A Very Good Liar
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Disclaimer: As much as I wish it so, Shaman King will never be mine. God knows the havoc I'd unleash. This fic revolves around RenPirika, though there are hints of YohAnna and HorohoroTamao.
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Chapter Four
Playing With the Butterflies
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As Pirika's tune ended she sighed and looked at the sunset. Ren watched, astonished, from behind her. She finally realized that she had an audience. She whirled around and blushed when she found that it was Ren. She took advantage of his stunned silence to observe what had happened to his figure since he was fourteen.

His often cold eyes were softened as he gazed upon her. As she avoided looking at his eyes she noticed that he had, indeed, grown taller than her, giving him at least three inches of advantage. His tongari (AN: The pointy spike of hair on top of his head.) was still intact.

He was much more masculine than he used to be, and as he slowly regained his self control, a smirk replaced his open jaw. A smirk that had not changed since they were little. But somewhere deep inside, Pirika was disappointed. The friendly smile had been worked off of his face by his father's harsh trainings. She dreamed of the day that smile would return, though her fantasy, she knew, was in vain.

"What are you doing up here?" he asked. Pirika blushed and looked at the picture that the sky was painted into. Blasts of orange reflected in her eyes as Ren's smirk faded with her words, "I was remembering about before..."

"Oh... Back when..." he faltered, hesitating to finish his statement. Pirika did it for him, "When we were children and playing with the butterflies." She sighed a third time and Ren quietly chuckled, "Yeah, I miss those days. When I was actually allowed to have fun... When we were..."

He halted and looked away from his angel. She looked at the pebbly surface of the rooftop as she said, "When we were engaged..."
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Flashback, Ren - Six years old, Pirika - Five years old, Jun - Nine years old, Horhoro - Six years old
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A little girl with azure hair walked through her garden of Butterbur. It was small, but so was she. Someday, when she was older, she would have fields of the precious plants to tend to, 'Like So bo (grandmother) and Onii-chan.' She fondly smiled as her hand gently brushed one of the plants. Her hair gleamed in the sun as she moved further down the dirt path.

She laughed softly as a butterfly flew down, its wings softly kissing her cheeks. It flapped its wings after a few moments, and the young girl laughed as it flew from her nose into the air and farther down the path towards her house. The five year old's ocean blue eyes danced as she chased the orange beauty. She laughed again and waved at it when it flew heavenward, towards the few clouds that littered the sky.

"What are you doing, Pirika?" a voice sounded behind her. She turned around and smiled when she saw her yellow eyed friend. The boy smiled back and waited expectantly for her answer. He walked closer, his shoes scuffing the dirt with his heavy footfalls.

"Hi, Ren! I was chasing a butterfly, but she flew up too high. I was waving goodbye." Ren looked up at the sky and pointed at another butterfly. "It looks like this one wants to play too."

His eyes went wide when the yellow insect landed on his nose. Pirika laughed at the scene, though she stifled her giggles with her hand when Ren glared at her. His glare softened and he smiled at the bold creature perched upon his nose. Then he sneezed, scaring the poor butterfly off its perch.

Pirika broke into a fit of giggles once again as her friend quickly picked himself off of the ground, having been knocked there by his powerful sneeze. Her laughter ceased, however, when the yellow insect landed on her own nose. She smiled as Ren laughed at her. He knew very well what this meant, but her face was so gentle and welcoming to the imposing butterfly, that he tended to lose his sense of reason for a few seconds.

Both of the children watched the yellow butterfly join the orange one in the blissful, sunny sky. Pirika laughed, making Ren look warily at her through the corner of his eye. "What?"

He knew what the answer was, but just wanted to hear her laugh again. When she did he prepared himself to run, though he waited for her to walk nearer with her explanation. "My Grandma tells me that when a butterfly flies from a boy to a girl that they're supposed to be sharing a kiss..."

Ren blushed as Pirika crept closer to him, jumping back, slightly afraid of the younger girl. He ran towards the house and laughed as he heard her tear after him. Pirika laughed as well, continuing her pursuit even though Ren was much faster than she. He noticed this and lagged slightly, allowing her to come slightly closer. He didn't slow very much, though, he didn't want to be caught.

Pirika laughed and persistently snatched at his shirt, though he managed to escape her grasp every time. Ren silently prayed for any source of reprieve, he sighed with relief when he found himself in front of her house. There was a surprised gasp as the pair plowed their way into the kitchen, barely missing Tao Jun, Ren's older sister.

"Otoutto (little brother)! Stop running in the house!" Jun sternly shouted at Ren, causing him to stop right in front of her. Then a flash of azure came running through the open doorway. Not noticing that Ren had stopped, Pirika tackled him, causing both children to fall to the floor in an entanglement of limbs.

Rens face had been firmly stamped into the hardwood floor, but managed to muffle nonetheless, "Geff off!" Pirika had a hard time understanding him, but seemed to have gotten the gist of it, because she quickly got off of his back and began to help him up.

"Oww... Watch where you're going, Pirika!" Ren said as he rubbed the small of his back. Pirika countered back, "Well, it's not that easy to tell when somebody stops while you're running so fast!" The arguing children were interrupted when Pirika's grandmother walked into the kitchen saying quietly, "Now what's all of this commotion about? Why should the best of friends be arguing?"

Ren decided to answer her query first, "Pirika was chasing me, so I ran into the house, but Ona-chan (older sister) told me to stop running. When I did Pirika tackled me!" Fake tears were running down his face, causing Pirika to glare at him and whisper, "Faker..."

Ren suddenly became very interested in a spot on the ceiling as he tried to look innocent. Pirika looked at her grandmother (AN: Whom I shall call Seiko!), and said indignantly, "He shouldn't have been running anyway! We were playing with the butterflies and one landed on his nose and then on mine and he ran away!"

The two children glared at each other, but were soon enveloped in confusion as Seiko and Jun burst out laughing. Even though they didn't know what was going on, Ren and Pirika soon laughed with them. If the grown-ups were laughing then everything had to be okay, and it looked like neither child was in trouble either.

"I remember when Horohoro and that pink-haired relative of the Asakuras were playing with the butterflies. And he had the same reaction you did, Ren. Maybe you should ask him for tips on hiding, seeming as he's been doing that for sometime while running from Pirika." Ren smiled and nodded, " Okay, So bo (grandmother)." Seiko smiled warmly at the tiger-eyed boy, "You won't find him now, though. He heard Pirika coming inside."

Pirika looked pleadingly at Seiko, "Where did he hide, So bo?" The kind, old woman chuckled and whispered, "I think he's in his room under the bed today, don't scare him too badly." Pirika grinned and ran off down the hall. Ren started to follow her, but was stopped by Seiko's hand on his shoulder, "Your father wishes to see you in the living room, Ren. Your mother is there too."

Ren nodded bravely, and walked to the living room. He was afraid of his father at this age, but Seiko knew that one day Ren would be rebellious to his father's discriminatory ways, and rule the Tao clan properly. Not that Tao En was completely horrible, he had given much to the Ainu family, and, even though he tried to hide it, was very gentle with and fond of Pirika. Certainly the man who had these two wonderful children couldn't be all bad. And Ran was very kind-hearted and loving, surely if she loved Tao En he wasn't as evil as Ren thought him.

Ren kept his eyes glaring at the floor, glancing up at En's critical stare every second or so. He stopped in the middle of the room, out of his father's reach. The large man smirked slightly, "Sit down, Ren. I-" Ran elbowed her husband in the side and sternly sent him a reprimanding look. En cleared his throat as Seiko and Jun also entered the room, "As I was saying, we have something important to tell you." Ren did as he was told, but glanced at Jun, who was smiling brightly at him.

Tao En crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, gruffly saying, "After much consideration, Seiko, your mother, and I have decided that you shall, when you turn twenty-one, marry Pirika, so as the Tao clan receives a new heir. As of now the two of you are engaged." Ren raised an eyebrow at his ominous father, not quite understanding his words, but turned at a small gasp from the doorway.

Pirika stood with a hand to her mouth, a smile hidden behind her palm. Her eyes shone with amusement when Ren carefully said, "What? What's he mean, Pirika?" Suspicion soon entered the young Tao's tiger-like eyes as Pirika walked slowly closer to him. She giggled slightly, a small grin showing plainly on her face.

"It means that when we are older, Ren-kun (this suffix is used to confer familiarity or endearment, usually placed on the end of a boy's name), we'll get married!" Crimson quickly spread across Ren's face, and Pirika suddenly throwing her arms around his neck in a vice-like hug wasn't helping him to retain his dignity.

Ren glared at the laughing adults and his sister, but his crossness soon evaporated as Pirika whispered, "Isn't that nice, Ren-kun?" His arms hesitantly wove their way around her. "Yeah," he whispered back, "That's great, Pirika-chan (this suffix is used to express endearment, mostly used towards girls)...That's great... Then we can be together for the rest of our lives..." Ren glanced up to see his father looking fondly at Ran, this was probably much like how he and his wife had gotten married.

Seiko and Jun smiled at the two children, and soon joined En and Ran in the kitchen to discuss the finer terms of the engagement. Ren and Pirika separated, both now only slightly pink. Pirika started to run outside through the back door, yelling back at the bewildered boy, "I think Onii-Chan went outside!" Ren shook his head and chased after her, giving a laugh as he saw Horohoro tear out of a bush and down a path to the mori (forest).
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Present Time
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Ren chuckled quietly, "Horohoro never forgave me for always chasing him with you. He'd always say that I was the same gender and age as he was so I should be on his side." Pirika smiled brightly, "Yeah, then I'd walk around the corner and he'd run off... Speaking of Onii-chan, we should probably get going to meet them at the arcade. Do you think that Yoh and Anna will be there?"

Ren shrugged, "Probably, their room is right next to ours, I saw them earlier." Pirika smirked, "You faced your fear and climbed the ladder just to come and see me? How sweet!" Ren glared darkly at her, but soon his eyes widened when she stood up and moved closer to him. "Thanks, Ren-kun."

Ren stiffened when Pirika quickly, and lightly kissed his lips. She then giggled at the shocked look that played across his face. Ren moved his hand to his lips, but snapped back to reality when Pirika called over to him, "Hurry up, Ren! They won't wait forever!"

The Chinese shaman growled irately, then walked towards the edge. He frowned when he looked over the ledge, but turned a deathly glare upon his Ainu princess when she laughed at his hesitation. Pirika stifled her laughter, but smirked at the Tao. "What?" Ren growled out, his shocking yellow eyes flashing with surprise at her smirk. A facial expression that she had no doubt learned from him.

Pirika only smirked more devilishly, "Oh, nothing. Do you want me to go first so I can catch you if you happen to slip?" It was more of a mocking statement than a question. Ren glared at her, then carefully swung himself over the ledge, firmly gripping the prongs of the ladder.

"No," Ren muttered, looking at the wall, "I think I'd rather catch you..." Pirika smiled warmly, "Glad you think that, Ren-kun." The unlikely pair found their gazes locked again, ocean blue met tiger gold. They were lost in each other's eyes in silence, which was broken by a shrill beeping noise.

Pirika looked at her watch, and Ren tore his gaze from her. "Ren," she said, "We'd better hurry. I set that watch so that I wouldn't spend too long up here watching the sunset." Ren smiled sadly at the wall and thought, 'Like you used to do with me...'
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Flashback, Ren - Thirteen years old, Pirika - Twelve years old
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Pirika sat on the roof of the En Inn, the place that she and her brother were staying at during the Shaman Tournament. She sighed as she waited for sunset. A small disturbance on the grass below caught her attention, and she became keenly aware of her surroundings. Also of the fact that she was being watched.

"Who's there?" Pirika called out into the semi-darkness, trying to peer over the edge of the roof. A pair of tiger-like eyes that had, so many times before, locked with hers. Ren smirked, "I thought you could use some company."

The Ainu glared down at him, "You thought wrong, Tao." Her remark only caused the shaman to chuckle slightly, right before he jumped up onto the roofing tile beside her. "We're engaged, Pirika, when did you start calling me Tao?"

"As soon as you left, six years ago." Ren sighed and sat cross-legged beside her, hurt flashing for a moment in his eyes. Pirika moved away slightly, crossing her arms over her chest and focusing on a distant tree.

"My father forced me to go back to China so that I could commence with my shaman training. You have to forgive me sometime, Pirika." he said almost pleadingly. When he received no response, he continued, "So, this is how you greet your fiancé... I can live with arguments, but not silence, Pirika. Just talk to me. I've been back for months now so there's nothing to worry about anymore, right?"

Pirika chose to look at him just then, but instead of a forgiving smile, he received a forbidding glare that could match his own. "You didn't even say goodbye, Ren. How could I forgive you for something like that?" Ren sadly smiled as the sun sank farther into the sky, turning the air a glowing crimson.

"I suppose you're right. I had hoped that my letter could have solved everything, but... Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you threw it away unopened." Ren buried his head in has hands in frustration and self-loathing "I don't think that I forgave myself for not standing up to my father. I... I would have given up my chance at being the Shaman King if father would've just let me stay with you..."

When Ren raised his head to look at Pirika's reaction, his sad gaze surprised her. He looked away and stood up, "Well... The point is I didn't. I just want you to know that... that I apologize for allowing my father to drag me away from the life that I loved... You said earlier that you wished to be alone, so..."

As he prepared to jump off the roof a light hand touched his shoulder, stopping him. Pirika had tears welling in her eyes as she whispered, "All I wanted was an apology, not an explanation... I did read your letter... And I forgave you the moment you stepped onto this roof."

The long-missed friendly smile that was showed to her was all she needed to pull him into a tight embrace. And he gladly returned it, swiftly kissing her cheek several times, and pulling her close. When they parted, they sat close, and watched the sky turn tangerine.

As Ren watched the streaks of orange, crimson, and fuscia slowly fade, he found himself paying more attention to the beauty beside him than the sky. He realized that he had fallen hopelessly in love with the Ainu girl yet again.

Pirika knew, as she watched the night sky appear, that she was, and always had been, in love with the arrogant Chinese shaman. She couldn't help falling for her Onii-chan's enemy in the Shaman Tournament, he was the most romantic person whom she'd ever actually met.
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Present Time
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Pirika broke Ren's thoughts as she laughed down at him, "Ren, if you don't get over your fear of heights soon, Onii-chan will be looking for us under the suspicion of hanky-panky." She laughed harder when Ren blushed.

"Don't rush me... It's not like he didn't suspect anything when you so quickly escorted him from our room." Pirika quieted and glared down at him, the grinned, "Would you like to use the stairs that lead down to the lobby?"

Ren stared incredulously at Pirika, then hissed out, "There are stairs!" Pirika giggled and pointed over to the other corner of the roof, "It'll take longer, but if you're scared then I guess we could take the stairs." She received a hard glare from him, "Tao's do not get scared!" Then he continued his gripping climb down the ladder.

When Pirika reached the last prong, Ren reached his hand out to help her. After a lingering clasp, they parted and made their way to the elevator. Just as Ren was pushing the 'down' button the steel doors opened to reveal a teenager with navy blue hair that was spiked similarly to Horohoro's, only shorter. He wore a red hoody with baggy blue jeans, his steel-grey eyes smiled as he grinned at Ren and Pirika.

Pirika was smiling brightly at the seventeen year old boy, but Ren was glaring daggers at him "Yukihiro..." he hissed, only to receive a grin back, "Ah, Ren-san! Protecting Pirika-chan as usual, I see." They might have conversed more, had not the overjoyed Pirika hugged the boy in a vice-like grip, "Kotaro-kun! It's been so long! Oh, I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Pirika-chan. I'm glad to see that Ren's been taking good care of you." The boy, now known as Kotaro Yukihiro, said as he hugged his long-time friend back.
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Hey, that was short compared to the previous chapters... Oh well, at least I updated!

Thanks to DayDrEaMiNg-child, we now have another rival for Ren! Oh, what perils shall this couple endure as I continue the story? If you want to find out then review!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review!