A/N: Long wait, I know. I'm sorry but my excuse is the same as usual so I will be skipping over that. If you're curious about what that maybe, check out the A/N before this one or the one before that or the one posted with a most recent chapters or Shattered Secrets. ^_^;
But if you're too lazy to check, just know that I'm having my exams once more.
"Try and remember it Fai," Masooma breather against his ear, her fingers burning trails down his skin as she pulled away to look at him in the eye. "I know you know where it is."
He sputtered and coughed, his chest heaving violently as struggled to draw a breath. He had never felt so much pain in his life. "Ma-" he croaked weakly, trying not to let the tears of helplessness escape his eyes. He couldn't understand why they were doing this to him. What had he ever done to deserve so much hatred from the very first people in his life that he had opened up to?
"Come on, Fai," she crooned, "You're needlessly making this hard for yourself."
"Why?" he finally managed to speak, his pain-clouded eyes searching her emotionless, amber ones.
"Why what?" she questioned.
"Wh-y are you… doing this?"
"You answer my question and I'll answer yours." She responded softly, her sharp nails digging into his scalp as she raked her hand through his dripping hair. A small whimper of pain formed in his throat as she fisted it in her hand and yanked rather harshly, "Just tell me where it is."
"I-I don't know..."
"That's too bad," Masooma hissed in a poisonously silky tone that promised nothing but anguish.
The surprised yelp died to down to choked gurgles as the hunter standing next to her yanked on the rough jute rope around Fai's neck and plunged his head underwater. He thrashed about weakly, his limbs flailing and causing him further pain as his broken arm was jostled. It was funny in a morbid way how the hunters always broke his right arm right after Masooma healed it.
He gasped hungrily as the hunter loosened his hold on the rope right after yanking him out of the water. Violent coughs wracked his body as blood speckled the wet floor. The crimson mingled with the water forming a pale inky shade barely visible against dark stone although it did reflect eerily thanks to the light fixtures in the cell. Fai rested his face on the ground, not caring about the water or the grime present there.
He had had enough. He couldn't take it anymore. He just wanted to close his eyes and die, forever forgotten by the living world. He could not find the energy to want to do otherwise. Just kill me already. He thought tiredly, lacking the energy to speak outloud.
As one part of his mind grew weaker and weaker, cracking and breaking under what he had been put through, another part grew desperate, angry, fortifying the shields around itself to hold on to some semblance of sanity. This was the part that had insisted that people here tormenting him like this could not be the ones he loved so dearly. That woman could not be Masooma. Masooma would never do something like this to him. No matter what.
For a while now, with everything they had been pumping into his blood, this part of him had been buried deep inside his mind. It was only now as one part of Fai began to give up that this part was freed once again.
Though his body was beaten and broken and lacking strength of any kind, Fai still drew in a deep shuddering breath. That voice in the back of his head was right. This wasn't the Masooma he knew. This couldn't be the girl he had loved. She wasn't…
He opened his eyes and looked back at her again trying to find a reason that could explain what he was going through. Not a fraction of a second later, he found it.
"Not her…" he hissed, his eyes narrowing in anger as everything started making sense to him. It wasn't her! The woman turned around, observing him through shocked charcoal colored eyes.
"I'm sorry, did you say something, Fai?" she questioned as she strutted over to him, her high heels clacking loudly against the cold stone.
"Sneakers? One would think that after living at the castle for two years you would have learnt how to dress like a proper lady, Masooma-san." Lady Raiki, a dark haired beauty with forest green eyes and the eldest daughter of Lord Reikuma Ashahito, said in a derisive tone, not even bothering to speak it politely. "I wonder what Flourite-sama sees in you to continue allowing you to be his apprentice."
"Something that you'll probably never understand how to use, Raiki-chan," Masooma said cheerfully though her honey colored eyes were shooting daggers at the other, "it's called a brain." An ugly expression came upon Raiki's face but before she could throw another insult at the brunette, a teasing voice interrupted.
"Probably the only thing that allowed you to pass that test, ne Masooma-chan?" Fai grinned as he sidled up next to her, "Good evening Ashahito-san." He inclined his head politely in her direction.
"Ah, Flourite-sama," the lady in question blushed as she lowered her gaze demurely, "good evening to you as well. It is good to see that you are faring well."
"Yes, I am feeling much better now." He nodded, sneaking a glance at Masooma's feet, suppressing the urge to grin as he noticed the worn out pair of black sneakers peeking out from under the hem of her shimmering silver ball gown.
"Please accept my deepest condolences. My father and I are extremely sorry for the unfortunate circumstances that caused you to withdraw from the contest." Raiki said in a somber tone as she looked up at him through long lashes. Beside him, he felt Masooma frown slightly.
"Thank you for your concern, Ashahito-san. Your father as well." He nodded once again, feeling slightly amused at his apprentice's irritation. "Are you enjoying yourself so far?"
"Oye, Fai," Masooma spoke up before Raiki could respond, "I'll leave you alone to flirt with her for as long as you like. Just tell me where the heck Nixon has wandered off to?"
"Masooma-san!" Raiki gasped, feeling enraged and probably embarrassed as well.
"Aww…" Fai pouted, his expression turning mischievous as he continued, "is my favorite apprentice by any chance… jealous?"
"Psh…" Masooma huffed, quickly turning on her heel as she started stomping away in anger, "Like I need to be jealous of her."
"Ashahito-san, if you could excuse me," Fai bowed towards her slightly before turning around and hurrying off after the girl dressed in a shimmering silver gown with her hair done up in a simple yet elegant knot, leaving part of the strands loose to fall around her neck in ringlets. "Masooma, wait up!" he called after her as she ducked into the hall adjoining the refreshment room which was where Fai had originally found her.
"You shouldn't have run off like that you know," Fai breathed in her ear as he came upon her figure frozen in the doorway to the dance hall. Masooma absolutely hated to slow dance, probably because she was a horrible dancer but he'd never say that to her. Slipping her hand in his own and placing the other around her waist, he steered her towards the dance floor as the music changed and a new song began to play. "Let's dance."
"Fai, you know I absolutely suck at dancing to slow songs," she looked away, trying to pull her hand back.
"And you know I don't mind when you step on my toes." He grinned back easily as he pulled her to him, "and luckily for me, you're wearing your sneakers again so the damage won't be as much as if I had chosen to dance with Ashahito-san."
"Raiki is probably one of the best dancers out in this whole court. Well, female dancers," she corrected herself, frowning slightly as she looked down and noticed that she had managed to step thrice on his feet already. "Put her in heels that are ten feet high and she'd still be as elegant as a princess."
"But she'll never be as smart as my most favorite apprentice." Fai said as he spun her around once before placing his hand on her waist again.
"Don't you mean your only apprentice?" she said with a small grin before looking over his shoulder towards the entrance to the hall. "Yugh! How the heck can she stand walking around in those things let alone dancing in them?" she exclaimed in disgust, nodding her head in the direction of Raiki who had just passed behind them twirling in the arms of her partner.
Fai merely shrugged, knowing full well the consequences of what the answer he had in mind would end him up with.
"I think I have tortured you enough for the night," she mumbled as the music changed and she tried to slip out of his arms, "I should probably get going. From the looks Raiki is shooting in my direction, she'll murder me if I keep her precious Flourite-sama any longer."
"I'm really glad you're wearing sneakers with that dress," Fai said, tightening his hold on her waist as he steered her towards the centre of the stage, "this might have been torture if you had been wearing those stilettos that originally came with this dress."
"Well then I suppose it's a good thing that I've vowed never to wear death traps like those for the rest of my life," she managed a grin after she had overcome her initial shock, "Ever!" she declared with a laugh, before tripping over her feet and falling into Fai's chest.
"You're not… Masooma," he growled angrily when her blond locks brushed his face as she leant over him.
Suddenly someone kicked him in the ribs, making him curl into himself in an attempt to protect his body.
"Give him a shot," the woman before him said coldly as one of the hunters tugged non too gently on the rope around his neck, making the pale injured skin burn as it oozed blood from the wounds inflicted by the cord. He struggled violently, feeling his slightly elongated claws scratch at his captors arms, drawing a bit of their blood in retaliation. It wasn't much but it still made him feel a bit better knowing that he was returning the favor. The blond woman watched on coolly as another crony advanced on him with what appeared to be a long, thin needle.
"No!" he grunted, his legs uselessly trying to push him away from the man coming closer every passing second as his arms tried to free him from the others' hold. "I'm not… letting you put… that shit in me again!"
"You don't have any choice in the matter, Fai," the blond woman purred, though her eyes remained identical to two chips of ice. Growling very much like a cornered wolf, Fai lashed out, his claws sinking in the arm of the man about to plunge the needle in his flesh. The man let go of the object in his hand in favor of nursing his injured arm that appeared to be have been torn open to the bone. Feeling emboldened by this, Fai twisted in his captors' hold, not caring that the rope was further tearing at the delicate flesh on his neck. He wouldn't let them pull a curtain over his eyes again. It was definitely the drug that was messing with his head. It had to be. Why else would he think that that woman was someone he loved? He sunk his claws in one man's gut while his leg connected with the others head in a surprising show of agility. He neither knew nor cared about where he was finding the energy to fight back from but he was sure of one thing. If he didn't get out of there soon enough, he was done for. Just as he spun around to deal with the last of the men, he found himself staring in cold, endless pools of black nothingness as something sharp stung his chest. Taking a shuddering gasp, he looked down noticing the needle sticking out of his ribcage. Still unable to fully comprehend what had happened, he looked up to see the woman grin at him wickedly.
"Sorry, but you're not getting out of here anytime soon." She said as she took a step back while Fai collapsed on his knees, his whole body beginning to shudder as pain began to blossom out from the spot where the thin metal had pierced his body. He looked up blearily to see Masooma's face looking back at him as the part of his mind that was still whole and relatively stable was pushed in the back once more.
He tried to tell himself that this wasn't real, that the woman before him was not who she appeared to be but as she reached out and yanked the needle from his chest, he no longer knew what to believe as wave upon wave of blinding pain crashed upon him. He cried out, grasping at his chest with blunt edged nails as he tried to breath, the pain crushing his lungs, pulsating, intensifying till blackness tinged his vision, the world spinning around him as he crashed on his side, his throat hoarse from the screams that erupted from his lips.
He couldn't see anything but the blackness threatening to crush him from all sides, hear nothing but his own cries echoing around him, feel nothing but the pain, pain, pain… A steel toed boot connected with his ribs, his chest caving in under the pressure as something snapped. Fai's eyes widened as he gasped and choked on the blood and spit dribbling down his chin. For a moment the curtain of silence and darkness lifted as he distantly saw Masooma's back recede along with her hunter cronies as the room echoed with their jeering laughter overlapped by the clack of high heeled shoes Masooma wore.
Fai wasn't able to sense the spike of magic in the air as invisible strands of magic caused the roof of his cell to cave in, depositing the slightly translucent figure of a chocolate haired boy in his late teens.
"Damn it, no! Syaoran!" Fai heard a familiar voice scream as he writhed on the floor in agony.
"Syao-ran-kun?" he choked weakly, the blackness once again encroaching his vision as his body began to grow numb. Blood continue to leak from his mouth, adding to the already pale pink puddle surrounding him as he lay on his side on the grimy floor. He could hardly breathe, his chest rattling with every gasp as his heart fluttered weakly beneath his chest. Everything hurt and burnt like there was liquid fire pouring all over his body, eating him alive from the outside while his blood seemed to freeze like ice. His head was pounding and the world was spinning and twisting and turning and nothing made sense to him as his body began to shut down.
"It's good to see that at least one of you is getting a taste of what you put Syaoran through." Syaoran's face swam in his hazy vision, "I swear to God, if anything happens to my son, I will kill you all with my own two hands."
A/N: dun dun dun! Syaoran has finally arrived. And it looks like he is not very happy with the situation or Fai for that matter. Stay tuned to find out what happens next. I hope you guys liked the little glimpse into Fai's past. We'll be visiting Clow once more in the coming chapter. Till next time.
Tata!