To Return To Where You Belong To

Sometimes Yuan Ji would teach A-Die reading and writing if he had enough time. If not, then it's all YueChen's responsibility to do so.

A-Die learned rather quickly, absorbing words and new things three times normal human's speed. Although her brush strokes were kind of sloppy when she was confronted with a stack of papers and writing utensils, at least YueChen could make some sense reading it.

The first word she independently wrote when YueChen didn't gave her any words to copy was his name. It actually surprised the teen, seeing that she still remembered his name. If it was him, seeing it once and forgetting it in less than ten seconds. Yuan Ji said it was because he was born dumb, initiating another fight which ended with them biting each other and cuddling together.

No, not bites on neck or body, nothing of that sort. Mostly just biting arms, but Yuan Ji always bit him on the shoulder after five exchanges of bites. Cuddling was... er... YueChen often pull Yuan Ji onto the bed and continued the fight on it, rolling around, trying to pin each other down. After few rolls, Yuan Ji would rest his head on YueChen's chest, glaring at all bite marks YueChen left on his arms.

Describing it in less than three words: puppy fight.

They hadn't done that for about a month now. Which meant that YueChen and Yuan Ji were too engrossed with their own things to the point that they nearly forgot each other. YueChen honestly admitted that he miss fighting and quarrelling with Yuan Ji. No matter what they said and did, they never actually meant anything bad to the other or even having the slightest attempt to hurt.

He found himself subconsciously strolling leisurely around the village, his steps set as if he knew where to go. The footfalls stopped once a number of cherry trees were sighted. Among the crowd of pink, one oak tree stood firmly.

On said oak tree, a youth clung to one of the thick branches, on the brink of falling. The youth was none other than the water deity.

Seeing Yuan Ji nearly fell, YueChen strode to the tree and extended his arms. He was right in time to catch the falling deity.

Yuan Ji squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for his body to meet the hard ground beneath him. But the moment never came, and he opened his eyes curiously to meet a teen's gaze.

Yang YueChen held him in a gentle manner, bridal carry style. A soft smile was plastered over his face.

Yuan Ji was startled. He didn't expect that YueChen would be looking for him in the lesser area. Any sane person would search the teaching house or the fields first, not the woods.

The deity struggled to get free, and the teen obliged. YueChen put him down wordlessly. Yet somehow the half-concealed amusement in his eyes seemed to ask what exactly was the deity doing.

Even if he managed to escape from the other's embrace, he couldn't escape the gaze. He coughed awkwardly, shifting to the side.

"It's.. it's just..." As though the thing in question wanted to help the deity, it fell down and landed on Yuan Ji's head.

A kitten, black in color, jumped from the highest branch to his head. That explains red scratches on the deity's arms.

YueChen raised an eyebrow, "You tried to save a kitten?"

Yuan Ji responded with a nod.

"But somehow got stuck there?"

Another nod.

"And—"

Yuan Ji groaned, hid his face behind his hands and exclaimed, "Yes, yes, yes, and yes. I just want to help a bit, but who knows this little creature is so traitorous. He leaped up and up, before jumping down after I nearly fell."

YueChen crossed his arms, musing at the deity. "Cats shouldn't be trusted, you know it."

"You're a cat yourself." He quickly countered.

YueChen only winked at the statement. Although he wasn't exactly a cat, but more like a tiger—a big predator type.

Yuan Ji had a ridiculous habit to compare everyone with animals, a habit that also YueChen had. Perhaps staying with the teen caused a series of weird habits from YueChen influenced the deity.

Before YueChen had any chance to do what he had in mind few minutes ago, someone approached them. The footsteps weren't hurried, coming from a certain dark-skinned girl who held a stack of papers in her arms.

A-Die unknowingly had disturbed them. The thirsty tiger had to retract its claws and hid its fangs.

Spotting her idol, A-Die beamed, before frowned upon seeing the other person.

She nearly dropped the papers, [Why in the world is this scum here? He didn't harass you, right?]

.....

The one being harassed wasn't Yang YueChen!! It was Yuan Ji!

Even if he tried to explain, A-Die would stubbornly sided with the teen. Yuan Ji could only sigh in exasperation.

The three went back to the seer's hut on feet, A-Die in between the two boys, separating them as far as she could.