A/N: Sorry I took so long to update, exams are coming up and the school play was just recently, but here's the next chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I was beginning to think no one liked me. On with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't believe I am still writing these. Chapter 5 with a disclaimer on each chapter? Well, I am still me, and I still don't own the rights to anything except the plotline.

Sun Shang Xiang slowly surfaced from her dreams. Fragments of her last dream drifted around her head - no, not a dream, a nightmare. She lay where she was, waiting for reality to reinsert itself, and thinking about her dream.

Let's see... there was... a sombre procession in the dirction of the castle. It was like... a funeral - yes, definitely a funeral. She had been standing next to Sun Quan. Across the way from her stood Zhou Yu, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, and on her other side, Na Mei, Sying Long, and the rest of the Wu officers...

A wave of depression pulled her under. She remembered now. Sun Ce's funeral from last month. Were it not for the fact Yu Ji seemed to have vanished off the face of China... Her fists clenched under the covers.

Not wishing to return to sleep yet, she sat up and looked out the window. The sky was tinged with pink as the new sun rose into the sky. She sighed, and flung back the covers. No point in staying in bed. Some of the other officers would already be up. Might as well get some weapon practice in.

She chuckled humourlessly. Before, she had slept till noon and trained when press-ganged into it by her father or brothers. Then Sun Jian had fallen foul of an ambush, and Shang Xiang made sure she trained at least three times a week. And now... up at dawn, and spending all day at the training dummys. Oh, how the world turned.

She pulled her boots on, dragged a brush through her hair - then paused. Her hand had automatically found her ruby amulet, given to her just last year from Sun Ce...

She shook her head to dislodge the thought, and walked to the training arena. No one else would be there yet -

Yet there was somebody, clumsily attacking a dummy with a sword. She paused in the shade of a tree, squinting to make out who it was. She'd seen him before, she knew it...

Slightly frustrated at not being able to recognise him, she walked over.

Sying Long sighed in frustration. Sword work was a basic skill, why was it giving him so much trouble? His thoughts crept longingly to his beloved staff, currently tucked into his belt. But wait - no one else was awake yet, no one would know if he cheated, and it wasn't even that really...

He sheathed his sword, flicked his staff out of his belt, and concentrated. His eyes shut themselves as he made the mental connection with the elements... Ice was his favourite, and wouldn't make a mark on the wretched thing...

His eyes snapped open, and he sent out a wave of blisteringly cold ice at the dummy - and then heard somebody gasp. He spun around to see Sun Shang Xiang watching him with a mixture of suprise and amazement, and quickly bowed.

Shang Xiang blinked. There was an awkward silence. She had recognised him as Sying Long, and sought desparately for something to say.

"You're doing it all wrong, by the way." Seeing Sying's confused expression, she added, "The sword work, I mean."

"I know... I just can't get the hang of it. It's geting annoying, really. I can't help my sister in battle if I can't defend myself!" Sying replied dejectedly. Shang Xiang looked him over critically, as if deciding something.

"I can help you there, you know."

Sying looked up hopefully.

"You can?"

"Sure. I'd like to think my brother's got my back in a battle."

"But I have nothing to offer in return..."

"You can repay me by learning."

Sying grinned at her gratefully. She smiled to herself, before beginning the lesson.

"Give me that sword." Sying handed it to her. "No, this is completely the wrong sword for your build. Hang on a minute -" She walked over to the the weapons rack, occasionally glancing back at him, as if weighing him up, before choosing a long, slender sword, and walking back.

"How does that feel?" she asked, handing him back the sword. He weighed it carefully, then tossed it from hand to hand.

"That's a lot better. Not so heavy." Shang Xiang smiled.

"Good. Let me just get my chakrams..." Sying watched her as she ran back to the rack and picked up the circular blades, a faint grin on his face. He couldn't help but have a good feeling about the near future.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head!"

Na Mei groaned, and rolled over.

"Remind me again why I decided to come on this training exercise?" She asked the world in general.

"'Cause even the best need to train. Come on, get up!"

Na gave up on sleep, opening her eyes to see her friend Ling Tong grinning down at her.

"Well, go away so I can get dressed, then." She yawned, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She waited for Tong to vanish before standing and stretching. At least there were no stones on her patch of ground, but she was always stiff when she woke up. She flopped back down again, and, 10 minutes later emerged from her tent, fully dressed.

She walked over to the main tent, where the generals discussed what they would be doing that day. The exercise was a week long, and it was already the fifth day. It was the first time Na had been separated from her brother, and she missed him quite a lot, but she had been so busy she hadn't had any time to think about it.

She had been made a general, along with her brother, earlier that month. Sun Quan, the new ruler of Wu, had been impressed with their abilities, so they had been moved from the guest rooms to the slightly disappointing general's quarter - in adjacent rooms, naturally. The twins were glad to be living in an environment where family came first, and where their skills were appreciated, rather than feared.

She walked into the tent, and was just about to sit down when she noticed the empty seat.

"Where's Lu Xun?" she asked. Lu Meng looked up from the rota.

"We don't know. He's usually here by now, but no one's seen him."

Na rolled her eyes wearily.

"I'll go look for him, then..." she sighed, shaking her head as she walked back out of the tent.

She walked around the camp for a bit, before she saw Xun's tent. She went over, and was about to enter, when she heard someone speak.

"No... I didn't do it... please... no..."

Na paused. The voice was Xun's, and from the sound of it, he was still asleep. Na hovered uncertainly, wondering if she should go in and wake him. After all, it did sound like he was having a nightmare...

Na made up her mind, and entered the tent.

Xun was sleeping on his side, muttering softly. Occasionally, a limb would jerk. Na bit her lip, but knelt down beside him, and gently shook him awake.

"No... wassa... fnh... huh?" Xun opened his eyes, and looked up at Na, who sat back on her haunches.

"Sounds like a bad nightmare." she said.

"What?"

"You were talking in your sleep."

"Was I?" Na nodded. Xun rolled over onto his back and groaned. "Damn..."

"You want to tell me what it was?"

Xun sighed.

"It's nothing."

"Didn't sound like nothing."

Xun suddenly remembered something.

"Argh! What's the time?"

"You... kinda slept in. By half an hour."

"Damn!" Xun sat up and frantically looked around for his clothes

"I'll wait for you outside." Na said, smiling.

She walked out of the tent, listening to the frantic rustling of clothes and the occasional thud, and was soon joined by Xun.

"Come on, they'll be waiting for us."

They walked in silence throught the still camp. It would be another half an hour before the soldiers woke up - by then, the generals had decided on an activity for the day. As they walked, Na noticed that Xun kept rubbing his arm, as if he had injured it.

"Have you hurt your arm?" She asked, after Xun had done it for the fifth time.

"What? Oh... no."

Na sighed. This wasn't like Xun at all, and she was beginning to get worried.

"Please will you tell me what that dream was?" she asked, as the main tent came into sight.

"...It's nothing. You'll think it's stupid."

Na suddenly stopped. Xun looked at her.

"Xun, will you stop giving me all that rubbish about it being nothing? You're worried, I can tell. If it's nothing, then why are you so distracted?"

Xun stared at her for a minute or two, then dropped his gaze to his feet. He sighed, before replying.

"I can't tell anyone. I want to, but I... just can't. I thought it was all in the past, but..." He stopped, and turned from her. "You have no idea how hard it's been for me..."

"Oh, Xun..." Na walked up behind him, and put her arm round his shoulders. "Please, try to tell me. Just try. For me. Please?"

Xun looked up at her before sighing.

"...Ok. I'll try. But not now."

"How about tonight, by the stream?"

"Ok." Xun straightened up, wiping his eyes, and regained his composure. "But first, let's get through today."

Na nodded, and they walked to the tent together.

"...There. Now you try it."

Sun Shang Xiang handed Sying the sword she had ben holding, and saw the dubious look on his face. "You'll be fine!" she laughed. "Just remember to spin with the rebounds."

Sying turned his attention to the dummy in front of him. He tossed the sword from hand to hand, before settling with his left hand, and began by striking it in the neck. It rebounded on the wooden support, but he span with it, and slashed it across the chest. The cloth split and hay and feathers went flying. Shang Xiang started clapping and whooping.

"I told you you could do it! You just need to turn the rebounds to your advantage!"

Sying beamed.

"Thanks for helping me. You think I'll be ok in a battle now?"

"Positive." Shang Xiang appeared to think about something. "Hmm... Have you ever thought about combining your sorcery with your weapon?"

"How do you mean?"

"Like, make your blade icey cold, or on fire, or something. Other people use orbs, but you wouldn't need to. Go on, try it with ice."

"...If you're sure..." Sying concentrated, his eyes closing automatically again. The link with ice was easier to find this time, as he had used it earlier that day. He felt the power surge through him, and redirected it into his blade. He opened his eyes, and swung at the dummy in the neck.

He woke up to find himself flat in his back, with Shang Xiang kneeling beside him. He tried to sit up, but a dull ache in his head stopped him.

"Are you ok?" Shang Xiang asked worriedly, helping him into a sitting position.

"Apart from the headache, I think so. What just happened?"

"Well, you did the whole iceblade thing, but when you hit the dummy you just... collapsed. Oh, and the sword shattered, but that's probably 'cause the cold made it brittle."

"Oh... I think I might have over used the ice..."

"Has it happened before?"

"Just once. Except that it was with fire."

"Ah..."

Sying rolled up his sleeve to show a wide burn scar.

"It hurt like hell, but it stopped me from overdoing it... up till now, that is."

"It might have been 'cause the wood was denser, or something."

Sying turned this over in his mind. It seemed to make sense.

"Maybe."

"Anyway, you should go get some rest. You'll need to get your strength back - you never know when you'll need it. Can you stand?"

"I can try..."

Sying tried to stand up, and made it on the second attempt. Shang Xiang watched him swaying, and shook her head.

"Put your arm around my shoulders. I'll help you get to your room."

"Thanks - for the help with the sword work, as well as this."

"Hey, it's no problem. And, anyway, if you're gonna be in this army, you need to be up to scratch when push comes to shove!"

Sying smiled.

"Anyway, where's your room?"

"Second floor, third room to the right."

"Hey, your room is directly below mine!"

They set off awkwardly toward the palace. Luckily, most people were in the mess hall, eating, so the only people they met on the way up were servants and the like.

Finally, they located Sying's room, and staggered through the door. Shang Xiang helped Sying onto his bed, where he lay down.

"I'm off to get something to eat. You want anything?"

"No, I'm ok. Just tired. Thanks, again. I'll try to be down at the dummies tommorow." He smiled at Shang Xiang.

"You don't need to."

"I want to."

"Well, I'll see you tommorow, then."

"Bye."

Shang Xiang left the room, carefully pulled the door to behind her, and wandered down the corridor to the mess hall. She was feeling the happiest she had in a long time, and, for some reason, couldn't wait for tommorow.

Lu Xun sat on the little jetty that hung out over the stream, occasionally rubbing his thigh, where a gash in the fabric showed he had lost his concentration. He turned round when he heard the sound of footsteps on wood, and saw Na Mei walking towards him. She sat down beside him, dangling hr legs off the edge.

"So what was the deal with the dream?" she said quietly.

"...Remember when we went to your old village? Well... it brought back memories I thought were long buried. That I wanted to be forgotten. About my past." He paused, and took a deep breath. "No one in Wu knows my past... only the people from the village I was born in. The village was just like yours. My father was respected in the community. He was a succesful farmer. But..." he broke off.

"But?" Na asked gently.

"There was a fire. My house got burned down. No one knew how the fire began, or anything. My family... they all died. Apart from me. The villagers... no one liked me. I was the strange one. The trouble maker. The pyromaniac." He shuddered, and Na put her arm around his shoulders. "It was never me. The other boys in the village would set fires and pin the blame on me. All I was trying to do was put them out. No one believed I didn't do it... except for my family. Then the fire came. The villagers all thought it was me. They had me trapped. Between the fire and their wrath. No one stood up for me. I couldn't escape. I was trapped in a fiery hell. I had no possesions, no family, no home." He stopped again, and tears began to flow down his cheeks.

"Oh, Xun..." Na sighed, hugging him.

"The fire was scorching my back. The villagers wanted me dead. They just watched until... until someone at the back told them to get me. Then they came for me. I was terrified. But... I saw a gap. In the crowd. I ran for it. One of the villagers struck lucky. They gouged my shoulder. It bled and bled. You could see the bone."

Xun rolled his sleeve up to reveal a long, red scar.

"But I couldn't do anything about it. I had to run, to escape. I was doomed. By the time I was a mile away, I was in the middle of nowhere. I was weak. Covered in blood. Thirsty. About to give up and die. I... I collapsed. I just wanted it all to be over. But. But. Some nomads found me." Xun's voice was shaking uncontrollably, but he plunged on, determined to get it over with.

"They helped me. They gave me food, water, clothes. They stopped my wound from bleeding. I couldn't move my arm. They protected me. But. As soon as I could walk again... they left me. I fell asleep, and when I woke up, they were gone. My life, shattered again. They left me some water, but no food. I walked for 15 miles to the nearest city. I collapsed. The slavers got me. But I had a kind master. I was treated fairly, given food, water, the occasional day off. But then..."

Xun broke off, and spent the next few minutes breathing deeply. Na just watched him, horrified at what he was revieling. How could anyone treat someone like that? It was ... unthinkable. No wonder Xun was having nightmares.

"A friend came round to my house. He hit me when my master wasn't around. And that night... he tried to kill me."

Hands shaking, Xun pulled down his collar to show a thin yet angrily red scar across the base of his neck.

"He got away with it. Claimed I did it myself. My master believed him, and cast me out onto the streets. I nearly died. I collapsed. When I woke up, I was in the Wu medical room. Sun Jian came to see me. He offered me a place to stay. He showed me true kindness. I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone about my past. So I tried to forget it. Made up a different past. Covered my scars. Became a different person. And it was working. Then I went to your village with you..."

" Oh, Xun..." Na sighed. "How could you have kept all that to yourself? For so long? I would have broken under the pressure... Come here." Na embraced Xun, and whispered, "Thank you for telling me."

Xun managed to smile through his tears as he embraced her back. "Thank you for making me."

A/N: Aw! How awful for Xunnie! I loved typing that! Please tell me what you think of it! And no, I don't hate Xun. I just thought it was fitting for the plot... which is still to resolve itself in my head. BUT ANYWAY! Major pairwork in this chapter, sorry if there's too much dialogue! And, for god's sake, REVIEW!