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Tien felt the heft of the golden cake in his hand- a small red napkin tucked around it’s almost perfect edges. He had always been impressed with the level of detail people managed to put into food, the whole concept so foreign to him- It was not that he didn’t appreciate the detail, he truly did- It was simply something he himself had never thrived at. The rare times he had cooked were always simple dishes made to fill him, there was no thought put into the beauty of the meal, it was simply something he needed to help sustain him, yet the beauty of the near perfect mooncake sitting in his hand made Tien smile a little to himself- To create something so pretty knowing it was only to be eaten, there was something just so human about that.
“C’mon Tien- tell the story.” Chiaotzu’s chipper voice cut through the quiet night air, pulling Tien’s thoughts back to the present. Letting out a small chuckle, he let his hands rest against the soft fabric of his green pants- gently cupping the mooncake in his lap as he watched the low lights of the small town that sat below their perch up the mountain. Red and gold lamps shining up from the narrow streets- he could almost hear the music of the small crowds gathered through the town, though the autumn winds quickly blew it away. Taking a steady breath he pursed his lips, wondering where to start- Storytelling had never been Tien’s greatest forte, but at least this was a story he knew well-
“This is the tale of a woman, really.” He couldn’t help but to smirk as Chiaotzu made an encouraging “Ooh!” As though this wasn’t a story he knew just as well as Tien, though he supposed there was two versions of the tale to choose from- “Chang’e was her name, she was said to be very beautiful- Long ink black hair hung far down her back, shiny as silk, framing a round face, lips pink as cherry blossoms and glimmering dark eyes-” The image that floated before Tien as he told the well worn tale of the harvest moon wasn’t of a woman anymore he realized, a small blush settling into his cheeks as he pictured Yamcha’s dark hair cascading down over his shoulder, a sweet smile on his scarred face as he turned back toward Tien, laughter on his lips- Tien could only close his eyes for a moment, hoping to shake the image of Yamcha loose as he kept going “-and her husband was a brilliant archer. Ten great red suns decorated the sky, making earth inhospitably warm. To save the earth, her husband, Hou Yi, raised his bow toward the heavens and shot down nine of the ten suns- Restoring the earth. As reward for saving the earth from barren lands and burnt crops, the goddess of heaven gave him an elixir of immortality- Though there was only enough of the elixir for one to consume. Hou Yi loved his wife so much he couldn’t bear to part from her, so he simply saved the elixir, happy to live out his days with Chang’e by his side.” Tien smiled down, watching as Chiatzu’s small legs idly kicked back and forth from where they hung over the cliffside overlooking the little town below- A cool breeze ghosting over them both as autumn settled into the air around them.
Chiaotzu had always been fond of stories, he’d found him awake under the blankets with an old volume of some book or other stolen from Shen’s shelf excitedly reading well into the night more than once- Of course he'd always been reticent about indulging Chiaotzu in fantasy, especially when they were still at the crane school- but he could hardly deny his small friend this one thing anymore, not when Chiaotzu indulged him in everything- Sleeping under the stars on the cold hard earth every night, training every day, saying goodbye to their friends when he’d wanted nothing more than to stay. Watching the little black shoes swing aimlessly back and forth, so childlike in nature, Tien continued on-
“Of course if that was where the story ended, well, we probably wouldn’t still tell it all these years later. One of Hou Yi’s students had a treacherous heart- He waited for his master to go out shooting with the other students one day, claiming to be lame and needing rest, only to break into Chang’e and Hou Yi’s home, intent on getting the immortal elixir for his own selfish purposes.” Tien couldn’t help but to look down at his hands for a moment, some small memory peeking out from the deepest recesses of his mind. How he’d been so utterly appalled by the notion of a student betraying their master the first time he’d heard this story many years ago when he was a small boy, he couldn’t help but to laugh now- A sad laugh.
“Tien.” He felt a small hand smack his bicep- “Peng Meng was trying to steal the elixir for his own selfish purposes, you went against Master Shen because you realized what he was having us do was wrong- It’s not the same.” He knew Chiaotzu was right, but still he couldn’t help but to linger for a moment, looking at the small mooncake that sat in his hands- taking in the golden lettering as Chiaotzu’s words sunk in. Even beyond their psychic bond, Chiaotzu always knew what was in his heart- for better or worse.
“If you know the story so well then why don’t you tell it.” He asked the air before him, eyes drifting back toward the small town below as he tried to lighten the mood.
“I was just saying.” Though he didn’t turn to Chiaotzu he was very certain a small tongue was being poked in his direction, Tien poked his own out as he turned toward his brother- Deciding two could play at that game. He’d been correct of course, both of them breaking into laughter as they took in each other's silly faces. He couldn’t deny it felt good to laugh, to take a night away from relentless training simply to enjoy his brothers company- Though he’d be lying if he said his mind wasn’t wishing for the company of another as well, that same image of a smiling face entering his mind as he started up the story again-
“Knowing she had little recourse, Chang’e drank the elixir to stop it falling into the hands of the treacherous student and became immortal, choosing the moon as the place for her spirit to inhabit, as it was closest to the earth and therefore her beloved. When Hou Yi returned home and found out her fate, he was struck with immense grief for his wife- Crying out to the night sky in heartache, though as he cried he noticed the shimmering form of a woman before the bright glow of the moon, a shadow just like his Chang’e- So he prepared her favourite dish,” Holding the small mooncake up in his hand, Tien eyed it once again- “He laid out an offering of love to his wife under the bright gleam of the moon and his plight was so endearing, the local people laid out offerings to Chang’e as well. As the years went on, more and more people heard the tale and came to give offerings to the moon goddess Chang'e too- And so here we are, still telling the tale all these years later.” He trailed off, his eyes finally looking to the bright moon above-
The story had never quite sat well with Tien, if he was honest with himself. Certainly, both husband and wife were brave and the tale was touching, but what of Hou Yi? Did he ever meet Chang’e again, or could he only leave out offerings of love until he finally perished, just as the sun’s he’d shot down had perished, turning to nothing but ash? Was Chang’es fate truly to reside on the moon for all eternity, receiving commemoration from the earth but otherwise distant and alone, never meeting her love again? Letting out a sigh he found himself thinking of Yamcha once more, wondering if maybe he was gazing at the moon too… He tried not to dwell on the fact his heart seemed to be associating Chang’e and Yamcha, on what that seemed to be suggesting- A loud huff pulled him from his reverie as he turned to watch Chiaotzu dramatically fall back against the earth, an exasperated expression on his typically expressionless face.
“What?” Tien found himself asking, feeling somewhat defensive.
“We could just go see him-” Chiaotzu’s voice was tired and small as he spoke.
“See who?” Tien knew exactly who Chiaotzu meant, yet he still found himself asking the question.
“Yamcha.” Sitting back up, Chiaotzu took a bite of his own small mooncake, carefully chewing as he watched Tien with squinted eyes- “See, unlike Chang’e, Yamcha’s actually still on earth, we could actually go see him anytime- So the comparison doesn’t work.”
Knowing he was caught but unsure what to say, Tien turned away from his brothers penetrating gaze, taking a bite of the rich morsel he’d been idly holding, salted egg and lotus paste meeting his lips as the sight of golden lanterns slowly started rising into the sky below them- lights drifting towards the heavens over the dark forests. Even with the beauty before him, he couldn't help but to think of Yamcha as he took another bite, the mooncake settling into his stomach like lead. Chiaotzu was right, there was nothing stopping him from seeing Yamcha- He longed to see him again, to hear his laugh, to just sit in his company for even an hour and yet… He simply couldn’t.
“Plus, Yamcha’s not the moon-'' Chiaotzu's high voice interrupted his moping, “He’s the sun.”
He pondered Chiaotzu’s words for a moment, the image of Yamcha’s golden smiling face filling his mind once more, the way he simply radiated warmth. Tien could hardly argue with that, a small laugh breaking from his lips as he shook his head, elbowing Chiaotzu’s small torso- “Eat your mooncake.”