Ghost

Hope

The morning sun falls gently on Lan Zhan and A-Yuan. Slowly, Lan Zhan wakes up; he feels calm today. He doesn't know why, but he welcomes it. He looks over at his son, who clutches something tightly in his little hand. Lan Zhan realizes it's the small box with the dried Lotus flowers; he gently smiles at the sight. Before Sun Hua, the healer, left, he gifted A-Yuan and himself. The child was given the dried flowers and two small vials filled with the essence of the Red and Blue Lotus flowers. It wasn't Wei Ying, but it helped. He looked again at the tiny child; his heart was filled with so much love for this little being. The words of his beloved came to mind: "A father will do all he can for his children. He will love, cherish, and protect them and always be there for them."

He will be a father to A-Yuan. He already loves him, but he must heal to protect him. He will endure whatever is asked of him by Sun Hua. He must become whole again for both his son and himself. Lan Xichen comes and breaks him from his thoughts. It is time to start the day and to see what Sun Hua plans are for Lan Zhan.

Sun Hua has finally arrived at the jingshi. He looks at the three faces looking at him with three different emotions. From Lan Xichen, he sees concern, anxiety, and fear for his little brother. From the child, he sees love in his eyes for his father and a child's fear of being left alone. From Lan Zhan, he sees only a stoic strength and determination. He thinks he will never see fear or weakness in those amber eyes.

He respects this family and will do his best to help this young man whose family loves him. He wants to give them back a whole and healthy man who can live without suffering from pain and injury. He truly hopes to succeed. Sun Hua bows and says, "Good morning. Today, we will discuss what I think will help the most, and if you agree, we will start tonight."

Worry shows clearly on Lan Xichen's face, but he knows the final decision must come from Lan Zhan. Sun Hua says, " I would like to try something less painful with hopefully better results. However, what I propose using will attack your senses and can bring disgust." Now Lan Xichen is truly worried, but Lan Zhan has only slightly raised one eyebrow. He looks into the eyes of Sun Hua and slightly nods his head. The healer takes this as a sign to continue. "I intend to use leeches and maggots to help with the healing process." There is dead silence in the room.

Lan Xichen is horrified. Lan Zhan has not taken his eyes off the healer. A-Yuan doesn't understand what is happening, but he feels it is terrible. He begins to cry and tugs on Lan Zhan's hand. Lan Zhan wraps him in a hug as best he can and tries to comfort the child. He looks again at Sun Hua and says, "Continue."

The practice of using leeches is called Shuizhi in Chinese. It's been used for thousands of years and has recently come into favor again by medical doctors worldwide.

Sun Hua explains, "The leeches promote blood circulation and remove old blood. The leeches would care for places that wouldn't heal because of blood clots. In other words, the leeches would eat the blood and help the wounds close. Then, the maggots would be used to clean the wounds and help prevent infections. The larvae would eat all the dead tissue and clean the wounds. So, no more soaking to remove dressings and stripping open your wounds repeatedly.

Both treatments sounded horrible and disgusting, but suddenly Lan Zhan felt a hand go into his, and he looked down at A-Yuan. "I will stay with you, Father, so that you won't be afraid," says A-Yuan, with tears in his eyes. Lan Zhan smiles down at him and, without looking at Sun Hua, says, "You have your answer; how can I refuse when my son is so brave."

The Lan Clan healers have also requested to be present to learn, but Lan Xichen and Lan Zhan have not yet decided to let them. They worry about their uncle and do not trust the healers who have not already been with them. They will decide in the morning.

Later in the evening, Sun Hua returned, and with Lan XIchen's help, they placed Lan Zhan in a large tub with warm water and special oils. Slowly, the dressings were removed one by one while Lan Zhan was still submerged in the water. It was the first time he could tolerate the removal of his bandages. He silently shed tears of thanks. After that, he was placed back in bed with only a light sheet to cover his wounds. He was then given something to help him sleep and relieve his pain. He finally holds A-Yuan properly for the first time and is extremely thankful. Yes, there is pain, but it is bearable. As Lan Zhan drifts to sleep, a pair of silver eyes watch and wait.

Wei Ying cannot wait any longer for his Lan Zhan to wake up, so he kisses him silly and bites his lower lip. Lan Zhan smiles and says, "You could've just told me to wake up." Wei Ying giggles. "What would be the fun in that?" as he smothers Lan Zhan once again with kisses. Lan Zhan sits up and pulls Wei Ying onto his lap. As much as he wants to kiss his love, he must know something. Gently, he pushes Wei Ying slightly away from him. Wei Ying frowns at this. "Please, love, before my mind leaves me yet again, I must ask you something."

Wei Ying becomes serious and nods to Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan says, "Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful, but why am I not in pain here, and why are my wounds healed, and why can I see and feel you?"

Wei Ying smiled brightest and said, "Because this is our safe place, and I willed it so." We can be whole here until we are whole in the outside world."

Lan Zhan strokes Wei Ying's face, looking deep into those silver eyes he cannot get enough of, and thinks, "How lucky I am to be loved by this man." Still looking deeply into Wei Ying's eyes, he strokes his lover lower and lower. His own eyes become a smoky amber, and Wei Ying begins to shiver, his lips slightly parted as if he cannot get enough air. Lan Zhan sees Wei Ying's parted lips as an invitation and swoops in to claim them. Their tongues fight for control, but Lan Zhan knows he will always win.

Ever so slowly, Lan Zhan opens Wei Ying's robes to expose the soft white skin beneath. Finally, bare underneath Lan Zhan, Wei Ying eagerly awaits what Lan Zhan will do. Lan Zhan begins to taste every inch of his love, profoundly inhaling his Lotus scent. Wei Ying is unable to focus as wave upon wave of pleasure crashes into him so many times he doesn't know when one begins and one ends. Sandalwood envelopes him like a cocoon. This is home; this is where he belongs.

Lan Zhan lowers his mouth to kiss Wei Ying as he slides his hands slowly down his beloved's body. Wei Ying is panting and getting ready to beg his Lan Zhan when he feels Lan Zhan trailing kisses lower and lower. Lan Zhan stops momentarily to see Wei Ying's body glowing red where he's left his love marks. He is feeling immensely proud of himself. Suddenly, Wei Ying grabs Lan Zhan's head, places it where he needs it, and wishes him to go. Lan Zhan is more than willing to comply. He places his lips where Wei Ying wishes. Wei Ying's eyes roll in the back of his head, waves of pleasure threatening to kill him until he finally explodes. Lan Zhan laughs aloud, "Be careful what you wish for."

Lan Zhan worshiped Wei Ying's body over and over again. Wei Ying is praying he never stops. He wants more, needs more, and will always beg for more from Lan Zhan. Finally, exhaustion takes over them, and they sleep.

Before he falls asleep, Lan Zhan thinks, "I must tell Wei Ying about the new healer and the Lotus flowers.' But he never gets the chance. When he wakes up next, he returns to his room with A-Yuan. He is sad but now fully ready to face the task at hand. He is full of Wei Ying's love and can conquer anything with that.

Wei Ying is also sad because he is alone again, but wanted Lan Zhan to know and feel his love. "I will be by your side, my love. We will do this together."