Thank you so much for the reviews! I've never made it this far in any story I've ever written on this site! My longest was six chapters, and it sucked (different profile)! Yay, this is my record!
This chapter, I am proud to say, contains PLOT! Yes! It is NOT a filler chapter! It's REAL! Whoop! I can't believe I made it this far!
And again, I would like to say that Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun are not in any way related! They are not cousins, okay? Not in this story, I mean! They are in real life and the game.
And I'm VERY sorry to all you! I haven't updated in forever! I fear, though, that this story will not be completed if I don't get a little inspiration...but I've noted that I'm not the only one that seems to be abondoning their stories...
He wasn't gone. He was MIA. There was no way that such a stong and talented man could be lost from the face of the earth at such a young age. He was alive, and Xiahou Dun would prove it. He would find Cao Cao, and together they would go back to Wei, unite China, and live on to see the new world. Things would be all right, and everyone would be happy...everyone...Cao included. He was not dead - just...missing.
Dun sat up in his and Zhuge Liang's bed. The strategist was long gone by the time he had woken up, even if one of his worse nightmares had caused him to sleep less that night. He had been laying there for hours, afraid to move in case the nightmare had been real...
Perhaps, though, if he just walked around the area a bit, his mind would settle and his paranoia would go away. He needed to get outside...even if it was raining.
As he dressed, Dun wondered if maybe he should map out the surrounding area on a piece of paper. Though he wasn't bringing a horse, and wouldn't go very far, even the smallest of maps would fetch a fairly good price so early in the move. Even if it was just of the courtyard, someone would be willing to pay a few talents.
"Damn." Xun said firmly as the last of his informants left the room. He hadn't expected someone to escape...he hadn't even thought about it, what with the size of the army and the location of the villiage. Anyone who would have slipped past his men, would surely have died in the surrounding terrain with no supplies.
Unless...unless there was a nearby settlement he hadn't been informed of...
"Damn it!" he repeated, slamming his fists on his desk.
"Don't worry!" said a nearby voice. He had nearly forgotten Katana was in the room with him. "We'll figure out something! It's not as though there's going to be another crazy battle just because of a small rebellion! They won't think twice!"
Xun turned on his chair and shook his head.
"No," he said, "the remainder of Wei will surely do something about this. No doubt Cao Ren will have figured out where Cao Pi is at this point, and is planning an attack as we speak."
There was a strained silence that seemed to last for hours.
"We will have to move." Katana stated, with a slight hint of question in his voice.
The rain outside the windowbegan to turn to hail, and the thunder came not a second from the lightning.
"No," Xun looked up, lips curled into a bitter smile, "I have a plan that will involve you, Lu Bu, a few untrustworthy spies, and a ridiculous amount of wine from the cellars."
"I can't believe it-!"
"Shut up!"
"You, of all people, are afraid of thunderstorms! This is just too much!"
Ling Tong glared hatefully at one laughing Gan Ning, who was currently splayed out on the floor beside the bed.
"It can't be that shocking. Fear of thunderstorms is quite a common-"
"AH - hahahahahaHA!"
Growling, Ling pulled his pillow tightly over his head, trying to hide from any more embarrassment. Really - count on Ning to make such a big deal about such a small thing...
But, suddenly, the laughing stopped, and he looked up to find a straight-faced pirate.
"But, really!" Ning said, "You ought to get over that fear! It would be no good in battle."
Ling snorted.
"I'm just fine in battle during thunderstorms! You've seen me!"
"I don't watch you in between fights, you know!" there was a short silence, "Okay, then - if you're so good at fighting in all this, why don't we go have a little spar, right now?"
"NO!"
The lightning flashed threateningly.
To Xiahou Dun's surprise and great relief, he had not yet located anything on histhree hourlong walk in the woods - no shrines, no uncharted roads, no animals - nothing. It gave him a great start, therefore, when he heard a rustle in the nearby bushes, and a few birds flew out of the surrounding trees. He drew his sword slowly, heading towards the bushes with it bradished before him.
Surprisingly, though, behind them he came out somewhere in the middle of a path. He stood suspiciously for a moment, wondering what the hell had made the bushes move, when he decided that he really couldn't care less, and followed the path left, which led on further nto the dark forest. He walked for another couple hours of seeing nothing before he decided that maybe - just maybe he should turn back and spend the rest of his day on something a little more important. Besides, if he wandered any deeper into this terrain of tangled trees, he might get lost and fall upon a settlement of rogue warriors...that wouldn't end well.
Unfortunately, though, as he turned to follow the way from which he came, he realized that he had forgotten to mark the part of the path that he had come on to. Perhaps if he just followed the path for a while...
Several more hours later, he found himself (thank god!) standing before a shrine he remembered passing on horse the day prior with dead men dancing at his feet. Surely he could find his way back from here-
"D-duuuun..."
Dun stopped at the sound of his name, but didn't dare turn around. He recognized that voice, and wasn't about to go getting his hopes up. After all, he was standing right beside a shrine - any fool with a bit of magic in his blood could congure up an illusion to humiliate him.
"I-is...?"
The unfinished sentence caused him to turn around, though. He was sure the voice was coming from somewhere close. It wouldn't hurt to just look, would it?
"You want me to WHAT?"
"Um..sir, we understand your hesitation, but-"
"I don't think you understand what you're asking of I, Lu Bu, the greatest warrior in all of the three kingdoms!"
Katana stepped forward in place of the bumbling idiot to his left.
"I know it sounds ridiculous," he began, "but we would repay you for your deeds."
Lu Bu gave him a ferocious glare and adjusted his grip on his massive spear.
"You think you have something that is worth me heading off an entire army of Wei officers, and possibly a few belonging to Shu!" he laughed humourlessly and stared them all down, "Please, inform me of what it is..."
"Well, as I have told you, the Shei army will no doubt be moving to expand within the next month," Lu Bu nodded impatiently at this, "and only a few lowly officers are willing to stay back and guard the castle we have recently...emptied..."
"Yes, yes - get to the point."
"Lu Xun, the commander of Shei and main strategist of our army, offers you this castle and its surrounding grounds, for you to keep and guard in the name of Shei."
Lu Bu watched him for a moment.
"I do not see what I will be gaining besides a place to live for the moment."
"Well, I have heard you have been searching for a leader worthy of your skills, and I daresay Lu Xun might be the one. I myself have witnessed this first hand."
"I'm sure you have." Lu Bu grunted, looking him in the eye. Katana didn't know what to make of this.
"Er - and besides the castle being a nice place for you and Diao Chan tolie lowafter you were banned from the immediate Shu areas, it has a rather large wine cellar that I'm sure you would be interested in." he handed a corked bottle to the intimidating warrior.
He uncorked it, and looked at Katana suspiciously.
"You saidyouare known asKatana - what is your true name?"
"R-Rakesh Siyamak, sir." he was caught off guard by this question.
Lu Bu turned immediately to Diao Chan, who had been rather quiet through this whole exchange.
"Diao Chan," he roared, "be sure to dispose of this Rakesh Siyamak should this be poison and I fall ill!"
A surprised expression overtook her face, and she nearly stopped Lu Bu from taking a sip, but was too late.
Lu Bu looked thoughtful for a moment, then took another swig.
"Such wine I have never tasted before!" he exclaimed, handing the bottle to Diao Chan so that she could try, "but how do I know that this came from the cellars of your so-called castle? You could have stolen it, or made just one bottle out of the finest grapes you could find, to try and fool me!"
A loud whistle from Katana stopped him from saying more.
"I offer this," he gestured to the carriage that had been pulled into view by a brilliant white stallion, "As proof."
Lu Bu's eyes widened. It was filled to the top with bottles full of dark, purple wine.
"I'll need to think this over," he said quickly, though his voice said otherwise, "I trust you wouldn't mind waiting one night? I'll have the answer by tomorrow afternoon."
Katana smiled.
"Not at all, Lord Lu Bu. Not at all."
And there you have it! Another chapter (I know it's short, bear with me!)! I'll take any ideas, if you have one or two! Please review!
