Navy and Azure
by Apple-chan

Disclaimer: insert witty disclaimer remark here

RenxPilica. Contains lots of waff, fluff, angst...and a really, infuriatingly annoying Tao En. Set approximately 11 years after the Anime (so Ren's 23 and Pilica's 22). Their love knows no boundaries. Their love is limitless, timeless...endless. He completed her, and she completed him...in the most ultimate sense. Yet...love does not always automatically lead to a happy ending.

Spoilers: The whole Anime series. Probably also the whole Celebrations Arc. It isn't necessary to read that to get this, though. All you need to know is that Pilica and Ren are very much together now, they love each other, and Pilica is spending two whole weeks at the Tao Estate in China with Ren and the rest of his family sans Jun.

Warnings: PG-13 for adult situations and mild swearing.

This is otherwise known as Celebrations Side Story Number 2, and is dedicated to all the RenXPilica fans, most especially to Miko-chan and her Imouto. Hope you guys like it!^_^

Big big thanks to Nezumi-chan for the start of this chapter. Here...*holds out a a bag of choco-caramel candies to Nezumi*^^

Chapter 1 - Rainbow Castle


The skies were still blue, the clouds, fluffy...and the sun was just setting over the horizon as it bid goodbye to the morning that was passing and waved hello to the approaching night...to the moon, which was just peeking out way over the west. The orange glare of the sun illuminated an incredibly tall group of mountains. At the center of the mountains, birds, bees, and butterflies were dancing around the beautiful flowers surrounding a magnificent estate, almost as if they were exulting the homecoming of its master.

A tall, golden-eyed young man with sharp, pointy navy blue hair stepped out of a dark blue car that had just pulled over in front of the grand estate. Smiling brightly, he held out his hand to the still-open door to assist a beautiful young lady with long, azure blue hair and dark blue eyes. The azure-haired young woman smiled gratefully as she took the offered hand and stepped out of the car as well.

"Arigatou, Ren-kun." She murmured, giving an indrawn breath as she gazed at all the glory around her. "...It's beautiful here," she declared reverently.

Ren shrugged, following Pilica's eyes as she surveyed the expansive haven he was born into and had grown up in. "It's nothing much." He said quietly. "Just...my home." He crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyes to the setting sun.

"Still..." Pilica began as she walked a couple of steps, standing right next to him, "it must have been quite an experience, growing up in a place like this."

A dry laugh. "You have no idea." More than anything, remembering his childhood brought him pain rather than happiness, considering that he had never really experienced much of the youth that he should have had to begin with. At an early age, he had been forced to train, to study, to learn...forced into responsibilities, thereby making him reluctantly give up the normal, young life that was supposedly a privilege to all children.

Sighing, he shook those thoughts out of his head, mentally reminding himself that he had a guest, and he shouldn't allow himself to be sad and bitter in front of her. Especially since his guest happened to be a woman...and not just any kind of woman, but one that he had loved ever since he was seventeen. A woman he had loved for six years.

"Ren-kun?" A female voice called him, breaking his current musings. He turned his head to look at her--at Pilica, who was the object of his latest series of thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Ren assured her quickly, managing a small smile.

Relief washed over her beautiful features. "That's good." She proclaimed with a nod. Then, she gave him a curious look. "It seemed like you were thinking of something pretty intense back there." She smiled. "Care to tell me?"

"...Oh. That," He waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing. Just remembering a little bit, that's all..." He gave a slight reassuring smile.

"Are you sure?" She gave him a doubtful look.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Anyway...let's head on inside, ne?" He held out his arm to her regally.

Pilica smiled brightly, taking the offered arm. "Hai!" They started to head towards the entrance gate.

After taking a couple of steps, Ren paused abruptly for about thirty seconds, turning to the valet and chauffeur by the car. "I'm leaving you responsible for delivering our belongings to the estate," he called out. "Is that clear?"

"...Hai, Ren-sama!" Both uniformed men gave a slight bow and an affirmative nod.

Smiling with satisfaction, he led Pilica towards the enormous front gates of the estate, all bitter thoughts about his lost childhood temporarily forgotten.

*~*~*~*~*

"Ren-sama!" A bespectacled man in his thirties, with dark auburn hair, and wearing formal business attire approached them by the gates and bowed courteously to Ren. "Welcome back."

"Kang," Ren greeted his secretary, eyeing the distinctive formal wear curiously. "...There's no need to live up to the dress code when you're at the estate, you know."

The man nodded his head in agreement. "Ren-sama, I know that, but..." looking around cautiously, he lowered his voice. "Your father, En-sama, requested for everybody to don their uniforms, at least, just for today. Maybe it's because of your arrival..." he gazed with interest at Pilica. "Konnichiwa," the man bowed slightly, then looked up at his employer questioningly. "Ren-sama, is she...?"

"She's Pilica," Ren confirmed, smiling affectionately as the azure-haired young woman bowed politely in return, and he squeezed her hand, guiding her inside. "You've seen her before, Kang." He reminded the other man.

Kang smiled at her, before turning to his employer with a blank look on his face. "...I have? Where?" He scratched his head. "Odd...I can't seem to remember..." he flashed them both a slightly embarrassed look.

Ren rolled his eyes exasperatedly at his secretary's forgetfulness. "Never mind. Just tell me...what's been happening around here since I was gone? What has everyone been up to?" He glanced around. "Where's the old man?"

The secretary gave another curious look at Pilica, before shaking his head in defeat, silently giving up on guessing where and when he had last seen the young woman. "He's at his study at the moment, but I do believe he's on his way out to greet you. I've alerted everyone as soon as you got here." He answered. "...Your mother and grandfather should be here soon, as well."

"Good." He and Pilica followed the other man across the pathway leading towards the main hall of the first floor of the estate. "...Pilica?" He paused abruptly and turned around when he felt her hand slip out of his hold. "What is it?"

She was standing in front of a couple of paintings and vases, and had obviously been distracted by the fancy artifacts decorating his home. "...Huh? Oh," quite startled, she gave him a small, sheepish smile. "Sorry." She immediately rushed back to his side. "I was just looking at the vases and the paintings and everything...you have those landscape sketches that I've been searching for around Tokyo...I can't believe Oniichan never told me that you had them when he was here..." she murmured with awe. "Gomen ne. I got a little distracted..."

A laugh. "Yeah, I noticed." He clasped her hand and together, they walked. "We're almost at the Main Hall. Stay close to me until we get there." He paused. "It's very easy to get lost around here," he added with a wry smile.

"Ren-sama," Kang piped up suddenly. "...I just remembered." He summoned a maid, who handed him an important-looking thick, fair-sized envelope. "Your father asked me to give you these documents the moment you get here." He held out the item to his employer.

Ren eyed the said item curiously, but made no move to retrieve it. "Work?" He frowned with distaste. "At this TIME? It's almost evening, Kang." He pushed the man's hand away, while at the same time nodding in acknowledgement at the other servants who happened to pass by and greet him. "Take that to my office. I'll look at the papers tomorrow."

"But Ren-sama, your father specifically told me to give this to you right away," The other man insisted.

"KANG," Ren paused and threw him a stern look. "WHO exactly do you work for: him, or ME?"

"Y...you, of course," The man sputtered. "But Ren-sama, your father ordered me to--"

"What? Give these things to me, or ELSE?" He supplied dryly, irritation lacing his voice. "I DON'T CARE. Throw it in my desk. Or throw it away, it doesn't matter."

"But Ren-sama...this contains important clan business dealings!" Kang said, horror crossing over his face at his employer's suggestion. "We can't just throw it away...and besides...En-sama said it was very urgent--"

"I don't CARE how urgent it is, DAMMIT," Ren spat out furiously. "He has no right to order you around. No right whatsoever to tell ME what to do. NO. FREAKING. RIGHT." He gave his secretary a dark glare as he stalked away.

Kang made a move to follow his boss. "R...Ren-sama--" he stopped abruptly as the Chinese shaman paused and raised his hand warningly.

"Toss off those documents at my desk. I don't CARE one freaking whit about what the old man says. I will NOT be looking at any of those papers tonight. End of discussion." He stomped away in ire, completely forgetting that he had Pilica with him, and in the process, leaving her behind.

Pilica stared after her boyfriend in aghast, wondering what had caused him to explode like that all of a sudden. Just moments ago, they were so happy, all throughout that plane trip...but the second they landed in China, got in the Tao family's car and arrived at the front of their estate, he had been quite melancholy, sad...and at times, seemingly spaced out, and emotionless. And right now, he was quite livid...angry at something. Or, more correctly, at someone.

Beside her, she heard a loud sigh. She turned her head slightly to find Ren's bespectacled secretary looking at her with an incredibly remorseful expression on his face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it upon him like that," his voice was laced with deep regret. "His father...En-sama...he's always been a rather touchy subject with Ren-sama." He shook his head. "I should have waited until the both of you were well-rested before I told him, but it's just that...En-sama was adamant..."

Pilica nodded with understanding. "It wasn't your fault." She turned her head and fixated her eyes on the Chinese shaman's angrily walking form. Ren was completely unaware that he was gradually moving further and further away from her. "That thing with his father...I've heard a lot about that from my brother. Oniichan's told me all about it." She added, speeding up her pace so she could make sure she didn't lose track of Ren.

"Your brother?" Kang walked a step beside her.

"Uh-huh." She smiled wistfully. "Horo-horo Oniichan. He's been here before," she informed him. "...More than a decade ago, I think."

"Ah." The bespectacled man nodded thoughtfully. "...I do believe I remember him. The spiky-haired young man with the snowboard...is that right?"

"Hai." Pilica smiled.

"...That's why you look so familiar," He mused. "And...six years ago!" He snapped his fingers, eyes widening with realization. "You were that incredibly beautiful young woman who'd caught the bouquet at Asakura-sama's wedding. That was you." He proclaimed. "You...and that garter...and Ren-sama," he gave her a meaningful smile. "Pilica-sama...are you and Ren-sama...?"

"Uhm..." She blushed profusely, looking around her for an escape and avoiding the man's knowing gaze. "I'd better hurry up after Ren-kun," she said quickly, purposely ignoring his earlier question. "...It was really nice meeting you, Kang-san," bowing hastily, she rushed forward towards Ren before the secretary could say anything else.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Ren-kun..." Pilica approached the Chinese shaman, who had paused at a corner upon hearing her voice. They were only about a couple of more steps away from the Main Hall. Tentatively, she placed a hand on top of his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

A sigh. And then, he turned his head slightly, reached over...and clasped her hand tightly, while at the same time, forcing a smile on his face. "I'm fine," he said quietly. "I'm sorry. It's just that...I'm just...I mean..." he shook his head helplessly. "It's just that...sometimes, he infuriates me so much that I tend to forget about everything and everyone around me..." his voice trailed off.

She gave him a small, comforting smile as her other hand reached over and touched his face, her fingers caressing, gently easing his incredibly dark, sad frown. "Don't let it get to you," she murmured soothingly. "Your father...he's probably just...trying to do what he thinks is best--"

"BEST," He snorted bitterly. "...Right. Best for me, or best for HIM?" He shook his head. "Ever since I was very young, he's been trying to run my whole life for me...and more than a decade ago, when I finally beat him fair and square with the help of your brother and Yoh and Ryu...I thought he was finally going to stop treating me like I was a robot he can manipulate for his own personal motives. I thought he was finally going to allow me...and Neesan, for that matter...to live our own lives, make our own decisions." He sighed with resignation. "Turns out I was wrong. He's never going to change. It's in his nature, to manipulate people." He leaned against the wall as if all his strength had left him. Then, he gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry...maybe it wasn't such a good idea for me to bring you here..."

"Iie." She shook her head vigorously and smiled brightly at him. "Ren-kun, I accepted an invitation. I came here because I want to be with you. I want to know you better. I want to know everything about you--the good, AND as well as the bad," she inched closer towards him and cradled his face in her palms. "I don't like to see you sad, or angry, or hurt...but see, that's another reason why I'm here...so I can help you ease those negative feelings." She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "...That's what it means to love, isn't it?" She murmured. "We take everything, accept it all, no matter how dismal it happens to be." She touched her forehead against his, gazing deeply into his eyes. "Ne?"

Ren sighed, then, he gave a soft chuckle, feeling all his sadness being washed away just by a mere smile from her. He raised his hand and stroked her hair fondly. "You know...if I hadn't been such a coward, I could have had you with me a long time ago," he caressed her cheek softly. "I don't know how I was able to survive six long years without you..." He leaned forward and brushed a brief, tender kiss to her lips.

"...What in the world took you so long, anyway?" She murmured against his lips, sighing contentedly as he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her closer against him.

"GUTS." He replied with a slight laugh as he kissed her again. "Had to acquire some guts first." His lips traveled down to her chin. "...It took longer than I expected, I'm sure you know," he added dryly. "I'm sure all of our friends know, for that matter."

"Were we that obvious?" She wondered aloud as her arms went up around his neck, sighing as his lips descended further. "I mean, I was pretty sure I wasn't..."

"I don't think I was, either," He agreed in a murmur as he kissed her neck. "However...there's a certain person who was well AWARE of our feelings and just couldn't resist broadcasting it to the whole world," he said dryly. "And we both know who that is."

"Hao-san," Pilica breathed. "He always claims he knows everything." She raised his head up and flashed him a questioning look. "...does he?"

Ren shrugged. "Probably." He rolled his eyes. "Either way, he was one of the keys to my confession, so I guess..." he paused. "I guess that's something I should be thankful to him for," he finished grudgingly.

She smiled. "Something we should BOTH be thankful for," she corrected as she drew him down for another kiss.

"Ahem." Somewhere across them at the hallway, someone cleared her throat.

"Ahem." Another voice, male this time, and hoarse. Old-sounding.

The pair continued to kiss, clearly oblivious of the two voices which were calling for their attention.

The owner of the first voice, a middle-aged woman with long, fancy-styled navy blue hair, and wearing traditional Chinese clothes, rolled her eyes to the ceiling as she stood gracefully beside a short, bald old man in yellow--the owner of the second voice. He, on the other hand, merely smiled with amusement at the scene he was currently witnessing.

"My grandson has brought a beautiful young lady home with him," He whispered to the woman in traditional Mandarin.

The woman smiled, nodding excitedly. "Yes, he has." She agreed. "And I believe--"

"REN." A loud, booming voice sounded, interrupting the rest of her sentence...and startling Ren and Pilica, who, upon hearing the voice, broke apart immediately, their faces extremely red.

Gathering his composure, Ren gazed around them with surprise. "Hahaue," he raised an eyebrow at his mother.

Tao Ran stepped forward and enfolded her son in a warm hug. "Ren." She smiled graciously at Pilica, who smiled politely in return.

"Ha...Hahaue...you can let go of me now," Ren's face was slowly turning into a deep, dark shade of a tomato as he struggled out of his mother's fierce embrace.

Ran chuckled, ruffling her son's hair fondly. "Gomen ne. It's just that I've missed you. You've been gone so long." She pulled away reluctantly and flashed him a questioning look. "Where is your sister?"

"Back at the Onsen," he answered dryly. "I'm not quite if she'll be coming home anytime soon. But no need to worry--she's safe. I'll have to call her after dinner. Jiisama," he bowed his head respectfully at his grandfather.

"Ren," Tao Ching reached over and patted his grandson's hand. Then, he smiled graciously at Pilica. "...And who might this beautiful young lady be?"

Ren smiled. "Her name's Pilica. She's the younger sister of Horo-horo...you remember him, I'm sure." He paused. "And she's also my--"

"REN." The loud, booming voice earlier sounded again, cutting the rest of his sentence off. Tao En was looking at him sternly, his eyes as steely as ever, his dark hair and moustache showing faint signs of age around the edges, as indicated by the silvery streaks around his hairline.

With a sigh, Ren turned to him. "Father," he acknowledged with a slight nod, his golden eyes leveled with the older man's as the two of them regarded each other in a tensed silence. It seems as if they were having some sort of a staring contest. Ren was about his father's height, and although he was younger, he had more stature, demeanor...and could also be much more highly intimidating and foreboding when he wanted to be.

As of the moment, he was quite the tall, inconceivably dignified presence as he stood there, a proud warrior, his eyes meeting his father's unflinchingly, without any shred of fear in his eyes. He showed defiance and courageousness through and through, and was undaunted despite the hard, challenging, almost mocking stare of his father.

And at long last, En surrendered, averting his eyes. "...Welcome home, Son." He spoke in fluent Mandarin. He surveyed his son critically, analyzing him from head to toe, before nodding with satisfaction.

Ren bowed his head politely. "It's good to be back, Father," he greeted in Mandarin as well. He reached for Pilica's hand and pulled her in front of him. "This is Pilica," he said in Japanese, smiling at her and squeezing her hand fondly. "...She's Japanese, from the Ainu tribe in Hokkaido. Horo-horo is her brother. Father, you remember him," he told En with pointed emphasis. "He visited us here more than a decade ago, with a couple of my other friends." He smiled serenely at his mother and grandfather, and raised an eyebrow at his father.

Ran clapped her hands together gracefully and nodded. "I remember," she said cheerfully as she walked towards the azure-haired young woman...and enfolded her in a hug, much to her surprise. "Welcome," she murmured. "...dear daughter," the last word was spoken in Mandarin.

Pilica returned the hug, visibly bewildered, but felt incredibly warmed and pleased all the same. "T...thank you, uhm..." she sputtered, looking around her frantically for the proper way to address the older woman...older woman who just happened to be the mother of the man she loved. "Uh--"

"Ran-Hahaue," Ran whispered with a slight chuckle. "You may call me that." She let go and stepped back beside her husband, still smiling graciously.

Pilica blushed slightly at the suggestion, but she nodded. "Arigatou, R...Ran-Hahaue," she whispered hesitantly, then, turning to the bald old man, she bowed politely. "It's nice to meet you..."

"Ching-Jiichan," The old man supplied cheerfully, reaching over to pat the young woman's hand. Studying her face, he remarked, "she does look a lot like Horo-horo," he grinned at his grandson.

Ren suppressed a groan, smacking his hand against his forehead. "Argh, I know that, Jiisama. Don't remind me."

"Hm." Ching gave a knowing smirk, before turning expectantly to En, who, after greeting his son, had not spoken a word, and was regarding Pilica in silence, an unmistakably dark frown on his face. "...En?"

"So...you found her in Hokkaido, is that correct?" En inquired, ignoring his father completely and addressing his son as he continued to survey the azure-haired young woman under his critical gaze.

Ren rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "I met her in Funbarigaoka eleven years ago, Father." He replied with slight impatience. "...I've already told you. Didn't you hear me earlier? She's Horo-horo's younger sister," he said emphatically.

"I see," En raised an eyebrow. "And what is she doing here?"

"I invited her," Ren stated with annoyance. "...Neesan and I did. As the clan HEAD, I'm allowed to have guests whenever I want," he flashed his father a pointed glare. "Isn't that right?"

His father grunted. "Quite right," he agreed, albeit grudgingly. "...Alright then," giving Pilica one last, appraising look, he summoned a couple of servants. "Get supper ready. We shall have something special tonight, in honor of my son's homecoming."

"...And in honor of his guest," Ran added, smiling at Pilica.

"Hmph." En grunted. He turned to his son. "Get some rest. You will be called when the meal is ready. Kang!" He waved his hand, ordering Ren's secretary towards him.

"H..hai, En-sama?" Throwing Ren a furtive look, he bowed politely at his employer's father.

"Take Ren's visitor to one of the guest quarters in this floor. Make sure that she--"

"Hold on," Ren interrupted, giving his secretary a warning look. "Pilica will be staying in the quarters directly across from mine, Father." He told En firmly. "Kang, make sure that our things get delivered to the rooms at once. I'll take charge of her." The tone of his voice left no room for argument.

"H...hai, Ren-sama!" With one last, respectful bow at both father and son, he exited quickly to do what he was told.

En glared darkly at his son, who merely stared back, as if daring him to challenge his last statement. "...Do whatever you want," he said at last, flashing a final look of distaste at Pilica before turning around. "Ren, come to my study after supper. There are certain things we need to discuss." Before his son could utter a protest, he walked away, evidently implying that the subject matter was closed.

Ran smiled apologetically at Pilica in behalf of her husband's obvious rudeness. "We'll see you both in a little while, Ren...Pilica-chan," she gave a slight nod as she followed her husband.

Ching patted his grandson's hand one last time. "Forgive your father's behavior, Ren."

"...It's nothing, Jiisama," Ren gave his father a reassuring smile. "I'm used to it." He turned to the young woman beside him. "...Pilica? Is something wrong? You've been quiet," he added with concern. When she didn't answer, he squeezed her hand lightly to gain her attention.

"Huh? Oh...well...it's nothing." Pilica shook her head, pasting a small smile on her face for his benefit. She had felt incredibly pleased at the graciousness and warmth Tao Ran and Tao Ching had showed her. She was happy that, just like Jun, they were already treating her as a part of their family...but she couldn't say the same for Tao En. Ren's father obviously did not like her, for all throughout that time she was being introduced, he'd barely acknowledged her, and even if he did...he always had that absolutely unnerving frown on his face. True, she could barely look at the man--she was honestly afraid to--but one didn't need eyes to realize another person's utter dislike. One only needs to feel. And she did feel it--in the tone of his voice during those rare few times when he addressed her...and every time he gazed at her, studied her...the silence was visibly tensed and palpable, with extreme disapproval revolving around it, verily making her feel like she wasn't wanted. That she wasn't welcome.

"Well, I'd better follow them as well." Tao Ching's voice broke her thoughts. Nodding cheerfully at them, he pivoted slowly and retreated to the direction his son and daughter-in-law disappeared to. "See you later!" He chirped before he turned at a corner and vanished.

"Pilica, let's go. I'll take you to your quarters, come on." Ren smiled at her as he pulled her hand.

Shaking her worries away, Pilica managed to smile back as she allowed him to lead her along the massive, grand halls of the Tao Estate. As the two of them walked, she gazed at all the paintings they passed by, her eyes feasting on the beautiful, enthralling colors while at the same time savoring the wonderful, secure warmth of his hand against hers, momentarily making her forget about the sinking feeling that had begun to hover inside her heart from the instant that she met Tao En.

TSUZUKU.

End notes:

Still suffering a lack of inspiration here owing to overdose of LysergXJeanne, so I'm sorry if this didn't come out so well.^^;;; I promise to get back on track in the next chapters, I swear!*places hand over heart*

For those who have read Celebrations, the timeline of this is directly right after [Chapter 10: Morning Revelations] and a couple of months before the [Epilogue: The End is the Beginning]. So...yeah. Just a bit of FYI there.^^

And uhm...if I remember correctly, Ren doesn't address his father with any honorific in the anime. In fact, I don't remember Ren addressing En at all, except probably when Ren called him "Oyaji," but that was never said in his face (too disrespectful, I think, in their family). I used "Father" here because in my opinion, it is neither disrespectful, nor is it exactly respectful (as compared to "Tousan/Tousama" or "Chichiue"). So, yeah. I didn't want Ren to seem TOO rude to his father, so I used the English term. As for his mother...I didn't catch him addressing her in any way, so..."Hahaue." I think Ren might be more respectful towards his mother and grandfather than his father, so...yeah.^^

(N.B. For those of you who have been asking me for the LXJ smut outtake for Venice, please give me a little more time. I'm still thinking of whether I should add more scenes. You'll get it soon, I promise that!^^)

Reviews/comments/criticisms/suggestions/any kind of feedback will be very much appreciated.^^