Chapter 8: Suspicion of the Doubt
Sunrise slowly ascends the mountainous region; sunlight brightens the herbs growing on the mountains like fresh rain had arrived. The plants growing on the mountainside shimmered with bright light, reflecting a green crystal image on the whole beautiful mountain landscape. The migratory birds fly and set on top of the branches on the mountain, softly perching the beautiful morning sounds of the mountain. Echoing across the vast mountain range, being herd by all those that dwell in the mountains.
Syaoran had the first rays of light blind him in the face through the tent door. Slowly opening his eyes, the blurry images of light woke him from a deep slumber of the night. The blanket kept him warm, something else kept him warm too, he was curious and decided to find out. Looking down at his naked chest, he saw a cute cheerful girl with a smile on her face rest her head on his chest for warmth, and for happiness. "Sakura," Syaoran slowly stroked Sakura's hair, "Goodbye my love, I'll be back!" Syaoran gave a sweet kiss to Sakura's forehead and moved her body slowly off of his and to his side. Trying not to make any noise, he uncovered the blanket off of himself, quickly put his pants on, and picked up his armor and weapons so he could put it on later.
"Where are you going?" Sakura asked with her eyes closed. Sakura woke up looking at Syaoran with messed up hair and shirtless, she blushed at this sight. Sakura wrapped the blanket around herself so she wouldn't have to put any clothes on.
Sakura Narration
"Where are you going Syaoran?" Please don't leave, was I terrible? "I have to go back to the kingdom; they will worry where I was." "Please just a little longer Syaoran!?" (Sakura and Syaoran locked in for a passionate kiss) "NO!" What did Syaoran not like me? Did I disappoint him? "Was I bad Syaoran?" "No, you were great…but I have to go back or people in the kingdom will worry where I was all night." Whew, that's a relief. "If I don't go back, I will be neglecting my duties." "Will you come back?" (Syaoran nodded) "I'll be back tonight!"
"Now Sakura behave for your father and brother okay?" Okay Syaoran! (They both kissed again)
End Sakura Narration
Syaoran broke the kiss and put on his shirt and armor, with one final hug; he exited the tent and got on his horse. "I'll be back tonight Sakura!" Syaoran hit the side of his horse and the horse galloped away into the morning sunrise. "I believe Syaoran," Sakura looked at his ring, "I believe him!"
Back at the Kingdom:
In front of the palace, at the main square, soldiers were lined up in rows, each row of soldier held something different. The first row held staffs, the second row held swords, the third row wore robes, and the fourth row was Syaoran's regiment, the hand to hand combat men. The soldiers were holding their formation for hours, because the sweat could be seen on the ground when the hot sun rose.
Suddenly, Li Syaoran came from behind the rows and looked around, seeing serious soldiers gazing their eyes at the top of the stairs of the palace. "What's going on here?" Syaoran asked his men, he received no response, "What are you all standing here for and gazing at the sky?" Syaoran was about to hit one of his men for not answering until all the rows kneeled down and bowed. Syaoran looked around, "What's this?" Syaoran looked up at the top of the stairs and saw a man show up.
"Who are you?" Syaoran demanded to know, "What are you doing with the Imperial Army?" Syaoran saw the man from a distance. Dark sneering eyes, a feather on his helmet, black armor, an untamed goatee, and a very wide well built body. "Answer me coward, who are you to toy with the general's men?"
"You mean my men?" the man snapped. Syaoran shot his eyes open as it finally hit him who it was, "Are you the new general Wuji?" The man at the top of the stairs looked at Syaoran with amusement, "You are the captain Li Syaoran no doubt." Syaoran stepped back a little and bowed down before him in repent. "Yes, the young brash Li whom I heard so much about." The new general walked down the steps to the stairs, each thump getting louder. General Wuji picked him up, "Please," he said, "Please don't bow down, a talented individual such as yourself doesn't deserve to bow down to anybody."
The new general smiled at Syaoran, but Syaoran shot a bad look at Wuji. "Listen general," he said, "I'm a man of respect, I bow to everyone!" Syaoran, even though he disliked it, he bowed again for respect. "Very well then!" General Wuji walked back up the stairs. "Come with me, the emperor wishes to see us for my arrival." Syaoran looked at Wuji's back, his cape flowed with dark terror, Syaoran only further hated this, but he didn't want to show disrespect so he followed him up the stairs and into the banquet room.
"Ha ha ha ha!" the emperor laughed, "That was a great story Wuji!" Wuji, Syaoran, and the emperor sat around the round table while they each had their entrée and a teacup next to them. Wuji had been talking for the past hour about his campaigns and victories in crushing foreigners entering the country. Everyone in the banquet hall loved these stories; the guards standing at the door overheard them and enjoyed them as well. All people loved Wuji's victories except for Syaoran, who had been sitting for an hour without saying a word and giving a serious look toward outer space.
"Captain Li!" the emperor yelled, "Are you listening to these fascinating stories?" Syaoran shook his head trying to pay attention, "What?" Syaoran looked around himself, clueless of what they were talking about. "My adventures," Wuji informed, "Have you been listening?" Syaoran shook his head. Both the emperor and Wuji looked at Syaoran with peeved faces, "What was that?" the emperor defiantly asked. Syaoran turned his face into a disgusted expression, "I don't care how exciting your stories may be general Wuji," Syaoran turned his full attention to Wuji, notifying him of his distrust towards him, "But know this Wuji, you may be my superior, but I definitely hate your guts!"
The emperor slammed his hand on the table and pointed at LI, "How dare you?" General Wuji put his hand on the emperor's shoulder and pushed him down. "Please emperor, I don't take offense." Syaoran was puzzled. "Besides, Captain Li may hate me now, but I am sure through hard work and loyalty, he will learn to love me as the greatest leader of China ever!" Syaoran turned his head away with a 'pfft' expression. "Hardly!" Li snapped, "You are the cruelest general to ever live, I heard of all your stories, you are ruthless toward women and children."
Wuji chuckled while sipping his tea. "You may believe so," Wuji agreed, "But to get to where I am today, I had to make plenty of sacrifices." "Yeah, the blood of children!" Syaoran snapped, "Keep in mind general, the reason why you were kicked out by the old emperor." Wuji winced, almost hurt by that statement. He hated to hear the name of the old emperor.
Flashback
"This will no longer stand!" the emperor yelled, "Wuji, you are an idiot!" The emperor yelled at Wuji kneeling before him without remorse. "Your majesty," Wuji spoke flowerily, "I didn't mean to kill all your invited Japanese refugees, I was only doing my job. Besides, they brutally attacked me, they were warriors." Wuji lied blatantly. "Is that so?" the emperor asked, "We'll see what an eyewitness saw!" The emperor signaled for the guards to allow somebody in, a young man with a developing mustache entered the room and bowed down before the emperor. "What is it that you wish to know emperor?" Wuji stared beside him to see the other man kneeling with him.
It was Min, the young Min with a strong stern face, but younger without the wrinkles. "Min is one of the most loyal soldiers of the army uncorrupted by your mad tyranny," the emperor said, "He knows the truth, and he says that you brutally murdered my welcomed Japanese guests, for lying and disobeying the emperor, I hereby strip you of your commander duties." Wuji shot his head up, "You can't do that!" he yelled.
"Oh yes I can!" the emperor pressed his authority, "Before I die, I wish Min to become to new general and lead an army of 13,000 men, will you accept this task Min?" Min humbly bowed and sincerely promised, "I will work as one of the most just and honorable generals the kingdom has ever seen." Wuji heard these promises and turned his expression into a disgusted one, "This man lies to you emperor!" Wuji snapped, "He will not keep his promise, he will lead this kingdom to ruin." The emperor pressed his authority, "it will stick" he said, "I will not allow you to be in this kingdom anymore." The emperor snapped his fingers and two guards came in and grabbed Wuji by the arms. "Take him away!"
Wuji being dragged away and couldn't do anything, the guards had an extremely tight grip on him. "No you cannot do this! I will be back! Min I will make you pay for stealing my position." "THAT'S GENERAL MIN TO YOU!" the emperor yelled, "And get used to it now, because you will serve him from now one in the deserts!" "This is an outrage!" Wuji snapped as he was thrown outside the palace steps.
Wuji tried to get back into the kingdom, but the large palace doors shut right in front of his face. "No!" he yelled shouting and banging the door. "It's not fair is it?" a boy with short hair and a red dragon robe patted Wuji's back. "Little prince!" Wuji bowed, "I am sorry, but I am no longer the commander!" "Don't worry," the prince said, "You will be again, as soon as my father dies and I become emperor!" Wuji looked up into the corrupt eyes of the prince.
"I will get you back into the army as general, if you can make me emperor." Wuji was taken back by this proposal, but nonetheless, he liked it. The son of the emperor, once thought to be noble and just like his father, was indeed corrupt and power hungry. "What do you say Wuji?" Wuji didn't have to think about it, he, like the prince, were both into one thing, they wanted their power, and they wanted it fast. The prince offered his hand out and Wuji shook it, forming a deadly alliance.
1 week later:
The emperor was on a stretcher, being carried out with a bloody white cloth over the emperor to conceal his body. As the guards carried it along the streets, the people mourned over the loss of their dear emperor. However, silence throughout the kingdom soon stopped until the prince stood atop a pedestal and began to yell, "My people!" he cried out, "I have suffered a huge loss today." The prince held his head down pretending to mourn. "I have lost my father, and I promise I shall get the person who savagely murdered him in his sleep."
All the residents listening to the prince looked at the prince in amazement; his voice echoed the entire city. "My father was brutally murdered by those savage Japanese rebels," he cried out, "Look at the proof we have obtained." The prince held up a white headband. "A rebel headband!" a person called out, "It is the rebels!" A large commotion among the crowds of people began to erupt as soon they all began to speculate why and how they could do this.
"Now is not the time to mourn!" The prince stopped the entire crowd from talking; "Now we need to make a revenge assault against these cruel Japanese!" The prince held his head up high now, "So I am declaring myself the new emperor, and I shall bring justice to those who killed my father!" The people all cheered for the newly crowned emperor as various responses came out from the cheers. "Kill the Japanese!" "Rebirth of the emperor!" "Bring them to justice!" The emperor looked at all his citizens cheering for him, and in total glee, he was showered with cheers from around him. "Thank you all!" he said modestly.
Across the corner of his eye, the emperor saw a man in the distance, he was riding along his dark horse, carrying a blood stained yellow dragon robe. "Good job Wuji…" the emperor mumbled.
Flashback End
"Emperor," Wuji called, the emperor turned his attention to Wuji, "Would you please excuse us for one second, I would like to assess the skills of our captain." The emperor nodded and took his leave. Syaoran felt a little awkward being alone in a room with somebody whom he hated so much. "Syaoran!" he said, "I have heard so many things about you." Syaoran was listening to him, but with a cold stare. "I have heard your talents, your strengths your weaknesses, I know how you think of me and other people." Syaoran began to hate him even more, with every word he said, and he scowled further as his sentences continued.
"Listen Syaoran," Wuji offered, "I am a forgiving man, and I believe we haven't gotten out to the right start, so let's say we start over eh?" Li gave him the same cold look. Wuji took the teacups and added alcohol to it. "A toast." Wuji held up his cup, "To our new alliance." Syaoran reluctantly picked up his teacup and tapped Wuji's teacup. Wuji heartily gulped down his wine, Syaoran pretended to drink it, believing it may have been poisoned, and dumped the wine into a nearby plant before Wuji could see.
"Well Syaoran, since we are here, I have a new assignment for you." Wuji pulled out a scroll and opened it on top of the eating table. "It sure is rude to give an assignment on your first day on the job." Syaoran coldly said, "But nonetheless, I am loyal so I shall do any job for the good of the kingdom." Wuji acted humbly and honest and smiled at Syaoran, "Then you are the kind of man for this job." Wuji pointed at the map. "Have you ever heard of the Japanese rebels?" "You mean, the Rebel Wolves?" Syaoran asked. "Yes!" Wuji replied, giving Syaoran a cock-eyed stare. "We have lost their location, and we need to find out where they are hiding. This is where you come in." Syaoran was listening, "I want you to go to their campsite and tell me of their whereabouts. Since today is my first day, I will not give you a burden and make you do it today, so tomorrow, take all the soldiers you need and scour the land for those rebels, they used to be here so they couldn't have gone that far." Li nodded, "I got you!"
Syaoran got up and gave a slight bow to his general and began to leave the room. "Syaoran!" Wuji called, Syaoran only stopped when hearing his voice, "You will not disappoint me yes?" Syaoran looked back with a cold stare, "Aw…" he replied as he opened the door and left.
"He is with them!" Wuji told someone behind the drapes, "How do you know?" the emperor emerged from the drapes listening to the whole conversation. "He called them Rebel Wolves, only they call themselves that, we call them the rebels." The emperor looked back and forth between the general and Syaoran walking outside, "Could Li Syaoran be with the rebels?" the emperor asked. "I don't know," Wuji replied, "But I am just going to find out truly where his loyalties lie tomorrow."
Syaoran covered himself in blankets; he covered his mouth and jumped out his window. Perfectly landing on his feet, he looked around seeing he didn't make too much noise to disturb the guards on patrol. "Gotta make this as indiscreet as possible." Syaoran ran right past the guards, who were so blind, they couldn't see anything in the dark. Syaoran made his way all over to the walls of the Forbidden City. From there, he saw two crates that he could climb to get over the wall.
"That will make noise," he said, "This shouldn't make any." Syaoran threw a drape over the wall. The pointy dentils of the structure poked holes in the cloth making it anchored to the wall. Syaoran climbed the drape and went right over the wall. "I'm safe!" Syaoran ran away from the walls of the Forbidden City and went to go to get his horse and find Sakura before morning.
Sakura had been waiting for sometime outside her tent for Syaoran. Suddenly, she saw someone over the hill, she ran to him in hopes to reach him faster. "Syaoran!" she called, "Over here Syaoran!" Syaoran saw Sakura wave her arms in the air. "Sakura, wait there!" Sakura stopped in her tracks, as Syaoran arrived in no time, "Sakura," he said with a frantic tone, "I need to tell something to your father." Sakura nodded and dragged him inside the tent.
"So!" Wuji said looking through a telescope. He didn't hear the conversation, but he saw Sakura and Syaoran hug, then he saw him go inside a lit tent. "He is a traitor after all." The soldiers who were under Syaoran's command saw this in disgust. "This cannot be!" one soldier said in disbelief, "Captain Li would never betray us." Wuji smiled, "He has found his true side, now it is time to find yours men." Wuji raised his arms in the arm, "Syaoran is no longer a Chinese, he has now joined the rebels, what say you men, what say we do to him and those dreaded rebels?" "Kill them now!" a soldier shouted as he began to rush down the mountain. The soldier charged furiously until general Wuji hit him off his horse. "There are better ways to lure a wolf into a trap." Wuji smiled and signaled his left arm, "Come men, let's leave, tomorrow, we shall show Syaoran's betrayal."
"So I see!" Fujitaka said with a hand on his chin, "They want you to find us." Syaoran nodded, "I am only a captain, but Wuji shows no mercy, if he happens to find you guys, you will be outnumbered." "What do you recommend we do?" Touya shouted. Syaoran carefully said his well formulated plan to the group, "Well, first of all," Syaoran patted Touya on the shoulder, "I want you to prepare your army in the morning once the sun rises." Syaoran turned back to Fujitaka, "I will ride in front of my men, and I will approach your city first, when I come here, I will join your army and fight my army off, giving you guys an advantage, when General Wuji shows up, you will all retreat to mountains further north."
Fujitaka shook his head, "I don't know!" he said, unsure, "I like to believe your plan would work but it somehow feels not right." Syaoran inquisitively asked, "How?" Fujitaka turned his back on Syaoran, "I don't know," he said, "There is some type of margin of error I feel." Sakura reassured her father, "Otou-san," she said, "Surely Syaoran will be alright!" Fujitaka gave a crinkled face, but fixed it after some long thinking, "Very well then!" he agreed, "We shall prepare our forces in the morning." All people in the tent shook their heads in unison.
Syaoran sneakily went back into the Forbidden City; the sun was about the rise. "Good," he said relieved, "I made it back just in time." Syaoran ran over to the training grounds where he would meet his soldiers, instead, he saw Wuji standing in the middle of the sanded ring. "So you have returned." Wuji said with a disappointed tone, "I knew you were trouble the minute I saw you!" "You know?" Syaoran shocked as ever asked, "How did you find out?" Wuji chuckled, "Your back Syaoran!"
Syaoran quickly turned around and was tackled by his own soldiers in the ribs. Wuji laughed hysterically as his own men took ropes and began to tie up Syaoran. "No this can't be!" Syaoran desperately tried to break out of the ropes, but his own men restrained him. "So how does it feel to have people betray you Syaoran?" Syaoran struggled in the ropes. "Let me go, you're not going to hurt those people, they are innocent." Wuji's soldiers came out and pulled out chains and shackled Syaoran's hands and feet together.
"Don't worry!" Wuji said, "I have seen that you are in love with Min's daughter." Syaoran began to fear, he opened his eyes wide open, with terror what he might do to Sakura. "You leave Sakura out of this!" Syaoran begged, "It's me who's betrayed the country, not her, leave her out of this!" Wuji laughed, "Oh but you see Syaoran, you're right, she didn't betray the country, and you did!" he agreed, "But I didn't tell you the punishment you must face though." Syaoran was ready to tear the chains apart, but he couldn't even make them budge. "When I get my hands on your Japanese whore," Wuji pulled his mouth close to Syaoran's ear, "I promise, I'll be gentle when I ravage her right in front of your eyes." Syaoran shot his eyes open. "NO!" he shouted.
Syaoran was dragged away from Wuji before he could bite him or hit him with his head. "Don't worry Syaoran, you'll see your beloved soon enough, raped, and you will be the bait!"
Character Bio
Emperor
Birthday: December 3
Age: 20
Zodiac: Horse
Occupation: Emperor
Favorite Hobby: hearing war stories
Least Favorite Hobby: people who attempt to steal his position
Favorite Foods: candies and desserts
Least Favorite Food: vegetables
Favorite Colors: yellow
Favorite flowers: Chinese blossoms
Something he can cook: nothing, guards do it for him
Special Talent: a sniveling mind
Wish List: to make everyone worship him like a god
Profile: This is the corrupt emperor. Fatuous and unjust, he loves the thrilling stories of people dying and people suffering. When he was young, he made a plot to kill his father which succeeded and made him the emperor. The deadly alliance he formed this with was the former commander, Wuji, whom he promised if he gained emperor status, he would reward his 10 years later when people have forgotten him, the chance to lead the army once again. He is very smart and sinister, the plans he can concoct in his head are beyond evil.