"So…" Pirika drew out the one syllable playfully. Teasingly almost, if one strained their hearing enough to listen in on her conversation. She toed the carpet of the Asakura residence with her socked foot and kept her hands securely hidden behind her back, her head thrust forward coyly.

"So…?" Ren simply stared at her back from the chair he was sitting in. He never liked going to these soirees or whatever the kids were calling it nowadays. He was twenty-freakin' two years old, for crying out loud! Especially around the holidays. All the cheer and joy and goodwill towards your fellow man made him, oh what was the term…

Throw up.

But alas, he was half-kidnapped, half-dragged, fully forced against his will ("Against my will," he would snarlingly remind anyone who had carelessly forgotten the Tao boy's resentment of the annual get together) to go around Christmas time (or Hanukah time or Kwanza time or Winter Solstice time, et al) to his longtime, childhood best bud's house. Yoh Asakura. Who was married. To his childhood sweetheart.

Though Ren found it very strange, using the words "sweet" and "heart" to describe Anna Asakura, née Kyoyama. He thought that "homicidal" and "sadist" were much more apt terms when used in reference to the blond she-devil.

Of course, Ren secretly didn't mind going to the Asakuras' holiday party every year. Just like he secretly was only half-forced by his sister Jun to go. Just like he secretly went and sometimes even (Great Spirit forbid) enjoyed attending the party because…

"Here!" Pirika's hands quickly flew out from behind her back to bring something solid and…wrapped in paper crashing down on top of his head.

Well, because Pirika was there.

Ren sighed and extracted the weapon she had assaulted him with from the top his head. "What…is…this…?"

She smiled uncertainly and took the box from him. "Well, I know that we all agreed to not get each other presents this year but…" She shrugged. "Um…I got you…one…?" She held it out to him. "Merry Christmas!"

He stared dumbly at her outstretched hand. "I don't believe in God though."

She pursed her lips in annoyance. "Ren?"

"What?"

"Just take the stupid present."

He rolled his eyes and made a huge spectacle of relieving her of her burden (read: taking the small, brightly wrapped package from her hands). "Th…" He cleared his throat. "Th…a…" He coughed. "Tha…nk…"

"Thank you." Pirika was having a very difficult time trying to suppress her laughter. "I believe you're trying to say 'Thank you.'"

He pressed his mouth into a firm straight line. "What you said."

She clapped her hands together. "Well, what are you waiting for? Open it!"

He complied and systematically cut the tape at both ends of the present and slipped the box out, no tearing of paper necessary.

"Ah, so you're one of those. Freak." She poked him in the forehead. "Can't you just open gifts like a…a…"

"A what?" He paused halfway in lifting the lid off the box.

"Oh, I don't know. A normal person." She giggled.

"Ha. Ha. Funny joke, Ainu girl," he stated in a perfect monotone voice.

"Lighten up, Pointy-head!"

"I prefer 'Tao boy,' if you will." He sniffed, causing her to dissolve into another fit of laughter. "Let's see what the overtly hyper and exceedingly bubbly Pirika Usui bought with her manual labor this year."

"Manual labor, shmanual labor. I don't mind working in the Butterbur fields."

"Uh huh. Just like you don't mind working with your brother every day."

She winced. "Okay, that could use a little toning down on."

But in fact, Pirika didn't really mind working from sun up to sun down in a field filled with plants that weren't all that aesthetically pleasing (in her opinion, of course. Horohoro thought that the plants were the best things ever since one of Tamao's home cooked meals) and of course, got her shoes all muddy, her clothes all dirty, and her hands all covered in blisters and toughened skin.

Sure, she cared about the environment. But mostly she cared about the business aspect of her brother's field of work. Because, well, not many people know this but Horohoro's prime connection to the business world and the market was…

"Bells?" Ren picked up the small cluster of silver bells from the small white box by the very tips of his fingers and examined them.

Well, it was Ren. So since Horohoro was so keen on marketing his products, that meant that he had to meet a lot with the Tao heir but since Horohoro was usually too busy trying to manage his fields, he left all the business proceedings to his second in command the person he trusted the most: Pirika.

Thus, Pirika didn't mind all the "manual labor" in the fields because the more she dedicated herself to it, the more time she got to spend with Ren. Which, of course, she secretly enjoyed. In fact, it was so secret that half the time, Pirika didn't even realize her affinity towards the time spent with Ren (I say attraction towards the time instead of the attraction towards Ren because, well, you gotta take baby steps. Baby steps. Pirika would freak out if she realized that she was attracted to Ren. And vice versa).

"Er, it's nothing much. I mean, I kept thinking to myself, what do I get the boy that has everything?" she explained, clearly flustered.

You. You get me you and that would be the perfect present for someone who has everything. Ren stared hungrily at her lips as she kept talking away.

"…Can you believe she said that? Haha, well, anyways, it reminded me of what you used to say all the time when we were growing up…like when we were fifteen or something…" Here, she adopted an obnoxious and low voice. "'Ainu girl, you remind me of bells attached to a perpetually moving sleigh. Always, always clanging and clamoring about something nonstop that it gives whoever is around a huge headache.'" She cleared her throat self-consciously. "Or…something like that."

"O…kay then." He continued holding the bells awkwardly. "What do you propose I do with them?"

She exhaled loudly. "I don't know, put them on your kwan dao or Bao-lei or something. Not my job to know what to do with it…I got you the flippin' present already…" she grumbled.

He averted his eyes and kept his gaze trained on the bells she had given him in an effort to unconsciously avoid seeing how pouty her mouth would get whenever she was half-mockingly upset. Which he found annoying. And irritating. Of course he wouldn't think it was cute or anything. Of course not.

Lies.

"You expect me to put it on the end of my weapons? So what happens when I'm practicing with them or training or fighting?" he asked dryly.

She huffed. "Put them on the end of your cellphone then! That way every time you're trying to talk to someone, it will ever so obnoxiously ring in your ear and remind you of how I would always pester you when you're trying to have a conversation," she posited sarcastically.

"Okay."

"Jeez, you're always so ungrateful when other people try to be nice to you and then—wait, who's doing what now?" She blinked, shook her head, and cupped her ear to check if she had heard correctly.

He scoffed. "I said, 'Okay.' As in, I'll do it. As in, yes." He smirked. "Need any further clarification?"

She smacked him in the arm playfully. "Oh, shut it."

"So why did you get me a present? You didn't get anyone else one here…"

Pirika bit her lip. "Well, since you're leaving soon for China and all…" she said quietly. She laughed bitterly. "It's stupid. I'm sorry."

"Ahem. I'm the judge of what is and is not stupid around here." He waved his hand to prod her to continue.

"I just wanted to give you something to remember me by, is that so bad?" she explained loudly in one breath. "See, it's stupid."

"Well, then I'm stupid as well." He turned around to reach into his pocket.

"Huh?" Pirika managed to pause in her feeling embarrassment to see what he was doing.

"Here." He tossed something at her.

"Whoa!" Pirika barely caught it. "You know my hand-eye coordination isn't the best!"

"Look, do you want it or not?" He effected an air of boredom.

"What is this…" Pirika turned over the slate black plastic card in her hands.

"It's an access card. Swipe it at the check in counter at any airport and it will instantly upgrade you to first class and put you on a direct flight to my office in China." She stared at him, her mouth agape. "For business negotiations and…I made one for Horohoro too so…" He stood up, his eyes closed in concentration and faux irritation. "Or something." He waved his hand to dismiss it.

"Ren! It's time to go!" The two heard Jun's half-inebriated voice call out.

"Oh boy. Big sis had too much to drink again. Better get her home. She's going to be wanting to drive the car." He rolled his eyes.

As if on cue, "Ren, can I drive?" Jun happily asked.

"So, um…" Pirika twisted and wrung her fingers. "I'll miss you…"

Ren quirked an eyebrow, half out of surprise, half out of genuine (dare he say it) happiness.

She placed one hand on her hip, the other she thrust out, the palm facing upwards as she rolled her eyes. "I mean, who else will I be able to mercilessly torture and tease around here? Doing that to Horohoro is so ten years ago."

"The feeling's mutual, Ainu girl." He smirked once again.

"So…ah…" She quickly stepped forward and caught him in an embrace, both lingering a second longer to the unaware observer for just a couple of good friends. "Goodbye…Ren." She smiled sadly at him. "And…" She shook her head. "Tell Jeanne that I say hi. I'm sure…I'm sure she's a great wife. And Men. Hopefully he doesn't turn out like his father too much." She tilted her head to the side so that her hair shielded her tearing up eyes from him.

"And say hello to your boyfriend from me." He felt his arms stiffen up as he stepped back from her. "Tell him to man up and propose already." They both laughed hollowly. He began walking away.

"Ah, merry Christmas! Er, I mean…happy holidays!" Pirika called, knowing that he probably didn't hear her considering that he had already taken out his cellphone to call someone.

But somehow he did hear since he was, after all, listening as hard as he could for her voice. He lifted up his cellphone, not turning around because he knew everyone expected him to not turn around.

And then he waved it at her, a cluster of bells cheerfully jangling and glinting away from the phone's antennae.

How the bells, sweet silver bells

All seem to say, "Throw cares away."

A/N: yay RenPiri! And I kept the relationships canon (ie: Ren is married to Jeanne, has Men and Pirika has a boyfriend) so THERE, you RenPiri haters =P hahha i kid, i kid. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! please check out my other story Critical Condition for more Christmas and RenPiri goodness! I would love to hear from you and what you thought so don't forget to review ;)