(success crown your wishes) (coronella) wrote in antecedents, @ 2010-04-20 05:29:00 |
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Six months! It had been six months since Jagi had 'mysteriously' disappeared, and while Anna had initially found herself crushed by the idea of him leaving without so much as a goodbye, a few weeks passed and the hurt turned into anger. "How dare he just go off without saying anything! Jagi, you're such a jerk!" With that she slammed a large, terra cotta pot she had been carrying down on the counter, airing out her frustrations on anything that was tangible now. "You just wait until you get back. I'll give you a real piece of my mind -- yeah, we'll see how tough you are when you're beaten to a pulp by a girl. Yeah!" From across the room, her brother's brow lifted slightly, his curiosity only slightly piqued by his sister's outburst: "...Try not to use the plants as your punching bags, Anna." He had turned his attention back to his bike, cleaning some of the built up grease from the engine, when a clod of dirt hit him square in his back. Anna's outburst earned yet another sigh from him as he hung his head with a sigh, waving his rag dismissively. "Look, try not to think about it, okay? I have a feeling that punk kid will be back sooner or later." Rubbing the back of his neck, Aniki glanced back to where Anna was standing with her back to him, and for a brief moment a smile crossed his lips. What his sister saw in that kid was beyond him -- he could admit that Jagi was entertaining to say the least -- but he imagined Anna saw something more. Even if she said she was mad at him, or that she didn't know who he was anymore, or that she didn't care if he came back, he could see as clear as day that she loved him. Rubbing at her eyes furiously, Anna turned up her nose at the idea of him coming back, sniffing loudly before tightening the handkerchief that she wore around her hair. "I'm going to go water something...or something."
"Argh! Jagi! Where the hell are you!?" Even in her favorite spot, a meadow filled with flowers, reminded Anna of him now. It was here, in the place that was closest to her heart, that she decided that she wanted him to be a part of her future -- here, that they had shared their dreams with one another. So much had happened to bring them together, and even though she hated the separation that seemed like a routine part of their relationship, looking up at the Big Dipper she felt like he was still close by. A frown tugged at the corners of her lips as she watched those stars, bright and twinkling and out of reach, before she rolled onto her side, curling up into a ball as she stared at the flowers that were visible in the moonlight. "I really miss you." Even though she knew he was probably off training someplace secretive, the bitterness she felt at being left behind had faded some, and deep down she felt that -- even if he hadn't told her where he was going or when he would be back -- that she could be proud of him for chasing his dream. Fate, Anna believed, would reunite them some day, and maybe when it did they'd be together. For a sixteen-year-old girl, that thought was everything, and she held it close -- nurturing both her feelings and her memories as she waited. It was only when the night air grew uncomfortably cold that she headed back to her house, swinging her arms behind her as she welcomed yet another new day.
Six months! Anna wasn't the type of girl who would sit around waiting idly, but even she had been surprised by how quickly the year seemed to be flying by. There was plenty of work to do during the day, tending to the plants that would someday be a part of her flower shop, and the rest of her free time was spent with her brother and their gang. On this particular day she had been cleaning up their hideout, amazed by how quickly a group of guys could dirty up the place, and she was only half paying attention to the noisy banter that was coming from one of the card tables. Picking up a pile of old magazines that had multiplied and taken root in the corner, Anna was headed out to the trash when she overheard a curious conversation. "Hey, you know that kid who took off a chunk of your ear? I saw him running like a maniac earlier. At first I thought I was just seeing things but there's no mistakin' that little spazz." Stopping dead in her tracks, Anna looked from one man to the other, her eyes widening. "Ah, you serious? I thought he peaced out a while ago. Maybe we should go find him and give him a--" For a group of delinquents, a makeshift motorcycle gang, they weren't the type you'd expect to be the brotherly type, and yet when Anna dropped the magazines and rushed to the table, they looked to her with surprise. "'Sup Anna?" The taller of the two, the one missing a good chunk of his ear, gave her a half smile. "You saw Jagi!?" Throwing her palms against the table, she sent a few of their cards sailing to the ground with her excitement. "You mean, you really saw him? He's back?!" The two boys exchanged a long glance with each other before they each leaned back in their chairs, the tallest throwing his arm over the back of his chair as he turned towards the door. "Yeah. Saw him by the main road maybe an hour ago? Seemed like he was in a hurry whatever he was doing."
"Oh my God, thanks! Tell Aniki I'll be back later." Before either man could get in another word, the short blond was already grabbing the keys to her old motorcycle and racing for the door. "See ya!" The sound of the engine disappeared as she went full throttle towards the place she knew he'd be -- that secret dojo that was hidden in the woods. She wasn't supposed to know about it, of course, but it wasn't like he had told her. Grinning widely, her features lit up with fierce determination when she approached the massive staircase, and after turning off her bike and parking it somewhere where it wouldn't be noticed immediately, she took the stairs two at a time, hardly noticing (nor caring) that her presence there wouldn't be well received by certain members of Ryuuken's family. There was only one person on Anna's mind then, slipping into the main corridor where she had previously met one of Jagi's younger brothers, her blond hair trailing behind her as she searched for him. "Jagi?" Biting her lower lip in order to suppress her excitement, Anna heard his voice long before she saw his face come into view. Ducking behind one of the many, large pillars she listened as he and another boy exchanged biting comments, and it was only when he had stormed off in an opposite direction that she continued her pursuit. It wasn't long before she followed him to a room where she could sneak up on him, free from anyone else who might be around, slipping into the room while his back was turned. Eccentric as always, she wasn't all that surprised when he didn't notice her right away, appearing to be ranting to himself about one thing or another, and yet it only caused her to become even more excited. Finally Anna found her opening, and running across the room threw her hands over his eyes and laughed. "You only get one chance to guess who it is, and if you get it wrong you're going to regret it!" Laughing, there was a playfulness in her voice as she glanced over her shoulder to make sure there was still no one coming.