Chinese Touch

Chapter 30-Home

"Tell me everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything, Ming, everything!"

"Even when I was dead?"

"If you can remember it." Yuan pushed me into what had been Hua's room. I lay down on one of the couches, making sure I didn't lie on any major wounds. I rolled onto my side and pushed my head up a little, propping my torso up on the arm of the couch.

"Okay. So, I go out after him, right? First thing I see- Giant dragon. I looked up at Char and nearly screamed because he's three times as big as Ai. Next thing I know, Hua's down and talking to me, telling me how only an insane father would throw their Changer daughter away. My first thought was he was my father, until he reminded me he is only twenty. Then he started to talk about how he miscalculated the thousand years, and that he sent me where he did for a reason because he want my power to be unlocked.

"Then I say something like 'Huang knew Ai was a four-element' and he starts mumbling to himself about how Huang wouldn't do that. Then I sort of... Said he wasn't loyal."

"Don't ever say that! You never say that to anyone, unless they know it!"

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out. He, uh... He kicked me in the stomach then jumped me. But I think that might have been more about the fact that he wanted to kill me, not about the fact that I had put down his man. So, we had a fist fight for a good twenty minutes. Maybe not that long. But then, he stands up and pulls this sword out of the back of his shirt. So I'm running at him and he pulls out this sword. I can't stop running so I slide past him. He got the back of my dress and the end of my hair. Then I punch his back and kick him in the side so he goes flying.

"I pick up his sword and walk over to him, then he pulls an even bigger one out, and grabs a dagger from his boot. So I rolled at him, slammed the inside of his leg, slashed the outside. Then Char strikes Ai, and I fell. I start crawling towards him, because he isn't moving. Then a dagger lands in front of me and Hua kicks my side, sending me flying. So I'm laying there when I realise my hand is on the egg. Then my brother walks up and gives me this speech about how he might be crazy, he might be insane, but he's not a fool and he has to kill me. Then he stabs me."

"And?"

"And what?"

"What happens after that? You said you'd tell me what it was like when you died."

"Oh. Okay. So, at first it was just this blinding white light. I tried to shut my eyes but they were already shut and that made me think I was already dead. I mean, nothing can be that bright. But then I open my eyes, and everything starts to dull a little. I can hear my brother screaming something, but I only hear it as a whisper. He was screaming out 'The Mega Light' and I didn't realise what he meant at first. But he meant Crystal.

"I realised there was something right there that could defeat Hua and I realised I could go. Until it hit me. If I die, Crystal will die. Then he came over to me and I thought 'why isn't he injured, like Ai would be?' And I remembered Ai. But he was fine." I was almost choking up as I recalled what had happened. "Then Char spoke to me, told me to keep my eyes open, not to die. He didn't want to live under Hua anymore. He threw my brother off his back and pinned him. Then you came.

"After that... It was just blackness. A calm, comforting blackness. Then there was this little light up ahead. It was either true death, or my life back. I had to take that chance. I went into it. Then I woke up."

"That's it?"

"Yes! Yes... That- That's all."

"I'm sorry if I pushed you. I just wanted to know."

"It's fine, Yuan. It's fine."

"You're going to have to wash that would every day. Carefully. And if it starts bleeding again, you call for one of us. Call for someone to get a healing dragon."

"I know."

"Okay." She nodded, and stood to leave. Right before she reached the door, I spoke up.

"Yuan?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"When I was dying... I thought something else. I thought that maybe it would just be easier to give up. To let go. To die."

She walked over to me and put one hand on each shoulder. "Ming, I know what it's like to feel that way. I've felt that way several times. But just remember, there's always someone who loves you. Someone who will miss you. Someone who cares. Right now, that's all of us. Sometimes it seems like the only way out. But it's not. There are other ways. We'll find another way."

"Okay." I looked up, into her eyes. "Okay."

"Good. You should wash that wound now. Want me to run you a bath?"

"Sure. Thanks." She smiled and left the room. Just before the door closed, a paw pushed through the gap. The door opened to reveal Ai.

"Ming."

"Ai." He ran over to me and hugged me tightly. I held him back.

"I missed you Ming. You were gone. Don't go again."

"I won't, Ai. I won't."