Zihuan: Thanks for the review! I'll do my best to finish this one!

Shuwazi: I'd love to tell you about what I've got planned, but I'm afraid it would spoil things quite a bit! Granted, Shinsengoku/RotTK fans can easily guess the events that'll come up...but I will say that I have some battlefield scenes in my head ready to go on a page when I get there! :-D Stay tuned!


Ling Tong hated parties. Deja vu, Ling Tong thought. This time, however, he was headed toward the boisterous commotion of the victory celebration. He felt exhausted, but he figured he would at least make an appearance--Lu Meng had asked him to come, and since they had achieved total victory against daunting odds, Ling Tong was compelled to satisfy his conscience by at least showing up. Nonetheless, he wanted to be fashionably late enough to make a low-key entrance, and so he took his time ambling through the outdoor corridors, letting the cool midnight breeze impart the tranquility to muster the mental wherewithal he would need.

He showed himself into the banquet hall. He instantly regretted showing up, late or not. All of the officers who had been casually chatting and gorging themselves paused to look up and silently stare at the newcomer.

"What's in the wine? I'm seeing things!" Lu Meng's voice then shouted. He stood and approached Ling Tong with a liquored-up smile. "Do I see Ling Tong standing there! Come, have a seat." He clapped a now-bashful Ling Tong on the back and led him to the table. The party resumed its clamour. Ling Tong's nose scanned the table as well as his eyes: piles of fatty meats and oily delicacies, the tablecloth stained to ruin with such foods and with wine, the endless supplies of which were drowning his comrades' civility. The scene was as unsightly as wild boars gorging themselves on a trash. The cacaphony also threatened Ling Tong's sanity, and when Ling Tong saw that his seat would be beside Gan Ning, all he could think about was how he would flee the scene.

"Good thing you're here. Gan Ning's been asking about you," Lu Meng said, pouring Ling Tong some wine and offering it to him. Ling Tong accepted the drink but swiveled his head to pierce Gan Ning with a questioning glare. Gan Ning shrugged and downed a sizable glup of wine from his chalice.

"And what could he possibly want?" Ling Tong said.

"Probably nothing," Lu Meng said, smiling.

"Would ya shut it, old man?" Gan Ning rasped as he swallowed. He then reached for the pitcher to pour himself more.

"Old man again!" Lu Meng said, seeming more amused by the term than usual. "Alright, you two 'kids' play nice, now." With horror, Ling Tong watched as the older officer moved to seat himself farther down the table near Lu Xun and Zhou Tai. That was the second time he had abandoned him like that. What was going on?

As he pondered his questions, Ling Tong awkwardly tried to keep his thoughts away from the individual next to him. He swore he could feel Gan Ning's eyes crawling all over him like beetles beneath his skin. It nauseated him. Ling Tong could think of only one cure: he downed the rest of his drink in one shot and swiftly poured another, downing that amount in one go as well. Burns so good, he thought.

Gan Ning laughed. "Whoa, take it easy," he said, stilling Ling Tong's attempt to pour another drink by closing a hand over his on the pitcher handle. "Seriously. Lu Meng tells me you don't do this a lot. You'll regret it."

The contact startled Ling Tong for a beat, who glanced down at the Gan Ning's hand. Anger welled up within him. "And just what else has Lu Meng gossiped to you about?" Ling Tong spat through gritted teeth. "And didn't I tell you to keep your filthy hands off me?"

Ling Tong's voice boomed. His outburst had reached the ears of Lu Meng and Lu Xun, who had stopped talking and watched them with concern. "Nothing! Sheesh, and I thought I was an insolent prick," Gan Ning said, releasing Ling Tong. The officers who had been observing them breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously went back to socializing.

Meanwhile, Ling Tong's heart thudded like a battering ram in his chest. It felt like fire where Gan Ning had touched him, yet the heat made him shiver. He was starving, too, but the food before him failed to look appetizing. He couldn't take it anymore. He had showed up, had a drink, and as far as he was concerned, he had completed his social obligations. "I'm leaving," he said, draining the rest of his cup and abruptly rising from his seat.

"Hold yer horses," Gan Ning said, rising as well to look Ling Tong straight in the eye. "It's time you cut this pissy brat routine, isn't it? I am sure as hell gettin' tired of it."

"Better get used to it, because it's all I can do to keep from avenging my father," Ling Tong shot back. "'Till this war is over, anyway," He smirked wickedly. The crowd had grown silent again as all eyes were witnessing the drama unfold.

"Cripes, I can't imagine what he had to deal with when you got in a bad mood," Gan Ning said, folding his arms. "He's probably glad I put him in the ground so he wouldn't have to deal with one more of your tantrums."

Gan Ning blanched as his cruel words flew out of his mouth. Ling Tong had the look. The look of murder. It was there for a split second before Ling Tong's hand flew out with the grace and swiftness he'd honed on the battlefield and yanked out a carving knife from a slab of meat on the table. "You snake bastard!" Ling Tong hissed. Gan Ning blocked as Ling Tong tackled him to the floor and went for his throat. He pinned Gan Ning on his back with furious strength and a mad glare, willing his opponent to give up and die. Gan Ning, however, had caught Ling Tong's hand with the knife and squeezed, keeping the blade from crossing the few lethal inches away it was from his jugular.

"Enough!" the quarrelers heard. Lu Meng's arms had weaved underneath Ling Tong's and roughly yanked him to his feet. He yelped in pain when Lu Meng disarmed him with a sharp twist of his wrist. Gan Ning scooted back and propped himself up on his arms.

"Ling Tong!" Lu Meng said harshly. "I am extremely disappointed in you. What would your father think of you now, being so caught up in your own vengeful thoughts that you ignore the bigger picture? Get out!"

Hurt, disgust, and frustration melded together on Ling Tong's expression, but he would not try to contradict his superior. He obeyed and took his leave. As he departed, Lu Meng turned to Gan Ning, who was still on the floor. "Gan Ning," Lu Meng growled with irritation. "Think before you open your smart mouth next time, or you'll be scrubbing latrines until the day you die. You're dismissed as well." Gan Ning nodded and hopped to his feet, saying nothing upon his exit as well.

Lu Meng turned to rejoin the rest of the gathering. "Carry on," he said, though it was some time before the dust settled in their minds.