This chapter is dedicated in loving memory of my beloved puppy Riza, who I had to put to sleep on the morning of March 16, 2007 due to seizures. Yes, it's the second dog in the course of six months. Yes, it was my decision to put her down. I miss her, but in my mind, a mother thinks of her children's pain before her own. Riza was like a daughter to me, so I chose her pain over mine. Now I know, all too late, that life is precious, and you never know when the ones you love most are going to leave. If I had known her time was near, I would have done so many things differently. I would have cuddled more, spent less time on the computer and more time with her. We have one dog left, my sister's. My mom rushed out and bought me a puppy, Reira, though I felt it unfair to seemingly replace someone who was like a child to me. I'll give her the same love and affection that I gave Riza, though she won't be able to replace my little girl. Being a mother is a draining, tragic, joyful, yet emotionally daunting task…I highly recommend it.

Notes: The wedding customs are going to be tweaked so that I can work with them more easily. But I kept much of them in place.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Shaman King. If you haven't figured that out by now, I weep for you. I also don't own Jay Chou, whose lyrics appear in this chapter.

A Gift of Love – Chapter Sixty-One: Simple Love

March 23, 2007

"Ren…Ren…"

He opened his eyes as Pin-Mei's choked whispers met his ears. He turned over to look at her. "What is it?"

She whimpered. Her eyes were red with tears, which were falling down her face with wild abandon.

He gave her quizzical look. "What?" Then he looked past her at the mattress. His heart stopped as he sprang up and stared at the sheets she was sitting on.

They were covered in blood.

"Oh my God…"

He looked back at his fiancée as she let out a horrible howl and covered her face with her hands. As his attention shifted back to the blood-soaked bed, he tried to make sense of it all. How could this have happened? What went wrong? He had been taking such good care of her, protecting her and the baby…So why…?

"I'm…I'm such…a…horrible…mom…" he heard her choke out. He turned to her and placed his left hand on her back.

"Hey, don't say stupid things. There's nothing you could have done that would have stopped this."

"It's because I had that piece of cake…I know it is…"

"What?" He wrapped his arms around her. "That's just stupid. One piece of cake wouldn't do this. It's not your fault."

"Yes it is! I MUST have done something wrong!" she screamed.

Ren forced her head onto his shoulder and held it there. "You did everything you could…It's cruel that this happened…but it should just make you even more determined to be a mother. We'll just keep trying, alright?"

"But what if I can't get pregnant again? What if the baby died because I'm still infertile? What if it never happens again?" She was still hysterical.

Before he could speak, the door opened and Ran peeked in, dressed in her morning robes.

"What's going on in…" She looked down at the dried pool of blood on the bed. "Oh no…don't tell me…"

Ren nodded slowly and looked at Pin-Mei. "Miscarriage."

His mother looked at them sympathetically, then walked over to Ren's side of the bed and sat down next to them. She gently rubbed Pin-Mei's shoulder.

"I know it hurts," she said softly. "I know how excited you were. But you need to realize that things like this do happen. Life is cruel, and it isn't always going to deal you a fair hand. What's happened is unfortunate, but you need to find the strength to try again. If being a mother is something you truly want, that is."

"It is!" Pin-Mei sobbed.

Ran smiled. "Then all you can do is try again."

Ren mimicked his mother as he felt Pin-Mei do the same against his shoulder. It faded slightly. "What are we going to tell En?"

"We're not."

"What?"

"Ren, you know that your father would only make this into a bigger ordeal than it already is, and I don't think Pin-Mei needs that."

He gave her a slightly exasperated look. "So then what are we supposed to do?"

Despite her son's glare, Ran remained calm. "After Pin-Mei's next cycle is over, try to conceive again. It will give her body time to heal. If you can do it within the next few weeks, then En won't know the difference." She smiled at them. "So don't lose hope."

Pin-Mei looked up at her and smiled. "Okay." She looked behind her. "Sorry about the sheets."

"I hated those sheets," Ren grumbled.

October 7, 2007

"Okay, Pin-Mei it's time for your cleansing bath."

"I'm coming!"

"Hey, hey! Slow down! You'll fall and hurt yourself!" Rong grabbed her arm and stopped her. She sighed. "You have to be more careful."

"Oh…Sorry…I wasn't thinking."

"Damn right you weren't. Now come on."

She slowly lowered Pin-Mei into the heated water and some servants dumped a bucket of water over her head. She spit some of the water out.

"Pin-Mei, come on. Be a little more mature than that."

"I didn't want to swallow it!"

"Well, be more discreet next time."

"Okay…I will…"

Rong sighed, then smiled. "It's hard to believe that tomorrow's the big day. It seems like only yesterday that I was the one bathing and dressing you. And now you're all grown up…"

Pin-Mei cocked her head at her. "Are you going to cry?"

Rong quickly turned away from her. "Of course not. I never cry."

Pin-Mei smiled. "Of course."

"Finish your bath quickly. You don't want to get all pruney, do you?"

As Pin-Mei watched her walk away, she realized that part of this must be painful for her. Despite the fact that her duties as a maidservant had ceased years ago, to Rong, caring for Pin-Mei would always be her task. True, she had a daughter to take care of, but it was caring for the bride-to-be that had prepared her for it.

"Milady, it's time to get out. We have to start the hair-combing ceremony," one of the servants said to her.

"Alright." She was wrapped in thin silk robe and a few of the servants helped her get out of the water.

"Why the hell do we need this special bed anyway?"

"Ren, it is one of the customs, and therefore must be obeyed."

"It's not like it's going to be our first time."

"It doesn't matter."

"I'm not sleeping in it."

"Fine. But it would be unfortunate to have the bride sleep here by herself."

"…I hate tradition."

Ren and En stood around a large bed in the center of his room, known as the bridal bed. It was supposed to be installed by a 'good luck' man or woman, but Ren still failed to see the point of such a thing. They were supposed to scatter fruit around it and have small children run around and preferably on top of the bed as an omen of fertility – something he deemed quite unnecessary at this point.

HoroHoro and Yoh stared at the bed.

"So what's the point of this 'bridal bed' again?" the Ainu asked.

Ren sighed. "Something about fertility or whatever. Apparently if some children come in and mess up the sheets, Pin-Mei will have a lot of sons."

"Well, it's tradition isn't it?" Yoh said smiling. "Why not just do it?"

"Because it's a waste of time."

The Japanese boys looked at each other and grinned.

"I think I know why he's irritated," HoroHoro said in a fake whisper. "It's because he hasn't seen Pin-Mei in two weeks, so he hasn't been getting any."

They laughed, but suddenly a blade was at his nose. He looked up to see Ren holding his Kwan Dao, anger burning in his eyes.

"If you're going to talk about me, don't do it in a place where I can easily get a weapon and kill you."

His friends fell silent, nodding their heads furiously until he retracted the weapon. He sighed.

"Wow! Fruit!"

The three men looked behind them as Xue, now almost five years old, skipped into the room. She looked around at the bits of fruit and sweets on the bed before her, her eyes wide and bright. She licked her lips subtly, obviously wanting to make the treats her own.

"Uncle Ren! Uncle Ren! Can Xue have some? Xue wants some!" she cried pointing at her prey.

With a blank look on his face, he picked up the small girl by her underarms. "As a matter of fact, yes. We need a kid to mess up the sheets." He tossed her onto the bed. "Go crazy."

"YAAAAYYY!" She scampered about picking up all the treats she could hold. When her hands were full, she ran back over to the adults and offered the groom a few pieces of her loot. "Here Uncle Ren!"

He put his hand in front of him and shook his head. "No, thanks."

Xue's smile faded and her eyes began filling up with tears. "Why?"

"I don't want any."

"Is it because it's from Xue? Do you not like Xue's candy?" The little tears were falling from her eyes.

Ren panicked slightly. "No, no, it's not that, it's…"

HoroHoro elbowed him. "Just take it. It'll satisfy her. When you're a father sometimes you just have to make your children happy and accept what they want to give you."

Ren slowly bent down and held his hand out. "On second thought, I think I'll have some."

Xue smiled brightly. "Okies! Here!" She handed him some of the sugared fruit candies. "Merry Wedding!" she cried.

He smiled listlessly. "Thanks."

"Oh doesn't our little Renny-poo look adorable?"

Ren shot HoroHoro a death glare as a servant straightened his cap. He knew that the scion hated dressing up like this, and he loathed the cap the most. It had been his father's, and the thought of having to wear such an accessory belonging to the man he once hated with a murderous passion was not very attractive.

"You're ready, Lord Ren," the servant said finally.

The groom heaved a sigh. "Finally. Let's go."

Yoh and HoroHoro grinned at each other and followed Ren to a carriage that was waiting outside. They were riding a short distance to the other side of the Tao property where Pin-Mei had gone into seclusion along with Rong, Jun, Ran, Anna, and Dúo in order to prepare for this special day. Finally, after over two weeks of separation, two weeks of sleeping in a bed that felt larger when she wasn't there, he was going to retrieve her…and make her his forever.

As soon as the small cottage came into view, Ren threw off his cap and robes, getting ready to run in and steal her. This plan would have worked in the West, but in China, it's not as easy.

As he neared the door, it opened and Rong appeared. The spirits of Ling and Shu were on either side of her, all wearing red. He stood rigidly.

"I've come for Pin-Mei," he said. He went to enter the house, but Rong blocked his way.

"You can't enter yet, Lord Ren."

"You have to earn her!"

"Um…Please answer our questions…"

Ren smirked. He was more than ready for this. HoroHoro and Yoh came up behind him.

"What's this about?" Yoh asked.

"Lord Ren must answer our questions about Lady Pin-Mei and her relationship with him. Incorrect answers must be paid for in cash. If he refuses to answer a question or do any of the tasks we ask to perform, he again must pay for it." She looked at her husband and the boy next to him. "Aokun, Yoh, the both of you are responsible for making sure that Ren answers his questions correctly and completes the stunts we assign him. His financial future counts on it." She grinned as if she was counting the money in her head. "Make sure you answer them correctly…or else Xue's going to have enough college money for Tokyo University."

Ren looked back at his groomsmen. "I'm not going to need your help. Pin-Mei and I have been together for almost six years, and I know her like the back of my hand. There's nothing about her that you know that I don't." He smirked. "Come on. Try me."

Rong returned the smirk. "Okay, Milord, we'll start with some easy questions."

"What is Lady Pin-Mei's favorite color?" Ling asked.

"Purple. You're insulting my intelligence."

"Um…What is Lady Pin-Mei's favorite book?"

"Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. Yawn."

The two spirits turned to their leader, whose composure was not the least bit shaken. "They were giving you the easy questions," she said, her smirk still firm on her face. "From now on, you'll be dealing with me. Mine are much more in depth."

She walked up to him and stared him down. They looked like heated rivals about to throw wild punches at each other. To a certain extent, this was true. Ren wanted his bride, and Rong was standing in his way.

"Tell me the first Japanese phrase Lady Pin-Mei learned."

Ren grinned. "That's easy it's-,"

Yoh and HoroHoro grabbed him from behind, covering his mouth. He shook them off and looked at them angrily.

"What the hell is your problem? I told you, I've got this. I don't need your help."

The boys shook their heads. "The phrase, it's not what you think!" HoroHoro cried.

"What were you going to say?"

"'Your face is kind of like what stupid people have.' What else would it be?"

"It's 'I want to be the Shaman King so I can live an easy life'!" HoroHoro cried.

Yoh shook his head. "Ren's right."

"Then why the hell did you grab him too if you knew he was right?"

"I just wanted to make sure. Hehe."

Ren turned to Rong. "You face is kind of like what stupid people have."

"Correct." She blinked once. "What is the technique that you use for comforting her that is most effective?"

Ren stared at the ground. One hell of a question. He'd comforted her so many times in so many different ways. At what times did she quiet down the most?

He remembered how she had retreated to her room after Feng had slapped her milk away; how she had run away to the beach after Suo's appearance; how she had become upset when visiting her home.

This was something the other two couldn't help him with. If he didn't get this right, he'd gladly hand over his inheritance. He finally looked up at Rong.

"She…She likes it when I'm speaking harshly or cynically or seriously, but I'm touching and kissing her as well. She knows that even if my tone is cold, I still love her."

Rong raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Very good. Say Pin-Mei was in bed after a long and tiring day. She had been very lethargic, but not enough for you to notice. As you get into bed with her, you initiate a love making session. What does she do?"

Ren blinked and looked at the ground. He suddenly felt guilty.

One night about a month and a half ago, she had gone to bed early. But he hadn't noticed that there had been a real reason behind it. He had gotten into bed, started kissing her, and it eventually lead to sex. She had appeared even more lethargic than usual, but had joked saying it was his fault. It was…in a different way, maybe.

"Nothing…She does nothing…She just lets me do what I want with her."

Rong could see the guilt in his eyes as he spoke. "That's right. I think that question served its purpose." A small grin appeared on her face. "State her cup size."

His eyes shot open. "What? No way in hell!"

"Fine. The toll is thirty thousand yen."

"WHAT?"

"It's your choice…Pin-Mei told us the answer herself."

Ren glared at her before dipping his head to hide his face. He grumbled something.

Rong leaned over, her hand to her ear. "Sorry, I didn't hear you. What was that?"

"D! SHE'S A FUCKING D!" he yelled at her. "YOU HAPPY NOW? I JUST SOLD OUT MY BRIDE!"

Rong grinned. "No. I'm glad that you actually know and don't just ogle at them. I bet she is too." Her eyes narrowed. "Final question: Tell me her favorite position."

Ren's face turned deep red. "You-You've got to be kidding me! She still gets embarrassed when we have sex! There's no way she'd tell you something like that!"

"Oh, but she did."

"And she blushed! So cute!"

"Um…She's afraid of how she looks…"

"Well, of course she may feel insecure. She looks different," Rong said. "I mean, HoroHoro and I went through the same thing, but…" She grabbed Ren by red silk shirt he was wearing. "It's your job to make her feel sexy, and you better be doing a good job!"

He looked at her in disbelief. "I refuse to answer that question! My and Pin-Mei's sex life is none of your business!"

"Okay." She put out her hand. "One hundred thousand yen. Pay up."

He stared at her. "Are you fucking serious?"

"I'd like to know the answer about the fucking if that's what you mean…"

"FINE FINE FINE! OKAY YOU WANT TO KNOW SO BADLY? I'LL FUCKING TELL YOU! IT'S—,"

He looked behind him and saw Yoh and HoroHoro leaning over and listening intently. His face went red again, and he grabbed Rong by the collar of her red qipao dress and sheepishly whispered in her ear for a few moments. After her let go of her, Rong straightened, a devious grin on her face.

"Ooo lala," she said in a slightly high pitched voice. "Ren, you stud, you!"

"Did he get it right, Rong? Did he? Did he?"

"Oh yes. With even more detail than Lady Pin-Mei gave us."

"Um…So that means…"

All three girls gave him a thumbs up.

"Trivia test – PASSED!"

Ren breathed a sigh of relief. No more questions about things he didn't like sharing. The rest would be a piece of cake.

"Okay, Lord Ren," Rong said calmly. "For your first task, you must sing a song that convinces me that you really love Pin-Mei."

"…What?"

"Go on. Belt it. I'm listening."

"What makes you think I sit around listening to music? I don't know any songs!"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come now, Milord. Pin-Mei hasn't been moving around as much, so I know she's been listening to music. And I know that you've been right there with her. It's your job to protect her, especially when she is in such a vulnerable state…Of course…you could always pay me…one hundred twenty thousand yen."

He glared at her. "You're a wretch, you know that?"

"Just sing or pay up."

Ren turned to his groomsmen. "Okay…This is not good."

"You mean you don't at least listen to what she's listening to?" HoroHoro cried.

"It's okay, Ren. I bet if you calm down you'll think of something."

Ren took a deep breath and closed his eyes. There was that one song by one of those pop sensations that she kept playing. She'd look at him while it played, smile, and then return to what she had been doing.

What was that stupid song…?

He opened his eyes and turned around. Rong raised her eyebrows.

"Okay, let's hear it."

This is so embarrassing… "Couldn't really say why I became very initiative-taking / If you fall in love with someone, anything is worth doing / I want to announce loudly that I can't bear to be apart from you…"

Everyone stared at him. Rong looked slightly disappointed.

I can't bag on him for having a bad voice…dammit…

"…I want to just hold your hand like this and not let go / Can love be forever innocent without sadness / You leaning on my shoulder / You sleeping on my chest / Like this kind of life, I love you, you love me / I want a simple, simple love…"

"Okay, that's enough." Rong sighed.

"Dude, that was so beautiful!" HoroHoro cried as he wiped his eyes.

Yoh just smiled. "Wow, I never would have expected that from you, Ren."

He turned away to hide his face. "I only did it so I could get Pin-Mei alright? Shut up."

He heard some rummaging and looked up to see Rong removing a tape recorder from the chest of her qipao. She took out a tape and handed it to Ling and Shu.

"Take this to Lady Pin-Mei," she said, then looked at Ren and grinned.

"That isn't…"

Her grin became larger.

"RONG YOU BITCH! GIVE THAT BACK!"

He charged toward her to retrieve the tape, but was grabbed from behind. He looked over his shoulder to see HoroHoro looking at him with dagger-like eyes.

"Don't call my wife a bitch EVER again."

Ren just glared back at him. Rong shooed Ling and Shu away to deliver their parcel before tending to the boys before her.

"Aokun, thanks but I can take care of myself. Let go of him." He looked at her with almost hurtful eyes, but obeyed her. "Come on, you two. This is supposed to be the happiest day of Ren and Pin-Mei's lives. I won't tolerate either of you throwing punches over an ambiguous word like "bitch"."

Ren looked up at her hopefully. "You're going to let me in?"

She looked at him like he was stupid. "Hell no. Get back down there." He glared at her and did as he was told. She grinned, as if thinking about her next malicious task. "A good husband should be strong enough to protect his wife. Prove it. Handstand pushups. Right now."

Ren carefully removed his shirt and handed it to HoroHoro, who pretended to smell it, then sigh. He looked back at him, obviously weirded out.

"I was just kidding…"

"Sure you were."

He bent over and put his hand on the ground, then pushed off and balanced himself for a few moments.

"Okay," he said nonchalantly. "How many?" Rong was an idiot for making him do something having to do with strength. This was an easy win.

"333," she said smirking.

He glared at her, then began his task, not faltering in the slightest. Rong watched for a few moments, then went over to the groomsmen.

She handed HoroHoro some money. "Go get me some chilled milk pudding."

He stared at her. "Where the hell do I get that?"

She shrugged. "Go find it. If you can't, Ren fails his task and has to pay me fifty thousand yen."

He and Yoh looked at each other. "Rong, can't you at least give us some help."

She shook her head. "I'll give you some motivation, though." She whispered in his ear. "Remember that thing you wanted to try?"

His eyes widened and his face went pink. "Yeah…"

"Tonight. Get the pudding."

"Y-Yes ma'am." He hurriedly grabbed Yoh and they ran to the carriage. "BE RIGHT BACK!"

Rong smiled, then turned back to Ren. He was on seventy-two. She went inside for a moment, then came back out. He was still at it, not skipping numbers. He wanted to show that he was, indeed, strong enough to take care of Pin-Mei. He had proven it several times, and Rong knew it, but it didn't stop her from testing him one last time. It had been almost six years since Ren had freed Pin-Mei from her grandmother's chains. The possibility that he had slacked off was there, however unlikely it may be.

As she looked up, HoroHoro was rushing at her with a bowl of her favorite treat. She smiled. He slid and knelt in front of her.

"Here, I found it," he panted. He fumbled with the spoon as he scooped some up and, to her surprise, fed it to her.

She took it from him gently, and he sat there wagging his tail, waiting for praise.

"Good job, Horokeu," she said taking a bite of her treat. Then she kissed him.

Ren must have been annoyed, for he started counting out loud. "287, 288, 289…"

"Such a good groom," Rong observed.

But after he hit 300, he started losing steam. By 325, it seemed as though he would collapse at any moment. Rong saw this and squatted next to him.

"Is this all you've got, Ren?" she taunted. "I thought you'd pass easily. My mistake. Maybe you're not strong enough to protect Pin-Mei after all. Anyone could harm her in her current condition, and you wouldn't be able to stop them."

The look in his eyes intensified. "328…"

"Go on, struggle. Struggle all you want. She'll be in pain soon, Ren. Much worse than the pain you're experiencing right now. You won't be able to stop it. That pain's going to be all for you."

"330…"

"If you fail this task, you're worthless. I'll go find her a husband who can do more than 333 handstand pushups. And she'll have his children."

"331…"

"Oooh, I bet you feel good about yourself now, huh? Almost there. Average. Not special. Why Lady Pin-Mei would want such a bland man for a husband is beyond me."

"332…"

"You were barely able to lift yourself that time. Are you going to be able to do it this time? Will you? Or will you crash and burn?"

"333…"

She smiled and stood up, heading for the house. "Alright, Lord Ren. Let's go inside and-,"

"334…"

She stopped and turned around. His face was red, and she could see the veins in his arm. He was straining himself. If she didn't do something…

She quickly knelt down next to him. "Ren, you can quit, okay? I didn't mean any of the things I said! Just stop before you hurt yourself!"

"SH…SHUT UP!" he panted. "335…"

They watched him in silence as he continued his trial. A pool of sweat was on the ground, but he didn't seem to care or even notice.

"343…" He pushed himself up, then down. "344…3…4…" He collapsed.

Rong stared down at him. "You asshole. What'd you do that for? Now you're all sweaty and shit."

He was too busy panting on the ground. "She…She's not the only one…I need to protect…If I can't even protect her…how can I expect to be able to protect both of them?"

She smiled despite herself. She looked up at Yoh and her husband. "Can you two carry him to the washroom? An ice bath should do him some good."

They nodded and carried their friend inside.