I dedicate this entire fanfic to the original creators of all animes involved. I highly respect each writer, director, and voice actor involved in these amazing stories. I can only hope that I can someday write something as brilliant as they have, with my own ideas.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything involved in this. I don't even own the original characters, they own me.

Chapter 1: The Army of Jiyuu No Toushi, part 1

It was cold, to the point that he was almost numb. He had just enough feeling to cringe at the pain of his bloody, aching wrists. This pain was caused by the tight, thick cuffs around them, chains binding him to the back of the room. The chains connected to the metal floor, and gave him limited movement- barely enough to stand. Though he'd tugged long and hard, for hours on end, they'd stuck to the ground, never weakening.

The prisoner's clothes were frayed and torn from the battle that had led him there. His ragged long sleeves and pants were red, while his once white vest was a yellowish-gray with red blood stains around the rips. His skin had always been pale, but now it was more white and gaunt than ever. He had long, dark hair held up in a tight ponytail, though many strands fell over his face like bangs, particularly over his left eye. His vision was limited in this eye, the reason for this made obvious by a wide burn scar. The scar caught part of his cheek, reached up to parts of his scalp and covered his ear completely. His golden, scarred eye was smaller than his undamaged one, though both held a fiery determination yet to be doused.

Though he knew it was futile, that he should be exploring other options, he gave another sharp tug. The cuffs dug into his skin, scratching it away as he bled freely. He cringed and let out a cry, before letting his arm fall limply at his side.

He was tired of this, all of it. He was weary of waiting and worrying, drained from planning and struggling, but most of all, he was tired of the cold. He was a prisoner to the men who held him in this cell, to the darkness surrounding him, to the sting and ache of his body, to the bitter, cold air. All of it was so cold.

He didn't know how long he'd been in this odd cell. No light came from any direction, making it impossible for him to guess if it was day or night. He tried counting the times he'd fallen asleep, but had no way of keeping track and was constantly loosing count. Even after days of letting his eyes adjust, he couldn't see the ceiling far above him, darkness covering it like a black aura. There were no windows, only bolts holding the metal walls up, the door before him bulky and air-tight.

Whoever it was that gave him the tray of scrap food only came while he was sleeping. He'd made an effort to stay awake and see who, but had always failed. His captors didn't seem to have a shift to feed him, either, and this only made him feel paranoid, like he was being watched.

He'd used all the classic tactics to escape by now- play sick, pretend to be asleep – and still he had been unsuccessful to even get their attention. He hadn't been questioned, hadn't seen his captors since they'd attacked his home, and had no idea why he was still alive. He dared to wonder if his family - his wife and children - were still alive as well.

His best guess was that it had been a week, at least. If they'd let him live this long without an interrogation, they'd probably have him executed any day now.

There must be something I've overlooked… but even if there is, I can't waste time finding it. I need to get out of here now, find Raven and the kids…

I have no other choice; I'm out of options. I have to… use it. This will only get riskier from there, but I have to…

Just as he'd made this decision, the door opened. He flinched and blinked at the light pouring in, trying to make sense of the two figures entering his prison.

"Get up," a brutish voice demanded. "It's time."

The prisoner looked away from their silhouettes and stood, though his chains kept him hunched over. He stared at the guards before him, startled by their appearance.

Neither guard looked like any man he'd ever seen. The guard who had just spoken seemed to be out of place in the modern room, for he wore leather armor and a cloak from medieval times. His skin was dark, his short hair darker, one black eye open while his right squinted shut. An obvious scar cut across the bridge of his nose, though it didn't catch as much attention as the giant sword strapped to his back. The sword was as tall as the man, if not taller, and was built thick, sharp and frightening.

The second guard was a short, bald, little man with a large stomach. He wore black clothing, big enough to fit him and tight enough to show off his pot belly. His shirt was sleeveless, his arms bulky, dark wristbands covering wrists thicker than his pudgy hands. What appeared to be long red cords ran down his arms and to his wristbands, the bands holding a triangle-like design the prisoner didn't recognize. The guard's small eyes held a greedy look, and a broad smirk was on his wide mouth.

The wider of the two guards looked up at the other. "Can I eat him?" he asked in a hoarse voice, a wide grin spread across his face.

A shiver ran up the prisoner's spine. That thing… what the hell is it?

The darker guard, however, shook his head. "No. Guy has other plans for him. He needs to die in a more…" He paused, musing over the right word. "… agonizing way."

"Who is Guy?" The prisoner inquired, having heard the name for the first time. "Why am I being killed now, when you could have done that earlier? Don't you think I have a right to know what's going on?"

The dark man gave him a sour look. "No."

Well, that was blunter than I expected…

The dark man came up behind the prisoner, grabbed his wrists forcefully and brought them together, joining the cuffs with a lock. He then took off the chains, and pushed the prisoner forward.

"Don't bother resisting. Even if you could defeat us, you'll never escape this fortress."

The prisoner snorted. "Fortress… So you do work with the Xiborgs…"

The fat one snickered. "He really is clueless, isn't he? The Xiborgs are only part of Guy's-"

"That's enough, Gluttony. We're not allowed to tell him anything."

"But he's about to die anyway…"

The swordsman didn't reply; instead he gruffly dragged the prisoner out into the brightly lit hallway.

Every way the captive looked, the hall seemed endless, lights lining each upper and lower corner. There was a bolted door just before him, and many more along the walls of the hall. He could see many other halls intersecting, and he was reminded of streets of suburbs, each door representing a home.

The first guard pushed him down the hall. "Move it."

The prisoner staggered, barely keeping his balance. Gluttony cackled again as the medieval guard gripped the detainee's wrists and shoulder, dragging him along.
Begrudgingly, the prisoner went along with them.

He would have to use it now, before he was killed. He just had to wait for the right time…

"Can I just have an arm or two?"

"Shut up, Gluttony."

They reached an intersection, and with a deep breath, the prisoner made his move.

Before his captors had time to react, the handcuffs had fallen through the prisoner's blue, transparent body. Both could only watch as the blue figure sank through the metal floor.

The prisoner fell many floors below them into a dark hallway that mirrored the lit one above. He landed on one knee, his right leg throbbing with pain at contact with the floor, sparking the fear that it could give out during his escape and render him defenseless.

I'm getting too old for this.

He stood to full height, pulling himself out of his "Blue Spirit" form. A sickening feeling came to him as he did, a feeling of dread for what was to come.

Am I going to get out of this alive?

He turned to the intersecting hall and dashed down the hallway, taking a look around him as he did. He had a limited view of what was ahead of him, the hall having no lights or windows and his eyes re-adjusting to the dimness. When he finally came upon a door to his side, it was covered by bars and chains, a number imprinted on the doorway in white paint.

I'm still in the prison? But I thought that a different floor would get me out… How big of a prison is this? How many prisoners could they possibly hold?

His family could be kept here, in the same fortress. The bigger the prison, the harder it would be to find them and a way out. For a moment he was gripped by fear and desperation, and acted accordingly.

"Raven!" He called, bashing his fist on the door. "Arella! Kuzon! Anyone, can you hear me?"

Silence.

His fists turned back to trembling hands, and he gripped one of the bars. If he was going to leave, he couldn't without them. But what could he do? Check every door in this dungeon until he found them?

A loud Boom! came from behind him, just as a line of lights turned on, revealing the hall to go on for miles, just like the upper level. Looking the way he came, he could see a figure, standing on what had once been part of the ceiling.

That was fast… too fast. Who are these people?

Knowing he'd lingered too long, he spun on his heel and dashed off, ignoring the persistent throb in his leg and wrists. He came to one of many crossroads, the crossing hall reaching an end faster than his current path. He turned, running up to another door at the end of this new hall.

He screeched to a halt before it. This door had no bolts, bars or numbers. However, a red glow surrounded the door, seeming to fizz like a TV screen.

A Xenothium shield? So the Xiborgs really do work for this… Guy?

He spotted a panel beside it, recognizing it as the key to unlock the door. He also saw that it was, unfortunately, voice activated. Even if he dared to use his blue spirit form again, he probably wouldn't have enough chi to pass through a shield like that.

I'm trapped.

He turned away, running along the edge of the prison. It didn't matter, at least not yet. Despite being chased, he wasn't ready to leave the dungeon.

Just as he reached another crossroad, the medieval guard skidded in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. The guard gripped his sword's hilt with an armored hand, pulling the sword out its sheath. As he held it before him tightly, a grim expression fell over his face.

"Shall we, then?" he asked, his deep voice filled with an odd sense of finality.

The prisoner put out his fists before him as he took a stance. "Bring it."

At this, the man positioned his sword better, and then gave his opponent an evil grin. He held the sword over his shoulder as he charged, letting out a fierce battle cry.

The prisoner dodged the strike, not waiting for another. He slid to the man's side, punching into his chest. As he did, flames sprouted from his fist, colliding with the medieval guard as well.

The guard cringed, but kept his footing, letting out another cry as he swung again, the length of his sword cutting their distance drastically. The prisoner barely had time to jump back, the very tip of the sword grazing his neck, a red line appearing moments later.

The prisoner was nearly backed up against a wall. Using this to his advantage, the dark swordsman held his sword straight out before him and charged. Not noticing that the wall was behind him, the prisoner tried to back up even more, cutting down the time he had to dodge.

Out of instinct, the prisoner went into his transparent form as the sword ran him through. He then moved out of the way as he unwillingly fell out of this form, collapsing on all fours as fatigue took him over.

The swordsman grinned again. This was his chance. He pulled back to strike one last time…

But the sword didn't budge.

He looked, startled to find that his sword had pierced through the metal wall, and was stuck. The unlikelihood of this caught him off guard, giving the prisoner far too much time to recover.

"Shit!" The swordsman hissed, wiggling the sword from the gap in the wall. "Can't I just get one break?"

The prisoner stood up, shaking from the adrenaline, as took the guard's moment of confusion to catch his breath. "How about I give you one?"

The guard glared, and sharply tugged his sword free, holding it out threateningly. "That being?"

"You let me go," he continued, "and I'll let you live. I'm not about to waste time on you; I can kill you, right now, and I will unless you drop your sword."

The swordsman chuckled, grinning once more, showing off his sharp rows of teeth. "You're too weak to do such a thing."

"I have more strength that you think." The prisoner said quickly. "Don't underestimate me."

The grin disappeared. "Now you sound like Guy… acting like anything's possible. If that were true, then… …then I can kill you, just as you can kill me. I'll have my revenge."

The prisoner blinked. Revenge? I've only just met this man... What could I have done?

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to think it over. The man charged at him, sword raised high in the air.

For the final time, the prisoner sank into his spirit form, into the spirit world. Once his victim was close enough he pushed his hand into the man's chest, gripping the closest organ tightly; in this case, his heart.

Curse you, master, for teaching me this… ability.

With this resentful thought, he crushed the man's heart.

The dark swordsman died instantly, with a second's worth of pain at most. He fell limply to the floor, eyes still wide open, glazed over like a glass doll's.

The runaway tore himself out of the form. He told himself again and again that it had to be done, that he had to escape, to save them… but it didn't make it any better.

I was hoping he'd just take my offer… I hate it when I have to do that… and now I can't use it again; it's far too risky, I might not make it back…

Silently, he crouched down over the man's body and shut his glassy eyes, knowing he would regret this, despite the circumstances…

But just as he'd turned, leaving the man's body, someone cut him off yet again.

It was the same swordsman.

The runaway stared, wide-eyed. He looked to make sure the man's body still lay there. It did, which made matters worse in his mind. He looked between the two, flabbergasted. "What…?"

The newcomer looked from his duplicate to the prisoner, just as shocked. After a closer look, the prisoner saw that he wasn't an identical twin. The newcomer's face was less worn, his sword less battered, his attitude different compared to the man he'd just struck down.

"You… you killed me!" The man gasped, looking down at himself again.

With the rest of the information he'd been fed within the hour, the escapee's mind was reeling. "How..?"

The man looked up again, this time with a fierce glare. "Bastard!" he roared, raising his sword and charging at top speed.

The runaway barely managed to dodge, the edge of his shirt torn by the side of the blade. When he missed, the guard swung low, and the prisoner jumped…

Before he knew what was happening he was flying up into the ceiling, briefly seeing red as his head collided with the wall. He then fell to the floor, landing flat on his stomach.

A clap echoed in the room, and a bright light flashed around him. By the time the light faded, the metal floor seemed to seep upward, surrounding his ankles and wrists, keeping him locked to the ground.

"My, oh, my," a smooth, light voice cooed, "What a disappointment you've become, dear boy."

A cackle echoed, the creature Gluttony's footsteps now in the hall, though he was out of the prisoner's line of vision. "Guts would be double dead if you hadn't stopped him… Can I eat him, sir?"

A sharp pain shot through the prisoner's back. He cringed, and then looked up at the source of the pain. He was startled to find what was obviously human, but bizarre all the same.

The man had wild, uncombed blond hair that stuck up in every direction. His skin was dark and rich, enhancing his red-brown eyes, both clashing horribly with his white tuxedo and pink tie. He wore black, pointed shoes, the heel of one digging into the prisoner's back.

"I expected more." he said in an amused tone. "Knowing you, I figured you'd be struggling with the guards… but I didn't expect you to be caught again so easily. Perhaps you've grown soft, exhausted, and old. Perhaps your leg truly has crippled you."

He lifted his foot and knelt down beside the prisoner, a broad smirk forming on his proud face. "But of course, I shouldn't be underestimating the accomplished and determined Prince Zuko, should I?"

The addressed slowly lifted himself up with tired arms, looking up at his oppressor with sharply narrowed eyes.

"Who are you?"

The blonde chuckled, sending a shiver up Zuko's spine that was worse than the one from Gluttony.

"I have many names; all given to me by my enemies and minions… you will know me as Guy, but only for the last few minutes of your life. You see, you're a piece of incriminating evidence that I must dispose of."

Zuko glowered. "Evidence? Of what?"

"Of the fact that I am the villan," he replied, "a fact your son won't tolerate from me… for the moment. Seeing how I'm trying to get him to convert to our side, well…"

Guts raised his sword, glowering down at Zuko. "Shall I finish him off?"

"No," Gluttony cut in, "let me eat him!"

"He killed me… He's going to kill me. It's only fair that-"

"I haven't eaten anything all day!"

Guts turned on Gluttony, reaching the end of his temper. "Shut up, you stupid homunculi scum!"

"You shut up, human!"

"Childish, fat, idiot demon!"

Both continued fighting like this, Guy chuckling at the scene. Zuko tried to squirm free as they argued, his already raw wrists and hands bleeding profusely. Sadly, it was all in vain, for their diverted attention didn't last long enough.

"Calm down, both of you." Guy said calmly, his tone still playful. "Gluttony, if you wait long enough, I promise you a feast. Guts, think about what sort of revenge you'd rather have for yourself: You can chop him to pieces if you'd like, but it still won't be as painful or destructive as my way."

Gluttony's face brightened at the prospect of a meal, while Guts simply nodded in sulky agreement.

Guy turned back to Zuko, who was still struggling to break free. "What are you going to do to Kuzon?" He yelled desperately, hoping to gain some time.

Guy glanced at the ceiling, lips puckered as he mused. "Hmmm… Could I get away with a quick monologue? Well, since he won't understand whatever I explain… I might as well."

"And you were pestering me!" Gluttony grumped at his comrade.

Gut's brows furrowed. "I was?"

Ignoring the two once again, Guy gave Zuko a gleeful look. "Your child is part of a project that I have been working on for two years- many more years to you, but only so few for me. It is called the Yin-Yang project. He shall be among my greatest weapons, and the first of many to be created in such a way. He has learned all he can from you, dear boy. Now, he must learn from me. Now, he is mine."

"Kuzon will never join you." Zuko snarled.

"I beg to differ," Guy retorted. "Haven't you realized that you've worked for me for the past eighteen years of your life? Since you were frozen, you've been under my control. Who says I can't manipulate Kuzon as I've manipulated you?"

Zuko's wrists were aching for him to give in, but he didn't care. He still fought as he cried, "You won't get away with this!"

"I already have." Guy said darkly, his cheerful demeanor vanishing rapidly. "All there is left to do is dispose of you… and I plan to do so by sending you to a world so dangerous, so deadly, that I have yet to find a way to set up cameras and watch you die."

"I don't care where you decide to send me," Zuko hissed, golden eyes filled with hatred as he glared up at Guy. "I will come back. I will save my family. I will defeat you- I promise you that!"

Guy seemed completely unaffected by this declaration, which only fueled Zuko's anger. Guy then bent down onto his knees, cracking his knuckles as he stared back emotionlessly into Zuko's eyes.

"Goodbye, Prince Zuko."

With this, Guy clapped his hands together, the sound echoing throughout the hall. He then violently thrust his hands to the ground.

A white glow surrounded Zuko, blinding him. He shut his eyes tightly as wind tugged at his hair and clothes. When it ceased and the light seemed to die away, he opened his eyes again.

He found himself sitting before two large double doors made of stone. Odd carvings covered the archway, carvings of either gaunt looking creatures or suffering people- he couldn't tell which. The doors had an eye etched across it, an intricate design that was frightening.

The doors slowly started to open. Shivers ran down his spine again as he saw thousands of eyes staring at him through the darkness. He stared back, feeling paralyzed by fear.

"Aiya."

Something long and black, like a big worm, writhed its way towards him, a dozen others following. His brain screamed to move, but his body's only response was to flinch as a worm closed in on his face.

"Light!"

As the girl's voice filled the air, wind rushed by his ears and through his hair yet again. He watched as the darkness shrank back, while a bright light once again filled his vision.

For a moment his ears rang, and all he could see was white. As the light faded, he saw two people running- no, gliding towards him- before his vision gave out completely and he knew no more.

End part 1

Credits: Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender; Gluttony, the Gate of Alchemy from Fullmetal Alchemist; Guts from Berserk; Sakura, Light Card from Cardcaptors.