Chapter 20

The wind subsided and I felt the solid ground beneath me as I landed on my knees. Opening my eyes slowly, I recognized Fai's coat and his arms holding mine gently.

"Are you alright, Aya-chan?" Fai asked lowly, his breath hitting the top of my head. I nodded faintly, getting up with his help.

"I'm just a little tired," I replied, glancing up at him with a smile, which faded quickly when I remembered the last moments in the previous world.

"Sakura-chan!" I heard Syaoran exclaim and turned over to see him hover above the unconscious princess laid on top of a stone.

"She's just asleep," Mokona stated, jumping around her. I watched keenly as the brown-haired boy sighed in relief, staring at Sakura with a fond smile.

A frown settled on my face in confusion. Had I imagined what happened back then? Was it some kind of magic playing with my mind?

It was silent - an uncomfortable silence, none of us really knowing what to say about the horrific events in the last country. I half-expected one of the giant lions to follow into this dimension and jump a surprise attack on us. Fai spoke up with a grin, "So, we somehow managed to escape, huh?"

"But Fai-san, you used magic," Mokona pointed out, "Didn't you say you'd never use magic again?"

The mage straightened up under all our sudden keen gazes, whistling slightly, "Well, it's more or less a different kind of magic than what I've used up to now. This was magic that uses sounds. The type of magic I learned was a completely different system..."

"Isn't all magic the same?" Kurogane grunted, causing the blonde to smile widely, countering, "Is Aya-chan's magic like mine?" Definitely not, I couldn't whistle to save my life...quite literally. But his explanation sounded more like an excuse, as if he was trying to reassure himself that he didn't break his promise. 'Why did he do it anyways?' Even back in Koryo, when the situation seemed as hopeless as just a few moments ago, he didn't use his magic, ready to die instead.

"You used your magic to save us."

"Yes. I did."

I raised my head to see Fai already looking at me as if he remembered his words, too. His blue eyes were bright like always and yet I couldn't read a single thing from them. Or did the light in them dim a slight bit? 'Nonetheless, we all owe him our life now...'

"I'm sorry," Syaoran said, his expression saddened as he looked down, "I should have come up with a better way of getting out of the library." I went to walk up and comfort him, but his dead eyes flashing through my mind stopped me.

"Syaoran-kun, you did everything you could do," Fai reassured, "And you managed to get a feather back." The brown-haired boy nodded but seemed kind of confused. I narrowed my eyes, 'Did he not remember?' He suddenly glanced my way, about to open his mouth when Mokona jumped on his shoulder, "What's wrong, Syaoran-kun? Do your wounds hurt?"

"Ah, I'm fine," he replied, smiling at her comfortingly. I felt a headache forming from all the confusion and tiredness. 'I need a bed,' I thought and just then took a first look around.

Ruins. Everywhere around us. Houses made of stone have fallen and broken by some force. 'Not looking good.' "I wonder, where we are this time," Fai pondered as he climbed up the ruins to get a good look around.

"How is it?" I called out to him after a while, getting no reply. Wordlessly, we followed him up the boulders, Kurogane gathering the princess in his arms.

One sweeping glance over the horizon made me realise that we didn't just get dropped into a broken, ghetto part of a city. It was the entire city, maybe the entire country, perhaps even the entire world, that was broken. The extent of it was so bad I believed it had to be some cause of nature that had destroyed this place. And it seemed to be totally deserted. 'What caused the entire disruption of life?'

"This place is scary," Mokona whimpered, hiding into my neck.

"We don't have to be here for long," I stated almost hopefully, the devastation giving me an ill feeling, "Do you sense Sakura's feather?" The white manju bun concentrated hard and it took her a while to answer, "I'm not sure. I sense a faint power. But it's far off."

I sighed, "It can't be helped then." The wind swept over my face and I welcomed the refreshing breeze for a second before I followed the others back down. We aimlessly started walking through the broken bits and pieces, looking for any sign of living, but...

...there was not a single soul around. The sand made it harder to walk evenly and I had a tough time in not twisting my ankle in my woozy state; suddenly the stones seemed to make a nice bed. Anything to lay my head on and fall into a nice, dreamless sleep. "Aya-chan, are you alright?" Syaoran asked softly and I hadn't even noticed him coming up.

"Hm? Yeah, I'm fine," I answered, the high-pitched tone slightly giving away my discomfort. Call me paranoid but I couldn't get over the way he snapped back in that black hole. I was about to turn away and hurry to Kurogane - the only one, who seemed in character right now - but a look into his worried, puppy brown eyes made me force to stay at his side. He smiled a bit, "I'm glad."

"Mhm," I hummed, glancing around to avoid his gaze and not noticing the frown covering his face.

"Kuro-sama's carrying the princess in his arms!" Mokon exclaimed cheerfully.

"Huh?" the ninja questioned, holding onto Sakura's legs as he held her over his broad shoulder.

"If you carry her like that all the time, Sakura-chan's blood will rush to her head," Fai commented with a smile.

"And I can personally testify that your shoulder is not the comfiest place to sleep on," I added as well, causing him to grunt in annoyance before he gathered her into his chest instead.

"Seriously, the stones look more comfortable," I muttered, causing Syaoran to chuckle lightly. I smiled at hearing that innocent sound, reminding me of all the good times we had shared so far. 'It was probably only a slip-up, right?' A real slip-up, killing two animals ruthlessly. I swallowed tightly.

"What I'm wondering is what is all this?" Kurogane voiced out, staring at the destruction around us, "It's nothing but broken buildings."

"It would have been better if this was a world where we could treat Syaoran's wounds," Fai mused and I took a glimpse at the boy. His cheek had a rather deep cut with dried blood and he had a few scratches from what I could see. No doubt, his body was bruised over from the hit by the lion's pawn. 'Maybe, his weird behaviour was a reaction to that hit. A deep, primal trigger; a survival instinct.' I nodded to myself, half-happy with that conclusion.

"What is it?" Fai wondered and I turned to see the main protagonist of my recent thoughts staring intently at a round shaped stone.

"The corners of these ruins and debris have been rounded," he muttered.

"What about it?" Kurogane grunted just when I felt a drop on my head.

"I wonder if the wind alone would weather it like this..." I scratched the spot where the drop had hit me when more and more appeared, 'Why does it feel like it's burning me?'

"This hurts!" Mokona complained as well, going to hide under Syaoran's cape, "This isn't water!" I pulled at the sleeves of my dress as the 'rain' hit harder, "If we keep getting hit by rain like this, it won't be good for us!"

Squinting around for a safe place to hide under, I found it was harder to do so in a devastated place. Every possible cover looked like it would crash down at any second.

"That building hasn't collapsed yet!" Fai shouted over the rain, pointing at a skyscraper in the distance. Looking at each other, we figured it was our only option and made a run for it. I tried to shield us with wind but after stumbling and almost hitting a boulder head first Kurogane yelled at me to stop and just run. Upon closer inspection it seemed like one of the tall buildings where companies used to reside in back in my country. Compared to the other buildings this one stuck out like a sore thumb, not having a single scratch on it. 'Weirdo.'

"Looks like we can take shelter in there!" I sighed in relief as we finally reached cover, panting slightly as I looked out into the rain.

"Now we're safe!"

"No...not quite!" I looked at Kurogane questioningly as I rubbed my head, following his eyes. My breath hitched and my stomach churned at the sight in front of us. Dead bodies were piled over the ruins and each other in front of us, pierced by arrows several times. The stench hit me and I felt bile rise in my throat as I pressed a hand over my mouth and nose.

"It's a real thing...isn't it?" Syaoran said faintly and I wished he didn't have to see this. Despite the brave facade he put on, he had gotten significantly pale as the blood ran from his face. Gritting my teeth together, I swallowed what I wanted to throw up from the last dimension's food and tried to avoid looking directly at the corpses.

"Yeah...they were murdered," Kurogane replied flatly.

"It's a good thing that Sakura-chan is asleep for this," Fai commented softly, looking down at her with a solemn expression.

"Oi brat, you ok?" the ninja called out and I nodded without turning around, not wanting them to see my face.

"Mokona, you can get inside my cloak if you want," Syaoran offered the teary-eyed manju bun.

She shook her little body, distraught yet determined, "Mokona has to search for Sakura's feather!"

"Thank you...," the boy said gratefully though I noticed he was still frowning, trying not to let his eyes wander back towards the corpses, "Do you feel any sign of her feather?"

"...Mokona doesn't know, but Mokona does feel a very strong power."

"Must be hers," I butted in with a strained voice, "Where is it from?"

"Down..." I frowned in confusion, looking at the ground, "There must be something underground."

"I'm going," Syaoran declared, already stepping forward. My head snapped up, "No way. Do you want to end up like...them?" I pointed at the bodies. He winced slightly but stayed resolute nonetheless, "There is a chance that Sakura-chan's feather is somewhere inside this building. I have to get it." I went to protest, this was definitely not safe. The dead bodies were the 'living' proof of it. "We..." 'should have a plan before we go in there,' I meant to say but the hint of cold steel in his eyes held me back. He stared as if he was daring me to step in his way, causing me to get the same uneasy feeling as before. When no one said anything anymore, he left without another word.

I sighed out heavily, squinting through the boulders to see if I could catch a glimpse of him still. Despite the fact that I knew he was unstoppable and would be alright, I couldn't help the worry gnawing inside me.

"He's going to be fine," Fai reassured, "You know how he is." I stayed quiet and so did Kurogane, "...Why are Aya-chan and Kuro-tan being so weird today?"

"It's not only today in her case," Kurogane grunted. I shot him a peeved look before I turned to walk further into the building, just in case the boy needed immediate help.

Avoiding the faces of the dead was harder than thought, I couldn't help but zoom in on each feature, wondering why they died this way. It wasn't that hard to imagine, chances were that they needed an intact building to stay in and there wasn't enough space for everybody. Or they were fighting for resources that were probably growing thin with the burning, acid-like rain ruining everything. 'It must have killed off all the animals, too.' So, a quick elimination was easier than taking care of more people. 'Yeah, makes sense. It's logical,' I thought but my chest felt heavy upon seeing all the nameless faces that would fade away into history without a real chance to create a living. Especially the younger ones.

Biting my lip, I spotted a child's body face down with an arrow piercing his back. His messy, brown hair was covering his face and yet I couldn't help but think he looked familiar. He was wearing a long cape, probably to protect him from the rain, and I could see one of his tiny hands peeking out of from the hem. "How can someone actually shoot a kid," I mumbled to myself just as Kurogane called out from further away,

"Oi, brat. Don't get off too far."

"I'm right here," I said, maybe too quietly for them to hear as I stayed focused on the boy. For some reason, I couldn't stop staring at him, the weird familiar aura around him confusing me. Stepping up to him, I knelt down beside his head, reaching out to touch his hair. It was soft and yet my fingers immediately got tangled and stuck in his locks. 'As I expected,' I smiled unconsciously when it hit me like a thunderbolt. My hand shook as I moved the hair away, eyes widening.

"...J-Jun?"

Looking at me were the dead eyes of my brother. I stumbled back with a soundless cry, harshly landing on the ground and crawling away immediately as if I could run away from what I just witnessed. But my eyes stayed glued on the body, taking in the features I had missed for so long with the horrifying realisation that he was not alive. Strange sounding whimpers escaped my lips as I fought for air, feeling a sense of suffocation.

"Aya-chan, where are you?"

"Brat, this is not the time!"

I vaguely registered my companions getting closer as my vision blurred and I felt an almost fainting sensation invade my mind, a numbness spreading through my body.

"Aya! What's wrong?!" Jun's blank eyes disappeared from my sight as Fai knelt down in front of me, blocking the view. He grasped my shoulders, shaking me slightly, "What happened?" Opening my mouth, I was surprised by the sob that left my lips without any restraint and only then did I feel the tears trail down my cheeks.

"Aya, what the hell is going on!" Kurogane barked. That must have been the first time he had called me by my name, shaking me out of my speechless state. "Jun," I whispered, my face twisting in agony as I pointed at the dead body. Fai and Kurogane turned to look at the small boy, their faces softening in realisation.

"Is he the version of your brother Jun?" Fai asked quietly and I nodded, relief that flooding me when I noted that he, who was lifelessly lying on the boulder, wasn't in fact my actual brother.

"This kid is not your real brother," Kurogane added, agreeing on my thoughts. 'He is still alive,' I reassured myself even if I couldn't actually know. I felt bad thinking like that and couldn't shake off the horror when I glanced at him again. Wiping my tears away with the back of my hand, I let Fai help me stand up, still trembling slightly from the rush of grief. The mage led me away, carefully making sure I couldn't see the boy when a cry reached our ears.

"Syaoran!" I felt the mage tense up next to me as my eyes widened, "That was Mokona!"

"Something happened," Fai said, a frown marring his face. Kurogane dropped Sakura into the mage's arms, pushing my head from turning towards the building, "I will handle it, you guys hide just in case." 'Just in case what?' I wondered, my heart hammering as my mind displayed every possible situation.

"It's going to be fine, Aya-chan," Fai assured, motioning towards some ruins to hide behind. I nodded and we rushed towards it, half of me wanting to turn and run into the building and the other half yearning to just curl up in a ball and cry out until the image of a dead Jun deleted itself from my mind. "Aya...," the mage looked at me with sadness brimming in his eyes, noticing my inner turmoil. At this point, I didn't even try to cover my disturbance; Too much had happened. Looking down at the sleeping princess, I couldn't help but feel envious at her peaceful state. 'What would I give for a moment of deep nothingness...'

The sudden noise of motors roaring not too far away caused our heads to snap up. "That sounds like those cars in Piffle Country," Fai commented confused when the noise got louder and louder, obviously heading our way. I peeked over the boulder, spotting a bunch of people on something akin to motorcycles. They stopped right when they got under cover from the rain. One of them shook his hoodie off and I could see his glass rimmed dark eyes and brown hair as he observed his surroundings. I quickly ducked down when his head turned my way just as Fai tugged on my dress, "Someone's coming from inside." We pressed our backs against the stone, hearing the footsteps. If, whoever was coming, decided to walk a little more towards the left, they would spot us immediately. Holding my breath, I briefly wondered where Kurogane and Syaoran could be when a male voice spoke up, "You're not looking really happy."

"It's because you are here," another said and my eyebrow twitched into a frown. 'That voice..'

"Now that just makes my day," the first one said dryly and I could practically hear the smile before he continued, "Let's get to the point, shall we?"

"I'm not giving it to you," the other replied coldly as more and more footsteps could be heard. 'Where are Syaoran and Kurogane?' I bit my lip, contemplating whether I should risk a peek or not. "You already have one beneath the tower, don't you?"

"I do, but you can never have too much of a good thing," the first one said cheerfully and I noted wryly how much he reminded me of Fai.
A brief moment of silence occurred and I heard the distinct clicks of weapons being drawn. I shot a look at the mage. Were they going to fight? His blue eyes dimmed slightly in worry as well. I swallowed tightly, 'Are they going to add more dead bodies to their collection?'

"I'm not giving it to you, Fuma," the cold voice repeated, his tone sending shivers down my spine, "If you try to steal it, I'll kill you!" I held my breath, listening for any indication of weapons being shot, when...

"You've got guests?" the one called Fuma suddenly changed the subject and I deflated like a balloon. 'Way to avoid a fight,' I thought before I perked up upon hearing Kurogane's voice distinctly, "What the hell is he waving for?" He sounded alright, 'Syaoran must be with him.'

"It seems they are not members of the Tower," another voice spoke up.

"It could be a setup."

"No...," Fuma denied, "We've never met..."

"Fuma, we're getting a message from the Tower. They say they're being attacked by a group from some other Ku!"

I heard the man sigh in resignation, "It seems if we stick around to play, ours will get stolen. I guess I don't have much of a choice," Motors roared back to life, "We'll pick this up some other time." And just like that, they were gone.

It stayed quiet for a second, the noise growing more and more distant before the cold voice spoke up lightly, "They are yours...the three that are hiding as well." I tensed up, my eyes meeting Fai's.

"You heard him. Even he gives us trouble," someone else said. I raised my eyebrow at the mage, questioning silently what to do when-

"Ahahaah, I guess we've been spotted!" I slapped my palm against my face when he simply got up and revealed himself with the princess in his arms. 'Well, there was probably no other solution anyway,' I thought as I got up, too, brushing off the dust from my clothes. "Syaoran-kun, you've got yourself some more wounds."

"What?!" I exclaimed, immediately rushing past Fai, only to see Syaoran up on Kurogane's back, an arrow stuck in his thigh. "How on earth did you manage to get yourself hurt that quickly?" I asked exasperated as I fussed over his wound, momentarily forgetting the other figures around.

"It's fine, Aya-ch-"

"It's not fine," I almost growled when I noticed how the arrow peeked out from the other side, "How are we even going to fix this? It doesn't look like there's any medication around. Seriously, you are losing too much blood already, Syaor-"

"Aya?"

"-an. Getting this out is going to be really...painful...," I trailed off when I noticed the sudden tense atmosphere. Looking up at the others, I only then realised it was none of them, who had called out to me. I followed their line of sight towards a lone figure standing a few feet away.

He was wrapped up in a long, burgundy cloak as his black, wavy hair fluttered around his head, revealing his piercing violet eyes.

My breath hitched, "...Kamui?"

I'm extending this world into several chapters for obvious reasons. What do you think is going to happen next?

Not edited, yet.