((SXH: Hi! SXH here and I've got the next chapter edited. It is, by far, one of my better ones. Read and, trust me, you will be bored but it will get better and you may like it. I know all of you will want to hear how Dong Zhuo *cough* Pig *cough* dies! Enjoy!))

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the storyline and little Ying.

Warning: Mentions of rape, slight gore, a little OOC, *mumbles* Diao being a stupid bitch, and language! Don't read if you're not 18 or older (has no choice but to put that out there).

Enjoy!

/

To Hell & Back Again

Chapter 2: The Death of Dong Zhuo

/

The next day, Lu Bu was wondering around this palace, in hopes of the off chance he would stumble upon Zhang Liao. He needed to tell the man about the change in plans. The warrior didn't know how long he had been walking, nor did he care to know. Nothing mattered other than finding Zhang Liao. Finally, he found the man at the sparring ground. Though there was snow outside the palace, there was never any inside. Dong Zhuo hated the cold and winter snow, so he had ordered that the servants remove it before he even woke in the mornings.

Zhang Liao was practicing on his style of fighting. Lu Bu had left him all but completely black and blue last night, so he decided to train more. This was in case they ever spared drunk again. If that was the case, he would at least be a little more prepared.

"Zhang Liao," Lu Bu greeted, upon seeing the man. Zhang Liao turned around to see Lu Bu, clad in his normal armor, with his halberds. Lu Bu's expression was indifferent, like his normal self, as he approached his companion. Zhang Liao sometimes wondered if he ever made and expression other than indifference, confusion, or pure and utter rage.

"Come to spar again? I thought you had enough, when you beat the hell out of me last night," Zhang Liao laughed. Lu Bu gave him a serious look that told him that this was no laughing matter. "Oh, this cannot be good..." He looked up at the bright blue sky; it was still morning.

"Liao, I need to talk to you," he informed as he got closer. Zhang Liao sat on the freezing ground, followed by Lu Bu, though they weren't affected by the cold. "It is about our plan," Lu Bu went on in a slight hushed voice. "It has been reset to take place at the final feast, tomorrow night." Zhang Liao's face turned from calm and collected to complete shock.

"Good Lord, Lu Bu!" Liao all but yelled. Lu Bu took hold of his halberds and hit him on the head with the flat part of the blade. "Ow! Damn it!" he whispered rubbing his head; he forgot to put on his helmet when he saw Lu Bu.

"Quiet, Liao," Lu Bu said as calmly as he could. Liao could tell he was annoyed. "Do you really want the three kingdoms to hear you?" Liao scowled, giving a small apology.

"Are you mad? What does Diao think of this?" he questioned. Obtaining a harsh glare from the other he quickly corrected, "Oh, I mean- Please, continue." Lu Bu nodded, absolving his glare.

"Lady Diao has become restless because of Dong Zhuo's torments," Lu Bu scowled. "She cannot take much more of this treatment. She even feels that he is-"

"Stop right there," said Liao. "You are making it seem like she is upset."

"She is upset!" Lu Bu protested, venomously.

"If so then why was she so angry yesterday?" Liao asked. Lu Bu looked at him and then to the ground in thought. He did have a point; she was in a rather foul mood. Then Lu Bu realized exactly what Liao said, or what he thought Liao implied.

"Wait. You are not calling Diao a liar, are you, Liao?" he asked lowly. Zhang Liao put his hands up in defense, seeing Lu Bu's hands clench. He figured he struck a nerve. Though unintentionally, he struck a nerve.

"No, not at all!" Liao insisted. Then he got serious again, putting his hands down and saying, "I just think that there is more to the story than she is letting on." Lu Bu stared at him, in confusion, then in realization.

"Oh, so you are saying she is hiding something from me?" Lu Bu inquired, getting angry.

"Well, Lu-!"

"Is that it?" Lu Bu continued, his fury rising fast.

"Now, Lu Bu!" Zhang Liao yelled, getting the attention of some servants nearby. Lu Bu was set back at the outburst. Zhang Liao stood up. "Can I not get a sentence out before you accuse me of things?" Lu Bu looked away. "No. I am not saying that she is hiding it from you. I do not even know what 'it' is. I do not think I want to know what it is. But, I think she is just too ashamed to tell you!" Liao grabbed his spear and walked away. Before he left, he yelled, "You might as well talk to her! It might be disastrous if you do not!" Zhang Liao was gone. He had stormed off to his room.

Lu Bu sat there, confused yet again. Zhang Liao had never concerned himself with Diao's moods, let alone Lu Bu's relationship with her. He realized that everyone was acting strange, except his little Ying. But everyone else was acting way out of character. What was happening around the castle?

Lu Bu pushed it out of his mind and got up. Today, he wasn't going to celebrate or worry about petty things; he was going to train and get ready to kill Dong Zhuo. He was going to train until nightfall.

Sadly, that didn't happen.

Lu Bu trained very hard and decided to take a break for lunch. Ying, the little servant girl, sat next to him, after giving him his lunch. She was oddly silent. She was never this quiet before. She curled up, hugging her knees obviously upset about something. Lu Bu looked over to the small girl, curious as to why the sudden silence and sadness. Ying's eyes were red and swollen from crying.

"Ying, what is wrong?" he inquired as he touched her little, tear-stained cheek. That's when he noticed that she was bleeding in some places. "Ying, what happened?!" he asked. Her back and the back of her legs were bleeding, but not too bad. She had multiple slash marks that had looked recent, but she must have retained most them this of the morning. He gritted his teeth at the thought of her going around with her injuries and serving the officers. To think that many people had seen her in her condition but did nothing to help her. But, what puzzled him was the fact that she had hid them from him for so long, while serving him.

It had looked like she had been whipped and tried to run away. Who would do this to a small child? Ying was crying now. She had tried to cover the lashes as best she could with her small hands. "Who did this to you?" he asked softly, gently picking the small child, not caring who saw him.

Through the girl's choked sobs, he could be make out, "Dong Zhuo..." He clenched his fist and got up. He kept little Ying in his arms. He ran to the infirmary. He said briefly to the nurses, "Help her, now. She has been whipped several times, for unknown reasons." They looked appalled. They had never heard of a little servant girl being whipped. They pushed him out of the room, thought it took three people. Then they set to work on her injuries.

Lu Bu sat outside on the bench, covering his face as he heard her screams. He knew what was happening; it has happened to him many times. They were sewing the wounds closed. He just hoped that she could forget the pain quickly. Why? Why did this have to happen to her? He question to himself.

As Ying's screams echoed in Lu Bu's head, he didn't notice Diao had taken a seat next to him. Lu Bu jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up quickly to see his beloved there.

"Diao," Lu Bu murmured. His face was slightly red. Diao was surprised, to say the least. The Almighty Lu Bu was crying for a servant girl that got hurt.

"It is not your fault," said Diao soothingly and took his hand. "Dong Zhuo's just in a bad mood today because his new slave mocked him in front of everyone. Just keep your cool, my love. Do not let him antagonize you." Lu Bu looked down and leaned closer to her. Right now, he neither needed nor wanted a lecture.

"Diao, I... I need to be alone. I need to think for a while," he mumbled. The screams continued until they dulled down into low sobs. The nurses had finished and let Lu Bu in.

The man ran to her side, followed by Diao. Ying's face was stained red and swollen. Lu Bu looked down at her small form. She was covered with dirt, sweat, blood, and tears. It was as though she was a soldier in a war. She looked so frail, so... fragile. Her eyes didn't shine anymore. For a moment, she looked dead. He touched her hand; hearing her whimper, he let his hand fall to his side. He wanted to scream, to curse the world for this. He, for the first time in his life, felt helpless.

Lu Bu stood by the bed with his head down. He didn't say anything for a while, not even to Diao. He had been so silent that Diao had to say something.

"Lu Bu?" she said. Diao touched his shoulder again and moved so she could see his face. A lone tear was streaming down his straight face. She grabbed some spare cloth she had and dabbed away his single tear. "Like I said: It is not your fault." She finished and put away the cloth.

"Nurse!" he called, so suddenly that it made Diao jump. A woman was by the bedside in seconds. "I want this little one cleaned and her clothes changed. It would not do to have a child die from an infection to her wounds." The nurse nodded and went to get water and other supplies that she needed. He looked into the little girl's eyes again and whispered a small, "I am so sorry." Lu Bu walked out of the room as quickly as possible. Diao didn't follow him this time. As he made his way to the stables he stopped by his room and got his favorite set of halberds, setting his dull ones down.

Lu Bu made his way to the stable. Again, he was ignoring the chattering servants. He passed them without a word and tried to get his thoughts on something else. Training. I will go train. Maybe that will get everything off my mind and calm me. He thought hopefully. He walked into the stables and the stable boy got Red Hair ready. The boy somehow always knew when Lu Bu wanted to go riding. Lu Bu mounted his horse as soon as the boy was done.

"Um, sir," said the boy. Lu Bu's attention switched completely to the boy. "I know it is not my place to say but... Why do you love Lady Diao Chan, sir?" Lu Bu eyes furrowed slightly. He shifted a little at the odd question. Lu Bu was quiet; shocked into silence actually. He stared down at the boy.

"Because she is loving, caring, and not at all like the other women I have met. That is the reason I love her," he answered and whipped the reigns. Red Hair bolted out of the stable, happy to finally run freely again.

Lu Bu didn't know how long he rode but he found a nice quiet spot. A clearing with only a few trees. There was a small waterfall to his left, sharp ice crystals hung from it. He got off Red Hair. He could hear the crunch of snow under his feet. He was happy to hear it because there was never any snow in the palace grounds.

Instead of training, Lu Bu picked a spot to sit on and stayed there. He soaked in his surroundings and decided that he would forever come here when things went like this, when there was so much trouble, and when he just wished to get away from the palace populace. He stayed there for an hour or two, pondering on what was going on. He straddled Red Hair again. Lu Bu whipped the reigns and they were off again.

He hated riding at dusk. The wind was always blowing harshly, it was either snowing or raining, and the night's chill was just setting in. But, now it felt even colder than ever before. He whipped the reigns and Red Hair went all out, running like he would on the battlefield. The castle was soon in their sights.

The two were in the warm stables like a bolt of lightning. Lu Bu got off his horse, stiffly. "Put two blankets on him and do not give him cold water," Lu Bu ordered as he started to thaw himself. The boy nodded and went about getting the blankets. Lu Bu was so lost in his thoughts that he almost forgot to say farewell to the stable boy when he left. His mind was so scattered about the last two days events, he couldn't focus on one thing at a time.

As Lu Bu roamed the castle halls, his mind drifted to Diao, and oddly stayed there. She was so sweet, loving, and honest to him, he couldn't imagine her hiding anything from him. She was intelligent, beautiful, cunning... Cunning? Where did that come from? He wondered. But, all in all, Diao was absolutely wonderful. She was one of the Beauties of China, and she was his and only his. He was lucky to have such an amazing woman.

Lu Bu, thinking about Diao, couldn't help but to think about her perfect hour glass figure and beautiful features. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice he had passed some of Dong Zhuo's concubines. That was until he heard them talking.

"Didn't you hear the news?" asked one to the other. The two were just standing in the hall talking to each other. Lu Bu kept walking, turned the corner, and stopped. Normally he wouldn't listen to gossip, but now his gut was telling-no demanding that he listen.

"Hear what?" the other asked.

"Well, the new victim of Dong Zhuo is one of the Beauties of China," the other replied. Lu Bu listened harder. It couldn't be who he was thinking it was. It couldn't possibly be.

"No way! You mean, last night I comforted one of the famous Beauties?" said the other excitedly. "I had no idea, but I did think they were too pretty to be a normal person. Such a pretty face is hard to find. Though, it was a real shame that he violated the Beauty." Lu Bu couldn't believe his ears. There had to be some sort of mistake.

"Yes. And you know when he got 'em?" the first asked.

"No, when?"

"When Dong Zhuo invaded Wu, that's when," she said. Lu Bu's mind went blank. Only one thought went through it.

Diao Chan.

All of a sudden, he was seeing red and was marching to Dong Zhuo's private quarters. Zhang Liao saw him and knew not to get in his way. He didn't have a death wish, but he wondered who in the world had the unfortunate chance of pissing Lu Bu off to this extent. He had great pity for whoever it was.

Malice and hate practically radiated off Lu Bu. The servants, soldiers, and generals fled from the sight of him. They knew he was pissed, but they didn't know about what. They didn't want to know either. All they wanted to do was get out of his way. No one stopped him as he made his way to Dong Zhuo.

/

Dong Zhuo sat happily on his balcony, watching a parade that went on below. His toy sat further in the room. They was chained. Both their ankles and their wrists were cuffed while there was a collar around their neck. The chain to the collar lead all the way to Dong Zhuo's filthy, fat side.

"A wonderful parade! Why, if I could say anything about it, I would say that its beauty is nothing compared to your pretty face," said Dong Zhuo, turning to look at the one and only Zhou Yu. Zhou Yu was eating an apple that Dong Zhuo had given him. He knew better than to take anything without asking, especially when it can to this grotesque pig. He couldn't even call him a man. No man he knew was as fat and gluttonous at this thing he was chained to. Zhou Yu turned his head away from the girls he was conversing with.

"Personally, I do not see why you feel the need to celebrate. It's not like you have gained the entire land or anything," Zhou Yu scoffed. He hated being here more than anything in the entire world. This was defiantly, without a doubt, Hell.

Dong Zhuo scowled and pulled the chain. When Zhou Yu didn't budge, he went over to him. "Watch what you say, you slut. Or I will have you sucking my privates again tonight," he whispered, face to face with Zhou Yu. Yu scowled and backed away slightly.

"Ever heard of this new thing called 'bathing'? You should really try it sometime. It could potentially wash away the stench of the filthy beasts outside, that seems to have permeated into you very skin. Potentially, not guaranteed, though you could find it quite useful. Then again, you could also find it useful lose a few pounds. I would think you could feed your whole city with all that fat," Yu mocked. Dong Zhuo was seething. He grabbed Yu by the front of his shirt and pinned him to the wall. Zhou Yu's feet were dangling off the floor. He just had to mock the pig. Oh, well, might as well even more. Things couldn't possibly get worse. "Aw, did I make the big blob of blubber angry?" Yu was laughing hard on the inside, and couldn't help the smile that spread over his face. Dong Zhuo's expression was priceless.

"That is it!" Dong Zhuo yelled, making the other concubines flinch. "I was kind enough to be gentle with you last night, but tonight..." Dong Zhuo smirked. "I will enjoy taking you raw." Dong Zhuo pressed closer and Zhou Yu tried to push him away.

All of a sudden, Dong Zhuo was still, everything was still. Yu heard the girls scream and the sound of their feet as they run out the door. He felt dong Zhuo grip become non-existent, and quick at that. Yu fell to the floor, but now but not before he saw Dong Zhuo's head roll off his body and some blood spew on him and the rags called his clothes. The body of Dong Zhuo fell on him. He could see the blood pouring onto him and feel it seeping into his clothes. He tried to move the disgusting corpse off him, but found it a rather difficult. Damn. I did not know he was this heavy. Yu thought. The weight was moved off him, suddenly. Someone had moved it.

Zhou Yu looked up to see who his savior was. He looked up only to be met with creamy, chocolate brown eyes, whose caramel swirl seemed to make him relax, but also rekindled his fiery spirit. He gazed at the man in black gold armor with bloody halberds. Zhou Yu knew who this man was. How could he not? He had seen him of the battlefield many a time. It was the famous warrior, who was said to never fall. It was Lu Bu.

/

Lu Bu had made it to Dong Zhuo's doors. They were not hard to find, for they were painted gold. The man had wanted to mimic his palace after the Emperor's. Lu Bu scowled at the sight. The four guards stood in front of them like they were supposed to do. They, unfortunately, stopped Lu Bu from entering.

"We are very sorry, Lord Lu Bu," said the head guard. "Our Lord is with his ladies and wishes not to be-Ahh!" Lu Bu struck him down with one swipe, nearly cutting him in half. The man lay upon the floor, already dead from massive blood loss.

"If anyone dares stop me, I will kill them as well," Lu Bu said. Hatred radiated of Lu Bu and three, of the remaining four, stepped down.

"I will notify Lord Dong Zhuo that-!" The second-in-command stopped as Lu Bu spoke.

"No. Do not even dare. Just open the doors," he said. The guards opened it as quickly and quietly as they could. Lu Bu walked in just in time to see Dong Zhuo pin someone to the wall. He heard everything Dong Zhuo said. He saw some of the person who was pinned, but not all. Lu Bu caught glimpses of a feminine figure, perfect hour glass, long hair. Dark brown hair... Diao's hair...

"I will enjoy taking you raw," he heard Dong Zhuo say. Something in Lu Bu finally snapped. He couldn't take it anymore. First it was just harassing Diao, then Dong Zhuo just had to whip his favorite servant, and finally he was going to take what was rightfully Lu Bu's to his bed.

He raised his blade and swung, hitting the pig in the neck. All was still for a time. One of the girls saw the blade and screamed, soon followed by the others. They all ran, leaving no one around to see what happened next. Lu Bu watched as Dong Zhuo's head rolled and his body fall limb against the poor slave. Lu Bu rolled the pig off and scowled at the stench. The man wasn't dead for five minutes and he already smelled worse than when he was living.

He looked down at the woman, expecting to see Diao's face. But no. The person he looked down on wasn't Diao, or even a woman for that matter. Lu Bu bore down at a man, a beautiful man, though he wouldn't admit it. This man indeed looked like a woman, but a person could definitely tell he was. Lu Bu gazed down into beautiful sapphire eyes that looked like the night sky, just like his little Ying. This man's eyes had light blue flakes in them; they looked like the stars. Diao's eyes were nothing like this. Lu Bu could remember them perfectly. Diao's were just grass green. They dulled in comparison to these beautiful orbs.

He looked down at the man. The light had played tricks on him. This man's hair was black. Solid black. No wonder he had thought it was his love. But, that also meant he was wrong. This was Dong Zhuo's new slave from Wu. He could tell by the fire burning in the man's eyes. Or... was it the light playing tricks on him again.

The man in front of him was one he knew from battle. A strategist, to be more precise. This was the famous man from Wu. The only man ever to be considered even more beautiful than the Beauties of China. This was Zhou Yu.

"You saved me," he said. "Thank you." Lu Bu had barely heard him. Zhou Yu said it only as a whisper. He noticed how close their faces were, but couldn't bring himself to care. Something about those brown eyes made him throw his conscience off a mountain, and lean closer.

"You are very welcome..." whispered Lu Bu, not caring how close their faces where. The same had went for Lu Bu, if he had a conscience to begin with. He briefly wondered if the man's lips felt as soft as they looked. And those fiery depths only urged him on. Their lips were only centimeters away. So close... so very close...

"What are you doing?" said an all too familiar voice from the doorway.

SXH: Cliffhanger! Sorry, but I had to do it. I know you all wanted to see them kiss but that would ruin the whole point of my multi-chapter story! But before you go flaming I'd like to say that it hurt me to do that. I so wanted them to kiss! But now is not the time for smooching! Now is the time to start the story!

Zhang Liao: *nose is bleeding* You... made it to where... Zhou Yu was more...

Lu Bu: Beautiful than anyone. Personally, I'm a little bit mad.

SXH: Why?

Lu Bu: Because you-...

Zhang Liao & SXH: *silent and waiting*

Lu Bu: *silent*

SXH: You're just mad that I cut the kiss, aren't you? *smirks*

Lu Bu: No! Absolutely not!

SXH: It's okay if you don't want to admit it. Don't worry! The story's only just beginning! Zhou Yu! Are you ready from the next scene?!

Zhou Yu: Can I at least have a cup of tea first. Or possibly a break?

SXH: Fine. But first we have to do the outro!

SXH, Zhang Liao, Zhou Yu, & Lu Bu: Thanks for reading! And please, don't be afraid to tell me what you think with a Review!

Bye~!

This one was dedicated to Kitsune-Chanjo. Again, thanks for the advice!