Prompts #14, #48 & #11
For warriorslash 50 Challenge~
Prompt: #14 => Fighting Blindly
Character/Pairing(s): Oda Nobunaga, Cao Cao
Rating: T for some blood
Warnings (if any): N/A
14. Fighting Blindly => Nobunaga/Cao Cao
Cao Cao was used to the chaos and bloodshed of the battlefield after years of campaigns and countless skirmishes. He was unflinching in the face of danger and ruthless as he cut his way through the enemy. After all, he didn’t hold the title of ‘Hero of Chaos’ for nothing.
But there was something sickening in the way Orochi played his game, carelessly throwing away the lives of countless demonic soldiers in order to test the might of the Wei army.
He swung his sword to the side, shaking off some of the inhumanly purple blood that was starting to congeal on the edges, dulling the blade. He took a moment to swipe a sleeve over his face as well, removing as much of the splatters of blood decorating his face as possible. It wouldn’t do to fight blindly after all.
Taking this pause as a chance, six enemy soldiers rushed him at once.
With a hiss of irritation, Cao Cao twisted the sword in his grip and cut through three of them. However, as his reversed his blade and swept it through the fourth soldier, he felt it catch on something. He instinctively knew that he wouldn’t be able to fend off the last two swords rushing at him and so raised his other arm in an attempt to block.
To his surprise, neither of the enemy soldiers made it any closer, instead falling to the ground with a dull thud, their blood seeping quickly into the dusty ground.
Looking up, Cao Cao met the eyes of his sometimes friend, sometimes foe, Oda Nobunaga.
The taller man said nothing, only raising an eyebrow in question, his sword not pausing in the least as he cut down one opposing soldier after the other.
Cao Cao nodded, the closest he would ever get to thanking the other man before jerking his weapon out of the dead body and sweeping back into the middle of the mayhem.
Nobunaga watched him go and the slightest hint of a smile twisted at his features.
Oh yes. Cao Cao of Wei was a very interesting man indeed.
Prompt: #48 => Secret (Author's Choice)
Character/Pairing(s): Taishi Ci/Sun Ce
Rating: K?
Warnings (if any): Character death
48. Author’s Choice: Secret => Taishi Ci/Sun Ce
Bofu, do you remember the day when you turned to me with a smile and said, “Ziyi, you’re always so straightforward and honest.”
It was just a normal day like any other and I was accompanying you like I always did. You said that you didn’t want to look at documents on such a fine day and so you grabbed me and ran from the Wu main camp, leaving all of your work for Zhou Yu.
When you said those words, my mind blanked out. I never worked out if it was the result of the words themselves or your smile. So, I kept silent.
But you didn’t mind, you never minded when I struggled to find replies to your questions or statements. Instead you continued on, smile growing wider, “I think you’d be the only one out of all my generals that I wouldn’t trust with a secret.” You paused then, thoughtful before hastily adding, “You and Xingba both.”
I remained silent, merely bowing my head slightly in acceptance of your words.
To my surprise, you slung an arm across my shoulders and shook your head, “Are you taking me seriously still?”
I dared a glance upwards and saw your frown so I hastened to scrape together a reply of some kind, “Your word is the law my lord.”
There was no way I could find to adequately convey how much you and every one of your actions and words meant to me. And even if I did, who was I to say it out loud?
You sighed mournfully, removing your arm and throwing it dramatically over your eyes, “And now Ziyi is angry at me. What shall I do?”
I missed the warmth from your closeness almost immediately but that was cast to the back of my mind as your rhetorical question threw me for a loop, “My… my lord! Ziyi does not dare to…”
As I struggled to properly convey my mortification, you broke into laughter and I stopped trying altogether to stare at you, stunned.
Perhaps you did not realize, but your smiles and laughter were brighter than the sun itself, illuminating the path for everyone who served you. I was no exception.
I would do anything for you, to see you continue to smile, to see you realize your dream of uniting this land under the banner of Dongwu. My life was yours the moment you released me from my bonds and claimed me as your general. No, perhaps it was from the moment I saw you across that barren field where we first met as enemies.
I cannot remember exactly anymore. I cannot remember a time when my heart and soul wasn’t filled with you and your essence.
Bofu, there was only one thing you ever got wrong about me.
I’m not always as straightforward and honest as you believed.
After all, I’ve kept this one secret close to my heart for all these years.
Brushing my fingertips your name, engraved on the slab of marble, I lean over and press my lips to the cool stone, “Rest well Bofu.”
Prompt: #11 => Epiphany
Character/Pairing(s): Vaguely Fu Xi/Shima Sakon
Rating: K?
Warnings (if any): Character death [again]
11. Epiphany => Fu Xi/Shima Sakon
The first time Shima Sakon saw Fu Xi, it was when the man was leading his army to assist his own at Lou Sang Village. He would never forget that confident smirk and the quick flashes of the silver blade that rivalled his own in size.
The first time Fu Xi saw Shima Sakon had been before he set foot in the human realm that Orochi had created. As his siblings, Taigong Wang and Nu Wa, had set their sights on the Shu and Wei sides respectively, it fell to Fu Xi to support the Wu. However, his attention had been taken by a samurai with a suave attitude and an impressive intellect.
**
The second time that Shima Sakon saw Fu Xi was during Kanetsugu’s rescue. His army was in disarray at the unexplained fires springing up all over the surrounding area. The pressure of the battlefield almost overwhelmed him when a calm voice swept across the entire area. The sudden disappearance of the fire-illusions coupled with the silver clad man suddenly appearing beside him bolstered Sakon more than he expected.
The second time that Fu Xi saw Shima Sakon, it was up close. He appreciated the dry humour and the shrewd intelligence that the other man displayed. He was also more than pleased by the battle prowess that this samurai showed. Fu Xi knew the moment that Sakon turned to him with the heat of battle still shining in his eyes that he was to be his warrior.
**
The third time that Shima Sakon saw Fu Xi was when the silver armoured man joined his cause. Or perhaps it was the other way around; Fu Xi adopting him for his own personal reasons. But either way the prospect of fighting battles alongside Fu Xi made Sakon tense with delighted anticipation. There was something very right when they rode into battle together, their horses matching each others gait, swords held up high.
The third time that Fu Xi saw Shima Sakon was in the middle of the phantom fires conjured by one of those annoying sorcerers. The source of the fires was no match for Fu Xi who vanquished both the illusion and the sorcerer with a wave of his hand. He looked up to find Sakon watching him with a contemplative frown on his scarred face but whatever the other man was thinking, it had no bearing on the way they fought together. At the end of that particular battle, as he kicked his steed into a gallop away from the battlefield and saluted Sakon as he passed, Fu Xi laughed out loud genuinely for the first time in his long life.
**
The last time that Shima Sakon saw Fu Xi was three hours after Orochi’s death. Something echoed emptily inside as he exchanged some banter with Fu Xi and mounted his fine white steed. But since now Orochi had fallen, there was no need, no reason for Fu Xi to stick around any longer. The man was a mystic after all and like the other two, he was probably tired of all the interactions with them mortals.
For some reason even he couldn’t understand, Sakon did not want to see Fu Xi walk away and so to circumvent that problem, he decided that he would be the first to leave. Sakon, who normally thought every step through before taking action, ignored the way he was handling this situation. So when Fu Xi unexpectedly asked him about his destination, Sakon paused and had to scramble for a moment to find a suitable answer.
The last time that Fu Xi saw Shima Sakon was whilst the younger man, who was not so young anymore, lay on his death bed. He couldn’t remember how long it had been in human years since he had seen him, but it had been too long.
He sat perched on the edge of the table, staring down at his old comrade, lying so still in the dark. Fu Xi had picked the darkest part of the night to visit, knowing that he would not be interrupted.
He spent that entire night by Sakon’s side, watching over him, silently battling emotions that he had attributed to whimsical imaginings and the heat of battle all those years ago.
As dawn approached, Fu Xi unwound himself from his position and took a couple of steps forward, leaning over the bed where Sakon lay. He knew that this would be the last time he would see him and finally understood why Nu Wa had told him to stay detached before they had reached out to assist their human friends.
He gripped Sakon’s hand, now frail and withered, in his own smooth, calloused one and bowed his head, taking a final moment to remember this man as he once was, standing straight and tall even in the midst of the most chaotic battles.
The sun peeked over the horizon signalling a new day.
“Goodbye.”
**
The day that Shima Sakon died, the sky was grey and moody. The rain started slowly, first dripping from the clouds drop by drop before turning into a torrential downpour, extremely unusual for the time of the year.
More than one member of the family remarked upon how it was almost as if the heavens itself was mourning.
And perhaps, it was.
Prompt: #14 => Fighting Blindly
Character/Pairing(s): Oda Nobunaga, Cao Cao
Rating: T for some blood
Warnings (if any): N/A
14. Fighting Blindly => Nobunaga/Cao Cao
Cao Cao was used to the chaos and bloodshed of the battlefield after years of campaigns and countless skirmishes. He was unflinching in the face of danger and ruthless as he cut his way through the enemy. After all, he didn’t hold the title of ‘Hero of Chaos’ for nothing.
But there was something sickening in the way Orochi played his game, carelessly throwing away the lives of countless demonic soldiers in order to test the might of the Wei army.
He swung his sword to the side, shaking off some of the inhumanly purple blood that was starting to congeal on the edges, dulling the blade. He took a moment to swipe a sleeve over his face as well, removing as much of the splatters of blood decorating his face as possible. It wouldn’t do to fight blindly after all.
Taking this pause as a chance, six enemy soldiers rushed him at once.
With a hiss of irritation, Cao Cao twisted the sword in his grip and cut through three of them. However, as his reversed his blade and swept it through the fourth soldier, he felt it catch on something. He instinctively knew that he wouldn’t be able to fend off the last two swords rushing at him and so raised his other arm in an attempt to block.
To his surprise, neither of the enemy soldiers made it any closer, instead falling to the ground with a dull thud, their blood seeping quickly into the dusty ground.
Looking up, Cao Cao met the eyes of his sometimes friend, sometimes foe, Oda Nobunaga.
The taller man said nothing, only raising an eyebrow in question, his sword not pausing in the least as he cut down one opposing soldier after the other.
Cao Cao nodded, the closest he would ever get to thanking the other man before jerking his weapon out of the dead body and sweeping back into the middle of the mayhem.
Nobunaga watched him go and the slightest hint of a smile twisted at his features.
Oh yes. Cao Cao of Wei was a very interesting man indeed.
Prompt: #48 => Secret (Author's Choice)
Character/Pairing(s): Taishi Ci/Sun Ce
Rating: K?
Warnings (if any): Character death
48. Author’s Choice: Secret => Taishi Ci/Sun Ce
Bofu, do you remember the day when you turned to me with a smile and said, “Ziyi, you’re always so straightforward and honest.”
It was just a normal day like any other and I was accompanying you like I always did. You said that you didn’t want to look at documents on such a fine day and so you grabbed me and ran from the Wu main camp, leaving all of your work for Zhou Yu.
When you said those words, my mind blanked out. I never worked out if it was the result of the words themselves or your smile. So, I kept silent.
But you didn’t mind, you never minded when I struggled to find replies to your questions or statements. Instead you continued on, smile growing wider, “I think you’d be the only one out of all my generals that I wouldn’t trust with a secret.” You paused then, thoughtful before hastily adding, “You and Xingba both.”
I remained silent, merely bowing my head slightly in acceptance of your words.
To my surprise, you slung an arm across my shoulders and shook your head, “Are you taking me seriously still?”
I dared a glance upwards and saw your frown so I hastened to scrape together a reply of some kind, “Your word is the law my lord.”
There was no way I could find to adequately convey how much you and every one of your actions and words meant to me. And even if I did, who was I to say it out loud?
You sighed mournfully, removing your arm and throwing it dramatically over your eyes, “And now Ziyi is angry at me. What shall I do?”
I missed the warmth from your closeness almost immediately but that was cast to the back of my mind as your rhetorical question threw me for a loop, “My… my lord! Ziyi does not dare to…”
As I struggled to properly convey my mortification, you broke into laughter and I stopped trying altogether to stare at you, stunned.
Perhaps you did not realize, but your smiles and laughter were brighter than the sun itself, illuminating the path for everyone who served you. I was no exception.
I would do anything for you, to see you continue to smile, to see you realize your dream of uniting this land under the banner of Dongwu. My life was yours the moment you released me from my bonds and claimed me as your general. No, perhaps it was from the moment I saw you across that barren field where we first met as enemies.
I cannot remember exactly anymore. I cannot remember a time when my heart and soul wasn’t filled with you and your essence.
Bofu, there was only one thing you ever got wrong about me.
I’m not always as straightforward and honest as you believed.
After all, I’ve kept this one secret close to my heart for all these years.
Brushing my fingertips your name, engraved on the slab of marble, I lean over and press my lips to the cool stone, “Rest well Bofu.”
Prompt: #11 => Epiphany
Character/Pairing(s): Vaguely Fu Xi/Shima Sakon
Rating: K?
Warnings (if any): Character death [again]
11. Epiphany => Fu Xi/Shima Sakon
The first time Shima Sakon saw Fu Xi, it was when the man was leading his army to assist his own at Lou Sang Village. He would never forget that confident smirk and the quick flashes of the silver blade that rivalled his own in size.
The first time Fu Xi saw Shima Sakon had been before he set foot in the human realm that Orochi had created. As his siblings, Taigong Wang and Nu Wa, had set their sights on the Shu and Wei sides respectively, it fell to Fu Xi to support the Wu. However, his attention had been taken by a samurai with a suave attitude and an impressive intellect.
**
The second time that Shima Sakon saw Fu Xi was during Kanetsugu’s rescue. His army was in disarray at the unexplained fires springing up all over the surrounding area. The pressure of the battlefield almost overwhelmed him when a calm voice swept across the entire area. The sudden disappearance of the fire-illusions coupled with the silver clad man suddenly appearing beside him bolstered Sakon more than he expected.
The second time that Fu Xi saw Shima Sakon, it was up close. He appreciated the dry humour and the shrewd intelligence that the other man displayed. He was also more than pleased by the battle prowess that this samurai showed. Fu Xi knew the moment that Sakon turned to him with the heat of battle still shining in his eyes that he was to be his warrior.
**
The third time that Shima Sakon saw Fu Xi was when the silver armoured man joined his cause. Or perhaps it was the other way around; Fu Xi adopting him for his own personal reasons. But either way the prospect of fighting battles alongside Fu Xi made Sakon tense with delighted anticipation. There was something very right when they rode into battle together, their horses matching each others gait, swords held up high.
The third time that Fu Xi saw Shima Sakon was in the middle of the phantom fires conjured by one of those annoying sorcerers. The source of the fires was no match for Fu Xi who vanquished both the illusion and the sorcerer with a wave of his hand. He looked up to find Sakon watching him with a contemplative frown on his scarred face but whatever the other man was thinking, it had no bearing on the way they fought together. At the end of that particular battle, as he kicked his steed into a gallop away from the battlefield and saluted Sakon as he passed, Fu Xi laughed out loud genuinely for the first time in his long life.
**
The last time that Shima Sakon saw Fu Xi was three hours after Orochi’s death. Something echoed emptily inside as he exchanged some banter with Fu Xi and mounted his fine white steed. But since now Orochi had fallen, there was no need, no reason for Fu Xi to stick around any longer. The man was a mystic after all and like the other two, he was probably tired of all the interactions with them mortals.
For some reason even he couldn’t understand, Sakon did not want to see Fu Xi walk away and so to circumvent that problem, he decided that he would be the first to leave. Sakon, who normally thought every step through before taking action, ignored the way he was handling this situation. So when Fu Xi unexpectedly asked him about his destination, Sakon paused and had to scramble for a moment to find a suitable answer.
The last time that Fu Xi saw Shima Sakon was whilst the younger man, who was not so young anymore, lay on his death bed. He couldn’t remember how long it had been in human years since he had seen him, but it had been too long.
He sat perched on the edge of the table, staring down at his old comrade, lying so still in the dark. Fu Xi had picked the darkest part of the night to visit, knowing that he would not be interrupted.
He spent that entire night by Sakon’s side, watching over him, silently battling emotions that he had attributed to whimsical imaginings and the heat of battle all those years ago.
As dawn approached, Fu Xi unwound himself from his position and took a couple of steps forward, leaning over the bed where Sakon lay. He knew that this would be the last time he would see him and finally understood why Nu Wa had told him to stay detached before they had reached out to assist their human friends.
He gripped Sakon’s hand, now frail and withered, in his own smooth, calloused one and bowed his head, taking a final moment to remember this man as he once was, standing straight and tall even in the midst of the most chaotic battles.
The sun peeked over the horizon signalling a new day.
“Goodbye.”
**
The day that Shima Sakon died, the sky was grey and moody. The rain started slowly, first dripping from the clouds drop by drop before turning into a torrential downpour, extremely unusual for the time of the year.
More than one member of the family remarked upon how it was almost as if the heavens itself was mourning.
And perhaps, it was.