OMG, OMG, OMG, I CANNOT BELIEVE THE AMOUNT OF REVIEWS I GOT FOR THE LAST CHAPTER! I don't think I remember ANYONE getting like 60 REVIEWS IN JUST A MONTH! THANK YOU ALL SO VERY VERY MUCH! I loved them all enough to putting updating this fanfic first:P. Even though I know I didn't make anything great happen in the last chapter, I'm still THRILLED you did not abandon me! lol, You guys are probably thinking "HURRY UP AND MAKE WITH THE FLUFF ALREADY!" right about now... Well, if you are, I don't blame you! Seriously, I think I need to get a move on and bring back what everyone likes most about this story. So I think I'm gonna get right onto that! But I'm just afraid of rushing it, so I think I'll take it one step at a time. Thanks for all your patience! Anyways, here's chapter 26.

Enjoy!

"Yay! Ce's back, just like he promised," Xiao Qiao sang joyfully to no one in particular, as she skipped out the mansion's doors and into the sun to meet her friend.

"What took you so long?" she pouted after giving him a welcoming hug. "I've been waiting three whole days, Ce!"

Sun Ce laughed as he ruffled her hair.

"Sorry about that, squirt. I just got held up alot."

"Really? By what?"

"Your future husband."

Xiao immediately demonstrated several retching noises.

"Yuck! Do not call him that. It gives me the creeps!"

Ce laughed again.

"Exactly," he said mischievously, as he led the way into the manor. "Think I could rest for a sec? It's been a long ride."

Strangely, it seemed much more homely and much less foreboding now that he knew Xiao and a handful of pleasant servants were the only ones living in it... Well, for the moment at least. Beside him, just as he'd expected, Xiao was bouncing about and bombarding him with questions.

"So what's been going on, Ce? Did anything interesting happen? Are you having fun? How's Sis? And what's Wei like? Do you like it there? Are they being nice to you?"

Just then, Ce heard the sound of light, approaching footsteps and turned to see the young, sweet-faced maid he'd met not three days before. She was making her way towards him and smiling warmly.

"Good day, Lord Sun Ce," she greeted him in the same breathless way as before. She appeared slightly crimson as she bowed before him. "If you would permit me to say so, it is simply wonderful to see you back!"

"You too, Hui," Ce replied, grinning when she flushed even more deeply at his mention of her name.

Xiao giggled into his elbow. Apparently, this sort of behavior from her maid wasn't new to her.

"Is- is there anything we can bring you, Sire? Anything at all?" Hui struggled to ask him normally.

Ce was just about to refuse, when he caught sight of Xiao's imploring face. Clearly, she wanted him to eat something at her house for once. After all, he'd been the one who'd taken so much care of her a year ago, and she felt she owed it to him to do the same. Not that he felt the same way- it had been his and Zhou Yu's pleasure back then.

"A couple dozen meat buns would be great," he told Hui.

"Of course, Sire," she said, bowing low once more before hurrying away, probably to the kitchens, Ce supposed.

Xiao was still fighting back laughter.

"It's fun watching that," she managed to say between snorts. "She's so cute when you're around."

"Yeah, aren't they all," Ce muttered, used to girls melting at the very sight of him. Jeez, couldn't they give him a break?

"I like her, though," he assured Xiao. "She doesn't do it the way alot of others do."

"I know, doesn't that get to you after a while?"

Ce laughed.

"You have no idea."

Xiao scoffed.

"Believe me, I do."

Ce thought about that.

"Yeah, I guess you do," he decided finally. Xiao was so beautiful, he knew there was probably no one else who could understand this particular situation of his better.

"So c'mon! Tell me what happened," she whined, as they took the same seats two days back.

"Well..." Ce began, then stopped. He turned up his palms. Where to start? Had things been going better for him or worse? Or nowhere? It was hard for him to decide that. "Well, nothing much, I guess. I mean, nothing too terrible."

"Anything too wonderful?" Xiao prodded eagerly.

Ce gave her a wistful smile.

"Nah."

Xiao's face fell. Then she attempted a scowl at him. It was meant to be a fierce one, but in her case, just made her look cuter.

"You know why? Because you're not even trying! Come on, Ce, you don't think Sis is just gonna run into your arms, do you? You need to show her how much you still care!"

"You act like it's so easy," Ce retorted.

"Well, it is, once you get past all the... the past!"

"Which I really can't, alright?"

They glowered at each other for a few seconds. Suddenly, Xiao let out a sigh.

"This is gonna be harder than I thought," she muttered. "What am I going to do with you? So much for being all cute," she continued in annoyance.

That was what was needed to break the tension.

"Since when were you an expert on this stuff?" Ce laughed.

"Since you resigned. Now hurry up and tell me what's been going on, they'll probably be wondering where you are."

"It's no rush, Xiao. I said I was going to be out hunting. They aren't expecting me for a while."

"Oh, good! Then we have time for some fun," Xiao said excitedly, and even clapped her hands together twice for good measure.

"That's right, we do," said Ce amused, glad that he could give Xiao some company after her being so lonely for so long. It was nice spending time with his friend. It gave him a feeling of happiness, even as he knew how complicated his life was getting to be. Yet something told him he'd better get used to it, because he sensed that it was going to get alot more so pretty soon. He and Xiao spoke about many things to pass the time, things that neither worried nor upset either of them. Xiao wanted to know how all the friends she'd made in Wu were doing- from Sun Shang Xiang to Huang Gai. She absolutely screamed in delight when Ce informed her that Shang Xiang was now more feminine than before, and that Taishi Ci had adopted a fragile kitten he'd saved from drowning, which was now causing him to have a more gentle and soft-spoken manner. Xiao was thrilled to hear that Gan Ning was developing such strong feelings for Shang Xiang, and that Ling Tong no longer seemed to exactly loathe him. And when Ce gave her the news about Lu Xun taking on the challenge of becoming Wu's Junior Strategist, and being considered a successor to Lu Meng, she was simply overjoyed.

Presently, Hui returned with a large platter full of the steaming meat buns Ce had requested. They were as delicious as any Ce had ever tasted. He was therefore very generous with his compliments to both Xiao and Hui. The former merely laughed and said it was nothing, accepting his gratitude with a little wave of her hand; while the latter, however, fumbled and stammered, and couldn't even seem to express the proper polite sentiments. This entertained Xiao very much.

When the nerve-wracked, blushing maid was finally able to excuse herself, Ce and Xiao enjoyed a good laugh.

"So tell me now," Xiao finally managed to say, her eyes sparkling with mirth, "How's Sis?"

"She's just fine," said Ce earnestly. "Really. There's no need for you to worry about her at all, Xiao."

"How are you getting on?"

"She's been... nice," was the curt reply. Which was true. Da Qiao had been treating him with nothing but the most gracious sort of hospitality for the past several days. She was careful to make him feel like the honored guest he was, gave him the proper amount and form of company, and was always very pleasant around him. But, despite all that, he simply couldn't relate her to the sweet, lovely young lady she'd been a year ago. Her kindness to him had a different character to it. It wasn't portrayed in the same manner at all. "We spend some time together. Sometimes. We've had tea every morning since I've been there. So, four times, I guess."

"Is she still... you know? How she used to be before?" Xiao asked softly, searching Ce's face for a reaction.

Ce hesitated.

"Being engaged's probably a big deal to her, Xiao," he said finally, deliberately not answering her question. "It's hard to stay the same when you're... going through something like that."

He averted Xiao's eyes.

Xiao sighed again.

"Ce, why can't you just let go of everything?" she whispered, sorrow in her gaze. "Is it so hard for you to reach out to Sis again? The way that you always could before?"

Ce didn't answer.

"What could have happened?" Xiao suddenly asked, more forcibly than before. "What could Sis have said to you that day that's made you so cold towards her, Ce? Why can't you tell me?"

When she received no reply, Xiao whispered,

"Have you even told anyone?"

"I don't wanna talk about this," Ce murmured, without even looking at her.

For a moment, Xiao felt like forcing him to tell her anyway, but then, wisely decided against it, and merely nodded.

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two of them for a few minutes.

Then, Xiao broke it.

"Um... Ce?" she timidly, waiting for him to look at her before proceeding.

To her relief, when he raised his head, he was smiling.

"What's up, squirt?" he said, more like his playful self. At that, Xiao smiled too, more relaxed.

"Well, I was wondering... about... well..."

"Go on."

"It's... well... Ce, couldn't you... could you... tell me if there's any way I can... well, see Yu again?"

There was such hope on her face, such longing in her eyes, and such earnest in her voice, it pained Ce's heart.

"Xiao," he began, then stopped. How was he going to break this to her?

He tried again.

"Xiao, trust me, I would do anything I could to help you see him, it's just... well, Yu has no idea about any of this. He would have come with me to Wei, and if he had, he would have known about everything, and everything would have been cool. Well, cooler, at least. He could probably have helped us out. But he couldn't make it, because he just started going through this huge trial-process test thing, to become the Grand Strategist of Wu. He and Xun are holed up in the North Tower right now, working their heads off for days. Maybe weeks. We hardly even see him anymore. This is all he ever wanted, Xiao. He's been training five years for it, he just can't get distracted right now. I'm never gonna admit this to his face, not in a million years, but I don't think I could ever forgive myself if I ruined his chances. And, well... that's why... I mean, you understand, don't you?" he pleaded.

Ce knew it was no good trying to comfort Xiao. Instead, he waited while she wiped her eyes.

"It's okay," she said thickly. "I couldn't forgive myself either."

Ce smiled.

"Smart of you, rugrat."

Xiao hiccoughed her laugh.

"Do you know when he'll be done with all this?"

"I wish I did, Xiao. It's hard to say. All I know is that he'd have to be damn smart to get done anytime soon."

Xiao attempted a watery smile, then abandoned the effort.

"I miss him," she said sadly.

"I know you do. I'll bet he does, too."

"Well, will you promise to tell him everything about this as soon as you know he's finished? And make him go to Wei immediately?"

"Poisoned arrows couldn't stop me," he promised, laughing when she gasped at his words in horror.

They chatted for a while longer, then Ce decided he'd best be going back to Wei, because the journey was very lengthy, and it was nearly noon. Hunting only took so long. He figured that if he galloped at top speed, he would make it back in time before sundown, and there would be no suspicions or questions directed at him.

Having said goodbye to Xiao, and attempting to do the same to Hui, who refused to meet eye-contact with him due to bashfulness, Ce departed. His last view of the Qiao Manor was Xiao waving to him merrily from the doors.

"Barely made it," Ce muttered to himself, slightly weary as he fastened his horse in the Royal Stables of Wei hours later. "I keep this up, and I'll be caught in five minutes flat."

Apparently unconcerned, the stallion nudged its master with its nose for some of the fresh hay which lay just out of its reach.

"Now? It's not even feeding time yet, you hog."

The horse glared up at Ce balefully. He wasn't the one who'd feasted on a rich platter of meat buns not too long ago, was he?

Ce laughed.

"Alright, alright," he conceded cheerfully. "You don't have to gimme that look of yours. It creeps me out."

Bending over, he proceeded to gather several handfuls of the coarse, mustard-colored straws.

"Lord Sun Ce?"

Ce nearly fell over into the hay at the sound of the soft, all-too-familiar voice. Why, why did she have to come now?

"Lady Da Qiao," he greeted her loudly, before even facing her.

"What a, uh... pleasant surprise?"

Da Qiao looked surprised herself... and a little too curious than was harmless.

"I was not aware that you visited the stables often, Lord Sun Ce."

Her tone was not hostile or even accusing, but polite. She was merely making a statement to initiate a proper conversation.

Ce, however, wary as he was, assumed the defensive position.

"I didn't know you visited here, either."

"Oh, I do beg your pardon. Perhaps I should have mentioned it earlier."

Immediately, Da was contrite.

Ce felt guilt spreading through his body again. Did she have to keep doing that? It was driving him nuts.

He took a deep breath.

"Actually, I really don't," he admitted. "This is the first time I've been in here." Even though the second part of what he said wasn't exactly true, it still felt good to own up to something.

Da nodded in comprehension.

"I see," she answered. "Well, I usually come here whenever I can," she offered. "I like to see the horses. I find them to be very sweet and friendly creatures. Do you not agree, Lord Sun Ce?"

"I do indeed," Ce mumbled, averting Da's eyes. He was getting fairly used to the ridiculous way she spoke now. It still pricked at his patience, but it was growing easier to deal with.

He watched as she rolled up her sleeves, fetched a pail of potato slops from the side, and, seating herself on a stool, began to feed a little chestnut foal from it.

After a few minutes, Ce broke the silence.

"You, er, do this all the time, huh? Lady Da Qiao?"

"Whenever I can," she repeated. "It passes the time. And I enjoy myself while doing it."

"You must get pretty bored then," he said under his breath, much more to himself. He looked at her again. She hadn't heard him. The foal still commanded her attention.

Come on, he urged himself. Make an effort. You heard Xiao.

He exhaled. He'd no idea what to do. If only Da was the same as she used to be, there could have been so much that they could have done together, so many things he could have come up with. But now all that was no use.

Ce's horse suddenly gave an impatient neigh. Ce'd been keeping him waiting for too long.

Ce jumped slightly, startled.

Looking at his hands, he noticed that he still had some hay clutched in them, and the animal had been trying to get a bite of it for minutes.

"Sorry about that, bud," he said, apologetically, holding the hay out to the annoyed stallion.

After giving an indignant snort, it bent its head to satisfy its hunger, grudgingly allowing its master to do the honors.

Da laughed softly, watching the scene.

"Is he yours?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Ce, momentarily forgetting that this was the very horse on which Da had ridden with him, the very horse who'd been with him when he first met her, the very horse who'd accompanied him into battle when he'd rescued her, the very horse who taken the two of them to Chang Jiang River so many times...

"He is beautiful," Da said with so much sincerity in her voice, that Ce suddenly remembered it all. Of course! Glancing at his warhorse, Ce saw that it was much too busy stuffing its face greedily to notice Da. But Ce knew that this was the only way he could be absolutely certain...

Turning to Da, he said it very carefully.

"Would you... like to feed him?"

Da's face changed. She looked more eager than before.

"Oh, may I?" she asked, somewhat breathlessly, staring at the magnificent beast. Or, it would have looked magnificent without all the... food-consumption.

"Sure," said Ce, taking care to keep his voice light and casual. "He wouldn't hurt a fly. Well, unless it really bugs him."

But Da hadn't listened. She stood up, smoothing her long dress and daintily picked her way up to them.

Wordlessly, Ce held out some of the hay out to her and stepped back watching and waiting with bated breath.

Da looked up at the beast, offering it its next mouthful.

At first, the horse was simply going to dive right into it like before. Then it stopped. It sniffed at the hay. It hesitated. Sniffed again. Pulled back. Its muscles suddenly tensed. Slowly, very, very slowly, it turned its eyes on Da.

The girl was standing very still, lips slightly parted, eyes wide... barely breathing as she watched the animal. Ce's horse bent down and sniffed her hair. At once, a spark of knowledge sprang into its eyes. It was her! The horse let out a powerful neigh immediately, rearing up on its hind legs and shaking back its long black mane in delight.

Da whipped around to look at Ce, her face and eyes radiant with joy.

"I think he actually recognizes m-" she cried, then suddenly caught herself just in time when she saw the look on Ce's face. She clapped her hand over her mouth, dropping all the hay to the ground.

"I... I..." she said weakly, looking terrified.

"Da?" Ce whispered, his voice full of emotion and his eyes laden with hope. "Da, is it really you?"

She shook her head jerkily, several times, backing away from him.

But Ce wasn't letting this go that easily. Reaching her in just a few steps, he held her wrist and pulled her close.

"Look at me," he whispered, "Please, Da. Look at me. Let me see you, let me-"

Da shook her head repeatedly, refusing to meet eyes with him.

"No," she was saying. "I... I beg of you, I... Please, please, let me go, I must- I cannot-"

"Yes! Yes, you can," Ce cut her off urgently. His hands seized her shoulders, pulling her closer and ignoring her struggles. "You can, Da. It really is you. It has to be! Tell me you remember everything, Da. Please. That's all you've gotta do, and I promise, I'll-"

"Please, try to understand!"

Da looked up at him, and Ce was horrified to see that her eyes were swimming with tears. Her face was desperately pleading with him to let her go. But how could he? His breath caught in his throat for a moment, but ignoring it, he struggled to continue.

"You're the same, Da- you're the same as you used to be, because if you're not, there's no way he could-"

Without warning, Da wrenched herself free from his arms with overwhelming force for a girl of her stature.

Looking up at him, her eyes were suddenly furious.

"Lord Sun Ce, this is outrageous," she exclaimed with ferocity. "How dare you handle me in such a manner? I have a good mind to relate this behavior to my Lord Cao Cao!"

Ce was stupefied.

"I... what-?"

Da's gaze was unwavering, and neither was her voice. Her eyes held no trace of the tears they were full of earlier. What on earth could this mean? What was the matter with her? How could she change so much in such a short moment? Ce was dumbfounded by it all.

"Your actions are unacceptable! I demand an apology at once, Lord Sun Ce. Otherwise, I shall be forced to raise an alarm!"

Ce simply stood there, at a loss for words.

"Did you not hear me?" Da fairly yelled. "I demand an apology! Must I send for your father, Lord Sun Jian? You have very nearly disgraced his noble name!"

Somewhere within Ce's mind, this sentence struck a chord and jogged him to his senses. His father mattered, if nothing else did.

"I'm sorry," he said automatically, barely registering his own words. "I swear, I didn't mean it... Please, forgive me for hurting you... Lady Da Qiao."

At his last words, a sort of calmness and relief spread over Da's features. Her bright green eyes softened, and her posture grew less hostile.

She took a deep breath, and surveyed Ce through carefully. He knew that he looked genuinely guilty. He just wasn't sure if she would believe it.

"Very well, Lord Sun Ce," she said softly, taking him by surprise. "I forgive you this time."

Gathering up her skirts elegantly, she made her way towards the exit. However, when she reached Ce, she stopped.

"But make sure it never happens again," she whispered, before she swept away, leaving Ce alone and quite bewildered.

Zhou Yu stared out the large, lone window of the North Tower. He barely acknowledged Lu Xun's silent snores. The boy had finally succumbed to the waves of sleep about an hour earlier, right after his nightly meal. Aside from his pupil, there was no one there to give him even the slightest bit of company. But strangely enough, even though it gave him a sense of loneliness, he wasn't bitter about it. This sort of thing was becoming routine for him now- waking up, working for over a dozen hours, with a few breaks for food, and then spending any free time he had looking out the window... and thinking of her.

Although what Yu'd told Xun when the latter had hesitantly asked him about Xiao Qiao was perfectly true, he felt that he barely even scraped the surface of his inner, deeper feelings. For Yu had never forgotten about Xiao. Not a day went by when he didn't think of her. Miss her. Wish for her back. For over a year, he'd been hoping and hoping for things to take a turn for the better. He knew well that he was probably the only one who'd held onto his optimism, even after so many days. There was no way he could ever forget her, because he knew he would never want to learn. Even if Xiao couldn't come back into his life, he still found pleasure and joy in thinking of her- reliving all the moments he spent with her brought him nothing but happiness; there was never a time when he hadn't enjoyed her company. Besides, he couldn't have forgotten Xiao even if he tried. He would still dream of her. Not every night- not even too frequently. Just enough to make him smile. And wish. And hope. More and more and more each and every day. They were even repetitive most of the time.

Yu closed his eyes and brought an especially tender one to his memory.

She stood there before him, dimples dancing in her cheeks, and her eyes sparkling with joy. Never had she looked more perfect to him. Never was there a time when she was not perfect. For him, at least. All for him. The gods had sent her to fill his waiting arms forever- arms that were made to hold her, made to keep her safe and warm. He loved to look at her. Loved to be in her mere presence. There was nothing that made him happier than to be with her.

She smiled at him sweetly. Stretching out her hand, she slipped her little fingers in his long, slender ones and drew herself closer to him. She tucked her head into his neck, giggling softly as he pressed kisses to her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair. He wrapped his arms around her waist, gently took hold of her face and tilted her head back to look into her deep, honey-brown eyes. She was so beautiful, and yet, all he wanted to see was how much she loved him. It was right there; everything he felt for her was reflected in her adoring gaze, and it warmed his heart beyond words. She surprised him by raising herself on her tiptoes and placing a kiss on his nose.

"You're not holding me, Yu," she sang softly, staring shyly up at him.

He smiled back at her, hardly believing that this wonderful maiden could truly belong to him.

"I think I'd better fix that," he whispered, drawing her in just so that he could be lost in the bliss of her soft, sweet lips...

Xiao's eyes flew open as she woke up with a start, her heart thumping wildly. The moment she saw where she really was, her heart sank. Tears rolled down her face. Sitting up, she sobbed into her pillow, anguished that she had to awaken just before the moment she'd so been waiting for. This was all she had left of him and her memories of him. Dreams, dreams which were exceedingly vivid, but never satisfying. Something about them kept her going, but another thing about them saddened her so much, it pained her to even think of them. But she wished for them every night. Surely the heavens couldn't deny her a few dreams. And what more could her father take away from her anyway? She wished she hadn't woken up. But what could that mean? Was he thinking of her? Was he awake, too, at this hour? Was he missing her at this very moment as much as she was him? How could she ever find out? What could dreams tell her about him, after all? What would she even get out of believing in them? It was no use. There was no way she could ever see him again. Only in her dreams.

Only in my dreams...

"Why, oh why can't they ever be real?" she cried, giving into her wails harder than ever before, and barely realizing it when Hui and a dozen other handmaids came rushing in to try and pacify her from her grief.

Wow, that was pretty miserable... Sorry about that last scene, guys. I just wanted to input SOME kind of fluff for this chapter, and the dream sequence seemed like the perfect way to do it without messing up the storyline. And besides, I think it fit to have it there. Makes you wanna see them together for REAL, doesn't it? lol. Well, I guess you'll just have to wait for that to happen! I promise you, I will not leave you disappointed! Please remember to review, and I'll be back as quick as I can! Once again, THANK YOU FOR THE AWESOME TON OF REVIEWS! I CAN NEVER, EVER MAKE IT UP TO YOU ENOUGH! lol. Thanks again, everyone. I LOVE YOU ALL!

Please tell me how you liked it! And let me know you were here!