I know that chapter one was dull and cheesy, but I hope you like chapter two better. I'm beginning in the building of Wei, Wu and Shu. I'm sorry if I'm so wrong and I mix up the historical facts. I just don't feel like copying the historical facts in a black-and-white manner, so I didn't consult Romance of the Three Kingdoms all throughout
Time and Time Again
Summary: Jiang Wei takes his life during battle, but with his lord's dream unfulfilled and China in the hands of the nefarious Jin, he cannot stay at peace, so he makes a deal and goes back to the realm of the living to the alter history and make sure that Shu wins the war and end the Jin's reign by altering different battles.
PG13 for suicide stuff, situations inappropriate for children, use of alcohol, swear words and some err…yaoi…or slash…or… err…love between two guys…And for this chapter there's animal cruelty or the killing of tiny birds.
Chapter two: The Beginning of Everything
A searing pain clouded Jiang Wei's head, "Where in the world am I?"
He woke with his face upon the cold ground. He lifted his head to look around. All he could see was a rather tall mountain before him. Nearly everything around him was shrouded by the immense darkness of the night. But the moon's pale rays lighted up some areas which were littered with different kinds of trees.
Jiang Wei sat up and propped his body against the mountain side.
"Damn it," Jiang Wei moaned, grasping his abdomen which was drenched in blood. There was a throbbing pain there. He removed the bloodied armor from there and looked at his stomach to find a gaping wound. "Right where I killed myself," Jiang Wei sighed, "The wound hurts so much…"
Suddenly, a lot of footsteps could be heard, coming nearer to Jiang Wei's direction. Too tired from the pain in his stomach, Jiang Wei didn't budge.
I better remove all my armor, so that I don't look conspicuous.
Then as he finished hiding his body armor behind a nearby rock, an army came marching before him. Jiang Wei's eyes bulged for they were carrying a blue flag like that of Wei, the kingdom he had betrayed.
A general riding a black horse rode up before the army.
"It's a civilian!" the general exclaimed, nearing Jiang Wei who stayed there silent, staring off into space.
With little effort, Jiang Wei looked at the general. The general had black hair and a matching ebony beard and tan skin that had been embraced by the heat of the sun for so long. But what hit Jiang Wei most was the piece of cloth covering the warrior's right eye.
"It's a civilian and I believe he's hurt." The Wei general exclaimed once more. The army halted.
Then another general rode up beside him.
"Xiahou Dun, do not mind an insignificant civilian." The other general said.
So the general with the bandana over his eye is Xiahou Dun, huh? I'll have to remember that.
"But cousin," Xiahou Dun protested, "We must help the young man. He must have been attacked by bandits and we can't just leave him here for dead!"
The other general snorted, "I won't tolerate your high talk about life and death, Xiahou Dun. Men, continue on, we will soon meet Yuan Shao's forces."
"Right away, Lord Cao Cao." a soldier replied and the army continued the march.
Shock gripped Jiang Wei as he heard that. But when he was in the army, the ruler had been Cao Pi, Cao Cao's first son. How could it be that he was alive then? Could it be that he went way back in time? And what had Xiahou Dun meant with young man? Jiang Wei was in his late fifties! Maybe he had gotten younger or so.
Wonderful, I thought I would go to my time, but here I am way before that and I'm at least forty years younger.
Xiahou Dun just stayed there, crestfallen.
"Why don't you follow them, general?" Jiang Wei suggested, "I can take care of myself."
"Sure," Xiahou Dun murmured sarcastically, "I don't believe that a teenager like you can survive out here, alone." He move his horse closer to Jiang Wei, "Can you move?"
Twisting his body a bit, Jiang Wei smiled weakly, "I can, but with much difficulty. Oh, don't worry about me, general. I'm capable of taking care of myself."
Just leave already, so I can go too…I can't do anything until the entire army is gone.
Sliding off his horse, Xiahou Dun helped Jiang Wei up and mounted him on his own horse. The ebony horse neighed violently. "Be silent, you good-for-nothing horse." Xiahou Dun growled, mounting himself behind Jiang Wei. He then picked up the reigns.
Is he doing what I think he's doing? If he brings me to their camp, then I'm never going to get anything done…Besides, somehow, it's obvious that this wound is never going to cease aching.
"I'm taking you to our camp so you can get treated, whether you or Cao Cao allows it or not." Xiahou Dun said, as his horse began to gallop to catch up with the others.
It's just not my day…
Jiang Wei groaned softly slumping on the back of the horse's neck.
Later, after the army had set up camp, Xiahou Dun had felt Jiang Wei who was in deep slumber at the paramedic's tent and went on to Cao Cao's tent to discuss the up coming battle with Yuan Shao.
"Soon, Yuan Shao will swallow the entire northern region. We must act now!" Cao Cao said, before the other generals.
"Cousin, his men number far more than yours. What can you do?" Xiahou Dun disputed.
"Xiahou Dun, you of all people should know that the Hero of Chaos is capable of doing anything."
Soon, the conference ended. All the generals left the tent so that Cao Cao could rest and think over the campaign. The flickering flames lit the entire camp throughout. The soldiers were standing guard, finishing their duties or sleeping inside their tents. They were silhouetted by the fire. Xiahou Dun was met outside by his brother, Xiahou Yuan. "Brother, where are you hurrying to?" he asked, "Is it that civilian kid you picked up?"
"Yes, Yuan, I need to check on him." Xiahou Dun replied, "He has terrible wounds and I'm worrying for his health."
"Yeah, it was about those wounds I needed to confront you about."
"What do you mean, Yuan?"
"The paramedic says that they're not exactly wounds caused by a scuffle with bandits."
"Then what are they?"
"They're self-inflicted wounds."
In the paramedic's tent, Jiang Wei had slowly come to his senses. He was just as thankful as he was shocked to find the pain from his injury not as terrible as they had been. The tent was dim and lit by only a small lamp on a table beside him. Jiang Wei recovered his senses and viewed his surroundings.
"So, you're finally awake." Xiahou Dun said. Jiang Wei's head quickly turned towards the one-eyed general. "I'm sorry for troubling you so much." The Shu general apologized.
"No, you haven't really done that. But I would like to ask you, what's your name?"
"My name? Well, it's Jiang Wei."
"Jiang Wei, huh, do you live nearby?"
Oh no, what am I going to answer? I have to say something!
"Umm…no, I don't. My family was…killed…by…ruthless soldiers…so I'm alone…" Jiang Wei lied.
"So, then, you have no where to return to?"
"You're exactly right, general."
"How about your wounds, Jiang Wei? How did you get them?"
"Well…I…err…"
I'm just terrible at lying aren't I?
"The paramedic says that they're self-inflicted wounds. Were you trying to commit suicide, Jiang Wei?"
There was no reply.
"Just as I thought," Xiahou Dun said, "So what now, Jiang Wei? Do you want to finish the job?"
"Not anymore, general…"
"Well, as you have nowhere to go, just come with us, Jiang Wei. It's not safe here. You can go to wherever you please when we reach our capital. For now, you'll be under me."
The sun rose early the next day and a loud horn blasted throughout the camp grounds, waking all the soldiers. "Alright, today, we train for the battle with Yuan Shao." Xiahou Dun announced. He and Dian Wei, a bodyguard of Cao Cao had assembled to train the soldiers.
Dian Wei stepped forth, "Alright, which one of you soldiers wants to take me on in a weapon match. I will of course use my trusty axe, even if I can be any of you with my bare knuckles! It's just to be fair to all of you." he chuckled, glaring menacingly at all the soldiers. Xiahou Dun snorted. He found Dian Wei's overconfidence disgusting, but the man was definitely not bluffing. He was indeed strong and it must have been that that none of them desired to fight him.
"I want to try."
With a look of amusement, Dian Wei looked at his challenger. "You've got guts, I'll give you that."
Shock registered on Xiahou Dun's face. It was none other than Jiang Wei. "What are you doing? You're wounds have not healed fully, yet!" the one-eyed general exclaimed, upon seeing Jiang Wei leaning against a big wooden pole near them. "Even if they had healed, you'll never have any chance in defeating Dian Wei!"
"I believe I know what I'm doing."
The two warriors got ready and faced each other. Dian Wei's had his battle axe in his hand and Jiang Wei asked for a spear from one of the soldiers. It was smaller then his trident which he was used to, but it was still easy for him to handle. The towering Wei general grinned maliciously at Jiang Wei, "You've got guts kid; too bad I have to beat them out of you." he jeered, tightening his grip on his axe as Jiang Wei faced him ready for anything.
The two competitor's eyes narrowed as they glared at each other, "I'll be the one to make the first move, then, kid." Dian Wei murmured, finally moving.
He lunged forth, trying to get within Jiang Wei's defenses, but the Shu general had parried the blow with his spear. Dian Wei then whirled around and he drove a balled fist powerfully unto Jiang Wei's right cheek. He then took the momentum and delivered a strong kick into Jiang Wei's knee. The Shu general fell to his knees. "You're easy meat. I don't even know why you tried!" Dian Wei scoffed, towering above Jiang Wei. "Don't get too cocky," muttered Jiang Wei in reply, "I'm not finished just yet."
Jiang Wei sprang up and with his spear; he cut a small wound onto Dian Wei's shoulder. Angered, by this, Dian Wei tried to hack at Jiang Wei with his ax, but he had surprisingly been blocked beforehand. Then, crouching, Jiang Wei jammed the wood end of his spear into Dian Wei's lower leg. He then stood up and ripped a devastating blow into the Wei general's left arm. Dark crimson blood seeped out of the wound and dripped down Dian Wei's arm.
Everyone was shocked, especially Xiahou Dun. "What kind of kid is capable of doing that? Is he hiding something from me?"
A triumphant grin was spread upon Jiang Wei's face as he reached his hand out to help Dian Wei up. "I'm not finished! It's far from over!" Dian Wei bellowed, pouncing onto Jiang Wei. Fury was burning in his eyes as he punched Jiang Wei as hard as he could as many times as he could. Jiang Wei kicked him off and brought his spear into play. He attempted a slash at Dian Wei's knees, but the bulky Wei officer grabbed the spear in the nick of time and broke it in half. Jiang Wei's face was horror-stricken as he stared at the wooden shaft in his hands. He looked back at Dian Wei and saw the rage within him.
It was clear to everyone now that Dian Wei did not want to just beat Jiang Wei down anymore; he wanted to destroy him.
Clearly he's overconfident, but now that he has been wounded by me, he's lost his pride and all the anger within him is driving him to destroy me.
Without warning, Dian Wei charged into Jiang Wei and slashed at him again and again. There was strong feral frocity in Dian Wei's eyes and movements as he tried over and over to kill the Shu general. Jiang Wei tried blocking with the wooden part of the spear, but the ax had cut it in half repeatedly until he only had pieces of wood the size of toothpicks in his hands. As he looked up at Dian Wei, the bulky officer's hand came at Jiang Wei's neck.
Xiahou Dun didn't know what to do. The harmless sparring round had turned into a horrible battle to the death and Jiang Wei was definitely not faring too well.
Dian Wei slammed Jiang Wei into the hard ground. He pulled Jiang Wei up again by the hair and then stomped on his stomach, driving the Shu general onto the ground. The crushing weight of Dian Wei's foot drove intense pain into Jiang Wei's wound. Jiang Wei groaned in agony.
"And yeah, I do know about your suicide wound, you damn bastard!" Dian Wei exclaimed, driving more force into his assault. In desperation Jiang Wei groped for a mound of dirt and held it and then he flung it at the Wei officer's eyes.
Dian Wei yelled at the stinging pain in his eyes, "I'll send you to hell, bastard!" he screeched, raising his ax above Jiang Wei who just sat up. By the time the Shu general looked at Dian Wei the ax came down at him.
A loud clang sounded as Xiahou Dun blocked Dian Wei's attack with his scimitar.
"That's enough, Dian Wei." Xiahou Dun said, calmly.
"Get out of the way, Xiahou Dun! I'm going to help that kid reach hell!"
"If you don't calm down, you'll have to face me!"
Dian Wei snorted; he didn't want any trouble with Xiahou Dun, his lord's right hand man. And a battle was the last thing he wanted.
"Tch. You got lucky today, kid." Dian Wei grumbled, throwing his ax at Xiahou Dun's feet. Then he walked away. The other soldiers were shocked at this and silence followed. Surprisingly, a loud cheer soon came after.
"For what are they cheering for?" Jiang Wei asked while Xiahou Dun helped him up.
"They're cheering, because you got out of that insane battle alive." replied Xiahou Dun, supporting Jiang Wei on his shoulders.
"Thanks for saving me…" Jiang Wei muttered.
"Don't mention it, but if you ever do something insane like that again; I'll be the one to beat you up." Xiahou Dun joked.
The next day, Xiahou Dun woke Jiang Wei up early. Just as only a few soldiers had woken up to shift positions with others, Jiang Wei emerged from the paramedic's tent to see Xiahou Dun aiming an arrow up towards the sky.
The one-eyed general let it rip to the sky, hitting a tiny bird that was flying above him.
Jiang Wei looked astonished.
"There you are. I thought you'd wake up later. You dropped into a deep sleep last night when I brought you to the paramedic's tent. He seemed tired to see your sore face again" Xiahou Dun said in a mocking tone, motioning Jiang Wei to come over to him. Xiahou Dun then positioned another arrow into his bow and steadily aimed it at a passing bird.
With keen interest, Jiang Wei watched Xiahou Dun. "I thought that you needed some exercise. You know that archery exercises one too. It may not be too straining as typical exercises, but your eyes become more focused and the muscles in your arms get mobilized. Besides, I believe that you're not very good at archery. My brother, Yuan is, so I know quite a lot about it." He said, watching the movements of his target closely.
He then let it rip and it swished through the air. It hit the bird squarely in the chest. It fell down from the sky. "I think it's easier to hit birds because they have beautiful graceful movements unlike humans. Then have frenzied and clumsy motions, always on the move. I have difficulty hitting them." Xiahou Dun then handed Jiang Wei the bow, "Why don't you try, Jiang Wei?"
With a slight nod, Jiang Wei took the bow and aimed it at the sky. A tiny bird flew into view. He shot it almost immediately. It missed but by only an inch.
Returning the bow and arrow, Jiang Wei looked embarrassed. "I missed."
Xiahou Dun positioned another arrow into the bow and gave it once more to Jiang Wei, "Try again until you hit it."
Sighing, Jiang Wei aimed again at the bird. Then he let it shoot again, this time hitting the bird's wing.
"How was that?" Jiang Wei asked, returning the bow to Xiahou Dun. "Terrible." The Wei general replied, loading another arrow. He then aimed it steadily at another bird. In silence Xiahou Dun watched it like a predator awaiting the perfect moment to strike. Then the arrow flew into the air and hit the bird exactly in the chest.
"You're too fast. There's nothing hurrying you, but I guess that's what happens when you're too used to the battlefield.
Jiang Wei's eyes bulged. "What are you talking about, general?"
How did he find out?
"It's obvious, Jiang Wei. You're some kind of soldier or something. Just by you're movement I can tell." Xiahou Dun explained, getting ready to shoot arrows again. "You're used to the battlefield, so you therefore rush when shooting arrows, because on the battlefield, there's no time for aiming, but this is not a battlefield and yet you're too fast. Also, I doubt in any normal teenager is capable of taking on Dian Wei. Are you hiding something from me, Jiang Wei?"
There was nothing left for Jiang Wei to do, but say the truth.
"My father was a general in an army," Jiang Wei narrated, "But he died when I was young so I had to take his place. Then…I…"
Well, at least not the entire truth.
"Then my family was murdered and I…umm…left, leaving my duties behind…" he lied.
"Really? What army did you serve?"
"What army did I serve? Well…I…uhh…I'd rather not talk about it…"
"Alright then." Xiahou Dun murmured, turning to aim at the sky, "Now we both trust each other. There can be no secrets between us."
Jiang Wei watched Xiahou Dun with admiration. The same admiration he had felt for Zhuge Liang.
"Then can I ask you something, Xiahou Dun?" the Shu general asked.
"Sure, Jiang Wei; what?"
"Why do you cover your right eye?"
There was hesitancy in Xiahou Dun as he let the arrow go. He completely missed
"Well, it was a battle against a really strong warrior, Lu Bu. One of his generals shot an arrow into my eye and because it was given to me I could not let them take it from me by hitting it with a damn arrow. So I pulled it out and ate it."
Shock registered on Jiang Wei's face as he watched the other general fumble to put the arrow back into the bow. "I'm sorry that I brought that up."
Xiahou Dun nodded, putting the bow aside. "Never mind it. I'm sure you were just curious to find out. Anyway, I'm more than happy to have told you. There are no secrets between us remember?" he said, roughly rubbing Jiang Wei's head, "You know what, you're like a son to me."
"I'm not too certain how a father is supposed to be as I hardly knew mine, but I can say you're like one to me."
"Thanks, Jiang Wei, Xiahou Dun said, "Alright, we better get going. It's nearly breakfast tie. The others will wake up soon."
Jiang Wei nodded, following the Wei general. He was still dumbfounded by what he had said.
But it's true…
That evening, Jiang Wei snuck out of the camp. He knew that he didn't have the time to stay there even more and what was worse was that he really was forming a bond with Xiahou Dun. It would have been difficult for him to part ways later.
Looking back once more at the camp, Jiang Wei sighed.
I have no choice…Even if there's one kind soul in Wei, I must still serve Shu…Besides I know that he died way before this war ended, so his influences will be long dead in Wei…
He wondered what would happen as he watched the camp that was lighted by only a few torches.
Then he turned about.
But he really was like a father to me…
Then Jiang Wei walked off into the darkness of the night.
Did you like it? Anyway, in the next chapter, Jiang Wei's going to go to Wu, then Shu. The yaoi comes in the later chapters. I'm also thinking of putting it into chapter and by the way, it's not Jiang Wei x Xiahou Dun. AT ALL. Xiahou Dun is more of a fatherly figure and I doubt it if anyone can have an affair with their own father. That's just sick; it would be sick if I did put that pairing.
To be continued…
