Shaman King Fan Fiction ❯ A Gift of Love ❯ Last Night of Peace ( Chapter 22 )

I just thought of something: What kind of milk do you think Ren drinks? Like, whole? One percent? Two percent? Skim? I only ask because I'm drinking some right now and it occurred to me. Knowing my memory, (which stinks) it was probably mentioned somewhere and I've forgotten.

 

Finally, things are going to start happening next chapter. This chapter just serves to tie up the problem from last chapter and bring the story to the next day. If only Naruto/Bleach fillers ended this quickly…

 

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A Gift of Love - Chapter Twenty-Two: Last Night of Peace

 

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He watched her slide open the door, go in, then shut it again, quickening her pace as she got further away from him. The cooler of milk was still open, so he closed it and carried it inside. With nothing else to do, he decided that he would spend some time in the weight room.

 

As he went to his room to change, he thought he heard a sad hiccupping sound coming from Pin-Mei's room. He almost kept going, thinking that it wasn't something that he should get involved with, but stopped again and looked at the door.

 

Does she want to be alone? She DID leave. Wouldn't she have just cried in front of me if she wanted comfort? He took a few more steps toward his room. I'll go get ready, and if she's still upset, then maybe I'll go in.

 

He went into his room.

 

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After changing his clothes (actually just his pants, since he usually exercised shirtless), Ren came out of his room and looked to Pin-Mei's. The sad sound was still there, but he was a little reluctant to go in. With his towel around his neck, he knocked softly on the door, then put his ear to it so he could listen for any reply. There was none.

 

“Even if you don't answer, I'm coming in, so prepare accordingly.”

 

He waited about three seconds, then opened the door, let himself in, then shut it quietly behind him. He looked around the room, but didn't see Pin-Mei anywhere. Ren sighed, knowing he was going to have to look for her. After looking in her wardrobe, closet, and dumbwaiter, he stood up and folded his arms, mildly annoyed.

 

Where the hell could she be? I can hear her well enough, but I can't see her…

 

Then he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He looked to her bed and saw a lump under the covers. It quivered every so often in beat to her crying.

 

Ren pulled the covers up a little and saw her. She was curled up in a ball clutching a pillow, her face buried in it. As she noticed the addition of light and the sudden draft of colder air, she looked up at him slowly. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her hair was a little messed up from her hiding place.

 

“Ren? What are you…?”

 

“What are you so upset about?” he asked her in his regular cynical tone. He threw the rest of the covers off of her.

 

Pin-Mei clutched the pillow tighter. “I'm…I'm scared.”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

 

“My grandmother…I don't want her to be at the party…I'm scared…that she'll take you away from me, that I'll never see you again. Even if it makes me sound crazy, I don't think I'll ever be able to be happy if I'm not with you. I would feel better if we just didn't have the stupid party at all.”

 

Ren moved his arms away from his chest, and she took it as a sign that he was okay with her getting close to him. She leaned against him and loosely wrapped her arms around his waist, her head turned to the left, her eyes closed. It was silent as he looked at her wall.

 

“So you just want to run away from her?”

 

She opened her eyes. “What?”

 

“You said you wished we just wouldn't have the party. You'll change your life around so you don't have to see her? You'll give her the satisfaction of knowing you're scared of her?”

 

She looked up at him. “No… that's not…”

 

“Even if you don't admit it, I know that's what's going on. You're so scared of her, you'd rather hide than face her head on. You'd rather not celebrate and instead stay in your room, hoping she won't come in. The way this is going, we probably won't even have a wedding, will we? We'll just tell each other we're married, and that's that, right? Something like that is deplorable.”

 

Pin-Mei looked away from him. “No, you don't understand…”

 

He grabbed her chin and brought it back to him. “Then make me understand.” Her eyes looked away from him. “Pin-Mei, look at me.”

 

She did, then her eyes quickly filled up with tears. “I…I don't want to go back there…I don't want to be around her anymore…I don't want to not be able to be myself…I don't want to have to look at that picture of my mom anymore…I don't want to be compared to her anymore…Can I…I just want to stay here…”

 

Ren gave her his soft-eyed smile. “See? All you need to do is be honest.” He kissed her. “If I promised you that nothing would go wrong, would you feel better about the party?”

 

“Yes…”

 

“Good. So don't worry. You'll just give yourself a headache if you do.” He got up and headed for the door. “I'll see you later. I'm going to go work out.”

 

As he walked down the hall away from her room, he secretly looked over his shoulder to see her quietly following him, her hands folded behind her. He smiled to himself and shook his head.

 

So predictable.

 

He went to his machine, and she sat down on her bench. They didn't speak to each other. The only sound that could be heard was the clanging of the weights. Finally, Pin-Mei looked up at him.

 

“Hey, Ren?”

 

He had his back to her.

 

“What?”

 

“Are you going to dress up tomorrow?”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because have to, and I was wondering if you had to also.”

 

“No. I'm not going to.”

 

“Oh… I see…”

 

Silence.

 

“I guess I was just hoping that I wasn't going to be the only one looking funny.”

 

“If you don't want to, then don't.”

 

She looked at her feet. “I think father wants me to, so he can have pictures taken…and because it'll remind him of Mom.”

 

“Your father needs to stop living in the past.”

 

“What?”

 

“I've seen the way he looks at you. It's not with fatherly pride; it's with painful longing. When he looks at you, he only sees your mother.”

 

She stood up, her fists clenched. “You don't need to point out something so obvious. Almost every time I talk to him, he mentions how much I look like my mother. That's why…” She took her hair out of the braids. “…I like wearing my hair down. Then I don't look like her as much. But…” She braided it again. “I know father misses her, and if it makes him a little happy to see me like that, since he thinks I look like her, then I'll do it.”

 

He watched her as she finished one braid, and was about to start the second when he grabbed her wrist.

 

“That's not your responsibility. Didn't you just tell me that you were sick of not being able to be yourself? I won't pity you if you bring things like that upon yourself like this. In fact, I'll be the first to laugh at you, just so you'll feel even more foolish.” He let go of her. “Don't do anything for anyone else tomorrow. That night is about you….and me,” he added after a bit of hesitation. “So don't go being all selfless. It's annoying.”

 

She smiled. “Thanks.”

 

His face softened slightly. “What?”

 

She smiled more. “I know you're only saying those things because you don't want me to feel like I have to act like my mom to be loved. You're only being brash because you think it'll make it more effective.” She giggled. “Thanks.”

 

He kept looking at her, then released her wrist and turned away. “Don't say stupid things.” He went into the shower.

 

“I'm going to go make dinner, okay?” she called to him on her way to the door. He had already turned on the water, obviously trying to ignore her.

 

“WHATEVER,” he yelled back.

 

She smiled and skipped down to the kitchen.

 

However, when she got there, she didn't see anyone. She looked all around the floor she was on, but no one was there. Defeated, she sat down in one of the dining room chairs. Then she saw what looked like a slip of paper on the chandelier. She climbed on the table (looking around first to make sure no one was watching) and took it off and read it to herself.

 

“`Ren and Pin-Mei, we've gone out to get things for the party. We know you can make dinner for yourselves. Signed, your parents.'”

 

Pin-Mei sighed. “I wish they had told us a little earlier. Would it have killed them to tell us ahead of time?” She looked around. “But I don't think I know where they keep anything. The servants always got everything that I needed. I guess I can just look around…”

 

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“What the hell happened here?”

 

“Um…I was trying to find things for dinner…”

 

“So why are you covered in flour?”

 

“Because…I was wondering what it would be like to have white hair…?”

 

He slapped his palm over his face. “Hopeless.”

 

Ren had come into the kitchen expecting the smell of food, but all he had found was Pin-Mei on the floor covered in flour, and other semi-edible items around her.

 

“If you didn't know where anything was, you could have waited until I got out so you could ask me.”

 

Pin-Mei played with her fingers. “But I wanted it to be a surprise.”

 

“Oh I'm surprised all right.” He sighed. “Well we better clean this up.” He reluctantly reached for a mop. She slapped his hand away.

 

“No! I made this mess, so I'm going to clean it up!” She grabbed the mop and started moving it back and forth across the floor. Ren watched her for a few seconds, then moved toward the stove.

 

“Fine, I'll make dinner then.”

 

She stopped and jumped in front of the stove. “NO!! I'M MAKING DINNER!!”

 

“You were mopping the floor.”

 

“Now I'm making dinner!

 

“I'll mop the floor, then.”

 

“NO YOU CAN'T!!”

 

“Make up your mind!”

 

“I wanna do both!”

 

“If you do, we won't get to eat until midnight!” He sighed again. “Pin-Mei, give me the mop.”

 

She clutched it. “But…but…”

 

“Give. Me. The. Mop.”

 

She bowed her head and handed it to him. “Yes sir.”

 

“Now go make dinner.”

 

“You're so controlling.”

 

“You wanted to a minute ago.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Fine. Pin-Mei, will you PLEASE go make dinner.”

 

“Of course, darling.”

 

“….don't you dare call me that again.”

 

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“What on earth were they doing? Honestly, to fall asleep on the table…”

 

“At least everything's clean. Especially the kitchen.”

 

“Well I supposed I'll take Pin-Mei up to her room.”

 

Zhang took his daughter into his arms and began carrying her upstairs. After he was no longer in sight, Jun shook her brother awake. He opened his eyes as if he was trying to pass off that he had never been asleep.

 

“Hey… Where'd Pin-Mei go?”

 

“Zhang took her to her room,” En replied. “Never mind that. There's something you need to do.”

 

Ren was barely listening. He was busy cracking his arms. “What?”

 

“You need to get a gift for Pin-Mei for tomorrow night.”

 

“Oh, is that al--- WHAT?”

 

“I know we should have told you sooner, but it's part of the festivities.”

 

“Damn right you should have told me sooner! What am I supposed to do at this time of night?”

 

“You have all day tomorrow before we start dressing you in ceremonial robes.”

 

“HOLD IT. Didn't I tell you to stop springing all this stuff on me? I mean, if Pin-Mei's just finding out about this now, then she won't have time either, so we can just skip it, right?”

 

En shook his head. “Zhang told me that she already got something for you.”

 

Ren's eyes widened. Where the hell did she find the time to… He shook his head. “Never mind! I'm NOT wearing the robes!”

 

“You'll be the most underdressed one there, a scene most unimpressive for the guest of honor. Do you want to embarrass Pin-Mei?”

 

His son glared at him. “FINE FINE FINE! I'LL GET A GIFT AND I'LL WEAR THE BLASTED ROBES!! HAPPY???”

 

His parents smiled. “Yes, quite.”

 

“GOOD.” He got up and stormed up to his room to go to bed.

 

After he had finally laid down, he kept tossing and turning, not able to get comfortable; almost as if something was missing. He finally got up and opened his door and went out into the hall. As he walked, he had his eyes closed in thought, his arms crossing his chest. Suddenly, he bumped into something.

 

He opened his eyes to see Pin-Mei standing before him, playing with her hands. They stared at each other in silence, each wanting to ask what the other was doing, although both they knew the answer.

 

Ren smiled and shook his head, then offered her his hand. She happily took it and followed him back to his room. Once inside, he playfully threw her onto the bed.

 

“Ow! Hey! I don't like that!” she whined as she held her head.

 

He laughed at her. “Alright, I'll remember that.”

 

He crawled onto the bed. She cuddled close and clung to him tightly. He put his left arm around her, and she held him tighter. After a while, he almost gagged.

 

“Hey, you don't need to hold me that close. I'm not going anywhere.”

 

“Yeah… I know… But…”

 

“Hm?”

 

“I just feel like tomorrow's going to be different, like we're not going to be laying like this, so I want to make the most of it tonight.”

 

He smirked. “You're so weird sometimes.”

 

He had no idea how right she was.