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 Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 12:33 am
She had become acutely aware of how dirty she must look. At the time, she had simply felt too devastated to move from his side. Now that the danger was over, she felt ridiculous for having insisted upon not bathing. She would likely become ill, too, since she had slept in her damp clothes. Her nickname, the only real one she had ever had; when Jianyu said it, she felt as if she was something more than just Yue Lao, daughter with two mothers, brewer of strange alcohols. She felt like she could be greater than just existing. She relished every touch: his face pressed into her hand, the kiss to her palm, his hands cupping her face. Every touch eased her nerves bit by bit, until she was just about ready to sink into the floor, to press into him and sleep again. She had hardly slept, even when she was not fully conscious. She had drifted at the membrane of wakefulness, waiting to be woken.
"You fought so hard to protect me, I couldn't just die, now could I? We would have wasted all that effort. One of the men retrieved your crossbow, Yu; it's in the kitchen. Just by the way." Yue said it before she forgot. She found herself, more and more, taking to her typical sense of humour and her love of tangible observations. It wasn't because she had failed to be as upset as only moments before; rather, it was because she was so overwhelmed, she didn't know where to start. The crushing fear of nearly losing him, and the vibrant hope of sitting here with him, of his kiss against her forehead, made Yue Lao's emotions so chaotic that she just didn't know how or where to start dealing with them. "You were worried about me, Yu?" She laughed lightly, tried to restrain her grimace as she forgot about her arm and leaned on it again. "I'm more than okay. I'm better than okay, now that you're back with me, Yu." Yue Lao's voice trailed off, and she smiled softly at him.
After she had helped him drink the water, she placed the bowl down beside them. When he reached his hand up to trail his fingertips along the side of her face, Yue placed her hand against his, and followed his motions lightly, not breaking the contact. It was still possible, in Yue's opinion, that Jianyu was a wonderful dream. That he wasn't there, and neither was she. For all she knew, she was still passed out next to him, in the darkness, waiting in fear. However, she refused to give in to that kind of thought. Yu was awake, and that was all that mattered to her, though she worried for his recovery. "Yu... you take care of me much too well for that; my fierce warrior. I barely took and scrapes at all," Yue said. Compared to him, she really had gotten away relatively safe. She was grateful for it; had she been wounded worse, she might not have been able to get him help in time.
Jianyu did something which Yue Lao could never have predicted. When he removed the cloth from over his eye, Yue's eyes widened, and then softened. So that was what he looked like, beneath the black cloth. Yue Lao's eyes flickered over his face briefly, her heart overcome with some kind of honour, and another sentiment that pulsed behind all other feelings. It kept time with her heart and measured out the space between his breaths. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead, both his cheeks, the tip of his nose, and then his chin, lingering on the last kiss.
She stroked one hand along the side of his face, where the cloth had previously hid his skin, and smiled gently. "I could never just leave you there. Ever. But you still want me to run? I can barely motivate myself to leave the same room as you in a normal situation, much less flee a battle and leave you outnumbered," Yue replied, the familiar glow returning to her eyes and skin. She had been extremely cold, but in the stress of the situation, hadn't really noticed the drop in her temperature. She leaned in and kissed his forehead, again, her hand searching for his and tangling up with it. "Yu? You're still the only star I see," she added, before smiling sheepishly and adjusting so she was moe comfortable.
The fact that Yue Lao had seen him without his cloth was an immense honour, one which Yue Lao didn't really have the skills to express. It was nowhere near that she didn't want to; Yue was overcome with, again, an immense desire to squish Jianyu into an embrace for hours on end. Yue Lao grinned down at her dearest friend, and squeezed his hand.
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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 1:00 am
Jianyu rested his hand against Yue's cheek as she bent down, pressing soft, butterfly-light kisses to his face. It felt gentle and comforting, each touch of her lips warm and sweet, like the wine she was so used to brewing. They were reminders that they were both still alive, that they had survived the night, that they were both here and safe within whatever haven this was. This was Yue's way of showing her affection, her endearing, albeit somewhat clumsy way of proving that she cared for him, but right now it was nowhere near clumsy. It was...just right.
"Like hell I was going to let any of those men touch you." Jianyu murmured, his mind flashing back to the image of Yue, standing behind one of the men before he had been dragged backwards. "You are far too important to me and to your mothers for me to let you get injured."
The news that his crossbow had been saved brought with it a sense of overwhelming relief, but Jianyu let out a soft groan and said "Your mothers. Dear Lunaria, they will kill me when they see what has happened to you."
He was only half kidding at this, wondering just what exactly Chichi and Yowai would say when they found out their daughter and her friend had been in a brutal brawl with five rogue Nobles with murderous intentions. His own parents had long since grown used to their son coming home with various injuries, but that did not make it less frightening each and every time. If anything, Ehuang grew more protective of her son, and Liwei more resolved to protect his family.
"What did I tell you about calling me a star?" Jianyu admonished gently, then let out a low laugh, the movement jolting his injuring and quickly turning his smile into a a flinch of pain. His face felt unnaturally bare without the cloth around his eye, his injury exposed for the first time since it had been inflicted and the time he had shown his parents. Jianyu had never once shown anyone what was under the blindfold before, had never dared to reveal just what secrets lay beneath the black cloth, but with Yue he felt safe and reassured in her calm smile, her bright eyes.
She had linked their fingers together, and Jianyu smiled up at her, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss it briefly before saying "You should go get yourself cleaned up. Come back and I will tell you a story to help you sleep."
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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 11:43 am
Somehow, when Jianyu expressed it, his determination to let no harm come to her was extremely reassuring. Of course, he couldn't watch over her all the while, but just knowing that she had him there, to help keep her safe, made her feel calm. It was true; he had kept them, mostly, from harming her; the only time they had injured her in any degree of gravity was her own fault, anyway. She had dived in and got caught. Her arm pulsed with the memory. She couldn't say anything, overwhelmed with the knowledge that Jianyu really did consider her important to him.
"They won't be mad at you," she said, a laugh escaping, "If anything, they'll be grateful you were there to keep me safe, Yu." Of course, Chichi would worry unconditionally, and probably urge Yowai to tighten their hold on their daughter. Yowai, who was far calmer than Chichi, would actually ensure that Yue was training more emphatically. She would probably also purchase a small gift for her daughter, something which would help her in some way. That was Yowai's typical response: take care of the physical necessities and be prepared. Chichi tended more towards fretting, though she often took note of Yowai's reaction, and factored it into her own. Mostly, Yue mourned the loss of her over robe. After the battle, though, there was hardly anything left of it worth saving; the cloth had been ruined by blood, tearing, mud and rain. She hoped Chichi wouldn't be too upset, and wondered what she would wear in the mean time.
"Oh, nothing useful; in fact, I can't even remember... was it something about how your greatness outshines the sun? That sounds about right." Yue pretended to be lost in contemplation, her eyes cast upwards, as if remembering. Her mouth, however, was fighting a smile. She felt bad when his laugh made his injury twinge, though. Yue looked back down at Jianyu and brushed the side of his face again. She couldn't be near enough; she was so happy to be with him, to know that he was alive, that she kept wanting more contact. His scar stretched down across his eye, and Yue wanted to brush her fingers against the skin of his cheek, but she didn't. She looked into his good eye, like she always had when the cloth had been there. She was trying not to worry about his side. She knew it should heal fine, but for now, she wanted to minimize his pain.
Looking down, she saw the bowl that Mayu had left, which Yue herself had placed nearer them, and remembered Jianyu would have no idea where he was. "This is the home of one of my mother's labourers, by the way, Yu. They took us in when..." When nobody would help them. "Anyway, his name is Kawasaki Seto, and his wife is Mayu. They're... good people," Yue said, acknowledging their kindness. "Mayu treated your wound, but it was me that... well, you were cold and damp." Yue stuck the tip of her tongue out at Jianyu and didn't finish her train of thought.
"I am pretty filthy, aren't I," Yue admitted, with a grin. "It's just a reflection of how wild I am," she said, laughing. She smiled from the kiss on her hand, and bent down over Jianyu to kiss his forehead again. "I would love a story, Yu. I'll be right back, alright? If you need anything, Mayu wanders around the house during the day; if I hear you calling, I'll come running," Yue looked at him intently, making sure he understood she would be there in an instant. She reluctantly got to her feet, carrying the tray of snacks over to him and making sure both it and the water were in his reach, on the side with his good eye. She didn't want to leave him unable to get anything to eat or drink. As it was, she didn't really want to leave his side. She parted the shoji and stood in the opening, looking down at Jianyu. She couldn't help but smile, as joy over his life welled up inside her.
When she closed the shoji, she made sure to leave an inch or two, so his voice could carry into the rest of the house. Mayu was preparing lunch, slicing some kind of bread into sections over which she was about to lay some fried vegetables. "Oh, Yue, there you are. Sweetheart, I set the hot water in the washing room; if you'd like to go back there, you can use it to clean yourself up. There's a robe in there, too, one of my old ones. I think you'll be better off out of your dirty clothing, so I can clean your under robes. I already contacted your mother. She said she's very worried, and would like to see you right away, but will come by when you have rested. She also expressed her worry over Jianyu..." Mayu seemed to search Yue's eyes for a moment, looking for some sort of truth or secret. Yue smiled, but kept her expression controlled. Although Chichi and Yowai wouldn't question Yue spending the night with Jianyu, Mayu didn't understand the nature of their relationship. Naturally, it looked bad, but Yue knew that if Mayu took a second to think about it, she'd realize that although Jianyu was a man and Yue had stayed with him all night, he had been brutally wounded. It was unlikely, if not impossible, that what Mayu assumed could have actually happened. Even if Mayu didn't realize that at first, Yue wasn't ashamed. She knew that all she had done was lay next to him all night, worrying, half-asleep.
"Thank you, Mayu. You're so good to me," Yue answered, laughing. Yue raised her voice, perhaps allowing it to carry through into the room where Jianyu rested, "I was just about to ask if you had some hot water; Jianyu told me I smell disgusting and need to bathe more often." Yue grinned wildly, casting a glance behind her. Her voice was so artificially loud that it was clear she was joking, and Mayu just shook her head, smiling.
Yue walked into the back and closed the heavy curtains over the door of the washing room. The light filtered in through a sort of window cut high into the wall. She stripped her robes off, sighing, and surveyed the damage. She was sticky with blood, so it was hard to tell what was what. Yue sat on the side of the tub, which was empty, and dipped a cloth into the hot water. Mayu must have placed it there when it was boiling, still, so that Yue was still able to clean her body off comfortably. Each swipe of the cloth revealed more small wounds, and every time she wrung the cloth out in the bucket, blood bloomed out into the water. She had cut her knuckles up, and there was a gash across her palm. It was on the same hand of the arm that was injured; she had been mistaking the twinges of pain in her arm for the bruise, but it must have come from the gash as well. That would have been acquired while searching in the mud for the bolts, and then the broken bottle. Yue Lao sighed and cleaned the wound out with soap and water. She would have to ask Mayu to wrap it for her, when she was done.
Her knees were also cut up, and there were grazes on her ankles from gravel which had been kicked up during the battle. Her fingertips were raw. The cut on her forehead was already soothed from Mayu's treatment the night before, but her bruise looked nasty. It was a mess of injured flesh, defined points showing up where the assailant's fingers had pressed so hard it left its own distinct mark. She sighed, and considered covering it with bandages just to hide the severity of the bruising. After she had finished wiping the blood, mud and grit off her skin, she moved on to her hair. She used one of the remaining clean buckets, dipped her hair into the bucket and scrubbed at it. She worked at her scalp, the hair, the tips, removing all the dirt and blood, using as little soap as possible. Mayu had scented the water of roses. Yue glistened, now that she had scrubbed all the debris off, and she smelled of the flowered water. She stretched, wrung her hair out over the bucket, and dried herself off with a soft cloth next to the tub.
On a stool by the door, Mayu had placed some white under things and the robe she had referred to earlier. The robe Mayu had set out for her was a soft blue, with herons in flight. The sleeves were the wrong length for someone of Mayu's marital status, so Yue figured it was one of the robes she had worn when she was younger. Chichi would have admired it, silver reeds embroidered along its hems. The robe itself was almost the antithesis of Yue Lao: it was calming, gentle and clear as the sky. Yue, on the other hand, tended to be flamboyant and bright, and more than a little confusing. Perhaps, in that way, the pink and sunkissed nature of her own body complimented the blue cloth. However, she desperately missed her own clothing; this stuff was harder to move in, more formal, and less well-worn. She had gotten her over robe to the perfect level of use.
In any case, Yue had hurried the process as much as possible. She had draped one of the more dry cloths around her shoulders, to keep the water of her hair from dripping all over the robe. Her wavy hair was beginning to try and curl itself; there was a reason she always kept it in a braid. She had lost the tie, though, and would have to wait to braid it again. Besides, she wanted to get back to Jianyu. She padded into the kitchen. "Mayu, could I have some of your ointment for my forehead again? I also seem to have slashed my palm open," Yue said, holding her right hand up, wincing. Mayu fretted over her, brought out the ointment and bandages, and made sure both her forehead and palm wounds were clean and bound.
"Are you going to want lunch, Yue? Or your friend?"
"I'm not sure... I don't feel a lot like eating, right now." Yue tried to smile, but she was reminded of all the gore she had seen. Facts of war, but no easier to swallow than they had been last night. She had slit someone's throat, because he was after Jianyu. It hadn't been something to hesitate about; if someone moved to hurt him, she would counter that action. "Let me go see Jianyu," Yue mumbled. She felt wrong, talking to Mayu in the kitchen, when she knew Jianyu was within reach. She excused herself, and went to him. "Yu?" she said, softly, walking over to his side. She moved the dirty pallet she had slept on that night, and lowered herself down next to him, though she didn't move him on the futon.
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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 3:16 pm
Jianyu let out a derisive snort as Yue pulled away, having the feeling that shaking his head would probably hurt.
"You are so full of it." he said in exasperation. "I have no idea as to what 'greatness' you are referring to, you silly girl."
Jianyu did not mean it as a derogatory remark, but rather as a teasing nickname. He gave a small wave as she disappeared through the door, keeping it an inch or so open, probably to make sure that if he needed something, one would be able to hear him calling. However, he soon heard Yue's voice, loud and cheerful, wafting over to him and he rolled his eyes; a gesture he had not done since he was perhaps a small child, but that seemed relatively appropriate for her playfulness.
Lying there, Jianyu stared up at the ceiling, tracing the lines of the wood with his eye. Reaching up, he let his fingers trace down the vertical scar that ran from his forehead almost down to his chin, absently feeling his lashes, the edge of his blind eye. Bare to the world now, he felt almost liberated, but at the same time he knew he would have a cloth back around it as soon as he could. He was not ready to have the rest of mankind seeing it, not willing to let those who would not understand point and stare and whisper. This was his burden to bear, and his alone.
The soft padding of footsteps alerted him to Yue's return and Jianyu turned his head. Her hair was free, cascading down her back and shoulders in unruly waves, still damp from her bath. It made her look both younger and older simultaneously, and Jianyu smiled up at her.
"Stargazer," he said. "Come lie down and I will tell you a story; one that my mother used to tell me when I could not sleep."
He motioned for her to move to the other side of the futon, guiding her to lay beside him. She could not lay too close, or touch him too much considering they were both wounded, and Jianyu's injuries would not allow for much contact, but once she was settled, he reached over, taking her hand.
"Once upon a time," he said softly, his thumb moving gently over her bare skin, warm and clean. "There was a young man named Chaoxiang who came to live on the outskirts of Lunaria. No more than eleven years old, Chaoxiang resided with his parents. He was an only child, brought up to be respectful and dutiful, though he was quite shy. One day, while he was out in the garden picking vegetables, he came across a small, green snake with grey eyes.
"Hello," he said, and picked it up, setting it on his shoulder. The snake, of course, did not say anything back to him, but curled about his neck and shoulders as if it had always been there. Chaoxiang worked diligently for the next few hours, weeding and planting, and the snake stayed with him the entire time. When he came back into the house, his parents, thinking that he was being strangled, immediately reached for the snake in a hurry to set it free.
"No," said Chaoxiang, moving to protect the snake. "No, he is not hurting me." And then he went upstairs to his room.
However his parents were still quite worried and constantly walked past his room to make sure that he was safe and that the snake had not bitten him. However, each time they passed they saw the same thing - Chaoxiang sitting on his bed, reading quietly, with the snake curled up happily beside him. This perplexed his parents, but since the snake was not harming him, they could do nothing.
A few days passed, and Chaoxiang worked in the gardens several times. Each time the snake would be with him, sitting on his shoulder, or beside him in the dirt as he yanked up the weeds. And each time, Chaoxiang would speak to the snake as if it could understand what he was saying. After a while, Chaoxiang's parents grew used to their son's odd ways and let him be.
One particular day, Chaoxiang was sitting in the grass beside his house, talking to the snake.
"I used to be lonely," he said. "Before I found you. Now I have someone to talk to."
The snake seemed to look at him for a moment before slithering off into the grass. Chaoxiang thought he was just playing, but when the snake did not return after several hours he began to grow very worried.
Three days passed, and still no sign. Chaoxiang grew unhappy, shutting himself away in his room in sadness, and though his parents tried everything they could, nothing seemed to be able to cheer him up. Dejected, they went to bed on the third night feeling hopeless.
Chaoxiang did not sleep. He sat up in bed staring out of his window at the night sky. When morning came, he heard a tapping noise coming from the front, and when he went to open the front door there were two people standing there; a tall man with black hair peppered in gray, and a young girl around his own age who was holding his hand.
"Who are you?" Chaoxiang asked, bowing his head in a gesture of respect although he was confused. The girl looked at him and smiled, and the man said "My name is Longwei, and this is my daughter Baozhai. I was the snake that you have been so good as to take care of for the past few days."
Chaoxiang was confused. How could this be? Who were these strange people claiming to be his snake? But the man smiled at him, as if he could understand what he was thinking "My daughter and I are jing he;" he explained. "Shapeshifters. As of late we have spent too much time in our other forms and had forgotten how to change back. But your kindness towards me made me remember how. And so I am here to repay your kindness. My daughter and I would like to thank you, and we'd like to give you this."
Holding out his hand, Longwei produced a small, carved figure of a snake. Chaoxiang took it carefully, looking at it in wonder and awe before stammering out his thanks. Smiling, Longwei and Baozhai both bowed to him before Longwei said "My daughter and I would also like to invite you and your mother and father to dine with us tonight at dinner."
By this time, Chaoxiang's parents had come down the stairs and had heard most of the conversation. Though still in awe, they all accepted Longwei's invitation to come to dinner.
"The two families dined together for many, many years after that, even after Chaoxiang and Baozhai grew too old to live at home and had created a family of their own. From then on they were all inseparable."
Jianyu's voice was hoarse, and his throat ached slightly from talking so much (the effort he was putting into speaking was painful, but he enjoyed the story too much to not finish). "From Chaoxiang's kindness came many years of happiness and gentleness. Some still believe that he and Baozhai are still alive, that they watch over their descendants and protect them. Some say he and his wife guide lost spirits to the after life. Whatever the case may be, the fact remains that it was due to a simple, child-like act that they were all able to live in peace and harmony and love after that."
Finally finished, Jianyu turned his head to face Yue, smiling at her.
"That was my mother's favorite story to tell us when I was younger." he said. "And my favorite to hear, though it has been quite a long time since she has spoken it to me."
Jianyu could still remember the way he had listened, remembered his mother's soft, quiet voice as she spoke. The memory was soothing; relaxing and comforting, and it made him feel safer, somehow.
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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 7:34 pm
The greeting Yu gave her as she entered the room made her face light up in a smile. It was almost the way a morning glory would bloom for the sun. She couldn't cuddle like she wanted to, and it was probably a mark of how much she cared for Jianyu that she didn't try to cuddle. She was content to lay near him, and when he reached over to take her hand, she squeezed it gently. His voice, and the gentle movement of his thumb over her hand, soothed her.
She listened to his story. Yue hadn't heard a story in so long. Chichi used to tell her simple stories, but Yowai always told her information, like the correct steps to brew wine, or the melting point of different metals, or the soil required for the different plants; seemingly unrelated facts which Yue almost always forgot, while simultaneously failing to question why Yowai even knew those things. Jianyu's story, however, was interesting. She closed her eyes to picture what was going on, until the voices of the characters all seemed unique. Jianyu's voice hovered over all the story, calming her, soothing her, easing her pain.
The story he told amazed her, as stories could do; she occupied herself picking out the threads in the story. It tied itself up so neatly that it was impossible for her to avoid those observations. Yue was grateful Jianyu told a story with a happy ending, and the families seemed... so content. To be inseparable, and have such happy gatherings, seemed like a blessing, in that story. Yue didn't usually see it that way. She saw herself as other, and to dream of a family didn't make sense. Yue, unless something changed, would be the last of her blood line. Barring whatever her father might have spawned, wherever he was. Yue never talked about him, because she didn't know a thing about him. Chichi didn't talk about it. Yowai didn't talk about it. Yue felt no desire nor need to know who her father was, because as far as she was concerned, it was Yowai who had raised her alongside her genetic mother. Yowai who had taught her to do what she loved. Yowai who convinced Chichi to support their daughter when there was some sort of parental debate.
Yue was drawn out of her daydreaming, the hypnotic quality of his voice and the story, when his voice began to get hoarse. She immediately worried about his throat, but when she turned to look at him, he had concluded his story, and was smiling at her. She smiled back, readily. "It was a beautiful story, Yu... thank you for telling it to me," Yue whispered, her eyes all but shut, her hand relaxed in his. She searched his face, sleepy, and tried to fix that image in her mind. Just like in the moonlight, she wanted to remember this moment, so that if she were to lose... the comfort she felt at that moment, she would have the taste of hope on her lips. The memory of warmth, and light, to keep her going.
The next time Yue blinked, his afterimage burning on her eyelids, she fell asleep to an imagining of his voice. She was so tired that she didn't know it was a dream, and her slumber carried on. So long as she slept so close to him, she would have no nightmares.
Yue dreamt of the snake, curling and coiling around Jianyu's shoulders and neck. She dreamt of walking down the rows of a vineyard, the vines covered with grapes which shimmered and gave off light as though they were little souls trapped on the stems. She kept hearing Jianyu's voice, and he was teasing her, telling her to find him. She kept trying, but no matter which aisle she looked in, she could never catch him. It wasn't a nightmare, though; it was a game, in her dreams. She was laughing, playing, willing to run forever.
When she woke, she had no idea how much time had passed. The light seemed to be back, bathing them through the shoji. Her arm throbbed terribly, and she pulled her hand in such a way that the skin of her palm stung and pulled at the still-healing wound. As soon as her eyes could open on their own, she turned her head to see if Yu was still there. She could hear Mayu and Seto in the kitchen, eating. "Yu..." she whispered, so faintly that she barely breathed his nickname. He looked radiant, in the light. Had she slept there with him all night? She nearly blushed, thinking of what Mayu must have assumed.
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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 9:20 pm
Jianyu did not sleep nearly as well as Yue did. Though he drifted off only moments after her, content with her lying beside him, his thoughts rapidly turned towards the events of the night, and also to that fateful night five months ago. He kept seeing the Noble in front of him, raising his knife high, a smirk on his face before plummeting it downwards, could feel the shrieking pain reverberating through him. Over and over again he watched the fight in the rain, felt the knife digging into his side, felt the crimson liquid on his hands, tasted the coppery tang of blood on his tongue. He could see himself pressing his crossbow to the man's jaw, feel the hot blood spattering on his face. It was always there, running through his mind over and over again.
He woke several times during the night, either from pain or from his nightmares. Each time, Jianyu was careful not to wake Yue. She was serene in her sleep, a small smile curved on her lips, and Jianyu did not want to wake her from her happy dreams. His side kept burning with pain, and in the haze of half awake, half asleep Jianyu wondered if perhaps it was infected.
Eventually, after quite some time, he managed to get back to sleep, but he was hot and in pain, and kept pushing the blankets down to his waist, leaving his torso bare. Sweat kept sliding down his face, pooling in the hollow of his throat, but after a lot of effort he slept, if not somewhat fitfully and restlessly.
When he awoke again, this time several hours later, he had manged to calm himself just a bit, although his side still roared with pain. Groggily he opened his eyes, his eyelids feeling heavy and let out a rasping cough, reaching a hand up to push his sweat dampened hair away from his face. For the first time since his injury, the scar across his eye hurt, aching slightly. His fingertips trailed across it, and Jianyu let out a soft grunt of pain, his head spinning. Beside him, Yue was still asleep, and Jianyu turned his face away from her, not wanting her to see his pain. Closing his eyes, again, Jianyu soon fell back asleep, this time managing to keep it dreamless.
Sunlight streaked across his face a few hours later, making his eye flutter open. He was still hot, still in pain, and still exhausted, but he the dizziness had dissipated somewhat. Somewhere to his left he heard a quiet rustling, felt a gentle movement and then heard Yue's soft whisper of his name. Closing his eyes briefly, Jianyu slowly turned his face towards hers, smiling at her.
"Good morning, Yue." he said. "Sleep well?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 10:36 pm
As soon as Yue's eyes focused, she could tell that something wasn't quite right. The dreamy afterglow had faded, and Jianyu didn't look radiant. He looked ill, feverish. Why hadn't he woken her? Why hadn't she woken? She must have been more exhausted than she thought, but she had just been so relieved he was alive. "Of course I slept well, next to you... but you don't look well, Yu," she said, pushing up onto her elbow, to get a better look at him. His skin was glistening with sweat. She reached her injured hand out and brushed at his skin with her wrist. He was way too warm. Yue's brows knit together. "Your skin is too hot," she mumbled, wracked with worry again. When would the fear she had felt that night end? Would it carry on indefinitely, her fear of losing Jianyu a constant presence in the back of her mind?
So long as he was in so much pain, she wouldn't be able to forget. Yue brushed his damp hair out of his face, "I wish it had been under different circumstances," she whispered, "waking next to you." Her smile was tilted, somehow sad in its crooked angle. All she meant was that it had been really pleasant to fall asleep next to her best friend, and wake up to see that he was in severe pain. Had he gotten any sleep at all? Yue fretted, and got up, blowing Yu a kiss. "I need to get you some water, some cool water," she said, turning her head to the side and darting out of the room, to hide the fact she was trying not to cry. Seeing Jianyu in so much pain, because she had been so weak and unable to protect him, wracked her with guilt. Why couldn't she be the one lying there? She didn't want him to have to feel so terrible. He had been through more than enough.
"Mayu..." She swallowed a sob down, "Water, we need water."
"Y-yes, sure thing, sugar," Mayu replied, looking worried. Seto had finished breakfast already and gone upstairs; Mayu was cleaning off the dishes. Mayu went outside and fetched a bucket of water from the well. "Do you need help?... Is everything alright?"
"I'm about to check," Yue said, her eyebrows pressed together in concern. She had a far-away look, as though she was hardly paying attention to the things around her. She fetched a container for him to drink from and grabbed some clean cloths. As almost an afterthought, she took some of the rice vinegar from the cupboard, which she tucked into her sash, and escaped into the room where they had slept. She got on her knees at his side, putting the bucket on the floor next to her, scooping up a bowl of water. She rested the cloths on her shoulder and shifted closer, to help him lean up, "Yu, I think you probably need this, don't you?" She offered. Afterwards, she dipped one of the cloths into the bucket of water, wrung it out, and mopped at his hot skin, dabbing gently, swiping the hair out of his face and smoothing it back. "Oh, Yu..." She tilted her head away, looking at the wall for a second while her face twisted into a mask of worry and sorrow. She wiped it away for a tenuous smile, as soon as the desire to sob was gone, and looked back at him again. She dipped the cloth in the water, wrung it, dabbed at his neck and chest. She took one of the second cloths and soaked it, squeezed the excess water out, then she folded it neatly and placed it on his forehead. She leaned in and kissed the tip of his nose softly.
"I'm afraid you might not be healing right... I'm going to check your wound, alright?" Yue eased out from where she'd positioned herself to help him drink his water, and shuffled to his side, prying up the binding Mayu had applied. The wound was raw and red, swollen. Yue frowned. Had Mayu failed to clean it out properly? "I'm... I'm going to clean it out again," she said, afraid to leave it the way it was, "and we need to get you to a proper medic..." Yue leaned over him again, dabbed at his face with the clean cloth she had used earlier. She sighed and applied more cool water to the cloth, using it to swab at his chest and torso, trying to clean some of the sweat off. She got up and fetched soap quickly before coming back to clean his wound out. "If you want ... if you don't want me to do this, now's the time to tell me, but... I don't think that it got cleaned well enough last night, in the panic of the situation," Yue said, frowning. She wished she had been awake enough to do it herself in the first place.
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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 12:02 am
"I'm...fi - " Jianyu started to say, but a surging jolt of pain slammed into his side and he flinched visibly, twisting his head away from Yue as his breathing grew more labored, more forced. He was very obviously not fine, and he knew Yue could tell from the way her voice barely shook when she spoke, as if she were trying to hide her emotions. She stood, leaving him lying there while she went to fetch some water, leaving Jianyu thinking of Yue's curious words.
"I wish it had been under different circumstances...waking next to you."
Jianyu was not sure exactly what she had meant by that. Had she felt guilty that she had slept well, and he had not? Or...did it mean something else, something deeper that Jianyu was not certain he wished to face? However, another seizure of pain ricocheted through him, and he pushed back his worries, gritting his teeth against the urge to cry out, to yell and scream.
Yue came back momentarily, holding a bucket of water and several cloths. She knelt by him and began to wipe him down. The cold liquid felt wonderfully soothing on his burning skin, and Jianyu closed his eyes briefly, feeling the brief kiss to his nose, letting the water slide across his skin, easing some of the heat, if only temporarily. It hurt much more than a normal stab wound should have hurt, which indicated that it was most likely infected - yet another thing that Jianyu did not want to face. Infections were difficult to fight off, difficult to win against; Jianyu himself had seen many die simply from an infected cut, and he did not want to be one of those men.
He turned his head back to Yue, his breathing shallow as he tried to get air properly into his lungs. "Do what you must." he said, giving her a weary, if not somewhat shaky smile.
The first touch of the wet, soapy cloth to his wound was pure agony. Jianyu let go of his restraints and a yell of pain erupted from his throat as his body jerked involuntarily. Fingers gripping the blankets of the futon so tightly his knuckles were white, Jianyu clenched his teeth, turning his face away from Yue. He didn't want her to think it was her fault he was in this much pain; after all, she had to clean it out, otherwise it would just get worse. But despite that, there was nothing to stop the pain, no magic word to say to rid his body of the excruciating pain that kept reverberating throughout him.
Breathe, his mind whispered. Just...breathe.
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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 9:26 am
The wound was red and swollen. Yue really wished she had thought it through better, scrubbed the environment, her own hands, kept it as clean as possible. She knew the dangers of infection, and she wasn't about to lose Jianyu to something that stupid. Yue had no doubt in her heart they could fix this, since they had caught it so early. Yue knew how to disinfect, but she didn't know how to treat a wound displaying the first signs of infection already. She bit her lip to keep from crying as Jianyu cried out in pain and writhed time after time. She tried her best to remember how she had been before him: the detachment, as if she was merely an observer.
Observers weren't elbow deep in soapy water, kneeling next to their dearest friends. It was a thin deception, but she held on to it with all her might, so she could be ruthless in her cleansing. She wished she had something to treat his pain, and his fever, but... She was not equipped for this, at all, and she only knew the basics. She knew what herbs, what remedies, could lower his fever and bring him a sort of calm; if only she had the ingredients.
Yue Lao called into the kitchen for boiled water, once the initial cleansing was over. Mayu came in, holding the teapot, clearly going as fast as she could. She had just boiled water for tea, but that was all she had at the moment. Mayu left the teapot on a woven holder next to Yue. As Mayu took a second to calm down, she absorbed the sight of his feverish body, and her face grew gaunt. "I'm getting your mother," Mayu said, turning on her heel and leaving, getting prepared to go out. The front door slid open and shut moments later. Yue poured the cool water out of Jianyu's bowl and back into the bucket, and filled the bowl with the steaming water. In her haste, she grabbed the searing part of the teapot, and burned her hand. The skin was raw and pink, stinging. Without a second thought to her own burn, she escaped into the kitchen and rifled through the cupboards for sea salt, crading her own, insignificant wound against her chest.
When she found it, she ran back in, pouring salt into the water, stirring it, letting it disolve. She used the couple seconds it took to disolve, used them to take the cloth off Jianyu's forehead and get more cold water into it, wringing it out, folding it, dabbing at his face and placing it back again. Under her breath, she was singing a song that Yowai had sang to her as a child. It was a warrior's song, one meant to be sung to stave off the fear of battle, the tang of blood. Yowai had always used it as a lullaby, in the hopes her child would be blessed with fearlessness.
Yue was far from calm at that moment. No matter how much she tried to collect her thoughts, they fell and scattered like pieces in a child's game, rolling under the furniture, escaping between the tatami weaves. She had to stay focused, but she was afraid. She was terrified. Jianyu seemed to be in excruciating pain. Yue Lao took the saltwater mixture and dipped her finger in: very hot, but it wouldn't burn him. She took one of the still-dry cloths and pressed the bowl to his wound, soaking it, the cloth at the bowl's edge to sop up whatever escaped in his struggles.
That was how Chichi found them, a short while later. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and her eyes were bright with worry. Chichi, normally the one to fret and express fear, began to order everyone. "Yue Lao, boil more water and set that down. Thank you for soaking it in advance. I will need a shallow dish, more salt, clean cloths and new dressings. I will also need a tea cup with boiling water. Is there still water in this kettle?" Chichi lifted it up, felt its weight and set it back on the woven coaster. Mayu gathered the supplies, since Yue didn't know where everything was, and Yue set more water to boil, this time in a much bigger pot.
When Mayu and Yue were out of the room, Chishio whispered to Jianyu, checking his wound briefly and beginning her questions, "Did you want Mayu to fetch someone for you?" With careful fingers, she opened the case she had brought with her and removed thin tongs a small tin of something or other, and a vial of purple liquid so dark it was nearly black. Yue, meanwhile, waited by the pot anxiously, muttering about how it should boil faster. "The infection is just starting. Your fever is good, but we will do what we can to keep your discomfort down and make sure the temperature doesn't increase to dangerous levels. I am going to give you a cup of echinacea to drink; that will reduce your pain and swelling. I'm no surgeon, nor medic, but I can treat something this mild." Chichi's face broke into a worried smile, which didn't quite reach her eyes, "Although I'm sure the pain is hardly mild," she finished.
Mayu returned with all that Chishio had asked for, and placed it next to her. Chishio filled the shallow tray with what was left in the teapot, saving just enough for one cup of tea. She added salt to the mix and then placed the tongs into the salt water mix to clean. She tipped some of the contents of one of her metal tins into a thin fold of cloth she took out of her case and sealed it, placing it in the bottom of the cup, covering it with hot water.
Yue came in with the pot, balanced on a wooden tray. She put it down next to Chishio; Chishio shook the vial and handed it to Yue. "You know what to do with this, little moon child," she said. Yue nodded, and left into the kitchen. She didn't linger, however much she wanted to be near Jianyu just then. Mayu stood at the side of the room, waiting for instructions; Jianyu could send her off at any time. Yue Lao had helped Chishio in her remedies before, though Yue had little talent or knowledge in the area. "You know, I had hoped that the next meeting would be a little more casual, so our family could get to know you," Chishio smiled at Jianyu, doing her best to make light, though she was extremely worried.
Yue Lao was in the kitchen, mixing a spoon of the blackberry vinegar with a spoonful of water. They were making him drink so many things, it seemed too much, but... the echinacea tea would reduce swelling and pain, and the blackberry vinegar could lower the effects of the fever, while not ruining his body's natural desire to fight the infection. She had made the blackberry vinger herself, in fact; it was so much like brewing that it was easy and pleasant for her to replenish her mother's stock of it. They changed it frequently, to make sure it was fresh.
Yue Lao was trying to keep herself oriented in her tasks, so she could stop picturing the pain of her best friend, the Noble stabbing the knife in, her race through the streets in the rain. That race had felt like a nightmare in and of itself, not knowing whether she could find help, not knowing how fast they could get there. He was still alive, and falling asleep with him last night, she had thought it was over... Until she woke, and saw him sweating. Yue's arm throbbed, and her hand stung. Because of her bath last night, she had cleaned her wound out herself, and had done a proper job. Mayu must have been too nervous, too shy around his body, to clean it like she should have. So while Yue was clean, fever free, Jianyu was in pain, his life threatened again. She had to believe things would be okay, that Chichi would heal him, or that they would find someone who could.
Yue carried the mixture into the room. "Blackberry vinegar first, and then the echinacea tea," Chichi said. She scooped some of the boiled water up into the teapot and left the room briefly to wash her hands. She returned, cleansed, ready to begin treating his wound. "Are you ready, Jianyu?"
Yue sat next to him, then, holding the vinegar in one hand. She was trying very, very hard not to try, not to show weakness. She picked his hand up in her good hand and stroked the side of his face with her fingers, gently. Chishio watched her daughter, wondering what was going on in her mind, wondering what exactly it was she felt for her friend. It was not the time to consider hidden meaning, though, and Yowai was much better at deciphering that. Chichi tended to miss things, or misinterpret them. Yue Lao squeezed Jianyu's hand. "I'll be right here, no matter what," she mumbled.
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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 9:59 am
"I had hoped...that out next meeting...would have been more cheerful...than this." Jianyu said hoarsely as Chishio swept into the room and knelt next to him. He managed to give her a wry smile before another shudder of pain cascaded through him and he closed his eyes, swallowing hard. His hair was already soaked with sweat, sticking to his face and neck uncomfortably, but Jianyu did not have the strength to move it out of the way. He forced his eyes open again, managing to say "My...mother...and father..." before he closed them again, the pain making him dizzy and disoriented.
Jianyu drifted in and out of consciousness, only vaguely hearing the words that were spoken to him. He heard footsteps clattering on the ground, felt a cloth pressed to his forehead, his neck and chest, felt Yue's hand take his own. Jianyu managed a feverish nod to Chishio, not having the strength to speak aloud. There was a smattering of voices and then more footsteps and then a familiar voice was whispering in his ear, her voice steady and gentle.
"Jianyu, love."
He managed to wrench his eyes open, just enough to smile faintly and say "Mother" before he fell back into his state of half awake, half asleep.
Qian Ehuang was not the type to be overly emotional. She was not crying, nor was her voice shaking. But it did not mean that she was not frightened; merely that she was good at not showing it. Her fingers slipped over his own, gripping his hand tightly and firmly, and beside knelt Liwei, holding his wife's free hand and tenderly pushing back his son's damp hair away from his face.
Qian Liwei was an impressive man. A former Legion Captain, he was tall (over six foot three) with a well muscled frame and shoulder-length black hair that was streaked with silver, pulled back into a neat ponytail at the base of his neck. It was nearly opposite to his wife, who was barely five foot two, with curling black and grey hair pulled into a tidy bun. But both Liwei and his wife were strong, both in body and mind. He looked up at Yue and smiled at her, his expression tired.
"He will be all right." he said gently. Liwei reached out, placing his hand against the side of her face and gave her a nod. "He will be all right, Yue."
Dropping his hand, Liwei glanced over at Chishio and said lightly "Well, now. This was not exactly the way I had hoped to meet the mother of my son's closest friend, but it seems like certain extraneous circumstances have put is in a rather...shaky predicament. My name is Qian Liwei, and this is my wife, Ehuang. I know these aren't the best times, but I am truly grateful for your willingness to help our son and your kindness towards him."
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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 11:57 am
Yue Lao, with her trembling fingertips, cleared the hair that was sticking to his neck, too, cradling his cheek with her palm briefly. Liwei had brushed the hair from his face, so that was all Yue could do, to try and make him more comfortable. She was glad that Mayu had managed to find Jianyu's parents and direct them back to her home, so they could be with their son. Yue Lao had always liked Ehuang and Liwei, since the day she met them. Ehuang was so alert, though, and observant; Yue couldn't help but respect her, while fearing that Ehuang had the skills to unearth Yue's true nature. If she had, which Yue suspected she might have, she had yet to call her out on it. She pursed her lips to keep from sobbing, when Liwei placed his hand on the side of her face and reassured her. It was their son, lying here, and yet Liwei was reassuring her. She couldn't speak, for fear of crying, so she just nodded.
"I was hoping we could all have dinner," Chishio smiled, "I could never have imagined this. You are right though, he will be okay... I am so glad to make both your aquaintances, Qian Liwei and Ehuang. I am Mei Chishio; I've been hearing about your son and your family for quite some time now," she said. As she spoke, she nodded to Yue. Yue helped Jianyu drink first the blackberry from the vial, and then the echinacea tea. He should, soon, feel a break in his fever as the blackberry vinegar eased it, and some thin respite from the pain, as the echinacea would reduce both his swelling and the pain associated with his wound. In general, it should improve his condition greatly.
However, that was without acknowledging that Chishio was about to clean his wound out. "My daughter speaks of him so fondly, I could never leave him in this condition," Chishio said, "Though...I am about to treat his infection, so if you two would like to wait with Mayu, I understand. Otherwise, I am so sorry for the pain he will go through...we just gave him some medicine to ease his pain, and his fever, but that won't help with the cleansing," she added, her brows furrowed. She hated causing anyone pain, but in some cases, she knew it had to be done.
Yue Lao hummed to Jianyu. She watched his face, her eyes too bright with anxiety, and held his hand tight. She turned to look at Liwei and Ehuang, and confessed, "He was just trying to protect me, I couldn't stop them--" and cut herself off, choking down more tears. She was exhausted, and over-warm, her loose hair irritating her neck and face. She never wore it down, and she was aching to bind it back into its braid, but she refused to let go of Jianyu's hand.
Once it was settled as to where Jianyu's parents would like to be during the procedure, Mayu made herself scarce in the back of the house. Chishio emptied the bowl Yue had used to prepare his wound, and then she had filled it with salt water again, putting it to the side. She picked up her sterilized tongs and deftly peeled the side of the wound up; it was a simple, easy thing to do, since the purification Yue had done earlier had loosened the tender flesh. Chishio pushed out any pus that had formed inside the wound, wiping it with some of the clean bandages Mayu had brought her, and continued around the entirety of the wound, doing so. She tried to move quickly and efficiently, so that Jianyu would have to endure the least pain possible. She wiped the tongs off, soaked them in the salt water again, and probed for deeper pockets of pus. Since it was such a new infection, there were no pockets. She put the tongs down into the salt water tray again, and checked the wound. "There. It is cleaned inside, now, and we have to cleanse it again." She emptied the bowl, filled it again, added salt, and began to soak his wound. "It has to soak for quite some time, now," Chishio said. "Mayu," she called, "I'm sorry to trouble you, but do you think you could make some tea for us?"
Chishio's exhaustion and worry showed, then. She had to be calm and composed while cleaning the wound out, but she had reverted to her normal, worrying self as soon as that was over. "Once it's purified, I have some healing balm. That must be applied daily, and it should prevent infection. I don't know how well he can hear me right now, so... Jianyu will have to bathe his wound for the same amount of time, also daily, with salt water," she said, to whoever was listening to her.
Chishio sat back with a sigh. "Yue... After this has settled, I would really like it if you explained what happened, okay?" Chishio said, watching her daughter carefully. Yue looked like she had fallen asleep with her eyes open: they had a distant look, fixed on Jianyu's face, as if she was trying to find where he had gone and retrieve him.
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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 1:24 pm
"We're staying." Ehuang said, almost instantly, and without any hesitation. "This is our son. I understand that what you need to do will be extremely painful, but we won't leave him alone."
Besides her Liwei gave Chishio a calm smile, squeezing his wife's hand. "We will be all right. We have seen much of our son's life already; we know how he lives, what he does, and how hard he fights. We've seen him come home with dozens of injuries, hundreds of cuts, the bruises, the blood, the exhaustion. Though not all of his wounds have been as severe as this one, we are not unused to seeing our son in pain. It is never easy, and it is never painless for ourselves, but we can handle it. We will stay with him."
Ehunag was looking at Yue with a careful expression. Though she could not read her son's thoughts, she knew her son well enough to know how he felt, what he tended to think. She knew how much he cared for Yue, but as she was studying the girl's face, Ehuang noticed a myriad of other emotions - different ones that she did not expect. However, she turned her gaze back to her son, letting the issue drop for the time being.
"Yue," Liwei said gently, reaching over Jianyu to take her hand in his own. "Yue, it's not your fault he's injured. Even it had just been a complete stranger standing there, Jianyu would have done everything in his power to protect them. He's just that type; his heart is big, and his mind is strong, and he did it because he cares about you. You did what you could. No one faults you."
Giving her fingers a squeeze, Liwei let go and looked back down at his son. He reached down, cradling Jianyu's face in his palm, brushing his fingers over his damp hair and then turned back to Chishio, giving her a nod.
The process was long and slow, but Chishio worked steadily, her eyes focused. Jianyu faded in and out, letting out soft moans of pain every few minutes, his eyes fluttering open and shut. His fever had yet to break, and was causing beads of sweat to slide down his face and the rest of his body. He could vaguely hear the voices of the others, but they were muted and mumbled, as if they were spoken from a far away distance. He couldn't distinguish between one or the other, his mother's voice sliding into his father's and mixing with the smaller, quieter tones of Yue and her Chishio.
After Chishio finished with her work, Liwei leaned back, relaxing the tension in his shoulders somewhat. Jianyu was resting, now completely out, and Liwei glanced over at Yue and her mother.
"Let's leave him be for the time being." he said, smiling. "He could use the rest. If Chishio or Mayu would be so kind as to prepare some tea, perhaps Yue can explain to us what happened last night."
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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 1:55 pm
Chishio was not as used to Yue's injuries as Jianyu's parents were to his. She hoped, someday, she could view any injuries Yue had with the same fortitude. As it was, Yue had hid all her injuries from her mother: her hair, unruly, covered the gash on the side of her head; the robe Mayu had leant her was long-sleeved, unlike her old robe, so it covered the deep bruise on her arm; her hand was simple enough to hide, though it was bandaged.
Yue Lao barely heard anything that was said, and she didn't even notice Ehuang studying her expression, until Liwei reassured her. Or tried to, at least. She smiled thinly at him, but she was thinking about how she wasn't a stranger. Yue Lao wasn't a stranger, and that was what made the difference. She felt like she had an obligation to watch his back, and she hadn't managed to do that. She had failed him. He was the only Lunarian she'd ever cared enough about to offer her true nature, and when it came down to the fight in the rain, in the darkness, she couldn't keep him safe. What he said, that no one faulted her, wasn't true; she faulted herself, for not being skilled enough to put those Noble scum in their place. A wave of anger rolled over her. Yue Lao almost never felt angry; no simple insult would ever inspire that in her. And yet, thinking about the Nobles, she grew livid.
Chishio noted the change in her daughter with some horror. Neither Chishio nor Yowai had a temper. Yowai was stable, unmovable, and fierce; Chishio was fretful, loving, wise in her gentleness. The anger came from a source outside their family, and outside Yue Lao's own nature. Yue sighed, then, exhaling the anger. It wouldn't do anyone any good. She would just start to train better, as soon as this was over. She'd have no rest.
Yue didn't take her eyes off Jianyu the whole time, except to look up at Liwei when he had spoken. Finally, Jianyu seemed to be sleeping, though he may have just passed out from the pain.
"I'm afraid I have to sit here a little longer with the cleansing, but Yue, please be kind enough to sit with Jianyu's parents...? He could use the rest, Liwei is right."
Yue stared at her, her face blank. She took a few moments to return to herself and acknowledge what she had heard. If it had just been Chishio asking, Yue probably would have protested. However, Jianyu's parents were the figures of authority over their son, so Yue brushed her fingertips across Jianyu's hand, and looked his face over. She would have kissed his forehead, but realized his parents were there; she didn't want to give either of them the wrong impression. Yue rose to her feet.
"I can try," she finally choked out, looking between Ehuang and Liwei. She led them back into the kitchen, and took a seat on a cushion. Mayu had boiled water in another pot, rather than worry about washing the kettle just then. She put it in an ornate kettle, with oolong leaves in a strainer at the top, and set it on the table. She had also unwrapped some onigiri which had been prepared for lunch while Chishio treated Jianyu. The cooking had helped Mayu concentrate and ignore what was going on in the other room. Salmon filled their centers, covered with a strip of Nori on each piece.
Yue didn't touch the tea or the onigiri, at first. She asked Mayu for one of the strips of leather she used to braid her own hair, which Mayu provided, and Yue braided her hair back again, holding it in place with her ornate clip. "I haven't eaten yet, not since yesterday, so if you don't mind... I need food to tell this story," Yue said. Mayu sat down at the table, and Ehuang and Liwei were welcome to sit with them. There was a separate cup for everyone, already set. Yue took one of the onigiri in her hand and nibbled at it. She only ate one point before setting it on her plate. She squared her shoulders, looked up at Jianyu's parents, and tried to smile.
"We were just... at the edge of the Quiet Roads, under the lamp post... we took the left road, instead of the right, and Jianyu pushed me out of the way of an arrow. It was an ambush," Yue started, taking a sip of her tea and staring off into the distance. She had to say it without looking at them, or she might become too involved in what she was telling. "There were five Nobles, men. They told him to give me over," Yue's eyes flickered with disgust, "Obviously, he didn't. We fought. He killed three of them, and..." She looked at Ehuang and Liwei then, "And he was trapped between the last two. One had him pinned, one was advancing on him. I jumped on the one that was advancing and I cut his throat," she said, grimacing. "There was only the one left. Jianyu shot him with his crossbow, and we thought we were safe, but... as Jianyu came towards me, the Noble he had shot reached up and stabbed him." Yue's hands clenched at her dress. She squeezed the fabric, her eyes far off again.
"I called, and called, and no one would come help us. I ran to Mayu, and her husband Seto carried Jianyu here, with the help of their friend Oro. We thought he was going to be okay, but..." Yue left out the part where they slept in the same room, next to each other. "This morning, when I checked on him, he had a fever and he was in pain. Chishio came to repair him, and, well, you know the rest."
Yue Lao took a deep breath, and grasped her onigiri in both hands, nibbling on it again. She was hungry, but she didn't feel like eating.
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Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2010 7:10 pm
Liwei and Ehuang sat across from Mayu and Yue, Liwei handing his wife her cup of tea before he took his own in a gesture of respect. After they had taken a few sips, and had passed around the onigiri, Liwei sat back, taking his wife's hand. They both listened quietly as Yue spoke, letting the girl completely finish without interrupting her. Liwei knew that it was difficult, knew how much it must have pained her to recall that night, but it was important not only that he and his wife hear what had happened that night, but also to have Yue face the situation. Having raised a Fighter for a son, Liwei and his wife had long since learned that it was not possible, nor healthy to pretend that certain events had not happened.
After Yue had finished, they sat in silence for a few moments. Liwei, letting go of his wife's hand, stood up, moving around to stand next to the girl. He gently removed the onigiri from her fingers and set it back on the tray, kneeling beside her.
"Yue," he said quietly. "Look at me."
When she did not, he reached up, tilting her chin so that he could look into her eyes. Then he took both of her hands in his and squeezed them lightly.
"Thank you." he said. "For thinking of our son enough to want to protect him."
Standing back up, Liwei bent down, pressing a kiss to Yue's cheek. Then he went back and sat next to his wife, putting an arm around her.
"Now," he said. "Yue, why don't you go check on Mayu and Jianyu? I'm sure he would be pleased to hear your voice."
Lying on his back in the next room, Jianyu forced himself to open his eyes. He felt groggy, like he was underwater, and though his side still throbbed in awful pain, the heat had lessened significantly. He was not quite as hot and sweaty as he had been, though he still felt horrendous and not quite awake. His thoughts were spinning, as well as his mind and Jianyu could not seem to get the pounding in his skull to go away.
"Mo...ther...." he murmured, his blind eye aching.
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Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 1:31 am
When Liwei thanked her, it was as if he was forgiving her. Yue felt the weight of all she had done to hurt Jianyu lift a little. She was not this person: she did not sit at kitchen tables and cry; she did not tell her story with a grim, distant look; she did not worry over whose lives she had affected. And yet, with Jianyu, she found herself more and more attached. "Your son is worth protecting," she answered, with a smile. The weight of the guilt she felt had been eased, as if his parents had forgiven her and allowed her to understand that it wasn't her fault. The Nobles had attacked them, without cause. She hadn't started it, but she had helped Jianyu finish it. He had to get better; that was all there was to it.
"My voice? I think, by now, he's probably sick of it," she laughed. Telling the story of what had happened seemed to cheer her up immensely. Perhaps that was just until she saw Jianyu, however; he would likely still be quite ill.
Yue Lao walked up to the shoji, slid it open, and was walking towards him when he murmured for his mother. Amused, though feeling like she was interrupting something important, Yue hesitated at his side and then knelt beside him, taking his hand in hers. "Not quite, Yu. I can go get her, though?..." She brushed the side of his face with her free hand. He was still a little too warm. She would have to see about getting him some nice, cool water to drink.
Chishio had excused herself from the room, his wound purified, to sit in the kitchen with Liwei, Ehuang and Mayu.
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