Entrapment
* The gang had devised a perfect plan to bring Ren and Pirika together. It
was a trap, cunningly planned, no chance of escape, would they fall for it,
or would they realize it before it's too late? *
Prologue
Jun Tao sat anxiously on the cushion, sipping the tea Tamao had served, with Pailong looming beside her. Yoh and Anna arrived, with the smile ever plastered on Yoh's face, and Anna, looking bored. They sat down. Hao, Horo- Horo, Tamao, Chocolove, Lyserg, Ryu, and Manta, who all had been there earlier, followed suit.
Once all of them had comfortably sat down, Yoh spoke, in his usual cheerful tone. "Jun, this visit was rather unexpected. How are things in China?"
"Everything's fine." Jun replied, "That is everything, except Ren. I came here to talk to you about him."
Anna shifted. "So, what about Ren?"
"Ren has been acting strange, lately." Jun sighed. "There are times when he's not himself. You know, one moment he's calm, and the next thing, he's acting rather violent. He easily lost his temper. The family kyonshis cannot even control once he started acting violently. My parents and I have been worried about him. We've done all the possible things, it just won't work out. I'm here to ask you to help Ren, for the second time."
There was a profound silence. Then Manta spoke up. "Send him to a doctor. Maybe he's sick mentally." Horo-Horo and Chocolove couldn't suppress a chuckle.
"That's the first thing we did." Jun said, looking grim. "We sent for a psychiatrist. Nothing happened. He said Ren was just depressed, and advised him to relax and take some vacation. He immediately left, without an explanation. I tried to reach him again, but it was useless. He refused to answer all my calls."
"Master Ren must have frightened him." Ryu said. Horo-Horo grinned. "Ryu, Ren threatened him."
"Anyway," Jun continued, "We tried to take Ren for a vacation. It didn't work out. Either he won't come, or he won't cooperate." Jun forced a smile. "You know Ren, he's rather hard-headed."
Hao's eyes suddenly lit up. "I think, what your brother needs is someone who could control him..."
Chocolove grinned, getting the point. "A sheath that controls the katana..."
Lyserg and Horo-Horo exchanged surprised looks. "A girlfriend! Ren needs a girlfriend!"
'Love could be the best remedy, you know." Manta added.
Everyone laughed, except Jun, and of course Anna. "I believed I tried that." Jun smiled. "Ren hated my matchmaking. I set him up to almost all the lovely, single girls across China. He said he was bored, and that these girls were not his type."
Yoh smiled. "So, Ren is a picky one." Jun smiled back, and nodded.
"Start a bachelor show!" Chocolove stupidly suggested.
Jun sighed. "The problem is, girls are rather afraid of him."
"So, we need someone whom Ren likes, and who could handle him pretty well." Lyserg shrugged. "Pretty tough."
"Why don't you try setting him up with someone he knows?" Anna sharply said.
Tamao agreed. "That's an excellent idea."
"Right, if there was hope for my future sister-in-law here, then..." Anna threw Hao that shut-up look. Hao grinned. "Never mind."
"I didn't try that." Jun forced a laugh. "The problem is, who?"
"The Lily Five?"
"Nah, Ren wouldn't look twice at them."
"What about...."
They spent at least an hour remembering names of the girls they have met, at the same time, coming up with an explanation why Ren wouldn't like her.
"Well, that leaves us just a few girls." Ryu said.
Yoh smiled. "Anna here is engaged to me!"
"Okay, my dear sis here is out." Hao glanced at Tamao, then at Horo-Horo. "Tamao's already taken, so she's out. Jeanne, likewise, is taken." He grinned at Lyserg. Lyserg looked away. "Opacho, is out of the question. So that leaves..." All heads turned to Horo-Horo.
Horo-Horo looked pale. "No." He muttered.
"Pirika." Hao softly said.
Jun laughed. "Of course, Horo-Horo's sister. Why, I have not thought of her! Where is she, anyway?"
"She's out with Jeanne." Lyserg replied, with a smirk on his face.
"No. I won't allow it." Horo-Horo said. "Pirika is too young."
"Your sister is turning sixteen, in case you haven't noticed." Anna stiffly said.
"Oh please, she hated Ren."
"How did you know?" Tamao asked.
"It won't work out."
Manta smiled. "It won't hurt to try." Horo-Horo still looked unconvinced.
"Oh come on, Horo-Horo." Yoh said, "Ren is nice in some sort of a way, and he won't hurt Pirika."
Hao nodded. "As if your sister would allow it."
"Just think of it, Pirika marrying Ren Tao." Jun giggled, "At least, you know that Pirika is well taken care of. Ren would be a good provider."
"Why are we talking about marriage?" Horo-Horo asked, blankly.
"Just to let you know the possibility." Jun replied. "You always wanted the best for Pirika."
"Fine." Horo-Horo finally said. "Just see, if it works out, fine. If not, don't insist on it." The gang nodded. Horo-Horo turned to Jun. "If Ren hurts Pirika, I'll strangle him."
"Don't worry." Jun smiled. "If he does that, I'll strangle him myself."
Prologue
Jun Tao sat anxiously on the cushion, sipping the tea Tamao had served, with Pailong looming beside her. Yoh and Anna arrived, with the smile ever plastered on Yoh's face, and Anna, looking bored. They sat down. Hao, Horo- Horo, Tamao, Chocolove, Lyserg, Ryu, and Manta, who all had been there earlier, followed suit.
Once all of them had comfortably sat down, Yoh spoke, in his usual cheerful tone. "Jun, this visit was rather unexpected. How are things in China?"
"Everything's fine." Jun replied, "That is everything, except Ren. I came here to talk to you about him."
Anna shifted. "So, what about Ren?"
"Ren has been acting strange, lately." Jun sighed. "There are times when he's not himself. You know, one moment he's calm, and the next thing, he's acting rather violent. He easily lost his temper. The family kyonshis cannot even control once he started acting violently. My parents and I have been worried about him. We've done all the possible things, it just won't work out. I'm here to ask you to help Ren, for the second time."
There was a profound silence. Then Manta spoke up. "Send him to a doctor. Maybe he's sick mentally." Horo-Horo and Chocolove couldn't suppress a chuckle.
"That's the first thing we did." Jun said, looking grim. "We sent for a psychiatrist. Nothing happened. He said Ren was just depressed, and advised him to relax and take some vacation. He immediately left, without an explanation. I tried to reach him again, but it was useless. He refused to answer all my calls."
"Master Ren must have frightened him." Ryu said. Horo-Horo grinned. "Ryu, Ren threatened him."
"Anyway," Jun continued, "We tried to take Ren for a vacation. It didn't work out. Either he won't come, or he won't cooperate." Jun forced a smile. "You know Ren, he's rather hard-headed."
Hao's eyes suddenly lit up. "I think, what your brother needs is someone who could control him..."
Chocolove grinned, getting the point. "A sheath that controls the katana..."
Lyserg and Horo-Horo exchanged surprised looks. "A girlfriend! Ren needs a girlfriend!"
'Love could be the best remedy, you know." Manta added.
Everyone laughed, except Jun, and of course Anna. "I believed I tried that." Jun smiled. "Ren hated my matchmaking. I set him up to almost all the lovely, single girls across China. He said he was bored, and that these girls were not his type."
Yoh smiled. "So, Ren is a picky one." Jun smiled back, and nodded.
"Start a bachelor show!" Chocolove stupidly suggested.
Jun sighed. "The problem is, girls are rather afraid of him."
"So, we need someone whom Ren likes, and who could handle him pretty well." Lyserg shrugged. "Pretty tough."
"Why don't you try setting him up with someone he knows?" Anna sharply said.
Tamao agreed. "That's an excellent idea."
"Right, if there was hope for my future sister-in-law here, then..." Anna threw Hao that shut-up look. Hao grinned. "Never mind."
"I didn't try that." Jun forced a laugh. "The problem is, who?"
"The Lily Five?"
"Nah, Ren wouldn't look twice at them."
"What about...."
They spent at least an hour remembering names of the girls they have met, at the same time, coming up with an explanation why Ren wouldn't like her.
"Well, that leaves us just a few girls." Ryu said.
Yoh smiled. "Anna here is engaged to me!"
"Okay, my dear sis here is out." Hao glanced at Tamao, then at Horo-Horo. "Tamao's already taken, so she's out. Jeanne, likewise, is taken." He grinned at Lyserg. Lyserg looked away. "Opacho, is out of the question. So that leaves..." All heads turned to Horo-Horo.
Horo-Horo looked pale. "No." He muttered.
"Pirika." Hao softly said.
Jun laughed. "Of course, Horo-Horo's sister. Why, I have not thought of her! Where is she, anyway?"
"She's out with Jeanne." Lyserg replied, with a smirk on his face.
"No. I won't allow it." Horo-Horo said. "Pirika is too young."
"Your sister is turning sixteen, in case you haven't noticed." Anna stiffly said.
"Oh please, she hated Ren."
"How did you know?" Tamao asked.
"It won't work out."
Manta smiled. "It won't hurt to try." Horo-Horo still looked unconvinced.
"Oh come on, Horo-Horo." Yoh said, "Ren is nice in some sort of a way, and he won't hurt Pirika."
Hao nodded. "As if your sister would allow it."
"Just think of it, Pirika marrying Ren Tao." Jun giggled, "At least, you know that Pirika is well taken care of. Ren would be a good provider."
"Why are we talking about marriage?" Horo-Horo asked, blankly.
"Just to let you know the possibility." Jun replied. "You always wanted the best for Pirika."
"Fine." Horo-Horo finally said. "Just see, if it works out, fine. If not, don't insist on it." The gang nodded. Horo-Horo turned to Jun. "If Ren hurts Pirika, I'll strangle him."
"Don't worry." Jun smiled. "If he does that, I'll strangle him myself."