Yat Gei Ma? [China - will include memories]

[Yao Wang]

Shang has? But he adopted him when he was a young child. What happened to him back then?

And the only thing he could respond was, "When?"

[Michael Wang]

Michael shook his hair out, not answering him at first.

"...a long time ago." He said, hardly above a whisper. "I remember."

[Yao Wang]

"...What was that?" Straining his ears to hear him, "Remember?"

[Michael Wang]

Without another word, Michael was back in his room and changing into his moderately formal clothes for the next day (as it was just barely morning). He wanted to forget what had happened...what was happening now as well.

Sighing, he removed a small, emerald comb from his dresser drawer, drawing his hair back into its casually undulant style. Michael looked over to his window as the head of the morning sun was just beginning to pull its way back into the sky, still dampened from the previous nights' rain.

After pulling on his belt and overcoat he walked out, nodding to his brother, "Good morning, Aniki."

Had his older brother been just a few feet closer, he might have been able to catch the slight of a smile Michael had forced into his profile. There was little in the world that Michael cared about in terms of "other people". Aside from Mei and Yong suu (which even after befriending them, he still didn't have much of a closeness to) his 'aniki' was really the only one he's ever genuinely cared about. Upsetting him over simple things like blenders and water balloons was one thing, but last night was different. He knew from experience that it was not physically possible to just crawl into a hole and decamp until the end of eternity, but that didn't mean he couldn't force his brother to forget.

"Did you sleep well? I had a weird dream." An oddly optimistic aura forced it's way into his words, his underlying anxiousness translating into his almost suave persona.


"Ah, how easier life can be. It is a career of make-believe, of masks. We all have masks in life, no?"




(c.e. Judd Nelson)

[Yao Wang]

Yao was about to call out to him but stops. This also isn't the first time he'd seen Shang walking away to his room and then immediately coming out like everything it was fine. And when he was like this he would say nothing of what happened; as if he forgotten. Sometimes it hurt not knowing how to help him.

"...g-good morning,"

[Michael Wang]

After grabbing a few fruits from the table basket, Michael layed down on the end of his brother's bed.

"Here," He handed him a cluster of berries he had grown, having named them 'little fatties' for their plump and squishy appearance, "I got them yesterday."

[Yao Wang]

"Thanks," He takes them, not really hungry at the moment. Yao also didn't feel the need to scold him right now for eating on his bed. "It's looks good, from where?"

[Michael Wang]

"Garden." He shrugged.

Michael's forest adventures were no secret. His whereabouts, however, were unknown to man. Having stationed several 'secret bases' where he grew whatever fruits he could tame on the island, bringing in a lot of fresh organics for him and his brother to share outside the flooding season.

"I got these too." Michael held up another bunch, this time resembling some sort of gourd. "They're hard on the outside, but they have soft little packets of juice on the inside."

He smiled, going to knock one against the table to break it open. "They're good."

[Yao Wang]

"Ah, I see," He tries the fruit he held in his hand, not wanting to upset Shang if he didn't eat it. It was sweet and it tasted good. "The fruit you grow is good, I believe you," He gives him a small smile.

[Michael Wang]

Michael blinked, looking up, "Believe me?" He took a moment, confused, "Why wouldn't you?"

[Yao Wang]

"You forgot the last one you brought home some unknown fruit a couple of months ago?" Yao facepalms, they talked about this before dinner too. "It kept me up all night,"

[Michael Wang]

"Oh." He nodded curtly, going to sit down in an actual chair. "I-I'm sorry."

Michael felt horrible. He couldn't explain why. He just...had to go.

Grabbing his violin case, he took another cluster of berries and was out, closing the door behind him.

[Yao Wang]

Yao walked to the kitchen, his back facing Shang, going to get a snack and preparing something to eat as soon as he saw the calender, "No, don't worry about it Shang. We learned something new. And hey guess what?" He hears the door closing, "....it's your birthday."

Yao sighs, even more worried then before.

[Michael Wang]

Michael ran as fast as he could, tripping his way into the forest. He didn't want to go far, knowing his brother was close was a comfort to him. As soon as he reached the gate, he slowed down, going to sit by the cliff just outside the Wang family mansion. It was only morning, but to Michael it felt like it had been years since he had left the house.

He knew his brother would worry, maybe even angry. Michael ran away too much, and he knew it. It's not like he wanted to...but that he didn't have anywhere else to go. He didn't belong with Aniki, just like he hadn't with Mr. Kirkland.

Running away all the time...is there no other option?

[Yao Wang]

'Well, there's no point of just sitting here, ' Yao thought, going to pull both his sleeves up, 'I have a birthday dinner to make and maybe he'll feel better,"

He goes to the fridge and grabs a handful of ingredients for the dinner. Tonight's menu will consist of Shang's favorite foods. And a fruit cake, since they had a lot of fruit already. And once he's finished with that, he should wrap his gift up. Yao hopes that he will like it and starts chopping.

[Yao Wang]

(lol Like what?)