This may be the last chapter until the end of May. I have finals and such, so I need to do well on those, which include writing a short story on immigration and also painting a picture having to do with it. So, expect another late update after this.

Notes: I borrowed the teddy bear superstition from the Sakura Card arc of Cardcaptor Sakura in this chapter. This idea is the product of CLAMP, the creators of the series. I do not claim that I came up with it myself.

I had to improvise with Hana's personality, since you don't really learn too much from Funbari no Uta. I apologize if you don't agree with my choice.

The X-League is the name of Japan's organization for American football.

A Gift of Love – Chapter Seventy-Eight: Please Hold, Your Call Is Important to Us

As Rong requested, HoroHoro prematurely closed the shop. After they cleaned up some of the mess Rong had made (and HoroHoro cried at the self-estimated damage), they went into the back room to sit around the phone chip player.

Answering machines that used cassettes were a thing of the past. Now, all home phones had slots that allowed a computer chip to be slid inside. These chips were usually only used to record messages, but could also record entire conversations if the right chip was put in.

"Once I heard that voice," Rong said, "I stalled long enough so I could find the chip and put it in before she said anything important."

He squinted at her as he slipped the chip into the player. "Who's 'she'?"

Rong lowered her eyes. "Just listen. You'll know the moment you hear it."

Confused, he pressed play and backed up so he could sit next to her. She looked at the ground, and he tentatively held her hand. If something could visibly affect her this badly, then he probably had a reason to be concerned. He turned his attention to the player as the recording began.

"-got yourself kicked out of the family. Why Rong, your pride must have vanished. That emblem on your back means nothing now. You endured all that pain as a little girl for nothing. You threw away your position as head of the guards for that bastard daughter of yours." She laughed.

HoroHoro's eyes widened. "No way..."

"I think you mean 'beautiful' daughter. She was beautiful when she was born and she's beautiful now, all because of both her Chinese and Japanese blood. Also, I fail to see why you should care. Needless to say, after what happened, I never expected to hear from you ever again."

"Normally, Rong, I would not waste my time with you, but I just thought you might like to know that my 'son' and I are eager to meet with your daughter again. He hasn't seen her in so long, and I know they are going to have much to talk about..."

"What are you talking about? What 'son'? I know you're not talking about Kai."

She laughed. "It is someone your family knows very well. He has been waiting patiently for four years for a chance to see your precious daughter again, and who am I to deny him the pleasure?"

"Him..." She scoffed. Then there was a gasp of realization. "…Him? No way…W-What exactly does he plan on doing?"

"Talking, at the very least. At the very most, maybe killing..."

"KILLING? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? HE LOVED HER!"

"Yes, well, she didn't love him back. There is only so much a boy his age can take. The ways she lied to him...cheated on him...I don't blame him for wanting revenge."

A slam could be heard, which HoroHoro presumed was the sound of Rong's fist hitting the counter.

"Xue NEVER cheated on him! It's not in her nature! I followed the relationship closely, so I would KNOW if she had been seeing someone else at the same time!"

"Do you know what made her distance herself from him in the first place?"

"...N-No...I don't remember. It was a long time ago!"

"Oh? Did you not just say that you had been following the relationship closely? If that is true, how could you have missed something so vital?" She laughed when Rong said nothing.

HoroHoro squinted and tilted his head as he heard the next voice. It was far off, like someone was calling from across the room.

"Kaasan! Can I call Lien now? It's been a long time since I've talked to her!"

"Oh my gods..." he whispered.

"Of course, darling. Just let Kaasan finish her conversation." She turned back to the phone. "Well, I must be going now. My son and I are on a London vacation. We have so much to do, such as visiting a friend of that pitiful husband of yours."

"W-Wait! What are you talking about? What is he doing with Lien? And don't you dare talk about my husband like that!"

He glanced at her, touched that she was thinking about that despite all the other things being thrown at her.

"Oh you will find out soon enough. Just make sure you keep in touch with your daughter. That is what those 'cell phones' are for, correct?"

"You better not touch her! NEITHER OF YOU BETTER FUCKING TOUCH HER – YOU HEAR ME?"

Then there was a dial tone. Rong stood up and turned the player off, but not before a few sobs came from it.

"I don't understand any of this..." HoroHoro whispered. "Why is she back? HOW is she back? I thought she was killed more than twenty years ago..."

"I don't know," she replied softly. "But Xue's on her way to play peace keeper for the Tao family, so we have to get in touch with her, as well as Ren and Pin-Mei." She breathed. "I can't even imagine what Pin-Mei's reaction is going to be..."

He was silent for a moment. "We should go. We can't risk anything happening."

She nodded, but looked back at him. "But Seta...he's still at school..."

HoroHoro scratched his head. "We...may have to have him join us there. You remember what it was like taking him out of school when we had to take Xue to the hospital."

Another nod. "You're...You're right...I hate leaving him here though...Especially after this..." She slipped the chip into her pocket and turned around. With her husband standing in front of her, she took a few steps forward and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Rong..."

"Just...hold me for a while, okay? After that, I can be myself again..."

He wrapped his arms around her as she broke down and began sobbing into him. Slowly, he lowered them both to their knees, allowing her to lean against him as her crying continued. With soft eyes, he rubbed her back, occasionally kissing her as he did so.

"I...I don't want to lose her..." she whispered. "I can't imagine life without her...X...Xue..."

He stroked her hair. "I know. None of us can. We'll go there and make sure she's alright, okay? Once we're there, we can make sure nothing bad will happen to her."

"But...what if they make her remember what happened? If we don't get there in time, she'll have to suffer by herself!" She shook her head. "She doesn't deserve to suffer any more than she already has!"

"I know…" She stopped crying for a moment, and his eyes shifted toward her. "You can keep crying for a little while longer if you want. I don't think any less of you for doing it."

"I'll cry for as long or as short as I want," she whispered fiercely.

He smiled and leaned his head against hers. "Alright, alright, I hear you."

Rong sat up and wiped her eyes. "For right now, let's call Seta and let him know we're leaving early. Then I'll try to get in touch with Pin-Mei…though I don't know what I'm going to say exactly…"

"Maybe we should tell Ren and have him tell Pin-Mei? At least that way he can make sure she's sitting down when she hears about this."

She bit her thumb. "Yeah…but with their fighting…"

He shrugged. "Putting aside whatever fight they had in order defeat an evil grandmother…I personally can't think of a better way to make up."

She sighed. "Dork."

"So what are you doing for Valentine's Day?"

"Well, Shin's been giving me all these looks lately, so I'm going to offer him some chocolate!"

"Really? Store or homemade?"

"Homemade of course! What do you take me for?"

"Just checking! Some girls are getting lazy, you know."

"'But not me,' is what you're gonna say, right?"

"Right!"

"Aya-chan, you're so amazing!"

"Not as amazing as you, Sachiko-chan!"

They intertwined their hands and squealed. Then Aya took out a sewing kit with felt, foil-covered foam wings, and black eyes.

"What's that, Aya-chan?"

"I was reading some of my mom's old manga, and in one, this guy gave the girl he liked a teddy bear that he made himself. It said that if someone makes a bear and sews their name into it, then they give it to that person, if that person names the bear after the giver, they'll love each other forever!"

"IS THAT TRUE?"

Both girls jumped as Seta appeared next to them.

"D-Does that really work?"

"Um…well…" Aya looked at her materials. "I don't know for sure, but I figure it's worth a try. I mean, I'm not good at making chocolate, but I think this is better than buying some."

Seta stared at the bag. "Do they come in little kits like that?"

She nodded. "I got mine at the toy store. I saw you there yesterday with the lemurs." She giggled along with her friend.

Seta gave a nervous smile. "Well, um, you know…It was just an idea." He looked serious again. "Do you think it'd be overkill if I made a bear for her, too?"

The two girls looked at each other, then smiled. "Well, if I got two gifts from one guy, it'd show me that I'm really important to him. As long as she's not some serious, broody hermit I think she'd really like them both," they said in unison.

He clenched his fist in determination. "Alright! I'm going to make a bear!"

His classmates giggled and clapped. Then he looked depressed.

"What's wrong now?"

"This means I have to go back to the toy store. After what happened yesterday, I don't think they'll want to deal with me again…" He sulked, his brilliant idea steadily falling apart in his mind.

"Here."

He looked up to see one of the bagged kits in front of him. Surprised, he took it. "Y-You're giving this to me?"

Aya nodded. "I have a few extras, so you can have one."

His eyes lit up. "Wow! Thank you!" He looked at it. The fur was a cream color, with white, shiny wings that he would attach to it. "Thank you so much…"

They blinked at him. "You're not going to cry, are you?"

"N-No! I'm just excited! I feel good about this! I can't think of a reason why she'd reject me now!" He froze. "Other than that she likes that other guy…" he mumbled.

"Unless that guy can sew, I think you have nothing to worry about," they asserted.

He scratched the back of his head. "Well…uh…the thing is…I can't sew either. Ehehe…"

They stared at him. "Why did you even think about making a bear if you've never sewn before?"

"I-I just thought it would be a cute idea…"

The girls giggled to each other again. "He used the word 'cute'!" They stopped and smiled at him.

"We can teach you during lunch if you want," Aya said.

"Once we start you off, you'll have no problem!" Sachiko finished.

He smiled at them again. "Thanks, you two, I really appreciate it."

But later on, as they began teaching him, his cell phone vibrated. "Sorry," he said as he pulled it out of his bag. He looked at the ID. "Mom…? But she knows not to call during school…unless it's an emergency," he whispered the last part to himself. "Hello?"

"Seta, your father and I are leaving for China right now."

His eyes widened. "W-W-What? W-What about me?"

"I'm really sorry, trust me, I am. But something's come up. We sent Xue ahead of us, and we think we may have made a mistake in doing so. We need to go make sure she's okay."

"Neesan's…in trouble?"

There was a pause. "No, we just think it will be too much for Ren and Pin-Mei to handle on their own."

"Okay…I understand…" he said, his shoulders drooping.

"I've changed your tickets already. You can pick them up at the airport. If you need Hana or someone else to come with you, I've reserved an extra ticket, just in case."

"O-Okay…Thank you…" He hated the thought of being alone on that god-forsaken plane.

"Thank you, Seta. I really appreciate your understanding. We'll make it up to you, we promise. We're really sorry."

"O-Okay...I'll see you there, I guess..."

"Your father and I love you, Seta. Remember that."

"I will, Mom. I love you too."

"Alright, bye. Call us if anything goes wrong."

"I will. Bye."

He closed the clamshell phone slowly, staring at it before putting it back in his bag. Aya and Sachiko cocked their heads at him.

"What's going on?"

He sighed sadly. "My parents are going ahead of me to China for our vacation. Now I have to go on that eleven hour plane ride by myself...And I really hate planes."

"Awww!" they cooed. "Don't worry! Just concentrate on making your bear, and you'll forget that you're on the plane at all!"

"Yeah...Yeah! You're right! This is perfect! It gives me the chance to work on my bear!"

"FAITO!" they cried, each pumping an arm.

"Hello?"

"Um...Hana?"

"Oh! If it isn't Seta! What's up?"

"Um...I was wondering if you could come with me to Ren and Pin-Mei's house. My parents left early, and you know how I am with planes...so..."

Hana thought for a moment. "I guess I could. I'll just need to escape before my mom finds out."

"Right…I forgot…Your mom…"

"Don't worry about it, though! If you really need me to come that much, I promise I'll be there! Come hell, high water, or my mom!"

He let out a small whimper, and Seta could hear Anna's monotone voice on the other end.

"D-Don't worry, Mom! Seta called me, so he's footing the bill!"

The Ainu sighed. Not this again…

"So, Seta, I'll meet you at the connecting flight in Tokyo, okay?"

"That'll be in a couple hours. I'm getting out early because I just have to take one more exam."

"Alright, well, I'll be there!" His voice dropped to a whisper. "You're paying for my ticket, right?"

Seta could almost feel the glare Anna was giving her son. "Y-Yeah! Of course!"

"J-Just making sure…"

Rong closed her phone and sighed.

"How did he take it?" HoroHoro asked.

"I feel like I'm abandoning a puppy in a cardboard box on a rainy night."

"Hey…He'll be fine. I bet Hana will go with him. He's his father's son, after all."

"You're right…" She shook her head quickly. "Alright, Ren next."

"You want me to?"

"No, it's fine. I'm the one who actually talked to her." She pressed a few buttons and held the phone to her ear. It rang multiple times. "Come on, servants, do your job…"

Finally, someone picked up. "Hello, this is the Tao residence,"

Darn, it IS a servant. "Hello, this is Rong calling. May I please speak to the head of the family?" If she said 'Ren', she would have to go through the trouble of clarifying which one.

"This maid is sorry, but Master Ren is unavailable to speak at the moment. However, this one would be more than happy to take a message for him."

"I can't accept a message. This is of the utmost importance. Please find him and tell him it's an emergency."

"I'm sorry, but I can't have you foiling Kaasan's plans."

"W-What?"

There was a dark giggle. "I know you want to warn them, but I can't allow that. We've worked too hard to get to this point. I won't allow you to ruin her plans."

"Who is this?"

"You were right to threaten me all those years ago. It's a pity Pin-Mei didn't listen to you."

"Huan? It's you, isn't it?"

"Qiao Huan, at your humble service."

"YOU WITCH! I'LL KILL YOU FOR SURE, YOU HEAR ME?"

Dial tone.

"Hello? HELLO?"

Angrily, she closed the phone and tossed it. Her husband raced after it, using a catch that would have made an X-League player proud to save it from smashing against the wall. He got up, rubbing his head.

"I'm guessing that didn't go well."

Rong was already pacing in circles. "Thatbitchthatbitchthatbitch THAT BITCH I'LL KILL HER THE MINUTE WE GET THERE!"

HoroHoro put his hands up as he tried to calm her down, a worried look on his face (more for his own safety than anything else). "I'm sure Ren and Pin-Mei are fine. I mean, Ren's smart enough to know when something's amiss. I bet they'll have taken care of her by the time we get there."

"I'm more worried about Pin-Mei. She's still so naive that she'll believe almost anything anyone tells her. Huan's a scheming witch, of that I'm sure, and if she tells Pin-Mei some lies in order to shake her up, she'll more than likely believe her."

"Even if that's true, we have to have faith and hold on until we get there." He wrapped his arms around her waist.

She sighed. "Get me some sleeping pills. Unless I'm knocked out for those twelve hours until we get there, I'm sure I'm going to spazz and make the plane to crash somehow."

I know I don't have time for this, but this is important! Ren looked down at the small vial in his hands as he raced down the hall. This little bottle could explain everything.

He opened a chamber and went in, closing the door behind him. Using a match, he lit the few torches in the small room. With the room lit, Ren turned to a massive cupboard against the back wall. An iron taijitu kept the doors locked, and he jammed a key into the bottom of it. A quick turn was enough to open it. It took a lot of power not to fling the doors open, but he managed.

Before him were shelves of small vials, each clearly labeled, noting their contents. Even just by looking at each one, he could list how they were used, what they did, and how much to give. As a child, he was schooled in this area relentlessly. After all, what kind of Tao would he be if he wasn't knowledgeable in his family's specialty?

He looked at the vial in his hand very closely trying to make out as much as he could from the faded label. "Alright…" he mumbled to himself. He scanned the shelves, stopping when one caught his eye. He snatched it and compared the bottles, then carefully took the stopper out and waved it in front of his face in order to smell it.

It had the same smell as the discarded container he had found. It was a nice smell, but he had jerked his head away because he had known what it was the moment his brain registered it.

Chloral Hydrate - a substance similar to Chloroform.

"It all makes sense now," he said aloud, putting the bottle back on the shelf. "Huan put this in Ren's drink. It would only take a small amount to knock him out cold for hours. That would explain why he was on his bed sleeping. But Lien…if the rape is a lie, then how why is she so convinced that it happened?"

Ren looked around the room, trying to find something that would give him a clue. Finally, he saw it.

A bottle was on the floor in the corner of the room, just barely visible with the torches' light. He walked over and picked it up. After he read the label, he had to fight the urge to throw it at the wall. Instead, he clenched his fist around it tightly.

"Scopolamine," he said through clenched teeth. "Huan must have overdosed her on this…Then Lien would start hallucinating, thinking she was raped. Huan was the one who made it look real." He seethed. "It takes a hell of a lot to make the person hallucinate. Any more, and Huan would have killed her!"

The bottle broke in his fist. He simply opened his hand over a bin in the corner and shook his hand to make the glass fall into it.

He stopped. "But how did Huan find the opportunity to inject so much of it into her? Lien's not stupid; she wouldn't just sit there and allow herself to be sedated like that…Wait…"

He rushed over to a greenhouse-esque case and opened it. He bent down and checked the leaves of one of the plants inside of it. Now he knew everything.

"The datura plant is missing its flower. That means that Huan must have crushed them and used the scent to knock Lien out – the perfect opportunity to inject her with the scopolamine." He stood and closed the door. "I never thought that my family's poisons would be used against us, especially to this extent. I believed that I had taken all the precautions necessary to keep them out of evil hands. Huan proved me wrong."

He left the room, locking it on his way out, and began to head back upstairs.

"If Huan used too much, Lien could become addicted to them. Those poisons are the same as those used in LSD, after all…" He spelled out the acronym in his mind. "Lysergic acid diethylamide…" Part of him wished the man who shared a similar name was there. Then he could pretend he was the actual drug and kick him around a little. Of course, he would never actually do that. "What an immature thing to think of."

But the thought of beating an innocent individual filled him with guilt. He remembered how he had tortured his oldest son, the heir to the family, the person he had always thought of as capable, fierce, yet possessing just the right amount of kindness.

How can I even look at Ren now? I...I was wrong...and I almost killed him. He covered his face with his hand. And still, Pin-Mei says he didn't hesitate to get that blood for me.

It was a horrible feeling. Not only that he was wrong, but that he was going to have to submit to his son; that he was going to have to actually admit that he had been wrong.

I messed up, he thought. Even though I hate to admit it, I messed up. I made a mistake. I was wrong…

He kept repeating similar phrases, trying to get used to the fact that he has been hasty in his decision to name his son the culprit. He stopped, staring at the ground.

All I can do is apologize. I can't take back all the pain I caused. I can't close all the wounds I opened. The only pitiful thing I can do is tell him that I'm sorry for what I did to him, that I now know he was innocent all along. Both he and Lien were victims in this.

"Milord?"

Ren looked up to see Sheng walking toward him. She looked confused. "I thought you left. Isn't it important that you join Lord Ren and Lady Lien as soon as possible?"

His eyes became hard again. "I found a vial in the stables. Thanks to Huan's carelessness, I now know everything."

"You do?"

He nodded. "Everything from the last week is a lie. Ren didn't do anything wrong."

"Then…who ravished Milady?"

"No one."

"W-What?"

Ren clenched his fist. "Lien was never raped. It was a hallucination created by Huan." He folded his arms. "I'm not quite certain how she made sure that Lien thought she was raped, since she could have imagined anything else, and the chance that she would think of rape of all things is minimal. But that's not important right now. What's important is that someone's been pulling our strings and turning us against each other. Someone more powerful than Huan." His eyes narrowed. "Above all else, I utterly despise being used."

Sheng looked up at him slowly. "Milord, if I may speak?"

He gave her an awkward face. "Go on…"

"While I agree with most of your theory, we mustn't forget that Milady was nearly violated a few weeks ago. From that stand point, her hallucinating that she was indeed raped isn't unnatural."

He turned his head in thought. "That's true…" He shook his head. "But that doesn't matter. Huan injected Lien with a dangerously high dose of scopolamine, which caused her mind to go awry in the first place. Getting revenge on the person who hurt my children and caused Pin-Mei and myself to turn against each other – that's the only thing I care about right now."

"Milord…"

He looked up. "But we don't have time for this. I've delayed my departure long enough. My children might need me, and I can't risk either of them getting hurt if the mastermind behind all this happens to be where Lien is."

Sheng bowed. "Please allow me to accompany you. I must redeem myself after my humiliating defeat against the traitor, Huan."

He nodded. "Alright. But don't dawdle. I promised Pin-Mei I'd bring them home.

"And I'll die before I break that promise."

"Lien!"

Ren watched helplessly as his sister fell into the mud. He stared for a moment, then ran over to her, taking her into his arms and shaking her. He was hoping to wake her before any nightmares could have the chance to torment her. Considering how hard it was to wake her up under normal circumstances, he knew this wouldn't be easy.

"Lien! LIEN! WAKE UP!"

"Save your strength. It's no use. Not even a Mack Truck could wake her up now."

Ren stiffened and slowly looked up to see Tadashi nonchalantly putting his hands in his pockets. He tried to give him a death glare with enough strength to intimidate him, but his former friend paid him no mind.

"Don't worry, I haven't killed her yet," Tadashi said calmly. "I guess you could compare her current condition to a coma. If you scream loud enough, you might be able to influence her dreams a teeny tiny bit. But anything else is useless. She won't wake up until I say so. I do plan on waking her up, of course, you don't need to worry about that." He smirked. "I'll wake her up after she screams for a little while." He sighed as if he were love struck. "I can't wait. It's sure to be a most beautiful sound."

Ren left his sister's body and grabbed the demon's shoulders. "What do you want from us? Lien's not the girl from your past that you want revenge on, so why are you doing this to her? She's suffered enough! Didn't you willingly get the crap beaten out of you in order to protect her? Don't you feel anything for her? I thought you loved her!"

"I did love her," Tadashi said quietly. "I loved her so much it hurt." He closed his eyes. "But the hurt's become too much. Love made me blind. It made me obsessive. I forgot the pain and just concentrated on her. I gave her everything I had. She was all I ever thought about. But she didn't even give my love for her a chance. I can't live with the hurt anymore, Ren. Besides..." He opened his eyes again. "All of that was before I remembered who I really am and why I came here. I know better now. Your sister has made me suffer, just like...she did. Now, they're the same in my mind. I have to punish her. Unless she experiences the same pain of rejection and abandonment that I have, I can never be at peace."

Ren listened, digging his nails into Meihou's shoulders. When he was done speaking, the scion grit his teeth, then swung back and gave him a left hook that sent his classmate into the mud. He glared down at him.

"You bastard," he whispered in a dark voice. "You don't know anything about Lien, about the pain she's been through ever since we were little. You want to make her suffer 'like you have'?" He grabbed Tadashi by his collar and pulled him up, staring him straight in the eye. "She says she loves me more than anything. She says she wants to marry me. She says she wants to have children with me. But I'm going to have to reject her and break her innocent heart into a million little pieces." His eyes were suddenly filled with rage. "Don't worry, she'll be feeling your pain soon – without your help." He dropped him. "You're pathetic."

Tadashi stood up, his gray blazer and pants clean despite the mud. He brushed himself off. "Fine, then. But I think I'll let her stay like that for a little while longer. After all, I haven't heard those beautiful screams yet."

He shot the limp body a glare, his eyes flashing. Almost immediately, Lien began screaming and crying, grabbing at the mud near her.

"No...no...please...n-...not that...anything but that..." she murmured.

Ren flinched, then quickly turned to Tadashi.

"You bastard!" He swung back for another punch, but Tadashi caught his fist, holding one of his daggers at his attacker's neck.

"I really don't think that's smart," he said apathetically. "If you knock me out, then Lien will be trapped in her nightmares until I regain consciousness. You don't want that, do you?"

Reluctantly, Ren dropped his fist. His opponent sneered.

"Oh yes, not only are you soft when it comes to your mother, but you turn to mush when your darling sister is involved, as well. What fun." He gave him an uppercut and kicked him to the ground. Ren grabbed at the mud as Tadashi stood over him.

"That woman really has ruined your family. Not only is your bloodline ruined, but you and your father have become weaklings with feelings. You actually care about what happens to those around you. Even me." He laughed as Ren shook with anger. "That's right. I see Houraiken at your side. You could have stabbed me by now, killed me in a single blow, but you haven't. Why? Because you're against killing people, right? Your parents' foolish philosophy..."

Lien screamed again. Ren's head snapped up and he looked over at her. He bit his lip. Tadashi looked over at the distressed girl, then at the muddy scion before him.

"Seems like a wonderful nightmare she's having. Sounds like rape to me...just like I wanted."

Ren stood, his fists clenched. "Stop it! She doesn't deserve any of this!" His voice softened. "She...She still thinks I raped her...She's in enough pain as it is! Just please, stop this!"

Her screaming continued. "N-No!...Please...stop it! It...It hurts! Please...just STOP IT!"

Ren frantically looked back and forth between her and her tormentor, his eyes pleading for the screaming to end. He came to the conclusion that he didn't have any other choice than to swallow his pride. He grabbed Tadashi's shoulders again.

"Please! Stop it!" he cried. "I...I'm begging you...I can't stand to see her suffer anymore."

Tadashi scoffed at him. "What makes you think I'll say, 'Oh, of course!' when you keep repeating the same things over and over again?"

"Please..." The proud heir fell to his knees. "I'm begging you...I...I'll do anything..."

At this, the traitor cocked an eyebrow. "Really, now? You'll do anything if I stop Lien's nightmares?"

"I...I..." What am I saying...? "Yes! Just don't hurt her anymore!" This is for Lien's sake. Any humiliation or pain I have to go through in order to save her is my duty as her brother.

"Alright, Ren, I have something you can do," Tadashi said with a smirk.

The dog scrambled to its feet. "What is it? Tell me!"

Tadashi just smiled at him, then reached his hand out to him, like a prince asking for a dance.

"Pledge your loyalty to Hao-sama.

In other words...join us."