A/N: All I can say is WOW. I never expected to get so many reviews, and for the first chapter alone! You guys really made my day, especially those of you who left especially insightful comments. Thank you a million times over!

For those of you who asked…yes, "wo ai ni" means "I love you." I actually shouldn't have used that expression because it's not used very often in normal conversation—I suppose it's because Asians are perhaps a little less open about their feelings than Westerners. At least, that's my experience with my own family.

Oh yeah, to the anonymous reader who pointed out that "ai" means the same thing in both languages: you made a very good point, but remember that, while Horohoro may know the meaning of "ai" in Japanese, he would not know it in Chinese. Therefore, your projection does not really apply, but thanks for reviewing anyway!

I was actually contemplating some lemon-ish material to end this chapter, but decided to save that sort of writing for my vampire fic. Therefore I substituted a lighter, more kid-friendly (though not entirely if you read between the lines) ending.

Please check out "Rescue Me" if you have time.

Okay, thanks for reading! Enjoy! I'll see yall at the debut of my next one-shot, "Behind Closed Doors." -MeeLee

Tao Ren had retired from the party downstairs claiming to have gotten annoyed with everyone else's insignificant conversation, but the truth was that he was dead tired and could not wait to get to bed as he trudged slowly up the stairs and into his room. He was usually quite energetic but now he had been strangely exhausted all day. He attributed at least part of the sudden fatigue to the argument he had had with Horohoro earlier that morning; it had put a lot of strain on his nerves. Damn that stupid, insensitive, arrogant…and beautiful…Ainu.

He could hardly stay awake as he rinsed himself quickly in the shower, changed into more comfortable clothes, and got into bed. For a moment he lay where he was, golden eyes half open, seeing nothing as he thought briefly about Horohoro. Kiisama, he thought to himself. Teasing him so openly. He thought he was so clever, bringing up a "wo ai ni" like that. Well, Ren would show him. He would give that Ainu such an ass-kicking he wouldn't be able to sit for a week. He didn't need that idiot.

Shaking his head at the huge lie he had just told himself, Ren closed his eyes and allowed the darkness to settle in, taking him into a comfortable embrace. He felt a sudden warmth as he surrendered to it, a pleasing heat slowly surrounding his body so that he relaxed completely and began to drift away.

It was only when he felt an arm wrap slowly around his waist that he realized the warmth he was feeling was definitely not from the darkness.

Reflex set in, and Ren reacted the same way he always did to what he perceived to be a threat: with violence. Twisting agilely around, he brought his right arm down, fist cocked to get rid of the intruder.

Fortunately for Horohoro his reflexes were just as fast as the other shaman's. Quickly he lifted his arm off of Ren's waist and caught the Chinese boy's wrist, halting his attack. Shifting his weight then, he forced Ren's arm back down onto the bed while at the same time sliding his own body smoothly on top of the other's, using the pressure of his right shoulder to keep Ren's other arm from coming into use.

In such an awkward position Ren immediately began to panic; losing control so easily made him frantic. He could hardly see in the darkness of his room but he knew it was Horohoro because of the other shaman's aura; a sixth sense always told him whenever Horohoro was close. At the moment, though, the ice shaman was far too close and so Ren kicked out in an attempt to regain control; Horohoro reacted, locking Ren's legs with his own and consequently pressing their bodies even closer together so that Ren could feel…his…

"Agh!" Ren cried, blushing a deep red and struggling furiously. "You damn rapist! Get off me, you—" His next words were lost when Horohoro covered his mouth with his own. For a brief instant Ren was alarmed but then almost immediately he relaxed, closing his eyes and allowing the Ainu to deepen the kiss. When they finally pulled apart, both of them were out of breath.

He could almost see Horohoro smiling in the darkness. "You damn coward," he whispered good-naturedly, tracing a finger impulsively down Ren's chest. "If you had just told me what 'wo ai ni' meant, I wouldn't have had to get mad at you and then go through all that trouble to find out."

Ren suddenly became indignant. "I never said that to you," he protested.

The Ainu smiled again. "Not to my face, no," he said, "Though I would've liked it better if you had done that instead of making me eavesdrop on your dreams."

"My…dreams?" Ren flushed suddenly with embarrassment. "I did not…"

But Horohoro gently touched a finger to Ren's lips, quieting him. "Now I've got something to tell you," he said, and bending down so that his lips were right next to Ren's ear, he whispered to him, "Aishiteru, Tao Ren." In the next instant Ren seized him by the shoulders and kissed him passionately, and as Horohoro wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and brought him closer, he smiled inwardly to himself. So stargazing did have its benefits.

A few minutes later, downstairs, Yoh and his friends could not explain what was happening. The ceiling light in the dining room kept shaking on its chain, and all the framed pictures hanging on the wall suddenly came unglued, unable to stay intact for more than a few seconds before crashing to the floor. An earthquake seemed to be shaking the house.

Kyouyama Anna stood in the middle of the living room, ordering everyone around as they scrambled after the falling frames and the tilting decorations that were sliding off the tables and desks with frightening speed. For a moment she was just as puzzled as the rest of them as to where this strange phenomenon had come from, but when she called for Usui Horokeu and Tao Ren to come lend a hand and they did not respond, she immediately understood. Without delaying another minute she promptly told everyone to pack up and leave the house, including Yoh and herself. They protested but she only hastened their departure, closing the door and locking it firmly behind her. Once outside, Yoh turned to her in confusion.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Why are we leaving?"

"Because I say so."

He blinked. "What about Ren and Horohoro? They're still in there."

"Yes, I know," Anna said. "But believe me…they have better things to do right now than come with us."

"What do you mean?"

Anna did not answer, and a whining Yoh followed her as she walked quickly away.

FINI