Disclaimer: I do not own Dynasty Warriors or any of the characters. It and they belong to Koei. I own my OCs.
"Good morning!" I say brightly and cheerfully as I peer at Lu Xun who is currently burying his head in his soft, fluffy pillows.
"Five more minutes," says Lu Xun waving his hand lazily like he's swatting an irritating fly.
"Look, if you don't wake up RIGHT NOW, I'll make you wake up using a frequently used method," I warn threateningly with my hands on my hips.
"…"
"Fine, be that way."
I walk quietly and sneakily toward his bathroom. On the way there I notice a small, light brown bowl that he uses to put black ink inside of and I immediately grab it. If Lu Xun can see the evil, sly smirk I have right now, he'd sprint outside in fright and screaming in terror like a little girl. Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration. Okay, that most definitely IS and exaggeration. I see a large pitcher of cool, clean water in the bathroom and I fill the small, clay bowl with it.
I stare down at Lu Xun's adorable, sleeping, ignorant face with slight pity. He seriously looks cute…no, that's an understatement he looks totally hot. Right down, I can see his six pack, and his broad shoulders….oh wait I should be rudely waking him up right now.
Stifling my approaching laughter, I slowly slip the clay bowl upside down until it's only slightly moist, greatly savoring every second. His chocolate eyes shoot open and he sputters indignantly as he speedily sits up.
"WHAT. THE. HELL?!" growls Lu Xun as he quickly wraps his hand tightly around my wrist.
Startling me, I gasp in panic and suddenly drop the fragile, clay bowl. Thankfully, it just falls on his soft bed and refuses to shatter dramatically like if a plate drops to the hard floor from the Wu palace roof. Clang! Clatter! Unfortunately, Lu Xun knocks it over so sadly, it does break.
"Dude, that's not nice," I say, raising my fist to playfully punch his…brick hard, muscular arm?
Instead of successfully socking him, Lu Xun seizes my wrist in his firm grip. i gasp in surprise. Smirking triumphantly, he suddenly pulls my wrists and I fall sheepishly onto him. My burning red face is in his chest.
"I will so get you back for that," I hiss at him.
"Let's see you do it then," Lu Xun smirks tauntingly.
I grin deviously and whisper seductively, "I will."
He silently stares at me challengingly. I boldly hold his gaze daringly. We just stare at each for a few minutes. Then, I sigh and rest my head on his shoulder. I gently press my soft lips on his jaw and slowly trail down his neck.
"LU XUN! DID YOU PACK FOR THE BATTLE YET?!"
Ling Tong freely enters the room as I grimace, pitying the poor door which he knocked down. Then, he freezes like a statue and gawks awkwardly at us. Now, I realize the weird position Lu Xun and I are in.
"D-Did you SLEEP WITH HIM?" screams Ling Tong in shock, feigning painful agony.
I immediately launch myself at him and stutter, "N-No it's, it's NOT WHAT YOU THINK!"
"I-I can't believe you did that!"
"I was annoying him!"
"When everyone knows about this, you are-"
"WE DID NOTHING! AND I SWEAR, IF YOU TELL SOMEONE, I WILL PUT A ZOMBIE SNAKE IN YOUR ROOM LIKE GAN NING DID TO ZHOU YU! AND I WILL WATCH AND ENJOY THE SCENE WHEN THE "DEAD" SNAKE SUCCESSFULLY ATTACKS YOU! IT WILL BE FREAKING EMBARRASSING FOR YOU IF YOU ARE ATTACKED BY A DEAD SNAKE!"
"Okay, okay," laughs Ling Tong as he holds up his hands, willingly surrendering. "I'm going to get breakfast. Want to come?"
"Sure, in a sec," I reply calmly, with a smile masking my relief.
"I'll definitely bother Zhou Yu about that snake thing."
"Be sure you do."
The, he slowly exits the room, his booming laughter echoing through the halls until there is no sound except for the happily chirping birds outside. I start to collectedly walk out Lu Xun's room, but I feel his strong arms wrap around my slender waist and his breath tickling my neck.
"You know this is war right?" he whispers questioningly, then his lips lightly brush against my neck. "Between us?"
I freeze in disbelief for a second, then I mask my hesitation and disbelief by grinning challengingly and saying, "You're on. And I will win."
After that, I peck him softly but quickly on the cheek and stride confidently out his room to obtain a warm breakfast. But, as I walk quickly down the halls, I continuously replay the scene over and over again. I finally arrive at the dining hall and wince in regret of how I didn't just refuse his challenge. Well, pride is my flaw and it will probably be my fatal flaw. Anyway, this flirt war is so on.
I slide into a seat next Zhou Yu and Ling Tong who are arguing heatedly. I quietly nibble on my warm, delicious meat bun while listening in amusement to their argument. It is so interesting and intense that I don't hear Lu Xun furtively sit down next to me….even though he dropped his chopsticks….twice. Zhou Yu and Ling Tong are currently whisper shouting.
"THE FREAKING SNAKE WAS A ZOMBIE! HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KILL IT WHEN IT WAS ALREADY DEAD?!" whispers-shouts Zhou Yu angrily waving his long chopsticks in disgust.
"YOU DIDN'T KILL IT! GAN NING DID!" whisper-screams back Ling Tong.
"HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR KILLING IT BECAUSE HE SET IT LOOSE IN THERE!" shouts Zhou Yu furiously while shooting up from his wooden chair.
Then, he looks around to see other people staring at him in bewilderment. Blushing sheepishly, he sits back down.
Startling me and rudely causing me to drop my chopstick, Lu Xun says calmly, "So, Master Zhou Yu, I heard you were rudely attacked by a devious snake yesterday."
Stifling my loud laughter, I add innocently, "Did you not know that snakes can live even after they are decapitated?"
"I hope you guys find a snake, scream for your life, and cut its head off only to find that it can still attack you in battle. Then, you'll come back, pour me some tea, and beg for forgiveness. Your disrespect will come back at you," growls Zhou Yu fiercely, slamming down his chopstick.
He collectedly takes a large sip of tea only to spit it back out, causing Lu Xun to duck in alarm to avoid his tea, and scream in terror, "SHIT! SNAKE! KILL IT! KILL IT! WAIT DON'T KILL! IT'S FREAKIER IF YOU KILL-WAIT! I DON'T KNOW!"
I peer over the large wooden table to see what he screaming about to see a poor, tiny caterpillar, "Aww, it's only a caterpillar."
I reach over the table and gently pluck it off the edge of his chair. Unable to face his humiliation, Zhou Yu walks away silently with a burning face to work on battle strategies. As soon as he leaves, the people who heard him laugh uncontrollably. I giggle then continue to nibble on my yummy breakfast which is now cold. After a few minutes, Zhou Yu proudly walks back.
"I assume you are joining the battle?" he says curiously.
I nod my head in confirmation and say, "But, I still get to use my weapons and stuff."
"Of course," he replies, understandingly. "I will return your weapons to you and show you a horse that you will ride."
"Sure," I answer nonchalantly, now gobbling down my meat buns as Zhou Yu leaves.
I freeze for a second and groan in annoyance, causing Ling Tong, Lu Xun, Gan Ning who just appears to look at me.
"Hey, guys. I'll be right back for a sec." I say casually, starting to stand up.
"Wait! Why?" Gan Ning asks curiously.
"You don't want to know," I say warningly as I shake my head.
"But I do," he replies even more curiously.
"No you don't."
"Yes I do."
"No you don't."
"Yes I do."
"No you don't."
"Yes I do."
"No."
"Yes."
"If I tell you, will you leave me alone?" I ask in frustration, glaring at Gan Ning.
"Yes," he replies innocently.
"I'm bleeding and I need to get something for it," I say flatly, starting to walk away.
"Wait!" shouts Ling Tong as he grabs my arm. "Where? We can bandage it up for you."
I shake my head, now in amusement, "You can't bandage it. I need to get something for it from Da Qiao."
"Actually, we could offer something to stop the bleeding," says Lu Xun.
I roll my eyes and scoff, "You can't stop the bleeding."
Looking up, I see a petite Da Qiao walking to a small table where Sun Ce is wildly waving his arm, gesturing her to come over. She offers me a quick, warm smile when she spots me.
"Hey Da Qiao! Time of the month. Need something," I cough out in an extremely subtle way. At least subtle to some people... Usually mostly males. No offense to anyone.
She nods understandingly and frowns deeply at the guys who are still impatiently tugging my arm. Their curious looks are earning them a glare. They sheepishly release my arm and sit back down.
Da Qiao gracefully sits down next to us as say to the guys, "You know, you shouldn't ask a woman about it."
Seeing their confused looks she continues, "Every month, a woman will bleed and-"
"STOP!" Gan Ning shouts fearfully, holding his hand in front of Da Qiao's face and I slap it away.
"I told you so," I say smugly, smirking triumphantly at them.
"My ears…I think I've gone deaf," groans Ling Tong in fake pain.
Lu Xun does not make any comment. He just blushes furiously and buries his head in his arms.
"All right, this is your horse," says Zhou Yu, politely handing me the reins.
Immediately, I love this horse. Its black mane is glossy and black. It nudges me affectionately and licks my hand.
"Thanks," I say as I run my fingers down its head.
I grin joyfully and easily mount the horse.
"Here are your weapons," says Zhou Yu, handing me my black bow, quiver of black arrows, and a silver and steel sword with an iron and bronze sheath.
"Thanks," I sigh, then carefully slip my quiver of black arrows on my back. Strapping the black, precious bow on my back, I carefully examine my sword. I swear, if they messed up my weapons, they will so pay.
"Don't worry, we didn't tamper with your weapons. We only added more arrows," laughs a voice behind me. "It's not like we want the enemy to have your head."
"Wonderful, Ling Tong," I say irritably. "More jokes about my head."
Patter. Patter. There are footsteps of a large horse behind me. But, I don't pay any attention to the rider because I am attempting to tie the sword and its dull, scratched sheath to the side of my hip. All I have to do now in case the enemy attacks is grab my sword or bow. I smirk in satisfaction.
"Is there something fascinating that's making you smile?" whispers Lu Xun closely to my ear.
I grit my teeth in frustration and annoyance, then plaster a phony, cheerful smile on my face. I turn around to face him.
"No abs this time?" I ask innocently.
"Were you wishing to see them," he replies equally innocently.
"In your dreams man. In. Your. Dreams."
"I know I am in yours."
"You were never in my-"
I pause in hesitation for a second. He actually WAS in one of my dreams. But, that dream was one where I was strangling him. It was one of the best dreams I have ever had.
"Hah! So you did dream about me!" cries Lu Xun triumphantly, with a cocky grin.
"Actually that was a dream where I was strangling you," I say with a smile of pure joy while recalling that beautiful dream. "Best dream I've had in a long time. Want me to give you the whole story?"
"No-" he begins declining, but I interrupt him.
"We were on a beautiful grassy field full of wildflowers. The sun was shining and grinning at us. The sky was cloudless. I ran to you with a light breeze dancing through the air. And the wind was blowing through my black, glossy hair. When I reached you I wrapped my hands around your neck and began to squeeze," I describe dreamily, sighing contently. I grin absentmindedly.
"You evil woman," growls Lu Xun , hiding his amusement.
"I see you became smart enough to remove the fat. If you did, I would have reintroduced my foot to your stomach," I smile sweetly. "And yes, I know I'm a nice person who is not evil."
Cautiously leaning over my horse, I peck him lightly on his soft, smooth cheek.
"I see the flirting war is still on," comments Ling Tong and Gan Ning breezily.
"I'm betting on you Xin Ying. Don't disappoint me," encourages Ling Tong cheerfully throwing a relaxed arm around the back of my neck.
"Is there money involved?" I ask dryly, anticipating the answer.
"Of course!"
"Just what I predicted."
"I'm betting on Lu Xun!" announces Gan Ning proudly, nudging Lu Xun who is staring straight ahead.
"How do you guys even know?" I ask suspiciously.
"For an Assassin, you're quite dumb," says Ling Tong, while I give him a death glare. "There's something called eavesdropping you might never have heard of. I know it's a legendary, amazing thing."
"Shut up," I interject irritably.
"I told you that you were stupid," says Lu Xun gleefully and victoriously.
"I think you both want me to introduce my foot to your stomachs. Unless you'd rather meet my black arrows of pure pain instead," I reply nonchalantly, calmly reach for a shiny, black arrow.
"DON'T!" Gan Ning screams in pure terror and agony.
Ling Tong and Lu Xun look at him, bewilderment quickly washing over their blank faces.
"She practiced shooting at me that day Shang Xiang was trying to get me to take a bath. After she successfully shot it at my shield, she practiced shooting more. All I had was a freaking small shield! I had to dodge volleys of arrows. My legs were so sore after!"
"You just suck at dodging," says Ling Tong dismissively.
"I agree," says Lu Xun, causing Gan Ning to have a look of indignation on his face.
"Okay everybody," shouts Zhou Yu loudly to the soldiers, but they ignore him and continue happily chatting away.
I roll my eyes and look around. There are many tall, green trees. Colorful birds are chirping happily and the scent of pine fills the air. Clumps of fluffy, white clouds sit in the blue sky.
"Everyone," he tries again to get their attention, but they still ignore him. "GET YOUR BUTTS OVER HERE AND LISTEN OR YOU CAN JUST GO SCOUTING BY YOURSELF AND GET KILLED!"
Startled, I immediately whip around to face him causing my soft, black hair which is in a high ponytail to slap a soldier on the face. At that moment, I realize that it can be another attacking technique.
"Thank you," growls Zhou Yu crossly.
"Your welcome," I call back cheerfully.
He glares at me and continues.
"Our spies have discovered that there are two supply bases. One of them contains most of their important supplies. We will send a few people to destroy those supplies. After that, the soldiers at the first base will retreat to the smaller, second base. We will wait there and ambush them," announces Zhou Yu in a monotonous voice. "First, we have to decide who will go."
"Can I go?" I shout in question as I jump up and down and wave my arm wildly.
"Go where? To the bathroom? There's no bathroom-"
"No! To get rid of the supplies!"
"Yeah, sure. Uhh, Lu Xun!"
"Yes?" answers Lu Xun.
"You will go with her!" orders Zhou Yu.
I stand patiently next to a large, white tent as Zhou Yu comes out with two bags.
"Camp somewhere and attack in two days so Shu won't suspect anything," explains Zhou Yu as he hands Lu Xun and me a small, waterproof black pack. The pack can hang on my shoulders. "Oh yeah, and you guys are walking to your camping site."
"What?!" we shout in unison.
"You guy are walking to your camping site," repeats Zhou Yu calmly. "In case the horses give you away."
Then he walks away, the tails of his red robe fluttering as he walks. Next thing I have to do is walk with Lu Xun to our camping site.
Thud! I drop my pack on the ground in relief. Then, I wipe the sweat trickling down from the sides of my red face.
"This is the place, right?" I ask Lu Xun, who is peering at a map that Zhou Yu gave him.
"Yup. Wait no," he frowns at the map, causing me to groan. "Just kidding, it is."
"I WILL kill you for that later," I say, pulling open my black pack. "WHAT IS THIS!"
I hastily dump out a container of water, strips of dried meat, and a pack of crackers, pieces of bread, a towel, poison, and a first aid kit.
"What is this?" I demand. "This is all he gives us. He is COMPLETELY OUT OF HIS MIND! There is nothing, but these ugghh! He just leaves us to try to survive-no scratch that! He basically leaves us to DIE with these measly-Oh wait no. This isn't it. There's still a knife," I say, gleefully at the end, holding up a small knife with a shiny, sparkling blade.
"I have the same stuff-Oh wait I don't. I have MATCHES!" shouts Lu Xun in pure joy.
"I'm happy now. We can survive off of this," I say, and then I frown. "We should go scout the area."
"Yeah sure," he replies absentmindedly.
I hurriedly grab our bags and throw them at the base of a tall tree and near a pile of leaves.
"Off we go," I say brightly while hold my shiny, polished bow and a black arrow.
We walk around our camping site in an awkward, uncomfortable silence. There isn't even a happy, chirping bird to break the silence. Wonderful luck I have today.
"Oh yeah and remember that some snakes can live after they are decapitated," I remind him.
"Uh huh," mumbled Lu Xun, and then he freezes like a statue. "So what do we do if we run into a snake? Do we run? Or scream, or freeze?"
"Umm," I say as I think carefully. "Well, I actually don't know."
We walk together through a few more tall trees. Lu Xun grumbled as a tree branch gently slaps his arm. I duck when the fingers of a branch are about to mercilessly smack my head. Suddenly, there is a change in the air. Perhaps it is becoming warmer. Maybe even mistier. I glance around and continue walking. Finally, I reach a large pool of shimmering, warm water with steam dancing above it.
"Hot spring!" I cry joyfully, leaping toward it.
There are large, smooth boulders surrounding the pool of tempting water. There is also a huge, gray boulder in the center of the large pool of sparkling water. I bet it would feel so relaxing to just slip in and let the blanket of warm, calm water wrap around me like a blanket.
"Come on," says Lu Xun impatiently, tugging on my arm. "You can come back later."
I nod and pull away from the enchantment of the natural hot spring. We walk further, passing adorable, small squirrels and large, black birds. The dark brown soil is flattened even more when we trample over it. I keep catching Lu Xun looking worriedly around. He's probably worried about the snakes.
"Xin Ying," he says warningly, his voice is low as he pauses in mid step. "Have you thought whether or not we run or scream?"
"Why?" I ask, puzzled.
"Snake," he answers, nodding toward something.
"Where?" I whip my head around wildly, trying to locate the dangerous creature.
He cautiously points to it. I see a small, long creature wiggling and slithering very slowly. It has huge black eyes.
"Uh Lu Xun-"
"Do we run?"
"It's not-"
"Or should I cut of its head?"
"It's just a-"
"Maybe we should just run."
"IT'S A FREAKING CATERPILLAR!" I scream furiously, annoyed that he keeps interrupting me.
Lu Xun just gives me an odd look. His eyes keep darting from me to the caterpillar.
"Fine, look," I say, carelessly reaching over the pluck the caterpillar off the ground. "It's the same caterpillar from this morning."
Huffing in embarrassment, Lu Xun resumes walking. I follow him while talking to the caterpillar.
"It's okay," I coo, as I start to place it back on the ground. "He didn't mean to scare you."
I can practically feel Lu Xun rolling his eyes at my stupidity. Not that I'm really stupid. In fact, I just do that to annoy him.
"Oh and Lu Xun?" I call out to him.
"What?" he snaps.
"You might want to stop right now because that's a snake in front of you," I warn.
"Yeah right," he scoffs dismissively. "I bet it's that caterpillar again."
"Take a look at the size, dear strategist. Then tell me what you think."
He carefully proceeds closer the actual snake. It is a dull gray color and a little too long. It is slithering in circles with its tongue constantly, sharply hissing out. This time, I roll my eyes at his stupidity and rush to him. I jerk his arm back just as the snake leaps out with its mouth open wide.
"Chomp," I say dully, indicating what would have happened had I not rescued him.
"HOLY SHIT! IT'S ACTUALLY THAT FREAKING-" Lu Xun starts shouting with his wide eyes peering at the snake.
I slap my hand forcefully over his mouth.
"Shut up and kill it," I hiss as the snake leaps at us.
I pull on the white, soft sleeve of his arm and skillfully swing him behind me. My hand flies to the handle of my useful sword and I pull it out of its sheath. Together, our swords attack the snake and chop it into three pieces. However, all three pieces are wiggling, no that's an understatement. All three pieces are thrashing around violently.
"OH SHIT!" I scream in alarm, as I jump when the snake flips in attempt to bite me. "AND NOW WE RUN BECAUSE WE CAN'T KILL IT ANYMORE!"
We sprint through the forest, the world becoming a blur as our run, fueled by fear, takes over us. I can feel the harsh wind whipping my face and my hair occasionally brushing along wide, rough branches. To my relief, I see our camping site and I stop abruptly, causing me to almost fall over. I regain my balance...and fall over anyway. My clean cheek rubs against soft soil.
Panting heavily, Lu Xun says, "Do you know what we have to do now?"
I shake my head while taking sips of my cool water, aware that I have to ration my supplies.
"We have to go to Zhou Yu, pour him some tea, and beg for forgiveness," answers Lu Xun, attempting to maintain a straight face and keep a serious tone, "because our disrespect came back to us."
I give him a small grin, and then chuck a metal, container of water at his face.
"Hey!" shouts Lu Xun even though he catches the container with ease.
"You're welcome," I say sweetly. "We should really come up with a plan for destroying the supplies."
"We really should," agrees Lu Xun enthusiastically.
"Fire attack?"
"Definitely."
I pull a black arrow out of my quiver and inspect it. Then, I gesture for Lu Xun to toss me his matches. He does and I begin thinking of a plan.
"Thinking of setting the base on fire?" asks Lu Xun with an understanding smile.
"You bet," I wink at him flirtatiously. This challenge between us isn't over yet.
Lu Xun walks to me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He sits down next to me and wraps his arms around my shoulders. I don't realize what he is doing. Therefore, I stare at him in confusion. Then, he buries his face at the spot between my shoulder and neck. I laugh freely as his soft hair tickles my neck.
"Shouldn't we continue thinking of a plan?" I laugh, resting my soft cheek on his arm.
"I suppose so," he answers as he repositions himself behind me with his arms around my slender waist.
"So inside the supply base should be many wooden crates containing their supplies, right?"
"Yeah. Usually, when I find those in battle, they're mostly useless."
"That's not the point," I chuckle in amusement as he buries his face in my hair.
"So I guess I can shoot flaming arrows at the crates which will cause the bases to go on fire," I say brightly, leaning on his chest. "Dude, why are your abs rock hard?"
"Huh?" asks Lu Xun in bewilderment.
"Six pack?" I cough out with a tint of red appearing at my cheeks.
"What?"
"Never mind," I say in relief.
"I guess we should have dinner now," suggests Lu Xu looking upward at the large sky, which is beginning to darken.
"Okay," I say as I stride to our small, black bags. "So do you want dried meat, crackers, or bread? Why on earth would Zhou Yu pack poison for us?"
I hold up a small, glass vial that is the length of my palm. Inside contains a thin, black liquid. The glass itself has a label that says, "Poison." Why would anyone need to label it? Just by quickly glancing at it, I can see that it's toxic.
"I'll take the meat. Maybe to poison something?" answers Lu Xun, catching the small, metal, and rectangular box I toss him.
"Speak the obvious, Strategist," I remark loudly. "We probably shouldn't set a fire to warm ourselves. It will alert the enemy that we're here."
"Now look who's speaking the obvious," comments Lu Xun accusingly.
"Obvious to non dim-witted people," I shoot back harshly.
"I know I'm not dim witted, but thank you for mentioning that," retorts Lu Xun pleasantly.
"Arrogant."
"Impertinent."
"Shut up."
"You shut up."
"Love you too," I say sarcastically in disgust, while strongly throwing a container of water at his face.
"Your throw isn't that strong," comments Lu Xu thoughtfully when he catches the long, metal container without difficulty. Then, he gently brushes messy, light brown bangs away from his alluring eyes.
"If I threw it really hard, you'd be dead!" I scream at him, fury traveling through my words.
He is silent for a moment. Then, he soothingly pats my back, but I refuse to talk. He is met by my cold, angry fury.
Dangling a piece of dried meat in front of me he says, "Come on. I know you're hungry."
I roll my eyes in disgust. What am I? A dog?
Wrapping his comforting arms around me he laughs, "Come please? I'm sorry, okay?"
"Come on. Don't be mad," he whispers seductively next to my ear.
I shiver a little, and continue my futile attempt to ignore him. Again, Lu Xun is silent for a moment. I can feel his soft hair brush against my neck. My eyes flutter lightly, and I take a deep breath. Unfortunately for me, I don't notice his fingers reaching toward my stomach.
Hysterical laughter echos through our camp as his fingers continuously tickle me.
"S-Stop!" I shriek.
"Are you still mad?" he asks earnestly.
"….."
"Are you?!"
"….."
"I won't stop until you answer me."
"N-No! Now stop!"
I wipe my eyes which is becoming moist. Then, I rudely snatch the metal box from his hands.
"Hey!" he cries in protest.
"Too bad. You offered," I reply tauntingly, nibbling a strip of dry, salty meat. "How did you know anyway?"
"How did I know what?" he answers, dumbfounded.
"That I'm ticklish," I admit shamefully.
"Remember the day I captured you?"
I nod slowly, not making eye contact with him.
"You seemed to squirm a little so I made a guess off of that," he explains easily, not noticing the humiliation the topic causes me.
Finally sensing my discomfort he asks with concern, "You're not ashamed right?"
I stubbornly refuse to meet his warm gaze. I refuse to glance at those charming, chocolate eyes that are twinkling in amusement. The same eyes that captivated me the first time I saw them clearly. The same eyes that made me remember that I've seen him somewhere.
"N-No, I'm not," I stutter, staring blankly at his shoulder and pulling a lock of my hair that fell out of my ponytail.
Damn! I am usually an extremely good liar. Why in the world am I not able to lie to him!? The signs that I'm lying are way too obvious.
As if sensing something different about me, he gently places a comforting hand on my cold arm and asks, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I say weakly when his touch sends warm tingles around my arm and something else that is close to an electric shock. I mentally grimace.
Why? Why do his warm, chocolate eyes captivate me so much? Why do I feel that I've seen them before? Why does his touch cause a small, electrifying shock? Why does my heart pound faster than normal when he touches me?
I wearily lean on the hard trunk of the tall tree behind me and sigh tiredly.
"So tell me about your life before the whole capture thing," Lu Xun grins eagerly.
"Well," I say, relieved that there is a change of subject. "I don't think I've had a family besides the Assassins."
Lu Xun tries to hide a frown, but I skillfully notice it.
"One day, they found me and invited me to join them," I continue, ignoring his frown. "They realized I was able to fight. Gradually, they trusted me and sent me out on missions."
"What are these missions you talk about?" asks a confused Lu Xun curiously.
"Do you ever wonder how the pig, Dong Zhuo, died?" I ask bitterly, remembering the frightening days and nights I waited loyally for her. I waited from dawn until the gleaming, smirking moon taunted me from the sky.
"Didn't Lu Bu kill him?" questions Lu Xun.
"Yeah, right," I scoff in disgust. "Diao Chan assassinated him. We take down the people who intrude our territory or harm innocent people."
A freezing gust of wind skips past us in a carefree manner. I sigh contently. The wind is free, unrestrained like a bird. Shivering, I hug my knees close to my chest tightly. I close my eyes and take in a deep breath, desperately hoping to conceal my sadness. I can't be weak! Lu Xun sends me a concerned glance, and wraps his strong arms around my waist, and holds me comfortingly. I lean against his chest while his cheek presses against my head. My glossy, black hair brushes his arm. I don't know whether he sees that I'm cold, or senses my growing sadness, but he is able to read me with ease. I cannot hide my emotions from him. His arms send warmth throughout my body, and this warmth eases me to a deep, comfortable sleep, but this time, in his arms.