Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King.
Chapter 7
Ren blinked in surprise, "Pirika? What are you doing out here?" Pirika looked up at him with weary eyes. She looked as if she was sitting on the front porch all night. Ren cringed, 'Was she waiting for me?'
She covered her mouth as she yawned. "I was waiting for you." Pirika stood up but, since she stayed up all night, she nearly fell forward. Ren caught her immediately.
"Have you lost your mind?" Ren said as he placed her arm around his shoulders and began to lead her back into the house. "It's almost four in the morning! You should've known I will come back late! Why did you wait for me?"
"I was worried…about you…" Pirika muttered as she closed her eyes drowsily and leaned on him, "I…wanted to see you…come back safely…"
Ren blushed as Pirika's head fell sideward and was now on his shoulder. His heart began to beat faster. "Really?"
"Mm-hm…" Pirika nodded slightly.
Ren stopped and the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile. "Thank you…" Slowly, he reached down and lifted her up. He stood there carrying her in his arms as she buried her face on his neck. It seemed that she had fallen asleep. Ren couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of her nestled in his arms. Ren lowered his head and rubbed the side of his face against her blue hair. 'I've waited for so long to carry you like this, Pirika.' He said in his mind, 'I just didn't think I would have a chance to do so today.'
"Bason," Ren looked up at his guardian ghost, "I'll see you later." Bason nodded and disappeared.
Pirika was surprisingly light so it was easy taking her to her room. The only hard part was opening the door without putting her down. He grimaced as he entered the room and placed Pirika gently on her futon. 'I hope Horo-Horo's snores wouldn't wake Pirika up.' He thought as he glared at Pirika's brother.
'Sleep tight, Pirika.' He said through his mind as he tucked her safely in her futon. When he was about to stand up, Pirika surprised him by grabbing his arm and pulling him back on the floor. 'I see…' Ren sat down again and placed his hand on her arm, 'You're still awake, aren't you?'
"Don't go yet, Ren…" Pirika murmured.
"Okay…I won't." He told her softly. Ren moved his hand from her arm to her cheek and he brushed away a few strands of her hair, "Just go to sleep. You've been up all night."
Again, Pirika gave him a small nod. Silence took over them for a while. Only Horo-Horo's loud snores could be heard. Ren thought she had finally fallen asleep when she opened her mouth once more. "Ren?"
"What is it Pirika?" He leaned closer to hear her voice more clearly.
"You'll still be there when I wake up, right?"
If he had followed his instincts, Ren would have said what a stupid question it was. He has to sleep too. And he obviously can't sleep there in their room. Horo-Horo will throw a fit! But…if that will make her happy...
"Of course I'll still be here." He assured her. Ren took her hand and held it tight. She held tight too. Both of them were afraid to let go.
It wasn't long before Pirika's hand relaxed. Ren was sure that she had already fallen asleep now. He decided to stay for a while to admire how peaceful she looked. 'She looks more beautiful when she's awake.' He thought as he caressed her cheek once more.
Ren yawned, 'I wish I could stay but…I too have to catch up with my sleep. I'll just come back here before she wakes up. Great. That means I have only a few hours to sleep if I want to keep my word. ' He slowly let go of her hand and stood up. He continued to gaze at her before he kneeled and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Pirika…" He whispered. He stood up and smiled at her. 'I'll be back before you wake up…promise.' With a sigh, he walked out of the room and closed the door gently.
"I saw that."
Ren jumped and turned to see Yoh leaning on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. The sudden need to sleep suddenly disappeared from him. Ren's cheeks turned red again and he turned around to hide them. "W-what do you mean?" He stuttered.
"I know you know what I saw, Ren." Yoh said as a smirk appeared on his lips. "You carried Pirika all the way up to her room, stared at her for what seemed like ages, and kissed her goodnight."
Ren bit his lip, "S-so what? I already told you I like her, didn't I!"
Yoh shrugged and headed his way towards the stairs, "I was just telling you that I saw you. You don't need to get mad or anything. Do you want to have some tea, Ren?" He added.
Forgetting that he was supposed to be sleeping now, Ren followed Yoh. "Uh…sure."
"So Ren…" Yoh handed his friend a steaming cup of tea a few minutes later, "Are you planning to tell her when she wakes up?"
Ren gave him a quizzical look, "Tell her what?"
Yoh rolled his eyes.
"Oh." Ren looked down at his cup and saw the image of a sleeping Pirika inside it. "I don't know…"
"Well, if you ask me, you should tell her as soon as she wakes up." Yoh emptied his cup before speaking again. "It would be perfect if she sees you still beside her when she opens her eyes. I'll even drag Horo-Horo out of the room if you want to." He added with a grin on his face.
Ren looked at him with his mouth open. He had never expected to see Yoh's grin so soon. Not at a time like this. Not when Anna's still missing… Maybe she's not missing anymore. Maybe Anna's already back in her room sleeping…or maybe not. "Yoh…is A—?"
"No…Anna's not here yet." Yoh told him as he poured himself more tea. He glanced at Ren's puzzled expression, "I could see in your face what you're thinking about."
Ren drank from his cup, "Then you must already know what I'm going to ask you next."
"Well, what Anna said still hurts a lot but…" He looked down at his cup and rubbed his thumb against it. "But I have to stop looking so down, you know?" Ren opened his mouth to speak but Yoh wasn't done yet. "Remember the time before all this Anna stuff happened? I was always optimistic and I always kept in mind that every cloud has a silver lining. It's time for me to be like that again. I'm still going to look for her…I just have to stop thinking of negative things. I should look at the brighter side. I should always think that I would find her…that she still loves me…"
Ren gave Yoh a reassuring smile, "We will find her, Yoh."
Yoh gave him a weak smile and nodded. "So…shall I drag Horo-Horo out of their room as soon as he gets up?" he asked, changing the subject.
His friend nodded, "That would be great, Yoh."
For the next few hours, Ren and Yoh spent their time outside practicing for their recording session. Yoh even played his new songs. Ren had to catch up with Yoh's singing. Horo-Horo woke up just after sunrise and was immediately dragged out of the room by Yoh. After explaining everything to him (and after he had a short "talk" with Ren), they shoved Ren inside Pirika's room and locked him in.
He looked down at his hands. Should he sit on a chair or should he just sit here on the floor beside her futon? Should he prop his head on his hand? Should he pretend to be asleep? Would he look like as if he had never left her side? Oh no, she pushed her blanket away. Should he place it over her again? Or should he just leave it there? Ren took the blanket and replaced it over her. She caught his hand and she pulled him down to the floor.
"Horo-Horo…" She muttered in her sleep, "Where are you going? I want to come with you…" Her hand began to tighten around Ren's wrist, "I want to see…" Her voice faded away.
He began to wonder who Pirika wanted to see. Could it be him? Nah…maybe not. But who could it be? Pirika's hand began to let go. He hesitated to slip his hand away but… 'Argh! Stop it, Ren.' He slowly slipped his hand away from her.
Ren yawned as he waited for Pirika to wake up. It was just now that he realized that he hadn't slept a wink last night. He began to blame Yoh for not letting him sleep all night. Oh well, he wouldn't be able to sleep with Yoh singing in the next room. Besides, he had to wait for Pirika to wake up.
He glanced at the clock. It was half an hour before lunch now and Pirika was still sleeping. He had been waiting for almost five hours now. Ren sighed. He was so tired from his search last night. His voice was aching from thirst. His eyelids were beginning to drop. And his whole body was begging him to sleep!
"Ren…"
Ren blinked away his drowsiness and grabbed her hand which was searching for his touch. "Yes, Pirika, I'm still here…" He told her.
She sat up in surprise, shrieked, and slapped Ren on the cheek. Pirika blinked as she began to realize that she had just sent Ren flying across the room. "Ren! Y-you're still here!"
Ren gritted his teeth as he jumped up to his feet. "What's the matter with you!" He yelled at her. "I…I was doing you a favor by staying here waiting for you to wake up and you repay with me this!" He pointed the red mark on his cheek.
"A favor!" Pirika yelled back, "I didn't ask you to wait for me to wake up!"
"Don't you remember asking 'you'll still be there when I wake up, right'?" Ren crossed his arms, "You should be thankful because, for your information, I didn't sleep a wink!"
She opened her mouth to yell back but she closed it again as she realized what Ren had said. "You stayed here all morning?" She asked softly.
"Er…no." Ren lowered the volume of his voice too. "I had a practice with Yoh and I just came back here when the sun rose up."
"But…why didn't you just sleep instead?"
"Uh…" Ren sat down again and looked down at his hands. His palms were getting sweaty. "I…I needed to tell you something, that's why."
"Well, whatever it is you need to tell could've waited after you got some sleep." She sighed, "But, since it seems really important, you can tell me now."
Ren suddenly felt color starting to rise up in his cheeks.
"…you should tell her as soon as she wakes up…It would be perfect…"
'Yeah…p-perfect…' Ren stuttered in his thoughts. 'What's it going to be, Ren?' He asked himself, 'Either tell her now or wait for another opportunity…' He had to make a choice and fast. If he doesn't tell her now, the next chance he'll get will probably ages from now.
"You should tell her at once…before you lose her…"
Yoh was right. He has to tell her before she leaves or…before she announces that she has a boyfriend. He thought of Yoh's situation and frowned. He doesn't want to end up like Yoh. 'I'm afraid to lose her…' Ren admitted, 'I don't want to experience the pain Yoh felt. I don't want to suffer. Yoh may be able to handle the pain but I know I could not.' He bit his lip, 'I have to tell her…NOW!'
"Uh…Ren?" Pirika waved her hand in front of his face, "Earth to Ren! Are you still there?"
Ren snapped his head back up making Pirika lose her balance and fall backwards. "Sorry about that." He apologized and held out his hand to help her sit back up.
To his dismay, she didn't take it and sat up on her own. "It's okay, Ren. Now what is it you want to tell me?"
"I…um…er…" Ren gulped and took a deep breath. How can he tell her? He found himself lost for words. A simple 'I love you' would never do. He needs to tell her more than that. He needs to tell her how much she means to him…how much he cares for her. He needs to tell her that he doesn't want to lose her…that he always wants to be with her. Ren gritted his teeth, 'What am I going to say?'
"Uh…Ren?"
"Be quiet!" He snapped, "I'm trying to think!"
'Great.' Ren said sarcastically in his mind, 'The "perfect" moment and I had to snap.'
Pirika frowned, "Well, hurry up! I haven't got all day!"
'Come on, Ren! Tell her!' Ren looked down at his hands again. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. 'Now or never…'
"I like you…" He blurted out.
Pirika's eyes widened, "Ren—."
"What I mean to say is…I like you more than a friend, Pirika." He began to look at her, "I l-love you… I thought I was crazy at first but…it's true. I couldn't stop thinking about you… I couldn't stop worrying about you whenever you left… I even see your face wherever I go! I know you may not love me back because we always fight but… I really couldn't stop loving you." He sighed and stared at her stunned expression. 'There…I finally said it…' He looked down again, 'I must've looked like a complete idiot to her.'
"Ren."
He looked up at her and his mouth fell open when Pirika threw her arms around him. "P-pirika!"
"You don't know how long I've waited to hear those words from you, Ren!" Pirika cried. "I love you! I would have told you that first but I couldn't find the courage to do so and you were always getting angry at me so I got the thought that you don't like me back! I love you too, Ren! And I'm sorry! I'm sorry I kept arguing with you a lot!"
A small smile appeared on Ren's face and he placed a hand on her back, "You don't have to be sorry, Pirika. I am the one who has to be sorry. I did start most of those fights." He placed his other hand on the back of her head and pulled her closer. "I'm also sorry for making you wait for so long."
Pirika smiled. She has never been this happy in all her life. They continued to enjoy each other's presence until…
Ren let out a big and loud yawn.
"You better go to sleep, Ren." Pirika giggled.
"I guess you're right." He slid his arms off her and rubbed his eyes as he yawned once more.
"Sleep on Horo-Horo's futon." She suggested, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
"Uh…sure." Ren grinned in his head as he imagined Pirika fighting with her brother again.
A few minutes later, Yoh opened the door, "Hey Ren, if…" Yoh stopped as he saw Ren sleeping on Horo-Horo's futon while Pirika was on hers. He smiled when he saw them holding each other's hand. 'Looks like Ren already said it.' Yoh went out of the room and softly closed the door behind him. 'I'm happy for you, Ren.'
Yoh yawned and stretched his arms above his head as he walked around the backyard. "I'm really glad Ren finally told Pirika his feelings." He said to himself, "I haven't seen him smile like that in ages!"
'Anna…' He looked up at the sky and smiled, "I want to see you smile like that. I want to see a smile identical to Ren's on your face. I want to see your face…again… I love you…" He added in a whisper.
A gust of wind blew pass him and he listened to the soft rustling of the leaves... 'Hm?' Maybe the wind was a little strong for the bushes. He looked down at them. 'Oh…' Yoh looked up at the clouds and gave them a smile.
A/N: I'm really sorry. I don't think this chapter is as good as the former ones. Sorry... But I'll work harder on the next one. Promise! I hope you guys still liked it. Pls. review!
