Hallo, 'member me? Sorry for the sudden and LONG absence, a bunch of things have been happening lately. Mainly that I'm losing interest in this fic and I feel it lacks an interesting flow. I reread it myself and I went "What the hell was I thinking?" too many times and I was disappointed by the very minimized diversity of reviewers.

But I missed writing about Jin and all his evilness 3 But I hope you've gotten at least some enjoyment out of this Enjoy.

--

Chapter 37

Love

The Wei Palace, the crypt…

Deep within the dank crypt, the sparsely hung torches had begun to wither without the frequent relighting. The stench of decayed bodies of the forgotten polluted the narrow halls as Ling Ting stood, perplexed. Brackish water seeped through the crevices in the ceiling, landing impeccably on the bridge of his nose. Three red-eyed and grubby little rats scampered by his feet, squeaking and hissing as they wiggled into a fracture in the wall at the dead end Tong had reached. And was only now he wished he had the navigation skills of something as inferior as a rat.

The young general sighed in despair, "C'mon Tong!" He hissed to himself, peered down the endless hall he had come down, "If that kid, that little girl, can figure out where that room is, why can't you?!"

With eager determination he returned down the uneven corridor in haste and when he reached the main keep, the sight of the dead, mangled bodies within the cells made him shutter. But he pressed on passed them, feeling the reek nip at his nose.

--

Meanwhile…

"A beautiful night, don't you agree?" His voice was lethal with malice as he drew his cold fingers over the ebony feathers, "The cries of your lowly servants, almost as exquisite a sound as the cries of the Wei Empress on the night she died"

The perilous evening had descended into a new day and soon the golden sun would rise, shedding light on all that had happened in the black of the night. And then, his goal will have been accomplished; the supreme ambition that he had hungered for, power. Many had died and would die in this conquest, but that was certainly a small price to pay.

"You will not succeed, demon," The feeble Wu Empress murmured with tire and abhorrence. Bound and blinded, she recoiled against a cold wall. Would she be fated to this malevolent demise like the late Zhen Ji, all because of this terrible man? Next to her, her son, lay in a stupor, questioning time and time again as to where he was.

"Silence, pathetic fool!" Sima Yi snapped from where he stood next to the window. However, Sun Quan continued his incoherent mumbling from where he was hunched over next to his mother. Sima Yi smiled though, proud at what he had reduced the Wu Emperor to. The possession Yi had over Quan during the passed months had succeeded splendidly. It had taken little to subdue him.

Now that the trance was broken, the withdrawal had left Quan in a harsh daze.

"What have you done to my son?" Wu demanded venomously, longingly to reach out and take Quan into her arms like she did when he was just a boy. It was agonizing to hear his weeping so clearly, but not being capable to see nor reach out to him.

"You query my brilliance, woman?" inquired the strategist, whose venom was far more potent then the frail Empress'. Then he chuckled, a menacing cackle that sent chills through any who opposed him, "A simple mind is a simple obstacle. He was an effortless host to control"

"You possessed my son?" The fury rising in her ordinarily serene tone; Sun Jian had once referred to her as a majestic tigress he had once seen. Her refinement and beauty was unmistakable, but also her wrath and dedication to her kin was nothing to tamper with. However, the tigress was robbed of her claws now as she struggled with the ties that bound her wrists.

"Damned snake, you will repent for the innocent souls you have deceived and stolen," Wu muttered halfheartedly, certain that he could hear her. She could almost see the grin that was forming on the villainous face.

"Your slander is amusing," He informed her, glancing at Quan who was now groaning at the growing pain in his knee and chest. Surely when Dun and Yuan had thrown him down there, the injuries had suffered indefinably, "Innocent? I think not. Though it is immaterial, those who are unworthy to challenge my intellect merit no clemency"

"…It was you," Wu fumed, more enthused as the realization set in, "Cao Jin was simply a pawn in your vicious sport, an atrocious façade to lure us from the reality!"

"Though slow, you are not as thick as you seem, My Lady," Sima Yi replied sardonically, unfazed by her outburst, "First, the downfall of Wei, and now Wu; I truly impress even myself"

"Why must the innocent suffer; why the loyal citizens of Wei?" Wu could feel the warmth of tears staining the blindfold, "Why my granddaughter?"

"Why, My Lady?" The mockery was as delicious to Yi as it was excruciating to her, "Despite my unparalleled brilliance, do you know why it is so effortless to comprehend even the enigmatic Zhuge Liang?"

Yi fanned himself in boredom, the fascination with her anger growing old, "Sun Jian, Liu Bei, Cao Jin, Lu Xun, even the defiant Lu Bu; All have the same downfall, the same foolish ruin that condemned you to nothing in the end. Love"

Lady Wu pursed her lips, unable to make sense of such absurdity.

"Yes, Love. Perhaps the strangest emotion that seduces even the most stubborn into obedience," Yi stated with a grin, "Like trained dogs, target their love and even the most indomitable become puppets. The moment Lu Bu's cold eyes targeted Diao Chan, he had a weakness. The same for Cao Pi and now the monster has even the resolute Lu Xun running towards his doom. Like a drug, it has one beguiled by the effects"

"How imprudent an analysis!" Wu said through gritted teeth, "Love is sacred, a source of elation that even Lu Bu may have not known until meeting Diao Chan. Perhaps it is you that it has been fooled; a demon, a snake like you, will never know such a privilege"

Suddenly, she didn't realize how close he was until he spoke, "How true," Yi replied, his frightful tone had her back pressed to the wall, "I haven't felt this privilege," He spoke the word with revulsion and all the trivial sarcasm in his voice had vanished, "And those who have, will be writhing in blood; they must feel so undeniably privileged"

--

The Wei Palace, the Emperor's Chamber…

This skirmish had led into the black hours of the morning and yet neither felt tire, nor monotony. But the fight droned on, neither with the upper hand over the other. One with potent ingenuity and the other with furtive vigor and yet such skills meant nothing in this duel. A battle that had long since been prolonged for both, it would be the finale to a deadly resentment.

The prince, steadfast and skilled in swordplay, was persistent in keeping the lethal smirk on his bloodied face. The pain was almost pleasurable now. Insane, perhaps he was, perhaps this harsh world had made him so. He did not fear death; it was always a shadow behind him. Now he felt it closer than ever before, offering peace, but he would not die so easily. Not without taking this foe with him.

But the Wu strategist was beginning to falter; physical combat had never come easily. And the prince was prudent in keeping him struggling, never able to strike.

"I can see you struggle, how intriguing," Cao Jin snapped through a fiendish laugh and his vicious smile.

Under their feet the polished floor was littered with shredded robes and splintered furniture. A lamp was precariously overturned on the floor next to a collapsed tea table. There was a shattered effigy of a phoenix lying in pieces on the floor next to the bed where Xuan still lay in a bloody heap; it seemed to prove the reality of this kingdom's true falling.

Xun was pushed back, pressed against a shaky vanity table as Jin drove his hefty blade down on Xun's saber. The impact shuck the smaller blade, nearly shattering the strategist's wrist and he was forced to let it clatter onto the floor. With the remaining saber held firmly in defense, Xun jutted one sturdy boot into Jin's abdomen and with a howl of surprise, the prince stumbled back.

But Cao Jin lunged again, gleaming canines showing in ferocity and Xun reached behind him for anything on the table that would assist him. He fumbled with a small copper container and when the blade was mere inches from his stomach, Xun slung it into Jin's face. The gaping container sent ashen powder raining into the dark air, stinging the prince's eyes. He howled once again in shock, dropping the blade onto the cluttered floor.

Lu Xun struck empty air as Jin shrewdly evaded and blindly clouted him with the back of his hand. Stricken by the blow, Xun staggered a few feet away from the table.

"Damn you!" Jin growled, reaching for his fallen weapon as he struggled with his footing. He placed one foot on the bulky tea table and shoved it forward. It slid haphazardly and collided with a garlanded armoire as Xun dodged. Jin approached with menacing black eyes and horrid intentions; he slid the tip of his blade through the hook of the lamp on the floor. He held the fractured lantern steadily on the end of the sword as he watched Xun, who was slightly hunched and breathing deeply.

Cao Jin slung the broken lamp into the air and it struck a silken screen broadside. The small flame caught the fabric and engulfed the wide room in a fury of vivid, auburn light. Xun evaded instinctively and Jin charged, his sword clashing with the strategist's. Pressed against the wall as thwarted each of Jin's swings, Xun noticed the gleam of metal from the corner of his eye. He tugged at the hilt of the halberd that was hung for adornment. Jin lunged and his blade dredged into the wood of the wall, stuck.

The halberd loosened and Xun swung it blindly at Jin. It struck him hard across the cheek and he staggered backwards, growling in pain. Crimson blood spattered onto the floor and stained the tip of the halberd as its overwhelming weight forced Xun to drop it. Cao Jin had one hand to his wounded cheek as he lurched away from the awry of dancing flames. Xun rushed at him in contempt with his saber targeting the prince, who stood rigid and braced.

Suddenly, Cao Jin raised his open palm and caught the unyielding saber in his fist. With all his strength, he held it tightly between his hand and it sliced vindictively into his flesh. To Xun's utter surprise, the prince's expression remained stern and before the strategist could respond, he was struck hard at the jaw by Jin's elbow.

Lu Xun stumbled back, releasing the saber and Jin was on him before he could even fall. The prince had the hilt of the saber in his bloody hand now and with a vehement strike left a gaping slash from Xun's shoulder to his abdomen. The slice wasn't deep enough to kill but enough to gain a cry of agony from the general.

The fire roared, eating at the dry fabric of the robes on the floor.

Braced for another blow, Xun was on one knee and had both hands to his bloodied chest. Unarmed and exhausted, he stared down at the burgundy liquid that flooded from under his thin armor, in defeat. The dark prince stood over him, blood dripping from his cheek and onto his tarnished breastplate. His eyes were dark with ambition and he knew the victory he had long awaited was at hand.

Through the crackling of the growing flames, Xun heard him mutter, "Isn't this an interesting site?" His query was fraught with mockery and he devoured the triumph with jubilant hunger. He placed the blade at Xun's throat and lifted his chin to meet his vacant eyes, "Death by your own weapon. You failed her, but do not fret, I'm certain you will be together soon enough"

Xun watched as the blade was raised over his head. And for a moment, time stopped and the memories that had led up to here flooded through his mind for perhaps one final instant. He remember the evening he had met Sun Xuan in the peach garden, on the night he had tried to comfort her after hearing of her father's death. Then he recalled giving her the rose and swearing to avenge her for what Cao Jin had done to her. Then the moment he tasted her lips. It seemed like an eternity since he was able to just stand with her, with no fears and no worries over tomorrow.

Abruptly, he was drug from his reverie by a piercing sound.

Blood was drenching Xun's face and neck, but it was not his blood. Above him a blade was protruding from the prince's heart, it was his other saber. Jin still had Xun's saber raised over his head but it fell from his limp hand and clattered deafeningly next to Xun.

"…Xu…Xuan…" The name fell feebly from Jin's lips.

His expression was vacant and his eyes were glassy as he stared onward as if to no where.

But he could see; he could see his mother, waiting with arms wide open. Finally, in so very long, the pain, the hatred that was instilled in him was gone.

The young Wei royal fell to his knees before Xun, who was standing in awe. Though his face was empty, Xun could see relief in the man's eyes and as he fell to the side, the strategist swore he saw the prince smile.

Sun Xuan was gaping at the corpse; she had finally done something she couldn't do for so long. And suddenly, remorse made her heart ache. Her head still throbbed and the pain and the anger for the prince were still strong in her soul, but when her eyes met Xun's, she couldn't feel anything but reprieve.

"Xuan…" Xuan heard him murmur in incredulity. She could find no words to express her sorrow for being angry with him and for the slander she had used. But it was clear that none of that matter anymore as he took her into his arms. Though wounded and exhausted, they finally would be together.

Suddenly, the fire erupted as it engulfed the room in its rage.

"Come, we must go," Xun murmured, holding her close as he watched the madness of flames. Xuan nodded, her head on his shoulder and eyes on the lifeless form of Jin who, she hoped had found his own peace in the end. And then, they faded into the darkness of the hall; bloody, but united.

--

TT Do you kno how much it hurt to kill him? A LOT. Evil but loveable. –sigh- Sorry for the lovey dovey gushiness in this chapter. Had to make a point. But anyways, the story's not over yet, I promise to update soon :D bye