A Tear Frozen in Time

The Shattering

Waking, her eyes flickered several times to adjust to the bright light streaming though an open window somewhere across the room where she was positive there wasn't one only her mind was taking some time to catch up.  Somewhere, she could hear soft voices and the footfalls on a stone surface and for a moment she wandered if she was drunk.  She felt disconnected and a little dizzy and so she remained lying down with her eyes closed straining to hear what the voices might be talking about.  If she had something to focus on then waking would be easier.

Instead she fell back into a deep sleep where there were no voices or movement.  Just a peaceful quiet sleep that was broken some time later when she was abruptly shaken and forced to open her eyes again.

The light was no longer on her face, in fact it seemed much dimmer as if the entire day had disappeared and she began to wonder if she had fallen unwell.  Stubbornly she kept her eyes closed a moment longer as she tried to remember what had happened to have cause her to become ill.  Guotin had taken her for another long walk and they had talked of his people and the dreams he had for them, which was mainly based around peace and just being left alone, expecially by the Celestials, though he didn't actually say that, she knew it was what he meant.

After that, he had led her back to his private wing where ..... and there her mind stumbled.  She remembered the softness of his breath of her face, the feel of moisture on her lips, the warmth of an embrace that felt far too comfortable only to suddenly jerk when that persistant pressure on her shoulder once again forced her back onto themselves.

"Xiao Wu.  Open your eyes!" a voice she instantly recognized boomed into her groggy mind and forced her eyes open.

"Zhe Yan?" she whispered hoarsely at the brows that were deeply furrowed with concern.

"Finally.  I wasn't sure if you would wake today.  You've been out for several hours." he said as his eyes carefully scanned her face though what he was hoping to see, she wasn't sure and suddenly she wasn't liking it.

"What are you doing here?" she asked moving to sit up.  HIs hand moved to her back to assist her and no sooner was she in an upright position, then the chamber she was in came into view.  

Instantly understanding hit.  She had been in the dark lands for some time, so to find herself on Kunlun Mountain where the energy was much higher, it was little wonder she felt dizzy.  It was the same feeling she had after returning from the Ghost Realm only back then, she'd had no chance to dwell on that because of that man, who had taken it upon himself to steal her lightening bolts.

Only that thought briefly washed over her as another hit.

"What the hell am I doing here?" she suddenly snapped as the last of her memories in the Demon Lands came back to her.  Having been stuck behind a barrier she was trying to break through, her final memory was of a shadow casting its way across the door from behind her before it all went dark.

"I stole you from Guotin." Zhe Yan replied before moving back a little having satisfied himself that she would be alright.  "Actually three of us stole you and you are now back on Kunlun Mountain....."

"I know I am back on Kunlun Mountain!  I lived here for twenty thousand years, so I would know its energy anywhere.  But that wasn't what I asked!" she snapped again before throwing her feet over the edge of the bed only to be forced back onto it.

For a gentle man who rarely lifted an arm except to swig a wine bottle, Zhe Yan was actually very strong and it took no effort at all to still the fight before it could erupt. "Before you decided to kill me, you are going to listen, then you are going to eat something and after that I am going to make you sleep again." he said forcefully down at the eyes that were now glaring back him, eyes that were now much brighter and clearer as she scanned the room for anyone else that might hiding in the shadows.