Aftermath (A series of ELOD one-shots)

XXXVII. What If

A/N: Pillow talk. Or, the bedtime stories exchanged by our honeymooners.

Because, haven't you always wondered what if?

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"Smile, it's your wedding day."*

The air shifted as dark, unfathomable eyes flicked from the gates of Taichen Palace to the teasing face of His Third Highness Liansong. A gust of wind, so out of place in the ever-pleasant, bright weather of Jiuchongtian, blew from nowhere to mess with the Third Prince's hair and robes.

Being an intelligent immortal -- one does not get to stay around Donghua Dijun without being such -- His Third Highness understood the warning and clamped his mouth shut, making a zipping motion across his lips for emphasis.

At the palace gates, a wedding procession approached. The bride's palanquin, fully bedecked as befitting the future Dihou, towered over the gathered immortals like a red and gold flower, its curtains fluttering and swaying with every careful step that the carriers took. There was a collective rustle as the dozen or so immortals in attendance - a small and exclusive group given the honor to welcome Dijun's bride - straightened their robes and cleared their throats in anticipation.

The bridal palanquin arrived and was set down. But before anyone could move, a black ball of fury zipped from the sky, felled the carriers with a few powerful swipes of his sword, and swooped in between the curtains that covered the palanquin's door. The bride was pulled out, wedding veil and all, and a small struggle ensued, much to the shock of the assembled guests.

There was a shriek, a flash of something red, and the wedding veil fell to the ground with a loud clank. From beneath the pool of red silk came a shudder and small growls of fury, and then the expensive puddle of cloth was torn apart to reveal a nine-tailed fox, her fur a splendid shade of scarlet, the soft downy fur of her tummy and the tips of her paws a snowy white.

The black ball of fury pulled the hood of his black cloak off his head, revealing the pinched brows and furious eyes of a confused Green Demon Lord Yan Chiwu. "What the hell?! A fox?"

From the gathering of flabbergasted guests, Lord Cheng'yu gasped, Star Lord Siming paled, and Chief Steward Zhonglin frowned. Third Prince Liansong, as the wedding officiator and hence the primary party responsible to keep the peace, acted quickly and with his fan, threw a spell that bound Yan Chiwu's arms with magical ropes, and his lips with a magical seal.

His Third Highness then walked over to the adorable ball of fur still growling on the ground, peered closely, and said with furrowed brows, "You are --"

The nine-tailed fox stopped growling. Dewy eyes tipped with long lashes grew wide, and the tiny paws took one, two steps back, before she turned tail and sprinted off.

Both Lord Chengyu and Star Lord Siming raised their hands to conjure an invisibility shield in a desperate attempt to aid the little fox, at the same time that the Third Prince cast a blocking spell to halt her escape. None of them, however, were a match for Donghua Dijun, who in a blink of an eye had deflected their combined sorceries and transported himself on the path of the runaway fox, cutting off her escape route.

The little fox yelped, narrowly avoided collision with Dijun's legs, and steered off course -- straight into the waters of the nearby koi pond.

There was a big splash, a great deal of wading and cursing, and from the pond emerged a young goddess of exquisite beauty -- ivory-smooth skin, hair as black as night, lips the shade of ripe cherries, and limpid, dark eyes that held a spark of inimitable fire. On her icy forehead was a birthmark in the shape of a phoenix blossom in half-bloom, as scarlet as the fur of her animal skin, a perfect finishing touch to her calamitous beauty.