Burning Ambition

6. Within the Flames of Chibi

Time: 208 C.E.

A week had passed by since Liu Bei and his brothers left Xuchang, and Cao Cao, although slightly better, was still as miserable as when he found out they left. He reluctantly sat there doing his usual paper work with Xiahou Dun standing by his side, watching over his shoulder to make sure he was actually doing it. He felt like he was being babied by Dun, but he knew this setup was probably for the best because he would have just sat around and cried otherwise; he knew he was being foolish and letting his emotions control him, but it was hard to pull himself out of the invisible hole he fell in to. Dun eyed his Cousin curiously when he saw his face contort in pain, and he gently placed a hand on his shoulder to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. Cao Cao turned and gave him a thankful look before returning to his paper work with a cloud of melancholy weighing heavily on his mind.

Meanwhile, Liu Bei and his brothers found themselves deep in the heart of Sun Wu territory. The three were accompanied by their new strategist, who was the rumored genius known as Zhuge Liang. After the three brothers paid him three visits over the course of three days, Zhuge Liang finally decided to join them, and was deeply moved by his cause; he pledged his loyalty to Liu Bei and vowed to help him divide the land in three, so he could have a kingdom of his own. Liu Bei was very thankful to the man, and now the four found themselves in Sun Wu's capital, Jian Ye, standing before the ruler himself, Sun Quan.

"So, you are Liu Bei?" Sun Quan asked, his voice sounded regal, as he eyed the small, delicate looking man standing in the middle of the group.

"Yes, Master Sun Quan. I am Liu Bei, and this is Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang," Liu Bei said, gesturing to each one of the people he mentioned. "And we are responding to your request for an audience."

"I know why you're here. I sent that letter myself because we are in need of your help," Sun Quan replied, his eyes never leaving the leader of the group. "Cao Cao has sent us a letter demanding our unconditional surrender, and we were hoping that you would use your charismatic nature to get us more troops, so we can stand a better chance against him than what we do now. We were also hoping that you would join us in standing against him, since he was probably going to kill you for that little incident in Xuchang." Sun Quan stated, staring at Liu Bei expectantly with a sly smile. The man's blush told Sun Quan that he had hit a nerve in him, and his smirk grew.

"I... um... I." Liu Bei stuttered. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to fight against Cao Cao, but he knew it was inevitable.

"Lord Liu Bei would gladly help you fight against Cao Cao, especially if it meant the formation of an alliance with you, Master Sun Quan." Zhuge Liang uttered, earning a thankful glance from Liu Bei.

Sun Quan nodded and stood up from his throne. "Very well, I'll agree to those terms." He slowly walked over to Liu Bei and whispered in his ear. "If we lose this battle, know that you will be mine in every way."

Liu Bei's eyes widened in shock, and Sun Quan walked away laughing, causing his brothers and Zhuge Liang to give him a questioning look. Zhang Fei and Guan Yu shook their heads in unison, they could easily guess what Sun Quan said. Liu Bei's slight blush didn't help him either. Why was everyone attracted to him? He didn't want Sun Quan, he wanted Cao Cao, but he knew he could never go back after what happened, and he certainly couldn't go back now.

"Damn brother," Zhang Fei said, struggling to hold back his laughter. "You have everyone wanting to get a piece of that ass."

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei burst out laughing, while Zhuge Liang shook his head, disappointed with their antics. Liu Bei stared at them and wanted to join them in laughing, but he couldn't bring himself to laugh when they were in the territory of a warlord who wanted to force himself on him. He was totally different from Cao Cao. Liu Bei thought that, because of Cao Cao's cold nature, he would be the one to try and force himself on him, but he was wrong and found out that Cao Cao was actually sweet when he wanted to be. Thinking about the man hurt him and the gravity of the situation made him feel sick to his stomach, it didn't help that fond memories of the man were replaying themselves in his head, and he just wanted to crawl in a hole somewhere and hide. How did he become such a screw up?