A/N: arrgh, haven't updated for a like a month, even though it's the holidays. Sorry, I've been wasting my time making a Yukimura doll. (yeah, I was bored :D) Is now making a Yun Lu doll too, but it's not going too well.

Chapter 11: Goodbye

"Ah! Finally, we're –" Ma Chao's eyes widened "– holy shit! What happened!?" he screamed as he saw smoke rising from Xiliang.

"Oh my god!" yelped Yun Lu.

"Come on guys! We've got to get there quickly," urged Ma Dai, prodding his horse to go faster. Ma Chao, Yun Lu and Pang De followed right behind him.

Yun Lu squealed in horror when she saw what was happening.

"Mengqi, they're killing…our people!!"

Ma Chao just stared in horror as his family were slaughtered, one by one.

"Hey, Yang Fu, looks like that Ma Chao's finally here," said Wei Kang as he nudged Yang Fu with this elbow. The two were up in Ji castle with their men, surveying the executions.

"Your worst nightmare's starting Ma Chao and friends!" yelled Yang Fu.

"Stop it! You two get down here and fight like a man!" hollered Ma Chao.

"What about you come up and run us through with your spear?" replied Yang Fu with a smirk. He wasn't afraid. If Ma Chao did try to ascend the stairs, his archers would shoot him down right away.

"I will!" Ma Chao dismounted and wanted to charge up there right away but Pang De held him back.

"Do not throw away your life so easily. They will kill you Ma Chao!"

Suddenly Ma Chao stopped and took a sharp intake of breath.

"Yang! Where is Yang Qiao En? Where is my wife!" he cried.

"Uh, cousin..." Ma Dai patted Ma Chao's shoulder and pointed towards the castle. Yang Qiao En stood upright, hands bound behind her back. Three more people stood in front of her.

"Alright, that's it! I'm going up there whether you guys like it or not!" roared Ma Chao.

"Nooo! You cannot go up there! All they have to do is shower a few arrows on you and you'd be dead!" shouted Yun Lu, fighting back her tears.

"I can't let her d–"

"Mengqi!" yelled Yang. Ma Chao looked up. His wife was next in line, the person in front of her was being dragged to the execution place.

"Yang!"

Yang rushed her words, there wasn't much time left and she doubted the executioner would let her finish what she had to say.

"Mengqi, do not come up. I repeat, do not come up for my sake. Don't you dare let me see you die..." A soldier pushed Yang towards her death. Ma Chao's eyes followed her "because… I love you." The executioner raised his axe. Yang directed a smile straight at Ma Chao, even though she was about to die. "Goodbye."

The axe was brought down.

"YAAAAANG!!" howled Ma Chao in pain. He dashed forward like a bull with his spear held high, intent on spilling the blood of every Wei soldier and the two Wei generals, Wei Kang and Yang Fu.

"STOP IT!" screamed Yun Lu, barring her brother's way. "…Don't go…" she said with a sob. Tears streaked her face. "You and I…we are the only ones left in the family. If you die, I'll be all alone. What will I do?"

"What about me…" muttered Ma Dai quietly. Yun Lu's acute hearing caught his words. She glared daggers and mouthed a swear word at him.

"And didn't you hear what Yang said? Doesn't her last words mean anything to you?" Yun Lu gripped Ma Chao's shoulders and shook him. Ma Chao finally gave way and lowered his spear. Remembering every word Yang had said, he replied, "I love you too Yang, farewell." Letting his anger and rage turn to grief, a crystal bead of sorrow rolled down his cheek.

Yes, that's probably the most you could expect from Ma Chao, my cold hearted brother. Dude, he didn't even shed a tear for dad when he died! And hell, I bet he'd be happy if I died. No one to annoy him anymore!

"I need a hug," Ma Chao said bluntly as he sniffed and brushed off the tear. Yun Lu smirked.

"Yeah fine." She gave her brother a nice hug.

"Ha, I love you sis, you're always there with me through every disaster. Don't die sooner than me or else I'll be all sad and miserable without you to give me a hug."

Yun Lu's eyebrows turned down as she frowned.

"You love me? Ewwwww, worst thing ever. Disgusting!! And of course I won't die sooner than you! I need watch you die! And laugh in your face."

"You're so nasty and– "

The moment of happiness was lost when Ma Dai blurted out another two deaths.

"I-Is that Xing and Feng??" cried Ma Dai who saw the two little baby bodies. Ma Chao looked up again and his face turned to stone.

"Gahhh, SHUT UP! I don't want to hear anymore!" Ma Chao cried in anguish and blocked his ears. "I don't even have any children now!!"

"Ma Dai!" Yun Lu stood up and stomped towards her cousin. "You idiot Dai! How can you blurt out something like to your cousin when he's in such misery?"

"I-I, I thought…I…." stuttered Ma Dai, in the end, he gave up. "Sorry." Yun Lu continued to glare at him in silence.

"Excuse me, what's happened here?" asked a familiar voice. Yun Lu and Ma Dai turned around at the same time and similes formed on their faces.

"Shao!" they called in unison. Shao carried an infant boy on her shoulders.

"Oh my god Mengqi," Yun Lu shook her distraught brother "it's Cheng!" Ma Chao instantly swivelled around to see his son come running over to him, clumsily stumbling along the way like a little toddler normally does.

"Da da!" he exclaimed with arms outstretched and embraced Ma Chao.

"Ma Cheng, you're alive!" Ma Chao cried happily.

"Da da, why are you sad?" asked Ma Cheng because he noticed the sorrow on his father's face. Yun Lu rested a hand on the little boy's shoulder.

"Your mother and siblings have gone somewhere far away–"

Ma Chao whacked her on the head.

"OW! Whadya do that for?" she yelped, rubbing her head.

"Can you get any more creative?" retorted Ma Chao. "Your mother and siblings have gone somewhere far away," he mimicked. Then he sighed loudly. "Cheng…they're gone."

"As in they died?" asked Cheng through blinking eyes.

"Yeah," Ma Chao's voice had gotten softer. Ma Cheng looked down, sad and dejected, the corners of his lips turned down. He huddled close to Ma Chao.

"I miss ma ma."

"Me too Cheng, me too." Then Ma Chao looked towards the others. "We need Yang's body back."

"How? They'll probably have a number of guards there," said Pang De.

A moment of silence and then, "Leave it to me, I have a way," said Ma Dai. "But I need your help Shao."

"Alright Ma Dai," replied Shao.

Suddenly they heard the shouts of enemy soldiers arriving from the rear. Ma Chao's look of sadness turned to hatred once again.

"They waited for us to feel the pain of our family die before attacking. How cruel," said Ma Chao angrily. "Dai and Shao, please go quickly and retrieve Yang, Feng and Xing. We'll fend off the Wei soldiers for the time being." To Dai and Shao, Ma Chao nodded and thanked them. "Get back as soon as you're done."

Ma Dai wrapped himself up in a cloak to cover his armour and disguise as a villager. "Let's go Shao." He grabbed her by the arm and left while the rest of Ma Chao's army prepared themselves for another battle.

"Where are we going Ma Dai?" Shao inquired. Ma Dai grabbed from the side of a street, a wheelbarrow thing except it was just a flat board, normally used to cart vegetables around. And it would be perfect for bodies.

"Alright Shao, I need you to pretend you're Yang's good friend. We'll bribe one of the guards and you'll put on a crying act to soften him. I know you're good at acting. Hopefully he'll let us in and then we'll cart out Yang and the two babies," explained Ma Dai. "Aren't I smart?" he beamed.

"Ahaha, very clever," laughed Shao. It wasn't a fabulous plan, but it probably would work. Ma Dai handed her the money. They approached a Wei guard.

"Oh sir! My good friend just died in that massacre. Would you please let me take her body back and bury her somewhere honourable?" Shao sobbed, dabbing her eyes with the edge of her sleeves. "Would these help?" Shao produced 500 yuan and held it out to the guard.

"We're under strict orders not to let anyone in. You will be reported that you wanted to brib– "

Ma Dai's fist clenched and he took a swing at the guard's head. "Fuck you." He looked over to Shao. "Sorry, bad language. Anyway, we've got to get in their quick before this guy wakes up and tells others."

"You know, that was brave," praised Shao. Ma Dai smiled back.

"Thanks." The two got in and searched the corpses. The small bodies of Xing and Feng were easily distinguished so Ma Dai picked them up and laid them in the wheelbarrow.

"Ah, Dai! Lady Yang's over here!" Shao waved to signal Ma Dai.

"Shh, don't be so loud," he warned. He carried Ma Chao's wife and laid them beside her children. "Done. Let's get going Shao. I hope that guy hasn't woken up yet." Ma Dai dusted his hands together before getting the handles and wheeling it out and back to Ma Chao.

"Hey look, he's still out cold," commented Shao as they passed the guard's unconscious body.

"Serves him right for barring our goddamn way."

"Oh good, you guys are back," said Yun Lu. She sliced the soldiers in front of her. Shao covered her eyes because she was afraid of seeing people killed. "Sorry,' Yun Lu apologised. Ma Chao noticed that Ma Dai and Shao were back.

"Pang De, do you know of a good place where we can go?" he asked.

"I've heard of Zhang Lu of Hanzhong…" suggested Pang De.

"Alright then, we'll trust in your choice," replied Ma Chao. "Dai, put the bodies in one of our carts. Once we get to a safe place, we'll cremate them and bury the ashes in a final resting place." Ma Dai nodded and did as told. The enemy numbers were few so they fought of the remaining soldiers and fled south to Hanzhong.

A/N: Please review! Any comments appreciated coz there was a lot I had changed from my draft copy. I added more stuff. 5 pages! Thanks for reading =D I'll try and finish the next chapter as soon as I can.