Rated for slight coarse language and other things…
Disclaimer: Only saying this once. I do not own any of the Dynasty Warrior characters. Everything belongs to their rightful owners. If I owned DW, I would be very happy. Very, very happy, indeed. But I don't…
And "American Idiot" belongs to Green Day.
Familiar Strangers
Separated for years, two brothers finally meet.
"Oh my goodness, my sweet widdle Wei Wei is going to university!"
A salt-and-pepper haired woman exclaimed, whilst squeezing the breathe out of her son. Jiang Wei ran his fingers through his long, brown hair, crimson with embarrassment.
Lu Xun is watching, listening and more than likely, laughing his ass off…"Mom, I'll write! And I'll phone home once a week and once I get there!"
His mother finally relinquished her iron grip on her beloved son. Who could blame her? He was all she had left, not counting the distant elder son and husband.
"Now, you be careful, Wei Wei. Don't drink and drive, remember eat your vegetables, don't talk to strangers and be nice. And eat rice every day so you'll big and strong."
"Mom!"
Her gaze softened, traces of tears in her weary eyes. Feeling guilty, Jiang Wei drew his mother into another embrace. His eyes began prickling; if he didn't leave soon, tears would come.
I'll miss you, Mom…Closing the driver side door, Jiang Wei started the ignition. Quietly, the red Sunfire pulled out of the driveway, leaving a misty-eyed mother behind. Looking over his shoulder, he caught a last glimpse of home, the first place that he had stayed in for more than a month.
"Wei Wei?"
"What? It's a baby name my mother still calls me by."
Lu Xun grinned widely, raising an eyebrow. Reaching over, he turned the volume dial of the stereo and slid a CD in. Green Day poured out, both boys bobbing their heads.
They exchanged meaningful glances, mouths twitching. Both threw back the heads and bellowed.
"Don't wanna be an American idiot. One nation controlled by the media. Information nation of hysteria. It's going out to idiot America!"
Hours later, the Sunfire was still cruising at a grand speed of 25km/h down narrow streets, its occupants peering intently at house numbers.
"Frig! Where is your brother's house? We've passed the ugly statue of the old man six times already!"
Jiang Wei glared daggers at Lu Xun, parking behind a huge SUV.
"Shut up. You're not helping, and losing the directions was so intelligent of you. Blue-ish green-ish garage door, my ass. All the doors here are 'blue-ish green-ish'…"
Lu Xun stuck out his tongue childishly and wrinkled his nose in indignation.
"Calm down, Bessy. Why don't you go knock on every door and see if your brother answers?"
Much to his surprise, Jiang Wei unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door. Rays of late afternoon sunlight gleamed off the window, shining in Lu Xun's eyes. Shielding his eyes, he peered at his friend.
"Hey, where ya going?"
Pausing, "Didn't you say that we should knock on every door? Take the doors on that side, and I'll take the doors on the this side."
Scrambling out of the passenger seat, Lu Xun called out, "Hey! You're not serious, are you?"
Jiang Wei glanced over his shoulder and kept walking.
"Flaming hell, this is going to take a heck of a long time." Lu Xun crossed the street and knocked on the first, blue-ish green-ish door.
"Yes…?" Leaning against the wall, he gave Jiang Wei a quizzical glance.
Jiang Wei stared at the man who answered the door. The resemblance between them was eerily scary. He could have easily passed for his twin, albeit a taller, older twin.
This is my… brother? Holy hell…"You are…?"
"I…uh… Jiang Wei," he replied.
Faint recognition dawned upon his face and he stood aside. Lu Xun, seeing that Jiang Wei had not been rejected for the umpteenth time by an old lady, paced behind him.
"Come in, you two. Don't stand out here like strangers." Even if you really are…
Lu Xun glanced at Jiang Wei, who shrugged nonchalantly, and the two students entered the house that had taken them so long to find.
"Hmm… Hello, little brother. My name, as you might know, is Zhao Yun. Apparently, you and your friend, Lu Xun, are attending the University of Toronto near here. Was my house hard to find, or did you lose the instructions?"
Zhao Yun twiddled a spoon between his fingers, idly stirring his coffee, all while piercing a stare of faint amusement at the two.
"I… Ah…"
Placing both hands on the table, Zhao Yun stood up suddenly, pointing the silvery spoon like a baton.
"I am positively sure the journey to my humble abode was extremely draining on the two of you. So, if I may, I will show you your lodgings, and you may rest until dinner."
Ignoring their blank stares, Zhao Yun led them up the stairs.
Muttering quietly, "Your brother is… bizarre, to say the least. He has a strange way of speaking."
Jiang Wei dipped his head, in response and concentrated on unpacking his many suitcases and duffel bags. After a while, he replied.
"Zhao Yun is a writer."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. It's uncomfortable talking to him; we're like strangers in a room. Mom and Dad divorced years ago. I was only four, he was nine, and so that's why I barely remember him. Dad took him, and I was under Mom's custody. I have never seen him since, aside from the odd picture."
Surprise flitted across Lu Xun's face, "I never knew you had a brother. Not until your mom suggested we board with him."
Zhao Yun's voice echoed up the stairs, "My editor is coming over soon. She might bring a lady friend or two, and they don't plan to lose their eyesight, so don't walk downstairs naked!"
They stared at each other in disbelief before breaking out in laughter.
Pale wisps of steam rose lazily from the almond surface of the coffee. Lightless emerald eyes glazed over with thought, a slight smile lingering on his lips. Dark locks fell off his hand that rested against his cheek. Pale lips, slightly parted, moved silently.
This was how she saw him when she slipped into the house, jangling the house-key on her finger. Her breath caught in her throat, chocking her.
Oh…my…gosh…"Mr. Zhao? I'm here," she managed to squeak out.
"Hmm…?"
Still lost in the trance-like reverie he occasionally fell into, his response was rather quiet, like the muttered words of a dreamer. Blinking, he frowned slightly as his wandering soul crashed back into reality.
"Ah, you finally came, Miss Huang," he smiled. Then he promptly frowned.
Heavens, it's Alisa, the sugarcoated woman of perpetual torture and horror, come to take the place of my shadow…
The very sight of her honey-blonde hair, dewy sapphire eyes and simpering smile made him want to crawl into a very dirty hole and hide. Her shrill giggles, the stuff of nightmares, pierced into his head and drove him mad.
"Hallooo, Yun!"
How dare you be so familiar, he grumpily thought. But he kept these thoughts to himself.
"Eh… Hello, Miss Alisa…"
The high-pitched giggle made the corner of his mouth twitch.
Ugh, my very soul is shriveling up. Somebody save me!Yun doesn't look too pleased. I wonder if it is because of Alisa. Maybe taking out the cake would be a good idea…
Yue Ying coughed, reaching for the parcel she had deposited at the door. Holding the red lettered Chinese grocery bag, she offered it as a peace offering.
"Here, I made this for…you. Ah, ignore the bag; I couldn't find anything else to hold it."
Glad for the diversion, Zhao Yun almost snatched the bag out of her hands. Pointing at a pile of slippers, he hurried to the kitchen.
"Put those on. I'll be right back, okay?"
And with those words, the writer disappeared into the kitchen.
Whew. Saved by a… Cake! I love cake…
Candy pink icing glistened, rainbow sprinkles daintily spread in the surface. Trust Ying to spend some much time on a cake; in the end, it all ends up mushy and brown.
Mmm…Maybe just a tiny taste of the icing wouldn't hurt…
No, I mustn't eat it yet…"And the way his lips looked! So luscious and creamy! Oohh… And his eyes…"
Yue Ying raised an eyebrow and raised her eyes to the ceiling, letting her friend rant on and on. Cobwebs were oh-so beautiful, especially when the alternative was to listen to Alisa's chatter.
"Lis? How about we talk about something else?"
"Okay! Do you like him?"
That was not what I meant.
"Lis, you're babbling again."
"But you DO like him, don't you? You do, right? Huh?"
"I…I…I…"
Scarlet mortification spread rapidly across Yue Ying's face, draining her of the ability to speak coherently.
I can't! I couldn't tell her, a rabid Zhao Yun stalker, that! But she'll force it out of me anyways!
Alisa's honey-sweet blue eyes bored into her russet ones with an almost malicious air. Her rose petal-pink lips were twisted into a sneer, daring her to say something.
That was when something in Yue Ying snapped; an invisible thread holding her emotions back. No longer would she pretend to be nice to Alisa. Why in Heaven's name did the woman think she, of all people, was her friend?
Fine. Fine! You want me to do something? Well, shove this up your swollen arse, you whining slut!
A/N: How was the first chapter of "Two Words"? I apologize for OOCness and the like, and the use of coarse language. The plot will be light, for a while, with the occasional touch of my 'humor'. Then, it'll begin into something darker, but still highly 'romantic'. So I hope... And the main pairing will be Yue Ying/Zhao Yun! Thank you for reading (and hopefully reviewing!) the first chapter of TW!