Eternal Love of Dream: The Aftermath

What If? Part 5

Fengjiu gasped as Donghua appeared in her bedroom in Qingyun Hall.  "Dijun, why are you here?"

"Xiaobai, why haven't you come to see me?" Donghua asked, feeling unusually uncertain for a God so usually confident. That morning they had asked Queen Ju Nuo about the pimpon fruit, who confirmed that she had never said that curing the toxin was a known property of the fruit.  Donghua had treated Ji Heng, this time assured that Miao Luo had finally left her body.  Afterwards, he brought Fengjiu to Xie Guchou so that Fengjiu could give the Lord of the Underworld the pimpon fruit.  Donghua then took her back to the Nine Heavens, but when they reached the Heavenly Gates, Fengjiu had tugged her hand free from his before anyone could see them and said she needed to see her family.  When she hadn't come to see him by the dog hour,  he decided to visit her.

"I've been busy catching up with my family.  Dijun...it's not proper for you to be here."

He glanced at the clothes on her bed.  "Why are you packing?"

Fengjiu turned back to her clothes on the bed.  "I'm going home.  My father wrote to Gugu that I've been away from my studies too long and that she is to order me home right away when she sees me."

Donghua sat down on her bed next to her satchel of clothing.  "Good.  I'll go with you to Qingqiu." Donghua said, smiling up at her. 

Fengjiu focused on folding a robe into her satchel. All she wanted to do was kiss him and curl up next to him.  But she couldn't. Their days in Fanyin Valley were over.  She forced a polite smile. "Dijun...why would you come with me to Qingqiu?"

"To ask your parents' approval to marry you, of course."  He said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Marry?" Fengjiu repeated in shock.  He wasn't supposed to ask her until they were in the Dream of Aranya.

He pulled her to stand between his legs.  He looked up at her and asked gently,  "Xiaobai, did you forget that you took advantage of me in Fanyin Valley? Don't you think you should make me an honest man?"

Her mouth opened at a loss for words.  She shook her head.  "Dijun, I did not take advantage of you!"

"Are we forgetting it was you who pushed me onto the bed and kissed me first?" Donghua raised an eyebrow.

Fengjiu nibbled her lip.  "It is true...I did kiss you but it was because I missed you so much and—." She stopped and looked at him. "I mean, it doesn't matter, you took advantage of me, too. You pushed me down and did more things! Multiple times!"

"You're right." He pulled her into his lap, happy to hold her again. "Since I did take advantage of you, what kind of man would I be if I didn't marry you? We should go register our marriage with Nuwa now and then ask your parents to set the date for the wedding banquet."

"Dijun! That's not what I meant." She crossed her arms and tried to look stern, well as stern as one can be, perched on another's lap.

He caressed her chin and the warmth in his eyes made her forget what she was about to say. "I missed you all day, Xiaobai. Did you miss me?"

She stared mesmerized as he gently pressed his lips to hers, licking her gently before kissing her again. He kissed her nose and then nuzzled it in the way she adored. Resting his forehead against hers, he whispered, "Let's go to my bedchamber."

Fengjiu's heart wanted to burst.  All she wanted to do was follow him, but she knew she had to stop this.  Using all her control, she pushed him away and stood up, putting some distance between them.

She took a deep breath.  "Even if we took advantage of each other in Fanyin Valley, no one knows what we did there.  You don't have to feel responsible for me.  Foxes aren't about rules and just because we—anyways, you don't have to marry me."