A Gift of Love

It was hard to finally introduce Pin-Mei's main spirit, Ma Ying Taphan. I actually looked up famous female warriors (which there aren't a lot of), and finally chose Ma Ying, a leader of the female palace guards in Thailand. We're just going to pretend she was buried in China, okay?

Despite what the line may imply, Pin-Mei showers regularly.

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 Four: Aquaphobia

"I'm so stupid,"

"Do not be so hard on yourself, mistress. It is not an easy thing to do."

"I know, but I had SUCH a good opportunity! We had a tender moment- it was perfect!"

"Forgive me, mistress, but I think he was just being tender with himself, not you."

"Yeah…I guess you're right about that."

Pin-Mei was standing at the koi pond once again, this time not with Ren, but her main spirit next to her; a woman dressed in feudal china armor, but with a gentle smile. She turned to her.

"Hey, Ma Ying?"

"Yes, mistress?"

"Was your marriage arranged?"

"Like all women of my time, I went to a matchmaker to meet my husband."

"Did you love him?"

"Yes, very much so…He died for the king, the most honorable of ways to die."

"I see…"

"Are you thinking about Master Ren?"

"What about me?"

Pin-Mei jumped as Ren came up behind her, slipping and falling head first into the water. She flailed around like ten years before.

"Niisama! Are you trying to kill me?"

He sighed. "Stand up, you fool."

She did and revealed that the water only came up to her chest. Embarrassed, she waded over to the stone platform to get out as Ren laughed at her.

"What? Did you think you hadn't grown at all since then?" He was still holding back a laugh as he spoke. She frowned at him.

"I don't know. Can you still swim?"

Before he had a chance to answer her, she pushed him in. Now she was the one laughing. "To think that the 'great' Tao Ren was defeated so easily! You left yourself WIDE OPEN!"

"Bocchama!"

"Don't worry about him Bason, he'll be fine. He was the one who saved me, remember?"

Ma Ying looked worried. "Mistress…you pushed him into the deepest part of the pond."

Suddenly Pin-Mei wasn't laughing anymore. He hadn't come back up yet. As she waited, she bit her nail and kept telling herself he was alright, but soon couldn't take it anymore. She ran to the deep end and knelt down on the stone.

"Ren!" she cried out, leaning over the water. Ma Ying floated to her side instantly.

"My lady, please do not do anything rash, be careful!" she warned.

But her master wouldn't listen to her. "Ren!" she called out again.

He suddenly popped up from under the water. "Pin-Mei, you idiot!" he yelled at her. A sly smile formed and he reached for her arm and tugged on it. Her eyes widened in panic.

"No, Ren! Stop it!" she pleaded.

"Ha! Like I'm going to go easy on you!" He tugged a little harder.

"REN STOP IT!" she screamed.

Her shrill voice shocked him, making him immobile for a few moments. She freed herself from his grasp and ran into the house. Ren just stared after her. Ma Ying did the same, but their expressions were horribly different.

"What was that about?" he wondered aloud. Ma Ying turned to him.

"Ren-Bocchama, you see, the mistress still cannot swim. The water terrifies her."

Dinner that night was quiet. No one said anything, not even the adults. By the end, Ren almost wanted to catch Pin-Mei staring at him. She never even looked at him. Her eyes were in a fixed daze, almost as if she was asleep, awakening only to eat a bit of her rice. When everyone was done eating, she calmly and obediently placed the dishes in the sink, then walked up to her room. Ma Ying was waiting for her inside.

"My Lady, why has that incident affected you so?" she asked.

"I don't know. I honestly don't," Pin-Mei replied sitting on the bed. "Maybe that selfish part of me is upset because he didn't remember what happened."

"If you carry this around with you, you will only become more and more tired. It is best to travel with the least amount of bags that you can. Furthermore, it does not mean that he did not remember what happened."

Her mistress gave a small laugh. "It's always like you to say wise things like that," she said. She stood up. "But I suppose you're right. I can't let this get me down. If I want him to notice me, I have to smile. No one wants to be around a depressed person all the time." Her smile got bigger. "Thank you, Ma Ying. You're the reason why I don't need a mom."

Ma Ying chuckled. "Do not say such nonsense!"

"I'm going to take a shower!" Pin-Mei said triumphantly. She ran out the door.

"Ho-ho! Such spunk!" the spirit said.

"Ahh! It feels so good to be clean!" Pin-Mei exclaimed as she entered her room. She closed her eyes and did a childish twirl.

"I guess now you can see why I like it so much."

"Yes, you're ri-," she stopped. "Eh?"

There, sitting on the window sill, was Ren. Here she was, wet, and only a silk robe to cover her. She wanted to scream.

"What are you doing here, Niisama?"

"I wasn't aware that I needed a reason to come and see my guests. It is my house after all."

"Yes, you're right… Sorry…"

"Stop being so timid. It's not like you. It's creepy."

I'm creepy again….

"You were a lot more interesting when you were putting that Dadao to my neck."

NOW who's the masochist? "Huh?"

"I just mean that if you have to be here, you might as well entertain me."

"Oh…"

"And," He scratched the back of his head. "I shouldn't have tried to pull you into the pool. I didn't think you'd still sink like a stone."

"It's okay." Gee, some apology.

"Well, I'm going to bed." He got up and started walking towards her on his way to the door.

"Okay…" Here he comes Pin-Mei, do something!

He went to go around her, but she got in his way and wrapped her arms around him.

"Good night, Niisama," she whispered.

Ren, his arms still free, was caught between a rock and a hard place.

What the hell? Now what's she doing? Oh God, what do I do? She'll cry if I push her away, but I sure as hell don't want to hug her back…

He patted her head, a small smile on his face. "Good night, pest."

She looked up at him, perplexed. He froze, knowing he had done the wrong thing.

Oh crap… Now what should I do? Honestly, this girl…

"…That's the first time you've smiled at me," she said beaming. Wow, I'm so happy!

He was surprised at her reaction, but he accepted it nonetheless. As she had her eyes closed in a happy smile, his eyes softened.

Maybe she's not just a pest, he thought.

He removed himself from her embrace and continued on to the door. Before leaving, an idea popped into his head.

"Hey," he said, causing her to turn around. "Meet me outside tomorrow." He smiled slyly. "Don't wear a skirt".