Shaman King Fan Fiction ❯ A Gift of Love ❯ Together Till the End (Of This Chapter) ( Chapter 8 )

It looks like my little notes keep getting shorter. They aren't all that important anyways.

 

I recently realized that Pin-Mei has cried in just about every chapter since chapter two. It's a wonder she's not dehydrated. She's not a cry baby; she's just…sensitive…

 

For anyone who may be wondering, the last flashback was left unfinished for a reason. You'll find out what happens, promise.

 

Okay, as a child, Pin-Mei is going to be talking about things that are semi-heavy. “What?” you say, “four year olds can't talk like that!” Nay I say to you! NAY! If Ren can be two and talk about dead people, then Pin-Mei can be four and talk the way she does. (I don't know if Ren really was two, he was just ultra chibitized).

 

Disclaimer: I still do not own Shaman King, so stop coming to my house and demanding that I rent out Ren's [sexy] bod to you for a night. You probably wouldn't pay enough anyway.

 

Note: The first part of this chapter is another flashback.

 

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A Gift of Love - Chapter Eight: Together Till the End (of this chapter)

 

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“Ren-Niisama!!”

 

Ren looked back. His eyes widened with alarm as Pin-Mei ran toward him, a large wild dog on her heels. He took a Bo staff from the weapon rack on the wall and stepped in front of her. She ran behind him and clung to his leg until he shook her off. He glared at the large brown animal and readied himself.

 

The dog growled and bared its teeth. Saliva dripped shamelessly from its mouth as he eyed the small girl behind its opponent.

 

“Come on, you mangy mutt,” Ren taunted.

 

It growled once more before leaping at him. Ren swung his Bo and hit it into the bushes. He watched them closely, waiting for the creature to emerge.

 

The leaves beside Pin-Mei rustled. Suddenly, the dog leaped out to attack her.

 

“Shit!” Ren ran toward her and shielded her, accidentally exposing his body. It wasn't until the pain hit him did he realize his fault.

 

The dog had sunk its teeth into his left side, nearly crushing his ribs. He screamed and batted the animal off of him. Before it could attack again, Ren grabbed his Kwan Dao and brought it down on the animal, killing it instantly.

 

He stared at the now motionless beast, breathing heavily. His pupils dilated as he struggled to remain standing. He coughed into his hand. When he saw it covered in blood he glanced over his shoulder at the girl he had saved, smiling weakly.

 

“Stupid brat…”

 

He fell to the ground. Pin-Mei ran and knelt down beside him.

 

“Niisama!”

 

She waited for him to open his eyes. He didn't. She shook him lightly.

 

“Niisama!”

 

Nothing. She was getting frantic. Her mind could hardly grasp what was going on. She shook him harder.

 

“Niisama!! Niisama!!” she screamed.

 

Still no response.

 

“No…Please don't go, Niisama…please…Ren…don't leave me alone…”

 

She leaned over the body and cried harder than she had ever remembered crying before. It was all her fault and she knew it. There was nothing she could do. She didn't want to leave his side to get help, but she didn't want him to die either.

 

Just when she was about to abandon all hope, Bason appeared. He noticed his fallen master instantly.

 

“Bocchama!”

 

Pin-Mei looked up. “Bason! Bason, please! Help Ren!” she pleaded.

 

The spirit nodded. “I will alert the house,” he said, and vanished.

 

Pin-Mei tried to calm herself, knowing that help was on the way. She looked at Ren's face, which was now serene, not showing any hint of pain.

 

His right hand, which lay beside his face due to his arm being bent, was still red with blood. It was all she could see at that moment. It was the thing she wanted most from him. She wanted to hold it, even for just one second. But she knew she would never get it. Unless…

 

She swallowed and reached for his hand. When she touched it, she pulled back slightly, as if she were flinching, but picked it up and cupped it in both her hands—right on bottom, left on top.

 

The blood didn't bother her. His hand was so large and warm compared to hers. This was the feeling she wanted- the warmth, the serenity, the utter happiness that she felt right then. She knew this wouldn't last forever, but she still kept the hope alive of something like this happening again.

 

She heard running from behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see Jun and some servants running towards her.

 

“Ren!”

 

Jun knelt down and hurriedly turned her brother over onto her lap. Tears fell from her eyes as she surveyed his body, never taking looking away from the gash on his side. She glared at Pin-Mei. “What happened here?” she asked in a dark voice.

 

The child cowered. “T-There was this big dog,” she pointed past Jun to the fallen beast, “and it was chasing me, and Ren picked up the stick and hit it over into the bushes, but it jumped out to eat me, but Ren protected me, but the dog bit him, so Ren killed it with his sword stick.” She motioned to the Kwan Dao.

 

Jun sighed. “There isn't anything we can do about it now except patch him up.” She handed the body to a servant and walked back into the house, her entourage following her. Pin-Mei jumped up and followed them.

 

“Pin-Mei, why do you have blood on your hands?”

 

She stopped and turned around. In the hallway to Ren's room was Tao Ran- his mother.

 

“I was holding Ren's hand,” she said simply.

 

Ran bent down and smiled. “Oh were you now?” Pin-Mei nodded. “And how did he like that?”

 

“He was asleep, so he doesn't know about it.”

 

“Ah, I see. Well, let's get you cleaned up. We can't leave your hands like that. Come.” She started to walk towards a washroom, and the girl followed.

 

After a bath and slipping into some pajamas, Ran approached her once more. “Would you like to go see Ren?” she asked.

 

Pin-Mei's face lit up. “Really?” she cried.

 

Ran smiled and nodded. “He's still sleeping, but I thought you'd like to know that he's going to be just fine.”

 

Pin-Mei ran out the door and down the hall to Ren's room. As she neared the door, she remembered that he was sleeping, so she started tiptoeing instead. She slowly turned the doorknob and entered.

 

Ren was laying in his bed peacefully. She could see the bandages on his side, and it gave her a small pang of guilt, but she shook it off and sat in the chair on the left side of his bed. Ran watched as she just stared at him for hours.

 

“You can talk to him, you know,” she said.

 

Pin-Mei looked up at her. “But he's asleep.”

 

“He'll still be able to hear you. People tend to get better when they hear the voice of someone who needs them.”

 

She looked back at Ren. “I need him,” she whispered.

 

Ran smiled. “Then talk to him.”

 

Pin-Mei pushed the chair closer to the bed and cautiously held his hand as she had done before.

 

“Ren-Niisama…,” she began. “I'm sorry I did this to you…I'm sorry I'm always getting in your way and making you take care of me. I know you don't like me that much…but I really like you.

 

“`Niisan' left me and daddy a while ago, so you're the only brother I know. I know you already have Jun, but please let me be with you a little longer. Please.”

 

She felt Ran's hand on her shoulder and turned to her.

 

“Don't worry, you'll get to be with him,” she said. She smiled.

 

Pin-Mei cocked her head slightly. She had no idea what she meant by this.

 

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Ren awoke the next morning to a sky of gray. When he opened the curtains, the room became almost no lighter than when they were closed.

 

This is bad... Something bad is going to happen today... I can feel it.

 

He looked over at Pin-Mei's bed. She was still sleeping. The hair pins he had bought her sat neatly in their box on the nightstand. Her hair was down, not in braids, and spread out among the pillows and comforters. He thought about waking her, but decided to hold out until he had made their breakfast.

 

As he flipped the pancakes, Ren thought about the dream he had had the night before. If all of it was true, then why did he see the things that Pin-Mei was supposed to have seen? He had remembered waking up that morning and seeing her asleep in her chair with her head on his bed, and still holding his hand. It disgusted him. He had thrust the hand away and left.

 

Looking back, it made him feel like a fool. His heart had been too consumed by hatred to see kindness. He didn't want it. But she had held his bloody hand and waited for help, blaming the whole ordeal on herself. He couldn't blame this on himself now. It was done with. No need to worry about it now.

 

He heard the door open and turned to see Pin-Mei, already washed and dressed, walk in, braiding her hair with quick and expert movements.

 

“When you opened the curtain, the light woke me up,” she said.

 

He blinked at her. “The room hardly lit up when I opened it.”

 

She giggled. “Yeah, I know.” She winked and stuck out her tongue.

 

Ren stared at her while she sat down, still giggling about how witty she was. He was still a little unused to her humor. After a little more staring, he was able to smile a little bit as he went back to his pancakes.

 

“Um… Niisama?”

 

“What?”

 

“Can we go back to that Crospy store?”

 

“You mean Cospa?”

 

“Yeah, that one.”

 

“If you want, why?”

 

“I saw something there yesterday I wanted, and I want to go back and get it.”

 

Ren, his back to her, looked a little nervous. “What was it?”

 

“A bunny stuffed animal.”

 

He breathed a silent sigh of relief. “Alright. We'll go there, first thing.”

 

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“Are you happy now?”

 

“Yup!” She hugged the pink rabbit tightly.

 

They went out onto the sidewalk and began walking to a nearby park. Pin-Mei sneezed.

 

“Cold?” She nodded. He smirked. “You're always cold, you little pest.” He looked around and spied a hot cocoa vending machine. “Stay right here. I'm going to get us some cocoa.”

 

She nodded. “Okay.”

 

He started walking away, then turned back and looked into her eyes seriously. “Don't wander off, no matter what. This place is too big for a Chinese girl with no Japanese to get lost.”

She nodded again. “I promise to be here when you get back.” She smiled.

 

Satisfied, he went to the vending machine. As he reached into his pocket to get some money, his hand brushed against a small box. He clutched it for a second, then took out the money. When he had two cans of cocoa he turned to go back to her.

 

But as he got closer, he couldn't see her. He looked around and spotted her rabbit.

 

At that moment, he knew what had happened. He tossed the cans behind him and ran to the stuffed animal. Frantically, he looked around. She couldn't have gotten far, could she?

 

“Young man?”

 

Ren looked behind him and saw an elderly man from a nearby shop approaching him. “Yes?”

 

“Were you with that young lady with the braids?”

 

His eyes widened. “Yes! Did you see her?”

 

The old man looked remorseful. “I did… but…”

 

“But what?”

 

“It's best you forgot about her.”