Severing Time & Space

I Have to Get Stronger!

“Come on. Let’s go to the hospital wing and get you patched up,” Wu Meiying said as she stood up and held out her hand. Despite his conflicted feelings, Wu Jian took her hand and let the girl lead him away.

While everyone else in the clan looked very similar to each other, Wu Meiying alone looked different. Her face, hair, and general appearance had none of the similarities shared by members of the Wu Clan. She was not a member of their clan. His mother had found Wu Meiying one day, abandoned in a basket, and taken her home. She was then adopted into the clan and named Meiying.

The name Meiying meant “beautiful flower.” It had been his mother’s hope that she would grow up to be a beautiful young woman, and it looked like her wish was coming true. Wu Meiying was easily the prettiest girl in the entire clan. Even the people who didn’t like her because of the odd things she said often expressed admiration for her beauty.

The hospital wing was located in a building not far from where Wu Yong had bullied him. It was a big building. They walked across the walkway, entered through the shoji door, and came into an empty room. It had beds and medicine cabinets. Nobody was there at the moment, but Wu Meiying didn’t let that bother her as she led Wu Jian over to a bed, sat him down, and walked to the medicine cabinet. Wu Jian said nothing as he watched her rummage through the cabinet. She came back moments later with cotton pads and ointment.

“Hold still, okay?” she instructed.

Wu Jian nodded. “Okay.”

Wu Meiying dabbed the cotton in the ointment, then applied some, first to his elbow, then his face. He flinched when an itchy sensation spread across his elbow and cheek, but it was soon replaced by a soothing warmth. As she applied ointment to his face, Wu Meiying spoke again.

“Did those three hit you anywhere else?”

Wu Jian shook his head. “Just my face.”

Wu Meiying huffed. “It’s not ‘just’ your face. It’s the ultimate disgrace to slap someone like they did, and they did it to you. I cannot believe they would hit their clan heir in the face like that. Hmph. The nerve of them! I’ll show them what happens when you hit my Jian next time we spar. I’ll beat them to a pulp.”

Wu Jian looked down and said nothing. Since he was so small, his feet didn’t reach the floor. He kicked them listlessly and let Wu Meiying finish spreading ointment on his face. She finished by placing a patch made from bamboo leaves over it. His elbow was similarly patched up.

“You know… maybe if you learned to stand up for yourself, they would not pick on you so much,” Wu Meiying said hesitantly.

“How can I do that? Wu Yong and his friends are so much bigger than me. Even if I did stand up for myself, I would just get beaten more. That’s what happened the last time I tried to stand up for myself,” Wu Jian said. It wasn’t like he hadn’t stood up for himself before, but the last time he had done so, it resulted in a much more violent beating. He had learned his lesson and never tried to stand up to his bullies again.

“Maybe at first, but you can always… get… get…”

“Meiying? What’s wrong?”

Wu Jian looked worried as Wu Meiying trailed off. Her eyes had become vacant and glassy. She swayed where she stood like she was dizzy. Wu Jian had seen her get like this before. While not frequent, it happened enough times that Wu Jian understood what was going on. Wu Meiying was about to predict the future. A shiver ran down his back. Every prediction she had ever made came true. He wondered what she would predict this time.

He waited for a few minutes, but when she just remained standing there with that glassy look in her eyes, he became worried. It had never taken her more than a few seconds to come back. That she was staying like this made him worry that she might have lost her soul.

“Meiying? Are you okay?” He placed his hands on her shoulders and lightly shook her.

Blinking several times, Wu Meiying’s eyes regained their original clarity. She looked at him with a soft gaze that made his face heat up. He didn’t know why she was staring at him like that, but then she cupped his cheek and stroked it with her thumb.

“Do you love me?” she asked.

“Of course I do,” Wu Jian said without hesitation.

“And you want to marry me, right?”

“Yes. Of course. Didn’t we… didn’t we promise we would get married when we grew up?”

Wu Meiying nodded, her face more serious than he ever remembered seeing it. A chill ran through him. Why was she looking at him like that?

“Listen, Wu Jian. Please listen carefully. If you want us to get married, to stay together like this forever, then you must become stronger. If you don’t…”

“Will something bad happen if I don’t?” asked Wu Jian, a tremor in his voice.

Wu Meiying’s lips trembled. “If you don’t become stronger, then I’m afraid… I will be taken somewhere very far away, somewhere you’ll never be able to reach me. I don’t want to be taken away from you. I want to stay with you forever. So, please, promise that you will become strong. Become so strong that even if I am taken away, you will be able to reach me.”

Wu Jian did not know why Wu Meiying was saying all this, but he had a very bad feeling about it. He believed her. If she said she would be taken somewhere he couldn’t reach her unless he was strong, then it was probably true. Wu Meiying often made predictions like this, and they always happened just like she said they would. That she would say something like this shook him up. He swallowed heavily and nodded once.

“Okay. I promise. Starting now, I’ll train hard and become stronger.”

Wu Meiying’s smile reminded him of the cherry blossoms that bloomed during the new year. It stole his breath. For the sake of that smile, Wu Jian would gladly walk through fire and lava. He would tear apart the heavens themselves if it meant he would get to see her smile like this all the time. As he looked at her smile, only one thought occurred to him.

I have to get stronger!