Chapter 19: Meant to Live (Switchfoot)
Lu Xun gritted his teeth in pain as he tried to stop the bleeding. His injuried arm had gone numb but his stomach...his stomach hurt worst then any other injury that Lu Xun had. His stomach was covered in blood which dribbled down onto the floor and his trousers. Masamune was sure most of it by now had transfered to his arm while he gingerly tried to hold Lu Xun. At first Masamune could not form any words. Lu Xun's tightening grip on his arm spurred him to at least say something. "Hold on Lu Xun. Please just hold on. I'll get you out of here. I'll get you to the doctor." Masamune soothed.
A faint smile appeared on Lu Xun's paling lips. "I'm...I'm sorry Masamune." he whispered. Lu Xun knew why he was sorry. He was sorry for being killed, sorry for not living the rest of his life with Masamune but Lu Xun was not sorry for saving Masamune's life. Lu Xun knew he would die for Masamune if he had too. The said dragon shook his head. Tears were threatening to fall but Masamune refused to allow himself cry. Thoughts were running through the dragon's mind. Why would Lu Xun be sorry? He has no reason to!
"Don't be sorry! You have nothing to be sorry about." Masamune swallowed. The bushes around them rustled gently. "I will not leave you here. I will get you out of here." Masamune responded. Lu Xun slowly reached for his hat and tugged the item from his head. He coughed wetly, blood staining his lower lip. His moves were slow and graceful to Masamune even if the red warrior was close to death. Lu Xun held the hat out for Masamune to take.
--
Tiger hand not washed her hands free from Zhen's blood. The ninja had remained stationed outside Zhen's newly appointed chamber while the doctors tried to save the poor girl. Looking at the drying blood on her hands, Tiger recalled what was the cause of Zhen's illness. Infection. I thought she had been posioned but I know when someone has been posioned. No, that wound on my poor little Zhen has gotten infection. Tiger closed her eyes tightly. "Lord Lu Xun...Lord Masamune...forgive me." she whispered.
The door to the chamber opened quietly but Tiger heard all the same. "My lady."
The ninja spun on her heel, eager to hear the news. "Is Zhen all right? How is she?" Tiger inquried quickly. It was not normal for her to be so worried. In fact it was so out of her character that the doctor had to do a double check. He nodded his head slowly.
"We managed to catch the infection in time. Her wound had been stitched up. I suggest that Lady Zhen Shao should take a few weeks to rest. She is still very weak." Tiger cocked her head to one side. She could sense that there was something else and the doctor did not want to tell her.
"There's something else, isn't there?" The ninja asked. The doctor looked away, unable to form words. Tiger balled her hands into fists. "I demand that you tell me this instant! What's wrong with Zhen?" she yelled. The doctor slowly closed the door to the chamber.
"My lady. The thing is Lady Zhen Shao has..."
--
Masamune eyed Lu Xun's hat before gingerly taking hold. "Give...Give this...to Zhen." Lu Xun coughed again. The pain wasn't all that bad now. All Lu Xun wanted to do was sleep. "I know...she'll...look after it." he added in a whisper. Masamune tried hard not to shake sense into Lu Xun's frail body. Didn't he understand that Masamune was not going to let him die? They had a new life to live, plans to do. Had Lu Xun forgotten their plan of bringing peace to the land?
"No!" Masamune yelled. Tears had not yet fallen. "You're not going to die on me. You hear me Lu Xun!" Masamune cried out. Lu Xun smiled again at his beloved. He knew he was dying. That surprised attack, ment for Masamune, had finally done him in. Why couldn't Masamune see that? As much as Lu Xun didn't want to leave Masamune, he knew the dragon would have to live their life without him. Fresh tears were falling down Lu Xun's face mixing in with the dirt and blood.
"Promise me you'll give my hat to Zhen. Promise me you'll look after and protect her." Lu Xun rasped. Masamune gritted his teeth, unable to accept that the man he...loved was dying, unable to give the dying man a straight answer. How could he? Lu Xun gripped Masamune's arm tighter to gain his attention. "Promise me!" he rasped a bit more harshly then he would have liked. Lu Xun coughed violently, blood now dropping onto his chin, traveling down his neck and disappearing onto the floor behind his head. Masamune clutched the hat tighter now, crumbling the delicate fabric it was made out of. The hat was stained with blood and dirt which had made it lose the shine it once had.
"I promise. I promise you Lu Xun!" Masamune stated. He closed his eyes, afraid of seeing Lu Xun suffer any further. "I...I...I love you." The dragon added. Masamune opened his eyes when a gentle blood soaked hand was placed against his cheek. Lu Xun smiled warmly up at him again with the remaining strenght he had.
"I...love you Date Masamune. I'm happy I was able to...met someone...like you." The dying warrior placed his hand on the back of Masamune neck and pulled the dragon down for one last kiss. Before Masamune could savour it, Lu Xun suddenly went limp in his arms. Masamune pulled away briefly, staring at the life-less eyes of Lu Xun.
"Oi. Oi Lu Xun?" Masamune whispered. He shook the warrior a little. "Oi! Oi! Lu Xun, wake up! Lu Xun!" Masamune choked back a sob when it now finally dawned on him that Lu Xun was not coming back. The dragon bowed his head a little, his bangs shadowing his eye as he held on tighter to Lu Xun. "Wait...wait. This wasn't...how it was...suppose to be. You weren't meant to die." Masamune whispered.
His ear pricked up when the green claded warrior heard footsteps on the soggy earth. A deep chuckle was heard, chilling Masamune to the very core.
--
Da Ji stared at the bright blue sky, wishing with all her heart that it would blacken and rain. She was nursing a new brusie on her back and a fracture shoulder when Orochi had lost his temper with her. "But...it's my own fault. I should not have acted on foolish desires to kill Masamune. I should have stayed in the castle to furfill the needs of my lord." The fox whimpered.
But had it really been all her fault?
Da Ji had sent a scouting party out to find Sima Yi but until then all she could was muse and wait. "Because of my foolishness many people have defected. Sun Ce has finally saved the rest of his family, Cao Pi has ordered the Wei army to move against Lord Orochi. And now Lu Xun and Masamune have left. Everything my lord has worked for has crumbled." Da Ji cursed at herself, blaming everything on herself.
--
Tiger couldn't believe what she had learnt. It couldn't be true!
But it was. Tiger had seen it with her own two eyes and the ninja had been weeping bitterly ever since. She had stopped just outside the stables, a bucket of cold water sitting in front of her. The image of her beloved sister Zhen still haunted her mind. Tiger grab a nearby scrubbing brush and began to scrub her hand free from blood and dirt harshly. Why Zhen? Why did it have to happen to her? Tiger wondered, scrubbing her hands until they red raw and exteremly sore. She stopped, throwing the brush to one side. What did Zhen do to deserve that? Tiger wonder, flexing her fingers a little.
Her reflection started back at her in the red tainted water. A growl escaped from her mouth and Tiger threw the bucket of water to one side. The water splashed onto the dusty floor, spreading out along the floor. Tiger pounded away on the soggy floor. It's not fair! She didn't deserve any of it! That shouldn't have happened to Zhen! Tiger screamed in her mind before her energy left her. As the ninja slumped back onto her knees, Tiger wondered how Zhen could have caught an infection so easily.
"I have a weak immune system."
Tiger stared harder that the soggy floor remembering a conversation she had with Zhen. "I got my courage, loyalty and warrior spirit from my father. From my mother I got a weak immune system." Tiger wiped a few stray tears from her face. "My mother died when I was very young from a high fever. I fear one day I may follow down that same path."
The memory faded as Tiger clambered to her feet. " Now all that remains is explaining it to Lord Lu Xun." Tiger mumbled grimly.
--
The figure in front of Masamune chuckled at first before laughing. Masamune kept his head down, his eye remained shadowed by his bangs. "Such a shame." The figure chuckled again. Masamune gritted his teeth. "And to think my real target was you."
Masamune gently lay Lu Xun on the floor. He stared at the pale and blood splattered face of his beloved before closing Lu Xun's eyes. "Sima Yi. You...You killed him." Masamune hissed. Sima Yi smirked and took a step forward. Masamune looked up at the Wei warrior. "You murderer! You killed him!" Masamune yelled louder, stopping Sima Yi in his tracks. The said warrior smirked again.
"Really is such a shame, wouldn't you agree Masamune." Sima Yi tapped his fingers against his black fan. To Masamune it now all began to make sense. Lu Xun had seen Sima Yi hiding in the bushes. It had been Sima Yi who sent that purple bolt of energy. Sima Yi had never intended for Lu Xun to die, like he had stated before, but Lu Xun had died anyway. Died protecting his beloved. Masamune clutched at clumps of the ground. "To think. I won't get to have my way with him after all my planning." Sima Yi laughed louder, throwing his head back. Masamune slowly stood up, walking around Lu Xun's body. Sima Yi's laugh sub-sided. "Alass, it is not in my nature to have used toys."
The sentance struck a nerve with Masamune. He swore under his breath as he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. Sima Yi would pay for tearing them apart! Sima Yi turned to Masamune, noting how the dragon's eye was hard to seen underneath his bangs. "Before you die, why don't you tell me how tight Lu Xun was." Sima Yi laughed. Something flashed in Masamune's eye and his grip on his sword grew tighter.
"You...You...You..."
Sima Yi raised an eyebrow. "What was that? I didn't catch that." he snapped. Masamune unsheathed his sword quickly.
"You...You bastard!" Masamune screamed. He ran his sword through Sima Yi's stomach, grabbing hold the blue cladded warrior's shoulder. Sima Yi spluttered in shock as blood rose in his throat. Masamune bit his lip before letting go of Sima Yi. The dragon pulled the sword free and took one step back. Sima Yi tried to talk, tried to form words but nothing was coming out. Instead he fell to the floor, lying in his own crimson blood. Masamune took in a deep breath before turning round. He took only three steps forward, dropping his sword along the way. Masamune came to a stop. The dragon fell to his knees and looked up at the blue sky.
He opened his mouth and screamed.
--
The castle was quiet while the soldiers waited for their lord. There had been no word and not only was the head general worried but so was Tiger. The ninja hated just standing around and doing nothing. She had to do something, even if it meant leaving Zhen in the protection of the castle. Grabbing her short word and her Kitsune mask, the ninja was about to head out to find Lord Masamune when the doors to the courtyard opened.
Tiger dashed into the courtyard. She felt like dancing for joy when she caught sight of the battle tarnished armor of her lord. Masamune dismounted and led his horse into the courtyard. The door closed behind him. "My lord! I am so happy to see..." Tiger trailed off when she could not find Lu Xun. "My lord? Where is lord Lu Xun?" she inquried.
Masamune clutched at the reins of his horse until his knuckles were white. "Lu Xun is dead Azumi." Masamune choked to get out. The green and white Kitsune mask hit the floor with a soft thump as Tiger struggled to take the information in. "He died in my arms." Masamune added. The dragon looked at his loyal bodyguard only to find two tear trails running down her face. "Tiger, listen to me." he ordered softly.
Tiger wiped away her tears with the back of her arm before bowing. "Yes my lord?"
"I want you to take a small unit to the clearing where we were ambushed. I left Lu Xun's body there. He's covered by a large cloth I found when I reclaimed the horses." Masamune paused to steady his nerves. "I want him brought back here for a proper burial. Understand?" he asked. Tiger nodded her head.
"Understood."
Before the ninja could leave, Masamune called her back. "How is Zhen Shao? Did the doctor manage to stitch her wound up?" he questioned. Tiger bit her lip and looked at the ground. The frightened look in Tiger's eyes un-nerved Masamune. "Azumi? Is something wrong?"
"Its just...well..." Tiger took a deep breath and looked at Masamune dead in the eye. "Zhen Shao caught an infection in her wound. The doctor did everything he could and he managed to stitch the wound up. She has been ordered to rest up for a few weeks. Only trouble is...Zhen is blind my Lord."
It's offical! I hate myself for killing Lu Xun! Huddles in a corner and cries I wanna thank AZNchaos07, www.blonde-girl & Angelus89 for your reviews. I have one more chapter to do then the story is complete.