Note: Besides the little flash back line of the previous chapter, the rest of the italics are song lyrics which isn't that much... Oh man... I was hopping I'd have one chapter without a note!
Chapter 7- Sweet Valentine part 3
"Shut up. Just shut up Ren!" Pirika yelled and turned to run off when Ren caught her by her arm, swung her over and gently pressed his lips on her's.
There was silence... Anna sighed. Did Hao really mean it when he asked her to meet him at the park at 5? It was probably just another trick or prank boys play when they know that a girl wants him badly or something. But what happens if he did mean it? And if she doesn't go, he would be a fool to just be waiting for her in the park... Or it could be vise versa with her being the fool. Anna sighed with frustration... If only Yoh had that four leaf clover mark instead of Hao... She really liked Yoh... He was always so carefree and funny... Not to mention nice and gentle. Oh what should she do? She pretty much rolled off the bed with frustration. She shook her head, got up and walked to her radio.
Music always helped her when she was stuck in something or when she is down. For some reason, it always played the right songs. She flipped her radio on and sat down on her bed, listening to the music. She blinked a few times before finally remembering what the song was.
It was... Find Your Love Today... Something like that... As Anna hummed along with the song, all her worries and troubles disappeared. Music can really help when you're down...
Don't be afraid, You'll find your love today...
Searching everywhere,
A lot of sunshines waiting for you.
Don't be afraid,
You'll find your love one day.
Tell me that you'll do your best for me, I believe in your faith.
I can see, a burning flame...
It is your future waiting for you...
Hold my hands, and give me your word.
Believe in what you do and you will be... O...K!
Hey, you've got the way!
At this point... Anna sang along with the song.
I'll be ok. You'll find your love today.
Searching everywhere,
A lot of sunshines waiting for you.
Don't be afraid,
You'll find your love one day.
Tell me that you'll do your best for me, I believe in your faith.
Anna sighed when the song was over... She waited for the next song to come on. It was a new one so she had no clue what it was called. She just stayed silent and listened to it...
Got introduced to you by a friend...
You were cute and all that,
Baby you set the trend, Yes you did.
The next thing you know, we're down at the cinema.
We're sitting there and you start kissing me,
What's that about?
Moving too fast, I don't understand you...
I'm not ready yet, Baby I can't pretend.
No I can't.
Best I can do, is tell you to talk to me.
It's impossible, but eventually, love will find a way...
Don't say you love,
You don't even know me.
If you really want me,
Then give me some time.
Don't go there baby,
Not before I'm ready.
Don't say your hearts in a hurry,
Sounds like we're going to get married.
Give me, give me,
Some time...
Anna jumped when there was a knock on the door.
"Anna, are you in there?" It was Tamao.
"Yah, come on in." Anna said as she flipped off her radio.
"Hey, did you see Pirika yet?" Tamao asked as she walked in. Anna shook her head. "I'm worried about her."
"She'll be fine." Anna told her. "She's Pirika remember? If she is in trouble, don't you think we would have heard her scream even if we are in China?" Tamao giggled.
"True..." She said but frowned. "But what's with you? You look pretty down." Anna shrugged.
"Oh it's nothing. Was just thinking that's all." She told her friend with a small smile. "Life pretty confusing right now... That's all." Tamao smiled.
"I know what you mean." She said quietly and turned. "Well, I have things to do. Well Pirika does but since she's not here..." Tamao let out a sigh and sniffed, pretending to cry. "I have to do her chores for her." Anna laughed.
"Good luck with that. I can't help. I got things to do myself." She told her. Tamao nodded.
"Well, see you. I'll probably be dead by the time you are done with whatever you have to see." She laughed and rushed off. Anna smiled and sighed. There was still that decision to make... The phone rang, making Anna jump.
"I'll get it!" Anna yelled, Tamao had enough things to do anyway. "Hello?" Anna asked as she picked up the receiver. "This is Anna speaking."
"Anna?" Anna blinked. This voice sounds VERY familiar... But who is it? "It's me, Hao." Anna's heart skipped a beat.
"Oh... H-Hey, Hao." She said quietly. "Ummm, how did you get my number?"
"I have my sources." Hao simply told her.
"I see..." Anna muttered. "So ummm... What's up?"
"Oh I was just calling to remind you that we are meeting each other in the park in..." Hao looked at the clock on the wall. "Well 15 minutes. You are going to go aren't you?" Anna stayed silent. Was this a plan to just trick her into thinking that he was going to be there?
"Anna?" Anna blinked, snapping back.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about something." She told him. "umm, yah. I'll be there..." Hao smiled.
"Great, I'll see you there then." He told her and hung up. Anna stared at the receiver in her hand. Was this really happening?
Silence... That was all that could be heard... Pirika's eyes widened as she stared at Ren. What had just happened?
"There's your answer." Ren told her, breaking the silence. He face was pretty pink but he didn't turn away. Pirika was speechless. She just stared back into Ren's calm golden eyes that also seem to be calming her down at the same time. Again... there was silence.
"Is... Is that how you feel about me?" Pirika asked quietly, breaking the silence. Ren nodded slowly and silently. Pirika looked down at the ground, blush rising to her cheeks. "Sou Ka..." She muttered.
"It's getting late, we should go." Ren muttered, taking her hand and leading her out. He paused a few minutes later.
"Pirika..." He slowly muttered. Pirika blinked, asking him mentally what was wrong. "Do not ever tell anyone that I was in there. Ever." Pirika giggled.
"I'll just tell Onii-Chan." She told him. Ren turned and gave her a 'your kidding right?' look and Pirika laughed. She knew Horo would forever tease Ren and never let that go.
"Don't worry. I won't say a word." She told him with a smile. "Well, if you treat me to ice cream then I won't say anything." Ren sighed but smiled.
"Fine, let's go." He told her as they walked hand in hand out the school.
Anna walked slowly to the park, taking her time. If Hao wasn't there, she could just say she was taking a walk... A slow one but a walk. And if he was there, well she could just say she was busy trying to find Pirika and lost track of time. She WAS trying to find Pirika after all... But... well just kept track of time instead of losing track of time. She looked around as she walked, almost getting crashed by a car but she still made it to the park alive and well. She walked to the middle of the park. There was a huge fountain in the middle of the park and Anna walked over to look in it. She was a bit surprised to find a few fishes swimming around.
"Cool..." She muttered with a small smile. she tapped her chin. How in the world could they survive in there anyway? It's not like anyone feeds them... So why are they... Oh forget it. She shook her head. Thinking about things like this will make your head explode. She smiled and got up and continued walking. She didn't walk far until she heard someone calling her Matamune. She turned to see Hao run up to her.
"Dam, never in my life did I ever have to run after a girl." Hao told her with a laugh. Anna smiled a little and giggled a bit.
"Hey Hao." She said quietly.
"Sorry, I'm a bit late. I had to convince Yoh to help me with something." Hao said and then rolled his eyes. "You can not believe how easy and then at the same time hard, it is to convince Yoh to do something."
"Oh... I don't think so..." Anna said thinking up of a few ways instantly. "Try threatening him that if he doesn't do it, you would throw away all the oranges or something." Hao laughed but shook his head.
"Believe it or not, I tried it and it didn't work." He told her. Anna blinked.
"Your kidding..." She muttered. Hao shook his head.
"Yoh had all the oranges hidden in his room. So even if I do throw them out, he probably has a whole dozen of them in his room somewhere." He told her and shook his head. "Normally I could call this smart but I had to remind myself that this is Yoh we're talking about." Anna laughed gently.
"True..." She muttered.
"Anyway, come on." Hao said as he turned. Anna blinked.
"Come on where?" She asked.
"I'll show you, just come on." He told her. Anna blinked but followed.
"Umi..." Anna muttered. Hao nodded and smiled.
"Ah..." He muttered quietly.
"Why did you take me here anyway?" Anna asked him. Hao shrugged.
"It felt like it was the best place to take you." He told her. Anna nodded slowly.
"It's nice..." She looked out to sea, watching the waves crash onto the sand with such grace but at the same time, with such force.
"You haven't had much time to tour around this place have you?" Hao asked her. Anna shook her head.
"Not really. I have been worried about school and everything that I didn't have much time." She told him. Hao smiled.
"Well you busy now?" He asked. Anna blinked and shook her head. "Good. Come on." Hao took her hand to lead her around. Anna blushed. What about Mari? If she finds out or sees them, she wouldn't be happy...
"And this is the movie theater as you can see from all the movie posters." Hao told her as they continued their tour.
"Wow... Its' umm... big." Anna muttered.
"Yah, it is." Hao said smiling.
"What's over there?" Anna asked pointing to a street that lead to huge houses.
"Oh... That's just... houses." Hao told her.
"So big?" Anna blinked. It was definitely huge. WAY bigger then the one she, Tamao and Pirika were living in.
"Yah..." Hao muttered.
"Come on. I wanna check them out." Anna said rushing off. Hao blinked.
"Wait! Anna! Wait up!" He yelled running after her. "Seriously. I have never ran after a girl before... Girls run after me..." He muttered to himself.
"Wow... They are not big but huge..." Anna muttered as she walked down the streets. Hao walked by her side but didn't say anything. Anna looked at Hao. "What's wrong?" She asked. Was she being too childish and excited about a bunch of big houses? He probably thought she was a freak or something... Word on the street is that Hao comes from a rich family so he probably lives in a huge house as well...
"Nothing." Hao told her. Anna was sure he was lying but didn't bother to dig any deeper. She just continued walking and stopped when she came across a familiar Matamune.
"Asakura..." She muttered and looked at Hao who just stood there. "You live here?" She asked pointing to a rather huge house.
"Yah..." Hao simply told her. "Now... umm can we go?" Before Anna could answer, the door opened and a tall and beautiful woman with long black hair walked out.
"Oh Hao! There you are." She said giving him a hug. "Where were you? I was so worried about you. Are you alright?"
"Yes mother... I am fine." Hao muttered struggling to get away form his mother. He didn't seem too happy seeing her however. He seems annoyed actually. Anna blinked. This beautiful woman was Hao's mom! The woman released Hao and turned to Anna with a warm smile.
"Well hello there. Are you here to have my autograph?" She asked. Anna blinked.
"Uh..." She had no idea how to answer her. Luckily, Hao stepped in.
"She's a friend of mine mother." He told her. "This is Anna." Anna looked up at Hao's mom with a small smile.
"Hello." She said quietly.
"Why hello. Forgive me for not knowing. I am Hao and Yoh's mother. You may call me Keiko. Everyone does." She said with a smile.
"Nice to meet you Keiko." Anna said, returning the smile.
"I have never seen you before. Are you new here?" Keiko asked. Anna nodded.
"I just moved her a few weeks ago." She told her.
"Oh I see." Keiko said nodding. There was a beep sound and Keiko dug into her bag and pulled out a mini palm pilot.
"Oh dear... That's my cue to get going. I have head shots to take at the studio." She said with a sorry smile. "I wish we could talk more dear but I really must run now." She gave Hao a small kiss on the cheeks before rushing to her car. A man was standing by the car door. He gave Hao a hard look before getting in and drove off. Anna blinked. What was all that about?
The car stopped half way and pulled back. The window rolled down and Keiko turned to them.
"Oh and Hao. Please do not sneak out again. You have to watch Matamune." She told Hao who groaned with annoyance.
"Why can't Yoh watch him? I'm busy..." He asked.
"You know how Yoh is." Keiko told him. "And plus, he is your cat after all."
"You wanted to buy him fro the pet store in the first place mother." Hao snapped back. "I never said anything about owning a cat. And plus, I am with a friend right now." Keiko's face looked kind of hurt.
"Hao, you will do as you are told." The man behind the wheels commanded. Hao looked at him with a look.
"And if I don't?" He asked. The man glared at him.
"Please Hao. Just watch him ok? I am really late and must run off now." Keiko said rolling up the window again and drove off. Anna watched them drive off and then looked at Hao who was definitely not happy. Who was that man and why wasn't Hao happy with talking to his mother... Not to mention about this... Cat... Was that why he asked her to meet him at the park and took her for a tour? Because he wanted to use her as an excuse to not baby-it some cat? Hao let out a small sigh and turned to her.
"Sorry about that... My father is always like that." He muttered quietly. Anna blinked. That man was Hao's father! "If you haven't noticed already, me and my dad aren't really birds of a feather." Anna stayed silent. "Do you mind staying?" Hao asked as he turned to walk inside his house. "It gets pretty boring with Yoh asleep and your alone baby sitting after a cat." Anna blinked. This was a free invite to go inside Hao's house and spend more time with him! This might be what she needs to get to know him better! She nodded and silently followed Hao into the house.
"Make yourself at home Anna while I go to the kitchen to get you something to drink." Hao told her as he walked off to the kitchen. Anna sat down on the sofa which was VERY soft and comfortable may I add, and froze when she heard a small purring sound. She slowly turned to her to see a small yellowish cat with black stripes. It looked up at her with a small meow. It then got up, stretched and walked towards her.
"Nice kitty... Nice kitty cat..." Anna said in a quiet voice. "Leave Anna alone now..." She heard a laugh and turned to see Hao walking in with a small trey in his hands.
"Matamune won't hurt you. He's harmless." Hao told her as he put down the trey and sat down next to her. He picked up Matamune and placed him on his lap. Matamune purred as Hao stroked him. Anna watched him with a small smile. Hao was pretty gentle at times... When he wants to be...
"So... who named him anyway?" Anna asked as she poured herself some tea.
"Okaa-San." Hao simply told her. He didn't seem that happy talking about his family much though. The only person he was ok talking about was Yoh. Anna wondered why but didn't' rub it in. She should avoid all family questions until Hao was ready to talk about them. Matamune jumped onto Anna's lap who yelped a little. Hao laughed.
"Not a cat person I see." He teased. Anna made a face.
"I don't hang out much around animals that's why." Anna told him.
"Well you better get use to it because the last time someone as in total stranger to Matamune was in here, it took about an hour or so to pry Matamune's off of them." Hao told her. Anna's eyes widened.
"Nu-uh." Anna said shaking her head. "This is my favorite skirt and I don't want some cat clawing it." Hao laughed.
"Calm down. It doesn't always happen but Matamune will start following you and hanging around you more to get to know you." He explained. "Which reminds me." Anna blinked. Reminds? How he said it.. Sounded either A, dangerous or B, important. "That was the reason why I called you out."
"Huh?" Anna blinked. What?
"I wanted to get to know you more." Hao told her and slowly sipped his tea.
"Why would you want to get to know me?" She asked him, watching his every move.
"No special reason." Hao told her. "I just find you interesting." Anna blinked and blushed a bit. He said that he thought she was interesting. It could mean anything. He could find her volleyball skills interesting or something else entirely.
"What do you mean by that?" Anna asked slowly stroking Matamune.
"I think you know." Hao told her as he sipped his tea again. Anna was speechless. Does he really like her?
"Oh..." Anna replied quietly.
"It's a nice day out, mind if we take a walk around the gardens?" Hao asked getting up. Anna smiled and shook her head.
"I've been wanting to explore this place anyway." She said as she got up. For now, she will just brush the question about whither he likes her or not away and just enjoy the time they have together. This was probably the closest she will ever get to him anyway.
Matamune followed her outside and soon left them alone to chase after butterflies. Anna poked a petal of a red rose and watched butterflies fly around.
"The flowers are beautiful." She said softly.
"Ah... I know." Hao said from behind her. He took a seat on the grass and laid down. He smiled, looking up at the clouds floating around above him. "Anna, have you ever wondered who sent you the rose?" Anna blinked and looked at him. How did he know about that?
"I guess you are wondering how I know about the rose huh?" Hao asked. Anna nodded.
"It's rather obvious Anna." Anna blinked.
"You... Sent me the rose?" She asked. Hao smiled and nodded. Anna blushed again. "H-How come?" Hao blinked and looked at her. Again, the answer was pretty obvious. "I mean, isn't Mari..." Hao laughed.
"You thought Mari was my girlfriend?" He asked her. Anna looked down at the ground and nodded. Hao chuckled.
"Nah..." He told her. "Mari use to be..." Anna blinked. "She's my ex-girlfriend now."
"Ex?" Anna asked. Hao nodded.
"We broke up a few weeks before you moved here. Actually a week before you moved here." He told her.
"Oh..." She muttered. Hao smiled.
"So you never really questioned? You just took the rose?" He asked her. Anna nodded. Hao laughed again. "You are so carefree sometimes. Just like my Otouto." Anna's flush reddened.
"You mean that in a good or bad way?" She asked him. Hao smiled.
"Good of course." He told her. Anna let out a small sigh. Hao blinked.
"Being compared with Yoh sometimes is not a good thing." Anan explained. Hao chuckled.
"I know. I'm his twin remember?" He told her with a small laugh and looked at the sky. "It's getting late. I better bring you home." He tried to get up and plopped back down again. "I really hate it when Coach makes us do too many sit ups." Anna laughed and tried to pull Hao up. It took some time but Hao finally got up. Anna laughed and plopped down on the ground.
"Now I can't get up!" She whined. Hao laughed and picked her up, making her blush again.
"Then I'll carry you home." He told her and walked off. As he walked he smiled down at Anna, who had her arms around him neck, her blush never leaving her cheeks.
"You are cute when you blush you know that?" He asked and Anna blushed a bit harder. "But you are also heavier then you look." Anna made a face.
"Well think of it as another training exercise Coach gave you." She told him. Hao laughed.
"I can't compare you with that. I hate Coach's exercises but I don't hate you." He told her. Anna let out a small giggle and told Hao to put her down... Of course being Hao, and never doing what he is told, he didn't. Anna started laughing and finally, Hao put her down, both collapsing on the grass. One from laughing too much and the other form losing his strength.
A shadow watched from the room above them. Yoh sighed with disappointment. His brother got to her first... Bummer... He had really wished to get to Anna before his twin did. Hao always got to the girls before he did... Most of the girls Hao chose were Yoh's crushes... Won't there ever be a chance when he can have a girl that Hao can't steal away? He frowned watching the two run off, Hao chasing after Anna. How he envied his brother sometimes.
The doorbell rang and Tamao rushed to the door to open it. When she opened the door, no one was there. She blinked and looked out.
"Hello?" She asked to no one in particular. She blinked and was about to close the door when she saw a small wrapped box on the door step. She blinked and picked it up. The tag didn't say anything about who it was from. It just said who it was for... She flicked open the card that was attached to it.
Tamao,
Hey, Happy Valentines Day. I didn't really have time to give you this seeing how I almost went to the hospital because of Macchi and all. I hope you like the chocolates! And again, Happy Valentines Day.
Love, Horo
Tamao blushed as she read it over again. She smiled and opened the box. "That was sweet of Horo." She thought as she closed the door. She kissed the letter and giggled a bit. "Love you too Horo." She said quietly.
Ahhhhhhhhh! KAWAII! Well... sort of... So now... here are the current pairings... HaoxAnna, YohxAnna since he was jealous of his brother for getting to Anna first, RenxPirika who are now a couple! Yay! And finally HoroxTamao... I'm working on making them a couple... calm down... I forgot to mention, Hao and Anna are not really a couple yet. I'm working on that part too. Anyway, the song part... I heard these songs on a show I watched and it kind of fits this situation so I added it... For all you that want to know, Hao/Yoh's mother is a movie star and their father... Well he's a... Well no clue. He is just... Oh forget him. Just know that the Asakura family is rich and of course, so is the Tao family. For those who have no clue who Matamune, Matamune is the cat who betrayed Hao... He is now still Hao's cat... But just a regular cat... and there is no betraying what so ever for the cat. Wait till you all read the next chapter... or chapters... depending on how long I plan to make it. It takes place during spring break in April... I call the chapter... or chapters Dare Night. Yoh and Hao's parents are out attending business and won't be home until next week so the boys invite the girls over for a party... The girls were playing truth or dare when Hao walked in to ask them to join his game. Muhahahaha. I will be adding so much trouble and romance in this chapter! Muhahahaha. Anyway, they will be doing dares all night long... Hence the title, Dare Night. Some have to do with kissing and some don't. Just know this... I plan to make it extreme... Or... well at least try to. Nothing like Fear Factor though so calm down. They won't be eating bugs. It's just plain teenage fun... Hao's version. And you know what that means...
Wild Stallion: Muhahaha! Be mad my friend! Be very mad! lol. And yes, I am dropping hints... On all of the characters actually. Not just Horo and Tamao...
Vash: I'll try to add some YohxAnna in... somehow since Yoh is trying to win Anna's heart as well.
Kay: Thanks for always loving it! Here's an update! And wait till you read the next few chapters! Well when I put it up that is... Muhahaha, I have a feeling you will love the Dare Night chapter.
pendulum-swing: Mostly HaoxAnna but it will start getting spirally. Anna still has feelings for Yoh remember that!
sweet-but-evil: Thanks for the correction. As for your reward! Here's an update!
hannah-asakura: Gasp! I am mean! Ok just for that! No more YohxAnna for you! Muhahaha, j/k
Asakihe: Thanks, the story loves you too lol. Here's an update!
CherryBlossomGirl02: Sorry! This chapter isn't really YohxAnna... Unless you count the part where Yoh admits that he likes Anna and envies his brother... I'm working on some YohxAnna though...
Kariisme: I plan to make Manta funny not annoying so you don't have to worry about it. I don't think I will be mentioning him much though. Anyway, here's an update!