Hiya people, another new chapter for you all. I think this is a great
chapter, took me ages to write. Music Box, if you are reading this I'm
sorry for not emailing you this chapter to proofread, but I was too excited
about this explosive chapter.
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One man was furiously pacing up and down in the huge ornate room he used as a bedroom. 'No, no, NO!!!' he thought, 'this isn't what I planned. He wasn't supposed to find out about us!!'. "NO!!!! How could this happen!!!" Sima Yi shouted in frustration. He could bet that Lu Xun was with that vile pirate at this very moment...
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"Please... Xingba, I didn't want to hurt you... I love you... please don't go." Lu Xun stood at the entrance to Gan Ning's bedroom, crying as he watched the pirate pack his belongings into a black canvas bag.
"Lu Xun, you are wasting your time. Just leave me alone. You've done enough damage." Gan Ning finished packing and moved to the door. Lu Xun blocked his path. "Excuse me please Lu Xun, I would like to leave before the rest of the Wu army awakens."
"Do you remember when you asked me out officially?" Lu Xun asked, looking expectantly at Gan Ning.
"Of course I do. It was the day before your birthday. I was going to ask you on your birthday, but I couldn't wait. I came into the strategy room and you were working hard on planning the invasion of Wei. You looked up at me and I just stood there like an idiot. You looked so... innocent and pure... I didn't think I was good enough for you."
"You idiot, of course you are good enough for me, if anything I'm not good enough for you. Anyway," Lu Xun continued, "I looked up and saw you, and I said-"
"It's not against the law to come in, you know" Gan Ning finished Lu Xun's sentence.
"I-I-I... I wanted to... um," Lu Xun mimicked Gan Ning's stuttering on that night.
"Are you always this articulate?" Gan Ning and Lu Xun were repeating what they had said on that night.
"I just wanted to ask if... if you would ever consider..."
"Yes?"
"Would you be my partner?"
"What do you mean?"
"I love you."
"'Oh. Yes I will be your partner.' I believe that is what you said before we kissed and made love on the map of the Wei territory." Gan Ning moved past Lu Xun and walked down the corridor that led to the stable.
"Please don't go." Lu Xun begged. "I swear, if you leave me I'll kill myself. Xingba, my life is not worth living if you are not in it. LOOK AT ME!!!" Lu Xun shouted, and Gan Ning stopped walking and turned around. Lu Xun unsheathed one of his twin sabres and placed the tip in the centre of his chest, right above his heart. "Gan Ning, if you leave The Wu army will find my lifeless body right here. If you leave my heart will break. I love you. I need you. So choose. Will you stay with me, or will you leave. But I warn you, If you walk away from me do not look back, because the moment you start walking, this sabre will pierce my heart, and I will die."
"Xun, please put your weapon away. You wouldn't kill yourself. You love life too much. And stop lying to yourself, you don't need me, you never have. You really should have considered how you felt before you kissed Sima Yi."
"I didn't plan to kiss Sima Yi. It just happened."
"How many other guys will it 'just happen' with? Xun, I love you. That's why I'm so mad." Gan Ning said wearily.
"Are you mad at me?" Lu Xun asked, wide-eyed and innocent looking.
"Xun, I'm mad at you. But I'm mad at Sima Yi as well. He shouldn't have kissed you, but you shouldn't have kissed him. Look, I'm going to go away for a week, and I'm going to think about how I feel. After a week, I will send a messenger to you with a letter to tell you what I've decided. But please don't do anything you might regret. Goodbye Boyan, look after yourself."
"Goodbye Xingba. I'll miss you." Lu Xun watched as Gan Ning walked down the hall and as his footsteps faded away Lu Xun walked into Gan Ning's room and collapsed on the bed, crying himself to sleep.
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"Lord Sun Jian, I think we must ask the great Lu Bu to help us." Sima Yi said as he paced the great hall.
"But father, we don't need his help. We can defeat Shu by ourselves." Sun Ce said, turning to his father.
"Sima Yi," Sun Jian said, "why must we enlist the help of a rival?"
"My lord, he is not openly hostile as yet. If we enlist his help we can let his forces defeat Shu, then when he it at his weakest, we can attack with our fresh troops and defeat him."
"You are a brilliant strategist!" Sun Jian exclaimed.
"But father, that plan will never work. Lu Bu will not join us." Sun Quan now spoke.
"He will if we send him a few concubines. Maybe a high ranking concubine." Sima Yi looked suggestively at Sun Shang Xiang.
"Never, I will not flaunt, expose or in any other way use my body to help, even if it is for my kingdom."
"But would you accompany me as an envoy?" asked Sima Yi.
"If I had to, and ONLY if I had to." She replied.
"It is settled then. Sun Shan Xiang and Sima Yi will go to ask Lu Bu to join our cause." Proclaimed Sun Jian, as he stood and walked out of the hall.
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All was silent throughout the camp as one man saddled his horse.
"Ma Chao, you don't have to go." Jiang Wei was leaning against a tree, out of the light of the huge fire in the centre of the encampment.
"Yes I do. And why are you here anyway. Come to gloat? I don't blame you. I would to if I were in your position." Ma Chao replied, stopping what he was doing and turning to face Jiang Wei.
"Believe it or not, I don't hate you. I just think you are going about being gay in the wrong manner."
"What did you just say?" Ma Chao asked fiercely. "I'm not gay. The thought of that makes me sick. I hate gays, you never know when they might try to take advantage of you... but I bet you wouldn't mind that, you being gay and all."
"Look Chao, I'm beginning to lose my patience with you. I don't make you sick, you envy me."
"I don't-" Ma Chao began to speak but Jiang Wei held up his hand and silenced him.
"Yes, you do." Jiang Wei continued, "You envy me because I don't hide who I am. You don't hate me, you hate yourself for not being able to be like me. You resent the fact that I can be openly gay but you have to hide it. The fact that you can't be open shows how insecure you really are." Jiang Wei walked up to Ma Chao and put his hands on Ma Chao's shoulders, and before Ma Chao could pull away Jiang Wei pulled him into a passionate kiss.
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Zhao Yun walked out of the strategist's tent. 'What is taking him so long?' Zhao Yun thought to himself. 'He said he was going to talk to lady Zhen Ji about Zhang He.' Suddenly he froze. What he saw shocked him. Jiang Wei and Ma Chao stood just out of sight, kissing. Zhao Yun's blood began to boil. Jiang Wei was Cheating on him? With Ma Chao? No, that couldn't be. They were always arguing. He silently crept behind the tree Jiang Wei was leaning on earlier. He could hear them talking. As they broke apart he heard Jiang Wei's angry voice clearly.
"Now, can you honestly tell me that kissing another man didn't turn you on?" Jiang Wei asked. A minute of silence passed. Another minute, and still Ma Chao remained silent. "I didn't think so." Jiang Wei finally broke the silence. "You know, this just makes me so angry. Why do you feel the need to hide who you are? Why do you fear other people? So what if you are different? Why do you care so much what other people think of you? I don't, and I'm perfectly happy." Jiang Wei turned and walked away. At the tree, he turned. "Ma Chao, there will always be a place in this army for you. Go away for a while, find out who and what you are, then come back. I will see you on your return. Goodbye Ma Chao, fare well. You will be sorely missed."
"Goodbye Jiang Wei. Keep well." Ma Chao said wearily as he mounted his horse and rode out of the camp. Zhao Yun revealed himself and Jiang Wei collapsed into his arms, crying.
"Hush now, you did well. I couldn't have done that. Come now, let's get you into bed, you'll feel better in the morning." Zhao Yun said as he led Jiang Wei to his tent.
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One man was furiously pacing up and down in the huge ornate room he used as a bedroom. 'No, no, NO!!!' he thought, 'this isn't what I planned. He wasn't supposed to find out about us!!'. "NO!!!! How could this happen!!!" Sima Yi shouted in frustration. He could bet that Lu Xun was with that vile pirate at this very moment...
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"Please... Xingba, I didn't want to hurt you... I love you... please don't go." Lu Xun stood at the entrance to Gan Ning's bedroom, crying as he watched the pirate pack his belongings into a black canvas bag.
"Lu Xun, you are wasting your time. Just leave me alone. You've done enough damage." Gan Ning finished packing and moved to the door. Lu Xun blocked his path. "Excuse me please Lu Xun, I would like to leave before the rest of the Wu army awakens."
"Do you remember when you asked me out officially?" Lu Xun asked, looking expectantly at Gan Ning.
"Of course I do. It was the day before your birthday. I was going to ask you on your birthday, but I couldn't wait. I came into the strategy room and you were working hard on planning the invasion of Wei. You looked up at me and I just stood there like an idiot. You looked so... innocent and pure... I didn't think I was good enough for you."
"You idiot, of course you are good enough for me, if anything I'm not good enough for you. Anyway," Lu Xun continued, "I looked up and saw you, and I said-"
"It's not against the law to come in, you know" Gan Ning finished Lu Xun's sentence.
"I-I-I... I wanted to... um," Lu Xun mimicked Gan Ning's stuttering on that night.
"Are you always this articulate?" Gan Ning and Lu Xun were repeating what they had said on that night.
"I just wanted to ask if... if you would ever consider..."
"Yes?"
"Would you be my partner?"
"What do you mean?"
"I love you."
"'Oh. Yes I will be your partner.' I believe that is what you said before we kissed and made love on the map of the Wei territory." Gan Ning moved past Lu Xun and walked down the corridor that led to the stable.
"Please don't go." Lu Xun begged. "I swear, if you leave me I'll kill myself. Xingba, my life is not worth living if you are not in it. LOOK AT ME!!!" Lu Xun shouted, and Gan Ning stopped walking and turned around. Lu Xun unsheathed one of his twin sabres and placed the tip in the centre of his chest, right above his heart. "Gan Ning, if you leave The Wu army will find my lifeless body right here. If you leave my heart will break. I love you. I need you. So choose. Will you stay with me, or will you leave. But I warn you, If you walk away from me do not look back, because the moment you start walking, this sabre will pierce my heart, and I will die."
"Xun, please put your weapon away. You wouldn't kill yourself. You love life too much. And stop lying to yourself, you don't need me, you never have. You really should have considered how you felt before you kissed Sima Yi."
"I didn't plan to kiss Sima Yi. It just happened."
"How many other guys will it 'just happen' with? Xun, I love you. That's why I'm so mad." Gan Ning said wearily.
"Are you mad at me?" Lu Xun asked, wide-eyed and innocent looking.
"Xun, I'm mad at you. But I'm mad at Sima Yi as well. He shouldn't have kissed you, but you shouldn't have kissed him. Look, I'm going to go away for a week, and I'm going to think about how I feel. After a week, I will send a messenger to you with a letter to tell you what I've decided. But please don't do anything you might regret. Goodbye Boyan, look after yourself."
"Goodbye Xingba. I'll miss you." Lu Xun watched as Gan Ning walked down the hall and as his footsteps faded away Lu Xun walked into Gan Ning's room and collapsed on the bed, crying himself to sleep.
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"Lord Sun Jian, I think we must ask the great Lu Bu to help us." Sima Yi said as he paced the great hall.
"But father, we don't need his help. We can defeat Shu by ourselves." Sun Ce said, turning to his father.
"Sima Yi," Sun Jian said, "why must we enlist the help of a rival?"
"My lord, he is not openly hostile as yet. If we enlist his help we can let his forces defeat Shu, then when he it at his weakest, we can attack with our fresh troops and defeat him."
"You are a brilliant strategist!" Sun Jian exclaimed.
"But father, that plan will never work. Lu Bu will not join us." Sun Quan now spoke.
"He will if we send him a few concubines. Maybe a high ranking concubine." Sima Yi looked suggestively at Sun Shang Xiang.
"Never, I will not flaunt, expose or in any other way use my body to help, even if it is for my kingdom."
"But would you accompany me as an envoy?" asked Sima Yi.
"If I had to, and ONLY if I had to." She replied.
"It is settled then. Sun Shan Xiang and Sima Yi will go to ask Lu Bu to join our cause." Proclaimed Sun Jian, as he stood and walked out of the hall.
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All was silent throughout the camp as one man saddled his horse.
"Ma Chao, you don't have to go." Jiang Wei was leaning against a tree, out of the light of the huge fire in the centre of the encampment.
"Yes I do. And why are you here anyway. Come to gloat? I don't blame you. I would to if I were in your position." Ma Chao replied, stopping what he was doing and turning to face Jiang Wei.
"Believe it or not, I don't hate you. I just think you are going about being gay in the wrong manner."
"What did you just say?" Ma Chao asked fiercely. "I'm not gay. The thought of that makes me sick. I hate gays, you never know when they might try to take advantage of you... but I bet you wouldn't mind that, you being gay and all."
"Look Chao, I'm beginning to lose my patience with you. I don't make you sick, you envy me."
"I don't-" Ma Chao began to speak but Jiang Wei held up his hand and silenced him.
"Yes, you do." Jiang Wei continued, "You envy me because I don't hide who I am. You don't hate me, you hate yourself for not being able to be like me. You resent the fact that I can be openly gay but you have to hide it. The fact that you can't be open shows how insecure you really are." Jiang Wei walked up to Ma Chao and put his hands on Ma Chao's shoulders, and before Ma Chao could pull away Jiang Wei pulled him into a passionate kiss.
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Zhao Yun walked out of the strategist's tent. 'What is taking him so long?' Zhao Yun thought to himself. 'He said he was going to talk to lady Zhen Ji about Zhang He.' Suddenly he froze. What he saw shocked him. Jiang Wei and Ma Chao stood just out of sight, kissing. Zhao Yun's blood began to boil. Jiang Wei was Cheating on him? With Ma Chao? No, that couldn't be. They were always arguing. He silently crept behind the tree Jiang Wei was leaning on earlier. He could hear them talking. As they broke apart he heard Jiang Wei's angry voice clearly.
"Now, can you honestly tell me that kissing another man didn't turn you on?" Jiang Wei asked. A minute of silence passed. Another minute, and still Ma Chao remained silent. "I didn't think so." Jiang Wei finally broke the silence. "You know, this just makes me so angry. Why do you feel the need to hide who you are? Why do you fear other people? So what if you are different? Why do you care so much what other people think of you? I don't, and I'm perfectly happy." Jiang Wei turned and walked away. At the tree, he turned. "Ma Chao, there will always be a place in this army for you. Go away for a while, find out who and what you are, then come back. I will see you on your return. Goodbye Ma Chao, fare well. You will be sorely missed."
"Goodbye Jiang Wei. Keep well." Ma Chao said wearily as he mounted his horse and rode out of the camp. Zhao Yun revealed himself and Jiang Wei collapsed into his arms, crying.
"Hush now, you did well. I couldn't have done that. Come now, let's get you into bed, you'll feel better in the morning." Zhao Yun said as he led Jiang Wei to his tent.
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