Miraculous Taboo
A fanfic by Setsumi-san
Chapter Five: The Cat Comes Out of the Bag
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CRASH!! Thousands of miles away, fifty-year-old En Tao threw his crystal against ball against the wall of Castle Tao and gritted his teeth.
"WHY DIDN'T HE FINISH THAT DAMNED CORPSE AND HIS FREAK CHILDREN OFF?!" he screamed.
"You assumed too much, En. Your son would never hurt his sister even to abort that kyonshi's children," said the ghost of Ching Tao.
"I can't believe this! How did I ever raise such softhearted fools?! Ren should have already killed those guinea pigs in her womb!" En spat.
"Have you forgotten that Ren became his own person a long time ago, my boy? If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you still have trouble accepting that," Ching said.
Fwap-ap-ap! En threateningly pulled out several ofuda with curses written on them, eyes bloodshot with rage. The spirit remained calm, knowing that he had hit the nail on the head. En wouldn't dare curse his own father.
"Go ahead," he continued nonchalantly, "but remember that I was the one who predicted that Jun's womb would house two monsters."
You are very lucky that I revere my elders so much or I would have unleashed my full wrath on you by now, he thought.
Ran, who had been watching the whole time, nervously tightened her grip on her fan. She did not like Jun's choice either, but was it really necessary to kill an innocent pair of unborn twins-no…her grandchildren? Of course, she knew better than to suggest that to her husband or father in-law.
"Fine, old man! However, if Ren won't take care of those things, then we will!" the former Tao head snarled.
"How do you propose to do that?" his father asked.
He smirked and replied, "Oh, you'll see. You'll see very very soon."
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The tension in the plane cabin was thick enough to slice on the trip home. Anna had thrown Jun and the fighters out after the fight and her confession to Ren. She spent most of the ride time repairing her love's body. It was tedious work, but anything was better than talking to her brother at this point. The worst part was that Ren hadn't said anything when she finally told him. He just…stared at her belly as if it was something from Mars.
Pyron floated in spirit ball form over her shoulder, still furious with himself for losing. It was his job to protect three precious girls, and he couldn't even take care of one! If there was anything he hated it was knowing he was useless in any situation.
She dropped the needle with a soft ker-plink and grunted as she tried to pick it up. He shifted into human form and almost said 'let me' until he remembered his mortality. It was times like this that he hated being a ghost most of all. Ugh!
Before either of them knew it Ren walked in and tenderly picked it up for her. She gasped softly and almost thought that it meant he wasn't angry until he drew out Houraiken in her beloved's direction.
Oh no, he's going to slice him in half! she thought.
Yet he only hurled it at the wall just above Pyron's head
"Ren," she whispered nervously.
"I'm not angry with you, big sister. Instinct just got the better of you, and he could have talked you into reason," he said in an eerily calm tone.
"Despite what you might think, we made this decision with clear heads," she replied.
"Clear heads? CLEAR HEADS?! Good grief, this puppet really has brainwashed you! Big sister, your children should have come from someone worthy of such a classy lady!"
"Now wait just a damn minute-" Pyron began angrily.
"SHUT UP, YOU!! DO YOU HAVE THE SLIGHTEST IDEA OF WHAT A MESS YOU'VE MADE?! THESE CHILDREN ARE GOING TO GROW UP EVEN MORE HATED AND FEARED BECAUSE YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF A WOMAN'S MATERNAL INSTINCT!!" he roared.
"Tell me Ren Tao, did I ever tell you about the first time I ever tried to challenge my master?" he asked.
"What does that have to do with anything?" he snapped.
"I was a cocky eight year old who was better than any of the other boys in my class, so I decided that I was ready to fight adults. And of course, who better to challenge than Master Shamon himself? I charged him headlong in the middle of a class for the men, and he literally blocked me with his eyes shut. About half of them started snickering and murmuring things like 'What a bird-brained child! He'll never amount to anything.' and 'I don't see why the master tolerates such brats in the temple.' I was so humiliated that I actually believed them."
"Get to the fucking point."
"I will if you'll listen. Anyway, my master chastised me at first, but then admitted I had talent and offered to train me personally. He was the only grown person who took me seriously. I was so happy that I felt like bursting. Even though the other men were prejudiced against me, all that mattered was that the one I admired the most had faith."
"That's right, Ren. Our daughters will be discriminated against, but we are prepared to guide and love them," Jun added.
"I…I can't believe this. You're really going through with it," her brother murmured.
"Master Ren, we'll be landing in five minutes. I'd advise you to get back to your seat," the pilot said over the intercom.
He glared at Pyron and hissed, "This is not over. When we get back to my sister's home you and I are going to have a long talk."
What none of them knew was that En already had an ugly surprise with rows of butcher knife sized teeth waiting for them.
