Among the Peach Blossoms ❀ Yin x Wanwan

❀ Chapter 2 ❀

;art by 8BitChoco

The sun slowly descended under the mountaintops, dusting the skies and sparkling waterfalls with delicate shades of yellows, oranges, and reds. Outside, the screaming and laughter of children dwindled into silence as mothers called them back inside for supper. A tranquil quiet loomed in the air, a stark contrast to the chaos raging in her mind; the thrumming of her heartbeat making itself known, only seeming to grow louder with each frazzled thought.

She loved sunsets - watching the sky darken and light up with stars, accompanied by playful banter and the warmth of his hand - it always made her feel safe.

Loved.

Ever since he disappeared, she had no one to enjoy the sunsets with. Her hand twitched for a hand that wasn't there, her ears waited to hear his voice rant and rave, but it never came. After six, long, and empty days without his warm, brown gaze and bright grin greeting her at her doorstep, the sunset began to remind her that another day has passed of him out there - no one with a clue about his whereabouts, alone, and potentially in danger.

Unsurprisingly, his sudden disappearance stirred up anxiety among the valleydwellers of Floral Falls, wondering where their esteemed Martial Genius had gone off to. So much so, that his foster parents had not returned home in days in order to search for their son; and his adoptive sister, Bo, to walk all the way back to Floral Falls, who was currently tapping her fingertips on the rim of the window, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere by sharing facts about her foster brother.

But even Bo's calm, silvery voice was laced with concern.

"... He told me that he can't wait, and that he'll buy all of the toys in the market square for his nephew. Sadly, he disappeared the night before I gave birth to my son..."

It didn't soothe Wanwan at all. Not only because she already knew everything Bo was sharing, but also because Yin is still out in the dark.

Where had that idiot gone off to?

Soon, the cries of a baby rang, and the tangy smell of sweet and sour pork wafted around the house.

"Wanwan, can you please rock Kai to sleep? I still have to clean and tend to dinner."

As soon as Bo disappeared behind the sliding doors, Wanwan made her way beside the crib, and peered down at the red, tear-stained cheeks of a squirming and wailing Kai. She smiled softly, and with cautious hands, scooped the infant up into her arms and began rocking his tiny frame.

"No, no, it's okay..."

She cupped the back of his head and nuzzled it between her neck and shoulder, whispering and cooing even as his screams threatened to split her ears and his tears drenched her fur sleeve. Tiny hands fisted the collar of her dress, almost tearing off the ribbons, and before she knew it, her shoulder was stained with streams of tears and drool. Yeah, she should really wash her dress after this, lest she receives an earful from Ling. The Great Dragon wouldn't be pleased to see her step foot into the Dragon Altar in drool-stained clothes.

The moments that followed were a long blur of rocking, lulling, and shushing. And, soon, the last lyrics of her favorite lullaby slipped from her lips, and she could feel Kai's warm breath fanning her neck. Instead of bawls, snores and silence took its place, accompanied by the faint swishing of a broom, probably of Bo sweeping somewhere.

Carefully, Wanwan laid Kai back down on the crib, brushing away the dark strands of baby hair sticking to his cheeks. She grasped the wooden rails and gazed down at the infant with a warm smile.

She had finally completed her first lesson in babysitting.

She giggled, raised her head, and looked out the window, at the moonlight dancing on the blush rose trees. The breeze brushed her arms and wafted past her nose, carrying with it the smell of the earth.

Being a mother doesn't sound so bad...

Living in a small house in the mountains, by the river where they can fish, take a dip, or have a boat ride. She would give birth to a daughter and she'd name her Xiuying - she had overheard the elders mention it meant "brave and beautiful". Every morning, she will wake Xiuying and get her ready for the day with a bowl of fried rice. And in the afternoon, Yin will call Xiuying for their training session in Kung Fu. Then she'll teach Xiuying how to master the art of the Crossbow of Tang, and maybe slip in a ribbon dancing lesson or two. And she will cuddle with her family and call it a day.

Wait, Yin?

What is she saying?

They're not even together...

Wanwan scoffed and frowned, leaning against the crib. So much for a happy family! He didn't even bother saying goodbye. That idiot! He can remain missing for all she cares. And if he wasn't already eaten alive by wolves and decided to come back, she'll give him a good smack across the head!

Well, actually, no.

She still misses him terribly, and she'll do anything to find him. But she doesn't even know what to do, let alone where to start looking!

As she sulked by the window, Bo's gentle call of her name suddenly chimed through the house, and she lifted her head and straightened up. She quickly cloaked the sheets over Kai's body and dashed towards Yin's room, where Bo stood, holding a broom and three pieces of paper in her other hand. She sauntered over to Bo's side and glanced down with curious eyes.

"Look, these are the drawings you made when you were still a child. You and Yin loved drawing together,"

The first one was of a simple peach blossom tree, the second of a tiger cub that they encountered in the forest years ago, and the third one of two stick figures holding hands - the stick figure on the left with messy, medium length hair and the one on the right with hair tied up into double buns. There was also a heart drawn on top of them.

Wanwan's eyes twinkled a cheerful gold, and as she took the drawings from Bo's hand and held it in hers, their fondest childhood memories played in her mind like a lovely film tape - of splashing in rivers, and playing hide and seek in the forests. No chaos, no despair, nor battling. Back when everything was simple, carefree, and... safe.

A frown made its way to her lips again, and she can feel her eyes welling up with tears. She felt more and more pathetic each time. Crying, and unable to do anything about it all.

She was snapped out of her dejected trance by Bo's call once more, and she strolled over to the woman's side. Bo was crouched over a fairly big wooden box, not far from Yin's unkempt bed and stinky laundry. Inside the wooden box were loads of crumpled parchment paper.

"This is where he keeps his old drawings,"

Bo took one and flattened the paper, which turned out to be an unfinished sketch of a map.

She raised a brow, took another one, and smoothened it out as well. Another sketch of a map.

She grabbed two more and flattened it, and it contained the same unfinished sketch - the first ones messier than the next.

Wanwan blinked away her tears, took the paper from Bo's hand, and raised it to her eyes.

It was an unfinished sketch of the map of the... Moniyan Empire?

[Wow, it's nice to be back! I'm really, really sorry I took so long, school is constantly demanding my time. ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ

And, yes, as a headcanon, Yin has an adoptive sister. The family who adopted him already has a daughter who is years older than him. Just playing around with my story's lore, haha. :)

Anyway, I hope you like it!]