Chapter Three.

Yoh isn't human.

He's a fucking stupid, happy, odd, smiley, orange headphone wearing, Goddamned, friendly, uncommon, mystical... thing.

What other reason can there be?

A human can't take notice of a livid wretch, offer her kindness, continue smiling at her no matter what, and unintentionally prove itself different from everyone else the bitch had ever seen, can it?

Can it?

My mind is reeling with bemusement. The library scene replays frequently in my head, but in such a speed that everything is a blur, like my mind is forced onto fast forward. I can remember Yoh had been very kind to... to me, for some peculiar reason... He was kind to the point that any thing he did could pierce straight through the angry façade masking my insecure inner self. I can definitely recall his smile; it stands bright and clear in my mind in contrast to everything else. I remember wiping my face. I was crying... Why was I crying? I think it was because of Yoh, but strangely enough, not because he had hurt me. How the hell did he make me cry without hurting me?

What else was there?

God. This is too much for me to handle. Nevertheless it is continuing to linger in my mind; I can do nothing other than comprehend it.

I remember confronting his smile with a glower and declaring quietly with feigned confidence, "My name is Kyouyama Anna." I remember his piercing words when I told him my family didn't fucking care about me after he asked if it was okay for me to stay his place.

"I care about you."

Yoh holds a power. It is not intimidating. I can't figure out what else such a strong power could be, but it isn't intimidating.

So that's it.

I begin to focus on the present. I'm following Yoh, tense and almost march-like. He is sauntering in front of me in that distinct lazy and happy way of his. I stare at the back of his head. It is brown, like rich chocolate, and sticking out in many directions.

Inside I am debating whether or not I should be going to Yoh's house. One half of me is appalled. Crying in front of, giving my name to, and going to the home of a stranger? Idiot!

The other half is skeptical. Yoh probably offered more than my damn home, anyway. Besides, it wasn't like I had anything I could lose.

As we near Yoh's house, the crowds of people begin to thin. The sun is setting at last. As it begins to dip behind the horizon, it leaves fragments of color bleeding into the sky. It is cloudy today, and nearest to the sun colors of bloody red and brilliant yellow and orange bounces off the thick clouds. Farther from the sun the clouds had blended into a shade of gloomy grey and purple. The houses and trees in the distance were mere silhouettes.

Our walk holds an unnerving silence the entire way to the house. When we arrive, my eyes travel across the old inn, up and down. It was very big. Yoh stands beside me, smiling his stupid happy smile, and we walk in together.

Inside there are some people brainlessly scurrying around. The air is infused with voices of people. I recognize some from school.

I feel aggravated with all the noise and excitement and scowl.

"Hi, everyone!" Yoh says exultantly as he steps forward. I remain behind, suddenly feeling inapt, being a dark and quiet wretch in the middle of a crowd of happy friends.

A few respond.

"Hello," says a calm Chinese boy with dark violet hair. He's in my science class. I forgot what the hell his name was. He was violent, a quality I suppose I liked, but was noisy when arguing, a quality I did not like. He looks at me and raises an eyebrow. I glare. He is unaffected.

"Welcome back, Yoh-sama," greets a passing girl with cheeks as pink as her rosy hair. I do not recognize her. She looks younger; she most likely goes to a lower-level school. Her bashfulness is already taking a toll on my nerves. She nods respectfully at me, then jumps a bit at my intense scowl.

"Yo, Yoh!" Oh, fuck. It is Boroboro. He is stupidly running around, and immediately stops when he notices me.

"Yo-yo?" Yoh echoes in bewilderment.

I look at Yoh. Mixed feelings stir inside me. On one hand I feel pissed off, hating him for dragging me here, hating him for being so stupid and happy. On the other hand I feel something strange and unfamiliar; something I could not place my finger on, but oddly enough, it was not hate.

"Psst, Yoh, what is she doing here?" he whispers to Yoh hoarsely.

"I can hear every word you are saying, dumb ass," I interrupt in a deadpan voice.

Yoh laughs cheerfully. Boroboro unwinds at Yoh's easiness and laughs a little, too. I am silent.

"This is Anna-san. She's going to be staying the night."

A look of horror crosses Boroboro's face. It almost makes me chuckle.

"I'm going to tell everyone at dinner," Yoh goes on. "Be nice to her."

Boroboro nods and scampers away in the direction of the pink girl.

Yoh turns to me with an amiable smile.

I look at the smile playing on his lips, and wish enviously that I could have that smile, that I could keep that smile, that I could use that smile.

"Shall I show you to your room, Anna-san?" he inquires with a touch of flourish in his voice. I do not reply. He gestures for me to follow, and ambles onward. I trail along slowly.

"You wanted a quiet room, right?" Yoh inquires.

I say nothing. Of course I do, idiot, I had already said that I do not like noise.

"I'll take that as a yes," he answers himself. He pauses, and then looks at me. "Anna-san, please talk. Keeping quiet, keeping everything to yourself... It's all gonna make you more and more sad unless you speak up."

I stare emotionlessly, like a doll. A lifeless doll. He turns away. We walk through various halls and pass many doors. What the hell. I'm going to get fucking lost around here.

Soon enough, we reach a room in the far corner of the inn. Yoh reaches out and slides open the shoji. It makes a sound when it makes contact with the wall and reveals the inside of the room. A large mattress sitting upon a wooden frame the color of milk-mixed coffee lies in the right corner of the room with a smooth white sheet over it that had no visible wrinkles in the fabric. At the foot of the bed is a snow-colored blanket that looks luxuriously thick and warm. The floor is of a dark polished wood material, and a wooden chair and table carved with elaborate designs with colors matching bed frame are resting at the other side of the room. And... Oh, fuck, there is a tall mirror on the wall with the chair. It's the kind you look into to see your whole body, or in my case, your whole pathetic soul. The room is big, bigger than my parents' living room and my room put together, but rather austere sans the ornate designs of the table and chair. Nothing other than the mirror garnished its bland ivory walls.

However, it is the most sumptuous thing ever offered to me. I retain my impassive expression, but I cannot hide the wonderment in my eyes.

Yoh grins at me.

"Anna-san, you may stay here as long as you like. We have spare yukatas, but that's it... If you plan on staying here longer, I can come with you to your home to take some clothes over..." Yoh's grin turns a tad sheepish. "Um."

I stare at him with no reaction.

"Dinner will be in ten minutes, okay? I'll come and get you and show you to the dining room. In the meantime, you can wander around the inn, or stay in your room and get accustomed." Yoh smiles wider.

If his smile gets any bigger, maybe his mouth will fall off.

"I'm going to help Tamao prepare dinner. Do you want to come, or do you want me to stay?" he asks.

I still do not reply.

Yoh looks at me a hard while, his smile fading.

"Anna-san."

A pause.

"Speak. Please speak."

A stare.

"Please, Anna-san. Let me hear your voice."

I look at my grayed socks.

What am I doing here?

Yoh takes a step toward me. I can hear his feet softly touching the wooden floor. I see his hand approaching. The thumb and index finger touches my chin, and lifts my face. I see Yoh now. He is closer than before, the distance between our faces are now six inches. His smile is gone, his eyebrows are knotted and lowered, and his eyes are brimming with... What was that? Was that really... concern? Worry?

Who the hell was this boy? Why was he behaving like this?

My muscles are tense with Yoh touching me. He is physically closer to me than anyone ever has been without angering me. My mind swerves with confusion, distracting me from slapping him.

This unfamiliar feeling... That's it. It is unfamiliar.

It has a chance of hurting me.

I did not want to be hurt anymore...

I slap Yoh's hand away.

"Do not touch me," I mutter.

Yoh smiles. "You talked, but not of the words I wanted to hear," he says with a glint of humor in his eyes. "Do you want to me to stay here, Anna-san?"

I pause for a minute.

Should I say something?

A few more minutes pass.

"Yes, Yoh." The words were the first I have said that were not trying to show scorn, anger, sadness, or any other negative emotion in a long, long time. I just barely choke them out of my mouth.

Yoh smiles, and walks over to the bed. I remain at the door and watch him as he sits down. He looks up, smile directed exclusively at me, and pats the seat beside him, coaxing me to sit. I stare at the spot, but I do not move.

Yoh laughs a little, stands up, and walks back to me. He doesn't walk close, just an arm's length away, and takes my wrist. I feel a little startled. However, and I do not show it. I forget that I had slapped him earlier for touching me and allow him to drag me to the futon, to pull me down and sit.

Damn. I can see myself in the mirror.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Yoh says, "Anna-san, why are you glaring at your reflection like that?"

I do not respond.

A brief silence floats around us.

"You know, Anna-san, you are actually very pretty to me."

I immediately look at him, eyes wide with shock, too surprised to hide my emotions.

"I look despicable," I argue.

Yoh laughs. "No, you don't." He shifts his position so that he is sitting behind me. I can see him in the mirror, too. He takes a handful of my farm straw hair and runs his fingers through it, then pulls some of it back and out of my face. A few stray strands lay loose in my eyes. I almost shiver at his touch. Then I wonder why I am not killing him for it. "See? You have lovely gold hair like honey. It curves into a pretty wavy shape around the ends, and it feels soft and wonderful. Your skin is a smooth and pale ivory color, something a lot of girls would poison themselves to have. Your eyes are beautiful, Anna-san. They shine with intense emotion in a pretty milk chocolate color, and they are lined with long eyelashes. All you need is a smile to grace your lovely pink lips, and you will look even more beautiful."

Fuck. My ashen cheeks turn a little pink in the mirror.

However, this fact was pushed to the side by another thought. I simply could not believe it. Somebody viewed me as beautiful. It didn't matter if it was a lie; it filled me with sudden confidence. I saw all these things already, but in a negative view. He described in a different aspect. How could the same thing sound so different? The way he fused each piece of my face with details and meaning showed a new light, showed that they- pieces of me- were magnificent.

"Liar," I mumble halfheartedly.

Yoh smiles bigger. "No, I'm not." He rests his chin on top of my head, still holding my hair. "You're beautiful, Anna-san."

You're beautiful, Anna-san.

"You've also got a slim figure a lot of girls would die for." Then his smile shrinks a bit. "It seems too thin, Anna-san. Abnormal. Have you been getting enough to eat?"

I pause, considering whether or not I should answer.

"At school, I live on welfare. For lunch I always have a sandwich and a small carton of milk. It's the biggest meal of my day." I leave a gap of silence. "At home I don't eat breakfast. My parents don't care to feed me. They eat all the good food for themselves, and I can only steal it very rarely. Otherwise, my dinner is a stale, thin piece of bread... Occasionally."

Yoh's eyebrows lower with concern and pout.

"Then you're going to eat a lot tonight, Anna-san. No food means no nutrition, and no nutrition means a weak and frail body. We can't have that." Yoh smiles again. "I'll provide you with all the food you'll ever need, okay, Anna-san?"

I close my eyes and absorb his soft touch, concern and care, nodding ever so slightly. I wish he would never let go.

A/N: Gak. Gak. Gak.

Sincerest apologies to all my lovely reviewers for the delayed update. The thing is... my internet died. It is pure torture, I tell you. I can only steal some time off my dad's internet, which he shuts of regularly because he would rather I do math. Mrah.

Anyway, that's enough with the excuses. &, I do love all your reviews, they really make my day :). I've responded to each and every signed one, I think.

Suggestions? Criticsm? Compliments?

Express it all !today, using a review button at a computer near you!

By the way, in Chapter 4, there are the slightest, slightest hints of RenxPirika, LysergxJeanne, and HorohoroxTamao... If you count them sitting next to each other :D. Hee. If anyone wants me to strengthen any of these pairings, tell me in your reviews pls. &I'll try to put the pairings in... somewhere.

By the way, I'm looking for another beta-reader, because I make typos. Anyone?