OUR HAPPILY EVER AFTER (A WANGXIAN STORY)
Chapter 17
Lan Wangji barged into Lan Sizhui's chambers and calmed down a little when he saw that his son was not in the room. 'He must be with Wei Ying.', he reasoned. It would not be the first time both of them snuck out so Wangji walked back to his room and continued waiting. He tried to get a shut eye but he was too restless, which made him opt for meditation. At five in the morning, Lan Wangji began his routine.
By this time they should have been back, but both his partner and his son were still not home by midday. 'He'll be back before the sun goes down.' Wangji assured himself again; trying not to act desperate.
A little after sun down he heard a knock on his door. Lan Wangji opened it. Right in front of him was the son he had been looking for earlier. "Sizhui...", he said softly with his deep voice as he looked around. "Where is he?".
The young man could barely look Wangji in the eye and kept his head down. His hesitation sent so many signals of worry. "Is he hurt or in danger?", Wangji grew distressed but the boy only shook his head.
Lan Sizhui, "He...He left."
Lan Wangji, "Where to?"
Lan Sizhui, "...I don't know."
Lan Wangji, " When will he be back?"
"He might not come back... I tried to stop him but couldn't.", The boy finally lifted his head, revealing a face full of tears. "He...He left again!" Sizhui wept bitterly. Lan Wangji grabbed him by the shoulder, telling him to calm down and explain himself but the boy could barely let out a word. He remembers seeing Sizhui in this state once; after he picked him up at the burial mounds.
Lan Wangji did not know how to react to the news but he embraced his son in an attempt to calm him down. "Don't worry, I'll bring him back home. Do you...know why he left?"
"Hanguanjun!... Do you really not know why?", Sizhui moved away from his embrace and asked with an indifferent look which made the other surprised. After a moment of silence, the boy bowed and then left without saying another word...
"Sizhui! There you are, Hanguanjun has been looking for you for a while now. How come I didn't see you yesterday?", Lan Jingyi rushed to his side when he set eyes on him. "Sorry, I went to my Uncle and couldn't return... I'll be in my room then." Sizhui wiped his face and walked pass him with his head down. "Wait...", Jingyi caught his hand and pulled him back. "What happened?", his hands found their way to Sizhui's face as he drew closer to look. "Why are your eyes red...". Jingyi's fingers gently caressed his cheeks.
Being so close to someone he felt comfortable with, Sizhui's tears came running again without warning. He didn't mind Jingyi knowing what happened, but he still could not say everything. "He did it again...He left me again.", Lan Sizhui said amidst helpless sobs.
Earlier....**************************************************************
It was another day and Sizhui had just finished supervising some junior disciples. Since it was a Thursday and he was not on duty, he decided to help his Aunt get some fresh herbs and spices. Lan Sizhui, realized that his 'mother' was not in the cloud recesses so he assumed he was already at Wen Ning's.
His thoughts were confirmed once he reached his Uncle's place and saw Wei Ying's footwear at the door. A warm smile appeared on his face as he thought of the mischievous things Wei Ying must be up to, since he left home without him. Without anymore delay he went into the house. "Uncle...Mother...", He called after checking one or two rooms. He bent down to take off his shoe when he got to Wei Ying's room but paused when he heard something unusual.
It was not in his nature to eavesdrop but the words Lan Sizhui heard had alarmed him so he listened for a little while and he grew upset. Without hesitation he opened the door and entered.
"Sizhui...", Wei Ying called nervously as he stared at an angry youth. "You're not going anywhere...", Sizhui said sternly.
Wei Ying, "A 'Yuan... It'll only be for a while."
Sizhui, " I heard what you said... Hanguanjun does not need you to put yourself at risk... If this was not dangerous why hide it?"
"Ehn?...Don't be like that, I really have to go this time." Wei Ying got up with a smile, walked to him and tapped on his shoulder. Sizhui suddenly collapsed on the ground, feeling weak and dizzy while Ying walked back to his seat to pack some things into a pouch.
"Wei Ying, don't forget your sword...", Jiayi said as she walked to Sizhui to check on him. "...What spell did you use?" she became concerned with the youth's behaviour. "Its a new talisman I've been working on. He'll forget what happened today for sometime." Wei Ying replied.
Jiayi, "Is he supposed to be in pain?"
Wei Ying, "No..."
Jiayi, " Then stop it, he cant seem to breathe properly!!"
Wei Wuxian stopped what he was doing and run to them as Wen Ning took over packing. After slapping a few talisman on the boy Sizhui's breath became more steady but he began to panic and sweat. "Wei Ying! What's happening to him?", Jiayi was alarmed and so was Wei Ying. Wen Ning also rushed to them in an attempt to help the boy.
"Xian-Xian... Xian Gege.", Sizhui began to stammer the words over and over again. The adults became confused. It was as if they were faced with a child, rather than an adult.
Jiayi, "What... Who is he calling for?"
Wen Ning, "That's odd, he used to call Wei Ying, 'XianXian" when he was a little child."
Wei Ying's gaze turned soft, "I must have used the wrong spell.... Aish!!" He slapped his forehead with his palm."
Jiayi, "What!!! Fix him quickly!", she lifted a fist at Wei Ying, threating to hurt him if he did not solve the problem.
"Ahh! Shijie, please be patient with me...Instead of forgetting, he might be remembering something from the past.", Wei Ying said.
Jiayi, "Didn't he remember everything already?"
Wen Ning, "No... Only that we are family, he does not remember most of the difficult times he had."
**************************************Memories************************************************
Little Wen Yuan sat quietly in the old tree waiting. It had been almost four days since Wei Ying left him there with some food and water. In the night he would be afraid but the talisman his Xian Gege gave him made him feel somewhat warm and safe.
Wei Ying staggered from time to time as he tried to walk properly. It had been a day since Lan Wangji was taken away by Lan QiRen and his brother, Lan Xichen. It took him the whole night to gain some strength to move. Everyone he had worked hard to protect was gone. Well, almost everyone.
There was one more person he hid away before going to the Nightless City to confront the wolves in sheep skin. "Wen Yuan, please be okay." He whispered under his breath as he searched the burial mounds. "A 'Yuan!!." He shouted when he saw the old tree. Wei Ying fell halfway though but got up and continued running to the tree.
"A'Yuan!", tears formed in his eyes when he saw the boy looking up at him. "XianXian..." Wen Yuan raised his hands to him and Wei Ying took him out. "Forgive me, I took too long." He hugged the boy tightly then checked to see if he was ok. "Xian Gege...A'Yuan is hungry." the boy cried and Wei Ying chuckled lightly, "Of course you are, sorry." He patted him gently on the back as they made their way back to the cave Lan Wangji hid him.
Fortunately for them Lan Wangji had kept enough food to last them for a month. "XianXian, where is Grandma and Uncle four? Are they not coming back?", Wen Yuan asked as he munched into a fruit. Wei Ying was silent for a while. He shoved another fruit to the boy and said, "Eat up...". If there was one thing that could keep A'Yuan quiet, that'll be food.
For the next few weeks Wei Ying fought hard to keep a smile on his face. The death of Jin Jixuan, The Wens, and his sister weighed heavily on him. Sometimes Wen Yuan would also cry when he saw him weeping. "Why are you crying..." Wei Ying would chuckle as he wiped the boy's face. "XianXian is sad, A'Yuan will also be sad." , Wen Yuan would reply as he also wiped Wei Ying's face with his tiny fingers. Wei Ying's nightmares became endless but he remained strong for the little boy as he thought of what to do next.
One day a talisman was set off and Wei Ying became alarmed. Wen Yuan was playing outside when he run to him and said, "A'Yuan, I have to hide you again..."
"No...Don't leave me Xian Gege..." The boy began to cry while hugging Wei Ying's leg tightly, remembering what happened some weeks ago. He was afraid of being alone in the dark.
"It'll only be for a few hours...I'll return to you quickly." Wei Ying forced a smile as he wiped the boy's tears. Soon he packed some food and water and took the boy to the old tree again. "A'Yuan, I'll come back quickly, okay?" Wei Ying hugged him for the last time and placed him into the tree.
"XianXian...don't leave me..." Wen Yuan kept calling as Wei Ying walked away from the tree. It was painful for him as well but he had to face the intruders. It was the only way to keep the boy safe for now.
********************************************************************************
"A'Yuan, I'll come back quickly...", Wei Ying knelt before a twenty one year old Sizhui and stroke his hair. Lan Yuan was still immobilized and could not get up.
"Liar!! You liar!! I waited for you but you never came back then... You left A'Yuan all alone!" Sizhui cried bitterly. The other adults became disturbed and uncertain. Wei Ying felt his pain as he also remembered what happened the day Jiang Cheng and some other cultivators raided the burial mounds. That was the day he died.
"Its Okay...I wont go anywhere...", Wei Ying lifted his head, then pulled the boy up with the help of Wen Ning. He sat by the bed and held Sizhui's hand. The other hand kept stroking the boy's hair. Lan Sizhui sobbed as he relived those horrible moments like it happened yesterday. Jiayi stepped out briefly to grab some pills and Wen Ning stood close to them.
Jiayi, "Here, give this to him.", she handed a pill to Wei Ying and he fed it to the boy. " XianXian...Don't leave me... Please don't leave A'Yuan again..." Lan Sizhui kept pleading after swallowing; his eyes were already red from all the crying. "I wont go anywhere, I wont..." Wei Ying kept assuring him until the boy slowly closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep....
Wei Ying was already gone when Lan Sizhui woke up the next afternoon. His Uncle and his Aunt tried consoling him then, but he would not let them. The effects of the talisman had worn off but Lan Sizhui could not forget what he remembered, neither did Wei Ying succeed in making him forget that he broke another promise not to leave.
Lan Jingyi had to stay with Sizhui throughout the night, holding on tight to him as he cried his heart out calling for his Xian Gege, whom he now referred to as mother...
That's it for this chapter...Thanks for reading... Please pardon any grammatical errors I made as well as the length. I hope you liked this chapter. It made me sad :( I'd love to read your comments and please don't forget to vote. Now, I'm gonna hide somewhere and sob for a while as I prepare the next chapter. See you soon dear WangXian baby.
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