Ce stared up at the large castle. From the way the scouts he had expected something spectacular, and maybe he was biased, but he didn't see anything great about the castle. He pushed open the gate and strolled in, making sure to glance around for anything, especially for a 'big strong warrior', as Xiao had put it. The courtyard looked rather pale, biased or not, Ce thought as the flowers drooped and leaves fell.

Deciding he really didn't care about the court yard, he tightened his grip on his tonfas and walked up to the large wooden front door. Just like the gate, it proved no problem to open, which really was a shame. Ce had almost wanted the showy entrance of breaking open the door. Once the door opened, the sound of the painful screams and inhuman snarls reached Ce's ears.

Quickening the doors speed, Ce walked inside the castle to only stop in shock. What he saw caused his vision to bleed red. Da was held in the protective arms of a woman dressed in purple, who Ce presumed was Diao Chan. The woman had her back to a monster, keeping Da out of its sight. Both girls looked horrible, between the tears, blood, and bruises.

The animal was swiping for the girls, but something held it back, just short of hitting Diao Chan. It roared again, shaking the castle. Black fur covered its body, and cat like gold eyes glowed. Its muzzle was bear like, and goat horns grew behind its cat ears. Its legs were proportioned like raptors, with deadly claws, and its arms were almost too long for its body. The animal howled again, it anger and what sounded like pain, and a long whip like tail ripped through what pants were left. It wore the clothes made of material fit for lords, and held the headdress and ornaments made of gold, telling Ce that the animal attacking the girls was also the 'bad man'.

The animal swiped again, almost grazing Chan. Da screamed as Chan flinched, and Ce burst into a dead run for the animal. Hopping the stairs, he swung his tonfas at the animals head, and the beast moved just in time to save itself. Its headdress shattered against the force, and the beast stumbled back with a vicious snarl. Not missing a beat, Ce spun around and hit its shoulder and continued the spin with a foot in the face. The animal's head smashed against the wall. Ce hopped from one foot to the other, still seeing red.

Chan loosened her hold on Da and twisted around to watch the warrior. Da straightened herself, gasping at the sight of Ce. Both would have continued to marvel Ce's onslaught of attacks if Chan had not started to cough up blood. "Chan!"

"'Tis good that… Zhuo is finally getting his end," Chan said between coughs.

"No! I… I have to stop Ce! You'll die Chan!" Da grabbed Chan's shoulders and bit her bottom lip.

"Don't. Please, don't Da." Chan stopped to gasp for air, and wiped the blood away from her mouth. Using the shield spell to keep Zhuo away had tired her, especially after the way Zhuo had been twisting her soul to try and get information out of her before Da had showed up. The stress on her soul had done far too much internal damage; Chan was surprised she had been able to hold the shield up. "Death does not look bad Da, not when it is because Zhuo is killed. Please, kill him," Chan said into Da's shoulder.

Tears, to Da's surprise, fell down her cheeks. She had thought she had cried all the tears she could. Sobbing, she held Chan close. "Thank you Chan. Thank you so much!"

"I was glad to… help my friends," Chan gave Da the first true smile in some hundred years. "Please, give my thanks to your lord. I… I wish to be with mine." Da could only nod, not knowing who her lord was. Chan gave a gasp of air, and turned to watch the battle as she sunk into the floor. Da turned to the battle as well, now hugging herself as she quietly sobbed.

Ce smashed his tonfas against Zhuo's shoulder, ignoring the feeling of it shattering under the pressure. Zhuo howled, and tried to bite Ce's neck. Ce twisted back, only to be swiped at with Zhuos other hand. He went flying back, crashing into the railing of the stairs. The animal advanced, stalking. Da bit her bottom lip, clenching her forearms as Ce staggered to his feet.

Zhuo swiped again, and Ce did a lunge and roll to avoid the deadly claws. Ignoring the pain in his chest, Ce spun his tonfas around and shot towards the animal. They locked together and fell over the railing down to the floor. Da gasped and crawled to the edge of the stairs. Zhuo was on bottom and took the brunt of the fall. The two rolled for a bit, hitting some stands and vases fell. Finally, Zhuo threw Ce off of him. Ce flipped in the air, barely landing on his feet.

They both charged, and their clash had Da lost. She would look, anticipating where the next blow would meet, only to have to look in the opposite direction for the fight. She could not keep up with the fight, and cried out when Ce was again thrown down the large hall. Animalistic Zhuo staggered from one of Ce's blows to the head, but started towards Ce with great speed. Da screamed as Zhuo raised one of his deadly hands, which caused the animal to stop. He looked over his shoulder, as if remembering she was there. It snarled, showing its massive jaw, and snapped at her.

Ce used the distraction to regain his footing, and used his tonfas to enhance an uppercut. He caught the side of Zhuos jaw, sending the massive lord flying back. Ce stood in his spot for moment, catching his breath. Zhuo landed with a thud, lying on the floor spitting up blood. Ce took a breath and charged, punching the floor where the now rolling Zhuo had been lying.

Both man and beast looked at each other, knowing the fight was nearing its end. Ce had broken ribs, and was quickly tiring with the massive blows he had to serve to do damage. Zhuo had a severe concussion, a broken shoulder, and a shattered jaw. His long pointed tongue hung out of the broken side, the teeth gone, and his breaths were as uneven as Ce's. Ce tightened his grip on his tonfas and set his jaw. Taking a breath, and charged the monster with a yell as mighty as its roar.

The clash was bloody. Zhuo's claws cut tore through Ce's armor by catching the shoulder of it. Ce took no time to break Zhuos nose, and the blood between the two was flying. Da, however, dared not cover her eyes or blink. She watched the flurry of movements with teary eyes, and cried in joy when Ce smashed his tonfas, repeatedly, into Zhuo. The monster stood, blow after blow, until it staggered and fell in a bloody heap. She pushed herself to her feet, using the railing to aid her.

When she looked up, she screamed as Ce collapsed too. Forgetting her ailments, she ran to him. Dropping to her knees, she laid a hand on his cheek. He opened his eyes to smile at her. "Ce!"

"I guess I'm just not too good at the whole 'saving the damsel in distress' thing huh?" he said with a smile.

"No! Please, Ce, get up!" Da cried. "We need to go. Please!" Ce only smiled up at her, and brought a hand to her cheek.

"I missed you so much," he said, sounding tired. "So very much. And, when Xiao told me what you two had been through, it tore at me. I'm not used to feelings this powerful Da. I'd give you the world; I'd give up the world for you. And it scares me, but I don't want to loose this feeling."

"Ce, don't talk like this." Da held his hand that lay on her cheek.

"Heh. I'm glad, that I'm in your arms when I go. It… makes it seem not so bad. Though, you aren't going to be there when I open my eyes again, but I'll wait." Da's voice died under the creak of the castle. Looking up, she saw the castle collapsing. It seemed to sway around the two. Paintings fell, and the chandeliers smashed against the ground. Da screamed, and dropped to Ce's chest, wrapping her arms around him in a desperate attempt to protect him with eyes clenched shut.

The next thing she knew, she was being pried off of him. Da started to thrash in the arms, until she saw Zhou Yu holding her. Jaw trembling, she watched as two older looking men, who she would later learn were named Huang Gai and Lord Sun Jian, gently pick up Ce. The group quickly carried her and Ce off of the castle grounds. Da, wrapping her arms around Yu, watched as the plants died and the castle crumbled behind them. Ce was gingerly laid across the back of Jian's horse, having passed out during the run, and she sat with Yu. The group rode back to camp as quickly as they could without causing Ce more damage.

Da hadn't realized she had fallen asleep on the horse, and when she awoke she was in a large bed with many sheets. Xiao, wrapped in three blankets, sat beside her with a smile on her face. "I knew you'd wake up soon!" With that, she lunged and clung to Da in a hug. Da could do nothing else but cling to Xiao as well. The sisters, who hadn't been sure they would ever see each other again, sat in the silent hug until the flap to the tent opened. Releasing each other only enough to see who was entering, they watched as Yu, Jian, and Jin walked into the tent.

"It is good to see you awake, Lady Da," Yu said, the first to speak.

"Though you aren't any better than your sister. Who, by the way, shouldn't be in here. In your critical condition, you won't be needing to catch a cold anytime soon," Jin said, but did not do anything to try and remove Xiao from the tent.

Before anybody else could say anything, Da gasped. "Where is C-Lord Ce?" she said, catching her slip up. She, however, didn't care about their knowing smiles. "Is he alright?"

"The lord is in critical condition, but alive. Most of his injuries seem to be more internal than anything else."

"If my son would have just waited but a moment and speak to me he wouldn't be in such a horrible condition," Jian said in a haughty tone, crossing his arms over his chest with a huff. But the dark circles under his eyes spoke of his worry and fears.

"He left because you guys weren't going to go!" Xiao said, again defending Ce like she had back at camp. She hadn't thought Zhuo would have been much of a problem for Ce, but then had also forgotten about Zhuo turning into an animal at night in the rush of returning to Da. "If anybody is to be blamed-"

"It is sad what has happened, but what is done is done. We can only pray that Ce will survive." Yu interrupted.

Da's bottom lip quivered. "May I see him?" Jian and Yu glanced to Jin, who gave a withered sigh.

"You two surely belong in Wu. You have no care for your own health and are inseparable from everybody," Jin spat, looking between Xiao and Da. "I see nothing wrong with you seeing him. But let him sleep, and don't touch his chest! His ribs aren't in the best condition." Da smiled, and rose from the bed. Xiao had to steady her, as her knees almost gave out from under her. Giving Xiao a smile, she turned slowly and bit her bottom lip. Jin walked past her, going to check on Xiao, and Jian volunteered to lead Da to Ce.

Da walked a few spaces behind Jian, head bowed. He led her through the snow as quickly as her condition would allow, and barely noticed the other soldiers in the camp. He brought her to a large red tent, and held the flap open for her to enter. Bowing to him, with a thank you, Da entered the tent. She half noticed that Jian didn't follow as she neared the bed. She pulled a seat near the bed and sat down only to gasp when she saw his brown eyes watching her.

"My Lord," Da said, smiling.

"Hey beautiful." Ce grinned up at her, and cringed when he took a deep breath. Da brought her hands to her mouth, smiling in relief. He was still so strong, showing no weakness, even lying in bed battered.

"Jin says you shall be alright, My Lord."

"Jin's a good healer. He knows what he's talking about," Ce said with a small nod.

"I was so scared, when you fell. It hurt," Da mumbled into her hands.

"… I meant all of it."

"I never doubted any of it. I never doubted you." Da dropped her hands to grab his. "I love you, Ce."

His eyes widened momentarily at her confession, before a large grin grew. He tightened his grip on her hands before saying, "I love you too." Though his was low enough that it was only for her ears, Da happily cried at the declaration. "I had been slightly worried, after baring my soul to you. Not to mention we're going to be getting married as soon as Jin says I can finish the whole marriage ceremony."

Da blushed at the meaning of his words, but didn't pull away. "I do not get a say in it My Lord?" She batted her eyes prettily with a coy smile.

"Not really, no."

"My Lord!" Da gasped, still smiling. She giggled down at him, taking in his unchanged features. He looked just as handsome as he had on their last walk down the trail. Ce laughed, and tugged on their hands.

"Kiss me Da. I can't sit up," Ce said, tugging a little harder. He said it in such a manner that left Da speechless for a moment, blush growing darker even though he hardly reddened. At his third tug, she dipped down and pressed her lips to his. Though her face hurt, between all the smiling and the bruise, and her legs were terribly sore, Da felt that she was happiest at that moment, as she held herself up by putting her hands on his pillow and Ce threaded his good hand through her hair. Happily lost in their kiss, both missed Xiao and Yu peaking in through the flap.

"Told you they'd kiss," Xiao said with a mighty grin. Yu sighed, but smiled down at her. The two inched away quietly. Xiao walked with her hands clasped behind her back, humming a tune. She was only aloud one walk during the day, at noon when it was warmest. Other than that, she was confined to the warmth of the tent. Waving at some of the soldiers she knew, like the one who had guarded her tent, she glanced up at Yu from the corner of her eyes.

Yu, ever observant when it came to Xiao, smiled down at her. "Is something wrong Xiao?"

"Well… Lord Ce said something's about marriage…" Xiao kicked some snow with her shoe, blushing.

"I had thought it would have gone unsaid," Yu said thoughtfully before spinning in front of Xiao and dropping to one knee. Xiao jumped back with an 'eep' before Yu grabbed her hand.

"Qiao Xiao, would you do me the honor of marrying me?" Yu looked her straight in the eye with a straight face. Xiao blushed harder, sucking in as much air as she could before giving a vigorous nod.

"Yes!" she cried and slung her arms around his neck.

So, yeah, crappy ending. Also, my first ending. Yeah, I've never before finished a story before this. Um, I had planned on Ce totally pummeling Zhuo, but the way it worked out, it was animal zhuo which I figure would be stronger than normal zhuo. So, now Da will baby Ce until he is all healed, and then he'll end up being super protective over her. At the end, with Xiao and Yu, I just wanted to show how he wasn't all perfectly thoughtful and would assume Xiao knew they were going to get married. I have another story planned, a (very off) variation of Little Red Riding Hood. I'll be working on that, and maybe an epilogue.

Thank you to everybody who stuck with me through all eight chapters. Lady Zhou Ying, JeeJayMay, XiaoQiao289, QiaoGurl, UnspokenEmotions, and Helenilia (your name is hard to spell!). Thank you guys so much for all the nice reviews.

The End