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 Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 2:53 pm
 
In which things fall apart.
Setting:
A prestigious Legionnaire politician's residence.
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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 2:56 pm
Bataar’s mind was far from Jianyu as he was led into the residence, expected to help negotiate with an important Legionnaire politician. He hadn’t come to negotiate, however; he’d come to cause a convenient death—one that could be explained away, as the other Lunarian was growing older. He was led into the room by the spy the Nobles had planted(they’d had to make sure whoever was responsible for keeping the man alive was quite far away), disguised as a servant working for the household for a few months now.
He found it easy to ignore the man’s look of surprise as he entered, and held up a hand to silence him. ”I understand I’m a little early, but I thought maybe you and I could talk a few things over before my superiors arrive.” he murmured, doing his best to sound soft-spoken. He was not an assassin, for godsake! He would have much rather faced the Lunarian in battle, but this was what he’d been assigned, and he had no power over it—Bataar had to prove himself.
The man was about to object, but Bataar didn’t give him time. Instead, he quickly unsheathed the sword on his back and swung it in a wide arc, watching expressionlessly as it buried itself into the politician’s chest. ”Nothing personal.” he muttered, taking a step back and yanking out his sword in the process.
It didn’t take long for him to die. Bat crouched down and closed the man’s eyes once he’d gone completely still and then stood again, glancing around the room with a look of barely-concealed disgust, the sword in his hand dripping with blood. He didn’t take pride in killing people that were unarmed, but it had been necessary, according to his superiors. Everyone would know that it was the fault of the Nobles that this man had died, after all. It was a little obvious.
He would have died even if Bataar hadn’t personally committed the act. ”Farewell.” the Mongol intoned softly, turning to leave the room.
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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 3:12 pm
"Sir, I really must be getting back to my post now."
The man standing in front of him was obviously not the least bit interested in his predicament. Jianyu frowned, his fingers absently stroking the crossbow at his side. He was supposed to have been back at Luan's place five minutes ago, but his superiors had called him back in to speak to him about the importance of a different mission he would be attending to after this particular one. When he was finally let go - now ten minutes after he was supposed to have been there - Jianyu gave a small sigh of impatience, moving to exit the room. He had only recently been assigned to protect Luan Dukhan; a very wealthy and influential Legion politician with ties to the black market, but so far his superiors had yet to actually let him do anything without reporting to them first. Jianyu had been growing increasingly restless over the past few days, and he had been on his way to meet with Luan for a second time when he had, once again, been interrupted by his superiors.
Jianyu made his way down the hallway. It was quiet in the Dukhan household; a little too quiet. Where were the scuffling sounds and the soft footsteps of the servants? Jianyu frowned. Something seemed...off. His pace quickened as he went down the hall, heading towards the room where knew Luan was. There was a muffled thump, and Jianu's heart nearly stopped as he rounded the corner, ramming into something solid unxpectedly.
"What the hell - Bataar?"
Out of all the people he had expected to see her, the Mongol was not one of them. But there he was, standing in front of him, his sword out. Jianyu felt something drop in his stomach, and his eyes moved to the room, to the prone figure lying on the floor, a dark red liquid beginning to pool around him.
"NO!"
Jianyu was on his knees in an instant, his heart hammering in his chest. Frantically he felt Luan's neck for a pulse, anything, something to show that he was alive.
Nothing. Nothing at all. Jianyu's hand fell away as he raised his gaze to look up at Bataar. The pieces clicked into place, forming a gruesome puzzle.
"What..." Jianyu said softly, his voice low, but growing louder and louder with each word. "What the HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 3:20 pm
He’d been moving to slide open the door, but he could now see that someone else was opening it instead—he was almost about to berate the spy they’d placed in to act as a servant for coming back to check on him, but Bataar found out very quickly that it was not a spy facing him. It was Jianyu.
He stared, disbelief coloring his features, and nearly dropped his sword in his shock. He didn’t understand why the other man was there until he dropped down next to the politician to check for a pulse. ”No need; he’s dead.” Bataar finally found his voice, gazing down at Jianyu, his expression severe. He felt worry washing over him as he came to a realization—Jianyu must have been the one guarding this man.
His expression was careful as Jianyu screamed at him, his eyes darting around, locating each and every possible escape route. He didn’t need to start a commotion here. ”I’m doing my job. Clearly, you’re not doing yours.” Bat replied, half for his own benefit. He’d killed a man, and it had disturbed him to do so—now he only wanted to get as far away as he could from the carnage before him.
”I can’t help it that he was assigned such a terrible guard.”
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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 3:28 pm
This couldn't be happening. No. It couldn't. Jianyu was shaking, his disbelief and anger clashing together horribly to form some horrendous mix of loathing and shock. No, no, out of all the people that could have done it, out of every Noble in Lunaria, why, why did this have to be done by him, by Bataar Jaoret?
Why?
"Your job is to murder innocent men?" Jianyu said slowly, his voice trembling. He lunged forward, seizing the collar of Bataar's clothing, hands stained by Luan's blood, and shoved him backwards, the anger roaring in his ears, the desperation in his heart making him hurt even worse. "He was unarmed, Bataar! He had no weapon! And you - you came in here, and you killed him, just like that! You murdered him!"
Jianyu shoved Bataar again. "How could you?" he screamed, and pushed himself away now, his hands going up to either side of his head. The headache he had gotten the last time he had seen Bataar was back with a vengeance, clawing at the inside of his skull. He whirled around, his gaze frantic, desperate for any sign that Bataar was remorseful, that he regretted what he had done.
"How...could you?" Jianyu finally whispered, his hands clenching around his bow.
Why can't I fix this?
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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 3:39 pm
Bataar allowed Jianyu to seize his collar and push him backwards. He knew what it looked like, and he realized he was in the wrong. And yet he had to defend himself. ”An innocent man? He works in the black market, Jianyu! The last thing he was is innocent!” Bat cried, beginning to look faintly helpless as he stared desperately down at Jianyu. It hadn’t been like that! This man had clearly deserved to die—couldn’t the other Lunarian see that?
He was doing his best not to feel guilty about it, but it was entirely too hard to manage that. ”I do what’s for the good of the Nobles.” he replied harshly, trying to justify himself as best he could. He couldn’t understand why Jianyu was so upset in the first place—had he actually liked the rich, snobbish, and altogether criminal man that Bataar had murdered? It wasn’t understandable! He’d done terrible things, and so Bat had been sent to kill him.
He’d done the right thing!
”I’d kill you if I had to, Jianyu. We’re in the middle of a ******** war.” Bat growled, getting as much blood off his sword as he could with a flick of his wrist before slowly sheathing it. He didn’t want to fight Jianyu; he didn’t even want to talk to the other man. He had never planned on being caught, and especially not by the Legionnaire of all people. His luck was amazingly bad, apparently.
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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 3:52 pm
Jianyu reached his hand up to his head, his fingers clenching against his hair as he bent double, gritting his teeth to keep from shouting out loud.
"I know that." he whispered. "I know we're in the middle of a f***ing war."
Standing back up, Jianyu reached for something, anything, the nearest thing to him, which happened to be a clay pitcher. Seizing it, he jerked his arm back, throwing it against the far wall where it shattered instantly, raining shards down to the floor.
"Don't you think I know we're in the middle of a f***ing war?!" Jianyu screamed. His chest was so tight he could scarcely breathe, and the knot in his stomach was twisting all the more tighter. His head would not stop aching, and it was making him slightly dizzy. "Every single day when I wake up I am reminded that I am - that we are in the middle of a war! Every time I look in a f***ing mirror I am reminded that I am stuck here, in the middle of a war! But I never hoped to be in this war against you! I never wanted to be here with you! But I wanted...I wanted to stay with you, even though we're on opposite sides, even though I knew it would be hard."
His chest heaving for air, Jianyu closed his eye briefly, raising a hand to brush it across his face. His voice had grown hoarse, tired from the effort of yelling and tired from the effort of breathing.
My heart hurts.
"Bataar," he said softly. "I can't do this anymore."
Everything hurts.
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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 4:04 pm
Bataar took a step back as Jianyu started shouting, biting his lip. He hadn’t wanted to deal with this sort of rage coming from the other man, and he could feel shock running through his system, making him feel unreactive in general. ”I’m against you, Jianyu. You and I both knew there was no way to go on.” The Mongolian said, his face twisting with barely-concealed pain and anger. There was nothing he could do now, no possible going back. He and Jianyu could never be, and he knew that.
All he could manage to feel was sorrow. ”And you think I can?” he replied, his voice breathy as he stared in Jianyu’s direction. This was it, he knew. Everything was over, and there was no possible way they could ever go back to the way they’d once been. Things had been good then, but neither of them had been entirely truthful about it. A legionnaire and a noble could never be intimate like they’d once been—never. It was a practical betrayal.
And yet the rest of the world was indifferent. Cicadas chirped just outside, and the Mongol could hear birdsong. It was almost enough to make him burst out into a helpless sort of manic laughter. His world had snapped in half, and yet it was entirely contained within this room. It was funny, the way it was.
”I don’t want to see you again, Jianyu. Just let me leave this place.”
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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 4:15 pm
Jianyu couldn't help the bitter laugh that escaped his throat. He shook his head, his eyes unnaturally bright, and ran a hand through his hair. This situation was perhaps more painful than anything he had ever been in before, including the one that had caused the loss of his vision in his left eye. Because this one was closer; this one hit in a place that no one had ever succeeded in touching except for a few people, and Bataar was one of them.
Pounding...pounding...this headache is killing me.
Wiping his hands on his pants, Jianyu walked across the room to stand in front of Bataar. He didn't move; just stood there and looked up at him, at the lines of his face, the hard expression, the dark eyes so full of emotion. Every memory was impacted inside of his mind, reverberating inside of his skull.
"I'm sorry." Jianyu whispered. It was difficult to breathe. "But I can't...we can't do this anymore."
Standing up on his tiptoes, Jianyu leaned close, pressing a light - and last - kiss to Bataar's lips before dropping back down. He reached up, touching bloodstained fingers lightly to the side of Bataar's face, barely skimming them across the warm skin.
"I did love you, you know." he said softly. "I...do...love you."
But I need to move forward on my own this time.
Jianyu let his hand drop away. He stepped back away from Bataar.
Everything hurts.
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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 4:27 pm
Bataar watched in silence as Jianyu crossed the room to approach him, a barely audible sigh escaping the man’s lips as the other man spoke. ”I know.” he whispered, shutting his eyes, feeling the kiss, the brush of the legionnaire’s hand. He did know, and he knew this was the end. It caused pain in his chest, but ultimately there was no real avoiding it. It was over now, and that was that—Bat would have to learn to accept the facts.
He would make it, somehow, beyond this. He had to think of this as a sort of freedom—something that good might come out of. It was hard to even imagine it at this point, and he could feel his breath hitch when he next spoke. ”I love you, too.” he murmured softly, watching Jianyu step back with a heavy heart. Their words could never keep them together now, however, as he well knew. Beyond that, the love he felt for Jianyu was probably not the love he should feel for a lover. It was better this way, he tried to convince himself.
He heaved another sigh, and raised his hand in a weak sort of wave as he turned away and stepped over the threshold of the room, out into the hall. ”Goodbye.” was all he could manage before walking away.
He could do nothing else here.
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Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 4:42 pm
Jianyu closed his eyes briefly at the sound of Bataar's voice, his hands shaking slightly.
"I know." he whispered. "I...know."
Bataar looked at him just before he left. His goodbye was quiet, barely audible, and then he was gone, disappearing down the hallway. Jianyu stood there until he could no longer hear his footsteps, and then he too left, making his way out of Luan Dukhan's house without looking back. He crossed through Lunaria, moving steadily and without paying attention to his surroundings until he reached his home.
The Qian Household was silent, as most of his family was still out doing various chores, and Jianyu's footsteps echoed hollowly as he made his way to the back of the house, where his room was. He slid the door open, stepped inside, and slid it shut quietly. His legs collapsed beneath him, all of his strength disappearing, and Jianyu fell to the floor, gasping for air. He sat up, pressing his back to the door, and pulled his knees up to his chest, dropping his head onto his arms.
His head hurt. His heart ached.
I have to move on.
Even if that means moving on without you.
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