A/N: Yes, I'm alive! I know, I know, it's amazing (having not posted a new chapter in twenty thousand days). Anyway, readers should note that italics are either the Song Lyrics (which should be obvious as they're in stanzas) or there for emphasis. Yes, I do use italics for emphasis, although it should be clear which italics are lyrics and which are for emphasis.
Readers should also note that there is a character death, that this is a fanfiction and therefore not canon nor exactly canon-following. For those of you familiar with Zhen Ji's connection to the River Luo, you'll notice that I've modified it so that the writer of the famous poem is Sima Yi, not Cao Zhi. For those of you unfamiliar with the connection, I recommend looking up Zhen Ji in Wikipedia, as that's where I got most of my information.
I am aware that in DW6, Sima Yi doesn't use a black feather fan anymore. This is set in DW5 universe, as Cao Pi is a character, and Sima Yi still uses a fan.
Also, this is a one-shot. I may consider writing a sequel in the future, although it's very unlikely given how this fic ends. Although if anyone has any ideas for a sequel, I'd love to hear them!
On another note, for anyone not up to date on the status of Prank War (which has not been updated in over a year), it is not dead. I've recently finished completely editting the fic so now it is (hopefully) less corny and cheesy and lame and generally bad. I'm actually quite proud of it now, and the next chapter is coming along, so don't give up! It's on its way, and soon, Prank War will be revived.
Disclaimer: The characters in this story were real people during the Three Kingdoms Period or Age of Disunity in China. Koei holds copyright over costumes, weapons, items, et cetera. It does NOT have a copyright on anything else because the horses were real, the characters were real, and the places were real. The Song Lyrics and the song itself belong to Alice Cooper and Groove Coverage, which did a dance edition of Alice Cooper's song "Poison". The plot belongs to me.
Now, on with the story!
He was watching her. She just knew it, could feel his gaze piercing through her to her very soul. By his side, she knew, was the Black Feather fan he carried around to emphasize his genius, comparing himself to the famed Zhuge Liang of Shu.
She'd always found something odd about that fan, like how its supposedly stiff feathers would rustle ominously although there was no breeze and the fan itself was lying innocently on the table.
Your cruel device
Your blood, like ice
The strategist himself was an enigma. He was brilliant, no one could deny that. But he never spoke unless spoken to, and tended to just stand still, observing everything with cold, glittering eyes.
One look could kill
My pain, your thrill
He was also attractive, although he seemed ignorant of the fact. She'd often speculated as to how in China he was still a bachelor, when his achievements and fame should have attracted ambitious ladies to him like a flock of birds around a single bread crumb. She should know; shortly after arriving in Wei, she too felt his pull.
I wanna love you but I better not touch
I wanna hold you but my senses tell me to stop
It was wrong, she knew. Cao Pi had brought her here, to his home to be his bride. She was already slightly uncomfortable about leaving her husband Yuan Xi on such short notice. How could she, after leaving her husband for another man, leave the man she'd run off with for another?
I wanna kiss you but I want it too much
I wanna taste you but your lips are venomous poison
Bad news. That was exactly what the strategist was. Very bad news. The type that you know is bad for you, though you still run towards it like it will save your life. But she couldn't leave Pi. Not so soon. Not for him.
You're poison running through my veins
You're poison, I don't wanna break these chains
"Lady Zhen, may I have a word?"
Her heart thudded loudly in her chest. "Of course." She was scared, so scared, but so excited. What did he want? Her mind was screaming at her to beware, this man was dangerous, this man was not to be trusted, this man was not her husband.
Your mouth, so hot
Your web, I'm caught
Heat, heat spreading through her body from his lips pressed against hers, from his tongue dancing an arcane dance with her own, from his chest pressed against her, to her fingers, winding themselves in his luxurious hair, pulling him closer, closer than she'd ever been with a man.
Your skin, so wet
Black lace on sweat
More, more, more, she couldn't get enough, she was drowning, she was dying, and she didn't care so just shut up and stop thinking!
And then he was gone. Gasping for breath, she leaned against the wall she been pressed up against, wondering if he was just some errant dream.
A tickle against her neck. Reaching up to brush it away, she felt something soft. A small black feather.
I hear you calling and it's needles and pins
I wanna hurt you just to hear you screaming my name
He didn't seek her out for days. She felt herself going insane waiting, waiting for some sign, some stray emotion on his face to tell her it wasn't a dream. All the time, waiting for him to make a move, waiting desperately to feel him again, and wanting to hurt him very much for making her wait.
Don't wanna touch you but you're under my skin
I wanna kiss you but your lips are venomous poison
Late at night, sleeping beside her husband, she felt her heart break. Her husband, the one who loved her, who rescued her from the trap of the Yuans, and she was betraying him for his right hand man, for a man who could be the devil himself. For a man she loved, but would never tell of her love.
You're poison running through my veins
You're poison, I don't wanna break these chains
No, no, he was nothing. He was a stray mark, a schoolgirl crush, a dark attraction, but nothing more. Her husband was the heir, the future emperor, a knight who would stop at nothing to realize his ambition, and handsome enough in his own right. She could not, would not betray him further. This had to end.
Running deep inside my veins
Poison burning deep inside my veins
He was watching her again. Watching and waiting, like always, always watching and waiting and making her want to scream. He was toying with her, she knew. He must have discovered her attraction to him, used it to his advantage, and was waiting to observe her reaction. The blackmail letter would probably be arriving soon.
One look could kill
My pain, your thrill
And damn him, knowing this, she still wanted him, wanted him to push her against another wall in a dark sinister chamber, wanted him to rip the clothing from her skin, wanted to feel his heat warming her inside and out.
She wanted him. And she cursed herself for wanting him.
I wanna love you but I better not touch
I wanna hold you but my senses tell me to stop
He was dangerous. It's always the quiet ones, and he was too quiet, too observant, too dangerous.
And he was not her husband
I wanna kiss you but I want it too much
I wanna taste you but your lips are venomous poison
"I know you love him."
She was silent. What could she say?
"…I loved you."
She bowed her head sorrowfully. She had known. And she had selfishly not cared.
A soft hiss. She stared at the blade shining sinisterly in his hand.
"You or me, Lady Zhen."
She closed her eyes, willing back tears. Such a good man, her husband. He still loved her, even then, enough to give her the option of killing him and freeing herself.
She took the blade with a steady hand.
You're poison running through my veins
You're poison, I don't wanna break these chains
He found her body by the Luo River, along with the blood-stained blade grasped tightly in her hand, even in death. He wrapped her in a silk blanket, and buried her there, on the banks of the river.
That night, after returning to his home, he wrote a poem dedicated to the goddess of the Luo River.
That night, he grieved for the first time in his life, for his life, for his love, for his
Poison
As always, reviews muchly appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed!
Dracling Unicorn