"It's fine. I'm the one who did the killing," Goku said evenly. "Yan will come after me. If Gao Jianli follows us, he'll just be in more danger."
"What do you plan to do now?" Xue Nu met his eyes. "You didn't only kill Yan Chunjun—you killed a general and thousands of Yan soldiers. I'm afraid there's nowhere left in the world for us to stay."
"Yan? Just that little state?" Goku snorted. "I'll go wipe it out right now." He actually turned to leave.
"Wait." Xue Nu shot him a glare. Does this man have a brain? Destroy a country single-handedly? That was suicide.
She didn't realize that stopping him here had, in fact, spared the entire state of Yan from annihilation.
"Could you stop being so impulsive?" she said quietly. "Your martial arts are formidable, but even human strength has limits…"
"Should I take that as concern for me?" Goku asked with a small smile.
"…I know what's in your heart," Xue Nu replied. "But give up on it. I swore I would never marry in this lifetime." Her gaze drifted to the endless sky—steadfast, and yet tinged with sorrow.
"What kind of worthless oath is that? In my eyes, it's trash." Goku's tone was willful.
Xue Nu blinked—and then felt a cool touch on her cheek. She raised a pale hand; raindrops beaded in her palm. "It's… raining."
Clouds boiled in, and rain came down in sheets. In moments the sky dimmed, and water rushed off leaves and pooled in the ruts of the earth.
The two of them took shelter beneath thick branches, watching the storm. Neither spoke.
Xue Nu reached out, catching the water that drummed through the leaves. "Such heavy rain… The water will join the river, and the river will flow to the sea. Even rain has a place to return to. But us? Where do we go?"
"So long as I'm here, I'll be with you—to the ends of the earth," Goku said.
"The ends of the earth… Do you really believe that?"
"Of course. And for the record, Yan isn't enough to make me run." His voice turned arrogant again. "I go where I please. If they come, I'll kill them."
A white snow goose suddenly tumbled out of the sky and landed in her hand, wings beating helplessly.
"Its wings are soaked," Xue Nu murmured. "It can't fly."
This scene… familiar, Goku thought, amused. 'Only this time I'm not cornered on a cliff.'
He cleared his throat. "Bei ling you yan, yu ruo xue xi."
(Translation: "On the northern ridge flies a swallow, its wings white as snow.")
Xue Nu's lashes trembled. She answered softly, "Shuo feng ai ai, bi yi nan fei."
(Translation: "In the bitter northern wind, the pair flies south together.")
"Yi zhe yu xi, nai zhi ruo he."
(Translation: "A wing is broken—what can be done?")
"Shuo feng lin lin…" She faltered, a touch embarrassed to continue.
(Translation: "The cold northern wind…")
Goku finished, firm and low: "Zhong bu li xi."
(Translation: "Never shall we part.")
She looked at him—at the heat in his eyes—and color rose to her cheeks. Head bowed, she whispered, haltingly, "Zhong… bu… li… xi…"
(Translation: "Never… shall… we… part…")
They stood facing one another. After a moment, Xue Nu turned toward the rain. "For my sake you killed Yan Chunjun and offended the whole of Yan. Do you… regret it?"
"Regret?" Goku laughed softly. "That word isn't in my dictionary. I told you already: for you, never mind Yan—even if I stand against the entire world, so what?"
Her heart stirred. To say such words so simply—how many men could live up to them?.
"I understand your feelings," she said at last. "But I told you: I swore I would never marry."
"That's only because you haven't met the one you truly love. I'll unlock that shackle in your heart—and break that oath." He said it with serene certainty.
Xue Nu stared, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. She lowered her head and shut them; the crystals fell like small stars.
Goku brushed them away with a gentleness that surprised even him. "That was the last time. From now on, I won't let you cry. I'll make sure you smile every day."
The rain eased; the sky brightened. A rainbow arced like a bridge at the rim of sky.
"Look," Xue Nu said, pink-cheeked, delighted despite herself. "A rainbow."
"If you want it, I'll catch it for you," Goku replied, smiling at the light in her eyes.
She rolled those eyes at him. "Do you take me for a silly girl? Go on then—catch it. If you can't, you'll pay for boasting."
"Nothing easier." Goku lifted his right hand. Space rippled—and the far-off rainbow appeared, impossibly, in his palm.
"How… did you do that?" Xue Nu's eyes widened. The seven-colored light hung beside them, close enough to touch. He had actually done it.
"For you," Goku said, offering it to her.
Xue Nu reached out—her fingers passed straight through.
"Why can you hold it, but I can't?" she asked, trying again, baffled.
Goku chuckled, taking her soft hand. "Try now."
Warmth flowed from his palm through her arm and suffused her whole body. Xue Nu felt suddenly light, comfortable—then gasped.
"I'm holding it—I really am!" She laughed, radiant. "How is this possible? A rainbow has no substance. Why can I touch it now?"
"There's nothing in this world I can't do," Goku said, amused. "Do you like your gift?"
"I do. Thank you. You've fulfilled a dream countless girls can only imagine. So this is what it feels like… to hold a rainbow." Bathed in its glow, she looked like an immortal descended—pure and breathtaking,
The air after rain was still damp and cool. The rainbow in Xue Nu's hands gradually faded. She felt a flicker of regret, but she knew she couldn't keep it forever.
"What now?" she asked, looking up at him with a new, easy brightness. She no longer wore that frosty distance; with him beside her, the future felt within reach.
"The world is wide—anywhere is possible. Since Yan is off the table, how about a trip to Han?" Goku took her delicate hand without asking and glanced over.
She didn't pull away. "All right. We can't stay in Yan anyway."
"Let's go." Hand in hand, they walked on. Mud and puddles meant nothing to them.
"Hyah! Hyah!"
A courier on horseback thundered by, right past them.
"Looks like luck is on our side," Goku said, smiling. He flicked a finger; a strand of ki snapped out with a snap, catching the rider in the chest. The man toppled from the saddle with a squawk. Several sheets fluttered from his tunic.
"You… you two…" he managed, pointing weakly—then slumped, unconscious.
Xue Nu stooped and picked up one of the sheets. A smile tugged at her lips. "They captured the likeness quite well."
Goku stepped closer. Wanted posters—of him and Xue Nu, with Gao Jianli included for good measure.
"Fast workers," Goku said drily, giving the courier a light kick. "No wonder he fainted."
_____
T/N:
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