Title Broken China

Author Kyrie Sanctus

Rating PG-13 for Shounen-ai situations.

Begun September 27, 2003

Finished ???

Chapters 7/??

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 Seven: Working Chinese

Five whole minutes had passed since Ren and Horohoro had kissed, and already a world of thoughts had passed through each's ear and out the other. It was amazing to the both of them how many times one stitch in time could be replayed over and over again. That was, of course, until none other than Tao Jun decided to interrupt them by bringing in a tray, stacked with 2 bowls of piping hot chicken broth.

As she handed the bowls to each of them, ignoring the blush on their faces, thinking it was from the cold of the outdoors as they had both just been there, she commented on the food. "Sorry, it was all there was in that primitive kitchen. We have 33 kitchens at home, don't we, Ren?" She smiled and covered a part of him that was exposed with a blanket. "Eat up." And then re-exited the room.

Horohoro, thankful Jun hadn't suspected anything of the two of them, slowly started his meal, eyes darting every now and then to meet Ren's, which were doing the exact same dance. He was just about to comment on the bland taste of the chicken broth when Ren's deep voice interrupted his eating and his train of thought. "You know, Horohoro," Ren said, taking another sip of his broth quickly, not giving Horohoro a chance to respond. "I think I've changed my mind about you coming to China with us."

The Ainu boy raised a brow, slurping up some of his own food. "What changed your mind?"

Ren paused for a moment, to look over to the ice shaman, a bit of broth rolling down his chin from his lips which were too full to hold any more until he swallowed. "The fact that, I think, perhaps.. I might like you."

Horohoro couldn't help it, and spat his mouthful of nourishment towards the fire. "You what-?!"

"Kisama! Calm down," Ren spat, a layer of blankets sliding off of his shoulder. He noticed the blush on Horohoro's face but decided to explain himself anyway. "The thing is…" His eyes darted to the side again. This was actually going to be difficult for him. He was an expert shaman, but when dealing in the matters of love.. These things were better left alone, in his eyes. "No matter how horrible a shaman you are, you always put your all into it. And y.. you saved me out there, when I fell in and.. Even when I slipped and fell in the kitchen, you helped me up. And you gave me the bed in the hotel.." Horohoro watched him in anticipation. "I guess what I'm trying to say is.. You're not so bad, Horohoro. You can be annoying and obnoxious, but not everyone can be perfect."

"Like you?"

"Kisama! Did I say anything about me?!"

Horohoro grinned. "Well, Ren, if you want to know the truth I stopped thinking you were so bad a long time ago. Sure, you can be pig-headed and gloat about how many pairs of 33 you have, and claim you're better than everyone else and just be snobby and downright rude to anyone who---"

"KISAMA!!"

"Hey, hey! Chill out.. The thing is.. Under all that, you're a nice guy."

"… This isn't exactly the conversation we should be having after I kissed you, is it?"

"No, it's not, but it's better than nothing." Horohoro finished his broth and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, sighing in contentment. He leaned back onto the soft backing of the couch and looked over to Ren, who had changed his gaze from him to the bowl in his hands. "What made you do that, anyway, huh, Ren?"

Ren groaned inwardly and stood up, all the blankets falling off of him. "I think we should go get ready to leave, don't you? There's supposed to be another bus coming around here, soon, perhaps we can get home finally." He turned and walked into the kitchen, but Horohoro followed, not willing to give up that easily.

"Don't avoid the question!" He called after him as they both made their ways to the sink, Ren dropping his bowl in it first, followed by Horohoro. Jun had used another path out of the kitchen and back into the small bedroom with Pailong. "You can't run from my questions, I want an answer."

"There isn't an answer. Pass me the dish cleanser."

"What, you're going to wash dishes?"

"Baka, what else is there to do? Pass it to me!"

Horohoro did as he was asked but leaned closer to Ren, using his elbows as support on the counter. "I'm not going to leave you alone until you tell me, you know that."

Ren squirted the soap into the water, letting it bubble up a little more before turning on the faucet. There were a few more pieces to be washed, and he moved them into the sink as well. He had decided long before this that he wasn't going to answer Horohoro's question.

"Why?" Horohoro pressured on, sliding closer to Ren, making the Chinese shaman a little more tense. He scrubbed at the dishes more vigorously. "Ren, tell me why." Again, his question was ignored, the darker haired of the two pouring all of his concentration into the task at hand.

He wasn't about ready to give up. He grabbed Ren's hands out of the sink and pulled them away from the dishes, holding them in front of him, looking into those golden eyes of a comrade. Ren had an expression of surprise momentarily, but quickly phased back into a solid and stern frown. "Tell me. Why did you kiss me?"

There it was, standing right in front of him, the cause of his anguish for at least the past 6 months, yet also the cause of many smiles and much laughter. And perhaps, the being that would haunt him for the rest of his life, wearing a pleading look on his face. However that the question of asking Horohoro why he wanted to know this answer so badly slipped Ren's mind, one question rang loud and clear: What am I supposed to tell him?

"I don't know why." Ren lied to Horohoro, as well as to himself, pushing out any other reasons that might have popped into his mind. "I just did. My attempt at trying to be as impulsive as you are."

Horohoro had to raise a brow. And he had to ask. "Why are you trying to be as impulsive as I am?"

"One of the many qualities I adore about you."

Adore.. His thoughts lingered on that word for a moment. "One of the many qualities I adore about you." "What are you talking about?"

"Horohoro."

"Ren?"

The Chinese tore his hands from the other boy's grip, placing them, covered in soap and all, on his cheeks, pulling him closer to him for another kiss. Horohoro, a little less surprised by this kiss than the last, made his move to wrap his arms around Ren's waist to pull him that much closer.

As their lips departed one another's Ren looked up into honest blue eyes while Horohoro stared down into cat-like golden eyes, and the rest of the world seemed to fall at peace. That is, until they heard the door of the bedroom close. Ren once again tore his body away from Horohoro's. The Ainu was about to make a dash for the door when, yes…

As Ren's hands had been submerged in the sudsy water before Horohoro had pulled them out, they had dripped onto the floor, making it slippery. As Horohoro was about to Ren, his feet slid from under him. Being the more skilled of the two, Ren's quick reflexes forced him to reach down and grab his arm, holding him up from the floor before he hit it.

"Hmph. I guess it was my turn to play the prince."

Horohoro used Ren's arm to get himself back to his feet, stammered a thanks, and then walked into the other room, leaving Ren to look out the window with a satisfied smirk on his face and gaze at the pre-fallen snow.

Author's Notes FORGIVE ME!! My god, I feel like such a jerk for not updating and not worrying about updating in so long! You must hate me and have forgotten me by now! Well.. If you haven't.. Thanks. And if you have.. I'm wondering how you're reading this. O_O; Anyway, to break the news to the lot of you, I didn't do absolutely nothing while I was away.. I actually had surgery on the 2nd of January. I had a large ovarian cyst removed.. Weird, huh? Yeah, it was pretty weird..

Anyway, that's not what you want to hear about. You, oh-esteemed-reader-of-mine, want to hear about what's to come for future chapters, do you not? Of course you do! While I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen until I start writing, you can expect this story to wind down within the next 2 or 3 chapters. There's also that bonus I was talking about, but we can get into that later, can't we? Yes, yes we can.