A/N: Hey, since you guys all said you wanted me to write more… Here it is… And this time, it's a fic starring Tao Ren! Since somebody I know that I won't mention here (don't worry Lorney, I won't tell them you have a crush on Ren! Oops…) asked for it, I made this crazy fic. Next time, please say please.

Disclaimer: I don't own SK… yawns…

Chapter 1: Going On a Trip

Just when I thought I'd be getting a well-earned rest, these nuisances tag along! Ingrates… Ren threw all of them, a nasty look.

"Ooh… look at that! And that!"

"Horo! Stop it! You're embarrassing me!" Pirika nervously looked at Ren and quivered on her seat.

"It is indeed a fine day for traveling. I am glad Short-pants allowed us to go on this trip," Ryu hung on the back, looking like he was taking a nap.

"Yeah, we all needed a break, didn't we?" Yoh leaned on his seat as well and placed his walkman over his ears.

"I couldn't agree more," Manta smiled at his best friend.

"Hmph…" Anna sighed, "Even if it's obvious you still need your training, a break would also do us good. After this, you better show some progress, or you know the consequences."

"We're nearly there, Ren," Jun told her brother who was sulking in the driver's seat.

Everybody sighed; apparently all of them were relieved. They've been traveling off-road in a Range Rover, with Jun behind the wheel, for nearly three excruciating hours. All of them, except Anna of course, started to fidget a bit excitedly. The road to the Taos' rest house… er… mansion, was a challenging one, even for people like Yoh, Anna, Manta, Horo Horo, Pirika, Ryu, Jun and Ren. They were cruising inside a very thick forest with a very narrow and bumpy road two hours ago. Now, road had turned a bit smooth and a bit wider.

"Are we there yet?" Horo grumbled.

"Nearly," Ren muttered under his breath, "Don't you ever shut your trap, snow boy?"

"Nope," Horo grinned mischievously.

"We're here!" Jun exclaimed and everyone came to life at once as he entered a Chinese gate that closed behind her.

"Whoa..." Horo's mouth fell open.

Everybody stared intently at the sight before them. It was a huge Chinese-style mansion with football field-sized ground. There were woodlands surrounding the clearing and a huge swimming pool in the back. Jun brought the Range Rover to a stop in front of the mansion and everyone got out excitedly.

"Pick up the bags, Yoh," Anna ordered, "And as soon as you get in the mansion, I want everything in my room, got it?"

"Yes, Anna," Yoh frowned.

The rest began to unload their backpacks and enter the eerie house. They found themselves facing a great hall with a huge staircase on the far end. Above them hung an enormous glass chandelier and positioned around the room were antiquarian Chinese vases and artifacts. There was a door on the far right that led to an elegantly decorated dining room and a corridor on the left that led to more rooms and a training facility. Waiting for them in the great hall was a short, old Chinese man and a teenage Chinese girl.

"Welcome back Miss Jun, Master Ren," the old man bowed, so did the girl, "And we are honored to meet your friends."

"They're not my friends," Ren muttered.

"Oh, sorry, Master Ren," the old man bowed again and turned to the girl, "This is Lun-Lun, she'll be your guide around the house and your attendant 24 hours a day."

"Ni-hao! I'm glad to meet you all," Lun-Lun, a dark-haired, dark-eyed, cheery girl smiled at them, Horo in particular, "Come, I will show you to your rooms."

Lun-Lun took them up the staircase and everyone fell into silence, except for Horo and Ryu who were giving comments on everything they passed. Ren shushed them by giving them both a poke of his kwan-dao. Lun-Lun gave Anna and Pirika the room of Ren's great, great grandmother. Yoh and Manta were in the room across Anna and Pirika's. Ryu and Horo were beside Yoh and Manta's. Ren and Jun were in the largest room across the corridor.

"I trust you'll be at home here, please enjoy your stay," Lun-Lun bowed at all of them before they got in their rooms, "Dinner will be ready by six."

"What's wrong, Ren?" Jun asked as they both got in their room, the Tao family master bedroom, "You seem a bit distracted."

"I hate this house," Ren muttered, "Everything in it annoys me, and everything in it makes me remember. I just hate it."

"Uncle En is defeated, Ren, remember?" Jun tried to console her brother, "I don't see anything for you to be upset about."

"Yeah, right," Ren rolled his eyes, "Just leave me alone, ok!"

Ren exited the room and slammed the door on Jun's face. He walked down the corridor and ran into Pirika who was just exiting her own room. Ren saw Pirika and felt something jolt inside his stomach, though he didn't know why.

"Hey, Ren!" Pirika turned to him, smiled and waved.

"Erm… Hello…" Ren, who was really irritated, strangely began to calm down on the sight of her.

"I'm going to explore the house, Anna wasn't in the mood so I'm going by myself," Pirika told him, "Wanna come?"

"I… er… um…" Ren stammered weirdly, "I… uh… have to go see Yoh and Manta… I'll… uh… see you in… uh… dinner…"

"Oh," Pirika looked a bit crestfallen, "Ok then… See you!"

Pirika walked away from Ren and he frantically entered Yoh and Manta's room. Yoh and Manta seemed equally surprised at the sight of him.

"Uh… Ren? Everything ok?" Yoh asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Whay is everyone asking me if I'm ok!" Ren suddenly yelled at them, "Nothing's wrong, ok! I hate this trip."

Ren left the room and slammed the door again behind him.

"What's up with him?" Manta wondered.

"Beats me," Yoh shrugged, "Maybe it was just the trip here, he… Zzzz…"

"Huh? Yoh's sleeping on his feet again."

Ren stood on the corridor in a very bad mood indeed. He grumbled all the way to the staircase and started his descent towards the training room. Suddenly, a scream pierced the still air.

"Help meeeeeeeeeee!"

That sounded like… Pirika!

A/N: Uh-oh… what could've happened to Pirika? Anyway, I'm not sure if it's Pirika or Pilika, I'm a bit confused about that bit… So would anyone please correct me if I'm wrong in your reviews! Thanks a lot for the people who reviewed my last ficcie, First Snow! Anyway, this fic's gonna be a lot crazier so just keep on reading and reviewing!