Ch 6. Abrasive Anger
Hao's left cheek burned from the assault. The handsome maniac laughed out loud, his pupils dilated.
"What's so funny?"
He circled around her a few times. Finally stopping behind her, he leaned over her shoulder and hummed into her ears, "It stung like the first time. I'm feeling nostalgic." The words did not move her. She reminded herself of Hao insignificances to her and how unworthy he was of her hatred. This allowed her anger to subside and she was able to go back to being indifferent.
Of course, this only encouraged him to instigate further. He wanted to provoke her wrath.
"It's intriguing how nonchalant you can be, even when you leave your husband alone with that cute apprentice. You're a very generous wife, Anna, to let someone like her near Yoh.
"That's none of your business, Hao."
Anna went ignored. "Sometimes I don't think my little brother appreciates you as much as he should. Who knows what they do when you're not around?"
Her lips curved into a smile and she uttered one word. "Weak."
One word was enough. All composure was lost and Hao's face twisted with rage. He fiercely grabbed hold of Anna's shoulders and shook her to make her face him. His tanned, muscular arms overpowered her. "You brazen bitch, I dare you to say it again!"
Both looked each other directly in the eyes. "It's disgustingly pathetic. The one man, who was capable of stealing the spirit of fire and surpassed even death," she paused meticulously, "is reduced to this." His eyes burned irately as she continued on. "Trying to stir up domestic squabbles? How small of you. You really have too much time on your hands, now that you can't plot to take over the world."
He pushed her and both of their bodies tumbled to the ground. Anna's back landed on the soft mud of the river bank. He was on top of her and his face loomed over hers, close enough for her to feel the warmth of his breath. His sleek hair tickled her collarbone unpleasantly. "Do you think I'll let all of you live happily?" His left hand went to touch her hair, entangling his fingers in her disarrayed locks. "Not Yoh. And especially not you," he gritted as he forcefully wiped the mud off of her cheek with his free hand. The crisp black tee-shirt he wore was now completely satiated by the dampness of her robe. It was a mingling of pleasures, feeling the refreshing cool draft wash over him while heat radiated beneath from Anna. Coldness trickled between his toes as their feet dangled in the river.
A hand went to cup her chin, tilting her face even closer to his. Instead of getting upset, she retained the look of defiance; there was even a hint of a smirk. "You're not so tough without your beads, Anna." Still she wouldn't respond, making the smirk on her face more apparent.
Amazement filled his mind; although he had her pinned down helplessly, she didn't show a hint of submission. Or desperate resistance. It was as if she knew patronizing him was done best by being aloof.
Hao decided to test her further.
He freed his fingers from her hair to move them up and down her thigh, hiking up the robe that had clung to her legs. She scoffed instead of squirming. He was very amused at how she seemed to have the upper hand. Still he continued testing her, his lips nibbling on her neck. "I dare you to, Hao," she whispered into his ears. Indeed she was brazen, but he had audacity as well. As lust surged through his veins, his hands groped the sides of her breasts and he kissed her savagely.
What he didn't expect, but should have known better, was her biting back. Viciously. Till his lips felt raw.
An acrid taste of blood filled his mouth as Hao abruptly pulled back. Despite the pain, he laughed. This was so very Anna.
The itako was soon back on her feet and towering over the replica of her husband. "Next time you're dead." Hao watched with fascination as she leaned down to pick up her things, water dripping from her bangs, hair in messy tangles around her waist.
"I'm sure you'd miss me."
"Keep dreaming you fool." He stared at her back until it disappeared off into the distance.
Tamao stumbled into the next few days dazed. She avoided Yoh most of the time. Chores were managed out of his sight. It was both a relief and a disappointment that he left the matter alone. Like her, he also carried his days in solitude. His mood significantly changed since that night. Diligence replaced his usual lax attitude. He woke up early each morning and stuck to his regiments. Push ups were followed by sit ups and long laps around the town.
A dismal atmosphere filled their home. Today she spent the majority of her time sitting in the bedroom staring at the blank walls.
A sudden sound of plank-plank jutted through the air. It seemed to be coming from outside the bedroom window. Curious, Tamao went to investigate and found Yoh below, splitting wood with an axe.
At first he swung it with rhythmic precision, splicing the logs evenly. Eventually the pace accelerated to movements without measure. They nothing more than random swings supplied by the strength of his upper torso. Pieces of wood sprayed out in all directions as Yoh prolonged the erratic swinging, hacking at logs that were already reduced to chips. Sweat grazed his temples and his breaths grew shallow. He hashed away until exhaustion completely devoured his body. One last swing and the axe was wedged into the cutting base; his fingers still gripped the handle tightly as his chest inflated and deflated with the air he gasped.
In a raspy voice he called out to her above. "Tamao, I spoke with Jii-chan. He's asked you to stay with them for a few weeks to help out with the new students." His words were straight to the point. It contained dryness that he never possessed before.
"Hai, Yoh-sama."
Darkness spilled like ink, blotting out the sky. It was a starless night, and lit less, because even the moon was shrouded by ominous clouds. A downpour commenced as soon as Anna stepped under the roof of their home. It plinked-planked on the wooden walkway and beat against the windows. Inside, not a single light was on. Was everyone asleep? No, she could feel Yoh's aura. It surrounded the house and seeped through every corner and crevice. Tamao's aura was absent.
On her way here, Anna felt assured that whatever lies Hao fabricated, Yoh would know better. But why did a foreboding feeling well up inside of her?
Intuition led her to their bedroom where the doors slid open easily. Her eyes had grown accustomed to the dark, but the pitch blackness of the chamber rendered her blind momentarily. She squinted to get a better look when something shifted in the corner. Her sight eventually adapted again, and when it did, Anna caught sight of her husband's motionless figure. He was seated upright in a chair with his view directly on her.
They stared.
Several minutes passed before Yoh broke the silence. "I called the main house. They said you never showed up. So where did you go?"
"Why does it matter Yoh?" It wasn't the answer she wanted to give, but habit took over. Stubborn pride refused to let her thaw.
"Did you forget that I'm your husband?" Yoh spoke slowly in a low tone. It was a dangerous kind of manner, in which emotions were built up from beneath a calm exterior, ready to explode at any minute. This she knew.
"And did you forget that I am your wife?"
"Can you blame me if I did? When my own wife won't let me touch her anymore….. What did you expect Anna?" His voice was still cold. Still emotionless, yet his jaw was starting to clench.
She said softly, "This is absurd, Yoh. What ideas did that bastard plant in your head?" Anna had a vague idea.
Slowly he rose from his seat and closed the distance between him and Anna. Just then the moon must have emerged from the clouds, because silver light streamed into the room. He loomed over Anna as he was much taller. Despite the circumstance, Yoh found time to admire her dark lashes as they fluttered with each blink. "It sort of makes sense now. You're pregnant." Anna wasn't sure if he was addressing her or making his own revelations out loud. "Why didn't you tell me? Because it is his?" The accusation came in the form of a whisper.
So it never occurred to Yoh that it could be his. The idiocy of it all got to her and she was dumbfounded.
"Have I ever once complained about you and Tamao?"
He didn't understand the connection but viewed it as an admission of guilt on Anna's part. It aggravated Yoh. He was shouting now. "Don't you use that! You know very well that there is nothing between us. She has been loyal to the family, it's only natural to treat her like family. No, she is family."
It wasn't the meaning she intended, yet by now she was also furious. "So you play stupid and ignore the fact that the girl is in love with you? You allow the poor girl to drown in those hopeless wishes?"
"I didn't do anything to encourage that. What do you want me to do? Kick her out into the cold? Would you be happy then?"
She could only muster a soft "no." The issue was trust. She trusted his sense of fidelity and thought he also had faith in her. Anna never once suspected anything between him and Tamao.
Rage poured out from her husband. It was even contorting his face. "So how often did you guys…? Once a week? Twice a week? Was it during my morning training?"
She didn't recognize him anymore. "So you think your wife is a whore? On top of that, you are acting like an idiot."
"And how did you want me to act? What do you want me to do? Laugh? Cry?" He was met by silence. "Do you like to take advantage of this foolish husband of yours? Tell me! What did you want me to think?"
"You don't need to think, 'cause you're truly stupid. I'm not going to stand here and argue with a stupid man anymore." She turned around and tried to walk away. In a sweeping motion, Yoh clutched her wrists and rammed her back against the wall. She tried to pry away with her free hand, but he held on too tightly, burning her flesh with the intensity. They glared at each other for an eternity.
"Let go of my wrist, Yoh," she snarled.
Yoh simply said, "No." He prepared himself for a slap from her, but to his dismay, her glare transformed into a look of despair. Her lips started to quiver as her body shook uncontrollably. Tears spilled down the sides of her face and her façade began to crumble before his eyes. The unwavering Anna, whom in his memories always made him cry and always pushed him forward, was falling to pieces in front of him. He released her from his grip out of shock. She collapsed onto her knees and continued bawling before him, her fingernails white as they dug into the carpet. "Anna, I'm sorry---I didn't mean to hurt you------" She slapped the hand that he offered away and stood back up. She only staggered away a few feet, when all of a sudden, her eyes closed and her legs gave out. In an instant Yoh dived and caught his wife in his arms.
June 16, 2005---Bah! Why did I have to name this "The Passage of Seasons?" Now I have to put all four seasons in there! And we've only made it to fall so far. I have some ideas already, the problem is I'm just lazy and school starts in 4 days!
I love Anna and Hao moments, so much easier to write than with Yoh. Sorry if it was ooc. Oh, and did anyone get confused about why Hao was so pissed off when Anna said, "weak"? He liked to say that to other people so I figured we'll just turn the tables on him…something like that. Constructive feedback, please?
10/30/05 Revised & reposted.