lipsthatshame:

   She couldn’t really remember being hoisted up to her feet. The fire had been far too distracting for her vivid imagination. Unfortunately this wasn’t a dream like she had thought. It was definitely real. She couldn’t dream of this soldier so clearly. This boy had a face unique. Never in her life had she seen anyone like him. It was his features that helped to distract her from the burning bamboo. Oh, he had pretty eyes.

   ”Y-yes,” Rose took a careful step from him just to test her answer. Indeed, she could walk. Her legs felt slightly shaky, but she could do it. She just hoped that her rescuer knew the way out. As she steadied herself, she glanced up to the sky. She could see slices of twilight blue through the orange flames. The same color peeked out in front of her. There seemed to be a path that wasn’t entirely overtaken by fire.  She looked back at him, eyes wide, as if awaiting guidance through the thicket of flames.

Ping exhaled in relief, which was a bad idea, because the hot, dry air of the burning forest made his lungs sear with pain.  He couldn’t bite back a yelp of pain, but Ping set his shoulders squarely, narrowed his eyes against the smoke and faced firmly forward.  "Right.  Let’s…“  Intent on ignoring his own fear and escaping the tumbling singed branches around them, Ping had never thought of an end to that sentence.  He stumbled forward on legs that seemed thicker than usual, at as fast of a pace as he dared, because if he was having trouble moving, what about the woman at his side?  

The young recruit had never actually been trapped in a fire - that is, before today - but Ping would have liked to have thought that he’d leap to his feet and look for an escape.  He couldn’t imagine how terrified you’d have to be, immobile on the scorched grass while the world ended around you.  But maybe she’d never even been in a forest before.  It was just another question he wouldn’t find out the answer to.  One step.  Another.  Ping coughed, felt his stomach churn.  Another.  One more step, zuǒyòu.  One more -

The clean air seemed to rush over them like a winter wind.  As if in a dream, Ping saw Chien Po take the woman’s hands, gracious as a titled lady.  Wasn’t Ping holding her anymore?  Why was he, Mul - Ping on his knees?

Then his forehead was resting against the cool, unburned ground and Ping started to retch up the taste of smoke.