Disclaimer: I don't own Koei or Dynasty Warriors. I own zilch. Nothing. Zero. So leave me alone!

This isthe first one-shot of this collection that I originally did for PyroDragon- I'm not a huge fan of this pairing so it was a first. I just though it'd be a nice break from doing my main fic Crazy Days In Wu. I tried to do romance... I don't really write fluffy stuff. Hey, it was worth a try! So anyway here it is, and I apologise for making Sun Ce look like an idiot and very stupid. It was purely for the purpose of this fic. Enjoy!

Crushed Beauty

Da Qiao decided that enough was enough. She couldn't take any more. Why had she even married that big oaf in the first place? Sun Ce drove her crazy most of the time, and there was only so much she could take. He would always come back drunk from victory parties, and when he was away, she knew that he slept with other women. It was quite obvious from the way he treated her sometimes. Her sister Xiao would always boast about how much Zhou Yu loved her and bought her pretty presents- Da couldn't remember the last time Ce ever did something romantic for her. The last time he probably did anything like that was when he proposed to her, but the romance was short lived. Everything changed after that.

What she longed for was someone who treated her right. Someone who treated her with respect for once, and didn't treat her like some kind of trophy wife. It was hard to find that kind of man, especially in Ancient China, and Da had certainly tried. She couldn't find anyone like that, so when Ce asked for her hand in marriage, she just accepted, worried that she'd end up unmarried for the rest of her life. But now she was married, and Da found that marriage with Ce was so unfulfilling. She'd spend all day in the castle with little to do, except hanging out with Xiao. Da wanted someone who'd spend time with her, not because they had to. She sighed as she sat on a bench in the Wu garden under the sun. It was a lovely day, and Ce didn't even want to take a walk with her, so she had shouted at him, calling him a lazy husband (not that he was listening). It was about time she had let all of her anger out. She hated him. Despised him more like. If only she could find someone else… or was it too late?

Inside his room Lu Xun sat on his bed reading through some battle plans. The whole of Wu were due to go to Chi Bi in a few weeks and Xun always liked to be prepared well in advance. He was hoping to follow in the footsteps of his mentor Zhou Yu, and he also wanted to prove to everyone else that age simply doesn't matter when it comes to strategic genius. With his intelligence and expertise with his weapon of choice (his two twin sabers) he thought he was unstoppable. He had it all- an military career with excellent prospects, a nice place to live in a huge castle, and he was always surrounded by friends. Any other man would've been perfectly happy, but there was a space in Lu Xun's heart for something more. Something like love…

Throughout his entire life Lu Xun had concentrated on his studies and physical training. His peers always said that he would grow to accomplish great things. But what about a wife, and a family? There was more to life than battle, and Lu Xun wanted to see that side of life. He had been thinking about it even more recently- what if he was going to die in Chi Bi? Would there be anyone who would miss him greatly and weep tears of sadness? Was he doomed to be lonely forever? Lu Xun sighed and closed his book before standing up, stretching, and walking over to the large window in his room.

It was a lovely day outside- the sun was shining and the sky was a clear blue shade. Perfect for a walk Xun thought, so he reached to the side to grab his sabers. From the corner of his eye he saw, outside in the courtyard, Da Qiao run from inside the castle and to a nearby bench. She looked upset- Xun could see her tears and tear-stained face from where he stood. He knew that she and Sun Ce must've had another argument… he would've hurt Ce for that if he hadn't been so kind natured. Ce was also hurting him too- it pained Xun greatly to see Da upset like that. On many occasions he had been there for her and comforted her, and offered his words of advice. He wanted to tell her so much that she should just ditch him and go for someone else- someone better who would treat her right. Someone who would support her no matter what happened. Someone who could protect and love her like the beauty she was, both inside and outside. Someone like him…

"What kind of husband is he anyway?" Da cried quietly to herself. She used a sleeve from her dress to wipe away some of her tears but she couldn't stop the flow. She was too upset…she just wanted to be alone for a bit. No one understood her emotions except for Lu Xun, and he wasn't around. She relied on him to be a shoulder to cry on and she was surprised that he didn't mind. He'd always ask her how she was coping and she'd always give an honest answer. Sun Ce was too much of a dimwit to understand the complex female mind- he was just best for battle. That was where his mind was most of the time.

Just as she took a deep breath to try and get herself together she heard some footsteps from behind. It wasn't her sister Xiao- the footsteps were too heavy. Plus Xiao was probably too busy admiring her husband. That meant it was a man…

"Look Sun Ce, if you've come to apologise, you can just-"

"Da Qiao, have you had another argument with Lord Sun Ce?"

Da turned around, and was pleased to see that instead of Sun Ce, was the more friendly face of Lu Xun. She smiled at him, and patted the bench for him to sit down next to her. He nodded and took a seat.

"Are you alright?"

Da nodded. "I should be. It's just that, well…" She trailed off, and a tear fell from her eye.

"You can tell me, Da. I'll listen. I always do" Xun moved closer to her and took a handkerchief out of his vest pocket ready to start mopping up the stream of tears. He was about to hand it to her when he found she had already started crying into his right arm. This was the usual routine- first she'd cry bucket loads, then the talking would begin. Lu Xun didn't mind, as long as she was safe from her 'husband'.

"Have I been completely stupid Xun?" she wailed. "Why did I let it get this far?"

"It's not your fault Da. I mean, it's not like you asked to be treated like that." Lu Xun gently moved her head and gave her a hug. He heard her sigh as she hugged him back. "Not all men are like that."

That was something Da could definitely agree on. She had met some lovely guys in her time, and she did regret not getting to know them better. It seemed that wherever she looked all of the other couples she saw were happier. Her relationship with Ce just didn't seem completely happy. She longed for a man who she could just talk to and connect with, and that wasn't what she had with Ce. He would most often go into a world of his own and talk about weapons and war- nothing intellectual. Conversations with him were a bit empty and she got bored easily. There was only one person who fitted all of her criteria…

"Xun?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever felt that you've made one of the biggest mistakes of your life?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, have you had an amazing opportunity but thrown it away? I mean, what if everything in your life had been one big sham up until this point, and you wished you could go back and change everything?"

"Are you talking about your marriage Da?"

She nodded, and buried her head into his arm again. Of course she was talking about that- nothing else in her life had gone wrong. If only she could go back and choose someone else, someone like… Lu Xun.

Da often wondered why Lu Xun was still available. He was clever, intelligent, and around the same age as her- seemed perfect really, but it was impossible to tell how a relationship would go.

"Lu Xun?" she asked him.

"Yes Da?"

"Why are you still single?"

Lu Xun had to stop and pause. He wasn't one of those people who just confessed his feelings. But he had felt this way for far too long. And he didn't know how much more he could take of seeing Da like this. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to tell her how he felt. It might make her feel better he thought as he gathered all of the courage in him.

"I'm single because I can't have the person I feel so strongly for. She needs someone else, and I think I can be that someone else." Xun lowered his head- he had never opened up to anyone before, not even the other generals. He was just one of those people who bottled their feelings up and kept them secret from the rest of the world.

Da looked up at him. She didn't know he had feelings for anyone else. She thought that her last hopes were dashed completely. If she couldn't have him, who could she have? She had no interest in the other generals and no one was as kind, thoughtful or caring as he was. "So who is this girl that you feel so strongly for?" she asked as she dried her face. "Is it Xiao? I know she used to have a crush on you…"

"Xiao is too child-like for me. And she's very happy with Zhou Yu as it is."

"Sun Shang Xiang?"

"Do you know what Gan Ning would do to me if he found out about that one? The pirate's smitten with her and would probably kill me! Plus she's too wild for me. She's not my type…" He looked down at Da. "There's someone who is though."

"Who?"

"You."

The tears came again as Da felt something that she hadn't felt for a long time- sheer happiness. She beamed a wide smile and spread her arms out. She then wrapped them around Lu Xun. Lu Xun couldn't help but smile too- for the first time he felt like he was in love… He didn't know whether or not to tell her that. He still didn't know how she felt about him.

"I love you Xun!"

Lu Xun was a little bit shocked to say the least. No one had said that to him… ever. But these words were from Da, and that meant everything to him.

"I love you too Da, and I always will." He hugged her tightly holding her close to him. He was happy in the hug, but Da was more than happy. She pulled his head close to hers and attached her lips to his, locking them in a passionate kiss. All of their hidden feelings were revealed, and they couldn't believe that it had taken them this long. Da felt like the world had stopped and the only two people left at that moment were her and Lu Xun. She couldn't have cared less about Sun Ce- he could go to hell for all she cared. What mattered now was that she was happy. She had finally found someone worth staying with. Lu Xun was her perfect man… and it was just the beginning of her new life with her new love.