Qi is measured in years. A normal person who is not part of the martial arts world, and does not gather or store their Qi, is the reference point for this. The amount of Qi a normal person would gather just by going about their daily life in a year is what has become the measurement used.

  Tae sat on the window ledge, watching the rain fall. The room was warm despite the weather. Despite the clouds covering the sun, the rain made the colors brighter, more vibrant. The music stopped and Tae turned to see why. Hyuk had gotten up from his zither and was making his way to where Tae sat.

  “Done playing?” Tae asked.

  “For now.” Hyuk replied. “Your fascination with the weather always makes me curious. Even though I know there’s nothing to see except wet and rain.”

  “Everything goes quiet when it rains.” Tae told him. Hyuk’s arms wrapped around Tae’s shoulders and the two stared at the rain together. “The only things that make noise in the rain are humans, and the wind.”

  “Even humans try to hide from the rain.” Hyuk sighed.

  “True,” Tae said. “Being cold and wet is not enjoyable after all. Plus if you don’t have a way to get out of the rain and warm up again it hurts until you numb to it.”

  “If you didn’t add that last bit, you’d have come across as normal for a moment.” Hyuk teased. Tae kissed Hyuk’s cheek before turning back to watch the rain some more.

  “We both know I’m far from normal.”

  “True.” Hyuk agreed. Then he sighed. “I like that you aren’t normal. That you see the world so differently. I just hate the why behind it.”

  “If you liked my not being normal so much,” Tae smirked, “why’d you go to all that trouble to civilize me then?”

  “You seeing the world as it is, both the beauty and the darkness, had absolutely nothing to do with that.” Hyuk replied. Tae could tell that Hyuk was fighting a smile.

  “Oh, and what did?” Tae asked.

  “The fact that we had to calm you down every time someone was upset over your welfare and explain they were just worried about you.” Hyuk answered in all seriousness.

  Tae sighed. “It’s not like I ever hid why I didn’t understand at first.”

  “The why is what makes it all the sadder.” Hyuk told him.

  “I personally try not to dwell on it.” Tae said.

  Tae opened his eyes. He signed as he sat up. Another dream of his time with Hyuk, so many years ago now. Oddly enough, he was actually dreaming of Hyuk less these days, and when he did it was of happier times instead of the constant nightmares he used to get. Interesting that falling for someone again was going such a long way into helping him heal. It helped that Tae was pretty sure Hyuk would have liked Min.

  He rolled out of bed and opened the shutters. Dawn hinted along the horizon. The brisk air was more than enough indication of the changing seasons. Tae left the window open while he changed. He closed the shutters before heading downstairs. He cleaned out the ashes in the stove, placing more fuel in and breathing fire Qi onto it to light it. He didn’t need to hide it now that Shin had left. His friend should have made it home by now. The man always fretted when his wife was pregnant, probably why he’d been the one sent to check on Tae this time. Get him away, distract him, and then they sent for him when she was closer to her time.

  Tae placed the kettle on the stove before scrounging up some breakfast for himself. He had a nice little arrangement of leftovers on a plate by the time the water was ready. He poured it in the kettle that held the tea leaves and carried it all with him down into the basement. Tae placed everything on the wooden bench before lighting the lanterns. The room was so different once fully illuminated. Light danced off the polished weapons.

  Once Tae finished eating he went to one of the many racks of weapons and selected a few that needed polishing. Shin and the others had teased him relentlessly once they realized he’d begun collecting weapons. Surprisingly it had been Eun-U who had stopped them. He’d lectured all of them and assigned some old texts for them to read. Shockingly enough it had worked. Tae hadn’t expected those old legends to mean much, but he guessed it’d explained his behaviour well enough. His friends had even started gifting him items to add to his collection.

  Tae felt something inside him stir and he shoved it down. It was pleased with the collection being taken care of, but not satisfied with how small it still was. He sighed, looked like he’d be visiting the blacksmiths again later today. If he put it off it would just make things harder. It was the one instinct he gave into, kept the damned thing quiet. It wasn’t like he hadn’t had the tendency to collect things prior to the curse lurking inside him. It still bothered him that it was alive and had become so effectively apart of him that no shaman could remove it.

  He finished the last of the weapons he’d selected, putting each one back with extreme care. Tae went to the ladder, his dishes in a basket. He closed his eyes feeling the energies in the room. He focused on each flame, and forcefully extinguished them one by one. Once he’d put the last one out he retracted his Qi back into himself, it carried the energies of the flames with it. Tae absorbed it all with a breath before climbing back up to the main level.

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  He washed and put away the dishes before preparing to go out. The restaurant was closed today, so there was no particular time he needed to be back. He pulled on a warmer outer robe and shoes. His hand brushed his beard, and Tae wondered if he should keep it or not. Enough time had passed now, that there were few who would recognize him that weren’t part of the Seong clan, so he didn’t really need it anymore. Besides, he was curious how Min would react to seeing him clean shaven. He mentally added the list of things he’d need to both shave off the beard and for the upkeep of being without it to his list of things to get today. Tae grabbed a sack he could put everything in and stepped out into the slightly chilly morning air.

  The sun was up now. Tae locked up behind himself and made his way to the market square. It was late enough that he didn’t have the streets to himself. Others were heading to work. Men and women, all bundled up a little against the chilly air, walked the streets. Some headed towards the market as well.

  Tae browsed several stalls. There was a sense of festivities in the air and Tae realized that the city was getting ready for the first of the autumn festivals. Tae bit his lip as he remembered which festival it was. He was going to need to go present shopping as well today. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten, the city was preparing to celebrate an imperial birthday. It’d been a bit over two months since the celebrations of the Dowager Empress’s birthday, which meant that they were now preparing to celebrate the birthday of the second in line to the throne, Imperial Prince Han Lee, MinJun.

  Tae wandered the stalls, looking for ideas, while also keeping an eye out for anything to add to his personal collection. What could he even get Min that the man didn’t already own. He was an imperial prince as well as the chief advisor of the emperor. There wasn’t anything that the man couldn’t get himself with ease. It wasn’t like Tae had all that much experience buying gifts for lovers either. He’d made every gift he’d ever given Hyuk. He wondered if he could do the same for Min. Not that he knew what the man would appreciate or want in that sense. He sighed to himself. Time had passed, they’d definitely spent enough time together to get to know each other, but he also knew that neither of them had told the other everything.

  Tae was the most guilty of this. There was so much he hadn’t told his lover. Min never pushed, or asked. He knew Min was waiting for him to open up on his own. Just like he had with Min. He knew now why Min wanted revenge, and Tae fully intended to help Min achieve it. He grimaced to himself as he remembered that moment.

  Tae sat on his bed, Min’s head resting in his lap. He stroked his lover’s hair as the two enjoyed the comfort of being in the other’s company. Tae felt like now was as good a time as any to ask the question he’d been putting off.

  “You don’t have to answer, but why do you carry antidotes with you everywhere?” Tae asked. He didn’t stop his movements at all as he waited for Min to decide whether to answer or not. Min sat up, and Tae met those golden amber eyes with his own grey ones.

  “I could give you the simple answer, but I’d rather tell you the full one.” Min said.

  Tae waited. There’d been a flash of pain that told him this was a difficult subject.

  “For my fifth birthday I got gifted many things. Several of the gifts were rare elixirs. I was excited and showed them to my mother. I’d brought the rarest and most expensive of them with me to show her. There was one in particular that I was especially thrilled about. I told my mother she could have any of them if she wanted, as I knew I could never consume them all. I was distracted and my mother tried one of them. The one I’d been the most excited about. I hadn’t noticed the wary look on her face when I’d showed it to her. Next thing I knew she was coughing up blood.” Min paused and Tae pulled him into his arms. “It took a week for her to stabilize, and months before she could leave her bed. After that I decided I wouldn’t go anywhere without antidotes on me. If I’d had them on me then she wouldn’t have had to suffer so much. Wouldn’t still be suffering.”

  The two sat in silence for a moment. Tae reassured Min that it wasn’t his fault.

  “Who gifted the elixir?” Tae asked.

  “It was under a different name. But I tracked down where it had truly come from.” Min’s voice was hard and cold. Tae understood, he’d have done the same. “The elixir had been intended for me. It severely damaged my mother’s Qi core, and would have shattered mine. It took over a year, but I tracked down who had been the one to give the order. Former Empress Hea.”

  Min had spat the name like a curse. So that was who Min wanted revenge on. Tae couldn’t blame him. He’d felt the same about the men who had beat his mother and thrown her in a cell with him to die. Watching her take days to die and not being able to do anything to save her had nearly destroyed him. Dowager Empress Sena had survived, but was forever crippled. Though revenge would leave Min feeling empty afterwards, Tae knew it was a path that he had to walk. Tae was pretty sure that the constant assassins Min dealt with were from the deposed empress. Min hadn’t been given the chance to just walk away. This wasn’t just revenge, this was a matter of survival.

  Tae shook his head, clearing it of the memory. He continued to browse the shops, but now he had an idea of what could be part of his gift to Min. He grinned to himself as he thought how much Shin would have tried to dissuade him. Maybe it was time to show Min some of the secrets he carried as well. Not all of them, but Min had kept that promise to not reveal who he was all those months ago. Maybe it was time to trust him with the darker truths that lurked within him.

  A particularly well made dagger distracted him. Tae picked it up to examine it. The way the metal was folded was expertly done, it was like a work of art. Tae bought it without bargaining. The piece deserved to be paid for at full price. A beautiful wooden box and well crafted vial caught his attention next. Tae didn’t bargain for them either. He began picking up various other items as they caught his eye. Some he’d bargain for, and others he paid full price for. His mood was light when he noticed a familiar figure wandering the market not far from him.

  A mischievous grin on his lips, Tae activated his Qi just enough to make it harder to sense his presence and quiet his steps. He no longer wandered from stall to stall, but carefully followed, slowly getting closer. He waited for a moment when the person was a little farther from his two guards. It didn’t take long. Tae then stepped forwards and placed his hand on their arm causing them to turn abruptly to face him.

  “Pleasant surprise seeing you here at this hour.” Tae said. The surprise in the nearly golden eyes softened as a smile spread across those kissable lips.

  “Hwan!” Min said.

  Tae leaned in and kissed his lover lightly on the lips. The kiss was returned, but Tae pulled away before either of them accidentally turned it into something more.

  “Hope I didn’t startle any of you too badly.” Tae said grinning. YeJun and HaJoon were both muttering an extensive string of swears under their breath. “Don’t curse me too harshly. You lot would have done the same if you’d seen me first.”

  Min laughed and his friends sighed.