Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.
Seating Arrangement of Class:
Miss Tao Jun's Desk
Chocolove Fangirl No.1 Jeanne Ren Macchi
Hao Anna Yoh Pilika Mari
Horo Horo Fangirl No.2 Lyserg Fangirl No.3 Fangirl No.4
Run for the Class President!
By Joyce
Chapter 12 Trading SecretsSunday-8:30 A.M.
In room 602 on the seventh floor of the Emmemarimo hotel, Pilika was sitting on her bed, staring off into space. In exactly an hour and a half, she would be engaged to the Tao heir. She was already dressed in a light blue engagement gown that matched her eyes. Jun and a bunch of other women had already come in to help her with her make up and hair. Pilika had asked them to leave just a few minutes ago.
The little Ainu girl felt like she needed some alone time. She still couldn't fully accept the fact that she was going to be an engaged woman in an hour and a half. And she wasn't going to be engaged just to any man, she was engaged to a man she didn't really even like.
Maybe it would be easier for me if the person I'm going to be engaged to is someone I like, but no. My marriage arrangement had to be with an arrogant person whom my brother and I fight with almost every day. Oh...God...what had I done to deserve this? She thought, fingering with her blue bracelet.
Pilika felt very, very stressed. So, she tried to look on the positive side of things.
Okay, so maybe Ren isn't THAT bad-looking. He's maybe even good-looking. And I can get along with him SOMETIMES if I really try and he's cooperating. But...I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I AM ENGAGED WITH HIM!!!!! Pilika thought, then lay down on her bed.
Then, an idea came to her head.
Hmm...since everyone is downstairs...including that shark-headed arrogant soon-to-be fiancé of mine...maybe...maybe I could run away! Yea, that's it! I can run away, then like, stay with Anna and Tamao at the Asakura's! Or something like that. And if Anna doesn't want me to live with her, I'll go live with Jeanne. I'm sure she'll accept, thought Pilika excitedly, and with that, she sat up and started planning how to run away.
Okay, first, I could climb out the window. No, it's the SEVENTH floor...but maybe, I could let a rope out of the window and climb down on that. Naw, that's too complicated and I'm too scared. Okay...I think the easiest plan would be just...walk out of this hotel! Yea!! I'll just walk out the back door. If anyone sees me, I'll just tell them that...that I'm going out to get a new bouquet of flowers for myself, thought Pilika, and with that, she grabbed her blue purse (which matched her blue gown), stuffed in some cash, and walked out of the room.
Pilika looked around to see that no one was there then kept walking down the hallway. She got safely down the elevator until she reached the first floor. There, she saw that many of the guests who were here to attend her engagement ceremony was already here. So, she just smiled and waved to everyone and pretended that she was meant to be there. Then, quietly, she slipped out the back door of the hotel with no one noticing.
Once outside, she let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Whew! Plan A accomplished. Now, to plan B...finding new living quarters..." she blurted out.
"Finding new living quarters?"
Pilika gasped then turned around to the voice she had just heard. She paled. There, leaning on the wall, was Ren, dressed in a black suit and the first few buttons unbuttoned.
"Err...I meant...like, I needed some...fresh air," she let out a sheepish laugh, "um, yea, I call that 'new living quarters."
She let out another sheepish laugh that was meant to be convincing. Ren raised his eyebrow.
"Reeeally? Then what's plan A and what's plan B?" he asked, amused.
Ren's amused tone of voice made Pilika ticked off.
It's his engagement day and he doesn't even care?!, thought Pilika with disbelief.
"Look, it's MY business, so don't bother to ask," huffed Pilika, who now started to walk away.
"Where are you going?" called Ren's voice from behind her.
Pilika sighed and turned around.
"I am going to get a new bouquet of flowers for myself," she answered, as if she had had it recited before over and over in her head.
"Don't give me that sht, Pilika. You were planning to run away, yes?" he asked starting to walk towards her.
Pilika glared up at Ren with flaming eyes.
"What if I AM?" she asked sharply.
"You can't," he replied simply.
"And why not?" Pilika demanded.
"Because, if you run away today, you'll be caught some other day and we'll still be engaged any way. So it's a total waste of time to run away now. Besides..." Ren paused then looked away.
"Besides what?" asked Pilika curiously.
Ren looked at her again. There was something in his eyes that made her surprised. It was something like sadness mixed with disappointment, but Pilika wasn't sure at all.
"Nothing," he said quietly.
"No, tell me. I want to know," said Pilika gently, coaxing him to tell her.
He sighed.
"Well, I was planning to keep this a secret until we were officially engaged, but..." he paused then continued, "it seems like I can't hold onto you even a moment longer, since I see you're trying to run away just now...so I guess I'll have to tell you now."
He took a deep breath and looked right into her eyes. It was a long time. Then, he started to go red.
"Okay, I just, can't," he said rubbing his cheeks as if that would make his blush go away.
Pilika was still looking up at him with wondering eyes.
"What secret, Ren? I want to know your secret," inquired Pilika again.
Ren sighed.
"Well, since you're going to run away anyway, I guess I should tell you. I can't force you to marry me or anything...I mean, I can, but...I don't want to..." he paused again, contemplating whether he should tell her his "secret" or not.
"Well, what's your secret?" asked Pilika, confused.
"My secret is...IlikeyouandIknowyoudon'tsojustrunawayandliveinpeacebye!" said Ren super quickly then walked back in through the back door of the hotel with a super red face.
Pilika stood there, stunned at what she had just heard. She thought that Ren had told her that he liked her or something like that, but she couldn't be sure because he had said it super quickly. After about a minute of being rooted to her spot, she started to turn red like Ren just did.
Did he just say he LIKED me? That would be...nice....nonononononononono, I am probably badly mistaken. Maybe he said something like, I'll fight you, or something...'cause that rhymes with I like you, right? But then again, I'll fight you also rhymes with I like you...okay I'm going crazy! I must ask him myself, Pilika thought, and then started to run in through the back door of the hotel after Ren.
She ran into the room where the engagement ceremony was supposed to be taken. There were lots of people there, but Ren wasn't in sight. So, she ran over to her brother to ask him where he was.
"Brother! Have you seen Ren anywhere?"
"Ren? So you two are actually in LOVE now?" he with a questioning look.
"No! I mean like, I don't know!" she cried.
That statement made Horo Horo become alarmed.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?! YOU ACTUALLY LIKE THAT GUY?!" Horo Horo almost shouted.
At that moment, her brother's shouting had, somehow, made Pilika admit to herself that she liked Ren. She gulped.
Well, I think I should tell Ren soon, because I'm pretty sure that he said he liked me. I need to tell my brother this...because if I can't even tell my brother, how can I tell it to Ren? Thought Pilika decidedly.
"Horo...yes, I like Ren," said Pilika quietly.
Horo Horo's mouth dropped open.
"What?!" he cried, obviously in unbelief.
"Please understand, Horo. I'll explain to you later. Can you please tell me where Ren is?" Pilika asked with pleading eyes.
Tamao, who had come up behind Horo Horo, seemed to interpret the whole situation in one second. She squeezed Horo Horo's shoulder in encouragement.
"You want your little sister to be happy, don't you?" said Tamao gently.
All of a sudden, Horo Horo understood. He smiled kindly down at Pilika.
"I saw Ren go up to his room. It's on the seventh floor, room 605," he said, smiling.
"Thanks, bro!" grinned Pilika, glad that he brother had understood.
As she started running to the elevator, she heard her brother call to her again.
"Pilika!" cried Horo Horo.
Pilika turned back to see what Horo Horo wanted.
"Come down in twenty minutes, the ceremony's starting!" said her brother, giving her a thumbs-up sign.
Pilika smiled and gave a thumbs-up sign in return. With that, she ran to the elevator and pressed to go the seventh floor. Once she had reached the seventh floor, Pilika ran to room 605, just as her brother had indicated. To her surprised the room wasn't even locked, so Pilika just pushed her way in.
She saw Ren lying down on his bed, his pillow head over his eyes. When Ren had heard the door opening, he took away the pillow and turned to look at the person coming in. When he saw that it was Pilika, he got really red again then quickly sat up in his bed.
"What do you want?" he said coldly.
"Umm...well, like, I wasn't sure what you just said a moment ago..." said Pilika uncertainly when she heard Ren's cold tone of voice.
"Yes, you heard what you just heard and I'm not going to repeat it," said Ren, crossing his arms stubbornly.
"You mean, you said I'll fight you?" asked Pilika innocently.
"No! I said I liked you!" shouted Ren furiously, then blushed badly when he realized when he realized what he had just said.
Pilika blushed too.
"Oh," she said, just to fill in the awkward silence.
"Now just get out and go on with your running away plan, "said Ren, then pulled his blanket over his eyes and pretending to go to sleep.
But Pilika just stood there. After a few minutes, Ren emerged out of his blanket, to find Pilika still there.
"Why aren't you out ALREADY?" he asked angrily.
"B-Because..." stammered Pilika, "I think I feel the same way about you."
Ren stared, his eyes wide open.
You mean the little Ainu actually likes me back? He thought with disbelief.
"You...like me?" he asked quietly.
Pilika nodded shyly then bent over to pull Ren out of the bed.
"Let's go downstairs, Ren. I promised Horo Horo that we would be downstairs in twenty minutes," said Pilika, smiling at Ren reassuredly.
To her surprise, Ren actually grinned back. He took her hand and led her towards the door. And, hand-in-hand, the sweet newfound couple walked down to their engagement ceremony.
Joyce: Aww thanks you guys, for the reviews you gave me for that last chapter. One of the reviews said that my story was really cute...that really touched me you know! :) Please, more reivews! :D And hope you guys don't mind all this fluff. ;)