A/N: I'm back. And here is the next chapter as promised. I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far.
I'd like to thank everyone who's added this to their alerts or favs so far. This chapter is dedicated to all of my faithful readers out there. ^_^
Enjoy!
"Get the F**K away from me!" The kid hissed angrily as his fist found its home in that witch's face. I grew concerned for the kid when he attacked the fallen witch, his fists flying.
His ribs were broken. This was not going to end well for him. But he kept at it for a while before freezing up. His eyes looked wild with anger but then something else sparked in them.
Joy.
He was happy.
What for, I had had no idea, till I followed his line of sight and found myself staring at the corridor outside.
"Here's your chance kid, get out of here!" I yelled at him, hoping he might be able to hear me again. I was still shocked that the kid had listened to me earlier with the whole breathing thing. Not only that but he had answered me as well.
He could hear me!
Or at least he had at that time. I had tried talking to him afterwards, as he had sat on that table for hours. But he had given no reaction to my voice. Guess I was back to being a mute.
The kid punched the witch in the gut before staggering outside. His face glowed in bliss as he sped along the corridors. Or at least tried to.
But then the witch was there in front of him in an instant. And a split second later the kid was on the ground. I swear even Fai couldn't move that fast when he let his vampire side take control.
"I don't think so…" she said softly, lowering her face next to his. The look of hatred that flashed on the kid's face should have burnt the witch to ashes, but she merely laughed.
"My, my. Not leaving so soon, are you?" she asked him in a tone that one might use with a six year old. She wiped her eyes, shaking her head. "And we were just going to get to the best part."
"Come on kid. Get up." I encouraged him as Syaoran tried to get back on his feet.
Wordlessly, he rushed towards her. I had seen the witch move and I knew that he stood no chance. But I still hoped that maybe, just maybe he might be able to make it.
Just like with everything else, I just had to be shown how wrong it was of me to hope.
She had pinned his arms to his side, holding him in a tight hug of sorts.
"Let him go you bitch!" I yelled uselessly when I heard Syaoran give a weak cry. He was trembling so badly.
It broke my heart to see the kid in such a state but apparently that wasn't enough for someone else.
The witch drew a small knife and pushed it inside his mouth. Syaoran's eyes grew wide in fear.
"Now, now… settle down…" She whispered softly, making something crawl up my spine. "You're just going to make things worse for yourself…"
Worse?
I did not like the way she said that.
The kid tried to stay as stiff as possible but his body kept shivering.
"Now then," she gave a dark chuckle, "will you cooperate?"
I could only watch as blood trickled down the kid's chin.
That bitch was going to slice his mouth apart!
I might have rushed at her in an attempt to hit her, but I was a ghost. I'd just phase right through her.
"How about now?" she moved her hand slowly, pushing the knife deeper. "Will you cooperate?"
I saw tears form in his eyes as he bobbed his head slightly, once.
He looked just as helpless as I felt.
Neither of us could do anything!
She pulled the knife out, holding it to his throat instead, leading him back to that dark room.
The kid looked exhausted. And scared. But I guess that wasn't enough for the witch.
She shoved him in the back only to cause him to collapse on the ground with a surprised cry.
I saw her knife cut the side of his neck. Luckily enough, it managed to avoid any major arteries but it still bled.
Using one hand to stem the flow of blood, Syaoran tried pushing his body off the ground using only one hand but his trembling arm gave out and he fell to the ground.
I saw tears stream down his face as a look of hopelessness overcame him.
"Don't you dare give up, kid!" I yelled, my hands clenching into fists at my side. "They're coming for you. Keep it together!"
But he never heard my yells.
"Where the %^&8 are you mage?" I hissed under my breath, watching the pitiful form of my apprentice lie unmoving on the cold floor.
I began seeing double again, the brightly lit corridor overlapping with some rundown part of the city outside.
Judging from the position of the sun in the sky, it was somewhere around noon. And walking just a few in front of me were the mage and the princess.
As the room vanished from my vision, I decided to follow the two, knowing it would do me no good if I just kept standing there.
They had walked in relative silence for a while before the mage spoke.
"Sakura, I can't leave you out here," he said, casting a glance around them, eyeing a filth covered hobo warily. The hobo in question ignored him completely, choosing instead to give the princess a lewd stare. Instantaneously, the mage let his vampire side show, no doubt to scare the guy.
The hobo took a sharp intake of breath once he saw his snarling face with bared teeth.
"But I need you to stay on your guard, alright?" he said softly as he continued glaring at the man who had most probably by now wet his clothes. Fai, however, kept his eyes on the man, turning his head to keep that man in sight even after they had passed him. Finally, with a sigh, he turned back to look forward, his eyes flicked back to their normal blue.
"Alright." The princess answered as her eyes hardened a bit.
After that they entered the building. I followed them as they made their way through the dank, moldy corridors, climbing up two flights of rickety stairs. The mage led her down the corridor, stopping outside the door at the very end. He stood there, staring at the peeling paint for a while before knocking smartly on the door.
Some shuffling was heard on the other side of the door before it was opened a crack. Small beady black eyes peered outside before shutting it and unbolting the locks.
"Oh, Mr. Flourite!" the small man with a balding head and very large front teeth exclaimed as he opened the door widely and led them inside. I followed.
"You didn't show up the day before yesterday, I thought something might have happened." He said, quickly fastening the locks once again. "Where is your friend Syaoran today? Oh and who is this lovely young lady?" he asked, spotting Sakura and eyeing her hungrily.
"That's my sister, Peter," Fai said in an icy tone. "And as for my friend, do you have the information I asked you about?"
"O-oh. Forgive me miss." The man, who, for some reason, reminded me of a rat, said as he quickly averted his eyes.
"The name, Peter. What is it?" the mage asked in a tone I had heard him use only in Infinity.
"It's some immigrant witch," he answered, fumbling with his hands as his beady eyes darted all around them.
"I know that already," Fai said as he took a step closer to the man. "What is her name?"
"A-Akira," he stuttered.
"Aki-ra." The mage almost choked. For the first time in ages, I saw fear in his eyes.
"Fai?" Sakura asked, resting a hand on his arm to bring him out of his daze.
"Where can I find her?" in a flash Fai was holding the small man in the air by the scruff of his neck.
"I-I.. s-she…" he spluttered.
"Where?!" he snarled impatiently.
"S-she..."
"Tell me!" he shook him violently.
"Fai." Sakura said in alarm. Neither of us had ever seen him this violent.
"Tell me," he seemed to have come to his senses as he stopped shaking the mousey man and spoke in an eerily calm tone. "Where can I find Akira?"
"S-she… I-I don't know where to find her." He answered, shaking like a leaf. "But her minions can be found in an abandoned factory outside the town."
"Tomorrow," Fai said in a dangerously soft manner. "You will take us to them, you got that?" With that, he let the man drop to the ground.
"Let's go." He told the princess as he turned on his heels and walked back.
The princess cast one last look at the shaking man on the floor before following him outside.
"Fai-san, what was all that about?" She asked quietly once they were back in the busier parts of town. The mage however seemed lost, deep in thought.
From his reaction to that name, I'd say that somehow the mage knew that witch. Akira.
But why did he react so violently? What else had she done?
"That witch is someone from Celes." He answered her after a very long time. "I thought she was dead but apparently she managed to escape to this world. She's a convict, a murderer." He continued, walking through the crowds, not really caring where he went. "She drains the magical essences of other mages to grow stronger."
"But Kurogane-san was not a magician." She cocked her head in confusion.
"There was magic in his blood." The mage shook his head. "His mother was a miko. A priestess. Someone who possessed great magic."
"She is a psychopath," Fai whispered softly. "Normally she kills her victims on the spot. But if she kidnaps someone, it means that she plans on keeping them alive for some time. Long enough to drain them more thoroughly."
"What does she do to them while they're in captivity?" she sniffed softly, wiping her eyes as she walked.
"…"
"Does she… t-torture them?" she asked hesitantly, as if afraid that saying it out loud would make it happen.
"We'll find him" was the only answer the mage gave her. "I promise you, Sakura-chan."
That night I heard the princess cry herself to sleep. Such a thing had not occurred since Infinity; and even back then, the mage had stayed by her side. But tonight, she was alone.
My thoughts drifted back to the kid and the condition he had been in when I had vanished.
I wish I could have comforted her in his place.
Well, what do you know? Kurogane Suwa wanted to comfort someone.
With a soundless sigh, I got up from my place next to the princess's bed. Her breathing had evened out, but even in her sleep, she would sob occasionally.
Without even a ruffle of my clothes, I phased through the wall shared between her and the mage's room.
He was sitting there on the bed, his head in his hands. His skin was pale and for some reason, he looked very old.
He looked tired. Exhausted.
It had been that way ever since he had heard that witch's name.
I wish I could ask him who the hell she was and what connection she had to his past. But that would be something convenient, wouldn't it? Which is exactly why he couldn't hear me.
I felt like laughing, remembering another instance when I had wanted to ask him something similar. This seemed like another Ashura episode all over again.
However, this time, he didn't seem to be running away from her.
"I'm not going to fail him too." I heard the mage mumble.
"You won't." I said reassuringly, unsure why I did that; after all, I knew I didn't exist for them anymore.
However, I was surprised to see the mage stiffen all of a sudden. His skin turned chalk white, as he lifted his head and looked around the room with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"K-Kurogane?" he breathed.
A/N: Hehehe… a cliffy. Don't you guys love me when I do that?
It turns out Kuro is not as mute as he thought he was. Syaoran had heard him. For a while at least. But what about Fai? Can he hear him too? Will Kurogane be able to tell them about Syaoran or will I just snuff out his little ray of hope?
Find out the answer to this and well, probably a few other questions in the next chapter. Just a little forewarning people, where one question is answered, two more are bound to arise cuz that's just the way I write. ;)
Please drop by and leave a review. Tell me what you think.
-Nims.
