The crunch of leaves struck Wufei and he jumped, whipping his head around with the lotus bloom still clenched within his fingers. If anything, he held the flower closer, bent over slightly as if to protect it from this thing that affronted him. Wufei's wide eyes locked onto those of a complete stranger, looking at him from on the other side of the garden's pool. So close, and yet, still far enough away. He could run. He should; he needed to get away. And yet, something made Wufei hesitate. Once his eyes met this other man's, he was struck somewhere deep to his core so that now, he felt he could never look away.

"Please. I just wanted-!" he gasped in stilted Japanese. With his ragged clothes and Chinese accent, it should be obvious at this point. Wufei did not belong here. Maybe though, but the gods. He sent up a prayer, hoping that whoever resided over this temple might also drop blessings to him, an enemy soldier who wanted nothing more than not to be an enemy. Dragging in a deep breath, he tried to push down the look of pure panic that he knew flashed over his face. He had been strong up until this point and he knew he must continue.

Taking a step back, Wufei struggled against the damp ground and his now wet clothes didn't help. He should leave. Still, his gaze didn't break away from the other man's. "I won't hurt you if you let me go. I didn't come for trouble. Just...refuge." He pursed his lips slightly, feeling the lotus' petals against his fingers. The silky thin shapes curled around, tingling against his finger pads all the way down to his toes. He didn't want to show it on his face because if he let his emotions out in the open now, they would get squashed. The only way he survived until now was by forcing himself to dwell in peace. "Please. Please," he added again, slipping back into Chinese as strength edged his words. "I won't go back."