Light Against Shadows

Chapter 2

Wei's car was small and anonymous, he rarely used it preferring to walk whenever possible, but it was useful sometimes, like when he picked up handsome strangers on the streets... Wei realised what he had just thought and blushed, grateful that he hadn't said it out loud.

They got in and Wei started driving. Yunlan looked at the streets to find out where he was and told him where to go.

The ride was mostly quiet, until Wei suddenly turned right when he shouldn't have.

"Where are you going? This is not..."

Wei increased the speed ignoring Yunlan's protests and effectively shutting him up until a short while later he stopped the car abruptly.

When he saw him getting out in a hurry, Yunlan followed him and they both ran.

Yunlan saw a body on the floor and heard, "Take care of her," while Wei kept running forward.

Yunlan had no other choice but to stop and make sure the girl was okay.

She was in bad shape, she had been assaulted and judging by her many bruises on arms and hands she had fought back. She had been stabbed in rage and looked dead, but Yunlan wasn't ready to give up without trying.

He called the emergency line at once then he hurried to try everything he could hoping she might still be breathing.

~~~

Wei kept running following the faint voice of the girl's ghost as he had done since she had appeared in front of his car. He had acted on instinct, something about her had told him that she was new to that world of existence, that maybe he could really be of help to her.

Now he saw two figures running ahead of him and she said, "They...killed...me."

Her voice was weak, and she was fading away. "Not yet girl, go back and fight some more." Her energy shivered and her voice sounded like an echo, "They...kill..."

"Don't worry about them. Go back, there's already someone who will take care of you."

After hearing those words she disappeared and he looked at the escaping figures; instead of chasing them with little chance of catching up, he stood still and raised an arm.

"Takeo! Luca!" he said with a firm voice. His body shook violently and what looked like a raging cold wind passed through him and shot out in the direction of the fugitives.

"Get them!" His voice was now weaker but as firm as before.

The wind reached the fugitives and knocked them down, keeping them glued to the ground. He slowly walked closer and looked at them in disgust.

"I suggest you don't move," he quietly said, but he didn't touch them.

When he heard a shout of "Wei! Wei, where are you?" he raised his voice.

"Over here! Call the police."

Yunlan came running, and was shocked to see two figures on the ground without restraints of any sort. What kept them there?

"I am the police, and you two are under arrest," Yunlan said, and Wei raised an eyebrow.

He didn't know he had rescued a policeman of all people. He probably should have known, but when he had let his friends put him into bed he had been too embarrassed to look.

Yunlan handcuffed the two guys still wondering what had happened.

There were a lot of things that Yunlan needed to clear up but for the moment he would just hand these two to the other cops that were arriving after the ambulance, while Wei followed him at a much slower pace.

When Wei finally reached his car, Yunlan was already there waiting for him.

"You look like hell," Yunlan said, finishing the cigarette he had been smoking while waiting.

Wei eyed it disapprovingly but said nothing about it, instead he replied to his words. "Thanks, I'm indeed a bit out of energy. You got any chocolate, by any chance?"

Yunlan smirked and took the keys from him, receiving no objections.
Wei sat down in silence giving him full freedom, too tired even to ask where they were going simply assuming that Yunlan would drive to wherever he had left his own car, and he closed his eyes.

He didn't wonder if Yunlan knew now where he was or not, he didn't care at all, and only opened them again when he felt the car stop.
He looked around in confusion.

"Come on," Yunlan said and lead him to a part bakery part coffee shop. "Lots of stuff with chocolate here. Tea or coffee?"

After Wei replied Yunlan made him sit before going to get something for the both of them. He came back with two cups of hot tea, then again with a muffin for himself, a chocolate-filled pastry and a slice of chocolate cake for Wei.

After eating the pastry Wei started to get his energy back, and only ate half of the slice.
"Thank you, I feel much better now."

"The least I could do." Yunlan was sincere, but also more curious than he ever was.
"Who are you?" he suddenly asked. Wei raised his eyes to meet his stare.

"I'm... nobody really."

Yunlan's eyes narrowed.
"What did you do to them?"

Wei stiffened. "I didn't touch them."

Yunlan stared at him, unconsciously bringing the rest of the cake slice closer. "Who were you talking to, this morning?"

It was apparent that Wei was uncomfortable under those questions but Yunlan's curiosity was too great. Maybe it was just a part of his job, or maybe it was just who he was and he became a cop because of it, whatever the reason he wanted to discover everything there was to know about Wei.

"You saw yourself that there was nobody there, I see no reason in your question," Wei replied, but Yunlan didn't let it go and tried again.
"So you were talking to the air? Having a full conversation with your charming self?"

"Would that be a crime?"

The question shut Yunlan up. Of course it wasn't, and he had no right to pry into his private business. If he really liked to talk to himself as if there were other people with him he had no right to judge him.

He finished the cake and they left. Yunlan drove to work and saw his car where he had left it last night before going out to drink with his colleagues.

Yunlan held the keys in his fist and asked, "Really no one?"

Wei rolled his eyes. "Not a living soul."
Yunlan tossed him the keys and they parted ways.

The rest of the day was uneventful, Wei excused himself at work for being late and later that night he went home.

As he stepped in, he groaned.
"I said maybe, Andrew, maybe, I don't really need help... oh, alright!"

He sighed then raised an arm. "Let's cook together."

A cold wind passed through him draining part of his energy, then Wei walked into the kitchen where things were apparently beginning to move by themselves in a rather enthusiastic chaos.