Chapter 7: Someone's Return I

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"Yay! I won!" Pirika pumped her fists in the air while her brother, Horo Horo groaned in disgust.

"You cheated." Horo Horo said rather coolly then lay on his back. They were playing again and Horo Horo lost nine games straight. Pirika was fanning herself with the playing cards.

"You were hot-headed onii-chan because you lost. You'll win someday to me you know? Keep dreaming! Wanna play again? Oh! I know! Maybe I can play with my eyes closed so you could win! How about that?" Pirika tapped her brother on the shoulder while saying this in an annoying manner. She then laughed at her own joke when Horo Horo just turned on his side and ignored her.

"Shut up brat. You cheated."

"Why you-!" Pirika leaped and pounded on his brother while Horo Horo covered himself with his arms. He was laughing with Yoh who just returned from the kitchen carrying drinks. Pirika twisted as Horo Horo pinched her nose, hoping to make her blue with suffocation.

Pirika was already pinning Horo Horo with her knees when Yoh quitted laughing and rolling on the floor.

"Cut it out, you two."

Horo Horo was grinning widely. "Not fair Yoh, she was cheating!"

"No I wasn't! He was just pissed off because he lost!" She shot him a glance that simply said, "What a loser!"

Before Horo Horo's hands caught Pirika's neck, Yoh dragged him away by the collar, struggling. He placed him in a chair but then he stood up again then started attacking the fridge. Yoh sat across from him, with his chin on his hand. He was watching Horo Horo amusingly at Horo Horo's face, (getting redder and redder by the minute; contrasting his baby blue hair) with his hair sticking out on all directions.

Yoh decided to prod Horo Horo a little more, starting with that lazy tone of his.

"You could have killed her if I didn't stop you."

"Great. Why don't you just let me do that?"

"Well, she's a girl you know?"

"HAHAHAHAH!"

"What?"

"Can you please repeat that?"

"Well she's a girl you know?"

"Pirika? P-I-R-I-K-A! You mean, Pirika that brat there? A girl! No. No. I mean my sister Pirika, uh, I mean my BROTHER Pirika? AHAHAHA! Is a guy you know Yoh? Pirika is anything but a girl." Horo Horo was already dying in laughter and started pounding the table with his fist.

Yoh's jaw dropping.

Horo Horo continued eating but kept on choking several times, then laugh again. No wonder Pirika's mad at him.

Okay Yoh, prod on…

"How about if you apologize to her?"

Groan. "Nah."

Snicker from Yoh. "Kiss her?"

Grunt. Choke. "Kiss her! Or I might as well be spreading mucus on her cheeks, no, I mean his cheeks."

"Spread my cheeks what!" Pirika suddenly appeared on the doorway, arms akimbo.

Horo Horo cleared his throat. "Oh my dear sister of mine, why, nothing! I wish of nothing more but to spread crushed pickles in fried ketchup on your face…" Horo Horo said this with much politeness, candor, flattery and charm that he looked awful with all those crumbs of food on his face.

"Duh brother, you look like a pig."

"Duh sister, you look like a bouuy…" Horo Horo imitated his sister's voice.

"I look like what!" Pirika looked ready to kill but Horo Horo kept smiling lazily at her with his eyes fluttering prettily in a girl like manner.

"Didn't you hear me, my dearest gurly brother? I said you look like a-argh!" Pirika pulled Horo Horo's hair while he fought to struggle loose. "Ouch brother! You are hurting me!" Horo Horo squeaked in a high tone.

"Oh shut up sister, we need to shampoo your hair, remember?" Pirika pulled him way up stairs, into a room, closed the door then started wrestling with his brother. Yoh can hear him upstairs because the ceiling kept on grumbling loudly. It had always been the same everyday at Yoh's house ever since Horo Horo and Pirika stayed for a week and it was getting worse and worse each day. Maybe today Horo Horo is going to get a tooth picked out and for tomorrow, maybe Pirika will decide to pull his whole gums out.

Yoh was cleaning Horo Horo's mess when the doorbell rang. He left the task at hand and went to retrieve the door. Upstairs, what-seemed-to-be-a-head kept banging on the walls.

"Konbanwa!" Greeted Yoh cheerfully.

"Yoh." said the cold, familiar voice. It was Ren and he was carrying a container of food, the delicious aroma wafting through the house.

(The banging upstairs seemed to stop and voices could be heard.)

Horo Horo: I smell food… sniff, sniff

Pirika: Where are you going? Come back here!

(Footsteps, running)

"What's that?" Ren asked.

"The usual. Horo and Pirika are upstairs. Please come in."

Yoh led Ren to the living room and a moment later, Horo Horo came downstairs.

"Where's the food?" He sniffed through the room.

"Ah, Ainu."

"What?" He squinted. "Oh, it's the pointy headed Ren."

"Where are you hiding?" Pirika suddenly appeared in the living room holding a big, dirty mop. Her eyes wandered to Ren's cool sitting form on the couch, with both arms in his chest. She seemed to turn suddenly all demure and became aware of everything inside the room. The mop, her brother, Yoh, Ren, her hair, her clothes, her shoes. Pirika blushed as she dropped the big dirty mop on to her onii-chan's head.

"Ack! What the!"

"Ko-Konbanwa, R-ren kun." Pirika bowed sheepishy then quickly left the room.

"Another Ainu." Said Ren.

"So what brings you here Ren?" Yoh asked him.

"My sister asked me to bring this food to you."

"Tell her my thanks. Would you like something to drink?"

"Fine. Tea would do." Then Ren faced Horo Horo. "Why don't you call your sister to join us?"

"Nevermind her." Horo Horo sat lazily on one couch with both hands behind his head.

"I don't need much calling, thank you." Pirika returned inside the room and seated herself across Ren, blushing. She seemed to become all demure in the presence of other people.

"Here enjoy yourself." Yoh gave them each a cup and they sipped quietly for a couple of minutes. "How's your sister, Ren?"

"Jun's fine."

"It was nice of her to actually remember us and send us these treat."

"I refused but she insisted on so I gave up."

"Ah, okay."

Ren finished his tea, thanked Yoh for the tea then left but turned back again to look at Pirika.

"Walk with me?" Ren asked coldly, rather the opposite of what he really wanted to express. Gentleness maybe wasn't really in his blood. Who knows? And obviously, there's something going on between these two.

"H-hai…" Pirika immediately rose from her seat and followed Ren outside.

"Hey! Mpmghfgh!" Horo Horo tried to object but Yoh clamped his mouth shut.

"Okay, take care!" Yoh conspiratorially waved and grinned at them. He waited before they were out of earshot before he removed his hand. "Anou…Horo? You don't like Ren that much for your sister ne?"

"Never. That guy is cold and I bet he'll just hurt Pirika."

"And you do care about your sister."

"Well, erm…er…yes, maybe…in a way. Never mind. Hehehe…" Horo Horo seems taken back with the question and he tried to cover it up with laughing. He was still laughing when he left Yoh to go upstairs though it seems forced. Yoh tried really hard to hide the laughter that was building in his throat. He continued arranging the now empty tea cups then proceeded upstairs to take his rest. Pirika returned awhile later but slept too. Now all was quiet except of the rustling of the leaves and mews of stray cats.

Yoh was awaken by the unusual feeling that he was being stared at. He opened his eyes and the only thing he saw was a blur, more of like ghostly shadow looming over.

"MASTER YOH!"

"Huh?" He jolted awake from his sleep. He was panting hard. He squinted over the darkness, hoping to see clearly what that big figure was over there.

"MASTER YOH! You are awake!"

"Well, obviously I am…" He squinted harder, breathing hard. "A-Amidamaru!"

"Master Yoh! I'm back, sorry to scare you…" Amidamaru apologized.

"Nice work scaring me. Since when did you came back?" Yoh finally had to grin upon seeing it was indeed Amidamaru.

"Just now."

Amidamaru had asked Yoh for a vacation, right after Anna left though it left Yoh thinking if spirits needed vacations. Maybe they do need it so he agreed to let Amidamaru go and that leaves Yoh alone inside his house. And now seeing Amidamaru again was a pleasure for him for that was the longest time he had been away from him.

After a good chat, Yoh noticed that there was kind of a sorry-look on Amidamaru's face, though he wasn't sure if it really was intended for him. He started to wonder if after all these weeks he looked miserable and pitiful to other people. He brushed the thought away from his mind because sleep is already visiting him. But still he is determined to find out why.

"Hey! That's mine! Don't eat that!" Pirika attacked her brother's hand with a fork. "Eat your own."

"Gluttonous sister…" Horo Horo retreated to his seat.

"Look whose talking!"

Nothing should be asked, anyone can guess what these two are doing again. Yoh ate quietly while Amidamaru was seated in the porch talking to the birds. Horo and Pirika would leave today to return to their home. It was a pleasure working with them though sometimes it can really be a nuisance.

Later, as Yoh read in his room, Amidamaru entered with the same look on his face as he had seen last night. He greeted him with a smile. "What is it?"

"Master Yoh." Yoh turned his head to look up at his figure. Once again, the sorry-look emanated on the spirits face.

"What is it?" He repeated, smiling up at him pretending that he didn't notice anything.

"Master Yoh, I..." Amidamaru faltered. What the hell is it? Yoh was beginning to worry. Somehow he believed there was something really wrong. He gathered up his courage, determined to hear what this was all about.

"What is it, Amidamaru?"

"Master Yoh, I'm sorry." He floated near Yoh, who faced him fully.

"For what?" The smile vanished from Yoh's face.

"I lied to you. I'm sorry, I didn't really need a vacation and I didn't go on one."

"Then where did you go?" After a long pause, a mischievous smile crawled up its way on Yoh's face. "A girl, isn't it?"

"What? I would be old enough to-" Amidamaru was obviously torn between laughing and trying to look serious.

"No?"

"I've been searching for Anna, Master Yoh."

"Why?" Yoh almost jumped from his place. Search for Anna? "Why? I never did tell you to look for her!"

"Master Yoh. I only did that because I am concerned about you."

"Concerned?" Slowly, Yoh felt anger rising up inside him. He could lose all control over his emotions whenever "Anna" is concerned.

Why and how, he didn't know.

"Forgive me, but I can't take the way you have suffered when she had gone. Master Yoh, if only you have seen yourself as I have seen you, I'll wager you'd do the same thing. You barely even spoke to us; you pretended everything's okay, when it isn't. I've come to know you, Master Yoh, long enough to know what you feel. It isn't a written duty that I should know or interfere in whatever that is that you feel but as your power spirit, I feel so incomplete knowing that my Master is not well. You already hold a big part in me, and that is something. Besides, I've made it a promise to serve you anyway I can." Amidamaru explained quietly.

Yoh didn't know how to feel, he felt so numb. What to feel, he felt a variety of emotions surge through him. Moved beyond words, whether to believe or not, disbelief at himself, at the spirits act of concern, he was standing glued at his place. He felt slapped.

Yoh forced a weak grin. "But, look at me. I'm okay, I've changed a lot. I am happier now as well as I should have been." He forced a laugh.

But Amidamaru won't give up. He refused to be convinced by Yoh's forced cheerfulness.

"No, Master Yoh. I feel something deeper within you. Hide it if you please but I can still feel it. You were lonely and depressed and it will not do to hide it from me."

He sank slowly. "I don't understand."

"Master Yoh." With that, Amidamaru took one last glance at Yoh, and then left the room.

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A/n: revised as of 03/26/2007