(A/N: Hello everyone and thank you for the many reviews! they were very much enjoyed! Ok, to save giving out thousands of emails I am responding to reviews below:

DarknessFlute- Thank you very much! I'm terrible at updating. and . . . TMI . . . lol

MiniSorceress- Thanks as well, and yes . . . it is loads of fun! Lol

Ren (Mei Huo now)- Yes I am desperate for reviews so R/R people!

Fighter of the Realms- Nice to see a new reader, yahness! And thank you for the explaining lol.

Ok enough with the a/n and on with the story! Ok and I'm sorry about all the POV switching but I have a bad habit of doing that. I'm working on it so don't worry.

Dream Chapter 10

(Diao Wan's POV)

It had been a long night and I was just crawling into my make-shift- bed. I pulled back the blankets and plopped down on the "bed" it was more of a cot. I rested my head on my pillow and closed my eyes. It was really quiet. I could hear crickets outside my tent, and the heavy breathing of my comrades in the other tents. The wind blew softly, and an owl hotted once and awhile. The occasional night watch talking to each other as they pass on patrol. The quiet was welcomed though after that very interesting celebration. I didn't know Gan Ning knew how to do the Irish Jig . . . but then again that man is full of surprises. I smiled; He had given quite a show. He had fist belted out into song, which no one was drunk enough to join him in, and then proceeded to dump a whole keg of wine on Sun Quan . . . which as anyone can imagine he wasn't too happy about. Both of them had yelled at each other for a long time, Gan Ning winning when he threatened to light Sun Quan's hat on fire. By then most of us had heard enough and had left, for Gan Ning picked up his singing again . . . and no offence to him but he sounds like a dead cat who sucked helium. (A/N: I know they didn't know about helium back then, but it fit) After all that, Jiang Wei and Zhao Yun had also gotten drunk and they had stared singing. That would have been just around the time I had had enough of the noise as well and decided to go to sleep, leaving Zhuge Liang alone with the three. I sighed and tried to concentrate on sleeping. My body was utterly exhausted, but my mind was still wide-awake. I'm one of those kinds of people who can lie in bed for housrs perfectly still and yet never fall asleep, I'm also a very light sleeper.

"I wonder if those three idiots have gone to bed yet . . . probably still singing," I laughed to myself.

I then drifted into a sort of hypnotized state . . . a dream like sleep . . .

((Dream))

The wind blew hard, not fiercely like it does in a storm, but hard enough to blow the sails. A pleasurable wind it was . . . thou' it did throw the hair 'round a bit. I was standing by Captain Tamahori, who was at the helm. The sails were full and we were moving fast. Nothing was going wrong.

"Well Wan, I don't think we have to worry about anyone following our tail! The Black Phoenix is moving faster than the devil himself!" Tamahori said with a laugh.

"Aye Captain, we don't have to worry 'bout them do we?" I replied, "No ship is going faster than the Black Phoenix today."

He smiled down at me with a fatherly look, and winked. I laughed, and walked to the side of the ship. Leaning over I could see the clear blue water splashing against the side of the ship. The foam was as white as the clouds above me.

"What are you looking at Wan? Careful, or you'll fall over," he said warningly from behind me.

"Oh nothing sir . . . just the water," I said. Turning around back to him, "Captain, did you really think I'd be so careless as to fall over 'de side?" I asked laughing.

He smiled and then looked at me seriously, "Honestly love, don't be going overboard on me. Be a good girl and go see if Nuri spotted anything from the crow's nest. He just finished his shift."

I ran off obediently and went looking for Nuri. Nuri was a small young man with brown untidy short hair. He was around 19, and was skinny with long, short, and big arms. Sometimes some of the others teased him and called him a monkey, which was related to his skills at climbing the ropes. He was the youngest in the crew so I was closest to him Tamahori and Nuri had been teaching me to use a sword. I spotted him talking and joking with several others just below the mast. I walked briskly over and waited for him to turn around.

"So Nuri, spot that ship? I cant wait for a- oops, 'allow Wan!" said one of the other men, of whom I couldn't recall the name of.

They all looked over 'tward me and smiled a greeting. Like Nuri, they had become friends with me, and had affectionately dubbed me "Shrimp" out of my lack of height.

"What 'ya need Shrimp?" asked Nuri ruffling his already untidy hair.

"Tamahori- oops- I mean Captian Tamahori wants to know if you spotted anything Nuri," I replied.

"Nope nothing but clear skys, 'cept one distant storm, but that won't reach us for a couple days. There might have been a ship near by but it went out of sight hours ago," he reported, "So Wan, you been practicing with 'yer sword like I taught 'yas?"

"Yep! Sure have, and I'm getting really good if I do say so myself," I boasted.

"Good girl! Hey she's startin' 'ta sound like 'da Captain ain't she boys?" Nuri exclaimed.

"Sure is! The son he never had ain't she?"

"Well, more like the daughter he never had! Ha ha! Little Shrimp here is turning into a true pirate. Sword, cockiness, and all!"

I smiled at their joking and went off to report to Tamahori. He was still standing at the helm. I ran over and was just about to tell him Nuri's report when there came a call from the crow's nest.

"CAPTAIN! ENEMY PIRATE SHIP IN CLOSING, SIR! FAST TOO!" yelled someone from up in the nest.

"WHAT! MAN YOUR STATIONS MEN! WAN?! Ah there you are love. Go get me my sword . . . oh and get that extra sword you've been using for practice. You'll need it," he ordered while turning the ship to the side.

I ran to Tamahori's quarters below us as fast as I could through all the chaos. Throwing open the Captian Quarter's door I spotted the two swords hanging on the wall. The ship gave a sudden lurch and I lost my balance, knowing into something behind me. Several minutes later, I was pulled up harshly to my feet and twirled around to face a fierce looking pirate who I didn't recognize. I held one sword in each hand. One was mine, not very sharp and rusting slightly from lack of use for several decades. The other, Tamahori's, was call the Phoenix Sword. It was a beautiful sword: sharp, polished regularly, golden hilt in the shape of a phoenix body, and fire like powers (or so said Tamahori). The strange pirate grabbed me by the front of my shirt and picked me up several feet off the ground, snarling ferociously at me. I heard the sounds of fighteing and figured that the enemy pirates had gotten aboard our ship. The pirate carried me by my shirt outside the quarters and onto the deck. Then I saw a horrible sight . . . the crew was vastly outnumbered and losing horribly already. Several of our men already lay dead and where lying in pools of their own blood. Nuri lay limp under the mast, exactly were I last saw him, an arrow in his back and a smile still fixed on his face . . . he never even knew he was shot. I felt a sudden surge of braveness. I kicked the pirate's side and he yelled in pain dropping me. I ran to the helm looking for Tamahori, and sure enough he was there. He was facing a huge pirate that was covered in tattoos all over his chest, back, and arms. No shirt, but strapped to his waist was a string of . . . bells? Suddenly I recognized him. He was Gan Ning of the Bells, a fearsome pirate that Nuri had told me stories about . . . or at least once told me. Tamahori, being unarmed, was outmatched greatly by the amazingly tall Gan Ning who held a huge sword that was taller than me! I finally remembered I was holding Tamahori's sword and that I needed to get it to him as quick as possible.

I snuck behind some crates that were piled around all over the ship. I carefully made my way around Gan Ning and over by Tamahori. When I got close enough to Tamahori, I made a run for it. I dashed out into the open out from behind the crates, gripping the swords with all my strength.

"Wan! Throw it here!" he yelled as soon as he saw me.

"Aye Sir!" I replied, and threw his sword to him as commanded.

Gan Ning had been startled by my sudden appearance and the fact that now Tamahori had his sword. I, unfortunately, was closer to Gan Ning than Tamahori at the moment. Gan Ning reached out and grabbed for me, but fortunately he missed and I ran to Tamahori's side.

"Wan, go find yourself a good hiding spot. This is no place for you," he said while stareing at Gan Ning.

"No Captain! I'm staying with you," I yelled at him holding out my sword like I had been taught.

"Wan . . ."

"No, I'm not leaving! You can't make me leave you!"

"Wan! Go!"

"NO! IM NOT LEAVING! I CAN FIGHT WITH YOU-"

((End Dream))

"AH! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Diao Wan are you alright?"

I looked around . . . I was back in the tent . . . I had been dreaming. It had been a dream. Gan Ning was sitting by my bed, holding on to my shoulders. I must have been yelling in my sleep . . . he heard me and rushed in. His eyes were full of concern as I sat upright and regained my bearings. It had all been a dream . . . well not really . . . that had happened before. I had been on that ship, on that day, with those very same people. Gan Ning had been there too . . . he was here now as well.

"Diao Wan? You could of woke up the whole camp the way you were screaming . . . as a matter of fact I think you did," he said and made a slight gesture behind him.

I looked behind him and saw that, as predicted, I did almost wake everyone up. Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang and his wife Yue Ying, Sun Shang Xiang, and Lu Xun (who had arrived with Sun Jian but not present at the celebration) stood in the front of the tent all looking at me. I suddenly blushed red . . . I wanted to get out . . . I wanted to run . . . so I did. I bolted up and ran out of that tent as fast as my body would take me. I didn't know where I was going, I just wanted out of there. I heard footsteps behind me, following me, so I stopped and turned around. Gan Ning had run after me. He caught up to me and stopped pretty close.

"Diao Wan, you didn't answer my question. Are you alright?" he asked again.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know. I had a dream . . . more like a nightmare really," I answered.

"That I picked up pretty quick"

"Not funny."

"Sorry. So what had you so upset?"

"Gan Ning . . . do you remember that day like seven years ago . . . when you won that fight against Tamahori?"

"Oh yeah . . . now I see. Yeah I remember. You were just a kid then weren't you?"

"Yep, I was only around ten . . . and if I remember right you were only in your late teens weren't you?"

"Sure was. So I'm guessing your not alright?"

"No, don't worry about it . . . I'm ok. Its just . . . Tamahori and the crew were basically the only true family I ever had . . . if you know what I mean."

"Yeah I see what your saying, but I thought Tamahori WAS your father?"

"Heh . . . no he wasn't . . . at least not by blood. He was more a parent to me than mine ever were, and so was the crew."

"Ah great now I have a guilty feeling . . ."

"Don't worry it's not your fault. That's what happens when you fight . . . people die. It doesn't matter who dies, there is always someone who mourns for them. Nothing good ever comes from death . . . victory, yes, sometimes . . . but it always affects someone or something negatively."

"Do you realize you just sounded like Zhuge Liang?"

"Huh? Really? No I didn't. I was always told I wasn't one for smarts."

"Guess you just have good common sense then. Come on lets go back."

He reached out and gently grabbed my arm, guiding me towards camp. We walked side-by-side back, silent, just companionable silence. Once again the sounds of the night could be heard. Crickets, that owl, the wind . . .

(A/N): Hey hope you liked it! It was sorta a mussy chappie, so I alpologize, lol. I'm on me dad's laptop in Chicago. This city is huge! Its like down-town Indy x 10! Cab drivers go fast. Very fast. There is a giant Borders . . . I am in heaven! I love Borders! I got Wish volume 3! Now I just need to find Mars #4 and Wish #4, convince my parents to buy them (I'm basically broke .), and I'll be the happiest girl in the world! Hope you liked it again, sorry it was short. R/R PLEASE!!!!