Koinu: Auuugh.... Sorry it took me so long to get this up, but I've been rather ill. (eenie-meenie-minie-moe) I blame.................. YOU!

Zhuge Liang: What? Why me?

Koinu: Because you're the only one in the room.

(INSERT DISCLAIMER HERE) DON'T SUE, IT'S BAD FOR YOUR SOUL!

-- Chpt 5. "What's Been Going On?" --

The next day things were back to normal- the power was back up, Lu Bu and Gan Ning were already outside the head-master's office (and it was only the third class!), and Zhou Yu was wide awake. At this point he was in Technology and Skills, graphing something on the computer and frowning over the small error windows that constantly insulted him.

Error- The folder you are trying to access has been deleted, or locked.

Zhou Yu bit his lip, and once again sought out the folder he was trying to open. It was there alright, but the computer seemed to have some secret grudge against him, and sternly insisted there was no folder that could possibly be of his interest. Of course, Zhou would never dream of asking for assistance, and ended up re-typing what he remembered from the particular and 'missing' folder. Good thing he was a fast typer.

Finally the bell rang and he saved quickly, springing out of his chair and grasping his back-pack. What now? Ah yes, World History. Zhou Yu met Da Qiao in the hall, and together they pushed they're ways through the hall into room 304. They sat next to each other, and Zhou looked over as Da placed her book-bag on the desk in front of her. As she fished through it for her history book, Zhou found himself examining a small slip of paper protruding from one of the small pockets. What did that say?

Give this to your sister, it's my cell-phone number.

1-(818)-555-4239

-Sun Ce

Zhou's eyes flickered momentarily, for being one prone to jealousy and assumption, he had concocted the following explanation for the note: Sun Ce had given Da the note to deliver to Xiao Qiao. His Xiao Qiao.

"So, Da..." began Zhou Yu carefully, "What's been going on? I mean- you know, what's up." Maybe she'd spill the news... he'd be damned id a jock like Sun Ce was going to try and run away with his girl.

Da blinked at him, opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again. She had made the girls swear not to tell about her a Sun Ce- after all, it was really 'too early to tell' as she had put it. "Nothing really, why?" Came her reply.

But before Zhou could pry any further, the teacher tapped the board with a ruler and announced that class had begun. Zhou sank down sulkily in his chair, and followed along as class proceded.

By lunch time he was in a strangely somber mood, and didn't join the others as they groaned and complained about the cafeteria food. Instead, he simply took his tray and sat down quietly at the table, picking at the dry-looking 'pasta' before him.

"Zhou-ie, is something wrong?" Xiao asked, and cocked her head at him.

Zhou looked at her for a moment, and then smiled weakly. "Not really." He watched as they were joined by Da, Zhen Ji, and Lu Xun.

Lu Xun jumped a bit as a heavy thud sounded out beside him. Liu Bei had slid into a seat and apparently tried to mash his own head into the table. Now Liu Bei sat with his forehead to the tabletop, completely still and silent.

"Um..." Lu Xun laughed nervously, "Are you alright?"

Liu Bei looked up and blinked around. His eyes had large circles under them and his cheeks were caved in. "I didn't get any sleep last night! Guys, I have an arithmetic exam and I don't understand about half the stuff!" He once again pushed his forehead onto the table.

Xiao giggled, "Silly," she declared, "You'll be fine!" She was met by a small moan from the disgruntled Liu Bei.

"Sit behind Zhuge Liang and look over his shoulder," said Zhen Ji sarcastically, "He's a whiz at math."

Zhou Yu rolled his eyes, but Lu Xun nodded and said, "Zhuge's a whiz at everything... it's annoying."

Again Zhou Yu rolled his eyes, and this time heaved his shoulders in a shrug, "He's okay." Zhue Liang and Zhou were long-time rivals... they each acknowledged it with a cool air of 'I don't care', or an impassiver shrug- but a silent determination to do better than the other was more than visible.

Liu Bei sighed and buried his hands in his hair, looking up again. "I don't cheat, you guys..." If there was anyone with insanely powerful morals, it was Liu Bei. He was also, however, a genuine whiner at times. "I am being silly, aren't I, Xiao?" He said at last, and pursed his lips a bit. "It's just one test, right? It won't count for that much..."

Xiao beamed. "Of course not!"

Zhou Yu winced. Obviously she had not yet received the not from Da, he told himself, but what would be her reaction? He instantly found himself searching madly through the people with his eyes in an attempt to locate the cause of his problems. But he couldn't seem to find Sun Ce.

"You know what?" Zhen Ji's sassy voice cut through his little man-hunt. "Senior Prank Day is coming..." as she said this, her voice dropped in volume. "I think we will have to carry on the tradition."

Her statement was met by silence... then Lu Xun spoke, "Er... I'm doing pretty well in school right now, and I don't really want to get in trouble now. Maybe we should just leave that kind of stuff to... well, Gan Ning or Lu Bu."

Zhen Ji raised an eyebrow, "Well they can help too." She said with her usually wry-yet-joking tone.

Xiao put a hand to her lips to stifle a fit of giggles. "Don't be chicken, Lu Xun! This sounds fun..." she looked hopefully at Zhou Yu, "What do you think?"

Zhou Yu found himself staring into the face of the thing he felt certain he would lose. Forcing himself to grin, he replied dryly "Yeah. Sure... fun."

Xiao hugged him, and then looked across towards Da. "Well? How about you, sis?"

Da nibbled on her bottom lip. "I don't know..."

"Oh come on, it'll be fun!"

"Um... give me some time to think about it. I mean, do we even have a plan about what on earth we're going to do?"

All eyes turned back to Zhen. She met it with a smirk and a shrug. "We'll have to think on that for a while." She said.

Lu Xun shook his head. "You guys do all the thinking you want, but I think it's a bad idea. You guys will more than likely get caught, and that could lead to being expelled!" He frowned a bit, "So... you can count me out." Was his conclusion.

It was that moment that the bell screamed out the end of the period, and the group rose to their feet. Xiao gave Zhou a hug (earning her a glare from a teacher), Da wished the tired Liu Bei good luck with his test, Lu Xun marched off sourly (no doubt concerned by the talk of pranks), and Zhen Ji sauntered off towards Science.

On his way to his next class, Zhou remained silent, and grave-faced. He decided that he would try and gently taunt the information out of Xiao tomorrow, after she had received the note from Sun Ce. Zhou would get to the bottom of this somehow.