Nǐ hào dà jiā le! (Hello everyone!) Duìbùqǐ (sorry) for not updating in like a year. *bows several times* I got super sidetracked with Chén Qíng Lìng (The Untamed)(I might have rewatched it a few times *sweatdrop*) and then started watching more of Xiào Zhàn and Wáng Yībó's other dramas they've been in. Plus having a lot of hours at work and sidetracked by other things as well. *sweatdrop* But I recently started rereading this to refresh myself and have been working diligently to bring you another (very long) chapter to you. So hope you enjoy it!
(Also you will notice I added the different tone marks for the Chinese names for anyone not familiar with the names and their actual tones. I also added a few words in Mandarin as I've been working on learning Mandarin for over a year now. I know I've mentioned beginning to learn it and adding a few words in previous chapters, which I'll have to go back and edit to add the tones to and notes at the end of the chapters of the words. It'll just take me a moment to get those added in so thanks for your patience in advance. Anyways enjoy the chapter!)
-Chapter Fifteen-
Feeling warmth radiate from behind him as his senses started waking up, Xiè Lián noticed something warm holding him around his abdomen area and going up towards his chest. There was a soft warmth against his neck by his shoulder as the scent of Huā Chéng permeated his nose. The ever so slight steady beat of a heart could be felt from his back where the warmth radiated from.
Opening his eyes, Xiè Lián realised Huā Chéng was lying cuddled up right behind him. It brought a blush to his cheeks but he was also happy that the other teen was there just like he promised earlier that morning. He brought his hand to place against the hand that rested up on his chest under the blankets together.
Feeling Huā Chéng's fingers spread enough to let his fingers between his, they intertwined them together. The feel of soft lips pressing against the skin of his neck made Xiè Lián's cheeks flush with warmth.
"Xià wǔ hǎo, Gēgē," Huā Chéng whispered softly between kisses. Good afternoon. "Dream of me?"
"S-Sān Láng…." The younger teen could only blush more at the other boy's flirting like always. Especially since he was cuddling right up against him very intimately.
Giving a soft chuckle, the darker haired teen couldn't help but tease the other boy a little. He pulled back from him before rolling him onto his back. Then moving a little, he hovered over the other boy, leaned down, and captured his lips in a deep kiss.
"W-what time is it?" Xiè Lián asked after they'd broken the kiss and Huā Chéng had rested his forehead against his.
"About half past noon," the darker haired teen replied. "Your mother's been gone for a couple of hours. She's been worried about why you were still sleeping so late but didn't feel like waking you." Xiè Lián blinked wondering how he knew this. "I sent one of my butterflies to watch while you slept."
"Y-you did?" Xiè Lián's cheeks flushed with more warmth. The other boy nodded. "So they can heal and watch?"
"And attack anyone I wish them to amongst other abilities," Huā Chéng chuckled just before the other boy's stomach gave a small growl. "Looks like someone is hungry."
Kissing him once more, the dark haired teen reluctantly got up, dressed in his usual red outfit. He leaned over and scooped Xiè Lián up into his arms, despite the other boy blushing and giving a small protest that he didn't need to be carried.
"Nonsense. I owe it to you to make up for everything." Huā Chéng shook his head as he headed out of the younger teen's room. He did set Xiè Lián down by the bathroom so he could use it before taking him to the dining table.
Having the younger boy sit, Huā Chéng went about making food for them. As they ate, Xiè Lián gave a curious look at the food. He remembered back to that first day Huā Chéng had shown up talking about himself and ghosts and how his other friends had mentioned about being eaten by ghosts.
"So...then do you have to eat at all?" he asked curiously as the other teen looked at him. "I mean, to survive?"
"Not really. Food doesn't have any real nutritional value for a ghost like me," the dark haired teen replied before taking a bite, chewed, then swallowed. "However, it's still enjoyable to eat a meal, especially with you Gēgē."
Feeling his cheeks warm at his words, Xiè Lián gave a small smile. "Yeah. It is enjoyable, isn't it?" He gave a small chuckle as he took another bite.
Finishing up their food, Huā Chéng took care of the dishes to the sink to wash later. He pulled Xiè Lián to the living room instead and sat on the couch. The other teen sat facing him on his lap as he kissed him before leaning their foreheads against each other's for a few moments.
"Will you tell me everything now?" Xiè Lián spoke up as he pulled back a little and looked into the golden hazel eyes. "And you don't have to disguise yourself anymore."
Blinking, Huā Chéng averted his gaze for a moment, closed his eyes, and gave a small sigh. When he opened them again, his eyes had shifted to the two toned colours of black and red. He saw the younger teen give a small smile as he brought his hand up to touch gently under his right eye.
"So you really can't see out of this eye?" the lighter haired boy asked curiously. "Not even when you had them the other colour?"
Huā Chéng gave a shake of his head. "No. I can't at all."
"Then are you using magic to make it seem like it's there? Your eye?"
"Yes." He brought his hand up to cover his right eye for a moment. When he pulled it away, he had a black eyepatch over it just like he was wearing as Xiǎo Huā.
Bringing his hand up, Xiè Lián gently touched it. A look of curiosity flickered in his eyes that the darker haired boy could see.
"Why did you gouge it out?" He remembered he'd mentioned making his scimitar before. But he also mentioned he'd do so for his beloved that time they had been talking about relationships.
The obsidian coloured eye blinked before glancing away with the memory. "I went a bit mad. And I was pissed off." He slowly looked back at the chocolate gaze watching him. "I did it to get my revenge for your death."
"On those thieves?" He remembered him talking about that too.
"Yes." Huā Chéng gave a nod as he brought his hand up to rest over Xiè Lián's heart, feeling its steady throb. He pulled his lips into a thin line as he let his gaze linger on his hand.
"Will you tell me what happened?" The dark gaze rose to look at the curious one of the younger teen. "I want to know. Why did I die then?" He gave a small pause. "And what made you turn into a ghost?"
The obsidian gaze searched the chocolate one looking back. Flickers of memories ran across his mind as he pulled his lips into a thin line. He had promised to tell Xiè Lián everything after all. And he finally deserved to know.
"I became a ghost because of your death," Huā Chéng spoke up quietly as he lowered his gaze back to his hand still resting on the younger teen's chest. "A couple of days prior to your death, I was killed by those same thieves."
Xiè Lián gave a small gasp as a surprised look crossed his features.
"You, Mù Qíng, and Fēng Xìn had left to go collect some more scraps and items needed for the place you three, your cousin, and I lived," he continued. "I wanted to go with you but you had said to stay and watch the place. And look out for Xiǎo Jìng." He made a slightly annoyed face. "I hated Xiǎo Jìng, to be honest. Whenever you weren't around, he teased and beat me up. But I always kept it to myself because I didn't want you to send me away. After all, he was your cousin. Your only blood family left. Your parents had been killed during the attack on the royal capital during the civil war. I only knew this because you'd told me they'd died during the fighting as you were leaving the capital. Though you never said they were the emperor and empress directly.
"So I stayed reluctantly. Besides, Fēng Xìn and Mù Qíng could protect you better than I could. They actually knew how to fight. Xiǎo Jìng harassed me a bit after you left but I tried to ignore him the best I could. The next day, he was outside when some thieves came by looking for stuff to take. He liked to wear his robes he wore when he was still in the palace and they must have recognised that.
"When they tried to steal his clothes and jewellery he wore, I ran out to try to help him. Even if I hated him, I couldn't just let him be hurt because you had entrusted me to watch over him. And I'd do anything you said." He gave a pause as he closed his eye and sighed before opening it again. "Since I didn't know how to fight well yet and they did, I wasn't a match for them. Especially since they were a lot bigger and stronger. They kicked and beat me down, even worse than Xiǎo Jìng did, then stabbed me. They left me to slowly bleed to death as they decided to kidnap your cousin and hand him to Yǒng'ān troops.
"I don't know how long I laid there, unable to move, before I died. I just know pain mixing with sadness because I never got to tell you how I really felt towards you. Or that I wasn't able to follow your one simple request to watch over your cousin. It was those regrets that turned me into a weak ghost fire, unable to move on. I wandered around the area trying to find signs of where Xiǎo Jìng had been taken so that way I could try to tell you. Maybe Mù Qíng or Fēng Xìn would be able to save him since it was already too late for me.
"When I managed to get back to the place we stayed, I found the thieves having returned and ambushed you three. They'd brought more of their friends and had overpowered Mù Qíng and Fēng Xìn, killing Mù Qíng quickly after being subdued. I watched helplessly as they stabbed you when you tried to stop them from killing Fēng Xìn. The blow was fatal. Fēng Xìn was killed right afterwards. They laughed as they ransacked the place and took anything valuable, including your robes you wore as a prince that were inside.
"After they left, all I could do was hover over you. You were barely alive, reaching up to me, recognising who I was somehow. A sad smile was on your lips and you told me you were sorry before calling me by the name you'd given me. Then you closed your eyes and died."
Xiè Lián gave a blink as his eyes went wide at the emotional story he was being told. The look of sadness was clear on Huā Chéng's face.
"What name did I give you?" he spoke up after a moment in curiosity. That dark eye looked up at him again as a small smile, albeit sad, barely tugged his lips upwards.
"Xiǎo Huā." Those chocolate eyes blinked in surprise. "When we met just over a year and a half prior to that day you were killed, I had run away from home. My mother was the only one that treated me well. My father and my two older brothers did nothing but mistreat and abuse me. I hated it. I also was bullied all the time by the other children and villagers where I lived because of my eyes. I was born with my right eye red. A birth defect in today's standards but seen as being a monster back then.
"When my mother died, it was agony. My life became a living hell even worse than before. I finally got fed up with it and went to some cliffs that I was going to jump off of and commit suicide. But I didn't realise down below you were out gathering wood in the forest. You looked up as I was falling and had managed to jump up and caught me in your arms, saving my life."
Brown eyes widened in surprise again as he could see the agony in that dark eye before Huā Chéng turned his head away slightly. He pulled his lips into a thin line for a moment as he closed his eye. When he opened it, he turned his gaze back up to the younger teen.
"I was a little upset but I also wondered why you had bothered to even save me. I admitted I didn't even want to bother going on living. What was the purpose of living and what was its meaning when nothing ever went right in my life?" He paused, looking down at his hand still against Xiè Lián's heart before looking back into those brown eyes. "You told me if I couldn't find a reason to live, then to take you as my reason. If I couldn't find the meaning of living, then take you as the meaning of my life.
"You, a perfect stranger telling me this, surprised me. I didn't know what to think. Were you a crazy fool? Or was this just another thing that life had thrown at me; to laugh and beat me down again after giving me false hope?
"You also invited me to come home with you to get something to eat. I was pretty skinny since my family made sure to barely feed me. I was used to being hungry all the time. But when you gave me a dumpling, I ended up eating it down quickly. I thought maybe I could at least get some food and think on your words you'd told me. But I still thought you were a little crazy for saying such nonsense.
"I hadn't told you my name so when you asked, I merely looked away. I hated my family and I didn't want to go back or be reminded of them. So you asked if you could give me a new one and chose Xiǎo Huā and said your name was Huā Xiè. It surprised me that you'd give me your family name, but you said if I had nowhere to go, that I could stay with you."
"I really did that?" Xiè Lián asked in surprise as Huā Chéng gave a nod.
"So I decided I'd go with you and found you living with the other three. They weren't exactly thrilled but you reminded them that when in hard times, it was good to be kind to each other because you never know what they're going through. I didn't realise you were talking about yourselves because you used your alias names instead of your real ones.
"I'd fallen asleep at some point after eating enough to fill me up since I hadn't eaten much in a while. Mù Qíng had made the food that particular time citing that if you had made it, it might have killed me from tasting so bad." He paused, giving a small chuckle.
"After a little while, I'd woken up but continued to lay there pretending to sleep listening to you discuss the situation dealing with me. Fēng Xìn had slipped up and used your real name and 'your highness' instead of your alias. It took me a moment to realise that you were Tàizǐ Diànxià of Xiānlè. I'd heard the rumours in the village about how there had been an overthrow of the royal family by the Yǒng'ān kingdom half a year prior to meeting you. They'd said everyone of the royal family had perished and yet there you were. Someone who had had everything and now had nothing. And yet, you stood there with a smile on your face after having saved a perfect stranger's life.
"It was at that moment I decided I'd listen to your words you'd said after catching me. You became my reason to keep living because you gave me a second chance. You all became like a family to me in a way. Even if Xiǎo Jìng was a jerk, it was at least better than home with my family and the villagers that I'd left behind in another village. I wanted to protect you, even at the cost of my life. At least then, it would be worth dying for the one I came to fall in love with.
"However I never told you that I'd overheard that conversation and realised who you were. I kept it to myself knowing that if someone came along asking questions, I wouldn't give anything away.
"Over the time I stayed with you, you started to teach me how to read and write a bit and Fēng Xìn did try to teach me how to use a sword. I wasn't nearly as good with it as I wanted to be. But you found a scimitar on one of your outings and splurged a little to give it to me to have me try and learn with that. I was surprised and grateful for it.
"Finally it felt like my life was looking better and that maybe all my bad luck up until that moment was nothing but a bad dream." He gave a pause. "But then that day happened with those thieves killing me, kidnapping your cousin, and you returning and being killed. The pain and agony of watching you die like that transformed me from just a weak ghost fire into a Fierce rank.
"While I was still weak, I was stronger than I was as a ghost fire. And it also gave me my human form back. I was able to finally hold your lifeless body for a while before my anger and madness set in. I knew what I wanted to do to avenge you. At that moment, I gouged out my eye and created È-mìng, my scimitar. Then I went after those thieves."
Closing his eye again and giving a small sigh, Xiè Lián could see the pain cross his features as his hand on his chest closed a little while remaining there. When he opened his eye again, it held a sadness to it, but also a hint of anger at the memories.
"I found where they were staying. They were quite surprised to see me since a few actually recognised me as my form initially was that of how I looked when I died. Though the only difference at that time was that I was so pissed off, my remaining eye had taken on its own red colour."
"R-really?" Xiè Lián gave a blink as the other teen nodded. "Can I see?" The black eye blinked at him. "Please?"
Sighing, Huā Chéng gave a nod before giving a blink. As he opened his eye again, the darkened iris turned into a glowing red one. The younger teen stared in awe. It really did make him look more like a terrifying ghost that way. Huā Chéng merely gave another blink as his eye shifted back to obsidian.
"Since I still didn't have as much strength as them, despite being a Fierce, È'mìng took on the fight for me. I was able to command it to fly through the air at my targets, slicing them wherever I wanted. Given I was in a state of angered madness, I wanted them to suffer my wrath. Slowly. Painfully. They ran and scattered but they couldn't outrun È'mìng. By the time I finished dealing with them, I'd ranked up through to a Severe.
"Once my revenge was complete, I returned to you and the other two. I was still distraught at losing you. My reasoning to live was gone and I wanted to die again so maybe I could join you wherever your spirit may have gone.
"However a fortune teller that was travelling through happened to see me holding your lifeless body. She realised I was a ghost but somehow saw that I was in pain of losing you too. She took pity and gave me a reading of what she foresaw, which stunned even myself at the time."
"What did she see?"
"That your and my fates were still interwoven together by a red ribbon. You would be reborn again sometime in the near future, however, you would have no memory of the life you had as Tàizǐ Diànxià. So in a way, you would start over and if I could find you again, I could have my second chance. She couldn't say when or where you would be reborn but if I remained patient, I would meet you again."
"How would you know that it was me though? I mean, did she say anything about how to tell? There's so many people and I'm sure I wouldn't look the same."
Huā Chéng gave a small smile at how true Xiè Lián's words were. "I asked her those same questions. She told me to follow my instincts and look for the red string of fate."
"The red string of fate?" This got the brown eyed boy to blink in confusion. He remembered the fortune teller at the Ghost Festival had mentioned a red ribbon.
Huā Chéng moved his right hand away from Xiè Lián's chest as he brought it up for the other boy to look at. As he did, there was a red string wrapped around his ring finger a few times and tied securely. Brown eyes blinked at it. It was then Xiè Lián vaguely recalled that night in the cave that Huā Chéng had the same red string tied around his finger in the same spot.
"Only I could spot the matching red string on your reborn self," Huā Chéng continued as he brought his right hand down to lift Xiè Lián's left hand in his. He ran his thumb gently over the younger teen's ring finger as a matching one appeared on him. His eyes widened in surprise at this as Huā Chéng intertwined their fingers together. "There was this feeling I felt within me that knew who you were. Like the missing half of me." He paused as he put his left hand over Xiè Lián's heart again. "Like a beat to my heart that had stopped with my death as a human."
Xiè Lián gave a small blush before bringing his right hand up to Huā Chéng's chest where he could feel the steady throbbing beat in his chest. He gave a furrow of his brow in confusion.
"I don't understand though. If your heart stopped beating as a ghost, then why does it now?"
"It's part of my magic and alter ego," Huā Chéng replied. "Take on a human form so well that even other ghosts and the gods can't distinguish if I'm human or not." He gave a chuckle. "Only a Supreme like me can do that so flawlessly though, as I've been told. Wraths can attain somewhat of a deception but there's still things that can give them away."
"Like what?"
"Palm prints are one way," the dark haired teen replied as he pulled his hand away from Xiè Lián's chest and turned it palm up. "Someone who can read the lines for your fortune would notice something is wrong with a ghost who can't make proper prints."
"Wait...then that fortune teller at the Ghost Festival…?"
"She was pretty good. But even my disguise was enough to make her think I was human. Like I said, even the gods can't tell the difference very well." He gave another chuckle. "But she wasn't wrong on anything she saw."
"What about those talismans you wrote on the umbrella to ward off the ghosts in the forest?"
"I made those up," Huā Chéng chuckled. "I only used the umbrella as a way to keep you close. The other ghosts in the woods wouldn't have dared come close unless they wished for their demise. As I said before, they usually know when they're up against a higher level than them. If they're stupid enough to attack, they'll be killed quickly."
Xiè Lián gave a blink at this before furrowing his brow a little. "Okay so this fortune teller told you I would be reborn and you'd get a second chance. Even with this ability to find me, I wouldn't have my memories of you. I'd have no clue who you were. So how could that be a second chance?"
"I wondered that too during the time I waited for you to be reborn," Huā Chéng replied. "The only way would be to meet you, befriend you, and go from there."
"But my whole personality could have been vastly different from when I was the prince."
"True. I also realised this was a possibility. So I decided I'd test to see how different you were to various things and situations." He gave a small pause. "Your first life I found you living in a quiet village with your parents. It had been over a decade since you'd died as Tàizǐ Diànxià. Your name and face were a bit different, but I knew it was you.
"During the decade of waiting, I decided to continue learning to read and write a bit like you had begun showing me. I also kept learning how to fight with È'mìng. I wanted to become stronger so that way this time I could properly protect you. I didn't want to lose you again.
"I could shapeshift a little by the time I met your first reincarnation. However, I wasn't that good yet. I could only shift to a younger version of myself for a little while, but it was enough to be able to become your friend when you got a little older as a kid around five or six.
"Your personality seemed similar to what you were like when I had known you as Huā Xiè. Your parents also were nice and generous. Ironically, there were also two other boys that were around your age that were your friends too. They seemed protective of you at times and I realised that it was quite possible they were Mù Qíng and Fēng Xìn also having reincarnated. After all, they had sworn to protect you. I had to give them credit for following through on their promise, even if they didn't remember anything of their previous lives either.
"Everything was great it seemed as I got to know you better and thought maybe this was my second chance like the fortune teller had said. Despite having gained more power, my shifting ability still needed work. A Taoist priest came through the village one day and sensed who I was while in my child-like form playing with you and the other children. Some of the villagers were watching, including your parents, when the priest pointed me out. He used a talisman to reveal my older form, that of what you see now.
"The villagers became scared of me, uncertain what my purpose of being there was and disguising myself as a child. They feared I wanted to take their children away after getting them to trust me. The priest started to attack, trying to ward me off. As much as I wanted to fight back, that would only prove them right that I was dangerous. I mean, I was dangerous, but I didn't want to be towards them. So I ran from town. If it meant you were safe, I'd keep my distance until you grew older and come back as my normal self and try to befriend you again.
"Keeping my eye on the village from a distance, I did wander a little to learn different stuff. I was away from the village for a couple of months when I felt something off with my connection to you. When I returned, the village had been destroyed."
"D-destroyed?" Xiè Lián gave a blink of surprise as Huā Chéng pulled his lips into a thin line and nodded.
"There had been a Wrath ranked ghost that had come through causing havoc in a neighbouring village as well. He killed many of the villagers, including most of the children. You, your parents, and Mù Qíng and Fēng Xìn's reincarnations were amongst them. I was devastated that I'd lost my second chance to be with you. I swore revenge once again and went to hunt down the ghost.
"At this time, I still was just at a lower Severe level. So going up against a stronger ghost was basically suicide. But at that point, I didn't care. I was pissed off he took you away, just like those thieves had the first time. I admit, I got pretty beat up in the process of fighting against him but I still won in the end. However, it did take its toll on my spiritual powers. I was drained to the point of dying once again and with my purpose of living taken away from me since you had died, I wanted to give up.
"Just before I decided to end my existence, I felt it. That same feeling I'd had the first time you had been reincarnated. Like that missing heartbeat. So it hadn't been just the one extra chance. It was a third chance."
"So you just needed to find me again?" Xiè Lián asked, blinking.
"Yes. But remember, I was very weak after fighting that Wrath. I had to lay low for a while to recover. By the time I was able to go searching, it had been a few years. When I was on my way to find you, I felt that sense of you being alive disappear again. Somehow I knew that your life had ended before I had a chance to meet up with you once more. It devastated me again to know I'd lost another chance. But this time, I didn't want to give up like before. If there had been a third chance, what was to say there couldn't be a fourth? So I wandered and waited as time passed by for that feeling to return. In the meantime, I again honed my skills with fighting, learned more with reading, and tried to get stronger. That way I could protect you the next time we met again."
"How long was it until I reincarnated again?"
"Several decades. I almost was on the verge of giving up hope, however, I remained persistent to keep moving forward. But each day without you seemed like an eternity to me. By the time I felt that heartbeat sensation again, I'd managed to barely make Wrath rank on the lowest level. I'd managed to get a bit stronger but I still didn't feel like it was enough. However, I'd try to find you anyway and make it right.
"I found you when you were around six years old living in another quiet village, similar to your first reincarnation. Loving parents and quite a few friends, including the reincarnations of your other two loyal servants again. This time you looked a little more like you had as Tàizǐ Diànxià. Your name was even the same this time. I was a little hesitant at approaching you since I was afraid of a repeat of the first time but I didn't want to lose this chance either.
"Taking on my child form again, I managed to befriend you and we became almost inseparable. Then one day we were sitting out in the fields together near dinner for you. You said you had a gift for me and held up a red pearl on a red ribbon. It was your most precious treasure you had."
He paused, letting go of the younger teen's hand and pulled a lock of his hair forward. As he ran his hand down it, the red ribbon and pearl appeared, similar to the one that Xiè Lián had braided into his hair for the Ghost Festival. Xiè Lián gave a blink as Huā Chéng cradled it between his fingers; a soft smile on his lips.
"I tried to refuse it because I didn't feel really worthy of it at that time. But you told me we'd be the best of friends forever before braiding it messily into my hair just like this." He gave another twist to the lock of hair in his fingers. "I honestly didn't know what to say but I was happy. Around that time, your mother called for you to come get dinner. You were a little disappointed that you had to go home but you told me goodbye before running off. I promised myself that I would find you something just as special to give in return some day.
"I thought every day about what I could give you but nothing sounded perfect. It wasn't until another ghost who had wandered through town approached me. I was on my guard since the last one caused a ruckus. But this one wasn't looking for a fight. She said there was a tradition in the Ghost Realm that if a ghost entrusts their bone ashes to someone they trust, that's a symbol of ultimate loyalty."
"Their bone ashes?" This got Xiè Lián to blink in curiosity. "What makes them so special?"
"Because if they are destroyed, you destroy the ghost."
Xiè Lián gave a blink at those words. Now he understood why Huā Chéng had said destroyed instead of die when they had been talking about someone they loved the most.
"So if that trust is abused and the ashes destroyed….that would be so heartbreaking." Brown eyes gave a saddened look.
"Which is why not many actually do so because they're afraid of having that trust broken."
"Did you ever give them to me?"
"You were still young enough that I didn't want to have your parents wonder what they were and do something to them. So I decided I'd wait until you were a little older to give them. By then, maybe you'd somehow feel the same I did towards you." He blushed a little as he averted his gaze for a moment but a small flicker of sadness passed through his eye.
"Something happened again, didn't it?" Xiè Lián asked, noticing the flicker of sadness as the dark eye looked back at him.
"Yes. A couple of years later, I felt a calling pulling me towards something. It was around the time of the gates being opened to the City of Gu for the Kiln."
"Kiln?"
"On Mount Tónglú, every hundred years or so, there's this contest inside its borders where ghosts from Fierce to Wrath gather. Ghosts compete by fighting and killing each other outside of the Kiln as they travel towards it. Those that make it there are in the heart of the mountain, which is a volcano. The last one standing within the Kiln and able to break out will gain the rank of Devastation and ultimately be able to become a Supreme and Ghost King."
"What happens if they can't break out?"
"They'll suffocate and burn to ash."
Xiè Lián gave a blink to him in surprise. "And you went?"
"Yes. I hated to leave you but I knew if I made it there, I could become strong enough to protect you. So I left and made my way there. I was able to beat the lower ranked ghosts fairly easily but it got increasingly harder as I got closer to the Kiln. I admit, there were a few times I had some narrow escapes from battles of other stronger ghosts, but I kept my thoughts on you. I would return to you and make things right this time.
"Making it to the Kiln, it pushed my limits to the max but I persevered. I managed to make it out of the Kiln, thus gaining the rank of Devastation and earned the Supreme status. With my newfound powers and increased strength, I knew I should be able to protect you properly this time.
"However, it took around fourteen years to achieve this. You were a young man now and I was half afraid you had found someone else to settle down with. But I travelled back to the village to find you."
"Did I find someone like you thought?"
Huā Chéng shook his head. "No. You were still alive, but barely." The younger teen furrowed his brow in confusion. "Sickness had broken out in the area and taken quite a few lives with it. You had fallen ill and medicine wasn't helping at all.
"I came to your side and was surprised you remembered me." He gave a small twist to the lock of braided hair again. "You told me you were happy I was still alive and that you missed me all these years wondering where I'd been at. I reluctantly accepted the fact you didn't have much time left so I told you the truth about who I was. I wanted to tell you how much you meant to me so I handed you my bone ashes and told you their meaning. You smiled, happy to know that I trusted you so much."
Trailing off, Huā Chéng averted his gaze as he squeezed the red plaited braid in his hand and closed his eye. Xiè Lián could see the pain on his face. He reached his hand up to his cheek as the obsidian eye opened full of sadness.
"You died in my arms with a smile on your face holding my ashes. It just about broke my heart completely. I finally had obtained the power to protect you from humans and other ghosts, however, I had no power over death itself. I couldn't stop something like a disease from infecting and killing you that way. It was beyond my abilities.
"I realised no matter how many times you were reborn, you were still mortal. You'd eventually grow old and die unless a disease took your life first. So I decided that as much as I loved you, I wouldn't try to make you love me back in the same way. However, I kept my oath to myself that I'd keep watch over you no matter the amount of times you reincarnated. I'd protect you with my life each time.
"In the meantime while waiting for you to reincarnate again, I set out with my bone ashes in hand. I worked on perfecting my powers, established Guǐ Shì, and making a name for myself. Mostly because I also contested the gods and why they felt they had to make you suffer like this. Could they not just allow you to be with me and let us live in peace?
"Time went on and you reincarnated a few more times with many decades between each death. I watched from a distance but never strayed close enough so I wouldn't feel the pain of losing you as bad. Even so, it still hurt with every time you died."
"If you had thought of all that and decided to keep me at a distance, why did you come to me as Xiǎo Huā?"
Huā Chéng gave a blink before glancing away and furrowing his brow a little. "Honestly, I've asked myself that too but I suppose I wanted to try again because I missed being able to interact with you. I wanted to give it another try."
"So why did you leave?"
Huā Chéng gave a blink remembering how Xiè Lián had been curious but not upset about it. He just wanted to know the reasoning behind him leaving.
"The Kiln opened again," he replied quietly as he glanced away, pulling his lips into a thin line. "Every time it opens, I go to try to stop any other ghost from making it to Devastation rank." He gave a small hmph. "This world doesn't need another Supreme. Bái Wūxiāng is imprisoned from him causing way too much ruckus in the past. He was a handful to try to handle. It was really one of the only times I decided to help the Heavenly Realm deal with him while waiting for you to reincarnate again."
"What about Hè Xuán? Or Qī Róng?"
"Hè Xuán and I have a truce. Besides, he owes me more than enough money so he doesn't make much of a ruckus lest I decide to take back all the debt he owes me at once." He gave a small heh. "And Qī Róng….well he knows not to mess with me or anyone else."
"Didn't you say you kicked his ass once when we were talking about yourself after you showed up at school the first time?"
Huā Chéng gave a laugh. "Oh yes. I certainly did. You remember the lair of the ghost I destroyed where I said I saw a lone flower struggling in the blood rain which earned me the name Xuè Yǔ Tàn Huā?" Xiè Lián nodded. "That was his lair." He gave another laugh. "His face was priceless when I showed up and beat his ass. He'd been deserving of that beating for a long while."
"Why? Did he do something to you?"
"Do you remember how I said your cousin, Xiǎo Jìng, had been kidnapped and probably taken to Yǒng'ān Kingdom because he was one of the royals of Xiānlè?"
"Yeah….." Brown eyes blinked then widened in surprise. "Wait...Xiǎo Jìng became Qī Róng?"
"Yep. It turned out that after being kidnapped, he had been brought to an outpost of Yǒng'ān soldiers and tortured to death. He resented and despised them so much that it turned him into a ghost. Over time, he was able to ascend through the ranks to make Wrath, but he's too much of a coward to fight in Mount Tónglú.
"Once I'd heard about him after becoming a Supreme, I wanted to see what he was all about since his name he kept was that of his real name of Qī Róng. I wasn't sure if it was a coincidence or what. As soon as I saw him, I knew who he was. So I decided to pay him back for all the times he decided to mess with me while you, Fēng Xìn, and Mù Qíng were away." He gave a laugh again. "Honestly, that was a lot of fun."
"Well….I guess he sort of deserved it if he did all that to you," Xiè Lián chuckled slightly. He sobered then furrowed his brow. "So why did you pick the name Huā Chéng instead of Xiǎo Huā?"
"Because of you." Brown eyes blinked. "Your alias name, Huā Xiè and how you sort of shared your family name with me as Xiǎo Huā. Besides, I don't think being called Little Flower would have been as ominous sounding. So I adopted Huā as my surname to honour you. I wanted to be strong like a city could be large. One that could protect you no matter what. So I decided on Huā Chéng."
Xiè Lián blushed slightly as he averted his gaze. So everything Huā Chéng had done, including naming himself, had been all for him and his past life. He understood now about everything. It made his heart ache knowing all the pain that Huā Chéng had gone through just to be with him today.
"Can I ask you something then?" Huā Chéng raised his eyebrow. "You said Qī Róng kept his real name from when he was a prince as his ghost name. And you changed your name to Huā Chéng instead of Xiǎo Huā. But I gave you Xiǎo Huā because you didn't want to go by the name you were given." He gave a small pause as he glanced down. "So...would you tell me what your name was before I met you then? I mean….if you don't want to, I'll understand."
Huā Chéng looked at him for a moment then gave a small sigh. Brown eyes looked up at him again. "Because my right eye was red, I was given the name Hóng." Xiè Lián blinked. "But my mother used to call me Hóng'er."
"Hóng." Xiè Lián smiled softly as he reached his left hand up and gently touched the patch over Huā Chéng's right eye. "I like it." The dark haired teen gave a blink. "Is that why you chose to wear red then?"
"Partially." He gave a small smile. "Also partially because the beautiful red of your one robes and to show my love and devotion to you." He gave a small pause. "And because as soon as I died and became a ghost, my luck sort of changed. As a human, my luck was always bad. But since becoming a ghost, I'm very lucky with just about everything." He brought his hand up to the younger teen's chest over his heart. "Though, it seemed your luck after you died as Tàizǐ Diànxià only seemed to become bad."
Xiè Lián gave his words some thought for a moment. Given how many times he'd died and been reborn, it was evident that his luck wasn't the greatest.
"So why did you decide to show up at school and call yourself Sān Láng? Why not return as Xiǎo Huā?"
The dark eye watching the younger teen blinked as he gave a small eh heh of a laugh. "I suppose I could have, but I didn't know how you would react to having your old friend suddenly come back after being away all that time. It was easier to start over with a new identity." He paused as he glanced away. "I never expected much to happen, just like with the other times. After all, your life was always cut too short, too soon. Besides the life you had when you passed away in my arms, you never lived much past seventeen or eighteen. Some were merely at a child's age, like the first one I told you about." He paused looking back into those brown eyes again. "And now that we're at this point, I...I don't want….I can't…." He clenched his jaw as he closed his eye; a painful expression crossing his features. "I can't lose you."
The feeling of soft hands cupping his cheeks had him open his eye again to look at the brown gaze looking back. "You won't lose me. Not this time." He leaned forward and kissed him for a moment before gazing into his eye again. "Didn't you hear the fortune teller at the Ghost Festival?" Huā Chéng gave a furrow of his brow. "She said there will be blessed fortune to us both that will be everlasting. So that means that this time something will be different, right?"
Blinking, Huā Chéng furrowed his brow again. He did recall her saying something about things being different. "But, I don't understand how they could be different." He pulled his lips into a thin line as he brought his right hand up to Xiè Lián's chest, feeling the steady throb of his heart again. "You're still a mortal human. The only way you'd attain immortality would be to ascend as a god."
"Or become a ghost like you."
The obsidian eye widened at the younger teen's words. He gave a shake of his head.
"Why not?"
"Do you know what it takes to become a ghost?" The younger teen shook his head. "Pain, regret, and bitterness so strong that your soul can't rest in peace." He gave a small pause as he lowered his gaze and voice. "Though, I pray to never rest in peace so long as I know you are in this world and that you'll be reborn again and again. All I want is to protect you and only you." He raised his gaze back to widened brown eyes. "Forever." He gave a small smile. "That's what keeps me in this world. You. Only you."
Xiè Lián gave a blink before averting his gaze at Huā Chéng's words. He hadn't thought about that aspect with being a ghost. Or the reason why Huā Chéng stayed wandering for so long. Never wanting to rest because of him. That sort of dedication for over a thousand years.
"Then my reason would be to make you happy," Xiè Lián spoke up as he looked back at the dark iris watching him. "How many times have I died and how many years have you been waiting before we got to this point?" He put a hand to the stunned teen's cheek. "You've suffered too much for too long to just throw it all away and start over again." He glanced away as he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Besides, next time I might not be the same as I am now."
Huā Chéng gave a blink at his words. What the younger teen had spoken was true. After all, he'd told Xiè Lián himself that his feelings for Diànxià Xiè Lián and this Xiè Lián were different. That having them reciprocated felt nice. Even back with the Xiè Lián that had died in his arms after telling him the truth of who he was hadn't told him he'd felt the same before dying. He was merely happy to have been someone important to Huā Chéng to entrust his bone ashes to.
Giving a small sigh, he had Xiè Lián stand up. Huā Chéng took a couple of steps back from him as he used his magic to shift back into his normal form. Brown eyes blinked as he looked to Huā Chéng now looking just as he did that night in the cave, though he still kept the eye patch on over his right eye.
Going to one knee, he bowed his head a little before raising it to look up at the teen. He reached out, taking Xiè Lián's left hand where the red string was still showing tied around his finger. Bringing up his left hand in a small fist, he hovered it over the younger boy's hand. As he moved his hand back, a clear crystal looking ring on a silver chain sat in his palm.
"Gēgē...no…Xiè Lián…I gift you with my most precious treasure."
Xiè Lián blinked as he looked to the ring in his hand then to Huā Chéng as he continued to kneel there in front of him. His cheeks flushed a little at the meaning of this, but also the words that the other had used. Huā Chéng's most precious treasure. His bone ashes.
"Xiè Lián….will you be mine for now and always?"
Chocolate eyes blinked in surprise at the words being spoken. He was being proposed to with a ring all at once. His cheeks flushed with warmth as his heart sped up a little.
"Y-yes…." His voice was barely a whisper from the shock before he spoke up more firmly. "Yes, I'll be yours, Sān Láng." He gave a slight pause. "Or...Huā Chéng…"
Smiling and feeling giddy inside, Huā Chéng stood back up before pulling Xiè Lián into his embrace and kissed him. He pulled back, placing his forehead against the other teen's. "I'd prefer it if you called me Sān Láng."
"Okay, Sān Láng." He gave a small smile before wrapping his arms up around Huā Chéng's shoulders and pulled him in for another kiss. Huā Chéng wrapped his arms around his back and pulled him closer.
Breaking the kiss after a moment, Huā Chéng picked up Xiè Lián in his arms. The other boy gave a small squeak as he wrapped his arms up around the red clad youth's neck, keeping hold of the ring on the chain. Huā Chéng then turned and headed back down to the younger teen's room and set him down again by his desk. The other boy gave a small blink of curiosity at him.
"You should get dressed. I want to go out and celebrate, Gēgē," Huā Chéng said with a smile.
"Celebrate?"
"You know. On a date." This got the other teen to blush slightly. "You can pick anywhere you want to go."
"O-okay." He looked down at the ring still in his hand then up at the dark eye looking at him. "I really don't want to risk losing it or having it get destroyed." He furrowed his brow as he looked at it closer. "Is it….glass?"
Huā Chéng gave a chuckle. "Diamond actually." Brown eyes stared at him in surprise. "Well, ashes are made of carbon, which is the basic element to make diamonds. Besides, it's a lot easier to handle than a jar that could be dropped and broken."
"I guess it is." The lighter haired teen smiled before setting the ring and chain down on his desk. He went to his bookshelf where an ornate looking box in red sat next to the book he'd gotten from Guǐ Shì.
Picking it up, he brought it over to his desk and set it down beside the ring. Opening it up, Huā Chéng saw the red pearl earring sitting on top of a picture inside. Xiè Lián took the earring out and picked up the picture. It was of his mother, father, and himself when he was still young.
"This is the only picture I have left of my father when we were still happy," he said quietly.
"What happened to the other ones?"
"My mother either burned them or cut him out of all of them shortly after he left," he replied with a small sigh. "She was very upset and wanted to erase his memory as much as possible. I managed to take this one when she wasn't looking."
Setting it down beside the earring, Xiè Lián picked up another picture. Huā Chéng gave a small smile as he looked at a younger Xiè Lián, Nán Fēng, and Fú Yáo.
"This was one of the first pictures I got with those two after we'd become friends," the younger teen smiled. "We've gotten quite a lot since then."
Setting that down, Huā Chéng blinked as the younger teen picked up a pressed flower that looked to be encompassed in tape on a red piece of paper. It was a very familiar flower. The same flower that they'd picked out to leave at the red ribbon tree, just like Xiè Lián had said that day they picked them out.
"I told you that I saved it," the younger teen smiled softly. "Had I known how to preserve stuff with resin at the time, I would have put it in something like that." He gave a pause before pulling it away from what he also held in his hand behind it.
Looking at the picture in his hands, Huā Chéng saw himself in his child form as Xiǎo Huā and a young Xiè Lián. They were laying beside each other napping in the shade under the tree in the backyard. He gave a blink before looking at the other boy in surprise.
"My father actually got this," Xiè Lián chuckled a little, seeing the stunned look on the other's face. "That day when Mom was out shopping, he was watching us, and when we'd fallen asleep he grabbed the camera and took it. I just remember after that day, he came to me and smiled, giving me the picture. He told me to hang onto it since it was an important memory to have. So I put it in my trinket box I had at the time before I got this one." He gave a smile while blushing a little. "It's one of my favourites to be honest."
Pulling that one away from another he held in his hand, Huā Chéng looked at another picture of them together. This time they were awake but in the backyard. There was a cake in front of Huā Chéng, who was blushing a little as Xiè Lián grinned his cute, cheesy kid grin beside him.
"Remember this?" Xiè Lián chuckled at the surprised look in that dark eye. "You told me your birthday was coming up and I decided to throw you a party." He gave a small chuckle. "You were so surprised by it."
"I was." Huā Chéng gave a small chuckle. "To be honest, it was the first time I'd really ever celebrated my birthday with you."
"I didn't celebrate it with you in my Diànxià life?"
"You did. It wasn't as elaborate since there wasn't a whole bunch of extra food or money to do anything, but you did celebrate it." He gave a small smile. "It was one of the only times you had put on your prince robes to celebrate." This time he gave a small blush. "You wanted to make it festive by doing a dance you had learned growing up in the palace. The others weren't exactly thrilled you were showing off but it honestly made me really happy. It was the only birthday I had ever enjoyed as a human." He looked at the picture and smiled. "Just like that time was one of the only times I've ever celebrated my birthday and enjoyed it after becoming a ghost." He paused before pulling Xiè Lián in for a kiss. "Xiè xie for that day by the way, Gēgē."
"Bùkèqì." You're welcome. Xiè Lián gave a small blush but smiled.
Returning the items back to the box, including the ring, the younger teen put it back on his shelf before going over to his closet and pulled out some clothes to wear. Huā Chéng turned his back as Xiè Lián turned a little to get dressed. When he turned back around, the other was lounging back on his bed with his eyes closed, arms tucked under his head, with his right leg bent up while his left was mostly straightened out. He'd also returned back to looking like Sān Láng.
Opening those golden hazel eyes, the red clad teen smiled as he looked towards Xiè Lián. He sat up and swung his feet back to the floor. "Ready Gēgē?"
"Y-yeah," he gave a blush as Huā Chéng came over and pulled him in for a kiss again while taking his right hand and lacing his fingers with the other teen's left hand. Both red strings remained visible as Huā Chéng broke the kiss to look at their hands.
Bringing the younger teen's hand up to his lips, Huā Chéng gave a kiss to the back of his hand where the string remained and smiled. Xiè Lián blushed at the gesture.
"Now everyone can see that we're connected together," the darker haired teen grinned. This got Xiè Lián to blush more. "You are mine and I am yours, Gēgē."
Smiling while blushing, Xiè Lián looked to his hand as Huā Chéng let it go then turned to grab his boots that were sitting on the floor. They headed down the hall towards the front door with the lighter haired teen pausing long enough to leave a note for his mother that he went out. He slid on his shoes as Huā Chéng slid on his boots before they headed outside.
"So where do you want to go first, Gēgē?" He intertwined the fingers of his right hand with the younger teen's left.
"I don't know. I guess we could just wander wherever we want to go?"
"Sounds good to me."
Heading down the street together hand in hand, they headed towards the shopping district, deciding to just browse the shops together. Xiè Lián would point out different things that looked interesting while Huā Chéng smiled at how the other teen was happy.
Stopping for some ice cream, Xiè Lián got mint chocolate chip while Huā Chéng got strawberry. The darker haired teen grinned as he leaned over and took a bite off of the lighter haired teen's cone.
"S-Sān Láng!" Xiè Lián pouted a little as the other boy licked his lips while grinning.
"Here Gēgē." Huā Chéng held his cone out to him. The other boy leaned forward, took a bite, and grinned.
Continuing along as they finished their ice cream, they browsed along the shops. Huā Chéng paused outside of an antique store and smiled.
"Come on Gēgē. Let's go inside."
Looking at the variety of items, Xiè Lián could only blink in curiosity at some of them. Huā Chéng chuckled a little, recognising many of the items from over time.
"Oh! I know what this is!" Xiè Lián smiled as he picked up a golden hair stick with red beads hanging off the end with a red tassel. "It's a traditional wedding hair ornament. It's really pretty." He looked at the tag. "Wow. This is a hundred years old?"
"It would look pretty on you," Huā Chéng teased with a chuckle.
"M-me?" Xiè Lián gave a blush.
"I think you'd look lovely dressed up in traditional wedding robes," Huā Chéng chuckled. "You'd be the most handsome bridegroom a Ghost King could ever have." He softened his look to a tender smile. "That I could ever want."
A deep blush spread across the younger teen's cheeks as he averted his gaze. Huā Chéng chuckled softly, bringing his hand up to turn his head to look back at him.
"I mean it, Gēgē. I'd make sure you looked the best that anyone's ever seen before." A small blush coloured his cheeks as he averted his gaze. "A god amongst mortals and ghosts alike." His honey coloured eyes looked back to brown ones again. "And I am forever your most devoted believer."
Xiè Lián felt his cheeks flush with warmth at the compliment. He could only avert his gaze in embarrassment. But he also gave a smile as he brought his gaze back to golden ones.
"We'll get it," the dark haired boy said as he took the hair ornament in his hand.
"B-but….it's too expensive," Xiè Lián shook his head.
"Nonsense," Huā Chéng chuckled. "Remember, I run Guǐ Shì. I have plenty of money to spare." He gave a smile. "Anything Gēgē wants, Gēgē gets."
Going up front to pay for it, the shopkeeper raised a slight eyebrow at Huā Chéng while he smiled and Xiè Lián stood there blushing. He rang it up for them then handed it back after Huā Chéng handed over the money for it. The two then headed back outside to wander some more after Huā Chéng stuck the hair ornament in a pouch bag tied to his belt. The red clad teen grinned as he leaned over and snuck a kiss on Xiè Lián's cheek.
"S-Sān Láng…." the lighter haired teen spoke while blushing.
"You're too cute when you blush, Gēgē." He pulled him around a corner before backing him up against a wall and capturing his lips. Xiè Lián blushed but returned the kiss.
"What the hell? Xiè Lián? Sān Láng?"
Breaking the kiss, the two turned to see both Nán Fēng and Fú Yáo standing there staring at them. Huā Chéng pulled back and turned to face them as Xiè Lián turned red with embarrassment.
"Did I just see you doing what I thought you were doing?" Fú Yáo asked as he gaped at them.
"Kissing?" Huā Chéng asked as he gave a sly smirk. "Of course." This caused Xiè Lián to turn even more red.
Both boys stood there staring in surprise before Nán Fēng spoke. "Y-you two are….?" He trailed off, not finishing his sentence as he stared dumbfounded.
"Together? Yes." Huā Chéng continued and looked towards the lighter haired teen. "Isn't that right, Gēgē?"
Xiè Lián felt his cheeks seemingly on fire at the embarrassment he was feeling. He hadn't expected for his other two good friends to find out about this. At least, not at this time. Especially when it was still so new. Well, new for the part that he was technically engaged to Huā Chéng now instead of just his boyfriend. He bit his lower lip a little as he glanced towards the red clad teen looking back at him waiting for his answer.
"Y-yes," he replied meekly. He brought his right hand to his left as he rubbed his thumb against the red string tied around it. The two glanced down to see it on his finger.
"It was fate," Huā Chéng spoke up with a smile as he held up his right hand sporting the same red string for them to see. "You remember what that fortune teller said at the Ghost Festival right?"
Both of the other two teens glanced at each other before Nán Fēng spoke up. "Yeah. But who can say what they say they see is really the truth or not?"
"Oh she was quite accurate," Huā Chéng grinned then pointed at them. "I'll bet if you had your fortunes told, she could have enlightened you on anything that might have happened in your past lives."
Xiè Lián gave a blink as he looked at Huā Chéng. He remembered what the red clad teen had told him about all his own past lives. Nán Fēng and Fú Yáo were the reincarnations of Mù Qíng and Fēng Xìn from his Diànxià life. They swore to protect him with their lives. And since becoming friends in this life, they were quite protective of him in an aloof sort of way. They had bailed him out of some interesting situations in the past that was for sure.
"Right. Like I could have been some prince or whatever," Fú Yáo scoffed, rolling his eyes while crossing his arms over his chest in disbelief.
"More like servants to a prince," Huā Chéng teased.
"What did you say?!" Nán Fēng spoke up with an annoyed glare.
"Ah...w-what he meant was um…loyal friends and guards to a prince," Xiè Lián interjected, stepping forward and putting his hands up in front of him towards his friends who were clearly annoyed. He glanced back at the smug look on the red clad teen's face. "Sān Láng…."
"It was a joke," Huā Chéng shrugged nonchalantly. He didn't want to get Xiè Lián upset but he did find it amusing teasing the other two. Their constant bickering back then had also amused him, but since they were older, he couldn't really say much about it. Xiǎo Jìng had egged them on quite a bit, which had been even more amusing. Being who he was now, he wished he could have egged them on back then.
Giving slightly unamused looks still, the two glanced at each other then looked back to Xiè Lián. "Are you really serious about him?" Nán Fēng asked, looking at the red clad teen. Even he and Fú Yáo had never seen their friend interested in anyone before despite getting asked by girls in the past.
Glancing at Huā Chéng again then back to his friends, Xiè Lián gave a nod while still blushing. "Y-yes." He gave a small smile as the other two exchanged looks again.
Stepping forward, Fú Yáo came up to Huā Chéng and gripped the front of his red outfit in one hand. He narrowed his eyes on him before speaking up.
"As a friend or not, you break his heart and I'll break your face," he warned. Xiè Lián gave a surprised expression as Huā Chéng remained standing there calmly.
"I wouldn't fathom breaking his heart in a thousand years," Huā Chéng replied. "I'd rather die before doing so." He gave a serious look. "And anyone that dared hurt him would have to face my wrath."
Xiè Lián gave a blink at his words knowing all too well the truth they held from what he'd been told earlier about their pasts. Fú Yáo narrowed his eyes again on the red clad teen for a moment before releasing him.
"Good. Because I'm giving you only one warning," Fú Yáo said with finality.
"Does your mother know about you two?" Nán Fēng asked, somewhat curious as he looked at the lighter haired teen.
"N-no." Xiè Lián shook his head, still blushing.
"Knowing her, she'd probably flip out," Fú Yáo commented. Huā Chéng glanced at Xiè Lián.
"I don't know," the younger teen shrugged. "I don't want to tell her." He glanced at the red clad teen. "For now at least. Not until I can figure out how she'd react. So um...if you two could keep it quiet for now from anyone else…"
Two sets of dark brown eyes glanced at each other before both sighed. "Fine," they spoke at the same time, getting them to turn and give each other looks.
"But remember this is your only warning," Fú Yáo reminded Huā Chéng.
"As I said, I'd never do anything to hurt him," the dark haired teen replied.
"I guess we'll see you at school tomorrow," Nán Fēng spoke up, looking at his watch and gave a small sigh. "I still have to go pick up a few things for dinner tonight for Mom."
"Yeah. I needed a few things too," Fú Yáo sighed. "I'll have to make dinner since Mom's not feeling well. I've also got to get some medicine for her."
"Oh, I hope she'll feel better soon," Xiè Lián said. "Tell her I said so."
"I will." He started to turn and leave with Nán Fēng but gave a last look at Huā Chéng that said that he was keeping an eye on him.
Once they were gone, Xiè Lián turned and faced the wall as his cheeks turned beet red again. "I can't believe they saw us!"
Huā Chéng gave a chuckle at the younger teen's embarrassment. "They took it quite well though. I was expecting a little more resistance I suppose."
"What were they like?" Xiè Lián turned around to finally face him as Huā Chéng gave a small furrow of his brow. "Fú Yáo and Nán Fēng? You know, as Mù Qíng and Fēng Xìn?"
A smirk played on the darker haired teen's lips. "Pretty much like they are now." He gave a chuckle. "They would jump at the opportunity to bicker and fight with each other." He gave a small smile. "But even so, they would defend each other's backs just like they did defending you."
Xiè Lián gave a small smile. "I'm glad I had such good friends then as I do now." He gave a pause. "But why were you teasing them earlier?"
"It was amusing," Huā Chéng smirked, shrugging as he turned and started walking along with the lighter haired teen. "Xiǎo Jìng used to egg them on all the time. I kept out of it mostly since I didn't want to upset you back then. But seeing them bicker like that in a lighthearted sense was something that didn't happen growing up for me. So it was interesting to see."
"It can be amusing sometimes, I suppose," the younger teen chuckled. "I guess it would have been like one big family with the five of us back then. Even if Xiǎo Jìng wasn't so nice to you." He glanced at the darker haired teen walking beside him.
"Yeah. It did feel that way a little."
"So since Xiǎo Jìng is Qī Róng, does that mean I'm sort of like royalty too? Even if I'm not blood related in this life to him, he's still basically my cousin, right?"
"I suppose in a way, sort of." He gave a wave of his hand in front of him while giving a small hmph. "Though, he's distasteful in everything he does. As I said before, he tried to copy my blood rain by hanging corpses upside down and devouring humans and ghosts alike to copy Hè Xuán. Not to mention he's very vulgar and holds zero respect for anyone. After destroying his lair, he made sure to stay out of my way."
"What does he look like? I mean, being cousins and all…"
"He does resemble you a little but not much," Huā Chéng replied.
"Do I look anything like I did back then?"
Huā Chéng gave a smile. "You look pretty much exactly the way you did as in your Diànxià life. It's pretty ironic since all your other lives had similarities but nothing exactly as when you were Tàizǐ Diànxià."
"So then do you like it?" Huā Chéng gave a furrow of his brow. "The way I look? Or do you prefer one of my other past lives?"
The dark haired teen stopped and turned to him. "It doesn't matter what you look like." He raised his hand and placed it against his chest. "What matters is here." A soft smile graced his lips. "Though, you're just as lovely as Tàizǐ Diànxià Xiè Lián. And I really did love that about you too."
Blushing again, Xiè Lián averted his gaze for a moment before returning it back to the golden eyes watching him. Huā Chéng gave a small chuckle before they continued on with their date.
As it was getting later in the afternoon towards dinner, they headed back towards the younger teen's house. They stopped at the front door, Xiè Lián giving a small giggle as Huā Chéng reached a hand up to tuck some hair back behind his ear, despite being shorter than his previous lives. He was about to lean forward and kiss the red clad teen when the door opened to his mother standing there. Her gaze flicked from him to the darker haired boy.
"Um...I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school then," Xiè Lián spoke up to the red clad teen.
"Yeah. See you later, Gēgē." He turned after glancing at the older woman there and headed back towards the road to continue on to his house.
"Um….hi Mom." He went inside after she stepped to the side to let him pass. "Did you see my note?"
"Yes. Did you get your homework done?"
"Yes. I got it all done the other day." For some reason, he could tell her tension was high, especially after seeing them there.
"Good. Then go get ready for dinner. It'll be done in a few minutes."
"Oh okay." He headed down to his room after sliding his shoes off. As soon as he went inside, the window was open, letting in the soft breeze.
Looking to his desk, the hair stick ornament was sitting there with a little heart drawn on the small pad of paper next to it. A silver butterfly sat upon it, giving a small flutter of its wings before lifting into the air. It floated over to him as he raised his hand and it landed on his finger; its wings slowly opening then closing a few times.
"Xiè xie Sān Láng," he spoke quietly to the butterfly then chuckled. "But I didn't get my goodbye kiss." The butterfly opened its wings a couple more times before flying up into the air and landed on his cheek. A soft, warm sensation radiated on his cheek momentarily before the butterfly fluttered up into the air again.
Giving a small blush at the fact that the butterfly had basically given him a kiss for Sān Láng, he smiled while putting a hand to his cheek. The butterfly floated around him a few times in a circle then headed for the open window and out it.
Smiling again, Xiè Lián went to grab his red box off his shelf and opened it after setting it on his desk. He picked up the hair stick and smiled while blushing again. Would he really make a good bridegroom for Huā Chéng? He didn't doubt the red clad teen's words about making him the best looking around.
Setting the hair ornament into his box, he smiled again before setting it back on his shelf. With a small sigh, he went to his window and shut it down a little before heading to go eat dinner. His mother didn't say much of anything as they ate and he decided it would be better not to talk much with the mood he could sense her in. It was a little puzzling but he'd rather not stir anything up to make her angry.
Finally settling in bed after getting his bath and reading for a little, the lighter haired teen sighed as he laid his head down on his pillow. He really wished at that moment that Huā Chéng would sneak in and lay with him until he fell asleep.
A flash of silver caught his eye just before he closed them. He gave a blink as one of the silver butterflies came fluttering over. Holding a hand out for it to land on, he gave a small smile at it.
"I'm guessing you're saying goodnight huh?" he asked the butterfly, knowing Huā Chéng used them to watch and listen as he said. The butterfly gave a couple of flaps of its wings while remaining on his finger.
"Goodnight Gēgē. Dream of me."
Blinking at Huā Chéng's voice coming from the butterfly, Xiè Lián gave a small furrow of his brow. "Can you talk through these?"
A small laugh came from the butterfly. "Somewhat, yes. I can hear you and play back what I've had them capture what they record."
"So can you see me?"
"No, sadly. Just what they tell me."
"Oh. But that's still neat." A soft chuckle came from the butterfly. "It would be a cool ability to have."
"It comes in handy." There was a small pause. "Get some sleep, Gēgē. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Alright. I wish you were here."
"Maybe tomorrow."
"Really?" This perked up the younger teen.
"We'll see." There was a soft chuckle again. "Wǎn ān, Gēgē." Goodnight.
"Wǎn ān, Sān Láng."
Fluttering up to his cheek, the butterfly gave him another kiss before going over towards the window and disappeared. Xiè Lián smiled as he settled back down on his pillow, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of Huā Chéng.
Well, that's the chapter. Huā Chéng finally told him everything. *smiles* And Fú Yáo and Nán Fēng knowing will make things even more interesting. *grins*
Anyways, thanks again for your patience while I updated! Again, duìbùqǐ for taking so long to update. I'll work hard to get another chapter up soon!
~~Mandarin words/phrases and meanings~~
Xiè Lián (谢怜) - thank you for your pity
Tàizǐ Diànxià (太子殿下) - His Royal Highness the Crown Prince
Huā Xiè (花谢) - flower; thank
Huā Chéng (花城) - flower city
Sān Láng (三郎) - third son
Hóng er (红儿) - (little) red
Xuè Yǔ Tàn Huā (血雨探花) - Crimson Rain Sought Flowers
Gēgē (哥哥) - elder brother
Xiǎo Huā (小花) - little flower
Wú Míng (无名) - nameless
È'mìng (厄命) - doom
Qī Róng (戚容) - face of sorrow
Xiǎo Jìng (小镜) - small mirror
Mù Qíng (慕情) - admiration
Fú Yáo (扶摇) - to take flight (one who is ambitious)
Fēng Xìn (风信) - wind; believe/faith
Nán Fēng (南风) - south wind
Bái Wūxiāng (白无相) - White No-Face
Hè Xuán (贺玄) - congratulations; mysterious
Xià wǔ hǎo (下午好) - good afternoon
Wǎn ān (晚安) - goodnight
Yǒng'ān (永安) - forever peace
Xiānlè (仙乐) - celestial/immortal; happiness
Tónglú Shān (铜炉山) - copper; kiln/furnace; mountain (Mount Tónglú)
Guǐ Shì (鬼市) - ghost market
Xiè xie (谢谢) - thanks