Memories

Category:Romance

Pairing:Sky/Ling

Rating: T

Summary: You should not live in the past, but sometimes he couldn't help himself.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Jade Empire, sadly. I don't own Scholar Ling, Sky, Tien's Landing, just anything. Not that I don't want to.

Hey there. This is my first Jade Empire fanfic, with no great plot. I apologize if there are some incorrect quotes, but my game only has Czech subtitles, thus I don't know the exact quotes of the playable character. Enjoy.

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It was almost sunrise. Tien's Landing couldn't have been more beautiful at that moment – the soft glow made the town seem peaceful and with the first warm sunbeams, its inhabitants were beginning to wake up. Everything was simply perfect.

Well, not everything.

Sky rolled in the bed and shot an annoyed look towards the window. The chirping of the birds could have been enjoyable, but for someone who meant to be awake. As for Sky, he planned to sleep for – at least – two more hours. And the feathered beasts robbed him of this pleasure. He groaned and muttered a silent curse.

A warm hand creeped up his chest and rested lazily on his shoulder. Ling shifted slightly, awakened by her partner's voice. „Something wrong?" she mumbled with her eyes closed, her voice still hoarse from the sleep. Her dark hair was tousled and he could tell that the short time she slept wasn't enough. Sure, they went to the bed earlier previous evening, both quite tired. But after that their evening plans turned out differently – as they often did. Smirking slyly, Sky ran a finger along the little scar on her collar bone, remembering...

Two women, standing in the entrance to the pirate cave. One of them seemed very anxious and worried, she kept looking around. He could see a great concern in her eyes, pain and...pity. He later learned her name – Dawn Star.

But at that moment, the woman dressed in blue and gold silk caught his attention. She was serious too, but there was something more – she looked...he didn't know how to describe it, perhaps determined would express her the best. Sky didn't know her motives nor goals, he could only guess. But if one of those goals was the same as his, she could be useful. He could tell that she wasn't one of his enemies. Which was good, considering her looks.

„You've got a task here, idiot!" he mentally kicked himself. Gao the Greater was probably waiting up there and he wasn't going to miss the chance to avenge Pinmei, not even because of this strange woman. Sky moved swiftly foward and jumped down, slaying the slave guard with a single strike of his blades.

She got the scar during the fight that followed, which was his fault, he had to admit. He didn't care then – all he wanted to do was to take his revenge on Gao and then...his thoughts never really reached that point. Sky never cared about what would happen next. All that mattered was Gao and if that meant using someone else, hell, he'd do it.

In the other hand, as he thought during his conversation with the pirate, having blood of an innocent on his hands wasn't something he'd enjoy. He sincerely hoped that his first impression wasn't incorrect.

It wasn't. She was as deadly in fight as no one he's ever seen. Soon, when the last guard died by her hand, she turned to him and her expression was very clear: You'd better explain yourself. That was when he and Ling – which was her name, as she soon told him – spoke for the first time. Not exactly the ideal first date, he thought, his thumb still caressing the rippled flesh. But in the end, did it really matter?

He completely forgot himself in the memory that he remembered her question just when she shifted closer to him and lifted her head. Her eyes opened and she blinked in the light of the rising sun. Seeing Sky's smirk, she frowned. „What?"

Sky shook his head, brushing her hair back from her face. „Nothing. Go back to sleep." Watching her reaction which was just a slow nod, he realized that she had to be really tired – normally she hated people telling her what to do, especially Sky, who usually teased her this way. Even if it was meant well, she never missed a chance to pull some witty remark. And gods, how he loved their little provocations.

She probably deserves some rest, I guess, after all it wasn't me who spent whole previous day arguing with the Heavenly Lily. Ling stayed at the palace long hours, consulting the empress. That wasn't so rare – the Empire was always full of problems waiting to be solved. Sometimes he accompanied her – it was always good to see the faces of their companions, although they haven't heard of Hou for several months now. From what they've heard, he managed to escape from his wife again and he probably thought that contacting any of his former fellows could lead to being found and dragged back to his family. If being on the run (or living with the canibals) was better than living with Hou's family, Sky could never imagine what the legendary spouse had to be like. Luckily, his situation was far better.

Turning back to Ling, his gaze began to wander about the parts of her body that weren't covered by the light sheet. The scar on her collar bone wasn't the only reminder of their previous adventures. For example, the slash on her upper arm - now barely visible - was made by one of the Lotus Asassins when they went to their base in the Necropolis. He was flattered that she trusted him to accompany her there – although it might have been suicide as well.

All memories of her came back to him – the one of their first meeting, how he joined her companions on seemingly impossible task, his getting to know them better – to know her better – and how he realized that although he might try something on her, he didn't want to. That was highly untypical for Sky. It worried and excited him at the same time. He suggested his interest in her several times and she never snapped at him or told him to stop his silly attempts. In fact, sometimes it was quite the opposite...

Then she smiled as she teased him, her eyes sparkling with amusement. „Maybe I'll settle down with some dashing rogue." And he couldn't describe how much he wanted that statement to be her true wish, not just a joke. If he weren't so distracted at that moment, he could have noticed that she wasn't sure whether it was just teasing, too.

When they came to the palace for the first time, she proved to have more courage than he had. She told him what she felt, because unlike him, she lived for today. That was the last proof he needed to know that this woman was special. When beside her, he wasn't trying to forget his past, she unwittingly made him accept everything that has happened and seek a new start. He never told her, but he never really got over his daughter's death before Ling came into his life.

„Sky?"

„Uh-huh?"

„Stop staring at me while I'm sleeping."

He laughed deep in his throat. She was never sleepy enough not to feel his gaze upon her. „Sorry. I can't help it."

Ling's eyes opened for a moment. „You can, I believe in you. Use all your stength and might-" She interrupted her speech because of an incoming yawn, „....and close your eyes. Or stare at the wall."

„Honestly, staring at you is much more pleasant."

She moaned in frustration as he moved backward to get a better view. „The poor wall will be so brokenhearted." Then she rolled to her other side so he couldn't see her face. „Now please, find something else to do."

„As my lady wishes." And with that, he returned to his memories once more. Though of course, his eyes didn't leave her for a single second.

It was silent at Dirge that day. The poisoned atmosphere even reached trough the numbness he felt after Ling's death. Sky didn'ť remember much of how they got out from the palace, nor did he care where they went. The world lost all colors for him and he found everything pointless – until Dawn Star had that vision. It was like a sparkle of hope in the darkness and his fist thought was: She wasn't joking after all.

All of them were nervous. Even Black Whirlwind felt the presence of something unnatural. They unpacked the tents they brought along and waited, although they didn't know what for exactly. Dawn Star seemed more unconmfortable with each second that passed and the tension was becoming almost unbearable...

Suddenly it was gone. The air seemed clearer and that was when Sky knew she was back, before any of his companions got to say a word. The snow kept falling down quietly as she approached them, watching them, obviously not surprised that they have been waiting for her.

„I came back for Sky," she had said.

If a voice could kill, he wouldn't stand a chance. „Husband, I warn you."

As before their arrival at Dirge, his memories of the conversation that followed between Ling and her companions somehow vanished, as if he couldn't concentrate on anything else but her. And after they were left alone and he finally said those three words – could there ever be anything as important as this moment?

„...Sky?"

Oh dear. Here it comes. „Yes, love?"

She moved swiftly and rolled him over, landing with both palms on his chest. „I warned you!" He dodged her punches easily and caught her by wrists. And after she kissed him and her arms snaked around his neck, he decided that when he recalls the memories of her for the next time, this one will definitely be one of his favourites.

As Ling showed him later, she wasn't that tired at all.

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Well, that's it. Thanks for reading. Sorry for the mistakes (being Czech is my eternal alibi) and for reviewing, if you did.