A Gentle Torment

Anticipating

AN: Admittedly, the idea of Guan Yin's patience being worn thin by Hao De left me in a giggling fit for a little while. That being said, I don't think she'd be one to irritate easily... no? I feel like she's a bit of a hard character to write, since she wasn't in the show and I haven't even seen (or read) any media with Guan Yin in it.

"Little Princess!" Si Ming jogs to catch up to the young fox as she stops in her tracks. The moment she found out that she was in the Nine Heavens while her Uncle worked in the court as a representative of Qing Qiu, he had made sure to hunt her down.

"Si Ming! What are you doing here?" Bai Feng Jiu smiles sweetly at him. Being in the gardens of the Nine Heaven's always left her in a good mood.

"Oh! You have no idea how long I've been searching for you. Little Princess, I have good news for you, Dong Hua Dijun is going to wake up from his mortal trial any day now. I spoke to your father. He's willing to allow you to stay in the Nine Heaven's until Dong Hua Dijun wakes up."

"Really?" Bai Feng Jiu's smile brightens considerably, unable to keep the delighted expression off of her features, "But it's so soon! Is he really going to finish his trial this early?"

"I may have broken a rule or two to look into his fate," Si Ming whispers in a hushed voice, a playful, conspiratorial glint in his eyes despite the obvious ramifications of someone else finding out, "He will at most finish his trial in one mortal year."

"Thank you!" If she weren't in the Celestial Palace, she could almost hug him! 

Si Ming nods before clasping his hands behind his back, "Little Princess, Cheng Yu and I were going to have tea in Taichen palace while we wait for him to return. Would you like to join us?"

"Of course!"

How wonderful! She won't have to worry about being the first thing he sees when he wakes up, anymore.

o~O~o~O~o

"Qian Qian..." Hua Ye whispers quietly when he finally returns to her chambers. Walking up to her bed, he sits down on the edge of the bed and gently rubs her arm in an attempt to rouse her. He won't force her to wake, but he also doesn't want her to wake up alone, either.

He needs to find a trustworthy maid to look after her, one that doesn't answer to Hao De and one that also won't be bribed by outsiders.

"Hua Ye..?" Bai Qian hums sleepily, carefully moving to lay on her side as she subconsciously pulls herself closer to him, "It's so early... why are you awake?"

Hua Ye smiles down at her lovingly, leaning down to press a tentative kiss to her forehead, "I need to leave for a short while, but Gugu is going to stay behind to keep you company once you're ready to wake up."

He doesn't bother correcting her on the time, it's almost midday, but Bai Qian's eyes are still covered. The doctor informed him that she would likely be able to distinguish light and colors after a period of healing, but until then it wouldn't be unexpected for her circadian rhythm to become offset.

Plus, she's always been late to rise. Even when she falls asleep earlier in the evening on occasion, she usually remains asleep until the sun is halfway up towards the middle of the sky at the earliest.

"Hua Ye..." Bai Qian hums again, grabbing his hand and catching him off-guard when she presses a soft kiss to it, rather than blindly reaching for his face, "Thank you."