“Sister Yan... I can’t.... please... no more...”

Though normally a kind and nurturing soul, Yan took an almost sadistic glee in bullying her current sparring partner, but for good reason. Having fallen on stage into a seated kneel, the combination of Luo-Luo’s teary eyes and heaving chest was almost too much for Yan to bear, so utterly helpless and inadvertently erotic that she wanted to keep pushing the Imperial Servant just to see more of her delicate reactions and hear her desperate, breathless cries. How would she react if the sparring continued? Would she cling to Yan’s leg and beg for this torment to end? Or would she steel her resolve and push herself back to her feet, trembling in fear and exhaustion all the while? Perhaps she would try to cut a deal and offer to do something in exchange for Yan’s mercy, a promise she could use to perhaps continue this bullying in a more private session...

Though she most definitely preferred the company of men, Luo-Luo’s shapely body, porcelain skin, and exquisite features tempted Yan more than a little, if only to satisfy her budding curiosity. Suppressing her fiendish, borderline perverted thoughts, she sighed and put aside her weapons to help the pitiable Luo-Luo back onto her feet. While there, Yan couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the woman’s gorgeous, pale bosom and wondered how it would feel to take those heavy breasts in hand or rest her cheek upon them. No wonder Rain was so entranced by breasts, with their hypnotic, undulating motions and smooth, silken lustre. If all women had breasts like Luo-Luo, Yan would be obsessed with them too.

Da’in was to blame for Yan’s newfangled degeneracy, the devious, fox-eyed vixen polluting her mind with raunchy stories of erotic dalliances between noble ladies and their handmaidens or tantalizing tales of sister-wives consoling one another in their husband’s absence. Mila wasn’t innocent in all this either, encouraging Da’in with all those damnable questions to prepare for marriage and what came after. Rain was also at fault, perhaps most of all, an immoral philanderer with an insatiable appetite and excessive seductive charms. Then there was Yan herself, for being stupid enough to fall so helplessly in love with a man already betrothed to two women that she was unable to set eyes on anyone else, even after he picked up a third, stunning, ravishing woman to join his harem, albeit through no fault of his own.

Cursing herself for a fool, Yan averted her eyes from Luo-Luo’s heaving bosom before anyone noticed and said, “Good work today. You’ve progressed by leaps and bounds in technical skill and you have much potential, but as I said before you left for the front lines, your lack of practical experience and inability to think critically while under duress are holding you back. You should take up arms and seek Insight in true battle, for there is little more I can do to help you here on the sparring grounds.”

It was a roundabout way to say she no longer had the confidence to continue guiding Luo-Luo along the Martial Path, but oddly enough, the shrewd and diplomatic Imperial Servant didn’t seem to understand Yan was trying to save face. Deflating in place, Luo-Luo all but collapsed against Yan’s shoulder and whimpered in adorable fright as they made their way off the stage. “But sister Yan,” she pleaded, ever the helpless and vulnerable maiden, “The thought of taking up arms on the battlefield terrifies me to the core.” She wasn’t exaggerating either, trembling from head to toe like a newborn fawn and barely able to stand without Yan’s support. “I’ve never taken a life, not even that of a fly, and the mere mention of blood is enough to make my stomach queasy and head light. My time in Sinuji only proved how unsuited I am for the Martial Path, for the din of battle was enough to set me shivering in fright. I am no hero or warrior, but merely a cowardly cur who will turn tail and run at the first opportunity to do so.”

“Not true.” Uncharacteristically interjecting herself into the conversation, Song strode over to help keep Luo-Luo on her feet, a kind and friendly gesture which was entirely at odds with the half-cat’s stony, callous expression. “When the Wraiths and Demons ambushed Rain, you did not hesitate to risk your life to bring me away and keep me safe. You possess a Warrior’s heart, Luo-Luo, and you only lack the courage to believe in yourself.”

“Well said.” Tamping down a flare of irrational jealousy, Yan covertly studied Song from the corner of her eye and wondered how she might also endear herself to the prickly half-cat. While they were always polite and respectful to one another, it would be a stretch to call their relationship cordial, because Song clearly resented Yan’s good fortune in being adopted by Grandpa Du. If not for this, they would’ve gotten along like two peas in a pod thanks to their mutual love of animals and shared circle of friends, but after months of patience and perseverance, Song still refused to warm up despite all of Yan’s best efforts.

What would it take to become friends with the aloof and detached Li Song? Would Yan have to follow in Luo-Luo’s footsteps and save Song’s life on the battlefield? At this point, she was beginning to resent the half-cat for being so stand-offish. It felt like because of this distance between them, Yan was being pushed further and further away from her closest friends and turning into an outsider looking in. As silly as it might sound, while Song resented Yan’s life with Grandpa Du, Yan resented Song for her place among the People, because the half-cat had been given the family Yan had dreamed of for years. How nice would it have been if Yan had been adopted by the Chief Provost herself? To be sisters with Mila and the blockhead hero Baatar? Instead, Yan had to leave the village she grew up in to find a family to call her own, and as much as she loved Grandpa Du, Eun, and even her surly ‘brother’ Kyung, she still missed her quiet little life in the mountains.

Try as she might to become Du Min Yan, in her heart of hearts, she would always be Adujan of the People, but no matter how much she wanted to pretend things were still the same, Li Song was the living embodiment of everything that had changed.

Choking on indignation while Luo-Luo and Song gushed about how incredible the other was, Yan waited for a lull in the sickly sweet conversation before jumping back in. “Well, since we still have some time before lunch, why don’t you and I have a friendly spar, Song?” There was always some excuse or another, but Yan still offered to trade blows with the half-cat every chance she got, if only to release some of her unhealthy, pent-up frustrations.

“No,” Song replied, answering immediately before pausing to think of an excuse, just like always. Glancing at the sun which had yet to reach its peak, she added, “It is time to wake Lin-Lin and help her get ready for lunch.”

Hmph. How convenient. The darling half-hare had a veritable army of servants waiting on her hand and foot, but Song just had to help Lin get dressed and do her hair right now. Then again, Song often helped Lin while they were in Sinuji and on the journey back, so it’s possible the offer was sincere, though Yan still suspected it was merely an excuse. “I’ll come along then,” she said, noting what might have been the barest hint of a scowl on Song’s otherwise blank expression. “It’s been forever since I braided Lin’s hair.” Literally forever, as in Yan had never done it before, but how difficult could it be?

Oblivious to the underlying tension, Luo-Luo clapped her hands and bade them both farewell before rushing off to ‘freshen up’, even though she looked none the worse for wear after two hours of strenuous exertion. Stiffly standing side by side with a Luo-Luo sized void between them, Yan traded an awkward glance with Song which more than anything proved that the half-cat either didn’t like her and didn’t want to spend time alone with her. Well too bad. Song was Mila’s sister, and Yan would soon be Mila’s sister-wife, so they were stuck with one another whether they liked it or not.

Especially considering that given Rain’s affable charms and insatiable lust, there was a good chance Song and Yan would become more than just mere in-laws...

With a forced smile, Yan gestured towards Lin’s manor and said, “Shall we?”

“Uhn.” Marching away as quickly as she could without breaking into a run, Song moved with purpose while Yan settled in beside her, not so much walking together as they were going in the same direction with an invisible, impenetrable barrier hung between them.

A barrier Yan intended to break down, whether by hook or by crook.

Speeding up to close the distance between them, Yan put on her brightest smile and said, “So, Sinuji. I’ve heard Rain’s version of events often enough to recite it forwards and backwards, but I haven’t heard it from your point of view.”

“There is not much I could add to the tale.”

Brushing the inquiry off with a non-answer, Song picked up her pace as if being chased by the Father Himself, but Yan was not so easily deterred. “Maybe, but maybe not. While the facts might not change, each person’s perspective is unique, so it’s possible your outlook differs from Luo-Luo’s or Lin-Lin’s and could help us understand what happened with Rain.” Even though he’d already made up his mind on the matter, it went without saying that no one really understood how he recovered, least of all Rain himself. He believed it was all thanks to the gourd of Chi Tea he drank, but that theory was flimsier than Luo-Luo’s nightgown, a scanty, scandalous garment which Yan adored. The Water Chi might explain where he obtained the Heavenly Energy from, but why did so many days pass before it took effect? And what about his mysterious ability of Oration, which happened before he entered his unique state of Balance and began Devouring Demons like candies? There were so many questions still yet to be answered, but Rain was too fixated on Chi Tea to think about anything else. “Where’s the harm in trying to help him piece together what happened?”

“Everywhere.” Noting Yan’s displeasure, Song gave another barely perceptible scowl and explained, “I cannot help Rain, not in this, nor can you. No one can. Everyone must forge their own Path, but even Mama can’t make heads or tails of Rain’s and doesn’t dare say anything for fear of leading him down a wrong fork. In this, his perspective is the only one that matters, so he must discover the answers on his own.” Shrugging, she added, “Leave him be and he’ll eventually figure it out. He almost always does.”

So surprised by Song’s surety, Yan missed a step and almost fell flat on her face. Playing it off as if nothing had happened, she let the half-cat take the lead and followed behind in silence, trying to make sense of this unexpected development. Something had changed in the way Song spoke of Rain, lacking the guarded reservations and underlying tension lingering just below the surface. She feared her Master, for as sweet and lovable as Rain might be, he also held absolute power over her which couldn’t be pleasant. Now that fear and vigilance was gone, or at least buried deeper, and in its place was an implicit trust in Rain and his abilities, one which bordered on blind faith. Utterly unconcerned with his current plight, Song wholly expected him to triumph over all present and future trials and tribulations in his Path as easily as turning a hand.

...Which only reaffirmed Yan’s worries that Song would eventually become the fifth and supposedly final member of Rain’s harem. Trust was the foundation upon which all relationships were built, and it seemed like the gorgeous, half-cat warrior had the deepest foundation of them all.

So distracted by her thoughts, Yan forgot why she’d come along in the first place and merely sat on the side while Song woke Lin and braided her hair. The two of them got along so well, with the latter chatting away as she was wont to do while the former simply nodded every now and then with the ghost of a smile gracing her pouty lips. Rather than the simple twin braids Lin usually wore, Song’s fingers deftly wove the half-hare’s silken hair into a regal, plaited crown, lending the sweet, honey-skinned girl an air of noble virtue to compliment her fresh-faced innocence. Barely able to contain her delight, Yan squealed with girlish delight as she ran over to lift Lin into a hug and twirl her about. “You look so beautiful,” she crooned, charmed by Lin’s full cheeks and captivating smile. “Rain’s eyes will probably pop out of his head when he sees you like this.”

“You think so?” With a smile so wide her eyes disappeared, Lin buried her face in Yan’s shoulder and giggled with delight. When her fit died down, she dragged Yan over to Song and hugged them both tight. “Thank you Yan-Yan, thank you Li-Li,” she said, utterly oblivious to their shared discomfort, both happy to hug Lin but leaning as far away from the other as possible. “You’re both the best, ya?”

“Mama taught me how to do this,” Song said, stroking Lin’s hare ears with an actual smile, one that made her gorgeous face all the more beautiful and sent waves of irrational jealousy surging through Yan’s mind. How nice it must be to have the Chief Provost braid her hair. Yan had long hair once, but then it got in her way during a sparring match and she hacked it all off with a hunting knife. Huu, Altan, and Mugi had laughed at the result and she’d laughed along, but then she spent most of the night regretting her rash decision and sobbing in Tomor’s arms.

...Knowing what little she knew of Song’s life and how horrible a person Jin Tok was, it felt silly to be jealous of the resilient half-cat, but Yan still couldn’t help herself.

Arm in arm with the both of them, Lin led them next door for lunch with Rain only to discover he was having a midday bath. Leaving the others to play with the twins and the animals, Yan snuck off to surprise her beloved and maybe steal a few kisses or more, but the moment she slipped inside the steamy, stone-brick bathhouse, she froze in place at the sight of Mila shushing her into silence. Taking her hand with a smile, the freckled red-head nodded at Rain sitting in the bathtub with eyes screwed shut and Sent, “He’s trying to make Chi Tea.”

Again? After waking from his stupor following the battle in Sinuji, making Chi Tea was first thing Rain tried, but to no avail. The jolly, heavy-set monk said Rain had reached a unique state of Balance, one which did away with the intelligence and reasoning of man to replace it with base instinct and bestial cunning. Honestly, it didn’t sound like something Rain would do, because he was always going on about understanding and simplifying the mysteries of the Martial Path, but everyone who’d seen him firsthand during the Wraith and Demon ambush agreed with the monk’s description of Rain’s behaviour, if not his conclusions.

A description which filled Yan with cold, unyielding terror, for any fool with eyes could see Rain’s ‘unique state of Balance’ was dangerously similar to the Defiled’s lack of Balance and restraint, and not even the good monk could convincingly answer how the two differed. Still, if anyone could stand firm when faced with the Father’s foul temptations, it would be the Mother’s Chosen Son, Falling Rain.

Resisting the urge to slip out of her clothes to do some tempting of her own, Yan tore her eyes away from Rain’s bony but broad shoulders to study Mila instead. “So,” she Sent, noting her friend’s flushed features and glowing smile, so different from the usual sullen glower. “You tried the restraints.” So red her cheeks matched her hair, Mila shrunk back and tried to cover her face, but Yan relentlessly pressed on by ‘trapping’ her in a bear hug. “Seeing how he’s still in one piece, I take it they worked well, but now it is your turn to share.”

While Rain and the others were fighting on the front lines, Yan had been beset on all sides by the devilish Da’in and an equally curious Mila, the two formidable warriors making fast friends in a matter of days. Together, they wrung out every sordid detail of Yan’s dalliances with Rain, and then they made her retell the same stories using entirely different words and adjectives. Mila’s interest was understandable enough, but Da’in had done it just to see Yan squirm, a fiendish, merciless woman with a tongue as sharp as her sword and a wit to match.

Luckily for Mila, that fox-eyed vixen wasn’t here to press her for specifics and Yan’s interest lay solely in giving her friend a taste of her own medicine, but there were still details aplenty. Usually so confident and domineering, this shy, blushing Mila was adorable to behold as she recounted her morning dalliance with Rain, a riveting tale of lust and submission which had Yan burning for more. So brave of Mila to place herself in such a compromising position for Rain and trust him not to go too far, but when she showed the bruises on her legs and the shards of her shattered restraints, Yan realized that there really wasn’t any other choice.

In hindsight, maybe it was a good thing Yan didn’t press Mila to consummate their marriage as a trio, though there was something to be said about the fiery girl’s shapely, milky-white thighs...

So captivated by their discussion, neither one noticed Rain until he stood to open the window and greeted Ping Ping lingering outside. “Hiya big girl,” he crooned, holding out a ladle of bathwater while Yan and Mila fanned their faces to cool their combined ardour. “You want a drink?” Squeaking happily at the sight of her favourite person, the Guardian Turtle left the water untouched and pressed her beak closer for a pat, a request Rain granted with a conflicted smile etched across his face. “Guess not. Sorry big girl. I’ll figure it out soon enough.”

After a thorough scritching, Rain bid the squeaking turtle farewell and sank back down into the water to ward away winter’s chill. “Oh hey,” he said, finally noticing Yan’s presence. “How was morning training?”

“Same as always,” Yan answered, sensing he didn’t want to talk about his failure to make Chi Tea or whatever it was he called it these days. “I could use a bath myself though, got all worked up and sweaty.” More from Mila’s story than sparring with Luo-Luo, but put both together with the sight of water dripping down Rain’s pale, adorable behind and Yan was ready to push him down and risk breaking something of his herself.

Without missing a beat, Rain grinned and replied, “Water’s still hot and there’s plenty of room. Enough to comfortably fit three.”

Unable to resist playing along, Yan weathered Mila’s glare and put on an expression of wide-eyed innocence. “Well, sister? What say we join him? You can finish telling me your story and maybe we can come up with a working solution together.” Leaning in to give Mila’s cheek a chaste, but lingering kiss, Yan whispered, “Or at least have fun trying.”

“Debauched perverts the both of you. Drain the tub when you’re done.” Stomping out with her cheeks aflame, Mila barked, “And if the two of you aren’t out by the time lunch is ready, we’re starting without you.”

The door slammed shut behind her and Yan burst into laughter. It wasn’t kind to make light of Mila’s difficulties, but she couldn’t resist. Wiping away a tear with a sigh, she turned to Rain and cupped his cheeks with a sigh. “Oh Mother in Heaven, I needed that. I think that might be the first time I’ve seen her scurry away with her tail between her legs.”

“Why?”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you need to be cheered up?” he clarified, kissing her palm while gazing up into her eyes. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing.” He didn’t need to hear about her jealousy and insecurities, or about her fears and doubts. Right now, he needed her trust and support, and that was what he would get.

“It’s not nothing.” With a bright but conflicted smile, Rain leaned in close and rested his head in her arms, not quite hugging her for fear of getting her clothes wet, but it was close enough. “I’ve got a lot on my plate, but that doesn’t mean your problems don’t matter or I don’t have time to hear about your troubles. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, but I’m always here to lend an ear, shoulder, or whatever else you might need.” Gratified by the offer, she simply smiled back and shook her head, so he dropped the matter. “Well, the offer stands from now till eternity. Either way, it’s good to see your beautiful smile again, beloved,” he said, gesturing at his towel laying out of reach in silent request. “Now, let’s not keep – ”

Batting his hand aside, she instead pulled her tunic over her head and tossed it to the side, smirking as Rain’s jaw dropped and eyes went wide with lust and appreciation. Turning her back to him, she slowly slipped out of her trousers with a generous wiggle of her hips before sending them to join her tunic, giving Rain a moment to drink in the sight. “Ladle please,” she said over her shoulder, smiling as he came to his senses just long enough to understand human speech. “I wasn’t joking about needing a bath, but I need to rinse off before getting in.”

Which she did, though she took longer than necessary just so she could tease him a little more. While Mila might be satisfied with games of touch and kisses before marriage, Yan needed far more to slake her thirst, and temporary though his recovery might be, Rain was more than up to the task.

They were late for lunch, but it was well worth the wait.

Chapter Meme