Chapter Text
He awoke with a pained groan as his head harshly hit whatever hard surface was beneath him. It sent a agonizing pain through his skull to the point he couldn't hear nor feel anything past the pain. It took him too long a while to realize whatever he was laying on was moving. He heard voices around him and felt someone quickly adjust him so his head was in someone's lap. Fingers gently ran over his hair. “Please be okay?” a young voice whimpered. He suddenly was met with darkness once more before he could say anything.
When he awoke again the fingers were there but they were shaking for some reason. He noticed distantly that they had stopped moving and opened to his eyes to meet scared gray ones.
He sprung up and was met with a bout of nausea. Small hands quickly sprung around his neck and he felt something crawl up his throat. It was hot and wanted to be released but he kept his mouth firmly shut as he looked around them. They were in the back of a cart and why was this child still holding onto him?
The boy was laughing and there were tears streaming down his face. “I'm so glad your alright!” he yelled way too close to his ear. He scowled but felt no real anger or even annoyance at the action. The boy just continued to hold onto him and crying.
His arms must have had a mind of their own because they slowly wrapped around the distressed but pleased boy. Before he knew it, he had a lap full of the child he didn't know with his brown tickling his nose. He fought the urge to sneeze as he heard footsteps heading towards them. He gripped the boy tighter and glared at the four men coming into view.
The first was clearly the leader. His very presence dwarfed those around him, his eyes were emerald and appeared to be just as cold as the jewel itself. His hair was brown but with hints of silver running through it. To his right was a beast of man. He towered over everyone and he had the bulk to back him up with brown eyes and hair. The third was the smallest and oldest of the bunch with gray, receding hair and dark brown eyes. The last one made his head hurt and anger course through his veins. He was bald on the top of his head with long black hair and brown eyes that matched his dark complexion.
A scowl pulled at his lips as they stopped in front of him. “So these are the new recruits?” the one in front spoke first eyeing the two, his eyes lingering on the boy and where he could feel his head burn. “Yes sir,” the one in back spoke with a smirk while patting his weapon, a hammer. The oldest of the four slowly stepped forward. “Why don't I take a look at the head wound of yours. It looks quite painful,” he said with a small kind smile. He could feel the pressure gather once more at the base of his throat. “What is going on?” he asked instead, surprised when his voice came out. It sounded gravelly and deep not to mention it hurt slightly to speak.
“Did you not enlist?” the first spoke again. He glared at him before his eyes landed back on the fourth. He remained silent as the second, the brawn, turned towards the fourth with his own glare. “What is the meaning of this?” he growled out, his voice even deeper than his own.
The fourth stood straighter and glared back at him. “It might be the head wound. I told you we were attacked on our way here,” he spoke back harshly. The first rose his hand before anyone else could speak. The child was still trembling in his arms. He really needed to learn some of these people names, it was really starting to anger annoy him. “Your names?” the first asked. “You first,” he replied, much to everyone's surprise. The second and fourth glared at him while the child and the elder both stared at him with wide eyes. At least he isn't shaking anymore, he thought. The first just continued to stare at him before nodding. “I'm Captain Shen and this is my Second Lang. This is our healer Xao,” he motioned towards the brute and then the older gentleman respectively. He never introduced the fourth which still held most of his attention.
It was silent for a moment before he sighed. “I...,” he began but it hurt to try and remember. His throat started to close as he realized his couldn't remember it. He kept trying but kept pulling up blank. He felt his breath quicken and his vision started to swim at the cold realization.
Small arms wrapped around his neck causing him to take in a shaky breath through his nose and out his mouth. That...actually felt natural. He kept doing that as he slowly calmed. “I can't...” he tried again slowly but the captain shook his head. “No need. We have your enlistment papers but it is imperative that you get checked by Xao. Lang, stay here and stand guard. Gow, you come with me as I get those papers,” he ordered. Lang and Gow both saluted strangely while Xao just smiled. “We never did get your companions name,” the elder spoke as he approached slowly once more. The boy slowly looked over at them with his own scared scowl and timid glare. Only because he was watching the main threat that he noticed how the brute's eyes softened as they stared at the boy.
Looking between the two, he didn't feel in any danger. He looked down at the boy and just silently nodded his head. The boy slide out of his lap but didn't move far. “I'm Lee...and this is Li,” he said softly while not looking at anyone. So my name is Li, he thought as he kept his eyes on the two unknowns. He didn't know why but he felt protective of the child now sitting beside him. He had no memories to place him but apparently the feelings were still there.
“Lee and Li huh. Well that will be quite confusing,” Xao chuckled softly. “Now, I really should look at that head wound of yours,” he continued. Li stared for a long, hard moment at the old man before nodding. He still didn't feel any danger from the man. He moved closer slowly, not wanting to look weak in front of them. He didn't know them and they are going to kill him. He sat in front of Xao as his head started to hurt once more but he made no indication of such. Lang still continued to stand silently on the sidelines where he will stay or Li was definitely going to attack. He kept his eyes open and refused to cringe when Xao started to poke and prod around the wound. “Any nausea or dizzy spells? Sudden pain?” he asked gently. Li stared for a moment longer before nodding silently.
Xao only hummed as he softly ran his hand over what felt like a small bump on his head. Li couldn't hold in a hiss at the sudden pain and he glared at the healer. Xao only smiled apologetically and damn him but that smile did make something in Li's chest lighten. “It appears that your head wound has caused amnesia. It could last anywhere from hours to years,” he warned with sad eyes. Li blinked numbly at him and could feel himself become colder at the thought. Lee gasped and grabbed his shoulder.
“Do you...still remember me?” he asked in a whisper, as though if he spoke louder that Li would disappear. Li stared at him and felt his heart squeeze. He slowly shook his head and got even colder when the boy's gray eyes started to tear up. “We'll just have to make more,” he finally spoke, much quieter then when he spoke to the adults around them. Lee wiped his eyes and nodded with a large grin and flushed cheeks. Li felt a tug on his own lips but he wouldn't couldn't allow it to form. Not when their was still Lang around.
Only one pair of footsteps was coming towards them and Li immediately straightened and turned his burning glare in their direction. Lang stiffened at his reaction and looked around them before settling on his captain when he finally came into view with no Gow in sight. Li stiffened and look around for the man before settling back on the captain.
“Here are your papers,” he said while holding the papers out to him. Li stared at them before slowly reaching out for them. There were two there and with his shared name with the boy, he didn't know which was his. He showed the two to Lee and was relieved when he grabbed his. Li brought the remaining one back to himself.
So that was how his name was spelled. For some reason it annoyed him but he brushed that aside as he took in the precious information he was given. He was a little disheartened when his father's occupation listed him as an unknown and apparently his mother was a prostitute. A sudden image of a woman with long black hair and soothing, loving, voice passed through his thoughts. His throat closed again (He wasn't weak. He was caught off guard. He's better than this.) but he soldiered on. So he was sixteen. That didn't sound completely true to him but he shrugged it off. That was the least important part so far.
“Obviously, Gow wrote those and lied about most likely everything on it. We'll get this sorted out. The minimum age for recruitment is sixteen and one of you is most definitely not sixteen,” his eyes briefly looked over towards Lee before settling on him. “Is anything on their true?” he questioned them.
“Everything but my age is true on mine,” Lee said first with a nod as he shuffled closer towards him. Li stared at the captain before shrugging. “I just found out my name is Li so I have no idea,” he spoke honestly. Xao chuckled at his bluntness while Lang rolled his eyes at him. Shen shook his head while pinching the bridge of his nose. “Of course,” he grumbled quietly.
He turned towards Lang, who straightened completely under his captain's gaze. “Arrest Gow,” he ordered, “he should still be in the war room. If he is not at the camp then I want him to be listed as a traitor and to be brought back alive.” Lang nodded and stomped his foot suddenly before disappearing into the ground. Li blinked a few times to make sure he saw that but yep. Still no Lang.
“Xao?” Shen questioned. The old man just shook his head. “Li here...not the little one...this one has amnesia,” Xao finally managed after a little confusion and small, amused smile. “He'll need rest to recuperate from the head wound but it is healing nicely. After the dizzy spells and nausea stop, he'll be physically healthy,” Xao finished happily. The captain nodded back before dismissing the healer.
“Now, you boys follow me. I'll be putting you in the barracks but since the forms are obviously forged and lies, you will not be joining the army,” he stepped away from the cart and made a motion to follow him. Lee made a move to leave first before Li caught him. He slowly exited first before allowing the boy to leave. He kept a hand on Lee's shoulder as they followed Shen into the actual camp. It wasn't too terribly large but not small either.
There were four large tents and several smaller tents spread all around. Shen passed the first large tent and walked into the second one. There were a few soldiers in and they immediately jumped to attention at the sight of their captain but quickly grew confused at the sight of the child. “This will be where you will stay until I can get everything sorted out. We will most likely put you to work though nothing that involves fighting,” he explained. “Fon,” he called out. One of the men stumbled slightly out of his confusion before straightening. “Show them around once they get settled,” the soldier nodded and replied “Yes Sir!” as his commanding officer left.
Li took the time to look over the new faces before him. There were only three of them including Fon. Fon was the shortest of the bunch and was the only one eye level to Li. He had black, long hair and hazel eyes. The one beside him was taller by half a head with blonde hair and black eyes. The last one had already fallen back onto the bed with a tired groan. He had black hair with two different eye color, one was green while the other was black.
Fon stepped forward with a smile, “Hello, I'm Fon. This is Luohin and Bator,” he motioned towards each, “Welcome to the Scouts,” Fon chuckled at Bator's pained moan. “We are the 35th Light Infantry Division not some boy scouts,” he grumbled while sitting up to glare at the shorter man. Fon waved him away as Luohin smirked back at the raven.
“Most of the beds are occupied but these two up front are free,” Li took a glance at the beds before nodding. Lee happily jumped into his own bed with a content sigh. “This feels so much better than that cart,” he said happily. Li huffed as he looked around the room, unconsciously marking all entries and exits along with what each weapon each soldier held. “So why in the name of Shu is their a child here? We are soldiers, not babysitters,” Bator asked while messaging his temples. “The soldiers of my village sent us here because they can. All I did was have a knife so they said that must mean I'm old enough to join the army so they tied me to a post. Then Li tried to save me but one of the guys he knocked down suddenly was latched onto his leg so that Gow could hit him on the head with his hammer. So...here we are,” Lee said with a weak chuckle.
The tent grew silent as the three soldiers stared at Lee before looking towards him. Li glared back in return. Luohin coughed before smiling shakily at them. “You know, we never did ask for your names,” he said with a tense smile. “I'm Lee,” the kid said with a grin, much to his annoyance. “Wait, I thought his name was Li?” Fon asked as they all wore their confusion on their faces.
Li rolled his eyes as he breathed in through the nose, out of the mouth before setting his sights on Fon. “I am Li but so is he. It's just spelled differently,” he explained sharply. Bator glared at him as Fon rubbed the back of his neck. “That's going to get confusing,” Luohin muttered. “We'll just call you Little Lee and Big Li,” Fon said with a smile. Bator smirked at them. “Or Runt and Scar,” Luohin smacked the back of Bator's head and glared at the raven. Li tilted his head.
Obviously Runt was for Lee but why Scar for him?
“Scar?” he asked. Everyone froze, even the kid. Lee slowly got off his bed and walked towards him. “I almost forgot,” he whispered before pointing towards his face. “You...y-you got a s-scar on your...,” his hand started to shake. Li quickly grabbed the hand and slowly lowered it. “I need a mirror,” he said, voice cold.
“How do you not know? It's literally your face!” Bator shouted he last part while throwing his arms into the air. “I have amnesia because of the head wound I received. Now. Mirror,” his words came out as nothing less than a growl. Fon quickly fetched one from his rucksack. It was small and fit into the palm of his hand. “Maybe this isn't a good idea,” Luohin said, earning a glare from both Li and Bator. “He deserves to know,” the raven said surprisingly softly. Li turned his burning gaze towards him before slowly nodding in thanks.
With a quick intake a breathe, he finally looked into the mirror. The first thing he noted was definitely the scar. It took most of the left side of his face and over that ear. His vision is still clear though and his hearing appeared to be fine, if not better than most. The next thing he noticed was his eyes were gold. Not brown or hazel but a bright, almost glowing gold. His black hair was cut close to his scalp, like it was just growing in, and he was pale. A lot paler than everyone he's seen so far. He looked underfed and there were bruises on the right side of his face. All in all, he didn't paint a very pretty picture.
He scowled down at himself (such a disappointment) before handing the mirror over. “Th-” he tried to thank Fon before he could hear shouting and what sounds like a fight break loose.
He was up before he even knew it and running out the tent, followed closely by the others. It was happening just at the edge of the camp. Gow was defending himself against Lang, rocks and boulders flying through the air with the occasional fist thrown in. Li scowled at the sight before he could see a large money pouch tied to Gow's belt and...
Anger coursed through him like nothing else. He knew those Dao Swords. They were his. They had to be or else he wouldn't feel such possessiveness over them. His eyes flickered between the two as he looked for an opening, completely ignoring the group that was standing around struck dumb by the scene.
Li quickly rushed forward and past Lang, much to the big man's surprise. Gow screamed as he stomped his foot to the ground, making the earth rush to meet him. Li sprung over the attack and landed gracefully in front of the soldier whose eyes were wide with adrenaline. Li smirked before road house kicking him in the face on the same side he struck him. Gow didn't go down gracefully but he got up quickly and threw three large rocks at him.
This stupid filthy peasant man, Li thought with a snarl as he danced through the attack. “Stupid brat. This is all your fault!” Gow shouted as he swung his hammer towards Li. The boy just leaned back slightly to avoid the hit with a raised brow before quickly leaning in and snagging his swords. “These,” he hissed, “are mine.” He quickly struck him on the head once more with their hilts and he fell to the ground with a groan. Earth was suddenly holding him captive so only his head was above it.
Li quickly looked towards Lang whose jaw was dropped and out of battle stance before his vision found Shen. He had was moving out of whatever stance just did that and glaring at everyone present. Everyone came out to help but stopped short at the sight of Li taking on Gow (who was nothing to sneeze at).
Li was mortified when he felt his cheeks flush and a sudden bout of nerves rush through him. He so desperately wanted to shuffle his feet but he had already turned pink so there was no way he was going to do that.
“Lang, Li. With me. Now,” Shen ordered, “Luohin, Tao, Qiao. Take Gow to the cells. I'll deal with him in a moment.” With that he started to make his leave. Li immediately started to follow with Lang behind him. They past the barracks and whatever that other large tent was for and several of the small ones before entering the largest tent there. There was a large table with an equally large map on top. Cushions sat all around it and Shen took the head seat with Lang on his left. Li stood for a moment before taking the seat that wasn't too close to the captain or the door.
“Now then,” Shen started while placing his hands into his lap.
“What in Shu's name were you doing?”