Spring Winds

"Senior Sister! Look, it's snowing!" Zhu Na Ran excitably jumped and pointed at the window. Past the wooden window frames, soft puffs of ice fluttered through the air. "Can we go outside! Please!" Zhu Na Ran begged as she gave Ye LianHua pleading eyes.

The older disciple gave a look of indifference to the doe-eyed junior and resumed her work in filing paperwork. Typically, Master Luo would be the one to take charge of the work. However, he decided to play hooky instead. Therefore, pushing all of the work onto a very disgruntle senior disciple.

"Senior Sister," the younger disciple whined as she crouched in front of the desk, piled high with paperwork, and peeked her eyes over the surface to look at her apathetic senior. "We've been here for so long already. It's been already three months! Can't we take a small break?"

Ye Lian Hua didn't reply and continued to do her work, treating Zhu Na Ran as if she were air. A rather annoying breeze at that.

"Senior Sister, if you can't go, can you at least let me go outside?" Zhu Na Ran pleaded. She prayed that with the seasons growing colder, her senior's heart would at least grow warmer.

"No," Ye Lian Hua replied. Unfortunately for Zhu Na Ran, her senior sister's heart was even colder than even winter's most frigid storm. It wouldn't also hold a candle to Ye Lian Hua's icy treatment towards her. QAQ

"W-wha! Why?" Zhu Na Ran shot up and placed her hands on her h.i.p.s, looking down at her senior with disbelieving eyes.

Ye Lian Hua didn't even bother looking up at her junior and nonchalantly continued writing. "If you leave my sights, you'll run off to who knows where. As long as you are here, at least I know where you will be and that you will do your work."

"It was one time!" Zhu Na Ran defended.

Ye Lian Hua soundlessly placed down her brush and gave a chilling stare to Zhu Na Ran. The junior left the force of winter within the heated room and dropped her shoulders in shame. "Fine, fine, I will be good. Don't be mad," Zhu Na Ran mumbled and dragged her feet over to her small corner, where her unfinished work laid. True to Ye Lian Hua's word, Zhu Na Ran had to copy down the sect's rules several times. They don't even apply to Yu Lan Peak!

"They are supposed to discipline you and teach you to be a responsible person," Zhu Na Ran mimicked Ye Lian Hua's voice as she doodled on the blank pages.

"What." Ye Lian Hua stated coldly.

"Nothing!" Zhu Na Ran said as she continued to finesse her work.

She giggled to herself as she doodled little animals around her page. What great artist she was! Honestly, one day, people will look at her work and finally understand the deeper meaning behind her drawings.

"Is that suppose to be a black crow?" A cool voiced asked over her shoulder.

"Gah!" Zhu Na Ran shouted in shock as she used one hand to cover her ear and her body to cover her work. "It's a phoenix!" She cried out. Her face felt warm as she gave an accusatory glare to Ye Lian Hua. Her senior sister snuck up behind her, and then whispering into her ear, sent a weird shiver down her spine.

What is that! Zhu Na Ran glared at the faint triumphant smile that ghosted across Ye Lian Hua's face. Since when did Senior Sister have such a naughty side!

"Hmph," Ye Lian Hua smiled as she watched Zhu Na Ran become fl.u.s.tered for once. "Seeing that you won't do your work, I'll give you a deal."

"What kind of deal," Zhu Na Ran asked suspiciously. What has gotten into her senior? Usually, she won't even budge an inch to any compromise that she offered.

"I'll let you go outside," Ye Lian Hua began.

"Really!" Zhu Na Ran's eyes instantly lite up. Finally, she could get some fresh air! She no longer was holed up in this room with her senior for weeks! Whatever the conditions, she would accept if it meant that she could go outside.

"If," Ye Lian Hua stressed. "You promise to do one thing."

"Just one thing?"

"Eh, one."

"Okay, what is it? Tell me!"

"I'll tell you later."

"Why not now?"

"Do you want to go outside or not," Ye Lian Hua asked chillily.

"Yes! Fine, tell me late if that makes you feel better!" Zhu Na Ran bolted through the door before peeking her head back in. "And no take backs!"

"No take-backs," Ye Lian Hua promised as a fainted glimmer flashed in her eyes, unnoticed by Zhu Na Ran.

"Woo hoo!" Jumping and running through the snow, Zhu Na Ran rolled around in the fluffy fresh snow. The open field was an entire sea of white surrounded by an army of pink plum blossoms. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

However, it wasn't the falling snow nor the numerous pink blossoms that held Ye Lian Hua's attention.

It was the playful girl with golden brown hair that did.

Ye Lian Hua watched from a distance as Zhu Na Ran pranced in the field as snow fell upon her umbrella.

"Senior Sister!" Zhu Na Ran waved before hitting Ye Lian Hua's skirt with a snowball. "Hehe," she laughed before hurling another snowball towards Ye Lain Hua.

"Tsk," Ye Lian Hua shook her head, "that's it." Concentrating her spiritual energy, she pushed her power into the snow to create several giant snowballs. They quickly lifted themselves into the air and propelled towards Zhu Na Ran.

"No!" Zhu Na Ran cheerfully shrieked as she attempted to dodge the oncoming snowballs. While she was distracted with the snowballs, she failed to notice the position of her opponent.

"Oof!" She giggled as she fell into the soft snow. "Senior Sister, that's not fair," she teased.

Ye Lian Hua hovered over Zhu Na Ran fallen form, her leg between Zhu Na Ran's parted ones, and one hand trapping Zhu Na Ran's hands above her head. "Hmph," Ye Lian Hua cracked a smile. "Since when was this game suppose to be fair? There were no rules established."

"Hey! Is this supposed to teach me a lesson or something?" Zhu Na Ran asked as a questioning smile danced onto her face.

"Something like that," Ye Lian Hua answered.

"Something like that, huh?" As she rose an eyebrow. "So, you have me trapped here, what are you going to do with me now?"

Ye Lian Hua didn't answer as she took in the sights. Scanning their position, it was somewhat ambiguous. Zhu Na Ran laid under her with a pink flushed face and parted pink lips as she took in short breaths. Her golden-brown sprawled around her head like a halo.

While Ye Lian Hua silently analyzed Zhu Na Ran, she also silently watched her senior. With her hands trapped above her head, Ye Lian Hua's leg pinning her legs down and not to mention Ye Lian Hua's free arm trapped the other side of her face, she was at her senior's mercy.

However, even though she couldn't move, she didn't feel like struggling to escape. Instead, her body obediently laid still.

"Hah, why aren't you moving? Don't you want to escape?" Ye Lian Hua asked as she used her free hand to brush the stray strands of hair off of Zhu Na Ran's face.

"I dunno. I don't feel like escaping," Zhu Na Ran whispered back.

"Really?"

"Eh," she answered back, almost in a daze. For some reason, her body began to grow hot.

The two of them continued to stare at one another before Ye Lian Hua's head slowly leaned in closer. Unconsciously Zhu Na Ran closed her eyes and waited for something to happen.

She waited and waited.

However, nothing happened. Zhu Na Ran felt her Senior Sister pull away, and only then did she open her eyes.

"Huh? Why didn't you do anything?"

"It's not right," Ye Lian Hua said quietly and released her.

"What do you mean?" Sitting up, Zhu Na Ran gave Ye Lian Hua questioning eyes. "What's not right? Is it the situation? The mood? M-"

Ye Lian Hua's cold hand covered Zhu Na Ran's babbling mouth, preventing her from spewing more questions. She stopped talking and just looked at Ye Lian Hua quietly.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Lian Hua closed her eyes before opening them once more. "Zhu Na Ran, I have something to tell you."