Chapter 10

The snow gently piled up on the ground as Lily stood there, frozen. Her breathing labored and her eyes widened. She stared at her hand and then at the blurry figure of the red-haired man crouched under a tree. Lily's knees shook as a hot tears fell down her cheeks. Her ears were ringing, disrupting the silence of winter. She gasped for air as she recalled the hideous features of the creature and swept her terrified orbs as she searched for its figure, but it was no longer there. Lily clutched a hand to her chest, feeling colder as she felt her bare feet stand on the snow.

"T-The m-man...", she whispered as her lips quivered.

Lily willed her feet to move, but the frost had long penetrated the thin layer of her skin and hardened it. She fell unto the merciless snow, gasping for breath as her lungs hurt and could and she could taste a rusty flavor on her tongue. Her lashes trembled as she let out a long sigh and curled her fingers to feel the snow. A small smile tugged at the ends of her lips and a tear ran down her cheeks. The sad sound didn't seem like it came from her or that's what she thought. Her laughter had no hint of amusement or victory or anything, her mind was numb and her heart was hollow. Still, she didn't want to die.

"Xiang Wei....", she muttered.

Lily could no longer see the man, her eyes droopy and cold. With the last bit of her strength, she called out to him-- an ugly and raspy sound. Her head dropped, the cold and dark abyss swallowing her form. The last thing she felt was the slight aching of her heart and the touch of a snowflake on her pale cheek.

****

Xiang Wei rushed through the trees with a blinding speed. The bright orange of her hair stood out from the stark whiteness of her surroundings, like a spark of summer in the midst of winter. Her clothes, soaked in blood, no longer held the vibrancy of its color and was instead dyed with dried blood. Her nerves were still on edge after a roar echoed through the forest and her gut wouldn't stop twisting. Her hunt was long forgotten as she hurried back to the shrine, her heart pounding hard against her chest.

"Master... Young Miss...", she whispered with a lace of worry in her voice.

Her steps halted as she stood in front of the familiar building, her lungs out of breath. She squinted her eyes at a faint color of red in the distance, its color remarkable against the pale white. The winter wind caressed her face as her eyes widened at the familiar figure, her breath stuck in her throat. As her eyes travelled to what her master had in his arms, tears gathered at the rim of her eyes. Her feet kicked the snow and as she drew near, the smell of blood hung heavily in the air. Xiang Wei's hands shook as she stared at Lily's unconscious body nestled in her master's arms.

"M-Master"

The man didn't reply as he hurriedly walked past the girl, his eyes cast down and his mask slightly loose. He bit his bottom lip as he heard Lily's heart getting fainter, a bitter taste lingered in his heart. His shoulders were broad but at this moment, Xiang Wei felt that they had shrunk. Her bright eyes dimmed as tears fell on her cheeks and she called to him a few more times. The man kept silent and continued his pace towards the warm space of the shrine. His bloodied lips quivered as Lily's cold body in his arms. A memory flashed through his eyes-- a woman with waves of black hair lying lifelessly on the jagged rock, blood smeared on her jade skin and her unforgiving dark orbs staring straight at him. His pace quickened and his grip on her tightened, his heart pounding painfully on his chest.

"Master!", Xiang Wei shouted.

The man's steps halted as he turned to the bright-haired girl. Xiang Wei flinched as her gaze landed on his face. A crack ran in the middle of the mask's surface, hinting a shade of mocha underneath it. A tear escaped and dripped from his chin as the mask slid off his face. His lips that had traces of blood was slightly apart, a pained breath escaping every now and then. The golden eyes that used to hold pride and power was now drowning in inconsolable fear and pain as tears ran down his cheeks. His red hair that was a shade darker fluttered in the wind and stroked his face gently, his dark brows loose. The woman in his arms was unmoving and as pale as the white snow. To Xiang Wei, at this moment, her master looked like a lost boy in the midst of the chaos that the world has to offer, the same expression he had 1,000 years ago.

"She's not dead yet, is she?", a bland voice spoke behind her.

Xiaohe stood there with his arms crossed, a discontent expression visible on his face as his eyes landed on the unconscious Lily. The deep blue garu he wore was embroidered with small silver clouds and bronze cranes that flew across the thick fabric and another white robe beneath it. His skin had a slight tint of orange and added color to the scenery behind him. He frowned when he saw Lily's bare feet, thinking that she was really stupid for a human.

"If she's alive, why are you acting like she's already dead? If you keep that up, she might really freeze to death here", he muttered as he gestured towards the shrine.

The man held Lily closer to him as Xiaohe walked closer to him. Xiang Wei was still frozen on her spot and hung her head. The soft crunch of the snow as Xiaohe took his step alerted the man, his eyebrows on edge and his teeth bared. His back suddenly straightened and he growled at Xiaohe.

"Master, stop acting like a feral amivra and hand her to me. We can treat her", Xiaohe explained.

His tanned chest heaved in and out heavily as his golden eyes burned in scarlet madness. Veins bulged under the thins layer of his skin and his lips were pulled into a sneer. Xiaohe sighed as he pressed a finger to his forehead, glancing at Xiang Wei.

"At this rate she really will die. Please cooperate, master", Xiaohe whispered as he reached for the freezing woman.

"No! No one will ever hurt her again!"

The soft whip of his black garu momentarily caressed Xiaohe's fingers. With heavy breaths, he buried Lily's head between the twin giants of his chest, the warmth spreading to her cheeks and she nudged her head on the warm flesh. The man flinched and glanced at her, the scarlet color slowly dimming and the gold glimmer of his eyes returned. A soft gasp was sucked in as he stared at her pale face, small clouds escaped as the woman breathed tenderly.

"Now, can you stop gawking at her like a creep and hand her to us, master?", Xiaohe rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry", the man lowered his head.

"Yes yes. Just lift my probation or something"

Xiaohe reached out his arms towards his master, his rather annoyed ash orbs landing on the shivering Lily. The man hesitated but attempted to hand the woman to his familiar. A hand clutched his garu suddenly, the grip light but firm. Heat rushed to the man's cheeks and his nose tickled, his lips pressed firmly together in embarassment. The dainty hand that clutched the cloth rubbed slightly against his bare skin, the cold making him jolt and the gold of his eyes shook. Lily mumbled something under her breath and rubbed her cheeks against his chest again while her other hand found its way to the open section of his garu. The man sucked in a deep breath as he stopped himself from letting out a sound, his ears clearly a bright shade of red now and the nape of his neck heated. The arm that held the woman firmly weakened as the skin to skin contact carried on, the friction of the rubbing made his brows furrow as he bit his lips. His heart hardened the pounding against his chest as he let out deep breaths.

"Oh for the love of gods, let him go", Xiaohe rasped as he saw his master unable to move and blushing to the tips of his ears.

Xiaohe pulled on Lily's feet as he couldn't bring himself to hold her hands that gripped his master's clothing. He gritted his teeth as the woman whined, cursing in his mind as he swallowed the insults he longed to throw at Lily. A large hand touched his and he glanced at his master who was still flushed, the contrasting colors of mocha and red blended together.

"I-I'll carry her to where you want to place her", the man breathed out.

"Are you sure you won't act feral again?"

"I promise"

"Reall-"

"Hurry up! The both of you are just wasting time. The Miss is very cold, so the both of you should stop dawdling and hurry", Xiang Wei interrupted.

"And for a good long minute you were just standing there, doing absolutely nothing", Xiaohe retorted.

Xiang Wei flared her nostrils as the pent up anger soared from the depths within her to her heart that knocked hardly against her ribcage. Her bright hair swayed as she approached the relaxed form of Xiaohe and her fingers twitched as the strands began to grow, the tips no longer orange but a sunny yellow. Her blue eyes squinted as her eyebrows met, her pinkish lips pulled into a snarl. The tiny height she donned shredded as her limbs and legs stretched, the smooth skin lengthened and held a scar on her thigh. The hems of her bloodied waru that used to cover her ankles was lifted and tightened around her growing body. Her chest bulged against the clothing and opened a v-like pathway down the roundness of her mounds. The heeled amyak she wore tore open as it couldn't contain her growing feet that crunched the snow underneath it. Her hand reached out and gripped the neckline of Xiaohe's garu, her breathing ragged and angry clouds escaped from her lips.

"You... You do not have the right!", she screamed at his face.

Xiaohe's usually cool facade broke as the woman in front of him had an iron-like grip on his clothing, his heart almost stopped. His orbs widened at Xiang Wei's original form, the tempting sight of her chest heaving in and out entered his field of vision. He averted his eyes when the woman shook his body by pulling on his garu, clearly knowing where his eyes wandered and he held back the flush that was slowly creeping up to his neck. Her blue eyes stared into his empty ash ones. The sound of heavy breathing was accompanied by the solemn silence and the grip on his garu didn't loosen. As he continued to stare at her entrancing orbs, he took note of the tears that rimmed around her eyes and the deep-rooted pain that he had witnessed years ago had resurfaced. His heart ached and he dragged the ends of his lips into a smirk, taunting her as he kept his hurting heart away from her searching eyes.

"What do I not have the right to?", he edged her on.

Xiang Wei didn't answer, more like she couldn't answer. What he said was clearly the truth, she was just idly standing when the master broke down. She gnashed her teeth together and strengthened her hold, holding back the urge to punch his demeaning face. She didn't even know why she was angry at him in the first place. The silence dragged on and her fingers dug deep on the palm of her hands.

"If you don't let go of me right now, the miss will die. Will you really let your selfishness kill somebody?", he added.

The fire in Xiang Wei's mind exploded and he pulled on his garu harshly, bringing his face near to hers. Xiaohe grunted at the force and a freezing pain numbed his nerves.

"WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE TO TALK ABOUT SELFISHNESS?!", her shrill voice pierced the air.

Tears ran freely down her red cheeks and dropped on the cold snow. Her pained breaths landed on his face supplied warmth to his cold cheeks. A pain struck his chest as more tears escaped from her eyes.

"Did you ever think about that a thousand years ago? DID YOU THINK ABOUT THAT WHEN YOUR OWN SELFISHNESS ALMOST KILLED ME AT THAT TIME?!"

The snow fell softly on the earth, the deafening quiet casted a snowstorm from afar. The wind whistled as four forms stood under the cold white veil, a tense nothingness surrounding them. Xiang Wei let go of her grip on Xiaohe's clothing, letting him escape from her angry fingertips. Her breathing steadied and she let out a heavy sigh.

"You don't really regret it, do you?", she muttered as a smile etched on her face.

Her smile was dazzling-- lined with perfect teeth and thin pink lips. Strands of her orange hair fell on her face, her brows slightly lifted but still met together. The creases on her round forehead left a mark on Xiaohe's heart as the painful scene of her trembling smile forged a spot in his head.

"Master, I will be taking my leave as I need some time alone. I won't be of any help since I can't heal. Please don't mind me, the young miss is our top priority"

The red-haired man nodded his head but sent a worried gaze to her direction as she turned her slender back to leave and glared at Xiaohe momentarily. Xiaohe stood still as he balled his fists, biting on his lower lip to calm the storm in him.

"She'll be fine", the man assured him.

"You don't know that, master", he snapped back.

"The moment you decided to pretend to be insensitive to her and what you did was the moment you dug your own grave"

Xiaohe didn't reply and stared at Xiang Wei's back getting smaller and then completely disappeared behind the trees.

"Don't worry for I will not meddle in your affairs, but I hope this won't interfere with your duties"

"Yes, master"

The two men walked towards the warmly lit shrine, their soft breaths mingled with the air.

"Losing someone is painful eh?", the man that held Lily mused.

The man looked at Lily's face and a small smile made its way to his lips. Xiaohe sighed and started to curse at Lily and himself. They hurriedly entered the shrine's warm embrace and shut the door, leaving the cold canvas of the outside that was splattered in blood and emptiness.

"WAIT!", a scream tore the thin fabric of silence once again and a small figure came running barefoot towards the shrine.

"I can't leave the Young Miss with you two!"