Always You

Act 1: Chapter 2

Act 1: Si Yin and A-Hua

Chapter 2

One Thousand Years Later

Si Yin whistled a soft tune as she made her way to the bath, thick rag slung over one shoulder. Each hand clutched a jar of peach wine, courtesy of Shifu and Zhe Yan for her upcoming birthday.

"Don't drink them all at once," Mo Yuan had firmly advised her earlier in the evening after coming back from Zhe Yan's Peach Tree Grove.

Si Yin had quickly nodded in agreement but hid her crossed fingers behind her back.

'Sorry Shifu...but I need these today,' she thought apologetically and clutched the jars tighter to her chest.

'...Especially knowing what is to come in three night's time...' Her eyes widened at that slip of thought and her face suddenly flushed red. She quickened her steps and forced the thought away.

The fragrance of Kunlun's rare flowers guided her path to the hot springs, where steam drifted high above the water. Si Yin set the jars down by the water and hung her rag over a nearby rock. Slowly, she undid the ties on her bun. Her hair fell to her ankles, flowing down around her. She peeled off the layers of her robe until she was completely bare and then slowly lowered herself into the water, sighing in contentment.

She laid her head back on the soft moss lining the edge and closed her eyes, hoping to relax there for a few hours before heading back to bed. It wasn't ideal to sneak out in the middle of night to bathe, but it was the only way to ensure that she wouldn't run into the other disciples.

The water soothed her tired muscles and washed away the sweat from her earlier sparring session with Zi Lan.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open at the memory and she sat up to scan her body, which was somewhat visible through the clear blue water. Her eyes trailed down the soft mounds of her breasts. She lightly ran a finger down one side and frowned.

No matter how tightly she bound her chest and prayed to the heavens, they continued to grow slightly with each passing birthday. Not only did this frustrate her to no end when she had to alter her fighting stance - again - to accommodate them, it was also beginning to pose a problem for her ability to conceal her true form. Zhe Yan's magic might have created the illusion that she was a boy, but it couldn't alter what others felt if they were to touch her or, more pointedly, hug her.

She groaned internally. Which was what nearly happened earlier in the day. Her breasts had felt sore for the past few days, signaling more changes as it got closer to her 70,000th birthday. She was already on edge as the date quickly approached, and the discomfort had made it even more difficult for her to get a night of restful sleep. She woke up this morning cranky, tired, and really late for the morning sparring session. In her hurry to get to practice, she failed to notice that her binding from the day before had loosened slightly, from her body twisting in pain during the night. And it wasn't until she began sparring with Sixteen that she felt the binding loosen even more with each sharp movement.

At the horrifying realization that her binding was threatening to come completely undone, she had taken a wrong step in the middle of lunging at Zi Lan. Instead of her fist landing on his shoulder like she intended, she stumbled and found her body falling unceremoniously towards his - and Zi Lan, being his sweet self, had noted her sudden panic and paused in middle of his own attack to stop her fall with open arms. In those mere seconds of freefall, all she could think was that there was no way Zi Lan wouldn't be able to feel something that shouldn't be there, but it was as if she had no control of her body as it propelled towards his.