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Chapter Text

After Rin and Nezha reconcile, Saikhara finally knows it’s time to end things with Phoenix. Vaisra agrees. This has gone on long enough, he murmured, brushing Saikhara’s hair behind their ear. Phoenix had done more than enough for their marriage and it was time to let her go, to let her fly.

Baji only nodded sympathetically when they spoke with him, knowing that Rin and Nezha were okay again and surely on a track to a loving relationship. They have to meet with her one last time.

It’s an awkward conversation to have and with summer abound, Mingzha and Kesegi don’t spend as much time studying at the library. It turns out Jiuto loves swimming. 

Mingzha is still trying to convince Kesegi to go to college with him. Saikhara isn’t sure how that’s going. 

So she and Vaisra find Rin working at the Night Castle on her regular Friday afternoon. Her schedule is like clockwork in the summers. She spends early mornings at the martial arts gym, working the front desk. She runs culture studies at the university laboratory for students on their summer vacation, and then she’s at the Night Castle for nights, helping cover the busy summers.

“Saikhara, Vaisra,” Rin says politely, sweeping some debris away. “Is there anything I can help you with?” 

“We’d like to discuss ending things as Phoenix with you,” Vaisra says, his hand tightly encapsulated with his wife’s. Her head jerks up as she stares at them with wide eyes. Her hand tightens around her broom, turning white. “You had to know this was coming.”

Rin works her jaw as she stares at them. “But-” she shakes her head, taking a shuddering, painful breath. “Fine. It’s fine.”

“Rin,” Saikhara places a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Is everything alright?”

She swallows, keeping her eyes low. “I just- Kesegi said he’d apply for Sinegard University,” she murmurs. “I don’t know if he’ll get a full ride like me, he should, but I- if he doesn’t- and if I go to grad school, I can’t work my same schedule.” I can’t support him, she doesn’t say. 

Saikhara presses a hand to her heart, shocked. Kesegi certainly didn’t tell them he made his decision. She was happy for him. She had done some research into trade schools and they seemed like practical options that would provide him with a lifetime of security.

“It’s stupid,” Rin says, closing her eyes. “I shouldn’t have expected to rely on-” She cuts herself, taking a deep breath. She raises her head, meeting their gaze with a brittle smile. “It’s fine.”

“Rin,” Vaisra says, his voice deep as he studies the young woman in front of him. “We’ll support Kesegi in whatever he needs. We told you that.” 

“Thank you for that,” Rin says softly. “But I can’t-”

“Yes, you can.” 

Vaisra tilts her chin up to meet his calm almond-shaped eyes. She swallows, her breathing shallow. “But why?” She whispers.

“You know why,” Vaisra says, not speaking of their son. They had to keep this from him. It would shatter Nezha and his kind soul, knowing what Rin had done with his parents. 

Rin understands his meaning almost immediately, shaking her head. “He’s not-”

“He wants to be,” Vaisra says, and Rin flinches. “And we can’t do that, not to our son.” Vaisra thumbs her bottom lip and Rin instinctively parts open her mouth. “Thank you for everything.”

“Did you have a good time, Sir?” Phoenix says, her tongue sucking softly.

“I did-”

The door opens, and it’s Nezha. Oh gods. “What-”

Vaisra immediately pulls back his thumb, hiding it behind his back and Rin takes a step back, setting the broom protectively in front of her. 

“What the hell was that?” Nezha asks, bewildered. Oh, no. Oh, gods. 

“What are you doing here?” Rin shoots back, flustered as Saikhara feels.

“We need to talk about the summer camps for the Martial Arts club,” Nezha retorts sharply. “We’re behind in scheduling. Why the fuck was my father’s thumb in your mouth?”

“Nezha-” Her husband tries and their son takes a step forward.

“No.” Nezha cuts him off angrily. “What the hell is going on? What were you doing to her?” He steps in front of Rin, holding an arm in front of her protectively as he faces his parents. He’s protecting Rin. 

“You okay?” Nezha asks, turning his head towards Rin, concern on his face.

Rin flushes pink, holding the broom close to her. “I’m fine.”

“What were you doing to her? Why did she call you Sir?” Nezha says, facing his parents once more. 

“Son-”

“I want answers,” Nezha demands angrily, his hands balling into fists. “I want them now.”  

Saikhara’s heart pounds. All of her fears coming true at once. This had always been in the back of her mind, a possibility that Nezha could figure out what his parents had done to Rin and what Rin did as Phoenix. 

Nezha was a good person, and he was coming to the realization that his parents were not.

“I’m an escort,” Rin says, her eyes screwed shut, avoiding Nezha’s gaze. “I’ve…been servicing your parents for almost five months now. We were ending things.” She takes a deep breath of air, trembling. “Do you remember when I needed a new car? Your parents gave me money for it-”

“After you slept with them.” Nezha concludes and Rin tenses, as if preparing to be hit or yelled at. His face goes blank as he absorbs this painful, painful revelation that his crush was knowingly sleeping with his parents and getting paid for it.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Nezha shouts, but not at Rin, at his parents, at them. Vaisra and Saikhara take a step back, flinching at his fury.

Oh. He’s angry at them and not Rin. “How could you do this to her?” Rin blinks at him, stunned by his vitriol for his mother and father. 

“Nezha-” Saikhara whispers, understanding his venom. But it hurts, having her son yell at her like this when he never raised his voice towards them a day in his life. 

Nezha runs a hand through his hair. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Nezha whispers to Rin, as he takes her wrist gently, pulling her close. “I could have helped you.” 

Rin tries to pull away, shaking her head. 

“Rin-”

“You can’t rely on anyone but yourself.” Rin chants, her eyes closed again. “No one will be there for you. You have to take care of yourself. No one else will.” Saikhara presses a hand to her heart, hearing the lonely words come out of Rin’s mouth. But that must have been her daily mantra, something she kept close to her as she struggled to survive.

“Get out,” Nezha turned to his parents. “I don’t want to see you near her ever again.”

Vaisra leads Saikhara out of the Night Castle, leading Nezha behind with Rin, regret and guilt filling her. They didn’t mean to hurt him or her, but they did. It wasn’t okay. 

Saikhara sees them through the door, Nezha holding Rin close, as he rested his chin on top of her head as she had her arms wrapped around his back. 

Vaisra and Saikhara sit in their car, at a park, with their hands covering their faces. That had not gone to plan at all. They didn’t expect Nezha to be there. Every time Saikhara closed her eyes, she saw the pain on her son’s face as he realized how his parents betrayed them. 

Vaisra says nothing, pinching the bridge of his nose, guilt eating them alive. How could they come back from this? Could they come back from this? 

It quickly becomes clear how the rift has grown between them and their second son. On Wednesdays, he always came for dinner at their house, with a few exceptions. He always called or texted ahead, letting his parents know he would be absent. There were no texts or calls this week, or the next week, or the next week, and Mingzha notices, as did Kesegi. 

They exchanged concerned looks as Rin stopped visiting her foster brother as well, Nezha keeping true to his unspoken promise of keeping Rin far, far away from his parents. 

“Vaisra, what are we going to do?” Saikhara whispers, her fingers intertwined. They haven’t had sex in weeks, not even contacting Baji, who stayed radio silent. Rin must have told him what had happened because the charismatic young man who frequented their bed stopped contacting them. He must have known that neither of them was quite in the mood for him.

“I don’t know.” 

There is no blame going around, no fingers to point. They were both active participants in fucking Rin, cherishing her body with their hands and mouths. They were both responsible for destroying their son’s trust in them.

Mingzha is still in contact with their son, and Kesegi is in contact with his sister. They meet them outside of the Yin family home and-

It breaks Saikhara’s heart because she’s never not talked to Nezha, her most patient son. Even when submerged in her grief over the lost babies, Nezha was there, helping distract Mingzha when he cried. 

Mingzha never asks them what happens, surely aware of the distance. Saikhara doesn’t think Nezha tells him, as the looks don’t change from worry to disgust. She had a feeling he wouldn’t because it wouldn’t be just hurting them. It would also hurt Rin. 

They keep a track of Nezha’s credit card spending, seeing the charges escalate on their family card. Usually, Nezha only used it sparingly for large purchases that he would slowly pay his parents back. But now it seems his mantra is whatever Rin needs, she gets.

The first instance of this is a new car- it’s not an expensive one- but it is a large purchase that requires approval from them, which they readily grant. And then clothing store purchases and then furniture as well. Their son is spending a small fortune on Rin, which Saikhara can’t say she doesn’t deserve.

She’s not sure how Rin is accepting all these gifts, stubborn as she was. But they’re going somewhere. 

Vaisra throws himself into his work, leaving Saikhara to sit with the guilt as she stares at her knitting. She wanted to make a new scarf in the Yin cerulean blue for Jiuto but she can’t get herself to have the motivation to do so. 

That was Vaisra’s way of dealing with heavy feelings, to work so hard that he didn’t have to think about them in the first place. 

Hushed whispers over the dinner table inform her of recent revelations. “What’s going on?” Saikhara asks, her voice pitched high with nerves as Kesegi and Mingzha have their heads ducked together.

Mingzha exchanges a look with Kesegi, unsure of what he should do. This must involve Rin and Nezha, as Mingzha kept in contact with his beloved older brother, as was his right. Saikhara won’t begrudge him that, she understands why. It just hurts, is all. 

Mingzha opens his mouth, but it’s Kesegi who answers, coughing awkwardly. “Rin moved in with Nezha,” he says, the words spilling out of his mouth. He scratches his head. “There was a gas leak at her apartment complex? And now it’s getting condemned.”

Saikhara presses a hand to her chest, absorbing the new information. A part of her is happy for Nezha. Surely, that was a good sign for her son, right? But it hurts because she misses out on the excitement of watching her son fall in love for the first time. She missed so much. “That’s good, it’s a shame about Rin’s apartment. I know she inherited it from Tutor Feyrik.” she says softly. “But that’s good for Nezha and Rin.”

Kesegi and Mingzha exchange curious looks. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Kesegi says, drumming his fingers on the table, looking so much like Rin at the moment. “I just-”

“They’re not dating or anything,” Mingzha says, cutting Kesegi off quickly. “Gege just wanted Rin to stay at his place while she looks for a new apartment.” 

“Oh, that’s a shame,” Saikhara says. They hadn’t gotten together yet. She was hoping, at least in their estrangement, Rin and Nezha could find comfort in one another. 

“What?” Mingzha says and Kesegi elbows him roughly. “What-”

Kesegi whispers something in his ear, and they talk with their eyes, communicating quickly. Fascinating how the two of them became as thick as thieves.

“You knew about Tutor Feyrik?” Kesegi asks quickly. 

Saikhara nods. Vaisra took Jiuto to go read a bedtime story for her just before she fell asleep. He liked doing that with her. 

“Rin mentioned him a handful of times,” Saikhara mentions, Rin seemed to love him so much. It’s a shame that he passed away so early in her life. “She seemed so fond of him.” 

Kesegi makes a strangled noise in the back of his throat and Saikhara tilts her head questioningly. Wasn’t Tutor Feyrik one of her teachers from middle school?

Mingzha shoots him a concerned glance. What?

Was there a darker side to Tutor Feyrik that Rin failed to mention? Somehow, Saikhara wouldn’t be surprised.

“He got opium from my parents,” Kesegi pinches the bridge of his nose. “That’s how Rin became close to him…because she used to deliver opium to him once a month. He asked me where Rin was when he ordered opium and I told him my parents kicked her out.”

“What?” 

Saikhara presses a hand to her heart. She’s been doing that a lot lately, but she has no idea how to react. “Rin used to run opium, too?” Mingzha blurts out, hands flying to his face.

Too? Saikhara casts a non-judgmental eye to Kesegi, who squirms but nods. “When they kicked Rin out, I took up a lot of her responsibilities around the house,” he says uncomfortably. “She left me a lot of tips, though, so it was okay.”

Her son squeezes Kesegi’s hand and Saikhara swallows.

“Can I give you a hug?” She asks, opening her arms for him.

“Yes, please.”

“So your son knows about Phoenix, then,” Riga says, walking into their house with a fresh purple bruise on his cheekbone. “A bit overprotective, is he?”

Saikhara exhales. “You already knew that, Riga.” She answers pointedly. “We texted you that three weeks ago.”

Riga grins, and she resists the urge to scowl. It wouldn’t be proper, but Riga knew what he was doing, messing with her head. Vaisra wasn’t in the house right now as he was at his office, so it was just her and his cousin. Perhaps she should have felt like she was in danger, but at this point, she’s hit rock bottom. All she wears around the house are her silk robes, no dresses, she has to wear bras or her breasts hurt too much, otherwise.

“I didn’t know he’d react like that, a good right hook, that one,” Riga points to the bruise on his cheek. “I knew he was sweet on her but to-”

“Nezha punched you?” Saikhara asks, holding a hand to her heart. Her son- well, Saikhara knew he had a temper of some sort, especially now- but to punch Riga? 

Her children always called Riga, Uncle Riga, to show him respect as Vaisra’s cousin, but they weren’t close by any means. 

Riga shrugs, slumping onto her sofa. “I made a dumb comment to Rin,” he says casually. They exchanged phone numbers after they had that heart to heart about the rage they both felt. “He overheard, didn’t like it, and then he tossed me on my ass. Stronger than he looks, isn’t he?”

Saikhara nods. Nezha possessed the slender figure of Saikhara’s side of the family, but he kept himself strong with long hours of training and in the gym. While Riga’s bulk was undeniable, there was more that met the eye to Nezha.

“You saw Rin?” Saikhara asks softly, her heart clenching at the young woman’s name. They hurt her and they hurt their son.

“Yeah,” Riga nods. “Your son is doing his best to spoil her, you know?” He drums his fingers on the sofa’s edge. “She has her own room in his apartment and it doesn’t look like she’ll be leaving anytime soon.”

“Good,” Saikhara murmurs. They didn’t mean to hurt anyone. It just happened. Riga’s familiar almond-shaped eyes search her, noticing her exhaustion and the way her shoulders slumped. 

“Spending a lot of money,” Riga notes casually and Saikhara makes a noise of assent. They’re fully aware of Nezha’s expensive spending habits. One of his faults, he preferred the finer things in life but also knew that he had to pay for it himself most of the time. “Your money,” he says.

Saikhara whips her head up to stare at him. How did he-?

“A man of many talents,” Riga says, grinning.

“It’s his money too,” Saikhara answers briskly, not liking Riga’s implications. If they wanted to cut Nezha off, they would have, but they didn’t, knowing that he was spending the money on lavishing Rin with the creature comforts she always deserved.

“That’s what he said too,” Riga snorts. Saikhara assumes Nezha used different words when he spoke to Riga.

“Why did you go see Rin?” Saikhara asks, curious. Rin made the decision to go to grad school, presumably, and must have thrown herself into making the preparations for the applications. Nezha had his own path laid out for him ever since he entered Sinegard Academy and with his grades, he would pursue a Master’s degree as well. Saikhara would only hope that the recent turmoil wouldn’t distract either of them from their plans. 

Riga palms something in his pocket, lifting it with his pinky finger. It’s a singular key on a key chain. “I found it a few weeks ago. I’ve been meaning to give it to her. It’s a key to a storage unit where we put Hanelai’s stuff after she died.”

Saikhara gasps, her hands flying to her mouth. “I wasn’t sure if she’d throw it at my face or something, so we waited until she was feeling more, uh, stable.” 

“Hanelai was her mother?”

Riga nods, twirling it around his finger, watching as it spins. “She and Ziya, those two were a match made in heaven, I suppose,” he says and Saikhara could swear there’s a hint of bitterness in his tone. “They even got married,” he says with a barking laugh.

Saikhara swallows, staring at the keychain. She had only heard of Ziya’s name and never of Hanelai. She wonders what Hanelai looked like. Did she look like Rin?

“Your son didn’t want anything from me, so I didn’t offer it to her,” Riga says, placing the key on the table. “But I think she’ll want to look at it, eventually.” 

“She was so young,” Saikhara murmurs, thinking of what Rin must have been like before being placed in the foster care system. Had she been a happy child?

“Yeah,” Riga says, his voice full of something- regret? His almond-shaped eyes dim as he rests his back against the sofa. 

“How old were you?” Saikhara asks. That was something that had always bothered her, knowing that Riga grew up in the foster care system when Vaisra and his family had more than enough to take him in. But she never bothered Vaisra about it, understanding that it wasn’t in her place to ask questions.

“Six,” Riga says, crossing his legs. “Younger than Rin.”

“What happened?” She’s curious. Perhaps Riga wouldn’t know, but she’d like some answers.

“Dad did something Vara didn’t like, so he had him, let’s say, removed.”

“What?” 

Riga shrugs. “Something about dishonoring the Yin family name, I don’t know. It was something stupid.” 

Saikhara remembers Vara, Vaisra’s strict father. She remembers him studying her like she was a prized calf, trying to determine her suitability for his heir. Saikhara was so relieved when she met Vaisra and the feeling of him was nothing like his father. Oh, Vaisra could be strict and unfeeling, but he was nothing compared to Vara. 

He even made a few comments about the difficulties of the twins’ birth, stating it was good for her to have two for her first pregnancy but that the Yin family needed more children, so she better get ready. Those words stayed with her for a while, especially after the first round of miscarriages. She could feel his icy disapproval as if it had sunk into her skin. 

Eventually Vara died before Nezha was born, and a heavy weight was lifted off her shoulders and she and Vaisra were almost happy for a time, imagining a full household of laughing children. 

“So he killed your father and you were-”

“Sent off to foster care?” Riga answers. “Yep.”

“That’s so-”

“That was Yin Vara for you, but you’d know that full well, right?” Riga says with a discerning eye. Vara had less than kinder words for her when her first miscarriage ended up with her in the hospital because of the heavy bleeding. Vaisra was there the entire time, hearing everything his father had for his young wife.

“Vaisra never said anything?” He was only a few years older than Riga so he must have not had any power in his father’s household, but Saikhara would be surprised if he said nothing at all. Even Mingzha would speak up, but that was the difference between Vaisra and his father, she supposes.

“Not sure,” Riga shrugs. “I do know that the sonofabitch lied to Vaisra, telling him that my father and I moved away, so that’s why he couldn’t visit anymore. I only found Vaisra after I aged out of foster care.”

“And Vaisra and I were married by then,” Saikhara murmurs. The wedding was just after they finished college together after being engaged since they were sixteen, and it was a lavish, over-the-top affair. They were Yins, it was expected. 

“Vaisra’s a complicated asshole, you know that,” Riga says, meeting Saikhara’s eyes. “Vara trained him well to protect the family at all costs. He doesn’t know what to say or do when things get complicated, though. His sole focus is to protect his family. That’s what he and I have in common. We’re both awful at processing deeper emotions, too.”

Saikhara bites back a smile. It wasn’t as if she had any room to talk, though. She was numb for the majority of her life and only until Rin joined their bed, she started actually living.

“But Vaisra helped me get my GED and shit like that, so he’s good for something.”

“He’s very good,” Saikhara says hotly, defending her husband. Even after everything, she still loves and adores him. 

“I know that,” Riga says, leering. “I’ve seen you together.” Saikhara flushes at his innuendo. “He helped me, Ziya, and Daji get our shit together. He-”

“What?”

“He made it clear who he considered family and who he didn’t.” Riga says calmly, meeting her eyes. And faintly, Saikhara remembers that Yin Vara died in his sleep a few months after Yin Riga came into their lives. Or so they were told, they performed no autopsy despite the Yin Patriarch being in excellent health.

Vaisra performed the necessary mourning rites for the loss of his father, but Saikhara remembers him and Riga sharing a drink in the basement right after the funeral. Riga was smiling. Vaisra was smiling.

Her blood goes cold at the implications, hands curling into a fist.

“Vaisra’s a man of few words,” Riga says softly. “You know that, you know what he’s like, you’ve been married to him for nearly three decades now.”

Saikhara nods. “We accept our loved ones’ flaws because that’s what makes them them.”

Riga smiles. “Exactly right.” 

“Do you think there’s any hope for Rin and her father?” Saikhara asks and Riga pauses, surprised by her question. 

“I don’t know,” Riga admits. “There’s a lot of hurt there, pain and grief. She has a right to be furious and I don’t blame her, but she has to realize that Ziya, he’s not-” He shakes his head.

“Does he live with you?” Ziya was a drug addict. That much was clear, and Saikhara never had very much experience with drug addiction, but she knew from her studies that it was a debilitating condition. It was hard to overcome.

Riga nods. “He’s harmless for the most part,” Riga says. “I could bring him to Rin and force a reunion, but that would do more harm than good.”

“Does he want to see Rin?”

“Of course he does,” Riga says automatically. “Ziya loves her.”

“But-”

“Ziya grew up in the foster care system, like Daji, from birth.” Riga says, drumming his fingers on his thigh. “I only met them at fifteen at the group home. We all bounced from home to home and when I met him, Ziya looked like shit, half-dead almost. He had a mouth on him that wasn’t earning him any friends.”

Riga takes a breath, pausing. “At this point, Ziya wants to meet her but when he’s sober, he understands why she wouldn’t, and I think her words could hurt him more than she expects.”

“He’s sober?”

“Sober-ish,” Riga shrugs. “Like I said, we’ve got him weaned down to a point where he’s functioning. He just can’t take a drug test to save his life. He was functioning when Hanelai got into that car accident. He wanted to- for his little girl.” Rin.

“He loved them to the moon and back,” Riga says. “When the high wore off, and he was in holding, he screamed so loud, broke a few jaws because he didn’t know where Rin was.”

“Then what happened?” Saikhara has no experience with drugs, but if Ziya was high enough to be on the roof and for the high to last several hours even after being informed of his beloved wife’s death, then something must have gone wrong.

Riga swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Rin doesn’t know this, but Hanelai smoked too. She usually made the blend for Ziya in the mornings for him to use throughout the day. Something must have-”

Oh dear. Oh no. Oh, gods. 

Riga sees the understanding dawning in her eyes. “Yeah.”

Saikhara hunches over, her chest touching her knees as she rocks herself. The tragedy of it all, Riga was right to keep that from Rin. She wasn’t a fragile flower but- that kind of news, it would break even the strongest of people. 

“I-” What would she say? Thank him for telling her? 

Riga cups her face, a broad hand resting on her cheek. His hands are big enough to be Vaisra’s, but the rough calluses say otherwise. “It’s all very fucked up,” he admits wryly. Saikhara laughs, tilting her cheek and savoring the warmth. So many revelations being revealed today. 

“You are so fucking gorgeous,” Riga says, stroking her jaw with a firm thumb.

Immediately, Saikhara snaps her eyes open and pulls away. “No.”

Riga laughs, the sound bursting out of him as if it were being ripped deep inside. “Well, I tried,” he grins, and Saikhara glares at him. And he laughs again. “Anyway, I’ve been here too long. This is for Rin.” He points to the key resting on the coffee table. “I’m sure there are things in that storage unit she wants to take a look at.”

Saikhara gapes at him. “How do you think we’ll get that to her?” She asks, flustered. If Nezha was willing to punch Riga for coming near Rin, who knows what he would do to her and Vaisra? 

Riga shrugs. “I don’t care, not really my problem,” and he sighs, noticing the look on her face. “I think he might be calmer now, but it also would help that you don’t hit on Rin,” he adds wryly. “You were ending things with her, right?”

Saikhara nods. There was no way they could continue to fuck Phoenix while Rin was in a relationship with Nezha. Saikhara couldn’t do it. 

“That changes things,” Riga says, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

He heads for the door and Saikhara rushes to open the door for him. Despite being terrified of Riga, this was an enlightening conversation, so many things explained about Rin and Jiang, and Riga and her husband. 

Jauntily, Riga takes the steps, his broad back facing Saikhara. “Wait!” Saikhara calls out, a hand on her robe. “Do you have a picture of Rin? Before she was-”

Riga pulls his wallet out of his back pocket, revealing a well-loved picture creased in half but its subjects clear as day. “We took this a few months before the accident,” Riga says and Saikhara traces the faces with a finger. 

There’s a younger Riga and Daji, both of them looking timeless, and a slender white man with pale skin, light eyes, and long white hair. In his lap is a small young girl, beaming broadly at the camera as the man’s arms wrap around her. That’s Rin, and the man must be Jiang. Hanging off his shoulder is a young woman who resembles Rin so much. It’s terrifying. With the same sullen eyes, her hair is long, thick and reaches her shoulders and her skin much darker than Rin’s. That’s Hanelai. 

“What was she like?” Saikhara asks, handing the worn photo back to Riga.

“Hanelai? Stubborn as hell,” Riga snorts. “She valued family a lot, though, so the fact that Ziya and Rin aren’t speaking would have killed her, but she would have also gotten Ziya clean by taking a baseball bat to his knees.”

Saikhara holds a hand to her heart, thinking of the woman who raised Rin, who loved Rin. 

They looked so happy.

Nezha doesn’t have them blocked, which came as a surprise to them. And neither is Rin. They just didn’t try sending them messages for the month, knowing that space was needed.

Neither of them respond immediately, although the app notes that their text messages were viewed, just not answered. Which is fine. They laid out the bare details of the situation. In their possession was a key that opened a storage unit that held Rin’s mother’s belongings. Riga gave them that key. Nezha would also be allowed usage of the family car- an SUV they bought when they were traveling with a full house- so in the event that Rin had several things she wanted to bring back, she could. 

It takes a week for them to respond, but eventually a terse yes and a time comes from their son. He offers no other words for them. It hurts a little, but Saikhara understands the wounds are still very fresh.

Nezha’s car, a simple but luxury BMW, rolls in front of their house. They bought it as a gift for graduating Sinegard Academy near the top of his class. He’s kept it in good condition, having it serviced every six months. Rin is in the front seat, looking nervous as she peers at their home, as if she hasn’t been there dozens of times. But Saikhara understands.

Nezha gets out first, opening the side door for Rin and she frowns at him, scrunching up her nose as he helps her get out of the car. They’re cute, it’s cute. Rin still wears the same familiar type of clothing Saikhara had gotten used to her seeing, shorts this time and a short-sleeve shirt. But her shoes are new and her hair is cut short, ending at her jaw. She looks fit. Nezha has been spoiling her.

They don’t hold hands, but the way Nezha angles his body towards her, defending her, tells Saikhara that his focus is solely on her, just as always. Saikhara’s time watching her son interact with Rin at the Night Castle was paying off.

“Father, Mother.” Nezha says tersely, as Rin hangs behind a half-step. She must feel awful, thinking that she was the one who caused the rift. But she wasn’t. She was just trying to survive. Vaisra and Saikhara had done that to their son. This was their fault.

Vaisra rattles off the location, tossing the key to Nezha, who catches it easily as well as the keys for the SUV, which sits on the curb by their house. He hands it off to Rin, tucking it into her front pocket. Saikhara says nothing. There are so many words she wants to say, but the dark look on Nezha’s face tells her to not. 

They leave, and Saikhara sighs, pressing a hand to her face. She misses her son; she misses him so much. They’ve never not talked before. Nezha always asks her how she is and how her week was. Saikhara hasn’t spoken to her son in over a month. It’s unnatural for them. But it’s their fault. 

Vaisra presses a kiss to her hair. “He’ll come around, eventually.”

Saikhara turns on her husband, anguish on her face. “And what if he doesn’t?” Her voice is strangled and tight with desperation. She can’t imagine a world where Nezha doesn’t talk to them. Jinzha and Muzha call once a month, but she’s always talking to Nezha, her second son. She misses him.

Vaisra holds his arms out for her, and she collapses into them with a sob. “He will,” Vaisra says, whispering into her ear. “He still loves us, we just hurt him very badly.”

Saikhara rests her head on her chest, not caring if the neighbors see. She’s just- she doesn’t know what she’ll do with this rift in her family. They had to push back the adoption talks with Pipaji and Kesegi- knowing that it would be incredibly awkward to adopt Rin’s brother when she wasn’t talking to them. She did not want to do that to Kesegi, not to Rin. She didn’t want to hurt anyone and yet-Saikhara isn’t sure what she’ll do.

“I love you,” Vaisra murmurs, pressing another kiss to her temple. “I know I don’t say it very often, but you know I do, right?”

Saikhara nods, her face still pressed into his broad chest, doing her best not to soak his front with her tears. “I love you too,” Saikhara says, as if confessing some deep-seated secret. “I always have, always will.”

“You are more than I deserve,” Vaisra whispers, brushing back her hair. They haven’t slept together in the month since Nezha found out, lying together in bed, not touching. At least they’re sharing the same bed. Maybe that means it can be fixed between them. 

“You’re more than what I deserve,” Saikhara counters and Vaisra laughs, a delightful sound to her ears. Vaisra so rarely laughs, and she loves to hear the sound, almost like music. 

“It’ll be alright, darling,” Vaisra reassures her. “We’ll get through this.”

They go inside and while Vaisra has a meeting that he has to attend; he does so from the comfort of their kitchen, holding her hand the entire way. Who is going to say anything to him? He owns the company. Vaisra sets the rules.

Saikhara’s phone dings with the ringtone she set for Nezha. “Heading home.” It says. It’s only been a few hours and Saikhara frowns. She thought it would have taken Rin several days to go through her mother’s possessions.

Saikhara waits on the stairs for them to return and slowly the familiar worn SUV ambles up the driveway with Nezha behind the wheel and Rin in the passenger seat with a giant green plush pillow shaped like a turtle in her lap. It swallows her whole as she rests her chin on it. She looks absolutely adorable and so young, clutching it as if it were a lifeline.

Nezha helps her out of the car as she hugs the pillow to her chest. He brings her over to his car, and she sits in the passenger seat, her eyes painfully distant. Nezha also brings over what appears to be a leather bound photo album, putting it delicately in the backseat.

“That was faster than expected,” Vaisra remarks as Nezha comes over to hand the key to the SUV over. 

“There wasn’t that much stuff Rin wanted to look through.” Nezha shrugs, avoiding his father’s gaze. 

“Son.”

Nezha exhales, a painful shuddering sound from the lips of their son. “Please don’t,” he says softly. “Rin’s been telling me to forgive you and I-” He glances back at the car where Rin is, eyes full of longing. “I’ll get there, but I need time.” 

“Take all the time you need,” Saikhara murmurs, holding onto her husband’s sleeve. If she doesn’t, she might reach out to touch her son and he won’t like that. “We’ll be here.”

“I still love you,” Nezha whispers. “But I just need to-”

“Nezha, we understand.” Vaisra says. “We’ll be here,” he repeats.

More weeks pass and nothing from Nezha. He states he won’t block either of them but to not message him unless there was an emergency. Nezha also said it was okay to ask questions about him through Mingzha, that he wouldn’t completely block off the flow of information via his little brother.

Saikhara loathes to use her youngest as a means to gather information, but Nezha briefed Mingzha on the light details; obviously, he’s aware there is a rift between his older brother and their parents, but they still loved each other. Nezha just needed some distance. 

Saikhara pushes the door open to the Night Castle on a Thursday afternoon and Rin waves her in, smiling softly. She looks good, not as sad as she was when she and Nezha visited the storage unit, but she looks healthy, well-fed. 

From what Saikhara gathered, Nezha lost the battle for Rin to quit her jobs. All three of them she enjoyed, citing they kept her busy during the summer. Rin wasn’t the type to relax ever, Kesegi said. She always had to be doing something.

It’s just the two of them. No Baji or Vaisra.

Baji reached out eventually, apologizing for the role he had to play. It wasn’t his fault either; he was just having fun as he put it and Saikhara and Vaisra were the ones to hire Rin as Phoenix for their bed. 

They’re not quite ready to re-initiate, but she and Vaisra have taken to cuddling before sleep. Those soft and gentled intimate moments are good for them. Not everything had to be centered around sex. 

“Thank you for coming to see me,” Rin says, leading Saikhara to a booth. 

Saikhara offers her a bright but weak smile. She was more than happy to acquiesce to Rin’s request for a meeting. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” Rin says, bringing over a pitcher of water and two empty glasses. “Your son is-” she pauses, but Saikhara nods, encouraging her to speak more. “He’s a pain in the ass,” she grumbles, pouring some water. 

And Saikhara only has to smile at that, the closeness of their bond refreshing in a different way. “I heard you moved in?”

“Only temporarily,” Rin answers, pressing her lips into a thin line. “You probably already heard, but my apartment building was condemned for unsanitary conditions. I got some money from the owners of said building to buy it back at a reduced price, but it’s not enough for a new place, so I’ll have to look elsewhere to rent.”

Saikhara says nothing, knowing that if Nezha had his way, Rin would be there to stay- permanently. She doesn’t want to start up an argument between the two, having already ruined things.

“Rin, I wanted to-” The young woman holds up a hand, stopping Saikhara in mid-sentence.

“I think we both fucked up,” Rin says bluntly, resting her hand on the table. “The moment I knew that you were Nezha’s parents, which I really should have seen coming, I should have never, ever said yes to that second time. The first time was fine. I should have stuck to my rules and it would have been harmless.”

“We pressured you into it, though.” Saikhara protests. They knew she was desperate for more money and they dangled it in front of her, like bait. “And you did what you did to survive, Rin. You shouldn’t be ashamed of that.”

Rin shakes her head. “I could have said no. I didn’t. That’s on me. I have to own it, every single ugly thing I did, I have to own it,” she repeats. She pauses, thinking. “A part of me thought Nezha would never like a girl like me,” she confesses softly, digging a nail into the wood table. “He’s fucking Nezha, after all,” she laughs dryly. “That’s why-”

“You didn’t think it would be a problem.”

Rin shakes her head, and Saikhara feels a pang of sadness for the young woman. If things had been like when she had married Vaisra, she would have never looked at Rin for her son. But seeing them together, watching how Rin challenged Nezha, pushed him to be better. It was good. They were good together. 

“It won’t be a problem, though,” Rin says softly. “He’ll get over it.” No, Saikhara doesn’t think he will. What was it, Kitay said? Six years they spent circling each other?

“Why won’t you date my son?”

Rin chokes on her water, hacking. Saikhara waits patiently for her to clear her throat. “What?”

“My son. Nezha. He likes you and you like him. Why won’t you date him?”

“What?” 

Saikhara raises a slim black brow expectantly.

“You want someone like me,” Rin says, gesturing at her body. “To date, someone like your son.”

“Why not? I think you’d be good for him.”

“The whole, I’m a sex worker and I’ve...slept with you and your husband, his parents, mean nothing to you? Several times?” Rin says, aghast, and Saikhara pauses.

“Nezha is upset with us, not you,” Saikhara points out. “You make him happy.” And that’s all she wants is for Nezha to be happy. “Does he not make you happy?”

Rin’s grip tightens around her cup, fingers pressing against the glass. “He makes me really happy,” she confesses. “But-”

“Let him make you happy,” Saikhara says. “An important lesson I’ve learned from a very smart young lady is that life is too short to be unhappy.” 

Rin blinks, staring at her, and Saikhara raises her brow again. Yes, she was talking about Rin.

“Why did you support Altan like that?” Saikhara asks curiously. “I know he’s important to you but-” Even with student loans, as a well-paid lawyer, he could pay them back quickly if he lived frugally. Rin did not need to escort and work three jobs to support Altan. He could do that himself.

“Mama always said family helps each other.” Rin says simply. “And Altan…he’s all I had left.” Rin whispers. “Jiang never came back for me and I-” She shakes her head, clearing her throat. Saikhara reaches over to squeeze her hand. So much pain this young woman endured.

“Can I ask about why you hired me as Phoenix for the first time?” Rin asks and Saikhara pulls her hand back.

Saikhara hesitates. The reason why they hired her was so Vaisra could have sex for the first time in over a decade with someone sexually experienced. Her husband deserved that. He deserved everything. “You may, but I don’t think I have any answers for you,” Saikhara responds primly. 

“You seemed really sad when I walked in,” Rin says, a finger playing with the rim of her glass. “Like you didn’t want me to be there but something you stomached just because.”

Meeting Rin’s dark eyes, she asks. “Did Vaisra force you into hiring me?”

“No!” The word bursts out of Saikhara’s mouth. “I pushed Vaisra into doing it. He didn’t want to, but I-” She couldn’t give Vaisra what he wanted or needed. “I couldn’t,” Saikhara whispers. “Vaisra, he deserved-”

“You two didn’t have sex for a while,” Rin supplies. “A long time. Why?”

“It hurt,” Saikhara says, remembering the pain. She didn’t like feeling the pain.

“Did it hurt when you-you conceived Mingzha? Or Nezha?” Rin asks awkwardly. 

Saikhara shakes her head. They had been excited to have sex to conceive their babies. It was still worth it at that point, despite all the losses. “I-I had a series of miscarriages between the births of my children,” she confesses. “Two between my first pregnancy, three after Nezha, and then one more after Mingzha.” The pain on Rin’s face is indescribable as she listens to Saikhara speak. 

“There were probably more, but those six were confirmed with pregnancy tests and doctors’ visits, and when I lost them, I was either late into the first trimester or at least in the middle of my second. We had one go late, almost reaching the third trimester, but we lost the baby, a little girl.” Saikhara rests a hand on her flat stomach, remembering the curve of her belly so many times, the soft kicks under her hand. “It hurt so much,” she says, a deep pain in her voice. “I couldn’t-” She shakes her head again. “The baby after Mingzha, I told Vaisra I wanted to stop trying and so we stopped.” 

Rin swallows, “I didn’t know.”

Saikhara shrugs, her eyes going distant. “I didn’t want Vaisra touching me and he didn’t and then slowly we just stopped having sex, or even sharing the same bedroom. You sparked a new life into us, you know that, right? We-” Saikhara flushes red, Rin knows full well what they’ve gotten into the past year. “I’m enjoying life more,” she says.

Rin nods. “Nezha said that you were glowing,” she murmurs. “He couldn’t figure out what was going on.” But Rin knew; she had worked magic in their bedroom as Phoenix. 

“I was very sad for a long time.” Saikhara says. “I was in a dark tunnel and I couldn’t find my way out. I was-” depressed, she doesn’t say. That was taboo, a dirty word that wasn’t spoken in her circles where people self-medicated by gorging on wine or narcotics. But that would have been the word for her, when she felt like she was under-water, drowning in her grief. 

“Have you considered therapy?” Rin asks gently and Saikhara glances at her. “Nezha says I should go, and I told him if I go, he has to go.” She grins, shrugging one shoulder. 

Saikhara stares at her full glass of water. She was a psychology major, close to the field of therapy. It was an option. They had the money and the connections. “I’ll bring it up to Vaisra,” she says. Rin had a point. If she had to go, it was probably best if Vaisra came along too, knowing how his relationship with his father was. They had a lot of issues to work out, not necessarily between them and their marriage, but issues they carried from their childhood that still weighed heavily on them.

“And-” Rin clears her throat. “I know I recommended condom use for safe sex,” she says. “But because you and Vaisra are married, it really isn’t necessary. Maybe for Baji because you don’t know where he’s been, but you and Vaisra could have sex without using a condom. If you have pregnancy concerns, have you ever thought about a tubal ligation?”

Saikhara stares at her. No, she hadn’t thought of a tubal ligation. The doctors she saw after her miscarriages certainly never brought it up to her. “I’ll look into it.”

Saikhara researches the topic extensively and generates a PowerPoint presentation for Vaisra. It’s a part of the growing effort for support of female sterilization and it would remove most of the concerns for Saikhara and her fears of getting pregnant, which even in her mid-forties was less than likely, but the fear still terrorized Saikhara. 

She shows it to Vaisra, who flicks through it, concern growing on his brow with every slide. “Darling, what?” 

Saikhara settles into Vaisra’s lap, an arm around his neck, it’s the most physical affection she’s shown in weeks. “I want to.” She says and Vaisra stares at her, noticing the determination in her face.

“Okay, all right,” Vaisra kisses her cheek. “We’ll contact the doctor.”

With surprising haste, a visit to the best OB-GYN in Sinegard is quickly arranged, most likely the wheels greased by Vaisra’s money. Saikhara plays the presentation for the doctor, who presses her lips into a thin line. 

“I fail to see an issue,” Dr. Enro announces and Saikhara smiles, Vaisra’s hand gripping hers tightly. “We’ll schedule it at the earliest convenience.”

The surgery goes smoothly, as far as Saikhara can recall. The drugs Dr. Enro gave her work really well, her head fuzzy as she sits in the hospital room. Vaisra went to the bathroom and her head lolls as she recovers. 

Saikhara blinks, spotting one of her children through the window. She’s not sure which one it is. They all look so alike and with her addled state, she can’t tell, but she does see a small dark tanned figure standing next to them, shoulder to shoulder. Saikhara thinks she’s dreaming. 

When she wakes up, there’s a gift basket sitting on her table with Vaisra next to it. “This was outside,” Vaisra notes, unwrapping it for his wife. It’s an assortment of good fruits and chocolate with no note, giving no indication of who it was from.

Saikhara did not make a public announcement about her surgery, so she’s not sure who it’s from. It would never be from her family. Both Muzha and Jinzha are in Sinegard at home, waiting for their mother to return to the hospital. They wanted to be there, but Dr. Enro warned them about not overwhelming their mother as she recovered. Mingzha and Kesegi are at home too, watching Jiuto.

They’ve spoken to Pipaji, who’s given her blessing for them to adopt young Jiuto, knowing that they had the best opportunity to give her a good life. She’ll be attending a community college with the intention of transferring to a four-year university once she completes her general education class requirements. She wants to be a doctor. If Pipaji tried to reclaim custody of Jiuto, it would be a while before she could pursue her dreams. Lianhua will do the same while Dulin attends a trade school.

Vaisra pauses, finding a carefully wrapped box, and a ribbon tied to it. The box doesn’t match the theme of the gift basket and when he opens it, there are tiny carved wooden figurines in there…just like the ones Nezha used to do. 

Saikhara was so afraid that he’d lose a finger, but Nezha was careful with the blade, crafting the small miniatures and gifting them to Saikhara with a bright smile. They were a source of happiness for her after they stopped trying for children. 

Maybe they’ll be okay.

Saikhara recovers at home, with her family catering to her every need. Nezha is not there, which catches a few words from Jinzha and a few concerning looks from Muzha. Both are quelled by a stern look from their father.

Saikhara is okay. The surgery went perfectly, and all she has to do was spend time in bed. The drugs are really good, so there’s no pain either. Even Riga and Daji come back with a fruit basket of their own. Daji with a knowing smile as Riga speaks to her husband. Baji stops by, massaging Saikhara’s feet and she’s never-Baji leaves her gasping as his fingers scratch the arch of her foot softly. After Baji leaves, Vaisra doesn’t want to, but she demands it from him and she sucks his cock eagerly, using her hand to touch whatever part couldn’t fit inside of her mouth. He cums on her face, the white liquid splattering everywhere. 

It’s been almost two months since they’ve last touched each other. Saikhara misses him.

Once cleared by the home nurse they hired, Saikhara takes a few trembling steps out of bed. She wants a full coverage bath and shower now and she drags Vaisra into the shower with her. He took two weeks off, just in case Saikhara needed more help.

The company is in a good place, Vaisra can take a vacation, his first in decades, probably.

With a soft touch, Vaisra scrubs her body and hair, focusing on her legs and breasts, his eyes glued to the soapy nipples that peaked under his hands. 

Using both her hands, Saikhara pushes her breasts up. “Suck them,” she demands, and Vaisra is more than happy to please. He tugs her forward, hands on her hips and his mouth lavishing her soft skin and Saikhara can feel his hard cock against her stomach. She rubs him, twisting her wrist as Vaisra seeks her clit, rolling it between two strong fingers.

The water beats down on them from the shower, soaking their skin. “I love you,” Saikhara gasps out as she cums, her knees buckling as Vaisra holds her up.

“I love you too,” Vaisra says into her hair, lifting her into her arms, like a princess, with one arm under her knees. She kisses him fully on the lips, savoring the taste of him. 

He deposits her gently into their bed, a fluffy pillow under her head. They’ve amassed quite a collection of pillows given how much time Saikhara has spent recovering. “Where are you going?” Saikhara asks, looking blatantly at his hard cock without shame.

Vaisra hesitates, eyes lingering on her lush body. “Darling, are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Saikhara spreads her legs, touching herself, finding that same slickness between her thighs and Vaisra pounces, his mouth on her clit. 

His fingers dig into her soft flesh as he relishes the taste of her, groaning loudly. Saikhara tugs at his hair, her hips moving as he eats her out with two fingers thrusting inside of her. 

Saikhara cums again, meeting his almond-shaped eyes with hunger. Gasping, Saikhara sees him leaking, the tip of his cock seeping pre-cum. “I want you inside of me,” she demands harshly, tugging him upwards so they’re face to face.

Vaisra reaches for a condom from their bedside table and Saikhara shakes her head. “No condom.”

He hesitates, staring at her.

“I want you inside of me, and I want to feel you,” she insists, holding onto his hand.

“Alright.”

Vaisra settles between her thighs, guiding his hard cock into her, and he groans when he’s all the way in. “How does it feel?” Saikhara asks, and he cups her face.

“Darling, you feel fantastic,” he says, his hips moving.

“I love you,” she says, gasping between thrusts and Vaisra presses his forehead to hers. 

“I love you too.” 

When he comes, it’s with a shout and for the first time in fifteen years, she can feel his hot cum spilling inside of her, filling her with happiness. She loves him so much.

It’s been several months and Nezha has yet to come around. Mingzha said he was attending therapy with Rin and Saikhara presses a hand to her heart. There was still some fear that he would never reconcile with them, that they had ruined things for good. 

But here he was, at the front of the ballroom, standing with his family as they greeted people, dressed in a very dark blue tuxedo, his hair perfectly combed back. It was Mingzha’s 18th birthday, a very lavish and public affair as they celebrated him. 

Mingzha loathed engagements like this, but, as a compromise, he was allowed to invite Pipaji, Dulin, and Lianhua to his party. They were Yins. This was how it was done.

Nezha might not have forgiven his parents, but he would never want to distract from celebrating Mingzha. 

As a compromise, he was on the other side of Mingzha, while Saikhara and Vaisra were next to Muzha and Jinzha. 

“Introducing Trengsin Mai’rinnen, accompanied by Trengsin Altan.” Saikhara’s eyes fly to the staircase where Rin is accompanied by her cousin, a very handsome, tall dark-skinned man dressed in an all black tuxedo. Eye-catching for sure, but nothing to say about Rin.

Wearing a red floor-length gown that was a sheer lace top and sleeves covering her front, the tan skin of her back was exposed as the red fabric rested above the curve of her butt, with a high slit that revealed her leg with every step she took, and her makeup was impeccable. Whoever had done her makeup had a much better touch than Saikhara, highlighting her cheekbones and enhancing her eyes with eyeliner sharp enough to kill a man. Her hair was partially braided from her face, pinned away from her face with a small hairpin with red jewels that resembled poppy flowers, like the one Saikhara knew was tattooed on her ribcage.

This is not some fresh doe-eyed debutante who has caught her son’s attention, but a survivor.

She hears a sharp intake of breath from the other side of Mingzha and she glances over, her second son looking as if he couldn’t breathe. Mingzha and Kesegi have identical conniving grins on their faces.

The two cousins approach their family, a small gift resting in Rin’s hands. “Happy birthday,” Rin tells Mingzha warmly as he takes the gift, a brilliant smile on her face. Nezha stares at her, his hands twitching by his side. She presses a gentle kiss to Kesegi’s face, cupping his cheek. He smiles, leaning his face into her touch.  

Other than that, Rin only has eyes for Nezha, admiring his strong figure in his dark blue tuxedo. It’s adorable. They’re adorable. Her heart feels full. They don’t say anything to each other but the way their eyes linger on one another even after Rin steps away with her hand resting on Altan’s arm tells Saikhara there is something more between the two, she just can’t place her finger on what.

It’s a luxurious affair, demonstrating the fierce amount of wealth the Yin family possesses. Pipaji can’t stop staring at the ice fountain in the middle of the room. They have a live orchestra and Riga walks by with Daji, dressed in a deep gold gown on his arm. “Not bad,” Riga says, downing his champagne with a single gulp. Daji rolls her eyes, gorgeous as ever. As always, Daji is ethereal but sensual, appearing as though she descended from the Heavens.

Saikhara shrugs. Riga tugs aside the collar on her neck, revealing a purple hickey. “Nice,” he drawls and Saikhara flushes, moving her dress back into place. Vaisra sucked that onto her skin this morning after making love to her as the sun rose. 

The two of them are back to normal, and active in their bed whenever they can sneak time in. It’s become a competition for them, seeing whoever can wake the other up with oral sex. It’s fun. 

The dancing starts, and it’s a delight watching the bodies spin around the floor. Most of the people here attended Sinegard Academy, which, as a requirement, taught a semester long dance class. Vaisra even drags Saikhara out for a few dances and she rests her head on his shoulder as they glide across the room.

Saikhara spots Rin dancing with Kitay first and then Altan, their foreheads pressed together as they enjoy the night.

Riga slides some money over to the lead violinist and a few sheets of music paper unfolded from Daji’s wallet and a new, unfamiliar song strikes up. 

Saikhara watched Rin most of the night as she spoke softly with Kesegi, Mingzha, Kitay, Venka, even Altan. No Nezha though, they kept their distance even though their eyes met several times across the ballroom floor. She knew why, but she wishes they didn’t. She wanted them to be happy together. 

Rin freezes when she hears the music, staring at the soloist playing a sweet song on the strings. “Ziya and Hanelai’s wedding song,” Riga explains, sipping more champagne. At least he’s slowed down a little. “Hanelai composed it herself.”

Oh. Rin discretely wipes a few tears, gathering at the corner of her eyes as she rests her head on Altan’s shoulder. Her cousin presses a soft kiss to her hair, rubbing her back. 

A familiar but dramatic song begins, one that any Sinegard Academy graduate knew well. This song was about two lovers who could not help but love each other despite being at war. Legend told that it came from the civil war that changed the course of Nikan’s history, and that while the story of the lovers ended tragically in history, the song promised hope for their future. 

Nezha brings Rin out to the dance floor and they face each other, bodies tense as they stare. “They really should just kiss already,” Kesegi mutters to Mingzha, who snorts.

Rin places a hand on Nezha’s shoulder, her other hand holding his away from her body while Nezha puts a hand on the small of her back, touching her bare skin. There’s something magical about this moment, where it truly feels like for the two of them, it’s just them alone in this world. Nothing else matters, no one else matters, not for them.

“It is them,” Mingzha says softly, when they begin dancing. 

“I told you.” Kesegi says, “I know Rin from anywhere.”

“Who is?” Saikhara asks politely, standing next to them, a glass of sparkling water in her hand. 

The two of them flinch, as she surprised them and they exchange nervous glances.

“At Sinegard, the ballroom instructor has a video from a few years ago,” Kesegi explains, gesturing. “They use it as a demonstration for students to watch because the “technique” is perfect. I’ve been telling Mingzha that it’s Rin and Nezha in the video for weeks.” 

Oh. “How can you not tell it’s them?” Saikhara says curiously.

“They have masks on,” Mingzha adds. “It’s supposed to help distract them from paying attention to facial reactions instead of their body language.” 

“They suit each other very well,” Saikhara says, her fingers wrapped around the stem of her glass. And they do, Rin and Nezha dance perfectly together, their bodies moving as one as they maintain eye contact the entire time. 

Another strange look exchanged between the two. “What?”

“Nothing.” Mingzha says. He’s hiding something from her. Saikhara turns her attention to Kesegi, who swallows.

“We thought that the reason Nezha was staying away was because you didn’t want him dating Rin,” Kesegi says softly, one eye still fixed on his older sister. “That you didn’t approve.”

Saikhara presses a hand to her heart, she-what? “I would love for Rin to date Nezha,” she says sincerely. “I think they’re perfect together.”

“Then why?” 

“It’s complicated,” Saikhara states, as she tightens her grip around her sparkling water. “Vaisra and I, we made a mistake, a real mistake that we’re trying to make amends for.”

The song ends and Rin and Nezha break apart, their cheeks slightly flushed. The song was a fast-paced, emotional song to demonstrate the strength of the lovers’ bond even as they fought in the war against each other. 

Mingzha touches his mother’s bare arm. “It’ll be okay, mom.” He whispers. “Nezha will forgive you.”

She squeezes her son’s hand. “I hope so.”

The night continues, full of festivities and fireworks. Vaisra spared no expense for their youngest son’s birthday. Jiuto already requested that hers be a more quiet affair but they couldn’t make any promises. They had a decade to plan, anyway. 

Saikhara hurries to the restroom, her bladder screaming at her. She entertained the entire night, answering pleasant questions about everything and anything. 

The sound of a soft, familiar gasp fills her ear, and she stops, waiting. There are many dark corners in this building, perfect for people to hide.

“Nezha, not here,” she hears Rin whisper, “We’re in public.”

“So?” Her son responds and Rin whimpers again. “No one’s around.”

“Nezha-” she bites off a sob and Saikhara has to wonder what exactly her son is doing to Rin. 

“I want you.” Nezha growls and shamefully, a familiar wet feeling pools between her thighs. What the hell was wrong with her? 

“Nezha, stop.” The sound of rustling clothes freezes her. “Venka will kill you if you ruin my makeup and her dress!”

Nezha laughs.

“What?”

“You think that dress belongs to Venka?”

“She lent it to me.”

“Rin, that dress is meant to be a floor-length gown, and Venka’s several inches taller than you. Even though you’re wearing heels, she’d never wear that dress in public.” 

“What?” 

Nezha laughs again. 

“She had it tailored for me. Can’t she just let out the hemlines?”

“Not with that kind of material, babe.” She hears the sound of nipping and a squeak.

“Your parents are here!” Rin protests and Nezha sighs.

“Did you really have to bring my parents up?”

“...you have to forgive them eventually, Nezha.”

“Do I?”

“You should.” Rin says and Saikhara presses a hand to her heart. Even now, Rin is defending them.

“I don’t understand you,” Nezha murmurs. “Why do this?”

“Because you love them and they’re your parents.”

“I’m not telling you to forgive Jiang.”

“That’s different.”

Nezha sighs again. “I need more time,” he says softly.

“I know. It’s just that- your parents needed me to feel alive in a weird sense. You said it yourself. Your mom was happier, and so was your dad.”

“It’s fucked up, what they did, you know that, right?”

“I know. I wish- I wish things were different. I wish-”

“I love you, you know that?”

“I know. I love you too.