Title Broken China

Author Kyrie Sanctus

Rating PG-13 for Shounen-ai situations.

Begun September 27, 2003

Finished ???

Chapters 4/??

Synopsis Unfortunately for Ren, Jun has invited Horohoro to accompany them to China. But perhaps, Ren's disgust at this situation is just a cover up for the feelings he hasn't realized he could have for the shaman of ice? A bit plotless, just a device for fluff. HoroRen.

Comments Well, the title does NOT refer to the many plates I've broken in trying to come up with an idea for a HoroRen story good enough to post on FF.net. Instead, it's about China. You know, the country? Broken. Not literally broken, but rather.. .. It's symbolism! Ren's feelings about Horohoro going to China with them are like.. Mixed, you know? The inspiration for this came from me buying a Chinese dictionary and looking up the word 'peach.' Yep. That's how it all got started.

Dedications this goes out to Tanjo, for being the one who made me interested in the Chinese language in the first place. Katie, for no darn reason. Krissy, for always being the little inspiration in my life, and whoever else writes HoroRen fanfics. Because I didn't want you to be alone anymore!

Disclaimer I own no rights to Shaman King, it's plots, or it's characters. Those are all belong to the masterful Hiroyuki Takei. However, I do own the Chinese dictionary used in making all of these pretty Chinese words possible!

Broken China

Dance Four: Resting Chinese

Horohoro awoke to the feel of a few toes nudging into his side. He opened his eyes sleepily, looking up to the owner of the toes, whose golden eyes were staring down at him from it's perch on the bed. He sat up, pushing his hair out of his face. "You were snoring."

The statement want pointed and cold. Horohoro frowned. You woke me up for that? "Sorry. Can't help it." He laid back down, away from him, and felt a blanket drop from the bed onto his back. He blinked, and sat up again, now to find Ren laying horizontally, with his back to him.

"You were shivering, too."

"Oh.. Thanks." He laid back down, facing the bed, wrapping the blanket around himself. He had to fold his legs to cover them completely, but it worked fine. He exhaled, and closed his eyes, ready to fall back to his slumber when.

"Horohoro?"

"Hm?"

Ren paused for a moment, as if to think. This only aroused Horohoro's attentions more. After a few more seconds silence, he began his question. "Why did you want to come here so bad?"

Not completely shocked by Ren's question, but not exactly on-guard, either, Horohoro had to brainstorm an answer before he could give it. He decided stuttering through a few ideas would be answer enough, for now. "Well, you see, I.. I wanted to stay with you, I guess. You and Jun. You guys are my best friends, and.. I didn't want you to be alone." He found, however, that the truth flowed from his lips much more freely.

"That's what Jun said," Ren sighed from above, rolling over to peer down at the ice shaman cuddled with himself on the floor. "And it's an annoying answer."

"But it's true. It's what Jun had said to me when she asked me to go to China with you guys, and I didn't know it then, but I guess that reason sorta grew on me."

"So you weren't going to come before then?"

"Well," he turned to his back, looking up at the ceiling. "No? But I guess it was probably because I wasn't invited. It's not really.. Um, polite to go somewhere without being asked, you know."

Ren snorted. "Never stopped you before."

"What's that--?!"

"Shut up, Horohoro."

There was a tense moment of semi-anger between the two of them before Horohoro started to snicker under his breath. He could feel the tension of, not Ren's heat in rage, but rather, a kind of light-hearted fury which, in no sense, was realistic.

"Wow. Is that you laughing up there?"

"No, you idiot. That was the bed creaking. And what was that hideous noise you were making a moment ago?"

"Oh. That was the.. Uhh.. Drawer."

"What drawer?"

"The drawer I'm.. … er, opening."

"You're not even near a drawer, fool."

"… … I know."

This time, Horohoro knew he heard Ren chuckling.

"Horohoro?"

"What is it now?!" Horohoro exclaimed with a fake discontentment.

Ren chortled, but continued. "Did you want to sleep up here with me?"

Suddenly, all the laughter that had filled the room moments before seemed to glide out the window and replace itself with a seriously so thick, even a knife wouldn't penetrate it. Maybe the sudden feeling of a ten-ton brick was just on Horohoro's chest?

It wasn't however. Ren had felt his own chest tighten up with asking this question. After all, he was inviting Horohoro to sleep with him. God, what would his mother think?

Horohoro sat up, blue orbs meeting golden ones, who were too lost looking to be stern. The only thing on Horohoro's mind at the moment, was trying to escape the situation for now. After all, he'd already said just earlier that night that he wasn't ready to admit that he…

But how would Ren know about that? "Are you sure?"

Ren nodded. "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't sure."

Horohoro got onto his knees and pushed himself off of the floor, collecting the blanket in his hands. Ren scooted over to the edge of the bed to make room for Horohoro to lay, and he did so, taking up a little less space than Ren had imagined. He rolled back over. It wasn't too big of a bed, so when he did so, he felt Horohoro's knees hit into his thigh.

Both boys, however uncomfortable being so close to each other, closed their eyes and tried to stray themselves to sleep before they found themselves in any more peculiar predicaments.

When Horohoro woke up he was alone in the bed, quite unlike he had been when he had fallen asleep. He groped around for the blanket which had been callously thrown to the floor by the bed's other occupant, and pulled it around himself. Going back to sleep, however, was the last thing on his mind.

He could barely see anything around him, as the sun was pouring in at such an angle that it blinded him, so keeping his eyes open was a hard thing to do. He turned his head from the sun, only to notice.. When did the floor get so soft and high up? He sat up, feet touching the floor, before he realized. Oh, I'm in the bed.

He stood up and stretched his arms out, scratching his stomach with his right hand. He walked over to the chair where he'd left his stuff and pulled a white shirt out of his bag, slipping it over his head. He was pulling his pants on when envisaged that: Wasn't Ren supposed to sleep on the bed.

He stopped moving for a second more, before his eyes engorged. Ren did sleep on the bed! He winced and turned around. And I guess I did, too.

The door to the bathroom opened to reveal Ren, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. He looked over at Horohoro, who was staring dumbfounded at the bed like it had just spoken to him. Ren's hesitation ended there as he approached his things and opened his bag. Being shameless, he dressed.

When Ren had turned back around, he saw a flush-faced Horohoro hurrying to button his pants and put his socks on. He tossed the towel on the bed and walked back into the bathroom.

Horohoro exhaled and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Well, that was the sight of a lifetime.." He slapped himself after saying that aloud. Ren stepped back out and put his shoes on, looking himself in the mirror before exiting the room. Horohoro exhaled, figuring he was going to visit Jun.

"You what?" Jun giggled, poking Horohoro in the arm at the bus stop. Ren was across the street, buying tickets for them to ride, and had left she and the ice boy alone. It was crowded enough, even at this time of day, for their conversation to be shielded by the passing people.

Horohoro sighed, feeling his cheeks tinge. "We slept together. In the same bed." Jun giggled again. "It's not that funny, you know!"

"Oh, but it is! I thought that's what you wanted?"

"Well, it is, but…" He bit his lip. "Something just felt weird about it, is all."

"Hm."

They both looked up to find Ren crossing the street towards them. Their conversation was over.

Author's End-Notes And there's chapter 4 for you. Man, I had a really bad feeling about this chapter. I'm so not good at chapters. One-shots suit me much better, but I needed.. Expansion, I guess. ^_^;

So, what did you think? Fluff? I thought so, sort of. I'm so not a fluff person. I write rape better, I think. XD But who wants to read about that? Well, other than me.. Well, Silver-kun, too, considering she really wants me to finish 'The Bet.' ^_^ For her entertainment, I shall give a small sneak preview, right here! ( Anyone who disagrees with HaoxLyserg can just.. Scroll on down!):

"What bet?" The shorter-haired one growled, straightening his attire. He looked over at his most hated enemy, who was working his gloves from his wrists. He narrowed his eyebrows, but waited patiently for his response.

The brunette giggled, tossing his hair off of his shoulders. "You said 'you can bet on it.' Well, you didn't kill me, so you lose the bet. If you lose, I win." He levered himself onto his knees, crawling over to the weaker shaman.

This caused him to frown, watching his once-prey circle him. "And you know what I want, don't you?" The English boy shook his head, still watching with his hatred-filled eyes. "Oh, well, it's quite simple!"

"What is it, then?"

"I want… You."

And there you have it. A little teaser. I'll try to work on it some more, but right now I'm rather captivated by HoroxRen. 'The Bet' was actually an RP done between Katie and I (I'm using it as a reference to the fanfic.) and contains.. Hm, explicit stuff. I'll be trying on it.

As for now, please review and await my next chapter! ^_^