"Tantai Jin," Li Susu whispered. "It's you."
Tantai Jin smiled. "Yes, it's me," he said. He sat beside her on the couch. "Who else could it be?"
Li Susu looked around. She knew this room from the Demon Palace. She had entered it only once when she was exploring the palace, and didn't find it particularly interesting. She didn't know it had a wide window where sunlight could shine through, with beautiful indoor plants flowering in large pots, and instead of the dreary gray walls, they were painted with the brightest colors that changed with the light.
She didn't even know sunlight could come through the darkness of the Demon Realm, but it did here.
Tantai Jin draped an arm around Li Susu's shoulders and pulled her close. "Did you have a good sleep?" he asked.
Li Susu leaned her head against his chest and nodded. She could hear his steady heartbeat and smell the clean pine scent on him. "You've not visited me for quite a while, Tantai Jin," she said, closing her eyes contentedly.
She felt him choke and squirm in her embrace. "W-what do you mean?" Tantai Jin said. Something in his tone made Li Susu open one eye, and saw him blushing furiously. A heartbeat later, she laughed at his discomfort.
"I mean, I haven't seen you in a while, Tantai Jin," Li Susu amended, chuckling softly at the direction his mind took. She felt him relax and embrace her more warmly.
"What are you talking about? I left you here just a few minutes ago," Tantai Jin said. "Or is it that you missed me so much that five minutes seem like five hundred years?"
A pang of pain shot through Li Susu's heart. She lowered her head to keep her face away from Tantai Jin's sight, and bit her lip to stop the tears that suddenly sprang in her eyes. "Yes, I suppose it did," she said, her voice breaking a little.
Despite her attempts to hide away her pain, Tantai Jin must have noticed, given that he stilled for a second, then pulled her closer to him. He kissed her forehead. "I'm here now," he said softly, caressing her arm in a comforting way.
They sat together comfortably like that for quite some time. Li Susu almost fell asleep again listening to Tantai Jin's heartbeat, feeling so safe and warm in his embrace. If only time stopped like this… if only we could stay together like this…
If only this wasn't just a dream that I could wake up from…
Li Susu's hand strayed to her belly… and sat up abruptly. "Ami…" she exclaimed. She looked down and saw not a pregnant belly, but a flat one. Where is my baby?
"I took Ami to her cot, so you can sleep comfortably," Tantai Jin said, sensing Li Susu's distress. He pouted. "I thought it was only me who you can't let go of." Seeing Li Susu still distressed despite his teasing, Tantai Jin stood. He extended a hand towards her and said, "Come, I'll take you to Ami."
Li Susu let Tantai Jin lead her out of the room and through the hallways of the palace. They entered another room, the room that she herself selected as Ami's room, only filled with more trinkets and playthings for a little child.
In the middle of the room was a cot. Li Susu held her breath as they approached it, feeling wonderful yet fearful at the same time. Tantai Jin's back obscured her sight, but when he turned, he had in his arms a most beautiful sight.
"Thankfully she's still sleeping," Tantai Jin said, cradling in his arms their daughter, Ami.
Li Susu couldn't take her eyes away from the baby. Ami had tufts of jet-black hair on her head, her thin eyebrows framing her closed eyes, with long eyelashes falling on soft cheeks, a cute button nose in the middle, and red full lips. She had traces of Li Susu in the way she slept, but her face looked more like Tantai Jin's.
"She's beautiful," Li Susu whispered, eyes welling up with tears. My beautiful Ami. Her hands unconsciously reached out to her. Tantai Jin gently transferred the sleeping baby into Li Susu's waiting arms.
"She's your daughter," Tantai Jin said, smiling at Li Susu's tearful face. "Though I think she looks more like me than you."
Li Susu chuckled. "Yes she does," she agreed. "I'm happy she looks more like you."
Tantai Jin looked taken aback. "You're not fighting against me about it this time?"
Li Susu laughed through her tears. "I'm not going to fight against you anymore." A couple of tears fell on Ami's cheeks, startling the baby into wakefulness. A crinkle in the forehead, and Ami started bawling as if angry for being woken against her will.
Li Susu did her best to calm Ami, but the baby continued to cry. Tantai Jin smiled. "Give her to me," he said. "She quiets down when I hold her."
Reluctantly, Li Susu gave Ami to Tantai Jin. To her surprise, Ami immediately stopped crying and looked at Tantai Jin with tearful eyes. "She looks like you like this, when she has tears in her eyes," he told her, smiling at them both. In response, Ami cooed at Tantai Jin.
"Traitor," Li Susu muttered, suddenly annoyed at the baby. Tantai Jin laughed.
"I'll go and change Ami's clothes," Tantai Jin said. "Then let's all three of us go for a walk outside."
All three of us.
Li Susu smiled. "All right." She turned away from them, and suddenly, she felt the scene change. She immediately turned around, but did not find Tantai Jin or Ami behind her. The cot was gone, as was all the toys and trinkets in the nursery room.
"Tantai Jin!" Li Susu called out. Fear gripped her as she found herself alone in the room. She ran out into the hallways. "Tantai Jin! Where are you?"
"Mother!" a child's voice called out. Li Susu turned, and promptly collided with a small body.
"Ouch! Mother!" A little girl called out to Li Susu, a girl with sharp eyebrows and phoenix eyes, straight nose, and full lips. "Ami was calling you, why are you calling Father?"
Li Susu gasped. "Ami?" she asked, shocked at the appearance of the baby that she had been cradling in her arms just a moment ago. Now, she looked like she was around five years old, and more and more like Tantai Jin.
Ami looked at her with teary eyes. "Aren't you going to help me up, Mother?" she asked, and extended a small hand towards her. Li Susu grabbed it, and pulled Ami up from the ground. Ami brushed away dirt from her red robes, before turning to Li Susu.
"Mother, Father has been waiting for us at the main hall for a long time now," Ami said. "He says if we're any later, we're going to miss the parade at the Water Festival." She pulled at Li Susu's hand. "Come on Mother!"
Li Susu allowed her to be pulled by her daughter, who was eagerly running through the paths towards the main hall.
"Father! I found Mother!" Ami called out to a black-clad man in the middle of the hall, letting go quickly of Li Susu's hand and running towards him.
Tantai Jin turned around. Li Susu's heart skipped a beat as she glanced at his resplendent figure. It broke as she realized what he was wearing. He is wearing the same robes he wore on that first Water Festival day.
"Good job, Ami," Tantai Jin said as he caught up Ami in his arms. He looked at Li Susu. "You look beautiful, Goddess Yuling," he said, his voice low with awe.
Li Susu looked down. She was similarly clad in the pale yellow dress that she wore that first Water Festival day. A lump formed in her throat as she looked up again at Tantai Jin, with Ami in his arms.
Let this not be simply a dream.
"Come on Mother, we're going to miss the parade!" Ami called out, breaking Li Susu out from her despondent mood. She reached out her small hands to Li Susu, who walked quickly forward to join her little family.
Tantai Jin smiled at Li Susu as she walked up to them. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Li Susu nodded. "I'm happy," she said. She took Tantai Jin's free hand, and together they disappeared from the Demon Realm, reappearing in the Jing Kingdom.
Tantai Jin let Ami down and held her hand. Ami then took Li Susu's hand and proceeded to pull them both towards the busy marketplace.
Even after more than 500 years, some things never change. The market stalls still burst with delicious food and eye-catching items for everyone to buy. The circus troupe still continues to entertain young children and adults alike with their fascinating antics and incredible stunts. The lanterns still continue to light up the star-filled sky.
But with Tantai Jin and Ami at her side, Li Susu felt happy and at peace with the world.
She smiled as Tantai Jin bought a lot of tanghulu and other sweets for Ami to try, then little trinkets to pin on Ami's hair. She laughed as Tantai Jin put on the demon mask and chased Ami around, the little girl squealing and hiding behind Li Susu's skirts when Tantai Jin caught up with her. She blushed as Tantai Jin brought out sweet-smelling flowers behind his back and held it out for her to take, and rewarded him with a soft kiss on the cheek, a promise that she had something more to give. She chuckled as Tantai Jin blushed at the sight of her mischievous eyes.
Please, let this not just be a dream.
"Mother, mother, come, come!" Ami's excited voice called out to Li Susu. Her little hand tugged at her sleeve, and Li Susu had no choice but to follow her daughter. Tantai Jin chuckled as he followed mother and daughter towards the lines of people eager to watch the parade.
Tantai Jin caught Ami up in his arms to help her see the parade better, and with a free hand, held Li Susu's hand. "It's been a long time since our last Water Parade," Tantai Jin said, smiling at Li Susu.
"Yeah, last year was a super super suuuper long time ago," Ami chimed in, childishly exaggerating. Li Susu merely smiled, hiding the pain that the last time she and Tantai Jin saw the parade was the start of his descent into being the Devil God.
But however well Li Susu hid her feelings, Tantai Jin sensed it quickly enough. He pulled her close reassuringly, his eyes gazing at Li Susu in sympathy. "What do you remember about last year's Water Parade, Ami?" Tantai Jin said to divert the little girl's attention. "I didn't think you enjoyed it that much."
Ami pouted, her lower lip pushed out. "I did enjoy it," she insisted.
Tantai Jin shrugged. "I remember someone crying so hard when the Devil God came and went near us, saying that she doesn't want to go to another Water Festival ever again," he said teasingly.
"I didn't!" Ami cried out and buried her head in Tantai Jin's neck. "Father, you're mean."
Tantai Jin laughed. "I'm happy you're still excited to see the Water Parade, Xiao Ami," he said, kissing Ami on the cheek.
"Mother always tells the nicest stories about you and Mother and the Water Parade," Ami told Tantai Jin. He glanced at Li Susu and smiled.
"We do have a lot of nice stories about the water parade," Tantai Jin said.
The fireworks started, and Tantai Jin and Ami looked up at the bright colors lighting up the night sky. Li Susu looked at both of their faces illuminated by the different colors of the fireworks, with her smile hurting both her cheeks for being too wide. Her heart was already bursting with happiness seeing them both and she couldn't dare take her eyes off them, fearing that if she blinked, if she turned away even for a second, they would disappear.
A stab of pain in her belly made Li Susu double up.
"What's wrong, Mother?" she heard Ami cry out in alarm. She tried to straighten up, but another sharp pain prevented her from answering the little girl.
Suddenly everything went dark. Li Susu gasped, not from the pain, but from the sensation that the dream had finally ended.
"No… please no…" she whispered, biting her lips from the pain that had continuously attacked her. "Ami…"
"She's coming, Li Susu," Tantai Jin said, his hands helping her up. Li Susu looked at him, and saw him transformed into the Tantai Jin she last saw, clad in the white godly robes again.
"Tantai Jin…" Li Susu whispered, tears welling up her eyes. "I'm afraid…"
Tantai Jin caught her up in his arms in an embrace. Li Susu clung on to him as if she were drowning in the sea. "It's going to be okay, Susu," he said soothingly, running his hand down her back repeatedly. "You're going to be okay, and she's going to be okay too."
"You can't even be here with me to help me through this …pain," Li Susu said, her last word coinciding with a wave of contractions.
Tantai Jin gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "I'm always with you, my love," he said. "Now, show Ami the world."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Li Susu woke up with a scream.
"Thank the gods you're awake," she heard Mo Nv say. "Your water's broken, but we didn't know if you'd wake or not."
"The baby's coming," Li Susu gasped through another wave of contractions.
"I figured," Mo Nv replied wryly.
Li Susu took Mo Nv's arm and helped herself up. "It's time to bring Ami into the world.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"She's beautiful," Mo Nv cooed as the midwife handed her the swaddled baby.
Li Susu, sweaty and exhausted from the labor, looked up. Mo Nv brought the baby to her, smiling wide. She placed little Ami gently on Li Susu's waiting arms.
"Ami…" Li Susu whispered her name. The baby was indeed beautiful, like the one she saw in her dreams. She cradled the sleeping baby against her breast, where a phoenix mark softly glowed, and gently kissed her on the forehead. "Thank you for being born."
Thank you for Ami, Tantai Jin. Come home soon, we're waiting for you.