Yay - part two. Hopefully this is chapter will a little longer than the first... xx still trying to get the final chapter done for my Amidamaru/Yoh fic done xx;; Anyway, promises of Horo/Ren love coming soon...Oh, and drunk Ren. D You just KNOW that boy can't handle alcohol.

Rated R for older teen HoroHoro language. The boy would SO have a mouth on him.

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"I decided about a year ago that I want to write mystery novels." Lyserg was the first one to give the group a recap of what his brief past consisted of. He had protested going first, but submit under the everyone's voiced encouragement, except a certain Chinese boy who's lips were too busy around his straw. His eyes, however, lost their predatory look for a moment to give his reassurance as well. "I read so much that writing just comes naturally to me." The boy's Japanese remained fluent, but his extended stay at his home had thickened his English accent to the point where certain words were difficult to pronounce. He hadn't aged much in appearance, only his voice betrayed his true years. He carried a small pair of reading glasses in his pocket that added two years to his look. He was dressed conservatively in a button-up white shirt and loose black slacks. His hair was still spiked back into four large chunks, and he had kept it relatively the same length.

Lyserg blushed and looked down. "I've entered a few short stories into contests...I haven't really had much success, but I'm working on it." He smiled and looked to the next person.

"You all thought I couldn't do it..." Chocolove pointed an accusing finger at the Ainu and the shorter Chinese boy beside him. They both looked at him with lowered lids, a bored look glazing their eyes.

"You're fuckin' kidding." Horo Horo mumbled through his chopsticks. "People are actually finding you funny?"

Chocolove glared and crossed his arms. His normally large naps of hair were all pulled back into tight cornrows. It gave him a very deceptive look of maturity, but that aura was quickly washed away whenever he opened his mouth. "I'm serious, damnit. I'm being paid to be an idiot on stage." He chuckled and leaned back. "It's the best life ever. When I get back I have two performances in one week, and then one the next an—"

Ren cast a look back at the door as the dark-skinned boy rambled on. Horo Horo caught his glance and snickered, turning to see what he was looking at. Ren's kwan dao lay up against the wall by a window. The bluenette could see the contemplation in Ren's eyes as he leaned in closer. "I'll distract him and you can sneak over there and grab it."

Ren smirked and gave a soft laugh. "Taos don't sneak. If I wanted to stab his ass, he'd know I was going to." He looked at his chopstick, then at Chocolove.

The wooden utensil bounced of the boy's head in mid-sentence, causing him to stop completely. He glared angrily at Ren, who had put on a blank face to hide his guilt, but Horo's attempts to stop laughing gave them both away.

By the time Chocolove was ranting at the Ainu, everyone was in a fit of laughter. Even Anna and Ren couldn't hide their smiles and soft chuckles. Chocolove returned to sitting, arms crossed, glaring at the two across the table from him. "You guys are bastards." He glanced over at Faust before picking at his rice. "Your turn."

Faust, who was holding the hand of the blonde woman always at his side, looked into her eyes before addressing the group. "As you all know, I couldn't stay here with Anna-san and Yoh-kun for as long as they wished me too. I had people to help and more things to learn. I traveled to Europe to study more about surgeries and medicine." He gave a calm smile, adjusting the robe Anna had leant to him around his shoulder. "A year ago I became the top surgeon in Germany. I was fortunate to get this time off...Let's hope nothing so life threatening comes up that my students can't handle it. I may end up getting paged back there." He ran his hand through his hair. "You're next Ryu-san."

Ryu's look was the one which had changed his look the most. The hair that everyone remembered, that ridiculously large pompadour, had been taken down. He wore his hair down for the time being, the long black strands resting just above mid-back. "I haven't been doing much for the last couple of years. I got a kendo scholarship that allowed me to get into college without really good grades." He rested his chin on his palm. "I may do kendo as a career...I'm really not that bad at it, and it you get good it can pay well." He stretched. "Really, that's it. You're next Horo Horo."

"Heh, I think mine will take half as long as Ryu's. I've been working on my field...it's lush and full now, but that means I don't have anything else to do. I'm not an important part of my tribe and I'm free to wander about wherever I wish." Horo Horo gave a slight pant and lowered the zipper of the short-sleeved jacket he was wearing. The shirt he wore underneath it was obviously old, it's worn fabric stretched across his chest.

Ren couldn't help stealing a glance beside him. Horo Horo's skin was more tanned than he remembered... working on the Luh field must have met long, tiring day beneath a hot sun. It was obvious the work was laborious. Ren tried to not focus on how supple and strong the older boy's arms and chest had become, but it was difficult for his eyes to not linger there. Horo Horo clothing was slightly different from what Ren remembered...the shorts were the same, deep blue and knee length. His jacket was the same color as the old shorts with short sleeves, as oppose to eggshell, long sleeved jacket he used to wear. Thoughts of how attractive Horo had become filtered through his violet covered head.

"Ren?" The Chinese boy jolted and raised his eyes, a slight blush spreading across his face. Everyone was looking at him. Horo Horo wore that ridiculous grin. "You're next."

"..Oh..." Ren coughed, giving his voice a moment to find itself. "My father pushed me into getting the best possible education I could afford...which was the best." He started counting on his fingers. "I already have a major in science, math, history...well, just about everything." He smirked. "I've also been continuing my martial arts training...I'm sure I could kill each one you three times with a spoon before you hit the ground."

Horo Horo scoffed slightly even though his mouth was full. "That's if you could look up while doing it. You'll have to be careful, you might snap your neck." He laughed fully as he dodged Ren's remaining chopstick, raising his own to block any further utensils being thrown at him. "So," he said, swallowing what was in his mouth. "You the empire of China yet?"

Ren's expression gave away the annoyance he wasn't trying to hide. "My family is powerful, but it's not monarchy...and no, my father is still very much alive." He stole the two chop sticks that Horo Horo had put down to finish off his rice. "I'm here for a few weeks, so it will be nice to get away from the never ending stress that comes from home." He closed his eyes for a moment as he chewed and swallowed, before looking to Yoh. "Sum us up."

Yoh looked to Anna, then to Amidamaru and Manta before yawning casually with the mixture of a laughter. "Things have been anything but ordinary around here. We've all graduated and are looking towards college and university...not sure about anything past that. Manta is going away to his university in a few months, which is why we wanted to have this get together soon." He smiled and leaned back, against his ghost companion behind him.

"What about marriage?" The Ainu asked, trying to wrestle his sticks back from Ren, who calmly avoided his attacks.

"Oh, yah. Well, we're not ready yet..." Yoh mumbled, a slight blush spreading across his face. "We haven't told our parents we're having second thoughts..."

"Yoh's chosen someone else." Anna butted in, arms crossed. She didn't sound angry at this fact, her normally cold eyes calm as they moved from Yoh to Amidamaru. "I don't know how you tolerate him...he's lazier than dirt now that there is nothing for him to work towards." The samurai only smiled.

Most of the group seemed surprised at this. Ren, Horo Horo and Ryu were the three who were not. They knew how much the shaman and spirit meant to each other, it was only a matter of time until the two's friendship blossomed into something more. Yet no one could believe how well Anna was taking it. Maybe she had a side to her that no one knew about either...maybe a secret relationship?

The conversations went back to being clustered, everyone talking with everyone else one on one or in small groups. Ryu had fled to the kitchen to help with dinner, which he assured would be ready in only a few minutes. He stole Lyserg with him. Horo Horo rolled his eyes.

Ren had left the main group to sit a little to the side, finishing off the small amount of milk he had left. He glared up when he saw the Ainu approaching him, and continued when Horo sat down beside him. "You're in my bubble." He grumbled unhappily.

Horo grinned, leaning against the wall with his arms above his head. "You still haven't losened up? Even after all the troubles of the past have left us?"

"Unlike you, I don't graduately immature. There are plenty of troubles in the future for me." He sighed and rattled the empty carton he held, before placing it beside him. When his eyes rose to look at the Ainu, he blinked slightly at the look of compassion.

"Ren..." He sighed, lifting his knees and resting his hands on his thick shoes. "I know things got better at home a long time ago...but if things are still bad...you know you always have a place here with us." He looked around the room before closing his eyes and smiling slightly. For some odd reason, he had wanted to add 'or with me.'

But the shorter Shaman, who never wanted to betray his emotions, only made his signiture 'hmph' in the back of his throat. "If I couldn't handle it, I would leave on my own. There are plenty of places in my own country I could stay." When he saw the brief flash of regret in Horo Horo' eyes, he sighed, feeling that alien need to change what he had said. "But...but thanks for the offer."

Ryu's sudden and loud entrance caused everyone to appruptly stop their conversations and pay attention. "Alright yougins..." He said, adressing everyone in the room. He held a few paperbags in his fingers that obviously held something. Horo Horo could guess what it was. "Since your all eighteen now, we adults can share a litle fun with you." He withdrew 3 large bottles of sake and placed them on the table. "Since it's a time to celebrate, I have we drink ourselves stupid." Most of the older teens, who were curious about drinking, seemed genuinely pleased with the idea.

"But..." he countinued. "There is one person with a car, and we don't want anyone even having the chance to drive out of here." He glanced at the Chinese shaman. "Gimmie your keys." Ren's look of death made mostly everyone laugh.

"Not in your damn dreams." Ren snarled, almost playfully, as a smirk traced his lips. "We're all crashing here anyway, so your not getting my keys." He crossed his arms to put a period on his point.

"It's just incase Ren." Ryu assured. Ren's look didn't change, neither did his body language. "And, like you said, since we're crashing here anyway, there should be no reason for you to give them up."

"Damnit, Ryu, I said no—" But his speech was cut short as he was pinned by Horo Horo, who began searching him for the item that was being so seriously debated. It only took him a minute to find and jingling keys in Ren's loose clothing. With a quick cheer, he flung the keys to Ryu, before falling back. His shoulder throbed where the heel of Ren's hand had hit.

"Baka..." The dark haired boy growled, glaring at Ryu who had skillfully hid the keys. "Well, now that I've been gang-banged, bring out the sake."

--

Good gods, he had never seen something so out of place and so damn...cute.

Horo Horo was certain Ren had never touched achohol in his life. The dimming effects it had on the mind and body certainly would lower his ability as a shaman. To Ren, that was unacceptable. But, he hadn't wanted to appear unable to handle the sake. Drinking up a storm, the Chinese shaman wore an acutal smile, his cheeks a little flushed.

The Ainu had drank plenty of alchohol in the past, it came from living in a tribe like area, close to nature. Restrictions like age didn't apply his in society, so he was able to handle the alchol and would most likely be the only one, aside from Ryu, who would remember the evening in whole.

Turning his eyes, Horo Horo watched Ren again. He and Yoh were laughing madly to themselves, over some joke that Chocolove, of all people, had told. A smile traced the Ainu lips. Ren hadn't changed a bit. The Chinese boy's attitude was still harsh, although Horo Horo had to admit it had softened just a little. His body scruture had lenghthed, but he was still as thin as he used to be. Due to the small, but defined muscles of his arms, it was obvious to the Ainu Ren still worked out. With a smile, Horo came to the conclusion that the boy would never lose his slender figure, no matter how much torture he put his body through.

With a yawn, Horo Horo put his cup down. His thoughts were becoming slurry, and he knew that everyone would soon make their way clumsiley to the number of cots spread out in one of the largest rooms. The next morning, one everyone had sobered up, he would approch Ren with a few questions. There were still things that remained to be said.