Disclaimer: I do not own any character in this fanfic unless otherwise stated. Lu Xun, Gan Ning, Lü Meng, and all other characters are copyrighted to KOEI Productions and are used for fan reasons only. Please do not steal or alter this fic.
I swear to God and to all that is holy, I will get this fanfic done. I will… I WILL, DARN YOU! Making a move into my next dorm, and it's MUCH better than my last one. Sure I have to use a community shower, but I can work with that, but it's a good sacrifice, as long as the room is big enough. Now… on with the story!
Chapter Thirteen: Help from Above'You're struggling, soldier…' It wasn't something that he wanted to hear, but he knew it was true. The young general looked towards the speaker of the voice, seeing his brother-in-law dampen the towel again, ignoring the blood that stained it. Lü Meng knew whose blood it was, feeling the side of his lip and trying to lick away from of it, despite the stinging sensation. Instantly, the older man replied, 'Don't mess with it.'
'But... it begs to be messed with.'
The nineteen year old gave a spat, flinching slightly as his brother-in-law brought the damp rag against his wound, biting his tongue slightly to stop a short whimper as the man sighed, 'And you shouldn't be picking fights with the others, otherwise it's you that's begging to be messed with.'
'It was their fault.' Lü Meng remembered replying, narrowing his dark green eyes and accepting the rag, to hold it up. He didn't want to be bothered with now… as if the beating he took wasn't enough! 'They could have just left me alone…'
'You provoked them just as much.' The older man sighed; thinking about it now, Lü Meng couldn't even remember his brother-in-law's name! At the time, he didn't care, though he owed a lot to this man. If it wasn't for him, he and his sister would still be out in the fields… 'So, what happened this time, or was it the usual?'
'It doesn't matter now.'
Somehow, the man didn't believe that, as he prepared the bandages. 'I don't believe that… it was more than one this time.'
'Forget it.' The young man sighed, pulling the damp rag away to see how much blood coated it. He scowled, pressing it to the one of his many wounds, as his brother-in-law looked at him with worried eyes. 'I'll just be stronger next time, that's all… I just wasn't thinking straight.'
'You hardly ever are.'
Angered, Lü Meng asked, 'What's that suppose to mean?'
'What do you think?' Finally, his name came to memory, as Fang shook his head, standing up and walking towards the window, to look at the setting sun. He could feel the youth's youthful green eyes staring at him, as he spoke lowly, 'You never put your head or your heart into anything… I was hoping that occupying you would help lessen the pain of her passing.'
'You think little of Chin, then.'
Chin, his beloved sister… yes, bringing up her name was more painful that he thought would be possible, but he tried not to let it show, as Fang asked, 'So you think… we all knew why we were married, Meng, and don't you think it's better this way?'
'No. She's gone.' Lü Meng pointed out, forgetting his injuries and turning away, as if to leave. 'What difference it would have made had she died a few months before you even came?'
'You seem to be the only one to consider such a thing.'
Now Lü Meng was getting angry, and Fang could easily see it by the way he held himself. He almost regretted his words, though it seemed too late. 'What did she see in you anyway? She knew she was going to die… so why did she bother with you or with any of this?'
'Perhaps one day, in the next world, you can ask her.'
The boy sneered, spitting out some blood, 'I can take care of myself… thanks for the rag.'
'I wish I could calm this rage within you. You know Chin would not have wanted you to act so.'
Instead, he made a rather witty comeback, something uncommon for him, 'No… instead she would have wanted me to act as if this never happened… maybe I should follow YOUR example.'
Was that... pain he saw, in those normally cold eyes? 'Meng... that was uncalled for.'
'It's the truth… that's another thing Chin would have wanted.'
'You do not know everything, Meng.'
However, Lü Meng seemed to be happy with that, as he turned away again, to leave the room. He didn't want to hear it… he didn't want to deal with this. He did give a reply, as he pulled open the drapes, letting some night-air in as he spoke lowly, 'If I knew everything, it'd only hurt more. I… don't think I can handle anymore.'
'No. Perhaps not.' Fang's voice was distant and if anything, edged with a hint of pain. Hearing this made Lü Meng smile for a second… at least, an emotion out of him! 'Good night.'
'Good night.'
The battle went on for about an hour now, and if the battle cries and the clang of metal clashing together didn't where on the old man's nerves, Wei Yan didn't know what would. He didn't know about Huang Zhong, but just the mere SOUND of the battle urged him to leap onto his horse and charge alone, even. But still, all he did was stand there and stare at the old man, who sat on the ground, cross-legged and arms crossed, as if he knew nothing of what was going on...
Of course, that was hardly the case. The elderly man was well aware of the situation, only too aware. And he hated the position he found himself in.
Wei Yan saw him flinch every time a death cry lifted into the air, and rather it was one of the damned pirates or one of the unfortunate Wu officers, it was wearing down on him as guilt. He knew as well as Wei Yan knew... he should be down there!
But he couldn't go! Not without permission from his Lord... not without some sort of orders!
"Grrr... not... good! Should... fight..."
And Huang Zhong snapped, giving him a deathly glare, "Not without permission... not unless you want martial law to do away with the both of us."
"Doesn't... feel... right!"
Sighing, the old man could not agree, "Doesn't matter. Sit down already, boy, you're making me nervous!"
"A message! We have a message from our lord!"
Both men looked up, and the soldiers that eagerly waited for orders practically parted the crowd for the arriving soldier on the white stallion. Wei Yan gave a blank stare, as Huang Zhong finally stood up, to get a good look at the young boy that approached them. He didn't remember seeing him before...
The gallant youth reined his horse, dismounting to kneel before the elder general, "General Zhong, I bring you an important message from Lord Liu Bei."
Observing the youth for a second, he guessed that he was no older than his late teens, his early twenties at most, and there was still a light in his teal eyes, indicating that he probably didn't spend too much time out on the battlefield. He was definitely a pretty boy, but Huang Zhong said nothing, giving a nod, "What's the message, young one?"
With youthful dexterity, the boy opened the letter, his cultured voice making every syllable seem important, "You are commanded to return to your borders, in order to wait for a stronger force that will join you at a later date."
It was short, but it was perfectly clear. Huang Zhong was partially pleased to hear that his Lord planned on assisting the Wu army, however, as he heard the death that took place behind their protective hill, he shared the same thoughts as Wei Yan, who merely snorted at the orders. They forces here would not last long enough...
Huang Zhong nodded, "Did he ask you to wait for a returning message?"
"No sir..." The youth replied. "He assumes that you will obey his orders without question, like a good general should. A man of your age should know that one must honor their lord's wishes before anything else, correct?"
Wei Yan could not help but laugh, "Boy... cute..."
The boy looked at him, and he was surprised to see the general turn around, to keep his back towards him as he only laughed some more. He obviously did not know Wei Yan well, as he replied, "How so, sir? I know as well as you do of the punishment that awaits to those who disobey our Lord's command!"
"Big... voice... no... pain..."
"Sir?! Do you realize what you're-"
Huang Zhong interrupted, "What is your name, little one?"
The boy stopped, to introduce himself, "I am Jiang Wei of Tian Shui. I would not expect you to know me, sir... as I just recently joined Shu-Han."
"Then, Jiang Wei, you undoubtedly know that more experienced generals come... to know their lord, better than some others would?" Huang Zhong stated, flashing Wei Yan another glare as he addressed this new officer before him. "Wei Yan and I joined our Lord in his quest to restore the Han Empire, and we've known our Lord for awhile now."
"I do not presume to question your knowledge, my lords... but I worry for you! Surely I cannot be expected to hide such speech from our lord?"
Now Huang Zhong smiled, "Oh, I know he already has a few well-chosen words for Wei Yan an' I! Don't worry... I know better than to disobey his orders, but that doesn't mean we have to like them!"
Wei Yan sighed, pointing to the battlefield, "Men... dying..."
"It's war... people die." Jiang Wei stated.
"Men... dying... for... STUPID... reason..." Wei Yan snorted again, and this time, Huang Zhong's glare did not stop him. He looked down at the battlefield, to see the defenses begin to fall to the oncoming horde of pirates. Anger danced within Wei Yan's coal black eyes, as he growled, "They... all... die..."
Giving a sigh, the elder general nodded, "Yes, Wei Yan... it seems inevitable."
"Still... stupid..."
"I agree, but there's nothing we can do. At least not yet... hopefully they'll be wise enough to start a retreat."
To that, Wei Yan laughed again, his bitterness ever so obvious, "Where to?"
Huang Zhong sighed, "I do not know..."
That did not please Wei Yan at all, and he completely ignored Huang Zhong, as the elder turned to the soldiers, preparing to give out the orders to move out. He did not noticed Wei Yan mounting his steed, until Jiang Wei practically ran in front of the horse to stop it. "General, our orders are to stand down until the main force arrives! Don't risk your very life on this!"
Wei Yan sighed, turning to Huang Zhong, "Explain... why... go..."
"No... boy, you better stand down, and that's an order from me!" Huang Zhong shouted, joining Jiang Wei and grabbing the horse's reigns from Wei Yan's hands, to scold him. "I risked my neck once to keep you alive; don't make that seem ungrateful!"
"Not... RIGHT!"
"I know it's not, but orders are orders..." Huang Zhong tried to calm him down, seeing him ready to explode from the rage. "Look, we'll get our chance, but for now, we need to back down!"
Down in the battlefield, the Wu forces were no fools. They knew that this fight had an inevitable conclusion, a conclusion they did not want. But where were the other kingdoms?!
Gan Ning never had to cut down so many people before in his life, and this was getting out of hand! He sliced and diced, kicked and punch, but there was literally no end to them! He asked himself the question again, wondering why there was no aid from their kingdom, why there was no aid from the other kingdoms? He cursed, removing his blade from another pirate's chest before striking down another. "Damn... BASTARDS!"
Lü Meng was having little better luck, for even as his halberd blade sliced through body after body, it was not fast enough.
He heard a pirate coming from behind, but luckily, a soldier that had managed to stay by him leapt in the way, unable to block the blow and taking his right to the gut. By the time Lü Meng turned around, it was already too late, and the general wasted no time, slaying the pirate with a single blow and taking the moment to look at his savior.
He was just a boy, no older than Lu Xun!
"Xun…"
Oh, how he prayed that the boy was doing alright… he took a risky glance up, to see if he could find his men among this sea of pirates, and not a single one popped up. Could it be… that only he and Gan Ning were left?!
Impossible! There had to be others somewhere, and he growled, cutting his way towards Gan Ning.
He shouted to Gan Ning, seeing as he was a few feet away now, "We need to retreat... there's no good staying here any longer!"
"Look around us, Meng! Where can we go?"
"Don't give me any lip! Fight your way out!" Lü Meng growled, giving a frustrated cry as he gave his halberd a mighty slash, knocking over the soldiers that dared leap at him. He hated this situation just as much as Gan Ning did, but his heart felt safer, knowing that Lu Xun was safe from this hell. Again, he called out to Gan Ning, "Clear a way... get out however you can! I'll clear a way for you!"
"Like HELL you will!"
Again, Lü Meng cleared an area, but the former pirate did not budge. He shouted, failing to see the pirate captain heading towards them, swinging his spear in circles as he came in for the kill. "I command you to go! I'll meet you later; head towards the woods, before it's too late!"
Gan Ning sighed, knowing better then to trifle with his friend when he was in this mood. However, just as he was going to obey his command, he caught sight of Hua Seung, and he gave a shout, "MENG, WATCH OUT!"
Lü Meng gave a roar of pain as the spearhead slammed into his side, the warm blood gushing onto the blade and making it gleam as it withdrew. And he could see the curved sword swing about to take his head, however, Gan Ning had grabbed him in the nick of time, grasping the back of his ponytail and tugging his head back, clearly missing the blade.
Lü Meng hissed, "I told you... to get out!"
He heard fear in Gan Ning's voice, as the former pirate grabbed his free hand, pulling him along. "Shut up! Shut up and run!"
That made the wound bleed even more, and Lü Meng gasped in pain, "Ning... I'm going to slow you down this way..."
"You can't escape from me, cowarrrrrds!"
Gan Ning hissed at the tone, picking up speed, "We have to get you out of here Meng... You're practically BEGGING to be killed with a wound like that!"
And Lü Meng could not deny that fact, but the problem was, as they broke past the laughing pirates, to make a mad dash towards the wooded area, he could hardly keep up with him as it was. He allowed one hand to slip where the wound was, to feel the blood, and he nearly tripped, somehow able to keep himself and his friend up as he heard thundering hooves getting closer and closer from behind him. "Ning... let me go... we won't make it at this rate!"
"We don't have a choice! Unless I can find a place to hide you..."
Once again, Hua Seung was swinging his spear above his head, going in for the kill. There was no better opportunity than this, to slaughter both men in one blow. "You can't escape! Prepare to die!"
"That's it... change of plans. YOU run like hell, Meng, while I tear this bastard's liver out!" Gan Ning growled, keeping his sword at the ready. However, when he looked back, to see why Lü Meng had not responded, seeing how pale his face became frightened him. And what was worse? They were either slowing down greatly, or the pirate captain was practically ON them. "Shit!"
The next sound to be heard was the twang of an arrow, and a hiss of pain from the pirate captain, who clutched at the arrow that had struck him. Gan Ning did not know where the arrow came from, but he did not care, smiling as he saw it protrude from his side. The sudden jerk made the horse come to a complete halt, throwing its wounded master off and announcing their freedom for now...
But with Lü Meng in sheer agony, he could not possibly say for how long. And, secretly, he thanked whoever had sent that arrow to them... "Come on, Meng... just a little longer... please, stay with me just a little while longer!"
"No, Ning... you have to get out of here. You have to rally the troops. They'll be slaughtered!" Lü Meng 's voice sounded so distant, and he missed a step, though luck itself kept him from falling flat on his face. "Ning..."
Sighing, the former pirate knew he was right, but he was firm, "Let me stay with you until we find somewhere safe... then I'll go back..."
They heard Hua Seung's shouting fade into the distance, as they finally broke through the entrance of the woods, disappearing from the pirate's sight. "COWARDS! You can't hide from me forever! I'll hunt you down! I'll burn your out if I must! BASTARDSSS!"
Jiang Wei was in a state of shock, and despite everything, it was all Huang Zhong could do not to laugh at the stricken terror on his face. The elder looked down at him, raising an eyebrow as if to also question that look, "What is it boy? Cat caught your tongue?"
"S-sir! How... how COULD you?!"
Raising his eyebrow once again, Huang Zhong asked, "Do what? I did nothing! Did you see anything, Wei Yan?"
"Nope. Nothing... at... all..."
The boy was so young, that he did not understand their jest, and as Huang Zhong unslung his bow, Jiang Wei questioned him again, following him as he walked down the hill. "I saw what you did! You slung your bow and shot their commander in the flank! Why did you... how COULD you?"
"Jiang Wei... I know that you're young, and you probably don't see much real battle. But here's a good rule: When a future enemy is about to kill your future allies... you SHOOT at said future enemy!" Huang Zhong pointed out, his eyes full of life as he grinned. "Look, we're going to aid them eventually, right? I see no harm at saving a man's life from afar!"
Wei Yan nodded his approval, ruffling the poor boy's hair, "Saving... good..."
"But..." Jiang Wei ducked and tried to avoid the gesture, though it seemed impossible, "It was disobeying orders! What if they find us?"
"Let them come then!"
"But it will be giving away our position to the enemy!"
Wei Yan grinned, "Good. Fight... sooner..."
Again, Jiang Wei tried, but it was like talking to a brick wall, "But our orders clearly state for us not to-"
Now Huang Zhong could not help but laugh, throwing an affectionate arm about the boy's shoulders, "Yes yes. But, given the situation, I'm sure Lord Liu Bei would understand. Besides... he knows how Wei Yan and I think, just as surely as we know how he does. It wouldn't shock him, I can promise you!"
"If you aimed for his side, why not his head? You could have clearly killed him, sir!"
"Oh, you make an old man feel young again! Maybe when I had eyes like yours, I could have shot him dead from this distance, when he was moving like that."
Blinking, the boy asked, "So were you physically unable to do it? I heard you never missed your target..."
"Boy talk... too much..." Wei Yan snorted with a grin, nodding off.
Huang Zhong gave a stretch, "Yep. About time we started heading off. Care to ride with us, young Jiang Wei?"
The boy had no choice, merely mounting his stallion again. "Why didn't you kill him... you had the perfect opportunity!"
"You still want to know?"
"I saw it... you aimed for his head, then changed you aim to his flank..." Jiang Wei stated, keeping it low to where only Huang Zhong and Wei Yan heard him. "I saw you hesitate to kill him."
Huang Zhong sighed, "I felt that... killing him -would- be pushing the limit of our orders."
There was no false in that answer, and though it did not completely settle with Jiang Wei, the boy gave in, merely nodding and following the two generals to the head of their unit, preparing to obey their Lord's wishes. At least, that's what Jiang Wei thought... The old man turned to Wei Yan, giving him a wink, and the masked general gave a nod, understanding his message completely.