DarkTaoAngel: Thanks to all those who reviewed, I appreciate it, and I hope you will all do the same for this chappie as well! This one is like a flashback, so it will explain a lot. The next on will be confusing, but it will be covered later!

The next few days were filled with sorrow for Pirika, she could not seem to get over it, and even with the little hope she kept alive. He was gone, nothing she could do about it, but something kept pulling at her heart, telling her that it was all her fault, and only she could bring him back. She was loosing her hope to the shadows, no chance left for recovery, and she could feel the pain he had felt; only she still could feel it, stronger than any pain should be felt.

The bitter cold of the now solitary nights was overwhelming. She felt the strength draining out of her body, threatening to pull her into the darkness. She did not feel the warmth she had felt only once before, with him. He may not have seemed so special to her at the time, but she now realized that he was the source of her warmth, the light that kept her alive. She had no light, no warmth, only cold, bitter thoughts, thoughts that made her weak. She did not want to be weak, but without him, what was the reason for her to be strong?

The nights cold like ice, the days the same, she stayed isolated in her room, wanting with all her heart for it to end, so she could feel warm again. She had felt this kind of cold chill only one other time, long ago, when the heat of a loved one was much needed to her, and he had been her fire.

FLASHBACK

She walked silently through the streets of town, going nowhere in particular, just looking for something that could help her. She had waited for that something for a long time now, but to no avail. She was walking in the snow wearing little more than summer clothes, but the cold had not started to fully bother her yet. Her mind raced as the whole world seemed to be against her, no one could make her feel as good as she was before.

Her parents had just been killed by Hao only the previous week, sacrificing themselves so as to ensure that her brother Horo and she escaped unharmed. They had been on her mind constantly, in wake and in sleep, to the point where she would do anything to relieve some of the everlasting pain.

Blood filled her dreams, screaming for help, pain was the only feeling there was to her after that. Her mothers pleading voice as her father rose to the challenge of fighting Hao, only to lose both of their lives to him.

She walked the still streets, trying to get rid of some stress, the cold slowly engulfing her, coming in individual pangs. She wondered if her brother ever felt like this, especially right after they died, he had felt some pain, but not this much. Her brother was a year older than her, sixteen to be exact, and he did not show that he still felt sad, not even to her. It was only to be expected, he was older, but she was sad and showed it, even when there were people around. She could not help it, so she went on walks like this to hide her feelings whenever she felt like crying.

Tears filled her eyes as she thought about it, she always cried nowadays, especially when she thought about the memory their deaths. The crying did not cease as she walked, so she decided to just let the tears flow from her eyes until she got back home.

The bitter cold of winter was finally getting to her now; she started to shiver as it nipped at her bare skin. She just ignored it as she walked, but it still continued to bother her.

It was then that he appeared, almost out of nowhere, walking the streets as she was. She did not see him right away, so she bumped into him as she was walking. As they collided he could tell she was cold, she was shivering and her skin was freezing. He had prepared for the chill of winter by wearing a jacket, but she must have been in a hurry to have not. He felt sorry for her, so he took of his jacket and wrapped it around her, providing protection against the cold.

She suddenly stopped shivering, and looking up she saw him smiling down on her. She blushed rapidly, trying her best to hide it. For once in days she felt happiness, the kind that she needed to recover from the sadness.

She knew who he was, a friend of her onii-chan, his name was Tao Ren, but she had never really met him before. Now she truly realized her feelings for him, he was caring and she hoped he liked her as she did him, but he could have just felt sympathy, so she did not dare tell him how she felt about him.

She was about to thank him for the jacket, however, when he walked away without another word. She did not know why, but he must have had a reason for rudeness, besides, she would not care anyway, she would still like him.

She returned the jacket to his room at the Asakura house where they were staying just as he had given it to her, in silence, as he was not there yet, and went back to what she was doing, happier than before.

END FLASHBACK

Pirika thought about this memory for quite some time before coming to a conclusion, the only way to get Ren back. She would have to resort to desperate measures, but she would end up getting to see him again, and that she needed desperately.

She ran down the streets and back to the Asakura house, where she was staying again, and formulated how she would get to the place where she needed to be, and for that she needed something of Anna's, her itako beads.

DarkTaoAngel: How was it? Not my best chapter, but in a few more chapters it will become clear as to why she needs Anna's beads. For now it might take a while before the next chapter comes up, until then please R&R my other fics!