Ice & Love

"Let me go!" You whisper as you are trying to break free from him while keeping your eyes on the blade.

He pushes you with all his strength back on the bed. You are scared to stand up again or even to turn at him. He can be standing there, watching you and waiting for the right moment to end you.

"Look at me." Kuai says after a long while.

"No."

"Look at me." Kuai repeats.

"I do not want to."

"I will count to three. One, two..."

But before he can finish the countdown, you kick him in his leg with full force and roll from the bed. Just as you try to stand up and run, he grabs you by the back of your neck and pushes you to the ground. With his knee on your upper back, you can not escape from him. Your body is full of fear, but you still try to focus and look around for the weapon.

"Do not even try it." Kuai growls.

"What are you going to do with me?"

"I just allowed you to decide. And still, you are kicking and screaming like a child."

"Do you want to kill me?"

"You gave me no other choice."

"All I want is to leave. Please. Let's forget about all of this and move on."

"I will not forget so easily as you obviously will. I gave you everything. I even took you here when your family didn't want you anymore."

"That's not true!" You shout, but he quickly silences you by pushing his knee deeper in your back.

He uses your frustration as a distraction and ties up your hands behind your back. Kuai takes you by your ankles and starts pulling you further from the door. You let out a quiet moan because you scratched your face painfully on the floor.

"What happened?" He stops and leans over to you.

When he does not get his answer, he turns you on your back.

"Your beautiful face." Kuai caress your bleeding cheek with a sad gaze on his face.

"Why do you care about how I look?" You look at him with disbelief. "You are planning to kill me!"

He hushes you by placing his hand over your mouth.

"Let me explain it to you one last time. You are the one that wants to leave. I do not know why you came here other than to make me fall in love with you and use it against me. Did you learn everything that you needed? So you can go and report it to our enemies?"

"Are you out of your mind?! What are you even talking about now?"

"Did you love me?" He frowns. "Truly? Or was it all just a game?"

"With my whole heart, Kuai. Do you hear me? But then you became possessive, borderline crazy. I can not take it anymore." Your eyes get filled with tears.

He carefully brushes away hair from your face.

"I am on the floor with my hands tied up like some animal. Do you think it is normal?"

"No, of course not. You could sleep in my arms right now. Instead, we are fighting because of you."

You want to protest, but he places his hand over your mouth again. But this time, covering your nose too.

"Let me ask you something. Why are you so afraid to be loved? I will give you everything. All you have to do is to let me."

You start to panic because you are running out of oxygen, and he does not want to put his hand away from your face. Your legs are kicking in the air without the possibility to reach him.

"Please." You moan into the hand.

"I can not hear you."

Kuai leans to your face as close as possible with a satisfied smirk that fades right after you smash his nose with your forehead. He lost his balance long enough for you to escape from his grip. You crawl as fast as possible, but he grabs you and pulls you back to him. As he turns your body to him, you stab him in the neck with the ice blade. It was right under the bed, waiting for its time.

"What have you done?" He falls back and looks at you with a shock and a gaze that breaks your heart.

You quickly cut the rope tied around your hands and grab the blanket.

"I am sorry! Do you hear me? I am so sorry. Let me help you."

You lean to him and pull his hand from the wound. But there is none. When you look at him, you realize that he is watching you with pure hatred.

"Did you try to kill me with ice? Really?" He laughs. "And I thought that you were one of my best students."

He slaps your face with all of his strength. You landed on the floor and hit your head.

"Not again." You keep repeating to yourself. "I can not faint. Not right now."

You stand up and run. As you open the door, you realize that Kuai is watching you. So it is another hunt.

Hallways are empty. Everybody is sleeping. If you try to wake up your friends, it will take Kuai just a second to silence you before you can even say hello. You run into an open bedroom.

"Unlock the door." Kuai whispers.

"No, he can not know that I am here." You try to convince yourself.

"Students that this room belongs to are coming back soon. Immediately open the door."

"Why? They can help me. They can save me from you."

"Because I will kill them right in front of you, and I will make you watch."

"Why would you do that?!"

"Because you are an ungrateful brat, and you need to learn where your place is."

"It does not make any sense!" You squeal desperately.

"They are coming. So what do you want to do? Should I kill them and make it seem like you did? Or maybe they will help me to hunt you down. I can convince them that you disobeyed and wanted to run away."

You unlock the door, and without looking at him, you walk as fast as you can only to get away from him. You wouldn't be a first traitor among Lin Kuei. You would never get more support than the Grandmaster.

Two students are coming your way, and you don't know what to do. Risk yours or theirs life?

"Go back to the room." Kuai says to you. "Now."

You feel like a child that did something wrong, but the punishment will be much worse than a few spanks.

Kuai shoves you into his bedroom. He slaps you right after he closes the door behind you.

"Can I get out of this alive?" You ask him on the verge of tears.

"Of course." Kuai looks at you with the empathy of the whole world. "Just be the good girl that you used to be."

You slowly sit down on the bed.

"I want to go home, to my family." You hide your face in your hands.

"Why would you want that?" Kuai kisses you on the head. "They do not love you. Not like I do."

"Take me home, please."

"Why? Am I hurting you somehow?"

"Yes."

"That is because you are making me." Kuai gently caresses your back. "You are special. Do you hear me?"

You look at him desperately.