Chapter 2: Charge

schye

"Who would've thought that you were chicken?" Ren Tao's voice kept ringing in my mind sordidly; mocking me with all the vehemence a voice was able to muster.

I was not chicken. I just valued my life more than I valued anything else. Encounters with Hao Asakura make a person realize the pains of death, and the joys of life.

There are rides, and there are rides, after all.

Right now, though, let me rest my battered—and roughly bruised—ego while I sit on this bench.

I sighed. I hated the fact that my rep with Ren has dropped a notch lower. Wasn't it enough that he already thinks I'm an ass extraordinaire? Add coward to the mix, and what do you get?

Diced liver—the best love interest he'll ever have. (At least, it's slightly better than being plain minced meat.)

Great.

I closed my eyes tightly in frustration and fought the urge to groan out loud.

"Oi, Horohoro."

These days, I'm starting to just not like having him around.

"What?" I mumbled, eyes still closed.

I felt Ren sit beside me. "What're you doing?" he asked, as if I had no right to act like an invalid within the park premises.

"Meditating." That retort was supposedly sarcastic, and yet it turned out pathetic.

Maybe I should volunteer myself in one of the booths—"Dunk the Dunce, You All", or something to that effect.

"I see."

Tao Ren seemed to be quite subdued today. If I've learned anything about him, it's that he is never anything but.

I glanced at him. "What happened to you?"

He shot me a sharp glare. "What do you mean?"

"You're… nice…" For the lack of a better word.

"Nice?" he growled.

"Hey, if you think I should say you're Conan the Barbarian just for you to get off my case, maybe I will!" I snapped. "Conan the barbarian, sir," I added, resisting the urge to gloat. I finally managed to put one over him.

Ren looked like he was ready to murder me.

Uh-oh.

Run for cover.

I was ready to, see, run for cover, that is, but a pair of hands clamped over Ren's eyes.

I glanced up in surprise who'd dare commit an infamy such as that to Ren.

Jun Tao grinned at me, she motioned me to be quiet, while Pai Long shook his head at his mistress' antics.

Ren, at that moment, wasn't very amused, though. He tried prying off the hands covering his eyes, but Jun must've played this game with Ren far too long to know how Ren'd react that she knew what to do.

Finally Ren growled, and stop trying to free his eyes. "I know it's you. Let go."

Jun released a very refined laugh as she let go of the hold she had over her brother's face. "It's very nice to see you, too, Ren."

"What are you doing here?" Ren growled.

"Visiting, of course."

"Because China and Japan are next door neighbors?" Ren asked dryly.

"Hmmm…"

"Don't 'hmm' me!" Ren snapped.

Jun grinned at her brother. "Now, now Ren, put a little restrain over your temper, will you?"

Jun Tao has never failed to amaze me. If I had to have that tone on me from Ren, I'd do everything he tells me to. Honestly.

Ren scowled even more. (Ren also never fails to amaze me: when you think his scowl could no longer get more scowl-ier, it does. He's brilliant, but then I could just be biased.)

"Ren."

One word with a whole lot of hints was all it took for Ren to calm down. "Alright," he said. "Just… don't."

"I won't." Triumphant smile.

Maybe it was a siblings-thing. Or maybe I was just really dumb. But I didn't have the foggiest clue what they were talking about.

I'm betting on the former due to my undeniable self-respect.

"Do you still need me here?" I asked, feeling the need to reassert myself. "Because I could go…"

"No!" Jun Tao said.

I glanced at her in surprise. She just might be really very nice not to want me to go but that was a very—surprising reaction.

"I mean, don't go." Blindingly, brilliant smile. "Ren and I would love you to stay."

I stared at her.

She may just be nice.

But then there is too nice.

Well, hell.

I paled.

She probably has a crush on me.

Well, double damn.

Who would've thought being gorgeous could be such a curse?

This was the dilemma of a lifetime.

I walked around after talking to Jun and Ren, dazed but conscious, until I finally found a place where I could sit down and think.

It was a bit noisy, but quite all right as makeshift thinking places go.

I face-palmed and grimaced. How was I supposed to react?

I liked a boy, whose sister happens to like me. Sure, maybe I should go for the hot girl but—

Ugh!

To top it all off, Ren isn't even gay.

And to top the top of it all, I didn't even know I was gay.

Double ugh!

I wager Chocolove wouldn't even have this kind of problem. He's much too—aesthetically less pleasing than I am… and much too—straighter than I thought I was, too.

Yoh, on another hand, wouldn't have any problems with girls. One girl would make sure he'd have all his girl problems with her alone.

Now, Lyserg. There's the guy who'd have girl problems—and guy problems. He's much too pretty for his own good. But I couldn't write him all the way to Europe and say, "Dear Lyserg, I'm in love with a guy but someone else has a crush on me, too. What should I do? Love, Horohoro." He'd sic his pendulum on me and pierce me to death.

I scowled as my thoughts were interrupted with more incessant screaming.

I looked back at the people who were yelling their lungs hoarse, brushed my flying hair away from my face, and glared at them.

Not that that did any good, I tell you. People riding roller coasters, after all, have no care about other people.

Inconsiderate thrill-seeking freaks.

Me, you wouldn't see riding that topsy-turvy, twirling monstrosity of a ri—

Oh, god.

I turned green, I think.

I was still busily retching my very innards when Yoh said from behind me, "What are you doing?"

I would have answered except that my guts were demanding more attention. I finished that first before I slumped on a nearby bench, practically white.

Yoh was staring at me curiously. "You fine?"

"Do I look fine?" I snapped at him.

"Ah, so there is something wrong…"

How astute of Yoh. 'A plus' on his paper, I think.

Yoh sat down beside me. "What's up?"

"My innards is what's up," I said. "Why're you alone?"

"Why're you alone?" he returned. "Shouldn't you be making your move on Ren?"

"And what?" I asked him pointedly. "And help him dig my grave? No, thank you."

"Ren couldn't all be that bad," said Yoh in his I-am-very-reasonable tone. "He might even be amused by all this."

How dense was Yoh exactly?

An amused Ren would mean a humiliating encounter. At least, if Ren'd take me liking him against my fair being, I'd be too dead to know.

"Yoh, why do you even bother giving me advice?" I asked him.

"I've never given anyone advice before."

Well, duh.

"Well, don't practice on me," I snapped. "I rather like me alive, thank you very much."

"Well, you're snippy," said Yoh, grinning at me. "Tell you what, I'll ask Ana—"

I stood up and glared at Yoh. "Don't you dare."

"Why not?"

"You won't exactly see Ana going down town with a 'Support Gay Rights' banner, would you?" I asked him and slouched at the bench, leaning my head back against the rest.

Yoh paused for a moment to consider this. "No, I don't think so." His faced dropped several more moments later. "I guess I can't help you after all," he told me with all the forlornness he must've saved all his life.

I rolled my eyes. "Alright." I was such a wuss. " Have you ever done anything remotely romantic for Ana?"

Yoh's face brightened again. "Yeah," he said, so excited I'm surprised he hadn't wet himself.

He stood up in front of me, braced his hands on either sides of my shoulders, leaned forward and said, "So, I was doing this, right?"

I nodded, completely bemused.

"And I did this." He leaned forward even more until his face was beside mine.

Our position made me uncomfortable. He was practically draped all over me. I gulped. "Yeah? And then what?"

He turned his head and whispered in my ear, "And I said, 'Do you want to go out?' "

His breath tickled me and so did a few strands of his hair against my face. I stalled the impulse to laugh. Biting my inner cheeks, I said, "And what did she say?"

I felt Yoh's shoulders shaking as he said in a pitiful voice, "She told me to start cooking, Horohoro."

My shoulders shook as well as I controlled the urge to laugh out loud. "Really? After your efforts?"

"Yes—"

"Mooooommmmy! I don't wanna go!" a passing kid wailed as his mother dragged him.

"No, we have to go."

"Moooommmmmyyyy! Those two boys are on top of each other on the bench!"

I reddened and Yoh chuckled. "I guess he means us."

"Get off me, Yoh."

"Moooommmmyyy! Those two boys are kissing!"

I saw the mother clamp her hands over his son's eyes, and said, "Let's go home," after sending us a sharp look.

"The humiliation," I said groaning, and trying to squirm under Yoh as more and more people started staring at us.

"You, two, have no shame."

That voice. Again. Smite me, trigger-happy god, that I might find eternal peace.

Maybe Ren Tao was part mushroom. Heck, maybe I was part idiot.

"Hi, Ren," I called from under Yoh, who refused to budge. "Nice day. Nice to see you again. Fancy meeting you here again. Is your sister around, by any chance?"

"Hi, Ren," Yoh said, looking at Ren.

"Hi, yourself," he said and walked forward. He sat down beside Yoh and me. "What are you doing?"

I blushed. "Get off me, Yoh."

Yoh pouted, grinned and whispered against my ear, "Want me to start on Ren?"

I growled at him, and he sat down on my other side.

"So, what were you doing? Does Ana know by the way?" Ren asked again quite amiably, if you ask me.

"Horohoro was asking for my expertise in dating."

Ren turned to look at me. "You're dating?"

"No!" I shook my head vehemently. "What made you think so?"

Ah. Brilliant. What a wonderful question.

He's sure to think you're a quarter genius and three quarters retard now.

"Do you like my sister?" he asked me, his Chinese eyes as sharp as—something sharp…

Gods. I can't think when he's looking at me like that.

"L-l-like your sister?" I stammered. "What do you mean?"

"You like Jun Tao?" Yoh asked. "Really? I thought you liked—"

I slapped my palm against Yoh's mouth in panic. He could be so tactless sometimes.

Ren was looking at us like he wanted to pry the secret out of our mouths. We are so dead. I dropped my hand.

"Who does Horohoro like?"

"What," Yoh corrected. "What does Horohoro like."

We turned confused gazes to Yoh.

"What, then?" Ren.

"He likes nice. Pretty. Cute. He's into cool and sweet. He likes ice cream. He likes…"

"To have an affair with Kuroro?" Ren asked, one brow raised. "Tsk, tsk, Horohoro. You're certainly perverted. At least, like someone of the same species."

"Thanks so much, Yoh," I told him with a glare. "At least I'd be having an affair with a female. I bet you like boys," I retorted, and stuck my tongue out at him. Yeah, I wish.

That silenced Ren. But it didn't stop him from giving me the evil eye, though.

Horohoro, gazillion points. Ren Tao, nil. I wanted to laugh out loud and gloat. The only thing stopping me was Ren.

Yoh coughed and I turned to look at him. He was sending me a look that said eloquently, "You like boys, too, remember?"

"Oh, sod off," I said out loud.

Yoh smirked at me.

"Oi, you three."

It was Chocolove.

To be more specific, it was Chocolove with my sister, Ana and Ryu, and Jun Tao.

And to be very, very particular, it was Chocolove with my sister, Ana, Ryu and Jun Tao and a digital camera.

Jun Tao looked amused while there was mild curiosity on my sister's face.

I groaned and shut my eyes. What have I done to deserve this?

"I caught your Kodak moment," Chocolove grinned.

I refuse to dignify that remark, indeed I do.

"Hey, Ana," Yoh said. "What do you think?"

"That was very infantile, Yoh," she said. "Why don't you just tell Ren?"

Tell Ren what?

I opened my eyes and stared at Ana. She knew.

"Tell me what?" Ren asked.

"Nothing!"

"Horohoro likes you, Ren," Ana told him deadpan, like she says that to everyone.

I saw Ren's eyes widen before I walked away, dragging Yoh and Chocolove with me, trying my damnedest to salvage what's left of my pride.

A/N: Finished the second chapter finally. :) I don't know why I even bother with this. The characters are definitely OOC here.