Entrapment

Chapter Three

The Manking gang was at the school rooftop, eating lunch, listening to what Morphine was saying about Ren and Pirika. Morphine was tasked to watch over the two.

"That was one nasty fight," Yoh said, after Morphine finished telling the whole story, "Concerning seating arrangements."

Tamao sighed. "Pirika must be really angry with Ren, then." She offered Yoh the tupperware of sushi. Yoh muttered a quick thanks before devouring everything.

Horo-Horo snorted. He reached out for his share. "I told you they would not get along well. Pirika's been avoiding him. They'll just end up slashing each other's throats. The seating arrangement, whose idea was it, by the way?"

"Mine," Anna coolly replied, "Is there a problem?"

Horo-Horo nearly choked. He knew better than to pick up a fight with the Queen. "None, Anna."

Lyserg smiled. "You're being a protective brother once again, Horo-Horo."

"You can't blame me." Horo-Horo quickly replied, biting into the tuna sandwich. "Shesmyonlysister."

Tamao smacked him in the head. "Don't speak when your mouth is full!"

"Horo-Horo," Manta looked up from his laptop. "It's Ren that we're talking about here. In case you forgot, he's your bestfriend. You could trust him."

"Yeah, Ren's my bestfriend, but... Never mind." Horo-Horo sighed. He wiped his lips. "What now? The first day of classes, and look what happened. I can barely imagine them together."

Chocolove grinned. "As they say, the more you hate, the more you love."

"Besides," Hao added, with a grin on his face. "It's only the beginning. The seating arrangement is merely an icebreaker. They'll end up together, you'll see."

"Whatever." Horo-Horo yawned, wearing a satisfied expression on his face, after what he'd eaten. "Where are they, anyway?"

Lyserg smiled, as he looked at Morphine who was seating on his shoulder. "As Morphine had told us, when you were not obviously listening, Professor Tomo asked your sister to take Ren around the school grounds."

"That's the library." Pirika pointed, "Second door to the right, open from 6 am to 6 pm." She faced him. "Do you want to have a closer look or do you want to proceed to the second floor."

Ren brushed his hand to his hair. 'Let's go to the second floor." He admitted he was having difficulty walking with the blue-haired girl in front of him, who was pretty determined to keep her distance from him.

"Fine." Pirika grunted, as she headed out for the stairs. Ren remained on the spot. Sensing this, Pirika stopped and turned to look at him. "What now, Tao?"

"Oh, so we're back to last names, huh, Ainu." Ren coolly replied, as he approached her. "Say, is this the proper way to treat people you haven't seen, or rather avoided, for the past five years, especially your brother's best friend?"

Pirika decided to ignore the word avoided. "I'm not my brother, so I'm not expected to do the first name familiarity, with you." She calmly replied, "Unless of course, the honorable Tao demands me of it." She added with obvious rage.

"I was just wondering," said Ren, with an arrogant smirk on his face, "What have I done to have the honor of having the beautiful Pirika of the Ainu tribe furious with me?"

Pirika smiled sardonically, matching Ren's smirk. "Honestly, I thought the arrogant Ren Tao couldn't be any dumber."

Ren chuckled. If there's one thing Pirika shouldn't do right now, it was playing his game. "Stupidity is different from confusion, and I thought you were old enough to understand that, Pirika."

"As you say so." Pirika started climbing the stairs.

Ren still wouldn't move. "Why are you avoiding me, Pirika?" He said, seriously this time.

Pirika stopped. This guy was getting to her nerves. "I'm not avoiding you." she lied.

"Oh yes, you are." Ren replied softly, "In fact, you've been avoiding me for the past five years, and I'm still wondering what respectable thing have I accomplished to make me deserve such distinctive treatment."

Pirika noticed the sarcasm on his voice. She wasn't ready for this confrontation, yet. "You're just imagining things, Ren." She feared that her voice was a little shaky.

"I have arrived at such conclusion not merely by imagining things, Pirika." Ren casually said, "I possess certain facts and evidences to support such idea."

He continued, before Pirika could even say something.

"You did not see me off the airport when I left for China five years ago."

"Am I obliged to see you off?" Pirika snapped.

"You left that same morning," Ren continued as though he didn't hear Pirika. "When you know very well that I'd be leaving that afternoon."

"It was an emergency." Pirika refused to look at him. "My aunt was sick..."

Ren cut her off. "Couldn't it wait after you saw me off? From what your brother had told me, your aunt wasn't that sick."

Pirika didn't reply. She started climbing the stairs again. Ren smiled to himself, he won that one.

"That same year, I came back, in time for Christmas." Ren slowly followed her. "Your brother said that you would be spending Christmas with the Ainu tribe."

"It had been long since I spent Christmas with them, I kinda miss it."

"You never showed up the whole time I was there. You returned the day I left."

Pirika didn't say anything. That's two, Ren muttered to himself.

"Summer, the next year, I invited the gang for a month-long vacation in China, and you didn't come, may I ask what the hell is your excuse for that one?"

"I don't feel like going!" Was the angry reply.

Good. Pirika's cracking up. "So, the hide and seek continued for four years. Either you're not here when I'm here, or you're not going everytime I invited you over."

"I told you..."

"But last Christmas, I managed to come up with a brilliant plan. I didn't tell anyone that I was coming over. Still, the crafty Pirika got the better of me. She left, barely minutes before I arrived. How did you know?"

Pirika snorted. How? Easy, really. You spend Christmas with the gang once every two years. For someone smart unlike you, it wouldn't be hard to get the pattern. So, I left the day after the term ended just to make sure. Heck, she knew that was a close one. "I intended to spend Christmas with them that year, and I have no idea that you were coming!" She exclaimed, avoiding the question. "Thanks for the perfume, by the way."

Ren smirked. "You're wearing it."

"Wearing what?"

"The perfume I gave you." He coolly replied.

Pirika bit her lip. She's wearing that perfume, and she wondered why it had to be this day when she decided to wear it.

"I bought it, myself, so literally, I remember how it smells." Ren explained. "Anyway, I'm not here to talk about perfume."

Pirika said nothing, as she continued to walk. Ren grabbed her wrist, and spun her around.

"Let go of me..."

Ren ignored Pirika's cries. He continued to hold her firmly. "Lying doesn't suit you, Pirika. You were never a good liar in the first place."

"They're all coincidences, Ren." Pirika cried defensively, as she struggled from Ren's firm hold.

"Pity, I don't believe in coincidences, Pirika."

"Maybe it's time you believe in one!" Pirika snapped.

Ren smiled. "The game is over, Pirika, and I won. I caught you now, after five years."

"I don't think so, Tao Ren! I'm determined to win this war." Pirika raised her free hand to slap him.

Ren caught it on time. "Oh, are we having one?"

Pirika glowed. "Is that why you're here?" Ren looked at her questionably. "Why are you damn here in the first place, Ren?"

"I'm here to make your life a miserable hell, Pirika." Ren leered.

Pirika smirked. "Nice. Afterall, it wouldn't hurt to try."

Ren then let go of her. He watched her go, with an amused expression on his face. For the first time that day, he was actually glad that he was here.

I'll let you go this time, Pirika,

But sooner, or later, I'll get the truth out of you.

It's payback time.

You want a war?

You got it....

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