AN: Ok here is the first chapter! I hope you like it. Thanks to Calenmarwen for reading and reviewing! you rock.

Act I: The Oath

Zhou Tai woke slowly. His head was throbbing and his side was injured, this was obvious by the tendrils of pain running through him. He glanced warily around. The stone room was damp and odorous, and metal bars closed off the only exit.

Tai lifted himself off the ground, his sore muscles protesting every movement. He grabbed hold of the bars and tried to look beyond them, but little was clear in the dimly lit passageway.

He laid his head against the cold bars and let his mind drift back to the last battle.

Zhou Tai felt his blade slice through the enemy officer. He swung the light blade and several more Wei soldiers fell before him. His eyes traveled to the road below. There he saw several Wu warriors fighting through a pack of enemy soldiers. Though this sight was hardly abnormal for a battle field, there were several other things that captured his attention.

First, the Wu soldiers were personal guard—which was obvious because of there garb—but he was not sure who they were guarding since there was no general in sight. Second, they were headed toward the Wu camp, away from the main battle.

Sensing that something was wrong Tai finished off the last soldier and ran down to aid the struggling guards. With his help they thwarted the enemy attackers quickly.

"What's going on here?" Tai asked once the battle ended. The guard parted to let him into their ranks. There he saw what they were protecting.

Two soldiers held a make shift stretcher. On it laid the Wu strategist, Zhou Yu. His skin was pallid and his dark eyes stared blankly off into space.

"General." The head guard bowed as Tai approached. "The plan was thwarted by the direction of the wind. Luckily Zhou Yu was able to come up with another plan in time, but he breathed some of the poison and took ill before he could see the other generals carry it out." Tai nodded and placed a hand on the strategist's forehead. He furrowed his brow in concern.

"He's burning up," Tai thought out loud. Then turning to the guard said, "I will help you make it safely to the base camp."

"Thank you, General."

The beginning of the trip was uneventful. They ran into very few Wei soldiers, but nothing they could not easily handle. Zhou Tai was almost questioning if he should not return to the battle and let the guard make the rest of the trip alone when the first signs of trouble hit.

Tai was walking beside Zhou Yu, occasionally placing a hand on his forehead to monitor the increasing temperature. They were about to enter a wooded area when one of the front guards cried out in pain. The man fell to the ground, an arrow through his chest.

The scene changed so fast it was like a blur. One minute there were no enemy in sight and the next they were surrounded. Tai had to fight with all his strength to keep the enemy away from his ill companion. Suddenly one of the guards called out in fear.

"It's Xiahou Dun!"

Tai looked up in surprise and saw the half blind warrior come ridding toward them, his mighty white steed pushing aside the guards with ease. Zhou Tai braced for battle. Xiahou Dun was a skilled opponent and his reputation was known through out Jang Dong.

Zhou Tai did not enjoy battle as some of the warriors did, but he could not deny a slight excitement at the chance to test his strength against this formidable foe. Xiahou rode towards him. Tai swung his tachi at the warrior's leg, hoping to knock him off his horse.

Unfortunately, Xiahou Dun was expecting just this sort of attack and swerved away from the sword's reach.

Zhou Tai ducked away from Xiahou's attack and rolled across the ground, coming up on his combatant's other side. This time Tai sliced at the harness, cutting through the material with ease. Xaihou's saddle began to slide out from under him causing the soldier to jump from his steed.

Without wasting a second Zhou Tai attacked his opponent, but Xiahou Dun was an even better fighter on foot as he was mounted. The two warriors fell into a deadly rhythm of attacks and parries. When ever one gained some headway the other quickly took it back.

They were oblivious to the on going battle around them. Even the thought of protecting Zhou Yu fled from Tai's mind as the lethal dance continued between them. Time was not an object to either warrior.. Never in his life had Zhou Tai had a more challenging battle and Xiahou Dun was not finding it easy either.

Zhou Tai was still unsure of what happened next.

Somehow his opponent gained a foothold. Not letting a second of this advantage be wasted, Xiahou Dun attacked with furiousness like nothing Tai had ever seen. The slight advantage quickly turned into complete dominating of the battle. Zhou Tai had to work hard just to keep his footing.

Then came the strike that Zhou Tai was sure he would never forget, if he ever recovered from the injury it left.

Zhou Tai stepped away from the bars and looked around the cell again. He realized that in his haste to test his own strength he had completely left Zhou Yu defenseless. He was not even sure if his comrade had survived.

The normally controlled warrior slammed his fist into the cold stone wall. His frustration turned into self loathing. Tai had thought himself above such pettiness, but the proof of his failure was all around him.

The sound of approaching footsteps met his ears and he turned back toward the bars.

Torch light was the first thing that came into view. He watched as it was followed first by a torch bearer, then by several soldiers. Each wore the symbol of Wei. Then came an officer he instantly knew to be Dian Wei, of General Cao Cao's body guard.

"So you are awake," The officer said, his tone almost mocking. Zhou Tai did not respond. He waited in the hopes that Dian Wei would revile his purpose with out prodding. "Cao Cao has requested you be brought before him. This is quite an honor, especially for a simple Wu officer. So will you be coming peacefully or…the hard way." Dian Wei seemed to be daring Tai to attack; bait Zhou Tai had ever intention of ignoring. He was not willing to start a conflict before finding out what was going on. There was obviously some reason they had captured Tai inside of killing him. And if they captured him there was the slight chance that they had captured Zhou Yu as well. And that gave the even smaller chance that Tai would be able to rescue him. All of these questions needed to be answered before Tai was willing to act.

As the soldiers unlocked the door and pushed away the bars Zhou Tai stepped out slowly. He let them bind his hands without struggling, much to the disappointment of Dian Wei.

They led him down the long hallway past many more cells. His eyes darted from side to side trying to locate the strategist, but the dimly lit stone chambers yielded him no answers.

Finally they reached a flight of stairs. After trekking up it, their surroundings improved greatly. Zhou Tai found himself in the hallway of Cao Cao's castle. At the end of the highly ornate corridor were two huge wooden doors. The soldier opened these and entered a large chamber. At the end of a long red carpet sat Cao Cao in all his fineries.

"Bow," Dian Wei hissed in Tai's ear. Though Zhou Tai did not want to start a conflict yet there were some things he would not do. When he showed no sign of obeying the command, Dian Wei kicked the back of his kneecap. Tai fell painfully onto his knees, in a forced bow. Still he managed to keep his chin up and look Cao Cao defiantly in the eyes.

Tai waited for the emperor to speak, but Cao Cao met the rebellious gaze without a word.

Several silent minutes passed like this before the eyes of his capture turned in a different direction. Following his gaze Tai saw a side door come open. It was all he could do not to call out in surprise and joy as he saw two guards bring in Zhou Yu. So he is alive!

Instantly Zhou Tai's noiseless celebration turned to anger as he saw the condition of the Wu strategist. The two guards had Zhou Yu by the arms, and were dragging him in, as the slightly dazed warrior could not seem to get his feet under him. Yu seemed paler than before, if that was even possible.

The guards dragged him beside Zhou Tai and dropped him roughly on the ground. Yu somehow managed to pull himself to his wobbly knees. Tai watched silently, trying not to let the concern show on his face. It was not that he wanted to hide his amity with the man beside him, but rather that he was aware of the precarious position they were in. Any weakness shown at all could easily be used against both of them. This was the unfortunate truth of war and Tai knew it well. So he forced a look of indifference.

Cao Cao leaned forward in his seat, his hands folded together.

"Do you know why you are here?" The emperor asked simply. Neither of the Wu Generals responded; Tai wondered if Yu could have spoken even if he wanted too. "Let me make this simple for you," Cao Cao continued. "Sun Jian is planning on attacking and finishing me off. No…don't answer. That was a fact not a question. Now the point is. I need to know what the plan is…and both of you know it." Zhou Tai kept his gaze level and tried to hide a smirk. So that's what he's after. Poor Cao Cao doesn't think he can win without knowing our plan. "Not going to speak hmm?" The 'Hero of Chaos' persisted. "That's fine. I can be patient…to a point. I will give you time to think. Now…stand." Tai complied, ready to get off his pained knee. He chanced a look at his companion, and saw Yu struggling in an attempt to stand. His legs seemed weak and shaky, but he finally managed to get up on them.

Suddenly Zhou Yu's legs quaked under him and he fell. Tai reacted without thinking and caught the man as best he could with his bound hands. He instantly realized his mistake, but unwilling to let go he kept the other man standing until Yu was able to do so on his own.

Cao Cao did not say a word, but Zhou Tai did not miss the glint in his eyes. The Emperor stood and walked over to Zhou Tai, his hands folded behind his back.

"If you tell me what I want to hear you not only live, but both of you will go free," he offered. Seeing no answer forthcoming from the tight lipped Wu warriors, Cao waved his hand. "Take them away." Dian Wei grabbed Zhou Tai and pulled him back the way they had come.

Tai attempted to look over his shoulder and see what was happening to Yu, but he was unable to.

They tossed the warrior roughly back in his cell and unbound his hands, before leaving without a word.

Tai leaned heavily on the wall and let his thoughts wander. He was surprisingly worried about the other Wu general. It is not like they were uncivil before, but they had never been anything close to friends. They had spoken occasionally, but never on a personal level. Tai admitted that he had felt nothing more than a comrades concern when he had found the man deathly ill the previous day. So when had this started?

Zhou Tai knew the answer whether he choose to admit it or not. He had failed to protect Zhou Yu after promising that he would. He had broken a warrior's oath. Tai had let his personal need to prove his strength get in the way of his duty. It was undeniably his fault that Yu was in this mess.

Footsteps in the hallway caught his attention and he looked up in time to see Dian Wei opening the cell door again. Two soldiers came up behind their general. Tai saw to his surprise that they were carrying Zhou Yu. They roughly tossed the strategist into Tai's cell and locked the door again.

"Cao Cao wants you to watch him waste away. Just in case you need help making up your mind," Dian Wei informed him, and evil glint in the man's eye. Tai watched them disappear back down the dark hallway before kneeling down beside Yu. Despite the malicious intend Zhou Tai was glad they had brought the strategist there, if only to ease his own concern some.

He placed a hand on the pallid forehead. The temperature was at a dangerous level, and Tai was surprised that the younger man was conscious at all, even though it was only slightly.

"It's my fault you are here," Tai informed Zhou Yu, though he was not sure if the delirious man would understand. "And I will get you out of this. I swear it."

"Not…your…fault," came the faint reply.

AT: What is Sun Jian planning? Will Sun Ce be the down fall of Wu? and why is Gan Ning seriously impressed with Sun Jian's daughter? find out next time on...the Ways of Wu

lol! well I hope you all liked this chapter, please review!!