Chapter 17

How It Has To Be

'Please?'

Wu laughed threading her white cloth through her skirt in her armour, this was a first all night. Sky had stopped her from getting dressed the last three times she tried.

'Because the Emperor is waiting for me and we can't keep him waiting with the excuse of your erratic hormones.'

Sky laughed unashamed as she scanned his naked body with a hint of longing. He knew she didn't want to go anywhere, ever again. And he wasn't helping the sacrifice, he knew that. But he couldn't stand being away from her now.

'Okay,' Sky muttered as he pulled himself up and grabbed his robes pulling his bottoms on. 'But that's because I know I'll have you after this is done.' He smiled shrugging on his top, then walking over placing his hand tenderly on Wu's waist pecking her lips lovingly.

Wu giggled. 'Let get out of here before you knock me up and I'm too pregnant to fight.' She made a face and took his hands leading him out towards the courtyard.

Silk Fox was clicking her tongue irritated as Wand Sky walked hand in and to their friends; Sky was quite pleased that her eyes narrowed on Wu and Sky's entwined fingers.

'I hope everyone recovered from their wounds?' Wu asked cheerfully, unable to keep the smile off her face.

Silk Fox rolled her eyes 'Yes, but we should not be waiting much longer to lick our wounds. Emperor Li is still waiting for you at the Palace.'

Wu nodded and looked at the Dragonfly for a long moment. They knew what they had to do.

Dawn Star walked over and touched Wu's shoulder. 'You're ready.'

The ride there was quiet; no one spoke as the Palace over the Imperial City came into view. Even Whirlwind chugged his wine silently.

They landed and it was quiet, Wu pulled her blade sensing the air. 'This is way too quiet everyone; this shouldn't be as easy as last time.'

Whirlwind laughed, 'If you thought the last time was easy, this is going to be more fun then even I hoped for!'

Wu rolled her eyes letting go of a nervous Sky's hand.

Suddenly the door to the elevator door opened, they tensed for the oncoming attack. But instead there stood a women Sky had seen once before.

'Great Mistress!' Sky and Wu shouted at the same time, Wu saw Sky smirk.

The Water Dragon nodded to them and then looked at Wu. Wu frowned and said. 'I don't understand, I thought I was supposed to kill Li.'

The Water Dragon nodded and then Wu's face went straight. 'I…okay. As you wish my Great Mistress, I will do as you command.'

With a spark of blue light the Water Dragon was gone, and Sky followed Wu with his eyes as she shoved Silk Fox to the ground and out of the way of the controls.

'Hey! What the hell!' Silk Fox hissed.

Wu shoved the lever down and the platform lurched to a stop. Everyone but Wu and Sky- Who held onto the railing- landed on their faces as the platform as the platform start to descend.

Dawn Star screamed as the platform went faster and faster towards the ground, Wu shot a look at Sky. This was probably what the Mistress had told her to do but…

'Whoa!' Wu flew back off of the controls towards the floor as the platform lurched to a stop. And fell back into Sky, landing on his chest on top of him. He felt his head crack against the stone, blood rushing forward.

'Are you okay?' Sky asked Wu pretending he wasn't panicking at the blood flow. Wu did not pretend.

'Oh no, Sky!' She screamed. Where the wound bled the most across his scalp, Wu pressing a lob of cloth to the back of his head tenderly. 'Are you alright?'

Sky smiled at Wu's obvious worry. 'Yeah, no big deal, it'll stop in a-hey!' She gripped his wound her hands going blue. He could feel it healing, just not all the way.

'Bah!' Wu made a disgusting sound to herself. 'That's the best I can do for now, just be sure that you cover it as your weakest point.' She commanded.

Sky opened his mouth to reply but Wild Flower shot does. 'Does anyone hear water rushing by?'

Everyone froze to listen to what sounded like a giant river rushing outwards; they walked slowly towards a door where the water was loudest.

'Wu, are you alright?' Dawn Star gripped her shoulder as Wu swayed and her eyes glazed over.

'Sky…' Wu whimpered as her hand stretched towards door.

'Yes?' Sky asked nervously. Wu shook her head and pointed to the door.

On the door there were four symbols. : A lotus, a flower, a star, and blue sky.

Wu looked completely out as she raised her hand to point at the door, and as if something had disconnected in her mind, she leaned forward swirling to the floor.

'Wu!' Sky caught her as Wu's eyes opened halfway and whispered in a cracked exhausted voice. 'sky to sky… flower to flower… star to star… lotus to lotus…' Her eyes shut again, and she whimpered.

'What does she mean sky to sky flower to flower and whatever?' Sky asked panicking to Dawn Star.

'I don't know it's a riddle of some kind. I have a feeling we have to prove ourselves to the Water Dragon.'

'Hey guys!'

Wild Flower had touched the door, exactly where the yellow wild flower had been carved. The Flower glowed yellow.

'Flower to Flower…' Sky whispered as dawn Star nodded and cautiously, touched the star…

It glowed pink as well.

Sky was fascinated. Star to Dawn Star, Flower to Wild Flower. Does that mean that the other two are…?

'It's the relation to Wu, I think.' Silk Fox said superiorly. She pointed to the glowing Star on the right side of the Lotus. 'That would be family. Considering you grew up like sisters for your whole lives.' She nodded to Dawn Star. 'The Sky represents you Sky.' Sky straightened nervously as she moves on to the blue wind carved on the door. 'Because you love her. You are the Lover.' She glared down at him, he smirked. How she wanted there to be a fox instead.

'Why am I up there then?' Wild Flower asked pointing to the flower under the Lotus.

Silk Fox smiled. 'Wu loves you as if you were her own child Wild Flower, we've all seen it. You would be The Daughter.'

The Black Whirlwind growled his fingers inching towards his axes. No doubt to cut down the door. 'Are we here to look at decoration or are we going to effing kill an Emperor?'

Dawn Star moved beside Silk Fox in awe. 'It's not decoration Whirlwind. It's almost like a prophecy.' Dawn Star explained the awe still thick in her voice. ' I think it means that Wu needs us all there, because it's the most important decision of them all.'

Hou shot a nervous look to Dawn Star, 'Only you, Sky, and Wild Flower are there, why do we have to go.'

Dawn Star shook her head. 'I've read about these. This is just the important combination. It could have been anyone. If I wasn't there Whirlwind, or silk Fox or Kang would have been as in The Friend. Hou you'd probably take Sky's place as The Father since your very maternal towards us.'

Hou shot a very kind hearted look towards the unconscious Wu.

'So that means, he gave Wu over to black Whirlwind and touched the sky on the door.

It glowed brighter, and it was a blue.

'I knew it!' Dawn Star cheered shaking Wu a tad.

Sky smiled at his best friend and his lover opening his arms as Dawn Star nudged Wu into place in Sky's arms. He twirled her to the door grabbing her wrist.

'Lotus for Lotus Blossom.'

The Lotus on the wall started streaming gold, like the morning sun after a rainfall. The door unhitched, and fell down in the opposite directions of them.

That's when they saw the horror.

A dragon, huge and blue curled in obvious agony, a wound cut open down her middle, water flowing out, a machine forcing the exposed heart to pump.

This was the body of the Water Dragon.

Wu came around then, her eyes fluttered and she stared at Sky's horrid and silent expression, then saw the gory sight herself.

'No…'

Suddenly the giant blue eye snapped open and wheeled on the giant dragon. It focused on Wu, and Wu jumped back, shocked.

'No!' Wu cried, almost as horrified then Sky by the thought that the Dragon was putting in her head.

'No! no! NO!' Wu screamed as she picked up a spear.

'Wu!' Sky screamed lurching towards Wu to stop her from killing the Water Dragon.

But he was to late, and she had let go.

The spear whirled towards the dragons heart, lethal and deadly. Sky, not bearing to watched closed his eyes tight.

There was an explosion.

And the machine around the Water Dragon's heart fell away.

An loud roar-ish groan and the Dragon swayed.

Wu spun on the spot, making her shoulder rip out of Sky's hand.

She ran over to the Water Dragon and closed her eyes, The Water Dragon cried again, and it shook the floor. Wu shook her head. 'I'm not killing you, forget that plan. I'm saving you.' Wu placed her hand on the Water Dragons face and closed her eyes.

Suddenly, Wu's blue crown appeared and a silent breeze suddenly played with Sky's hair as Wu became the star he knew. The breeze got stronger suddenly pushing Sky away from her as he blew into the rough stone wall.

Wu wasn't glowing like a star, she was shining like a sun.

A roar erupted, more powerful then before. Incorrect Sky thought, it was healthier, healed.

Wu had used Spirit Thief to save the water dragon.

Out of one of the giant windows the Dragon flew away, twisting and curling, as if waltzing in the air. No human was supposed to see it, but if the did… they were changed forever.

Wu and Sky walked passed the door way where all the Emperor's and Empress's were laid to rest. They were silent, half because they were both terrified, half because Sky's head pounded where they his sort of healed wound was.

Wu turned to him and whispered. 'Stay a safe distance behind me, I'll keep them off of you.' Her eyes thawed and he saw the worry in them.

Sky touched her face, rubbing it with her thumb. She closed her eyes as if to favour the moment. When she opened her eyes se kissed him quickly, and stalked off, letting them get distance in between them.

By the time Sky got to the tunnel Wu was already out of it, going up to the first platform.

The wall shook, and the door way shook and something let go. The door way to the throne room began to collapse.

'No!' Sky screamed. He sprinted towards the door way, rocks falling around him.

Then a basketball size rock hit him with a crushing force, reopening the his wound and cracking his skull, and also damaging his brain.

Sky hit the ground hard. Blood dripping down his face, as he lost feeling from the waist down.

He still dragged himself forward as Wu's voice rang in his ears, 'Sky! Sky!'

He leaned against the piled of rock curving against the stones to get close to his lover as possible, not bothering with his dead legs.

But stone was not what he wanted to feel in his last moments to breathe.

Something caught his eye, the women in Blue, the Water Dragon, looking at him across the tunnel. She looked sad, grieving, but also begging him to understand.

So he did.

It had to be this way, his death would be the last push Wu needed to defeat Li without mercy. She was an Open Palm. But she could not have mercy today.

It had to be this way.

Wu the Lotus Blossom:

How did one know when one's mate was dying? How could Wu hear Sky's faltering heart beat, his rough breathing when there was a wall of rock between them? How did she know that the moment he screamed, it was his last? Was it to torture her?

She sprinted over to the rocks, trying desperately to shift them, she could save him with Spirit Theif. She had to save him!

But alas, the rocks didn't move.

'Sky! Sky!' Wu sobbed as she slide down the rock, her ear pressed to the rock, desperate for a sound.

'It has to be this way.'

Wu pressed herself against the rock, just that tiny centemeter, that one inch, made her feel closer to him, as if she could save him from the far away.

'S…No, she would have told me…' Wu sobbed. 'Sky she would have told me!' This wasn't how it was supposed to end. They would be together for the rest of their lives.

'Would you have let this happen?" His voice was broken, through the pain of a breaking heart. Not the wound that was killing him, this Wu was sure of.

Wu thought about it for a moment, then leaned her forhead against the rock, the tears dripping off her nose. 'No.' She was certain, of course not. Her life meant nothing to her. But she would give her skill, her destiny, her soul, and her life to Sky.

Sky gave a weak, strained, wet chuckle. 'You know, I always pictured us…' He stopped for a second, and Wu's heart stopped. 'I always pictured us, somewhere beautiful, with children. And you as my wife.' A quiet sob broke through his voice.

'Okay! Sky Please!' Wu slammed against the rocks with her fists, the feeling of defeat spreading over the agony, pained acceptence. 'Stay..' Wu whispered. 'Stay, I'll give you a hundred children, just.. Stay.'

He gave no reply, though she still heard his heart beat.

'Wu… I… I was wondering something.' Wuturned her head to her knees, culing her arms there. ' Yes?'

'Remember that morning… that morning in the Lotus Assassin Lair?' He whispered, she could feel his life force start to slip.

Wu nodded, silent tears falling. 'Yes. Of course, my devotions.'

She could feel Sky grunt and rocks fall as he struggled to get closer to her, ' What did you say?'

Wu remembered this morning perfectly, because that night before was the night she discovered how much she was truly in love with him.

She smiled dispite herself, of all the things to ask for when your dying.

'Sky guide me. Sky teach me. Sky protect me. In your light I thrive. In your love I am sheltered. In your kindness I am humbled. I only live to love you. My life is yours.'

She listened to his heart beat towards his last. His breathing stretch to his last. She closed her eyes, and was with him for those last moments.

'Wu…' He whispered as her name came to a gargled stop.

For a second, she could see the Water Dragon curl her hand around his jaw, just for a second Wu saw the regret on his face that it wasn't hers.

Just for a moment, she felt herself float away. Only feeling this way once before. As if flying through the stars, across the moon, through the universe, towards the gods.

Just for a moment, Sky was at peace.