Chapter Summary: Anna is so close to getting what she came back for, so why is her resolve wavering now?
WARNING/S: Mention of a dead animal and human.
Recommended Chapter Playlist: Easy On Me – Adele
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AN APPLE A DAY – Chapter 19: Unstoppable Allegiance
She tried to think of a better reason to justify her presence for tonight's strictly exclusive and private event; but despite the luxurious and pampering vibe from her surroundings, Anna still couldn't fathom the fake and pretentious pleasantries shared by the high-profile people present that evening in Tokyo.
They were inside a grand events place set-up with an art gallery featuring prestigious artists and their works, and a magnanimous casino area that surely attracted Japan's famous and wealthy businessmen.
Anna fought hard to suppress a snigger, but failed miserably, when she went past the reception area and was welcomed by not just one, not two, but a dozen Sakura trees stationed at the center of the hall, all in their full blooming glory.
As if the towering windows, intricate staircases, glistening marbled floors and golden chandeliers didn't scream 'exclusively for the filthy rich' already, who would've thought that salvaging some real flowering trees and re-planting them temporarily for a one-night event could be such a hit especially with international business moguls' housewives (and possibly mistresses)?
She scanned her surroundings further and spotted some members of an organized crime group whom Hao mentioned when he was orienting her about the event's background.
Anna sucked-in a breath as her sight lingered towards the women at the venue, dressed in impeccable elegance and style. One look was enough to know that these women are effortlessly used to these kinds of events that required a great deal of displaying their wealth and beauty whilst socialising— something Anna is sure she would never be accustomed to.
She suddenly felt the need to adjust the thin straps of her long burgundy satin dress. The throbbing ache that was building-up from the balls of her feet due to wearing four-inch heels for the past thirty minutes is now masked by the abrupt wave of insecurity that washed over her.
Despite maintaining a poker face, her anxiety doubled when she realized that all eyes were on her.
She wasn't worried about being caught by her work colleagues or acquaintances for she went for a smart move of going for a disguise, but negative thoughts still flooded her mind.
What if she fails to make them believe?
What if the others notice that she doesn't belong in their world?
What if she just isn't good enough?
A gentle caress against the valley of her hip pulled her out of the dark void that was drowning her in. She must've been unknowingly clutching the arm of the person next to her with greater force, informing her companion about the rising tension within her.
Her eyes slid up and was met with another pair of warm brown ones that were gleaming with fire and at the same time, reassurance.
"Hey." His voice was even more soothing.
Anna yelped silently when she felt her escort's palm softly squeezed the side of her waist to pull her close to him as he bent over a little to whisper something in her ear.
"Do me a favour and do a quick look to your left, will you? I think I've finally seen the most beautiful girl I've ever met in my life."
With furrowed eyebrows, Anna was ready to question her friend's random request, but was distracted when she saw a full-sized mirror lined with gold and attached to one of the hall's pillars.
Anna stared at her own reflection in awe.
Her long brunette wig was still set alluringly in large, loose, curls. She hated wearing make-up, but it was needed to slightly shift her features to create and alluring disguise. Her dress hugged all her curves and edges with just the right amount of tightness, and it didn't necessarily show an ample amount of skin, except for her stunning shoulder blades, and a killer slit that showcased almost the whole length of her left leg. The champagne gold pointy heels completed her femme fatale style, and after staring straight into her eyes concealed by grey-coloured contact lenses, she was almost convinced that the person before her was anyone else but her.
Albeit all the uncertainties that governed her conscience, a smile found its way on her supple lips.
Hao surely knows his way with words.
"Is that your way of apologising?" Anna tried to keep a straight face. She didn't face Hao directly in case her cheeks were turning pink.
"Hm? For what?" Hao feigned innocence even though he knew what she was talking about. After that one whole day that Anna spent with Yoh and their half-siblings in Tokyo weeks ago, the woman returned to Izumo as if nothing happened with very minimal to almost no explanations at all.
Not that Hao had any right to be mad at her for making her own life choices, but it infuriated him to the point that he instinctively gave Anna the cold treatment for a couple of days. He soon realised that she had so much power over him just by maintaining her presence in his life, and soon he caved in to treating her like his queen once again.
He hated himself for that.
Every single day.
"You never told me in detail what we're really in here for." Anna felt the need to change the subject after seeing Hao's conflicted countenance. He retained the same level of smugness with the way he was smiling, yet his eyes reflected a whole different story. For some reason, Anna saw a person who's locked away in an emotional prison set by none other than his own self.
"Ah." Hao straightened up. "It's actually a charity event."
Anna scoffed. "For what? Tokyo's filthy rich housewives' Go Fund Me accounts?"
Hao chuckled in amusement before shaking his head. "For foster children, actually."
Whether it was due to curiosity or suspicion, he noticed Anna's silence with a raised brow. He is very much aware that she is a cunning woman—that's why he hired her for these kinds of things. She'd soon figure out about the dark and disgusting concerns behind their operation tonight despite him not fully disclosing all the nasty details to protect her sanity.
She knew they came to make more money at the expense of those greedy morons that are present tonight, but he'll save all the other details for later.
Anyway, that was their deal from the very start.
He will her take revenge on the ones who wronged her in the past, and she will help him anonymously take down his enemies in return.
Even if part of those people are his own family.
He was greatly against the idea at first. Afterall, putting Anna's life in danger was the last thing he wanted. He even laughed at her at first, taunted her about her idea of a 'change career', but she adamantly insisted.
Anna was determined to get back on her feet and take Izumo by storm. In a way, he empathizes fully after knowing everything she has been through.
Hence, their unstoppable allegiance was formed.
"Asakura-san, what a lovely surprise."
Both Hao and Anna turned their heads at the source of the voice.
With his bright blonde hair, arrogant smirk, dirty white formal suit, and gleaming eyeglasses, Anna was quite surprised to see Jeanne's older brother, Marco Lasso, but she noticed Hao's peculiar reaction when she did a quick glance on him. He seemed to be expecting to see Marco, who turned out to be the one who's hosting the event.
"I didn't know you were back in town. I was anticipating your brother to represent the Asakuras."
A rapid impulse of panic rose from Anna's gut.
Is Yoh here?
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not particularly fond of working with my family ever since, let alone, working for them, so..." Hao declared in a calm but factual manner.
"Still a lone wolf, I see." Marco chuckled, but then his face morphed into reflecting full interest as his gaze fell on Anna. "Or maybe not." He flashed a sinister grin.
It was Hao's turn to introduce his date. "Mr. Lasso, this is my colleague, Megumi Ai." He didn't even bat an eye for lying about Anna's name.
Marco gallantly held out an open palm. "Pleased to meet you, Megumi-san. I never thought I'd see that day when Hao will have an actual woman next to him. Well, despite his side conquests, that is." The audacious man let out an embarrassing laugh, and his colleagues either joined in the laughter to get into his good side, or to agree with the fact that Hao was a known 'ladies' man'… or both.
Hao's fist twitched at hearing Marco address him so informally.
Anna reluctantly handed her hand for Marco to plant a quick kiss on, and she fought the urge to gag or roll her eyes at the vulgarity of the men around her. It was good that Marco didn't seem to recognize her at all. Surely, being Jeanne's friend, the guy must've already ran a background check on her as Kyouyama Anna, years ago. For a moment, she considered paying Hao back just so she could get out of there ASAP. She'd rather deal with the irritating family members of her patients at the hospital than tolerate a night of chauvinism.
Yes, they came to that party with the intentions of bleeding these filthy rich bastards dry of from their dirty money; and yes, it will inevitably include bathing in their disgusting stares and sexist comments, but she knew that Hao was going to be there.
And somehow, that made her feel safe.
"Tsk, tsk. Ai is simply accompanying me for some important business tonight. You know I never mix business with pleasure, signore." Hao made sure he emphasised the last word to depict his annoyance with Marco in the subtlest but calmest way.
He almost instantly regretted his decision in involving Anna for tonight's mission, but he needed attention, as much of it as he can. And one way to garner that much attention is for him to do something he has never done before: show his face to a business event with a goddess by his side.
True enough, a number of men and women has already gathered around them to share pleasantries with Hao, and more importantly, to take a good glimpse of the lucky woman he's with.
"Colleague, huh?" The grins that were plastered on Marco's and the other men's faces grew darker. "Well, come on then. The auctions have already begun. Let's not waste time on such a wonderful evening." Marco gestured for everyone to follow him towards their agenda for the night.
An hour later, Anna found herself sitting next to Hao at the end of what seems to be a poker table, along with Marco and four other players. They've just finished attending the event's auctioning program and she bore witness to how the filthy rich men effortlessly spent thousands and even millions on trivial things such as a gold and platinum paper clip, or some 'antique' clay spatula.
She could feel her cheeks ache from all the pretentious smiling she had to do all night.
Hao took in the events more serenely despite knowing that behind his sophisticated but simulated gestures, he was itching to burn the place down.
Minutes ago, Hao's lackeys confirmed with him that they have gathered enough evidence during the ceremonies whilst he and Anna successfully served as distractions. Therefore, joining this poker game will be their final chess piece for the night.
"Well, well, now that our businesses have been taken care of, what do you all say we all teach Hao how to mix it up business with some pleasure, eh?" The men on the table guffawed at Marco's words like common street drunkards. They were now being poured endless alcohol by the paid hostesses on their laps.
Guess money really can't buy class. Anna made a mental note to tease Hao with his wonderful choice of friends.
Everyone paused at the sound of poker chips being shoved atop the table.
"Thirty million dollars… for a night with the lady in red." All heads turned to Marco at his bold proposal.
Anna's eyes widened at the unexpected offer.
"Lasso-san, I'm afraid you got the wrong idea. Ai is not—" Hao was quick to reason out but was interrupted savagely by the older men.
"Fifty million." Another one chimed, mimicking Marco's move.
"Seventy million! Including an unlimited shopping spree! She's too precious to let go of." One of the men almost pushed the woman out of his lap after choking in laughter.
Silent panic in tow, Anna glanced at Hao, and she saw how his jaw was clenching tightly with a murderous intent flickering in his eyes. She placed a hand on his balled fist to distract him from the egoistic animals around them who're trying to play God.
Anna was ready to send them to oblivion when Marco stood from his seat as his assistant placed a hefty suitcase on the table, which was revealed to contain endless bundles of cash.
"One hundred and fifty million dollars, all in."
Everyone gasped at Marco's move, and right when everyone least expected it, a chuckle escaped Anna's lips as she crossed her legs and leaned on the table with one hand temptingly supporting her pretty face.
All the men, and women, watched Anna in seemingly slow motion when she signalled the game master to buy all the required poker chips needed for the game.
Her devious smirk caught all of them off-guard.
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"Don't you ever do that again!"
Anna felt Hao's frustration trembling from his voice. She mocked at his actions as she matched his undignified glare.
"You won already, didn't you? So why are you still all riled up?" The woman spat back.
For heaven's sake. He's being overdramatic.
Anna watched her friend swipe his face irritably with one hand as he turned his back against her. Hao can rarely be seen demonstrating such high level of displeasure through his words and actions, but this was definitely one of those times.
"That's not the point, Anna." Hao mumbled in a low tone, still not glancing back at her.
"We've raised enough money for your future projects just like we planned. I earned extra cash to pay for my sister's healthcare bills, and we've gathered enough evidence that could lead us to our goals. So I don't really know why you're acting like this."
True to what Hao's informants said, they've secured what they planned to obtain tonight. They were also lucky enough that none of the Asakuras were able to attend the event due to "more pressing matters," just as how they predicted.
Anna carefully observed Hao go through a silent inner battle with himself once again. He was becoming prone to abrupt reveries recently; it fuelled the blonde's annoyance.
"You always act like a jealous boyfriend every time I raise the stakes or do something a little unconventional just to help us seal the deal. It's not like I'm out there spending the night with Jeanne's brother right now."
The memory of Marko playing a dirty old man's role almost made Anna gag.
"That's because I fucking won the game!" Hao finally whipped around, trapping Anna with his body when his fist connected to the wall in one swift move.
"And that's because I trusted you to win it!" Anna speared back without an iota of fear.
Silence overpowered both of them as they struggled to express their frustrations at each other. All that's left was the sound of their heavy breathing and throbbing heartbeats as their gazes battled each other.
They continued to share the moment with no further words in between. Anna watched Hao's gaze trail down a bit, only to realize that he was staring at her lips with such longing. She tried to shake off the heat that inevitably crept to her face.
"Has he at least admitted his feelings for you yet?" The question came out of thin air, but he had to say it.
Anna turned to him, shocked and bewildered. She was questioning his audacity for even asking such a damned question, judging by the heat of her stare.
"Yoh, we've talked about this countless times—"
"So he hasn't?"
"There is nothing going on between us!"
"And yet, you chose to be with him."
There. Yoh finally said it.
And he was grateful that Anna didn't say anything back because only the gods know the amount of self-control he was using to avoid stopping their petty argument with a kiss.
"Hao's been in love with you all these years, Anna. Even back when we were together. And I know that for sure because he's my twin brother for crying out loud!" Still no retorts from the blonde. "You can choose to ignore it. He can deny it over and over again every time someone asks. It's one of the reasons I kept doubting myself when I was with you, and it's pretty much out there for everyone to see… so why can't you?"
Yoh's words rang through Anna's head, but they were short lived when she was brought back to reality.
"You—" Hao started with a defeated sigh, not knowing about Anna's current tumultuous thoughts. "You didn't have to sell yourself like that." He said it with such gentleness, his voice was almost inaudible.
"I've already sold myself to the devil ever since I decided on this path."
"Please don't say that, Anna. It makes me feel more guilty for even allowing you to do this with me."
No reply came from Anna for she was clearly starting to get more upset, plus, the sight of Hao showing that much 'guilt' was something new to her.
"Look, just do that ag—"
"Hao… do you… want me?"
The brunette man's pupils dilated.
'Want?' I need you!
"What?" It was all Hao could say even though his mind wanted to scream out his thoughts. In his defence, she caught him totally off-guard.
"You heard me," Anna said dryly. "Do you… love me?"
It took Hao several seconds to come up with a logical answer. "Of course. What's the use of calling me your best fri—"
"You know that's not what I meant."
Hao shut his eyes as if to numb some sort of invisible pain.
In one rapid beat, he grabbed Anna's wrist and swivelled her around, driving her to use her hands to support herself against the wall while he pressed his body against her back in a tight embrace.
He took a moment to admire her golden hair illuminated by the nearby lamp in their hotel suite, grateful that she removed her wig as soon as they got there. That brunette colour felt repulsive to him; blonde suited her more. Her scent reminded him of the cherry blossoms that stood their ground gracefully back at the party. Anna must've sucked in all their essence much as how she garnered everyone's fascination in the same event.
Being this close to her always gave him undying vigour, but at the same time, comforting peace.
"And what if I do? What will you do about it?" He whispered, breath, hot, and voice, raspy, right next to her ear; not thinking of the possible consequences of his actions anymore.
After taking time to process his 'partial' revelation, Anna scoffed for the nth time that night. It will take more than that for her to believe his mere words. She's so used to him playing mind tricks on her all the time.
She motioned to wriggle herself out from his hold, but to no avail, so she resorted to tilting her head to the side for as far as she can go. Still, her field of vision could only reach up to Hao's jaw.
"I know what you're doing. Let me see your face."
"Shhh. Let's stay like this for a bit longer."
They both know it.
Anna knows that the only way she could tell the truth behind Hao's words is if she could look right into his eyes—his soul, but for some exasperating reason, he was shoving avoidance against her face once again like he always does when confronted about his feelings. According to Hao, he has long forgotten about the relevance of his well-being when it comes to fulfilling his missions in life, therefore his feelings are no longer important. A similar logic that Anna had agreed on, in a way, ever since she became a doctor.
Feelings are for the weak.
Hao was always aware that his only weakness in the world came in the form of two beings: his brother, Yoh, and his most special friend, Anna. He knew that with just one look, the latter would be able to know he's hiding something; and at this point in time, he cannot afford that kind of distraction. He needs to focus on his goal of strengthening his empire so that no one else could ever stand up against him, even something as powerful as his enemies, or worse, his family, who are almost considered as gods in the world they're currently living in.
Love is for the weak.
He leaned closer to her ear. "If I tell you that I'm in love with you, what will you do then, Anna?"
Anna's breath hitched at the back of her throat as her mouth went dry. For a second, she became paranoid about Hao hearing her quickening heartbeats against her chest.
Why did he have to sound so sultry when he mentioned my name?
She difficulty containing the level of panic rising in her gut as she kept scanning her brain for a real sensible response. As much as she's capable of catching Hao off guard, he certainly knew how to throw her off balance, too.
She hated that about him as much as she loved it to her core, similar to how she's becoming confused with all the mixed feelings he managed to stir within her right now.
Hao watched Anna's moment of conflict as soon as he muttered his words. Only the gods know how much he held himself from just giving up then and there, with hands held up in the air screaming: 'Fuck it! Let's just get married and leave everything behind!' but that's not how his complicated world works; and that kind of move will absolutely not work with Anna if he was aiming to have her.
He fought exhaling a heavy breath before straightening his posture like nothing happened—like his emotions weren't causing a hurricane in his heart just seconds ago.
As a complete shift in the mood, Anna felt Hao shaking, as an attempt to filter his chuckles which soon enough, turned into full on laughter.
He really must've lost his mind.
Maintaining a bored expression, Anna waited until the brunette finished his laughing fit. She turned around to face him when she felt him loosen his grip on her.
"God… I wish I could've seen your face earlier. It must've been freaking gold!" Hao wheezed between his words, clutching his gut.
"I hate you!" Anna employed a murderous stare as she jabbed her friend in his chest.
"And I love you too. Hahahahaha!"
Anna was about to bash his head in when Hao held up his hands in defeat, half-apologising but still having trouble containing his chuckles, and then caught her off guard by pulling her into a quick hug and planting a quick kiss on her temple.
"Stop overthinking about useless things and take some rest. We'll leave early tomorrow." Hao muttered, still with a smirk.
The blonde rolled her eyes as she hit Hao's chest with her fist. He acted hurt just to tease her more, right before he disappeared behind the door of the hotel room adjacent to hers.
Just after he shut the door, Hao leaned his back against the wall and closed his eyes as he finally let out the air he's been holding in the whole time.
He contemplated hard after taking in the shock of receiving that kind of questioning from Anna.
An ironic smile grazed his mouth before he stripped his shirt off to prepare for sleep.
He must be really near his goal for things are starting to get harder for him.
On the other side of the room, Anna had to blink several times to gather herself.
It was absurd how she let herself slip which led her to asking such a ridiculous question towards Hao. Yes, they've always been that close. In fact, they were too close with each other that almost everybody found it hard to believe that they weren't dating.
She and Hao were just— that—as the way she always put it. She considered him as her non-romantic soul mate, which made sense, considering that Yoh used to be her romantic soul mate, and the brothers were each other's twin flames.
She never thought of them the other way around, and she was almost sure Hao felt the same—right?
Not until Yoh's started feeding her different ideas.
Anna groaned as she felt a stubborn headache gnawing at her. Hao was right. She realized she should stop overthinking and better get some shuteye instead. It has indeed been a long day, after all.
She motioned to the bathroom when she heard her phone buzz multiple times in a row, and as she picked it up, several messages flooded her screen along with two media files that appeared to be video clips.
Carefully analyzing the sender's number, she recognised it to be her mystery texter that has contacted her that night at Hao's club. She scrolled through the messages.
Unknown number: Hi, Anna. It's been a while.
Hope you're feeling alright now after that tough night at the Great Spirits.
Anna's eyes narrowed before continuing. How did her mystery texter know about the incident?
Unknown number: Anyway, I believe I can't afford to waste any more time holding back pieces of truth from you, so here goes...
[video link: ]
[video link: .AVI]
A friendly reminder... read between the time stamps. :)
The blonde thought twice before clicking, but curiosity ultimately won over her willpower.
The scene from the video started off somewhere she was unfamiliar with until it all clicked in. It was a security camera footage from her engagement dinner party with Yoh that took place six years ago!
It was focused on the front part of the room where Yoh and her were supposed to sit during the event.
Every detail was profoundly clear and crisp even though audio wasn't available.
Anna watched how her ex-fiancé welcomed their guests with such enthusiasm. She smiled when she realised that Yoh actually arrived an hour early before the dinner started judging by the time stamp at the bottom of the video— something which was wuite uncharacteristic for a carefree guy like him.
Halfway through the clip, she narrowed her eyes at the scene where Yoh seemed to be texting someone on his mobile phone with a half-finished glass of whiskey on his other hand. He was even grinning like an idiot— the part where he was texting the 'Other Anna'.
Another pang of pain struck anna like a dagger, yet she continued to watch.
A couple of minutes passed when Yoh picked-up a call from his phone. His expression remained jovial, more eager, even. He took a moment to compose himself while he absent-mindedly placed his phone on the nearby table. Hao entered the scene and Yoh immediately pulled him to whisper something in his ear. It seemed as if Hao was trying to reason with him, but Yoh was set on leaving. The younger Asakura drank all the alcohol in his glass in one go and tapped his brother's arm before he left.
The twins left the scene, and the camera continued to capture some of their visitors passing by in the video's frame.
Several minutes played through and Anna kept on staring at Yoh's phone lying motionless on the table as no other people entered the scene. She thought the video was nearing its end when another familiar person arrived and did something which her gut told her was something unimaginable.
Following her 'Mystery Texter's' advice of 'watching the time stamps', Anna shifted through her phone to view the saved images of the screenshots that she received from the same sender before, containing all those screenshots of messages between Yoh and the 'Other Anna' from the past.
The first video ended, and it prompted Anna to play the second. It was the same video repeating the last scene, only that it was zoomed in to Yoh's phone screen and the person who picked it up.
Since Yoh wasn't the type of person to put a lock on his device, the said person easily invaded his privacy and meddled with his messages.
Anna's eyes widened at a painful discovery, dropping her phone accidentally on the floor.
. . . . . . . . . . .
"Seriously, will you stop looking so guilty? I'm totally fine. In fact, I'll finally be discharged tomorrow." Tao Ren shut his golden eyes as he calmly sipped his warm milk. Another set of orbs, amber ones, waited to meet his gaze from the side of his hospital bed.
"Just tell me if there's anything else you need. It's the least I could do for causing so much trouble for all of you." Anna insisted, gaze casted downwards. "I haven't even gotten the chance to speak with Jun. Oh, and does En—"
It was such a rare occurrence for Ren to see Anna so distraught about something. And while she was indeed the cause that ignited the brawl weeks ago at Hao's club, he felt the need to reassure her more.
No woman—or man— deserves to experience something as dark as date rape.
"Really, Anna. Don't sweat it. Jun is cool about it and dad doesn't even know the real reason for the incident."
"But they will know eventually when they start pulling the strings—"
"And so? I bet dad would even celebrate knowing that I rescued his favourite student back in the days." Ren snorted and Anna let out as short chuckle, both of them thinking about Tao En and his hopeless fascination with Anna.
The male doctor pulled his blanket away from him, groaning as he sluggishly flung his legs out of the edge of the bed, careful not to aggravate the stab wound on his left thigh.
Taking his crutches out, he took a few strides and sat next to Anna in the plush sofa next to his hospital suite's window.
Ren kept his vision towards the scenarios happening outside the four corners of his room.
"You know, something tells me that you didn't come here just to grovel at my feet." It was his attempt at a joke, but he confirmed his suspicions when instead of laughing, Anna looked even more depressed.
There was a time when Ren thought he was only talking to the wind when Anna took her time before answering. Her clutched fist was an indicator that she was in deep, conflicted thoughts.
"On the night of my engagement party… do you have any idea where Yoh went before he… left for America without telling anyone?"
A sneer came for Ren. "Have you at least thought of asking your pseudo-boyfriend?"
Anna's eyes almost rolled at the back of her head when she received Ren's sarcasm. It's not that she didn't anticipate this kind of reaction from him, but it's due to knowing the fact that ever since she and Yoh went on their separate ways, their friends were also divided into their own opinions based on what they knew about the subject; and Ren was one of the firm believers that Yoh wasn't the victim in their past relationship's fiasco.
"Hao told me he didn't know exactly—"
"Bullshit." Only Ren could've said that with spitefulness, but in a maintained composure.
"Oh please, don't you try to defend your friend just for the sake of covering for his mistakes." Anna started, with an equally venomous tone. "We all know Yoh wasn't really ready to settle down with me, so he went gallivanting with another woman to escape his responsibilities. Just like what he's used to."
Ren could only stare at his visitor in great disbelief.
"Do you really believe everything that you're saying, Anna?"
"I don't know!" The woman in question glanced at the gloomy skies outside to distract herself from crying. She glanced back at Ren after gathering back the slightest sense of control. "I don't know what to believe anymore."
"I'm surprised that you had no clue this whole time."
The blonde creased her brows in confusion. "No clue with what?"
"Yoh… he had an accident that night." Ren saw Anna's face paled, but he continued revealing the truth anyway. "He was involved in a fatal car accident that almost took his life. In Izumo, six years ago, on that same night."
Silence.
There was so much silence that only the spattering of rain that started to fall was being heard.
If it happened in Izumo then how the hell did she not know about it?
"You're lying." Anna almost whimpered, a tear threatening to fall.
"And why the hell would I lie about that?"
But it's impossible! The only ever recorded car crash that night in Izumo was her sister's accident and as far as she can remember the reports, there were no other cars involved!
It's as if Anna's world was turned upside down, everything else around her was stripped off of colour, and a deafening ringing echoed in her ears. She was sure it's the feeling of an impending syncope, and she fought really hard not to collapse then and there.
First, it would be embarrassing to pass out in front of Ren the second time; and next, it would also be a struggle for him to attend her while still being injured himself.
"Anna…"
She felt the world spinning around her.
"Earth to Anna! Hello?" Now Ren was grabbing Anna by her shoulders to give her a gentle shake. "Guessed I shocked you pretty badly but, are you okay? Do I need to call the nurse?"
The female doctor had a strong urge to slap him.
"I don't believe this. I can't—" Once she regained part of her sanity, Anna scrambled to grab her handbag and stood up to leave, but Ren caught her wrist.
"Wait… Please. Stay. Take as much time as you need to process everything. I promise to answer all your questions, juts— I also want to ask you something." Determined golden orbs met raw honeyed ones as Anna turned her head back. "It's the least you could do."
The foreboding feeling in Anna's gut told her that this time, what Ren was about to ask her won't be just about Yoh.
. . . . . . . . . . .
She's terribly cute when she smiles.
Even more so when she's too focused on something that she tends to forget about the world around her.
Still in his scrub suit, surgeon Yoh leaned at the door frame as he carefully watched the love of his life from the corner. He found her in one of the training rooms inside Shimane Medical University that mimics an operating room setting to aid in educating students and doctors alike.
He watched how Anna unknowingly scrunched her forehead and bit her lower lip as she used the scalpel to cut the outer skin of her practice specimen.
Yoh supressed a chuckle when he saw this. He was fascinated to know that she probably bites her lip a lot under her surgical mask whenever she does some of her procedures.
His heart inevitably jumped at her adorable display.
She was fully occupied with practicing her surgical skills on a pig carcass propped at the middle of the stainless-steel table. Yoh was sure she'd be willingly to practice on a human cadaver—which was also available in the next room— if given the chance, but there was probably an ongoing class for the medical students in there, which was the reason why she must've avoided it.
He knows how much she loves solitude at times like these.
In actuality, Yoh couldn't believe that over the course of three weeks, him and Anna had been uninterruptedly restoring their friendship and, well, a bit of 'skinship'. They're still miles away from how they used to be as lovers— they definitely hadn't shared anything deeply intimate except for a few kisses and caresses, but it creates endless fluttering butterflies in Yoh's stomach knowing that apart from slowly getting close to Anna one step at a time, this time, he could be there by her side now that she's gradually fulfilling her dreams.
After everything that's been said and done, thisis all too good to be true, but here they are, preparing for a major surgery which is set to happen in a week. A procedure that can either tarnish or shape their reputation as surgeons, and also reflect the quality of service of the hospital they serve in.
"Ugh! Damn it!" Anna exclaimed to herself in a hushed pitch as blood splattered against the other side of her goggles and her scrubs. She was lucky it missed her mouth, or it would've given her a distasteful learning experience about not wearing proper PPE while conducting a supposedly sterile procedure.
Dropping her scalpel frustratingly on the tray, she heaved a frustrated sigh with eyes shut, only to stare back at the pool of blood that had now settled on the table due to a severed artery that she was trying her best to avoid hitting in the first place.
"You were too tense." Anna was thankful she wasn't holding any of the surgical tools which she might've used to stab the person that crept from behind her. She didn't know if she felt more relieved after learning that it was Yoh, or if she was annoyed at his improved stalking skills.
Either way, she wanted to slap him squarely on the face.
"You were this close to getting stabbed!" Anna swung her fingers against Yoh's face, gesturing to show what little patience she had at the time. The brunette only giggled in return, because of course, a pissed off Anna is also a cute Anna in Asaskura Yoh's lovesick brain.
Before Anna could protest, Yoh's gloved hand removed her bloodied goggles and swivelled her around so that they were both facing the operating table, with Yoh's body standing directly behind Anna, and his arms resting on either side of her to grab her hands and guide them towards repeating the procedure.
Anna's mind went foggy at the close contact. She was supposed to be concentrating on the scalpel that she was holding, but all she could perceive was the warmth coming from Yoh's hands that were gently guiding hers.
"Suction— Anna, I said relax."
"After you deliberately sneaked behind me? Sure, yes, doc." Finally, Yoh felt her settle down as her usual sarcastic remarks resurfaced. He was sure Anna could feel the idiotic smirk he was sporting at the back of her head, but he couldn't care less, for what's important is he was finally next to her, alone, in a room devoid of disturbances from the outside world.
They proceeded with the task at hand starting in silence.
"Yes, that's it. You're doing a great job." Anna couldn't understand how Yoh's low and modulated voice could send a thousand shivers down her spine.
"Do you really have to teach me how to do this from my back?"
Yoh shrugged his shoulders. "This way, I'll have the same point of view as you, so that's logical to me. Wait a minute, are you questioning your mentor's ways?"
Anna groaned. Has Yoh always been that clever with her or is it because of the many times he spent with other women that he learned how flirt effectively?
No. Yoh had always been an effortless flirt. The way he feigned his innocence, acting so pure that make him look so clueless about things, those were examples of his strengths; and apparently, the ladies dig that kind of energy from him.
"Now, slow down at this part." Yoh murmured softly while continuing to guide his apprentice's hands towards their targeted area. Slowly, but surely, the brunette's skilful hands applied just the right amount of pressure, through the right angles, until Anna gained the correct pacing and techniques. "Sometimes…" the male surgeon started as they were nearing their goal just as how his body was inching more against Anna's, "we can conquer some things in this world not by force, but by using a long and winding process, and most of the time…" Yoh's hand lightly squeezed on her thumb, signalling that it was the perfect time to use the scissors, making a certain 'snipping sound' as they successfully cut the correct tissue around the cadaver's pancreas. This time, there were no splashing blood and no odd mistakes. "It'll be worth it."
Anna didn't now how long she was holding her breath for, but the amount of air she exhaled was insurmountable. Between her heartbeat ramming against her ribs, or her ragged breathing, she couldn't tell which was becoming louder. All she knew was that the culprit for causing all of it was the man who's standing right behind her.
Removing her gloves to discard them, the female doctor turned around to at least say proper thanks to her talented 'mentor', but as she looked up to meet his gaze and before she could even utter a single word, Yoh already swooped in for the kill and gave her a chaste kiss.
It wasn't anything aggressive, but not boring either. It only lasted for a few seconds, but to Anna, it felt like she travelled to the moon and back.
When she opened her eyes, Yoh was already watching her with a mesmerized stare and a contented grin.
"You're welcome," he simply said.
Yep! Flirting is definitely one of his inborn talents.
Straightening her posture, Anna cleared her throat as an attempt to disperse the rising sexual tension, while Yoh discarded his gloves, too.
"Oh, by the way!" Yoh suddenly cooed. He reached into his pants' back pocket to retrieve a small USB stick and handed it to Anna. It was part of a favour he agreed to do for her a couple of weeks ago, where Anna asked him to search for some archive hospital records about a certain person. "I included all the files that you may possibly need."
Anna went into an almost complete shock upon receiving the item. Her mood became noticeably anxious and melancholic.
"I'm surprised that you had no clue this whole time."
The blonde creased her brows in confusion. "No clue with what?"
"Yoh… he had an accident that night." Ren saw Anna's face paled, but he continued revealing the truth anyway. "He was involved in a fatal car accident that almost took his life. In Izumo, six years ago, on that same night."
Silence.
There was so much silence that only the spattering of rain that started to fall was being heard.
If it happened in Izumo then how the hell did she not know about it?
"You're lying." Anna almost whimpered, a tear threatening to fall.
"And why the hell would I lie about that?"
Ren's revelation played repeatedly in her mind.
Her heart kept getting crushed and her mind went on circles now knowing that after all this time, she spent her days and nights hating on Yoh for leaving her behind while in fact, he almost died without her knowing.
"Come to think of it, it was quite difficult to look for her records from the archives. It was only when I used my log-in as an administrator that I found it under the 'Classified Files' folder." Yoh narrated without noticing his companion's changed countenance. "That patient must've been the subject of a Coroners Case for her file to be under the classified ones. Do you know her by any chance?"
Anna gazed directly into Yoh's eyes. There wasn't an ounce of recognition in him, therefore he was genuinely asking the question. She deduced that if Yoh was indeed involved in the same car accident as she was suspecting, then he would've at least recognized her sister's name when she mentioned it, but he didn't; and that's what baffled Anna the most.
Anna avoided eye contact. "She's an acquaintance." She flashed a forced smile for the brunette. "Thank you, Yoh. I really appreciate it."
A sparkle ignited in Yoh's eyes as he noticed the shift in Anna's bodily cues. He sensed discomfort in her, but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he offered her his hand as he invited her to join him.
"Where are we going?" Anna was bewildered with the sudden gesture.
"Shopping." Yoh replied casually, tucking his other hand in his pocket.
"Shopping? For what exactly?"
Yoh pouted. "Haven't you read Faust's emails? Our destination for that Shimane Medical Mission has been decided. We're going to Aomori." He tugged her wrist to leave no room for any protests. "Come on, we need to buy thicker clothes."
And as Anna stared at Yoh's back while getting dragged by her ex out of the room, she took one last look at the USB stick labelled as 'Asano Ha', before sliding it deep in her pocket.
Now, her plot for revenge will soon be complete, though why is it that a part of her is now wishing she'd just abort the mission?
. . . . . . . . . . .
A/N: More HaoxAnna incoming! You have no idea how much re-editing I had to do with that first part. It had to be done, but at the same time, something still didn't sit quite right to me. I also had a bit of block when thinking of a fake name for Anna, but I'm hoping some of you noticed how I mixed two names using her two different voice personas: Hayashibara Megumi-san and Haibara Ai (from Detective Conan), because I thought I was slick for that.
I feel like I'm starting to absorb Takei-sensei's style of story-telling—just throw out all the complications out there and answer them later on… after 65 years. Hahaha! But please don't hate me. I promise to deliver all the answers to your questions as this story progresses to its climax. Just please make sure to type your inquiries in the comments.:)
To the guest user at who typed their review in Spanish: I'm sorry I only used Google Translate to understand your question. So, if your were asking if I uploaded a "CAP" (is it chapter?) recently and it isn't longer there... then my answer is, the last time I uploaded a chapter before this was on March 27, but I did not delete any parts of this story. Is there something missing from the chapters? Please let me know if you have any concerns.
AAAND, does any of you guys love more YohxAnna with some lemony, forbidden love trope? If that got your attention, check out my other chaptered fic: Teach Me How To Live (available only in Archive of Our Own) when you got time.;)
Thank you to all my readers! See you in the next chapter! ;3
Medical Terminologies/ Abbreviations:
Syncope - themedical termfor fainting or passing out. It happens when you have a sudden, temporary drop in the amount of blood that flows to your brain.
PPE – Personal Protective Equipment (usually consists if clear goggles or face shield, surgical mask, gloves, and gown).