((SXH: Hello, guys. Sorry I didn't give you anything on St. Valentine's Day, so I'll give you this now. Happy Late Valentine's day! I hope you all enjoy! Also, I don't know if you guys know, but I replaced that other chapter with the real one; it's not a NOTICE anymore! Enjoy!))
Disclaimer: I do not own Dynasty Warriors or its characters. I only own this storyline, the twins and Little Ying.
Warning: Character death, violence, and cursing.
/
To Hell & Back Again
Chapter 23: Troublesome Discoveries
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When Zhou Yu and Lu Bu came up to a rocky part of the riverside, they took a seat anywhere they could find. Zhou Yu was on a rather large yet smooth rock while Lu Bu sat down on a fallen log. They had traveled all day long without rest. Now, it was sunset and time to make camp for the night. Zhou Yu had to force himself up to go gather firewood and kindling.
Lu Bu took his pike and went to spear fish. They had decided to settle for this pattern because it seemed to work the best. The best meaning: less agitation, faster pace, and all around more productivity. It was better to make do with this arrangement than the all the other possibilities. But, even then, the system wasn't perfect. Snide comments slid by every once in a while, adding to the already present frustration that refused to leave. Their exhaustion didn't help their moods either.
It was only by sheer will power that the two were not asleep yet. It was no surprise that Lu Bu could endure this long, but it amazed the large warrior that Zhou Yu could endure just as much. He carried his own weight with great ease and grace, despite exhaustion setting in. The man was oddly able to carry loads that Lu Bu though way too much for his physic. To think that over a month ago, the man would pass out from just a little pain. Maybe being a servant was much more helpful than he originally thought.
As Lu Bu looked for a good spot to fish from, he caught sight of a crate from the corner of his eye. He didn't want to bother with it at the moment so he continued to look for a spot to spear fish. When he found one, he stood and waited. The fish didn't seem afraid of him though... It was another odd sight to see. Big mistake for the fish though... Lu Bu was able to spear four fish before Zhou Yu came back with the wood.
Zhou Yu arranged the fire while waiting for Lu Bu to bring the fish over. Zhou Yu lifted his head and said, "The fire is ready to light. Do you have anything to light it with?" Lu Bu shook his head. Zhou Yu took a deep breath of disappointment. Suddenly, he scrunched up his nose.
Setting the fish down on a smooth rock Lu Bu asked, "Is something wrong?" Yu blinked a little bit and sniffed the air. He sniffed a couple of times before he responded.
"Is it just me, or does the air smell like wine?" Zhou Yu queried, his eyes searching the area. Lu Bu sniffed the air too, but didn't smell anything.
"I think it is just you," Lu Bu answered.
"No, it is not," Yu shot back, looked at the crate residing in the water. "Lu Bu, may I see you pike?" Lu Bu's eyebrows furrowed as Zhou Yu stood and drew closer to him.
"No, you- Do you have a problem with listening to people?!" Zhou Yu had taken the pike straight out of Lu Bu's hands and jogged off.
"I only need it for a few minutes," Yu argued.
"That is not the problem. You do not listen to the people around you. Especially the people you said you would work with," Lu Bu began. When he saw Zhou Yu wedge the pike under the lid instead of answering, he knew the younger man was not paying attention to him. "My point proven..." Lu Bu commented as he crossed his arms. He watched as the other tried to pry the lid open. He heard a light cracking and knew that it was probably the pike's pole.
Zhou Yu was too preoccupied with opening the crate that he didn't even hear the cracking from the pike in his hands. Despite his aching body, the complaining in his mid-back, and all his best efforts, Yu tried his best to see what was in the crate. Uncaring and too focused on what he was doing, he didn't hear his companion walk up behind him. He didn't even notice Lu Bu until two arms appeared from behind him and took the pike away.
Before Zhou Yu could protest, Lu Bu put his hands on the crate and opened it with some effort. "Like I said, you do not listen," Lu Bu restated. He backed away and went back to the firewood. "You almost broke my pike..." Yu sighed softly. He had a point, but did he have to complain about the pike?
Still a little shocked by his companion's actions, Zhou Yu slowly peeled his eyes away from the other and to the contents of the crate. Yu was right when he said he smelled wine. But, that was not the only thing within the crate. There was medical supplies, as well as medicinal alcohol. Zhou Yu dug around in it and found something very interesting.
Lu Bu, who had just finished skewering fish with Zhou Yu's arrows, was currently trying to light the fire by rubbing some sticks together. Suddenly, there were two black rocks thrown at him. With his sharp reflexes, Lu Bu caught both of them. He studied them closely, finding out they were flint. He raised his head to look at the other man. Zhou Yu was leaning against the crate with a smug grin that man Lu Bu's blood boil.
"While the fish cook, do you mind bringing the crate closer to shore?" Yu asked.
"Why can you not do it?" Lu Bu countered in his bored voice.
"It is caught on something. I cannot see what it is with the water so murky," Yu replied. Lu Bu grumbled, lit the fire, and set up the fish to cook. Lu Bu stood and strode over to help the smaller man. "I will take the right side, you get the left." Lu Bu refrained from making a snide remark about the man's bossiness as well.
Doing as Yu said, Lu Bu took the left side. Reaching blindly under the water, Lu Bu found the edge, as did Zhou Yu. On the Count of three they heaved it up. Slowly, they moved it to the shallows. As soon as they set the crate down, Lu Bu heard Zhou Yu gasp. He turned his gaze from the crate to Zhou Yu only to see the younger with his hand over his mouth and staring off at some of the water.
"What is the matter?" Lu Bu inquired. Zhou Yu seemed to ignore him and dash back to where the crate had been prior to its move. He kneeled down, sat on a rock and reached for something. Lu Bu followed the path of his reach and saw it. A hand. There was a ghostly white hand raised just a little out of the water. Upon closer look, the hands was slender, well-cared for, yet calloused. it resembled those of a female servant.
"What is wrong? It is just a corpse," Lu Bu said off-handedly. Not taking his eyes off the hand, Zhou Yu murmured an answer.
"I have to see," he said. Gently, Zhou Yu pulled on the hand. They watched as more and more of the arm was revealed and finally the person's head surfaced. It was indeed a woman . She had short black hair, and a heart-shaped face. Her eyes were closed, her face white, and her lips a deadly shade of blue. "I know her," Zhou Yu whispered.
"Who is she?" Lu Bu questioned. Yu's eyes switched from her to Lu Bu and back again.
"One of the twins I met on Wei's main ship. Her and her sister were the ones assigned to attend to my needs," Yu explained.
"So?" Lu Bu commented, uncaringly.
"'So'? What does that mean?" Yu snapped.
"Why do you care?" Lu Bu clarified. Zhou Yu dropped the girl, stood and crossed him arms.
"Why do I care? What do I care?!" Yu repeated angrily.
"Would you quit repeating what I say?" Lu Bu said. Yu ignored it.
"You know, I could ask you the same thing, Lu Bu," Yu stated, stepping closer with each sentence. "Why did you care? Why would you possibly care about a servant, a former concubine? Why go out of your way to retrieve them?" Lu Bu was silent. Zhou Yu grew furious, saying, "Answer me!"
"What are you talking about?" Lu Bu inquired, his eyebrows knitted in confusion.
"Why did you save me?" Yu said finally. "Why would you go through all this trouble for me?" Lu Bu was stunned. This reaction from the smaller man was definitely unexpected. But, before Lu Bu could stop himself, or think about what he was doing, he answered.
"I do not need to explain myself to the likes of you," he began. "You are merely a teacher to Ying, nothing more, but you certainly have been less." Knowing it was too late to take it back, Lu Bu decided to shut his mouth before he got into a fight with is guide. Not an argument, but a fight... Lu Bu walked away, and sat near the fire. He never saw the pained look in Zhou Yu's eyes.
Zhou Yu, however, tried to let it go. He didn't want to appear utterly weak in front of the man. He went about to give the girl a proper burial. He move back into the deeper water. When he pulled her out of the water, he noted, much to his own surprise, she was holding another hand. Pulling a little more, he realized that both twins had died the other night. Yu made a soft noise of sympathy as he had to pry them away from each other and carry them separately. He dug a spot in the sand, only taking a small break to eat, before he buried the girls together. In small rocks, he put the yin and yang symbol on the top of the sand.
Lu Bu couldn't help but roll his eyes at the action. Honestly, why did the man care so much about two servants he didn't even know? To pull them out of the water was one thing, but bury them? This man might as well as be a woman with all his damned emotions…
"What did you just say?" Zhou Yu hissed. Although, something was distinctly different. He sounded angry- no, pissed would be the right word.
"Huh?" Lu Bu, on the other hand, hadn't realized he said anything at all. He didn't believe he did, but it wasn't hard to put two and two together when Zhou Yu chunked a rock at him. He dodged it of course, but couldn't shake off the embarrassment when realizing he actually spoke his thoughts. Now, he was in trouble. Lu Bu was all alone with his guide, who he had just unintentionally pissed off. Wait. Why am nervous? I could beat this man to a pulp with my eyes closed! Lu Bu had thought.
"How dare you say such a thing?!" Zhou Yu raged, throwing another rock at the idiotic man. "I may be a lot of things, I am not, nor will I ever be, a woman!" Lu Bu dodged the rocks, trying to think of something that would calm his companion down, yet defend himself.
"Look, it is not my fault you look and act like a girl." That wasn't right… Now the man was just furious. The next few seconds went by in a blur to Lu Bu. One minute, Zhou Yu was standing on the bank; the next minute, he's punching Lu Bu in the jaw. Oddly, it had quite the amount of heat in it.
Lu Bu stumbled back from the sheer force of the blow. Still stunned and a little unbalanced, Zhou Yu took the opportunity to tackle Lu Bu to. The two fell to the ground with Zhou Yu sitting on Lu Bu's chest.
"Act like a girl, do I?!" Zhou Yu roared. "I do not think a girl could do this." Zhou Yu grabbed Lu Bu's arms and pinned them above his head. "Or this," he added as he forced Lu Bu to stand even though Lu Bu weighed twice as much as him. "Especially not this!" Yu let go of the man and backed away before jumping high into the air. His heels landed on both sides of Lu Bu's head and clamped onto it. As Zhou Yu's upper body fell backwards, he curved his back and used very muscle in his body to pull Lu Bu into the air with him. Zhou Yu planted his hands on the sand and pulled Lu Bu so that he would flip in the air. Lu Bu sent flying forward and onto his back with a grunt of pain. He let out a groan when Zhou Yu released his head and plopped down onto his chest, holding a dagger to his throat.
"Give me one reason why I should not do this," Zhou Yu said lowly. Once Lu Bu regained his breath, he thought about what he should say this time, and he answered.
"Where would you go if you did?" he countered. Zhou Yu merely gazed down at him, his eyes only widened slightly, hardly noticeable. "If you killed me, you would not have anywhere to go."
"What makes you say that?" Yu inquired, barely letting up. Lu Bu noticed the slight change and took that moment to push the smaller man off, and pinned him to the ground. Yu's eye widened considerably and seemed to squirm underneath him, slight fear in his eyes. Lu Bu leaned in close, successfully keeping the man from squirming too much. That didn't seem to calm Zhou Yu though. He glared down, though no heat resided in his voice as he spoke.
"With your pride, you would not return to Wu. If you went to Shu, it would cause war between the two allies. And let us not forget the little escape you just made from those narcissistic Wei officers," Lu Bu explained. Noting the terrible discomfort in the other's eyes, he moved away and went to tend the fire. Zhou Yu, once free, scooted as far as he could away from the larger man. Does he have any idea what he just did? Zhou Yu wondered, not daring to move closer.
"How did you know that I-" Yu stopped himself. The memory was still too painful and much too early to talk about.
"I hear some things on the battlefield," Lu Bu stressed. He then drifted into his own thoughts, trying to ignore the other's presence. This time he tried not to say what he was thinking this time. He wondered how such a small man could pull off a move like that. Zhou Yu had to be more skilled than he originally thought. But, he needed to remember not to let his guard down when he had an opponent pinned. Lu Bu had easily overpowered him and pinned him. The man was too tiny, especially compared to himself. Lu Bu could have easily squashed him. The look in the other's eyes didn't help either. The slight fear in his eyes as he was splayed out on the sand, pinned by him and him alone. Lu Bu didn't like the fear… he briefly wondered how Yu would look with a much different look in his eyes.
Lu BU shook his head. He did not want to delve into those dark thoughts. He didn't know what it was about the man that made him think that way, but he would continue to resist it. Lu Bu didn't notice Zhou Yu come closer to him, not until a wine bottle dangled in front of his face. He watched as Zhou Yu sat down next to him, not looking him in the eye. After a few minutes, the smaller of the two spoke up.
"You know, two people can talk better when they share a drink together," he said. Lu Bu raised a brow.
"We were fighting not too long ago and now you want to have a drink with me?" Lu Bu questioned. "You are a very strange person. " Lu Bu took a gulp of wine and laid down to look at the night sky.
"You are not the first person to say that," Zhou Yu commented, taking a drink from his own bottle. Lu Bu looked at his companion.
"Who else has said so?" he asked. Zhou Yu smiled and shrugged.
"Sun Ce was the first, the his family, and my wife…" Yu trailed off. He seemed to stare off into space for a few moments before taking a gulp of wine. Feeling the alcohol start to affect him, he laid down as well.
"You had a wife?"
"I thought you heard things on the battlefield," Yu countered with a smirk.
"I hear some things, not everything," Lu Bu retorted. Yu laughed a little. "How old are you? Certainly you cannot be old enough to have a wife."
"I will have you know that I am nearly twenty-eight years old," Zhou Yu answered. Lu Bu gazed in awe and wonder. The man didn't look older than eighteen. "Yes, once upon a time, I did have a wife, for several years." Yu took another swig as soon as he finished.
"'Had'?" Lu Bu wondered.
"I do not wish to talk about it," Zhou Yu stated bluntly, bitterness evident in his voice. Lu Bu didn't know what to say to that. He didn't want to start another fight with the man, but he wanted answers. Only these answers could be given by the secretive and mysterious man next to him.
"Tell me," Lu Bu began, effectively getting the other's attention.
"I would prefer not to talk about her," Zhou Yu murmured.
"Not that," Lu Bu snapped. Yu raised his brow this time. "How do you know so much about this territory? Why do you fear the bandits so much?" Lu Bu was staring intently at Yu. Yu looked back and turned away when his eyes met the brown swirls of Lu Bu's.
"I shall tell you," Yu answered. "Someday…" Lu BU growled in frustration. Yu felt groggy and really couldn't bring himself to care all that much about it.
"Why?" Lu Bu growled, although it had not bite to it.
"I do not know you that well. But, I promise to tell you one day," Zhou Yu mumbled. "It still hurts too much…"
/
"Boss!" shouted a man as he stumbled into his lord's tent. The tent was dimly lit, so dimly that he couldn't see his lord's face. The pathetic messenger got on his knees and said, "Sir! I bring news."
"Go away…" his boss mumbled in an annoyed yet bored tone. The boss sat on his bed, which was covered in tiger, bear, and other furs. The scout could tell the man had been drinking by the pungent scent of sake and wine in the air.
"But, boss, the Wei ships went to war last night and-"
"'And' what? Do they want us to help them? It's not like they're our friends or anything," the Boss cut in. "Come back when you bring me something useful."
"Sir, the Wei ships were burnt to ashes in the war. Some of the cargo had drifted to shore among other things," the scout reported, squeaking at the feel of his master's glare. But it changed. He had caught the Boss's attention with the information.
"Burnt to ashes, you say?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," the man said, trying to make sure he didn't squeak again.
The Boss shifted on his bed. He chuckled lowly at first, but it soon became maniacal. "Finally! Send a group to collect what's left," he laughed.
"Yes, sir. There was also something else, though…" the scout began. The Boss quirked a brow, from what the scout could tell. "There were survivors, amongst the wreckage." The Boss snorted.
"So? Just kill them and take what they have," he continued to chuckle. I swear these men are so stupid sometimes… he thought. The scout shifted uncomfortably.
"That will be a problem, Boss," the poor scout stated. The Boss's brows furrowed.
"Why?" This was said more as an order than as a question. The scout hesitated to answer him. "Why is that a problem?" The Boss demanded.
"Lu Bu was one of the two survivors," he said lowly. The Boss seemed to freeze. Taking this opportunity, this scout went on. "He left his armor where they washed up. But, he took a pike with him." The Boss visibly relaxed. They all knew that fighting Lu Bu would be impossible with his armor. Hs armor was specially made with the finest and toughest of metals and stones, but no doubt it was heavy. Lu Bu's armor was almost impenetrable. They would have a better chance to beat him without his armor.
"Who was with him?" he queried.
"I don't know. However, it was a beautiful woman. She seemed skilled in combat and have dealt with our kind before. She is carrying a bow, quiver and a dagger," the scout reported. The scout flinched when he could practically fell The Boss smirk.
"Have a team ready for departure. I will let you know when to move out," The Boss ordered. "Now leave, you idiot." The scout scurried out the tent quickly. The Boss got out of his bed, smiling to himself as he got dressed. "This could be quite interesting."
/
SXH: Tada! What do you think?
Lu Bu: I did not like being thrown…
SXH: Oh! I nearly forgot. Nice ad-live, Zhou Yu!
Zhou Yu: Thank you.
Lu Bu: I don't think you should be encouraging that.
SXH: Sorry, Lu Bu, but think of what the fans will say.
Lu Bu: I don't care. My back hurts after that.
Zhou Yu: Quit complaining. Did I complain when Diao inflicted injury upon me? Or when you broke my arm?
Lu Bu:…
Zhou Yu: Let's not forget the head battle injuries I had, as well as nearly busting my skull open on rock.
Lu Bu & SXH:...
Zhou Yu: Well? Do I complain?
SXH: I think we all have something to complain about. And Zhou Yu, you get hurt too much.
Zhou Yu: *sighs* But that won't stop you from hurting me again, will it?
SXH: Nope!
Lu Bu: SXH, what do you have to complain about?
SXH: Oh, nothing~! Just being tired and having a lonely St. Valentine's Day. *mumbles to self* And possibly some of my complaining cast and crew…
Zhou Yu: Did you say something?
SXH: Nope! Anyway, we hope you enjoyed this chapter and had a very nice St. Valentine's Day. Please tell me what you think with a review; don't be shy! I'll take anything that is constructive criticism! Love you all my wonderful readers! HAPPY ST. VALENTINE'S DAY!
Bye~! 3
