'Graduate!' they said. 'Get a full-time job!' they said. 'You'll feel like you have more free time!' they said. Lies and fallacies. What isn't a lie or a fallacy is that it's been quite a while, but I never stopped thinking about this fic. At least a good portion of the next chapter is written?

A Gift of Love – Chapter Ninety-Eight: Once More, With Spirit

The two men stared at each other down. Ren still wore a smirk as the Spirit of Thunder stood patiently behind him awaiting orders. It almost seemed as if the two elementals were glaring at each other along with their masters. Hao's fist was clenched, annoyed that he would once again have to deal with the warrior, this time with his stronger spirit.

No one had neither spoken nor moved since Ren's initial arrival, bringing the battle to a standstill. Eventually, Hao was shaking with rage.

"What are you doing just standing there?" he said in a low voice.

Suo flinched, knowing he was directing his anger at her.

"Seal the spirits once more and strike Tao Ren with a curse tag! DO IT!"

She jumped before taking out a tag and quickly biting her finger so she could write a spell on it in blood, glaring at the back of his head spitefully the entire time. Hao suddenly looked back at her with dagger-like eyes, causing her to tense. She paused, then quickly finished writing before chanting and throwing the tag.

Ren watched it sail toward him, his mind desperately trying to think of how to avoid it. He couldn't risk Lien being hit by it, but there wasn't any time for him to hide her. If they stayed where they were, the curse would hit him full on, and he would most likely die a few moments after.

Dammit! I can't just toss Lien, but diving to the side might cause either of us to be hit! Think! THINK!

He suddenly calmed as he heard hurried steps from behind him.

There was a loud ripping sound as the tag was sliced in half. Pin-Mei stood in front of her husband, her eyes fierce with anger. She glowered at the villains across from her.

"Which one of you was it?" she asked in a dark voice. "Who was the one that tried to kill my husband?" She paused, waiting for a reply. "What's wrong? Don't feel like telling me? That's fine…I'll just beat it out of you. Both of you."

She looked to Suo. "I can't wait to get my hands on you, you sorry waste of flesh." Now to Hao. She began walking toward them. "And you…I'll show you what happens when you dare to lay a hand on my hus—"

A hand slapped onto her shoulder. Her eyes instantly softened, returning to their wide, warm selves.

"Pin-Mei, stop," Ren's voice came. He turned her around with his free hand, and she looked up at him innocently. She moved back to stand in front of him.

"Ren…"

Ren gave her a small, mocking smile and stroked her cheek. "That was unnecessary, but still, thank you."

Her eyes shined as she blushed. It had only just occurred to her that she had acted out of line, allowing her rage to consume her, and in the process making it seem as though he needed her protection.

"However…" He suddenly pinched her cheek, pulling it out as far as it would go. "I told you to stay in bed. You couldn't have slept for more than an hour. You and I both know that's not nearly enough."

"Aa…aa…"

Rong suddenly appeared next to them. "Milord, would you like me to take Lady Lien for you?" She held out her arms.

Ren gratefully handed her over, freeing his right hand. He pinched Pin-Mei's other cheek, a sadistic smile forming. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

She was practically crying out of pain. "I'm shawy fowah not wishening to you Wen! I won dishobey you again!"

He let go, allowing her to nurse her cheeks momentarily. She looked up at him, her eyes still glossy, then cast them toward the ground.

"I just couldn't sit still when I felt that something was going on. I know you can take care of yourself…I just wanted to make sure…for my own peace of mind."

He put a hand on her head and pulled her against his bare chest. "It's alright this time. Even I can admit that without you, we would all be dead right now." He allowed her to step back, making eye contact with her. "I'm grateful that you came."

Her face flushed as she quickly began looking in all directions, trying to avoid his gaze. "W-Well, I know you wouldn't turn away from me if I were in your position, and besides, I already owe you so much…"

A wall of ice suddenly erupted and shielded them from a fiery attack. Pin-Mei started, obviously surprised, whereas Ren glanced up, unconcerned.

"Oi! Now isn't the time for cuddling!" HoroHoro called.

Rong waved him off as she came to stand next to him. "Oh, give them a couple seconds. If my hunch is correct, tonight's been really tough on them – maybe even more so than us."

"No, I think we're done with such drivel," Ren said. He looked down at Pin-Mei, whose face was still red. "Right?"

She stared up at him, her face showing signs that she didn't feel the same way, but she recognized that when they returned home – winning this battle was the only logical outcome in her mind – she would be able to cling to him all she wanted. She took a breath.

"I love you."

He gave a small smirk. "I know."

He turned to face Hao and Suo through the ice, HoroHoro coming to stand beside him. "There are a few ways to go about this. One: We all take out Suo first, then Hao. Two: We do just the opposite – Hao, then Suo. Or three: we split up and take on both at the same time but in two separate groups." He paused.

"Pin-Mei. What do you think we should do?"

Pin-Mei froze, her eyes wide with surprise. "Y…You're asking for my opinion?"

He turned, looking slightly perturbed. "What else would I be doing? Now answer my question."

Her mind raced as she tried to quickly make a decision before he became more annoyed. Still, deep inside, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of happiness. This was the first time since deciding to have a third child that Ren had asked for her input concerning a very important decision. It was something she had been yearning for, for him to show that he trusted her judgment and ability to make thoughtful decisions.

"People are equal now! That means that I should have a say in all these decisions you make!"

It would seem that he had taken her words to heart.

If it really is up to me, then…

She relaxed her muscles, her hair covering her eyes. "Ren…" He made a sound of acknowledgment. "This is rather selfish of me, and for that I apologize, but…" They locked eyes. "Please, just let me have one hit against Hao."

He looked surprised. Not only was she taking full advantage of the opportunity, she was asking for something rather self-serving, something that could jeopardize their chances of success if she erred in any way.

"Please…Just one hit." A pitiful smile appeared on her face. "I think that's all I can bear. I know I should be able to fight whilst giving my all, knowing it's only Hao…but…I can't. That's…that's still my little boy. I can only see him as Hao for so long. I don't want to be completely useless in this fight, but against Hao, there's no more I can do than this. Please."

He turned to her. "That's really what you want?"

She hesitated. Then she bit her lip and nodded. She was trying her best not to waver, to cower and relent after asserting herself.

Expressionless, Ren turned back to HoroHoro. "Alright. Get ready to make a distraction."

Behind him, Pin-Mei's eyes slowly lit up. The fact that he was taking her wish to heart was like a gentle push, telling her that it was okay to feel the way she did about facing her son.

"Seriously?!" the Ainu cried in Japanese. "O-Oi, Ren, I'm not sure this is the time to be humoring Pin-Mei or encouraging her to be reckless!"

"I know," Ren replied flatly. "But I think if I just let her do this, she'll be satisfied. That will leave us to concentrate on Hao while she, Rong, and Li go after Suo." He glanced at him, seeing that his friend still didn't approve. "Just focus on distracting Hao. I'll do the same, as well as worry about Pin-Mei."

HoroHoro sighed. "Fine." He turned to Pin-Mei, switching to Chinese. "Just—" Ren cleared his throat, letting him know that he had better watch his tone. HoroHoro groaned. "Don't get yourself hurt, okay?"

She gawked at him, then smiled. "Thank you. I'll be careful," she said.

Ren glanced back at her. "I'm not going to be able to tell you when to go. Hao will know what we're doing, and then the plan will be ruined. Judge for yourself and go. And…" He locked eyes with her, his softening just a bit in concern. "…don't do anything too reckless. Come back to me immediately if you feel you're in danger."

She nodded. "I promise I will."

As the battle began, Pin-Mei stayed behind the two warriors watching and waiting. Rong and Li stood on either side of her a few steps back. The whole idea still didn't sit very well with her former guardian, but Rong felt there was nothing she could do to make her friend abandon her plan, especially now that Ren had given it his blessing. All she could do was watch and make sure nothing happened to her.

"R-Rong…"

She perked up. "Yes, Milady?"

Pin-Mei jolted, not used to her referring to her so. "I…I'll be okay. Don't worry about me."

Her friend's eyes softened. "I know. You're only saying that to comfort yourself, Pin-Mei." Black eyes widened as they met her red ones. Pin-Mei looked away, then back again.

"I'll be okay. Don't worry about me," she repeated.

Rong's face stiffened, but she bowed, Li quickly mimicking her. "The Wei family wishes you all the luck the gods can possibly offer," they said in unison.

Pin-Mei smiled sadly. "Thank you." Her gaze returned to the battle, which had predictably become more intense since she had last looked.

Ren hadn't needed to tell her to play the part of the concerned damsel – she already had the act perfected. When their blows were met, she would clasp her hands together almost under her chin, her eyes full of worry. When Ren pushed Hao away, her face would light up, making her look as though she were about to produce some pompoms and jump around in a zealous cheer.

Of course, none of it was at all an act. She nearly got lost in her role, awakened only when Ren gave her a side-eyed glance. She quickly abandoned her spectator position and looked around.

HoroHoro seemed to be about to knock Hao to the ground, overpowering him with a small yet harsh blizzard. This would be her chance.

Her breathing hitched. My only chance.

It all happened so slowly; her son's body was hit by a chunk of ice. He wobbled. Teetered. He tried to steady himself. He failed.

Ren was about to glance back at Pin-Mei in order to see if she had been paying attention, but she was already rushing past him. He watched her run toward the body of her eldest son, one of her most precious treasures, in preparation for an assault.

Inside, she was screaming, crying. Almost as if, like her son, her heart had been split in two. One part of her pleaded not to hurt him, that simply talking would suffice, while her harsher side argued that he had already harmed her friends, her children…her husband…and could not be forgiven so easily, no matter what the reason.

If we don't do this, he will just keep hurting everyone…I have to…just this once…then I'll ignore him and focus on Suo.

She arrived. He was already starting to recover. Quickly, she flipped her sword and bashed him over the head will the dulled side. This impeded him getting up by a few seconds, but overall did very little to harm him. After all, he had always been blessed with his father's hard head.

Pin-Mei recoiled, taking a few steps back. She should have been planning as she waited, not simply been trying to coach herself. She didn't know what her next move should be.

Okay, I've hit him – now what?

Her daze abruptly ended as Hao stood, immediately catching her in his crosshairs. Ren watched them carefully, ready to jump in should he try to harm her before she could get away.

Hao glanced at him, then gave a quick wave of his stolen Kwan Dao. A burst of fire erupted from it, racing at him and his allies, splitting and targeting each of the remaining four fighters like a pack of wild dogs.

The flames were not so easily deflected, either. Ren initially only exerted enough force to swat his away, but found himself being pushed back. He quickly braced himself, trying to keep the destructive force at bay. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he could see HoroHoro struggling the same way he was. Rong and Li had each turned their oversouls into shields and were trying to overpower the fire with sheer will.

He faced forward again, pushing as hard as he could. Over the flame he could see Pin-Mei in front of Hao – her body either quivering, or the flames were making it look so. She was on her own. No one could help her. If Hao made a move to harm her that she couldn't counter, that would be it.

Seeing her granddaughter's potential saviors occupied, Suo approached her. "Whatever is the matter, child? Did you not run up here to fight Hao-Sama? To prove that even if he looked like your beloved son, you won't let that hold you back? What's happened to your resolve?"

Pin-Mei grabbed her left wrist with her right, trying to steady her sword. "Shut up…" she whispered.

Hao saw his chance. He gave a bright, cruel smile. "Oh Mother, I knew I could count on you to stand up for me…" With that, he gave her a simple punch. She was pushed back a few paces, but it only took her a few moments to regain her balance. Unsatisfied, he gave her a swift kick to the midsection, sending her into the mud.

She frantically tried to stand, slipping on the wet ground as she did so. She finally succeeded and turned to face him. Her hands shook as they prudently held her DaDao. He took a step toward her, and she took a few hurried steps back, much like a trapped mouse trying to evade a cat.

Suo smiled. "Look at what this selfish wish has done to your dear husband's plans. You really are such an inconvenience, Pin-Mei. If you had no healing arts, you would be utterly useless here."

"I said shut up," Pin-Mei whispered back darkly.

She was becoming flustered. Suo was behind her with a cat-like grin and a closed iron fan, ready to swat her. Hao was in front of her, nonchalantly watching her suffer internally as she tried to separate the demon from her son. He raised the Kwao Dao. Her eyes widened as she followed it.

Turning away, she closed her eyes and thrust her hand out. A tag was slapped onto his forehead, causing him to freeze momentarily as sizable waves of electricity surged through the heir's body. It was similar to the tag she had used on him a decade before, though many times more powerful. She herself stopped, almost astonished that she had been able to bring herself to harm her child. As the tag fell, her eyes widened. A pair of golden eyes glared back at her, as if on fire.

Ren saw her hesitation. "Pin-Mei! Get out of there!"

She raised a shaky hand. "Th…THIS IS FOR HURTING MY FAMILY!" She quickly gave him an open-handed slap across the face. After looking at her hand then at Hao again, she motioned to turn and run back to her husband.

"O-Okay, I'm done!" she cried.

Ren looked up from the fire attack he was parrying. "Alright." His eyes widened. "Pin-Mei, behind you!"

Pin-Mei glanced over her shoulder to see what had him so concerned. Hao had caught up with her, and was now right on her heels. She turned back around and tried to go faster. If she could just reach Ren, then he could fend the demon off.

"As I thought…your maternal instinct is your biggest weakness…"

Hao grabbed her right shoulder and whipped her around to face him. Before she could struggle free, he gave a quick upward slash. The blade traced from her left hip all the way up to her right shoulder.

The blood poured out. Pin-Mei bit her lip to hold in a cry and stumbled backward. As she staggered she tried to get ahold of herself. The pain was of course intense, making it hard for her to concentrate.

"Regretting your selfish, foolish wish yet?" Hao said with a dagger-like tone.

She simply looked up at him, almost confused. Her stupor finally lost its luster for him, and he raised the blade again.

"Good-bye 'Mother.'"

Pin-Mei's legs lost all their power. She began to fall back, the Kwan Dao almost following her.

"No…Ren…"

There was a clanging sound. She fell against a warm chest, an arm immediately wrapping around her protectively. When she realized she was still in one piece, she opened her eyes and looked up. They widened, then misted. She gave a shaky smile of relief.

Hao himself seemed a bit stunned. His blade had been stopped. "H-How…?!"

As he tried to figure out how the Tao could have overpowered his fire, Ren slowly raised his head. His golden eyes flashed in anger as they locked with his son's.

"Don't. Touch. My. Wife."

Hao grit his teeth in frustration, a scowl forming. "So, the fire wasn't strong enough to hold you back? I'll be sure to use my full strength with my next attack."

Ren ignored the taunt. Instead he, his arm still around her, took Pin-Mei's left wrist and tried to flop her hand onto her wounded chest.

"Heal yourself," he commanded gruffly. When she simply blinked at him, gasps of pain escaping her, he continued. "You can't defeat Suo if you're wounded like this. Now heal yourself."

She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. Ren wasn't going to scold her, to tell her she deserved this, that she shouldn't have done it in the first place. He understood why she had needed this so much. A weak smile formed.

Ren…

Just then, Hao began pushing on his weapon especially hard, taking advantage of Ren's one-handed block and causing the warrior to falter slightly. The hand holding his weapon shook from being strained by having to brace the attack alone.

Rong suddenly appeared and soundlessly slid Pin-Mei from his arm. He immediately used his newly freed hand to give his side of the stalemate the support it so desperately needed.

"Play all the mind games you want, Hao. I'm done falling for them, so I doubt you'll derive much amusement from me."

Undeterred, Hao grinned. "Jeopardizing your already miniscule chance of winning against me and my Spirit of Fire by allowing your wife to confront me on her own? Does she really have you wrapped around her finger that tightly?"

Ren glowered at him. "I let her do it so she could see her son up close one last time before I kill him."

"Confident, I see."

He smirked. "Of course. You're not half as powerful as you were when you killed me. It looks like Lien really was the crutch you soul needed to fully regain its strength."

Hao's eyes flared. But before he could reply, a wave of icicles flew at him. He ducked, giving Ren the opportunity to knock him backward. Just as Hao's back hit the ground, the large shards of ice flew over him.

"Oi, Ren! Slow down! If you just waited another second, it would have been a direct hit!"

Ren looked up to see HoroHoro standing a few meters away, a joking pout on his face. He smirked. "If anything, I think the answer is for you to try and keep up."

"You calling me slow?!"

"And if I am?"

They shared a grin before HoroHoro gave a small head motion, drawing Ren's attention to the foe that was getting up, albeit slowly. His expression hardened.

It's time to end this.

He took a step back. "Spirit of Thunder! Oversoul!"

The monster let out a cry before glowing and surrounding Houraiken. The weapon appeared to elongate as the golden oversoul formed around it, its final appearance being a large, golden Kwan Dao. He raised it.

Before he could bring it down and conjure an attack, Hao took his own weapon and thrust it at him. Ren dodged, but at the last moment, the blade of Hao's Kwan Dao was turned horizontally. It cut deep into his side. HoroHoro shot a missile of ice at him, which was deflected.

Pin-Mei had by now healed herself and was waiting with Rong and Li for a chance to make her move on Suo. Upon seeing her husband's injury, she let out a cry and motioned to return to him.

"Ren!"

He whipped his right arm out, holding Houraiken. "Stay back!"

She immediately skidded to a stop. "B-But you're hurt!"

"I'm fine! It's not that deep! You've done your part, so just stay there until the time is right!"

Hao snickered as the warrior winced. It was clear that his words hadn't been entirely truthful.

Pin-Mei slowly shook her head. "No. I'm not just standing back and watching you get hurt again!"

"I SAID NO!"

Watching the two, Suo let out a chuckle just loud enough for them to hear. "Isn't your real reason for refusing her help that she is honestly more of a hindrance?" When Ren said nothing, acting as though he was ignoring her, she continued. "Honestly, look at yourself, Ren. She may have healed your previous mortal injuries, but here you are, bleeding again. All because Pin-Mei simply had to satisfy her selfish desire to fight Hao-sama. Consider the alternative: You could have refused her wish, simply carried on with your battle plan, and avoid being wounded because of her foolishness."

He narrowed his eyes. "I allowed it because I wanted to," he replied sharply, without hesitation.

"Yes, but only because she asked, correct? You would never have offered her the chance of your own volition." She used the fan to cover her face, her cold eyes peeking over it. "You're an intelligent man – you knew it was risky to do such a thing. Pin-Mei's combat abilities are far from adept. Mix that with her doubt from fighting her son, and it's a recipe for disaster." She began minimally fanning herself in a small, slow, hypnotic motion.

"But let's be honest without ourselves. Pin-Mei may be foolish, but she's not imbecilic. She knew that asking that of you was selfish, and could very well cost you a victory if her failure was significant enough. So why on earth then would she do it?"

She looked up thoughtfully. Pin-Mei had since cast her gaze to the ground. Suo sneered with delight.

"Your goals seem pretty straightforward, Ren. You want to become as strong as you can be. You want to protect your family – to make whoever gets in the way of these things pay dearly for it. But Pin-Mei…what are her goals? What drives her? Hm?" She leaned to the side to glance around the man in front of her. "Would you care to enlighten us, Pin-Mei?"

Ren raised an arm, as if to block her, voice and all. "Don't speak to her. Don't even look at her. The only business you have with her is the fight you two will have, in which she'll beat you handily once and for all."

Suo pretended to pout. "Why be such a stick in the mud, Ren? What harm is there in such a simple question. After all, it only requires a simple answer."

The hand that had been clutching his bleeding side tightened its grasp. "It has nothing to do with this battle, and I hate having my time wasted by things that don't matter." He replied darkly. "There's nothing you can say about Pin-Mei that will surprised me in the least. I've been with her long enough that I can say for certain that I know just about everything there is to know about her."

The woman grinned. "So then why not hear her reason? Then you boys can continue your little scuffle." She fanned herself a bit faster now.

In all this time, Pin-Mei hadn't even looked up. She was still staring at the ground, biting her lip.

"Go on, Pin-Mei," her grandmother said in a raised voice.

"Tell your beloved husband how you've truly been mine all along."