Disclaimer: I do not own Dynasty Warriors by KOEI. If I did, I would beg Hollywood to make a film with them in it. All I own for this collection of bonus chapters are my OCs: Umeko, Barako and Haruka.

Story notes to keep in mind: Definitely AU - takes place in a fictional Japanese High School in modern times (inspired by the DLC school costume pack for Dynasty Warriors), romance, fluff, teenage drama and angst and some possible OOC (depending on personal interpretation).

Recommendation: Best to read Beautiful Cinderella: A High School Story to familiarize with general plot of the story. However, if you just want to delve into Xiao Qiao's thoughts in school and at the masquerade ball and whether she'll prevail and finally have her beloved prince, Zhou Yu...I'm fine with it too!

Main characters:

Xiao Qiao: Shoukyou

Zhou Yu: Shuu Yu

Da Qiao: Daikyou

Sun Ce: Son Saku

Other characters in Bonus Scene 1 are as follows:

Cai Wenji: Sai Bunki (mention)

Bao Sanniang: Hou Sanjou (mention)

Author's notes: Here it is! I'm posting this ahead of my work placement and to give me motivation to finish as soon as I finish studying my course and hopefully pass! The first of the 9 bonus scenes written for my beloved DW Da Qiao and Sun Ce story Beautiful Cinderella: A High School Story! They are written in Xiao Qiao's POV and each bonus scene will indicate the intended chapter in the original story so we can delve into her thoughts and happenings in there :) will she get her beloved Shuu Yu by the end of the collection? I would recommend reading the said story to get an idea how the main story goes. Let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Bonus Scene 1 - The Royal Masquerade Ball is Coming!

(Takes place in chapter 1)

I was in my final year in junior high school and in the prime of my life. I was the star ribbon dancer of my school gymnastics team with friends that were too many to count. I was blessed with an immaculate fashion sense and cute looks to die for. I was constantly fawned and admired by many other dashing boys in my year. I excelled in sports and art but lacked the academic drive in English and Science. All in all, I thrived on the praises and admiring stares that came my way. This was who I was and this was how my classmates and teachers see me.

But there were also certain things they didn't know about me. There were only two girls named Umeko-chan and Barako-chan within my large circle of friends who I considered to be my best friends; they were close cousins. I honestly didn't like being chased by boys who thought they could lure me with insincere love declarations and cheap gifts. While some people thought that I could excel as an athlete after school, my real dream was to write stories for little children even though I had trouble with my creative writing in English. But most of all, they didn't know the extent on how much I loved and admired Daikyou, my wise, wonderful and beautiful onechan.

Onechan and I were a few years apart yet we shared a deep sisterly bond despite being total opposites. Onechan was everything I wasn't. She was a mature, serious and shy girl. She was also a brilliant pianist and a dedicated member in the Literature Society Club in school. On top of that, she was a model high school student; hardworking, intelligent, studious and respectful to teachers and fellow students alike. But most importantly to me, she was a kind and loving big sister and I couldn't ask for anyone else better to fit that role.

Besides me, she had her best friends Sai Bunki-chan and Hou Sanjou-chan who were the only high school girls who were sweet and kind to me. But the other girls were jealous of Daikyou's brilliance and conscientious efforts in her studies. They talked behind her back and belittled her prim appearance to make her blind of the true beauty she possessed. It pained me that Daikyou really took those hurtful words to heart. But it also angered me when they questioned how I could be related to her since we were so different from each other. How dare they!

To ease from the hurt, onechan sought solace in music and books...written words and musical melodies made her feel safe...and it was hard to detach her from them once she got stuck in...but then again, it was my role to make sure that onechan didn't get too stuck in and had fun every once in a while. After all, that's what little sisters were for!

While Otousan often told the both of us that we were equal in looks, I always knew that onechan was the most beautiful between us. It suited me just fine. Cuteness was more of my forte anyway.

The opportunity to give onechan a chance to shine came when one of my closer friends was circulating a poster about a super-rare, once-in-a-lifetime golden masquerade ball...

"Shoukyou-chan! Look! I bet you'll be really interested in this!" I had just finished packing my schoolbag to see Umeko-chan excitedly waving a poster in front of me, "There's going to be a masquerade ball on White Day!"

I squealed with excitement and snatched the poster from her. I eagerly scanned it. I loved parties! Especially when it had to do with princesses! It showed pictures of pretty princesses wrapped in the arms of their handsome princes. The romantic side of me swelled at the beauty of it. I read the elegant script: 'The Royal Masquerade Ball: Come one, come all! Please RSVP at the school office by 24th February. Masks will be provided!'. The venue was to be held in the new drama theater in the school gardens. I had been there once and it was a very wondrous venue.

"Wow! It even says that us junior high students can participate and it's on Saturday! What luck!" Barako-chan exclaimed when she read the poster over my shoulder, "We definitely have to go!"

"Umeko-chan, Barako-chan! This is perfect!" I exclaimed excitedly, "This is a chance for onechan and I to truly bond further and become real princesses! Now we can catch up on shopping and I can finally use this chance to make her shine and-"

"Maybe we might find our princes there too," Barako-chan interrupted smoothly and gave me a devilish glint, "This is your chance to finally snag Shuu Yu-senpai to be your prince for the evening, hmmm?"

"S-Shut up, Barako-chan!" I blushed as Barako-chan giggled at my red face, "I'm not that desperate to get a date for the ball!"

"But that doesn't mean that you won't stop trying to get Shuu Yu-senpai to see how much you like him, right?" I turned to see Umeko-chan with a sympathetic glint in her eye, "I honestly think that you two are suited for each other...but those older girls had no right to belittle you in the choice of the boy you like."

I turned sad at Umeko-chan's words. Barako-chan's look softened upon seeing my disheartened face. She was right about my crush for Shuu Yu-kun, the most handsome and chivalrous boy I had ever met in the entire school...I liked him...I really liked him the moment I saw him practicing alone in the sports hall after school. That was a year or two ago, I think. I remembered it so clearly...

It was near the end of final study period when I was looking for onechan and I happened to stumble near the sports hall. Shuu Yu-kun was practicing drills. He was busy dribbling the ball and I watched in fascination as he made a magnificent three pointer into the basket. His stance was so powerful and majestic yet he also looked so elegant and handsome at the same time. He was like one of those dashing elf princes I saw in the movies and cartoons.

When he sensed my presence, I was awestruck at the small smile he directed at me. Usually I would see him frowning or his face pulled in a serious expression when he was with his teachers and fellow students. That smile was enough to send my heart into overdrive...if anything, he looked impossibly more handsome than before. His voice was warm and he talked to me so kindly and asked whether I would like to keep him company for a while. I was usually a chatterbox when it came to situations like this, always babbling like a lively parrot. But for some reason, I just kept quiet and listened to him talk about how his day went and answered occasionally when he asked me a question. Eventually I grew more comfortable and began talking more...all the while, I felt a burning fire warming up within me...and I swore I saw that small smile turn into a grin and his stern eyes seemed to sparkle like onyx stones...

I thought the best bit of the conversation was when he asked for my name...and he made sure to remember me the next time we met...

Shuu Yu-kun eventually left with his best friend...what was his name...Son...Saku-kun...yes, that's right. But not before flashing me another smile and telling me that he hoped that I would stop by and see him again.

From my pounding heart and warm cheeks, I knew right there and then that Shuu Yu-kun was the one for me.

But my giddy happiness was spoiled when I was approached by two snobby high school girls the following day. They were huge self-proclaimed fans of Shuu Yu-kun. They scoffed with disdain at how a junior high student like me could end up with him, much less catch his attention. They cited my academic faults, the apparent age gap between us and the supposed incompatibility of our different personalities. But what would they know?! I bet they never had Shuu Yu-kun smile at them like he did to me. I brushed off their verbal attacks and hurried along...but it didn't mean that I didn't feel hurt from what they said.

I had a good cry in the girls' bathroom until I was found by Umeko-chan and Barako-chan...

But I would not let stupid setback that stop me!

"Of course not! I'm going to make Shuu Yu-kun see for who I am and hope that he will like me in return," I picked up my school bag to follow my friends out of the classroom, "Is there still time to RSVP for the event?"

"Why do you think I came to you girls first? Let's go to the school office together and get our names down!" Umeko grabbed my hand that wasn't holding the poster, "Let's hurry!"

"Hey! Wait for me!" I laughed as Barako-chan struggled to catch up to us.

I sighed in relief when I saw that there were some vacancies left on the RSVP list. Who knew that so many would be so interested in the event?! After I scribbled mine and onechan's names down, I happened to see two names that made my heart still...they were Shuu Yu-kun and Son Saku-kun. My friends turned to what I was seeing and realization filled their eyes.

"That will really make your night, Shoukyou-chan!" Barako-chan said as she hugged me from behind, "Are you sure your onechan will be going to the ball? I heard that she's not really into parties."

"You don't know my onechan, Barako-chan. I know she will want to go. It's up to me to convince her and I think Son Saku-kun's name would be the trigger. She keeps whispering his name whenever I mention Shuu Yu-kun. She thinks that I don't notice but she's wrong," I hefted my schoolbag onto my shoulder and proceeded to run out of the school gates, "I have to go, you two. I'm going out to dinner with onechan and Otousan, he's picking us up soon!"

"Don't forget about our outing tomorrow, Shoukyou-chan!" Umeko called after me, "Meet us at the children's park at 12pm so that we can try out the new Italian cafe for lunch, ok?!"

"I got it, I promise! See you tomorrow, Umeko-chan, Barako-chan!"

I tried to calm my pounding heart from the impending excitement of the news the moment I ran past the iron wrought gates. I found onechan waiting for me at our usual spot. She looked so serene and beautiful under the late afternoon sun.

"Onechan! Wait up!" I called to her. She smiled at me as I ran up to her.

Then I proceeded to convince onechan to go to the ball with me as I shoved the poster into her face. I wanted her to stop worrying about her upcoming piano nationals and her schoolwork for that one special night. I implored her to remember the times we spent as little girls when we would dress up as princesses like the ones in the cartoons and movies. To add more charm to my convincing, I pouted and gave her my signature puppy dog look. I knew that she would give in the moment she saw it. I squealed with happiness when she smiled a bit wider and said yes.

Yay! I succeeded!

As soon as I mentioned Shuu Yu-kun and Son Saku-kun's names on the RSVP list, I found myself momentarily thinking fondly of the boy I liked. But my attention turned to onechan who was sporting red cheeks and a soft look on her face. And there I heard it...she whispered Son Saku-kun's name. So she must really liked him! Now I just had to confide with Sai Bunki-chan and Hou Sanjou-chan should I meet them again when onechan was busy. They would know what to do to help onechan open her heart to him.

Before long, Otousan drove up the driveway to pick us up for dinner. It was wonderful to spend time together with Otousan...especially with him working so late often and Okasan taken from us too soon. When Okasan died in a car accident three years ago, Onechan and I were so inconsolable and we would've been lost and broken if it weren't for Otousan's strong love for us and encouragement to keep smiling for the good memories we had of her.

After a hearty sushi dinner, Otousan took us to the ice cream parlour for dessert. As Otousan sipped his black coffee, I decided to bring up the topic of the upcoming school ball.

"Otousan! There's a special social event coming up in school. Onechan and I already RSVP for it. Look look, it's a masquerade ball!" I pulled out the poster and handed it to Otousan who took it and read it, "Please say we can go..."

"My my...we don't even have things like this back in my time," Otousan glanced at us as he sipped his black coffee, "Can you give me a good reason why I should let the two of you go?"

"Otousan! We have been good! You know onechan has been practicing so hard for the upcoming piano nationals and I've been working extra hard on my average grades in literature and science!"

"I can vouch for imouto's efforts, Otousan," I looked back at onechan gratefully. She had tried so hard to tutor me despite her busy schedule, "She's been studying really hard."

"And we need a break and...we haven't been shopping for ages so we must have saved a huge ton of money," I batted my eyes at Otousan. I could see he was trying hard not to grin at my act, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for us to dress up as real princesses. I'm sure Okasan in Heaven wouldn't object. Please Otousan?"

"Well, it's true that that schools rarely organize an event such as this and I believe you girls deserve a reward for your endeavors in school...but can I have your word that you girls won't do anything silly on the night?" we nodded enthusiastically and Otousan's smile grew, "Very well then, I will provide you pocket money for the dresses, accessories, shoes and help fix your appointments at the salon of your choice."

"Otousan..."

"But..." he held up a hand, temporarily curbing our excitement, "I expect you girls to behave yourselves and I decide the time when to pick you up. Deal?"

"Yes, Otousan!"

As we piled onto Otousan into a group hug, ignoring the amused looks from the other patrons, I made eye contact with onechan and we silently agreed to give a nice sweet present for his upcoming birthday.

I snuggled against onechan as we watched our most favorite princess movie on the DVD player. It's the 1997 Disney television movie edition of Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella. It always thrilled onechan and I when the ballroom scene come into play. That was our most favorite part of the movie and the first meeting between Cinderella and the Prince always took my breath away. I looked up to onechan. She was enchanted by the scene like I was and her sweet singing always soothed me.

"You'll show those mean girls that you are the beautiful girl Otousan and I say you are," I said to her seriously after we wondered how the masquerade ball would turn out. I saw her smile...but her eyes still looked sad. I would have to try harder to make her believe me. But my heart grew warm when she hugged me tight and said her thanks before settling back to continue watching the movie.

As I made myself more comfortable against her, I watched the romantic interaction between Cinderella and the Prince. He was looking so tenderly at her as she smiled shyly in return. In amidst onechan's singing, I imagined myself and Shuu Yu-kun in their places. I would be looking up at him with that shy smile while he would gently cup my face with his large hand and a small but beautiful smile would break gently on his tender handsome face, saying that I was the one for him...

...if only dreams could come true...

But all the same, I couldn't wait for the Royal Masquerade Ball to come...

The End of Bonus Scene :)

Author's notes: I'm certain that despite her cheerful and perky demeanor, Xiao Qiao has her vulnerable side as well and this is what I'm intending to show in these bonus scenes...Oooh! I really love Xiao Qiao and Zhou Yu together! They simply look marvelous together! Anyhows...reviews are appreciated and I'll get the second scene up as soon as I can! I shall endeavour to update at best weekly or unless I say otherwise as the collection progresses :) Until next week, my dears!