Rose Tint my World
By Gingivere the Shadowreaver
A/N: Please forgive me for how late this chapter, as well as BMTL, was. School as, once again, though for the last time (high school anyway), started up, so most of my time WILL be spent on my studies. The last thing I'll do is drop these ideas, however, I will probably put them on suspension, if I truly need it. School takes up much of my life, and this is my last year, so, yeah. If I do need to put the fanfics on hold, then I shall post a reminder. However, I will constantly work on them at night, and pray I get to get them to you.
Argh... enough of wasting space. Onto the story...
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Chapter Five
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It was definitely one of those moments; you know those moments where things go from bad to worse? Well, Zhu Rong was just having one of those moments, as no sooner did she finished sucking out the poison and rubbing the little amount of herbs she could find onto the snakebite, the heavens opened and the rain began to fall, slowly, but growing stronger by the minute. Yes, it was DEFINITELY one of those days...
With all her strength spent on moving the much heavier warrior and much breathe spent cursing him, she finally got Wei Yan to a safe area, away from the trees and into an abandoned animal den. She assumed it was for a bear, and rather the beast was still in there she did not care. It was hers for the time being, and she dared any creature to try to deny her a place to stay away from the thundering rain.
Resting the unconscious Shu officer down in a small, makeshift bed, the mighty Amazon collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted by her efforts. She had to tear off his armor and skulls to make him light enough for her to drag, and where that armor was right now, she could care less. She rather enjoyed looking at his fine structure, with muscles like iron and skin as tan and hard as leather. Yes, he did have a few occasional scars, but they did not surprise her in the least.
"Wonder how many battles YOU survived..." she thought aloud to herself, knowing that he could not hear her to respond. That snake's poison was pretty deadly, and the process of slitting the bites vertically with her dagger and sucking the venom from him was quite challenging. Even now, she wiped away the blood, and she only hoped that he was strong enough to pull through this.
Not like she cared, but she would rather have slept on an easy conscious. After all, this man DID let her go after all, even though he did capture her in the first place.
She was still rather confused on why he did not kill her, and she only wondered more as she tried to observe him, to gain knowledge about this strange, disgruntled man. That was what most men had hated about her, but she could care less who hated her or not. She was curious!
"Slashes along the chest and flank... guessin' that's why you're missing a few parts of your armor..."
Running a hand along the scars across his bare, muscular chest, she could almost see what could have happened there, and there was the same feelings that overcame her when she spread her fingers onto the rest of the scars. They were still causing him much pain... were they new?
"Well... guessin' that's why you're grumpy... that or something bein' rammed up your anal." Zhu Rong joked, resting her ear and cheek on his slow rising and falling chest. She could hear his heart beat softly, and any fear about him dying in his sleep had ceased. "Looks like you'll pull through this little incident pretty well... better consider yourself lucky I was there to save you."
Of course, she expected no answer, as any other man would have tried to conceal the fact and deny it. However, Wei Yan just continued to stay in that slumberous state, not caring to return to reality anytime soon.
Now, as the rain poured viciously outside the cave's entrance, the Amazon continued observing Wei Yan, her curiosity of the man growing more and more. Who was he really? What did he look like under that mask?
Her first guess was that he was an ugly, mutated monster, but somehow, she did not believe this. No, to her, there was no true definition of ugly, as she saw everything as the same. And the fact that no one could have an uglier face then her husband made her think strongly that this man did not hide his face for looks.
Perhaps Wei Yan looked rather dashing under that mask? Perhaps, to lure people away and to be rid of unwanted attention, maybe this beautiful, sexy warrior wore the mask as incognito, to merely FOOL everyone into thinking they knew who he was.
Then the thought crumbled before she even reached out to touch the mask. That definitely wasn't it...
She let her soft fingers slip onto the skull mask, flinching as if she was struck by a sudden trance by merely touching it. Now, as she withdrew her hand, she figured that he hid if face because of a battle scar, and he was ashamed to show his face as he was obviously not the victor of that 'fight.'
Thunder crashed, scaring the woman out of her wits! She screamed, rising only to hit her head on the top of the cave and falling over and on top of the resting warrior. By the time she caught a hold of herself, she prepared to be thrown off, however, the man just remained asleep.
"Damn... I take it you don't sleep often..."
Sitting up once again, Zhu Rong went back to her pondering. She surely wasn't the smartest woman out there, as most women were forbidden to be, but she was curious. Now she was DYING to know what was behind that mask, and once again, she grasped it, feeling the same thing as before.
Even her undeniable curiosity could not make her remove it, and, defeated by her own small but still there conscious, she released it and sat against the side of the wall now. Whatever the reason, he wore the mask to hide himself, and though not intelligent, she knew he wished to keep it that way.
"Still..." Her curiosity was like a roller coaster, but she stayed where she was and kept her hands to herself. It was killing her NOT to know, but she didn't like fighting her conscious either. So, she stayed put, wishing for the rain to end quickly. Though, in THESE jungles, that was merely impossible...
It was only a few minutes later when she actually heard Wei Yan speak, and she did not respond to it for awhile, not even sure if she heard him right. As Zhu Rong looked to him, he repeated himself, but his words were nothing but babble and the woman could not make heads or tails of what he was saying.
"He must be running a fever... or learning a new language..."
She moved her hand as his head tilted towards her, giving him a poke to the shoulders as she saw his eyes flutter open, revealing its usual dead glint in them. "Hey, masked boy, you alright there?"
Wei Yan just gave her that dead look, and she shivered uncontrollably as his babbling stopped, his eyes once again drooping as he returned to the overwhelming slumber that called. She gave a sigh, turning back to doing nothing once again. "Go figure... suppose I should go get some food... a little rain didn't KILL anyone."
Without much else said, the brave woman rose from her spot, figuring that the man would be safe being alone for a little while. Her woman instincts reminded her that a sick person would be in sure need of nourishment, and what would be better then going to the now swollen rivers and catching a few fish? Perhaps, if luck was on her side (which half the time it wasn't), she probably could have found a boar!
"Yeah right. I suppose I'd be the only idiot that would be doin' this sort of crap during a storm..."
Still, it gave her comfort that she had finally escaped that blasted Zhuge Liang... even though she couldn't see him and a few troops spying on her as she walked out of the caves, too concerned with finding her bearings to care to see them carefully hidden in the coves.
~*~*~*~
Dreams were nothing to Wei Yan, only painful, distant memories. He could never dream, but instead, he relived his actions, relived the pain. Now he could see himself within in trunk of the tree he called his home for two weeks, hovered in a small ball, in fear the man that stood across from him.
He would soon know this man as Huang Zhong, the one man that he came to truly trust after the horrible life he was put through in the woods. This man had a kind face, and he was already middle aged, his years in service was unquestionably long. But it were those kind, dark eyes that Wei Yan found trusting, and the man spoke, resting his bow at his side as he tried to reach to the frightened kid.
"Come now, young one... you're safe now that ol' Huang Zhong's here!"
Huang Zhong, Wei Yan thought, looking to him through the corner of his bloodshot eyes. He looked trustworthy, but the child could not make sure, only inching further into the trunk's hole to avoid him.
One thing he learned about Huang Zhong was that he was a rather impatient man, even back then, but he waited out for over half a day, trying to coax the child he just rescued from a tiger to come out of his hiding place. The child, soon to be known as Wei Yan, was a fiesty little demon, as anytime the veteran would come close, he would cover his ears from the screams and shield his face from the fists and feet to block the blows.
He was determined, and it was dusk when Wei Yan came out from hiding, only when Huang Zhong backed away, rising his bow and arrow into the sky and sniping a peach from the highest branch. He had tricked the kid to come out, taunting him kindly into trusting him enough for the peach.
And, starved to near death, Wei Yan crawled out, allowing the man to see his injuries, injuries that he still suffered from today. A blade of a spear has torn through his back, leaving a bloody gash to decorate his walk, and a half broken arrow still stuck from his back, hindering his walk even further. Huang Zhong looked at this kid with such sympathy, giving the kid the peach and counting his fingers to make sure they were still there. He chuckled softly, as Wei Yan gnawed on the thing like a squirrel who never seen food for a year.
"Poor little imp... who in their right mind would hurt such a boy so young, then strand him in the woods?! I'll have their heads when I find out who! You can bet on that, young one!"
That's what he was called for about a week, when Huang Zhong practically took him in. Young One. The veteran had tried many times to ask for Wei Yan's name, but the kid did not utter a single word, only looking at him blankly and holding back tears. He did not remember his name...
He only remembered shame, pain, and fear, for the loss of his mother and village. Yes, that shame was enough to silence him, almost to the point he had forgotten to talk. It wasn't too bad, that week alone with this valorous but hot-tempered man, letting him heal is external wounds and give him a place to stay, but he wished that those days with him were longer, as it was short lived.
The thunder crackled outside, and Wei Yan found himself wide awake, staring around the now lit cave for a split second. His breathing was ragged, and his sudden strength gave away as his arms gave in and let him fall back onto the makeshift bed he was on.
As he laid there, trying to overcome the fatigue and dizziness, Wei Yan tried to recall where he was and why he was here. He hadn't a clue where the hell he was, but, as he rose his still swollen but now bandaged arm, he could remember clearly what happened. Damn that snake, for catching him off guard!
That did not matter now... the snake was dead, remembering the sensation of crushing the legless beast and ridding him of his life. He didn't now how he overcame the poison, but he gave a slight laugh, once again being cheated out of death.
This time, he savior was none other then the scantly-dressed Amazon that walked through the curtain of rain, dragging along the dead bird that she cleanly killed. Wei Yan gave a grunt; how embarrassing! However, he did not utter a word as she threw the dead foul to the ground, shaking her hair viciously and splashing about. "Damn rain... who the 'ell is doin' the dancin' anyway?"
Now slightly wet, the healed warrior gave a grunt, turning away from her as she realized he was awake. "Stupid woman... too loud."
"Ahhhhh, you're awake!" Zhu Rong knelt next to him, seeing his curled lip and bent before his head turned. Pouting falsely, she shrugged, squeezing some of her hair in a sad attempt to dry it. "Fine then, don't thank your savior. Just means more food for me! Thought a guy like you would LIKE some good foul."
"Poison..."
She scoffed, begin to rip the feather's from the unfortunate bird's body. "Don't worry about that... lucky to have me, that you have! Slit your bites and sucked out ALL of the poison, so since you're complaining about it, you'll be fine."
Now he laughed, and he shook his head, a smile so awkward on his masked face. "No... you cook... it poison."
"Well, I've never been so insulted in my life!" Zhu Rong hissed, wanting to punch him but knowing better then to lay a hit on him. Instead, she only threw the feathers in his face, laughing when the dark-tanned warrior gave a round of sneezes. "Allergic to feathers. I can use that against ya if you make me mad enough..."
That only seemed to make him angry, but the sneezes stopped him, letting her do whatever she wanted. He gave in, turning over on one side and covering his nose as the sneezes came at a convulsing force. It was a good few minutes later when he finally stopped, and he ignored the Goddess of Fire when she asked, "Ya gonna live? Sneezin' up a storm over there, and here I thought the snake would've killed ya."
He said nothing, his muscles finally unlocking as he laid there, wishing for nothing more than to be alone. He hated this woman, and he hated how she got close to him like this. He hated women in general, not because he looked down upon them, as inferior beings, but because he could never understand them.
Such strange things, these women. One minute, they would coax you, flattering and giggling, then the next, they were upon you like a leech. There was only one woman Wei Yan was ever close to in his life, and she was long since dead. No other woman looked at him as they would have to a normal human. No, even peasant women scoffed at his appearance, seeing his bent structure and skull mask and instantly turning, to snicker and comment as if their words meant nothing.
But why care about women, he thought? He did not care rather they were in the kitchens or in the battlefield, none would like him, and he would like none.
"How ya want your bird cooked?"
He growled, letting that be his only answer.
Annoyed, Zhu Rong grabbed a single feather, leaning over him and tickling his nose with it, letting him sneeze a few rounds before asking her question again, "Now, let me try this, an' I'll be a bit nicer this time. How do you want your bird cocked? Raw, burnt to a crisp, what?"
"Not... hungry." Wei Yan spat after his sneezing fit finally ended. "No fire... too wet."
Hearing her sigh, the warrior wondered as she gave him a swift, but light, kick to the rear, her sandals doing little or no damage whatsoever as she rose. "Always got to look on the bright side, don't you? And don't give me that look! It's called sarcasm..."
"You strange. Don't like you... not like a lot."
"I knew I should have let you die... but serves me right for being nice, eh?" Zhu Rong sneered, turning to the rare dry wood that she found within the caves earlier before he had woke up. Grabbing a rock and one of her daggers, she gave him this look as he stared at her with those lifeless eyes. "If ya gonna stay in these jungles, you must know how things go here. One, everything bows to me, the Fire Goddess, so don't expect for me to take your death threats seriously. I see you, mopin' and broodin' as if ya don't care for tomorrow. You haven't the heart to do anything, and don't lie, I can see it in your black eyes that you care nothing more about your life."
Yes, she was horribly correct, and she realized that a bit too late, striking the deepest and most well hidden (until now, anyway) nerve that could possibly ever be hurt within the man. Those dark eyes, so lifeless, now only radiated deep, dark pain, but no hint of tears. No, he only cried twice in his life, and this was not to be the third. Instead, he only sighed, depression laced in his words. "Serve no more... no... purpose."
Scratching the rock against her dagger, she tried to spark a flame, getting little or no success instantly. "Well, you're alive now, so obviously there is SOME reason why you still want to live. Don't believe me? I know a guy who wishes for death when I see one; many times. Bitten by a snake, nothin' serious, but they die from the depression and the will of not livin'. You Shu bastards take too much for granted, especially that Zhuge Liang. What right does HE have to barge into OUR land? Man, he has some nerve... calling us barbarians!"
"Yes..." Wei Yan's voice wavered slightly, as he tried to sit up, to speak better. It was a hard task, but he did so, getting a look from the amazon as he spoke as if he was in a trance. "Clever... he is. Know... this... tricky man..."
"That he is! Why, if it wasn't for you, I'd already had killed him, if he would have stood up to my face! Nobody gets passed the Goddess of Fire without getting burned!" Losing her temper, she threw the rock, letting it echo off the walls of the caves before going to sit by Wei Yan, to help him up. "Nah... he's a smart one to have others doing his dirty work. Bet he hasn't slain a man with his own bare hands in all of his life! Selfish little devil rat!"
Wei Yan did not reply quickly, as he just kind of stared off, remembering seeing soldiers of his clan and of another clan tear themselves apart, all for the glory of someone else. He did not grow attached to these men, no, that would only cause more pain. More pain that he did not want. He saw soldiers die to his own hands, but he did not care for them. Though, they did not die because they wanted to...
They died for the cause of something else, something that just wasn't worth fighting for. The Han was dead, and it did not take the 'half-witted' warrior such as himself to figure it out. It was known to all...
"This war... worthless."
That earned him a look from the woman, and she spoke softly, her voice edged with curiosity. "Tell me, then... what the heck ARE you guys fightin' for? What's so 'worthless' that the old man has to continue all this crap? Surely there was a reason one time or other, eh?"
In those pain-filled orbs, Wei Yan told a sad story, one that Zhuge Liang, from where he hid, could even see. "For Han. For peasants. For Liu Bei... no honor. No pride. Just fight... to live... no reason now, just fight to live."
"The Han?" Zhu Rong heard so little about the glorious Han Empire, and her curiosity only grew and grew, as she acted like a little puppy with a new playtoy. Finally, someone could explain things from outside these jungles! "You guys lookin' to restorin' the Han Empire, right? I thought it fell when those Yellow hat-wearer people started a rebellion."
"Han dead... cannot save, cannot bring back. But still fight... for Han, all lost, all die. But I live." Something in those eyes sparked up, and with such new strength, Wei Yan rose to his feet, ignoring the fatigue that cursed him and the woman besides him. "Live in pain for Han! For Han, village lost! For Han, mother lost! Han dead, I keep Han dead! Han killed mother... I kill HAN!"
He could not see Zhu Rong's sympathetic blue eyes, for all he saw was red coating the world around him. She could see his bright, bleeding red eyes, and as much as she feared them, she longed for them, to understand its meaning. She had seen those eyes before, and she asked, not noticing the way he trembled, "How can you do that, change your eyes like that?"
Ignoring her question, Wei Yan threw his head back, giving a tormented cry, letting it echo throughout the cave and into the raining jungle, letting Zhuge Liang hear his words. "I HATE HAN! DESTROY... HAN! HAN TOOK MOTHER! HAN TOOK HUANG ZHONG!"
The next thing that happened totally surprised the poor woman, and somehow, she found herself fleeing from those swinging arms. She could see the Sleeping Dragon rise from where he hide, releasing the string and letting the arrow find its way into Wei Yan's unprotected back. The beast gave a terrible cry, one mixed with pain and fury, and she screamed, preparing to catch him if he fell.
No, not even a thorn-wrapped arrow could stop Wei Yan now, as he turned those demonic eyes towards his new prey, and, with or without his voulge, he rushed out of the protection of the cave, screaming the name of the ever-smiling man. "ZHUGE... LIANG! YOU HAN! I KILL HAN!"
Another arrow drove itself into Wei Yan's shoulder, but not even that stopped him. Zhu Rong saw his grin, as he retreated into the bushes and deeper into the jungle, taunting the beast into a pursuit. "I knew you would betray us someday, demon, and those who betray the Han for whatever reason must perish by either my Lord's hands or mine..."
"Wei Yan, don't go after him!" Zhu Rong shouted, unable to remove herself from the floor of the cave. She could see them getting further and further away, and she screamed again, throwing insults at the beast that dove into the bushes. "Idiot! He's leading you into a trap! Wei Yan!"
It was too late... the hunter was out for his prey, and he could not be stopped. This moment, though, was the best for her to flee, as she could see that Zhuge Liang lost all interest in her. She could had fled, however, grabbing her daggers and Wei Yan's resting voulge, she followed without question, her blue eyes burning with lust. Lust for battle, one that the Goddess of Fire could not resist.
By Gingivere the Shadowreaver
A/N: Please forgive me for how late this chapter, as well as BMTL, was. School as, once again, though for the last time (high school anyway), started up, so most of my time WILL be spent on my studies. The last thing I'll do is drop these ideas, however, I will probably put them on suspension, if I truly need it. School takes up much of my life, and this is my last year, so, yeah. If I do need to put the fanfics on hold, then I shall post a reminder. However, I will constantly work on them at night, and pray I get to get them to you.
Argh... enough of wasting space. Onto the story...
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Chapter Five
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It was definitely one of those moments; you know those moments where things go from bad to worse? Well, Zhu Rong was just having one of those moments, as no sooner did she finished sucking out the poison and rubbing the little amount of herbs she could find onto the snakebite, the heavens opened and the rain began to fall, slowly, but growing stronger by the minute. Yes, it was DEFINITELY one of those days...
With all her strength spent on moving the much heavier warrior and much breathe spent cursing him, she finally got Wei Yan to a safe area, away from the trees and into an abandoned animal den. She assumed it was for a bear, and rather the beast was still in there she did not care. It was hers for the time being, and she dared any creature to try to deny her a place to stay away from the thundering rain.
Resting the unconscious Shu officer down in a small, makeshift bed, the mighty Amazon collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted by her efforts. She had to tear off his armor and skulls to make him light enough for her to drag, and where that armor was right now, she could care less. She rather enjoyed looking at his fine structure, with muscles like iron and skin as tan and hard as leather. Yes, he did have a few occasional scars, but they did not surprise her in the least.
"Wonder how many battles YOU survived..." she thought aloud to herself, knowing that he could not hear her to respond. That snake's poison was pretty deadly, and the process of slitting the bites vertically with her dagger and sucking the venom from him was quite challenging. Even now, she wiped away the blood, and she only hoped that he was strong enough to pull through this.
Not like she cared, but she would rather have slept on an easy conscious. After all, this man DID let her go after all, even though he did capture her in the first place.
She was still rather confused on why he did not kill her, and she only wondered more as she tried to observe him, to gain knowledge about this strange, disgruntled man. That was what most men had hated about her, but she could care less who hated her or not. She was curious!
"Slashes along the chest and flank... guessin' that's why you're missing a few parts of your armor..."
Running a hand along the scars across his bare, muscular chest, she could almost see what could have happened there, and there was the same feelings that overcame her when she spread her fingers onto the rest of the scars. They were still causing him much pain... were they new?
"Well... guessin' that's why you're grumpy... that or something bein' rammed up your anal." Zhu Rong joked, resting her ear and cheek on his slow rising and falling chest. She could hear his heart beat softly, and any fear about him dying in his sleep had ceased. "Looks like you'll pull through this little incident pretty well... better consider yourself lucky I was there to save you."
Of course, she expected no answer, as any other man would have tried to conceal the fact and deny it. However, Wei Yan just continued to stay in that slumberous state, not caring to return to reality anytime soon.
Now, as the rain poured viciously outside the cave's entrance, the Amazon continued observing Wei Yan, her curiosity of the man growing more and more. Who was he really? What did he look like under that mask?
Her first guess was that he was an ugly, mutated monster, but somehow, she did not believe this. No, to her, there was no true definition of ugly, as she saw everything as the same. And the fact that no one could have an uglier face then her husband made her think strongly that this man did not hide his face for looks.
Perhaps Wei Yan looked rather dashing under that mask? Perhaps, to lure people away and to be rid of unwanted attention, maybe this beautiful, sexy warrior wore the mask as incognito, to merely FOOL everyone into thinking they knew who he was.
Then the thought crumbled before she even reached out to touch the mask. That definitely wasn't it...
She let her soft fingers slip onto the skull mask, flinching as if she was struck by a sudden trance by merely touching it. Now, as she withdrew her hand, she figured that he hid if face because of a battle scar, and he was ashamed to show his face as he was obviously not the victor of that 'fight.'
Thunder crashed, scaring the woman out of her wits! She screamed, rising only to hit her head on the top of the cave and falling over and on top of the resting warrior. By the time she caught a hold of herself, she prepared to be thrown off, however, the man just remained asleep.
"Damn... I take it you don't sleep often..."
Sitting up once again, Zhu Rong went back to her pondering. She surely wasn't the smartest woman out there, as most women were forbidden to be, but she was curious. Now she was DYING to know what was behind that mask, and once again, she grasped it, feeling the same thing as before.
Even her undeniable curiosity could not make her remove it, and, defeated by her own small but still there conscious, she released it and sat against the side of the wall now. Whatever the reason, he wore the mask to hide himself, and though not intelligent, she knew he wished to keep it that way.
"Still..." Her curiosity was like a roller coaster, but she stayed where she was and kept her hands to herself. It was killing her NOT to know, but she didn't like fighting her conscious either. So, she stayed put, wishing for the rain to end quickly. Though, in THESE jungles, that was merely impossible...
It was only a few minutes later when she actually heard Wei Yan speak, and she did not respond to it for awhile, not even sure if she heard him right. As Zhu Rong looked to him, he repeated himself, but his words were nothing but babble and the woman could not make heads or tails of what he was saying.
"He must be running a fever... or learning a new language..."
She moved her hand as his head tilted towards her, giving him a poke to the shoulders as she saw his eyes flutter open, revealing its usual dead glint in them. "Hey, masked boy, you alright there?"
Wei Yan just gave her that dead look, and she shivered uncontrollably as his babbling stopped, his eyes once again drooping as he returned to the overwhelming slumber that called. She gave a sigh, turning back to doing nothing once again. "Go figure... suppose I should go get some food... a little rain didn't KILL anyone."
Without much else said, the brave woman rose from her spot, figuring that the man would be safe being alone for a little while. Her woman instincts reminded her that a sick person would be in sure need of nourishment, and what would be better then going to the now swollen rivers and catching a few fish? Perhaps, if luck was on her side (which half the time it wasn't), she probably could have found a boar!
"Yeah right. I suppose I'd be the only idiot that would be doin' this sort of crap during a storm..."
Still, it gave her comfort that she had finally escaped that blasted Zhuge Liang... even though she couldn't see him and a few troops spying on her as she walked out of the caves, too concerned with finding her bearings to care to see them carefully hidden in the coves.
~*~*~*~
Dreams were nothing to Wei Yan, only painful, distant memories. He could never dream, but instead, he relived his actions, relived the pain. Now he could see himself within in trunk of the tree he called his home for two weeks, hovered in a small ball, in fear the man that stood across from him.
He would soon know this man as Huang Zhong, the one man that he came to truly trust after the horrible life he was put through in the woods. This man had a kind face, and he was already middle aged, his years in service was unquestionably long. But it were those kind, dark eyes that Wei Yan found trusting, and the man spoke, resting his bow at his side as he tried to reach to the frightened kid.
"Come now, young one... you're safe now that ol' Huang Zhong's here!"
Huang Zhong, Wei Yan thought, looking to him through the corner of his bloodshot eyes. He looked trustworthy, but the child could not make sure, only inching further into the trunk's hole to avoid him.
One thing he learned about Huang Zhong was that he was a rather impatient man, even back then, but he waited out for over half a day, trying to coax the child he just rescued from a tiger to come out of his hiding place. The child, soon to be known as Wei Yan, was a fiesty little demon, as anytime the veteran would come close, he would cover his ears from the screams and shield his face from the fists and feet to block the blows.
He was determined, and it was dusk when Wei Yan came out from hiding, only when Huang Zhong backed away, rising his bow and arrow into the sky and sniping a peach from the highest branch. He had tricked the kid to come out, taunting him kindly into trusting him enough for the peach.
And, starved to near death, Wei Yan crawled out, allowing the man to see his injuries, injuries that he still suffered from today. A blade of a spear has torn through his back, leaving a bloody gash to decorate his walk, and a half broken arrow still stuck from his back, hindering his walk even further. Huang Zhong looked at this kid with such sympathy, giving the kid the peach and counting his fingers to make sure they were still there. He chuckled softly, as Wei Yan gnawed on the thing like a squirrel who never seen food for a year.
"Poor little imp... who in their right mind would hurt such a boy so young, then strand him in the woods?! I'll have their heads when I find out who! You can bet on that, young one!"
That's what he was called for about a week, when Huang Zhong practically took him in. Young One. The veteran had tried many times to ask for Wei Yan's name, but the kid did not utter a single word, only looking at him blankly and holding back tears. He did not remember his name...
He only remembered shame, pain, and fear, for the loss of his mother and village. Yes, that shame was enough to silence him, almost to the point he had forgotten to talk. It wasn't too bad, that week alone with this valorous but hot-tempered man, letting him heal is external wounds and give him a place to stay, but he wished that those days with him were longer, as it was short lived.
The thunder crackled outside, and Wei Yan found himself wide awake, staring around the now lit cave for a split second. His breathing was ragged, and his sudden strength gave away as his arms gave in and let him fall back onto the makeshift bed he was on.
As he laid there, trying to overcome the fatigue and dizziness, Wei Yan tried to recall where he was and why he was here. He hadn't a clue where the hell he was, but, as he rose his still swollen but now bandaged arm, he could remember clearly what happened. Damn that snake, for catching him off guard!
That did not matter now... the snake was dead, remembering the sensation of crushing the legless beast and ridding him of his life. He didn't now how he overcame the poison, but he gave a slight laugh, once again being cheated out of death.
This time, he savior was none other then the scantly-dressed Amazon that walked through the curtain of rain, dragging along the dead bird that she cleanly killed. Wei Yan gave a grunt; how embarrassing! However, he did not utter a word as she threw the dead foul to the ground, shaking her hair viciously and splashing about. "Damn rain... who the 'ell is doin' the dancin' anyway?"
Now slightly wet, the healed warrior gave a grunt, turning away from her as she realized he was awake. "Stupid woman... too loud."
"Ahhhhh, you're awake!" Zhu Rong knelt next to him, seeing his curled lip and bent before his head turned. Pouting falsely, she shrugged, squeezing some of her hair in a sad attempt to dry it. "Fine then, don't thank your savior. Just means more food for me! Thought a guy like you would LIKE some good foul."
"Poison..."
She scoffed, begin to rip the feather's from the unfortunate bird's body. "Don't worry about that... lucky to have me, that you have! Slit your bites and sucked out ALL of the poison, so since you're complaining about it, you'll be fine."
Now he laughed, and he shook his head, a smile so awkward on his masked face. "No... you cook... it poison."
"Well, I've never been so insulted in my life!" Zhu Rong hissed, wanting to punch him but knowing better then to lay a hit on him. Instead, she only threw the feathers in his face, laughing when the dark-tanned warrior gave a round of sneezes. "Allergic to feathers. I can use that against ya if you make me mad enough..."
That only seemed to make him angry, but the sneezes stopped him, letting her do whatever she wanted. He gave in, turning over on one side and covering his nose as the sneezes came at a convulsing force. It was a good few minutes later when he finally stopped, and he ignored the Goddess of Fire when she asked, "Ya gonna live? Sneezin' up a storm over there, and here I thought the snake would've killed ya."
He said nothing, his muscles finally unlocking as he laid there, wishing for nothing more than to be alone. He hated this woman, and he hated how she got close to him like this. He hated women in general, not because he looked down upon them, as inferior beings, but because he could never understand them.
Such strange things, these women. One minute, they would coax you, flattering and giggling, then the next, they were upon you like a leech. There was only one woman Wei Yan was ever close to in his life, and she was long since dead. No other woman looked at him as they would have to a normal human. No, even peasant women scoffed at his appearance, seeing his bent structure and skull mask and instantly turning, to snicker and comment as if their words meant nothing.
But why care about women, he thought? He did not care rather they were in the kitchens or in the battlefield, none would like him, and he would like none.
"How ya want your bird cooked?"
He growled, letting that be his only answer.
Annoyed, Zhu Rong grabbed a single feather, leaning over him and tickling his nose with it, letting him sneeze a few rounds before asking her question again, "Now, let me try this, an' I'll be a bit nicer this time. How do you want your bird cocked? Raw, burnt to a crisp, what?"
"Not... hungry." Wei Yan spat after his sneezing fit finally ended. "No fire... too wet."
Hearing her sigh, the warrior wondered as she gave him a swift, but light, kick to the rear, her sandals doing little or no damage whatsoever as she rose. "Always got to look on the bright side, don't you? And don't give me that look! It's called sarcasm..."
"You strange. Don't like you... not like a lot."
"I knew I should have let you die... but serves me right for being nice, eh?" Zhu Rong sneered, turning to the rare dry wood that she found within the caves earlier before he had woke up. Grabbing a rock and one of her daggers, she gave him this look as he stared at her with those lifeless eyes. "If ya gonna stay in these jungles, you must know how things go here. One, everything bows to me, the Fire Goddess, so don't expect for me to take your death threats seriously. I see you, mopin' and broodin' as if ya don't care for tomorrow. You haven't the heart to do anything, and don't lie, I can see it in your black eyes that you care nothing more about your life."
Yes, she was horribly correct, and she realized that a bit too late, striking the deepest and most well hidden (until now, anyway) nerve that could possibly ever be hurt within the man. Those dark eyes, so lifeless, now only radiated deep, dark pain, but no hint of tears. No, he only cried twice in his life, and this was not to be the third. Instead, he only sighed, depression laced in his words. "Serve no more... no... purpose."
Scratching the rock against her dagger, she tried to spark a flame, getting little or no success instantly. "Well, you're alive now, so obviously there is SOME reason why you still want to live. Don't believe me? I know a guy who wishes for death when I see one; many times. Bitten by a snake, nothin' serious, but they die from the depression and the will of not livin'. You Shu bastards take too much for granted, especially that Zhuge Liang. What right does HE have to barge into OUR land? Man, he has some nerve... calling us barbarians!"
"Yes..." Wei Yan's voice wavered slightly, as he tried to sit up, to speak better. It was a hard task, but he did so, getting a look from the amazon as he spoke as if he was in a trance. "Clever... he is. Know... this... tricky man..."
"That he is! Why, if it wasn't for you, I'd already had killed him, if he would have stood up to my face! Nobody gets passed the Goddess of Fire without getting burned!" Losing her temper, she threw the rock, letting it echo off the walls of the caves before going to sit by Wei Yan, to help him up. "Nah... he's a smart one to have others doing his dirty work. Bet he hasn't slain a man with his own bare hands in all of his life! Selfish little devil rat!"
Wei Yan did not reply quickly, as he just kind of stared off, remembering seeing soldiers of his clan and of another clan tear themselves apart, all for the glory of someone else. He did not grow attached to these men, no, that would only cause more pain. More pain that he did not want. He saw soldiers die to his own hands, but he did not care for them. Though, they did not die because they wanted to...
They died for the cause of something else, something that just wasn't worth fighting for. The Han was dead, and it did not take the 'half-witted' warrior such as himself to figure it out. It was known to all...
"This war... worthless."
That earned him a look from the woman, and she spoke softly, her voice edged with curiosity. "Tell me, then... what the heck ARE you guys fightin' for? What's so 'worthless' that the old man has to continue all this crap? Surely there was a reason one time or other, eh?"
In those pain-filled orbs, Wei Yan told a sad story, one that Zhuge Liang, from where he hid, could even see. "For Han. For peasants. For Liu Bei... no honor. No pride. Just fight... to live... no reason now, just fight to live."
"The Han?" Zhu Rong heard so little about the glorious Han Empire, and her curiosity only grew and grew, as she acted like a little puppy with a new playtoy. Finally, someone could explain things from outside these jungles! "You guys lookin' to restorin' the Han Empire, right? I thought it fell when those Yellow hat-wearer people started a rebellion."
"Han dead... cannot save, cannot bring back. But still fight... for Han, all lost, all die. But I live." Something in those eyes sparked up, and with such new strength, Wei Yan rose to his feet, ignoring the fatigue that cursed him and the woman besides him. "Live in pain for Han! For Han, village lost! For Han, mother lost! Han dead, I keep Han dead! Han killed mother... I kill HAN!"
He could not see Zhu Rong's sympathetic blue eyes, for all he saw was red coating the world around him. She could see his bright, bleeding red eyes, and as much as she feared them, she longed for them, to understand its meaning. She had seen those eyes before, and she asked, not noticing the way he trembled, "How can you do that, change your eyes like that?"
Ignoring her question, Wei Yan threw his head back, giving a tormented cry, letting it echo throughout the cave and into the raining jungle, letting Zhuge Liang hear his words. "I HATE HAN! DESTROY... HAN! HAN TOOK MOTHER! HAN TOOK HUANG ZHONG!"
The next thing that happened totally surprised the poor woman, and somehow, she found herself fleeing from those swinging arms. She could see the Sleeping Dragon rise from where he hide, releasing the string and letting the arrow find its way into Wei Yan's unprotected back. The beast gave a terrible cry, one mixed with pain and fury, and she screamed, preparing to catch him if he fell.
No, not even a thorn-wrapped arrow could stop Wei Yan now, as he turned those demonic eyes towards his new prey, and, with or without his voulge, he rushed out of the protection of the cave, screaming the name of the ever-smiling man. "ZHUGE... LIANG! YOU HAN! I KILL HAN!"
Another arrow drove itself into Wei Yan's shoulder, but not even that stopped him. Zhu Rong saw his grin, as he retreated into the bushes and deeper into the jungle, taunting the beast into a pursuit. "I knew you would betray us someday, demon, and those who betray the Han for whatever reason must perish by either my Lord's hands or mine..."
"Wei Yan, don't go after him!" Zhu Rong shouted, unable to remove herself from the floor of the cave. She could see them getting further and further away, and she screamed again, throwing insults at the beast that dove into the bushes. "Idiot! He's leading you into a trap! Wei Yan!"
It was too late... the hunter was out for his prey, and he could not be stopped. This moment, though, was the best for her to flee, as she could see that Zhuge Liang lost all interest in her. She could had fled, however, grabbing her daggers and Wei Yan's resting voulge, she followed without question, her blue eyes burning with lust. Lust for battle, one that the Goddess of Fire could not resist.