Consider this a Christmas present (also to those who are non-believers of my religion). :D I can't believe I found time to write again. Well, I do have the time since it's break. Hahaha!
Happy Reading!
Everything felt so cold. I looked down and saw nothing. I couldn't even see my own hands or my feet. There's a hazy white fog looming lowly. I made a wary step forward and was glad that nothing happened. As I continue my way down this dark path, something caught my arm.
I screamed, but my scream was voiceless. The white fog continued to gather and finally covering my eyesight. The claw pulled me until I landed hard on my back. I heard a low growl in front of me. I immediately sat up. I could hear my heart pounding against the ribcage, straining to break free.
The growl became louder and I saw a yellowish glint in the fog. A snout dissolved the fog. My hands clenched in fear. My eyes widened in anticipation.
From the fog, a wolf was growling at me. To my surprise, it only had one eye.
"Good morning sunshine!" rang the ever-so-fruity voice of the Butterfly General. He looked down at the lady soldier who was lazily poking her baozi with a pair of chopsticks. He pouted and placed his hands on both hips.
"Oh come on now Ai Xin. Give me that smile!" He said, pinching Ai Xin's cheeks up to a smile. He released his hands. "That's better!"
The forced smile on Ai Xin's face fell back down like a rock drop.
"General Zhang He… please," she muttered, holding her head.
Zhang He sat down across the girl. "What's wrong hon? Woke up the wrong side of bed?"
Ai Xin sighed. Zhang He is just that annoying that you have to speak else die listening to his unending sentences.
"Alright Junyi, give me a minute to organize my head," she said through gritted teeth, trying to calm down. Her head had been aching ever since she woke up that she failed to clean Xiahou Dun's room and do the rest of her chores.
"I just don't feel good," she managed to state flatly.
Zhang He raised a brow and pressed a hand on her forehead. "You're right about that. You're tepid hot!" he exclaimed.
Ai Xin frowned. "Thank you for exaggerating it," she muttered. She managed to take a bite on the baozi.
Xiahou Dun entered the dining hall. He looked quite disappointed. His eye scanned the hall and saw Ai Xin.
Ai Xin saw Xiahou Dun coming despite her eyesight somewhat blacking out a little. "Oh great… Then I get a sermon," she mumbled.
Zhang He saw Xiahou Dun approaching. "Alright hon," he said meekly. He stood up and patted her arm. "If there's anything you need. I'll be with the butterflies!" He left.
Ai Xin sighed as Zhang He left. When Xiahou Dun is within earshot, she stood up and greeted him.
"Good morning sir," she said. "I apologize for being unable to-"
Xiahou Dun's gruff voice cut her off, "If you don't come by training today, I will make sure you are deported." He grabbed a baozi from her table and left.
Ai Xin just blinked. "What?"
Cao Cao was leaning at the pillar at the entrance of the sparring field. He had his arms crossed in a somewhat aloof way. Xiahou Dun was carrying his Kirin Fang towards the field.
"You're quite early today cousin," spoke the Wei Lord. "Earlier than usual."
Xiahou Dun immediately stopped on his tracks. He thought that Cao Cao was in the throne room or perhaps in the harem with his three hundred concubines.
"Lord Cao Cao," he greeted. "A pleasant morning," he said with a bow.
Cao Cao laughed, "Oh spare me the formalities cousin. We're not in battle or anything!"
Xiahou Dun was sometimes this uneasy when Cao Cao would act as what the latter would like to call 'goof off' time. Seriously, a man who will soon rule the whole kingdom of China must always be composed… Not lax off.
Cao Cao noticed Xiahou Dun's sudden lost of thought. He pushed himself away from the pillar and tapped his cousin's shoulder.
"Come to your senses Yuanrang," he chuckled. "Relax a bit."
Xiahou Dun shook his head. He looked at his royal cousin with a somewhat sad look. "As much as I want to let down my guard Lord Mengde," he said softly, "but I cannot. You need an army to conquer and defend. And I will provide that army for you."
Cao Cao laughed again and slapped his cousin's back. Xiahou Dun coughed slightly and straightened his back to ease the stinging slap.
"Very well, if you want business then here is my business," Cao Cao said. "I'm going to see how well you have trained Zhongda's little assistant."
Xiahou Dun swallowed. This is going to be very, very hard.
Ai Xin was running. She had to be early today. She was holding her blade by her left hand. She skidded to a halt upon seeing the Wei Lord.
"L-Lord Cao Cao!" she immediately greeted, bowing low that she almost lost her balance.
Cao Cao chuckled. He could sense the evident innocence and clumsiness of the rookie. "A pleasant morning to you rookie," he replied.
Ai Xin swallowed and bowed to Xiahou Dun. "Good morning sir…"
Xiahou Dun grunted, "Let's get this over with." He beckoned Ai Xin to come over.
Ai Xin obliged. "Yes sir?"
"Lord Cao Cao will be watching your performance," he stated simply. Then he leaned close and whispered, "Don't ruin this."
Cao Cao smirked, watching them. He made a mental note of his cousin's subtle affection towards the young subordinate.
Ai Xin nodded. "Yes sir," she answered. But in the back of her mind, her conscience is screaming, we're doomed Ai Xin! Doomed to the very core!
Xiahou Dun stepped back. "Very well, let the training begin," he said.
Down southwest of the land, there was a private conference. Silent among the four walls, hushed voices conversed with one another.
"By autumn's end milord," spoke a mild voice. "We shall take this territory." The man gestured his hand towards a large mountainous area southwest of Wei's borders.
The superior sat on his elevated throne, which was not as splendid as the ones his enemies had. "I presume you have a plan ready for this," he said.
"Indeed milord," spoke the former. "I have sent a suitable spy to monitor their movements."
The lord on the throne nodded, "Very well. I shall leave it to you Prime Minister."
The man below him bowed with utmost respect, "Of course Your Excellency."
There was a loud clash and sparks flew in all directions. Ai Xin was struggling in a deadlock against her commander, Xiahou Dun.
Isn't it enough for him to be doing this to you?!?! Screamed her conscience. Retreat girl! Your body isn't fit enough to handle this much stress!
Ai Xin knew that her conscience was right about this. She started to calculate in her mind what to do.
Xiahou Dun noticed her face. "Don't use your mind to do the math Private," he said. "You use it to find the weak spot and attack it."
Ai Xin could feel her breath grow hotter and hotter. Her eyesight was failing her when everything started to blink black. She used what remained of her ailing body and broke away from the deadlock. Unable to fight the outside and inner opponents, she stumbled to the ground.
Cao Cao was drinking a cup of tea. When he saw the lady fall to the ground, he set his cup on the platelet. "I have seen enough General Xiahou," he said. His dark eyes observed her breathing, it was shallow and struggling. "Her efforts surprised me," was all he commented before leaving. A servant came by to collect the tray of tea.
Xiahou Dun set his scimitar down and went over to Ai Xin. He knelt down on one knee.
"Private Ai?"
There was a weak response, but mostly he could hear gasps. He moved back a little when Ai Xin struggled to sit up. Her cheeks were red. He couldn't tell if it was out of embarrassment or what. He placed a cautious hand on her forehead and removed it afterwards. She was sick with fever or so he concluded.
"Private Ai," he asked quietly. "Can you walk?"
Ai Xin looked at him. Her eyes were beginning to droop out of exhaustion. "I… guess." She pushed herself up from the ground with the help of her sword. Her legs were shaking from fatigue.
Xiahou Dun watched her make small steps. His eye fell on her backside.
So firm, he thought. He reluctantly shook the thought away, of all times.
"Private," he called.
Ai Xin turned around. "Y-Yes sir?"
"Have the day off," he ordered. "You're not at best shape today."
Ai Xin managed a weak smile. "Thank you sir."
The moment she took another step back into the castle, her strength finally deserted her and she collapsed on the stone floor.
At the borders of Wei, there was loud wailing. Soldiers were struggling to put out fires set by an unknown source.
"Hurry pass on the pails!" yelled the captain of the soldiers. They were struggling to put out the fire on a row of houses.
Somewhere far from the town, a cloaked figure sat on the branch, watching the chaos created. Lithe fingers played with a peach before devouring it with bites.
This is too easy.
Hearing returned to her senses and her nose smelled the awful smell of herbs wafting the air surrounding her. Grey eyes opened at once and she sat up.
"Easy there," spoke the mild voice of the doctor.
Ai Xin was pushed back down on the bed.
"Awkward that this is the second time I see you here," chuckled the old doctor.
"I think I know you," she whispered. "You're Huo Tuo right?"
Huo Tuo chuckled, "Well, well, well. Indeed I am milady." He checked her vitals by placing his hands on certain areas of her upper torso. Ai Xin shivered. His hands are wrinkled and clammy.
"I was told that you were running with a fever," he spoke softly in his mild-mannered voice. "Have you been sleeping well?"
Ai Xin closed her hands, "Well… uhm… No."
"Now why is that young one?" the old man asked, turning his back on her to fetch some liquid.
Ai Xin sat up and pulled her knees up to her chest. "I don't really know. But I always get nightmares."
Huo Tuo chuckled, "How amusing."
Ai Xin pouted and blushed slightly in embarrassment. "No it's not."
The old man returned to her bedside with a bowl of foul-smelling medicine. "Drink this. It should help."
"But it's… icky," she whined meekly.
Huo Tuo chuckled, "Come on. It's just a bowl. Not like the others I had treated. I gave them ten bowls of different other kinds of things."
Ai Xin held the bowl and made a face. She pinched her nose with one hand and gulped down the contents of the bowl. Her eyes watered at the taste.
"See that isn't so bad," the doctor chuckled softly as he took the bowl away from her hand. "You have a visitor by the way." He left her.
Ai Xin readied her ears and closed her eyes. She expected it to be Zhang He who would burst in and wail at her misfortune. She could already imagine his complaining and sorts.
"Private Ai," came a curt voice.
Wait, that didn't sound like Zhang He, she thought.
She opened her eyes and nearly screamed into a fit.
Xiahou Dun raised both eyebrows at the reaction of his rookie. Was it something he did? He racked his brain, he hadn't done anything. Or maybe he didn't smell good?
"Private Ai," he spoke in a stern voice. "Calm down."
Ai Xin couldn't calm down. She was staring at a giant spider that was hovering above his head.
"Sp-Sp-Spi-dd," she stammered. She stared frightened above his head.
Xiahou Dun looked above his head to see the spider. He simply swatted it off with a wave of his hand.
Ai Xin opened her mouth but no sound came out. By trauma, she passed out.
Huo Tuo passed by and saw the scene. He stared at the spider crawling on the ground.
"Tsk tsk, you shouldn't have come by you know," he said to the spider.
Xiahou Dun sighed when the officer passed out on him again. But he took this opportunity to study her facial features. Smooth cream-colored skin and thin eyebrows; a pale shade of pink surrounded her eyes. His eye trailed down to the lower part of her face, small nose and red lips.
Quite a pretty face, he mused. He pushed stray strands of hair off her face.
"Hmm."
The Grand General rose from his place and left the infirmary. Thoughts and visions began swirling in his mind.
Well, that made enough to intrigue you guys and gals. Buahahhaha :D
Ai Xin: *headwalling*
*pats Xin's shoulder* It's alright hon.
Read and Review!
