Yet another chapter that I'm splitting up. I realized that I have some point-of-view clashing, but I didn't want to delay this any longer. So here you are – our One Hundredth Chapter!
I never thought I'd make it this far. Thanks to everyone for your support over the years!
A Gift of Love – Chapter One Hundred: Devotion Part II
Ren and Suo looked up to see Hua jumping through a hole in the darkness. She did not look the least bit amused.
Suo turned to her angrily. "How did you break the barrier?! Hao's power should have been enough to contain you for a day at least!"
"Let's just say that I have two valuable weapons: A hard head…" She reached into her bracer. "…and tags!"
She pulled one out and tossed it at her mother. It hit her forehead, and she instantly vanished. Hua let out a sigh.
"That won't hold her for long. Let's go."
Ren looked at her quizzically. "Go? Go where? Why should I follow you? You're her—"
Without missing a beat, Hua turned on her heel, marched back to her son-in-law and slapped him across the face. She stood back, hands on her hips.
"Do I really need to greet you with a wake-up slap every time I see you, Ren?" she sassed as she watched him nurse his cheek. "I swear, I never thought you were this prone to idiocy."
Ren glared at her. "Don't do that again," he warned
She grinned. "What are you going to do – kill me? Anyway…" She grabbed him by the hand and began dragging him behind her. "Before you make your decision, there are a few things you should see."
His eyes narrowed. "So you're really going to defend the things she's done?"
"Yes, I am." Her voice left no room for argument. "And you're going to see that you're an idiot for letting Suo control you like this. Really, you should know better by now."
"Excuse you."
She sighed again. "But I guess with the curse she placed on you, you can't really help it." They stopped. She looked down, her face hidden. "I know she won't let me tell you what choice you should make, so all I can do is show you."
He folded his arms. "What could you possibly show me that could justify all of that?"
She fumed, then turned to him angrily. "Did she fry more than your-" Her words abruptly stopped.
"More than my…?"
Dammit! She tried a few more incriminating phrases, but nothing came out. She looked like a lipsyncher with no music. The whole thing made her want to stomp her feet in a terrible tantrum. After a calming breath, complete with meditative yoga-like movements with her arms, she turned to him once more.
"Never mind what I was saying before. The bottom line is that you can't leave this plane until you choose whether or not you want to be with Pin-Mei. I won't allow you to make that choice when you've only heard one sick side of the story. You let Suo make her case, and if you're really interested in learning the truth, you'll let me make mine. Are we clear?"
He grumbled in response. Half satisfied, Hua turned and stared into the darkness. After a few moments, Pin-Mei's room began to materialize.
It seemed to pick up where the last memory had left off, only Ling was awake and screaming. He watched once more as the guards mercilessly carved her punishment into her. As with the previous vision, Pin-Mei was obscured by a shadow. Hua walked over to the darkened bed, then looked at Ren.
"This didn't seem at all fishy to you?" she said in a caustic tone. After huffing an angry sigh, she grabbed the darkness and threw it away as one would swiftly draw curtains.
It revealed Pin-Mei sitting up in her bed. Instead of watching with feigned apathy, she was covering her ears, her eyes shut tight. Looking closely, he could see tears falling down her cheeks.
He cocked an eyebrow. "Is this supposed to sway me? If anything, it makes it worse. Her punishment was so horrible that she herself couldn't watch," he scoffed. "She knew without a doubt that she was torturing Ling and did nothing to stop it!"
Hua merely bowed her head. A voice echoed over the area.
This is wrong…I should stop this…I…I thought it would be okay since Rong acted like it didn't hurt…But Ling is…I…Why am I doing this?
Pin-Mei looked up, her eyes filled with terror as she again realized what she had forced her servant into. She timidly reached out.
"S…S…"
There was a thud as Ling's body went limp and fell to the floor, landing on her knees. Her mistress's face became pale.
I-Is she dead? Did they kill her?
"She's only fainted, My Lady," Rong said, having read the child's movements. "The pain and loss of blood were too overwhelming."
The small girl was shivering. "Rong…please…"
"What does My Lady want me to do?"
Pin-Mei crawled to the edge of the bed and reached for the guard. "Please! Just—"
"Lady Pin-Mei, we're finished here."
She froze. Then, with rigid movements, she turned back to where the stone pedestal was. The prison guards were bowing on either side of it. Ling had slumped forward against the podium, her sprawled leg just barely visible. Pin-Mei's lip quivered, but she said nothing.
"Should we bring her to the dungeon?"
Her eyes went wide. "NO!" She tried to go on, but her body was trembling so much that nothing that came out was the slightest bit intelligible. Rong finally unfolded her arms and stepped forward.
"No. Lady Pin-Mei desires that Ling be brought to the medical wing." Upon seeing the men's confusion, she continued. "Should her hand become infected, she will be unable to serve her mistress to the best of her ability. Even worse, she could spread an illness of some sort. Most undesirable, don't you agree?"
The guards nodded dumbly.
"I thought so. Once you have taken her to the infirmary, you may return to your chambers until you are called for."
She watched them until Ling had been dragged out of sight, then turned to Pin-Mei.
"It would seem that My Mistress is unhappy with the punishment she personally chose for Miss Ling."
Pin-Mei looked up at her, as if shocked that her despair had been noticed. She looked down at her comforter. "I really hurt her…"
Rong glanced at the small pool of blood which remained on the rug, seeping into it. "Indeed, the pain of being carved into is quite excruciating."
Pin-Mei bit her lip. "Will…will she ever forgive me?" she whispered.
The guard tilted her head down. "I'm sure if you ask for her forgiveness, and show her you're sorry, she will give it to you, My Lady."
They faded. Hua looked up at Ren.
"See? She felt very guilty about it. She didn't understand that Rong and Ling dealt with pain differently. That day, she realized it. Ling was never punished like that for the duration of her service."
Ren didn't make eye contact. "She could have been making it up. Pin-Mei's used crying to manipulate me before."
"Really? 'Manipulate' is a pretty strong word. Are you sure that's what you mean?"
"I had a college-level vocabulary when I was nine. I'm well aware of how strong it is."
With a lopsided frown, Hua turned back to the darkness. "Next."
They were suddenly in the main hall of XuFan Castle. Rong's punishment had already been carried out.
"This again," Ren said in a bored voice.
Suo swatted Pin-Mei with her fan, then left the room.
Hua sighed. "Suo said no one helped Pin-Mei after she beat her, thinking you would assume that if even Rong had no affection for her, she must have been as far gone as you're being led to believe. However…"
All the servants stood as still as statues, and just as silent. The only sounds were Pin-Mei's hiccupping of tears, and Suo's footsteps echoing down the hall. They diminished, then vanished as the large door to her chambers was slammed shut.
Rong instantly rose from her bow and ran to her mistress. As she approached her, she reached out with her good hand to turn the small girl around. Pin-Mei looked up from her tears, and upon seeing the guard so close to her, she flinched and tried to cower away.
"I'm not here to get back at you, My Lady," Rong said softly. "Please turn around."
After some hesitation, Pin-Mei waddled in a circle until she was facing the wall. Rong lifted the dark blue silk top to reveal the beginning of a diagonal abrasion on her back. She gestured to Ling with her head, and the other maidservant dashed over and lifted the shirt higher. Ling let out a small gasp.
There was a gash at the top where the fan's blades had hit her. Blood was beginning to seep from it. The small girl shuddered as it ran down her back.
"Get bandages from the medical wing, and be discreet," Rong said in a firm voice. Ling gave a quick nod, then quickly left the room.
Rong examined the wound again. Without saying another word, she bit the flap of her left bracer, then jerked it open. Still using her teeth, she pulled a cloth from it. Then she used her good hand to open her vest and take out a vial. For a moment it looked like she was simply holding the bottle, her thumb against the cork holding it shut, but the stopper suddenly flew across the room.
"You. Over here."
Another red-haired maid servant rushed over to stand at her side. She gave a salute.
"Yes, Captain?"
"Hold up her shirt."
"Yes, Captain!"
With her order obeyed, Rong folded the cloth and set it on her knee. "My Lady, I'm going to put some ointment on your back to help it heal. Though, I must caution it may sting."
Pin-Mei gave a small nod, still shivering, eyes shut tight. Her arms had retracted and were against her chest, her hands small fists under her chin. She stiffened and let out a small yip as she felt the solution against the open cut.
Ling soon returned with bandages, and clothed the gash per Rong's instructions. Once she was done, she guided her young mistress to bed. After reading a story, tucking her in, and turning off the light, she quietly closed the door behind her and joined Rong in the hall.
Her eyes fell on the Wei warrior's marred right hand. She had to stop herself from making a face.
"Rong…Shouldn't you do something about…your burn…?"
Rong looked down at it, emotionless. Without a word, she took out another vial and poured it on the smoldering red wound. Then she began patting it harshly, almost as if she were spanking her skin for daring to allow itself to burn. Ling cringed, flinching and subconsciously hiding her own hand under her left armpit as she watched. It looked painful, but anyone looking at Rong's face would be none the wiser. True to her title, the Captain of the Guards remained stoic through it all. When she was done, she looked up at Ling.
"Better?"
"I-I suppose…but shouldn't you have done that before tending to Lady Pin-Mei? It's important to treat burns as quickly as possible, after all. The skin will certainly scar at this rate…"
Rong turned away from her. "There's no reason for me to care about my physical appearance. It's mostly used to attract a lover, right? I'm not allowed to have a partner of any sort, so there's no reason for me worry about such things. My objective is to take care of Lady Pin-Mei, not find a soul mate. My only wish is for her happiness, and because of that, her needs and well-being will always come first, no matter what."
"You're…still saying that after what she just did to you?"
Ling could see the guard tilt her head down slightly to look down at her injury.
"I can't fault Pin-Mei for following in the footsteps of the only adult who acknowledges her existence, even if that adult is a depraved witch," she whispered. "She's lonely. She's depressed. I don't think I need to expound on that. You and I both know what she's missing, the only thing that was able to keep her happy for those few years."
The other girl's gaze drifted to the floor. "Lord Ren." She jumped as Rong slammed the side of her poor fist against the doorframe.
"That's right. That spoiled, rude, violent, son of a bitch heir to the god damned Tao family. Out of all the shamans in China, Mistress Hua chose to give her only child to that family. That family who's been killing for centuries, that has poison coursing through their veins. Hah. They're the furthest thing from "the Tao." And yet…that worthless whelp is what makes her happiest."
The fist dropped.
"If I'm serious about wanting Pin-Mei to be happy, I have to make sure she reunites with him. Or else, you're right Ling; she really will become a near duplicate of Suo."
"Rong…"
"I've asked myself many times if there was something I could have done to prevent her from becoming what she is, but I can't think of what I could have done differently, for the better." She turned to Ling. "All you and I can do is continue to care for her and try to steer her away from that witch's influence."
Ren watched them fade, his arms still folded. Hua playfully strolled over to him, her hands behind her back.
"Yeah, sounds like those two don't give half a care about their mistress. Guess that brat deserves to die, ne?" She grinned.
Ren stubbornly turned away. "They're just too forgiving. It doesn't excuse what she did."
She frowned. "Did you not just hear Rong say it's Suo's fault that Pin-Mei's doing all these bad things? It's like someone purposely training a Shih-Tzu to be a vicious attack dog, and then saying it should be put down! It makes no sense!" She ran to stand in front of him. "And don't you dare tell me that hearing Rong admit out loud that you were the only person able to make her truly happy didn't get to you in the least!"
At this, Ren's eyes softened slightly. He faced forward, then looked at the ground.
"Quite the pair of guilty eyes you got there."
"Silence." The command wasn't very forceful.
Hua gave him a few motherly pats. "There, there. Don't worry, I saved the best for last." She left him and walked toward the darkness, then abruptly stopped.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Did I say 'best'?" She turned to him with cold eyes. "I meant one of the worst nights of my daughter's life." She swiveled once more, then vanished.
The area around him changed back to Pin-Mei's room. He turned as the door opened and Rong escorted her mistress to her bed. The girl plopped herself down on it and pouted, though her scowl looked very forced.
Rong bowed. "I will return shortly, My Lady. Then we may begin discussing the changes to your menu."
Pin-Mei puffed her cheeks and whipped her head away. "Don't take too long." Her bodyguard bowed once more and left the room.
Once her footsteps had faded, Pin-Mei let out a heavy sigh as if she had just dropped a heavy barbell. She slouched and looked around the room. There was a distinct gurgling sound. She squeezed her eyes shut and put her hand on her stomach and pushed on it lightly.
"Quiet," she whispered. "Just ignore it. You don't want to die, do you?"
Ren blinked, a quizzical expression on his face. "Die? Why would she die from eating?"
A small orb appeared in front of him. Inside, he saw Suo approach Pin-Mei's chair just as she happily sat down to eat. Before she could take one bite of her Dong'an chicken, Suo leaned over and used her fan to secretly whisper in the girl's ear.
"I would think twice before eating anything the cooks prepare for you. You see, their feelings were very hurt when you didn't finish your cowpeas a few nights ago. They're quite angry, to be frank. In fact, I heard them discussing poisoning your food as revenge…Unfortunately, I cannot banish them on suspicion alone, so all I can do is warn you, my precious granddaughter. Be careful, Pin-Mei…"
Suo straightened and walked away, fanning herself in a calm manner. Pin-Mei looked down at her plate, then at the food-filled chopsticks she was holding. She immediately dropped – nearly tossed – them back onto the plate, and tried to distance herself from the supposedly tainted food, despite still being in her chair.
"See that?" Hua's voice came. "You blame Pin-Mei for throwing a tantrum, but Suo is the reason she's refusing to the food in the first place. How very nice."
He narrowed his eyes, his shoulders tensing as he tried to shake off his embarrassment. "And how was I supposed to know that?!"
Hua appeared in front of him. "BY BELIEVING IN HER! What the Tao is wrong with you?!" She paused, knowing the question was unneeded. "I think you need to get your head out of the sand and start remembering who your wife actually is! Now pay attention!" She vanished once more.
As Ren's focus returned to the main scene, Pin-Mei looked up from her stomach. Her gaze finally fell on the discarded toy in the corner. Her lip quivered, and her eyes glistened, but she quickly wiped them, turning them dark and hollow once more. Silently, she slipped off her bed and fetched it, then returned to her place.
She stared into the doll's black button eyes for what seemed like ages. She tried to play with his felt hair, but the texture made it difficult. Tears soon fell on its face, and Ren found himself taking small steps toward her. Eventually, he sat on her bed.
She suddenly slammed the plushie down against the mattress.
"WHY?!" she screamed. "Why haven't you called me or written to me? Did you really not like me at all? Did I do something to make you hate me?! What did I do…?" She curled up, hugging her knees and burying her face in them. "Stupid Ren…Stupid…Stupid…You're stupid and I hate you!"
The stupid boy turned away from her and stared at the rug.
When did I forget about her? How long after she left did I stop thinking about her?
It had never occurred to him that forgetting about those precious weeks they spent together as children had hurt her so much. All he could see was how happy she was to be by his side again, this time for eternity.
She left…I got angry about it…and then…
"What a nice reprieve for you, Ren. I hope you enjoyed it."
His eyes shot wide open as his father's voice filled his ears.
"…But there's no need for you to feel any attachment to that girl right now. We can't have her making you soft."
"That's right," his grandfather chimed in. "If your inner blade dulls, you'll have no chance of becoming Shaman King."
The next voice killed him inside.
"I understand."
He hadn't fought it at all. He had submitted to the men who had wrecked his childhood, allowing them to erase the fleeting happiness he had felt with Pin-Mei and replace it with blood lust.
"I'm…sorry…" he finally pushed out. "I'm sorry I allowed them make me forget you."
But guilty feelings were useless now. His wife's mirage couldn't hear his apologies. She could only continue to wallow in the sadness and anger he himself had so often felt.
Her hand crept out and pulled Lián close to her, situating him between her legs and face. She held him tightly, closing her eyes and breathing deeply.
He sat in silence, his eyes flickering back and forth to her as he tried to figure out how to make up for this gross mistake he felt he'd made. He couldn't do a thing.
Luckily, hurried footsteps echoed from down the hall, breaking the silence. Pin-Mei quickly looked up and listened, then looked at her lap. After a moment of hesitation, she tossed the plushie back in the corner, then crossed her legs and resumed her pout.
Seconds later, Rong ran in and bowed before the bed.
"What took you so long?" Pin-Mei grouched at her.
"My Lady, please come with me! Master Yao has returned, and he wishes to have an audience with you immediately!"
Ren saw how the eight year-old's mouth dropped open, her pout slacking.
"Grandfather's…returned?" she whispered.
Rong looked up at her, beads of sweat visible on her brow. "Yes, My Lady. He has returned, but he has fallen ill, and he doesn't know how much time he has left." She put her head down again. "I apologize, but please allow me to postpone reviewing your menu until after you've met with Master Yao!"
Pin-Mei looked down, her eyes suddenly hard. Ren tilted his head as if to meet her gaze. He had always wondered what had happened to Yao, whom he had only seen briefly in the illusion of Hua's life Suo had shown him so long ago. After many years of mild curiosity on his part, Ren had asked Pin-Mei once while they were visiting Rong and HoroHoro during Japan's "Respect-for-the-Aged Day"…
"He had a sudden illness…"
She had given him a sad smile that said she'd rather not go into it, and he had respected her wishes. Now he was going to witness it, whether she liked it or not.
Once again, he could feel her nearby, and he glanced about the area, hoping that she would appear. Failing that, he turned back to her smaller self.
Pin-Mei looked down for a moment, then leapt off her bed. "Take me to him, Rong."
The maidservant nodded and grabbed her wrist, then sprinted from the room and down the hall.
After one last glance at Lián, Ren followed.