This is my second fanfic on the go, and a semi-squeal to my other one although it's a complete and separate story in its own right. There will be references to my other fic's main OC, Kezia, having joined the group and being in a relationship with Fai (which you all knew was going to happen as soon as I wrote FaiXOC in the description), but other than that the stories are completely separate. They may join later, but only after I've finished Gaia's Gift.

This will be in much shorter chapters than my other fic, and will alternate between 3rd person, past tense POV and 1st person, present tense POV. 3rd person will be narrated from Kurogane's point of view, 1st from the girl's (who as yet doesn't have a name).

The story is heading to an eventual KuroXOC, however my poor OC is so messed up that's likely going to be a very slow burner! He shall be slowly falling for her throughout this fic, but I might have to write a sequel for them to actually get together!

As ever all characters from Tsubasa and any references to their story lines are owned by CLAMP. I only own this particular story, the OCs within it, and the OCs referenced from my other fics.

Not sure how to rate this, I'm going to go for T for now and label some chapters as M. If more end up M than T I'll change the overall rating. References to rape and abuse, some bad language and one future instance of self harm. If you have any concerns over rating, let me know and I'll change it.

Please let me know what you think, chapter 2 is ready to go so I can post that fairly quickly if you like it.

Living Nightmare

Having landed in a new world, Fai and Kurogane find themselves in a large forest, separated from the others when they are attacked by a savage, half wild girl. As they attempt to tame her whilst searching for their companions they are plagued by strange and terrifying nightmares. Who is this girl and what connection does she have to these dreams?

Two men stalked through the dense woods, one dark haired and tall, the other blonde and skinny. They had landed separate from Mokona again. The fact that they could still understand each other meant that they couldn't be far from the white manju bun-like creature, but they had been searching this damn forest for hours without the slightest trace of the stupid thing or the kid and the redhead she must've landed with. The sun was setting, casting the already dim forest into an early darkness. Before long it would be too dark to see where they were going, let alone manage to find their way amongst the close packed trees and crowded undergrowth. The forest seemed to go on forever and there was a slight quality to it that set Kurogane's nerves on edge. He had the feeling that they were being followed, but he couldn't pin down the source which was frustrating him.

"Well Kuro-pu, we'd better find somewhere to sleep soon. I don't think we're going to find the others tonight."

Kurogane grunted in response. The magician had been unusually quiet, meaning he must sense something unusual amongst these trees too. But he was right. There was little point searching with no light, and if there was something dangerous in this forest it would be best to find a place to spend the night that was defendable and maybe build a fire. He scanned the trees and was about to make a suggestion when something dark flew past the corner of his vision.

He span around to see a figure crouched on top of Fai, who was now lying on his back on the bracken strewn floor. There was a strange, glowing knife in their hand which was pressed up against the blonde man's throat. The ninja's body acted instinctively, launching himself at the attacker, pushing them off the mage's thin frame and hurling them to the floor. There was no time to draw his sword, but the mechanical arm he'd got newly fitted when they had visited Piffle again and his own ninja training were more than enough to take on one opponent as small as this one.

The attacker was quickly pinned to the floor, the metal of his prosthetic fingers wrapped around her skinny neck. For now that he had her restrained it was obvious that his opponent was female. His other hand grasped the wrist of the hand holding the dagger, forcing it to the ground. She struggled and it surprised Kurogane how strong she was, despite her scrawny frame.

But no girl of this size, no matter how strong, was a match for the ninja. He resisted her struggles easily and looked into her face, where for a moment he froze. Her eyes were the strangest pearlescent silver, so pale as to be almost white, but with the darkest ring encircling her iris. They were glowing faintly in the dark woods, just like her dagger.

And they were terrified.

As she returned his gaze, the fear in her eyes grew and grew until suddenly with a shudder they closed and her body went limp beneath him. The dagger in her hand flickered and disappeared.

"What did you do to her, Kuro-pon?" the magician asked from behind him. He turned around, shifting his weight slightly and checking the girl's pulse with the hand around her neck.

"I didn't do anything," he protested, looking up at the wizard. There was a trickle of blood coming from a small cut across his throat. Her dagger must have scratched the blonde as he pushed her off him.

"She just stared at me and fainted." Her pulse was normal, if a little slow and she was breathing she was alive but unconscious. Convinced she wasn't going to get up and attack them again he moved so that he was crouching next to her, rather than over her.

"I can understand why looking at Kuro-doggy's face might have that effect," the wizard teased, but his voice didn't match his words.

"She was… terrified," the ninja said, somehow disturbed by the intensity of the look in her eyes just before she passed out.

"I know, I saw her eyes," the mage admitted, crouching down opposite Kurogane and putting a hand to the girl's face, his eyes as troubled as Kurogane felt.

The girl was thin and had a scraggly look about her. She had dark hair that was matted, with bits of twigs and leaves stuck in it and looked as though it hadn't been cut in years. Her pale skin was stained by dirt and she was covered in small scratches from her hands all the way to her feet, which were bare and filthy. Her clothes were torn and ragged. She looked as though she had been living rough in this forest for some time.

"What should we do with her?" Fai asked, "We can't just leave her like this."

"I'm not so keen on having her wake up and attack us again either," Kurogane muttered, noticing that her dagger had also managed to scratch his arm.

"I guess we'll have to take her with us, at least until we can find someone to look after her."

The ninja grunted again, sceptically. He got the feeling that this forest stretched on for miles and that there weren't any people inhabiting it. But he couldn't think of anything else to do. He nodded and sat the girl up, preparing to lift her over one shoulder. The wizard raised his hand with his index and middle fingers outstretched and waved it in a decisive movement across his chest. Strange blue letters and symbols flowed from his fingertips and wrapped themselves around the girl's skinny wrists and ankles, binding her feet together and her hands behind her back.

"Just in case she wakes up," he said as the ninja hefted her slim form over one shoulder.