Hmph. I think this is the last chapter that will be taking the original as a base, because the ones that follow are just plain... unusable. They definitely went wa~y off in almost all departments, especially drama *laughs* Ah. To be young and foolish again XD

So. Off goes another one~!

Chapter Two

Jiang Wei woke up when he heard somebody talking quietly, and had to blink several times before he could realize where he actually was. The bed was empty except of him and he found himself being thoughtfully covered up with the blanket. Obviously the two Tiger Generals were up already and talked quietly about something in the provisional kitchen.

Smiling softly to himself he sat up in the bed and stretched before soundlessly slipping out of it. It was early in the morning, approximately around eight or nine a.m. He searched for his clothes to put on, the whole time thinking about yesterday's occurrences and remembering the vicious nightmare sent a cold shiver running down his spine. It was not the first time he had suffered through this kind of dream but yesterday it seemed more horrifying than ever. Only imagining that he really could have woken up in his former room in the Wei palace... Violently shaking his head to get rid of the unpleasant thoughts, he tightly closed his eyes and clenched his fists. He really hoped he would never return back to the hell he'd been living. Never.

The boy sighed and stepped to the curtains, ready to push them asunder but stopped and listened to the quiet conversation. He wasn't really the type for eavesdropping but they seemed to talk about no other than him so he got curious.

"Don't worry so much, Yun. He's a strong boy, he'll make it. Besides, he's not alone anymore, he got us to help." That was Ma Chao's voice, characteristically strong and boisterous even despite the lowered volume.

"I know. But still, he looked so shattered yesterday. He said he was afraid that this all was just a dream, and then that nightmare... The things he had been through had to be worse than what we had heard out of the scout reports."

Jiang Wei had to swallow. He didn't want to know what the scouts had reported to them but what he was rather certain of was that they most likely didn't report even the half of it. The full dimension of his sufferings was known only by him alone because he had lived through it day by day, three condemned years long.

"I definitely agree with you about yesterday, but I'm sure things will improve the longer he stays with us. Some wounds he has won't heal completely but be positive. He's out of harm's way now, and that's exactly how we'll keep it." Where Zhao Yun was often the voice of reason and composure, his friend was definitely the voice of optimism and conviction.

"There's nowise those bastards are gonna have as much as a glimpse of him again. And once China's ours, we'll make them pay." Ma Chao's inflection grew more confident with every syllable, and Jiang Wei could hear the notes of anger covibrate in it.

He closed his eyes to let the younger Tiger General's words take their effect on him. 'Some wounds he has won't heal completely but be positive. He's out of harm's way, and that's exactly how we'll keep it. There's nowise those bastards are gonna have as much as a glimpse of him again. And once China's ours, we'll make them pay.' His heart hitched as they echoed in his head what felt like ten times over.

Why? Why do they care so much? Why am I so important to them? He kept asking himself that, but he couldn't find an answer.

"The thing I cannot grasp is - how can people be so cruel?" Zhao Yun's voice intoning once more, brought him back to reality. How can people be so nice? A counter-question immediately formed in his mind. He never knew someone could care so much. Someone whom he didn't even know for long, if at all. How could this be? The past three years had taught him not to trust anyone, often enough not even himself. They taught him nothing but pain and humiliation. But why was he feeling so familiar with these people? What was this strange emotion he couldn't refer to anything? It was as though he... as though he... belonged.

"That's a mystery to me, too. I mean, all right, I get it some sick bastards likely had their fun and entertainment out of it, but there must have been at least a few who couldn't tolerate it."

At that deliberation, the seventeen-year-old had to struggle hard to ignore the vicious burning sensation in his eyes. Betrayal was the word that stood in blood-red letters within his mind. Betrayal which had hurt far more than any physical damage ever could.

"There had been. But instead of helping they ultimately choose to take part."

Both men turned to the curtains as Jiang Wei raised his voice, softly, attempting his best not to let it waver. He tried his best not to look as broken as he felt inside, and finally pushed the curtains asunder, entering the room. The first gaze he met was intense, coming out of jade-hued eyes and he lowered his own after he'd tried to fake some kind of a smile but failed.

"It must have been very hard. I'm really sorry about what'd happened to you."

Jiang Wei was glad as Ma Chao chose to break the somewhat uneasy silence in the room. He shook his head, hearing the apology. "Don't be. Nobody is to blame for what had happened to me. Only I myself, maybe." He admitted quietly.

"No. You're the last person to hold responsible for it. There was little you could have done to change what had been taking place. Never blame yourself for that, you've endured bravely, and more than should have ever been demanded of you."

His head snapped up at this reply from the older Tiger General, meeting the reassuring and warm gaze of those magnificent pools of mild green. A gentle smile curled the Dragon's lips and it made the boy's heart swell with deep gratitude. He didn't deserve...

Those were the most encouraging words that had been directed at him in a very long time. He really did think, more often than not, with and without reason, that him ending up in such a miserable position had been entirely his fault. That he was not strong enough, not confident enough, not valiant enough to break loose. Now it finally dawned properly on him that there really had been little he could have done. They'd had his mother and any wrong move of his could have been the end of her life. If he had abandoned her for his own sake, would that have made him selfish? Those self-destructing monologues he had carried out with himself almost every night - there were all of no use but to destroy his crumbling self-esteem and the little of self-belief he had had. He had never really been aware of this because his mind had been reigned by pain and misery, and it had been so difficult to see through the mist of tears and agony and sorrow.

"Thank you. For everything." He finally managed a whisper.

"You're very much welcome, Jiang Wei. Just know that whenever you need someone to talk to, you can always come see me or Chao. Alright?" It was a genuine offer, an honest try to help.

"Alright." He nodded slightly and this time, an unadulterated smile brightened his features, the first real one that had touched his lips in what felt like... ages. It made the two older men smile, too, before a knock on the door caught their attention, Ma Chao rising up his seat to open up.

"Good morning, Prime Minister. I thought you would stop by sooner than later." He greeted and stepped aside to allow the strategist to enter.

"Good morning." An attentive glance around the room. "I see everyone's awake already. I'm used of those two to be the early birds but I didn't think you were one as well." He smiled warmly, focusing on Jiang Wei.

"Good Morning, Prime Minister. In comparison to the past, I'd say I slept rather long today." The boy bowed, witnessing that placid smile disappearing from the Zhuge Liang's lips.

He felt sorry, he didn't have any intention to upset anyone with that statement. He'd simply verbalized the truth – usually, he'd be awake just a few hours after midnight. At celebrations and feasts he wouldn't get to sleep at all because then he'd be the main attraction for the drunken officers. He flinched at the memories and quickly chased them away.

"Is my mother all right?" He instead spoke out the question that was bothering him ever since he got to the Shu palace. He couldn't imagine that these people had done anything but their best to comfort his mother, but still he wanted to know that she was well first hand.

Zhuge Liang nodded and took a seat. Jiang Wei followed his example and sat down opposite the strategist. For the lack of any more chairs Zhao Yun remained standing, much like Ma Chao after he'd closed the door and leaned against it with arms crossed over his firm chest.

"Your mother had been brought to a house in the town part nearby the palace. She is fine; just very worried about you. And upset." The greatest Mastermind after Sun Tzu finally answered, seeing the concern that instantly lit up in the boy's eyes. He chose the words very carefully because he knew the to-come news would likely shock the other to a degree.

"What do you mean?" Jiang Wei elaborated, watching the man closely. He had an uneasy feeling about this...

"We told her the truth."

And that feeling confirmed itself, all emotions vanishing from Jiang Wei's quickly paling face upon hearing that statement. He looked stunned, his gaze almost panicky.

"She... knows...?" His voice almost cracked under the disbelief and the fear. He couldn't imagine how he should ever face his mother again now. His breathing quickened a little, lips trembling faintly, thus he bit upon the lower one to force some calm onto it as well as onto himself.

The Shu officers watched him with worry and Zhao Yun finally made his way over to stand beside him, his hand gently touching the teen's smaller appendage that had curled up in a fist atop the table. Jiang Wei flinched and looked up at him searching for some kind of support. He found it in one of those compassionate, encouraging smiles the taller male gave him what seemed every time he was insecure or scared.

"We had to tell her, there was no other way to convince her to leave. She said she would understand if you were not willing to visit her in the near time. I'm sorry but there was no other option to take. I think as your mother, she deserved to know." Zhuge Liang spoke again, watching the boy taking a deep breath before the youth nodded slowly.

"It's... fine. I'll... I'll meet with her shortly." He said quietly, looking at the strategist again. He knew he had to visit his mother as soon as possible to set things right. Although she had said she'd understand if he preferred to stay away, he knew she was likely in pain and likely blamed herself. He had to talk this out with her as much as he didn't want to.

"That would be a good choice made." Zhuge Liang agreed, feeling relieved that it didn't trouble the boy as gravely as he'd feared it would. Either that, or Jiang Wei was very good at hiding it.

"Still... what I don't understand is why you would come for me. What use am I to you?" The former Wei-officer posed another question that had been on his mind ever since.

"Our priority was to free you out of Wei's clutches. Villagers near Xu Chang had told our scouts about someone of great skill and intelligence being held in the castle. They also reported of that someone being treated very cruelly by their fellow officers. It did not require much time to figure out that this someone had to be you."

"You figured out? How?" Asking, Jiang Wei pondered how the villagers might have come to know about him in the first place. He found the explanation pretty quickly - that had to be due to the guards who often visited the tavern in the village because the wine was cheaper there. They must have let something slip while they were drunk. But still, how did Shu know it had to be him?

"It was not too hard of a conclusion to draw, primarily due to the battles. Some of us had fought against you, they noticed that no matter the amount or gravity of the injuries you would sustain, and which could have and should have been treated right, no one seemed to care." Though the other talked, Jiang Wei kept his vision fixed on the meek swaying of the fan guided by the man's hand, the motion sort of... sedative. Very much different from the feeling he always got when he'd watch Sima Yi hide half his face behind a black set of feathers... But it was better not to go there, those memories were vile. Well... like most of his memories were, he guessed.

"You were usually alone on the battlefield and the way the generals commanded you was not the proper way to treat an ally. There were many little things that have made us suspicious. After hearing the reports we planted a few spies in Wei. They confirmed our apprehensions." Zhuge Liang carried on with his explanation, all the time observing the small changes in Jiang Wei's expression until it was mostly dominated by pensiveness.

Jiang Wei himself hadn't realized that his behaviour and the behaviour of the other generals towards him on the battlefield was quite that eye-catching. Perhaps he'd simply gotten used to it... It was true; no one cared if he got injured in the battle and he himself didn't always have the time to tend to all them cuts and scratches himself. He handled them mostly after the battles even when he hadn't really known why he was doing it. What use was it to treat the wounds if they would be torn open a short while after?

"But still... Why would you come for me? It was not exactly your problem to worry about, was it? I mean..." He trailed off, not knowing how exactly to phrase what he tried to say. He just couldn't understand why these people seemed to care so much.

"It may be difficult for you to understand it yet, but not all people are as malicious as those you've been amid of. When our Lord Liu Bei learned about your predicament, he immediately wanted me to develop a strategy to free you." The gaze of his eyes was soft but soul-penetrating when Shu's mastermind placed a subtle yet momentous emphasis on his next words. "Jiang Wei, you're a human being who did not deserve the treatment you've been given. No one does."

Nonetheless, many more suffered. All over China, people suffered, and while only peace and end of war could alleviate the torment of the many, there was no excuse in missing the chance to help a single individual if it was in the range of your possibilities. Compassion and mercy should not be allowed to fall forgotten even in the darkest of times.

"There was no way we could just stand by and watch this happening to you, kid. There would have been no excuse if we hadn't helped." Ma Chao thus added, eyeing the boy whose face he was no longer able to see. The long strands of brown hair has scattered downwards covering the pale skin of his features as he stared into his lap, unable to look up at any of the three men there with him. They seemed too unreal to be true... Such a simple reason they presented him. Only a will to help. Without asking of anything in return. No ulterior motive, no demands. Nothing at all...

"Please excuse me." The teen suddenly rose up his seat, keeping his head low, his shoulders tensed, his voice small and quiet. A second later he pulled the curtains apart and quickly slipped back into the bedroom.

Zhao Yun pushed himself out of his leaning position against one of the counters and nodded reassuringly as he met his friend's worried gaze. "I'll minister to him." He informed chastely and followed the boy to where he had disappeared to.

Jiang Wei had halted by the window, distant eyes watching the scenery outside but barely seeing anything. He just couldn't understand at all. 'You are a human being who did not deserve the treatment you've been given.' Was it really that simple...? 'There was no way we could just stand by and watch this happening to you, kid. There would have been no excuses if we hadn't helped.' The words played in his mind over and over again. Why was it that some people could and others couldn't?

'I would help you, but I can't. Please understand. It's just too risky for me.' Another voice echoed in his head and he closed his eyes tightly feeling the pain rising in his chest. This just didn't match together. This couldn't be. Why could others idly watch those horrible things being done to him and some unbeknown people whom he had never seen in his entire life, spare on the battlefield, would come for him just because they heard from someone how miserable of a situation he was in? Moreover, technically, he was their enemy. Why would their help somebody who was considered a foe? Why even bother to look into it... It didn't make sense. Like two hemispheres of two different worlds, it didn't make a whole.

A shaky breath heaved his chest and he pressed a hand over his mouth to muffle any more of those against his palm, slinging his free arm around his own waist in a faintly hugging manner, hoping to stop his body from shivering. His eyes squeezed their lids together more tightly as he tried to will away the pictures appearing in his head.

The ropes...

'I would help you, but I can't.'

...cold steel...

'Please understand.'

...pain... blood...

'I would help you but-' but I don't want to '-I can't...'

...cries... his cries...

"Jiang Wei?"

He winced and veered around, eyes wide in shock and unconscious tears on the brim of overflowing, making his sight a blur of contours and colours. He recognized it was Zhao Yun who stood in front of him, seeming slightly taken aback by the image he was confronted with.

"Hey... Is everything alright?" The Tiger General asked in concern, placing a hand on the boy's faintly trembling shoulder.

Jiang Wei's hands clutched at his sides and he let his head sink once more, his eyes shut to force down... all of it. The tears and the sobs and the emotions and the pictures still burning in his mind, making his heart twitch and pull at the vein that bound it in place. He couldn't speak up, not yet, otherwise it all threatened to just... spill.

"I know it must be very hard for you. And I know it must hurt very much. Still, you're not alone anymore. We're there to help you make it through." Zhao Yun's calm voice, lowered to an comforting whisper, reached his ears, the strong hand on his shoulder squeezing there gingerly.

"How..." Jiang Wei paused to draw in a shaky breath, not yet looking up but thankful for the other's presence nearby. It was... alleviating. It made it easier to breathe through the pain. "How can this be...? They said they couldn't help... Why can you?" It was hard for him to speak and his words were near inaudible, halfway smothered by the counter-streaming thoughts in his head. The grip on his shoulder fortified a little; another gently delivered squeeze.

"Forget what they said. If someone's intention to help is honest and true, they always can." A quiet and steadfast reply, though Zhao Yun himself was fighting with his emotions. He felt so deeply sorry for the boy, for everything that happened to him. He knew he could do little to ease that anguish except of just offering him what little comfort he could provide, but he didn't know if it could possibly be enough.

The rage he felt however, was a wholly different side to the story. Normally, his usual demeanour abstained from emotions like hatred, or loathe, or the want for retribution. But the mere image of what had been done to the young life in front of him, caused his noble stand on some things to shift. All the more so as Jiang Wei continued.

"So they were saying it... just to..." It really had been it, hadn't it...? They were saying it... "Just to hurt me further? They were just..." But... "But why?" At last, he did look up at the Tiger General, akin to a confused child, his eyes fogged and their brown colour dull with that tormenting misery. He knew he was probably asking too much already, he of all people should understand the impossibility of answering such questions.

Regardless, he wanted to know why. Why was it him who had to go through all of that? Nobody knew even the half of it. Not the smallest part of what he'd had to endure, what he'd had to do and what he had been done to. The pain grew worse, it tore him apart from the inside, so bad he wanted to scream. Just to scream his soul out so it wouldn't hurt anymore. But nothing more than cadenced, jagged exhales fell from his palely reddish lips.

With his second hand in motion, Zhao Yun took Jiang Wei by both his shoulders, holding that forlorn stare with a resolute, consoling one of his own. "Some things happen and we cannot explain why, Jiang Wei. It could be fate or just an unlucky fusion of events. It could be foreseen or just a doomed accident. No one knows. But that which had happened, does not matter anymore. What is important, is the here and now." He spoke quietly but firmly, looking deep into those pain-filled, fawn soul-mirrors, seeing there the miraculously preserved innocence that made it so hard for boy to understand... To understand why some people simply took pleasure seeing others in agony and crying.

"I'm still afraid this is just a dream." The teen whispered as if sharing a well-guarded secret. His deepest fears were that this all was just a heavenly chimera that would soon dissipate in a flock of white feathers and leave him to wake up in pits of Netherworld again.

A faint smile twitched the corner of the Dragon's mouth. "No, little one, it's not. It's over now, for good, and you don't have to suffer anymore. You're safe here, and no one's going to harm you again. Never again. Okay?" Zhao Yun was perfectly content seeing those mortally sad eyes gently lit up with a shimmer of hope. It wasn't much, but it was something. Things could only get better from here on. Of that he was sure. Of that, he was going to make sure.

"Okay." Jiang Wei nodded ever so slightly, uttering that one tiny word so quietly as if afraid someone else except them two might hear it.

"Good. Everything will be alright." Zhao Yun assured once more, an pulled the smaller brunette into a brief, strong embrace.

Though he at first was hesitant to raise his arms, Jiang Wei ultimately guided them around the other's fair neck and locked them loosely behind it, smiling faintly. Comfort. It was even stranger of a feeling, than it was unbeknown of a word.

Zhao Yun understood well that he could not erase the memories that troubled the youth's fragile mind but he could be there for him to help him pull through. He could hold him when he felt shattered and he could tell him that everything was going to be fine when he was scared. It was an odd realization, standing there having such breakable of a being in his arms, that he apparently cared so much for the boy. He had grown attached to the seventeen-year-old in less than a couple days. But that didn't bother him at all. Likely it was Jiang Wei's natural charm that either planted into one the wish to hurt and toy with him, or to shield and watch out for him. Being an apt warrior and a promising prodigy of strategy aside, he was still only seventeen.

"Would you like to lay down for a little bit?" He posed a soft question, since Jiang Wei appeared to be rather worn out despite having gotten up not that long ago.

The emotional distress of his mother coming to know the truth, and the struggle to understand and accept all that was occurring so rapidly around him was a lot to manage. Taking all that in account, it wasn't surprising his response was another slight nod. Might be he also simply needed a bit of time alone with his now much more balanced thoughts, to try and come to terms with... everything.

Thus, Zhao Yun left the young one to himself after he'd watch him ease back down onto the bed and close his eyes, the last words he directed at Jiang Wei before he exited being: "Just call if you need anything."

"How is he?" Was the immediate question Zhao Yun was confronted with upon re-entering the provisional kitchen. Ma Chao's concern was both evident and warranted, he obviously felt responsible for the boy now that he'd decisively made the choice to take him under his protective wing.

"He's fine, don't worry. He takes a rest right now." The older Tiger General replied, relief reflecting in the expression of both his fellow officers.

"Well, I shall take my leave now. I will order some preparations to be made in order to accommodate him here properly." Zhuge Liang rose from his seat, bowing small towards the other two. "I would ask of you to take care of the boy as excellently as you did this far. If he has any further questions he can come to me."

The Shu strategist didn't doubt that there were in fact a lot of questions Jiang Wei would want to ask eventually, as there were also more questions Zhuge Liang himself would find it interesting to hear an answer to. That however, could wait as long as it was necessary for the boy to adjust to the new surroundings.

"You can rely on us, Prime minister. He is in safe hands here." Ma Chao sounded confidently, stepping away from the door so the older man could exit. He guessed they could leave it up to their respected tactician to take all the necessary measures to make Jiang Wei feel more at home here.

With Zhuge Liang gone, only the two of them remained, and he turned to his friend, scrutinizing him. "You look a little bit ropy. Care for a ride?" Zhao Yun indeed appeared a bit listless or tired; it seemed the whole thing bothered him rather a lot.

"What, do I really look that bad?" The addressed man chuckled, habitually bringing up his hands to fasten the ribbon holding his hair together in a ponytail before brushing a few brown fringes out of his handsome face.

Ma Chao knew his friend well enough to tell that right know he wouldn't mind a little distraction from his thoughts and he also knew exactly what the most likely things were that Zhao Yun wanted to do in such moments - it was either sparring or riding out. Something the two of them had in common. He himself didn't feel like duelling right now, but he was always in spirits for anything that involved spending time with horses.

"Nah, bad is not the right word to use. I think... unfocused is more suitable." He replied, gripping their spears and tossing one of it to its rightful owner before swinging the door open.

A skilful catch, and a mild sigh - "Maybe you're right. Some fresh air and less brooding will surely do no harm." Mild was also the uncertainty when the two of them were just outside the door. "Do you think we can leave him alone?"

At that, the younger Tiger General huffed and rolled his eyes. "Now you're acting overprotective, Yun." It was a trait of the other that could be both lovely and annoying - he did like to worry about things. "He won't disappear the very moment you're not around. He's seventeen, I think he can handle some alone-time just fine." Carefully leaning his Stallion Fury against a nearby wall, Ma Chao circled his friend's yet immobile form while continuing speaking: "Besides, he's probably already asleep and maybe still will be when we come back." Arrived behind the other, he gripped his shoulders and began pushing him forward and away from their room door.

"All right, all right, I got it. Now stop pushing me before I choose a duel over the riding thing." The taller man laughed, and did his best not to budge which made it more difficult for his companion to move him from the spot.

"Oh, is that a challenge?" A boyish taunt, both of Ma Chao's index fingers making it to the spots just below the other's shoulder blades and pressed down, causing the taller body to cringe. He grinned as he heard a sharp gasp and ducked away as his comrade whirled around and tried to slap him across his unruly head.

"If you ever do that again I will have to break your fingers!" Zhao Yun threatened and made a few swift steps forward, still wanting to fulfil his intentions of reaching his hand to the other's head. Ma Chao knew perfectly how much he couldn't have it, being poked at like that.

"Boo-hoo, now I'm scared. The Little Dragon is about to spit fire." His fellow officer all but teased with an according feisty grin on his lips, trying not to burst out laughing due to his friend's pissy appearance, keeping a safety gap between them to avoid getting smacked in the end.

"Alright, you. I'll show you some fire." Zhao Yun juggled his spear into attack stance, amused when Ma Chao blinked at him in what must be realization that the younger man's own weapon was pretty much out of his reach, still lonesomely leaned against the wall behind his comrade.

"Hey! Not fair! I don't have my spear!" He protested, watching a good-naturedly evil smirk twitch the corner of the older man's mouth.

"That's your problem, not mine." Was Zhao Yun's nonchalant reply, followed by a hearty chuckle as he watched his best friend turn tail and make an escape towards the stables. Shaking his head he gripped the other's spear to not leave it behind, and gave chase.

I definitely do enjoy Zhao Yun and Ma Chao together. Their companionship is so easy to imagine *laughs* Quite a fertile ground for my muses to thrive, too *snickers*

Reviews are love~ =3

See you next chapter!