(Diao Wan's POV)

I awoke and found myself looking up at a beautiful blue sky, dotted with pure white clouds. By the looks of the sun it was almost noon, all was quiet except for someone's heavy breathing next to me. I looked towards the noise and to my shock, found it to be Gan Ning sleeping with his head propped against the trunk of a nearby tree. A cool breeze passed by and flitted with his hair. I started to sit up, but stopped feeling the pain of my bruised side. I lay back down, and the events of the night and afternoon before came to my memory. My leg seemed to be wrapped with Gan Ning's vest, because it was missing from his bare chest. I looked around and saw that I was definitely not around the dual sight anymore. I remembered someone carrying me last night, but could not remember whom. I guessed it had been Gan Ning. Why had he brought me here? Where was here? Why did he bandage my wounds? What happened to everyone? Questions filled my head as I lay there. Questions about the present and thoughts of the past. I didn't know why my mind chose this moment to reflect on matters that brought me more pain adding to my physical wounds. It had all started when I was eight.

(Nine years ago-A small harbor in modern day Yantai)

I sat on the roof our inn, The Twin Demon, the sun warming my skin and a breeze coming off the sea. It was a beautiful day in fall, my father was watching the bar and my mother and older brother, Diao Chen, were in the garden. I was supposed to be bringing in the laundry from the clothesline, but instead I had decided just to sit for a moment in the sea breeze. I could see the whole harbor from my perch: the ships, shops, market, and the people. The people where the most interesting. The kids were always yelling and screaming. The merchants and market people were bargaining and cheating one another. All the women gossiping and conversing amongst themselves. The ships were also fun to watch. Seeing their cream-colored sails coming in and out of the harbor eased my heart in a mysterious way. The cussing of sailors was easily heard even from where I sat, but again all I had to do to hear all that talk was go downstairs into my father's bar. The occasional drunk or two would be most amusing to my brother Chen and I.

"WAN!" my father bellowed from downstairs. Jerking back to reality, I grabbed the basket of clean linen and practically fell down the stairs in my hurried rush to finish my task. I dropped the basket right outside the back door, and peeked my head in from the opposite side. I saw my father behind the bar serving drinks to an old man who had a rough complexion and looked like he had not showered in months. My father summoned me over with a jerk of his head and gave another man his drink. He walked over to me in that unusual plodding gait of his, wiping his hands on his beer stained apron. I stepped into the room cautiously and skittishly walked towards him. I had been around enough drunken men in my life to know to be careful. As I reached him he put his hand on my shoulder and leaned forward to talk to me. I already knew what was coming though. "Wan I need ya 'ta watch the bar for a couple minutes, while I take care of a full bladder darlin'. Is that alright with thee?" he asked silently. I didn't mind really, I had done it since I was old enough to pour a glass of water, so I agreed, "Of course, father." He replied with a simple, "Thank you, daughter," and he was off. I took an apron off the hook on the backside of the door, and tied it over my skinny figure. I was a very skinny child and was almost considered sickly then because of it. None of the men seemed to have noticed their short new bartender, and were still engaged in their conversations. I went behind the bar and sat on an old worn three-legged stool. I sat there with my legs swinging and picking at my nails, day- dreaming as usual, when the rough looking man at the counter suddenly choked on his beer. "By the phoenix! I do believe I've had a little too many beers!" he exclaimed to the rest of the pub. Everyone looked over at him and started laughing and throwing in comments.

"Well mate! Haven't we ALL!"

"The old croons got a point!"

"I'll buy ya another one!"

"Don't let that stop ya!"

The man laughed at his joke and turned to me, sporting a beer-stained grin. "Another one please miss, and lets have some fun. Give me the hard stuff! You know the one, I do believe that it's your daddy's homemade brew." I smiled up at him and hopped off my stool. I sort of liked this gruff man. He was almost like one of those really cool long-lost uncles. I bent down and grabbed an old red bottle from below the counter. It was just a little something my father invented in his spare time. My mother had disliked my father's pub and passion for rum and beer with the greatest loathing she had let him make it, only as long as he kept it away from Chen and I. Yeah, like that ever happened. I heaved the heavy bottle onto the counter and proceeded to pour the smelly liquid into the small glass. The man had watched me carefully as I poured him his glass, his eyes watching every drop. I finished and handed the man his drink, he grabbed it greedily and gulped down all of it in one swig. He flinched as it ran down his throat and burned inside his chest.

"Ahh. Now that's the kind of rum I like, but it gives one nasty hangover does it not, Miss.?"

"Yes it does. My name is Wan, Diao Wan. Daughter of."

"Oh! I know who your father is Miss Diao! He owns the stinkin inn don't he? Your father makes the best beer in all of China! By golly, it's the best in all of Asia. Thou I've had some good beer in Japan, but that's besides the point isn't it? Wait a second, you've drunken this before, a little girl like you?"

I laughed at this and shook my head. "My mother would murder my father before that'd happen, I assure you Mister.? Pardon me but I don't think you told me your name?"

"The name is Tamahori. Captain Tamahori. Nothin more, nothin less."

'He's a captain is he now?' I had thought to myself. I had met very few sailors in my life at the time, considering where I lived. The sea fascinated me and my brother swore I was going to go and live with the fish when I moved out. I stared at him a bit. He had to of been around his late thirties or early forties and smelled of rum and saltwater. His clothes had been very worn and stained. He had long, tangled, black, short hair that came to his ears that he wore down. No beard, yet he had not shaved in a while. I then asked him a very simple question.

"Sir, what kind of sailor are you? A fisherman, explorer, army man I seriously doubted that one, or something else."

"My dear Miss Diao, there are some things that young ladies, like yourself, shouldn't pry into. That is my business and my business alone."

I had been a little shocked by his answer, for I had always thought it was a sailors pride (let alone a captain's) to pronounce their sea occupation. I had been just about to ask why when another man wobbled over to the counter. I had seen many drunks in my life as I have stated before, and he was definitely in that category at that moment. His eyes had seemed to just bulge from their sockets as he saw me.

"Well, what do we have here? Old Diao's got a kid bartending, and a fine lookin' kid at that!"

His face had changed and he had proceeded to look me over. This is what my mother had warned my father about happening, and I suddenly agreed with my mother. Rum is a horrible and foul liquid that brings out the worst character in any person. I tightened my fist and my muscles tensed in fear and self-defense. The man had been beginning to make his way behind the bar counter. Then something happened that I never would have expected. Tamahori got up and grabbed the drunken man by the collar, swung him around and belted him in the mouth.

"If you don't keep you're filthy hands of Miss Diao here I'm gonna send you flyin through the door! GOT IT MISTER!?!"

"Yeah right! You got it coming, messin' with me! If anyone is goin' through any doors its you!"

"OH YEAH! WELL THEY DON'T CALL ME CAPTAIN TAMAHORI FER NOTHIN!"

All the men in the bar had now turned, staring at Tamahori with sudden fear. By the looks of their faces they knew this was no ordinary pub fight. Their mouths hanging open and beers left in midair forgotten. They started whispering amongst themselves and I caught only a little of what they were saying.

"Tamahori? I've heard of him before. Isn't he a sailor?"

"I think he's a pirate"

"Who's the kid? Diao is sure takin' one long bathroom break, must be number two."

"You do know that's gross?"

"The kid?"

"No, what he said about the bathroom thingy!"

"Oh."

Pirate? I thought this over in my mind. Yes, that had had to be the right answer. It all fit. He was a pirate. It became obvious to me. The drunk and Tamahori were now throwing insults at each other. The drunk threw a punch, aimed at Tamahori's stomach. Tamahori blocked the blow with one hand and swung his other fist forward. It smashed against the other man's middle and sent him through the door, just like he had promised. Then my father, finishing his thirty-minute-bathroom-break came in the back door.

"WHAT HAPPENED! Tamahori, what did you DO to MY DOOR!" he had demanded.

Silence filled the room and my father's eyes bulged with furry and anger. I winced as he turned to me for an explanation. 'Not good, not good.' I thought. This had not a good day, not at all.

(Present)

Yeah, that had not been a good day for me. From that day my life turned upside down. My mother divorced my father and took Chen and me away. I hadn't cared; I hated that inn and stinky bar. I turned my head to look at Gan Ning. He moved slightly and the bells around his neck jingled. His mouth opened slightly and he started to snore a little. Laughing in my mind, I attempted to sit up. I found that I could, but I didn't dare move my leg. It had stopped bleeding. That was good at least. I lowered myself to the ground slowly. I drew in a breath. When my mother divorced my father, I was not the one who broke down crying at night. It was Chen. Poor Chen, he would cry almost every single night. When I asked him what was wrong, he would stop suddenly and tell me to mind my own business. I never could mind my own business. I would crawl out of my bed and into his. I would make him face me, then punch him on the shoulder and tell him to suck it up. A tear ran down my cheek. "Great Chen. Ya made me cry again," I said to myself as I remembered my late brother. Chen died when he was twelve. He died of grief. My mother went crazy; she blamed it on me. She never did like me. Well maybe she did, just not as much as Chen. I ran away. To where? Well, I went to the one place that I always had wanted to go. The Yantai Harbor.

(Eight years ago-Yantai Harbor)

I stopped running when I had reached the harbor. I don't know why I went there, maybe it had been my passion for the sea. I walked down the dock. It was a clear starry night, but I didn't notice. I went and sat on a crate to rest. I had been in such a rush to leave, I had had only the clothes on my back and a make-shift bag I had made to hold my night things out of a blanket. The dock was completely deserted except for the boats, seagulls, and the crates full of fish. My stomach growled reminding me of my absent dinner that night.

"This is one bad day," I said aloud to myself.

The only response I got was the constant lapping of the waves on the sides of the many boats. I sighed and laid down. "I might as well try to get some sleep," I thought as I closed my eyes.

"Going to sleep already Miss Diao? You know it's not good to end a day on a bad note," a gruff voice said from behind me.

I jerked up and whipped around. I almost fell over the side of the dock in surprise. There stood none other that Captain Tamahori. I hadn't been so happy to see a familiar face in a long while.

"Am I really so ugly that you'd run away in fright? That maybe why I never got married, but that's beside the point. Well Miss Diao, what in the NAME of the Black Phoenix are you doing in a place like this? It's definitely no place for a young lady like you. Do you want me to have to rescue you like I did last time?"

I laughed, he remembered me. Tears started to fall down my cheek. I don't know why. They just came, and before I knew it, I was bawling like Chen and sobbing out all that had happened since that day at my father's pub. He came over and sat next to me, embracing me in a hug that would have killed a horse. I looked up at him; his eyes were brimmed with his own tears. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to, I didn't want him to anyway. After crying so much that my eyes were swollen and red, he gently pulled me away so he could look me in the eyes.

"Wan, you need to go back home. You don't have to go to your mother, do ya have any other relatives?" he calmly asked me.

".No.why?" I asked, trying not to start crying again.

"Well, I don't know what I am to do with ya then. I can't take you with me."

My heart skipped a beat. Yes I could go with Tamahori, I still didn't know him very well, but he had saved me before, I guess that's good enough. I silently prayed that he would. I knew he was a pirate, I just didn't care. I didn't have anyone anymore, and I would rather board a boat full of lust filled, blood thirsty, drunken pirates than stay here. At least I would be on board a ship commanded by a Captain who had risked his neck to save my life.

"Why could you not? Tamahori, you're the only one in this dang town that cares about me...or at least I hope you are. You're my last hope. Can I come live with you? I know you're a pirate and all, but it doesn't matter to me! Please?"

"Alright, but I'm gonna regret it in the long run. Its bad luck to bring a woman on board, you know. I'm gonna have to teach you to defend yourself and fight others, not that I'm gonna let ya fight in any battles. I just might need your help or somthin. You don't get seasick do ya?"

"No"

"Good. Come with me. I'll take you to my lovely boat. Her name is the Black Phoenix."

(Back with present day Diao Wan and Gan Ning - Gan Ning's POV)

I awoke. I slowly opened my eyes. Diao Wan was still lying on the ground where I left her the night before. I wonder if she had woken up yet. I could just barely see the spot where the battle had been last night. A breeze fluttered by, carrying the scent of blood with it. I hoped none of my bodyguards had died. I drew in a breath. I must have been more tired than I thought for it seemed I had slept into the late afternoon. I wonder if Sun Quan is searching for me. If he's not injured, or dead. I looked down at Diao Wan. She absently moved her hand under her head. She seemed to be in deep thought, as her face held deep emotion.

"You woke up. Good, I thought I might have to carry you back as well," I said.

She opened her eyes and looked at me, her eyes reflecting annoyance.

"Well, too bad. You're going to have to anyway." She retorted.

I pulled myself upright. I bent my legs and looked over them at her. She was smirking at me playfully and waiting for her reply.

"Why is that, my dear lady?"

"Well, first of all I can't move either of my legs without severe pain. Second, you carried me here. Third, you're the reason I have this wound in the first place."

"Well, it seems I'm not going to get anywhere with that argument and your temper. You really want me to carry you. You know that would mean I would have to carry you in my arms again?"

"Yes I certainly do, and I can assure you it's the last time you'll ever have the honor."

I laughed. She smiled in return. I stood up and stretched my arms. I kneeled down and scooped her up. She almost lost her balance as I pulled her up, but she grabbed onto my neck. My heart skipped a beat. I suddenly felt awkward holding her then. What was this weird feeling?

DW: MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Hehe. Yeah there was a lot of mushy stuph but hey! A girl can dream! Well I sort of left it with a fussy feeling. The chapter got really long so I cut it short, yeah I was feelin lazy. This one was long! Hope you liked it, SO REVIEW FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. Oops! Sorry, I let my temper slip. Smiles innocently Well there ya go. Sorry it took so darn long.