"Horo-Horo raised an eyebrow at the newly arrived Tao. Ren looked tired and stressed-out, like he had just confronted a situation he had avoided for some time. It was the first time Horo-Horo had seen him display those emotions so openly... "Where have you been?" He asked curiously.

Ren sat on the floor, before looking up to meet Horo-Horo's eyes. "You said something?"

Horo-Horo frowned. Ren now looked calm, a contrast to what he looked merely seconds ago... Did he just imagine that his best friend, for once, looked desperate, helpless, and in pain? No, he was positive... He saw that look, all right, but just how could he switch moods as quick as that? He snorted. "I was asking you where you've been..."

"Oh that..." Ren shrugged. "Just talked to your sister..."

Pirika? Ren talked to Pirika? And Pirika actually talked to Ren? He was stupid, but not stupid enough not to know that his sister and his best friend have some, well, misunderstandings... He had eight years to prove that. In fact, he was actually expecting Pirika to yell at him just now for not telling him that Ren was back. It was as if he knew Ren was coming back. The Heir of the Tao Business Corporation just showed up in his doorstep this morning, without a word or call beforehand that he was coming back. The incident shocked him as well. He didn't even know why Ren suddenly turned up, dressed in a white shirt and simple jeans, carrying nothing but a backpack. It seemed like Ren wasn't expecting to visit as well. The question was, why?

Horo-Horo reached out for the bottle of sake and filled in two glasses. He grinned, and offered Ren the glass. "One of the few reasons why I loved being an adult."

Ren slightly smiled. "Some things just don't change." He downed the liquid in one drink. His expression hardened. "You didn't tell me that Pirika moved out."

So, that's what it's all about. He grinned once more. Was Pirika the reason why Ren was behaving this way? Horo-Horo decided to test his theory. "I didn't know you actually cared..."

"Hmm..."

"It's not like I told her to get out. She moved out two years ago, right after she was sure that she could take care of herself. Pirika changed a lot you know. She was confident in herself, pretty much independent. I think that has something to do when you left eight years ago."

Horo-Horo carefully studied Ren's reaction. He waited as those words took effect. He heard Ren sighed, then saw him grabbed the bottle of sake to refill his glass.

"She was too affected. She obviously got mad with you." Horo-Horo continued. Ren sighed once again... Then... Horo-Horo blinked. There was that look again... He was sure this time... Ren's eyes were contorted with pain and regret... Ren had just shown him a weakness... Wait... It was gone! In a flash, his eyes once again became cold and lifeless. Why? What was that about?

Could it be that Ren likes Pirika, and worse was in love with her? Was that even possible?

Wait... Just what made him think that Pirika could be the reason? Just what made him think about that? Ren was getting married in a month to a girl... obviously not Pirika. While Pirika was damned mad at Ren... For reasons he knew nothing about... She even openly displayed it this afternoon...

Silence. "Can't blame her, though." Ren stood then headed towards the door.

"Now, where are you going?" It's not as if, he didn't know the answer...

Ren smirked. "To look for some real alcohol... Insomnia..." He took his coat. "Want to come?"

Horo-Horo shook his head. Ren definitely wasn't a good liar. "Whatever."

"Ren..." Horo-Horo hesitated. This area was Yoh's expertise, not his, after all.

Ren turned around.

"We still have to talk you know. I don't know why you're here, why the hell you showed up here after that damn press conference, why the hell you were engaged to some unknown girl just like that, but hey, I know something's wrong..."

"Her name's Alexa if that's what you wanted to know..."

Alexa... Not bad. Horo-Horo rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Ren shrugged. "Some other time..."

"Horo-Horo!" They heard Tamao shout.

They both looked at each other. It was Horo-Horo who sighed this time. He smiled at Ren. "Girls are so annoying..."

Ren smiled back. "You could say that again."

"She lived at the Suzuki Apartment about four blocks from here... Second floor, left wing."

"Thanks." In a flash, Ren was gone.

Horo-Horo didn't even know how he managed to say that... Was that because of alcohol? It was not even called courage... It was termed guts... He knew he would be literally be murdered for it... He didn't want to face his sister's wrath, for heaven's sake. But hey, those two needed to fix some things. Judging from the way Pirika had looked earlier, she needed it too. He just hoped he did the right thing.

"Horo-Horo! Where are you?"

Horo-Horo got up. Time to deal with his girl problem this time... "I'm coming..."

What was it with girls?

Pirika hugged her coat tighter as she walked briskly across the street. It was only October, and yet the air was freezing. She sighed, and took the street away from her apartment. She didn't know why, but she had no desire to go home to her apartment at once. She needed to think... She needed to know what to do. Ren came back, engaged... It seemed like her world broke down once again.... She didn't know why... That alone scared her out of her wits.

Almost instinctively, she found herself in front of the park. Pirika smiled bitterly. Seemed like the past was determined to haunt her tonight... She looked around. It was getting late, and only a few people were around, mostly couples, enjoying the seclusion of the place.

With one last breath, Pirika bravely made her way towards the clearing... To the familiar path towards the creek... It wouldn't hurt to be there once again, right?

She was wrong.

The moment she stood on the bridge, and looked down on the creek, her eyes somehow started to mist. It still hurt. Even after eight years, it still hurt.

To think of, the place hadn't change at all since the last time she was here. The moonlight was reflected on those crystalline clear waters, like shards of glass, its beauty was as magical and as mysterious as ever. The waters flowed against the rocks, creating music soothing to her ears. The cool breeze gently blew against her cheeks, freezing any tears that may fall. Almost at once, she felt calm... at ease... She was home, ironic it may seem.

Ren impatiently tapped his fingers as he waited for his sister to pick up the line. What was keeping her anyway?

"Hello?"

"Nee-san..."

Silence.

Ren fidgeted. What now? "Nee-san, are you there?"

"Where. The. Hell. Were. You."

Okay, that was freaky. "I'm fine, Nee-san, don't worry..."

"I'm not asking you if you're still alive or what, I'm damn asking you where the hell you are right now!!!"

You don't have to shout you know. "I'm in Japan, okay..."

Ren held the receiver away from his ear. He waited as those words took effect.

"WHAT!"

"Nee-san..."

"Do you know that father was fuming mad when he found out that you literally disappeared after that press conference?"

Wow... I should have seen his face. Ren chuckled. "Nee-san..."

"Not a word... Not even to me... Do you even care that I was worried! Even mother! Were you even listening to me?"

"I'm listening... Nee-san..."

But Jun Tao wasn't finished. "And what the hell are doing in Japan? You're getting married, Ren..." Her voice trailed down into a whisper. "In a month..."

"Alexa knew I was here. In fact, she helped me out... About the wedding," Ren laughed. "You knew as well as I do that it wouldn't happen... So, why bother?"

"Ren, listen to me..."

"No, you listen, Nee-san... I don't give a damn care about that wedding...I only got a month, okay? And I wouldn't waste that one-month preparing for a stupid wedding that was forced on me... A stupid wedding that was never meant to happen... A wedding that couldn't happen..."

Jun began to sob. "Ren... there's still a chance..."

"A chance... That's what they all say..." Ren smiled bitterly. "In fact, they've been saying that throughout my life. Did something happen? Tell me, Nee-san, did something change?"

Silence. Jun Tao continued to sob.

"Look, Nee-san... Please... Even for once in my life..." Ren paused.

"Let me do something right..."

He was tired. He had wasted his life doing what he thought was right. It sickened him to no end... Now, he only had a month left, when he realized he still had a lot of things to do before he eventually give up...

A month to do something right, and put his life to order...

A month to keep his promise to the girl he had loved even more than his life...

Pirika didn't bother visiting this place after that night... What for anyway? The last memory she had of this place was not good... She was crying... Upset... Angry.... While Ren stood a foot away from her, calm and impassive, trying to explain the situation to her. She didn't bother to listen to all his damn explanations. She refused to believe that Ren was actually doing that to her. She couldn't believe that Ren would hurt her like that. She did not understand why Ren broke his promise, without feeling the slightest guilt. Pirika walked away from him. That was the last time she saw him... The last time she heard of him... Eight years, he literally disappeared... No calls, not even a word... Now, he came back just like that... Engaged...

He told her he loved her...

Once, eight years ago...

He had told her he loved her so honestly...

So openly...

So desperately...

And she was a fool to believe him....

"Where are you staying?"

Ren sighed. "At Horo-Horo's house. I'll be going at Yoh's tomorrow..."

"I'll try to cover up for you... But I don't know for how long..."

"Thanks, Nee-san... Listen, I have to go... I'm using the pay phone..."

"Okay..."

"I'll call you again, sometime..." Ren was about to hang up when he heard his sister's voice.

"Ren, wait... Promise... me, you'll call me when something went wrong... And you'll take care of yourself..."

"I will, Nee-san, thanks... Bye."

Ren hung up the phone. He had called his sister... Now, he only needed to do one thing... The only reason why he came back in the first place...

He needed to talk to Pirika ...

Pirika stood and dusted off her skirt. It was time to go. It was time to leave. It was time to leave everything behind. She had a life to lead, too many things to do. She no longer had any business here.

Just as she was about to go, a little girl approached her. She smiled at the girl. It reminded her of her... the blue-hair... the pigtails... the wide-grin...

But she didn't expect that the girl would speak words that froze her heart...

"Do you know how to fold a paper crane?"

Pirika became numb at once.

Ren frowned. Where was Pirika? He knocked thrice in her apartment, but there was no answer. He had asked her neighbor if she had been sighted. No, she left four hours ago to go to her brother, and didn't return yet.

Ren called Horo-Horo, and explained everything. Horo-Horo shrugged, pretty much from alcohol, and told him not to worry.

Maybe Pirika just went to the grocer to buy something...

Or she visited a friend's house...

Or went to work...

Or just took a night stroll...

That's when an idea hit him, bizarre it may seem. It seemed impossible, but why not?

Ren hung up, and proceeded to the park... To the familiar pathways of the creek...

Flashback

Ren was 14 while Pirika was 11.

"Do you know how to fold a paper crane?"

The question was rather surprising... He missed school, had just come from an important appointment with the doctor, had his share of bad news which was expected, lectured by his sister all the way home as if everything was his fault, had planned to sleep the rest of the afternoon, when this girl had called him, asking him to meet her at the creek because of some emergency...

Now, this... This was actually the emergency? Oh please, somebody should tell him that this was just a sick joke...

Ren, however, didn't realize that he said those words a little too loud.

"Look, you don't have to be angry. If you don't know how to fold one, then..."

"I know how to fold one!" Ren snapped.

"Oh, really..." Pirika rolled her eyes. "Look, Ren, we're friends since-who-knows-when, so why don't you admit the fact that you don't know how to fold one? It's not I'll laugh at you or something."

"You don't know how to fold one either..."

Pirika smiled. "That makes us even, right?"

Silence.

"I. Know. How. To. Fold. One."

Bingo! "Convince me then..." Pirika sweetly said as he handed Ren a sheet of paper.

Ren glared at Pirika as he took the paper. Who could honestly stand this girl? So annoying...

In a few minutes, Ren handed Pirika the paper crane. Pirika wasn't convinced so she asked for another one. Ren calmly said no.

Pirika frowned, "Fine. You don't have to be mad you know... Stupid project." She fretted as she tried to study the paper crane given to her. "I wonder why my classmates were so excited about it."

Ren walked over. "Don't tell me you don't know the tale of the thousand paper cranes." He sighed and took the paper. "It goes like this, brat..."

"Thousand paper cranes?"

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Ren! What's the story?"

"Ask someone else..."

"Why?"

"Cause I'm not telling you..."

"Why?"

"Cause I don't want to..."

"Why?"

"Cause I don't feel like telling you..."

'Why?"

"Cause... Damn it... Pirika... If you fold a thousand paper cranes, and make a wish, it comes true... got that?"

"Really! I can wish for anything and it comes true!"

"That's what the tale said..."

Pirika brightened up. "Come on Ren, let's fold one!"

"I don't want to."

"Why?"

"Because..." Ren glared at Pirika. "Don't. Start."

"Come on, you could help me."

"It doesn't work that way, Pirika."

"Then we'll fold together!"

"Pirika...It's just a tale... I don't believe in it..."

"Why? Have you tried?"

No answer.

"See? Come on, we could try. There's no harm in trying, right?"

"Yeah, sure... There's no harm in wasting our time fold a thousand paper cranes... Right..."

"Ren!"

"What would you wish for?"

"I... I... still don't know..."

"Okay, think of what you'll wish for. Something you really like... Once you made one, there's no turning back... Then I'll help you fold one, Deal?" Ren held his hand to Pirika.

Pirika took it. "Deal."

Ren then walked away.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll treat some annoying kid to some ice cream, then we'll go home..."

"Wait for me! Ren, by the way, why did you visit the doctor?"

Ren smiled as he found a familiar blue-haired girl standing on that same spot she stood years ago when she asked the dumb question of how to fold a paper crane...

He slowly approached her, noticing that Pirika was talking to a girl... Or better said... She was staring at a girl, who was holding out a paper...

A paper? Ren once again smiled.

"I found you."