When Ren awoke the next morning he didn't want to emerge from his room. He knew Kacia would be out there. He had never fancied anyone before. Sure he thought some girls pretty and others friendly, but he had never actually considered fancying them. He knew he couldn't hide from her forever. I don't like her. He thought to himself. Not in the slightest. She is jus some weirdo who will be out of my hair in just a few weeks.
He walked down to breakfast to meet everyone at the table. "Look who is finally awake!" Horo Horo smirked.
"Shut it." Ren snapped.
"Good morning Ren." Kacia said smiling.
"Hi." Ren said bluntly. There was only one place left at the table, and that was between Kacia and Yoh, so Ren had no choice but to take it.
"Milk again?" Anna asked him.
"Hmm." He said, staring determinedly at her and not the girl beside him. Anna passed him milk and Ren took it. He drained it in one, please to have another excuse not to look at Kacia. Once breakfast was over, Anna and Jessica got up and looked at Ren, Horo Horo and Yoh.
"Thanks for cleaning up." They said in unison.
"But I didn't say I was going to." Horo Horo moaned.
"Oh Anna, we always do!" Yoh joined in.
"No it is OK. I'll do it!" Ren said hurriedly picking up a few cups and plates and hurried into the kitchen and turned on the taps. Yoh and Horo horo followed him also carrying things. "No, no, no." Ren said. "I'll do it."
"Are you OK Ren?" Yoh asked him.
"Never been better! Now be gone!" Ren said trying to sound cheerful. Yoh and Horo Horo shrugged and left the room and met with everyone in the main room.
"I like it when Ren does as I tell him." Anna said to Yoh.
"Something is up with Ren, though I couldn't say what." Yoh said.
"Maybe he had just learnt that ageing with me is futile." Anna said smugly.
"So," Jessica said join their convocation. "Yoh, I hear you are a very powerful Shaman."
"Hardly." Anna snorted. "As I have said before, he has potential, but at the moment I do not think he is Shaman King material."
"Anna, I don't want to brag, but I am a powerful shaman! I have done all your training and I am doing just fine!"
"Oh yes," Anna said, her eyes flashing. "I almost forgot, I have your new training programme."
"The tournament hasn't started again though!" Yoh protested.
"I do not care!" Anna snarled.
"You hear that?!" Pirika shouted. "Yoh will be training! Horo Horo, you will be too! You can not let the enemy over take you."
"I could defeat Yoh with my eyes closed." Horo Horo said to his sister but with a wink to Yoh.
"You most certainly could not!" Anna said to Horo Horo. "Can you not remember who won in your last fight?"
"That was a long time ago." Horo Horo said now turning a violent shade of red.
"Actuly," Jessica cut in. "I was watching that fight all that time ago and it was very close. Now, I have a training programme of my own, but I do not have a Shaman to test it on. Pirika, with your permission, may I try out this training programme on your brother?"
"Will it make him win?" Pirika asked.
"I believe so." Jessica said.
"Sorry cousin, but no one will defeat my Yoh. Your training will be pointless." Anna said stubbornly.
"We shall see about that." Jessica spat. Each girl was looking daggers at the other.
"Yoh," Horo horo whispered. "I think we have our work cut out for us."
"Ren? Are you still cleaning?" Kacia asked, coming into the kitchen.
"Yes." Ren said shortly. Kacia looked over his shoulder.
"But now you are washing the sink."
"You can not was plates in a dirty sink." Ren said.
"Ren are you OK?" Kaica asked him, pulling him around to meet her eyes. Ren took one deep breath and smiled.
"I am fine."
"Do you want to go for a walk outside?"
"Gladly."
They had been outside for quite a while. Ren was surprised how easily he was finding it to talk to her. They talked about the Shaman tournament and all the things that had happened.
"I wanted to enter the tournament." Kacia sighed. "But I couldn't. I didn't have enough control over my…"
"It is fine." Ren comforted. "Everyone has their own little problem…well…except for Yoh the great."
"Do you hate him that much?"
"No, I am just very competitive. I do like Yoh really; he was my first and best friend."
They walked on until it had grown dark. They found their way back to Yoh's house and entered the main room. "We are ba-" Kacia said but was cut off. There was a blazing row between Anna, Jessica and Pirika. Ren and Kacia did not know what was going on, but managed to deduce from all the shouts that Jessica was going to train Horo Horo and that she thought her training programme was good enough to make Horo Horo stronger than Yoh. Anna, however saw this as both treachery and a pack of lies. Yoh and Horo Horo were sitting together looking quite fearful. Ren gestured to leaving and they managed to sneak out without being seen, since all the females in the room were all yelling at yeah other.
"Good luck with the girls." Ren said smirking.
"You are so lucky." Horo Horo whined. "You don't have a crazy girl yelling orders to you."
Ren smiled to himself as he went to bed that night. He was thinking about all he had talked about when he had been with Kacia. He was just about to drop off when his eyes snapped open. What was it he had said to her????
"No, I am just very competitive. I do like Yoh really; he was my first and best friend."
He never would have said that to anyone! Never! Oh no, he thought I must fancy her!
(A/N) That's the end of chapter 2. Please r&r and tell me what you think. Will update soon!!!
