Rikku: First, my thank you's....

Nat: I'm glad you really like it. I'm brilliant, aren't I? Heh-heh...

chocolate5: I'm glad you enjoyed it, and sorry about the whole Ren and Miho situation, but don't worry, nothing bad will happen between Horo and Miho. They are such a cute couple, aren't they? :) I honestly think all their moments are so kawaii... well, of course I do- I wrote this fic. Heh-heh... Yes, and I too, wish that more people would read and review, it's just not fair, ne?

Hannah Kyouyama: Thanks a lot! A talent? I wouldn't have guessed! XD Thx for all your support!

Rikku: Aside from this fic, I wanted to thank my reviewers for my recent songfic, "My Immortal":

ffx2: Thanx a lot!! :)

FoxylilRaven: I'll think about your advice- though I'm not to sure, seeing as how I'm caught in between two stories. Thanx anyway!!

Dranzy: Thanks for the review, I'm still surprised we survived the other day's visit. Grr...

Rikku: As you may know, fanfiction.net has banned certain keyboard items, (asterisks, (stars) circumflex accents, (take a look above the number 6 on your keyboard) tildes(beside number 1, the squiggly thing) and so on....) this means that certain faces I make in between text won't appear anymore. Some of you may have found these annoying, but they were actually kinda kawaii to me... but sigh I guess fanfiction.net is just gonna keep banning things... (I was really looking forward to putting a face right at the end of that sentence...).

So, anywho, enough with my rambling. I should tell you, this chapter is completely dedicated to Anna and Yoh so... enjoy! Oh yes, and don't mind if Miho seems to be in every scene... after all this IS her pointof view.

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Winter of Love

Chapter 10: Matchmaker

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The next morning, I had found myself a bit more relaxed thanks to Horo's little talk from yesterday. I had woken up unusually early, around seven or so.

Yawning, I pulled myself off the futon and slouched my way toward the empty kitchen. I don't know why, but I had decided to make breakfast for all the shrine's 'tenants'- perhaps because of my strangely happy mood.

Without making too much noise, I took out all of the right ingrediants- eggs, bacon, toast and butter, placing them on the counter and hoping, at the same time, that I had still remembered my mother's mini-cooking lessons.

I was 17, which meant I was only a year away from finally becoming an adult...

"If only you were still here to watch me grow up..." I whispered silently, as if she were actually there.

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A few minutes later, someone had walked into the kitchen- finally waking me up from all the reflecting on the past...

I turned around quickly, smiling as I spotted the brunette, rubbing his eyes as he wandered to an empty chair aside from the dining table. "Hey there, Yoh."

The boy jumped in surprise once hearing my voice. "Miho..." he chuckled. "I didn't see you there, what are you doing up so early?"

"I couldn't sleep very well..." I answered. "I made breakfast- d'you want some?"

Yoh stared at me in surprise. "Miho... YOU made breakfast?"

I quickly turned back to the eggs once a burning scent reached me. Luckily, I wasn't too late to save them. (Rikku: XD) "Of course I made breakfast." I smiled. "Who else is frying eggs for your pleasure?"

Yoh laughed. "Gomen, I just never knew you could cook up something that smells this good."

"Neither did I." I admitted without getting offended by the shaman's comment. "I guess I just never had the chance to do this before."

"Well, I'm glad you did." Yoh complimented. "I'm gonna go call the others up, okay?"

"Okay." I replied, watching Yoh as he left the room. "I'd like that..."

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"What smells so good?" Pirika questioned. She had been staying overnight very often ever since Horo officially moved in to... ahem... get closer to me.

"Miho cooked!" Yoh exclaimed, as he took the same seat as before.

Horo took the seat on Yoh's right. "There's still so much I have to learn about you, Miho."

"You'll probably be learning a lot more about yours truly now that we're- uh..." I had almost forgotten that the others were seated around the table too. "Yeah... anyways..."

Horo blushed for a second, before getting up to help me set the plates. (Rikku: Awwww, what a boyfriend!) It was not until everyone- Yoh, Horo, Pirika and I- were settled when I realised that two certain people were missing. "Um... where are Anna and Tamao?"

Yoh opened his mouth to explain until Amidamaru appeared and cut in. "Well, you see, Anna-sama had refused to come and-"

"Tamao went back to visit Yohmei-sensei." Yoh finished.

"Interesting..." I said, lost in thought. Strange... what had happened while I was gone to make Tamao leave?

"Where's Ren?" Horo asked, his cheeks stuffed with food. It was these words that immediately woke me up from my state.

"Oh... he left last night." Pirika sighed. "He said he didn't feel very well..."

"I see..." I frowned. I looked to Horo with soft eyes, fortunately he didn't see me. What was happening to us? I suddenly, pulled myself to my feet. "Um... I'll be right back."

I made my way to the hall without looking back. Refusing to coop myself up in my bedroom like I usually do, I headed for Anna's room instead.

I politely knocked on the door and awaited an answer. Anna finally slid the door open. "Something you need?"

"I just wanted to talk... for old time's sake.." I smiled. "Things aren't the same as they were in our childhood... we were a lot tight before. What happened?"

Anna sighed and took a step back, allowing me to walk in. She closed the door tight and turned to give me a stern look. "We're all older now... we're almost adults... things change as we grow old."

"But I can't help but think that... maybe it was my fault."

"How?"

"If I hadn't left, things wouldn't have changed between us three- you, me and Yoh." I smirked. "Except that I'd be already married to some rich guy 10 years older than me... but-"

"No, you'd rather risk our friendship than let that happen. I know you-"

"Yeah, well what happened to trust? It's not just me but your drifting away from everyone- especially Yoh."

"That's none of your concern." Anna replied.

I ignored the comment. "If you didn't like him, you wouldn't have sticked to the relationship. Stop lying to yourself. What is pulling you away from Yoh? Why can't you show him the least bit of affection?"

"How will I know if he feels the same way?" Anna demanded. "What if-"

"He does." I interjected once again. "He just wants to be sure you share the same feelings, and there's no way he'll know if you don't show him!"

"How would you know?" Anna inquired, bitterly.

"Because I haven't turned my back on him! ...Not like you."

"Who says...." Anna's voice suddenly trailed off.

I sighed. "Gomen nasai (sorry)... I didn't mean to..."

"Iie (no)... maybe... you'r right. I want to be with Yoh... but we have... issues." Anna frowned.

"That..." I grinned. "I can fix."

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This was my one chance to finally order Anna around. How could I possibly skip this once in a life time experience?

"Step 1." I instructed. "Make conversation. That's how I started getting along with Horo- and look how we turned out."

"Yeah, but do I really have to be that lovesick?" said Anna as she took a seat by the dining table.

I paced up and down the room like an actual teacher. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Now, we won't have a lot of time before the guys return from Manta's place."

"And where's Pirika?"

"I'm over here!" a familiar voice suddenly called. Pirika walked in with a cheerful smile. "What's going on?"

"Well, I'm walking Anna through the whole love experience thing, want some advice with Ren?"

"Sure!" Pirika cried, rushing to an empty seat.

'Good...' I thought. 'I really need Ren to move on from me and to you... I know I've hurt him already, but maybe... this will make up for it- should he chose to fall for you...'

"Trust me with this." I smirked. "Seeing as how I'm the only one with a working relationship..."

"Miho..." Anna warned me with a glare.

"Right... sorry." I chuckled. "Like I was saying, make as much conversation as possible. Don't let him walk away. This should be roughly easy for you, Anna... but Pirika, don't take 'no' as an answer."

Pirika nodded as all this information sucked into her brain- I could tell. ;) Anna, however, watched me non-chalantly.

"Next up. Start getting friendly with him. Soon enough, he'll ask you out to the fair, get himself hit by a car to save you and you two will be falling for each other by his hospital bed!"

Pirika and Anna stared at me wide-eyed.

"I'm kidding!" I laughed. "But the truth is, once you two realize how much you two have in common- thanks to communication- he'll start getting friendly with you and eventually ask you out to a friendly get-together... sorta like... A DATE!"

"You really think?" Pirika inquired, anxiously.

Anna sighed in frustration.

"A successful relationship consists on many factors," I continued. "First of all, trust is the most important of them all..."

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Anna had agreed to try my instructions out on Yoh- the reason being to shut me up and leave her alone. We welcomed the boys back with a well cooked dinner and as we settled by the dining table, I nudged Anna to make her move.

"C'mon!" I urged.

"Not now..." Anna blushed.

"What is this? Highschool?" I sighed. "You two have an arranged marriage and you live together- why in Kami-sama's (God's) name are you nervous?"

Anna glared at me. "True, but like you said before. I've never showed him actual affection..."

"Well then here's your chance. If you're gonna talk, talk about your relationship, going out... you know."

"Um... Anna? Miho?"

We looked up- or down- at the source of the voice. "What's going on?" asked Manta.

It was then that we realised everyone at the table was watching us questioningly. "Um... nothing... honestly." I replied, chuckling nervously. I nudged Anna -hard- one more time, forcing her to get up.

"Um... Yoh?" It was the first time in ages, I had ever seen Anna get nervous OR blush that many shades of red. "Can we... um... talk?"

Yoh looked confused for a second until he nodded. "Sure... okay."

I watched him follow Anna out to the living room with a satisfied smile. Pirika giggled with a sense of knowing as Horo and Manta stared at us in confusion.

"Um... Miho?" Horo looked to me with a lost expression.

I chuckled. "Relax, I'll tell ya."

I got to my feet and pulled Horo up by his hand, leading him to the far corner of the room. "Listen." I began once we were out of earshot. "Pirika and I are trying to push Anna closer to Yoh. You know how the two are."

"Yeah..." Horo agreed, grinning.

"I've been telling Anna how to make her relationship work, but this is all hush-hush because we don't want Yoh to know we're meddling in his love life."

"But you could tell me?"

"Well..." I blushed. "I trust you..."

"Oh..." Horo smirked, also blushing.

"But... we still don't know how open Anna's willing to get."

"Well, Yoh IS pretty smooth with the girls..."

"Tamao?"

"Yup."

"You know about that too?" I inquired.

"It's actually quite noticeable. I'm still surprised Yoh hasn't realised it yet."

I sighed. "I wish I could help her but..."

"Anna?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, no one's expecting you to play matchmaker..."

"Guys?"

We turned to look at Pirika who had called us. Anna and Yoh had returned to the table. "Right..." I grinned, returning to the table with Horo following suit closely behind me. As I sat down I noticed that Yoh's eyes had lost their enthusiam...

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I shut the door of my room letting out a long sigh.

Horo, who I had just let in, looked at me sympathetically. "No one blames you."

"But I wanted so bad to help them out... what could have happened to them?"

Horo walked over to me and placed his hands on my shoulders reassuringly. "Whatever happened during that talk isn't your fault. They have issues. What can I say? Their not like us."

I chuckled at his conceited comment. "I guess not... but it wouldn't hurt if they were."

..:::Silence:::..

"Anna?"

Horo and I stared wide-eyed at each for a second before we rushed to the door. "That was Yoh right?" I questioned in a whisper.

"I think so." replied Horo.

I quickly slid the door open a tiny slit to spy, and Horo, being a bit taller than I, held my waist from behind me and watched above my head.

We watched as Yoh, half-asleep watched Anna's back, awaiting an answer. She suddenly turned around. "Hai?"

Yoh shook his head as a blush brighten his cheeks. "I was just thinking-"

"I'm sorry I bothered you..." Anna interjected.

"I was just a bit surprised. I mean... here I thought you hated me."

"No... I'm so sorry Yoh..."

Yoh smiled and walked toward Anna. "Don't be, I-" Yoh's sentence trailed off as he suddenly collapsed in Anna's arm.

I sighed. "He's asleep!"

Anna looked a bit shocked before her eyes calmed and she held Yoh closer to her. "Goodnight Yoh..."

Smiling, I withdrew from the door and shut it tight.

"Hey!" Horo complained.

"I did my share..." I whispered. "The rest is up to them."

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Rikku: Yay! I finished! I never thought I could actually think up any moments for the two, but this will work.

Please review with any suggestions, comments, anything!

Dewa Mata!

x-Rikku-x