Hehehe… Some of you got the translation for "J'ai envie de t'embrasser" right. You know who you are. Hehe. Good job. And your reviews amuse me so. –starry eyed- They make me giggle (especially yours, Sky. Dorkface). And Shaaarona, aahhh, you're so nice. And I'm not 16 anymore! Well I was when I last updated… but I turned 17 in like… February… omgihaven'tupdatedinAGES I'MSOSORRY.

And I'm going to write this chapter in a jiffy so I can get it up before tomorrow. I have a laptop now so hopefully I can get more writing done, but don't count on updates. There won't be internet where I go. I've been living in the stone age.

No cable…

No internet…

Someone shoot me. These past four months have been so boring.

wonderland.10 Red Light

So, that night, Sakura had nightmares -- nightmares that involved Syaoran dressed up like Tuxedo Mask (from Sailor Moon) chasing after her and trying to kiss her. It may not sound bad, but it was horrible. Absolutely positively horrible. To top it off, the source of her irritation was sleeping right next to her -- in the same bed. So, to say the least, she didn't sleep well at all that night.

So she wasn't a happy camper.

So the fact that Tomoyo wanted to play Dress-Up didn't make her mood any better. And knowing she had to let Tomoyo play Dress-Up on her just made her mood worse.

They had concluded earlier that morning that her and Syaoran needed fake IDs and a new look. They couldn't go around as Sakura Kinomoto and Syaoran Li anymore considering Sakura's now an accomplice of Syaoran, and Syaoran was Japan's Most Wanted Thief, and they needed to go around freely without being recognized.

Sakura's Source of Irritation looked completely oblivious to her annoyed mood that morning because he sat there calmly, happily and well-rested. Sakura glared hateful daggers in her Source of Irritation's direction.

Syaoran flashed her a very obnoxious grin -- at least it seemed obnoxious to her anyway.

He knew she was irritated, but who cares?

No need to let her spoil his mood. Last night was just too amusing.

"So what's our new identities gonna be, Daidouji-chan?" Syaoran asked. "What about... brother and sister?"

Sakura rolled her eyes.

Tomoyo shook her head. "Nah. Too boring."

"Student-teacher?"

"Hmm..."

"Saaaakura can be the good little student and I can be her professor..."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"...Who she's sleeping around with to get good grades."

Tomoyo laughed just as a cushion came sailing through the air. It collided against his face.

"Pervert," Sakura growled.

But stars seemed to light Tomoyo's eyes. "But I rather like the idea."

Sakura looked at her best friend in an appalled manner. "Tomoyo!"

She laughed again. "Minus the sleeping around part."

"But wouldn't it be odd for people to see a student and teacher going around together?"

"They'll think we're having an affair!" Syaoran pointed out. "Which is the whole point."

Sakura shot him a nasty look. "Unlike you I happen to care that people at least think I'm a decent person, disguised or not!"

He snorted, eyeing her. "I bet you've done plenty of dirty work, Sakura... going undercover and all..."

She flushed. "I'd never...!"

...Okay so maybe she did have certain undercover operations where she had to dress... un-Sakura-like. But that didn't mean she did anything bad...

"I bet you've seduced plenty of guys." A sly grin spread across Syaoran's smug looking face.

Sakura raised another couch cushion, preparing to pounce and beat him to a bloody pulp with it.

"Okay children, no matter how much I wish this could continue so I could catch it on tape..." Tomoyo held her hand up in a sign of peace. She grinned when Sakura settled back down, shooting Syaoran one last glare. "I'll be right back. I need to give Eriol the details on your new looks so he can prepare your identification cards. So be good while I'm gone, okay?"

And with that said, the amethyst-eyed woman got up and left, leaving the two alone. Sakura sent him a haughty look before pulling out her IPod. She was going to ignore him as much as possible, and what better way than listening to some very, very loud music? She turned it on just as she started thinking over the series of events that had taken place the past couple of days, from her hitting Syaoran with her car and to her and Syaoran ending up at Eriol's place.

Now that she thought about it, they never got to finish their conversation at her apartment – the one where Sakura told Tomoyo that Nikulai Subaro was an illegal drug dealer and Tomoyo asked Syaoran if he was apart of that stuff and Syaoran was about to answer when… well…

They came.

Oh please don't make her say who they are. After all, they're the main reason why she's now officially stuck with Li Syaoran possibly 24/7 until she clears her name… which… now that she thought about it… could be never…

…

Well they as in the police.

Sakura sighed. She's been doing that a lot lately – sighing. She blamed Syaoran. Her life was never stressful until he came into it. She glanced at him to see him staring right at her.

Sakura blinked, going wide-eyed in surprise before glaring and hastily looking away. She didn't notice the amused smirk that adorned the thief's face.

She glanced back at him. He quickly stopped smiling… but he didn't stop staring.

Her eyebrow twitched.

"What are you staring at?" she growled out even though she couldn't hear herself or hear him if he chose to respond because of her loud music.

Syaoran merely smiled, already knowing she wouldn't be able to hear him if he said something.

But his expression told all. He was only staring at her to annoy her.

And it was working.

(Syaoran's good at a number of things, but one of his main talents will always be the talent to annoy Sakura without even trying.)

Sakura stood awkwardly in front of a beaming Tomoyo and a snide-looking Syaoran – well, even though the man didn't have Syaoran's amber eyes and chestnut hair… he was still Syaoran. Tomoyo, after giving the details of their looks and basic background information to Eriol, she had went on right away to changing their appearance from their hair color, to their eyes, and to the very clothes they wear.

Syaoran got what he wished for.

While he was to be a Professor from a high school in Osaka, she, Sakura, was to be his student. And though it wasn't said, it could be easily implied that she was his slutty student with whom he was sleeping around with.

Men and their sick and perverse fantasies, Sakura thought bitterly.

Although she had to admit Tomoyo did a good job in avoiding making her look like a slut, for lack of better word. She wore a navy blue skirt that reached mid-thigh, knee-high white cottoned stockings, a white buttoned up t-shirt with a navy blue tie that had white stripes slashed horizontally up and down. Her eyes were no longer green thanks to the brown contacts she now had to wear. And her hair? Because no one wanted to run the risk of her using a wig and it falling off at some random moment… Tomoyo had to cut her hair and dye it, much to Sakura's dismay.

It reached to the back of her neck in jagged layers. Her bangs were the same, some falling in front of her eyes. Tomoyo had dyed her hair black. Although it didn't look that bad on her, Sakura still missed her longer, more tamed-looking auburn hair…

Syaoran, on the other hand, didn't have to make that much of a drastic change like cutting his hair. It was still messy, but dyed black like Sakura's. Tomoyo gave him contacts as well – a grayish blue color. He was given a pair of glasses, a white dress shirt and black pants, a white lab coat (since he's supposed to be posing as a science teacher), and a tie to finish it off.

Sakura had to admit that he looked more mature with his new appearance. Too bad he really wasn't.

Syaoran whistled. "Nice job, Daidouji-chan."

Tomoyo grinned toothily. "Why thank you, Li-kun. I rather think Masako-chan looks adorable."

Sakura grimaced.

Masako Ueda. Her new name.

Ueda Masako attends Osaka's all-girl's High School. She's in her final year – seventeen years of age. She's one of the top student's of her class and plans on attending college (although she doesn't know where) to major in science. She has no siblings. Her mother is a surgeon and her father teaches at Columbia University in New York – all the way in America. Her parents are divorced.

"I must say, for an old woman, you pull off the part as a teenager very well," Syaoran commented.

Sakura seethed. "Li Syaoran! I am not an old woman!"

He waggled a finger. "Ah-ah-aah, Masako-chan, it's Ji-sensei, to you."

Ji Liang, or simply Ji-sensei. He's Masako's fourth period science teacher. He was born in Beijing, China and lived there until he finished high school. He learned Japanese while he was there, and after graduating, moved to Japan to improve his speaking and major in science at Tokyo University. He's twenty-eight years old, young. He teaches science in Osaka's all-girl high school – particularly human physiology and chemistry.

"The nerve - !" Sakura practically fumed.

"Okay, children. Please keep in mind that when you go out in public, Ji-sensei and Masako-chan do not act like Li Syaoran and Kinomoto Sakura."

"Hai, hai, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura grumbled out. Just the very idea of her having to even pretend to like him was unnerving.

The days of Masako and Ji-sensei were going to be long, long days.

It was nighttime by the time Eriol had assembled everything Sakura and Syaoran would need – passports, identification cards, birth certificates (just in case), and what-not. Sakura was surprised that Eriol was able to get these forged items so soon. But, she supposed, it wasn't that surprising now that she had accepted the fact that Eriol and Syaoran have known each other for a very long time.

"You two know where to go?"

Sakura and Syaoran nodded at Eriol. Tomoyo was standing next to him.

They were getting ready to leave. Syaoran had removed his white coat in exchange for a winter one; one more suitable for the weather. Sakura had changed out of her 'school girl' outfit and opted for plain jeans, a cotton turtle neck and an overcoat. They both carried duffle bags.

The girls exchanged hugs.

"Be careful Sakura, Li-kun." Tomoyo looked at Syaoran. "If anything happens to her, I will hold you responsible."

Syaoran smiled.

"I can take care of myself, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura mumbled.

"I know. Still." Tomoyo gave her friend a smile of her own before shooing them out the front door of Eriol's mansion. "You two better get going before you miss your plane."

"Sayonara, Tomoyo-chan, Eriol-kun," Sakura said from over her shoulder, waving slightly as she went over to the taxi that Eriol had called.

Syaoran and Eriol looked at each other for a while. Eriol smiled and Syaoran nodded before following after Sakura.

---
-

"Flight 0691 to Nagasaki now boarding."

---

It was well into the night by the time Sakura and Syaoran had arrived in Nagasaki and checked in to the Prince Hotel. It was the hotel Eriol had booked for them. Leave it to Eriol to pick out a really nice hotel. Sakura dropped her purse on to the mini bar, her bag on the floor, kicked her shoes off and let herself fall into one of the beds. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. She tried to sleep on the plane, but let's face it, sleeping on a plane is uncomfortable, and the flight was only two or so hours long.

"Eriol really outdone himself this time," Syaoran mumbled, taking in the room. He walked over to the window and tugged the curtains aside. They had a nice view of the harbor and the city.

Sakura yawned. "Ne, Syaoran, why are we here again?" Honestly? She hadn't been listening that morning when Eriol and Syaoran were talking about the things her and Syaoran had to do – such as go so and so place for so and so reasons.

He glanced at her, and then shook his head. He should have known she wasn't paying attention that morning…

"We're here to see someone… well, more than one someone, really."

"Mm… like who?" she sounded like she was about to fall asleep sometime soon.

"You'll see."

"Jus' tell me…" Sakura mumbled, trailing off. By the sound of it, she finally gave in to sleep.

Syaoran looked down at her amusedly. He was going to tell her… but she fell asleep. Too bad. He smiled. She really must be tired then. He sat himself down on the ledge of her bed, looking lost in thought as he watched her sleep. The last time he really saw her sleeping was back at her apartment when he was sick and 'delirious.' The other night didn't count because… well… because he was too busy sleeping to watch her sleep. Frankly, Syaoran preferred it when Sakura slept. She couldn't snap at him when she slept. She couldn't glare at him and ask him haughty questions. She had no way of knowing he was staring.

…It's not that he was obsessed with staring at her, or that he liked staring at her… It's just not that often he saw her looking normal and peaceful and approachable. It made him wonder that, although no matter how crazy the thought, she really wasn't always the way she was.

It was a crazy thought, he knows.

He looked at Sakura thoughtfully.

Too bad she couldn't just stay sleeping and never wake up.

Syaoran sighed and carefully sat Sakura up, pulling her coat off before tugging the covers from beneath her and pulling it over her. He set her coat on a nearby chair and wandered back to the window, staring out at the harbor. The lights at the docks were on, blinking, winking. He could faintly make out the stars in the night sky, but the moon shown like a silver disc against the velveteen backdrop. He pressed his palm against the cool glass plane, feeling the iciness of winter outside biting through the barrier.

He stood there in the silence of the hotel room, gazing out the window until something vibrated. Syaoran reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a cell phone given to him by Eriol. He answered.

"It's me."

Talking on the other end.

Syaoran nodded, but then remembered they couldn't see him.

"Yeah. I just arrived."

More talking.

"See you tomorrow then."

Click. He closed his phone and placed it on a nearby table.

Kicking his shoes off and removing his coat, Syaoran flicked the light off and climbed into the other bed. It didn't take him long to fall asleep and dream a dream of green lights, pit-pat's, suffocation, heavy footsteps and pain.

Masako and Liang walked side-by-side out of the hotel room, entering the elevator together. Masako was wearing her uniform and a matching navy blue winter overcoat. Her sensei was wearing a tanned dress shirt, a coffee brown tie, a dark shade of khaki pants, and a brown coat. They were seen leaving the Prince Hotel together, Masako beaming at nothing in particular, and Liang flashing a momentary smile at his student before focusing on where he was walking.

Glances were sent in their direction.

Gossip. They could hear the gossip, but there was no evidence to their rumors, so nothing could be done. They simply watched as the young and smiley student walked side-by-side with her older, and yet young, professor.

It wasn't odd seeing a Professor and a student walking around in their school clothes – but together was a different story. There were other students in their uniforms wandering Nagasaki. You see, there was a convention being held in Nagasaki, a science convention where teachers from schools all over Japan brought a particularly favorite or bright student. They were going to get a free insight on a project that Sarutobi, a famous scientist and professor, was working on.

But Masako and Liang weren't heading to the convention, no one was, not yet anyway. It wasn't until tomorrow.

They went to the less crowded parts of Nagasaki, an area where local bars and clubs were bound to be. They walked into a bar called Red Light. It wasn't very crowded in there, save for a few people.

"Ne, I'm not allowed to be in here, Ji-sensei," Masako whispered.

"It's fine," Liang reassured.

Liang reassured, but it was Syaoran who approached the bartender. The bartender was female with short curly locks of hair and honey brown eyes. She looked innocent, gentle, friendly. She smiled when he came up to her.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

He leaned over. "It's me."

She looked at him and then over at the school girl with him. She gestured for them to follow her as she led them to the back. There was a round table where a group of people were playing poker. They looked up as soon as the bartender, Syaoran and Sakura entered.

"He claims to be Xiaolang." The bartender gestured at Syaoran.

"Hm."

A woman stood up. Her hair fell in jets of black, straight, long, reaching up to her waist. When she walked over, her hips swayed, as did her hair. Her amber eyes reminded Sakura of Syaoran's. The woman narrowed her eyes as she stood toe-to-toe with Syaoran.

"So you say you're Xiaolang."

"No. I said I'm Syaoran. But, Xiaolang… Syaoran… not much difference."

"Sounds like 'im," one of the men at the table snorted.

Another man stood up. "Well if you're who you say you are… then let's see your tattoo."

Syaoran lifted up his sleeve and showed them. NK0A1.

"Then… you should also know where my tattoo is."

"Left side of your ass," Syaoran replied breezily.

He grinned. "It's him."

Sakura squinted at the man talking to Syaoran, trying to get over her shock.

"…Yamazaki?"

He looked at her, his eyes opening momentarily before closing again as he smiled. "Kinomoto-chan! Xiaolang's been treating you well, I hope."

Sakura simply gaped openly at him.

"…What… what are you doing here, Yamazaki?"

First Eriol, and now Takashi? Who's next?

The black haired woman glanced at Syaoran and then at Sakura. "I suppose my cousin never told you." She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Typical."

She sighed and cast a disapproving glance at her cousin.

"First things first. We've already been informed about you, Kinomoto Sakura. I am Li Meiling, Xiaolang's cousin." Meiling gestured at the bartender. "This is Sasaki Rika."

Rika smiled and waved shyly.

"You already know Yamazaki."

Takashi grinned.

Meiling pointed to another woman leaning on a nearby counter. Sakura hadn't noticed her. The woman wore squared spectacles with her brown hair pulled back in a high pony tail, straight bangs hanging over her eyes. "Yanagisawa Naoko. She's the one with the brains around here."

Naoko spared a glance over her sci-fi novel to wave at Sakura.

Meiling addressed the men at the poker table. Kuma Nanami was the biggest of all of them. He had a cigarette sticking out from the corner of his mouth. Considering his stature, his height and his built, he was physically stronger than any of them. Kenji Niijima was the smallest, even compared to the girls – besides Rika, that is. He was an expert with bombs. Dmitri Kovac was the wise-crack, the one who you'd find making up stories and jokes with Takashi – but he was the fastest at whatever he did. Devante Medina, or Dev as he preferred to be called, was the potty-mouth. He rants in Spanish when he's angry. He's their 'driver.' And then Jamie London. Next to Naoko, he was just as smart, but he was more of a technician than anything else. He supplied them with weapons.

Sakura nodded to those she was introduced to, but she was still confused.

"But… what is this? Who are you guys exactly?"

"Geez, Xiaolang, keeping the girl in the dark for so long," Meiling chided. Syaoran removed his glasses and shrugged.

Sakura crossed her arms. "Well is someone going to tell me?"

"We used to be part of a special task force," Rika spoke up softly. All eyes were on her, besides the men at the poker table. They were too engrossed in their game. "A special task force that worked for Nikulai Subaro."

Naoko slid a piece of paper in her book, book marking her spot before closing it. "We were his… team of assassins."

Sakura blinked slowly, looking at them in mild-surprise.

So that's the kind of dirty work Syaoran and Eriol used to do for Subaro.

"So, what? One day you guys up and had about enough and had a change of heart?" Sakura asked flatly, dryly.

Takashi smiled meekly. "…Somethin' like that."

Okay, so, not only was she stuck with a thief, but she was also stuck with a group of ex-assassins. Brilliant, really. Positively brilliant. She wondered how she managed to get herself stuck in such situations. Sakura sighed and stayed silent for a while. She carefully picked through her head for a question to ask as to avoid making any snide comments.

"Alright then. What are we going to do now?"

"You and Xiaolang are going to that convention tomorrow."

"Eh? How come?"

"Didn't Xiaolang and Hiiragizawa discuss this with you the other day?" Meiling asked skeptically.

"She wasn't listening at the time," Syaoran chose to comment.

Sakura shot him a glare, resisting the urge to shove her foot up his –

"…Well, basically, you and Xiaolang are going there to see what Sarutobi's new project is. You see, before Kamuri Laboratory was closed down, Sarutobi used to be an accomplice of Subaro's. Now we're not one hundred percent sure if they still are in contact… that's what you two need to find out."

"And what will you guys be doing while we're out risking our asses?" Syaoran asked, eyeing them warily.

"We'll be monitoring the convention and you guys, of course. In any worst case scenarios, we'll be the ones to bust the party and haul your asses out before anythin' gets outta control," Dev remarked, never once taking his gaze off of his cards. He picked up a card and threw his stack down triumphantly. "Ha! Royal flush!"

The other men at the table groaned as they threw their cards down in defeat.

"In your faces, putas."

Kuma flicked some of the ashes from the tip of his cigarette at Dev.

"If all goes according to plan," Jamie continued, "we find Subaro, we kill him. You're off the hook, and we're free to live our lives in peace. Done deal."

Sakura nodded, frowning thoughtfully. "But why do you guys wish to get rid of Subaro?"

Syaoran was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. "Because he wants to get rid of us first."

The time Syaoran had disappeared led him to run to Eriol's house. From there he had gotten in contact with the others – Meiling, Rika, etc. They weren't all in Nagasaki as they are at the present. On the contrary, Nagasaki's Rika's residential area, whereas the others were scattered about – Takashi in Tokyo, Meiling in Hong Kong, Jamie in America, Dev somewhere in the Caribbean, Kenji in Hawaii, Kuma in Osaka and Naoko in England. They were all leading their own separate lives ever since they abandoned Nikulai Subaro two-three years ago.

And that night when Syaoran first came to Eriol's mansion… Eriol had gotten in contact with everyone and they all came to have a 'meeting' at his place. Obviously, if Subaro was going for Syaoran, it would only be time before he came after the others, too. They came up with a plan to destroy Nikulai, all they had to do was find him first. It didn't take much effort. They tracked down one of the head operatives in charge of Project Subaro, wheedled out information out from him using 'tactful' methods, and were well on there way to finding Nikulai himself.

But, of course, Nikulai suspected this, sent his soldiers to fight them, Syaoran got captured, and the others fled because they'd be of no use if they were captured.

All of this happened within two weeks of Syaoran's disappearance.

("And then what happened?" Dev asked.

Everyone was listening to Syaoran.

None of them knew what happened to Syaoran as soon as he was captured. This was the first time they have even seen him since.

"I'm getting to it," Syaoran retorted. "The more you interrupt, the longer this is going to take."

"Sorry, sorry. Carry on.")

---

He had woken up in a cell with a very splitting headache. Syaoran groaned as he pushed himself up to his knees, one hand coming up and pressing against his temple. He pulled his hand down and looked at it. Semi-dried blood caked his fingertips. Those bastards had knocked him out, and now he had a headache. Damn them all to hell.

He leaned back against the wall as he studied the small cell he was in. It smelled like rotting corpse in there. The walls were gray. The ceiling was gray. The floor was gray. Even the door was gray. It was a depressing looking place, really. But where was he anyway? He didn't know. And honestly, he didn't care. The only thing he cared about at that moment was getting his hands on Tylenol or Asprin to relieve himself of his oh-so-splitting headache.

Syaoran sighed as he carefully stood up. He walked to the door and grasped the bars. He squinted. Outside was just a hall of other cells, nothing special. There was no one out. He didn't even know if there were others locked up in cells like him. He could be the only one and he wouldn't even know. From his peripheral vision was a door at the end of the hall. It probably led to another part of the building.

His lips twitched into a deep frown. How am I supposed to get out of this one?

He sighed and sat back down on the floor, back propped up against the wall and all. He'd just have to wait this one out.

At some point he had fallen asleep because he was jerked awake by the sound of someone unlocking his cell door and opening it. Syaoran blinked drowsily, barely registering the sound of heavy footsteps approaching him. He was grabbed roughly by the back of his coat and then pulled on to his feet before being shoved out the cell. Two other soldiers were outside, each one armed. They looked like the same group of guys who attacked him at his home.

They led him down the hall with much prodding of the spear and jeers of "Hurry it up." He endured their shoving. There wasn't much he could do with a splitting headache, after all. Now if only he could get his hands on some Asprin…

They went in through the door at the end of the corridor. It led to a staircase that spiraled down. They descended – one soldier at the front, Syaoran trailing after him, and the other two urging him forward. They reached the bottom and passed through an arch, entering another part of the building. It was a huge difference from the cells upstairs. The ground was made of marble and the walls of ivory. The ceiling was high with a chandelier hanging at the very center, the tiny diamonds twinkling. Save for an oval mirror on one side of the room and a dresser beneath it, the room was empty. But there was another arch that led to another room, and two other doors.

Syaoran was led through one of the doors, and that was the end of their stroll, for then anyway. The soldiers shoved him into what looked like an office before they closed the door behind him. He stumbled in and caught himself as not to fall. He first looked at the desk at the end of the room – empty. Bookshelves lined the walls, certificates and awards were framed, two chairs were in front of the desk. It was a cleanly kept office, plain, and Syaoran already knew whose office this belonged to; who he was waiting for.

As if on cue, the door opened. He turned around to see a man around his early forties step inside. He had a roughly shaven face and dusty brown hair with some visible grays. He was wearing a black suit. For a moment his onyx eyes lingered on Syaoran as they stared at each other, as if waiting to see who would be the first to react to the other's presence. In the end, the man merely smiled and crossed over to his desk.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise," he murmured. Syaoran heard him loud and clear. The man sat down at his desk, elbows resting on the surface with his fingers weaved together. "Li Xiaolang… it's been a while."

Syaoran resisted the urge to make a face. He smiled wryly instead. "Wonderful to see you, too, Subaro."

"I trust my men have been treating you fairly well?" Nikulai raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"Like a princess," he said dryly.

Subaro smiled in amusement as he leaned back in his seat. "Now, Xiaolang, I'm a busy guy. And I'm sure you are too, stealing and all… so let's keep this short."

One reason Syaoran had liked Nikulai was because of his straight forwardness and his get-to-the-point attitude.

"Alright. Shoot," Syaoran said, slumping down on a chair in front of Nikulai's desk. He crossed his legs on it.

Nikulai so much as didn't bat an eyelash at his actions. He ignored them and continued to smile. "You have something that I want."

It was Syaoran's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Something that you stole from me years ago. I'm sure you remember. It's the reason that you were framed for stealing, and the reason why you became a thief – because you couldn't get away with the thievery label at first, so you just stuck with it. Remember now?"

"Aah…" Syaoran picked a nut out of the glass bowl on the desk. He popped it into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. So Subaro wants the blueprint to Project Subaro… He took another nut and ate it. "…Yeah, sorry, doesn't ring a bell."

But Nikulai was a patient person. "I'm sure you remember the blueprint you stole from me… the one for my project."

"…Ooh… That…" Syaoran studied a nut stuck between his thumb and index finger. "…Yeah I got rid of it."

Nikulai smiled. "I see."

He reached over to the telephone on his desk and picked it off the receiver. He pressed a button. "Yes… We're done… You know what to do…" were the words Syaoran heard exchanged before Nikulai hung up.

Nikulai let his onyx eyes rest on Syaoran once more. They were patient, dark eyes that if Syaoran hadn't already known Nikulai and was used to those eyes, he'd be unnerved. "Now, Xiaolang, I'll be fair and give you one last time to cooperate and tell me, so how about it?"

"Like I said, I got rid of it."

"And the others don't have it?"

"They weren't the ones who stole it and destroyed it, I believe."

"And you don't know where the others are?"

"I haven't seen them since we split up years ago."

"I see."

The door opened and the three guards Syaoran was with previously came in. Two of them grabbed either of his arms and hauled him off his chair. Syaoran saw Nikulai exchange a nod with the guards before they dragged him out. Syaoran, if he knew Nikulai as well as he thinks he did, then he was more than sure about where these guards were dragging him to and what was in store for him.

They passed beneath the other arch in the empty room. This time the stairs led downstairs, to the basement probably. But instead of seeing a torture room, he saw another room closest to one. It was a lab, a small one, but a lab all the same. Everything was white. Besides himself and the three guards, there were two men in lab coats already down there. They looked up when the four of them entered, as if they had been expecting them.

"Bring him in there," one of them instructed, pointing to a door. There was a glass window that showed the inside. It was a small room, plain, nothing in it really besides a whole lot of noticeable wires hanging from the ceiling. Syaoran was stripped from his clothes, bare, save for his boxers. They brought him to the center of the room where chains were attached to the ground. They secured them around his wrists. The guards evacuated the room, leaving the scientists in there with him. They were attaching the wires to certain parts of his body.

The scientists left and closed the door behind them. Syaoran could see them through the glass window, moving to their computers. They were doing something. Syaoran steadied his breathing and closed his eyes, waiting… waiting…

What's taking them so long to start?

But then again, it came too soon. He felt a jolt travel through his body at a shocking speed, startling him to open his eyes. He felt tiny pricks of pain wherever a wire was attached. And then he felt pain all at once, white-hot searing pain.

He wasn't sure if he screamed or yelled.

He couldn't remember when he had fallen hands and knees to the ground.

All he could remember was the pain.

White-hot pain.

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To be continued

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Not super long, but hey, it's an update. And PLEASE forgive any spelling/grammar errors. I was up until 3 AM working on this chapter last night, half-awake and what-not. So I have an excuse. –coughs- I get really weird when I'm half-awake. Like, I'll type a word that I think is the word I'm thinking, but then I'll look back and I see that it's so not the word I had been thinking… and yeah…

-crickets-

Aaaaaanyway, don't forget to leave a review!

And thanks guys for the support for this fic. Ya'll are the best.

--FT