There's a lot less instability than I had thought in my fear. The only real threat being the damaged columns.
I don't take away the final few trees around them, instead releasing them from my kudan's control.
Almost instantly I feel them weaken as I lose the connection, unable to sustain themselves where they never could have grown without my kudan's interference.
They will hold for a long time though. Enough time for someone to make repairs hopefully but more than enough time for everyone to escape the building.
The five of us stand beneath the dying canopy, Mokona hopping up and down.
"Mokona felt it! Sakura-chan's feather appeared when Masayoshi-kun came back!" The small creature shouts, leaping up on to Fai's shoulder.
"Hyuu! Good job, Mokona-chan!" He says with a grin, patting the Mokona, "We'd better go find him then, hm?" He asks, looking to Syaoran.
The boy nods, fists clenching in determination.
"Yeah."
There's footsteps and loud voices from another corridor and I turn to look at it.
"Police! Please come out with your hands up and kudan dismissed!" Someone shouts, their voice echoing down the concrete tunnel.
I run reflexively towards the opposite corridor which Masayoshi had disappeared through.
"Police?" Kurogane and Fai ask in unison.
The three boys pass me easily. I manage to keep pace as we chase the path the younger boy had followed.
"They catch people doing wrong-" I say between breaths, "-and they lock them away so they can't do it anymore. If we're caught anywhere near that they'll probably presume it's us- we're foreign to them. We'll already be suspicious." I finish as we burst into another empty room.
Many more corridors lead off from this one.
"What now?" Asks Kurogane, sword rematerializing in his hand as we stop, hearing footsteps echoing all around us.
"How do we know where that kid's gone?" He asks, focusing on the entrance left of the one we came through.
"He'll probably be looking for us." Says Fai, seeming unconcerned by our situation.
Mokona, sitting on his head, is just as calm. The small creature is even singing.
"But I think I can help speed things along." The man says, smiling.
He extends his hand to the air and something swells from a spot above his palm, spreading upwards and outwards.
Green comes first, bleeding into cream then white as it moves, becoming a long neck with finger-like projections. Seconds later they are reeled in, around the forming ball in the center of the stream. They flick outwards again, shards of ice following the movement and shattering against the walls.
A huge bird is revealed, wings beating steadily. It rears back, giving out a piercing shriek before bowing its head down to Fai.
The blonde closes his eyes, ignoring everyone's surprise.
He nods once and the beast disappears, fading into mist as it sweeps its wings.
We all watch as the man seems to focus, head dipping lower as his smile falters a little.
I am all too aware of the pounding footsteps of the law enforcement as they get closer and closer.
Eventually the man opens his eyes, smiling a little more relievedly than usual.
"It's this way." He says, pointing through the third corridor from our right.
We nod as one, turning towards it and beginning to run again, feet thudding against the concrete.
I feel the strain up my calves and in my joints as we move, shoes not cushioning much of the impact. It's going to ache more later.
Syaoran, Kurogane and I follow the blonde as he races effortlessly into the light, out of the labyrinth.
He leads us on into the rest of the city, slowing as we move until we blend into the crowd, matching their pace as we keep going forwards.
Fai takes us through the sprawl of towering buildings; through small alleyways, past clusters of stalls and over bridges until we finally come to a stop, not far from where we started.
"We're here!" He declares, spinning around to face us with a grin.
"Why did we go all that way only to come back?" I ask, breathing fast from the exertion.
"Well we had to evade the Police." The man says simply, grinning, "I don't really want to be stuck in one place and the more we moved the less likely they'd be able to follow us the whole way here." He continues.
"Ah! Masayoshi-kun!" Shouts Syaoran, moving away from us.
The boy runs over, waving in excitement.
"Syaoran-kun!" Calls back the other boy, shock evident in his tone, "I'm glad you're all okay! Those guys are really dangerous people!" He says, stopping in front of us.
Syaoran immediately begins explaining about the feather to him.
"The thing we're looking for- Mokona-san helps us find them." Syaoran says, frowning, "Mokona-san sensed one when you came back to us when Kurogane-san was fighting that kudan which means you must have one." He says, leaning forwards, a serious expression on his face.
Masayoshi steps back a little, clearly overwhelmed by the other's intensity.
"If you do have one- please return it to us so we can save Sakura-chan!" The brown haired boy asks, brows knitting in desperation.
"Mokona can't feel anything at the moment." Cries the small creature in distress, pulling on its ears as it lands on Syaoran's shoulder.
"Ah!" The boy blushes, attempting to stutter out an apology to Masayoshi.
Fai's attention shifts and he turns sharply, looking up to the sky.
Kurogane turns as well, wary of the sudden movement as the blonde's smile drops and his eyebrows furrow.
He raises a hand to shade his eyes.
"Ah- I don't-" Masayoshi starts, only to be cut off by the magician.
"Duck!" He shouts urgently, simultaneously pointing to a quickly growing shape in the sky and crouching low to the ground.
The ninja follows him a fraction of a second later and I throw myself down again, adrenaline from the fighting not quite worn off yet.
Syaoran is quick to copy, clutching Mokona to him without even looking up at the sky where a strange bird is speeding towards us. It has no legs and there's no texture to suggest feathers.
"Masayoshi-kun!" Yells Syaoran as the other boy turns to look up in confusion, still standing.
Syaoran darts forwards, low to the floor and makes a grab for Masayoshi's legs as the boy screams at the approaching bird in shock.
I throw up trees, hoping it will be enough.
There's the whistle of wind over my back as I huddle closer to the floor and a sharp crack along with the awareness that the tree has been hit.
Then there's silence. I wait a moment before pulling the trees back into the earth.
"Ah- thank you!" Shouts Masayoshi and I look up between my arms.
Syaoran is thrown partly over the boy who is propped up on his palms, staring at the thing as it flies off with nothing.
Masayoshi's kudan is sat behind him, bewildered.
Leaves and tree bark are scattered over the three with a pile of broken concrete by their feet.
"Well done, Syaoran-kun, Eliza-chan!" Cheers Fai, grinning at the us and giving a thumbs up.
Syaoran hurriedly gets up, looking slightly pained.
"Mekyo! Mekyo, mekyo, mekyo!" Shouts Mokona as it squirms out from beneath the boy, jumping up and down and hopping over Masayoshi who stares at the creature in as much confusion as his kudan does.
"Mokona senses the feather!" It declares, hopping up into the kudan's chest as it watches with wide eyes.
"Right here!" Mokona cries out, patting at the black and white symbol in the center of the clone's chest.
"Get down!" Shouts Kurogane and we all duck again.
There's a rush of air as he moves from beside me and I look up.
"Kurogane-san! What are you doing?" I call out as he steps in front of all of us, sword raised.
He is set firmly, stance wide and knees bent.
"Blade of the dragon king!" He yells, swinging his blade through the air just as the bird-like creature passes above him.
His movements are too fast to see clearly but the beast falls to pieces, disappearing as it does.
"Kuro-puu is so strong!" Teases Fai. He grins as the man turns, already glaring, sword raised.
"If you don't shut up I'll run you through, mage." He threatens, teeth gritted.
"Ah- so scary too!" The man says with a grin, Mokona chorusing him.
Kurogane only gets more agitated. His hands tighten on the blade's grip and he dashes forwards with an irritated snarl.
Fai cheers and leaps out of the way, almost skipping from the man chasing him.
Masayoshi just stares in shock and Syaoran holds up a hand looking both mortified and reluctant.
"Um, Kurogane-san, Fai-san? Are we- Is it really okay to be doing something like that when there might be people coming to attack us?" He stumbles over the words awkwardly.
The blonde doesn't stop running as he makes his lilting reply
"It's Kuro-rin's fault for being so mean!" Fai prods, still just evading Kurogane.
"You stupid mage! You're the one who's caused all of this!" The man yells, slicing at the air where the blonde was only moments ago.
Syaoran's hand hovers in the air as he watches the two adults and Mokona chase with concern and confusion.