Whoo! Go me! I finally updated!

Yea, this chapter's a bit longer than the other two, so I hope everyone likes it! Enjoy!

Chapter Three

"Hey, Gan Ning. Where's your little friend, huh?" came a smug voice. Gan Ning lifted his forehead from the table and glared at the owner of the voice. It was a boy shorter than Gan Ning, but nearly as skilled, with jet black hair and a look on his face that clearly stated that he thought he was better than anyone else.

"Shut it, Ling Tong. I don't need your bullshit today." Gan Ning snapped, dropping his head to the table again.

Ling Tong slid into the chair next to the pirate, sliding a plate of cinnamon bread from the kitchens onto the table. He raised an eyebrow at his friend. "What's got your panties in a bunch?"

"Oh nothing, nothing. Just the fact that I get to do a whole bunch of nothing all day. Are you gonna eat that?" Gan Ning replied, lifting his head and leaning on his fist, his elbow firmly planted on the table.

"Help yourself." Ling Tong replied. "Well, nobody said you had to do nothing all day. Me and Zhou Tai are going fishing. You could always come with us, you know."

Gan Ning dragged the plate of bread to himself, picking a slice up and taking a bite. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then swallowed and looked at Ling Tong strangely. "Did you say you and Zhou Tai? I thought Zhou Tai had to look after Sun Quan."

"Wow, you're not too bright. They've been telling everybody all week, you moron. Sun Quan's sick, which means Zhou Tai has nothing to do." Ling Tong snatched a piece of bread from the plate for himself, then said, "So, anyhow, where's your cat?"

"Zhou Yu's got him. And he's not mine."

"Whatever."

Gan Ning rolled his eyes and continued to eat the piece of bread he'd taken. They ate in silence for awhile, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Gan Ning reached for another piece of bread as Zhou Tai sat down next to Ling Tong, silent as usual. The pirate gave the other man a curious look for a minute before shoving the plate towards him. Zhou Tai, however, refused and pushed the plate back. Gan Ning shrugged.

"Alright, ready, Zhou Tai?" Ling Tong asked as he finished his bread, standing up and stretching. Zhou Tai nodded and stood, too, turning and heading out of the dining hall. Ling Tong hung back for a second, asking Gan Ning, "C'mon, Gan Ning. There's no law that states you can't go fishing."

Sighing, Gan Ning stood, rolling his eyes. "Alright, alright. Bet I'll catch more fish than you."

"How much?"

"Hmm… 100 gold."

"You're on." Ling Tong smirked as he stated this and ran off after Zhou Tai, who had already left.

Gan Ning followed him at a more leisurely pace, determined to make this a drag along affair. He had to wait the whole day to find out what was going to happen with Lu Xun, and it made him both nervous and a little worried. What would happen to the strange boy if he couldn't comprehend their language? Would Zhou Yu have him killed, or just send him away from the castle? By the time Gan Ning had finished going through all of his thoughts, they had arrived at the river, and Ling Tong was handing him a pole. He sat down on a rock and threw the line out, sinking back into silence.

"Is something the matter?" came a strong, quiet voice.

Gan Ning jumped and almost dropped his pole, turning quickly to see Zhou Tai settle on the rock next to him. "Fuck, Zhou Tai, don't do that!"

Zhou Tai ignored Gan Ning, and asked again, "Is something the matter?"

"Nah… I'm not feeling well, is all." he replied uncertainly.

Zhou Tai nodded and threw his own line out. Ling Tong settled on the other side of Gan Ning, and the three of them sat in silence for awhile. It was a cloudy day, though it had begun quite nicely. The sky was overcast, and there was a warm wind that blew around the men, whipping the grass around them, and blowing through the leaves in the trees.

"Hope it doesn't rain…" Gan Ning muttered.

Zhou Tai grunted in reply, and Ling Tong nodded. Silence was not usually something that enveloped anybody when Ling Tong and Gan Ning were together, but the pirate didn't feel up to fooling around, and the other man knew it. Little waves rippled upon the surface of the river, throwing the fishing lines around under the surface. After awhile, the wind picked up, blowing harder than before.

Nearly an hour after the wind picked up, big drops of rain began falling. The three men looked up, frowning, and pulled in their lines. They'd been sitting outside by the river fishing for a chunk of the day, and they hadn't caught anything. Not a single fish. As they trekked back to the castle, Ling Tong tripped and fell face first in the mud. Zhou Tai smirked, and Gan Ning burst out laughing.

"Haha, very funny." Ling Tong snarled, climbing to his feet. "Oh, gross…"

The whole front of his clothes were covered in mud, much to his dismay. This only caused Gan Ning to laugh harder and louder. Angered by being laughed at, Ling Tong launched himself onto Gan Ning, knocking the pirate into the mud, too. He swung his fist at Gan Ning, but the pirate caught it, his face once again serious. He attempted to hit with his other hand, but Gan Ning grabbed that one, too.

"Chill, Ling Tong." he stated calmly, rolling over and forcing Ling Tong to roll onto his back, while Gan Ning stood up slowly, releasing his fists. "It was funny, that's all. Calm down…"

Zhou Tai continued to walk towards the castle, shaking his head slowly. Sometimes, the two of them got incredibly annoying, other times they were all buddy-buddy, and yet, other time, they fought. He didn't really understand them. He never had. He heard the wet footsteps of Gan Ning and Ling Tong following behind him. They remained silent as they approached the doors of the castle.

Nearing the castle, Zhou Tai noticed something out the corner of his eye and came to a sudden stop, causing Gan Ning to walk into him, and Ling Tong to walk into Gan Ning. Zhou Yu stood in the rain, his body turned towards Lu Xun, who had a confused look on his face as he listened intently to what Zhou Yu was saying. The small boy's eyes wandered off and landed on Gan Ning, who was standing up after falling over backwards.

"Hey!" came a loud yelp, as Lu Xun sprinted through the rain towards Gan Ning, diving onto him, and wrapping his small arms around the pirate.

Zhou Yu followed at a more leisurely pace, avoiding the many deep puddles Lu Xun had run through. He watched in amusement as Gan Ning gave a disgusted look, and Ling Tong started giggling. Sighing, he stepped forward and tugged lightly on the back of Lu Xun's robe. The small boy let go and turned around.

"Yes?" he asked.

Zhou Yu just shrugged and turned his attention to Gan Ning, as Lu Xun knelt in the mud to examine the wet grass. "He's learning fast."

Gan Ning eyed the boy cautiously, hoping he wouldn't hug him again. "I can tell… But… he shouldn't be out here… should he? I thought ca-- er, he didn't like water."

Zhou Tai caught the slight slip, but chose to remain silent. Ling Tong was too caught up in his own laughter to even notice that either man had spoken. A gust of wind blew by, blowing wind into everyone's faces. Lu Xun sat down cross-legged in the mud and looked around alertly. Zhou Yu glanced at him, an eyebrow raised.

"He's different. Obviously he doesn't mind the water…" he paused, watching as Lu Xun's eyes narrowed, and his gaze froze. "Hey, kid, something wrong?"

The golden eyed boy stopped looking around and jerked his head up to look at Zhou Yu. He nodded his head slowly, then stopped to think for a few seconds. Finally, he opened his mouth and said, slowly, "Over there…"

He raised a small hand and pointed towards the woods. They turned to look, including Ling Tong, who's laughter had died down when the wind blew rain at him, reminding him that he was outside still. There was nothing. The strategist turned his attention back to the small boy, curiosity written all over his face.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash, and an ear shattering boom. Zhou Tai turned and started walking idly towards the castle. He was soon followed by Ling Tong, who stumbled through puddles and got himself even more wet. The pirate remained behind with Zhou Yu, both of them still eyeing Lu Xun. Gan Ning turned to leave after a minute, his arms crossed comfortably across his chest. Seeing him leave, the golden eyed boy jumped up and followed. Zhou Yu rolled his eyes and took off slowly after them.

When they had gotten inside, Lu Xun shook himself, flinging water all over, and receiving strange looks. Zhou Tai and Ling Tong had already taken off for the dining hall, leaving Zhou Yu and Gan Ning with Lu Xun. After brushing a hand down his blood red clothes, he started off down the hallway.

"Where're ya goin'?"

Zhou Yu paused to look back, an eyebrow raised. "To change, obviously. It's nearly dinner time, and I will not show up soaking wet." He walked a few more steps before pausing again, this time turning all the way around, a somewhat bored look etched upon his face. "I advise you to bring him to the bathes. Unless, of course, you want him to get sick from sitting in the cold rain."

Gan Ning, who had taken a few steps past the small brunette boy stopped, an eyebrow raised, and turned to look at Lu Xun. The small boy, though, was going onto his tiptoes, then dropping back down to his feet, hands folded behind him and a curious look on his face. Sighing, the pirate turned to talk to the strategist, but Zhou Yu had already slipped around the corner. Sighing, he turned to the boy at hand.

"Follow me."

Back outside, a dark shadow moved swiftly through the blackened forest. It paused before another and the murmur of talking was heard. Lightning flashed, and as it faded, so did the shadows…

...
...
So, did you like it? Let me know, and sorry, once again, for taking so long to update!