"Kaname Ohgi! What's the status on your MR-I?" As a basic non-combat Knightmare Frame, the land terrain MR-I wouldn't be able to stand too much damage. "I'm reading the charts on my screen and your MR-I is not active. Did the attack from the Slash Harkens on that Sutherland damage any of your interior defenses?" Xingke rashly spoke with his voice nearly out of breath. In the current situation, the Britannian reinforcements were at a staggering rate of 10 Sutherlands to every 1 of them. Xingke shifted the Guren MK-II's coordinates and narrowly dodged a shot from an assault rifle. Being in the air currently had no advantage in this battle. Most of the fight was being held on the ground. It was only Xingke's 6th fight, but he kept thanking every day that he was still in one piece. His artery pulsated and expanded harshly on the side of his neck.
'Better not jinx myself right now. With my current health, I may not last much longer.' He smirked contradicting his previous thought.
"It's alright Xingke-san, just a minor rupture of some wires on the bottom left side of my MR-I. The wires that were broken, only lowers my speed by 2% so I can manage. Schneizel was not skimping out on reinforcements today, neh?" He let out a sarcastic laugh before canceling the connection.
'Gotta hand it to Zero's choice in Knightmare handlers, he certainly wasn't just picking people from the gutters.' Then an abrupt attack caught Xingke off guard. He felt the back of the Guren MK-II's exterior armor cut cleanly 5 inches deep. He swore under his breath. Why hadn't he seen it coming? Xingke realized the enemy had an advanced cloaking device that became rendered when contact with other metals. Meaning his own Knightmare. No wonder the machine wasn't visible on the Knightmare's detection units. Blood exploded from his mouth as Xingke desperately reached for the ejection button. Too slow. His eyes dilated and dazed, glanced dizzily at his palms, drenched in blood. Before blacking out he heard some faint voices called out.
"Guren MK-II! Li Xingke! Can you respond? Xingke! Xingke…"
Li Xingke POV:
Am I dead? Did Zero win? What about the Britannian Empire? What will happen to me now that I am nothing but a lifeless shell? I knew my life wouldn't be too long but why is my life cut off so soon? I wish I could have told Jiang…
*Beep*…. *Beep*
Oh if I could've only seen her again once more…
"Xingke? How have you been?" A faint silhouette was sitting to my left in a very white room.
Was I in the infirmary? My eyes reluctantly opened to suddenly being face to face with Kallen. WHOA! My eyebrows twitched slightly in disappointment of seeing Miss Pink Hair instead of Jihua. That and her face was too close for comfort. Kallen stuck her tongue out at me and sneered. "Expecting someone else, weren't you?"
I think that she should enter a job occupation as a psychic later in her life, maybe as an old lady. Just a random thought. I averted my eyes and reddened realizing my fault. "It's not for that reason....but why are you the one attending my wounds?"
A small sharp pain seared throughout my body as she rubbed some herb ointment onto my bare bandaged back and chest. That's right. In some strange occurrences, some possibly random stranger had the audacity to strip off my garments during my unconsciousness. Hopefully they didn't steal my lower clothing as well….Thank goodness, they're still intact.
Kallen yawned in an un-lady-like manner and stood up to stretch in front of a window near the right side of the room. Someone needs to shave a bit...."I need to take full responsibility for you, because I took you under my wing. With the attack you withstood, you should be completely grateful that the sword only grazed your backside."
"But how was I saved? What happened to the battle? And where are my clothes?!" I spoke in a hurried fashion.
She pressed her index finger on one part of my wound, making me stiffen in pain. "No time for questions, time for the apprentice to take a chill for a bit." Mocking me as usual…
"Why you little-" I grabbed the sleeve of her shirt as she tried to runaway. Normally, I wouldn't bother teasing anyone like that, nonetheless a girl, but she and I had grown to be like siblings over the past year. Kallen was laughing and pulling on my hair. All seemed fine until…
"Ahh…are we interrupting anything here?" The voice of only Sumeragi Kagura emerged from the room. And only a step behind her was Jiang, with her beautiful red eyes opened to the fullest extent. What made it worse was that in her hands, she held a small bouquet of wild red roses. I knew they were wild due to the small cuts and dirt on her delicate finger tips. I had to immediately re-collect myself and noticed the hospital blanket exposed my whole body from head to torso. The sight of me grabbing onto Kallen's garments wasn't helping the situation at all.
I was lost of words and sadly watched Jihua slowly walk over to my bed and place the roses gently at the feet of my sheets. "I am glad to see you were not harmed too badly, Li Xingke. Nice to have seen you again." She gave a calm smile and hurried out of the room in an eager fashion.
"Wait! Tianzi-sama!" With my willpower I miraculously leaped from my spot and dashed after her. Bless her petite body structure, for I reached her in a matter of seconds. "It shocked me to see you here, Tianzi-sama. Such a long time has passed since I last saw your face. You have been growing into such a beautiful young lady." I tried my best to disguise my earnest feeling as to seeing her once more. Jihua certainly did grow, not only height wise but in the womanly-state as well. There was so much strength I had to control from leaning in and capturing her light-pink lips with my own. The queen kept her eyes titled away from mine. How could I blame her?
"Li Xingke, please do not try to flatter me with you obscene comments and release me from your hold this instant!"
The tears were brimming greatly under the eyes so I whispered in her ear, "I am afraid I cannot comply with that command, Jihua." I heard a small gasp emit from her mouth. I rocked her gently and inhaled her scent deeply. There was a nostalgic scent of meadow dew on her clothes.
"You haven't changed very much, Xingke." My bandages were getting moist due to Jihua's uncontrollable emotions.
"Not as much as you. But I still love you, Jihua." I kissed the top of her gentle head and caressed her silver hair with my weary hand. I felt her struggling once more.
"Please stop it already! Why are you lying behind your teeth?! I already saw 'her'! Obviously you now care about someone else…but here you are trying to toy with me?" Jihua succeeded in escaping from me and ran once more. I reached my hand in distress.
"…Jihua…"
Still with her back towards me, Jihua flicked my hand away and stopped momentarily in her tracks. How could I tell her now? I only trusted in Kallen because she was my mentor and reminded me remotely of Jihua. But there was never any strong emotional desire for Kallen in the slightest. Though now it's too late to say it.
"I found any possible way to get to you when I heard you had been severely injured. I arrived and was completely overjoyed to see you doing well, but then my feelings changed to utter jealousy. I already told you I loved you Xingke, only a year ago. But here you are NOW lying to me?! I think even if what you say is true, it's a little too late now. A year too late as a matter of fact. I knew it was nearly impossible for me to confess my adoration for you last year. The royalty lines, and huge age barrier were the primary reasons. But even so, I tried with every bone in my body to see if some hope could come out of it. I was scared for awhile for not being able to see you in my presence. You are the one I trust entirely my life onto. So then after awhile, I said to myself, maybe, just maybe I could try one more time to see you tell me your want to spend the rest of your life with me. That would have been the most beautiful music to my ears. You already know Xingke, that I've always believed in second chances. And now here I am, tears flooding my face and hurt once more. I think I was wrong from the very beginning to believe that it could be possible. But I just kept thinking, with you by my side anything would work out….From now on, I believe we should keep our relationship to the furthest impersonal extent. It will be easier that way."
No!!!!!! Why does it have to be this way?! I forcefully pulled her towards me once more and wiped her tears with my fingers. Her eyes, glistening with salty water, appeared like glowing pools of blood. For so many years those eyes entranced me and stirred my soul. I leaned over and planted a longing kiss onto her blooming pink lips. Her reaction, made me guess she was in complete astonishment. There was a slight bit of yearning towards her own small lips, but then it gave way to no response at all. A sudden slap came to my cheek. The kiss was only for a moment, but I shall remember that for a long time. Jiang's face immediately reddened to see a red mark appearing on my face. Unsure what she had done with her actions, she went against her words and tried to hold my cheek but only to take her hand back at the last second.
"I'm sorry…" She muttered, "I didn't me to…"
"Don't be. I am the one that's sorry. I kissed you without asking and it wasn't right."
"No…I mean for retaliating like that…"
"Please don't apologize, Jiang." I cupped her chin and kissed her cheek. "I am the one who needs to be sorry. But I wouldn't be so articulate about my words if I hadn't met you on that fateful day. If we had not met on that street, I would've….I really don't know what I have done…" I sighed and decided to sit down against one of the hall walls. Jiang was still unsure what to do, but decided to stand closer to the wall I was leaning against. "Maybe commit suicide or drown myself in the nearby river. I always thought there was nothing more for me in life. So as an impatient, angst-filled teenager, I decided to let my death come swiftly. But here I am now waiting patiently to see the day you get married, Jiang. What a beautiful bride I know you will be. I am envious of the man who you marry, because I just wish instead of him….it could be….me."
Lihua Jiang's POV:
What should I say? What should I do? Did I misjudge him the whole time? He must think I am an incredible wreck. Just blaming him without even giving him the time of day to speak! What wretchedness has overcome me? Damnation to the High Eunuchs who control my every action within the Forbidden City. I am starting to act like them!
Xingke gave me a quizzical look, as I randomly began shaking my head of the horrific thought. "Are you conflicting with something, Jihua?"
Realizing Xingke was still here, I did the only thing my immature 12 year-old self wanted to do. I walked towards him, squatted down and hugged him with all the strength my little body bore. "Oh Xingke! Please, oh please for once don't try to please or woe me. I am not perfect you know. You truly are the most wonderful person I ever met in my life and always will be. Without a doubt. And if I get married, it will only be to the person I love, and that's you." I never was good at ever hating Xingke no matter what he did.
Xingke hoisted me by the sides and propped me on his lap. I was blushing uncontrollably at this awkward position I was in. "Jihua. I am now fully able to admit I love you with the deepest part of my soul. But please don't be so hasty with loving me back. You are only still an adolescent. Don't be so quick to be enraptured in this love I am giving you."
I looked sadly at my fingers, "No matter what I say or do, Xingke, you will always view me as a child. How can I change my age? Why was it that I was to be born so many years after you? The world just is not fair to me."
"It's not fair to me either. Here I am, with the love of my life in my lap, but all I can do is stare into her luminous eyes, that take my breath away. Yet mainly age is keeping our love apart. That is why I said before. I shall wait. I will wait for you forever. We shall see the world together like you always wanted. Don't worry I will wait till the ends of the earth because that is how much I-" Xingke leaned forward and moaned in pain. I checked his backside to notice his wound had become more visible through the bandages. The blood was seeping feverishly and some started dripping on the floor.
"Xingke! Please do not speak now, or it will worsen your injury. I immediately tore a piece of my dress and used it as a cloth to try to absorb as much blood as possible. "Zero-sama! Kagura-san! Anybody!!"
My tears were as immense as ever and I kept shouting. "Xingke! Xingke! Please stay awake! Don't succumb now! Please! I'm begging you!"
"Jihua…" Xingke was getting weaker and weaker by the minute. His head was beginning to form beads of sweat. I used my sleeve to keep it from getting into his eyes. No matter what I couldn't leave him.
"Tianzi-sama! Tianzi-sama!" The pink haired girl I had encountered earlier had come and was pulling me away from Xingke. "Please let him go."
"Get away from me!" I was no match for her and I screamed as more nurses attended Xingke's wound. A stretcher was being carried by two men covered in surgeon outfits.
"We need to take him to the intensive health care center. Due to his terminal illness, his second wound is adding more strain onto his body."
"Xingke!!!!! Xingke!!!! Don't die! You won't die on me!" I hoped my voice reached him. And slowly I watched to see him be taken away from my hands once more.
"Ji-hu-a…" He slumped onto the stretcher and closed his heavy eyes.
Li Xingke POV:
I have failed you.