Yěhuā

A Xiān Kè Lái Extras Collection

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

Bonus 1. Lotus (28)

The air in the parlor is thick, and not just with the cloud of incense. Mother sits in waiting, looking as graceful as ever. I'm in awe of how she can look so unaffected. Even Grandfather Zhang has a crinkle of unease between his eyebrows, and the pipe in his hand burns without him taking a single inhale. Jun and I sit side by side on the couch too caught up in our own fidgeting to be annoyed by the other. I try to take the even breaths of meditation, but they keep getting caught on the unease in my throat.

Father's coming home today.

"Run, Lián," Mother says, her voice gentle. Even so, my sister and I snap to attention. The past six months, we've been living without the pressure of Father's presence over us. Knowing that peaceful time is at an end has been enough to make me feel sick, and I know Jun's no better. Mother rolls the closed fan in her hands, eyes never leaving us. "I understand that this is difficult, but you know we're doing this only because we think it's safe. We wouldn't otherwise."

Jun's eyes cast down into her lap. I can feel the throb in my skull like the bruises were still fresh. "I know we've talked about this," Jun says, though she doesn't look up. Given the situation, Mother doesn't press for proper etiquette. "But what if things aren't okay? What if—?" Jun looks to me, not having it in her to finish the sentence.

My mind provides several endings to her question, and none of them are tasteful.

"We won't allow that again," Grandfather Zhang says. He extinguishes his pipe, though the bite of the smoke still lingers, and sets it on the table. "The safety of both of you is our priority. If Yúan shows even the slightest signs of lashing out again, he's no longer welcome here. Those are the conditions."

I think that one shouldn't need a threat to their shelter to not strike their own children, but everyone's on edge enough that I keep it to myself.

Jun's fingers run over her cheongsam, tracing the dragon flying across her skirt. "I just want everything to be okay."

Mother's lipstick presses into a thin red line. "We'll be okay," I say. The rest of my family looks to me, surprised by my certainty. I'm not certain at all. But either way, Father will be back in our lives soon, and I don't plan on being controlled by my fear, even as it rumbles in my stomach like thunder. I pat Jun's shoulder. "Show some resolve, Sister. We survived before, and we will survive this."

My words may be just a show of foolish Tao pride. But it was that pride that allowed me to make it through being bullied in elementary school. That pride allowed me to stand up after Father knocked me unconscious. And that pride will allow me to face him now, the approach the challenge of letting him back into our lives.

Tears gloss over Jun's eyes, but she blinks them back. Mother unfurls her fan to cover up her concern. Grandfather gives me a nod when I meet his gaze.

When Tao Yúan is escorted into the parlor, we face him as a family.

Bonus 2. Lotus (29)

Our final meeting for the day concludes, and the respectful silence fades into the shuffling of papers and smaller conversations. I gather up my own notes to pass onto Lu Yong; I'll need to stop by the office one more time before heading home. I ease out of my chair, and Jeanne stands up beside me.

"Another productive day," she says, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. The silver strands glimmer in the afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows. Though I've been her guide for the past two weeks, her pale coloring still catches me off-guard. A small smile graces Jeanne's lips. "You worked hard as well."

"I could say the same about you." I gesture for Jeanne to go first, and she glides towards the door. I follow, nodding to my coworkers as we exit. "You're a guest here, and you've put in as much effort as our team, if not more."

"It's only natural. I wouldn't want to reflect poorly on my company, after all." That doesn't stop her from looking pleased at the compliment, though. We catch a still idle elevator, and Jeanne presses the button for the floor before I can. "You're going to drop that off before heading out, right?"

She gestures to my notes, the rest of her body in pristine posture. I straighten out the sheaf of papers, making sure not to crush them as the next elevator passengers shuffle in. "Yes, but you don't need to accompany me. You've more than earned an evening of rest."

Jeanne shakes her head, smile not once falling away. "I'd like to come with you, if that's not a problem." It isn't, and I couldn't provide a convincing counterargument. Not that I want to. Excellent. I enjoy your company, Ren. I was hoping I could take up a bit more of your time this evening."

I'm about to accept, when the implications of what she's asking occur to me. I don't break eye contact, the small talk between the other passengers preventing a full-out silence. Jeanne looks away before I do, the bell of the elevator signaling that we've arrived at our floor. I pull myself together, tailing the click of Jeanne's heels.

Is this a big moment, the kind I never considered I'd have time for? Or am I overthinking it, and it's just another little moment that will pass me by if I don't take advantage of it?

Given Jeanne's small stature, it's easy to catch up to her side in a couple of strides. "I appreciate your company, too," I say, trying to get the words out before we reach the office. "If you didn't have any place in mind for dinner, I have a few restaurants we could try."

Bonus 3. Aster (11)

"Whoa, what do you guys have going on in here?"

I look up and wave at Dad, soil coating my fingers and smeared up my arms. Mom brushes off her hands onto the towel we set up next to the planter and stands up to hug Dad, stepping around the plants we've gathered on the living room floor. "Cuì Jú wanted to get more flowers," she says. They trade off kisses, and I get back to separating the roots so they can spread out to the rest of the pot, the dirt moist to the touch. "The last batch looked so nice in the kitchen, I figure a few more wouldn't hurt."

"That's fine by me." Dad comes over and squats by me, looking over the bright cluster of warm colored blossoms. Satisfied with the dangling roots, I tuck in a red pansy next to a yellow one. "It's very pretty, Cuì Jú. I'm glad you're having fun with it."

I nod a few times, strands of hair falling in my eyes. I need to clip it up or something. Saving that task for later, I try to pick out which flower to put into my arrangement next. "I was looking up stuff about flowers, and pansies apparently stand for remembrance," I say, counting out each blossom's five petals. "It's cool there's a whole language for these things. You think I could learn them all?"

Mom and Dad exchange amused glances, but Dad settles onto the floor, plucking a discarded flower tag from the empty plastic trays. It has the basic care instructions printed on it, but I looked that much up already. "I'm sure you could if you wanted to." I don't even look up, nodding. I think it'd be fun to try. "Just make sure to keep an eye on these. You wouldn't want them to wilt."

"I know, I know!" Mom chuckles and excuses herself to start on dinner. I pick out an orange pansy and pull it from its tray, making sure not to break the stem in the process. "Hm, I think I saw something that pansies are descended from violets. Plants have their own families, too, huh?"

"I guess they do," Dad says, leaning back on his palms and watching me work. "Do you know what violets stand for then?"

I hum, trying to pull it from my memory, but it doesn't come to me. "Nope! I'll look it up later, though." I turn the pansy in my hands, letting it catch the sunlight before holding it out to Dad. "Here, help me put this together. It's a lot more fun to do this with company."

Dad looks wary, but he gives in to my insistence, a laugh rolling out of his mouth and across his shoulders. "Okay, but I can't promise it'll be as pretty as you make it look."

"That's okay," I say, letting him take the plant into his fingers. "As long as we do it together, it'll be perfect."

Bonus 4. Lotus (30)

"Whoa, so this is where you grew up," Asakura says, his jaw hanging open like a simpleton. His expression is mirrored on the rest of the group behind him, save Anna, who would never make such an undignified expression. Up in the mountains, the press of summer isn't too stifling, but the sun is still bent on beating down over all of us. "It's huge."

"You say that like your family's estate is any different," I say. Sure, the Asakura's home in Izumo isn't as tall as Tao castle, but they still own an impressive tract of land. The spoils of old shamanic families are nothing to sneeze at. The hired help bows as they come out to the car, starting to sort out the luggage. "You'll have plenty of time to gape over the architecture later. Let's get inside." I don't want Mother will say if I don't play my role as host well enough.

Everyone files inside, chattering amongst themselves. It's been some years since we've seen each other in person, but there aren't much changes to note. Anna still marches Asakura all over the place, Ryu hasn't stopped prattling about meeting my sister (I'll let Bailong speak for himself), Horohoro can't seem to lower his voice worth shit, and Oyamada hasn't grown a damn centimeter. The biggest difference is in Tamao, with her longer hair and more confident posture, but stutters still pepper her sentences.

While we've been in varying levels of contact, I didn't realize how I missed being in their collective presence.

"For a summer trip, we could've done much worse," Anna says, tucking a sleeping Hana close to her hip. I know she's beyond pleased that Oyamada offered to cover most of the travel expenses. The servants finish setting up tea, and Anna nods at them in appreciation. "Yoh, you need to make the onsen more popular. This is the sort of standard of living we should be in."

"Aww, but home's so comfy the way it is now."

That's enough for Anna to launch into another one of the never-ending lectures she gives her husband. Their son sleeps right through it. I make sure everyone's settled before taking a seat myself. There's still some time before our last few guests will be able to arrive. Oyamada's admiring the architecture and decor, pointing out some of our antiques to Tamao. It's too bad Bai couldn't make it, but summer in Hainan is lush with research possibilities, and I wouldn't deny her the opportunity.

"Real cheongsam, though," Ryu says to himself, draining his cup of tea like a tankard of beer.

"Forget that," Horohoro says, mouth half-full. "Did you see those mountains on the way up here? I'd love to take my board down one of those. Hey, Ren, let me come back here in winter, dammit."

I flick my eyes up to his, keeping my expression as deadpan as possible. "What makes you think I'd let you into my home a second time?"

"Don't be so stingy!"

The disjointed conversations come together as we talk about what's all transpired since we've last seen each other, and the minutes turn to hours. Anna and Yoh are transforming the old Funbari Onsen into a proper tourist spot (Asakura Anna will never let something as simple as raising a child interfere with her goals), with Tamao and Ryu's labor as assistance, Oyamada's taken to first-hand experience in his family's company, and Horohoro brags about the work he and his sister have done on preserving the Ainu culture and restoring the lands in their reserve. Lyserg and Joco arrive in due time, and they meld into the group like they've always been there. I can't think of any other reason than the sheer capacity Asakura has for drawing other people in.

The night drags on, and Asakura lets out a large yawn, bringing most of us along with him. "I think I'll get some rest," Tamao says, standing first. Ryu nods his agreement. "We have a whole week, so that's plenty of time to catch up. Good night, everyone." There are likeminded murmurs, and even Anna hefts up a once again sleeping Hana to retire for the night. I expect Asakura to join the hired-help escort to his room, but he just looks at me, that same old stupid grin stretching over his face.

"Go to bed," I say. Tiredness prickles at my eyes, but I refuse to rub it away. "You're obnoxious enough on a regular basis. I'm not going to deal with you delirious from not sleeping."

"Ehehe, there's plenty of time to sleep in the morning," Asakura says. I'm sure Anna will disagree with that sentiment. There's an energy in his eyes that I don't think I've ever seen before. "But you promised me that the stars look awesome out here. I've gotta see it while I get the chance."

I could say that he'll have a whole week's worth of chances. But I remember the view at Izumo, the way it swallowed us up until there was no earth, just sky. And I wouldn't be a Tao if I didn't blow that experience away with everything at my disposal.

I rise, stretching out before turning around, not even checking if Asakura catches the hint to follow. "By all means. I hope you can handle the trip. It's quite a climb to the top."

The rest of Tao castle is dead quiet in the night, but Asakura's steps echo behind mine.

Bonus 5. Wildflowers (4)

As morning for the Tao family started before sunrise, it was only natural that the days of their servants started even before that.

The regular bustle of the twenty members of the morning shift migrating from their lodgings to the castle proper broke apart the crisp air of the last of the night. Carrying on in a manner befitting of the Taos themselves, Shu and Kyo lead the procession before they all split off into their regular roles. A quick breakfast preceded the aromas of dòuhuā and zongzi of the family proper's morning meal. Zhang's divination chamber was aired out, dust swept from Yúan's meditation hall, and tea steeped to perfection before being brought to the conservatory.

The men of the Tao family may have been early risers, but Ran had always greeted morning the earliest. Following tradition that had lasted for decade, Shu and Kyo and made sure everything else was in order before tending to their matriarch.

With autumn outside, the warmth of the conservatory was even more apparent, set to accommodate the latest set of endangered species that had been brought to under the Tao's care. Shu carted in the tea set, Kyo following in his wake. Ran was already seated in her chair beneath a canopy of vines; she hadn't once arrived after them since she was a little girl, and, even as she ascended through age, it seemed she had no interest in doing so.

"Good morning, Kyo, Shu."

"Good morning, Lady Ran."

Even with formalities in place, the greetings were spoken with great affection. Tea was served, and no one said any more until Ran took the first sip and nodded her approval.

"How are preparations going today?"

The first question had changed since her youth, but the routine was familiar enough. Yúan may have been the patriarch, and Ren would one day take that place, but Shu and Kyo would always see Ran as their proper mistress, the strength that pulled the family together through bonds both made of an absent of bloodline.

Kyo took the lead, elaborating on the various states of the servants, the family's schedules, as well as preparations for Ran's multiple charity projects. Kyo would add his occasional interjections, and Ran would take the news in, working her way through two teacups before acknowledging that breakfast was upon them and it was time to move on with the day.

Shu and Kyo cleared the tea set, gave their lady their well wishes, and returned to their duties throughout the castle.

Bonus 6. Lotus & Aster (Roots)

The open window allows the breeze to override the smell of fresh paint and jostle the vine hung over the window frame. It's afternoon, and early summer beckons for me to go for a run, to learn the new paths available to take. But my workout for the day is already accounted for as I continue the task of unpacking the rest of my belongings into the new house. Most of the essentials are in place, but that does little to make the place feel like home.

I roll up my sleeves and heft up the next box from the collection against the wall and let it drop to the bed, creasing the covers. A few seconds of picking at the tape later, I pry the box open, expecting to see the books that need to be unloaded onto the waiting shelves. Instead, I find my sole box of miscellaneous items that didn't fit anywhere else. While they do need to be unpacked, I'd planned to save them for when everything else was in place. It must've gotten mixed around while the movers brought everything in.

Repressing a sigh, I start unloading the box anyway. It's all going to have to come out sometime; might as well get it over with. I stuff the packing paper into a waiting trash bag and start to puzzle out where to put everything: a few trinkets my sister bought me can go to my office, the spare flower pots will have contents to fill them soon enough, some old shrine tokens from Japan should be put into an album before they start crumbling, and the empty picture frames can be put into storage. I take trips in and out of the bedroom, still adjusting to the unfamiliar home's layout, enjoying the new furniture and the amount of space. It's not as much as my old apartment, but there's plenty of room for everything necessary.

Closer to the bottom of the collection of knickknacks, I find another, smaller box. The surface is black and smooth, and the top slides off. The poof of stale air hits me, and I remember just why I haven't opened it in so long.

Despite their age, the color of the photos hasn't faded at all, preserved in the dark as they have been. There aren't many pictures of my family together, even before we started to crack apart. But my mother has taste, and the ones that to exist are all from the fleeting moments when we were happy and family outings were common. My chest doesn't ache, even as I flip through them. Jun and I are nothing but children, and in a lot of the pictures I'm not even old enough to remember what was happening. If it weren't for these photos, I wouldn't have any idea most of these events had happened at all.

But they did happen, at one point, even if it seems unbelievable with proof.

"Ren!"

Cuì Jú's leaning in the window, a grin on her face and the traces of a sunburn tinting her skin. She looks no less perturbed by the sweat on her brow or the smears of dirt on her pastel clothes. There's even a weed stuck in her brown hair. I shuffle the photos into a straight stack again and return them to their box. Bai leans as far into the window as she can manage, squinting at the miscellaneous items I still have across our bed. "How's unpacking going? Is there gonna be enough room for both of us in here?"

I snort, letting her catch the roll of my eyes. "I think with you involved, I'm going to be pushed out by the plants." Cuì Jú giggles, tapping one of the vine's leaves. The sunlight shines around her, and if I didn't see her eat, I'd be convinced she gets her energy from photosynthesis. "What about you? Are you done tearing up the backyard yet?"

"You promised me a garden!" Cuì Jú huffs, but she can't look cross for the life of her. "I am doing exactly what we agreed on, buddy. You can do whatever you want with the house, but outside is all mine."

"I wouldn't be so foolish to try and argue otherwise." Deciding there's not much else I can do with the remains of the box until I see what sort of shelf space we have left, I start to load the remains back up. "If you stop every half hour to come and check on me, though, I'll be done long before you are."

Bai hums, trying to formulate a response. I pick up the last item from the bed, but the hitch of Bai's gasp distracts me. "Whatcha got there?"

"This?" I turn back to Cuì Jú, feeling conscious even though we've drawn closer over the past few years. The plush tiger hangs from my grip by a paw, threadbare, but still in one piece. "I've had him since I was an infant. He's nothing special."

"Are you kidding me? I love him." She reaches through the window but seems to realize the dirt on her hands. I'm almost thirty, but I'm relieved to have an excuse not to hand him over. "I used to have this snow leopard when I was a kid that I dragged all over the place. She got lost when we moved apartments, though. What's his name?"

I don't even have the excuse of being in the sun to blame for the red that must be creeping up my neck. "Hǔ."

Cuì Jú's laugh sounds like windchimes. "You named your tiger 'Tiger.' That's adorable."

"I named him when I was two."

"Hey, no judgement, no judgement." Bai presses her dirt-dusted fingers against the window frame and leans back, hair rippling in a fresh breeze. "Hǔ is perfect, and he's more than welcome in our home." The smile on her face is unmistakable when she says it. This is our home now, a place we can have to stay connected to the world, unlike the castle at Guizhou, but still enough away from the city that you can feel the nature around us. "You should keep him out, Ren. I bet he doesn't like being cooped up in a box all the time."

I look again at Hǔ, with his beads for eyeballs and faded orange coat. Cuì Jú's too distracted by the wind to notice as I step up to the window. "Fair point," I say, then bat Hǔ's paw against her forehead. She blinks, then boops her nose against it. "I don't like being cooped up inside all the time, either, so make the backyard a great place for us to spend our time."

Cuì Jú salutes before leaning up quick enough to sneak in a kiss. "You got it," she says before skipping off. A shovel, trowels, bags of fertilizer, and a whole toolbox's worth of seeds wait for her on the other end of the backyard. "I'll make the best garden ever. And the first step to any good flower is making sure you have the right soil for it to thrive in, you know!"

And while that may be true, I can't help but feel that the real secret to flourishing is in having the courage to put down some roots.

根

[Author's Notes]

Okay, here we go, the real final piece of this collection. As such, I'll get all emotional, but first up some explanations for this mix of additional extras and requests!

Oh, and much thanks to Chronic Guardian one more for slipping in another mysterious guest review. Your requests really helped bolster out this installment, so thank you very much!

1. Lotus (28) - This was one of mine. After reviewing the extras, I realized that while I had dealt with Ren's shitty family situation, I didn't quite give that arc some closure. This probably takes place around the time Ren is in high school, for the sake of paralleling canon.
2. Lotus (29) - Another one from me! I touched on what happened with Ren and Jeanne, but that just left their initial meeting in XKL and then their parting. It needed a little bit of guts in the middle.
3. Aster (11) - A request from Chronic Guardian of some time with Bai and her dad. I'm fortunate that I thought of pansies and they had a thematically fitting meaning. I was also lucky that they're related to violets, which have the meaning of "innocence."
4. Lotus (30) - The good old Chronic Guardian suggested the idea of the Funbari gang tracking down Ren at one of his internships. This isn't quite that, but it is a gathering of that cast with some poking at how they age in canon. Also Hana. Always Hana.
5. Wildflowers (4) - CG: "A day in the life of the Tao servants," or something close. I struggled a bit of how to take this one. I mean, all the canon Tao servants are jiangshi, so that's not quite an option. I considered doing some silly segment with the Five Curse Squad, but I stumbled across Shu and Kyo, and this turned into a bit of development for them and Ran . Instead of being jiangshi, I imagine these two would have been raised to serve Ran, since she is the Tao's blood heir. In the end, I like the result.
6. Lotus & Aster (Roots) - Another excellent CG suggestion here of Ren and Bai unpacking and reflecting on mementos from their lives until then. Given that (I don't think) he'd read 40. when suggesting it, I don't think he expected it to be together, but here we are. I just had to bring Ren's tiger back, plus touch on a bit more of what their settling down would be like once they get things sorted out enough to actually move in together. I think it fits them very well, and I'm glad for the opportunity to have written it!

Phew, with that being way, onto the closing notes.

Again, this was my project for this year's [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm], which has drawn for a close. Do go check out the forum, and the 104 thread will include all the fantastic story entries we've seen over the past four years. And, hey, again, go give Chronic Guardian and EeveeGen9988's Sauce Project Collective collaboration Tin Pin Tournament some encouragement. It's great, they just need a little more of a push to get through the slog of time management and cross the finish line!

And I've done my fair share of promoting others over this collection, but I'll take this closing piece to do some promoting of myself! As this is a bonus chapter, my regular weekly update posting concurrent is the closing episode of All Things Fanciful and Free, a silly Shaman King fanfic that I'm glad to have finished so I can stop worrying about it (episode three also has Bai, so if you wanted more of her, there it is). And what's that? I mentioned weekly updates? That's right? There's a lot of fics I'm trying to finish, but you can guarantee something will be posted every Saturday, so come along! Next week I'll be adding a nicce pile of updates to an IGPX story, Alive, and I'm happy with the results, so I hope you'll enjoy reading it, too!

My profile also has more info on my miscellaneous social media, but you can find daily updates on what I'm working on via Twitter (Plot_K_Bunny), plus support my writing via both (P)atreon and now Ko-fi (both PlotBunnyProductions). Hopefully I'll see you around there!

And regardless of any of that, thank you so much for reading!

-Aviantei

[03.05.2018]