortunate pedestrian. The grass seemed to drop and wilt, and the azure sky was completely blue, without a trace of clouds.
Anna sat in front of the television, her eyes glued to the soap opera, being the recipient of five fans switched on to full blast.
"Hot day, ne? Anna," Yoh's cheerful voice rang out behind her. He's back from his training. I'll bet he took more than ten breaks. What a bum. She could hear him stroll over to the table, then reach for an orange in the fruit bowl. Tilting her head slightly to face his direction, Anna watched as he tossed the fruit up into the air, then caught it again.
What a bum.
Yoh left the room, subconsciously announcing "I love oranges!" He then slid the door shut, leaving Anna alone once more.
He loves oranges. He loves nature. He loves the sky. He loves Bob Love. He loves this. He loves that. Her focus had long left the television screen, forgetting the dramatic scene, in which the characters were crying hysterically.
He never told me he loved me. Not once. She could feel the little cracks in her heart deepen. It wasn't so often that she felt so out of character, and that something was so wrong and she could not do anything. The infuriating little voice kept taunting her, over and over, and she felt like crying hysterically too, though her pride kept her lower lip from quivering and tears welling up in her eyes. She clenched her fists, forcing herself to continue staring blankly at the television.
However, if one had looked closely enough at Anna's dull eyes, it would have been noticed that the onyx orbs had dulled even more.
Dinner was a silent affair. Under slight amusement at Tamao's nervous glances from Yoh to her, and back from her to Yoh, Anna's irritation at the laid-back shaman grew steadily. Every time she looked up from her bowl of steaming, white, rice to face Yoh, he was looking pointedly at anywhere but her. When she bent her head back down to the lacquered, black bowl, she could feel his steady gaze on her again.
"Acceptable," she muttered, even before Yoh could open his mouth to ask. Finishing her dinner, Anna stood up abruptly, leaving the room with only a "Yoh, wash the dishes."
Yoh and the prophetess stared blankly at each other, unsure of Anna's unusual behavior. She had always lingered at the table for a cup of tea after her meal.
Yoh closed his eyes, his head nodding to the familiar rhythm of one of Bob Love's songs, namely, his favourite. His orange headphones were set firmly on his head, a thin cord connecting it to his CD player, a Bob Love CD currently spinning within it.
A sudden burst of melodramatic music radiated through the house, causing Yoh's eyes to snap open. The volume of the music, which he had now identified as one of the theme songs from Anna's soap operas, went down rapidly. Why is the volume so high?
Yoh mentally ran over the times the television had been switched on over the week. Monday, when Anna watched her soap operas. Tuesday, when Anna watched her soap operas. Wednesday, the same reason... Yesterday, when Anna was out and I was watching the Bob Love documentary and I had to turn the volume up because Ren and Horo Horo were quarrelling… Yoh grinned sheepishly. Oh, that.
He cringed, bracing himself for the "Asakura Yoh!" and Anna's stinging slaps upon his face. Yoh waited. They never came.
There was something wrong with Anna lately. He cast an unfocused gaze toward the sliding door, concern etching itself on his boyish features.
If Anna… If Anna… opened up more, perhaps I could understand her more…
"Hey!" Pirika yelled, startling everyone, with the exception of Anna. "I'm bored. Let's play 'Spin the bottle'!" Everybody looked up, then crowded around the table, eager for the entertainment that would save them from the dreary, lazy evening. Pirika produced a bottle of milk from Ren's supply, causing the tip of the Chinese boy's hair to vibrate. A vein twitched on his head.
"I'll go first!" Yoh grinned. The bottle spun around once, twice, thrice, then stopped. The bottle pointed at… Everyone's stares trailed up… Anna's petite form, currently reading her novel.
Anna looked up coolly at the expectant stares. "I do not wish to spend my time on such pointless games. Yoh? The last time I checked, the housework is still undone." She calmly stood up, and left the group.
Yoh knew Anna was cold and distant. Alone. She was vulnerable, in a sense. We are weak. That's why we have friends to support us and to do stupid things with. But Anna was friendless. She had needed warmth…
Yoh walked alongside Anna, the cold wind stinging their faces as they walked. Tomorrow he would be leaving for America, and traveling to PatchVillage. Both stopped at the bridge, looking far out to the distance, past the gurgling river, past the slender branches of the willow trees, not exactly looking, but more of seeing. Anna propped her elbows onto the cool, weathered stone, her eyes void of emotion. Yoh opened his mouth to speak.
"Remember, Yoh. Your duty is to become the Shaman King, so I can have an easy life." Anna turned to face him.
"Hai, Anna."
The full moon high above illuminated the empty park, seeming more useful than the little, yellow balls of light the street lamps produced. The wind rustled past the empty boughs and branches of the trees, all the little birds and animals seeking comfort and warmth in their homes. The green leaves had ended their work for the day, taking in oxygen instead of producing it. A little choir of crickets sung in the grass, their chorus echoing throughout the still, damp air.
Anna shivered, blowing on her small hands in an attempt to keep warm. Yoh, who had been watching the itako, grinned, stood up silently and walked swiftly to the brightly lit vending machine. The jingle of a few coins was followed by the metallic 'clank' of a canned drink rolling out into the large slot.
"Here," Yoh passed the can of cocoa to Anna, who held it tightly in her numb hands. The warmth spread from both the can and her heart, heating her small frame up.
"So warm…"
His dark eyes softened. Anna needed warmth, and he was going to be the one who provided it.
"Anna! Wait up!" Yoh hopped out of their home, futilely trying to stuff his foot into its shoe. He did not, however, notice the crack on the pavement, resulting in him being the recipient of a nasty trip. Yoh scrambled up, managed to pull his shoe on, then hurried after the itako, who was already nearing the bus stop. Hearing the rumble of wheels behind, somewhere far off on the road, he froze, then slowly turned around. A tiny spot traveled nearer, gradually increasing in size to become their school bus.
If we miss this bus, Anna will definitely kill me. Yoh scratched his head, grinning as he recalled the fact that he was the one who overslept. Oh no.
He ran.
He ran, ignoring his hair whipping against his face, ignoring the scattering of the startled birds as he sped past, ignoring the rhythmic thud of Amidamaru's tablet against his thigh with every step he took, ignoring how his surroundings blended and changed…
His foot caught on something, and his form slammed on the stone of the pavement. Yoh pushed himself up, his hands absently touching his head, where the familiar weight of his headphones was gone. He reached for his orange headphones on the road and picked it up, a spilt second before a car ran over the spot where the headphones lay a moment ago. The shaman sat them on his head, stumbled, and continued to run.
He ran.
Yoh was right behind Anna – he reached for her hand – and caught it.
Anna narrowed her eyes. Her instincts told her immediately to slap the person touching her hand. Damn. He's got my left hand. She swung her right hand up to deliver a handprint on the offender's face, only to see Yoh, half pulling, half leading her towards the bus stop. Her eyes widened slightly.
Time seemed to freeze. How she wished they could continue running like this, hand in hand, Yoh in front of her, happily panting… Yoh stopped abruptly, causing Anna to bump into his back. She fought to keep the blush on her cheeks down at the contact, and to stop the upsurge of emotion in her eyes.
"Aah… gomen, Anna," He laughed nervously, scratching his head. "We're at the bus stop already…"
"Baka" Anna pulled her hand out from his warm grasp, and calmly stepped in front of him, and up the bus.
Yoh followed her, his gaze routinely sweeping over both aisles for Manta. His feet automatically walked towards where the short boy sat, swinging his legs and eagerly patting the sat beside him. Anna. His heart commanded him to move toward the rear of the bus. His eyes trailed over to the solitary figure clad in school uniform, staring out of the window.
"Nah… I'll pass for today, Manta," He grinned at his friend, who gave him a thumbs up. Yoh headed towards the back row of the bus, where Anna usually sat alone.
The big lump under the blanket shifted uncomfortably.
Yoh could not sleep. The back of his yukata was sticking itself to his own back. The white robe seemed to hinder his every toss and turn… He could not sleep. True, they had an especially long and tiring day at school, and Yoh still had Anna's training the next day. Even so, his eyes were wide open and… still, he could not sleep.
The shaman glanced at his headphones, lying beside his futon faithfully. He reached for it, then halted. Anna would kill me if she found out. His withdrew his hand, pushed the covers off himself, and left his room silently.
His feet took him to Anna's room, there where he stood in front of her door hesitantly. To enter, or not to enter? If I go in, Anna will kill me. However, Yoh's desire to see Anna proved so overwhelming that he slid the door open, and stepped in. She should be asleep.
Yoh saw the figure lying on her side, facing him. Both hands lay softly on the pillow, in front of her sleeping face. Anna's body had curled into a fetus-like position. The boy sat down cross-legged before her, and his breath caught in his throat as he gazed at her.
Anna's pale skin seemed to glow under the soft moonlight, and her silky, golden hair framed her peaceful face. Heavily lidded eyes were closed serenely, and her sharp features were softened considerably. Soft and petal-like were the lips that Anna normally pressed into a thin and hard line. She looked so vulnerable, so innocent…
"Anna-chan is really pretty, ne?" Yoh spoke subconsciously to himself.
Looking at her fragile form under the blanket, Yoh's heart felt as if it were to burst with love. At that moment, he knew. He knew he wanted to keep her safe, protecting her small body even if it were to cost him his life. Yoh knew that there was nothing more that he loved in his entire existence, than his Anna. He did not care if his world shattered, or he had to go without oranges for the rest of his life, he just needed the knowledge that she was unhurt and safe.
The shaman absentmindedly gazed at her hands, noticing that her left hand was facing up, pressed comfortably beside her face, and her right was resting on the pillow, a few inches away from the left.
Her hands felt unusually small and fragile in his callused ones. Yoh could not believe such pale, smooth hands could deliver such hard, stinging slaps. He entwined her slender fingers with his. Anna is like her hands. She's soft and fragile in reality, yet her hard slaps are like her walls, separating herself from the world…
Yoh grinned. Someday, Anna… I'll show you the world.
He grinned again, like a fool in love, as he cradled her left hand in his right. Yoh tweaked her ring finger.
"Asakura Anna. Sounds fine to me," The boy bent down and whispered something in her ear, then pressed a 'good night' kiss on her forehead. He stood up. "Oyasumi, Anna."
The door slid open, then closed after him.
Onyx eyes opened, shining with tears.
"I love you."
I love you. Three simple words. Those three words could make the pace of her heart quicken. Three words could cause her to cry like tomorrow never existed. Three words could let her loose control of herself, dropping her cool façade, and blushing like a shy school girl. And he said those three words.
All along, in her past lonely life, she had yearned to be accepted, to be appreciated, to be cared for… She had longed for someone to comfort her, to love her for who she was… Someone who did not force himself into her quiet world, instead waiting for her to open up to him… Someone who tried to understand her patiently… and she finally found him.
The eyes closed. Pink lips arched up into a slight smile.
Asakura Yoh.
Like a fool in love.
Yoh awoke to the smell of breakfast being fried. He sniffed the air hungrily. Pancakes. Running a hand through his dark hair to look presentable, Yoh looked out of the window, and almost fainted with shock. The sun in the sky told him that the time was already half past nine. I overslept. Again. Anna is definitely going to punish me. The shaman hurriedly shrugged on his clothes and ran downstairs, almost tripping over the first step of the stairs.
What he did not expect to see was Anna, wearing the pink apron which he always wore, tossing pancakes in a frying pan. She looks like a housewife, his mind blurted out, as he took a step towards the itako.
"You seemed tired yesterday. So I let you sleep." Anna always seemed to have the ability of sensing things behind her.
"Hai, hai, Anna," Yoh nodded vigorously. He stared at the apron tied neatly around Anna, realisation suddenly striking him like Anna's slap upon his cheek.
Anna hates cooking. Yet she let him rest, and she prepared breakfast for the both of them. She even noticed I was tired… Yoh knew Anna really cared for him, no matter how hard she had tried to hide her concern behind her harshness. Anna…
His eyes shone, then he grinned.
"Yoh, set the –" Anna froze as a pair of wiry arms wrapped lazily around her waist. The shaman propped his chin comfortably on her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.
"Sankyuu, Anna," The laid back face crinkled into his familiar grin. Anna relaxed, setting the pan back on the stove. She leaned back against his bare chest. Somehow, this feels so right…
Anna knew that she had found her best place, as Ryu would have put it. Or rather, she found the source of warmth and comfort that she had been yearning for. The itako realised that she was the most content whenever she was with Yoh.
"You know, Yoh? I love you," The itako stated calmly. Yoh stiffened, his arms around her rigid. The pressure of his chin on her shoulder disappeared.
She loves me. Yoh felt as if he had entered his paradise with butterflies, little fluffy bunnies and… Anna. Her love was all he wanted, after he realised how much she meant to him. He wanted to be the one who would show her love… to spend the rest of his life with her… to be accepted into her life… He grinned.
"Yoh." Anna twisted around to face him. "You –"
She was cut off by the unexpected crushing of herself to Yoh's chest. The arms tightened around her. Anna looked up to see Yoh grinning infuriatingly.
"Sankyuu, Anna." Anna turned away, attempting to stop the colour from flooding into her skin.
"You baka" Her words died in her throat as Yoh gently cupped her face, tilting it up so that their noses brushed. He smiled, and both faces seemed much nearer than before. Her eyes widened, then closed expectantly, as her hands slid up, gathering handfuls of glossy, dark brown hair.
Soft lips captured her own, and she stiffened slightly before relaxing. The warm mouth over hers shifted lovingly, almost awkwardly, over hers. Pressing herself closer to him, she parted her lips for Yoh. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss, venturing unexplored regions of sweetness.
Anna pulled away from Yoh abruptly, causing both to gasp shallowly. She gazed unwaveringly at the dark, questioning eyes, breaking out of the secure embrace. The itako took the frying pan from the stove.
"You baka. Now the pancake is burnt." Indeed, the pancake had become a crusty, black disk, lying desolately in the middle of the pan. Puffs of acrid smoke wafted pathetically from it. Anna picked the spatula up, viciously scraping at the black mess, trying to rid her frying pan of the 'pancake', but to no avail.
"Ne, Anna. I'll help you," Yoh offered, grinning at her happily. "It was partly my fault…"
"Wrong, baka. It was your fault." Anna turned away from him, precisely at an angle, where he could not see her smile.
"Aah... Gomen, gomen, Anna…" He wheedled, grinning sheepishly.
Out of the corner of her eye, Anna noticed how much Yoh looked like a fool in love.
¤.¸¸.·´¨»«´¨·. ¸¸.¤ ¤.¸¸.·´! ¨»«´¨·.¸¸ .¤ ¤.¸¸.·´! ¨»«´¨·.¸¸ .¤ .¸¸.·´¨»«´¨·. ¸¸.¤ .¸¸.·´¨»«´¨·. ¸¸.¤
Whoo. That was longer then I thought it would be. O.O And there wasn't another word for 'grin'. Heh.
Thanks for reading this, and remember to review, okay? --bounces up and down happily-- By the way, can someone tell me what 'dakedo' means? --always finds self wondering--
Hmmm… I shall attempt to write another… Perhap Billy/Ryu, but for now, R+R, love you all, Ja!
Somehow, I always find myself imagining…
Yoh: Ah, sankyuu… sankyuu very much… :)
Anna: --Legendary Lefts him—
Cherry-Blossom-Blizzard