11. Letting Go

"Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over."

– Gloria Naylor

"Yoh? Are you sure you don't want to take a break?" Yohmei asked curiously as he hunched over Yoh's nearly unconscious figure.

The boy somehow found enough energy to shake his head from side to side. "N-No. I feel fine. Perfectly fine. See." He attempted to push himself off of the ground but fell promptly back down. "Urgh…okay, maybe one wouldn't hurt." He rolled himself onto his stomach and then slowly stood up before walking as fast as he could without collapsing back to the house.

"I never would have guessed…And here I thought Yoh was going to be lazy for the rest of his life." But somehow Yohmei couldn't bring himself to feel happy about it. "Yoh?"

The boy paused before sliding the door open and turned around. "Yeah, grandpa?"

"Good work today."

The boy's smile was empty and his wave half-hearted as he shrugged. "I guess."

Yohmei frowned as the door shut behind his grandson. For the past month, Yoh had thrown himself into his training, quite a remarkable difference from how he would usually shirk his chores and skip out on Yohmei's lessons. "Ever since Yoh and Anna have been forbidden from writing to each other… Though Yoh is showing incredible improvements and progress, I'd rather have my grandson have the heart he used to have. Without his spirit and heart intact, all the training in the world won't do anything for him."

He suddenly lurched forward as something bumped into him.

"Ah, s-sorry, Master Yohmei," Tamao apologized hurriedly, bowing repeatedly. "I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm so sorry…" The little girl shuffled away quickly.

"It's quite al—hold on, Tamao?" Yohmei called out to her.

The small girl froze and turned around slowly. "Y-Yes?"

"Have you…since you and Yoh are so close in age perhaps you can…yes, you'll do. Have you noticed anything…different about Yoh recently?" he asked, concern flooding his voice by the end of his inquiry.

Tamao was deeply infatuated with Yoh and knew full well that if she said anything that indicated that he was in fact still sad over his lack of communication with Anna, then Yohmei, willing and able to do anything to help Yoh become the best shaman he can be, would let the young fiancées resume their relationships. But then again, Yoh was not only the object of her affections; he was also her solitary friend (as everyone knows, Ponchi and Conchi do not count since…well…they're Ponchi and Conchi). And as much as it pained her to see Yoh fawning over another girl, his best interests as her friend mattered more.

"Y-Yes. I have…" she said. "I think…It's about Anna."

Yohmei frowned and then sighed. "He still hasn't let go of her or his memories of her, has he?"

Tamao paused. "I…I think he has. Just not in the way that you think. I…I think you believe that letting go is supposed to be for himself…and that it's a bad thing…a painful thing…"

Yohmei drew his eyebrows together. "Do tell."

"He has let go…It's just that…that it's a good thing. It's not just for h-himself but for Anna too. I think that's what friends do sometimes. I think they're supposed to sometimes."

"Hmm…" Kino studied her pupil who was currently watching the television, her small back facing the seasoned itako.

Anna shifted uncomfortably, not enjoying Kino's sightless eyes boring into her back.

"Hmm…"

Anna had long stopped paying attention to the program that was playing on the screen.

"Hmm…"

"Kino," Anna said, her voice cracking. "Do you need something?" She fought the nagging urge to jump up and run away, fully aware that whatever Kino was thinking, it was not good.

"Well…"

Anna's eye twitched. Not good at all.

"I was mistaken about you," Kino finally sighed, her voice sounding resigned.

Anna blinked in surprise and turned around to face the blind itako. "Wh-What?"

"I was mistaken. I thought that you were so…human as to let your feelings interfere with your training." She paused. "Your duty to the Asakura family. But you have proven yourself to me."

"I don't think…I'm following you…" Anna said slowly.

"Well, I thought that somehow you had fallen in love…except love is much too strong a word for whatever kids experience nowadays. But let's say that you of all people are capable of loving another person, I thought that you actually loved my grandson." She smiled but it looked more like an evil grimace to Anna. "I'm actually proud for once of you. You didn't. You put on quite a convincing show. Though when you and Yoh actually get married, that might be a bit misleading since he is under the impression that you actually love him—Anna, where are you going?" Kino asked as she heard Anna's retreating footsteps against the hard wood floors.

"I can't—" I can't listen to this utter garbage that you're spewing right now. I...care about Yoh.

"You can't what?" Kino fell silent. "Interesting, and I thought that you have let go of Yoh and whatever feelings you had harbored towards him."

Anna clenched her teeth together before telling the biggest lie of her life. "I…have…"

"Good. Then I suppose you won't care when we go back to Izumo to visit Yoh and Yohmei in a few days."

Anna whirled around. "What?" She had been expecting almost anything. Except for that. She hadn't anticipated the chance that she would be seeing Yoh so suddenly, so soon to when she had started pretending to not care.

"I thought you said that you had let go already," Kino said tauntingly.

"I have," Anna said defiantly. "Just not in the way or for the reasons you think."

A/N: sorry to keep Yoh and Anna apart for so long but this chapter needed to happen. Don't worry, I'll keep them together for quite a while :) Interesting enough, I wasn't writing this because I couldn't really think of a good topic/theme to address this prompt with. But then I came across that Gloria Naylor quotation...and then this little short basically wrote itself :) So what do you think? I think letting go is seen as a negative, painful thing for most people, like moving to a new place like college and being separated from your friends or a breakup but letting go can also be very good and healthy...sometimes even needed at certain points in your life. But Yoh and Anna's situation is different because as soon as they learned to let each other go in the right way, they're being thrown back into each other's lives...as you'll see in the next chapter ;)

also, i've been updating like crazy on my fanfic livejournal--check it out!: shatteredlyre . livejournal . com (and i'd love if people friended me on LJ too :D)

I also made a formspring for you guys. because i'm bored and i'm stuck at home for spring break: formspring . me / shatteredlyre (ask me questions haha)

Also, check out the new My Commensal I put up a few days ago (it's a YohAnna!) and my new RenPiri story, Stupid Questions and FFNet has been really weird lately so if you haven't seen Chapter 12 of Critical Condition (though i don't see how you can't...it's been a month...haha) go read it!

wow, this author's note is really long...sorry guys heheh. oh and lastly, i'd LOVE to hear from you guys! :D Review please? :)