Rose Tint My World
By Gingivere the Shadowreaver
~*~*~*~
Chapter Two
~*~*~*~
How embarrassing it was, for the Goddess of Fire, Zhu Rong, to be sitting alone in a cell now, captured and being treated like the prisoner she was now. It was certainly a bruise to her ego, just as she had bruised Zhuge Liang's. That thought alone made her smile, and her spirit was anything but tarnished now, as she did her best to work on the guard's nerves.
Most prisoners would try to disturb them, but Zhu Rong was almost out of their hands! The very sound of her voice was driving them up the walls! "Hey, where's my bed? Don't you know you're suppose to treat a woman with tender lovin' care? And I demand water! Are you listening to me at all?"
On and on she went, and she could tell she was getting on their nerves. She kept on, like the thing that wouldn't stop. "Gee, it's no wonder you guys are probably single! If you treat a lady in the bed just as you are treatin' me right now, then I don't blame every gal on this side of China for fleeing from your presence!"
"Loud... woman."
When that voice echoed, Zhu Rong was silenced, but the peace did not last long as the masked warrior revealed himself, only half seen through the dim torchlight on the wall. He looked no better then before... in fact, she almost felt herself trembling at the very sight of him. What a brute!
She gave a cocky grin, gripping the bars as she tried to get a good look at him. "Wei Yan, eh? I bet you feel REAL good about capturing me now, huh? Sorry, did my belly-aching wake you up? Good! I hope it woke that prick as well, and may he never have another good night ever again!"
The masked warrior drew closer to the cage, and she could see the weapon now, spotting the reflection of the light meeting its rusted blade. That voulge was battle-weary, but as strong and as deadly as ever, and she could tell he's been in many fights. "Do not care... wake up me... don't like..."
"Well good then! Serves you right for capturing me!" Zhu Rong said with a lick of her canines, staring death in the face and laughing at it. At least now she could get a good look at those eyes, those dark, almost lifeless black orbs that seemed as blank as a stillborn child. Looking into them, she could almost pity him... almost. "You should have killed me when ya had the chance!"
Something in that threat made those blank eyes come to life, and she gasped as his hand removed itself from his weapon and grasped her hair, forcing her closer to his skull mask, where she could still smell the faint scent of decayed skin. How disgusting! "Not... too... late..."
Now her spirit had disappeared, or it had converted into what a normal woman would have done in this sort of situation, praying that it would fool the warrior. "Wait a minute! Hold on! You can't kill me! Your ruler wants me alive!"
"Don't... care..."
"Of course you care, you idiot! Your very life depends upon it!" Zhu Rong pleaded, praying that her ploy worked. It was enough to loosen the grip on her hair, and she was surprised to find him sneering at her, without even much of a glint of lust in those eyes. As she freed herself from his grip, she asked, sitting on the floor of her cell. "You don't seem to like him too much... not that I don't BLAME you, but if you don't like him, why bother dealing with him?"
It was opening up a conversation, something that Wei Yan hated with a heated passion. It was not the fact that he hated her, for which his feelings seemed rather neutral, but it was the fact that he could not bring himself to form the words for one. He sneered, "Not... your... concern. Mine alone."
That made her laugh. "Oh, you HAVE to have a reason... why else fight for him? Do you like to just fight?"
"Fight... good..." Wei Yan said with an actual smile, something that frightened her greatly. No, it wasn't the fact that he was not well kept, but the fact that he had so much pleasure in saying those simple words that it worried her. "Live only... for battle..."
Zhu Rong grew curious, something that wasn't one of her good qualities as many men wished for their woman to remain silent. "Ah, a true warrior, then, eh? Well Wei Yan, I must admit that you bested me in battle, and it takes a REAL man to defeat and capture the Goddess of Fire. I think I like you."
Her charm was almost to die for, and it would have worked, had it not been for the fact that Wei Yan truly did not care for her words. "Keep... fighting... much better."
"Hey, what's THAT suppose to mean?"
By the time she rose, he was already halfway up the stairs, and she asked, "Hey, where you going?"
His reply was eerie, as if he was straining to even speak now. "Hunt... be quiet... you scare prey..."
"You got some nerve, you know that?" Zhu Rong said with a spat, as she sat back down in her cell. She gave an angered sigh, before resting her chin in her hand. "To think... I've been captured by an imbecile that can hardly speak!"
The guards did not reply, as they seemed completely content in just staring at the wall. She gave another sigh, trying to formulate some kind of plan to escape from this hell. She didn't have to worry too much, as she knew her husband was almost working on that. Then she remembered... that idiot couldn't do a THING without her...
"I'm doomed..."
~*~*~*~
It was just like Wei Yan to wonder alone, so Zhuge Liang wasn't surprised when a soldier reported seeing the general walking out of the gates of their camp. He had already sent out a search party to retrieve him, but he already knew that was impossible. Though he wasn't the smartest thing in the camp, he knew how to hide himself if he wished not to be disturbed.
Normally, Zhuge Liang would have let him be, but he couldn't afford the man wondering off into unknown territory. As much as he hated him, he was a valuable ally, despite how rebellious he was.
So Zhuge Liang brought himself to search for the masked warrior himself, wishing to be asleep instead. But alas, it seemed that he had no other choice. He felt better, though, that the woman was in the cells and not roaming the jungle freely. He had heard much about her, knowing how quick she was with a knife.
He was rather thankful that Wei Yan hadn't killed her, as he did not wish to cause anymore anger towards the Nanman king. With her captured, perhaps there was a way to free the man she held prisoner as well.
Still, the very thought that Wei Yan possibly even THINKING of something like this was an insult to strategists everywhere. How could he think of anything beyond battle?
Then, it dawned on Zhuge Liang, stopping his march as he tried not to laugh aloud. Was it because his disgruntled, war-loving fiend of a subordinate had an eye for the woman?
Now that did make him laugh, and his soldiers gave him a look before he stopped himself. He called off the search, ordering his party to head back to the camp. There was no fear here... and he laughed, still, as he returned to the camp himself. Wei Yan with a heart for a woman?
Impossible!
And now he felt like a fool, bringing himself out in the dead of night to search for him! What a fool he was!
He had stopped his search a few feet short of finding his prey, as Wei Yan sat upon a rock, surrounded by nothing but the cold night air. He was alone, just the way he wanted to be, and he looked towards the star less sky, as not even they would keep him company.
Who needed them? He was perfectly content to just be alone now... at least he thought so.
No, it wasn't that woman that made him feel so different now. It was something else, he thought, giving a grunt as he lowered his gaze from the empty skies. He knew she was married, but he did not like her, at least not in a normal sense.
Just seeing her fight reminded him of someone, someone he wished to forget.
If anyone could have seen him now, they wouldn't have cared to comfort him. No, no one really cared for him, he believed with a sad sigh. The ones that did died a long time ago, leaving him in the hands of this man that berated him so. He still mourned for them...
"Huang Zhong..."
Yes, the elder general, that one with the deadliest aim on the bow and the keenest eye for battle. Huang Zhong treated him as a friend and a pupil, almost like a son even, something that many others failed to do. The ones inferior to him feared his presence, while his superiors mocked him and looked down upon him as a primitive beast.
Huang Zhong was there for him, as his speaker and friend, and the day he died was the second time in his life that he actually shed tears for another being's death. He had not cried when his lord had died, nor when his other friend, Pang Tong, had died, but Wei Yan was nowhere to be found when they buried the elder general into the ground, in fear of anyone else seeing his tears.
He felt alone... a feeling he welcomed and feared at the same time.
Wei Yan could very well be on his own, and he wondered to himself, as he sat alone in the starless night, why he stayed with Shu now? What was the point, he thought, without Huang Zhong nor Lord Liu Bei there? He cared nothing for the restoration of the Han, so why tag along?
But such traitorous thoughts were what got him into trouble so many times. It was why many hated him, fearing that he would turn on them in battle. Perhaps he should and just get it over with, end their suspicions by ending their lives. Perhaps then he would stop this pain.
'What now?' He gave a weary sigh that instantly turned into a grunt. 'What do I do?'
If Huang Zhong or Pang Tong were there, then they would have gladly told him the answer. But alas, they were not, and he looked towards the heavens, if such a place truly existed. Were they laughing at him, even now, when he needed their guidance the most? "Why here?"
That was the question indeed, and he lowered his gaze, feeling unworthy to even be glancing towards them right now. Perhaps, he realized now, that he was just meant to be alone, to never have a friend or a companion, to fight in this futile war to restore a false glory. That was a battle he could not win, and that was the battle within himself.
By Gingivere the Shadowreaver
~*~*~*~
Chapter Two
~*~*~*~
How embarrassing it was, for the Goddess of Fire, Zhu Rong, to be sitting alone in a cell now, captured and being treated like the prisoner she was now. It was certainly a bruise to her ego, just as she had bruised Zhuge Liang's. That thought alone made her smile, and her spirit was anything but tarnished now, as she did her best to work on the guard's nerves.
Most prisoners would try to disturb them, but Zhu Rong was almost out of their hands! The very sound of her voice was driving them up the walls! "Hey, where's my bed? Don't you know you're suppose to treat a woman with tender lovin' care? And I demand water! Are you listening to me at all?"
On and on she went, and she could tell she was getting on their nerves. She kept on, like the thing that wouldn't stop. "Gee, it's no wonder you guys are probably single! If you treat a lady in the bed just as you are treatin' me right now, then I don't blame every gal on this side of China for fleeing from your presence!"
"Loud... woman."
When that voice echoed, Zhu Rong was silenced, but the peace did not last long as the masked warrior revealed himself, only half seen through the dim torchlight on the wall. He looked no better then before... in fact, she almost felt herself trembling at the very sight of him. What a brute!
She gave a cocky grin, gripping the bars as she tried to get a good look at him. "Wei Yan, eh? I bet you feel REAL good about capturing me now, huh? Sorry, did my belly-aching wake you up? Good! I hope it woke that prick as well, and may he never have another good night ever again!"
The masked warrior drew closer to the cage, and she could see the weapon now, spotting the reflection of the light meeting its rusted blade. That voulge was battle-weary, but as strong and as deadly as ever, and she could tell he's been in many fights. "Do not care... wake up me... don't like..."
"Well good then! Serves you right for capturing me!" Zhu Rong said with a lick of her canines, staring death in the face and laughing at it. At least now she could get a good look at those eyes, those dark, almost lifeless black orbs that seemed as blank as a stillborn child. Looking into them, she could almost pity him... almost. "You should have killed me when ya had the chance!"
Something in that threat made those blank eyes come to life, and she gasped as his hand removed itself from his weapon and grasped her hair, forcing her closer to his skull mask, where she could still smell the faint scent of decayed skin. How disgusting! "Not... too... late..."
Now her spirit had disappeared, or it had converted into what a normal woman would have done in this sort of situation, praying that it would fool the warrior. "Wait a minute! Hold on! You can't kill me! Your ruler wants me alive!"
"Don't... care..."
"Of course you care, you idiot! Your very life depends upon it!" Zhu Rong pleaded, praying that her ploy worked. It was enough to loosen the grip on her hair, and she was surprised to find him sneering at her, without even much of a glint of lust in those eyes. As she freed herself from his grip, she asked, sitting on the floor of her cell. "You don't seem to like him too much... not that I don't BLAME you, but if you don't like him, why bother dealing with him?"
It was opening up a conversation, something that Wei Yan hated with a heated passion. It was not the fact that he hated her, for which his feelings seemed rather neutral, but it was the fact that he could not bring himself to form the words for one. He sneered, "Not... your... concern. Mine alone."
That made her laugh. "Oh, you HAVE to have a reason... why else fight for him? Do you like to just fight?"
"Fight... good..." Wei Yan said with an actual smile, something that frightened her greatly. No, it wasn't the fact that he was not well kept, but the fact that he had so much pleasure in saying those simple words that it worried her. "Live only... for battle..."
Zhu Rong grew curious, something that wasn't one of her good qualities as many men wished for their woman to remain silent. "Ah, a true warrior, then, eh? Well Wei Yan, I must admit that you bested me in battle, and it takes a REAL man to defeat and capture the Goddess of Fire. I think I like you."
Her charm was almost to die for, and it would have worked, had it not been for the fact that Wei Yan truly did not care for her words. "Keep... fighting... much better."
"Hey, what's THAT suppose to mean?"
By the time she rose, he was already halfway up the stairs, and she asked, "Hey, where you going?"
His reply was eerie, as if he was straining to even speak now. "Hunt... be quiet... you scare prey..."
"You got some nerve, you know that?" Zhu Rong said with a spat, as she sat back down in her cell. She gave an angered sigh, before resting her chin in her hand. "To think... I've been captured by an imbecile that can hardly speak!"
The guards did not reply, as they seemed completely content in just staring at the wall. She gave another sigh, trying to formulate some kind of plan to escape from this hell. She didn't have to worry too much, as she knew her husband was almost working on that. Then she remembered... that idiot couldn't do a THING without her...
"I'm doomed..."
~*~*~*~
It was just like Wei Yan to wonder alone, so Zhuge Liang wasn't surprised when a soldier reported seeing the general walking out of the gates of their camp. He had already sent out a search party to retrieve him, but he already knew that was impossible. Though he wasn't the smartest thing in the camp, he knew how to hide himself if he wished not to be disturbed.
Normally, Zhuge Liang would have let him be, but he couldn't afford the man wondering off into unknown territory. As much as he hated him, he was a valuable ally, despite how rebellious he was.
So Zhuge Liang brought himself to search for the masked warrior himself, wishing to be asleep instead. But alas, it seemed that he had no other choice. He felt better, though, that the woman was in the cells and not roaming the jungle freely. He had heard much about her, knowing how quick she was with a knife.
He was rather thankful that Wei Yan hadn't killed her, as he did not wish to cause anymore anger towards the Nanman king. With her captured, perhaps there was a way to free the man she held prisoner as well.
Still, the very thought that Wei Yan possibly even THINKING of something like this was an insult to strategists everywhere. How could he think of anything beyond battle?
Then, it dawned on Zhuge Liang, stopping his march as he tried not to laugh aloud. Was it because his disgruntled, war-loving fiend of a subordinate had an eye for the woman?
Now that did make him laugh, and his soldiers gave him a look before he stopped himself. He called off the search, ordering his party to head back to the camp. There was no fear here... and he laughed, still, as he returned to the camp himself. Wei Yan with a heart for a woman?
Impossible!
And now he felt like a fool, bringing himself out in the dead of night to search for him! What a fool he was!
He had stopped his search a few feet short of finding his prey, as Wei Yan sat upon a rock, surrounded by nothing but the cold night air. He was alone, just the way he wanted to be, and he looked towards the star less sky, as not even they would keep him company.
Who needed them? He was perfectly content to just be alone now... at least he thought so.
No, it wasn't that woman that made him feel so different now. It was something else, he thought, giving a grunt as he lowered his gaze from the empty skies. He knew she was married, but he did not like her, at least not in a normal sense.
Just seeing her fight reminded him of someone, someone he wished to forget.
If anyone could have seen him now, they wouldn't have cared to comfort him. No, no one really cared for him, he believed with a sad sigh. The ones that did died a long time ago, leaving him in the hands of this man that berated him so. He still mourned for them...
"Huang Zhong..."
Yes, the elder general, that one with the deadliest aim on the bow and the keenest eye for battle. Huang Zhong treated him as a friend and a pupil, almost like a son even, something that many others failed to do. The ones inferior to him feared his presence, while his superiors mocked him and looked down upon him as a primitive beast.
Huang Zhong was there for him, as his speaker and friend, and the day he died was the second time in his life that he actually shed tears for another being's death. He had not cried when his lord had died, nor when his other friend, Pang Tong, had died, but Wei Yan was nowhere to be found when they buried the elder general into the ground, in fear of anyone else seeing his tears.
He felt alone... a feeling he welcomed and feared at the same time.
Wei Yan could very well be on his own, and he wondered to himself, as he sat alone in the starless night, why he stayed with Shu now? What was the point, he thought, without Huang Zhong nor Lord Liu Bei there? He cared nothing for the restoration of the Han, so why tag along?
But such traitorous thoughts were what got him into trouble so many times. It was why many hated him, fearing that he would turn on them in battle. Perhaps he should and just get it over with, end their suspicions by ending their lives. Perhaps then he would stop this pain.
'What now?' He gave a weary sigh that instantly turned into a grunt. 'What do I do?'
If Huang Zhong or Pang Tong were there, then they would have gladly told him the answer. But alas, they were not, and he looked towards the heavens, if such a place truly existed. Were they laughing at him, even now, when he needed their guidance the most? "Why here?"
That was the question indeed, and he lowered his gaze, feeling unworthy to even be glancing towards them right now. Perhaps, he realized now, that he was just meant to be alone, to never have a friend or a companion, to fight in this futile war to restore a false glory. That was a battle he could not win, and that was the battle within himself.