MOONLIGHT NINJA

MOONLIGHT NINJA CHAPTER 6

Chapter 6

The bird's melodious voices on a beautiful spring morning never failed to hit the perfect note. To complement the enchantment brought by the avian song, the breeze felt tranquil, pleasant and invigorating. But then no matter how beautiful the nature's deity tried to paint today's spring morning, in the Yan's dining table, it had only been deemed an abominable irony.

The only audible sound, aside that of the birds', where the hiss brought by the dancing lanterns on the ceiling outside the windows. As what had always been, just like in a stringent military formation, Unit Commander Yan Bao Rong and his daughter ate their breakfast in rigid silence.

During the entire duration of the meal, Yan Mei Ling had eaten with her head slightly bowed down, like she was avoiding looking straight to her father. Her thoughts, at that moment, were occupied; her dilemma was difficult but then she had her resolution - and the latter weighed more than the former.

She slowly lifted her head to finally stare at her father but the moment she did, she only felt dwarfed by the sheer authority she sensed in him as the imposing ornately-decorated heavy armor he wore above his long-sleeved black silk robe. The empire's dragon dynastic emblem carved on the armor looked as powerful as he was. Yan Mei Ling started to feel her resolution waning faster than she thought deeply about it yesterday - doubts and fears had loosened her resolve.

The Unit Commander stiffly excused him self from the table and stood.

"Bà," she softly called him before he turned his back.

The Unit Commander remained standing in his place to look at his daughter. He merely regarded her with an impassive stare.

"Uhm," Yan Mei Ling awkwardly faltered but then she must say what she wanted to say. "May I come along with you on your way to the Imperial Palace? I need to visit Li Lei Shuang."

The Unit Commander remained silent as he continued staring at his daughter stolidly. "I will not come back home tonight. I will not be able to accompany you back here."

"Yeng can go with us," Yan Mei Ling suggested - desperation was evident in her voice.

The Unit Commander remained unmoved and started to turn his back.

"Bà, please," she called again. "If you won't come back tonight, then please allow me to stay at the Imperial palace. Surely, I will be safe there."

At Yan Mei Ling's last words, her father faced her again and said, "Yes, you can go with me."

Yan Mei Ling felt extremely ecstatic with her father's consent that it took a lot of her strong will to control the urge to hug her father but then she managed to say, "Thank you, bà."

°°°°°

"Oh, Yan Mei Ling, I am so happy to see you!" Li Lei Shuang exclaimed delightedly the moment Yan Mei Ling entered her room. She rushed to embrace her best friend. "I was so worried about you. How the thought of you being ill had distressed me so much, and it pained me that I was not there to take care of you. But I am so happy that you are here - I miss you so much, Yan Mei Ling."

Yan Mei Ling went rigid with what her best friend said to her. She felt guilty for ignoring Lei Shuang. The truth was she did not want to stay away from her best friend but then her feelings had plagued her so much. She was in denial from the time that she realized the extent of her feelings, and thought at first that staying away would purge whatever she felt but, unfortunately, it did not. In the same way that her feelings intensified, her guilt had escalated.

After a moment of rigidity, Yan Mei Ling returned Li Lei Shuang's embrace - trying to fight the awkwardness that threatened to swallow her being. Surely, this cannot be wrong when being in her arms feels so right?