Disclaimer: I do not own Dynasty Warriors. It belongs to Koei.
Author's note: After reading some interesting fics in that category, I got this one stuck in my head (as well as adding the fact I just love the game). Tell me what you think.
17/7/2013: Just fixed minor mistakes in grammar and whatnot :)
Understanding
"No, no, mei mei," Da Qiao shook her head when she watched her younger sister trip over the carpet again when they were practising their usual dance routines, "I thought you mastered this move. You must relax when you come to this next dance step. Do not put too much strain in your arms and move naturally like a wind. Come, try again."
"Yes, jie jie," came a soft reply.
'Wait a minute...' Da Qiao stopped momentarily, noting her sister's odd and quiet voice instead of a voice filled with the perkiness that was suited for her happy-go-lucky attitude, 'Mei mei?'
The older of the Qiao sisters bent down to the other girl and helped her stand up. She, however, noted how strangely Xiao Qiao was acting by the new tone. Usually, the bright girl would jump up in a second when she fell and made a mistake. She would smile and giggle to give assurance she was okay. She always looked forward to their dance practice sessions because this was the time she and her sister could further develop their bonding as close siblings. She noticed that her young sister looked quite...sad, a picture definitely not suited for her. She was acting like this since last night she saw her.
"Mei mei?" Da Qiao noticed that the shorter girl was trembling in her embrace, "Are you all right?"
"I am fine, jie jie. Really I am," the younger Qiao sister looked up to her older sibling, hugging her, "I was..."
"Is something wrong, mei mei?" she brought a gentle hand to the girl's cheek, seeing that the amber coloured eyes were shining with unshed tears, a sight that was rare unless it was something that really upsets her, "Did something bother you last night?"
Xiao Qiao's eyes widened before she turned her head away. She sniffed and buried her head on her sister's breast. Da Qiao hugged her tightly and cradled her head tenderly.
"Maybe it is best we talk outside in the garden, mei mei," she took the other's hand and led her outside. She noticed that her sister was hesitant to leave. With that, she gave her an assuring smile that always brought comfort to her little sister's heart, "The dancing lessons can wait. Right now...I am concerned about you."
"Mei Mei," Da Qiao started and gripped her little sister's hand, "Tell me your problem."
Xiao Qiao was full of hesitation about telling her problem to her sibling. She wouldn't want to worry her with problems that were supposed to be handled on her own.
"I am your sister," the younger girl looked up as Da Qiao reached to wipe her tears away that were starting to trail down her cheeks, "You can tell me."
"Does Zhou Yu hate me?"
At this, Da Qiao nearly gasped. How could she think that? Zhou Yu may always been stressed with helping Sun Ce to further establish the Wu Dynasty but she could not imagine him hating the young lady and wife he loved so much. Xiao Qiao never failed to bring a real smile on her lord's face and brighten his days with her laughs even though he didn't show it much.
"Why did you think that, mei mei?"
Xiao Qiao sniffed and continued under her sister's encouraging, caring gaze, "It started last night after the dinner banquet..."
'Xiao Qiao...'
Zhou Yu sighed as he stopped to gaze outside the bedroom window. He hadn't felt this much guilt before. He couldn't bring himself to finalise his battle plans as his thoughts were focused on his young wife.
'What have I done...'
He could remember vividly of what happened the night before. He had been in a rather bad temper because of a disagreement between his officers in his unit. And when Xiao Qiao noticed his weary state, she tried everything she could to make him feel better. But then he made a terrible mistake by repaying her in a very wrong way - he vented his anger with the officers on her and even slapped her. Throughout the whole morning and afternoon, she avoided him like a cat away from water and stayed with Lady Da Qiao. He wished that he would have take a lighter approach to deal with his temper instead of hurting Xiao Qiao.
"Oi, Zhou Yu! Are you in here?"
Zhou Yu perked up and found Sun Ce at the doorway. He forced a smile on his face and bowed.
"Sun Ce, what brings you here?"
"I have straightened out a compromise between the officers in your unit, Zhou Yu. Father did not want to put the stress on you since you are so busy so he instructed me to handle it. It was not take long but at least you can relax a bit," the taller man said as he straightened his armor slightly and he scratched his head when he found something amiss, "Eh? I thought Lady Xiao Qiao would be here with you."
"She is not here, Sun Ce," Zhou Yu turned his back on his best friend and sworn brother, "She did not want to..."
"What do you mean she did not want to?! What's going on?" Sun Ce was surprised, at the least. He knew that Zhou Yu loved his wife's sister very much. Seeing the rare forlorn and sad look in his friend's eyes, he frowned, suddenly knowing the predicament, "Did you have a fight or something?"
Zhou Yu glanced back at his friend. Sun Ce smiled slightly at the surprise reflected on his face.
"I know these kind of things. You need to loosen up. You must not keep all of your anger inside otherwise it would burst."
"She is avoiding me for nearly a whole day," Zhou Yu sighed, "I cannot seem to find her anywhere. This guilt is killing me."
"Did you try the garden?" Sun Ce suggested, "I just saw her with my wife there."
"Lord Sun Ce!" both men turned to find one of the elite guards nearby. The guard saluted before speaking his message, "Lord Sun Quan and Lady Sun Shang Xiang wishes to seek your attendance at a very important meeting."
"Tell them I will be there in a moment," Sun Ce said, watching the guard bow his head in approval and sped off. He turned to his sworn brother and spoke in a mature demeanor that made Zhou Yu fill inwardly with surprise, "The damage has not taken effect yet. But you better patch things with her if you want to take away the guilt inside your heart. She is a priceless treasure."
Then Sun Ce gave his trademark grin that was filled with encouragement. It made Zhou Yu smile slightly. Sun Ce really gave good advice.
"See you later," Sun Ce gave a wave and left the room, leaving the other man in his own thoughts.
It took a short moment of deliberation before Zhou Yu left the room to the garden.
"I never seen Zhou Yu like that, jie jie," by the time, the younger Qiao was nearly finished, her face was wet with tears and couldn't stop sobbing and hiccupping, "I never seen him so angry...I left the bedroom and spent the night with Lady Sun Shang Xiang who took care of my cheek...I got slapped, jie jie."
"Mei mei..." it was then the older Qiao noticed the slight mark on her sister's left cheek. She brought her sibling close and hugged her, "Do not think of it that way. Lord Zhou Yu is having a hard time, trying to keep up with the status of the army and planning battle strategies with Lord Sun Ce. He would never hate you, mei mei."
"But why would he do that if he did not hate me?" Xiao Qiao asked, leaning her head against her sister who was embracing her tenderly.
Da Qiao sighed to herself. Being the younger of the two, Xiao Qiao was very naive and in some moments, insecure when things weren't right. Da Qiao, herself, was older and wiser and she had similar encounters with her husband, Sun Ce but they ended with gentle apologies and loving embraces they never tire of.
The older Qiao was about to give her sister some advice when she saw a familiar man coming near them. She smiled when she found Zhou Yu in front of them. She gently shook the younger girl.
"Mei mei, looks like somebody wants to see you."
Xiao Qiao gazed up and found Zhou Yu gazing at her with tenderness and humility. She then became lost in the deep dark brown orbs, finding herself frozen to the spot. Da Qiao took the moment to break the embrace. As she turned to leave, she received a nod from Zhou Yu. Giving silent encouragement to her sister, she left in search of Sun Ce.
Zhou Yu couldn't believe how his beautiful wife had grown frightened of him because of one cruel action in one day. He sat down beside her and reached for her hand. Her hand tensed slightly as he gripped her fingers. When he looked up, Xiao Qiao looked away.
"Xiao Qiao...please...look at me..." Zhou Yu implored softly. Seeing his wife shake her head, he sighed, feeling regret replacing the guilt in his heart, "But can you at least hear me out?"
Zhou Yu took Xiao Qiao's silence as her consent.
"I am sorry."
Xiao Qiao's heart skipped a beat at the soft tone of her husband. She hesitantly rotated her head to face her husband. Zhou Yu looked almost broken, as he gripped her hand tightly.
"I am sorry about what I did last night. I am sorry that I was in a bad mood," he used his free hand to tenderly caress her left cheek with the mark where he scratched when he slapped her, "I am so sorry for hurting you, Xiao Qiao..."
"Z-Zhou Yu..." the young girl whispered, "I am sorry too...I made you angry..."
"No...I should the one who should be sorry. I should have been more careful in my outburst..." his eyes were lowered, "I did not know that you could get hurt easily. Maybe...I should have spent more time with you whenever I had the chance to have free time."
Xiao Qiao took every word of his confession into her mind, heart and brain. At this, she felt warm and all the fear and sadness within evaporated by the love radiated from her husband. She surprised him by hugging him tightly, her cheek laid on his chest and her silky hair tickling his chin and nose. Zhou Yu returned the hug, wrapping his arms around her slender figure, inhaling the sweet scent of her skin and feeling the love emitting from the young girl he loved dearly.
"Zhou Yu...I should have known better that you were busy..." she closed her eyes, relishing the warmth of her husband's slender but muscled chest, "Maybe...I am immature and clumsy like the court ladies said..."
"Do not ever listen to them, Xiao Qiao," Zhou Yu's voice was loving and soothing to her ears, "You are not childish. You are special and a good fighter. You are different from the other ladies I am acquainted to."
"Zhou Yu," she looked up to him with imploring eyes, "Did...did you really love me...at the time you rescued me and jie jie from Dong Zhuo?"
"I loved you from the start I saw you surrounded by Dong Zhuo's soldiers...I can never let the tyrant hold you and Lady Da Qiao prisoners for his dangerous lust," Zhou Yu confessed, bringing her closer, "And I do love you. I still do."
"So you never hated me?"
At this, she felt soft kisses pressed on her forehead, eyelids and cheeks, making her blush, "I can never hate the only person who is able to make me smile and keep my hopes alive."
"Zhou Yu..."
Without hesitation, Zhou Yu did the unexpected. He brought his young wife close and kissed her fully on her lips. Xiao Qiao was initially shocked at the intimate contact. Zhou Yu never did this sort of kiss. The kisses he gave her consisted of pecks on lips and cheeks. But gradually she relaxed in his arms and returned the kiss. She had never felt such strong lips that seemed so soft. She cupped her husband's face, feeling the smooth skin and the black long hair against her fingertips.
Meanwhile Zhou Yu was surprised at his course of actions but he surrendered to the beautiful feeling of his wife close by as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She felt so wonderful, her lips were soft as the petals of the finest peony and tasted like the sweetest honey known to mankind. She felt so small and fragile against him, making him wonder how she was such an enthusiastic female warrior as formidable to some of the lady warriors he knew.
Unfortunately, the necessity to breathe made the couple stop their kissing. They broke away slowly, their breaths warming up their flushed faces.
'I can never lose her...' Zhou Yu wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders, cradling her head underneath his chin. He noted the slight mark on her cheek and brought his other hand to gently caress it before landing a soothing kiss on it, 'I am never going to hurt her ever again...'
'I never thought it feels so wonderful...' she blushed and looked up to her husband, feeling his soft touch on her cheek, 'I did not know he was so bold...and so romantic...'
She smiled shyly when she saw a warm look in the chestnut brown eyes she loved to gaze at and the smile fully displayed on the thin lips. In her heart, she knew she would never fall out of love for the handsome man before her. The man who rescued her from Dong Zhuo and a brave warrior known to the people they ruled over.
Zhou Yu found himself expressing more emotion as he noted the shy and happy smile on his beloved's pretty face. It was then he silently vowed that he would not hurt her again and not repeat the same mistake. He would always treasure her sweet innocence and her strong traits of being a fighter and a loving wife.
"Zhou Yu?"
"Yes, Xiao Qiao?"
"You look more handsome when you smile," she commented, "You should do it more often."
"If it pleases you, my Lady," Zhou Yu smiled with a twinkle in his solemn eyes, "But I warn you that many court ladies are going to be jealous."
"Then let them see us," she sighed contently, "I now know I do not care what they say as long as you are with me. I feel safe in your arms. And I would not have it in any other way."
Filled with wonder at Xiao Qiao's words of wisdom, Zhou Yu pulled his wife close. Throughout the rest of the afternoon, the couple continued to bask in each other's warmth, watching the sparrows tweeting their songs and gazing at the serene garden scenery. In the near evening, they headed back inside not to miss the dinner banquet.
"Zhou Yu, I take it that things went smoothly last night," Sun Ce grinned when he saw the rare smile on his best friend's face when he entered the bedroom the next afternoon.
"Yes, it did, Sun Ce," Zhou Yu said, "I really must thank you for your advice."
"No problem. For one who is clever in battle strategies, you have a lot of personal problems. But that is all right," Sun Ce reached for his tonfas, "Why not we do some training today?"
Zhou Yu smiled and nodded, reaching for his sword.
"You go ahead. I will catch up."
As Sun Ce left, Zhou Yu looked outside just in time to see Xiao Qiao making her way to her usual meeting place for her sister. As if on cue, the young girl looked in his direction and waved slightly in his direction. He gazed at her lovingly and warmly before he left to join Sun Ce, wondering whether his wife caught the look.
Outside, Xiao Qiao did catch the look and it made her heart swell tenfold with love and warmth. She was smiling and jumpy when she met her sister for their usual dancing practice sessions.
"Mei mei, you are back to normal," Da Qiao smiled, happy to see her sister back to her normal, cheerful self, "How is everything now?"
At this, the younger of the sisters blushed and smiled, "I never knew that he was so...romantic. We promised that we would get to know better about each other and...now I know why Zhou Yu is acting the way he is. Jie jie?"
"Yes, mei mei?"
"Do you remember you told me about the kissing experience you had with Lord Sun Ce?"
"Yes, I do recall...what about it?" Da Qiao quirked an eyebrow.
"You are right, jie jie!" Xiao Qiao was now smiling widely, "It is so wonderful! I never felt so exhilarated in my entire life!"
At this, the two Qiao sisters giggled before continuing their conversation while they made their way to resume their dancing practice sessions.
The End
Author's note: Whew...I seem to favour the Wu force most of all. But I can't help it. The Qiao sisters looked soooo beautiful and the guys are so cool! He he...what do you think? Is it worth reading? Or is it a bunch of rubbish (well...creative rubbish, to be exact)? Maybe I'll think of another one if I have the time. Until then...see ya later.
Another note: You must have noticed I used the characters 'jie jie' and 'mei mei'. If you want to know, they are Chinese characters. The English translations are 'elder sister' and 'younger sister', respectively.