One and a Hundred Hearts

One

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A/N: Yay for all of the reviews!  I heart you guys!!  ::biiiiiig huggles::  Tiger5913, I really can’t comment on your...well comment, as much as I would like to.  I guess you are just going to have to wait and find out.  SaturnGold, don’t worry there is a bit in this chapter.  ^.^ Misspimpette (cute name ^.~) Updates are very hard for me to do, but I post the chapters as soon as I get them proof read.  Just please be a wee bit patient with me and I will try not to disappoint you.  Dragon Child: ...ummm... I hope that you will think it gets happier in the future...but don’t count on it.  Sorry but I intend this to be a very sad fic before I’m through.  Ms. Heartilly:  THANKS!! 

THANK YOU AGAIN!!

And YOU... You know who you are...  I have a great many things to say.  First, Harm was hungry; he thanks you for the snack.  From me:  Thanks for the laugh.  And From my Friends:  Thanks for the wonderful entertainment during lunch at the KATUSA Snack Shack.  From the KATUSAs that I work with:  But if they are going to insult you, you think they would use proper English and grammar.  Coming from a KATUSA, someone whose first language is KOREAN and not ENGLISH I think that says something.  We laughed all harder; Choi couldn’t have put it better.  

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Zhao Yun slowly opened his eyes to the harsh afternoon sun, trying to reach his hand up and block the offending light.  He gritted his teeth against the pain that the small movement caused.

“You shouldn’t be moving,” a deep voice drifted to his ears, its tone slightly arrogant and demanding.  A hand reached up and lightly gripped the Tiger General’s, “Please, just lie still.”

Zhao Yun slowly looked over to the man sitting on the bed next to him and practically jumped right off and bowed out of habit, “L-Lord Liu Bei!  I didn’t expect to see you here!”  His eyes nearly bugged from his head.

The Shu Lord laughed and reached over with his free hand to brush dark bangs from the war general’s forehead, “And why wouldn’t I be?” he said, his brown eyes blinking innocently. 

Despite his Lord’s orders, Zhao Yun struggled to sit up and lean forward, long dark brown locks fell over his bare shoulders and swayed in the gentle breeze coming from the partly open window.  “Because,” the Little Dragon struggled to form his words.  How could you possibly tell your Lord that you didn’t expect to see him while you were injured because Lords just didn’t do that kind of thing?  Well most Lords anyway.  Zhao Yun stole a glance at the other man. Liu Bei was a mystery to him, he had never before met anyone who devoted as much faith and protectiveness over his own people as he did.  “Just because,” he muttered finally giving up on trying to find a way to explain.  Trying to keep the gasping pain that he felt from his voice, gods sitting up was hurting more than the initial receiving the wounds actually did.

Liu Bei brought the Zilong’s hand up and rested it against his cheek and laughed, his whole body shaking in mirth.  “You will have to give me a better reason than that, Little Dragon,” he stated.

Zhao Yun gently slipped his hand from his Lord’s grasp and gave him an odd look, “I just didn’t expect it.”

“You did rescue my son, General Zhao Yun.  Whatever possessed you to do such a crazy act?  You were nearly killed!”  The fierceness in his voice shocked him.  Lord Liu Bei was just full of surprises today.

Zhao Yun opened his mouth to explain when the door banged open.  Jiang Wei stormed through the door, not noticing anyone but the injured man in the bed.  His cloths were travel worn and dirty, his face smudged with soot and sand, “Thank the Gods!  You have no idea how worried I was when I found out.  I – My Lord!  I didn’t notice that you were there...” his face flushed as he took in where Liu Bei was seated. 

Zhao Yun gave his friend a odd look then a smile, “I have an idea, Jiang Wei, if it was so important that you couldn’t bathe before you came to see me,” he wrinkled his nose, “you smell of horse and dust.”

Jiang Wei shifted nervously from foot to foot keeping his dark eyes trained on the Shu Lord, “Zhuge Liang wanted to see if General Zhao Yun was well, My Lord.  I was afraid that if I rested I might just sleep the night away so I came here as soon as I could.  I’m sorry to disturb you, Lord Liu Bei.”  His hands fidgeted in front of him once more taking in the view of Liu Bei sitting on the Little Dragon’s bed side.

Liu Bei stood up and shook his head, “Nonsense, Jiang Wei, I have matters to discus with Zhuge Liang anyway.  Do you know where I can find him?”

Jiang Wei bowed his head, “I believe he went looking for you, My Lord.”

S%S

Yue Ying smiled as she rested her head against her husband’s chest and gently started to lick the sweat from it, “Did you ever find Lord Liu Bei?”

He laughed, “I’m afraid not, dear wife, something distracted me from the task.”

She lifted her head and blinked large brown eyes at him, “Oh my, we can’t have that, now can we?”

He smiled at her and lightly pulled her in for a lingering kiss, “I have missed you, Yue Ying.”

She slowly opened her eyes to stare to him, “As I have, Zhuge Liang.”  Her hand reached up and fingers trailed over his cheek and across his lips, “Why did you choose me to be your wife?  Someone as wonderful as you should have someone beautiful at their side.”

The Sleeping Dragon frowned, his brow slightly wrinkling, “You are beautiful, Yue Ling.  You are the most wonderful and brilliant woman that I have ever known.”

“I believe,” she whispered, “that sweet tongue of your is what got you in trouble in the first place.”

The strategist’s grin returned, “I like it when you think I’m in trouble.”

She smiled, her whole face lighting up in joy as her hands travel down his chest and played across his lower belly, “Well then let me punish you.”  Her voice was low and husky as she grinned up at him, her lips traveling the path of her fingers.

He sighed and tilted his head back against the pillows lightly placing one of his hands on her head gently tangling fingers in her dark hair.

Zhuge Liang smiled to himself as her lips brushed against his stomach and her skilled tongue dipped into his bellybutton.

The door abruptly slid open and two bodies tumbled in.  Yue Ying sat up and grabbed the sheets close to her trying to hide her nakedness to the intruders.  She opened her mouth to yell for the guards as she took in the scene before her.  Zhuge Liang laid a hand on her shoulder to quiet her.

Gan Ning lay atop of some form unknown to them – from the position it was impossible to tell exactly who it was.  The pirate lay in between the robed figure’s bare legs as they slowly bent up exposing a good view of the bare flesh beneath the red silk.  Due to other currently unknown reasons the robe was also loose and the person’s shoulders were open to the elements.  Also for reasons unknown the Wu Generals lips were attached to that said person’s neck. 

The Prime Minster cleared his throat, “Are you lost General Gan Ning?”

The former pirate’s eyes widened in shock as the bottom frantically tired pushing the brute off of them.  Gan Ning hastily obeyed as the red robed boy quickly straighten himself, “Prime Minster Zhuge Liang, I apologize!” he said in a rush while bowing and trying to flatten his messy hair at the same time.  The picture came out rather comical, “I didn’t know that this was your quarters!”

“Lu Xun?” Yue Ying whispered barely recognizing the young man without his hat.

If anything the poor boy flushed even a brighter shade of red than the silk that he wore, “Yes my Lady?” he meekly squeaked.

She beamed at him, “You look positively adorable without that hat you always wear!”

S%S

Jiang Wei paced the length of his room for what seemed like the one and a hundredth time.  His hands twisted in front of him and if he was in his right mind he would have realized that his door was wide open letting everyone and their father to see him in his time of turmoil.  But why should he be sad?  Zhao Yun was fine!  Sure he suffered a few wounds, but it was nothing that he could get over.  The Little Dragon would be up and about in no time, or so the Two Qiaos had said as much and given the Shu General’s ability to overcome anything, he too believed as much. 

So why was he so damn worried?  Still!  Sure he had been frantic when on the road with the Prime Minster, but shouldn’t him actually seeing Zilong all alive and well at least settle some fears inside of him? 

He stopped in his tracks almost in the middle of his large room and looked at the wall with wide light brown eyes.  Good gods.  He mind raced back to when he walked in on the hurt general and found Lord Liu Bei sitting literally on his bed side, their hands just a breath a part as if they were touching just a short time before.  He had seen the look in Liu Bei’s eyes before; he had seen it plenty of times in Zhang He’s eyes when he thought no one was looking.  The only problem with the Wei general was that the look was never directed at anyone he knew of.  Whenever Jiang Wei had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Zhang He’s unguarded mask he just happened to be looking far across the land, his thoughts completely elsewhere.  When asked about it, the Peacock General just got this aura of utter sadness saying that he was remembering a love long lost to him. 

That was what Liu Bei had looked like, staring at the bedridden Spear General.  Jiang Wei’s fists clenched in rage.  There was no possible way that Liu Bei could possibly even think that he was in love with Zhao Yun! 

The Prodigy of Tian Shui’s heart skipped a few beats.  “But why should I even care about such matters,” he mumbled to the empty room, “because, you moron, you could never match the Shu Lord’s feelings in Zhao Yun’s heart.  He is completely devoted to his Lord,” he answered himself hopelessly.  He may be young, but stupid was not part of his character.  He sighed, the small puff of breath coming out as sounding a bit forlorn and for once in his life with Shu he wished he was back in Wei.  Not because he enjoyed Wei more, but because Zhang He was in Wei and for some strange odd reason Zhang He always knew what to say to make everything all better in the world.  Sure he seemed a wee bit loony at times, yet he always found the beauty in things, even the small tiny things.  Just his mere presence was soothing to his troubled soul.  Nothing bothered the Peacock General and that in itself was a ray of light.

“He’s not here you idiot!” Jiang Wei kicked at one of his wooden chairs and watched it tumbled across the carpeted floor, “so just deal with it and find someone else to talk to your problems with.”  His shoulders once again slumped.  He didn’t know anyone that well here, trust was hard to come by and almost impossible to be earned when you came from an enemy kingdom even if you were the Prime Minster Zhuge Lang’s understudy.  He came quick to realize what Zhang He had went through when he first defected into Wei from Yuan Shao’s army.  For once in his life he was absolutely alone in his misery. 

A small patter of rapidly approaching feet drew him out of his thoughts as he turn to face the door.  A red streak flew passed before it returned milliseconds later to duck behind the wall.  The short haired man put his fingers to his lips, Lu Xun’s odd colored amber eyes pleading for him not to call him out.  Jiang Wei shrugged and continued his pacing once again kicking the offending wooden chair out of the way when it dared to cross his path.  Nevermind he was the one who first kicked it there.  A full minute went buy with Lu Xun cowering like a child in his room before the sound of heavy boot falls and a steady cadence of bells moved closer and Gan Ning ran passed carry the young boy’s odd hat.  It was yet another full minute before Lu Xun dared to move and brush his robes off.

He turned to face the taller man, smiling kindly up at him, “Thank you for hiding me.  The damn pirate has been trying to get that hat on me since Lady Huang said I looked... adorable without it.”

The Spear General gave him an odd look, not completely understanding.

Lu Xun waved his hand, “It’s a long story, one rather embarrassing and worth not repeating, much as less remembering.” 

“I see,” the older man said.

He gave a curious look, “Are you alright, Jiang Wei?  You look troubled.”

“Have I lost it so much that I am now easy to read?” he answered the boy’s question with another question.

Lu Xun offered a small smile and shook his head, “No, it’s not that.  You see,” he spread his hands as to further explain, “You normally aren’t, Jiang Wei, which has me a bit worried that you would be in so much turmoil as to forget to school your emotions.”

He let out a frustrated sigh, “I am in turmoil.  So much of it that I really don’t know how to deal with it.”

Striking amber eyes blinked at him, “Well, have you ever felt like this before?”

Another sigh, he knew where this was leading too, “A few times before, yes.”

Another blink, “And what did you do in the past?”

A snort, “I talked to Zhang He.”

Lu Xun’s face slightly flushed, “Oh, I’m sorry.  I forgot that you weren’t always with Shu!”

“It’s alright, the only other one who seems to forget or doesn’t really care is Zhao Yun, and I refuse to bother him with my petty problems right now,” a callused hand ran threw tangled bangs.  “Argh!  I forgot to bathe!  How pathetic.”

The short haired boy chuckled, “Not really,” his hands clapped together in a very un-Lu Xun-like way, “Idea!” he squealed.  Someone had been spending WAY too much time with a certain pirate.  “How about you take a bath, join us for dinner, then if you want afterwards I was going to train in the field just outback.  I could use someone to spar with.”

It wasn’t really a question, but it really wasn’t an order either.  It came out as an open friendly suggestion and offer.  Despite his emotional troubles, Jiang Wei found himself smiling at the young boy’s enthusiasm, something that he really saw the Wu General.  “I think I could fill that spot for you, Lu Xun,” he said, his heart slightly more lifted than before. 

TBC...