Disclaimer: I do not own Dynasty Warriors by KOEI. If they did, I would let them live in my apartment for all eternity. All I own is the plot plus the romantic sap and teenage drama that comes with it. One of my original characters, Haruka will be featured in this chapter.

Main characters:

Da Qiao: Daikyou

Xiao Qiao: Shoukyou

Sun Ce: Son Saku

Zhou Yu: Shuu Yu

Other characters in Chapter 4 are as follows:

Cai Wenji: Sai Bunki

Bao Sanniang: Hou Sanjou (mention)

Author's notes: Ah! Another chapter done! I feel so honored that my story has a fav. attached to it :) Thank you, scarlet. and .blossoms! Also thank you to you and yuukie kaze for following the story and also to JeeJeeMay and Sonnycows for the reviews so far :) I know it's slow but the best part is coming soon :) and it all starts here. I had to post this up a bit earlier than usual as I have to do gift wrapping service this Sunday...what fun and the chaos that will ensue...I have been working 6 days this week and I'm exhausted! But I feel so much better now that I got the time to post this new chapter. I have to say this was my favorite to write so far since I had to imagine the dresses that will turn our beautiful girls into princesses for the magical night :) Curious to see what Da Qiao will wear for the night...well..read on, my dears :)

Chapter 4 - A Magical Transformation

Saturday finally arrived. My sister and I woke up early and had a hearty breakfast for the shopping ahead. After promising Otousan to meet him at the waterfront for lunch, we caught the train and met up with Sai Bunki-chan at the park in good time. As we strolled along the waterfront, we observed that every single shop was laden with White Day themed decorations, white flowers in every outdoor flowerbed and every lamppost decorated with lacey white drapery and banners.

But finally, we arrived at our destination: Princess Paradise. It was a beautiful quaint shop with a fairytale setting in pastel colours and fairy deco. Several mannequins clad in several different dresses graced the front window. It was indeed very lovely. After entering the shop, we were welcomed by Haruka-san who was a kind and soft-spoken woman. Today she looked very lovely in her lilac purple soft Greek-styled goddess dress with lace embroidered on her flowing skirt. I went to one of the dress racks and checked the prices. My sister was right at the reasonable price range...Otousan would be so happy that we found a way to save money.

We had a wonderful time with Haruka-san as she personally gave us advice and ideas on which dresses to try on before she had to tend with the growing number of customers in the shop. Just as Sai Bunki-chan predicted, it took us slightly over an hour to look at all the available dresses, accessories and shoes. The shopping helped bond further with Sai-Bunki-chan and my little sister while taking my mind of my troubled thoughts regarding Son Saku-kun.

Sai Bunki-chan went into the dressing rooms first with her chosen dresses. Eventually she had chosen to wear a modest but pretty high-collared knee-length black dress with satin black ribbons for the collar and sash with delicate gold embroidery sewn on her long sleeves. The black sequins on the blouse under the store lights like sunlight dancing on water. It fitted her well and suited perfectly with her new black hairband topped with pearly beads and golden crescent moon charms and her black ballet flats topped with tiny black satin bows.

"Wow...I bet you'll be the most beautiful harp player at the ball," I complimented, causing Sai Bunki-chan to blush modestly.

"Gee...you think so?"

"I'm back!" We both turned to see Shoukyou running back with her arms full. She giggled upon seeing Sai Bunki-chan, "Wow! You look so cute! You should get the dress!"

"Why don't you go ahead and choose your dresses now, Daikyou-chan? I'll keep your sister company."

While Sai Bunki-chan ushered my sister into the dressing rooms, I returned to the dress racks and chose several dresses before narrowing them down to my three top choices. For some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off the third dress with the embroidered red butterflies...

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I jumped slightly when I heard Haruka-san beside me. She smiled at me, "That dress is one of my prized designs. I would be honored if you could try it on, you have the figure for it. Only one with such pure beauty could pull off this look."

"Pure beauty?"

"Yes, when I created this dress, I had it pictured for a girl who is unaware on how beautiful she truly is. That is why I added the butterfly insignia. And you, my dear, seem to fit that profile nicely."

"You're far too kind, Haruka-san..." I blushed.

"Your modesty is really something...your little sister talked so highly of you and I can see her words ring true..." Haruka-san's dark eyes were soft and tender, "Do let me see you when you're done, ok?"

"I will, Haruka-san..."

Sai Bunki-chan and I stood outside the dressing room, waiting for Shoukyou to come out. She had chosen three dresses but the first two didn't work out for her. The first dress was too long and stifling for her taste. The second dress's dark colours didn't suit her well and made her look very small and skinny. She was now trying on her third one.

"Onechan, Sai Bunki-chan I'm ready! What do you think?"

Sai Bunki-chan and I cooed in admiration as she stepped out. Shoukyou looked really sweet in her off-shoulder princess-styled dress and the matching silken wrap. Several taffeta flowers were sewn on the skirt to give a beautiful floral effect. It was coloured in bright orange and scarlet red to match her hyper-cheerful personality and had elegant golden flower filigree patterns embroidered on the bodice. Orange ballet flats with gold leather roses graced her tiny feet. What an adorable beauty. But I thought that she needed something to make her look more beautiful...it was then I saw something shiny sitting on one of the accessory tables. I went to take a closer look and found a gold plated comb with shimmering red and orange crystal flowers...it would look perfect in my little sister's lovely hair.

"Onechan? What's that?" I showed her the comb and watched her eyes sparkle as bright as the crystal flowers, "So pretty..."

"Here, let me put it in your hair, imouto..."

She obediently turned around so that the back of her head faced towards me. Taking her ponytail, I twirled it into a makeshift bun and carefully slipped the comb in place. The bun sat nicely on top of her head, and the crystal flowers blended beautifully within the curls.

"There...now you look much prettier…" I said to Shoukyou as she smiled and twirled around in front of the mirror, admiring the golden comb in her hair. Sai Bunki-chan nodded with approval, "I think you should stick with this dress as well. It suits you perfectly."

"You're right, onechan, thank you...it really looks good on me. I think I will go with this outfit," she glanced at me still holding my chosen dresses, "Now come on, it's your turn!"

"Ok, Ok, I'm going in!"

I went through the first two dresses but something was not right with each of them. The first one was too revealing and it made me blush at the way my skin was exposed. The second dress's design was lovely but the colours were too bright and clashed with my skin colour. Then I turned to the third dress that enraptured me. It was an off-shoulder empire-styled dress with flowing lace sleeves and long skirt with a delicate gossamer train sewn with embroidered butterflies which connected to the deep red sash wrapped around the high waistline. The dress itself was coloured in soft pink and peach and the red lace embroidered butterflies on the gossamer train were trimmed with gold thread. To my surprise, it was a perfect fit…like it was meant to be made for me.

"Onechan! Are you ready? We're in pins and needles here!" I had to chuckle at Shoukyou's impatience.

"Yes, yes, I'm ready! I'm coming out now."

I stepped outside for Sai Bunki-chan and Shoukyou to have a look.

"Daikyou-chan..." Sai Bunki-chan clapped her hands to her mouth, "Wow..."

"Onechan…" her eyes were wide and her mouth dropped open like a goldfish. She turned me around to make me look at the full length mirror behind me, "Look at yourself…that dress is perfect for you."

"Imouto? Sai Bunki-chan? Is that me?" I glanced at the girl before me. She was still wearing glasses and her hair was tied up in tight plaited pigtails. Yet the dress made her look almost…pretty.

"But I think you need some adjustments…Sai Bunki-chan, undo her braids and comb them out. Can you choose which hair jewels would look good on her while I go and ask Haruka-san to help me look something special for her?"

"I will choose only the best, Shoukyou-chan."

Just then, I remembered about Haruka-san, "Shoukyou, don't forget to bring Haruka-san back with you. She wants to see me in this dress should it fit me."

"Ok, onechan!"

My sister took off my glasses off my nose, leaving my vision a bit blurry. While Shoukyou went to find to Haruka-san, Sai Bunki-chan worked to untie the rubber bands, loosened the braids and combed out my hair. Then she took several golden butterfly shaped hair jewels from the accessory rack and gently twirled them into my hair. After a while, Shoukyou finally returned with a pair of shoes and Haruka-san was following behind her. She mirrored the same amazed reaction my sister and Sai Bunki-chan wore on their faces earlier.

"Daikyou-chan...the dress is perfect! Look at you..." I blushed even more at her compliment, "I think I just died and gone to Heaven...finally the dress has found its soulmate..."

"Look! Haruka-san recommended these shoes. They are special and she's agreed to discount them further at half price! I got them in your size," my sister placed the shoes before me. The shoes had short heels and were made out of transparent plastic leather with red sparkling rhinestones decorating it. A red sparkling heart crystal topped each shoe. They looked almost like glass slippers, "Try them on!"

I smiled and did as she asked.

"Well...what do you think?" I asked nervously. I was surprised to see their eyes glowing and their smiles ever wider.

"You look so beautiful, Daikyou-chan…look at yourself in the mirror again."

I did as Haruka-san requested and I almost fainted at the transformation. The girl before me...really did look like a beautiful princess...

"Onechan! Your transformation is incredible! Just like in Cinderella! Son Saku-kun has got to have the hots for you now if he were to see you like this!" Shoukyou gushed, "You have to get this ensemble, onechan!"

"I think I will..." I fiddled with the delicate lace sleeves and took a closer look at the beautiful butterflies on my gossamer train. It must had taken Haruka-san a lot of hard work to make the whole dress so lovely...I sincerely hoped that I did justice for it...

"Yay! We finished our shopping!" I had never seen Shoukyou so excited like this...it was times like this that I allowed her exuberance to rub off onto me.

"Hold on, I need to take some quick photos of us and send them to Hou Sanjou-chan to have a look. Knowing her, she'll pester me to no end if I don't do it soon," Sai Bunki-chan took out her mobile phone and handed it to Haruka-san, "Haruka-san, is it ok if you can take a quick picture of us. It's for a good friend of ours and she's wanting to find out what we're wearing."

"No problem, the more people who know about my designs, the better."

Haruka-san took several pictures of us in our new dresses like a professional before handing the phone back to Sai Bunki-chan who started emailing them to Hou Sanjou-chan. She immediately received a reply and all it was 'AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! SOOO CUTTTEEE!'

I smiled but inside, my heart faltered. Even Son Saku-kun were to see me like this, he couldn't possibly like me once this beautiful transformation would wear off after the ball…if he were to be there...

But I momentarily pushed the thoughts aside again as we paid for the dresses, shoes and accessories to Haruka-san who gave us free memberships for being such good first-time customers.

"We definitely have to bring Hou Sanjou-chan here next time," I commented as we exited the shop with our shopping bags, "She will love the cute dresses."

"After that email reply, I think she will make us go the following weekend," Sai Bunki-chan chuckled before checking her watch, "I better go, girls. I don't want to be late for the rehearsal."

After Sai Bunki-chan made her departure to the school for her last rehearsal, my sister and I met up with Otousan back at the promenade to have lunch together before we made our way to the hair salon where we were to do up our hair and nails. Otousan promised he would be back to check on us after doing some errands. We were greeted by the two top stylists in the salon. The first woman was really beautiful with her long dark hair tied up in a high ponytail and her figure was that of a supermodel. She also had kind-looking eyes and her smile was warm. The second woman had an air of deep elegance. She had fair skin and a sultry look on her sophisticated face. While the second stylist took my sister aside, the first woman helped me find a seat. She combed through my long dark hair with her slender fingers.

"My colleague will take good care of your cute little sister. You have such beautiful thick hair, my dear...and so soft and silky too...any model would want your hair such as yours."

She handed me a hair style magazine and opened a page. All of the hairstyles were so lovely but...I had no idea what would be good for me. I must had looked so lost as she looked at me sympathetically.

"You poor dear...it can be overwhelming at times. Let's pick a style that you can easily maintain and still look good with your school uniform."

After a while, her smile turned bright as she turned the pages to the long hairstyles section.

"Here, this style is perfect for you," she pointed to a pretty girl with hair similar to mine, except she had strange bangs on the sides of her face, "Those are called hime bangs. They will shape your lovely face beautifully. Would you like them?"

I smiled shyly and nodded. She beamed at me as she took me to the washing station and began to lather the shampoo into my hair.

"Just sit back and relax, my dear. I'm going to work my magic on you. You'll look like a superstar by the time I'm finished."

The hairstylist was truly a professional. I had a lovely relaxing time as she carefully measured my hair and snipped away the stray strands with practiced ease, her cool fingers brushing against my skin. I looked to the side to find Shoukyou looking just as relaxed and having a wonderful time chatting with the hairstylist who was obviously charmed by her cuteness. As another junior stylist worked to blow dry my hair, she worked on my nails as she clipped, trimmed and buffed them to perfection and chose a lovely peach pink colour to match my dress, which she commented with sincere praise at my sense of fashion.

After several hours, our hair and nails were finally finished. Otousan arrived back at the salon to pay the cashier. He gawked at us for a moment before he recollected himself. We had to head home in order to quickly to get ready for the best night of our lives.

While Otousan prepared something light for us to eat and drink, Shoukyou and I quickly took hot showers, taking care not to ruin our new hairdos. Shoukyou took extra care to wash my back while my hair was carefully pulled out of the way. When we finished, a tray of egg sandwiches and two small mugs filled with strawberry milk greeted us. After eating our fill, we helped each other to dress up. I zipped up the back of Shoukyou's dress and helped slide the golden comb into the elegant coiled bun resting softly against the nape of her neck. In return, she helped tie the sash and the goassamer train behind my back and fastened the butterfly hair jewels in my hair which was now straightened and had ribbon curls at the ends. My new hime bangs framed my face sweetly just as the stylist predicted.

I took out our shared makeup bag. I knew Shoukyou would have trouble keeping track on how many cosmetic items she had so it was easier to compile our collection so that we can use it together. I took off my glasses and took out a small opened box of contact lenses. After some minor difficulty, I managed to slip them on...it had been a while since I wore them. After applying some moisturizing cream and foundation, we added eyeshadow and chose shades of lip gloss that subtly matched our dresses. We decided to forgo using mascara and eyeliner since the top halves of our faces would be masked throughout most of the night. We also added a slight touch of body glitter on our bare shoulders and cheekbones to enhance our skin tones and light makeup in order to complement our outfits.

For the finishing touch, I draped the silken wrap across my sister's arms, while Shoukyou helped me slip the shoes on my feet.

"You really look beautiful, onechan..." I turned to Shoukyou as we were busy packing away our shared makeup bag before meeting Otousan downstairs. Her eyes were soft and sincere, "You look like a real princess..."

"So do you, imouto. You look beautiful too..." I hugged her gently, mindful of her dress and the light makeup she was wearing, "Let's not keep Otousan waiting."

"Uh huh..." Shoukyou nodded enthusiastically and gripped my hand tightly before leaving my room.

We went downstairs where Otousan was waiting for us. He was wearing a black dress suit for the occasion as our royal chauffeur. Otousan exclaimed in delight when he saw us and whipped out his digital camera.

"This calls for another picture for the family album! You girls look beautiful! If Okasan were to see you now, she would cry tears of joy to see how you two have blossomed!" Otousan comically cried as the camera flashed at us, "Just one more!"

As we posed, I smiled down at Shoukyou who in turn smiled back to me. Under the dim houselights, the golden comb sat pristinely in the nest of honey brown curls, the crystals twinkling beautifully as her eyes. The golden butterfly hair jewels that decorated my head like a crown glittered in the same manner.

"All done, my little princesses! Your chariot awaits!"

Our hearts pounded with excitement as we followed Otousan to the car and clambered inside.

"We're really going, onechan..." Shoukyou whispered, her voice filled with excitement, "What magic would await us there?"

"I don't know, imouto..." I gripped her hand and squeezed it gently, feeling another squeeze in return, "But whatever it will be...this is going to be a night to remember..."

We were finally on our way to the Royal Masquerade Ball...

To be continued...

Author's notes: Oooh, the exciting part is nearly here and I have some good news. I had just finished writing the next chapter and it WILL be up by Christmas Day or by Boxing Day at the latest. This is done out of some sleepless hours in the dark late night :) Now I just had to do the editing! Do look out for it and Masquerade Ball here we come! And as always, reviews and feedback are much appreciated and if you do not want to make Santa Claus come after you with coal in his sack, don't make a flamer and turn back :)