Chapter 8 of My Poisonous Kiss (Finally)

Enjoy!

Da grabbed Xiao's hand as she saw those icy blue eyes. With the door shut, the room was more dim with only the few candles lighting it. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu instinctively moved back towards the girls.

Abruptly, the assassin attacked, leaping the short distance at the group. Da pulled Xiao to the side of the room, into the shadows to dodge the attack. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu had other plans.

Sun Ce jumped in front of the attack and bent to grabbed the assassin's legs to throw him behind him. The assassin, shocked that someone would attack him, was too shocked to do anything. Soon, like Xiao, he was flying.

The assassin was thrown over Ce and towards Yu. Zhou Yu angled his body and hit the assassin's feet, making the assassin flip in the air. The assassin landed on the table with the candles on it.

There was a commotion as the assassin landed on it, breaking the table and knocking the candles over effectively knocking out all of the light. As soon as the light was out, there was another commotion of everyone trying to move in the dark.

Then it all got silent.

Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao were against one of the walls, barely breathing. They stayed connected by holding hands, knowing where the other was in the pure darkness through that contact. Da Qiao was troubled though. If she didn't like the odds before, she definitely didn't like them now. They were all in a dark room with a trained assassin wanting to kill them. In this darkness, how would she know who was assassin and who was general?

In this darkness, everyone was an enemy.

Thunder rumbled.

When silence reigned for several minutes, Da pulled on Xiao's hand to tell her to follow. Da navigated through the room with ease. Darkness was her element, her comfort. She needed to make her way to the door though and open it for the rest of them. In this circumstance, darkness wasn't her friend.

Da Qiao made her way to the door with Xiao slowly but efficiently. She needed to get it opened as soon as possible, and then she needed to find Ce and Yu and get out of here. She could fight the assassin later. Other people's lives were at stake here.

She and Xiao both stopped simultaneously as both their instincts said that something wasn't right. Suddenly, the ringing of a sword splitting air was heard. Xiao and Da both let go of each other as the blade made an arc right where their joined hands were.

Da rolled on the floor then dashed several feet and put her back to a wall. She breathed in and out in controlled breaths, careful to not let them get too loud in the room where the littlest sound would echo.

Da let out a breath of disappointment as panic ran through her. She now had no clue where Xiao was.

Xiao Qiao had dodged the swipe of the blade and was now pressed against a wall. She had no clue where anyone was, let alone Da Qiao. Xiao slowly made her way down the wall, intent on getting in a corner and figuring out her surroundings.

She slowly felt her way around, not liking that there was no light to guide her way. She reached out and tried to touch the corner that she was sure was supposed to be there, but touched fabric instead.

There was someone already standing in the corner she was trying to hide in.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and clasped hers.

Zhou Yu leaned his head back against the wall, trying to hear all the noises in the room.

His eyes popped open and stared into the darkness before him as he heard the tiniest sound coming from in front of him. He braced himself for what he thought was an incoming assault from the assassin.

When someone just touched the fabric of his robe.

He shot out and grabbed the hand and pulled the person close before feeling at their face. He was surprised they didn't put up a resistance. As he felt their face, he realized that he couldn't tell by that alone.

As if to answer his unasked question, the person put their hand to his face. A bandaged hand. That's when he noticed the eyes. It was pitch dark in the room, but her eyes were glowing. Not enough to get her noticed but enough to signify who she was.

Zhou Yu felt a flood of relief. It was Aurora. He found her, or rather she found him. And from what he could tell, she was okay. Unharmed. He didn't know what he would do if the assassin had hurt her.

Thunder sounded.

There was a loud crash across the room, and Zhou Yu pulled her to his chest and put both arms around her. Xiao listened in the silence as her head was resting on Zhou Yu's chest for any other sound of movement. But silence reined, and Xiao never thought that had sounded so loud before.

Please be okay, Da. Xiao thought as her hands grabbed handfuls of Zhou Yu's robes. At her actions, Zhou Yu held her closer as his hold on her tightened.

Da Qiao counted to three before moving a few feet on the wall, then stopping. She counted another three seconds, and moved again, the bottoms of her maid outfit were balled up and in her hand to keep it from trailing on the ground. That was why she thought her and Xiao had been caught the first time in trying to make for the door.

Da moved again and again, trying to make it to the door. When she moved again, however, there was a ring in the air as something was thrown and hit the wall in front of her. The loud crash made her step back and it took everything Da had not to gasp at the sound.

Suddenly, a hand struck out and hit Da in the chest. She stepped back several feet but did not fall. Another hit came towards her, but she dodged it. She rose up from where she had dodged the last blow and reached out to feel of the face of her attacker. There was cloth covering the entire face.

The assassin.

The assassin knocked her arm away and struck at her again, but Da dodged that also and struck out and hit his chest. The assassin recoiled but jumped at her with full force. Da and he fought for several moments, each trying to get the upper hand on the other.

Da struck out with her hand again, but the assassin deflected it and flung it back, making Da's upper torso spin with the force of his deflection. There was a ringing of a blade and before Da had time to react, a stinging pain sliced through her thigh once again, making Da cry out.

"Sis!" Xiao yelled from somewhere in the darkness as Da felt the assassin moving to hit her.

Da Qiao deflected his hit on a last second instinct and dealt him an attack of her own. She struck out with her hand but the assassin caught it. Something Da had wanted him to do.

She pulled him toward her and hooked her foot behind his and pulled it out from underneath him, and he fell backwards onto the floor. Da's feeling of victory was short lived, however, because the assassin didn't let go of her hand, and she went down to the floor with him with another cry of shock.

Da Qiao hit the floor and the air that she had just acquired back went flying out of her. Before she could recover, the assassin was on top of her, straddling her. The sound of a blade rose once again in Da's ears, and Da found out what kind of blade when he put a dagger to her throat.

Da Qiao quit breathing when she felt the tip of the dagger hit her throat. She looked up in the darkness where she imagined the assassin's face, and knew his icy blue eyes were showing triumph.

The assassin slowly, ever so slowly, leaned down to almost where his nose was touching hers. Da Qiao's heart beat increasingly loud in her ears, and she couldn't do anything but hear it.

The dagger in his hand tightened on her throat and Da Qiao's eyes widened. She couldn't die this way! She analyzed the position of their bodies and was about to attack.

Suddenly, just as quickly as the assassin's body had moved on top of her, it vanished, as did the dagger that was held to her throat.

Da Qiao gasped in shock when she heard scuffling beside her. She scrambled up and turned in the direction of the sound, trying to see through the encompassing darkness. But she couldn't do anything but listen.

The scuffling continued in what seemed to Da to be endless. There was a commotion as the two people who were fighting hit something, and a grunt. Da knew that grunt. It was Sun Ce's grunt. That thought made her heart skip a beat.

All of a sudden, someone was flung from the fight to across the room and hit the wall.

"Sis!" Xiao yelled again.

"Aurora!" Da yelled, trying to figure out where in the would Xiao was in the dark room.

She didn't have time to think about it, though, as footsteps from where the fighting had taken place made their way at running speed towards her. Da Qiao made a move to move out of the way, but someone slammed into her but caught her before she fell.

The person then ran with her to the other side of the room, in a corner. As soon as the person dropped her, Da pushed away from them, but the person grabbed her hand and pulled it to their face.

Da was about to run but stopped when she realized she felt no fabric covering his face. She raised her other hand to the person's face and began feeling. She then lowered her hands to the person's chest and abdomen, causing the person to take a sharp intake of breath.

Da Qiao knew exactly who it was. Without thinking, she hugged Sun Ce, wrapping both hands around his waist and she felt his arms engulf her as they had last night. He was safe!

That was when what exactly Sun Ce had done fully hit her. He had taken on a fully trained assassin, in the dark, and had won. He really must be the god she believed him to be.

Sun Ce held her in his arms, relieved that she was okay for the moment. He knew she was hurt, but he also knew she was safe now. Just like he had shielded her from the storm last night, he was going to shield her from this assassin. Even if that meant shielding her with his own body.

Thunder resounded around them.

Sun Ce pulled her back at arms length, confusing Da. She then heard the rustle of fabric and something drop to the floor. Sun Ce then reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled it to his chest. Da Qiao's mouth opened in shock. He had taken his shirt off. He led Da's hand down to his abdomen then back up where he stopped on his chest.

Da Qiao was thankful that it was dark, because she was blushing profusely. But she got Sun Ce's message. If they should become separated, she could tell him easily by him being shirtless. She raised his hand to her face, her chin, not her cheeks where her face was flaming hot, and nodded, letting him know she got the message.

Sun Ce nodded, although she couldn't see it, and grabbed her hand before trying to maneuver in the darkness. His destination was the door to get light into the place. Little did he know, the other duo of maid and master were moving around too.

Xiao Qiao rested her head on Zhou Yu's chest, listening to the sounds of the room. Da was okay. She had called out her fake name. That meant it was the prince who had tussled with the assassin. But now the room was quiet once again, and she couldn't hear anything.

She slowly raised her head up and faced Zhou Yu. With her uninjured hand, she tapped on his lips with a finger, telling him to be quiet. Then she grabbed his hand and slowly pulled him through the room, trying to make it to the door. Her senses, on edge in this dark room, picked up nothing. She couldn't feel or sense anyone, and that made her panic.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash and Xiao tripped over something that had rolled from the commotion, and she fell to the ground. Her tripping brought Zhou Yu down with her and he fell on top of her.

The noise suddenly ended and Zhou Yu, his body on top of Xiao's, froze. He tried his best to make sure all of his weight wasn't on her, but when he tried to raise up, his robes started sliding and he started to go back down, but Xiao's hands shot to his collar and pulled him back down close to her quicker. Any noise his robes would make by falling would give away their position.

But Xiao, in her haste to pull him back, pulled him in closer than he was initially, and his face came so close to hers that he could feel the breath coming out of her.

Xiao inhaled sharply and breathed out an "oops". But the damage was done. If Zhou Yu moved, their positions would be given away. So he was forced to be pressed rather intimately to her body, in a dark room, with an assassin lurking somewhere waiting to kill them.

Not only that, but now he had images of him leaning only a few inches downward and kissing her like he had failed to do that night. To finish that spell. But he, being the perfect gentleman, refrained from doing so. That didn't mean his thoughts were so gentlemanly. She was right there. And he could do nothing.

His day was going great.

Sun Ce and Da Qiao were having similar difficulties. At the sound of the commotion, Sun Ce had turned and had pressed Da to the wall then covered her with his body. Da Qiao was currently blushing profusely and Ce was trying to send mental messages to her to stay still.

Every movement of hers caused her fabric to rub against his bare chest and every movement sent a rush of her scent towards his nostrils. Sun Ce closed his eyes and grit his teeth. He tried to remember there was an assassin on the loose, one trying to kill them. But Selene would move again and his thoughts were scattered.

Sun Ce shot out his hand and grabbed her arm, begging her to stop. He had never experienced this kind of torture. She was an assassin, but instead of cutting off his fingers or breaking bones to torture him, she only had to exist. Her, her scent, her body, it was all torture. She herself was a weapon.

Possibly the only weapon that could bring him down.

Another crash happened and Ce pressed into Da more as Xiao and Yu scrambled to get up. Zhou Yu jumped up, grabbing Xiao with him, and ran till his outstretched hand hit a wall. He spun and hit his back to it before pulling Aurora towards him. Xiao Qiao's back was pressed to his chest, one of his arms around her shoulder and the other around her waist.

There was another commotion and Ce and Da moved again, trying to cover as much ground as they could before the noises stopped. When the noises stopped, the position that Ce and Da had ended up had Da confused with how it happened. She was now lifted up into Ce's arms, both her arms wrapped around his neck. Her back was pressed to the wall again, and his arms were around her waist. Da, blushing more than she had in a while, tried to slide down to the floor, but when she started, Ce took a sharp intake of breath and his hands around her waist stopped her descent.

Ce couldn't take her sliding down his body like that. He grit his teeth as he tried his hardest not to lean in and kiss her. He had to remind himself that there was an assassin on the loose, wanting to kill them. This was not a time to be thinking about kissing Selene. So he politely moved back the slightest degree and put her to the floor himself. But that didn't stop the mental images of her sliding against him from popping into his head.

Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao had moved also, only their position was more appropriate. But due to their earlier position, the manner of the position didn't matter to Zhou Yu. Just being remotely close to Aurora made every one of his nerves on edge. Her back was against the wall and on either side of her head was his hands, planted on the wall. Her hands were on his chest, grasping handfuls of his clothes. He wondered if she knew what that contact did to him.

Sun Ce was pressed up against Da again, and he tried his best not to let his imagination get carried away. He started to shift his footing to help ease away from her, but his foot hit something. His facial expression was one of puzzlement, and he leaned down slowly to pick it up.

It was a bucket for water. As soon as Sun Ce identified the object, his mind started racing. He grabbed on of Selene's hands and squeezed it once for her attention. Then he turned and threw the bucket to the opposite side of the room. At the sound of the clash, Sun Ce dashed, Selene coming with him.

As soon as the sound of the thrown bucket stopped, so did Sun Ce's running. He bent down and began searching for another thing, but Selene tapped his shoulder and he heard something rattle as she put something in front of him. He hurriedly grabbed the object and threw it and grabbed Selene's hand as he made another dash for the door.

Another thing was thrown but this time Ce didn't throw it. Soon, there were many things being thrown. Sun Ce smiled, that had to be Zhou Yu. Sun Ce, still holding Selene's hand, started feeling the wall trying to find the door while Zhou Yu covered his noise by throwing things.

Before he could find it though, Sun Ce heard running footsteps coming close to him and he instinctively backed up to cover Selene.

There was a loud crash and the room suddenly filled with light. Everyone stopped what they were doing and whirled to see the assassin run out of the room. He had busted out of the room due to the increased commotion, thinking the four people were devising a plan to corner and kill him.

Everyone squinted their eyes at the rush of the bright light of the blazers that was coming in from the hallway.

"Zhou Yu?" Sun Ce called out.

"Over here." Yu answered and Da and Ce looked to see Xiao and Yu with buckets in their hands.

"Let's go check it out." Ce said before turning to Da. "Stay here." He ordered.

"You too." Zhou Yu said to Aurora before putting his bucket down and walking out of the room with Ce.

"Sis!" Xiao cried as she dropped her bucket and ran to embrace Da.

"Oh, Xiao Qiao. You're safe!" Da said as her hand rubbed Xiao's hand while they embraced.

Xiao Qiao stepped back. "Da, you're bleeding! I can feel it!"

"I'm fine, Xiao. It's just a scratch." Da said with a smile. "It probably looks worse than it really is."

"All clear." Sun Ce said as he and Zhou Yu came into the room. "Come on, Selene, we need to get you a medic." He then, to Xiao's amazement, picked her up and began carrying her out of the room.

"What about you two?" Ce asked while they all walked out. "Any injuries?"

"Aurora's hand has reopened." Zhou Yu said as he picked up her wrist to examine her hand.

"Holy…" Ce said as he stopped and looked down at Selene, the light of the hallway giving him better visual of the amount of blood on her. He quickly walked over and set her on a bench. "Where were you hit, Selene?" He asked as he was examining her.

Xiao Qiao came around and looked before gasping.

Da Qiao was also shocked by the amount of blood on her. "Only my leg!" Da said as she looked at both Xiao and Ce. "The rest of this isn't mine!" She looked at him. "Were you cut?"

Ce shook his head. "No, I wasn't."

"It must be the assassin's blood then." Zhou Yu concluded.

Ce nodded. "That means we got a hit on him. Are you sure it's just your leg?" he asked.

Da nodded and glanced at Xiao.

"Alright." Ce said before picking her up. "Let's get you back to the healer."

"Ce!"

Everyone looked to see Sun Jian along with Sun Quan and Shang Xiang and other various guards running toward them. Sun Quan stopped before most of the others and narrowed his eyes at the maid who was currently in his brother's arms. Then he saw the bloody mess she was.

"Oh, my." Shang said as she looked down at Da.

"How did this happen?" Sun Jian asked, his eyes wide as he looked at Da.

"I'll explain it all later, Pop. Right now I've got to get her back to the healer. There's another room back there you need to light up and look at. I'll be there in a minute to explain everything."

Ce then continued walking and walked passed Sun Quan who raised a curious eyebrow at his brother, but said nothing and let him pass. Sun Ce looked over at Zhou Yu with a curious glance, who looked back equally curious, before looking away.

Da, grateful to be away from all the attention, leaned her head against Ce's chest, suddenly tired as the adrenaline wore off. She felt a small, almost imperceptible, tap on her foot and she looked up to see Xiao looking down at her worriedly. Xiao looked at Ce then Zhou Yu and then looked at Da meaningfully. That's when what Xiao was thinking really set in.

How were they going to explain this situation without blowing their cover?

Da leaned back. Sun Ce would no doubt use this against her. She was betting money Zhou Yu would use it against Xiao. She looked at Xiao who gave her a trusting smile. How could she betray that trust? She had gotten both of them into this mess. How was she going to get them both out of it?

Da sighed slightly. She was going to have to figure out a way though.

Even if that meant using poison…

Zhou Yu followed a fast paced Sun Ce down the corridor towards the room that their earlier scuffle happened. They had dropped their maids off at a healer's room and were currently returning to said room to explain everything that had happened in there to Sun Jian.

Zhou Yu glanced over at Sun Ce for the umpteenth time, wondering whether he should broach the subject that no doubt rested heavily on the Prince's mind.

He decided to be brave.

"Quan was looking at you again, Ce." Zhou Yu started, glancing at Ce again.

"I know." That was all Ce said as he continued his walking.

"Your father is going to ask questions, Ce. Questions that we don't have answers to."

"I know."

"And Aurora and Selene, their reactions to the attacks were different from an ordinary maid. That's prime evidence that they know more than they are letting on-"

"I know, Zhou Yu, I know!" Ce snapped, his walking stopped as he said that. "I know that Father is going to ask questions. I know Quan is suspicious! But I have other things to worry about, Yu!"

Ce turned away from Yu and walked a few steps before sighing and running a hand over his ponytail.

"Ce, I didn't mean-"

"I know." Ce said as he turned back to Yu with a smiled. "Trust me, buddy, I know what you meant by telling me that." Ce said as he put a hand on Zhou Yu's shoulder. "The last thing we need right now is you and I arguing. I'm sorry."

Yu smiled. "No one ever said being sworn brothers would be easy."

Ce laughed and turned and sat on a bench. "Indeed." Ce then took a long breath before looking at his sworn brother. "You are right, though. Selene and I need to have a talk about what happened today."

Yu smiled again. "How will you accomplish that?"

"I don't know."

Yu laughed. "Now that is a phrase you haven't said in the last five minutes."

Ce smiled and nodded. "Tonight is going to be different, though. She usually runs to avoid the conversation." Ce looked at Yu. "Tonight, though, I'll make sure she won't run."

Yu didn't voice his concerns in this matter. It would do no use anyway. "I will attempt to get information from Aurora as well."

Ce looked up at Yu with a smirk. "I can't wait to see that outcome. She's different than Selene. I wonder what her reaction would be."

Yu shrugged. "I guess time can only tell. But come. We need to get to the room and while we are getting there, we need to think of a story to tell your father."

Ce stood up. "Ah, we got a few hallways to go. Besides, he will probably make us lead a search team anyways. And I'm sure we could come up with something. We are getting pretty good at stories anyway."

Yu laughed. "Indeed."

He followed Sun Ce, seeming outwardly to be cool and confident. But really he was unsure with how he was going to interrogate his maid. Then there was her reaction that he wasn't sure of.

He didn't know what the night held for him. And he didn't know what exactly he was going to say to his maid.

"Deny it with every breath in your body, Xiao."

Da's words rang in Xiao's ears as she turned down Zhou Yu's bedcovers that night. The men had been out all day searching, so the maids were sent to help with serving and other various tasks.

Her and Da Qiao were allowed out of the healer's room only under the protection of Ce and Yu's own units. The unit was supposed to stay with them at all times, and a guard was leaning on the doorway that led into the room. Several other guards were patrolling through the chamber and even more posted at the door.

But it was nighttime once again and Xiao was turning the bed covers down, awaiting Zhou Yu's imminent return. Her thoughts were troubled. There was no logical way to explain everything, and Zhou Yu, being a thorough person, would want to know every detail.

"But, Da, what if they ask us how we learned to fight?" Xiao had asked.

"They didn't see any fighting, Xiao. Only us chasing him. If they do ask, we shall just say we learned from previous masters."

Xiao Qiao didn't tell Da that she thought that wouldn't work. Xiao didn't tell Da about Zhou Yu holding her close in the closet. Xiao didn't tell Da about how she felt last night. Xiao didn't tell Da about the spell Zhou Yu had tried to cast on her last night.

Xiao Qiao also didn't tell Da that Zhou Yu had nearly kissed her.

Xiao Qiao didn't seem to be telling her sister anything anymore. Which is why she just nodded her head to Da's instructions and had proceeded to her master's chambers, a feeling of slight dread on her shoulders and a horde of guard accompanying her. She, deep down inside, knew it wouldn't work. She also speculated that Da had had similar feelings, but she wouldn't tell. Da would never tell.

Xiao Qiao pulled out clothes from a trunk and began folding them and setting them neatly on the bed when she felt a presence nearby. She looked up and listened as she heard the guards open the doors, and a pair of boots began walking towards her position.

Zhou Yu nodded to the guard who bowed and left. He wouldn't leave the chambers completely, but instead would begin patrolling them like the other guards.

Xiao turned around in time to smile to Zhou Yu. "Good evening, my lord. I have turned down the bed and laid clothes out for you. Would you like for me to prepare a bath?"

Zhou Yu looked at her and that dazzling smile. He once again thought she looked like dawn.

"Please?" He asked of her.

Xiao giggled. "Of course." She picked up his clothes and made her way to the bathing chamber. "Come, my lord."

Zhou Yu followed her, not being able to take her eyes off of the way she moved. She wasn't graceful, exactly, but she wasn't awkward either. Rather, she was that perfect in between that he, dealing with court ladies and their "graces", found rather refreshing.

She set down his clothes on a stool and turned to him with another one of those magnetic smiles and gestured toward the tub. He turned to look and was surprised to see it already filled with warm water. There were linens he would use to dry off with neatly folded beside his clothes. Bath oils of many a variety awaited his choosing.

"You have already prepared it?" he asked as he looked at her puzzled. "How would you know I would want it?"

Xiao shrugged. "After everything you have been through, my lord," She started as she walked around him and helped pull his overcoat off, "I figured you would really like a relaxing bath."

"You speculated right." Yu said with a smile as he shrugged out of the clothing.

She put the overcoat over her arm to wash later. "Is the water to your liking, my lord? Do I need to cool it or add more hot water?"

Zhou Yu walked over to the water and dipped a few fingers in before smiling with a small headshake and facing her. "No. It is perfect."

"Okay then. I'll be out here if you need me." she said and with another smile, she was off.

Zhou Yu watched her go before he turned to the bath water. If she was indeed an assassin, she could have poisoned it. Zhou Yu looked at his fingers that he had dipped in there earlier and saw no signs if irritation. He glanced at the water then back at the door she had vanished into and shrugged.

He began peeling off the other clothing and tossing them aside, deciding he would take the chance. He needed to relax before having a serious talk with her.

Zhou Yu walked out of the bathing chamber a little while later, wearing everything but a shirt. Said clothing was hanging down in his hand. He scanned the room and found Aurora hanging up clothes for him tomorrow.

As soon as she was done, she turned and faced him and bowed with a smile.

"Aurora," He said, his voice betraying no emotions. "I was wondering if we could talk."

Xiao Qiao's heart hammered in her chest but she betrayed nothing as she cocked her head and asked, "About what?"

Zhou Yu stood there for several moments, clearly not knowing how to answer the question. The moments felt like years to Xiao as she tried her best to control her emotions and her breathing. She really wished he would say something other than just stand there. He could cough or look away or fall or put the shirt on or something!

Finally he raised the hand that didn't have his shirt in it, and motioned her to follow him. He nodded to several guards as he passed them, making his way to his intended destination.

Xiao didn't know if she liked this any better. Maybe he should go back to not being able to talk?

He led her into the study that they had had their scene from the night before and nodded to the guards in there that they could leave and patrol somewhere else.. He sat her in the chair she was in yesterday before pulling a chair up in front of it and sitting in front of her, just a few feet away.

He looked at her for a moment, her expression one of curiosity, and then looked at her hand.

"How is your hand?" he asked her.

Xiao smiled. "It's okay."

Zhou Yu nodded before speaking again. "Aurora, in light of today's events, I have just cause to believe you and your sister are in danger. But-" he said quickly when Xiao had opened her mouth to speak. "before I offer my protection, there are a few matters we need to discuss first."

"Like what?" Xiao asked as she sat forward and began bobbing her leg.

Zhou Yu noticed the movement but didn't think anything of it. The movement was just an outward show of her personality.

He sat there for another long moment of silence, in which Xiao got more antsy, before standing up and leaving his shirt in the chair. He crossed the room and slowly got his thoughts straight.

Xiao Qiao, however, had enough. Being an assassin, she was not used to information being withheld to her nor was she used to someone not speaking their mind to her. So she decided to inform him of the fact. Kind of.

"My lord, whatever it is that you are wishing to tell me, just tell me." She said with a huff.

Zhou Yu turned around, slightly shocked by her straightforwardness, but got caught up in the cute little pout she had on her face.

Focus, Zhou Yu.

"As you wish." He said before voicing his concerns. "You know who my sworn brother, Sun Ce, is?"

Xiao nodded. "The man my sister works for."

"Correct." Zhou Yu turned around again. "You are, then, aware of the attempt on his life not too long ago?"

Xiao's heart skipped a beat. "That was before I got here, but yeah I know about it from the other maids."

Zhou Yu doubted very seriously that that was how she had heard it. At least how she first heard it. "Sun Ce has come to me and he speculates that the assassin who had come after him," Zhou Yu turned to face her. "was none other than your sister, Selene."

Xiao just sat there, an emotionless statue. Her bobbing of her leg had stopped and now she was staring at Zhou Yu with wide eyes.

Suddenly, a smile pulled at her face and she burst into giggles, leaving Zhou Yu completely puzzled.

"My sister?" Xiao asked between giggles. "An assassin? That's a good one!" she said as she looked up at him.

He just looked at her, not smiling at all.

"Are you serious?" Xiao asked, her face and eyes suddenly hard.

She received no answer.

"Why?" Xiao asked barely above a whisper. "Why do you think this?"

"Because Sun Ce saw her face that night." Zhou Yu answered simply, not really able to tell if her emotions were fake or not.

"What?" Xiao asked.

Da had said that the prince was out! There was no way he could have seen her face if he wasn't there. That's when Xiao realized that this might just be a test to see how she would react.

"You're wrong!" She shouted at him and stood up. "Selene would never do that!"

"Sun Ce has never lied to me before, Aurora. He said he saw her face in the forest-"

"Lies!" Xiao hissed. Then something dawned on her. "Wait, if you think my sister is an assassin, do you think I am one also?" Xiao asked slowly.

Zhou Yu just sighed. "None of that matters now." he started making his way over to her. "What matters is that you are safe-"

"How long?" Xiao asked, retreating from his advancing form. "How long have you thought this? Since the day I got here?" Xiao asked, her little hands balled up into fists at her sides.

"Aurora-"

So he had known. From day one he had known. He had known she was a fake. But that meant…

"It was all fake, wasn't it?" Xiao asked as she looked at Yu, her voice a whisper.

Zhou Yu stopped in his tracks. The tone in her voice and the way she looked at him made him stop cold. The tone of her voice was calm but disbelieving. And the way she looked at him… She looked at him like she didn't know him. That he was some weird being that had fallen from the sky.

"Aurora, I don't understand-"

"The guards, leading me to dinner, reciting me poetry, bandaging my hand, nearly kissing me." She said each of these with a step toward his shocked form. "It was all fake wasn't it?"

"Aurora-"

"Gods, I'm so stupid!" Xiao said and turned away from him. "It was all fake!" she whirled to face him again. "It was all to gain my trust, wasn't it? I'm not your stay maid or primary maid because of my skills! You just wanted to keep an eye on me!"

Da was right. Da was so right…

"Aurora-"

"Don't!" Xiao nearly yelled, a hand held up to him. "I think you have already said enough."

Zhou Yu stared at her, trying to think of something, anything, to say. But his mouth kept opening and closing and no words were coming out. He saw the look in her eyes… And remembered when he had that same look. Last night, as she had walked away from the dining hall, he had looked at her disbelievingly. He had never wanted to suspect her of something like murder.

And now, she was looking at him with those eyes. Those disbelieving, hesitant, and even angry, eyes for totally different reasons. He wanted to reach out, to touch her and tell her that it wasn't fake. That he was as swept away as she last night. That he would have given anything to have Quan show up ten seconds later. But he couldn't. She would think he was lying again.

Zhou Yu opened his mouth one final time to dare to speak. To make her believe him.

Knock. Knock.

Zhou Yu and Xiao both looked at the hallway that led to the door. Xiao glanced at him before walking out of the study, obviously agitated. Zhou Yu watched her for a minute before he followed her to the outer chambers where Xiao reached the door.

Xiao opened it. "He's right there." Xiao said as she opened the door wider and pointed to Zhou Yu before just walking toward her maid's quarters.

Zhou Yu watched her leave, a little shocked. He wasn't the only one who stared after her. The rest of his guards stared after her also, shocked as Zhou Yu was about the maid's behavior. Zhou Yu remembered the visitor and turned to the person at the door. A guardsman.

"M-my lord, Lord Sun Jian wishes to see all generals for a few minutes in the conference room." the guard said, shocked as every one else was by Xiao's rude behavior.

Zhou Yu nodded. "Thank you."

He shut the door and turned to yell for Aurora, but when he turned, a shirt hit him in his face. As soon as he was able to pull the shirt off, he saw Aurora's door slam shut, signaling that she would not be following him.

Zhou Yu, feeling lower than he ever had before, put the shirt on and opened the door. Before he left, he turned and nodded to Xiao's door to a few of the guards who hurriedly ran over and stood guard at it. He glanced one last time at the door, then left.

Xiao leaned with her back to her closed door, both hands clasped over her mouth as silent tears ran down her face.

As soon as she heard the door close, signaling Zhou Yu's departure, Xiao unclasped her mouth and slid down the door as sobs resounded in her maid's room. Tears fell down her face more than ever and Xiao didn't even bother to wipe them off. Another would just take it's place anyway.

Da was right. And Xiao didn't listen to her. And now, she was paying for it.

He had played her for a little fool. And she had fallen for it.

"So, so stupid!" Xiao cried out as she slapped the floor with each word she said. She pulled her knees up to her and laid her head on her knees, crying. She tried wrapping her arms around herself to make her feel comfort from them, but it didn't work. She only cried harder.

Da. She needed Da. She needed her sister. She needed to tell Da everything. From what just happened to what happened the last two days. Da would know what to do. Besides, she needed Da to tell her everything was going to be okay…

Xiao stood up and decided against putting on her assassin outfit. All the patrolling people were looking for someone wearing that kind of outfit. It would be wise to stay in her maid uniform.

She opened the door from her maid chamber that lead into the main corridor. The door was a secret one was there so she didn't bother her master when she left to retrieve supplies during the night. But now it just served her purpose in getting her to her sister faster and without being seen by the guard stationed at the door.

She peeked at the guards, who weren't looking at her, and dashed down the hallway towards the Prince's quarters. Dashing towards the one person she really needed at that moment. She made her way there as fast as she could, ignoring the tears that cascaded down her beautiful face.

Sun Ce walked toward the double doors of his chamber, one of his guards holding it open. The two guards who were following him joined the two guarding the door.

"Thank you." he nodded to the guard before walking in and hearing the door shut behind him. He stopped and looked around his chamber and saw no sighs of Selene yet but saw plenty of guards. He slowly made his way to his bedroom, where he found her turning the sheets down on his bed, a guard standing at the doorway.

She moved to go to the other side of the bed to straighten an errant wrinkle, but upon raising up, realized Sun Ce was in the room. She looked up at him with a gasp. "Oh, my lord." she said with a hand over her heart. "I didn't hear you come in. Um, I've turned down your bedding and laid out fresh clothes for you." she gestured to a neat pile of clothing on a stool. "Would you like for me to prepare you a bath?"

Sun Ce nodded for his guard to go join the others before shaking his head. "Nah, I cleaned up before the search. I'll take the fresh clothes though."

Da nodded and picked up the clothes before handing them to him. "Will you need help, my lord?"

Her question made him pause, raising an eyebrow at her. Da Qiao just stared up at him innocently.

"No. I can put the clothes on by myself." he said before disappearing into the bathing chamber.

Da Qiao heard him lock the door and she glared at it. She thought about picking it and letting it open just to let him know that a lock wouldn't keep him safe. But, being the good maid that she was, just turned away with an exasperated scowl and started picking out clothes for him for tomorrow.

Maybe she could put some poison in his clothes? The rash would do him good. Especially if she put it in his pants…

Sun Ce emerged from the bathing chamber with his new clothes on. He watched Selene putting his clothes for tomorrow up while he fixed his shirt from being caught in his heir's band. She was bent, trying to get one of his shirts out of a trunk, her lips parted slightly.

Sun Ce couldn't help but focus on those lips, and then he was thinking about what her kiss would taste like. He then shook his head and tried to stop thinking such thoughts. Then she raised up and began trying to put his clothes up in the closet, turning her back to him. His eyes, though he tried unsuccessfully to fight it, made their way down to her backside.

Sun Ce turned away from her and whipped his hands across his face. "How are you feeling?" He asked, trying to make conversation. He had to talk to her about what happened earlier today anyways.

Da Qiao turned and saw his back to her and raised an eyebrow. Lord Sun Ce was a very funny man. "I am well, my lord. The healers did a very nice job taking care of me."

Sun Ce turned back to her and nodded. "Selene, you know we need to talk about what caused your injuries." He saw her stiffen. "And why you left the healer's room."

Da Qiao fully faced him and looked him in his eyes. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Sun Ce sighed before running a hand over his ponytail again. "Selene, can we not argue about it? I think I deserve to know! I saved your life today and I have protected you far longer!"

Da Qiao looked at him with her glowing eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Why do you think guards didn't follow you that night?" Ce informed her. "They didn't because I said I didn't know which way you went."

Understanding finally dawned on Da, and she looked away with a blush.

Ce took a step toward her. "I think after today and every other thing I have done for you, I deserve the truth."

"My lord, you saved my life today, but that night that you are constantly talking about to me, never happened!" Da said. "I cannot give you the truth, my lord, because giving you 'truth' would mean me lying about my whereabouts. I was not in your quarters that night, and this constant battle between us about that fact is getting very old!"

Da then turned and began to stalk out towards her quarters but she suddenly found herself shoved up against the wall. She turned, very agitated, to see Ce standing over her. He put two hands on either side of her on the wall.

"Not tonight, Selene. Tonight we are talking about this without you running." He was sick of her running. Tonight, he was going to take the lead.

"Let. Me. Go." Da said levelly.

"What was your plan that night, Selene?" he asked, ignoring her statement. "Seduce me, make me say all my secrets, then kill me?"

"Seduce you?" Da asked incredulously. "And what is this that you are doing?" Da motioned a hand to signify his position on her. "A new interrogation technique?"

"What was your plan that night?"

"Let me go." Da said, really getting pissed.

Ce narrowed his eyes. "I bet, right now, that you could name one way to kill me."

"I could name seven." Da said evenly.

"So that's it. You are here to seduce me. Everything about you is fake. Your name, your sister's name. Even your fear of storms! For all I know you faked that to get me in that bed quicker-"

Slap!

With strength she didn't know she had and anger she didn't know she possessed, Da had drawn her hand back and slapped Lord Sun Ce, Prince of Wu, with enough force to nearly make his whole head spin.

By the time Sun Ce turned to look where Da should've been, his eyes flaring with anger, she was no where to be seen. He looked around the room and didn't see her either. With a hand rubbing where she had slapped him, he started walking around his chambers, trying to be as quiet as possible.

She wouldn't leave his inner bed chambers. There were way too many guards patrolling in his outer chambers. She would be a fool to do so and fool was one thing he was certain she was not.

His footing caught on something and he looked down to see her maid outfit. She had apparently discarded it soon after she had taken off. He looked around before slowly bending down and picking it up, never taking his eyes off of the surrounding area. He rose and looked at the maid outfit a little more closely before looking around again.

"Is this the way it's always going to be, Selene?" He yelled out only loud enough to be heard by her and not the guard. "You always running?"

Suddenly he was kicked towards the wall, but he managed to catch himself. Before he could recover and attack with a little fire of his own, she kicked the back of both his knees and he slammed to the floor and this time into the wall.

She grabbed the outfit from him and wrapped it around his neck, and with a knee in his back, began to pull on it. Effectively choking Sun Ce. Sun Ce, not one to easily accept defeat, reached back and found the one leg she was balancing on and pulled it out from underneath her.

Da squealed and fell to the floor. Sun Ce ducked out of the way of the outfit and turned to Da who was trying to get up and run. She didn't get far because he grabbed her waist and threw her back up against the wall, trying to capture her hands.

Da Qiao couldn't let him get her in another hold. She fought with him with every fiber in her being. She was not going to get caught again. Sun Ce tried harder and just when he thought he had her, she grappled his wrist and used the incredible speed like she had the other night, and had him flying into the wall again.

Sun Ce rose up in time to see her running toward his bedroom. He got up and ran down another hallway, other than taking the route she chose to get to his room.

Da Qiao rushed into his bedroom and was almost out of the room when she was suddenly tackled onto the bed beside her. She felt Sun Ce's weight on top of her. She didn't know how many times she secretly wondered how it would feel to have his weight on her, but these were not exactly the circumstances she had in mind.

Sun Ce was on top of her, trying to pin her arms down. Da Qiao wasn't giving up easy. Finally, after a few minutes, he managed to grab one of her hands. This only served to make her more mad. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of winning. With her available hand, she knocked his elbow that he was using to keep himself balanced and rolled him onto his back and straddled him. Sun Ce began trying to fight back.

Then Da pulled a dagger out.

She had it in her free hand, pointed at him to strike. Sun Ce didn't move. He didn't contest her any longer. Doing so could end up in him losing his life. Instead, he stared at her.

He could've stared at her dress since she was only wearing simple undergarments. He could've stared at the dagger that was in her hand, hanging over him menacingly to take his life. But he found himself staring into her glowing eyes instead.

She looked at him with anger, hurt, frustration. At first, her glowing eyes were only riveted on his face, anger showing she was ready to end his life. But, after a few tense moments, her eyes took on new emotions. She searched his face, probably trying to see why he wasn't attacking back. After a few more moments, her eyes were frantic. Looking at both of their positions with mostly hurt. And then Sun Ce saw something in her eyes that shocked him to the core.

Tears.

There was a chattering noise as the dagger fell from her hands to the floor. Da Qiao hurriedly got off of Sun Ce, and he leaned up to see her backing away from him, a hand to her mouth and tears falling down her face. She kept shaking her head like she couldn't believe what she had nearly done. Then she turned her back to him, not letting him sit there and witness her tears. She kept her back to him, warring with herself over what just happened.

She felt two hands on her shoulders.

"Selene. You trusted me today in the closet. Is it so hard to trust me now?"

Silence.

"Selene, I've only wanted to protect you, to help you. That's what I want to do now. But you have to trust me and tell me the truth." Ce reasoned but Da still didn't answer.

Ce turned her around to look at her, but she wouldn't look at him. She had her arms around herself, her head turned to the side. Sun Ce reached out with one of his hands and turned her face toward him. She finally looked at him.

"I'm so sorry…" She said, new tears forming in her eyes.

Knock. Knock.

"Lord Sun Ce?"

Da Qiao made her way to open the door but Sun Ce replaced his hands at her shoulders, stopping her.

"Yes?" Ce called.

"Lord Sun Jian wants to meet with all the generals for a few minutes in the conference room."

"Okay." Ce told the guard before sighing and facing Da again. "I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

Da nodded, her tears no longer falling.

Ce turned and left then. At the sound of the door closing, Da released a sob and ran to her quarters. She shut the door and put her back to it before falling to the floor crying.

She had to kill him. She had to kill him. She had to kill him. But…

"But, oh goddess, I'm not strong enough…" Da said before crying harder.

"Don't let me down, my beautiful girls…"

Da Qiao raised her head up when she remembered her father's voice.

"…keep each other safe."

She stood up slowly, her thoughts racing. She heard guards take their placed at her door, but she didn't pay any heed to it as she made her way over to the mirror across the room.

She needed to do her job. To protect Xiao. She had gotten Xiao into this mess. She was going to get her out.

"I'll prove it."

"Not before I kill you first."

Her promise rang in her head as she stared at the mirror. She looked at the face that stared back at her. Those glowing green eyes. She hesitantly reached out and touched the mirror, right where a tear was stuck on her cheek in the reflection.

"Not before I kill you first…"

She removed her hand from the mirror, her glowing eyes narrowing. She had promised herself that way too much over the last week, and not acted on it. She had brought herself and Xiao into this mess, and now she had to get them both out.

She was an assassin. A killer, trained from an early age. Destined to be one from the moment of her birth. What could she ever think could come from having feelings for a prince? Despite being a Duke's daughter the most he would make her would be his mistress. His… whore.

Da Qiao swiped everything off of her vanity in anger. She would be no man's mistress! No man's whore! She looked at the mirror again, this time, her eyes showed the green fire of anger. She was going to do her job, even if that meant killing his whole family. And she was going to kill that assassin then report to her father. After that, she was going to take Xiao and they both were going to take time off at her castle.

At that moment, she, Da Qiao, finally decided to kill Sun Ce, Prince of Wu.

He stood in the hallway, staring at the picture on the wall with an unfathomable expression. His chest rose up and down in even breaths as he did so. To anyone passing by, he would have looked content, even happy to be staring at the picture.

But he was nothing but livid as he stared at it.

It was him. The man. The man the assassin wished he could rip the throat out of and laugh as the blood… and the body… fell onto the floor.

The man had touched her. Her. His prey. His possession. His… beautiful, bloodthirsty, assassin…

And she had let him. She had enjoyed it. And he seethed at it. She couldn't hide it from him. He could tell it. See the wonderment at what just one touch could do in her eyes.

And yet, she had looked at him with hate. Pure, unhidden hate. Why must the touches that she gives to that man be gentle, but the blows she dealt to him be bone breaking? She was his! Not that other man's.

He stared at the picture of an enemy he never expected for a long, long time. And slowly, ever so slowly, a smile formed on his face.

His eyes looked on the picture with menace, but the assassin smiled. He suddenly threw his head back and laughed a deep, cruel laugh that resounded down the empty corridor.

He pulled out his sword and slashed the picture where the man's throat was before walking down the hallway, laughing that same, weird laugh…

You're just like poison

Slowly moving through my system, breaking all of my defenses with time.

You're just like poison

And I just don't get it, how could something so deadly feel so right?

I'm not sure of what to do, it's a Catch 22 because the cure is found in you

I don't want it but I do, You're just like poison

My affliction, I'm addicted, I can't lie

Kiss me one more time before I die…

So what will happen now? Anyone want to guess? I did enjoy writing the closet scene with the assassin. It was dangerous and yet sexy and seductive all at once. My kind of scene for this story. Beyonce's "Poison" is the closing lyrics.

Most of you will be happy to hear that I do have most of the next chapter for Are You Jealous Yet written! But I'm going to have to split it into two parts because it's really getting long. And I mean waaay long. It's just picking up where I left off on that story that's so hard. But i will get it done. It'll probably be a while though because there is still so much to write.

Anyways, drop me a review on your way out, will ya?

ShadowingPassion