A Gift of Love

I don't have anything to say here except, "Here's chapter three!" -fanfare-

Disclaimer: The anime/manga Shaman King and its characters were created by Hiroyuki Takei. All original characters made specifically for this fanfiction and any tie-in/spinoff pieces were created by Jezebel Parks.

A Gift of Love – Chapter Three: The Emblem

The next morning at breakfast, Ren refused to look at Pin-Mei. He wouldn't allow himself to. However, he could sense her looking at him from time to time, which made him feel just a little awkward.

"Ren, darling, do you like your food?" his mother asked from across the table.

He gave her a confused look. "Yeah… I guess…" Why was she asking him this?

"Oh. Then thank Pin-Mei, she made it."

Despite himself, Ren looked at her. She looked up at him, meeting his gaze for half a second, then suddenly becoming completely entranced by her porridge. He turned back to his own food. Tricked again, but it was for the last time. He was not going to let her win him over.

"I mean, it's okay, but I've had better even at Asakura Yoh's house," he said calmly as he took a bite.

There was a splurting sound as Pin-Mei spit back into her bowl. Her face turned red with embarrassment when she realized what she had done.

"S-Sorry…I got some caught in my throat….U-Um…Excuse me." She quickly exited the room. Ren smirked. Another point for him. At this rate, she'd be begging to have the engagement annulled, and then he'd be free. He got up and headed for the weight room.

As he rounded a corner, a blade appeared before his neck. He looked over to see Pin-Mei in a black orient halter top and long skirt holding a Hanwei Dadao before her.

"How dare you embarrass me like that, Niisama," she said quietly.

It was official: this chick was crazy.

"Don't you think it's unwise for you to point that at me?" he replied calmly. "Besides, you think too highly of me to do such a thing." After looking at her grip on the weapon, he added, "Oh look, you're shaking."

"Shut up…" she whispered. "You were always so mean to me. That's why I'm giving it back to you."

"Giving what back?"

"Those horrible feelings; that negative energy you've always given me."

Ren grinned. He knew how to play with her. "Alright then, do as you will."

"What?"

"Weren't you going to slit my throat? Go on, do it."

Her hand started shaking even more. Slowly, the blade was lowered. His grin grew wider. He was about to release some more harsh words upon her, but as he opened his mouth, the sound of quick intakes of breath stopped him. He looked over to see Pin-Mei staring at the ground, her face invisible to him.

"What…" she whispered. "What do I… Niisama… what do I have to do…" She raised her head, revealing her tear-streaked face to him. "What do I have to do to make you notice me?" she finally finished. Her head drooped again.

Attention. She wanted something as trivial as attention. She had called him a brute when he had rejected their engagement. She had put a blade to his neck because he insulted her cooking. She had remembered him when he didn't bother to remember her. Now she was crying, and he, for once, didn't know how to react. It was one thing to insult HoroHoro or Ryu, or even Yoh. They were men; they could take it. Women were a different story.

As a man, it was a rule to some to never make a woman cry, though chivalry had never meant anything to him. Even so, he realized that it may have been a little harsh to insult her cooking. Women were sensitive about that sort of thing.

He walked toward her. She heard him and lifted her head, expecting him to come stand in front of her, but he opted to pass her instead. He stopped beside her.

"Thanks for breakfast," he mumbled.

He continued walking.

"Niisama…" she whispered. Her eyes welled up with tears again. "Thank you…"

He sighed as he turned the corner. "Brat."

Later on that day, Ren was still in the weight room. He was in the middle of a water break when the door opened.

Pin-Mei peeked her head in, then entered, closing the door behind her. He glanced at her once, then threw his empty water bottle over his shoulder and went resumed his workout. She inhaled, almost as if to gather her courage, and went to lean on the wall opposite to him. There was silence, except for the clanging sound of weight. It wasn't until he got up to go take a shower that she moved.

"Niisama, here's a towel." She held it out to him. He took it, but didn't look at her.

"Thank you." He turned his back to her and headed for the attached shower. She followed him.

He gripped the door handle and froze, then looked back and gave her a disgusted look. "Are you planning on getting in with me?"

Her face turned red. "N-No! Of course not!" she cried. "It's just…"

"What?" He was getting annoyed. He hated feeling dirty.

She shrunk. "Promise you won't get mad?"

"Just spit it out already!"

"Where did your emblem go?" she said in a loud voice.

He chuckled, then turned to her. "Well, isn't this a familiar scene?"

She bit her lip.

"You're expecting me to yell again, aren't you?"

No response.

"Answer me."

"Y-Yes…"

"Heh." He had to admit it; she was so much fun to play with. "Well I'm not going to."

"Y-You aren't?"

"No." He motioned to the bench presser. "Sit."

She scuttled over to it and sat. He joined her.

"Have you ever met someone who completely changed your life?" he asked her suddenly.

She turned her head away from him a little, hiding a crimson face. "Y-Yes."

"I have. Asakura Yoh."

She turned back to him. "Who?"

"One of the laziest, most laid back, yet strongest people I've ever met. Asakura Yoh. I met him years ago during the Shaman fight. He was the first person aside from Jun to fully accept and understand me."

She looked away again. "I see…" ...I did…

"He helped me save myself. I finally wasn't alone anymore. The night we both passed the preliminaries, I went to his house and met his friends. I went into an onsen for the first time in my life." He smiled. Pin-Mei turned back to him and tilted her head.

"I finally had friends. Early in the morning, though, I returned here to defeat my father and rid myself of this hatred he had sealed inside me since my birth. That emblem symbolized that hatred, and I carried it along with me all those years. I defeated my father, and that's when the emblem disappeared."

"I see..." she whispered. "That's why you were so angry when I asked…I'm sorry…"

"Forget about it," he replied getting up. He patted his face with the towel.

"I just feel bad now. I remember thinking back then…I remember thinking that it was pretty."

"I remember thinking you were an odd child," he said facing away from her. "It was creepy having you there all the time."

Cr-Creepy? I'm creepy?

"I got you a spirit because I thought you'd hang around her instead of with me, but you just followed me around more. I just didn't get it. As a matter of fact I still don't." He looked at her now. "Are you a masochist?"

"No, I am not!" she cried, standing up. She stopped, then played with her hands. "I just…I…you…um..."

He gave her a quizzical look. "Well, while you're learning how to speak again, I'm taking a shower." He stepped into the shower stall.

No…come back…I have something to say!

She stood tall, eyes closed tight, her face still red.

"Ren!" No answer. "Ren…The truth is…I started following you around because I-,"

The water turned on.