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“Nezha?”
A calm baritone voice broke through the soothing sounds of running water in the garden. Jinzha took slow, quiet footsteps around the varied lilies and begonias, stopping at a small pond, which held the usual pink and white lotus flowers. He stared, almost entranced by their vibrant colours, the sunshine yellow of their cores drawing him in. He always thought this garden was beautiful… No wonder his brother always hid in here.
Almost as if his mind was read, the adolescent heard a rustle of leaves across the garden. He quickly turned around to see the source of the noise, a few raindrop leaves still waving against small white blossoms. Jinzha exhaled.
His usual hiding spot…
Silently, he walked over to the large bush and crouched. Between the small leaves, he could spot the bright red of the kid’s hair ribbons.
“Nezha…” Jinzha steadily lifted the branches before they were snatched away from his hand, being left to cover up the child. The two sat there in silence for a moment. The eldest stared at the bush, trying to make out his brother’s warm tan skin, before plopping himself down to face away from the bush. He sighed.
“Look, I… I know being around Fa… Li Jing can be… stressful.”
Silence.
“Especially, after… Well… Uhm.”
The memory was seared into his brain: the fire, the blood, the pleading and begging… the screams that were ripped from his poor brother’s throat…
He couldn’t tell if Nezha even remembered it at all… The kid seemed so… lost at the time. As if that… wasn’t his brother…
He simply did what he had to do.
All he wanted was his Nezha back…
“Nevermind.” Jinzha brought his knees to his chest and hugged them. The brothers’ ears were filled with the subtle gurgle of the miniature river that intertwined itself around the garden. The quiet was almost deafening.
“It’s not… Li Jing this time.” A high raspy voice cut the tension. Jinzha immediately focused all his attention towards the voice. “Muzha’s even worse.”
“... Yeah?”
“Yeah, he’s just– How can he– Li Jing is GONE for months on end, and that suck-up always finds some way to– Not everything is MY fault!”
“Hey! Hey, I know…” The eldest attempted to sooth his brother’s small outburst with his voice alone. “I know.”
“... Well, they don’t seem to know.” The kid’s rage shrivelled up, leaving his voice small and weak.
Jinzha contemplated for a moment before speaking again. “I know he’s terrible at showing it… But–”
“Don’t. Do that.”
A beat of silence.
“Do what?”
“The whole… ‘he cares about you, he’s just trying to protect you,’” the voice mocked. “... We both know it’s not true.”
Jinzha huffed, amused. “I guess you’re right.”
“So, then why do it?”
The eldest sat there for a moment, a few strands of hair coming loose from his high ponytail as a soft breeze sent a *swish* throughout the garden. “I guess… I guess that’s what I think you’re supposed to say in these situations… I guess I think it’ll make you feel better.”
A choppy laugh came from within the bush. Genuine, light-hearted, and not scornful like it usually is. He hadn’t made the kid laugh like this since… He shook his head.
Jinzha chuckled softly along with him. As his laughter died down, Nezha let out a breathy sigh.
“You really think telling me Muzha actually cares will make me feel better?,” the youngest got out through broken giggles. “I mean, it’s kinda humorous, but… not something I really want to hear right now,” he chuckled.
“He does care, though! Just… About the wrong things.”
“Hahah! You can say that again.”
The zephyr resumed its song in the garden as the two sat there, out of words to say. Sweetshrubs and magnolias bobbed up and down as the breeze urged them to dance. The river still gurgled, but its voice became softer as this new participant joined the caper. Jinzha took in the spectacle, a specific shrub of globeflowers catching his eye.
“Would you like to walk around the garden together?” He turned his head to ask the bush. When he didn’t get an answer, he continued. “Or maybe practise some sparring? Like we used to…?” The bush shook a little. “Ooh! Or we could–”
“No.” The syllable came out cracked, and felt almost forced. “No, I just… kind of want to be left alone, for now.”
A familiar depressed feeling washed over Jinzha. His face slowly dropped as he soaked in the rejection. “Ok… That’s ok.” He grunted quietly as he picked himself up.
He took those same silent footsteps out to the grand round doors of the garden. But instead of taking in the gorgeous blooms like he had before, he kept his head down, watching his steps. He opened the door and took a step out before pausing himself. He turned around.
“See you tomorrow, Nezha.” His voice left a solemn note.
The doors clicked shut.