Author's Note: Whew, a short chapter. It took a while though. Thank you
so much Petta for reviewing ever chapter *huggles* You're my best friend :
) I'm going to try and get 100 reviews, so pllllz keep on reviewin' and
suggesting! I hope y'all like this one.
Enjoy!
Part 3
The Romance of the Four Leaders
Chapter 22
See my Soul
"How?" Sima Yi asked in one word. Sun Ce sat up and pushed Zhou Yu's legs away from his face.
"Easy, all I did was sit on his shoulders, then put a cloth over us and-" Sun Ce started.
"Quiet, Sun Ce, I believe he was asking how did we get here." Zhou Yu said, trying to untangle himself.
"That's obvious, we rode!" Sun Ce said, hands on his hips.
"Ever the master of deepness . . ." Zhou Yu said with a hand on his forehead. "What he means to say is that he was worried about the condition of you guys and his sister and we came to investigate."
"Oh yeah, what he said . . ." Sun Ce muttered, ripping himself free of the cloak.
"You're going to be killed if anyone sees you!" Zhang He said worried.
"So we won't be seen!" Sun Ce said casually. He looked around for a bit. "You think this place is big enough for the four of us?" Zhang He turned to Sima Yi and he shrugged.
"S-sure . . ." Zhang He said, scratching his head. They all looked at each other for a while, then all smiled simultaneously.
"It's really good to see you again." Sima Yi said, helping Zhou Yu to his feet.
"Yeah!! Were all back together!" Sun Ce yelled, jumping up. Only after a few minutes of getting settled in, they were bombarding each other with questions about what they had been doing. They got very loud and raucous, making jokes and pushing each other around. Then the door slammed open and Diao Chan stood in the doorway.
"What is wrong with you? What is with all the noi-" She stopped dead. "Who are they?" Sun Ce stood up immediately and straightened his hair. He walked up in a very odd way and looked Diao Chan in the eyes.
"Well, well, well, who is this beautiful woman? Are you married?" He said slyly, slipping an arm around her. She squealed and fought herself away. Sun Ce stepped back and looked surprised. Diao Chan ran over and hid behind Zhang He, putting her arms around his waist.
"Protect me, Zhang He!" She said, peering over his shoulder.
"Don't be afraid, Diao Chan, that's Sun Ce." Zhang He said. Sun Ce smiled and stepped over.
"Is she your woman, Zhang He?" He asked happily.
"Yeah." Zhang He said, blushing slightly.
"I don't believe it! He got one before me!" Sun Ce said to Zhou Yu.
"I wonder why . . ." Sima Yi said under his breath.
"Congrats, brother! She's a real pretty one . . ." Sun Ce said, admiring Diao Chan's beauty.
"Come on, stop talking about Diao Chan like she's an object or something." Zhang He said, putting a hand on her head. Diao Chan smiled and moved to Zhang He's lap. Zhou Yu stepped over gracefully, shook Diao Chan's hand and bowed.
"Nice to meet you, Lady Diao Chan, I am Zhou Yu. You are truly lovely." He said softly.
"Thank you. Very nice to meet you too." She said bowing her head. At that moment, Sun Shang Xiang burst through the door yelling for Diao Chan. The second she saw Sun Ce she stopped.
"B-brother?" She said shakily.
"Hey, sis, we thought we'd drop by for a quick visit!" He joked then ran up and hugged her.
"You're in trouble, Cao Cao will hurt you if he sees you!" She said pointing a finger.
"Ahh, tell Cao Cao to take a hike, I can beat him up!" Sun Ce boasted, flexing his muscles.
"That's Sun Ce . . ." She said, rubbing her temple.
"So, down to business." Zhou Yu said, stepping in. "We would like to know why you two are on the Wei?" Sima Yi looked hard at his feet. Zhang He looked over at him with wary eyes.
"Can I tell them Sima Yi?" He asked. He nodded shallowly and Zhang he told them what had happened up to this point. The listened in awe and Sun Ce swore loudly a couple of times.
"God damn it! They put you guys through torture! I'll kill Guo Tu, I'll kill him! Sima Yi, you want me to get your father for ya?" Sun Ce raged on after Zhang He was done.
"But now, the question is what to do at this point . . ." Zhou Yu said.
"I don't know about you, Sima Yi, but I'm tired of taking orders from Cao Cao." Zhang He announced.
"I would like to join together with all of you again. . ." Sima Yi said quietly.
"I'll go wherever you go, Sima Yi . . ." Sun Shang Xiang said sitting beside him. He smiled at her and looked into her bright blue eyes. "But I can't go back to father, never." She pointed out.
"But sis!" Sun Ce interjected.
"Shut up, Sun Ce! You want to marry Lu Xun?" She snapped.
"No, but we have a duty to serve our father, now you're coming home!" He said.
"No! I want to stay with Sima Yi!" She yelled at her brother. Sima Yi blushed and turned away.
"Stop it! Both of you." Zhou Yu said, coming between the fighting siblings. "Sun Ce, do you remember what you told me in our first battle with the Shu?" Sun Ce looked blank for a moment then shook his head. Zhou Yu "tutted" and put his hands on his hips.
"Whaddya say me and you start another empire, Zhou Yu, our empire . . ." He said in mock Sun Ce voice.
"I don't sound like that!" He yelled and threw whatever was closest to him and Zhou Yu.
"You moron!" He laughed, "Listen to the words I was saying, not the way I said them."
"Start another kingdom?" Zhang He asked incredulously. "That's virtually impossible."
"Not exactly." Zhou Yu pointed out, flipping his hair as he spun to face Zhang He. "Here we are, six strong generals right now. Now, we all have friends and relations in all of the armies. If we can persuade different generals to join our kingdoms, and gather troops from the cities, then we can have a nice big army. This might take a while though . . ."
"Sounds good now, but who will lead us? Who will be our strategist, and really, how many people can we persuade to betray their own force?" Sima Yi interrupted.
"There are more than you think there are! You and I can be the strategists, and Zhang He and Sun Ce will lead us. All together, we can be unbeatable." He said, stamping his fist on the table.
"We don't have to provisions, weapons, money troops, authority, or popularity to do it." Sima Yi said, sounding uneasy.
"We don't, but if everyone agrees to help a little, we work really hard, and we do a bit of borrowing . . ." Zhou Yu left off.
"You mean stealing?" Zhang He said lifting an eyebrow.
"It's just like burning a supply depot, except we benefit from it . . ." He said slyly.
"Can we really do something like this?" Sima Yi asked everyone.
"I'd be willing to try." Zhou Yu confirmed.
"I'm in!" Sun Ce called from somewhere behind them.
"Sure, I'll give it a shot." Zhang He said shrugging.
"If Zhang He goes, so will I!" Diao Chan cheered loyally.
"This is madness . . ." Sima Yi said smiling.
"Alright!" Sun Shang Xiang Said jumping up and down. Then they set to work. Sima Yi and Zhou Yu made several charts and maps, performed difficult math problems, and figured out statistics for all the things they would need. They made a list of all the generals in the Wu, Shu and Wei and found maps of all the regions and things they would be going over. Suddenly, a thought burst into Zhang He's mind.
"Zhou Yu, do you know how to do a Chi-Ku-To spell?" Zhang he asked suspiciously. Zhou Yu turned and looked confused.
"No, why do you ask?" He said.
"You see, Sima Yi! I told you it wasn't Zhou Yu!" He said putting up his index finger.
"What? Has Sima Yi been possessed?" He asked.
"Yes, by a man called 'The White Mage'. He kept bothering Sima Yi and wouldn't let him sleep." Zhang He said bitterly.
"Very disturbing . . ." Zhou Yu said, nibbling on the end of a brush. "Do you know the counter, Sima Yi?"
"What the Hell are you guys talking about?" Sun Ce said thickly.
"Don't bother explaining it to him, he'll just forget it . . ." Zhou Yu whispered smiling. They went on talking for a couple more hours when another problem arose.
"Where are you guys going to stay until we get this plan organized?" Sun Shang Xiang asked.
"Well, here!" Sun Ce said.
"You can't just stay inside all day, every day. You'll need to bathe and stuff. And besides, you can't fit four guys in one room." Diao Chan said.
"Alright, Zhou Yu, Zhang He, and Sima Yi can sleep in here, and me and the girls can sleep in the other room!" Sun Ce said smiling.
"Fat chance, Sun Ce." Zhang He said. "But three in here three in there is a good plan."
"I can sleep next Zhang He!" Offered Diao Chan.
"And since all my things are in this room, I'd better stay here as well." Sima Yi said.
"Ok, and you two can sleep together on the floor, while I get the bed in the other room!" Sun Shang Xiang said.
"Hey, no fair!" Sun Ce said.
"You are so immature at times, Sun Ce . . ." Zhou Yu smiled. "Yes, that's a good plan. Whenever we need to go outside, we can travel under cloak - separately . . ." Zhou Yu finished. Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
"Hide!" Yelled Sun Shang Xiang, shoving them in the bed.
"It doesn't cover them up enough!" Cried Diao Chan.
"Sit on them!" Sun Shang Xiang said, launching herself onto the lumpy bed. The door swung open and there stood Xiahou Dun. They all smiled broadly in his direction, trying badly not to look suspicious. Xiahou Dun stared at them for a few seconds with a confused expression. He now wore a strip of cloth over his head to cover up his missing eye.
"Is . . . everything all right?" He asked, staring at the lumps in the bed.
"Yes, everything's wonderful!" Zhang He said, trying to divert his attention.
"I just wanted to let Sima Yi he'll be needed tomorrow morning in Cao Cao's building to plan the next attack. You can come as well, if you like Zhang He." He finished, still looking around.
"Great! Goodbye, for now!" Sima Yi said, pushing him outside and shutting the door.
"That was close . . ." sighed Diao Chan as Sun Ce and Zhou Yu emerged.
"Don't worry, in a week or two, we'll be out of here for good. We just have to start organizing right away. I suggest that once our army is composed, we attack the Nanmans to gain control of some land." Zhou Yu suggested.
"Exactly what I was thinking brother." Sima Yi agreed.
"Hey, what'll our kingdom be called?" Sun Ce asked abruptly.
"Hmmm. . ." Mused Sima Yi.
"What about . . . the . . .Jin?" Offered Sun Ce.
"Nah, something more like the Fen . . ." Said Zhou Yu.
"Perhaps it should be one of our names?" Said Sima Yi.
"How about, the Shi!" Zhang He called out.
"That sounds good!" Sun Ce smiled.
"The Shi! We are now part of the Shi dynasty."
suggesting! I hope y'all like this one.
Enjoy!
Part 3
The Romance of the Four Leaders
Chapter 22
See my Soul
"How?" Sima Yi asked in one word. Sun Ce sat up and pushed Zhou Yu's legs away from his face.
"Easy, all I did was sit on his shoulders, then put a cloth over us and-" Sun Ce started.
"Quiet, Sun Ce, I believe he was asking how did we get here." Zhou Yu said, trying to untangle himself.
"That's obvious, we rode!" Sun Ce said, hands on his hips.
"Ever the master of deepness . . ." Zhou Yu said with a hand on his forehead. "What he means to say is that he was worried about the condition of you guys and his sister and we came to investigate."
"Oh yeah, what he said . . ." Sun Ce muttered, ripping himself free of the cloak.
"You're going to be killed if anyone sees you!" Zhang He said worried.
"So we won't be seen!" Sun Ce said casually. He looked around for a bit. "You think this place is big enough for the four of us?" Zhang He turned to Sima Yi and he shrugged.
"S-sure . . ." Zhang He said, scratching his head. They all looked at each other for a while, then all smiled simultaneously.
"It's really good to see you again." Sima Yi said, helping Zhou Yu to his feet.
"Yeah!! Were all back together!" Sun Ce yelled, jumping up. Only after a few minutes of getting settled in, they were bombarding each other with questions about what they had been doing. They got very loud and raucous, making jokes and pushing each other around. Then the door slammed open and Diao Chan stood in the doorway.
"What is wrong with you? What is with all the noi-" She stopped dead. "Who are they?" Sun Ce stood up immediately and straightened his hair. He walked up in a very odd way and looked Diao Chan in the eyes.
"Well, well, well, who is this beautiful woman? Are you married?" He said slyly, slipping an arm around her. She squealed and fought herself away. Sun Ce stepped back and looked surprised. Diao Chan ran over and hid behind Zhang He, putting her arms around his waist.
"Protect me, Zhang He!" She said, peering over his shoulder.
"Don't be afraid, Diao Chan, that's Sun Ce." Zhang He said. Sun Ce smiled and stepped over.
"Is she your woman, Zhang He?" He asked happily.
"Yeah." Zhang He said, blushing slightly.
"I don't believe it! He got one before me!" Sun Ce said to Zhou Yu.
"I wonder why . . ." Sima Yi said under his breath.
"Congrats, brother! She's a real pretty one . . ." Sun Ce said, admiring Diao Chan's beauty.
"Come on, stop talking about Diao Chan like she's an object or something." Zhang He said, putting a hand on her head. Diao Chan smiled and moved to Zhang He's lap. Zhou Yu stepped over gracefully, shook Diao Chan's hand and bowed.
"Nice to meet you, Lady Diao Chan, I am Zhou Yu. You are truly lovely." He said softly.
"Thank you. Very nice to meet you too." She said bowing her head. At that moment, Sun Shang Xiang burst through the door yelling for Diao Chan. The second she saw Sun Ce she stopped.
"B-brother?" She said shakily.
"Hey, sis, we thought we'd drop by for a quick visit!" He joked then ran up and hugged her.
"You're in trouble, Cao Cao will hurt you if he sees you!" She said pointing a finger.
"Ahh, tell Cao Cao to take a hike, I can beat him up!" Sun Ce boasted, flexing his muscles.
"That's Sun Ce . . ." She said, rubbing her temple.
"So, down to business." Zhou Yu said, stepping in. "We would like to know why you two are on the Wei?" Sima Yi looked hard at his feet. Zhang He looked over at him with wary eyes.
"Can I tell them Sima Yi?" He asked. He nodded shallowly and Zhang he told them what had happened up to this point. The listened in awe and Sun Ce swore loudly a couple of times.
"God damn it! They put you guys through torture! I'll kill Guo Tu, I'll kill him! Sima Yi, you want me to get your father for ya?" Sun Ce raged on after Zhang He was done.
"But now, the question is what to do at this point . . ." Zhou Yu said.
"I don't know about you, Sima Yi, but I'm tired of taking orders from Cao Cao." Zhang He announced.
"I would like to join together with all of you again. . ." Sima Yi said quietly.
"I'll go wherever you go, Sima Yi . . ." Sun Shang Xiang said sitting beside him. He smiled at her and looked into her bright blue eyes. "But I can't go back to father, never." She pointed out.
"But sis!" Sun Ce interjected.
"Shut up, Sun Ce! You want to marry Lu Xun?" She snapped.
"No, but we have a duty to serve our father, now you're coming home!" He said.
"No! I want to stay with Sima Yi!" She yelled at her brother. Sima Yi blushed and turned away.
"Stop it! Both of you." Zhou Yu said, coming between the fighting siblings. "Sun Ce, do you remember what you told me in our first battle with the Shu?" Sun Ce looked blank for a moment then shook his head. Zhou Yu "tutted" and put his hands on his hips.
"Whaddya say me and you start another empire, Zhou Yu, our empire . . ." He said in mock Sun Ce voice.
"I don't sound like that!" He yelled and threw whatever was closest to him and Zhou Yu.
"You moron!" He laughed, "Listen to the words I was saying, not the way I said them."
"Start another kingdom?" Zhang He asked incredulously. "That's virtually impossible."
"Not exactly." Zhou Yu pointed out, flipping his hair as he spun to face Zhang He. "Here we are, six strong generals right now. Now, we all have friends and relations in all of the armies. If we can persuade different generals to join our kingdoms, and gather troops from the cities, then we can have a nice big army. This might take a while though . . ."
"Sounds good now, but who will lead us? Who will be our strategist, and really, how many people can we persuade to betray their own force?" Sima Yi interrupted.
"There are more than you think there are! You and I can be the strategists, and Zhang He and Sun Ce will lead us. All together, we can be unbeatable." He said, stamping his fist on the table.
"We don't have to provisions, weapons, money troops, authority, or popularity to do it." Sima Yi said, sounding uneasy.
"We don't, but if everyone agrees to help a little, we work really hard, and we do a bit of borrowing . . ." Zhou Yu left off.
"You mean stealing?" Zhang He said lifting an eyebrow.
"It's just like burning a supply depot, except we benefit from it . . ." He said slyly.
"Can we really do something like this?" Sima Yi asked everyone.
"I'd be willing to try." Zhou Yu confirmed.
"I'm in!" Sun Ce called from somewhere behind them.
"Sure, I'll give it a shot." Zhang He said shrugging.
"If Zhang He goes, so will I!" Diao Chan cheered loyally.
"This is madness . . ." Sima Yi said smiling.
"Alright!" Sun Shang Xiang Said jumping up and down. Then they set to work. Sima Yi and Zhou Yu made several charts and maps, performed difficult math problems, and figured out statistics for all the things they would need. They made a list of all the generals in the Wu, Shu and Wei and found maps of all the regions and things they would be going over. Suddenly, a thought burst into Zhang He's mind.
"Zhou Yu, do you know how to do a Chi-Ku-To spell?" Zhang he asked suspiciously. Zhou Yu turned and looked confused.
"No, why do you ask?" He said.
"You see, Sima Yi! I told you it wasn't Zhou Yu!" He said putting up his index finger.
"What? Has Sima Yi been possessed?" He asked.
"Yes, by a man called 'The White Mage'. He kept bothering Sima Yi and wouldn't let him sleep." Zhang He said bitterly.
"Very disturbing . . ." Zhou Yu said, nibbling on the end of a brush. "Do you know the counter, Sima Yi?"
"What the Hell are you guys talking about?" Sun Ce said thickly.
"Don't bother explaining it to him, he'll just forget it . . ." Zhou Yu whispered smiling. They went on talking for a couple more hours when another problem arose.
"Where are you guys going to stay until we get this plan organized?" Sun Shang Xiang asked.
"Well, here!" Sun Ce said.
"You can't just stay inside all day, every day. You'll need to bathe and stuff. And besides, you can't fit four guys in one room." Diao Chan said.
"Alright, Zhou Yu, Zhang He, and Sima Yi can sleep in here, and me and the girls can sleep in the other room!" Sun Ce said smiling.
"Fat chance, Sun Ce." Zhang He said. "But three in here three in there is a good plan."
"I can sleep next Zhang He!" Offered Diao Chan.
"And since all my things are in this room, I'd better stay here as well." Sima Yi said.
"Ok, and you two can sleep together on the floor, while I get the bed in the other room!" Sun Shang Xiang said.
"Hey, no fair!" Sun Ce said.
"You are so immature at times, Sun Ce . . ." Zhou Yu smiled. "Yes, that's a good plan. Whenever we need to go outside, we can travel under cloak - separately . . ." Zhou Yu finished. Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
"Hide!" Yelled Sun Shang Xiang, shoving them in the bed.
"It doesn't cover them up enough!" Cried Diao Chan.
"Sit on them!" Sun Shang Xiang said, launching herself onto the lumpy bed. The door swung open and there stood Xiahou Dun. They all smiled broadly in his direction, trying badly not to look suspicious. Xiahou Dun stared at them for a few seconds with a confused expression. He now wore a strip of cloth over his head to cover up his missing eye.
"Is . . . everything all right?" He asked, staring at the lumps in the bed.
"Yes, everything's wonderful!" Zhang He said, trying to divert his attention.
"I just wanted to let Sima Yi he'll be needed tomorrow morning in Cao Cao's building to plan the next attack. You can come as well, if you like Zhang He." He finished, still looking around.
"Great! Goodbye, for now!" Sima Yi said, pushing him outside and shutting the door.
"That was close . . ." sighed Diao Chan as Sun Ce and Zhou Yu emerged.
"Don't worry, in a week or two, we'll be out of here for good. We just have to start organizing right away. I suggest that once our army is composed, we attack the Nanmans to gain control of some land." Zhou Yu suggested.
"Exactly what I was thinking brother." Sima Yi agreed.
"Hey, what'll our kingdom be called?" Sun Ce asked abruptly.
"Hmmm. . ." Mused Sima Yi.
"What about . . . the . . .Jin?" Offered Sun Ce.
"Nah, something more like the Fen . . ." Said Zhou Yu.
"Perhaps it should be one of our names?" Said Sima Yi.
"How about, the Shi!" Zhang He called out.
"That sounds good!" Sun Ce smiled.
"The Shi! We are now part of the Shi dynasty."