Disclaimers: Don't own, Don't Sue…Xiu Soi I own.

Chapter 6

Stories of the Falling Star spread like wildfire throughout the land. The elegance of her gestures, her ethereal presence, her hallowed voice…the people believed that she was, if not as good, much higher than an emperor. They paid their respects by the gate of Wu palace daily, sending gifts and the like. Everyone believed that her arrival would lead to a new era of peace…

"Oh, come on…how many times have I told you that I'm sorry!" Sun Ce exasperatedly said as he banged on Soi's door.

"Sorry does not make it all alright! Do you realize what you made me do?"

"It wasn't THAT bad! I mean, you knocked them off their seats!"

"It wasn't THAT easy either!"

Zhou Yu stood beside Sun Ce and sighed. He knew that everyone with hearing within 2 miles must've heard them by now.

"Look, the only way we could assure that you would cooperate is to tell you the last minute! If we told you beforehand, we were sure that you would've bolted or tried to get out of it!"

"You were assuming! And you didn't consider the possibility that it was going to be FRIGGIN' HARD FOR ME, considering that I had to alter my clothes, find materials, teach the musicians the music of MY world in such as short amount of time!"

"But you pulled it off, didn't you?" Sun Ce replied as he grinned.

"That's not the point!"

"Anyways, can you come out now? The people want to see the Falling Star."

"No. I don't want to. Seeing the Little Conqueror would be enough."

Sun Ce has had it. Why was she being so hard?

"That's it, I'm breaking the door down!"

At this point, Zhou Yu restrained him. "Ce, no! That would be invading her privacy!"

"It's not my fault Yu! I'm going in there to give her a piece of my mind! Face to face!"

"Don't you dare! Who are you to break my door down?"

Sun Ce looked at the door disbelievingly. "I am the owner of this DAMN CASTLE! I'm the ruler of Wu! I am THE LITTLE CONQUEROR!"

"AND I AM THE FALLING STAR!"

"I don't care! Here I come!"

At that point, the door opened and their stood Soi. "If you break down my door I will—"

Sun Ce grabbed her and placed her over his shoulder. "Haha! Got ya!"

"LEMME GO!"

"I brought her, just like I said!" Sun Ce announced proudly as he placed Soi in the chair by the table.

"Yep, you really BROUGHT her…literally." Sun Shang Xiang commented, looking at the smiling face of her brother, and the frown on Soi's.

"Brother, it seems like all gentlemanly gestures have left you…" Sun Quan looked at Sun Ce, horrified.

Zhou Yu and Sun Ce had just entered the war room with a Soi over his shoulder, still having a shouting match with her. The rest of the generals, including Lu Xun, stared at the unusual sight, wide-eyed. Soi became silent when Ce successfully sat her down on the chair.

Earlier, they had convinced Sun Ce that he should be the one who would coax Xiu Soi out. Right after the party, she had ran into her room and locked the door, refusing to see anyone. Ce told them that she would go out when she was hungry, yet being reminded of their earlier fiasco with her climbing out of the window or the possibility of her in the kitchens, he finally agreed. And they argued that it was him that told them not to tell her about the party, so it's his fault.

"Now that everyone is here" Ce looked pointedly at a pouting Xiu Soi "we can finally start the meeting"

"Well then, " Zhou Yu started as he looked at everyone. "as you all know, there's a festival tomorrow and—"

Everyone cheered and some lifted cups of wine, their hands and some just made noise.

Sun Ce smiled at them and laughed. "Alright, alright boys…now we have to go through the program for tomorrow night. As the respected officers of Wu, it's our duty to make the festival of the harvest as lively as possible. It would also boost the morale of our men and—"

"And give us the opportunity to get wasted!" Gan Ning shouted.

"Yeah!" Taishi Ci replied as Huang Gai laughed and Zhou Tai merely nodded his head.

"But we have to behave first. Or else this meeting will never be adjourned in time for the party!" Lu Meng said as he attempted to calm the rowdy officers.

"Now then, it was planned that the Qiao sisters would start with a ritual dance, and the wine drinking contest would be overseen by Lu Meng and Zhou Tai. The horse race will be left to Ling Tong and Taishi Ci, while the strength contest will be under Huang Gai and Gan Ning.

Fighting and sword exhibitions will be coming from Lady Shang Xiang against Sun Quan and me against Sun Ce. The fireworks will be tended by Lu Xun. And a singing performance will be granted to us by Lady Xiu—"

"I refuse"

Their eyes went into her direction and saw Xiu Soi standing up, her eyes glaring at Sun Ce. The tension sparked in the room as their eyes met.

"You can't refuse" Sun Ce replied angrily.

"Why? Not another last minute, my lord."

"It is last minute for all of us! We were just informed last night!"

"Why wasn't I informed then?"

"You were locked up in your room!"

"You could've shouted it from the door!"

"I don't want to!"

The officers watched as they all followed the heated argument. Zhou Yu stepped between the two and said, "Lady Xiu Soi…I know that what we ask of you is much…but if you would just cooperate, it would be a success. The people would be happy to see the Falling Star—"

At this, she smiled bitterly. "It's all about the Falling Star, isn't it? You all go ahead and make plans for me…and you guys never even consider what I would I feel…" with that, she turned around and exited the room.

They all sat in stunned silence. Zhou Yu looked at Sun Ce, who awarded him with a blank stare. He looked at Xiao, Da and Shang Xiang, who was motioning for him to go after her. He sighed and ran towards the door. Lu Xun looked at the door longingly as he wanted to go after Lady Xiu Soi. But, he figured, she needs to see Lord Zhou Yu the most…

Soi slammed the door to her room and threw herself on the bed. She buried her head in the pillows and cried. It hurt so much to see Zhou Yu…and it hurt so much that he cared for the Falling Star, not her. It hurt so much that they were forcing her to sing…

A gentle knock broke her sobbing. "Who's there?"

"It is I…Zhou Yu" came the gentle reply.

"Go away"

"I would like to apologize…I know that we have been unfair to you and would want to earn your forgiveness…"

Silence.

Zhou Yu decided to push a bit further. "I figured…that the lady must be on a short fuse due to the fact that she has been contained inside the castle for so long. Perhaps she would like a tour of the city?"

After a moment, the door opened gently and Zhou Yu smiled.

"This is so great!" Soi exclaimed, her spirits lighter. Zhou Yu rode beside her and smiled to himself. She has been approaching this with childlike wonder…it was refreshing, just like his Xiao Qiao. She was wearing a white sleeveless V-neck blouse. She had khaki shorts and rubber shoes. She wore the same choker and earrings she wore as the party. She looked so different than when he saw her the very first time…he and Sun Quan thought that she was a boy. How could they have been so blind…?

She looked at him, and felt happiness well up inside her. She was with Zhou Yu…she was free and happy…and she never wanted that moment to end.

Zhou Yu caught her looking at him and smiled inquisitively. She looked away and commented. "You're a pretty cool guy…"

Not sure about the meaning of what she said, he replied. "Well, people have always told me that I am cold…"

At that, Soi laughed. Oh yeah! That slang has not been invented yet. "No, not that…I mean, you're a pretty nice guy."

"Oh, that's what you meant…thank you"

They stopped by a stall that sold sweets. Zhou Yu bought them two bowls of sweet liquid with jelly.

"Lady Xiu Soi…" Zhou Yu started to warn, as she was eating too fast.

"Just call me Soi"

"That I cannot do."

She sighed. Okay, that was a long shot. "Okay…just drop the Xiu part. You can just call me Lady Soi"

After they licked their plates and spoons clean, they resumed to their saddles and rode. After a moment, they heard a commotion in the marketplace. Soi urged her horse to run towards the crowd and saw the owner holding a wooden stick. He was beating a two children in front of the spectators.

"You worthless thieves!"

As the stick came down at full force, Soi jumped between him and the children, receiving the end of the stick instead on her shoulder.

"S#I#T! That hurt!" She shouted as she reeled over.

"You crazy woman1 How dare you get between me and justice! You shall pay--!"

"Cut the crap! Put your stick away! How dare YOU beat up these innocent children!"

"They're thieves! They stole from me!"

Soi looked at the children behind her. They were scared, skinny and were wearing rags. They clutched two apples and a meat bun. She looked back at the man.

"So? They didn't steal from you just to annoy you! They were hungry!'

"So what? They didn't pay for it!"

"So you'd rather watch children starve to death right in front of you than to give them a measly apple and a week old meat bun? What kind of a human being are you?"

"You don't understand. They stole. They were wrong. It doesn't matter if they are children. What they did is still wrong and they have to learn the punishment for their crime! If I gave every starving brat a few food, they'll be swarming in no time putting me out of business!"

"But being violent to them does not answer anything! You swing that stick around of yours like a big man, for what? To teach them a lesson? Cut the crap! You think they will learn from that alone? They won't without you properly telling them! As long as they're hungry, no matter how many times you beat them up they are going to steal from you! You wanna know why? Because they have to survive! Just as you have to earn a profit, they would have to use every mean to live!"

"They can work for it!" the man growled.

"Ha. Who would give them work with judgmental fools like you lurking around!" she retorted.

"Why you—you'll pay for that!" As he brought the stick down, Soi turned and protected the children. She embraced them and whispered that everything would be okay. She felt the stick made contact on her back and bit back her shout of pain. She looked down and saw the children look at her with glassy, fearful eyes. She smiled at them.

As she awaited for the next blow, she felt metal clash against wood and looked back. Zhou Yu was riding on his horse, his sword in hand, restraining the stick of the vendor.

"It's Lord Zhou Yu!" one of them shouted. The vendor instantly fell on his knees.

"My Lord, nothing is amiss. I was just punishing a few thieves—" he was cut short as Zhou Yu got off his horse and ran towards Soi.

"Lady Xiu Soi!" he knelt beside her and held her close. "Are you alright…?"

She groaned when he touched her back. "I told you…drop the Xiu."

The crowd, including the vendor, looked at them, with a mixture of shock and wonder. Lady…Xiu Soi…the Falling Star?

Zhou Yu turned towards them, rage in his eyes. "Nothing, is amiss? You call hitting women and children nothing?"

"But my lord--"

"I heard the exchange. Only I was not able to get in time due to the crowd, I saw and heard everything." He threw a single silver coin on the ground, close to the vendor. "For everything that the children hold"

The vendor looked up and cowered at the look of rage on Zhou Yu's face. "You do realize," he said, in a quiet tone, "that the payment for hitting the Falling Star, a lady of the castle is death?" he clutched his sword tight.

"M-My Lord…"

"It is nothing, but an application of the justice you desperately want to achieve. Just as you intended to beat those poor children to death in the name of justice, in the name of justice, I will cut your head and present it to the Falling Star, for laying a hand on her."

The crowd gasped as some of them close their eyes. The vendor cowered as Zhou Yu took a step forward. Suddenly, a gentle hand was placed on his arm and when he saw who it was, it was Lady Soi.

She stepped between Zhou Yu and the vendor and held her arms out. She shook her head.

"But Lady Xiu Soi…it is the law of this land."

"But he did what he had to do. To show an iron fist that meant business. Although, I disagree with his ways, it is not worth to kill him for something so trivial a reason…"

"But Lady Xiu Soi, laying a hand on you is not trivial at all!"

"But I am not worth a man's life. Murdering for my sake will not make me feel any better, nor bring justice, nor purge the evil of this land. Killing him, who was ignorant of who I was, for hitting me only because he believed he was right…It would just make you and me a murderer…It's…just selfish and wrong."

She turned to the man. "I, Lady Soi, also known as the Falling Star, grant you pardon for hurting me. Yet as punishment for hitting the innocent—" she turned to the children. "Say, where are your parents…?"

The boy shook his head. "They were killed…in war. We're all alone…" the girl he was holding did not look more that 5. He looked like he was just about 7 years old. She stood up, and glared at the man. "You have a family?"

"No lady, I do not—"

"Perfect. As punishment for hitting the innocent, I place these children under your care. If I ever hear that you are mistreating them in any way, I will have you executed for child abuse. I warn you, I WILL know it… is that clear?"

The man bowed, his head on the ground. "Yes Lady. Thank you very much!"

"And you" she turned to an awed Zhou Yu. "Stop with the Xiu already or I will slap you blind!"

Unexpectedly, the crowd cheered. She looked at them and they all got to their knees and bowed. "Oh no…please get up"

"Lady Xiu Soi, we believe in you" a man earnestly said.

"Yes" an old lady exclaimed. "You are all that we've hoped for! The one that would truly bring peace to us!"

"Lady Xiu Soi!"

"Your grace!"

They were all calling out to her…Soi looked at them and saw their bright faces. She saw the hope in their eyes as they looked at her.

"Are you enjoying yourself my lady?"

"Very much"

It was awkward…Zhou Yu had never been intimidated by a younger woman before. Sure, he has been intimidated by Lady Wu when she was still alive…but she was different. Her smile, gestures, even though sometimes vulgar and childish, he found it intimidating…and unexpectedly, it suited her.

"…I'm sorry"

Soi looked at him and smiled apologetically. "No…I should be the one who is sorry. I have been childish and selfish. I was rude and…well—"

"Lady Xiu Soi…"

"What did I tell you about the Xiu part?"

"Lady Soi…" Zhou Yu started. He didn't know why, but he felt at ease with her. She shook out the formalities, became close to Sun Ce in such a short time (even though they always bicker, Zhou Yu knew Sun Ce more than he knew himself), and became loved by everyone in the castle. He heard stories about her that she would try to help the servants clean the halls, arrange the flowers, clean up after herself after every meal and even tried to chat with the castle guards. It cost such an uproar among the servants that a lady of the castle, let alone of divine descent, should attempt such feats. She claimed that her only reason was she was bored and didn't have anything else to do.

And she would always tell the serving maids 'thank you' or apologize for letting them do an errand for her. She frowned at them whenever they called her 'your eminence', 'your highness' and the likes. She would scold at them jokingly and tell them to just call her Soi.

She was a lot like Shang Xiang, and along with Xiao, the they would teach her how to fight properly. He heard that they taught her the basics.

And now…she handled the man and the children admirably. Her virtue and compassion were astounding.

"Zhou Yu?" Soi's voice broke his reverie and Zhou Yu realized that his thoughts had drifted.

"I'm sorry…I meant, Lady Soi, you do not have to apologize for anything…what you have said to me this morning rings true. We have not taken your feelings into account and well…asking you to represent hope for the people was quite unfair, considering that you were thrust into this world forcibly, and are as clueless as we are. If I were in your situation, quite honestly, I would not know what to do."

He looked at her honestly and gently. "I, for one, admire your resolve and how you take all these in…you are one remarkable woman."

Soi felt her cheeks redden and her heart soar. "Thank you…Zhou Yu"

Zhou Yu smiled at her, and then stood up and brushed himself. He looked towards the castle and said "We have to get back now. Ce and I have to practice for our exhibition match."

She looked down. Must this day end already? Earlier, Zhou Yu looked cool when he came to her rescue. She thought her heart would stop. And she couldn't help but feel guilty at the happiness that she felt when he was fighting for her and was angry for her. She shook the thought out of his mind. She was being selfish…He would have to go back to Xiao Qiao's waiting arms now…

"Do not worry" Zhou Yu's voice pierced through her thoughts. "I will tell Ce that you do not intend to participate…but…can I ask something?"

"Bring it on" she smiled.

"…You told us that you do not know how to sing…yet you have the most wondrous voice…I cannot help but feel that you have something against singing…may I ask, if it's not to personal…the reason"

Zhou Yu let his question trail off as he saw Soi lower her head. Perhaps it was too personal.

Just then, Soi looked up and smiled. "Well…when I was in my world, I was part of the Opera club…they taught us to sing like that. I hated it because our teacher was a real terror…Like she was some kind of slave-driver…I developed a hatred for singing ever since…"

Somehow, her words are hollow, Zhou Yu though. He couldn't help but experience a nagging feeling that she was lying through her teeth.

She abruptly stood up. "You're right. We should get back. I'll race you!" she said with a forced cheeriness that Zhou Yu noticed. She jumped on her horse and rode away.

He decided not to push it as he rode on his horse after her.

At the castle, Zhou Yu whispered. "Do not worry…I will tell Sun Ce that you will not be able to sing for tomorrow…"

Soi looked at Zhou Yu affectionately. It was sweet of him to offer…it showed that he did care. Yet she remembered the hopeful faces of the crowd; of the people; the children. Of how disappointed they will be if the Falling Star was not there to bless the celebration…

She shook her head. "No…I think I'll do it. What would a festival be without the Falling Star?" she smiled at a bewildered Zhou Yu.

"That reminds me…" she said as Zhou Yu looked at her. "How do you stand Sun Ce?"

Zhou Yu laughed. "I guess…I know him better than anyone else."

"Argh…Ano hito wa yarou (that guy's a bastard)

"No he's not…he's my brother." Zhou Yu smiled.

Soi froze. He looked at Zhou Yu. "Huh! You speak Japanese?"

"Japanese?"

"I said Sun Ce's a bastard in Japanese!"

"You did not…you said it in my tongue…like how we are conversing right now."

"Okay…you know what talaba is?"

"Huh? Say that word again?"

"Talaba"

"I'm afraid I don't know…It was not in Chinese…I did not understand it."

"I don't know the meaning of the word either…so…it doesn't really matter if I say it in Japanese or English…you will understand it as long as I do…and what I do not understand, you will not understand either…" this interesting discovery has given her a new idea.

It was nighttime at last. Soi went to her bedroom, exhausted. She had just finished an intense session with the musicians. This time, she had picked a lively, yet easy piece for the musicians to master swiftly. Deadline was tomorrow evening, and she wanted it done before then. They had finished half of the song and will have another intense session tomorrow.

She went in and opened the window, when he felt someone in the room with her. She turned around and felt a scream build in her throat. It was the old man that she saw at the library!

Author's notes: warning…another song insert coming next chapter! Keep the reviews coming! Some comments would also be nice…And don't worry! if this chapter was dull, I'll try to make the next one not so dull! Happy new year!