Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles belongs to CLAMP

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Warning: violence and language

Country of the Forsaken

Kurogane's vision went white as pain seared through his leg sending him crashing to the ground. The involuntary snarl that echoed throughout the alley despite his efforts to hold it behind his clenched teeth caused the others to reverse their flight, intent on returning to his side.

"What the hell are you doing? Go!" he screamed at them, for all the attention they paid to his words. Fai appearing at his side before he had finished speaking, Syaoran with Mokona only steps behind.

"Kurogane-san!" Syaoran exclaimed. His eyes focused on the blood running down Kurogane's leg and splattering the sacks of garbage that had split open when Kurogane had attempted to climb over them.

Fai, his face grim, looked from Kurogane to the fence they needed to scale thinking of the numerous obstacles between them and relative safety. "Syaoran, you and Mokona keep going."

"But, what about you and Kurogane?" Mokona cried anxiously. "The Nephilim-" The small creature's words cut off as if by cue by the panicked yells of those trapped by the Nephilim and the hunters' guttural calls as they closed in on their prey.

"Listen you, toothless white rat, you and the kid need to get out of here," Kurogane growled, "This guy and I'll take a different route and meet you at the house."

"But-" Syaoran started to protest.

"Syaoran-kun, we can move much faster if we split up," Fai said urgently, casting a worried look back the way they had come. "There isn't time to argue and Sakura-chan is waiting. Do you doubt that I can slip Kuro-sama and I past those overgrown abominations?" he asked with manufactured lightness.

Not waiting to see if Syaoran intended to continue arguing, Kurogane narrowed his eyes and pulled himself to his feet to tower intimidatingly over the boy. "Get the Fuck out of here," he snarled knocking Syaoran in the direction of the fence.

His eyes wide, Syaoran awkwardly scrambled up the chainlink fence, the metal rattling sharply as he ascended, Mokona having slipped easily through the links watched Kurogane and Fai anxiously as she waited for Syaoran. Leaping to the ground on the other side Syaoran faced the two men. "Be careful," he told them solemnly.

"Move it!" Kurogane barked furiously; glaring at the boy until he began to sprint away through the refuse strewn street.

"You didn't try to send me away with Syaoran-kun," Fai commented as he jumped down from the pile of garbage.

Grunting with pain, Kurogane followed Fai's lithe form more carefully. "Would you have listened?" he asked his stomach twisting at the sight of his leg now that he was free of the trash. Blood was running freely from the jagged wound and he suspected the muscles had been torn.

"No," Fai answered unhesitantly.

-XXXXXXX-

The air was filled with a cacophony of curses, tears, and the imbecilic utterances of those too consumed by fear to do anything else. The sky, a seething mass of rain swollen clouds disgorged their contents over Nephilim and prisoner alike, painting the river docks in dripping shades of grey and black.

Originally a meat packing plant, the dockside factory had been abandoned for reasons known only to its owners and had been commandeered by the Nephilim as a temporary slave market, which had quickly become a permanent one. The large livestock pens had been readily modified to contain their new chattel. The chutes that had once been used to herd animals into the slaughterhouse allowed the Nephilim to shift the prisoners from one pen to the other with little effort. Most of the prisoners were to terrified or weak to offer any resistance and meekly went where they were directed. While others whose size and presence earned the consideration of even the monstrous giants that were the Nephilim were forced along by the liberal application of cattle prods through the pens' bars. Those captives whose struggles exceeded the thin patience of the Nephilim were shot with little consideration and the smell of gunpowder mingled with that of blood, piss, and fear.

Kurogane shoved his way through the packed bodies until he reached the farthest edge of the pen he and Fai had been thrown into. The space was overflowing with those waiting to be sorted by their Nephilim captors and Kurogane watched as one of the other prisoners driven by panic attempted to scale the side of the enclosure only to be thrown back by the electrical current running through wires strung along the top of the fencing. Tightly woven wire mesh had been attached to the inside of the pens preventing attempts to slip between the bars and the electrified wires kept the prisoners from escaping by climbing or jumping over the fencing, not even Fai, with his unnatural deftness, could readily break free once locked in.

Huffing with irritation, he continued scanning the area searching for a way to free them. Grimacing as pain lanced through his leg, he growled at whoever had jostled him; the faceless gray haired figure backing apologetically into the crowd. The gash had ceased bleeding though that was more a result of the dirt that had caked the wound than his body's ability to heal. It had taken only minutes for the Nephilim to spot Fai and him after they split up from Syaoran and Mokona. Shaking his head in anger and self-loathing, Kurogane glanced down at Fai who had pressed close to him in exhausted fear, his body scored by several lacerations, the result of fighting the hunters during their capture. The damned idiot could have gotten away if he had just been willing to leave him behind, but never one to make the intelligent choice the moron had stayed by Kurogane's side futilely attempting to hold the hunters back while Kurogane struggled to free himself from the entangling ropes the Nephilim had cast over him.

Feeling the predatory gazes of several prisoners who appeared to have been in the slave pens longer than the rest, Kurogane shifted until he was between them and Fai. "Damn it," he cursed in frustrated guilt, the asshole was in this hell because of him.

"Kuro-sama?" Fai questioned quietly, his forehead resting against Kurogane's shoulder.

"It's nothing," he said quickly not wanting to worry the blonde further, anger sending a rush of adrenaline through him, he shoved futilely against the enclosure.

A commotion near the pen's gate caused Kurogane and Fai to tense. Three Nephilim had entered the pen and were quickly securing a pair of prisoners with chains attached to poles. Despite their emaciated appearance the captives struggled against their bonds, however their efforts appeared to only excite the Nephilim and they were dragged into a new enclosure surrounded thickly by numerous Nephilim.

"What do you think is happening?" Fai asked quietly, watching the prisoners disappear from view. "Is it an auction?"

The bloodlust being exuded by the crowd was not what Kurogane would associate with a slave auction. "Blood sport," he told his smaller companion slowly, the anticipatory raise of the Nephilims' voices not quite drowning out the maddened and pained sounds of the involuntary gladiators.

Fai's eyes widened, but he remained silent. The minutes ticked into hours and Kurogane watched the number of prisoners in the pen dwindle. Those who appeared healthy and tractable where loaded onto wagons to be used to turn the treadmills in the Nephilims' factories. However, the majority where led into the blood splattered arena, their shattered and torn bodies tossed careless onto waiting carts that made a continuous circuit between the pens and the river swollen by the spring rains.

Kurogane's apprehension increased in proportion to the decrease in prisoners sharing the corral with them. There had yet to be an opportunity to escape, but as the scent of blood overrode the others, he swore to himself that he would force the Nephilim to kill him rather than be sent into the arena. A glance at Fai's grim expression as they watched yet another victim beaten and dragged forcibly to their deaths told him that the blonde shared his thoughts.

"Kuro-sama!" Fai yelled horror filling his face and voice. Kurogane, who had sunk wearily to the ground, his leg no longer able to support his weight, staggered to his feet and only Fai's quick movement to catch him prevented his immediate collapse.

Choking back a frustrated growl at his body's continued betrayal Kurogane followed Fai's gaze; his impotent howl of rage mingling inseparably with the screams of protest being cast by numerous prisoners still confined in the pens. Their voices, however, were unable to bruise the callous exterior in which the Nephilim clothed themselves and remained unheeded.

Frantic with the need to prevent the atrocity that was about to committed, Fai leapt into the air catching ahold of the top of the fence imprisoning them. Insensible to his own safety he attempted to pull himself over the side, his body coming into contact with the charged wires.

"Let go!" Kurogane screamed, the sight of Fai's spasming body dangling from the wires causing his heart to contract violently. Ignoring the burning protest of his leg, Kurogane threw himself at Fai, their bodies tumbling over one another as they rolled across the cobblestones coated in mud and excrement. Pinning Fai beneath him, Kurogane tried to stop his thrashing as he sought to escape back to the fence.

Hysterical Fai continued to struggle, his nails ripping from their pads as they caught on the stones. "Stop, stop, stop," he sobbed.

His limbs tangled with Fai's Kurogane did the only thing he could think of to end Fai's hysteria before he injured himself further and bit his ear. The taste of Fai's blood spilling into his mouth caused bile to surge up his esophagus and Kurogane reflexively swallowed both the blood and acid. The act had its desired affect and Fai stilled beneath him though he could feel the heaving of Fai's ribs as he continued to weep. Releasing his hold on Fai's ear Kurogane shifted until Fai's head was pressed against his chest. "Don't look," he whispered. "Don't look."

Shaking his head Fai gazed up at Kurogane, his eyes reflecting his resolve to look upon sights that would leave his soul permanently wounded, but he would bear witness to nonetheless, because there was nothing else he could do. Nodding in acquiescence Kurogane returned his attention to the arena.

The Nephilim had carried several narrow wooden crates to the arena and Kurogane allowed the fury he felt to saturate the growl that thundered out of his throat. He had heard rumors of the things contained in the crates. Beings driven insane by the Nephilims' deliberate cruelties they existed only to kill. The stories he had heard repeated in hushed whispers spoke of creatures whose blood frenzy was so great that as long as there remained things for them to kill they would forgo food to the point of death. They were kept in cages so small they couldn't move about because lacking opponents or victims they would frequently mutilate themselves, their insanity tuning on themselves. Those pathetic creatures for which death would be a mercy were not what had raised hundreds of voices in anguished protest, but the small huddled forms crowed close to one another seeking even the smallest measure of comfort.

There were nine children, Kurogane couldn't tell their ages, but all retained remnants of the chubbiness commonly found in the very young. By trick of the rain driven wind or due to his conscience seeking to sear the sight irrevocably in his mind, the children's' weeping and calls for their mothers were carried clearly to his ears. As he watched two of the crates were maneuvered against gates whose doors when raised would release the berserkers opposite each other and chained in the center of the arena would be one of the children. They would fall on the helpless child mauling its body until their psychotic blood lust drove them to attack each other. However, before that happened, the child would be reduced to nothing more than unidentifiable pieces of bloody flesh. The children were to be used as bait to heighten the combatants' blood thirst and the sight of the children huddled together just beyond their reach caused the caged fighters to thrash in their confines, wordless ravings cutting the air and terrifying the children further.

A glance at Fai revealed an expression that went beyond horror and Kurogane felt his anger roll outward in waves that caused the other prisoners to back away apprehensively. Sweeping his eyes critically over the enclosure, his gaze settled on the gate that opened into the chute used by the Nephilim to move their prisoners. The sides of the chute were too high to jump and the live wires extended along its top, however the Nephilim were able to enter the pens through the chutes and so there had to be a way out. "The fuck we are going to watch this happen," he snarled, his unexpected words startling Fai.

"What is the plan?" Fai asked, his relief at the prospect of not standing a helpless vigil over the children's deaths obvious.

"We go over that," Kurogane said with a jerk of his head at the gate, "and we keep going until we're free. Once we're out of this we'll get the kids." He knew his words could hardly be constituted as a plan, but the alternative was unconscionable.

Cautiously three prisoners approached them. "You going to grab the little ones?" the eldest of the three asked, his eyes were just starting to turn milky with age, but he appeared strong and Kurogane suspected it was only his authoritative demeanor that had kept him from the factories.

"We are," he said evenly.

"We'll back you boys up then. The rest of our group was killed in the raids and I'd rather go down with my honor intact than like some lamb led to the slaughter," the former commander said, his words echoed in the firm nods and stances of his companions.

"We can't wait," Fai said urgently. "They'll finish their preparations soon and there is no way to know when they'll come for more prisoners from here."

Kurogane gave a grunt of affirmation. "We go now," he told them and not waiting to see who followed he raced toward the gate, his snarling visage sending the other prisoners scattering from his path.

Kurogane with Fai at his heels vaulted over the gate leading into the chute. Landing hard on the other side his injured leg gave under the impact. However, the reopening of his wound barely registered as he continued his rush down the chute. Behind him, he heard the sounds of the other three as they cleared the gate and the shouts of alarm as the Nephilim took notice of their escape.

The Nephilim had yet to corner them in the twisting maze of chutes and corrals, and the five continued their race over the closed gates, seeking the one that would lead them out of the pens. Distantly, Kurogane was relieved for the rain that continued to fall. The inclement weather keeping many of the Nephilim from the slave market and washing away the bloody footprints he knew he would otherwise be leaving.

He was so focused on finding the way out he had nearly reached exit, before he realized he could see the wagons used to haul the prisoners and beyond them the burned out remains of a building. Time lost its meaning as chaos erupted around them as the Nephilim spotting their escaped prey converged on them, wielding weapons meant to restrain or maim rather than kill. Free of the confines of the slave pens they rushed unerringly toward the arena and the remaining children. The elderly leader moved the front of their group, the other two flanking him as they cut a path through the charging Nephilim.

"There," Fai yelled spotting the children.

-XXXXXXX-

Kurogane's brain sluggishly registered pain and as his reluctant thoughts coalesced into coherency one word containing a multitude of emotions consumed him, 'Fai'. Unable to move Kurogane's eyes sought Fai's familiar shape, his worry rapidly turning into panic. Less than a dozen feet away he found Fai's still form, his back to him. Fear seeking to strangle and paralyze him, Kurogane crawled to Fai. Without looking Kurogane knew the bones in his injured leg had been shattered by a Nephilim's cudgel and his ears were ringing from the blow to his head that felled him. "Oi, idiot," he called the words sounding more like a desperate prayer than an attempt to rouse his companion.

Pulling his battered body around Fai, he placed his ear next to Fai's chest fearfully seeking a sign of life. He was rewarded with the weak sputtering thump of Fai's heart as it continued to push blood through his body and the ragged sound of his breath as he sought to draw in air in spite of his injuries. Blood had soaked Fai's hair and from the sound of his breathing Kurogane thought that one of his ribs had perforated a lung, but it was the sight Fai's face that tore sobs from Kurogane. One side of Fai's face had been reduced to mass of raw meat and one of the jagged ends of his broken jaw bone had pierced his skin. "Why didn't you run?" Kurogane demanded his voice hardly more than whimper.

Fai gave no indication he had heard and Kurogane tried to console himself with the belief that as long as Fai was unconscious he wasn't in pain. Curling himself around Fai in an effort to share some of his warmth with him, Kurogane briefly wondered what had happened to the other three, but he realized that if they were not with them then they were likely dead. He didn't know for what purpose the Nephilim had refrained from killing them, but the concern lost importance as Fai's breath stuttered to a stop and Kurogane felt his sanity slip only to be spared by Fai's next weak inhalation.

Slowly details of their surroundings forced their way into Kurogane's conscious. They had not been returned to the slave pens nor were they in the arena. Rust encrusted bars surrounded them on six sides creating a cage large enough to hold dozens of prisoners; heavy chains were affixed to the outside corners, and the links attached to a large metal ring. The prisoners sharing the space were either injured like he and Fai or unmistakably ill, the remainder were nothing but shells passively waiting for death.

The grey twilight was filled by the sound of a scream tearing itself loose from a single throat, the cry emanating from one of the larger buildings with several carriages lined up in front of the entrance. The one voice did what nothing else could and silenced the prisoners and the Nephilim waiting for the next round of fights to begin. Kurogane noted that the prisoners confined with him had become even more still at the sound, seeming to hunch in upon themselves. When the scream was followed by a second and then a third Kurogane drew closer to Fai, as though by proximity he could protect him from the unbearable pain contained in the screams.

The last of the days' light had cut through the clouds when the door of the building opened to reveal a Nephilim clad in a leather apron carrying a body. The sight of the mutilated remains failed to rouse Kurogane's anger, his fury having been stripped from him by despair. It was his weakness and inability to protect anyone that had led to the deaths of the others. Now Fai was dying and with him so was Kurogane.

-XXXXXXX-

When Kurogane and Fai failed to show up after hours of waiting for them in the derelict house, Syaoran told to Mokona to remain with the sleeping Sakura while he went in search of the other two. However, with the approach of night, Syaoran knew they had not been delayed nor were they hiding. His feet beating an anxious tempo on the cobblestones he made his way to the slave market.

Clinging to the shadows surrounding the defunct factory buildings Syaoran desperately scanned the area for Kurogane and Fai. It didn't take him long to spot Kurogane, locked in a cage near the river's edge. Nephilim milling around the prison kept him from approaching it directly but, he was able to draw nearer by using the charred remains of a building for cover.

"Kurogane-san," he called quietly, grief growing in his chest now that he could see both Kurogane and Fai. Kurogane had curled around Fai as much as he was able, their hair matted with blood and their bodies crippled by injury.

Kurogane looked up at the sound of his name, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of Syaoran hidden in the building's wreckage. The anguish that Syaoran saw in Kurogane's eyes gave birth to a choking sorrow in him. When Kurogane gave a small shake of his head before resting it once more on Fai's still form, Syaoran wanted to scream his protest. Only the knowledge that Sakura was waiting helplessly for him kept him from rushing to his friends.

One of the Nephilim had climbed on top of the cage and was waving a hand in the air, directing the lowering of a large hook. With the clang of metal on metal the hook was attached to the ring connecting the chains. With a harsh sounding call and a second wave the Nephilim signaled for the cage to be raised by a dockside crane, before jumping to the ground. From the ground the Nephilim continued his gestures, directing the crane's movement until the cage dangled above the river. With a final cutting gesture the tension holding the cage suspended was released and it disappeared into the river, sending a large wave of water onto the docks. The muddy water began to froth and smell of blood as the drowning prisoners tore each other apart in their panicked attempts to reach the surface denied them by their metal confine.

Overcome by the horrific sight Syaoran watched the scene in silence. His mind refusing to fully process what he was witnessing. Though for years to come his sleep would be haunted by the sight and sounds. An eternity seemed to have passed and been reborn before the water's current returned to its less turbulent state and the cage was raised, water pouring off of the motionless figures contained within.

The moon was high in the sky, its crescent shape offering little illumination, when Syaoran and Sakura halted on a clear raise outside of the Nephilim's city. With Mokona weeping between them they raised their faces to the sky, offering the moon their lament for Kurogane and Fai. As their howls filled the night the other packs living on the edges of the city echoed their words, honoring the fallen dog and cat.

Author's Notes:

The title was suggested by Mikkeneko, thank you!

Nephilim are described as evil or monstrous giants in some religious texts. In that context it seemed a very apt name to be used by the characters of the story to refer the humans.

The drowning of the animals described in the story was something that really happened during the latter part of the 1800's. Source: http: / / www .aspca. org /about-us/history. aspx

The brief mention given to the screaming and mutilated body carried by the Nephilim also has a basis on actual events. While I chose not to go into details it stems from a description of a vivisection performed by Horace Nelson at the Montreal School of Medicine and Surgery in 1847. Source: http: / /brebisnoire . wordpress. com /a-history-of-antivivisection-from-the-1800s-to-the-present-part-i-mid-1800s-to-1914/

Information on the use of puppies as 'bait' in dog fighting is available from numerous sources.