I do not own DW or any affiliated products, this was written for pleasure only.

The place was quiet… stagnant. It gave Da an uneasy feeling and she glanced around, for the seventh time, to make absolutely sure she and her sister were indeed alone. Her eyes could spot no one, but that didn't mean no one was there. Next to her Xiao, her younger sister, leaned almost desperately forward, as though she were about to leap at the house they were watching. Da laid a calming hand upon her sister's forearm and narrowed her eyes at the small dwelling. The fishermen they had been hired to assassinate had yet to make an appearance, though Da knew very well that he was there. The air smelled of him, fish laced with alcohol and sex. Xiao gave another jerking movement and Da allowed her attention to waver towards her.

"Quiet yourself Xiao, or do you want us to be found out." It wasn't a question, merely a statement designed to force the younger girl's attention away from dangerous territory. Xiao had a habit of jumping the gun and it had gotten them into trouble before.

The honey haired teenager gave a strangled mewl, her eyes widening, "I have a bad feeling about this Da. Let's just do it and get it over with. Please!" She fidgeted and bit at her nails.

Da shook her head no, "If you have a bad feeling Xiao, it only means you have to be more careful than usual, lest you make a mistake that it would cost dearly to fix." Her gaze drifted back to the house, there was still no visible sign of the man, but she could hear the tinkling of bells riding on the wind. He was there, now it was only a matter of waiting for their chance.

The back of Da's neck prickled, she was sure someone was watching them. But if only she could see them.

"Screw this!" Before her elder sister could stop her Xiao was on her feet and running silently towards the house. She wanted the job over so she could rid herself of the terrible feeling in her gut. Something shifted in her peripheral vision and almost as quickly as it came it was gone, replaced instead by five very visible men.

Men with weapons.

'Damn it!' Xiao's mind hissed at her as she slid her fighting fans from her waist and ran to meet the threat.

"Xiao, sister no!" Da shot up as the men surrounded her sibling and yanked her own fans free of their constraints. Xiao was already fighting them off, but the men had more skill then Da would have guessed. It would be too much for her sister to handle, too much for her to handle. Letting a yell of challenge escape her lips, Da cut down one man in her way, his fallen body left enough room for her to reach Xiao.

The two stood back to back as the enemy tightened their circle around them, it looked hopeless. The brunette scanned the men; they were dressed in black, but from one of their tunics peeked a strip of red. She gasped… Wu soldiers. Yes, Xiao had gotten them into more trouble than they had skill to pay for. In an instant she made up her mind.

"Xiao, baby sister, when I say run, you run. Do you understand?" She felt, more then saw Xiao nod her head. Good, as long as she was cooperating then she might be able to save at least one of them. Taking a deep breath Da launched herself at two of the men, her force and their surprise rendered them to the ground.

"RUN!" Needing no extra incentive, Xiao leapt over the hole her sister created and fled into the hills, she got no more than a few yards before she realized her sister was not behind her. Turning, she saw that two of the men had her pinned and another was advancing slowly, like one might approach a sleeping tiger, or a cornered animal. Gasping with fear Xiao started to go back, she couldn't leave her there to die. She simply couldn't.

In a way that only sisters could, Da sensed Xiao returning. She looked up, her eyes locking with the honey blonde's. "GO! Please, run!" Her eyes were wild and beseeching; let her sister have sense for once. Let her understand the gift she was given. Xiao seemed torn; one foot was lifted in the air, her face a mask of warring emotions. She took another step towards Da.

"Please…" Da mouthed, trying to convey her intentions with her eyes alone. Xiao trembled and backed away. Slowly at first and then turning to break out in a run. Da sighed her relief and then steeled herself to face her death. Never let it be said she was a coward.

"Alright gentlemen, all wounds in the front, I'll not have it said I died running away." She glared at one of the masked figures, the one that seemed to her to be the leader of the group. He cocked his head to one side and then began to laugh. Da seethed and kicked up with one leg, startling the men holding her enough so that they loosened their grips. It was all she needed. Twisting herself around, she slid her fans across both their throats, decapitating one and deeply wounding the other. She stood to face the next of her opponents and froze.

Something was odd. Looking down she saw that something cold and metal was protruding from her chest. She smiled, her red lips contorting her face into something unnatural.

The man in front of her had long brown hair; it hung loosely around his shoulders. His arm was extended almost all the way, pushing his sword into her. Her breath caught and she stumbled, forcing even more of her body to swallow the sword. She looked into the man's eyes and gave him what she felt passed as a grateful look.

"All the wounds in the front." And her world went black.

Zhou Yu caught the girl as she fell. She couldn't have been more than seventeen, and it pained him to kill her. Her features were softer in death, as they were lacking that cold intelligence attributed to most assassins. She had dark hair, almost black, that she had tied in a braid at the nape of her neck, her eyes, which were still open, were a deep brown. Lifeless now, though they had once contained the spark of life. He cradled her weight against him, and stood.

"Well, Sun Ce. What do you suggest we do with the body? We can't simply leave it here. Shall we bury her at the palace?" A broad man strode towards him, pulling off his mask as he went. His face was square and masculine, and rough patches of a beard grew over his jaw. Zhou Yu hoped he'd shave it soon. His friend gazed down at the girl and he made a grunt that Zhou Yu supposed was meant to mean something significant. He wouldn't know, however, as he had never been fluent in grunts.

"She's pretty, why'd you have to kill'er?" Sun Ce knocked shoulders with the strategist and smiled. She really was. If he had seen her on the street he would have made her his wife. As it stood, she had tried to kill him, something very off putting. And yet, it had also been slightly arousing in a way. Perhaps it was the sight of a dangerous woman that had his heart beating so fast. But, that was no way to think of the dead. He shook himself free of the thought and smiled again at Zhou Yu, who was giving him a glare that could shatter glass.

"That is no way to speak of the departed, Ce. The least you can do is show her the respect of a warrior that she has earned."

"She was an assassin, Yu, not a warrior. I'm surprised you can't tell the difference. Being the smart one and all"

"She had the skill to be a warrior, and so I will treat her as such. Even if you won't." Sun Ce rolled his eyes; Zhou Yu could be so dramatic when the mood took him.

"Will it stop your complaining if I say we'll bring her along and bury her at the palace?" He asked.

"It would be a start."

"Fine, then let's go get Gan Ning and pack up. Just throw her in the back or something." The Little Conqueror ducked into the house before Zhou Yu could make up with obstinacies to use.

"Mai, Ji! Hurry quick, it's Da, please!" Xiao ran through the halls of the Guild, pounding on any door she could see. Eventually she would make enough ruckus to wake the household. Not that she thought Madame Qian or Elizabeth ever slept.

"What is all the fuss?" A tall woman stood behind her. Her round eyes were the first thing one noticed about her, large and blue sitting just above her proud, beak-like nose. Her hair was long and willowy, just as she was and it was the most delicate shade of brown Xiao had ever encountered.

"Xiao, what is the matter?" For a moment the younger Qiao concentrated on the way her accent cut her words short, and put long pauses in places there shouldn't be one. It calmed her enough so that she wouldn't break out in hysterics the second she opened her mouth.

"It's Da. I didn't mean to leave her. I was trying to go back, but my feet wouldn't let me. She wouldn't let me! At the fisherman's house, the one hidden underneath the drop off, we were ambushed, because I was impatient. You have to understand she made me leave!" Her voice escalated to a shriek at the end and she gripped Elizabeth's dress as though it was her only anchor in a stormy sea. The woman gave her a stare and gently pushed her away. She held Xiao at arm's length and peered deep into her eyes.

"Xiao, I do hate to be the one to break what is undoubtedly bad news, but if your sister sent you away it was more likely than not to save your life. Try to remember her eyes. Did they seem hopeful to you?" Elizabeth nodded and turned to leave, with her hand on her door she turned, a sad look marring her features.

"I wouldn't wait up."

A dry sob tore itself from her then, forcing her to fall to her knees with the weight that had been placed upon her. Da's eyes. There had been no hope in them. And no fear. They were empty, and resigned. And they would haunt Xiao's nightmares for the rest of her life.

And then, just as suddenly the sadness was gone. And anger rose in her instead. How dare they take away from her the only thing she had left?

The scream, when it came, crawled from her throat pushing past the pain and the horror of what she knew, leaving only a white hot rage. A fury so solid that she felt as though she could reach out and mold it with her hands. It filled her with more strength then she thought was possible to posses. And she would use that strength to hunt those bastards down.

Every last one of them.

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