Author's Note: Sigh, tis almost done.
Enjoy!
Part Four
Fall of the Flaming God
Chapter 52
Slipping into the Night
Zhang He was speechless. He had come out of the trance and he was staring forward blankly. He guessed Sima Yi, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce had seen it too because they were all looking shocked and lost.
"Now do you see?" Rasped the spooky elder. "Your only purpose in life is to rid this world of the Lady in Black." Zhang He crawled two steps backward. He suddenly leapt to his feet and fled the building. He ran past the staring villagers and into the tall grass. He didn't stop until he'd burst the dark plants and was fifty feet from it. There was a raven flying above him. The other three caught up to him moments later.
"Zhang He!" Sima Yi cried, out of breath. "Are you all right?"
"Zhang He, that man wasn't done telling you his story. He kept calling for you to come back."
"I don't care." Zhang He lied. "Hurry, let's get home. I want to speak with Diao Chan." They trudged home in the dark, arriving at dawn. Zhang He burst through the doors and went straight up to his room. Diao Chan was sleeping in their bed, looking peaceful and happy. He looked at her beautiful face and decided against waking her up. She never usually had such a silent sleep; Zhang He thought it would be cruel to disturb it. Zhang He slipped under the cover beside her and closed his eyes. He didn't want to think anymore, he just wanted to sleep. But he would get no such peaceful sleep. Obviously the high priest wanted him to know more because he dreamt once again in the strange clarity he grew to hate.
He dreamt of the temple in the village and of none other than Guo Tu. He dreamt Guo Tu was walking through the tall grass with another boy who was short, pal, and wore a tall hat. He looked very nervous. Zhang He noticed Guo Tu wasn't missing his hand.
"Tu . . . I don't think we should do this . . ." He said as they weaved through the grass.
"Quiet, Guo Jia. She is the key to everything. If we don't get Her, than we'll never get out of that pit of Yuan Shao's." Guo Tu snapped, fighting with the grass. When they got into the village they didn't bother to ask the villagers anything. They both trudged past, Guo Jia nearly clinging to Guo Tu's back. Guo Tu stepped up to the temple, opened the door like a whirlwind and charged inside. A priest barred his way.
"What do you think your doing?" He said angrily.
"Step aside." Guo Tu said with a pleasant smile.
"Listen, you can't just-" The priest began, but it was too late. Guo Tu whipped out a dagger and stabbed the man in the heart. Guo Jia cringed and whimpered. Guo Tu stepped over the twitching body, his brother scurrying behind.
"Y-you killed him . . ." Guo Jia whispered.
"Shut up." Guo Tu said bitterly. He found his way, surely, to the grave. He swung the door open hastily and peered inside. "This is the grave. Do your magic." Guo Jia stepped forward. He was shaking from head to toe, his long robes swaying at his feet. Guo Jia took a metal card from his pocket and breathed on it. He drew and symbol in the air and it showed itself, glowing with golden light.
"Sen Ton Fui Go, Yun Don Ken. . ." Guo Jia went on, muttering words in this strange dialect. Then he bit his lip. He took a knife from his pocket and stared at it. He couldn't move for about thirty seconds.
"Get on with it, Guo Jia . . ." Guo Tu said impatiently. Guo Jia nodded. He opened his shirt up, showing his bony, pale chest. With a shaking hand he made a vertical cut on his skin, whining in pain. He stepped through the glowing symbol and let himself bleed onto the grave.
"Hurry, Tu, it hurts . . ." He breathed while wincing. Guo Tu stepped over Guo Jia and took a vile for him pocket. A clear liquid was inside. He poured the contents onto the earth and they hissed and bubble, creating a white mist. He got to his knees and began to spread the Earth away. Guo Jia rose, waved his hand over his wound and it immediately closed up.
"Help me dig, Jia." Guo Tu said, finally sounding like a brother speaking to a brother. Guo Jia got down beside him and they began to dig. They spread apart a fair amount of dirt when the priest began to gather again. "Will you take care of them, please?" Guo Tu asked. Guo Jia nodded and rose, bringing out his metal card again. One priest ran up and Guo Jia drew a golden 'X'.
"Tu Cho Sun." He said sorrowfully and the priest turned into stone. "Sorry. . ." He said to the statue. With another spell he sent on priest to sleep (Guo Tu wasn't looking) and another he put up and invisible barrier around. Guo Tu was digging faster and faster now. Suddenly, he hit something. He cleared away the last dust of the grave and reveal stark white bones and a glaring skull.
"Here she is . . ." Guo Tu whispered, sounding a bit afraid. He then pulled out a dagger of his own. "This is the second time I loose this hand. . ." He chopped off his hand with a swift motion, tears coming from his eyes. He made no noise even when blood rushed from his wrist. The flesh of his pruned body part melted into a strange liquid where it joined with the bones. Suddenly, the flesh of the bone began re-growing. First came muscles on the back, then the organs and blood, muscles on the top, skin, hair. . .
Guo Jia whined and squirmed.
"This is strange, brother . . .," He whispered. "We shouldn't be doing this . . ."
"She's . . . perfect. Look at her, Guo Jia." Guo Tu said, breathless. Ki was sitting, half buried in the grave, only her chest and head showing. She was still dressed in the deteriorating black-gray robes. She looked alive. "Hurry, heal me. I'm starting to feel dizzy." Guo Jia scurried over and muttered some more words in a strange dialect and Guo Tu's hand re-grew itself, just as Ki's flesh had done. Guo Tu flexed his fingers a couple of times. They both stared at Ki, sitting in her grave, looking like she was asleep. Guo Tu went down into the shallow pit and picked up Ki, extracting her carefully from the ground. He cradled her, brushing the dirt off her ruined clothes and looking kinder than Zhang he had ever seen him. He almost looked human. Then, Ki's eyelids twitched and slowly opened, revealing her freshly renewed eyes. They still looked glassy and dead. She stared at Guo Tu for a moment, and then took her first breath of life. It took her a while to get used to being alive again, but she eventually got it. Guo Tu stood her up and let her on he own feet. She had it for a moment, and then fell over.
"What the hell's wrong with her?" Guo Tu asked, sounding confused.
"She's forgotten what it's like. She can speak or walk or anything. She's just like a baby . . . except that she'll learn much faster . . . You know, like when you forget a song, but when you hear it again, you remember the words?" Guo Jia offered.
"Fine . . ." Guo Tu said, exasperated. He went back and picked up Ki, who's head rolled back and forth. He carried her back out into the daylight where the villagers saw her. Some scream, some gasped. A few tried to take their Goddess away from Guo Tu, but he kicked them away. Guo Tu went back into the tall grass, still holding Ki.
Zhang He woke up. He sighed, exasperatedly. He did not want to be involved with any of this. Then, he thought, perhaps it's possible . . . All I have to do is pretend it never happened. I'll even engage Wei in a battle to ignore it all. Zhang He sat in bed a while, listening to Diao Chan's soft breathing. He almost drifted off again, but this time she woke him up.
"Oh! You got back in the night." She said drowsily. She put her head down on his chest and gave him and playful look. "Did you find out anything?"
"No." Zhang He said at once. "You'd better get ready . . . I'm giving the order to attack Wei as soon as I can."
"Wei? I thought we were letting them bide their time so we could get them when they move out to get us. The lower generals are too busy claiming territories, anyway."
"I don't care. I feel like we should do this." He said shortly. Diao Chan shook her head a bit.
"You're the leader . . ."
About five days and a messenger later, they entire Shi force was ready to move. Zhang He nearly gasped at its enormity. He knew they'd been claiming smaller territories and such, but he saw what was probably a million and a half men.
They made their move to an area about twenty miles to the south of the Wei camp. Some stray soldiers were out but they were quickly taken care of. Zhang He knew this area. He had, after all, been part of Wei for a fair amount of time. He felt upset about betraying Xiahou Dun, who he truly liked, but this was war. Every now and then the thought that Guo Tu had the reincarnated Lady in black crossed his mind and made his stomach twinge. He knew now what had leveled Yuan Shao's palace and killed everyone in it. He knew, yes, but he was choosing to ignore it. It would just go away and leave him alone, right?
"Men, if you find Xiahou Dun please capture him. He was my friend once, and I don't want him dead. Hear that?" Zhang He called back to the officers. The made a noise in agreement and Zhang He felt a little better. He tried to shake it off but he had this horrible empty feeling in his chest that kept undulating, growing and ebbing.
"Alright Sima Yi, it's an ambush, right?" Zhang He asked once again.
"Yes . . ." Sima Yi said for the hundredth time. Sima Yi had asked him why he hadn't done anything and Zhang He told him he didn't know what he was talking about. "But we're sure to win. This battle needs no strategy; it's just brute force against a weaker opponent. Sun Ce probably could've put this strategy together." Sun Ce scowled. Sima Yi looked a bit perturbed. He loved his fancy strategies with complex working plans and traps.
"Okay, everyone. Let's go!" Zhang He commanded, waving his Talon forward with swishing motion and pushed his horse down the path. Wei turned out to be holding a surprise of it's own. They somehow knew Shi was coming to attack them and planned a surprise attack once the force of Shi had gone behind it. Wei had, also, gained some soldiers. Like, say, seven-hundred thousand of them. Zhang He couldn't find Cao Cao for the life of him so he ended up just fighting the grunts. At sunset he gave the order to retreat and Shi ran. This was not going to end in a few days. This was probably going to end in a year.
Actually, it was about two years before anything started to happen. Shi's great strategic background pulled off a few wonderful fire attacks and ambushes. Once, Zhang He had a run in with Cao Cao, but it ended up a draw. But it turned out Cao Cao was a mighty strategist himself; Shi had walked right into a few of his traps. A few Shi generals had been captured and killed. Old Huang Zhong, Lu Meng and Xu Huang were among them. But Wei had not been without its losses. Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren were long gone after Shi was done with them. It was a day after Zhang He's nineteenth birthday when it finally happened. Both forces were getting weaker, but it was evidently Wei was losing its touch. Zhang He charged into battle that, feeling energized and ready to go. Diao Chan no longer fought with him. She was complaining of nausea, pains in her abdomen and she vomited frequently in the mornings. Zhang He, feeling it would be best to keep her alive then have her beside him on the battlefield, decided to keep her in the camps.
Zhuge Liang had done some special strategy on this battle and it was Zhang He's job to lead the first group of men into the battle. The first general he met was some nobody who had just joined in with Wei from some pathetic rebel force, Zhang He, now a master of battle, easily wrenched him off of his saddle and Zhang He's horse did the rest by trampling the general. The next general was a little unexpected. After two years of battle, Zhang He finally saw Xiahou Dun. He looked a bit older and few more gray hairs had found their way into his long mane and beard, but he still looked as grand and fierce as ever.
"Xiahou Dun." Zhang He said with nostalgia.
"Zhang He." Xiahou Dun said right back with a smile, the black patch over his eye still present.
"I don't want to fight you . . ." Zhang He admitted calmly. "You helped me out a lot back then . . ."
"I feel the same way, old friend. I won't fight you, but the other men belong to my blade." Zhang He nodded. They both rode past each other swiftly, neither one looking back. Zhang He fought well that day; he probably killed near to fifty men. When he rode up onto a hilltop at sunset he saw below him Cao Cao. He was doing battle with Sun Ce. Zhang He was not one steal the glory of one of his brothers, so he decided to stay back and watch until it looked as if Sun Ce needed help. Sun Ce looked as though he was doing just fine. Sun Ce swerved in and knocked Cao Cao off his horse. Sun Ce, being the born fighter he was, jumped off his own horse and did battle on the ground. He blocked all of Cao Cao's moves with a smile on his face. Whenever Cao Cao came close Sun Ce laughed and danced around.
"C'mon! You can do better than that!" Sun Ce taunted. Sun Ce as a whole seemed to be aggravating Cao Cao to the extreme. From all the way on the hilltop Zhang He could see a vein throbbing in his forehead. Suddenly Cao Cao lashed out with fierceness and knocked Sun Ce to the ground. Sun Ce dropped his Tonfas out of shock. Cao Cao swung his sword so fast it made a swishing noise against the air. He stopped it just so it made a bit of Contact with the side of Sun Ce's face. Sun Ce looked terrified and stunned.
"Well, Little Conqueror. It seems I have you at a very tight spot." Cao said snappishly. Sun Ce just breathed heavily. "You shouldn't have been so cocky, eh?" Sun Ce shook his head. "I hope you learned a valuable lesson. I shall let you go this once, but remember; you should respect your elders. Cao Cao turned, his strong silhouette against the red of the sky. He strutted off into the horizon, but then he stopped. Suddenly, without warning, he yelled in anguish. It could've been a trick of the light but Zhang He thought that Cao Cao was sort of shriveling up. The next moment he fell down, presumably dead. Sun Ce scrambled to his feet and ran up the hill.
"Sun Ce!" Zhang He called. Sun Ce saw him and hopped nimbly onto the back of his horse. Zhang He kicked it and it galloped away.
"Hurry Zhang He, something bad's coming. Everyone started falling down dead like that on the other side of the canyon." Sun Ce informed grimly.
"What the Hell?" Zhang He said. He stole a glance backward. Sun Ce hadn't lied. A valley full of fallen bodies was below them. Zhang He urged his horse to go faster. "Retreat!" He yelled. "RETREAT, SHI!" All the Shi officers and men turned tail and began to flee. Zhang He spied Zhuge Liang.
"What's going on?" he asked. "What kind of magic is that?" He pointed towards the wave of death. Zhuge Liang, looking shocked, shook his head.
"Let's go!" Sun Ce yelled.
"You're not going anywhere." Said an icy voice from behind them. Zhang He About faced his horse and what he saw made the bottom fall out of his stomach.
Guo Tu, Guo Jia, Ki, and his father of all people stood before him.
"F-father?" Zhang He asked in disbelief. Zhang Fei laughed. "What the Hell's going on here?"
"He's on our side, you twit." Guo Tu snapped. Guo Jia looked uncomfortable. "And we're taking over is what's going on. I've got the most powerful weapon in the world." He looked over at Ki. Zhang He looked back swiftly. His forces were almost gone.
"Don't even think about running." Zhang Fei growled.
"Get them, Guo Jia." Guo Tu commanded coldly. Guo Jia stepped forward with his magic card.
"I'm really sorry about this. Don't hold it against me. . ." He said to them. He spoke some magic words and ropes appeared around Zhang He, Sun Ce and Zhuge Liang.
"How does it feel, Zhang He, knowing you're about to die?" Guo Tu said maliciously. "Relish it. Your little wife isn't around to save you this time." Guo Tu paused and put a finger to his lips. "I wonder how she'll look when she finds out you're dead. Oh, won't that be precious!" Guo Tu put his hands on either side of his face and made an expression of sorrow and put on a high voice. "Oh, my poor, useless husband is dead. Boohoo." Zhang Fei gave a great booming laugh while Guo Jia frowned and furrowed his brow. Ki stood motionless, not saying a thing. Zhang He clenched his fist and bared his teeth. "Oh, he's so angry! Isn't that priceless?" Guo Tu sauntered over in his pretentious black robes and patted Zhang He on his head. "Poor baby . . ." He kneeled down near Zhang He and stroked his head as a loving father would do to his son. Then suddenly he smiled and tugged Zhang He's hair so hard he was surprised it didn't come out. His cold laugh echoed in his ears.
"Guo Tu." Guo Jia spoke up. Guo Tu threw Zhang He to the ground, his scalp still stinging.
"What?" He asked venomously, eyeing Guo Jia with anger.
"Th-that's enough . . . Just kill him, don't do this . . ." He said softly, with no courage. Guo Tu went over in a flurry and slapped his brother across the face, the force making a cracking sound. Guo Jia fell over and whimpered, nursing his cheek.
"Don't you tell me what to do." He hissed. Guo Tu went back over to Zhang He and kicked him once. "I don't know why . . ." He began, giving him another sharp kick in the ribs. "But I simply love hurting you." Guo Tu knelt down near him. Zhang He breathed heavily and squinted up at Guo Tu with disgust and hatred. Guo Tu seized his head by the chin and looked at the scar on Zhang He's face. "This is a lovely addition . . ." Guo Tu went back to his little group. "I've had my fun. Kill him, Ki." He commanded. Nothing happened. "Ki?" He looked back. She was standing with a worried expression on her face. She suddenly turned around and started to run. Guo Tu's cold gray eyes glinted. Guo Jia smiled.
"Get her! Where the hell is she going?" Zhang Fei thundered. Guo Tu and him took off running after her. Guo Jia hurried up to Zhang He. He quickly removed his and the other two's bond.
"Sorry about that." He said bowing his head and with that he went off after Guo Tu and Zhang Fei.
Guo Tu blustered off after Ki, feeling the anger well up inside him. She would be punished for this . . . he finally caught up with her and caught her by the arm.
"Ki!" He yelled. All of a sudden a shock shot up his arm. His heart stopped beating momentarily and he was nearly killed. He fell over, grasping his chest. Ki turned around. She was crying her blood tears again.
"I don't want to kill anymore . . ." She whined. Guo Tu rose shakily to his feet, still trying to look dominant.
"But Zhang He is the one that needs to die!" He stressed.
"I don't want to . . ." She moaned. Guo Tu sighed.
"Fine. Let's go home . . ." He said bitterly. I should have been harder on her . . . He thought as the four of them marched back to their hideout. By the time they were there the sun had already gone down and it was dark. Guo Tu went in and grabbed some bread off the table. He chewed it viciously, the thought that Zhang he had once again escaped angering him even more. Guo Jia and Zhang Fei took some food as well. Zhang Fei soon retreated to his room and Ki went out. Guo Jia had been willing himself to talk to Guo Tu all night but his courage would always wane.
"You've changed, Tu . . ." He said suddenly, wishing he hadn't the moment he opened his mouth.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Guo Tu asked monotonously, leaning on his elbow.
"You're different from when we first met. You used to be friendly and normal, but now it's like . . . You're evil . . ." Guo Jia put carefully. Guo Tu didn't look over.
"Evil?" He repeated, sounding mildly interested. "Maybe so . . ." He got up slowly and went into his room, shutting the door quietly behind him. He lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He soon drifted into a light sleep. He didn't notice when Ki came in and stared at him. He didn't notice when she climbed onto the bed and stared into his face. He opened his eyes about ten minutes later to see Ki's dead eyes floating right above his face. He gasped and drew back, hitting his head on the wall.
"K-ki . . ." He breathed. "Don't do that!" He yelled, fearing she might attack him. She lay down beside him and he sat up, backing away a bit.
"I keep seeing things when I close my eyes . . ." She expressed. "I see those black birds sometimes . . ." Guo Tu looked at her strangely.
"Are you . . . dreaming those things?" He asked, sounding oddly gentle.
"I don't know." She whispered, her eyes not seeing anything. "Tell me . . . what's the difference between dying and being born?" She asked softly. Guo Tu furrowed his brow.
"That's a strange question . . .," He said.
"Are people afraid at both times? I was afraid, I think . . ." Guo Tu looked at her, not understanding much of what she said.
"What do you want me to do?" He asked, wishing she would be clear. She suddenly reached up and hooked her arms around Guo T8u's neck, pulling him down beside her. He made a noise like a wounded animal, thinking she was going to kill him.
"Can you make it go away?" She said to him. He was breathing heavily, knowing any moment he could be killed. But Ki seemed so sad and helpless . . .
"N-no. . . Sorry." He said slowly. "Yu can't do anything about that. It's your mind that shows you it . . ." He said. Maybe Guo Jia had not told her much about dreams yet.
"That scares me . . . What scares you?" She asked. You, he thought immediately.
"Nothing . . ." He said shortly.
"There used to be a person like you . . . I think so . . . Maybe it was just a dream. I remember something like that. He used to be right here when I woke up. And sometimes he'd pet my head like this . . ." She lifted her hand up and stroked Guo Tu's ebony hair. He felt awfully strange. "But I don't think that ever happened . . . I think my mind made it up."
Must be Zhang Ren, Guo Tu thought. He knew what she was talking about. He had those dreams sometimes as well. Broken memories. He couldn't tell her though, that would lead to certain peril. If she remembered, if she found out . . .
"It might be real . . ." He said, feeling slightly bad about giving her false hope.
"I like that. I like it better than the other dreams. Sometimes I wish that would stay like that . . .," She continued, sounding sleepy. A strange emotion bloomed in Guo Tu's chest and his head felt a bit light. He suddenly wanted to reach out and touch her head. Ignoring his brain, which was warning him against it, he stretched his hand out and placed it lightly on her hair and feeling quite jittery, caressed it slowly. She closed her eyes and fell asleep in a flash. Guo Tu feeling a bit shocked and nervous, but he was weary. So with his common sense screaming at him for letting his guard down to such a dangerous thing, he fell asleep beside her.
"Zhang He! Are you hurt?" Diao Chan said as the three men stumbled into the camp, looking worn and fatigued.
"I saw Guo Tu again . . ." Zhang He said, skipping the greetings. Diao Chan looked worried.
"Did he do all that?" She asked, looking down upon the tiny dots that were bodies in the valley below. Zhang He nodded. "How?" She asked, bewildered.
"I don't know." Zhang He said, trying to sound like he was telling the truth.
"This is getting quite strange. Don't you feel like something's about to happen?" She asked while squinting her eyes.
"A little. . . well, not really . . ." Zhang He said convincingly.
"Hmmm." Diao Chan hummed, sounding a bit put out. "I must be stressed from being sick."
"How are you feeling, by the way?" Zhang He asked.
"You know, I feel better but this morning I felt as if I'd lie in the bed all day. Funny, isn't it?" Diao Chan said cheerily.
"Yeah, funny . . ."
It had been a month since Guo Tu had the little chat with Ki in his bed and he was plotting for a chance to get Zhang He. He went out to the low pond outside the hideout and gazed at the water, trying to concoct a plan to destroy him once and for all. He knew it had to be done, otherwise it wouldn't work out . . . He stared at the nearly invisible fish darting around in the shallows. Suddenly another face appeared in the silvery reflection. It was Ki again. She had been mostly silent since that time, not doing much but staying locked up in her room and Guo Tu had no idea what she was doing. She drifted past him and put her hand in the water, the tiny fish scattering. Guo Tu grinned a bit.
"These are strange animals." Ki said, pulling a fish out and pinching it's tail so it could not escape. Guo Tu had no clue how she managed to do it. She dropped it back into the pool where it flailed about in a stunned way for a moment, then darted frantically to the bottom. Guo Tu went and stood besides her, looking into the murky water. Ki gazed down into the fields beyond where some village people were working. "Do you want them to die, as well?" She asked. Guo Tu stared at them.
"Not particularly, I have nothing against them." He said nonchalantly.
"What about those other people from before? The war ones?" She asked. "Did you have . . . something against them?" Guo Tu thought for a moment.
"No, they were just in the way." He said. "And if we are to kill Zhang He then they must die."
"Why do you hate them all?" She asked in her flat voice.
"Because . . . I just do. People are always out to destroy you. It's kill or be killed. Do you understand?" He said. She lowered her gaze.
"It's not fair." She said softly. "Why can't . . ." She stopped.
"Why don't you want to kill them? They're useless. They'll just walk all over you if they had a chance. They're like rats or some other nuisance pest." Guo Tu said distastefully.
"Because. I can feel when people are afraid. It makes me think about my dreams, when I'm afraid. It's not very nice. Nobody's ever hurt me before, why should I hurt them?" Guo Tu thought about this for a while. "May I ask something?" She said. Guo Tu made a reassuring noise.
"Do I have to kill anymore?" She said suddenly. Guo Tu was about to snap 'Of course you have to!' but he saw such a pained look on her face it made his heart sink.
"Well . . . That . . ." He tried to think of a way out. He couldn't just give up like that. But Ki looked so sad. "N-no . . ." He forced out begrudgingly. Ki gave him a half smile, the best she could manage.
"I like it here. I feel like I'm getting better, especially when I'm with you . . .' She said. Guo Tu blushed a bit a furrowed his brow.
"Oh . . ." He put shortly, his chest feeling hollow at the thought Zhang He would never be destroyed. Why was he making such stupid decisions? All because Ki looked sad? What was wrong with him? Is he going soft? Then all of a sudden something snapped into his mind. He remembered reading it somewhere before he'd reincarnated Ki. If the other half was destroyed Ki could become whole. She would be just like a normal person. This could be managed if Zhang He and his nasty little wife were killed.
"Ki . . ." He said softly. "Wouldn't you like to be all better? You know, be like Guo Jia and I?" She looked up hopefully at him.
"How?" She asked.
"You just have to kill two more people. Only two and you'll be free of being sad all the time. You can be happy. We can go back to my home and live there if you like, as well." Her eyes widened.
"Would that make it so I lose my power?" She asked.
"Probably." He said a bit unsurely. She nodded.
"If it's only two more people, then I will." She agreed nodding. "Which two?"
"Remember that man I asked you to kill before?" He asked, feeling energized again, thinking Zhang He's demise was so near. She nodded.
"It's him and his wife." He said, looking at her intently. She nodded again. Guo Tu smiled. For some reason he felt that this was a better way. He wanted Ki to be happy. He shrugged this feeling off before he got thinking to much.
"Let's go tell Guo Jia the battle plan."
Enjoy!
Part Four
Fall of the Flaming God
Chapter 52
Slipping into the Night
Zhang He was speechless. He had come out of the trance and he was staring forward blankly. He guessed Sima Yi, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce had seen it too because they were all looking shocked and lost.
"Now do you see?" Rasped the spooky elder. "Your only purpose in life is to rid this world of the Lady in Black." Zhang He crawled two steps backward. He suddenly leapt to his feet and fled the building. He ran past the staring villagers and into the tall grass. He didn't stop until he'd burst the dark plants and was fifty feet from it. There was a raven flying above him. The other three caught up to him moments later.
"Zhang He!" Sima Yi cried, out of breath. "Are you all right?"
"Zhang He, that man wasn't done telling you his story. He kept calling for you to come back."
"I don't care." Zhang He lied. "Hurry, let's get home. I want to speak with Diao Chan." They trudged home in the dark, arriving at dawn. Zhang He burst through the doors and went straight up to his room. Diao Chan was sleeping in their bed, looking peaceful and happy. He looked at her beautiful face and decided against waking her up. She never usually had such a silent sleep; Zhang He thought it would be cruel to disturb it. Zhang He slipped under the cover beside her and closed his eyes. He didn't want to think anymore, he just wanted to sleep. But he would get no such peaceful sleep. Obviously the high priest wanted him to know more because he dreamt once again in the strange clarity he grew to hate.
He dreamt of the temple in the village and of none other than Guo Tu. He dreamt Guo Tu was walking through the tall grass with another boy who was short, pal, and wore a tall hat. He looked very nervous. Zhang He noticed Guo Tu wasn't missing his hand.
"Tu . . . I don't think we should do this . . ." He said as they weaved through the grass.
"Quiet, Guo Jia. She is the key to everything. If we don't get Her, than we'll never get out of that pit of Yuan Shao's." Guo Tu snapped, fighting with the grass. When they got into the village they didn't bother to ask the villagers anything. They both trudged past, Guo Jia nearly clinging to Guo Tu's back. Guo Tu stepped up to the temple, opened the door like a whirlwind and charged inside. A priest barred his way.
"What do you think your doing?" He said angrily.
"Step aside." Guo Tu said with a pleasant smile.
"Listen, you can't just-" The priest began, but it was too late. Guo Tu whipped out a dagger and stabbed the man in the heart. Guo Jia cringed and whimpered. Guo Tu stepped over the twitching body, his brother scurrying behind.
"Y-you killed him . . ." Guo Jia whispered.
"Shut up." Guo Tu said bitterly. He found his way, surely, to the grave. He swung the door open hastily and peered inside. "This is the grave. Do your magic." Guo Jia stepped forward. He was shaking from head to toe, his long robes swaying at his feet. Guo Jia took a metal card from his pocket and breathed on it. He drew and symbol in the air and it showed itself, glowing with golden light.
"Sen Ton Fui Go, Yun Don Ken. . ." Guo Jia went on, muttering words in this strange dialect. Then he bit his lip. He took a knife from his pocket and stared at it. He couldn't move for about thirty seconds.
"Get on with it, Guo Jia . . ." Guo Tu said impatiently. Guo Jia nodded. He opened his shirt up, showing his bony, pale chest. With a shaking hand he made a vertical cut on his skin, whining in pain. He stepped through the glowing symbol and let himself bleed onto the grave.
"Hurry, Tu, it hurts . . ." He breathed while wincing. Guo Tu stepped over Guo Jia and took a vile for him pocket. A clear liquid was inside. He poured the contents onto the earth and they hissed and bubble, creating a white mist. He got to his knees and began to spread the Earth away. Guo Jia rose, waved his hand over his wound and it immediately closed up.
"Help me dig, Jia." Guo Tu said, finally sounding like a brother speaking to a brother. Guo Jia got down beside him and they began to dig. They spread apart a fair amount of dirt when the priest began to gather again. "Will you take care of them, please?" Guo Tu asked. Guo Jia nodded and rose, bringing out his metal card again. One priest ran up and Guo Jia drew a golden 'X'.
"Tu Cho Sun." He said sorrowfully and the priest turned into stone. "Sorry. . ." He said to the statue. With another spell he sent on priest to sleep (Guo Tu wasn't looking) and another he put up and invisible barrier around. Guo Tu was digging faster and faster now. Suddenly, he hit something. He cleared away the last dust of the grave and reveal stark white bones and a glaring skull.
"Here she is . . ." Guo Tu whispered, sounding a bit afraid. He then pulled out a dagger of his own. "This is the second time I loose this hand. . ." He chopped off his hand with a swift motion, tears coming from his eyes. He made no noise even when blood rushed from his wrist. The flesh of his pruned body part melted into a strange liquid where it joined with the bones. Suddenly, the flesh of the bone began re-growing. First came muscles on the back, then the organs and blood, muscles on the top, skin, hair. . .
Guo Jia whined and squirmed.
"This is strange, brother . . .," He whispered. "We shouldn't be doing this . . ."
"She's . . . perfect. Look at her, Guo Jia." Guo Tu said, breathless. Ki was sitting, half buried in the grave, only her chest and head showing. She was still dressed in the deteriorating black-gray robes. She looked alive. "Hurry, heal me. I'm starting to feel dizzy." Guo Jia scurried over and muttered some more words in a strange dialect and Guo Tu's hand re-grew itself, just as Ki's flesh had done. Guo Tu flexed his fingers a couple of times. They both stared at Ki, sitting in her grave, looking like she was asleep. Guo Tu went down into the shallow pit and picked up Ki, extracting her carefully from the ground. He cradled her, brushing the dirt off her ruined clothes and looking kinder than Zhang he had ever seen him. He almost looked human. Then, Ki's eyelids twitched and slowly opened, revealing her freshly renewed eyes. They still looked glassy and dead. She stared at Guo Tu for a moment, and then took her first breath of life. It took her a while to get used to being alive again, but she eventually got it. Guo Tu stood her up and let her on he own feet. She had it for a moment, and then fell over.
"What the hell's wrong with her?" Guo Tu asked, sounding confused.
"She's forgotten what it's like. She can speak or walk or anything. She's just like a baby . . . except that she'll learn much faster . . . You know, like when you forget a song, but when you hear it again, you remember the words?" Guo Jia offered.
"Fine . . ." Guo Tu said, exasperated. He went back and picked up Ki, who's head rolled back and forth. He carried her back out into the daylight where the villagers saw her. Some scream, some gasped. A few tried to take their Goddess away from Guo Tu, but he kicked them away. Guo Tu went back into the tall grass, still holding Ki.
Zhang He woke up. He sighed, exasperatedly. He did not want to be involved with any of this. Then, he thought, perhaps it's possible . . . All I have to do is pretend it never happened. I'll even engage Wei in a battle to ignore it all. Zhang He sat in bed a while, listening to Diao Chan's soft breathing. He almost drifted off again, but this time she woke him up.
"Oh! You got back in the night." She said drowsily. She put her head down on his chest and gave him and playful look. "Did you find out anything?"
"No." Zhang He said at once. "You'd better get ready . . . I'm giving the order to attack Wei as soon as I can."
"Wei? I thought we were letting them bide their time so we could get them when they move out to get us. The lower generals are too busy claiming territories, anyway."
"I don't care. I feel like we should do this." He said shortly. Diao Chan shook her head a bit.
"You're the leader . . ."
About five days and a messenger later, they entire Shi force was ready to move. Zhang He nearly gasped at its enormity. He knew they'd been claiming smaller territories and such, but he saw what was probably a million and a half men.
They made their move to an area about twenty miles to the south of the Wei camp. Some stray soldiers were out but they were quickly taken care of. Zhang He knew this area. He had, after all, been part of Wei for a fair amount of time. He felt upset about betraying Xiahou Dun, who he truly liked, but this was war. Every now and then the thought that Guo Tu had the reincarnated Lady in black crossed his mind and made his stomach twinge. He knew now what had leveled Yuan Shao's palace and killed everyone in it. He knew, yes, but he was choosing to ignore it. It would just go away and leave him alone, right?
"Men, if you find Xiahou Dun please capture him. He was my friend once, and I don't want him dead. Hear that?" Zhang He called back to the officers. The made a noise in agreement and Zhang He felt a little better. He tried to shake it off but he had this horrible empty feeling in his chest that kept undulating, growing and ebbing.
"Alright Sima Yi, it's an ambush, right?" Zhang He asked once again.
"Yes . . ." Sima Yi said for the hundredth time. Sima Yi had asked him why he hadn't done anything and Zhang He told him he didn't know what he was talking about. "But we're sure to win. This battle needs no strategy; it's just brute force against a weaker opponent. Sun Ce probably could've put this strategy together." Sun Ce scowled. Sima Yi looked a bit perturbed. He loved his fancy strategies with complex working plans and traps.
"Okay, everyone. Let's go!" Zhang He commanded, waving his Talon forward with swishing motion and pushed his horse down the path. Wei turned out to be holding a surprise of it's own. They somehow knew Shi was coming to attack them and planned a surprise attack once the force of Shi had gone behind it. Wei had, also, gained some soldiers. Like, say, seven-hundred thousand of them. Zhang He couldn't find Cao Cao for the life of him so he ended up just fighting the grunts. At sunset he gave the order to retreat and Shi ran. This was not going to end in a few days. This was probably going to end in a year.
Actually, it was about two years before anything started to happen. Shi's great strategic background pulled off a few wonderful fire attacks and ambushes. Once, Zhang He had a run in with Cao Cao, but it ended up a draw. But it turned out Cao Cao was a mighty strategist himself; Shi had walked right into a few of his traps. A few Shi generals had been captured and killed. Old Huang Zhong, Lu Meng and Xu Huang were among them. But Wei had not been without its losses. Xiahou Yuan and Cao Ren were long gone after Shi was done with them. It was a day after Zhang He's nineteenth birthday when it finally happened. Both forces were getting weaker, but it was evidently Wei was losing its touch. Zhang He charged into battle that, feeling energized and ready to go. Diao Chan no longer fought with him. She was complaining of nausea, pains in her abdomen and she vomited frequently in the mornings. Zhang He, feeling it would be best to keep her alive then have her beside him on the battlefield, decided to keep her in the camps.
Zhuge Liang had done some special strategy on this battle and it was Zhang He's job to lead the first group of men into the battle. The first general he met was some nobody who had just joined in with Wei from some pathetic rebel force, Zhang He, now a master of battle, easily wrenched him off of his saddle and Zhang He's horse did the rest by trampling the general. The next general was a little unexpected. After two years of battle, Zhang He finally saw Xiahou Dun. He looked a bit older and few more gray hairs had found their way into his long mane and beard, but he still looked as grand and fierce as ever.
"Xiahou Dun." Zhang He said with nostalgia.
"Zhang He." Xiahou Dun said right back with a smile, the black patch over his eye still present.
"I don't want to fight you . . ." Zhang He admitted calmly. "You helped me out a lot back then . . ."
"I feel the same way, old friend. I won't fight you, but the other men belong to my blade." Zhang He nodded. They both rode past each other swiftly, neither one looking back. Zhang He fought well that day; he probably killed near to fifty men. When he rode up onto a hilltop at sunset he saw below him Cao Cao. He was doing battle with Sun Ce. Zhang He was not one steal the glory of one of his brothers, so he decided to stay back and watch until it looked as if Sun Ce needed help. Sun Ce looked as though he was doing just fine. Sun Ce swerved in and knocked Cao Cao off his horse. Sun Ce, being the born fighter he was, jumped off his own horse and did battle on the ground. He blocked all of Cao Cao's moves with a smile on his face. Whenever Cao Cao came close Sun Ce laughed and danced around.
"C'mon! You can do better than that!" Sun Ce taunted. Sun Ce as a whole seemed to be aggravating Cao Cao to the extreme. From all the way on the hilltop Zhang He could see a vein throbbing in his forehead. Suddenly Cao Cao lashed out with fierceness and knocked Sun Ce to the ground. Sun Ce dropped his Tonfas out of shock. Cao Cao swung his sword so fast it made a swishing noise against the air. He stopped it just so it made a bit of Contact with the side of Sun Ce's face. Sun Ce looked terrified and stunned.
"Well, Little Conqueror. It seems I have you at a very tight spot." Cao said snappishly. Sun Ce just breathed heavily. "You shouldn't have been so cocky, eh?" Sun Ce shook his head. "I hope you learned a valuable lesson. I shall let you go this once, but remember; you should respect your elders. Cao Cao turned, his strong silhouette against the red of the sky. He strutted off into the horizon, but then he stopped. Suddenly, without warning, he yelled in anguish. It could've been a trick of the light but Zhang He thought that Cao Cao was sort of shriveling up. The next moment he fell down, presumably dead. Sun Ce scrambled to his feet and ran up the hill.
"Sun Ce!" Zhang He called. Sun Ce saw him and hopped nimbly onto the back of his horse. Zhang He kicked it and it galloped away.
"Hurry Zhang He, something bad's coming. Everyone started falling down dead like that on the other side of the canyon." Sun Ce informed grimly.
"What the Hell?" Zhang He said. He stole a glance backward. Sun Ce hadn't lied. A valley full of fallen bodies was below them. Zhang He urged his horse to go faster. "Retreat!" He yelled. "RETREAT, SHI!" All the Shi officers and men turned tail and began to flee. Zhang He spied Zhuge Liang.
"What's going on?" he asked. "What kind of magic is that?" He pointed towards the wave of death. Zhuge Liang, looking shocked, shook his head.
"Let's go!" Sun Ce yelled.
"You're not going anywhere." Said an icy voice from behind them. Zhang He About faced his horse and what he saw made the bottom fall out of his stomach.
Guo Tu, Guo Jia, Ki, and his father of all people stood before him.
"F-father?" Zhang He asked in disbelief. Zhang Fei laughed. "What the Hell's going on here?"
"He's on our side, you twit." Guo Tu snapped. Guo Jia looked uncomfortable. "And we're taking over is what's going on. I've got the most powerful weapon in the world." He looked over at Ki. Zhang He looked back swiftly. His forces were almost gone.
"Don't even think about running." Zhang Fei growled.
"Get them, Guo Jia." Guo Tu commanded coldly. Guo Jia stepped forward with his magic card.
"I'm really sorry about this. Don't hold it against me. . ." He said to them. He spoke some magic words and ropes appeared around Zhang He, Sun Ce and Zhuge Liang.
"How does it feel, Zhang He, knowing you're about to die?" Guo Tu said maliciously. "Relish it. Your little wife isn't around to save you this time." Guo Tu paused and put a finger to his lips. "I wonder how she'll look when she finds out you're dead. Oh, won't that be precious!" Guo Tu put his hands on either side of his face and made an expression of sorrow and put on a high voice. "Oh, my poor, useless husband is dead. Boohoo." Zhang Fei gave a great booming laugh while Guo Jia frowned and furrowed his brow. Ki stood motionless, not saying a thing. Zhang He clenched his fist and bared his teeth. "Oh, he's so angry! Isn't that priceless?" Guo Tu sauntered over in his pretentious black robes and patted Zhang He on his head. "Poor baby . . ." He kneeled down near Zhang He and stroked his head as a loving father would do to his son. Then suddenly he smiled and tugged Zhang He's hair so hard he was surprised it didn't come out. His cold laugh echoed in his ears.
"Guo Tu." Guo Jia spoke up. Guo Tu threw Zhang He to the ground, his scalp still stinging.
"What?" He asked venomously, eyeing Guo Jia with anger.
"Th-that's enough . . . Just kill him, don't do this . . ." He said softly, with no courage. Guo Tu went over in a flurry and slapped his brother across the face, the force making a cracking sound. Guo Jia fell over and whimpered, nursing his cheek.
"Don't you tell me what to do." He hissed. Guo Tu went back over to Zhang He and kicked him once. "I don't know why . . ." He began, giving him another sharp kick in the ribs. "But I simply love hurting you." Guo Tu knelt down near him. Zhang He breathed heavily and squinted up at Guo Tu with disgust and hatred. Guo Tu seized his head by the chin and looked at the scar on Zhang He's face. "This is a lovely addition . . ." Guo Tu went back to his little group. "I've had my fun. Kill him, Ki." He commanded. Nothing happened. "Ki?" He looked back. She was standing with a worried expression on her face. She suddenly turned around and started to run. Guo Tu's cold gray eyes glinted. Guo Jia smiled.
"Get her! Where the hell is she going?" Zhang Fei thundered. Guo Tu and him took off running after her. Guo Jia hurried up to Zhang He. He quickly removed his and the other two's bond.
"Sorry about that." He said bowing his head and with that he went off after Guo Tu and Zhang Fei.
Guo Tu blustered off after Ki, feeling the anger well up inside him. She would be punished for this . . . he finally caught up with her and caught her by the arm.
"Ki!" He yelled. All of a sudden a shock shot up his arm. His heart stopped beating momentarily and he was nearly killed. He fell over, grasping his chest. Ki turned around. She was crying her blood tears again.
"I don't want to kill anymore . . ." She whined. Guo Tu rose shakily to his feet, still trying to look dominant.
"But Zhang He is the one that needs to die!" He stressed.
"I don't want to . . ." She moaned. Guo Tu sighed.
"Fine. Let's go home . . ." He said bitterly. I should have been harder on her . . . He thought as the four of them marched back to their hideout. By the time they were there the sun had already gone down and it was dark. Guo Tu went in and grabbed some bread off the table. He chewed it viciously, the thought that Zhang he had once again escaped angering him even more. Guo Jia and Zhang Fei took some food as well. Zhang Fei soon retreated to his room and Ki went out. Guo Jia had been willing himself to talk to Guo Tu all night but his courage would always wane.
"You've changed, Tu . . ." He said suddenly, wishing he hadn't the moment he opened his mouth.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Guo Tu asked monotonously, leaning on his elbow.
"You're different from when we first met. You used to be friendly and normal, but now it's like . . . You're evil . . ." Guo Jia put carefully. Guo Tu didn't look over.
"Evil?" He repeated, sounding mildly interested. "Maybe so . . ." He got up slowly and went into his room, shutting the door quietly behind him. He lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He soon drifted into a light sleep. He didn't notice when Ki came in and stared at him. He didn't notice when she climbed onto the bed and stared into his face. He opened his eyes about ten minutes later to see Ki's dead eyes floating right above his face. He gasped and drew back, hitting his head on the wall.
"K-ki . . ." He breathed. "Don't do that!" He yelled, fearing she might attack him. She lay down beside him and he sat up, backing away a bit.
"I keep seeing things when I close my eyes . . ." She expressed. "I see those black birds sometimes . . ." Guo Tu looked at her strangely.
"Are you . . . dreaming those things?" He asked, sounding oddly gentle.
"I don't know." She whispered, her eyes not seeing anything. "Tell me . . . what's the difference between dying and being born?" She asked softly. Guo Tu furrowed his brow.
"That's a strange question . . .," He said.
"Are people afraid at both times? I was afraid, I think . . ." Guo Tu looked at her, not understanding much of what she said.
"What do you want me to do?" He asked, wishing she would be clear. She suddenly reached up and hooked her arms around Guo T8u's neck, pulling him down beside her. He made a noise like a wounded animal, thinking she was going to kill him.
"Can you make it go away?" She said to him. He was breathing heavily, knowing any moment he could be killed. But Ki seemed so sad and helpless . . .
"N-no. . . Sorry." He said slowly. "Yu can't do anything about that. It's your mind that shows you it . . ." He said. Maybe Guo Jia had not told her much about dreams yet.
"That scares me . . . What scares you?" She asked. You, he thought immediately.
"Nothing . . ." He said shortly.
"There used to be a person like you . . . I think so . . . Maybe it was just a dream. I remember something like that. He used to be right here when I woke up. And sometimes he'd pet my head like this . . ." She lifted her hand up and stroked Guo Tu's ebony hair. He felt awfully strange. "But I don't think that ever happened . . . I think my mind made it up."
Must be Zhang Ren, Guo Tu thought. He knew what she was talking about. He had those dreams sometimes as well. Broken memories. He couldn't tell her though, that would lead to certain peril. If she remembered, if she found out . . .
"It might be real . . ." He said, feeling slightly bad about giving her false hope.
"I like that. I like it better than the other dreams. Sometimes I wish that would stay like that . . .," She continued, sounding sleepy. A strange emotion bloomed in Guo Tu's chest and his head felt a bit light. He suddenly wanted to reach out and touch her head. Ignoring his brain, which was warning him against it, he stretched his hand out and placed it lightly on her hair and feeling quite jittery, caressed it slowly. She closed her eyes and fell asleep in a flash. Guo Tu feeling a bit shocked and nervous, but he was weary. So with his common sense screaming at him for letting his guard down to such a dangerous thing, he fell asleep beside her.
"Zhang He! Are you hurt?" Diao Chan said as the three men stumbled into the camp, looking worn and fatigued.
"I saw Guo Tu again . . ." Zhang He said, skipping the greetings. Diao Chan looked worried.
"Did he do all that?" She asked, looking down upon the tiny dots that were bodies in the valley below. Zhang He nodded. "How?" She asked, bewildered.
"I don't know." Zhang He said, trying to sound like he was telling the truth.
"This is getting quite strange. Don't you feel like something's about to happen?" She asked while squinting her eyes.
"A little. . . well, not really . . ." Zhang He said convincingly.
"Hmmm." Diao Chan hummed, sounding a bit put out. "I must be stressed from being sick."
"How are you feeling, by the way?" Zhang He asked.
"You know, I feel better but this morning I felt as if I'd lie in the bed all day. Funny, isn't it?" Diao Chan said cheerily.
"Yeah, funny . . ."
It had been a month since Guo Tu had the little chat with Ki in his bed and he was plotting for a chance to get Zhang He. He went out to the low pond outside the hideout and gazed at the water, trying to concoct a plan to destroy him once and for all. He knew it had to be done, otherwise it wouldn't work out . . . He stared at the nearly invisible fish darting around in the shallows. Suddenly another face appeared in the silvery reflection. It was Ki again. She had been mostly silent since that time, not doing much but staying locked up in her room and Guo Tu had no idea what she was doing. She drifted past him and put her hand in the water, the tiny fish scattering. Guo Tu grinned a bit.
"These are strange animals." Ki said, pulling a fish out and pinching it's tail so it could not escape. Guo Tu had no clue how she managed to do it. She dropped it back into the pool where it flailed about in a stunned way for a moment, then darted frantically to the bottom. Guo Tu went and stood besides her, looking into the murky water. Ki gazed down into the fields beyond where some village people were working. "Do you want them to die, as well?" She asked. Guo Tu stared at them.
"Not particularly, I have nothing against them." He said nonchalantly.
"What about those other people from before? The war ones?" She asked. "Did you have . . . something against them?" Guo Tu thought for a moment.
"No, they were just in the way." He said. "And if we are to kill Zhang He then they must die."
"Why do you hate them all?" She asked in her flat voice.
"Because . . . I just do. People are always out to destroy you. It's kill or be killed. Do you understand?" He said. She lowered her gaze.
"It's not fair." She said softly. "Why can't . . ." She stopped.
"Why don't you want to kill them? They're useless. They'll just walk all over you if they had a chance. They're like rats or some other nuisance pest." Guo Tu said distastefully.
"Because. I can feel when people are afraid. It makes me think about my dreams, when I'm afraid. It's not very nice. Nobody's ever hurt me before, why should I hurt them?" Guo Tu thought about this for a while. "May I ask something?" She said. Guo Tu made a reassuring noise.
"Do I have to kill anymore?" She said suddenly. Guo Tu was about to snap 'Of course you have to!' but he saw such a pained look on her face it made his heart sink.
"Well . . . That . . ." He tried to think of a way out. He couldn't just give up like that. But Ki looked so sad. "N-no . . ." He forced out begrudgingly. Ki gave him a half smile, the best she could manage.
"I like it here. I feel like I'm getting better, especially when I'm with you . . .' She said. Guo Tu blushed a bit a furrowed his brow.
"Oh . . ." He put shortly, his chest feeling hollow at the thought Zhang He would never be destroyed. Why was he making such stupid decisions? All because Ki looked sad? What was wrong with him? Is he going soft? Then all of a sudden something snapped into his mind. He remembered reading it somewhere before he'd reincarnated Ki. If the other half was destroyed Ki could become whole. She would be just like a normal person. This could be managed if Zhang He and his nasty little wife were killed.
"Ki . . ." He said softly. "Wouldn't you like to be all better? You know, be like Guo Jia and I?" She looked up hopefully at him.
"How?" She asked.
"You just have to kill two more people. Only two and you'll be free of being sad all the time. You can be happy. We can go back to my home and live there if you like, as well." Her eyes widened.
"Would that make it so I lose my power?" She asked.
"Probably." He said a bit unsurely. She nodded.
"If it's only two more people, then I will." She agreed nodding. "Which two?"
"Remember that man I asked you to kill before?" He asked, feeling energized again, thinking Zhang He's demise was so near. She nodded.
"It's him and his wife." He said, looking at her intently. She nodded again. Guo Tu smiled. For some reason he felt that this was a better way. He wanted Ki to be happy. He shrugged this feeling off before he got thinking to much.
"Let's go tell Guo Jia the battle plan."