It Can't Be Anyone But You

Writing the Fool - Part 5

Lan Zhan stares unblinking at Wei Ying.

"You." he hisses through closed teeth.

"Ah ha ha. Yep! It's me. Wei Ying." the Jiang Head Disciple laughs nervously. "Um, can I have my arm back now. Please?"

Golden eyes rage with sparks of need. Lan Zhan's mind spins wildly like a pinwheel bullied by the wind.

"You." Lan Zhan repeats, his voice deep and rough with unfamiliar emotions he can't control.

Wei Ying smiles. "Uh, yeah? Is there something wrong, Lan Zhan?"

With a harsh tug, Lan Zhan turns and starts walking towards the library, pulling a very reluctant Wei Ying behind him.

"Lan Zhaaan! We're supposed to go to Caiyi." Wei Ying whines as he turns to look back at his stunned friends. "Why are you taking me to the library, huh? I didn't do anything wrong today. Did I? Wait! Did I? No, I couldn't have. Besides, you agreed to go with us. Lan Zhan! Let go!"

Wei Ying twists his arm even more, a frightened rabbit caught in a snare. He uses his free hand to try and pry Lan Zhan's fingers off his wrist but it's like trying to escape the immovable grip of a jade statue.

The Second Jade drags the displeased Jiang disciple along with him. But instead of entering the library pavilion, Lan Zhan hesitates by the five steps that lead to the beautifully carved wooden doors. Something inside him changes. There's an abrupt shift in his heart and it makes his head dizzy.

The sound of the soles of his boots grinding on the loose white stones as he makes a sharp left is too loud. It exposes Lan Zhan's indecisiveness, something he's never experienced before. He's always known what he wanted and how to get it.

But now? Now he is unsure if he's correct in his assumption or making a terrible mistake. His inner voice is laughing at the idiocy that Wei Ying might be his secret admirer while his heart prays that the boy with moonlit eyes is the one he seeks. Beneath his stoic face and the indifferent expression he wears, there's a tug of war raging within the young jade.

It's a battle that makes Lan Zhan want to cry and shout for joy all at the same time. Like a midsummer thunderstorm, it strikes his heart with white hot lightning and batters his soul with frigid stinging rain. As a result, raw instinct hijacks Wangji's body and pushes him towards the one place he has always found peace.

Wei Ying has never been this far outside the main grounds of the clan. A sliver of fear slithers up his spine the farther they walk from the buildings he's grown familiar with.

"Lan Zhan, where are you taking me?"

Wei Ying's silver eyes dart fearfully from left to right, front to back, as he lengthens his strides to keep up with the young Lan heir. He's given up trying to wrench himself free of the human shackle around his wrist. He follows Lan Zhan like the prisoner he is, his body trembling with uncertainty.

"Lan Zhan, I'm not supposed to be here. I know it. They know it," Wei Ying says as he nods at the human statues dressed in white robes. Everyone stares at them with dropped jaws and ghostly shock on their faces. "You know it, too. Why don't we just turn around, go into Caiyi, and talk there. Huh?"

Lan Zhan pays no attention to the strange looks from everyone they pass by. He ignores the whispers hidden behind flowing sleeves. The knowledge that he's already broken at least a dozen rules does not discourage him from marching Wei Ying out of the main part of Cloud Recesses. His steps are fast and determined, taking them both higher up the mountainside.

They cross a small crystal clear stream using boulders worn smooth by the centuries old flowing waters. No longer do their boots crunch against white gravel. Now, their footsteps can barely be heard atop the blanket of rust colored pine needles covering the forest floor. Lan Zhan breathes in their rich scent. Behind him, he hears Wei Ying also take a deep breath and feels the young Jiang disciple's muscles relax under his hand.