Predestination

The Mountain (continued)

From the time of their first meeting, Xian Xue continued to come to watch Yan Zhu practice. However, he no longer hid and no longer watched as a bird. Yan Zhu never let herself be distracted while she was practicing but was always accutely aware of the man staring brashly at her afterward, a small smile always visible on his lips. She was always a bit awkward before she left. It didnt go unnoticed. Xian Xue couldnt explain it, but he liked how he felt around her. He loved seeing her confident moves. He liked how he felt when he watched her.

Yan Zhu had learned when they first met that he was a Xian Xue bird. It intrigued her, the idea of tranforming. She wondered if her powers could allow her to do this one day. He did it so easily and it was his first time!

One day, after she was done practicing, she didnt leave. Her awkwardness seemed to have left. She just stood where she was, looking over at Xian Xue. He jumped over from where he was seated, this time covering a long distance so he wouldn't have to walk much to reach her this time. They had only talked that one time when they had first met, but had been growing accustomed to each others presence over time since then. She was going to ask him why he always came to see her practice but she was caught of guard, not expecting him to get so close to her so quickly. She looked down and away suddenly shy, but quickly decided she was being silly. Damn it, why did this man give her butterflies and make her giddy at the same time. Noone had ever made her feel this way. She lifted her chin to him and looked him square in the eyes. He spoke first. "Why do you practice so hard?" This question caught her off guard. "What else should I be doing with this power but to appreciate it and not squander it." Her answer made Xian Xue smile larger than she had seen before. His heart filled with admiration at what she said. Her smile grew in turn. From then on, once a week, after her practice, they talked and got to know each other. Neither had ever spent so much time with another. Over time, they became very close friends.

She loved his innocence and straightforwardness. He loved her nature as well, which was kind without having motivation for it. Though he didn't yet have the capacity to realize the significance of human feelings, he truly loved everything about her. This was why he chose her as his only friend. Sometimes they sat in the field just talking. Other times they would sit on the cliff edge to stare out at the mountains.  They spent many years this way.  Once a week, just being near each other as friends.  Time didn't mean much for either and so neither of them felt they were wasting any of it.  The only difference was that Xian Xue didn't understand the idea of passing time and Yan Zhu who had once been mortal, didn't view time as a constant, but as something that could one day end.  But that was one topic they had never discussed and didn't know about each other.