Another chapter that was way-f**king-longer-than-it-should've-been off the presses! And with it, we finally reach a pivotal point in Hong and Rajata's relationship that I've been working toward for a long-ass time! Yay!

Warning: This chapter contains-

-Disrespect towards a dead child character.

-Mild swearing.

-Two characters engaging in mutually desired sexual intercourse for the purpose of comfort, nothing too detailed or graphic.

That 's all.

After her somewhat hazardous, long night out on the Lower Ring's mean streets with Hong and Guozhi, Rajata was naturally feeling rather drowsy. But she'd gotten enough sleep at Polivu's home to be at least fairly rested, and had had a good breakfast of akki flatbread with plain yogurt and plum chutney with her friend's family before leaving for work, so it all evened out.

Rajata enjoyed her job, more or less. The close company of her parents, and sometimes Tuhina, on days when there was no school, working in the stall with her. The diversity of warm, earthen hues to be seen in their wares, each kind of spice forming a pile in its own wide-mouthed basket. The way the odors of the spices-garlic powder, anise, cardamom, turmeric, black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, allspice, cumin, five-spice powder, powdered ginger-made her nose and the roof of her mouth pleasantly tingle. The colorful bustle of activity, and interactions with shoppers-most of which treated her respectfully during the average work day.

Sometime in the late morning, with the fiery disc of the sun nearly at its apex in the sky, Rajata was smiling and nodding as a washerwoman excitedly shared news with her from the other side of the stall's counter about how her niece had begun dating a young man who worked in an Agarian Zone orchard, and great Hou-Tu, could he climb like a monkey, as Madhuri carefully measured out one and a half liangsof white pepper, and two liangs of fennel on a scale just behind her daughter.

Rajata had just handed the washerwoman her white pepper and fennel in a pair of stiff, folded paper packets, accepting one silver and two copper pieces as payment in the other hand as she told the customer with a smile, "Take care now," when something calmly, suddenly entered her mind and seemed to whisper to her.

Something bad has just happened to Hong.

Oh spirits.

She tensed, uncertain, heartbeat speeding up as she uneasily swept her gaze over the street, the dark mouths of the other spice shops.

"What's wrong?" the washerwoman said, her long green eyes baffled. "Is that silver piece counterfeit? It sure felt like the real stuff to me- "

"No, your money's good," Rajata assured her, only distantly aware of putting the coins in the store purse beneath the counter.

In the next instant, she felt a sort of sharp blow to the back of her left leg, midway up her calf, which suddenly, dully burned with red pain. It was strong-and certainly weird-enough to make her grimace and bend down to grab that part of her leg. Confused, Rajata pulled it closer as she balanced on the other, pushing the hem of her skirt down towards the back of her knee to better examine it.

No signs of an injury, that she'd bruised or cut herself. Not on her body, at least…

A concerned Ashwin and Madhuri immediately dropped everything, and scuttled over to her, dark features tight with concern.

"Good spirits dearie, are you okay?!" her mother asked. "Are you having a muscle cramp?" she ventured. "I keep telling you, you're always free to bend out a stone stool to sit one like your father does sometimes. You don't need to stay on your feet all day lo- "

But the pain in Rajata's leg was already fading. The swiftly mounting sense of concern within her was another matter. A sweat which had nothing to do with the early summer heat began to break out on her forehead.

Once, like most people in the Impenetrable City, Rajata had been deeply scared of Agent Hong Yan. But right now, she found herself being unaccountably scared for him.

"I know. I'm fine though," she told her mom, as the washerwoman looked on, mystified.

"Nothing's wrong?" Ashwin prodded.

Rajata thought for a moment, as she met her father's gaze. "Not with me. Hong though…I know this sounds crazy, but I have this terrible sense that something's wrong with him, Appa. A message from the sprits maybe."

"Oh dear," the washerwoman replied in concern. "I sure wouldn't ignore that sort of thing," she advised before taking her leave.

Rajata nodded before her gaze darted back to her parents. "I have to at least go check on him," she implored. "Yes, I know he's a member of the secret police, who can take care of himself, and I really shouldn't be running off in the middle of work like this. Still, I'm really sorry, appa, amma, but I just- "

"Don't be," Ashwin cut her off with a sigh, although he looked mildly frustrated. "If the spirits themselves are giving you a warning…well, just try to get back when you can."

She gave a sharp nod, hugged her mom, and was off, loping down the street while battling the urge to earth-skate in a beeline for Shengdahu Avenue. When she spied an available carriage, Rajata rushed into its path to hail it with such alacrity that the driver nearly ran her over.

She jumped up into the cab with the swiftness of a lizard, and snapped out the address to him, trying to slow her pounding heartbeat during the journey there, keep her voice from quivering excessively when she extracted the passport from behind the waistband of her skirt to display to the royal guards at an Upper Ring gate.

Rajata still had no real idea what many of the Upper Ring's "idle rich" did during the day, but in the early afternoon heat, many of its well-maintained streets seemed oddly deserted as the ostrich-horse hen pulling the carriage cantered down them. Including Shengdahu Avenue. It only increased her sense that something dreadful had happened to her boyfriend, made her heart beat wildly like that of the hamster-tamarin she'd once gotten to cuddle in a pet store as a girl.

When the carriage came to a stop, the entry path to Hong's walled home gleaming at the cab's left side, Rajata bounded out with such haste that she had to briefly earthbend her feet into the street, lest she fall on her face.

"Hey lady!" the driver shouted from in front, startling Rajata as she began to lope away. "Aren't you forgetting one last thing?" he hinted, rubbing the tips of his fingers together as he raised an eyebrow, looking over his shoulder. Oh yeah, she needed to pay her fare, she realized sheepishly, before reaching into a skirt pocket and handing him several copper pieces.

The sight of the two sentries, attentive yet at ease as they stood on each side of the front moon gate in their leather armor, rather than being imposing, was actually now something of a welcome relief for Rajata as she strolled toward them, with as much composure as she could muster-she certainly didn't want to make it seem like she was rushing the gate.

While the pair of guards naturally took notice of her presence, their long green eyes narrowing slightly as they fixed her with wary, lordly stares, ready to take action if they had to, they didn't strike her as being especially concerned or troubled-as they presumably would be if their master had been harmed.

Maybe her intuition, spirit bond, gut feeling, whatever one wanted to call it, had all just been her imagination running wild, leading her down a false trail, while the pain she'd felt in her calf really had only been a muscle cramp. She'd bailed on her parents, leaving them to deal with the day's crush of customers on their own, and come dashing all the way over here for nothing. Good Krishna, what a fool she was!

But all the same, some part of Rajata just knew that she wasn't imagining things. Not at all.

One of the sentries was clean-shaven, while his partner, on the right side of the gate, had a close-cut beard. It was this bearded sentry who, when Rajata was about ten strides away, suddenly flung out a powerful arm, hand clenched into a fist as he aimed it toward the ground, making it quiver with his chi as he reached for his sword with the other hand.

"Step back from the gate!" he commanded, emerald eyes glittering as his teeth flashed in the sunlight.

For a second or two, a startled Rajata reached downward, from sheer instinct, at the stone and dirt underneath her with her own hands, spread to the sides with fingers splayed as she jerked back.

But she buried the impulse in the next moment, and tried to present herself as confident, collected, as she stood tall and placed a hand on her hip, shooting both sentries a disapproving look as she said, "Don't you two recognize my face? Have you forgotten that I'm no stranger around here, but Mr. Yan's beloved girlfriend-and very likely going to be the mistress of this house before the year is through? He won't be pleased to find out that you've denied me entry."

Both sentries gave each other a skeptical look, before the clean-shaven one said impassively, "We know very well who you are, Miss Puri, and all about your romantic relationship with Lao Yan. Unfortunately, since he has neither informed us of any prearranged plan for you to visit him today, nor yet returned from performing his duties as an agent of the Dai Li to grant permission for your entry, I'm afraid you will need to leave."

"We are still much too unfamiliar with you and your character to risk allowing you to enter and roam about Agent Yan's residence at will, without supervision," the bearded guard added. "How can we be certain that you aren't intending to spy, poison his food, or perform similar dark deeds in the service of an enemy of his?"

She was shocked, outraged, at the very idea that she'd even consider such things. But more than that, the last part of the clean-shaven agent's statement sent a chill of fear through her, despite the warm air.

After last night's shift, Hong should've come back here hours ago, to eat breakfast and get some sleep. True, it was quite possible that Dai Li headquarters-wherever that eerie, terrible place was-had a mess hall and barracks of its own, just like she knew the City Guards did at their bases of operations.

If so, maybe her boyfriend had decided to crash over there for the day, and was peacefully snoring on a cot or couch at this very moment. Then again, maybe not…

Her anxiety returned, even sharper than before now, and Rajata found herself breathing quickly, shifting her weight from foot to foot, even as she scornfully told both sentries, "Oh, are you serious? You honestly think that I'd turn on Master Hong, try to harm him in some way?"

"It's happened with other agents before," the clean-shaven guard replied simply. "And only the spirits know for certain what is truly in a guest's heart."

"Well, you know I've always been a well-mannered guest," Rajata said. "If anything, every time I come here, I'm the one who's in a vulnerable position!"

"That may be so Miss Puri, but- "

On the off chance it just might work, she whipped out her fancy Upper Ring pass and exhibited it to them. "Here," she said. "Hong signed this himself, and you can read for yourself that it gives me the right to go anywhere I please in most areas of this city, including the Upper Ring."

"Nice try," the bearded agent sternly growled, "but that pass doesn't apply to private property. Now get yourself back home, and come back later in the day, if you're so desperate to see Master Yan. Unless you want us to resort to force."

Suddenly, something collapsed within Rajata. She was almost beside herself now, despite her efforts to keep the mounting anxiety at bay, wringing her hands and fighting back tears of frustration.

"Spirits damn it, you clods of dirt, I swear on the lives of my sisters that this isn't some kind of sneaky trick!" she tearfully cried. "And after he's lifted both me and my family so far above our stations, showered me with money and gold, given me lavish jewelry and silk clothing, made our family wealthy enough to buy a new home in the Middle Ring, never have to worry about our next meal again, why would I put myself at risk of losing all that by plotting against him? That would make about as much sense as a farmer burning his orchards to the ground, or slaughtering all of his cattle-hogs!"

Both sentries exchanged a glance with each other, and then thoughtfully frowned, conceding that yes, it was very unlikely to benefit her.

"You make a good point," the clean-shaven agent acknowledged. "But even so, why are you so upset, so determined to enter Master Yan's home when we've already told you that he's not even here to greet you, Miss Puri?"

She paused, then admitted, "I'm not entirely sure," even as she continued to fidget and lightly wring her hands, fighting the tears. "But I had-still have-this powerful feeling that something very bad just happened to him, that he's hurt in some way-and that's why I came here, to see if he was all right." Quickly, she told them about her premonition in the spice market.

Both guards were clearly interested, but not quite sure of what to make of such information.

After she'd finished, the bearded sentry gave a meditative sigh, and seemed sympathetic as he intoned, "That is worrisome. And I myself believe that the spirits can sometimes communicate to a person that someone they deeply care for has just been harmed."

"Same thing with me," the clean-shaven guard chimed in.

"That's why I need to stay," Rajata replied. "At least until either he returns, or word comes through a messenger, so that I can know with certainty."

"You're still better off just going home, or back to your job," the bearded sentry gently advised. "If Master Yan truly has been injured-or worse-in the line of duty, the damage is already done at this point, and it's out of your hands now."

The clean-shaven sentry nodded. "It certainly isn't going to benefit either you or him to be working yourself into a frenzy of anxiety, and milling around his front gate for what could be hours. Your best option is to go somewhere else, and try to keep your mind focused on something other than Lao Yan's welfare-meditate if you have to-before coming back in the evening, when we'll be able to tell you more."

He made a very good point, Rajata had to admit. It was even enough to halfway-convince her to settle down and make her way back to work. But not completely.

She just knew with a certainty, after all, that if Hong was ever struck by a similar sense that something bad had happened to her, even a contingent of Imperial Guards wouldn't be able to prevent him from following it up, from assiduously searching, biding his time, until he had the rock-solid proof.

"I know," she acknowledged, "and appreciate your suggestion. But I can't be at peace either way, until I either see or hear the facts for myself. Please humor me."

In the end, both sentries did just that, deciding that there was no harm in allowing their boss's unarmed girlfriend to at least wait in the garden for a time-but only if she stayed seated on the wooden bench they indicated, within their line of sight.

She agreed, and passed between them, through both moon gates, before settling down to wait.

Trying to stay calm and relaxed, Rajata sat there in her cotton sari and skirt, keeping herself distracted as best she could by watching the beautiful birds, the bees and butterflies and flies, as they flitted about from bush to bush, flower to flower.

And she waited, for whatever news might come.

Zhu was skittering around with impatience at Mingxia's feet, whining insistently, his curled tail a blur as he leapt up and pawed at her robe.

"Hey, don't scratch the fabric, little man," Mingxia chided, even as she rubbed his head and stood up from her padded chair. "But all right, I guess it's as good a time as any for a walk around our compound," she conceded, pushing the chair back and standing up with a languorous stretch underneath her yellow satin robes.

It felt good, releasing the tension accumulated after the last three hours of painstakingly working at her latest embroidery project, a two-thirds completed scene portrayed in silk threads featuring a gorilla-gaur, its often-fearsome visage gentle and calm as it sat at the edge of a pond, peaceably watching both some colorful koi, and a mother mandarin duck swimming by with her babies in tow.

Leaving the silk fabric where it lay, she carefully put her needles and the rainbows of silk threads on their spools away in their wooden drawer before closing it and taking the key to her room in hand. After locking the thick, green-painted wood door behind her (only Master Hong and her handmaiden, Ling, had duplicate keys), she strolled through the halls and courtyards in the direction of the main garden, Zhu snorting and panting as he dashed forward for a short distance, often pausing to curiously sniff an interesting odor on a pillar or wall or tree trunk before running back to the side of his mistress.

Along the way, she came across Yuxuan, who greeted her with a bow before asking, "Are you planning to leave for a while, Concubine Mingxia? I'd be happy to come along to provide security-as we both know, Master Hong wouldn't be happy to hear that you were allowed to leave his home without a guardian-or I can also go get Zhu's leash and handle him while you enjoy your stroll, a shopping trip," he offered.

Mingxia shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm just going for a walk around the garden with this little chunkster here," she replied, looking down at the prancing pug with a fond smile. "I'll come find either you or another of the servants if I plan to go farther afield though."

As she approached the front gate, walking down the stone path in her satin shoes, Mingxia was suddenly brought to a halt by the unexpected sight of Rajata, facing away from her as she sat back on the bench, hip-length braid placed over her left shoulder, drops of sweat lightly beading on what Mingxia could see of her warm brown skin.

Her gaze seemed to be fixated on the moon gate, and her demeanor struck Mingxia as brooding, concerned, even a little edgy as she occasionally shifted or fidgeted, although Mingxia couldn't imagine why.

It was also odd that she was just sitting around by herself, with their shared paramour nowhere to be seen-most likely sleeping at Lake Laogai headquarters right now, Mingxia figured, after another hard night of helping keep this city free of crime and damaging rumors-or had even been allowed to enter the premises at all.

Even an adored lover, of either gender, (If her master's conversations with her were to be believed, one would very much be mistaken to assume that all his colleagues were straight), couldn't just stroll into an agent's home without an appointment, at least at this juncture of the relationship.

But at any rate, she'd evidently talked the sentries into letting her in, and was now waiting for Hong to return home. Perhaps he'd invited her here for another date, or just to spend time with her, and had then either found himself being prevented him from coming over by a more pressing obligation, or somehow just forgot.

Mingxia knew that Rajata not only shared Master Yan's heart with her, but would quite probably soon come to share this house as well, as his legal wife. She had to treat the other woman with respect and friendship.

She veered around in an arc, and considerately approached a preoccupied Rajata from the right and the front, hoping not to spook the other woman as she lightly waved an elegant hand, rings gleaming in the sunlight, to get her attention.

"Ni hao, Rajata," she said gently.

But Rajata was still spooked anyway, her slim body jerking as she gave a sharp cry, cracks appearing in the soft sod around her feet before she met Mingxia's gaze.

"Who—Oh, it's you, Mingxia," she said, relaxing somewhat. "Um, hi there. And hello to your cute doggie too," she added with a grin, bending down to let Zhu sniff her hand, then give him some shoulder scratches and back pets, the pug panting and writhing with pleasure at the visitor's attentions. "What's his name, if I may ask?"

"This little guy is Zhu," Mingxia replied. "He's my good, precious boy who thinks he's ten times bigger than he actually is," she lightly laughed. "Aren't you?" she asked as she looked down at the frisking pug.

Rajata giggled, and nodded in understanding.

"Anyway, I'm sorry to have startled you," Mingxia said. "Is it okay with you if I take a seat myself?" she asked, gesturing at an empty portion of the garden bench.

"Go ahead. I certainly wouldn't mind the company right now," Rajata replied, briefly regarding Mingxia and giving her a small, reassuring smile as she sat down, before her brown gaze slid away to return to the moon gates. Again, Mingxia had the impression that Rajata was mildly worried about something.

"So Rajata, what brings you over here from your spice shop-and is keeping you waiting?" she asked, bending down to stroke Zhu's flank. "Is Master Yan being tardy for another arranged date?"

Rajata shook her head, her normally cheerful, animated features suddenly becoming dismal and tense as she spoke. "I wish it was that. But no, the reason I came rushing over…well, I know this sounds crazy, but I just suddenly had this sense, earlier, that something was wrong. I still do, even though it's probably all in my head," she sighed.

"A sense that something was wrong," Mingxia repeated thoughtfully, somewhat puzzled. "Do you mean with Master Hong?"

Rajata nodded, briefly holding her lower lip in her teeth and gently chewing at it.

Mingxia listened respectfully as her owner's probable bride-to-be filled her in about what she'd sensed at her spice stall, and compelled her to come all the way over here. By the time she'd finished, Mingxia was feeling a growing sense of unease herself.

Thanks to having shared Hong's life and home for a much longer period than Rajata, Mingxia knew from direct experience, one way or the other, just how dangerous and unforgiving her master's line of work could be at times, even if he was hardly the incompetent or defenseless type.

But she wanted to reassure her edgy companion, so she gave Rajata a kindly smile and placed a hand on her forearm as she suggested, "I'm not going to say that you're mistaken, but perhaps it's more of a case of this day just being an inauspicious one for you, and therefore, negative energies are affecting the way you think right now?"

"That could be," Rajata admitted. "Still though, I'm not quite ready to leave."

"I understand," Mingxia replied. "But I wouldn't fret too much about Master Yan's well-being Miss Rajata, dark feelings or not." Her lips curved upward in a mixture of mirth and pride. "In fact, with his training and expertise as one of the Dai Li, I feel pretty confident that you could lock him in a metal cell with six armed men-and rather then it being a situation where Master Yan was trapped in there with those ruffians, it would be more like one where those men were trapped in a cell with Agent Hong," she knowingly smirked, chuckling.

Rajata bared her teeth in a quick laugh of her own, which cheered Mingxia to see.

No matter how long the other woman chose to wait for Hong's return, Mingxia resolved that she'd keep Rajata company in the meantime, with Zhu-and also keep both of them distracted from their shared apprehensions.

Rajata broke off from rubbing a blissed-out Zhu's belly, all four paws in the air, to glance once more at the sky. From the position of the sun, she estimated that it'd been a little over an hour since Mingxia had stumbled across her, and considerately decided to provide her with welcome companionship, for which Rajata was quite thankful.

She was starting to think that the sentries had been right all along, that there was nothing to be gained by continuing to waste her time with this vigil, sweating in the heat-although Mingxia's handmaiden Ling had come by from time to time to offer them water-while keeping her parents waiting with each passing minute.

And maybe her sensation that Hong had suffered some sort of harm really could be chalked up more to paranoia than an actual portent, a false alarm.

It was certainly not getting her any closer to any straight answers.

Either way, she'd been letting this sense of dread keep her rooted here, dictate the course of her day long enough. Mingxia was talking about one of her favorite theaters in the Upper Ring to attend plays and operas, the Golden Night Flower Theatre.

"And the male members of the troupe are incredible at the wu sheng roles," Mingxia enthused. "You should see them perform in 'Fighting in The Dark,' for instance. I certainly couldn't pull off flips and swordplay like that, not without slicing int- "

"I don't mean to cut you off," Rajata politely interjected, holding up a finger as she began to stand, "but I think I'm going to head back to work, Mingxia, even if it still leaves me none the wiser about how Hong's doing."

"I guess you've had enough of listening to me talk, huh?" Mingxia said in a tone of mock sadness, although her green eyes shone with mirth.

Rajata lightly laughed. "Not at all. It's been very kind of you and Zhu to come spend time with me, help keep my worries at bay. But there's no sign of our man, so I think I'll just come back later."

Mingxia nodded. "Sorry that he hasn't shown up. I'll be glad to send a letter your way as soon as he does though, or I hear more," she offered as she rose to her own feet.

"Thanks Mingxia," Rajata smiled. "That makes me fe- "

Her attention was redirected then by the sound of a carriage pulling up to the compound's gate. She could just see enough of the cab's side to read the characters on it.

A chill swept over Rajata as she did, the dread surging back up like an earthbent pillar.

Hospital carriage.

"Oh schist," she moaned. "I knew it, I just fucking knew it!" she cried, unable to keep herself from giving an aghast Mingxia a telling, knowing glance.

Even as she began to run in its direction, Hong appeared out of the carriage's back, placing a thin wooden cane on the stone pavement first before stepping out himself in simple civilian clothing, hair out of its braid, wincing slightly as his sandaled feet took his weight-and Rajata knew a deep rush of relief at the sight, relief that at least he was in good enough condition, despite his injuries, to stand and walk-giving his concerned sentries some brief, half-heard comment of explanation and reassurance.

And there he was, jerkily striding through both garden gates.

Both women were shocked, crying out "Hong!" in tandem as they dashed towards him.

He was evidently and naturally very surprised to see Rajata in his garden, starting to say, "Rajata, wha- "

But he seemed even more surprised when Rajata flung herself at him, reaching as high as she could before clasping him in a relieved, commiserating embrace, slowing down at the last moment in consideration of his injuries.

He staggered a bit, and was visibly confused as he gave a grunt of discomfort, but then he was enfolding her in his own sturdy arms, and she was pulling down at his broad shoulders-and an instant later, Rajata found herself fiercely kissing Hong on the lips for the first time, and the fingers of his free hand were sliding around the back of her head, as his own lips applied that wonderful pressure back in a kiss of his own.

They parted after a few seconds, breathing hard, Hong's expression pleasantly stunned as he simply said, "Wow."

She became aware of Mingxia anxiously hovering nearby, and considerately moved further to Hong's right to let his concerned concubine join in, feeling her body and satin robes press against her as Mingxia fervently hugged him as well.

Once more, Rajata felt him stagger slightly on his feet, and from above her she heard him caution, "Whoa, careful there, girls. I'm still feeling a bit tender and bruised." But he briefly wrapped his sturdy arms around both women anyway now, in a gesture of appreciation and fondness, and Rajata felt his lips touch the crown of her head before she saw him do the same with Mingxia.

As they both backed a couple steps away from him, Mingxia asked, her voice thick with the same emotion Rajata felt, "Hong honey, what happened? What happened to your poor leg?"

"The circumstances I received my injury under are classified," he replied smoothly. "All you both need to know is that I took a slash from the business end of a rebellious prisoner's tiger-head hook sword- "

"Kadavule!" Rajata cried in horror, her slender hands swooping to her mouth.

"It's not that bad, don't worry," he assured her. "Painful, yes, but a healer did a nice job of treating and stitching it up later-and no, it's not going to cripple me," he added, giving them a measured, reassuring smile as he continued to make his way down the garden path. "It'll be good as new before you know it."

"Would've been a whole different story if that bad egg had delivered the blow to your heel tendon though," Mingxia commented with a slight, horrified shudder, placing her hand over her master's right one, the one lightly holding the wooden cane, as she fell into step alongside him. "You'd have gone down like a chopped tree."

Rajata grimly nodded as she too, took up a position beside Hong, trying to keep pace with his longer strides and placing her arm around his broad lower back in a gentle sideways hug before also taking his hand. "I'm just so grateful that the bastard didn't get his sword far enough up under your inner robe to hook you deep in the thigh, or the groin. Otherwise, you could easily have bl-"

She cut herself off, hot tears leaking from her eyes as she hugged him in relief again, a big part of her marveling that she was actually showing true concern and compassion towards a member of the Dai Li.

"I know," Hong replied quietly, closing his eyes for a few seconds. "Don't mention it. Really." He suddenly turned, and stared hard at her with a puzzled emerald gaze. "I'm glad to come home and find you here to greet me Rajata, don't get me wrong-especially after a clusterfuck incident like this," he added, shaking his head even as he squeezed her hand in appreciation, "-but what in Lady Kyoshi's name are you doing here, in my garden?"

"Because I just knew something bad had happened to you at the moment you were injured, that you'd been hurt in some way," Rajata replied, her voice strained. "I actually felt it when you got slashed in the leg, Hong, so I came over here as fast as I could, since I couldn't just ignore a thing like that, and I needed to at least check on you, and be there for you when-or if-you showed up-even I know you're a big, intimidating elite earthbender who can totally take care of himself," she hurriedly added.

With a sudden jolt, Rajata realized she was shedding tears, feeling them slide down both her cheeks, and she'd been doing so from the moment they'd first embraced in relief. She was hardly the hysterical type, not the sort of woman to break down and bawl like a toddler, or panic like a trapped bird whenever something upset her emotionally, but this was an entirely different situation, this involved the man she loved, her friend and hero.

Even though he still held his concubine's hand-who was also a little tearful-Hong's attention was completely focused on Rajata now, and his impassive features softened as he said, his tone touched and marveling, "Amazing. We share a remarkable bond indeed," he smiled. "I'm all right though Rajata, so you don't need to cry," he assured her, releasing her hand to gently run his own down her back. "Or you, Mingxia."

"I can't help it," Rajata found herself saying. "I love you, Hong."

Once again, he looked pleasantly stunned, freezing and turning to regard her with a warm and friendly and just plain beautiful gaze, his lips parting in a true smile.

He seemed to be about to speak-but they were cut off by Sima's voice, the gardener suddenly shouting, "Oh spirits, Master Yan! What happened to you?"

Bad news really does travel fast, and it wasn't long before Rajata found herself surrounded by a group of aghast retainers and Hong's downcast, barking terrier, all of them every bit as concerned about the welfare and condition of their master, their boss, their friend, their leader, as she and Mingxia were, hurling questions at him.

"Master Hong, your leg!"

"Do you need a poppy powder drink, Master Hong, sir?"

"Are you walking okay, sir?"

"Do you need a massage to reduce any soreness, sir?"

"Would you enjoy some music to help calm you after such an incident, sir, or maybe some tea?"

"Not right now, I'm perfectly fine, thank you," Hong distractedly replied, clearly not really paying his servants much attention as he made his way deeper into the walled compound, his grip on Rajata's hand becoming even tighter now, and she suddenly realized he was deliberately leading her somewhere, instead of merely allowing her to accompany him.

His palm and fingers felt slightly sweaty, and seemed to throb with a different sort of heat then the afternoon air's warmth. And then it dawned on Rajata-with a growing mixture of delight, anticipation, need, and nervousness-what Hong's main desire was right now.

He could've died today, after all, never seen her again. And it also stood to reason that he'd be feeling a renewed zest for life's pleasures after such a close shave.

She felt that tense, eager heat rise up in her belly and thighs as she let Hong lead her and Mingxia into the second main courtyard as a bemused Zhu tagged along, deeper into his home than she'd ever been permitted before, the open space flanked near the back by a pair of peach trees, their branches heavy with ripening fruit.

At the steps leading up to the gold-roofed main hall, forming the back of the great courtyard, still holding her hand, Hong turned to face and acknowledge his servants, saying, "I understand that you're all naturally dismayed to see me, as your master, return home with an injury, and also have many questions about how I received it. But right now, all you need to know is that it was never, at any point, life-threatening, occurred under circumstances which are strictly classified, and that my assailant was later personally dispatched by Minister Long Feng."

"They're dead then?" Haoren replied. "Good."

Rajata felt a satisfied, cold little grin slide across her face as Hong's jester also gave a rat-jackal's smile of approval before mockingly drawling, "Aww, what a shame. Remind me to thank your boss later, for taking out the trash. Anyway, I'm sensing that you and the charming ladies you have on each arm alike could use a display of my talents to improve your rattled moods, Lao Yan," Xiangsheng said in a veiled offer-right before the dwarf began prancing around in circles, doing a silly little dance.

Rajata grinned, and lightly chuckled-but she also shot a hesitant, longing glance up at Hong. As for her boyfriend, he gave his jester an approving smirk, but then shook his head. "Maybe later, Xiangsheng," he replied. "Right now, I just want some private time in my quarters, to relax-and enjoy some female company."

"Female company, huh?" Xiangsheng commented, giving a sly grin, then a wink at Rajata. "Say no more boss."

Rajata had never imagined she'd be allowed to visit such a private, carefully guarded area of her qinglang's residence so soon-certainly not when she'd only known him for about two and a half weeks.

But as if in a waking dream, in no time at all, she found herself standing in the corridor of the main hall with Hong and Mingxia, staring at a solid wall of sandstone on the hall's northern side-but both Rajata's intellect and her application of a crude degree of seismic sensing told her that there was a large chamber behind it.

Hong's master bedroom.

Releasing both their slim hands, he seemed almost regretful to Rajata as he turned to Mingxia, cupping her chin in his hand before he kissed her on the cheek, the lips, then gently hugged her before parting, glancing over at Rajata before telling his concubine, "This time is for me and my lotus flower alone, so I'm afraid you'll have to go elsewhere right now. Don't worry, I'll be giving you some loving in good time as well-but not quite yet."

"I understand, Master Yan," Mingxia replied, nodding in acceptance. "There's no selfish rivalry between my sister and I," she said, turning to give Rajata a good-natured smile-although she still struck Rajata as being at least slightly pained by the rejection, before she turned away and headed down the hall to Vishnu knew where, Zhu's claws clicking against the stone as he trotted after his mistress.

But there was no time for Rajata to feel guilty as Hong directed his attention back to the stone wall, casually holding out his raised arms, the fingers of his hands lightly curved as he spread them apart, palms down, then lowered them towards the floor, parallel to each other.

In response, a vertical, four-sided slab of sandstone, its edges jagged like the teeth of a shark-crocodile, was cut out from, and then pulled out of the barrier by Hong's chi before he slid the newly formed door aside and fused it to the wall before striding in, wincing again as he stumbled, nearly falling before he turned to offer Rajata his hand, his almond-shaped eyes excited and questioning. He was powerful, lithe, commanding, beautiful, composed, as he stood there-but also seemed strangely troubled, vulnerable in some way Rajata couldn't place her finger on.

She dared to reach out, and take his hand, relishing the sensation as she let him lead her over the threshold.

Once inside, they both stood together for a few moments, leaning against each other, an arm draped around each other's back, as Rajata took Hong's bedchamber in. It had subdued, soft lighting, provided both by several small glow-stones embedded in the walls, and the sunlight filtering through the rectangular paper window in the far wall, divided and reinforced by wooden slats.

A large, sprawling tatami mat, on which a beautifully rendered, larger than life shrike-goshawk had been painted, citron eye blazing as it imperiously scanned a hilly landscape from its perch on a cypress bough, covered much of the room's green onyx floor, slick and cool and polished underneath her bare feet.

Tucked up against the left wall was a wooden writing desk and chair for Hong's use, both painted dark green. Next to it was a vanity table with a large mirror and several drawers, which Rajata assumed Hong's first wife had used while alive. A walk-in closet, containing three Dai Li uniforms, and various robes, undershirts, and tunics made out of fabrics which ranged from fine silk, to linen, to cotton, to hemp. A metal hat stand.

And of course, there was the bed as the main feature, a thick futon on a raised platform of bricks, shamrock green with pillows of the same color and gold linen bedsheets.

Her heart was racing as she looked at it, then back up at him.

He kissed her cheek before saying, "I'm about to seal the door behind us now, for privacy, and while I know you can easily use your bending to escape…do stay. But only if you're comfortable," he gently added. Hong paused for a second. "A Dai Li agent I might be, but I've never gotten intimate with, never forced a woman that didn't share my urges."

"Trust me, I'm more than willing," she warmly smiled up at him.

After he sealed the front wall shut, the jagged slab fitting back into the gap as seamlessly as a puzzle piece before being fused back into the barrier, Rajata took the tie out of her long braid, letting it come undone and flow free like Hong's own locks currently were.

It all felt so comforting, so right, a current sweeping both of them along that she freely gave herself up to. She loved and wanted everything about him, his broad facial features, his high cheekbones, his long, glittering emerald eyes, his glossy black hair, the strength in his wide shoulders and arms, his light brown skin, his thick neck and the caress of his fingers.

She let Hong pull her up onto his bed, beside him, and she leaned forward once they were seated, throwing her arms around his shoulders as she shoved her mouth against his, delivering a kiss of enthusiastic passion.

For a moment, Hong seemed taken by surprise-but then she felt his hands curve around the back of her head as he came to his senses and returned the kiss, with such a vigor that their teeth actually lightly clacked together, a kiss that nearly seemed predatory in its eagerness, as if he was trying to suck out a portion of her very soul. But he immediately dialed things down a bit, his kiss becoming softer, and more tender.

They parted, Rajata flushing with excitement before they briefly kissed again. Eagerly, working at knots and pulling up, down, she frenziedly helped him remove his spruce green tunic, strip him of his pants, then the loincloth, Hong tossing them aside as he gently assisted in disrobing her.

They slid under the cool, golden sheets together, where Hong, laying on his right side to favor his wounded leg, just drank in Rajata's nude form for a few seconds as she looked back, propping up his head with his hand with a tender, fond smile on his broad face.

"Spirits, you're ten times more beautiful with your clothes off," he remarked. "Ready to go?"

"All yours, my Shiva. I love you so much."

They kissed again, fervently embracing as they did so, running their hands over each other while they pressed their bodies together-and joined.

The thing Rajata remembered most vividly, later, about that first time they made love, besides the wonderful bliss and joy of the act, the pleasure and completeness she experienced, was the odd contrast in sensations. How Hong's flowing, fanned-out hair felt like black silk, sleek and cool, as Rajata let it slide through her fingers, while his muscular body, hard and scarred and sweating, seemed to almost glow with passionate heat.

A liang is a Chinese unit of weight equaling 50 grams.

Appa="father" in Tamil.

Amma="mother" in Tamil.

Embroidery evidently really was a popular way for concubines in Imperial China to spend their off hours.

"Fighting In The Dark," is an actual Chinese opera, featuring two local ruffians going after each other, swords in hand, in the room of an inn during the middle of the night.

Wu Sheng is a distinct category of male roles in Chinese opera, referring to the role of a brash, young, swashbuckling warrior who performs all sorts of acrobatic moves on stage, not to mention daring feats with swords, spears, and other pointy weapons that would very likely result in blood being spilled if you or I tried them.

Kadavule!="Oh God!" in Tamil.