Innocence
By Natsue Arishima

Chapter Five: Lost

Lu Xun bit his lip, golden eyes focusing on the warm, blue sky. He sighed and leaned back against the soft, verdant grass, crossing his arms underneath his head. A breeze rustled through the nearby trees, teasing his face and hair.

The previous days had past in a whirl. He had gotten used to the quiet and almost bleak halls of Jian Ye. Okay, so the building wasn't completely empty, with the numerous maids, servants, and occasional traders swarming around, but something inside him told him that there should have been more people. And not just regular people. Warriors.

The boy shivered at that thought, rubbing his arms. He slowly pushed himself up, leaning casually on his elbows. Something just wasn't... right.

His eyes widened slightly as another small seizure racked his body again. It was cold... too cold... He doubled over, face contorted in agony. Ice... ice... a pair of laughing eyes... And everything righted itself again.

Breath hitching slightly, Lu Xun stood up, still a bit weak from his previous ordeal. That had been the second one today. Da Qiao had said something about it being related to his... what was it? Oh right. Amnesia.

He frowned thoughtfully, mind racing and trying to recover any memories that might help explain something to him. Like who he really was. That had been a question that the Qiaos had always left unanswered. And it was bothering him.

Da Qiao claimed that he had lived in a small village north of the city. After it had been burned down during a small scuffle between Wei and Shu, the survivors were nursed back to help by the watching Wu. All of them died... except for him. He had remained in a coma for months.

That... doesn't seem...

He shook his head. How would he know? He did have amnesia, after all. So...

Wrong... it's all wrong...

Lu Xun rubbed his eyes furiously, trying to push away the small part of him that constantly reminded him of a different past.

He couldn't help but feel immensely alone.

I... who am I?

Two hands clenched into fists.

I feel so... lost...

~*~

Up on a high balcony, a pair of warm, dark eyes turned away. The girl stepped back inside her room, biting her lip. She continued to comb her hair, eyes closing as she fell into that relaxing rhythm; up, down, up, down...

Her eyes opened as she felt a small tug on her sleeve, looking down to meet a face almost identical to her own.

"Da Qiao?" the younger girl whispered, eyes suddenly downcast as she turned towards the open window. "Why...?"

Da Qiao paused before slowly lowering her brush. To see her usually cheerful sister like this... It was too much for her to stand. Pulling the other into a comforting hug, the older Qiao sighed and them murmured, "What is it?"

Xiao Qiao fiddled with her hands. "Why did you lie to him? He'll just be confused, maybe even hurt."

Her sister's eyes widened before she smiled again. Though she didn't look it, Xiao Qiao could be smart at times. Walking to her balcony again and resting her arms on the rail, Da Qiao stared at the figure below before responding.

"How would he feel, one might wonder," she whispered softly, ignoring the small lump in her throat. "To wake up, and realize that he was completely alone. To not recognize his friends, even though they right behind him, waiting."

She forced a smile, fingering with a flower-shaped pin before placing it in her hair. "If I had told him... If I, whom he finally trusted, had told him about his true past... Would he accept it? The fact that he was a fighter, a warrior... a murderer?

"Or would he finally break? Would he shatter completely, like a crystal jewel? We all regret killing a fellow human being. If he were to start over, maybe he'd never hold a sword again. He'd never have to feel the pain of war again."

The girl drifted off into silence, once again appearing wiser than her years. She knew that she had been thinking too deeply into it. Had her words once again sounded weary and hopeless?

She almost jumped when her sister cut in. "So that's all? Stop with the corny acts. You've taken the cowardly way out, jie! So what? What I'm concerned about is if he'll get his memory back! Then what? Do you think he'll... what was it... shatter?" Xiao Qiao breathed in deeply before looking surprised at her sudden outburst. Almost timidly, she muttered, "Sorry..."

Her sister almost laughed, quickly getting over her shock. "Sorry for what? I know... what I did might have been wrong. But if Lu Xun really wants his memory back, he'll get it back by himself."

By himself...

Unless... Spiky brown hair... a necklace of bells...

Unless he should come back... maybe, just maybe... Lu Xun could cure himself quicker...

Frowning, Da Qiao unfurled a fan and waved it softly at her face, relaxing slightly in the gentle breeze. It was too early to be this hopeful. Besides, Gan Ning might not even care for the strategist... And even if he did, it had only been a few weeks since the Wu army had left. The Nanman wouldn't fall that quickly...

~*~

He gritted his teeth as he lunged forward, rolling smoothly on his back and landing in a crouch. There was another hiss of a bowstring and the pirate pushed himself up with one arm, flipping backwards towards the area where he had previously been. With a thud, two arrows landed heavily in the ground in front of him, missing him by inches.

On his feet, he raised an arm over his head and sprinted towards his shrieking stallion, weaving in and out of the many trees. He could see the other members of his party from out of the corner of his eye, and could only hope that they'd be alright.

Damn that Meng Huo. One fat cannibal was enough. And yet fatty just had to send out his little flunkies. The Wu army had been completely unaware as the Nanman surrounded them, only springing into action after the first unlucky soldier had been struck down. Gan Ning cursed softly, still making a beeline towards his steed, who, having been successfully trained as a war horse, was easily dodging the arrows.

So deep in his thoughts, the pirate didn't move out of the way until it was too late. Jumping over a bush, he regained his balance and focused his gaze forward one second too late; with a sharp twang, an arrow flew directly towards him.

Everything slowed at that moment. Gan Ning could almost clearly see the deadly arrowhead glinting with invisible light, aimed directly for his skull. His usually cheerful eyes widened in surprise. He jerked to the left, tripping and almost falling. The arrow whizzed past his cheek, ruffling his hair.

"Oi!" he shouted towards nobody in particular, "Don't touch the hair! Damn cavemen..."

His ankle almost gave way and his newfound glory at having just escaped an arrow disappeared as a searing, white-hot pain erupted in his side.

His fist closed on a smooth, wooden surface and biting his tongue, he pulled the deadly spear out with a wild yank. Looking down, he watched in something close to amusement as blood gushed over his chest, flowing in crimson lines over his torso and staining his pants.

"Hnn," he mumbled, steadying himself. "That's weird..." Hit by sudden dizziness, he dropped to one knee. So lightheaded... Cool blood washed over his arms and the spear that was still clenched in his hand. This was indeed a strange sensation...

A pair of golden eyes lit up his mind and the pirate's eyes snapped open. He growled, brushing away the blood. He was not dying here. He heaved a shuddering breath and his bells tinkled.

Something's coming...

With a grunt, the pirate heaved himself up onto his feet again, ignoring the pain that danced through his side and spinning around with deadly timing. With a small clang that sent a numbing jolt through his arm, he managed to parry another arrow with the tip of the spear in his hand.

"Fight man to man, dammit!" he drawled, fixing his grip on the spear. He swung the weapon over his shoulder like how he would have done with his sword, which was currently tied to his horse's saddle. Speaking of his horse...

That damn animal better hear me...

Hoping that he was in the horse's range of hearing, Gan Ning brought two fingers up to his lips and whistled. He could just make out the shape of the black stallion raising his head, ears perking up before taking off towards the sound.

I guess that animal's good for some things after all...

His horse burst through the nearby trees, flank heaving but head still raised proudly. Without bothering to slow down, the stallion galloped full-speed towards his master, who quickly dropped his weapon and reached for a tuff of the horse's black mane, legs bending. Springing up, the pirate settled gracefully in the familiar saddle, reaching forward for his sword and parrying the shower of arrows that fell upon them.

Ignoring the reins, Gan Ning rubbed the head of his horse's head and steered with his legs. The stallion quietly obeyed, jumping over a small tangle of bushes and smashing his hooves into a group of stunned archers. The surviving Nanman were easily killed with a swipe of Sea Master.

Another pair of thundering hooves sounded to his left. With a sharp tug, Gan Ning whirled his horse around, his sword ready in his hands. There was a clash of weaponry and the pirate blinked in surprise before lowering his sword. "Well well, if it isn't the king himself." The two horses whinnied at each other.

Sun Ce scoffed as he twirled his tonfas around his fingers, raising an eyebrow before noticing the wound on Gan Ning's chest. "Our little pirate's wounded already? I have to say that I'm disappointed."

"Shaddup," Gan Ning replied, grinning. Sun Ce truthfully looked far better off, and his horse also. "So I was in a tight fix," the pirate admitted.

The eldest Sun son smirked again before becoming serious. "Hang in there. This battle's far from over." He motioned with his head ever so slightly, his high ponytail twitching, and Gan Ning noticed a small group of soldiers behind the Wu lord, swords in their hands.

"Fun fun," Gan Ning drawled, nudging his horse forward. But what bothered him was that the Wu army was no where near Meng Huo's territory. If he had already been wounded by just one small ambush, he wondered how the actually battle would be like.

"Damn cavemen," he spat again, eyes glinting as he sliced through his opponents. Behind him, he could hear the dull cracks of bones breaking as Sun Ce killed the remaining soldiers. "Too fucking prepared."

~*~

Meng Huo groaned, letting out a growl as he stretched. Or at least attempted to stretch. He felt a little queasy. Though he hated to admit it, he didn't like the thought of fighting Wu. He'd win, of course, but...

He wasn't a coward. Of course not! Just... the sight of blood made him a bit uneasy. But if things fared right, then he wouldn't even need to lay a finger on a sword by the end of this battle. He was putting all of his faith in his ambush parties.

Pathetic Wu. He laughed. They didn't even stand a chance.

"I'm heading out." A sharp voice evaded his thoughts and the man looked up, eyes glaring. Zhu Rong stared back, fingering her three-bladed boomerang.

Ah... what a lovely wife...

She gritted her teeth when she noticed where he was staring and forced herself to breathe, playing with her blond hair. "I'll leave for Jian Ye in a few hours."

Meng Huo nodded, eyes not moving from their target.

Zhu Rong twitched, wondering why she married the man in the first place. No matter. It would be a while since she'd need to see him again. Smiling coolly, she turned and walked out, reminding herself to change an outfit the next time the two would meet.

But right now, she had other matters at hand. Matters concerning the murder of Sun Jian and the domination over Jian Ye.


**********

A/N: Oi... I finally squeezed that out. I always seem to have a writer's block in the middle of a story. But really, thanks a lot for your support. It's always nice to know that some people actually enjoy my story. It'll probably be a while until I update the next chapter, but all of your support really helps me. Thanks! And once again, thanks for your patience! Now... back to writing another chapter for my other fic, Forbidden Dreams...

--Natsue Arishima