A Gentle Walk...

[Mr Guan Yu]

"If only the times were like this in all places..."

The normally booming voice of Guan Yu had surprisingly been soft and nearly distant as he spoke. His lids were heavy and he walked along the path of a garden in Cheng Du. He sighed as he took in the scent of the flowers around. He shook his head slowly as he ran a hand through his beard. Though, as usual, even in the calm scene of the garden he was in he still had his massive Green Dragon in his right hand. It was as if he never went anywhere without it.

The sound of lighter footsteps following the Green Machine could be heard and Yu had turned to see who it was approaching him. He smiled when he noticed that it was none other than his son Xing. As the young boy approached him he panted slightly and smiled to his father. He then bowed, and Yu nodded to him letting him know that formalities were not necessary at their current surroundings.

"Yes Xing?"

"Nothing father. I just thought to spend the day with you. Since you came back to Cheng Du it has been a while since we could talk... wouldn't you say so?"

"Ha ha. Yes I would say so. I hope you are enjoying your governance in Yun Nan. I hope that the King and Jian Yuan are keeping you company as well."

"Yes father. They have been more than enough help and I am enjoying the lands of the Nanman as well.. Though... I miss the city of Cheng Du."

Guan smiled as he looked from his son to the sky. Guan Xing had seemed to be growing so quickly and Yu was barely keeping up. He took a few more steps down the path and he looked around. He had invited Jiang Wei to the city of Cheng Du whenever he and Lady Zhen were done with their lesson.

It was a few more minutes of Xing expressing things that he had experienced while in Yun Nan had gone by.

"Now Xing... You must always be o--"

At that moment Guan Yu froze in his steps. His heart began to beat with such incredible force and at such a speed that he fell to his knee and dropped his great weapon. His eyes had widened and his usual red face had paled, something that Xing would have never had guessed would happen. Yu's breath had become deeper and beads of sweat formed on his brow.

"Father? Father is everything alright?"

Xing said as he knealt down next to his father, putting his hand on his father's back and offered his support. The scene was as suprising to see as it was to the two who were witnessing it. Yu was shocked that his body and heart were reacting in such a way out of nowhere..

"Yes.... Yes I believe I am fine."

"What do you mean, 'you believe' father?"

"... Its... Its as though a large piece of my heart has been cut out."

[Xiaoli Qing]

Qing had entered the city and tried to send out some sort of information that she was back and she also had a few things to discuss with everyone. One thing being primary and some how Qing could feel her nerves building. Riding her horse Qing hoped off of it slightly and looked at her body guard. “Now when you go in there you do realize that you are going to have to talk to his oath brother first” Liu said nodding to the garden. He had seen a glance of the warrior when they had entered but he did not wish to just spring the dead body on him.

At least not until Qing had explained the situation or what had happened at the banquet, brushing herself off slightly. Qing started to walk away from the garden but her bodyguard grabbed her wrist before she could of course run off. “Qing you have to tell them, you can not run from it” standing there she looked at him her eyes were intensely gray. “I just…how do I…tell someone that they have lost one of the people they cared about” she said asking him once for advice. “Talk to them as if they were your best friend or just…how I know that you speak when the time calls for it” he said smirking slightly.

Hearing Guan Yu fall to the ground slightly Qing retreated back from going down the path; she did not want to cause anymore pain. Hearing it from her was better then random people so…she had to do it. Then she heard that he felt like a large piece of his heard had been cut out…looking back at her bodyguard her face showed signs of being nervous. Qing did realize that he was nothing really to fear; he was a good person but something about telling news like this to someone like him made her afraid. Something in her told her that he would not be the happiest of course she knew that no one would be happy to hear that Liu Bei had gotten killed.

Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and walked threw some of the flowered branches looking at the flowers smiling slightly. Even in a time where everything seemed to be so messed up this place made her feel safer slightly. Lightly she brushed a branch out of her path Qing began to realize that the branches would end soon. Walking out of the flowered branches her foot lightly touched the path and her hair was still up and she attempted to brush some petals out of it. Continuing to walk Qing had finally reached her destination which was Guan Yu and it appeared there was a young man with him.

Bowing Qing stood there for a moment “my names Xiaoli Qing, and I assume your Guan Yu” looking at him her gray eyes shimmering from the sun. “I am sorry if I am interrupting anything but I just came from the banquet and I have matters that…everyone needs to hear” her words were soft but they were urgent. “I am positive that the news I have you will want to hear” memories of the blood and Liu Bei telling her that he loved here swept threw her head. Even if it had happened a couple of hours ago it all was vivid in her mind, every inch of it and every movement of there fingers. Of course something in her head told her that no matter what Qing would do she would remember this for the rest of her life, no matter how much she wished in a way that she could of course forgetting all of this all together would also be a bad thing.

[Mr Guan Yu]

Xing shot back to his feet when he saw the woman approach. Yu however just turned his head towards her and raised his eyebrow. His eyes narrowed slightly, trying to recall the name if he could. Xiaoli Qing... who is this woman... and why does she seem familiar. Guan thought to himself as he straightened his back and put his left hand on his knee, and reached down with his right hand and picked up his Green Dragon pressing the butt of it into the ground. He tensed his muscels and forced himself onto his feet with the help of his guandao and straightened his beard looking at the woman again. Oh yes... now I remember.

"Lady Xiaoli. It is a pleasure that you grace my son and I with this visit. Were you not with my brother in Ye?"

Guan asked her as he stood to his full height, showing Xing that he was fine now and that he had his strength back. Xing nodded to his father and stood at his side, a little behind him as his father addressed the woman in front of them. Xing figured that his father had seen the lady somewhere and it eased his mind slightly.

Guan's eyebrows relaxed from their knitted situation and he took note of her frame. She seemed weary... or nervous. Though it was a type of nervous that he wasn't used to. The usual nervous posture he is used to is when his soldiers are about to go onto the field of battle for the first time.

"Is there something that troubles you lady Xiaoli?"

[Xiaoli Qing]

Standing there it looked as if he did not recognize her for a minute, of course she had heard about him and had never really met him and one of there first meetings would be well not pleasant. After watching him there she did not know if she should tell him, after all he did look like he was in some sort of pain. Her telling him this news would only make it worse but her not telling him would only be even worse. Waving her hands in the air slightly she shook her head “do not thank me for coming here it is urgent news”. Then he asked her about being in Ye with his brother and she bit her lip slightly, that was exactly the subject.

“That’s what I came to talk about…” Qing’s voice was in a whisper as she thought about the best way to break it to him. “I…well…yes there is” looking at him her gray eyes just looked at him for a minute. “As you know me and your brother attended the banquet in Ye and there were a few characters that appeared to be displeased with his choice of bringing me but he ignored it”. “Sitting down and listening to everyone talk was quiet alright” Qing said lacing her fingers together and looking off into the sky. “They picked at him quiet a bit and he was doing well fending them off you could say” Qing said giving a light smile.

“Then Sun Yuan Ci started to pick at him and Liu Bei defended himself…but nothing could prepare anyone for what happened” [/b]her voice was in a whisper as she stood there. “The next thing everyone knows there are guards…and an assassin” Qing bit her lip for a moment “before I knew it they were attacking him and Guan Yu…”. “Your brother…” Qing stood there “he did not make it…but more then the assassin hurt him a man named …Liu Shan slit his throat”. “So I came here as soon as I could…the boy you could call him claims to be Liu Bei’s son and I get the feeling that he is going to come back here and try to claim the throne of Shu” Qings voice was urgent. “Liu Bei also wanted to tell you and Zhang Fei that he is sorry” Qing looked off “or at least that is what he said before he died” she did not feel like mentioning him telling her that he loved her.

“I could not leave his body there though…so my bodyguard helped me to bring it back…to bury Liu Bei in the place he cared for” with that a man stepped behind her and gave Guan Yu a bow. He said nothing merely stood there next to Qing looking around the area as if he were weary for anyone who tried to lay a finger on her. “I also brought back his horse I just…did not want to leave it” with that the two horses came up, one was hers which was pure black. ‘If there is any remedy I possess to repair your broken heart, I shall present it’ Qing had when leaving shook her head at that statement, there was nothing you could do to fix someone’s heart. Of course she did not know if she was ever in love with Liu Bei, yes she cared for him but giving away your heart was not a task she could do with in a few weeks.

Plus the last thing that Qing wanted was any ‘remedy’ that Sun Yuan Ci had to offer, after all even if he had not been the one to slit Liu Bei’s throat he intended to kill him. All that stopped him was the fact that someone got to do it before he could, which there was no difference to her. If he had the intention to kill him and even attempted to carry out the plan that made him just as bad as the killer. Of course the words that she had said before everything had happened Qing still stuck to them. That meeting had of course solved nothing, there was no peace and now for sure there was never going to be any for quiet a while "we have to tell everyone else also". [/i][/color]

[Zhang Fei]

"WHAT!?"

Zhang Fei had overheard nearly everything and that was all he needed to hear.Yide stomped over to Xiaoli Qing and stared at her for a while.He read her as hard as he could which wasnt hard at all and burst into tears.

"BROTHER! NO! I'LL KILL THEM! I'LL KILL THEM ALL!",Fei screamed with tears rolling down his face.

Zhang Fei suddenly wiped the tears from his eyes and a look of pure hate spread across his face.He clenched his teeth and spoke with a voice comparable to that of Lu Bu's.

"I'm going to hunt them all down and kill them! Even if i die too!"

With that said,Zhang Fei ran off to enact a brutal revenge on those who had murdered Liu Bei....knowing Fei,even those who had not been involved would most likely die as well.....

[Mr Guan Yu]

Guan's heart stilled with the news. He froze in his place, unable to utter a word. The voice of Zhang Fei could soon be heard booming into the garden and still Guan Yu refused, no... was unable to move. He was paralyzed and the sight of his brother's cold body did nothing to ease the situation. Yu was still there, the natural pride of a man with the stength that he possesed resisting all urges to let tears flow and let cries fill the air.

In a moment, Zhang Fei was storming out of the room and Guan Xing shedding tears. He had approached the body of Liu Bei, and then Guan Yu sprung into motion again. He kept his son from nearing the body by putting the strong hand down on his shoulder. Yu then thrust his mighty weapin into the hands of his son, making him hold it. Without a word Guan moved towards the man and took hold of the body of Liu Bei.

"My... Brother..."

Guan turned with the dead King in his hands and walked towards the center of the garden. Guan Xing followed him and gave the lady a look, requesting her to stay where she was for a moment or to follow his father. Whether she would comply with either of them Xing took after his father and followed him.

Guan Yu had reached a large tree in the center of the garden. Three swords were stuck into the ground and a smile graced his face. When the three brothers first came to Cheng Du they marked this spot in rememberance of the Peach Garden in Ji. Tears were rolling down Guan's face, though no sound emitted from him. He knealt with the body of his brother still in his arms and lay it down in front of the tree, aligned with the middle sword.

"Heh... Even more peaceful in death... then he was when he would drink with his brothers..."

Guan stood slowly, his eyes still on his brother. He brought his large hand to his face and wiped his eyes, taking a full view of his brother's dead body. The his blood was dry now and it still stained the green robes that they were known to adorn... and then his eyes travelled to Liu's neck. 'A man named Liu Shan slit his throat..." There it was... the mark of the "Heir of Parent."

"Such a thing for for a child to do.... Not only does he dishonor his father... he dishonors his own being and his family's name... The times are truly horrible when your own child is the one to deal the finishing blow upon your body..."

Guan spoke loudly, so that Xing and possibly Xiaoli to hear him. He turned slowly, the red color coming back to his face. His eyes were soft and finally filled with a sorrow. Naturally the first thing for someone to feel at a loved one's death would be anger and sadness.. but Guan was so heavily downed with the grief of his brother's death that anger barely came into his being.

Guan Yu began to walk slowly to the exit of the garden. He was heading for the Audience Hall of Cheng Du. Once back towards the entrance of the garden Guan Yu looked over his shoulder at the three who had witnessed the Big Green Machine's moment of sadness and could be there to say that they saw tears leave his eyes.

"Guan Xing. Ride to Han Zhong and tell Jiang Wei to return immediately. Tell him of what has happened to our lord and that I wish to speak with him and the others here. Lady Xiaoli... I know that you wear our colors and fly our banner because of the bond you had with my brother... If you do not wish to adorn the colors of Shu then you are by no means obliged."

Guan spoke solemnly and without awaiting a response from either of the people there, he began walking again.

[Xiaoli Qing]

Looking back at him as Zhang Fei stomped over, him yelling was definitely going to help the problem at all. Watching him attempt to read her Qing did realize how useless it was to do that, what was he looking for in her? That she was lying…this was not something you make up just to tell people as a joke, she did not find death funny. Qing had spent her life trying to prevent a death and now it felt like that even if she still kept on trying it would not matter. If she could not stop Liu Bei from dying then how good was Qing to attempt to help her mother.

“Calm down sir, reacting like this is not going to get you anywhere” Qing said looking at him, of course she kept a distances he was as equally grief stricken as anger. “Killings not the answer” she said shaking her head as she stood there watching him, she got the feeling that he was getting to emotional. Yes it was sad and wanting revenge was something given but simply stomping out and attempting to kill them was not a smart idea. He would end up getting himself killed, which is the one thing she did not want to happen, have people try to strike some sort of vengeance and end up getting themselves killed in the process. “Do not go hunting down these people!” Qing said standing there “if you go after them then your going to be like them” she did now realize that how much temptation there was, revenge being one of the number one killers.

“I am so sorry” Qing said looking at Guan Yu and bowing slightly as she stood there, what more could she say. Watching him pick up Liu Bei she stood there watching, unable to move or the wish of not wanting to at the moment ruled over her mind at the moment. Then her feet told her to move and that was all that she could think about, with that her feet moved softly on the ground and she followed them. Looking at the tree Qing smiled slightly, the garden was beautiful even if this was a sad time. She did realize though that more was going to happen over the course of time, Shu could not just simply give up because there leader died.

“Everything is going to fall apart eventually” Qing said biting her lip “there was always the chance that something like this might happen…the people are confused and I can’t say the leaders are any less confused”. Most of them she had noticed were not sure what to think when Liu Bei had gotten killed because none of them had known him. That was one of the problem, all that any of the leaders knew about each other was that they were all simply in a race to save the world. They might have the same ideas but from what one has heard the other person is bad so of course they can never get along or even attempt to at least stand in the same room with each other. “I am sorry for what happened…I know that sorry is the worst possible thing to say after all I have no idea what your going threw but…I truly am”.

Hearing his statement about her Qing was slightly taken back by the statement but shook her head “I did not do it just because of the bond”. Qing said walking or at least attempting to keep up with him “I had no idea what I stood for a long time ago but now I do”. “I would never do anything simply because of a bond, this has turned into more and I intend to stay around” Qing said giving a small smile. “I am here till the end and there is no getting rid of me” her smile turning into a joking smirk as she also headed towards the Audience Hall. Her bodyguard watched her run off and merely looked at Guan Yu “where ever she goes I will follow” he said giving a nod, yes he was a pirate but he did not think of this as if she was the crew, she was like his daughter.