I wrote this fic on impulse, in just three minutes. I hope you enjoy it.

Those Eyes

Our forces have marched off to battle, yet we as women are forced to stay at base.

Even Shang Xiang, who clamored with Lord Sun Quan day and night, cannot avoid this fate.

I sigh... Quan has grown so cold... He is nothing like Ce...

Nothing like the man I loved.

As I hear Shang Xiang grunt, slamming her weight against a tree and actually breaking off pieces of the bark with each kick, I shake my head and walk towards my quarters.

That's when I hear it... The sound of sobs... It's a familiar voice, my sister's, and I rush to investigate.

"Gongjin... You... You leave me here to watch over our three, and you run off without asking me how I feel... I don't know whether you'll be dead tomorrow, whether our children will lose their father, all because of your stupid eagerness for war..." She sobs as I hide outside the doorway.

I peek in, and at that moment, she looks up and our eyes meet. Then I see them...

Those eyes...

I had those same eyes, once... My husband fell when vindictive assassins attacked him one night. He was stabbed in the chest but stood and fought, breaking their noses and forcing one of his attackers to curl in pain while he fell.

Those assassins were executed, but killing them did not bring my husband back.

And now my little sister has those same eyes.

Zhou Yu, her husband, has gone off to war. He swore brotherhood with my husband, and has proven to be a fine brother-in-law. Sometimes I think he really is my brother, too. Yet, yet I can't forgive him for not comforting my sister, his wife, when she needed him most... Because he's become so excited about defeating Cao Cao and protecting our homeland, he's run off to battle, but would it kill him to stay back for a few moments and tell his wife that everything will be fine? Would it kill him to comfort us before he goes off to war?

I clench my fists at the thought, but immediately release them and rush to my sister's side.

"It's ok, Xiao... Gongjin will return. He always has... He will return and bring us news of the enemy's defeat..."

"But then he'll just go off to war again! It... It never ends, does it...?" My sister sobbed, staring at me with pure despair.

"No..." I grit my teeth. "He will not 'just walk away' again. Because when he comes here I will hit him in the face. I will show him your pain if necessary... He should know full well that leaving a loved one to cry alone is a terrible sin for a father and husband."

Xiao Qiao shivered slightly. "Sister..."

I smiled at her. "There, there... You have me... We'll confront him together when he comes..."

Her cries lightened softly, and I looked up at the window, towards the stars beyond. I began to mutter a few words as I fell into a trance.

"Heaven, will you bring everyone back safely? Will there be an end to these wars? Can my sister find a lasting peace in her husband's arms once more?

"Please, Deities of Heaven, grant my sister that which I never had..."


Yes, I don't hate Xiao Qiao. I know I've killed her off in a fic already and I've shafted her in favor of my favorite pairing often, but I feel really guilty about that now. I really do like Da Qiao more, though, so this fic is in honor of both of them and their loves.