Rose Tint My World
By Gingivere the Shadowreaver
~*~*~*~
Chapter Four
~*~*~*~
"Momma! Momma! Where are you?!"
Wei Yan found himself easily lost within the jungle, for once regretting giving chase to the Nanman woman. He did find it a bit odd that he was the only one that looked for her, as the other troops either declined or disappeared. He didn't care, though… he hunted his prey alone.
Though he was not the smartest human in the world, Wei Yan was as vicious of a fighter as they come, one well bred for the lust for battle. No, his father did not train him, as he had died in the Yellow Turban Rebellion when he was a young boy. His mother surely did not teach him, either, as women were forbidden to fight. As a matter of fact, there was one a time where Wei Yan, the blood-crazed juggernaut, was once a normal, little boy, living a normal little life in a normal little city.
Of course, at the time, he was not known as Wei Yan, but no one really knew his true name. He was just a little boy, living with his mother in a village that was so distant from all the fighting that took place during the time. That was all he could really remember now, was the small house, with a woman, short and weak, depending on him to do the chores and work around the house.
Just a normal little boy...
Until that day...
He couldn't remember too much, except hearing the screams that rose from the villagers, hearing the sounds of metal cutting through wood and seeing the soldiers storm into the house, swords and spears at hand. He would have fought them, as useless as it was, but he was grabbed by his mother and thrown into the backrooms, hearing her frantic pleas to flee. He couldn't leave her, and the last image of his mother that was implanted in his mind, the only image he had of her now, was seeing her trying to raise a sword to challenge the soldiers, then the blades slicing through her fragile body.
As he continued his trek through the jungle, he found it hard now to not think about her. He watched as the soldiers brutally killed her, and then mutilate her body, screaming, laughing as they tore her to bits and pieces.
No one knew this, no one but Wei Yan. And there it was, locked within the depths of his bizarre, scattered mind, replaying over and over again like a broken record.
He failed his mother; he knew that he was suppose to protect her, to help her through her illness, and now she was dead. He knew it was his fault... but back then, he did not. When the soldiers had found him, he did what any grieving child would have done. He rose the blade that his mother had tried to use before and used it against the soldiers, leaving none alive. Four soldiers had died at the hands of a twelve year old boy, and he fled in terror in fear of what he had done.
He had blamed them for the death of his mother, but it was his fault! He could have easily protected her if he would have lifted the sword first. But he failed... and now she was dead because he could not protect her...
Wei Yan froze, looking at the clearing he had brought himself into. Now he realized, as he was reminiscing the death of his only living relative, that he had only gotten himself even more lost than before. Nothing looked familiar, and there was no sign of that Nanman woman. However, Wei Yan did not panic. Why panic when he never particularly cared anyway?
So what if the Shu never found him? Why return? He knew that if he did not return with the Nanman woman that he would have been as good as dead anyway. He knew Zhuge Liang... he wasn't smart, but he knew that the man wished only for his death.
So he allowed himself to remain lost, finding a nice shade and taking a seat. What else was there for him anyway? Shu was doomed.
He did not like this new emperor, nor did he like Zhuge Liang. When they could be taking care of the Wei forces in the north, their true enemies, they were wasting their time with these Nanman. Why were they even here at all, Wei Yan wondered, giving a slight growl as he felt a slight pain in the back of his arm grow. Damn gnats.
Wei Yan was better off alone and lost, never to be seen by Shu forces again. He knew it would make many people very thrilled… even if it gave them the personal victory.
He just didn't care anymore…
Being left alone in the jungle only tore the memories, the few and most painful he had, and unfolded them from the deepest depths of his mind. He gave a snarl, cursing himself for letting them seep through. He worked so hard into forgetting them, only to have them return. He just wanted it all to stop…
This wasn't the first time he was left behind by Shu… of course, back then, they weren't known as the Shu as they had no kingdom. But he remembered it well, running along the shore of the river, waving to them, begging them to stop.
No one would stop for Wei Yan.
As Liu Bei and his men fled from Chang Ban, they left the little boy to one of two choices… being caught by the Wei, who had killed his mother and people, or flee to the woods and die alone. And that's exactly what he had done, to escape the Wei soldiers that pursued him, he fled in terror and anger into the woods, never to be seen by Liu Bei ever again. He had entered those woods as that little boy, but he had left as a completely difference man…
This Wei Yan you saw now, sitting with his head in his hands, was not the true Wei Yan. No one, not even Huang Zhong, who had found him in the woods a week after, knew what the real Wei Yan was like. All they saw was this barbarian, this raving, incoherent brute lost within the river of blood that flowed through his head, wishing only for battle, to release that inner pain. And, as Pang Tong, Huang Zhong, and Liu Bei laid dead within the earth below, no one cared to take the time to see past that image.
So, once again, Wei Yan had come to the conclusion that perhaps he was ALWAYS alone. Maybe he was just meant to be this way?
That's right, he thought to himself, though admitting to the fact did not relieve the pain at all. Perhaps this was for the best…
Once again, he felt the stabbing pain in his arm again, but this time, he gave the insect a swat, only to realize it wasn't an insect at all. Instead, his hands had struck something smooth and thin, and if he had felt it even more before crushing it within his powerful hands, he would have felt the scales.
The snake gave a final hiss before it died, and as Wei Yan threw the legless demon to the floor, the damage as already done. It didn't take a genius like Zhuge Liang to figure out that it was poisonous, as he figured it out the minute he went to stand. The jungle around him spun, and he could see how swollen his arm had become in such a short amount of time. "Damn…"
There could have been something he could have done to save himself, but what was the point he figured? Things only seemed to get worse for him as he heard the slight sound of rumbling bushes and hearing the tiger's growl shortly afterwards. If the poison did not kill him, then the tiger surely would.
By this time, he had lost all feeling within his arm, and his legs gave away, as the great warrior collapsed to the ground, preparing to surrender to his fate. He could see the tiger now, preparing to pounce, but he did nothing about it. The tiger missed him last time, he thought with a weak smile, and it only wished for revenge…
"E-End here… end now…"
This time, Huang Zhong wasn't there to save him from the hungered tiger. However, another person once, as for a second time in his life, someone had leapt in the way of the tiger and himself. Zhu Rong gave a shout, hurling a perfectly aimed dagger directly at the beast's head and slaying it instantly. "Get outta here!"
Wasn't that the same thing that Huang Zhong had said when he released the arrow into the tiger's head so many years ago? Back then, he wondered why someone would ever put themselves in that sort of situation to save him?
However, now was not the time to worry about that, as the last of his strength was spent to spat at the woman, who now turned to him with an indecisive look on her ivory face. "Stupid woman. Let… me… sleep…"
~*~*~*~
"Gee, for someone who just saved your life, ya should be a bit more thankful!"
It was already too late by the time she said that, she feared, as the poisoned warrior drifted into unconsciousness, supposing to die in his sleep. Now, as she looked down at him, she felt the annoying ping of her consciousness take over, and also perhaps the motherly side of her, as she knelt down to check him.
"Still breathin'…" She was surprised by the roughness of his skin, but quickly ignored that when she saw the dead snake in the grass, grimacing. "Not for long though… how the heck did you get bitten by THAT thing? Must have been pretty dumb…"
Though slow, the snake was pretty poisonous, and she was surprised that he wasn't dead yet. The roughness of his sun-worn skin must have prevented the first bite from penetrating through the flesh… lucky him.
She rose, going to leave but giving him a proper salute, "Nice knowin' ya, pal, and thanks for helpin' me escape from that old geezer. I know it's kind of ironic that a warrior like you is gonna die here in the jungle, but, better then going back to that loser."
Her captor and savior did not respond, and that only made the impish grin grow as she turned to run away, giving the dead tiger one last hit before going to disappear into the bushes. "Good riddance to bad rubbish… at least now I can have a clear conscience that I won't have to kill him in battle…"
Once again, her conscious bit her hard in the ass, as she stopped herself, nearly tripping over her own feet as she did so. Looking back at his prone body again, her guilt only grew. This was the guy that saved her from rape earlier in the morning, and this was how she repaid him?
"Nonsense! HE'S the one who got me into this!"
Still, even as she told herself that, she couldn't defeat the actual woman side of her, giving into it and going to inspect the snake once again, trying to remember what the cure was. Perhaps she could just heal him and leave him for the Shu forces to find… surely that bastard Zhuge Liang would understand if he failed due to a vicious snake bite.
"Consider yourself lucky that you saved me for whatever reason you did… and the fact that I'm such a nice little girl. I should have just left ya for that tiger… would have been quicker."
Still, Wei Yan did not answer, his breathing raged and in short gasps now. That only fueled her on, hoping her husband would understand if she showed up a little late…
By Gingivere the Shadowreaver
~*~*~*~
Chapter Four
~*~*~*~
"Momma! Momma! Where are you?!"
Wei Yan found himself easily lost within the jungle, for once regretting giving chase to the Nanman woman. He did find it a bit odd that he was the only one that looked for her, as the other troops either declined or disappeared. He didn't care, though… he hunted his prey alone.
Though he was not the smartest human in the world, Wei Yan was as vicious of a fighter as they come, one well bred for the lust for battle. No, his father did not train him, as he had died in the Yellow Turban Rebellion when he was a young boy. His mother surely did not teach him, either, as women were forbidden to fight. As a matter of fact, there was one a time where Wei Yan, the blood-crazed juggernaut, was once a normal, little boy, living a normal little life in a normal little city.
Of course, at the time, he was not known as Wei Yan, but no one really knew his true name. He was just a little boy, living with his mother in a village that was so distant from all the fighting that took place during the time. That was all he could really remember now, was the small house, with a woman, short and weak, depending on him to do the chores and work around the house.
Just a normal little boy...
Until that day...
He couldn't remember too much, except hearing the screams that rose from the villagers, hearing the sounds of metal cutting through wood and seeing the soldiers storm into the house, swords and spears at hand. He would have fought them, as useless as it was, but he was grabbed by his mother and thrown into the backrooms, hearing her frantic pleas to flee. He couldn't leave her, and the last image of his mother that was implanted in his mind, the only image he had of her now, was seeing her trying to raise a sword to challenge the soldiers, then the blades slicing through her fragile body.
As he continued his trek through the jungle, he found it hard now to not think about her. He watched as the soldiers brutally killed her, and then mutilate her body, screaming, laughing as they tore her to bits and pieces.
No one knew this, no one but Wei Yan. And there it was, locked within the depths of his bizarre, scattered mind, replaying over and over again like a broken record.
He failed his mother; he knew that he was suppose to protect her, to help her through her illness, and now she was dead. He knew it was his fault... but back then, he did not. When the soldiers had found him, he did what any grieving child would have done. He rose the blade that his mother had tried to use before and used it against the soldiers, leaving none alive. Four soldiers had died at the hands of a twelve year old boy, and he fled in terror in fear of what he had done.
He had blamed them for the death of his mother, but it was his fault! He could have easily protected her if he would have lifted the sword first. But he failed... and now she was dead because he could not protect her...
Wei Yan froze, looking at the clearing he had brought himself into. Now he realized, as he was reminiscing the death of his only living relative, that he had only gotten himself even more lost than before. Nothing looked familiar, and there was no sign of that Nanman woman. However, Wei Yan did not panic. Why panic when he never particularly cared anyway?
So what if the Shu never found him? Why return? He knew that if he did not return with the Nanman woman that he would have been as good as dead anyway. He knew Zhuge Liang... he wasn't smart, but he knew that the man wished only for his death.
So he allowed himself to remain lost, finding a nice shade and taking a seat. What else was there for him anyway? Shu was doomed.
He did not like this new emperor, nor did he like Zhuge Liang. When they could be taking care of the Wei forces in the north, their true enemies, they were wasting their time with these Nanman. Why were they even here at all, Wei Yan wondered, giving a slight growl as he felt a slight pain in the back of his arm grow. Damn gnats.
Wei Yan was better off alone and lost, never to be seen by Shu forces again. He knew it would make many people very thrilled… even if it gave them the personal victory.
He just didn't care anymore…
Being left alone in the jungle only tore the memories, the few and most painful he had, and unfolded them from the deepest depths of his mind. He gave a snarl, cursing himself for letting them seep through. He worked so hard into forgetting them, only to have them return. He just wanted it all to stop…
This wasn't the first time he was left behind by Shu… of course, back then, they weren't known as the Shu as they had no kingdom. But he remembered it well, running along the shore of the river, waving to them, begging them to stop.
No one would stop for Wei Yan.
As Liu Bei and his men fled from Chang Ban, they left the little boy to one of two choices… being caught by the Wei, who had killed his mother and people, or flee to the woods and die alone. And that's exactly what he had done, to escape the Wei soldiers that pursued him, he fled in terror and anger into the woods, never to be seen by Liu Bei ever again. He had entered those woods as that little boy, but he had left as a completely difference man…
This Wei Yan you saw now, sitting with his head in his hands, was not the true Wei Yan. No one, not even Huang Zhong, who had found him in the woods a week after, knew what the real Wei Yan was like. All they saw was this barbarian, this raving, incoherent brute lost within the river of blood that flowed through his head, wishing only for battle, to release that inner pain. And, as Pang Tong, Huang Zhong, and Liu Bei laid dead within the earth below, no one cared to take the time to see past that image.
So, once again, Wei Yan had come to the conclusion that perhaps he was ALWAYS alone. Maybe he was just meant to be this way?
That's right, he thought to himself, though admitting to the fact did not relieve the pain at all. Perhaps this was for the best…
Once again, he felt the stabbing pain in his arm again, but this time, he gave the insect a swat, only to realize it wasn't an insect at all. Instead, his hands had struck something smooth and thin, and if he had felt it even more before crushing it within his powerful hands, he would have felt the scales.
The snake gave a final hiss before it died, and as Wei Yan threw the legless demon to the floor, the damage as already done. It didn't take a genius like Zhuge Liang to figure out that it was poisonous, as he figured it out the minute he went to stand. The jungle around him spun, and he could see how swollen his arm had become in such a short amount of time. "Damn…"
There could have been something he could have done to save himself, but what was the point he figured? Things only seemed to get worse for him as he heard the slight sound of rumbling bushes and hearing the tiger's growl shortly afterwards. If the poison did not kill him, then the tiger surely would.
By this time, he had lost all feeling within his arm, and his legs gave away, as the great warrior collapsed to the ground, preparing to surrender to his fate. He could see the tiger now, preparing to pounce, but he did nothing about it. The tiger missed him last time, he thought with a weak smile, and it only wished for revenge…
"E-End here… end now…"
This time, Huang Zhong wasn't there to save him from the hungered tiger. However, another person once, as for a second time in his life, someone had leapt in the way of the tiger and himself. Zhu Rong gave a shout, hurling a perfectly aimed dagger directly at the beast's head and slaying it instantly. "Get outta here!"
Wasn't that the same thing that Huang Zhong had said when he released the arrow into the tiger's head so many years ago? Back then, he wondered why someone would ever put themselves in that sort of situation to save him?
However, now was not the time to worry about that, as the last of his strength was spent to spat at the woman, who now turned to him with an indecisive look on her ivory face. "Stupid woman. Let… me… sleep…"
~*~*~*~
"Gee, for someone who just saved your life, ya should be a bit more thankful!"
It was already too late by the time she said that, she feared, as the poisoned warrior drifted into unconsciousness, supposing to die in his sleep. Now, as she looked down at him, she felt the annoying ping of her consciousness take over, and also perhaps the motherly side of her, as she knelt down to check him.
"Still breathin'…" She was surprised by the roughness of his skin, but quickly ignored that when she saw the dead snake in the grass, grimacing. "Not for long though… how the heck did you get bitten by THAT thing? Must have been pretty dumb…"
Though slow, the snake was pretty poisonous, and she was surprised that he wasn't dead yet. The roughness of his sun-worn skin must have prevented the first bite from penetrating through the flesh… lucky him.
She rose, going to leave but giving him a proper salute, "Nice knowin' ya, pal, and thanks for helpin' me escape from that old geezer. I know it's kind of ironic that a warrior like you is gonna die here in the jungle, but, better then going back to that loser."
Her captor and savior did not respond, and that only made the impish grin grow as she turned to run away, giving the dead tiger one last hit before going to disappear into the bushes. "Good riddance to bad rubbish… at least now I can have a clear conscience that I won't have to kill him in battle…"
Once again, her conscious bit her hard in the ass, as she stopped herself, nearly tripping over her own feet as she did so. Looking back at his prone body again, her guilt only grew. This was the guy that saved her from rape earlier in the morning, and this was how she repaid him?
"Nonsense! HE'S the one who got me into this!"
Still, even as she told herself that, she couldn't defeat the actual woman side of her, giving into it and going to inspect the snake once again, trying to remember what the cure was. Perhaps she could just heal him and leave him for the Shu forces to find… surely that bastard Zhuge Liang would understand if he failed due to a vicious snake bite.
"Consider yourself lucky that you saved me for whatever reason you did… and the fact that I'm such a nice little girl. I should have just left ya for that tiger… would have been quicker."
Still, Wei Yan did not answer, his breathing raged and in short gasps now. That only fueled her on, hoping her husband would understand if she showed up a little late…