Miraculous Taboo
A fanfic by Setsumi-san
Chapter Four: Rising Suspicions and a Backyard Battle
"I…er…started feeling a little cold a few minutes ago. I don't know whether or not it might be something contagious so I hope you won't think it's rude if I don't take this off," she continued.
Pyron almost fell through the floor with relief. Thank goodness!
"Aww, too bad. Do you think you should go home?" Yoh questioned.
"No no," Jun quickly replied, "In fact, I think I'll be better once I start moving around and get my circulation going."
"Okay, if you say so. It was good to see you guys again," Yoh said.
Before the Asakuras returned to their host duties Anna glanced suspiciously back at her old friend. She could tell that Jun was hiding something from everyone. Yet if that was true then why didn't her brother seem nervous too? Ren was doing a fantastic job of keeping his mouth shut if he knew something.
"Big brother, don't drink from the punch bowl! What are you, a dog?" Pillica shouted.
Anna rolled her eyes and prepared to go whip the obnoxious bluenette with her beads. Sheesh! Why did Yoh have to befriend all the weirdoes?
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Pyron discreetly pulled the Chinese belle into one of Funbari Onsen's hallways and implored her not to worry him again a few minutes later.
"Sorry, I guess I don't know what I want to say. I was going to reveal the truth until I wondered how Ren would react," she admitted.
"Well, no one ever told us this would be easy," he said.
"I know," she sighed, "and I truly am ready to deal with anything. Still, sometimes all the resolve and preparation in the world can't prepare you for reality. It's like being scared of a hurricane even though you live in the city's sturdiest house."
"I agree, but bad news doesn't improve with age."
"Are you calling our daughters bad news?"
"Of course not. I'm just saying we'll have to decide when to tell everyone. By the way, I think it would be less disastrous if we did it in private first."
"You don't know for certain if Ren would be angry."
"Jun, look me in the eye and honestly tell me that your brother has enough social grace to control his temper in public."
"He would for me."
Although her tone was sincere her gaze was fixated on the hallway's smoked pearl carpet.
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Ren sat on the couch looking extremely bored and wondering why he came to this party. He liked large gatherings about as much as cats liked water. Yoh and Jun were the only normal people in the house and both of them had disappeared. He understood that his friend was the host, but couldn't figure out why his big sister wasn't chitchatting with her girlfriends. It wasn't like her to pass up such an opportunity.
Come to think of it, the priestess had been acting peculiar ever since she went on vacation with Pyron four months ago. Telephone calls were rare and constantly either cut short by excuses or about bare topics like the weather. It was as if she was almost afraid to talk to anyone.
Suddenly, a gut-churning thought struck him. What if her "loving" boyfriend was secretly a control freak? He'd known a woman who behaved almost identically back home, and it turned out she'd been physically and emotionally abused by her husband. He gritted his teeth and his biceps contracted with rage.
It makes sense. He probably pretends to be nice and then hurts or brainwashes her behind my back because he's bitter about the past! Bastard! he seethed.
Arduously clenching his kwan-dao, he prepared to hunt the former actor down.
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"Listen," Pyron urged, "We have to solve this problem like rational adults. Now, how are we going to tell people we're going to be parents?"
"Let's wait until they're born," she responded.
"I said how, not when. Listen, we cannot hide our girls under nice coats for five more months. Your family will discover this before they are born, and when they do they'll want to know about the father."
"I'm just…"
"Having doubts?"
"No…I'm nervous about what they'll do. You've only seen glimpses of their cruelty. Their not above adding newborns to their kyonshi collection if they see them as ungodly or pests."
"What?!"
Presently there was an ear-splitting thump in the hallway. It was a plum faced Ren snorting like a maddened bull. How dare that corpse puppet bully his big sister! He would make him eat steel if it was the last thing he did!
"Ren, what on earth is the matter?" the alarmed woman asked.
"Never…shout…her," he fumed, too angry to form complete sentences.
"Ren," she said as calmly as possible, "Pyron and I weren't fighting. We were-"
"Stay out of this. All right, what have you been doing to her? Whipping her with a belt? Brainwashing her? Why is my sister acting so secretive, you son of a bitch?" the golden-eyed man snarled.
"First of all, I would never hurt her. Moreover, some things are none of your business," Pyron said calmly.
"That's it! I challenge you to a fight in the backyard! If I win you must tell me what's going on!" Ren shouted
" Fine, but if I win you have to leave us alone. Just so you know, I have know wish to fight the brother of the woman I love, but I won't be pushed around," the zombie responded coldly.
Thwack! The back door slammed and they strode toward opposite ends of the yard. Jun's heart pounded wildly. Would they really fight each other during the party? She wished she could stop them, but her brother would fight someone whether they liked it or not. Meanwhile, the men were glaring at each other from opposite sides of the yard.
"You might have been a big movie star, but I'm afraid the script says you're going to lose in this feature!" Ren shouted.
His opponent remained silent.
"What's wrong? Don't have the balls to fight me after all?" the Tao heir mocked.
Pyron smirked and answered, "Don't you know anything, Ren Tao? The victor never needs to boast in a movie."
The zombie's purple battle aura flared as Ren fused with Bason and they charged toward each other. The shaman delivered a devastating right hook and Pyron leapt above the pines as though he had springs in his legs. His cocky opponent followed and prepared to impale him in midair. Fortunately, he wrenched the weapon away with nunchaku and sent him hurtling with an ICBM kick. Ren cursed as his body formed a crater and Pyron performed a Satellite Drop.
Blood splattered the ground as they butted heads. The actor flip-flopped away and roared when a China Zanmai slashed his stomach spilling kyonshi innards everywhere. Blow after blow was thrown until both fighters were near collapsing.
"You're good," Ren panted, "but let's see how you stack up against this! OVERSOUL: BASON IN KWAN DAO!!"
The zombie shielded his eyes from the painfully brilliant golden glow. His oversoul crackled with so much furyoku that it actually lit up the entire block for a second. Oh fuck!
"GOLDEN CHINA ZANMAI!!" Ren screamed.
Unable to see, Pyron was impaled though the shoulder and pinned to a tree in a flurry of golden explosions. He had lost. The couple was doomed because of him!
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This is the first fight scene I've ever written, so constructive criticism is especially appreciated. Loved it? Loathed it? Tell me what you think! See you in chapter five, everyone!
