Episode Forty Six

Revenge or vengeance isn't always the answer. Just by walking away and being the bigger person, you just might come out victorious and win the war.

Dreams are like windows to your subconsciousness.

It was like he was drowning, water sorrounding him as he gasp for air. He can hear laughter, but because of the water, it was faint. He felt when he took his last breath, and then his eyes closed and he was in complete darkness. Only to awoken again in the same situation, but this time, there were two pair of hands holding him under. Kai struggle against his perpetrators, trying to break the surface of the water. His lungs burning for the required air, and the numbness of all the muscles in his body. The same laughter, join with another could be heard, and just as he is about to give in again. A set of dark orbs that holds so much evil, bore into his own soft brown ones. And just like that, his mouth opened and a gush of water entered his system. 

Qing Yuan eyes shot open when he heard gargling sounds coming from Kai. He quickly got up from the mat he was laying on, that was in the left corner of Kai's room. Kai had offered his bed to him, but he refused, he even offered to share the bed with the young prince. But Qing Yuan refused, he didn't trust himself lying in a bed next to Kai, who was totally unaware of the prince's feelings for him. 

Qing Yuan rushed over to the bed and saw a sweat covered Kai, his body shaking violently and he struggled to breathe.

   "Kai, Kai!" Qing Yuan calls his name, slightly easing him up so he can have better breathing. Qing Yuan called his name again, and Kai's eyes snapped open as he gasped for air. Qing Yuan rubs Kai's back soothingly, as the younger one breathes heavily. They both sat in silence, the only sound that filled the room was Kai's heavy breathing.

Kai raised his head up and looked at Qing Yuan, they held eye contact until Qing Yuan cleared his throat and looked away. A deep blush formed on Kai's cheeks as he cleared his own throat.

   "You-" both of them started to say at the same time.

    "You go ahead." Qing Yuan being the gentleman that he is, said to Kai.

"N-no, say what you wanted to say. I will listen first." Kai shook his hands, denying Qing yuan's offer.

The young prince sigh and smile down at a red faced Kai. 'Only if you knew my feelings for you. That is what I want to tell you the most, but for the first time since I was told that my mother is going to die, I feel afraid. Afraid that if I tell you my feelings for you, that you will reject me.' Was all that was going through Qing Yuan's head, but he just shrug it away and went the safer route. "Were you having a nightmare?" 

Kai looks down at his lap and twiddles his fingers, the feeling of not breathing and water filling his lungs, replay in his mind.

Qing Yuan took his silence as a yes, even though he knew the truth. But he just wanted confirmation from Kai's own mouth.

   "You do remember that being a Prospector means that you aren't supposed to lie, right? You don't know that?" Qing Yuan pushed.

Kai nodded, but still didn't say anything. But what can he say? The dream was just terrible, and everytime he thinks about, flash of what happened penetrates his mind. And that makes him scared, and he can't be a Prospector and be scared. He is supposed to be brave for others who can't be brave for themselves. And furthermore, he didn't want Qing Yuan seeing him as a whip, scaredy cat in a warrior's body. Someone who he or nobody else can't depend on. It might not look that way, but he worries about how Shui thinks of him. Nobody else's opinion matters to him more than Qing yuan. And right now, he is here comforting Kai and he can't even answer his simple question.

    "Kai, is there something wrong?" Qing Yuan asked, concerned, filling his voice when he saw the troubled look on Kai's face.

Kai shook his head, and Shui breathed through his nose in annoyance. "Kai, stop being stubborn and please talk to me."

Kai sighs. 'Why must he have to push it, why can't he just leave the matter alone?' 

   "Please Kai, the only reason I am asking is because I care about. And not just any ordinary caring, I care about you a lot." Shui's eyes widened when he realized that he was on the verge of confessing his feelings, so he cleared his throat to cover it up. But Kai knew better, and his mood and insecurities became lighter, which got him ready to talk.

    "I dreamt that I was drowning." Kai stops and stares up at Qing Yuan to see his expression. And to his surprise, he saw an interesting spark in the young prince's eyes. So he continued. "First, it was like I was drowning and someone above the surface was laughing. But after I drowned, I was pushed back into another dream. But this time the same person who was laughing held me underwater with the help of another person, they were both male, but the one from both dreams had dark eyes. They held so much evil, that I think they killed me more than the water that surrounded me." Kai pauses for a brief second, before speaking again. "And it made me really scared, there, I have said it. So think of me as not worthy of being a Prospector, I am not worthy of having the lotus aura. I am not worthy of-'' Kai's rambling was cut off by a pair of warm soft lips. To say he was shocked was the least, his eyes widened when he realized that Huang Qing Yuan, prince of the Winter Sect kingdom, was kissing. He has had this fantasy so many times, but never in his wildest dreams would he thought that it would never happen. But it did. He was so surprised that he didn't realize that he wasn't kissing Qing Yuan back. But the prince didn't mind, he just wanted to comfort Kai and showed him that he mattered to him.

Qing Yuan pulled away from Kai's lips, and stared down into adorable dark brown orbs. "...of loving you." Kai finished his sentence, before pulling back down Shui's head to him and smashing their lips together.

    It was an hour later, and Qing Yuan held Kai comfortably in his arms. While stroking his hair, and humming a soothing melody.

   "Can you please not tell your father and my…." He paused and then swallowed. "My fathers about the dream. I don't want them to worry, and I don't want them to get distracted from the reason why we are here. To celebrate May's marriage. I want to live like how I used to, just for one day. So, can I have that please?" 

Qing Yuan took a few minutes to answer, which made Kai shift in his arms to look up at him. His eyes pleading, his cheeks flushed red and his lips swollen and glossy from their activity earlier on. 

   "Please?" Kai begged, his face becoming serious.

    "Fine, I won't tell them. But after your sister's wedding we tell them. Because that wasn't a dream you were having, but a premonition."

   "You mean, that I dream about what's going to happen to me in the future?"

    "Yes."

    "How do you know that?" Kai was now sitting straight, but he didn't move out of Qing Yuan's arms.

   "Because when I touched you, I saw it." 

    "How?" Kai asks, as he leans closer to Shui.

    "Everything you feel, I can feel it. Everything you see I can see it, and everything you do, I can know. Because you are my soulmate, and we were destined to be together." Qing Yuan closed the small gap in between them and held Kai close and he poured his all into the kiss. He wants the younger to feel his love, his passion, the striking urge to ravish him, but most of all, his need to protect him. And his knowledge from this night on, they won't have the same relationship they had before. 

Qing Yuan kissed Kai one last time, before gently laying him down and then laying beside him. Turn him on his side, and snuggle him closer into his chest. "Goodnight my sweet lotus." He kisses Kai's forehead, before putting his hand around Kai and then drifting off to sleep.

   The door to Kai's room silently closed, and an angry Wang May marched to her room. She furiously sat down on her bed, with her hands folded over her chest. "Everything has to always be about him. Why can't he give someone else a turn? Or better yet, why can't he give me a turn? He got my parents love, the power, the princess as a friend and now a prince. Even though I am going to be marrying Feng Gao, I still envied Kai. I am marrying a General, but stupid shameless Kai got a prince. And not just any prince, but a Prospector who is more advanced than even some of the senior Prospectors. Even my marriage feels like it got something to do with him." She scoffed and started punching her pillow, pretending that it's Kai's face. "I won't let you have everything Wang Kai, Wang Lei or whatever your name is supposed to be. I would do whatever it takes to let you lose everything, even if it's to hurt you myself." Wang May smile a crazy but snobbish smile, getting up from her bed and walked over to where her dress hang for her wedding ceremony the next day. The anger that she felt towards Kai vanishes, and a sense of pride and almost satisfaction replaced it. 'How everyone's eyes are going to be on me tomorrow, a lonely mediocre girl, marrying a Mage and a General at that.' She skipped over to her small table and took up one of her wedding invitation that she kept for sentimental reason, reading the neatly written invite on it. Her heart swelled with more pride, and thoughts of how she is going to be envied by so many of the girls in the Drogan's kingdom. And she didn't mind. It's her time now to live like that Li Jen that everyone praised so much.

'But wait a minute there, I won't live like Li Jen. I will still be below her, I am just marrying a General. But she is a princess, and princesses gets the finer things.' She subconsciously crushed the invitation in her hand, the boiling hatred that she had for Kai returned. And she couldn't help the angry scream that flew from her mouth.

The door to her room slide open, and her mother rushed in. Worried over powered the sleep in her eyes. "What is it, I heard you scream?" She ask, as she frantically look around the room.

Wang May replace the angry scowl with an innocent smile. "There's nothing wrong mother, I am just anxious and can't wait for tomorrow." She said sweetly.

Sue-May calmed down and walk back to the door. "That is good then, but you should get some sleep. You don't want to be sleep deprived on your big day, and please, keep your voice down. Remember that we have guests." With that Sue-May walked out the door, sliding it close behind her. And the smile melted away from May's face.

"It's all about Kai isn't it, but how are you all going to feel when your little spark of hope won't be sparking anymore." Her words held so much venom in them, that even she thought that it was a bit too extreme. But she didn't care, Kai got a prince. And even though she was getting married tomorrow, she still want what he has. And even if it's to go find that Fong Woo guy herself, she would do it just to get rid of Kai.