A/N: …
Pairing: None
POV: Diao Chan
"Diao Chan, it's this way! Hurry up!" a female voice called to me as I blocked an enemy coming my way. I looked over my shoulder to see Lu Lingqi trying to motion be to go out a door, but there were too many people around me. They weren't trying to kill me, but they were trying to capture me and take me back. Lady Lingqi however, I saw a few people raise their weapons like they were going in for the kill. She was obviously not who they were after. Grunting, I pushed the man away and started to go for her, but there were too many people in my way and they started to grab onto me, two managing to grab my wrists.
"Get off of me!" I shrieked as I struggled against them, but they were far stronger than I. I tried to kick them, to do what I could to get these men off of me, but they weren't budging no matter how hard I tried. Tears started to well up in my eyes just at the thought of being captured and needing to go back to how I was treated before when I heard many screams of pain. Lingqi was moving through the enemies, cutting all of them down easily with her weapon until she got to me. She tossed one of the men off of me and grabbed me, pulling be behind her before striking the other man down, some blood getting splattered on her clothing and face, but she didn't seem to mind, nor care. She simply turned and took my wrist, started to pull me with her as we ran out of the doors.
"We need to get out of here, there are just too many of them," she said to me. We currently were in the process of running out of Dong Zhuo's castle in Chang'an, where we had been staying for quite some time. I had been planning to leave for some time, but there were a few people that I had not meant to leave behind. One of them being Master Lu Bu, and I had finally convinced him to flee with me, but…
"Where is your father Lingqi? Where is Lu Bu?" I questioned her as we ran, some of the soldiers chasing after up. A few raised their arrows and aimed it at the girl running next to me, but she quickly moved around the corner into another hallway, cut through a room and continued on her way, not yet answering my question. But I was not one to enjoy being ignored.
"Lingqi. Your father, where is he?" I demanded once more, glaring slightly at the blonde girl. She glanced over at me quickly and sighed heavily, shaking her head.
"I do not know. I lost him amidst all of the fighting. Last I saw of him he ducked into a room after telling me to get you out of here," she replied to me and my eyes widened. My Lord was still somewhere in this castle, fighting off who knows how many enemies...and here we were escaping!?
"No! No no, we need to go back!" I yelled, stopping my running and trying to turn around. However, Lu Lingqi had a very strong grip on my arm, which kept me from running away from her. However, I continued to struggle, trying to somehow get out of her grasp so that I could somehow run back the way we came. Make it to Lu Bu somehow and help him, even though I wasn't exactly the best fighter, nor was I the strongest. But I couldn't just leave him here!
"Diao Chan, stop it. Stop it!" she snapped at me, pulling my wrist and causing me to be pressed right up against her as she glared at me,"My family told me to get you out of here alive and that is what I intend to do. You are trying to run back into a mad man's house to try and save the most powerful warrior of all the land."
"But," I started to argue, but she quickly cut me off.
"My father will be fine. Even if captured, there is nothing much that Dong Zhuo can do to him. He may be a terrifying man to some, but the real intimidating man here is without a doubt my father and he will be fine. Now, come with me before I strap you to my back and forcefully take out out of this castle," she practically growled at me. While she may seem like a mean person, I knew Lingqi better than most. She typically only got angry when she cared, or when she was nervous. This was probably a mix of the two. She was worried about her father, but she also was loyal to be and would protect me with her life. Because that is what her father told her to do. And I did respect that. And as much as I wanted to run back into that castle and find my Lord, I knew that it would do no good. He was indeed a very powerful warrior, as Lingqi said, and even if I did find him, there was not much I would be able to do. So, I forced a nod and we continued on our way, having been pretty close to the exit of the castle when we stopped and we did not encounter much resistance at all the rest of the way. Just a few stray soldiers that Lingqi easily struck down with her weapon. And waiting for us at the exit was Chen Gong and Zhang Liao. We passed through the doors and went over to the two men, me bending down with my hands on my knees as I attempted to catch my breath.
"Where is he?" I heard Lu Lingqi ask, her voice almost sounding afraid. But of what? We just had this discussion a few minutes ago about her father and how he was going to be okay. Was she now worried because he wasn't out here?
"Lady Lingqi…," Chen Gong started, his voice somber sounding, but she wasn't seeming to hear any of it.
"You said that you had him Chen Gong, you said that you were going to go and get him! So where is he?!" she began screaming now and I looked up, seeing her right in the man's face and glaring dagger at the man who honestly looked like he was going to wet his pants. He put his hands up and looked to Zhang Liao, who stepped forward.
"We told you that so that you would leave the castle. We never actually had him in the first place, nor did we have any plans to go get him," he explained to her. I furrowed my eyebrows as I listened to their conversation, having no idea who they were talking about. It couldn't be Lord Lu Bu, could it? Lu Lingqi's face turned to one of complete rage as she slapped Chen Gong and started back towards the doors, only to be blocked by Zhang Liao.
"Move," she demanded, trying to move past him, but he stepped in her path. This only angered her more and she tried to push him as she yelled,"I said move!"
"I can't do that my Lady, I can't let you back in that castle," he said to her with a shake of his head, standing his ground firmly. I stood up straight and looked at the blonde girl, reaching forward to touch her shoulder but she roughly shrugged out of my grasp. The fact that someone was left in there was obviously causing her great anger, but I couldn't tell who it was.
"You promised me that you had him and now I find out that you're lying! You were lying to me just to get me out of the castle! You were going to leave him in there to be raised by some psychopath!" she yelled, pointing accusingly at the man.
"My Lady, it was for your own good," Chen Gong said and Lingqi spun around to face him.
"For my own good!? How was lying to me about having that boy going to help me?! Now I don't know where he could possibly be! Where is he?! Where it Lu X-," she was cut off then by the sound of a horse and all of us spun around to see what was going on. Coming out from the inside of the castle was Lord Lu Bu on his horse Red Hare. There were a few men chasing after him, but the horse was far too quick for them to really do anything to him. His weapon was sheathed and I was very curious why, but then I saw the answer. In front of him was the boy that Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu had taken years ago from the Nanman tribe, a now 9 year old boy named Lu Xun. Lord Lu Bu was holding the child that was wrapped in a blanket close to his chest while he road his horse.
"Come, we need to get out of here," Zhang Liao said and he started towards his horse, as did Chen Gong. I looked to Lingqi, who seemed to be staring at her father in sadness until she realized who it was he was carrying. Then, her face turned serious and she grabbed my arm, hoisting me up onto her own black horse before she climbed on behind her, grabbing the rope. We waited for Lord Lu Bu to go ahead of us before we started after him, him slowing down a bit so that our paces matched.
"Is he alright!?" Lu Lingqi called over to her father, doing her best to stay toe to toe with him as we rode away from Chang'an, the soldiers who had been chasing us now being mere specks in the distance. I looked away from the castle and tightened the hold I had around Lingqi's waist and looked at my Lord.
"He is fine. Few scrapes and bruises, but nothing more," Lu Bu answered, glancing down at the child in his arms and I also looked to him, though Lu Bu had him so tight to him that I was really able to see much. It appeared that he was very protective of the child and I knew that when I first came there. I never got to see much of Lu Xun, for her was always in his room and what little I did get to see of him was always from the back or from too far of a distance for me to see his face clearly. He was someone that was protected very much by both Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu and I never understood why nor was I ever told. But now that he was with us, I assumed I would get to know more about this mysterious child very soon.
