Babysitter Zhao Yun

Humor/Hurt/Comfort, this may remain as a one-shot unless people want more of it.

There comes times of war and times of peace. But whatever the case: Zhao Yun's the one who is better suited to take care of the younger generation! So he's usually let off to watch the kids while his comrades go to battle… without him. But even then, sometimes they have to call him up and ask for him to go to battle: even when he's watching the little devils.

"Guan Xing don't pull Zhang Bao's hair! Guan Yinping put the boulder down sweetie, no need to throw it! Where's Guan Suo? Okay, who buried Jiang Wei?" All in a day's work.

Zhao Yun was beyond exhausted. He sat on the bench opposite of the eight kids he was watching. They were playing tag and hide 'n seek on the playground and he was there sighing, but smiling. These kids drive him up the wall every day, but it never really bothered him. He was still alert, just, not for battle. He had to make sure they didn't bury each other, start a fight, spill their water, or, more recently, climb trees and jump off of high places.

Zhao Yun sighed again. Bao Sanniang managed to climb the rock wall and land on Guan Suo from five feet away. She yelled "I believe I can fly," before landing on the poor boy. Guan Xing and Zhang Bao are currently not speaking to each other because Zhang Bao spilled Guan Xing's water all over the pavement, and in reaction pulled Zhang Bao's hair. Guan Yinping was chasing Guan Ping with a boulder. Yes, a boulder. Because apparently a rock was overrated. Xingcai decided to bury Jiang Wei in sand, so now the little twig of a boy was shaking sand off of him like a wet cat.

Zhao Yun checked his watch. It was still too early to return to the house, and the day was just perfect for the kids to stretch their legs. He sighed again. Sometimes he wished he brought a scroll or two with him. Then again, if he did, he wouldn't see the boulder flying at him. Nonchalantly he swatted the large rock away from him before it made contact with his nose. He learned only too soon that he had to keep his eye open for random things being tossed at him because the young girl missed her mark plenty of times prior to this day.

"Sorry Yun-chan." Guan Yinping called out, and proceeded to grab another boulder and chase her older brother down with it.

"Don't aim for your brother's head. Aim for his path so he trips over it. Stop his movements then tackle him." Zhao Yun pointed out. "It'll take practice but watch his movements and the pattern he runs in." He didn't realize he was giving fighting tips to the young group. He never thought of it that way.

But he smiled at the little nickname. They all called him something different. Yun-chan was one of them. He didn't have the heart to correct any of them that he was a male. In fact he got tired of correcting everyone who mistook him for a woman. He let it slide. In fact they referred to him as "mom" while Guan Yu and Zhang Fei was "dad". Involuntarily Zhao Yun shivered a bit.

Xingcai was watching little birds peck at the ground. She wondered why they were pecking at nothing. She would at times run up to a group of birds to see what they were pecking at, only to see nothing of interest. She figured her mentor knew anything about it.

"Hey sensei?" She called to Zhao Yun. She ran up to him, taking quick looks at the birds. When she neared she put a hand on his knee and pointed toward them. "What are they pecking at?"

Zhao Yun smiled lightly. Sensei was another nickname they gave him. His eyes went toward the birds. He quickly looked all around him to see where the other seven were at before he answered Xingcai. The little girl looked at him with wide eyes. "They're looking for a meal." She tilted her head. "That means they're pecking the ground trying to draw up worms to munch on. We had a rain shower last night, so there should be plenty of them near the surface. Birds peck the ground to send vibrations to the worms, which irritates them so they come up to investigate. That way, the bird can snatch them up."

"But, isn't it easier to eat bugs in the trees?" Xingcai asked.

"Depends on which bird you're talking about, but again, it just rained last night, which makes it easier for the worms to move around." Zhao Yun did a quick glance upward and to the side. He did a quick head count. Guan Xing, Zhang Bao, Guan Ping, Guan Suo, Guan Yinping, Bao Sanniang, Xingcai… that's seven!

He stood up and looked around for Jiang Wei. He was still shaking sand out of his shoes. Zhao Yun sighed and chided himself for his overreaction. But then again there was news about somebody going around, kidnapping any kid they can, so his nerves were on an overdrive at the moment.

They knew not to go with anyone they don't know, and more so to come get him when someone does. But it still worried him a great deal. He was watching the eight of them, alone, outside at a park. Him not having a head's up about watching the eight did him in, as it was second notice and they didn't give him time to decline or argue.

Xingcai watched her mentor get up and looked around frantically for a second before he relaxed back down in the bench, his eyes always constantly on the eight of them, going from one to the other. The sudden movement made her panic and she stepped back in a haste to get away from the sudden jolt of action. She nearly tripped over due to loss of balance until saved by her sensei before she did.

"Sorry about that Xingcai, did I frighten you?" He asked concerned.

She hurriedly shook her head as heat rose to her face. "N-no, I'm fine, thank you sensei." He smiled at her gently, but was torn from his face almost immediately when a scream was heard.

Guan Xing and Zhang Bao were on the ground, exchanging blows. Zhao Yun sighed and got up to meet the brawling pair. "Okay you two, break it up." Zhao Yun had to get on his knees to separate the two of them. He used both his arms to pry the two of them apart. The two of them still flailed their arms at each other, but never really connecting the other. It was amazing that they didn't manage to hit their guardian at all in their blind fight.

Until they were torn from each other and were suspended into the air. They momentarily froze and stayed still long enough so Zhao Yun lowered them to the ground. "Can the two of you explain why you were fighting each other?" He asked in a soft voice that the kids recognized was his. They sheepishly looked at one another, than to their guardian. Neither said anything, for they feared that he was angry.

Zhao Yun sighed softly. "I'm not mad, I just want to fix this little dispute." His voice was quiet, and almost tired to the younger boys.

Guan Xing gulped. "We got into a fight about who would go down the slide first." Zhang Bao pointed toward said slide.

"We were going to race for it, but we ended up fighting instead." Their guardian was listening intently.

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?" They nodded. "That's nothing to fight about boys. Just take turns. How about this, the youngest goes first, than the oldest. And wait until the other finishes their turn."

The boys looks at each other again and nodded their heads in consent. "Okay," they mumbled. Then they ran off. Zhao Yun released a breath. He was worried that they were still arguing about the water, but it seems to be a moment of the past for them now.

Once again he stood up to do a headcount. All were accounted for. Guan Xing and Zhang Bao were on the slides, Guan Yinping, Xingcai, and Bao Sanniang were all playing tag in the field next to the park, and Jiang Wei and Guan Suo were huddled together under the shade of a tree.

That left Guan Ping on the bench he originally sat in, looking downcast. He was the oldest of the group and that usually set him apart from the other seven. Often at times, he felt that he didn't belong with the others because of his apparent growth spurt and his age. So that's one reason why he usually sat alone, away from the others.

This slight not-belonging-to-the-group phase usually hits around puberty, and that's what Guan Ping was dealing with now. He usually helped Zhao Yun keep an eye out on the younger kids. He was playing with his younger sister Yinping until she decided to play with the other two girls of their group. That opened his plate to do something else. Like noticing he was rather hungry at this point. Was it almost lunch?

"Are you hungry Guan Ping? It is about time to go for lunch." Zhao Yun mentioned.

Guan Ping looked up a little startled. Zhao Yun's eyes were drawn to something other than the eight of them. "Um, yeah a little." He said, lighting up at his mentor. The sight of his mentor comforted him a little. "When are we leaving?"

The question went unanswered. Zhao Yun sat down next to him, leaning forward at the edge of the seat. In a sense it was so he could stand up quickly to help any of the kids or stop a fight. He seemed to Guan Ping a little more alert and nervous of his surroundings. He knew Zhao Yun was a veteran warrior in their kingdom, so it was natural for him to look alert. But he always saw Zhao Yun with a light smile gracing his face. This time there was none, so it meant he was focusing on something… or someone.

"Lord Zhao, is something the matter?" Guan Ping asked, looking in the same direction as his mentor. He only spotted a dark brown horse tied to a tree, unsaddled, and a man walking away from it toward the park. Other than a disheveled appearance, the man appeared to be no threat to Guan Ping, so he wondered why his mentor was so suddenly tense. In retrospect he noticed that whenever there was another adult in the vicinity that Zhao Yun didn't know he would be on high alert and be tense until they left or the second adult did.

Zhao Yun didn't really hear the question, so he didn't answer right away. But when he processed it he told Guan Ping in a low voice, "Tell the others to come a bit closer Guan Ping, and don't lose sight of them for me okay. It's very important." Saying that, he stood up again and motioned to the others to come closer.

The man didn't sit right with him. He came out of nowhere and watched the kids for a bit before tying his horse up to the tree. Zhao Yun noticed that the horse might have been a beauty once, with its black mane and tail and the dark brown fur. But it was a matted mess and Zhao Yun could see the ribs on the poor thing. A man who couldn't take care of his horse was an instant notification for Zhao Yun to keep an eye on the man, only leaving him to see where the children were at. The man's own appearance didn't help Zhao Yun think less of him. There were signs of a struggle all over him, like he fought another before he came here. One of his eyes were black and swollen, a cut lip here, and a bruise was evident on the man's collarbone. He wore a loose black jacket, black gloves, jeans and brown boots. The bruises on the man shined in the light.

That said man was paying attention to only the kids on the playground, and never once noticed the tall adult that stood only a few meters away from them. He counted eight in total, but one looked too old for his taste, another two looked like they would put up a struggle, and then there was a group of three girls who played tag without noticing him. He would have chosen the one with long hair, but he learned from experience that girls were loud and harder to attract. That left the two boys under the shade of a tree. They were leaned against it, speaking in soft tones. They were skinny, frail looking, and just about the right weight to carry off. He figured the softer looking of the two, the one with short brown hair, would run faster than his comrade, so he chose him as his target.

Zhao Yun's trained eyes were on the man as he approached without caution toward the kids. Bao Sanniang noticed him first, and told her comrades. All three of them cautiously looked and slowly made their way to their mentor, who kept his gaze on the man. He was heading toward the tree that Guan Suo and Jiang Wei sat under. He figured the man was too focused on the kids to see another adult near them, and that was why he walked so boldly to the area.

Zhao Yun motioned to the kids to stay behind him and to wait there. He silently walked toward the same tree as the man.

Guan Suo noticed the man and their sensei walking towards them from different directions. The sight of his mentor coming towards them, and the rest of their group behind him made him turn his attention to the man who looked rather dangerous. He gulped nervously.

The unknown man was so close to them that he licked his lips in anticipation. He learned that children in a group usually don't have an adult watching them 24/7. So he figured that this catch was going to be a snap. The kid's comrades would run to tell an adult, and he would have already been far away when they did. So it was an utter surprise to see a well-dressed man, looking dangerously at him, lean himself on the tree next to the kids, who looked up and acknowledged his presence. With a calm tone he asked, "Can I help you, sir?"

Zhao Yun mentally enjoyed the shock the man had when he finally noticed he was there. He was also glad that he was silent enough to receive that reaction. He was always complimented for being a silent and fast walker. He motioned Guan Suo and Jiang Wei to get up and join the group. They did so without a second glance toward the man.

"I'll ask again. Can I help you with anything sir?" Zhao Yun made one quick glance towards the kids and back to the man. "Because I doubt the kids would be of any help."

The man was taken aback by the calm voice the other used, and the fierce, trained eyes he gazed down upon him with. How could he not have seen this man? "Um, oh it was nothing. J-just that I wanted to ask if there was an adult nearby." It wasn't exactly a lie. He did ask every kid he took that exact question.

"So you could make sure you could kidnap them without being caught?" The blunt question made the man's eyes widen. An action that did not go unnoticed by Zhao Yun. "Oh, so I was right. You know a man who can't take care of his horse doesn't deserve to have a kid, right?"

In a last resort the man shot toward the group that moved behind Zhao Yun. And he found himself suddenly thrust back onto the ground, his arm pulsating in a painful rhythm. "Where do you think you're going?" Zhao Yun stood above the man, waiting for him to make a move.

The unknown man swung his legs to catch Zhao Yun off guard. This only made Zhao Yun strengthen his stance, staying still while the other man found a painful resistance. The difference in leg strength was a shock to the kidnapper. His legs cracked painfully against Zhao Yun's stance who took no notice of the hit. He flinched and moved back, trying to stand up in the progress but failing miserably.

Zhao Yun noticed that the kidnapper was just as frail as a child, since he was retreating in a rather pitiful way. He felt the crack that came when his legs, which meant to bring him down, connected to a more balanced and practiced stance. Zhao Yun sighed at the man. This was going to be a long intermission.

Back at the house the kids went about clearing the large oak table in the room so that they could set down plates for whatever lunch was. Zhao Yun had to waste an hour of the day keeping the kidnapper in check so soldiers could come take him away so they could leave. It was an exhausting hour since he had to make sure he wouldn't get near any of the eight or leave his sight so he could run… even though Zhao Yun figured the crack his legs meant something along the lines of "split" and "destroyed". He never really thought that his legs would break another's by just being in a stance. Never crossed his mind.

What did though was what he should make the kids for lunch. Another thing that made him open minded was that they all had their preferences and that meant they were picky little devils when it came to eating. He actually enjoyed cooking. Ever since it was Lords Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and himself he would do most of the cooking, taking their likes and dislikes to an account and making the dish just the way the brothers liked it. He would always be the one brave enough to take away the wine when he thought Zhang Fei had enough, but that usually ended in him giving the wine back when the other man begged for it like a child would for a toy.

Either way, it enhanced his cooking abilities until he was rather fond of doing it, if only to bring a smile to a face. And the eight kids where his judges at the moment.

"Alright you guys, what will it be?" He handed out slips of paper to them and pens so they could write down what they want. He would make them individual meals depending on what they were feeling like for that day. Usually it was something along the lines of pasta or sandwiches of all sorts. Sometimes it was chicken or pork buns. Either way it didn't really matter, as long as they liked it. Zhao Yun wasn't all that concerned about making several items. It just widened his reaction time and his multi-tasking skills. "Remember to put you name on the slip."

They did just that. They even discussed it with each other. Guan Ping wasn't all too picky and even asked Zhao Yun what he recommended. Guan Ping always wanted to try new things, and one of those things was the several ways Zhao Yun could cook the same thing differently. He usually ate slowly with a medium sized lunch.

Guan Xing and Zhang Bao, although they reluctantly agree on it, always preferred chicken broth ramen with vegetables that ranged from corn to carrots, a side of two pork buns, and sweetened chai tea. They would eat a lot and Zhao Yun became accustomed to see that mean that they weren't sick or downcast about something. If they asked for smaller portions than normal Zhao Yun often asked them if something was wrong. It was one of several signs that he learned that meant something was up.

Bao Sanniang would ask for lots of protein based food with about equal amounts of vegetables. Mostly that consisted of lettuce, carrots, and whatever meat she felt like having that day. She usually drinks sweet things like fruit smoothies if possible.

Guan Suo was more into having more energy and often asked for salads of different styles. One time it would be just lettuce and others he would ask for additions like tomatoes, sometimes peaches, and croutons. Any meat he would eat would be in small portions. He prefers more bitter drinks. Both he and Bao Sanniang ate a medium size lunch. Sometimes Guan Suo would eat a smaller portion.

Xingcai and Guan Yinping would often ask for a lot of pork buns and many dishes of ramen of all flavors, from chicken to beef to even shrimp of they were in the mood for it. They also have a balance of meat, fruit, and vegetables. Xingcai leaned more toward vegetables and Guan Yinping leaned more toward fruit, but either way they got about the same amount of both. Their sizes often differ from day to day. Both prefer green tea stirred with honey.

Jiang Wei ate small portions of vegetables, fruits, and meats. He would eat plenty of wheat, and several bowls of ramen. He would often drink chai or green tea. He had a sweet tooth somedays and others he would enjoy spicy items.

Again, it didn't matter much to Zhao Yun, as long as he cooked it to their liking. When they were done writing down what they wanted they gave the slips of paper back to him so he could cook up their lunches. While he did this the kids would very often go out into his yard and play more. His kitchen windows overlooked his yard, but Zhao Yun nevertheless asked them to stay in the yard.

While he was cooking, the kids played tag all around his yard, hiding behind trees and even climbing them. Zhao Yun just smiled at them, noticing that Guan Ping was in a better mood and that he was glad they could only climb the trees with low branches. But it was usually around this time that Guan Yu or Zhang Fei or another person who was at war called him and asked him to get his twiggy body over to the battlefield. The last time that happened he had to take the kids on a "field trip" to their main camp and leave them in the hands of Deng Zhi for about 5 minutes. That was a very annoying day…

The kids at that point decided to dogpile on Guan Ping.

"Thank you for the meal sensei!" They yelled in chorus before they dug into their respective meals. It put a smile on Zhao Yun's face to see them happily eating. There was no room for them to talk since they were eating so quickly.

"Glad all of you like it." Zhao Yun said, looking at their smiling yet stuffed faces. It was so adorable.

There was a knock on the door. Zhao Yun got up to answer it.

"Who could that be at this time?" It was 11:50, so he wasn't expecting anyone to visit him. He opened the door to see Ma Dai quickly enter and close the door behind him, looking outside rather worriedly.

"Uh, feel free to come in Ma Dai." Zhao Yun raised an eyebrow at his comrade's paranoid behavior.

"Sorry about the sudden drop-in Zhao Yun, but I was being chased by a mad man." He said in a rush. "I just hope I lost him."

"So do I. I have eight kids with me right now. Want something to drink?"

"Um, no thank you buddy, but do you have a weapon handy? I dropped my brush when he came out from behind me and started chasing me." Ma Dai stood away from the door to notice the kids at the oak table. "Are you having fun babysitting?"

"I should have a throwing knife somewhere around here. I had to put the weapons up when the kids arrived so give me a minute to find one. What were you doing beforehand, painting a picture? Here we go, found one." He handed Ma Dai a gold hilted knife. "And for your information yes, I am enjoying babysitting these little devils."

"They can't be all bad, can they?" Ma Dai asked, taking the knife.

"Wait until they're done eating than talk to me Ma Dai. When you see that mad man do me a favor and keep him away from my place while I have the kids here, please."

"Oh don't worry, I doubt Fa Zheng would do anything to the kiddies." He opened the door. "But thanks for the knife." He waved to the kids. "Be good for Zhao Yun kids."

They waved back but continued eating.

It was almost 10 at night and the kids were all dozing off one by one. All their energy was spent and now they were curled up on top of each other right next to Zhao Yun who was reciting a story about tales of old and legend. He mentioned great warriors of old like Guan Ying and Xiahou Ying, also known as the Duke of Teng. He only stopped talking when he heard the unmistakable sounds of them breathing lightly in sleep.

Now the trouble was getting out of the heap without spurring them awake. He gently moved each of them off of his person as quickly and as quietly as he could. Jiang Wei shifted in his sleep only once and even Guan Ping mumbled something in his sleep

He sighed deeply when he finally got up and looked down at the sleeping forms, smiling gently at the kids who, sooner or later, would be attracted to the warmth of the others and pile up on each other like kittens. The prospect was an adorable image that happened more than once. The thought of sleep made Zhao Yun quickly cover his mouth to stifle a yawn.

Earlier that day he had to set aside all of his plans to take up the job of watching these kids at the last second, only due to the fact that their fathers went to battle... without him. He smiled grimly at the fact. It was unavoidable; he knew that if anyone was going to watch the kids he was the best person to go to. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei didn't trust anyone but him to watch their children, and even so they even asked him to teach them in their place.

He blew out a nearby candle, and walked silently out of the room. The light from the full moon lit the house as every window was uncovered and the surfaces of all the weapons in the house reflected the light into the dark rooms. Zhao Yun made his way into the yard toward the garden he had started working on three days ago. He planted white, purple, blue, red, and yellow flowers of all kinds. They were fully grown plants when he did it, and now they were all still standing upright, as if the kids never had a chance to trample the delicate species.

He took a deep breath of the fresh midnight air and exhaled. Crack!

Zhao Yun spun around on his heel in time to catch a foot flying to his face. He held the limb away from him as he looked into the face of the kidnapper earlier that day, this time seething in anger.

The man wasn't careful with his attacks and just blindly tried to injure the experienced warrior. His plan was to get back at the man who stopped him earlier from catching another kid, and now it was night time, all of them would be asleep, but he didn't think the warrior would be standing outside all alone. To the kidnapper, it was a good opportunity to get back at the man for what he did earlier now that his legs were feeling better.

But the warrior either caught and pulled him away using his limb or side stepped, clearly indicating that the kidnapper wasn't worth his time. It just made the kidnapper more and more aggressive, blindly throwing his fists but hardly using his legs because of how much they hurt.

Zhao Yun was losing his famous patience. The rule of honor was that if the wounded man kills his assailant he is redeemed, and if the wounded man dies his assailant is forgiven. Zhao Yun never attacked a man when he was down, or if that said man didn't have a weapon in his hands. It wasn't counted as a duel or battle if he did. It would have been a brawl or a slaughter. And the kidnapper wasn't getting the hint to run like the coward he was before Zhao Yun had to strike in defense, since side stepping wasn't helping the situation.

And it took only a second. Zhao Yun saw the perfect opening, and like an assassin, aimed for the weakest guarded spot. True, he could've tripped the man, but he would get up and try again. Zhao Yun's patience wasn't with this man. So the single, fatal punch in the gut the kidnapper received sent him flying across the yard, leaving a trail of bright blood due to the force.

Zhao Yun massaged his fist for a second before walking up to the crumpled body. He hardly even laid that much force when he heard the crack of bones breaking within the man. The body was just as fragile as it appeared. He had to give credit though for the man's persistence and recovery of his legs. The well-aimed punch was just as fatal as Zhao Yun thought. The blood trailed from the side of the man's face in a dark puddle next to him.

The man still looked at him with hate, even as the light seeped from his eyes. Zhao Yun just shook his head and sighed. This fool had to be spying on him and the kids ever since he escaped the soldiers. He would have to ask how he got away from them.

But now he would have to explain what went down here tomorrow. His day just keeps getting better.

Zhao Yun was inside his house, writing the report of what transgressed earlier in the day with the kidnapper and what happened to said kidnapper when he encountered Zhao Yun in the yard earlier that night.

He was only brought out of this paperwork when Zhao Yun felt small hands grip the edges of his white robe and pulled to get his attention. He turned around to see Jiang Wei rubbing his eyes up at him, tiredly moving one hand to pull on his robe and another to get one of his eyes.

"Jiang Wei it's about midnight, what's wrong?" Zhao Yun asked gently, his voice quiet and soft.

"I-I had a nightmare." His voice cracked. Now that Zhao Yun's eyes adjusted he could see the red lines of tear stains on the young child.

Zhao Yun put down his pen and turned his body to take Jiang Wei into his arms and set him on his lap. "What was it about? Can you tell me?"

Jiang Wei put his arms around the older man tightly, as if he would disappear if he didn't. New tears were threatening to fall. He mumbled something about the older man leaving them.

"What was that? Jiang Wei?" Zhao Yun was mildly surprised about the sudden hug that Jiang Wei gave him, but soon noticed the young boy shaking, trying to keep tears from falling. "You can tell me anything Jiang Wei, just remember that."

The boy finally looked up to see Zhao Yun's concerned face looking down upon him. "Y-you were gone! W-we were all alone, me and the others, and there was a fire, and we couldn't find you, we called out for you but you never answered, you were just… you were j-just gone!" He broke down in tears after the fast explanation. He buried his face into the older man's chest as Zhao Yun wrapped his arms around the terrified boy.

Very soothingly Zhao Yun rubbed his hair and back, trying to calm the younger boy. "Hey, hey, come on Jiang Wei it's okay. I'm here right now aren't I?"

"B-but, y-you were gone!" The sob was barely audible.

Zhao Yun held the smaller boy tightly. How was he supposed to bring up that he might not be here for them? That by the time he would be gone they would already be able to look after themselves? Apparently he never realized that the kids thought of him more than a mentor or guardian. They saw him as a friend that remained with them while everyone else seemed to disappear and reappear. But Jiang Wei's nightmare seemed to be that he disappeared and never returned. A frightening thought indeed for a child to have about someone who they trusted for their entire life.

"Jiang Wei, I'm not going anywhere. Even when the eight of you no longer need me to look after you I'll be here to help all of you. I promise." Zhao Yun's voice was soft and comforting to the crying boy.

"Y-you promise? Like really, REALLY promise you'll never leave?" Jiang Wei, still crying looked up at him with wide tear filled eyes.

Zhao Yun smiled and ruffled his hair. "Of course I will. I'm a man of my word Jiang Wei, and whatever I say is true. I'm an honest man true to my word, and I promise you I'm not going anywhere for a long time."

That seemed to help Jiang Wei cope with the previous scary thought. He nodded his head and slid off the older man's lap. Zhao Yun lead him back into the room where all the others where and sat next to him until he was fast asleep, rubbing his back in comforting circles.

When Zhao Yun knew Jiang Wei was asleep, as well as the rest of the others he went back to the desk that he was at previously. The document of the report laid on the oak surface, and the candle was casting shadows all over the paper.

He sat back down and tried to focus on the report again, but his mind kept replaying the scene about him never returning to the kids if he ever leaves. May be they thought that he'll be called up to arms when he's watching them and take them with him to the main camp to be watched over by someone else like last time. They seemed to never mind their fathers going to battle, but if the concept of their sensei leaving was too much, the prospect of him never returning was worse to them than their fathers leaving them.

It nearly overwhelmed Zhao Yun with emotion to know that the kids saw him more as a mentor, but as a friend they were unable to lose, something that they should be seeing in each other. They were the future of Shu, the shining stars that the Kingdom will soon rely on to keep it going. Sooner or later, he and the other veterans would soon have to pass down not only the war, but the rest of the troubles of their lives on to them.

They would have to find some things out on their own. Zhao Yun smiled. In fact, despite all that Guan Xing and Zhang Bao go through fighting each other, they'll be relying on each other just as much when they're older. Bao Sanniang, Guan Yinping, and Xingcai are already good friends: that friendship will be tested more than once when they're older. Guan Suo and Jiang Wei would have to compensate their lack of size and physical strength with the same aspects he used: speed, skill, technique, and thinking on your feet to get the better or your opponent. Guan Ping was old enough for him to start the basic training he'll need to survive out in a battlefield.

Zhao Yun pushed the report away from him temporarily. He'd get back to it. He grabbed another sheet and wrote down schedules. In fact it was time all of them got a lesson in basic training. There was learning balance, the importance of the first strike, the act of finding the enemy and dealing with them according to the situation. So many factors to teach them, and Zhao Yun fears he may not have enough time to teach them all that he should.

The concept of training the eight brought a smile to his face nonetheless. It was a good opportunity for them while they are still young. The aspect of self-defense was a major driving factor for the three young girls, and that Guan Suo and Jiang Wei would have to have a special work list to help catch them up to the three bigger boys among the group. In turn though, Zhao Yun will learn just as much from them as they will from him, whether it be patience or learning their own unique styles and helping them strengthen that style. He would introduce many styles, but they will have to find their own.