Author Note: Hello again, everyone! Now that SL is here, let the SongXiao commence! Enjoy this next chapter :)

Beta: JeanGirlMY

- Chapter Start

"I don't know where he is. And if we do find him, what if he doesn't want to see me?"

"I'm sure he does," she said, just as Song ZiChen said, "I do!" at the exact same moment.

"Oi!" She turned to glare at him again. This wasn't part of the script!

"Wait - who said that? Who's there?" Xiao XingChen's voice sharpened as he turned unerringly in Song ZiChen's direction.

A-Qing huffed in exasperation, almost rolling her eyes as her grand plans for a sweet revelation and even sweeter reconciliation went up in figurative smoke. Shaking her head, she turned to Song ZiChen who was pulling his legs in, going from sitting cross legged to on his heels. Placing his palms flat on the ground, he bent forward, lower and lower until his forehead rested between his hands.

A-Qing gaped at him. This... wasn't part of the plan either!

"ZiChen? ZiChen, is that you?" Xiao XingChen rose onto his knees. "A-Qing, who's there?"

"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier, Daozhang" A-Qing said dutifully, but of course she wasn't.

"Not telling me what?"

"That Song ZiChen is here and kneeling before you right now."

"He... he's here?" Xiao XingChen sounded torn between hope and disbelief. Then he shook his head. "No. No. If ZiChen is here, he would never humble himself before me or anyone."

"Are you sure? He has his forehead pressed right into the dirt!" A-Qing all but crowed out.

All of a sudden, her annoyance vanished and she felt like laughing. Because it was finally happening - the moment she had been looking forward to ever since she traveled back in time some six months ago.

It wasn't because she enjoyed seeing one person humbled before another, but she had to admit it was gratifying all the same. Words could cut and hurt as easily as swords and knives could. She knew the accusations Song ZiChen had flung at Xiao XingChen that time had cut very, very deeply.

With a wordless cry, Xiao XingChen shuffled towards Song ZiChen, reaching out with both hands. A-Qing grabbed his nearest one, guiding it to rest upon the bowed head.

"ZiChen, is that you?" Xiao XingChen's slender fingers fluttered over the dark wood hair clasp. "ZiChen! What are you doing?"

With another cry, he moved his hands and found two broad shoulders, grabbing at them and trying to pull him up.

"Get up! Get up!"

Song ZiChen raised his head a little.

"Not until you allow me to apologise for the horrible things I said."

Xiao XingChen's fingers clenched harder.

"You... you had every right to say them," he said in a low voice.

"No. I didn't. Not to anyone and certainly not to my best friend and soulmate."

Xiao XingChen went very still. So did A-Qing, eyes wide and hand clapped to her mouth.

"Soulmate?" The former repeated.

Song ZiChen raised his head just high enough to look sideways up at him. There was a smear of dirt on his forehead.

"I have considered you as my soulmate almost from the first moment we met," he said in a solemn voice.

"And... and now?" Xiao XingChen's voice trembled.

"More so than ever."

Xiao XingChen's breath hitched.

"But you chased me away."

"I'm sorry. No matter how I felt, what I suffered, that was no excuse to say what I did. I'm so sorry, XingChen."

"It's alright-"

"No. No, it's not alright. Xue Yang said he had done it to get back at you. And I..." Song ZiChen exhaled, the sound bitter with regret. "I let him."

Xiao XingChen swallowed, head dipping forward and hands still clutching at his soulmate's shoulders.

Ignored and quite possibly forgotten at this point, A-Qing tried not to make any sound that could interrupt this special, private moment.

"ZiChen, get up. Please." Xiao XingChen pulled again.

This time, Song ZiChen obeyed, both of them kneeling before the other, close enough for their knees to touch.

"And instead of hating me, you... you gave me your eyes," Song ZiChen continued, his voice thick with regret.

Xiao XingChen's face turned even paler.

"Who... who told you that? They promised they wouldn't!"

Song ZiChen glanced at A-Qing who shook her head.

"Who told me isn't important," he said, cupping Xiao XingChen's face, gentle thumbs brushing across the now bloodstained blindfold. "You should've just left me alone."

A quivering smile curved the pale lips.

"What sort of soulmate would I be if I'd done that?"

"You still consider me...?"

Xiao XingChen's fingers traced Song ZiChen's face in turn, touching the wetness on his cheeks.

"Oh, ZiChen. Always."

"Always?" Song ZiChen echoed. "And can you ever forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive."

"There is. Say it."

"ZiChen."

"Say it!"

A long, whispery sigh.

"I forgive you. I love you."

"XingChen!"

A-Qing couldn't see who leaned forward first, her vision too blurry to make out much. By the time she wiped her eyes, the two Daozhang were already locked in a fierce embrace.

Oh. She should give them some privacy... but wait - Song ZiChen hadn't confessed his love yet!

"XingChen, I love you."

Ahh. There it was, that long awaited confession. Yes, she should leave them now.

A slight movement just outside the door of the temple caught her attention. She turned to see a familiar face peeping in before it vanished. With a wry smile tugging at her lips and a final glance at the two lovebirds lost in their own world, she got up and went outside.

- o -

Xue Yang stood in the clearing not far away, arms crossed over his chest.

"That was... incredibly painful to watch," he grumbled to the half moon with his head upturned, all the better to glare at it.

"Agreed," A-Qing said and then she realised his eyes were reflecting the moonlight.

"You're crying," she couldn't resist pointing out.

His head jerked back down, eyes widening before he turned away, blinking rapidly.

"I'm not! You are!"

A-Qing rolled her eyes.

"So what if I am?"

Xue Yang kept quiet.

"You do know he won't ever be yours," she said, careful to keep her voice low.

He snorted at that, still looking away.

"He was never mine," he admitted. "I've always known that. Just..."

He broke off and turned to scowl at her. Then he continued, speaking fast.

"Just that he was the first person who was nice to me without wanting something in return. But that was because he didn't know it was... me."

There was a bleakness in his voice that almost, almost made A-Qing regret bringing it up, but she wanted the reassurance that he would never again try to come between the two Daozhang.

"That's good to know," she said, forcing a brisk tone in her voice. "So, you enjoyed seeing their reunion? It was so sweet."

"I did not!" He blustered at once. "It was soppy. Ugh. I take it back, the Daozhang in black isn't just boring. He's melodramatic too!"

A-Qing let out a snort of laughter before she could help it. Suddenly curious for more, she retraced her steps back to the temple and peeped inside

Those two weren't just hugging anymore. They were also kissing. Blushing, A-Qing took a hurried step backward and trod on something, heard an indrawn breath above her.

"Are you peeping at them?" She whispered over her shoulder.

"I wasn't!" Xue Yang whispered back. "You were!"

"Shh, they'll hear you."

"You're louder than I am."

Without waiting for her reply, Xue Yang grabbed her arm and walked backwards, tugging her along, also backwards. She was too taken aback to do anything but follow.

When they were a safe distance from the temple doors again, he dropped her arm. She spun around and they stared at each other. Then Xue Yang shrugged.

"Anyway, time for me to leave," he said.

A-Qing swallowed the 'So fast?' that sprang to her lips.

"Where will you go?" She asked instead.

"No idea," he said.

They gazed at each other again, him with lips pressed thin and her with teeth digging into her lower lip. Then he reached inside his robes.

"I have something for you."

"Oh! I have something for you too."

They held out their hands at the same time, each with a sweet in their open palms. Then they blinked.

"Uhm. Thanks," A-Qing muttered and dropped hers into Xue Yang's hand before taking his one.

"Yeah." Xue Yang unwrapped his sweet and popped it into his mouth.

A-Qing did the same, eyes half closing at the familiar burst of sweetness on her tongue.

"You know, if you promise to-" she began only to have Xue Yang shake his head.

"Better that I don't," he said with a tight smile. "Or I might deprive Xiao XingChen of his boring soulmate a second time."

"He's not boring!" A-Qing defended him at once. "And who says he'll lose to you again? They're on the same side now."

"I know," he muttered and shrugged again. "Well, I'm off."

"Wait. Where will you go?"

"Go? Oh, I'll still be around," he drawled. "At least until I know Xiao XingChen is alright. And you too."

A-Qing tossed her head to hide how pleased she was to hear that.

"Don't bother. We'll be fine," she declared.

With a nod, he turned to leave. After two steps, he stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"What?" A-Qing asked.

"If you ever get tired of... third wheeling them, you could maybe... look for me?"

A-Qing blinked, her breath catching in her throat.

"Why would I do that?"

His smile vanished.

"It was just a thought. Forget it," he grumbled and left before A-Qing could say she was only joking.

- Chapter End -

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it :)