Bend and Break

As darkness blanketed most of the sky, red orange ripples from the sun began to pierce the horizon. A gentle gust of wind stirred nearby trees and grass. Blond strands tickled her shoulder slightly as the air pushed them around, and a chill ran through her limbs as small goose bumps blistered over her skin. She didn't open her eyes despite the fact she was cold, and she pulled her knees forward slowly before hitting his leg. He was lying on his back in the grass with one of his arms securely placed around her shoulders. His chest had become her pillow for several hours, and she breathed gently as his steady heartbeat vibrated through her ears. After the wind began to pick up in pace, he slowly opened his eyes. His hair blocked most of his view of the sky, but he didn't move from his position, and he blinked slowly a few times before scratching his head with his free hand. As if by some trigger, she awoke from her slumber as well and stared at her hand that had been rested flat on his shoulder.

"It's almost morning," he whispered hazily without moving.

She didn't respond and slowly sat upright, placing one hand on her knee and the other in the grass.

"I don't even remember falling asleep," he added with a giggle.

He sat up and leaned his back against the base of the large tree they had been sleeping under and noticed she wasn't smiling.

"What's wrong, Anna?" He asked softly.

She surveyed their surroundings silently and didn't reply.

"Do you remember how we got here?" He asked without expecting an answer.

"I wanted to know if you could see or hear the spirits," she replied weakly.

The hill was extremely steep from where they were sitting, and he stared at the cemetery below with a frown.

"I remember," he said sadly.

Anna watched the expression in his eyes a few moments and then darted her glare to the tree behind him. She didn't lie about this intention, but after his statements in the park, she didn't want to leave him. Staying with him as long as possible would change his perception in her mind. Anna couldn't allow him to entertain those thoughts of defeat. She couldn't walk away thinking he would die. She didn't want to lose him.

She couldn't lose him.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked her suddenly.

"It must be late," she replied quickly.

"Or early," he smiled, "Depending on how you look at it."

"You have a purpose," she blurted.

The statement seemed random, and his smile faded.

"You're supposed to be here," she continued sadly, "You've touched so many people. You would not have done that if you weren't meant to exist."

"Sometimes our purpose changes," he replied lowly.

"I won't allow you to do this," she said angrily, "You're not finished. Your life is not complete. You have more things you need to do."

"Anna," he tried interrupting, but she continued.

"You can't abandon the people who depend on you," she said as her tone elevated, "They need you here. I need you here!"

"Why?" He asked sadly.

"What?" She was distracted by his question and frowned.

"Why do you need me, Anna?" He rephrased.

"Yoh," she tried to formulate an acceptable statement, but was unable to finish the thought.

"Do you need me the same way I need you?" He continued as his voice began to falter.

"Don't do that," she whispered.

Yoh stared at her with an indecipherable expression, and she blinked a few times to hide the tears that were developing. He honestly didn't know what he wanted her to say, and he was finding his emotions very difficult to control.

"Your life isn't over," she said calmly after pausing to regain her composure, "That's what I want you to see."

He pulled at her arm that was planted on the grass, causing her balance to waver. She tried resisting him, but her body fell forward from the instability, and she fell gently into his chest.

"Stop," she said weakly and pushed him wearily.

Yoh didn't appear to be listening to her complaint. He pulled her closer until there was almost no space between them, and kissed her cheek with his trembling lips. She didn't move for several seconds, and clutched her hands into weak fists against his chest.

"I need you," he whispered weakly as he wrapped his arms around her tighter than before.

"Don't do this now," she tried to sound as calm as possible, but her whisper barely reached his ears.

He kissed her cheek again and closed his eyes as overwhelming emotions of sadness, weariness and longing flooded his mind. She could feel his arms trembling as he held her, and she couldn't seem to stop herself from conjuring more tears.

"Please stop," she whimpered, abandoning the will to sound strong.

Yoh pressed his lips against hers very gently, but quickly recoiled and clenched his teeth. His eyes were closed, and he seemed desperate to repel a nearing breakdown. Anna returned his kiss with the same delicacy, an action that surprised them both, and held the back of his neck with one of her hands. She pulled away just as quickly but was only able to move back a few inches since he was still holding her tightly in his arms.

He pulled her close again, forcing his body to collapse against the tree, and kissed her. Anna was completely pinned this time and was unable to free herself. As he paused briefly to exhale, she closed her eyes and swallowed. This was a bad situation and was beginning to develop into something worse. She needed to free herself from his arms and escape his passionate kisses. She needed him to stop sending terrible chills down her spine and stop the weakness in her limbs. Yoh was making her angry. He was forcing her to think about the things she didn't want to address. He was making her uncomfortable.

He was exposing her desire.

She pulled away abruptly and rested her forehead against his with her eyes closed. He didn't move but parted his lips as his heavy breathing flooded her ears.

"Stop this, Yoh," she said breathlessly.

"I can't," he whispered weakly.

"You can't do this," she sighed, "I can't do this."

"I can't pretend I don't need you," he whimpered with his eyes closed, "I love you. It won't go away."

"Stop," she pleaded but was ignored.

"It'll never go away, Anna."

"It's over, Yoh," she said as she hit his chest softly with her hands, "This is over."

He opened his eyes but didn't respond.

"Let go of me," she sniffed, "Please."

Yoh released her very slowly without speaking, and she stood hurriedly, taking a few steps back. He didn't move from his position against the tree, and his arms fell limply at his sides. His gaze seemed to be fixed on a random blankness in the air, and his eyes were filled with fresh tears. Anna watched him silently for several seconds as pangs of uneasiness tortured her stomach. She didn't want to leave him there and couldn't find the will to walk away.

"You were right," he said finally.

His voice startled her, and she replied weakly, "About what?"

"We can't be friends."

Pirika was sitting at the dining room table tapping her fingers against the surface with a frown. She didn't want to be awake this early, but Tamao's nervousness had been manifested in cleaning the house at six in the morning. There was no way for her to get more sleep, so she didn't go back to her room. She stared at Tamao, who was standing in front of the table, and sighed. There was nothing else for her to clean; there was nothing else for her to do.

"Why don't you sit with me?" She suggested warmly, "You haven't stopped moving around since you got up."

"I never went to bed," Tamao mumbled.

"Tamao," she sighed, "That's not healthy."

She bit her bottom lip and reluctantly sat at the table across from her.

"Tamao, he's fine," Pirika reassured her, "I know it."

They were distracted suddenly upon hearing the front door open and close. Tamao jumped out of her chair but paused near the table as she stared into the empty hallway. Pirika waited until he appeared to stand slowly from her seat.

"Yoh?" Tamao covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to stop herself from crying.

He didn't respond and slowly entered the dining room. His clothes didn't appear torn or dirty, and he had no scars or bruises on his skin. His face was red with puffiness around his eyes, and Pirika assumed he had been crying.

"Are you okay?" Tamao asked as she approached him.

"Leave me alone," he mumbled and moved away from her a few steps.

Pirika stepped toward them but stopped abruptly and folded her arms over her torso.

"You've been gone since yesterday," Tamao replied with a concerned frown, "I was worried about you. We were all worried."

She tried to hold his hand but he jerked his arm away.

"Stop," he growled angrily.

"What's wrong?" She asked sadly, attempting the move again.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

He grabbed her arm roughly and pushed her back. She fell into the side of the table hard and knocked over a couple of the chairs. Pirika gasped and backed away as Tamao paused momentarily before regaining her balance. She stared at the floor briefly before looking at him again, and held her stomach as she spoke.

"I just wanted you to be okay," she replied sadly as her tears returned, "I was just worried."

"Leave me alone, Tamao," he spat angrily. His teeth were clenched, and his hands were balled into tight fists at his sides.

Tamao took a few steps forward as if she didn't hear his request, and Pirika stared at her with widened eyes.

"Tell me what's wrong," she asked sadly, "What happened?"

"I know you're not deaf," he growled bitterly and took a step forward as if preparing to attack.

Pirika backed away and then ran down the opposite hallway. As she entered the sitting room she had to pause to catch her breath. Horo and Ren had been watching television on the floor, and when she entered they stood abruptly and stared at her.

"What's wrong?" Horo asked quickly.

"Yoh's here," she replied fearfully, "He came back."

"He's with Tamao?" Ren asked with a frown.

Pirika tried to respond, but they were startled by a loud impact of a large object outside the room. The door vibrated slightly from the force, and Pirika trembled as the movement stopped. The silence was unbearable, and her eyes filled quickly with tears.

"What the hell was that?"

Horo abruptly opened the door and ran down the hallway. Ren followed him quickly, and Pirika hesitated a few seconds before leaving the room. She was afraid to go back, but needed to know Tamao wasn't hurt. When she reentered the dining room, the chairs were scattered on the floor, and the table had been broken in half. Horo and Ren were helping Tamao to her feet from a corner in the room, and no one was speaking.

"Are you okay?" Horo asked weakly.

"Yes," Tamao replied, "I'm fine."

"Where is he?" Pirika whispered.

"He went to his room."

She was almost unable to finish the sentence as the sound of crashing objects echoed down the hallway. Ren walked slowly to the entrance of the hallway and stared at Yoh's bedroom door at the end of it. Horo and Tamao accompanied Ren, and Horo pushed her behind him. Pirika stood behind her brother as well and clutched his arm in her hands.

"What is he doing?" Ren mumbled with a frown.

The booming thuds and shattering of glass seemed to increase in volume as they watched in silence. Tamao closed her eyes and clenched her teeth as his enraged screaming became more audible.

"We need to leave, Ren," Horo said abruptly, "At least get them out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere," Tamao protested sadly, "I'm not leaving him here like this."

"I want to go," Pirika whimpered as she squeezed his arm, "Please?"

The crashing paused momentarily as Yoh's screams continued. Without the background noise from objects being hurled against the wall, his outburst sounded more like he was yelling about something specific. His words were very difficult to decipher, and the screaming made the display much more incoherent.

"Please, Brother," Pirika repeated as her hands began to tremble, "Let's leave."

"Tamao, let us deal with this," Ren pleaded, "Just go outside with Pirika."

"Come on," Pirika added eagerly, "Tamao, let's just go."

"I'm not leaving," she repeated sternly.

Yoh's screaming increased in volume and vibrated violently down the hallway as she spoke. Pirika panicked and released her brother, backing away until she hit a wall behind them. The surface scared her and she gasped loudly, but the others didn't seem to notice. The sound of another loud crash rumbled down the hallway, and the room fell completely silent.

Tamao began walking swiftly down the hallway, but Ren grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Don't," he said sternly, "What are you doing?"

"He could be unconscious in there," Tamao replied as she tried freeing herself from his grasp.

"Or it could be a set up," Pirika shrieked.

"What?" Tamao stared at her with a frown.

"He's waiting for you to come in there so he can kill you," she replied nervously and placed the palms of her hands against the wall.

"Just wait, Tamao," Horo said weakly, "Wait and see what he does."

"Let go of me Ren," she demanded, "He could be-"

Tamao stopped her sentence abruptly as Yoh's bedroom door swiftly opened. He walked down the hallway very quickly, and since his hair covered most of his face, his expression was vague. Pirika held her breath as he approached, and Ren released Tamao's arm. Horo took a step back impulsively, and they all stared at him without speaking.

"Yoh?" Tamao called to him as she stepped in front of Ren and Horo.

"Hey, Tamao?" Yoh started as he reached the end of the hallway. His expression was extremely cheerful, and he was smiling.

"Yes?" She replied with a slight frown.

"Are you busy?" He asked eagerly, "I want to go get some ice cream. Do you want some ice cream?"

"Ice cream?" She repeated.

"Well, yeah," he sighed, "I've been wanting ice cream all day. Let's go get some, okay?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah."

Tamao paused and stared at him. Horo frowned at Yoh and tilted his head, and Ren folded his arms over his torso with slightly widened eyes. Pirika gasped after realizing she held her breath too long and clutched her stomach with her hands.

"Okay," Tamao said softly, "But, you have to get cleaned up first."

"What?" Yoh asked with slight disappointment, "Why?"

"You're bleeding."

Yoh hesitated briefly but lifted his left arm and stared at it. There was a large gash against his forearm, and the blood was beginning to drip onto the floor.

"Let me help you get that cleaned up, okay?" Tamao added with a weak smile.

"Okay," he replied calmly and headed to the bathroom.

Tamao paused in the hallway for a few moments before following him there. When they disappeared behind the door, Ren lowered his arms and stared at the floor. Horo seemed to share his bewilderment and bit his bottom lip.

"He is crazy," Pirika whispered fearfully, "He is CRAZY."

"Stop that," Horo sighed, "He's right down the hall."

"Did you see that?" She continued, "Did you see what just happened, Horo? He's talking about ice cream!"

"We have to do something," Ren replied gravely, "Horo, he's unstable."

"Well, if you have any ideas I'd love to hear them," Horo said in frustration, "I don't know what to do with this!"

"He's going to kill us in our sleep," Pirika mumbled.

"Pirika," Ren frowned.

"If he stays here I'm leaving," she protested, "I can't do this anymore. I can't live here like this."

Tamao reentered the hallway suddenly and startled them. She didn't speak until reaching the end of the hallway, and they gathered around her eagerly to hear what she had to say.

"We're going out for ice cream," she said blankly, "We'll be gone for a couple of hours."

"That's all you have to say?" Horo replied angrily, "What about Yoh?"

"He's fine," she said quickly, "Don't worry about it."

Yoh exited the bathroom as she spoke and went into Horo's bedroom.

"What is he doing?" Horo frowned.

He resurfaced with one of Horo's t shirts and walked down the hallway with the same smile he had before. His arm was bandaged, although he didn't seem to notice, and he paused briefly when noticing the others were staring at him.

"Come on, Yoh" Tamao said abruptly.

"Okay," he grinned.