Pursuit
Chapter 6
By Yukira

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Whew! I typed that fast!

Author's Notes: I think I'll answer some reviews first...

Sea-Blue Dragon: Really? I didn't think I was that imaginative...thanks.

Black Phoenix: One word: Duck. Does it ring a bell? Heh... Duck laying eggs off a cliff... Uh...qipao thing? Okay!

Malz: Yay! You apologized! Thanks for the apology.

Angie: Short review, but nice.

Ugh, my writing is pretty much "bleh!" today, Gomen Ne.

*~~~~*~~~~*

Sun, her head still buried into a pillow, heard someone open the door. It was Lu Xun.

"It's time for dinner."

Sun looked up. "I'll be down in a few minutes. Go ahead."

Sun looked into the closet and found a suit of armor, a set of sleeping clothes, and a red cheongsam. She changed into the red dress and headed downstairs.

The Wu palace's dining hall was a huge place. The Wu officers were seated. Sun Ruan sat next to Lu Xun.

The smell of ginger and savory duck lingered from the kitchen. Two maids brought over the first course, duck congee.

"Wow! I don't think I could cook that well!" laughed Sun after trying some of the congee.

Lu Xun smiled. "You cook?"

"I try."

More maids walked over to the table, each carrying several plates of food: bok choy, grilled fish, Chinese broccoli, and pork spareribs. All were served with rice.

When the officers were lingering over the last entrees, a girl brought out small glasses and a large jug.

"What is that?" asked Sun.

"Wine."

The wine was poured and glasses were handed to everyone. Sun looked doubtful.

"I...don't know."

Lu Xun grinned. "A little won't hurt."

"I guess so."

*~~~~*~~~~*

One week later...

*~~~~*~~~~*

That day, Sun was sleeping in again, until she heard cries of men outside the palace. She jumped over to the window...

The Wei army was there, all of them equipped and ready to attack the Wu kingdom. Zhang He and Zhen Ji were side by side leading them. Xu Zhu, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, the Xiahou brothers, and Cao Ren were behind them, mounted on horses. There was a large amount of men, probably seven hundred, at the most.

Lu Xun burst into Sun's room. "Jun Li! The Wei forces are attacking! Hurry, get ready for battle!"

Sun nodded and Lu Xun ran out of her room to alert more people.

Sun Ruan decided not to wear too much armor, as it would weigh her down too much. She wore some cloth guards and a light sheet of armor that protected her neck and chest. Then, some for her legs.

Sun took the Jade Dragon, still in its sheath, and followed the Wu generals outside the palace.

Outside in the large village, Zhang He headed towards a large orphanage. Sun Ruan gasped and tried to evacuate the children, taking a different route.

Inside the orphanage, there were no signs of anyone there. Sun ventured deeper, strolling down one of the hallways. It was very quiet, maybe even too quiet...

"I don't get it." She said aloud to herself.

Sun Ruan wasn't prepared for the attack she was to receive from behind. Zhang He was able to knock the Jade Dragon out of her hand. The sword slid into a room. Sun turned to face him.

"So you've joined the Wu forces? Not a good choice!"

She ran, but the armor weighed her down too much. Zhang He knocked her down and ran off.

Sun decided to take off the armor, revealing a pink sleeping garment that Da Qiao made for her.

Then she ran into a room looking for her sword.

Suddenly, pain shot through her back. She turned around...and there was Zhang He, his claws drenched in her blood. Sun ran off again.

Sun ran upstairs to the second floor and ran into a room, locking the door behind her.

Breathing deeply, she examined her injury in a mirror.

She could hear footsteps outside of the room. Then, it seemed as if Zhang He was kicking down doors, he was getting closer to her.

Outside in the hall, Zhang He could hear her breathing. He clawed at the door, then kicked it down with brute force.

Sun glared at him, then escaped out of the room passing by him quickly running down the hall. Zhang He ran after her.

"So you lure me into an empty building to kill me?" asked Sun while she was ahead of him.

"Precisely."

Behind her, Zhang He was catching up fast and Sun knew it. And then, at the end of the stairs, there was an exit!

Sun jumped down the last stairs and tried to open the door, but it seemed to be barricaded outside. Zhang He jumped the last stairs and prepared to strike in mid air.

Sun ran off again. Zhang He landed on the ground and pursued her.

Sun ran down a hallway and saw something shine in a room. It was her sword.

Sun ran and grabbed it. Zhang He appeared outside and Sun attacked.

Zhang He was thrown back, he would be temporarily stunned. Sun tried to find a way out.

And there was the entrance! Sun opened the door, only to be kicked back by Zhen Ji.

Sun flew back and hit the wall hard. This was the power of Zhen Ji's flying kick.

Zhang He, behind her, was not stunned any longer.

Zhang He was obviously very angry now. He jumped up and prepared to kill Sun with one strike.

Sun Ruan crawled away and escaped with a slash on her back.

Now, Sun was too wounded and exhausted to fight back against Zhen Ji and Zhang He. She braced herself to die...

Sun's eyesight was blurry from her blood loss and she lay on her back staring up. Then, a man clothed in red pushed her attackers back. He picked her up and ran off.

Sun could see that the man holding her was Lu Xun.

He was heading towards the Wu palace. There were the dead bodies of Wei and Wu soldiers and the other Wei generals were nowhere to be found.

Grief lingered in the main room of the palace. Xiao Qiao, seriously injured, was weeping and Zhou Yu comforted her.

A tiny teenager that looked like Da Qiao was staring at Sun Ce. Sun Jian and his two other children were just looking on. Lu Meng, Taishi Ci, and Huang Gai sat together with their sub-officers.

"We...won, didn't we?" asked Sun Ruan, her voice trembling.

Lu Xun set her down on a mat and sat next to her. A few maids went by and began to clean Sun Ruan's wounds.

It wasn't for a while until Lu Xun answered her. "We did win, but at a terrible cost."

And then Sun's eyes widened. "Where's Da Qiao?"

Lu Xun just looked on. "She...died at the hands of Dian Wei."

Sun closed her eyes, not allowing tears to escape.

"It seems I will have to marry her daughter. It's what she wanted."

Sun Ruan opened her eyes again, and the tears flowed. "Da Qiao was a mother!?"

"She never told you?"

"No. I didn't know..."

"That girl over there next to Xiao is her daughter. Her name is Sun Qiao."

"Doesn't she have a son?"

Lu Xun sighed. "That's another thing. Her only son was killed with her."

Sun Ruan glanced over to see Sun Qiao. She was a tiny girl, with her mother's delicate features. Her eyes reflected her father's stubbornness. Her skin was fair, untainted.

"Sun Ce no longer has a son. Who will take over the throne?"

Lu Xun seemed to be even more upset about this. "He...will have another wife."

"So you are marrying Sun Qiao?"

"It seems so. Da Qiao had been pestering me for days, trying to make me marry her daughter. I must respect her dying wish."

Sun Ruan sighed and Lu Xun put one arm around her.

Lu Xun looked into Sun's eyes. "Don't worry. One day, you will find the right one for you."

Sun looked down. She was blushing now. So Lu Xun had found out about her little 'crush'.

To Lu Xun's surprise, Sun Ruan's answer was, "I thought I had. Maybe he is still waiting for me."