A Gift of Love

Notes: Nothing really.

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A Gift of Love – Chapter Fifty-Eight: Suteki da Ne? (Isn’t it Wonderful?)

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Ren walked out into the hall and shut the door. HoroHoro, who had been sitting on a bench, quickly stood, waiting for him to speak.

“Well?”

“She’s going to be fine.”

“And what about…”

“They don’t know yet.”

HoroHoro fell back down on the bench. “Come ON!”

“We’re doing everything we can,” Ren said. “We have 33 doctors, each with 3 different degrees in medicine. If anyone can help her, they can.”

A few more hours went by. Finally, the door opened, and a doctor waved Ren in. HoroHoro looked up as Ren came out and beckoned him in. Slowly, he stood and walked into the room. His mind was racing as Rong’s bed came into view.

Please don’t tell me…

The doctor walked over to the right of her bed and gently lifted her wrist. HoroHoro squinted at it. It was black and blue. He looked to her left one. It was the same.

“What happened to her?”

“Maternal instinct,” Ren said simply.

“What?”

“She knew what her father was going to do, and, at the last minute, covered her stomach with her arms. That is what he ended up punching. She was still hit hard, hence the blood, but she was able to cushion it. If she hadn’t, without a doubt, the baby would be dead.”

Pin-Mei, who had been sitting in a chair next to the bed, looked up. “One would think that despite her skills to read someone, her father, a warrior in his own right, would be the hardest to read,” she said. “They don’t think the baby’s going to die. If she rests, it should be okay.”

The Ainu breathed an audible sigh of relief. “Thank God…”

“You’ll never guess who called,” Ren said as he leaned against the wall.

“Who?”

“Wei Dúo.”

“What?”

“She asked how Rong was doing. She actually sounded worried.” He looked over at her. “I guess the things that she said got to her.” He looked away. “Either way, I’m changing the rules of that family once they come into my services.”

Pin-Mei cocked her head. “Can you do that?”

“I can now.”

“I’m not really sure if Tai would allow that…”

HoroHoro rushed over to the bed and kneeled next to it. “Rong! How are you feeling?”

She smiled at him. “I’m okay. My wrists hurt a little, though.” Her head turned to the ceiling. “Then again, what do I care? I’m not part of that family anymore.” She closed her eyes.

“What are you going to do?” he asked.

“I’ll take my mother’s maiden name; Lao.”

“Why your mother’s?”

“Because I think I can forgive her. Even though she didn’t say it out loud, I know she cares about me, seeing how she reacted to what he did.” A faint smile appeared on her face. “It made me…happy.”

Ren glanced over at them. “So what are the two of you going to do now?”

Rong and HoroHoro looked at each other. She nodded at him, and he nodded back.

“We’re going back to Japan,” he said. “She’s going to stay with me. We’ll break the news to the tribe at some point. We’ll have to ease into it.”

“Because of the Chinese/Japanese thing?” Pin-Mei asked.

He shook his head. “There are a few Ainu in China, so that’s not the real problem. It’s just the fact that she’s not part of the tribe at all.” He held her hand. “But it’ll be okay.”

The doctor looked at her clipboard. “Still, we want to keep her here for another day or two. We’re not one hundred percent sure if the baby is okay. It will be easier to decide if there will be any lasting trauma if she rests here for a few nights. I’m sorry to say, but neither she nor the baby is out of the woods yet.”

Rong sadly looked down at herself.

“I’d like you all to leave the room so I can continue testing.”

Rong grabbed HoroHoro’s wrist, flinching as her own throbbed.

“Please, can he stay? He’s the father and…I don’t really want to be alone…” She put on her best sad puppy eyes (which weren’t very good since it was her first time using them).

The doctor sighed. “Fine, the father can stay, but the rest of you, please leave.” Ren and Pin-Mei left, and she sighed once more. “I’ll be right back. Don’t let her move.” HoroHoro nodded and she left.

He looked back to Rong, who had a few silent tears dripping down her face. He looked away for a moment, then turned back, a bright smile on his face.

“Hey, you know--,”

“It’s okay HoroHoro…I know you’re trying to cheer me up…but sometimes…you just need to deal with the sadness instead of running away from it…”

He looked at her again. Her eyes seemed blank, like she was just a shell.

“Rong, I think you should go back to sleep. You’re just going to upset yourself.”

She shook her head. “Not until I know the baby’s going to be okay…”

He moved to hug her. “Rong, you need to calm down…”

“Don’t touch me!” she screamed as she shoved him forcefully into the wall. As he hit it, she put her head in her hands and started crying as hard as she possibly could.

He got up, his eyes flaring. “What the hell did you do that for?!” he yelled at her. “I’m just trying to help you and you pull this shit on me! What the hell did I do to you, huh? Here I am, just TRYING to be supportive of you, and you push me into a wall! I don’t need to be here, you know! I could pretend not to give a shit! I could just leave right now! I could--,”

“Something inside me is DYING!!!” she screamed at him. “You can’t possibly understand how I feel!!!”

He glared at her.

Outside, Ren was leaning against the wall, waiting for the Ainu to emerge. His eyes shot open and he grabbed Pin-Mei’s wrist.

“Come on,” he said sternly.

“Wait, what?”

He threw the door open and ran in. His eyes widened.

Rong’s head was turned to the right, her cheek red. HoroHoro was in front of her, staring at his hand in utter horror.

“What the hell just happened here?’ Ren said in a low voice.

But he knew full well what had happened. He looked at Rong. She wasn’t responding in the least. Before Pin-Mei could stop him, he grabbed his friend by the collar and slammed him against the wall. His eyes were filled to the brim with rage.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he said slowly, his voice low.

HoroHoro just stared back at him. “I…I…”

“I’m not someone for chivalry…But considering what she is to you, I would have expected more. You say you love her. You made love to her, taking something from her that she’ll never get back. You got her pregnant. You told her you’d stay with her and take care of her and protect her. She put her body on top of yours to protect you. She was DISOWNED BY HER PARENTS because of this pregnancy, and now, because of them, she might lose this child, the source of all the agony she’s been experiencing the past few months.”

HoroHoro’s eyes went wide. “A…Agony?” Ren’s grip on him got slightly tighter.

“That’s right – agony. Do you know how many days before you Pin-Mei and I knew she was pregnant? Four at most. She has been suffering in silence for three long months all by herself, probably scared to death because she knew what her family would do if they knew about this. She was probably afraid my family would throw her out since she wouldn’t be able to do her ‘job’. She’s sacrificed everything for this baby, and for you to get irritated because to pressure is getting to her is unacceptable. This is when you should be there for her the most! Put up or shut up. Just know this…” He grabbed the boy’s left wrist and pretended to examine it as he spoke, his eyes still like daggers. “You touch her again, I’ll make damn sure there won’t be a third.” He looked at him to make sure he knew what sort of punishment he was referring to. “Got it?”

HoroHoro nodded, his eyes small. “Yeah…Got it…”

Ren dropped him and left the room.

Pin-Mei stared at them and then went over to Rong and laid her back down on the bed. She took a small heating pad and turned it on to a low level and put it under pillow, hoping the warmth would help her fall asleep. Next, she picked up the overturned chair and turned it right-side-up. It fell over again. One of the legs was broken. She found another one by the window and set it up next to the bed. She had wanted to put the HoroHoro in the chair, but found that she couldn’t lift him; he was still petrified by Ren’s threats. Instead, she found a blanket and covered him with it. She took off his headband and put in on the nightstand.

After surveying the room and deciding that everything was in order, she turned to leave. But she turned around again, her eyes falling on Rong. A look of intense longing was in them. She shook her head quickly to get out of the trance, and left.

Ren was waiting for her outside. “You didn’t need to do all that stuff, you know. You’re not their mother.”

She looked at the ground, a small smile on her face. “Maybe…But Rong was like a mother to me, so when I’m able to help her, I do. I want to be able to repay her for taking care of me.”

He studied her for a moment before walking away. “Come on.”

She stared after him, then ran to catch up with him. His arms were folded across his chest, and she removed one and held it. He looked over at her.

“Remember--,”

“I know…No children until I’m twenty-one…”

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That night, when everyone else had gone to bed, Pin-Mei opened her eyes and carefully looked to her right. Ren was sleeping soundlessly beside her. She smiled. No matter how many times she saw him like this, however few, she couldn’t get over how cute and innocent he looked. She ran her hand through his bangs before kissing her right index and middle fingers and lightly touching his forehead with them. Then she slipped off the bed and out of the room.

She ran down the halls as quietly as she could, stopping at each corner to make sure no one was coming. Eventually, she reached the medical wing. Being even more cautious, she found Rong’s room and went in.

HoroHoro had moved to the chair and was now peacefully asleep, holding her hand. Pin-Mei smiled, then carefully walked over to the patient laying in the bed. She slowly pulled the blankets down so that her stomach was exposed. After rubbing her hands together to make sure they were warm, she slipped them under the medical tunic Rong was wearing and rested them on the battered womb.

“Please work…” she whispered as her hands began to glow.

Seconds went by. Then a minute. Then five. Then ten. Twenty. Thirty. Forty-Five. After nearly an hour had passed, Pin-Mei, her furyoku nearly depleted, stood and started to make her way back to her room. Her steps were wobbly and she had to hold on to the wall to keep herself from falling.

“Maybe I should have stopped sooner…” she whispered to herself, unable to have an inner monologue. She stopped at a corner and thought for a moment. “I don’t think I’m going to make it back to the room…I still have four more wings to go…or is it three? Darn…I’ll never make it back…I’m too tired to even know where I am…”

With that, her legs buckled and she headed for the ground. When she didn’t hit the floor, she looked up to see Ren looking down at her.

“Brat,”

He picked her up and began carrying her back to their room.

“Next time you’re going to go out, at least tell me. It’s a little unnerving to wake up and find you gone for so long. And be smarter about using your furyoku.”

She looked down. “Sorry…I was just trying to help…”

He sighed. “I know. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to let me know what you’re up to.”

“Sorry…Will you…train me? Make me a better shaman? So our children will be strong?”

Ren looked down at her curiously. “If that’s what you want.”

“I do…Hey…”

“What?”

“Were you worried about me?”

He was silent for a moment.

“A little.”

She giggled lightly and leaned her head against his chest. “Thanks.”

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The next morning, at 7am, HoroHoro burst into their room.

“You guys won’t believe this!” he cried. “The doctor just said that the baby’s perfectly fine, like nothing ever happened! Come on!” He ran out of the room.

Ren sat up and looked at Pin-Mei. “No credit, just the way you like it, right?”

“Yeah,” she whispered, her eyes still closed.

“You’re still exhausted, aren’t you?”

“Yeah…That’s why I want you to train me…”

“I will. Just don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

She smiled. “I know.”

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Six months later… November 3, 2002

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Pin-Mei woke up and hurriedly threw her clothes on. She went into a drawer in her room and opened her pillbox, taking one of the small capsules and popping it into her mouth. Nervously, she counted the remaining ones.

I know I shouldn’t be taking them this frequently, but I want to make sure it doesn’t happen. I…don’t want him to be mad at me… It’s okay, I’ll just tell grandma and grandpa to send some more.

She quickly shoved the pillbox in the drawer and shut it as Ren opened the door. He looked at her curiously.

“Didn’t you take it last week?” he asked.

She smiled and shook her head. “Time flies, doesn’t it?” Yes, and the week before that…

He shrugged. “Well, HoroHoro just called. Rong’s in labor, so if you want to see her, let’s go.”

“Okay!” she cried and bolted out the door.

When they arrived, Rong was sitting up in her bed holding a baby in her arms. She looked tired, but she was smiling. HoroHoro was sitting in a chair beside the bed, his eyes transfixed on the newborn and a smile on his face. Pin-Mei looked at the baby in amazement. It was looking around the room with large dark brown eyes. Wisps of black and blue hair sat on its head. She dumbly walked over and sat in the chair on the opposite side of the bed.

“C-Can I…?”

Rong nodded and put the infant in her arms. Pin-Mei marveled at it. “She’s so cute…What’s her name?”

“Usui Xue,” Rong said. “Even though we’re not married or anything.” She looked at HoroHoro and smiled. He tried to act cool and looked away, blushing.

“Will you?” Ren asked.

“Who knows?” the mother said shrugging. “Like I said…I’m not going to trap him just because of Xue.” HoroHoro looked at the ground.

“Xue…Snow…” Pin-Mei whispered. She smiled. “You gave her a Chinese name.”

“Of course,” Rong said as she smiled back at her. “She should remember where some of her heritage is, after all.”

“I wanted to name her Kori, but my ideas don’t matter,” HoroHoro said, snapping his head away angrily.

“Only when they suck,” Rong grumbled.

“It did NOT suck! Kori is an awesome name!”

“Giving your daughter a name derived from your spirit is NOT awesome.”

As the two went back and forth, Ren looked over at his fiancée. She was looking at Xue with those eyes of longing he had seen a few times before. She usually gave him those eyes, but now, the baby was getting them.

“I really want twins! And I want one to be a boy, and I’ll name him after you!”

“Isn’t she cute, Ren?”

She was looking up at him, beaming. Xue was giggled as well.

“Yeah…”

“I don’t want you pregnant before you’re twenty-one, understand?”

She looked down sadly. Then she nodded. “I understand.”

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Three years later…

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Rong waved at him as he walked across the yard toward them. “Glad you could make it.”

“Yeah…Well…With Pin-Mei not feeling well, I figured that I should at least make an appearance.”

“Such a shame. Xue was looking forward to seeing her. It’s her birthday after all.”

Ren looked away, uneasy. “Yeah…Well…”

“Hey…What is--,”

“Mama! Xue wants cake!” the three year-old cried as she ran up to them. She saw Ren and smiled. “Hi Uncle Ren!” she cried lifting her hand.

Ren looked down at her. Two long pieces of hair were on each side of her face, and the rest was boyishly short like her mother’s; the top blue, the underside black.

“Hey,” he said unenthusiastically. He looked to Rong. “Where’s the halfwit?”

Rong’s smile faded. “Out.” She looked down. “Can we talk?”

“Um…Sure, I guess,”

She led him inside, and, after busying Xue with some toys, sat next to him on the couch.

“I get the feeling this isn’t something happy,” Ren said.

Rong shook her head as she folded her hands and rested her forehead on them. “I think Horokeu’s going to leave soon.”

“What?”

She looked up. “He’s been working lately…a lot more than usual. He’s hardly home anymore. I keep telling myself that he’s at work…but…sometimes he doesn’t come home until two in the morning. I don’t even think his work is open that late.” Her eyes were quickly filling up with tears. “And then…last week…”

RING RING

Rong walked over and picked up the phone. “Hello, Usui residence?”

“Is Horokeu there?”

Rong’s eyes widened. A woman’s voice.

“No…No, he’s not.”

“Oh, I’ll just call back later then.”

-CLICK-

“…So you think he’s cheating on you.”

She nodded. “If a man called asking for Pin-Mei, and she had been out late at night, what would you think?”

He lowered his head. “I guess you have a point.” He raised it again. “Still, you don’t have any solid proof. It could all just be a big misunderstanding. I’ve known him a longtime; he wouldn’t do something like that. I promise you.”

She wouldn’t look at him. “Hey, Ren…”

“What?”

“We’re friends, right?”

He blinked and looked at her. “I guess.”

She leaned against him. “Can I stay like this for a few minutes?”

He looked down between his legs. “If you honestly feel like you need to. But remember, I have a fiancée back home, and I’ll willingly burn in hell before I betray her trust.”

He felt Rong smile against his shoulder. “Good. Be sure to tell her I said hi.”

His heart dropped. “Sure.”

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A few days later, Rong was tidying up the small house she and her family had moved into when Xue called for her. She walked over to where she was. Her daughter was standing near an open window. The cold night air blew through it, and the moon shone into the room.

“What is it, sweetheart?” Rong asked with a smile as she knelt down in front of the small girl.

Xue smiled at her mother. “Daddy was talking about Mommy last night.”

Rong froze. Children were observant. They never held things back. If HoroHoro had said anything about leaving around Xue, the little girl would have no trouble repeating the words to her like a parrot. She forced a nervous smile.

“Oh? And what did he say?”

Xue kept smiling. “Daddy said that he really likes Mommy. Really REALLY likes her. He said that he likes it when Mommy smiles. It makes him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”

Rong stared at her.

“He said that Mommy is the most beautifullest girl in the world. He said that he’s reeeaaal lucky to have Mommy. He said that Mommy makes him feel nice.”

Rong blushed slightly.

“Daddy said that he loves sleeping with Mommy. He likes when Mommy holds him like this.” Xue hugged herself. “He said that Mommy’s good at kissing too.”

The blush deepened. “Did…Did he say anything else?”

Xue nodded. “Daddy said that Mommy makes him really happy. Really really REALLY happy. Daddy loves you, Mommy. And…”

“Daddy wants to spend the rest of his life with Mommy.”

Rong jumped to her feet and looked to the window. HoroHoro was squatting on the windowsill, a small box in his hand.

“Horokeu?! What are you doing? I thought you went to work!” she cried.

He smiled at her. “Not tonight. If I’m working at all tonight, it’s going to be for you.”

She watched him jump into the room. He handed his daughter a doll and sent her into another room.

“Thanks, squirt.”

She giggled and ran into her room. He looked at Rong, who was close to tears.

“You mean…All those things she said…You told her to…?”

He nodded, his smile still on his face. “Yup.” He got close to her. “I meant every word of it, too.”

He knelt down in front of her.

“Marry me?”

She stared down at him.

“Sorry it took a while. I wanted to be able to get you a decent ring.”

Her eyes widened. “That’s why you were working so much…”

He chuckled. “You got it.”

“But…But that woman on the phone…”

His face twisted in thought, then his eyes widened. “Woman on the phone…Oh damn.”

“What?”

“There was a female worker at the jeweler’s. I told them not to have her call here if they needed to talk to me because I knew you would get worried. Sorry…I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

Everything I was worried about…for nothing…

“So, Rong, will you marry me?”

She started crying. “You jerk!” she cried. “Do you have any idea how scared I was?!”

He tilted his head. “Scared?”

“Yeah, scared! Be…Between you staying out at night…and…and that woman…I thought you were going to leave me for some sexy Japanese girl!” She looked away and tried to hide her eyes.

“Rong,”

She choked a little bit. “What?”

“Don’t you remember what Xue said?” He smiled at her again to show her he meant what he was about to say. “You’re the most beautifullest girl in the world to me.”

“Be…Beautifullest isn’t a word, you stupid dummy…” she whispered, but the blush was deep red on her face.

“Rong,”

“What?” She looked at him, but he was suddenly standing in front of her.

“I’ll ask all night if I have to. Will you marry me?”

As she looked at him, the months they had spent together, which had turned into years, flashed through her mind. The smiles, the laughter, the punches, the screaming, the crying…

How in the world can I deny myself of the man who taught me how to love? Who’s been such a great father to our daughter? …Who’s made me so happy?

“Of course I will,” she whispered.

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Geez, that took long enough. Hehe. Doesn’t matter.”

HoroHoro took the ring out and slipped it on her finger. “It looks nice on you.”

She looked at it. “Thanks…”

He embraced her. “Let’s put Xue to bed, and then we can ‘go to sleep’.”

She smirked. “Sounds like a plan.”

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One month later…

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“Yo! Ren! Pin-Mei! We’re here!” HoroHoro called as they entered. Rong was carrying Xue in her arms as they walked down the halls.

They had practically invited themselves over. The couple had wanted to share the news of their engagement, and found it unfit to say over the phone. For some reason, Ren had seemed against it. But he soon came into view from down the hall. Again, Pin-Mei wasn’t with him.

Rong blinked. “Is she still sleeping or something?” she asked the Tao heir.

He looked at the ground. “Well…you see…”

She placed Xue on the ground and patted her. “Go find Auntie Pin-Mei, Xue!”

The girl saluted, accepting her mission. “Okay, Mommy!” She turned around in the direction her search would begin in. “Ready or not, Auntie Pin-Mei, here I come!”

She began sprinting across the room. As she passed Ren, he scooped her up and sent her back to her parents.

“Sorry, Pin-Mei doesn’t feel like playing right now.”

The couple eyed him, confused. “What’s wrong with her?” Rong asked.

Ren turned his head to the side, still eyeing the ground. “She’s…not doing well…”

“What do you mean?” HoroHoro inquired.

Ren’s eyes became sadder. After a few moments, he looked at them, an expression of despondency in his eyes, one that the Tao Ren they knew would never have.

“Pin-Mei…she…tried to kill herself last night.”