A/N: So there's one, two, three reasons I'm updating today.
One being, I managed to finish writing the chapter after the bunnies viciously attacked me.
Two, I came back home for the weekend even though I've got exams because my baby bro is back home and I wanted to meet him.
Three, I read the latest update of 'Hated' by 'Tonight's the Night' who happens to be an amazing writer and I simply love that fic and after reading today's update I was like 'I can't believe she did that!' because the last two chapters were completely unexpected and I wanted to see if you guys would have a similar reaction to this update and I think I might start rambling here because this might not be so unexpected after all and I really should be shutting up now... But anyhow, once you're done reading this I'd recommend you go check that story out. It's in my favorites if you are interested. ;)
Well now that I'm done advertising, I only have to say that this chapter is kinda fast-paced because it's rapidly switching between POVs. (well I tried to make it fast-paced but I'll let you people be the judge, tell me if I succeeded, k?)
Fai-san! Syaoran yelled, banging his fists against the metal door, feeling it sap him of the energy he possessed. Fai-san, hang on! They're coming! Don't worry. You'll be out of there soon. Just hold on.
Feeling dizzy, he stumbled back, wondering vaguely why his fists collided with the door like it was solid, yet no sound was produced from them hitting the solid object. Hold on, Fai, they're almost here, he mumbled tiredly as his legs gave out under him and he collapsed on the cold cobbled stone floor. Just a little longer and you'll be out of there.
-0-
Sakura ducked low, swinging her right sword in a circular motion to block the incoming weapon that was about to slice her head off her shoulders. Nixon and Kurogane were locked in their own battles somewhere around her, Nixon fighting against the head guard and a couple of captains while Kurogane took on several apprentices at the same time. She gritted her teeth, struggling to keep the sword away from her. She had come along to help rescue Fai, she couldn't rely on either of them to come to her aide. Her onii-san had trusted her to be strong enough to take care of herself. She couldn't let him down this soon into the battle.
She could do this. She was strong.
Letting out a battle cry, she pushed the man away, spinning around in her crouch to sweep his legs out from under him. Flipping off the ground, she landed lightly on her feet, near his head. Not allowing herself to feel any remorse for her actions, she knocked him out with a swift kick to the temple.
She was there to help, so help them she would.
-0-
Kurogane had been worried about the princess for a little while, getting somewhat distracted when the jade-eyed girl had been almost overpowered by her opponent. The distraction had nearly cost him his life when a bullet had zipped past his ear. Focusing his attention back on his own battle, Kurogane could only send a quick prayer for the girl to survive on her own long enough for him to finish the bastards off.
As it turned out, though, he needn't have worried, for the girl seemed to have overcome whatever had been holding her back. Soon enough she was swinging in and out, flipping and ducking and dancing gracefully around the hunters with her swords flashing around her like a lethal halo of silver.
-0-
Nixon struggled to keep his head clear of the new information rushing in. The distance and Fai's weakened connection to him, along with his own inner turmoil, had blinded him to the knowledge of what the blond had been going through. But as soon as Bauld had uttered those words, the information had flooded in like water spilling from a broken dam. It had only taken him a fraction of a second to push it all away as he had attacked the vile man before him. But now, bits and flashes of that information kept popping up inside his head, making it harder and harder for him to concentrate. He had almost blocked everything off till he was done fighting the man, until a new piece of information assaulted him, making him freeze for a fraction of a second.
"No…" he gasped, his arm throwing the knife with surprising accuracy as everything went to autopilot. Taking back control of his body, he furiously began working on a spell that would take the three of them to a lower level. He now knew why Bauld had come there to engage all three of them in a fight.
It was a distraction. A delaying tactic for the hunter's apprentice to accomplish her task. Letting out a concentrated burst of wild magic that knocked Bauld and the other hunters down, he carved out the spell in the air with his aura, reigning Sakura and Kurogane in to his side.
They did not have time for this battle.
-0-
Sakura stumbled as the sudden activation of a transportation spell left her disorientated and unbalanced. They had emerged in a small, enclosed space, roughly four-foot-by-three, made out of a mixture of stone and metal.
"You okay?"Kurogane grunted at her as Nixon furiously fiddled around with the mechanism on the door before them.
"I'm fine." She shook her head a little to get rid of the strange tingly feeling now coursing through her whole body. Sudden magic tended to do that sometimes. "And Kurogane-san?"
"Hn." He grunted in response, "You did good back there."
"Come on." The Oracle hissed as the metal doors slide open to reveal a long, narrow and somewhat dimly-lit passage. The blind man was racing down the corridor even before the doors had fully slid apart.
-0-
Kurogane noticed the sudden sense of urgency that seemed to have overtaken the Oracle, and he felt his heart clench in fear for the blond idiot trapped several levels below them. Nixon had not even bothered elaborating on what was wrong before he had whipped them away from his chambers only a little while back. For him to have changed their plans on such short notice, it had to be something really bad. But knowing that did not make the ninja feel any better. Making sure to slash at all passkey inlets to ensure the mechanisms wouldn't work once they were through and the doors were closed behind them, he followed after the blind man, hoping against hope that they were not too late.
-0-
Sakura raced after them, forcing herself not to let the feelings of despair and hopelessness that hung about the place distract her. Those monsters had tortured and killed so many magicians there. Every now and then, she would even catch a flash of the beaten, broken ghosts of those that had died there. But she didn't stop, didn't even bat an eye as she followed behind Kurogane and Nixon. The ghosts were already dead. As much as she hated admitting it, there was nothing she could do for them.
But Fai…Fai was still alive.
And he needed them all.
-0-
Chanting a constant mantra of "no" inside his head as he raced down the twisting hallways, not even pausing to take out the hunter-guards that patrolled the corridors, Nixon could only pray that what he felt was wrong. Fai, that bloody blond idiot, could not be… he was distantly aware of Kurogane and Sakura swinging their swords behind him to get rid of the men he nimbly slipped past in his haste to reach that room.
"Oracle! Oi!" He heard the ninja call after him as he skidded around a turn and vanished from their line of sight.
He had to get to Fai.
-0-
"Shit!"Kurogane cursed violently as he stabbed the hunter through his chest with his sword, drawing it out before the man could even begin to choke on his blood. Not waiting for the body to hit the ground, he grabbed Sakura's hand, pulling the princess along as he rushed after the blind man. Something had gone wrong.
Something had gone terribly wrong. And for the life of him, Kurogane, the fearsome warrior of Nihon, could not decide if he wanted to know what he would find at the lowest level of the Complex.
-0-
The muscles in her legs were screaming in protest as she pushed them past their limits, watching the tail end of Nixon's cloak vanish down the turn at the other end of the hallway they had just emerged in.
'Fai-san,' she prayed silently, 'please be okay. We're coming.'
-0-
Time seemed to have lost its meaning as he released a bit of magic inside his body to aid him in picking up the speed his aching muscles seemed to have lost. Only one more level to go. He left a deliberate trail of his aura to aid the princess in finding the path he took as he went on ahead. He had to get there before it was too late.
-0-
Tears of frustration prickled his eyes as Syaoran sat slumped on the floor. He perked up a little as the sounds of racing footsteps approached, followed by alarmed cries. No sooner had he struggled back to his feet that Nixon appeared at the end of the hallway, his cloak billowing behind him like wings, the almost-black aura that enshrouded him giving him the appearance of a dark, avenging angel.
Nixon-san!
"Where's Fai?" He barked, skidding to a halt before the door.
He's behind this door. But I can't get in.
Wordlessly, he raised his right hand and touched the metal, drawing it back only a second later with an angry hiss.
"It's made out of pure Cerelium." He said as he backed away. "Step back." Syaoran hastily complied, tumbling on his weak legs and almost falling in his haste.
"Syaoran-san!"
Sakura-hime, you're here. He exclaimed, feeling happy despite the grim situation, Kurogane-san, too.
"I couldn't stay behind when Fai-san needed help." She replied with a small smile as Syaoran found himself freezing at the sight of the princess. She was armed with a pair of short swords with wickedly curved blades, each with a golden hilt that resembled a hunting sword, adorned with delicate engravings. Syaoran was surprised to see the delicate Sakura armed with such deadly weapons, but he could tell from the determined look in her eyes that the girl knew how to use them. From the blood flecks marring her creamy skin he could tell that she could be deadly with them, too, if she chose to be. And yet, he doubted that the compassionate girl would have taken even a single life on her way there.
A loud explosion shook the entire corridor, causing the spirit to whirl back towards the door. Nixon swore as he hastily began to write out another spell.
"Wait, step back." Kurogane ordered as he changed his stance, poising his sword for one of his trademark attacks.
"Hama Ryuu Jin!" He yelled, slashing the air with his blade, letting loose a powerful blast that collided with the metal door, ripping it apart like tissue paper.
"Fai/Fai-san!" With collective cries the four raced inside, only to freeze in their steps at the sight that greeted them under the harsh operating light.
"Don't worry, he's still alive." Syaoran heard the woman speak from somewhere in the darkness that filled the rest of the room. "For now. Although I'm afraid I won't allow you to take him away just yet."
Faster than Syaoran's eyes could follow, a black blur split the air, heading straight for Sakura who was to his left. The princess gathered her wits fast enough to block the incoming attack with her sword, the whip wrapping around its blade a couple of times.
-0-
Adrenaline once more rushed through her veins as the whip tugged at her weapon, trying to pull the sword free from her grip but she held on.
"Kurogane-san," She grit out quietly, trying to pinpoint where exactly it was that her attacker was hiding, "get Fai-san, I'll cover Nixon-san as he sets up the spell."
Without waiting for either of the two men to respond, she exploded into a flurry of kicks and swinging swords as she located the female apprentice.
"I won't let you take him away from here." The woman growled as she made a slashing motion with her hand and the whip in her hand cut through the air as it raced towards Sakura. Having never fought an opponent that used such a flexible weapon, the princess judged it best to observe the woman's fighting style a little more before coming up with a strategy to fight back. Dodging out of the way, Sakura tried calling on an offensive spell to distract the woman for a little while. She remembered only belatedly the Oracle's warning about magic not working inside the Complex, but was surprised to find that the spell still came into existence, though it was too weak to cause much damage and it demanded far more energy on her part. Panting slightly, she decided not to use magic again for the fight, glad to know that her little spell, though pathetically weak, had still managed to take away her opponent's attention from Nixon.
"Another one?" The woman grinned wickedly as the two somehow ended up outside the small chamber and in the dimly-lit hallways. "Oh, I'll be sure to have fun with you. I can tell you'll prove to be as amusing as that Syaoran."
Despite having been warned about it countless times by Touya as the crown prince had trained her, Sakura found herself freezing completely. "You did that to him?"
"You seem surprised." The woman cocked a brow at her before her smile turned a little twisted. "I see… you must be his precious Sakura."
Sakura was jolted out of her shocked state as a cold something pushed her to the left, partially going through her body in the process. Not a second later something embedded in the wall with a dull plink.
Concentrate on the fight, Hime. The apparition told her seriously, she almost got you.
-0-
He knew the princess would only be able to buy them a small amount of time, so Kurogane immediately set to work. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Fai's heart weakly fluttering, struggling to pump blood around his body even though most of it kept pooling about him. Forcing himself no to think about the blonde's torn chest as the idiot bled to his death, Kurogane took hold of the metallic shackles binding his wrists to the platform, ignoring the deep gouge marks in the metal table that seemed to have been made by some sort of claws, Fai's as he must have struggled to get away no doubt. Gritting his teeth at the resistance they offered him, Kurogane pulled with all his might until they groaned and gave way, freeing Fai's wrists. Dimly aware of Sakura fighting out in the corridor and Nixon hurriedly setting up the spell, he hastily approached the foot of the platform, quickly setting to free Fai's ankles as well.
"Kurogane, unpin his chest." Nixon ordered and it was then that the ninja noticed the metallic pins holding the torn flaps of flesh- that used to be Fai's chest- separated but keeping them fixed to the platform. His ribs had been snapped apart to reveal his heart and lungs, one of which was nothing more than a deflated mass of flesh.
"Kurogane!" The Oracle's sharp tone only served to further impress upon him the severity of the situation. Ignoring the blood coating his hands, Kurogane made quick work of the pins. Looking at Fai then, he was strongly reminded of the time when the kid had gone berserk and ripped out his eye, although, the mage had not looked quite so bad back then. He cast a look over his shoulder to find the Oracle working diligently on whatever spell it was though it looked as though it would still be a couple more minutes before they'd be able to leave. Not knowing what else to do, Kurogane carefully started resetting the broken ribs. He was no expert medic, but having spent quite a lot of time on the field in Yama and in Nihon before that, he did know the basics of setting broken bones. Although, he had never had to reset them like he was doing just then.
"Don't die," he silently prayed as the mage's heart began to slow down. "Damn it, you bastard, hold on a little longer. We'll get you out of here. Just stay with me." Once the bones were in place, he flipped the flaps of Fai's torn flesh back in place, quickly moving his outspread arms to his sides.
"Get the princess!" Nixon barked as the complex spell written out in the air started to glow.
Drawing his sword, Kurogane raced back into the corridor. He was impressed with the way the auburn-haired girl fought with the female hunter, but he could tell that the older woman was above the princess's level. He could see it in the way she moved that she was only toying around with the princess. Not wanting another person he cared about to end up getting stuck in this hellhole, he signaled for the silently watching spirit to pull the princess out of the range of his attack.
"Hama Ryuu Jin!" Not waiting for the cloud of dust to clear from where the apprentice had hit the wall and knocked it down, Kurogane grabbed the princess's hand and pulled her with him into the range of the spell, grabbing hold of the spirit with his other hand, although Syaoran's body merely phased through his fingers. But the action had been enough to catch his attention for the brunette followed after him quickly.
He heard the silver-haired woman scream in rage just as they vanished in swirls of dark, choking smoke.
"Neumro, fetch Masooma! Now!" the Oracle barked as they appeared in the blind man's chambers with Fai's limp body appearing on his bed. He continued bleeding, though the flow of blood had slowed down and for some reason, Kurogane could tell it wasn't because of the fact that the blonde's injuries were healing. "Sakura, attend to him!" But it appeared as though the princess had long since abandoned her weapons, moving to the magician's side as her hands glowed a soft gold.
"He's lost too much blood." She told them, with tears streaming down her face as she hovered her hands above his chest. "I can't heal him fast enough."
Kurogane-san's blood! Syaoran exclaimed all of a sudden, Fai-san said it would help him heal.
That was all the ninja needed to hear as he quickly slashed his wrist with his blood coated sword, holding the wound to the mage's cold, unmoving lips. With bated breath they watched as Kurogane massaged the blonde's throat to make him swallow his life source. For a fraction of a second, it seemed as though the blood was working as the wounds slowly began to seal up before Fai's whole body shuddered and went completely still, not even a whisper of breath escaping him.
"It's not beating!" Sakura cried, her eyes widening in panic "His heart-It's not beating!"
A/N: The reason why Nixon forbade Sakura from using her magic inside the Complex was because the entire place is lined with Cerelium and the metal has a negating effect on magic. She's strong enough to actually use her magic there, same as Nixon but unlike him, she hasn't been able to get her body used to its draining effects therefore she got tired rather easily. Nixon on the other hand has been in that world long enough to know how to vary the intensity of his magic while casting spells that the metal doesn't effect him that badly. By telling her that it wouldn't be possible for her to use magic there, he had been hoping that she would not even think about using it since like Kurogane said, they did not want another one of their friends to end up in the hunters' clutches.
I remember someone commenting how Nixon and Masooma's names were rather unusual even for someone belonging to Celes. As I'm sure others might have wondered about the same, I'd just like to clarify that I see Celes as an entire world, kinda like earth, with different countries and cultures and all. Masooma and Nixon are both foreigners to the country where Fai lived and are not originally from that place even though they do belong to Celes (the world, not the country).
Here's a little peak at what you guys are up for in the coming chapter.
"Princess, we just need to find a way to get his heart to start beating again, right?" he was afraid to hope too much. If this worked… if this worked they could save him. But he wasn't the medical expert. What if what he had in mind wouldn't work because that wasn't what was needed to save the idiot. He refused to believe that the bastard was dead already.
"Y-Yes…" the girl sobbed, struggling to control the ragged cries that tore from her throat.
"Pump his heart," he barked at the brunette, "you can do that, can't you?"
All I'd like to say at this point is that… expect the unexpected. Fai can still survive this ordeal and he can die just as easily at this point. I know I promised not to kill him a lifetime ago but… my bunnies demand that he should die now. They can be rather vicious and demanding and I try not to go against them but you can still tip the scales leave a vote for:
a) Just kill him already. He's been through enough.
b) Kill him and you die along with him. He deserves to LIVE!
c) I don't really care what you do. Just hurry up and kill the bitch who did this to them already.
Vote via PM or reviews, either way is fine with me.
Until next time.
Obsidian.