His master was clearly exhausted. It was rare that Qi struggled in any situation, so when he'd arrived to see his master already fatigued, he knew that he'd need time to recover after they managed to escape.

After several hours of walking, they'd finally settled in Zhiming forest at the base of a massive fir tree. Time passed in grateful silence since then, but as it did so, Zen grew more and more worried. His master would normally settle into a meditative state and focus inwardly for hours on end to recover spiritual energy, yet the man had not allowed him to move from where he'd settled him into his lap when they'd first stopped. There was no way he'd be able to focus well enough with him there.

He'd tried to move after an hour of silence, but Qi had wrapped his arms around him snuggly and refused to budge them an inch, making Zen settle back down against his master in slight confusion. He didn't mind remaining with the man, at all, but his instincts and training told him to go find water for his master, and also to scope out the area.

So, when three hours had passed and his master seemed to have calmed further, he tried again. Except, this time Qi lifted the hand he had settled against Zen's back in response, but instead of releasing him to go about his job, he settled it against the back of his head and pressed gently forward until Zen had his chin settled on his master's warm shoulder, his nose nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

He truly did not understand the situation at all. There were so many things he could have been doing to help aid Qi, yet the man refused to let him out of his arms, let alone out of his sight.

I suppose everything will just have to wait. If master wishes for me to remain here, I will stop trying to leave.

Resolved to settle, though his mind still wasn't too understanding, Zen got a little more comfortable, then took in a few deep, calming breaths of his own. He focused on matching Qi's breathing tempo and soon found himself drifting in and out of sleep.

Each time he opened his eyes he was greeted with the sensation of his master's fingers gently sifting through his long, messy hair. He really should have fixed it, but Qi hadn't let him have that much freedom, and if his master didn't wish it, then he would just let it be.

He was just about to drift off again when he heard Qi whisper something against his hair softly. Unfortunately, the forest, while calm for the time being, had plenty of animals and birds moving about, making just enough noise around them to have blocked his master's words from his ears.

When the man didn't say anything else, Zen reached his hand between where their bodies pressed together and gently tapped his master's chest. Qi was slow to respond, but he could tell that he understood his request to talk, because his arms tightened the slightest amount around him, then hesitantly loosened until Zen was able to lean back enough to look his master in the eyes.

Zen's own eyes widened when he saw the tear tracks upon his master's face that had washed away the dust and dirt from their abrupt escape in several scattered lines. One fresh tear threatened to follow its predecessors, but Zen reached up just in time to gently brushed it away with his finger.

I am so sorry... about everything.

As if hearing his words, Qi let a tired smile find its way onto his lips.

"There is nothing to be sorry for, my Zen. We all did our best with our individual situations," Qi said, not bothering to hide the sadness from his voice.

"I pray that his highness is still alive, but there is nothing I can currently do about it, and I refuse to allow you to try at this time."

Refuse?

It was extremely rare that his master outright refused to allow him anything, let alone to try and save someone. He was just about to respond by writing on his master's chest when he felt Qi's warm palm settle against the side of his face.

"Please, do not give me such a look. I owe so much to young master Huang, but there is one thing that I cannot risk again... and that is what he gave me all those years ago."

The arm his master still had resting around his waist pressed him closer, making Zen's face warm slightly.

"It is not appropriate to say such things, but I cannot keep my words silent any longer," Qi said as his thumb began to softly drift over the left side of Zen's lips. "I no longer permit you to travel alone, for any length of time or distance. I do not permit you to stand in front of me. You are my equal and the only place you should be is at my side. We will face everything together, you as my sword, and me as your shield."

Zen tried not to show his upset on his face with his master's proclamation, but it seemed like Qi saw right through him, as usual, because he calmly raised his hand that had been resting around Zen's waist up to his lower back, pressing him back into a hug and trapping his hand between them.

"You may be as upset with my words as you wish. You are your own person, but you are also my Zen, and your safety far outweighs your frustration with me," Qi said as he leaned forward the slightest amount to press a kiss to Zen's cheek.

He wanted to argue that he was not upset, but he could not find the words to write. Nor could he move his hand well where it rested between their rapidly-beating hearts.

They remained that way for quite a long stretch of time before his master's arm loosened again. Zen took that chance to lean away again, settling into Qi's lap with his arms crossed over his chest.

He'd been trying to figure out a way to show that he was upset with the man's words and how he dodged their previous chance to talk by pinning his hand between them, but not overdo it. He just wanted a chance to speak with him. It seemed like he'd at least gotten his point across, though, because his master sat up a little straighter against the fir tree and... Wait. Is he trying not to laugh?

Qi had lifted one hand to cover his mouth, but it was obvious that he was fighting back a chuckle. Feeling a little disheartened, Zen's shoulders sagged as he lowered his hands to his lap.

"I'm sorry, Zen. I am not used to you looking at me in such a way, and with your hair and clothing in such disarray it was quite surprising," Qi said as he quelled his humor quickly and sat up straighter, offering both of his hands to him, palm up.

"Please, talk to me."

Zen hesitated for a few moments before he took a deep breath and straightened his back. He then reached out and gently took hold of one of his master's hands to begin writing upon its palm.

He'd just been about to tell Qi that he was no longer upset, as he had no right to be since Qi was his master and he was only to do as told by him... but he couldn't make his fingers write out the words against his warm skin. He couldn't make himself lie.

So, instead, he took his time thinking over what he truly did wish to say, then very carefully began moving his fingertip atop his master's soft palm.

"Master, I am not happy with your words, but I will obey anything you say."

When he couldn't figure out his next set of words fast enough, Qi leaned a little closer and lifted the hand settled atop his palm to his lips for a brief kiss before lowering it.

"I apologize, my sweet Zen. You have lived your whole life for me, and now I am putting shackles on you for my own wants," he said, making Zen fidget nervously, not having wanted to word things in such a way, but also not having the heart to disagree.

He licked his lips after a few moments of hesitation, then turned his attention downward to continue writing.

"Master, I do not believe restricting me will benefit you. I am still very capable of doing simple tasks and fending off beasts and bandits."

It had hurt his pride greatly each time prince Yuen had easily handled his little outbursts, but when he saw how much Lee Shaan had worn his master down before turning his sights to Yuen Huang without even sparing him much of a glance?

"Keeping you by my side will benefit me greater than anything else in this world ever could," Qi responded, making Zen even more confused as he leaned back a little, a frown on his dirty face.

Instead of continuing their conversation, Qi reached forward and gently tugged aside either side of Zen's robe, allowing one side of it to slip down his shoulder and hang askew.

Master?

"You broke my seal on your spiritual energy," Qi mused, making Zen immediately lean back farther, suddenly much more nervous than he had been about their previous discussion.

Qi's expression turned to one of amusement as he pressed his fingers against Zen's cold chest, clearly noticing that his abilities had been resealed. Yuen Huang had done it very abruptly while they had still been inside his lair. Zen knew right away that it wouldn't last very long, but it had done what it had needed to at the time. He expected his master to reseal it correctly so that the curse on his hand didn't attack again, but when Qi made a slow snapping gesture against his skin, Zen's eyes widened in terror.

His unsealed spiritual energy flared through his system as it was completely freed. He quickly looked up at his master, shaking from worry. He remembered well what it had felt like to nearly lose his life to the false king's spell.

Yet, when no pain came from his hand, Zen hesitantly lifted it.

Nothing? How is that possible?

"The curse has run its time. That terrible flare of pain I felt from you while I was walking toward the capital had likely been its last-ditch attempt to take your life," Qi said, his words still not quite sinking in as Zen stared at his hand. It was scarred from the strong curse, with faded black lines dancing about between his fingers and palm, but there was no more pain.

Zen was about to look back up with a cautious smile on his face when he was suddenly tackled to the dense, damp leaf litter. His master's relieved laughter was something he had not heard often over their many years together. He reserved such a thing only for issues that had dealt him a great deal of stress.

"My Zen is free," he heard Qi whisper close to his ear before he felt the man take a slight nibble at his neck.

Of course, Zen hadn't expected such abrupt attentions, and definitely not in the middle of the forest, so he had not anticipated having to quell his reflexive reaction to the odd sensation... and accidentally bumped his master's chin with the responding jerk of his shoulder.

To his surprise, though, Qi just leaned back for the briefest moment, his face still a full-on smile, before he leaned down again, this time to claim Zen's lips with a sloppy kiss due to himself unable to quell his excited grin. He kept partially missing, but didn't seem to care at all. Zen slowly found himself unable to keep from mirroring his master's smile, finding a smile slipping onto his own lips as he tried to keep up with Qi's uncoordinated kisses.

His master's affections lasted for quite some time before they both needed time to rest in order to catch their breath. Zen was the first to fully recover, but as he slowly sat up when his master moved off of him, then tried to fix his quite-disheveled robe, Qi repeatedly leaned forward to press a kiss to his chest or bare shoulders, making it quite difficult to consider fixing the garment. When he finally leaned away after the fourth interception with a small, impish smile, Zen couldn't help but give a mute chuckle. He still did not understand such affections, but he was beginning to enjoy having his master's complete attention during their brief moments of intimacy. He was honestly, almost, close to looking forward to them.

"What is going on in that beautiful mind of yours, I wonder?" Qi said with a tilt of his head and a slight crinkle of his eyes.

I'm... not sure, but...

Zen hesitantly reached toward his master's hand. Qi immediately lifted it to press into Zen's palm, eagerness and excitement in his eyes.

I want him to always look at me like that.

He slowly began to write against Qi's soft hand, but his mind wasn't really processing the words as he continued to stare into his master's eyes.

"I want master's eyes to—" His mind caught up to his words at that moment, cutting off his sentence as his brain scrambled to figure out what he'd intended to even say. He could feel his face heating with embarrassment as Qi waited patiently.

I do not know how to say such things!

He surely couldn't just tell his master that he, for some reason, was beginning to wish for his eyes to shine only when looking at him! Such words would mean that he wished to restrict his joy, and he would never do such a thing to his master.

Granted, he had stayed at the man's side for his entire life, yet he had never seen him look at another the way he had recently begun looking at him. Perhaps it would not restrict his joy if the look had only ever been just for him? He still didn't understand, but...

"I want him to keep looking at me like I am his most important thing," he scribbled out, not realizing that he wasn't simply thinking the words, but writing them against Qi's palm, too. "I don't know how to return his affections yet, but I don't like the idea of another trying to."

"I think I am beginning to understand what l—" the snapping of a dead branch far off to his left drew both their attention in that direction.

A massive pack of felines, easily the size of large wolves, stood not too far off by a fallen, dead tree. Several were perched on its massive trunk while others had already passed the main barrier and were slowly approaching on massive, broken branches and dead leaves. Their thick dark red and purple fur seemed to glisten in the sunlight as they twitched their tall, pointed ears, but Zen quickly realized that the forest canopy was too dense for such a thing to occur. Light should not be reflecting off of their coats...

"Shandian cats," Qi said quietly as he began to slowly rise, making Zen mirror his movements immediately.

He'd heard of the beasts, but they rarely traveled outside of their forest territory so not much was known about them besides rumors. One thing that seemed to always hold true about the stories, however, were the dangers the felines posed. Just one touch from any part of their body could end a man's life in the blink of an eye.

"We must run, my Zen. I cannot fend off lightning," Qi whispered as he slowly began to turn while still keeping his eyes focused on the cats.

He knew that he was of no use against such power, either, and as one of the foremost felines began to crouch, clearly intent on starting the attack, Zen spun around and quickly grabbed his master's hand, then darted forward, pulling the man for the briefest moment before Qi matched his sprinting pace. He released him after another few moments so that they both could run to their fullest.

A loud, rasping roar met their ears as the sounds of crashing bodies and darting paws followed behind them. They would easily catch them on the flat forest floor, and he knew that they couldn't climb fast enough to escape...

Need to find some way to disappear, fast.

Qi could do so with his abilities, but Zen knew that the man would not simply leave him to try and outrun the pack on his own. They would escape together, or not at all.