Pursuit
By Yukira Tsurama
Chapter 2 Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, haha.
Author's Notes: Well, here is chapter 2. After being extremely deranged for a while now, I think I returned back to normal.no, not really. Thank you's for: BennyC, Malz, Black Phoenix, lacitar13, Sea-Blue Dragon, and Reika for reviewing.
Oh! And by the way: Sun Ruan Er is NOT a made up character. She existed in history as, well, Zhao Yun's wife. Nyah!
*~~~~*~~~~*
Sun Ruan continued to dodge the branches and trees that came her way. Suddenly, she was in another town.
Sun looked around and finally entered a restaurant, leaving her horse outside.
A small waitress wearing an apron escorted her to a table.
"What would you like to eat?" asked the small girl.
Sun hesitated. "Well, I just want dim sum and some tea."
The restaurant was a pleasant one. There were paintings of mountains and paths on the wall.
"I wonder where I'll go." Thought Sun Ruan. "I guess maybe I should go to Xu Chang instead. Ling Pei probably told the guards that I'm headed off to Jian Ye."
*At Ling Pei's home*
The messenger and a few of Liu Bei's men sat across from Ling.
"Where is Sun Ruan Er headed to?" one of them asked.
Ling Pei thought for a while. "If I tell them that Sun went to Jian Ye, she'll be in trouble! I'd better say Xu Chang."
"Uh, she's headed for the Wei capital Xu Chang." She answered promptly.
The messenger and his men left Ling's house and continued on their way back to Liu Bei.
*Back to the Restaurant*
Minutes later, the small girl started to carry over a pot of tea, but she dropped it accidentally. Sun Ruan walked over to help her.
"Thank you." Said the girl.
"Um, do you know how I could get to Xu Chang?" asked Sun Ruan, picking up the shards of the broken tea pot.
The girl stared at Sun. "You didn't know? This town is famous for having the path to Xu Chang on the left side and Jian Ye on the right."
"Oh. I didn't know."
The girl proceeded to bring over another pot of tea then spoke to Sun. "Where are you from?"
"Uh, actually, I just got here from.Chengdu!" answered Sun.
"Interesting."
The girl returned to the kitchen and brought out a small platter of shrimp dumplings, pork buns, and a portion of roasted duck.
Sun Ruan began to eat the food and took sips of tea every few minutes. When she was engaged to Zhao Yun, she felt as if she was in captivity, but she had been very much in love. Now, she felt free with nothing holding her back. The feeling was amazing.
Suddenly, the guards that she had knocked out in the forest kicked the door to the restaurant open.
"There she is!" shouted a guard pointing at Sun Ruan. "After her!"
Sun left some money on her table and ran out the door past the guards. Quickly mounting her horse and riding away, she could hear the guards yelling from behind her.
The guards were now mounting their horses and Sun forgot which path to take.
"Damnit! Which one? Left or right?" Sun thought.
Behind her, the guards were catching up fast.
And then she remembered! "Left is Xu Chang!" she said aloud happily.
Sun Ruan sped off, leaving the guards behind.
The path that Sun was riding on was a wide dirt road. There were rocks, trees, and bushes to the right and left of her.
Sun continued to follow the path. In a way, the path reminded her of her own journey through life. At first, the road was straight, never turning. Then, it started to curve and bend wildly.
Sun Ruan rode until the sun began to set. Then, she stopped her horse next to a small river and fell asleep.
*Daylight, Liu Bei's conference room*
Zhao Yun sat in his seat, staring at Zhuge Liang's hat.
Suddenly, the messenger and the two guards ran into the room.
Kneeling to Liu Bei, the messenger spoke. "Lord Liu Bei! Sun Ruan Er is headed for Xu Chang!"
Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wei, Ma Chao, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Yue Ying gasped.
"She won't last!" began Ma Chao.
"Zilong's lucky if she comes back in one piece!" added Jiang Wei, but Zhao Yun was emotionless. He continued to stare at Zhuge's hat.
*Back to Sun Ruan*
The morning light woke up Sun and she opened her eyes. Her horse was still asleep.
Sun crawled over to the river and washed her face, staring at her reflection when she was done. Her face was a pale white, framed by her short black hair. Her eyes were a sparkling brown. Her body was tall and slender. Sun began to remember the moment she met Zhao Yun.
~Flashback~
Sun's village was a corrupted place. A group of bandits had taken over. Anyone that tried to leave was executed.
It was dark and raining outside. Sun Ruan had to go into the dangerous marketplace to purchase medicine for her mother. The market place was an area that endangered the lives of young women and girls. Walking around cautiously, Sun was able to buy some medicine from a stand.
Someone grabbed her and pulled her into the darkness. The man breathed on her neck. Sun struggled to get away but he ripped part of her cheongsam. And then, she saw him.
The man, probably a general, was clad in white colored armor with dragon designs.
Sun Ruan screamed for help.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yun wondered if he should save her. Many girls were raped in the market everyday, why let her be an exception?
But Zhao Yun found himself pulling the young woman away from the rapist. Raising his spear, he slaughtered the man in one blow.
~End of Flashback~
Sun Ruan, out of her little reverie, mounted her horse and continued on her way. Stopping, she picked vegetables out of the forest and fed them to herself and her horse. Sun Ruan did this for several days, stopping only to eat and sleep and then to change clothes.
Finally, Sun reached another town. The town seemed to be a quiet one. Sun entered another restaurant.
The people inside the restaurant were just civilians, but one man in the far corner stood out from the rest of them.
The man had very beautiful features. His hair was tied into a ponytail that went down to his waist. His facial features were delicate. A peacock tiara was nestled on his head. Sun walked over to him.
"Hello." She greeted. The man looked up at her.
"Who are you?" he asked, raising his hands, which Sun could see, were equipped with metal claws.
Sun Ruan took the seat across from him. "Are you a general of the Wei army?"
The man smiled and Sun felt herself blush. "Yes, indeed, I am. My name is Zhang He."
Sun just smiled back. "I am, uh, Mai Li. I wish to join the Wei army."
Zhang He laughed at that. "A girl like you? I guess we could.we have one female officer already. I will bring you to Cao Cao."
Zhang He led Sun Ruan out of the crowded restaurant and they both mounted their horses.
Both were silent on the way to Cao Cao's palace. When they finally arrived, a few guards noticed Sun's sword and panicked.
Zhang He eyed them and led her inside the palace.
Cao Cao's palace was an elaborate building made of fine wood and stone. Inside, the main hall was stylishly decorated. Zhang He opened the dining room door.
Cao Cao was sitting at the head of the table. Various generals looked over and stared at Sun. A female officer glared at her.
Zhang He bowed to Cao Cao and Sun followed suit. "My lord, I bring this young woman to speak to you.
Sun Ruan began to speak. "Lord Cao Cao, I wish to serve in the Wei army."
Cao Cao smirked. "I would like to see your fighting ability."
The female officer rose from her seat and volunteered. "I will fight her!"
Cao Cao shook his head and motioned for her to be seated. "Zhang He found her, Zhang He will fight her."
Sun Ruan removed the Jade Dragon from its sheath and followed Zhang He.
When both were away from the table, Cao Cao motioned for them to begin.
Zhang He smiled at Sun with cool confidence. Sun frowned and began to attack.
So far, Zhang He was able to dodge all of Sun's attacks. He stood, one arm akimbo, the other motioning for Sun Ruan to come closer.
Sun Ruan faked an attack and Zhang He leaped into the air, about to strike. Sun Ruan began to imitate Zhao Yun's fighting strategies. Cao Cao gasped.
"Are you by any chance related to Zhao Yun of Shu?" asked Cao Cao.
Sun Ruan continued to fight Zhang He. "Nope. Not a chance."
After a while, Sun began to suspect that Zhang He was going easy on her. She swung her sword one last time and knocked Zhang He to the ground.
Cao Cao got up from his chair and walked to face Sun Ruan. "What is your name?"
"Mai Li," replied Sun Ruan. "Of Chang'an."
Cao Cao motioned for a maid to escort Sun Ruan to a room.
As she left the dining room, Sun didn't notice the female officer glaring at her with a cold expression.
*~~~~*~~~~*
*Yawn* It's 11:36 as I write. Can I at least have some reviews? Hmm?
Thanks for reading! So was it good? I dunno..you tell me.
Wait! I have some notes for my reviewers! ^_^ which I don't usually do.
Reika: Hmm, I'd normally agree with you about Zhao Yun, but there's more to it!
Sea-Blue Dragon: I'm glad you don't think it's boring! I just thought it sounded kinda boring, that's my opinion. Thanks.
lacitar13: You made a pretty good prediction! And Zhao Yun will suffer, but in a different way.
Black Phoenix: I have deep respect for Zhao Yun as well. And thanks for reading!
Malz: Thanks for the suggestions. And since she's working for Wei, well.we'll see.
BenneyC: You think this is my best so far? I always thought it was Dynasty Warriors in High School! *laughs*
Sincerely,
Yuki-chan
By Yukira Tsurama
Chapter 2 Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, haha.
Author's Notes: Well, here is chapter 2. After being extremely deranged for a while now, I think I returned back to normal.no, not really. Thank you's for: BennyC, Malz, Black Phoenix, lacitar13, Sea-Blue Dragon, and Reika for reviewing.
Oh! And by the way: Sun Ruan Er is NOT a made up character. She existed in history as, well, Zhao Yun's wife. Nyah!
*~~~~*~~~~*
Sun Ruan continued to dodge the branches and trees that came her way. Suddenly, she was in another town.
Sun looked around and finally entered a restaurant, leaving her horse outside.
A small waitress wearing an apron escorted her to a table.
"What would you like to eat?" asked the small girl.
Sun hesitated. "Well, I just want dim sum and some tea."
The restaurant was a pleasant one. There were paintings of mountains and paths on the wall.
"I wonder where I'll go." Thought Sun Ruan. "I guess maybe I should go to Xu Chang instead. Ling Pei probably told the guards that I'm headed off to Jian Ye."
*At Ling Pei's home*
The messenger and a few of Liu Bei's men sat across from Ling.
"Where is Sun Ruan Er headed to?" one of them asked.
Ling Pei thought for a while. "If I tell them that Sun went to Jian Ye, she'll be in trouble! I'd better say Xu Chang."
"Uh, she's headed for the Wei capital Xu Chang." She answered promptly.
The messenger and his men left Ling's house and continued on their way back to Liu Bei.
*Back to the Restaurant*
Minutes later, the small girl started to carry over a pot of tea, but she dropped it accidentally. Sun Ruan walked over to help her.
"Thank you." Said the girl.
"Um, do you know how I could get to Xu Chang?" asked Sun Ruan, picking up the shards of the broken tea pot.
The girl stared at Sun. "You didn't know? This town is famous for having the path to Xu Chang on the left side and Jian Ye on the right."
"Oh. I didn't know."
The girl proceeded to bring over another pot of tea then spoke to Sun. "Where are you from?"
"Uh, actually, I just got here from.Chengdu!" answered Sun.
"Interesting."
The girl returned to the kitchen and brought out a small platter of shrimp dumplings, pork buns, and a portion of roasted duck.
Sun Ruan began to eat the food and took sips of tea every few minutes. When she was engaged to Zhao Yun, she felt as if she was in captivity, but she had been very much in love. Now, she felt free with nothing holding her back. The feeling was amazing.
Suddenly, the guards that she had knocked out in the forest kicked the door to the restaurant open.
"There she is!" shouted a guard pointing at Sun Ruan. "After her!"
Sun left some money on her table and ran out the door past the guards. Quickly mounting her horse and riding away, she could hear the guards yelling from behind her.
The guards were now mounting their horses and Sun forgot which path to take.
"Damnit! Which one? Left or right?" Sun thought.
Behind her, the guards were catching up fast.
And then she remembered! "Left is Xu Chang!" she said aloud happily.
Sun Ruan sped off, leaving the guards behind.
The path that Sun was riding on was a wide dirt road. There were rocks, trees, and bushes to the right and left of her.
Sun continued to follow the path. In a way, the path reminded her of her own journey through life. At first, the road was straight, never turning. Then, it started to curve and bend wildly.
Sun Ruan rode until the sun began to set. Then, she stopped her horse next to a small river and fell asleep.
*Daylight, Liu Bei's conference room*
Zhao Yun sat in his seat, staring at Zhuge Liang's hat.
Suddenly, the messenger and the two guards ran into the room.
Kneeling to Liu Bei, the messenger spoke. "Lord Liu Bei! Sun Ruan Er is headed for Xu Chang!"
Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wei, Ma Chao, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Yue Ying gasped.
"She won't last!" began Ma Chao.
"Zilong's lucky if she comes back in one piece!" added Jiang Wei, but Zhao Yun was emotionless. He continued to stare at Zhuge's hat.
*Back to Sun Ruan*
The morning light woke up Sun and she opened her eyes. Her horse was still asleep.
Sun crawled over to the river and washed her face, staring at her reflection when she was done. Her face was a pale white, framed by her short black hair. Her eyes were a sparkling brown. Her body was tall and slender. Sun began to remember the moment she met Zhao Yun.
~Flashback~
Sun's village was a corrupted place. A group of bandits had taken over. Anyone that tried to leave was executed.
It was dark and raining outside. Sun Ruan had to go into the dangerous marketplace to purchase medicine for her mother. The market place was an area that endangered the lives of young women and girls. Walking around cautiously, Sun was able to buy some medicine from a stand.
Someone grabbed her and pulled her into the darkness. The man breathed on her neck. Sun struggled to get away but he ripped part of her cheongsam. And then, she saw him.
The man, probably a general, was clad in white colored armor with dragon designs.
Sun Ruan screamed for help.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yun wondered if he should save her. Many girls were raped in the market everyday, why let her be an exception?
But Zhao Yun found himself pulling the young woman away from the rapist. Raising his spear, he slaughtered the man in one blow.
~End of Flashback~
Sun Ruan, out of her little reverie, mounted her horse and continued on her way. Stopping, she picked vegetables out of the forest and fed them to herself and her horse. Sun Ruan did this for several days, stopping only to eat and sleep and then to change clothes.
Finally, Sun reached another town. The town seemed to be a quiet one. Sun entered another restaurant.
The people inside the restaurant were just civilians, but one man in the far corner stood out from the rest of them.
The man had very beautiful features. His hair was tied into a ponytail that went down to his waist. His facial features were delicate. A peacock tiara was nestled on his head. Sun walked over to him.
"Hello." She greeted. The man looked up at her.
"Who are you?" he asked, raising his hands, which Sun could see, were equipped with metal claws.
Sun Ruan took the seat across from him. "Are you a general of the Wei army?"
The man smiled and Sun felt herself blush. "Yes, indeed, I am. My name is Zhang He."
Sun just smiled back. "I am, uh, Mai Li. I wish to join the Wei army."
Zhang He laughed at that. "A girl like you? I guess we could.we have one female officer already. I will bring you to Cao Cao."
Zhang He led Sun Ruan out of the crowded restaurant and they both mounted their horses.
Both were silent on the way to Cao Cao's palace. When they finally arrived, a few guards noticed Sun's sword and panicked.
Zhang He eyed them and led her inside the palace.
Cao Cao's palace was an elaborate building made of fine wood and stone. Inside, the main hall was stylishly decorated. Zhang He opened the dining room door.
Cao Cao was sitting at the head of the table. Various generals looked over and stared at Sun. A female officer glared at her.
Zhang He bowed to Cao Cao and Sun followed suit. "My lord, I bring this young woman to speak to you.
Sun Ruan began to speak. "Lord Cao Cao, I wish to serve in the Wei army."
Cao Cao smirked. "I would like to see your fighting ability."
The female officer rose from her seat and volunteered. "I will fight her!"
Cao Cao shook his head and motioned for her to be seated. "Zhang He found her, Zhang He will fight her."
Sun Ruan removed the Jade Dragon from its sheath and followed Zhang He.
When both were away from the table, Cao Cao motioned for them to begin.
Zhang He smiled at Sun with cool confidence. Sun frowned and began to attack.
So far, Zhang He was able to dodge all of Sun's attacks. He stood, one arm akimbo, the other motioning for Sun Ruan to come closer.
Sun Ruan faked an attack and Zhang He leaped into the air, about to strike. Sun Ruan began to imitate Zhao Yun's fighting strategies. Cao Cao gasped.
"Are you by any chance related to Zhao Yun of Shu?" asked Cao Cao.
Sun Ruan continued to fight Zhang He. "Nope. Not a chance."
After a while, Sun began to suspect that Zhang He was going easy on her. She swung her sword one last time and knocked Zhang He to the ground.
Cao Cao got up from his chair and walked to face Sun Ruan. "What is your name?"
"Mai Li," replied Sun Ruan. "Of Chang'an."
Cao Cao motioned for a maid to escort Sun Ruan to a room.
As she left the dining room, Sun didn't notice the female officer glaring at her with a cold expression.
*~~~~*~~~~*
*Yawn* It's 11:36 as I write. Can I at least have some reviews? Hmm?
Thanks for reading! So was it good? I dunno..you tell me.
Wait! I have some notes for my reviewers! ^_^ which I don't usually do.
Reika: Hmm, I'd normally agree with you about Zhao Yun, but there's more to it!
Sea-Blue Dragon: I'm glad you don't think it's boring! I just thought it sounded kinda boring, that's my opinion. Thanks.
lacitar13: You made a pretty good prediction! And Zhao Yun will suffer, but in a different way.
Black Phoenix: I have deep respect for Zhao Yun as well. And thanks for reading!
Malz: Thanks for the suggestions. And since she's working for Wei, well.we'll see.
BenneyC: You think this is my best so far? I always thought it was Dynasty Warriors in High School! *laughs*
Sincerely,
Yuki-chan
