Author's Note: Yay! A worthy chapter, finally! I had lot's of good time to
concentrate and think up some good stuff! I hope all you ladies out there
enjoy the bath scene *wink* and I promise a coming battle veeeery soon. Lot's more to come, and I'm finally half way done with part 2! Hope you
like it!
Enjoy!
Part 2
The Power of the Red Moon
Chapter 16
Thousand Souls
After Sima Yi woke, Zhang he was finally completed with cleaning the room. It looked brand new and squeaky clean, and that was saying something. The sun was quickly sinking into the western sky and stars poked their shiny faces out from the heavens. Spring was now taking its turn fully on the wheel of seasons, and the night was warm.
"I always liked dusk best of all out of all the times of day, it almost seems magical the way the sky changes all those colors and the stars just appear. The temperature is just right, too." Zhang He said as he walked outside.
"Yes, it is quite enchanting." Sima Yi said almost boredly, when you were that smart, you couldn't wonder about anything with coming up with a dull and completely logical explanation.
"You have no imagination, you know that right?" Zhang he laughed, as he watched the sun slip below the horizon.
"Sure I do, it just doesn't come up with things that are stupid." Sima Yi said motioning with his fan.
"You don't think girls are stupid, do you?" Zhang he asked.
"Well, some are . . ." He said looking puzzled.
"Ok, then tell me what the perfect girl for you would be." Zhang He said challengingly.
"Uhhh . . . Well, she would have to be shorter than me, with nice hair, perhaps it should be short. Her personality should be cheerful, sweet, and understanding. And also a little younger than I am." He said naming things off on his fingers.
"See!? No imagination! Why wouldn't you want to marry a goddess with radiant green hair that's down to her ankles, who can spit fire and will give you immediate control of the dynasty? THAT'S creative!" Zhang he said excitedly.
"Because . . . I wouldn't want that, I wouldn't want my woman protecting me. And besides, wouldn't that make things a little too easy?" Sima Yi reasoned.
"Forget it, you just don't understand." Zhang He said shaking his head.
"Hey, do you want to take a bath? I really need to, myself . . ." Sima Yi said, changing the subject.
"Yeah, that would be great, I've been journeying for ages, but do they really have baths here?" Zhang He asked.
"Well, we're not supposed to leave, but there's a really great hot spring just north of here, I went there a couple times at night when I first came here. It's inside of the bamboo forest." Sima Yi said pointing in the direction.
"Sure, let's go right now!" Zhang he said smiling. Sima Yi led the way quietly outside the camp and out into the misty flats.
"There's actually a forest out in this barren wasteland?" Zhang He said, nearly tripping over a stone.
"Yes, I find it quiet hard to believe myself, but I discovered when I was trying to escape." Sima Yi said, peering around for the path.
"Do you still want to be in the Wei? What about our brothers, it's not to late to flee . . ." Zhang He mused.
"I've thought about it for a while, and I almost carried out with the plan once or twice, but something my father said always comes back to me. After he had beat me up enough I was just lying there on the floor, looking quiet pathetic and sort of whimpering. Then he looked at me out of the corner of his eye, shook his head and said 'my son, you are certainly old enough to be considered a man, but in my eyes, you are still only but a child. You can only be viewed as a true man when you stare fate directly in the face and befriend it.' I've thought about this a lot, and the decision I've come to is that even though I don't particularly wish to be on the Wei, I am. Something put me here and this is where I shall stay. I will also give one-hundred percent of my effort to this force, it's like what they say to women, "If rape is inevitable, sit back and enjoy it.' Forgive me, I've gone on too long." Sima Yi suddenly realized.
"It's alright, talk as much as you want, I don't even care. But . . . Why do you listen to everything your father says? I mean, he can't always be right." Zhang He asked.
"He is my father! He has given me the greatest gift of all, I am forever indebted to him. I must admit, sometimes he can become a bit . . . forceful . . . But betraying or disobeying him is a terrible crime." Sima Yi said sounding a bit frightened.
"What are you talking about!? If your father pushes you around, you have every right to disobey him! You know what happened to me? My father is always drunk, totally drunk. I don't ever remember talking to him when he was not intoxicated. I remember the things he used to say, terrible things, but I stood up to him when I didn't agree. I even tried helping him, but nothing worked. I don't think he would even remember me if we stood face to face in broad daylight. He probably doesn't even remember whom he sold me to. I'm just one son out of 16; I don't make a difference at all in his opinion. To him, I was just the mistake that came out of one night of pleasure. Now, I think it'd be alright to betray that sort of man!" Zhang He said. Sima Yi looked up at him, as if he was just about to tell him something, then decided against it.
"You don't know my father . . ." Sima Yi muttered quietly. They were silent for a long while and then they came upon the forest of bamboo. It looked like odd gleaming poles of glass in the moonlight. Zhang He was strongly reminded of his dream with the painting and the Dragon, Demon and Firefly. Siam Yi plunged into the dark stalks and grasped his fan. Zhang he now wished he had brought the Metal Talons along with him, something felt liked they were being followed.
"Damn, wish I would have thought of brining a lantern!" Sima Yi said, beating a stick out of the way with his arm.
"Look, there it is!" Zhang He said pointing through the trees. It was placed in a clearing in the dark forest, and look unearthly. The water was strangely illuminated and gave a soft green-white aura. Steam rose from the water like wispy souls and they could taste the water vapor in the air. "What do you suppose makes it glow like that?" Zhang he said suspiciously.
"I believe it is probably some type of magic, though I have discovered it to be quiet unharmful." Sima Yi said gliding towards it. "Now come, I really need to bathe." They approached it and Zhang He took out the tie in his hair. He shook his head and his hair loosened and hung messily down near his hips. Sima Yi removed his hair bun and ran his fingers through his ebony locks.
"You should really wear you hair down more, it's quite spectacular." Zhang He said, unbuttoning the frogs on his shirt and letting it slide down his arms.
"It gets in the way while I'm doing things." Sima Yi explained, pulling the robe over his head.
"If you don't like it, why don't you cut it off?" Zhang He said, approaching the steaming water.
"I love my hair, I just . . ." Sima Yi stopped.
"You just. . .?" Zhang he said, stepping in the spring and wincing slightly.
"I don't know. . ." He said, joining Zhang He. Zhang He snorted and stared at him waiting for an answer. Sima Yi just stared back and Zhang He gave up.
"Alright, never mind." He said smiling and shaking his head.
"So. . . You and Diao Chan?" Sima Yi said, changing the subject all of a sudden.
"What?" Zhang He said avoiding his eyes.
"Well, is she yours?" Sima Yi asked excitedly.
"No!" Zhang He said sounding a little offended. He then smiled, sort of hiding his face. "Not yet. . ."
"AHA! I knew it! I could tell you wanted her. . ." Sima Yi said pointing his finger at Zhang He and smiling. Zhang He looked slightly perturbed and put his hand on his chin.
"Well, what about you? Have you been sending any letters to Sun Shang Xiang?" Zhang He said slyly.
"Wh-what? No! I couldn't! Ever!" Sima Yi said Opening his eyes wide and looking into the water.
"Why not?" Zhang He teased.
"Because!!! She's part of the Wu . . ." Sima Yi said indignantly.
"O-kaaay. . . Whatever you say . . ." Zhang He said. There was a long pause as Sima Yi played with his fingers. Zhang He could tell he was thinking about something. Sima Yi opened his mouth and still looking at his hand, spoke.
"Have you ever, you know, kissed a girl?" He said quietly.
"No . . . Have you?" Zhang He said, also lowering his voice.
"I never have either. What do you think it's like?" Sima Yi said, as if he were speaking about something forbidden.
"I don't know, soft I guess, and warm . . ." Zhang He said smiling a little.
"I've always wondered. It's not just something you can read in a book." He said shrugging.
"I sometimes think I'll never, ever get married. But then again, it's not like it's up to me to continue on with the 'proud Zhang family bloodline'. But I still do want a wife sometime in the future . . ." Zhang He said half to himself. Sima Yi nodded and splashed some more water on his shiny hair. After about ten minutes, they decided they should better head back and began to dress.
"This was a good idea! The water felt very revitalizing." Zhang He said, "Can magic help you like that?" But Sima Yi didn't answer. He was staring at the ground with and odd look on his face. He had a hand on his chest and was breathing very heavily. "Are you alright? Sima Yi!" Sima Yi opened his mouth wider and took great gasping breaths. His chest heaved and he sunk to the ground, grasping his chest with both hands now. "Sima Yi!!" Zhang He yelled as he grabbed onto Sima Yi shoulders. He started coughing loudly into his fist. His entire body shook terribly hard and he hacked even harder. He fell onto his hands and let a stream of blood flow from his mouth. He started spitting small quantities of the ruby substance onto his hands, which were trying to cover his mouth. Suddenly, he clenched his jaw tightly and fell onto the ground, trying as hard as he could to take large, even breathes.
"Sima Yi? Are you all right? SIMA YI!" Zhang He said, still holding on to his shoulders. Sima Yi finally took his hands off of his mouth and gave a last few sputtering coughs and swallowed with effort.
"I-I'm okay, I'm fine. . ." He gasped, trying to sit up. "Like I said b-before, just happens sometimes, nothing I can do about it. . ."
"My God, I thought you were going to die. . ." Zhang He said sounding relived. "Is there something wrong with your body? Why does that happen so suddenly?"
"I'm not sure, but I think it may be psychological, I mean it only started happening just after m-" He stopped suddenly. "Never mind, let's go home, it's not important." He said getting shakily to his feet.
"What were you going to say just now?" Zhang He said softly, helping him along.
"It was nothing, nothing at all. . ."
They walked back to the main camp in silence. Zhang He thought it might be good to let Sima Yi just rest and not have to think about talking. What had he almost let slip? Zhang He wanted to know more, but he had the courtesy not to ask about it. When they finally found their way back, the guards let them in and Zhang He and Sima Yi trudged slowly back to their room. On the way there, they came face to face with Zhang Liao.
"Brother. . ." He said putting his hands on Zhang He's shoulders, "You must know what Diao Chan said is true. I never tried to take her from you, I apologize if it seemed that way."
"It's fine now brother, I must apologize myself. I completely overreacted, It's all my fault." Zhang He said.
"Oh, I'm glad that's over with." Zhang Liao said, returning his face to a grin. "You seemed really angry, I didn't want to upset you, I was just teasing." He suddenly turned towards Sima Yi "You're the strategist, aren't you? You finally came out!"
"Yes, I was in quiet a bit or trouble, but when Zhang He arrived, he helped me. I have decided that my joining the Wei was a good decision after all." Sima Yi said calmly.
"Excellent, I knew you'd realize it soon enough! So, we're kind of brothers, huh? I mean, if you're his sworn brother, and I'm his real brother, does that make us related?" Zhang Liao said in his eccentric way. Sima Yi shook his head and laughed a little.
"Some questions I can't even answer, goodnight Zhang Liao, it was nice meeting you." He said, walking towards his room.
"Night, brother!" Zhang He called as he followed Sima Yi inside.
When they got back inside, they were greeted by a small surprise. Diao Chan was sitting on the floor humming to herself and looking around. The second they came in, she sprang up and sped towards them.
"There you are! I was looking all over the place! Where have you been?" She said in a motherly kind of voice.
"We were taking a bath, sorry, we thought you were staying with Zhen Ji." Sima Yi said.
"No way, if have to spend even another hour with her listening to her talk about how great she is, I'm going to die!" She said, throwing her hands up in the air.
"Yes, she is quiet horrible and extremely vain, but where will you be staying if you don't accept her as your roommate. Diao Chan smiled sweetly and posed in a cute way.
"Well, I am already here. . ." She said in a sweet voice.
"You want to stay here?" Zhang He said loudly.
"I don't want to go back to Zhen Ji, please don't make me. . ." She said looking up with large wet eyes.
"I guess . . . If it's alright with you?" Zhang he said turning to Sima Yi.
"Well, I don't know . . . I mean, a woman in our room? Ah, what the hell, sure go ahead." He said, sitting down.
"Yay!" She cheered.
"Now, please, can we sleep, I'm totally exhausted . . ." Zhang He sighed.
The next morning they all woke to a loud rapping on the door. Sima Yi sat up groggily and wobbled over to answer the door, still only wearing his pants. The second he opened up, Cao Cao's face appeared.
"We are starting preparations for all upcoming battles, we need you both to report to the strategy room at once." He said, and then took off.
"We have to hurry, get ready!" Sima Yi said, seizing his blue robe and tugging it over his head. Zhang He skillfully tied the ponytail in his hair and adored the green shirt.
"Their going to give you new clothes and armor very soon, you can't run around in green clothing." Sima Yi said, fixing the bun into his hair.
"I know, I've had troubles with it already." Zhang He said, fitting on his shoes.
"Ready? Sima Yi said, floating towards the door.
"As I'll ever be." Said Zhang He pushing through the doors. He followed Sima Yi into the large building where Zhang He had first met Cao Cao. After he was there he executed a sharp left and entered a large room with a table. It looked quite simaler to Yuan Shao's strategy room, only a little shabbier and everything was blue. Cao Cao was sitting at the head of the table with Xiahou Dun, Zhang Liao and many other men Zhang He had never seen before. When everyone was at last seated, Cao Cao began.
"Today we shall trace the outlines of what shall be our main battle plan for destroying the Wu and Shu. I shall all introduce you to each other incase you don't know already." Cao Cao said grandly. Zhang He was sitting next to an enormously fat man who was eating as they spoke. He kept leaning towards Zhang He and making disgusting smacking noises. "You should all know that this-" He pointed at Xiahou Dun "Is my cousin, Lord Xiahou Dun, he's one of our main generals, and if he orders you to do something, you shall carry out his request." Xiahou Dun bowed his head, then sat back in his seat, looking over everyone. "Here . . ." Cao Cao motioned to a squat man with a bushy beard a scowl. "Is his brother, Lord Xiahou Yuan, also a very important leader." Xiahou Yuan glared around at everyone and stuck his nose up in the air. "Next we have my most trusted bodyguard and friend, Lord Dian Wei" He waved in the direction of tall baldheaded man. After looking around at everyone, he turned back towards Cao Cao and uttered a small "Rrrei . . ." Cao Cao smiled and continued. "We also have with us general Xu Zhu, and his, errr, unparalleled strength" He motioned at the fat man next to Zhang He. Xu Zhu looked up and waved stupidly to everyone, then went back to eating. "We also have the great luck to have the powerful Lord Xu Huang on our side." He pointed at a quiet man with a white, turban-like hat covering his head. He face was steely and he hung a sharp ax from his back. "Then we have the amazingly skilled Zhang Liao, who has proven himself time and again on and off the battlefield." Zhang Liao smilied, and gazed in the direction of Zhang He, who smiled back. "Nextly, I shall introduce the newest acquired general on our force, Lord Zhang He. He is extremely cunning, powerful, and brave." Cao Cao said looking in Zhang He's direction. Zhang He smiled a little and bowed his head to everyone. "And finally, we have the smartest and strongest strategist out of them all. His genius is said to have lost surpassed the 'renowned' Zhuge Liang's, even though he is years younger than him, he will surely lead us to victory. Allow me to introduce Lord Sima Yi." Sima Yi bowed shallowly and covered his face with his black- feathered fan. "Together, we shall all destroy the others!" Cao Cao said raising his hand towards the sky. "Now, let us begin. . ." Everyone looked towards Sima Yi and he sat up straighter.
"A quick overview of my plan is slowly eliminate the Shu and Wu by taking out their main generals one by one. We also must have a fierce defense on our side, incase of surprise attacks lead by any of them. Our main targets are Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei and Sun Jian. Our first plan of action should be to track down the Shu and go for one or two of the main generals. After attacking them time and again, only Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang shall remain. We shall force them into surrendering or kill them. After we have dealt with the Shu, we shall try and offer a peace proposal to the Wu. If the refuse, we shall feign a surrender. When Sun Jian comes to sign the treaty, we shall ambush him and his troops. If we succeed in eliminating him, Sun Quan or Sun Ce will surely rise to power. Then we carry out a plan, similar to the one we used to destroy Shu. We need to kill Sun Quan, Huang Gai, Lu Xun, Lu Meng, and Zhou Tai. Then only Sun Ce and Zhou Yu will be left. We can offer them an alliance or death. All this while we can extend offers of peace towards Yuan Shao, Dong Zhou, Lu Bu, and the Nanmans. A seemingly simple plan, turned into something undefeatable . . ." Sima Yi said, obviously excited. Zhang He could tell this is what he loved to do best.
"What about that Sun girl? I've heard she is a formidable warrior, not to be reckoned with." Xiahou Yuan said. Sima Yi stopped and took a breath. Then his face turned back to normal.
"She is a woman, nothing to worry about. Leave her be, she can't cause much trouble at all." Sima Yi said, playing with the tassel on his helmet.
"I have heard she has the strength and speed of two men!" Xu Huang said incredulously.
"You have heard wrong! I have met her, she is nothing but a scrawny little girl!" Sima Yi said, starting to get worried. Zhang He imagined what it must feel like, could he himself ever create a plan which includes killing his lovely Diao Chan?
"Calm yourselves, gentlemen! If this Sun Shang Xiang proves herself a nuisance, she will just have to be dealt with. We can leave it at that; now let us continue with the strategy. Our first battle will be to attack Shu head on, Lord Sima Yi?"
Sima Yi then continued with a very hard-to-follow lecture on where the Shu would be and the reasons why. They finally decided on sending to messengers on red hairs to confirm the Shu's position. The men were dispatched and Sima Yi discussed more plans with Cao Cao while studying maps. After becoming quite bored, Zhang He started playing an age-old game with Zhang Liao. They would silently stare at each other until the other person smiled or moved. They tried to make each other laugh to disturb everyone. Finally, when Zhang Liao choked while trying not to laugh, and everyone looked at him, they agreed without words that this shouldn't be done anymore.
After a long day of boring planning, everyone was dismissed. Zhang He, Sima Yi, and Zhang Liao started to walk back together. Sima Yi looked intense and thoughtful, as if he was on the verge of a new discovery.
"Pretty dull today, eh, He?" Zhang Liao said stretching.
"Really dull! I thought it would never end. That was so funny when everyone stared at you! That had be the biggest loss ever in the history of that game!" Zhang He said, looking up his face.
"Yah, I thought Cao Cao would jump up and chop my head off right there and then!" Zhang Liao said. Zhang He laughed a little, but then something behind him made him stop. Sima Yi stopped abruptly and stood straight as a board.
"What's wrong?" Zhang He said, turning back to him.
"The White Mage . . ." He said stunned. "He's Zhou Yu."
enjoy the bath scene *wink* and I promise a coming battle veeeery soon. Lot's more to come, and I'm finally half way done with part 2! Hope you
like it!
Enjoy!
Part 2
The Power of the Red Moon
Chapter 16
Thousand Souls
After Sima Yi woke, Zhang he was finally completed with cleaning the room. It looked brand new and squeaky clean, and that was saying something. The sun was quickly sinking into the western sky and stars poked their shiny faces out from the heavens. Spring was now taking its turn fully on the wheel of seasons, and the night was warm.
"I always liked dusk best of all out of all the times of day, it almost seems magical the way the sky changes all those colors and the stars just appear. The temperature is just right, too." Zhang He said as he walked outside.
"Yes, it is quite enchanting." Sima Yi said almost boredly, when you were that smart, you couldn't wonder about anything with coming up with a dull and completely logical explanation.
"You have no imagination, you know that right?" Zhang he laughed, as he watched the sun slip below the horizon.
"Sure I do, it just doesn't come up with things that are stupid." Sima Yi said motioning with his fan.
"You don't think girls are stupid, do you?" Zhang he asked.
"Well, some are . . ." He said looking puzzled.
"Ok, then tell me what the perfect girl for you would be." Zhang He said challengingly.
"Uhhh . . . Well, she would have to be shorter than me, with nice hair, perhaps it should be short. Her personality should be cheerful, sweet, and understanding. And also a little younger than I am." He said naming things off on his fingers.
"See!? No imagination! Why wouldn't you want to marry a goddess with radiant green hair that's down to her ankles, who can spit fire and will give you immediate control of the dynasty? THAT'S creative!" Zhang he said excitedly.
"Because . . . I wouldn't want that, I wouldn't want my woman protecting me. And besides, wouldn't that make things a little too easy?" Sima Yi reasoned.
"Forget it, you just don't understand." Zhang He said shaking his head.
"Hey, do you want to take a bath? I really need to, myself . . ." Sima Yi said, changing the subject.
"Yeah, that would be great, I've been journeying for ages, but do they really have baths here?" Zhang He asked.
"Well, we're not supposed to leave, but there's a really great hot spring just north of here, I went there a couple times at night when I first came here. It's inside of the bamboo forest." Sima Yi said pointing in the direction.
"Sure, let's go right now!" Zhang he said smiling. Sima Yi led the way quietly outside the camp and out into the misty flats.
"There's actually a forest out in this barren wasteland?" Zhang He said, nearly tripping over a stone.
"Yes, I find it quiet hard to believe myself, but I discovered when I was trying to escape." Sima Yi said, peering around for the path.
"Do you still want to be in the Wei? What about our brothers, it's not to late to flee . . ." Zhang He mused.
"I've thought about it for a while, and I almost carried out with the plan once or twice, but something my father said always comes back to me. After he had beat me up enough I was just lying there on the floor, looking quiet pathetic and sort of whimpering. Then he looked at me out of the corner of his eye, shook his head and said 'my son, you are certainly old enough to be considered a man, but in my eyes, you are still only but a child. You can only be viewed as a true man when you stare fate directly in the face and befriend it.' I've thought about this a lot, and the decision I've come to is that even though I don't particularly wish to be on the Wei, I am. Something put me here and this is where I shall stay. I will also give one-hundred percent of my effort to this force, it's like what they say to women, "If rape is inevitable, sit back and enjoy it.' Forgive me, I've gone on too long." Sima Yi suddenly realized.
"It's alright, talk as much as you want, I don't even care. But . . . Why do you listen to everything your father says? I mean, he can't always be right." Zhang He asked.
"He is my father! He has given me the greatest gift of all, I am forever indebted to him. I must admit, sometimes he can become a bit . . . forceful . . . But betraying or disobeying him is a terrible crime." Sima Yi said sounding a bit frightened.
"What are you talking about!? If your father pushes you around, you have every right to disobey him! You know what happened to me? My father is always drunk, totally drunk. I don't ever remember talking to him when he was not intoxicated. I remember the things he used to say, terrible things, but I stood up to him when I didn't agree. I even tried helping him, but nothing worked. I don't think he would even remember me if we stood face to face in broad daylight. He probably doesn't even remember whom he sold me to. I'm just one son out of 16; I don't make a difference at all in his opinion. To him, I was just the mistake that came out of one night of pleasure. Now, I think it'd be alright to betray that sort of man!" Zhang He said. Sima Yi looked up at him, as if he was just about to tell him something, then decided against it.
"You don't know my father . . ." Sima Yi muttered quietly. They were silent for a long while and then they came upon the forest of bamboo. It looked like odd gleaming poles of glass in the moonlight. Zhang He was strongly reminded of his dream with the painting and the Dragon, Demon and Firefly. Siam Yi plunged into the dark stalks and grasped his fan. Zhang he now wished he had brought the Metal Talons along with him, something felt liked they were being followed.
"Damn, wish I would have thought of brining a lantern!" Sima Yi said, beating a stick out of the way with his arm.
"Look, there it is!" Zhang He said pointing through the trees. It was placed in a clearing in the dark forest, and look unearthly. The water was strangely illuminated and gave a soft green-white aura. Steam rose from the water like wispy souls and they could taste the water vapor in the air. "What do you suppose makes it glow like that?" Zhang he said suspiciously.
"I believe it is probably some type of magic, though I have discovered it to be quiet unharmful." Sima Yi said gliding towards it. "Now come, I really need to bathe." They approached it and Zhang He took out the tie in his hair. He shook his head and his hair loosened and hung messily down near his hips. Sima Yi removed his hair bun and ran his fingers through his ebony locks.
"You should really wear you hair down more, it's quite spectacular." Zhang He said, unbuttoning the frogs on his shirt and letting it slide down his arms.
"It gets in the way while I'm doing things." Sima Yi explained, pulling the robe over his head.
"If you don't like it, why don't you cut it off?" Zhang He said, approaching the steaming water.
"I love my hair, I just . . ." Sima Yi stopped.
"You just. . .?" Zhang he said, stepping in the spring and wincing slightly.
"I don't know. . ." He said, joining Zhang He. Zhang He snorted and stared at him waiting for an answer. Sima Yi just stared back and Zhang He gave up.
"Alright, never mind." He said smiling and shaking his head.
"So. . . You and Diao Chan?" Sima Yi said, changing the subject all of a sudden.
"What?" Zhang He said avoiding his eyes.
"Well, is she yours?" Sima Yi asked excitedly.
"No!" Zhang He said sounding a little offended. He then smiled, sort of hiding his face. "Not yet. . ."
"AHA! I knew it! I could tell you wanted her. . ." Sima Yi said pointing his finger at Zhang He and smiling. Zhang He looked slightly perturbed and put his hand on his chin.
"Well, what about you? Have you been sending any letters to Sun Shang Xiang?" Zhang He said slyly.
"Wh-what? No! I couldn't! Ever!" Sima Yi said Opening his eyes wide and looking into the water.
"Why not?" Zhang He teased.
"Because!!! She's part of the Wu . . ." Sima Yi said indignantly.
"O-kaaay. . . Whatever you say . . ." Zhang He said. There was a long pause as Sima Yi played with his fingers. Zhang He could tell he was thinking about something. Sima Yi opened his mouth and still looking at his hand, spoke.
"Have you ever, you know, kissed a girl?" He said quietly.
"No . . . Have you?" Zhang He said, also lowering his voice.
"I never have either. What do you think it's like?" Sima Yi said, as if he were speaking about something forbidden.
"I don't know, soft I guess, and warm . . ." Zhang He said smiling a little.
"I've always wondered. It's not just something you can read in a book." He said shrugging.
"I sometimes think I'll never, ever get married. But then again, it's not like it's up to me to continue on with the 'proud Zhang family bloodline'. But I still do want a wife sometime in the future . . ." Zhang He said half to himself. Sima Yi nodded and splashed some more water on his shiny hair. After about ten minutes, they decided they should better head back and began to dress.
"This was a good idea! The water felt very revitalizing." Zhang He said, "Can magic help you like that?" But Sima Yi didn't answer. He was staring at the ground with and odd look on his face. He had a hand on his chest and was breathing very heavily. "Are you alright? Sima Yi!" Sima Yi opened his mouth wider and took great gasping breaths. His chest heaved and he sunk to the ground, grasping his chest with both hands now. "Sima Yi!!" Zhang He yelled as he grabbed onto Sima Yi shoulders. He started coughing loudly into his fist. His entire body shook terribly hard and he hacked even harder. He fell onto his hands and let a stream of blood flow from his mouth. He started spitting small quantities of the ruby substance onto his hands, which were trying to cover his mouth. Suddenly, he clenched his jaw tightly and fell onto the ground, trying as hard as he could to take large, even breathes.
"Sima Yi? Are you all right? SIMA YI!" Zhang He said, still holding on to his shoulders. Sima Yi finally took his hands off of his mouth and gave a last few sputtering coughs and swallowed with effort.
"I-I'm okay, I'm fine. . ." He gasped, trying to sit up. "Like I said b-before, just happens sometimes, nothing I can do about it. . ."
"My God, I thought you were going to die. . ." Zhang He said sounding relived. "Is there something wrong with your body? Why does that happen so suddenly?"
"I'm not sure, but I think it may be psychological, I mean it only started happening just after m-" He stopped suddenly. "Never mind, let's go home, it's not important." He said getting shakily to his feet.
"What were you going to say just now?" Zhang He said softly, helping him along.
"It was nothing, nothing at all. . ."
They walked back to the main camp in silence. Zhang He thought it might be good to let Sima Yi just rest and not have to think about talking. What had he almost let slip? Zhang He wanted to know more, but he had the courtesy not to ask about it. When they finally found their way back, the guards let them in and Zhang He and Sima Yi trudged slowly back to their room. On the way there, they came face to face with Zhang Liao.
"Brother. . ." He said putting his hands on Zhang He's shoulders, "You must know what Diao Chan said is true. I never tried to take her from you, I apologize if it seemed that way."
"It's fine now brother, I must apologize myself. I completely overreacted, It's all my fault." Zhang He said.
"Oh, I'm glad that's over with." Zhang Liao said, returning his face to a grin. "You seemed really angry, I didn't want to upset you, I was just teasing." He suddenly turned towards Sima Yi "You're the strategist, aren't you? You finally came out!"
"Yes, I was in quiet a bit or trouble, but when Zhang He arrived, he helped me. I have decided that my joining the Wei was a good decision after all." Sima Yi said calmly.
"Excellent, I knew you'd realize it soon enough! So, we're kind of brothers, huh? I mean, if you're his sworn brother, and I'm his real brother, does that make us related?" Zhang Liao said in his eccentric way. Sima Yi shook his head and laughed a little.
"Some questions I can't even answer, goodnight Zhang Liao, it was nice meeting you." He said, walking towards his room.
"Night, brother!" Zhang He called as he followed Sima Yi inside.
When they got back inside, they were greeted by a small surprise. Diao Chan was sitting on the floor humming to herself and looking around. The second they came in, she sprang up and sped towards them.
"There you are! I was looking all over the place! Where have you been?" She said in a motherly kind of voice.
"We were taking a bath, sorry, we thought you were staying with Zhen Ji." Sima Yi said.
"No way, if have to spend even another hour with her listening to her talk about how great she is, I'm going to die!" She said, throwing her hands up in the air.
"Yes, she is quiet horrible and extremely vain, but where will you be staying if you don't accept her as your roommate. Diao Chan smiled sweetly and posed in a cute way.
"Well, I am already here. . ." She said in a sweet voice.
"You want to stay here?" Zhang He said loudly.
"I don't want to go back to Zhen Ji, please don't make me. . ." She said looking up with large wet eyes.
"I guess . . . If it's alright with you?" Zhang he said turning to Sima Yi.
"Well, I don't know . . . I mean, a woman in our room? Ah, what the hell, sure go ahead." He said, sitting down.
"Yay!" She cheered.
"Now, please, can we sleep, I'm totally exhausted . . ." Zhang He sighed.
The next morning they all woke to a loud rapping on the door. Sima Yi sat up groggily and wobbled over to answer the door, still only wearing his pants. The second he opened up, Cao Cao's face appeared.
"We are starting preparations for all upcoming battles, we need you both to report to the strategy room at once." He said, and then took off.
"We have to hurry, get ready!" Sima Yi said, seizing his blue robe and tugging it over his head. Zhang He skillfully tied the ponytail in his hair and adored the green shirt.
"Their going to give you new clothes and armor very soon, you can't run around in green clothing." Sima Yi said, fixing the bun into his hair.
"I know, I've had troubles with it already." Zhang He said, fitting on his shoes.
"Ready? Sima Yi said, floating towards the door.
"As I'll ever be." Said Zhang He pushing through the doors. He followed Sima Yi into the large building where Zhang He had first met Cao Cao. After he was there he executed a sharp left and entered a large room with a table. It looked quite simaler to Yuan Shao's strategy room, only a little shabbier and everything was blue. Cao Cao was sitting at the head of the table with Xiahou Dun, Zhang Liao and many other men Zhang He had never seen before. When everyone was at last seated, Cao Cao began.
"Today we shall trace the outlines of what shall be our main battle plan for destroying the Wu and Shu. I shall all introduce you to each other incase you don't know already." Cao Cao said grandly. Zhang He was sitting next to an enormously fat man who was eating as they spoke. He kept leaning towards Zhang He and making disgusting smacking noises. "You should all know that this-" He pointed at Xiahou Dun "Is my cousin, Lord Xiahou Dun, he's one of our main generals, and if he orders you to do something, you shall carry out his request." Xiahou Dun bowed his head, then sat back in his seat, looking over everyone. "Here . . ." Cao Cao motioned to a squat man with a bushy beard a scowl. "Is his brother, Lord Xiahou Yuan, also a very important leader." Xiahou Yuan glared around at everyone and stuck his nose up in the air. "Next we have my most trusted bodyguard and friend, Lord Dian Wei" He waved in the direction of tall baldheaded man. After looking around at everyone, he turned back towards Cao Cao and uttered a small "Rrrei . . ." Cao Cao smiled and continued. "We also have with us general Xu Zhu, and his, errr, unparalleled strength" He motioned at the fat man next to Zhang He. Xu Zhu looked up and waved stupidly to everyone, then went back to eating. "We also have the great luck to have the powerful Lord Xu Huang on our side." He pointed at a quiet man with a white, turban-like hat covering his head. He face was steely and he hung a sharp ax from his back. "Then we have the amazingly skilled Zhang Liao, who has proven himself time and again on and off the battlefield." Zhang Liao smilied, and gazed in the direction of Zhang He, who smiled back. "Nextly, I shall introduce the newest acquired general on our force, Lord Zhang He. He is extremely cunning, powerful, and brave." Cao Cao said looking in Zhang He's direction. Zhang He smiled a little and bowed his head to everyone. "And finally, we have the smartest and strongest strategist out of them all. His genius is said to have lost surpassed the 'renowned' Zhuge Liang's, even though he is years younger than him, he will surely lead us to victory. Allow me to introduce Lord Sima Yi." Sima Yi bowed shallowly and covered his face with his black- feathered fan. "Together, we shall all destroy the others!" Cao Cao said raising his hand towards the sky. "Now, let us begin. . ." Everyone looked towards Sima Yi and he sat up straighter.
"A quick overview of my plan is slowly eliminate the Shu and Wu by taking out their main generals one by one. We also must have a fierce defense on our side, incase of surprise attacks lead by any of them. Our main targets are Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei and Sun Jian. Our first plan of action should be to track down the Shu and go for one or two of the main generals. After attacking them time and again, only Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang shall remain. We shall force them into surrendering or kill them. After we have dealt with the Shu, we shall try and offer a peace proposal to the Wu. If the refuse, we shall feign a surrender. When Sun Jian comes to sign the treaty, we shall ambush him and his troops. If we succeed in eliminating him, Sun Quan or Sun Ce will surely rise to power. Then we carry out a plan, similar to the one we used to destroy Shu. We need to kill Sun Quan, Huang Gai, Lu Xun, Lu Meng, and Zhou Tai. Then only Sun Ce and Zhou Yu will be left. We can offer them an alliance or death. All this while we can extend offers of peace towards Yuan Shao, Dong Zhou, Lu Bu, and the Nanmans. A seemingly simple plan, turned into something undefeatable . . ." Sima Yi said, obviously excited. Zhang He could tell this is what he loved to do best.
"What about that Sun girl? I've heard she is a formidable warrior, not to be reckoned with." Xiahou Yuan said. Sima Yi stopped and took a breath. Then his face turned back to normal.
"She is a woman, nothing to worry about. Leave her be, she can't cause much trouble at all." Sima Yi said, playing with the tassel on his helmet.
"I have heard she has the strength and speed of two men!" Xu Huang said incredulously.
"You have heard wrong! I have met her, she is nothing but a scrawny little girl!" Sima Yi said, starting to get worried. Zhang He imagined what it must feel like, could he himself ever create a plan which includes killing his lovely Diao Chan?
"Calm yourselves, gentlemen! If this Sun Shang Xiang proves herself a nuisance, she will just have to be dealt with. We can leave it at that; now let us continue with the strategy. Our first battle will be to attack Shu head on, Lord Sima Yi?"
Sima Yi then continued with a very hard-to-follow lecture on where the Shu would be and the reasons why. They finally decided on sending to messengers on red hairs to confirm the Shu's position. The men were dispatched and Sima Yi discussed more plans with Cao Cao while studying maps. After becoming quite bored, Zhang He started playing an age-old game with Zhang Liao. They would silently stare at each other until the other person smiled or moved. They tried to make each other laugh to disturb everyone. Finally, when Zhang Liao choked while trying not to laugh, and everyone looked at him, they agreed without words that this shouldn't be done anymore.
After a long day of boring planning, everyone was dismissed. Zhang He, Sima Yi, and Zhang Liao started to walk back together. Sima Yi looked intense and thoughtful, as if he was on the verge of a new discovery.
"Pretty dull today, eh, He?" Zhang Liao said stretching.
"Really dull! I thought it would never end. That was so funny when everyone stared at you! That had be the biggest loss ever in the history of that game!" Zhang He said, looking up his face.
"Yah, I thought Cao Cao would jump up and chop my head off right there and then!" Zhang Liao said. Zhang He laughed a little, but then something behind him made him stop. Sima Yi stopped abruptly and stood straight as a board.
"What's wrong?" Zhang He said, turning back to him.
"The White Mage . . ." He said stunned. "He's Zhou Yu."