Chapter Three
--------------
*L5 190 AC*
"If you sit around all day reading, you'll have no muscles" Wufei's teacher informed him.
Twelve year old Wufei was disappointed. If there was one person in the whole clan that Wufei had
thought he could count on not pulling him away from his studies, he had thought it to be his
teacher Chang Chin.
Pulling the book out of Wufei's hands, Chin went on, "Go outside!" He waved Wufei out of his
seat.
"Yes, master Chang" Wufei said, keeping his voice low and respectful when what he really wanted
to do was grab his book back and find a more remote and quit place.
"You are my most faithful student, and I can't tell you how proud it makes me to have the future
head of this clan as such a good pupil." Placing his hand on Wufei's shoulder, Chin led the young
boy to the front exit of the school. "But, it is not healthy for one to sit all day. I would be
a dishonorable teacher if I were to selfishly keep you indoors reading my writing."
Wufei had to admit there was truth to those words. He had just read the other day the benefits of
exercise. But he'd still rather be reading his latest book on China's role in World War II, which
happened to have been written by his very honorable teacher.
"I hear that some of your fellow classmates have made a temporary skating rink, why don't you
join them?" Chin had put it in a form of a question, but Wufei knew it to be a command.
Bowing a farewell, Wufei said, "Yes, Master, I'll go now."
Pausing Wufei hoped that Chin would hand him back the book before he left.
"I'll see you in the morning," Chin said as a farewell.
Leaving without his book, Wufei headed for where he knew the other children to be.
Upon reaching the oddball rink, Wufei's ears were assaulted by the sound of children's laughter,
stomping on the ice, and the delighted shouts of the children trying to talk to each other over
the other sounds.
Wufei just stood with arms crossed and watched the children, one girl waved to him as she skated
pass him.
He knew who she was but did not wave back, Papa was very chatty and he knew if he showed any
sign of recognition she would come by to give him the latest gossip on every body.
Looking further in to the crowd he recognized some of the older children to be his cousins. It
was not surprising to see them here. They usually were drawn to fun or causing it, but he had
hoped to avoid Koun.
Koun looked up just then and, seeing Wufei only standing on the sidelines, skated right over.
"Why do you stand like a statue?" Koun asked with a grin that made Wufei want to smack it off.
"Doesn't our future leader wish to join the average people?" Koun asked before Wufei could
respond to the first question.
"I don't have skates," Wufei said hoping Koun would just go away, but no such luck.
With a mock bow Koun said, "Then take mine, cousin!"
"No," Wufei replied already knowing what Koun was up to.
"What? And have you miss out on all of this fun?" Koun asked waving to the rink and all the other
children on it.
Koun glided over to the center of the ice. The children parted along his path and moved to the
sides of the rink
"Do one of your tricks!" a little four year old girl shouted at Koun as she held on to her older
sister's hand.
'He doesn't need your encouragement,' Wufei thought with anger towards the girl.
With an exaggerated bow, Koun said back "As you wish!" and then zoomed on his skates.
Going as fast as he could in a circle, he waved with his left hand to get the other kids to cheer
louder.
Wufei wished the others would not encourage Koun's showing off.
Slowing down Koun skated closer to the center of the rink again then jumped backwards doing a
flip that ended with him landing perfectly on the blades of his skates. Doing the back flip two
more times, Koun then started skating backwards and waving at the others to clap louder.
The children were eager to comply. The racket of their shouts of "YAY KOUN!", the clapping of
their hands, and the stomping of their skates on ice was deafening to Wufei's ears.
While still moving backwards, Koun did three more back flips, stopping on the last one perfectly
in front of Wufei.
"I hope you took some pleasure in my pathetic tricks, Sir," Koun said in a tone that mocked his
own humbleness.
Ever since it had become known that Wufei was to be the next leader of the clan, Koun had been
immensely jealous and relentless in his picking and teasing of Wufei.
"For I'm sure you could do much better than I, who am so unworthy," Koun went on, knowing fully
that Wufei had never skated in his life.
Sitting down on the ice, Koun took off his skates in only a few moments.
'How hard could it be?' Wufei asked himself. 'If Koun can do it, so can I,' he decided with
determination.
All of the children were circled around where Wufei now sat putting on Koun's ice skates.
"That's Koun's cousin, Wufei," Papa whispered to another girl.
"To bad he didn't inherit Koun's good looks," the second girl whispered back.
Wufei angrily jerked on the second skate trying not to hear what the others were saying.
When he finally had the skates on and started to stand, Wufei heard a boy say, "This should be
good, they wouldn't have chosen Wufei if he wasn't good at something other than books."
Shoulders straight Wufei was more determined than ever to skate better then Koun.
--------------
*L5 190 AC*
"If you sit around all day reading, you'll have no muscles" Wufei's teacher informed him.
Twelve year old Wufei was disappointed. If there was one person in the whole clan that Wufei had
thought he could count on not pulling him away from his studies, he had thought it to be his
teacher Chang Chin.
Pulling the book out of Wufei's hands, Chin went on, "Go outside!" He waved Wufei out of his
seat.
"Yes, master Chang" Wufei said, keeping his voice low and respectful when what he really wanted
to do was grab his book back and find a more remote and quit place.
"You are my most faithful student, and I can't tell you how proud it makes me to have the future
head of this clan as such a good pupil." Placing his hand on Wufei's shoulder, Chin led the young
boy to the front exit of the school. "But, it is not healthy for one to sit all day. I would be
a dishonorable teacher if I were to selfishly keep you indoors reading my writing."
Wufei had to admit there was truth to those words. He had just read the other day the benefits of
exercise. But he'd still rather be reading his latest book on China's role in World War II, which
happened to have been written by his very honorable teacher.
"I hear that some of your fellow classmates have made a temporary skating rink, why don't you
join them?" Chin had put it in a form of a question, but Wufei knew it to be a command.
Bowing a farewell, Wufei said, "Yes, Master, I'll go now."
Pausing Wufei hoped that Chin would hand him back the book before he left.
"I'll see you in the morning," Chin said as a farewell.
Leaving without his book, Wufei headed for where he knew the other children to be.
Upon reaching the oddball rink, Wufei's ears were assaulted by the sound of children's laughter,
stomping on the ice, and the delighted shouts of the children trying to talk to each other over
the other sounds.
Wufei just stood with arms crossed and watched the children, one girl waved to him as she skated
pass him.
He knew who she was but did not wave back, Papa was very chatty and he knew if he showed any
sign of recognition she would come by to give him the latest gossip on every body.
Looking further in to the crowd he recognized some of the older children to be his cousins. It
was not surprising to see them here. They usually were drawn to fun or causing it, but he had
hoped to avoid Koun.
Koun looked up just then and, seeing Wufei only standing on the sidelines, skated right over.
"Why do you stand like a statue?" Koun asked with a grin that made Wufei want to smack it off.
"Doesn't our future leader wish to join the average people?" Koun asked before Wufei could
respond to the first question.
"I don't have skates," Wufei said hoping Koun would just go away, but no such luck.
With a mock bow Koun said, "Then take mine, cousin!"
"No," Wufei replied already knowing what Koun was up to.
"What? And have you miss out on all of this fun?" Koun asked waving to the rink and all the other
children on it.
Koun glided over to the center of the ice. The children parted along his path and moved to the
sides of the rink
"Do one of your tricks!" a little four year old girl shouted at Koun as she held on to her older
sister's hand.
'He doesn't need your encouragement,' Wufei thought with anger towards the girl.
With an exaggerated bow, Koun said back "As you wish!" and then zoomed on his skates.
Going as fast as he could in a circle, he waved with his left hand to get the other kids to cheer
louder.
Wufei wished the others would not encourage Koun's showing off.
Slowing down Koun skated closer to the center of the rink again then jumped backwards doing a
flip that ended with him landing perfectly on the blades of his skates. Doing the back flip two
more times, Koun then started skating backwards and waving at the others to clap louder.
The children were eager to comply. The racket of their shouts of "YAY KOUN!", the clapping of
their hands, and the stomping of their skates on ice was deafening to Wufei's ears.
While still moving backwards, Koun did three more back flips, stopping on the last one perfectly
in front of Wufei.
"I hope you took some pleasure in my pathetic tricks, Sir," Koun said in a tone that mocked his
own humbleness.
Ever since it had become known that Wufei was to be the next leader of the clan, Koun had been
immensely jealous and relentless in his picking and teasing of Wufei.
"For I'm sure you could do much better than I, who am so unworthy," Koun went on, knowing fully
that Wufei had never skated in his life.
Sitting down on the ice, Koun took off his skates in only a few moments.
'How hard could it be?' Wufei asked himself. 'If Koun can do it, so can I,' he decided with
determination.
All of the children were circled around where Wufei now sat putting on Koun's ice skates.
"That's Koun's cousin, Wufei," Papa whispered to another girl.
"To bad he didn't inherit Koun's good looks," the second girl whispered back.
Wufei angrily jerked on the second skate trying not to hear what the others were saying.
When he finally had the skates on and started to stand, Wufei heard a boy say, "This should be
good, they wouldn't have chosen Wufei if he wasn't good at something other than books."
Shoulders straight Wufei was more determined than ever to skate better then Koun.