A/N: Umm... I can't really think of much to say here, except that this has somewhat merged the anime and manga versions of the Jun-and-Pailong-try-to-take-Amidamaru arc. It's too long to put all into one chapter, so here's the first part of this incident.
Warnings: Mild language, a severe hatred of RenXPirika, a less-severe but still present hatred of YohXAnna, some sex-related humor, a very naughty authoress, and some violence. (Yay! I got to the violence part!)
Disclaimer: Hiroyuki Takei-sama made the characters, so technically they're his. I just really like to play with them from time to time.
Rag Doll
Part IV: Of Lust and Physics Lessons
I think now might be a good time to point out that until I saw 'Fist of Rage,' I did not know true boredom. It might have been a bit more interesting if the characters hadn't been speaking Chinese, because the subtitles seemed to go by too quickly to keep up with. And the plot was getting repetitive; Pailong would walk around, beat up some bad guys, walk around more, beat up more bad guys, walk around even more, beat up an army of bad guys, then kiss some random girl whom I didn't think appeared in any of the movie until just then. And Yoh was talking the entire time. I'm not lying when I say that he didn't shut his mouth even once. I'd at least expected him to try to get all gooey and attempt a make-out session some time into the heat of the movie when Manta and Amidamaru were distracted, but it seemed luck was on my side! Woo!
When we filed out of the theater, Yoh and Manta were still repeating lines from the movie, even though every single word of it had been in Chinese. Just as I was about to shoot them, I remembered that Jun and Pailong were lurking somewhere in the darkness.
"We should go, Yoh-koi," I said, pulling Yoh and Manta along by their shirt sleeves. "I don't like the way this place makes me feel."
"But it was fine three hours ago!" Yoh whined. Three hours! I'd wasted my last three hours of my life watching some crappy action movie in Chinese! No way!
"Yes, but it was light out then," I insisted. "I'm getting some really bad vibes from that alley over there," I said pointed to the place, if I remember correctly, where Jun had entered from. "It's just like the one from my vision, so can we please go?"
"It's okay, Kitty-chan," Manta said, fast becoming as scared as I was. Golly, this kid was easier to spook than a rabbit in a field of foxes. "Yoh-kun's been training nonstop lately; he's practically invincible."
"I know," I said. I was actually close to tears; I didn't want to die yet.
"Yeah!" Yoh said. "And if anyone tries to hurt you, I'll just do what Pailong did in that scene against that guy with the gun!" He then mimicked that all-too-familiar battle cry, and struck what looked somewhat like a kung-fu stance. I would have laughed, except for the fact that someone else did first. Someone female; someone whom I'd in the past wished to be my sister-in-law.
Tao Jun stepped gracefully into the illuminated patch of sidewalk in front of a random building.
"I'm so glad you enjoyed my precious Lee Pailong's movie," she purred. Being the grotesquely infatuated fan of both the anime and the manga I was, I would have noticed that she was quoting the manga, and probably would do so until I screamed of both fear and fanatic-ness, and possibly glomped her. After all, if Ren saw me palling around with his big sister, it could only make things better for me. If I could become one of Jun's super-tight gal-pals, then it would only increase my chances of getting Ren. Anyway, back to the upcoming battle at hand...
"He was very powerful, wasn't he... Asakura Yoh?" Jun said after a moment.
"Who are you!" Yoh yelled, obviously now as frightened as I'd been a few moments before. I, however, was on the verge of passing out; but if this world was affiliated with the anime-Shaman King world, too, Ren would be watching from some high place. And I couldn't have him thinking I was a wuss, could I?
"She's Ren's older sister! Her name's Jun!" I yelled, trying to put on a brave act for Ren, wherever the hell he was. "And she's a dao-shi(1)! You have to be careful; she's got those jufu(2)-things bound to her leg with a garter!" I knew what I was saying wasn't making too much sense at the moment to Yoh and Manta, but I didn't want to waste too much time yapping. If she was going to kill us, then hurry it up already!
"What's a dao-shi?" Manta asked, hiding behind Yoh's legs.
"She's a shaman that controls kyonshii(3) with magic talismans!" I yelled, still trying as hard as I could to still be brave. I looked at Yoh, and suddenly realized he didn't have his sword. If Jun wasn't going to already, I would have killed him right on the spot. How could he have been so dumb as to have left it at home? "Yoh!" I yelled, seeing Jun start reaching for the garter on her leg. "She's controlling something way stronger than you! You've got to get away from her!"
"The little girl seems to be correct," Jun said. "Though I don't know how she learned so much about me in particular." I really wished Jun wouldn't call me a little girl; I was only two years younger than she was, though I would have blushed because she recognized my knowledge of her. It wasn't every day that my infatuation's older sister acknowledged my existence, was it?
"What do you want with us?" Yoh growled, glaring at Jun.
"I've come to make a request," she said. "My little brother Ren wants your samurai ghost. Could I please have him?"
"I told you she was Ren's sister!" I yelled before Yoh could respond
"Simmer down, little girl," Jun said, reaching for the talismans at her garter. "I don't want any trouble." What a lie! She was about to have Pailong kick Yoh's sorry ass! Speaking of Yoh, he looked as mad as Anna was when I'd arrived; like he could bite off Jun's head. "But by the looks of things, you do." Suddenly, the Tao had a good number of those paper talismans stuck between her fingers, and she was talking to no one in particular, though I got the feeling she was addressing Yoh. "We dao-shi have existed in the great land of China since ancient times. We use these talismans to handle our ghosts. Come, my warrior! Lee Pailong!"
I let out a scream; suddenly standing before Yoh, Manta and myself was the six-and-a-half-foot-tall Lee Pailong, standing ready to strike at any second. I didn't know where Amidamaru had gone off to, but wherever it was, I suddenly wished I was there. I didn't think I'd ever seen anything quite terrifying in all my life; if we made it out of there alive, I was sure I'd have withdrawn Yoh from the Shaman Fights just so I wouldn't have to come into contact with Pailong ever again.
"Pailong! Take the samurai ghost away from that boy!" Jun commanded, casting out a paper talisman to the awaiting kyonshii's forehead. Even though I was trembling with fear, I found myself wondering how that last move was actually possible. From what I knew, the jufu talismans were just slips of paper; there was no way that they could be thrown with such force at such a small target without fluttering to the ground in the process. And then to just stick to Pailong's forehead like that. It was physically impossible! Believe me; I've tried.
In all my thinking and recollecting of wasted Sunday afternoons in December, I must have missed the part where Jun announces that Pailong was an acquired weapon, and Yoh tells her that's she's wrong, because my "fiancé" and a dead guy were currently exchanging blows in the dark street in front of the movie theater, Jun and Manta hovering around near the sidelines. Where Yoh had obtained that piece of pipe, I do not know, but it didn't appear to be helping as much as he'd hoped.
Soon enough, Pailong had ripped that piece of pipe from Yoh's grasp, and it had clattered to the ground. Poor Yoh, however, had tried to reach for the pipe, and thus received a first to the stomach. He emitted some funny noise between a grunt and a squeak, then went completely limp, being held in the air because Pailong had not bothered to withdraw his hand after the punch. Jun sauntered over to Yoh and took his face in her hand, lifting his head up by the chin. In what little light there was, I noticed he looked like he was about to throw up. What if he puked on Jun's dress? If I hadn't been so scared of everything that was going on, I probably would have laughed at the thought. But, if he did throw up on the dao-shi, she probably would have her precious Lee kill Yoh right on the spot, so I hoped Yoh would try his hardest not to lose his lunch while she was whispering something into his ear.
"I won't give him to you!" Yoh shouted at Jun once she had left the direct vicinity of Yoh's body.
"Oh," Jun said in mock surprise. "Very well. I see you'd rather die." And with that, she took her thumb into her mouth and nipped at the flesh. Yet another of Jun's impossible-to-do feats; I'd spent many a Latin lecture with my thumb in my mouth, trying to draw blood. Not because I'm a masochistic nutjob, but because I'd wanted to see if it was actually possible. I have this thing about trying to mimic people I'd really like to meet, because quite frankly, mimicry is a form of flattery. Anyway, Jun was now composing a new inscription on a blank slip of paper; one I knew would mean certain death for Yoh, and probably myself as well.
"Pailong!" she yelled, showing off yet again how she could defy the laws of physics by shooting another talisman to Pailong's head. "Attack! And don't stop until he's dead!" Manta screamed something incoherent as Yoh was flung high above us, Pailong hot on his trail. I desperately wanted to yell out to Pailong to stop, but what would that do? He couldn't hear me; he was dead. Manta was sobbing uncontrollably next to me, yelling out to Yoh to fight back and such, but I knew Yoh couldn't hear him. If a kung-fu master has just buried his foot into your stomach, chances are you won't hear too much.
I watched Yoh receive another mid-air kick, this time to the shoulder. He was thrown ever so slightly upward, despite the fact that he was about twenty feet from the ground already. Then he was falling back down the hard pavement, and I couldn't help myself from thinking back to a few weeks prior; back when I was safe and sound at my little New England school. I was giving a message to the Algebra teacher from my Latin teacher. Just as I was entering, he was yapping on and on to the seventh graders about parabolas.
'I wonder how fast Yoh will be falling when he hits the pavement,' I found myself thinking. Wouldn't Mr. K. be proud of me if he knew that I was thinking about parabolas when my "fiancé" was about to be killed? 'Smooth, Kitty. Really smooth. Let's all think about math while Yoh gets killed.' Almost as if to mock me, Yoh came crashing down onto a pile of garbage cans behind Manta and myself. What a horrible place to die... Amidst litter and rotten fish. I'm sure that wasn't the place Yoh wanted his deathbed to be...
"Yoh-kun!" Manta screamed as Yoh received a kick to the face from Pailong. I was pretty sure I heard something crack with that last hit, and I'd hoped Pailong had hurt his foot on Yoh's hard head. "Yoh-kun!" the tiny blonde shrieked, rushing to his best friend's side. Yoh muttered something, then passed out completely. "Wake up, Yoh-kun!"
"Manta," I said suddenly. I'd realized I'd been almost completely silent this whole time, and thought now was as good a time as any to say something productive. Maybe if Yoh could get a real sword before Amidamaru asked for one, we could all be spared the trouble of having to summon Sha-Wen; a task I was most definitely not prepared for. "Run back to Funbari Onsen"
"What!" he squealed, holding on tight to Yoh's unconscious form. "I can't just leave Yoh here to die!"
"He'll be fine!" I said, though it was louder than I'd planned. "Look, Manta; you need to run back to Funbari Onsen and get Yoh's sword for him. He can't fight with that pipe for much longer."
"But" Manta started, hugging Yoh tightly. "I can't"
"Kitty-dono is correct," Amidamaru said, taking complete control of Yoh's body for a moment. "If I had a weapon with a proper hilt to grip, I might be able to defeat this foe."
"What if Yoh dies when I'm gone!" Manta yelled. God, that kid really had some lung power; he might just become the next Celine Dion... Only shorter...and blonder...and male... Yeah, never mind... Anyway, I gave Manta a stern look, and I'm guessing Amidamaru did as well, because the blonde squirmed a bit.
"He'll be all right until you get back, Manta-kun," I urged. "But you need to hurry; if he doesn't get that sword as soon as possible, I can't make any guarantees."
"Alright..." Manta said quietly, letting go of Yoh. "But you have to promise me that Yoh will still be alive when I get back..."
"Yes," I said quickly. "Now go!" Sensing a bit too much uneasiness from Manta, I spoke again. "I'll protect him with my life! Just go!" Manta nodded, then turned and scampered off. I hoped I'd eased his fears a little; I know for a fact that I'm not the most comforting person in a time of crisis, even though I mean to be. Just as soon as the sound of Manta's footfalls had disappeared, I kneeled over Yoh, trying to find out if anything had been broken and if there was a bone jutting out of his skin somewhere. Then I felt an icy stare on me. For a moment I thought Anna had returned and was seeking revenge on me, but when I turned to see who was glaring at me, I saw only Jun.
"What a silly little girl you are," she said, stalking towards me. I suddenly realized just how tall my would-be sister-in-law was, and I felt like I was about the same size as Manta, or maybe even shorter. "You shouldn't sacrifice yourself for this fool who can't even keep himself out of trouble."
"What are you talking about?" I demanded. If I could stall them long enough, maybe Manta could be back with a sword before another blow was delivered to either Yoh or myself.
"This Asakura Yoh..." Jun laughed. "If he'd given up the samurai ghost when I'd first asked him to, you'd be on your merry way home right now." If it had occurred to me that Jun talked like she was one of Tolkien's characters, I probably wouldn't like her quite as much as I did.
"Yoh would never do that!" I barked. "Amidamaru is our friend! We could never give him up to someone like you!" I tried to sound like I was as used to these little friendship speeches as Yoh was, but I got the feeling I wasn't convincing. To my surprise, Jun laughed again, but it was Yoh who spoke.
"Kitty-chan's right," he mumbled from his place on the ground. "If we asked you to give up your little brother to us so we could use him as a slave, would you?" Instead of saying something to back Yoh up as I'd planned, I just froze, all sorts of thoughts going through my mind. Ren could sure as hell be my slave. Yeah... Maybe I should ask for him for my next birthday... Though I'd possibly be the only sixteen-year-old I knew not asking for a car.
"What an atrocious analogy!" Jun cried, glaring at my "fiancé." Stupid Yoh! If he'd just kept his big mouth shut, Jun wouldn't be so quick to lose her temper. "It's hardly the same thing!"
"It's really not," Yoh insisted. He had stood himself up, and by now was clinging to me so he wouldn't fall over. Apparently that last knock to the head had screwed up his sense of balance a bit, or maybe just the part of his brain that says 'Uh-uh, Yoh! No PDA!' Either way, Yoh continued what I sensed was the beginning of one of his little friendship speeches. "They're both souls with memories and feelings, so why does it make it fair to use one of them for your own selfish purposes just because he doesn't have a body?" Ooh, I knew which one I'd use for my own selfish purposes, but he happens to have a body... A very nice body, might I add...
"The samurai ghost doesn't have memories or feelings!" Jun yelled, whipping out a new talisman and sticking it to Pailong's forehead. "Pailong! Teach these children that they're wrong!" Pailong had apparently disappeared during our little chat with Jun, but there he was again, looming over the pair of us. I gasped; trying to figure out how I was going to escape and keep Yoh alive at the same time. I grabbed Yoh's hand out of fear, my own shaking like mad.
"Can you run, Yoh-koi?" I whispered, tightening my grip on Yoh's hand.
"I don't think so," he murmured, shaking his head. He was still leaning on me, and proving to be quite heavy. If it had been the other way around and I couldn't walk, I was sure Yoh could have lifted me with no trouble at all. For a moment, I actually thought about leaving him there, but I decided nothing good would come out of being a coward, so I stood firmly where I was. If I was going to die, I felt as though I should go bravely.
"Do you have any tactics you've been using?" I asked. Maybe Yoh had been aiming for the wrong place.
"He does not appear to have any weak points," Amidamaru said, though he was speaking through Yoh. "I know not where to attack." I thought for a moment, trying to remember what Anna would say.
"Try to cut through the talisman on his forehead," I said, feeling mighty smart. "If that gets destroyed, Jun won't have any more control over him, and we'll be alright."
"I understand," Amidamaru said, nodding. "And I now see why Yoh-dono's family selected you to marry him; you are a quick thinker on your feet and a valuable asset to Yoh-dono himself." I blushed, forgetting the horrid things that were about to happen to Yoh and myself.
"Thanks, but I know you're just saying that," I laughed, toying with my scarf. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yoh's eyes widen at something I couldn't see.
"Kitty-chan!" he began, but it was too late. Something with about the force of a freight train slammed into my face. I heard something in the general area of my nose crack loudly, then a wave of heat gushing down over my mouth and chin. Apparently, Pailong had given me a boot to the face, and he wasn't about to stop there. I wasn't too sure when it happened, but one second I was standing next to Yoh, clutching my bleeding nose, then the next my head had whacked onto a the pavement about twenty feet behind me. Nothing hurt for a good fifteen seconds, but as soon as the little black dots began to disappear from my vision, I was in complete agony. Kohl-stained tears flowed as freely as my nose bled, as I watched Pailong speed towards me again, probably going in for the kill.
I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for the death blow. As I laid on the cold pavement, I could see my life flashing before my eyes, but it was sickeningly short; so short that I could have called for a rerun and enjoyed the whole thing again before Pailong got to me. Anyway, I waited anxiously for my death for a few seconds, but nothing came. I heard the noise of some kind of scuffle going on, and I assumed Yoh was trying to save me like a good fiancé should. Then, the fighting noises stopped, and it sounded as if someone had jumped from where Pailong was about ten feet away and practically landed on top of me when he or she had landed. Assuming it was Yoh, I opened my eyes slowly, and gawked up at the figure standing less than a foot behind my head.
Tao Ren stood above me, a gleaming kwan-dao in his hands, and he was glaring at Yoh, Jun and Pailong, breathing rather hard.
"AAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Before I could control myself, I had shrieked the most fangirl-ish scream I think I'd ever heard, and let me tell you, I did hear it. It echoed around the neighborhood for quite a few seconds, but no one seemed to notice. The three living combatants were all glaring at one another, and Pailong had completely frozen, mid-stride. As my scream echoed around, it was still possibly the only thought my mind could form. But as soon as my brain had cleared itself, it formed three logical thoughts. The first was something along the lines of: 'Oh my God! I'm not dead! And Ren is the one to thank! This is like a dream come true!' My second thought was a bit more like something my old self would say: 'What the hell is up with this! The one time I get to see Ren, my nose is gushing blood like Niagara Falls! So charming!' And my third thought...well, if I shared this thought with you, I'd probably have my account taken away, so I'll just keep you guessing.
"Ren!" Yoh yelled. I couldn't tell if he was happy or mad or what else, but all I'd known was that my "fiancé" had just yelled out my beloved's name, and my beloved was all that mattered at the moment. He and the shorts he was wearing. He had donned that school uniform...you know, the one with the short-shorts that we're all so fond of. And, with my head laying on the ground dangerously close to his feet, I had a perfect view up these wonderful shorts. But dammit all to the eighth circle of hell, it was too dark to see anything worth seeing!
"Nee-san," the Delectable One said, addressing his sister. "Don't harm these two any further."
"Ren!" Jun exclaimed, still surprised to see her brother there. "What are you talking about? You want Asakura's samurai ghost, do you not?"
"I do," he said. "But if anyone is going to kill these two, I want it to be me. I want to claim the samurai ghost myself." With that, Ren glanced at me. Ren glanced at me! I saw those majestic golden eyes sweep over my sprawled form, and I could only wonder what he was thinking. I hoped it was something along the same prematurely lustful line as my thoughts were traveling in, but then again, I could doubt that. I was bleeding, tears were still streaming from my eyes, and I was feeling...less than appealing at the moment.
"Where is the samurai ghost?" Ren demanded suddenly, making quite possibly the most intense eye contact I've ever experienced. Not letting his perfect saffron-colored eyes stray from mine, I shook my head, utterly speechless. Ren's eyes have this mystic quality to them; once you look into them for more than a few seconds, you're hooked. And suddenly, all the clichéd saying about drowning in your beloved's eyes were true. I almost couldn't breathe, though I had a sneaking suspicion that it might have had something to do with the kick I'd received a few minutes prior from Pailong.
"I...I..." I felt like the biggest idiot on the planet. The Delectable One was addressing me, and I could do no more than to stutter.
"Answer me, woman," Ren growled. If I could have stood up and slapped him in the face, I probably would have. But a.) I'd been dealt a pretty good kick to the ribs by Pailong, so I wouldn't be getting up on my own anytime soon. b.) I try not to use violence as a form of self-expression. And c.) I don't think I'd ever do anything that would hurt my little Renny-poo.
"I said you can't have him!" Yoh yelled from somewhere that now seemed far away. My entire world had almost disappeared except for Ren, myself, and my bleeding nose and aching ribs. But suddenly, that world had come crashing back into place, complete with Jun, Pailong, and my "fiancé."
"What's this, Asakura?" Ren sneered, his gaze leaving mine. I felt myself draw the first real breath I'd taken in probably about a minute. "I don't think you should be trying to call the shots here. I could kill both of you right now if I wanted to." To this, Yoh could only snarl some words of disgust. I think he flipped Ren off for a moment, because the younger of the Tao siblings suddenly growled, pressing the blade of the kwan-dao directly at my throat when I sat up.
"Kitty-chan!" Yoh yelled, grabbing hold of that same pipe he'd been wielding before.
"If you don't give me the samurai ghost right now, I'll kill the little bitch." I felt my eyes widen in horror. Great. The one chance I get to meet Ren, he wants to kill me. Just so romantic. Dammit, where was Manta? I'd sent him off a long time ago to get Yoh's sword. I hoped he hadn't gotten himself lost. I'd known for a fact that the streets of Tokyo were very confusing, even during the day. But he'd lived there for a while, so I assumed he should know his way around.
"Please don't do that," I squeaked, giving Ren a pitiful look. "I'd be awfully sad if you killed me." So much for telling the heart-wrenching tale of Yoh and myself, and how he'd lost all of his memories of me because of Anna. I doubt he'd understand it just quite yet. He was still in his I-hate-the-world frame of mind, and there wasn't much I could do.
"Give me the damn ghost!" Ren ordered, pressing the blade of the kwan-dao into the flesh at the base of my throat gently. It wasn't enough to break the skin, but I knew that if he pressed any harder, Yoh would be back down to having only one fiancée.
"Amidamaru is my friend!" Yoh yelled. "I can't just give him up to you!" Ren pressed the blade the tiniest bit more to my throat. I felt the skin break in a sort of little 'pop,' and I gasped as the a small trail of blood trickled down into my scarf, staining it reddish-brown. "Ren, stop it!" Yoh had screamed so loudly that I heard his voice squeak a little. Then I saw my "fiancé" charging at Ren, still grasping the pipe. The blade left my throat, only to be replaced by my hand. It was the tiniest of cuts, and there felt to be more blood than necessary, probably from the fact that my heart was racing.
The sounds of metal on metal echoed throughout the neighborhood, and Jun, Pailong, and myself seemed to be completely forgotten as Ren and Yoh hacked away at each other. I was honestly torn between who I wanted to win: if Yoh was victorious, I probably wouldn't die, but Ren would have gotten hurt. But if Ren remained unscathed, Yoh and I would be dead in a few seconds, and Amidamaru would be taken as Ren's slave. Dammit, that was the job I wanted! Stupid Amidamaru...
Tsuzuku
End Part IV.
A/N: I think I've just lost all of my alleged-innocence... And sanity... Just so you know, reviews are really nice. (This fic seems to be lacking in them all of a sudden.) Just like always, here are the review responses. (looks down at review responses) I really have too much time on my hands.
Lell: It's okay, no need to rush yourself or apologize for anything; you just have a life. Anyway (brace yourself, here comes a story) I read a fic last summer (I forget what fandom) where the author visits the fantasy world of her choice. She was very disappointed to find that she had not transformed into one of the idealistic Mary Sues that she'd read about, and instead had remained her... less-than-perfect self, remaining clumsy, overweight, and completely unfit for the task for herself and her companions had been bestowed. Just the way she wrote about absolutely adoring a certain character through all the horrible things that were happening to her and her companions was just so realistic, because she knew she'd never have him, but made fun of herself because she knew how pathetic she was. I'm trying my best to mimic that, because I know I'm not perfect and that Ren would never go for anyone even remotely similar to myself. And no, I don't hate Tamao. She's my favorite female character in the show, and I think it's so sweet that she loves Yoh. (locks Anna in a closet so Tamao can have Yoh) Yeah, and I think that was my longest response to a review. Ever.
Lain Mikado: It's believable because I'm trying to remain my normal, out-of-shape, sarcastic-yet-optimistic self. If you want the whole explanation of my reasons, try reading my response to Lell. Not that I don't want you to know because I didn't write it in your response too, it's just that it's an awfully long bit of text to paraphrase. (laughs nervously) The numbers after the words were footnotes that I forgot to finish. (laughs) They're the dub names for things I kept the original Japanese names for.
soccer-cutie67: I have a thing against sweaty people hugging me, no matter who it is. And even though I'm like the biggest yaoi fan ever, I'd prefer to have Yoh-tachi be straight during my visit, just to make it easier for me to attempt to score someone. (coughRencough)
Akio the Dragon Master: Maybe thirty miles a little too much for poor Yoh… I don't know, I can be really dumb when it comes to doing math quickly like that. But no worries; he'll get used to it soon enough!
Sakura Mitsu: I know, I'm worse than Anna when it comes to making people train like that. My friend and I were appointed co-captains of the soccer team the other day, so by the time the team got finished with all their exercises and running and stuff, they were completely wiped out! But yeah, at the moment I'm really disliking Anna. I just don't know why, though…
AinuPunk (err... Kya): Okay, I won't come near your Horo-kun, so don't worry! Though he is the only one in the cast who I could go snowboarding with, so I'm not sure if I can hold out forever. He'll just be my mountain-buddy.
SGCred: Oh, I think I would have gotten more than a small glimpse of Ren, but dammit, that scene had to occur after sundown. (goes off to install streetlights every three feet down the road)