Part 3
The Romance of the Four Leaders
Chapter 32
Tiger in Me
Life went back to normal after October 31st. Things winded down and an odd sense of apprehension hovered above them. It was as if something was just waiting to happen, but who could know what. The weather had suddenly changed from very hot and humid, to blustery and cold. Everyone spent most of the time inside and large blazing fires were almost everywhere. Zhang He announced that all the fighting and strategizing would be ceased until winter passed, he did not want his men suffering in the cold. The winds grew strong and icy and blew the dried leaves all over the camp. Shortly after everyone had been cooped up inside for a week, Sun Ce and Sima Yi had gotten into a row about Sun Shang Xiang.
"You leave her alone, you understand!!?" Sun Ce bellowed at him.
"Why should you have to make decisions for her? She can think for herself!" Sima Yi said, his voice getting louder.
"Because she obviously can't see when a sicko pervert is trying to deceive her!" Sun Ce said standing up.
"Who's the pervert you Peeping Tom? And I could never deceive her! Aren't I entitled to loving any woman I want?" Sima Yi shouted at him, refusing to get to his feet.
"Sure, as long as it's not my little sister!" He said stamping his foot.
"So, if Da Qiao was my sister I could possibly repudiate you from coming in contact with her?" Sima Yi said coolly.
"Why, you little punk!" Sun Ce said, rushing over and seizing the front of Sima Yi's shirt. Zhang He stood up and went to stop them. Sima Yi winced and covered his face just as Sun Ce brought his thick, powerful fist up. Zhou Yu grabbed Sun Ce's sinewy arm and tried to force it back.
"Stop it! Sun Ce, he's your sworn brother!" Zhou Yu protested, desperately trying to break it up. Zhang He grabbed Sima Yi's shoulders and yanked him out of Sun Ce's grasp. Sima Yi looked terrified, he was very short and very skinny, and Sun Ce could've probably killed him with one punch.
"But Zhou Yu, he's trying to corrupt my sister!" Sun Ce objected, his mind finally cooling. He looked as though he had just the error in his ways, but was to proud to admit it.
"Well, you obviously are scared to give your sister up. Can't you see that he loves her? Why would he want to do anything bad to her? You're just afraid of giving her up from your family!" Zhou Yu said pointing his index at Sun Ce, who looked taken aback.
"Shut up!" He said, bringing his arm across Zhou Yu's face. Zhou Yu's head snapped back and an angry red mark appeared, but he did not wince. He just stared off into space, a look of pain fixed in his almost- yellow eyes. He finally let his chin droop down and he looked at his feet. A bit of blood dripped from the side of his mouth and he released Sun Ce's arm. Zhang He knew Sun Ce's temper had gotten him into a real spot now. Zhou Yu and Sun Ce had been sworn brothers since they were only ten years old, and friends long before that. They were totally inseparable, but now, Zhou Yu was showing signs of pain Zhang He had never seen ripple across his calm face.
"Yes, I suppose you don't care who you hurt." Zhou Yu said in a shaky voice. "First Sima Yi, then me. Well . . ." Zhou Yu said with a feeble laugh "You did try to drown me once, right? Maybe you're not the person we thought you were." He finished, looking deeply into Sun Ce's eyes with a steely glare. Sun Ce took a stunned step backwards. His mouth was half open and his eyes were wide now, too.
"Zhou Yu, that was a long time ago, I was just a kid, I didn't know any better." Sun Ce said, trying to calm him. Zhou Yu narrowed his eyes.
"She didn't just fall in on her own accord! You probably thought that if I survived, a woman a lot older than me could certainly make it!" He said, seething as no one had ever seen before.
"Zhou Yu, I was standing beside you, your father bumped into her! I couldn't have been -" He begun.
"You did it twice Sun Ce, you pushed me in, and you pushed her in! She died because of you, Sun Ce! YOU KILLED HER!" Zhou Yu yelled, his eyes going glassy. Sun Ce's anger returned once again.
"You know her death was an accident! I tried to save her! If Sun Shang Xiang wasn't there, I'd have died as well!" Sun Ce barked, jabbing his finger into Zhou Yu's chest. Zhou Yu slapped it away fiercely and threw and punch at Sun Ce's face, but Sun Ce was too quick for him. He wrapped his powerful fingers around Zhou Yu's fist, and Zhou Yu's expression turned horrified.
"Stop!" Zhang He yelled at the, staying back with Sima Yi. "STOP!" Zhou Yu tried to get away, but his struggling was in vain. Sun Ce squeezed his pale hand and a sickening crack suddenly rang through the air. Zhou Yu screamed and fell to his knees and Sun Ce bitterly threw down his arm. Zhang He and Sima Yi looked at Sun CE, their expressions identical. Sun Ce panted loudly, then looked at them. Zhou Yu whimpered as he pulled his hand to his chest and nursed it silently.
"H-he deserved it . . ." Sun Ce said, his voice defeated and frightened. "You agree with me, right Zhang He?" Zhang He slowly shook his head no, and backed away. "Is the whole world against me!?" He screamed. "I'm outta here!" And he raced through the door, sweeping off into the night.
A few moments of silence hung in the air horribly, and then Sima Yi went over to where Zhou Yu was huddled.
"A-are you alright?" he asked softly. Zhou Yu looked up. Zhang He could tell he was fighting the urge to cry.
"My fingers . . ." He gasped, holding out his hand. Sima Yi took hi hand delicately and examined the ruined digits. He gently pressed on different areas of his fingers, Zhou Yu wincing occasionally. Sima Yi shook his head.
"They're all broken in pretty much the same place." Sima Yi said grimly. "Zhang He, will you get me some bandages?" He asked quietly. Zhang He nodded, still stunned. He retrieved the roll of bandages from the corner and timidly handed them to Sima Yi. After Zhou Yu's hand was all bandaged up, everyone was silent again.
"Are you alright?" Sima Yi asked again, breaking the painful lull. Zhou Yu took in a quiet breath and let his chin fall onto his chest.
"Please don't look at me." He said quietly. "Turn the other way." He demanded pathetically. Zhang He respectively turned around but looked at Sima Yi, whom he could tell was thinking the same thing he was. What had all those things meant? Who had died? Was Sun Ce actually responsible for her demise? Zhang He heart leapt as he heard Zhou Yu sob quietly behind him. He knew why he had asked them to turn away, he did not want them to see him cry . . .
They all went to bed, nobody saying anything. Zhang He pulled up the covers, and rubbed his throbbing head. The wind rattled endlessly on the roof of their building. After two hours he could here the patter of rain outside. He was not at all sorry that Sun Ce was all alone outside in the freezing rain. He could not believe what he had done. How could someone have been so heartless to two of his sworn brothers? Zhang He knew this went deeper than he was presently allowed to dig . . . He fell into an uneasy sleep. The world grew dimmer around him, and even dimmer still.
He was in an extremely odd house. The walls were all white and composed of a strange material he had never seen before. Some unknown force was beckoning to him, though he could not tell what. The floor underneath him seemed to have been made of a bouncy light colored fabric that was composed of short, fat hairs. A little alcove was in the wall and pink curtains blew lazily on the only window in the room. He stared at them, his heart calming. He could suddenly smell the sweet and humid breeze of the sea. He walked enchantedly over to them, he hands touching the soft, fine material. He pulled them back and what he saw made him gasp with delight. Outside were a million miniature dunes of pearly white sand, unscathed and clean. After that was an ocean, gleaming and sparkling in the day's last remaining light. A gigantic, half set sun peeked over the horizon and the sky was painted vibrant shades of deep blue, purple, yellow, red and at the top was a royal purple, decorated with the night's first stars. He took in a breath of the sea's refreshing air. He had to get out there! Something good was waiting for him there! He turned excitedly back to the white room and raced toward to door, grasping to brass, round handle, and flung it open. Outside it was a white hall, which he could see brightly. He was facing one wall of the hall and it stretched only a little way to his left and right. A little ways down to his right was a room with an open door. It was bright inside, but not to bright. Deep blue curtains decorated with fish and shiny objects made of glass beckoned to him. In front of him and a bit of center was another room, it was dark and very small and he could not see inside. Finally to his left was a large room with a very high roof. It had the same type of squishy carpet as the first room and had odd assortment of furniture around it. He turned to the left. He somehow knew this was the way to get out. Once he ran out of the hall, Sima Yi was running right beside. He was smiling and looked happier than Zhang He had ever seen. He sort of told him with his mind that 'It's right out here! We're almost there!' Sima Yi smiled even broader and nodded, gesturing for him to keep going. The turned a sharp left and saw a wall with four windows, each covered with numerous white shutters. He saw the hazy light of the beach sunset poking through them and his spirits rose higher. To the left of the windows was a door. It was white and the middle section was made of paned glass and a transparent linen curtain covered it, although he could not see what was o0n the other side. Right below the windows was a sort of white, fluffy elongated chair with splatters of turquoise, salmon pink and black paint all over it. On the arm of it were to brown boxes on it. As Zhang He stared at these, he suddenly realized he was very hungry and inside these boxes were delicious food, made especially for him and Sima Yi. He went over to them and lifted one's lid, only to find shreds of lettuce at the bottom. With some disappointment he let the lid fall back, then grasped the gracefully curved golden handle of the paned door and burst outside. It was a totally different scene. They were outside in a rectangular garden at night. A creamy colored brick wall rose about seven feet in the air barred them from going any further and it was covered with ivy. Several fruit trees decorated the place and the grass below them was lush and forest green. The sky was purplish and stars blinked out from everywhere. In the center of the garden were three or four poles of leaves going along the middle vertically. Each of these pole- like bushes were adorned with tiny sparkling lights, that two men were rings of glasses around their eyes and wearing long white coats were examining. Zhang He stepped out slowly to this scene, the noticed a man with a long orangish beard and wearing clothes made out of leaves and other items from the jungle. He stepped up to Zhang He and Sima Yi and held out his hands.
"Do you want to fly?" He said, pointing to the right side of the wall. Zhang He considered for a moment, and then nodded. The man bent down and put a hand underneath Zhang He and Sima Yi's feet. He stood up quite suddenly and they were both launched into the air. Zhang He was afraid at first, but when he opened his eyes he was gracefully gliding through the air. He could still see the luminous garden below and what was on the right side of the all made him gasp. A forest stretched on for miles and miles in all directions. In the distance he could see a great city. It was a glow with fluorescent colors of yellow pink, purple and blue. A great curved arch rose from the city and went back down. He could feel the cool evening wind on his face and in his hair. He was actually flying! And even better he was going to the wonderful city! Just as soon as he advanced, he was back in his bed staring up at the ceiling. He immediately decided in his head he wanted to die right now so he could go back to dreaming that wonderful, but then his heart leapt at this thought. He sat up and looked around. Zhou Yu was sitting awake in his bed, the mark that marred his face now turning a sickly purple. His eyes were expressionless and his hands were folded on his lap.
"Hey." Zhang He greeted him timidly. He answered with a noise somewhere between a whimper and moan. "You alright?" Zhang He asked, sliding out of bed. Zhou Yu remained silent for a moment, then closed his eyes and sighed audibly. He suddenly smiled, but looked quite tired.
"I'm great! Let's wake Sima Yi and we'll go visit the girls." He said cheerfully. Zhang He smiled back a nodded, but he could tell Zhou Yu was faking. It must've been horrible to be hurt by the person you thought was your best friend. But still, Zhang He very much wanted to know what they had meant, but he didn't have the heart to ask.
It was not only raining, but also hailing outside. They could all clearly see their breath and immediately started shiver violently. Sima Yi looked reproachful. They all hurried into the girl's build, hands over their heads and hunched over. When they burst inside, dripping wet and shaking uncontrollably, Sun Shang Xiang laughed.
"You guys look like a bunch of wet dogs!" She giggled, but then got up and handed them all blankets to dry off in.
"We haven't seen you in days!" Diao Chan said, pulling Zhang He onto the bench beside her and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"It's been so cold, we didn't want to go out in the weather, but we became fed up with staying by ourselves for that long!" He smiled, holding Diao Chan close and being thankful for her body heat.
"Zhou Yu's here!" Cheered Xiao Qiao, exploding from out of her bed and leaping onto Zhou Yu. He laughed and helped her back onto the ground. She looked up at him and gasped. "Zhou Yu! What happened to your face?" Reaching up and touching is cheek softly. Everyone was silent again and they looked at Zhou Yu.
"Sun Ce did that . . ." He said finally.
"Uch, my stupid clumsy brother. What was he doing this time, did he think he could fly or something? Where is that moron, anyway?" Sun Shang Xiang asked.
"He did it on purpose, Shang Xiang." Sima Yi said quietly to her.
"What?" She asked, sounding horrified.
"Did he hurt you, Zhou Yu?" Xiao Qiao said her arms fixed around his waist.
"Why would Sun Ce do something like that?" Da Qiao asked from behind them all.
"He and Sima Yi got into an argument, and it elevated from there." Zhang He explained, purposely leaving out the subject of the argument for Sima Yi. "Well, Sun Ce got very angry and grabbed Sima Yi and was just about to hit him, but Zhou Yu stopped him. Then they started fighting and yelling about stuff I'm not sure Zhou Yu would like me to repeat, then Sun Ce snapped and struck him." Zhang He finished. Sun Shang Xiang looked wide-eyed and she took a breath.
"Zhou Yu, was it . . .?" She asked timorously. He nodded and looked away.
"It really wasn't his fault . . ." She said soothingly, placing a hand on his arm. Her expression changed suddenly. "But he has no right to be taking it lightly! I'm sure whatever he said deserves a good beating! I'll take care of it for you if you want!" Regaining her old spunk and displaying her knuckles.
"He ran off after he realized he'd done something wrong." Sima Yi explained.
"Well, serves him right! I hope he's freezing to death out there!" She said, turning her nose up at an invisible Sun Ce.
"I don't believe Sun Ce would do something like that!" Da Qiao objected abruptly.
"Well, you obviously don't know him very well." Sun Shang Xiang said under her breath.
"I'm . . ." Da Qiao started. "I'm going out to look for him!" She announced bravely. She picked up a cloak that was lying on the floor and raced outside.
"Sis!" Xiao Qiao cried, running to door, but not stepping out it.
"Come back! You'll die out there!" Yelled Diao Chan.
"She'll come back once she realizes there's no chance of finding him out there." Sun Shang Xiang reassured them. They waited for a few moments, but Da Qiao didn't return. At that moment, Xiao Qiao sped outside.
"SIS!! COME BACK!!" She yelled.
"Stop, Xiao Qiao!" Zhou Yu commanded, stamping his foot. She halted and looked sadly back.
"She's in trouble, Zhou Yu!" She whined. "You've got to help me" Zhou Yu nodded and ran to her side. Zhang He followed, and then the rest went by instinct.
They trudged through the mud, all shivering and slipping every once in a while. They peered in all the windows, looking for somewhere Sun Ce could've hid out, but he, nor Da Qiao, was anywhere to be found.
"There's only one place left!" Yelled Diao Chan over the roar of the hail. "The forest!" She said with fear. Xiao Qiao nodded, then started running in the direction of the trees.
"You can't go in there!" Sima Yi yelled "It's suicide!"
"My sister is in trouble!' Xiao Qiao repeated, her face and hair, dripping wet. They all followed her, ignore that fact Sima Yi's statement was true. They burst into the trees, scattering the birds roosting in the nearby bush. Diao Chan slipped and fell as the launched off a steep hill. Everyone kept running and didn't notice she'd fallen.
"Zhang He!" She cried. He stopped, hearing her plead, and picked her out of the mud. "I think I twisted my ankle." She said, shivering violently. Zhang He looked back at the path. The rest of them were long gone, and there was no way that he'd catch up with them when Diao Chan was hurt.
"I'm taking you back." He said, hoisting her up and holding her against his chest as he went backwards. The raindrops kept obscuring his vision and it took him longer than usual to get back. Once he was back, he came to an enraging surprise. As he stepped inside his building to get Diao Chan some new clothes and fix her ankle, he found that Sun Ce was sitting on his bed, looking very sad, but very dry. He looked up at Zhang He with a unforced melancholy, then dropped to his knees before him.
"Zhang He! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean any of it! I just got all crazy there for a moment! I'll understand if you don't want to be my sworn brother anymore! You can hit me as many times as you want, you can pull out all my hair, or make me cut of all my toes or something, just please accept my apology. I've been a real idiot, I didn't mean none of it!" He said, clasping his hands together and holding them above his head while he kneeled.
"Don't apologize to me! You should say your sorry to Zhou Yu, Sima Yi and Da Qiao, they're the ones looking for you outside right now!" Zhang He said, Putting Diao Chan down on the ground and digging out some of his dry clothes.
"They're what!?" He said standing up. "Oh no, they thought I was gone! I've got to find them, he said going for the door.
"No, stay here with Diao Chan. I'll go find them and tell them you're here, but they may not want to come back until they've found Da Qiao." Zhang He said, going back outside.
"She's lost?" Sun Ce asked, his voice tightening. "She went to look for me, didn't she? Oh, I'm a horrible person, I'm really awful. I should . . . I should commit suicide."
"Oh, shut up." Zhang He said snappishly. "We'll deal with this later, right now you take care of Diao Chan, and I'll go help them." Zhang He said, slamming the door and racing at top speed back to the trees. He leapt off the low ridge Diao Chan had slipped on, and blasted into the cold darkness. "SIMA YI!!" Zhang He yelled, trying to get their attention. "ZHOU YU!!" He continued on running until he heard Sima Yi's voice faintly.
"Zhang He! Over here!" He heard distantly. As he turned another few corners he saw the entire group standing in a clearing, panting and shaking.
"Sun Ce . . ." Zhang He gasped, his head pounding. "He's back at the camp."
"What?" Sima Yi asked disbelievingly.
"He was there the entire time. I had to go back, Diao Chan hurt herself." Zhang he finished.
"We can't go back, my sister isn't safe yet!" Xiao Qiao objected.
"Listen, she'll come back soon. We've all got to get back now or else we'll all die." Zhang He said, bringing up a very good point.
"Zhang He's right, let's go back Xiao Qiao. I'm sure your sister has decided to come back already." He said, holding Xiao Qiao by the arm. She looked crestfallen, but nodded all the same. They all walked back, feeling exhausted and very upset.
When they all entered the building, Sun Ce gave a little cry, then threw himself before their feet again.
"Forgive me, please! I didn't mean it Zhou Yu! I'm so sorry, brother! I'll never do anything as horrible as that again! You can hit me if you want, as many times as you like!" Sun Ce groveled. When he looked up, Zhang He noticed there were definitely tears running down his face and into his stubby little beard. Zhou Yu looked at him with an open mouth for a while then smiled. He pulled back his fist and nailed Sun Ce squarely in the jaw. Sun Ce stumbled back and put a hand up to his face.
"I've just had the strangest dream." Zhou Yu said calmly, offering a hand to Sun Ce. Sun Ce smiled and took it. "I dreamed we'd gotten into a horrible disagreement."
Sun Ce smiled even more broadly, tears still leaking from his eyes. "You're the best, brother!" He said, pulling Zhou Yu into a one armed hug.
"I am pretty good, aren't I?" Zhou Yu joked. Everyone laughed for a second. Sun Ce turned to Sima Yi.
"I should apologize to you too." He said seriously. "It really isn't my business who you lov-. um . . . you know." He said, noticing Sun Shang Xiang standing beside Sima Yi. He smiled and bowed.
"Apology accepted." He smiled.
"And Da Qiao, I-" He stopped. "Where is she?"
"We couldn't find her." Xiao Qiao said sadly. "But Zhou Yu promised me she'd come back, and he's the smartest person ever, so it'll happen for sure!" She continued optimistically, but Zhou Yu looked uneasy.
"She's out there because she thought I was in trouble! Now I've got to save her! Sun Ce walked deliberately towards the door, but just as he was about to push it open, a soldier came bursting in.
"REPOOOORT!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "I have an emergency to report!"
The Romance of the Four Leaders
Chapter 32
Tiger in Me
Life went back to normal after October 31st. Things winded down and an odd sense of apprehension hovered above them. It was as if something was just waiting to happen, but who could know what. The weather had suddenly changed from very hot and humid, to blustery and cold. Everyone spent most of the time inside and large blazing fires were almost everywhere. Zhang He announced that all the fighting and strategizing would be ceased until winter passed, he did not want his men suffering in the cold. The winds grew strong and icy and blew the dried leaves all over the camp. Shortly after everyone had been cooped up inside for a week, Sun Ce and Sima Yi had gotten into a row about Sun Shang Xiang.
"You leave her alone, you understand!!?" Sun Ce bellowed at him.
"Why should you have to make decisions for her? She can think for herself!" Sima Yi said, his voice getting louder.
"Because she obviously can't see when a sicko pervert is trying to deceive her!" Sun Ce said standing up.
"Who's the pervert you Peeping Tom? And I could never deceive her! Aren't I entitled to loving any woman I want?" Sima Yi shouted at him, refusing to get to his feet.
"Sure, as long as it's not my little sister!" He said stamping his foot.
"So, if Da Qiao was my sister I could possibly repudiate you from coming in contact with her?" Sima Yi said coolly.
"Why, you little punk!" Sun Ce said, rushing over and seizing the front of Sima Yi's shirt. Zhang He stood up and went to stop them. Sima Yi winced and covered his face just as Sun Ce brought his thick, powerful fist up. Zhou Yu grabbed Sun Ce's sinewy arm and tried to force it back.
"Stop it! Sun Ce, he's your sworn brother!" Zhou Yu protested, desperately trying to break it up. Zhang He grabbed Sima Yi's shoulders and yanked him out of Sun Ce's grasp. Sima Yi looked terrified, he was very short and very skinny, and Sun Ce could've probably killed him with one punch.
"But Zhou Yu, he's trying to corrupt my sister!" Sun Ce objected, his mind finally cooling. He looked as though he had just the error in his ways, but was to proud to admit it.
"Well, you obviously are scared to give your sister up. Can't you see that he loves her? Why would he want to do anything bad to her? You're just afraid of giving her up from your family!" Zhou Yu said pointing his index at Sun Ce, who looked taken aback.
"Shut up!" He said, bringing his arm across Zhou Yu's face. Zhou Yu's head snapped back and an angry red mark appeared, but he did not wince. He just stared off into space, a look of pain fixed in his almost- yellow eyes. He finally let his chin droop down and he looked at his feet. A bit of blood dripped from the side of his mouth and he released Sun Ce's arm. Zhang He knew Sun Ce's temper had gotten him into a real spot now. Zhou Yu and Sun Ce had been sworn brothers since they were only ten years old, and friends long before that. They were totally inseparable, but now, Zhou Yu was showing signs of pain Zhang He had never seen ripple across his calm face.
"Yes, I suppose you don't care who you hurt." Zhou Yu said in a shaky voice. "First Sima Yi, then me. Well . . ." Zhou Yu said with a feeble laugh "You did try to drown me once, right? Maybe you're not the person we thought you were." He finished, looking deeply into Sun Ce's eyes with a steely glare. Sun Ce took a stunned step backwards. His mouth was half open and his eyes were wide now, too.
"Zhou Yu, that was a long time ago, I was just a kid, I didn't know any better." Sun Ce said, trying to calm him. Zhou Yu narrowed his eyes.
"She didn't just fall in on her own accord! You probably thought that if I survived, a woman a lot older than me could certainly make it!" He said, seething as no one had ever seen before.
"Zhou Yu, I was standing beside you, your father bumped into her! I couldn't have been -" He begun.
"You did it twice Sun Ce, you pushed me in, and you pushed her in! She died because of you, Sun Ce! YOU KILLED HER!" Zhou Yu yelled, his eyes going glassy. Sun Ce's anger returned once again.
"You know her death was an accident! I tried to save her! If Sun Shang Xiang wasn't there, I'd have died as well!" Sun Ce barked, jabbing his finger into Zhou Yu's chest. Zhou Yu slapped it away fiercely and threw and punch at Sun Ce's face, but Sun Ce was too quick for him. He wrapped his powerful fingers around Zhou Yu's fist, and Zhou Yu's expression turned horrified.
"Stop!" Zhang He yelled at the, staying back with Sima Yi. "STOP!" Zhou Yu tried to get away, but his struggling was in vain. Sun Ce squeezed his pale hand and a sickening crack suddenly rang through the air. Zhou Yu screamed and fell to his knees and Sun Ce bitterly threw down his arm. Zhang He and Sima Yi looked at Sun CE, their expressions identical. Sun Ce panted loudly, then looked at them. Zhou Yu whimpered as he pulled his hand to his chest and nursed it silently.
"H-he deserved it . . ." Sun Ce said, his voice defeated and frightened. "You agree with me, right Zhang He?" Zhang He slowly shook his head no, and backed away. "Is the whole world against me!?" He screamed. "I'm outta here!" And he raced through the door, sweeping off into the night.
A few moments of silence hung in the air horribly, and then Sima Yi went over to where Zhou Yu was huddled.
"A-are you alright?" he asked softly. Zhou Yu looked up. Zhang He could tell he was fighting the urge to cry.
"My fingers . . ." He gasped, holding out his hand. Sima Yi took hi hand delicately and examined the ruined digits. He gently pressed on different areas of his fingers, Zhou Yu wincing occasionally. Sima Yi shook his head.
"They're all broken in pretty much the same place." Sima Yi said grimly. "Zhang He, will you get me some bandages?" He asked quietly. Zhang He nodded, still stunned. He retrieved the roll of bandages from the corner and timidly handed them to Sima Yi. After Zhou Yu's hand was all bandaged up, everyone was silent again.
"Are you alright?" Sima Yi asked again, breaking the painful lull. Zhou Yu took in a quiet breath and let his chin fall onto his chest.
"Please don't look at me." He said quietly. "Turn the other way." He demanded pathetically. Zhang He respectively turned around but looked at Sima Yi, whom he could tell was thinking the same thing he was. What had all those things meant? Who had died? Was Sun Ce actually responsible for her demise? Zhang He heart leapt as he heard Zhou Yu sob quietly behind him. He knew why he had asked them to turn away, he did not want them to see him cry . . .
They all went to bed, nobody saying anything. Zhang He pulled up the covers, and rubbed his throbbing head. The wind rattled endlessly on the roof of their building. After two hours he could here the patter of rain outside. He was not at all sorry that Sun Ce was all alone outside in the freezing rain. He could not believe what he had done. How could someone have been so heartless to two of his sworn brothers? Zhang He knew this went deeper than he was presently allowed to dig . . . He fell into an uneasy sleep. The world grew dimmer around him, and even dimmer still.
He was in an extremely odd house. The walls were all white and composed of a strange material he had never seen before. Some unknown force was beckoning to him, though he could not tell what. The floor underneath him seemed to have been made of a bouncy light colored fabric that was composed of short, fat hairs. A little alcove was in the wall and pink curtains blew lazily on the only window in the room. He stared at them, his heart calming. He could suddenly smell the sweet and humid breeze of the sea. He walked enchantedly over to them, he hands touching the soft, fine material. He pulled them back and what he saw made him gasp with delight. Outside were a million miniature dunes of pearly white sand, unscathed and clean. After that was an ocean, gleaming and sparkling in the day's last remaining light. A gigantic, half set sun peeked over the horizon and the sky was painted vibrant shades of deep blue, purple, yellow, red and at the top was a royal purple, decorated with the night's first stars. He took in a breath of the sea's refreshing air. He had to get out there! Something good was waiting for him there! He turned excitedly back to the white room and raced toward to door, grasping to brass, round handle, and flung it open. Outside it was a white hall, which he could see brightly. He was facing one wall of the hall and it stretched only a little way to his left and right. A little ways down to his right was a room with an open door. It was bright inside, but not to bright. Deep blue curtains decorated with fish and shiny objects made of glass beckoned to him. In front of him and a bit of center was another room, it was dark and very small and he could not see inside. Finally to his left was a large room with a very high roof. It had the same type of squishy carpet as the first room and had odd assortment of furniture around it. He turned to the left. He somehow knew this was the way to get out. Once he ran out of the hall, Sima Yi was running right beside. He was smiling and looked happier than Zhang He had ever seen. He sort of told him with his mind that 'It's right out here! We're almost there!' Sima Yi smiled even broader and nodded, gesturing for him to keep going. The turned a sharp left and saw a wall with four windows, each covered with numerous white shutters. He saw the hazy light of the beach sunset poking through them and his spirits rose higher. To the left of the windows was a door. It was white and the middle section was made of paned glass and a transparent linen curtain covered it, although he could not see what was o0n the other side. Right below the windows was a sort of white, fluffy elongated chair with splatters of turquoise, salmon pink and black paint all over it. On the arm of it were to brown boxes on it. As Zhang He stared at these, he suddenly realized he was very hungry and inside these boxes were delicious food, made especially for him and Sima Yi. He went over to them and lifted one's lid, only to find shreds of lettuce at the bottom. With some disappointment he let the lid fall back, then grasped the gracefully curved golden handle of the paned door and burst outside. It was a totally different scene. They were outside in a rectangular garden at night. A creamy colored brick wall rose about seven feet in the air barred them from going any further and it was covered with ivy. Several fruit trees decorated the place and the grass below them was lush and forest green. The sky was purplish and stars blinked out from everywhere. In the center of the garden were three or four poles of leaves going along the middle vertically. Each of these pole- like bushes were adorned with tiny sparkling lights, that two men were rings of glasses around their eyes and wearing long white coats were examining. Zhang He stepped out slowly to this scene, the noticed a man with a long orangish beard and wearing clothes made out of leaves and other items from the jungle. He stepped up to Zhang He and Sima Yi and held out his hands.
"Do you want to fly?" He said, pointing to the right side of the wall. Zhang He considered for a moment, and then nodded. The man bent down and put a hand underneath Zhang He and Sima Yi's feet. He stood up quite suddenly and they were both launched into the air. Zhang He was afraid at first, but when he opened his eyes he was gracefully gliding through the air. He could still see the luminous garden below and what was on the right side of the all made him gasp. A forest stretched on for miles and miles in all directions. In the distance he could see a great city. It was a glow with fluorescent colors of yellow pink, purple and blue. A great curved arch rose from the city and went back down. He could feel the cool evening wind on his face and in his hair. He was actually flying! And even better he was going to the wonderful city! Just as soon as he advanced, he was back in his bed staring up at the ceiling. He immediately decided in his head he wanted to die right now so he could go back to dreaming that wonderful, but then his heart leapt at this thought. He sat up and looked around. Zhou Yu was sitting awake in his bed, the mark that marred his face now turning a sickly purple. His eyes were expressionless and his hands were folded on his lap.
"Hey." Zhang He greeted him timidly. He answered with a noise somewhere between a whimper and moan. "You alright?" Zhang He asked, sliding out of bed. Zhou Yu remained silent for a moment, then closed his eyes and sighed audibly. He suddenly smiled, but looked quite tired.
"I'm great! Let's wake Sima Yi and we'll go visit the girls." He said cheerfully. Zhang He smiled back a nodded, but he could tell Zhou Yu was faking. It must've been horrible to be hurt by the person you thought was your best friend. But still, Zhang He very much wanted to know what they had meant, but he didn't have the heart to ask.
It was not only raining, but also hailing outside. They could all clearly see their breath and immediately started shiver violently. Sima Yi looked reproachful. They all hurried into the girl's build, hands over their heads and hunched over. When they burst inside, dripping wet and shaking uncontrollably, Sun Shang Xiang laughed.
"You guys look like a bunch of wet dogs!" She giggled, but then got up and handed them all blankets to dry off in.
"We haven't seen you in days!" Diao Chan said, pulling Zhang He onto the bench beside her and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"It's been so cold, we didn't want to go out in the weather, but we became fed up with staying by ourselves for that long!" He smiled, holding Diao Chan close and being thankful for her body heat.
"Zhou Yu's here!" Cheered Xiao Qiao, exploding from out of her bed and leaping onto Zhou Yu. He laughed and helped her back onto the ground. She looked up at him and gasped. "Zhou Yu! What happened to your face?" Reaching up and touching is cheek softly. Everyone was silent again and they looked at Zhou Yu.
"Sun Ce did that . . ." He said finally.
"Uch, my stupid clumsy brother. What was he doing this time, did he think he could fly or something? Where is that moron, anyway?" Sun Shang Xiang asked.
"He did it on purpose, Shang Xiang." Sima Yi said quietly to her.
"What?" She asked, sounding horrified.
"Did he hurt you, Zhou Yu?" Xiao Qiao said her arms fixed around his waist.
"Why would Sun Ce do something like that?" Da Qiao asked from behind them all.
"He and Sima Yi got into an argument, and it elevated from there." Zhang He explained, purposely leaving out the subject of the argument for Sima Yi. "Well, Sun Ce got very angry and grabbed Sima Yi and was just about to hit him, but Zhou Yu stopped him. Then they started fighting and yelling about stuff I'm not sure Zhou Yu would like me to repeat, then Sun Ce snapped and struck him." Zhang He finished. Sun Shang Xiang looked wide-eyed and she took a breath.
"Zhou Yu, was it . . .?" She asked timorously. He nodded and looked away.
"It really wasn't his fault . . ." She said soothingly, placing a hand on his arm. Her expression changed suddenly. "But he has no right to be taking it lightly! I'm sure whatever he said deserves a good beating! I'll take care of it for you if you want!" Regaining her old spunk and displaying her knuckles.
"He ran off after he realized he'd done something wrong." Sima Yi explained.
"Well, serves him right! I hope he's freezing to death out there!" She said, turning her nose up at an invisible Sun Ce.
"I don't believe Sun Ce would do something like that!" Da Qiao objected abruptly.
"Well, you obviously don't know him very well." Sun Shang Xiang said under her breath.
"I'm . . ." Da Qiao started. "I'm going out to look for him!" She announced bravely. She picked up a cloak that was lying on the floor and raced outside.
"Sis!" Xiao Qiao cried, running to door, but not stepping out it.
"Come back! You'll die out there!" Yelled Diao Chan.
"She'll come back once she realizes there's no chance of finding him out there." Sun Shang Xiang reassured them. They waited for a few moments, but Da Qiao didn't return. At that moment, Xiao Qiao sped outside.
"SIS!! COME BACK!!" She yelled.
"Stop, Xiao Qiao!" Zhou Yu commanded, stamping his foot. She halted and looked sadly back.
"She's in trouble, Zhou Yu!" She whined. "You've got to help me" Zhou Yu nodded and ran to her side. Zhang He followed, and then the rest went by instinct.
They trudged through the mud, all shivering and slipping every once in a while. They peered in all the windows, looking for somewhere Sun Ce could've hid out, but he, nor Da Qiao, was anywhere to be found.
"There's only one place left!" Yelled Diao Chan over the roar of the hail. "The forest!" She said with fear. Xiao Qiao nodded, then started running in the direction of the trees.
"You can't go in there!" Sima Yi yelled "It's suicide!"
"My sister is in trouble!' Xiao Qiao repeated, her face and hair, dripping wet. They all followed her, ignore that fact Sima Yi's statement was true. They burst into the trees, scattering the birds roosting in the nearby bush. Diao Chan slipped and fell as the launched off a steep hill. Everyone kept running and didn't notice she'd fallen.
"Zhang He!" She cried. He stopped, hearing her plead, and picked her out of the mud. "I think I twisted my ankle." She said, shivering violently. Zhang He looked back at the path. The rest of them were long gone, and there was no way that he'd catch up with them when Diao Chan was hurt.
"I'm taking you back." He said, hoisting her up and holding her against his chest as he went backwards. The raindrops kept obscuring his vision and it took him longer than usual to get back. Once he was back, he came to an enraging surprise. As he stepped inside his building to get Diao Chan some new clothes and fix her ankle, he found that Sun Ce was sitting on his bed, looking very sad, but very dry. He looked up at Zhang He with a unforced melancholy, then dropped to his knees before him.
"Zhang He! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean any of it! I just got all crazy there for a moment! I'll understand if you don't want to be my sworn brother anymore! You can hit me as many times as you want, you can pull out all my hair, or make me cut of all my toes or something, just please accept my apology. I've been a real idiot, I didn't mean none of it!" He said, clasping his hands together and holding them above his head while he kneeled.
"Don't apologize to me! You should say your sorry to Zhou Yu, Sima Yi and Da Qiao, they're the ones looking for you outside right now!" Zhang He said, Putting Diao Chan down on the ground and digging out some of his dry clothes.
"They're what!?" He said standing up. "Oh no, they thought I was gone! I've got to find them, he said going for the door.
"No, stay here with Diao Chan. I'll go find them and tell them you're here, but they may not want to come back until they've found Da Qiao." Zhang He said, going back outside.
"She's lost?" Sun Ce asked, his voice tightening. "She went to look for me, didn't she? Oh, I'm a horrible person, I'm really awful. I should . . . I should commit suicide."
"Oh, shut up." Zhang He said snappishly. "We'll deal with this later, right now you take care of Diao Chan, and I'll go help them." Zhang He said, slamming the door and racing at top speed back to the trees. He leapt off the low ridge Diao Chan had slipped on, and blasted into the cold darkness. "SIMA YI!!" Zhang He yelled, trying to get their attention. "ZHOU YU!!" He continued on running until he heard Sima Yi's voice faintly.
"Zhang He! Over here!" He heard distantly. As he turned another few corners he saw the entire group standing in a clearing, panting and shaking.
"Sun Ce . . ." Zhang He gasped, his head pounding. "He's back at the camp."
"What?" Sima Yi asked disbelievingly.
"He was there the entire time. I had to go back, Diao Chan hurt herself." Zhang he finished.
"We can't go back, my sister isn't safe yet!" Xiao Qiao objected.
"Listen, she'll come back soon. We've all got to get back now or else we'll all die." Zhang He said, bringing up a very good point.
"Zhang He's right, let's go back Xiao Qiao. I'm sure your sister has decided to come back already." He said, holding Xiao Qiao by the arm. She looked crestfallen, but nodded all the same. They all walked back, feeling exhausted and very upset.
When they all entered the building, Sun Ce gave a little cry, then threw himself before their feet again.
"Forgive me, please! I didn't mean it Zhou Yu! I'm so sorry, brother! I'll never do anything as horrible as that again! You can hit me if you want, as many times as you like!" Sun Ce groveled. When he looked up, Zhang He noticed there were definitely tears running down his face and into his stubby little beard. Zhou Yu looked at him with an open mouth for a while then smiled. He pulled back his fist and nailed Sun Ce squarely in the jaw. Sun Ce stumbled back and put a hand up to his face.
"I've just had the strangest dream." Zhou Yu said calmly, offering a hand to Sun Ce. Sun Ce smiled and took it. "I dreamed we'd gotten into a horrible disagreement."
Sun Ce smiled even more broadly, tears still leaking from his eyes. "You're the best, brother!" He said, pulling Zhou Yu into a one armed hug.
"I am pretty good, aren't I?" Zhou Yu joked. Everyone laughed for a second. Sun Ce turned to Sima Yi.
"I should apologize to you too." He said seriously. "It really isn't my business who you lov-. um . . . you know." He said, noticing Sun Shang Xiang standing beside Sima Yi. He smiled and bowed.
"Apology accepted." He smiled.
"And Da Qiao, I-" He stopped. "Where is she?"
"We couldn't find her." Xiao Qiao said sadly. "But Zhou Yu promised me she'd come back, and he's the smartest person ever, so it'll happen for sure!" She continued optimistically, but Zhou Yu looked uneasy.
"She's out there because she thought I was in trouble! Now I've got to save her! Sun Ce walked deliberately towards the door, but just as he was about to push it open, a soldier came bursting in.
"REPOOOORT!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "I have an emergency to report!"