Flame Of Wu

~Preparing for He Fei ~

Several months after Lu Mei and Gan Ning (Finally) confessed about their feelings to each other, there wasn't much trouble, besides the usual thieves and bandits. Most of the generals already knew about the couple, mainly because they always stayed together. Ling Tong was a slight bit kinder towards Gan Ning, despite the casual argument from time to time, and even saw him as an ally. But not everything was as peaceful, for inside the Main Hall; Sun Quan, Lu Meng, Lu Xun, and Zhou Yu were inside planning a new attack, against Cao Cao. 

"Cao Cao is going to use every resource to continue building his army. We must find a way to stop him before he gains more power." Sun Quan declared. Zhou Yu paced on the floor, his mind deep in thought. "Since He Fei is near water, we could send some troops to fight on the eastern side. We do have many more troops, what could go wrong?" Lu Xun looked up from his thoughts, "We could also find a way to get rid of Zhang Liao, since he was once Lu Bu's general. He is a lot more dangerous than most of Wei's other generals." Zhou Yu sighed, "We also have someone from Lu Bu's army, but we can't risk getting her killed... What's your plan?" 

Lu Meng placed his hands on the table, "We'll need as many generals as possible, but we'll also need to leave some behind to protect the camp. I say we bring our most skilled fighters, and leave some strong ones behind." Sun Quan huffed in frustration, this was a first, a strong warrior from Lu Bu's army fighting alongside Wei. But this could also go well, since they did have very strong warriors. "We'll need to devise different plans to open up the gates to He Fei." Lu Meng spoke as he started plotting down different points on the map. "Gan Ning was a skilled pirate, so he could lead the naval troops to attack. We could also use Taishi Ci to help open the gate on the western side." 

"What about Lu Mei?" Lu Xun spoke up, stepping himself closer to the table and looking down at the array of pegs placed carefully on it, "She's a strong fighter; You've seen how well she fights against our enemies." Sun Quan sighed. "Sure, she can fight against Cao Cao's forces, but we won't know what to do if she gets killed in the battle." "Many of our fighters get killed in battle, this will be no different." Lu Meng said as he placed a peg near the camp. "She has known Zhang Liao, maybe she could -" "I won't risk that." Sun Quan interjected as he turned his back from the group. "Since you both think she's capable and I don't wish to risk her life so soon, we can have her travel with Gan Ning. Lu Meng, go get our needed fighters, we'll have to fill them in on our preparations."

Meanwhile Xue leapt out of an empty barrel, causing Xiao Qiao to scream as she instinctively cowered. She then laughed and petted its fur, "Silly wolf." Xue looked at the main area of the camp and started to pad over to it, wagging its tail as it came closer to Lu Mei's side. She was looking up at a wall, where a sleeping Gan Ning laid. "Know any way to wake him up?" She asked Xue, amused. Xue tilted its head and sat down, its tail still wagging. "Attention everyone, we'll need the following generals to report to the Main Hall: Taishi Ci, Zhang Zhao, Zhang..." Lu Meng continued listing many more names, his face expressionless the whole time. Several generals started heading over to the Main Hall, muttering in confusion. Lu Mei jolted as she heard Gan Ning's name being called. 

"Come on, can't a guy get some sleep?" Gan Ning muttered as Lu Mei poked him with a stick. "Lu Meng called for you." She said softly. "What for?" "I don't know. But...it seems serious." She looked over to the Main Hall, a pang of anxiety hitting her. Gan Ning leapt down, his bells jingling as he landed. "Eh, It's probably nothing to worry about." He kissed her head as he walked by. "See you later?" He asked as he walked off. She sighed, not answering him. "I wonder what's happening..." Ling Tong said as he walked up. Lu Mei shrugged, still worried about her lover as his form disappeared once he stepped into a large tent. "Wait...how come I wasn't called?!" Ling Tong growled as he realized Gan Ning was the one to be sent, not him. 

Later on, the called generals returned, each one looking very anxious. Lu Mei was in her room, petting Xue as she looked out her window. A knock caused her to look over, then smiling as she recognized Gan Ning's figure as he slid open the door. Something was off though, he wasn't his usual cocky self from his somber expression he had carried.

"We're having to prepare for another battle... this time it's at He Fei..." Her heart dropped as she realized she probably was going to be left behind as he went off into battle. "Lu Meng told me what's going to happen, but y'know, something surprised me," She looked up in surprise with what he said, "He asked me to take you along with my troops." "Wait...what?" She questioned in confusion. 

"Well, I'm pretty happy you'll be with me." He reached a hand to her face, caressing her cheek. She sighed and hugged him as a small tear fell down her cheek. "Hey, why are you crying?" He asked, not too used to vulnerability. "I hope this time of war is over soon, I don't know how much longer I can take it." She shakily said as he picked her up with her then crossing her legs around his waist, running her hand through his hair. "I hoping so too, but I don't want to stop adventuring." She looked at him, confused.

"I mean once this war stuff is over, and we won't be needed for battle, I just want to continue sailing the seas, fighting against other pirates." She began to smile again, her fingers delicately tracing the feathers in his hair. "Will I be there?" She asked softly. "Definitely." He smiled as he gently placed her down on her bed, causing Xue to growl as it moved out of the way for the two lovers. "Someday..." He said softly as he laid next to her. 

"If you're going to be romantic and all, at least close the damn door." Ling Tong spoke up, scaring the both of them in the process. He was standing in the doorway, narrowing his eyes in amusement. "Ah shut up! You're just jealous because you're single." Gan Ning retorted, propping himself up on his arm, glaring back at Ling Tong over Lu Mei; whose cheeks were red form being seen. Lu Mei laughed as they started arguing yet again, letting them quarrel before speaking up. "Ok ok, we'll make sure, bye Ling Tong." Lu Mei said, breaking up the argument. Ling Tong, having been done with dealing with the two's foolery, closed the door and walked off. Gan Ning huffed as he held her closer, mumbling softly while gently placing his head on her shoulder. "He's an ass."