Chapter 18

Far away from the Wo Hop To headquarters, where the paths turn dangerous and only the most talented dare to cross, there's a barely-there path that leads to a mountain, full of spikes and too smooth rocks for hiking. A hole close to the top is there, hidden, not really large but still easy to walk through if one crouches. Fifteen minutes later of walking inside, it stretches until one can easily stand upright. In twenty more minutes, it opens, revealing a small piece of jungle. The sound of the waterfall a good distance away echoing inside the not quite cave. It should make it cold or at least chilly, especially now in winter, but thanks to the small hot spring, the air is only a tad humid and warm.

A couple of snow monkeys are perched on the threes, looking at him curiously, but most ignore him. He's still remembered even if he hasn't visited the place in a long time. One, in particular, jumps to his shoulders and hangs in there with a hand as it searches for food with another.

"I missed you, too, little one." With a chuckle, Fong takes a small peach from his pocket and gives it to the toddler-sized monkey. "Could you let your mother know I'm here?"

He can't see the monkey well for her position on his back but he feels her bobbing her head in a nod before jumping away with her prize to the opposite way he's going.

Leaving the small bag he brought with him on the ground close to a nicely shaped rock, Fong takes out the cellphone from its insides and checks the signal. Barely enough for a call but it'll do. Ozora made him promise to call as soon as he reached China and could get away with it, so he's going to do it even if he's sure it's too early in the morning and the little Sky is asleep.

It takes almost four rings for the call to connect, a sleepy Ozora is barely able to mumble a greeting in Japanese. Fong smiles fondly as he remembers how Ozora tends to nuzzle his cheek against his arm when he's in that state.

"My apologies for waking you up," he answers softly in Japanese, already knowing Ozora is not awake enough to carry a conversation in Italian.

"It's fine. I was the one who told you to call." The sound of a barely concealed yawn reaches his ears and he can already picture Ozora stretching and clumsily standing up to make some tea. "So everything's fine? Where are you now?"

"China, I think we covered this before."

"Haha. What a funny guy you are."

"I like the sarcasm in your voice," he says with a soft laugh. He does like Ozora's grumpiness when he wakes up. It makes him easier to hug and nuzzle his flames against his Sky ones. "Everything went fine, there's no reason to worry. I'm at the moment in a secluded place. It's most likely that my following calls will happen here, too. I don't want anyone to retrace the signal to you."

"Oh. That means I can't call you back, right? What am I talking about—Of course I can't call you back. You'll probably hide the phone."

Fong sighs at hearing the disappointment in Ozora's tone. He wants to comfort him, tell him he'll try to call constantly, but… there's a high chance he won't have enough free time to call as constantly as he wishes if he wants to return quickly to Italy. That doesn't stop him from wanting to be by the little Sky's side.

"I want to hug you." Ozora splutters in surprise and he can hear him tripping. It makes a smile form on his lips. "I wish I was with you."

With a high-pitched tone, Ozora hisses, "Stop! You don't say that kind of thing!"

He grins widely, it's probably the fact he's speaking in Japanese that unsettles Ozora so much. He would have liked to say that that hitman has rubbed off on him more than he would have liked for taking way too much pleasure in embarrassing Ozora, but the truth is that the little Sky makes it too easy.

"Are you blushing, Ozora?"

"Shut up. It's embarrassing to hear you saying things like that." Ozora huffs but the sound is quickly replaced by a small sigh. "Yesterday Renato left too and, well. It's not as if I hadn't slept alone with you guys here at least once a week, but knowing I won't see you in a long while… What I'm trying to say is that, um—Well, I miss you."

Fong exhales softly, his grip on the phone tightening slightly. He smiles and with a hint of longing he wishes wasn't that obvious, he says, "I miss you too, Ozora."

And it's not only because he has a better grip on his flames when he's around the little Sky. He truly misses Ozora's presence, their conversations, and the time they spend meditating together.

He wants to leave China, a place that will always be his home but without his sister, there's no strong tie holding him in place there. He's spent so long without wanting things for himself aside from his own freedom, not caring the time it took to accomplish that this sudden impatience throws him off a little.

He wants to be with Ozora as his Guardian.

"I wish you were my Sky," he murmurs in the lull of silence, finally voicing his wishes out loud for the first time. Funny how he can say it now when there's a great distance between them. He's always been a bit of a coward at voicing what he wants though. "I really want to be your Storm."

"Fong…"

The tone makes him sit straight. "No, don't say anything. I apologize for this slip. These are not things I should be saying through a phone and I don't wish for you to answer me when we are not facing each other. Please."

"… You know that I—"

"Please. Wait for me to return and you can tell me then what you think. Just know that I'm a very stubborn person with a great amount of patience."

Ozora laughs but it's weak. "Yeah, I know. I wish that…" He sighs. "No, you're right. I'll wait and we can talk then. I'll—I promise I'll tell you the reason behind my answer and you can decide after. You deserve to know."

He hums around a smile that's perhaps too unbefitting of an assassin. "It's a date then."

"Yeah, it's—Wait, no! Renato already made fun of me for mistaking the flame courting thing. Not you, too."

"My apologies," he says, but his smile may be a tad wider. "Though you'll definitely be a catch for whoever you wish to romantically court—"

"Oh my god, please stop."

"—I mean, you're pleasing to look at and have a nice personality to par."

"Fong, stop! My face's too red. I-I think I'll pass out for the blood rush."

Fong has to bite the back of his hand to not laugh out loud, something that will certainly not be appreciated by the animals living here. He can hear Ozora rubbing the cellphone against his cheek, possibly the closest cool object he has on hand.

"You suck."

With the last chuckle, Fong says, "I'm not lying, Ozora. Perhaps I should adjust the type of courting. Wouldn't want others to take advantage of my little Sky."

My little Sky.

Luckily Ozora doesn't seem to mind how he's been called, if his moans of 'why me' are anything to go by, but Fong can't help the way his smile becomes strained. He shouldn't have called Ozora that. He's not a Guardian to make such claims even if he desires to be his Element very much so. Or at least not yet. Fong's very stubborn after all.

He sighs softly through his nose. It's been barely two days since the last they've seen each other and yet he already misses the boy with soft brown eyes and a warm, easily exasperated personality.

A high-pitched sound coming from his right makes him turn to the large snow monkey standing close to the rock he's sitting on. It also stops Ozora's faint grumbles.

"What's that sound?"

"An old friend," he says, his smile gaining an amusing edge. "It's a snow monkey I had the pleasure of meeting when I was young. She'll be the one to hide the phone in a place unable to reach by human methods. How this hot spring is deep inside the mountains, she knows the best places as their kind tend to bathe here."

"Hot springs?"

"Yes. It's not very large but they let me make use of it from time to time as I know most of the creatures living here."

"Woah. You must tell me the story of how you found the place some time."

"It'll be my pleasure, but not now, I'm afraid. I should return before my absence is noticed."

Taking a larger peach from his pocket, Fong offers it to his friend. She snorts but accepts, the fruit small on her hands, and sits on top of the rock in a dismissive manner. Her daughter comes next, for once not going to her mother's back as she returns to search for more food in his clothes.

"She's grown into a proud being, not very patient."

"Oh. That's… fine then. I hope everything goes well with you, Fong."

"I wish you the same. I'll try to call as often as I can, but… well. I'll miss you, Ozora."

"Me too. Be careful please," is the last he says before the beep of the phone returns. He looks at it for a long moment before a tug on his braid reminds him of his company. He pushes the red button and hands it over to his friend.

"Please keep it safe. Hidden. I will ask for you to return it to me soon."

The monkey doesn't bob her head like her daughter would have done but does receive the device, giving him a sharp look before leaving.

With a soft sigh, he glances down at the small monkey remaining. "Just you and me then, little one."

She looks up from where her head is inside his bag, a small apple between her hands, already half-eaten.

He huffs in amusement as he pulls her out of his bag and settles her on the rock previously occupied. "I hope the Mountain Master hasn't asked for my presence or I may be in trouble."

It was a risk, coming here first instead of the Wo Hop To Triad's Headquarters, but one he needed to do to keep the phone hidden. He slides a hand inside the pocket in his sleeve, pulling out a small, soft reddish-orange orb. He should have given it too as to keep it hidden, but he can't find it in himself to part from it, from one proof of his new identity as 'Fong'. He'll have to return to Huo Long when he reaches the Headquarters.

Closing his hand around it and concentrating on the feeling it gives, Fong takes another moment to enjoy the remaining of Ozora's soft presence.

Yes, he couldn't have left it behind. It'll make things more complicated, certainly, but if there's something he loves it's a challenge. This one he doesn't intend to lose. He'll return to Italy in three weeks.