'Hi, Ren!' Pirika greeted, a little too cheerfully. Well, who wouldn't be? She would ramble on about the weather if it weren't a really two-year-old thing to do. He gave her a sideways glance and briefly nodded. She sighed. 'Sooooo… did you get me anything?' she prodded. There was no time like the present to just ask for it. She spied something red in his half- zipped open backpack. Could it be? Excitement bubbled up in her. Oh my gosh, she didn't know what to say! He was pulling it out with a smirk on his face… the very same smirk he gave whenever he was about to surprise someone… She squealed silently. Tao Ren pulled out a heart-shaped Valentine. 'Here,' he said, in a tone no different from just now. Cold and emotionless, as usual.

Pirika wondered if he could hear her heart plunk and see the word 'DISAPPOINTMENT' on her forehead. Years, she had waited, and still … 'Tao Ren, thank you, but – ' she didn't know how to phrase this. ' It's not symbolic enough. I mean, you wrote 'happy Valentines day, Ren', yes, but why didn't you sign off with more … ' she struggled to find a word that would fit in. 'Emotion' was the word she settled on. Ren shrugged. 'What did you want, love, Ren?' he snickered, looking at Pirika, who wasn't at all humoured. 'Well, yeah, why not?' she argued. Boyfriends always said I love you. Didn't they? But perhaps HE was a different case altogether. 'Man, you girls are either always on about love or red roses. ' At this Pirika perked up. He knew? 'But that is just so traditionally boring. Why can't you all be satisfied with a Valentine?' Pirika sank back into the sea of disappointment. No, he didn't know.

But there was still a pinhead of hope. They had a date tonight. And perhaps… who knows? Candlelight, violins, red roses, and heart-shaped balloons… the same old blah blah boring stuff, but she loved it! She waved goodbye to the still grinning Tao Ren and rolled her eyes. Why on Earth was he so … umm. Uh. Oh, yeah. Cute? WHY? She snorted. 'He's not cute,' she chanted, 'he's not cute…'

Hey people! Thank you for your reviews, no worries, Sky Blue Writer, I won't make it too complicated. And you are all going to kill me, but (squeak) I – have- never- watched – Shaman –King –before! All this is based on my friend (an avid fan)' s descriptions! Please keep reading no matter what! Please…?