Scion of Madness
Chapter 4: Blue Tears, Green Blood and Red Love
Wei- the next day
Xiahou Dun sighed to himself as he sat down beside Cao Ren. The other man sat in a rock, deep in meditation. And what are you thinking, my relation? Do you ponder fate as I, or do you know the outcome of the current crisis?
Cao Ren cracked open one eye and muttered in a friendly tone, "Oh, so you have come to mediate as well? That is a bit out of character for you!"
Dun decided to dispense with pleasantries and get to the matter at hand. "No, I have come to seek your counsel. This situation with Sima Yi bothers me."
The eye closed and Cao Ren seemed to meditate a moment longer. "Why?"
The one-eyed general glared, even though the action was lost on Cao Ren. "It disturbs me that the servants say he has turned cruel and abusive. He was not so before now. It maddens me that my cousin is listening to that little Shu runt and is considering co-operation with our enemies. What unsettles me most is what I saw earlier today."
Cao Ren's eyes snapped open and he was alert. "What have you seen?"
Xiahou Dun shrugged and answered, "Let me tell you…-
Flashback, three hours ago
Xiahou Dun stopped just short of rounding a corner. He heard fierce arguing, and couldn't help but listen.
"-bothering me now!?!" Sima yelled, hitting something. Dun knew this because a thud resounded around the corner very loudly.
"Sima Yi, I respect you very much, but your actions are dangerous. You are becoming a threat to everybody. What concerns us the most is the threat you pose to yourself." It sounded like that lad from Shu. Jiang Wei… was it? His voice was strained and tired. He sounded close to … sobbing !?!
Xiahou Dun thought that all of this was strange, so he edged around the corner to actually see what was going on. Sima stood glaring at Jiang Wei, and the Shu general was on his knees. His back was to Xiahou Dun. But, it was Sima who most caught his eye. The Wei strategist's eyes glowed in fury and he had a hand held up, preparing to strike the lad at his feet.
"I do not care! You cannot stop me or alter my course. If you do not stop hindering me, I shall kill you with my bear hands!" Sima hissed as he stuck Jiang Wei in the side of the head with his balled fist.
To Jiang Wei's credit, he only swayed a little from the blow before he countered, "Why do you need to do this? There are people here that care about you a lot more than he ever will! Think about that! Cao Cao counts you as a friend, his relatives are supportive of you! Zhen Ji told me that you are like a brother to her! Xu Huang… ye gods… I think he might be in love with you! At the very least, he is hopelessly devoted to you and is so very worried!" As he spoke, Xiahou Dun swore he could hear tears mingled with the passion of the boy's words. The lad kneeled, to beseech Sima further.
"Do you think I care!?!" This time, Sima kicked the Shu general full in the chest. Jiang Wei fell back and lay there, breathing hard as if dazed. Xiahou Dun could see the tears carving a path down the smooth face. He could also see the remaining traces of bruises that must have been obtained days earlier. How long has he been offering himself up as the subject of Sima Yi's abuses? This is madness itself!!!
Jiang Wei finally caught his breath and labored to sit up. He winced as he held his hand to his left side, but looked up at Sima again. "If you kill me with your bear hands, Sima Yi, will that quell the anger in your heart and allow you to be yourself again?"
Sima did not strike the lad again, he only stood in deep thought. "No, because it will not change things." His eyes lost the glow and now only looked melancholy and sad.
Jiang Wei stood now, his hand still on his side. "Can anything be changed for you, Yi?" The words were as soft and comforting as the caress of an angel, though comfort they did not speak.
"He will not love me. I cannot change that. However… I cannot accept that either. If I do, then I am giving up hope. I will not do that. I never will. I will not attempt to make things right or apologize for myself, for I have no control. I will do what I feel it might take to make him love me." Sima spoke slowly, as if tears threatened to rip forth from his eyes and hinder his speech. His head was bowed, as if in shame or afraid to let anyone see his face.
Jiang Wei now dared to place a hand on the other man's shoulder. "What… do you think this might take?"
Sima looked up at him with an expression that could only be described as death-like in it's paleness and lack of emotion. His voice, too, sounded dead. "He values his duty, his friends and the beauty of all things. He claims he does not want a lover, because friends are so important and beautiful. The answer to this is very simple. I will take away his duty, his friends, and the beauty of everything. I will do this so that the only thing he would have left to care about would be me."
Jiang Wei and Xiahou Dun managed to inhale at the same time, though neither realized it. Jiang Wei took an involuntary step back. "H-how do y-you plan on doing this…?"
The dull eyes of Sima locked onto Jiang Wei's. "I will destroy. That is the only way. He would not believe threats. He only concentrates on his games, like the plan to capture Zhou Yu. I will destroy everything around us, so that only He and I remain."
Jiang Wei resolutely shook Sima and muttered, "You cannot do this! What is worth this? I can see by the look in your eyes that you do not desire to hurt all the innocents!"
Sima sighed. "I do not, but the pain in my heart will not stop. Every time I see him, my heart bleeds a little more and my soul dies a bit more. There is naught left of me but the shell of a once proud human being. I have tried these past few years to stop it, but nothing will bind these wounds of mine. He is all that I have left of myself. It is he that keeps me alive, even though my greatest desire is to die."
Jiang Wei only shook his head. "No! No, Sima, this is not right! How can one person matter so much!?! How can he matter so much that you would destroy the rest of us as you destroy yourself and ultimately… him!?! How can this be what you want!?!" Jiang Wei yelled as he shook Sima again, much more violently.
Sima's eyes lit up again, but much brighter. "He has my heart and soul! If he shall not give them back, I must take them!!!" He screamed and began to savagely beat Jiang Wei. The Shu general tried to fight back, but was caught off guard so quickly that a counter was impossible. This continued long moments, and Xiahou Dun found himself unable to move. The sheer hate and violence of Sima's fury scared him deeply. The last time I saw a man fight like that, the guard captain called him mad and cut off his head. But… can I do this? Is this what Sima deserves?
Before Xiahou Dun could wonder this further, Xu Huang came from the shadows on the other side of the fighters. "Lord Sima!" He cried as he launched himself to pry Sima off of Jiang Wei. Sima struggled, but could not free himself from the bigger man's grasp.
Jiang Wei just lay on the floor again, panting and holding his head. "Is… is he okay…?" He muttered slowly, sounding lightheaded.
Xu Huang sighed sorrowfully. "He is fine. It is you that I worry for." Sima still struggled in every way possible, but found escape impossible. Xu Huang gazed tenderly down at the man he restrained in his powerful arms. Sima only stared off into nothingness and responded to nothing, once he realized that escape was impossible.
Jiang Wei turned his back on Xu Huang as he struggled to his feet. Xiahou Dun could see a faint smile on the blood-soaked face. "Please, do what you can for him. He needs healing so much more than I do. I am sorry that I have failed you and him both. I have done everything I know how to. I must be more persistent, next time."
Xu Huang looked choked up and misty eyed. "No, you've done more than enough. I wish I could heal his heart for him. I wish he would let me… but I am not who he wants, so I cannot do as I wish to. But I will sit here with him and be patient with him. That's how I have been, and that is how I shall be."
Jiang Wei's smile deepened. "That is what he needs now, that it is. You do more for him than you think. I am going to go now. I am needing treatment, that I do." Jiang Wei staggered forward.
Xiahou Dun, touched deep down by the boy's words and actions, caught him before he could go further. "Let me help you."
Jiang Wei looked up with a puzzled expression. "You? Oh, are you going to kill me since Sima did not?" Xiahou Dun could tell it was meant to be a joke, but the delivery was off.
"No. I am going to take you to the doctor so he can fix your face. You're a little young to be running around looking like me. Besides, you look like a flock of angry women descended upon your face." Xiahou Dun smiled a little and gently ruffled the lad's hair.
"Ah, yes. The women up here are so much more violent that I remember. Oh mercy!" Jiang Wei smiled one last time as he passed out. Xiahou Dun picked him up and prepared to leave, but Xu Huang cleared his throat.
"Yes?" The one-eyed general asked as he turned to face the ax-wielder.
"I didn't think you'd care about this. I figured you would have killed Sima for saying the things he did." Xu Huang looked, somehow, more sober than he already had.
"I might have. But… I listened to what I could and learned many things. Also, the boy, who is rightfully our enemy, tried to help him instead of kill him or take advantage of his weakness. That is something a warrior like me does not forget. Besides, a warrior learns and observes, in order to change with the times. Now is not a time for killing without understanding, nor blindly declaring an enemy and slaying them. We have a peace summit in a week- how would it look if something like this happened? We have much to think of, Xu Huang. Now go, go tend to your charge as I will tend to mine." And having said his peace, Xiahou Dun left to treat Jiang Wei's wounds.
end flashback
"… and then I treated his wounds and left him in his room. He hadn't awoken yet, but I left orders with a servant to watch him. I've spent the past hour thinking about this and I just need to tell someone." Xiahou Dun finished the story.
Cao Ren sat in silence. His expression was very serious and his posture more rigid than it should have been. Finally, he spoke, "It is worse than we have thought."
"I know."
"Yes… … but somehow, I think the time of just us handling this is past. We cannot help him, I think. Zhuge Liang has left for Shu and he sent a messenger to Wu at the moment of his departure. If he means his words of destruction, then we shall stop him… but the mystery is…"
"How he intends to do this. One person cannot possibly gather the means…" Xiahou Dun shrugged. It was beyond him as to how Sima could hope to destroy anything in the way that he alluded to.
But a new voice had another idea about that, as it spoke with slight sadness, "Magic, friends. He intends to somehow use magic to accomplish his means."
Both relatives turned to see the speaker. Tall and lithe Zhange He stood, leaning against the walls, his arms crossed over his chest.
"How? I thought that magic was… a myth. How can this be?" Xiahou Dun muttered.
"I did not believe it myself, but I have seen him use it before. Once on the battlefield, he was surrounded and nearly dead. I rushed to help him, but before I could, great beams of light short forth from his fan and incinerated everyone around him. As I ran up, ash littered the ground and fell from the sky like snow. I knelt at his side and helped to bandage his wounds. I asked him what he had done. Of course I was amazed, you just don't see that everyday. He only responded 'magic' before he passed out in my arms." Zhange He looked thoughtful and introspective.
"So, it is true then. Do you know by what means he would destroy all, but you?" Cao Ren asked as he finally stood and stretched.
"He can summon creatures from other planes. He summoned an imp once that bit me. I killed it. But… he knows a lot about that kind of thing. I have no doubt that if he chose, he could find something very bad." He pulled up the pant leg on the left side to reveal an oval shaped scar that looked deep. "This is what the damn thing did to me. It was only a little one. He assured me he could find much bigger."
The other two men swore softly under their breath as they realized the new possibilities this opened up…
Wu – one week later (the day of the summit)
Sun Ce sighed as he paced about the gate to Jian Ye. The other officers were waiting there too, since the other two forces were due at any moment. Sun Jian still didn't know about the letter Sun Quan had gotten. So far, Zhou and Lu Xun and Gan knew, in addition to himself, Quan and Lu Meng. Surprisingly, Zhou didn't immediately accuse Zhuge of a plot, nor did he even mention anything negative about the man. He seemed to feel very sympathetic to the situation. He, however, wouldn't mention why-which of course infuriated Sun Ce.
Lu Xun and Gan Ning both agreed to do what they could, which at the moment was as much as everyone else was doing. Nothing.
Gan Ning, sensing something up with his almighty leader's son, leaned in and muttered, "What's eatin' you, boss?"
Besides mosquitoes, pressure, and worry? Oh, nuthin' at all, good ol' buddy! Instead of voicing what he though, Sun Ce shook his head and sighed. "The fact that Zhou is so into being helpful about this is disturbing."
Gan cocked his head to the side and frowned. "Why?"
"It's not like him. If I just teasingly say 'Zhuge', he makes funny noises and death threats at Zhuger. Now, he's as serious about it as he can be, and he's tossing around ideas to help. Not one word along the lines of 'Oh Sun Ce, you dummy! Zhuge is setting a trap that is as transparent as the concept of you with superior intelligence!'" Sun Ce muttered sourly.
Gan laughed heartily. "You've forgotten what your own officer is like on duty! You spend so much personal time teasing him about it, you forget he's serious and knows how to act. Besides, I think the head strategy people have somekinda thing goin' on." Gan smirked knowingly.
"What makes you say that?" Sun Ce frowned.
"Well, in that three-way battle we had a few months ago, I noticed something funny. When Cao Cao called you out, I was trying to find Zhou to talk some sense into ya. I couldn't find him anywhere. I told Lu Meng about it and he said that Zhou just left. Well, that's not normal, so I went in the direction he said he saw him go."
"Why in the infinite hells didn't Lu Meng stop him?" Sun Ce growled.
"Heh, that's funny too. He only smiled at me, all sly and stuff." Gan answered.
"Damn strategist. I love that man to death, but so help me…. sorry…continue."
"Yeah… well, after a while I ended up face to face with Ma Chao. I asked if he had seen Zhou. He seemed surprised that I didn't wanna kill 'em, and I guess he forgot about killin' me. He told me Zhuge was missin' too. So, we rode off together to go find the silly planning men that can't stay outta trouble. After a little while longer, guess who we randomly ran in to." Gan was obnoxiously gleeful.
"Who?" Sun Ce responded in a deadpan voice. God Gan, get on with it!!!
"Cao Cao himself! He didn't even look surprised, he just tried to kill us. Well, we dodged outta the way so we could ask 'em about the strategists. Ma Chao knocked off his horse with his spear and I held him down with my sword. He looked mean and swore vengeance on us. We asked about Zhou and Zhuge. He said that Sima was gone too. So, the three of us rode around the battlefield, trying to find our guys." Gan smiled again.
What……? What has he been smokin'??? He can't be real! "Gan, that's not funny."
"I swear my honor on it!!" Gan whined.
"Pirates have honor?" Sun Ce countered.
"Yeah! Oi! Zhou Tai! Get yer ass over here and tell the boss about Pirate Honor!!!" Gan yelled, deciding to make a spectacle of things.
The former pirate captain stomped over and looked very unimpressed with everything in general, Gan in particular.
"What?" He asked, his tone speaking of absolutely no amusement whatsoever.
"I… I wanted you… to tell… Sun Ce… about … pirate…honor." Gan muttered in a small voice, sounding like a little kid.
Zhou Tai actually smiled. "Means we can hang him if he's lying." Saying that, he simply walked away.
Gan 'eek'-ed before stammering, "That's…not… what I … meant…. man…. Well, at any rate, we never could find them. We mutually decided that our temporary truce was over and went back to our respective forces. Zhou re-appeared about the same time I got back, which was hours after the battle was over!"
"That would figure. Leave it to strategist to scheme together, most likely plotting the domination of the world!" The last part Sun Ce cried loudly, catching Zhou Yu's attention.
"Eh? My Lord, surely you, of all people, are not suggesting that myself and my fellows would plot against you? We know that to stand to the right of power is the best place to be, rather than be directly responsible for everything! Why do you think we enjoy Prime Minister-ship so much?" Zhou called, laughing and showing a perfect smile. Sun Ce's heart nearly melted at the sight, such was the emotion that ran between them.
Oh gods, never let me be parted from that sight. If I should be so sundered, I should surely die… Sun Ce let himself be lost in the pleasure of the moment, before Gan cuffed him in the back of the head. None too kindly either, because seconds later the spot still hurt and stung.
"Gan, I must remember to harm you after all this is over." Sun Ce rubbed his head and glared at Gan.
"I care….not! At any rate, why don't you and lover boy get a room and leave the greetings to people who can stand being apart for five minuets do it?" Gan grinned and nudged Sun Ce with his elbow.
Sun Ce snorted as Zhou Yu managed to sneak behind Gan Ning and put the pirate in a painful headlock. "Hmmm… … … what was that, Ning?" Zhou asked in his oh so seductive voice.
"The truth." Gan managed to choke past Zhou's hold on him. Zhou pulled Gan's head up and let go, pushing the pirate forward and causing him to trip.
"You guys are mean." Lu Xun muttered accusingly as he shook his head.
"Ah, boys will be boys, Xun. Don't let them bother you." Lu Meng laughed as he nuzzled the younger strategist's neck.
"Bu-but that's not nice towards Gan Ning. That's obviously mean!" Lu Xun frowned and tugged Lu Meng's sleeve. Gan was momentarily astonished and flashed the lad a toothy, pirate grin.
"Who is being mean? I was only giving the pirate what he so obviously deserved!" Zhou Yu admonished.
At that moment, Sun Quan walked up. "What's all the ado?" As if some sadistic game were being played upon him, nobody answered him or even recognized his presence. "I… see. All of you should be fired." He said it seriously, but only meant it as a joke. And still, no response.
Finally, Sun Ce looked at him and muttered, "Eh? Whawazzat? Last I saw, Pop was the one who had say in that."
Sun Quan only rolled his eyes in the most un-amused way. He was determined that seriousness was a necessity in the situation, but it irked him that even Lu Meng and Zhou Yu found this a time to play around. Well, he would have vocalized his dissatisfaction with all of this, but Sun Ce had him in a headlock before he could say anything.
"I know what your thinking, Little Brother. We are as serious as a fire attack, but we gotta stay loose. We don't need to look uptight and un-trusting of our fellows. This might be a good opportunity. If either force had dare try to bring an army here, we would know by now. So come on, relax!" Sun Ce nuggied Sun Quan, and the younger Sun yeowled in anger, struggling futilely. Somebody needs to take the wad of rice-paper out of his—
"Sun Ce, Sun Quan! Behave yourselves!" Sun Jian barked as he walked up. Everybody, not only the two sons of the Sun leader, stood straight and paid attention. Sun Jian almost looked irritated. "I-I wasn't trying to scare anybody. I understand you guys desire to be loose and friendly today, but honestly, what would Cao Cao and Liu Bei say if they rode up and saw you two engaged in a wrestling match?"
"Knowing them, they'd likely think that the 10 of them together might take us all down, if we are such clowns." Zhou Yu chimed in with a smile. Oh really? Zhou, you think your so funny. Damn, he's so full of himself. Oh well, I love 'em anyway!
"Or, on the other end of the spectrum, they might be frightened and run away, deciding that this is our new tactic. Remember, we have the reputation of being fun and random. That means that we are terrible and unpredictable." Lu Meng offered, making absurd gestures with his hands as he spoke.
"Da, da, da!" Sun Ce waved his hands dismissively and turned towards the open gate. That's when he saw the messenger…
Well, I dunno when the next chapter will be up, but I'll do my best to make it soon!
Thanks for the reviews, and keep on truckin', kitties!
,-,
VTK