Alrighty then, onward to chapter four!! Thank you for your reviews. I know I haven't updated in forever but school's been kinda harsh.  Oh well! Yes, yes Tiger there might be a slight incest thing going on here, I haven't decided yet. Besides, Zhou Yu is only six! But later maybe. Hmmmm.....ponder ponder ponder Also, the Qiao's are gonna come in a while from now. I mean come on, right now they are three. How interesting would that be? Anyway, enough of my boring spew, here we go!

For Tai the night had transformed itself from a dreadful demon of aggravation and sadness to a thing of excitement and mystery. Now she had a secret. A real secret. And she was sharing this secret with her favorite person in the world! Oh, how furious her mother would be if she knew of this secret plot. It warmed Tai's body with cruel pleasure. She wanted her mother to look like a fool. Yes, she wanted her to look like a big and stupid fool and trading secret notes with her brother was just the thing to do it. She would show Mei Ling that nothing could keep her away from her brother, not even her.

Zhou Yu wasn't so lucky. His night transformed from a thing of change and excitement to worry and contemplation. Why had he felt so differently towards his sister. She was a kindred soul, was she not? He felt no great pleasure or relief when his sister had snuck into his room like he thought he would have. Before tonight he probably would have been up and waiting for her, but...things changed. Yes, he still loved his sister very much so, but he didn't feel like he needed to spend every aching minute with her the way he used to. Zhou Yu was a child with much wisdom and much sensitivity. He knew how to handle change and he knew when it was occurring. For Tai, change was much harder to deal with, and she sometimes couldn't place when or why things were shifting in her life. Sometimes she wasn't even aware change was taking place, like right now, like their relationship. Yu was ready to break off, he was ready to stand on his own two feet and not cling to her anymore for support. Yet she still clung to him the way a leech clings on to human flesh. Zhou Yu felt a surge of guilt go through him, he could not believe he just compared his sister to a leech! Was he taking her for granted? She was the only real friend he ever had, shouldn't he be more grateful? Shouldn't he feel happy and excited around her--the way he used too? He was sure that he should, but he didn't.

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It was about 6:00 in the morning by the positioning of the sun. Mei Ling Ping observed her naked body in the full length mirror hanging next to her bed, making various poses that were somewhat obscene. Her husband did not join her the night before. The banquet had gone over so well that he paid a visit to one of his concubines to celebrate. This did not upset her even the slightest bit. She didn't love, or even like her husband the way she used to. She was actually kind of happy when he did not join her. That was an opportunity for her to sneak in one of her favorite male maid servants for a little entertainment. Now that her sexual urges had been fulfilled and her young son was going to have his first real play date today she was in very high spirits. She just hoped he would gain some brotherly love from Sun Ce. God knows he didn't receive any of that from Gin. Maybe this Sun Ce fellow could release Zhou Yu from his timid shell.

As Mei Ling pondered how her little boy's day would go, she began to think of Tai. Although Zhou Mao had always told her to worry less about the girls because they were not as important to the family as boys were, she still loved her baby girl endlessly. She knew Tai was upset about the separation and was taking it a lot harder than Yu was, but Mei Ling was sure this was the best for her. She needed to be skilled in the ways of a woman so she could get a rich and honorable man, Zhou Yu could not show her that...he was a child, a male child. Oh, Tai will get over it! Mei Ling thought to herself trying to be as hopeful as possible. She covered her nude body with her day robes, slathered her face skillfully with make up and descended down the stairs.

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Zhou Tai looked at the sun in the sky. It was around 6:15 or so. She had been up at nearly an hour earlier and was already dressed for the day. Her hair was pulled into a low bun with green hair ornaments wrapped around it. She wore a forest green day robe with long, yellow ear rings. As you might imagine, the process of making oneself look like a beautiful china doll takes much time, and that was why Tai had awoken so early. She had to also write her letter and place it in the knot hole of the ginko tree. Now she stood in the center of her father's large and glamorous garden, she placed her letter full of much love and hope in the knot hole and quickly walked back inside towards the dining hall.

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The Zhou family breakfasts were always quiet and unpleasant. This was because Zhou Mao was always tired and cross and usually so was the rest of the family, except Yu. He was always his calm and quiet self even so early in the morning, and he never looked a bit over tired. Zhou Gin hated that! The whole time they sat at the table eating their breakfast of milk and chicken porridge Tai tried to get Yu's attention. Zhou Yu was a child that had a great sense of awareness and he knew Tai wanted him to acknowledge her, yet he focused on his porridge. He felt the mere sight of her might make him lose his appetite.

Tai left breakfast feeling some what discouraged because Yu ignored her completely. Suddenly her mother's long talons grabbed her arm and pulled her back up towards the women's quarters. When they reached their destination Mei Ling released her grip on her daughter and slapped her face, leaving a pink mark.

"Do you not think I notice you? Do you think me daft? You were trying to communicate with him weren't you?"

Tai opened her mouth to speak but Mei Ling interrupted.

"Don't even answer! I already know! Listen to me, you forget him this very instant or I'll send you away. Far, far away! Do you understand me? Then you'll never see him again!"

Tai nodded her head in a combination of fear, sadness, and rage. By now all of the maid servants in the room stopped what ever activity they were doing to observe the strange spectacle. Mei Ling looked at them with her hawk eyes and told them to get back to work.

"Now," Mei Ling said to Tai, with a tone inferring they both forget this whole occurrence ever took place, "You will join your sister An in a few moments for your dance lesson. Then you will come with me for your embroidery lesson. Understood?"

Tai nodded again in reluctance, wishing she could tear her mother's black heart out...knowing some day, she just might.

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It was noon on the dot and Zhou Yu stood with a maid servant in the gardens. Zhou Yu wrung his hands together in nervous concentration. What will I say? What will I do? What's even appropriate? He had spent the morning doing his daily lessons. He started with practicing calligraphy (which he had grown quite good at), he had played his flute (which he was also quite good at) and he wrote some of an analysis on a book he had just finished. His tutor had assigned him that task only this morning and he was already about half way done. Yu's teacher had never taught such an obedient and brilliant child in his whole career. Now here Zhou Yu was, waiting for a boy he hardly knew who he was going to spend the whole day with. This was going to be quite the experience. He hoped it would have a positive outcome. Not only did he hope, he prayed! Suddenly, Jin Lu, a hand maid tapped Yu's shoulder lightly.

"Young master, The Sun children are coming." Zhou Yu looked up timidly. There before his very eyes stood an angry looking Sun Shang Jian who was rubbing sleep out of her eyes. Next to her stood a smiling Sun Ce. A trusted servant stood with them.

"Hiya Yu!" Sun Ce practically yelled. Zhou Yu flinched a bit due to Ce's gregarious greeting.

"Hello...Sun Ce." Yu said quietly looking at the cobblestone path beneath him, he felt himself blush. Ce frowned.

"You don't sound to happy! C'mon we're gonna have fun!" With that Ce grabbed Yu's arm and nearly yanked it out of its socket. Zhou Yu let out a quick and high pitched yelp. Ce was surprised when he heard a strange pop. Yu's frail arm hung limply in Ce's strong hands. Yu and Ce's maid servants crowded around to see what went amiss so early on in the meeting. Ce slowly uncovered Yu's pale arm from its robes to see what had happened. There, as clearly as the sun shines in the sky Ce saw five bruises along Yu's arm, all of which were shaped like his strong little fingers. Ce felt very guilty, and embarrassed. He had hurt Zhou Yu, and they had only just met. But his feelings of guilt and embarrassment could not compare to his confusion. He had hardly touched Yu at all, yet there were big black bruises. Bruises also take time to develop, usually about an hour or so. So why did Yu already have them? Was Ce's new play mate that sensitive to touch? Not only did Yu look like a porcelain doll, he had the sensitivity of one too. Ce wasn't so sure he liked that. Ce looked up at Yu's face expecting to see an angered and pained expression plastered on to it. He was surprised when he saw the apple's of Yu's cheeks blushing bright red. He didn't look like it was painful at all. He looked somewhat ashamed.

"I'm really sorry Yu. I didn't mean too."

Yu looked at him with his glassy brown eyes.

"It's really nothing." Yu's whole face was gradually becoming redder and redder. Suddenly, as if he had been paralyzed all that time, he finally yanked his damaged arm away from Ce's grasp.

"Yu," Ce began, "Are you...embarrassed?" Yu was, he knew he was, and he knew Sun Ce knew he was.

"I am a little. Not many people touch me." Ce was surprised by the boy's strange answer.

"Not even your arm?" Ce asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

There was a quick pause. Zhou Yu wasn't used to answering too many questions, especially ones that were so informal.

"I-I don't rightly kn-know. I suppose it is because I keep to myself for most of th-the time. I'm not so comfortable with being...you know...touched." Ce was beginning to see this Yu character as a freak.

"It's only your arm. It's no place special." This made Yu blush all the more. Although Ce was too immature and dunce to yet understand what he was inferring, Yu caught it right away.

"Well, I'm just not used to it. Only my mother and sisters touch me. Some times...the hand-hand maids do too. For example, when my hair needs to be combed, or some thing like that. No one else has ever touched me."

"Ever?" Sun Ce crowed out somewhat mystified.

"Ever." Yu said. "And no one has ever grabbed my arm like that, or pulled up the sleeve of my robe so violently."

"You're to sensitive." Ce said. Yu nodded his head in agreement and lightly prodded his new bruises with his soft finger tips.

The hand maids stood to the side watching the interaction in curiosity. They had never seen young master Yu speak so much, especially with someone he hardly even knew. Suddenly a large man prodded out from the Yu residence, his arms bulging with muscle. Ce looked at him hardly, though he truly was a little afraid. Then, as unexpected as the man's sudden arrival the man smiled brightly showing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Master Yu, your father told me to accompany you boys today. We're going to the river." Yu looked up at him quickly, then averted his gaze to Sun Ce who had gotten very excited when the word river was mentioned.

"This is Master Wa Lee. He is my father's trainer for battle and such." Yu looked back up at Wa Lee who towered above him.
"Master Wa...why are we going to the river? I...I...I'm not good with the water."

Suddenly Master Was let out a great laugh.

"You will be a man soon Master Yu. This will be good for you" Then he slapped Yu hard on the back. Zhou Yu knew Wa was implying he was a bit too feminine for his own good and it some what offended him.

Sun Ce leapt into the air.

"Yeah Zhou Yu! A man! We're gonna be men! Besides Rivers are fun! We can catch frogs, and turtles, and skip rocks! It's gonna be fun!"

Zhou Yu looked at the ground uneasily, his long eye lashes blinking slowly in thought. He was not a very outdoorsy type. He had always appreciated literature and music...but catching frogs?

"well," Yu began, "I suppose..."

"Yay!" Ce cried grabbing Yu's arm, rather carefully this time. "Lets go! Lets go!" Wa let out another one of his great laughs. Wa led the way looking back occasionally to check on the two boys treading behind him. Ce was talking incessantly, stopping occasionally only to fill his small lungs with more oxygen. Poor Zhou Yu looked bewildered and almost afraid of his new playmate. There was a dull pain throbbing throughout his arm and he'd sometimes stop to observe it. This would fill Ce with a pang of shame whenever Yu did this. Even children have morals after all. They walked through tall grasses and brush, stumbled over dirt and rocks and dipped under large willow trees. Whenever they came upon a small hill Ce would fall to the ground and roll down laughing all the while. When he reached the bottom he would dizzily get up and encourage Zhou Yu to follow after him. Of course Wa's hardy laugh and Sun Ce's enthusiasm was all too much for Yu, and he would just walk down the hill instead, followed by a disappointed sigh from Sun Ce.

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Tai sat beside her sister An, catching only a few phrases of their musical instructors droning. He was saying something about the samisen which was a beautiful instrument imported from Japan. Tai sighed and looked out of a large and ornately decorated window. She then began to day dream. Earlier that morning she had heard her father's battle instructor, Wa Lee, telling her mother he was going to bring the boys down to the river. Thinking back on it, Tai suddenly felt very sad. She was stuck in this dark and freezing room, sitting next to her snobbish sister, when her brother and some ignorant little child were free to go outside and play in the sunlight. She wondered what Zhou Yu was wearing today. How did he have his hair? How did he smell? Was he thinking of her? Was he smiling? Maybe he was even laughing. Oh she loved when he laughed. It was rich and soft. Yet if he was laughing, he was sharing it with Sun Ce. The rare "Zhou Yu" laugh was special and priceless, only a limited number of people had seen it, and she wasn't too keen on Ce being one of the lucky customers. She clenched her teeth in repressed anger and she felt An's elbow jab her roughly in the side. When she turned in surprise An glared at her with the same hawk eyes she inherited from their mother. An sighed allowed which caught the musical instructor's full attention and he looked at Tai as if he were very disappointed.

"Miss Zhou," he began "I don't appreciate such rude gestures being committed in the middle of my music lesson. I take time out of my busy schedule five days a week to share my brilliance with you, and this is how I'm repaid? With sighs that infer such discontent? Miss Zhou, I really think you should think more fully about what it is to be a lady."

Suddenly Tai felt an uncontrollable rush of fury glide throughout her veins. She stood up angrily.

"Oh shut up you old wind bag!" Tai's older sister's eyes grew as large as saucers and she covered her ashamed face with her long robes. That's not my sister! That's not my sister! she hurriedly thought to herself.

Tai already knew she was in deep trouble, but she couldn't stop herself.

"You come in here and lecture us on instruments and music theory when we don't give a damn about it, and we put up with it! But that's not enough for you, oh no, you then have to prod and press at a much more personal matter, our woman hood! How dare you tell me I don't know what it's like to be a lady. Did you ever stop to think maybe I was having a bad day!? Did you ever stop to think maybe I'm not like my sister and all those other girls who's only meaning in life is to produce some ugly and stupid man's babies!? Did you ever think maybe there's somewhere I'd rather be, somewhere where I might be happy!!?? With my ZHOU YU! WITH MY BABY BROTHER! HUH? DID YOU EVER, EVER THINK OF THAT!?" DID YOU EVER STOP TO THINK I'D RATHER BE WITH HIM!?"

By this point Tai was shaking all over and her whole face was beet red. Small tears spilled down her cheeks and she began to shake and shiver even worse. The musical instructor was shocked and his mouth was wide open. An had uncovered her eyes and stared at her sister with pity and disbelief. Tai's outburst had been so loud that about fifty people had crowded into the large room to see what was amiss, including Mei Ling and Lord Zhou Mao. The maidservants were breathing heavily, they were stunned by Zhou Tai's break down. Lord Zhou Mao's eye brows were fretted and he rubbed his temples, he was ashamed and outraged. He looked at his wife who was quivering with rage. Suddenly, like the angel of death she strode quickly over to her wailing daughter and grabbed her robes so she couldn't get away. She brought her hand up above her head and brought it back down across Tai's cheek. She repeated this 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 times as hard as she could. Tai's head flung behind her with each blow and her hair became distorted and tangled. An ear ring flew from her fragile ear to the other side of the room, and the sweet taste of her red rouge mixed with the metallic taste of blood. When Mei Ling removed her talons from her daughter's robes, Tai fell to floor in a heap, blood pouring from her nostrils and mouth. When she clenched her teeth at her mother, they looked like rubies, and tears washed all of the crimson liquid onto her robes. She began to quake and tremble even worse, and strange and unusual noises arose from her heaving chest. Mei Ling began to loath that pathetic being screaming and shaking and bleeding. With all of her strength Mei Ling pulled Tai off the floor and her bleeding daughter began to scratch and bite like an angry cat, clawing at her mother's hair and robes and face.

"YOU DAMN DEVIL, I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!" Then she let out a shriek so violent everyone in the room covered their ears, except Mei Ling who was too angry to hear. Mei Ling brought up a fist and punched Tai in the eye, then the nose, then the stomach.

"Shut up," Mei Ling blurted out quietly through gritted teeth.

"Shut up you horrible child." Tai once again fell to the floor in a heap, but she regained her balance quickly, and the once beautiful and sweet looking child she had been an hour ago was now a raving banshee and with flashing teeth and frenzied claws she ran to her mother and smashed her fist into Mei Ling's face, she scratched at her and bit her arms and legs.

"YOU BLOODY MONSTER, YOU DEMON, YOU FIEND!" She screeched and howled and shivered and bit and pulled and punched. Then all of a sudden she fell to the floor in a spasm. Everyone was too shocked to do anything. Tai shivered violently on the floor and Mei Ling slowly got up, heading towards Zhou Mao, leaving a trail of blood behind her. Zhou An ran to Mei Ling, tears spilling down her cheeks. Zhou Mao closed his eyes and inhaled heavily. One brave maid attempted to pick Tai up, but Zhou Mao told her to get back to her place. Then he treaded over to the bloody and beaten Zhou Tai and although his honor has been damaged, he still picked up the small heap and cradled her. He was her father after all, and he still loved her. An sat her mother down and wiped the blood away with her robes. After a few moments, lying in her father's arms, Tai began to calm down and then Zhou Mao commanded that someone fetch his daughter and his wife a doctor.

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Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were skipping rocks. Ce had taught his new play mate how to skip rocks earlier and he thought he was a very good teacher. He really wasn't, Zhou Yu just got the hang of things quickly. Soon Master Wa Lee brought out some food for the boys and Sun Ce grabbed at it happily. Zhou Yu ate a few bites of rice but then he felt sick. Something wasn't right, he could sense it.

"What's wrong young master?" Wa Lee asked Zhou Yu.

"Oh, it's nothing really."

Sun Ce, who's face was covered in sauce and grains of rice looked up at Zhou Yu.

"What's wrong?"

Yu looked at Ce and then shook his head.

"Something's not quite ...oh never mind."

After the meal Ce taught Yu how to catch frogs and turtles. Than they wrestled, or at least sorta kinda wrestled. Yu wasn't really the wrestling type, and seemed uncomfortable with it. Then they did some stick fighting, which Yu was pretty good at, but seemed a little ill at ease about it, and then they caught some fireflies. Now this was something both Yu and Ce enjoyed tremendously. Ce felt like he was conquering something and this made him feel strong and powerful. Yu on the other hand just thought they were such beautiful creatures, and he liked to observe them. After this, they went home. When they reached the Zhou residence everything seemed oddly quiet and some what mellow. It was about 6:00 and the little Sun Shang Jian was outside playing marbles with Zhou Mee and Zhou Hua. When she saw Sun Ce she smiled and ran over to him.

"CE!! Today was so neat! I played with Hua and Mee and this weird girl got into a big, big fight with some lady and...and they had boo boos all over!!"

At this Zhou Yu knew his strange intuition had been right. That weird girl was Tai, and that lady was his mother. He looked at Wa Lee who had that same sad face of foreboding plastered onto his face. Yu quickly bowed and exchanged good bye's with Sun Ce then made his way inside. Ce and Sun Shang were escorted home by their maidservants. Shang had a very tearful goodbye with Mee and Hua, then grabbed hold of her brother's hand.

"Did you have a fun time today brother?" She asked Ce as they both got into the rickshaw that was going to bring them home.

Ce sat silent a few moments as if he were thinking very hard about the question.

"It was alright." He said.

"Why only alright?" His little sister inquired.

"Yu is kind of boring. He doesn't like to do fun stuff, he'd rather do boring stuff like read."

"Ooooh." Shang said, pumping her small, chubby legs up and down.

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Yu walked inside dreading what was to come. He was greeted by an array of maidservants, who told him his father wanted to see him, and quickly. Zhou Yu inhaled slowly and began to walk towards his father's quarters when Zhou Gin appeared and grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey Yu," he began. "You missed a hell of a lot today, buddy. Mother and Tai were really going at it. It's all because of you. I suppose your going to get a serious punishment. Ah well, have a nice time with father!" Gin walked off snickering, hoping for the worst.

Hope to update sooner than last time. I will!....I think. Timidly smiles please don't kill me.