Ultimate Note: You Are Worthy

Too Close, Just Too Close

Zhang Qiling

"Hey! That's so unfair, Xiaoge. I fell first, why didn't you catch me? I know you had a thing for Tianzhen, but we are still brothers and I could had been seriously injured, not to mention die." Pangzi asked as he rubbed his sore back, while looking at Zhang Qiling with accusing eyes.

"You are heavy." Qiling said simply, while Wu Xie's ears went red.

"Seriously Pangzi..." Pan Zi sighed as he walked toward Fatty.

"And it's not like that. I screamed harder than you did, that's why he hear me fall..." Wu Xie explained.

"Yeah, right. Such a selective hearing and care. I'm so moved to be left behind by you, Pingxie..." Pangzi said sarcastically.

"Pingxie? What the hell is that?" Wu Xie protested, looking at Fatty as he wanted to kill him.

"Isn't that what couples do when in love these days? Join names and all, they think it's cute." He keep up and Wu Xie slapped the back of Pangzi's head in annoyance, while Qiling smirked slightly. For some reason he was internally pleased with the nickname. It has a certain ring to it that sounded too good on his ears.

"Don't go naming us nonsense. I promise you that next time you fall, I will catch you myself no matter what." Wu Xie said, just to keep him from sprouting more embarrassing stuff.

"Ah, you are a true brother, Tianzhen, now give me a hand, my back is killing me." Pangzi said, extending his hand to him and Wu Xie naturally grab it, trying to pull him up, when Ah Ning yelled them to stop and stay still.

"Wait! Don't touch him..." She said, although too late, as she kneeled by Pangzi, to look at a bunch of eggs that were smashed by Pangzi's fall and the mess of liquid on both Pangzi and Wu Xie's hand.

"What is it?" Wu Xie asked, as he clean his hand on his own jacket and looked down to her that was moving around what was left of those strange things in the shape of eggs.

"Some creature eggs. They don't look to be the normal type... just look at their color and viscosity." She said, looking closer.

"Do you know of what?" Pan Zi asked curiously, also kneeling beside her.

"It should be snakes of some sort." At that, Pangzi forget about his hurting back and pain and hastily stood up and away from the things. Snakes were no jokes, specially the deadly ones that could kill you in less than a minute.

"Xiaoge, this time be a good brother and protect me from snakes, huh?" Pangzi said to Qiling as he turned to look at the other three, still examine the eggs. However, asking to be protected from them, make Xiaoge focus on Pangzi's back, noticing a swelling that shouldn't be on the base of his neck. Thus he moved fast and knockout Fatty, right in front of Wu Xie.

"Pangzi!" Wu Xie yelled as he try to catch him, but Qiling stop him before he could touch him again.

"Don't... his neck." Xiaoge explained when he looked at him in surprise. Immediately, Pan Zi was beside him and taking a look at Fatty's neck in where there was a kind of blister on his skin.

"For the gods, how did his back get into this state? I had never seen such a fast reaction." Pan Zi said.

"Clean it before it can grow more." Xiaoge said and Pan Zi did as he was told, taking out a medic kit from his backpack. Wu Xie came close to Ah Ning, trying to find some answers from her, but he only got her eying him from waist to top.

"Take off your shirt." She demanded.

"Huh?" Wu Xie was dumbfounded, as Xiaoge frowned at her words, obviously displeased with them. She simply pointed at Wu Xie's stain, annoyed with the recently named Pingxie couple that was getting on her nerves.