Yay!! Early update!! So, I just realized that I'm leaving for vacation on the 10th, so that doesn't give me a lot of time, but I'm going to try to update the next chapter on the 9th before I leave. I hope I can get it done! That way when I come back, I only have the Epilogue to worry about.
Oh, and again, I was in a hurry so please excuse any grammar and/or spelling errors. : )
Thanks so much for the reviews!! I love you guys so much!! I'm so glad you're enjoying this story! And I really hope you enjoy this chapter, the ending is my favorite ; )
Please, Enjoy!
Chapter 8:
"End of the Nightmare"
When I awoke, my hand was still connected with Anna's. Then I felt her fingers twitch. She moaned and leaned over to look at me. I mumbled a "Good Morning" and she gave me a smile. She slowly unconnected our hands, seemingly reluctantly, I gave a sad smile but let her hand go. She sat up and I stretched.
"Do you know what time is it, Anna?"
Anna looked around to see if her clock was still there, when she found it, her eyes widened, "10:30."
"10:30?!" Yoh jumped out of the bed, "It's going to take us all day to get home!"
"You don't have work tonight, right?"
"No, but I have work tomorrow morning!" Yoh rushed to grab his stuff.
"Just," Anna sat on her bed, "call Hao and ask to switch shifts with him, if not him, someone else."
"But I've been gone this whole weekend…"
"Yoh, you've helped everyone at the inn more then you should've. I'm sure they all owe you."
"Eh, I suppose you're right."
"Don't suppose."
Yoh got up and sat next to Anna, "Are you going to shower?"
"Yes, I'm all smelly from running yesterday," Anna put her feet on the floor but was still sitting down.
"You still smell like Strawberries and Champagne to me," he leaned closer to her.
"You just smell the room," Anna stood up and grabbed her bag with her clothes, "I won't be long."
Yoh nodded. After she left he inspected her room. It was just like he had remembered it. He looked through the drawer with his notes in it. He smiled as he saw his horrible handwriting, spelling, and grammar. Then he looked at Anna's nice writing, straight, but also curvy. She hardly spelt things wrong, she probably secretly laughed at his words.
Yoh got lost in the notes he used to write to Anna. He usually talked about nonsense or his confusion on the lecture that was going on in the class. One message Anna wrote back it said "Maybe if you paid attention instead of writing me notes, you'd get it." Yoh laughed. Anna…always so blunt.
"I'm done." Anna's voice made him jump.
"Wha?"
"Your turn," she said a little annoyed.
"Oh, right," Yoh grabbed his stuff and headed towards the shower. He left the notes on the bed, so Anna sat down and started to read them.
Anna unconsciously started to smile as she read through them. Yoh's handwriting and grammar was so cute. His spelling was as well. There were cross-outs or erase marks all over the paper from him trying to spell words. It made the notes all the cuter. She took them and stuffed them into her bag. Just then Yoh entered the room and looked at her as if asking what she was doing, "I'm taking the notes home with me, to remember them always."
"How come you left them here?"
"I had no choice," Anna finished putting the notes in her bag, "Haijime was so panicked about "killing" you that we only had time to grab what we needed. That's why a lot of stuff is exactly how it used to 8 years ago."
"I see," Yoh said looking around the room, "I'm glad we were able to come back here. Is there anything else you want before we leave?"
Anna got up and looked around. There was nothing of real importance that she needed or wanted anymore. She left the room and stared down the hallway. Yoh followed her eyes; she stared at her mother and Haijime's room.
"Would you like to check it out?"
Anna nodded without looking at him as she walked down the hall. The door was closed. She gulped, then got a determined look on her face. This whole trip was about conquering her past and she wasn't going to let it conquer her now. She opened the door quickly and saw the dark room. Her eyes widened as memories of the room flooded in. Both were good and bad. The quick invasion of memories push her back a bit and made her light headed. Then, she bumped into someone, she turned around and her eyes widened and her lips trembled. Who she saw, wasn't actually there; who she thought she saw was Haijime.
Yoh looked at her with confusion. She had bumped into him and turned to look at him. She had a look of horror on her face and something was not right in her eyes. They were glossy and widened; his own eyes widened, "Anna!"
"No…" her lips parted, "NO!"
"Anna!" She backed away, but he grabbed a hold of her shoulders, "Whoever you think I am! I'm not! It's me, Yoh!"
"Yoh…" Her eyes were still wide and glossy.
"Anna!" I had never really noticed how traumatized she was by her past. I just always kind of thought that, since she was always so mentally strong, she would be able to get over it….but maybe, since she always hid it, she never got over. She always pushed it to the back of her mind and never truly faced it. I was so naïve.
Anna shook her head violently. Her hair got in her face as she backed away.
"Anna?"
"I'm fine!" She said quickly, "Can you give me some time alone?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." It was so fast; Yoh barely had time to finish his question. Yoh sadly turned to leave, but then she sighed, "I mean…no. Stay here."
Yoh looked at her in confusion, "Anna?"
"I think…I think I remember what my mom died from," she sat on the bed and his eyes widened, "She was poisoned."
"Poisoned?"
"Well according to everyone else, she poisoned herself," she buried her head in her hands, "But I don't know if I could believe that."
"Your mother loved you very much," Yoh put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "She was always thinking of what was best."
Anna lifted her head and looked around. This room was filled with the confusion of bad and good memories. Before Haijime came, this was her mother's room and there was nothing but good memories in this room, but when he came everything turned into a nightmare.
Anna started to look through the drawers to see if her mother's stuff was still there. Many things of her mother's were gone and she wondered what happened to it. But even now she couldn't find much. "That bastard must've sold it!" she whispered.
Yoh cocked his head in confusion, "Hm?"
"Nothing," she continued to look. Yoh concluded that she was looking for something in particular. She was looking so passionately, so he decided not to get in her way, but he couldn't help but wonder what she was looking for. "Ah!" He heard her gasp.
"What is it?"
"It's still here…" she whispered as she turned to show him her mother's blue-beaded necklace, "My mother's necklace is still here." She quickly put it on herself, "I loved it so much. She promised that when I was older, I'd get to keep it. After she died I was always too afraid to enter her room and look for it."
"Oh, I see."
"How does it look?"
"Beautiful."
"I finally," Anna's fingers grazed the necklace, "have something to remember my mother by." Yoh gave a gentle smile as she smiled at him slightly, "We should get going."
"Is there anything else you'd like to do before we hit the road?" Yoh asked.
"No. I'm ready to leave this house."
Yoh nodded as she started to head out and get their things, "Oh, but first, let me at least take a picture of your room."
Anna sighed, "If you must."
"Oh, but I want you in it," Anna sighed once again as she sat on her bed, "…Smile…please?"
Anna looked down; seemingly to think about it, then saw her mother's necklace. She looked up and gave one of her famous small smiles.
He snapped the picture and smiled, "Ready when you are."
"Let's go."
They picked up their things and made their way out of the house. Yoh looked at it for one last time and whispered goodbye. Anna didn't turn to look at it at all, that is, until they were about to enter the car. She gave one last sad look at it. She used to believe that maybe her mother's sad soul was stuck and tormented in that house because of her last keepsake, but Anna had it now. She gently gripped the necklace, even if that silly notion was true, she had the necklace now and her mother was with her and would no longer be tormented in that house. In a way, her mother's soul had been set free…and so was Anna's.
They got into the car without saying much as the drove towards the exit to Hick Town. Before leaving, Yoh turned and whispered, "Goodbye, Hick Town." And Anna gave a nod of acknowledgement.
On their way out Yoh spotted a familiar old man, "Ah! Mr. Aoyama!" He quickly stopped the car.
"I thought you two said you were leaving in the morning!" Mr. Aoyama playfully acted upset.
"Ah! I'm so sorry," Yoh got out and handed him the keys, "I totally forgot! Please forgive me we were up late and woke up late…"
"Oh….I see," Mr. Aoyama raised an eyebrow and looked at Anna in the car.
"Ah! No, no, no!" Yoh shook his hands rapidly.
The old man laughed, "Just enjoying yourselves, right?"
"Ah…old man…"
"Just kidding," Mr. Aoyama laughed, "Enjoy your stay?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact we did."
"That's good," the keys jingled in the old man's wrinkly hands, "You should come see it when it's rebuilt into 'Izumo'."
"Uhm. No thanks," Yoh said heading back into the car, "I'd like to remember it just the way it is." He flashed his famous smile.
"Oh, really? This beat up old town?"
"Uh-huh," he gave a wide smile, "It's my childhood. I wouldn't want to remember it any other way."
Mr. Aoyama gave a warm sigh, "I suppose you're right. Have a safe trip."
"Thank you!" Yoh started up the car, "Bye!"
Mr. Aoyama nodded in acknowledgement as Yoh and Anna went on their way. It was already afternoon and they knew they wouldn't get home until late. Knowing this, they shouldn't have taken any stops, but they did occasionally to eat. The drive was a comfortable silence and Anna couldn't help but feel a sense of peace with her childhood and she fiddled around with her necklace.
Yoh sighed, "I am not looking forward to work tomorrow."
"Tell me about it," Anna leaned her head against the window; the sun had already gone down.
"At this rate, we won't get home until past midnight," Yoh sighed, "I'll hardly get any sleep."
Anna closed her eyes, "You called at our last stop to switch someone's swift, right?"
"Yeah, but I still have to get up early because I have to see how the inn's been doing without me."
"You've only been gone 3 days."
"I gotta do what I gotta do."
Anna sighed as though she was about ready to fall asleep, "You make things hard."
"I believe that's what a manager should do…actually I shouldn't even have been gone for 3 days."
"Geez…you're a worrywart…imagine what a week would've done."
"I'm just trying to be careful," Yoh said while shifting his eyes over to her, "I'm only 18. I'm really young to be an owner of an inn. I have to be careful. Something could've gone wrong while I was gone."
Anna sighed, about to fall asleep, "Whatever."
Yoh sighed; a little jealous that at least she got to sleep.
They arrived at the inn at 2:30 in the morning. Anna had been asleep most of the time, but Yoh, obviously, was awake and exhausted. He tapped Anna on the shoulder lightly to wake her up. She moaned and moved slightly, but did not wake up.
"Anna…its late, please wake up…"
She did not.
Yoh sighed, "If this is the only way…" He picked her up bridal style and decided to take her to the room and then come back for his bags, "I hope no one sees me."
Yoh walked into the inn hoping that someone mature was working the front desk. To his un-fortune, there was not, "Heeeeeeeeeeeey! Did you guys get hitched?"
"Ah! Horo-Horo! What on Earth are you talking about?"
"Well you're carrying her bridal style into your room, are you not?"
"That doesn't mean we got hitched…"
"You were gone for three days…that's a nice honeymoon for those who get hitched…"
"I can't believe we are talking about this. It's 2:30 and I'm exhausted."
"So you did get hitched!"
"We did not!" Yoh defensively fired back, "She fell asleep on the way home and she doesn't want to get up. I'm just being a gentleman and carrying her to her room."
"Oh, really," Horo-Horo rested his head on his hand and said with no enthusiasm at all, "The ladies must be all over a chivalrous man like you."
Yoh glared and then sighed, "I see nothing has changed around here."
"Nope," Horo-Horo smiled, "I dunno if it'll ever change."
"Alright, well I'll be back," Yoh said while walking off with Anna in his arms, "I have to get our bags."
Horo-Horo made a little noise to acknowledge what Yoh said. Yoh walked slowly to their room; each step seemed slower and slower. Suddenly he stopped and turned around. He lifted an eyebrow; he felt as if someone was watching him. He looked around but saw nothing so he shrugged it off as he kept walking. He was probably just being paranoid because of his lack of sleep.
When Yoh reached the door to their home, he scrambled to get the keys out of his pocket. He leaned back a bit and moved Anna higher and closer. Her head was right under his neck and her soft breathing tickled him. He gulped as he took his hand off her back, hoping that she wouldn't fall. He quickly got the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. Once he unlocked it, he left the keys there as he felt Anna slipping. Quickly, he put his hand back onto her back and opened the door with his foot. He did the same with Anna's door. Once inside, he gently put Anna onto the bed, but then he lifted her slightly to get the sheets from under her. He took off her shoes and tucked her in. She smiled in her sleep. He sighed, "I wish I was you right now."
He exited the room and as he closed the main door, he felt the keys. He kept his hand on them, debating whether or not to lock the door. Something in him told him to, so he did and then left to get their bags from the car.
Upon returning he realized that maybe locking the door wasn't the best idea, seeing as he has to unlock it all over again. He dropped the bags onto the floor and unlocked the door and then had to bend down to pick up the bags. Then he pondered if it was a bad idea to lock the door, something in him told to not regret it. He had a strange feeling that someone was watching him, but he reasoned again that he was just tried and that was making him paranoid.
He set the bags down in the living room and quickly turned the couch into a bed. He glanced at the clock; 3:15 A.M. "Damn," he mumbled as he took his pants off to sleep in his boxers. He slipped into his bed and wondered if he's ever been as tired as this before in his life. He had no trouble at all falling asleep.
But he certainly had trouble waking up.
There was an annoying knock at the door. He pretended that it would go away, or that Anna would answer it, but in the end, he knew that even if Anna answered it, it would probably still be for him. He got up and looked at the clock. 6:30. Three hours…only three hours of sleep. He moaned and wasn't going to get up, that is, until there was another knock.
He groggily got up and, luckily, remembered to put on some pants before ascending upstairs. He rubbed his eyes and answered the door.
"Good morning, Yoh!" The female voice said cheerily and then gasped.
"Good Morning, Julie," Yoh smiled as best he could. She gave a confused face, he did too, "What's the matter?"
"Well, it's just that you aren't ready for work…I came here so I could catch you before you went…but it looks like you're not even ready."
"Oh, I switched schedules—just for today—with Ren because we got home late last night."
Then the face of realization hit Julie, "Oh no! I'm sorry, did I wake you?"
"Aha, yea," he laughed a little, seemingly so he could act as if it was nothing. She looked a little sad, but he tried to make it seem like he didn't care, "So what was it you need?"
"Oh, well," Julie guiltily looked away, "Nothing really. I was just on my way to school and I knew, well thought, you were going to work and so I wanted to see you and say 'Welcome Home!'"
Yoh gave out a non-stressed sigh to let her know its okay, "Well, thank you Julie. I do appreciate it."
"What time did you get home?"
He hesitated, he almost wanted to lie, "Um, about 2:30?"
"2:30?!" Julie yelled, "That's like 3 hours of sleep! I am SO SORRY, Yoh!"
"Don't worry about it," though he was rather upset at first, he couldn't seem to get upset at Julie.
She stood awkwardly in the hallway, "Well I'm still very sorry." She paused for a little bit, "So Anna is still asleep then?" Her eyes shifted to the door.
Yoh nodded, "Yeah, she's pretty tired."
"I see," she said slowly.
Yoh's eyebrows furrowed a bit, "Something wrong?"
"No," again, said slowly.
"Did you and Anna have an argument?"
Julie was a little worried, "W-what makes you say that?"
"The other day, before we left," Yoh looked towards Anna's door, "I saw you leave the diner looking a little upset, and then I saw Anna looking upset coming from the diner as well. She said you two talked, but she didn't tell me what about." He looked back at Julie, "I can't help but be curious."
"Don't worry about it, Yoh," Julie tried to laugh it off, "If I don't leave soon, I'll be late."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Yoh looked concerned, "I hope I don't make you late, I was just concerned."
"No, no, I still have time."
"I just don't like when you are upset," he said and Julie's face lit up, "Same goes for Anna." Then Julie's face lowered a bit. Yoh looked confused.
"I have to go," Julie said softly, "See you later. I'm sorry I woke you up." She turned to leave, but then slowly turned back as if she forgot something, "May I talk to you later?"
"Excuse me?"
"When I'm done with my class, can we meet at the diner?"
"Sure, I don't work until about 4, when does your class end?"
"Around 12:30."
"Okay, then how about at, um, 2:30?"
Julie smiled, "Sure!"
Yoh smiled, "You'd better hurry…I would hate if you were late because of me."
Julie gave a small smile, "No worries, see you later."
Yoh nodded as Julie left to the stairs that would lead her to the upper levels. He closed the door and then leaned against it, from there he slowly slid down it. He propped up his knees and placed his elbows on them, then dug his head in his hands; he was so tired.
Anna's door slowly slid open and she looked around, "Yoh?"
He said something, but it was muffled against his hands.
"What?"
"Good Morning, Anna," he lifted his head and gave a tired smile.
"Good Morning, I thought I heard the door?"
"You're about 15 minutes too late."
"Well it was for you anyway, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, it was Julie."
Anna frowned, in truth she had been near her door listening to their conversation, but she pretended she didn't, "What did she want?"
"At 2:30 she wants to talk to me," he patted the floor next to him, "I wonder what for?"
Anna came over to him and sat next to him. She was still in her pajamas and her hair was still wild. She sighed as she sat like he was, "I dunno." In truth, she might've known and she was secretly panicked. What if Julie told Yoh that she likes him? And what if Yoh likes her back? Anna instantly felt sick to her stomach.
"Something wrong?" Yoh asked looking at her disgusted face.
"No," she leaned her head on his shoulder, "I'm just still really tired."
Yoh felt something in his pocket. As he reached in to see what it was he laughed.
"What is it?"
"Say Cheese…" he brought out the camera and quickly snapped the picture.
"Yoh!" Anna pushed away from him, "How dare you," she hit his shoulder and he laughed an "ow", "Aren't even looking at me? I'm surely not presentable enough for a picture!"
"Am I looking at you," He smiled as he pushed a few strands of her hair away from her face, "You're always beautiful enough for a picture."
Her face instantly flushed, but she didn't want him to see so she stood up, "You're lucky we have other good pictures on there…otherwise I would burn it."
Yoh laughed as she walked into her room.
"Oh," she said before going into her room, the redness gone from her face, "I work about 1:30, if I fall back as sleep you think you can put the alarm in my room?"
"I'll wake you."
"Aren't you going back to sleep?"
"I'm dead tired, but I dunno if I could fall back asleep. And by the time I do it'll probably be like right before I have to go with Julie."
Anna frowned, "Just don't meet her."
"I can't be rude."
Anna sighed, "You can't. It's hard to imagine it."
Yoh laughed, "See?"
"Still, try to sleep," she walked into her room, "Those dark rings under your eyes don't suit you." Then she closed the door.
Yoh sighed, too tired to get up. Eventually he did and plopped on his bed. He closed his eyes and wished for sleep, but it didn't come to him. He knew that soon he'd be wide awake and then later, when he had to work, it would all come crashing down.
After about an hour of just laying there, he decided to get up and eat some protein, hoping to give him energy for later on. Then he went to take a bath.
He was tired and took his time, so when he came back, he decided to wake Anna up because she would probably like to take a long bath as well.
"Anna?"
She moaned, "Already?"
"Sorry," he sat on her bed.
She slightly got up, "Did you sleep?"
"No," he saw her glare coming, "But I did try, I laid there for an hour or more trying."
She sat up, "I hope you fall asleep when you talk to Julie."
"Anna! That isn't very nice."
"I'm not 'nice'. You should've expected that comment."
Yoh laughed as he got up, "Yeah, you're right."
"As always."
He smiled as he started to leave the room, "Well, you'd better start getting ready."
Anna nodded, "Thanks for waking me."
"No problem," he said while walking out of the room.
Anna got ready rather quickly. She didn't want to be late to her first day back in like four days. When she was fully ready, she went down stairs to wish Yoh a goodbye and good luck with his little chat with Julie, "Also, don't fall asleep."
Yoh laughed, "I won't."
"Though, I bet you'll be tempted…"
"Anna!"
Anna smirked, "Well I got to go." She started up the stairs and called back to him, "Just call it off!"
Yoh opened his mouth to protest, but he heard the main door close. He just laughed, "That Anna…"
Anna headed towards the front desk to see Pirika there. Anna greeted her, but she gave Anna a confused look, "That are you doing here?"
"What do you mean? My shift starts in 5 minutes."
"No one told you?"
"Told me what?" Her voice grew deep and her eyebrows started to narrow.
"T-that," Pirika stammered at Anna's serious face, "That you didn't have to work today."
"What?"
"Yeah, Horo-Horo told me how late you two got in last night and I told him to tell you that I was going to take over for you."
Anna's eyes narrowed.
"I'm guessing he didn't tell you."
"No. Where is he?" Anna looked around, "Next time I see him I swear I'll…"
"Well you look like you're in good spirits," Pirika laughed.
"Thank you, Pirika for taking my shift, but I can handle it."
"Oh, no, I got it," Pirika nodded.
Anna crossed her arms, "And what do you want me to do?"
"Well since you're so eager to work, why don't we split it?"
"Alright," Anna un-crossed her arms.
"Okay, I'll work now until 4:00," Pirika thought for a while, "Then you work from then until 6:30, sound fair?"
Anna shrugged, "I guess. Thanks."
Pirika smiled, "No problem."
"What do you supposed I do now?" Anna put her hands on her hips.
"Um, I dunno," Pirika looked closely at Anna, "Hey! That's a pretty necklace! You didn't have that before, did you? Did Yoh get it for you?"
"No, it was my mother's," she looked down at her necklace, "I retrieved it when I went back to my old home."
Pirika tilted her head, "What happened to your mother?"
Anna looked away, "I'll…I'll have to tell you about it sometime. Later though."
Pirika knew it was serious, "Oh, okay."
"Well, I'll see you at 4: 00, then," Anna said as she walked off. She wondered what to do, when a small thought struck her. She headed toward the B-level. Once there, she descended down the stairs, "Yoh?"
"Anna?" Yoh got up from the couch to see Anna at the edge of the staircase, "What's wrong? Didn't you have work?"
"Well I did, but it seems Horo-Horo forgot to give me the message that Pirika is taking over it," Anna put her hands on her hips, "But I'm going to go at 4."
"Oh," Yoh seemed a little confused, but decided to not ask questions.
"I was wondering if I could finish up the film that's on our camera. We've got like what, 6 pictures left? I wanted to get them developed."
"Oh, sure," Yoh smiled, "We still have the other camera anyway."
"Exactly," Anna looked around, "What did you do with the camera?"
"Oh, it should be in the kitchen," he said while walking over to it, "What are you going to take pictures of?"
"I don't know," Anna shrugged, "Probably Pirika or Tamao or whoever. It's going to go into our photo album, so it's going to be our friends and stuff."
"Okay," Yoh gave her the camera, "You and me are working about the same time now, so I guess I'll see you then."
Anna nodded as she started to head out, "See you later."
She walked back over to the front desk and checked the time. Soon Yoh and Julie will have their meeting. She tried to concentrate on other things, but Anna kept thinking about it. So she decided that maybe she'd help out in the kitchen. If she kept busy, maybe she'd feel better.
As she was headed toward the diner's kitchen, she got a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach; as if someone was watching her. She turned, but didn't see anyone suspicious. After a few seconds of looking for something out of the ordinary and finding nothing, she dismissed the feeling as her being nervous for Yoh and Julie's meeting.
Anna entered the kitchen to see Tamao cooking. She caught site of Anna and looked concerned, "Is there anything wrong, Anna?"
"Oh, no, it's just," Anan looked around, "I just need something to do and I was wondering if you need any help."
Tamao thought for a second while stirring whatever was in her pan.
"I'll wash dishes if you want."
"Oh," Tamao smiled, "We can always use more dish washers."
"Thanks, Tamao."
"Are you sure you want to?"
"Yeah, I'm a little distracted," Anna said and then paused, "Please don't ask me to talk about it."
Tamao smiled, "Okay. I won't."
Anna smiled, "Thanks." Then Anna took out her camera and snapped a picture of Tamao.
"W-what was that for," Tamao blushed.
"Photo album," Anna smirked, "Congratulations, you're in it."
"Oh no…" Tamao sadly looked at the food she was cooking, "I hate pictures…"
"So do I," Anna mumbled as she walked over to a sink.
"Oh, but make sure you get a spare apron first from the utility closet."
"Got it," Anna said as she walked over to the closet and grabbed herself an apron. She walked over the sink and started to wash dishes. Usually they put the dishes in the dish washer, but sometimes they washed some by hand, just in case they run out of dishes while the dish washer was going.
There was another dish washer (as in person) and one person to dry. There was another who was sent to fill and empty the dish washer. They turned to Anna and thanked her for her help. She rolled up her sleeves and started.
Anna was busy scrubbing a dish, but without even meaning to, she unconsciously looked up at the clock: 2:30. Yoh and Julie should be having their meeting. She scrubbed harder.
Yoh made his way to the diner and saw Julie sitting at a table. She waved at him and he smiled, heading over to her table. He sat across from her, "Am I late?"
"No, you're right on time, actually," she smiled.
"Oh, Good, I would've hated to have kept you waiting," he smiled.
Her heart fluttered and gave a slight blush, "Oh, no, it's okay. I just got here, honest."
"Hungry?"
Julie shook her head, "You?"
"Nope." He gave a slight smile, "What was it you wanted to talk about?"
"Oh, well you see," Julie shyly looked away, "You know how I take classes? Well my school offered a dorm for me there…"
"Oh! That's great!" He said enthusiastically, but he saw her face drop, "What's wrong?"
"Well, it's just I'm not sure if I should take the offer. I like living here," she looked at him with hopeful eyes, "What do you think? Can you give me any reason for me to stay?" He thought for a moment, she looked very hopeful, "Any reason?"
"Well…getting a dorm there would be quite convenient," he said his thoughts out loud, obviously not getting what she meant, "And if you want to you should. I think it's a great idea!"
Julie's face fell; utterly disappointed in his answer, did he want her to leave? "I-I'll think about it…I'm not sure I want to…"
"Well, whatever you decide to do," Yoh smiled, "You're always welcome here. You're guaranteed a room, no matter what."
Julie felt her face flush a bit as she smiled, "Thank you, Yoh."
"No problem," he nodded, "And though you'll always have a spot at the En, your schooling's more important."
Julie gave a soft smile, "Right." She was glad to hear that she'd always have the Inn to stay at, but she hoped even more so that Yoh would tell her not to move. But he was just concerned for what was best for her, she thought, so she was still happy with his answer.
Yoh saw that Julie had nothing else to say, so he decided to speak, "Well, whatever you choose, I'll help you out okay? And if you move out, keep in touch, okay?"
"You've got it," Julie smiled, "I've still time to think about it, so I'll let you know when I decided."
Yoh nodded, "Great."
Julie got up, "Thanks for talking with me; your opinion matters to me the most."
"Oh?" Yoh got up and gave a confused look, "Then I'm glad I could help."
She nodded, "I know you have to go to work, so I'll leave you with whatever free time you have left. Especially since I woke you early this morning, I wouldn't want to waste anymore of your time."
Yoh nodded and gave a reassuring laugh, "Don't worry, no time was wasted. I'm glad I could help!" He waved.
She gave a slight wave back as he smiled before leaving.
Time passed quickly as Anna scrubbed the dishes. Her mind could not help but wonder how Julie and Yoh's conversation went. She scrubbed harder and harder every time she wondered.
"Anna?" The sudden noise in the quiet made her jump.
"Y-yes, Tamao?"
"It's almost 4:00…I think you've done enough…"
"Oh no," Anna quickly placed her dish on the counter and wiped off her hands, "I'll be late!" She quickly took off her apron and handed it to Tamao, "Thank you."
"Th-those are my words!" Tamao laughed as Anna quickly strode out the door.
Anna made it just in time for her shift. She entered the front desk and tapped Pirika on the shoulder.
"Finally," the blue-haired girl said playfully.
"I told you that you didn't have to do this," Anna took her place as Pirika started to leave.
"Heehee, you know I was kidding," she was now outside of the front desk area, "It was better than working the whole shift!"
"True," Anna smiled, "See you later, Pirika, thanks." Then she took out her camera and snapped a picture.
"Wh-what?" Pirika looked dumbstruck, "Why'd you do that?!"
"Photo album."
"Well you could've told me so I can strike a pose!"
"Well, then do it," Anna held the camera to her eye.
"Only if you're in the picture with me!"
"No way! Besides there's no one to take—"
"I'll take it," Yoh said from behind them. They both turned to him, Pirika nodded and Anna shook her head slowly. Yoh smiled. He took the camera, "Now scoot in."
Pirika smiled and did the peace sign. Anna looked rather dull, but Yoh made a look like "Smile, please", so Anna gave a slight smile. He snapped the picture and smiled.
"There! Put that one in the album!" Pirika smiled, "I'll see you later!"
"Bye," Anna said as she settled into her spot at the desk while she glared at Yoh.
"What?" Yoh walked next to her.
"I don't want to be in anymore pictures!"
"Sorry, but Pirika wanted to take it with you."
Anna gave a little pout and took the camera from Yoh's hands, "I'm in control now."
Yoh laughed, "Okay."
"I forgot that you worked at 4:00," she leaned her head on her hand.
"Yup," He said as he sat next to her at the desk, "But I'm going to be everywhere. I need to keep track of the stocks and look at everyone's schedule and…" he trailed off while looking at his paperwork.
"I get it," she looked toward the main door as she saw two customers walking in. She fixed her posture, "It'll be like I'm working by myself."
He smiled and nodded at the customers as they made their way to the front desk. Before they reached there he decided to say, "Well not exactly, but I'll be in and out."
She was going to say something back, but the customers reached the front desk. They were girls and wanted to talk with Yoh. He put on a smile and started talking about Onsen. This made her remember the talk Yoh had with Julie. She started to wonder what it was about. Yoh would tell her if it had to do with Julie's feelings for him, wouldn't he?
She continued to stare at Yoh as he got the keys to a room for the girls. He didn't have feelings for Julie, she tried to convince herself. He wouldn't. He would've told her. He should've told her. They were best friends, if he liked a girl, she had the right to know about it. She started to get angry at her own thoughts.
"Anna?" Yoh asked, she didn't realize he was done with his customers, "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," she mumbled as she turned away from Yoh.
"Hm." He looked at her curiously. He opened his mouth to say something but then the phone rang. Anna picked up the phone before Yoh got to it.
"The En Onsen and Inn, Kyoyama Anna speaking, how may I help you?" She sounded very business like, "A reservation? For what day, sir?"
Yoh sighed, she was saved from his questioning. He looked at the papers on his desk and decided that he'd better start up on his work now. He had until 9 and he was exhausted, there was no way he was going to stay overtime to get his work done.
As he had said, Yoh was in and out most of the time attending to who-knows-what. Anna grew bored rather fast, but at least she only had to work two and a half hours as opposed to 5. This should be nothing.
"Oi, Anna!" She didn't even have to look to see who it was.
"Hello, Hao."
"Welcome home!" Hao leaned on the front desk, "Have a fun, romantic trip?"
"It was fun."
"Is that a smile I see?"
"Get your eyes checked."
"So, wait, did you really have fun, or are you trying to be cute by being sarcastic?"
"I'm being serious. The nightmare has ended."
Hao smiled, "That's good! And that necklace…a souvenir?"
"It was my mother's," she grazed her fingers over it.
Hao looked closely at it, "Oh……Oh! I remember! She used to wear it all the time!"
Anna nodded, "She promised it to me, and I finally have it."
Hao smirked as Yoh entered the room, "Did you two behave yourselves?"
"Did you behave yourself?"
"We're not talking about me," held up his hands in defense, "And if you don't answer, I'll not that as a 'no'."
Yoh gave his brother a dull look and was about to answer, but Anna answered too quickly, "Then take it as you will."
Hao's jaw dropped, "What?" he looked at his brother quizzically, "What does she mean by this?"
Yoh laughed and Anna smirked a she sat back, "You're too gullible Hao."
Hao crossed his arms and mumbled, "Only with you two."
Anna took out the camera and snapped at picture, "Hao at his finest."
Hao's eyebrows furrowed, "What was that for?"
"Photo album. Might as well spread it around, I'm tired of explaining it."
"Oh, well then you need some pictures of you two," Hao reached out for the camera.
"Already do," she didn't want to give him the camera.
"How many pictures you got left?"
"Hm," Anna looked at the top of the camera, "Two."
"Then take one with me. We hardly have any pictures of us together!"
"No."
"Yeah!"
Both Anna and Yoh said in unison; Anna being the negative, Yoh, of course, being the positive.
"I'll take it," Yoh smiled.
Anna glared at him, "That's not fair, I already took one with Pirika."
"So? This is with me!" Hao said arrogantly. Anna rolled her eyes, but Hao smiled, "C'mon please? I know you don't like me as much as you do as my brother, but we're still friends, right?'
"That's what you think…" Anna mumbled.
"Hey—"
"C'mon, Anna," Yoh interrupted Hao's protest, "Besides, it's 6:30. You're off now."
"I guess," Anna said giving Yoh the camera, "But I want one of all three of us afterwards, like the one in Auntie's photo album."
Yoh smiled, "Sure."
Hao stood with his arm around Anna and held a confident grin. Anna crossed her arms and gave a smirk as if she was saying "You've gotta be kidding."
Yoh laughed as he took the picture, "Yup. That's you two all right!"
"Okay, now the three of us," Anna looked around to see if she recognized anyone to ask them to take the picture.
"Oh! Manta!" Yoh saw Manta coming in for work, "Can you take a picture for us?"
"Oh, sure!" he said while Yoh handed him the camera. He went to stand by Anna.
"Wait, you stand in the middle, Yoh," Anna said moving to the end.
"No, I think you should stay in the middle, Anna," Hao said grabbing her wrist to pull her to the middle, "You're the shortest."
"Well it's not my fault you two are giants!"
Both Yoh and Hao laughed, but set Anna in the middle anyway. Hao put his left hand on her left should and Yoh did the same with his right. Then they both leaned in to be closer to her head. Then Hao laughed, "Make sure you get our heads, Manta."
Manta pouted. It wasn't his fault he was 5'2". Yoh hit Hao with the hand that was on Anna's shoulder, "Hao!"
Hao laughed an "ow" as rubbed where Yoh hit him, "What?"
"'It's not my fault you two are giants'!" Manta quoted Anna.
Hao and Yoh laughed while Anna got impatient, "Just take the picture!"
Instantly Yoh and Hao stopped laughing and leaned closer to Anna again. Yoh leaned next to her ear and said, "Smile, Anna…"
"…we're your family." Hao finished.
Those words somehow made her instantly smile a true smile. Manta held the camera steady and snapped the picture. After the flash, they moved out of their positions and rubbed their eyes.
"Thanks, Manta," Anna said as he handed her the camera, "Now I'm going to get this developed."
"Right now?" Yoh asked getting behind the front desk.
Anna nodded, "Is that a problem?"
"N-no," he smiled, but he had been feeling a little paranoid ever since they came home last night and felt as though someone was watching them, "Just be careful."
Anna raised a brow. It wasn't an unusual thing to say, but the way he said it made her cautious, "O…kay." She gave a little smile and left.
"Eh, I'm a little disappointed," Hao leaned his elbow on the front desk across from his brother.
"About what?"
"About the necklace."
"What? That was her mother's!"
"I know, I didn't mean it like that," Hao looked at Yoh, "I thought it was a gift from you. Like you, I dunno, proposed or something."
"A ring's used for that, Hao."
"I know, but I thought you came up with something original…"
Yoh rolled his eyes, "Anyway, why are you here?"
"Oh, I forgot," he smirked, "I think I left something in the storage room, can I look?"
"Sure," Yoh said, letting his brother into the front desk area.
Hao sighed, "This might take a while."
Anna walked down to the One Hour Photo that was nearby the Inn. She decided that she'd just wait for an hour and walk around town for a bit and look at the shops. She dwelled on Yoh's words. He sounded…paranoid. It made her nervous, earlier today she felt as though someone was watching her; did Yoh have that same feeling? Was Someone after her? Her heart pounded, but her face remained composed. She could only think of one person out there who wanted her. She unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself as the wind blew.
Paranoid. She tried to convince herself. She was just being paranoid. She and Yoh had just come back from conquering her past. Maybe the past was just still haunting her? There was nothing for her to be afraid of anymore. She repeated that over and over in her mind. Yoh was with her. The nightmare has ended.
She spent pretty much the whole hour just trying to convince herself that. She retrieved the photos and sat on a bench to look at them. She smiled as she saw them. She looked at the ones at the school. She frowned at few pictures of her yelling at Yoh. Was that really what she looked like?
When she was through looking at the pictures, she was comforted. It was like a reassurance that she had indeed conquered her past. She put them away and decided that she'd start hading home. It was almost 8. She quickly made her way to the Inn.
Once she made it to the Inn, she stopped at the front desk.
Yoh was relieved to see Anna there, "Get the pictures?"
She raised the envelope filled with the pictures, "Want to see them?"
"Later, I've got an hour left."
"Okay," Anna nodded, "See you, then."
Yoh smiled, "See you."
It had been a while since Anna left, she was probably home already, but Yoh couldn't shake the feeling that he had. He decided to check what rooms where being used and who was using them. His eyes scanned through the list. Then his eyes stopped on one particular name, "Oh no…" He quickly turned, "Hao!"
"Mou, what?" he sounded annoyed; apparently he had no such luck trying to find what he had been looking for.
"Take over!"
"What? What could possibly make out think I'll let you skip? You're getting bad you've already missed three—"
"I wasn't asking!" His voice sounded demanding and frantic at the same time.
"What the hell has…" but Yoh left before Hao could finish his sentence. He turned to Manta, "Do you know what's gotten into him?"
Manta shrugged, "Last I saw, he was looking at the lists of rooms."
Hao sighed as he picked up the paper. His eyes ran through it but then, like Yoh, stopped on a certain name, "Oh…My…God."
Anna entered her house. She suddenly had an eerie feeling she couldn't describe. She hadn't put her hair up today, so she didn't need to take it down like she usually did. She descended down the stairs, deciding that maybe she'd watch some T.V. But even still, she couldn't shake the eerie feeling. She set the pictures down on the couch when she heard the door open. But Yoh still had an hour left of work. She walked towards the stairs; she froze when she saw who it was.
"There you are, Anna-chan," The figure started to descend down the stairs, "I've missed you."
Anna backed away slowly, "Kyo……suke."
He reached the bottom of the stairs, "Dear sister, haven't you missed me?"
"H-how did you find me?" The nightmare had not ended. It suddenly felt like weights were around her ankles and she could not back away any faster.
"Anna-chan," he grabbed her, "its destiny. I will always find you; wherever you go."
Anna tried to break away, but Kyosuke pushed her against the wall and grabbed her tiny wrists.
"Now, now, Anna," Kyosuke was inches away from her face, "Is that any way to greet your older brother?"
"You're not my brother," she tired to push him off, "You're a sick, perverted BASTARD! Brothers don't do this to their sisters!"
His grip around her wrists got harder as he pushed against her, "Anna. Try all you want: you're not going to get free."
She still tried, but he was just too strong. She was scared, but still kept her face fairly composed. She couldn't let him know she was scared. He smirked at her struggling face.
"Anna…" he whispered in her ear; sending shivers down her spine, "…you don't know how much I've missed you…" He pressed against her body and moved his legs, slightly lifting up her skirt.
"St-stop!" her legs got weak, but his body pressure was holding her up.
"But we've just started, Anna-chan," he said as he ripped her shirt open…of all the days she decided not to wear an undershirt……
"No…please…" she couldn't help but plead. She knew what he was going to do to her.
He laughed at her, "This isn't the first time, Anna. You know I won't stop."
She still tried pushing him off but her strength was draining fast, and without meaning to, she cried out: "Yoh…!"
"Yoh?" Kyosuke smirked, "You're still hung up on him? Haha, are you afraid he'll see?"
Anna didn't answer. Her head hung down and her bangs covered her eyes. She wanted Yoh to come, she wanted Yoh to save her…but that was impossible. She knew living here would be impossible. She should've just jumped off the roof and ended her life. How could she ever escape Kyosuke? What a silly thought.
"After he sees you like this he won't want you anymore," He put his head on the crook of her neck, "But I will always want you. Come home with me…and we could get married…and you'll be mine forever."
"No!" Anna tried once again to push him off, but he just laughed and pressed against her harder.
Then they heard the door open. Anna's eyes widened while Kyosuke smirked, "Let's surprise him, shall we?"
"Anna?" Yoh frantically called at the top of the staircase.
Anna opened her mouth to call out his name, but then Kyosuke put his own mouth on top of hers. She tried to back away but her head was already against the wall.
Yoh heard a muffled noise at the bottom of the stairs. He panicked as he rushed down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom to see Kyosuke's filthy mouth on hers.
"Anna!"
Kyosuke couldn't help but smirk when he heard Yoh's voice. He turned away from Anna to Yoh, "And you're not going to greet me?"
"Let go of Anna!" He saw how tightly he was gripping her. He knew that if he made a sudden move, Kyosuke could hurt her.
"Now, why would I do that?" Kyosuke put his head on her cleavage, "I came all the way here to get her back."
"She doesn't want to go back with you," Yoh angry spat out. He had never been so mad in his life.
"You don't know what she wants," he kissed her cleavage, "Or what she needs."
Yoh clenched his fist so tight that his knuckles we turning white and he was afraid his palms might be bleeding.
"Besides," he nuzzled against her neck, "Why would you ever want her? She won't stay faithful. You've only been with her 2 months; you don't know how she is. She's a little slut. She's slept with more guys then customers you get in a day!"
"No! That's not—"
"Don't you dare deny it!" Kyosuke yelled at Anna.
She looked away shameful, "But I didn't want…"
"But you still did! You don't deserve anything better, Anna! Just like your mother deserved to die! You deserve all of it! Even you deserve—"
Then Kyosuke's mouth made contact with Yoh's fist, or rather, vice versa. Kyosuke let go of Anna as he fell to the floor. Anna's legs were weak so she fell too.
Yoh looked apologetically to Anna, "You're not hurt, are you? He didn't…" He trailed off.
Anna shook her head still trying to comprehend what just happened.
"Anna doesn't deserve any of this! She never did!" Yoh bent over to Kyosuke and grabbed the collar of his shirt, "But you…you deserve this."
"Hah, you think you can beat me?" He said wiping some blood off of his chin.
"You just ate my fist didn't you?"
Kyosuke glared, "I'll report you. I'll say that this is a horrible inn and you'll get arrested and fired."
"I'll report you. I'm the owner of this place; I reserve the right to refuse anyone I want. Besides, you busted into my room."
"It doesn't matter, kick me out if you want, but I'm taking Anna."
"It doesn't look like you're in any position to order me around," Yoh's fists got tighter.
"Anna belongs to me. She's still part of my 'family'. Dad wants her back."
Anna had never seen Yoh this angry. He gritted his teeth, "Then what?"
"I'm going to marry her," he smirked, "Then she'll be all mine."
Yoh fought the urge to smack the smirk off his face, "You can't because I'm marrying Anna."
Anna's eyes widened, "…Yoh…"
Kyosuke's glared shifted from Yoh to Anna, but then smirked slightly, "But you can't, Anna's not yet 18."
"That goes both ways, sir."
"See, but she can get married if her 'father' consents."
"Really. Is Haijime really credited as her father? Does he have the adoption papers?"
It was almost as though Yoh could see the sweat dripping from Kyosuke's face as he gritted his teeth.
"I thought so. Anna can do what she wants. She doesn't belong to you."
"You neither."
"I'm not controlling Anna or forcing her to stay here. She can leave if she wants."
"Didn't you say you're getting married?"
"We are, after she's 18."
Kyosuke glared at Anna, "Do you want to marry him?"
His look was supposed to scare her and bring back terrible memories. It was supposed to make her crumble into Kyosuke's hand, but she wasn't afraid. Yoh would protect her. She nodded, "Yes."
"Why you—" Kyosuke attempted to get up and hit her but Yoh pushed him back down.
"There's nothing I'd like more that to smash you and your father's faces in, but that wouldn't look good for the Inn's business," Yoh stood up and brought Kyosuke with him. Surprisingly, Yoh was taller, "Now get out of my Inn before I call the police to escort you out."
He let go of Kyosuke's collar. Immediately, Kyosuke reached out to fix the creases created. He turned to head out the door. Anna was still on the floor holding her shirt closed. As Kyosuke walked pass, he glared at her then swiftly turned around to punch Yoh in the face. Yoh wasn't expecting it, so he fell back a bit. Then Kyosuke went after Anna.
She tried to back up but, as it was, she was already against the wall. Just before Kyosuke reached Anna, Yoh tackled him. Kyosuke hit the back of his head on the staircase.
"Kyosuke this is your last chance to leave," Yoh wiped a drop of blood from his lip as he got off of Kyosuke. He still held Kyosuke's arms down firmly, "I swear there are worse things I can do to you then a fat lip."
Yoh started to push Kyosuke up the stairs, making sure he couldn't turn around and attack Yoh. Once up the stairs Kyosuke yelled, "You'll never get rid of me, Anna!"
Yoh's grip around Kyosuke's wrists got so hard it felt like a burn. He gritted his teeth, "Come near her again and I'll castrate you."
Kyosuke gave a scowl. He knew Yoh wasn't the weak boy he used to push around. By the way Yoh was gripping his wrist, he knew Yoh wasn't bluffing.
Yoh and Kyosuke reached the front desk where Hao was waiting frantically. He caught site of Yoh, "Anna?! Is she…"
"She's fine," Yoh gave a slight smile, "Call the police."
Hao smirked, "My pleasure."
Anna sat against the wall. Her arms fell to the floor and her head drooped. She tried to comprehend what exactly happened. Kyosuke came, she thought she was doomed to the nightmare, but then Yoh came and protected her; doing exactly what he promised. And……and he said that he wanted to marry her.
Anna must've been sitting there for a while because before she completely understood what happened, she heard the door open. She saw a figure come down the stairs. For a half-second she thought it was Kyosuke…but no, Yoh took care of that.
He walked down the stairs to where Anna was. He smiled, "He's gone."
"What happened?"
"We called the police. That should keep him busy for a while."
"Will he be back?"
"He better not."
"But he could?"
"As much as I'd love to have thrown him in jail, we didn't have proper evidence. But if he comes again, I'll think of something."
Anna looked downward slightly, "I see."
Yoh took off his shirt, "You can have mine."
He looked away as she changed shirts. When she was done, she threw hers on him. He smelt Strawberries and Champagne and laughed as he took it off his head. She was buttoning up her shirt. When she was done, he reached out his hand to help her up.
She looked down shamefully, "I…I can't." She was mad at herself for being so weak, but her legs were still in shock and refused to help her up.
"It's ok," he said as he picked her up bridal style.
"Y-Yoh!"
"It's late and I'm exhausted. Whadda'ya say we call it a night?"
"I'll—I'll get to my room myself!" She glared at him.
"Well, what if I want to?" He gently smiled, "Is that all right?"
Anna leaned her head on his bare chest as she softly nodded.
He chuckled as he carried her to her room. He opened the door with his foot as he so often did. He set her in bed and pulled the covers over her.
"I told you not to baby me," she half-glared.
"And I told you that I'm not. I'm just taking care of you," he said kneeling beside her bed.
"Yoh?"
"Hm?"
"…You don't have to marry me to protect me from Kyosuke."
"I know."
"So it wasn't all talk? You weren't lying?"
"No. Were you?"
Anna shook her head. She silently cursed herself for not voicing her answer.
He smiled, "Then it works out, right?"
Anna nodded. She wanted to speak, but couldn't find the voice.
"Well, it's been a long day," Yoh said as he stood up and stretched, "I don't ever want to strive on only 3 hours of sleep again. Goodnight, Anna."
"Goodnight, Yoh," Oh sure, she could voice that.
After he left, Anna laid there staring at the door. Then she turned on her back and stared at the ceiling. That conversation seemed a little awkward…but she knew that was her fault. She wondered how he felt. She didn't exactly show her joy when he mentioned getting married; but she was happy. She just wasn't good at showing her emotions.
She got up and changed into her shirt that she called her pajamas. She was contemplating whether or not to go down to talk to Yoh about the whole thing but he was exhausted.
But she decided to go down now. She needed to tell him how she felt. She wanted him to know that she wanted to marry him and she wanted to know if he really wanted to marry her. When she went down, he was already asleep.
"Yoh…" she said sitting on the bed.
There was no response and his back was towards her.
"Yoh…" she repeated as she laid down, "Yoh, are you sure you want to marry me?"
Yoh moaned, "I already said I wasn't lying. We're practically married already." There was a slight pause, "Why? You don't want to marry me?"
"I…" she wrapped her arms around him, "I do. I just…thought you liked Julie…"
"Julie?" He was just too clueless sometimes.
"Yes, she likes you and I thought you liked her too."
"No." He held onto her hands, "It's not her I like."
Anna smiled and held tighter as she buried her head into his back.
"You know, for a while there, I thought you liked Hao."
"Hao? What were you thinking? You've got the wrong twin. I thought it was obvious I didn't like him."
"Not obvious enough, I guess," Yoh mumbled and he drifted, "Anna, I'm dosing off."
"I can't sleep, Yoh."
"Sleep beside me."
Anna closed her eyes, "I don't know why I was so jealous of Julie."
"What?"
"I was jealous of Julie because she seemed to have more of your attention," her arms around him loosened, "I guess maybe it was because I had figured we'd always be together……I thought you had replaced me."
"Don't be ridiculous," he mumbled, "I could never replace you."
She smiled as her arms got tighter around him, "Yoh?"
"Mm?" he moaned.
"I…" her head buried in his back, "…love you." There. She finally said it. They've known each other for at least 13 years and it took her this long to finally admit it to herself and him.
Yoh smiled as he took a hold of her hands, "I love you too, Anna." He turned around to face her as he sat up a bit.
Anna smiled at him; she looked so beautiful. He bent down and gently placed his lips on hers. She wrapped her arms around Yoh's neck to pull him closer. The kiss was deep and passionate, but chaste.
When Yoh pulled away, he smiled and softly said: "Goodnight, Asakura Anna."
"Asakura…I like that name," she smiled as she pulled him down for a goodnight kiss.
A sense of relief filled throughout me. I knew everything was going to be all right. I had doubts about the way Anna felt about me, but now I knew that she loved me the way I loved her. I did plan on purposing to her properly, but I guess this worked out too.
I was scared she'd be more worked up on Kyosuke's return, but it seems as though she's comfortable. I didn't break my promise and I never planned to. She knew that too. Finally we'd be together like we always thought and knew we would be. And right now, at this moment, she's perfectly in the right mind.
THE END.
Just kidding. Actually, that was originally the ending. When I thought this story out, I was only sure of the Prologue and I wanted to end with this chapter. But then I got to thinking that maybe this might not be a proper ending and I thought that maybe you readers would want more, so here I am, writing another chapter AND an Epilogue. I've just got one thing to say: I don't know what I'm doing. But I really hope you guys will like what I've got in store and I can't wait to hear what you guys think!
And well, I wasn't going to write the Kyosuke part…but it just made more sense with him in it and I really just wanted Yoh to punch him because I hate him…Guys, please don't think I've got a sick mind or anything to create such a character…!! I really wanted Yoh to beat him up some more, but I couldn't have Kyosuke all bloodied up and then Hao call the police…that would just look wrong O.o
The ending (after the Kyosuke part) was what I was looking forward to writing. Because, they're going to get married!! Yay!! So, overall, I think it came out pretty good.
And a little FUN FACT (for those who want to read):
Kudos to those who noticed, (only Smart Angel commented on in her review and I'm not sure if you guys noticed and just decided not to comment about it) but if you didn't know, then I'll tell you: in the last chapter at the end, when Yoh mumbles something under his breath, I didn't write what he says and Anna smiles as though she's heard it. Well what Yoh really says is "I love you, Anna." But I didn't write it because I wanted the first "I love you" to be written in this chapter (while they're both awake) and I don't know why, I just wanted Anna's "I love you" to be said first, but really, Yoh's was. : )
ONE QUICK THING I WANT TO SAY: sorry I keep rambling on and on with my ending author's note. Haha, half the story's length is my author's notes O.o I'm going to try my hardest to update the day before I leave or the day I leave for my vacation. I'm going camping, so no computers. So please review, because seriously, that really motivates me.
So PRDICTION FOR THE NEXT UPDATE: A hopeful prediction for Saturday! : )
Thanks so much ladies and gents!! Hope to hear from you!! Until next time!! Ja ne!!