~They say the wall that collapsed due to his tears could never be rebuilt again. Together, their tears washed away the barrier and revealed the bones beneath as it all swept further away--until only a lotus bloom remained.~

Name: Xie Wufei
Age: 20
Occupation: soldier/POW
Nationality: Chinese
Appearance: He’s about 5’6” tall and slender with long limbs and a longish, relatively pretty face. However, his eyes are very sharp with faint natural dark circles around them. His dark hair used to flow about his face in smooth layers, but is currently very short, though growing longer once he’s captured. It kinda spikes and almost makes him appear boyish instead of pretty, excepting his eyes that always make him look older.
Personality: His is a man with great honor and integrity, but gentle disposition. His is unsuited to be a soldier, but hardy enough to do it anyway. He appreciates poetry, beauty, and nature most and loves wholly. His mental fortitude has gotten him though a lot by internalizing his pain. He’s quick to draw inward toward his inner peace instead of dealing with it. He would take an attack rather than see another hurt in his place. However, taking all the pain piles on top of him so that the attacks slide off of him less and less each time. He’s almost desperate to find that inner peace again outside of himself because his is drying up.
Bio: Set during WWII, he is the eldest and only son of rice farmers. His parents are good, honorable folk with a love of stories which they shared with their son. His sister, Lairen, is eight years old and considered a miracle due to her unexpected consumption. He adores her deeply and wishes to fight for her as well as his parents. So when conscripted, he goes proudly and fights for months before being captured by the Japanese. After a short stay in a prisoner camp on the front lines, he was shipped to a larger labor camp in Japan. He spent another couple months there where a fellow prisoner was attempting to organize a revolt. It failed, but Wufei managed to escape. Fleeing into the countryside, he seeks refuge at a temple’s garden, knowing little about it. There, he picks a sacred flower and falls under the protection of the gods and their servants in the temple…

Name: Aoki Isamu (Isa)
Age: 20
Occupation: Temple worker, son of temple owners
Appearance: He's around 5'8", taller than most men in his family, but not super tall. Long straight black hair that he usually wears partially tied up with a leather cord. His long bangs often hang down over into his face, getting in the way.He’s skinny and lithe, fine muscles lining his body like a dancer, rather than bulky muscle from hard labor. He's meant for the peaceful life of living in and guarding a temple, not the harsh reality of a country at war, but he also has not lived a life of luxury. Calluses line his hands and feet, as he often goes barefoot within the temple. His eyes are vaguely crescent shaped, larger on the inner part with deep lines toward the outer part (like Hanyu Yuzuru’s eyes). He’s got a thin, delicate face with soft lips and high cheek bones, though his appearance is more refined than pretty. A serious and responsible air in his bearing as he's aware of the responsibility on his shoulders to keep his temple safe and keep it running long after his parent's death.
Personality: Calm. Steady. Quiet. Dependable. He’s used to a quiet life living on his family’s temple. There’s just the slow and steady grind of the day to day to him. Keep the temple in good shape, welcome those who came to pray, wash, rinse, and repeat every day. It was a nice life, a peaceful life. A life uninterrupted by the war that seems to have torn up the world, and Isamu would prefer to keep it that way.
Bio: Isamu was born in the temple and really hasn't known life outside of the small area where his born. His parents never travelled much, outside of gathering necessities from nearby towns. Life has centered around the temple from even his earliest memories because it was always what has been most important. His earliest memories are of sitting in the peaceful center of the Garden of Lotus, the most sacred garden of the temple, listening to his mother's stories about the gods who first blessed this land and the flowers that abound in this spot because of that blessing. That sense of peace and security has always filled him in the Garden and he often retreats there to meditate on days when there's few repairs or little cleaning to do around the temple. And then there's the day that peace was disturbed....

The early morning mist made shapes around Wufei’s ankles. Every step he took, they clung to him, and yet their motion led his way. He did not know how far he ran or how far he walked after his legs grew too tired for that, but dawn light now touched the east unlike the midnight he ran into. Wufei just kept walking though. At this point, he didn’t know what else to do. Just walk and maybe he would live.

Wufei stumbled as the ground sloped unexpectedly. He found himself rushing forward with the slope as he caught sight of what lay beyond the dense underbrush—a valley. When he reached the edge of the forest though, what he saw surprised him even more. Here, the countryside turned lush with carefully minded gardens. After walking for an entire night in the Japanese wilderness, he couldn’t help but drag in a sharp breath at the sight. It was easy to forget the war in this land, easy to forget all that he’d seen. Biting his lip, he stumbled forward.

Beyond the gardens, a wooden temple sat. Water flowed over rocks and wooden pipes that he could hear somewhere in the darkness. A bell tinkled, perfectly preserved in this valley of innocence. Could this be real? Tears burned behind his dark eyes as worn boots parted the first foliage between this temple and the outside world. It appeared abandoned, or at least quiet now in the early dawn. Even if he just stopped for a minute, it would be enough. Wufei was more than aware of his status as enemy. Fighting back images of war and the long line of prisoners fighting to build equipment that would kill their brothers, he thought he actually had the hope he always pretended he did.

“I…it’s so beautiful.” The whisper died on his lips as the young soldier found the stream he heard before. Charging calf deep into it, he felt the shock of clean water for the first time in weeks. He felt a laugh rise up in him, though he never let it out. He’d been so strong hadn’t he? He fought to protect his family and country for months, but even that ended in more pain.

He never wanted to fight in the first place. Wufei preferred the quiet, the clean. Every gunshot shook him to the core where he protected the truest parts of himself. But still he fought because the Japanese invaded. They started this war and on his honor as a Chinese citizen, he fought back. Even if his troop got captured and he was forced into labor as a prisoner of war, he would not let himself break. Even if his fortitude shook.

Wufei pulled himself out of the water, drawn by something in the center of the temple’s gardens. His stumbling grew quicker until he dropped to his knees, eyes wide in awe. In front of him sat a pool surrounded by large lotus blooms. His fingers trembled against the silky petals as he squeezed his eyes shut for a second. Lairen. With hair softer than the clouds and warm eyes, they called her a miracle, born to parents already growing in age. And for that reason, Wufei took his sister under his wing and called her his little lotus blossom. Tears leaked at the corner of his eyes. Lairen! Without thinking, he snapped the flower’s stem in order to hold it closer. Even as he tried to shake himself into pieces, he clutched the flower tighter than his now frail body could manage. And in his mind, a single mantra formed. This, he prayed to the heavens.

I will find a way back home.

Isamu wandered through the temple, the early morning fog still clinging to the ground and the air around him, a slight dampness to it and the earth beneath his feet. The world was resonating with the peaceful ambience one could only feel within the temple. The silence the loudest noise, but it wasn't really silent at all, crickets and birds chirping, the wildlife of the area rustling throughout he undergrowth, and a faint breeze whispering through the leaves of the trees. He couldn't stop the slow smile that spread on his lips.

It was the early mornings in the temple he loved best, the world yet undisturbed, and the few people that still came to visit their temple not yet arriving. It was when he could be alone with only nature and the gods around him. The sense of his duty light on his shoulders as if it was the easiest thing about him. It was with these thoughts that he approached his chores each morning and nothing yet had changed that morning. Just another day. And there was comfort in that thought when Isamu knew the world just outside the borders of the mountains was in a constant state of upheaval.

A part of him feared the day would come when the outside world encroached in on the peace of the temple, but he knew the fear was futile. If it happened, it was surely meant to in some way. Just as he had to believe the world would be born anew from the ashes of the war that was tearing it asunder. Shaking his head, he pushed the thoughts of the war aside, dwelling on such thoughts was not productive and nor was it meant to be his concern. His responsibility was the temple. Maintaining a spot of peace for the world to still breathe her beauty into, to revitalize the people who could not escape the war so easily. He must focus on his duties and not the futility of an imagined future.

He studied the temple as he wandered through it that morning, this early morning walk as much a way to begin the day peacefully for him as a way to outline his chores for the day. He took note of things that needed repair or upkeep, a loose tile here, a branch filled with dying leave there, the leaves littering the cobblestones beneath it as well. He’d return and sweep those up later, not wanting any lingering moisture in the leaves from the morning damp to make the area dangerous to some of the older visitors who came to pray beneath the trees.

With each step, he felt the breeze pick up behind him, almost pushing him forward and tugging at the edges of his sleeves. At first he ignored it, used to the flow and the ebb of the breeze through the course of the day as the the air in the valley warmed and cooled. But then it pushed hard against his back, whipping his tunic against him and almost making him stumble. He stopped to consider, the wind still pushing insistently against his back. And bending the tree branches in towards the temple’s center. Intrigued, he followed the guidance of the breeze, a part of him wondering if this could be a sign of the gods, knowing they often led him towards what he didn’t even know he needed discover.

As he followed the path set out by the wind, he found himself approaching the Garden of Lotus, the sacred center of their temple, and the place where the spirits and the gods intertwined with the human world most potently. As he stepped into the Garden, he gasped at the sight of a man in the center of the garden, clearly damp from having been in the water, and as Isamu entered the Garden the man plucked a lotus from one of the plants at the very center.

He immediately frowned, the man here in this space obviously unwelcome as no one from the temple had invited him in, or he would have known not to remove one of the flowers from the plants. He surely did not respect the ways of their temple or perhaps even realize he was in a sacred space. And yet the breeze that had pushed and pulled Isamu to the Garden this morning, gently swirled around him once more, encircling him with the sweet, almost cloying scent of the lotus, stronger than what the flowers naturally produced themselves, even in this place where they grew so vibrantly. It was this that stayed Isamu’s tongue and his action, listening as he did to the spirit of the earth around him. Perhaps, it wanted Isamu to protect this man, and his presence in this sacred space wasn’t a violation, but a blessing. Else it wouldn’t have called for him to halt.

It was with this thought that Isamu stepped further into the Garden, coughing light to make his presence known to the man, and finally the man turned toward him, lotus still clutched within his fingers, as if the thought of dropping it pained him. And Isamu stopped, stunned.

Who was this man, and why were his eyes so haunted? Why couldn’t Isamu look away?

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."

Isamu considered the man in front of him, words still frozen on his tongue, as he assimilated the information he could gather of the man. He was obviously a foreigner, Chinese if Isamu had to guest form the accent and the babbled words that he couldn't understand at the end of his speech. His clothes were in complete disrepair. Isamu sighed, sending his eyes skyward, as if asking the gods, why me. This stranger was obviously a prisoner of war. Probably recently escaped from one of the camps Isamu tried not to think about that had sprung up nearby. He couldn't imagine putting people through the conditions that camps like those perpetrated. It sickened him. And yet here he was confronted with it in a way that he couldn't turn away.

And yet, harboring a fugitive from the war. That was a crime punishable by death. Isamu knew this. His family knew this, and even though temples were the lands of the gods, the emperor would surely not take kindly to the action. And yet, the lotus scent around him spoke of how the gods wished for him to protect this man. Offer him the refuge he asked for. He couldn't refuse the gods, no matter if common sense said he should.

So with a step towards the man, he finally spoke, words careful and measured, "I am one who presides over this temple," he said, hoping the other man could understand him, as he was not able to speak any Mandarin so he could not translate for this stranger. "I can offer you refuge, but know I must do it at great personal risk. But you have stepped into our most sacred pool and touched our most sacred flowers without consequence. The gods seem to wish that I protect you." He sighed, "I will do my best to fulfill their wishes."

Wufei wondered, if maybe he didn't understand the Japanese well. He couldn't call himself fluent. No, he just picked up what he could during the war and in the camps. He learned fast--he needed to. But still he could not bring himself to believe the words he heard. Still frozen in place, he watched silently as the other man approached a single step. He should have flinched, or stepped back. Truthfully, he should have run. Wufei found his feet steady though, all fear lacking. What was this? Why?

"Refuge?" Wufei repeated the words, still incredulous at it. It couldn't mean what he thought it did even if no matter how deeply he looked into the stranger's eyes, he found no hint of lie. It was as if, in the single instant of their meeting, something tremendous happened. No matter how hard each of them tried to pull away, they were caught. Sighing, Wufei relented to it. "This is...a temple. I did not mean...no, I didn't know." He struggled, but still pieced the words together with continued surety. "I don't belong here. You'll be hurt. If...you must understand who I am..." He looked down at the flower still clenched in his hand.

Lairen, I fear I may not make it back to you. With my soul, you will not want to look me in the eyes. I've failed. He looked back up at the stranger, still unsure if he wanted to stay and take this offered refuge, or leave. Either way, it seemed he was doomed.

"I know you are clearly a prisoner of a war my family wishes did not exist. I know you are in need of safety for if you are found you will surely be killed. And I know the gods led me to find you here, and stayed my hand when I first saw you. That is enough for me to know that, for whatever reason, you have been blessed by them. And as such it is my duty to protect you however I may." Isamu said, his voice steady, confident in the words he spoke. Confident that this was what he was meant to do, despite what could be a great personal cost.

"Come with me, I should introduce you to my parents, and we can get you settled into a room and with some clothing that is in better condition. Then, you can help me around the temple this morning." He looked gently at Wufei as he spoke, not wanting to traumatize the man any further than he possible could have been by the horrors of the war. "My name is Isamu, by the way."

Though he still felt a rod of tension in his spine, Wufei couldn't help but mentally relax just a little bit at the other man's words. He believed him, for good or for worse. Maybe destiny did have a hand in this. Looking into the dark, but steady eyes of the other man, he thought he could believe that. Looking down at the lotus flower, he nodded his head once. Was it because of this? "I am exactly as you say. Even if it's just luck that I alone escaped, maybe it was god..." He trailed off, not sure of the claim himself. When the man introduced himself and offered a proper place to stay though, he stood his ground.

"You...you feel this way about me. I trust that. But if I can...I would rather not entrust myself to anyone else," he pleaded. It wasn't so much a desperate whine, but a stand. He had been through enough to stand strong and also understand just how delicate his situation was. "Isamu." He tasted the strange name on his lips, sounding it slowly with a slight slur. "At least give me a little while longer among the flowers before I tempt fate..."

Isamu considered the man before him for several long moments, the gods in this matter seemed to be silent. So it seemed it was up to Isamu to decide whether to act with kindness or with duty. Finally, he sighed, knowing as always that he leaned toward kindness, and it was exactly why the gods had lead him to find this man.

"I am not inclined to believe in luck," he responded, "The gods work through luck, but it is never truly that. They chose me to find you for they have witnessed my kindness in the past. I will harbor you in secret here for as long as I am able. But our temple is not large, and my parents are still young and fit. I will not be able to hide you forever. Or perhaps very long at all." He paused, "But I understand that you have come from a place that has given you little reason to trust my people. So I will try. However, my parents are kind as well, and if I vouch for you, they will not reveal you to those outside the temple either." He smiled as he said this, knowing it was a truth and it was part of why surrounding villagers still visited this temple, even when leaving home wasn't always safe. "However, if I am to hide you, may I at least know your name?"

Silent for a second, Wufei listened to the other man's words. He didn't know if just lack of trust propelled him to hide instead of accept further kindness from this man. He saw many terrible things in these past few months, enough to make him squeeze his eyes shut every time the the memories encroached. Like always though, he took a deep breath and pushed them down inside of him to force calm on his mind again. "Thank you," he breathed, more relieved than he thought possible. More so than when he realized no guards chased him, or that the wire fence curled away from the pole in ripped ribbons far from the others. Wufei shook his head.

"My name is Wufei. Even if you do this for your god, or for human kindness, I cannot express how thankful I am," he added, his voice even calmer and more steady now. He inclined his head, arms straight at his sides in a sign of gratitude and respect. He could think of no other way to express it than with a bow. Tucking the flower inside his sleeve, he turned his gaze away from Isamu for the first time since the man entered the garden. "Do the lotus grow year 'round here? I had forgotten it was spring..." He trailed off again, realizing the sad fact only after he uttered it.

Isamu inclined his body forward in a slight bow to Wufei in return, "What says human kindness and god's will must be inherently separate?" he asked, pulling up from the other man, moving toward him and the center of the garden, fingers lingering gently over the plants as he moved, a light caress "My family live in a place where the line between the mortal realm and the spirit realm runs blur. Here," he indicated the garden, but also the whole temple, "is the place where god's intentions and man's must be one. And this garden is the center of that." As he spoke, his path had brought him right in front of Wufei. "They do grow, even in the coldest of winter months, this place is always touched by the balmy feel of spring. That is why it has become a haven for many and why this temple was built here. You would not be the first to find peace in this place."

Wufei hummed, not entirely sure he understood the poetics of Isamu's words, but still feeling their intent in his bones. Isamu cared deeply for this place. Spiritual, that's what the words were. Faintly smiling, he watching the other man near him without a wince. Standing only feet away, he looked carefully at the man's face now. The appeared the same age as Wufei, possibly quite similar to himself in many ways. "I see," Wufei hummed. "Then I am glad. I would miss these flowers if they ever wilted." After letting a silence fall for a few seconds that felt both dense and yet comfortable between them, Wufei flicked his eyes away again. "Ah, but if this is so much a haven, where can I...even hide?" Swallowing hard, he met Isamu's eyes again. Of course he wanted to disappear for weeks, or months, or maybe the rest of his life, but just what would reality bring him?

"That is why I cannot guarantee to hide you for long," Isamu said, voice kind, "I can try my best, but people will inevitably wish to see this garden, and I cannot deny them that." He paused before he continued, also studying the man he'd sworn to protect. Perhaps astonished to realize that the man was young, barely out of his teenager years, just like Isamu. But then it was usually the young who suffered for the gain of the older. "But," he started, "with the war, travel is no longer safe through the country. And this temple does not see as many visitors as it once would have. We often go days now without visitor."

Wufei nodded his head once even though his heart sunk a little. He feared this sanctuary that Isamu offered would end sooner rather than later and when it ended, so would he. It was as simple as that and yet he felt calm at the realization. A part of him accepted the fate already. "That will have to do then," he sighed. "If I ever becoming a burden here, I will leave, try to make my way back to my own home." Touching the flower he'd tucked into his sleeve, he wondered if Isamu could help him with that quest. It was the ultimate goal of his escape. Not to join the army again and fight for vengeance, but to return home so he could at least see his family one more time before fate made it impossible. This war hurt too many. He could not find pride in it. "All I want to do now is rest..."

"I do wish I could promise you more, but I do not want to make promises I cannot keep," he tried to soothe Wufei, aware of some lingering distress below the surface. "However, I can promise that you will not become a burden. In times of war, more so than in times of peace, temples like this are meant to serve and protect. I am offering you our protection, and no one here would dare take that from you."

He pauses for several seconds, just considering Wufei, "Then rest for now, stay here in the garden if you wish or if you want to explore please feel free to do that as well. I will bring you food and bedding here later. Perhaps some new clothes as well. If you really wish to sleep outdoors, I do not wish for you to catch cold." He smiled gently as he said this, his tone soft, as he wished to take care of Wufei.

Wufei smiled with a faint nod of his head. He already felt his smile coming out with more ease since he first stepped foot in the temple. Now it almost felt natural. "I thank you for that honest promise. I appreciate it more than just words," he hummed. Nodding again, he showed that he understood the man's words. Isamu's smile looked so warm, so much like sun after these last few months that his eyes lingered on the man's mouth for a second before he remembered to speak again. "Thank you. I will keep myself hidden here so as not to get you in trouble. You should return to your day, please. Someone might notice otherwise." Finally pulling himself away, he stepped toward the carefully cultivated foliage of the garden, letting himself disappear into the fronds. He only looked back at Isamu once smiling, before he made a nest for himself in the shade. Cool earth beneath him and the sound of water from behind. He truly did find himself a secret heaven in Japan.

Isamu bowed to Wufei once more, before moving to leave the clearing, the same gentle smile feeling his face. It was perhaps odd, but in moments like this, he often felt most at peace. Fulfilling the god's will and the god's chosen path for him was never a burden, but instead a thing that removed the weight from his shoulders. For now, it seemed his duties would be delayed, as he returned to the main house to begin gathering supplies for his new friend. His parents would be out throughout the temple at this portion of the day, so gathering the bedding now would make the most sense. It would be easy to keep them from noticing it now, even if he knew that his parents would accept Wufei as a ward, just as he had. He would follow the other man's wishes to keep him a secret for the time being.

In the shady cover, Wufei let his body relax fully. He trusted Isamu's word when the man said he would keep him safe. It was strange but from the first second their eyes met, he felt a connection, or at least proof of the man's kind heart there in his eyes. Even if he knew this could never last, Wufei closed his eyes, content that at least for now, he was safe. Their very air of this place told him so, like a faint breeze caressed his cheek. At least here, in this temple, war did not exist. A minute later, he felt himself drifting into a sleep he'd needed for so long but never found himself able to take. Not just closing his eyes and resting, but a true sleep. As soon as it came, he found himself lost deep within it.

After he finished gathering supplies for Wufei, setting them aside in his room for the time being, Isamu returned to his daily duties. The air around the temple was warming up as the sun rose higher in the sky, the air settled into an almost humid haze around the temple, the moisture from the morning not quite able to escape between the peaks of the mountains. And yet the weight of the air around him felt lighter than normal, the chores a bit easier.

It was interesting how even as he completed his chores, his thoughts kept circling back to the man he'd met earlier. There was something about him, something intriguing and special, more than just that he was blessed by the gods. There was something about the man himself that left Isamu wanting to get to know him better, perhaps better than he'd known anyone. It led to him a few times stopping his his activities, broom stilled mid-sweep as he spaced out in memories of the early morning. Even his parents had noticed that he was acting strange, though they hadn't pressed him about it yet, just shaking their heads at their son and reminding him to get back to work.

And this is how the day past, thoughts circling between the mindlessness of the tasks in front of him and the mystery man from the morning. It was a repetitive pattern, if perhaps a pattern different from the days spread out behind him. He couldn't help but wonder about the days spread out before him at this point. How would taking in this escaped prisoner effect his life? Would it? Should he perhaps feel worried than the overwhelming sense of peace that was filling his body?

As the sun began to set later in the day, he circled back to the man house, gathering the supplies he'd set aside earlier before heading back to the lotus garden. He wanted to get there before the sun had a chance to fully set, not wishing to startle his new ward and knowing that if he didn't return to the main house shortly after his dark, his parents may worry. Even in their little island away from that war, fear still lingered in their minds about their only child. And Isamu couldn't completely blame them. But first, he wished to take care of Wufei.

Hours passed as Wufei slept. The days, or months really, without proper relaxation caught up with him and for the first time in so long, no dreams came to him. No flashes of gunshots through the leaves, wondering if it was your men, or the enemy. Would he get shot? The image of eyes wide open and shot with a hint of redness, but without life. Just young men like him missing the rice paddies and city, the summer festival with its dark sky light vividly to celebrate lovers from centuries past. He went many times as a child and marveled at the story and that wonderful bridge that brought two souls together again. Now, it felt as if that bridge might be torn asunder. No one thought about love now.

With the sun now inching toward the horizon, he heard a faint noise. Soft, gentle even, it didn't startle him to full awakeness. For half a second, he saw tiny hands out of the corner of his eye, lit by a spring morning sun. From her hands, a dozen wildflowers tumbled down to land on his cheek. "Wufei. Big brother, Wufei!" He heard a faint tinkling laugh and he reached out, trying to capture the nymph he woke him. When he tried to though, the image shattered away.

Wufei sat up sharply, finding just how late in the day it had gotten. He also saw in an instant what woke him from his sleep. On the other side of the garden, Isamu just worked his way into the alcove, not yet close enough to have seen Wufei, so he pushed back the foliage to meeting Isamu's eyes first.

"...You returned..."

"I promised I would, I keep my promises once made," Isamu said, smiling at the other man, it seemed right for his face to be picking out of the lotuses as if he were attempting to become one with the nature around him. He walked across the garden until he was standing just in front of where the other man had made his den, "I brought you food, bedding, and clothes," As he spoke, he hadden over the two wooden bowls in his hands, one filled to the top with rice, the other containing an assortment of vegetables and meat. Once his hands were free, he pulled the bag of his back which he'd stuffed the other items in, "I hope this can at least make you comfortable for the night. It will probably be pretty frigid, even in the summer months, part of being in the valley, unfortunately."

Silent for a second, Wufei just watched the other man as he neared, feeling no need to comment on or refute his words on promises. Clearly, some words did hold people, not that Wufei doubted Isamu. "Thank you..!" he breathed as he took the bowls. Even before Isamu reached his den, he could smell the warm food that didn't quite smell like home, but made him long for it more than prisoner rations ever did. He didn't pause before starting to eat and only after a few mouthfuls did he lift his eyes to meet Isamu's again. "The food is more than enough. You forget I am a soldier," he murmured. Though not exactly repentant over the words, he still felt the need to say them quietly even in a protected garden like this. "But your thoughtfulness is appreciated. I almost feel that you have done something like this before..." He trailed off with a faint smile, taking another bite. His eyes stayed on Isamu over the edge of the bowl though, watching, waiting.

"You may be a soldier now, but that is not who you always were, and somehow I cannot believe it is the life you imagined for yourself. Besides, you have been a prisoner of war for some time now, you should be treated with comfort and kindness and nothing less." Isamu settled down next to Wufei as he ate, adopting a relaxed pose next to him, before he answered him, "My family and I have offered sheltered to several over the years. There are many who are lost who manage to find their way through the gates of this temple. As such, we have items prepared for just these incidences. Perhaps it is different now with the war, but not so much, I still believe all people deserve to be treated with respect, and what my government says or does will not change that."

Wufei sighed, nodding his head once. "No, I am proud to be a soldier, but in another time..." He trailed off again, already feeling the weight of those words on top of him. "In another time...I wouldn't have been a soldier at all." He left it at that and went back to eating, finishing off the rice and vegetables so fast it made his stomach hurt, but he didn't mind it. The soreness pleased him in a way he almost forgot until now. "What of you? Where would you find yourself if this war had switched sides? You say this temple helped others before. I want to know more. About you and here." He sighed again as he set aside the bowls. He felt grateful to Isamu still, but right now, he wanted to know everything he could. And maybe, he just wanted to sit and talk long into the night with someone who could still look straight ahead without flinching at the sight of day.