Always You

Act 1: Chapter 1

Act 1: Si Yin and A-Hua

Chapter 1

The air was still on Kunlun Mountain, and night blanked its sloping hills and thick, green forests. Soft footsteps made their way up the cobblestone path to a pond in the middle of the dormitory compound. Si Yin's wide, bright eyes peered over the edge into shimmery blue water. Her heart-shaped face lit up at the sight of the golden lotus, floating amidst white water lilies.

She rested her slender figure against the stone ledge and then reached a pale, slim hand to lightly touch one of the delicate petals. The lotus glowed with immortal energy at her touch. Specks of golden essence floated off the petals before dissolving into the dark.

"I'm sorry I haven't come by to see you in a few days, A-Hua. Did you miss me?" She sighed softly and pulled back her hand to lean her elbows against the edge, resting her chin in her cupped hands.

"Zhe Yan took me to visit Qing Qiu and then Sixteen and I went to the Mortal Realm to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and see the floating lanterns. Sixteen somehow ended up getting stomach pains from all the moon cakes and rice wine, can you believe it?"

She shook her head in disbelief and chuckled at the memory.

As her twinkling laughter filled the silence, a mist of bright energy flowed from the lotus and materialized into a figure by her side. It was the body of a young man, nearly translucent, enveloped in the golden lotus' iridescent essence. His jet-black hair, same color as his silk robes, framed smooth skin and flowed down his strong back.

The young man sat down on the pond's ledge. Ink-colored eyes gazed softly at the girl excitedly chatting away.

Si Yin showed no signs of recognizing that she suddenly had company.

"We had to stay at an inn and wait for him to recover enough to jump back home. It's just like Sixteen to be so delicate," she grumbled.

A small smile tugged at the corner of the man's lips.

'Did he actually want to eat all those moon cakes and drink three bottles of rice wine?' He looked at her pointedly.

"It's not like he had to eat everything!" She exclaimed, as if she had heard his teasing. "If he wanted to lose our contest, he could have stopped at any point."

Si Yin shrugged but couldn't hide an impish grin.

The young man shook his head at her laughter, his dark eyes light with amusement.

"It was a wonderful trip, but I'm glad to be home now," she whispered and then reached her hand out across the water to gently run a finger along the green leaf below golden petals.

Tingles shot up the man's spine, sending involuntary shivers through his body. He stood up quickly and looked away, letting out a long, unsteady breath. He could almost feel the softness of her finger leaving a trail of heat along his back. He shut his eyes tightly, willing his body to calm.

Si Yin yawned and rubbed her eyes. She laid her head down in her hands on the ledge and gently closed her eyes.

"I'm really happy to see you, A-Hua," she mumbled sleepily.

-----

At the soft breath of the name, the young man slowly opened his eyes.

A-Hua.

It was the first and only name anyone had bestowed upon him in his nearly 260,000 years of existence. It still did things to him to hear it fall from her lips.