Alright, here's my new fanfiction... not really funny at all. Honestly. If you want to read something funny go read the Truce of the Kingdoms. Anywho... yeah, enough of my strageness... Enjoy!

Chapter One

The wind blew gently through the kingdom of Wu, blowing up small clouds of dust on the quiet streets. A pirate sat on the branch of a tree, staring at the moon with an irritated look on his face. If there was one thing he hated, it was night time. Night meant silence, and silence was something he just didn't enjoy. Gan Ning of the Bells heaved a great sigh and slid off the branch to the ground, landing with ease. Stretching his arms up over his head, he yawned and headed back to his room in the castle.

He had barely walked three steps, when there was a soft meowing noise. He ignored it and kept walking, but the meow persisted. It sounded incredibly pitiful, and when he turned to look at the source, he saw that it, too, was pitiful. A brown cat with short fur, and strange, eerie, golden eyes lay on the ground, half leaning against the side of a house. There was dried blood on its chest, and the cat itself seemed to be using all its energy to meow at the pirate.

"Stupid thing…" Gan Ning muttered, glaring at it. He started to laugh, but when the cat meowed again, he stopped and looked at it. Its eyes had a somewhat pleading look in them. Sighing, he knelt down and reached a hand towards the cat, receiving a soft lick on the tip of his middle finger. Smirking, he stroked the cat's chin a few times before sliding one hand under it's body.

At this action, he was sure the feline would hiss at him, or try to scratch him, but it didn't. It watched even his slightest movements, as he picked it up carefully. Cradling it gently in his arms, he set off to find the only man in Wu who knew anything about caring for living things. Besides the doctors, that is… But… only Zhou Yu would be able to help at this time of night.

As he walked, the bells on his waist jingled softly, and the cat's ears perked up and it looked around for the source. It attempted to paw at the bells, but Gan Ning batted it's paws away, afraid he'd lose his hold on the injured creature. He turned a corner sharply, and bumped right into somebody, almost dropping the cat. Instead, he fell backwards onto the floor.

"Hey watch where you're going!" he growled as he climbed back to his feet.

"Is that a… feline?" somebody laughed.

"Shut it, Ling Tong!" Gan Ning snapped, lashing one arm out at the other man.

"Ooooh… I didn't know Gan Ning of the Bells was such a softy!" Ling Tong stated in a smug, sing-song voice, as he ducked to avoid the punch.

"Shut it." the pirate growled threateningly, attempting to walk around, but to no avail.

"At least let me pet it." Ling Tong said, rolling his eyes and reaching a hand out to the cat.

"Don't tou--" Gan Ning started to warn, but he was too late. There was a loud hiss and the cat swatted at Ling Tong's extended hand, its sharp claws out and ready to tear the flesh. Ling Tong frowned and pulled his hand back before it was clawed. He peered down at the cat, staring at it for a minute, before his eyes grew wide and he looked up at Gan Ning.

"What happened to it?" Ling Tong asked sharply. "Don't just stand there, you oaf!"

Gan Ning glared coldly at Ling Tong before shoving him out of the way with his shoulder and stomping by. He called back to him as he hurried down the hallway. "It was you that stopped me, asshole!"

Ling Tong watched his friend for a moment before calling after him, "Go see Zhou Yu! He's in his room!"

The pirate thought about thanking the boy, but changed his mind and instead broke into a jog. A few turns later he came to Zhou Yu's room. The door was open by the slightest crack, and light was shining out. Gan Ning slowed down a little, and nudged the door open with his foot, scanning the room quickly.

"Erm… Zhou Yu?" Gan Ning said, clearing his throat slightly.

Zhou Yu, who had been sitting in a chair, reading a book, jumped in surprise, flinging his book away and turning on Gan Ning. His eyes were wide with surprise, and he immediately narrowed them towards the pirate. "Don't do that!"

"I didn't know you got so into your books." Gan Ning stated, walking forward and placing the cat on the wooden table Zhou Yu had been sitting at.

"Gan Ning! What'd you do to it?" Zhou Yu cried out as he saw the bloodied chest.

"Nothing! I found it in the streets!"

The elegant man gave Gan Ning a steady glare before nodding his head slightly, and turning to the disheveled creature. He was silent for a moment as he bowed and looked the cat over. After a minute he straightened up, and turned to Gan Ning, one hand on the table, the other pointing at the cat. "It's not bleeding anymore, and I'm sure I can stitch up the wound. It doesn't look infected or severe."

Gan Ning nodded and watched the man walk slowly and gracefully to the table beside his bed. He pulled the drawer out and rummaged around for a minute before pulling out a needle and spool of thread. He held the needle up to the light of the candle on the table and poked a bit of thread through, pulling on it to even it out some. Turning back around, he headed back to the table with the threaded needle and sat lightly on the chair.

"So, are you going to take care of him, Gan Ning?" Zhou Yu asked, as he poked the needle through the skin on one side of the wound. The cat blinked its golden eyes at the man. Zhou Yu glanced quickly at the eyes, then turned back to his stitching. He shivered slightly… there was something about the golden eyes that scared him.

"'He'?" Gan Ning replied, scanning his eyes over the pitiful animal.

Zhou Yu paused and looked up at him, placing the needle down neatly in front of him.. "Well, yes. It's a he. If you don't want him, then I'll just release him back onto the streets."

The pirate was quiet for a minute, during which the cat twisted his head around and blinked big, golden eyes at him. He reached out a large hand and scratched one finger on the underneath of the cats chin, receiving a purr of appreciation. Sighing, he thought for a minute, while the strategist continued stitching. Finally, he answered quietly, "Yeah… I'll take care of him."

Zhou Yu nodded his head and pulled the needle through again, pulling the thread away and knotting it up tightly. He bit the thread to break it, then picked the cat up carefully and handed him to Gan Ning, who looked uncertain.

"To tell you the truth, I have no fuckin' clue how to take care of a cat."

Zhou Yu sighed, shoving the cat into the pirate's hand, then brushed a stray piece of hair out of his face. "They eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom. Honestly, Gan Ning, it's not that hard. Feed him tomorrow morning at breakfast, but don't give him too much at once. You should probably give him a bath, too… but I wouldn't advise it until the stitches are removed." he paused for a second, then went on, choosing his words slowly, "Come back tomorrow if his condition worsens. If it doesn't, just come see me in a few days."

Gan Ning nodded and carried his cat out the door and down the hallway two doors a bit before crossing to his door. The paint on it was peeling a little, and it was painted an amazingly bright shade of red, with a gold dragon design on the edges of it. Putting the cat on the floor, he gave it a warning glance, thinking it'd try to sneak away, before turning to his door. When he opened the door slightly, he was surprised to see it walk by his legs and into the bedroom. He stared into the darkness of his room for a few seconds before shrugging and walking in after it, closing the door behind him with a click. The cat was jumping onto the messy bed that Gan Ning used as he closed the door. He turned around twice, then laid down and curling into a ball.

"I don't know a whole lot about animals… but something tells me you ain't normal. You're an odd one, aren't ya?" Gan Ning questioned.

The cat only stared at him with unblinking eyes before laying its head down and closing its eyes. The pirate sighed, shrugged, and took off his shoes before climbing under his blankets. He yawned and rolled onto his side, careful not to hit the cat at the end of his bed, and fell into a deep sleep within minutes..
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Okay, I'm soooo sorry this chapter's short. The next one's going to be long, honestly! Oh, and I apologize for making Gan Ning so OOC... I'll get him right eventually... I hope. Anyhow, review! Reviews make the world go 'round!