Between Love and War
By: Mako-chan
Mako_chan@tekken.cc


Don't forget those reviews! Ehehe =)

*DISCLAIMER: No profits. No ownership but the story. DW and its characters belong to Koei.*



BETWEEN LOVE AND WAR
Chapter Three

Lu Bu awoke with the feel of cold, damp air caressing his face. He waited for wakefulness to come fully over him and then slowly sat up. He looked around -- the fire from the previous night had already extinguished, the fog was thick but the path ahead was still clear enough to be seen. Behind him Red Hare was already up and about, stomping his feet and neighing quietly. Beside him, an angel was in deep slumber.

Lu Bu watched Diao Chan sureptitiously -- she had taken off the flowers and ornaments adorned on her head, leaving her chestnut hair cascading down her back, still a ribbon was to be found tied in a simple bow at some length from the ends; she probably wanted to prevent her hair from getting totally disheveled. She had turned to the side during her sleep, and Lu bu found it quite enticing to see that the maiden whom he had considered possessing the grace of a swan and a poise of a peacock actually slept on her stomach. Tendrils framed her face and was repeatedly blown by her exhaling, like curtains during the spring. Her breath was deep and her lips were slightly parted, showing a bit of her perfect white teeth.

"There, there boy. You need strength to bring us to our destination. I cannot have you weak from hunger and thirst now, can I?" Lu Bu patted his head and started packing.

Diao Chan's eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was the horizon beyond -- rose-colored and soon enough the sun would set itself high above the land. She quickly stood up and folded her mat, and as she expected, Lu Bu was already up and about.

He was unaware of the maiden's stare; he did not even know that she had already been up. Lu Bu decided that there was no need to set out on such an ungodly hour; he had taken the liberty of plotting their route which would enable them to reach main camp without anyone hot on their trail.

Diao Chan admitted that she had never been so fascinated with the attributes of the opposite sex as much as the village girls and the courtesans of the castle. Perhaps it was because most of her experiences with men were most unpleasant and disappointing; Dong Zhuo being the latest and topping the list. So, whatever happened, she passed them all off too quickly.

However, Lu Bu seemed to be the only and biggest exception of all. One cannot make herself blush by command, blood and heat creeping up in various parts of the body move on their own accord. As far as Diao Chan knew, they were her biggest traitors.

When they first met and despite him being tipsy, the scent of alcohol on him was dangerously appealing. Now, seeing him without the sturdy armor and only in thin clothes, the betraying feeling was stirring up again. Diao Chan drew a hand to her chest, her heart beating faster and pounding louder in her ears. She stood frozen to the spot, admiring the grand physique before her.

Like his face, the rest of his body was sun-kissed, the parting on his robe provided a glimpse of an excellent and finely sculpted chest, his arms fit and strong, a pair of broad shoulders and an immense back. Diao Chan could have sworn then and there that donning an armor made little or no difference at all -- the sharpest of arrows, no matter how great its speed, would not suffice to pierce his flesh...and it should remain that way.

It took a long while before Lu Bu realized that someone was watching him; it was the time when he could already feel that the pair of eyes were boring holes through him. Still surprised, he saw Diao Chan and she was as pink as the early morning sky.

"Good morning," he greeted and walked up to her, taking from her hands the neatly folded mat and blanket. It carried her intoxicating scent, and much to Lu Bu's dismay, he had a hard time thinking. "I suppose you've a good night's sleep?"

Diao Chan nodded. "I did, considering the events. Have you had your rest too, my lord?"

"Yes...and it's all because of your singing."

"Here, my lord."

"Thank you," Lu Bu said in return, taking his heavy armor from her outstretched arms. "Do not bother yourself with heavy load."

"But I do not want to be idle on this journey...I do not want to be a burden. I do not want to be the source of your weakness."

"Rubbish!" he barked. "No sword can strike me down, not a spear, not a dagger. Lu Bu has no weakness."

"A cocky fellow and has not changed a bit I suppose. His intellect runs the depth of a puddle. How I wonder what continues to cause him to be alive and capable of surviving and slaying thousands alone in the battlefield."

"Truly, Brother, I've never seen a warrior who knows no other path. No turns, everything straight ahead. One wonders how he became what he is now."

"Not a sword, not a spear, not a dagger even. Then how does he match up to an arrow dipped in lethal poison, then?"

"We follow, wait and strike," Xiahou Dun told Cao Cao with resolve.

Sternly and placing his chin on his hands he said, "Lu Bu, you shall not escape Cao Cao...soon you will beg helplessly for your life."