Ruled By Secrecy

Chapter 1: And I'll just keep on falling.

The night had just fallen and already the Wu main camp was in total chaos. Thousands of soldiers were running around crazily, as if possessed, taking care of their various duties. Higher graded generals were trying to bring some order to the army, but to no avails, as the men were all beside themselves with excitement or nervosity. Even the sharp treats of the intimidating Gan Ning were easily ignored by the dense mass of red and green.

And so it was the scene developing itself in front of grand military strategist Zhou Yu. A humorless smile formed on the man's face, accentuated by the moonlight. Was this the brave army who was supposed to bring victory home? Doubt was currently clouding the strategist's eyes, and not for the first time. His thoughts drifted off to the man who was causing such doubting in his mind. Zhuge Liang. Now this was a man he couldn't bring himself to get out of his thoughts. Something about him was making Zhou Yu uneasy, whenever he was around. The way he managed to carry himself with such assurance while sporting this ridiculous feather fan irritated him to no end. Yet, the cunning mind and intelligent eyes were still a mystery he was trying to pierce, despite his best attempts to tell himself that the man could keep all the secrets he wanted.

''You look like someone with a lot on his mind if I may say, Master Zhou Yu.''

Even if such a thing was hard over the cacophony of the camp, Zhou Yu cursed himself for not having heard the footsteps of the man he was just recently thinking about and it was with a barely concealed cringe that he turned around to face Zhuge Liang.

''Seeing as this victory is a necessity for both our kingdoms, I think it is not a good thing for you to be so…'' he paused, as if searching for the appropriate word. ''Distracted… sir.''

The bearded strategist approached Zhou Yu, fixing him with a look the latter could not recognize.

However, the Wu general could not stand anymore to be prey to his ally's fathomless eyes. He turned on his heels once again and tried his best to ignore the shivers which were coursing through his body and praying to the gods that they were well hidden under his heavy clothes.

''I… appreciate your… concern Kongming,'' Zhou Yu did his best to make it sound as sincere as possible. ''But I can assure you, that in no way is this affecting my ability to think clearly or to fight properly. Now, if you don't mind, I would cherish any moment of peace I can get be-''

''There's no need for any reasons my lord, I understand your desire for quietness. However as you may have already notice, it is indeed a rare gift to find in these times. We cannot blame them I suppose though, the will to fight for their kingdom is quite strong.''

Zhou Yu heard a soft rustle, no doubts the shoes of the other strategist brushing the leaves on the ground. But then, Zhuge Liang passed next to him, barely touching his shoulder to his, and when his long raven black hair accidentally whipped against his cheek, like a gentle autumn breeze, that was when he truly realized what made him so uneasy around the younger man.

His breath caught and immediately, Zhuge Liang's eyes were once again on him.

''My lord? Is something wrong?'' His brows furrowed and his head tilted slightly to the right side, confusion evident on his face.

''Yes… yes. Everything is fine'' Even though Zhuge Liang did not look convinced in the least, the man continued. ''I'm just a bit preoccupied, but again, as I've said before, this is not changing anything concerning my abilities and I would appreciate if you could simply leave me to my thought instead of mothering me,'' finished Zhou Yu, sounding too harsh even to his own ears. It was said though, and his pride refused to do anything remotely close to apologizing.

A brief look of hurt crossed Zhuge Liang's eyes before quickly disappearing. A look Zhou Yu would have notice had he not been so absorbed in his own thoughts.

The younger man slowly blinked one time and his gaze swept over the main camp, as if searching for something. Upon seeing the intense look, Zhou Yu followed it, only to fall on the open sea. Almost black, with only the lunar light adorning it. It was at rest tonight, the waves barely violent enough to gently break on the shore. Tomorrow, this same sea would be invaded by a red tint, the sacrifice of those brave souls willing to give up their lives for the good of peace.

''Peace…'' he scoffed, without realizing he had muttered his thoughts.

''Pardon me?'' Zhuge Liang looked at him, curiosity obvious in his expression. '' Did you say something my lord?''

Zhou Yu shook his head, far from wanting to explain his words to the man in front of him.

''In any case, I feel that I have already taken too much of your time. Please, excuse me for disturbing you. If your current… worries ever evoke a need to talk to someone before the encounter, I dare presume you know where to find me sir.'' A short pause, the strategist looking torn between keeping his mouth shut, or expressing his thoughts. ''If you would accept my words of advice though my lord, you should get some rest. You look fatigued and it is not good for the troops' moral.''

And he was, indeed, fatigued. He felt like this war was a waste of time, of hopes. Felt like it was draining his energy. And he felt at least ten years older than his thirty-one whole years. And while he was exhausting himself with his work, Zhuge Liang was there, his aura practically glowing and his eyes glittering with his desire for the greater good. His arrogant demeanor fooling his true nature. His selfless and giving nature. Though the question Zhou Yu was asking himself was why he was putting so much trust in a man he barely knew, his heart and soul were being stubborn and telling him that he was already certain of the answer.

And an inexplicable surge of anger went through every part of his being at those thoughts. His clenched his fists and also gritted his teeth in irritation. He forced himself to remain calm, knowing his reaction was exaggerated.

''I shall keep that in mind Kongming. If you'll excuse me now.'' A short bow of the head and Zhou Yu was already walking past Zhuge Liang. He did not want to blurt out anything he would be sure to regret later, and he had to admit that Zhuge Liang, in fact, did nothing to anger him. His feelings were his own and he would deal with them himself.

''Goodbye and goodnight I hope sir'' Zhuge Liang said to his retreating back.

''I hope so as well Kongming'' whispered Zhou Yu before disappearing into the crowd near the camp. ''I hope so''

To Be Continued…

Duh.

Author's notes: It must have been a good one year and a half since I've written any fanfiction in English so I'm still a bit rusty. Forgive any spelling mistakes you fall on as well, this was not betaed by anyone but me and I must admit I'm not a role model concerning English grammar. Also, I'm sorry if this chapter seems to drag on and on, but I had to start somewhere. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon and will advance a bit more. I hope the characters weren't too much OOC for your tastes, because I personally know it's one of the things I hate the most while reading fictions, but it's a bit harder to detect when you're the one writing it I guess :p

And finally, for anyone who wonders if the title is a coincidence… no. Stolen from a Muse song, oh I'm shameless.

Alright, so I'll just go over there and stop boring you now. Just comment please, I'd love to have some constructive criticism and yeah I do admit it may get me to write faster if I know I'm not writing this for a wall x)