Chapter 18:

"It doesn't matter, Lu Han," Yoona said as she sat down beside him on the bed. She placed her chin on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"But it does, Yoona," he replied, not knowing of Yoona's agreement with Master Jay. "I promised you, didn't I? And I promised-"

"We can't get everything in this world, Lu Han. Besides, I'm pretty sure that keeping this child is more important than earning my degree at the moment. After all, I can do that when he or she is out here with us, can't I?"

"Yoona-"

"I still value education as much as I did then, Lu Han, but I realize that there are some more important things. We can't have everything we want. You and I... Our duty is to this country, not to ourselves. Isn't it our duty? Isn't that what binds us?

"Family is above self, isn't it? Isn't the country and all its people our family now? And children are God's blessings to men. Who are we to deny the blessings that He has given us? Love, I hold no bitterness to this choice. I have decided on my own; this I know for sure. So, do it for me?" she asked, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

Lu Han's insides were churning with guilt. It was his fault. No matter how many times Yoona says it, he will always feel that it was his fault. It was his.

...Because he loved her. And he was too selfish to let her go and let her live her life as she chose...

"I know what you're thinking. If it was a selfish decision, then I would have never agreed. But I did, didn't I? If it was selfish, then it was I who was selfish. Because I also loved you and I wanted to be by your side no matter what," she said in a slightly chiding tone. "Love is sacrificial. Love does what is good for others."

Lu Han reached a hand out and pressed his face closer to hers. "Lesson learned, then, love. Lesson learned."

"I trust you, Lu Han. Don't forget that," she said.

"Thank you. I love you."

~°~

"How far is it?" Baekhyun asked, staring up the wall with Tao by his side.

"High or long?" Tao asked, looking up as well. They were at the Great Wall on a little field trip, and the challenge had to do with scaling the looming wall.

"Never mind. I might lose my guts when I find out," Baekhyun said.

"That's the spirit! Numbers are only numbers, after all. Those figures don't matter if you really want to do something."

"It's still scary. What if I fall?"

"I won't let you; trust me."

Baekhyun sighed. If this was a test of trust, he wasn't exactly sure how Tao would rescue him if he lost his footing or his grip. Neither of them was Superman-

"But we don't need Superman," Tao noted. "Yeah, stop muttering if you don't want me to hear it. But I'm serious; Superman is nothing but a figure of a person's imagination that has become the epitome of so-called justice. But Baekhyun, no superhero is really good. Truthfully, they are more cowards than the ordinary man because they cannot easily die and they hide behind another identity. The real superhero is the person willing to do something despite the odds, the person who exerts himself more and more until he can do something good no matter how difficult the obstacle.

"The real superhero is the father who works from dawn 'til dusk in order to bring food for his family honestly; the mother who loves her children to a fault but knows that they must be disciplined for their own good yet loves them despite all their shortcomings; the man who risks his limb and life in order to try and save another."

"But I can't live through more than a two-story drop scratch-free."

"What did I just say?" Tao asked, shaking his head. "When you know you have everything in your hands, when you know that no blame will be put to your real identity, when you know that you're indestructible, when you're capable of anything in the world, you're no hero. There's nothing to face, Baekhyun. It takes courage to be a hero worthy of admiration, and when you can do all those things, you don't fear anything. It's just like walking down the park. No one's ever been named a hero for those things."

"But I'm scared."

"I'll hold your hand," Tao offered.

"How am I supposed to scale a wall if you hold my hand?" Baekhyun asked.

"I don't know. I guess we'll just have to find out," Tao shrugged.

Baekhyun sighed. "Go up with me?"

Tao nodded with a smile. "You've got guts. I like that."

There was nothing Baekhyun could do save give his mentor a crooked smile before embarking on the seemingly impossible journey.

~°~

The Emperor sat in his room, going about his work when he was hit by a violent string of coughs. Master Jay ran over with a warm cup of honeyed tea and patted his back. All these things had been taking a toll on him; the urgent matter of war games heading it all.

War games, despite its name, was no game at all. It was a real war, over a piece of land that another country was trying to claim. The matter was quite complex, as so many countries had 'claim' over the land, and China was one of them. He knew that the easier answer was to give it up, but for the prosperity of his people, it might be wiser to keep it. But lives were at stake if he decided to push through, and this plagued his nights.

Master Jay had been by his side, helping him find a better solution. He'd proposed for them to split it equally, but the others wanted it for themselves. But some of those countries had problems with massive corruption, and leaving it in the hands of men who knew only themselves was a waste of resources. And that was his biggest contender.

Greed was a problem, but he also wondered whether it was also greed that was pushing him to keep it.

"Your Majesty, I implore you to take a break," Master Jay said. "This is not good for your health. The doctor-"

"Let the doctor do what he does and let me do what I must," the Emperor grunted. "This matter must be solved before anything. Lu Han must not inherit this problem. It's too much to bear."

"Your Majesty, your health!"

"My health can wait; the country cannot."

"Lu Han has yet to have an heir. You must see your grandchild, your Majesty."

"That would be a luxury, Jay. A wonderful luxury that I will never-"

"Never say never, your Majesty."

"You're lecturing me, Jay?" the Emperor asked amiably. "A luxury, Jay. Something I hope to see but may never see."

"It pains me to see you like this."

"And it will pain Yoona so much more if it is Lu Han standing in my place. Or perhaps Lu Han if Yoona were in his mother's place. I will not allow history to repeat itself. Not so soon," he said. "Not so soon."

"But there is no fault in loving," Master Jay said.

"There is none. But my mistakes are mine alone, and I do not wish Lu Han to live under the weight of it all. If it was better for him to think that I never loved his mother, then so be it. It is difficult to grasp how I allowed such a thing, how she allowed such a thing... But-"

"Sacrifices must be made; I understand. Love is manifested in many ways," Master Jay agreed.

"I'm thankful you understand, Jay."

"But it is because you understood me first," he replied.

The history of these two men were tightly intertwined, that one cannot remove the other. And men can never live with forgetting those to whom they feel they owe something. Those are things felt and remembered the heart even when the mind has forgotten. That is why we can remember those we love and love them just the same even after they have gone.

For memories of the mind are beautiful, but memories of the heart are grand masterpieces that will never be forgotten.

~°~

Seven months had elapsed, and things within the household had the Emperor beaming with pride. Yoona had proven herself better than he had expected. There was still an ounce of stubbornness coursing through her veins as she refused to quit school, but she had come to a compromise, much thanks to Master Jay. She had become Lu Han's turning point, no doubt, for his outlook in work had ceased to be as gloomy as it was. He was no longer the mindless minion of the empire, but its rightful prince.

He still held a special affection towards children, directing much of his efforts their way, especially to the orphans' way, while he was still a prince. He knew that once he stepped on the throne as the Emperor, the ceased to be his sole priority, as he must care for the whole land as a unit.

The Emperor's heart was at peace, knowing that with or without him, his people would survive, because his heir was good. He was ready. But there was still something that bothered his mind, kept him awake at night. It was the issue of territory, and he wished to take care of it in his time, so as to save his son from the trouble.

"Dad, it's time for your medicine," Yoona said, entering the office with Master Jay behind her, carrying the medicine.

"You need not have gone through the trouble, dear," he said, but gratefully received the medicine. "You should worry more for yourself and your child."

"It was no trouble," she replied. "I had to learn as well. I'm your daughter-in-law, and I must take care of you, musn't I?"

"I do not require you to."

"But I wish to."

"Then I am grateful."

Yoona smiled. "And later, I shall present to you and Lu Han some things that I have prepared. It's-"

The Emperor entered had a fit of cough, surprising Yoona, but Master Jay wasted no time in helping the Emperor. Though they tried to hide it, Yoona saw the blood-stained handkerchief.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he said. Master Jay had left them alone in order to see to other important matters and give the two the time alone that they needed.

"But Dad, why?" she asked, holding back the tears. She wasn't afraid of blood, but she feared for his health and his safety.

"There are some things that we simply cannot control," he said, but went on to recount to her the story she needed to hear--the whole truth.

~°~

They say that love takes on many faces, many forms and manifests itself in many ways. We cannot see it because as people, we have become blind to the things that are intangible. We have set our eyes on the physical, the material and discarded what is truly valuable. When we try to undo the damage or try to make amends, we end up getting hurt, but if we don't, we end up hurting others. But love is sacrificial. Those that love, and love truly, are those that are willing to suffer to right wrongs so that those that we love may be set free from the that they have trapped themselves in, or from the ones we have caged them in.

We love because we were first loved.

The news of what the Emperor had done had shocked the world. He had pushed for the claim and gotten it--but at a price. His health had deteriorated far too much in his exertion, and not long after, the country was in mourning for his passing.

Yoona held Lu Han tightly in her arms as he cried.

Losing his mother was not the same. She had been there, but she had also disappeared quickly. She had left him in the hands of others, but he did not blame her. Life was short, and no one was capable of escaping the clutches of death save God Himself. But losing his father, of whom and with whom he had many memories with, was difficult. It felt as if part of his world had crumbled. It was only now that he realized how much he truly loved and valued his father, though he had always known of these things and sought small opportunities to show it.

Yoona softly sung a song, a new one she had heard recently on the radio. It struck her as cruel, for her to be singing it at such a time, but she felt that now, more than ever, he needed to know what his father had done for him.

~°~

Something about new life seemed to lift everyone's spirits. And the birth of a new prince, so shortly after the passing of the late Emperor, gave them a promise of renewal. Yoona couldn't help but be happy at her choice, though it was difficult.

At his coronation, Lu Han sat with mixed emotions. Finally, he was no longer confined to someone else's whims and restrictions, but then again, his father's orders to him never were simply whims that he had. They were thoughts and cares that came from the bottom of his heart full of love. And he wasn't sure if he was particularly happy because of how he had come to the throne.

"You never killed anyone," Yoona said, holding his hand tightly. "You were always obediently by your father's side no matter how you disliked how he handled some things. Such as when he wanted you to choose."

Lu Han's eyes widened like saucers at that. "H-how did you-?"

"Master Jay knew all about it and told me. Lu Han, your father would never do that, but because you weren't willing to listen, he had to. Now listen to me. The country is in your hands now, and you're a father. You have to know: no one expects you to be perfect. They expect you to be true to them. They believe in you, I believe in you, and I'm pretty sure our son, no matter how young he is right now, believes in you.

"Experience is the best teacher, isn't it? And examples are better than commands. Set the example, dear, and he will grow up well. I'm here, and so are your friends. My brother, I hear, hopes to work with you," she said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"What?" he blurted out.

"He's always dreamed of being an ambassador, and he tells me he hasn't had the chance to show you how he appreciates what you've done for me."

"Is he planning on becoming like Baekhyun?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Baekhyun is hell-bent on becoming a guard, that's for sure. I don't know what my brother did to him! He feels as if he has to protect me from something."

"But...?"

"I guess that's what friends are for," she shrugged.

He kissed her gently on the lips and said, "Yes. I'm sorry for everything that I've made you go through. But I'm thankful to you for sticking by my side."

"No, thank you. You taught me better than anyone else just by loving me."

"I guess... That's love," he shrugged.

The other part of Lu Han was happy that Heaven had blessed him so well. So Heaven listens to His people after all, and love was the greatest form that he had ever felt.

A/N: I said I'd update tomorrow (Wednesday, 2012 October 17, CST), but because I'm happy (because of Ailee's comeback), I decided to do it earlier.^^