office work is productive, like so

[DW/RTK] Successor & Bodyguard

2009-12-26T16:40:59Z

I was just looking for Chinese/Japanese Sun Ce/Zhou Yu fic, since my old desktop is dead and I can't get to the fics I downloaded. Instead I find a Chinese 'essay' on New Theory on Sun Ce's Death.

OK. Just because there are at least three versions of how Sun Ce died rather mysteriously doesn't mean YOU START THEORIZING THAT 16 YEAR OLD SUN QUAN IS BEHIND IT BECAUSE HE'S POWER-HUNGRY. DDD: AND DEFINITELY NOT WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE FOLLOWERS BECAUSE SUN QUAN IS SUPPOSEDLY A BETTER LEADER.

D: Way to ruin my fandom. Well it's not really ruined, but I'm dramatic today.

The below outcome is part result of above, and part result of my recent (mutual) whining to chrysan that I haven't written for ages and I kind of want to but I kind of can't/don't have the time to. It also happens to be cosmiko 's birthday (again) and while such fic is probably the last thing she'd request for, considering she probably doesn't remember who Zhou Tai is, again, it's sort of H/C. Like, a lot of offscreen hurt that I neglect to describe and no comfort.

:D

Title: Successor & Bodyguard
Fandom: Romance of Three Kingdoms/San Guo Zhi/Dynasty Warriors/All of the above/None of the above
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: DW, RTK and any variety of versions are not mine and no profit is being made...
Characters: Sun Ce, Sun Quan, Zhou Tai, Zhou Yu
Summary: After a vicious bandit attack, teenage Sun Quan comes to terms with the weight of his role.

Started: 25 Dec 09
Last Modified: 27 Dec 09
Word Count: 1,655

It was almost evening by the time Sun Ce returned to Xuan, bringing with him a fraction of the troops he led, hours from their latest victory over Yan Baihu, but the atmosphere was anything but celebratory.

The messenger has reached them with the news shortly after they broke through the gates.

Sun Quan has met with an attack from mountain bandits near Xuan and very nearly lost his life.

"Lord Sun Ce!"

A chorus of greetings, heavy with relief, signaled their leader's return.

Sun Ce acknowledged them with a nod, and without stopping, strode to the door by which a young man was standing. Behind him, Zhou Yu and Jiang Qin entered the room, equally quiet.

"--How is he?"

The young man, who'd been looking at the floor expressionlessly, looked up.

"... Alive," he replied at long last, in the tone he used to report their accounts, "but barely."

Sun Ce spared his younger brother another look but said nothing, and pushed past him through the door.

Jiang Qin followed him in, several respectful yet urgent steps behind.

"Lord Sun Quan," a familiar voice was saying. "It has been a difficult day for you. Please, take a good rest."

Zhou Yu grasped the young lord's arm-- clad in robe sleeves soaked with now dried-blood, like the rest of his robe-- firmly yet comfortingly, and led him away for the first time that day.

Sun Quan very nearly lost his life, but escaped unharmed. He was accompanied by Zhou Tai when the attack struck. The ex-pirate had literally placed him on a horse and fought the bandits off on foot while they escaped. He suffered 12 wounds as a result, and lost consciousness almost immediately after the gates closed behind them. He hasn't awakened since.

Things looked normal the next few days. Everyone went back to their duties. Zhou Yu had returned to overlook the taking over of the newly captured city and its people, he was told. Sun Ce had resumed command of Xuan while he was here. Freed of governing duties, Sun Quan returned to his usual tasks and visited the room Zhou Tai laid at least once every day, enquiring on his condition. Physicians came and left—he could only assume his brother had taken it onto himself to invite their services—but all they would reply him with was a shake of the head and an apology. Within the room, Zhou Tai remained deathly still.

It was three days later when he heard that Zhou Tai had regained consciousness. When Sun Quan hurried to the room, his brother was beside the bed, but all he could see was Zhou Tai, who was lying very, very still, but his eyes— the un-bandaged eye was opened and focused on Sun Ce.

“Youping,” he dared to breathe his name for the first time since he fell, drenched in blood, beside him. “You’re…” He broke off, suddenly aware of his brother’s sideways glance at him, and tried to regain his usual farce.

One pale eye swiveled towards him, “My lord.” Dried lips turned upwards in a small smile. “You’re safe.”

Sun Quan had to bite down, hard, to contain himself. He would not burst out crying, or scream how would I not be, when you took every hit that came my way?! He couldn’t, and wouldn’t, do something so embarrassing. He was the younger brother of the upcoming ruler of Jiangdong, and he has been told, explicitly, to gain trust and respect from all who worked for them.

The tired smile faded into a weak frown, and Zhou Tai made to rise.

“Don’t get up.”

At Sun Ce’s command, not unlike when he gave the order to charge, Zhou Tai stilled. The Little Conqueror had folded his arms and was currently giving the injured man a very disapproving look.

“If you don’t stay still, I’m going to physically remove Zhongmou from your sight,” Sun Quan felt his heart skipped a beat, “and forbid him from visiting. I need you to get back on your feet as soon as you can, or I can’t send Zhongmou out, you understand?”

The beginnings of Zhou Tai’s protest trailed away, and he nodded, smiling slightly at the younger man before him.

“What are you saying?”

Eyes turned to the source of the shaking voice, rooted to the ground a distance from the bed.

“I’m not going to work with him any longer.” His voice was steeled, and he looked at his brother determinedly. “I request to remove him from my service.”

“My Lord,” Zhou Tai started, sitting up, pained and stilted, in a hurry. “I am deeply sorry for not being able to protect you better, but I shall strive to—“

“That’s not the problem!” When did this simple humility that earned his admiration become so infuriating?

“Then allow me to continue serving you,” Zhou Tai continued, solemn. “Please.”

“…! ” What could he say to a simple request to that?

“—No.” He still remembered, the warmth of the blood that drenched his robe – the bandits’, and Zhou Tai’s. “…You’re removed from service.”

“But—“

“Alright. That’s enough.” The Conqueror interrupted, now leaning back against the wall by the bed, arms still folded. “I’ll relieve you of Youping.”

Zhou Tai fell silent, and Sun Quan felt a lonely kind of relief.

“And who are you going to request this time?”

For a while, nobody spoke, but the youth was all too aware that it was up to him to break the silence, except he didn’t know what with.

“I,” He hadn’t thought about a replacement. That wasn’t on his mind at all. “I don’t need one.” He finished weakly.

“You do,” the young ruler pointed out blithely. “Unless you’re cutting down on your duties.” Outside, there was a knock. No one acknowledged it.

Sun Quan kept quiet, trying to reign in sudden, irrational anger. Surely his brother was making things difficult for him. If he would just assign someone to him, then he could… he could dismiss them at a later time, perhaps—

“Did the attack scare you so badly you’re going to quit on us?”

“NO!” He was a member of Jiangdong’s Sun family. Not another vassal who could leave anytime. How dare he, his own brother, imply something like this. He glared at the older youth, openly challenging.

Sun Ce pushed off from the wall and made towards the door, briefly resting a hand on Sun Quan’s shoulder as he passed. “Then think about it, brother, think, and tell me what you want.” He opened the door and spoke briefly to whoever was there, and left.

The room lapsed into momentary silence again before Zhou Tai spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

“About what?” Sun Quan said from where he was glaring at the floor. “It’s not your fault. None of this is.” He paused. “I’m just glad you’re… alright.”

“It is,” the older man replied simply. “If I have protected you better, none of this would have happened.”

“Or if I were stronger,” the youth eventually whispered. “You wouldn’t be hurt.” His fists clenched. “And I could refuse a guard.”

“Lord Sun Ce has guards with him.”

“He doesn’t need them.”

“Not yet,” the general agreed. “But no matter a person’s strength, there are times when they will be in danger. And that is our purpose – to deflect the danger. At any cost. Even our lives.”

Sun Quan wrapped his arms around himself, suddenly cold. “I don’t want people sacrificing their lives for me.”

“But My Lord,” Zhou Tai continued, unfazed. “Death is a kinder fate than watching our leader fall.”

“I’m not your leader!”

“For many years, Jiangdong was in chaos,” he went on, heedless. “Poverty was rampant, and the government corrupt. Many, like me, had to resort to piracy to survive. Jiangdong today, under the Sun flags, is slowly but surely recovering. Lord Sun Ce has gifted the people this peace with his mastery of the art of warfare and combat. The gift of the recovering economy and stable environment – that came from you. You are his brother, his blood and kin. To be able to entrust his conquered lands to the capable hands of someone he can trust – that is vital to allow for his swift attack on and reunion of the divided lands of Jiangdong.

“We need you, My Lord. Jiangdong, its people, the sooner they come under the Sun flags, the better. While I do not desire death, if my life is what it takes to keep your alive, I will offer it with both hands.”

You are more alike that I had thought.” Zhou Tai commented to Sun Ce over drinks one day, long after he has recovered. It took several weeks, in which Sun Quan was forbidden to visit, and he wound up with many a dozen scars, but he resumed duties as Sun Quan’s personal guard with no questions asked.

“What, the temper?” Sun Ce waved his cup around carelessly. “He’s just better at hiding it, I’m telling you. Too much influence from a certain two-faced strategist.”

Said strategist only lowered his eyelashes and turned his face slightly away, chin up, but the disdain from the little actions was palpable.

Zhou Tai chuckled. “It’s a difficult age,” he contributed diplomatically.

Sun Ce laughed, then raised his cup to Zhou Tai in a toast. “Thank you, for saving my difficult brother.” His grin lingered, but his eyes were serious.

“It is my honour,” he answered the toast, equally serious.

“And promise me this,” Jiangdong’s upcoming ruler continued, smile vanishing. “He’ll be in the frontlines for some time yet – not the battlefield, that’s my place – but it could get dangerous all the same. Promise me, you’d keep him safe. Alive.”

He’s got to be alive to take over when I’m dead.

On the battlefield, each encounter is a dance with death.

Behind him, Zhou Yu was slowly trailing a finger around the rim of his cup.

“I promise.”

-End-

--------

Lost control of the story about halfway through ._. As usual...? It was a serious fic, and then it was swaying dangerously into lightheartedness, and then it u-turned back to serious/sad. Also the 3-way conversation wasn't supposed to be that long. Ehhh. I'm out of practice, yup, that's it. I'm so rusty I forgot 2 segments I meant to include by the end of the story and only managed to insert 1 of them.

Character design was loosely based off Huo Feng Liao Yuan/Ravages of Time but Dynasty Warrior seeped in, I think. D: Zhou Tai is not from Dynasty Warrior. You could say this was his image. It's not a normal fic if he speaks less than 3 words at a time. I'm going to claim this to be a RTK fic/characterization and be done with it D: This was also written pretty hastily. I may check/refine it another day >_>

Zhou Yu's appearance in the fic is completely gratuitious but it makes me very happy.

It's Alive!

2007-01-11T05:58:15Z

Pardon the strange subject. I was convinced this fic was deleted and only existed in some nonexistant cyberspace but I just found it in my gmail account (I thought I checked that too...?). :D

Written for cosmiko, because she couldn't be any less subtle about what she wanted, and it was her birthday. And Christmas. And New Year. 3-in-1 present! (Good for wishlist item 4, 5, and 10 (sort of))

So Happy Belated Birthday, cosmiko. And stop the ZoSan H/C comfort craving already, thanks. And get started on blogging.

Title: ... Untitled (._.)
Fandom: One Piece.
Character/Pairing: Zoro,Sanji
Rating: ...PG?
Warnings: Still swearing. 2nd OP fic. I've no idea if this is H/C actually, but it's the thought that counts? 8D
Disclaimer: OP doesn’t belong to me. No infringement intended. No profit gained.
Summary: Sanji isn't feeling too well.

Date started: 11 December 2006
Date completed: 11 December 2006
Word Count: 1,318

“Shit.” Sanji muttered, stomping through the crowded streets with much vehemence, such that people who noticed his countenance were quick to scurry out of his way. Unfortunately, there were many more oblivious people. Sanji shoved through the men and dodged the ladies, reminding himself repeatedly that he was not to give in to his temptation and send all of them—the men, of course—flying with a few well-placed kicks, even if he felt like his head was going to split open any moment.

A commotion rose behind him, and he almost couldn’t bring himself to care, but at a woman’s distressed cry he stopped and clenched down on his cigarette, shifting the bags of foodstuff on his aching shoulders as he turned towards the little encirclement of leering thugs.

He was going to make them feel his pain.

When he finally made his way onto the Going Merry, he was dragging his feet. His legs were feeling uncharacteristically out of strength, threatening to collapse him as the pain in his stomach escalated, but he was too focused on trying not to throw up to notice.

He was aware of a flash of green just outside his vision and didn’t spare him a second glance, but straightened, just a little, before heading into the galley and depositing his luggage with relief.

“Got beaten up pretty bad din’ya.”

Sanji snarled something incoherent as he trudged past the previously motionless body mass. Couldn’t the idiot leave him alone for once?

There was a moment of satisfying albeit unusual silence.

“Hey—”

“Go back to sleep.” He snapped as he slammed the door to the sleeping quarters behind him.

Zoro had cracked an eye open out of reflex more than anything else when he felt someone approaching, with all intention to fall back asleep after catching sight of whoever is returning, but the plan was blown to hell when he saw the state the cook was in.

Startled awake, he watched the cook strut stiffly into the galley and narrowed his eyes. Whatever could make the cook look so beaten up had to be a pretty damn strong opponent, even if the visible injuries were few and seemingly unthreatening, the cook looked badly pretty damn worn out. He half expected Usopp to run screaming back any moment now but the ship remained empty except for the two of them.

The cook had exited the galley and was still ignoring him. Zoro was tempted to return the favour but damn it was hard to go back to sleep with something bothering him.

“Got beaten up pretty bad din’ya.”

He affected a nonchalant, challenging tone and waited for the heated rebuttal.

The cook snarled and walked past him.

It was disappointing and abnormal.

At a sudden loss of how to react, he watched the cook head towards the sleeping quarters dumbly before remembering that he hadn’t gotten his answers.

“Hey—” he started again.

“Go back to sleep.” The door slammed.

Zoro stared at the closed door in bewilderment. The cook was weird, but this was extraordinary. Briefly, he considered taking up his suggestion. Whatever the cook’s problem was, surely he would be happier pouring it out to Nami, or even Usopp. Luffy could force it out of him too. It really was none of his business.

So thinking, he shut his eyes determinedly.

Sanji curled up on the sofa he’d fallen facedown onto, indulging in a soft groan in the privacy of the otherwise empty room, groping blindly for a discarded blanket and wrapping it over himself. Fuck but he hadn’t felt so ill in ages. The last—and only other—time was not long after Baratie began business.

Sanji clenched his fists on the bed, wheezing. There were only a few other cooks on the Baratie and there was no way he was letting them to find him like this.

Weak.

Helpless.

Unworthy of the position of Assistant Head Chef.

He gritted his teeth and swallowed, his parched throat burning. He was young, he would pull through this and be up and about in the morning. He just needed to get through tonight—

Sanji blinked, disorientated, before realizing that it was the sound of the door opening that had disrupted his thoughts. For a brief moment, he entertained the thought of beautiful Nami-san coming to him and cooing in her sweet, sweet voi—

“Ero-cook.”

Sanji shut his eyes tightly as if it would make the harshness of reality go away.

It didn’t.

He kept them shut anyway. Maybe he’d believe he was sleeping and leave him be.

No such luck.

He cracked one eye open to glare at the man. “Go away.” Damn, his voice broke. “We’re on land so go find yourself a restaurant if you’re hungry.” He growled when Zoro only cocked his eyebrow further. “And lose your way while you’re at it.” He added for good measure before disappearing under the blanket.

The door open and closed again after a moment, and Sanji squeezed his eyes shut.

Stupid Marimo.

He drifted back into consciousness for the countless time, barely aware of his surroundings. He moaned as the ship rocked, triggering a sharp burst of pain in his tortured head.

He was dying. He was sure of it.

Before he could see All Blue.

Before he gave the shitty old man back what he owed him.

He stared at the ceiling of his little room and listened to the familiar sound of the waves.

“Here.”

He startled awake and was readying himself to snap at the source of the voice when he saw what was unceremoniously thrust before his face.

“…”

“…”

“What’s this?” He squinted suspiciously at the bowl.

A snort. “Broth. And you call yourself a cook.”

Sanji bristled, but a wave of dizziness prevented him from voicing his ire. He settled for growling instead, which got another raised eyebrow from Zoro.

“Who—YOU DIDN’T DESTROY MY KITCHEN DID YOU SHITTY SWORDSMAN?”

Zoro stepped away while grunting in annoyance, “You’re fucking feisty for a sick person.” He rolled his eyes when Sanji continued to glare threateningly at him, even while wheezing from the effort of yelling. “It’s still in one piece.”

The silence stretched when Sanji just stared at the wall away from him, unmoving. Starting to feel silly, Zoro snorted again and turned.

A cold hand gripped his, raising goosebumps.

“Where’re you taking that?” The cook’s voice croaked.

Zoro shrugged. “Dumping it into the ocean.”

The grip tightened even as the head remained lowered. “Don’t you DARE.”

Zoro started to grin. “Why? Do you want it?”

The head lifted to reveal a baleful single eye before it lowered again. The silence returned.

Finally, the head of gold hair nodded once, slightly.

With eyebrows raised, Zoro opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again, shoving the bowl towards the cook, who took it this time.

“Drink it and sleep some more. When the others are back we’ll send for a doctor.”

When he next woke, it was to the feel of cool water sliding down his throat. He thrashed around in confusion only to be pushed firmly down onto his bed.

“Stupid kid.”

The features were set in the usual disapproving frown he knew so well but the familiar gruff voice was unfamiliar in its softness.

He started to protest but found himself glared down.

“Drink this up and go to sleep till the doctor’s here.

A warm bowl was put into his hands, and the aroma that escaped when he lifted the lid made his stomach growl. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was.

When his vision blurred, he blamed it on the steam.

Sanji stared into the bowl, rolling the contents around experimentally while Zoro settled down against the opposite wall looking every bit like he was going to take his own suggestion.

He took a sip.

“… This sucks.”

“Shut up.”

[DW/RTK] First Meeting (Chinese)

2006-05-27T16:43:45Z

May 28th:
写来玩玩。策瑜。
Pending much edits and possibly translation/English rewrite~
Dec 17th Edit: Suckered in by tenimyu agaiin. Probly not editing. >_>; Unless maybe I get to DW6 somehow and rekindle the urge to write for this pairing. So I might as well unlock this? (Locked since May XD)

－初会－

187年秋•寿春•孙府

“和策儿一样年龄吧？多大年纪了？”

“启禀吴夫人，瑜早两个月刚满十二。”

“比策儿小两个月呢！那策儿就是哥哥了。”

“瑜不过一介书生，岂敢...”

“照我看，那孩子才该向周公子你学习呢。你别嫌弃我们家策儿就好了。”

“哪里。贵公子年纪轻轻便名贯江东，瑜唯恐不及。吴夫人多礼了。在下是晚辈，吴夫人尽管直呼晚辈的姓名。”

“那就唤‘瑜儿’，行吗？”

“这…就依吴夫人的意思。”

“真是可爱的孩子。倒是我们家那野孩子，真不知又跑到哪去了。亏瑜儿专程到访，却到现在还未见上一面。这真是…”

“贵公子人面极广，要忙的事再多也不稀奇。”

吴夫人笑了。“是忙正经事就好了。虽然不好意思，但在把他找回来之前只好请你稍等了。你就当这是自己家吧。我还有事…”

“周瑜冒昧打扰了。吴夫人请。”

吴夫人带着女侍离开后不久，仆人也一个一个走开。房里没其他人后，周瑜方才放下手中的书卷。半晌，才开口说：“孙公子，已经没有别人了。瑜是不是也该退下才行？”

“不，不用了。”树上传来回应，随即落下一个身影。“呼。”少年一抬头便是一脸爽朗的笑容。“多谢相救。”

“哪里。”周瑜一面搭话一面悄悄打量对方。相貌英俊，带有英气，一身练武之人的体格，年纪又轻，简直好看得像幅画。

“你什么时候发现的？”

“大约在令堂进来的时候。”

“那不就是马上了。你进来没多久娘亲就进来了。怎么做到的？”

“树的投影不太自然罢了。”

他回头看看，恍然大悟似的‘呵’了一声。“怎么不通报？”

“本有此打算，然而听令堂说孙公子不知所踪，只有作罢。”

“什么？要是是把我给拐走的入侵者怎么办？”

“孙将军德高望重，这一带敌人不多，孙府既不易入侵，孙公子又自幼习武。据上述几点，公子所说的情况可能性极低。”

“照你这样算，万一真发生了，我岂不是死得冤枉。”

“万一真发生了，瑜更不该通报。”

“什么？见死不救？你不是来见我的麽？”

“能活擒入侵者自然最好。但一旦失手，身为外地来的访客，十之八九脱不了嫌疑，损坏周家名声。而后不论结果如何，孙家与周家的关系会出现裂痕。况且…”周瑜顿了顿。“公子若真如此窝囊，周瑜此行算是白来了。”

当孙策不怒反笑时，周瑜也在这次交谈中第一次露出了发出内心的微笑。

不虚此行。

“厉害。口齿伶俐又有胆量。娘亲说得没错，真是可爱。”说罢又哈哈大笑起来。

周瑜的笑容转眼即逝，眉头不自觉地邹了起来。

可爱？吴夫人以此‘赞誉’自己的卖乖也就算了。这孙策是怎么回事？

“偷听乃小人所为。”

“那非我本意。”

“那公子为何躲在树上。”

“得了，叫我策就好了。这阵子老要应酬些想沽名钓誉的老头子，佛都有火。听说今天又来了个访客，不就－－”

“开溜？”

“－－自救。没想到偏偏选错了地方。”

“孙公子真幽默。”

“你话里藏刀对吧！”

“岂敢。”

“话说回来，赛翁失马焉知非福。遇上你我真幸运。”

这话倒是出乎周瑜所料。

“公子过奖了。瑜亦不过是沽名钓誉之辈。”

“哈哈哈。以你的本事和自尊心？”孙策眼中一点怀疑也没有。“见死不救也好，沽名钓誉也罢，我孙策交定你这朋友了！”

－－－

“瑜儿，让你见笑了。”

“哪里。”

“策儿，快过来打声招呼。”

“是。”

“在下江夏太守周尚之侄，姓周名瑜。特来拜见孙将军虎子。”

“破虏将军孙文台长子，孙策。承蒙贵客来访，感激不尽。”

---

孙策十余岁时，已广交朋友，颇有名声。舒县人周瑜慕孙策之名，专程到寿春拜访。

－完－

后记

好久没用华语写文了！orz（天音：你写过吗？）（真的有哦。虽然是高中时的功课之类的文章…）有些词也差点忘了怎么写。（真糟）不过这一幕总算是写完了。为什么用中文呢。一言难尽。英语打得快也没用，就是写不出来。（那种重复性写个两行就洗掉从来的可悲状态。主要是因为这幕在脑中基本上未成形。（死））所以想说试试看，没想到还蛮顺的。我是说故事发展。中文打得实在够慢。还有，忠于‘中文三国风’，全部都用繁体字打的！（不过是换字体，骄傲什么？？）感觉很不错。哈哈。不过中文文笔果然还是差（对不起，老师，没进步到！），叙述几乎全省略掉了。（懒）哪天可能翻（改写？）成英文，不知道行不行的通。公司这台旧电脑中文字体多，不过有点怪毛病（在Word打字看起来是重叠的！）只好在Notepad打，Notepad大小一换，会变乱码（不过换回去就好了），烦死人。

好象离三国无双越来越远了。也不知道这算哪一版三国（自创版？？）。嗯，就先说是三国志版吧（比较不会有异议？），基本上是跟着那古代中国感觉走的。无双版天真大孩子孙策（萌！）是很可爱，不过就是不想写他？（为何？）火凤燎原的超成熟黑腹孙策（正成对比！照萌！）也超可爱，不过这幕的孙策也不太像他就是了。（喂）都督也黑腹（不过搞不好没伯符黑（抖））。总之这里写的都不怎么黑，怎敢冒认。（人家不想写两个黑腹小孩啦！小孩耶！）小小事中有大大玄机倒是有点火凤的味道。“公子、公子”的，大概也是火凤的影响。吴将叫伯符“公子”叫上瘾了。不然让周瑜喊初会的伯符什么？演义中的无戏份伯符和小心眼都督就别说了。（怎么写？怎么萌？）怎么说呢… 最接近的形象（目前（<-何？！））大概是某个（美美的）同人图吧。未经许可不敢乱连接。不过是中文网站的喔。是无双造型稍微更改版。
伯符的羊鬓（是这词吗？小胡子？）还是被剔了，都督眼睛也较大，等等。不过比起造型，那感觉才重要吧。这伯符一点也不孩子气，都督也比较…温顺？所以对我来说已不是无双版了～这幕的小小策瑜大概就是那种感觉吧。最近也发现了一个日文同人图网站，画风简单朴实又可爱
的自创（三国志）策瑜形象。那感觉也很不错。可能也有影响～对了，最接近的还是目前（个人）榜首的中文策瑜文“回眸”啊啊啊！（大概）其他等等等就不一一谈及了。（策瑜形象迷失中～）
（天音：你看太多了你。没主见没节操还那样。）

第一部份颇有‘丈母娘看媳妇，越看越喜爱’的感觉？

我想后记已经比本文长了。（胜利！）

背景资料：
单是设定就头痛。一般都说是儿时玩伴。原本联想到两个小孩子，可人家周瑜“专程”去拜访的话，太小的孩子做不到吧（听起来也不象是跟叔叔什么的一起去，不然算什么‘专程’。）。加上孙策“十余岁”就大名鼎鼎，才得到周瑜~~送上门~~探访，推推敲敲就定了
个十二岁。十二岁就能专程去拜访吗？十二岁就能‘颇有名声‘吗？十二岁那么懂事吗？？天知道。时代文化不同啊… （敷衍）

再说家庭背景。周家是上级人士基本上没有议论。（简单说祖父那代开始代代在汉朝当官。）父亲似乎死得早，由叔叔养。其他家里人几乎是个迷。至于孙家，孙坚和周瑜父亲或叔叔的官衔哪个比较高也不知道，不过似乎都算是在袁术手下，就当做差不多。孙坚据说是商人儿子，当官之事算是白手起家，在家族名声上大抵输给了周家，算是‘新上级人士’（可能被更高的嫌弃那种）？又是武将，大概比较没那么注重礼仪之类。不过毕竟还是官吏家族，多少也要学点，不然孙策怎么广交可以提升名声的朋友。又听说吴家嫌弃孙坚，不肯嫁女，所以孙策妈妈大概也挺上级。怎么说呢。就是一半一半。孙策也是~~见人说人话，见鬼说鬼话~~见机行事的。

常听说‘字’是父亲、老师之类在一定年龄赐的…究竟是什么年龄啊啊啊？于是乎…在查到之前就当作十二岁还没字吧。（喂）

First Impressions A/N

2006-04-14T15:50:16Z

>:| ......... This was kept far too long to the extent of seemingly never-ending-modifiying. And such that I am not sure what to think anymore, or what the original ideas behind were exactly.

Nevertheless, here is the Zhou-Yu-Worship-Not-Quite-Fic. ._. At least it wasn't fangirly. That is, yeah, it could've been worse. :D

Techinically, it is pairing: none. But knowing me, non-technically, there's always a pairing.

Someone-san's perspective on Zhou Yu-san is conspiciously missing. It might have something to do with that. ~~No it's not because it's difficult or has the potential to cause the whole fic to go entirely BL, or that it can start a whole fic on its own--~~

My fandom definition is becoming worse. *LOL* Probably, it was intended to be based on SGZ, so naturally the gaps of information will be filled by SGYY (I use this term interchangebly with RTK), so far so good. Then comes charaterization, which as far as SGZ goes, it means one or two lines of description of a person's nature and the bare minimum a reader can infer from events and what the person did. SGYY's characterization is the greatest taboo for most Zhou Yu fans, and it really doesn't help that it contradicts sharply with the minimum SGZ provides.

... So if my characterization of Zhou Yu seems messed up, that is why. I would say mostly it is based on my idea of what I'll term 'SGZ Zhou Yu', where imagery is in semi real life, ancient China setting where people were simpler and someone of his background, position, reputation, etc, is expected to be, well, a promising, proper, elite kind of person. It worked fine for the first two parts until part three, which was supposed to be enemy perspective but somehow didn't go quite according to plan and turned into something more private. And that image wasn't so useful anymore, and I just had to be reading a number of versions lately. That Chinese manga's Zhou Yu isn't very fleshed out yet, but the influence was there, and the imagery (as well as writing, in a way) turned into manga-like instead.

The last part was the hardest. Though the previous part suffered lots of editing, the last part had to be rewritten a number of times to even grasp what I wanted to say with it. The answer of which can be found in the accompaniment. There was also consideration for a final-final part, but I wasn't really interested in writing death scenes and there wasn't really something I wanted to 'say with it'.

Last but not least, the names were not explicitly mentioned as there was no need to, and such that they can be anyone that fits the role, instead of any one person. But for my own sake I wrote with a specific one in mind and for uniformity, they were always the playable ones in Dynasty Warriors. =D And no, there's no deliberate intention to keep reader guessing. It probably doesn't take much to guess. =D

The English still bothers me, but since I was lazy to type in Chinese or even think of it in Chinese, plus I am not yet interested in venturing into the Chinese fandom proper, we'll just do with awkward English, ne.

Explanation-accompaniment for "First Impressions"

2006-04-14T15:10:24Z

For the less-informed and would like to know where in the world the things in the fic are coming from, there is this accompaniment thing I draft up that is sorted by parts but isn't really comprehensive and sometimes isn't entirely relevant, but oh well.

Disclaimer: By no means are the following information claimed to be The Truth, since with regards to this particular fandom it simply is impossible to prove (or even 'exist', in my opinion). Writing based on some form of canonical reference is simply a personal preference. As for the authenticity of the information, most of it are result of casual research, i.e. I didn't verify them or keep track of the sources I got them from, but I didn't make them up or jumped on the first thing Google turned up either.

Part1:
In SGZ, it is said that "Zhou Yu lent a generous residence for the Sun family to live in and paid his respects to Sun Ce's mother [Lady Wu] daily." Lady Wu is also quoted to have said that "Zhou Yu is like a son to her".

This presumably happens around the time Sun Jian went up north for the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition, the remaining Sun family moved to the city Zhou Yu lived in, and thus he lent them a place to live in and ‘paid respects to Lady Wu' instead of Sun Jian.

Sun Jian was said to have at least two wives, both Lady Wu's, who are sisters. This "Mother" is referring to the one that apparently gave birth to Shangxiang and another son, and isn't Ce and Quan's birth mother.

Part2:
After Sun Jian's death, Sun Ce served Yuan Shu for a brief period of time before setting out with a small army to set himself up as an independent power. He wrote to Zhou Yu and the latter brought soldiers, horses, etc, to meet him. Sun Ce was described as overjoyed at his arrival. The quote "With Gongjin's help I'm sure to succeed!" is from SGZ. ... It sounded fine in Chinese.

Zhou Yu's merits on the battlefield is also substantiated by Sun Ce's granting of promotions, rewards/gifts and his listing Zhou Yu as the one who achieved the most merits within his army in his memorial to the emperor. He did proposed tactics, fought on battlefield, and recommended people like the Zhang brothers, later some of Wu's highest civil officers.

The scene of this particular reunion was largely inspired by a Chinese fanfic I've lost the link for.

Part3:
Zhou Yu's involvement in the Taishi Ci episode was recorded as such:

Taishi Ci and Sun Ce dueled to a draw. Taishi Ci's side came up with a reinforcement army. Sun Ce had just a handful of officers and followers. Zhou Yu arrived with a reinforcement army in time to recover them to safety.

Sun Ce brought troops to engage the encamped enemy. Before the two armies actually went into full-scale battle, the enemy retreated having heard that Zhou Yu had led the rest of Sun Ce's troops and conquered their home city. If memory serves, this was pre-arranged, if not another of Zhou Yu's ideas.

Taishi Ci's lord fled to Liu Biao and Taishi Ci took up defence in a city (?) with some remaining troops. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu conferred and the latter came up with the plan. Sun Ce led the troops to attack the city and surrounded all gates but one. Zhou Yu had set up ambush troops along the path leading from that gate and thus captured Taishi Ci.

The rest were inspired by the quote (SGYY?) that "when Sun Ce agreed to let Taishi Ci go, all (?) his officers were against it."

General Zhang can refer to Zhang Zhao, who has the image of a very cautious man, or if you prefer, random General A. :)

The title "Tiger of Jiangdong" belongs to Sun Jian, if I didn't get it wrong, but it's been generally accepted, in some parts of fandom at least, that it passed down to his son(s), esp Sun Ce,, as terming someone ‘tiger' usually just means to associate that person with qualities such as ferocity, power, etc.

Sun Ce highly valued Taishi Ci as well. It is said that he wasn't treated like a subordinate and instead more of an ally (of more of less equal standing?).

Characterization here was also more or less affected by the Chinese manga series "Huo Feng Liao Yuan" (Ravages of Time).

Part4:
Of course, from the infamous (?) last words of Sun Ce, "If in doubt, for internal affairs, ask Zhang Zhao. For external affairs, ask Zhou Yu." Lady Wu also was quoted to advise Sun Quan to seek Zhou Yu's advice when Cao Cao came to attack. Before this incident, Sun Quan and Zhou Yu also led a (revenge) force to attack Liu Biao and killed Huang Zu, the one who caused Sun Jian's death.

This scenario is simple enough: Cao Cao comes down south, the Wu court debates all day long over resistance or surrender, Sun Quan wavers. Zhou Yu returns to Wu once he heard the news, decides it once and for all, is put in charge (at least as one of the two) of the battle and kicks Cao Cao's ass back up north. If anyone was bothered by the 'betrayal' bit, in SGYY it was narrated that both (and some more) sides of Wu came to Zhou Yu once he returned to make sure he was on their side. Zhou Yu told both of them yes, most believe because he didn't want to hear their arguments, when his intention was in resistance all along (presumed in the lack of counter-evidence). I just imagine the side advocating surrender were none too pleased when he revealed that in court the next day.

Some believe Sun Quan treated Zhou Yu (or Taishi Ci) well, some believe otherwise. Treatment here of course means giving rank and power and generally how valued an officer is considered, and well means if he is given the treatment he deserves. The argument will not be investigated here, though it leans towards the former. The fic works on the circumstantial ‘records' that no matter what, Zhou Yu held rather significant rank under Sun Quan. At best, he was the commander-in-chief of Wu, at worst, he shared the post of commander with Cheng Pu, and that was only during Chibi.

This is also mainly built on the ideas (originating from the Chinese fandom, at least in my case) that besides Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, there were not many others in Wu who had the ambition and confidence to unify China. Briefly, the argument is the swift expansion under Sun Ce (with Zhou Yu) vs the defensive stance under Sun Quan. And Zhou Yu having planned to conquer the West Riverlands as a step towards Wu's unification of China if he had not died on the way, and how Wu appeared to have stopped expanding (except for Jinghzhou, maybe) after Zhou Yu's death.

First Impressions

2006-04-14T14:48:24Z

Title: First Impressions
Fandom: Romance of Three Kingdoms/San Guo Zhi/Dynasty Warriors/All of the above/None of the above
Rating: G
Disclaimer: DW, RTK and any variety of versions are not mine and no profit is being made...
Summary: Zhou Yu and the people who knew him.

Started: 13 March 06
Last Modified: 14 April 06
Word Count: 1,780

He was family.

They had him call him "brother", and he did so obediently. He even believed he was indeed another of his brothers, for, in the beginning, he saw him just as often, welcomed and loved in his home, even if he spent almost all his time with Big Brother and was nothing like the rest of his brothers. He liked this new brother.

He was family to him in the way Mother was, pretty and gentle, and always with a ready smile for him, but it was a different smile from the one she would give his sister; like how she was his family, but she was Sister's family first.

---

He was the sworn brother of their young lord; their new comrade.

More than the soldiers, horses and other resources the boy had brought with him and contributed to their force, he was grateful for the changes he induced in their leader, who had went out personally to receive the arrival of his bosom friend with unconcealed delight, something he had not seen since Sun Jian's untimely death. At nights, raucous laughter would sound from the leader's tent, where two shadows can be seen conferencing over some wine and food. He had been struck, at the first occurrence, by the reminder of how young their leader really was, and how much it sounded like his late lord, in a scenario not so different, not so long ago.

While no one could accuse Sun Ce of ever appearing uncertain of himself since he took leave of Yuan Shu, the arrival of Zhou Gongjin had seemed to set him aglow with a new confidence, as if something missing from his vision of establishing himself had finally come to him. They soon saw why, as Zhou Yu rode into battle beside their lord, scoring victory after victory; as he proposed strategists in battle councils that granted them efficient victories; as he recommended new talents that inevitably became invaluable part of their force. His levelheaded calmness was the very complement of their lord's impetuous passion that had led them so far, and he realized the newly-found balance was only going to bring them even higher.

It was difficult to believe this of the young lad that had appeared before them not so long ago, looking as if he should be donning scholar robes instead of heavy armour, his eyes no less bright with emotions than the person before him, even as he did nothing but returned the grasp of their lord wordlessly, and smiled humbly and almost shyly at the lord's overjoyed declaration.

"With Gongjin's help I'm sure to succeed!"

---

He was an enemy.

The advices turned into fervent protests once Sun Ce made his declaration, which the Little Conqueror disregarded with a raised hand. Accordingly, the tent fell into a hush.

"General, you are the military strategist as well as sworn brother of our lord. Will you not advice the lord now?" One of the officers whispered an appeal to a young man clad in armor seated on the right of the seat Sun Ce had vacated. If the Little Conqueror heard them as well, he gave no indication.

He knew who he was. He recognized him from the time he arrived on the site of their duel with reinforcements, effectively empowering the outnumbered Sun Ce. He knew him as the man who had attacked and took his lord's home city on the sly while Sun Ce had faced him and his lord's army. He knew him as the man who had devised the trap that had gotten him captured while Sun Ce had pursued him from behind.

Like an ominous shadow to the Conqueror's blinding light.

Indeed, if someone had to break the silence enforced by their lord now it had to be Zhou Yu, whose only response to the appeal was to level an appraising gaze in their direction while the buzz of hushed protests continued amongst the rest.

He returned the gaze levelly, even as he wondered if it was directed at him, or the leader standing before him with his back to his strategist.

"It is the lord's decision to make." He proclaimed eventually, distinctly, his strong voice a stark contrast against the surrounding murmurs. "As his vassals, we must have faith in his judgment." The implied accusation of Sun Ce's misjudgment was rebuked with no hints of subtlety whatsoever.

As the buzz died away for good this time, he watched the man before him grinned, slowly, as if an echo to the vague smile a distance behind him.

"Did you believe, too, that I would return?"

He was not surprised, not really, that the man understood his abrupt question. Not after half a year of fighting on the same side of the battlefield.

Languidly, Zhou Yu lifted his eyes to him for just a moment, graceful fingers continuing to pluck at the strings of the zither before him as if he hadn't just been disrupted.

"I do not think anyone in the tent then had our lord's confidence."

His words were as soft and lazy as the notes he was currently playing. If it weren't for the small smile playing on his lips, he would have seemed aloof. As it were, he wondered if they all had a little too much to drink. Maybe he should stop attending these little parties their lord liked to hold.

He glanced at the last man in the tent, who had lain on his back since some time ago, head placed on clasped hands acting as a pillow and eyes closed. He wondered if he had fallen asleep at some point—it wouldn't be the first time. He wondered if Zhou Yu knew. He thought it didn't matter.

"If you had your doubts," he would just assume his riddle-like answer translated to 'no', "Why had you not stopped him?"

The lazy smile widened slightly, into something more mirthful. "Brother Ziyi. You sound just like General Zhang." His tone turned a little more serious as he continued. "Did you believe, too, that I could have stopped him?"

"... Are you suggesting that you can't?"

The younger man's smile was now cryptic, and it was a while before he spoke again.

"If tigers could be leashed..."

They would be tigers no more.

There was nothing but the sound of the zither as he mused over that for a moment. He was used to intelligent people speaking in riddles, but it didn't mean he liked it.

"And if he had made a wrong judgment that day... if he had judged me wrongly--"

Zhou Yu's eyes met his for the second time since their conversation, and he could see that the amber depths didn't look intoxicated at all even as his less than usual behavior suggested otherwise.

"It is the rulers' privilege and warriors' choice to gamble. Strategists cannot afford, nor are predisposed, to gambling."

He supposed he knew it all along, but had not needed to think so far as Sun Ce's sincerity and character had been enough to warrant his surrender, and he had been as sincere in his promise to return with soldiers to his service. But no one besides himself knew that, so it was natural that everyone doubted, except one who trusted and took the gamble. And another...

He recalled that day, and the seated young man, who, even as he prompted the men to trust their lord, did not in fact fully share in his confidence.

If the tiger couldn't be leashed,

It is not unlike the time he relieved Sun Ce of danger when the young leader landed himself in the midst of enemy forces, isolated from his soldiers but for a handful of escorts.

He would just make sure to cover his tracks.

Indeed, as the image of that day remained in his mind, he saw the quiet confidence in the young man, if not entirely in his lord's judgment, then in his own ability.

Strategists do not gamble. Strategists plan. And he had been planning his defeat from the time Sun Ce agreed to let him leave. Or was it sooner?

Taishi Ci laughed and raised his goblet in a toast as the melody unknown to him appears to draw to a close, oddly reassured by his answers even as they implied he had distrusted him.

Surely, with someone like Zhou Yu by his side, Sun Ce was bound to succeed.

---

He was the one man entrusted with Wu's external affairs.

The atmosphere seemed to change with his arrival. Even as he quietly stepped foot into the court, the sound of murmurs started to intensify. He paused every so often as a number of officers, civil and military alike, went up to greet him and exchanged a few words, until he made his way to the front and settled in amongst the ranks of Wu's highest-ranked officers. His smile vanished as he stood to attention and it seemed to signal the end of frivolous greetings as everyone else followed suit.

He had no doubt in his mind as to who this was. There were only so many officers who could warrant such attention.

It was only further confirmed when their lord, after the initial formalities, extended a warm welcome to the return of Zhou Gongjin.

It had been like that each time the renowned commander made his occasional return to court from his many duties in the lands of Wu, but none had been as intense as the one four years later. The lord had summoned him. Only he had returned even before the message had reached.

Cao Cao was attacking.

The civil officers who pushed for surrender were flabbergasted and subsequently subdued into silence when their lord reinforced the finality of his decision with a warning to punish any who advocated surrender again.

All eyes were on the commander standing before the lord, who had resolved their lord's indecision in not even a day after his return with a well-delivered argument. Some were in appreciation, some in awe, some in suspicion, and even some in betrayal. Why, he had no idea. As he studied the resolute profile before him, it only confirmed his prediction.

Zhou Gongjin had never considered surrendering Wu to anybody.

The finality of that fact struck him then. And he was inexplicably reminded of someone else he had never met, but knew from his reputation alone that he would never have agreed to surrender, either.

It was then that he realized, really realized, the reason the Zhou Yu had been decreed as the authority over external affairs.

The founding leader of Wu has passed on, but his will lived on.

EDIT: click here if you want to find out the background titbits of historical (?) info that made up the story.

First Kiss? A/N

2006-02-25T15:58:16Z

I've wanted to write for my DW OTP for the longest time. Sigh. Happily, it was finally achieved. Though, it wasn't exactly from the night I 'promised' cosmiko I'd really sit down and think about ideas. Which I did, but unhappily nothing really writeable came up. The idea actually struck when I was trying to translate this japanese Zhou Tai/Sun Quan (with background Sun Ce/Zhou Yu ^^v) fanfic... there was a lot of use of the word 'kiss'. ^^ And I kept getting distracted cos it was so, so, fluffy and giving me cavities. And then somehow I had something in mind to write about~ So even though it wasn't really inspired by the fic, perse, it gets credit~

Hardest part was most certainly characterization. Frankly, how can you write without having characterization? Firstly, SGZ and SGYY basically have different accounts (prime example being Zhou Yu, who can totally be two different persons in the two versions), DW is another version. TV drama can be another version (if only because ZL-sama in TV version is THE BEST). Add fanon interpretation and I've a small collection of Sun Ce's and Zhou Yu's to choose from that are all at least slightly different and wonderful in their own way. *faints* I took my favourite method, that being, "see where it takes me" but obviously it doesn't work too well, 'cos without a firm idea of the character, well, when the 'idea' of the character flunctuates I'm in trouble, isn't it. Inconsistent characterization and all that. Hence I let it sit around for some time after writing so I can better see if I wrote some horrible hybrid of the characters... This is also perhaps the first? fic of mine to get a "Last modified" ^^; I don't tend to like to look at my fics once 'done'... sometimes feel so bad I won't stop editing and/or won't put it up at all. ^.^; But this one, I really hadn't liked the way I ended it so left it around also for that. And after a day, the last paragraphs were entirely rewritten, sort of twice. Whew. But at least this 3rd version gave me a better feel (something of a "ii kanji"?) than previous ones, so I thought I'd let it be. This one, at least, survived the critical 'second look'. =)

And doggie reference~ ♥ Do I get to put the, um, 4koma up, cosmiko?

Dynasty Warriors: First Kiss?

2006-02-25T15:30:49Z

Title: First Kiss?
Fandom: Dynasty Warriors (sort of...)
Pairing: Sun Ce x Zhou Yu
Rating: PG ?
Disclaimer: DW, RTK and their various reincarnations are not mine and no profit is being made...
Summary: Wherein they kissed, talked, and came to an agreement.

Started: 23rd Feb 06
End: 24th Feb 06
Last modified: 25th Feb 06
Word Count: 681

Initially, it was just a slight pressure on his lips he was all too willing to ignore in favour of the comfort of sleep.

He twitched though, when the pressure increased. Then--

His eyes snapped open, instantly aware of a presence above him-- too close-- and raising both arms, shoved with all his might that came from years of practicing sword.

Satisfied by the sound of a body stumbling backwards and now rid of the obtrusive presence, he promptly raised himself.

"That hurt." Sun Ce grumbled, as if not quite happy to be reminded of his friend's strength in that manner, rubbing at his chest. "And you can put that away."

There was a moment's pause before Zhou Yu removed his hand from the hilt of his sword lying beside his bed. He also directed a brief disapproving frown in the direction of the door as he stood.

"You needn't be too hard on the guards." Sun Ce remarked from where he still stood. "You know they couldn't have stopped me if they tried."

Which they most likely didn't, Zhou Yu thought darkly, moving towards the chair that held an outer robe.

"Hey," a note of impatience was beginning to creep into the voice of the other youth. He was obviously unused to carrying on a monologue. "Say something, won't you?"

Slowly, the younger man turned to face him as he slid the robe over himself.

"... Good morning, Bofu."

There was a moment of silence.

"Not that." Sun Ce disagreed.

Zhou Yu was unimpressed.

"I may be your strategist, but I can't read your mind... my lord." He turned away once more, this time reaching for a comb. "Now if you'll excuse me..."

Sun Ce was starting to tap his foot against the floor.

"It almost seems like you're used to that," he eventually accused.

"You mean, being assaulted in my sleep?" Now seated before a mirror, he ran his fingers through his hair slowly.

In the mirror, the other man shrugged.

"Yes," Zhou Yu told the mirror.

The tapping stopped.

"We had a dog at the manor a few years back, after you left-- it was my aunt's-- and it never learned well. But to be fair, it never tried sticking its tongue down my throat either."

Zhou Yu stared meaningfully through the mirror at Sun Ce, who was looking decidedly unabashed.

"All the same, we had it castrated."

The tent fell into silence for the umpteenth time.

Sun Ce's eyes darted to the sword lying innocuously by the bed.

"It wasn't me, of course. Aunt would've been upset. Besides, I had suspected it wouldn't solve the problem as Uncle had hoped--"

"And?"

"... And, we lived happily ever--"

"Not that. Besides the mutt."

He always knew Sun Ce was shrewder than he let on.

"Aunt would've been insulted." Zhou Yu murmured. "That you of all people would accuse her of keeping anything but one of the finest breed. I ask you not to ever repeat that before her."

The young lord made a rude, dismissive gesture he made sure was visible through the mirror. Zhou Yu ignored him.

"So." He started, when no one said anything for a moment.

Not as easily distracted as he would seem, too. At least not all the time.

"No." He responded, at length, somewhat resignedly. "Most people I know have manners." The rest learned it the hard way, mostly in the fashion of a sword to the neck before they even got within five paces of his sleeping form. He wasn't going to mention it though. Amongst other things, it would inflate his friend's ego, and that was unnecessary.

He watched Sun Ce nod in approval at the thinly-veiled jibe and shrugged.

"Keep it that way."

"..." Zhou Yu's voice was dry as he agreed. "Only if you don't do that again."

"Sure." Sun Ce was already on his way out the door, and when he turned his head, his grin was as bright as the morning light he was letting into the room. "Next time you'll see me coming."

Heroes Nowadays A/N

2005-12-27T01:14:14Z

Bleah. A very No Plan writing (not like it’s any different from my usual). It ran into a number of blocks along the way and I had trouble writing a few parts, which generally meant bad news. And I think you can tell it went out of focus. Or more like, what focus?

But overall I’m quite ok with it, as it was still pretty fun writing it. Well, some parts. Idea from “Level E”, an excellent manga. Oh um, if you don’t catch the idea, it’s a RPG island. Sort of. Loosely. So rest assured no kings or princesses were harmed in the process of writing this piece of fiction. The monsters are another thing, but no worse than in actual RPGs where they are hacked and slashed for money or level ups or simply because they’re a huge nuisance, popping up a little too often.

So if you don’t understand the Omake, it’s fine, since it’s all Level E people talking.

And this is for cosmiko, who’s written more One Piece fics than I have despite starting on the series later. I have to at least attempt to return the favour, ne? So here is my first One Piece fic, (Never mind that it spun into a long, long monster yet again…) in time for her birthday.

Happy Birthday, Cosmiko~

One Piece: Heroes Nowadays

2005-12-27T01:12:13Z

Title: Heroes Nowadays
Fandom: One Piece. And a little insubstantial crossover.
Character/Pairing: Straw-hat crew, of course.
Rating: PG13? They have naughty mouths.
Warnings: First OP fic. Swear words, that are actually considered mild for pirates, I should think.
Disclaimer: OP doesn’t belong to me. No infringement intended. No profit gained.
Summary: The crew has docked on another unknown island. Luffy has gone missing. Written for cosmiko’s birthday.
Started: 23 Dec 05
Ended: 26 Dec 05
Word Count: 2,318

Sanji stomped through the foliage with more force than was necessary, pulling his burden behind him without much heed for its well-being. He managed merely two more steps before two purple-skinned creatures appeared out of apparently nowhere. Clenching his teeth in annoyance, he sent them flying with two swift kicks, and quickened his pace. In his haste, his luggage slammed against a boulder on the path with a rather loud crack. He ignored it.

There, the entrance to the town was in sight, and the thought of seeing the lovely Nami-san and Robin-chan lifted spirits in an instant, such that he was almost floating the last distance to escaping the forest.

Except, three long strides away from his haven, two brightly coloured winged-creatures swooped down upon him, screeching angrily, and brought him crashing down into reality.

Sanji snarled.

***

“Naaaaami-swaaaaan! Rooobin-chuaaaaaan! I have returned! ♥”

“Welcome back, Sanji-kun.” The navigator smiled, sugar-sweet.

“Thank you for your hard work.” The other woman added.

“What were those horrible shrieks just now?” Usopp asked, but was ignored as the chef threw aside his luggage to swoon over the ladies.

“Ahhh! ZORO!” The reindeer screamed as he ran towards the prone form discarded so carelessly by Sanji. “Doctor! Someone call a doctor!”

“Chopper,” Nami sighed. “Just patch him up, quick.”

“Ah! It’s me!” Chopper exclaimed in realisation before pulling out his equipment, investigating the unconscious man’s various bruises and cuts at the same time. “What kind of monsters could have done this to Zoro?”

Usopp waved his hand from side to side in negation. “I bet you twenty beli most of those wounds weren’t caused by the creatures we saw.” He whispered conspiringly, sending a meaningful glance in Sanji’s direction. The cook was still emanating hearts in copious amount. Absence apparently does make the heart fonder. Even if it were only for twenty minutes or so.

“Where are the coins?” Nami was asking, eyes bright and impervious to the hearts floating around her.

“Here it is Nami-san! ♥”

“Thank you Sanji-kun. But remember, don’t kick the enemies away again. It was lucky those creatures landed near us, but otherwise it would have such been a waste of my coins!”

“Hai, Nami-san! ♥”

“’Your coins’?” Usopp muttered, sore over his embarrassing reaction to the bodies that almost landed upon him had he not dodged (ran away screaming, to be precise), and which magically transformed into coins. “I’m doubtful those can be used outside of this island.”

Nami just shook her finger at the sharpshooter. “Don’t you mind, since they are all mine.”

“But we need to use them for medicine..” came a small voice, which made Nami paused to look at the doctor.

“Zoro’s poisoned, and it’s nothing identifiable, and, and nothing seems to be helping.. and he’s not waking up!” Chopper started to stammer as Nami’s eyes grew narrower by the second, clutching a bag of coins to her chest.

“We did saw something called ‘antidote’ in the shop back there,” Robin contributed.

“How much was it?”

“100 coins?”

Nami’s eyes narrowed again.

“Nami~” Chopper whined.

“Alright, alright. Just so you know, this is going into his debt.”

“Devil.”

“Let’s go.” Nami led the way back to the shop they saw, stepping over the fallen body of Usopp whose whisper wasn’t soft enough.

***

Zoro ended up in the forest again almost as soon as he was revived to work off his debt that had come up to be a thousand and four hundred coins on top of the beris he still owed the navigator. As it turned out, the strange potions in the shop worked like magic, healing his wounds immediately, but they were as costly as they were effective. Plus, Zoro had a lot of wounds. Sanji was spared responsibility on account that, simply put, those coins were his in the first place.

There was a violent quarrel as he was denied for the reason that he might lose his way and get poisoned by some strange creatures again, made worse by Sanji’s enthusiastic insults and declaration that he was not going to go fetch the idiot again, no matter what (which everyone knew were empty words as long as Nami commanded). That resulted in a brief brawl until it was time to make lunch.

“Oh fine. Someone go with him.” Nami had conceded in annoyance when Zoro repeated his demand, apparently having remembered what he was fighting for before coming to blows with the cook.

Usopp and Chopper’s eyes grew wide as they realised Sanji, already in the ship’s galley, was no longer available to be volunteered, which meant either of them was going to be Nami’s target, and they really had no interest in entering a forest full of monsters.

Nami was already looking at them with considering eyes even as they began to blabber excuses, until Robin volunteered herself, much to Zoro’s displeasure.

“I SAID I’ll be perfectly fine on my own.”

Nami just rolled her eyes. “Just go together. Robin just wants to take a nature walk, isn’t that right?” She beamed at the other woman, whose slight smile never wavered. “Besides, she can take care of herself.”

“Fine, then we’ll go our separate-- ”

Men. She heaved a dramatic sigh. “Alright. If you so object to Robin’s company, I shall ask Sanji-kun to go with you--”

“Fuck NO.”

As if I would allow that. You might start another competition or something just as silly. Outside, she just smiled widely and waved them goodbye. “Remember, any surplus-- and make sure there is-- will be taken care of by me. And don’t miss a single coin.”

***

When Zoro next returned it was with a bare few scratches and just in time for lunch. Robin had obviously done her part well. Nami was especially appreciative at the large sack of coins slung over Zoro’s shoulders and no doubt filled with the help of Robin’s hands.

“Robin-chan! You must be tired! ♥” Sanji waltzed over on cue, platter on hand, and pulled out a chair for the woman. “Here, please enjoy a cocktail while lunch is being served. ♥” Usopp and Chopper, having returned from a fruitless fishing trip, grumbled.

“Moron.” Zoro muttered just loud enough to reach the cook’s ears and dodged the kick to his head.

***

“Now that we are fed and-- Sanji-kun, please stop that.”

“Hai, Nami-san! ♥”

Zoro snorted as Sanji removed his foot from his.

“As I was saying. It’s about time we find Luffy.”

“I don’t know. I rather enjoyed lunch without Luffy around.”

“I share your sentiments.” Nami said, heartfelt. “But we’ve no reason to remain here now that the log pose is set, and since the creatures here don’t turn into meat when killed and no shops appear to sell food, our food supply are in danger of running out, right, Sanji-kun?”

“Hai, Nami-san! ♥”

Zoro scoffed.

Sanji kicked.

Nami hit both of them.

“This town is creepy,” Usopp continued. “I wonder if there are actually living things on this island besides us.”

“There are those monsters..”

“Normal monsters don’t turn into coins when they die!”

“How would you know?”

“I... I’m the great captain Usopp! I--”

“Even the townsfolk--”

“They turn into coins too?” Chopper interrupted in horror. “You... you killed them?”

Nami rolled her eyes. “No, but normal townsfolk don’t keep repeating themselves no matter how much you speak to them.”

“Nami-san is so wise! ♥”

“ARGH!”

“Shut up you shitty swordsman!”

“YOU shut up you stupid love cook!”

Nami rubbed her forehead. “Let’s see. ...We’re getting nowhere.”

***

“Can’t you say anything else?”

“You must save our town!”

“Try asking the great Roronoa Zoro over there.”

“You must save our town!”

“You don’t know which? He’s that muscle-freak over there with seaweed for hair.”

“You must save our town!”

“Fuck you, you pervert cook!”

“You must save our town!”

Nami tucked her rods back and dusted her hands off, savouring the transient silence until the two men rise again. Sanji had been sent to retrieve Zoro almost as soon as he had stepped from the ship, and had only just met the townsfolk. He apparently found them highly entertaining.

“Where were we?”

Usopp gulped. “Uh, that the townsfolk appear to be telling us something.”

“Yes, yes. Something about saving the princess from the Demon King or the town and subsequently the world will be doomed.” Nami recalled what they had gathered before she was distracted by the antics of her crewmates. “How silly is that?”

“‘Princess’?” Sanji was up in an instant, which meant Zoro was not a step behind. Nami silently cursed her carelessness.

“Silly?” Chopper repeated in what was almost a squeak. “What if... it might be, you know, true?”

Nami paused only for a moment.

“I don’t believe the prediction for world destruction is going to come from a bunch of,” she waved her hands around at the ‘townsfolk’, silent now that Sanji was no longer... ‘conversing’ with them. “... parrot-humans.”

“They don’t really parrot you kn--”

“Shut up. As I was saying.” She paused, trying to recollect her thoughts. “... we need to find Luffy.”

“But we must save the princess!”

Nami glared at Sanji, hard.

“Nami-san is so beautiful when she’s jealous~ ♥”

Usopp backed away as the navigator’s eyebrow twitched, ever so slightly.

“Since we can’t find any leads to where the captain might be, we might as well find out what is plaguing this town.” Nami’s anger gave way to surprise as she stared at the other woman. “Besides, saving a princess usually warrants a reward.”

“No it doesn’t! Remember Vivi?” the sharpshooter protested immediately, seeing where this was going.

“Not always.” Robin agreed with a placating smile.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

“WHAT?”

“We’re going to the palace!”

Chopper gasped. “We’re going to save the princess?”

“Nami-san is so kind! ♥”

“Were you following the conversation at all, stupid cook?”

“What… what about Luffy!”

“He can wait.” Nami declared, giving Usopp the evil eye. “This ‘Demon King’ can’t be worse than what we’ve faced so far.”

***

She was wrong.

Before them, a horde of at least twenty gigantic mutant beasts growled and prowled impressively. But that was not the threat of course. The real threat was the figure donning a black cape and posing at the head of the army of monsters, legs spread wide open and arms akimbo.

Nami pinched the bridge of her nose.

“What are you doing?”

Luffy blinked at them and pointed at the building opposite him.

“I’m gonna take the princess.”

***

What followed was chaotic, to say the least. As it was no easy feat to reason with Luffy, the conversation was swiftly abandoned in favour of battle as soon as the king and princess came onto the scene.

Nami alternated between screaming at Zoro, who had taken Luffy’s side once the captain hollered the command to take the whole palace down, and yelling at Luffy to stop. Chopper and Usopp ran around attempting to escape the battle, essentially tripping up Sanji, who was defending the ladies.

It went on for a while until Robin, from the safe elevated spot she had lifted herself to, reminded the navigator that there was no actual reward promise extracted from the king. Realising the wisdom of her words, Nami personally tied up and handed over the king and princess to one of the beasts, putting an end to the scuffle.

Well, all except for Zoro and Sanji, who had somehow ended up in a one on one (surrounded by a lot of coins and many heavily injured beasts who had undoubtedly been unfortunate enough to get close), and that fight was terminated when Luffy, seeing that the battle was over, latched onto Sanji and demanded, very loudly, for food. Thus, leaving the palace in a wreck, they made their way back to Going Merry.

***

“So you met this fellow who fed you lunch and asked you to attack the palace and take the princess? And then he gave you this black cape and sent a horde of monsters to go with you?” At Luffy’s nod, Nami punched his head, hard.

“How many times must I tell you not to accept food from strangers?!”

Luffy picked his head up from the table and resumed chewing enthusiastically on his meat.

“It was good food.”

Nami rolled her eyes.

“Nami-swan, we’re ready to set sail! ♥”

“Right. Let’s go, then.”

“I hope we meet some real humans at the next island.” Usopp muttered to Chopper’s agreement. Zoro stalked past them, ready for a nap since his part in readying the ship for sailing was over.

The sack of coins tucked in the corner of the girls’ room slowly deflated, unnoticed except for one.

Robin just smiled, and turned a page of her book. Navigator-san will find out in time, and get over it after a severe tantrum.

Omake

The figure shook his head, his light-coloured, wavy long hair swaying with the motion, as he watched the ship depart from the island. That had not gone according to plan. He had really wanted to see a crew trapped in a dilemma of whether or not to fight their comrade. Maybe it was a mistake in casting, he mused, even though the captain was the strongest, the woman seemed like she would have been a better Demon King personality-wise…

“Or you could have remembered they were pirates, not heroes, and included rewards if you actually wanted them to take the side of the good.” A tall black-clad figure contributed snidely.

The first figure dropped his fist onto his palm.

“Indeed. This script is outdated. Nowadays the heroes actually need a reason to save the world.” He shook his head in mock empathy. “When’s the next ship arriving?”

Another black-clad figure in spectacles looked at the device in his hand. “In ten days.”

“Good. Plenty of time. Reset this island while I get a new script.”

-end-

season's greeting

2005-12-25T03:41:17Z

Alright, so I was lazy. But hey, Wu + Shu = Christmas-y, so why not? :P

Part 2 A/N

2005-12-22T13:54:31Z

Another writing practice, don’t mind me. It’s kinda sad when I sat there and stared blankly at the screen and couldn’t think of anything to write. (Hence the recycled topic and the writing of a rather plotless… thing?) I’m sooo not unimaginative. >> I envy the peeps who can just take a few words and make a story. T_T and that’s totally why I can’t ever do requests so don’t take it personally. v_v

And it’s zilong again, wahaha. Am I getting comfortable writing this pov or what. I think he took pity on idea-less me and visited me (only to get kidnapped and wrote about *pats*). And then our dear Shu leaders came along for their customary chitchat over a cup of tea about their strange, strange generals.

And for all that it is irrelevant, Liu Bei has been described as a… non-family man. His earlier wives (and kid) were kinda left to be captured at least twice, to be retrieved by Guan Yu and later Zhao Yun (SGZ version). Zhang Fei on the other hand once caused them to land in the hands of Lu Bu, tee hee. But anyway that’s the incident where he’s been quoted to have said “wives are like clothes and brothers are like limbs”. Oh, Zhang Fei did retrieve the kid once too. So they all did some kind of family-retrieving for Liu Bei. XD Oh and although not sure about Guan Yu’s incident, Zhao Yun’s, the infamous Changban Slope, was certainly a case of “abandon and flee” by Liu Bei. Those poor wives and kids ._. granted he didn’t really have the leisure to take them also. So anyway, nope. While other lords might have some death penalty for touching their women… well. It’s up to you to guess if Zhao Yun’s worry is unfounded. XD DOESN’T help that Liu Bei’s character has always been widely debated.

7 Dec 05

Bodyguard Duties Part 2

2005-12-22T13:52:59Z

Title: Bodyguard Duties Part 2
Fandom: Romance of the Three Kingdoms (TV Drama version?)
Rating: G
Characters: Shu-centric
Summary: Zhao Yun contemplates. Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang chat (again).
Disclaimer: Still writing practice. Not mine. For details, look at Part 1
Word Count: 626

Zhao Yun had great faith in the strategist. Anybody who's seen him work his magic had to.

But sometimes, he had his doubts.

"You wish to be relieved of the duty of watching over Lady Sun?"

He cringed. It was just like the other man to point out succinctly when he had just spent the past fifteen minutes trying to be discreet about the fact that he was currently attempting to shirk his duty.

"That is simple, actually."

Maybe it was a joke, he decided. It was rare for the strategist to contribute help so readily to anyone who isn't Liu Bei (and that's only during emergencies or on his better days) after all, least of all private matters, which the strategist has something of an unspoken rule against getting involved in.

"Ah, but this isn't quite a 'private' matter, so to speak." It was unsettling how the other man seemed to be able to read minds, no matter how many times he's seen it. "It can, in fact, affect the entire army." The strategist finished gravely.

He had been overwhelmed by the idea at the time, but now that he had time to think about it, he had to wonder. If it were that important, couldn't he, the army strategist, have just proposed to their lord to remove him from duty?

No, he had to suggest he pretend to seduce his lord's wife.

After all, which man will allow another to remain close to his wife if he knew there was a chance of adultery?

That was the strategist's logic, and that meant it was automatically infallible. But even if it were infallible logic, it didn't mean it had his well being in mind. For one, if he tried that and it worked, watching Lady Sun and her followers might not be the only duty he was going to be removed for. And then even if his lord didn't kill him first, his over-protective and hotheaded brothers would. And no one would be able to stop them from having his head and asking questions later.

He had expressed his concerns to the strategist, who only stared at him with a big smile for a moment, before replying apparently irrelevantly,

"You really are a far-sighted person, General."

And then he'd claim to have a meeting to attend and left laughing. Really, talking to the strategist is a very exasperating matter. After much consideration, he deduced it was his way of saying he worried too much and that he considered it as likely as Cao Cao agreeing to surrender to Liu Bei. He wished he shared his confidence.

It wasn't that he was afraid of death, of course. But dying on the battlefield is one thing and getting killed for suspected adultery is another. It has to do with reputation and all that important stuff.

Once his thoughts came to this, he would decide he would persevere; consider this a trial.

But then, he would feel bad about having asked the strategist for help and then basically pretending it never happened. It is so impolite.

And this is where everything will go back to square one.

Omake

"Zilong seems to have a lot on his mind lately."

"Indeed."

"I wonder what is troubling him."

"I wonder."

"You mean you don't know?"

"So you were fishing for information."

"Well... I... have to care for my generals, of course."

"Of course."

"..."

"..."

"... ..."

"... Oh, yes. He did come to speak to me before."

"About his troubles?"

"Yes. I believe so, yes."

"So what's worrying him?"

"Well... to tell the truth, I've forgotten. I only recall it having happened because it had been more entertaining than important."

"Ah. Zilong does worry about the slightest things sometimes."

"Indeed."

-end-

Start: 7 Dec 05
End: 7 Dec 05

don't mind me. there wasn't much to do at work. well, except work.

2005-12-17T15:35:13Z

:D I *think* I doodled this after that Liu Bei thing. Experimenting with different eyes/expressions. So it somehow ended up as father-leeching!Cao Pi. *koff*

And then... alright, it was supposed to be Sun Ce when I drew the ponytail. Then i filled in the expression and it was... too cute to be Sun Ce and evolved into Chibi!Jiang Wei. *koff*

not, in fact, to be taken seriously

2005-12-13T13:31:57Z

Warning: I never could draw well. :D

I always used to doodle. :D;;; I doodled the eyes at first, then it turned into a face, so i gave it an expression, and it began to look like Liu Bei... so if you've Liu Bei you must have Those Two. And adding Those Two and that expression and well, here's Three Visits. I just felt like adding... more... panels. :D Though by right it is ok as a standalone. *pause* I guess only if you're familiar with the story.

And that was in fact not my first doodle. :D This was what I once did after work, long long time ago. I hereby name it Mamushi. :D

Did it 'openly' after office hours. Lin actually shocked me and saw it and went "So Q!" Ahahaha. I'm happy for generous standards. I think he even added some strokes. I forgot if I removed them. ._.;; Maybe the ugly skull. But that might totally be me. *PAUSE* BUT, I don't usually give my skulls that kind of... mouth. *squints some more for hints* ... Oh well, it was too long ago to remember properly.

Bodyguard Duties A/N

2005-12-08T11:52:59Z

A/N: Labelling the fandom actually took some thinking. There're just... more than a couple of interpretations of RTK. I had (irresponsibly) wanted to just write and worry about it later. It started with DW, briefly. Then it quickly escalated into the TV Drama version (which is based on the novel version...) because I somehow had to add Zhuge Liang-sama in the story. XD And TV Drama!Zhuge Liang was what made me fall in love with him and RTK all over again. X3♥ While DW and TV versions of Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei aren't that different to write (except DW's Zilong looks a million times hotter, well, it's a visual game...) Zhuge Liang-sama would be very hard to accept if I place it in the DW fandom. *nods wisely* I don't think DW has much of characterization going on anyway ^^; TV!Zhuge Liang-sama, however... ♥ And you should've seen TV!!Lady Sun. XD Nothing exaggerating, given it's a serious Drama, but she was shown to be rather authoritarian with subordinates (but totally lovey-dovey feminine with hubby Liu Bei). Lady Wu, (step?)mama of her and her brothers, was even worse. XD Sun Quan, THE Lord of Wu, had no dignity before her. XD Like mother, like daughter.

Language was also quite a problem, as I even imagined some of the dialogue in Chinese before translating to English. Can't be helped, since the people in my mind are from the Chinese drama. And yes use all kinds of modes of addressing that I can only guess at. Hence Liu Bei's almost always "m'lord" and there're 10 other ways to address someone. Ok, maybe more like 5. I'm so glad I didn't need to have someone address Zhuge Liang-sama in this piece. Cos how the hell do you use "strategist" to address a person? (no most of them don't seem to use his name at all. XD) It works in Chinese though. Darn protocol. So if anything names of language seem weird you know why. And suggestions are welcome.

Very glad to complete this piece. There were quite a few that got 'aborted'. *weeps for poor babies* until this one finally made it through cos I was finally somewhat satisfied. Except the last part. (rewritten 2-3 times?) Liu Bei-sama so hard to write? Unlike Zhang Fei who crashed into the second part uninvited :D. Nah, might be more of I didn't think of an ending before I write. Heh. No Plan! Writing practice desu. Quite disappointing that I've not been able to write anything for so long desukara. And my code-mixing habit is getting more and more atrocious. Whee.

RTK Fic

2005-12-08T11:49:51Z

Random writing practice disguised as a fic.

Title: Bodyguard Duties
Fandom: Romance of the Three Kingdoms (TV Drama version?)
Rating: G
Characters: Shu-centric
Summary: "Liu Bei [...] assigned Zhao Yun to watch [the female bodyguards of Lady Sun]." - Zhao Yun Biezhuan
"Liu’s wife then was Lady Sun, Sun Quan’s sister. Emboldened by her brother’s power and influence, she and her militia often ran wild, breaking many laws. Liu Bei gave Zhao Yun the special authority to [...] keep an eye on Lady Sun and her followers at the same time." - http://www.a3guo.com/renwu/shu/Zhao%20Yun.htm
Disclaimer: RTK's not mine. (I don't think it's anybody's...?) Novel is by Luo Guanzhong and drama by no doubt a very big staff. Tried my best, mostly for my own sake, to keep to 'canon' (something very hard to tell and hyper-touchy with RTK), but any discrepancies that may still exist, please overlook. I mean, I'll like to know, but don't get touchy.
Word Count: 858

He really didn't know what to do with them.

He had seen the way she told off the generals of Wu and threatened them with execution. He had been grateful at the time, but that was before he realised he would be in their shoes.

"Keep an eye on her." Liu Bei had instructed.

He was starting to suspect that he had misinterpreted the order as he stepped in to stop one of the handmaidens from lobbing off the head of an unfortunate passer-by who almost walked into the Wu Princess. He'd assumed he meant for him to protect his new wife, but it was starting to seem like the citizens are the ones needing the protection. Honestly, which lady takes a walk on a peaceful street with armed and trained handmaidens and still need protection?

"General Zhao, are you defying me?" The lady has quite a glare.

"I am very sorry for my impudence, but I simply could not allow that..."

As he inadvertently found himself in a familiar 'argument' about how Shu does things differently from Wu, he once again recalled the moment he received the order.

"I'm counting on you." His lord had ended with a warm smile.

"And I actually smiled back," He kicked at the earth grumpily. "I'm such a sucker."

The strategist of Shu only chuckled into his scrolls while Zhang Fei heartily thumped him on the back, and he flinched slightly despite having braced himself. The general was already half-drunk. Any moment now, the strategist was going to suggest, in the tone that meant it was really an order, that he kindly escort the general back, please.

"So she's yer type eh?"

"NO!" the younger general retorted heatedly as the laughter behind the desk grew louder. "I was not referring to the lady!" He wasn't sure if it was because he was intoxicated that he could so cheerfully suggest that he had designs on their lord's wife, because it was always hard to tell with Zhang Fei. He only hoped that he wouldn't remember any of this when he's sobered.

"That's right." The thus far quiet man in the room supplied solemnly except for his very amused smile, finally glancing up from his scrolls. "Zilong was referring to our lord."

Zhang Fei blinked owlishly.

"Means Big Brother's yer—"

"NO!" he repeated again with increasing anguish and put his head in his hands. He wished the strategist would stop laughing.

Zhang Fei thankfully appeared to have lost his train of thought at the interruption and had transferred his attention.

"What'cha laughin' about?"

"You're drunk." Zhao Yun stood quickly, taking the inebriated man's arm. He decided to save the strategist the trouble of dismissing them. "He's drunk." He repeated to the strategist, having realised his mistake as the bigger man started ranting about how he was NOT. "We'll take our leave now. Sorry to have disturb you. I wish you an early night."

The strategist was actually laughing so much he couldn't respond with the customary formalities and compensated by waving them off with his feather fan.

Zhao Yun made a mental note to never be caught alone with an overtly cheerful Zhuge Liang and a drunk Zhang Fei again.

"Do you think... I should get someone else for the job?" Liu Bei mused, peering out of a window into the garden where Zhao Yun was breaking up a fight between his men and the Wu handmaidens.

"Oh?" Zhuge Liang prompted mildly.

"Yes... I mean... It's just that I feel... bad about it, sometimes." His prized general was starting to look ill at ease as the women kind of surrounded him.

Even without looking, the strategist could hear the beginning of the sounds of the authoritative voice of the lady. Slowly fanning himself, he responded. "And who does my lord have in mind?" When he did not answer, he continued. "General Yunchang?"

"You're kidding. Yunchang will be affronted. And that'll be an understatement."

"General Yide?" He leisurely refilled both their cups.

Liu Bei heaved a great sigh. "Do you think I would dare to leave the two of them alone?" Below them, Zhao Yun stood silent and humble against what appeared to be a rather exciting tirade.

"General Guan Ping? Or perhaps General Liu Feng?" The tea tasted fine, if a little cold. He motioned for a servant to replace it.

"They can't possibly have any sort of rein on her. She'd totally overwhelm them." The lord shook his head as his wife suddenly struck out with a sword, but missed.

"General--"

"Oh all right. There's no one else." The unarmed general appeared to be trying to reason with the lady while dodging. The handmaidens looked like they would join in and help their mistress any moment. "I guess there's no helping it."

The strategist smiled in amusement as he watched his lord winced in sympathy and shook his head once more before returning to his seat.

"It's not that I don't want to help you," The strategist mused, picking up his fan again. "but that this is a helpless situation. Bless you, Zilong, your valiant sacrifice will be remembered."

-end-

Start: 5 Dec 05
End: 6 Dec 05

Tenipuri

2005-02-09T15:52:29Z

I withheld this for a few days (till I think it's in danger of never seeing the light of the world, so here it goes)... ~~due to usual esteem issues~~ cos I wanted to look it over and check up on the canon info. Shame to say, I did neither. >> I can't stand reading it somehow. eugh. and I'm quite certain of the canon facts, i think (/excuses)

Title: The Ultimate Babysitter's Tool
Genre: Gen, Humour, Tenipuri (Seigaku), OC
Disclaimer: Only Yorie is my own creation, the rest belong to all the people who actually owned Prince of Tennis. And I've never heard of a babysitting culture in Japan but let's just pretend, 'k?
Notes: Set 8 years or so before the current time
Summary: Yorie shares her babysitting experience

Word Count: 1,222
Started: 29 January 2005 13:06
Completed: 6 February 2005 18:08

Yorie had babysat extensively when she was in high school.

She had helped out her classmate once, when the pretty girl had a date to attend on the night her mother was away. She had two little brothers, as good-looking as herself, though one of them didn't look like her. He probably took after the father, Yorie thought. She was surprised to find out he was the younger one. The two were pleasant charges, although the littler one was a bit shy and always stayed close to his brother, who was always smiling so nicely. They spent most of the evening playing by themselves. She thought it was sweet and left them to it. Except the younger one would occasionally run to hide behind her for reasons beyond her, since the only other person around was his loving older brother, who'd follow on his heels and eventually coax him away. So even though the same thing kept repeating, Yorie didn't pay any more attention. She was more perturbed when they modified the snack she prepared for them—the older one added thrice the amount of chilli sauce she had ever seen any six-year old consume on his sandwich while the younger one added three more spoonful of sugar in his cocoa.

There was no such sweetness in the traditional house she was next requested. There was only one solemn boy who didn't talk much and paid her little attention, except to give her reproachful looks when she upset the neat pile of stationery he appeared to be working on (but politely refused her help in cleaning up), tripped and knocked her knee against the kitchen table (but then fetched her a tube of ointment), or spilled water (he helped wipe that up as well). She was utterly demoralised and certain that she was a total failure. "He seems to like you." His mother had told her at the end of the day. She would have thought she was being sarcastic if she didn't look as sincere as she did. She simply decided she was mistaken.

The next family that hired her had an only child as well and he was a little bit friendlier than her last charge. Only she wished he wasn't. It discomforts her greatly to have someone studying her intently for even five minutes, much less when that someone is a five-year old with eyes inscrutable behind thick spectacles for an entire afternoon. He talked to her too, if asking probing questions counts as a conversation. She acquired a new sense of empathy for the white mice in the school laboratory she studied for her biology class after that experience.

A young mother had allowed her to baby-sit her two sons for the afternoon. They were of age four and one, she had told her, and absolutely lovely. She felt deceived upon the actual meeting. It was a mystery, she thought, how a four-year old could look so threatening without trying, much less a one-year old baby. (She will find out, later, when their father returned in the evening. She almost forwent the payment and ran.) And he hissed more than he talked. She had never seen a toddler who hissed that much. The baby made hiss-like sounds too and she was tempted to tell the child to stop influencing his brother. But otherwise they made for a peaceful afternoon, and Yorie eventually got comfortable enough to read them fairy tales.

She had very fond memories of that peaceful afternoon ever since being employed at the zoo pretending to be a place of residence. She entered the house at the agreed time and was horrified by the number of children running around and had to make sure she got the right place and time. The woman who greeted her had only smiled and assured her that her charge was only the littlest one as agreed, and she had no need to concern herself with the rest of the children. She was simply running late for the medical appointment she was due to bring them. She seemed out of place in the noisy house, being in a good deal slower pace than what was happening around her as she moved around getting ready to leave. When she did leave, the children dropped what they were doing and trooped after her-- well, all except two, and the woman simply strode back in after a moment and carried one off. That was when the littlest one remaining started bawling, inconsolably. When he eventually stopped, by the conventional yet effective method of distraction, Yorie regretted it. For once he regained his cheer, he seemed to attempt to revive the liveliness of the house before his siblings left, on behalf of every one of his four siblings. He was great at it.

So Yorie accepted her next assignment with great relief-- the family had just one son. He could not possibly be any better at havoc wrecking than her previous charge, so the logic goes. She was not disappointed. The boy was also friendlier than the previous only child's she had to baby-sit-- in a manner that doesn't involve the babysitter squirming under the intense scrutiny. But he wouldn't stop using his mouth. He had just about uncovered her ancestry and told her thrice over how excited he was about the new baby that was coming and wouldn't it be great if he got a little brother. Because being a Big Brother to a little brother is different from being a Big Brother to a little sister, don't she think? By the fourth hour, Yorie tactfully told him to shut up and eat his seventh sandwich.

Yorie had concluded that the neighbourhood had some crazy kids and that maybe it was time to give up the trade. But her next assignment introduced her to a pair of children so normal and pleasant it made her suspicious. And she was right. For as the afternoon goes on, the boy took care of everything from entertaining themselves (and keeping the toys and books afterwards) to reading his baby sister to sleep and changing her diapers. He even seemed to sense her bad mood resulting from feeling redundant and consoled her by offering her his toy cow. She wondered why the parents thought they need a babysitter.

Her last charges were another pair of toddler and baby. It was almost her best assignment. The toddler was gentle and shy and the baby made baby noises and needed her care like normal babies do. Until the toddler got hold of a toy baseball bat and became not-so-gentle and not-so-shy and the baby needed her protection more than her care. She even got a bruise on her shin.

No, her best assignment had to be when she was in the States for a semester and put in charge of a four-year-old while his mother dragged her husband away by the ear. The entire evening was spent quietly tossing tennis balls at the little child while he attempted to hit it with a tennis racket larger than himself clutched to his chest.

With two years of babysitting experience, Horio Yorie was confident that she has discovered The Ultimate Babysitter's Tool. Now she never baby-sits without bringing along tennis equipment, even when she returned to Japan and babysat the same kids.

FF.net

2004-12-31T18:09:34Z

Another thing I meant to announce along with the latest fic I was gonna put up (that'd be 'HNYE' or maybe even 'Missing) but forgot. Anyway it's just that I've registered at FF.net. Handle is 'shiy'. Very few fics now. Will perpetually have fewer fics than here, actually. Until I get used to the FF.net formatting. *mumbles in Shinji-mode about formatting in Word and reformatting to fit it to LJ and then reformatting again to fit it to FF.net* Someone tip me off if there's some way to avoid manual reformatting? (As in, can't you just upload some file and keep the formatting? I've tried .doc and .htm I think, and neither works) <-- (real point of 'announcement' = SOS)

Happy 2005

2004-12-31T17:44:24Z

Presenting:
Tenipuri Arkanoid V2.0
A couple of flaws still intact, but well, let's leave something for >V2.

http://s3.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=03OVQY8B8MW9A16QSEZBYZYPHW

Happy New Year's Eve A/N

2004-12-31T07:49:41Z

'what-if they got a chain letter' (or something like that.) Heh.
It's a mite hasty since I was trying to make it for new year's eve and there're many other things i've to do today. So... I dunno. It looks disjointed to me, the whole thing. Hope someone enjoys.
*somewhat proud that she wrote someone other than seigaku in*

Missing A/N

2004-12-31T07:33:27Z

It's cursed. 'cos I tried saving a copy from office, where i began writing, and bringing it home for ages and it failed n times before succeeding. The first write was completed some days ago. I saved the copy on diskette and it failed to open (two other files on the diskette open, one other didn't open too) when I got home. Only I already removed the copy in the office. So it's gone.

(note: fail = when u try to read the file, the drive makes a lot of noise and the light keeps alighted--> sign that the drive is trying to read the diskette... for about 5mins before it'll finally stop and no file opened.)
(note2: a couple of times, usually after each fail, I'll copy and paste the whole thing in notepad and paste in word again. sometimes it's some thing hidden in the more advanced word, that's why i try that)
The rewrite took longer, 'cos I... just don't like rewriting. Diskette again, failed again. (Opening it in my office also failed.) Though this time I left the copy in my office. Tried again, failed again. Also sent an email (using company account) with it attached as well as pasted as text message to my inbox. Got home, nothing in my inbox. No trace at all, even though it was in sent items of company email acct. Nth attempt: select and send to A:\, the light flashed and though there wasn't the transferring box, the light dimmed. so i took it to the computer with internet and opened, and there's nothing inside. It's really beginning to be creepy. So I sent again. This time there was the file transferring box. Sent it from my mail acct to my mail acct, 2 mails. 1 with attachment and 1 with it pasted as text message. brought the diskette home too. triple-measure. If it still fails i've nothing to say. but it appears that this time all 3 worked.

that said... well, i don't like rewriting. same old, same old. this story, well, obviously is just a 'what if'. 'what if inui misplaced his notebook' and ta-da. don't really like it now, esp after the rewrite. but as long as at least one person gets a laugh (or a snicker. ... or a tickle..) out of it.

Happy New Year's Eve

2004-12-31T07:20:00Z

Title: Happy New Year’s Eve
Rating: PG-13
Warning: It’s just a little creepy, at worst, of the (maybe) supernatural nature. OOC-ness: at least one very obvious case.
Pairings: None
Characters: Mostly Seigaku
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis is not mine. Also, this is (obviously) entirely fictional and has nothing to do with reality. Please don’t come to me if anything happens to you after reading it.
Started: 30 Dec. 04 17:39
Ended: 31 Dec. 04 15:25
Word Count: 1,040

31/12/04 [1:01am]

In a chat room somewhere.

S#A5*A: Hello my name is Ryoozika Sikonu. [1] I am 12 years old. I was killed by a man with a keyboard in a white shirt on 32nd September. Please help me by telling eight people about my story before the New Year and pass it on this way, or I shall be paying you a visit. With thanks, Sikonu.

31/12/04 [1:36am]

It took Oishi one minute to wake up, another one to get his cell phone, and ten minutes before he could calm his partner down enough to understand what was causing his distress. His first reaction was that it had to be a prank and that it was best to forget about it. He took another ten minutes trying to communicate this to the younger boy before realizing it was a lost cause. He decided to switch tactics.

“It’s ok, Eiji. There were others in the chat room weren’t there? Didn’t they say anything? See, if they didn’t, you should ignore it too… what? ‘Maybe you’re the only who can see it’? That can’t be logically possible-- Eiji. Are you listening? Hush now, it’ll be ok, really. No, listen to me, Eiji. That is just a branch- NOT Ryoozika-san- outside your window.” Somehow, his teammate had managed to get even more nervous since talking to him- Oishi guiltily wondered if that meant he was a poor listening ear- he now seemed ready to wake his entire family up when he had called Oishi in the first place before he didn’t want them to laugh at his- perceived- cowardice.

Having more or less successfully deflected another of Eiji’s anxiety attacks by babbling on about branches, physics and ghosts, he mentally apologized to everyone who would become implicated before plunging into his last resort.

“… So, you see, you still have more than 22 hours and only 7 more people to go. And… and I’ll help you. It’ll be ok.”

31/12/04 [9:23am]

Oishi had arrived early at the Kikumaru’s. Eiji was still jumpy but it was an improvement from last night ever since he’d drafted and sent out eight emails with Oishi’s help.

In the room, Eiji logged into his email and then left to get drinks for Oishi while the inbox was still loading. The vice captain stared at the 58 new mails in worry and combated his sense of rightness for what seemed like forever. In the end, he reasoned that Eiji wouldn’t mind and sat at the computer.

It took some time but he found the mails that appeared to respond to what they’ve sent out last night.

He was relieved not to see anything from Tezuka. Their captain must have been checking his mail at the time Eiji sent out the mail, because Oishi had received a reply shortly after. It had read:

“Oishi. Don’t encourage Kikumaru. I’m still trying to get him to stop forwarding me his ‘interesting emails’.”

He supposed the way the message in the email was worded gave him away. He had immediately replied him with a sincere apology and asked him not to say anything detrimental to Eiji. Tezuka hadn’t said any thing to that, and Oishi was afraid he might’ve replied Eiji already before emailing him.

Fuji had left the email subject as it was so it was easy to detect amongst the other emails he had sent Eiji. Oishi didn’t open it, since he was pretty sure the tensai’s reply would be nothing to worry about, given his affections towards his classmate.

Taka-san’s email reply read “Returned mail: Recipient’s account has exceeded its quota. Please resend.” Oishi thought it wise to delete that email instead.

Kaidoh and Ryoma’s replies both said “Undelivered mail: No such account.” Oishi deleted those too and made a mental note to remind those two to keep their accounts alive in case there were club announcements he sent through email.

There were only these five responses (even if Tezuka’s reply wasn’t sent to Eiji). Oishi’s not withstanding- it was rather odd to get an email from Eiji sharing the story of Ryoozika Sikonu after hearing about it over the phone and having drafted the story in words for Eiji, but they figured ‘just in case’- there were two more they hadn’t heard from. Inui he probably didn’t have to worry about, but he wasn’t so sure of Momo.

Oishi only remembered to remove the items he deleted from the trash can when Eiji reentered the room and didn’t seem to particularly care what his partner was doing to his inbox. He then resumed control over his inbox and opened the email from Fuji, which read:

“That’s a sad story. Are you ok? It must be quite a scare reading something like that at such an hour. Which chat room was it by the way?”

31/12/04 [12:23nn]

Inui finished checking his email and logged off to continue his experiments to create a new vegetable Juice. Only when he was halfway into the kitchens did he remember that he didn’t check the junk mail folder. He paused in deliberation, then shrugged it off. There’s probably nothing interesting in there anyway.

31/12/04 [1:55pm]

It was lucky Oishi was still keeping tabs on Eiji’s mailbox, because a response from Momoshiro eventually came. It also kept the subject heading as Fuji’s did. Only instead of “Re:” as the header, it was “Fwd:”. Oishi had one like that in his inbox as well so he knew what the content was about. He made sure to remove it entirely from Eiji’s inbox.

31/12/04 [11:55pm]

The boy heard a noise outside and went to investigate. Maybe it was teenagers heading to the countdown party down the street. Instead he found an envelope lying on his doorstep and opened it.

Hello my name is Ryoozika Sikonu. I am 12 years old. I was killed by a man with a (censored) in a (censored) on 32nd September. He did (censored) and used (censored) to (censored) me, then he pulled out a (censored) and (censored) (censored). There was (censored) and (censored). Please help me by telling eighty people about my story before the New Year and pass it on this way, or I shall be paying you a visit with (censored) (censored) (censored) and (censored). With thanks, Sikonu. [2]

Mizuki Hajime shrieked.

----------------------------

[1] I had to find a name, one that isn’t, you know. And I’d had to resort to this. You can probably tell where it came from. Just switch the vowels around a bit.

[2] He is reading, of course, the uncensored version.

* I know next to nothing about festivals/holidays in Japan. Don't mind any discrepancies, ne?

the cursed fic

2004-12-28T17:21:50Z

Title: Missing
Rating: PG
Pairing: None (except anything is up for interpretation anyway)! Blast! I'm a lousy crazy-OTP-fangirl!
Characters: S.E.I.G.A.K.U. (I'll let you know when I write something other than Seigaku... right)
Warnings: Unbeta-ed, lalala.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Not gonna be. Not ever.
Started: 17 Dec 14:34
Word Count: 1,437
Notes: The plot bunny might've died somewhere along the rewrite and the many turburlences involving mysterious disketter errors. *mourns*

Morning practice ended but not before word of the Incident got around. The story had gotten increasingly colourful each time it got to Oishi's ears and guesses ranged from dropped money to lost clothing to misplaced Inui Juice. He rather thought it had to be Momo and Eiji's doing—the irony being that neither of them actually had first hand information.

Oishi had had to head down to the junior classrooms during lunch break, braving hordes of admiring junior girls, to bust the betting station headed by Momoshiro and Arai, and then visit class 3-11 to persuade Eiji to stop interrogating Inui.

When afternoon practice rolled about, he was exasperated to find that the betting had anything but died down. Guesses now include whether it was a 100-yen or a 5000-yen, black boxers or blue briefs, Penal Tea, Aozu or Something New. Completed with odds. Momo and Arai had sworn, on threat of a permanent ban from the Regular position, that it had nothing to do with them this time. So Oishi had turned to the next suspect.

"...Oishi... what makes you think I’m behind it?"

Oishi wound up stuck in a verbal repartee with Fuji until Eiji came along and rescued him by reporting to Fuji that a Takasato wants to up his bets.

"Fuji..."

"Oishi... I'm telling you, you've got the wrong person."

"But--"

“What wrong person? Oishi! Do you want to bet too? I’ll give you a tip! Don’t tell anyone else though! And Fuji was the one who figured it out, since he came up with the odds and all. He’s also helping me keep track of the bets!"

+++

Having suddenly developed headache, Oishi had let the issue be after managing to extract a promise from Fuji that he would make sure that whatever they were doing would not close the club down. He supposed a promise from Fuji was something he could count on.

But it was not long before it looked like the betting would come to a close. Morning practice was too brief to tell, but it was becoming glaringly obvious what was missing as afternoon practice continued.

Inui wasn’t stalking the courts with his notebook.

Inui wasn’t writing in his notebook.

Inui wasn’t with his notebook.

As a result, the afternoon practice scored an all-time high club-record (the individual-record was still held by Momoshiro) for the number of laps they got.

The excitement over the news got the club buzzing so badly that Tezuka sent them on an extra twenty laps.

Momo got ten more for continuing to question Inui—who refused to comment—on the whereabouts of his notebook.

People who disappeared into the clubroom during practice were awarded with another twenty. This eventually led to the rule—one of the most tyrannical to have graced Seigaku tennis club history—of the day: asking for toilet breaks earn you another ten laps.

+++

By the end of the day, competition was effectively eliminated for the Regulars. The rest of the club were expired by the excess running, even though Tezuka had the clubroom locked in the middle of practice, if only so that the they wouldn’t suffer from bladder problems—a point Fuji brought up inexplicably when he requested to see the school doctor for ‘possible damage to his bladder'. He got another fifteen laps for his effort (and no school doctor) but became the—most probably unintentional—hero for those who needed the loo but not the extra running.

Eiji and Momo had pounced right into the search (although they had the sense to wait till Tezuka was gone). But they were not the only ones.

Oishi, of course, had to stay behind since he was holding the keys. Supposedly, that was the only reason.

Echizen looked like he would have left on Tezuka’s heels but changed his mind after Eiji and Momo effectively stopped him with a semi-whispered conversation about burgers treat.

Fuji had also stayed, much to the protest of some of the other Regulars—it was unfair for him to participate after all, since he doesn’t have data at risk like they do—which he ignored. This inevitably caused Eiji and Momo to forge an alliance in the face of a common enemy.

Kawamura appeared to have been recruited by Fuji. And even Kaidoh hadn’t left with a hiss, for reasons unknown. He was counted into the Fuji-camp by default because Momo was on the other side.

Inui leaned against the doorway, and privately named the two factions the Nosey-Parker Team (plus One-Bribed-by-Food) and the Something-to-Hide Team (plus One-With-Ambiguous-Motives). Oishi would belong to the second team, but he would be joining Eiji, just because.

"It’s very kind of all of you, to be so helpful."

The two camps had taken up opposite positions.

"If you find it, I will be getting it back, right?"

+++

When eventually Momoshiro let out a loud gasp, several teammates leapt on him to muffle the sound, but it wasn’t fast enough.

The room fell into still silence, broken by Inui’s voice.

"Mo--"

"Argh!"

Inui looked at the short boy who was stumbling to a stop near him and was presently glowering behind him. His seniors looked a picture of innocence.

"Uh... Inui-senpai." The freshman started after a long silence, then stopped. He scratched his nose, sent a glare behind him once more, then tugged down his cap and muttered, very lowly. “Let’s go get a drink."

Silence resumed.

+++

“Ok, who chose Echizen, of all people?"

“Well, it worked, didn’t it?"

“Yeah, I don’t believe it! It actually worked!"

“Echizen’s behaviour probably violated his probability calculations."

“Is it possible? For Inui’s data to go wrong?"

“Saa... it’s happened before, with that fellow."

“You know he’s gonna want compensation later."

“Oh, right."

“All that burgers."

“Erk..."

“Oh whatever! Let’s see it already!"

A small quarrel commenced when they remembered they were in two factions. It was complicated further—mostly involving an indignant Eiji trying to intimidate his kouhai—when Momo got ideas of each-for-his-own.

“You know, Echizen couldn’t keep Inui away for so long."

It took all of one statement to repair their unity. But there was still one little issue.

“But it’s not fair! Fuji-senpai’ll see our data while we won’t see his!"

“But you will."

“That is inaccurate data! Inui said so himself! And that fellow from St Rudolph proved it!"

“So?"

“So it doesn’t count!"

“So?"

“Er... Eiji-senpai, help!"

“Nya?"

The door opened.

“AHHHHHH!"

Their captain stood in the doorway, wearing his default face, but guesses were that he had to be at least a little surprised (and perhaps irate) to be greeted by screams.

“Ah... Tezuka... did you forget something?"

"... Aa."

“Buchou! Don’t scare us like that!"

“What did buchou do?"

“AHHHHHHHH!"

“Stop screaming." Tezuka ordered, annoyed.

“But... but! Ochibi! What’re you doing here?"

“Hide the book! Hide the book!"

“Echizen, where’s Inui?"

“He went to the loo." Ryoma shrugged with a scowl. “Who pushed me?"

“Someone lock the door!"

“Done."

“Way to go, Fuji!"

“Fuji."

“Oh come on Tezuka, don’t be such a loner. Join us sometimes."

“Who pushed me?"

“I know! Let’s each tear a few pages out for keeps?"

“But... but Inui..."

“Ok! Ok! I was just kidding, really, senpai, don’t be so serious! And stop hissing, you stupid mamushi!"

“Stop it, you two."

“At least put down the book-- Hey! I said don’t damage it!"

“THIRTY LAPS. BOTH OF YOU."

+++

Inui passed the running underclassmen without a second look. Sure it was after practice time, and sure it had to be their fiftieth lap or so for the day-- but laps were common, really, as long as Tezuka were their captain. So the logical deduction was that their captain had returned to the clubroom for whatever reason.

Tezuka was indeed in the clubroom, arms folded as he supervised the remaining Regulars who appeared to be in the middle of putting the clubroom back to the way it had been.

Inui greeted them all with a casual ‘yo', and earned some glares, some tired faces, a couple of smiles (one of which spells ‘danger') and one poker face.

“Thanks so much for finding it," he gestured to the green book lying innocuously on the bench by the side. “Can I have it back now?"

He took it back anyway when no one answered him except for a few awkward coughs, and proceeded to catch up on all the data he missed recording today. It felt weird to see his untidy scrawl quickly destroying the snow-white first page, but-- as this was his sixth book for Seigaku-- he was getting used to it.

Owari

End Time: 29 Dec 01:17

[tenipuri #6] Teaser: Missing

2004-12-09T13:28:34Z

Figured I'll throw this up before I lose my nerve and let it sit in my drive and die. It was fun writing it. ^^
Title's tentative but i'm quite sure it'll stick since i can never think of anything good...
Teaser... teaser 'cos... the next part is still in writing and prologue just doesn't sound right. (It sounds like an epic will follow and I'll probably expire after just one installment/chapter/part)

Title: Missing
Rating: PG
Pairing: None (except anything is up for interpretation anyway)! Blast! I'm a lousy crazy-OTP-fangirl!
Characters: S.E.I.G.A.K.U. (I'll let you know when I write something other than Seigaku... right)
Warnings: Unbeta-ed, lalala.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Not gonna be. Not ever.
Started: 9 December 2004 10:04
Word Count: 589 (I was gonna be awed that I did three digits. Then I remembered this is a teaser. That doesn't even have most of the plot bunny's worth. Whoops.)

Inui was there once Oishi arrived to unlock the clubroom in the morning.

When Oishi noticed Inui turning things over in the clubroom, he had to ask if he was looking for something and need any help.

"… It’s nothing.” A bench moved a few inches.

“Oh, all right then…”

A few baskets moved, and a couple of the balls rolled out, stopped at Oishi’s feet.

“… Ah… Are you sure you don’t want any help?”

“Yes, Oishi, thank you but I’ll manage.” Several locker doors were flung opened, contents rummaged.

“Oh…” A pause, then “but you know, I might’ve seen it around so…”

“It’s really all right.” Inui responded monotonously, straightening where he had been stooping to peer under the lockers and started towards the cabinet.

“But…”

Inui turned and the shorter boy at his heels almost collided into him. He surveyed the little room, and noticed that everything he had disturbed were mysteriously back into their place.

Ah.

“Sorry, Oishi. I’ll put them back later.”

“No! No… it’s not like th—It’s not a problem!”

Inui left him to it and moved on to the cabinet. At least he got him off his back for a moment.

+++

Tezuka came in next. The clubroom looked no different thanks to Oishi’s efforts so he made no comment except give the still unchanged Inui a warning look and then disappeared outside to the courts.

Kaidoh appeared all sweaty from his run and stood in the doorway for a good minute as he had no idea what to do with a senpai blocking the way into the clubroom. On his fours. Appearing to be squinting beneath the cabinets. He was saved by the vice captain, who was hovering near said senpai and watching his every move like a hawk studying his prey, but had spared a moment to glance elsewhere and noticed his presence. It was a strange day, he thought, and wondered if it was because he added an extra kilometre this morning.

Kawamura had grasped the situation while he changed. When he started saying “Inui, do you need hel—” Inui pressed a racket into his hand and said he was needed on the courts and the boy was out of the room in a bang. He wished Oishi would be as easy to rid of.

Kikumaru’s entrance was as loud as Kawamura’s exit. He almost tripped over the rather significant bulk of Inui squatted on the floor in his excitement, then proceeded to laugh and apologise and ask what he was doing down there and greet both of them in one breath. But Inui forgave him for, within one minute, he was changed and had told them about the kittens he saw, the test in the afternoon and what toothpaste he used this morning, and most of all had his partner following him outside as he chattered on about what his brother did. There was a 75% chance that it was the second sister’s turn to make breakfast, Inui decided. That girl loved sugar.

Fuji had just smiled at him for long moments after having changed attire and exchanged niceties—including one not-so-nice “Isn’t the room in a different state today. Do Tezuka and Oishi know?” But it only really started to annoy Inui when he started to rummage around the room as well and gave Inui an innocent smile when he asked if he was looking for something. “And you?”

Momoshiro and Echizen came in late and missed all the fun except the extra 20 laps.

Ended: 9 December 2004 12:11