Disclaimer: I don't own Dynasty Warriors, the end. :

Okay, so if you're here, you've probably read or started reading my story She Loves Him, She Loves Him Not. This is a spin-off kind of thing of that story. It will cover a variety of details throughout Jia's life until the time she meets Xiahou Dun. Please, read and enjoy.


Humble Beginnings

The air was still, quiet, eerie, almost. The wind picked up without a sound and made the long blades of grass dance around the curious seven-year-old. Her short hair and ragged bangs flew about her face happily as she smiled a goofy grin toward the night's sky. Her curfew had been nearly an hour ago, but she couldn't help but go out and play at night.

Night had always been her favorite time. It was dark, mysterious, filled with solitude and peace. She looked up at the moon, big and bright, shining down as if it was shining for only her. She smiled harder, the gap caused by her two missing teeth was clear as day.

Everyone was asleep by now, she figured. No one dared to come out at night, or so it had always seemed. Her simple mother, her farmer father, and her little brother always stayed in at night, never daring to go out past dark. She was different though, the cover of night was like a second home to her; always calling out to her, always offering her a helping hand.

The girl ran down the hill as a commotion in town sparked her curiosity. She was an expert at using her small size to maneuvering her way around town when she was supposed to be doing chores at her house. She never got caught sneaking away. But this night, a big commotion was going on in a part of town she had never been to before. She snuck her way through back alleys until she found a spot where she could see the commotion clearly.

She saw, from behind the safety of two empty crates, two men fighting ferociously in front of a building named the Chrysanthemum House. The little girl wondered why these men were being so violent. She had once seen her father get into a fight, but it was verbal, not physical. She'd seen her father break up fist fights, but that's about it.

The two men fought, their cheeks were bloody, their fists were raw and white. The little girl had to look away several times. Violence was something that sickened her. When people told stories of war, or showed off their battle scars, the little girl would often run to the safety of her mother's long sleeves on her robes. Violence scared her, frightened her to no end.

Just as the girl thought about fleeing the scene a woman came stumbling out of the Chrysanthemum House. This woman, though she was having a hard time finding her footing, was the most beautiful and elegant woman the little girl had ever laid eyes on. She had the longest hair pinned up with the prettiest pins. She wore the most extravagant robes and had the most lavish makeup. Just as the little girl was soaking in this woman's beauty, the two men stopped fighting and looked up at the woman.

"Just what in the world is going on here?" the woman questioned.

The little girl was drawn into the singsong quality of this woman's voice. Before laying her eyes on this woman, the little girl had always thought her mother to be the prettiest woman alive. But now there was someone else to envy, someone else to fawn after.

"I asked a question!" the woman's voice turned sour for a moment, but she covered it with a quick cough.

"We were fighting, my lady," one man knelt at the woman's feet and put his forehead to the ground.

"May we have your forgiveness, Miss Tai?" the other man begged.

"Don't let this happen again, not in front of this place anyway," the lady looked around the area before spotting the little girl's curious face hidden in the shadows of the alley.

The little girl's eyes widened as the woman looked at her and laughed. She stepped down to the ground and ran through the complex series of alleys and back up the hill to her home. She expertly snuck inside and hid in her bed.

Such a beautiful face, Miss Tai had. She would certainly never forget her…


I think Jia would be a really cute little girl, shut up. D;