Zhang Qiling
"What did you say?" Qiling asked as he stared at the young man below him, still unsure if he had heard him right. Just a second ago he had been carried away by the desire of the young man that was trying to really kiss him, instead of just accepting the energy he was trying to transfer him and he let himself respond to the other man desire, because he realize midway, it was also his own.
He wasn't sure as to when that desire had begun, but he could not deny to himself that it was very much alive and rooted deep inside him. He had dreamed with Wu Xie for years, even if he could never remember his face, he felt a connection with the young man almost from the start. He had kept him close and safe as they journey into the desert, not only because he was a possible guardian, but because he actually wanted to protect him.
However, Wu Xie's words took him completely unguarded. He had the feeling that Wu Xie was going to be tested for guardianship of the Bronze Gate, but was he wrong all along? What was that about he been Wu Xie's only calling? What that even mean and more importantly, why did he meant when he said he was willing to fully bond with him? Just what did his mother spirit had told him on his sleep?
Wu Xie stared back while he still blushed. Their faces were still just inches away and Xiaoge's body was pressing him down while he glanced down with such intensity, it makes him shudder into his very core.
"I... I'm willing to be fully bonded with you." Wu Xie whisper and Qiling could feel Wu Xie's heart racing pretty much below his own.
"Bonded?" Qiling repeated.
"Xiaoge... you... you don't really know, right?" Wu Xie asked back.
"What were you told?"
"That my soul belongs to you... that you are my calling."
"That can't be right."
"Why not?"
"There is no such calling..."
"You forgot about it when you lose your memories."
"Even without my memories I know there are only testing for new guardians of the gate."
"Then can you explain to me how I possess your Qilin spirit? How it had protected me ever since I was born. How was I even marked by it when I was born? How my energy feels like is part of your own and make you stronger when we join it? How are we connected since childhood?"
"Coincidence."
"There is no such thing as coincidence of that scale."
"Wu Xie... you don't know as much as you believe, no matter what little they told you..."
"Xiaoge... I actually know more than you do. There is something you forgot along with your memories... something that your mother kept from you..."
"That's..."
"Not impossible... and I can prove it..."
"Wu Xie..."
"Ready or not, here it comes..." Wu Xie said as he pulled Xiaoge to him and kiss him and once again, Zhang Qiling was taken by surprise for the second time that night.
The kiss, however, was not a passionate one as before, it was more like a way to link them together into a more intimate level, a deeper connection that they already shared but were unaware of it, until recently. Thus, Zhang Qiling found himself merging his consciousness with that of Wu Xie and they faced each other inside a huge field of wildflowers of all colors, with a temple in the middle.
Wu Xie was sat in the stair and he smiled at him, signaling Qiling to come closer and he did, walking the short distance between them. However, as he approached, he saw the translucent shape of a Qilin manifest in front of Wu Xie and he recognize instantly.
"You..." Xiaoge whisper and the Qilin looked at him, while his shape changed into the form of man that was a copy of his own.
"Yes... we are one and the same, yet right now I belong to him... by your choice." The Qilin told Xiaoge and he looked at Wu Xie, who stood by the Qilin's side.
"What do you mean by my choice?" Xiaoge asked and his twin spirit smiled.
"You wish for it a long time ago when you felt the loneliest, just before you lose all your memories. Back then, we were one and you were the best guardian of the gate, the strongest and most cherished by the gods, that all demons and tainted creatures feared, getting away from you mostly on sight, or when you spilled your blood, which carries your powerful sent."
"But something happened while you were taking care of some demons on a tomb, you meet a young man, an inexperienced tomb raider that became fascinated with you at first sight. At first, you simply ignore him, but as you keep meeting on other tombs and got to know him better, your opinion of him changed drastically. He also treated you preciously and you came to cherish his pure heart to a point, you started to like him more than you should."
"You protect him when he explored tombs filled with blood zombies and teach him the ways of tomb raiding... but unfortunately, there was one time you could not be by his side, because the bronze gate was suddenly assaulted by hundreds of demons and you needed to get rid of them along with other guardians... the boy was killed that night and you regretted his death to a point you make a wish to the gods in their temple inside the gate to bring his soul back in exchange for half of your Qilin spirit and when you lose that part of you, your memories of the past before that were gone for good."
"The boy's soul however had already enter the reincarnation system and the gods could not retrieve it immediately, as it's a rule to not mess up with the human's reincarnation circle, which took a century to be brought back again. Nevertheless, his soul was protected by the spirit you offer and came back, as pure as before. The day Wu Xie was born, your connection with him and your other half was reestablished, but you no longer remember it, just got the feeling you were missing something and try to find it in your dreams... the same dreams that Wu Xie shared with you at the same time."
"Oh, so we meet before in another lifetime? You didn't tell me that when I was inside the gate." Wu Xie said.
"Time was pressing back then, with so many demons coming your way."
"So, we truly are soul mates." Wu Xie whisper as he looked at Zhang Qiling.
"Indeed, you are... even if he denies it." The Qilin spirit told Wu Xie while also looking at his other self.
"So... Xiaoge... do you believe me now?" Wu Xie asked, but the other man remained silent.
"Zhang Qiling, just now, you must had felt that Wu Xie's energy felt like an extension of your own and see just how powerful the two of you combined can become, which is completely on point, because when the two halves united, you are by far the strongest guardian on earth." The Qilin said and Xiaoge knew deep inside him that his other half was right... yet... it was hard to process all that information he was just told.
"Hum... I think he needs more time..." Wu Xie sighed.
"You may be right... but the bond is more or less inevitable. Whatever he likes it or not, your destinies are tie together now by the strings of fate. Whatever you end up becoming his partner or he lose you again..."
"No." Xiaoge said unconsciously, suddenly getting closer to Wu Xie, so close that he could feel the heat coming from Wu Xie's body. Just the thought of losing that young man was horrifying and scare the hell out of him more than he thought possible.
"No, what?" Wu Xie asked as he tilted his head to one side.
"I don't want to lose you." Xiaoge said softly and hugged Wu Xie, to later kiss him like his life depend on it. When Wu Xie get a hold of his body outside their inner meeting place, he found Xiaoge kissing him back as well in the real world, this time quite passionately... and he responded accordingly.
"Wu Xie..."
"The bond can wait..."
"I..."
"Will you let go of me, then?"
"No."
"Then, let's finish our job here, find my uncle and talk more seriously about this. Is that fine with you?"
"Yes..."
"Good... now about us, rebounding..."
"You are still low in energy..."
"Yeah... then can you fill me up again?" Wu Xie asked, then blushed as it had sounded a bit... well you know.
"No by kissing... it will not work..." Meaning Wu Xie will not focus on the energy transferring, but in the sensations of the kiss itself. Wu Xie blushed even deeper.
"Ah..."
"Brace yourself..."
"Huh? Wait what will you..." But then, Xiaoge lower his arm and placed his hand over Wu Xie's chest and a sudden bluish light filled the dark night as Wu Xie gasped with the rush of energy that flowed from Xiaoge to him. The energy wasn't unpleasant at all, but welcoming and warm. Wu Xie closed his eyes as Xiaoge replenish the lost energy in a more traditional way.
Honestly, he preferred the kisses... but then again, it was really hard to let pass the opportunity to kiss him. He felt so attracted, so close, so intimate touched in a soul level he had not felt before with anyone else. It was like something inside of him had awoken in the very moment he had been told about the wish. Like if a dormant part of him have been switched on, after a very long time been off.
Perhaps he had been indeed fascinated with Zhang Qiling in a previous life, because he was basically doing the same in this one and he like it pretty much as much as before. Hopefully, they could have a better ending this time around and Xiaoge's wish granted in full.
At a distance, Hei Xiazi smiled. Yaba Zhang was finally having some fun again, after such a long time been alone and lost. It was also good to see him back to his former power, even if it was while in unison with Wu Xie. It was actually better for him that way, because he had been on his own for longer than any other guardian of the bronze gates.
If only his lovely, yet heartless Master Hua will fully open his heart to him, he too would be in his own heaven, but he still has a long way to go to be on the same terms that Yaba Zhang was with Wu Xie right now. He doubted that Yaba Zhang was going to bond with Wu Xie that easily, but at least, it was a first step into that direction and that was a plus for them.
"I'm glad for you, Zhang Qiling..." Xiazi whisper, then looked at his side to Xiao Hua, who was still sleeping by his side, as if nothing had happened in that desert. He looked quite handsome while he slept, for wish he was going to silently steal a kiss from him, when suddenly the sand under them started to shake as in on an earthquake.
"What the hell? You guys don't go too overboard..." Xaizi said as he looked into Wu Xie and Xiaoge's direction.
"It's coming! Get away!" But what Xiazi saw was a massive sandworm demon going out of a huge hole as Wu Xie yelled the warning and falling in the direction of the other two, then disappear inside the crack made in the sand by the unexpected thing.
The last thing he saw was Yaba Zhang hugging Wu Xie, as he erected a shield of their combined blue energy around them, before the huge thing fell over them and they sink into the hole made by the tremor it caused along with the weight of the demon, leaving only a big crater in where they were resting just a minute ago.
"Damn it!" Xiazi cursed as he leaved Xiao Hua sleeping bag and run toward the brand new hole, to see if he could rescue the two, but it was too deep to look into it, which was probably already half carved before any of them was even close to the ruins. There were many kinds of demons in and close to tombs, but desert ones where always the worse, specially cursed places like that one.
Now they were really in troubles... because the fight with the demons, was not over just yet and he was already out of the picture, unable to do anything else but stare at the darkens bellow... now, there was only the two soul mates down the hole and whatever luck they still had left.
AN: Thanks for reading and sorry for the cliffhanger, but you know me... I like to spoil my own cliffhangers... so nothing really bad will happen, worry not. Until next time, please take care.
