Pirika grabbed a beaded necklace and smiled at her reflection, satisfied. 'Tonight will finally end the whole guessing game! I'll get a red rose and everything will be perfect.' She said to herself. Ding Dong! The doorbell. Probably Ren. Ignoring the lovesick, foolish grin on her face, she headed to the main door, her hair let down. She flung the door open excitedly. 'Hi, Ren! 'She squealed. There were just some two-year-old things teenage girls did sometimes, and this was one of them. Then it made her blush and she averted her eyes away from the direction of him. He gave her a small wave, and then they walked to the nearest bus stop. Of course, he had told her in advance that his car had broken down, but she expected a taxi in the least. The walk to the bus stop could hardly be described as romantic- or even friendly. They were like strangers, the frost between them not thawed out.

She decided to make the first move. 'So where are we eating?' she asked, glancing at him sideways. He had his purple hair spiked up as usual, and on his face was the same old expression of cool and calm. 'All you can eat diner,' he said without a tinge of embarrassment. Deep inside, Pirika was going to burst. First, no rose. Then, the bus. After that, an all you can eat diner. No heart .that was what Ren had. She smiled bitterly. Ok, Ren, have it your way. But – she felt like she needed to run away- just like Cinderella. 'Goodbye, Ren.' She whispered, unable to keep her tears from affecting her cracking voice. He looked up, and for the first time since they met each other, she thought he actually looked surprised. But it could have been feigned. 'What? Why?' He WAS shocked. Or wasn't he? The confusion and disappointment made her so angry that she pushed him aside. She stormed back to her house, ran up, flopped onto the bed, and cuddled the rabbit affectionately before realizing it was a reminder of Ren. She tossed it onto the floor.

The next morning, she woke up. Oh, right, it was a Saturday. She walked into the kitchen, greeted by the cool Saturday morning breeze. Hey- her eyes landed on something red peeking from underneath the door. She made her way there cautiously. 'Could have Anthrax,' she thought to herself. Then, ever so gently, she picked it up. A red rose. It seemed redder than a normal one, and red liquid was dripping. What was that? And next to it, a note. A long one, it seemed.

'Dear Pirika,

I'm gone. I dipped the red rose in blood to tell you how much this rose means to me. Not anybody's blood. My blood. My love for you. I always knew you wanted one, Pirika. But the ones I picked would always wilt. But not this one. I know it won't. Because as long as it has my blood on it, it would signify the bond we had. The thorns don't mean a thing. I love you.

Ren'

She allowed her warm tear to drop onto the rose, adding to the love that kept it alive. Then she held it just below her nose, and smelt it. The fragrance that she longed to smell all these years. She laughed bitterly. She got her wish. She smelt a red rose given by Tao Ren. But not with him beside her. Never with him.