Author's message:

Thank you! Thank you for your nice reviews. As anyone might have guessed I am a complete Reni fan. Heck I started playing Sakura Taisen series just because of her.

To answer some queries. YES this WILL be an Ohgami & Reni love fic if I don't screw up muahahahaha.

The "scrub his back" option will appear when Ohgami visits Reni at the baths after visiting her in the gym at Chapter 3. He discovers Reni is a girl when he did that.

Now on to the story after the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sakura Taisen nor any of the characters. This story is mine.

Ohgami's eyes swept through the crowd in front of him, sometimes squinting when he tried to focus and sometimes frowning when his view was blocked by some random passer-by. However, he did not give up scanning the endless sea of people visiting the amusement park, hoping to spot the one person he was looking for coming through the entrance. He was so entranced in his search that he didn't realize that Iris was pulling the sleeve of his shirt.

"Oni-I-chan," Iris called with a singsong voice but Ohgami was still looking intently at something far away that Iris cannot see.

"Muu... Oniichan!" Iris called more impatiently, now tugging harder at Ohgami's sleeve.

"Huh? Oh! Yes, Iris, what is it?" Ohgami turned towards to the small blonde.

"Neh! Neh! Oniichan! Iris wants to ride the Hell Express. Sumire recommended it and Maria says we can all do it!"

At first, Ohgami was a bit reluctant but seeing Iris' eyes practically glowing with expectation, he nodded and Iris squealed in joy, pulling him towards the line waiting to board the Hell Express. The rest of the Hanagumi were there, waiting for Ohgami.

The Hell Express was none other but the largest, longest and most insane roller coaster ride in Teito and in East Asia. As they waited to board the roller coaster, Ohgami noticed that most of the people getting off looked like zombies and a sense of uneasiness settled in his stomach. Looks like I AM heading into hell.

Reni arrived at the amusement park still thinking in what way should she ask Ohgami her questions. The nearer she got to the amusement park, the more uncertain she felt she wanted to ask her question. Her mind went through all the possible answers Ohgami might give her and most of them ate away at the thin strand of confidence she had. The dilemma she faced was driving her insane.

Ask him and she might face his painful rejection which she never wished to experience. Not ask him and she would forever be tormenting herself by not knowing and doubting.

Trembling with doubt, Reni stopped; the unmoving girl resembled a lone island in the middle of the ever moving and chaotic waves of people around her.

The insane and outrageous ride finally ended and the Hanagumi stepped out of their cars and stumbled out slowly into the amusement park grounds. Ohgami was panting and a bit unsteady from the ride but he fared better than the others, thanks to his prior experiences in his Koubus in which he had performed his fair share of insane maneuvers. The rest of the Hanagumi weren't so lucky.

Kanna was literally crawling on the ground, trying desperately not to empty her stomach through her mouth. Orihime and Kohran were supporting each other to stand, each of them pale like a ghost. Sakura had disappeared as soon as they had gotten out, no doubt racing into the makeup rooms conveniently built near the exit. Even the usually cool and collected Maria was pale and wide-eyed, her right hand on her forehead and her left over her stomach. The only others who seemed unaffected were Sumire and Iris (who had teleported away as soon as the ride got tough, coming back during the smoother parts).

"Why... why is that cactus still standing?" Kanna said between breaths, still unable to stand up.

"Oh hohohoho. That's because a barbarian like you can never appreciate the hidden music in this ride."

"Have you...huff huff... gone mad? What music?"

"Oh hohohoho, that is why I call you a rough country savage. This roller coaster ride is made by the Kanzaki Industries according to my very sophisticated designs. Every rise and fall, twist and turn is placed according to the rhythm of my most recent and fabulous song. Only a person with stature and culture can appreciate the rhythms "

"Hmph! If... huff huff... that is...huff... music, then it must be The Screams from The Asylum!"

"Whaaaat!?" Sumire was now enraged. "How dare you insult my 'Whispers of The Maidens' like that!"

"Whi-Whispers? Feels more like 'The Wailing of The Banshee' to me!" Kanna retorted, finally gaining her strength to slowly stand up.

"Grrrrrrr... That's it! You're in for it now you gorilla! I demand satisfaction!"

"Heh! Bring it on then! I don't think a spineless snake-woman like you can defeat me!" Kanna replied confidently, cracking her knuckles. The two approached each other and fists and claws began to fly.

Meanwhile, Orihime who was watching the whole scene unfold turned to Kohran. "Are you sure Sumire-san and Kanna-san are not fit to be comedians?" Kohran only gave her a twisted smile.

Ohgami, on the other hand, was still unsure of how he would intervene without being accidentally killed suddenly realized that Iris was pulling his sleeve again.

"Oniichan! Oniichan! Maria-nechan looks very sick. Iris is a bit worried."

"What? Where did she go?"

"She went towards The Flower Gardens I think."

"Alright Iris. I'll go look for her. Meanwhile I'm promoting you to be my temporary second-in-command and stop Sumire and Kanna from killing themselves."

"Really? Wai! Wai! Iris will carry out this mission immediately!" With that, Iris raced towards the fighting duo though Ohgami was unsure how she would stop them.

Not willing to linger any longer, he headed for The Flower Gardens at the east side of the amusement park. On the way, he bumped into dozens of people going in different directions and not realizing, he had passed by Reni who had been searching for the Hanagumi all this time. Reni, however, saw him and tried to call out to him but her voice was lost in the din and the crowd stood between her and him.

Ohgami continued on his way, pushing through scores of people until he finally reached the gardens. There, the crowd had thinned and he made his way under the beautifully flower-decorated arch that served as the entrance, searching the beautiful garden for Maria.

He finally found the tall blonde leaning on the railing surrounding a pond hidden behind some very tall hedges.

Maria still looked extremely sick, her face was pale and she seemed to have trouble standing straight. Ohgami approached her from the side and asked worriedly, "Are you all right Maria?"

"Huh? Taichou? Uh... Yes, yes I'm all right." Maria replied weakly and Ohgami could tell she was anything but all right.

"You sure don't look that. Here, lean onto me, you should sit down." Ohgami said, as he slung Maria's right arm behind his head and supported her waist by putting his left arm around her back.

Maria reluctantly followed, leaning heavily on Ohgami, her head rested on his. Ohgami went red when he saw how close Maria's face was to his when he glanced sideward in her direction. He could also smell the fragrance of her perfume and her hair.

Slowly and steadily, they made their way to a bench not too far back from the pond and Ohgami helped Maria seat herself before he sat next to her. To his surprise, Maria laid her head on his shoulder, her eyes closed.

"Ma-Maria?" Ohgami stammered.

"Just for a while Taichou." Maria answered softly. "Just for a while..." She dosed off soon after that and Ohgami sighed and sat still. He realized Maria had pinned his left arm behind her back and not wishing to disturb Maria's rest, he decided to leave it there. His thoughts, however, was centered on a certain someone. He wondered silently to himself where she could be.

After her failed attempt to get Ohgami's attention, Reni followed him desperately through the crowd. Her short stature and small frame placed her under an extreme disadvantage. The crowd pulled her back so often that she kept losing track of Ohgami, only to catch a glimpse of him and follow him again.

By the time Reni squeezed herself out of the annoying mass of human bodies, she caught another glimpse of Ohgami entering the Flower Gardens. Determined not to be left behind again, she practically sprinted towards the gardens.

Fate was unkind to her, however. She did not meet Ohgami in the gardens and had to wander around searching for him again. Many times she thought of giving up the search but her heart yearned for the answers so much that her conscience gave in. She followed her intuition to a wall of high hedges and discovered that there was an entrance she had not noticed before.

The moment Reni passed through the entrance to the Water Lily Pond, a shocking sight beheld her.

Ohgami and Maria were both on a bench asleep with their heads close together. Every detail entered Reni's eyes like a camera.

T-Taichou?

A sharp pain in her chest made her grit her teeth and her arms instinctively shot up to hold herself. It was a pain she had never experienced before. It was more intense than any wounds she had suffered and she felt her vision blurred while a huge lump formed in her throat.

So this is the reality. His true love is Maria. How can I be so dense? Why did I ever think that we had something between us?

Reni approached the sleeping couple silently, moving nearer to the sleeping Ohgami.

Taicho...

She observed his peaceful countenance; obviously he was having a good dream as a smile was on his lips.

Is he dreaming about... Maria?

Blinking tears away, she bit her lower lip and forced herself not to sob. Ohgami's normally spiky hair had fallen down on his forehead. Reni gently brushed them back into place, doing it carefully so as not to alert Ohgami. She looked lovingly at her handiwork, the sorrow she felt did not outweigh the feelings she harboured for Ohgami. Slowly, she bent forward and gently kissed Ohgami on the lips.

Taichou. I hope you will be happy.

Slowly and reluctantly, she pulled her lips away from Ohgami's and as silently as she came, she slipped away. Her falling tears sparkled under the afternoon sun.

To be continued...

After bashing my head for days, I've finally came up with the above plot which I hope does not suck. Not too much about Reni this time though I wanted to write more. The circumstances doesn't seemed to allow me though.

Still don't know what will come up next. If no one has guessed it yet, I have absolutely no idea how this fic will turn out since I'm doing the "walk one step, count a step" thing.

Please R&R. Opinions or suggestions of anything that you might want to know or see in this fic is welcomed.

Unfortunately, my externals are coming up so I have to sadly turn away from writing for some time. My earliest update will most likely be in the end of November or early December provided that my family doesn't bug me.