Second chapter.....
Zhou Yu rose as the sun's rays penetrated through his tent. He hastily got ready for the trip. Today he would find her. Today he would hold her again...
"Sun Ce! Are you ready?" he yelled as he mounted his snow-white horse.
"Huh? Oh, yeah... gimme a second though." Sun Ce grunted.
After ten minutes- "SUN CE?! ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!"
"Yeah, yeah." Finally, a drowsy Sun Ce appeared from the tent. After a few tries, he finally crawled on his horse.
Zhou Yu didn't wait for his friend to start, he burst his horse through the invisible walls separating him from his dear Xiao Qiao.
Sun Ce caught up though, and was level with him.
Through exasperated huffs and puffs, Sun Ce cried, "Ya know, we're not crossing ten thousand miles, we're crossing a VALLEY!" Then he was thrown into a horrible coughing fit from the dust that ascended from their steed's hooves.
But Zhou Yu honestly wasn't listening or paying attention. All his mind was on was Xiao Qiao.
He closed his eyes again, and he saw her... he saw her smiling that beautiful smile that he would give the world to see, to only glimpse. He saw her giggling as she did when he tickled her. He saw her dancing. He saw he singing. He saw... he saw her.
He sighed. He sighed again. He sighed one million sighs. He missed her so dearly.
Then something sharp hit his head.
"Oww!" Zhou Yu shrieked as he immediately placed his hand where he was previously struck.
"Sorry, I wasn't aiming for you." a voice called.
Sun Ce and Zhou Yu stopped their horses... was that voice... familiar?
A figure of a person riding a swift horse finally made its way into vision.
"Da Qiao!!!!!!!!!" Sun Ce shouted with glee.
Indeed, it was Da Qiao.
Sun Ce practically jumped off his poor horse. Da Qiao carefully stepped off hers. Zhou Yu groaned. Weren't they trying to get there as quickly as possible? What was with all of these meaningless delays???
Sun Ce caught her in an EXTREMELY tight embrace. Which she returned.
"I missed you so, so much!" Sun Ce replied, still holding her and stroking her hair.
Zhou Yu sighed. Too many delays...
"I missed you, too." she answered. He finally (in Zhou Yu's point of view) let go.
"Why are you here, though? It's too dangerous." Sun Ce said with a hint of concern in his voice.
"I need to help you find my sister." Da Qiao said with determination in her voice, then it softened. "And I missed you too much. I couldn't sleep I was so worried..." her face then softened, "I love you, Sun Ce."
"I love you too, Da." Sun Ce said with a huge grin on his face. He reached for her hand. "I love you so much, Da Qiao."
Then something struck Zhou Yu (besides extreme frustration). If Da Qiao was here... who was looking after Zhou Ying? Who was watching his daughter? She was only two.
Zhou Yu began to panic.
"Da Qiao, I told you to watch Zhou Ying-" he began with fear in his tone.
"Sun Jian's watching her, don't worry." she replied.
"Good... Ce, Da! It's time to get going if we're ever going to get my Precious Love back." Zhou Yu complained.
Sun Ce jumped back on his horse with Da Qiao.
Sun Ce rubbed his chin, "Hmmm... Precious Love... gotta remember that one. Girls love sweet nicknames... do you like that one Da? If you do, I'll use it on ya."
She sighed, "I'd rather you make we one on your own... not stealing ideas-"
"Can we go!?" Zhou Yu shouted.
With a nod from Da Qiao, they all started dashing through Sweet Dew Valley.
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They finally burst their way through the valley, and approached a towering castle.
Rain began to fall in sheets, lightning light the dark, grim sky.
Zhou Yu slid off his horse, Sun Ce and Da Qiao did the same. Following Zhou Yu, they began to search for the entrance.
They came across the drawbridge. It was open... why? Zhou Yu was too careless now to think about traps, he was only thinking of Xiao Qiao.
They stepped onto the drawbridge, and choirs of shouts arose from every direction geographically possible.
The soldiers of Wei poured in... what were they to do? Drawing out his tonfas, Sun Ce yelled through the cries and the claps of thunder, "Zhou Yu! Da and I'll cover this place! Race on and get Xiao Qiao!"
Zhou Yu nodded vigorously and sprinted into the castle. There, he entered a dark, stone corridor. Drawing out a match, Zhou Yu struck it and went on.
He analyzed ever ounce of this place, he was searching for his beloved.
"Stop! Halt! If you don't speak English, then I'll teach you what stopping is!" Zhou Yu turned around sharply to find Zhang He.
"Ahh, so you DO know English." He stopped and drew out his battle claws, "Such a beautiful language." He added with a sigh.
Zhou Yu pulled out his Elder's Sword.
"Ahh, a scuffle! You want to have a scuffle?" Zhang He teased. "Well, I'll give you one!"
Zhang He lunged at Zhou Yu, scratching his arm.
"Oww! Sissy!" Zhou Yu shouted.
"Now, now, no need for name calling... it's simply... not beautiful."
Zhou Yu struck Zhang He in the gut. Hastily pulling out his sword, the red ran down and crawled slowly down his hand.
"Agh! You'll... you'll......."
Zhou Yu had no time to linger, Zhang He might have called in some help for all he knew.
Zhou Yu dashed through the corridors, listening for the soft breathing of Xiao Qiao.
Finally, as he was running out of breath, he heard a familiar whimper coming from one of the hostage prison cells.
Zhou Yu kicked open the rotting, wooden door and charged in.
He heard and saw nothing. It was all black.
Maybe his mind was tricking him...
"Xiao Qiao?" he whispered.
He heard a feint whimper. He looked around desperately. "Xiao Qiao?"
Finally, he saw some movement from under a thin, old, scratchy blanket covering a shabby straw mat.
Zhou Yu bent down beside it. He gently placed his hand on the hump under the quilt. "Xiao? Love? Sweetheart?" he whispered eagerly.
Finally, the hump pulled the blanket from its face. "Zhou Yu?"
Zhou Yu's heart filled with enormous amounts of glee and happiness. It was his one and only.
"Xiao Qiao!" he cried. Tears filled his eyes. He had never been so happy.
Xiao Qiao jumped up from the mat to give Zhou Yu a tight, really tight hug, but Zhou Yu was one step ahead of her.
"Oh, goodness!" he managed through tears. "I love you, I love you, I love you!!!"
Xiao Qiao snuggled against him, "I love you, I love you, I love you." she said.
Zhou Yu could feel her form a smile. That smile he loved. "I love you!"