Scion of Madness
Chapter Two: The Red Calm Before the Black Storm
Kingdom Wu, Jian Ye- five days later
Zhou Yu sighed as he shifted through notes and maps. I do not care what kind of summit we are having. We will not be caught unawares if either force thinks to betray us. Planning ahead has never harmed anyone, and nobody pays any attention to what the Lord Strategist does anyway.
The candles that lit the small study flickered uncertainly, having been burned down to mere stubs. Zhou laid his head back on the chair he sat in, eyestrain driving a wedge between his ability to see and his ability to think.
The door opened and shut quietly, but he ignored the sounds. Suddenly, from behind him, strong fingers messaged his temples, right where it hurt the most.
"Don't you ever take a day off?" A vivacious and youthful voice chided.
Zhou snorted indignantly as he muttered, "Yes. As I recall, I did last week."
"Oh yeah. Now I remember… but you actually need a day of relaxation and rest. That was hardly restful." The speaker's voice held so much mirth that it actually annoyed Zhou.
"Alright Bofu, enough." Yu sighed softly, thankful for some of Sun Ce's particular skills.
"Sorry." Bofu purred in his strategist ear, grinning.
"Are you trying to impose yourself in my business?" Zhou countered, his voice more lively and less tired.
"Is it working?" Sun Ce smirked and had the nerve to sit in the slighter man's lap.
"It was, until you chose to crush my pelvic region, you beefcake." Zhou faked a pained look.
"Ack! We mustn't have that!" Sun Ce cried in mock panic, leaping up and falling on the floor. The second motion wasn't faked. "Oww….. my ass hurts now."
"I was going to ask if I could kiss it and make it better, but I think that option is most unwise now." Zhou smiled and instead kissed the top of Sun Ce's head. Or rather, he tried, but Ce was impatient and turned his head so that their lips met.
"That's not fair." Ce muttered, resting his forehead on Zhou's.
"What? That I'm one of few who have the gall to refuse an order to kiss your ass?" Zhou smiled, his eyes shining gold in the dying light.
"Yeah, and the fact that you wouldn't have fallen on your arse like me." Ce pouted a little, the corners of his mouth tugged down.
"That's alright, Sun Ce. We all know your tactless." Zhou Yu laughed and leaned forward, causing the corners of Sun Ce's mouth to quickly do a reverse face.
And the two, like lovers often do, spent their joy into the night and fell asleep to the sweet serenity of one another's touch. Both were unaware that the cosmos moved in peculiar ways that would profoundly affect both. They were only aware of one another and the innocent love of the youthful.
same place, different room
Lu Xun sat, camped out for the night in the library. He was doing research for his superior and he so feverishly wanted to please Gentleman Zhou. I probably should get something to eat…… … … but I'm much too busy to bother with food. I'll be okay if I eat a good breakfast in the morning. He paused for a moment. Hmm, Lu Meng's going to fuss at me as well. Sorry love, but we both always recognize work first.
He turned the page in the book he was browsing, cursing the handwriting of the author. Fancy scripty-person. His handwriting is just like Zhou Yu's , beautiful to look at and perfect for poetry, but you try and read it for an hour or so and your brain gets all addled and such. Oh mercy me!
The door opened with an audible creak and Lu Xun whirled around to see who dared disturb his work. It was only that silly pirate, Gan Ning.
"I see you're still Zhou's gopher." The pirate muttered, re-lighting some candles that had gone out.
"I am not his gopher. He needs me to do some research for him. It just so happens that he doesn't have all the maps for the Shu and Wei territories in his collection and he sent me here to find them. They are obscure regions on the far sides that we have no real access to, but he wants a complete map of each. I really can't be bothered by anybody, not you-not even Sun Jian. If the Lord cannot bother me, than neither can a silly pirate." Lu Xun stated as he kept browsing the book.
"Call me 'silly pirate' one more time and I'll give you a reason to be bothered." Gan muttered heatedly, not liking the tone the lad was giving him.
"Go talk to Zhou Tai or something." Lu Xun said dismissively. He didn't even look up to say it.
"Gr…. Fine, I will. Or…. or maybe I'll go tell somebody he needn't bother to check on his little one. I'll tell 'em that you're too busy…. or too good… to associate with people right now." Gan went into vicious mode, knowing that he could get the kid to stop the disrespectful tone at least a little.
"No. You won't." Lu Xun tried to make it sound like a command, but it came out more a whimper.
"You're bein' snooty, kid. You're talkin' to me like you think I'm a stupid barbarian. I'm not. I read, kid. I taught myself how to read and I read the same books Zhou Yu does. I know a lot more than you think, and if you think I'm gonna take this treatment, your wrong." Gan turned and stomped out of the room, slamming the door with such force that all the candles went out.
"Great…. I'm alone and in the dark." Lu Xun muttered in a hopeless tone, regretful of his actions.
Sun Jian's room
"Lu Meng, how long ago did I tell Ce to talk to Zhou and then come back?" Sun Jian muttered, leaning sideways in his chair.
Uh-oh. Ce's blown it this time. "I'm not sure, sir. An hour, a little over." Lu Meng shrugged and sipped his tea. More like two, but maybe the wine has sunk in.
"No, more like two." Sun Jian growled, still nursing the cup of wine.
I guess he isn't as far gone as I thought………or hoped. I suppose I'll cover for them…again. "Well, maybe they are discussing plans, sir. Or just talking in general. You know how they are." Lu Meng folded his hands in his lap and patiently looked up.
"Ce should know better. I wanted him to come back so that we could finish this up, tonight. I'm far too busy to handle this later. By the time I'm free, Lie Bei and Cao Cao will be here!" Sun Jian shouted and slammed the cup down on the table. It shattered with promptness and Sun Jian inhaled sharply as a sliver of the cup cut his hand.
"Are you alright, my Lord?" Lu Meng looked on with concern as he tried to clean up the mess.
"Yes!" Sun Jian snapped. "Go! Go find Ce and get him in here! Bring Quan too! Maybe he can at least pay attention and listen to me!!!"
"Yessir!" Lu Meng was not a man to be rushed, but when Sun Jian yelled-you rushed.
Lu ambled down the hall and debated on where the errant Sun was. No, I know where he is, I'm just not sure I dare disturb him. He's as bad as his father. Oh well, between the tiger and the cub-I shall take the lesser evil.
Lu Meng was so very deep in thought that he barely noticed when a very irate person slammed into him and started cursing him, and every one of his ancestors before him.
"Gan?" Lu Meng blinked as he recognized the pirate.
"Yeah it's me!" Gan Ning yelled.
"What are you so mad about?" Lu Meng asked perceptively.
"It's that kid of yours!" Gan roared.
"I wish you wouldn't say that. It makes me sound like a pedophile." Lu Meng muttered in an endlessly patient voice. "Or that he's my son. We're really no relation. He checked…. repeatedly."
"I don't care! He's annoyed the shit outta me! He's deadened my last nerve-ending! I wanna kill the midget and roast him on a spit!" Gan's language increased in color until he seemed to just run out of words.
"Do you feel better now that you've cursed my family line and confessed things that I didn't know you wanted to do to people to me?" Lu Meng asked, resting a hand on Gan Ning's shoulder.
"No, but it's a start." Gan sighed wearily and leaned on a nearby window sill. "He's just like some of the others. Just thinks I'm a stupid pirate. No respect for my intelligence."
"I respect you, and Zhou Yu does as well." Lu Meng supplied, trying to see the good and trying to help Gan see it too.
"I know. Hell, Zhou convinced 'em all ta let me stay. But… it ain't fair. Zhou Tai is veryrespected! People defer to him, ask his opinion, honor him. He was a pirate too! He isn't exactly learned, either." Gan spoke, ruefully.
"Zhou Tai is honored because he is a decent fighter that saved Sun Quan's life. The 'higher' pursuits of knowledge and art are lost on him. You, you're kind of like Zhou Yu. You do both, except that you're a fighter before you're a thinker. Zhou had similar problems. People didn't think he'd be worth his own sword in combat, but he proved 'em wrong. It's not a good way for things to be, but you have to prove yourself before people will take you seriously. Talk to Yu sometime, maybe he can help you out." Lu Meng stood, awaiting to see what Gan would say.
"Heh, I never thought of it that way. Thanks, Lu Meng. You jest full of surprises sometimes!" Gan laughed heartily, then ran off.
Well, that certainly wasn't expected. Now… now to fetch Sun Ce. He's not going to be happy. Lu Meng wasn't in the habit of making understatements, but this was one of the few times he managed to make a very astute one.
He ambled towards Zhou's quarters, walking a little more slowly. If I'm lucky, I won't be privy to any unexpected surprises. He stopped just in front of Zhou's door, hand hovering on the handle. Does it sound safe?
He waited a long moment. The moment seemed to stretch into eternity, but he was surprised to realize that indeed, it was silent. With unvoiced hopes, Lu Meng opened the door very carefully, closing his eyes for no real reason. Well, there was a reason, but he wasn't in the mood to admit it to himself.
Lu Meng cracked open one eye, to get the 'lay of the land'. Awwww……that's so cute………I could scream. He chuckled to himself as he really entered the room and took full stock of the situation. In a remote corner of the room, where an obscurely placed bed lay, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce were, for lack of better terminology, tangled around each other-fast asleep.
Sun Ce snored like a woodsman cutting logs, and Zhou Yu's breathing-not quite a snore- could easily be heard with it. It's like Zhou to breath in time with Ce's snores, just so it sounds like music.
"Ce" Lu Meng called softly. No response. No…wake up, wake up!
"Ce!" Lu called a little bit louder. Zhou shifted in his sleep. "C-"
"You'll never wake him like that. He is quite gone." Zhou muttered softly, raising his head to glance at Lu Meng. Lu Meng had to keep from laughing. The normally cool strategist looked like a cat by a fire- warm, happy and very contented and relaxed. His eyes were half shut in the light, almost squinting at his fellow general.
Without prompting, Zhou suddenly turned with deft agility and began urgently whispering in Sun Ce's ear, as he untangled himself from around Sun Ce's prone body. Lu Meng had no on earthly idea as to what he could have been saying, but it didn't appear to work.
Zhou sunk back to make a quick alternate plan, and lunged forwards, cuffing the sleeping Sun in the ear. Sun Ce sat up with more speed than Lu Meng would have ever credited him with, and squeaked.
"Zhou!" All of Sun Ce's indignation and shock showed plainly in his voice.
"We have company and you were being rude." Zhou Yu purred in his ear.
Sun Ce blinked owlishly in Lu Meng's direction, trying to figure out just who was disturbing him. "Meng….?" He yawned hugely before he could say anything else. "Lu Meng… whatteryadoin' here?"
Lu Meng hesitated a moment, then muttered, "Before I explain, it would be nice of you to put on some clothing."
"Eck" Sun Ce had the decency to squawk as he pulled the sheet up to his chin. Zhou sighed and tugged at a corner of the sheet.
"Bofu, I think you'd better hurry. For not is Lu Meng inclined to interrupt us. Besides, I desire sleep above all else and… you are stealing my silken linens." Zhou Yu growled as Sun Ce snuck to the edge of the bed, sheet and all. "Would you dare allow an interloper to see me… ahem… disrobed?"
"NO!" Sun Ce yelled as he tossed the sheet in Zhou's face and was in pants before Lu Meng could think about blinking.
"Zhou Yu, you have quite the power to manipulate him." Lu smiled as Sun Ce glared and pulled on his shirt.
"It's all a matter of knowing what strings attach to what key, my friend, and what melody to play as well." Zhou looked quaintly amused a moment. "But, the song must be one of love or the strings become brittle and break." That last was uttered with a thoughtful and loving look in Ce's direction.
Sun Ce, who was hastily combing his hair and tying it with that red ribbon of his, muttered, "Whatever. Let me hazard a guess, Lu, and say that Pop has noted my lack of presence and decided to send you."
"If you knew that, then why didn't you come back like you were supposed to?" Lu asked incredulously.
"Well… I came in here and Zhou obviously had a headache and was working too much again. So I decided to give him a massage. Things…. progressed… and I kinder… forgot about Pop." Sun Ce hung his head. Whether it was in small amusement or true guilt, no one could really tell.
"In defense of myself and in defense of the truth, he must've planned it because I asked thrice if he was otherwise engaged in something he should have been doing besides…." Zhou only shrugged and left the rest to Lu Meng's imagination. "He said no twice."
Lu Meng cocked his head to the side. I shouldn't ask, I shouldn't ask, I shouldn't ask…… ………but I am too damn curious for my own good! "What about the third time…?"
Zhou smiled too broadly for Lu Meng's comfort. "Well… I picked an interesting time to ask, and at that point… neither one of us cared to discuss the topic. He never answered and I didn't remember to bother him again about it until after he was asleep."
"Oh, awash with the energy and passion of the moment, no doubt." Lu Meng shot back. "Come on, Ce. We still have to get your brother."
"Nice return volley, Meng. Ce-I'll leave a candle for you, but don't expect me to be awake." Zhou pointedly stated.
"I, myself, expected nothing less. Come, Meng, to Sun Quan's room we go!" Sun Ce rambled as he shambled out the door.
Tanks!
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