Authors note

This time a bit of a short chapter but after going trough it over and over I had the feeling this was everything it needed.

Enjoy.


After the conversation with Tigress, Viper and Monkey, Yong went trough the palace, to the student barracks. In her head she wasn't really sure what to expect and what she might face in there.

From everything she heard, it sounds very impossible that this guy could be the same she fought over a year with. The person who dragged her out of the criminal path she fell into.

It was unbelievable to think it was now supposed to be her turn to do the very same for him now. She already felt a bit tired from the day so she hoped everything would get smooth once they talked a few words with each other.

But she felt a cold fear within her, a fear, that told her the truth of her feelings: It won't get easy in any way. When Shiren was able to attack people like a berserk, don't sparing anyone on his way, she didn't really believe that she was able to do the main difference here. To try turning his mind around and make him nice and happy again.

She knew too less about him. The only thing she knew that could help would have been his cousin, who's name she didn't remember. But what she knew was he got missing during the war. So it wouldn't help at all. It just would make things even worse.

She sighed when she stepped before the door of the students barrack and starred at it for a good while. "Alright. What can possibly go wrong?" she asked herself after taking a deep breath and entering the building.

She entered a place she never believed she would ever enter in her life. Here the furious five went to sleep every night. It was their personal sleeping berth. And this was just a part of the Jade-Palace.

It was dark and cold on the floor, just a glim of light was coming from another corridor on the left, directly connected to the entrance. The wet feeling from the outside was still present on the inside but faded away the more she walked to the inside. After a few steps forward she was able to look to this corridor and gained the view of the rooms themselves. All closed of course and just one lightened. The source of the light came from the fourth room on the right side. There wasn't a whole lot to hear, just a few, more silent movements from time to time. Slowly she started approaching this chamber, barely making any noises on the ground. She didn't dare taking a look into one of the masters ones rooms.

When she stood right before the door she could hear Shiren indeed was already awake. She took a deep breath again and opened the door.

When she opened the door she saw him laying on the ground. Awake but barely moving; curled around himself as if he just woke up. Crane stood in a bit of distance of him but kept an eye on him. When he saw Yong he said: "How-? Oh. You must be the one Viper told me about?" He looked at Shiren and explained: "He woke up few minutes ago but is still very exhausted."

Yong nodded to Crane thankfully: "Thanks, Crane. Now leave us alone please."

He hesitated and looked at her eyes but seemed to realise what's going on. "… I understand. But I'll stay near by in case something happens," he said, left the room and closed the door behind him.

Yong sit down right next to Shiren very casually like they would talk to each other in normal times.

She started the conversation by asking him: "Has been a while, ey?"

Shiren sighed and put his head up but didn't say anything.

Yong looked at him. His body looked like they described it to her. And his view… It didn't look peacefully but at the same time it looked more or less calm. "Not really on the mood today, huh?"

Shiren answered after her attempts of communication: "… It has been a while… Yong."

She made a slight smile. "… Glad you remember. I have thought a lot of you, Shiren. … For like a day or two I even looked for you. Nothing too crazy to be honest though, I know. I quickly realised it would be very hard to find you if I didn't even passed you accidentally. If it was not even impossible. At some point, I thought you were… even dead. Or maybe found your home. At least that what I hoped and stopped the search. Quite shameful, I know. But… I had my very own problems and considering people like Quántóu…"

Shiren interrupted her monologue without digging further into anything she just said: "I assume we are back in the Jade-Palace…?"

Yong nodded. She knew he might not be in the mood for a long talk. But she still tried."Yes. The place we used to dream about to be at." For a short moment she looked to the door where Crane left the room. She wondered if he would had possibly listen to their conversation because that was something she didn't want him or any other member of the Jade-Palace to hear. If they would hear her words the way she is saying them they could think like a bagger about her. Her pride was everything she had left here after the war of Chi. In the end she fought for this place but it wasn't for the Jade-Palace itself.

If Shiren wouldn't have figured out about Junjies true plan she would have fought against it without hesitating.

She turned back to Shiren who wasn't surprised or excited at all. He sounded like everything didn't matter at all. At least that what he has shown her in his voice.

"Maybe from another perspective. Not the hospital part," he said while looking aside, inspecting the wall.

"Actually this are the student barracks. It's like you have your own room here." She knew it wasn't true at all but the way she remembered him is having hopes and dreams.

But it looked like not even that got trough his shell of carelessness when he spoke out loud: "Stop seeing things which aren't real! I'm not welcome here, nor do I want to!"

Yong lost her courage very fast to have a decent conversation with him. Every try to search for the Shiren she knew failed. She knew herself that she, in reality, just wanted to ask him something else: "… Ah, I'm not even going to try, getting indirectly to my point. So you maybe know what I want to know from you, right?" she directly asked him.

Shiren looked at her with a dark view. His expression didn't allow any kind of joke. "You? I know the Jade-Palace wants to know stuff from me. I'm not sure what you want to know."

"Maybe some like the same. I'm curious about what happened to you since you left. Well… first of all, I'm glad you're indeed alive. I did not have contact with anyone of the old group since we split up. No big story behind it. We just fell apart. As for me…" she sighed: "I think you can guess. I'm happy I was strong enough to live without being a rogue again. Without home… I think we share some similarities. So… what about you?"

"I really don't know," Shiren said and explained: "Everything just happened. Everything went worse and worse until I didn't even know really where to go any more and where I was… and who I was. I just… were. Grew into… don't know. But I survived during this process. That's everything that matters." Everything he said made no sense and was just roughly explained as she could have known what he meant. But in conclusion… he was lost and was treated poorly, apparently.

Yong looked at him. She wasn't able to imagine what he experienced after the war, but all those scars spoke for themselves. "I'm not sure if I want to ask about any more details," she said. "But… you're here now. Healthy and save. It's good to have you back, pal. For me at least. And I mean it that way."

Shiren looked aside, towards the ground. "… Am I? I don't feel more alive than before. The only things letting me realise I'm just not dead yet are suffer and pain."

Yong poked him once and said: "Looks pretty alive to me."

Shiren sights again, which grown more to a slight groan.

"Now, what are you going to do?" Yong asked him.

He shook his head.

"I don't know. I tried to go home but.. didn't find it. I just don't know where to go and… I stopped caring. The entire world seems to be against me. If I'm going to survive I'm going to do something against that. One or the other way."

Yong was shocked when she heard that. "Woow! Don't you think that's a bit too much? I'm sure there are places for you to be! Didn't you have people in Wang Fu you knew? You also saved Grandmaster Viper. Surely they will help you. Or maybe Huan."

"… Sorry, Yong. I've lost strength to believe in others' good will to help a long time ago. I do no longer believe in anyone, or anything. The only person that matter to me now, is me.

The past… doesn't matter."

"Even if it's me?" she asked and Shiren again looked at her face and she said: "Would you act on the assumption I would not care after seeing you again when I thought you might have been dead? I may not be rich or anything to promise professional, or even suitable help for you, but would you not trust me?"

He waited for his answer. It showed her at least he cared a bit for her.

"Listen," he answered strictly: "I don't expect you backstabbing me but I don't believe in anyone, as I said! You included!"

"So you will continue on walking on a path on vengeance again? Is this what you want? That's totally not like you! Hao wouldn't have wanted that from you."

Shiren went very angry when she said that and answered, even nearly shouted at her: "Face it! The Shiren you knew is dead! He died with his entire family, as they wanted him to. The only thing left behind in his husk is the monster! The thing everyone fears, who isn't stronger than it; Who can't overpower it's strength. It adapts to everything in order to survive. There is no place for feelings or sensibility any more."

His expression didn't tell any kind of regret from his words and she took a deep breath.

"… I'm terribly sorry to hear that. If there is anything I can do for you… you know where to ask."

"… I guess then we are done here. Farewell. Yong."

Shiren turned away. This conversation was over for him and there was nothing more she would have done.

Slowly she stood up and went to the door but before she opened it she turned to Shiren once more and said: "When you're changing your mind… you know where to find me. And please, Shiren?"

She waited until she got his attention for sure. He looked up at silently at her.

"Stay save please. I and many others would be very upset if you would die, okay, buddy?"

"… I don't have the intention to die," he answered. She smiled. It was a smile to show him how glad she was he said it. Mainly to demonstrate that at least someone still cares for his life even if he wouldn't care or believe it.

"Thank you," she said and left the room. On the hallway she entered Crane again who left the door of his room open and came out once he heard her leaving, looking at her, hoping for any explanation or result. She closed the door behind her, dropped her ears and shook her head.

There was nothing to say.