Random Quote of the Chapter: "Nanda blingbling ga?" -Tao Ren to Mattel Chocolove, a Shaman King dôjinshi.
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Kitty: Actually, this chapter was intended to be a completely different one-shot, but I thought I needed to update this story.
Horohoro: So that's why it's unbearably long!
Kitty: I swore to myself I would try to keep the chapters for this story short, but--
Horohoro: You like to talk too much. (grin)
Kitty: Exactly. --Hey!
Disclaimer: Things would be different…
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Ai Da To Shinjite
Chapter II
Theme 15: Perfect Blue
'Today's the day,' Tamao thought as she paced the kitchen restlessly. 'Today's the day when Yoh-sama finally comes home to Izumo.' She hadn't seen her precious Yoh-sama in almost a year now, and the suspense of seeing him within the next few hours was almost killing her. So she attempted to calm her nerves the only way she could think of; by cooking. At the moment, the Asakura family's gigantic kitchen was practically overflowing with what Yohmei-sama thought was his grandson's welcome-home dinner, when really, it was the result of Tamao trying to keep her head clear.
Tamao wished Keiko-sama was there. Usually, whenever she was nervous or afraid, Yoh-sama's mother would be there to help calm her down. The miko would treat Tamao like the daughter she never had, since her son was always away training with his grandfather and she still had her mothering instincts about her. But alas, at this moment, Keiko-sama was away in China with the local ladies' group.
Tamao took a calming breath as she set a large pot of water to boil for curry udon --Yoh-sama's favorite food. He'd told her on occasion that her curry udon was the best he'd ever tasted, but her only response was to blush the same shade of pink as her hair and try to stutter out some form of thanks. Tamao knew she had to try harder to keep a clear head this time; if she was ever going to win Yoh-sama's heart, she needed to be able to keep herself even slightly rational when she was around him.
'But I could never do that,' she thought glumly as she dropped shiitake mushroom pieces one by one into the cold water on the stove. Then, brushing her hands off on her apron, she slid open the rice paper door to the outside world, allowing a gentle breeze to float in. Yohmei-sama told her not to leave the door open while she was cooking, because bugs would come in, and no one likes bugs in their soup. But today, there were no bugs.
Just a few clouds.
'Yoh-sama likes the clouds,' Tamao reminded herself, leaning up against the doorframe and basking in the sunlight. She herself, however, didn't like clouds. They were always blocking the sunlight from reaching her and keeping her warm. Tamao cast a glance toward the sun, which was about to be covered up by a large dark cloud, she noticed.
A large dark cloud that somehow resembled Anna-sama's bandanna.
Anna-sama… It had to be some kind of sign, really. Just when Tamao would start to feel comfortable around Yoh-sama, Anna-sama would come and put an end to anything before it began. Like a cloud covering the sun.
Yes, Anna-sama was the rain cloud that blocked out Tamao's sunshine before it could reach Yoh-sama.
But there was an even bigger problem. Yoh-sama liked clouds. Suddenly, Tamao felt like she wanted to cry. If Yoh-sama liked clouds, then what was she doing by trying to win him? After all, clouds were very important; they brought the rain that kept the world alive. Tamao was sure that Anna-sama had personally made sure Yoh-sama stayed alive many times over the past year.
Tamao sighed, hearing the water for the curry udon finally coming to a boil. She slowly made her way over to the stove and turned it off; the mushrooms had to soak in the hot water for at least twenty minutes before she could add anything else to it, so she busied herself by cutting up the chicken and vegetables for it. --Rather harshly, if you'd ask any bystander. She'd become rather frustrated in the past half hour, so she was taking her aggressions out on an onion and a carrot. Not the best stress-reliever in the world, but it seemed to help keep her mind off Yoh-sama and Anna-sama.
"Tamao," came a gruff voice from the door outside, which Tamao had neglected to close. The ascetic-in-training turned around to find Yohmei-sama standing just inside the doorway, smoking a long, thin pipe.
"Y-Yes, Yohmei-sama," Tamao stuttered, becoming embarrassed by the slight disarray of the kitchen.
"I thought I told you not to leave this door open while you're cooking," Yohmei reminded the girl. Tamao squeaked.
"Gomen nasai!" she piped, rushing over and sliding the door shut. "It was getting hot in here with all my cooking, so I opened the door to let some cooler air in." Yohmei stared at her for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't let any bugs get into your soup," Tamao added hastily, trying to prevent an oncoming lecture. A small --though wrinkly-- grin appeared on Yohmei-sama's face, making him look quite a bit like his grandson.
"I see you've learned something from all those years cooking for me," he said. Though his face was smiling, he didn't really sound good-natured. "I'm pleased with you."
"A-Arigatô," Tamao stuttered, clasping her hands together and bowing slightly. A moment of awkward silence took over as she stared at the floor, waiting for Yohmei-sama to scold her about the disorderly state of the kitchen.
"But that's not what I've come to talk to you about," Yohmei-sama said gruffly, taking a draw from his pipe. "My grandson is coming home today, as you…well know," he said as he looked around at all the food Tamao had prepared out of sheer nervousness. "I fear that since he hasn't been living here for quite a while, he won't remember his way here from the bus stop. So I want you to go and get him when he arrives."
"Hai, Yohmei-sama…"
((An hour later…))
Tamao sat at the deserted bus station, swinging her feet nervously back and forth. The bench she was sitting on was meant for adults, so her feet didn't quite reach the ground. The manga she'd brought lay forgotten on the bench next to her; she thought she might read it while she was waiting, but she was too nervous to even sit still. Every once in a while, though, she'd cast the picture on the cover a quick glance, just to…admire the artwork; two fairly good-looking boys held each other in a tight embrace, their lips just barely touching.
As the bus rolled into the station, Tamao managed to stuff the semi-perverted manga into her large pocket; no use letting Yoh-sama know her dirty little secret, right? Anyway, as a few unrecognizable people filed off the bus, Tamao began to worry. Could Yoh-sama have missed the bus? Did he get off at the wrong stop? Was he not getting off at the right stop? Tamao's head almost exploded with questions, until she saw a familiar pair of eyes staring down at her from the doorway to the bus. Tamao began to tremble slightly in both anticipation and relief.
Asakura Yoh stepped off the bus and onto the sandy-dirt ground, dropping a duffle bag from his shoulder to the ground..
Tamao almost fainted when she finally got a good look at her beloved. His skin was ever so slightly darker, while his hair had lightened the tiniest bit. --Almost as if he'd been spending more time in the sun lately. He was dressed fairly well, too; or rather, his shirt was actually buttoned up for once. But something else was different…very different.
"Yo," he said, smiling gently at Tamao. She tried to greet him more casually than she normally would have, but that idea crumbled faster than dried-out coffee cake.
"Kon'nichi wa, Yoh-sama," she said, bowing and beginning to sweat. She glanced at him quickly from her bent-over position, and that was when she figured out what was different about Yoh-sama.
The sparkle in his eyes had dulled.
Tamao gasped silently; apparently Yoh-sama's loss in the second round had affected him more than anyone had thought it would. --So much that it'd taken away the vivacity that had lived in his eyes and only there. She studied his face for a moment, too shocked to actually speak.
"Did 'jî-chan come with you, Tamao?" Yoh-sama asked, possibly noticing how long Tamao's gaze had lingered on his face.
"Iie," Tamao said, blushing for a reason even she couldn't understand. She looked around for a moment, averting her eyes from Yoh. "Where's Anna-sama? Didn't you say she was coming with you?" she asked, suddenly noticing the lack of the itako. Yoh-sama laughed nervously.
"She wanted to see the season finale of her soap," he explained sheepishly. "There's really no point in arguing with her over little things like this. Besides…when she's not here, she can't yell at me," Yoh-sama concluded, picking up his duffle bag and grinning. Too shy to say anything else of substance, Tamao led Yoh-sama back through the wooded path that led to the Asakura residence. Only when they'd nearly reached their destination did either of them actually speak.
"Ahh…It's such a nice day," Yoh-sama said contentedly as the two teens walked along the path. "Not a cloud in the sky."
"I thought you liked the clouds, Yoh-sama," Tamao put in shyly before she realized what she was saying. Yoh looked almost surprised that she'd spoken without actually being addressed.
"Well, I do," he replied. "But not all the time."
Tamao's face lit up, though Yoh-sama hadn't seen.
"Like 'jî-chan always says, it's about balance," the Asakura continued. "It's been really cloudy lately, so now the sun needs a chance to shine."
Just as the two teens reached the end of the wooded path and arrived at the enormous Asakura residence, Yoh-sama looked up toward the sky.
"I've really missed the sun lately," he added, smiling.
Tamao stared at Yoh-sama for a moment, then averted her gaze to the heavens as well. Indeed, the sun was shining brightly, but something was different.
There were no clouds. Not a single one.
And if only for that very moment, the sky was perfect blue.
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Horohoro: See, you do talk too much! Four pages of you yapping about Yoh and Tamao!
Kitty: Hey, I'm doing better! Rag Doll usually has eight or nine pages!
Horohoro: Review, or she'll never shut up!
(In case the symbols don't come through, this is to the Smiley Face Person): Thank you! I doubt this update is quick enough, but I hope you liked this painfully long chapter!
KatonKageNaruto: I don't mind guys who say 'cute;' it only proves that they're manly enough to cast aside their masculinity for a moment to express themselves. (That doesn't make too much sense, does it?) But yes, Anna can be selfish at times, but you have to remember that her parents abandoned her when she was five, so she never really had any possessions to learn to share.
Dreammistress Jade: Yay Tamao! She's my favorite female character in the series, so I guess we've got something in common! I was actually thinking of cosplaying as her a few weeks ago at a con, but I decided against it, so Higurashi Kagome I was. (Oh God…Yoda-talk…)
nova14: My DVDs…I bought the entire series in Japanese at a con for 85 bucks…way overpriced, if you ask me, especially considering how badly they were subtitled. But anyway, the only reason I included the skit between myself and Anna was to make people laugh, and apparently it worked! I didn't get your email address, but if you review again, you can put it in little space up above where you enter the text of your review. --The space labeled 'Email' works for that.
PRoyalAngel: Yes, I do give up on a fair share of my fics, don't I? Okay, not give up…they just go on very long hiatuses. But apparently this one isn't on too much of a hiatus, is it?
Setsumi-san: First off, I'm sorry I stole your idea of little quotes at the beginnings of chapters. But think of it this way: you've started a trend! Actually, though, I was really hesitant about Tamao's character. She's shy, but not enormously so, which makes it hard to determine what she'd do in a situation and what she'd like to do. Quite a bit like myself, actually…
Ivy: Yes, love can do strange things to people. But one of the main reasons she kissed the picture is that there's supposed to be a kiss in each chapter, and that was the only way I could think of to incorporate one for that first chapter.
Dragon-rose-vine: Oh wow! Another Yoh x Tamao fan! That's so cool! Almost everyone hates this couple, so it's so great to talk to someone who doesn't want to string Tamao up to a flagpole with her own innards! Have you joined the fanlisting yet?
Xbakiyalo: That's what Tamao needs; self-confidence. But couldn't we all use a little more of that? (sigh)
SGCred: (sigh) Just for right now, let's all pretend that this fic isn't an exaggerated version of my life as I inform you for no reason at all that I've actually seen Yoh plushies for sale. (Along with Anna, Manta, Ren, and Horohoro.) I thought about buying the Ren plushie, but I decided against it. --Even though I've got nothing short of a plushie-fetish, I wouldn't really know what to do with it once I got it.
Kya-san: Yes, Yoh gets Tamao, and you get Horohoro! Sounds very fair, indeed! (gives Horohoro to Kya-san, wrapped up in a big, shiny blue bow)
Aseret Kitsune: Thank you! I've continued, so I hope you're happy!