Spiral of Time
Chapter 2
By Yukira Tsurama
Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors is property of Koei, not me!
Author notes: Wow! Thank you for reviewing...I didn't think I'd get so many reviews the day after uploading. Thanks again for reading and reviewing. It means a lot to me.
--------------------
For some reason, Da Qiao woke up in the middle of the night. She attempted to get back to sleep several times, but failed.
And for another strange reason, Da Qiao felt very lonely. She decided that she would wake up Xiao Qiao and talk to her so she wouldn't feel so alone.
Da Qiao tiptoed quietly to the door and pulled it open. Suddenly, she started weeping. It all came back to her. She was about 25 years in the past, without Xiao Qiao, or father, or... Sun Ce.
"It's all my fault," she mused. "If I had learned to deal with Sun Ce's death, then I wouldn't be here... Now, I've lost Xiao Qiao and Zhou Yu, too." Da Qiao slumped down to the floor.
Still silently weeping, Da Qiao didn't notice Sun Jian standing over her, watching her with concerned eyes.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Da Qiao made an attempt to hide her tear-streaked face while replying as calmly as she could. "I'm all right. I think I'll just go back to sleep now, okay? Good night--"
Sun Jian cut her off. "Perhaps we should talk about it."
"It's okay; I'm tired...maybe later."
"Okay." Sun Jian walked back to his room.
Da Qiao crawled back to her bed, pulled the covers over her body, and wouldn't relax until Sun Jian's footsteps ceased.
------
The next day, Sun Jian didn't have to work. Humming jovially, he strolled around the kitchen, preparing lunch. Then he began to sing.
"From the time the sun arrives
Comes a girl with pretty eyes
Lovely maiden from far away
Now has surely come to stay."
Da Qiao leisurely sauntered in the kitchen. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing!" Sun Jian kept his attention on the boiling pot of water in front of him, not wanting to answer Da Qiao's question.
After adding vegetables to the boiling water, Sun Jian turned to face Da Qiao, looking quite solemn.
"Where are you from, anyway?"
Da Qiao hesitated. "Well...I'm from the Qing village."
"This is the Qing village. How come I've never seen you before? What were you doing in the desert? Do you have family I might know of?"
Da Qiao clenched her teeth slightly. "One question at a time!"
"You aren't really a Yellow Turban affiliate, are you?" questioned Sun Jian in a sly voice.
"No! You saw me running away from one of them!"
Sun Jian laughed somewhat sarcastically while adding seasonings to the soup. "It could've been an act."
After setting some rice and water in a pot, Sun Jian turned to face Da Qiao again. "Really, where are you from? You can tell me. I won't judge you."
Da Qiao stared at the ground, not wanting to stare at Sun Jian directly. She yearned to tell him that she was his future daughter-in-law, that she was from the future, that she knew when and how he'd died. But she knew that anything she told Sun Jian could affect the future.
"Well? Where are you from?"
Da Qiao started speaking slowly, thinking as she said each word. "I'd like to tell you, but--"
"But what!?"
"I just can't tell you yet. Maybe later."
Sun Jian looked as if he were going to explode out of annoyance and curiosity, but to her surprise, he just started being cheery again.
"It's okay," he said. "You don't have to tell me now."
Da Qiao began to help Sun Jian with the cooking, but he refused to accept any help.
"Why don't you go take a walk or something?" He suggested gaily.
------
So Da Qiao ended up taking a walk in the village. "So this was what it was like back then." She thought happily.
Luckily, the Yellow Turbans hadn't gained that much power so far, and weren't viewed as a threat...yet. Da Qiao knew that Zhang Jiao had started such a great rebellion that it had taken four armies to strike him down.
Da Qiao's tranquil thoughts were interrupted when she felt a small stone pelt her on the back.
Turning around, Da Qiao saw a group of boys, no older than ten, throwing tiny stones at her.
"Hey!" she shouted. "Stop that!"
The boys still kept hurling stones at her; apparently they didn't hear her, or they weren't listening.
But Da Qiao didn't seem to care anymore. She saw one particular boy in the group that looked familiar...somehow...
"Look! It's Zhang Jiao!" she shrieked, pointing in the opposite direction. It obviously wasn't Zhang Jiao, but it caught the children's attention. Da Qiao then used this opportunity to escape.
--------
Da Qiao returned to the house and found Sun Jian ladling vegetable soup into a bowl.
"Do you like the village?" he asked, setting the bowl on the table.
"Yes, it's nice, but I wanted to ask you something."
After sitting down and eating for a while, Da Qiao presented her question.
"Do you happen to know anyone named Qiao Xuan?"
Sun Jian pondered for a while...then shook his head. "I know someone named Qiao Ren, but he has a son named Qiao Xuan."
Da Qiao's face instantly lit up.
"Why? Do you know him?"
Da Qiao nodded quickly. "Yup, I sure do."
"I can take you to see him if you want."
"I'd like that."
--------
Da Qiao hastily cleaned the table and kitchen, and then followed Sun Jian outside.
The walk to the Qiao residence would be long and strenuous, yet suitable for conversation.
Sun Jian suddenly smiled. "Wait, your name is Da Qiao, right?"
"Yes."
"Are you related to Qiao Ren?"
Da Qiao bit her lip, thinking. If she told Sun Jian...
"No, I'm not related. I just happen to share the same surname."
Sun Jian frowned slightly. "'Qiao' isn't a very common name."
"Really?"
Sun Jian nodded. "It is a name reserved for wealthy and prosperous people."
"I see."
They walked on for a while, then Da Qiao noticed Sun Jian staring at her.
"Is there something wrong?"
"No." answered Sun Jian quickly.
--------
The Qiao manor stunned Da Qiao by its size and elegance. Of course, back in her time, Da Qiao had lived in mansions bigger than this one, but she was amazed because this was the first grand building that she'd seen in this time. To be honest, she was longing to see more architecture.
Qiao Ren answered the door. "Did you want to see me?" he asked.
Sun Jian shook his head. "We're here to see Qiao Xuan."
Qiao Ren laughed. "Why would you want to see my son? He's just a boy! Anyway, I'll go get him."
Da Qiao's head was filled with many thoughts. "My father is just a boy?"
Someone else opened the door of the mansion, but it wasn't Qiao Ren this time. Instead, Da Qiao found herself staring down at a ten year old boy. Yet...she knew it was her father.
Da Qiao automatically acknowledged the boy. "Father?"
Sun Jian and Qiao Xuan gasped.
Da Qiao's cheeks turned red. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking of my father."
Qiao Xuan then recognized Da Qiao and started to walk back inside.
"Hey, wait; you're one of the boys that threw rocks at me!" Da Qiao fumed.
Qiao Xuan ran back into his house and shut the door.
Sun Jian stared at Da Qiao as if she were crazy.
"We walked all the way here for this?"
"Yeah, pretty much," replied Da Qiao, laughing.
-------
Review please; it took me forever to write this chapter! Thank you for reading.
Chapter 2
By Yukira Tsurama
Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors is property of Koei, not me!
Author notes: Wow! Thank you for reviewing...I didn't think I'd get so many reviews the day after uploading. Thanks again for reading and reviewing. It means a lot to me.
--------------------
For some reason, Da Qiao woke up in the middle of the night. She attempted to get back to sleep several times, but failed.
And for another strange reason, Da Qiao felt very lonely. She decided that she would wake up Xiao Qiao and talk to her so she wouldn't feel so alone.
Da Qiao tiptoed quietly to the door and pulled it open. Suddenly, she started weeping. It all came back to her. She was about 25 years in the past, without Xiao Qiao, or father, or... Sun Ce.
"It's all my fault," she mused. "If I had learned to deal with Sun Ce's death, then I wouldn't be here... Now, I've lost Xiao Qiao and Zhou Yu, too." Da Qiao slumped down to the floor.
Still silently weeping, Da Qiao didn't notice Sun Jian standing over her, watching her with concerned eyes.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Da Qiao made an attempt to hide her tear-streaked face while replying as calmly as she could. "I'm all right. I think I'll just go back to sleep now, okay? Good night--"
Sun Jian cut her off. "Perhaps we should talk about it."
"It's okay; I'm tired...maybe later."
"Okay." Sun Jian walked back to his room.
Da Qiao crawled back to her bed, pulled the covers over her body, and wouldn't relax until Sun Jian's footsteps ceased.
------
The next day, Sun Jian didn't have to work. Humming jovially, he strolled around the kitchen, preparing lunch. Then he began to sing.
"From the time the sun arrives
Comes a girl with pretty eyes
Lovely maiden from far away
Now has surely come to stay."
Da Qiao leisurely sauntered in the kitchen. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing!" Sun Jian kept his attention on the boiling pot of water in front of him, not wanting to answer Da Qiao's question.
After adding vegetables to the boiling water, Sun Jian turned to face Da Qiao, looking quite solemn.
"Where are you from, anyway?"
Da Qiao hesitated. "Well...I'm from the Qing village."
"This is the Qing village. How come I've never seen you before? What were you doing in the desert? Do you have family I might know of?"
Da Qiao clenched her teeth slightly. "One question at a time!"
"You aren't really a Yellow Turban affiliate, are you?" questioned Sun Jian in a sly voice.
"No! You saw me running away from one of them!"
Sun Jian laughed somewhat sarcastically while adding seasonings to the soup. "It could've been an act."
After setting some rice and water in a pot, Sun Jian turned to face Da Qiao again. "Really, where are you from? You can tell me. I won't judge you."
Da Qiao stared at the ground, not wanting to stare at Sun Jian directly. She yearned to tell him that she was his future daughter-in-law, that she was from the future, that she knew when and how he'd died. But she knew that anything she told Sun Jian could affect the future.
"Well? Where are you from?"
Da Qiao started speaking slowly, thinking as she said each word. "I'd like to tell you, but--"
"But what!?"
"I just can't tell you yet. Maybe later."
Sun Jian looked as if he were going to explode out of annoyance and curiosity, but to her surprise, he just started being cheery again.
"It's okay," he said. "You don't have to tell me now."
Da Qiao began to help Sun Jian with the cooking, but he refused to accept any help.
"Why don't you go take a walk or something?" He suggested gaily.
------
So Da Qiao ended up taking a walk in the village. "So this was what it was like back then." She thought happily.
Luckily, the Yellow Turbans hadn't gained that much power so far, and weren't viewed as a threat...yet. Da Qiao knew that Zhang Jiao had started such a great rebellion that it had taken four armies to strike him down.
Da Qiao's tranquil thoughts were interrupted when she felt a small stone pelt her on the back.
Turning around, Da Qiao saw a group of boys, no older than ten, throwing tiny stones at her.
"Hey!" she shouted. "Stop that!"
The boys still kept hurling stones at her; apparently they didn't hear her, or they weren't listening.
But Da Qiao didn't seem to care anymore. She saw one particular boy in the group that looked familiar...somehow...
"Look! It's Zhang Jiao!" she shrieked, pointing in the opposite direction. It obviously wasn't Zhang Jiao, but it caught the children's attention. Da Qiao then used this opportunity to escape.
--------
Da Qiao returned to the house and found Sun Jian ladling vegetable soup into a bowl.
"Do you like the village?" he asked, setting the bowl on the table.
"Yes, it's nice, but I wanted to ask you something."
After sitting down and eating for a while, Da Qiao presented her question.
"Do you happen to know anyone named Qiao Xuan?"
Sun Jian pondered for a while...then shook his head. "I know someone named Qiao Ren, but he has a son named Qiao Xuan."
Da Qiao's face instantly lit up.
"Why? Do you know him?"
Da Qiao nodded quickly. "Yup, I sure do."
"I can take you to see him if you want."
"I'd like that."
--------
Da Qiao hastily cleaned the table and kitchen, and then followed Sun Jian outside.
The walk to the Qiao residence would be long and strenuous, yet suitable for conversation.
Sun Jian suddenly smiled. "Wait, your name is Da Qiao, right?"
"Yes."
"Are you related to Qiao Ren?"
Da Qiao bit her lip, thinking. If she told Sun Jian...
"No, I'm not related. I just happen to share the same surname."
Sun Jian frowned slightly. "'Qiao' isn't a very common name."
"Really?"
Sun Jian nodded. "It is a name reserved for wealthy and prosperous people."
"I see."
They walked on for a while, then Da Qiao noticed Sun Jian staring at her.
"Is there something wrong?"
"No." answered Sun Jian quickly.
--------
The Qiao manor stunned Da Qiao by its size and elegance. Of course, back in her time, Da Qiao had lived in mansions bigger than this one, but she was amazed because this was the first grand building that she'd seen in this time. To be honest, she was longing to see more architecture.
Qiao Ren answered the door. "Did you want to see me?" he asked.
Sun Jian shook his head. "We're here to see Qiao Xuan."
Qiao Ren laughed. "Why would you want to see my son? He's just a boy! Anyway, I'll go get him."
Da Qiao's head was filled with many thoughts. "My father is just a boy?"
Someone else opened the door of the mansion, but it wasn't Qiao Ren this time. Instead, Da Qiao found herself staring down at a ten year old boy. Yet...she knew it was her father.
Da Qiao automatically acknowledged the boy. "Father?"
Sun Jian and Qiao Xuan gasped.
Da Qiao's cheeks turned red. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking of my father."
Qiao Xuan then recognized Da Qiao and started to walk back inside.
"Hey, wait; you're one of the boys that threw rocks at me!" Da Qiao fumed.
Qiao Xuan ran back into his house and shut the door.
Sun Jian stared at Da Qiao as if she were crazy.
"We walked all the way here for this?"
"Yeah, pretty much," replied Da Qiao, laughing.
-------
Review please; it took me forever to write this chapter! Thank you for reading.