Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King
Chapter 13
A Valentine's story
A strong wind was blowing through Tokyo. It has been several weeks since the director closed the gates. He found himself at the lake, as he did every morning. Marco enjoyed the wind blowing around, whirling the leaves everywhere. Still in his dressing gown, he walked along the lake. His eyes saw a yellow leaf on the ground. He picked it up and for the first time in millennia, a smile crept on his lips.
"Nice, to see you smile too sometimes Mister Lasso.", a voice called out.
Marco sighed and looked to his right.
"There must be something special in the air."
"You're right, do you feel this wind? Since generations these winds have blown from the east. Some time ago, they changed direction...", the director said while staring into the distance. "...and started blowing from the west. But today they blow again from the east as before.", he said thoughtful. "Everything is just as it used to be, Mister Faust.", he smiled and glanced back at Faust. "It is a special morning."
"I congratulate, Mister Lasso.", the teacher said with a grin, while he approached Marco. "Even the wind is afraid of you. Looks like he knows that you do not like any changes.", he stated with a hint of irony in his voice. "Proof of your fear-spreading power. Hm..?"
Marco walked slowly pass Faust, "You pointed out that I was spreading fear. You said that they were all afraid of me.", he glanced at the leaf in his hands. "Everyone is afraid of me and loves you. Now remember one thing, Mister Johann Faust. In the fight between fear and love, fear always wins."
"No...no, Mister Marco." Faust denies and glanced over his shoulder at Marco. "They have only known the power of fear so far.", he walked up to the director till he was standing in front of him and looked at him challenging. "But they do not know the power that love gives. The power is so great that it can bring the wall to collapse, behind which you hide..." he glanced at the leaf in Marcos hand. "...with this single leaf."
Marco remained unimpressed. "I would like to see such a power, Mister Faust.", he spoke softly and held the leaf out. Faust took the single leaf without leaving eye contact to the director. "I would like to see that.", Marco said before he turned around and walked back into the building.
"You will get to see this power, Mister Lasso.", Faust looked at the leaf in his hand. "Just be patient."
xXx
"Good morning guys."
"Good morning Sir!", the music class welcomed their teacher at once.
"Today is the fourteenth of February, the Valentine's Day! The day of love." , Faust smiled at his students. "That's why I want to tell you a little love story today. It is the story of a girl, a boy and a leaf.", the teacher held a leaf in front of his students. They were sitting under the roof of the Pavilion.
"The boy studied, exactly like you in this university and he had a girlfriend. It was also on Valentine's Day when he finally decided to tell her what he felt deeply in his heart for her. No matter what happens...
... The girl stood with her friends at the bus stop and waited. They wanted to make a college trip. The boy secretly sneaked out of college to see her, but the girls were already getting on the bus. He quickly took out a pen, but he had no paper to write on it. There he saw a leaf lying on the floor. He picked it up and wrote on it "Dear Eliza, I Love you". He handed the leaf to a boy and pointed to her. The child with the leaf ran to the girl who just wants to get on the bus. At that moment, army vehicles drove past and blocked his view. When finally all the vehicles had passed, the last girl got into the bus. At that moment the little boy tugged at his sleeve and brought back the leaf... something was written on the back side. "How long have I been waiting to hear that from you?, Eliza". By now the bus had already left. He ran after it like an obsessed man, but could not catch up with the bus. Disappointed, he stopped in the middle of the street.
And then... he saw her on the other side of the street. She smiled shyly at him. He threw his backpack to the ground and stretched out his arms to welcome her in an embrace...
... At that moment, he thought that a dream had come true for him.", Faust spoke with glassy eyes, staring into nothingness.
"And how did it continue?", a student asked.
"It is obvious! They got married and live happily ever after. Right, sir?", another student answered.
Faust shifted his glace from the distant to the student and smiled. "Wrong, you all know, how it went on.", he paused and glanced through the students. "Because that's the story of the only student ever, been kicked out of here. Today, when one speaks of him, he is called the unknown madman.", he laughed lightly. "Was he an obsessed one? Or insane? Or... was he just a normal boy, just like one of you? I do not know, I cannot say it. The only thing I know was that he only listened to his heart. All I know... is that he could have achieved everything in his life that he once planned. That he sacrificed all this out of love for her. And I also know that his feelings for her are not extinguished until today. And this love is growing day by day.", Faust spoke softly. "Day by day...from day to day...", he whispered and looked into the distant with glassy eyes.
"May I ask you something, sir?", a student brought him back to reality. "How do you know that?"
Faust glanced at the student, who asked and smiled sadly. "How do I know that? Why do I know this story so well?", the music teacher turned aroundand walked to his violin case, which was placed on a chair, opened it and stepped to the side. There was a leaf attached to the top half of the violin case.
Yoh stood up and walked over to have a better look, followed by Horo, Ren and finally the rest of the students. On the leaf was written:
Dear Eliza,
I Love You...
Johann
The students looked over to Faust, who was standing offside the pavilion. His arms spread out, his hand holding a leaf, while the cold wind surrounded him. "Today is Valentstine´s Day, Eliza. Happy Valentine´s Day.", he whispered and let the leaf blow away in the wind.
His story was like a bonfire, which burned through the college. Students searched the whole campus for the most beautiful leaves they can find and sneaked out of the university. They don't care if they get caught. What matters is to tell their love ones what they are feeling. Today.
xXx
Tamao was walking down the street to the market, to buy groceries. Suddenly a tall man with an elvis hairdo approached her. When he stopped in front of her she gave him a questioning look. He just raised his hand and held a leaf in front of her face, which she took surprised. She looked back up and sent him another questioning look. The man in the white suit, pointed at a very nervous blue haired boy, standing at the other side of the street.
Tamao tilted her head before she glanced back at the leaf to read what there stood.
Since the time when we laughed and wept over trifles, do I loved you.
Since the time we danced and sang in the rain, do I loved you.
Since the time we sat secretly on the terrace at night and counted the stars, do I loved you.
Meanwhile, I have forgotten since when I started to love you.
I can only say one thing... I have always loved you.
And will love you forever.
Tamao felt how a single tear were running down her cheek as she looked up to meet Horo´s eyes. He looked at her shyly, as he approached her slowly.
"Then you love me so much?", she asked with a trembling voice and glassy eyes.
He nodded. "Yes."
"Since when?"
"Always, Tamao.", he whispered smiling shyly.
"And you never said a word?", the trembling girl asked softly. Horo shook his head and smiled.
"Baka.", she sobbed. "What are you staring at so helplessly? Come on, take me in your arms."
He does not have to be told this a second time. He stretched out his arms and she wrapped her arms around him. He held her tightly in her arm, as if she would disappear the next moment and everything would have been just a sweet dream.
xXx
"My father is not a rich industrialist, he is a bank employee.", the brown haired student revealed. He jumped over the fence and ran to the girl´s college to confess to his adored one. "Our friendship, that started with a lie... I will end it with the truth. The truth is, Miss Kyoyama Anna... ", he spoke with a gentle voice, looking at the blond goddess in front of him, but she looked to the floor, while her arms are crossed. So, he wants to end our friendship...?
"...I love you like no one else in the world."
She froze, while her eyes widened. What?! , she thought. She dared to look up, meeting his eye. A mistake. At the sight of his warm eyes full of love and his gentle smile, she felt weak in her knees and want to beat him for that and for making her worry.
"I know, that loving you is anything but easy. You are a girl who is unruly, stubborn, proud and very spoiled.", he laughed lightly before he smiled lovingly. "But that's just a facade, because the girl I see is adorably. At nighttime she devours love stories and by daytime she dreams of great emotions. The upstage girl has a generous heart. The girl knows her mistakes for which she apologizes, in a very sweet way. I know who the true Anna Kyoyama is.", he stated with a confident voice. "My Anna-chan, which is the love of my life. I cannot imagine a life without you, anymore. I love..."
Slap!
Yoh was startled. What have I done wrong? Did I say something wrong?, thousand questions circled in his head.
"Anna, I am sorr...", he wanted to apologize, but was cut off.
"Shut up! ", she called out, causing him to shiver. "But, Anna..."
"Shut up and kiss me already, dammit.", with that she wrapped her arms around his neck and placed her lips on his in a gentle and sweet touch, for which he was not prepared for. He had not expected that, but wanted to savor every moment of it. So he closed his eyes and placed a hand around her hips, while the other buried itself in her blond locks, to deepen the kiss, savoring every inch of her mouth. Her body burned with yearning, a passion that she has never faced before.
They broke the kiss, breathing heavy. "You are talking too much, Asakura.", she whispered, looking up to meet his eyes.
"Anna-chan, I'll keep talking too much all my life, if you silence me like that.", he spoke softly with a grin.
"Idiot.", she smiled before he leaned down and pressed his lips on hers once more.
xXx
"You have to leave, Ren. Never come back, will you promise me that?", Jeanne spoke in a pleading voice.
"Why? If I hurt you, say so."
Her eyes softened. "You've done nothing that could have hurt me. You have brought music back into my life and thereby, the happiness. You gave me your friendship. For that I will be grateful all my life.", she spoke softly and shifted her glance to the floor. "But you have brought back all those dreams that I have successfully banished into a tiny corner of my heart. All those dreams that belong to a Jeanne, who was only seventeen years old. All those dreams that for today's Jeanne cannot be more than a faint memory.", she looked back up. "I no longer have the strength to return your friendship, Ren. Please, forgive me... and try to forget me, too.", she turned around to walk upstairs to her room, till Ren got a hold of her wrist. "Please Ren, be reasonable."
"I am here to tell you something, Jeanne. And I will not go until you know what you need to know..."
"Ren!", a stern voice called out from the entrance and interrupted him. "What do you have to tell her, Ren?", Liam Diethel asked cold. "Talk, I want to hear it too."
Ren was not too surprised, he knew he had to face him sometime to free Jeanne. He walked up to him and said "What I want to tell her is, that I don´t want to live without her anymore...", he glanced at Jeanne, who looked very flustered. "...I love her more than anything. And I also know that her feelings for me..."
"Stop it Ren!", she screamed, causing him to pause with a shocked facial expression. Jeanne was breathing heavily, her heart beating fast against her chest, she had to hold onto the railing of the staircase.
"I think that's enough for you as an answer to your little speech.". Liam spoke. "Leave my house, now and never come back."
Ren paused and glanced at Jeanne for several seconds before he walked to the entrance, slowly. "Wait, Ren!", Jane called out, causing him to stop in his track. Jane walked over to Jeanne. "Tell me what you feel for Ren.", Jane asked, but Jeanne just looked to the floor.
"Jane!", Liam shouted, but Jane ignored him.
"Now tell me the truth. What feelings do you have for this boy?", she asked calm.
"Jane, do you know what you are saying?", Liam called out again, but Jane just stared at Jeanne. "Listen to yourself. Tell me the truth. Do you love him as much as he loves you?"
"Jane! You talk to a woman who is married!"
"Don´t you understand that you are wrong?", Jane called out and turned to face her husband. "I shake a woman awake whose husband died. In front of us is a widow, understand that finally! She is a widow!", she stated with glassy eyes and a serious voice.
"Jane...", Liam whispered, but her patience came to an end. "Look at her and accept the truth! She is no longer the girl you have welcomed with open arms in our family.", she shouted. Jeanne's eyes are still lowered. "See her as a young woman who has been patient over two years, fulfilling all the duties of a married woman. She does all of this just so you can keep thinking that our son is still alive!", her voice became shaky and she looked back at Jeanne. "Look at this young woman and ask yourself if it would be so bad if someone fell in love with her. Would it be so terrible if she feels loved again? Accept the death of our son. Give her back her freedom..."
Liam´s eyes were open wide, while he shook his head in disbelieve. "My son is not dead...", he whispered. "My beloved son is not dead...", Liam walked away leaving the three of them behind.
Jeanne turned around slowly and walked upstairs, not daring to look up. Ren looked at Jane and bowed before he turned around and left.
xxx I know! So dramatic! But think about it, her husband died and she is under the pressure of her father-in-law, who denied the death of his son. And she don´t want to hurt his feelings. And I hope you liked the scenes of the other pairing especially YohxAnna! And thanks to Leslietendo for helping me out with some ideas, so that I was able to update so soon! xxx
