Disclaimer: Koei owns all characters, except Lu Kyoko which is mine.
3: Rumours Spread Fast
Lu Kyoko could feel the sunlight shining on her face, even though she didn't want to wake up she knew that her mother would force her servants to wake her up, she groaned slightly and turned on her side, facing away from the door towards the wall, and she felt she had a good reason for not wanting to get up, it had been six days since Sun Quan's birthday and she was sure that he was avoiding her, she hated the feeling, and didn't think she'd done anything to upset him, but he seemed to have forgotten that they were best friends, a phrase neither of them would use with Shang Xiang around, and she was almost attuned to his aura, and it was getting harder to read, which meant he was trying to distance himself from her, but from what she could read, he was worried deeply about something, something which concerned her.
Suddenly the sound of her door opening made her almost want to pretend she was ill, so she wouldn't have to get up, normally she'd hate staying in bed all day, but there was nothing going on so she didn't have anything to do, and then she thought of the fuss that her mother would make of her, so when Leiya and Mai Shan shook her to wake her up she forced her brain to make her body oblige, she didn't even protest when they dressed her in her armour and got her ready for the day, much to their surprise, she normally hated being fussed over and treated like she couldn't handle herself. Usually she was up and dressed before everyone else, she picked up her weapon and left her room into the communal area where Lady Lu and her elder brother Lu Meng were having breakfast, Mai Shan and Leiya exchanged worried glances, she'd picked them up in their body language, even though they were her maids, she still felt closer to Sun Quan, she couldn't believe how close she'd come to attuning to his aura, now it felt distant, and she felt lost without that comforting aura nearby.
"Do you think she's alright?" Leiya asked, she was Lu Kyoko's newest maid and only 16 years old, 2 years younger than Lu Kyoko herself
"I don't think so; she's been like this since the party... Something's gone wrong between her and Lord Sun Quan" Mai Shan answered, she was Lu Kyoko's head Handmaiden, she was 23 and had looked after Lu Kyoko for the majority of both their lives, and she knew everything, including what she thought the Lord of Wu and her lady were secretly feeling for each other, whether they knew it or not.
"Gone wrong?" Leiya echoed, her pretty brown eyes widened with curiosity "Are the rumours true?"
Mai Shan shook her head "Not that I know of Leiya, I'm sure we'd know if Lord Sun Quan was courting Kyoko... Besides I'd have heard off his maids, generally we talk often but not since the party, I think he's avoiding her" Leiya frowned with concern, she remembered Lu Kyoko once commenting about how 'Quan's aura made her feel safe'.
*
Lu Kyoko left her room and handed her weapon to one of the guards, who automatically passed it to the guard nearest the door out of the particular wing, and she sat down at the table opposite Lu Meng, he smiled in greeting and she returned it, Lady Lu Shan, Lu Kyoko's mother, looked up from the letter she was writing "Ah Kyoko, good sleep?"
"Not particularly no, I didn't sleep well really" She risked a glance to Lu Meng, he pulled a face, clearly sympathetic, she'd told him about the problem with Sun Quan, but only from a Sorceress point of view, but she knew that her mother wouldn't be sympathetic at all, even if she had a clue what was really upsetting her only daughter.
"You haven't come ill with anything from that party have you? You've not been right since after then"
"I hope not" Lu Kyoko answered rather quietly, though honestly, looking away, down to the food which had just been served for them, Lady Lu and Lu Meng exchanged worried and sad glances, Lu Kyoko only picked at the food and then excused herself halfway through, taking her weapon, strapping it onto her forearm and leaving their particular wing, Lu Meng sighed and then carried on eating, Lady Lu looked at Lu Kyoko's hardly touched food as it was taken away by the servants and then looked towards her son "Meng, will you do me a favour?"
"What is it mother?"
"Will you find Lord Sun Quan and talk to him; I fear he is the cause of this sudden change in Kyoko?"
Lu Meng nodded, he knew that already but wasn't going to admit that "I was having similar thoughts myself, alright, I'll talk to him later on today, I think he's going to talk to me about Lu Xun anyway"
Lady Lu smiled, but then knew she'd have to talk to Sun Quan soon anyway, she was hoping that he'd involve himself when the appeal started for Lu Kyoko's courtship, after all she was 18 and Lady Lu had already had a lot of interest expressed for her daughter, but only very few that she would truly consider, even though the choice would not be made by Lu Kyoko, she wanted her daughter to be happy. She mulled over the choices as she put her letter to the side and started eating again, there was the two Wu generals Ling Tong and Gan Ning, but she figured that Lu Kyoko wouldn't want either of them as it would ruin the, almost perfect, three way friendship they had. Lord Bi'Zhen had also applied, but Lady Lu personally thought that, despite his large admiration of her, he was too old for her and wouldn't treat her the way she deserved. Lady Lu knew that somehow, she'd have to see if she could get Lord Sun Quan to apply, she saw that Lu Meng had almost finished
"Meng..." He looked up "When you see Lord Sun Quan tell him that I wish to speak to him as soon as possible... it's very urgent"
Lu Meng nodded and ate the rest of his food quickly and then left, Lady Lu finished all she wanted and then went back to her letter.
*
Lu Kyoko was walking around the castle aimlessly, not being able to read Sun Quan's aura had made her feel lost. So lost that she walked into the storeroom for the dining room, it was adjacent to the kitchens. Lu Kyoko was the only person in the entire kingdom who was allowed everywhere, even in places where the royal family weren't allowed. She sat down on a sack of rice, burying her face in her hands, trying to concentrate on Sun Quan, but she couldn't, she felt like crying, but she didn't, she refused.
"Kyoko?" She heard the lovely high pitched voice of Da Qiao, she looked up
"What are doing here Da?"
"I saw you walking this way, looking lost"
Her voice caught, but she eventually choked out "I feel lost... I can't concentrate... I... I don't even know how I feel"
Da Qiao bit her lip and sat down next to her friend "It's Lord Quan isn't it? You've not been right for almost a week Kyoko"
"He's avoiding me Da, I know he is but I don't know why... We were so close... And no warning either... It's completely messed me up... I just want to know why... Then I might be able to concentrate and find my way again"
Da Qiao threw her arms around Lu Kyoko, in a comforting hug, Lu Kyoko smiled genuinely for the first time in days. Then Da Qiao released her "You gonna be ok?"
Lu Kyoko nodded, still smiling, Da Qiao smiled and left Lu Kyoko. Lu Kyoko was now feeling slightly more collected, but there was still more she had to do. Da Qiao actually felt slightly angry at her future brother in law. She couldn't believe that he was avoiding Lu Kyoko... And Da Qiao had been so convinced that he was in love with her. She needed to talk to him, soon.
*
Lu Meng knocked on the main library's door, he'd noted that Lu Kyoko'd stopped coming to this library and he assumed Sun Quan was in there "Come in" Sun Quan's voice confirmed Lu Meng's idea. He stepped into the library, Sun Quan was working at his usual desk, and Lu Meng was relieved to find him on his own. He looked up "Meng? Hey," He set his pen down and gestured to a seat "What's up?"
Lu Meng sat in the seat "Okay, but don't throw me out as soon as you hear the conversation topic, at least hear me out"
Sun Quan had an inkling he knew this conversation was going to be about the older warriors young sister. "Ok" He agreed eventually, taking a deep breath, and moved his papers aside, knowing he wouldn't be able to concentrate on them for a while after this.
"It's about Kyoko" Sun Quan rolled his eyes, he knew it, but that didn't deter Lu Meng one bit "She's miserable my lord, she can't concentrate, she'd been walking around like a moving corpse for the last six days... Please talk to her"
Sun Quan hadn't realised he'd had this great of an effect on Lu Kyoko "I didn't realise I've not really seen her... Why me?"
Sun Quan instantly regretted the words, he knew Lu Meng's temper was flaring, but he kept himself relatively calm, his voice at least "Because you're the reason why she's upset, I didn't particularly wish to blame you my lord, but you are the only person who could upset Lu Kyoko this much"
Sun Quan looked over to the paperwork he'd been doing, and then sighed "Alright, I'll talk to her"
Lu Meng nodded his immense thanks and then stood up, then remembered his promise and cringed, Sun Quan saw it "What is it Meng?"
"My mother wanted to speak to you, she said it was very urgent, prepare yourself my lord, I fear this may be about my sister as well."
"Alright, I'll finish this and then go see her" Sun Quan cringed as well, he had a horrible feeling he knew what it was about... he remembered what the Qiaos had been talking about with Lu Kyoko and Shang Xiang the night they'd arrived, his birthday, he had better hearing then he let on. Lu Meng left and Sun Quan looked back over to the papers he's started, he wasn't in the right frame of mind to finish them, and he couldn't avoid Lady Lu, it was easier trying to avoid Lu Kyoko or Shang Xiang when they were stalking you. He decided to get this meeting over with and go see Lady Lu, if he met with Lu Kyoko on the way then he'd talk to her first. He hadn't figured that she'd be this upset with him bailing on her... Then he remembered what she'd told him, shortly after she'd become a sorceress, that she could sense his aura above anybody else's, that he had been the one who made her feel happy and safe... How he had been holdingher hands when she had cast her first spell. Sun Quan cringed again and left the library... Convinced he was a horrible person for making his best friend feel so lost.
And so, filled with remorse and dread, he made his way over to the West Wing, where Lady Lu was, no doubt about it, waiting for him. Sun Quan only wondered how much worse he'd feel after this.
AN: Okay, and another chapter, please review! Just hit the big green button you can't miss it :)
