Author Note: I suddenly felt inspired to write this story after talking with Yukira Tsurama. I wanted to write a Dynasty Warriors story and I remember the Orb items in the fourth game, and this just developed naturally from the idea. So, staring Yue Ying, here is The Orbs of the Romance!

Chapter One: Cave of Thunder

Yue Ying stared at the entrance of the cave. Dark. Ominous. But so alluring she had to focus to keep from rushing to it. She came this far with a level head, and she wasn't about to abandon it yet. Zhuge Liang needed her level head now.

~Flashback~

"We are not prepared," Zhuge Liang told his officers in his tent, "That is the simply truth. Cao Cao's forces are ten times the size of our forces and Lord Liu Bei's troops will not arrive until two days after we believe the Wei army will strike. We can not escape because of our wounded. Our supplies are low and we are cut off from our allies. All we can do is prepare and try to hold them off until Lord Liu Bei can come to our aid."

Zhuge Liang looked at the assembled officers, "We will meet later today to plan. We should spend this morning looking over what supplies we do have left and anything else of value. You are dismissed."

"This is outrageous!" Zhang Fei slammed the table, "trapped like rats in a burning ship!"

Zhao Yun nodded as they and the other officers left. Yue Ying stayed and watched her husband. He sat staring at the map on the table and sighed. She moved over to him and touched his shoulder.

"I.... do not wish for this to be the end," Zhuge Liang said softly as he looked up at her, "But I feel despair clawing at my mind."

"It may not be, my dear," Yue Ying said, but she stopped. For some reason she felt uncomfortable telling him what she felt. Something she had never felt before with Zhuge Liang. He looked at her eyes in wonder.

"I had a dream last night. A dream with fire and chaos. It hurled across the land and consumed all before it. I tried to run, but it came from all sides. I tried to fight it, but it burned my weapon away. I too was consumed."

"You words do not comfort me, Yue Ying," Zhuge Liang said with a bit of amusement in his tone.

"But in the darkness that I fell into I felt a light. A small orb of some pale light floated before me and as I reached out to it I felt power flow into me. I raised my hand up and roared out against the chaos. It fled before my new might," Yue Ying grabbed the strategist's hands and looked deep into his eyes, "As the light came over me I saw I was in a cave. Looking out I saw a land not far from here. I feel this is a sign of something that can help us. I researched in your library when I woke and found and old tale of shining pieces of jade orb that were lost, spread across the land."

"And you think this dream showed you where an orb was?" Zhuge Liang asked skeptically.

"Yes! Zhuge Liang do you not see? The spirits have given us a gift and now I must go and claim our prize."

~end~

Zhuge Liang allowed her to go, as Yue Ying knew he would. She also knew part of his reasoning was to allow her to escape from the Wei forces. She refused to take any bodyguards. This was something she had to do alone.

The cave looked peace, but there was some hidden threat building in the back of her mind. There was power and danger in that cave. And she must go and face it.

She set down her pack and got out a torch. She entered the back with only the light and her weapon. If she failed in her quest then no food or provisions would help her.

Walking in silence for several hours the cave led Yue Ying deeper and deeper into the mountain. After some time the rough natural floor gave way to man made carved stairs. The walls were lined with pictures of battle and men holding up stones that shone light that caused whole armies to bow before them. The story continued with pictures of an Emperor standing triumphant over the Orb holders and casting them down. The orbs were then hidden in this cave and guarded for centuries.

'Until it was lost in time,' Yue Ying thought to herself. So the manuscript she found was true. And inside this cave was the Orbs.

She suddenly stopped as the tunnel opened up into a vast chasm. In the middle of the empty space several tall columns lead to a green platform. Six statues stood holding round stones. The Orbs were held to the side and the stone warriors held out weapons as a threat to anyone who would take their prizes.

"Well they'll just have to accept that I'll take their treasure," Yue Ying spoke aloud to the empty world and leaped onto one of the stepping columns. She quickly made her way to the center platform. As soon as she settled on the stone a light lit up at her feet and shot down into the abyss.

Thunder boomed in the chamber. Yue Ying covered her ears. She looked down and saw lightning streaking up to her. She rolled out of the way as the bolts struck the stone warriors. A green light lit up in their eyes and they began to move towards the intruder.

The first held a sword and slashed down at her. Using the staff section of her weapon she easily blocked the blow and twisted the blade away.

"You'll have to do better than that!" She yelled at her attacker.

With speed beyond that of humans the stone statues surrounded her in a semicircle, leaving her only way of escape off into the electrical abyss.

"Oh.... well that could prove a problem," she then took a battle position and held her weapon above her head, "For Shu!"

She rushed forward and used the Horizon to catapult herself over her earthen foes. As soon as she landed she kicked backward and struck a warrior in the leg and felt her foot go numb. Luckily the warrior did fall forward and using her blade she slashed at the orb in its hand.

The jade orb broke. It simply shattered as she tried to force it out of the stone fist. She stared down at the artifact until a kick in the stomach brought her back to reality and the floor.

"Aahh!" Yue Ying stared at the floor. Pain racking her already confused brain. The Orb broke! The Mystical Orb of Power simply shattered! What trouble had she gotten herself into?

A faint pale green light in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned slowly to stare at a stone female warrior holding a large halberd. The orb clutched in her hand shone slightly. Yue Ying leaned forward to get a better look and the warrior kicked her in the jaw.

Yue Ying fell back and stared up at the Stone Protector. She kept staring at the orb until she finally understood. The orb was covered in soot. The dirt disguised the jade as one of the other dark orbs. She broke a decoy! This was one of the Orbs! The other five Orbs must be in other places!

Given new strength Yue Ying kicked out and leaped to her feet. She swung the Horizon around her head and knocked down one of the fighters surrounding her. She looked down and saw that the stone statue whose orb she had destroyed lay dormant on the ground. The other orbs might not be the great fabled ones but they did have some power in them to move stone.

"Now," Yue Ying said taking up her battle stance once again, "Let's try this again...."

End! Next Chapter might actually be up really soon, I'm feeling inspired! Now, since you managed to read all the way down to here why don't you go ahead and review? Thanks!