one battle wound too many // sima shi x reader

chapter nine

"Zhong Hui, I apologize for this but I must rest. My ribs-" Zhong Hui nods and I drop to the ground, exhausted and in major pain.

"I'll watch but we can't stay in one place too long..." Zhong Hui trails off and my eyes slide shut.
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The clouds turn orange, with deep pink tints at the edges. Soft winds rustle fabrics left on rope outside and young handmaidens' hair. The wind smells of jasmine and meatbuns and ozone, but I know moments like these never last more than a day.

Damn the war. The constant bloodshed. The damage of homes. The orphaning of children. The widowing of wives. I remember losing my own father in the war. All too clear were my mothers tears, my own wails; all this war brought was destruction and heartbreak.

The clopping of horses suddenly approaches. Probably the Wei army scouting for bandits again.

"Mama, mama! My kite! My kite!" A small child with short brown hair runs after a kite in the shape of a lantern.

"Wait! Wait!" Oh no, the child is running straight for the horses. The boy shrieking about the loss of his kite startles the lead horse. All too fast is the bucking of the steed, and the immediate charge of the majestic beast. Faster than one can blink, my legs sprint towards the boy who is frozen in the street. I reflexively shield him with my body and brace for impact. Moments pass and I feel nothing but the tears of the boy soaking into my cheap, cloth shirt. I raise and turn my head to see a man with long, dark hair and piercing eyes jump down from his horse, which he had rode in front of the charging one, halting its rampage. After another millisecond of analyzing the man I realize-
"Lord Sima Shi." I cease shielding the child and perform the customary bow on my knees as Sima Yi's famed strategist of a son approaches. He raises a clawed hand, and my arms drop down to my sides. Sima Shi kneels by the crying child and places a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He asks. His voice is deep, soothing, melodic...
The boy nods soundlessly. A small, lean soldier comes running towards us with a lantern kite in hand before handing it off to Sima Shi.
"My lord!" Sima Shi hands the kite to the boy who beams and accepts it graciously.
"Thank you Lord Sima Shi," the boy babbles happily, and he skips away to rejoin his frenetic mother.

"That was some bravery." I pause for a moment, and realize that he was talking to me. Me of all people.
"I-I was just trying to protect him. Anyone would have done that," I stutter, embarrassed. He laughs without humor. God he's attractive.

"Not really," is his response. Sima Shi swiftly mounts his horse.
"Until we meet again," he tells me. Again?
"Until, w-we meet again, my lord," I respond hurriedly.
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"You know," Sima Zhao, Lord Shi's laid back little brother begins," I think Shi is really taking a liking to you. I mean, ever since you joined  us-" I cut him off with an unexpected laugh. He looks at me askew.
"My apologies,  Master Sima Zhao. I just can't imagine your brother taking a liking to anybody really." Master Sima Zhao shrugs before speaking again.
"You'd be surprised..."
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"Pardon me for asking, my lord, but, are you blushing?"
"How dare you even insinuate that I..."

The intelligent, emotionless, cold-blooded man that I've come to love serving crumbles in my fingers. I peer around him and see him clutching something that appears to be flowers  behind his back.
"Are those for me?"
"Perhaps..." is his mumbled response.
"This is a gorgeous cherry blossom garden," I compliment him, hoping to clear the thickness in the air. Sima Shi clears his throat uneasily before reluctantly handing me the flowers, slightly wilted, but sweet nonetheless.

"I can no longer resist your charms. I'm powerless in the face of you my destiny." My breath hitches in my throat, thrown off my the unusual amount of sentiment and sincerity in his voice. It's obvious he's been practicing this for a while. He pauses and bites his lip before resuming hesitantly.
"Please, will you allow me to touch you? Let me know when we meet again." And with that, Sima Shi, my admirer, leaves me standing in the swirl of beautiful cherry blossoms.
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AN: Sorry this took so long!! Sima Shi's confession in the last scene was from his love confession scene in DW8 Empires, I take no credit for those lines. More chapters coming up soon!