Talking To The River

Talking to the river 8

Thank you to all my readers for coming this far with me💕 I hope you're enjoying the story~
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Wei WuXian, lips still curved upwards "Oh? Is that so? Howcome? I thought I was still the same too."

Wei Yang "You make it seem like you are, but I can see right through you brother. I can tell the difference of your smile..."

Wei WuXian's smile froze. The curve on his lips disappeared, lips becoming a straight line. Wei Yang looked down for some time, then gathering up all his courage he looked at his brothers eyes "Brother Ying... mother was... she was wrong."

Wei WuXian warned "Yang."

Wei Yang "She was wrong brother! I can see it in your eyes that you are still holding on to that promise. You must stop! Break the promise and-"

Wei WuXian raised his voice "Yang!"

Wei Yang "You can shout at me all you want! But you know mother wouldn't want this either. She didn't know those would be her last words! She didn't know that promise would become her dying wish. She could never have imagined it would become your everlasting agony. She simply wanted you to be a good boy until their return."

Wei WuXian interrupted him "You can not know her thoughts, can you? Besides, maybe she did maybe she didn't. It's still a promise. A promise I said I would keep."

When Wei Yang spoke, his voice was really low as if he was talking to himself instead of his brother "I... I have always admired you brother. Even when I was just 5, I knew how strong you were. I would recognize your back anywhere, because you have always stood in front of me. Arms open wide, you have always protected me, never letting anything get through. I knew of your strength so well that when mother made you promise something like that, I knew you would keep it. I could never have enough strength to keep it for a day but I knew you did. And when I realized that, I also realized what a cruel promise it was." Wei Yang had to stop his speech, his eyes were red. They showed sorrow and suffer.

Wei WuXian was obviously not interested in making this conversation, he frowned "Yang, its not that I never broke that promise. And it's not something new either. Why are you getting so emotional over something that happened when we were little?"

Wei Yang couldn't hold it in for a second and screamed slightly "Because-" hearing his own shrill voice he stopped, letting the crystal drops at his eyes fall. He lowered his voice "Because I saw you... brother... I saw after a couple of days, when they came to inform us about our parents' passing away... I saw... your smile. When you heard, after freezing for a second you smiled and asked about their bodies. They told you..." Wei Yang had to stop to steady his shaking voice. He sniffed and continued "They told you coldly that everyone at that area was torn to pieces so they just burned them at the spot. Then still smiling you asked about their ashes. They vulgarly told you that they didn't have the time to find which limb belonged to whom so they put together all the body parts and burned them together. They said that they collected all the ashes and scattered them at a river close by."

At this point Wei Yang was speaking with much difficulty "You were still smiling brother. I was able to see the endurance in your red tinted eyes, but your smile never faltered. Even when they cast us out from our own home, not letting us get anything from inside, you still smiled. You smiled until there was just the two of us... and then I saw how you broke down. Your condition was even worse than mine. You mourned for three full days before finally calming down. You only stopped when my stomach was growling untamed. I still remember it perfectly. You looked at me and wiped your tears from your bloodshot eyes, told me to 'stay put' and left. After about an hour you came back with a piece of bread and gave it all to me, saying you 'ate on the way'. I was too young and hungry to understand that you were lying." His voice showed regret.

He opened his mouth to speak again but Wei WuXian interrupted "Enough, Yang. I don't even remember such things happening. We're both alive, aren't we? Isn't it whats important?"

Wei Yang "You don't remember?"

Wei WuXian "Nope."

Wei Yang "Do you remember your promise to mother?"

Wei WuXian's eyes widened slightly and then narrowed immidiately, making it seem like an illusion. He spoke calmly "I remember the promise."

Wei Yang "Say it"

Wei WuXian furrowed his brows with annoyance "Why would I say it now. I won't say it."

Wei Yang "Say it brother, please." Making his brother say the promise out loud was Wei Yang's true intention for bringing all those people from the Cloud Recesses. He wanted them to know his brother wasn't a reckless shameless troublemaker, he wasn't smiling because he was amused. He wanted them to know that his brothers smile held back so many emotions, so much desolation. He wanted them to regret their disdemeanor greatly.

Yet, Wei WuXian dejected again "I don't want to say it. Why are you pushing me Yang?"

Wei Yang knew his brother well. He wouldn't say the promise no matter what and there was only one way to persuade him. He had to use his last trump card. Wei Yang lowered his head and looked at his brother between his eyelashes. He smiled with grief as he spoke "I want to hear you say it brother. Those were also the last words of mother. I want to reminisce them with you."

Hearing what his little brother said, Wei WuXian frowned "Even though you clearly remember it as well..."

Wei Yang smiled again. Wei WuXian seemed like he gave in "Alright, fine. I'll say it."