Chappy 7 wohoo Thanks first of all to my reviewers and especially to Guan who reviews every chapter and gives some great advice. Wow! Thank you shadowwolf5889 for not destroying me for killing off Ying, and Mrs. Sleeping Dragon for being obsessed with Zhuge Liang! Thanks also to the first-time reviewers Yes, and I did replace Lu Su with Lu Xun in a way hehehehe yah.

Also, I changed it to a month instead of 5 days so the snippet preview thing was wrong.

BTW this is set 2 weeks after last chapter

Shadowwolf5889: Thanks, I was planning on doing that every so often notice that it was suddenly 2 months since Yue Ying died and this one is 2 weeks afterward. This is 30 years BTW and I'm not so sure it's going to be more than 30 chapters I dunno yet. And, I know how it ends mwahahehaheha

Sonicwind: Thanks so much! Keep reviewing!

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Chapter 7- What's Called the Flu.

My hands rested on my hips.

"He's faking it!"

"Lady Yu." Zhuge Liang raised one eyebrow at me.

"What?"

"Zhou Yu is ill, but, fortunately," he turned to Lu Xun, "I have what I believe can cure him." The boy exited.

"Can't cure it if he's fakin'."

"Anming, that is quite enough." I had never heard such a tone from him in my life, and ventured to remain quiet to avoid wrath and being humiliated by his superior intellect. One thing that tipped me off to his anger, or rather frustration, was the use of my style, I had only told him of it the night before. On the carriage ride I never spoke of, oh well, but it had not been used by anyone. Except of course from Liu Bei, once or twice. The second was the look on his face that no one but those who knew him well could distinguish as something besides his steadied composure. The third was that his regular erect posture had caused his tone of whatever it was to deepen making it more obviously some tint of anger. It was barely noticeable to any who may have just met him, though.

At this moment a young servant girl entered by the name of Mei Xing, I had known her a while, her happiness was usually quite evident, but she was worried about Zhou Yu.

"Master Zhou Yu shall see you now."

"Come, Lady Yu, but I want not a word, please." I was somehow delighted to have been received back into his good graces, if I behaved that is. We entered to see Lord Zhou Yu on his bed.

"Master Liang, Xun has told me you have some sort of cure for my ailment."

"It is known to me." They knew something I did not and it burned inside of me. It was much like they communicated telepathically, maybe that's what strategists do all day, when they look forward and stare at nothing. I digress, again. Zhou Yu did not like Master Liang he had made that evident, and I firmly believed he was trying to trick The Sleeping Dragon. Zhou Yu was clever. Zhuge Liang was wiser.

"Please, tell me of it." Kongming pulled out a sheet of paper and scribbled on it. He handed it to the bed-ridden Zhou Yu; who opened it and read. His face brightened.

"And we shall attack on the morrow a month after next."

"You know me too well."

"I can know stress when I see it."

"How shall you make it work?"

"Leave that to me, I need but a well-guarded altar."

"You mean to call upon a wind." Zhuge's gaze shifted to the south and back to Zhou Yu.

"The southeast will blow when it wishes and I shall make it thus."

"Huang Gai shall set the fire."

"Lord Pang Tong will secure the ships." There words to each other were pointed, there apparent rivalry evident.

"Gai can fake defection and engulf Cao's ships in flames."

"And Tong shall join Cao Cao and return to us when his task is complete."

"It is settled then."

"I hope you feel better, Lord Zhou Yu. We will meet again." His voice was taunting as we exited the tent. He suddenly turned to me, "Not a word of this to a soul."

"Master Liang!" I faked a bit of offense, "I have sworn to you an oath of silence upon what disclosed information I hear." Master Liang could see through anything I feigned and smiled, but played along.

"Pardon me! I should not have mentioned it!"

"I don't know…"

"Of course you do."

"Huh?"

"That you can't stay angered at me!"

"And why not?" My arms crossed as I tried to hide my laughter.

"Because it's me." My hands returned to my hips and I gave him a dirty look, or else tried before his fake-looking puppy dog eyes made me smile.

"See now, I knew it!"

"You know too much."

"Would you like me more if I didn't?"

"No, I wouldn't."

"Someone has to keep you in check."

"Yes…"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Earlier. I was…" he seemed to struggle with saying the words, "out of line to treat you in the way I did."

"No you weren't." I replied dryly, "I was in the wrong on this one."

"Yes, well."

"By any mea—" I was cut short when I saw Liu Bei with the Wu Princess I had lied about visiting. It surprised me, I had never see Lord Liu Bei flirt in my life, nor had I ever seen him so red when we noticed him. She laughed. And she likes him, too! Zhuge Liang looked at me a moment reading into my thoughts our gazes locked, I grew uneasy. Somehow, I just couldn't look away. His eyes were… indescribable. He asked something random, something I wasn't expecting, and it caught me off-guard

"What do you think of me?"

"What?" He knew I had heard him. He didn't repeat the question. "I—I—I." Lord Liu Bei was there when you needed him, and he didn't fail this time, either.

"Hello, Lady Yu, Master Liang, I have the most amazing of news." Kongming looked disappointed, I was glad of the interruption.

"I am marrying Sun Shang Xiang!!"

"That's wonderful, couldn't be a better match than the two of you!!!"

"I think there could be." His gaze shifted from myself to Zhuge Liang and back to me, but I couldn't help but smile at the meaning he hinted at in his words. The next 2 days were filled with merriment, and I didn't see Master Liang much. On the third everyone continued, but my heart ached for Zhuge Liang and set out to find him. I knocked on his door.

"Yes?"

"May I—enter?"

"Of course." He still poured over his books, but I noticed he seemed more sullen than usual.

"Hello."

"I miss her." I knew what he spoke of.

"For good reason."

"I often wonder what I did to deserve such a woman. I still ask myself what feat placed me with friends like you."

"You loved her, for her. There are many who love you, know this."

"I am cursed."

"What?"

"With a mind. Somehow, on a lonely night I wish I had never been so intelligent. Never been sought by Liu Bei, never gotten involved with the times." I paced to him, tears slowly fading on my cheeks. I clasped his shoulder and came to his face barely uttering the words that I felt.

"Never say such a thing ever again. You know what we fight for. And I shall remind you; it is for freedom of tyranny and peace of the land. For the lives of those we love, and when the dark cold surrounding this god-forsaken world swallows me, and the last breath has been uttered from my lips, that it shall be for the cause of peace, and that justice shall kill the tyrant and harmony be restored to our land. Recall your words at the Battle of Bo Wan Po about Cao Cao remember what you've told me about these five months we've known each other." He rose, his voice beginning to shake; it grew hard.

"And it is for naught when all is done, when the ones that you love cannot enjoy the peace for which their lives were devoted, the cause for which their red blood hath spilt! That soaks the ground and covers the hands of the wicked in crimson!" I looked him square in the eyes daring to say what I would.

"I fight for my parents, Master Liang, who is it that you fight for?" His head slowly bowed, a single tear fell to the cold stone floor, and my question remained unanswered.

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Next Chapter: On the horizon I saw a beautiful sight. He smiled; it had worked.