Hey all! Many thanks for all your support and reviews. snow-angel-anna has already updated, so please do check it out. Thanks! Anyways, here's chapter 4. Enjoy!

Chapter 4- Beginnings

Lyn opened her eyes and blinked in surprise to find herself in her room. She remembered falling asleep in the park under the open sky. Ren must have carried her back to the inn. She turned and looked at the digital clock she had placed on her bedside table and saw that it was only eight in the morning. It was Friday, two days since they had left Patch village. Lyn got up and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

THUMP. Lyn sat on the floor in a daze, scratching her head. She had been limping back to her room when she had tripped over her injured ankle. "What is all this din so early in the morning for?" Anna demanded, staring down at Lyn. Lyn grinned sheepishly. "I tripped over my injured ankle…"

"Faust? Yoh! Where is Faust? Go get him." Anna shouted impatiently, pounding on Yoh's room door. The door slid open and an extremely sleepy Yoh emerged, yawning and scratching his back. "What?"

"Go get Faust." Anna repeated, her tone sharp. "Eh? But it's so early…Faust will probably still be sleeping and I want to sleep too…" Yoh knew he had made a mistake when he saw Anna staring at him coldly and he turned and ran down the hall. "Sorry! Sorry! I'll go get Faust now!"

"Thank you…" Lyn thanked Anna, still grinning sheepishly. "I don't want you waking me up every morning with all the noise you make tripping over your injured leg. And wipe that annoying smile off your face." Anna said, looking away from Lyn. Faust came striding down the hall, his face concerned. "Miss Anna, what happened?" "Faust. Do something about her ankle, would you?" "Yes Miss Anna."

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"You shouldn't put any pressure on your left leg for about two days as the muscles will still be sore from the minor operation I just gave you. So, you either hop around on one leg, or you can be carried around…" Faust told Lyn, smiling gently. "That shouldn't be a problem. I'll carry her around." Hao said cheerfully, walking into Lyn's room. "I think I'll walk…" Lyn muttered, narrowing her eyes at him.

"No. Can you imagine how much your right leg will hurt from all the effort? So, my lady, where do you want your trusty steed to bring you?" Hao said, chuckling. "I don't want you to bring me anywhere, because I can walk on my own." Lyn replied coldly.

"Did you ask to go to the roof? Alright then." Hao scooped Lyn up in his arms, ignoring her shouts.

"My lady, we have arrived." Hao set Lyn down, then bowed gallantly. "What did you do that for? I told you I could bloody well walk on my own! I don't want to be here. I'd much rather –MMPH!"

Hao stifled Lyn's complaints by planting his lips on hers. Lyn's eyes bulged and she clenched her fists in anger. WHAM! Before Hao knew what had hit him, Lyn whammed her fist down on his head. Hao hissed in pain but did not break the kiss.

Lyn began pummeling Hao with her fists, but he refused to let go of her. Suddenly, he slumped to the ground with a groan.

"Oh no! What have I done!" Lyn panicked and shook Hao desperately, trying to rouse him. She put her finger at his nose and realised with horror that he wasn't breathing.

"Looks like I have to…" Lyn recoiled in disgust at the thought but took a deep breath to calm herself. "Do I really have to?" Lyn tried to think of another way, but that was the only option that she could see. If she didn't do it, Hao might just die. Lyn took a deep breath, then bent down and started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on him.

Hao smiled and opened his eyes, and had to suppress a surge of laughter. Lyn's eyes were squeezed shut, and her whole body was tense and shivering. This was better than he had expected. All he had wanted was to get Lyn into a panic, but she had gone further and done mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on him. He slipped his arms around her waist and grinned when he heard her squeak.

Hao pulled Lyn's body closer to his and began kissing her, forcing her lips open with his tongue. When he had finally pried her lips open, his tongue darted excitedly around her mouth. He felt her hot breath on his tongue and he smirked. He had won this battle.

Just then, he felt Lyn bite down on his tongue and he hissed, but refused to let go. She bit down a second time, hard, and he jerked out of the kiss, feeling his tongue to check if it was still intact.

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Kaede knocked on Lyn's room door, then slid it open when there was no reply. White Dragon flew off her shoulder and around the empty room. It was already nine-thirty in the morning. Had she even returned the previous night? Kaede ran down the stairs worriedly, but stopped when she saw Yoh, Anna, Faust, Jun and Ren sitting calmly around the table.

"Did Lyn come back last night?" Kaede asked, looking at Ren meaningfully as he had been the one who went to look for her the previous night. "She's not in her room?" Ren asked calmly.

"After I performed the minor operation on her ankle, Master Hao carried her off. She didn't seem too happy about it…" Faust said quietly. "Lets just start breakfast without those two. If we wait for them, we might just starve to death." Anna said, taking some food and slowly chewing on it.

Kaede sat down on the vacated side of the table with a sigh, and was reaching for some food when Hao strode into the room carrying Lyn. The two of them were staring daggers at each other. Hao set her down next to Kaede, then sat down next to her.

"I think I taste blood in my mouth." Hao growled, glaring at Lyn. "It's your fault for bloody sticking your tongue in my mouth!" Lyn retorted, sticking her tongue out at him.

Kaede gasped and saw Ren give a start. Hao had put his tongue in Lyn's mouth? Meaning they had kissed? She felt heat rising to her cheeks, and she felt her stomach twist with jealousy.

"Stop arguing about such things over breakfast. It spoils our appetites." Anna cut in their argument coldly. Lyn flushed and began eating silently, glaring at Hao from the corner of her eyes. Hao merely ignored her and ate his food, scowling.

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"Yoh! Stop nodding off like that and clear the table." Anna snapped at Yoh after they had eaten. "I can't help it, Anna…you woke me up so early this morning…" Yoh complained, but got up and began clearing the table with Faust helping him.

Hao stood up and bent down to carry Lyn up again, but Lyn stood up at the exact same moment, which resulted in her head bashing into his chin.

"Shit! I'm sorry! Are you ok?" Lyn gasped, rubbing her head. "I'm fine…" Hao replied, rubbing his chin. Lyn nodded in relief, then hopped after Kaede, who was walking out the front door. Hao stood rooted to the ground, his mouth open but no sound coming out. He had expected her to panic for a longer time, and had planned to sweep her off her feet when she was unprepared.

Hao heard a giggle, followed by a snort. He turned around and saw Jun laughing, her hand covering her mouth. A tiny smile was playing on Ren's lips. Hao also realised with a start that there was an amused look on Anna's face. Hao flushed and walked out the front door.

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"Are you alright? You looked pretty upset during the meal…" Lyn asked, her deep blue eyes flooded with concern. Kaede tried to ignore Lyn, but seeing the concern on Lyn's face, she couldn't help but be honest with her feelings.

"Do you like Hao?" Kaede asked abruptly. Lyn blinked in surprise, then thought for a moment before answering. "I think he's a great guy and all, maybe a little weird, not to mention extremely perverted, but he's a nice friend, and that's all he is to me. A friend, nothing else. Why'd you suddenly ask something like that anyway?" Lyn asked, looking at Kaede questioningly. Kaede shook her head, although she was no longer frowning.

"Then what about Ren? What do you feel for him?" Hao asked, walking out from behind the tree where he had stopped when he had heard Lyn and Kaede talking. Lyn looked up in surprise, then shrugged. "He's only a close friend. That's it." Hao nodded thoughtfully.

So that means…I still stand a chance.

And as long as there's a chance, I won't give up.

I will do everything within my power to win her heart.

After all, all's fair in love and war.

"Ren, would you go out and call those three in for awhile?" Jun asked, smiling sweetly. Ren gave a start, shaken out of his thoughts. He stood up reluctantly and walked out the front door. He was just about to slide the door shut behind him when he heard some voices speaking.

"He's only a close friend. That's it." Lyn's words echoed in his mind, and he felt as if cold water had been splashed on him. He felt a dull ache in his chest, as if a sharp sword had just pierced his heart, and the pain was only cushioned by his lack of emotion, or rather, his not knowing how he should feel.

Why do I feel this pain?

Even if it's simply a dull ache

For however slight it may be,

The simple fact remains

That it shouldn't even exist.

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"Hey…guys…Jun and the rest want you back in the house. I think they're discussing something about an outing this Sunday…" Lyn, Kaede and Hao looked up, surprised, then nodded and started walking back towards the house. Ren stared at their backs for awhile before walking after them.

"So…we were thinking, since this Sunday is our last day before returning to school, why not have an outing to the theme park, since it's only a two hour train ride away?" Yoh said, grinning from ear to ear. He half expected Ren to explode about how it was a waste of time, and so he was surprised when Ren agreed quite readily. Lyn was nodding her head eagerly, and Hao agreed, laughing at the eager look on Lyn's face. Kaede smiled a small smile and agreed too.

After they had settled the details of the outing on Sunday, Ren grabbed Kwan Dao from the corner of the dining room where he had placed it. "Why'd you bring that along, anyway?" Yoh asked, scratching his head.

"Jun wanted to visit, and I know how long her visits can be, so I decided to bring it along and get some physical training done…" Ren replied gruffly.

"Ooh! You're gonna train with the spear? Can I watch?" Lyn asked, standing up so suddenly that she lost her balance. She fell forward but Ren caught her. "Yea…I guess so…"

Yoh was surprised that Ren even allowed her to watch him train. He usually said people who did that were getting in his way. What made it even more surprising was that Ren had smiled when he had agreed.

Hao frowned a little when he saw Ren walking out with Lyn hopping behind. Ren was walking slowly so Lyn would not have to hop too fast, and from where he was sitting, Hao could see that Ren's muscles were tense and that he was ready to catch Lyn if she tripped.

"I think that Ren and Lyn would make a cute couple…" Yoh commented, grinning widely. "Don't let him hear you say that…" Jun said, laughing. "Lyn doesn't like Ren as anything more than a friend…" Hao interrupted with a growl.

Hao saw Kaede get up and leave the dining room, and he stood up and followed her. He needed to talk to her. Maybe Lyn was dense when it came to this kind of things, but Hao could tell that Kaede liked him. If that was the case, then she would have been hurt when she heard that he had kissed Lyn. To minimize the hurt she would feel, he would need to make a clear stand on his feelings for her.

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Kaede climbed up the roof of the inn, and sat down where she could see Ren training in the garden. "Yo." She whipped her head around when she heard someone call, then turned back when she saw that it was Hao. He probably knew that she liked him already. She flushed when he sat down beside her.

"I'm sorry if this hurts you, but I think I should make a clear stand about my feelings before the situation gets any more complex. I know how you feel towards me, but right now, the only one I have space in my heart for, is Lyn."

Kaede felt tears welling up in her and she desperately forced them down and made herself smile. "I knew that already…it's fine…" She said, making her voice seem cheery. They sat in awkward silence for awhile, and Kaede swallowed, trying to force the lump in her throat down.

"You didn't seem very enthusiastic about the outing to the theme park. Why?" Hao asked, looking at her questioningly. Kaede sat in silence for awhile before speaking. "The theme park…was the last place we went as a family…before my parents divorced. So every time I go to a theme park, I will remember and miss the times we had together."

Hao sat in silent contemplation for awhile. "But it'll be better this time. Because all of us, your friends, are going to be there with you. So I hope you'll just smile and enjoy yourself." Hao paused.

What am I saying?

Those words…

Just came out so naturally.

"And also because Lyn will want to see you smile." Hao ended. Kaede bit her lip and nodded sadly. "I think…I'll head back to my room now…" Kaede said, standing up and climbing off the roof. Hao nodded absently and then focused his attention on Ren and Lyn.

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"Crap! I wish my leg was ok so I could spar with you right now!" Lyn cried, bouncing on the rock that she was sitting on by the pond. Just then, she toppled backwards and landed in the pond with a splash.

Ren froze in mid-stance and stared, stunned, at the ripples in the pond. The next second, Lyn emerged from the pond, sputtering, a frog on her head. She stood up and took the frog off her head, throwing it back into the pond, a disgusted look on her face.

Ren stared at the disgusted expression on her face and began chortling. Lyn glared at him, sticking her tongue out at him. "How would you like it if I threw a frog in your face!" Lyn cried indignantly. Upon seeing the indignant expression on her face, Ren's chortle became a laugh.

Suddenly, he felt something slimy hit his face. He stared at Lyn, who was grinning, in shock, then he set Kwan Dao on the ground and jumped into the pond and pulled her down into the water. He then swam to the side of the pond and climbed out.

Lyn emerged a second later, and he held a hand out to pull her out of the pond. She took it, sticking her tongue out at him cheekily. When she was out of the pond, she pinched her nose and shook her head, trying to dry out her hair. Ren stared at her in amusement.

You're so full of life,

Just bouncing around,

You're sincere with emotions

And I know I can trust you.

Just then, a cold wind blew, and Lyn sneezed. Ren scooped her up in his arms with a sigh and walked back to the house, kicking Kwan Dao up from the floor and catching it.

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"Why are the two of you so wet?" Yoh asked when they entered the house. "We had a little…incident…with the pond." Ren replied, his face serious once again. Anna handed the two of them towels grudgingly, and they dried themselves.

"Well, Ren, let's go…" Jun said when Ren had dried himself. Ren nodded and grabbed Kwan Dao, then walked out the door without even saying goodbye. "Well, we'll see you on Sunday…" Jun sighed, then followed Ren out the door. Yoh looked at Ren who was walking down the garden, then looked towards Lyn, who was hopping back to her room.

What would happen on Sunday?

Haha hope you liked it. Hopefully, I can post chapter 5 by Friday, even in the midst of my exams. Remember to review! Thanks a lot!