Aftermath (A series of ELOD one-shots)

XII. Fated

A/N: So far I have been writing following the ELOD storyline, but for this particular one-shot, I referred to the TPB version of events (specifically that part when DH tricked FJ and tampered with her memory). I like to think that it was mostly their choices towards the end that gave them the ending they deserved, although Zheyan, IMO, wasn't wrong in saying that DH and FJ are a "one-in-a-million" fated pair (at least in ELOD).

Each part takes place at different periods in the Aftermath universe, not necessarily in chronological order.

Disclaimer: Lovely artwork of our favorite family not mine (ctto).

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Donghua Dijun isn't one to question the will of Heaven, but sometimes, he finds himself wondering what exactly it was that the Stone of Destiny saw, so that fate was rewritten to give him and Xiaobai this kind of everlasting, happy ending.

He knew very well everything that Xiaobai had done, the depth of her devotion and persistence, so rare that even the Heavens were moved. He also can recall, with painful clarity, what he in turn had resorted to in an uncharacteristic wave of insecurity and loss of composure, which almost destroyed the already fragile fate between them.

If he had to hazard a guess, it might be Xiaobai's decision to follow him into the Starlight Ward that cemented their future as a fated pair. Even now, hundreds of years later, the words she said as she lay dying in his arms still rang clearly in Donghua's mind, as if they were spoken only yesterday: "Wherever you go, I will follow."*

Who else but his Xiaobai will choose to die with him, because they weren't destined to live together?

He watched her now in silent amusement, eyes smiling at the way her usually icy forehead scrunched as she tried to make sense of a particularly difficult Buddhist passage. She could always go and ask him -- he who annotates sutras for a past time -- but of course Xiaobai would refuse the easy way out. Others may see it as stubbornness and useless pride, but for Donghua, it's an admirable showing of sensibility and a sense of responsibility that was rare for someone as young and as spoiled as his wife.

Finally she puffed her cheeks and let out a huff, a sign that she had given up, at least for the moment. Donghua straightened up, a teasing remark on the tip of his tongue, but then Xiaobai turned to the small person sitting beside her and said, "Gungun, I'm going out to get us refreshments. Would you like to come?"

His elementary-age son pulled his eyes away from the piles of schoolwork on his desk and replied, "I have already asked Brother Zhonglin to bring some tea for you and father-lord, Mother. It should arrive any moment now."

True enough, Zhonglin along with several maids bearing trays of tea, cakes and fruit arrived not a minute later. As they moved around serving plates and pouring tea, Donghua spied Gungun gazing at Xiaobai's face for a few moments before pleading, "Mother, will you take me to the gardens after we eat? My eyes are a bit fuzzy, I think I need a break from studying."

Donghua thought that Gungun, up until Xiaobai interrupted him, had been deeply engrossed in his own readings and showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever. At his son's invitation, however, Xiaobai's countenance lit up, and the lines between her forehead disappeared instantly. "Yes, let's do that."