Author's Note: Last chapter in part two, yay! Ooh, the third part will be
good, lot's o' romance for you lovebirds out there! Also, so develops the
amazing plot of the Shi dynasty in the next chapter. I hope y'all like this one, I worked extra hard for you *Is drinking coffee and watching tv
hehehe* ^^;;. Well, anyway, it was a good chapter.
Enjoy!
Part 2
The Power of the Red Moon
Chapter 21
Bright Eyes
That night was restless. They all fell asleep huddled altogether in a mass of warm bodies. Sun Shang Xiang wept on silently through the night and eventually fell asleep with her head on Sima Yi's chest and her arm around Zhang He. Zhang He imagined it must have been very hard for her, but wanted Sima Yi to take advantage of the situation.
After they got steadied, the entire camp set back out for the main camp. After a long week's worth of riding, they arrived back. After everything was settled, they all fell asleep in Zhang He and Sima Yi's room. After a good sleep, Zhang He felt very refreshed and ready for whatever was next.
Later in the day, some guards located Sun Shang Xiang and Diao Chan in the garden. They were assigned their own tent and Sun Shang Xiang was given a new set of dark blue robes. She and Diao Chan had made fast friends. Zhang He thought that Diao Chan hadn't really been around other girls much and having Sun Shang Xiang around was very good. Sima Yi really didn't say much the entire day, but looked angry and at times glanced up anxiously.
"I guess I'm part of your team now, eh?" Sun Shang Xiang said as the sun set.
"Welcome aboard!" Diao Chan said cheerfully at she watched the glowing star sink lower and lower.
"We're all really glad you're here, but you must miss your family terribly . . ." Zhang He said.
"I do, but I can never go back! I will never marry Lu Xun I hate him! I don't even care if my father is worried, and when I battle him-" She stopped and looked at her feet. They all fell silent and Zhang He played with his fingers.
"Do you want to go take a bath?" Diao Chan said spontaneously to Sun Shang Xiang, "There's a nice little hot spring just up there!"
"Sounds great!" She said jumping up and smiling once again. Zhang He smiled too and leaned back.
"I could come with you girls, just as a bodyguard, you know, get a good look at things . . ." He teased.
"Yeah, right, have a nice night you pervert!" Diao Chan laughed, pushing him over playfully.
"Be safe then!" He waved as they disappeared through the doors. He smiled off in their direction, thinking of them fondly. "They sure are great, Sima Yi. I wish everybody would get to know people before they started going off to war." Sima Yi nodded stiffly, retaining his steely gaze. "What are you so upset about?" Zhang He asked as the walked back to the room.
"Nothing, do I seem upset?" Sima Yi said, pushing open the door a little quickly.
"Come on, what's wrong?" Zhang He said, sitting down on the floor.
"NOTHING, I ALREADY TOLD YOU!" He bellowed unexpectedly. "What is this, a test?" Zhang He stared at him, looking hurt. "What? Stop giving me looks like that!" Sima Yi said, turning away.
"Why the heck did you just yell at me? I've done nothing wrong!" Zhang He said, standing up and looking Sima Yi in the eye.
"I yelled at you because you tried to pry into my personal thoughts!" Sima Yi spat.
"No I didn't! I asked you if you were feeling upset! I was kind of worried about you!" Zhang He said, feeling his anger rise.
"Well, maybe I don't want to tell you!" Sima Yi said very angrily.
"Well, jeez, you don't need to bite my head off to make that clear!" Zhang He yelled.
"ARRRAGH, Just- I need to be alone for a while . . .!" Said Sima Yi as he charged out the door.
"What's his problem!?" Zhang He said steamily to himself as he sat back down. Zhang He sat down and fumed for a while. After a couple of minutes he got bored and he located a piece of paper, a brush and ink. He wasn't exactly what you'd call an artist, but he enjoyed doodling and messing around with a brush. After an hour, there was a knock at the door. Zhang He went to open it and found Diao Chan and Sun Shang Xiang with damp looking hair.
"Would you like to come and walk around with us? Where's Sima Yi?" Diao Chan asked, poking her head inside.
"He got all angry at me and stormed away because I asked him if there was anything wrong." Zhang He said bitterly.
"Weird, well were going now, you can come if you like." Diao Chan said. Zhang He shut the door behind him and they set out for nowhere in particular. The lolled around in the warm night air of summer and spoke about silly little matters that really had no meaning. They sat down by their favorite tree and spread out on the soft grass. Zhang He looked through the leaves at the lovely stars above and felt a gentle gust caress his hair.
"So Sima Yi just flipped out like that, huh?" Sun Shang Xiang asked.
"Yeah, he seemed really tense, I hope he's alright." Zhang He said sleepily. Diao Chan let her head fall onto Zhang He's shoulder and he slipped an arm around her. Sun Shang Xiang looked at them for a second with a surprised look on her face.
"Are you guys . . .?" She said softly.
"Yeah." Zhang He answered.
"I knew it!" She said smiling. "Now I have to find a man . . ."
"Hahaha! Well, you can't have Zhang He, he's mine!" Diao Chan laughed. Zhang He smiled and pulled her closer. Zhang He noticed that Sima Yi was standing on the bridge where Zhang He had witnessed the fireflies the night he and Diao Chan had fought. He looked extremely angry and lonely standing all by himself looking gloomily in the water. Zhang He narrowed his eyes in Sima Yi's direction and looked away.
"He looks so sad." Sun Shang Xiang said, looking at him. "He hasn't even said a word to me for the entire I've been here."
"I wonder what has him so upset. Usually, he talks at least a little." Diao Chan said.
"I'm going to go talk to him." Sun Shang Xiang said, standing up and striding gracefully away. They watched her get closer and closer. Then Diao Chan stood up and brushed herself off.
"I think I'll go to bed." She said yawning. Zhang He stood up, walked over and kissed her.
"Goodnight." He said affectionately. She smiled then walked off towards her room, waving goodnight. "Now it's time for me to do what I do best! Eavesdrop . . ." He snickered. He snuck off stealthily and ran to a place he could here Sun Shang Xiang and Sima Yi's conversation without making himself heard.
Sima Yi was still standing still and staring at the water. Sun Shang Xiang had appeared at his side, but they weren't saying anything to each other. She would occasionally glance over at he, but he pretended like there was no one there.
"Hi." She said apprehensively. Sima Yi looked at her out of the corner of his eye and muttered an inaudible and far from friendly greeting.
"We haven't said much recently, have we?" She said, trying to carry on the conversation. Sima Yi was silent for a while, and then he turned his head and looked her straight in the face. He had a look of worry on his face, a sort of sick guilty look.
"Why did you come to Wei?" He asked monotonously.
"B-because, I don't want to marry Lu Xun." She said, avoiding his eyes. Zhang He thought there was more than she was telling them.
"You're going to let a silly thing like that ruin your entire life?" He said, sounding like he might start yelling again.
"If I married him, it would ruin my life! I'm quite happy here actually." She said, much more firmly.
"NO! You're wrong, you foolish child!" Sima Yi said standing up straighter and speaking louder. Sun Shang Xiang looked surprised and taken aback. "You don't even realize what you had back there! You had a big family that cared about you, your father didn't do horrible things to you because you didn't do what he said!" Sun Shang Xiang started to look scared and her eyes welled up. Sima Yi seemed to be growing taller and more fearsome by the second. "You had a wonderful life and you threw it aside because something you didn't want was going to happen! Now look where you are! In the middle of a war against your comrades, nobody here to look after you, nobody here to save you! You're alone and you can never go back. I can't believe anyone could be that stupid!" He bellowed. Tears fell from Sun Shang Xiang's eyes and her face was very red. She cowered from Sima Yi's angry figure, like an innocent puppy cowering from a tiger about to make a kill.
"B-ut Si-" She started helplessly.
"Don't you cry at me! You got yourself into this position nobody can get you out. I-I don't even care if you get hurt, I'm n-not worried about you." Sima Yi lied. Sun Shang Xiang began to cry freely. She covered her face with hands and Sima Yi's expression softened. Suddenly, she removed her hands and the look of fear was replaced by one of anger.
"You don't even know what happened! And for your information I didn't just come here so I could escape marring Lu Xun! It's not just about some stupid family quarrel! I came here because I wanted to be with you!"
SLAP!
An angry red mark in the appeared across Sima Yi's face and he looked stunned. He lifted a hand up to his face and placed it over the mark. Sun Shang Xiang stomped away, tears still pouring down her face. Sima Yi stood, still staring off in her direction and looking as if he might be the one to cry next. Zhang He gazed at his with worry in his hear. This was not going as well as he had planned. He rose out of his hiding spot and went over to Sima Yi. He looked up weakly at Zhang He and let his hand fall to his side.
"T-that hurt more than the arrow . . ." He said feebly. "I really shouldn't have . . . I wish I knew how to apo- . . ."
"Oh, Sima Yi, you should have just said what you felt about the situation, not be angry with her because you don't know how to express your emotions!" Zhang He scolded.
"I- . . . Maybe it's best just to- . . ." He left off.
"Come on, let's go back to the room . . . I'll have to give you a lesson in women." Zhang He said, walking back.
"O-ok . . ." Sima Yi said pitifully. Once back inside, they shut the door.
"First . . ." Zhang He said. "NEVER, EVER YELL AT THE GIRL YOU WANT!! If there's a good reason, then maybe it's acceptable, but you can't be angry with them, it frightens them! Didn't you see how helpless and afraid Sun Shang Xiang looked when you yelled at her? She's probably crying to Diao Chan about how much you terrified her. You want to try and make her feel comfortable and calm when she's with you, not scared."
"Yeah . . ." Sima Yi said, looking gloomier by the minute.
"Second, you must always comfort her when she is: One, afraid, two, sad, three, lonely. They really like it when you make them think that you're the only one who really understands her and is there for her. Then you have to say stuff like 'everything is going to be all right.' or 'I'll do anything you want to make it better!' That's a surefire way to win over her heart!" Sima Yi nodded and Zhang He continued. "Third, you must always be the one to apologize first. Take all the blame, even if you didn't do anything. Make her think she's a goddess and you are begging for her forgiveness. The hug her and pretend your crying or muster up enough stuff to actually cry. Always compliment her, give her little gifts whenever you can, never try to look disappointed or confused when she does something for you, and be a complete gentleman!" He said, speaking very fast.
"Wow, that's a lot to remember . . ." Sima Yi said.
"Or in other words . . . Just be yourself around her, don't try an put on a shield to make yourself look or seem different. And besides, girls love sensitive guys." He added with a smile.
"Thanks a lot, brother, I'm really sorry I've been acting like such a idiot. I was just worried, please forgive me." Sima Yi said bowing.
"Forgiven!" Zhang He cheered.
That morning, Zhang He waited until the girls emerged. Zhang He nodded to Sima Yi who swallowed and looked nervous. He strode outside, trying to look as casual as possible and matched the women's gait.
"How're you this lovely morning, Diao Chan?" He said, glancing back.
"Fine, but Sun Shang Xiang isn't, Sima Yi was really mean to her last night." She said.
"I know, but you should've seen him. He came into our room, crying his eyes out, wailing that he'd made a terrible mistake and there was no way he could fix it. He was terrified; he thought you'd never speak to him again or that you hated him. You know, he's always . . ." He left off, in fear that he might have said too much.
"He was really crying over me?" Sun Shang Xiang asked sounding almost astounded.
"Yeah! He wouldn't shut up!" Zhang He said, listening to the sweet music he was composing.
"Hmmm..." Sun Shang Xiang mused.
"Now, me and you Diao Chan, we have to go and uh . . . go and. . . Speak with Xiahou Dun about the thing!" He said, trying to make her understand. She looked confused for a couple of seconds, and then opened her eyes wide, finally fathoming what was going on.
"Yes, of course! About the thing! Well, let's get on our way." She said, taking Zhang He by the arm.
"Ooh, can I come?" Sun Shang Xiang said excitedly.
"No, sorry, it's top secret." Zhang He said, hurrying along faster.
"Well couldn't I just wait by the door?" She asked, trailing behind.
"You know, we don't need to talk to Xiahou Dun at all right now! Zhang He and I are going to go off and kiss a whole lot, and you surely don't want to watch that! Haha! So, see you later!" Diao Chan said, not looking her in the face.
"Oh . . . Ok, I'll wait for you here until you're, er . . .done . . ." She said, sounding confused and slightly disturbed. She went over and sat by herself against a tree and looked at her hands. Zhang He and Diao Chan dove into a bush, and then peeked out quietly.
"So, why are we trying to get her by herself?" Diao Chan whispered.
"Because, I'm trying to get Sima Yi to apologize to her very sweetly and we can't be around." He hissed back. She nodded and went back to watching the scene. After about three minutes, Sima Yi came out of his room and "casually" headed towards Sun Shang Xiang. She pretended that she didn't see him and busied herself with an invisible bug in the grass. He sat down very near to her and looked up at the sky.
"Um, listen about last night . . ." He started uneasily. "I'm really, really, REALLY, sorry. I . . . didn't know how to express what I was thinking, and I got mad. What I really meant to say was that . . . I'm really worried about you because you've been thrust into a dangerous situation and if something ever did happen to you, I would be extremely upset and sad, and I don't want that to happen. Please . . ." He took her tiny hands in his pale ones "I beg you to forgive me!" She looked speechless for a moment, then smiled tenderly and looked into his soulful brown eyes. She pulled him into a warm embrace and closed her eyes. He looked surprised for a moment, and then realized what was going on and put his arms around her awkwardly.
Zhang He turned to Diao Chan and smiled. She looked back up at him and smiled as well.
"Mission accomplished!" They said together, grabbing each other's hands.
After this event, things became much better. Everyone was calm and friendly, and things moved along great. Sima Yi and Sun Shang Xiang turned out to be best friends who really understand understood each other. Diao Chan and Sun Shang Xiang spent a lot of time together, giggling and whispering to each other. Diao Chan no longer slept by Zhang He's side, which disappointed him greatly, but it was probably for the better. July came to an end after several more weeks of lazy nothingness. The hot sun beat down and nobody really wanted to do anything. Zhang He, Diao Chan, Sun Shang Xiang, and Sima Yi were usually found by the pond, talking about whatever came to mind at the time. Cao Cao seemed to be biding his time before they launched another attack, and everyone was thankful.
One hot morning, Zhang He awoke early. He stared out the window and wiped his brow. Suddenly, he remembered it was August third, the day of his birth. He was finally sixteen years old. He smiled and recollected about his life up to this point. A lot had happened, from sitting in the tree listening to his father's conversation, getting sold to Yuan Shao as a bodyguard, meeting Rai Tso, his first battle, falling in love with Diao Chan, all these things and more had happened in just one short year. The he remembered what he had said to Diao Chan all those months ago at the inn. 'You spend a lot of time building up your life, getting to know people, getting a place to live, all these different things. It can take years and years, then you get used to it. But what most people don't realize is it can all be destroyed in seconds.' He thought about that for a long while. It was true, you can live for years and years, and everything you lived for, worked to build, and loved can be destroyed as easy as a snap of you fingers . . .
Sima Yi began to stir and he sat up rubbing his eyes. Zhang He looked over at him with an odd expression. Had the Lady in Black really pointed towards him? Was Sima Yi, his best friend, his sworn brother, this innocent boy who had been forced into war at such an early age, really going to be murdered in only a few short weeks. Siam Yi turned towards Zhang He and smiled a little. Zhang He felt a pain in his heart as he imagined Sima Yi cowering against a wall as a tall man lifted up a heavy ax swung it, and. . . Then he thought of what life would be like without him, thought attending his cremation with a sobbing Sun Shang Xiang . . . He couldn't stand it, his head throbbed and a small tear leaked out of his eye. Sima Yi raised an eyebrow.
"What're you crying about?" He asked, looking oddly at Zhang He.
"Nuthun' . . ." Zhang He said, wiping his eyes hastily. "Just thinking how truly precious life is." Sima Yi smiled in agreement, but stopped suddenly.
"Do you hear that?" He asked.
"What? Zhang He said straightening up.
"Somebody's yelling our names." Sima Yi said standing up. Zhang He stood up also and followed him out the door. When he got outside, he stumbled backward and gasped. There was a man, completely covered in cloak and standing about eight feet tall. He kept stumbling and his middle bent strangely in half occasionally.
"SIMA YI! ZHANG HE!" Bellowed an oddly familiar voice from within the cloak.
"Hi . . ." Said Zhang He timidly.
"Let u- me in your room, please." He said glancing backwards.
"I would, but I don't think you can fit . . ." Zhang He said, eyeing the enormous man. The man whispered hurriedly to himself, then bent forward, reducing his size by half. He inched awkwardly through the open door the fell flat on his face.
"Um, could you please close the door?" He asked pathetically. Zhang He stepped inside and Sima Yi followed, shutting the door behind him. Then, all of a sudden, the cloak parted and two boys tumbled out.
"That was the worst idea you've ever had, Sun Ce! I'm never listening to you again." Said an angry voice. Zhang He sped over to get a good look at their faces. Low and behold Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were lying in a disgruntled heap on the floor.
"My God, I don't believe it!" Sima Yi said, running beside Zhang He.
"You'd better, baby, cause were back!" Sun Ce cheered.
End of part 2
amazing plot of the Shi dynasty in the next chapter. I hope y'all like this one, I worked extra hard for you *Is drinking coffee and watching tv
hehehe* ^^;;. Well, anyway, it was a good chapter.
Enjoy!
Part 2
The Power of the Red Moon
Chapter 21
Bright Eyes
That night was restless. They all fell asleep huddled altogether in a mass of warm bodies. Sun Shang Xiang wept on silently through the night and eventually fell asleep with her head on Sima Yi's chest and her arm around Zhang He. Zhang He imagined it must have been very hard for her, but wanted Sima Yi to take advantage of the situation.
After they got steadied, the entire camp set back out for the main camp. After a long week's worth of riding, they arrived back. After everything was settled, they all fell asleep in Zhang He and Sima Yi's room. After a good sleep, Zhang He felt very refreshed and ready for whatever was next.
Later in the day, some guards located Sun Shang Xiang and Diao Chan in the garden. They were assigned their own tent and Sun Shang Xiang was given a new set of dark blue robes. She and Diao Chan had made fast friends. Zhang He thought that Diao Chan hadn't really been around other girls much and having Sun Shang Xiang around was very good. Sima Yi really didn't say much the entire day, but looked angry and at times glanced up anxiously.
"I guess I'm part of your team now, eh?" Sun Shang Xiang said as the sun set.
"Welcome aboard!" Diao Chan said cheerfully at she watched the glowing star sink lower and lower.
"We're all really glad you're here, but you must miss your family terribly . . ." Zhang He said.
"I do, but I can never go back! I will never marry Lu Xun I hate him! I don't even care if my father is worried, and when I battle him-" She stopped and looked at her feet. They all fell silent and Zhang He played with his fingers.
"Do you want to go take a bath?" Diao Chan said spontaneously to Sun Shang Xiang, "There's a nice little hot spring just up there!"
"Sounds great!" She said jumping up and smiling once again. Zhang He smiled too and leaned back.
"I could come with you girls, just as a bodyguard, you know, get a good look at things . . ." He teased.
"Yeah, right, have a nice night you pervert!" Diao Chan laughed, pushing him over playfully.
"Be safe then!" He waved as they disappeared through the doors. He smiled off in their direction, thinking of them fondly. "They sure are great, Sima Yi. I wish everybody would get to know people before they started going off to war." Sima Yi nodded stiffly, retaining his steely gaze. "What are you so upset about?" Zhang He asked as the walked back to the room.
"Nothing, do I seem upset?" Sima Yi said, pushing open the door a little quickly.
"Come on, what's wrong?" Zhang He said, sitting down on the floor.
"NOTHING, I ALREADY TOLD YOU!" He bellowed unexpectedly. "What is this, a test?" Zhang He stared at him, looking hurt. "What? Stop giving me looks like that!" Sima Yi said, turning away.
"Why the heck did you just yell at me? I've done nothing wrong!" Zhang He said, standing up and looking Sima Yi in the eye.
"I yelled at you because you tried to pry into my personal thoughts!" Sima Yi spat.
"No I didn't! I asked you if you were feeling upset! I was kind of worried about you!" Zhang He said, feeling his anger rise.
"Well, maybe I don't want to tell you!" Sima Yi said very angrily.
"Well, jeez, you don't need to bite my head off to make that clear!" Zhang He yelled.
"ARRRAGH, Just- I need to be alone for a while . . .!" Said Sima Yi as he charged out the door.
"What's his problem!?" Zhang He said steamily to himself as he sat back down. Zhang He sat down and fumed for a while. After a couple of minutes he got bored and he located a piece of paper, a brush and ink. He wasn't exactly what you'd call an artist, but he enjoyed doodling and messing around with a brush. After an hour, there was a knock at the door. Zhang He went to open it and found Diao Chan and Sun Shang Xiang with damp looking hair.
"Would you like to come and walk around with us? Where's Sima Yi?" Diao Chan asked, poking her head inside.
"He got all angry at me and stormed away because I asked him if there was anything wrong." Zhang He said bitterly.
"Weird, well were going now, you can come if you like." Diao Chan said. Zhang He shut the door behind him and they set out for nowhere in particular. The lolled around in the warm night air of summer and spoke about silly little matters that really had no meaning. They sat down by their favorite tree and spread out on the soft grass. Zhang He looked through the leaves at the lovely stars above and felt a gentle gust caress his hair.
"So Sima Yi just flipped out like that, huh?" Sun Shang Xiang asked.
"Yeah, he seemed really tense, I hope he's alright." Zhang He said sleepily. Diao Chan let her head fall onto Zhang He's shoulder and he slipped an arm around her. Sun Shang Xiang looked at them for a second with a surprised look on her face.
"Are you guys . . .?" She said softly.
"Yeah." Zhang He answered.
"I knew it!" She said smiling. "Now I have to find a man . . ."
"Hahaha! Well, you can't have Zhang He, he's mine!" Diao Chan laughed. Zhang He smiled and pulled her closer. Zhang He noticed that Sima Yi was standing on the bridge where Zhang He had witnessed the fireflies the night he and Diao Chan had fought. He looked extremely angry and lonely standing all by himself looking gloomily in the water. Zhang He narrowed his eyes in Sima Yi's direction and looked away.
"He looks so sad." Sun Shang Xiang said, looking at him. "He hasn't even said a word to me for the entire I've been here."
"I wonder what has him so upset. Usually, he talks at least a little." Diao Chan said.
"I'm going to go talk to him." Sun Shang Xiang said, standing up and striding gracefully away. They watched her get closer and closer. Then Diao Chan stood up and brushed herself off.
"I think I'll go to bed." She said yawning. Zhang He stood up, walked over and kissed her.
"Goodnight." He said affectionately. She smiled then walked off towards her room, waving goodnight. "Now it's time for me to do what I do best! Eavesdrop . . ." He snickered. He snuck off stealthily and ran to a place he could here Sun Shang Xiang and Sima Yi's conversation without making himself heard.
Sima Yi was still standing still and staring at the water. Sun Shang Xiang had appeared at his side, but they weren't saying anything to each other. She would occasionally glance over at he, but he pretended like there was no one there.
"Hi." She said apprehensively. Sima Yi looked at her out of the corner of his eye and muttered an inaudible and far from friendly greeting.
"We haven't said much recently, have we?" She said, trying to carry on the conversation. Sima Yi was silent for a while, and then he turned his head and looked her straight in the face. He had a look of worry on his face, a sort of sick guilty look.
"Why did you come to Wei?" He asked monotonously.
"B-because, I don't want to marry Lu Xun." She said, avoiding his eyes. Zhang He thought there was more than she was telling them.
"You're going to let a silly thing like that ruin your entire life?" He said, sounding like he might start yelling again.
"If I married him, it would ruin my life! I'm quite happy here actually." She said, much more firmly.
"NO! You're wrong, you foolish child!" Sima Yi said standing up straighter and speaking louder. Sun Shang Xiang looked surprised and taken aback. "You don't even realize what you had back there! You had a big family that cared about you, your father didn't do horrible things to you because you didn't do what he said!" Sun Shang Xiang started to look scared and her eyes welled up. Sima Yi seemed to be growing taller and more fearsome by the second. "You had a wonderful life and you threw it aside because something you didn't want was going to happen! Now look where you are! In the middle of a war against your comrades, nobody here to look after you, nobody here to save you! You're alone and you can never go back. I can't believe anyone could be that stupid!" He bellowed. Tears fell from Sun Shang Xiang's eyes and her face was very red. She cowered from Sima Yi's angry figure, like an innocent puppy cowering from a tiger about to make a kill.
"B-ut Si-" She started helplessly.
"Don't you cry at me! You got yourself into this position nobody can get you out. I-I don't even care if you get hurt, I'm n-not worried about you." Sima Yi lied. Sun Shang Xiang began to cry freely. She covered her face with hands and Sima Yi's expression softened. Suddenly, she removed her hands and the look of fear was replaced by one of anger.
"You don't even know what happened! And for your information I didn't just come here so I could escape marring Lu Xun! It's not just about some stupid family quarrel! I came here because I wanted to be with you!"
SLAP!
An angry red mark in the appeared across Sima Yi's face and he looked stunned. He lifted a hand up to his face and placed it over the mark. Sun Shang Xiang stomped away, tears still pouring down her face. Sima Yi stood, still staring off in her direction and looking as if he might be the one to cry next. Zhang He gazed at his with worry in his hear. This was not going as well as he had planned. He rose out of his hiding spot and went over to Sima Yi. He looked up weakly at Zhang He and let his hand fall to his side.
"T-that hurt more than the arrow . . ." He said feebly. "I really shouldn't have . . . I wish I knew how to apo- . . ."
"Oh, Sima Yi, you should have just said what you felt about the situation, not be angry with her because you don't know how to express your emotions!" Zhang He scolded.
"I- . . . Maybe it's best just to- . . ." He left off.
"Come on, let's go back to the room . . . I'll have to give you a lesson in women." Zhang He said, walking back.
"O-ok . . ." Sima Yi said pitifully. Once back inside, they shut the door.
"First . . ." Zhang He said. "NEVER, EVER YELL AT THE GIRL YOU WANT!! If there's a good reason, then maybe it's acceptable, but you can't be angry with them, it frightens them! Didn't you see how helpless and afraid Sun Shang Xiang looked when you yelled at her? She's probably crying to Diao Chan about how much you terrified her. You want to try and make her feel comfortable and calm when she's with you, not scared."
"Yeah . . ." Sima Yi said, looking gloomier by the minute.
"Second, you must always comfort her when she is: One, afraid, two, sad, three, lonely. They really like it when you make them think that you're the only one who really understands her and is there for her. Then you have to say stuff like 'everything is going to be all right.' or 'I'll do anything you want to make it better!' That's a surefire way to win over her heart!" Sima Yi nodded and Zhang He continued. "Third, you must always be the one to apologize first. Take all the blame, even if you didn't do anything. Make her think she's a goddess and you are begging for her forgiveness. The hug her and pretend your crying or muster up enough stuff to actually cry. Always compliment her, give her little gifts whenever you can, never try to look disappointed or confused when she does something for you, and be a complete gentleman!" He said, speaking very fast.
"Wow, that's a lot to remember . . ." Sima Yi said.
"Or in other words . . . Just be yourself around her, don't try an put on a shield to make yourself look or seem different. And besides, girls love sensitive guys." He added with a smile.
"Thanks a lot, brother, I'm really sorry I've been acting like such a idiot. I was just worried, please forgive me." Sima Yi said bowing.
"Forgiven!" Zhang He cheered.
That morning, Zhang He waited until the girls emerged. Zhang He nodded to Sima Yi who swallowed and looked nervous. He strode outside, trying to look as casual as possible and matched the women's gait.
"How're you this lovely morning, Diao Chan?" He said, glancing back.
"Fine, but Sun Shang Xiang isn't, Sima Yi was really mean to her last night." She said.
"I know, but you should've seen him. He came into our room, crying his eyes out, wailing that he'd made a terrible mistake and there was no way he could fix it. He was terrified; he thought you'd never speak to him again or that you hated him. You know, he's always . . ." He left off, in fear that he might have said too much.
"He was really crying over me?" Sun Shang Xiang asked sounding almost astounded.
"Yeah! He wouldn't shut up!" Zhang He said, listening to the sweet music he was composing.
"Hmmm..." Sun Shang Xiang mused.
"Now, me and you Diao Chan, we have to go and uh . . . go and. . . Speak with Xiahou Dun about the thing!" He said, trying to make her understand. She looked confused for a couple of seconds, and then opened her eyes wide, finally fathoming what was going on.
"Yes, of course! About the thing! Well, let's get on our way." She said, taking Zhang He by the arm.
"Ooh, can I come?" Sun Shang Xiang said excitedly.
"No, sorry, it's top secret." Zhang He said, hurrying along faster.
"Well couldn't I just wait by the door?" She asked, trailing behind.
"You know, we don't need to talk to Xiahou Dun at all right now! Zhang He and I are going to go off and kiss a whole lot, and you surely don't want to watch that! Haha! So, see you later!" Diao Chan said, not looking her in the face.
"Oh . . . Ok, I'll wait for you here until you're, er . . .done . . ." She said, sounding confused and slightly disturbed. She went over and sat by herself against a tree and looked at her hands. Zhang He and Diao Chan dove into a bush, and then peeked out quietly.
"So, why are we trying to get her by herself?" Diao Chan whispered.
"Because, I'm trying to get Sima Yi to apologize to her very sweetly and we can't be around." He hissed back. She nodded and went back to watching the scene. After about three minutes, Sima Yi came out of his room and "casually" headed towards Sun Shang Xiang. She pretended that she didn't see him and busied herself with an invisible bug in the grass. He sat down very near to her and looked up at the sky.
"Um, listen about last night . . ." He started uneasily. "I'm really, really, REALLY, sorry. I . . . didn't know how to express what I was thinking, and I got mad. What I really meant to say was that . . . I'm really worried about you because you've been thrust into a dangerous situation and if something ever did happen to you, I would be extremely upset and sad, and I don't want that to happen. Please . . ." He took her tiny hands in his pale ones "I beg you to forgive me!" She looked speechless for a moment, then smiled tenderly and looked into his soulful brown eyes. She pulled him into a warm embrace and closed her eyes. He looked surprised for a moment, and then realized what was going on and put his arms around her awkwardly.
Zhang He turned to Diao Chan and smiled. She looked back up at him and smiled as well.
"Mission accomplished!" They said together, grabbing each other's hands.
After this event, things became much better. Everyone was calm and friendly, and things moved along great. Sima Yi and Sun Shang Xiang turned out to be best friends who really understand understood each other. Diao Chan and Sun Shang Xiang spent a lot of time together, giggling and whispering to each other. Diao Chan no longer slept by Zhang He's side, which disappointed him greatly, but it was probably for the better. July came to an end after several more weeks of lazy nothingness. The hot sun beat down and nobody really wanted to do anything. Zhang He, Diao Chan, Sun Shang Xiang, and Sima Yi were usually found by the pond, talking about whatever came to mind at the time. Cao Cao seemed to be biding his time before they launched another attack, and everyone was thankful.
One hot morning, Zhang He awoke early. He stared out the window and wiped his brow. Suddenly, he remembered it was August third, the day of his birth. He was finally sixteen years old. He smiled and recollected about his life up to this point. A lot had happened, from sitting in the tree listening to his father's conversation, getting sold to Yuan Shao as a bodyguard, meeting Rai Tso, his first battle, falling in love with Diao Chan, all these things and more had happened in just one short year. The he remembered what he had said to Diao Chan all those months ago at the inn. 'You spend a lot of time building up your life, getting to know people, getting a place to live, all these different things. It can take years and years, then you get used to it. But what most people don't realize is it can all be destroyed in seconds.' He thought about that for a long while. It was true, you can live for years and years, and everything you lived for, worked to build, and loved can be destroyed as easy as a snap of you fingers . . .
Sima Yi began to stir and he sat up rubbing his eyes. Zhang He looked over at him with an odd expression. Had the Lady in Black really pointed towards him? Was Sima Yi, his best friend, his sworn brother, this innocent boy who had been forced into war at such an early age, really going to be murdered in only a few short weeks. Siam Yi turned towards Zhang He and smiled a little. Zhang He felt a pain in his heart as he imagined Sima Yi cowering against a wall as a tall man lifted up a heavy ax swung it, and. . . Then he thought of what life would be like without him, thought attending his cremation with a sobbing Sun Shang Xiang . . . He couldn't stand it, his head throbbed and a small tear leaked out of his eye. Sima Yi raised an eyebrow.
"What're you crying about?" He asked, looking oddly at Zhang He.
"Nuthun' . . ." Zhang He said, wiping his eyes hastily. "Just thinking how truly precious life is." Sima Yi smiled in agreement, but stopped suddenly.
"Do you hear that?" He asked.
"What? Zhang He said straightening up.
"Somebody's yelling our names." Sima Yi said standing up. Zhang He stood up also and followed him out the door. When he got outside, he stumbled backward and gasped. There was a man, completely covered in cloak and standing about eight feet tall. He kept stumbling and his middle bent strangely in half occasionally.
"SIMA YI! ZHANG HE!" Bellowed an oddly familiar voice from within the cloak.
"Hi . . ." Said Zhang He timidly.
"Let u- me in your room, please." He said glancing backwards.
"I would, but I don't think you can fit . . ." Zhang He said, eyeing the enormous man. The man whispered hurriedly to himself, then bent forward, reducing his size by half. He inched awkwardly through the open door the fell flat on his face.
"Um, could you please close the door?" He asked pathetically. Zhang He stepped inside and Sima Yi followed, shutting the door behind him. Then, all of a sudden, the cloak parted and two boys tumbled out.
"That was the worst idea you've ever had, Sun Ce! I'm never listening to you again." Said an angry voice. Zhang He sped over to get a good look at their faces. Low and behold Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were lying in a disgruntled heap on the floor.
"My God, I don't believe it!" Sima Yi said, running beside Zhang He.
"You'd better, baby, cause were back!" Sun Ce cheered.
End of part 2