Author's Note: Inspiration strikes at the most random times...
Character Name Conversions
Kakou Ton/Genjou - Xiahou Dun
Chousen - Diaochan
Kakou En - Xiahou Yuan
Garou - Hungry Wolf
Ou In - Wang Yun
Ryo Fu/Housen - Lu Bu
Jo Kou - Xu Huang
Sou Sou/Moutoku - Cao Cao
Place Name Conversions
Kyoshou - Xu Chang
Other Vocabulary
Gozen - Lady
Gou - Go (Chinese strategy game)
Ni-u - Erhu (the instrument Diaochan plays in the DW6 intro)
(Kyoshou Castle - Kakou Ton's Quarters)
Chousen's slender figure squirmed beneath the warm covers. Her eyes shut tightly in a desperate attempt to drift back into the sweet slumber her mind pulled her from. Unfortunately her consciousness hovered more in her wakened state than her sleeping one, so she opened her eyes to find several layers of blankets piled up on top of her; Kakou Ton's doing, no doubt. She wasn't sure how to feel about this; was he just making up for offending her the previous night or was he just that considerate? Her brows furrowed when she spotted muscle peeking over the foot of the bed and disappearing and reappearing again. The songstress crawled forward and peeked over to find her new lord pushing his body up and down off the floor, flexing his muscles deliciously as a light sheen of sweat appeared on his broad back.
"Kakou Ton-sama?"
He ignored her and continued his exercises. Chousen stayed silent for a few more minutes until he rose from his spot on the floor.
"Did you need something?" He asked plainly.
"Why did you take so long to answer?"
"I didn't want to lose count."
"How many of those do you do every morning?"
"Two hundred; I have to keep up my strength to wield my weapon."
"Of course you do…" She murmured softly.
"Is that all?"
"No…I…" The enchantress bit her lip. "I want to thank you for…"
"It's fine." He raised his hand to silence her. "I just wanted you to be comfortable."
She clutched her arm and averted her eyes shyly. Chousen felt his body move closer to her; his hard, lightly haired pectorals were at eye level and her sudden desire to run her hands over his body made her face flush. Their moment was interrupted, however, by the sound of the door bursting open.
"Ton-nii!" Kakou En yelled in defeat. "I can't take care of this; he likes you, so you have to do it."
The Gi archer thrust a furry object into his cousin's arms and stormed out of the room without allowing Kakou Ton to respond to him. The burly man grunted in annoyance and turned to reveal a black and white furred, blue eyed Siberian Husky puppy panting happily in his arms. Chousen's eyes widened and she squealed in excitement as she snatched the puppy away from Kakou Ton.
"You are the cutest thing I've ever seen!" She hugged the young dog tightly. "Yes you are! Yes you are!"
Kakou Ton cracked his neck, laid down on the floor and started his crunches. Chousen cooed and snuggled with the puppy in her arms and he responded with happy barks and excited licks to her face.
"Kakou Ton-sama?" The radiant girl half-giggled, as the puppy tickled her face.
He responded with silence and a gentle grunt as he pulled his body forward until his elbows met his knees.
"Fine." She smiled. "I have to go take a bath; take care of him for me."
His head sharply turned to face her when she placed the puppy on his abs and walked into the hot spring.
"Chousen!" Kakou Ton growled then blinked suddenly when the furry animal crawled up his chest and lapped at his face.
It was almost an hour until Chousen emerged from the spring and found Kakou Ton waiting outside the door with an annoyed expression, holding the puppy underneath his arm. She took the dog from him and scratched him behind his ears and smiled when she heard him whine in content.
"Chousen!" Kakou Ton growled.
"What's his name?" She beamed at him.
His brows furrowed and his mood changed to confusion. "He… doesn't have one."
"He doesn't?" Chousen was surprised. "He's too cute to not have a name."
"He followed me from up north." He shrugged.
"Garou." The songstress held up the puppy, ignoring Kakou Ton. "Garou-chan."
The newly named puppy stared back at her for a moment and barked, hoping to get more attention. His mistress immediately complied and pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Call him whatever you wish." Kakou Ton growled, now unsure of what he wanted to say to her. "I will be in the spring."
"I think he's just like that." Chousen frowned at Garou's curious eyes.
(Kakou Ton's Hot Spring)
'Such a frustrating girl…' The cycloptic general growled in his head.
His clothes lay in a pile near the steaming pool as he slowly slid into the warm water. Kakou Ton scrubbed vigorously at his skin as his mind focused on the songstress. She was unlike any other girl he had ever met; Chousen was neither overly timid nor particularly promiscuous. Of course, he had sensed this when he had met her at the ruins of Kahi Castle and was impressed by her strength and that was why he offered her a place in the castle, wasn't it? It was no secret that she was beautiful and even men with the steeliest resolves would not be able to deny their attraction. The more the Gi general thought about the situation, the more he was confused by his actual intentions regarding the attractive songstress. His final conclusion was utterly inconclusive. It was useless to try to figure things out now and he felt it would be best if he allowed things to play out before giving this anymore thought.
'Even if…I expected something to happen…' He thought cautiously. '…she is still grieving over the loss of her previous love; it would not be right for me…'
The burly man left his thought unfinished as he lifted his body from the warm water. He wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out of the spring to find Chousen trying to teach her new puppy commands.
"Sit." The enchantress said firmly.
The young canine wagged his tail excitedly and jumped into his mistress' arms to try to lick her face.
"I don't think this is working." She held him up in the air and frowned.
When she set him back down, he immediately took noticed of his master's reappearance and joyfully dashed to him, barking and panting, hoping to get his attention. Chousen smiled at the puppy's reaction to Kakou Ton's presence, but was stunned to find her lord mostly naked and dripping wet. Her eyes found a random drop of water fall from his short, dark hair to his shoulder and trace its way down Kakou Ton's hard pectoral muscle and follow the gorgeously etched crevices along his abs and become absorbed by the towel. She suddenly became fascinated by the light trial of hair leading from the bottom of his naval and disappearing beneath his towel, but immediately flushed and turned away when she realized how inappropriately she was behaving.
"I'll deal with you later." Kakou Ton growled softly and patted the puppy's head.
He re-entered the spring with clothes beneath his arm and re-emerged wearing a sleeveless black shirt and baggy blue pants. Garou ran back to his master and was immediately scooped up and held in one of Kakou Ton's arms.
"You slept through breakfast; it would be best if you didn't miss lunch as well." The one-eyed warrior grunted. "Let's go."
The songstress followed her lord out of the room and down the halls to the main hall where she took a seat beside Kakou Ton at the end of the table with Kakou En on Kakou Ton's other side and Sou Sou at the head of the table to her right. Lunch had been served buffet style with several large plates of food and bowls of soup lined down the center of the tables. Chousen watched timidly as the hungry generals voraciously devoured their food and she was unsure of how to gather her own food as her eyes passed longingly over the roasted duck, vegetable stir-fry, rice and shark fin soup. Her gaze lowered beneath the table and found Garou eagerly tugging at a piece of duck with his, still developing, teeth. She frowned and when she looked back at her plate it surprised her to find it filled with meaty pieces of duck, a heavy pile of vegetables with a bowl of rice and a separate bowl of shark fin soup. The enchantress looked up at Kakou Ton, but he had already busied himself with his own food, however, Kakou En caught sight of Chousen's plate and laughed heartily.
"That's right!" The stout archer slapped his cousin's back. "Kakou men know how to take care of their women!"
Kakou Ton growled and went back to his food, but blinked suddenly when he felt pressure on his right hand. He turned to find Chousen's appreciative gaze and shy smile staring back at him.
"Thank you, Kakou Ton-sama."
He grunted in response and squeezed her hand in return, now using his left hand to eat for the rest of the meal.
(Sparring Field, Kyoshou Castle)
Kakou Ton snarled and jumped back as Chousen's whip cracked at the ground and kicked up a cloud of dust. His eye narrowed as the dust slowly began to clear and dodged the jagged circular blade flying at his face. He swung his heavy club down to meet her next strike and pinned the blade beneath his weapon. The cycloptic warriors dashed forward and butted his shoulder into the young woman, knocking her back a few feet. She regained her composure in time to roll away from an impending club strike and a quick back flip allowed her to dodge a horizontal swing, which was followed by a diving rolling to reequip herself with her chain whip. Chousen raised her whip reflexively over her shoulder to block Kakou Ton's attack.
"That's enough for now." He leaned forward and murmured into her ear.
It had been a few weeks since Chousen arrived in Kyoshou and she still was having trouble adjusting to her new surroundings. The songstress had never had a man treat her the way Kakou Ton did. She was used to being pampered and surrounded by servants, who would attend to her every whim, however, while there were a few servants around, Kakou Ton did little to pamper her. He almost immediately set up appointments for her to see his personal tutor three times a week when he learned that her adoptive father, Ou In, had already taught her how to read and write, though not as well as Kakou Ton. It wasn't that she was opposed to learning, she enjoyed absorbing new information, but it was very time consuming to have to pour over multiple books on a weekly basis. On top of the studying, she also had daily sparring matches with Kakou Ton and hand-to-hand combat training five days a week. The songstress couldn't complain about being bored, but she wished she had more say in her recreational activities. Her lord insisted that since she was taking part in such troubled times it would be prudent for her to be ready for any situation that could arise. While she understood all of the training, it was still a mystery to her as to why she had to be tutored. Her real interest, however, was finding more information about Kakou Ton and an opportunity presented itself sooner than she thought it would have.
(Kakou Ton's Quarters)
The songstress' attention was captured by a history book while Garou snoozed quietly on the bed. She immediately looked up from her studies when she heard the door opening and expected it to be Kakou Ton; instead, she found the handmaiden whom she had met the first night she was here. The young girl's expression clearly displayed surprise when she spotted the enchantress at her desk.
"Chousen-gozen!" The handmaiden squeaked. "I-I'm sorry; I didn't know you were in the middle of your studies. I was just coming to collect the laundry!"
"Oh… it's okay! It's okay!" Chousen waved her hands, trying to calm the handmaiden down. "Umm… you are Irin, yes?"
"Yes, My Lady." Irin bowed deeply. "I will leave you to your studies now."
"Wait!" The songtress called out as she got up from her seat. "Could you… I mean… could I ask you something?"
"Uh… of course, My Lady." The servant girl stared at her mistress cautiously. "What would you like to know?"
"Please sit." Chousen gestured to a place next to her on Kakou Ton's bed.
Irin curiously stared at the songstress as she sat down.
"I wanted to know…" Chousen stared carefully. "… what do you think of our lord?"
"Kakou Ton-sama?"
"Yes." The enchantress nodded. "Is he a good man?"
"Our lord is a very honorable and loyal man." Irin smiled gently. "I know that he appears to be cold, but he is very kind to his people and he is an exceptional warrior; I've heard many stories of him fighting the mighty Ryo Fu to a draw!"
Chousen flinched but forced a smile to urge her to continue.
"Do you see the farmlands in the distance?" She pointed out the window. "Kakou Ton-sama ordered the Taishou River dammed in order to plant rice. Because of that, the city was able to survive a famine that hit a year ago and we even have extra food for the winters now. Our lord even spear headed the planting himself!"
"That's…" The enchantress frowned. "…very impressive."
"Kakou Ton-sama is also very generous; he always distributes any excess gold among his people. I, myself, have received quite of bit of gold from him as well. I believe that he only uses gold from the castle treasury for the things he needs and…"
"I know of our lord's good deeds…" Chousen interrupted her. "… but I'm sure that even he has some undesirable qualities as well."
"Hmm…" Irin frowned in thought. "Well… I do not wish to speak ill of our lord, but he does have quite a bit of a temper and he is a sore loser."
"Is that right?"
"If you have noticed, My Lady, there are little to no reflective surfaces in the castle. This is because Kakou Ton-sama sees the loss of his eye as a constant reminder of a failed battle and whenever he sees himself in a mirror, he would immediately shatter it in a fit of rage. I also remember an incident that happened a month or so ago; our lord had lost a sparring match with Jo Kou-sama and he withdrew into his quarters for days without emerging for food or water. It was a bit childish of him but…"
The two women jumped up suddenly when they heard the door open and reveal their aforementioned lord.
"My Lord!" Irin almost shrieked.
"Am I interrupting something?" Kakou Ton raised an eyebrow.
"No, Kakou Ton-sama." Chousen shook her head. "I was just asking Irin where you were; I haven't seen you all day."
"I shall take my leave now, My Lady." Irin bowed deeply. "My Lord."
The one-eyed general's gaze followed the handmaiden until she left the room before turning back to Chousen; his eye digging at her expression for an answer.
"Where were you, My Lord?" Chousen smiled sheepishly.
"Playing Gou with Moutoku." Kakou Ton grunted.
"Did you win?"
"What were you talking to that girl about?"
"I already told you." The enchantress bit her lip gently and smiled coyly.
"You are a poor liar when I can resist your charms, no matter how aroused I am."
She turned away from him, slightly annoyed. 'I'm certainly dealing with a different kind of man…'
"The truth." Kakou Ton said sternly. "Now."
"I just… wanted to know about you."
"And you did not think of asking me?"
"I wanted an unbiased opinion."
"And?"
"You… you sound like a very good man."
"Thank you." The burly general smirked. "Have you finished your readings?" He noticed the open books on the nearby table.
"Uh… oh not yet." Chousen moved to pick up her books.
"Do not worry about them." Kakou Ton shook his head. "I believe that I may have pushed too many things upon you, and I feel that you are not enjoying them."
"It just feels like too much now…" The songstress said reassuringly. "… but I know that I can keep up with it."
"I appreciate you trying, but I would rather you spend your time doing something you enjoy."
Chousen raised an eyebrow as she watch her lord leave the room and return with a long, moderately wide wooden box. She tentatively accepted the box when Kakou Ton placed it in her lap and looked at him curiously. Garou's eyes gently opened and the sight of his master and mistress piqued his interest. He quickly padded towards them and sniffed curiously at the wooden box.
"What is this?" Their sudden eye contact made her insides squirm.
"A gift – something that I hope will make your stay more enjoyable."
Her hands slowly removed the cover of the box and a small gasp escaped her lips. Inside was a handsomely constructed ni-u made of the finest red sandalwood with a matching bow lying diagonally over the instrument.
"My Lord… I-I can't accept this…" Chousen's voice quivered.
"Of course you can." Kakou Ton sat beside her. "Moutoku is still expecting a performance and it would be a nice change of pace for me to listen to music while I study."
The songstress gently pulled the one-eyed general into a tight embrace and her voice was soft and sounded melodically in his ear.
"Thank you, Genjou-sama."
End of Chapter 2
