*GuHai*

YiYang feels like a rock submerged a hundred feet underwater. He feels lost and at a loss for words. His brother had just finished telling him who he was...who his human mate was. The crown prince knew more now than he did half an hour ago. However, that didn't mean he could wrap his mind around it.

"Brother, are you with me?" YiHuang calls. There is an urgency, a kind of desperation behind his words as his hand settles on the crown prince's shoulder.

The words and the way his younger brother's eyes search his grounds the crown prince. 'Now is not the time to fall apart. At least, YiHuang is still my brother...he is my cousin. Professor Kwan's son.' He nods. "I think I understood most of it." He tries to sound all business-like and starts counting on his fingers:

* There were three seeds, not two like father believes.

* The Elders misinterpreted the words of the First.

* Your human is the first, and you are the second.

* Something is obstructing your view of the third. But you believe that it might be the man who attacked the Resistance Facility.

* Professor Kwan may be your father.

* You share combined consciousness, or something like that with the officer, and since he landed on TengFei, both of you have been having visions.

* The reason Professor Kwan knew about dimensions and believed in you is because his father's sister, Princess Daiyu, could walk through dimensions and create rifts in time and space as well.

YiYang takes a deep breath. Overwhelmed. "It's a lot to take in, Ah-Huang. Even so, how could father not find fault with the way the words of the first were interpreted."

YiHuang finds the statement odd, "Brother, do you know the words of the first?"

The older prince nods, "Ah-Kun told me about it. When we were not yet of age, he caught a glimpse of the words in his father's library. Even though father has tried to keep it under wraps, I more or less know what is on his mind. He believes that when the planets align, the stolen 'Key' will return to TengFei." He looks between Zhang and his younger brother, "With the blood of the seeds, the First shall rise. He, with the help of XudianJi, will lead us out of our troubles." He takes a deep breath, "I am presuming that that's not the case, am I right?"

YiHuang purses his lips, and Zhang nods.

"You don't want to tell me what the words of the first actually mean, do you?" YiYang's question is met with silence. He averts his eyes, "It's alright. I understand that the lesser I know, the better it is for me if I am questioned." He sighs, "I think father was behind the sabotage of Resistance Facility. You must have thought the same, am I right?"

Zhang nods. "Yes. We agree. The assailant had great power. We have reasons to believe that the person working for the Emperor is the third seed. Not only was he able to enter the facility without arousing suspicion, but he was also able to get the information, destroy the master server and manipulate everyone's memories as well. That, coupled with the fact that we still haven't been able to see past the haze when it comes to the third seed, gives us reason to believe that he is the one we are looking for."

The three get talking once again, discussing, connecting the dots, and deciding on the next course of action.
After much deliberation, they decide that the princes should present themselves to the Emperor and keep the Emperor distracted, thus buying time for Zhang to test Xue. Zhang suggests YiHuang think of a way to protect YiYang's mind from the assailant. After all, from what they had witnessed at the Resistance Facility, they knew that the assailant could access and manipulate memories, and it would be disastrous if YiYang fell prey to it.

YiYang hands over the metal plank that he had used to hack into the system the night before, and the three arrive at a conclusion that the best place for Zhang to stay while they are away is GuHai. "Once darkness falls, you can go to the launch bay. You can proceed with a preliminary test, and if you think everything is in order, you can-"

"No. I need to see Zhang before he leaves." YiHuang cuts in, leaving YiYang no space to argue. "I will make an excuse...any excuse. I will do whatever it takes." He fixes Zhang with a determined gaze, "I will come to you. Trust me."

Once again, the feeling of third-wheeling returns to YiYang. He couldn't help but think of the one in his heart. "I reckon we have only a few minutes to spare." He informs and notices that the other two had simply chosen to ignore him. "I can see that you have things to discuss. Do what you need to do quickly." He turns to leave but halts again; looking over his shoulder, he adds, "Meet me at the reception area in exactly the same attire we had arrived there."
Thankfully, he gets a response in the form of a nod of acknowledgment from the duo, who are lost in each other's eyes.

The crown prince huffs, "Shameless!" And leaves.

Zhang takes YiHuang's hand in his and traces the faint mark the charm had left on the latter when he had touched it days ago.

Zhang smiles and pulls out the disk-shaped object from the front of his robes. He catches the prince's questioning gaze, "Will you let me place it on your palm?"

YiHuang nods without hesitation, "I know it won't hurt me anymore." He states confidently, "I think I know why it hurt me then."

"Care to elaborate?" Zhang's eyes take on a mischievous glint.

YiHuang wraps his arm around the latter's slender waist, "Because it wanted me to examine it. And once I did, our minds began to sync." He points at the disk-like object, "This is no charm. It's the vessel that held our cores. It's the source of the vine that gave us life. When I sent my bots to examine it, the hidden code inside activated. However, being dormant for centuries, it took time for the syncing to complete."

Zhang beams, "I knew you would catch on. Ah-Huang, I need it to stay here in case I don't return."

"It's useless if you don't return, you know that!" YiHuang exclaims, nonetheless he accepts the token. Understanding dawns on him suddenly, "You need me to buy time with it!"

Zhang nods, "When the time comes, they will know it's not what they have been looking for, but till then, it can keep them occupied. Its purpose was to link our minds. It has already happened. It's nothing more than a souvenir, a charm now." He steps closer and runs his fingertips over the latter's forearm, "Unless,"

"It falls into the Third's hand." YiHuang completes. "I will make sure to put an invisible detector on it. We are still not sure if the assailant is the one who will complete us. As soon as the disk comes in contact with the Third, I will know about it; if it is him, it may be difficult to convince him to join our cause. Moreover, he is on my father's side. If his mind links with ours..." he leaves the sentence unfinished.

"He won't be able to see anything that doesn't concern him. What we have is just ours, Ah-Huang."

Relief floods the young prince. "In that case, I will ask my brother to make a trip to Kynlun. I will install the detector on the charm before we leave for TengFei." He leaves a breath he didn't know he was holding and strokes the human's brow before pulling him into his embrace.

The two pairs of orbs brim with tears, but none lets them fall.

"If we can stop the XudianJi from invading, half the battle is won." Zhang brings their lips together in a soft, long, lingering kiss. It deepens as YiHuang responds by parting his lips, letting the latter take what he wants. They bathe in each other's scent and taste till a beep from YiHuang's ComD makes them step away from each other.
YiHuang plays the message which reads, "There is only so much fluff I can put up with."

YiHuang frowns. "I don't understand that reference."

Zhang smiles and teases, "Your brother is better at understanding human phrases than you, your highness." He wipes the spit off his lover's lips, "Ah-Huang, don't you dare kiss anyone when I am gone..."

"You won't be gone that long. Stop acting dramatic."

"It's a human thing I have acquired from my mother," Zhang's eyes twinkle.

YiHuang laughs; shaking his head in amusement, he states, "A human thing you say, how ironic. I wonder what other human traits has the First acquired?"

"It's a secret. But I can give you a hint. It's something that will make you very...very...happy." Zhang winks; with one last quick kiss, YiHuang disguises himself as a woman and exits the room. He meets YiYang at the reception area where the older pays for Zhang's extended stay before departing for Kynlun.

{Author's Note :- Word count 1563

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