Hi everybody! Thank you so much for the reviews! I've been struggling in getting this one up - my ideas are so far off and I don't want the story to seem rushed. I desperately need some ideas for filler chapters...and who should be the top for each pairing? I've never written lemon. I'll need to eventually here.

And I think I may be able to fit Zhang He in somewhere in later chapters...


Zhou Yu rolled over on the bed, basking in the thought of finally having a day off. He was, after all, no longer the main strategist of the kingdom. This was Lu Xun's piece of China, now, and so he was both ruler and master of tactics. Oh, how Yu had longed for a day off...

Moving his leg on the mattress a bit, though, he noticed that the sheets felt rather different from the day before. He was sure that they would not feel as his previous silk ones did in the morning, but he hadn't expected anything like this...they were up rather high beside him, too. Had he fallen off of the bed?

But as Yu opened his eyes to investigate what the hell was wrong, the sound of soft snoring reached his ears and he immediately remembered the night before...they had all had to share a room with someone, as there wasn't enough rooms for each of the main officers to have their own. He had, of course, agreed to Ce's plan of sharing, and they had set off to get the best sleeping quarters.

Upon inspecting the few that were left, though, the two had discovered that there was only one bed in each room. They had no problem sleeping together, of course, as they had done so dozens of times when they were slightly younger, but imaging the other officers in the same bed brought laughter even to Yu's usually calm demeanor. Cao Pi and Zhao Yun sleeping side by side...it would never happen.

But as Yu's mind had drifted off for a moment, he had begun to unconsciously rub his foot up and down for no reason at all, causing his leg to move with it. He blushed furiously as his head returned to the present- his leg had been on top of Ce!...Again!

For the young strategist, this was not something so horriblyuncommon as to freak out over. He had waken up in many more embarrasing positions as one such as that when the two had slept on the same mattress. There was this one time, for instance, not too long ago, when Yu had woken up to find himself completely on top of the tiger commander. In that particular situation, he had been so surprised that he woke Ce up, who had in turn spent the rest of the day laughing his ass off and taunting his best friend with suggestive glances.

Rolling off of the bed as gently as he could, Yu began to make himself presentable for the day.

That was when he noticed the soft pitter patter outside his window.


It was raining - completely, horribly downright pouring.

For nearly all of the officers and commoners of Shei, the devastating sound had been the most heartbreaking thing they had heard for the past month. The poor men...most of them had been planning to take their day off to wander aimlessly around the courtyard, while the more refined had been counting on riding their horse around and mapping out the surrounding districts. The few children who had just recently been found hiding in the carriages had been completely enraged by what they had discovered was going on outside their little cart.

To Gan Ning, though, absolutely none of this mattered one little bit. He was a pirate, after all, and now that he had no ship to maintain, rain was something he rather liked, and looked forward to. That's why when he had gotten up out of his oddly large bed for one person and strut into the Dining Hall, he was the only person with a grin plastered upon his face.

Laughing at the long looks he had encountered inside, Ning made his way out into the great courtyard.

"What are you doing here?"

The pirate gasped at such a degrading statement coming from someone on such a lovely day. His surprise slipped past him, though, as he realized who it was out in the pouring rain.

"Ling Tong, my good friend," he slung his arm around the unsuspecting man, "how are you doing on such a fine day?"

Ling, though, jumped ten feet away and exclaimed shrilly, "Get your hands off me, evil pirate! I had enough of that when you were attempting to feel me up last night!"

Ning flushed crimson, confused beyond belief. What the hell was he talking about?

"Huh?"

The rain was loud enough to cover words that were not said loudly, but the other man seemed to understand what he said. He turned around, glaring at the pirate and gritting his teeth. His hair was starting to fall out of his ponytail from the force of the rain and there was goosebumps on his arms.It looked like he wasn't very good out in such weathers.

"You...don't remember, do you?"

Ning had to strain his ears to hear that statement, and looking closely he saw a hint of relief on his rival's face. Last night? Hadn't he said something about last night? He had been...what had he been doing?

"No...I don't remember anything."

"Good!" Ling exclaimed, slumping his shoulders and smiling a true - however relieved -smile, "Everything's normal, then!"

The pirate cocked his head to the side slightly, peering at him through the ever-quickening rain. Everything didn't seem normal. It seemed the exact opposite. Perhaps he had donw something embarrassing while he was intoxicated? Oh, no, he hadn't started a fight with the people from the Wei or Shu, had he!

"What did I do!" Ning panicked, looking around for Ling, who seemed to have disappeared.

Where had he gone? He needed to know what he did! He needed to find him! Where the hell was he! He needed him!

Er - to ask him what he had done.

Something suddenly pulled hard on his sleeve, and he nearly jumped ten feet when the sound of thunder burst by. He wasn't scared of a little storm, no, but he didn't really feel all that brave when some random thing came up behind him when no one was around the wind was so loud that it would cover any yells for help. But it was, of course, probably just Ling.

"Ning...can you, um, help me find my way back?"

Wow. That was not Ling. Had Ling ever asked for his help? No. Had Ling ever used his first name? No. Had Ling ever been so nice? No.

Turning around, though, Ning realized that it was the little bastard who had previously run off.

"What the hell'd I do last night, eh?" he asked.

The other man, though, was staring over his shoulder with a horrified expression on his face. And there were droplets running off his face that were separate from the rain...The pirate put a hand on his shoulder, to see if he was alright. The rest of Ling's hair fell out of the hair tie, and plastered itself onto the side of his face. He didn't seem to notice anything, at all.

As another bolt of lightning struck, the hand on Ning's arm tightened, and he could've sworn the other man inched closer to him.

"I...I wanna go inside..."

The sound of thunder echoed loudly after the bolt, so near that the pirate was sure the next strike would be quick and close. Ling wouldn't like that. It was obvious there was something going on with him and thunderstorms. He didn't seem to be fairing to well...

The predicted bolt of lightning stuck even nearer than Ning had expected. A nearby tree caught fire for a quick moment before the rain put it out, and the trunk split in half. Ling jumped right into him, but then suddenly stopped moving. Was it really that bad?

After a few impatient moments on his part, Ning finally pulled his rival'schin up so he could look him in the face.

The bastard - he had fainted.


He was trying his hardest. His hardest. He was doing his very best not to turn over and scream wildly into his commander's sleeping face. He could deal with the hissing, the heavy breathing, even the growling, but he could not handle the thrashing about. Cao Pi was said to be a calm man, a man of serenity, even while he was arrogant and self-centered. He was not supposed to be afraid of anything, and yet here he was having a nightmare!

Yun seethed as his roommate bumped into his back for the thousandth time that night. He didn't know what time it was, but it was dark out, and so it was probably still night...that or it could be raining...either way, he was tired! He wanted to sleep, but that option didn't seem to pertain to him. And why the hell not you might ask? Because he was in bed with a raving two-faced idiot! The rumours were obviously very wrong about the man he lay beside...as roommates.

...Actually, when Yun really listened to the sounds Pi was making, it sounded slightly as though he was having some hot dream about someone...it was possible, after all. But who would he be dreaming about? Zhen Ji (AN: Pi's not married to her in my story, quite obviously), one of his former servants...Zhang He? Or maybe...Diao Chan, Lu Bu, even!

And that brought up another question...was Pi straight, bi, or gay? That would be an interesting thing to learn. He couldn't exactly poke him awake and ask him, but maybe the subject would come up at one point. There was only so many things two could talk about, after all. They'd used up quite a few, too.

Yun yelped as a sharp nail dug into his side.

"Wh-what?" his commander said ditzily as he slowly woke up.

"Pi! You scratched me!" Yun scowled as he looked down at his bleeding side, then sneered as he realized the informality of what he had said.

"I...what? Where is now?"

The former Shu officer looked over at his commander, rather surprised to see the uncharacteristic expression of a dazed twelve year old where the usual scowl should have been. It was quickly shaken off, though, and replaced with the usual frown. It was obvious whatPi was thinking - he looked rather angry with himself.

"Sorry," he said, "What time is it?"

Yun looked outside.

"Either it's still night, or it's raining. I cannot tell."

"Well...I'm going to go look around the castle, then. Care to join me?"

It was raining.

"Sure."

He could hear it - the pitter patter of the soft drops falling from the sky...Did it rain a lot there? Was that why the wine was so good - because the grapes were well watered? Did the rain taste different here, or was it exactly the same as back in Shu?

Shu...

If he went back, would they accept him again?...Probably not...probably never...Did that mean he would have to make Shei his new home?

...Perhaps he would think more on that later, after it stopped raining. Pi was already starting to look impatient, and he didn't want to miss a chance to do something on such a dreary day. Why waste free time - time that he would usually be training during?...

It was raining, after all.


Sorry! Long wait, short chapter! But the wait was going to be even longer, I thought! I'm just about to go to my cottage, so I'm not going to be back until late Monday night. At least I update, right? Well, anyway, if any of you don't get the new title, here's my rushed explanation (I haven't packed yet!):

Minimum - the beginning of life, when you're just starting off (you're small yet, with limited power).

Maximum - you're at the climax in your life, where you have all the power you could ever get, and YOU'RE in control.

Requiem - I know it's some random song at a funeral, or something like that, but it sounded so cool and it just fit. It's the end of your life - you're dead.

I just though this would fit the story, as it follows the characters lives, and the existence of Shei. This name just randomly came to me. I don't remember how. I liked it, so I used it.

Thanks so much for the reviews! I'll update at some point (hopefully next week)!