Gomen! I am so sorry for the late update. I've been so behind with my fan fictions as of late. Anyway I would like to thank runickenaz & Silverone for their reviews.
Chapter 5:
A song for the lovers (Richard Ashcroft)
Ina's ears perked to the sound of running feet. She glanced quickly at Shang Xiang as the Wu Princess trailed behind. "Are you all right?" Ina questioned. Shang Xiang nodded her head quickly, wincing from the shooting pain in her arm.
"I'm fine. We need to find Masamune quickly." the wu princess reminded. Ina nodded her head and turned to the direction of the footsteps. The two friends burst into a clearing seconds before Masamune and Tiger appeared. "Where the hell have you been?" Shang Xiang spat, jabbing a finger in Masamune's direction. Tiger growled lowly in her throat but said nothing. Masamune regarded the other two females as he dusted down his arm.
"I was in the middle of a fight. I don't know about you little Wu princess, but I have my pride to think about." Masamune shot back coolly. Shang Xiang hissed something and took a step forward. Ina held out her arm, stopping the wu princess from doing anything too rash. "Ina, you didn't have to come and look for me." Masamune added, glancing over to the Bow-master. Ina shrugged her shoulders.
"We couldn't leave you behind Masamune. Who were you fighting?" she questioned. Masamune rolled his good eye. Ina tapped her foot as Shang Xiang tried to wipe away as much blood as she could from her arm.
"Lu Xun." Masamune simply replied. He did not notice Shang Xiang's shocked look as the one-eyed dragon began to walk past her. The Wu Princess grabbed his arm causing Tiger to grab her damaged wrist. Masamune coolly regarded Shang Xiang as she tried hard not to wince too hard. "Let me guess. You know Lu Xun?" Masamune questioned. Shang Xiang nodded her head. Slowly she let go of Masamune. Tiger frowned and quickly let go of her wrist.
"This is all well and good but we should return to the castle. We can plan our next move once Shang Xiang is patched up." Ina pointed out. The trio silently agreed before making their way back to the castle. Masamune frowned again, the match going through his brain.
--
Lu Xun winced as Zhen Shao tended to his wounds. "My Lord, do you really think you can turn Masamune to our side?" Zhen questioned. Lu Xun looked down, making patterns on the floor of his chamber. Zhen cursed to herself. I should have not spoken out of turn. The little bodyguard muttered. She bowed formally. "Forgive me my lord. It is foolish of me to speak out of turn." Zhen whispered.
"It's all right. I can see the angle that you're coming from." Lu Xun paused and sighed deeply. "It would seem to be a hopeless task. His mind is set on serving Orochi." Lu Xun added. Zhen bit her lip. She hated to see her lord so crest-fallen.
"My Lord..." Zhen paused, unsure on how to phrase her sentence. "...Do not give up hope. I'm sure if you keep pushing the matter, Masamune will sure to see things from your point of view." She encouraged. Lu Xun looked her, thinking. Zhen Shao had always been able to lift his spirits when things went wrong. The windows rattled from the force of the wind, causing both warriors to jump. Lu Xun shook his head a little and Zhen Shao stood up. "I shall go and find out if dinner's ready my lord."
"Of course." Lu Xun smiled at Zhen and watched her leave him to his thoughts. I wonder. He began, his sight returning to the windows of his chamber. Is my obsession with Masamune to turn him to our side...or something else?
--
Masamune stared at his dinner with a heavy sigh. Orochi were nowhere to be seen but Da Ji was in the main hall, ready to pick faults with anyone she liked. At the moment, she was too busy with some of the other generals which left Masamune to his own musing. However he hated where he was stationed. The one-eyed dragon was stuck between Keji and one of the Snake Generals. Both were cramming food into their mouth like no tomorrow.
Personally, it sickened Masamune.
The One-eyed dragon pushed his food round his plate, his cheek cradled in his hand. I'm beginning to wonder whether my obsession with that warrior is because of my honor…or something else entirely. Masamune grumbled in his head.
"Hey buddy. You gonna eat that?" Keiji questioned, wiping his mouth. Masamune frowned before pushing his plate towards his friend. "What's a matter? Not hungry?" Keiji inquired as Masamune stood up.
"No, I'm not." Came the short, sharp reply from Masamune. Keiji watched in confusion as Masamune left the dinning room. The tiger warrior glanced over to Tiger, who shrugged in reply.
--
The night wind was cool against his skin as Masamune made his way out into the courtyard. He paused to stare at the stars, a firm frown on his face. His mind whirled with things he'd rather not think about.
"What the hell is wrong with me!" Masamune yelled kicking the nearest thing to him. The stone bounced along the dusty floor before coming to a stop. Masamune tugged at his brown hair and growled lowly in his throat.
"Well, well, well. It looks like something has ruffled the scales of the dragon." Da Ji giggled. The trinkets in her hair jiggled as she joined Masamune's side. "Please tell me what has worked you up Masamune." She grinned. Masamune glared at her.
"I would tell you anything if you were the last person on this god-forsaken earth!" Masamune snapped and stormed off in the direction of his room. Da Ji huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
--
Zhen slowly opened the door to her lord's chamber and peeked inside. At such a late hour, she would have though Lu Xun would be asleep. Instead she found him standing by the open window. "My lord? Shouldn't you be asleep?" Zhen Shao called, catching her lord off guard.
Lu Xun smiled a little at his bodyguard. "I couldn't sleep." He began. Zhen frowned a little as she enter the chamber. "I've been thinking a bit too much lately." Lu Xun added as he turned to look back out of the window.
"If you are worried about Lord Sun Ce and his daughter, I'm sure they are fine. The pride of the Wu forces cannot be broken my Lord." Zhen pointed out. Lu Xun nodded his head, his eyes trained on the night sky.
"I know Zhen. I know deep down that Lord Sun Ce and his family are doing fine. However every time I try to think of them, I find myself think of Masamune Date." Lu Xun replied almost mournfully. Zhen stared at him.
"My Lord?"
"It's like he's plaguing my mind. I've tried thinking about other people we know but the same thing happens. Someone will say something and it will remind me of him." Lu Xun turned to Zhen. The little bodyguard chewed her lip in confusion. "I'm scared Zhen."
--
Tiger stretched and yawned quietly to herself. Once again she found herself standing guard outside Masamune's chamber. Frankly she didn't mind either way as long as her lord was fine. Tiger crossed her arms over her chest and straightened up slightly.
Inside the chamber, Masamune lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. It felt like he was going through old motions, anything to keep him sane. Yeah right. Masamune thought bitterly. He tried to think of Noriko but he had forgotten what she looked like. "What do you expect? She's missing. You haven't seen her since you joined Orochi's side." Masamune muttered to himself.
Clearing his mind again, Masamune tried to picture Noriko once more. However her face remained fuzzy before an image of Lu Xun appeared. Masamune felt his eye-lid drop slowly before he finally fell asleep.