DarkTaoAngel: This story is really skipping around, but back to Pirika at last! Thanks to all those who reviewed, I really appreciate it, even if I do not address you all individually, and I hope you continue with your reviewing!

Pirika awaited Hao's return for many days, all the while musing over her proposition with him. She had deeply loved Ren, and she wanted to bring him back to tell him that she did, but as the days went by without him, she Pirika began to rethink all of the previous week's events. The more she thought, the more things came into her head that would have seemed wholly unwelcome all of the previous week.

She began to wonder whether or not she really loved Ren, as she had only known him for a little while after all. And although she wanted to stop these thoughts from coming to her, she sometimes told herself that this was what she had thought all along.

Loving someone could only end in pain, either way, especially with Ren. He never had loved anyone, and she knew she had no chance with him, even from the start. She would probably save some energy, and time, by not bothering to bring him back. Even thinking about it made her feel guilty, however, and so she was stuck between what was right and what was easiest for her to do.

She might not have truly loved him; it might have all been just a thoughtful wish, one to hide herself behind, though she did not know. She at least wanted to know what Hao had to say before she made the final decision.

Nothing Hao ever said that he would do came without a catch, and she knew this one time was no exception to the rule. If it was something fatal to anyone she knew, than the answer was definitely no. She may have loved Ren, but maybe she never would anymore.

This whole experience had fully changed Pirika's outlook on life, and now she was seeing new people, and doing more social things with her time. She still never forgot him, but she began dating again, and his memory seemed to slip away.

She refused to devoid herself of emotion and subject herself to loneliness, so she tried to stop the thoughts of him from coming back. Though none of her new boyfriends lasted long, for some reason, she told herself to never go back to Ren, because he was never her boyfriend in the first place.

Even in the darkness of the night, she tried to keep old memories out of her mind, but his face seemed to revile itself to her, and tears could not help but flow, as hard as she fought to suppress them.

She was not altogether miserable, but she was not necessarily happy either. She just wanted to know if he had loved her, that was all.

Meanwhile, in the place with which Ren resided, he thought about Pirika as well. He did not, however, think about what she had, he knew that he still loved her, but on his recent visits to the Inn, he had seen her starting to forget him altogether. He wanted to tell her, but that would take some time, and she had to realize the true feelings in her heart.

He did not want her to suffer, but if she became happy with her new life than that was what would happen to her. Ren would never forgive himself if she died, and the way things were going he figured that she would forget about him and the full effects of the Tao family necklace would take effect on her soul.

There was only one way left for him to tell her how he felt, but it would be quite challenging, not to mention dangerous.

One of the things that he had heard, not from his sister Jun, but from his mother, was that when the necklace was worn and used, the only person the wearer could present themselves to was the one who had found the necklace. In this case only Pirika could see him, which was difficult as she always had company over.

He had to plan it out perfectly, and it had to be soon, because the necklace would take full effect in only a matter of days, resulting in what was most terrifying, especially as Ren thought that it was his entire fault.

He saw Pirika go on dates as of the past week, and it saddened him because he still loved her, and he did not want to see her go. Though it was against the Tao family to fall in love, Ren could not help it when he saw her. She was nothing but beautiful in his eyes, and he could not let her go, no matter how much he desperately tried to move on.

They were tied by fate, due to the necklace, and only love could tell what their true destiny was, even if it was not meant to be spent with each other.

Though he had hid his feelings thus far, he could not help but let them show through. Ho Tao was prone to crying, and he was no exception, but as he saw her with other boys, and knew what was to have to happen to her due to the curse, he could not help it.

He would catch her alone somehow, just for a moment, so he could explain everything to her. He waited, and no such day came. He worried about her safety, and in the days that followed he worried even more, especially when she was paid a surprised visit by the one person that would ruin it all, for both of them...

DarkTaoAngel: I hope this chapter did not confuse any of you. It confused me as I wrote it, so I accept it if you would like an explanation. It will be in the next chapter when it is all answered, so in the meantime, review!