Beiji

Chapter 3 (Pt. 4)

It was the dead of night by the time they came to the far reaches of the city. Beyond this point, there were only the gates, and the paper in his pocket was supposed to be enough for that. However, any guards in the city itself would undoubtedly be aware of the situation with the missing emperor and be looking for him. Not to mention, he wasn't sure if the document he'd been given would do him any good in terms of wandering the city after curfew. Without knowing exactly what it said, he had no way of knowing.

Once they made it through the gate, he figured they'd be safe. It would only be a matter of time before the army widened their search, but Wan Xue surmised that for now, they'd keep to the capital.

Despite having slept for a large portion of the day, he was exhausted, and getting out of the city wouldn't be enough. They'd have to keep on for a while to put some distance between themselves and the men pursuing them. The men pursuing Meng Yuan, that is. Wan Xue wasn't sure that anyone even remembered him, let alone cared enough to chase after him.

Having thought this, his hand drifted to the letter in his pocket, touching it through the fabric of his own clothes. What did it say? Who had written it?

A sudden grip on his arm and a force yanking him backwards drove his wonderings from his mind as his heart spiked in time with the rise of panic in his head. The only person close enough to have performed such an action was Meng Yuan himself. Immediately struggling to free himself, Wan Xue elbowed the other man in the gut – dangerously close to the wound he himself had treated earlier in the night – and Meng Yuan stifled his reaction to the pain into a mere hiss of air as he drew in a breath. Having pulled him away from the edge of the building and back into the shadows, Meng Yuan let go of his arm and wrapped his own arm around Wan Xue's waist.

Panicked, Wan Xue struggled even more fervently. Had he remembered? Had his memory returned and he was angry because he still believed Wan Xue to have hurt his sister? Was he going to enact further violence on him as some kind of vengeance? Was he –?

"Shhh." Meng Yuan's voice was low and right next to his face, the breath from this exhalation brushing lightly against his ear and making him tremble.

Before Meng Yuan could say more – had he even intended to – footsteps approached, passing nearby before fading into the distance. Neither of them moved in that timeframe, Wan Xue practically holding his breath for that span of time. When nothing met their ears but silence once again, Wan Xue exhaled in relief, his breath shuddering out of him as some of the terror passed. Having heard his sigh and felt his shudder, Meng Yuan released his arm from around the other man's body. Wan Xue instantly stepped away and spun around to face him.

He'd intended to glare at him in response to his presumptuous actions, but the expression on Meng Yuan's face startled him a bit and he froze.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Meng Yuan said, the concern on his face echoed in his voice. "I was just thinking that if it was a guard or one of the soldiers, I didn't want you to be caught." He was silent a moment before adding, "Although, I suppose they're not chasing after you, only me. But I imagine it wouldn't be easy for you if you were to be questioned regarding the matter, considering you can't speak."

Wan Xue regained his ability to glare, piercing Meng Yuan with his eyes like a thousand blades. He didn't need anyone's pity, least of all this man's. And his last words... Of course it wasn't easy for me to be questioned. I should know, considering you've already questioned me.

A flash of surprise crossed Meng Yuan's face, as though he had not expected this reaction, and then – "Pfftt." He laughed. The man actually laughed. Covering his mouth with one hand, he looked away from Wan Xue and coughed conspicuously. "Well, uh, are you ready then?"