AUTHOR'S NOTES: I am back here, bringing you the Part Two of my fic. Sorry for the delay, guys; school isn't easy as I thought. Thank you very much for all the people who commented on the first part, and the one who corrected me on the SLASH term. Okay, I stand corrected; let me rephrase: This is an INCEST fiction of Tao Ren and Jun. And I made this fic in four parts already, since I really enjoyed making it. Anyway, hope you will all enjoy this as much as I did.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King, but I really hope I do. ^^
DEBUTA Four-Part fic by: FiendisHSerapH
Part Two: Being Misunderstood
~REN~
"I expect you to save the freshest rose and the last dance for me, okay?"
I can't sleep already. My sister's words still linger in my senses up till now; it's just like heroin that keeps me awake up till its dissolution. To tell you, it even haunts my dreams. I looked at the clock; it's almost three in the afternoon. I only slept about twenty minutes for the words are haunting and swirling inside my head. What does she mean by that? Or in the first place; does she really mean something? Hah, it seems to confuse me. Right this moment the only thing my mind had been registering is the debut night. I am already imagining what will happen there. I can visualize my sister gently setting her footsteps on the rich scarlet carpet and slowly marching down the hall, wearing the dress I prescribed for her to wear. All eyes are on her, especially those of the men who are dying to get her, dying for her to be their wife at the future time. She will smile as she receive eighteen lighted candles from her friends who had bee by her side all the time… and eighteen fresh red roses from the men who are vying to make her his someday. They will also get the chance to dance with her with such passion and longing. Surely, she will have a great time spending the entire night in the presence of her friends. And she will dance with me, just like her teensy-weensy brother, someone who seemed to not care about her almost all the time. She will dance with me casually, and in such a short span of time. After that, she will just leave me behind and mingle with her friends and lovers --- of her own age --- and I am left all alone; overlooked, misunderstood, and looked upon by her as an insensitive little brother whose only ambition is to become the Shaman King… and nothing else.
~THIRD PERSON POV~
Ren woke up in a sweaty heap from his bed. What a nightmare it was! It all seemed so real. He wiped the lumps of sweat from his brow and looked at the clock. It registered: 3:16. Right, he only had slept… nothing real, no parts of that dream really had happened in the real world. Ren fell asleep thinking hardly over the night that will come that he didn't notice that he fell into a deep slumber. Then suddenly, he tossed his head on his palms. Then sobs are heard to our surprise. He is crying…
~REN~
What was I thinking? I know she will never regard me as someone who will run and court her for her hand. I am just some boy younger than her, and worse, I am his little brother. What more pain can be caused by that? There's no way that those things can happen, or in my dreams at least. I saw my own tears forming large patches on my blanket, but I don't mind. I'm now awake at the fact that she will never see me in that perspective. And tonight is the night when all of his suitors will gather and dance with her. I'll never have a chance to do that to her. Yes, yes I certainly can, but she will never see me. This is the night when I will love her as someone --- as a girl whom I immensely adore --- for the last time. After this, I will have to accept the fact that she is my sister, I am her brother… and nothing else; nothing more symbolical and deeper than that.
This is the night that I will witness and appreciate her turning of age, but I will never cherish and treasure by her side… for she will be somewhere out there, talking to people of her same age. What I had always thought of would only be true in my everyday dreams, but never in real life. So I'd better move on and accept the raw facts…
~THIRD PERSON POV~
Ren wiped his tears, stood up from his bed and moved out of his bedroom to give himself something to drink. It was not too long when he heard laughing voices coming from the guest room perhaps/ he heard his sister's voice laughing heartily. He supposed that she brought her friends with her. He walked to the door of the guest room and slightly peeped inside. He saw his sister and his friends laughing over pictures in their photo album. They, of course, have no idea that he's there, so they just continued.
He saw his sister in her white dress and her hair tied up in the usual way as she sipped juice as she chuckled, and he heard her say;
"Oh, here's my little brother, Ren. He's fast growing up. Now he's such a handsome teenager…" She paused as she sipped her drink. "I remember him being such a crybaby and butter finger during his early years. That tough shaman, who would have guessed that he, had bedwetting problems a year ago?"
Ren's eyes bulged out in horror as he heard yet another vivacious --- yet mocking --- laughter coming from his sister's friends, and worse, his sister herself. Due to his uncontrollable anger that he doesn't want to hide, he forgot that he only peeped in there and banged the door loudly, which had caused a stir inside. He darted away and ran as fast as he could to his room. On the other hand, Jun had sensed his brother's presence and she ran outside, leaving her friends behind. She darted to Ren's room and pounced at his door. She knocked loudly.
"Ren!" She called out, "Open the door…"
"No, I WON'T!" came the unanimous cry of the hurt boy.
"Come on…" Jun persisted. "Please, let's talk…"
"I WON'T SO DON'T FORCE ME!" she heard another reply as a loud bang ensued.
Jun had decided to use her Power Spirit to pry the door open, but her Spirit named Pai Long advised her not to do so.
"GO AWAY!" Ren's other yell came.
Jun sighed and stated, "Oh, alright…"
With that, she turned heel and walked away, murmuring the words… "What have I done?"
~REN~
You've done so many wrongdoings all your life! First: you have been so pretty that I liked you; second: you have been so adorable that I already loved you… third: you have been my sister that you broke my heart terribly. And lastly, you have embarrassed me in front of your friends! I hate you for that! I hate you for being so pretty, so lovely… and for being my sister! I've never cried this much in my whole damn life. I have been such a fool to fall in love with you, my own sister… such a fool to fall into this trap, this forbidden love. Loving someone like you obsessively shatter this heart of a powerful and determined shaman… a lady who happened to be my own sister. Why does life seem so unfair? Call me a sentimentally shallow jerk but I tell you, this is what I really feel right now, and there's nothing one can do to make me feel better. If only I haven't known you then my life should have been better by now. But I did, and I hate it! I shuddered onto my bed and put all the covers on top of me, waiting for the darkness to eat me alive and pretend that I haven't known a gorgeous lady named Tao Jun ever in my whole damn life.
~JUN~
What I have done wrong to disappoint you, my little brother? You just misunderstood what I've said; you didn't hear it completely. You only don't know that I am so proud to have you as a sibling. You only don't know how much I admire you for being such a powerful shaman, someone who will raise the flag of the Tao clan in the Shaman fight. You don't know… you don't know anything. You don't know what I feel…
~THIRD PERSON POV~
An hour before the debut night, everything has been settled in its own proper place. Chandeliers and lamps are lighted to brighten up the spacious and gallant hall. Some of the guests have already arrived and the orchestra began playing soft background music… but wait; where's the debutant?
"Miss Jun…" A helper offered, "Let me fix your hair now."
Jun nodded lifelessly, and then remembered; "Excuse me, let my hair down. Don't clip anything up."
"Yes, ma'am." The hairdresser continued her work, yet Jun seemed to be out of herself. She was so bothered over what happened. Silenced ensued for long moments until…
"Miss Jun!" A maid entered the room, panicky.
"Why?" Jun asked, startled.
"M---" The maid caught her breath.
"Master…. Master Ren is nowhere… nowhere to be found!"
"WHAT?" Jun's eyes bulged out in horror.
FOOTNOTES: What do you think had happened to Ren? Hah, better read the next part entitled "Defenseless" to know what's next! I am sure the pressure and the thrill's killing you (Yep, if there's really thrills in this fiction ^^) Anyway, I need reviews, whether constructive or destructive just to know where I can improve. That's all, thank you.