Silk Flags
Disclaimer: I only own my original character, not any of the others or Koei.
Chapter One: A Pirate's Vow
Ancient China was a place of knowledge, mystery, magic, and madness. Families and their dynasties raged in and out of power. In a perpetual state of confusion and belligerence, these leaders ironically strove to bring peace to China. They sought to unite the land under them, disposing of anyone who might believe other wise. Our story takes place during this time, the time of three warring kingdoms, on a pirate ship at sea.
This particular ship was alive with activity. Men were constantly adjusting sails, cleaning the deck, mending gaps, and searching. It was a constant search, be the search for merchant vessels, other pirate ships, navy ships, and personal belongings. In all the motion, one pirate slipped below deck and into his hard-earned cabin.
The pirate pulled his trademark string of bells looser around his waist and kicked off his boots in his quarters. Standing gracefully, he strode to admire himself in the mirror before tightening the bandanna that held his brown hair up away from his intense yet emotionless hazel eyes. "I have too many tattoos…" he remarked, examining his extensively tattooed and tanned torso. "Damn captain, he isn't worth my time." Glancing up at the mirror, he looked away from his reflection. Instead he began tracing his fingers along his tattoos, specifically up his left arm. It's like I've got a damn storybook on me, he thought to himself.
His fingers danced lightly over his skin, following a twisting dragon that ended on his chest. The pirate paused over a bare patch of skin on his breast, directly over his heart. It was large enough for another tattoo, yet none occupied it. He knew what belonged there. The intensity behind the pirate's hazel eyes softened and he touched the bare place. As swiftly as the softness arrived, it left as a knock rang from the door. "Come in!" yelled the pirate, standing gracefully and allowing the intensity and the absence of what he referred to as "womanly emotions" to return. A second pirate entered nearly soundlessly. "Ah, Su Fei! I see you have found me."
Su Fei laughed. "There are only a few places you'll linger while on this ship. I know you too well, Gan Ning." Su Fei shut the door behind him and strode to sit on the edge of the small bed occupying the cramped cabin. Gan Ning pulled a stool and sat facing his friend.
"So what might be the reason for your need to see me?" he asked, smirking confidently. "Is there a battle on the horizon?" Gan Ning glanced over at his beautiful blade, a large dao he affectionately referred to as 'Sea Master'. He felt it was the greatest sword he'd ever owned. Su Fei noticed the look of admiration the pirate gave his sword and laughed.
"There always is. More importantly, food won't be ready for hours and I needed someone who has liquor! Where's your stash?" Su Fei mused, scanning the room with his alert eyes. His face fell when he found no evidence of alcohol.
Gan Ning laughed. "I'm not going to get it when you're here; you'll come back and steal it!" He stood and waved his hands at his friend, motioning for him to leave the cabin. Su Fei groaned and rolled his eyes, effectively leaving the cabin as childlike as possible. Gan Ning grinned and shook his head. After he was sure the door was shut tight, he reached below his cot where Su Fei had just been sitting and pulled out a box filled with bottles of wine. One had already been opened. Seating himself comfortably on his stool, he positioned the box of liquor beside him. "All right, Su Fei, you can come back in and enjoy your wine!" Whipping open the door, the other pirate whooped and jumped back on the bed. Gan Ning tossed him a bottle of wine, already taking a swig from the opened one. The two toasted each other and drank.
A few bottles later, Su Fei and Gan Ning were slurring their speech. Their speech was anything that came to their head. While in this stage of inebriation, Su Fei and Gan Ning began marveling at their past, using their tattoos as reference. Gan Ning leaned closer and squinted at Su Fei's chest. "You have the woooomanman one," Gan Ning remarked, tapping at Su Fei's heart. Su Fei looked down surprised.
"I do! Funny story about that one too," Su Fei grinned. "An' you're gonna hear it."
Gan Ning laughed, "Looks like I'm going to need more wine!"
Su Fei glared at him and took a swig of his third bottle. "You'd say something like that, seeing as you don't have it." Su Fei pointed accusingly at his friend. Gan Ning stared down at the bare patch he had examined only a few hours or so before. He looked away, sadness skipping across his face. Su Fei didn't notice this, already busy remarking, "Ah, so you have not loved a woman! The Great Gan Ning of the Bells has yet to love a woman! You may be the best at poking people with the sharp thingy over there, but that does not deter from the fact that the Pirate with Silken Sails has yet to feel the touch of a woman's love!" Su Fei burst into a raucous, drunken laughter. Gan Ning fumed and finished off his fourth bottle of wine.
Slamming his bottle on the floor of the cabin, Gan Ning growled, "I have no time for women of love." He paused and grinned, "Only concubines!!" Both men laughed boisterously and Su Fei finished his third bottle and set it aside.
"We need to mutiny or something...I can't stand this month-long hiatus of women," Su Fei remarked, belching midway through his sentence. He groaned and massaged his temples, swaying slightly. "Ooh…In the morning, I'm going to be wishing for a month-long absence of hangovers."
Gan Ning patted his friend on the shoulder and laughed. "Ah, you never could hold your liquor, my friend."
Su Fei rolled his eyes. "I forget we all do not have iron livers like you, O Great Gan Ning." Frustrated, Su Fei stood shakily to his feet. "Now would be the perfect time for me to find some of the women we mentioned earlier. I'm gonna tell Huang-y m'boy to look for port! This crew deserves women tonight!" Gan Ning laughed as his friend struggled to walk the five feet to the cabin door. Su Fei glared at back at his pirate comrade and slammed the door. As soon as Su Fei's incoherent mumbling was gone, Gan Ning hid his wine again and slumped on his bed.
Su Fei...why did you have to remind me of my lonliness? Just when the buzz was finally beginning to kick in...Gan Ning thought to himself. He knew many men on the crew had wives and children, along with parents or even grandparents, waiting their return. While not all had wives, the others had ladies at home which they would soon return to continue courtship and marry. All the others had some kind of family, people who would mourn them when they died. Gan Ning knew if he was killed, only his blade would miss him.
Why do I pester myself with these depressing thoughts? No woman will ever love me...no. No woman will even think I can be loved. My hands have been bloodied and stained too many times to deserve such a luxury as companionship. Solitude...true solitude...this is what I have gained from fighting for so long. Only when I fight can I forget my loneliness, Gan Ning thought silently. He clenched his fist in resolution. "I will fight, not only to forget my solitude...," he growled, brusquely standing. He strode to his Sea Master. Thrusting it into the air, he finished his vow. "...but to find a way to end it!"
Thanks for reading! Ha ha some of you may have noticed that I had put up a version before. I was having a little trouble editing it and the disclaimer was all drawn out to the point that it was painful. This was the shiny new version hooray! Thanks again and review if you've got the time :)