For all author's notes please see chapter 1.



CHAPTER SEVEN: THE AFTERMATH

Yao distantly heard someone sobbing. Was it one of his siblings? No, it wasn't, then who was it? Yao clawed in his mind to wake up, someone was crying, someone needed his help. As he reached for consciousness he groaned, why did his body hurt so badly? Yao's eyes finally fluttered open and the first thing he saw was a frantic Ivan desperately trying to free a knot. The boy had tears on his cheeks…ah, the person crying.

"I-Ivan?"

Ivan paused his actions and his expression flooded with relief. He swiped his sleeve over his eyes to clear them and kneeled down carefully beside Yao.

"Jao-san? Jao-san? It's Ivan… you hear me?"

Yao nodded then groaned. Why did even his neck hurt?

Ivan hurriedly went back to his task at hand.

"D-Don't move, you hurt. Ivan go get help."

With one final tug Ivan managed to get the ropes untied, allowing Yao to drop his arms from their tiring position to the bed. Before Ivan could run off for help, Yao hurriedly grabbed him.

"No…no Ivan…I'm fine…just…just need to rest….you go play…in the garden, ok?"

What Yao really wanted was to pull Ivan in and hug him tight, erasing all of the memories of what he had just seen, but the man was too tired and in too much pain. He needed to clean up and to fix up his wounds.

"Jao-san hurt, Ivan get help!"

Ivan refused to move, he shook free of Yao's weak hold on him and ran into Yao's bathroom, coming out with a basin of warm water and a towel. He stumbled with the heavy load before managing to put it down on the table beside Yao's bed. With trembling hands Ivan wetted the towel and began to help clean Yao's wounds. Yao hissed as the rough towel scraped over his fresh cuts, making Ivan freeze and look at him both worriedly and apologetically.

"Ivan not do right? Ivan sorry."

Yao shook his head and mustered up a smile. With some effort he pushed himself up to sit on the bed, wincing in pain but trying not to let Ivan see. He reached over and pulled his blanket over his naked body, before taking Ivan's hand into his own and giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Sweetie, it's ok…really. I'm really fine. I just…need to clean up…and I'll be good as new.

Ivan looked uncertain. He studied Yao carefully, not believing the man can be fine after all that had happened. At the same time, Ivan wanted to listen to Yao and so reluctantly he nodded.

"O..Ok…Ivan next door, in books room. Jao-san need, Ivan come."

Yao nodded his consent, taking the towel from Ivan's hand and after rinsing it in the water wiped Ivan's face with it to clear it of the traces of tears.

"I'm really sorry…so sorry…you had to see…Ivan…"

Ivan shook his head and sniffled.

"Not Jao-san fault…big mean man."

Yao gave Ivan's hand a squeeze, he knew the man was probably back at the palace now, reporting to his Boss that the job was done for the day.

"Yes, he was…mean…so mean…"

Ivan leaned in and gave Yao a soft kiss on the cheek, something he had recently learned to do from Wanwan, before he started to head for the door. Yao watched him go, careful to keep his composure so as not to break down in front of the child.

"Don't go far, ok Ivan?"

"Ok."

With that, Ivan slipped out the door and padded down the hall to go read some books in the classroom where most of the books were kept.

Yao sighed after Ivan had left, he looked around the room at the mess. Shattered porcelain on the floor, ripped clothes, bloody sheets, this was going to take awhile. Yao tentatively stood up on shaky legs and tried to walk a few steps. The pain was excruciating but aside from Ivan no one else was in the house to help him. He clutched at the furniture, using them to keep himself upright as he shuffled slowly to the bathroom. Yao looked in the mirror, examining the extent of his injuries, bruises on his neck, a rather prominent bite mark on his throat, and then the whip marks over his chest and of course down…

Yao stopped his thoughts right there. How shameful, to be a man and yet used like a woman. He wanted to scream at his Boss that what he had to go through was due to that man's incompetence, his stupidity. Powerful countries bullied, overtook and claimed weaker ones, that was the way it works, and for what took place today he had no one to blame but the mortals which were suppose to govern the nation to prosperity and success. With a sigh, Yao stepped into the tub, wincing and cringing as the hot water swept over his wounds causing them to sting. Slowly and carefully he began to wash himself, scrubbing away the blood, sweat, tears and that sense of dirtiness that always accompanied these things.


Ivan sat at one of the desks, absently flipping through the book he had been reading earlier. His mind, however, was no longer on the contents of the book but on what he had the misfortune of witnessing today. How could anyone be so cruel? Ivan didn't understand, he really couldn't comprehend how Yao could ever deserve what was done to him. Was it because Yao is a nation? Would that mean that he himself would have to go through that too? Ivan trembled, no, no, he didn't want anything like that to happen to him. Yao had said when a nation is hurt their people feel it too and Ivan can't even begin to fathom what the Chinese people must have felt given what Yao had to go through.


END CHAPTER 7

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