A/N: Well, if you guys thought the last chapter was a twist, get ready for the rug to be pulled out. This chapter goes beyond the borders of the Wu kingdom, where even more startling revelations await. Quick disclaimer: I own no character in this fic; Koei owns them all. All situations found herein are of the making of my own deranged mind, with occasional references to the game.
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Reunion
It had been a very eventful week. Everyone was surprised that Lu Xun and Sun Shang Xiang announced their engagement a mere three days before the planned wedding. The wedding itself had been rather enjoyable, all agreed. Even Zhou Yu, who normally avoided such situations if possible, admitted to having a rather good time. Now Shang Xiang and Lu Xun were nowhere to be found, although, as Xiao Qiao put it, "If anyone doesn't know what they're up to, then I'm not going to be the one to tell them." Her sister Da almost fainted at this remark, while everyone else kept their mouths shut. It was becoming common knowledge that the younger Qiao sister's innocence was only skin-deep.
Shang Xiang and Xun, meanwhile, had left the kingdom for a while. They were using a cottage that a farmer had lent to them (after they had offered him an unbelievable amount of gold to take himself and his family on vacation), well out of sight of the nearest village. There were a couple of reasons for this; Shang Xiang was a bit of a screamer when…ahem, occupied, and there was the matter of Lu Xun's gender problem. Out here, though, neither of those mattered.
"I think that we should brighten up this cottage while we're here, don't you think, Shang Xiang?" asked Xun, wearing a variant on her normal outfit. The two were almost identical, except this one was designed for a feminine body. In the kingdom, she wouldn't dare wear it, but out here, it didn't matter.
"What'd you have in mind, Xunie?" asked Shang Xiang. She had taken to calling her 'husband' an affectionate nickname. Xun had protested a bit at first, but had quickly taken a liking to it.
"Well, I noticed all those flower seeds that the farmer hasn't planted. What if we were to plant them, making sure to arrange them in a pattern?"
Shang Xiang inspected the packets of seeds. "You know, I think we could spell out 'home' with the white flowers-" here she removed about a third of the packets "-and envelop them with the rest. Sound good?"
Xun nodded, and for the next couple of days, they worked to plant the seeds. When they were finished, they admired their handiwork. "Heh. I never thought working with my hands so much would be so enjoyable," Xun admitted.
"Well, when you're working toward a purpose, it usually is," Shang Xiang explained. Then she grinned mischievously. "Still, isn't it tiring? Why don't we…take our minds off of it?"
Xun didn't even have to look at the rather devilish grin on her 'wife's' face. "Do lets," she replied with her own sly grin. They went to the bed, making sure to cover the windows and door as they did so. When everything was done, the turned their attention to other matters of the heart.
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The scout made record time back to Xia Pi Castle. From what he'd seen from a distance, Wu's princess Sun Shang Xiang was enjoying a honeymoon with her new husband. This would make his master very happy indeed. He grinned as he thought of the extra pay that would be awaiting him.
He wasn't disappointed. As he approached, the gates opened with a rumble. He sped toward the impromptu 'throne' room. Opening the doors, he paused, catching his breath.
From the looks of things, he hadn't interrupted anything important. Everyone present was relaxing in some way. Zhang Liao was polishing his pole-arm. Various soldiers were doing various useless things. Diao Chan was relaxing in the arms of their lord. And as for the lord himself…
"You! What news, scout?" Lu Bu half growled, half shouted. He never just spoke, except to Diao Chan, rumor said.
"Good news, my lord. The princess of Wu appears to be on honeymoon with her new husband, only a few miles distant from here. I believe they would be easy prey," the scout concluded. Glancing around, he noticed that everyone was now looking at their lord with varying degrees of anxiety.
Soon, Lu Bu began to laugh. "Excellent! With their princess hostage, Wu will have to acquiesce to our demands! Zhang Liao!" he called to his most trusted general.
Zhang Liao stepped forward. "Yes, Lord Lu Bu?"
"Assemble a capture group! I want that princess and her husband here before midnight tomorrow!"
"I shall depart immediately!" Liao assured. He snapped his fingers at several sergeants, and they departed the room with him. Lu Bu sat chuckling on his 'throne,' which was really just a very ornate chair moved from its original position. Diao Chan gazed at him.
"Soon, my lord, Wu will be ours. They will not dare sacrifice their princess for their ambitions. And with a stabilizing kingdom supporting us, we will have become a force to be reckoned with," she whispered in a sultry tone.
Lu Bu nodded. "Wei will prove a tough battle, even with the support of Wu. As for Liu Bei, I could crush him as I am. Once Wu is ours, Liu Bei will surrender, and then Wei will be surrounded. Still, Wei won't give up without a fight."
Diao Chan smiled in agreement. "Nor would you, were your positions reversed, my lord." She paused suddenly, putting a hand to her head.
This didn't go unnoticed. "Diao Chan? Are you well?" Lu Bu asked, his normally loud and harsh voice soft and gentle.
"Yes, my lord. I am just a bit weary. I believe I will retire for now." With that, she left.
Lu Bu sat thinking about her, about Wu, about various other things that plagued the mightiest warrior in all China…
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Shang Xiang awoke with a start. She sensed something was amiss. Opening her eyes, she realized what it was. Lu Xun was not by her side. She sat up, eyes searching for her 'husband.' She spotted her, gazing out of the window.
"Can't sleep?" she asked. Xun turned around.
"No. I'm not sure why, though. Everything seems normal, but I just have this feeling of foreboding, like something's going to happen," replied the other girl. "I don't know when, but…"
Shang Xiang nodded, then stiffened. One lesser known fact about her was that she had very keen hearing. And her tiger-like ears had picked up a distinctive sound: hoof beats. Many of them.
Noticing her lover's sudden tension, Xun went to her side. "What's wrong?"
"Horsemen, and lot's of them, coming from the west. I don't know what they're up to, but it might be your bad feeling. C'mon, bind yourself and put your guy outfit on."
Xun nodded, and quickly bound her breasts, pressing them in to flatten her figure. She then donned her normal outfit, and drew her sabers. Shang Xiang had also gotten dressed, and was now holding her chakrams. As they were about to open the door, Shang Xiang paused again.
"Now what?" asked Xun. She had long since learned to trust Shang Xiang's incredible sense of hearing.
"They've stopped. Why would they…?"
She was answered when both windows were smashed, and the door was broken down. The two girls barely managed to get clear in time. Soldiers dressed in white filled the rather small cottage. One soldier in particular stepped forward, holding a very ornate pole-arm.
"I am Zhang Liao, in the service of Lord Lu Bu. Surrender, and the two of you shall live. Resist, and you will die." He knew that his lord wanted them alive, but they didn't.
Shang Xiang glanced around. Seeing all possible escape routes blocked, she growled, lowering her chakrams. Xun lowered her sabers as well, a rather unpleasant look on her face.
"Bind them, and confiscate their weapons," Liao ordered. Within minutes, the two girls were riding behind the soldiers, heading for Xia Pi.
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It was early morning the next day when they arrived. The gate guard was somewhat tired, but managed to call out, "Who goes there?"
"Zhang Liao, returned from my mission assigned by Lord Lu Bu!" the leader called. The gate opened without hesitation, and the horsemen rode inside. Liao dismounted, bringing the captives with him as he strode toward the 'throne' room.
Opening the doors, he noticed that Lu Bu was there, enjoying breakfast. Liao stifled his own stomach, and walked forward, the captives trudging behind him.
"Zhang Liao!" Lu Bu said, obviously surprised. "Have you returned so soon?"
"Yes, my lord," Liao replied, gesturing Lu Xun and Sun Shang Xiang forward. They reluctantly complied, then winced as he forced them to one knee. "As you see, I have been successful."
Putting aside his plate for the moment, Lu Bu walked down to them. Inspecting Shang Xiang, she felt that she was being put under close range telescope observation. "Very nice…I see now why Sun Jian seemed to favor you, in life." At the mention of her father, it took all of Shang Xiang's effort to clamp down on her anger.
"And who is this?" asked the renowned warrior, turning to Lu Xun. The young woman kept her eyes locked on the floor. Frowning, Lu Bu picked her up by the collar. "Do you have a tongue, churl? Give me your name!"
"Lu Xun," she replied, her voice calm despite not even touching the ground. She had summoned her male voice, as she did when in the presence of others.
"Ah, yes, now I recognize you," said Lu Bu, dropping her back down. "The skilled apprentice to the Wu strategist, Zhou Yu. Though why someone who isn't even an officer deserves the attention of a princess…"
"I married him because I love him," Shang Xiang snarled.
Lu Bu only laughed at her attitude. "Ha! You have some fire in you, princess! But with you, I can gain control over Wu. The sovereign wouldn't let anything happen to his dear sister, would he?"
Lu Xun frowned, now realizing why they had been taken. He wants leverage against the major powers, she thought. And if Wu gives in, the other regional lords will be quick to surrender as well, including Liu Bei. Then Wei will be outnumbered and outmatched. Genius, she grudgingly admitted.
Lu Bu continued, somehow echoing Xun's thoughts. "And once Wu surrenders, the rest of the regional lords will follow suit, and then Wei will be utterly outmatched! The land will be united under one banner: mine!"
A door behind the 'throne' opened, admitting a woman in a striking pink dress. Xun's breath caught, however, as she saw the woman's face.
"Ah, Diao Chan! You're in time to say hello to our guests!" Lu Bu stated. He indicated Shang Xiang. "The princess of Wu, Sun Shang Xiang, and-" he turned to indicate Xun "her husband, Lu Xun!"
Diao Chan looked them over. "Well, the princess certainly keeps herself fit," she said with sincerity. Despite the situation, Shang Xiang blushed at the compliment. Xun, however, was doing her best not to look up into Diao Chan's eyes. This was made harder when the woman walked over. "Her husband seems rather nervous, however…" She trailed off as she spotted the short-cut brown hair under Xun's hat. Her eyes widened slightly. She had known only one person with that particular shade and style of hair. She knelt in front of the captive, looking at Xun's face…just as Xun raised her head to look into Diao Chan's eyes.
It was a long moment. For Diao Chan, it was like seeing someone back from the dead. For Xun, it was much the same. Neither spoke for several moments. Then Diao Chan closed her eyes, which started to fill up with tears.
"I…never dreamed…that I'd see you again…" she managed to whisper, barely audible enough to hear.
"Nor I you…Mother…" Xun replied in a slightly louder whisper, one that was caught by both Shang Xiang and Lu Bu. They whipped their heads around to look at him.
"Excuse me?" they said together, then blinked and looked at each other. As Diao Chan stood, however, they looked at her.
"You heard correctly. This is my son…Diao Xun," she said. This caused a variety of reactions in the room. Liao, who had been watching the whole scene with mild interest, suddenly gave his undivided attention to it. More severe, however, were Shang Xiang and Lu Bu's reactions.
"She's your mother?!" Shang Xiang sputtered out to Xun, at the same time Lu Bu told Diao Chan, "You never told me you had a son!"
"I thought him lost," she replied. "I lost him during the Yellow Turban rebellion…"
Xun stood, though her arms were still bound. "I survived, Mother," she said, "but I couldn't find you after I escaped…"
"This changes things a bit," said Lu Bu, drawing a knife from the nearby table. He deftly slashed Shang Xiang and Xun's bonds, freeing their hands. "If you are family of Diao Chan, then you are no longer prisoners, but guests of honor. Liao! Do you still have their weapons?" Liao nodded, tossing the sabers and chakrams over to Lu Bu, who caught one pair in each hand. The warrior then handed their weapons to them. "You have my utmost apologies. Had I known, I never would have attempted this."
Shang Xiang was a bit dazed, automatically taking her chakrams. Diao Chan then spoke up. "My lord, if I may…I would like some time alone with my son and his wife." Lu Bu nodded, then order a room prepared for the two of them. Diao Chan led them out.
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"You never mentioned your family before!" Shang Xiang scolded. "Here I was wondering why no one showed up at the wedding, but you said you didn't have anyone!"
"At the time, I thought I didn't," Xun replied with a slight wince. "My father was a wastrel who ran away when I was born…and as I said, I couldn't find my mother after I escaped from the Yellow Turbans."
"Speaking of that," Diao Chan broke in, opening the door to a rather lavish room, "I want to know how you pulled that off, escaping from the Turbans."
Xun sighed. "You don't know what exactly you're asking, Mother. You're asking me to relive the most painful days of my entire life."
"Don't worry, Xunie," Shang Xiang said. "I'm here, so if it gets too hard, you can use my shoulder to cry on."
Xun truly considered saying "No" and leaving, but decided against it. "Alright, you deserve to know what happened. But we need to give you a bit of background first, right Mother?"
Diao Chan nodded. "Xun was born in the same little village that I was, nearly 20 years previously. He was my pride and joy, especially since his good-for-nothing father walked out on us. It was hard, raising him by myself. So he did what he could to help. He studied, becoming rather knowledgeable for a boy his age. For several years we were happy. Then…"
"Then came the Yellow Turbans," Xun said simply. Diao Chan nodded, and she sighed. "They were still recruiting back then, and came to my village. Many joined out of fear, a few because they believed what their leader, Zhang Jiao, preached. But when he came to my mother…"
"I refused, point blank. I had no desire to join such a fanatical movement." Diao Chan frowned, recalling a bit of spite she may have felt at the time. "So to punish me, they took Xun from my arms, kicking me away from him."
"That's barbaric!" Shang Xiang growled.
"Tell me about it," muttered Xun. "I spent several days traveling with them, as they recruited more followers, and other boys whose parents refused to join were thrown in the wagon with me. We were treated like cargo. This actually managed to work in our favor for awhile, as we could hear the Turbans discussing plans. Our only problem was that there was no way to contact the Han."
"Yeah, that would be a minor problem," Shang Xiang agreed.
"Then, we arrived in a section of China that wasn't recorded before. A valley full of springs of water, with poles of bamboo rising out of them."
Shang Xiang's breath caught in her throat. "You mean…the cursed springs of Jusenkyo? They really exist?"
Diao Chan blinked. "Excuse me, but what are these cursed springs?"
Shang Xiang explained. "The valley of Jusenkyo is regarded in legend as the most unlucky place a person can stumble across. Almost anyone who travels there winds up with a curse. There are thousands of springs, and almost all of them had an unfortunate animal drown in them over a millennium ago. Now whoever falls into those springs changes into whatever drowned in them…at least, that's what the legend said."
Xun nodded bitterly. "Jusenkyo exists alright. Zhang Jiao had apparently been there before, because he led me and the other boys who had been captured around to one spring in particular. He then told us that we had a choice: we would either join the Turbans, or we would serve another purpose entirely."
"Please tell me you refused," Diao Chan said.
"Of course I did," Xun assured her. She sighed. "He pushed me into the spring, and that's when the nightmare began in earnest…"
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Young Diao Xun felt his body twist and contort as he tried to reorient toward the surface. Finally reaching it, he took a needed gasp of air, then dragged himself to the shore, aware that the Turbans were laughing at him. Hauling himself out of the spring, he glared at Zhang Jiao.
"What was that supposed to do?" he asked, but then paused. The voice that had come from his mouth sounded…off. It was too high. Xun then looked down, and immediately became aware of two out of place augments to his chest.
Even at that young age, Xun had been quite the scholar. He began fitting the pieces together. Different body…lots of springs…bamboo poles…OH NO! He let out an ear-piercing scream of anguish as he realized just where he was…and what had happened. The unmistakably feminine scream made the Turbans laugh all the more.
Xun shot to her feet, anger swiftly overtaking shock. "You!" she snarled, pointing at Zhang Jiao. "How cruel could you be?! Don't you know how dangerous this place is?!"
Jiao laughed even harder. "More so than you, young lady." He waited for the laughter to die down somewhat. "I gave you a choice, and you chose the path of hardship." He turned to the other young boys. "Will the rest of you repeat her mistake?"
Xun broke in. "You're not half as smart as you make yourself out to be," she said with a grin. "These curses are only temporary. Hot water will wash this form away."
Jiao merely looked at her. "True enough," he mused, "but not after THIS!" With that, energy poured forth from his staff, surrounding Xun. With a bit of horror, she saw a ghost of her male form appear, and then the ghost disintegrated. The energy vanished, and Xun sank to her knees, feeling as if a part of her had died.
"I've sealed the curse," Jiao said with a smile that could only be described as evil. "Now you will spend the rest of your life as a weak, worthless woman!" He turned back to the other boys. "As I said, does anyone wish to repeat her mistake?"
As expected, none of the other boys held their ground. They all gave in, submitting to the Turbans. Jiao praised them for making the right choice, then turned to Xun, whose renewed shock at losing her manhood forever had yet to wear off. "As for her, I said she would serve a new purpose. Zhang Liang, Zhang Bao, you may do with her as you will." His brothers looked at each other, grinning…
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Xun paused in her account, noting the lack of color on Diao Chan's face. "Is…is your…curse…still sealed?" asked the elder woman. Xun slowly nodded, undoing her jacket to allow her bound breasts to be seen. Diao Chan gulped. "My son…" she whispered, before lapsing into silence.
Xun steeled herself for the next part. "Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao each placed a spell on me, robbing me of my body's control. They said they weren't taking any chances. Then…" for a moment Xun faltered, but then rallied herself, "then they had their way with me."
Both her mother and Shang Xiang were devoid of color. But Xun pressed on, despite tears welling up at the memories. "I'm not sure how many months I was their prisoner…their little sex-toy. Sometimes it was just one brother, sometimes two, and sometimes Jiao himself would have fun with me. They even let the troops have me once or twice. Despite the horror and shame I felt, I couldn't resist them. My body was not my own. All it did was ask for more. Even the women who had joined the Turbans were rather rough with me. For the longest time, I hoped that there would be an end. But it never came…"
Xun finally had to break off, her tears threatening to choke her. Shang Xiang walked over, wrapping her arms around her, rather protectively. Xun couldn't hold it in anymore. She broke down, sobbing into Shang Xiang's shoulder at the pain of the memories. The princess felt her own tears welling up from sympathy and regret; sympathy for what Xun had gone through, and regret that there was nothing she could do for the pain.
She stiffened a bit as she felt another pair of arms add themselves to the embrace, but relaxed as Diao Chan drew them together. The elder woman's eyes were also tear-filled, and that reached out and touched Shang Xiang's heart. I'm glad to know that my mother-in-law cares for her as much as I do.
Finally, Xun managed to calm down. Wiping away her tears, she resumed her story. "As I said, that lasted for some time. But then the Han forces attacked. Zhang Liang fell first, and I found I was able to resist the troops somewhat. When Zhang Bao fell, my body was my own again. I noticed a pair of sabers on the wall…this very pair, in fact," she added, indicating her weapons of choice. "I took them, and bided my time."
Shang Xiang managed a smile. "Let me guess…the next guy who tried to do you got a big surprise."
Xun nodded, an uncharacteristically sadistic grin slipping onto her face. "Cut off his head. Both of them," she clarified. Shang Xiang nodded knowingly, as did Diao Chan. Xun then continued. "I escaped, stealing a fallen soldier's clothes as I did so, and never looked back."
She then looked at Diao Chan. "But when I managed to return to our village…you were gone. I asked everyone I could, and they all told me that you had left, citing my kidnapping and likely death at the Turbans' hands as reason for not remaining. I thought you were dead, that I had been abandoned in this world." Xun managed to keep her tears back this time.
Diao Chan couldn't, however. "I'm sorry, Xun," she choked out. "I had no way to know that you were still alive in their…care," she almost spat the word 'care,' "and I didn't see any point in waiting. I fully intended to throw myself into a river, but a man named Wang Yun took me in. He managed to bring me back from the brink, and then came up with a plan to destroy Dong Zhuo. Lu Bu and I killed him, and we've only recently taken this castle from Liu Bei."
Shang Xiang decided to speak up. "Well, all that matters now is that we're together, this little happy family, and nothing's gonna tear us apart." As she said this, she wrapped one arms around Lu Xun's neck, the other around Diao Chan's. "What will come, will come, and we have to meet it when it does." At this, both Xun and Diao Chan nodded.
Diao Chan then looked at Xun. "Does she always speak so wisely?" she asked.
Xun slipped a grin on her face. "No, I think hanging around me has rubbed off on her somewhat. Good thing, too."
Shang Xiang returned the grin. "Look who's talking! You've loosened up quite a bit since we fell in love. Which is a good thing…it was either this way, or let my brother corrupt you." At this, both young women laughed, while Diao Chan just sat back and smiled.
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A/N: Wow. Over twelve pages of pure fanfic. Whatta rush. And, as I said, this chapter had lots of jaw-dropping revelations in store. It's taken on a much darker cast than the first chapter, but hopefully I can alleviate that. Don't want this getting too angsty.
Now, for disclaimers. To the anime fans: Yes, Jusenkyo was taken directly from Rumiko Takahashi's famous anime/manga Ranma ½. I do not own either the anime or manga, and I also am not an acquaintance of Takahashi-san's. I merely love her work. Also: the idea of Xun starting out as a boy and being changed into a girl by Zhang Jiao was taken from the doujinshi Rikuson Gaiden. BIG WARNING: DO NOT READ RIKUSON GAIDEN IF YOU ARE UNDER EIGHTEEN!!! I DO NOT WISH TO GET IN TROUBLE!!! Ahem. Thank you. Next chapter: the battle of Xia Pi.
"To be forgotten is worse than death."
-Freya Crescent, Final Fantasy IX