To Be Together

Awake

Phoenix eyes blink open. They narrow at the unfamiliar ceiling. The dark wooden pillars. He's not in the Red Lotus Pavilion, that being where he last remembers being. Chu Wanning turns his head. He's in a room, under the covers. He wonder what happened?

Who moved him?

Why is he here?

And where is here?

Taking a second to look around, he takes in the nice furniture, how clean it is but almost looking brand new. The dark wood a familiar look at the main building. Specifically where Madam Wang does her work. Why is he there?

Wanting more answers Chu Wanning sits up, noticing he's in his robes. Wanning pauses, there's a weight on his chest that wasn't there before. He shifts to see if he can spot a mirror in the room. He finds it on his right side, against the wall, far from where he is currently laying. But like this on his side, legs close, the weight on his chest isn't the only strange change. While he gained weight on his chest he lost something in between his legs.

He sits up. He rubs his knees together. Yup, what should be there isn't there. His cheeks get warm. Shaking his head, he moves to get up. Rushing to the mirror. As soon as he's on his two feet he notices more things that have changed. His eye line is lower. His clothes are very loose on his body. Even his shoes are larger. He clumsily saunters over to the mirror. Once close he trips over his own shoes, that no longer fit, hand slapping hard against the glass of the mirror, catching himself. He raises his head to look at himself in the mirror.

Or in this case. Herself.

His hair has gotten shiner, more luscious looking. Framing his new face, well not new, it's the same face but less angular and large. He still has narrow eyes, less so now but not by much, high cheekbones and still a straight jawline. Not extremely soft like most women have but still less than before as a man. Nose is nice and straight but curved slightly up at the tip. Eyebrows are softer and a fraction thinner. It could be his imagination but he feels like his forehead has gotten bigger, not by much but there's a change. Lips are a bit fuller than before.

Wanning stands straight looking down at his new body then to the mirror. He has breast now, and his robes do nothing to hide that fact. He can see the way his shoulders are smaller now, waist is still small but his hips now are wide, like a woman's should be. Wanning takes note of his hands. Small but still thin, and with well manicured nails, but that doesn't change the scars on each phalange. His body has changed but not healed.

"Yuheng!" Wanning snaps his gaze to Madam Wang standing at the door. She gives him a kind smile, like always. His heart squeezes. It feels like it's been a long time.

It has. Five years and a few days since he last saw her. Wanning gives her a nod. She doesn't stare long which Wanning is grateful for. He must look like a freak with his new changes.

"Come sit." She says motioning to a floor table, like the Madam of Shisheng sect she sits down with a gracefulness that Wanning can never have. Still he goes over and sits on the cushion across from her. He sits like he usually does, though the large clothes do not help, if anything they are embarrassing but he keeps his face neutral, not showing emotion like always. "I'm glad you are awake, your three disciples are worrying themselves to a qi deviation."

"How long have I been asleep?" Wanning asks, not once thinking that his voice changed but of course that has too. Deep for a woman but higher than any man's voice, especially how deep his own voice got before this. Madam Wang blinks, not expecting his voice to sound that way. It's nice, but she won't tell him that. He must be horrified.

"I can not be certain but give or take a day. More than twenty four hours." She answers deciding not to draw unnecessary attention to his new voice. Wanning looks at her, face scrunching up, not liking that. She ignores him, deciding to pour some tea for them. "It's an estimate, as the last person to see you on your feet... before this, was a disciple delivering to you a wooden box." She adds, taking out said wooden box and placing it on the table in front of Wanning, along with his cup of tea.

Chu Wanning stares down at the box. "Ah." He says remembering what had happened.

"So you remember. May I know what happened?" She asks calmly. He appreciates the way she's not prodding him, but if his disciples (read ex disciples) found him then it's must not be a secret, as much as he would have liked this to be one.

"Yes. After I said thank you to the disciple he left," more like ran away. He didn't think he was being rough but he can't tell sometimes. He had just woken up so he was a bit out of it. "Curious, I thought it was from Zhengyong, he was suppose to be there when I woke up, I opened it. The letter only had my name written on it. Once I opened the box a pink dust of some sort hit my face. Not long after I felt faint." Wanning explains, that's about what happened. Madam Wang nods.

"You stayed that way until Ran-er and the other two went looking for you." She says setting her cup of tea down. Chu Wanning ignores the way his heart beat against his chest at the mention of a certain disciple. "Tanlang found some traces of the dust but even I am at a loss to what the dust is." She stays quiet as Wanning drinks his own tea, it's bitter but not unbearable. "We may not be able to turn you back." Wanning pauses at her declaration. He looks up at her. "Of course we will try but it's not a guarantee."

"I see." Is all Wanning says. He looks down at his hands. He is still in an adult body. It's not like he's in Xia Sini body. Small and childlike that can't do much. "You checked my core correct?" He asks.

"Yes. Nothing has changed besides physically on the outside." She says. Wanning gives a silent nod. So he can still fight, he can still build things, and over all nothing has really changed.

Someone unloved will remain unloved no matter the form. Chu Wanning is still Chu Wanning. He has no doubt people will still clear away from him.

The door slams open.

"Madam Wang!" A disciple who looks like he ran here without a break yells.