Yay! More!
" I know." Ren said grimly, staring past Horohoro.
" YOU KNOW?" Horohoro exploded, causing several bystanders to look over, startled. " You knew I had a sister and didn't tell me? You knew she was grown-up, that she was in this town, and you DIDN'T TELL ME?" Horohoro's voice rose as he glared incredulously at Ren.
" This is why I didn't say anything!" Ren groaned, throwing his hand out for emphasis.
Yoh looked between the two worriedly as Horohoro sucked in another lungful of air so that he could start yelling again. " Uh…guys? What's all this about? How come Horo doesn't know he has a sister?"
Ren sighed. " Horo was taken at birth. Pirika was born two years later."
" Pirika? That's her name?" Horohoro's anger fell away for a moment.
" Pirika…" He murmured, savouring the name. Then, he suddenly turned back to Ren.
" Why didn't you tell me? I want to talk to her!"
" No!" Ren snapped, his golden eyes flashing. " You can't contact her! She's not of our ranks! What, are you just going to walk up to her and introduce yourself as the brother everyone thinks is dead?"
Horohoro scowled. " I hate being Vampyre."
" Being Vampyre allowed you to sense her! How would you have recognized her otherwise?" Ren narrowed his eyes.
" Shut up." Horohoro growled. He turned and stalked away from his friends angrily. No stupid rule was stopping him from doing what he wanted!
" Horo! Come back!" Yoh called, looking frantically between Ren and Horohoro.
Ren glared at the Ainu's retreating back. Horohoro was so sensitive to family issues, seeing as he grew up without parents. " Yoh, let's go home."
" But Horo – " Yoh quavered under Ren's harsh stare.
" He knows his way home!" Ren snarled, whirling around and striding in the opposite direction of Horohoro.
Yoh bit his lip, and after one last look at the receding Ainu, sped off after Ren.
Horohoro grumbled to himself as he walked aimlessly around in the fog. He shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked a pebble before him. Who did Ren think he was? Breaking the rules! Ha! Horohoro scoffed. Ren must've broken a hundred rules, and here he was acting all high and mighty Horohoro knew Ren wouldn't have blinked at the rule about contacting humans if Jun hadn't been Vampyre as well.
Of course Ren couldn't understand how he felt. Ren was a cold, straight-as-a-metre-stick Chinese jerk! He didn't care about anyone! But Horohoro was different. Horohoro was Ainu. Sure, it might seem like he was just being racist, but it went deeper than that. Ren had been raised without family ties on purpose, while the importance of that was practically bred into him. His people were open and friendly, his people cared! Horohoro was sure there was millions of caring Chinese people, but Ren wasn't one of them!
Horohoro sighed. His people needed affection. He gently touched the place on his chest above what should've been his heart. The people in his village did this when they were troubled; they literally 'listened to their heart', allowing the steady thumps to calm them. Horohoro listened hard, but he couldn't hear a thing. No contracting organ, no gushing blood, no beating heart. Horohoro dropped his hand, feeling suddenly depressed. He had known that he would hear nothing, but it hurt nonetheless. He was dead, he should just accept it.
Horohoro was jostled from his gloomy thoughts by a sudden birdcall. He looked up, and was instantly unnerved by the heavy fog. It was so thick now that it was opaque, and it seemed to be pressing in on him. A small flicker of claustrophobia lit inside him. He tried to squash it, looking around casually. Great, no visible street signs. In fact, there was no visible anything besides the dark mantle of grey.
Horohoro turned around. He'd just head back the way he came. But a few minutes of this had him hopelessly lost. Horohoro cursed, wishing he hadn't wandered so much. He just stood there, when something walked into him. He fell over from the unexpected assault, and peered up tiredly.
A decidedly female voice, sweet and high-pitched, pierced the air. " Oh, I'm so sorry! I just can't see a thing in this fog!" A delicate hand appeared, stretching towards him. Horohoro noticed the nails were painted a pale blue. He accepted the help, still striving to see the stranger's face. Finally, as he stood, some features became clear.
Concerned obsidian eyes framed by ice blue hair stared at him. Horohoro gaped, then fumbled for the word he'd only learned recently.
" P – Pirika?"
Yoh and Ren returned to an apartment in an empty building. Their rooms took up the whole floor, which really wasn't saying much. The building was tall, but not very wide.
Their little lair consisted of seven rooms; a kitchen, a living room, two washrooms, and three bedrooms. The kitchen and the living room were very plain, having very few personal effects. Each bedroom was decorated in the style of the boy inhabiting it, and the bathrooms were split up. One went to Ren, who insisted on having his own, and seeing as he paid most of the rent, he'd got his way. The other was shared between Horohoro and Yoh. Needless to say, one was considerably messier than the other.
Ren stomped to his room, slamming the door behind him. He kicked his shoes off near the door, and crossed the crimson velvet carpet to his polished wood desk. He flopped down onto the scarlet satin swivel chair, and jiggled the computer mouse to wake up the monitor. He opened a window, and typed a quick message. While he waited for a reply, he scanned his room. His was easily the most luxurious, with an Asian-styled canopy bed and a leather sofa. All the colours were of scarlet, crimson, gold and warm mahogany. Everything was made of velvet, satin or silk. The light came from delicate, red paper lanterns, as Ren came from an age without electricity, and he still rejected all technology except for his computer.
Speaking of which, his computer bleeped. Ren spun around, eyes going straight to the instant message box that had popped up.
TaoRen: Let's play.
ShangDi: Now?
Ren typed an affirmative, and waited as a new program loaded. Soon, a virtual Go board was displayed on the screen. Ren put down a piece first, and play commenced.
To anyone else it might've seemed like a casual game, but for Ren and his opponent, it was a serious battle. A battle of will, skill, strength and deception that went back almost further than they could remember.
-The yellow board had been set out, and the pieces lay waiting in the woven containers. Soft candlelight flickered on the polished wood, and warmed the small stones.
A click sounded as a piece was put into play.
" Your turn." A soft voice spoke, breaking the silence.
A young Ren studied the board carefully, his mouth set in a concentrated pout. The flickering light cast shadows on his face, but it covered his opponent in complete darkness.
" Let's make it more interesting, Ren." The hidden person said. He wasn't old, that much you could tell by his voice and silhouette. But his manner made him seem like a young man.
" How could you make Go more interesting?" Young Ren tilted his head cutely, his saffron eyes wide.
" Every time I win, you do something for me. Every time you win, I do something for you." The voice proposed.
" Anything?" The boy in the shadows nodded.
" Okay! You're going to lose!" The younger boy cheered.
The figure smiled. " I don't think so." He put down another piece with an ominous click.-
Ren cursed as he lost once again. He was a Go player of unparalleled skill, but every time, 'ShangDi' defeated him. And that meant another day of obeying his opponent's demands. There weren't many of them, but the few he issued were horrendous. Always to turn some important figure, or to suck a youngling dry.
His computer bleeped.
ShangDi: Nice try.
Ren growled. 'ShangDi' was mocking him.
ShangDi: A-1 has been done. B-1 is being initiated.
Ren was taken aback. He never thought 'ShangDi' would be crazy enough –
TaoRen: Are you insane?
ShangDi: Probably. But you already knew that.
TaoRen: This isn't funny!
ShangDi: I know. I'm dead serious.
TaoRen: I'm going to stop you. You and your master.
ShangDi: You can try.
Ren began to reply, but his computer bleeped again.
ShangDi has logged off.
Ren swore and pounded the table. He stood, kicking away a tasselled cushion in rage.
A timid knock sounded on his door. " Ren? Are you okay?" Yoh asked softly.
Ren ran a hand through his bangs, frustrated. He crossed over and yanked open the door roughly.
" What?"
" Are you okay?" Yoh asked again. He cradled a tray in his arms. The tray had a steaming cup of green tea, with a chipped teapot containing presumably the same substance. A small saucer with a sliced peach on it finished the picture. Yoh noticed Ren's look. " We didn't have any milk left."
Ren nodded silently, studying the spirals of steam that came from the cup. He was touched by Yoh's thoughtfulness. He'd lived alone for so long.
" Thank you." He said quietly, accepting the tray. Yoh's face brightened at the unfamiliar words.
" And I'm fine. Now." Ren placated Yoh. " Don't worry." At Yoh's nod he closed the door, and turned back to his room.
A message appeared on the computer screen.
ShangDi: One more thing. I want you to be ready. Oh, and fetch me some young blood, won't you?
Ren's fist smashed the teacup and squashed the peach, and this time he didn't answer Yoh's concerned questions.
Please Review! Points to whoever can guess what 'ShangDi' means!