Chapter 23 is here. Ah, the beautiful number. Anyway, you might have to wait for a few more chapters to get to Hao's other side of the story, so please don't hate so soon yet. Lolz. Reminder, please vote in my website polls and sign in my guestbook if you have the time. (Takes a bow) This is my slightly, thought very much full of love, early Christmas gift to all you readers out there. Enjoy your lovely holidays! Please read and review everybody!
Warning: Lemon Scenes In Due
CHAPTER 23
" Is the party still on?"
Yoh raised his eyebrows at Horo Horo as the whole group of them made their way back to Yoh's house. " What are you talking about, Horo Horo?" Yoh asked questioningly, and Horo gaped at him.
" You forgot? Remember the party that I asked you to have? Then Anna voted against it, and you voted for it? And then you persuaded Anna to vote for it, by saying she could get a lot more friends, and that she was now silently popular, and you wanted her to be openly popular, and she said that she did not care of what others thought of her, and then you told her in a manly voice that you did?"
Now it was Yoh's turn to gape.
" I thought you were busy fighting with Hao and Ren?"
" I heard it too, actually." Ren muttered behind them.
Yoh just gaped at them for a few minutes before shrugging. " I don't see why we have to call it off. All we have to do is pick up the phone and call up people to invite."
" Do we call invite as well?" Ryu asked.
The light conversation seemed to turn sour immediately, and all of them besides Yoh showed expressions of hate or dislike. " Don't be stupid." Lyserg muttered. " You heard how long Hao has been planning to snatch Anna away from Yoh. Inviting him to the party would seem like an act of forgiveness."
" I agree." Faust said darkly. " He might get bolder if we forgive him for doing this traitorous act. Knowing he could get away with this, the things he would do would obviously worsen."
The others shivered in agreement.
" I think there's another side to this." came Manta's voice. They turned around to raise their eyebrows at him, and he smiled nervously. " Because in whatever case, Hao has always been a good brother to Yoh. Except for him trying to steal Yoh's fiancee away of course," he added sheepishly as Lyserg opened his mouth to argue. " Because I think there were too many loopholes in Hao's reasoning. There were so many unanswered questions that it seemed like he was leaving out details on purpose."
" Maybe he's just trying to seem mysterious." Ryu guessed pointedly.
" I think it's for something much deeper than that, Ryu-san." Manta said sheepishly.
Ryu, at this, was stumped.
" I agree with you on that, Manta." Yoh said, smiling at his vertically-challenged friend. " I don't think he would have told us his reasons if he was truly planning to take Anna away from me, if you know what I mean."
Ryu, at this, was stumped deeper into the ground.
" Yoh, the man is twisted." Ren said. " You can't possibly be thinking of forgiving him, could you?"
" He's my brother, Ren." Yoh said earnestly.
" That doesn't really prove a point." Horo Horo said impatiently.
" Is that so?" Yoh said, his voice sounding silky at this point of time. " Then, let me ask you this. Your sister has just robbed a bank, murdered somebody, stole over millions of dollars, and as she is hiding from the police, she approaches you and asks you to give her a place to stay. Would you take her in?"
" You're being slightly dramatic here. . ." Horo said sheepishly.
" Answer my question." Yoh said.
There was a moment of silence that passed before Horo sighed.
" Yeah, I would have." he answered. " No matter what she would have done."
" I guess that answers your question right there, didn't it?" Yoh said, at that point noticing that they had arrived at the front gate of his house. " Well, here's my stop. I guess I'll see you guys in school tomorrow, right?"
" Yeah." Lyserg said, smiling slightly. " Goodnight."
" Goodnight." Yoh answered, giving the others one last smile before entering his house. As soon as he entered, he found out that something, once again, was amiss. There was no usual blare from the television, there was no pissed off Anna standing at the doorway with a frying pan ready to beat him over the head with for being late. There was just a beautiful young woman with silky blonde hair, standing at the balcony, looking up at the stars above. A small blush appeared at his cheeks as he stepped up behind her, his hands in his pockets.
" Penny for your thoughts." he muttered.
She did not answer, and for a moment there he almost thought that she had fallen asleep. " Hao told me he loved me." she said to him quietly.
He made his way until he was standing right beside her before nodding his head knowingly.
" I know." he said.
She let out a suppressed chuckle before bowing her head. " You know that I loathe your brother," she said silently. " I never liked him from the second we first met to the time he confessed his liking to me. But somehow. . .when he walked out the door when I shot him down. . .there was something about him that seemed so lonely."
Yoh said nothing to that.
" Did he try to force himself on you?" he suddenly asked.
She blinked, surprised. He turned to her, his eyes shrewd with question. After staring into each others eyes for some time, Anna finally shook her head. " No." she said, sounding a little shocked by her own answer. " No he didn't. It's odd when I think about it now. Isn't Hao the type of person who's used to getting what he wants?"
" I think he is." Yoh said. After that, nothing was said, except for Yoh's silent mutterings under his breath
" I feel sorry for him," Anna said, after a long while. " And yet I'm afraid."
He turned to her.
" Afraid of what?"
It was her turn to blush at this moment, and she looked away, chewing on her bottom lip. " I'm. . .I'm. . .I'm afraid he's going to takeawaymyvirginity."
Yoh raised his eyebrows, pondered on what she possibly could have said before laughing and hugging her from behind, earning a gasp of shock from her. " Well, there's one perfect way to make sure he does not do that," he said lightly, smiling down at her, his hands on her waist now, cuddling her in between his hands.
" Oh yeah?" she said wirily. " And what's that?"
" Will you make love to me?"
At that, she promptly pulled away from his and slapped him well across the cheek. He stepped back, his eyes wide with shock, but Anna's assault on him did not stop there. " You're the most. . ." she started, slapping him again. " . . .disgusting. . ." she continued, slapping him once more. " . . .person. . ." she snapped, slapping him the fourth time running. " . . .in the world." she finished, sporting two final slaps on his cheeks, walking away from him huffily.
Cheeks still burning in a very different way from Anna, Yoh still stood there, staring at her back. " I'm serious, Anna." he said quietly, and she stopped.
There was the distinct sound of a car passing their house at that moment, and she only spoke up after the sounds halted to a stop. " I'm not ready yet, Yoh." she said.
He nodded in obvious disappointment, sighing.
She turned around, a rather seductive smile on her face, and he blinked in surprise.
" Does tomorrow sound good to you?" she said, soon following with the widening of Yoh's eyes, the broad grin that formed on his lips, and the kiss shared between the two of them.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Ren took off his shoes gently and made his way into his house, opening the door that lead to his household when he was suddenly greeted with a gun holster pointing to his head. Taking a brave step backwards in alarm, he sighed as he realized who it was. " It's just me, grandfather." he said restlessly, and the old man dropped the gun to his side, smirking at his grandson.
" Sorry." he said. " Old habit. You feeling alright?"
" I'm fine." Ren said, scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably. Somehow, despite years of getting the same gun being pointed to his same head by the same deranged old man, it never failed to make him feel a sharp stab of shock before plunging into restlessness. " What are you doing here anyway? I thought you said you were going out to dinner with a couple of you. . .er. . .gun-welding friend."
" I was." the old man said, a strange glint in his eyes. " But something came up."
" What, they couldn't make it?"
" Idiot." he answered. " They're cowboys."
" Oh. . ." Ren said with raised eyebrows, wondering how his question and his grandfather's answer had anything in relevance. " I see. Then what are you doing here?"
" You have a visitor." he answered, winking at him before walking away from him. " I had to make sure she did not take anything from your room." And with that, he walked off, shutting the front door behind him. Ren just stared at the area where his grandfather previously stood before sighing and made his way to his room, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He opened the door, only to find Pirika sitting on his bed, chewing her bottom lip; looking up as soon as she heard the door open.
" Pirika." he said simply.
" Ren. . ." she said timidly.
Silence.
" Aren't you going to ask me how I got in here?"
He raised his eyebrows. " If you want me to." he said. " Is that common courtesy to you?"
" N. . .No." she answered, blushing furiously.
He blinked. Pirika certainly was acting strange these few days. He made his way to his table, about to ask her something when he spotted the picnic basket next to her on the bed. " I. . .I got you something to eat." she said. It was at this when he finally realized what was going on. She still believed that he had lost all his memory from the blow that he took; probably also wiping out the memory of the two of them dating. He was about to explain this to her when he stopped himself in time, a small smile curving up on his lips, which he kept well away from Pirika's view.
This could be fun.
" Oh." he said in false dullness. " Thanks."
He could see her lip tremble at the corner of his eye, and he felt a sense of guilt, but ignored it, smirking. She was trying to act out the day when they finally got together. God, this was rich. " So when do you plan to leave?" he asked. When he received no reply, he turned to her, ready to laugh when his eyes widened at her tear streaming face.
" So. . .It's true that. . .You don't. . .remember. . ." Pirika choked between tears.
It was then when he realized he went too far.
He took three quick strides over to her and swooped her up in his arms, smiling warmly at her. " Sorry, I was playing you along." he muttered, wiping her tears away with a rough caress of his thumb. " I remember everything that happened. From the moment you brought that stupid lunch basket into my room till the moment we made love in my Tao Manor." Her face burned as she pulled away from his, her face practically spelling out anger.
" So you lied to me?" she spat out. " For the past few weeks you treated me like a fool? Like a toy?"
" No, it's not like that," he said earnestly, pulling her to him, despite her struggling. " I was under Hao's control for weeks, and it's only today when I found out what truly happened. I was merely kidding around with you for the last ten minutes."
" Then. . .why do you remember us. . .making love?" she asked, failing to hide the blush on her cheeks.
" Because that was before I confronted Hao." Ren explained. " It's a long story, and I don't want to talk about it."
She chewed on her bottom lip pitifully, pressing her fingers gingerly onto his forehead. " God, I've been so stupid for the past few days. . .sneaking peeks at you with whatever chance I got. . .crying in my room by myself. . ."
" My poor baby." he whispered, pressing his lips onto her, in which she wrapped her arms around his neck longingly, tears continuing to fall from her face. " There's got to be some way in which I can repay you."
" I'm sure we can think of something." Pirika said, a small smile on her face now, her hands on the belt on his pants.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Hao was woken up the next day by the sudden sound of his bedroom door slamming shut, and sat upright with a start. Sumiko just stared blankly at him, a lemon in her mouth. " Sorry, Asakura." she said sullenly.
" It's alright." he said, rubbing his throbbing head. " What are you doing in here?"
" You said you would bring me to breakfast, did you not?"
" Huh? Oh. . .Oh right, that." he muttered, slapping his head before grinning rather sheepishly at her. " I'm sorry, I totally forgot to tell you that I have school today. I'll bring you there for dinner, alright?"
" Oh." she said. Her face remained expressionless, but there was something in her eyes that showed signs of disappointment. It was times like this when Hao hated the fact that he could not read her mind. " It's alright then." she said. " I was planning on visiting my brother in the hospital today anyway."
He just looked at her for a moment before getting to his feet, opening his wardrobe. " Oh." he said. " Is that so?"
She said nothing.
" I'd better be going out." she said, turning her heel to leave the room. " You do not want me to see you naked, do you?" At that, she slammed the door behind her. He stood there in silence for a moment before sighing and scratched the back of his head. " I wonder what school would be like without Yoh and the others as my friends." he said quietly, grabbing clothes out of his wardrobe before shutting it. " I guess that's something you have to experience personally, right?"
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Anna opened her mouth.
Anna chewed.
Anna took a sip of water before placing the cup down.
Anna took up a piece of meat with her chopsticks.
Anna chewed.
Yoh gulped.
Somehow, after last night, everything that Anna did seemed sensual and just simply naughty. Her sitting on a chair, her eating and drinking, or even her sleeping. He shivered before getting back to his food, failing to notice Anna catch a glimpse at him before looking away. God, she never thought her heart could beat so fast. Just looking at Yoh sitting there made her feel his arms all around her, his clever hand working their way down her clothes. . .
Both of them shivered at the same thought.
" Yoh," she said, her face still nonchalant.
" Yes, Anna?" he asked hopefully.
" Do we have any more rice left?"
He raised his eyebrows at her half-eaten bowl of rice before looking back up at her with a confused expression. " But you haven't finished eating your portion yet." he said.
" Does that mean I can't ask?" she said menacingly.
" Eep," he muttered before chirping out, " No, you can ask. Yes, there is rice left. Just waiting for you to eat."
" Good." she said, before getting back to her food.
Damn, why was Anna acting like nothing happened the day before? Wasn't it her who said that today would be the day that they would. . .
" Pass the soy sauce." Anna said bluntly.
He smiled at her before placing the bottle gently by her side. After watching her dab the sauce onto her chicken for an amusing moment, he went back to his food and thoughts. There was just something about Anna that confused him. Her moods were like the wind, changing every so swiftly and silently without a warning or a caution from others. If it were to be like the rain, at least she would be noticed by weather reports and television forecasters. However, they were not always correct, and. . .
He paused.
What the Hell was he talking about in the first place, anyway?
" Give me seconds, Yoh." Anna said, passing her bowl to him.
He gave her a sheepish smile before taking it in his hands, standing up to his feet, and walked over to the rice cooker. Anna watched him go, a small smile creeping up on her face. God, Yoh was cute. Yet, she was afraid of what would happen at some time this day. She chewed on her bottom lip, looking at herself before shivering. That was something that she had been doing a lot lately. It was not because of the weather; she was sure of that. She always knew there would be the evident day where Yoh and her would make love for the first time. However, when the time finally came, she was not sure whether it was too early or too late.
" Here you go." he said to her cheerfully, handing the bowl to him.
She said no word of thanks; something that he was used to, and sat himself back down on the chair behind him. They sat there silently for a minute in polite self-thought before Anna finally laid down her chopsticks, and Yoh looked up at her, hopefully still. " I'm full." she said plainly. " I'm going to school now."
He sighed and bowed his head.
" Yes, Anna." he said gloomily.
She walked off before taking a second glance at him.
She smiled.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Sumiko stepped into her brother's room, chewing on her bottom lip furtively. She did not spend as much time in this room as she expected she would be, and somehow she felt guilty about that. She shut the door behind her before sitting down on a chair next to his bed. " Hello, Ejio." she said silently. The unconscious boy did not answer, and she sighed. " This was the reason why I asked you not to follow me in the first place," she said almost coldly, dropping the flowers on the table near his bed. " Kino asked me to go there alone as she knew you would get hurt somehow. Yet, you still wanted to follow me to spy on Hao Asakura."
" I did not send you to spy on Hao." came a voice behind her, and she blinked.
" Kino?" she asked. " I thought you were still under Hao's power?"
" Ren gave me a small cut on my hand, and told me everything." Kino said grimly, sitting herself down beside Sumiko.
" Oh." Sumiko said sullenly.
" I did not send you to spy on Hao." Kino said, looking down at her feet. Sumiko looked up at her, her face still emotionless. " I only used that story in order to not worry Ejio, and to use that as a back up story in case Hao asked. I knew he would not kill you for the false reason I gave him; hiding the true reason away from him."
" And what was the true reason behind all this?" Sumiko asked shrewdly.
" Come on, Sumiko, don't tell me you still don't know." Kino said, chuckling. " You're the girl whose IQ topped 200. Surely you can think of something."
Sumiko said nothing, and Kino sighed.
" I sent you here to cool his burning desire for Anna Kyoyuma." she said, and Sumiko blinked.. " I thought that if you appeared, his burning desire for Anna would disappear. Clearly was wrong."
Sumiko's eyes widened.
" So. . ." she said, the truth finally dawning upon her. " I was just your toy?"
" Not a toy, never!" Kino said harshly. " Just a distraction for Hao to keep him away from my Yoh's fiancee!"
" That's what it seems like now, isn't it?" Sumiko snapped, getting to her feet, the chair behind her, crashing to the ground loudly. " The mission was a fluke! You lied to Ejio, you lied to Hao and you lied to me! My dear brother's breathing out of a tube because of your foolish play-acting," she spat angrily, pointing at the unconscious Ejio. " And you're still standing there acting calm and until now, still uninjured!"
" I did this for Yoh's sake, Sumiko!" Kino snapped. " Hao is not a man to be trusted!"
" Hao Asakura is not a bad man!" Sumiko screamed. " I. . ."
She stopped in mid-sentence, and yet Kino knew.
" You love him, don't you?" Kino asked, suddenly seeming tired and forlorn.
" No, I. . ." Sumiko started.
" That's why you finally realized what emotions were." Kino said. " No wonder you finally understood what anger was."
" It was because of you, Kino." Sumiko said, her temper rising.
" And you found love because of Hao Asakura." Kino muttered, ignoring her completely now. " Sumiko. . .Hao is not a man to be trusted. He will not, and does not love you."
" I trusted you for years, Kino." Sumiko said fiercely. " Maybe the same thing can be worked in the opposite for him."
" You heard what I said, right?" Kino said. " Hao will not. . ."
" I know that." Sumiko said quietly.
Kino stopped. For a moment there it almost seemed like Kino was going to say something when she merely shut her eyes tiredly and picked up her walking stick that was propped up against the wall. " I suppose you wish to continue to stay at Hao Asakura's apartment?" she murmured. " If you wish to leave, I will send a letter to him as soon as humanly possible. . ."
" I'd like to stay, thank you." Sumiko said, emotionless once more.
Kino sighed before nodding, opening the hospital room door. " I came to visit Ejio. Please give him my condolences. I do hope that he would find it within himself to forgive me."
" I certainly hope he does not." Sumiko said coldly.
Kino smiled slightly.
" Just like Anna in every way." she whispered, and before Sumiko could question that, she shut the door behind herself.
00000000000000000000000000000000000
" The evening Mister Utterson came home to his bachelor house in somber spirits and sat down to dinner without relish. It was his custom of a Sunday, when this meal was over, to sit close to the fire, a volume of some dry divinity on his reading desk, until the clock of the neighboring church rang out the hour of twelve, when he would go soberly and gratefully to bed.." Lyserg read out loud, flipping the page to continue his monologue in the front of the class. Yoh twirled his pen between his fingers, sighing. They had just started reading ' Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde' in Literature class, and frankly speaking, Yoh was bored to death by it.
Somehow, the name sounded familiar to him; like he had heard someone introduce it to him before. He frowned, before turning his attention back to the class, in which he was welcomed back to earth with the sweet sound of Anna's voice.
" . . .as soon as the cloth, was taken away, he took up a candle and went into his business room." she said, so soft and so calm, yet so compelling in a voice that almost demanded attention. Most of the time, she really did force him to listen to her, anyway. When she finished speaking, the class clapped for her, and she sat down on her seat. He scanned the classroom, and found the person usually next to him missing. He sighed. Hao had barely been around them the entire day. It was almost as if he was the one who was angry with Yoh and the others.
It was at this moment when he remembered.
" Yoh, have you read the book ' Dr Jekyll and Mister Hyde?" Hao asked pleasantly.
Yoh blinked.
Hao had asked him to read it.
For some reason he did not know why.
" Yoh Asakura, could you read the next paragraph?" Yoro-sensei asked him, his eyebrows raised.
Yoh got to his feet, and gulped. " There he opened his safe," Yoh said out loud. " Took from the most private part. . ."
He heard a snigger from the class, in which he suspected was Horo Horo.
" . . .of it a document indorsed on the envelope as Dr. Jekyll's Will, and sat down with a clouded brow to study its contents." he said, pausing for a moment as he caught eyes with Anna.
He looked at her.
She looked at him.
He smiled.
And she smiled back.
" Yoh Asakura," Yoro said, his eyebrows raised. " Would you care to finish the remanding of the paragraph?"
" Oh, right." Yoh said clumsily, earning laughter from the class.
It was at that moment when the bell rang, and Yoro grinned at the class. " Well, you all are left off the hook. I want a 50-word summary on the first two chapters on the story. We shall continue chapter 3 in the next lesson."
Earning several groans and angry mutters from the crowd, they started to pack their things and left the classroom in one slow blob. It was as Yoh was about to pass Yoro's desk when he cleared his throat, and Yoh turned around, looking at his teacher questioningly. " I would like to speak to you in private for a moment, Yoh." Yoro said, grinning at him. " No worries. I just need five minutes of your time."
Yoh turned to Anna, who was standing beside him.
" I'll wait for you outside." she said, stuffing her hands in her pockets, making her way out.
Yoro and Yoh watched her leave for a moment, and it was only when she slammed the door shut when their attention turned back to each other. " Very charming girl-friend you have there, Yoh." Yoro said, smiling warmly. Yoh bobbed his head, not knowing what to say. Yoh was not accustomed to speaking with teachers, because they usually spent their time yelling threats at him, and he was not given a chance to rebuke during those periods of time. " I wanted to speak to you about the book that we started reading." Yoro said, waving the novel at him cheerfully.
Yoh blinked.
" Yes. . .sir?"
" Do you know why I chose to teach this book to the class?"
" Er. . ." Yoh said, scratching the back of his head. " Because you believe it will provide us with an enriching and. . ."
" You don't think I believe in that shit, do you?" Yoro said, smirking.
" No, I don't." Yoh said, grinning, liking this new teacher very much. " Tell me. Why did you?"
" I'm not supposed to tell this to you, because your brother wanted me to keep it from you. I'm telling you because. . .well. . .well, I just want to. But he personally requested this book to be taught in this school." Yoro said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. " Please don't ask me why."
Yoh raised his eyebrows. " My brother?" he asked.
Yoro bobbed his head before dropping the book on the table. " I suggest you read it." Yoro said. " There might be a hidden meaning within these pages. And I think it's not quite hard to find out."
Yoh just stared at the book for a while before looking up, smiling at his teacher. " Thanks, sensei." he said, bowing before running out the door. Yoro stood there for a moment, in silent wondering as he pulled a cigarette to his mouth, was in the process of lighting it when he stopped and sighed. " Come out, Hao." he said. " You know you can't hide from me."
In a burst of flames, there stood Hao Asakura, grinning like a schoolboy on high. " Hello, sensei." he said. " Thanks for helping me out."
" No problem. . .light my cigarette, will you?"
Hao gave him a withering smile before lifting a finger, a small flame appearing on the tip.
Yoro took a short puff before releasing the cigarette from his lips, grinning. " Thank you." he said. " I have one small question though. Why did you choose to introduce this story to the class? Couldn't you just have asked me to recommend the book to him for self-reading?"
Hao raised his eyebrows at him.
Yoro blinked before sighing.
" Yeah, I get your point." he said. " Yoh can't read a book to save his life."
Hao grinned before bursting into flames, and disappeared into thin air.
" But neither can you." Yoro grinned, sticking the cigarette back between his lips.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Kino opened the cupboard.
She raised her eyebrows.
She shut the cupboard.
She opened the cupboard.
She raised her eyebrows.
She shut the cupboard.
" What's going on here?" Yohmei asked, eyebrows raised. " I feel like I'm watching some rerun from Internal Affairs."
Kino repeated the process two more times before shutting the cupboard once more, before scratching the back of her head. " There are only two left." she said. Yohmei's eyebrows, if possible, seemed to raise even higher, and Kino pointed at the feathers in Anna's sock cabinet irritably. Finally seeing the point, he nodded his head approvingly. " That shows that she's finally going to break out of that box she always was in."
" Dumbass." Kino muttered. " The feathers mean nothing. It's just that they increase when Anna gets angry or sad, and it decreases when she feels happiness or. . ."
" I know the drill, Kino." Yohmei said impatiently. " Why do you seem so worried?"
" Well," Kino said, sitting herself down on a chair behind her. " It's just that. . ." she paused before sighing once again and glared down at the ground below her. " Anna gained her magical, and may I add in very strong, abilities because of her amazing amount of street knowledge, her brilliant mind, and her cold sullenness."
" What's your point?"
" Yoh's the problem!" Kino hissed. " He's making Anna softer than heated up jelly! I swear, he's making her more prone to emotions than she was with the ten years I was with her! It's true that giving her emotions is a good thing. I want my granddaughter to be a girl with feelings. I don't want her to be a lovesick puppy! I doubt she would be able to match up with Hao Asakura anymore!"
" Since when was Anna able to match up against Hao anyway?" Yohmei asked, eyebrows raised.
" Don't make it sound like I'm the bad person here." Kino said to her husband warningly, pointing her finger at him. " Remember Sumiko, the girl devoid of all emotions?"
" Oh yes, her."
" Barely a week has passed with her in the vicinity of Hao and she has already fallen in love with him, backed him up when I criticized him and yelled at me! She actually yelled at me! Can you believe she yelled at me?"
" Yes, how terribly rude of her." Yohmei said, rolling his eyes. " You're taking this too seriously. Sumiko and Anna, no matter how you look at it, are beautiful young women. They are not to be single forever, and you know it. Sure, I am not fond of Hao Asakura. But Sumiko can handle herself even if she weakens, and if Anna weakens, wouldn't Yoh be right there by her side?"
Kino stayed silent for a moment before sighing.
" I guess you're right." she said silently. " Sorry. I guess I took this the wrong way."
" It's alright." Yohmei muttered.
Kino looked up at the skies above.
" I wonder what Anna and Yoh are doing now?"
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Yoh had fought with men three times his size.
He had been beaten, kicked, hit, sliced with knives, shot at with guns, burst at by lasers and zapped by enormous amounts of lightning bolts. He had went through the Tunnel of Hell for nearly a week without food, been slapped by Anna more times than all his friends added together and had actually died and come back to life two times. . .
And yet he was getting the jitters of having his first night with his fiancee.
God, this sounded pathetic.
To make himself sound even more pitiful, he had crammed everything possible about sex the night before and during recess in school. Firstly, he watched every moment James Bond had with women to try and get his suaveness. That came to no avail, and he wasted thirty whole dollars for the cost of renting all those DVDs. Recess that day was the worst of all, and he wished that Hao was still his dear brother once again.
" You see, Yoh, what you have to do is to be a car racer." Horo Horo said in the most sensible voice he had ever managed to speak. Him, Yoh, Ren and Lyserg were sitting in a circle at the lunch table, all of them giving him as many tips as humanly possible while Chocolove and Manta stalled time for him.
Yoh raised his eyebrows at him.
" A car racer?"
" Yeah." Horo said, gobbling up his mashed potatoes. " First, you have to start off nice and slow. The reason you do so is that you would still have energy at the end of the race. With every passing moment, you get faster and faster. At the end, when you see the winning flag in sight, you burst your fuel with everything you've got."
" I guess that's true in a very twisted way." Lyserg said, scratching the back of his head.
" Don't listen to these idiots." Ren said impatiently. " I'm going to tell you step by step procedures, so please listen closely and carefully."
" What if Anna comes back before you can finish?" Yoh asked anxiously.
" Trust me, there will be two slaps to signal us Anna has gotten fed up with them."
Yoh rolled his eyes before grinning.
" Alright, please tell me." Yoh said, almost desperately.
" Firstly, you always have to start off with a great kiss." Ren said. " The kiss is always something that matters above anything else. Girls usually decide how good you are in bed by the way you kiss."
" Should Yoh do French, or. . .?" Horo asked dimly.
" Don't do French." Ren snapped, and Horo hung his head. " No tongue at all. Listen to me, Yoh. In movies, girls like French kissing. Girls seem to like tongue dueling, but they only act like they like it to please you. In reality, they like a slow kisser. A man who treats them like the ultimate treasure in their hands. Don't run your hands up and down her body. Just leave them on her waist, and only until she wraps her hands around your neck then you start to remove her clothes. Sound simple enough for you?"
" I guess." Yoh said, scratching the back of his head. " What goes after that?"
" Compliment how beautiful she is. They usually don't bat an eye when you say it to them in the open, but in bed even the slightest compliment is going to drive them wild into schoolgirl blushes. However, don't make compliments of her breasts, because she's going to wonder what's wrong with her ass. Compliment her legs, she's going to wonder about her hands. Just say she's beautiful, or ' God, your body's amazing.' " Ren said. " I suspect Anna is going to wear her school uniform, because I don't think she's going to get out of those clothes. "
" How do you. . .?" Yoh asked.
" Trust me." Ren said firmly. " Don't forget this is her first time too. She's not going to dare to wear anything else. She does not want to look unattractive, and she does not want to look sexy. She'll stay in what she is in. I notice her hair is tied up tonight, so remove the hair band first. Let her hair bounce off her shoulders before kissing her again. That's not so difficult, is it?"
" No, not at all." Yoh said, grinning. " What next?"
" Remove her shirt," Ren said, smiling back. " But don't take off her bra." he added warningly, and Yoh blinked.
" Why not?" Lyserg asked, unable to conceal his curiosity.
" Just a normal trait I never do." Ren said, grinning. " You'll find out when you get as experienced as me."
The others would have rolled their eyes if they were not so interested for further information.
" Remove her underwear, finger her for a few minutes before exchanging your finger with your lips."
Yoh shivered.
" Easier said than done, Ren." he said.
" I know." Ren said. " But I know that you will know. Now let's go on, because I don't think we have much time left. It is after she orgasms for the first time, then you take off her bra. Kiss her brea. . ."
There was a loud slap from a few tables away from them and they winced.
" First one." Lyserg muttered.
" Kiss her breasts, suckle them, and then kiss her lips again." Ren said hurriedly. " While you're kissing one, massage the other gently with your fingers. Don't rub though, you're going to make her feel in pain, not aroused."
Yoh was sucking in more information than a soap did of water in a swimming pool.
SLAP
" Second one." Horo muttered.
" That's where you remove her skirt, and you try to come as late as humanly possible, any questions?" Ren finished quickly. No sooner had he been done, Anna sat down beside him, glaring at Manta and Chocolove who were coming up behind her, red marks almost imprinted on their faces. Yoh pitied them from the bottom of his heart.
" Yoh!" Pirika said, bouncing up to the table.
" No, my name's Ren." Ren said, smirking at her.
" I'll come to you later, lover." Pirika said, smirking at him. " Yoh, can I have a minute?"
Yoh blinked, surprised.
" Yeah, sure, of course." he said, getting up.
Pirika led him until they were inside an empty classroom before shutting the door behind them and smiled at him. " I overheard the guys giving you advice on how to make love to Anna properly."
" Oh." Yoh said, his face reddening. " Promise not to tell?"
" Oh, I won't." Pirika said, smiling. " But I have to let you in on a little secret."
" Oh?" Yoh asked. " What's that?"
" All that advice that Ren told you?" Pirika said. " He didn't use a single one of them when we first made love."
Yoh's eyes widened.
" He. . .He didn't?"
" No." Pirika said, laughing. " You're getting this all wrong, Yoh. What's between you and Anna is not standard pick-up lines, or trained sex positions. It's the love that's between you that makes her so attracted to you. That alone would make you good in bed."
Yoh's shocked face turned into a warm smile.
" Thank you, Pirika." he said. " You're a cool girl."
" You're welcome." Pirika said, smiling back. " Besides, I'll know if you're good in bed or not."
" How?" Yoh asked.
" Anna's going to tell me." Pirika said, winking at him. " I'll tell you what she says, alright?"
He grinned rather sheepishly.
" Yeah." he said, not knowing whether his was good news or bad news. " Thanks."
" No problem."
Yoh shivered.
Anna raised her eyebrows at him.
" You alright?" she asked.
" Yeah." he said. " I'm fine."
He almost forgot where they were for a moment. They were walking on their way home alone, and had just reached their doorstep. They just seemed to stand there for a moment, not knowing whether it was a better idea to just get into the bloody house or to just run for cover. Both choices sounded equally appealing. Yoh sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. " Shall we get inside?" he asked, almost talking to himself now. Anna gulped, nibbling her bottom lip anxiously. Was it just her, or did Yoh's cheerful words suddenly seem husky and full of lust?
" Anna?" he asked her, cocking his head.
That's right. She was Anna Kyoyuma, wasn't she? And she was a girl that was sullen, quiet and obviously dominant. If she wanted to keep that name, she would have to act Anna-ish, wouldn't she? " I'm fine." Anna snapped. " Now get inside and help us make dinner, will you?"
" Yes, Anna." he muttered, hanging his head.
She stuffed her hands in her pockets, slowly walking behind Yoh, purposely moving slower than he was. What would they be like after their first night together? Would he start calling her 'Honey'? Would she still be able to see him eye-to-eye? Would he have attractions to another girl because she already 'put-out' with him? Would he still love her if she declined him tonight? Dozens of unanswerable questions filled her head, and it was taking everything within her to stop herself from smacking Yoh at the back of his head for looking so calm and peaceful.
" After you, Anna." he said brightly, opening the door for her.
" Thank you." she said grimly, stepping past him, entering the house.
Yoh shut the door behind her.
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
" It's going to be a Christmas party, isn't it?" Pirika asked Ren, who was in charge of the guest list, while Pirika was in charge of the invitation cards. Ren raised his eyebrows over the massive pile of blank cards that surrounded her. " Not quite." he said to her, leaning against the card mountain. " It was meant to be an end-of-the-year party at first, but then Yoh found out that by doing that only people from our school would be invited."
" Yeah, that's a good point there." Pirika muttered.
" He then wanted to make it an all-who-can-come, semi-Christmas, semi-End-Of-Year, semi-New Year, and semi-International Friendship Day. Kind of catchy, isn't it?"
" Very." Pirika muttered, rolling her eyes. " Are we inviting Hao?"
" Of course not." Ren said stiffly.
" But it's all-who-can-come party, isn't it?"
" Yes, but. . ." Ren started, before Yoh's voice came into his head once more.
" Then, let me ask you this. Your sister has just robbed a bank, murdered somebody, stole over millions of dollars, and as she is hiding from the police, she approaches you and asks you to give her a place to stay. Would you take her in?"
He blinked.
" On second thoughts. . ." he muttered, earning a small smile from his girl-friend, who wrote down Yoh's brother's name on one of the cards. Ren gave a weary smile before getting to his feet.
" I would take her in." he whispered quietly.
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000
To the utter surprise of Anna, none of Yoh's friends dropped by their house for a free meal. She glanced sideways at Yoh with raised eyebrows, but he merely shrugged before getting back to his food. She took a small glance at the area where Manta usually sat before laying down her chopsticks, sighing. " I'm full." she muttered. " I think I'm going to get a shower."
Yoh laid his chopsticks down too, at that.
" At this point of time," he said silently, and Anna stopped in mid-tracks. " I'm supposed to spot out your nervousness and tell you that it will be alright if you don't want to do it tonight, and that I can wait. The truth is that I can't wait, and I would love to officially call you my wife."
Anna felt the heat rise up in her cheeks, turning around to meet Yoh's eyes.
" Yoh. . ." she whispered.
He stood up, tucking in his chair, stepping up to her. Every movement he had was slow and purposeful, almost giving her chances to move or walk away. But she stood rooted to the spot, watching him in silent admiration. It was until they were barely inches away when he lifted up his hand to graze her cheek softly. " I love you." he whispered, leaning in on her, until their lips were barely a centimeter away. She knew he was waiting for her to bend in. She knew he would not dare to do anything without her permission. God, she loved him.
She loved him.
Yes. . .she loved him.
" I love you too." she whispered before pressing her lips against his. His heart leapt as he kissed her back, not with fierce lust, but softly and sweetly. In his mind, he was frantically trying to remember everything that Ren told him, where to start, where to end, what to do. . .
But it was as her arms wrapped around his neck when he just stopped thinking; letting the man inside him take over. His hands strayed from her cheeks to her waist, carefully placing it there. It was after a long kiss when he finally pulled away, leaving her whimpering, desiring for more. " Anna, I will only do this if you're ready." he whispered, fighting the strong urges within himself to just pounce on her. " Are you?"
Her lower lip trembled before smiling slightly at him.
" I am." she whispered.
" Can I do anything I want to you?" he asked her silently, his fingers on the hair band that was securely keeping her hair in a tight bow. She let out a shuddering breath before nodding her head, and he had to admit, it was one of the most erotic things he had seen her do for years long. He gave a soft tug, and her hair fell, bouncing off her shoulders. He dropped his hands to her sides and tugged out her shirt from the waistband of the skirt, and she blushed slightly at that. His hands slowly made their way to her blouse, looking up at her nervously. Yet she said nothing, and he slowly unbuttoned each and every one of her buttons, watching her constantly under his furtive eyes. It was when he reached the final one where he looked at her once more, almost asking her for permission.
She looked away, and he shrugged the shirt off her shoulders, letting it sail to the ground gently. He let in the breath that he was holding. She was wearing nothing but a black bra on her chest now, and the sight was just reverberating. He fell to his knees, his clever hands creeping up her skirt.
Anna shivered as she felt his hands tug her panties down to the ground, and yet she still stepped out of them as he pulled it down her feet. Almost purposely slow, he stuffed it into his pocket, smiling at her sheepishly. She should have been annoyed. Yet she smiled drunkenly, feeling slightly pleased that he wanted a souvenir from her. His head disappeared under her skirt now, and it was not long before she felt his lips press kisses upon her nether regions.
She moaned as she felt his fingers part her 'lips' apart, inserting a finger into her. She felt her knees weaken, and yet she stood her ground, but almost lost it as she felt his tongue dip into her. She had never felt feelings like this before. A strange, hot, boiling feeling seemed to erupt inside her, almost desperate for her to release. " Yoh," she moaned, gripping the couch that was beside her. Ignoring her, he inserted another finger into her, earning a cry of pleasure from her. He let out a small smile; he had been desiring for this moment for years now. To make the great Anna Kyoyuma have her first orgasm. His tongue lapped at her even more furiously now, and he felt her sag to the couch beside her even deeper now, and his grin broadened. " Here she comes," he whispered under his breath, and before Anna could even question that, she felt his tongue lap at her with furious abandoning, his next finger slipping into her warm crevice.
Her insides ere bubbling with hot, steamy passion, and she gripped at the top of Yoh's head, almost pleading at him to stop. It was then when words left her, and she gasped out loud; her legs clenching together against Yoh's head and came for the first time, moans erupting from her throat. Yoh smiled softly to himself as he pressed finals kisses to her inner legs before smiling up at her.
" How was it?" he asked innocently.
" Damn. . .you. . ." she muttered, her breath coming in short pants.
He smiled at her softly as his hands fell upon her bra, feeling along the straps, until he noticed her look of anger had soon turned into a slightly coy look. " It's in the front, Yoh." she whispered, a sly smile creeping up on her face. He smirked at her slightly as he unhooked it and pulled it off her chest, taking his breath away for a minute. " God, you're so beautiful." he whispered, bending low, and pressing his lips onto her breasts, hearing her gasp at the contact.
He suckled softly on her left, massaging gently on the right, earning small moans and whimpers of encouragement coming from her mouth; her hands cradling his head to her chest. " God, I love you." he muttered, pulling away from her swollen nipples before attacking furiously on her other.
" Me. . .too. . ." she breathed.
He smiled softly. At least that was one thing that Ren had not lied to him about; women were usually more emotional in bed, which suited him just fine. He suckled her, he kissed her, he licked her, he nibbled her. . .he did everything possible to her breasts before pulling away, both their faces hot and red with sweat. His eyes never leaving hers, his hands reached down to unzip her school skirt. Wordlessly, her hands were on his shirt now, and with one fluid moment, all the buttons were undone, and she shrugged it off his shoulders.
He gazed at her, amazed.
" How did you do that?" he asked.
" It's simple magic." she said, smiling brightly.
" Must remember to keep that in mind." he muttered silently, as she giggled, her hands on his pants now, and he let out a smothered sigh as she felt her hands graze his crotch. Which was something that never went unnoticed by the watchful eyes of Anna. This was one of those times she decided not to poke fun at him, knowing how much power he had over her now. She never expected his chest to be so muscular. God, he looked so buff and sexy. . .Her eyes glanced upwards before mentally slapping herself and concentrating on the task at hand.
He removed her of her skirt and she did of his pants and boxers, and they just stayed they looking at each other in appalling amazement. He pulled towards her and kissed her. This time it was not gentle, but full of passion and love. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her mouth opening slightly and pressed her tongue against his shut lips. His eyes widened in wonder.
Didn't Ren say. . .?
Oh to Hell with it.
He opened his mouth and her tongue swooped in, meeting his, and he moaned out loud as their tongues danced; dwelling each others with such equal passion and fire that it frightened him. They both fell to the floor in each others arms; their hands were everywhere, his hands were at her breasts, at her waist, in her hair, everywhere. . .and she did not seem to give the slightest of a damn.
Yoh positioned himself directly above her, gazing down at the goddess below him. " Your body is incredible." he whispered, earning a blush from her. " It's taking everything within to keep me from taking you savagely."
" I don't know whether to be aroused or obliged." she said, lips twitching.
" I'll give you a sec- - -oh, too late." he said, and she laughed.
His hands gripped her shoulders, his expression serious now, and she sobered up.
" This might hurt, Anna. . ."
" I know, Yoh."
" Tell me when to stop. . ."
" I won't."
He looked at her, annoyed.
" Anna, I'm worrying for you now." he said.
" That was what I did when you were battling against so many enemies before you in the Shaman Fight, Yoh." Anna said inquisitely. " What would you do if I. . .told you to stop?"
He smiled witheringly.
" You're a wonderful woman, Anna."
" And you're a pussy, Yoh."
His lips were on hers, and he pulled away once again, this time to put on the protection needed, and she let out an involuntary smile.
" Here goes. . ." he whispered a minute later, and she shut her eyes tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck, chewing at his neck, bracing herself. The pain in her nether area was so sharp and so piercing she bit down hard into him, and soon after she looked at him. He just smiled at her.
" How is it?" he asked.
" It's. . .alright. . ." she whispered, feeling the pain slowly ebb away.
" That's good." he muttered, pulling out of her for a moment before thrusting into her, and she moaned in a way so pleasureful she even caught herself off guard.
" God, that certainly turned me on." he said, lips twitching.
" I'll kill you if I weren't enjoying myself so much." she said, smirking, before noticing that his neck was bleeding. Her eyes widened, remembering that she had bit into it previously. " Yoh. . ." she said, her expression softening.
" Don't worry about. . ." he said, plunging into her more forcefully now, and she yelped, gripping onto him. " And start worrying for yourself."
" Ooh, nice one." she said, sarcastically now, thought she had to turn the last word into a gasp as he forced himself into her harder. " Did you get that one from Hao or Ren?"
" It was Chocolove, actually." Yoh answered.
" You Goddamn better be joking." she said with gritted teeth, moaning as he pressed kisses on her neck as he continued to thrust in and out of her.
" You sound like you're talking to him already." he said, surprisingly brave. Was this the thing that was missing in their relationship? Sex? Was this boundary why Yoh feared her? " Surely you respect me more than that?" he asked, hammering into her entrance harder and harder now.
" I. . .Can't. . .why. . .uhh. . ." she moaned, gripping the carpet as she bit her lower lip to prevent herself from screaming out loud. " Please. . .I can't take it. . .I'm going to. . ."
" Didn't get that." Yoh said cheerfully.
" You deserve to die." she growled.
" Now you sound like you're speaking to Horo Horo." he said.
" I'll. . ." she started, when she gasped out loud, bucking her hips, clawing at his neck with her fingernails as she came for the second time, spilling herself inside him.
" Didn't get that one." Yoh said, almost haughtily now.
" Alright, wise guy, that's it." she growled, pulling herself away from him, and he blinked. Had he gone one step too far? Apparently so. At the look of her, she was going to give him the worst torture ever. It was as her hands grazed his crotch and he whimpered when he realized he might not be the one in the higher position for long. " You think you're such a Sex God now, don't you, Asakura?" she asked him in a voice so alluring he shivered.
" Anna can get any man in the palm of her hand." Hao had told a bunch of them at the bar one night grimly. " Even me."
Lord have Mercy.
Her tongue lapped gently against his member and he moaned. " Didn't hear that one, sailor." she muttered before dipping her head, and he moaned, gripping her hair forcefully. She pulled away, smirking at him. " Hands off, if you please." she said.
" Sorry," he mumbled, his hands threading out of her hair.
" Now where were we?" she asked, plunging her head down almost immediately, her hands tugging at his member forcefully at the same time, her mouth making noises he only dreamed she would make.
" Anna. . ." he gasped, feeling himself coming.
She moaned his name, and he shuddered.
" Anna. . .oh Anna. . .please. . .I can't take it any more. . ."
She smirked, and yet whimpered all the same, and he bit his lip.
" Alright. . .alright! I'm sorry for teasing you! Oh God I can't. . .I can't! Oh God, Anna, I'm going to come!"
With that she lifted her head up, wiping her mouth.
" So sorry I took so long, Yoh darling." she said pleasantly. " I was just having a drink."
Only Anna could have said that in a dignified, erotic, and yet innocent voice all at once.
" Damn you." he growled.
" I love you too." she said, haughtily.
Their eyes crossed before kissing each other once again before pulling away.
" I'm sorry for teasing you," she said, her voice pitiful, yet her eyes still bore laughter. " Will you please make love to me?"
" Lord Have Mercy," he muttered out loud now, forcing himself into her now, earning a whimpering, gasping moan from her. He stared deep into her eyes as he thrust again and again into her, watching her body quake and quiver in his arms, her eyes filled with lust and passion. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He loved her more than anybody and anything, and that was not going to change.
Never.
" Yoh. . ." she whimpered, clutching his shoulders, letting out an involuntary shudder. " I think I'm going to come."
" Please hold it for a minute," he muttered, desperate for release.
" Yes. . ." she whimpered. " Oh yes. . ."
" Oh God, Anna." he moaned, gripping at her now; her hands had gone wild in his hair, pulling him as close as possible to her.
" Yoh. . ." she whispered through gritted teeth.
" I'm going to come, Anna." he moaned, thrusting into her faster and faster now.
" Oh God. . .yes. . ." she gasped.
It was at that moment when he shut his eyes, his insides bubbling with painful release.
" ANNA!" he yelled, feeling her inner walls clench up against his member.
" Yoh!" she screamed, bucking her hips, coming so hard she felt pity for Yoh's ears. He did not seem to mind so much, though. It was as the two of them let out shuddering gasps, both their heads buried in each others arms when they let go of each other, and fell onto the floor, both sighing in relief and satisfaction.
There they sat.
Silence.
Anna scratched her head.
Silence.
Yoh let out a cough.
" I'm going for a shower." she muttered, gathering her clothes before walking off, and he sighed, chewing on his bottom lip. This was just what he was afraid of; for things to be uncomfortable between the two of them once they had finally made love for the first time. He was about to continued to look up at the dull ceiling when she noticed her eyes were on him, a seductive smile on her face. " Of course. . ." she whispered, inserting a finger into a mouth, and Yoh let out an involuntary shudder. " I'm not going to take it alone, am I?"
A smile adorning his face like never before, he got to his feet, and followed his fiancee to the bathroom, burning smiles on both their jubilant faces.
END CHAPTER 23
Finally! THEY HAVE DONE IT! I hope it was as romantic as some of you pictured it. I wanted it to be on a bed, with rose petals on it with soft music playing to the beautiful moment. . .but that just wouldn't be my style, wouldn't it? Lolz. Sorry if Hao did not have much show time in this chapter, that will be changed, don't you worry. Sumiko might also get some more time in the chapter. The next chapter will most likely be MUCH longer than this one too, just as this one was longer than chapter 22. It will be thick of romance, twists, loving, and basically, the forwarding of the big question. Is Hao and friend of a foe? Chapter 24 will be up as soon as possible, my friends! In the meantime, please have a Merry Christmas, please send me a review for all my hard work, and please look forward to the next chapter!