The making of a legend

A/N- I don't own DW/ROTK or its characters

This is a hard chapter to write, and well, it was just really hard to do, but it is finished, and I hope you like it.

Guan Ping checked his armor, it was ready, he then looked over at his oversize sword to check it was ready as well, and of course it was in perfect shape, it always way, because he always took perfect care to make sure that it was always ready for battle, it was a lesson he learned at a young age when he first had meet his father. That day he was just a pup, and who thought he was well more knowledgeable at the skills of war, and combat. Then during the days that Guan Yu, had spent with him, and his family, he learned that he really did know much at all. This battle he was about to enter was to get revenge for his father, but even he had his doubts if they should be fighting this battle or not. True Guan Yu was his adopted father, and he loved him with all of his heart, but was attack Wu the right move, wasn't Wei, the true treat to the virtue. He also had been able to forgive Lu Meng for having his father killed, but for some reason, Liu Bei just could not do so.

He remember a few months before when he was told of the event, it had happened after he came in from sparing with his brothers. It was just him, and Feng, there with Liu Bei. He could remember the anger in Bei's eyes when he brought up the issue of the attack. He told them, that it was for the honor of Guan Yu that the invasion would take place, that they would bring the downfall of the Wu Kingdom. That was the only time he heard it, and one of the last time he had a chance to talk directly with Liu Bei, he spent the next months with advisors. He would talk to Guo Jia, or Zhuge Liang, and ask them about the progress of the army. It was always the sad little adventure when they talked about it, as if they had a clue into what was going to happen in the future.

He also had many conversation with Feng over that period asking him about things, and if he had tried to talk his father out of the attack. He remember them quite well.

"Feng, you know this is insane, we are just going to weaken ourselves out, and then Wei, will be strong enough to take us, and Wu down with out any trouble. I heard some one talk about this the other day. I just that my brothers, your father, and even Cai can see the forest for the trees. Please maybe your father will listen to you and call this whole attack off," Ping said almost begging to his best friend.

Feng just shock his head, "Well Ping, your right, I think deep down, even my father would agree with you, I am sure he doesn't really hate Wu, in fact I know he does not. It just seems like he is on this track where he can't stop himself or even the events around. Like a man who is stuck in the stream of a river."

Ping remember those words very well, and the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The part that was the hardest, was that his brother thought he had lost it when he said he disagree, and Xing Cai just stopped talking or even recognizing him after he said it. It was not until he agreed to come along with the force that she would talk to him again, and then it was only about the battle, and how many Wu warriors were going to be put in there graves by her.

Ping walked out of his tent and walked down to where the rest of the western attack force was located. He looked around at the ground around, it was the wild grass that one would normally only find near a river. Of course thought it would be there, because a large river was to the north of their camp, and a smaller river now was between his location, and where he knew the Wu army was, preparing itself for this battle as well. He was not at the spearhead of the attack, his brother Xing was to lead that carrying Guan Yu own weapon which he took after he killed Pan Zhang just days before.

When he reached the location he looked to see his brother looking proudly at him as he walked towards the front units. He waved and walked back, then he smiled as he noticed Cai, already in her armor, he smiled to thinking about what Zhang Fei would of said if he were there, seeing his little girl ready to fight in such a hard battle. He watched as Xing Cai run up to him.

"Ping, aren't you excited, we get to fight together, this is going to be so great, it will be just like old times, well, we both can finally get revenge for our parents. Push fight with you, and getting to see how much you have gotten better is always a lot of fun," Cai said with a huge smile on her face, causing Ping's face to turn a bit red.

"Well it is going to be fun to fight with you again," Ping said thinking back to the last time when she battled a bit during the Han Zhong campaign, "I will make sure nothing happens to you."

Soon the battle dong rung over and over, and the advance began. Guan Ping walked with the rest of the army, at a steady rate. Ping made sure that he made sure to keep even with Cai, he was worried that this battle was not going to go very well, and was really worried that something would happen to her. Soon the advance slowed up, and then as he watched Cai move forward quickly, he followed, knowing she was about to get into battle. He is right, the reason the advance stop was because they had encountered the Wu army, or rather part of it

Ping ran forward leveling off his sword in his right hand, cutting down the first enemy he saw. He noticed a group of his own men that had been isolated just in front of the rest of the others.. He charged right towards them. Two enemy spearmen blocked his way, but as he ran he zinged a bit to the left and he way amazed how badly the two spearmen reacted, they but thrusted forward hoping to hit him, but of course they were not where close, and this opened them up totally. He cut both of the warriors down with one slice of his sword, the cut down three more men with a double slash. Mostly cost they did see him approach them. The Shu Soldiers did have to reform with the rest of the unit because they had been running with Ping. Ping turned his head a bit to see his brother racing forward with a group people with him, the he turned to see Xing Cai surrounded by tree pikemen, moving in for the kill. Ping was about to run to her to save her, when he watched her just take apart the pikemen with her small fork like spear. He just watched in shock and awe of Cai's skill, she was so much better then she was when they last battled together.

"Well Ping, don't stare we are in the middle of a battle, and it is just not nice," Cai said with a odd little smile as she moved forward.

Ping smiled and moved forward, wondering why he was so worried. Soon though he noticed smoke was beginning to fill the air. It was getting thicker as time went on. They were still moving quickly toward the main Wu, camp, when Ping noticed a small warrior with two odd sabers. The warrior looked to be about the same age as him. He was a heck of a fighter two, using his two sabers to kill a couple of soldiers, with ease.

Ping moved towards the warrior, trying to remember who he was. The warrior must of seen this as well because he also moved towards him. The Wu warrior jumped into the air, and came down with two vertical slashes from his two sabers. Ping raised his sword to block both then aimed a slide slash where he was sure the young warrior would land. The warrior blocked his sword with his two sabers, and then tried to trip with a slide attack. Ping jumped the attack and landed on the other side of him preparing himself for what was to come next.

"Your not to bad, I guess you are the son of Guan Yu," the warrior yelled out, "To bad, things had to end like this, I don't think your kingdom will have much luck from now, on, but of course you won't see you homeland again, this will be your grave."

A soilder came running by, "General Xun, the mission is a success, we need to move back, we have taken bad loses ourselves."

"Well, Son, of Yu, till later," Xun said before running off.

Ping was unsure of what was going on when he saw Xing moving toward him.

"Brother, something, has happened, we have to get back," Xing said as he ran.

On the way back he wondered what had happened, they were doing so, he felt like they were going to win the battle for sure. The he saw it, the camp was still burning in the late night air. Smoke coming from all of the buildings. He was shocked. So allowing their easy advance was part of the plan. Ping walked between the buildings, thinking how things looked so bad. He noticed that his own tent was gone, with many things that held memories as well. It was just a hard lose, he knew from the destruction of the camp, that this adventure was the sad one he feared. He also saw all of the endless bodies, thinking about how many had died for this sad little adventure, and instantly felt worse.

Walking into a clearing he saw his friend Feng sitting on the bank of the river with his head in his arms, and two guards around him."

Ping walked up to his friend, who lefted up his head, Ping could still see that their were tears on his friends face..

"Feng, I know we all lost friends, but I am sure that it was just destined, I know we will be able to rebound from this. I mean if your father could lead everyone though the time he had nothing, he can lead us to a turn around now."

Feng just starred to laugh a bit more as more tears came out.

"Um Feng, what is going on, is there something I missed," Ping said confused.

Feng just shock his head, and walked off followed by the guards. Ping wondered why the guards that normally followed Bei would be following Feng, and then it hit him, Bei. Ping ran toward the main camp which was covered with bodies, He did noticed it, people were preparing a body for travel. He then walked up to see if it was who he thought. It was, Liu Bei was dead, which meant Feng was now in charge of Shu.

A week later traveling back, everyone was depressed over the loss of Liu Bei, for a whole week, it rained non stop as if the heaven were themselves were crying. Bei was not the only lose, Huang Zhong had died as well. Wu did not come away from the battle without loses, Gan Ning had been slain by a barbarian general, who was in turn killed Zhou Tai. He also remember that a couple off days after the battle they got knew that Lady Sun had killed herself after hearing the news about Liu Bei. The world just seem so much darker.