After their little game ended Yichen glanced over at the bed. A thought ran through his head as he held Mochou in his embrace.
"The kiss was nice but something else would be much better." Yichen said in a low voice.
Mochou touched the tip of his nose to Yichen's and with a smile welcomed the idea.
Yichen turned and carried Mochou over to the bed fully intent on spending the afternoon indulging in debauchery. However just as he was about to lay him down on the bed Mochou grabbed him tight and groaned in pain.
"Mochou! What's wrong?" Yichen anxiously asked as he held him tight.
Mochou wanted to tell him it was alright, but before he could the pain grew worse and lights began to flash before his eyes. Yichen called out once more as Mochou went limp in his arms.
...
| "Damn! Just when it was getting good." Mochou grumbled as the flashing lights began to fade and he found himself dreaming again.
When he regained his senses he realized he was by a river. Only it wasn't his usual spot. Instead it looked like a different river. Not only was it a different river but it also seemed to be a popular location with several villagers doing their laundry or frolicking by the water.
Mochou slumped his shoulders and lowered his head as he headed for a less crowded area with a makeshift fishing rod and bucket. He didn't go far. The place he stopped at only had a father and son nearby. Mochou immediately recognized the two of them. They were the man and son he and Yichen met at the weapons shop earlier in the day.
Mochou quietly nodded to the man and set himself up a few meters away. He seemed to be getting ready to try and fish.
"Monster." The boy said the moment Mochou turned his back. Mochou's body shivered in response.
"It's those bastards. Is this dream going to tell me why my body coward when I saw that man and his son today?" Mochou wondered.
The original Mochou seemed to pretend he didn't hear the boy and continued to prepare his fishing rod.
"This boy was such a coward. He shouldn't have to bear with this kind of treatment." Mochou mused.
Not long after placing the end of his fishing line into the water Mochou overheard the father and son talking.
"Son, let me teach you what to do when you see a monster. You see monsters must be chased away otherwise they'll think they have the right to live amongst us normal people." The man maliciously said to his son.
"What should I do dad?" The young boy asked his father.
Hearing their conversation Mochou wanted to clench his fist in anger but his body coward instead. The original owner of his body quickly tried to pull up his rod and grab his bucket to leave.
Push*
Just as Mochou was turning to leave he felt a strong pressure against his back. Someone pushed him. He tried to turn to see who did it but he fell so fast. Before he could see anything he was in the river struggling hard to swim.
"Swim! Move your arms and legs. You can do it. Swim!" Mochou shouted to the original owner. He knew it was impossible for the original owner to hear him.
This was only a dream. A memory of the original owner but Mochou couldn't stop himself. The fear he could die at any second drove him to shout. Thankfully the river wasn't that deep. After struggling the original owner of his body soon realized he could touch the bottom of the river and he stood up.
Cough! Cough... cough...
As he gasped for breath and tried his best to breath between the coughs he quietly moved towards the riverbank.
While he moved Mochou tried to look up and see the man who pushed him. However the original owner didn't try to see. He quietly pulled himself out of the river and made his way home. As he walked away Mochou could hear the laughter of the father and son duo behind him.
Suddenly the lights flashed. Mochou expected to wake up. Hoping to find himself in his husband's arms.
Unfortunately, he was in the forest hiding behind a tree.
"When you throw the rock aim higher. If you don't the rock won't hit its target."
Mochou once again heard the father and son duo speaking behind him. The location and time had clearly changed but the subject of the dream remained the same.
"It's them again." Mochou thought. Then he heard a bang behind him as a rock hit the tree. Once again Mochou struggled with the reality that he couldn't do anything. That he was nothing but a bystander.
"Those evil bastards." He cursed as he endured the fear and helplessness the original owner felt.
"Daddy, I can't hit the monster if he's hiding behind the tree." The boy told his father. The way the boy spoke made him sound like he was being wronged because Mochou hid and wouldn't allow himself to be hit.
"You need to be patient. When hunting if you rush you'll lose your prey. Just wait. He can't hide behind that tree forever." The father told his son.
"That sick bastard! What is he teaching his son? I'm a human. The original owner is a human! Is he trying to teach his son to be a murderer?" Mochou shouted internally while his body coward in fear.
As he coward behind the tree listening to the sound of rocks hitting against it mochou quickly grew tired of waiting and so did the boy.
"Daddy, is there really nothing I can do? This is so boring." The boy whined.
"You're right. In this case we need to scare him out of hiding. When dealing with most animals they'll come out of hiding if you make some noise, but a monster is different. We can only get it to reveal itself by attacking from different angles. I'll go left you go right." The man said.
The moment Mochou heard the father's instructions he felt his body grow cold. He knew the original owner wouldn't be able to fight back or run away. He was weak and cowardly.
"This is torture! Why do I have to watch as the original owner of this body suffers like this? Let me wake up and go find that damn father and son duo. Let me teach them a lesson!" Mochou shouted as his body began to run away.
Mochou hoped the original owner got away safely but the rocks thrown were accurate. He felt them as they hit his body hard. The pain caused the original owner to cry out in pain. He raised his arms to protect his head as he ran forward.
Mochou was angry and worried for the original owner. If one rock hit him in the wrong place he could die. Mochou saw another large stone hurdling towards him when the light began to flash and he was hit with an intense headache. |
...
Opening his eyes the first thing he saw was Yichen. He was gently placing a cool wet washcloth over his forehead with a distressed look on his face.
Mochou opened his mouth to speak when he was once again hit with an intense pain in his head. It felt like a sharp dagger was plunged into his skull.
"Ugh!!!"
Mochou tried to stifle his cries but he couldn't hold everything back. Yichen clearly heard him wince in a quiet voice. The moment he did he he felt a pain of his own deep in his heart.
"Mochou! What's wrong my love?" Yichen asked as he cradled Mochou's head between his large cool palms.
"I'm okay. My head just hurts a little. I'll be okay soon." Mochou quietly said as the pain passed.
"Mochou, what happened? You were perfectly fine. Then suddenly you looked to be in a lot of pain and your temperature spiked. I've never seen anything like this before. I need to speak with my uncle. I don't know how to treat your illness. Maybe... maybe my uncle will know. But he isn't here right now. He left two weeks ago to continue his travels. I... if I leave now I might be able to catch up to him but you are obviously not healthy enough to travel..."
Yichen began to ramble. He tried to think of a way to help Mochou. Thinking it was an illness or disease he could only think to ask his uncle the doctor for help.
Mochou knew it wasn't an illness. He raised his hand and grabbed Yichen's. He could feel it trembling lightly as he touched it.
"Yichen, it's not an illness. I'm okay." Mochou said as he tried to sit up.
Yichen wouldn't let Mochou move. He pressed down on Mochou's shoulders to stop him from moving.
"Mochou, don't move. You have a terrible fever. You need to rest." Yichen said. Apparently he didn't hear Mochou say he was okay. That or he didn't believe him.
Mochou lay down obediently but he was still intent on convincing Yichen he was okay. The problem however was how.
"How do I explain what happened?" Mochou wondered. If he was ill it would be easy enough to explain but what happened was linked to his rebirth.
"Mochou are you still in pain?" Yichen asked as he caressed Mochou's pale flushed face.
"I'm fine. Really." Mochou assured him but Yichen didn't seem convinced. Mochou didn't want him to worry so much. Then he remembered telling Yichen about his memory problem.
"Yichen, do you remember how I told you about my memory not being very good?" He said.
"I do." Yichen couldn't help but feel confused by Mochou's words.
"Sometimes I collapse like just now and remember pieces of the past. But after I wake up again, my memory improves and I'll quickly feel fine again." Mochou explained.
"Is that what happened? Are you really going to be okay?" Yichen asked.
"I swear Yichen. I'm okay." Mochou said as he looked him in the eyes.
Yichen was still worried. Doubtful he removed the cloth from Mochou's forehead and felt it. A long sigh of relief escaped his lips when he realized Mochou's fever was now gone.
"What did you remember?" He asked when he realized Mochou had told him the truth.
"I dreamt... No, I remembered why that father and son scared me."
"Father and son? Are you talking about the father and son we fought in front of the weapons shop?" Yichen asked.
"Hmm... I remembered how not long ago the father used me to teach his son how to hunt using me as a target." Mochou admitted.
He originally debated on whether or not he should tell Yichen the truth but in the end he decided to not hide what they did to him. He wanted Yichen to know the truth even if it would be painful for him to know.
"What do you mean?" Yichen asked. His brow furrowed in confusion.
"I was in the forest. Not very deep but also somewhere without other people. When I ran into the father and son. He wanted to teach his son what to do if he saw a rabbit or bird. I was used for target practice. They threw stones and chased me through the trees." Mochou briefly explained.
"They... I'll kill them!" Yichen shouted. He moved to get up but Mochou grabbed his arm before he could leave.
"Why are you stopping me?" Yichen snapped.
Mochou couldn't help but flinch when Yichen shouted at him. Realizing his mistake Yichen immediately lowered his body and knelt down next to the bed.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I'm so sorry." Yichen said his voice quivering out of guilt.
Mochou knew he didn't mean to shout. He understood it was out of love and worry. He chuckled lightly to lighten the mood before answering.
"I know you didn't mean to shout and I'm glad you're worried about me. But... I hope you don't do anything rash. It happened in the past and today you were an amazing husband who protected me. If we meet them again I look forward to having you protect me, but I don't think we should go looking for them." Mochou said.
While he dreamt he wanted to get revenge and hurt the father and son for what they did to him. However now that he was awake he realized he couldn't do it. Not because he was afraid, but because he didn't want Yichen to get in trouble on his behalf. If they attacked the father and son they would get in trouble and it wasn't worth risking their peaceful life for a little revenge.
"Mochou, they hurt you. They should be punished. Flipping him onto his back isn't enough." Yichen said with an evil glint in his eyes.
"I understand but showing up at their home and beating him half to death could be considered a crime. The last thing I want is for you to get in trouble. Let's forget about the past and focus on our future. A quiet future together living in peace." Mochou said.
Yichen groaned as he considered the situation. He knew Mochou was right but he hated not doing anything. After a long silence he finally seemed to reach a conclusion.
"I won't go near them. But if they ever try to hurt you again I won't stop after flipping the father on his back." He swore angrily.
Mochou was glad he had calmed down. He was glad he calmed down but also happy Yichen still planned to fight for him if there was an opportunity to do so.
"Yichen, I love you." Mochou unexpectedly said. The sudden confession turned Yichen's frown into a goofy grin.
"I love you, too."
"Lay down with me for a few minutes?" Mochou asked. He didn't know why but he really wanted to cuddle with him in their bed.
"He's acting cute again." Yichen thought as he climbed into bed.
Once in bed Mochou snuggled into Yichen's arms and closed his eyes comfortably. The sound of his heart made him feel at peace. He wasn't really tired and he knew they had a lot to do but at this moment he simply wished to lay in Yichen's embrace.
Yichen wrapped his strong arms around him and gently kissed on in the head. Without saying a word they simply lay in bed quietly together.
...