Ghost In The Shell

Hey! A fic. A oneshot. A sad one.

If you read Interlude: Indeed, Indeed then you know what I'm talking about.

The POV will be...interesting. If you make it to the end...I'll tell you who it was.

I own nothing. Nothing at all...

The lyrics I use in the beginning and end are from The Storm (from Garth Brooks's Scarecrow CD) but I changed them to be a buy instead of a girl.

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Ghost In The Shell

He sits among the pieces
Of broken glass and photographs
Reluctantly releases
The last of what was his past
It struck without a warning
Or did he just ignore the signs
In those dark clouds forming
Behind his silver lines

In truth...

I shouldn't have been there. I should have been back in Shu, looking over Liu Bei who was nursing his sorrow at losing his brother, Guan Yu. I should have been there, but the way the star fell lead me to the banquet that all of Wu was holding.

It was a grand setting indeed. There was one long table set below the steps before Sun Quan's throne, stretching far from the back of the room to the window where I perched myself. The red banners were set and food was laid out for the honored. The sight of such victuals made my stomach growl so loud that I thought it would give me away, but no one noticed me. I must praise the people of Wu for their culinary skills. Everything placed on that table made my mouth water.

It wasn't until the sun had set when the torches lit and the honored entered, following Sun Quan who was ushering them in. Gan Ning, the bell-adorned pirate. He seemed to be in high spirits as usual, shouting and looking for the serving maids and the alcohol. Ling Tong arrived next. The smirk on his face and the tell-tale twinkle in his eye was a sure sign that he would be planning some trick on his pirate friend in the near future.Lu Meng, the man of the hour, entered after. There was a broad smile on his face and a certain ring to his laugh that just struck a chord with me and I couldn't help but laugh with him. It was hard to believe that this man was an enemy of anyone. Lu Xun, Lu Meng's little genius student, followed him. That boy was not cut out for social events. Just one look on his face said he was shy and his bright eyes noticed almost everything around him. He relaxed slightly at the call of his friends.

The party had begun. The food was consumed and the jokes were told. Lu Meng's laugh probably could have been heard as far away as the next town. I couldn't help but smile when I looked at them. Indeed, I believe that they deserved this victory.

Drawing late into the night, and the drunker some got, there was call for a speech. I joined in on the chanting. I wanted to hear what would be said. At the jeering and spurring of both his friends and his lord, Lu Meng stood up, raising his glass of wine. I settled in, eager to hear him.

"Indeed this was a grand victory for us, but it could not have been done alone. I must thank many people. Firstly, I must thank Gan Ning and Ling Tong. Had they not set aside their bickering for a moment, I would not have had so many officers to help me achieve this victory..."

There was scattered applause as the two were mentioned. They stood up, bowed, and sat down once more.

"Secondly, I would like to thank my pupil, Lu Xun. Much of the credit should go to him. Had he not come up with such a strategy to play on Guan Yu's pride, we most likely would have lost..."

The boy timidly stood, bowed, and sat down.

"And finally, I would like to thank---"

Something cut him off. I felt it, the chill that accompanies a vengeful spirit. I saw his eyes, no longer kind and insightful, turn to those of an angered dragon. The glass in his hand shattered when he crushed it, wine spilling over his hand and those sitting around him. His hands curled into fists and began to shudder. I wanted to rush in and stop, but something of an angered voice in my head kept me back. Lu Meng laughed, his voice no longer his own. It was all too familiar to myself. It was the angered voice of the God of War, Guan Yu.

Without too much warning, Lu Meng who was not Lu Meng jumped at Sun Quan, grabbing his throat in two hands and starting to strangle the life out of him. Gan Ning and Ling Tong dashed from their spots, weapons drawn. "Lu Meng" dropped Sun Quan and engaged these two attackers. Grabbing the sword that was at Sun Quan's side, he...endowed with the powers of Guan Yu...overwhelmed the two. They flew back, Gan Ning hitting the table and Ling Tong flying into one of the maids.

I saw Lu Xun rise. His eyes were indeed full of fear. He knew full well what was happening, but I would like to think that his mind didn't want to believe it. He ran up to his mentor, his friend, begging with the angered ghost inside of him. Even I could not have foreseen what happened next.

Lu Meng's hand grabbed the boy by the throat, lifting him almost a foot off of the floor. Guan Yu's voice spoke through Lu Meng's lips.

"I must give you some credit, boy. Had you not been on that battlefield, I would have lived. But I will not go unavenged."

The sword was shoved straight through Lu Xun's abdomen. He twitched, unable to cry out in pain. The blade twisted, and blood seeped from between the boy's lips. The sword was removed and Lu Xun was thrown to the ground, hard. There was a sickening crack as his head connected with the floor. He didn't move. Blood seeped from his wound, all across the floor. His eyes were still open, rolling up to the ceiling. I wasn't even sure if he was alive or not.

There was a mighty cry from Lu Meng, in his own voice. He seemed to be struggling with Guan Yu inside of him. I saw the sword move, and I did nothing to stop it.

Lu Meng buried the sword in his chest, dying instantly. He fell to the floor, as motionless as his student.

I could not bear to watch anymore. I did not know if the boy was alive, and at the moment, I did not care. I turned, abandoned my post, and vanished into the night.

Someday days just roll on by
Without a gray cloud in the sky
He keeps telling himself
'I will make it on my own'
But his friends
They've all gone back to their lives
Thinkin' he will be alright
As he races through the night
To make it home

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And the narrator is...

Zuo Ci!

Well...tell me what you think.