I can't guarantee that there will be a quick update after this either. In the past week we've had an accidental death in the family and found out that my uncle, who is in Israel on business, may be stuck there for awhile due to the recent happenings between Israel and Lebanon, depending on what happens in the next few hours. The only reason I'm even writing right now is because I need to find some point of focus. So... here goes nothing.
Also, HoroHoro might be a bit (or a lot...) ooc. Anna's kind of borderline ooc. Just please don't kill me for it or anything.
TranslucentBy Bunny-Chan
Chapter Three
Pirika hummed a spirited tune to herself as she prepared dinner. It was her turn tonight, and though she felt far too tired at the moment to focus on cooking anything other than onigiri, she still found herself able to enjoy the process.
She could hear her brother in the other room, along with a noise that indicated he was most likely jumping on the bed.
"Hn, leave it it to Onii-chan." She smirked, waiting to hear him fall to the floor. When she heard the tell-tale crash, she moved the rice out from under the faucet to drain.
"What did you think of the new girl, Onii-chan?" She called out. There was a moment of silence.
"Um... She seemed... nice?"
Is he stammering...?
"She was so quiet though. She seemed rather as if she didn't like us. I bet she's a snob."
"Well she's new! She's probably just nervous."
Is he defending her? Haha, he is! I knew it! She had brought up the subject of Anna for a reason. When Tamao (who had been the one, shockingly, to brazenly introduce them all) pointed out HoroHoro to the new girl, he had stared unblinkingly for a few minutes before beginning to turn a light shade of red.
She was enough of an expert on HoroHoro's reactions and (admittedly onlyafter romantic novels galore read in her pursuits of the ever-cute Tao Ren, who she had managed to snag) she considered herself a bit of an expert on love.
And thus, after a day's careful contemplation, she decided to bring up the subject and see where it went. Sure, she'd had to fight the instinct in her that told her not to settle for sharing her big brother with another girl, but she also felt a bit proud of him.
HoroHoro was cute and slightly charming in his own way, but he'd never had a girlfriend. He wasn't the most intelligent of boys, and he was quite borderline-immature, which seemed to push away any girls who would have been otherwise interested. He seemed to be the kind of boy who is a great friend, but not a good boyfriend. Not that he took it to heart, of course. He'd never asked a girl out and, as far as Pirika could tell, seemed content to remain "the friend".
She thought it was cute that he seemed to almost immediately fall for the mysterious girl who'd joined them earlier that day.
She smiled and continued her questioning.
"She's so gorgeous, isn't she? She must be the prettiest girl in our school!"
Silence.
"I-uh-eh-I..." More Silence. "Well, I didn't really notice."
She snuck to the doorway and peeked in to see HoroHoro turning bright red.
"AHA! LIAR!" Pirika pounced on him and started pinching his cheeks- the average sister reaction. "Oniichan's in love, Oniichan's in love, Oniichan's in loooooooove"
"I AM NOT!"
"I thought I told you to leave me alone!" Anna growled.
Once again, Yoh was by her side, talking to her nonstop.
"You have to understand though! You're the first person I've met since all the others left! I've been alone for years. You're my first friend!" He emphasized the word 'friend' as if it was a title she should be extremely proud of.
Anna spun around to glare at him.
"I am NOT your friend! Leave me the hell alone!" Yoh winced, but persisted. He was on the edge of desperation. He'd craved contact for too long.
"I'll leave you alone on one condition."
"What!" She snapped, throwing the manga she had been attmpting to read at his transparent form. It soared through him, landing on the floor behind. For a moment, a look of pain crossed his face and, again, she felt a flash of guilt.
She didn't want to hurt anyone.
She just wanted to be left alone. She sighed. She did not apologize, but lowered her voice.
"What do you want?"
"I... want you to find out how I died."
"Don't you know?" Anna had met confused spirits before, but they were usually on the brink of madness. She had never met a ghost who knew they were dead, but who did not know why. Especially a ghost such as Yoh, who had been dead for at least ten years, based on some of the things he'd said to her. He looked down, his usual image of complete happiness shattered. He looked almost... lost.
"I don't... know anything about my life. Or my death." He looked his new "roommate" in the eyes. "I just know that I am here for a reason. I have to know that reason before I can move on."
"..." Anna tried her best to look uninterested. She would have no idea where to start, for one. And for two, her time was better spent toward her own well-being, and her studies. "I really don't think-" Before she could finish, Yoh stepped forward and put both hands on her shoulders. He knew she could not feel him physically, but their auras were mingling and she would be able to feel his need through it.
"Please. You're the only one who has ever been able to see me. You might be my last chance. I can't pick up any papers here. I can't look through things. I can't talk to people. I have nothing, Anna." It was the first time he had used her name. She didn't know he knew it even. When she heard it, her eyes widened a little, and she felt herself giving up the act.
"Fine." She muttered. The look of sadness on Yoh's face was replaced with one of sheer ecstasy.
"You mean you'll really do it! Oh thank you so much!" In his excitement, he once again made the mistake of trying to tackle-hug her and fell unceremoniously to the floor.
"Don't get too excited. I'm only doing it to get rid of you." She said with a huff, before walking away.
Yoh smiled.
Maybe, just maybe, things will turn out okay afterall. And maybe I won't need to leave. Maybe.
"Remember, Oniichan, don't try to fake anything. If you act yourself now, she won't be disappointed later" Pirika had joked after finally convincing HoroHoro that the best thing to do would be ask Anna if he could show her around the city.
It was simple, not a date (at least Pirika swore it wasn't), and he would be able to get to know her better.
So afterschool, he found himself rushing to catch up with Anna. When he finally did, he only had time to tap her shoulder before falling over from sheer exhaustion.
"Konichgaspiwagasp Kyougaspyamagasp-Chan." He laid on the ground panting for what seemed like too long and Anna raised an eyebrow.
"Are you alright, HohoHoro-Kun?" The blue-haired boy was one of the group she'd begun eating lunch with in the afternoons.
Granted, she hated being around people, but she was starting to warm up to them day-by-day. She'd never spoken with this boy though, and didn't have the slightest idea of what he could want.
He shot up off the ground, still panting slightly.
"Yeah, of course I am!" He coughed and straightened himself. "What I wanted to ask you is..." Complete silence. His mouth hung open and he looked like he was on the verge of continuing.
"... Yes...?"
"CanIshowyouaroundTokyosometimebecauseyou'renewhereandprobablyhaven'tseenmuchyet!"
Show me around Tokyo...?
"I guess it couldn't hurt..."
HoroHoro looked shocked for a moment, and then his mouth spread into a huge grin.
"Okay!" He scribbled some numbers on a piece of paper and handed it to her and then turned as if to walk away.
"Just call me sometime when you're free! The area around here is a lot of fun, I promise."
"Alright." She said. She hadn't shown much interest in the idea, which had thrown him off slightly, but he decided to not worry about that. "And HoroHoro-Kun?" He turned his head to look back at her.
"Yeah?"
"You might want to work on your presentation. That was pathetic." He turned red and watched her walk away.
Dammit. But at least it was worth it! He skipped and sang all the way home, ignoring the frightened stares of people who were sure he must be an escaped mental patient. This will be perfect!
A/N: Well... if that didn't suck, I'd be pretty proud of it. Then again, I think it was the quickest chapter I've written in my life for any story.
So, I'm sorry if it doesn't impress. I kind of don't expect it to... but reviews would still be quite appreciated.
Replies to the Reviewersjadedestiny: Well, I've been trying, but senior year was just so crazy and it was hard to find time to spend on fanfiction... I don't think any fanfic would be complete without an Anna-punch, lmao, so yeah, there'll be a few. But Tamao won't be falling for Yoh at all, sorry. She can't see him (because I'm planning one more character that can, and if everyone would, then everything would be chaos), and I don't really feel like using that part of the show's storyline would add much to this fanfic, which I was hoping to make on the short side (and is now turning out chapters more than I wanted it to...).
notnow: Yeah, I'm sorry about the Tamao ooc... I've never used her in a story before, and she seemed to me like the most likely of the group to be kind enough to invite someone to join them and make the introductions... So I kind of lost her at that point.
Kute Anime Kitty: Such is Yoh's luck, lol. I always feel bad for making him unhappy though. I can just picture him all cute and pouty and sad.
