Yin
sheepishly opened her eyes and immediately had to shut them tight
again as it was too bright to see. "Yin?" She heard Yuck's
voice. "Yin, are you feeling okay?" "No..." she
groaned and squinted her eyes. "My arms are stinging and my ribs
ache... Where am I?" "We're at the hospital," another
voice answered.
"Yang...
?" She tried to pull herself up only to shrink back in shooting
pain. "Hey, take it easy," Yuck soothed. "You were
hurt so bad they had to put in a few stitches here and there..."
He didn't want to go on. "Just lay down and rest," Yang
finished. "Okay..." She weakly nodded and turned over onto
her side. "Does Master Yo know?" "Uh... Yang called
and told him everything," came Yuck's reluctant
answer.
"Everything?"
she repeated. "Even-" "Yes, everything," her
brother cut her off. "And I hope you get grounded for it too.
He's on his way here right now. It'll be fine. Go back to sleep."
She closed her eyes without a word. Yuck gently put a hand on her
cheek, gave her a soft kiss on the forehead, and tried to ignore the
glare Yang shot at him. Soon Yin's breathing became slow and regular,
and she drifted off to sleep.
Within
minutes a soft knock on the door behind them could be heard, and
without waiting for permission, who should come into the room wearing
an unhappy look but the last panda in existence? It was Master Yo.
"Is she asleep?" he asked dryly to no one in particular.
Yang nodded in response while Yuck found himself awkwardly stepping
away from the bed Yin slept in.
"Good.
We can cut right to the chase without upsetting her. Yuck, from what
I understand, you've knowingly helped my students cheat on their
test, allowed one of them to be beaten nearly to death and almost
eaten alive, dragged the other into mortal danger trying to save her,
and not only that, but Yin has become very attached to you, and you,
her. Care to explain yourself?"
His
tone was clam, but it was the sort of calm that a parent would use
toward a naughty child. It was the calm before the storm. "Look,"
Yuck started, "I-I didn't mean to cause any trouble. I was
joking when I said I'd help them but they took it seriously and
followed me. And I didn't kiss Yin, SHE kissed ME. Besides, I didn't
force Yang to come with me and save her. He insisted." "And
it's a good thing I did or God knows what you would've done with her
out of the way!" Yang snapped defensively.
Yuck
gritted his teeth. "That's not true." "Yes it is and
you know it, JACKASS!" "Ssshh!" Master Yo silenced
them. "You want Yin to wake up?" Both rodents shook their
heads. "Then be quiet. Yang, I don't need your help with this so
shut your face." Yang folded his arms but obeyed. "Yuck,"
Master Yo went on, "I won't let Yin see you anymore after this."
A triumphant smirk spread across Yang's face. "But I-" "I
don't want to hear it. You can say goodbye to her when she wakes up
but after that, we'd better not see you ever again." "Or
else," Yang added, cracking his knuckles.
"...
Fine," Yuck sighed, letting his arms drop to his sides in
defeat. "You win. Again. But this isn't exactly teaching your
students responsibility, is it?" "What?" Master Yo
raised an eyebrow. "You heard me. They're the ones who created
me in the first place. I'm their living mistake and nothing more. I
shouldn't even be alive right now. And she was all I had to hold
onto." He glanced at Yin.
"But
you couldn't let me have even that, could you?!" Now he was
fighting back tears. "Yuck, I know you're upset-" "You
don't know s***!" he cut him off. "Dude you sound like a
girl on her period." Yang was trying not to laugh, Yuck was
trying not to strangle him, and Master Yo was trying to find some
patience.
"Both of you
stop!" he demanded. They did. "Sorry..." Yuck muttered
grudgingly. "I get a little worked up over her sometimes..."
"I understand. I'll give you a moment alone with her. When I
come back in this room, I expect you to leave. Understood?"
"Yes, Master Yo..."
He
dragged Yang out of the room, leaving Yuck alone with Yin. He turned
and faced her. She was still peacefully asleep. "Yin...?"
he whispered in her ear. She gave no response. 'She's better off
asleep... I shouldn't wake her up for this. I cant tell her...' He
found himself holing back tears again. "Goodbye, Yin," he
murmured, stroking her cheek. "I love you."
You'll see why Master Yo made this decision in the next chapter.
