out. "Just that he could no longer work on translating them because of his age. Still, there seems to be something going on here that the three of us cannot see. That I have these poems is no coincidence."
Wen Yu fingers clenched tight around his cup of tea.
Liu Yi turned to Mei Hua. "What should we do next regarding the pearl?"
"I'm not sure yet." Mei Hua took a cup from the tray. "I think the best thing would be for you to come back with me. I might have something in my library that could help us get Jade Rabbit's power out of you."
Liu Yi took his own cup, sipped his tea, and nodded. "All right, then."
"You're going with him?" Wen Yu sank down, and Liu Yi turned to look at him.
"He thinks he can cure me," Liu Yi said, voice quiet, watching Wen Yu. "I have to go with him."
"If you leave the palace, you won't be able to come back," Wen Yu said, although he knew Liu Yi was already aware of that.
Liu Yi looked away from him, biting his lip. "I know." Opening his mouth as if to say something else, he instead bent double without warning, coughing until his whole body shook. Wen Yu moved to his side, hand braced on Liu Yi's back as he struggled to breathe.
"Can you do anything?" he asked Mei Hua, who had set his cup aside and begun rummaging in his robes.
"Here." Mei Hua knelt in front of Liu Yi. "Take this." He held out a small black ball of medicine herbs. It looked normal enough to Wen Yu.
Liu Yi nodded, concentrating on breathing until the coughing subsided, and then accepted the medicine. He swallowed it down with the tea.
"It won't do much." Mei Hua straightened up. "But it will ease the worst of it, I think."
Liu Yi nodded and pressed one hand to his chest. "Thank you. It does feel better now. The pressure in my chest is not as great."
Mei Hua yawned and stretched his arms over his head. "Would it be all right if I just wrapped myself up and slept on your floor?"
Both Liu Yi and Wen Yu looked at him, and Liu Yi finally nodded. "Go ahead." He stood, taking Wen Yu by the arm. "Wen Yu, come with me."
He pulled Wen Yu across into the bedroom, shutting the door behind them.
"So you're really going with him?" Wen Yu asked.
"Yes," Liu Yi snapped. "This has to be the reason I was chosen to have the Moon Poems and why they needed to be translated in the first place: so I would know of him and the Jade Rabbit and could go to him. But now that he has come to me, there is no reason not to go. It was fated that we would meet. Besides, if he knows what this is and how to take it out of me …"
"But if he doesn't," Wen Yu cut in, "you will never be able to come back."
"I know." Liu Yi shook his head, chin lifting. "But if he doesn't, I will be no worse off."
"You have a life of ease and privilege here. One your family did everything to give you." Wen Yu felt a pang in his own chest as he said it. "If you go, you will be throwing that away."
Liu Yi had gone still, staring at him. "Come with me," he said after a minute. "Please, Wen Yu."
"I can't." Wen Yu shook his head and crossed his arms. "I have the examination. If I pass, I will be offered a position in the palace."
"I am asking you to be with me and go on a journey with a dragon to a place that isn't supposed to exist." Liu Yi moved forward until he was gripping the front of Wen Yu's robe.
"I can't." It was far more painful than it should have been to say it. Wen Yu reached forward, brushing the hair from Liu Yi's face. "I'm sorry, but I can't."
Liu Yi let go of him and took a step back. "Then … I don't know when we will see each other after tonight."
Wen Yu stared at him as the full impact of their choices crashed down on top of him, and he reached for Liu Yi, who went willingly into his arms. Holding Liu Yi tight against him, he buried his face in Liu Yi's hair. He felt Liu Yi's arms around him, holding him just as tight. Liu Yi drew back finally, hands coming up to hold Wen Yu's face, and kissed him, softly at first and again with growing passion.
Wen Yu fingers clenched tight around his cup of tea.
Liu Yi turned to Mei Hua. "What should we do next regarding the pearl?"
"I'm not sure yet." Mei Hua took a cup from the tray. "I think the best thing would be for you to come back with me. I might have something in my library that could help us get Jade Rabbit's power out of you."
Liu Yi took his own cup, sipped his tea, and nodded. "All right, then."
"You're going with him?" Wen Yu sank down, and Liu Yi turned to look at him.
"He thinks he can cure me," Liu Yi said, voice quiet, watching Wen Yu. "I have to go with him."
"If you leave the palace, you won't be able to come back," Wen Yu said, although he knew Liu Yi was already aware of that.
Liu Yi looked away from him, biting his lip. "I know." Opening his mouth as if to say something else, he instead bent double without warning, coughing until his whole body shook. Wen Yu moved to his side, hand braced on Liu Yi's back as he struggled to breathe.
"Can you do anything?" he asked Mei Hua, who had set his cup aside and begun rummaging in his robes.
"Here." Mei Hua knelt in front of Liu Yi. "Take this." He held out a small black ball of medicine herbs. It looked normal enough to Wen Yu.
Liu Yi nodded, concentrating on breathing until the coughing subsided, and then accepted the medicine. He swallowed it down with the tea.
"It won't do much." Mei Hua straightened up. "But it will ease the worst of it, I think."
Liu Yi nodded and pressed one hand to his chest. "Thank you. It does feel better now. The pressure in my chest is not as great."
Mei Hua yawned and stretched his arms over his head. "Would it be all right if I just wrapped myself up and slept on your floor?"
Both Liu Yi and Wen Yu looked at him, and Liu Yi finally nodded. "Go ahead." He stood, taking Wen Yu by the arm. "Wen Yu, come with me."
He pulled Wen Yu across into the bedroom, shutting the door behind them.
"So you're really going with him?" Wen Yu asked.
"Yes," Liu Yi snapped. "This has to be the reason I was chosen to have the Moon Poems and why they needed to be translated in the first place: so I would know of him and the Jade Rabbit and could go to him. But now that he has come to me, there is no reason not to go. It was fated that we would meet. Besides, if he knows what this is and how to take it out of me …"
"But if he doesn't," Wen Yu cut in, "you will never be able to come back."
"I know." Liu Yi shook his head, chin lifting. "But if he doesn't, I will be no worse off."
"You have a life of ease and privilege here. One your family did everything to give you." Wen Yu felt a pang in his own chest as he said it. "If you go, you will be throwing that away."
Liu Yi had gone still, staring at him. "Come with me," he said after a minute. "Please, Wen Yu."
"I can't." Wen Yu shook his head and crossed his arms. "I have the examination. If I pass, I will be offered a position in the palace."
"I am asking you to be with me and go on a journey with a dragon to a place that isn't supposed to exist." Liu Yi moved forward until he was gripping the front of Wen Yu's robe.
"I can't." It was far more painful than it should have been to say it. Wen Yu reached forward, brushing the hair from Liu Yi's face. "I'm sorry, but I can't."
Liu Yi let go of him and took a step back. "Then … I don't know when we will see each other after tonight."
Wen Yu stared at him as the full impact of their choices crashed down on top of him, and he reached for Liu Yi, who went willingly into his arms. Holding Liu Yi tight against him, he buried his face in Liu Yi's hair. He felt Liu Yi's arms around him, holding him just as tight. Liu Yi drew back finally, hands coming up to hold Wen Yu's face, and kissed him, softly at first and again with growing passion.
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