Rin watched the deep flames of the enraged fire through blurry eyes. She couldn't breathe, nor could she hear even the simplicity of her heart racing in her chest. What was once beautiful, was now wilted and cracked under the ferocity of the flames, turning to ash and dust.
"Move your asses! Do you want us to all burn alive?" General Donghai's shouts could be heard through the chaos.
"Yes, sir!"
Currently, everyone was handling the aftermath of the battle that had taken place. Men began extinguishing the fires, the wounded were being treated, and the dead were collected from the battlegrounds.
Rin appeared when the fires were almost out; face smudged and speckled with blood and smoke. She stared upward at the pale, white sky as ash drifted down upon her cheeks and eyelids. With dull eyes, she surveyed the crowd. Her gaze darkened when she could not identify the man she was looking for.
"An Sun…" She unconsciously whispered his name, unaware of the worry within her own voice.
Walking through the wounded soldiers, her footsteps quickened, her gaze growing more frantic.
"Move! Out of the way!" A voice shouted amongst the crowd.
Turning, Rin's expression abruptly changed. When she saw the figure carried by Fan Mingli and Yin Changpu, her mind went completely blank. Without a moment of hesitation, she rushed over.
"What happened to him?" Rin stared at the bloodied and unconscious An Sun. She felt anger settle inside her, a tangible weight.
The unconscious An Sun was covered in a cold sweat. There was an unnatural flush on his cheeks, and his lips were pale and cracked. Fan Mingli was close to sobbing as he looked at his battered captain with red, swollen eyes.
When he didn't answer her question, Rin shot him a fierce glare. Fan Mingli swallowed and replied, "C-Captain Sun was fighting the Tuhan's commander until they retreated...then he suddenly fainted!"
The space between Rin's brows tightly furrowed as she ordered coldly, "Set him down with the rest of the injured, I'll call a physician."
Yin Changpu and Fan Mingli nodded their heads. "Yes!"
The two carried him over stiffly as they sensed Rin's piercing gaze on them as they left. Her eyes shifted to An Sun's pale face as something within her heart awakened.
She took a deep breath and tried to suppress the pain in her chest that felt as if it was about to explode at any moment. When Rin opened her eyes, they reverted to their usual calm.
Right now, she needed to regain control of the situation. Turning around, Rin began directing orders for the wounded.
…
After a night of chaos and tragedy, morning came. The scent of death and smoke lingered through the air as the sun cast upon the province's high stone wall.
Through an open window, a cool breeze brushed against the bedridden figure's skin, sending chills all around their body. An Sun, who lay unconscious until now, slowly opened his eyes.
Turning his head, he observed the morning sunlight shining through and into the bedroom. He blinked several times to chase away his drowsiness. Shifting his gaze just a little, his eyes stopped. His vision was still rather blurry, but he could still make out the person standing in the room.
"…Rin."
At the sound of the man's deep, hoarse voice, Rin turned her head. She returned An Sun's gaze evenly with a quiet and impassive expression. There was no sound but the whispering hush of wind and the morning birds.
"How are you feeling?" Rin broke the silence and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Like hell." An Sun grumbled, his voice harsh from the smoke.
Rin smiled thinly. "That's to be expected. You fought well out there."
Grunting, An Sun shifted his gaze away to look at the ceiling. For a moment he stared in a daze.
"I saw him." He whispered.
"Sir Manchu?" Rin's brows furrowed.
"My brother…" An Sun corrected.
"Oh…I see." Her lips pursed.
Silence descended between the two once more, though neither found any discomfort in it. Rather they savored it as both gathered their own thoughts.
"I heard he tried to kill you," Rin said softly.
An Sun suddenly chuckled. "He almost did."
"But he didn't." She frowned, somewhat displeased with his words.
"Because of Manchu. If it wasn't for him…I'd be dead." An Sun looked at her with his deep gaze. "It's because of him that I'm here."
Rin lowered her eyes and stared at her hands resting in her lap. The tips of her fingers fiddled a little before she raised her eyes again to see his gaze was still on her. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Rin hesitantly reached to touch his hand; hoping to give him the ease she could not yet feel.
"I'll have to thank him when we save him then," Rin managed a weak little smile and stiffly patted his hand.
The ice on An Sun's face seemed to have thawed into a gentle and warm expression. The corner of his lips had lifted into a smile without his knowing.
"Yeah…" He said softly.
Suddenly, with a grunt, An Sun tried to lift himself from the bed. With wide eyes, Rin pressed her hands to his chest to push him back down.
"You shouldn't get up so suddenly, you still need to rest." Rin lectured with a frown.
Chuckling, An Sun looked up at her scowling face with amusement.
"You nag like your old man. You know that?" A lone strand of his dark long hair fell in front of his face.
Rin was so startled, and her gaze flew up to his. The amusement in his eyes was evident. Was he mocking her? Rin's scowl deepened. Just as she had been about to refute, she paused and her eyes fixed on An Sun's face.
"You have a wound..." Rin's fingertips gently pressed against his brow. A small but noticeable red gash ran across his right eyebrow. "It looks like it'll scar."
The depths of An Sun's eyes darkened as he felt her cold fingertips touch his eyebrow. Realizing what she was doing, a faint blush colored her cheeks. Just when Rin quickly pulled her hand back, her wrist was suddenly caught by An Sun.
Stunned, Rin looked at him with wide eyes. With a hand still on her wrist, An Sun lifted himself upright on the bed.
"Don't—" Rin had been about to urge him to lie back down when the words caught in her throat at the sudden proximity of his face. She felt her pulse quicken as An Sun came forward and her head leaned back a bit.
She felt An Sun's grip slide down her wrist to her fingers, and his hold tightened. For a moment, he stared closely at her face, as if he was studying it.
Then, with his other hand, he slowly moved to touch the ends of her hair. Rin shivered when his fingers accidentally stroked her neck. She felt his other hand, hold hers in his own while he brushed her fingers, one by one. It was a gentle and warm touch.
"Your hair…it's grown the last time I saw it." An Sun touched her hair lightly, sliding the grown dark strands between his fingers.
"It's still very short," Was all Rin could say as she watched his eyes focus intently on her hair.
An Sun lifted his eyes and stared at her with a serious expression.
"I like it."
As his words sank in, a furious blush blossomed on Rin's cheeks. She was gripping her free hand in real agitation while she kept her gaze downcast so he wouldn't see her nervousness.
All the while, he sat there silently, watching her. An Sun put his finger under her chin and lifted her head, so she was looking up into his eyes.
Blinking up at him in surprise, Rin couldn't help but look closely at his face. It was only then she saw the depths within his gaze. She watched as An Sun's eyes scanned her face and landed on her cheek. His gaze darkened.
"You were injured?" His hand was already reaching towards Rin's cheeks. The calloused tips of his fingers gently touched her fair face.
When he touched her cheek, she flinched as if his fingers were afire.
"It's just a scratch..." Rin reassured. It was probably from when she fought those Tuhan men.
"A scratch is still a wound." An Sun interrupted with a low growl. The sparkle in his eyes indicated he wasn't really angry.
"A small one. And who are you to talk when you have a big scar above your eyebrow." Rin glared at his face closely, her voice edged with disbelief.
An Sun looked like he was about to laugh. He smiled and unknowingly continued grazing her cheek. Time seemed to have stopped at this moment as the two stared at one another.
Just then, a sudden knock on the door caused Rin to jump, pulling her from her trance.
"Captain Sun?" Fan Mingli's voice came from the other side of the door.
Looking down at their intertwined hands, she quickly pulled them apart and stood up from the bed ignoring the frown on An Sun's face.
"I need to take care of some things. You should rest." Rin said with her back faced toward him.
"Sure…" An Sun watched her figure walk over to open the door. Just before she did, he spoke up again. "You must also rest. Don't think too much on worrisome matters and overwork yourself. That body of yours may be strong…but you too have limits."
Clutching the doorknob, Rin lowered her head. Looking over her shoulder, she managed a thin smile.
"Rest well, Sun."
When she opened the door, she met the worried face of Fan Mingli and Yin Changpu.
Before Fan Mingli could open his mouth, she cut him off sharply, "Don't hold up too much of his time, he needs to rest."
Swallowing back his words, he nodded his head. Rin glanced impassively at him for a moment before leaving the room. The two men watched her figure disappear around the corner.
"He may look small, but that guy is scary." Yin Changpu shook his head with a sigh, then glanced at Fan Mingli. "Unlike you. Not even a rabbit would find you intimidating."
Fan Mingli's ears twitched. Unable to refute his statement, he huffed and simply ignored his teasing. The two men walked into the room to see An Sun leaning against the headboard, eyes closed.
"Captain Sun!" Fan Mingli looked at him with a sigh of relief. He was weeping freely now, salt tears streaming down his cheeks.
Just as he had been about to jump onto him for a hug, Yin Changpu hauled him back.
"Idiot. Did you forget he's injured? And wipe your nose! You have snot dripping on your shirt."
Fan Mingli shot him a cold glare while wiping his nose with the back of his hands. When they looked up at An Sun, they saw him silently glaring at them.
"Ah, is something wrong captain?" Yin Changpu awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"It's nothing." An Sun sighed. Looking at the two's seemingly well put appearances, apart from a few scratches and bruises, and he grinned. "I'm glad to see you two are still alive. How are the others?"
Yin Changpu laughed boastfully. "They're fine. Although they wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for my help."
The corners of An Sun and Fan Mingli's lips twitched. Shaking his head helplessly, An Sun's expression shifted.
"I have a task I need you to do."
Although the man appeared to be wounded and sickly in his bed, his shoulders remained bold and upright as he kept his gaze strong on the two. Noticing the seriousness in his expression, both men glanced at one another then back at An Sun.
"What is it?" Yin Changpu tilted his head.
Looking at the two silently for a moment, An Sun finally spoke, "There's someone within the Tuhan armies' camp is in danger…I need you to save him."
Fan Mingli's eyes wavered as his gaze shifted almost fearfully toward Yin Changpu. Yin Changpu's expression turned bleak at the sudden look of his helpless, reliant gaze, and he released a light sigh deep from his chest.
Fan Mingli spoke up quickly and turned his eyes back to face An Sun. "Captain Sun…I apologize...but I do not trust myself, nor my abilities to return your friend safely. To sneak into the Tuhan's camp...I'm afraid I won't be able to do this."
An Sun stared at the younger man with his eyebrows creased faintly. He let out a gentle breath and stared down at his hands.
Perhaps it was a lot to entrust his men to go and save Manchu, however…if they didn't, there was no doubt An Ruo would have him killed.
Clenching his fists, An Sun raised his gaze. "I know what I'm asking is dangerous and even unfair but...I have great trust in your abilities to take on this task. You may feel as though you are not strong enough, but I believe you will find the most power in doing what you think you cannot. You have a powerful mind, Fan Mingli – that is your greatest weapon."
Fan Mingli's eyebrows fell softly at the words of his captain, and he opened his mouth to speak but was disrupted by the deep and cheery voice of the man beside him.
"We'll save him, Captain Sun. You can count on us!" Yin Changpu's strong face broke out in a grin.
Fan Mingli whipped his head at the man's instant, impetuous words, and grumbled. An Sun chuckled and looked at the two through bright, determined eyes. Even if they were inexperienced and new recruits, he had faith in them.
Because no matter what...he could not allow Manchu to die in the hands of An Ruo.