A/N: Hey, sorry for the very late update-guess I've been a bit lazy. ; Anyway, things should start being much quicker now~

Hope you enjoy~!

Tao Rei drove her scythe-like weapon through several men around her. She slightly twitched at the sound. Killing men like this was what she was expecting, but nevertheless, it was something she would only get used to after many many more battles. She grimaced at the splintering noises coming from Ling Tong's direction, but she was glad that he was near. The girl wasn't sure if she'd be able to stand it if she was left alone with Sun Shang Xiang. Not that she didn't like her; the princess just had a very daunting presence. Rei drifted around Shang Xiang, making sure that the girl was safe and content with hacking soldiers from atop her horse. This pace of battle went steady for a long while until a Wu soldier came riding to their direction alarmingly fast.

"Hey-where are you heading?!" Sun Shang Xiang flashed her head at the man. The frantic soldier looked at her with saucer eyes and abruptly stopped. He quickly explained through a coarse voice,

"My lady, I must inform Lord Sun Ce right away-"

"On what?"

"It's General Ling Cao...he has died." Ling Tong's senses flared. Jerking his head at the soldier he barked,

"Where!? At the bridge!?" Before the man could confirm, Tong shoved an apposing soldier and darted towards his father.

"Y-Yes! But General Ling Tong, there's a formidable warrior there and it's flooding with the enemy!"

"Gongji!" Tao Rei cried after him.

"He's already gone-," Shang commented, "We can't afford to run after him. He probably wouldn't listen to us anyway…but he's sure to get killed..." Glancing around at the situation around her, she made a quick decision. "Tao Rei, go grab him-I think he might listen to you." After seeing the hesitation, she added, "I'll be fine. I can handle on my own! GO!" Rei nodded and rushed after Ling Tong. Adrenaline started to wash through her as she approached the bridge resting down the river. As she battled through the dense crowd, she couldn't shake the feeling that something big was going to happen. If Ling Cao really did die...

"Agh-!" a muffled coughed escaped Ling Tong. A man across from him had just dealt a good blow to his stomach. Tao Rei quietly gasped to see her friend flown into another soldier. His oppressor suddenly leapt at him, not giving him any time to recover. She quickly intervened, throwing herself in between the two. Swinging her spear, Gan Ning jumped back.

"What, is your girlfriend saving you? Women don't belong on the battlefield, y'kno-" he said, and at the moment she decided to attack. Bracing himself, his daggers locked with her weapon. "Not much for words-"

"Shut up, I don't wish to exchange any words with you," she broke the deadlock. As Gan Ning stumbled backwards, his first impression of the girl in front of him was not very high. What's this woman doing here? Her skills aren't even that polished…He spat at the dirt next to his feet. It was his strong belief that a woman's role was either at home or to entertain men-not to fight alongside them.

"Tao Rei, what are you doing!? He's the one that killed my father!" Ling Tong wearily rose.

"You can't handle him by yourself!" the girl spat.

"You're stepping way out of line for your first battle!"

"HA-FIRST battle?! No wonder-"

"SHUT IT" The two cried in unison as they launched at Gan Ning. He threw up his two knives and braced himself. The Ling Tong, Tao Rei pair attacked without holding back. In accordance, Ning shifted through the onslaught and swiped at them. The small three way fight began. If a random soldier on the sideline got in the path of their weapon, then they simply became a casualty. Initially, the battle started with the pair working together, but eventually getting in each other's way as they became blinded with growing hate for the third party. The third party enjoyed every minute of it, until be began to find it a nuisance. As the time dragged on, the three warriors could start feeling the strain on their bodies and none made a notice of it. Tao Rei wondered briefly if it was normal to feel joy every time she made a scratch on such a strong, and annoyingly arrogant, opponent as Gan Ning (sometimes even on Ling Tong by accident).

In the midst of the swirling emotions consuming the three, a war horn abruptly crashed through their thoughts.

Gan Ning venomously glared at his retreating army, all of them yelling about Wu breaking through the castle's defense. The girl paused and snapped back to what was going on around her. The trees, men, sounds, all of it was slowing down as she realized that they had won the battle. Ling Tong disregarded this break as an opportunity to finally put down the man that killed his father. Almost immediately sensing this killer intent, Gan Ning took one lasting look at the two. He cursed at the prospect of leaving a fight unfinished before he darted into the withdrawing mass of soldiers.

Ling Tong was about to break into pursuit, but was called back by his friend. "Gongji, let him go-we won," she said with a remorseful face. She didn't like the man running away either, but logic was finally catching up to her. Gesturing to a face down body that layed a few meters away, she whispered, "and I think you have…other business to attend to now…" The anger that was churning inside him trickled out when he saw his limp father. He slowly walked to him, part of him not wanting to confirm his death. Tao Rei silently observed the man fall to his knees in dismay.

As if on cue, the gloomy clouds that had persevered throughout the battle drizzled down on the two massive armies. People scampered over many of their dead comrades, but were propelled onward with fear for their own lives. Sun Ce thrust his fist in the air in victory as the men surrounding him cheered for the glory of Wu. Sun Shang Xiang smiled as she gazed over the rippling water and into a vision that seemed even closer. Lu Xun welcomed the oncoming downpour with open arms. He let it wash off the adrenaline of battle running through his veins and the guilt surfacing in his thoughts.

…Under the mask of this cleansing rain, a main wept openly in the face of his father.

"You fools! How were we driven back like that!?" Huang Zu's voice could be heard over the storming rain outside. The generals scattered around the tent shuffled their feet in shame. After reaching a safe distance away from the Wu army, Hunag Zu's forces set up a quickly made camp ground from the little resources they were able to carry. As the lord paused in his lecture, the sounds of canvas flapping in the wind and the downpour of rain filled the space. He slowly inspected the room, "Where's…Xingba?" Su Fei slightly rose his head to confirm that no, Gan Ning was not in the room with them. Right before he started to panic, a gruff voice rang from the entrance.

"What's going on!?" Gan Ning stormed in "Why was the east plank overrun!? They had plenty of men!" Like the rest of the soldiers, he was drenched in rain, mud, and sweat.

"Xingba! Where have you been!? No-More importantly, your plan failed!"

"What-!?"

"Because of your plan, we lost!" Huang Zu roared. The other man was about to yell in retort, but stopped when Huang Zu started quietly laughing to himself. Fingers delicately placed on his forehead, he snickered, "Of course, Ofcourse. This must be punishment. I should have known this was going to happen. This is what I get for taking in such an ungrateful dog!" Gan Ning's sense flared as he quickly snatched the front collar of his lord. Su Fei and the others gasped, but didn't know what to do.

Clenching the man in front of him, Gan Ning growled into this face, "Say that one more time." Huang Zu's surprised expression turned cold,

"What do you think you're doing?" A silence followed. "You best let go of me before I really get upset." He glanced at a few men to his side. These few generals stood up straight and lowered their weapons at Gan Ning. "If you want to keep your position in this army, then let go of me." The ex-pirate gritted his teeth and lowered his eyes.

"Then I'll leave."

"…What was that?"

"Then I'll just leave your pathetic army!" Ning let go of the man, but still clenched his fist. He turned to the entrance when Huang Zu's voice called him to a stop,

"And join that Sun Ce's army!? What makes you think they'll accept you!?"

"…It doesn't matter," he glared over his shoulder, "Anything is better than working under a spineless idiot." Fei on the sidelines stared in disbelief at his friend. He knew he was breaking, but this was just…too dangerous. Huang Zu narrowed his eyes,

"I'd like to see you try." Su Fei gazed on as all the other generals made a guarding circle around Gan Ning. Ning assessed the situation. He snarled, I'm too tired from that fight to fend them off…As one of them approached him, he submissively let himself be taken.

Gan Ning loudly sighed and propped his head against the post behind him. Finally giving up on untying himself, he was about to get some sleep when a familiar person entered the small empty tent. "Su Fei, what are you doing here?" he wearily said. The man nervously checked the room over before shakily dropping the ground next to Gan Ning.

"I came to free you," he said, undoing the rope around his wrists.

"Wha…" Gan Ning didn't know what to say.

"I have a horse already prepared for you outside," he jumped up and rushed back to the entrance. Gan Ning followed. When they left, a white horse was standing in the rain, already geared with bags of, what he was sure was food and other provisions of his. Gan Ning knew the risk Su Fei was taking in sneaking him out, so he quickly jumped on the horse and turned to his friend. "If you ride out through that way," Su Fei pointed towards a forested area in the distance, "then you should reach a river. On the other side should be a man waiting for you, and he'll accompany you to Wu."

"What'd you do with the guards?"

"Oh, I…" he shyly looked the other way, "I…told them there was some extra wine at my quarters I didn't want."

Gan Ning smirked, "Thanks, I promise to return the favor one day."

Su Fei laughed, "If you can keep alive long enough." After the two exchanged their farewells, Gan Ning was off. As he rushed away from the camp, the light grew dimmer and dimmer behind him. The downpour spat him in the face as he was guided by only the moonlight. He kept his eyes peeled for the stream, but it was hard to distinguish between the mud and the water. He only realized he was crossing it when his horse suddenly plunged into deep water.

Standing on the other side of the bank was a single man holding a small lantern. As Gan Ning approached him, he could make out the rough features on the man's face. Illuminated under the firelight, he could see very pale skin that seemed to be fixed in a serious, but worn out expression.

"Gan Ning?" The man questioned. He nodded,

"Your name?"

"Lu Meng." The two waited a moment, but neither weren't much for words at the moment. Lu Meng pulled on his reigns and his horse sped forward as the other ran after him through the storm. The older man started to lecture Gan Ning on how he should act when they reached the Wu main camp, but all he could do was wonder about how strong this army was. Oh-wait,…he realized

That kid and the girl are there, too.