The Didui tribe has never had any interest in our lands before...

Qi couldn't wrap his mind around how their friendly coexistence with one of the border tribes had crumbled so abruptly. His memory did not go far enough back for him to understand how their truce had been created, but it had never faltered since.

He could worry about how it had happened for days, but their time was short and he needed to focus on actually getting back before he stressed himself out about reforging the peace.

They had all gone to get better dressed for the weather, but when him and Zen returned to the front room, the other prince was actually wearing a tannish-white robe like their own, instead of one of his normal beautiful black ones.

When he noticed their quizzical stares, he simply pulled his white hood up over his head and smiled as he walked forward.

"This will be much simpler if we all look the same," he said, making Qi nod at the suggestion.

It would be safer for himself and Zen... but it would put his highness at greater risk. He wanted to argue, since putting others in danger was not something he wished to do, but the man could make his own decisions, and he doubted that his disagreement would change his mind in the least.

So, instead of wasting time, he simply pulled up his own hood, then turned to lift his Zen's gently onto his head, making sure to tuck away any stray strands of hair beneath the fabric.

After double-checking that they had their coin purse from the empress, along with their weapons and what little remained of their lunch from earlier, they stepped outside and into the chilly air.

The sun had long-since gone down, but Qi knew that the darkness only harbored more dangers. The group quickly made their way to the devil's koi pond, meeting their two horses near the entrance to the secluded area. Both were in excellent condition and had clearly been well cared for.

"Save your breath concerning thanks. You shall need every bit of it in order to help those you care about," prince Yuen said as he swung up onto Zen's horse.

"You two take the other. You are more in tune with each other's abilities and your little guard is much lighter than me," he said.

His words made sense, and soon Qi was up on his own horse with Zen right behind him.

He expected that the other prince might lead them to the back exit again, but instead, he turned Feng toward the pond and nudged him forward. The horse, unsurprisingly, hesitated near the water's edge, clearly sensing that some sort of danger lurked beneath its surface.

It probably didn't help that the last time the animal had been near water it had gotten sucked down into it, then abruptly pulled back up to the surface a short time later.

Instead of kicking the horse harder, though, prince Yuen dismounted and took it gently by its mane since they were missing their tack.

"With me, friend. Your masters need you to do this. I promise you that no harm will come to you," he said in a soothing tone that was quite unlike the stubborn, cocky man he had come to know. Of course, recently he had been seeing new sides to him.

It only took Feng a few more moments to calm down enough to allow the prince to guide him forward into the pitch-black water. The two slowly disappeared before their eyes, leaving Qi hesitating at the edge of the pond.

They hadn't needed to wait long before prince Yuen appeared again, walking out of the water as if he hadn't done anything odd. He walked up to Kongqi and reached up to grasp a few locks of his hair, then turned and lead him toward the water.

Qi shifted nervously atop his horse, but since the other prince didn't seem worried, he made himself relax so that he didn't worry Zen.

As they slowly descended beneath the surface, he sensed a familiar presence from below at the same time vines rose from the depths and wrapped around their startled horse, pulling them farther down into the darkness.

They were soon deposited into a familiar underground passageway... soaking wet. Thankfully, this time the area felt abnormally warm, and as prince Yuen guided their horse over to where he had left Feng, he could feel the strange heat evaporate the water that had soaked through their robes.

"I have just blocked all other entrances to my lair. It will give us enough time to get closer to where we need to go, but it will also give away that we know what is going on as soon as my father tries to get inside and realizes that he can't," prince Yuen said as he released Kongqi's mane and swung back up onto Feng's bare back.

As soon as he was situated he nudged the horse into a careful trot. It was definitely not ideal ground to be running a horse on, but both animals had been trained very well since a young age to handle uneven terrain, amongst many other situations.

They soon found a comfortable pace as the horses grew more confident. Of course, Qi had no idea where he was going since there were no stars to navigate underground, nor was there any other indication of direction that he could identify. That left them to just follow the other prince.

After a long stretch of silence, Qi felt a light tap against his upper back before Zen began to write something there.

"This is a good time to discuss a plan."

He agreed. This was their chance to figure out some sort of offense before they got there.

"I say we get into your little country first. See how it looks from the inside," prince Yuen said as he slowed his horse to a stop right outside the tunnel they had been traversing.

The open area that now stretched out before them was unlike anything he'd seen within prince Yuen's lair. While most of the areas were dark and gloomy, even when not inside of the tunnel system, this stretch of space seemed like an oasis within all the gloominess.

Dark purple flowers bloomed their way up a large waterfall spilling from an opening in the ceiling by the far wall. Faded pink ones circled the length of the pool, and little iridescent orange butterflies flitted about the area, lighting it up with a soft glow.

What caught and held his eye, however, was the same little soul he'd seen in a different part of the cave that had been hovering over a large pool of water before they'd had to make their escape on the backs of prince Yuen's glass tarantulas.

"To whom does that little soul belong?" he asked after stopping his horse a short distance behind Feng.

Prince Yuen slowly turned the horse around as he watched the dancing soul. He remained silent for several moments, and Qi could feel Zen's arms tighten around his waist ever-so-slightly during that time, but thankfully, finally, the other prince began to speak.

"That is yours, your highness."

Mine?

Prince Yuen dismounted Feng and calmly walked to the waters edge. The little soul, clearly excited with his visit, bounced closer, splashing tiny dots of water as it tapped the surface a few times on its way. When it finally settled into his palm, the prince was shaking his head disapprovingly.

"Such a troublesome little thing. I know that I have told you, countless times, to stay away from the water," he chided with a warm smile that he couldn't hide.

"Young master Huang is here!" it sang excitedly, making prince Yuen look over toward them with a tilt of his head.

Unsure but curious, Qi slid down from their horse. Zen quickly followed, walking beside him but just the slightest bit behind, too. Not wanting to make him nervous still, since he already seemed a little on edge, Qi took his hand in his as they came to a stop before the other man.

As soon as it seemed to notice them it flared brilliantly and began spinning around his midsection. He'd dealt with souls irregularly, but enough times so that he was comfortable and could read their temperament. He was not worried about their current friend, in the least, but what did bother him was the other prince's previous words.

"How is this little one mine? I clearly still possess my soul," he said, knowing that his words were absolute fact.

Prince Yuen watched the little thing flutter about without worry, a light to his eyes that he had not yet seen before. When the man finally looked back up at him, the warmth in his gaze made Qi want to step closer.

"This is only a tiny piece of your soul. How it specifically came to be... even I do not know completely. However, I can tell you that it was part of the bigger situation that brought about your accident and Zen's existence. I had found it after the dust had settled and you were both taken away by your guards. It was scared and confused after having been ripped from your body so abruptly. Being the age that I was, and with the minimal experience I had with such things, all I could do was catch it and bring it back here."

Feeling Zen squeeze his hand, Qi looked to his guard, who had now flipped his hand over to press a finger against his palm.

I had met this soul the time we were down here, but was not sure to whom it had belonged.

He was surprised that Zen hadn't mentioned such a thing, but at the same time, what was one to do about a wandering soul? If it was not acting aggressively, there was no reason to bother it. Most of them dispersed on their own, while some stayed for months... or even years.

So many years...

"You have kept this little one safe here for so long."

The other prince looked away, out toward the quiet waterfall.

"I value very few things, but you... you are my most important treasure."

Qi felt his heart stumble in his chest as he averted his eyes, even though the man was not even looking at him at that moment.

Hearing Zen shift beside him, he looked up to see his sweet guard lifting the little soul in his cupped hands. Its soft glow brightened the young man's features, and when Zen caught him looking, the reassuring smile he gave him had Qi's heart beating even quicker.

"Your memories will not come back immediately after reabsorbing it, but I feel that now is the best time to return it to you so that it can begin healing within your body and eventually complete what had been broken all those years ago," prince Yuen said as he finally turned back around to face them.

Qi gently reached up and took the little soul from Zen, then slowly brought it closer to his own chest.

"The memories I had of you... they are here inside of this little one?" he asked, already feeling as if he knew the answer.

He saw the other prince nod his head, confirming his words.

It was a scary thing to think about, having all of his memories restored, even at a slow pace... but at the same time, he knew that it was a rare and valuable gift that he could never decline.

You have kept this safe for me for so many years...

"Come home to me, little one," he whispered as he felt the warmth of the soul begin to spread through his chest.

It took very little time for its light to fade as they fused completely. Absorbing a soul was never something he'd thought he'd do, for any reason, yet as it settled within his chest, he could feel a piece of himself that he hadn't known he was missing, finally become whole within him again.

Welcome back, little one.

He was about to speak when he felt hesitant, cold fingers press just beneath his collar bone. When he looked up, prince Yuen was standing nearly shoulder to shoulder with Zen, who looked as if he'd had the same idea, but had been too hesitant to finish lifting his hand up. He finally seemed to work up the courage, but when he pressed a gentle finger to Qi's skin, it was to write at the same time prince Yuen spoke.

"Are you alright?"

"Are you alright?"

How did I end up with such sweet people before me?

He offered them a warm smile and first leaned forward to pull Zen into his arms and give him a soft kiss on the cheek, then turned the slightest amount so that he could tug prince Yuen into a appreciative hug.

Qi released both men after a few moments, then stepped back, straightening out his robe before turning toward the horses so that they could continue on with their journey. Except, of course, prince Yuen refused to let him get away with just a simple hug and Qi soon felt cool fingers wrap around his wrist.

He nervously turned around after a few moments of tense silence, but when the other man leaned forward, he didn't seem interested in actually kissing him... or at least, not on the mouth. Instead, he leaned forward and slightly down so that he could press his lips to the slight opening in Qi's robe where the soul had disappeared.

Almost as quickly as it had happened, prince Yuen straightened and walked away, remounting Feng before turning the horse away from them.

"Let us be off. We have quite a road ahead of us."