Hao: ASHURI. DOES. NOT. OWN. SHAMAN. KING.

Ashuri: (gazes at reviews) so many...thank you! You all rock I love ya'll! Such wonderful comments. Heh heh. And so the next chapter in my story of weirdness. After a long delay.

Chapter nine: Happy Birthday.

How Ren managed to survive the next three days was beyond him. Every time he entered a room, the damn rabbit seemed to be there, waiting for him, even when he moved it, it always found it's way back. The endless tossing it onto the floor and into the wall, did no damage to it what so ever. And the fact that some how it always ended up next to Ren in bed, though he wanted to do something to it, like rip its head off, was driving him, if it was still possible at this point, even more crazy.

As the morning of his birthday approached, Ren had fallen asleep late, dreams plagued with nightmares, curled up in a ball, huddled under the blanket, clutching the rabbit, all things smelling like Horo, no matter how many times he washed them. He didn't want to get up that morning. Even though he was expecting Horo, and Horo needed to help him. Though Ren still felt like Horo wouldn't want to be around him after learning he was mentally unstable.

However, no one liked to let Ren sleep. Just as his nightmare slipped into pleasant dreams, the doorbell rang. Ren's head jerked up, and he cast a weary look around. "Huh?" He looked at his clock. It was just before noon. "Huh?" he repeated and the doorbell rang again. Ren struggled to free himself from his blankets, but ended up falling of the bed instead. Wrapped in the blankets he crawled over to the window and managed to push it open. Looking down he spotted Horo.

"Morning Ren!" Horo called waving. "Happy Birthday!"

"Morning." Ren yawned down.

Horo held up the gifts from him and the others, as they headed Ren's and Jun's, requests to stay away. "Well, may I come in?"

Ren nodded and disappeared from the window. The door being locked meant he had to go downstairs. Untwisting himself enough to walk, he left the room, with the blanket and stuffed rabbit.

Unlocking the door, Horo wandered in and placed the gifts down on the floor next to the door and straightened up, smiling at Ren. "Yoh, and them, asked me to bring them over. Don't know why. Seemed they were a little too scared to come over. Did you threaten them or something?"

Ren shook his head. "No."

"Oh." Horo noticed he was wrapped in the blanket. "Cold?"

"No," Ren said. "I just like it's smell."

"I see. Never would have thought you like the smell of laundry detergent," replied Horo.

Ren opened his mouth to say it smelled like Horo, but cut himself off it time. It may smell like Horo, but Horo didn't need to know that.

"Have you eaten yet?" asked Horo.

"No. I just got up. And I'm too tired to make anything."

"Do you want me to make something for you?"

"I suppose," replied Ren. He lead the way to the kitchen and Horo set about making rice and vegetables. Standing beside Horo at the stove, Ren was trying to make sure he didn't burn anything. Even though Horo could cook, he just didn't trust him enough to not burn his house down.

Horo smiled at him and noticed that in Ren's hands he held the white stuffed rabbit that he had accidently left there. "Hey isn't that my rabbit?" Horo pointed out.

Ren clicked his tongue and looked down. He moved it off to the side. "No. You must be mistaken."

"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure it's mine."

"No. Its mine."

"Ok."

Ren eyed Horo. He was trying to steal his rabbit. He paused. When did he start thinking of the rabbit as his?

"I think you should give it back. Prika might get mad," Horo said.

"No."

Horo reached for the rabbit. "Ren."

"No! My Horo smelling rabbit!" Ren shouted and pulled the rabbit away.

Horo stopped reaching for the rabbit and stared at him. Ren flushed. Oh god. Did I just say that out loud?!

"Did you just say what I thought you said?" asked Horo.

"No!" Ren said in total denial.

"Yes. Yes you did."

"No!"

"Come on Ren. Just face it already."

"Who do you think you are my shrink!?" Ren asked loudly.

"No I...you have a shrink?" Horo asked eyeing him.

"Unfortunately."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a manically depressed paranoid psychopath with suicidal and homicidal tendencies," replied Ren absent mindedly stroking the rabbit's head.

"Come again?" Horo said not understanding a word Ren just said. "I'm mentally unstable!"

"Oh. Weren't you always?"

"No."

"Oh. So that's why the others didn't want to come," Horo said finally catching on.

"Yeah," Ren said nodding.

"Ren, your stroking the rabbit." Ren looked down and ceased the stroking. "So, let me get this straight, you have a shrink and..." Horo started.

"She told me I had to face what's causing me mental distress and accept it," said Ren giving the rabbit a look.

"Makes sense to me. So your carrying it around because of that and it smells like me?"

Ren flushed again and nodded.

"Ok," Horo said and returned to cooking.

Ren blinked. "You're actually going to stay with me even though I'm mentally unstable?!"

"Sure. Unless you want me to leave?" Ren didn't answer and Horo did pursue the issue.

When lunch was ready, Ren found it hard to sit down, due to his bulky blanket. Horo suggest taking it off, to which Ren replied, "No my Horo smelling blanket!", and lunch was silent, with Ren blushing furiously and eating clumsily owing to the blanket wrapped around his arms. After twenty seconds however he got annoyed and placed it on the floor. The rabbit remained on his lap with Horo continuously eyeing the thing.

When lunch was over, Horo tired to get the rabbit away from Ren still stating that Prika would get mad, to which Ren said that Horo wanted the rabbit to himself and didn't care if Prika got mad. The only thing Horo managed to do was pin Ren down on the floor, which ceased his movements and made it slightly easier to reach the rabbit. Getting Ren to let go of it was another matter. He had a tight grip and wouldn't let go.

"I thought you hated the thing, Ren!" Horo said, fingers inches from the rabbit.

"I do hate it!" Ren said, trying to shove the rabbit away from Horo.

"Then why are you acting like its your most treasured position? It's just a stuffed animal!"

Ren stopped and blinked. Horo was right it was just a stuffed animal. He released the rabbit and put his hands over his eyes and started to laugh. How stupid of him. Carrying it around like his life depended on it. It had drove him mad. He stopped laughing and removed his hands from his face. Horo was staring down at him, face smiling in amusement.

"Horo," he said gulping slightly, a tingling sensation in one of his lower organs.

"Yeah?"

"I..." His bladder was full. "I have to go to the bathroom."

Horo laughed slightly and got off him. "Ok."

Ren rolled over onto his stomach and got up. Abandoning the rabbit on the floor he went up stairs to the bathroom. Relieving himself, he found it kind of strange that he hadn't protested to Horo being on top of him. He shrugged it off. They had been play fighting so it didn't really matter.

Backdown stairs it the kitchen, Ren found that Horo had cleaned the dishes and moved his blanket into the living room. Had he really been in the bathroom that long. He looked around like something was missing. "Horo, where's the rabbit?"

"What rabbit?" Horo asked.

"The white rabbit, whose voice sounds like yours. The one your sister gave you. Any of this ringing a bell?"

Horo shook his head. "No."

Ren screwed up his eyebrows in confusion. Why was Horo acting like an idiot? Did he really think Ren was that stupid? "Horo, either you produce that rabbit right now or-"

Horo swung his arm around Ren's shoulders. "Come on lets go open your gifts," and he steered Ren into the living room.

"Horo!"

"Yes?"

"Do you really want to find out how I act as a mentally unstable person!?" Ren said, thinking about the last visit he sister had payed him. He had spent most of the visit threatening to kill her, chasing her around the house, tried to poison her drink, among other things.

"No not really. But just sit down," Horo said and pushed Ren down onto the couch and went to retrieve the gifts.

He got a number of things which included, weapon polish, new clothes and a book on calming oneself. That was from Jun. She obviously thought it would be helpful. Horo had gotten him a Chinese Dragon Incense burner. This by far was his favorite gift, but he didn't tell Horo that. He found a very nice place for it in a glass cabinet in the living room. With wrapping paper lining the living room floor, he got slightly upset, but being as he put it there, he couldn't blame anyone, which he normally would have done if it had been someone else. With the help of Horo they cleaned it up in no time.

Picking up his blanket he struggled to carry that and all the gifts at the same time up the stairs to his room. Horo taking pity on him helped him by carrying most of it. Reaching Ren's room, Ren said he could place the gifts in the closet, he totally forgot that it was over flowing, with the other gifts that Horo had given him, attempting to woo him. And so of course, because they were stacked funny, they all toppled down on top of Horo, spilling out of their boxes and making a mess.

"Horo! Are you ok?!" Ren asked freaking out.

"Yeah," he said and got up. Looking around he said, "Oh Ren, I'm sorry."

"Its ok. It was bound to happen sooner or later. I haven't opened that closet in three days."

"Is that why your wearing the laundry I left here?"

Ren looked down at the cloths he was wearing. They were indeed Horo's t-shirt and shorts. They were still at Ren's because, Horo not having a place of his own at the moment, wouldn't be able to keep track of his stuff, so if he need something all he had to do was go to Ren's and get it. Ren suspected he had done that purposely.

The reason Ren was wearing them was partially due to the closet, but he was more leaning toward the fact that it smelt good and or it was comfortable. "It smells nice," he said.

"Oh ok." Horo looked down at some of the gifts that had been ejected from their boxes. "Hey I remember that. You actually kept the stuff I gave you?"

Ren nodded blushing slightly.

"Why are they in the closet?"

"I didn't want to feel guilty!"

"Guilty?" asked Horo starting to pick the stuff up and putting it away.

"I was being so mean and making you clean and all that stuff and If I didn't look at the stuff I wouldn't have to buy you stuff and I wouldn't have to think of you and I wouldn't get rising emotions and I wouldn't fall in love!" By the tone Ren was using Horo concluded that he had been wanting to say this for a very long time.

Ren gave a big sigh and flopped down onto his bed. He felt slightly relieved after saying that. It had been bugging him the last day or so. He watched Horo for awhile, putting away the gifts that had fallen out of the closet and stacking them so that they wouldn't fall down. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to relax. A calming sensation had filled the room and he felt like he could drift off and fall asleep. But that wouldn't be nice to Horo, as he had come to visit.

His bed contracted and he opened his eyes. Horo's face was inches from his. Ren yelped, jumped away, and landed sprawled out on the floor. "D-don't do that!"

"Sorry," Horo said and went over to help him up. Ren flapped his hands in a gesture of no. Horo crouched down and smiled. "You've gotten lazy Ren."

Ren bowed his head in shame. "I know."

Horo left Ren's chin up and Ren stared into his eyes. "That's ok though." He leaned forward and kissed Ren pleasantly. Ren pulled away slightly but didn't do anything. It was part of the process if getting better. That's what he told himself.

When Horo pulled away Ren stared at him with a look of that's it? Horo was slightly puzzled by Ren's look, but didn't do anything.

"Horo," Ren said.

"Yeah?"

Ren grabbed a hold of Horo's shirt and pulled him forwards like he was going to shout at him, however, he forced his own lips against Horo's. Because Horo was shocked he ended up not kissing back, but it didn't matter cause the kiss didn't last that long.

"Ren, why..." Horo stared to say confused.

"I..." Ren started himself but was interrupted by the doorbell. He groaned hating doorbells. The doorbell rang again and Ren crawled over to the window and opened it letting the cold January air in. Jun was on the doorstep.

"Hi Ototo! Can I come in?"

Ren groaned again, hating Jun.

"I suppose." He saw Jun open the door and he closed the window.

"Why's she here?" Horo asked.

"Cause she keeps checking up on me to see if I've murdered someone," Ren said standing. Horo stood as well and they went downstairs to greet Jun.

"So have you murdered anyone Ren?" she asked.

"I'm going to murder you if you don't leave me alone," Ren muttered.

Jun spotted Horo. "Oh. Why didn't you tell me Horo was here?"

Ren's eye twitched. Jun was acting stupid like Horo had been earlier. She was well aware that Horo was going to come over and she and everyone else was supposed to stay away.

Jun smiled. "If I had know I wouldn't have come."

Ren snapped. "Stupid sibling of mine! You were well aware that you weren't supposed to come!" and he preceded to chase her around the house. "Come back here! I'll kill you!"

After about doing ten laps around Horo, Horo decided to spare Jun and wrapped his arms around Ren's waist and pulled him close to his torso. Ren thrashed about trying to reach Jun. "Let go! Murder. Death. Kill." Pulling a very convincing puppy dog face he managed to get Ren to look at him and he stopped thrashing to stare at him instead.

"Thanks Horo. You saved me," Jun said.

"No problem. Why does he want to kill you? More then normal I mean, besides the fact he's mentally unstable?" Horo asked.

"Oh, because I took him to the shrink."

Ren's eyes snapped to Jun and he glared.

"And after she told him he had to face his problem I said he needed to be with you to not be crazy."

Ren's eye twitched repeatedly and he broke free of Horo's grip and chased Jun around again. "You! You have no right to repeat that!"

A few more laps around Horo, and Horo feeling sorry for Jun, but not as sorry for himself if Ren got really mad at him for doing this, grabbed Ren's arm and swung him into a hug and kissed him. What happened he wasn't expecting at all. Ren didn't pull away at all, but the second Horo's lips hit his he started to kiss back. Figuring that Ren wouldn't hurt him he relaxed and deepened the kiss, wrapping his other arm around Ren's waist, and his other hand still firmly clamped Ren's arm to his side. Eventually they had to come up for air and Ren just stared at him. Still unsure of he was doing.

Jun was all happy. "Aw! My Ototo finally excepted his feelings!" The fact that Ren was tightly locked in Horo's grip stopped him from murdering Jun.

"Jun, I think you should leave, before Ren gets to angry to control," Horo said.

"Yes, yes your right." She smiled and went over to Ren and whispered. "Now that your together, its going to be hard to find out which one of you is the more submissive." She walked toward the door and Ren tired to reach her but Horo wouldn't let go. Jun waved and left smiling.

Breathing really hard, a vein going in his temple, the urge to murder grew bigger. "Ok now that she's gone-" Horo started but the doorbell rang again.

Ren groaned and looked at the clock. It was three. "Dammit," he muttered.

"What?"

"The stupid shrink schedule a home meeting today at three!" Ren thundered. The doorbell continued to ring.

"Well you don't want to miss your appointment," Horo said.

Ren gave Horo a very ugly look and pulled his arm out of his grip and stomped over to the door and yelled into the shrinks face, "Leave me alone!"

Ms. Oken pushed her glasses up on her nose. "Maybe you should look into taking anger management."

Ren's hands formed gestures of wanting to strangle someone but spotted Jun, smiling and laughing. He bent down grabbed a rock and chucked it at her. "Get lost!" it missed but she took the hint and left.

"Now, may I come in?" the shrink asked.

"Fine. The sooner its over the better." he said and let her in.

"Good. I do have other appointments and I do not wish to be late." She spotted Horo. "This is a private meeting." she said.

Ren looked at Horo and Horo said. "Oh ok. I'll go upstairs then." And he left.

Sitting down Ms. Oken said, "So, judging by your behavior, you haven't tried to face your mental distress have you?"

"What do you think I was doing before you got here?" Ren snarled.

She waved it aside and said. "Where's your rabbit friend?"

"It ran away."

Ms. Oken raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure your not hiding it on yourself?"

"No I had it this morning and now its missing!" Ren said still believing Horo had, had a hand in the rabbits disappearance.

"Right. So, look into taking anger management."

"I'm not taking anger management!" She ignored this.

"Since facing the mental distress seems to not be working, anger management would be a great help that way you could settle down and have a family, that will help cease the mental distress."

Ren stared at her. "Family?"

"Yes. It's a wonderful way to create bonds and make people happy. And people love being happy. But since your not it may take awhile," she said.

"I'm happy!"

"No your not. You like solitude and repeatedly drive people who could make you happy away." Ok so there was truth in her words. He wasn't exactly what you would call happy, and he did push people away. People like Horo.

The torture, which is what Ren called it, continued for an hour and when it was finished he was very happy to see her go. Trying to calm himself he went to look for Horo. He found him in Ren's bedroom staring out the window.

When he entered the room, Horo turned to look at smiling. "See it wasn't that bad. Your still alive." Of course only Horo could see the amusement in Ren's torture. "Find out anything new?" Horo asked.

"Apparently I need anger management, and I'm not happy," Ren said joining Horo by the window.

"Anyone could have told you that."

"Yeah I know."

They were silent for a while before Horo said, "Well, I think I should go now. See you later Ren."

He turned to leave but Ren grabbed on to his arm. Horo looked at him and Ren, who's face was red, was staring at the floor. "What?"

Ren didn't answer.

Horo pulled Ren into a hug.

"What's up?"

"Stay here with me. Please," he muttered.

"Alright." And so Horo stayed.

Ashuri: chapter is too long. I just couldn't stop writing. And so it'll end there and the next chapter will pick up were I left off. Heh heh, maybe you'll like it. Sigh.

Please read and review.

The reason the chapter was long was because I had ideas and I wanted them out of my head before I forgot them and how I'm completely deprived.

Ideas I need ideas. You can all help if you wish.