Obligatory Disclaimer:

- I do not own Dynasty Warriors, Koei, or history. There's always wishful thinking though.

- I also did not make or own the awesome fan art used for the cover of this fic.

Happy reading.


1. 《 凶手 》 Assassin

"One, two, one, two, one, two–"

Zhao Yun chanted for the tenth time that day, clapping his hands together in a steady beat. As general of Shu's forces, he was responsible for training the men responsible for the security of the land. Combat, formation or discipline, they were all the same to the warrior - if any horse could learn to carry a man, then a man can learn to fight.

Or in this case, dance.

"I-I'm sorry! I thought you would turn to the left, and…" Jiang Wei lost count once more, perplexed. The diligent passion in his eyes faded into exasperation and borderline despair.

The Tiger General only smiled back. "Well this is a surprise. Finally, something that eludes your prodigious talents."

"But certainly time would be better spent on drilling the guards. We are here to impress them with our might, not our footwork!"

"Boyue… no lady is impressed with a man who steps on her feet. And you expect lords to look at you in awe?" Zhao Yun rose to his feet and stood before the indignant student.

"No, I-"

"Here. Let us start again. The handmaidens are busy with preparing the banquet, so I suppose I will have to do." He raised his hand, waiting for the other to take it. Jiang Wei stared at his superior, unsure of what to say or do.

"Go on now. Or do you expect the lady to take your hand?"

"Fine. My lady-" With reddened cheeks, Jiang Wei tried not to laugh. "May I have this dance?" The young man lowered his head and touched his lips to the other man's hand, soft skin grazing metal.

But the general's hand withdrew in one smooth motion, snaking around Jiang Wei's neck and twisting his body in a choke-hold against his chest. The captive could only protest in vain, unable to break free from the lethal embrace.

"There is also the possibility of assassins, you know. If you're too distracted by her pretty face, then you're as good as dead."

2. 《 头颈 》 Neck

According to the Chancellor, the best way to tame a young dragon was to stroke its neck.

Darting quickly under the cover of a moonless night, Boyue kept his sage advice in mind as he drew ever closer to his prey.

There, lying under the stars, was his dragon, so blissfully unaware of the world, of its dangers, and of him. And so Jiang Wei summoned all his courage and made a mad leap, pinning the creature down and assaulting his neck with a furious kiss - but the general only smiled and continued to feign sleep.

3. 《 凤眼 》 Hyacinth

Against the cloudy river, flowers of a gentle blue waved softly in the breeze. The two generals laid their weapons down a distance away from the riverbank and sat on the grass, savoring the peace.

"The hyacinth. Beautiful, isn't it?" Zhao Yun reached out to touch the petals, his fingers closing around the stem, ready to pluck it from the ground. Jiang Wei could not bear it; he spoke and stilled the man's hand.

"It was my mother's favorite."

"I… am sorry."

"No. It is I who must apologize."

"What for? You have rendered us a great service with your skills. I am honored to have you as an ally, Boyue."

"You would have a traitor for an ally. I am not deaf to what people say behind my back." The peace was long gone now; in its place, a sea of doubt that only grew deeper in the young general's mind.

"My lord trusts you. That is enough."

"But then why do you loiter around me all the time? Surveillance is an insult to a gentleman's honor - you all know I won't run away."

"Close your eyes."

"What? I-"

Boyue obeyed, frowning in confusion. Then he felt it - a soft warmth that touched his eyelids, first the right, then the left, before drifting down his lips. And in the darkness, he saw.

4. 《 虎口 》 Death's Maw

Liu Bei once said that Zhao Yun was a brave man through and through - courageous, dependable, and above all, fearless of death.

But one evening was all it would take to shatter this facade.

As he placed his lips on Boyue's own, the dragon understood what it meant to be afraid.

Tomorrow, they would face death. Yet here was something to live for.

5. 《 仁心 》 Benevolence

"You're training? We just won the war yesterday, Lord Zhao Yun. Surely you can take a well-deserved break?"

"Warriors always train. It's a way of life."

The sweat glistened on his skin; due to the summer heat, the general had taken to practicing without his armor, leaving his torso uncovered. In contrast, Jiang Wei wore a full formal Hanfu, complete with an official's headress.

"I'm thinking of becoming an official instead. After all, someone has to help the Chancellor handle all the paperwork."

"That's nice. Congratulations."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Yes."

"I suppose I'll leave you to your training. Looks like I'll only get in the way, anyway." And Jiang Wei turned his back to leave, already thinking of ways to get back at the dismissive general - only to find himself held from the back in a familiar chokehold. "H-hey!"

"I think some sparring is in order. We can't let Shu's officials get out of shape."

This time Jiang Wei is prepared; with a deft twist, he spun out of the hold and pushed the taller man down on his back, pinning him to the ground.

"That wasn't very benevolent of you, general."

"Well then… I suppose you've got to help me out here. What's benevolence?"

He answers with his mouth closed, pressed against the warrior's chest.


Author's Notes:

- The title at the beginning of each drabble is my amateur attempt at Chinese wordplay. They all have characters for parts of the body {手: hands, 头颈: neck (I couldn't think of anything witty for this one, alas), 眼: eyes, 口: mouth, 心: heart}.

- You can probably tell by the ending that I went with the hypothetical Shu victory scenario.

- I originally published this on my RP tumblr account, but then I decided to tweak it a bit and share it here.