A/N: See Ch 1 for the disclaimer

Dynasty Warriors: Clash of the Empires

Chapter 2: Homecoming

I endured a relatively long ride home to the castle. Three days I was astride my horse. Three nights I slept restlessly in my tent, and three days I watched over the Sun family. Over all, the journey was dull, and not much had happened. I had become more acquainted with some of the other officers during the travels. For the morning hours, my time was spent in the company of Zhou Tai, Lu Xun, and Da Qiao, the latter of which were sharing a horse. In the afternoons, I would either talk with Sun Ce, and try to win his trust, or would calmly speak of strategy with Zhou Yu and Sun Jian, both of which were far more than competent in destroying the scenarios I had painstakingly set for them.

I had paid minimal attention to Sun Shang Xiang, I would either pass by and give her an acknowledging nod, or pass her and completely ignore her, and the latter of which would cause her cheeks to tint slightly lighter, In anger or embarrassment, I knew not which.

Ahh, the mind of women… a difficult thing to grasp.

True, she was a woman, and perhaps most men would have enjoyed her company, if they were given the honor. But not I. From an early age, I was originally interested in females. But, after suffering losses more than ten times to young girls who knew nothing of my existence, I decided to give up on the game called love. When hearing of my 'abnormality', most men would raise their brows at me and ask if I was practicing foreign ways, and to this, I would get angered, and continually tell them that I have no interest, or time for any form of love. So, throughout my life I was alone, regarded as odd, or even vile. When in the east, I had attempted to find someone to spar against, and they would all turn me aside. Then, after roughly a year, I was tuned aside again, but I would not take 'no' as an answer this time. I swung my bamboo rod out and smacked the man's skull, to hear a satisfying crack, and watch him fall into his own pooling blood.

Only an animal would hit a man when he was down. I planted my boot sharply into his ribcage twice, and slammed my heel down on top of his chest. I walked around him, kicked him in the groin, and heard him wheeze. I kicked him twice in his other side, and brought my boot about to make contact with his skull, again hearing a satisfying crack. I lifted my leg up above his throat, and brought it down swiftly again, tearing his life from his mangled body.

"- some beautiful armor, Tiberius, where did you get it?" Zhou Tai's words jolted me back to the present.

"Um… I got it when I was in the east, learning to fight… I take it that's where you got your sword?"

"Indeed, it was. What of your sword?"

"Apparently, this blade was some of my fathers war loot, which he left with my mother, so I do not know where it came from. She said he called it a sword of the Keltoi… whom ever they were."

The remaining time of my day was spent in silence, as we neared home.

Our arrival at the palace was not a quiet one. The peasants all came forth to thank us or greet us in some way, and when we finally went inside, there was a great party in our honor. Indeed it lasted some time. I spent some of it conferring with Zhou Yu about fortifications that could help improve the castle, and what strategic points in the castle we could keep weaponry. I had spent time talking with, or more listening in on, an anxious Lu Xun and Da Qiao. They were sipping from the same glass of wine, which I thought odd, even for a married couple, but thought nothing else of it. Eventually, they went from the great hall, most likely to their chambers, but again I thought nothing of it. I had been busy watching Sun Shang Xiang not eat and not drink. I approached her on the matter, and without preamble asked her when she had last eaten.

"I think it was in the middle of Cheng Du." I rolled my eyes, grabbed a small piece of meat and held it out to her. "I'm not going to leave you alone until you eat this." She looked at the food, and turned away shuddering. "I don't think I can eat anything at all."

"Fine, I'll get you some soup then," I said as I walked off to the kitchens. I did manage to find some soup from a night ago, which was easily heated and watered down at the edge of the large hearth. I filled two trenchers with the stuff and brought it out to her, thrusting the first into her hands and setting the second on the table next to her. She looked at me through the steam from the bowl. "You're very stubborn, aren't you?"

"Get over it. Now eat that." She rolled her eyes and leaned against the table. Slowly, so slowly, she lifted the bowl to her lips and drank in some. No sooner than it seemed down did it come back up with a wet splatter against my face and chest. I frowned disgustedly as Sun Shang Xiang giggled a little and the apologized. Wiping off my face, I told her to take some more, and she did. Thankfully, it stayed down this time and I nodded at her to have some more.

She took longer than I had hoped to consume the first bowl, but the second made a quicker journey. Already I could see color returning to her cheeks that had not been there for days. She looked at me skeptically and asked why I was staring. "You already look better," I replied with a weak smile. Xiang turned and walked to the stair well, turned and bid me a good night from there and ventured up to her room. I knew it was only one flight up and that she wouldn't get much sleep until the reveling died down. Zhou Yu came and looked at me for a time. I had been staring after Shang absent mindedly, and turning to see Zhou Yu right next to me made me jump. "What?"

"Just musing. What did you do?"

"What do you mean what did I do?"

"I have tried to make her eat, but she wouldn't keep anything down. How did you accomplish what I could not?"

"Oh. Watered down soup leftover from the remaining servants dinner last night."

The party went on, but after politely disengaging with Zhou Yu, and skillfully evading a nervous Sun Jian, who's question I'm sure had to do with his daughters health, I sought my own bed, and slept the deep comforting sleep of exhaustion.

"Hey! Tiberius!" Lu Xun called to me from across the room in the little Latin I was able to teach him. I waved him over to sit by me and asked him what he wanted. "I was told by some of the 'guys' to ask you if you wanted to come along with us on the boats."

"I see. Who are these 'guys'?"

"Myself, Gan Ning, Lu Meng, and Zhou Tai, who might come with us."

"What about your woman? Won't she look askance on this?"

"Right… about her… umm… how to you tell if a woman is pregnant?"

"I don't know. Do I even look like I care?"

"Not particularly," he muttered as he took off his hat and threw it in front of me. It was full of money.

"Sorry kid, I can't help you. Why don't you go read about it?"

"I've tried, and we don't have any books about it."

"Too bad for you."

"…"

"You're so immature. Wait. Wait some more, then try again."

"How long?"

"As long as it damn well takes, boy. I'll see you on the ship. Someone needs to watch you kids."

"Cool. See you there." I grunted in response.

As he left, Shang Xiang came over and sat next to me. She merely sat, not saying, or eating anything. I was about to leave when she grabbed me by my forearm.

"What now?"

"Are you going to do anything with that money?" I looked at her.

"Yeah, I'm gonna give it back. Boy needs to learn money isn't always what it takes to learn something." Something in my voice removed something from Xiang's expression, and she looked aside.

"What," I asked sharper than I intended.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." she stood and left.

I walked up the two flights of stairs to my room and changed into some more respectable clothes than what I wore to breakfast. Or, I at least tried. Most of my clothes still had signs of battle on them. All but one of my favored shirts and the loosest pair of leggings I owned. I opened my door and pulled a serving boy inside. Pointing at the messy clothes I said "I'm going to spend time with Lu Xun today, have these cleaned when I return, and you'll get a reward."

I looked around for my bowl of wash water, which was already cooling, added some of my scenting herbs to it, and began washing last night from my face. I washed my hair, and tied it back so it hung down between my shoulder blades. I scrubbed at my nails, hands and chest before I was satisfied I was sufficiently clean. I took a small portion of my apple vinegar stores and swished it around in my mouth, spat it out, and pulled on my clean clothes. My heavy boots were still slightly grimy, but pulled them on anyway. Leather looks better with dirt.

I stepped out of my chambers and into the chest of Sun Ce, who was standing foolishly close to my door. "My father wants to talk with you, merc," he said as if offended that I ran into him. Apparently he stood there longer expecting an apology of some kind, but I had already turned and set off down the stairs to Sun Jian's cambers. I knew well the layout of this floor, but had no reason to use the knowledge. Jian's chambers were at the very end of the hall, with his children's on either side. The boys were on my right, and Shang Xiang's rooms were on my left. It was most likely my poor luck that made Xiang step out of her rooms as I was about to knock on her fathers door. "What are you doing down here?"

"Your father has summoned me," I told her frankly as I began to knock on the door. Hearing Sun Jian respond, I let myself into his chambers to see Lu Xun and his friends holding an easterner at blade point.

A/N: Sorry it took so long guys. I'll try to have the next one up in a jiffy, summer is here so I have lots of free time... Later.