Shaman King Fan Fiction ❯ Yuki ❯ Snow ( Chapter 1 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Elsewhere 
Tamao and Anna experience a winter morning without Yoh.
Anime/Manga: Shaman King Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 03.27.2005 | Updated On: 03.27.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 925 | Status: Completed
Tamao and Anna experience a winter morning without Yoh.
Anime/Manga: Shaman King Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 03.27.2005 | Updated On: 03.27.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 925 | Status: Completed
Fandom: Shaman King
Pairing: Anna/Tamao
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine. Boohoo.
Spoilers: Minimal.
Note: Advent Calendar Day 7: December 7th
Theme: Christmas Morning
Yuki
by Elsewhere
elsewherecw@shaw.ca
Summary: Tamao and Anna experience a winter morning without Yoh.
*****
It was snowing that Christmas, fat white flakes shimmering against the cool blue of the early morning sky. Tamao made a sound of protest when she stepped outside; she'd gone to the shrine to offer the morning's prayers wearing only a thin housecoat over her pajamas, and the cold air sent shivers down her spine.
She made her way back to the main house as quickly as she could, rubbing her arms to keep circulation, but stopped short when she reached the front steps. Anna was standing leaning against the front doorway, still in her own night wear, arms folded as she looked out on the rapidly-whitening courtyard of the Asakura complex. Her expression was unreadable, fogged over by the grey cloud of her own breath.
"Anna-sama! Good morning," Tamao said nervously, dropping her hands to hang by her sides and bowing, a gesture of respect for her superior. "I hope you slept well?"
"Well enough," Anna said noncommittally. "It looks like this will be a very cold Christmas."
"Indeed," Tamao agreed eagerly, happy that Anna's tone was less caustic than usual. She must have had a very good sleep indeed.
"You should come inside," Anna said quietly and a bit absently. She sounded lost in thought. "You can make some tea."
Tamao nodded hastily, not thinking twice about Anna's phrasing. Anna never liked to cook, clean or do anything else that required work by herself, instead always delegating the tasks to the people around her. She made her way up the steps quickly, and when Anna had dipped into the house, out of the way, Tamao scurried inside, eager for warmth. She sighed with relief as soon as she was in the genkan, the door closed firmly behind her, but she felt Anna watching her expectantly, so her moment of relaxation was short-lived.
In the kitchen, she set about making the tea, her hands still cold and shaking. Anna sat at the table, looking half-asleep, her eyelids half-closed as she again sank into reverie. Tamao glanced at her only once or twice before deciding that whatever Anna was thinking about, it was none of her business, and she might as well do what she'd been told and not risk Anna's ire by asking about it.
By the time she set two pottery cups of steaming green liquid on the table, Anna's eyes had opened and she was peering at Tamao fixedly enough that Tamao felt instantly nervous.
"Do you like Christmas, Tamao?" Anna asked conversationally, and her eyes finally dropped away as she picked up her tea and sipped gingerly.
"Ye...yes, of course I do, Anna-sama," Tamao said, surprised by the question.
"What does it make you feel like?" Anna asked, still sounding nonchalant.
"F-feel like?" Tamao stuttered. "I...I don't know, Anna-sama..."
"It's a simple enough question," Anna said, a hint of irritation in her voice that instantly made Tamao snap to attention.
"Yes, Anna-sama...well...Christmas makes me feel...warm, and happy. I like the celebration, and being with everyone..."
"Hm. I'm the same," Anna said, startling Tamao. Anna didn't often talk about herself, except to remind people that she was the fiancé of the heir to the Asakura dynasty, and that she would of course always lead an utterly relaxed life.
"What I enjoy about Christmas," Anna continued, her eyes now focused on something far away, "is the way everyone is gathered together, and everyone celebrates together and exchanges gifts."
With these words, Tamao finally understood what was going on.
"Do you miss Yoh-sama, Anna-sama?" Tamao asked softly, and when Anna glanced at her, Tamao avoided her gaze by staring down into her tea.
"I wonder what Christmas is like in China," Anna said, deflecting the subject enough that she didn't have to answer the question. But the answer was in her words nonetheless; she spoke with a slightly wistful tone, a tone that Tamao had never heard Anna use before.
Yoh was spending this Christmas, the sixteenth of his life, in China with his friends, at the Tao family's estate. He had been gone for a couple of weeks now, but Tamao could see how his absence would affect Anna most on Christmas morning, a time when the family was usually together. She too felt odd, as it was her first Christmas *not* spent in Yoh's company...but she knew that she couldn't begin to imagine how Anna felt. It was more than obvious that Yoh had not merely gone to be his friends. He had gone to be with the one he truly loved, instead of the fiancé he was arranged to marry. Although she usually kept her emotions entirely hidden, it had become obvious over the years that Anna really did love Yoh, and the fact that he could never love her in return must have hurt her deeply.
To a certain extent, Tamao *could* understand that particular feeling. She herself had harbored a serious infatuation for Yoh for most of her young life, only giving up on him recently. At one time, nothing had felt more painful to her than to consider that Yoh would marry someone else; that she had no chance.
Anna would still be Yoh's wife, and would still be obligated to provide the Asakura line an heir. But Yoh would never love her the way she loved him.
Tamao didn't know what to say, or whether she should say anything at all. But Anna made the decision for her, getting to her feet and walking over to put her teacup in the sink.
"Would you like to go for a walk, Tamao?" Anna asked, again absently, as though she had better things to think about.
"In this cold weather, Anna-sama?" Tamao said automatically.
"In this cold weather," Anna said, turning and slowly offering Tamao a small smile. "I think...we have things to talk about."
Tamao caught her breath, then returned the smile hesitantly, her expression brightening when Anna kept smiling, her usual sour look nowhere in sight.
"I...think so too, Anna-sama," Tamao breathed, getting quickly to her feet. "Let me just get dressed..."
By the time she came back out of her bedroom, Anna was already dressed and waiting by the doorway, again peering out at the snow. In the light of the rising sun, Anna was silhouetted, her pale skin shining bronze and the light reflected in her dark eyes. Small wisps of breath coiled up from her mouth, disappearing into the chilly, biting breeze that drifted through the open door.
"It's beautiful," Anna said quietly, staring out at the winter landscape before her.
Tamao was still looking at Anna---at the single, utterly perfect moment of pure sorrow captured on Anna's usually-expressionless face.
"Yes, it is," Tamao said softly, and she caught Anna's wise, gentle eyes only briefly before the two of them stepped out into the falling snow.
*****
THE END
Pairing: Anna/Tamao
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine. Boohoo.
Spoilers: Minimal.
Note: Advent Calendar Day 7: December 7th
Theme: Christmas Morning
Yuki
by Elsewhere
elsewherecw@shaw.ca
Summary: Tamao and Anna experience a winter morning without Yoh.
*****
It was snowing that Christmas, fat white flakes shimmering against the cool blue of the early morning sky. Tamao made a sound of protest when she stepped outside; she'd gone to the shrine to offer the morning's prayers wearing only a thin housecoat over her pajamas, and the cold air sent shivers down her spine.
She made her way back to the main house as quickly as she could, rubbing her arms to keep circulation, but stopped short when she reached the front steps. Anna was standing leaning against the front doorway, still in her own night wear, arms folded as she looked out on the rapidly-whitening courtyard of the Asakura complex. Her expression was unreadable, fogged over by the grey cloud of her own breath.
"Anna-sama! Good morning," Tamao said nervously, dropping her hands to hang by her sides and bowing, a gesture of respect for her superior. "I hope you slept well?"
"Well enough," Anna said noncommittally. "It looks like this will be a very cold Christmas."
"Indeed," Tamao agreed eagerly, happy that Anna's tone was less caustic than usual. She must have had a very good sleep indeed.
"You should come inside," Anna said quietly and a bit absently. She sounded lost in thought. "You can make some tea."
Tamao nodded hastily, not thinking twice about Anna's phrasing. Anna never liked to cook, clean or do anything else that required work by herself, instead always delegating the tasks to the people around her. She made her way up the steps quickly, and when Anna had dipped into the house, out of the way, Tamao scurried inside, eager for warmth. She sighed with relief as soon as she was in the genkan, the door closed firmly behind her, but she felt Anna watching her expectantly, so her moment of relaxation was short-lived.
In the kitchen, she set about making the tea, her hands still cold and shaking. Anna sat at the table, looking half-asleep, her eyelids half-closed as she again sank into reverie. Tamao glanced at her only once or twice before deciding that whatever Anna was thinking about, it was none of her business, and she might as well do what she'd been told and not risk Anna's ire by asking about it.
By the time she set two pottery cups of steaming green liquid on the table, Anna's eyes had opened and she was peering at Tamao fixedly enough that Tamao felt instantly nervous.
"Do you like Christmas, Tamao?" Anna asked conversationally, and her eyes finally dropped away as she picked up her tea and sipped gingerly.
"Ye...yes, of course I do, Anna-sama," Tamao said, surprised by the question.
"What does it make you feel like?" Anna asked, still sounding nonchalant.
"F-feel like?" Tamao stuttered. "I...I don't know, Anna-sama..."
"It's a simple enough question," Anna said, a hint of irritation in her voice that instantly made Tamao snap to attention.
"Yes, Anna-sama...well...Christmas makes me feel...warm, and happy. I like the celebration, and being with everyone..."
"Hm. I'm the same," Anna said, startling Tamao. Anna didn't often talk about herself, except to remind people that she was the fiancé of the heir to the Asakura dynasty, and that she would of course always lead an utterly relaxed life.
"What I enjoy about Christmas," Anna continued, her eyes now focused on something far away, "is the way everyone is gathered together, and everyone celebrates together and exchanges gifts."
With these words, Tamao finally understood what was going on.
"Do you miss Yoh-sama, Anna-sama?" Tamao asked softly, and when Anna glanced at her, Tamao avoided her gaze by staring down into her tea.
"I wonder what Christmas is like in China," Anna said, deflecting the subject enough that she didn't have to answer the question. But the answer was in her words nonetheless; she spoke with a slightly wistful tone, a tone that Tamao had never heard Anna use before.
Yoh was spending this Christmas, the sixteenth of his life, in China with his friends, at the Tao family's estate. He had been gone for a couple of weeks now, but Tamao could see how his absence would affect Anna most on Christmas morning, a time when the family was usually together. She too felt odd, as it was her first Christmas *not* spent in Yoh's company...but she knew that she couldn't begin to imagine how Anna felt. It was more than obvious that Yoh had not merely gone to be his friends. He had gone to be with the one he truly loved, instead of the fiancé he was arranged to marry. Although she usually kept her emotions entirely hidden, it had become obvious over the years that Anna really did love Yoh, and the fact that he could never love her in return must have hurt her deeply.
To a certain extent, Tamao *could* understand that particular feeling. She herself had harbored a serious infatuation for Yoh for most of her young life, only giving up on him recently. At one time, nothing had felt more painful to her than to consider that Yoh would marry someone else; that she had no chance.
Anna would still be Yoh's wife, and would still be obligated to provide the Asakura line an heir. But Yoh would never love her the way she loved him.
Tamao didn't know what to say, or whether she should say anything at all. But Anna made the decision for her, getting to her feet and walking over to put her teacup in the sink.
"Would you like to go for a walk, Tamao?" Anna asked, again absently, as though she had better things to think about.
"In this cold weather, Anna-sama?" Tamao said automatically.
"In this cold weather," Anna said, turning and slowly offering Tamao a small smile. "I think...we have things to talk about."
Tamao caught her breath, then returned the smile hesitantly, her expression brightening when Anna kept smiling, her usual sour look nowhere in sight.
"I...think so too, Anna-sama," Tamao breathed, getting quickly to her feet. "Let me just get dressed..."
By the time she came back out of her bedroom, Anna was already dressed and waiting by the doorway, again peering out at the snow. In the light of the rising sun, Anna was silhouetted, her pale skin shining bronze and the light reflected in her dark eyes. Small wisps of breath coiled up from her mouth, disappearing into the chilly, biting breeze that drifted through the open door.
"It's beautiful," Anna said quietly, staring out at the winter landscape before her.
Tamao was still looking at Anna---at the single, utterly perfect moment of pure sorrow captured on Anna's usually-expressionless face.
"Yes, it is," Tamao said softly, and she caught Anna's wise, gentle eyes only briefly before the two of them stepped out into the falling snow.
*****
THE END