It was horrifying. This was the one of the worst experiences Xiaoqiao ever had. She kept coughing; inhaling some of the smoke was not the best idea she had. But it's not like it couldn't be prevented. She landed on her back after rolling through the grass, and as she glanced to her left, she couldn't help but stare at the terrifying sight. This whole portion of the castle was in flames. It was much like a candle – it would soon burn out, leaving nothing. Now she realized it. If her big sister didn't jump, they would've surely been engulfed by the flames. Wait…

Speaking of her sister, where was she? Xiaoqiao glanced to her right, and there she saw her. However, as much as her mood quickly changed to gladness, it changed to worry and terror instantly. "S-Sister?" Her voice cracked. Her sister wasn't moving. "SISTER!" She tried standing up, but her legs felt like jelly. She had no choice but to crawl to her side, but even that was a little painful. She could only use her left arm to crawl and pull herself closer, staining her clothes with dirt. Please, please be okay!

As she reached her sister's side, she inspected her carefully. Her clothes were dirty, and it had some tears as well, not that she really cared about that, but to her it showed how much she shielded her from all those flying debris. And because of this, she can't help but think… no! She just can't! She knew her sister was strong, that she could handle this, that they were gonna get out of here together like she said, but why wasn't she showing any signs? Why wasn't she moving? Why was she… dead? Before she even realized it, tears were constantly falling from her face, soaking a part of her sister's clothes. She lied down next to her, their faces just inches apart.

It was quite a funny thought. The more she observed her, the more she thought how peaceful she looked. With the way her chest was gently moving up and down, to the way she-

Wait… didn't that mean… All hope inside Xiaoqiao rose up. She put her head near her sister's chest, taking a moment to listen. It was beating. It was beating! An overwhelming feeling of relief and happiness came upon her. Sis! She chuckled in relief, wiping her tears away.

She just wanted to cuddle up next to her and rest for who knows how long, but this wasn't exactly the best place, being near a burning castle and all. That and the bandits too.

Xiaoqiao heard their voices. She raised her head slowly and saw them in the distance. They had to get out of here quickly. She shook her sister lightly, whispering, "Sis, wake up." But she didn't even respond. She tried again, shaking her a little more. "Sis, come on! The meanies are here!" Yet her sister was too deep in her state of unconsciousness. She pouted, letting out a cute little groan. Why'd you have to sleep so peacefully now…

Xiaoqiao tried not to panic. Maybe if they stayed still, they wouldn't notice? Well, her sister was already playing the part, so why not do it as well?

The sizzling sounds of the wood burning in the fire, the violent drops of the debris, even though she could only hear them, the image was still clear as if her eyes weren't even closed.

After a few tense moments, Xiaoqiao sighed in relief. She didn't hear or see anyone come close. Now what was the plan? She shook her sister's shoulder, but still to no avail.

She suddenly smirked. This one should work! She tickled her belly and side… but even this devious plan had no effect. Xiaoqiao frowned. She had no other choice. She tried standing up slowly, but her legs were wobbly, making her almost lose her balance. The fact that she could finally get up on her feet was a big achievement for her. Now, to get sis out of here…

Even bending her knees took a lot of effort. But how was she gonna pull her sister with just one hand? Her wound stung again, making her hold it for awhile. If only I didn't get this wound…

She tried her best. Surprisingly, she got to at least move her a little. Slowly, she pulled her through the grass, and she remained careful in case there were stones and rocks along the way. She felt a little guilty about this, but she couldn't think of any other way.

Currently, it worked in her favor, but she couldn't help but worry. She knew her physical strength wasn't the best, and that only made it more concerning. Is sister eating enough?

That matter aside, she sighed. If this kept up, she really hoped she wouldn't get muscles from this; one arm being larger than the other just looked weird.

Daqiao had to open her eyes, because the sunlight aimed directly at them. Ugh, that wasn't the best way to wake up at all. She pulled her head up, and observed her surroundings. There was nothing but nature – beautiful trees, animals running about, and blooming plants. Everything looked so peaceful. Was she in heaven? She really hoped not, because whoever was yelling "SIIIIIIIS!" sounded exactly like-

Xiaoqiao tackled and hugged her. "I'm so glad! You finally woke up!" She nuzzled her cheeks with hers.

Daqiao was startled, but soon came back to her senses and hugged her back, smiling. "Glad to see you too, Xiaoqiao." She took a second to glance around again. "Where are we exactly?"

Xiaoqiao let go of the hug and sat down beside her. "I'm not really sure where we ended up last night…" This is the best spot I could find….

"Wait, did someone help us? I mean, it's not like you dragged me all the way here, right?" The guilt she would feel for burdening her would be too much.

Xiaoqiao scratched the back of her head, smiling nervously. "Oh… about that…" She chuckled nervously. "S-Sorry for getting your back dirty…"

Daqiao gasped. "W-what?!" She held Xiaoqiao's hand and bowed her head. "Please forgive me!"

"W-what? No, sis, it's okay, really!"

"But Xiaoqiao…" She looked up at her.

Xiaoqiao grinned. "Don't worry about it sis!"

Daqiao frowned. "I must've been really heavy to carry…"

"Actually, I had to pull you because I can only use my other arm." She smiled nervously. "T-that's why your back is dirty..."

That only made Daqiao feel worse. How was she going to make it up to her? She had to think of one. But her thoughts were interrupted as she felt Xiaoqiao's hand on her shoulder. Her little sister looked concerned.

"Sis, have you been eating enough lately? You know, when I was pulling you, you felt a little… light."

Daqiao shook her head slowly. "With all the battles, the many times we had to move to other places, we didn't really have the time to rest and eat properly, didn't we?" As if on cue, her stomach growled loudly, making her blush. Somehow, it reminded her how long she hasn't eaten. Ever since she got "kidnapped" yesterday, her stomach hasn't digested anything. She was a bit surprised that it only started complaining now.

Xiaoqiao giggled. "Then how about we go eat some apples!"

Daqiao turned her head to where her little sister was pointing, and there she noticed the tree right beside them - an apple tree.

The sisters grabbed the apples and sat down by the tree's trunk, and started to bite the fruit, giving off that signature crunchy sound.

As Daqiao looked around, she chuckled. "It's such a rare sight, isn't it?"

Xiaoqiao stopped munching on her red apple, and turned her head to look at her sister. "Huh? What is?"

"This." She looked up slightly and observed once again her surroundings. "Everything around us. Despite the war, you couldn't help but wonder how peaceful it actually is." A sad smile formed on her lips. "If only the war stopped, don't you think everyday, will look like this?" She looked at her little sister, that melancholic smile never fading away.

Xiaoqiao frowned. "Awwww…" She didn't like seeing her like this, seeing her sad made her share the same feeling. Putting down the apple next to her, she scooted closer to her. "Yup, it does look so peaceful. I bet we can finally sleep comfortably, everything just looks so cozy!" She giggled. "So don't worry sis! I'm sure everything will be better soon." She reassured her with that bright smile.

A chuckle escaped Daqiao's mouth. "Oh Xiaoqiao…" She extender her arms and ruffled her hair. Xiaoqiao was always so cheerful, and just seeing that cheerfulness always lightened her mood. That's why she really hoped that part of her never changes. "Just seeing you smile makes me happy."

Xiaoqiao grinned. "Really?! I'm glad I could make you happy!"

But Daqiao's concern still remained, and she asked, "Hey, how's your uhh wound doing?" She couldn't help it, the thought of seeing her hurt made it impossible for her to be calm. She had to be assured that her little sister was completely unscathed before she could.

"I guess it's getting better. It doesn't hurt as much as yesterday."

Daqiao nodded. "That's good, really good." Aside from that, she also had other concerns. "But Xiaoqiao, did nobody want to come with you?"

Xiaoqiao frowned as she shook her head. "They said it was too dangerous because they had catapults."

So that's where those large rocks came from… Aside from Xiaoqiao's gash, Daqiao didn't notice any other marks or serious injuries, much to her relief.

Stutters became apparent in Xiaoqiao's voice as her eyes welled up in tears. "B-But I didn't want to just s-stand there and do n-nothing..." Reaching for her face, she wiped some of her tears before continuing, "B-Because if I never saw you again… I…" Her emotional distress had caused her to stop talking and just let her tears burst out, crying on her sister's shoulder.

Daqiao tilted her head towards her sister's and put her arm around her head, caressing her hair. "Shhh… it's okay. Look, I'm here with you right now, and do you know why?" Her sister merely responded with a snuffle. "Because of what you did, and that was really brave of you. You are my hero, Xiaoqiao." She smiled warmly. "'You're by far the strongest girl I know'," she quoted her, remembering her other courageous act back in Chi Bi.

Xiaoqiao looked up at her sister, streaks of dry tears on her face. She could never forget that day. She wiped the tears away, "But that's you sis, I'm not strong…"

"But you were the one who insisted on helping them! And just look at all the things you did! For crying out loud, you literally rescued me on your own, pushing that heavy door was a lot easier when you helped, and you even dragged me all the way here with an injured arm! I mean how did you even do that?"

Xiaoqiao's snuffling soon disappeared, and turned to a giggle. She never knew being praised like this felt so good.

"I just can't thank you enough…" Daqiao suddenly smiled, an idea forming in her head. "Tell you what, after this is over, how about I prepare a certain meal for you?" She smirked, knowing how she always eyed those who got to eat such a treat.

Xiaoqiao gasped, her eyes glistening in anticipation. That tone in her sister's voice was the clue. "You mean those delicious noodles mixed with meat?!"

Daqiao smiled warmly. "Mhmm."

Xiaoqiao had her mouth agape in astonishment. "B-But sis, isn't that expensive?!"

Daqiao chuckled. "Don't worry about that, I've saved quite a lot in the past few weeks." And before Xiaoqiao could even protest, she continued, "And no, it was my word, so don't feel bad about me having to spend, okay?"

Xiaoqiao felt so happy, she could just cry. Her eyes did moisten up a little, because this was the kindest gesture anyone has ever done for her. She held her hand, crying, "Thank you thank you thank you soooo much! You're the best sister ever!"

Daqiao giggled. "Alright, just don't give me those death hugs you usually do," she jokingly said.

Xiaoqiao played along. "Hehe, nope! I'll attack you with my warmest hug everrr~!" She went and put her arms around her neck, embracing her tenderly, and even nuzzled her cheeks.

Daqiao couldn't help but chuckle at her cute gesture.

After the sweet embrace she gave, Xiaoqiao sat down beside her sister, looking up at the peaceful sky and environment. "Hey sis, what should we do now?"

With all that has happened, perhaps it was okay to just settle down for now. Besides, the environment was a rare sight during this time of war. And the concerns about wildlife? Prior to the ambush, Daqiao have heard many locals talking about this area around their recently invaded castle. Most, if not all, animals nearby didn't prefer eating meat, or at least human meat, so she guessed it was safe. And this spot was already good enough with the tree providing some good shade as well. Everything was in check. With that, a smile formed on the older Qiao's face.

"Let's stay here a little while longer."

That little quote came from a cutscene in Dynasty Warriors 7 Xtreme Legends, in Xiaoqiao's legend stage.