A/N: hey everybody, cough, I'm back. Enjoy this seriously long last chapter which has everything from action to tragedy and angst and comedy all in one place. Hope you like it.
Read and enjoy. Achoo.
Don't forget to review. Hehehe. That sounds kinda like what Masooma said in the previous chapter. Ahem, anyhow, don't let me keep you from reading on.
'Don't forget your promise.' Masooma whispered as Fay felt her lean more and more against his body, almost as if her own strength was failing her.
'Masooma?' Fay said in alarm as he found himself completely supporting her almost limp form in his arms.
'I don't regret having lived this way,' Fay heard her soft voice near his ear, 'but I wish I could have spent more time with you.'
Just as the burning ball of fire completely vanished from the view in the distance, leaving a purplish red glow in its wake, the girl crumpled in the magician's arms, shocking the man to no end. Lowering her gently to the ground Fay's eyes frantically searched for the cause of her sudden loss of conscious. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was awfully slow, threatening to come to a halt any second.
'Hey! Stay with me here!' Fay said as he started to rub her hands in an effort to help her retain some of the heat that her body had lost all of a sudden. Masooma did not respond as a small peaceful smile made its way to her lips.
In one heart wrenching moment Fay felt himself blanch, felt himself go cold all over, then hot, like he had a fever or something. He found he couldn't quite breathe or move for that matter. She didn't have a pulse anymore. Her chest was no longer rising or falling like it was supposed to.
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If there was ever a more desolate day in any of their lives, they were hard-pressed to think of it. Nothing came close to even brushing the surface of the deep agony they felt. The loss of someone was always a hard thing to bear. Especially if that someone had become someone precious to them all, despite the small amount of time most of them had known her.
A pair of unblinking, unseeing eyes was fixed on the casket where the sleeping figure lay; silky lock framing that angelic face, creamy skin still fresh even though it was almost a day now since her death. 'What is going on? How can this world still be turning?' The owner of the staring eyes thought vaguely. 'She is never coming back.'
He knew it since that was the truth, and it hurt. It hurt so much he couldn't breathe. His lungs labored, his heart flailed. His body seemed to be on the brink of a major break-down. His vision was almost gray; he could see nothing but what was right in front of him--the casket. He could not tear his eyes away from that immobile face; that unmoving, unresponsively and stubbornly still face.
He wanted desperately to cry because it hurt so bad... he wanted to yell, to scream, to tear his hair out, to shake her so badly that she would have no choice but to come back. But he knew it was not going to happen. You pay dearly when you break a taboo. The dead cannot come back. They must not come back.
He felt anger bubbling inside him, like lava boiling in the deepest pits of hell; anger which was directed at her and her stupid decision. Anger at her for doing what she had done to him but deep down, he knew his anger was superficial; it was nothing more than a mask- a mask that his shock and grief had decided to wear so he could fool himself- fool his mind into believing that it was not his fault she was dead.
So he just stood there, eyes fixated on her tranquil face, taking in everything as this was the last time he was ever going to see her. As if in a trance, he walked slowly closer to the casket, gazing inside it all the while, he reached down and stroked the stray locks away from her face, feeling his eyes burn but he still would not cry.
He turned around sharply and made his way over to the very back of the group. Sympathetic eyes followed him but all looked away sadly when their owners found themselves on the receiving end of a deadly blue eyed glare.
Despite everything that had transcended, the still sun illuminated everything in a brilliant way. The rain washed landscape presenting a scene fit for some a fairytale, vividly green grass and soft pink petals littering the ground, a fresh blue sky dotted with wispy white clouds here and there, the valley of Kashmir looking like one of the fabled gardens of Eden. In short it all seemed to be too peaceful and serene to be the day of someone's funeral. Once the casket's lid had been slid shut, the whole coffin lowered into the ground and covered with dirt, people slowly moved forward to say a few last words.
Sakura stifled a sob and walked closer once Yuuko and the other grownups were done, 'I can never ever forget what this person has done for me; returning to me the one thing that I had come to value greatly over the past two years' her soft voice was carried away from the group on a light breeze. 'I might have still been with you all today but if it wasn't for this person, I might not have been the same way that I am right now. I owe a lot to her and I pray that may her soul find peace in the afterlife. Peace that she definitely deserves.'
Sakura moved out of the way to let Doumeki take over who had apparently known her longer than everybody else present, save for Seishiro and Yuuko. She sighed lightly as her eyes roamed over all those present; she could just make out Fay's receding back through the gap in the crowd at the position which Doumeki had been standing in a few moments ago. She decided to follow him out of the cemetery only to be stopped by Kurogane.
'Let the idiot have some time to himself,' he mumbled in her ear as he bent forward slightly after placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her from walking. He then straightened and went back to put a comforting arm around a sobbing Tomoyo's shoulders.
Another sigh escaped her lips as she nodded and changed the course her feet had been heading on initially. A pained smile crossed her features as Syaoran gave her hand a comforting squeeze. Losing someone was hard to cope with. She had not only lost a very caring person but also her brother just one night ago. She just felt so helpless and lost unable to do anything to help the man she had claimed to be her brother as he wallowed in guilt and anger.
Maybe Kurogane was right. Maybe Fay just needed some time to himself to come to terms with everything. If not, well then she would make sure that Fay knew how well he had taught her to fight. She would definitely beat some sense into him if all else failed.
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It was almost night time now and Fay still had not returned home yet. He had disappeared in the middle of the funeral, had not replied to anyone's texts and had not even returned her phone calls. Thanking Syaoran and Kurogane for helping her look for her missing brother Sakura looked around the desolate area which she was in at that time. No one was around as far as she could tell but instinctively her hand closed around the handle of her stake. Something smelled plain wrong in that area.
The feeling of wrongness intensified tenfold when she felt a chill creep up her spine.
'Vampires.' Kurogane breathed behind her as he and Syaoran also stiffened.
'You should not have been wandering around like that little girl.' a familiar voice spoke from the darkness.
'Fay.' Sakura breathed as she slid out the twin stakes from their holders on her leg and waist. Kurogane and Syaoran mimicked the action by pulling out their swords from heir sheaths.
'Look Subaru,' Fay's clear laughter rang through the darkness around them, 'isn't that cute? Two little puppies trying to protect the princess.'
'Who are you calling a dog?!?'Kurogane growled in anger, 'show yourself so that I can slice you through.'
'With pleasure,' Fay said pleasantly, 'although when I do I'm afraid no one would be left to protect your precious little princess.'
'You're the ones who'll be needing protection shortly.' Sakura said coldly as she narrowed her eyes to squint through the darkness. A surprised yell followed by a clang of metal from Syaoran made her snap her head back in her friend's direction. There he was, facing off against Subaru, each trying to inflict a fatal wound on the other.
'My, my.' Fay's voice sounded so much closer than the last time, 'looks like little puppy has his hands full. Maybe you should help him big puppy.'
'Don't do anything rash.' Kurogane began but Sakura was no longer listening. There before her stood the reason she had almost lost her brother. The reason why everyone around her was in so much pain.
'Oye!' Kurogane yelled to catch her attention but she was already charging towards the creature, ready to slice her stake though the vampire's heart. However, being as agile as ever, Fay easily dodged her attack; flipping backwards before swinging a kick at the girl's chest. Sakura threw herself to the ground to avoid being hit- at the same time swiping her leg across the ground, tripping the vampire up headfirst and sending him crashing into the dirt.
Fay quickly regained his balance, sending a punch in Sakura's direction, the girl staggered as the fist made contact with her side, but that was only for a second. Fay laughed, only to receive the end of her combat boots as the girl spun around and landed a perfect round house kick to the side of his face. Under ordinary circumstances it wouldn't have inflicted much damage but now with the three essences infused in her blood, Sakura's kick was enough to draw blood. The vampire felt his own blood drip down his chin but licking it off he grinned wickedly.
'We'll see how much of that strength remains behind once we are through princess.'
'I'll make you pay for everything you've done,' Sakura spat angrily, 'and once I'm done there won't be much left of you to see.' She gave a feral growl, sending another series of swings from her dual stakes combined with kicks and punches at the vampire's torso.
She was vaguely aware of Kurogane fending off Subaru along with Syaoran in the distance but most of her attention was directed at her own fight. No matter how hard she struck or how fast she hit him, the creature never tired, dodging all but a couple of Sakura's furious attacks.
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'So this is where you've been sulking.' Kamui stated as he sat down next to Fay.
'Why are you here?' Fay asked without looking in his direction.
'Everyone is worried about you, Flourite.' He said quietly as he gazed at the valley before his eyes. Pinpricks of lights dotted the entire place, indicating where the city of Kashmir was located. 'She wanted to tell you, you know.'
'Then why didn't she?' Fay asked bitterly.
'Because she was scared that you might hate her for it. Or that you might try to reverse it all.'
'So what if I would have?'
'You would have hated her?' Kamui asked despite the fact that he knew Fay was referring to the latter of his two options.
'No! I would have given it back to her.' Fay replied through gritted teeth, 'The reason why I am alive, why she is dead. This doesn't belong to me.'
'You were dying,' Kamui said simply, 'she did the thing she deemed appropriate at the moment.'
'Deemed appropriate at the moment?' Fay repeated incredulously. 'She died because of her stupid decision, how is that appropriate?'
'She didn't tell this to me herself,' Kamui admitted after a while of remaining silent, 'but I think she was already dying and the witch knew about it.'
'What?'
'We're gonna have to ask the witch about this all.' Kamui said, 'but I think Masooma did not have very long to live anyways.'
'How can you sa… oh shit!' Fay stiffened as he felt something amiss. 'Sakura!' He breathed before jumping to his feet and darting off in the direction of the road a little way behind them. Kamui swiftly followed.
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Sakura knew she couldn't keep this up forever, and silently cursed her inability to use magic. If her brother were here, this fight would have been over ages ago.
The next second saw Sakura fly crashing into one of the trees in that area, as one of Fay's harder kicks hit its mark.
The vampire sauntered over to her at a leisurely pace as Sakura panted and tried to lift herself off the round on shaky arms. Her stakes had slipped from her grasp and landed at a distance of few feet from her, meaning that if she did not hurry she might not be able to get to them in time since the vampire was almost upon her.
She felt a soft hand wrap around her arm, yanking her off the ground in a sharp tug.
'Get back to the house with Syaoran,' Kamui whispered urgently as Yuui stepped in front of her protectively.
Almost in a daze, Sakura found herself nodding at the young vampire.
'Kid! Hurry up and get going.' Kurogane barked at Syaoran, making her jump all of a sudden. Said brown haired boy rushed forward , grabbing hold of her hand and raced out of that area and towards the red-eyed hunter's jeep which was parked in the distance.
'This definitely ends tonight.' Yuui said in a dangerously low tone as his staff materialized in front of him. His twin smirked as his own daggers appeared before him in a whirl of golden magic.
Fay rushed forward, swinging his dagger aiming for his twin's side, a trail of golden runes following the arc of the daggers. Yuui quickly blocked the incoming blade and forced his attacker back. Fay leapt away for a brief moment and then pounced on the hunter again this time with a flying kick, springing himself forward with more force. Once again Yuui blocked the attack with his staff, pushing the vampire back who landed in a crouched position after flipping back in the air.
Blue eyes narrowed slightly as Yuui charged forward, Fay halted his attack by raising his arm and dagger to block the incoming staff. Sparks of magic flew everywhere, burning anything they came in contact with however the magical weapons remained undamaged in this assault; the forceful attack pushing the vampire back with its momentum, his feet dragging through the dirt.
While this set of twins battled of near the edge of a very steep cliff, Kamui found himself fighting his brother closer to the road, Kurogane had stepped away the minute Kamui had shown up. Not because he was weak or couldn't hold up his own against the turned vampire but because he knew it was important to Kamui. Why the hell did he even care about those creatures still eluded the hunter but shrugging those questions aside Kurogane had let a crazed smirk settle on his features as he noticed a swarm of vampires heading in the direction of the city. So maybe not all of the vampires were at the mansion in that forest last week.
'This ought to be fun.' Kurogane thought as he moved in that direction. They were most probably after Sakura so he better put a stop to them or else maybe the kid might end up getting killed.
Subaru landed lightly on his feet after dodging a swipe of claw-like nails from his twin. The two looked at each other warily, trying to figure out the other vampire's next move, Subaru sprung forward with a kick but Kamui caught his leg in his right hand, Subaru then pulled his body forward to kick at his twin's head using his other leg, but this attack was blocked as well. Out of other options, Subaru reared his arm and tried to deliver an uppercut, but Kamui managed to block it with his free arm, the without warning Kamui swung his twin in a circle using the leg he still had in his hand, letting go once they had gained some momentum.
This act sent Subaru flying off but the vampire flipped back in mid air and landed neatly on his feet. Mimicking his twin's attack, Kamui rushed forward and swiped his hand; forcing Subaru crouched to the floor in an attempt to dodge it. While still on the ground he kicked out one of Kamui's legs from underneath him. As a result the vampire lost his balance; Kamui tried to kick his twin as he fell but this attack was evaded with ease.
'You never really could beat me at anything,' Subaru stated out loud as he dodged yet another swipe from a growling Kamui, 'maybe I should show you how it's done.' He said as his own nails elongated to and his eyes switched to golden.
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'Do you think that maybe I should let that girl live after I get her blood?' Fay mused with a smirk in his twin's direction, 'maybe she might be of some more use to the coven.'
'The coven doesn't exist anymore.' Yuui growled as he launched into another attack, making a roundhouse kick that Fay blocked however in doing so the vampire failed to notice the staff that was coming next. The silver end of the staff hit him in the side making the vampire falter in his steps. 'And neither will you. You've messed with my life one time too many.'
Fay chuckled as he heard this, 'I cannot be slain like your average vampires, brother.' Yuui thought he could detect a tint of sadness in the vampire's otherwise infuriating tone. 'No matter how hard you try, I will not die.'
'We'll just see about that.' Yuui said as he and Fay circled each other, the tips of their weapons sparkling up with magic once more. Blue runes glowing with a reddish tinge emerged from the sapphire tipped staff while a similar pattern of gold runes appeared from the vampire's twin daggers.
'I see you took that vampire's magic as well.' Fay commented as he observed the new appearance of his twin's magic. 'So that's why you're still alive.'
'Shut up!' Yuui yelled as the runes turned to icicles all rushing towards his mirror image standing across him.
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The battleground was a mess. Stray, deflected, missed aimed or dodged spells had turned the once beautiful mountain top onto a barren ground filled with numerous craters and charred trees. A little way down that slop, the ground was covered in ash which blew away in the wind only to be replaced by more vampire ash.
'Where the hell are all these vampires coming from?' Watanuki said in exasperation as yet another wave of said creatures rushed down the slope.
'magic.' was the simple reply from the vampire named Seishiro. 'They are all magical replicas of the original vampires.'
'The ones we slew last week?' asked Fuuma as he jumped over a stumbling vampire and drove the stake through it's back. The creature cried out as it turned to dust.
'Those and a few others.' Doumeki was the one who replied this time.
'How can these things be replicated like that?' Watanuki grunted as he tackled a vampire heading in Himawari's direction.
'Those four leading bastards all knew magic, kid.' Kurogane rolled his eyes as he sidestepped a vampire trying to rip his heart out. 'Figure the rest out by yourself.' He threw off the vampire on his back and drove the sword through its heart. 'Aww, come on! What does a guy have to do to get some decent opponents in this place?' Kurogane moaned as he finished off five vampires with a single swipe of his sword. (We all know Kurgz would complain if he had to fight weaklings who died too easily. No challenge at all.)
To a distant observer only two pairs of extremely fast moving blurs would be visible atop the ruined mountaintop, one appearing as a flurry of black and razor sharp nails whereas the other as flashes of blue, silver and gold magic and weapons.
'Well bro, I would love to stick around and play but the princess awaits.' Fay said as a transportation spell started to appear around him at the same time as he swung his dagger towards his twin.
Yuui blocked the incoming attack with his staff which he then twirled once before swinging it around over his head and bringing it down on his vampire twin. This action knocked Fay to his feet making his transportation spell vanish before completion.
'You stay away from my sister!' Yuui snarled as he rushed forward spearing his twin with the sapphire tip of his staff, Fay's golden eyes widened in shock as his brain registered what had happened, his eyes flickered between gold and blue, finally settling on a dull blue as a small smile made its way to his lips.
'And so, one finishes off the other.' Fay said as fresh blood trickled from the side of his lips, 'well done brother.' He smiled as his entire body began to glow in a golden light.
'Take good care of the princess, brother,' Fay said as his eyes started to glaze and his body started to turn to ash, 'you never know who might come back for her blood.'
'Aaaaa!' Kamui's pained scream gave Yuui no time to dwell on his twin's last words or notice the small floating orb that was left behind in his place. His head snapped in the direction of the vampire twins only to see that Subaru was standing over a fallen Kamui, an empty crystal vial glistening in his blood covered hand. Kamui lay on the ground, a gaping hole in his chest which was bleeding profusely.
'No more immunity for you Kamui.' Subaru smirked evilly as he looked at his brother in the cruelest way imaginable before he turned around to look at Yuui. The smirk spread even wider, contorting his handsome face and giving him the appearance of a truly demented being, 'I'll catch you later, Yuui.' He said with a wave before throwing the vial at Yuui and rushing in his direction at the same time only to sidestep the hunter and grab the orb which was absorbed into his body; black runes surrounded Subaru's body and he vanished from sight before Yuui could stop him. Yuui bent down in thoughtfully as he picked up the crystal vial without really looking at it.
Since when did Subaru start to possess magic? And what in the world had that orb been? Had he really seen that white patterned feather or was it just his imagination? Yuui thought in confusion as he absentmindedly looked at the vial in his hand. He was not too worried about Kamui. His vampire blood would help him heal fast so he was in no immediate danger. Looking more closely at the vial in his hand, however, Yuui let out a stream of curses as he rushed to Kamui's side. This was bad, very very bad.
How could he have forgotten that? Of course, he had given one to Subaru himself; just before they had left that night. Yuui cast a look around him before returning his attention to the young vampire. The vampire's grey-blue eyes were clouded with pain as beads of sweat formed on his face while he struggled to breath. He was bleeding profusely and his injuries showed no sign of even thinking about healing. Without uttering another word, Yuui took hold of the vampire's arm as he raised his hand and wrote a transportation spell.
'FAY!' Sakura cried out as soon as the hunter appeared in the living room with a bleeding vampire. 'What happened to Kamui?' she gasped as soon as her eyes took in the sight before her. Fay was holding onto a deathly pale Kamui, the vampire's breathes coming in shallow gasps while his hands were curled up into fists as he struggled to inhale.
'He's got a punctured lung from what I can tell.' Fay said as he let go off the vampire's hand and hurried off into the TV room. 'Subaru used the potion on him so his wounds can't heal on their own. Get his shirt off, I'll get some nullifier.' Fay commanded the girl in the other room as he opened the cabinet and scanned the bottles in there. Looking at the very back he pulled out a small crystalline tube with a shimmering silver liquid inside it. He turned around to go back but stopped in his tracks only to walk back and grab the crystal decanter -which held some blood in it- as well.
During the amount of time that it took him to get the stuff Sakura had cut through and removed the blood stained shirt to expose the vampire's wound. Unstopping the decanter, Fay emptied the contents of the tube into it swirled the decanter a bit. The blood inside it turned to a pale white color before becoming completely colorless. Summoning a thick wad of cotton and some disinfectant he handed the decanter over to Sakura.
'Hold this; I need to clean it before we do anything else.' He said as he wet the cotton with disinfectant and proceeded to cleaning the wound; holding the vampire down with one hand and using the other to clean the wound. Several wads of cotton later Fay decided that this was the cleanest it could get, he took back the decanter from Sakura and lifted Kamui's head to his lap.
'Syaoran I need you to hold him down,' he instructed the chocolate eyed boy standing next to his adoptive sister, 'he doesn't have any vampire strength at the moment so it shouldn't be that hard. Sakura you help him.' he added as an afterthought as he put the decanter to Kamui's lips.
The two teenagers nodded and proceeded to do what was required of them at that time. Fay then tipped the transparent liquid into the vampire's mouth, drop by drop, which trickled down his throat. Unfortunately Kamui started to thrash about after a few drops but the two teenagers were able to hold him down. Despite their efforts Kamui still managed to get free and knock the decanter out of Fay's hand but that happened when Fay had successfully made him drink the entire concoction.
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'Should have known something like this would have happened.' Kurogane grunted as he pulled a chair and sat down next to the sleeping Kamui's bed. The sheets were pulled up to the middle of his chest, white gauze peeking from underneath them. His bare chest slowly rising and falling in a steady rhythm instead of the erratic pattern it had been a few hours ago. 'First you and now him.' he mumbles as Fay walked around the bed and cast another spell on the vampire.
'Subaru poisoned the inhibitor, Kamui can't heal fast enough.' Fay explained his actions upon receiving a questioning look from the black haired man. 'What?' he asked when the look didn't go away.
'You're healing him?' Kurogane raised his brow skeptically. 'Since when can you do that?' everybody knew Fay was no good when it came to healing.
'…. It's Masooma's magic.' Fay replied not looking at him.
'Oh.' Kurogane said, not insensitively.
'I'm going to have a chat with Yuuko,' Fay informed him, still without making any eye contact, 'Once he is okay, that is.' Fay clarified unnecessarily.
'…' Kurogane didn't know what to say to that. Well he did know what he could say but none of them would be what Fay wanted to hear anyways.
'The witch knew about this whole thing.' Fay continued as though he didn't really expect the man to answer, 'Kamui thinks she might have been dying already. Even before she gave up her magic.'
'I won't be surprised if she did.' Kurogane finally decided to say.
Before Fay could respond however, Kamui groaned, making the magician divert all of his attention to the vampire. The young vampire coughed as he tried to sit.
'Easy there, your wounds haven't completely healed yet.' Fay said stopping him by placing a hand on his shoulder and forcing him to lie down. 'Don't exert yourself.'
'What happened to Subaru?' Kamui asked in a weak and hoarse voice. 'Did I get him?'
'He got away.' Fay replied as he checked over his bandages which were beginning to get tainted with red once more.
Kamui cursed under his breath upon hearing this.
'You'll have plenty more chances for that,' Fay said with a humorless chuckle, 'but you need to get better before you do that.'
Kamui remained silent for quite a while as he allowed Fay to changed his bandages with magic and heal his punctured chest a little more with magic. Kurogane got up from his seat and left the room mumbling something about going to check on Tomoyo and the brats.
'Have you talked to Yuuko?' the vampire finally broke the silence.
'Didn't get a chance.' Fay replied pulling the sheet back over the pale vampire.
'She's going to leave this world very soon.' Kamui informed him, 'said she just wanted to attend the funeral.'
'How do you know that?' Fay narrowed his eyes slightly.
'She told me herself.' Kamui replied calmly even though his hoarse voice ruined the effect.
'Did she say when?' the mage asked urgently.
'Noon.'
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Sakura petals gently floated along the light breeze as a solitary figure made its way across the flat plain atop the mountain. Just one day ago she had come here with a group of acquaintances to bid farewell to somebody important. So much had happened since she had let that person- currently buried under several feet of earth- enter her life. Slowly worming their way into her heart in such a way that now when they were no longer here, she had a gaping hole in the place they had occupied.
A sad smile made its way across her lips as the breeze picked up slightly and her raven colored locks blew across her pale yet exotic visage. Her eyes were twinkling with unknown emotions as she clutched the pale blue flower bud- she held in her hands- closer to her chest. The sun shone brilliantly making everything -washed in the rain the previous night- appear like a scene out of some very high quality digital photograph. Everything was fresh and invigorated, glowing in an unearthly way.
She stopped at the base of an old cherry tree- although it had been a day since the burial had taken place and it had rained all night long- the grave still looked freshly dug. She crouched next to it, gently placing the bud on top of the slightly raised earth, 'it seems like the time has come for us to part ways, ne?' she spoke softly, 'I'm leaving this world for good in a short while. But don't worry; I'll never forget you or what you've done for everyone.' She said as she wiped her eye and straightened up, 'I'm going to miss you.'
A wide magic circle appeared beneath her feet sending off waves of strong magic.
'Leaving so soon?' a cold voice sounded from somewhere behind her, causing the woman to abandon the transportation spell and turn around.
'So the child informed you of my departure.' She stated locking her gaze with a pair of cold icey blue eyes.
'What do you know about her death?' Fay asked not really caring to answer her, it's not like she didn't know that.
'Getting straight to the point, I see.' Her red lips quirked up into a strange smile.
'The sooner you tell me, the sooner you can leave.' Fay said in the same chilly tone.
'What makes you think you can stop me from leaving if I do not wish to tell you?' her smile transformed into a teasing smirk as she sauntered closer towards him.
'You took the payment,' Fay replied his tone not warming in the least bit. 'I don't think you can leave without granting her wish.'
'So you did your research, huh?' Yuuko looked away, the smirk vanishing from her face as she looked away, a sad look taking its place. Fay chose to remain silent this time.
'That child's purpose in life was fulfilled when the vampires named Ashura and Xing Ho were slain. The night I found her,' the dark-haired woman said as she caught one of the falling Sakura petals in her hand; her gaze became distant as though if reliving a memory, 'Masooma had made a wish to me…'
Flashback:
Rain was pouring down from the sky with the occasional thunder and lightning flashing across the sky. It was during one of these short bursts of luminescence in the sky that a lone figure became visible in the deserted streets, before merging with the surrounding darkness. Another flash of lightning showed that the person had moved from his previous position. The person was moving around with caution, as though expecting an ambush.
He turned round a corner and walked into an alleyway. In his hand was a sword of some sort; its dark blade glinting occasionally with the short burst of light.
'Looks like we have been interrupted by some hunters,' a cold voice spoke in a somewhat sneering tone, 'no matter, we will be leaving her for the two of you.' With that a transportation circle appeared before the hunter, illuminating the dark and wet alley. Within the light provided by this spell, he was able to see three figures a few feet away from them. Two of them were standing right above the circle whereas the third was on the ground, curled up in a ball, lying in a pool of blood. That was all he could see before the circle vanished with the two vampires.
'The poor child,' a woman's soft voice spoke behind him.
'Yuuko-san.' the hunter greeted her politely before his tone got business-like, 'the coven seems to have abandoned one of their own.'
'Abandoned a vampire, yes.' Yuuko said softly as she made her way past the man and over to the girl on the ground. 'One of the coven, I doubt that.'
'Yuuko-san, she's a savage one.' The man warned her in alarm as Yuuko crouched down and extended her hand towards the one on the ground.
'She seems to possess great willpower, Seishiro,' Yuuko replied as she put her hand to the girl's head. 'I don't think she'll attack.'
'Yuuko-san…' the man stopped when said witch raised her hand in silence.
'Y-you are Yuuko?' the girl on the ground croaked weakly. 'The witch who grants wishes, right?'
'That would be me.' Yuuko replied serenely.
'You can grant anyone's wish?' the girl coughed up some blood as she struggled to sit up on wobbly arms.
'As long as they are willing to pay the price.' The woman replied
'I want to make one.' The girl said in a somewhat stronger tone.
'There will be a price.' Yuuko said in a business-like tone.
'I'll pay anything,' the girl said, a sudden desperation creeping into her tone as she grabbed the edge of Yuuko's cloak, 'please… I don't want to hurt anyone else.'
'What is it that you want?'
End flashback
"I want to live until I can find the ones responsible for the deaths of my family and kill them. After that I wish to die." Yuuko echoed the wish she had granted so long ago. 'Masooma was dying when I came across her a hundred years ago.'
'The coven had poisoned her conscience enough to rip it apart. The only way I could save her was by magic so I bound her conscience to her body using a complex spell. The price that she had to pay was service to me for one hundred years. Then she would be able to live freely until her wish was fulfilled.'
'Her term of service came to an end,' Yuuko said softly, 'eight days ago on the same night the ceremony was supposed to take place. The vampires she had sworn vengeance against were both killed that night; one by her own hand and the other by yours.'
'So a part of her wish was fulfilled,' Fay said in a hollow tone, 'but that is not the only reason why she died, is it?'
'Sadly, it isn't.' the wine-eyed witch replied as her hand uncurled from around the petal, allowing it to flutter away in the breeze. 'Ever wonder why bringing back the dead to life is a taboo?'
'Because it is something that cannot be accomplished.' Fay replied.
'Oh? But it can be done.' Yuuko said as looked the vampire hunter in the eye. 'You're a living proof of that.'
'You mean… I-I… I died??' Faysaid in shock as he involuntarily took a step back.
'You did.' Yuuko nodded as her eyes went back to the grave.
'But how is it possible?' Fay shook his head in disbelief, 'no matter how hard you wish for it, no one can be brought back to life.'
'That wish is something which lies in the realm of possibility.' Yuuko said grimly, 'however out of all the creations in the multiverses, everyone at some stage in life wants to have that wish granted but not many have what it takes to grant something like that, and even fewer have the courage to actually pay the true price.'
'The price to bring back someone from the dead,' Yuuko continued, her eyes not leaving the mound of earth before her, 'would be equal to the life of the wish maker. Masooma knew this full well when she decided to bring you back.'
'If what you are saying is true,' Fay said as he folded his arms, his tone once again cold like the polar ice-caps, 'shouldn't she have died the instant I came back?'
'That is what should have happened,' the witch nodded, 'but Masooma twisted the terms of her payment a little bit and managed to save you and keep living at the same time.'
'But how could…'
'She possessed my magic,' Yuuko cut in before Fay could even finish his question, 'so she created a loophole in it instead. By transferring all the magic in her body to yours, she lowered the price from immediate death to a much slower death. In this way she was able to live on for almost over a week.'
'What about her conscience?' Fay asked he might not like what he was hearing but he still needed to know, 'Why didn't the bond break if the magic was no longer there?'
'While magic might have been the major factor in holding the bond in place,' Yuuko said quietly, 'it would remain intact even in its absence, as long as she didn't consume any blood.'
'So are you telling me that she had to starve herself for a week???' Fay asked heatedly.
'For the lack of a better term, yes, we'll go with that.' Yuuko nodded.
'How was Kamui able to tell that Masooma was dying?' Fay asked trying to keep his anger under control.
'Her internal organs were deteriorating,' the witch replied, 'a vampire can sense that much very easily; Even if a person is using strength potions to remain standing on their feet.'
'The crazy idiot…' Fay gave a bitter laugh as he shook his head and looked up at the sun, 'she put herself through so much pain, just so she could be with me?'
'If you had been in her place,' Yuuko said as she stepped towards him, Fay could tell that she was staring at him intently despite the fact that he was not looking at her. 'What would you have done?'
'Probably something along the same lines.' He admitted with a sigh.
'Then I don't think you have any right to be angry with her.' She said simply as though if it was all settled.
'…'
'Don't you agree with me?' she pressed on.
'I-I… I don't know what to think.' Fay replied. 'She is dead because of me, Fay is dead, Kamui was almost killed last night, Sakura can be abducted by crazy vampires at any time and Subaru has lost his mind, completely. I don't know how to deal with any of that.'
'You know,' She said as she waved her hand and two small poofs sounded behind him. The next second a white rabbit followed soon after by a black rabbit hopped over to the witch. 'You don't have to carry all the burdens on your shoulders alone. You have friends who can help, who want to help you deal with all of it. So why not try and let them?'
'You sound just like Kurogane.' Fay said with a small smile.
Yuuko laughed, 'Don't let him hear that, I don't think Kuro-tan would like the comparison very much.' Her expression grew a bit serious, 'Always remember that you are not alone.' A magic circle appeared beneath her feet once more, this time rising up in spirals of rainbow colored smoke, dissolving her body wherever it touched her.
'You're leaving?' Fay asked in surprise.
'That is why I came here today.' She laughed once more, although it had a more echoing quality to it, as though if she was standing in a large empty hall and not on the open mountain top, 'but not to worry, if Hitsuzen has it, our paths may cross again someday. Till then, take good care of your sister or Touya will have your head. Goodbye Yuui.' The smoke dissolved the last of her body and dissipated into thin air.
'Hitsuzen, huh?' Fay smiled as he looked at the blooming ice flower on Masooma's grave and gave a smile, a heartbreaking yet true smile.
***********************************
Two months later:
'It's been a real pleasure Miss Tomoyo.' Fay smiled as he kissed the back of her hand lightly.
'Likewise Fay.' The lavender eyed girl giggled.
'Keep in touch Kuro-tan.' Fay said cheerfully.
'Yeah yeah.' He grumbled, 'just don't get killed behind our backs.'
'Why would I wanna do that?' Fay said innocently before a mischievous grin spread on his face. 'I wouldn't want to miss out on my favorite puppy's wedding, now would I?'
This caused a blush to creep up on said puppy's face.
'Aww, how cute.' Fay laughed, 'Kuro-tan's blushing.'
'I. Am. Not. Blushing.' Kurogane said through gritted teeth as a vein pulsed in his temple.
Before Fay could make another attempt to incense the hunter any further, Syaoran appeared in the doorway of the Flourite residence, laden with bags followed closely by Sakura, also carrying a couple of bags.
'I thought I said I would get them.' Kurogane said with an amused expression on his face as he watched Syaoran struggle underneath the weight of numerous bags.
'No.. problem.. Kurogane.' Syaoran grunted as he took a couple more steps. 'I got… them.. whoa…' CRASH! Syaoran groaned as he tried to remove the bags crushing him.
'Sure you do.' Kurogane rolled his eyes while the sides of his lips twitched upwards as he helped the fallen boy.
'Syaoran, are you alright?' Fay, Sakura and Tomoyo said in unison as they hurried him.
'I'm fine.' He said gingerly, 'note to self: never think you are superman again.'
'Erm, Miss Tomoyo, what exactly is in all these bags?' Fay asked as he picked one of the ground and placed in the back of the jeep.
'Clothes.' She replied with twinkling eyes. 'Sakura inspired me so much that I just had to make all these before we left. It was so sweet of her to try them all on for me.'
'You tried them all?' Fay looked at the auburn haired girl in mock shock.
'It's not like I had any other choice.' The girl replied in an undertone when she was sure Tomoyo wasn't listening. 'Her puppy pout is pure evil. You can't say no to it.'
'Take care of yourself kid.' Kurogane said as he dumped the last bag into the back and climbed behind the steering wheel. 'And don't flunk in school because you hunt those things at night.'
'I won't,' Syaoran smiled, 'drop by for a visit again someday.'
'Take care of Sakura as well.' Tomoyo whispered in his ear as she hugged him. 'I'll miss you.'
'I'll miss you too.' Syaoran said as he hugged her back.
'Hurry up Tomoyo.' Kurogane said impatiently as he started the engine, 'we have to get going.'
'Coming.' The girl rolled her eyes as she let the brown haired boy go, 'no hunting on school nights, okay?'
'Okay.' Syaoran sighed in defeat, giving in when he caught sight of that puppy pout she was giving him. Sakura was right; there was no way anyone could ever say no to that. Not even the mighty Kurogane could stand that deadly weapon.
'Later Flourite.' Kurogane said as he reversed the jeep and turned the vehicle around before driving out of the residence.
'Goodbye.' Tomoyo waved as she turned around in her seat to look at them until they disappeared from her sight.
'So, where to now?' Kurogane said as looked at her through the side of his eye.
'I heard some vampires are terrorizing a town up north.' She replied as she pulled out her laptop and turned it on.
'Up north it is then.' Kurogane gave a feral grin as he straightened the rearview mirror and sped up the jeep.
*********************************
Next evening:
Time: 17:45 (5:45 p.m.)
Kamui's loft:
'Geez kid, it's not the end of the world.' Kamui said in a bemused tone as he watched the brown haired teenager pull out one shirt after the other. How many shirts did that kid have again? That hunter's fiancé must have been out of her mind to buy so many clothes for a boy.
'You don't understand,' Syaoran said as he threw down yet another shirt on the floor. 'I have no idea where I am going to take her. Well I do have one place in mind but what if she doesn't like it? What if I disappoint her? What if…'
'If you're so full of doubt, why did you even ask her out?' Kamui cut in.
'I don't know what came over me.' Syaoran slumped on the ground next to his pile of clothes, jeans, shirts and jackets included. 'Why did I do it? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea. Maybe I should…'
Kamui tuned him out for a while to think. Okay so that might not have been such a good idea. Change tactics. Get the kid out before his nerves drive you insane.
Kamui bent down and grabbed a black muscle shirt and pair of khaki pants having lots of pockets and thrust them into Syaoran's arms, 'these will be just fine. Now go change before I throw you out in what you are already wearing. Maybe the Flourite's sister might like you in your boxers alone.'
That got the boy moving. He jumped off the floor as though suddenly electrocuted and ran for the bathroom even as a pink flush crept up his neck.
Time: 17:50 (5:50 p.m.)
Flourite's residence:
'It's just a date Sakura,' Fay laughed as his sister whizzed around the house in a knee length skirt and pink sleeveless shirt, searching for her pair of matching sandals.
'He's gonna be here any minute and I can't find my shoes anywhere.' She said crossly as she pushed her hair out of her face and bent down to look underneath her bed.
'Why not wear something else?' Fay suggested as he leaned against the doorframe.
'Because those are the ones I wanna wear.' She replied as she got back on her feet and ran to look behind the sofa in the living room, narrowly avoiding crashing into her brother on the way.
'Have you checked your cupboard?' Fay asked with an amused chuckle as Sakura banged her head on the floor in her haste to look under the table.
'The cupboard??? Of course I have… checked… there… oh God!' Sakura cried out as she smacked herself on the head, 'I am such an idiot.' She jumped to her feet and raced upstairs. Fay followed her at a much more sedate pace. By the time he got there, she was strapping on the second sandal.
'You're really enjoying yourself, aren't you?' Sakura pouted crossly.
'What in the world gave you that idea?' Fay asked innocently as he tried not to laugh.
'Fay you are one evil big brother.'
DING!
'Aaah! He's here.' Sakura jumped as she rushed to the mirror and grabbed a brush. 'I'm late. What is he going to think? I'm…'
'Looking perfect.' Fay said with a smile as he took the brush from her hand and walked down the stairs. 'I'll let him in so hurry up, okay?'
Fay opened the door only to find that Syaoran was not the only one standing on his doorstep. A smirking Kamui stood behind the nervous boy.
'Had to bring him over, God knows what he might have done to the car if I had given it to him in this condition.' Kamui said as he let himself in.
'I know what you mean.' Fay grinned as he moved out of the way to let the teenager through. 'Syaoran I expect you to bring my sister home not a minute after ten.' Fay said sternly as the three walked into the living room. 'And no funny business or else...'
'Fay, leave him alone.' Sakura whined as she entered the room.
'Hey Sakura.' Syaoran said with a smile.
'H-hey Syaoran.' Sakura greeted him with a timid smile.
'Have fun you two.' Fay said as he pushed the two teenagers out of the doors, 'be home by ten.'
'You sure this is a good idea?' Kamui asked in a serious tone once the teenagers were out of the front gate.
'Nope,' replied the blue eyed magician as he closed the door. 'But we'll find out soon enough, won't we?'
'We're all doomed.' Kamui shook his head as he followed him back into the living room.
The End
A/N: finally. It is finished. (Dances around in joy). Well believe it or not I've been working on this chapter for almost three weeks and A..A..Achoo… man. It sucks to catch a flu, fever and have a sore throat in the middle of summer.
This last chapter is 8459 words long so I hope it makes up for the loooong wait. So how was it? Good or bad? I hope it wasn't as suckish as I feel at the moment. Curse you stupid heat.
Kurogane: stop cursing the weather. It's your own fault you got sick.
Me: (sneezes) shut up. I don't see you ever getting sick due to bad weather.
Kurogane: that's because I'm a ninja.
Me: not in this fic you're not.
Kurogane: I still didn't catch flu unlike someone I know.
Me: stop rubbing it in. (sneezes again) just you wait, you're gonna be sick for a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnng time in the next story that I write.
Kurogane: ooooh. I'm scared.
Me: you should b…Achoo.
Kurogane: (snorts) oh yeah. Very threatening.
Tomoyo: (stomps on his foot and gives the author a tissue box) be nice, she is sick.
Me: thanks Tomoyo.
Fay: so this is the end? (pouts) everyone gets their girl except for me.
Me: sorry Fay. That's just the way it was supposed to end… or was it? (grins in I-know-something-and-you-don't manner) I hope the explanation was good enough and it didn't confuse anyone since I tried to clear out everything.
Kamui: I am a softie? When did that happen?
Me: ask the flu. It knows.
Kamui: (rolls his eyes) I am soo outta here.
Kurogane: me too.
Fay: guys. You do know she is planning on bringing us all back in another one of her stories.
Kamui and Kurogane: (turn around in horror) no.
Me: ohhh yess…achoo. stupid flu.
Kurogane: quick, let's get away while she's cursing the flu.
Me: you can run all you want; I'll still know where to find you. Achooooo..
Kamui: (squeels like a girl) run for your lives. She's gone mad.
Fay: maybe we should all leave and let her rest for some time.
Me: don't forget to head over to the review room. Reviews will act as get well soon cards and wishes and help nurse the author back to health. Come on people; help me… achoo… get well. Have a heart. I'm tired of sneezing like that.
Hurry up and review or the flu might just attack your cyber-selves as well. (Sneezes yet again) I'm gonna go turn off the fan while you guys leave some reviews.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the songs or characters used in this fic except for Aisha and Masooma. I do however own the plot for this sad excuse of a story and with this I shall one day rule the world. Mwahahaha..cough..hahaha… cough cough cough… maybe it wasn't such a good idea to eat ice-cream tonight afterall.
Anyhow, putting all that aside, I hope you enjoyed this story and don't want to kill me for making your heads spin.
Till we meet again.
p.s. if you are wondering then yes, the Yuuko in this story was the same Yuuko as Tsubasa and xxxHolic. She happened to live in this world before the events of those two comics. Also this world might turn up at some stage in my other fic Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles. i have an idea of where this might fit into. You guys just wait and see what happens next.
Ja ne.