Ch 3. Distance

Yoh placed his hands on his wife's shoulders and gently pushed her down onto the futon. He covered her body with his, encompassing her with warmth. He let his lips hover above hers as he fixed his eyes on her delicate face. Her eyes returned his gaze with a look of defiance.

"My hair is wet."

"I don't mind, Anna."

"But I do." Anna shoved her husband off and sat up. On his backside, with elbows propped on the futon, Yoh examined the back of his wife's figure. Anna slung her long hair over the exposed shoulder and proceeded to comb it again. As she did so, his gaze lingered over her defined shoulder blades down to the arch of her back. One of her sleeves had slipped off almost completely, allowing some of her lower back to peek out. Moonlight beamed through the window and her skin glowed beneath it. This only made his heart ache.

"Goodnight…." he paused for a bit, wanting to add "my" but could only manage to finish the sentence with "Anna."

"Goodnight Yoh."

Sleep did not come easily for Yoh who reflected back on his past. He remembered the night before he left for Patch Valley when she had been bold enough to sleep in his room. Before that time, he saw her as someone to fear and respect.

She was also cute, but her sense of absolution put her on a different level than him. She was like an adult while he was a carefree kid. In effect, Yoh never put Anna on the forefront of his mind. Fun, friends and the Shaman fight occupied his thoughts. His affections for her grew ever since she had asked to sleep in his room that night.

Though his feelings for her weren't always visible, he was certainly aware of them. That night they had lain silently beside each other under the same covers and shared the same sleeping mat. His heart beat had quickened when their arms touched. Though no words were exchanged and no movement was made, an understanding of their relationship was formed. That night he fully acknowledged Anna as someone he could fall in love with. That night he acknowledged that romantic love was something he would come to fathom.

The morning sun stirred colors of tangerine and coral into the blue sky. The sight went unnoticed by Tamao who rose early to perform the chores at the Asakura household. In the yard she hung up the fresh laundry. Although they had dryers at the inn, they chose this method according to Anna; she wanted to conserve money for the grand opening of the onsen. Yoh had protested because it would give more work for Tamao.

In actuality, Tamao was glad to have something preoccupy her time. Or rather, she did not want them to notice that she had no business there. She hoped being useful around the place would detract from inquiries into why she hasn't started living her own life. She hadn't continued training. She didn't attend school. She didn't show interest in starting her own family.

Tamao paused upon seeing Yoh's yukata. She allowed herself to slowly finger the stitches on the robe.

Existing under the pretense of a loyal Asakura apprentice--or servant-- enabled Tamao to stay near Yoh. She withstood it despite knowing her happiness only went as far as admiring him from distance; Yoh was on a pedestal above her reach.

It wasn't easy keeping that perspective. Most days she was content, but today those feelings wavered. As best as she tried to suppress her unhappiness, a single tear leaked out and landed upon the robe she clutched. This signaled a downpour soon after. Her body crumpled downward onto the ground as her arms hugged the wet robe to her chest.

Anna watched the sobbing girl from inside the house. She tried not to pity her, for she had a sense of respect for the Tamao. Instead, she felt angry at herself. She was unsure what exactly infuriated her because her feelings were tangled up. Was she angry because she was taking for granted a life that the other girl envied? Was she mad because she had gone soft by caring? Or did Anna even care about those things at all, others' feelings?

She got everything she wanted. She was now married to the Shaman King and her hot spring inn would be open in the next few months. Plus they were on the verge of having a family. So she should have already taken it off….but she didn't know how to peel off her façade anymore.

The sun was setting when Yoh returned home. The air had gotten chillier than the previous days; it felt like a frostbitten morning in December rather than a mild evening in September. Picked up by strong wind, the red leaves that had littered the walkways formed a frantic whirlwind above the ground. With a sudden shift in the direction of the wind, the leaves scattered across the grounds once more. A familiar voice burst through.

"Yoh-sama!"

He approached the worried stricken apprentice. "What is it Tamao?"

"Anna-san just left!"

Yoh stared at her flushed face. "What do you mean? Where to?"

"She vaguely said she may go to Izumo…..or elsewhere. She will be gone for one week"

"Is that all?"

"Uh…yes…"

"I see." Yoh's expression remained unchanged. He walked past Tamao and stepped into the house. He took off his wooden sandals in a leisurely pace.

"Yoh-sama? Aren't you worried about her strange behavior? Are you going to just leave things like this?"

Yoh paused for a moment. Without looking at the girl, he replied over his shoulder, "I'm pretty sure Anna has her reasons. Plus she'll only be gone one week."

Tamao watched the man she admired saunter away with his hands in his pockets. She had half expected this kind of reaction. Their marriage was not a typical one. They lacked the affectionate conversations that a husband and wife should often exchange. Despite that, Tamao was sure their relationship was quite different behind their bedroom door. No matter how easy going Yoh was, Tamao could never imagine that he would obediently marry Anna without being in love.

Tamao knew it. She had faith. There was substance in Anna and Yoh's relationship; it was just substantially below the surface.

Yoh languidly climbed up the stairs to his bedroom. Each step felt laden with weight; the exhaustion he felt came unexpectedly. Upon entering their bedroom, he automatically pulled out the bed mats. Without changing his clothes, he just laid down on the mat and pulled the covers over his body. He closed his eyes and sighed.

The blanket smelled of Anna's soap.

AN: Thanks to those of you who reviewed the story so far, I really appreciate the fact that you guys actually read this and took the time to leave a comment. It's really encouraging.

InvisibleJohnny: I tried to keep up on the descriptions and details...I must say it is really hard. I think this chapter fell through the cracks compared to the previous two.

Revised & Reposted 10/30/05