Interlude 05: Shadows

[Author's note: I'm not sure how many of Wufei's blood relatives were alive when he was younger, but I am placing his father in this story. My take on Wufei's unresolved anger issues toward his rank in the dragon clan and his unwilling desire to marry Nataku.]



A boy has a right to dream

there are endless possibilities are stretched out before him


............what awaits him down the path he then will have to choose

[No one's going to give you map you've got to walk your own path.......]

...........Children leave their homes in search of this quest

[What is thy desire?]

As they search they are always asking questions;

What's out there? What's waiting for me?

......... Believe in yourself, don't fear fate......
[OUTLAW STAR]

Its been forty-five minutes since that servant left and I'm done reading my book already. This woman is too slow for my tastes, she does nothing but waste my time by running off to change her Kimono again and again. He brushed a strand of loose raven hair out of his eye before looking up through the leaves upon the branches of the tree. The sunlight sparkled through the openings the leaves left shining down on the 12-year-old boy as though it were praising his very existence.

He couldn't care less about the artificial sun above him. His onyx eyes surveyed the grass blowing the direction of the wind cooling his body's rising temperature as it did so and for that he was grateful. He turned his head to the ground where his latest finished book resided beside him, he stared at almost heartfelt title with mirth as he traced gold outline of the book's binder. In dreams of a lost mind, Rumi Kanno.... He pondered on the author's name until the sound of footfalls approaching him were picked up by his sensitive ears.

Chang Wufei looked up from the ground turning his head he spotted his Aunt Meling running up to meet him but he did not see the servant that had run off in the middle of their conversation though. Funny, his Aunt never bothered him unless it was something important, she was heading toward him so he figured whatever she had to say was important. He knew standing up in her presence would a polite thing to do but he still tired from walking up the hill to read under the tree he resided under. He inched back when Meling came to an abrupt halt almost tripping over her kimono in the process, he watched her with curious onyx eyes as she panted fighting to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion nephew, I have grave news to tell you," Meling said breathlessly. Wufei noticed the strange demeanor of her voice, it was lacking the high rank and respectable tone it usually carried, there was a strange frailty to her voice that bothered him greatly. He thought very highly of his aunt despite her gender and did everything he could to comfort her for she was still recovering from scarlet fever. She was still young in appearance for her middle aged self, only forty-three years old and yet she had caught scarlet fever.

It had left her heart weakened but she still managed to do her everyday tasks such as Basket weaving, tutoring young students of the Chang clan on grace and diligence, and attending various ceremonies. "Grave news?" He repeated confused. What could have happened that was so grave, especially on this joyous and sunny day? Meling nodded wearily, fatigued from all the running she had done was taking its toll on her. "Yes, but please sit down join me on the grass, I'm very tired now," She said, her hand against her chest.

Wufei's aunt took his youthful hands into hers pulling him down onto the grass with her. the two sat facing each other. Wufei fixed his glasses so that they would be sitting upon the bridge of his noise. Meling studied her nephews expectant face for a moment knowing she'd rather be shooing him off to the library, but she had to be the one to break the news to him. If he heard it from anyone else he would probably think his family disregarded his strength and thought of him as weak, unable to handle the news. That wasn't something she wanted him thinking, no, it would ruin his confidence in himself.

Sighing the woman opened her mouth to speak. "Wufei I regret I am the one to tell you this, but I could not sit back and let them keep this from you," Meling began. Wufei nodded despite his confusion toward her words. "I was just on my way to the garden, when I overheard voices in your grandfather's bedroom. I knew it was wrong of me to eavesdrop but I couldn't resist; I listened on to their conversation. It was your father and Master Long speaking.....," Meling paused exhaling. Wufei's mind was enticed by her words and he urged her continue, she did.

"Wufei I'm sorry....... your grandfather, Kanbe passed away not too long ago. I looked everywhere for you but I didn't occur to me to look for you under your favorite oak tree until I past the library..... please forgive my lateness." Meling bowed her head in shame clutching her nephew's hand. Wufei was in a state of shock; his grandfather was.... Dead? No, it couldn't be true, this had to be some kind of cruel joke his aunt was playing on him.

Yes, that had it to be it! He rose from his knees yanking his hands out of Meling's grasp and ran down the hill as fast as he could. He would go to his grandfather's bedroom and he would be sitting on his balcony admiring the garden's beauty. Wufei ran down the dusty trial back to the Chang household ignoring his Aunt's pleads to return to her side. When he arrived the twelve year old darted through the narrow hallways to his grandfather's bedroom at the end off the corridor.

There was a large gathering of servants at his grandfather's door, his heart pounded as he dashed towards them with blinding speed. The servants jumped out of his way as he came their way letting him stumble inside the elderly man's bedroom. There his father Chang Hisin, and Master Long stood at his grand father's beside he could hear Master Long uttering a prayer over the still body the dead man that lie in the bed. "What is the meaning of this mob at Grandfather's door!" Wufei demanded angrily. Their heads turned to Wufei in shock and surprise as to why he was inside the room.

"Wufei you do not belong here, leave at once," Hisin said curtly waving his son's question off. "I'll go when I'm good and ready, why are you in grand father's------." Wufei's words were stuck at the base of his throat when his father pulled the sheet from over the figure's head revealing the pale lifeless face of his beloved Grandfather Kanbe. Wufei was speechless, his grandfather was actually dead! Meling wasn't lying. "You were not even supposed to know about this my son, leave at once or be punished," Hisin said, his tone harbored a softness to it. Wufei stumbled out of the bedroom his vision clouded by his own tears, the servants moved away from him as he stumbled down the hall his hand against the wall for support.

On the day of Chang Kanbe's funeral, Wufei was no where to be found. His aunt searched for him in all his usual haunts but she did not find him. Meling returned to the Chang household meeting everyone at the back of the house where the funeral would be taking place. The Long Clan decided to make an appearance at the funeral since they had one of the Chang's living in their family; a young woman named Guan-yin, Kanbe's mother's last born (being the fourth in the fair amount of 4 females and 5 males in the family) and youngest who had been married off to Long Zi-ling. Beside Guan-yin stood her 12-year-old daughter Long Meilan, the young girl held her mother's hand as she listened to everyone say their parting words to the deceased man. Personally Meilan found all to be a pure waste of her time but she remained by her grieving mother's side wondering where Hisin's son could be.

Unbeknownst to everyone Wufei stood in a newly discovered part of the hill top he traveled along to get to his reading place under the oak tree. He stood in a wide open field covered in multicolored flowers, humming birds danced around the flowers collecting pollen as they did so. Wufei watched the humming birds with mourning in his eyes before placing himself amongst the flowers with a book in hand. He did not have a peaceful sleep for weeks on end, he barely could keep his eyes open at night but he was too tired to sleep as well. It scared him to say the least.

Like a ghost he passed everyone in the household as they made preparations for the funeral, hiding himself in books he read in the library, he ignored every word that was spoken to him unless it was a challenge to a fight. Wufei always ended up being the victor in every fight he accepted. He awoke early that morning and slipped out of his bedroom window before anyone could come and get him ready for the funeral. And now he sat amongst joy-filled fields of flowers and wild creatures wanting nothing but an end to his misery.

Opening the newest book he was reading Wufei burred himself in the world of the author's story forgetting all about the world around him. Birds came and rested on his shoulders without his consent but he didn't mind their presence he welcomed them with his stillness. Wufei became so enthralled with the book that he found himself near the end of it, he frowned disappointed. As much as he enjoyed the thick 200 paged book it was much to easy for him to read: he need more a challenge. Two hundred pages was an insult.

Wufei placed a bookmark between the page he was reading and let his mind drift back to his grandfather. He wasn't ashamed to say he shared a strong bond with his grandfather was unlike the one he shared with his father who was rarely around the house anymore since Meling caught Scarlet fever. Kanbe spoke to Wufei like an equal instead of a child unaware of anything around him, Wufei respected him for that and soon he found himself visiting the elderly man on and off when he wasn't reading or studying with his teachers.

Kanbe was a strong warrior in his youth, his once midnight hair was highlighted with gray strands of hair, his face was wrinkled by time and his onyx eyes were barely noticeable but Wufei could still see them (thanks to his vivid imagination), his tan skin had paled slightly but Kanbe hardly noticed. Over months Wufei noticed Kanbe's health was deteriorating although he never said anything about to his grandson Wufei knew he was sick but he never thought he would leave the living so soon.

Kanbe had only be the Chang household for two years after leaving his home after his wife Ano died of old age. Now he was gone destined to be forgotten by his family, Kanbe would be just another face in his family's memory but he would preserve his memory within his mind and honor him like the Noble warrior he was. Wufei eyes averted skyward, he watched the clouds passing overhead. After everyone was gone Wufei headed to his Grandfather's grave in the back yard of his house. He placed a book at the base of the tombstone then left.

And no more than a year later on his 13th birthday, Wufei learned that he would have to marry Guan-yin's daughter in order to take his Grandfather's place in the Chang household; he was to be the successor for the Long Clan once they merged for a second time by marriage. Wufei was infuriated by his unsettling news. He had no right to take his Grandfather's place, no right at all.

Another year later, The 14-year-old Chinese teenager strode into the altar wearing the ceremonial wedding attire, he wore his glasses despite his aunt Meling's pleads not to. Wufei had just finished boarding school and as promised by his late father, he would marry Long Meilan. He walked up the stairs and confronted Guan-ying's daughter his face was indifferent, Meilan frowned back at him with a look of disgust upon her features.

"So... You're the clever brat back from boarding school," Meilan said snottily. Wufei blinked in question but wasn't upset by her words. It was more like surprised; he was expecting Meilan to have a little more manners toward him than appalling ones he was seeing. "You're displeased?" He asked. Meilan snorted at his tone, he certainly wasn't impressing her with his formal tone of voice and she wondered why mother and Uncle Hisin chose him to her Clan's successor.

"You have no right to succeed our noble clan!" Meilan said harshly. Wufei frowned placing his hand upon his robe's sash. "I see...... well, this wasn't my idea either," Wufei snapped tossing the robe and hat to the ground. He walked off in a huff, Master Long's pleads to return once he started towards the entrance began to annoy him He turned and scowled stopping the elderly man in his tracks. "Go to hell!" Wufei snapped walking off. Meilan was right, he had no right to succeed her clan, he had no the right to take his grandfather's place as young master of the Chang household. The young Chinese boy headed off to the field of flowers to read.

[Fin]: Interlude 05. A/N: Kanbe was the master of the household because Wufei's father was absent for a while and when he died Wufei was appointed to be the next Master of the Chang household despite the fact his father returned to stay. I hope that made sense and wasn't confusing. Sakura123