Hey. Chapter 9 is up. Oh man I like the italics in this chapter A LOT. Especially the poems. Hehe I worked hard to at least make them sound nice, even if they don't rhyme…so I hope you enjoy them as much as I did thinking of them. Haha thanks to all the reviewers! Love you guys! Its so sad that Lyn's parents died…but I kinda planned that from the start. Haha. Anyway, hope you enjoy chapter 9!

Chapter 9- Tears

Lyn screamed in anguish and tears flooded down her face as she sank to her knees. Her heart was racked with grief. She could not believe the fact that her parents were dead. Murdered. By him no less.

Ren clenched his fists in anger as he watched the heart wrenching scene before him. Lyn's parents had been murdered. And he had been unable to DO. A. THING.

Tears of rage rose in surges within him, and for a few seconds, he fought a battle with himself to keep his emotions under control.

Ren felt a wrench at his heart when Lyn suddenly stood up, ran to a nearby tree and began punching it repeatedly with her right hand, clutching at the tree trunk with her left hand.

"Damn it! DAMN IT!" Lyn shouted with every punch that landed on the tree, emphasizing every syllable. She was no longer crying, but her face was twisted with anguish. Soon, her knuckles were bleeding profusely.

Ren couldn't bear to see Lyn torture herself in that way, so he dashed towards her and grabbed her hands.

"Stop it! Stop doing such stupid things to hurt yourself!" Ren growled angrily, regretting his tone almost immediately. It wasn't so much that he was angry with Lyn. The anger was directed more at himself, and the fact that he was unable to do anything to ease her anguish. Ren wasn't used to feeling helpless.

Ren felt a sharp pain in his chest when Lyn turned and glared at him. Her eyes were filled with anger, hatred, frustration and sorrow, and her glare was so enraged.

Lyn ripped her hands out of Ren's grip and slammed her right hand on the tree one last time before sinking to her knees, dragging her fist down along the tree trunk. There she knelt, sobbing silently.

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Ren knelt down beside Lyn and put his hands on her shoulders. He turned her body so she faced him and then pulled her to his chest, stroking her hair tenderly.

As Ren stroked her hair, Lyn cried even harder than ever into his chest. She had not been able to avenge her parents, all because she could not bring herself to kill him.

Ren continued stroking Lyn's hair, murmuring comforting words to her as he let her cry her heart out into his chest.

It broke my heart to see you so,
Your tears free flowing, your eyes so cold.
It was as if your very soul,
Was shattered and broken, because of that foe.

All I could do, as you cried your heart out,
Was stand there and watch you helplessly.
I could have killed myself, for all my esteem,
Was but for naught in that heartwrenching scene.

I took a step forward, and held you in my arms,
And to my surprise, it felt like we were one.
It felt so right to have you there,
So I held you tight, and gave you my care.

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As Ren held Lyn close to him, the last traces of uncertainty and self-denial in him faded away. He had fallen for her, and fallen hard at that. Whether he liked it or not, nothing could change that fact.

Lyn cried, her face buried in Ren's chest. His strong arms around her were silently warm and comforting and made her feel safe. Too safe.

Lyn pushed Ren away from her suddenly and stood up, forcing her tears down and wiping her tear-streaked face. Ren looked at her in shock and she turned her back to him. The light of the setting sun reflected off her deep blue eyes, showing that her eyes were trembling.

I felt so warm when you held me close,
Safe from my head, down to my toes.
I liked that feeling because for once in my life,
I was protected and felt safe from harm.

As that warm feeling intensified,
As sudden fear attacked my heart.
To depend on you, would bring you harm,
So I pushed you away, though it hurt me much.

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Lyn struggled to hold back a torrent of tears trying to escape. For some reason, she had felt a pang in her chest when she had pushed Ren away. But no matter. She did no…could not regret her actions.

It wasn't that she hadn't liked the warm feeling she had gotten in Ren's arms. It was just that she had felt so safe there. Too safe. She could not allow herself the luxury of feeling safe. To get used to it would endanger innocent lives. She could not let her guard down. Especially now that he had started making his move.

But what had that warm feeling been? That warm feeling which had set her heart racing as Ren comforted her? Was this what the adults called, love?

No! It couldn't be! She could not afford to fall in love with anyone. He would simply exploit that and use it to his advantage. Right now, falling in love would weaken her and put her at a disadvantage.

Besides, loving him would put his life in danger. And she had sworn to herself never to endanger another person's life.

Loving brings along with it, weakness.

It ties you down and leaves you unable to fly freely.

And it gives your enemies a weapon against you.

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Hurt shone in Ren's golden eyes as he stared at Lyn's back. He had finally admitted his feelings for Lyn to himself, and yet he had been pushed away when he had tried to comfort her.

But now was not the time for self-pity. Lyn was devastated enough and needed his support. It was the only thing he could do to help right now. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

Ren stood up and walked towards Lyn, gently holding her elbow with his thumb and index finger. "Hey…are you feeling a little better? If not…you can hit me…just don't hurt yourself by hitting the tree again…"

When Lyn heard the kind and tender tone of Ren's voice, she felt the tears threaten to fall again. She could at least have pushed him away in a kinder way. She forced a weak smile onto her face and nodded slowly.

"Well, do you need to call your relatives and arrange the funeral or something?" Ren asked cautiously, hoping that his question wouldn't upset Lyn any further. Lyn gave him a smile which was steadier than the previous, but at the same time, the smile conveyed strong feelings of sorrow.

"Nah…we haven't really been in touch with the extended family since a certain…incident…and besides, my parents would prefer a simple burial. I just need to send them off for the last time, then, I will have to move on."

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Lyn sat by her parents' graves in a forest clearing silently, remembering all the times they had spent together.

Her father had always been there for her, and he had been like both a father and a brother to her. When she had first shown the shamanic ability, her father had been the one who cheered her on and told her never to give up in the course of her training. When she had been chosen for the school basketball team, her father had cheered the loudest at her first match.

Her mother had been the greatest mother. Maybe she would never be perfect, but to Lyn, she would always be the closest to perfect that any mother would ever be. Her mother had looked after her when she was sick, and had taken all the tantrums she had thrown as a child patiently. Her mother had been a friend she could talk to when she had quarreled with her friends, or when a friend had betrayed her.

Lyn was deep in thought, but was awakened to reality when a hand appeared in front of her face with a bunch of wildflowers. She looked up in surprise and saw Ren smiling at her gently. "Here…these flowers are beautiful…they will make the perfect send off gift to your parents…I'm sure they will love it…"

Lyn shook her head, smiling gratefully. "Why don't you take that as your gift to them? I have something else in mind…" Lyn said as she stood up and walked over to her backpack.

Ren set the flowers down in between the two graves, then watched as Lyn dug through her backpack and took out an assortment of trinkets strung together, then walked back to her parents' graves. She set the whole string of trinkets down in between the two graves, next to the flowers.

"What's that?" Ren asked, looking at each of the trinkets curiously.

"They are all souvenirs from things we did together. That bear claw there was from the time when my father brought me to a forest to train, and a bear attacked us, and then we fought it off together…"

"How about this?" Ren asked, pointing to a small round pebble which reflected the light of the setting sun in a rainbow of colours. Lyn looked at it for awhile, her face softening before she shook her head and hardened her expression.

"That…was when we climbed a mountain, and reached the peak…we conquered the mountain…as a whole family…" Ren looked at Lyn in surprise. "A whole family? What do you mean? Haven't you all always done things together?"

"I…had a brother…he was four years older than me…he…died…when I was say, eleven?" Ren looked at Lyn in concern, but saw no trace of emotion on her face. Her face might as well have been carved from stone. "Does Kaede know about this?"

"Nah…he died before I met her, and I never really found the need to tell her about it…anyway, my brother and I found the stone at the peak of the mountain. I was around six then…" There was an awkward silence for awhile.

"Does your hand…hurt?" Ren asked as he took Lyn's right hand gently into his and ran a finger over the wounds tenderly. "I'm fine…I'm numb to the pain…" Lyn replied shortly, slipping her hand out of his, a slight flush on her cheeks.

Ren nodded thoughtfully, then walked towards a nearby tree and leaned against it, looking up at the sky as Lyn continued her reflection.

The stars are always there,
Even when we can't see them.
They're always there, watching us,
Guiding us, and protecting us.

The eyes of the heavens,
That are the eyes of the souls,
Will always watch us,
And protect us with their love.

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"Oh! You guys are finally back. Come on…we were about to start dinner without you…" Hao said, grinning as they walked in the front door of Kaede's manor. Lyn nodded silently, her face expressionless, causing Kaede to peer at her worriedly.

"You guys start first…we'll join you in a few minutes…" Ren said as Lyn took a step towards the dining room. He grabbed Lyn's hand, taking care not to touch the wound on her right hand, and pulled her up the stairs into his room.

"Give me that…" Ren said, slipping Lyn's backpack off her shoulder and setting it down beside his duffel bag.

"I'm sure you don't want Kaede to see your hand, in case she gets worried, so lets get it bandaged…" Ren said, digging into his bag and taking out a roll of bandages. Lyn nodded gratefully, and held her left hand out to take the roll of bandages from him, but he shook his head and sat her down on his bed.

Lyn watched in surprise as Ren squatted down in front of her and began bandaging her right hand carefully. Then, she felt a blush slowly creep up her cheeks as her heart beat faster than usual.

Lyn tried to calm herself down. She could not fall in love with Ren. She had to fight that feeling back. Love was a weakness.

"There…we're done…well…let's go down for dinner…" Ren said, giving her an encouraging smile as he stood up. Lyn shook herself out of her thoughts and stood up, walking out the door with Ren following her.

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"Lyn…what happened to your hand? Why is it bandaged?" Kaede asked when she noticed Lyn's bandaged right hand as they were eating. Lyn put her fork and spoon down and smiled bitterly, unconsciously rubbing the bandaged area.

"I fell into a ditch and scratched my knuckles…" Ren blinked in surprise and nearly choked on his food at Lyn's lie. Hao smiled amusedly and chuckled in disbelief. "If that were the case, then why are the scratches so bad? And I think your wound has reopened…I see some traces of blood…"

"The ditch had sharp stones!" Lyn acted as if she was indignant about what Hao had just said. Hao's statement made Ren look closer at the bandages and he realised that Hao was right. Hao laughed at Lyn's reply, and Kaede smiled, although she still looked quite concerned.

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Kaede was lying on her bed in the dark, deep in thought about the day's discoveries when she heard a knock on her door. She opened the door and saw Hao standing outside. "May I come in?" Hao asked, and Kaede nodded, opening the door fully and switching on the lights.

Hao stepped into the room and closed the door gently behind him, then walked to the balcony in Kaede's room. "Every room has a balcony?" Hao asked as he looked down to the garden below. Kaede walked to his side and nodded. Hao continued looking at the garden and there was an awkward silence.

"I'm sorry…" Kaede said suddenly, biting her lower lip. Hao looked at her in surprise. "For?" "You like Lyn, but now, I'm your fiancée and you won't stand a chance with her …" Hao looked at her, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"I never stood a chance with her from the start…and…it is also because of the whole business of you becoming my fiancée that I came here…" Hao paused for a moment, his face serious now.

"I just want to let you know, that it's not that I don't have feelings for you…just the opposite, in fact…but, at the same time, I still haven't managed to let go of Lyn. But I just want to let you know, that if I agree to this engagement, it will be because I love you wholeheartedly. You deserve nothing less…" Hao finished, his face pink.

Kaede opened her mouth to reply, but Hao whipped his body around and he walked to the door before she could say anything. His hand paused at the door handle, and he turned his head to face her.

"Oh…and Ren mentioned that he will be returning to Funbari with Lyn tomorrow morning…he didn't say why…he said that its fine if we want to stay for one more day, and he will send a jet to pick us up the day after tomorrow…so…are you staying, or leaving?" Kaede thought for awhile before making a decision. "I want to stay…it's rare that my father is at home, and I want to spend time with him."

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Ren dried his hair and pulled on his pants after his shower, then walked out to the balcony in his room without a shirt. A cold wind blew, and his loose hair shifted in the breeze. He only spiked his hair in the morning, and usually went to sleep with his hair down.

Ren looked to the side and saw Lyn leaning against her balcony wall, staring up at the sky. She rubbed her nose, then sneezed when a second wind blew. Ren sighed and walked into his room and grabbed a comforter off his bed.

He then walked back out to the balcony, and threw the comforter over to Lyn. His aim was perfect and the comforter landed on her shoulders. "Don't sleep too late…we're leaving tomorrow morning..." Ren called before walking back into his room.

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Ren waited by the front door with his duffel bag and Lyn's backpack by his right foot, which was tapping impatiently. A few minutes later, Lyn ran down the steps with her duffel bag.

"Sorry I'm late!" Lyn called as she ran down the stairs. Just then, she tripped on a lower step and half fell, half flew forward. Ren ran forward and caught her just before she hit the ground. "Be careful…" He growled at her, and she stuck her tongue out sheepishly.

"You didn't sleep did you? Look at how bloodshot your eyes are…" Ren muttered impatiently as he let go of her and picked up his duffel bag and Lyn's backpack. Lyn nodded slowly, then held a hand out for her backpack.

"I'll carry it for you…don't worry about it…" Ren assured her. Lyn looked at him, blinking in surprise.

"Uncle Daisuke, thanks for your hospitality…I'm sorry we have to leave so soon…" Lyn said to Daisuke cheerfully, although Ren could sense that some of the cheerfulness was forced. Daisuke nodded and patted Lyn on the shoulder, telling her that it was fine. Lyn then walked out the front door.

Ren was about to follow her, having already bade goodbye to Daisuke earlier, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Take good care of her…" Daisuke told him, smiling encouragingly and Ren nodded grimly. After dinner the previous night, he had explained to Daisuke why he was bringing Lyn back to Funbari earlier. Daisuke had been very understanding and had promised not to tell Kaede and Hao about Lyn's parents.

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"Lyn…this might be a bad time, but I think I really need to tell you this…I don't want to see you sad, and I want to see you smile. I want you to always have a reason to smile. I have felt this way for a long time. At first, I tried to deny it to myself. A Tao should not feel this way. But ever since I saw you crying yesterday, I can no longer lie to myself…Lyn…I…love you…"

Ren felt heat rise to his cheeks rapidly after he had finished, and waited nervously for Lyn's reply. Then, he felt something hit his shoulder and he saw Lyn asleep on his shoulder. Ren sighed and looked at her sadly. Maybe now was not the time for her to know yet.

Ren ran a finger along Lyn's fringe tenderly, then smiled to himself. At first, he had been angry at himself for letting her into his heart, but she was teaching him so many things about himself that he never knew. Parts of him that he never knew existed had been shown because of her. So, maybe falling in love with her had been a good thing after all.

Haha END! If you aren't too sure why I used certain words in the poems (The first two italics), you can PM me…I'll explain to you! Review! Thanks!