Chapter 16

The Forgiven and the Not Forgotten

The sound of Death's Hand's flyer was nothing compared to the way Sky felt now:

Slamming his hand in the door and shattering it; that pain and terror was walking in the sun with your lover. He'd take that over the razor sharp blade to his throat.

Facing the Lotus Assassins; the terror of knowing you may die with the look on their faces, the pure terror in that was nothing, it was a night of passion with your true soul mate. He'd face them all alone; take that over his soul mates dead face staring at him with the unfamiliar eyes of a killer.

Sky was pressed up, cowering to the wall as Wu leaned her blade to his throat, a dead look on her face.

'Come On Wu! Hear me out!' He said again, but Wu didn't shift her position.

'Why? So you can go back to Death's Hand? Or maybe go back working for The Guild?' She said in the same dead voice. She hadn't taken him agreeing to Deaths Hand's plan so well.

But he didn't know how the hell Wu found out that he worked for the Guild.

'How did you-'

'You would be shocked what trained ears can hear even in a room full of screaming people.'

His stomach dropped through the floor. 'Wu listen I-'

'Very good Sky,' a masked man said sending Sky's hairs on the back of his neck to stand straight up, 'You're an excellent servant. You will be rewarded.'

Wu stared at him coldly, but Sky looked at her with a smirk; Death's Hand nudged his toe against the fuse.

'Think again, you slab of rot.'

An explosion in the air as the casket's exploded, rocketing loads of stone ceiling at the Lotus Assassins.

Wu spun as blood shattered on the floor Death Hand on the ground under against boulder of rock; he wasn't crushed like the red of them.

Wu looked over to him, comprehension sparked into her eyes.

It wasn't over; on the contrary, it hadn't even begun.

Deaths Hand threw the rock off of himself and staggered onto his feet, the shattered left half of his mask falling in pieces, like shattered glass on the floor.

Sky's scream was matched with Wu's high pitched shriek.

'What are you?' Wu shrieked.

Because of magic the bones could not have turned to dust, but attached to the last half of the mask was attached to nothing bone a skull. Sky and Wu both cringed as the jaw from the mask moved;

'I am born… again and again… I am the will of the Emperor: I am Deaths Hand.'

He took a deep breath or at least the bones moved to make it seem like he did. 'And I was commanded to kill you, Wu the Lotus Blossom.'

Wu's face went pale but understanding she gripped her blade more tightly. 'I understand, well do what you must, but I can not allow you to kill me.'

The bone jaw locked and the blades in its hand rose. 'We'll see.'

A shivering silence surrounded them as they measured each other. Socket's black as hell, and eyes of black fire.

Ching!

The sound of metal was defining; the ring rang out over the grounds where they where Black Whirlwind was with out a doubt fighting the other Lotus Assassins.

Ching!

A second meeting of the blades, every stoke of the blade was matched by the other. As Sky realized that they were more on equal footing then he first thought.

Ching! Ching! Ching! Ching!

Wu was being backed up now as towards the portal of the dead. She spun Deaths Hand blocked, he stabbed she dodged it was a deadly game play which Sky had attributed to. And it would send Wu to the underworld again.

Suddenly Wu was thrown into the wall and hit the ground beside him; her eyes met Sky's for a moment for silent communication as everything stood at a stand still for one moment.

I'll follow you.

No. If I fail you have to defeat Li.

How? Only a Spirit Monk has a chance.

The Spirit Monk Powers are earned. Not born.

Wu, I love you.

Now you tell me.

Wu stood up again, and suddenly the fire behind her eyes turned into an inferno.

She danced towards Deaths Hand this time, and Sky almost expected another cling, but this time, Wu couldn't be stopped.

And Death's hand lost an arm.

In front of Sky the bones in the arm turned to dust, spilling out from the armour.

Wu saw that.

But so did Death's Hand.

Death's Hand screamed as he ran at Wu again this time the one arm left thrashing his blade blindly at her; she dodged easily.

Her blade fell again; and suddenly Deaths Hand's head wasn't attached to his neck.

The skull rolled towards Sky and started to disintegrate into dust that poured out of the mask.

Wu looked at Sky and took a deep breath, taking the first stride to her cowering lover who curled against the wall.

There was a flash of light, and Master Li appeared out of nowhere in a cloud of gold dust.

'Master Li!' Wu cried as she ran to him. Sky felt a moment of fear.

'Master Li! It doesn't have to be this way!'

Master Li's eyes narrowed just a tiny bit at his old student 'what are you planning child!'

'Master Li! I know why you're doing this.' Wu's face was almost pleading. 'I know that you were told that your brother killed your wife and child.'

Master Li's face reddened and he snapped at Wu. 'You are descending into the levels of my heart that only I should see child!'

'Master, Please!' Wu kept pleading as she put her sword away. 'The world isn't as cruel as you believe it is! Sagacious Zu was on of the Elite Force to kill your family. He saved your daughter Master Li. Then named her for the fires of Dirge that she was born under.'

'My family is dead child do not mock me by saying different!'

Wu shook her head slowly. 'No Master. Zu did save your daughter, and named her Dawn Star.'

Master Li laughed. 'You claim Dawn Star to be my daughter? Impossible! I would recognize my own flesh and blood! But… you seem to believe this with all your being… I must look at this, unblended by strategy or domination and consider what this would mean if she was….'

There was a shiver of silence visible as bells chiming in the air.

'It does not matter.' Master Li said simply.

'Why? The world isn't a cruel as you thought it would be!'

Wu's face suddenly blanked, and as she understood 'You care of nothing for her.'

Master Li shook his head.

Wu's face turned red and she lifted her blade. 'She deserves better then you, Li!'

She ripped her blade through him but took no blood, she landed on her knees, and she had swung her blade with such force it flew out of her hand, embedding into the wall.

Li laughed and made an uplifting motion with his hand, and suddenly Wu was in the air, unable to move.

'You dare dismiss me as your master? I saved you, gave you life, yet you try and slaughter me like common foe!'

Wu gritted her teeth together. 'My Master died in Two River's Li.'

'I am your master!'

Wu face reddened as she glared at him furiously. 'You… My… Master… No longer!'

The spell shattered and Fortunes Favourite suddenly started to glow; it flew to Wu want melting into the shape of it. Wu looked at her bade in wonder, it started to glow blue. She had finally wielded her blade, perfectly it was hers and Spirit Monk power flowed through. 'Bet you weren't expecting that eh Master?'

Li backed away and yelled at the bones of Deaths Hand 'Get up, I command you to keep fighting till she dies!'

Wu looked at Li and smiled. 'I will save him Li, and take him away from you.'

Wu closed her eyes and Deaths Hand's body shuddered.

Something forced Sky's eyes shut.

A man and Deaths Hand fighting, they are on more equal grounds then even Wu. The man seems to be loosing until a blue glow surrounds him, suddenly Deaths Hand was on the ground shivering; to move no more.

Sky's eyes were forced open again, but by something sift, a blue glow as Death's Hands bones turned to dust, and he would have peace now.

'Thank you Wu, for setting me free.' Death hand rung out, it was a soft tone though it no longer sent shivers down ones back. 'You have no idea what loss he is feeling now that he lost me. It will work to your advantage. Thank you for letting me rest.'

The sound was gone and Sky stood up and limped over to see the blue light.

There was a blue star in the middle of the floor to the portal of the dead. Sky took a step to the blue light covering his eyes with his had, the star began to pulse like a heart beat the fluttered as fast as a birds wings. 'Wu?'

The Star grew brighter by her name, Wu spoke, but it had an unearthly tone to it a new beauty someone like he could not comprehend.

'I did Sky, I'm a Spirit Monk!' Her voice was cheerful, excited, and proud.

'That's great Wu, where are you?'

Her tinkling laugh sung like music in the air, she was a whole new person, but the same. Sky smiled to himself; she was finally who she was meant to be that's all.

The star dimmed and the silhouette of Wu came from the center: she was the blue star.

Sky limped over and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her gently. She did not pull away like she thought she would, her lips just moved and his shaped around them.

After too soon she pulled away and he said. 'I shouldn't have left you Wu. I'm sorry, I just feel like your doing all this and I felt like I'm useless to you and I had to help somehow but it just that every time I do something it goes all wrong and-'

He was cut off again by Wu's lips she pressed them gently just to tell him silently: "Shut up, I want you anyway."

Sky sensed the mood in the air and it took him a half a second to feel the same way…

He needed her, and after all that just happened, she needed him as well…

Later that night while everyone was sleep Wu opened her eyes to look around the temple, Sky watched her as she moved and kissed his chest breathing deeply.

'Is it midnight? She asked in her musical voice, she looked up at him through her eyelashes and melted his heart.

He smiled and nodded looking at the moon. 'I'd say about there. Why?'

She sat up letting herself glow like a goddess again. 'because I promised to do something and if you remember I was a little busy this time last night.'

Sky sat up and kissed her trying to bring her back down on the floor of the temple. 'You could be busy now. Do it tomorrow night.'

She kissed him but pulled after a moment with a smile. 'I don't intend to be here tomorrow.' She rubbed his chest, deep in thought.

'Where are we headed tomorrow oh fearless leader?' He joked happy she was herself again.

Wu made a face and then sobered up. 'Li's waiting for me.'

Sky pulled her close which sent an electrical current through his body. 'Don't be afraid, your mistress will be there to help you… and so will I.'

'Sky! I can't ask you to come with me to-'

This time he silenced her with his lips but to send a message of comfort through to his beautiful lover.

He pulled away, and whispered. 'Let's do what you have to do then comeback.'

Wu pouted then jumped up, walking towards the exit. Sky looked at her with disbelief. 'Wu! Aren't you going to put clothing on?'

Wu laughed and motioned for the clothes less Sky to follow her. 'They don't see me. They see my light.'

They walked out onto the balcony where the chill of mountain air hit there bodies both of them subconsciously adapting to the cold. Sky smiled at Wu, finding it very distracting to concentrate.

'Guards of the Imperial Army! Show yourself!'

A hundred see through men and women stood in front of them staring at Wu's light. He could not see it and it seemed like they were staring at her naked body, but no one was laughing so to them it was the only thing there.

Wu closed her eyes and started muttering something and her crown of a million blue stars glowed brighter then ever before. Also, her face wasn't pinched up like he remembered it. It was at easy with a slight smile.

Down before a hundred ghosts sighed in relief, and suddenly they weren't ghosts anymore. They were orbs of light, Sky let out a shocked laugh recognizing them.

'Hey! These are the same souls that told us you were here!'

Wu's crown disappeared and she beamed at him 'No Sky That was me telling you I was coming home.'

They watched as the orbs drifted into the sky and when they disappeared.

Sky kissed his lovers neck and gently lead her back into the temple.