Beautiful Requiem
by Don Shizumi
Author's Note: I am so sorry. Due to fanfiction.net's rules about no longer being able to do interactive stories, I must say, no more characters. Sorry about that. This is re-uploaded, in hopes that this story will still be good. Hey, you know what? Forget it! Send characters to my e-mail. You're not allowed to interact through the reviews, sending your characters through there. Otherwise, no more interaction, just reviews and suggestions for chapters to come will do.
It was a beautiful morning. Beautiful because the birds were chirping, the flowers blooming, and armies were at rest, no fighting today. It was time standing still if anything and that was all that he needed. The date was (by Roman standard) June 12, 192. A ten year old boy would be walking around, a smile constantly on his lips, he lived in the plains up north, where the people were numerous and the horses grew loyal and faster. This was also the place where Cao Cao ruled, where the King of Wei would set his base up and that was all due to the horses and the people here. Hell, even people were raised loyal.
"Days can't get anymore beautiful than this." The boy sounded off.
The boy himself was about four feet even, not a very imposing sight. He had long black hair that he failed to do anything about, and it would just flow free behind him as he walked. Long black hair would mingle with the wind and show eternal grace and beauty within the child, just by the hair. It was about hip's length at the moment, and with ever blow of the wind, the bottom of the hair would pick up and blow in that direction as well. Tendrils of black would part just on his forehead, giving him a clean and neat appearance and one singular strand of the jet black hair would poke right on the middle of the forehead, only one that was hard to keep kept.
"Sure is warm."
The boy blinked his hazel eyes at the trees around him. Each blink was like a photograph to him, each burning into his memory as he would take in the pink peach blossoms and the green grass littered with animals and make it an everlasting image to his mind.
(AN: Yes I know photograph wasn't invented then, I am merely using an elaboration)
He wore loose fitting robes, white and blue, with golden trimming going down. On the back there was a black pattern painted on, the pattern of a black dragon. It was beautiful non-the less and could easily have been admired by even the royal family. His sound was not disturbing, a very paced "Clack, clack" as he walked freely among the stone path.
Three weeks ago, his brother was inducted into the Wei special unit, the Wildcat Riders started by Sima Yi. His brother bid him farewell and that was the last he ever saw of him. The sound of him and his departing mounted spearmen shouting "Huzzah!" to greet their new member and then the thunderous hooves retreating into the distance, the sounds of "Goodbye!" and "So long!" lingering in his ears, nearly drowning those certain hoof beats. But for some reason, he couldn't remember his brother's face, just his voice.
"Oh Xing! Zhao Xing? Come here!" A woman's voice rang out, it was his mother's, he DID remember his father, the Great Zhao Yun, The Tiger of the Chang Ban Slopes, The Mighty Zilong. Everyone has heard of him. He was the one who single handedly plowed through hundreds of lord Cao's troops to save a child. Funny how his "great" father couldn't bring his family with him, his mother, himself and his brother was left alone, all alone. There was nothing to do but surrender their land to the incoming Wei army as they would slaughter anyone who defied them. It made Xing angry and when he responded to his mother, he would accidentally respond in a defiant and very perturbed tone.
"What is it?! What do you want?" Zhao Xing's voice rang out, giving of a diminutive version of Zhao Yun's voice. His mother reeled back and his eyes were now wide. Looking to her son she would shake her head and look away.
"Mother! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean that!" He would get on his knees before his mother and bow to her "I'm so sorry mother! Please forgive my insolence!"
The mother would simply smile and shake her head once more. Bringing a tender hand down and to her son's face, she would gently lead him to stand up with just a little pull upwards, a caring smile upon her face; she would tilt her head to the side and just look upon her son.
"Don't beg for forgiveness, you'll always have mine if you do wrong around me...just don't do what you did next time, all right, little love?" She said, now pinching little Zhao Xing's cheek
Zhao Xing's eyes would perk up and he would smile an awkward smile, mostly due to his mother pinching, but he would shake her hand off and nod to her quickly
"Right mother! I won't do it again! I'm gonna go back into the woods and find someone to play with!"
His mother would just keep that smile and laugh whole heartedly.
"Of course, my sweet treasure, just go on and play, maybe you'll meet a nice little girl too!"
"Mother!!!" His cheeks flaring red and his eyes going wider, he'd fall back and grumble to himself, standing himself back up, he'd look up to his giggling mother.
His mother, Ma Yuan Li would just look like one that wouldn't have give birth, she looked...too fair and ...young, she had a gentle grace about her, long smooth hair that was let down just like her son's, her lips were peach and her eyes would be a bright hazel. She would be clad in the same robes as her son's, with exception that hers were bigger of course. A small nose and fair skin would round off her appearance. She wasn't as beautiful as she was...elegant...to be admired. Her aura was just so enticing and welcoming. This was something the boy was definitely proud of in his mother. He wanted to have his mother be the way she was, even when she grew old and when he had brought her children that were to be her grandchildren. She would always tease him like this, but the little spawn of Zilong wouldn't mind it.
"Mother! I'll be home for dinner! Goodbye mother." Finally giving a little wave to her mother, he would turn around and depart, towards the group of children that were playing tag in the woods beyond, guarded by only one of the men that weren't off harvesting. Not all were playing tag, some people were playing checkers or listening to the man tell stories about war in the far off lands. The old men would only scoff at their playing and would just mumble about their inadequacy and ramble on about how it was in their days.
Now being a ten year old boy at this time was a disadvantage, had neither the height nor the mass that some of the older boys or even some of the older girls had. He was a mere feather when they tagged him. But being the son of the great Zhao Zilong, he continued with playing tag and would just smile as he would get pushed into the dirt.
"Don't forget your sister, young Zilong." his mother would call after him, nicknaming him after his father, soon, a little girl about three would toddle out. She wouldn't have the boyish, light appearance that Zhao Xing had, but she looked even lighter, sickly even. The pale, yet cute little girl would start to walk slowly to her older brother, walking and smiling as she finally reached her brother's outstretched hand and she was brought to him. Jumping at it and grasping the larger hand of her brother, the little girl clad in a miniature version of his robes, with the exception of that it was pink, now clung onto her older brother. She had cute features, including a button nose and a little mouth that always seemed to be in a smile. It was a cute vision to see a big brother helping his little sister by walking her while she toddled beside him, hand in hand.
(AN: You having a hard time thinking of character visions? I know you are. Even with description come a few people that don't know anything. Zhao Xing looks like a miniature version of Zhao Yun and then you have the little girl, which looks like the little girl from Rurouni Kenshin. Yes, those two girls that imitate Miss Kaoru at the beginning. NO! Not Tsubame!)
"Zhao Xiao, how are you doing, little sister?" He asked his sibling kindly.
The little girl would only nod her head to her brother and smiled. She had never spoken to anyone in her life because of some odd reason. But though she never spoken in her life, but she understood the basic language, due to her responses, so the physicians have deemed her mute. It was
"Good, let us play with the-WHOAH!" Zhao Xing and Xiao were both pushed to the ground by two older boys, both of their light frames easily being put down. Zhao Xing would only grunt and spit out the mud, glaring at the two boys that pushed him. It wasn't long before he stood up to the large boys, eyeing them up, but his would be aggression would be interrupted by the sound of crying behind him, since they were all the way out in the woods, and only one adult present, who was busy with his stories, she would start running away from the sight towards their village. Now since they were all the way out here, it would be hard to find the village once more, since they DID wander into the woods.
"Wait no! Come back, Xiao! Hey! Xiao!" Zhao Xing broke off the stare off with the two older boys and started to run after his sister. Damn she was fast for her age, he tried in vain to keep her within sights, but she was short, and very agile. The combination of her speed and the wooden terrain was soon utilized against him as it was only a matter of time before she slipped into the bushes and disappeared completely, leaving only the echoing sounds of her crying in the air. "Xiao! No! Come back, argh! Stop crying and come back if you're hurt!"
Reasoning did not work with Xiao, as she only cried when she heard his voice more.
"You can talk if you can cry Xiao! Talk to me!"
"..." It was no use; she just didn't feel like talking.
He tried to go after her, but in light of what he thought, she wasn't crying any more. She was just looking at a rushing waterfall, her eyes entranced by the running water, it seems. Xing, arriving just in time to see her, he would sigh in relief, not knowing what would happen next.
"Xiao! You had me worried! Don't do that again!" He said now sitting next to her, brushing his long hair from his face and shoulder back to perfect proportions on his back. Smiling, he would bring his hand up to her hair and started ruffling her own black hair with his fingers. "So don't do that again, little sister, all right?"
Xiao would just nod her head, droned by the water. It would be one more thing he saw before something happened. Something that would make Xing ran after her as he she sped dangerously away from him again. She ran at the edge of the cliff, where the waterfall started and then threw her self off.
"HEY!" he jumped just in time to grab the collar of Xiao's robes, her light form just dangling off of his light hands "Xiao, don't do that! Umph! I can't hold on! Climb up on my-" He didn't have any other word in on her; she would bring a hand down and untie the front of her robes, leaving her naked as she would plummet down to a watery grave below.
Xing couldn't believe it. Backing up, he would start breathing hard and shaking his head in disbelief, taking an ill placed step back and falling to the ground. He would quickly stumble to his feet; heading towards the village...mother...mother would know how to get her back.
Passing through the woods, he would see something horrible...many children were scattered upon the ground, wallowing in their blood and ripped flesh...most had arrows through them, but some had significant slices on their faces, their back, some even were ripped in half, allowing entrails to be seen...Unbelievable...gore...blood...and this started out a perfect day too...what had happened?! The village...He needed to see the village! One person he saw caught his eyes, as she was the only one crawling away...she had a long line down her cheek, right below her eye. An arrow must have grazed, inches away from killing her. Running to the older girl, he would quickly take her up, grabbing her upon the shoulders and lifting her up to her feet. The girl would just raise an eyebrow to the smaller boy wrapping his arms around her and then just nodded in thanks once he finally brought her to her feet. Xing would just smile back and nod, turning towards the village and ran. Mother, sister...and dead village children? Something was certainly amiss.
Halfway to the village, he saw men and women running away, carrying valuables and other things that they wanted, coveted, plundered, or already had, seeing them take advantage of the chaos. Those stupid people didn't matter...mother...he needed to see mother! He was nearly trampled by the bigger men, who were carrying jewels, clothes, fine silks. Everything they found in other houses and shops, they had stolen and carried with them. Xing even heard the shrill screams of two women as they were carried away by a man who wished to make them his. It was sickening how they couldn't band together. How a village as large as this couldn't fight back and keep themselves and their neighbor safe. Mother...The more he thought about everything, the more he thought of his mother.
Dashing through the people, he would find some soldiers chasing them with their swords rose, striking at those who ran at them. Wei...those blue and indigo wearing men that represented a large portion of the Wei army, came running through. Led by none other than the ones in silver helmets, mounted upon steeds and pointing their spears at the innocents. Chaos...it was Cao Cao's time indeed, if he was always known as the Hero of Chaos...but so much blood...splattered upon the houses, under the people left for dead...he would even see a child clutched to his mother, as an arrow been driven through the young one's head and straight through the mother's belly...that just pushed him more...mother...his own mother...he needed to find her. He couldn't bear the incredible pain in his chest, as it grew and grew with the fires spreading amongst the village. Dodging attack from the soldiers, utilizing his small body well, he would see his house.
Ma Yuan Li, was sitting ever so patiently upon the house's steps would smile as she sat there, not seeming to care about the flames. Opening up her arms, she accepted Xing into her arms as Xing would just cry into her, shaking his head and just crying. He wouldn't expect it, but his mother would then grab Zhao Xing by the collar and threw him away from herself....sliding to a stop on the dusty road, he would let out another burst of tears as he looked up to his mother, his pleading eyes look for answers as to why she did so.
"Mother..." He let out one longing, monotone call for his mother, as he finally saw her backing away from a mighty Wei officer. He had no hair and the sun seemingly reflected on his shiny head. The tall man was at least eight spans tall and his black eyes would just eye down Lady Ma since he was much taller than the woman. He had on black chest plating and blue pants, but that's all young Xing could distinguish for now...but wait...he had a large iron axe, nearly as big as the man's whole chest! That could only mean one thing...he's arrived...The Coming Evil...has come to destroy everything, just like the legends.
"MOTHER!" He'd yell, reaching out one hand towards her falling body, ducking under two slashing Wei officers, who were bent on killing the last innocents within the village, and ran towards Dian Wei, but he only smiled...he would grasp his axe handle and spun his axe around and in one flash, his axe was down by his side again...Lady Ma's eyes went wide...her forehead started to emit blood...just one drop first...but then, more and more gushed out...that beautiful and fair face of the proud mother, now smothered in blood as she would take her last look of reality, her last look of her life, at a smiling Dian Wei and then plummet to the ground, her body crumpling at his feet and him only laughing, chuckling at the woman's death.
"Hahaha! I have destroyed this woman, the woman of Zilong! He won't be fighting well now!" Dian Wei said proudly to the laughing Wei sadists that were behind him, also shaking with laughter at the cruel and unusual death of the woman before them.
Zhao Xing couldn't believe this...his sister had gone crazy and killed herself, his village people were slaughtered and his mother...his mother...his mother...his mother...
Every time he thought of her, the words 'Mother' would echo through his mind, his eyes looking up at the flames with a combination of fear, bewilderment and sadness at the same time. He had lost every single thing right this very day! Why did it happen to him? WHY?! Why Zhao Xing? His father had excellent luck, and had left his family. To Xing that was bad enough, but now, the hurt buried deep in his chest seemed to spread through out his body.
"Grah...mother...sister."
"Feh! Your little sister was naïve! Just shut up kid and you can die with your mom. Your little sister is gonna be a BIG help to us." Dian Wei said with an evil sparkle in his eye. He would only bring his axe to his shoulder, laying the blunt side on the base of his neck, giving off a cocky grin at the same time towards the young Zilong spawn.
"Mother...Zhao Xiao...my home."
"I said shut up!"
Dian Wei was growing tiresome of the boy, the kid repeating his words again...was he thick in the head?! He should run away before he unleashes the coming evil! HA! Foolish youth! Getting tiresome of the young boy's babbling very quickly, he'd just smile, even though his eyes had the most perturbed mannerism any man could ever deem, ever.
"Mother...Zhao Xiao...my home." he'd only murmur the name of his sister and that one word that kept all the time within his mind again and shake his head, warm streams of tear pouring down either of his hazel eyes, which seemed to have changed color to a dark brown. Gritting his teeth, he started to shake, making all the soldiers laugh behind him and Dian Wei looking down on what he thinks will be his next victim. But he would only look up to Dian Wei and glare daggers, spears and poison at the man, causing even HIM to back away and flinch "You took my home!"
"So what? I took your brother too! And I'll take your sister's maidenhead! And I'll kill YOU!" He said, recovering from his flinch now raising his axe. The soldiers would all cheer as he would bring the axe down at the child. The child saw the axe fall towards his face in slow motion, his eyes reflecting the fire and the tears reflecting his mother's dead body.
Amazingly, Zhao Xing would bring his hands up and clasp them around the sides of the axe, preventing it from ever reaching his face and splitting him into two. Dian Wei merely shook his head, amazed at the boy. But Zhao Xing was giving it all he got, whilst Dian Wei was just giving him some child's play of his own. He would start to chuckle. This boy was worthy enough for a fight any day. But this was going to be both embarrassing and very anger inducing in the future.
"A strong little idiot, aren't you?" Dian Wei would taunt the boy, smirking as the boy struggled with the axe looming inches overhead, threatening to kill him in one blow.
"My home...my mother...my brother...sister...GIVE THEM BACK!" he said now raising Dian Wei by the weapon, causing all the soldiers to reel back in fear...a mere boy...lifting up Dian Wei by his own axe?! Impossible! The Great Dian Wei was now up in the air by a good two feet above the ground as the boy was now pouring with sweat and his eyes flowing with tears...he was in no mood to be trifled with, but this boy was on the verge of madness. This was too much for him to comprehend with his young mind. All he knew was that he had lost every single thing in one day. Something had caused him to do this, everything that Ma Yuan Li taught him about peace was gone...pieces like his mother.
"He's the spawn of demons!"
"No! He's the son of Lu Bu!"
"Just RUN! He won't catch us if we run!"
The over-panicked Wei soldiers would turn on their heels and run as fast as they could out of the village, leaving Dian Wei hovering a few feet above the ground as he would firmly grasp the weapon again and leap out of the small youth's grasp. This boy wasn't going to be the end of The Coming Evil. But he was going to meet the end of himself, as long as Dian Wei was alive.
"You really ARE an idiot! Thinking you can match ME?!" Dian Wei now taunted the child with a rude gesture and then a swing of his axe, a loud "SWISH" coming when he did so.
"I want my mother back! GIVE BACK MY MOTHER!" Zhao Xing would be fueled with the utmost anger and hate now, he would run at Dian Wei, his fist would be risen up as if to strike at the man.
They charged at each other with Dian Wei's axe raised and Zhao Xing raising his fists. They were mere inches from each other, the heavy axe man's weapon next to the boy's chest and the boy's fist next Dian Wei's face.
O O
"And...that's as long as I can remember from it."
"Wow...that's odd...I don't remember anything like that."
It was Zhao Xing that was speaking to an obvious female acquaintance. He was older now, at least ten-twelve years older, having the voice of a man now.
(AN: Again...for those imagination challenged...he has the voice of Dynasty Warriors 3 Sun Quan.)
Wearing a tight, form fitting red jumpsuit that allows him quick movement...He would wear black and white robes over his jumpsuit, one's of an ancient monk. The sleeves and leg parts are tied with a band to keep the cloth from flying into a foot or fist, much like a Shinobi's. Around his neck, he would wear a pink ribbon that looked oddly familiar. It was part of the robes that Zhao Xiao had left behind when she fell down the cliff that day to the waterfall. His hair is long, very long...it nearly reaches up to his knee...long tendrils will part on his forehead, letting him see. His hair looked very smoothed and the jet black color that it is, always shining...Having a pretty boy face to go along the pretty boy hair, but it was a serious one at best. But otherwise, it's mostly him looking as he is. He was twenty one now and talking to another fellow villager who was one of the children...she survived and was, like him, living in the midst of the repaired housing.
"I remembered running past by you when you were knocked out. I helped you. Didn't I?"
"Don't count on it! I was just...wallowing in pain? ...Oh shut up! Don't make me hit you! AGAIN...And again, and again...I won't hesitate either...so just be quiet!" Hitting the man on his head, the woman would merely "Hmph" and brush off her fingers. The new scene was a bar, packed with people all around, obviously children and people who moved in after the massacre.
She looked about normal height but a bit taller than the normal Asian men around her. It showing, by when she sat, she was taller than the bartender, even when she sat down.She had long brown hair (though not clearly as long as Zhao Xing's), that was curly and would file neatly upon her shoulders and fall evenly around the shoulder blades of her back, balancing it out evenly about one quarter on her back. She had dark brown eyes (any deeper shade, it'd be black). She had a minor scar under her right eye though, due to the massacre of the village a couple years back. She was clad in a tight, sleeveless black shirt that would've shown of her curves if she hadn't had put on a cape to cover her with. She had on a cape with dragon shoulder pad attachments, giving her a tougher look than the man sitting beside her in the bar. She had pants that had dragon patterns spiraling up the left leg and boots that would go all the way up to the knee. Her pants were tucked in, hiding the tail of the dragon and giving people only the view of the dragon head spiraling up her leg and the patterns on her hips. She would flick a strand of brown hair out of her eyes and looked over to the man again.
"So Zhao Xing...what are you going to do now?"
"I don't know.I only have Dian Wei on my mind."
"Wha? You like guys?!"
"NO...Idiot! I hate the man! I just want to know where he is so I can kill him!"
"So...you like guys?"
"NO!"
"Heh heh heh! You're really stupid when you're riled up like that!"
"...Refrain from speaking to me..."
"Why?!"
"For you.are the spawn of the devil."
The man dressed in the blessed moniker of a monk would just jump up and started to walk towards the exit of the bar. The woman jumped up and ran towards him, trying to catch up with his fast footsteps.
"Hey! I didn't mean to be a nuisance! C'mon and talk or something! I didn't mean to offend you!"
"One must be careful with thy tongue...if one doesn't wish for it to be chopped off."
"Careful with the tongue, eh ...then NYAH!" she stuck out her tongue at him, mocking his words...but with a quick snap of the man's arm and wrist, he had his index finger and thumb clasped onto her tongue. The woman would just stare at the pretty man's face with a wide eye sort of awe. "GWEH!"
"Easy as that..."
She attempted to bite off his fingers, but he would just pull his fingers back, which resulted in her biting her tongue. She let her eyes open wide as she would just start yelling and groaning "Ooooh! My tongue! You little-"
"Those who can not find words other than foul ones, knows nothing about words at all."
"I loathe you at the moment."
"How so?" He tried to inquire at the moment
"FIRST OFF! I thought you looked pretty, but now I see you're just a branded asshole!"
"I tell only the truth...you judge the truth?"
"So...what're you saying to me?"
"Truth is as truth will always be...calling me foul names won't do anything but letting me hear contempt from your voice. Don't hold hate in your heart, and you'll go far, grasshopper."
"...You truly are...the king."
"No flattery necessary...you just need to correct your ways."
"...Of idiots!"
"Ah...but only an idiot won't heed sound advice from one who knows better."
With that, the woman had no other comeback. She would just glare at the man and give off a feral growl before finally looking away, agreeing with the man for that one instant.
"You could tell it more nicely, jerk!"
The man would only laugh at this, turn his back and started to walk away again, towards the end of the village, he wanted no part of the woman's insidious name calling and he just wish that he would be able to find something else to do rather than listen to her.
O O
The grey, baleful clouds hovered low in the sky, obscuring the sun and brooding incessantly over the landscape as they had for the past two weeks. Gusts of wind exploded in sudden sharp bursts, violently buffeting the trees and grasses, before dying down into periods of stillness that made the air seem to lie hushed in apprehensive dread. Across this barren panorama flashed two figures mounted on galloping horses, riding in furious recklessness as if all the accursed demons in the seven hells breathed down their necks.
"Zhang Liao, sir, what should we do?"
"Ah Xu Zhu, quiet, we shall see when we get there...I want to see the boy that Dian Wei called "fit to be his own child" and see if he is still able to fight...Why, he could even join the Wei army!"
"But...what 'bout Lord Cao Cao, you think he'll approve?"
"For such a powerful warrior that would be in his grasp, why won't he agree?" Zhang Liao would just sigh, snapping his fingers...in an instant, over the hills, the area became filled with the thunderous hoof beats and the sound of men charging "We'll also take that village...they're known for resistance against our forces anyway."
"Well...uh...OK...It's all up to you." Xu Zhu said, now obliging Zhang Liao and just riding his own horse by with him. He was sort of surprised that an army just happened to appear at the general's finger snaps. Ah well, back up is back up.
O O
"Hey missy, do you hear that?"
"Don't try to scare ME...I'm not the type to scare easily, you know!"
"Little girl, it would be WISE to get out of your position...and RUN."
"Eh?"
"Many men are coming to this village, bearing weapons...do you not feel the shift of wind and the pounding of the ground from those hooves galloping forward as they carry their key soldiers out?"
"What?! You lie! You can't scare me away!" she would pull down the corner of her eye and stick out her tongue at him, causing him to look at her from the corner of his eyes.the little attention grabber would soon be responded by a scorned look, a roll of his eyes, and again, turning away.
"Keep your face like that too long and it'll stay that way." He said rather calmly. "And step twice to your left."
The nerve of that man! The woman couldn't bear it anymore, now he was commanding her?!
"Hey, LISTEN! I didn't even get your name and you're talking to me like an old friend?! Now just-"
She didn't even get to finish the sentence when Zhang Liao came in upon his steed followed by Xu Zhu and about forty men, also on horseback. Zhang Liao had a cocky grin, his cheeks pulling back now, he had a wider grin...he sensed something...snapping his fingers, Xu Zhu would grab his large stone mace and pointed at the two that were just standing by. The forty men would surround them and Zhang Liao would just trot down the village with his horse.
"Xu Zhu...take care of them...I'll be back after I get a drink."
"Eh...All righty, sir Zhang...heh!" He would chuckle a bit before pointing that large mace at the two people, the soldiers now dismounting, drawing their weapons and walking closer...Xu Zhu would jump off to help if needed, but he was to hungry, so he would just wait until they needed him to crush...but then again, these guys look TOO easy. "Let's go! I wanna see some fighting so we can get outta here...I'm hungry."
The woman backed up against the man, gritting her teeth harder, her dark browns lighted and widened as she backed against a man she hardly knew
"Damn! This is YOUR fault isn't it?! We're gonna die because of your childhood thing with Dian Wei! I'm too young to die!"
"Funny.I don't recall that we have to die."
"Ah, fine...BE an asshole to the end."
"Zhao Xing."
"Excuse me?"
"You wanted my name...Zhao Xing."
Oh, so the man wasn't all that bad after all. She just smiled and flung off her cape, only to have a massive pole arm in her hands with a crab shaped blade. The character "Si" was engraved on the blade...the character for "Die"...She would smile, much mirth coming from her and she would nudge the man's back with her elbow as she looked over and readied the weapon for battle.
"You're lucky I'm not some helpless woman...The name's Yu Chai." She said cockily, hoping to scare someone or impress one of the surrounding soldiers.
"You're lucky I didn't need any help...I am the son of Zilong." he said, now walking forward towards one of the soldiers.
The people clad in blue charged, each one of them having a weapon of their own, a spear, a sword, a halberd, an axe and a double set of knives. Xing would have to move flawlessly to avoid them. Xing would move forward, two swordsmen coming towards him, not caring if his back was attacked, thinking that the Yu Chai woman would actually help him. The first one on his left ran forward with a battle cry, slicing at him vertically, making Zhao Xing dodge to the right, bringing his shoulder back so that he'd reel towards the right and step that way. When the second one came, he sliced horizontally to hopefully decapitate the unarmed man, but Xing would just move to quick again. Quickly ducking, he would dodge the sword and then stepped forward abruptly, head-butting the man directly in the stomach, causing him to fall back in pain. When the other man turn around, he brought back his sword to swipe at Xing vertically again, aimed for smashing through his head. Xing would step forward again and grabbed at the reeling man's hands, and swung under him between his legs. Soon, Xing would be at the other side of the man, while the two enemy allies' swords clashed with each others'. He would jump up and quickly did a back kick, looking like he was running in mid air. The man he directed the kick at would stumble forward into the other man who he had previously accidentally blocked, knocking both of Xing's foes down. Xing would just smirk as he landed gracefully on one leg, turning the form he stood in into an inverted Crane type of Kung Fu, the "Burning Crane" as he had called it. Extending his hand out in the tiger's paw technique but still keeping the one legged crane stance, he would turn the "paw" around and smile at his enemies, beckoning them to come if they dare.
"Ten against one?" Xing would ask with the cocky grin still present.
"Sounds fair." one of the commanders said as he charged with his halberd and eight swordsmen, followed by the double dagger wielding man came to group slaughter this arrogant man.
Xing would jump up, when the man would thrust his spear at him and he cleanly avoided it. To add to further insult at the man's attack, he would use the long handle as a spring board, jumping upon it and flipping over him. The commander, of course, fell forward as he refused to let go of his weapon. Three swordsmen came at Xing as he would land near the well of the village, their swords raised and their eyes in an evil gleam. Xing would merely smile as he would duck a stabbing motion from the first one...the sword impaled the wooden side bounds of the well and the soldier would try in vain to get the damn metal out. Xing would use this opportunity to his advantage, kicking the man in the face with a standard lift kick and then with a second kick with the same leg, sent him hurtling into the next house, giving a distinct "Thump" noise as he made contact with the housing and then fell to the muddy ground on his face. Xing would grab the man's sword and took it out...he was going to use it against them. The other two who were charging finally caught up, the first one slicing low, at his leg, causing Xing to lean back into the well, stabbing the sword into the wooden well bounds as support, his body hovering over the twenty or thirty foot drop as he carefully lifted his feet to get cut by the rebound sweep of the sword. Xing would use this position and get on the other side of the well, causing the second swordsman to jump at him to slice his head off. Xing knew better than a head on charge and would carefully duck his horizontal swipe and shoulder charged him, causing the man to lose breath. Flipping him up, via grabbing his legs and using his shoulder as leverage, he would send him into the air, his back crashing through the well's roof and his body suddenly plummeting down the well and into a sort of dark abyss that was the well's bottom. He landed into the well with a resounding "OOF" and would spit out water; his only thoughts were on swimming and staying alive. Xing wouldn't take any more action on the drowning man as the axe man and the dagger wielding man, along with the commander and the twenty seven of the remaining soldiers would start running at him...Just more people...The swordsman that Xing left on the other side of the large well, would smile at Xing and laugh...he was outnumbered and he knew it.
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Yu Chai was in trouble...how in the hell was she supposed the deal with all these men?!
"Hmm...I'm surrounded." she said, trying to make careful calculations. "Ten men...five men on that side, five on that side...did thirty men went to fight off that Zhao guy? Unbelievable."
The first man in her sights, who would grin a most malicious grin as he was obviously either a sadist, or a sick woman depraved bastard, would try to stab her in the abdomen, but he should've thought better, as she would just bring her pole arm up, hitting the sword away and then pinned it down with crab blade. The man would try feebly to get it out of the others blade, but he simply could not. She would smile and let her pole arm fall, as the man would grab her pole arm, she'd grab his sword, and with one quick swipe across the chest, he was done and she'd just grab her pole arm once more, smirking at the men who tried to surround her. Those dolts... One taking a hold of her, wrapping his arms around her neck in a sort of choke hold would soon be in a world of hurt as she leaned forward and kicked backwards in the nether regions, making him fall back in pain, clutching at his privates. The other men would cringe at this and would only back a bit as she retook the pole arm by its handle and shook it at them.
"Hey, idiots! I don't want you coming back here! Look what I did, and be scared, because I will do it again!"
The men would only laugh as they saw their allies crumble before a woman...they would charge all at the same time and take her for themselves...have a little fun...But that thought was completely eradicated when a blow was deliver to one of their temples, knocking down a laughing soldier to the muddy ground, now bleeding from his head...she had the larger weapon strapped to her back as she would move around gracefully with two of the broadswords in her hands. First thing she did was hit the man in the face, the higher up of them all, since he was the only one with the highly decorated helmet. She slashed that particular man across the face, across the chest then stabbed both swords through him. When the men behind him tried to charge at her from behind, she would quickly turn around and hurled the dead body of their higher up at them, knocking down three men with the dead body of their own commander. Three more to go...but they're not here...Looking to the entrance of the village, she saw three figures, running and calling for their gods to strike down the demon woman...Heh.
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"I guess we can't talk anymore...but remember, you brought this upon yourselves." Xing said as he hid behind the well. When two of the swordsman came at him, he would quickly jump up and did a split kick, hitting two of them from both sides. And then, using one split second movement, he would jump upon their shoulders to launch himself into the air. He would land upon the roof of a local restaurant, luckily for him; most of the people inside had gone outside to see this fight. Ladders would set up on either side of the roof, people and men climbing up and running towards him. There was the dagger man, and three swordsmen on one side, the axe man and two swordsmen on the other. He would just sigh and run towards the side with the lesser people. When the axe man would swing at his neck, he would quickly jump up and delivered a spinning roundhouse, successfully dodging the attack in midair and knocking the would-be assassin off of the roof in one easy blow. The two swords men who he encountered were only eyeing him with anger now as they both tried to swipe at him, the dagger wielder coming at him from behind delivering a spinning sweep to send him on his knees so that the swordsmen would be able to conquer him with ease. Not so. Xing would acknowledge the blow and lean backwards to repay it, grabbing at the man's legs and sliding himself backwards, so that he would be directly behind the dagger man. The man was slashed on the shoulders and he would fall forward and off the roof, hurt and such. Xing would just smile and beckoned the five soldiers on the roof top, every one of them coming at him at the same time. The three in front of him would each try to stab him, but he would just step back and use one of the two who were behind him as a platform, jumping and kicking off of the unsuspecting soldier and back flipping to the back of the three who tried to stab him. The first one to recover turned around and let out a might battle cry, charging at Xing. Unwise maneuver, Xing would just grab a hold of the arm that had held the sword, and he would fall backwards, using the momentum of the man to his advantage and flipped the person off of the roof using the old Judo maneuver that was common place in almost every martial arts. Quickly jumping back up to his feet, he would again lean back in an almost impossible dodge to get away from a low horizontal slash (AKA-Matrix Dodge). When the slash was at its end, he grabbed at the elbow of the man's sleeve and pulled himself up while he threw the man behind him, easy as that. The man's voice trailed as he would scream, falling off the roof, before hitting the ground with a thud. The three remaining men would look at each other before the bravest one went out and tried to stab at Xing once more...a miscalculated dodge would earn him a small slash on the shoulder but nothing more...the offending soldier would soon pay, as he would be kicked in the stomach and then with a reverse swan kick, hit in the face...he stumbled backwards as the two enemies finally made their minds up to attack Xing. Kicking the stumbling soldier into one of the others, leaving only one other to deal with, Xing would merely hold his hand out and awaited his chance to counter.
That chance came too easily as he brought the sword down. Xing, taking a step back, would grab the man's arm as the sword fell to the roof, and then stepped forward to his enemy once more. This time, he'd flip the man over, using the man's weight against him. It wouldn't be soon enough when he'd slam the man into the roof, causing the man to go through it, making a hole in the roof. He'd fall at least twenty five feet till he hit the ground, since this was a two floored restaurant. The roof would start to collapse as the man fell finally hit the floor, Xing being startled at the sudden shudder. The roof started to move around like it would during a quake, when suddenly, upon the movement of the only soldier still conscious up there, stepped towards our hero and then "CRRRRRAAAACK!" the whole roof just fell into the building, Xing and that anonymous soldier falling suit. Xing wouldn't be prepared for this, his shoulder hitting he side of the cracked roof and it dragged down his left arm, causing the robes to rip and the jumpsuit he wore under it to split...his exposed skin, which ran from his elbow to his wrist all became unlucky as he was slashed by the wooden sharps. As he landed on the second floor, a mere ten feet below him, he grabbed at his injured arm and removed the tattered clothing from it...with careful precision; he would wrap the ripped piece of the robe around the large wound. He would sit down at one of the seats and take his hand, wrap it around the bowl of noodles before him and then he would drink some of the broth and eats some of the noodles within the bowl.
He would barely have time to savor a little victory when all of a sudden; the commander of the troop went and burst through the door at the first floor, looked up and smiled as he saw a horrified Zhao Xing.
"Do I have to fight you guys, again?"
"You're dead! And a second troop should be coming in at ANY moment now!"
They worked diligently, ascending the stairs and keeping their swords in front of them...Xing would only stand up and glare at them.
"Attacking an injured man?! This is pathetic of you people to attack me!" He yelled as they continued up the stairs...But soon enough, they were there...Four people with swords cornered him as he was already injured in the left arm, unable to do a true fighting stance.
"One more time." he said before he ran at them full speed and then jumped up...he tucked one leg under the other and extended his right leg forward in the classic flying side kick. The first man would be hit right in the face, and flying back from the force to his face. He would be sent above his teammates' heads and down to the base of the stairs. More men piled up the stairs...two of them tried to slash at his face but he would only back up to avoid it. They would start pointing their swords threateningly at his neck and he would have to back up to save his own life. He backed up against a backless book case and he would just smile. They would come again with their swords and he would put himself through the backless case and then knocked it down, the case blocking their swords while he went right through it. They tried to get their swords out but to no avail, until Zhao Xing went and delivered a spinning crescent kick that would knock all three of the soldiers attacking, to the railing, breaking it, then all of them tumbling to the first floor below. But more was coming...Each time he looked at the staircase, more soldiers were filing up to go up the stairs...and back up must've arrived as there were more of them...in fact, the whole room below was filled with blue garbed soldiers.
"There he is! GET HIM!" yelled the halberd wielding commander. At that moment, behind him, through the four windows at the second floor restaurant, axe men were filing in. Xing was surrounded again, hopelessly this time...but he wasn't going to take a surrender for Wei...it wasn't good...it DEFINITELY wasn't good.
Deciding it would be best to take out the people at the stairs, since most of the people at the windows needed to clear all the glass out first, he would run towards the stairs...Delivering a sideways chop to the next man to come up to him. But the man didn't fall backwards...instead, the man would fall THROUGH the stairs, signifying how weak it was...The men's mouths dropped, then they looked up at Xing, who only raised his eyebrows and smiled. He jumped up, and then down, causing the men to shake in fear as the narrow stairs shook. Finally, Xing would clasp his hands and closed his eyes...he would bring up his foot and then bring one large stomp of his foot upon the stair case, the weak support giving and the men on the staircase all falling back to the first floor below. The axe men finally came through the window, two coming at him. Ducking behind a large bamboo support in the corner, the axe men would hit the bamboo, and then cracking it at its small base. Zhao would see this as yet another opportunity, grabbing the piece of bamboo that was cracked out; he would use it as his own weapon now. First, he would bring it and use the end to hit his assailants, one at the time, knocking down three in a row. The people kept storming through the window, so one by one he'd use the bamboo to smack their hands, causing the various people to fall back to the ground. And then, placing the bamboo so that he would hold it at either end, he'd run forwards and charged at the window, breaking all four window sills down, causing the ladders to fall backwards on all the axe men assaulting the diner.
"Finally...now all I need to do is get out of here." Xing said, exhausted and not wanting anymore fighting for the moment, but that wish will remain unfulfilled. As soon as he started walking towards the window, a figure quickly came up on another ladder and soon, he'd felt the force ten bulls hitting him...He would go flying to the floor and cracked his skull if it weren't for the support beams that he'd quickly grab a hold of...Looking back to where he was hit, it was Xu Zhu, smiling and holding the giant mace of his. Patting his belly as he saw several untouched noodles on the tables before him...sitting, he would feast.
The axe men would enter the place through the windows again, running at the now unarmed Zhao Xing...his eyes widening, Xing would jump up just as a flurry of axes they threw went flying past and getting stuck on the wall before him. As he hung there with his good right arm, he would only try and think where he could get out...But it wasn't long before one of the people pulled him down, and kicked him down towards the floor.
Landing through a table, he'd groan in pain as he tried to recollect himself...once he came to, there was the matter of about a hundred men surrounding him...his mouth opening wide, as they all tried to kill him at once, he'd dive under the table to prevent them from slicing him too easily. When they were going to attempt to slice him via going under the table, he would quickly stand up with the table on his back, upper cutting about ten people in the process...unable to fight hundreds of people, he would keep spinning, hitting people while he headed towards the door...as soon as he hit the door he would take a few seconds regaining his normal sight (due to spinning, your vision is always staggered) before quickly kicking at the door to slam it shut in another assailant's face. There was the metal front gate of the restaurant before him and he would start towards it. Halfway there, he would only hear the door behind him bursting open and he would break into a run. Now running at the gate at full speed, he would make a last ditch attempt at escaping. There was no way he'd scale a fifteen foot gate but there was hope...jumping at the support beside the gate, he'd ricochet over the gate via kicking off the wooden support and land on the other side, though his arm had been further torn due to the stunt and the spiked tops of the gates. He would now run at the only place he deemed as safe...the end of this town.
O O
Yu Chai was already sitting at the end of town, already thinking of leaving the area to live in another town. It was happening again.the whole thing.everything that happened when that accursed Dian Wei.well.might as well get going.no harm in heading out.
"See ya...Son of Zilong...heh." she said now giving a little salute before swinging the pole arm on her shoulder and started to walk...But wait...before anything, she'd look behind her, and there was Zhao Xing, bloodied and all running at the entrance.
"Sheesh...you weren't gonna miss me that much, we weren't friends, remember?" She said mockingly, poking him on the forehead.
"Yu Chai...shut up and follow me...we're getting out of this village."
She would merely blink and nodded, then followed the bleeding monk out towards the woods.
"I hope you know where you're going."
"So do I..." He then said, nodding to Chai, keeping towards the ends of the forest.
Will Zhao Xing and Yu Chai make it out to a safe place? Find out in the next episode of Beautiful Requiem!
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Previews O
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Yu Chai: Hey this Chai! I'm just here with this weirdo guy dressed as a monk. He's no priest! I can tell! But man he fights pretty good! Maybe next time I'll show him a thing or two, but for now, we're gonna be running, next time on - Beautiful Requiem - Stars Rising
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Name: Zhao Xing:
Appearance: Wearing a tight, form fitting red jumpsuit, which allows him quick movement...He would wear black and white robes over his jumpsuit, one's of an ancient monk. The sleeves and leg parts are tied with a band to keep the cloth from flying into a foot or fist, much like a Shinobi's. Around his neck, he would wear a pink ribbon given to him by his sister. His hair is long, very long...it nearly reaches up to his knee. Long tendrils will part on his forehead, letting him see. His hair looks very smooth and the jet black color that it is, always shines...Having a pretty boy face to go along the pretty boy hair, he'd keep his face damn near emotionless when fighting, considering each "session" a serious one. But otherwise, it's mostly him looking as he is.
Personality: He is not very outgoing. Having a serious and almost spiteful attitude, he would snap or draw his fist back at a person, although sometimes it is accidental due to it being a reflex sometimes. He is very meditative, always meditating, which adds to the level of seriousness he has.
History: Having descended from the great Zhao Yun and Ma Yuan Li, he would be born from both the Zhao and Ma lines, giving him skills in battle...although he could never hope to be better than his father. Xing would be raised in the village deep within the Wei territory, just past the Chang Ban bridge...when they took over, Zhao Yun never came back to reclaim his family, leaving a deep hatred in his heart as he would be raised by his mother. His village was involved in the massacre of the "Coming Evil". He fought against Dian Wei as a child and had survived...currently, he's wandering the world, trying to find a purpose before destroying someone he could never think to defeat, and otherwise...he gets his battle skills from traveling while the village was built, learning from the monks within the mountains.
Weapon: His body.
Relation: If anyone wants to fall in love with him, go ahead, say it in your reviews...if so, it'll be more useful if she could fight, of course, if you're a damsel in distress, that could work too...Just tell me what you want to do with her if she has any relations with my little boy there. (Pinches Zhao Xing's cheek) I'm just being hopeful!
Kingdom: He hates the kingdoms...he wants to tear them down personally, but he only wants to stop the evil from coming all the damn time.
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Okay! Now here's the tricky part. Review for what you want, like I said. Any suggestions and anything that can progress the story with the stuff in your reviews would be great! Remember, this is essential for a better story.
by Don Shizumi
Author's Note: I am so sorry. Due to fanfiction.net's rules about no longer being able to do interactive stories, I must say, no more characters. Sorry about that. This is re-uploaded, in hopes that this story will still be good. Hey, you know what? Forget it! Send characters to my e-mail. You're not allowed to interact through the reviews, sending your characters through there. Otherwise, no more interaction, just reviews and suggestions for chapters to come will do.
It was a beautiful morning. Beautiful because the birds were chirping, the flowers blooming, and armies were at rest, no fighting today. It was time standing still if anything and that was all that he needed. The date was (by Roman standard) June 12, 192. A ten year old boy would be walking around, a smile constantly on his lips, he lived in the plains up north, where the people were numerous and the horses grew loyal and faster. This was also the place where Cao Cao ruled, where the King of Wei would set his base up and that was all due to the horses and the people here. Hell, even people were raised loyal.
"Days can't get anymore beautiful than this." The boy sounded off.
The boy himself was about four feet even, not a very imposing sight. He had long black hair that he failed to do anything about, and it would just flow free behind him as he walked. Long black hair would mingle with the wind and show eternal grace and beauty within the child, just by the hair. It was about hip's length at the moment, and with ever blow of the wind, the bottom of the hair would pick up and blow in that direction as well. Tendrils of black would part just on his forehead, giving him a clean and neat appearance and one singular strand of the jet black hair would poke right on the middle of the forehead, only one that was hard to keep kept.
"Sure is warm."
The boy blinked his hazel eyes at the trees around him. Each blink was like a photograph to him, each burning into his memory as he would take in the pink peach blossoms and the green grass littered with animals and make it an everlasting image to his mind.
(AN: Yes I know photograph wasn't invented then, I am merely using an elaboration)
He wore loose fitting robes, white and blue, with golden trimming going down. On the back there was a black pattern painted on, the pattern of a black dragon. It was beautiful non-the less and could easily have been admired by even the royal family. His sound was not disturbing, a very paced "Clack, clack" as he walked freely among the stone path.
Three weeks ago, his brother was inducted into the Wei special unit, the Wildcat Riders started by Sima Yi. His brother bid him farewell and that was the last he ever saw of him. The sound of him and his departing mounted spearmen shouting "Huzzah!" to greet their new member and then the thunderous hooves retreating into the distance, the sounds of "Goodbye!" and "So long!" lingering in his ears, nearly drowning those certain hoof beats. But for some reason, he couldn't remember his brother's face, just his voice.
"Oh Xing! Zhao Xing? Come here!" A woman's voice rang out, it was his mother's, he DID remember his father, the Great Zhao Yun, The Tiger of the Chang Ban Slopes, The Mighty Zilong. Everyone has heard of him. He was the one who single handedly plowed through hundreds of lord Cao's troops to save a child. Funny how his "great" father couldn't bring his family with him, his mother, himself and his brother was left alone, all alone. There was nothing to do but surrender their land to the incoming Wei army as they would slaughter anyone who defied them. It made Xing angry and when he responded to his mother, he would accidentally respond in a defiant and very perturbed tone.
"What is it?! What do you want?" Zhao Xing's voice rang out, giving of a diminutive version of Zhao Yun's voice. His mother reeled back and his eyes were now wide. Looking to her son she would shake her head and look away.
"Mother! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean that!" He would get on his knees before his mother and bow to her "I'm so sorry mother! Please forgive my insolence!"
The mother would simply smile and shake her head once more. Bringing a tender hand down and to her son's face, she would gently lead him to stand up with just a little pull upwards, a caring smile upon her face; she would tilt her head to the side and just look upon her son.
"Don't beg for forgiveness, you'll always have mine if you do wrong around me...just don't do what you did next time, all right, little love?" She said, now pinching little Zhao Xing's cheek
Zhao Xing's eyes would perk up and he would smile an awkward smile, mostly due to his mother pinching, but he would shake her hand off and nod to her quickly
"Right mother! I won't do it again! I'm gonna go back into the woods and find someone to play with!"
His mother would just keep that smile and laugh whole heartedly.
"Of course, my sweet treasure, just go on and play, maybe you'll meet a nice little girl too!"
"Mother!!!" His cheeks flaring red and his eyes going wider, he'd fall back and grumble to himself, standing himself back up, he'd look up to his giggling mother.
His mother, Ma Yuan Li would just look like one that wouldn't have give birth, she looked...too fair and ...young, she had a gentle grace about her, long smooth hair that was let down just like her son's, her lips were peach and her eyes would be a bright hazel. She would be clad in the same robes as her son's, with exception that hers were bigger of course. A small nose and fair skin would round off her appearance. She wasn't as beautiful as she was...elegant...to be admired. Her aura was just so enticing and welcoming. This was something the boy was definitely proud of in his mother. He wanted to have his mother be the way she was, even when she grew old and when he had brought her children that were to be her grandchildren. She would always tease him like this, but the little spawn of Zilong wouldn't mind it.
"Mother! I'll be home for dinner! Goodbye mother." Finally giving a little wave to her mother, he would turn around and depart, towards the group of children that were playing tag in the woods beyond, guarded by only one of the men that weren't off harvesting. Not all were playing tag, some people were playing checkers or listening to the man tell stories about war in the far off lands. The old men would only scoff at their playing and would just mumble about their inadequacy and ramble on about how it was in their days.
Now being a ten year old boy at this time was a disadvantage, had neither the height nor the mass that some of the older boys or even some of the older girls had. He was a mere feather when they tagged him. But being the son of the great Zhao Zilong, he continued with playing tag and would just smile as he would get pushed into the dirt.
"Don't forget your sister, young Zilong." his mother would call after him, nicknaming him after his father, soon, a little girl about three would toddle out. She wouldn't have the boyish, light appearance that Zhao Xing had, but she looked even lighter, sickly even. The pale, yet cute little girl would start to walk slowly to her older brother, walking and smiling as she finally reached her brother's outstretched hand and she was brought to him. Jumping at it and grasping the larger hand of her brother, the little girl clad in a miniature version of his robes, with the exception of that it was pink, now clung onto her older brother. She had cute features, including a button nose and a little mouth that always seemed to be in a smile. It was a cute vision to see a big brother helping his little sister by walking her while she toddled beside him, hand in hand.
(AN: You having a hard time thinking of character visions? I know you are. Even with description come a few people that don't know anything. Zhao Xing looks like a miniature version of Zhao Yun and then you have the little girl, which looks like the little girl from Rurouni Kenshin. Yes, those two girls that imitate Miss Kaoru at the beginning. NO! Not Tsubame!)
"Zhao Xiao, how are you doing, little sister?" He asked his sibling kindly.
The little girl would only nod her head to her brother and smiled. She had never spoken to anyone in her life because of some odd reason. But though she never spoken in her life, but she understood the basic language, due to her responses, so the physicians have deemed her mute. It was
"Good, let us play with the-WHOAH!" Zhao Xing and Xiao were both pushed to the ground by two older boys, both of their light frames easily being put down. Zhao Xing would only grunt and spit out the mud, glaring at the two boys that pushed him. It wasn't long before he stood up to the large boys, eyeing them up, but his would be aggression would be interrupted by the sound of crying behind him, since they were all the way out in the woods, and only one adult present, who was busy with his stories, she would start running away from the sight towards their village. Now since they were all the way out here, it would be hard to find the village once more, since they DID wander into the woods.
"Wait no! Come back, Xiao! Hey! Xiao!" Zhao Xing broke off the stare off with the two older boys and started to run after his sister. Damn she was fast for her age, he tried in vain to keep her within sights, but she was short, and very agile. The combination of her speed and the wooden terrain was soon utilized against him as it was only a matter of time before she slipped into the bushes and disappeared completely, leaving only the echoing sounds of her crying in the air. "Xiao! No! Come back, argh! Stop crying and come back if you're hurt!"
Reasoning did not work with Xiao, as she only cried when she heard his voice more.
"You can talk if you can cry Xiao! Talk to me!"
"..." It was no use; she just didn't feel like talking.
He tried to go after her, but in light of what he thought, she wasn't crying any more. She was just looking at a rushing waterfall, her eyes entranced by the running water, it seems. Xing, arriving just in time to see her, he would sigh in relief, not knowing what would happen next.
"Xiao! You had me worried! Don't do that again!" He said now sitting next to her, brushing his long hair from his face and shoulder back to perfect proportions on his back. Smiling, he would bring his hand up to her hair and started ruffling her own black hair with his fingers. "So don't do that again, little sister, all right?"
Xiao would just nod her head, droned by the water. It would be one more thing he saw before something happened. Something that would make Xing ran after her as he she sped dangerously away from him again. She ran at the edge of the cliff, where the waterfall started and then threw her self off.
"HEY!" he jumped just in time to grab the collar of Xiao's robes, her light form just dangling off of his light hands "Xiao, don't do that! Umph! I can't hold on! Climb up on my-" He didn't have any other word in on her; she would bring a hand down and untie the front of her robes, leaving her naked as she would plummet down to a watery grave below.
Xing couldn't believe it. Backing up, he would start breathing hard and shaking his head in disbelief, taking an ill placed step back and falling to the ground. He would quickly stumble to his feet; heading towards the village...mother...mother would know how to get her back.
Passing through the woods, he would see something horrible...many children were scattered upon the ground, wallowing in their blood and ripped flesh...most had arrows through them, but some had significant slices on their faces, their back, some even were ripped in half, allowing entrails to be seen...Unbelievable...gore...blood...and this started out a perfect day too...what had happened?! The village...He needed to see the village! One person he saw caught his eyes, as she was the only one crawling away...she had a long line down her cheek, right below her eye. An arrow must have grazed, inches away from killing her. Running to the older girl, he would quickly take her up, grabbing her upon the shoulders and lifting her up to her feet. The girl would just raise an eyebrow to the smaller boy wrapping his arms around her and then just nodded in thanks once he finally brought her to her feet. Xing would just smile back and nod, turning towards the village and ran. Mother, sister...and dead village children? Something was certainly amiss.
Halfway to the village, he saw men and women running away, carrying valuables and other things that they wanted, coveted, plundered, or already had, seeing them take advantage of the chaos. Those stupid people didn't matter...mother...he needed to see mother! He was nearly trampled by the bigger men, who were carrying jewels, clothes, fine silks. Everything they found in other houses and shops, they had stolen and carried with them. Xing even heard the shrill screams of two women as they were carried away by a man who wished to make them his. It was sickening how they couldn't band together. How a village as large as this couldn't fight back and keep themselves and their neighbor safe. Mother...The more he thought about everything, the more he thought of his mother.
Dashing through the people, he would find some soldiers chasing them with their swords rose, striking at those who ran at them. Wei...those blue and indigo wearing men that represented a large portion of the Wei army, came running through. Led by none other than the ones in silver helmets, mounted upon steeds and pointing their spears at the innocents. Chaos...it was Cao Cao's time indeed, if he was always known as the Hero of Chaos...but so much blood...splattered upon the houses, under the people left for dead...he would even see a child clutched to his mother, as an arrow been driven through the young one's head and straight through the mother's belly...that just pushed him more...mother...his own mother...he needed to find her. He couldn't bear the incredible pain in his chest, as it grew and grew with the fires spreading amongst the village. Dodging attack from the soldiers, utilizing his small body well, he would see his house.
Ma Yuan Li, was sitting ever so patiently upon the house's steps would smile as she sat there, not seeming to care about the flames. Opening up her arms, she accepted Xing into her arms as Xing would just cry into her, shaking his head and just crying. He wouldn't expect it, but his mother would then grab Zhao Xing by the collar and threw him away from herself....sliding to a stop on the dusty road, he would let out another burst of tears as he looked up to his mother, his pleading eyes look for answers as to why she did so.
"Mother..." He let out one longing, monotone call for his mother, as he finally saw her backing away from a mighty Wei officer. He had no hair and the sun seemingly reflected on his shiny head. The tall man was at least eight spans tall and his black eyes would just eye down Lady Ma since he was much taller than the woman. He had on black chest plating and blue pants, but that's all young Xing could distinguish for now...but wait...he had a large iron axe, nearly as big as the man's whole chest! That could only mean one thing...he's arrived...The Coming Evil...has come to destroy everything, just like the legends.
"MOTHER!" He'd yell, reaching out one hand towards her falling body, ducking under two slashing Wei officers, who were bent on killing the last innocents within the village, and ran towards Dian Wei, but he only smiled...he would grasp his axe handle and spun his axe around and in one flash, his axe was down by his side again...Lady Ma's eyes went wide...her forehead started to emit blood...just one drop first...but then, more and more gushed out...that beautiful and fair face of the proud mother, now smothered in blood as she would take her last look of reality, her last look of her life, at a smiling Dian Wei and then plummet to the ground, her body crumpling at his feet and him only laughing, chuckling at the woman's death.
"Hahaha! I have destroyed this woman, the woman of Zilong! He won't be fighting well now!" Dian Wei said proudly to the laughing Wei sadists that were behind him, also shaking with laughter at the cruel and unusual death of the woman before them.
Zhao Xing couldn't believe this...his sister had gone crazy and killed herself, his village people were slaughtered and his mother...his mother...his mother...his mother...
Every time he thought of her, the words 'Mother' would echo through his mind, his eyes looking up at the flames with a combination of fear, bewilderment and sadness at the same time. He had lost every single thing right this very day! Why did it happen to him? WHY?! Why Zhao Xing? His father had excellent luck, and had left his family. To Xing that was bad enough, but now, the hurt buried deep in his chest seemed to spread through out his body.
"Grah...mother...sister."
"Feh! Your little sister was naïve! Just shut up kid and you can die with your mom. Your little sister is gonna be a BIG help to us." Dian Wei said with an evil sparkle in his eye. He would only bring his axe to his shoulder, laying the blunt side on the base of his neck, giving off a cocky grin at the same time towards the young Zilong spawn.
"Mother...Zhao Xiao...my home."
"I said shut up!"
Dian Wei was growing tiresome of the boy, the kid repeating his words again...was he thick in the head?! He should run away before he unleashes the coming evil! HA! Foolish youth! Getting tiresome of the young boy's babbling very quickly, he'd just smile, even though his eyes had the most perturbed mannerism any man could ever deem, ever.
"Mother...Zhao Xiao...my home." he'd only murmur the name of his sister and that one word that kept all the time within his mind again and shake his head, warm streams of tear pouring down either of his hazel eyes, which seemed to have changed color to a dark brown. Gritting his teeth, he started to shake, making all the soldiers laugh behind him and Dian Wei looking down on what he thinks will be his next victim. But he would only look up to Dian Wei and glare daggers, spears and poison at the man, causing even HIM to back away and flinch "You took my home!"
"So what? I took your brother too! And I'll take your sister's maidenhead! And I'll kill YOU!" He said, recovering from his flinch now raising his axe. The soldiers would all cheer as he would bring the axe down at the child. The child saw the axe fall towards his face in slow motion, his eyes reflecting the fire and the tears reflecting his mother's dead body.
Amazingly, Zhao Xing would bring his hands up and clasp them around the sides of the axe, preventing it from ever reaching his face and splitting him into two. Dian Wei merely shook his head, amazed at the boy. But Zhao Xing was giving it all he got, whilst Dian Wei was just giving him some child's play of his own. He would start to chuckle. This boy was worthy enough for a fight any day. But this was going to be both embarrassing and very anger inducing in the future.
"A strong little idiot, aren't you?" Dian Wei would taunt the boy, smirking as the boy struggled with the axe looming inches overhead, threatening to kill him in one blow.
"My home...my mother...my brother...sister...GIVE THEM BACK!" he said now raising Dian Wei by the weapon, causing all the soldiers to reel back in fear...a mere boy...lifting up Dian Wei by his own axe?! Impossible! The Great Dian Wei was now up in the air by a good two feet above the ground as the boy was now pouring with sweat and his eyes flowing with tears...he was in no mood to be trifled with, but this boy was on the verge of madness. This was too much for him to comprehend with his young mind. All he knew was that he had lost every single thing in one day. Something had caused him to do this, everything that Ma Yuan Li taught him about peace was gone...pieces like his mother.
"He's the spawn of demons!"
"No! He's the son of Lu Bu!"
"Just RUN! He won't catch us if we run!"
The over-panicked Wei soldiers would turn on their heels and run as fast as they could out of the village, leaving Dian Wei hovering a few feet above the ground as he would firmly grasp the weapon again and leap out of the small youth's grasp. This boy wasn't going to be the end of The Coming Evil. But he was going to meet the end of himself, as long as Dian Wei was alive.
"You really ARE an idiot! Thinking you can match ME?!" Dian Wei now taunted the child with a rude gesture and then a swing of his axe, a loud "SWISH" coming when he did so.
"I want my mother back! GIVE BACK MY MOTHER!" Zhao Xing would be fueled with the utmost anger and hate now, he would run at Dian Wei, his fist would be risen up as if to strike at the man.
They charged at each other with Dian Wei's axe raised and Zhao Xing raising his fists. They were mere inches from each other, the heavy axe man's weapon next to the boy's chest and the boy's fist next Dian Wei's face.
O O
"And...that's as long as I can remember from it."
"Wow...that's odd...I don't remember anything like that."
It was Zhao Xing that was speaking to an obvious female acquaintance. He was older now, at least ten-twelve years older, having the voice of a man now.
(AN: Again...for those imagination challenged...he has the voice of Dynasty Warriors 3 Sun Quan.)
Wearing a tight, form fitting red jumpsuit that allows him quick movement...He would wear black and white robes over his jumpsuit, one's of an ancient monk. The sleeves and leg parts are tied with a band to keep the cloth from flying into a foot or fist, much like a Shinobi's. Around his neck, he would wear a pink ribbon that looked oddly familiar. It was part of the robes that Zhao Xiao had left behind when she fell down the cliff that day to the waterfall. His hair is long, very long...it nearly reaches up to his knee...long tendrils will part on his forehead, letting him see. His hair looked very smoothed and the jet black color that it is, always shining...Having a pretty boy face to go along the pretty boy hair, but it was a serious one at best. But otherwise, it's mostly him looking as he is. He was twenty one now and talking to another fellow villager who was one of the children...she survived and was, like him, living in the midst of the repaired housing.
"I remembered running past by you when you were knocked out. I helped you. Didn't I?"
"Don't count on it! I was just...wallowing in pain? ...Oh shut up! Don't make me hit you! AGAIN...And again, and again...I won't hesitate either...so just be quiet!" Hitting the man on his head, the woman would merely "Hmph" and brush off her fingers. The new scene was a bar, packed with people all around, obviously children and people who moved in after the massacre.
She looked about normal height but a bit taller than the normal Asian men around her. It showing, by when she sat, she was taller than the bartender, even when she sat down.She had long brown hair (though not clearly as long as Zhao Xing's), that was curly and would file neatly upon her shoulders and fall evenly around the shoulder blades of her back, balancing it out evenly about one quarter on her back. She had dark brown eyes (any deeper shade, it'd be black). She had a minor scar under her right eye though, due to the massacre of the village a couple years back. She was clad in a tight, sleeveless black shirt that would've shown of her curves if she hadn't had put on a cape to cover her with. She had on a cape with dragon shoulder pad attachments, giving her a tougher look than the man sitting beside her in the bar. She had pants that had dragon patterns spiraling up the left leg and boots that would go all the way up to the knee. Her pants were tucked in, hiding the tail of the dragon and giving people only the view of the dragon head spiraling up her leg and the patterns on her hips. She would flick a strand of brown hair out of her eyes and looked over to the man again.
"So Zhao Xing...what are you going to do now?"
"I don't know.I only have Dian Wei on my mind."
"Wha? You like guys?!"
"NO...Idiot! I hate the man! I just want to know where he is so I can kill him!"
"So...you like guys?"
"NO!"
"Heh heh heh! You're really stupid when you're riled up like that!"
"...Refrain from speaking to me..."
"Why?!"
"For you.are the spawn of the devil."
The man dressed in the blessed moniker of a monk would just jump up and started to walk towards the exit of the bar. The woman jumped up and ran towards him, trying to catch up with his fast footsteps.
"Hey! I didn't mean to be a nuisance! C'mon and talk or something! I didn't mean to offend you!"
"One must be careful with thy tongue...if one doesn't wish for it to be chopped off."
"Careful with the tongue, eh ...then NYAH!" she stuck out her tongue at him, mocking his words...but with a quick snap of the man's arm and wrist, he had his index finger and thumb clasped onto her tongue. The woman would just stare at the pretty man's face with a wide eye sort of awe. "GWEH!"
"Easy as that..."
She attempted to bite off his fingers, but he would just pull his fingers back, which resulted in her biting her tongue. She let her eyes open wide as she would just start yelling and groaning "Ooooh! My tongue! You little-"
"Those who can not find words other than foul ones, knows nothing about words at all."
"I loathe you at the moment."
"How so?" He tried to inquire at the moment
"FIRST OFF! I thought you looked pretty, but now I see you're just a branded asshole!"
"I tell only the truth...you judge the truth?"
"So...what're you saying to me?"
"Truth is as truth will always be...calling me foul names won't do anything but letting me hear contempt from your voice. Don't hold hate in your heart, and you'll go far, grasshopper."
"...You truly are...the king."
"No flattery necessary...you just need to correct your ways."
"...Of idiots!"
"Ah...but only an idiot won't heed sound advice from one who knows better."
With that, the woman had no other comeback. She would just glare at the man and give off a feral growl before finally looking away, agreeing with the man for that one instant.
"You could tell it more nicely, jerk!"
The man would only laugh at this, turn his back and started to walk away again, towards the end of the village, he wanted no part of the woman's insidious name calling and he just wish that he would be able to find something else to do rather than listen to her.
O O
The grey, baleful clouds hovered low in the sky, obscuring the sun and brooding incessantly over the landscape as they had for the past two weeks. Gusts of wind exploded in sudden sharp bursts, violently buffeting the trees and grasses, before dying down into periods of stillness that made the air seem to lie hushed in apprehensive dread. Across this barren panorama flashed two figures mounted on galloping horses, riding in furious recklessness as if all the accursed demons in the seven hells breathed down their necks.
"Zhang Liao, sir, what should we do?"
"Ah Xu Zhu, quiet, we shall see when we get there...I want to see the boy that Dian Wei called "fit to be his own child" and see if he is still able to fight...Why, he could even join the Wei army!"
"But...what 'bout Lord Cao Cao, you think he'll approve?"
"For such a powerful warrior that would be in his grasp, why won't he agree?" Zhang Liao would just sigh, snapping his fingers...in an instant, over the hills, the area became filled with the thunderous hoof beats and the sound of men charging "We'll also take that village...they're known for resistance against our forces anyway."
"Well...uh...OK...It's all up to you." Xu Zhu said, now obliging Zhang Liao and just riding his own horse by with him. He was sort of surprised that an army just happened to appear at the general's finger snaps. Ah well, back up is back up.
O O
"Hey missy, do you hear that?"
"Don't try to scare ME...I'm not the type to scare easily, you know!"
"Little girl, it would be WISE to get out of your position...and RUN."
"Eh?"
"Many men are coming to this village, bearing weapons...do you not feel the shift of wind and the pounding of the ground from those hooves galloping forward as they carry their key soldiers out?"
"What?! You lie! You can't scare me away!" she would pull down the corner of her eye and stick out her tongue at him, causing him to look at her from the corner of his eyes.the little attention grabber would soon be responded by a scorned look, a roll of his eyes, and again, turning away.
"Keep your face like that too long and it'll stay that way." He said rather calmly. "And step twice to your left."
The nerve of that man! The woman couldn't bear it anymore, now he was commanding her?!
"Hey, LISTEN! I didn't even get your name and you're talking to me like an old friend?! Now just-"
She didn't even get to finish the sentence when Zhang Liao came in upon his steed followed by Xu Zhu and about forty men, also on horseback. Zhang Liao had a cocky grin, his cheeks pulling back now, he had a wider grin...he sensed something...snapping his fingers, Xu Zhu would grab his large stone mace and pointed at the two that were just standing by. The forty men would surround them and Zhang Liao would just trot down the village with his horse.
"Xu Zhu...take care of them...I'll be back after I get a drink."
"Eh...All righty, sir Zhang...heh!" He would chuckle a bit before pointing that large mace at the two people, the soldiers now dismounting, drawing their weapons and walking closer...Xu Zhu would jump off to help if needed, but he was to hungry, so he would just wait until they needed him to crush...but then again, these guys look TOO easy. "Let's go! I wanna see some fighting so we can get outta here...I'm hungry."
The woman backed up against the man, gritting her teeth harder, her dark browns lighted and widened as she backed against a man she hardly knew
"Damn! This is YOUR fault isn't it?! We're gonna die because of your childhood thing with Dian Wei! I'm too young to die!"
"Funny.I don't recall that we have to die."
"Ah, fine...BE an asshole to the end."
"Zhao Xing."
"Excuse me?"
"You wanted my name...Zhao Xing."
Oh, so the man wasn't all that bad after all. She just smiled and flung off her cape, only to have a massive pole arm in her hands with a crab shaped blade. The character "Si" was engraved on the blade...the character for "Die"...She would smile, much mirth coming from her and she would nudge the man's back with her elbow as she looked over and readied the weapon for battle.
"You're lucky I'm not some helpless woman...The name's Yu Chai." She said cockily, hoping to scare someone or impress one of the surrounding soldiers.
"You're lucky I didn't need any help...I am the son of Zilong." he said, now walking forward towards one of the soldiers.
The people clad in blue charged, each one of them having a weapon of their own, a spear, a sword, a halberd, an axe and a double set of knives. Xing would have to move flawlessly to avoid them. Xing would move forward, two swordsmen coming towards him, not caring if his back was attacked, thinking that the Yu Chai woman would actually help him. The first one on his left ran forward with a battle cry, slicing at him vertically, making Zhao Xing dodge to the right, bringing his shoulder back so that he'd reel towards the right and step that way. When the second one came, he sliced horizontally to hopefully decapitate the unarmed man, but Xing would just move to quick again. Quickly ducking, he would dodge the sword and then stepped forward abruptly, head-butting the man directly in the stomach, causing him to fall back in pain. When the other man turn around, he brought back his sword to swipe at Xing vertically again, aimed for smashing through his head. Xing would step forward again and grabbed at the reeling man's hands, and swung under him between his legs. Soon, Xing would be at the other side of the man, while the two enemy allies' swords clashed with each others'. He would jump up and quickly did a back kick, looking like he was running in mid air. The man he directed the kick at would stumble forward into the other man who he had previously accidentally blocked, knocking both of Xing's foes down. Xing would just smirk as he landed gracefully on one leg, turning the form he stood in into an inverted Crane type of Kung Fu, the "Burning Crane" as he had called it. Extending his hand out in the tiger's paw technique but still keeping the one legged crane stance, he would turn the "paw" around and smile at his enemies, beckoning them to come if they dare.
"Ten against one?" Xing would ask with the cocky grin still present.
"Sounds fair." one of the commanders said as he charged with his halberd and eight swordsmen, followed by the double dagger wielding man came to group slaughter this arrogant man.
Xing would jump up, when the man would thrust his spear at him and he cleanly avoided it. To add to further insult at the man's attack, he would use the long handle as a spring board, jumping upon it and flipping over him. The commander, of course, fell forward as he refused to let go of his weapon. Three swordsmen came at Xing as he would land near the well of the village, their swords raised and their eyes in an evil gleam. Xing would merely smile as he would duck a stabbing motion from the first one...the sword impaled the wooden side bounds of the well and the soldier would try in vain to get the damn metal out. Xing would use this opportunity to his advantage, kicking the man in the face with a standard lift kick and then with a second kick with the same leg, sent him hurtling into the next house, giving a distinct "Thump" noise as he made contact with the housing and then fell to the muddy ground on his face. Xing would grab the man's sword and took it out...he was going to use it against them. The other two who were charging finally caught up, the first one slicing low, at his leg, causing Xing to lean back into the well, stabbing the sword into the wooden well bounds as support, his body hovering over the twenty or thirty foot drop as he carefully lifted his feet to get cut by the rebound sweep of the sword. Xing would use this position and get on the other side of the well, causing the second swordsman to jump at him to slice his head off. Xing knew better than a head on charge and would carefully duck his horizontal swipe and shoulder charged him, causing the man to lose breath. Flipping him up, via grabbing his legs and using his shoulder as leverage, he would send him into the air, his back crashing through the well's roof and his body suddenly plummeting down the well and into a sort of dark abyss that was the well's bottom. He landed into the well with a resounding "OOF" and would spit out water; his only thoughts were on swimming and staying alive. Xing wouldn't take any more action on the drowning man as the axe man and the dagger wielding man, along with the commander and the twenty seven of the remaining soldiers would start running at him...Just more people...The swordsman that Xing left on the other side of the large well, would smile at Xing and laugh...he was outnumbered and he knew it.
O O
Yu Chai was in trouble...how in the hell was she supposed the deal with all these men?!
"Hmm...I'm surrounded." she said, trying to make careful calculations. "Ten men...five men on that side, five on that side...did thirty men went to fight off that Zhao guy? Unbelievable."
The first man in her sights, who would grin a most malicious grin as he was obviously either a sadist, or a sick woman depraved bastard, would try to stab her in the abdomen, but he should've thought better, as she would just bring her pole arm up, hitting the sword away and then pinned it down with crab blade. The man would try feebly to get it out of the others blade, but he simply could not. She would smile and let her pole arm fall, as the man would grab her pole arm, she'd grab his sword, and with one quick swipe across the chest, he was done and she'd just grab her pole arm once more, smirking at the men who tried to surround her. Those dolts... One taking a hold of her, wrapping his arms around her neck in a sort of choke hold would soon be in a world of hurt as she leaned forward and kicked backwards in the nether regions, making him fall back in pain, clutching at his privates. The other men would cringe at this and would only back a bit as she retook the pole arm by its handle and shook it at them.
"Hey, idiots! I don't want you coming back here! Look what I did, and be scared, because I will do it again!"
The men would only laugh as they saw their allies crumble before a woman...they would charge all at the same time and take her for themselves...have a little fun...But that thought was completely eradicated when a blow was deliver to one of their temples, knocking down a laughing soldier to the muddy ground, now bleeding from his head...she had the larger weapon strapped to her back as she would move around gracefully with two of the broadswords in her hands. First thing she did was hit the man in the face, the higher up of them all, since he was the only one with the highly decorated helmet. She slashed that particular man across the face, across the chest then stabbed both swords through him. When the men behind him tried to charge at her from behind, she would quickly turn around and hurled the dead body of their higher up at them, knocking down three men with the dead body of their own commander. Three more to go...but they're not here...Looking to the entrance of the village, she saw three figures, running and calling for their gods to strike down the demon woman...Heh.
O O
"I guess we can't talk anymore...but remember, you brought this upon yourselves." Xing said as he hid behind the well. When two of the swordsman came at him, he would quickly jump up and did a split kick, hitting two of them from both sides. And then, using one split second movement, he would jump upon their shoulders to launch himself into the air. He would land upon the roof of a local restaurant, luckily for him; most of the people inside had gone outside to see this fight. Ladders would set up on either side of the roof, people and men climbing up and running towards him. There was the dagger man, and three swordsmen on one side, the axe man and two swordsmen on the other. He would just sigh and run towards the side with the lesser people. When the axe man would swing at his neck, he would quickly jump up and delivered a spinning roundhouse, successfully dodging the attack in midair and knocking the would-be assassin off of the roof in one easy blow. The two swords men who he encountered were only eyeing him with anger now as they both tried to swipe at him, the dagger wielder coming at him from behind delivering a spinning sweep to send him on his knees so that the swordsmen would be able to conquer him with ease. Not so. Xing would acknowledge the blow and lean backwards to repay it, grabbing at the man's legs and sliding himself backwards, so that he would be directly behind the dagger man. The man was slashed on the shoulders and he would fall forward and off the roof, hurt and such. Xing would just smile and beckoned the five soldiers on the roof top, every one of them coming at him at the same time. The three in front of him would each try to stab him, but he would just step back and use one of the two who were behind him as a platform, jumping and kicking off of the unsuspecting soldier and back flipping to the back of the three who tried to stab him. The first one to recover turned around and let out a might battle cry, charging at Xing. Unwise maneuver, Xing would just grab a hold of the arm that had held the sword, and he would fall backwards, using the momentum of the man to his advantage and flipped the person off of the roof using the old Judo maneuver that was common place in almost every martial arts. Quickly jumping back up to his feet, he would again lean back in an almost impossible dodge to get away from a low horizontal slash (AKA-Matrix Dodge). When the slash was at its end, he grabbed at the elbow of the man's sleeve and pulled himself up while he threw the man behind him, easy as that. The man's voice trailed as he would scream, falling off the roof, before hitting the ground with a thud. The three remaining men would look at each other before the bravest one went out and tried to stab at Xing once more...a miscalculated dodge would earn him a small slash on the shoulder but nothing more...the offending soldier would soon pay, as he would be kicked in the stomach and then with a reverse swan kick, hit in the face...he stumbled backwards as the two enemies finally made their minds up to attack Xing. Kicking the stumbling soldier into one of the others, leaving only one other to deal with, Xing would merely hold his hand out and awaited his chance to counter.
That chance came too easily as he brought the sword down. Xing, taking a step back, would grab the man's arm as the sword fell to the roof, and then stepped forward to his enemy once more. This time, he'd flip the man over, using the man's weight against him. It wouldn't be soon enough when he'd slam the man into the roof, causing the man to go through it, making a hole in the roof. He'd fall at least twenty five feet till he hit the ground, since this was a two floored restaurant. The roof would start to collapse as the man fell finally hit the floor, Xing being startled at the sudden shudder. The roof started to move around like it would during a quake, when suddenly, upon the movement of the only soldier still conscious up there, stepped towards our hero and then "CRRRRRAAAACK!" the whole roof just fell into the building, Xing and that anonymous soldier falling suit. Xing wouldn't be prepared for this, his shoulder hitting he side of the cracked roof and it dragged down his left arm, causing the robes to rip and the jumpsuit he wore under it to split...his exposed skin, which ran from his elbow to his wrist all became unlucky as he was slashed by the wooden sharps. As he landed on the second floor, a mere ten feet below him, he grabbed at his injured arm and removed the tattered clothing from it...with careful precision; he would wrap the ripped piece of the robe around the large wound. He would sit down at one of the seats and take his hand, wrap it around the bowl of noodles before him and then he would drink some of the broth and eats some of the noodles within the bowl.
He would barely have time to savor a little victory when all of a sudden; the commander of the troop went and burst through the door at the first floor, looked up and smiled as he saw a horrified Zhao Xing.
"Do I have to fight you guys, again?"
"You're dead! And a second troop should be coming in at ANY moment now!"
They worked diligently, ascending the stairs and keeping their swords in front of them...Xing would only stand up and glare at them.
"Attacking an injured man?! This is pathetic of you people to attack me!" He yelled as they continued up the stairs...But soon enough, they were there...Four people with swords cornered him as he was already injured in the left arm, unable to do a true fighting stance.
"One more time." he said before he ran at them full speed and then jumped up...he tucked one leg under the other and extended his right leg forward in the classic flying side kick. The first man would be hit right in the face, and flying back from the force to his face. He would be sent above his teammates' heads and down to the base of the stairs. More men piled up the stairs...two of them tried to slash at his face but he would only back up to avoid it. They would start pointing their swords threateningly at his neck and he would have to back up to save his own life. He backed up against a backless book case and he would just smile. They would come again with their swords and he would put himself through the backless case and then knocked it down, the case blocking their swords while he went right through it. They tried to get their swords out but to no avail, until Zhao Xing went and delivered a spinning crescent kick that would knock all three of the soldiers attacking, to the railing, breaking it, then all of them tumbling to the first floor below. But more was coming...Each time he looked at the staircase, more soldiers were filing up to go up the stairs...and back up must've arrived as there were more of them...in fact, the whole room below was filled with blue garbed soldiers.
"There he is! GET HIM!" yelled the halberd wielding commander. At that moment, behind him, through the four windows at the second floor restaurant, axe men were filing in. Xing was surrounded again, hopelessly this time...but he wasn't going to take a surrender for Wei...it wasn't good...it DEFINITELY wasn't good.
Deciding it would be best to take out the people at the stairs, since most of the people at the windows needed to clear all the glass out first, he would run towards the stairs...Delivering a sideways chop to the next man to come up to him. But the man didn't fall backwards...instead, the man would fall THROUGH the stairs, signifying how weak it was...The men's mouths dropped, then they looked up at Xing, who only raised his eyebrows and smiled. He jumped up, and then down, causing the men to shake in fear as the narrow stairs shook. Finally, Xing would clasp his hands and closed his eyes...he would bring up his foot and then bring one large stomp of his foot upon the stair case, the weak support giving and the men on the staircase all falling back to the first floor below. The axe men finally came through the window, two coming at him. Ducking behind a large bamboo support in the corner, the axe men would hit the bamboo, and then cracking it at its small base. Zhao would see this as yet another opportunity, grabbing the piece of bamboo that was cracked out; he would use it as his own weapon now. First, he would bring it and use the end to hit his assailants, one at the time, knocking down three in a row. The people kept storming through the window, so one by one he'd use the bamboo to smack their hands, causing the various people to fall back to the ground. And then, placing the bamboo so that he would hold it at either end, he'd run forwards and charged at the window, breaking all four window sills down, causing the ladders to fall backwards on all the axe men assaulting the diner.
"Finally...now all I need to do is get out of here." Xing said, exhausted and not wanting anymore fighting for the moment, but that wish will remain unfulfilled. As soon as he started walking towards the window, a figure quickly came up on another ladder and soon, he'd felt the force ten bulls hitting him...He would go flying to the floor and cracked his skull if it weren't for the support beams that he'd quickly grab a hold of...Looking back to where he was hit, it was Xu Zhu, smiling and holding the giant mace of his. Patting his belly as he saw several untouched noodles on the tables before him...sitting, he would feast.
The axe men would enter the place through the windows again, running at the now unarmed Zhao Xing...his eyes widening, Xing would jump up just as a flurry of axes they threw went flying past and getting stuck on the wall before him. As he hung there with his good right arm, he would only try and think where he could get out...But it wasn't long before one of the people pulled him down, and kicked him down towards the floor.
Landing through a table, he'd groan in pain as he tried to recollect himself...once he came to, there was the matter of about a hundred men surrounding him...his mouth opening wide, as they all tried to kill him at once, he'd dive under the table to prevent them from slicing him too easily. When they were going to attempt to slice him via going under the table, he would quickly stand up with the table on his back, upper cutting about ten people in the process...unable to fight hundreds of people, he would keep spinning, hitting people while he headed towards the door...as soon as he hit the door he would take a few seconds regaining his normal sight (due to spinning, your vision is always staggered) before quickly kicking at the door to slam it shut in another assailant's face. There was the metal front gate of the restaurant before him and he would start towards it. Halfway there, he would only hear the door behind him bursting open and he would break into a run. Now running at the gate at full speed, he would make a last ditch attempt at escaping. There was no way he'd scale a fifteen foot gate but there was hope...jumping at the support beside the gate, he'd ricochet over the gate via kicking off the wooden support and land on the other side, though his arm had been further torn due to the stunt and the spiked tops of the gates. He would now run at the only place he deemed as safe...the end of this town.
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Yu Chai was already sitting at the end of town, already thinking of leaving the area to live in another town. It was happening again.the whole thing.everything that happened when that accursed Dian Wei.well.might as well get going.no harm in heading out.
"See ya...Son of Zilong...heh." she said now giving a little salute before swinging the pole arm on her shoulder and started to walk...But wait...before anything, she'd look behind her, and there was Zhao Xing, bloodied and all running at the entrance.
"Sheesh...you weren't gonna miss me that much, we weren't friends, remember?" She said mockingly, poking him on the forehead.
"Yu Chai...shut up and follow me...we're getting out of this village."
She would merely blink and nodded, then followed the bleeding monk out towards the woods.
"I hope you know where you're going."
"So do I..." He then said, nodding to Chai, keeping towards the ends of the forest.
Will Zhao Xing and Yu Chai make it out to a safe place? Find out in the next episode of Beautiful Requiem!
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Previews O
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Yu Chai: Hey this Chai! I'm just here with this weirdo guy dressed as a monk. He's no priest! I can tell! But man he fights pretty good! Maybe next time I'll show him a thing or two, but for now, we're gonna be running, next time on - Beautiful Requiem - Stars Rising
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Name: Zhao Xing:
Appearance: Wearing a tight, form fitting red jumpsuit, which allows him quick movement...He would wear black and white robes over his jumpsuit, one's of an ancient monk. The sleeves and leg parts are tied with a band to keep the cloth from flying into a foot or fist, much like a Shinobi's. Around his neck, he would wear a pink ribbon given to him by his sister. His hair is long, very long...it nearly reaches up to his knee. Long tendrils will part on his forehead, letting him see. His hair looks very smooth and the jet black color that it is, always shines...Having a pretty boy face to go along the pretty boy hair, he'd keep his face damn near emotionless when fighting, considering each "session" a serious one. But otherwise, it's mostly him looking as he is.
Personality: He is not very outgoing. Having a serious and almost spiteful attitude, he would snap or draw his fist back at a person, although sometimes it is accidental due to it being a reflex sometimes. He is very meditative, always meditating, which adds to the level of seriousness he has.
History: Having descended from the great Zhao Yun and Ma Yuan Li, he would be born from both the Zhao and Ma lines, giving him skills in battle...although he could never hope to be better than his father. Xing would be raised in the village deep within the Wei territory, just past the Chang Ban bridge...when they took over, Zhao Yun never came back to reclaim his family, leaving a deep hatred in his heart as he would be raised by his mother. His village was involved in the massacre of the "Coming Evil". He fought against Dian Wei as a child and had survived...currently, he's wandering the world, trying to find a purpose before destroying someone he could never think to defeat, and otherwise...he gets his battle skills from traveling while the village was built, learning from the monks within the mountains.
Weapon: His body.
Relation: If anyone wants to fall in love with him, go ahead, say it in your reviews...if so, it'll be more useful if she could fight, of course, if you're a damsel in distress, that could work too...Just tell me what you want to do with her if she has any relations with my little boy there. (Pinches Zhao Xing's cheek) I'm just being hopeful!
Kingdom: He hates the kingdoms...he wants to tear them down personally, but he only wants to stop the evil from coming all the damn time.
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Okay! Now here's the tricky part. Review for what you want, like I said. Any suggestions and anything that can progress the story with the stuff in your reviews would be great! Remember, this is essential for a better story.