"Fair Flower"

by Dorkipus

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Dynasty Warriors, or any of its characters. They belong to Koei Tecmo rightfully and respectfully. The only thing I have ownership of is this story and my original character(s). As always, expect some historical inaccuracies.

CHAPTER 1 | Welcome Back

"Look at that man on the chariot over there!"

"Isn't he the guy who works as Lord Cao Cao's advisor? Judging by his looks, he seems like a promising individual."

"It's the mighty son of Xun Kun!"

Xun Yu's heard it all.

Born and raised from a family renowned for scholars, there were always people who spoke highly of him wherever he went. Personally, Xun Yu never thought of himself that way, or if, at all. He was as ordinary as any person that came to mind. But of course, the result was inevitable: he was bound to have acclaim under such lineage.

Aside from his relations, Yu was also respected for working as an advisor for Cao Cao, a righteous man of incredible ambition to unite all of China and most importantly—a leader of a new era. Anyone actively supporting Cao Cao's cause would receive some recognition from the general public, regardless of their social status.

While Yu felt uncomfortable going to places he knew he'd draw attention at, today was a different story. He traveled to his hometown to briefly visit his family. This was Yu's first break in months from work, despite its short period. Because there was little time to squander, he needed to spend as much with his family. Thus, he embarked from Xuchang at dawn.

Upon his arrival at Ji Province during the afternoon, he encountered a mob of townspeople swarming his chariot. He identified a few faces among the crowd, although none of the people there were from his family, much to his dismay. Yu, nonetheless, was pleased to see some company.

"So, what brings you back here, young man?" a burly man inquired whilst walking alongside the flank of Xun Yu's horse.

"I wanted to visit my family for a bit," Yu replied to him with a small smile. "It's been several months since I last saw them."

"Oh. Don't you have work to do in Xuchang, though?"

"Yes, but there are other people who are carrying out my tasks while I'm away."

Like most weekends, Xun Yu remained working at the Xuchang Palace, but it was his lord that insisted him to take time for himself after many months of nonstop labor. Yu refused the proposal at first, aware that he'd only have more responsibilities to maintain once he returned. He ultimately relented after realizing that his lord was right about his deteriorating condition, but also had his own reasons for accepting the offer.

Being the workaholic he was, Xun Yu never considered excusing himself from work unless the situation was urgent. This occasion, however, was different. This was one of the only opportunities he would be given to collect himself from stress, and he intended to use it wisely.

"Well, if you happen to be free while you're here, make sure to come to my smithy," the man beamed. "There's tons of cool weapons you should check out!"

"I will consider it," Yu said with a smirk. Just recently, he thought of getting a new formation rod [1] to replace his old one, although he suppressed fulfilling that idea when he remembered that he gave away most of his money to his friends back at Xuchang. He would have to wait a bit until he earned more pay from work again to be able to afford another. In the meantime, Yu was stuck using the shabby stick for warfare—not that he'd get very far with it before its timely demise.

"In that case, you should also stop by at our noodle shop!" a person in the sea of the townspeople exclaimed. "I guarantee you're going to love all of the dishes!"

"Don't forget about us!" another voice began. "We have the finest clothes in all of China!"

"Try some of the best crops at the market over here!"

"We sell the most magnificent accessories! Shop with us!"

A bead of sweat crept down Yu's forehead. The crowd was certainly roused. What did he get himself into? Cautiously, he guided the chariot towards an empty path that would eventually lead him to his destination. Yu hoped they didn't notice him leaving the scene; he'd rather not be involved in more conflict.

It was a matter of time before Xun Yu turnt up at the entrance of a familiar dwelling. He had stationed his horse and chariot at a nearby tree prior to approaching the respectful abode of his parents. This was one of his favorite places to visit. This location reminded him of his peaceful life back in Yingchuan before his family sought refuge in the north to avoid a raid led by tyrant Dong Zhuo's men. It had been several years since that incident. As much as he missed his original home, Ji Province was a safer area to reside at. Had Yu's family stayed there during that period, they would've been massacred.

Yu carefully crossed the threshold of the house. He then glanced around the room he was in. It was empty; not a single person other than himself was present. He pursed his lips while taking off his shoes at the entrance, and then settled upon the nearest chair on his left. Yu wondered if his parents knew he was here. In regards to his advent, he had dispatched a messenger to notify them in advance. Usually, they waited outside to greet him, but that wasn't the case this time. They simply weren't there.

'Maybe I should go look for them?' he thought to himself as he rose from his seat. They were probably too busy that they forgot about him. That was understandable.

"Who are you and why are you in here?"

Xun Yu's view immediately shifted to a young woman atop the staircase. Her eyes were wide and she stood erect with her arms by her sides.

"I am Xun Yu, the son of Xun Kun and Lady Wen [2]," Yu declared. "Now, if you don't mind me asking informally, my lady, where are my parents?"

"Hmph! As if I'm going to share the whereabouts of my master and madam to some petty intruder," she sputtered indignantly, crossing her arms across her chest. She then narrowed her eyes at him.

Yu raised his eyebrows. Clearly, he wasn't an intruder. On the side note, this woman was probably one of the most strangest, stubborn people he had ever come across. He sighed again. 'What a nuisance.'

"Oh my, what is with all this ruckus?"

A short, plump figure in a peach robe emerged from the shadows behind the woman, who turned around in surprise and then kneeled in their presence, lowering her head.

"Lady Wen, there's a strange visitor below that claims to be your son," she quickly reported. "He claims he is 'Xun Yu,' but everyone knows that no child of the Xun family has the indecency to break into people's homes for fun."

"Xun Yu, huh?" the woman questioned, making way down the stairs. The young lady nodded silently as Yu remained still, observing the woman's movements.

"Greetings, mother," he said. Instinctively, he bowed. "Have you and father been well while I was gone? How about my brothers?"

"We've all been well, my son," she replied, following with a small chuckle. She then sat on the last step of the staircase. Promptly reverting to his previous form, Yu caught the young woman ahead glaring at him before she averted her gaze.

"How's work in Xuchang going for you, child?" his mother Lady Wen asked.

"It's decent, I suppose," he replied softly as he sat back down the chair. Frankly, Yu's affairs with the government and military weren't interesting enough to bother mentioning. "If I may ask, where is father?"

"Your father? Oh, he's in his room sleeping. He's been too exhausted to do much, nowadays. I think his age is finally catching up to him."

"Well, I hope his health improves soon. Father has much to accomplish, despite his age. Oh, and I see we have a new guest?" He took a glimpse at the lady above. She was dressed in a plain, maroon hanfu [3] that accentuated her slim physique and her hair was tied two buns, in exception for the thick bangs that loosely hung over eyebrows. She also wore an apron tied over her waistline. Xun Yu wondered if she was a servant. Whatever she was, she didn't seem familiar.

"You must be talking about Miss Jingfei, our new servant. She was hired to replace our previous one who quit a couple weeks ago. Have you greeted her yet?"

"No, not yet. We seemed to have started off on the wrong foot." Just as Yu was about to bow to the new servant, she immediately turned around and vanished into the dark corridor that his mother came from a moment ago. While he was disappointed that he wasn't able to make amends with Jingfei, he wasn't the slightest bit surprised by her action. She probably didn't want to associate herself with some guy that just humiliated her.

"Jingfei is usually like that, don't mind her," assured his mother, cutting Yu short of his thoughts. "She's wary around strangers. You'll need to get closer with her before she starts opening up. Believe me, your father and I went through a similar phase when we first met her. Don't worry, though. She's actually a nice, young lady. Just don't get on her bad side. Women like us are unpredictable creatures, you know?"

"Well, she's one of the strangest creatures I've ever encountered," Yu remarked. Lady Wen grinned, apparently amused by his comment.

"Speaking of women, are there any ones that have sparked your interest?"

It didn't take long for him to think of a response to the question; the answer was blatant.

"No."

The wife of Xun Kun blinked at her son a couple times, her mouth ajar.

"Really now?"

"Of course, mother. You know I'd never deceive you—or anyone, for that matter."

That said, almost everyone knew Xun Yu was an honest man. He always spoke candidly, despite the severity of the situation. Lying was probably one of his worst skills anyway, which was primarily why he never resorted to it in the first place—and, not to mention, he utterly despised liars.

"Interesting," Wen murmured as the servant reappeared with a bundle of white linen sheets in her arms.

"Madam, the guest room is ready," Jingfei announced from above. Wen's lips curled into a smile as she walked over to her son and patted his shoulders.

"I bet you're exhausted from traveling," she said to Yu, who seemed mildly detached after the conversation a moment ago. "Fortunately, Jingfei was generous enough to spare a couple minutes to prepare your bedroom. Also, if you need anything, just ask her. Now, please do get some rest. We can talk about other things later."

"Alright then."

Without further ado, he slid off the seat and made way up the staircase, merely passing by his mother after the first step. When he finally reached the next level, Yu proceeded down the narrow, dimly lit corridor. He continued all the way down until the end where his old bedroom was located. Yu opened the door, entering the illuminated room with a large grin.

'It feels great to be back home.'

NOTES

[1] The 'formation rod' is Xun Yu's default weapon in Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires.

[2] Xun Yu's mother's real name was not recorded in any historical texts, so I just made her a random one to refer her as throughout this story.

[3] 'Hanfu' refers to the traditional attire of the ancient Han Chinese.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings! Did anyone miss me while I was on my long hiatus? Probably not, lol. Anyhow, it's been a while since I last wrote something for this community, so I thought it would be nice to have a comeback to show my readers that I'm not dead.

So, if it isn't obvious enough by now, I was heavily inspired by Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires to write this fanfic. I actually began this story back in November 2015 (right around the time I had an unhealthy obsession to the game) and was planning to release it sometime in March of this year, but I was unable to because of school, for the most part. That, and I wanted to type the entire story first before releasing any content. Well, that obviously didn't go as planned. But I guess it's better late than never, so there's the first chapter I meant to post a while ago.

Anyway, it would mean a lot if you guys left me a review! Constructive feedback is very important to me.

That said, please stay tuned for the next chapter! :)

THIS CHAPTER WAS LAST MODIFIED ON MARCH 23, 2017.