Chapter Seven: Smile
"So, have you decided?" En asked, smiling, as Len and Lyserg returned.
"Father, don't pretend you weren't watching." Len snapped back angrily. Lyserg and Carolyn smiled.
"What can I say? Tao's love to watch!" En proclaimed. Jun put her head in her hand, trying to blank out the images poor Ren must have seen when he looked on several years ago. Len was blushing.
"I've chosen." He finally said.
"Eee!" His mother let out a small squeal.
"Well, which one then, Ren?"
"Grandfather, patience. First, I must do something." Ren stepped up to both of the girls. Jun looked on curiously.
"Carolyn. Why do you want to marry me?"
This is the point in which half the family fell over. "WHAT DOES THAT MATTER?!" En screamed.
"Uh...um....you're...a shaman." She saw Len wasn't happy with this answer and added "A handsome Shaman." She glanced at Lyserg. "I see." She finally said, and it was clear she had given up.
"Then wouldn't any Shaman do?" He asked.
"No!" Carolyn shouted. Then she covered her mouth, and put her hand down again, remembering how Len had taken it away from her mouth before. "Not at all, Master Len. I need to know that my man can take care of anyone!"
"I'm rich. I can see spirits." Ren said. "Then there's just one problem I foresee..."
"Excuse me?" Carolyn asked, confused.
"The main issue I foresee is how much you really care about looks, Carolyn."
She dropped her head. "Not at all...In truth..."
"What is the point of this?" His grandfather asked. Lee shushed him. "Now the Kyonshiess are disrespecting me!" Lee shushed him again.
"In truth, Len...I don't even care if the build is good. Or the height between us is a lot or a little...or if he weighs a million-"
"Perfect." Len whispered.
"You've chosen, then?" En said excitedly.
"What if I told you, Carolyn," Len said, ignoring En. "That there was someone just like your description in Japan."
"Yoh's engaged." His mother reminded him.
"And he's not rich, mother." Jun put in. "He must be referring to someone else."
"He'll be here in a few days, and then you may make yourself known to him."
"Oh, Len!" Carolyn threw her arms around Len. "You've taken care of me despite my inadequacies!"
Len backed off blushing. "Yes, well...your only difference with Lyserg was your...size. Anyways, I...must warn you he isn't a Shaman."
"What? But-"
"He's capable of seeing spirits, but otherwise, completely normal. He was us Shaman's first friend that was not in a family of Shamans and not Shamanic himself." Ren explained.
"W-what? People like this exist?" Lyserg said with wonderful acting.
"Yes." Len smiled. Carolyn beamed.
"Oh, thank you so much! How can I repay you!?"
"You won't be put to a contest besides if he likes you, but it will be up to you. I'm simply giving you the animal. You make the kill. With that said." Len turned to Lyserg. "You will be my wife." he said.
"FINALLY!" His parents and grandfather said together. Only Jun watched Len blush as he held out his hand to Lyserg.
"Ren! Thanks for sending the plane. It's a pain getting here!" Yoh looped one arm around his shoulder and Ren blushed. Chocolove jumped off the last few steps to his plane and headed towards the party from Japan. Jun had sent him a separate flight to the airport in LA.
"I hope you have rooms prepared." Ana told Jun.
"Of course." Jun replied.
Chocolove looped his arm around Len's other shoulder and Len shoved them both off. "Get your hands off!" he said. Lyserg and his mother appeared at the front entrance, and Ren gave Chocolove a slightly panicked look.
"I called Choco about your new wife." Ana said. "He said he'd be right over. Did you mean to invite him?"
Ren nodded, knowing the true meaning of those words. "I didn't have his address, but Jun said she contacted him."
"I'll give it to you." Chocolove said. "I got a cell phone now. Want the number?"
"Give it to the servants." Ren brushed him off.
"Hey, congrats, Ren!" Horohoro said, coming off the plane with Manta, who mearly waved at Ren.
"Always a bit shy around me." Ren told Manta, and the boy shrugged.
"Next time I can pay for the plane fair you know." Manta offered.
"But it couldn't bring you all the way out here. Don't bother." Manta laughed a bit at Ren's way of saying "no thanks."
"Good to see you, Ren." Ryu said, putting his hand in the air in a hello.
"Ryu." Ren acknowledged.
"Oh, hey Bason!" Yoh and Horo were giving Bason high fives, so Len took the opportunity to introduce....reintroduce....Lyserg. Ryu goggled at him.
"This is Lyserg. My fiance'."
"Congratulations." Ana said blandly.
"Nice to meet you." Horro said, trying to hold in his giggles. Lyserg smiled back and bowed. Ryu went to get out flowers, but was quickly flatted in the idea by Ren's spear in his face.
"Oh, Master Len, you can put that away." Lyserg insisted.
Horo burst out laughing, to Len's dismay. He recovered. "Uh...she calls you 'Master?'" He covered.
"What's wrong with that?"
"Not Bacchamus?" Horo laughed again and Ren went after him with the spear. Chocolove laughed too. Lyserg smiled.
"Hardly acceptable for me to call Len by the same word a servant would. Bason may be his friend, but he's also his spirit ally. I'm his wife." Lyserg said.
"Hm. She's witty." Anna said.
"The future wife of the Shaman King." Lyserg said.
"VERY witty." Anna replied.
"You're gonna be my wife!" Horo yelled. Ren poked him.
Jun laughed. "I was just about to say the same thing." Chocolove said, disappointed.
"All right, all right. Enough excitement, then. Would everyone come inside?" En called, and the group began to file past him in twos.
"Oh, I nearly forgot. This is Carolyne." Len said as he passed by her.
Carolyn blushed as Horo and Ryu all but fell at her feet. Ryu took out the flowers. Yoh just waved. Manta stopped in his tracks. Chocolove offered her his arm to lead her inside and she took it. Len smiled at Lyserg as he heard all the commotion about her beauty behind him. "So she was that beautiful all along?" He whispered. Lyserg nodded.
"You got me. All I could see was that she wasn't you." Lyserg said, then added, to make him jealous of the girls "Even when she was changing in front of me."
Len blushed, looked slightly jealous and then realized they couldn't have seen Lyserg naked as well. That would have given everything away. "Even if she changed in front of you, I'm the only one allowed to see you with only that pendelum on."
"Len...!" Lyserg said as if appalled that Len would say such a thing. Then Ren blushed.
"Isn't it supposed to be the bride blushing?" Horo asked Chocolove.
"It's okay if he wants to blush too." Chocolove whispered back.
"Is Lyserg blushing? I can't see him."
"Her. Say her. And yes."
"I think Ren's blushing more."
"Will you two shut up?" Ana said "You're being really obvious."
Faust was smiling and holding Eliza's waist, probably remembering their own wedding. Eliza was doing the same to him. Ana was watching the wedding with her usual crossed arms. Tears were streaming down Ryu's face next to her. To make matters worse for him, Manta was in between him and Carolyn, and kept casting sweet glances each other's way. Tamao sat directly behind Faust, Chocolove behind Eliza. They were trying to watch, but Horo kept glaring at the back of Manta's head from behind Ana, or talking to Chocolove. Next to Chocolove The Iron Maden sat, her eyes fixed on the wedding with tears in her eyes. Marco was next to her, his disapproval obvious. he wasn't in any uniform. Pirka sat next to him, tears streaming despite the fact that no one she really knew well was getting married.
It was obvious that several workers of the Tao family were present. People high on the list, anyways. And the entire Tao Family was present, of course, including the Kionshies and spirits. Bason floated sniffing back tears just behind Ren, obviously proud. Pailong was suited with the family because Jun was Lyserg's Maid of Honor. Lyserg was coming up the aisle with a beautiful Chinese dress on, but it's British modifications were also apparent. Jun was just behind him. Len stood looking directly at his bride and blushing furiously. En stood a little to the right of him without his oversoul engaged.
"Yoh looks good in that suit." Ana said, and it was true. He stood just behind Len in the background in the place a best man should be. When Lyserg reached the steps and Ren clenched his fist in nervousness, Yoh placed his hand gently on his shoulder.
It was like a flow of courage. Ren put his hand out and Lyserg took it. They stood together and Yoh let his hand drop. Jun's first tears finally came down. Bason attempted to wipe his away. Lyserg smiled at Ren. Ren smiled at Lyserg nervously. En began the ceremony. Carolyn put her hand on Manta's leg to steady herself from crying for Len.
And then for the first time in a long time a true and wide smile came across Ren's face. No blush. No regrets. No going back. He loved Lyserg. He knew it as he said those words for the first time. "Lyserg, I love you." This time it was Lyserg blushing.
