Secrets revealed
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( Insert " When you love" by Sinnead O'Connor when reading this. =-} ) Finally, my vacation is over!! I had fun at my cousins, we kept on talking about the ring. Alright, so if you guys want me to continue, I need other reviewers aside from Lynn, Traum, and AMB3R.
*~*~That night, Fa residence*~*~
Pei and Ryo sat on the couch, shifting from time to time, uncomfortable under their parents' questioning gaze. They both had their heads down low, Pei was stroking little Chi Ryu, who was enjoying his massage and purring like a kitten. " Li Fa Ryo, Li Fa Pei." came their father's stern voice. They cringed, he only called them by their full names, when he was angry, when he even used their middle names, he was very upset. " Look at us, now."
Ryo bit his lower lip, Pei held on tighter to Chi Ryu and took in a deep breath. They slowly raised their heads, and came face-to-face with their parents. Mulan looked cross, yet still understanding, Shang was another story. Cross. Angry. Shocked. Ryo and Pei glanced down on the floor, not bothering to turn their heads. " Kids..." he began before he felt a warm hand squeeze his. He turned to his wife, who was looking at him sincerely. She squeezed his hand harder, and whispered to him: " I'll talk to them, Shang." He nodded.
Mulan then looked at her kids, and the baby dragon. " Pei, Ryo, do you realize the seriousness of the situation??" she asked seriously. The kids' glances focused on their mom, they nodded. " A lot mom." Ryo replied. " Great. Now, let me ask you do this." she said. Her kids said at the same time: " Shoot." " Why didn't you tell us about this before???" Shang and Mulan asked in unison.
Ryo looked at Pei, who was going to answer their question. But, then, Ryo noticed some tears fill her eyes, and she whispered this quite loudly: " You. would tell us to bring him back. Bring back, my true friend." Mulan and Shang looked at each in shock when she said this. " Friend???" Mulan repeated. " What about the others?? At home, or at school??" Shang demanded.
Pei shut her eyes, and let the tears flow. Ryo placed a gentle hand on his crying sister's shoulder. " Mom!! Dad!! You don't understand.." She muttered sadly as she looked at her parents with a tear-stained face. " At school, my classmates know I can talk to animals!!! They call me a freak!!!! One time, we had a bug infestation at school, and.and.my classmates told me to make them go away!!!" she cried out as she stood up. Chi Ryu jumped from her lap, and nuzzled near Ryo's side, frightened of Pei. Shang and Mulan were to shocked to react, they could only watch the tears flow.
" My friends at home, okay. Problem: Mushu eloped with Tsi Xiang!!! God knows when they're coming back!!!! Ryo is okay, but, he's leaving for Peking soon, with Yueh and Ray, who are my only other friends!!!! They won't return in another 2 months!!!! Don't you understand?!?! Chi Ryu is my only friend!!! Take him away, take away my only friend!!!!!!! He's always been there!! Sure, he's trouble, but, he doesn't give up!!!! I love him mom!!!" Pei sobbed harder and louder, and she fell back down on the couch. Chi Ryu evaded her crushing him. Pei let the tears and pain flow, and Chi Ryu affectionately licked her tears away.
Pei hugged Chi Ryu, and cried into him. Chi Ryu whimpered and hugged Pei back. Shang and Mulan looked at each other, now not sure of what to do. Mulan spoke up, quietly and almost, sadly: " Pei, I know how you feel... But, he's a baby..." " SEE?!?!?" Pei cried furiously. " He's a baby!!! He can't stay alone!!!!" Mulan shushed her daughter. Ryo could only watch helplessly. " Pei, let me finish."
" We can't keep him. He causes trouble, despite being a baby. We're still trying to replace the chickens he ate, and the grove still hasn't thawed. Imagine the chaos he could cause for the entire village as he grows up. We agree you can keep him, but what about the other villager?? We can block and barricade the doors, but we can only do so much. Understand Pei, it's for his own good. I'm sorry, but, if you truly love him, give him the right to grow in a large space. Imagine then, all the trouble he can cause when the foreign leader from Europe comes here. The leader hasn't exactly seen dragons the way we do. Please, try to understand." Mulan said all this solemnly and sadly. She suddenly stood up, and left quietly. Shang looked at his kids with her expression, then followed close by.
Ryo was left alone to comfort a sobbing Pei. He looked at her, trying to restrain his own tears. Pei cried and cried and cried, not bothering with the fact that she was almost out of tears. Ryo tried to help her, and he did the best thing he could do. He hugged Pei, and whispered into her ear, finally letting the tears flow: " I know Pei, I'm gonna miss him too."
*~*~ Bamboo forest, next day*~*~
Pei hugged Chi Ryu, for the last time. She hugged him as tight and as hard and as loving as she could. And, she let tears flow. Yueh put his hand on Pei's shoulder. " I'll miss him." He said quietly as he hugged Pei, like a lover. Pei smiled a bit. " Thanks." She said.
" Hey guys!!! Hurry up!!!" Ryo called from up ahead the long dirt-trail. " We're almost there!!! Pick up the pace!!!" he added as he waited for those two to catch up.
Pei had finally agreed to the matter, she would bring Chi Ryu , back to where he belonged, the forest. She wasn't sure she wanted to do this, but she remembered her mother's words, and made her final decision.
She ran along side Yueh and Ryo, as they trudged along several paths, trails, and roads, when they finally reached the great pond, 20 minutes later.
Pei looked around, nothing changed since she last saw it. Same trees, same rocks, same lotus. Only difference was, now, it had a dragon. A free one. Pei hugged Chi Ryu, " I love you." She whispered before setting him down. Ryo and Yueh watched from the background sadly. " Poor girl." Yueh muttered. Ryo nodded.
They slowly watched, as she put Chi Ryu on the ground. She wiped a tear from her eye, and walked away from chi Ryu as fast as she could. She didn't dare look back to Chi Ryu, who was observing his new environment with curious eyes. " Let's go. Mom and dad are waiting for us at the city." Pei whispered hoarsely as she passed by Yueh and Ryo. They could only stare at her. " Pei..." Yueh whispered.
As they walked away sadly, a strong wind began to blow, and they looked back, shocked and amazed at the wind. " What the heck?!??!" Ryo exclaimed as the wind blew and blew. It had uprooted some shoots, and nearly hit the kids. " Look, up there!!!" Pei exclaimed as she pinted at the sky. Chi Ryu was yelping and yapping excitedly like a puppy and he also stared at the sky. " Why??" Ryo asked. " There!!!!" Pei said louder, as the wind got stronger.
All of them looked up, and saw a huge, black animal flying towards them. Chi Ryu became more excited and attempted to fly to it. " No!! don't!!" Pei exclaimed as she grabbed Chi Ryu, and hid him from the creature, who was fast approaching.
The creature landed before them, standing on the lake, flapping it's huge bat-like wings furiously. It was a dragon. One that looked exactly like Chi Ryu. Except, it was huge, it was all black, and it had cold blue eyes, and a pendant hanging from its neck. One marked with Yin & Yang.
Pei freaked out when she saw this, and hid behind Ryo and Yueh, who could only stare at it. " Who..are you??" Ryo quipped quietly. The dragon cocked its head, and stared at them. " Uh. can you understand??" Yueh asked. The dragon nodded its head. " Yes, quite well." It replied politely in a deep, feminine voice. " It can talk!!!!" Pei exclaimed as she peered over Yueh and Ryo's shoulders. It nodded again. " Yes, I am capable of human speech."
The three could only gawk. Chi Ryu squirmed in Pei's grasp, and he jumped out of it. He stared at the dragon, which was smiling sweetly at him. " Chi Ryu.." The dragon whispered. Chi Ryu yapped excitedly, then hugged the dragon's head. It smiled. It then turned to the trio. " Thank you, for taking care of my youngest son." It, or rather, she said.
Pei smiled. " No problem, madam. Just..make sure he grows up right." She said crying a bit. Ryo smiled, Yueh smiled too.
The dragon put Chi Ryu on her back, and began to flap her wings vigorously. Dust flew, and the trio was thrown backwards, they landed near some trees with a thud(!!). As she( the dragon) began to take into the air, dozens of ropes suddenly came out of nowhere, and entwined themselves around the dragons neck. She roared, Chi Ryu immediately jumped off, and landed on the ground, whimpering. " HEY!!!!" Pei screeched, as she ran to Chi Ryu's side and watched helplessly as the dragon was brought to the ground.
Yueh and Ryo rushed to the dragon, and tried to loosen the ropes, when a rope grabbed Ryo, and tied itself around him like a snake. " What the- ??!?!" he exclaimed, as he fell backwards. Yueh was taken by surprise, and tried to undo Ryo's ropes. " Who could be doing this?!?!" Pei demanded as she stared and comforted Chi Ryu. " Why, I did dear." Came a sinister sneer.
Pei whipped around, and came face-to-face with a scarred smirking face. " Boo." The man whispered coolly. Pei yelped and jumped backwards. " Who the heck are you?!?!" she demanded as she hid Chi Ryu. The man smiled at her, and stroked her face. " Lovely." he muttered. Pei slapped his hand. " Hands off, fresh!!!!!" she cried angrily. Ryo and Yueh could only stare. " Feisty too.." He added as he rubbed his sore hand. He turned to Ryo and Yueh. " You picked a good one little brother." He hissed.
" Who are you talking to buster??!?!" Pei demanded. The man turned to Pei, " why, Yueh of course. He IS my little brother." He replied. Pei stared at him in shock. " Liar!!! You don't even know him!!!!!" she screamed. Chi Ryu jumped out her grasp, and ran to his mother who had just collapsed. The man shrugged. " Fine. Ask him yourself." Pei glared at him, then at Yueh. " Is this true??" she asked.
Yueh let go of the ropes of Ryo, lowered his head, and nodded sadly. Pei was flabbergasted. The man could only smirk, and snapped his fingers. Several cloaked men came out of the forest, and tied up Pei, tightened Ryo's ropes, and tied them to a tree. Pei was too shocked to react. Yueh jumped forward and grabbed the scarred man's shoulder. " Mao, don't hurt them." He said crossly. Mao looked at Yueh, smiling. " Why?? You don't want me to hurt your girl and her prude bro??" he sneered.
Yueh glared at him. " Yueh??? Please, tell me, the truth." Pei said quietly from her prison. She was looking at Yueh, Mao, and the men who were seated around the two. Yueh bit his lower lip, and Mao grinned evilly. " Sweetheart, allow me." He cleared his throat.
" You killed someone very important to me, or rather, us. My father. My mom was thrown into depression, and I became the family breadwinner, for three years, I took on various jobs, from assisting farmers, to selling fruits. I took on every job imaginable just to put food on our table. I was only 12 back then. One day, my mother met a rich merchant, and they married. I thought I would never have to suffer again. Then, a year later, my little half-brother was born." He was looking at Yueh, who was hiding his face. " We were happy. Until my mother suffered from an incurable disease. She died four months later. Now this drove my new father into depression. He soon became a maniac, and he threatened to kill me and Yueh. We fled his house, and we were forced to become street urchins. Yueh had suffered so much as a baby. Eating leftover scraps, wearing nothing but rags, sleeping on cold streets.." Mao began to hiss, in anger and contempt. " We had to steal for a living. And, I swore that I would take revenge on the one person that made my little brother's life a living inferno." He then walked over to Pei and Ryo. " Your mother." He hissed.
Pei and Ryo could only stare at him as he loomed over them. " My mother??!?! She wouldn't kill someone!!! Anyone!!! The only person she.." Ryo bit his lower lip, and sighed heavily. " Pei. Mom did. She killed.. Shan Yu." He lowered his head, and closed his eyes.
Pei did the same, and began to cry. She looked at Yueh. " I'm.sorry.." she said quietly. Mao growled. He motioned to the men, and they chopped down the tree. " What are you doing??!?!" Ryo demanded. Mao grinned at him. " Setting you afloat."
" What do we need the dragons for??" Yueh asked as he approached Mao. " Well, we destroy China and conquer it, with the use of the dragons." He said casually. " Now, flush those two down the river. I heard there are going to be some rough rapids down the river." He ordered. The men nodded, and threw the log down the river, the one with Pei and Ryo.
*~*~*~*~*
Geez, what'll happen next???
*~*~*~*~*
*~*~*~*~*
( Insert " When you love" by Sinnead O'Connor when reading this. =-} ) Finally, my vacation is over!! I had fun at my cousins, we kept on talking about the ring. Alright, so if you guys want me to continue, I need other reviewers aside from Lynn, Traum, and AMB3R.
*~*~That night, Fa residence*~*~
Pei and Ryo sat on the couch, shifting from time to time, uncomfortable under their parents' questioning gaze. They both had their heads down low, Pei was stroking little Chi Ryu, who was enjoying his massage and purring like a kitten. " Li Fa Ryo, Li Fa Pei." came their father's stern voice. They cringed, he only called them by their full names, when he was angry, when he even used their middle names, he was very upset. " Look at us, now."
Ryo bit his lower lip, Pei held on tighter to Chi Ryu and took in a deep breath. They slowly raised their heads, and came face-to-face with their parents. Mulan looked cross, yet still understanding, Shang was another story. Cross. Angry. Shocked. Ryo and Pei glanced down on the floor, not bothering to turn their heads. " Kids..." he began before he felt a warm hand squeeze his. He turned to his wife, who was looking at him sincerely. She squeezed his hand harder, and whispered to him: " I'll talk to them, Shang." He nodded.
Mulan then looked at her kids, and the baby dragon. " Pei, Ryo, do you realize the seriousness of the situation??" she asked seriously. The kids' glances focused on their mom, they nodded. " A lot mom." Ryo replied. " Great. Now, let me ask you do this." she said. Her kids said at the same time: " Shoot." " Why didn't you tell us about this before???" Shang and Mulan asked in unison.
Ryo looked at Pei, who was going to answer their question. But, then, Ryo noticed some tears fill her eyes, and she whispered this quite loudly: " You. would tell us to bring him back. Bring back, my true friend." Mulan and Shang looked at each in shock when she said this. " Friend???" Mulan repeated. " What about the others?? At home, or at school??" Shang demanded.
Pei shut her eyes, and let the tears flow. Ryo placed a gentle hand on his crying sister's shoulder. " Mom!! Dad!! You don't understand.." She muttered sadly as she looked at her parents with a tear-stained face. " At school, my classmates know I can talk to animals!!! They call me a freak!!!! One time, we had a bug infestation at school, and.and.my classmates told me to make them go away!!!" she cried out as she stood up. Chi Ryu jumped from her lap, and nuzzled near Ryo's side, frightened of Pei. Shang and Mulan were to shocked to react, they could only watch the tears flow.
" My friends at home, okay. Problem: Mushu eloped with Tsi Xiang!!! God knows when they're coming back!!!! Ryo is okay, but, he's leaving for Peking soon, with Yueh and Ray, who are my only other friends!!!! They won't return in another 2 months!!!! Don't you understand?!?! Chi Ryu is my only friend!!! Take him away, take away my only friend!!!!!!! He's always been there!! Sure, he's trouble, but, he doesn't give up!!!! I love him mom!!!" Pei sobbed harder and louder, and she fell back down on the couch. Chi Ryu evaded her crushing him. Pei let the tears and pain flow, and Chi Ryu affectionately licked her tears away.
Pei hugged Chi Ryu, and cried into him. Chi Ryu whimpered and hugged Pei back. Shang and Mulan looked at each other, now not sure of what to do. Mulan spoke up, quietly and almost, sadly: " Pei, I know how you feel... But, he's a baby..." " SEE?!?!?" Pei cried furiously. " He's a baby!!! He can't stay alone!!!!" Mulan shushed her daughter. Ryo could only watch helplessly. " Pei, let me finish."
" We can't keep him. He causes trouble, despite being a baby. We're still trying to replace the chickens he ate, and the grove still hasn't thawed. Imagine the chaos he could cause for the entire village as he grows up. We agree you can keep him, but what about the other villager?? We can block and barricade the doors, but we can only do so much. Understand Pei, it's for his own good. I'm sorry, but, if you truly love him, give him the right to grow in a large space. Imagine then, all the trouble he can cause when the foreign leader from Europe comes here. The leader hasn't exactly seen dragons the way we do. Please, try to understand." Mulan said all this solemnly and sadly. She suddenly stood up, and left quietly. Shang looked at his kids with her expression, then followed close by.
Ryo was left alone to comfort a sobbing Pei. He looked at her, trying to restrain his own tears. Pei cried and cried and cried, not bothering with the fact that she was almost out of tears. Ryo tried to help her, and he did the best thing he could do. He hugged Pei, and whispered into her ear, finally letting the tears flow: " I know Pei, I'm gonna miss him too."
*~*~ Bamboo forest, next day*~*~
Pei hugged Chi Ryu, for the last time. She hugged him as tight and as hard and as loving as she could. And, she let tears flow. Yueh put his hand on Pei's shoulder. " I'll miss him." He said quietly as he hugged Pei, like a lover. Pei smiled a bit. " Thanks." She said.
" Hey guys!!! Hurry up!!!" Ryo called from up ahead the long dirt-trail. " We're almost there!!! Pick up the pace!!!" he added as he waited for those two to catch up.
Pei had finally agreed to the matter, she would bring Chi Ryu , back to where he belonged, the forest. She wasn't sure she wanted to do this, but she remembered her mother's words, and made her final decision.
She ran along side Yueh and Ryo, as they trudged along several paths, trails, and roads, when they finally reached the great pond, 20 minutes later.
Pei looked around, nothing changed since she last saw it. Same trees, same rocks, same lotus. Only difference was, now, it had a dragon. A free one. Pei hugged Chi Ryu, " I love you." She whispered before setting him down. Ryo and Yueh watched from the background sadly. " Poor girl." Yueh muttered. Ryo nodded.
They slowly watched, as she put Chi Ryu on the ground. She wiped a tear from her eye, and walked away from chi Ryu as fast as she could. She didn't dare look back to Chi Ryu, who was observing his new environment with curious eyes. " Let's go. Mom and dad are waiting for us at the city." Pei whispered hoarsely as she passed by Yueh and Ryo. They could only stare at her. " Pei..." Yueh whispered.
As they walked away sadly, a strong wind began to blow, and they looked back, shocked and amazed at the wind. " What the heck?!??!" Ryo exclaimed as the wind blew and blew. It had uprooted some shoots, and nearly hit the kids. " Look, up there!!!" Pei exclaimed as she pinted at the sky. Chi Ryu was yelping and yapping excitedly like a puppy and he also stared at the sky. " Why??" Ryo asked. " There!!!!" Pei said louder, as the wind got stronger.
All of them looked up, and saw a huge, black animal flying towards them. Chi Ryu became more excited and attempted to fly to it. " No!! don't!!" Pei exclaimed as she grabbed Chi Ryu, and hid him from the creature, who was fast approaching.
The creature landed before them, standing on the lake, flapping it's huge bat-like wings furiously. It was a dragon. One that looked exactly like Chi Ryu. Except, it was huge, it was all black, and it had cold blue eyes, and a pendant hanging from its neck. One marked with Yin & Yang.
Pei freaked out when she saw this, and hid behind Ryo and Yueh, who could only stare at it. " Who..are you??" Ryo quipped quietly. The dragon cocked its head, and stared at them. " Uh. can you understand??" Yueh asked. The dragon nodded its head. " Yes, quite well." It replied politely in a deep, feminine voice. " It can talk!!!!" Pei exclaimed as she peered over Yueh and Ryo's shoulders. It nodded again. " Yes, I am capable of human speech."
The three could only gawk. Chi Ryu squirmed in Pei's grasp, and he jumped out of it. He stared at the dragon, which was smiling sweetly at him. " Chi Ryu.." The dragon whispered. Chi Ryu yapped excitedly, then hugged the dragon's head. It smiled. It then turned to the trio. " Thank you, for taking care of my youngest son." It, or rather, she said.
Pei smiled. " No problem, madam. Just..make sure he grows up right." She said crying a bit. Ryo smiled, Yueh smiled too.
The dragon put Chi Ryu on her back, and began to flap her wings vigorously. Dust flew, and the trio was thrown backwards, they landed near some trees with a thud(!!). As she( the dragon) began to take into the air, dozens of ropes suddenly came out of nowhere, and entwined themselves around the dragons neck. She roared, Chi Ryu immediately jumped off, and landed on the ground, whimpering. " HEY!!!!" Pei screeched, as she ran to Chi Ryu's side and watched helplessly as the dragon was brought to the ground.
Yueh and Ryo rushed to the dragon, and tried to loosen the ropes, when a rope grabbed Ryo, and tied itself around him like a snake. " What the- ??!?!" he exclaimed, as he fell backwards. Yueh was taken by surprise, and tried to undo Ryo's ropes. " Who could be doing this?!?!" Pei demanded as she stared and comforted Chi Ryu. " Why, I did dear." Came a sinister sneer.
Pei whipped around, and came face-to-face with a scarred smirking face. " Boo." The man whispered coolly. Pei yelped and jumped backwards. " Who the heck are you?!?!" she demanded as she hid Chi Ryu. The man smiled at her, and stroked her face. " Lovely." he muttered. Pei slapped his hand. " Hands off, fresh!!!!!" she cried angrily. Ryo and Yueh could only stare. " Feisty too.." He added as he rubbed his sore hand. He turned to Ryo and Yueh. " You picked a good one little brother." He hissed.
" Who are you talking to buster??!?!" Pei demanded. The man turned to Pei, " why, Yueh of course. He IS my little brother." He replied. Pei stared at him in shock. " Liar!!! You don't even know him!!!!!" she screamed. Chi Ryu jumped out her grasp, and ran to his mother who had just collapsed. The man shrugged. " Fine. Ask him yourself." Pei glared at him, then at Yueh. " Is this true??" she asked.
Yueh let go of the ropes of Ryo, lowered his head, and nodded sadly. Pei was flabbergasted. The man could only smirk, and snapped his fingers. Several cloaked men came out of the forest, and tied up Pei, tightened Ryo's ropes, and tied them to a tree. Pei was too shocked to react. Yueh jumped forward and grabbed the scarred man's shoulder. " Mao, don't hurt them." He said crossly. Mao looked at Yueh, smiling. " Why?? You don't want me to hurt your girl and her prude bro??" he sneered.
Yueh glared at him. " Yueh??? Please, tell me, the truth." Pei said quietly from her prison. She was looking at Yueh, Mao, and the men who were seated around the two. Yueh bit his lower lip, and Mao grinned evilly. " Sweetheart, allow me." He cleared his throat.
" You killed someone very important to me, or rather, us. My father. My mom was thrown into depression, and I became the family breadwinner, for three years, I took on various jobs, from assisting farmers, to selling fruits. I took on every job imaginable just to put food on our table. I was only 12 back then. One day, my mother met a rich merchant, and they married. I thought I would never have to suffer again. Then, a year later, my little half-brother was born." He was looking at Yueh, who was hiding his face. " We were happy. Until my mother suffered from an incurable disease. She died four months later. Now this drove my new father into depression. He soon became a maniac, and he threatened to kill me and Yueh. We fled his house, and we were forced to become street urchins. Yueh had suffered so much as a baby. Eating leftover scraps, wearing nothing but rags, sleeping on cold streets.." Mao began to hiss, in anger and contempt. " We had to steal for a living. And, I swore that I would take revenge on the one person that made my little brother's life a living inferno." He then walked over to Pei and Ryo. " Your mother." He hissed.
Pei and Ryo could only stare at him as he loomed over them. " My mother??!?! She wouldn't kill someone!!! Anyone!!! The only person she.." Ryo bit his lower lip, and sighed heavily. " Pei. Mom did. She killed.. Shan Yu." He lowered his head, and closed his eyes.
Pei did the same, and began to cry. She looked at Yueh. " I'm.sorry.." she said quietly. Mao growled. He motioned to the men, and they chopped down the tree. " What are you doing??!?!" Ryo demanded. Mao grinned at him. " Setting you afloat."
" What do we need the dragons for??" Yueh asked as he approached Mao. " Well, we destroy China and conquer it, with the use of the dragons." He said casually. " Now, flush those two down the river. I heard there are going to be some rough rapids down the river." He ordered. The men nodded, and threw the log down the river, the one with Pei and Ryo.
*~*~*~*~*
Geez, what'll happen next???
*~*~*~*~*