Love or Law

I Hate the Cold! (or not)

Hello everyone! I think you'll like this chapter, especially after the intensity of the last one. Please enjoy!

Shang sat cross-legged in the tent, slowly gliding his sharpening stone over the blade of his sword. The sword his father had given to him when he completed his military training. The edge was already razor sharp but the continuous motion of sharpening was soothing in its repetitiveness; the sound of the stone rasping against metal oddly meditative. At this point he might grind the blade to dust but he couldn't bring himself to stop.

They had reached the entrance of the pass just before dusk and Shang had called for camp to be made. The Hun army couldn't navigate the pass in the dark any better than they could, so there was a good chance they would catch up with them tomorrow. Shang hoped that the Hun army would have dropped their guard slightly by then. They weren't going to be expecting any other resistance to reach them fast enough to stop them before they reached the Emperor. Surprise was on Shang's side and he intended to take full advantage of it. Catching the larger army in the narrow confines of the pass, he hoped to bottleneck them so his men could pick them off in smaller numbers. It would test his men's stamina to their limits but he had trust in them and their abilities. Shang would personally see to it that he had his revenge against his father's killer. He would bring destruction to the army that tore through the country and his family. He would make them pay for every life they took, innocent and otherwise. They didn't deserve the honorable death that his other enemies had met. He would slaughter them like the rabid animals they were!

"Captain?" The soft query came from the tent entrance behind him. Shang eased the death grip he had on his sharpening stone and deliberately continued in his movement of dragging the stone across metal.

"Go to sleep, Ping. You will need your energy for tomorrow's fight."

"As will you, Captain."

"I will sleep when I am finished here." Shang stated abruptly, attempting to shut Ping down with harsh words. For a moment it seemed to work as he heard Ping enter the tent and rustle around as she made herself comfortable on her sleeping pallet. He should have known better.

"Captain...are you alright?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" He answered, stubbornly refusing to answer her true question.

"Well...aren't you...cold?" Came the hesitant reply, taking him slightly by surprise. It wasn't the question he had expected to hear.

"Cold?" He asked, turning slightly to look at her where she lay, her blanket tucked tightly around her and pulled up so all he could see were her eyes and hair.

"It is snowing." She answered, sounding slightly defensive. Now that Shang was pulled out of his reverie it suddenly did register on him that the temperature had dropped considerably.

"I hadn't noticed." He answered truthfully.

Ping sent him an incredulous look, "How could you not? It's so cold I think my nose is going to fall off!"

This startled a laugh out of Shang, something he hadn't expected to be able to do any time soon considering the circumstances. A warm feeling of tenderness and gratitude filled his heart, causing him to smile down at her where she lay. He wasn't sure what kind of expression he had exactly, but it caused what he could see of her face to flush a brilliant red despite the cold. Clearing his throat slightly, he attempted to revert back to a more professional manner.

"Well, I was a little lost in thought but you're right. It's too cold to continue to stay up." As he spoke he sheathed his sword and replaced his sharpening stone where it belonged in his pack. After doing so, he slipped under his blankets on his sleeping mat and turned to face the girl who could make him happy no matter what circumstances they were in. She had gotten her blush under control and now he could see that she was shivering under her blanket. She truly was as cold as she said. He wished there was something he could do for her.

Well, there was one thing, but there was no way he could suggest that! His father had taught him that particular trick for if he was camping in the cold with another soldier and Ping certainly wasn't just any old soldier, being female and all that. However, Shang thought quietly, she doesn't know that I know that she's female. If she were any other soldier I would make that suggestion to them. It is a perfectly normal, logical thing to do when fighting against the cold.

"W-what are you t-thinking?" He heard Ping's quiet voice ask, teeth chattering.

Well that settled that. He would be a cruel Captain indeed if he knew a soldier was suffering from the cold as badly as she was and he didn't do what he could to help. In fact, her being female made the situation even more dire. Wasn't a man supposed to protect a woman? It would be the honorable thing to do in a situation such as theirs.

Having made up his mind he answered, "I was just remembering an old trick that my father taught me when we were camping in the snow. It's a good way to stay warm and I figured that we could give it a try." Shang saw instant curiosity light up Ping's eyes.

"W-what's the t-trick?" She asked eagerly.

Not needing any further encouragement, Shang sat up, grabbed the edge of his sleeping mat and proceeded to shuffle it sideways until it was directly next to Ping's.

"W-what are you doing?" Ping asked, trying to hide her nervousness and failing miserably. Laying back down, Shang lifted the side of his blanket that was closest to her in invitation.

"Here. We'll lay close together and share blankets. That way we'll both have two layers on top of us and we'll share the heat from our bodies."

"I...d-don't know about t-this..." Ping answered hesitantly.

"Come on. You're not getting any warmer and I'm just getting colder waiting like this. Besides, we're both guys here. It shouldn't be this big of a deal." Shang insisted, challenging her slightly, betting on the fact that she wasn't going to back down with her identity on the line. He watched as her eyes narrowed slightly at him then her mouth hardened into a determined line and she slowly began to edge closer.

When she was close enough, Shang reached over her with his blanket, settling that arm over her waist and pulling her closer until she was using his other arm as a pillow and was cuddled into the curve of his body. She gasped at their sudden closeness but didn't pull away from him as he had expected. Letting go of her waist momentarily, Shang re-arranged the blankets over them so they were completely covered by both blankets. Next he caught one of her small hands and pressed it between his warm chest and his hand.

Her reaction to his warmth was almost instantaneous. She automatically shifted closer until both of her hands and her freezing, little nose were pressed against his chest. He could feel her warm breath through the fabric of his tunic and fought down a shiver at the sensation.

"Better?" He whispered close to her ear, returning his arm to her waist and soaking in the warmth of her body. He had to fight down the urge to bury his face in her hair and breathe in her scent. He felt her nod in response.

"Are you sure this is alright, though?" She murmured sleepily after a long moment.

"Why wouldn't it be?" He whispered back, silently begging her not to move away.

"Well...you're my Captain, my superior. Isn't this kind of...over-stepping my rank?"

"Forget about rank. It's cold and we're just two soldiers trying to stay warm. If you really want to pull the whole "rank" card I'll just say that as your Captain I'm ordering you to share your warmth with me. I can't afford to get sick. After all, I have an army to lead."

Ping stifled a giggle in his tunic at his answer which made him smile.

"Now go to sleep before I'm forced to wallop you over the head!" He grumbled, oh-so-subtly pulling her closer as he spoke.

"Yes, Sir!" Her teasing answer came out muffled as she buried her cold face in his tunic once more. In only a couple of moments her breathing slowed into her sleep rhythm. Shang attempted to stay awake, determined to enjoy every last second of this rare opportunity, but before long it was all he could do to keep his eyes open. As he felt himself drift off he sent a silent plea to his ancestors, praying that tomorrow would bring victory and that someday soon he would be able to hold this wonderful woman again and call her his.

Aaaawwww! Aren't they just so darn cute?!