(Disclaimer: The movie was great and everything, but sadly, none of it is mine.)
Fanfiction: Twisting The Tides
Summary: What if Jing had chosen Xiao Wei instead? Bunch of one shots, all centering around Xiao Wei and Jing, and what would have happened if something changed at one point of the movie.
Warnings: Fem-Slash, Lesbians-whatever you call it, violence, extreme drama. This is JingWei (Xiao Wei and Jing)
I promise my HP fanfics are not abandoned, they just seem to get longer and longer actually, since I've been typing whenever I have spare time and haven't really been able to organise. Add to the fact that exams are coming soon, I started cello lessons a few months ago and have been dealing witha lotof stress…
Skin for a Heart
"If you go to Tian Lang country, you will suffer so much you will want to die."
"I just want to know what it feels to be human."
The admission slipped eagerly and desperately from her lips before she could stop herself. How low had she fallen, a demon begging from a human. But then, Xiao Wei so badly wanted to be human, and she was too far now to take them back.
Jing was shocked into silence. Seeing a demon, a proud, powerful, cunning beast reduced to such a state left her wordless. The beautiful woman was kneeling in front of her, gazing desperately into her face, pale skin shivering from the aftermath of the ice.
Hearing no reply, Xiao Wei bowed her head, eyes slipping to the ground. She had failed. She had come so far, suffered so much, and still she was unable to receive a willingly given heart. Even after telling her past to a stranger (who looked so much like Pei Rong) hoping to gain some understanding, she was still doomed to be a demon.
She would never feel the warmth of the sun on her face, nor see how beautiful a sunset really was. She would never cry in joy or happiness, or weep in sorrow. The ice would soon catch her, and she would be dragged back to that cold, cold prison, doomed to suffer for eternity. She would never experience love.
Abruptly, she stood, leaving the still silent princess gazing after her slumped shoulders, as she gathered her Pi Pa and retreated to a corner of the room to sleep. She gazed at the wall, fingernails clawing into her arms as she tried to keep from going back to Jing, to just accept her humiliation, and the empty, dull ache where she should have felt sorrow.
Unwillingly, her mind flashed back to Pei Rong and Wang Sheng, 500 years ago. To a time when she was still free, and was so close to being loved. To see their faces again, to know that Pei Rong, no, Jing had once again managed to earn the love of a man willing to die for her and not the ugly, horrible demon, was like a slap in the face.
Her fingers tightened until they drew blood, and still she was unable to sleep.
Jing's mind whirled. She had thought that Xiao Wei wanted Huo Xin's heart, but as it turned out, it was her own that she was after.
A demon she may be, but it appeared that she was simply desperate to be loved. After suffering so much, it was no wonder the beautiful woman had become desperate to become human somehow. Demons could not be loved, but humans could right?
Shooting a worried glance at Xiao Wei's back, her thoughts wandered to Huo Xin. Suddenly, the feelings stirred up by him seemed to pale in comparison to the fluttering in her stomach ever since Xiao Wei had first entered the bath with her. Her face burned and she tried desperately to erase the stirrings inside her heart.
No, I love Huo Xin. He's perfect, and courageous and brave, and beautiful.
But so is Xiao Wei.
She stood up, and walked on shaky legs to the other corner of the room, lay down and fell into a troubled sleep.
Hours later, the demon rose gracefully from the floor. She gathered her clothes, wrapped her Pi Pa, and was about to leave when a thought made her pause.
Once she left the room, without the safety of Jing's warmth, she was completely vulnerable to the ice.
She turned swiftly and walked until she reached the princess, gazing at the face and tracing the outline of the golden mask, not daring to make a sound.
Lately, she had developed a fondness for the scarred woman, which had made her plans that much more difficult. After the previous night however…
Instead of the soft amusement and warmth she usually got, all she could feel was despair, pain and… longing?
The last emotion brought the fox demon to a pause. Longing. It felt similar to her longing to be a human, yet different at the same time. She had been disappointed after Jing's silence, hurt even, but that had been when she realised she would forever be doomed to stay a human.
This however, was a lot like the feeling years ago, when Wang Sheng was still alive. It was stronger, and burned fiercer and brighter. She wondered how she had ever managed to ignore it before. It seemed her desperation to fulfil her desire had blinded her to this emotion.
She had fallen in love with the strong, brave and beautiful princess. She had fallen truly and deeply for the scared woman, and the thought of leaving through the door now seemed nearly unbearable.
Despair washed over her immediately. There was no future for her here, just like there was no future before with Wang Sheng. She was a demon, she killed humans to survive. Once word got out that she was not really a person like the rest, they would be out to kill her immediately.
Besides, Jing had made it clear that she only desired a life with Huo Xin.
Her courage regathered, she strode out the doors without a second thought.
Jing woke up at the crack of dawn. She shot up and checked the room, but Xiao Wei had already left hours before. All traces of her stay were gone, save for the smell of azaleas lingering on her clothes.
The revelation caused a sharp pain to run through her. She shakily took off the outermost layer of her robing, and brought it close to her, burrowing her face in the fabric.
Xiao Wei.
The only thing she could think of was the quiet expression of acceptance she had glimpsed from the entertainer, which she had only seen once before on a soldier just as he launched a suicidal plan that ultimately led to her army's victory in battle.
She realised with a start that without her, the demon stood no chance against the ice. She would be frozen and brought back to be tortured again for who knows how many years.
Tears dropped slowly onto her yellow clothes, as she thought only of Xiao Wei, sitting somewhere and playing her Pi Pa as the ice slowly crept up her hands and to her face.
There was nothing to do now. Xiao Wei was gone, and Jing had a marriage to fulfil. It was her duty, to her country and her people as their princess. To Huo Xin, because he almost died for her.
She wiped away her tears, dressed and left the room with a heavy heart.
Try as she might, the demon was unable to leave the princess out of her sights for long.
She had been sitting on a meadow, leaning against a rock and playing a song on her instrument when Qu Er had found her and alerted her to the danger the princess was in.
Xiao Wei had then asked Qu Er to take her to Jing, and not long after, the entertainer was being carried by Qu Er's claws in her fox form.
They had soon arrived to a chaotic scene, with Jing hanging in chains and Huo Xin leading his rapidly depleting troops in a rescue for the princess. Qu Er released her claws, letting the white fox drop through the air as the Witch Doctor raised his dagger to Jing's heart.
Transforming mid-air, the demon landed on the Witch Doctor, and a struggle soon ensued. Pang Lang, the demon hunter tried his best to help, but soon gave up and went to assist Huo Xin.
Eventually, Xiao Wei managed to stab her claws through his stomach, but not before the man had sliced a deep gash in her abdomen. Having not eaten any hearts recently, she stumbled weakly towards Jing, releasing the scarred woman from her bonds and laying her down gently onto the ground. She managed a few steps before falling to her knees, and laying down in an ever increasing pool of blood.
"Jie Jie!"Qu Er cried out. She rushed to the weakening demon, hands scrabbling to the wound. "Let me help you," she babbled, "What do you need? I can get you a heart, look, there's so many people around, don't worry, please, don't leave me alone…"
Xiao Wei breathed in deeply, closing her eyes briefly before gazing upwards to the eclipse. "It will not work, Qu Er," she murmured, "I am too weak, even were I to eat a thousand hearts now, I will still die." Her voice grew fainter and her body started to once again cover in ice.
Huo Xin had rushed to Jing's side, avoiding glancing at the dying woman nearby, cradling Jing in his arms. "Princess! Jing!"
Jing woke up slowly, tired but alert. She smiled up at Huo Xin, before realising that she could hear someone crying out in anguish.
"Xiao Wei, don't die, please!"
She froze, whipping her head to the side and watching in horror at the bleeding figure on the ground. The masked princess made a move to get up, but Huo Xin shouted.
"Jing," he worriedly said. "Jing, don't move, you're still weak. That woman is a demon, you were right. I was under her spell the whole time, I was charmed by her beauty. Don't go near her!"
"She's a good person!" Jing snapped back, pushing the general away from her. She crawled slowly towards Xiao Wei. "She deserves to be loved!"
Huo Xin dazed and in pain, simply watched as the princess stubbornly crawled over the stone ground. When she reached the body of Xiao Wei, Qu Er watching sadly, Jing's heart broke in two.
Faintly, as if it was very far away, Xiao Wei could hear Jing's voice. She couldn't remember ever closing her eyes, but she tried her best to open them again. Her eyelids felt like lead.
"Xiao Wei!"
Her vision was growing blurry and she could barely feel her frozen, but somehow the fox managed to turn her head and was met with a tearful face with a golden mask.
"Your Majesty… Jing…" Her voice was so soft, Jing had to strain her ears. She lay down until she was face to face with the demon, and shakily brushed the fallen hair away from her face.
"Xiao Wei," she hugged the demon towards her, and whispered in her ear. "I-"
Xiao Wei smiled into the princess' neck, head dropping as she no longer had the strength to support it.
Jing froze before sitting up and shaking the icy body. "Xiao Wei! Xiao Wei!"
After a few minutes, the masked woman simply hugged the body tightly and cried. The pain in her heart ached fiercely, nothing could stop the demon's sure death.
A hand on her shoulder startled her, and she glared at Pang Lang.
"Princess, I want to offer my heart to Xiao Wei."
Jing stared in shock before croaking out, "Really? You would do that?"
Pang Lang shot a teary glance at the dumbfounded Qu Er, replying, "Yes, because she deserves a heart, and I want Qu Er to be happy."
Qu Er walked over to Pang Lang and slapped him, snapping, "Idiot! Are you really that eager to give up your human life!"
Pang Lang shook his head, smiling. "Qu Er, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. If that means becoming a demon, that is perfectly fine with me. We need to hurry, Xiao Wei is dying, hurry and transfer my heart!"
Jing sat back while Qu Er began the hurried process of transferring the demon hunter's heart to the fox. She turned to Huo Xin.
"Do you love her?" His voice was strong, but not unkind.
"Yes." She gazed back firmly, receiving a small smile in response just before the general passed out.
When it was done, Qu Er regretfully took Pang Lang, flying away to find some hearts before he went crazy. "Take care of Xiao Wei or I will come back and kill you!" She threatened. Jing rushed towards Xiao Wei, the body now completely covered in ice. Even as she hugged her, the ice on the demon's body did not melt, nor did she awaken. A glance at the sky revealed that the solar eclipse was almost over.
"No…" the scarred woman whimpered. She lay the body down on the ground and cradled it close, placing a palm on the icy cold hair.
"Please." She whispered. "I love you." The golden mask was taken off, and she pressed her lips gently onto cold, unresponsive ones.
The two women were lifted in the air slowly in the air, until they were bathed in the lukewarm glow of the eclipse, a bright light engulfing their bodies. It flared once before disappearing, and two figures dropped gently at a slow pace from the sky.
Once again on the ground, Jing sat breathless and exhausted, with Xiao Wei's head in her lap. She bowed her own head, the hair becoming a curtain to hide her sorrowful expression. It hadn't worked…
Feeling slowly came back to the fox demon's senses. Am I dead?
Slowly, Xiao Wei opened her eyes, seeing Jing above her. She froze at the crumpled expression, sorrow pouring out of the princess. A sudden ache in her chest made her gasp softly.
Startled, Jing stared into Xiao Wei's bewildered expression, before scooping her into an embrace in one smooth motion. "Xiao Wei," she breathed, her expression full of awe and caring.
Xiao Wei, still confused, hesitantly put her arms around the trembling warrior. Something hot and salty slid down her cheeks and into her slightly agape mouth.
Tears?She tilted her head up, and basked in the warmth of the sun. So this is what death is. How wonderful. If I had known that dying would mean feeling human and being with Jing, I would have died earlier.
"You're not dead." The voice jerked her out of her musings, and she met the tearful smile of the princess. "You're very much alive."
Jing watched in surprise as Xiao Wei laughed, a bitter scornful thing, filled with anguish.
"Of course," she whispered. "How could I forget. This ice muse have gotten to me after all, and this is my new torture. I wonder, how will this end? Taunting me with what I couldn't have? Or showing me Jing's death, reminding me of my failure. Seeing as I can cry, this fake princess is here, it is probably both. This is a new level of cruel."
The princess snatched the demon's hand and placed it in her clothes, directly on top of her breast, and cradled the woman's head in her hands. Staring straight into her eyes, she slowly and deliberately told her, "I am alive. Feel my heart beat, Xiao Wei." She watched with fascination as the woman's cheeks turned pink and her eyes widened.
"Impossible." The former demon replied.
"Pang Lang saved you. Qu Er transferred his heart to you, and the solar eclipse turned you human. I'm sure you can feel your own heart beat."
Xiao Wei concentrated, and Jing felt a big smile break out as the most beautiful expression of awe and wonder appeared on her beloved's face. The newly turned human pulled her hand back and placed it over her heart, fingers trembling, and she gasped sharply when she felt the resounding beats of her heart inside her chest.
Xiao Wei looked up at the princess with the utmost gratitude and love before flinging her arms around Jing's neck, sending them falling towards the ground. Without a second thought, Xiao Wei pushed her lips against the scarred woman, who responded with equal intensity.
"I love you," Jing breathed out.
Xiao Wei gave a tiny, bright smile before replying, "I love you too."