Reincarnation to the Past

Chapter 57

Lì's POV

I had been worried about her going to meet Father alone, so after a long time of arguing with myself, I walked over to the throne room. I had just turned the corner into the corridor when I saw Yǔ walk out of the room. At first, I was relieved and was about to call her name when I noticed that she seemed to be acting weird.

She walked a bit in my direction before suddenly stumbling forward and using the wall as a support. For the first time, she seemed weak and vulnerable. She staggered again; it looked as though she was having a tough time breathing and then I noticed Mael appear and try to grab her by the back of her clothing. I hurried over and called out her name, but she didn't seem to hear me.

By the time I reached her, she stumbled forward and fell into my hands. "Yo, what's wrong?" I asked, my voice laced with worry. She stared at me with a blank look, as though she couldn't see anything. Tears spilled out of her eyes and she was gasping for air. I recognized most of these signs: a panic attack—something Bai Ze had a lot of on the battlefield.

"YǓ???!!!"

She seemed to hear me the third or fourth time, as she suddenly raised her hands and wrapped them around my shoulder, tugging me downwards, standing on her toes, stretching her face upwards, and brushing her lips against mine. My eyes rose in surprise, and my mind froze. I tried to pull away but she strengthened her hold on me and pressed her soft, warm lips against mine, her eyes firmly shut. Her nails desperately dug into the back of my clothing, as though to ground herself, as she gently swept her tongue over my lips.

Within seconds, I had given up struggling; my hands had fallen to my side before slowly wrapping themselves around her waist and pulling her closer as I deepened the kiss. I sucked her lips gently before dipping my tongue past her lips and caressing her tongue. She had the same salty taste as that of the sea, although unlike the latter, she tasted nice, making me want more. Before I could go any further, her eyes shot open and she pushed me away.

We stood there staring at each other for what seemed like hours. She blinked a few times and looked shocked before her face turned an adorable red. "Um... I..." I started but couldn't seem to finish; it was like my mind had stopped working when the kiss stopped. Maybe when the kiss started, I don't know.

I took a step towards her, which made her take a few steps back. Her face flushed as she raised her finger to her lips, and then she blushed even more. "Ah, um, thanks!" she blurted out before the shadows rose around her and disappeared, taking her with them.

We just kissed... She took my first kiss. I kind of liked it... "Master!" I hear from behind, causing me to jump and whip around too fast. "What are you doing here?" Bai Ze asks, running up to me, followed by Bai Zou (who was walking calmly).

For some reason, my brain seemed to be working very slowly at this point and all I could think about was that kiss. "Um... That...uh... I need to lie down!" I finally muttered before walking past them, making a beeline for my residence, and shutting the door on their surprised faces. I was in no mood to answer their questions, all the more when I wasn't sure. What in hell did I just do?

Li Yǔ's POV

I kissed him! I kissed a guy! I liked the kiss. I really liked it! He's a really good kisser! I kissed Lì! My face was flushed as I appeared in my room and crashed onto the bed, summoning a pillow and pressing it over my face in embarrassment. I just kissed Lì!

Why did I do that? I don't get this; aren't I supposed to like girls? If so, how come I liked the kiss? How come I want more?! WHAT IN HADES IS WRONG WITH ME?!

As soon as my head wrapped around the fact that he was standing in front of me, it was like something took over and I kissed him! My panic attack calmed down, and for some reason, I felt grounded, safe, and secure. All the memories that had been overflowing my head slowly dissolved and all I could concentrate on was him... and that surprisingly good kiss.

GAH!!! WHAT AM I THINKING RIGHT NOW??!!

"Master!" I heard Mael's worried, muffled voice, causing me to lift the pillow from my face. It was only then that I noticed that the dragon had been sitting on my belly with a very concerned look. "Master, are you alright?" he asked softly as he got off and gently rubbed his snout against the surface of my hand. I smiled affectionately and scratched his head.

"I'm fine, Mael... I just recalled some bad things" I said with a sad smile. It wasn't until now that I realized how much the memories tormented me; it wasn't just my memories anymore... It was the real owner too; all the pain, disappointments, sadness, and betrayals had been transferred to me. I related to them, having experienced all of them myself.

I closed my eyes and sighed. I had thought that I was fine. I kept telling myself that I was fine. But nobody could ever be fine with all that happened. That panic attack showed just how much all that happened still affects me. Father, mother, Annabeth, the seven, Nico, Thalia, Apollo, and Hermes—all the pain they gave me was akin to the scars on her body. Something that would never disappear, no matter how much I wanted it to. No matter how much I suppressed it, it would come back and hit me with a new wave of panic.

Mael flew towards the head of the bed, laid down beside my face, and rubbed his cheek against mine in comfort, growling sadly, understanding exactly how much pain I was in. He may not have known the specifics but he could sense that I was hurting.

I tried to think of something else and naturally, the first thing my mind shifted to was the image of my lips against Lì. I shot up in surprise and cupped my hot cheeks, completely flustered again. Everything started to come flooding back: the feel of his lips against mine, its warmth, the taste, the heat of his tongue in my... GAH!!! I covered my face in my palms and shook my head back and forth, trying to get rid of that thought, as my heart and breath raced for a different reason.

Why in Hades do I like that kiss so much?