"So I went to find it so that we can be together. Anyway," he brightened, "I tracked you down. It took a little while, tracking the fish, then finding your village, and then discovering you weren't there, but I got here in the end, and in time to talk to you too. I'm so glad."
"Why?" Liu Yi gritted out between clenched teeth. "Why me?"
Mei Hua looked surprised again. "Because the moon pearl is inside you, of course."
"What?" Wen Yu and Liu Yi said in unison.
"I'm not sure how it got there." Mei Hua frowned, studying him. "A little strange for it to be inside a human. But there is no doubt; I feel her power inside of you."
"Wait, I have the Jade Rabbit's power inside of me?" Liu Yi's tone was faint.
"Quite a lot of it," Mei Hua confirmed. "That's what is making you sick, I would assume. Humans aren't meant to hold that much power."
"That's why it cycles with the moon," Liu Yi said, voice soft, one hand clenched against his chest.
"How do we know you are telling the truth?" Wen Yu asked, watching Mei Hua carefully.
"Well." Mei Hua looked around the room. "I don't know. I could change into my dragon form, I suppose, but this room is very small …"
"You're a dragon?" Wen Yu wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry from the shock of it all.
"Yes, did I not mention that?" Mei Hua said. "I am the dragon lord of the Jade Mountain."
Liu Yi hands clenched tighter against his chest. "I see. I was actually going to come find you."
"Really?" Mei Hua beamed at him. "How thoughtful of you. Too bad you hadn't left sooner; then I wouldn't have needed to make the trip."
"We still only have your word for all of this," Wen Yu said.
"Let me see, what can I do …?" Mei Hua seemed to think for a moment. "What if I made it rain?"
"Can you?" Wen Yu raised both his eyebrows.
"Why, yes." Mei Hua stared at a point in the distance and drew in a long breath.
There was a soft patter from outside which quickly changed into a roar. Wen Yu and Liu Yi both rushed to the door. The rain was pouring down from the night sky, a torrent that went on for a moment before dying away completely.
"You wouldn't have any tea, would you?" Mei Hua asked from behind them.
Wen Yu and Liu Yi looked at each other.
"I'll go get us some," Wen Yu said, voice a little faint, then fled into the kitchen.
His hands were shaking again as he put the water over the fire. It couldn't be true, he told himself. Everyone knew things like dragons and the Jade Mountain were fairytales. Then again, people said the same about talking animals. He shut his eyes for a moment, wondering when his life had stopped making sense so completely.
"What of the poems?" Liu Yi was asking Mei Hua as Wen Yu carried the tray of tea back into the room. "How do you fit in with them?"
Mei Hua raised both eyebrows. "What poems are these?"
"The Moon Poems." Wen Yu sat with his own cup. "Love poems which can only been read by moonlight in a language not of this land."
Mei Hua went very still, cup raised halfway to his lips. "Show me."
Wen Yu looked to Liu Yi, who only shrugged. He stood and went to the desk, taking up one of the volumes and carrying it to Mei Hua.
There was not a lot of moonlight, yet there was enough so that when Mei Hua opened the volume, words began to rise to the surface of the page. Mei Hua drew in a long, sharp breath.
"You recognize them?" Wen Yu asked.
"Yes." Mei Hua reached out and traced across the page with one finger following the shape of the characters. "They are from me to the Jade Rabbit and her in return."
Wen Yu nodded. He'd already guessed as much, but Liu Yi looked surprised. "Really? Do any of them speak of this pearl which was lost?"
Mei Hua flipped through the pages until he came to the end of the book. "No."
"But if the pearl is really inside you," Wen Yu emphasized the 'if,' "then it would not be mentioned in the poems, since you said the scholar who gave them to you was very old."
"He did not say he'd had them for a long time," Liu Yi pointed
"Why?" Liu Yi gritted out between clenched teeth. "Why me?"
Mei Hua looked surprised again. "Because the moon pearl is inside you, of course."
"What?" Wen Yu and Liu Yi said in unison.
"I'm not sure how it got there." Mei Hua frowned, studying him. "A little strange for it to be inside a human. But there is no doubt; I feel her power inside of you."
"Wait, I have the Jade Rabbit's power inside of me?" Liu Yi's tone was faint.
"Quite a lot of it," Mei Hua confirmed. "That's what is making you sick, I would assume. Humans aren't meant to hold that much power."
"That's why it cycles with the moon," Liu Yi said, voice soft, one hand clenched against his chest.
"How do we know you are telling the truth?" Wen Yu asked, watching Mei Hua carefully.
"Well." Mei Hua looked around the room. "I don't know. I could change into my dragon form, I suppose, but this room is very small …"
"You're a dragon?" Wen Yu wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry from the shock of it all.
"Yes, did I not mention that?" Mei Hua said. "I am the dragon lord of the Jade Mountain."
Liu Yi hands clenched tighter against his chest. "I see. I was actually going to come find you."
"Really?" Mei Hua beamed at him. "How thoughtful of you. Too bad you hadn't left sooner; then I wouldn't have needed to make the trip."
"We still only have your word for all of this," Wen Yu said.
"Let me see, what can I do …?" Mei Hua seemed to think for a moment. "What if I made it rain?"
"Can you?" Wen Yu raised both his eyebrows.
"Why, yes." Mei Hua stared at a point in the distance and drew in a long breath.
There was a soft patter from outside which quickly changed into a roar. Wen Yu and Liu Yi both rushed to the door. The rain was pouring down from the night sky, a torrent that went on for a moment before dying away completely.
"You wouldn't have any tea, would you?" Mei Hua asked from behind them.
Wen Yu and Liu Yi looked at each other.
"I'll go get us some," Wen Yu said, voice a little faint, then fled into the kitchen.
His hands were shaking again as he put the water over the fire. It couldn't be true, he told himself. Everyone knew things like dragons and the Jade Mountain were fairytales. Then again, people said the same about talking animals. He shut his eyes for a moment, wondering when his life had stopped making sense so completely.
"What of the poems?" Liu Yi was asking Mei Hua as Wen Yu carried the tray of tea back into the room. "How do you fit in with them?"
Mei Hua raised both eyebrows. "What poems are these?"
"The Moon Poems." Wen Yu sat with his own cup. "Love poems which can only been read by moonlight in a language not of this land."
Mei Hua went very still, cup raised halfway to his lips. "Show me."
Wen Yu looked to Liu Yi, who only shrugged. He stood and went to the desk, taking up one of the volumes and carrying it to Mei Hua.
There was not a lot of moonlight, yet there was enough so that when Mei Hua opened the volume, words began to rise to the surface of the page. Mei Hua drew in a long, sharp breath.
"You recognize them?" Wen Yu asked.
"Yes." Mei Hua reached out and traced across the page with one finger following the shape of the characters. "They are from me to the Jade Rabbit and her in return."
Wen Yu nodded. He'd already guessed as much, but Liu Yi looked surprised. "Really? Do any of them speak of this pearl which was lost?"
Mei Hua flipped through the pages until he came to the end of the book. "No."
"But if the pearl is really inside you," Wen Yu emphasized the 'if,' "then it would not be mentioned in the poems, since you said the scholar who gave them to you was very old."
"He did not say he'd had them for a long time," Liu Yi pointed
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