A Very Good Liar

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.

And I don't own the song "Everything" either. Lifehouse does, take it up with them...
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Chapter Seven
Angels and Guardians
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The arcade was filled with multitudes of shamans, young and old, but it seemed that there were more than enough games to entertain all. Black light caused all white shirts to glow a neon blue, and the neon markings on the carpeting to shine brightly. The walls had a black base, but had been splattered with various bright colors, causing the entire arcade to look like a spaceship. The best part about the arcade, though, was that it was free for all of the guests. No tokens required, and no money out of your pocket.

The Shaman King and Queen had decided to go and look for the chance games, while Tamao decided to appease Horohoro and attempt to play a fighting game with him. This left Kotaro, Yuna, Ren, and Pirika to look for a multi player game.

They walked through the arcade, idly chatting for awhile, until they came to the racing games. In the center of the arcade, there were enough consoles for up to twenty people to play at a time on a single game. That was only one of the sections, though. There were four sections total, car racing, snowmobile racing, off road ATV racing, and motorcycle racing. "Video games may rot your brain, but I'll risk anything for the sake of a good competition." Ren muttered with a grin, earning a small laugh from Pirika.

"Well," Kotaro began, "We have two choices to make, my friends." He looked around in mock severity at each person in turn. "Firstly, we must decide which game to play, and, secondly, we must decide who we are all going to gang up on so that their vehicle blows up first." This statement caused everyone else to laugh, but their mirth was cut off by a finger which the navy haired boy held in the air.

"First, we have your average racing game. You get three lives, which means if one the other players smashes your car into a wall, one of them disappears. It's like magic, only much more obvious! In this you can choose which difficulty level, car, and course you wish to use. The higher the difficulty setting, the faster the car. But be wary, steering begins to become much harder to do. With the steering problem comes the possibility of running into a wall and blowing up, so it saves the other players the trouble of ramming you into a wall! Overall, this game offers an adrenalin rush that will make you keep putting tokens into the slots just so you can continue. We can handle our addictions here and now, though, seeing as Jun-san has been so kind as to allow for free game play!" Kotaro explained, standing in front of one of the consoles and sweeping an arm over the steering wheel.

"Ren-kun, how about describing the next game console for our lovely lady friends?" Without missing a beat, Ren smiled and stepped into the snowmobile racing isle. "What you see here is not any average snowmobile game. These snowmobiles are equipped with Nos(AN: How the Hell do you spell that?), which will send you speeding through the course so fast that even the virtual snow around you will melt! Within this game, you not only get to choose which snowmobile you ride, you choose which character you want. The characters range from your average skiing woman/man, to the Yeti."

As if to prove his point, Ren pointed to the image of the Yeti that appeared on the side of the console, it was riding a snowmobile and crossing over the finish line. This earned him some laughs, so he continued, "Each of these characters comes with their own special attack. Yes, I said attack! You can not only pummel the person riding next to you, you can launch missiles at them, simply with the press of a button on either handlebar! You receive these extras, such as missiles, by doing tricks in midair after you launch off of a ramp, or by picking them up as you go along through the course. If your snowmobile explodes three times, or if you fall into one of the cliffs that the game places in your path, you get a game over. You also get to steer on synthetic snowmobiles, which should be an honor all by itself!"

Ren bowed lavishly as his viewers applauded his sarcasm, only to be pushed playfully to the ground by Kotaro, who had snuck up behind him halfway through his advertising. He fell onto the carpeting in front of Pirika's feet, causing everyone to laugh, including Ren, himself. The ocean eyed girl helped him up and said, "I always knew that you'd end up falling for me."

Ren blushed at this, but smirked as a comeback formed in his mind, "No, I threw myself there so that I could kiss the ground that you walk upon." His smirk grew wider when she blushed even brighter than he was and hit his shoulder lightly. Yuna ignored this exchange, while Kotaro simply smiled and cleared his throat, "On to the next game!" He proclaimed, a finger in the air, blushing once he saw Yuna laugh with Ren and Pirika.

"This," he stepped aside as if revealing a great treasure, "Is an off road ATV system. In this game, there is no limit on how many times you can blow up! As with the snowmobile game, you ride steer via a synthetic vehicle. Sadly, these machines are not equipped with Nos, but they make up for it with the Battle Arena. Battle Arena places you on a field that is covered with obstacles, trenches in which to hide in, and various weapons at your disposal. This game offers racing, as well, but for the best experience, I would recommend grabbing the missiles in Battle Arena, waiting for an unsuspecting victim, like Ren, to drive by your hiding place, and raining Hell down upon them!" Ren raised his middle finger to the grey eyed boy, but this only caused everyone to laugh harder, so he took it as his cue to walk up to the next game console.

"Unlimited crashing ability in this game as well! Which means that you will be mercilessly targeted, so you better be good at dodging! You also ride a synthetic vehicle, though not like an ATV, or a snowmobile. These are imitation crotch rockets, which you have to lean with to turn. Much like the snowmobile game, you are able to choose from a variety of characters, but not the Yeti. I can see Bigfoot in the crowd, though!" Again, a finger was aimed in the direction of the image adorning the side of the console, and, sure enough, there was Bigfoot cheering with the other members of the crowd.

Ren grinned as he watched Pirika try to hold her mirth behind her hand. He then slipped back into his I'm-faking-enthusiasm voice, and continued with his presentation of the game, "Although you are not allowed missiles to launch at other players, such as Kotaro," this was rewarded with chuckles from all, and a grin from the said boy, "You can pick up baseball bats, brass knuckles, and even use your entire bike as a deadly weapon! You can do this by using passing and oncoming vehicles as ramps, and throwing your bike into another player! Nos is included as an extra in this game, which will really help you to get past the finish line first! Usually, those who play this game get too involved in breaking the other players' heads in to even bother making it past the checkpoints and finish line before the time runs out!"

Kotaro stepped beside Ren, "Well, ladies, which shall we play?" he asked. Yuna and Pirika looked at each other, and then both said "Snowmobile racing." Their unanimous statements caused both boys to raise an eyebrow. 'Girls have to have telepathy. What else could explain how they know so much?' Ren thought, falling into step beside Pirika as they made their way to a space of four empty spots in the snowmobile isle.

Pirika tugged on his hoody until they were at eye level, "Thank you for getting along with Kotaro-kun, Ren-kun, it means alot to both him and me." The smile she gave him made his legs go numb, the best response he could give without looking like an idiot was to simply smile back. Sadly, he didn't get along with Kotaro very well, Kotaro got along just fine with him, but the friendship wasn't really mutual. The only times that Ren hadn't called the steel eyed boy by his surname were when they were children, and moments ago when they were entertaining Pirika and Yuna.

When they reached the imitation snowmobiles, Ren and Kotaro took a seat on the middle two snowmobiles, Yuna sat on the right-hand side of the Kotaro, and Pirika sat on the left-hand side of Ren. They all pushed the start button that was in between the handlebars, and chose to join into a multi player race.

Kotaro chose a guy that had navy-hair (AN: Yes, I'm making the characters of this game into anime characters...), much like his own, where Yuna chose a woman whose hair was shorter than her own, but the same color. There were no female characters with azure hair, so Pirika chose a female character that had, much to Ren's dismay, purple hair. There were no male characters with purple hair, which wasn't surprising, so Ren chose the Yeti to be his character. "Told you purple hair wasn't very common." Pirika said, a smirk on her face so like Ren's that it was unsettling.

"Let's pick an easy course first. So that you girls can get a feeling for it, seeing as Yukihiro and I have played this before." Ren suggested, a smirk also on his face. Both Yuna and Pirika looked ready to attack him for this joke, but where halted when Kotaro corrected Ren, "Don't you mean so that you can 'get a feeling for it'?"

"Oh yeah, that's what I meant. That was hilarious, Yukihiro." Ren stated in complete monotone, obviously annoyed. Yuna glared over at the other Chinese shaman, "Let's pick a difficult course, I'm quite sure that Pirika and I will be able to handle it." Ren shrugged, "Okay, but Kotaro and I aren't going to go easy on you! Is a difficult course alright with you, Pirika?"

The ocean eyed girl nodded determinedly, "Let's start the race." she replied with a smirk. The countdown began, and, in three seconds, all four competitors were racing through the course. Kotaro and Ren both headed straight for the ramps, but Ren was the only one to get the missiles, which were immediately launched at the other male combatant. A sharp turn to the left, however, and Kotaro had sheltered himself behind a boulder.

"Nice try, Ren, but you'll have to do better than that!" Kotaro said, a grin making it's way onto his face. Ren smirked and followed his target as he shot out from behind the boulder, "I have you now, Yukihiro." he announced, before pushing the Nos button, ramming into Kotaro's snowmobile, sending it spinning out of control and into the waiting wall.

"Nice shot!" The red-clad boy exclaimed, waiting patiently for the game to readjust itself, "You might want to watch out though, Ren-kun." Ren took on a bewildered stare, "What are you talking about, Yukihiro?"

"He's talking about me!" Pirika exclaimed, launching a barrage of missiles at the surprised boy. They were all direct hits, causing the snowmobile to catch fire. "You caught on pretty fast! You haven't played this before?" he asked, watching with dismay as Kotaro passed him on the track. Pirika smirked, "Onii-chan is a game freak, he taught me everything he knows. If you'd have asked that instead of assuming that I'd never played, you might have stood a chance!"

Ren's eyes widened, "I have underestimated my opponent, a grave mistake on my part. I'll quit holding back on you, then!" he stated as his snowmobile was replaced, before using Nos to catch up to Kotaro, Yuna, and Pirika. He reached them just in time to see Kotaro perform a jump from one of the ramps, but rather than go for the weapon, he aimed for Yuna.

She proved to be just as elusive as he was, though, because she swerved out of the way and let off the gas so that she lagged back slightly, putting Kotaro in front of her. "While you and Ren were busy duking it out, I was stocking up on missiles!" With that, the missiles flew forward from her snowmobile. Out of the five shots fired, only two managed to hit him as he turned sharply, but they clipped him enough to flip the vehicle on which he rode over.

"You're better than this, Kotaro-kun! Quit going easy on us, especially now that you know that all of us have played before!" she said, hitting him with another missile as soon as his snowmobile tipped back over. "Wait," Ren cut in, "Yuna's played before, too?"

"Like Pirika said, quit assuming things! Kotaro and I spent about an hour on this game earlier before we met up with Horohoro and the others. This game freak I'm playing next to won every round earlier, too, and he better start trying to win this round!" Kotaro laughed, "Alright, I'll show you all what a true game freak can do!"

While Ren attempted to shoot up a ramp, Kotaro grabbed some missiles and came to a complete halt next to the ramp Ren was jumping off. Ren landed, missiles in tow, and Kotaro launched his missiles. Right after, he aimed for Ren and hit the Nos button, which sent him forward fast enough so that he passed the very missiles he shot and managed to hit Ren's player with his own player's arm before the missiles struck.

"How in the Hell did you do that!" Ren exclaimed, looking with amazement at the ball of fire that used to be his snowmobile. Kotaro grinned as he continued on the course, "I'm a game freak, what can I say?"

Ren's vehicle had finally replaced itself, allowing him to catch up with his previous attacker by using Nos, swinging his arm and hitting Kotaro as he passed. "Why don't we show the girls how good we are at this game, Yukihiro?" the purple haired shaman suggested, earning a nod from the steel eyed boy. Both simultaneously smashed their Nos buttons, sending them flying toward their new targets.

Yuna launched a batch of missiles at Pirika in midair, but the Ainu girl swerved to quickly, "You'll have to do better than that, Yuna!", she laughed, before sending a barrage of missiles straight back at the girl, but the projectiles passed by her as she turned sharply, barely catching herself from falling into a dark crevice that served as an obstacle.

"Nice try, but you missed!" she spoke laughingly, only to notice the smirk firmly in place on Pirika's face, "Did I?" she asked, sending two sets of missiles at the trapped girl. Yuna looked in shock at the screen as her player fell into the crevice, the "GAME OVER" screen flashing red in front of her face. She gathered what was left of her dignity, though, cleared her throat, and left the console.

She walked over to the girl that was now in the lead, "If you keep this winning streak of yours up you just may prove yourself...to be better than game freak over there, I mean..." she said, embarrassed. Pirika smiled, "I'll make sure I beat Ren and Kotaro at the game for you, Yuna-chan." Yuna smiled slightly as well, before heading back over to the other side of Kotaro.

Now, only Pirika, Ren, and Kotaro remained playing the game. The yeti character swept past the purple haired one, heading for the navy haired character that was in the lead. Ren drove off of a ramp, heading for his rival, but missed as his prey swerved out of the way, revealing to his hunter why he had swerved in the first place. There was a large crevice, and Ren was flying straight toward it.

Luckily, though, he barely cleared the gaping hole, and was back in the race. The end of the course was nearing, and the obstacles were becoming fewer. He heard Pirika laugh just before his screen flashed red, announcing that a set of missiles had locked on to him. "Take this!" he yelled, sending a set of his own missiles after the passing victor. He received the satisfaction of seeing her snowmobile blow up upon impact with the projectiles, just before his own vehicle did the same.

Ren sighed as the screen flashed the GAME OVER sign in his face, but leapt off of his own snowmobile to cheer on the very player who had defeated him. The race was now in it's final phase, and the two combatants left were pelting each other with, not missiles, but fists, as they rode toward the finish line.

"Now we'll see which game freak shall be victorious." Yuna mumbled absentmindedly, receiving a grin from Ren.

Her comment was also heard by Pirika, who looked over in mock indignation to say, "I am not a game freak!" This was her only mistake throughout the game, because Kotaro, who had fallen a short distance behind, had just acquired a set of projectiles. He grinned and sent them at her, watching her snowmobile light up as he passed.

"You're good, Pirika-chan, but you're not good enough!" Kotaro laughed quietly as he approached the finish line. "I'll admit that I'm a closet game freak," Pirika stated quietly as her snowmobile rebuilt itself, "And that's exactly why I won't lose to you!" she finished triumphantly, slamming her hand down on the Nos button, and sending her snowmobile flying off of a ramp.

She crossed the finish line in midair...at the same time as Kotaro. "DRAW" their screens flashed in blue, surprising all four shamans. "What? Is it even possible to tie in a racing game!" Ren asked, looking between Kotaro and Pirika, seeing as they had the most gaming experience. "It's rare, but it can happen." Kotaro said, hopping off his snowmobile and heading over to Pirika's.

He bowed lowly, "I underestimated you, Pirika-chan. Your Onii-chan really did teach you everything he knew!" He smiled and put a sheepish hand behind his head. "I have an idea. Why don't I, to make up for my underestimations of you, buy you dinner?"

Ren glared darkly at the scene that was laid out before him. Pirika laughed, and modestly shook her head, "You don't have to do that, Kotaro-kun. We both won, so we'll both pay for dinner. Yuna-chan, Ren-kun, how about it, does dinner sound good to you?" She frowned slightly when she saw Ren's glare become colder.

"Sure, dinner for Yukihiro and you sounds really grand. I'd join you both, but I don't seem to have much of an appetite anymore..." he spat out, turning on heel and storming out of the arcade. The three he left behind looked at his retreating form in surprise, then at each other.

Yuna was the first to recover, "Kotaro, go find Ren, he seemed to think that you meant to take only Pirika out to dinner." Kotaro nodded determinedly, and headed out of the arcade. "Not you Pirika," Yuna said, grabbing the girl's arm so that she couldn't follow the steel eyed boy, "We need to talk." Pirika looked angrily at her rival, "We can talk about my not being good enough for Ren later, Akira, but right now, I'm going to go find him!"

Yuna looked shocked, but wouldn't let Pirika go. She seemed to get over her shock, because she was smiling slightly as she faced the ocean eyed girl, "We are going to talk about you and Ren, Pirika-chan, but I want to tell you why you might just be the best thing that's ever happened to him." Pirika stopped struggling to get away from the raven haired girl's iron grip and stared at her, beyond surprised.

"What?" the Ainu girl asked quietly, her eyes shining with confusion. Yuna smiled more, making Pirika become suspicious of her intentions. "Come with me." Yuna stated, pulling the girl out of the dark arcade and into the bright hallways. The azure haired girl squinted, trying to glare at her captor, "Well?" she asked, a skeptical look on her face.

"Well, I want to start by making sure that you knew that Kotaro had intended to bring Ren and I along to dinner as well. You did know that, right?" Yuna asked. Pirika nodded, "That's how we've celebrated everything since we were all children, what's wrong with that?" Yuna sighed, "Ren may have gotten the wrong idea. It has been years since Kotaro and him have met, and Ren has always considered him to be...his rival, I suppose."

"What was there to rival over?" Pirika asked, confused, again. Yuna smiled grimly, "Ren always thought that Kotaro was vying for your affections, so he has resented him since the beginning. When, in reality, Kotaro is only trying to be chivalrous and kind, but his deep friendship with you has sparked something inside of Ren."

Pirika's gaze darkened in thought, "So, you're trying to tell me that Ren is jealous?" she asked cautiously. Yuna nodded, glad that Pirika understood. Her relief was short lived, however, because Pirika had taken to glaring at her.

"Why are you bothering to tell me this? Is this another one of your tests? Is this another one of your lies so you can see "how gullible Pirika is"!" the Ainu questioned icily. Yuna closed her eyes in frustration, "Pirika-chan, didn't I just tell you that you're the best thing that's ever happened to him? Why would I say that if I didn't mean it?"

"To make a fool out of me, as you always attempt to!" Yuna's eyes snapped open at that, "Over the time I have spent with Kotaro, he has changed me. He's changed me so much, that I have come to realize that I have questioned your worth for years, Pirika-chan, and every time I try to bring you down or push you away, you prove that you aren't to be taken lightly! You're the only woman I have known that can handle that stubborn shaman, and, although you have been putting up with his shit for a shorter time than I have, you've definitely received more!"

Pirika's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened at Yuna's sudden outburst, but the Chinese girl wasn't finished yet, "I test you so much, because I want the best for Ren, and a strong wife for the future head of our clan. My cousin doesn't know what he wants half of the time, because he loses sight in what he should believe in, but he has always wanted you, Pirika-chan. And he feels that he has lost his fight for you, because his jealousy has blinded him again..."

The said girl, disoriented by this sudden news, spoke her query softly, "What?" Yuna frowned slightly, "You don't get it? He's in love with you, and has been since he met you." Pirika frowned, "He wouldn't have left all those years ago if he really cared." she stated bluntly, making to turn away from the girl, but being stopped by the "Iron Grip" again.

"When he left Patch Village to train in China, you were the only thing he thought or cared about. Uncle En, though he is not the harsh man he became during those years, played with his mind so that he would be ruthless and cold. It hurt me to see how hard Ren trained every waking moment, but he was training so hard, not to please his father, but to make you proud of him. He always believed that he wasn't worthy of you, he's even called you 'his angel'...Pirika-chan, though you may not believe me, I am sorry for the torment that I have burdened you with, but I was only looking out for my cousin."

Yuna looked hopefully at the doubting girl, who still seemed dazed. Her hope was crushed as Pirika whispered, "What?" again. Yuna looked at the wall next to her, and mentally restrained herself from smashing either her fist, head, or Pirika's head into it.

"What do you mean by, 'my cousin'?" Yuna looked skeptically at the azure haired girl, "Exactly what I said, I'm only looking out for my cousin. Uncle En has an older sister named Tao Meiya, she's my mother, therefore making Ren my cousin."

Pirika seemed to zone again, and Yuna was beginning to lose her patience, but the sea eyed girl snapped back to reality and embraced the raven haired girl jovially. "What the Hell! Let go of me!" Yuna shouted, beginning to think that Pirika had become insane.

"This is so wonderful, Yuna-chan," she said with a smile as she released the perturbed girl, "You can't be after Ren-kun, because you're his cousin!" Yuna's eyes widened and she seemed to gag with disgust, "You thought that I was after my own cousin! That is the sickest thing I have ever had the misfortune of hearing! You're insane!"

Pirika laughed slightly, "No, just happy! Does he really love me, Yuna-chan?" she asked, her cheeks becoming several different shades of red. "Yes, he does! Now go and get him back and leave me to wallow in your disturbing thoughts!" Her outburst only made Pirika laugh again, but the Ainu soon turned to leave again.

"Yuna?" Pirika asked, turning back to the raven haired girl. "What more do you want from me!" Yuna asked, exasperated and overcome by disgust. "Does this mean were friends?" Yuna's expression faded into a thoughtful look, and she nodded, "I suppose it does, Pirika-chan..."

Pirika smiled at her ex-rival, and ran down the hallway toward the elevators. Yuna smiled at her retreating form, and, when she was out of sight, began to gag again, "She thought I was into my cousin!"
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With Kotaro
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The red-clad boy knocked gently on the door to room forty-four A, and rapped a little louder when there was no response. Finally, footsteps were heard, and Ren opened the door. The glare that Kotaro received from the purple haired boy caused him to flinch slightly. "What do you want, Yukihiro?"

Kotaro put a hand behind his neck, "I wanted to apologize, and to say that you've got it all wrong, Ren-san." Ren's frown only deepened as he said, "Sure, shouldn't you be getting back to your date, now? Wouldn't want to leave her waiting for too long."

He began to close the door, but Kotaro stuck his foot in the way, "Please, Ren-san, listen to me! You misheard me earlier, I meant to treat everyone to dinner, not just Pirika!" Ren, however, didn't listen to his explanation, and pushed harder on the door, crushing Kotaro's foot between the door and the frame.

The hurting boy only clenched his jaw and muttered through the pressure that was slowly increasing with each second he didn't remove his foot, "I know that you can force me out of here, Ren, but I could care less if you shattered my foot, because what I have to say is worth hearing!"

Ren ceased his pushing for a few moments, then leaned close to Kotaro and whispered, "Fine!", before pushing harder on the door, causing the Ainu boy to gasp in pain, and then pulling it away. Kotaro sighed at the relieved tension, and looked down at his injured appendage, imagining the swelling that would make it impossible to remove his shoes later on that night.

He limped after the Chinese shaman, wincing every time his foot touched the floor. He sat down on the edge of the bed while the tiger eyed boy sat in the desk chair and faced him. "You have five minutes," Ren stated, "After that, I'll forcibly remove you from this room via the balcony." Kotaro nodded grimly, what the purple haired teenager had said wasn't a threat, it was a promise.

"As I said earlier, I was going to treat everyone to dinner, not just Pirika. I never meant to make you-"

"Make me what? Jealous! Well, don't worry, I'm not!" Ren spat out, glaring even harder at the Ainu boy, "I got the point. You can leave now. I'll even let you use the door, as long as you do it now..." When Kotaro shook his head, Ren got up from his seat and moved closer, "I will throw you off of the balcony if you don't walk out yourself, Yukihiro."

"I know that Ren, but you haven't seemed to have gotten the fact that a mistake has been made on both of our parts!" Ren smirked and grabbed the steel eyed boy's shoulder, "Oh, really? What mistakes are those? Are they my 'jealousy' and your 'causing the entire problem'!" he clutched a fistful of the red hoody that Kotaro was wearing, and pulled so that he was standing up.

Kotaro's eyes widened as a frowning Ren dragged him toward the open balcony doors, forcing him to hop on his uninjured foot. He frantically searched for an escape route, "My mistake was not expressing my intentions more clearly, and yours was walking away from Pirika in the first place!" This was apparently not the right thing to say, because Ren merely jerked his arm, causing Kotaro to lose his balance.

"Why should I not walk away? She's done it before, as well!" He asked, stopping his dragging and turning to his relieved captive. Kotaro looked Ren in the eye, "Because she loves you, Ren. And when you walk away, it hurts her more than anything else."

Ren stared back at the determined Ainu, before releasing him and walking back over to the desk chair. "What the Hell are you talking about, Yukihiro? She seemed pretty delighted by your treating 'us' to dinner." he asked quietly, taking a seat and glaring at the wall.

Kotaro got up from the floor, and hobbled back to the bed, but made sure to sit on the side farthest from the balcony. "Ren," he began, "I was the one that she confided in after you left Patch Village to train in China, she was completely heartbroken. She kept asking me why you had to leave to train, and why Horohoro was training, as well. Horohoro told Yoh, when they first met, that he trained so hard so that he could save all of Hokkaido and Patch Village, but his real reason was so that he would be strong enough to defeat you. Pirika didn't smile for two years after you left...and Horohoro hates you for that."

"I had to train to become the Shaman King, so that I could...never mind, it's none of your business, Yukihiro..." Ren said, running his hands through his purple hair. Kotaro frowned, "She told me about when you stayed at the En Inn during the tournament, as well..."

Ren sighed, "I wanted to be the Shaman King so that I could be strong for her...but I just ended up hurting her more..."
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Flashback, Ren - Thirteen years old, Pirika - Twelve years old
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The purple haired shaman sighed as he looked around the En Inn, 'Though it's small and could use cleaning, I suppose that it has to be better than the mansion in China...who knows what could happen if I sought shelter there...' he thought, remembering the harsh training that he had been forced to undergo within the dungeons of the nearly damnable place.

The Taos, throughout his training, had become his most hated enemy, because, while his father grew colder with each passing day, his mother and sister could do nothing to stop it. Even his Aunt Meiya, En's elder sister, could not prevent the beatings and abuse that he went through every day.

He hated them not only because of his training, but because they had taken him away from Pirika, his Ainu fiancé. He had begged to stay in Patch Village with the people that he had come to trust, but his father would not be swayed on the issue, and flew back to China on a private jet, not giving him any time to say goodbye to Pirika. En told him that if he became the Shaman King, he would be wise and strong enough to have a fiancé like Pirika.

As time went on, Ren had attempted to write to her, but only managed to complete one, because he would become frustrated and ruin the letter be tearing it to shreds if it wasn't satisfactory. His letter was short, saying only that he would return one day stronger than before, and that he was sorry. He signed it "Love Always, Tao Ren", but he expected that she was far too angry to ever read it.

He let out another sigh and made his way up the stairs so that he might place his things in his room. He glanced into the open door of Asakura Yoh's room, and saw the Itako and him meditating together. He shook his head as he remembered how hard Kyouyama Anna could slap, and continued down the hall to his room.

Ren placed all of his things in the corner of his new room, his Kwan Dao leaning up against the wall near the futon he would sleep on. He heard a familiar humming, and looked around. He had heard that tune before, when he stayed in Patch Village with Pirika and Horohoro. The humming had stopped, however, and Ren believed himself to be daydreaming again.

When he was all packed, he headed into the hall, looking for the kitchen so that he could get a glass of milk. His tiger eyes glanced frantically around when the familiar humming once again sounded, it was coming up the stairs. He stood in place, his chest growing tighter as the sound moved closer.

There was a flash of azure and his breath caught in his throat. 'It can't be...why should she be here?' he thought in amazement. The girl was carrying a basket of laundry, but it soon fell to the floor as she noticed Ren, who was still standing in place.

Ren looked Pirika over, but stayed where he was. She had definitely grown taller, and looked way more mature than she used to be. She still opted for wearing light blue, like most members of Patch Village, and her ocean colored eyes were brighter than ever.

"Ren-kun?" she asked quietly, shocked and amazed to see him standing before her. He blushed at his old nickname, surprised that she would actually use it again. "Pirika...I'm sorry, I'll help you pick this up..." he said quietly, getting on his knees to pick up the basket and the clothing. His blush only deepened when she stooped to help, as well.

They worked in silence. Once half of the pile that had been dropped to the ground was, again, in the basket, their hands bumped into each other. Ren froze, his face becoming even more red than it already was, as she gently grasped his hand. "It's been a long time, Ren-kun...I've missed you..."

He began to tighten his own grip on the hand he hadn't held in so long, but stopped, snatched his hand away from hers, stood up, and brushed past with nary a word, the shock of it all making it feel like a dream. 'She shouldn't be so kind to me...if she knew what I did to get into the tournament...and of all of the blood I have shed...she'd think me a monster...stay away from me, Pirika-chan, I'm dangerous...' He then walked down the stairs and right into the elder Ainu sibling, who had been carrying his own load of laundry.

"What the Hell, Pirika, why did you stop so sudden-" Horohoro exclaimed, stopping dead once he noticed that it was Ren who had accidentally knocked the laundry out of his hands. "What the Hell are you doing here, Tao?" he hissed dangerously, his fists shaking with barely contained anger.

"I should be asking the same you question, Horohoro..." He was unprepared for the punch that connected squarely with his jaw that would've sent him down the stairs, had he not clutched the railing in time. "Don't you dare call me by my first name, Tao! You made my sister cry, and now you've come back to hurt her again, just after she's almost healed! You're a monster that doesn't deserve her tears!"

He took another swing at the purple haired boy, but Ren quickly ducked, his training taking over the motions of his arms as he swung back, knocking Horohoro to the ground and down the three steps he had come up. "Shit, Horohoro, I apologize, I'm not quite sure what-" he said, as he went down to help his betrothed's brother up, but was tackled around the middle into the wall.

Because of his training, his instinct to protect himself took over, and he fought back against Horohoro. Both of them were sporting black eyes and various injuries by the time Anna had come down the stairs from her meditation to assist Pirika in breaking up the fight.

"Enough!" the blond shouted, startling the two boys apart, "If there is one scratch on the boards of my floor, you'll both endure five weeks of my 'Boot Camp Hell' training. Now, explain yourselves." she commanded, glaring as they hesitated. Horohoro was the first to recover, "He knocked me down on the stairs, Anna."

"You punched me for that! What the Hell is wrong with you!" Anna's sudden glare silenced both of them, "Never mind, the both of you are morons and are going to clean the house for two weeks to make up for fighting under my roof. Understood?"

They both glared at each other, but nodded quickly, nonetheless. When Anna had walked away, Pirika turned to the boys, "I can't believe you two..." and she ran up the stairs, tears in her eyes. Ren and Horohoro looked up the stairs for a few moments, but soon turned to each other in fury, "I knew that you came back to hurt her again, Tao!"

"What the fuck! This is your fault, too, Horohoro!"

"You don't deserve to breathe the same air as me, let alone call me by my first name!" the Ainu exclaimed, making as if he was going to hit the Chinese shaman, but stopping once he remembered his sister. "I'll deal with you later, Tao. Leave my sister and I alone." he stated icily, heading upstairs to comfort his sister.

"What have I done? He's right, I've become a monster..." Ren muttered quietly as he picked himself up off the floor, looking up to the stairs.
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Present
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"It took me months to get her to forgive me and understand." Ren muttered sadly, remembering the first night that they watched the sunset together during the Shaman Tournament. He sighed, "It'll probably take even longer to get her to see that I'm sorry this time, though..."

Kotaro shook his head, "She loves you, Ren, I don't think that it'll take very long at all...you love her, too, don't you?" Ren blushed, but replied, "Yes, Yukihiro, I always have..." Kotaro nodded, finding that answer satisfactory, "Then I entrust her into your care. Oh, and Ren?" he asked as he began to limp for the door, "I thought I told you to call me by my first name?"

"Goodbye, and thank you...Kotaro..." Ren said, a smile on his face, though it was hidden by his hands. He heard the door click shut, and, lifting his head, turned to glance out onto the balcony. He stood up, walking out into the rays of moonlight.

Find me here, and speak to me
I want to feel you, I need to hear you
You are the light that's leading me
To the place where I find peace, again

Many couples were out on their balconies, just enjoying the chance to spend some time alone with each other. He sighed as he leaned on the railing, not caring, for once, about the height at which he stood. A sigh escaped the purple haired shaman's lips, but it soon became a slight gasp as two arms slid around his middle.

You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the light to my soul
You are my purpose, you're everything

He felt long hair brush against the side of his neck as Pirika rested her head on his shoulder, her hands clasped together in front of him. He turned slightly, wrapping his own arms around her, and turning around gently so that she was in front of him. He lifted his hand to brush away some hair from her eyes.

And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me, how could it be
Any better than this, yeah

"I'm so sorry, Pirika...I got jealous over nothing...and I'm an idiot for ever walking away from you..." he whispered in her ear as he pulled her into an embrace. She held him, as well, feeling his heartbeat as she rested her head on his shoulder again.

You calm the storms, and you give me rest
You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall
You steal my heart, and you take my breath away
Would you take me in, take me deeper now

"You have no reason to apologize for being jealous, if anyone deserves an apology, it's you." Ren looked into the full moon, "What do you mean, Pirika?" he asked quietly, stroking her hair lightly. "I should have never been so callous toward you...or my feelings." she spoke quietly, as she looked up to meet his widening eyes.

And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me, how could it be
Any better than this

"It's true, then? You love me?" he asked cautiously, hope filling his expression. Pirika smiled, making her look, to Ren, like an angel. 'I've been saved by my angel, again...' he thought, smiling softly at her beauty. "Only if you love me as well..."she said quietly, her ocean-blue eyes meeting with his tiger-gold ones.

And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me, how could it be
Any better than this

"Always." Ren whispered, pulling her tighter to him within their embrace, and pressing his lips to hers. The kiss they shared was gentle and tentative, not forceful, nor feather-light. 'I finally got to kiss you, Pirika...I'm never going to walk away from you again, my angel...not if it means I'd be missing out on spending the rest of my life with you...' he thought, his eyes sliding shut as the Ainu's did the same.

'Cause you're all I want, you're all I need
You're everything, everything
You're all I want, you're all I need
You're everything, everything

'Then I'll also love you forever, Ren, because an angel needs a guardian...and there could be no better guardian than you...' she thought, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him slightly closer to deepen the kiss.

You're all I want, you're all I need
You're everything, everything
You're all I want, you're all I need
Everything, everything

Ren, very willingly, obliged, nearly drowning in the sensation of kissing someone he loved more than anything. It was a sensation that the purple haired boy wished never to end.

And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me, how could it be
Any better than this

If it was even possible, Pirika felt her heart beat faster. They had been kissing for what felt like forever, when it was really only a few short moments, and she didn't want forever to end. Eventually, though, they both pulled reluctantly away from each other.

And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me, how could it be
Any better, any better than this

Ren touched his forehead to Pirika's, a familiar smile firmly set onto his face. He kissed the azure haired girl softly again, and leaned toward her ear, "I love you, Pirika...I always have and always will...nothing will ever change that."

(And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me, how could it be
Any better than this...)

The Chinese shaman's heart fluttered as he saw her brilliant smile, "And I always have and always will love you, as well, Ren...I don't believe that you'd ever let anything change that, anyway." Pirika whispered, her hand reaching up to lightly caress his cheek.

Would you tell me, how could it be
Any better than this?

Ren's own smile grew wider as his eyes slid shut and he pressed his face into her hand, delighted at the small touch on his cheek. He opened his eyes again, and kissed her deeply, believing that he truly was the luckiest man alive.

"We may have missed the sunset," he whispered, once they had parted, "But would you care to sit out here with me to watch the stars for awhile?" His query was received by a smile, and a held hand as the Ainu and the Tao sat on the bench together.
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As an apology for the lack of RenPirika in the last chapter (and as another plea for the excuse of my tardiness with posting new chapters), I have posted this chapter much sooner than I had previously planned, and, I wish to add, that it is my longest chapter so far!

I turned sixteen on April 22nd! Happy Birthday to me!

I may not be able to update very fast after this chapter (which is another reason for it's early update), because my family is going through some tough times, and a custody battle over me may be happening soon between my mother and father. Sorry, but it cannot be helped.

I'm not sure if any of my original readers have noticed or not, but the group will now only stay at the Spirit Mountain Ski Resort for three days, not one-two weeks. I've decided that the entire plot of my story can be covered in three days at the resort. There will, of course, be drama, romance, flashbacks, and a happy ending!

No, I am not obsessed with Lifehouse, they just create beautiful music...

Thank you, to ALL of my readers (and an even bigger thank you to my reviewers) for sticking with me this far into a fic! It means my entire writing career that you all are pleased with my works! I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter of "A Very Good Liar", and will review, and continue to check in on this fic for updates!