Alcohol
He was awoken to the world by the throb of music. Not even opening his eyes, he decided it was too loud. Not that it was a bad thing, except it meant his neighbors would probably hate him for a good long time. Mildly, without even opening his brown eyes, he wondered what it was doing so loud. Especially with him on the… couch? With an empty beer bottle in hand?
With a groan, that was difficult to hear over the music, he opened his eyes with surprising difficulty. Glancing around his apartment, he decided many things were wrong. Firstly, he had no idea how he got back to his apartment. His keys weren't in the stupid little bowl Shang Xiang had bought him. Which meant his truck was not home with him. Second, was the empty beer bottle and him being shirtless. That, and said shirt was not in sight. The stereo of course was the next problem. Lastly though, was the cute little butt wiggling to the music in the nicest pair of jeans, cooking in his kitchen.
It had been one hell of a time. Except, he didn't remember a thing of it. Well, if he wanted to be correct, he remembered about his first eight drinks. About. Maybe. Shaking his head again, registering somewhere in the back of his brain that his hair could use a brushing, he stood on somewhat shaky legs. His first priority, though, was definitely that pretty little thing dancing in his kitchen. Long brown hair swaying in a ponytail, a pretty red top, and pale blue jeans that definitely were appealing. Definitely.
She turned around, heading for the refrigerator, and fell back against the counter in shock. Beautiful doe brown eyes grew wide as she stared at him, one hand going to her heart. Somehow or another, she was even prettier when facing him. Grinning stupidly, he turned down the stereo and walked to the kitchen. "Good grief," she said, barely audible.
"Hi," he said, staring down at her.
She blushed, which was endearing to his still groggy mind. "Sorry… I… you weren't supposed to wake up until Yu got back." She glared up at him, hands on her hips.
"What?" He took a step back. Without a word he pointed to the stereo.
"Yu said you wouldn't wake!" She huffed.
"Probably true." He grinned. "So… mind explaining to me what you're doing in my kitchen?"
"Making breakfast," she said, deflating and frowning now. "Yu was my sister and mine ride to the bar, and since he needed to stay here to take care of you, we stayed as well. He and my sister had taken a small trip out to get some tortillas for the breakfast burritos I was making. You were supposed to stay asleep until they… he returned."
"So… you're Da? And Xiao is with Yu?"
"Correct," she said, turning back to the sausage in the pan.
"And the music was so loud because?"
"I do not like your neighbor," she said, blushing again. "He is… rude."
"Gotcha," he nodded, glancing around, before continuing. "Any idea where my shirt is? I rather liked that one. And what happened to Shang Xiang? I think she was at the bar."
"You discarded your shirt in the car ride back here," she said, blushing even deeper, "and Shang Xiang went home with a man named Liu Bei. He became overly drunk, and she volunteered to take him back to his brothers."
"She did what?" He leaned on the bar to look at her face, to which she turned to him fully.
"She went to take care of a friend. Not much different then what Yu is doing for you."
"Yu doesn't need to be here with me. He could go him, if it weren't the fact you were actually cooking a breakfast," he said, mumbling the last part.
"You don't remember? You got in a large fight with that young man Yuan Shu. It got rather nasty, though you did come out on top. Yu stayed to make sure you had no lasting damage. Though you seem fine," she said in a huff, crossing her arms and leaning her hip against the counter.
"Really?" He grinned. "Damn, I don't remember." He ran his hand through his hair, chuckling. Da rolled her eyes and scraped the sausage onto a paper plate. The sound of keys jingling signaled Yu's return. Instead of the tall graceful man though, a short young woman bounced into view with a fit of giggles. Light brown hair bouncing in a side ponytail, and hazel eyes twinkling, he could only smile in return. Her shorts were short, and she wore Yu's jacket over a white halter top, apparently nobody had changed from the bar scene. Except himself.
"Ce," Xiao said, coming to stop, still smiling. "You weren't supposed to get up yet!"
"So I was told."
"You had better have been only gentlemanly towards Ms. Da," Yu said, carrying the grocery bag.
"Course I was. I don't have a hangover, surprisingly." Yu grunted in return, handing the bag over to Da who strutted passed him with a huff.
"You did start drinking heavy when you spotted Shu among the crowd."
"Really?" Ce shrugged. "Makes since. Gives me a reason to beat the crap out of him."
"Being drunk gives you a reason?" Xiao asked, making a face mixed with disgust and confusion.
"Yep."
"How?"
"Leave it alone, Xiao. Tis only man's logic. It won't make sense to those actually sensible," Da said over her shoulder, folding one of the burritos.
"Ouch," Yu said with a flinch. "What'd you do to her?" Ce shrugged, grinning again as his eyes drifted down to the nice round butt of the older Qiao.
Purple
She quietly listened as the building started to roar. They were coming. Quickly, with purpose, they were coming. Storming the mansion with their anger and self righteousness. Not that it was much different then her people, her husband. Though he accepted what he did wasn't right all the time. He just didn't care; he took what he wanted whether or not others disagreed. Wasn't that why she had fallen in love with him in the beginning? For his ambition, his cool calculating stare, his acceptance of reality. Smirking at the thought, she stood from her lounge and made her way to her mirror.
She pulled her long brown hair up into a ponytail, making sure it was nice and tight. Checking the room for anything of value, though she was fairly certain there was nothing in there, she nodded and walked down the hall to where her husband was surely raging about the situation. In the main living room, he paced. His short brown hair had the slightest of curl, his body toned under the blue shirt. Handsome as ever, he did appear slightly distressed.
"Husband," she said, catching his and his advisors Sima Yi's attention. He turned to her with the least loving of smiles.
"Ji. It is good to see you. Come. We must retreat." He turned his back to her, heading for a wall with a secret passage. She raised an elegant eyebrow, and he realized she wasn't following. "Ji. Come along!"
"Why? They are just peasants. Men of the lowest class," she said, looking over her shoulder to glare at the giant oak door. "Where would we run? Out into the wild, to become even lower then them? Wanted men with prices on our heads? Forced to scour the land for food, to starve when we found none? Sit in an abandoned home, pretending we would have a chance for revenge later? Or maybe pray that your father will send in some secret scouts to smuggle us out of their land?" She scoffed; glaring back passed Cao Pi to Sima Yi. "I think not. I believe that purple is a good color to die in, good lord."
"Ji!" Pi hissed, eyes narrowing.
She ignored him, as well as the haughty look of Yi behind him, and made her way to the sofa. Tossing the cushions aside she took out the long box and loaded the shot gun inside. "Run if you must, my good lord. I shall not lower myself to the cowardice of the peasants and weak. I shall see again in hell, my lord." She looked over her shoulder, smiling at him before making her way back to the door.
She should have known he would run. While a brave man, and far from weak, he would listen to the cowardly Yi before taking his own advice, let alone hers no doubt. Not that she minded. Dying next to him had never really calmed her down, or pleased her in any sort of manner. Even when she had still loved him, it had done her no good to imagine that. This was likely to happen, unless she again married another lord of another side.
Smoothing her long purple dress, a party had been planned before Shu decided to raid, she sighed. Death wasn't scary. Nor was the pain that came before it. There wasn't much that Shu could do to her that truly frightened her. But it was a rather inconvenient. She has so much planned for her future. Like having kids, maybe leading a semi-normal life for a little bit. Rekindling the fire between her and Pi. Ruling the Black Market beside her lord. But then she was simply woman, and it was not of anybody's care what she wanted.
Turning the corner, she aimed and downed a man in a green uniform. She had once been a simple peasant. Once, a long time ago. She had once been of the lower class, that begged for food and hoped people would want the goods. It had once been very important for her to know how to wield a gun and protect the home and goods. It had once been a burden to live each day. Now though, it was simply a matter of taking plenty of the Shu bastards with her to hell.
Some of her men, she only knew them by the purple uniform, tried to convince her to leave. She ignored them to continue down the hall. Purple was a good color to die in, she repeated to herself. It continued as such, quietly stepping through the halls, killing and reloading her gun. Her shoulder hurt when the place started to go up in flames. Cursing like she used to, a long time ago when she wasn't a lady, she kicked one of the Shu bodies on the ground.
If what one of the soldiers had said, Cao Pi had yet to leave yet. Was he staying for her? Her heart missed a beat then. Maybe it all hadn't been over before Shu came. Or was his escape route simply blocked and he needed another? Ji couldn't help but lean towards the latter. She was no longer the fairy tale princess. She could no longer afford to dream about white knights and soul mates. Her heart was far to tender to take beatings like that. Loading her last ammo, she ignored the heat to continue down the hall.
She stopped down one hall to watch, with a sort of morbid intenseness, as the fire ate at one of her favorite tapestries. The only thing that saved her was the down of the heavy steps as a man raced towards her. She turned and aimed in one move, but never got to fire the shot. He was atop her with inhuman speed, and she fell with a thud. Loosing her shotgun to him, she cursed. Pain shot up her leg, and she glanced down. It was mostly likely sprained, if not downright broken. The man couldn't have been human. His speed was unnatural. But it was beyond Shu to use demons wasn't it? The vile monsters were against their morals wasn't it? Was that why Wei was loosing so bad? Surely not. Wei was undermanned. They didn't need demons.
She glanced up, giving him the best glare she could. He glanced down at her, and gave her a bright smile. I was right, she thought satisfactory. He couldn't be human. Not with teeth like that. Though it really did her little to no good, but it was nice to be right. And if she wanted to be honest, and since she was going to die she decided she would be, he was a very handsome man. Pretty brown hair pulled into a small ponytail at the base of his neck, lovely summer green eyes, tawny skin, and a good build with nice arms; he was very easy on the eyes. But most demons were.
"My apologies, Lady Ji. I had not planned on being so rough," he said over the fire. He actually looked regretful, which astounded Ji. She was the enemy princess. What was he doing caring, and not killing? Refusing to show her confuses, she glared at him some more. Without a word, the man bent and scooped her up bridal style. Now paralyzed with shock, she let him carry her to safety. Really, what was this mans defect? His wires had to be crossed somewhere, she thought, gaping up at him. Or he was too kind to be a soldier, which was unlikely. His white uniform signaled a higher ranking.
"Hey, there's Zhao Yun!" a very gruff voice said with a chuckle. Craning her elegant neck, Ji spotted the famed general Zhang Fei standing next to the equally famous Liu Bei. Shouting her mouth with a snap, she glared at them all. She would die with dignity darn it, no matter what this foolish Zhao Yun was trying. Because she was sick of people messing up her plans. "And he's got a prize!"
"Yun?" Bei asked as Yun came to a stop. "Prisoners are not usually carried in bridal style."
"Usually they are not woman with a strong mind and will," Yun said with a smile.
"She's hardly a virgin," Fei said, loosing his smile. Ji glared at him, which he fully returned.
"That has little to do with anything," Yun said, a glare sent towards the short, stout man. Fei huffed and crossed his arms.
"I'm assuming she is injured, Yun?" Bei asked, rubbing his temple.
"Assuredly so."
"Fine. Give her to the medics. You and I shall discuss her later, after the mansion is secure."
"Thank you my lord," Yun said with a bow and walked passed them. Ji glanced over his shoulder, before up at him with another glare. What did they mean by discuss? Chop off her head and be done with it. Prolonging it might mean she would loose her nerve. What with the adrenaline loss and what not. Crossing her arms she glared at the green tent Yun was headed towards.
Here's some more I've been working on off and on since my last update. Not that great. Purple was for SilentNinja, who I have been wanting to write a little something for for a little bit. Mostly as a thank you for the review on my first Couples, and also because his favorite pairing was Zhao Yun and Zhen Ji, and I hadn't seen too many of these before. Though their numbers are growing a tad.
Anyway, still no takes on my last update with the whole servant and demon story. Little upset, wanted to see it written, but I understand. Maybe I'll eventually get to it.
