(A/N: And now the plot thickens. Maybe. Just read it, ok? )

"Master Zhongda!" Zhang He almost yelled, sprinting around a corner and smack into his aforementioned boss.

"Junyi. Breathe. Yes, I heard about our young lord. In fact, I saw him."

"So it's true, then?"

"Yes. Although I must admit he revealed himself sooner than I expected. That could be a dangerous development..."

"Well, I- you- that... It'll be fine. He's just another Cao. It's not like any of them can outthink you! You are the most brilliant and amazing and-"

"Junyi. Enough of that. I ... I would rather you didn't drown me in ill-deserved compliments at this point. I will welcome them once my plans are not on the border of failure!" Both of them were pretty sure they could hear the scare chords at that one.

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Word spread quickly enough. By the time everyone could be gathered in the throne room for an emergency meeting, Ang's return was common knowledge. In case it wasn't, people were yelling, across the room to get their stories straight with one another. Princess Wu was awake again, shaky and pale. Pi was taking his worries out on his little brother, Zhi, who was trying to look dignified while flailing around in a half-nelson. Cao Cao himself slouched on his throne, looking like he would give anything to make someone else make the speech. Yi hovered nervously beside him, shooting surreptitious glances at Ang, who stood a little apart from everyone else, toying with the pendant he had worn since his arrival.

"Milord," Yi murmured, "Why- what happened to your forehead?" His eyes widened at the sight of the thin trickle of blood almost hidden by his commander's helmet.

"I tried to concuss myself with a column. It didn't help. I still have to leave the kingdom to one of those idiots. You are still plotting against me - don't try to argue that one, really. I still have no chance of actually uniting anything before I die. Heaven still seems to have it in for me, if that bastard is anything to go by and-"

"Pardon me, sir, but what 'bastard'?" Yi felt a prickle of fear. Somehow, something about that had put him on edge. He glanced again toward Prince Ang, who refused to meet his eyes. Cao Cao hesitated before speaking, and gestured for Yi to lean closer.

"He's called Horn, I think. He... he has been following me around for a while- vanishes every time I try to call for anyone..." Cao trailed off.

"So, you are saying that you are being haunted by some kind of mystic?" This was bad. Yi could practically hear his plans collapsing.

"Look, I know what it sounds like," his voice turned pleading, "But you have to believe me."

"... Guo Jia mentioned someone called 'Black Horn' before he died. That's the only reason I do not think you are entirely insane. We will talk about this later. Speech now." With that, Yi faded back into the shadows, watching as Cao Cao gave the most reasonable and honorable explanation for the past day's events that anyone could come up with.

Ang had left off playing with the pendant, giving Yi a split second to see what it was- gleaming spiral of some sort of black material - before the younger man tucked it away under his shirt. Certainly, this was very bad.

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After the meeting, Shang sat on a garden bench, trying to pull herself together. Too much had happened in too short a time.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into the breeze, "I'm so sorry. I will fail you if I haven't already. It's all my fault..." She choked back tears. She could remember Zhou Yu's parting words clearly: "Take care. Do not lose yourself in what is offered to you." She had laughed it off at that point. Now, what she wouldn't give to be home again. Except... Sima Yi's voice echoed in her mind: "Princess, you know they never will see you as an equal. They have sold you away to further themselves. Is that what you want to go crawling back to? You are worth more... So much more..." A gust of cool wind pulled her back to reality.

"Sun Shang Xiang, if you cry, you will fall to his trap," said a man's voice from behind her. She jumped, whirled, reached for a weapon she just realized she hadn't brought, then blinked. The stranger was a gentle-looking old man in the robes of a Taoist sage. Shang swallowed hard and said the most obvious thing one could say when graced with the presence of a mystic.

"Who the hell are you?!"

"My name is Zuo Ci. I am here to guide you, child. The corruption here will harm you if it goes unchecked. You know that." She did. She had felt it from the first moment.

"If you're only here to tell me things I already know, get out!" It had changed her.

"I cannot interfere with mortal affairs directly, child, but I can warn you. You have a pure heart; do not let it be tainted. There are many here who would use you to their own ends. Do not trust them. Only your heart can tell you right from wrong." He made a motion to step away. She grabbed his arm.

"Tell me something actually useful, you bastard!"

"You will find my words useful in time," the sage intoned, with a knowing smile, and vanished.

"Princess Sun!" Shang turned swiftly towards the yell to see Sima Yi actually running down the hill toward her. He looked... worried? Whatever it was, she had never seen that expression on his face.

"Um... What's up?" she asked as he managed to stop, gracefully, at that, a few inches away from her.

"Are you all right...? You look upset. Who was that man?" he asked, scanning the area suspiciously, fingertips resting on the dagger he wore at his belt. The hilt and sheath were decorated and pretty, but Shang could assume the blade was fully functional.

"Uh... Zuo Ci. I think. It's what he said, anyway. Why? Is something wrong?" Shang could feel panic gripping her heart. There had to be something severely wrong to warrant that much of a reaction from from Sima Yi.

Yi took a deep breath and launched into an explanation.

––––––––––

"So you're saying that that guy...?" Shang didn't quite have the words to summarize what she had heard. She got the "magic" part, the "not on our side" part, and the "manipulating stuff" part, but short of that she was lost.

"I suppose. If what I have found out is true, then we all have to be very careful," Yi said with a sigh.

"I can take care of myself!" Shang snapped. The gut feeling that had been bothering her for days threatened to break the surface of her uncaring façade. She clenched her fists and bit back tears.

"... I know, Princess Sun, I know. I just hope you can forgive me for ... worrying? About you..." Yi trailed off; he had been in the process of reaching towards her, but he aborted the gesture as soon as he appeared to realize what he was doing. A faint pink tint marked his high cheekbones. Embarrassment? Shang would have made a witty comment if she had noticed. She would have noticed if his words had not been the final straw for the dangerous mixture of emotions that had been boiling inside of her since her arrival in Wei. Shang wasn't even sure why, but she was sobbing. Yi wasn't sure why, but he pulled her close to comfort her.