[FIC] Deja Vu
Title: Deja Vu
Author: mi_iseul
Genre: mystery, drama, angst
Rating: PG for violence/death
Warnings: Character death (of a sort...)
Summary: Han Geng experiences an historical theme park...almost first hand. (based very loosely on Domoto Kouichi's Kagen no Tsuki PV. (which I've uploaded for everyone in my previous post)
The boys had been invited to a new ‘theme’ park that was opening up, but it was more of a historical museum-type affair with old-style (and some just plain old) buildings set out in the style of a village that might have existed about two to three hundred years ago. Put up at a hotel on the grounds, they were given free run of the place until the grand opening at which they were to perform. Han Geng and Zhou Mi walked around one of the side streets, Geng’s neck prickling somewhat. It felt like he’d been here before.
Soon he and Mi split off, Mi going to explore the main avenue and Geng staying on the side street, his facial expression wary and apprehensive. There was so much tension in the air that he wondered why the others couldn’t sense it too. Soon he came across the square, the old houses facing onto it in a semi-circular pattern.
It was growing dark and he vaguely thought he should be getting back to the others when he had the strange urge to look up at the moon, bright and almost glowing in the sky above him. Then his head began to hurt and he bent over, a vision coming to him of a man who looked like himself, wearing old-style costume and dragging a sword behind him as he staggered through a field.
The man who looked like him was covered in blood, rags around his hands that appeared to be covering yet more wounds, his blood-stained clothing torn to near-shreds and hanging off him. He looked like he’d just been through a war, and indeed faint shouting could be heard from somewhere that seemed far off. The only thing he could really hear properly was the sound of harsh, heavy breathing as the man stumbled and fell, then with a burst of strength that seemed to come out of nowhere, stood up and stabbed the sword deep into the ground, collapsing beside it.
Then Geng’s vision cleared and he shook his head in uncertainty. Just what was going on? It wasn’t like a dream where you could see the action; it felt like he’d actually been that man and felt his pain, his sorrow...and his death. Concerned now that he was alone, in the dark, in a strange place, Geng began to try and find his way back to the others, concern giving way to fear when it seemed all he met with were dead ends and yet more streets he didn’t recognise.
Turning a corner, he could see a man walking perpendicular to the street he was on and rushed to greet him - he looked like Mi - yet as he approached, the man turned to greet him in return and he saw with bewilderment that it wasn’t Mi at all, but someone who looked like him.
“There you are,” the man smiled brilliantly and for a moment Geng was shaken at just how like Mi this man was. “The Lord has been looking for you. It’s not good to keep him waiting, you know. Even if you are the famous swordsman, Han Geng...” He winked at Geng, his tone light and teasing and adding to his confusion.
“Wait, I don’t think...” he began as the man grabbed his hand and began to pull him along, chattering as they went.
“Lord Huang has arrived and has been asking about you. Isn’t it thrilling? Your foster-father’s been taking such a close interest in your affairs and he’s close to the Emperor. That could mean a promotion,” the man went on, ignoring Geng’s attempts at pulling away. “Just think. We could be in the capital city soon, enjoying the sights and sounds...”
“Wait!” Geng protested, finally managing to free himself, his wrist stinging. “I’m not this...who you think I am...” he said insistently, then got a good look at himself and stiffened in shock.
Geng was dressed in plain loose trousers and a red high-necked tunic, cleaner and less-shredded versions of the clothing he’d seen the man wearing in the vision he’d just had. Just what was going on here? Had he passed out somehow, and the others playing a practical joke on him? The other man laughed.
“Come on. We don’t have time for this...” he grinned and shoved Geng’s shoulder, forcing him to walk beside him down the street that now seemed a lot more crowded than it had been before, market stalls in front of some of the houses, children running around with housewives carrying baskets of bread and vegetables. Had they begun to add actors to the theme park now?
Noticing Geng’s puzzlement and distress, the man stopped and peered at him. “Are you feeling ok?” he asked, his hand reaching out to touch his forehead in concern. “You look...not quite like yourself.”
“I don’t understand. Where is this place?” Geng asked, his voice soft as he looked around. It all seemed so familiar, yet...not. “Are you acting as one of the employees here, Mimi?”
The man straightened and looked surprised. “You are Han Geng, are you not?” he asked just as softly, the concern still in his voice. At Geng’s nod, he smiled. “And I’m Zhou Mi, your childhood friend who you always call Mimi. I don’t really understand your behaviour, though...”
He pursed his lips, then sighed. “I wonder if you had a bit too much to drink at the celebration last night...” the man who’d acknowledged himself as Mimi said, his tone disapproving.
“I’ll ask the doctor to have a look at you. After...” he shoved at Geng again, persuading him to move. “The meeting. You haven’t forgotten that Lord Huang is still waiting for you?”
Sighing, Geng figured he might as well go along with it. If it was all an elaborate prank or act, he’d find out soon enough, and hadn’t he been complaining about not having opportunities to try out his acting skills?
-------------------------------
The meeting had gone about as well as could have been expected. Geng hadn’t actually been expected to do much other than say yes or no in accordance with the Lords’ questions, his answers (supplied by Mimi when he’d looked utterly lost) seemingly what they’d been expecting from him. Thus satisfied, he and Mimi had been dismissed, the other man dragging him down the corridor to a room that smelled of herbs and spices, and other things he’d rather not have to smell again. It reminded him of the Chinese herbalists he’d seen in his hometown that his cousins had told him as a child were scary doctors who would poison you if you looked at them wrongly.
“Mimi, let go of me,” Geng pulled back at Mimi’s grasp, nearly falling through a screen as Mimi let him go, a smirk on his face. “That wasn’t funny,” he grumbled, dusting off his clothing and standing straight as an elderly man with a full beard entered the room.
Just as the man opened his mouth to speak, Geng’s nose began to twitch, and as Mimi began to laugh at him, he sneezed violently, sending up a cloud of dust that had him coughing and choking. As he waved it away, he was startled to find himself alone in one of the buildings and looked around as his neck began to prickle again. The only footprints in the dust were his.
Now thoroughly confused and scared, Geng tore out of the house, barely remembering to close the paper-panelled door behind him as he ran through the streets looking for his friends. This was very unfunny, whatever was going on, and he didn’t like it at all. As leader, he was going to have some serious talks with the boys once he found them. Especially Mi.
Once his terror wore off, Geng found himself back in the main square again, staring at the fountain in the middle, the trees having dropped petals into the still water. Rather than looking serene and peaceful, it gave him an almost ominous feeling as he went to the fountain and dipped a hand in, petals clinging to his wet skin as he lifted it.
Shivering now from the cold, Geng sighed. He was never going to be able to find the hotel again, and it was too cold to spend the night outside, so he decided, after a lot of thought and stern talking to himself, to go into one of the houses and sleep there. He’d seen one earlier (he’d thought) that appeared to have a basic futon and set of shelves, so he could go sleep there. Or so he hoped.
Going from one house to another, he finally found it. The fourth house down from the end of the street. His hand on the panelled door, Geng hesitated. What if he got in trouble for this? Another burst of wind that set his teeth chattering made his mind up for him and he opened the door, startled to find no dust on the floor whatsoever, and a small vase with a single flower on the old shelf beside the futon which was covered with a single grey blanket.
Laying down on it and covering himself up with the blanket, Geng soon fell into an uneasy and wary sleep, ready to wake at the slightest sound. As he slept, he dreamed.
He was still in the same house, but there were subtle differences now. As well as the futon and the shelf with the now-empty vase, there were hangings on the walls. A candle sat on a table in the corner, throwing a dim light over the gathering that sat in the middle of the room. Mimi was there, as were a few other men he vaguely recognised, or felt he should have done. They seemed to look to him for guidance.
Long into the night, they planned an attack, poring over documents that someone produced from an inner pocket of the heavy coat he was wearing. Then came the long, tiring wait. One by one, the men began to drift off, the candle melting down until it was a mere stub that flickered wildly, then went out as a gust of wind hit it.
Someone was cutting through the panelling, trying to get into his home!
Geng was awake in an instant, his breathing harsh as the sound of tearing paper and splintering wood caught his ear. What the hell was going on? Then a sword flashed out of nowhere, aimed straight at him and he countered instinctively, wondering just how the hell that sword got into his hand. Desperately, he fought for his life, hearing the sounds outside that told him that his friends (his friends? Who the hell were these people?) were doing the same.
Finally the room was clear and he ran outside to find Mimi and the men he’d seen in his dream, panting and blood-stained, but alive. Quickly they surrounded him, walking down the street warily in search of more of the raiders who’d dared attack their Lord’s young charge. As they entered the square, yet more attackers appeared and his bodyguards split off, doing their best to protect him as rain began to fall, quickly soaking them all and turning the streets into a morass.
He heard Mimi cry out somewhere to the left of him and looked, just in time to see a man with his sword up and slicing down towards Mimi’s unprotected side, his friend now on the ground with his arm upraised to ward off the attack. Geng countered it, an angry cry on his lips. How dare these men come and attack him and his men? Hadn’t they had enough from their previous encounters? Even as he thought this, Geng was confused. What previous encounters?
Violence spilled out into the square as the fight began in earnest, swords flashing and men grunting, Geng’s mind being filled with bewilderment, fear, terror, and eventually resignation as more and more men appeared, his own friends being cut down where they stood until there was just him and Mimi left, standing back to back.
“You’re bleeding,” Mimi said softly, turning his head to look at Geng with a sad expression in his eyes. Carefully he tore off a piece of his sleeve and wrapped it around Geng’s hand gently, tying it off and pulling it tight with his teeth. “Now you’ll be able to fight...”
Nodding in acknowledgement, Geng’s eyes welled up with tears of despair. Men like Mimi didn’t deserve a fate like this, he felt. Nor did he, but it had still come upon them despite their careful planning. Resigned now, the two men surged forward and gave a shout that caused the marauders to look up and grin ferally. Their targets had come to them.
Minutes later, Geng was the only one left, Mimi’s body lying rain- and blood-soaked in the mud that seemed to coat everything, the rain pouring down upon them all as he saw an opening and ran, staggering through the mass of reinforcements who had arrived too late to save them, but just in time to save the townsfolk.
Exhausted and full of grief for Mimi’s loss, Geng found himself in a field, the bright moon almost mocking him as he stumbled and fell, somehow finding the energy to stab the sword into the ground before he passed out, the blood loss and injuries taking their toll on his worn out and battered body.
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Geng woke screaming, sitting up in shock and surprise as a lantern shone into his face, and he looked around wildly. Gone were the broken panes of the door which had been cut through, the bodies he’d left also gone and leaving him alone in the room with the startled faces of his friends, their manager, and the theme park owner staring back at him.
Doing his best to calm his breathing, he looked down at his dusty clothing, patting himself down frantically in order to reassure himself that he was indeed in one piece and not lying dead in a field somewhere.
The others seemed to know to wait for him to calm down, sitting on the floor beside the futon he’d been sleeping on until his breathing calmed and the wild look had receded from his eyes.
“What....what was going on?” Geng managed to stutter out, the owner looking somewhat sadly at him.
“So you saw them?” he asked, sitting back on his heels as the other men stared at him in puzzlement.
“This house and several of the streets were taken from a town not far from here that was in danger of being razed to the ground as part of a regeneration project. Local legend has it that the Lord of this area about three hundred years ago had a young charge whose description bears striking resemblance to young master Geng here, who was murdered, along with his best friend from childhood.”
Here he glanced at Mi, who looked back at him uncomfortably. “A young man by the name of Zhou Mi...who resembled young master Mi.” The owner sighed as the others began to talk over each other, questions he didn’t know the answers to making him raise his hand for silence.
“We don’t know why they were killed, or by whom. All we know is that young Han Geng’s body was found in what used to be a field...at this very spot. His sword had been jammed into the ground beside his body.”
Geng cleared his throat uneasily. “I...think I might be able to answer some of the questions...” he said quietly, his eyes sad as he glanced at Mi, who looked down at the floor in front of them. Had Mi, too, experienced something? Tucking that thought away, Geng began his own explanations of what he’d seen and felt.
As he finished, he was surprised to find tears on his face and reached up to wipe them away.
“From what I experienced...” he said softly, finally coming to the end of his story. “All I know is they were planning to eradicate some bandits that were operating in this area, but before they could, the bandits came to them and slaughtered them all. The Lord’s men came but not in time to save them...”
The memory of seeing Mimi, lying dead in the mud, haunted him and as he looked up, he caught Mi’s eyes, staring at him. He felt it was time he knew the answer to that question.
“You saw it too, didn’t you?” he asked softly, startling Mi enough that he dropped his eyes and nodded.
“I got tired and went back to the hotel after I left you,” Mi explained quietly, his voice shaking. “I fell asleep and dreamed of something almost identical to what you did...only from your friend Mimi’s...perspective. I never knew what happened to you...in the end.”
“When they couldn’t find you, they woke me up and I told them what I’d dreamed, and we started searching for you....and found you here...”
Unable to bear the distance between them, Mi moved forward and hugged Geng, tears of his own making tracks down his face. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to protect you...” he said softly in a wavering voice, sniffling as he pulled back. “I tried....” As Geng nodded wordlessly, Mi gave a gentle smile. “I even died for you...”
“But you’re not dead,” Henry pointed out, having followed the story with a little confusion here and there over words he didn’t quite understand. “You’re right here...”
Chuckling, Geng swatted at the youngest member of his little group. “Cheeky,” he said, smiling through his tears.
Their manager just sighed and rolled his eyes, herding them back to the hotel and to their beds, telling them that they had to be ready for their performance in the morning, and not to go out (as he put it) trying to re-enact the past. They’d had enough of that for one night and needed their sleep.
Despite being tired out from their experiences, Geng and Mi stayed up after the others had fallen asleep, having decided to share a room so they could talk.
“I’m sorry,” Mi began before Geng cut him off with a shake of his head.
“No. I’m sorry for not protecting you. You are a good friend to me, and I want to keep you around for many years yet...” he smiled, then hugged the younger man. “But thank you....”
“I’m glad we could meet again in this lifetime,” Mi said quietly as Geng shut off the light and prepared to sleep.
“Me too,” Geng whispered, and then closed his eyes, both men falling asleep with smiles on their faces.
EPILOGUE
After their performance, Geng wandered through the ‘streets’ once again, Mi walking beside him this time. The crowds began to thin as they entered the square then, with a glance at each other, they turned off into a little side street that no-one seemed aware of but them. In that street was a small clearing, a sword sticking out of the ground and bloodied, as if it had only just been stuck there by its owner.
His breath catching in his throat, Geng looked at Mi, who nodded. Stepping forward, Geng took the handle of the sword in his hand and pulled, the sword coming free easily for him, and he saw blood running down the blade. His own blood, he realised, as his hand had a rag that he recognised now as being the scrap from Mimi’s tunic wrapped around it.
Looking up, he saw Mi, this time in Mimi’s rain- and blood-stained clothing but with a gentle smile on his face, holding out his hand.
“It doesn’t matter any more,” Mimi whispered, his smile undimmed by time. “Let’s go...”
A smile on his own face, Geng walked forward and took Mimi’s hand and they both walked towards the square, the sword blade in Geng’s hand flashing in the sunlight. The brief flare of light disappearing, the men resumed their normal clothing and appearances, the sword gone.
Author: mi_iseul
Genre: mystery, drama, angst
Rating: PG for violence/death
Warnings: Character death (of a sort...)
Summary: Han Geng experiences an historical theme park...almost first hand. (based very loosely on Domoto Kouichi's Kagen no Tsuki PV. (which I've uploaded for everyone in my previous post)
The boys had been invited to a new ‘theme’ park that was opening up, but it was more of a historical museum-type affair with old-style (and some just plain old) buildings set out in the style of a village that might have existed about two to three hundred years ago. Put up at a hotel on the grounds, they were given free run of the place until the grand opening at which they were to perform. Han Geng and Zhou Mi walked around one of the side streets, Geng’s neck prickling somewhat. It felt like he’d been here before.
Soon he and Mi split off, Mi going to explore the main avenue and Geng staying on the side street, his facial expression wary and apprehensive. There was so much tension in the air that he wondered why the others couldn’t sense it too. Soon he came across the square, the old houses facing onto it in a semi-circular pattern.
It was growing dark and he vaguely thought he should be getting back to the others when he had the strange urge to look up at the moon, bright and almost glowing in the sky above him. Then his head began to hurt and he bent over, a vision coming to him of a man who looked like himself, wearing old-style costume and dragging a sword behind him as he staggered through a field.
The man who looked like him was covered in blood, rags around his hands that appeared to be covering yet more wounds, his blood-stained clothing torn to near-shreds and hanging off him. He looked like he’d just been through a war, and indeed faint shouting could be heard from somewhere that seemed far off. The only thing he could really hear properly was the sound of harsh, heavy breathing as the man stumbled and fell, then with a burst of strength that seemed to come out of nowhere, stood up and stabbed the sword deep into the ground, collapsing beside it.
Then Geng’s vision cleared and he shook his head in uncertainty. Just what was going on? It wasn’t like a dream where you could see the action; it felt like he’d actually been that man and felt his pain, his sorrow...and his death. Concerned now that he was alone, in the dark, in a strange place, Geng began to try and find his way back to the others, concern giving way to fear when it seemed all he met with were dead ends and yet more streets he didn’t recognise.
Turning a corner, he could see a man walking perpendicular to the street he was on and rushed to greet him - he looked like Mi - yet as he approached, the man turned to greet him in return and he saw with bewilderment that it wasn’t Mi at all, but someone who looked like him.
“There you are,” the man smiled brilliantly and for a moment Geng was shaken at just how like Mi this man was. “The Lord has been looking for you. It’s not good to keep him waiting, you know. Even if you are the famous swordsman, Han Geng...” He winked at Geng, his tone light and teasing and adding to his confusion.
“Wait, I don’t think...” he began as the man grabbed his hand and began to pull him along, chattering as they went.
“Lord Huang has arrived and has been asking about you. Isn’t it thrilling? Your foster-father’s been taking such a close interest in your affairs and he’s close to the Emperor. That could mean a promotion,” the man went on, ignoring Geng’s attempts at pulling away. “Just think. We could be in the capital city soon, enjoying the sights and sounds...”
“Wait!” Geng protested, finally managing to free himself, his wrist stinging. “I’m not this...who you think I am...” he said insistently, then got a good look at himself and stiffened in shock.
Geng was dressed in plain loose trousers and a red high-necked tunic, cleaner and less-shredded versions of the clothing he’d seen the man wearing in the vision he’d just had. Just what was going on here? Had he passed out somehow, and the others playing a practical joke on him? The other man laughed.
“Come on. We don’t have time for this...” he grinned and shoved Geng’s shoulder, forcing him to walk beside him down the street that now seemed a lot more crowded than it had been before, market stalls in front of some of the houses, children running around with housewives carrying baskets of bread and vegetables. Had they begun to add actors to the theme park now?
Noticing Geng’s puzzlement and distress, the man stopped and peered at him. “Are you feeling ok?” he asked, his hand reaching out to touch his forehead in concern. “You look...not quite like yourself.”
“I don’t understand. Where is this place?” Geng asked, his voice soft as he looked around. It all seemed so familiar, yet...not. “Are you acting as one of the employees here, Mimi?”
The man straightened and looked surprised. “You are Han Geng, are you not?” he asked just as softly, the concern still in his voice. At Geng’s nod, he smiled. “And I’m Zhou Mi, your childhood friend who you always call Mimi. I don’t really understand your behaviour, though...”
He pursed his lips, then sighed. “I wonder if you had a bit too much to drink at the celebration last night...” the man who’d acknowledged himself as Mimi said, his tone disapproving.
“I’ll ask the doctor to have a look at you. After...” he shoved at Geng again, persuading him to move. “The meeting. You haven’t forgotten that Lord Huang is still waiting for you?”
Sighing, Geng figured he might as well go along with it. If it was all an elaborate prank or act, he’d find out soon enough, and hadn’t he been complaining about not having opportunities to try out his acting skills?
-------------------------------
The meeting had gone about as well as could have been expected. Geng hadn’t actually been expected to do much other than say yes or no in accordance with the Lords’ questions, his answers (supplied by Mimi when he’d looked utterly lost) seemingly what they’d been expecting from him. Thus satisfied, he and Mimi had been dismissed, the other man dragging him down the corridor to a room that smelled of herbs and spices, and other things he’d rather not have to smell again. It reminded him of the Chinese herbalists he’d seen in his hometown that his cousins had told him as a child were scary doctors who would poison you if you looked at them wrongly.
“Mimi, let go of me,” Geng pulled back at Mimi’s grasp, nearly falling through a screen as Mimi let him go, a smirk on his face. “That wasn’t funny,” he grumbled, dusting off his clothing and standing straight as an elderly man with a full beard entered the room.
Just as the man opened his mouth to speak, Geng’s nose began to twitch, and as Mimi began to laugh at him, he sneezed violently, sending up a cloud of dust that had him coughing and choking. As he waved it away, he was startled to find himself alone in one of the buildings and looked around as his neck began to prickle again. The only footprints in the dust were his.
Now thoroughly confused and scared, Geng tore out of the house, barely remembering to close the paper-panelled door behind him as he ran through the streets looking for his friends. This was very unfunny, whatever was going on, and he didn’t like it at all. As leader, he was going to have some serious talks with the boys once he found them. Especially Mi.
Once his terror wore off, Geng found himself back in the main square again, staring at the fountain in the middle, the trees having dropped petals into the still water. Rather than looking serene and peaceful, it gave him an almost ominous feeling as he went to the fountain and dipped a hand in, petals clinging to his wet skin as he lifted it.
Shivering now from the cold, Geng sighed. He was never going to be able to find the hotel again, and it was too cold to spend the night outside, so he decided, after a lot of thought and stern talking to himself, to go into one of the houses and sleep there. He’d seen one earlier (he’d thought) that appeared to have a basic futon and set of shelves, so he could go sleep there. Or so he hoped.
Going from one house to another, he finally found it. The fourth house down from the end of the street. His hand on the panelled door, Geng hesitated. What if he got in trouble for this? Another burst of wind that set his teeth chattering made his mind up for him and he opened the door, startled to find no dust on the floor whatsoever, and a small vase with a single flower on the old shelf beside the futon which was covered with a single grey blanket.
Laying down on it and covering himself up with the blanket, Geng soon fell into an uneasy and wary sleep, ready to wake at the slightest sound. As he slept, he dreamed.
He was still in the same house, but there were subtle differences now. As well as the futon and the shelf with the now-empty vase, there were hangings on the walls. A candle sat on a table in the corner, throwing a dim light over the gathering that sat in the middle of the room. Mimi was there, as were a few other men he vaguely recognised, or felt he should have done. They seemed to look to him for guidance.
Long into the night, they planned an attack, poring over documents that someone produced from an inner pocket of the heavy coat he was wearing. Then came the long, tiring wait. One by one, the men began to drift off, the candle melting down until it was a mere stub that flickered wildly, then went out as a gust of wind hit it.
Someone was cutting through the panelling, trying to get into his home!
Geng was awake in an instant, his breathing harsh as the sound of tearing paper and splintering wood caught his ear. What the hell was going on? Then a sword flashed out of nowhere, aimed straight at him and he countered instinctively, wondering just how the hell that sword got into his hand. Desperately, he fought for his life, hearing the sounds outside that told him that his friends (his friends? Who the hell were these people?) were doing the same.
Finally the room was clear and he ran outside to find Mimi and the men he’d seen in his dream, panting and blood-stained, but alive. Quickly they surrounded him, walking down the street warily in search of more of the raiders who’d dared attack their Lord’s young charge. As they entered the square, yet more attackers appeared and his bodyguards split off, doing their best to protect him as rain began to fall, quickly soaking them all and turning the streets into a morass.
He heard Mimi cry out somewhere to the left of him and looked, just in time to see a man with his sword up and slicing down towards Mimi’s unprotected side, his friend now on the ground with his arm upraised to ward off the attack. Geng countered it, an angry cry on his lips. How dare these men come and attack him and his men? Hadn’t they had enough from their previous encounters? Even as he thought this, Geng was confused. What previous encounters?
Violence spilled out into the square as the fight began in earnest, swords flashing and men grunting, Geng’s mind being filled with bewilderment, fear, terror, and eventually resignation as more and more men appeared, his own friends being cut down where they stood until there was just him and Mimi left, standing back to back.
“You’re bleeding,” Mimi said softly, turning his head to look at Geng with a sad expression in his eyes. Carefully he tore off a piece of his sleeve and wrapped it around Geng’s hand gently, tying it off and pulling it tight with his teeth. “Now you’ll be able to fight...”
Nodding in acknowledgement, Geng’s eyes welled up with tears of despair. Men like Mimi didn’t deserve a fate like this, he felt. Nor did he, but it had still come upon them despite their careful planning. Resigned now, the two men surged forward and gave a shout that caused the marauders to look up and grin ferally. Their targets had come to them.
Minutes later, Geng was the only one left, Mimi’s body lying rain- and blood-soaked in the mud that seemed to coat everything, the rain pouring down upon them all as he saw an opening and ran, staggering through the mass of reinforcements who had arrived too late to save them, but just in time to save the townsfolk.
Exhausted and full of grief for Mimi’s loss, Geng found himself in a field, the bright moon almost mocking him as he stumbled and fell, somehow finding the energy to stab the sword into the ground before he passed out, the blood loss and injuries taking their toll on his worn out and battered body.
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Geng woke screaming, sitting up in shock and surprise as a lantern shone into his face, and he looked around wildly. Gone were the broken panes of the door which had been cut through, the bodies he’d left also gone and leaving him alone in the room with the startled faces of his friends, their manager, and the theme park owner staring back at him.
Doing his best to calm his breathing, he looked down at his dusty clothing, patting himself down frantically in order to reassure himself that he was indeed in one piece and not lying dead in a field somewhere.
The others seemed to know to wait for him to calm down, sitting on the floor beside the futon he’d been sleeping on until his breathing calmed and the wild look had receded from his eyes.
“What....what was going on?” Geng managed to stutter out, the owner looking somewhat sadly at him.
“So you saw them?” he asked, sitting back on his heels as the other men stared at him in puzzlement.
“This house and several of the streets were taken from a town not far from here that was in danger of being razed to the ground as part of a regeneration project. Local legend has it that the Lord of this area about three hundred years ago had a young charge whose description bears striking resemblance to young master Geng here, who was murdered, along with his best friend from childhood.”
Here he glanced at Mi, who looked back at him uncomfortably. “A young man by the name of Zhou Mi...who resembled young master Mi.” The owner sighed as the others began to talk over each other, questions he didn’t know the answers to making him raise his hand for silence.
“We don’t know why they were killed, or by whom. All we know is that young Han Geng’s body was found in what used to be a field...at this very spot. His sword had been jammed into the ground beside his body.”
Geng cleared his throat uneasily. “I...think I might be able to answer some of the questions...” he said quietly, his eyes sad as he glanced at Mi, who looked down at the floor in front of them. Had Mi, too, experienced something? Tucking that thought away, Geng began his own explanations of what he’d seen and felt.
As he finished, he was surprised to find tears on his face and reached up to wipe them away.
“From what I experienced...” he said softly, finally coming to the end of his story. “All I know is they were planning to eradicate some bandits that were operating in this area, but before they could, the bandits came to them and slaughtered them all. The Lord’s men came but not in time to save them...”
The memory of seeing Mimi, lying dead in the mud, haunted him and as he looked up, he caught Mi’s eyes, staring at him. He felt it was time he knew the answer to that question.
“You saw it too, didn’t you?” he asked softly, startling Mi enough that he dropped his eyes and nodded.
“I got tired and went back to the hotel after I left you,” Mi explained quietly, his voice shaking. “I fell asleep and dreamed of something almost identical to what you did...only from your friend Mimi’s...perspective. I never knew what happened to you...in the end.”
“When they couldn’t find you, they woke me up and I told them what I’d dreamed, and we started searching for you....and found you here...”
Unable to bear the distance between them, Mi moved forward and hugged Geng, tears of his own making tracks down his face. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to protect you...” he said softly in a wavering voice, sniffling as he pulled back. “I tried....” As Geng nodded wordlessly, Mi gave a gentle smile. “I even died for you...”
“But you’re not dead,” Henry pointed out, having followed the story with a little confusion here and there over words he didn’t quite understand. “You’re right here...”
Chuckling, Geng swatted at the youngest member of his little group. “Cheeky,” he said, smiling through his tears.
Their manager just sighed and rolled his eyes, herding them back to the hotel and to their beds, telling them that they had to be ready for their performance in the morning, and not to go out (as he put it) trying to re-enact the past. They’d had enough of that for one night and needed their sleep.
Despite being tired out from their experiences, Geng and Mi stayed up after the others had fallen asleep, having decided to share a room so they could talk.
“I’m sorry,” Mi began before Geng cut him off with a shake of his head.
“No. I’m sorry for not protecting you. You are a good friend to me, and I want to keep you around for many years yet...” he smiled, then hugged the younger man. “But thank you....”
“I’m glad we could meet again in this lifetime,” Mi said quietly as Geng shut off the light and prepared to sleep.
“Me too,” Geng whispered, and then closed his eyes, both men falling asleep with smiles on their faces.
EPILOGUE
After their performance, Geng wandered through the ‘streets’ once again, Mi walking beside him this time. The crowds began to thin as they entered the square then, with a glance at each other, they turned off into a little side street that no-one seemed aware of but them. In that street was a small clearing, a sword sticking out of the ground and bloodied, as if it had only just been stuck there by its owner.
His breath catching in his throat, Geng looked at Mi, who nodded. Stepping forward, Geng took the handle of the sword in his hand and pulled, the sword coming free easily for him, and he saw blood running down the blade. His own blood, he realised, as his hand had a rag that he recognised now as being the scrap from Mimi’s tunic wrapped around it.
Looking up, he saw Mi, this time in Mimi’s rain- and blood-stained clothing but with a gentle smile on his face, holding out his hand.
“It doesn’t matter any more,” Mimi whispered, his smile undimmed by time. “Let’s go...”
A smile on his own face, Geng walked forward and took Mimi’s hand and they both walked towards the square, the sword blade in Geng’s hand flashing in the sunlight. The brief flare of light disappearing, the men resumed their normal clothing and appearances, the sword gone.