Shaman King Fan Fiction ❯ A Gift of Love ❯ Braveheart (Moonlit Version) ( Chapter 49 )

Sorry this took so long. I got a new computer for x-mas, and had to start from scratch. Anyway, this chapter is nice and long, so I hope you like it. I saved an event for next chapter just to shorten it so I could get it up.

 

The new volume of Shaman King (vol.11) is already out in some places!! I got it!

 

Thank you to everyone who's been reading and reviewing… over 300 reviews!! Huzzah!

 

Don't forget! Ren's birthday is next Monday! -totally DOESN'T have a huge party planned for her plushie, complete with cupcakes and Pin-the-Star-on-Hao…-

 

Notes: Just to make sure everyone knows this “Chuuka” as in “Chuuka Zanmai” means “Chinese”, (leaving “Zanmai” as “deadly dance). “Kanpai” is what you say in Japanese instead of “cheers!”. It can also mean “complete defeat”.

 

To tell you the truth, I think Ren's ambidextrous. He holds Houraiken in both his right and left hands, and it's hard to tell when he uses his Kwan Dao.

 

I take some ideas from the manga here, thus some spoilers for the end of it.

 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

A Gift of Love - Chapter Forty-Nine: Braveheart (Moonlit Version)

 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

Pin-Mei hit the wall. The stone around her crumbled and she fell to the ground. Yoh and HoroHoro moved to go help her, but Rong stopped them.

 

“Don't help her. She hasn't asked for your help, so don't help her,” she said sternly. “If she wants so much to be like Ren and be part of the Tao family, then treat her as such. Respect her pride. If she wants your help, she'll ask for it.”

 

Pin-Mei stood slowly, panting slightly. She winced as she touched her left arm.

 

“Darnit…”

 

She stared across the room at Suo, who mouth was turned up in a devilish grin.

 

“Where was that killing intent that you had a few minutes ago, Pin-Mei? Hmmm?” She laughed. “Honestly, the two of you really ARE meant for each other. Instead of your feelings for one another making you stronger, they only make you weaker! Ren's resolve was so much greater before Rong stepped in, and so was yours before Ren himself stopped you! Honestly, can't you children do anything right?”

 

Pin-Mei ignored her and looked around for a weapon. The shattered pieces of the Song blade lay in front of her, the second weapon to be disposed of.

 

Dammit…I'm running out of swords…Come on! Just give me something with a stupid blade on the end!

 

She turned to her right, and then she saw it.

 

Ren's Kwan Dao.

 

She stared long and hard at it, trying to bring back the day he had shown her briefly how to use it.

 

“First hold it -------. Then ------- to attack. ------ to defend yourself. Make sure you ------.”

 

And I'm supposed to have a GOOD memory. She sighed and looked at it again. It was more than a hundred yards away. How can I get it, though? There's no way… Her eyes widened.

 

My only hope is to snap…and pray that it comes over.

 

She raised her hand in the direction of the weapon. It quivered.

 

I don't think I can do this…What if it doesn't come? Then what'll I do?

 

She let the hand fall. Rong saw this and cupped her hands on either side of her mouth.

 

“Hey, Ren-Mei! What with all this `I'm not sure of myself boohoo' crap?!” she yelled over. Pin-Mei lifted her head and looked at her, slightly stunned. “Be a man and kick the shit outta that old hag!”

 

“And we don't mean Rong!” came HoroHoro's voice.

 

“That's right! We don't mean Ro—HEY WAIT A MINUTE!!” She turned and wrapped a leather whip around his neck. “Behave, slave!”

 

He gurgled in reply.

 

“Heh, good dog.” She turned back to Pin-Mei. “If you want to be like Ren, then you've got to dispel that doubt from your mind! He sacrificed himself without a second thought, and you have to be the same way!”

 

“Wait…what if she dies again?” the whipping boy asked glancing up.

 

“Then they get to be together. But Pin-Mei has to do as her heart tells her, or she'll have no chance against her grandmother, who embodies all the hate and sorrow and anger, and all the darkness she has in her heart. As long as she has no regrets, then I don't have any either.” She lifted her chin as she cupped her mouth again. “So do it! Give her hell like Ren would have wanted you to!”

 

Pin-Mei still stared at her. Then she gave a small grin and lifted her hand once more.

 

If you don't come over here, I'll snap you in half, you stupid sword-stick.

 

She snapped her fingers.

 

The whole room seemed to stand still. Every second seemed like an hour to her. Finally, she smirked.

 

The blade shook and rose from the ground. It sailed towards her and she snatched it.

 

She smiled slightly. Thanks, Ren.

 

Hua had finally stabilized herself and stood next to Rong. “It seems that Ren's been watching over her the whole time. Or at least, the part of his soul that's remained in Bason-tou has.”

 

Yoh cocked his head slightly. “What do you mean?”

 

She turned to him. “Remember what I said about the will of the sword? The previous user's soul is emblazoned into the weapon. But the more recent the death, the slower the reaction. That's why it took a few seconds for Bason-tou to respond. But Ren's in there, even if it's just a little bit.” She smiled

 

Pin-Mei yanked the clips out, her hair only falling to her hips, where they had reached her thighs before. She tossed her head and put the clips back in, the tongari reappearing.

 

“Ren liked my long hair…Cut it again and I'll make your death even more painful than I had planned,” she said in a dark voice.

 

She charged and swiped the Kwan Dao at her target. Suo sidestepped it.

 

“Give her a Chuuka Zanmai, Pin-Mei!” HoroHoro cried.

 

“A Chinese what?” she called back before promptly being hit with a blast of wind.

 

Anna scoffed at him. “What makes you think that just because she has his weapon she can perform his attacks? Would you expect her to be able to use Nipopo Punch if she had your Ikupasi?”

 

He stared at the ground. “I guess you're right.”

 

Another swipe. Another sidestep. No matter how many times she swiped at her, it never made contact.

 

“Grrr…What is it with you old people and being able to sidestep my attacks?” she growled angrily.

 

Suo laughed. “The boy is so much faster than you, dear. You might as well be walking towards me.” She nodded to a kyonshii, who appeared and landed a blow that sent Pin-Mei against the wall once again.

 

“Dammit, dammit, FUCKING DAMMIT!! Why can't I do a fucking thing??”

 

“Ren said no swearing!” Rong called over.

 

Pin-Mei snapped her head over at her, her eyes filled with angry tears. “Shut up! Just SHUT UP!!” she screamed. “I know it was only Yoh pretending to be him! You think I couldn't tell the difference between Ren and someone else?!” She clenched her fists as she looked at the ground and closed her eyes. “I knew it was only Yoh! Ren never told me how to act!”

 

“Fine, then, I'll say it now: Stop swearing. It doesn't sound right in your voice.”

 

Her eyes shot open. She looked up. “R-R-Ren?”

 

He smirked down at her. “Hey.”

 

She quickly stood up and threw her arms around him. “I can't believe you're here…But still, I'm so glad…Everything seems so much harder without you here…”

 

“That's because you made it that way. You're trying too hard. You began doubting yourself the first time you hit the ground,” he said softly, knowing he had to be firm, but at the same time only wanting to soothe her muddled heart.

 

“Please help me, Ren…I…I don't know what to do anymore…”

 

He sighed and placed his hand on her head. “Alright, brat. I'll help you, but only if you stop crying.”

 

She instantly stepped back and wiped her eyes. When she was done, she stood rigidly in front of him in a saluting position, smiling. “Yes Sir!”

 

He couldn't help but give a small smile. This was the Pin-Mei he knew and loved. “Alright. Let's go.” He became a spirit ball and entered her.

 

She freaked out, her face turning red. “R-Ren! Don't you think this is a little…um…?”

 

“Listen, if you want my help, then you're going to get it, so don't complain about the methods. I can't feel your body, and you can't feel mine, so just settle down,” he said firmly.

 

“O-Okay…” she replied, her voice still shaky. She gripped the Kwan Dao tightly as she took a battle stance.

 

“There's your first problem.”

 

“What?”

 

“You're holding it the wrong way.”

 

“Again - what?”

 

“You're left handed so you have to hold it left-over-right, not right-over-left like I do.” He moved her hands to the correct position. “There. Much better.”

 

She stared at her hands. She could see the outline of his on top of them. “But won't it be harder for you?”

 

“This weapon was practically my baby rattle; I'll be able to adapt.”

 

“Okay…”

 

“Enough hesitation. What I want you to do is charge.”

 

She looked confused at the lack of game plan. “Charge?”

 

“Did I stutter? CHARGE!”

 

The sound of him shouting made her jump slightly and she obeyed, sprinting across the room. A kyonshii appeared in front of her.

 

“Left!”

 

She went left.

 

“Now turned back around and jump. Then cut down the center of its back!”

 

Pin-Mei back flipped and rode the blade down the ground. The two halves fell on either side of her. She stared at them in awe.

 

“Wow…I'm amazing!”

 

“Heh.” Ren sensed others around them. “Hope you're done with the warm-up exercises, because there are a few more to go.”

 

With a newfound confidence in herself, she smirked and resumed her stance.

 

He looked down at her hands, and then cleared his throat. She looked also and saw her error. “Left over right, right!” she declared proudly.

 

“GO!”

 

Following Ren's instructions, she sliced through the four Kyonshii that had presented themselves. As she breathed a sigh of relief, a shadow fell over her. She looked behind her and saw one last kyonshii making its way over to her.

 

“One more for the corpse pile?” she said with a grin. She rushed at it, holding the Kwan Dao like a jumping pole.

 

“Wait what are you doing?!” Ren cried. “You don't use it like that!!”

 

She ignored him and jammed the blade into the ground in front of the cold corpse. It hoisted her into the air as she pulled the weapon from the ground. She did a somersault and cut down the center of it. The kyonshii turned to dust. Ren said nothing.

 

She landed and brushed off her shoulder. “Yeah, that's what I thought.”

 

“Don't get too haughty, Pin-Mei dear. You haven't won yet,” came a cackle from across the room.

 

Pin-Mei turned to glare at Suo as Ren left her body. “`Yet' being the key word,” she said sharply.

 

Ren narrowed his eyes at her. “At least now I know why you're so determined to destroy the Tao family, after talking to Yi that is.”

 

Suo looked shocked. “What?”

 

Yi appeared next to Ren. “Yo, Aibou! The crew and I finished with that fire guy. We smoked him! Haha! I'm so good…”

 

Ren shot him a death glare. He flinched.

 

“Honestly, if you weren't about to say something important, I'd kill you.”

 

Yi cautiously looked up over the shield of his hands. “But I'm already dead…”

 

“Doesn't mean I can't kill you twice.”

 

Pin-Mei sweatdropped. “Wasn't he going to say something important?”

 

Yi straightened. “Ahem. Yes I was.” He stood tall and proud. “I knew there was something familiar about you when I first saw you here. Your face, your vendetta against the Tao family…It all makes sense. Doesn't it…Qiao Suo?”

 

Suo flinched.

 

“That's Mother's maiden name…” Hua whispered. “What are you saying, Yi?”

 

Yi smirked. “What I'm saying is that she's carrying on the legacy of hatred that's been held by the Qiao family towards the Tao family for more than a millennia. THAT'S why she originally wanted Yan to marry En, and that's why she's so intent on destroying it now.”

 

Suo was shaking in anger.

 

“But then…” Pin-Mei whispered. She took a few steps toward her mother. “Mom! That wasn't the reason why you wanted me to marry Ren was it? Please tell me it wasn't!”

 

“It wasn't, Pin-Mei. You have no need to worry,” Zhang reassured her as he allowed his wife to cry into his chest. “Your mother met Ran through the relations the two families shared. She honestly felt that you'd be safe with Ren and his family. There was no malicious intent whatsoever.”

 

Hua lifted her head to the couple, her eyes filled with tears. “Please believe me, Ren! It wasn't my intent to have something like this happen! I never wanted to hurt you or your family! I just wanted the two of you to be together! That was my honest intention!”

 

Ren stared at her, then gave a very slight smile. “Both you and Pin-Mei…over apologetic to a fault.” He held her daughter's hand. “Even if it was, I know that Pin-Mei would never agree to something like that.”

 

“Ren…”

 

A spirit flame floated over to Pin-Mei and made some noises at her in an attempt at verbal communication. She raised her eyebrows.

 

“Yeah, of course you can take your real form. You don't need me to tell you.”

 

The flame made a happy noise and glowed, taking shape as it floated over to Yi. When the light dimmed, Da-Xia stood before him. They stared at each other. Yi finally reached out a hand to cup her cheek.

 

“Da-Xia…How long has it been?”

 

“Over one thousand seven hundred years,” she whispered.

 

They embraced tightly. As they kissed Pin-Mei looked at the ground, reminded of what she could no longer do.

 

“It's because of the both of you that the hatred was made stronger!” Suo yelled.

 

Yi and Da-Xia looked up. “What do you mean, `because of us'?” Yi growled.

 

“Because Da-Xia married into your family, she was killed! If the defenses of the castle had been stronger, she wouldn't have died!”

 

“Wait, wait, HOLD ON,” he said, releasing his wife. “Are you saying it's my family's fault Da-Xia died?!”

 

“Exactly! If you had protected her better, she wouldn't have died!”

 

Yi bowed his head and clenched his fist, his eyes wild. “You are so lucky I'm not alive right now.” His head snapped up. “If I was…I'D WALK RIGHT OVER THERE AND RIP YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!!”

 

The whole room jumped. The young man who had been submitting to Ren since he arrived was now appearing as ruthless as it would be expected of a member of the Tao family. But it was so sudden.

 

“You have NO FUCKING IDEA the type of hell I came home to. NONE!!” he yelled. “My wife was lying on the ground, cut open…our child who hadn't even gotten a single chance at living was cut up on top of her…That child had NOTHING to do with us going against our families! It was innocent! It had done nothing wrong!” A few tears fell from his eyes. “I tried to stay behind! I really did! I didn't want to go on that mission! I tried so hard to get out of it! Any man would never want to leave a pregnant wife behind by herself…YOU killed her!! Her own family killed her!!! So don't preach to me about who's at fault!!”

 

Da-Xia touched his face. “Don't cry, Yi. It's so unbecoming for a man of your stature.” She smiled.

 

He just stared at her. “Da-Xia…” He turned back to Suo. “But you targeted Ren and Pin-Mei because you saw the two of us in them. That's why you're so determined to kill them!”

 

Suo smirked. “True. I used Pin-Mei to lure Ren here. I knew he'd come. Why wouldn't he? I knew that Pin-Mei would sacrifice herself to save him. Seeing her die would cause him so much pain…It was exactly what I wanted. Then Ren would die somehow. Pin-Mei would return by that same chance and see her beloved dead on the ground…” Pin-Mei winced as she looked over at Ren's body. “…but unlike Ren, Pin-Mei wouldn't be able to fight properly, and would die in the process of avenging her one and only love. Then, the circle would be complete. With no heir to carry on family, the Tao legacy would finally come to an end.”

 

“How dare you go after Ren you bit—I mean witch!” Pin-Mei cried.

 

Suo smiled at her. “Pin-Mei, would you like to know something interesting?”

 

Her stance wavered. “What…?”

 

“Three years ago, after the threat faced at the Shaman Fight was over and done with, do you know who had the lowest furyoku level of Ren and his little friends?”

 

Pin-Mei stiffened, as did Ren. “Wh-Who?”

 

“Ren,” Suo said with a laugh. Pin-Mei looked back at him, their eyes meeting. His lowered in shame after a few moments. “His heart wavered so much that his furyoku refused to grow. The level of furyoku someone has depends on the determination in their heart. Since Ren was so confused, he was unable to get stronger. And here he is telling you to cast doubt away from your heart! HA!”

 

Pin-Mei had looked away from him and was now looking at the ground.

 

“How does it feel to have such a weak man as your fiancée?” she laughed.

 

“It feels…fantastic.”

 

“WHAT?”

 

Pin-Mei looked up, smiling. “Ren's not weak at all. I was confused up until a few minutes ago, but that doesn't mean I can't be sure of myself tomorrow.” She looked back at Ren. “I can feel it. Ren's the strongest now. He grew up and he learned how things were and where he wanted his heart to be. He wouldn't try to guide me if he didn't.”

 

She coaxed him and he integrated with her once again.

 

“His strength is so warm, that if I were to deny its existence, it would mean that I had no sense of feeling at all.” She looked down, her hand on her heart. “I trust you with all my heart, Ren…Tell me what to do next.”

 

“Pin-Mei…” Then he heard a voice.

 

“Thirty seconds, Tao Ren.”

 

I can't tell her… “Charge!”

 

“Right!” She sprinted towards Suo at full speed.

 

“She'll probably try to get you with her fan, so when that happens, I want you to…”

 

Pin-Mei didn't noticed his unfinished sentence, nor the sudden lack of warmth in her body.

 

“Strategies won't work for you any longer! Zhouy---,”

 

She stopped and looked down. Pin-Mei was on her knees, Bason-tou impaling Suo through the stomach.

 

“Chuuka Kanpai…bitch.”

 

Pin-Mei brought the blade straight up, slicing through her. The body fell back in a bloody mess. Despite this, she jumped up, looking pleased with herself.

 

“How was that, Ren?”

 

No answer.

 

“Ren?”

 

She looked around.

 

“Ren!”

 

He wasn't there.

 

“REEEEEENNNNNN!!!!”