Chapter 334 - Homecoming

Yuzu watched fate’s tapestry play out before her, its shimmering threads reflecting in her pupils, a somber expression on her face.

She had made her tweaks to Xiang’s future. Nothing major, just a twist here, a nudge there. A slip in a puddle, a wrong turn in the streets. A few awkward moments and disruptions to turn a perfectly good date into a series of increasingly amusing mishaps.

By the end of the evening Xiang would be cursing his luck, wondering how so many things could go wrong in a night.

Neither he nor Diana would realize at the time that it would be a cherished memory for years to come.

This is… goodbye… isn’t it?

Yuzu wiped a tear from the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, her lips taut to keep them from trembling.

A lump formed in her throat as she checked the threads of her idiot brother and his date twice over, making sure she hadn’t made any mistakes.

The original date to be would have ended up as a normal night out to a play, followed by an uneventful meal. Simple, boring, forgettable. Diana was a bit of a flirt, but she wasn’t looking for something serious. Xiang was attracted to Diana, but he was too nervous and shy to make a move.

It could have been nothing. Yuzu’s intuition told her that their threads would intertwine for the night and then separate thereafter. But her intuition also told her that with a little bit of help those threads could spin themselves into something deep and meaningful and special.

Seeing that possibility, Yuzu found herself re-evaluating her decision.

She had spent so long in Fuha longing for home, wanting to return to her old life, but now that was finally here she hesitated.

She found herself asking herself questions that she had forcefully ignored and buried within her thoughts.

Did she really want to go back to life as a shopkeeper?

Did she really care for such a simple existence anymore?

Perhaps at the beginning, before all this had happened, that would have been what she’d wanted more than anything. She had been weak and ill, unable to dream of a better future, bitter about drawing the short stick in the lot of life. She resisted change because the major changes in her life up to then had been traumatic and devastating. The familiar was safe, comforting, predictable.

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But without realizing it she had changed. She’d had a sheltered life, with a loving family and a weak constitution that kept her holed up in her tiny world. But in the past few months she’d faced terror and pain beyond anything she’d ever experienced. She’d traveled to fantastical places she’d never even dreamed could exist. She’d matched wits against monsters and angels and gods— and come out ahead more often than not.

She wasn’t the same person anymore.

Yuzu closed her eyes, blinking away another tear as a small smile touched the edge of her lips.

I’ve only just arrived, how could I leave this world so quickly?

Upon thinking those words she felt a knot loosen in her heart. Her thoughts became clearer as she let go of her hesitation and acknowledged her true desires.

She took a breath, taking a long look at her brother’s thread.

Xiang was still waiting for her. Every time the shop’s chimes rang he looked up hoping to see her there. Each strange noise in the night had him running down the stairs to check the door, just in case. He visited the police station so often they knew him by name.

Yuzu’s disappearance had opened old wounds and torn open a deep hole in his heart. And her safe return would mean the world to him.

But Yuzu now knew that even if she returned she couldn’t stay. And Xiang would never understand that. And then the hole would be torn apart all over again.

With Diana he’d be distracted by the ups and downs of a new relationship. He’d get tangled up in the trivialities of normal life again. And slowly, eventually, he would be able to move on. With Diana he’d be able to have the family he’d always longed for.

With Diana the hole in his heart would heal.

That was something Yuzu could never do for him.

So it was better this way.

~

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Yuzu said softly over her shoulder.

The sharply dressed Astromancer behind her had patiently lounged around for the hour while she sorted out her thoughts. She’d wondered why he hadn’t just left after delivering her to Noga City like she asked.

“I’ve all the time in the world.” Soong replied with a smile.

“You were paid to wait.” Yuzu came to a realization as she saw a glint in his eye, “In case I wanted to go back.”

“One trip to anywhere in Kumin, wherever takes your fancy.” Soong nodded, “Courtesy of my client.”

Renshu knew I wouldn’t stay here. He granted my wish for a quiet return home, but predicted I would have second thoughts. Yuzu contemplated. His connection to the Sun God’s amulet can’t be simple, and he’s definitely not going to be satisfied just with its delivery. Staying in the Exalted world means having to deal with him going forward.

Yuzu frowned as she contemplated what kind of scheme she was involving herself in with the God of Knowledge. Renshu was interfering with the Sun God’s inheritance, disrupting fate’s prophecy that had been in place for a millennia or longer. Involving herself in the affairs and plots of gods was foolhardy and incredibly, incredibly dangerous.

She felt her fingers tingle in excitement as she turned away from the strings on the street, facing Soong with a determined air as she made up her mind.

“Take me to the Walled City.” She said, “And make it flashy if you can.”

“I have a feeling my friend Char Char would appreciate a dramatic return.”

- End of Book 4 -