Hallo, I'm back! Looks like I've really got this thing for not updating for long periods of time…It's just that my mom and friend recently had their birthdays, and I've been planning my mom's for days, and so completely forgot about posting! Yes, I admit I forgot about this story... sorry! *guilty face*. And thanks alot for all the reviews, particularly you, Lily Potter, wherever you may be! By the way, just as a precaution for anyone who might like to know: One of the scenes in this chapter contains violent swearing. If you've seriously got anything against foul language, I advise you to skip ahead of it. Other than that, you're most welcome to read it anyway. Well, here's Chapter 9, in all its glory!
Enjoy.
Da Qiao crossed her arms across her chest and knelt deeper into the soft, comfortable cushions. She was nervous. She knew anyone would have been able to figure that out. Xiao Qiao, on the other hand, seemed entirely unconcerned. She was currently fidgeting with her dress, and kicking her feet in the air, thumping her heels onto the floor whenever they came too close to it. She was also humming a little song- a lullaby Da would sing to her to put her to sleep.
I wish I were anywhere but here.
Da couldn't stop the light perspiration on her forehead. She and her sister were actually sitting in one of the most spacious rooms in the palace of Jian Ye to meet the rest of the important veterans in the kingdom of Wu. She was frightened- and worried that the people she would be met with wouldn't fancy her. It was just like being back at her mansion- with her father, being told constantly to look graceful and elegant, while awaiting the arrival of those revolting merchants and dukes, who'd gaze upon her, savoring her body with their grotesque, lustful eyes, longing to touch her, and-
Stop it.
She tried frantically to push these thoughts out of her mind. She told herself to stop worrying so. How bad could it be? She attempted to reassure herself. The people of Wu surely had to be the nicest she would ever meet, or the Sun Family siblings and Zhou Yu would never have talked about them with such enthusiasm. And after all, everyone she had met was so wonderfully nice to the two of them- so nice to her.
Especially-
"Relax, Da, I'm gonna be right with you two!" exclaimed Sun Shang Xiang cheerfully, and giving her new friend a playful nudge with her elbow, thus interrupting her thoughts. The tomboy princess was seated between either Qiao, and had been jabbering away in her usual quick, sharp manner. She couldn't believe her luck- at first, she'd been horrified at the idea of two beautiful, young, unmarried girls staying in her home- with her three brothers. She had liked both of them, it was true, but that news was simply frustrating to accept when her eldest brother had explained the whole thing to her in the morning. She wouldn't stand for it! But mere hours later, she was happily laughing and chatting with them, as though there was no tomorrow. She found their company highly enjoyable, and realized that she had many qualities in common with both the sisters. She also fitted in perfectly between their ages, and before it was time for them to meet the rest of Wu, she was thrilled that they had made this decision. However, when they were told that they would be meeting Wu alone, Da had become so unnerved and anxious, and Xiao so excited and worked up, Shang Xiang offered to be present with them, and they had readily agreed to the arrangement.
"Don't even worry, they'll love you," she went on.
Da nodded mutely, her hands squeezed into fists by her sides. Xiao nodded vigorously, an eager smile pasted on her face.
"Huang Gai's coming first," announced Shang Xiang.
And he did. Nearly seven feet tall, the aging, yet robust veteran marched through the door and strode over to where the three girls were seated. Da and Xiao were absolutely terrified to behold such a formidable figure, but Shang Xiang merrily stood up to greet him and said,
"Hey, Gai, good to see ya. This is Da, and this is Xiao. Say hello."
Da and Xiao rose tentatively. Both of them looked up at the veteran awkwardly, neither knowing what to say before him. He simply surveyed them with his keen eye.
"Beautiful lasses," he grunted at last. "And sweet as can be, too," he further remarked, yet keeping his face stony and expressionless. Behind him, Shang Xiang was trying hard to control her laughter. Obviously, Huang Gai rather amused her. The two sisters simply stared at him, still uneasy.
"Well?" he suddenly barked, making Xiao jump about a foot in the air, while Da squeaked with shock. Paying no attention to their violent reactions, he held out his arms and said,
"Go on, then, show me some love!"
And his face cracked into a real, good-humored smile, and it was that, if anything, that would calm Da and Xiao at that moment. And with that he swept both of them into his tight embrace, squeezing them so hard, their bones were likely to break. But pretty soon, they were all laughing, Da too, and Huang Gai's hug seemed to get softer by the second. Da and Xiao realized in an instant that Gai was a very good-natured man, and it was small wonder that after a few minutes he didn't seem half so frightening as he had done before.
When he released them, they all sat down, were brought lunch, and had a pleasant talk about how much they would like being in Wu, and how everyone would see how lovely they were. Da and Xiao discovered that Gai had a great sense of humor and a very gracious, amiable personality hidden beneath his somewhat alarming exterior, and it was not at all difficult to find, once people got over their fright about his appearance. He asked them a few questions about themselves, told them a bit about his esteemed and respected lord, Emperor Sun Jian, and how he had come to serve under him all these years. They discussed several things together, but when Gai inquired about their father, Qiao Xuan, both girls had hushed up and gone so quiet, he decided to abandon the question.
Da and Xiao learned some interesting facts about Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, as well.
They learned that Ce was better known all over the Wu kingdom as 'The Little Conqueror'.
Nothing little about him, Da surmised, fighting back a blush as she remembered Ce's quite impressive height.
And people called Yu 'beautiful', it seemed.
Real pretty, more like, Xiao silently corrected him, holding snickers in her heart.
Huang Gai didn't stay very long. Reducing them all to barrels of laughter after less than twenty minutes, he rose to his feet to say goodbye. When Da and Xiao stood up, he swooped down on them again, but they were prepared for it this time, and, combining both of their strength together, they managed to squeeze him equally hard as he did. He left chortling, slamming the door behind him with such force, the sound reverberated off the walls and the windows rattled.
"So, how did you like Gai?" asked Shang Xiang, still amused from his visit, as they sat back down on the couch.
"He's great!" declared Da, wiping a tear of mirth from her eye. "I can't believe I was so comfortable around someone I barely knew."
"Ya, and he's totally cool, too! Are there more of him around here?" Xiao said.
"Oh, even better. Just wait till you meet everyone else! They'll really like you two, just like he did. You know, he's probably the most loyal veteran Daddy ever had. Or ever will, I guess."
"That's amazing. I could see that, really," said Da, while Xiao snickered, "'Daddy'?"
"That's just what I call him!" retorted Shang Xiang, embarrassed, and reddening slightly. "And do you have a problem with that, may I ask?"
Xiao had an angry reply ready, but Da hushed her. "Who's next, Shang Xiang?" she asked, glaring at Xiao to keep her quiet.
Before Shang Xiang could reply, however, several yells were heard outside the door, followed by some very grotesque swear words. Accompanied by snapping retorts, which were soon replaced by frightening hollering sounds. It sounded like a commotion caused by two people at the door. Obviously, these two did not agree with each other, and by the violence of their words, weren't exactly buddies.
"Who on earth are they?" asked Xiao loudly, her eyes wide.
Shang Xiang didn't answer.
"They sound ready to kill!" Da exclaimed.
There was still no reply from Shang Xiang.
"Who are they?" demanded Da and Xiao in unison.
Still, Shang Xiang remained silent. The sounds outside the door were getting louder. It seemed that whoever was outside the door were getting aggressive.
"Shang Xiang?" asked Xiao, timidly, staring into her face. "Sis, come see this,' she whispered. And Da turned to look at her.
The young Wu princess was sitting very still, her hands clenched into fists in her lap, her eyes firmly shut, her lips compressed, and her back straight. She was completely rigid, saying nothing. She was paling even as they stared at her.
"Shang Xia-…"
The door swung open, and two figures barged into the room, bickering at the top of their lungs. It seemed they wanted to wake the world with their fight. Da and Xiao were sure that if someone had handed them daggers, they'd both be long dead by now. It was hard to hear what they were screaming about, but after a bit, they saw that it went like this:
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I asked first."
"I don't give a damn if you did, filthy piece of vermin!"
"Who you calling vermin, asshole! You're the one who killed my father, where'd you get the gall to even look me in the face?"
"Same place you got the guts to exist, son of a bitch."
"Bastard! Listen, I don't care if Ce thinks you've reformed, don't expect to get the same respect from me!"
"Don't expect you'll even live to consider giving it to me! You little shit!"
And so the hate barrage went on. Da and Xiao were so terrified, neither of them dared to try and make them notice that they were in the room. Shang Xiang seemed temporarily out of order.
Finally, when the two psychos stopped for a breath of air, they realized that they weren't alone.
"Hey, look at this! Ain't that cute!" said the taller one. He was tattooed all over his bare, muscular chest and had spiked up hair, with a feather or two stuck in a red headband. When he moved, Da and Xiao could hear a tinkling sound coming from him. They spotted half a dozen bells strung around his waist.
The other looked younger, and was a bit leaner. He had his hair held up in a high ponytail, and sharp features. He seemed more nimble and quick than the one who'd just spoken.
When both young men started walking towards Da, Xiao, and the somehow zoned out Shang Xiang, Da instinctively scooped Xiao up towards her and inched as far away from them as possible. The two men backed away, raising their hands in front of them.
"Hey, don't be afraid," the shorter one reassured them.
"Yeah. We aren't gonna hurt ya. We're good guys. Well…I am, at least," added the one who so resembled a pirate.
At this, the other guy turned to the 'pirate' in disgust.
"You're the good guy? You sure you haven't been drinking too much again?"
"If I was, I'd be seeing sword fights, shipwrecks and dancing girls right now, wouldn't I, and definitely not your ugly face."
Just when they were getting into another big fight, Shang Xiang suddenly snapped back to life.
She stood up at once, and was between them in the blink of an eye.
"Guys, stop," she said firmly, yet somewhat breathlessly. "Ce called you two here to meet The Two Qiaos, not to have your stupid- uh- disagreements. So just let it go, okay? I can see you've already scared them to death," she went on, motioning toward Da and Xiao.
But she was wrong about that. The sisters had calmed, after the men's reassurances. They could see that they didn't mean any harm at all. They were just two regular guys who happened to hate each other. What was so wrong or frightening about that?
"Let's call a truce for the next half hour. You're to meet them, talk, listen, and that's it," Shang Xiang was saying. She was regaining her confidence now. " You won't even have to look at each other. Alright, Tong?"
The shorter guy nodded stiffly.
"Al-Alright…Ning?" asked Shang Xiang hesitantly, slowly turning to the pirate. Why in the world did she suddenly get so nervous? Was she afraid of this guy, whoever he was? She was turning pink. This was so unlike her. Da and Xiao looked at each other in wonder. They could have sworn that 'Ning''s eyes lingered on her for longer than they should have before he muttered, "Yeah, that's cool, Shang Xiang."
"Good," she said smiling. She quickly turned towards Da and Xiao.
"Da, Xiao, this is Gan Ning, and this is Ling Tong. Ning, Tong…meet The Two Qiaos."
"Wassup?" Ning and Tong said at the same time.
After Gan Ning and Ling Tong, whom Da and Xiao grew to like very much during their half-hour visit (and vice versa), followed two other pairs of veterans: Zhou Tai and Taishi Ci; and Lu Meng and, Wu's newest addition, young Lu Xun, who was to be Zhou Yu's student in a few weeks. He too wished to become Grand Strategist someday, and it was Yu's duty to prepare him for it when the time came. Shang Xiang was still with them through it all, and Da and Xiao greatly appreciated her consideration, but by then she wasn't needed. Da had long gotten over her tension and nervousness, and Xiao wasn't nearly as jumpy anymore, and required absolutely no restraints. Both sisters were feeling so relaxed and at home, it seemed as though they were being reunited with long lost family. And perhaps, in a way, they were. Da and Xiao found every single Wu veteran both interesting and amusing. But of course, like anyone, they did have their preferences.
"Tong was too stiff, Sis."
"Well, I did prefer Ning over him…"
"And I think Xun's adorable!"
"So do I. And intellectual, too."
"Heh, the way you were talking to him! It was like you thought he was your son! You got him pretty nervous."
"I wouldn't mind if he was my son, really. I don't think he could be more than twelve years old. But I found Meng just a little boring."
"Understatement! He's the thickest guy I've ever met! I can't believe anyone in Wu could be so daft!"
"Xiao, don't be rude! Besides, he couldn't help it. Honestly, those questions you asked him! You embarrassed him, and you know it. He was a bit of a jerk to you after that, though..."
"We-ll, maybe it was my fault. But he is a jerk, yeah!"
"Wasn't Ci a gentleman?"
"Uh-huh! And so honest, too. But Tai's the scariest thing I've ever seen, I'm not going anywhere near him from now on…"
"So, looks like you guys had a good time, huh?" Shang Xiang had finally decided to cut in. She had a feeling they'd go on all night if she didn't.
"We had a great time!" Xiao corrected her happily. "Only, I'm getting a headache now… you know, remembering all those names…"
Shang Xiang laughed.
"Your head killing too, Da?" she asked, her eye catching Da press her fingers to one of her temples.
Numbly, Da nodded, but her mind was only half focused on the headache. What she was really trying to figure out was Xiao's meaning when she said 'from now on'. Did her little sister really believe that they would both stay here in Wu -forever? Da knew she herself would be only too happy to stay. But how? What about their father? And what about Lord Sun Jian? Da could hardly remember how they'd even come to be here. Then it suddenly came back to her. Xiao was the one who'd been reluctant about staying at Jian Ye castle. It was because of Da that she had agreed to.
So it's my own-
Da stopped herself. She couldn't really say fault, could she? She'd wanted to stay here, and now, they both did. A strange feeling had come over her that night, and she felt she couldn't rest until she knew Ce better. And that wasn't only because she was in his debt. Not only because she now owed her life to him. There was something else. It was a feeling she'd never experienced before. A feeling that took her breath away and caused her heart to pound with warmth. A feeling that she'd always see reflected in the green eyes that she possessed as well. She just didn't understand what it was. All she knew was that she still wanted to stay. And felt she should. Was it so wrong if Xiao did, too?
"Uh, hello? Wu to Da?" called Shang Xiang loudly, thumping Da on the head with her fist. Apparently, this was the wrong thing to do.
"Ow!" Da yelled, her hand flying to her head. Her headache was torturing her worse than Shang Xiang supposed it was.
"Um-sorry?" said Shang Xiang tentatively.
"It's okay, I'm fine," Da lied, rubbing her forehead very thoroughly and frantically at the same time.
"Well- uh, should I give you something for it?" Shang Xiang suggested weakly, feeling like a culprit.
"You better give her something for it!" Xiao raged, suddenly seized with fury. It seemed she was very much affected by her sister's pain, and the fact that it was caused by someone who was sitting right next to her caused her to quake with anger.
Satisfactorily terrified, Shang Xiang crept away from her on the couch, and felt she would have been done for if Da hadn't flung an arm out to protect her from Xiao and said, "No, Xiao- Shang Xiang, I'm fine, don't worry about it, I don't need anything. Could... could you guys just leave me alone for a while though, please? I need to be on my own for a bit."
Xiao was slightly stung by this. Nevertheless, she stood up, and trying to conceal her hurt, she smiled and said, "Sure, Sis. Anything. So- uh, coming, Shang Xiang?"
Shang Xiang decided against it.
"Er- no, that's okay…I think I'll go off on my own for a while, too."
She'd be able to catch up with Quan and probably force him to apologize for being such a pighead to her the day before. Or maybe, she could have a chat with Ce. Either way, she definitely wasn't going to be left alone with Xiao- who'd just attempted to bite her head off.
"Well, see ya."
And she was out of the room in a flash of red.
Xiao turned to Da smiled, and gave her a big a hug. With a swift kiss on her sister's cheek, she too skipped out the door. Shutting it silently, she pondered over what she could do to pass her time now. Then, an idea sprang to her head.
Wonder what Yu's doing right now?
She would find out!
Da sighed as she leaned against the wall and stared out the elongated window. What was she to do now? How long would she be able to stay for? And what would happen once she returned home, if she did? Would she be put up for marriage once again, for men from all over China to flock over to see herself and Xiao once more? She shuddered to think about it.
"Ow," she murmured, massaging her forehead.
"Uh- can I come in?"
Da whipped around.
Sun Ce was at the door, slightly leaning into the room, his fingers of both hands resting against the frame.
It took Da several seconds to recover from her shock of beholding him there. It was strange- she'd seen him just this morning, and it already seemed like it had been days. She suddenly realized he'd asked her a question.
Quickly regaining her breath, she was able to reply, "You don't... You don't have to ask me that." Blood was rushing to her face and throat. "It is your palace," she added.
She managed a smile. She knew the prickly hotness of her face meant she was blushing-again. It was unusual, how sometimes she felt entirely comfortable around him, while other times, she had absolutely no control over her actions or what she might say.
"Yeah, well," said Ce in response, as he entered the room. "I figured I'd better ask you first, since you wanna be alone."
He smiled.
Does he have to smile?
Da felt ready to melt. She felt she might collapse, what with the headache she was already having, and now this.
Wait a minute…
"How did you know I wanted to be alone?"
"Shang," said Ce, amused at her obvious surprise. He sat down on one of the couches. "So, bad headache, huh?"
Da laughed.
"Yeah," she said. "One of the worst I think I've ever had."
And she turned away and resumed the rubbing of her temples. That headache was seriously getting on her nerves now. But she was determinedly looking anywhere in the room but at Ce. Now what was she going to do? Could she perhaps bolt out of the room?
Da gave her head a little shake. Why was she thinking these thoughts? It was probably the pressure of the knowledge that she was in the same room as he was. She felt like a cornered mouse. Her head throbbed painfully. Ce was still looking at her.
Someone help. I need help! "Ouch!"
Pain shot through her head again. The blood was pounding in her temples, and it was enough to drive her insane.
"Hey- are you sure you don't need anything?"
Da's eyes snapped open.
Ce was standing right before her, his charming, attractive features tight with concern.
"No," said Da, shocked that her voice came out in a squeak. Was he that stunning? She cleared her throat, trying to keep her dignity intact, and began again.
"I-I mean, no it's alright, I'm-fine, just…"
And she tried to run right past him, only to trip over her long skirts and drop back onto the cushions. She made an attempt to sit up, but moving her head only caused her more pain, as did all that thinking a few minutes earlier.
"I think I just need to rest a bit," she breathed, blinking up at Ce, who stood looking completely bewildered. They just stared at each other.
Finally, Ce broke the silence by saying, "You know, I could help you with that." The words were out of his mouth before he could even think about how his sudden idea might seem to her.
"No, I- what?" said Da. She was caught completely off-guard. She hadn't thought Ce would want to help her with her headache himself. She was pleasantly surprised with the gesture, and the pain was almost numbed.
Dammit.
What would she think of what he was about to do to- as he so 'cleverly' put it- help?
Feeling that there was no sense in backing down, Ce said, "It's nothing much, really. Just something Ma- I mean, my mother- used to do for me when I'd have headaches."
If she didn't think that idea was stupid, he had to be the luckiest idiot alive.
"That's so sweet!" Da gasped.
Ce looked up sharply.
Yes, there she was, innocently seated on the cushions, staring at him through starry eyes with a smile on her face, looking as real as could be.
So I'm not dreaming. She really did say that.
"I mean, you'd do that for me?" she went on, clasping her hands together.
Ce required only the fewest moments possible to get over his daze.
"Sure," he said, as calmly as possible. "I just- don't think- you'd want me to."
Da was taken aback.
"Why not? Of course I would."
"No, you wouldn't."
"Why?"
Ce took a deep breath.
"Ma used to put my head in her lap and stroke my hair for me whenever I had a bad headache."
He said it quickly, without a moment's pause so that it would take time for his words to sink in.
When, eventually, they did sink in, Da just sat there, blinking at him. She seemed to be in deep thought.
Crap. I did it again.
"I used to do it for Shang, too, when she was a kid," he said sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. And froze.
Since when did I start doing that?
It was most unlike him. He removed his hand at once.
What the hell's happening to me?
"Well, I guess Shang Xiang shouldn't be the only one to have that privilege."
"W-What?"
Had he misheard? She called that a privilege?
"Seriously? You want me to?" A smile was forming at the corner of his mouth. He found himself relaxing immediately.
"How bad could it be?"
She was smiling, and had a teasing glint in her eyes. It was similar to the one she had when they got Shang Xiang stumped-only this one was more-how could he explain it?
"Prepare to kiss the pain goodbye."
Unbeknownst to him, Da would much rather have kissed something else at that moment. And it definitely wasn't to say goodbye.
Zhou Yu's face slipped off his hand-again. Reading was all he could do to keep himself awake when he was alone. Yet, it seemed now, the books were getting the better of him. He could hardly keep his eyes open enough to read the words on the page of the fairly enormous book on a wooden table directly below his face. From time to time, he'd straighten up to stretch his back, only to hear a faint, cracking noise. The library was completely deserted except for himself. His eyes felt heavily lidded and filled with sand. It was hard to believe it wasn't fully evening yet. And the only order he could hear pounding in his words was:
Must read more books.
Why, though? He told himself it was to prepare for the all lessons he was going to give young Lu Xun in a few weeks. For the boy had expressed a wish to follow in Yu's footsteps someday, and as Junior Strategist, Yu was bound by tradition to give him the same lessons he'd been taught. But he knew that his actual purpose for doing all this reading was to distract himself. From what, though? Almost immediately, childish laughter rang in his ears, as though answering his question. A form began taking shape in front of his eyes-a sweet, innocent face with girlish charms, light brown hair and lovely brown eyes- eyes that were remarkably like-
I've got to read more books.
Try as he might, Yu couldn't stop thinking about her. The huge pile of books stacked beside him proved that.
Got to read another one-
"Hi, Yu!"
Yu jolted upright, coming face-to-face with-
"Xiao!"
The beautiful girl nodded vigorously, so that her ponytail swayed from side to side.
"Watcha doing?" she asked abruptly.
"Um- reading?"
Try not to make a fool of yourself this time.
"Oh, how sad."
These words knocked some life into Yu.
"What's so sad about reading?" a little more aggressively than he'd meant to sound.
"Nothing. I like it. It's just- it's so sad you're reading when you could be doing so much more."
"Like what?"
"You know. Like stuff."
She put both elbows on the table and rested her face on her palms. She was sitting close to him. Very close. Yu felt his forehead perspire slightly.
"Don't you ever have fun?" she asked suddenly.
"Fun?"
Sure he did! After all, knowing Ce, how couldn't he?"
"Yeah, fun," she went on. "You know, when you're all alone, don't you make up fun stuff to do?"
All alone?
No, he definitely didn't have much fun when he was on his own.
Then he got an idea.
"No, I don't. Can you show me how?"
Immediately, he could tell he'd just struck gold.
Xiao's eyes brightened immediately, and her face slipped of her palms. She leapt to her feet at once and said, "Could I? Buddy, you're helpless without me! Sis and I used to come up with all sorts of fun to have when we were home alone. Which happened alot, trust me. Come on!"
And with that, she grabbed Yu's hands in both of her own and sped up to an empty bookshelf with him. And just stood there, staring at it. Motionless.
"Um… Xiao?" asked Yu, prodding her on the shoulder daringly.
"Wow…" she breathed. "You did this?" she asked in awe.
"Did- did what?" Yu was perfectly puzzled. What on earth was she talking about? The fact that she was still holding onto his hand tightly didn't help either.
"The shelf," she explained in wonder. "You emptied it?"
"Emptied…? Oh, uh, I've read all the books, yeah," Yu answered, uncertain where this was leading. Her childish fingers were still wrapped around his own.
At once, Xiao spun around to face him. "Are you kidding? How cool are you? I'd never be able to do that, never!"
"Right," was all Yu could say, before he felt the redness completely devour his face. Cool. The word rang inside his mind. She called him cool. She thought he was cool! Yu prayed silently to every god he knew that she wouldn't realize he was blushing.
Xiao suddenly snapped out of her trance.
"Well, come on!"
And to his relief (or was it to his sorrow?), she released his hand, and shocked him by beginning to climb up the bookshelf.
"Xiao, what on earth are you doing?" Yu demanded, alarmed. "Get down from there!"
"Ha ha! Bet you can't catch me!" she trilled, climbing higher and higher.
Yu sighed. She'd never learn, would she?
"Xiao, come on. Come back here, you'll hurt yourself!"
"Follow me, Yu! It's fun!" was her reply.
Yu was on the verge of frustration.
"Xiao, please. Stop it. Now get off the shelf!" he tried to say as gently as possible. Why couldn't she realize that her behavior was improper?
"Pretty please, Yu?"
Yu could have kicked himself when he heard that.
Da shut her eyes as she felt Ce slowly run his fingers through her hair. Minutes ago, when she'd laid her head in his lap and curled the rest of her body into a ball, she felt something like ecstasy course through her, and the pain of her headache was already ebbing away. But now, Ce wasn't just soothing the pain and making it more bearable. He was also causing a rush of new and lovely sensations to flow from his fingertips into her head. How he did it, she'd absolutely no idea. All she knew was that's he could stay this way forever. And he hadn't even asked her once if she'd wanted him to stop. It was almost as if he wanted to do it. Which he probably did.
Do I have to keep thinking?
Da felt that this was one of the few times that she could completely rid her mind of worry. This, she was sure, was perpetual bliss. She felt drowsy, and sleep began to overtake her. She snuggled closer to him, hardly realizing what she was doing, and started falling asleep.
Ce stared at the beautiful young maiden who was curled into his lap right now. He could hardly believe that she was here- now- dozing on his knees. When Da first climbed into his lap and allowed him to gently remove the clasp which was holding up all of her long, thick black hair, a strange feeling had already come over him. The very instant he'd inhaled her spicy fragrance, he was enchanted. It felt to him that no silk on earth could be finer or more luxurious than the glossy hair that was spread all over him rght now. He definitely never felt so whenever Shang Xiang would ask to be 'rubbed', as she called it. Never.
"Da?" he said softly, prodding her gently on the shoulder. One of his hands was resting on her head, while the other on the small of her back. He saw that she'd fallen asleep. His mother had been right.
It works every time.
Even spunky, restless Shang Xiang couldn't resist what was coming to her when he'd give her this-
Privilege.
A smile formed on his face when he recounted what Da had stated about his method of putting people to sleep.
Slowly, carefully, he began to rise from where he was seated, making sure he didn't awaken her.
With surprising suddenness, Da lifted herself from his lap and sat up. Her head was in the same level as his, and she stared into his face.
Fortunately, Ce managed to conceal his shock from her. How had she managed to wake up? Her face clearly showed that she had fallen asleep, yet here she was, wide-awake now.
Before Ce could think of something to say, she said,
"Wow…"
She was looking at him in a sort of dreamy wonder.
"So- uh- how's the headache…?"
Just leave it to me to ruin the most romantic moment of my life with an idiotic question like that.
But Da simply smiled and answered,
"Wonderful. How do you do it?"
"Do... what?"
"That was the best I've ever felt in my life."
Ce immediately felt himself relaxing. He was turning back to his old self again.
"Yeah?"
He smiled, his grin widening as her face reddened.
"Hey, it was no problem. I'd do it again in a minute."
"Really?" Her voice came out in a whisper.
"Anytime."
He couldn't help himself as he slowly slipped an arm around her waist, his other hand going for her crimson cheek.
"Just promise me you'll always have a headache whenever I'm around."
He brushed several damp strands of hair away from her cheek and tucked them behind her ear, stroking her face all the while.
She didn't stop smiling. Instead, she reached up and slipped her hand in his.
Ce could hardly believe this was happening. He never dreamed that she would end up nestling in his arms like this.
Da inched even closer to him. She couldn't stop what she was doing. This young man was the answer to her prayers- she hadn't been able to think straight ever since he'd come into her life. He was like a miracle.
"Uh... Am I interrupting-?"
"Quan!"
Ce and Da pulled apart.
Yes, Quan was standing there in the doorway, looking dumbfounded.
Leave it to Quan to ruin the most romantic moment of my life.
"What?" said Ce gruffly, obviously irritated.
Da stood to one side of the room, apparently busily pinning her hair up. Immediately, a thousand questions burst into her mind. What had she been thinking? How could she dream of doing what she just did? What in the world had just possessed her of revealing her hair to him, when no other man had seen it down before?
Who cares? I wanted to, didn't I?
That statement seemed to settle all matters.
With a curious glance at Da, Quan turned to Ce and said,
"Right, Ce... So, Ning and Tong began killing each other halfway through dinner… yeah, you better get down there… they're armed with chopsticks, see, and we're definitely not in the mood to watch eyeballs roll across the table... this could get ugly."
"Ning and-? Oh, yeah. Those two. Right. Uh, okay, I'll be right there."
Giving an awkward, but also suspicious smile to the pair of them, Quan left the room.
Ce turned to Da. He saw the same question he was silently posing her reflected in her eyes.
Did that just happen?
Who knew? But even if it was just a fantasy, it was the best either of them ever had.
Yu firmly ground his teeth as he climbed the bookshelf. Would anyone else have been able to make him do something so undignified? Surely not. Anyone else would have the sense not to. But Xiao wasn't just anyone. It was Xiao who'd persuaded him engage in such tomfoolery in just two words. No prizes for guessing what those words were. The only order rattling in his brain was: Get to Xiao. She was perched on the top of the shelf, watching him with eager eyes.
Yes. That's it. You can do it, Yu. Come on, it's fun!
Everything was going according to her plan. He was almost at the top.
Just a little further… Hurry up!
Finally, Yu reached the highest point of the shelf. Exhausted, he sat beside her.
"There. You got what you wanted. Will you come down now?"
Xiao went into a fit of giggles. Yu frowned.
"What's so funny?"
"Yu," she said between giggles, "Just take a look at the floor."
Still frowning, he did. And saw the great length he covered. He doubted he ever climbed anything half so tall, and in such little time.
"I did that?" he asked in awe.
"Yup. You did," she said nodding vigorously. "Wasn't it fun?"
Yu thought about it.
"Yes, it was, actually…"
A smile spread across his face. Xiao sure knew how to have fun.
She inched closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder.
Oh. My. Heavens.
What was she doing? More importantly, what was he to do?
Instinct took over. He slung his arm around her shoulder and rested his head on hers. She reached for his hand and held it tightly.
It's so warm... I never noticed his hands felt like this before.
Xiao didn't know why she was doing this. She just knew she wanted to. In Yu, she had found a special friend- and perhaps more.
Like what?
She was very puzzled, but didn't think she needed to keep wondering about it. She just knew she liked this new feeling that had taken over her ever since she first met him.
Yu held Xiao close. She felt lovely in his arms. He knew he'd always wanted this. He just knew it was her who he would share it with.
"Um… Yu?"
"Yes?"
"How're we going to get down? I'm scared…"
"Xiao, shhh…"
Wow… I guess THAT had to be the longest chapter I've ever written…Or ever will, write, I guess! But you never know lol. The time might come when 10,000 words seems like a short chapter to write. Hope you enjoyed it, and read EVERY BIT OF IT! Hahah. Wonder if you're thinking about Shang Xiang and her weird behavior around Ning… or maybe, you're furious at Quan for ruining Ce and Da's moment together. But then again, you might be thinking that I've finally sprung up some actual romance between Yu and Xiao! Oh yeah, and please remember to review. Well, till next time, then!
Seeya!