Bring Me to Life
By Gingivere the Shadowreaver
Chapter Four
'Lu Xun, you silly boy, come join us on the deck!'
How he would have loved to grant Da Qiao's wishes, to throw away these papers and scrolls and maps and to be with the rest of the officers, drinking the finest wine, laughing, joking, even dancing, which was something he was always too shy to even think of doing. No, he was never a social man to begin with, and it wasn't that he was afraid of company, nor his love for his studies. He didn't know why he never did join her; he could have easily put aside the scrolls, but something held him back.
'Is he ever going to come out?' Da Qiao's little sister, Xiao Qiao poked her head in, allowing the strategist to study their exquisite faces, each shining in the moonlight. He smiled, more towards his little crush then to the other, but he tried not to let it show. Maybe then was the best time to tell her, however, his shyness took over. Xiao Qiao waved at him, smiling so happily. 'Lu Xun, come get something to drink, before Gan Ning drinks it all!'
That Gan Ning... always hogging the wine. No, he never drank in cups, but in actual barrels. That greedy little pirate!
Da Qiao almost begged, her eyes sparkling ever so brightly, capturing his spirit. 'You can sit near Lord Sun Ce and me if you want!'
And he almost would have joined her, setting down the ink-stained feather and going to stand. Ahead of him, he could see the two Qiao Maidens, motioning him towards their waving silhouettes, and he was within a few inches of grasping the older sister's hands...
Zhang He!
He turned, the image of the younger of the girls shattering as an arrow broke right through his chest. It passed right through him with great pain, then shot into Da Qiao's heart. There was no blood, for it seemed to be replaced with sparkly specks of dust... He heard her scream, reaching out towards him with a look of horror in her eyes. 'My heart... Lu Xun!'
"D-da Qiao! DA QIAO!"
~*~*~*~
When Lu Xun woke up, all he could feel was a stabbing pain in his chest, and he drifted back into sleep. It was much too painful to stay awake, but sleep now would not come. And as he laid on the ground, he was expecting to see a Wu healer, grinding up a few shrubs and herbs and to see fellow soldiers, however, that was not the case. Instead, he saw men clad in blue clothing and armor, each resting and suffering from a wound. He looked at the one dying next to him, seeing his bandages soaked in the crimson liquid.
This man was of the Wei forces...
His first thought was that the Wu was kind to offer aid towards fallen Wei soldiers, however, the thought quickly faded away when he looked through the opened area of the tent, seeing a blue soldier walk by.
Was he with the Wei?!
He remembered nothing, absolutely nothing! He was surprised he was even alive now, and his heart slowly began to pick up speed in realization of what happened. As he was lying there to die, a Wei officer must have grabbed him and taken him with them as they retreated.
It suddenly dawned on him of his situation, jolting upwards with a startled and pained yell. The stabbing pain in his chest brought him back down; he was captured! Captured by the enemy! No, that was the last thing he wanted; this was the last place he wanted to be, in Wei hands!
If the pain would have subsided and if he had the strength to stand, he would have thought about his escape, however, it faded away as two new figures entered the tent. He knew both men as they instantly spotted him; he was not hard to point out, as he was the only solider dressed in red there. Sima Yi hid all but his enraged eyes behind his fan, as Zhang He wore a somewhat cocky smile. Yes, it must have been him that captured him...
"So he lives..." Sima Yi was the first to speak, sounding greatly angered and disappointed at the news. He could read his eyes and see that Sima Yi wanted him to be nothing but dead right now. However, his anger seemed vented out more towards his own officer than to Lu Xun. "Lord Cao Cao will have your head if he doesn't approve of this, you know..."
Zhang He seemed very confident with himself, returning with a snide remark. "Then he shall have a very pretty head resting over his fireplace at home, Sima Yi. Lord Cao Cao will not pass up an opportunity like this... he has all of Wu's demise within this tent alone."
They turned their gaze to the young man again, as two guards slipped past them and headed towards Lu Xun. "Well, you will have your chance to see if you're correct... I suggest you don't leave him waiting for long. I will keep him occupied and I'll do what's within my power to persuade him, but do not EVER drag me into something like this EVER again!"
With a gruff, the Wei strategist turned to leave, and the guards grabbed Lu Xun, each holding an arm, and forced him to stand. The pain brought him to one knee, but the guard refused it, forcing him upright as Zhang He admired him from a distance. He spoke aloud, as the Wu general began to gasp from the anguish that shot from his bandaged wound. "You're very lucky that it only went right through you... otherwise you would have shared the same fate with Liu Bei... the poison had no effect on you."
"You've made a mistake..." Lu Xun hissed, not tall enough to stand in the position the guards wanted him to, practically standing on his toes. He kept his voice under strict control, glaring up at the exotic Wei officer and holding back the urge to vomit. "You should have killed me..."
Zhang He's laugh was deep and sanguine, something Lu Xun was expecting. He rested a claw-less hand under his own chin, resting his other hand under Lu Xun's chin to look deeper into his eyes. "And rid the world of such a beautiful creation? I may plunder and kill women and children, but you... no, I always found the Wu to have rather ravishing officers. Makes me almost wish I could switch my allegiance..."
"Your kind are not accepted... to kill innocents, women, and children, how can you rest your head at night?!"
Not even the guards' strong hands could keep him standing, as Zhang He backhanded him to the floor, and they quickly brought him back up to face their general. Neither of the men's faces had changed at all, Zhang He's confidence did not alter, nor did Lu Xun's deathly look of defiance. And Zhang He rather liked that, his smile running deeper as he turned away. "Save such talk for Lord Cao Cao... he demands an audience with you as well as the entire army. I am sure they will enjoy to hear your words before tearing you to pieces."
It was Lu Xun's turn to smile, though his enemy never saw it. "That will be the only thing you could offer me right now..."
~*~*~*~
Getting the arrow out of Liu Bei's chest without causing any further damage was hard enough, but being monitored by a rather worried Ma Chao was almost too diffecult for her to handle. Sun Shang Xiang could understand his concern right now, but it was NOT helping at all. It came to the point that she wanted to render the general unconscious, but she held her tongue, inspecting the arrow. Liu Bei was extremely lucky; for some damn reason, something had interfered with the arrow's path, slowing it down to wear it barely made it through his skin. However, it was enough to inject the poison, and that was all it seemed to be meant for.
Her question was what kind of poison it was. So far he showed signs of a high fever, as he laid, shivering in unconsciousness, but that seemed to be it. It was a weak poison, a horribly weak one, but it was what they were hoping for.
"Hopefully luck will be on our side..." she spoke to herself, unable to help herself from smiling as she looked down at his sleeping form. It was hard to think this was their enemy, but for now they were allies with the same cause.
Now she turned to Ma Chao, finally addressing him for the first time since arriving. "The poison is pretty weak, but I'm not really sure if he will survive the night. If he does, then he will be just fine."
He gave a relieved bow, and she left the general to see if she was needed elsewhere. She almost snuck up on Taishi Ci, and she nudged her way under his arm, putting on a well-needed optimistic smile. "So, have you found Lu Xun yet?"
"We're waiting for Gan Ning to return." Taishi Ci always liked her playful manner, even now. It always kept spirits up. However, more important things needed to be discussed. "It looks as if they were heading north, as if to return to their territory."
Sun Shang Xiang shrugged, giving an innocent look. "Maybe they realized they just can't win."
That was when Taishi Ci lowered his head slightly, closing his eyes. "They've half won this battle here. It's more of a draw, by defeating the Shu but retreating before we could arrive. I don't really comprehend their plan at all... we'll talk to Zhou Yu about it later."
"Where is he, by the way?"
"He's with Zhao Yun, burying the dead." He sighed, taking the opportunity to sit now. He always tended to brood, and now was no different. "Over a hundred, both Wu and Shu, dead today, and just as many Wei."
He flinches when she gave him a swift punch in the arm, and he asked, almost surprised that she did it AND that it actually hurt. "What was that for, Lady Sun?"
Her face was undescribeable, and she waved a finger at him, as if to LECTURE him. "Don't you dare start with that 'take the blame on yourself' now. It was neither in your control of anyone's control to stop this. Now put away those thoughts of I'll kick you where it REALLY hurts!"
Taishi Ci held back his laugh, but not the smile, giving a mock plea. "Oh forgive me then, Lady Sun! I shall erase the thought quickly from my head... spare me from your strike!"
"I'll think about it!" Sun Shang Xiang grinned before saluting. "Is there anything else I can do? The tents are set for the wounded, sir."
"Good... we should camp here tonight. It'll give us time to recover, but will also give the Wei time to get further away." Taishi Ci stopped himself from getting too depressed, only to spot the return of the ex-pirate, no body to share his horse but he was wearing a rather recognizeble hat. They said nothing to one another, as Gan Ning rode by, merely shaking his head and tossing the hat to his superior. "Prepare a funeral service for tonight, for both sides."
Sun Shang Xiang took the hat in her own hands, somehow still able to hold onto her optimism, for the sake of both of them and herself. "I'll get to it right away..."
As she ran off, Gan Ning snorted, freeing the horse from his weight. "He could still possibly be alive."
"If he is, then he's in enemy hands." Taishi Ci shook his head. "And then he would be better off proclaimed dead. Get Zhou Yu; we need to figure this all out. If the Wei are heading north then they're returning to their territory, and whether they have Lu Xun or not, we must stop them, to avenge the deaths here and find out whatever they have planned."
The ex-pirate almost laughed as he crossed his arms, "They plan to unite China under Lord Cao Cao's rule... I thought EVERYBODY knew that..."
Giving him an almost deadly glare, Taishi Ci replied, "I know that... but they've been getting worse lately. Attacking the outskirts of Shu and then attacking us within two weeks. They must be getting desperate..."
"Or close..."
Sighing, the general gave Gan Ning a worried glance, "Where did you find the hat?"
He pointed in the direction, trying to remember past killing the soldiers. "A few miles up north... there were some lagging behind still when I found it."
"Let me guess, you killed them all before questioning, right?"
"Indeed not! Yes, I did kill quite a few, however, one of them told me of his fate, though it wasn't too clear." Gan Ning leaned against the side of his horse, scratching it along the nose to make it happy. "There was a river not too far off, so I'm guessing they threw his body into the river if they did what the scoundrel said they did."
~*~*~*~
"That's the last one." Zhao Yun was quick to sit down, crossing his legs and wiping the sweat from his brow. Night was shortly to fall, much to his relief. This day was spent battling and burying the dead in the hot and humid day, and he was more than welcoming to chilly night to come. It made him sad to ahve to bury his own soldiers adn even one of his bodyguards, but there was no point in complaining now. They each died an honorable death and he would have asked nothing more of them.
He looked back at Zhou Yu, seeing the troubled man on his knees and reciting a short prayer to the last of his soldiers that he buried. Thw Wu suffered a less amount of casaulties, but the man made sure each one of them were given a prayer. There was still an empty hole, and Zhao Yun guessed that was for the one proclaimed missing.
Zhou Yu finished his prayer and rose, just as Sun Shang Xiang arrived, holding Lu Xun's bloody hat. There was a guilty feeling beginning to form from Zhao Yun's gut, quickly turning away to avoid seeing the strategist's expression when she handed the hat to him and apologized.
What happened to him was their business, however, he could not block out their argument. "Zhou Yu, why can't you just accept it?"
When Zhao Yun turned, he saw Zhou Yu calling forth two soldiers, one of which guided his horse. Setting the hat on the top of the saddle, he mounted, pracitcally ignoring Sun Shang Xiang's words. "They're already too far ahead; you'll never catch up to them!"
"If I don't return by nightfall, presume me dead with Lu Xun then." His voice was that of an angered yet stubborn beat, never to be pinned or proven wrong. He could see his grief mixed with defiance, and he truly didn't believe he was dead. Whether it was the truth or denial, nothing could stop Zhou Yu as he took off. "Tell that to Taishi Ci and Gan Ning for me!"
"Zhou Yu!"
It was already too late, and the womann growled, almost losing her temper. She shouted to him again, hoping for an answer, "What about Da Qiao!? What do I tell her?"
She heard his reply, her anger only growing and any sign of optimism gone. "Tell her nothing!"
'Well, that's a startling turn of events...' Zhao Yun went back to his own business, but he couldn't help the nagging feeling from rising in the back of his head. He shouldn't go out there alone, especially without his soldiers.
"Now where are YOU going?" Sun Shang Xiang asked as Zhao Yun rose from his spot, heading towards his own beautifully decorated horse. His few soldiers stood waiting, saluting. She shook her head, "Are you going to help him?"
"What do you think? I am not needed here, and if he plans on taking on the entire Wei army, then he's in serious need of some forces and a good sense of reality." Zhao Yun looked towards Ma Chao, giving him a nod. "Take care of Lord Liu Bei; I will return as soon as possible."
Ma Chao did not argue, only giving a bow of his head. "Be careful."
The Little Dragon only smirked, nodding as he and his troops followed in Zhou Yu's footsteps. "Do you think I'm in a position to be careless?"
And they were gone, leaving Sun Shang Xiang to disapprove in silence in their shadows. It didn't take long for Zhao Yun to catch up with Zhou Yu, and the Wu officer looked at him, his face stone cold, yet a slight hint of surprise to see him. They rode side by side, and Zhao Yun shouted to him, "I offer you my spear and my troops; we've come to fight with you."
Zhou Yu slowly nodded, accepting his services. He knew it was foolish to run out on his own, but he didn't want to risk the lives of his already injured men and bodyguards. There was hope in his heart still, that Lu Xun might be alive. He didn't have to suffer for his mistake...
"What's your plan? You should know beter than to attack them head-on..."
Shaking his head, Zhou Yu had another idea. Knocking away a branch as he entered the woodlands that Gan Ning had entered earlier before. "First we see whether he is truly dead or alive... if what Gan Ning said was true, then finding his body through the river now would be our best bet. Do you know where the river is near here?"
"Yes, follow me!"
~*~*~*~
As night fell, the camp set up by the Wei army was a lively one indeed, as they celebrated their recent victories. Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun and their troops had successfully captured one of the Shu villages, now gaining control over a smaller section of their enemies, and were but a few miles away from Zhang Liao's position. And the reason for Zhang Liao's festivities were obvious; the death of Liu Bei and the successful capture of one of Wu's valuable officers...
And now, amongst the celebration, Lord Cao Cao sat at the table set up for his officers, with various food and wine, silently gloating for his victory. What did Sima Yi know? Shortly after retreating, Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun met to conquer Chu Wan (A/N, I made that city up, haha, while Sima Yi and his forces retreated to the East. What fools... he was surprise to even find them alive!
Now Cao Cao could not begin to believe that they had defeated Liu Bei so easily, nor did he believe them when they said they captured Lu Xun. To him, seeing was believing, and he angerly awaited the arrival of proof.
Speaking of the rat himself... "Sima Yi, it's good to see you amongst the living again."
"I never knew I was proclaimed dead, Lord Cao Cao." Sima Yi gave a bow, and Cao Cao could see something else was on his mind. He seemed angered at someone, perhaps himself for calling the retreat? "It is good to hear of your victory, Lord, and I give you my greatest praise."
Narrowing his eyes, Cao Cao rested his chin on the palm of his hand, snickering at the sight of him. "Get off the ground, Sima Yi... I can't take your head off from there."
He couldn't help but laugh at the look of slight panic on his face, and even as the nervous strategist asked he couldn't hold back his almost insane laughter. "S-sir, are you s-s-serious?!"
"Of course not! Get off the floor before you stain your clothes; I know how picky you are about that."
Sima Yi almost sneered as the entire table erupted with laughter, and he obeyed, patting his robes to remove the dust. He kept his face down, to hide his anger and blush. He HATED this, to be humiliated in front of Lord Cao Cao and many others. Cao Cao caught his attention again, forcing him to stand upright. "So I've heard you've met arms with the Shu and Wu towards the South and though you were forced to retreat, you slayed Liu Bei."
"Actually, sir, it was Zhang He..." Sima Yi corrected. "He was the one that shot him with the arrow-"
"A single arrow killed Liu Bei?"
Seeing Lord Cao Cao's face, Sima Yi nodded, "It was poisoned... Zhang He is confident that it will take his life, if it hasn't already."
Just realizing what he said, the strategist lowered his head slightly, promising to severely punish Zhang He later for putting him up to this. "I will have troops go back to make sure, sir, if you'd like."
"Tell them to bring back proof; his sword, head, anything that belongs to him. Take it off his rotting body if you have to." Cao Cao's voice struck dfear in Sima Yi's heart, before softening and sitting back in his chair, his artful grin rising once again. "And now, tell me about this Wu officer you've so called captured."
Bowing again, Sima Yi regained some of his courage, not wishing to test his Lord's temper. "Zhang He has also done the task; he is Lu Xun of Wujun, one of their strategist."
Hearing the name, Cao Cao's face hardened a bit. "Yes... the younger of the two. How has he attained him?"
"He was also shot with an arrow; it passed right through him before hitting Liu Bei. He grabbed him as we left."
"Is he severely wounded?"
Sima Yi shook his head, despite how much he wished for it to be so. "No; his wound will heal properly within a week's time if tended to correctly."
"Good... good... the more pleasure I will have to slit his throat."
Half of Sima Yi smiled upon this; yes, let the little wretch die, let Lord Cao Cao kill him in front of Zhang He... it would serve a valuable purpose and a good lesson to him, to turn his heart away. Yet, the side that loved Zhang He broke his smile; even if Zhang He had betrayed him, he still loved him, and would want nothing more than for him to have his way. He only nodded, as a voice shout out, instantly recognizing it as Zhang He's. "Back away from this man; first to touch him without my permission will die!"
Cao Cao gave a smile as the troops turned their attention towards Zhang He, who parted them like Moses had done to the Red Sea. And behind him, being carried by two guards, was the apprehended Wu officer, his face stone, staring at the back of his enemy's head with unseen anger. Wei soldiers spat, kicked dirt at him, shouting for his death, but they did not physically touch him, in fear of Zhang He's golden claws. Lu Xun could se beyond Zhang He, beyond Sima Yi and now caught sight of Cao Cao, but his expression did not change. He forced it this way, to hide any sign of fear or anger, but he felt his nerves slip as he was stopped right in front of the mighty ruler of Wei.
And Zhang He addressed his Lord, a confident smile implanted on his face. "As you see, Lord Cao Cao, Lu Xun of the Wu stands before you."
"Kneel before me," Cao Cao ordered Lu Xun, eyeing him with pure satisfaction. When Lu Xun refused, the one of the guards drove his curled fist into Lu Xun's stomach as the other gripped his shoulder, pushing him to his knees. The young strategist could not hold back his cry, but he cut it short, glaring back up at Cao Cao, gasping in pain. Cao Cao could see his defiance, making his own smile grow. "I have heard of your youth, but never had I believed it until now. How old are you, child?"
Lu Xun said nothing, holding his tongue well, even as the guard kicked him straight into the ribs. He withered in pain as Sima Yi shouted at him, despite Zhang He's look of opposition. "Answer him!"
Still, Lu Xun kept his mouth shut, and a soldier from the crowd gave a shout, "Kill him! Kill him dead!"
That began an uproar, as Cao Cao rose, withdrawing his broad sword from its sheath. He saw the way Lu Xun eyed it, as if to welcome it, yet the natural youthfulness, resenting death so soon had shown through for a second. He was certainly admirable, if not foolish, and he slowly walked around the table, noting that Lu Xun's eyes never left the sword's blade. The chant got louder and louder, until Cao Cao had to shout to be heard, silencing them again. "This child who calls himself Lu Xun is ours to do with as we please, and unless I am mistaken, the majority of us wish to see his head held on a pike!"
"Kill him like a dog, Lord Cao Cao!"
Lu Xun never flinched when the sword's cold metal touched his throat, never piercing the skin. For a split second, they only saw each other, and Lu Xun nodded, closing his eyes to accept his fate. And Cao Cao nodded as well, admiring his guts as he reeled his sword back to give the final blow, not noticing Sima Yi's dark smile.
"Yes, but this 'child' is just as great as Sima Yi..." Zhang He quickly pointed out in a cool, sly voice, catching everyone's, Cao Cao's and Lu Xun's, attention. Sima Yi gave him such a look, but he was unable to see it. "Even Zhuge Liang..."
"Which is why we must kill him now! Kill him now and take away Wu's advantage!" Xiahou Dun shouted from where he sat, eyeing Lu Xun with his one deadly eye. "Zhang He has a blind plan to keep him alive, one that we will regret if not done correctly!"
Cao Cao gave his general a nod, lowering his sword. "I am well aware of this... and I would have suspected it from one as sly as Zhang He."
He turned to him, and Zhang He gave his Lord a bow, "He is more use to us alive, Lord; please allow me to hold full responsibility for him, and I promise you, there will be no secrets of the Wu kept from us."
Seeing his confidence, Lord Cao Cao turned to glance at Lu Xun, seeing as he just stared off, trying to avoid their glances. He then turned to Sima Yi, who seethed with anger. "What do you think?"
"It will take time, but Zhang He does have a point. We can use him for many things; we can hold him ransom, brainwash him, get information, or just torture him..." Sima Yi seemed to be content with the latter of the ideas, and he did exactly what Zhang He wanted him to do. However, Sima Yi noticed two things, which he had no other choice other than to point out to Lord Cao Cao. "However, if we are to keep him alive, we must move soon, for he has left a trail. Notice his missing hat... it fell shortly after entering the woodlands. And one of his swords were missing. If the Wu should suspect this, they will come for him."
Zhang He turned to glare at him, mouthing 'What are you doing?!' He only smiled, saying nothing as Cao Cao hissed. "And we don't need the Wu army on our backs... clever little rat you are, Lu Xun. However, as much as I do wish to slay you, I must agree with Zhang He on this... we will enjoy making the rest of your life a living hell, and you would soon rather death by our hands then to return to Wu as a traitor."
That was final, and the soldiers cheered, switching from wanting his death to wanting to see him suffer just as their leader had. It had a strange effect, as Lu Xun felt his hopes shatter, being forced to his feet again. Zhang He only bowed gracefully to his Lord, addressing Sima Yi's anger with a grin. Before being dragged off into a light blue tent, Lu Xun heard Cao Cao's words to Zhang He. "You have two weeks... and if you get nothing from him, then there will be two executions... his... and yours."
"Trust me, my Lord, I do not plan to fail you." Zhang He stayed in the position until Cao Cao left, and he turned to Sima Yi, unable to console the look of pure and utter jealousy on his love's face. He said nothing to him, and vice versa, leaving to follow his prisoner. And Sima Yi had a new goal... to kill Lu Xun when Zhang He's back was turned.
By Gingivere the Shadowreaver
Chapter Four
'Lu Xun, you silly boy, come join us on the deck!'
How he would have loved to grant Da Qiao's wishes, to throw away these papers and scrolls and maps and to be with the rest of the officers, drinking the finest wine, laughing, joking, even dancing, which was something he was always too shy to even think of doing. No, he was never a social man to begin with, and it wasn't that he was afraid of company, nor his love for his studies. He didn't know why he never did join her; he could have easily put aside the scrolls, but something held him back.
'Is he ever going to come out?' Da Qiao's little sister, Xiao Qiao poked her head in, allowing the strategist to study their exquisite faces, each shining in the moonlight. He smiled, more towards his little crush then to the other, but he tried not to let it show. Maybe then was the best time to tell her, however, his shyness took over. Xiao Qiao waved at him, smiling so happily. 'Lu Xun, come get something to drink, before Gan Ning drinks it all!'
That Gan Ning... always hogging the wine. No, he never drank in cups, but in actual barrels. That greedy little pirate!
Da Qiao almost begged, her eyes sparkling ever so brightly, capturing his spirit. 'You can sit near Lord Sun Ce and me if you want!'
And he almost would have joined her, setting down the ink-stained feather and going to stand. Ahead of him, he could see the two Qiao Maidens, motioning him towards their waving silhouettes, and he was within a few inches of grasping the older sister's hands...
Zhang He!
He turned, the image of the younger of the girls shattering as an arrow broke right through his chest. It passed right through him with great pain, then shot into Da Qiao's heart. There was no blood, for it seemed to be replaced with sparkly specks of dust... He heard her scream, reaching out towards him with a look of horror in her eyes. 'My heart... Lu Xun!'
"D-da Qiao! DA QIAO!"
~*~*~*~
When Lu Xun woke up, all he could feel was a stabbing pain in his chest, and he drifted back into sleep. It was much too painful to stay awake, but sleep now would not come. And as he laid on the ground, he was expecting to see a Wu healer, grinding up a few shrubs and herbs and to see fellow soldiers, however, that was not the case. Instead, he saw men clad in blue clothing and armor, each resting and suffering from a wound. He looked at the one dying next to him, seeing his bandages soaked in the crimson liquid.
This man was of the Wei forces...
His first thought was that the Wu was kind to offer aid towards fallen Wei soldiers, however, the thought quickly faded away when he looked through the opened area of the tent, seeing a blue soldier walk by.
Was he with the Wei?!
He remembered nothing, absolutely nothing! He was surprised he was even alive now, and his heart slowly began to pick up speed in realization of what happened. As he was lying there to die, a Wei officer must have grabbed him and taken him with them as they retreated.
It suddenly dawned on him of his situation, jolting upwards with a startled and pained yell. The stabbing pain in his chest brought him back down; he was captured! Captured by the enemy! No, that was the last thing he wanted; this was the last place he wanted to be, in Wei hands!
If the pain would have subsided and if he had the strength to stand, he would have thought about his escape, however, it faded away as two new figures entered the tent. He knew both men as they instantly spotted him; he was not hard to point out, as he was the only solider dressed in red there. Sima Yi hid all but his enraged eyes behind his fan, as Zhang He wore a somewhat cocky smile. Yes, it must have been him that captured him...
"So he lives..." Sima Yi was the first to speak, sounding greatly angered and disappointed at the news. He could read his eyes and see that Sima Yi wanted him to be nothing but dead right now. However, his anger seemed vented out more towards his own officer than to Lu Xun. "Lord Cao Cao will have your head if he doesn't approve of this, you know..."
Zhang He seemed very confident with himself, returning with a snide remark. "Then he shall have a very pretty head resting over his fireplace at home, Sima Yi. Lord Cao Cao will not pass up an opportunity like this... he has all of Wu's demise within this tent alone."
They turned their gaze to the young man again, as two guards slipped past them and headed towards Lu Xun. "Well, you will have your chance to see if you're correct... I suggest you don't leave him waiting for long. I will keep him occupied and I'll do what's within my power to persuade him, but do not EVER drag me into something like this EVER again!"
With a gruff, the Wei strategist turned to leave, and the guards grabbed Lu Xun, each holding an arm, and forced him to stand. The pain brought him to one knee, but the guard refused it, forcing him upright as Zhang He admired him from a distance. He spoke aloud, as the Wu general began to gasp from the anguish that shot from his bandaged wound. "You're very lucky that it only went right through you... otherwise you would have shared the same fate with Liu Bei... the poison had no effect on you."
"You've made a mistake..." Lu Xun hissed, not tall enough to stand in the position the guards wanted him to, practically standing on his toes. He kept his voice under strict control, glaring up at the exotic Wei officer and holding back the urge to vomit. "You should have killed me..."
Zhang He's laugh was deep and sanguine, something Lu Xun was expecting. He rested a claw-less hand under his own chin, resting his other hand under Lu Xun's chin to look deeper into his eyes. "And rid the world of such a beautiful creation? I may plunder and kill women and children, but you... no, I always found the Wu to have rather ravishing officers. Makes me almost wish I could switch my allegiance..."
"Your kind are not accepted... to kill innocents, women, and children, how can you rest your head at night?!"
Not even the guards' strong hands could keep him standing, as Zhang He backhanded him to the floor, and they quickly brought him back up to face their general. Neither of the men's faces had changed at all, Zhang He's confidence did not alter, nor did Lu Xun's deathly look of defiance. And Zhang He rather liked that, his smile running deeper as he turned away. "Save such talk for Lord Cao Cao... he demands an audience with you as well as the entire army. I am sure they will enjoy to hear your words before tearing you to pieces."
It was Lu Xun's turn to smile, though his enemy never saw it. "That will be the only thing you could offer me right now..."
~*~*~*~
Getting the arrow out of Liu Bei's chest without causing any further damage was hard enough, but being monitored by a rather worried Ma Chao was almost too diffecult for her to handle. Sun Shang Xiang could understand his concern right now, but it was NOT helping at all. It came to the point that she wanted to render the general unconscious, but she held her tongue, inspecting the arrow. Liu Bei was extremely lucky; for some damn reason, something had interfered with the arrow's path, slowing it down to wear it barely made it through his skin. However, it was enough to inject the poison, and that was all it seemed to be meant for.
Her question was what kind of poison it was. So far he showed signs of a high fever, as he laid, shivering in unconsciousness, but that seemed to be it. It was a weak poison, a horribly weak one, but it was what they were hoping for.
"Hopefully luck will be on our side..." she spoke to herself, unable to help herself from smiling as she looked down at his sleeping form. It was hard to think this was their enemy, but for now they were allies with the same cause.
Now she turned to Ma Chao, finally addressing him for the first time since arriving. "The poison is pretty weak, but I'm not really sure if he will survive the night. If he does, then he will be just fine."
He gave a relieved bow, and she left the general to see if she was needed elsewhere. She almost snuck up on Taishi Ci, and she nudged her way under his arm, putting on a well-needed optimistic smile. "So, have you found Lu Xun yet?"
"We're waiting for Gan Ning to return." Taishi Ci always liked her playful manner, even now. It always kept spirits up. However, more important things needed to be discussed. "It looks as if they were heading north, as if to return to their territory."
Sun Shang Xiang shrugged, giving an innocent look. "Maybe they realized they just can't win."
That was when Taishi Ci lowered his head slightly, closing his eyes. "They've half won this battle here. It's more of a draw, by defeating the Shu but retreating before we could arrive. I don't really comprehend their plan at all... we'll talk to Zhou Yu about it later."
"Where is he, by the way?"
"He's with Zhao Yun, burying the dead." He sighed, taking the opportunity to sit now. He always tended to brood, and now was no different. "Over a hundred, both Wu and Shu, dead today, and just as many Wei."
He flinches when she gave him a swift punch in the arm, and he asked, almost surprised that she did it AND that it actually hurt. "What was that for, Lady Sun?"
Her face was undescribeable, and she waved a finger at him, as if to LECTURE him. "Don't you dare start with that 'take the blame on yourself' now. It was neither in your control of anyone's control to stop this. Now put away those thoughts of I'll kick you where it REALLY hurts!"
Taishi Ci held back his laugh, but not the smile, giving a mock plea. "Oh forgive me then, Lady Sun! I shall erase the thought quickly from my head... spare me from your strike!"
"I'll think about it!" Sun Shang Xiang grinned before saluting. "Is there anything else I can do? The tents are set for the wounded, sir."
"Good... we should camp here tonight. It'll give us time to recover, but will also give the Wei time to get further away." Taishi Ci stopped himself from getting too depressed, only to spot the return of the ex-pirate, no body to share his horse but he was wearing a rather recognizeble hat. They said nothing to one another, as Gan Ning rode by, merely shaking his head and tossing the hat to his superior. "Prepare a funeral service for tonight, for both sides."
Sun Shang Xiang took the hat in her own hands, somehow still able to hold onto her optimism, for the sake of both of them and herself. "I'll get to it right away..."
As she ran off, Gan Ning snorted, freeing the horse from his weight. "He could still possibly be alive."
"If he is, then he's in enemy hands." Taishi Ci shook his head. "And then he would be better off proclaimed dead. Get Zhou Yu; we need to figure this all out. If the Wei are heading north then they're returning to their territory, and whether they have Lu Xun or not, we must stop them, to avenge the deaths here and find out whatever they have planned."
The ex-pirate almost laughed as he crossed his arms, "They plan to unite China under Lord Cao Cao's rule... I thought EVERYBODY knew that..."
Giving him an almost deadly glare, Taishi Ci replied, "I know that... but they've been getting worse lately. Attacking the outskirts of Shu and then attacking us within two weeks. They must be getting desperate..."
"Or close..."
Sighing, the general gave Gan Ning a worried glance, "Where did you find the hat?"
He pointed in the direction, trying to remember past killing the soldiers. "A few miles up north... there were some lagging behind still when I found it."
"Let me guess, you killed them all before questioning, right?"
"Indeed not! Yes, I did kill quite a few, however, one of them told me of his fate, though it wasn't too clear." Gan Ning leaned against the side of his horse, scratching it along the nose to make it happy. "There was a river not too far off, so I'm guessing they threw his body into the river if they did what the scoundrel said they did."
~*~*~*~
"That's the last one." Zhao Yun was quick to sit down, crossing his legs and wiping the sweat from his brow. Night was shortly to fall, much to his relief. This day was spent battling and burying the dead in the hot and humid day, and he was more than welcoming to chilly night to come. It made him sad to ahve to bury his own soldiers adn even one of his bodyguards, but there was no point in complaining now. They each died an honorable death and he would have asked nothing more of them.
He looked back at Zhou Yu, seeing the troubled man on his knees and reciting a short prayer to the last of his soldiers that he buried. Thw Wu suffered a less amount of casaulties, but the man made sure each one of them were given a prayer. There was still an empty hole, and Zhao Yun guessed that was for the one proclaimed missing.
Zhou Yu finished his prayer and rose, just as Sun Shang Xiang arrived, holding Lu Xun's bloody hat. There was a guilty feeling beginning to form from Zhao Yun's gut, quickly turning away to avoid seeing the strategist's expression when she handed the hat to him and apologized.
What happened to him was their business, however, he could not block out their argument. "Zhou Yu, why can't you just accept it?"
When Zhao Yun turned, he saw Zhou Yu calling forth two soldiers, one of which guided his horse. Setting the hat on the top of the saddle, he mounted, pracitcally ignoring Sun Shang Xiang's words. "They're already too far ahead; you'll never catch up to them!"
"If I don't return by nightfall, presume me dead with Lu Xun then." His voice was that of an angered yet stubborn beat, never to be pinned or proven wrong. He could see his grief mixed with defiance, and he truly didn't believe he was dead. Whether it was the truth or denial, nothing could stop Zhou Yu as he took off. "Tell that to Taishi Ci and Gan Ning for me!"
"Zhou Yu!"
It was already too late, and the womann growled, almost losing her temper. She shouted to him again, hoping for an answer, "What about Da Qiao!? What do I tell her?"
She heard his reply, her anger only growing and any sign of optimism gone. "Tell her nothing!"
'Well, that's a startling turn of events...' Zhao Yun went back to his own business, but he couldn't help the nagging feeling from rising in the back of his head. He shouldn't go out there alone, especially without his soldiers.
"Now where are YOU going?" Sun Shang Xiang asked as Zhao Yun rose from his spot, heading towards his own beautifully decorated horse. His few soldiers stood waiting, saluting. She shook her head, "Are you going to help him?"
"What do you think? I am not needed here, and if he plans on taking on the entire Wei army, then he's in serious need of some forces and a good sense of reality." Zhao Yun looked towards Ma Chao, giving him a nod. "Take care of Lord Liu Bei; I will return as soon as possible."
Ma Chao did not argue, only giving a bow of his head. "Be careful."
The Little Dragon only smirked, nodding as he and his troops followed in Zhou Yu's footsteps. "Do you think I'm in a position to be careless?"
And they were gone, leaving Sun Shang Xiang to disapprove in silence in their shadows. It didn't take long for Zhao Yun to catch up with Zhou Yu, and the Wu officer looked at him, his face stone cold, yet a slight hint of surprise to see him. They rode side by side, and Zhao Yun shouted to him, "I offer you my spear and my troops; we've come to fight with you."
Zhou Yu slowly nodded, accepting his services. He knew it was foolish to run out on his own, but he didn't want to risk the lives of his already injured men and bodyguards. There was hope in his heart still, that Lu Xun might be alive. He didn't have to suffer for his mistake...
"What's your plan? You should know beter than to attack them head-on..."
Shaking his head, Zhou Yu had another idea. Knocking away a branch as he entered the woodlands that Gan Ning had entered earlier before. "First we see whether he is truly dead or alive... if what Gan Ning said was true, then finding his body through the river now would be our best bet. Do you know where the river is near here?"
"Yes, follow me!"
~*~*~*~
As night fell, the camp set up by the Wei army was a lively one indeed, as they celebrated their recent victories. Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun and their troops had successfully captured one of the Shu villages, now gaining control over a smaller section of their enemies, and were but a few miles away from Zhang Liao's position. And the reason for Zhang Liao's festivities were obvious; the death of Liu Bei and the successful capture of one of Wu's valuable officers...
And now, amongst the celebration, Lord Cao Cao sat at the table set up for his officers, with various food and wine, silently gloating for his victory. What did Sima Yi know? Shortly after retreating, Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun met to conquer Chu Wan (A/N, I made that city up, haha, while Sima Yi and his forces retreated to the East. What fools... he was surprise to even find them alive!
Now Cao Cao could not begin to believe that they had defeated Liu Bei so easily, nor did he believe them when they said they captured Lu Xun. To him, seeing was believing, and he angerly awaited the arrival of proof.
Speaking of the rat himself... "Sima Yi, it's good to see you amongst the living again."
"I never knew I was proclaimed dead, Lord Cao Cao." Sima Yi gave a bow, and Cao Cao could see something else was on his mind. He seemed angered at someone, perhaps himself for calling the retreat? "It is good to hear of your victory, Lord, and I give you my greatest praise."
Narrowing his eyes, Cao Cao rested his chin on the palm of his hand, snickering at the sight of him. "Get off the ground, Sima Yi... I can't take your head off from there."
He couldn't help but laugh at the look of slight panic on his face, and even as the nervous strategist asked he couldn't hold back his almost insane laughter. "S-sir, are you s-s-serious?!"
"Of course not! Get off the floor before you stain your clothes; I know how picky you are about that."
Sima Yi almost sneered as the entire table erupted with laughter, and he obeyed, patting his robes to remove the dust. He kept his face down, to hide his anger and blush. He HATED this, to be humiliated in front of Lord Cao Cao and many others. Cao Cao caught his attention again, forcing him to stand upright. "So I've heard you've met arms with the Shu and Wu towards the South and though you were forced to retreat, you slayed Liu Bei."
"Actually, sir, it was Zhang He..." Sima Yi corrected. "He was the one that shot him with the arrow-"
"A single arrow killed Liu Bei?"
Seeing Lord Cao Cao's face, Sima Yi nodded, "It was poisoned... Zhang He is confident that it will take his life, if it hasn't already."
Just realizing what he said, the strategist lowered his head slightly, promising to severely punish Zhang He later for putting him up to this. "I will have troops go back to make sure, sir, if you'd like."
"Tell them to bring back proof; his sword, head, anything that belongs to him. Take it off his rotting body if you have to." Cao Cao's voice struck dfear in Sima Yi's heart, before softening and sitting back in his chair, his artful grin rising once again. "And now, tell me about this Wu officer you've so called captured."
Bowing again, Sima Yi regained some of his courage, not wishing to test his Lord's temper. "Zhang He has also done the task; he is Lu Xun of Wujun, one of their strategist."
Hearing the name, Cao Cao's face hardened a bit. "Yes... the younger of the two. How has he attained him?"
"He was also shot with an arrow; it passed right through him before hitting Liu Bei. He grabbed him as we left."
"Is he severely wounded?"
Sima Yi shook his head, despite how much he wished for it to be so. "No; his wound will heal properly within a week's time if tended to correctly."
"Good... good... the more pleasure I will have to slit his throat."
Half of Sima Yi smiled upon this; yes, let the little wretch die, let Lord Cao Cao kill him in front of Zhang He... it would serve a valuable purpose and a good lesson to him, to turn his heart away. Yet, the side that loved Zhang He broke his smile; even if Zhang He had betrayed him, he still loved him, and would want nothing more than for him to have his way. He only nodded, as a voice shout out, instantly recognizing it as Zhang He's. "Back away from this man; first to touch him without my permission will die!"
Cao Cao gave a smile as the troops turned their attention towards Zhang He, who parted them like Moses had done to the Red Sea. And behind him, being carried by two guards, was the apprehended Wu officer, his face stone, staring at the back of his enemy's head with unseen anger. Wei soldiers spat, kicked dirt at him, shouting for his death, but they did not physically touch him, in fear of Zhang He's golden claws. Lu Xun could se beyond Zhang He, beyond Sima Yi and now caught sight of Cao Cao, but his expression did not change. He forced it this way, to hide any sign of fear or anger, but he felt his nerves slip as he was stopped right in front of the mighty ruler of Wei.
And Zhang He addressed his Lord, a confident smile implanted on his face. "As you see, Lord Cao Cao, Lu Xun of the Wu stands before you."
"Kneel before me," Cao Cao ordered Lu Xun, eyeing him with pure satisfaction. When Lu Xun refused, the one of the guards drove his curled fist into Lu Xun's stomach as the other gripped his shoulder, pushing him to his knees. The young strategist could not hold back his cry, but he cut it short, glaring back up at Cao Cao, gasping in pain. Cao Cao could see his defiance, making his own smile grow. "I have heard of your youth, but never had I believed it until now. How old are you, child?"
Lu Xun said nothing, holding his tongue well, even as the guard kicked him straight into the ribs. He withered in pain as Sima Yi shouted at him, despite Zhang He's look of opposition. "Answer him!"
Still, Lu Xun kept his mouth shut, and a soldier from the crowd gave a shout, "Kill him! Kill him dead!"
That began an uproar, as Cao Cao rose, withdrawing his broad sword from its sheath. He saw the way Lu Xun eyed it, as if to welcome it, yet the natural youthfulness, resenting death so soon had shown through for a second. He was certainly admirable, if not foolish, and he slowly walked around the table, noting that Lu Xun's eyes never left the sword's blade. The chant got louder and louder, until Cao Cao had to shout to be heard, silencing them again. "This child who calls himself Lu Xun is ours to do with as we please, and unless I am mistaken, the majority of us wish to see his head held on a pike!"
"Kill him like a dog, Lord Cao Cao!"
Lu Xun never flinched when the sword's cold metal touched his throat, never piercing the skin. For a split second, they only saw each other, and Lu Xun nodded, closing his eyes to accept his fate. And Cao Cao nodded as well, admiring his guts as he reeled his sword back to give the final blow, not noticing Sima Yi's dark smile.
"Yes, but this 'child' is just as great as Sima Yi..." Zhang He quickly pointed out in a cool, sly voice, catching everyone's, Cao Cao's and Lu Xun's, attention. Sima Yi gave him such a look, but he was unable to see it. "Even Zhuge Liang..."
"Which is why we must kill him now! Kill him now and take away Wu's advantage!" Xiahou Dun shouted from where he sat, eyeing Lu Xun with his one deadly eye. "Zhang He has a blind plan to keep him alive, one that we will regret if not done correctly!"
Cao Cao gave his general a nod, lowering his sword. "I am well aware of this... and I would have suspected it from one as sly as Zhang He."
He turned to him, and Zhang He gave his Lord a bow, "He is more use to us alive, Lord; please allow me to hold full responsibility for him, and I promise you, there will be no secrets of the Wu kept from us."
Seeing his confidence, Lord Cao Cao turned to glance at Lu Xun, seeing as he just stared off, trying to avoid their glances. He then turned to Sima Yi, who seethed with anger. "What do you think?"
"It will take time, but Zhang He does have a point. We can use him for many things; we can hold him ransom, brainwash him, get information, or just torture him..." Sima Yi seemed to be content with the latter of the ideas, and he did exactly what Zhang He wanted him to do. However, Sima Yi noticed two things, which he had no other choice other than to point out to Lord Cao Cao. "However, if we are to keep him alive, we must move soon, for he has left a trail. Notice his missing hat... it fell shortly after entering the woodlands. And one of his swords were missing. If the Wu should suspect this, they will come for him."
Zhang He turned to glare at him, mouthing 'What are you doing?!' He only smiled, saying nothing as Cao Cao hissed. "And we don't need the Wu army on our backs... clever little rat you are, Lu Xun. However, as much as I do wish to slay you, I must agree with Zhang He on this... we will enjoy making the rest of your life a living hell, and you would soon rather death by our hands then to return to Wu as a traitor."
That was final, and the soldiers cheered, switching from wanting his death to wanting to see him suffer just as their leader had. It had a strange effect, as Lu Xun felt his hopes shatter, being forced to his feet again. Zhang He only bowed gracefully to his Lord, addressing Sima Yi's anger with a grin. Before being dragged off into a light blue tent, Lu Xun heard Cao Cao's words to Zhang He. "You have two weeks... and if you get nothing from him, then there will be two executions... his... and yours."
"Trust me, my Lord, I do not plan to fail you." Zhang He stayed in the position until Cao Cao left, and he turned to Sima Yi, unable to console the look of pure and utter jealousy on his love's face. He said nothing to him, and vice versa, leaving to follow his prisoner. And Sima Yi had a new goal... to kill Lu Xun when Zhang He's back was turned.