A/N: Yay! More progress! Big thank yous to those who have already taken the time to comment since the last posting.

There are some big events happening in this chapter, so I hope everything makes sense.

Enjoy! ^.^


Two sentries were posted at the entrance to Sun Quan's temporary chamber set up in Wan Castle, one on either side of the door.

"Master Gan Ning!" one of them proclaimed. "We're haunted!"

Literally, they did not believe that the approaching form was their razor-haired general, very much alive and in the flesh, who had been declared missing-in-action and presumed dead. The sentries gawked, fearing for their sanity and safety. They gripped their spears and hunched, assuming a meek defensive stance.

"Easy," Gan Ning said, smiling waving at them to stand down. "I'm ain't dead, and I'm not a vengeful spook. I just wanna see how the princess in there is doing."

"M-m-master Gan Ning," one of the sentries repeated, stuttering as he straightened up. "Lord Sun Quan has been very explicit, and will not permit anyone to visit Master Ling Tong without his consent."

Gan Ning soured. He cast the offending sentry a withering stare - the kind he reserved for his enemies on the battlefield. Sure that he had thoroughly petrified the young officer, he said in a low voice, "Let me through. Whatever punishment would come to you, I will accept instead. Trust me, if I don't like what I see in there, I'll gladly turn over my head to Sun Quan."

"Sir!" the sentry said, offering a shaky salute, but Gan Ning was already pushing him aside to go through the door.

The general shut the heavy metal door behind him and glanced around what was a compact but finely-decorated throne room. He took a gander at Sun Quan's royal seat, elevated high on a broad pedestal and was a few yards from where he was at the entrance. Four wooden pillars held up red and white silks that criss-crossed to weave a canopy over the seat, which itself was ornate with gold plates and upholstered with real tiger skin. To his left were heavier silken drapes that he presumed divided the throne room from the bedroom. Gan Ning sighed and walked over to the drapes. He pushed them aside, finding that they were deeply layered. He pushed through until the drapes split and he was met with the foot of a bed almost as wide as it was long. The only light was that of one faintly burning lamp on a stand beside the bed. Next to it were two vessels-- a bowl and mortar, and a fresh wash basin. The flickering flame from the lamp cast long shadows that danced along the black brick walls and upon the form buried snugly beneath layers of down comforters and animal skins. Gan Ning swept his gaze up the form and to the peacefully sleeping face of Ling Tong. His hair had been loosened from the signature ponytail he sported and splayed out over the pillows. The olive warmth of his skin was missing as well.

Gan Ning's face hardened. He swiftly made his way around to the side the lamp was on. He steeled himself, then reached out and gently peeled back the covers. Ling Tong had been fully bathed and stripped, and Gan Ning curled his nose at the potent odor of the medicines and ointments that immediately attacked his nose. He continued to pull, though, until he exposed Ling Tong's neatly dressed wound. Gan Ning frowned. In the dim light he made out a dark stain that was beginning to soak through the white dressings wrapped around his thigh.

"Guess you're not quite out of the woods yet," Gan Ning said under his breath. "So to speak." When Ling Tong began to shiver, Gan Ning wasn't sure if it was the sight or the smell that was making his stomach turn. He quickly pulled the covers back up around Ling Tong's shoulders. Gan Ning then fell to his knees beside the bed and leaned on it with folded arms. He rested his chin on his forearms and he watched Ling Tong sleep.

The sound of Ling Tong's even breathing made the pirate's lids feel heavy. He began to hear whoops and hollers, and saw crowds singing his praises. He saw them from his perch at the bow of his grand flagship, congregated along the banks of a river through which he sailed. He spun around and smiled at his crew-- Lu Meng, Sun Quan, Lu Xun, and various other familiar faces who were on deck and waving to the crowd. He congratulated them all, and with proud swagger he crossed the deck to the captain's quarters. He flung open the door, and inside waiting for him was his mistress, scantily clothed in transluscent orange silks. Her pitch black hair was up in a high ponytail, except for a few bangs that fell around her chin. She was sitting on his bed and pivoted slightly, so he could only see the back of her head and torso. Her whole body language told him that she was proper in waiting, but would not resist him in giving him what he desired. Eager for a celebratory tumble, he slammed the door behind him, and in long strides he crossed the short distance to her seated himself on the bed. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders. She still did not turn to him, so he coaxed her further by running his hands down her back and leaning forward. He lightly kissed her spine at the top of her back, then attempted to crane his head around to see her face. Suddenly, she turned to him, and Gan Ning's eyes fell on the face of Ling Tong, who lovingly whispered his name.

He was so shocked that he was jolted awake. Also conscious, he saw, was Ling Tong, who whispered, "Gan Ning?"

Mentally shaking off the feelings he had from his dream, Gan Ning said, "You're awake, huh?"

"You're alive, huh?" Ling Tong replied, his volume increasing.

"Disappointed, are ya?"

Ling Tong closed his eyes, exhaling a huff of amusement. He smiled and said, "Not this time."

Gan Ning smiled softly, and Ling Tong returned it. However, Gan Ning's smile soon morphed into a smug grin. He stuck out his chest and said, "Damn right. You're gonna owe me once you're all healed up."

"Fat chance," Ling Tong retorted.

Gan Ning rose to his feet, towering over the wounded general. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you, charging into the enemy all by yourself anyway?"

Ling Tong turned deadpan. "And why the hell would you charge to the rescue of someone who wants to see you dead? You could have left me to die honorably on the battlefield. Then you wouldn't have to watch your back anymore."

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe 'cause I don't get hung up on the kind of righteous bullshit that makes you act like it's your god-given right to be pissed off all the time. You oughta be grateful."

"Wanting vengeance on the man who killed my father is not bullshit. You ought to try growing up so you can realize that one day, but I fucking doubt you will," Ling Tong spat. His temper was rising, and his outburst was followed by a brief coughing fit. "So thank you, but you can just go straight to hell. You're a pathetic bastard," he said between heaves.

"Listen to yourself. There you go again!" Gan Ning said. "Man, I hate it when you're like this. You make shit so goddamn personal. Calm the fuck down for once. 'Sides, you ain't in any condition to try and bite the head off of the person who saved your life, despite knowing what I know about you." Ling Tong looked away and was silent. Gan Ning sighed. When Ling Tong didn't respond, he said, "Listen, let's be clear. I respect you as an warrior. This army needs you. And your ridiculous tantrums aside, I even respect you as a person. So no matter how much you hate me and hate the world for taking your father away, I don't want you to die, okay? That just ain't how Gan Ning operates, okay? Let's just leave it at that."

When Ling Tong still didn't reply, Gan Ning said, "Well, fuck you, too, then," and intended to leave. He stopped when Ling Tong said, "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

Gan Ning was confused. No bitchy comeback. No icy barbs to make him wince. He tried to have a look at Ling Tong's face though it was turned from him. Ling Tong rotated back, and Gan Ning was stunned to find that Ling Tong's eyes had become glassy with tears.

"Damn it," Ling Tong sighed. "I'll be clear, too. I want to hate you, but I can't do it anymore. I don't want to be angry like this all the time. I can't bear it anymore," Ling Tong said. "Believe me."

Gan Ning seated himself on the bed next to him. Ling Tong went on. "Truly I did hate you. I hated you as much as I missed Father. Your existence reminded me of what I lost, and frankly, it still does. But..." Ling Tong trailed off, thinking about his next words. "But in obsessing about my hate, my sorrow, and my pain everyday, I've not only forgotten my duty to the Sun clan, but I've become a different person. A short-sighted, isolated, and useless person. After all, if I had had my way, I wouldn't be alive right now." Ling Tong then chuckled mirthlessly. "I don't hate you. In reality, I hate myself for being so weak."

Gan Ning listened and watched him as though he were studying him carefully. "Then let it go," Gan Ning then said. "Chaos is chaos. War is war. Shit happens. Letting it get to you is the worst thing you can do. If I was your old man, I wouldn't be spinning 'cause you let this pathetic bastard off, but I would like a top if you kept on torturing yourself like this," he went on, patting Ling Tong on the shoulder. "It hurts to even look atcha."

Ling Tong smirked and rolled his eyes. "I know," he said. "You're right, too. I need to set a better example for our men." Ling Tong sighed again. "Father would be disappointed in me."

"Nah," Gan Ning said. "If was as great as you say he is, he'd be proud of you right now."

Ling Tong smiled. "Thanks. Really. Gan Ning, I would like to put this grudge behind me. I want to help put and end to the chaos so we'll no longer have to part fathers and sons."

"Heh, sounds like a plan to me," Gan Ning said, smiling broadly. "Friends, then?" Gan Ning offered, putting up a fist.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Ling Tong teased. "I still think you're a loud, disgusting brute."

Gan Ning frowned, dropping his arm. "And I still think you're a prissy, bitchy little brat."

Ling Tong grinned. "Friends." He slowly pulled a fist from under the blankets. Gan Ning's smile returned, and they crossed arms to seal the deal.

"So, what were you dreaming about just now?" Ling Tong asked.

"Um, huh?" Gan Ning sputtered.

"You were grinning like a shit-eating freak before I woke you up."

The images from the dream flooded back into Gan Ning's mind. He scanned Ling Tong's face. Smooth, pale, expectant. He felt his blood burn in his cheeks.

"I should let you rest," Gan Ning said, suddenly rising to his feet. His bells jingled harshly.

"A-ha. I figured you'd be here, Gan Ning," a gruff voice called.

Both Gan Ning and Ling Tong looked to the drapes. From behind them emerged Lu Meng. "And that you would knowingly flaunt his lord's express orders," he said, sounding more resigned than annoyed.

Gan Ning shrugged. "You know me, old man."

"Indeed," Sun Quan said. The two generals looked to see him emerge through the drapes behind Lu Meng. Lu Meng reverently stepped to the side. Sun Quan nodded to Gan Ning, but his eyes suddenly lit up when they fell upon Ling Tong. "Ling Tong!" he said. "You're awake! This is excellent progress! Since we found you, I have pleaded unceasingly to Heaven for your health to improve. It is a miracle after what you've been through."

"With all due respect, my lord, I was much too reckless," Ling Tong said.

"Nonsense! Please, do not apologize. I have heard that it was because of your courageous intervention against Zhang Liao that I owe you my life. There is no need for modesty. Truly, you are your father's son, and the Sun clan is blessed to have a family such as yours to be our guardians."

Ling Tong turned his face from Sun Quan, feeling overwhelmed by the praise. "Aww, he's blushing," Gan Ning teased.

"Gan Ning," Lu Meng barked. "I'd call you reckless instead, but it seems you have your own courageous story to tell. What of Yue Jin?"

Gan Ning crossed his arms. "There's not much to tell. On my way back to camp, I was taking a shortcut through the woods. I thought they would give me some cover, too. I heard horses and shouting, then saw Ling Tong here tearing through like a madman. Then that cowardly prick took his cheap shot at my friend here," Gan Ning said, gesturing to Ling Tong with a bob of his head. "So then I killed him."

"How unusually short. I was expecting you to have every embellished, dramatic detail of the story ready for you to boast about." Lu Meng said.

"Huh. I guess haven't thought about it until now," Gan Ning admitted. Lu Meng chuckled.

"You must have been as worried for your *friend* here as our lord," Lu Meng said. Before Gan Ning could interrupt, Lu Meng continued, "That's alright. I expect that you'll be back to entertaining the troops in no time. Speaking of which, we will be withdrawing from Hei Fei in order to move on Fan Castle within the month. Cao Cao is preparing to move additional troops from Han Zhong, and our assault must be coordinated precisely with their time table if the seige is to have a chance of success."

"Fan Castle?" Ling Tong piped up. "Why are we leaving He Fei for Fancheng?"

"I ought to let our lord explain," Lu Meng said. Sun Quan nodded.

"We can't afford to be stubborn at this time," Sun Quan said. "While we have been distracting Wei here at Hei Fei, Guan Yu used the opportunity to occupy Fan Castle. In addition, he has taken our nearby grain stores to feed his troops instead. Although I have little sympathy for Cao Cao, I can no longer suffer Shu's audacity. After our disputes over Jing, I have been insulted once too many. I refuse to be used by Liu Bei so that he can gain even more territory and influence. Our alliance will not last. Wei has a common interest in seeing Guan Yu removed, an thus our cooperation with Cao Cao is also justified."

Lu Meng nodded, adding, "We would be in for a long campaign if we remain here at He Fei, and it would be unwise to allow our forces to be tied down and weakened here while Shu gains strength. Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu would undoubtedly use that kind of situation to their advantage."

"I still think it's bullshit," Gan Ning interjected. "I don't like being jerked around. I say we pull back for now and just let 'em duke it out for the castle."

"This is why you don't do the thinking," Lu Meng said pointedly. "Besides being Liu Bei's guard against Cao Cao, Guan Yu currently defends the land of Jingzhou. He is as powerful as Zhuge Liang is cunning. Therefore, if we cannot check him, he will be a thorn in our side that will surely become infected and weaken us over time. This is also our opportunity to wrest Jing Province out of Liu Bei's hands for good."

"So everything's already been decided?" Gan Ning asked.

"Yes," Sun Quan said. "And Lu Meng will be leading our forces this time. You and Lu Xun will be accompanying him when the time comes. We will be returning home first, however."

"Understood," Gan Ning said solemnly, glanced over to Ling Tong. He smirked, seeing that he had fallen asleep.

"Hopefully, Ling Tong will have recovered enough to welcome us home after all is said and done," Lu Meng said. He then let out a loud sneeze, followed by a fit of deep-throated coughing.

"Hey, old man?" Gan Ning said, walking over to examine him. "You alright?"

"It's nothing," Lu Meng said, waving him off. "Start packing. We'll start heading home tomorrow."

Gan Ning narrowed his eyes, letting his disbelief show loudly on his face. Nonetheless, he obeyed. "Sir," he said, excusing himself from Sun Quan's presence as well.

Hearing the heavy door to the chamber shut, Lu Meng smiled and said, "Despite what's at stake, at least you won't have to worry about those two anymore."