A/N: Hey everyone~ I'm back with another update. It's irritating but my bunnies are always more active when exams are near and well, since I'm such a major procrastinator, I sorta ended up writing a couple more chapters for Broken one of which my beta sent back to me last night. So yeah, here's something more for you to enjoy. ;) ;)

Nixon's vision is revealed in its entirety, something happens to Sakura and something surprising happens at the very end.

Oh yeah, btw according to my estimate, we've probably got like ten more chapters to go before this story is finished.

Now you can enjoy the update. Don't forget to leave a review.

"It's good to see Fai-san with the person he loves, isn't it?" Sakura murmured as she walked up behind Syaoran and stopped next to him. He was leaning against the stone railing on the terrace a little ways away from the corridor which led to Fai's room, apparently waiting for her, even though he had claimed to want to go see his son. The wind whipped around her hair as Sakura leaned against the railing. This, like several other levels of the pyramid, had terraces built into it for the inhabitants to come out and enjoy a little bit of breeze. Looking out at the city spread out below, it was amazing to see a civilization thriving in the heart of an underground cavern the way it did in Magihidusi.

Makes you wish you were with someone too. Syaoran whispered softly as he closed his eyes, the cool air caressing his skin like the feather-light touch of a lover.

"Do you miss her?" Sakura asked, tearing her gaze from the cityscape to look at the spirit.

I'd give up almost anything to be with her again, he confessed.

"Me too…" she admitted, slowly tracing the familiar lines of his cheekbones and jaw with her eyes. Tsubasa would look just like that one day. Something stirred deep within her as he finally turned his head and looked at her. Amber met jade and her lower lip trembled as a wave of sadness washed over her. She was suddenly reminded of the way he had looked at her last, with so much fear and loathing, daring her to take her own life to prove herself to him."But he hates me, Syaoran-san…"

He doesn't know any better yet, Sakura-chan. The stirring within her chest grew in intensity, spreading out from her heart, fluttering around like butterflies, bringing warmth with it wherever it went.

"He didn't believe me." She replied, looking away. It was too much for her to look at those eyes on someone else's face. "When I told him I'd do anything to make him believe, do you know what he said to me?"

Sakura-chan, he doesn't hate yo-

"He told me to kill myself!" she couldn't help but yell in anger. She had not really meant to, not really, but it was just too much for her to bear. Hearing his voice, seeing those eyes, looking at his face, that longing, that smile… It was too much. Her stomach twisted and turned like a snake coiling and squeezing the life out if its prey as she crashed to her knees. Hugging herself, she squeezed her eyes to keep herself from crying. She had been crying far too much lately. The warmth spreading within her chest was almost like a raging fire now, but the painful throb in her heart and the roiling of her stomach made it hard for her to take notice of the unnatural heat. A strong gust of wind blew her hair into her face, carrying his scent with it.

"If that isn't hatred, then what is?" she whispered, her voice barely audible even to her own ears, "And you know what makes it even worse?"She did not want to confess what she was about to tell him, but it was impossible for her to stop now. It was almost like a dam had burst and the raging torrents could not be kept at bay. "I was going to do it, too… but even that wouldn't have made him believe me. No matter what I do, he'll never believe me… he will look at me, but he will only see the face of the person who hurt him till he broke… He'll never love me again..."

Sakura-chan, get a hold of yourself. Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders before she was lifted off the ground. She whimpered as the burning became almost unbearable. What was happening to her? His scent enveloped her as she was turned around and the world began to dissolve into a haze of colors, sounds and that scent.

-orry… I didn't mean to do that! She missed the warmth of his hands on her shoulders as he backed away from her, face flushed and hair even more tussled than usual.

"Syaoran…san?" she asked, feeling faint and weak in the knees. Her breath came in heavy pants, a tingling sensation sparked across her lips and the tips of her fingers felt alive with electricity, the sort she had only felt when she touched Tsubasa… What had just happened? Why was she feeling like this all of a sudden?

I'm sorry Princess, I-I… I think I need to go. He said, still backing away from her, panic and confusion flashing across his face. Perplexed, Sakura tried to figure out why he looked so alarmed when only half a second ago he had been hugging her. There was nothing wrong with that, so then why was he…

"Syaoran-san, what just happened?" she asked, bringing a hand to her surprisingly tender lips.

I think I'm losing my mind. His gaze drifted to her fingers for a fraction of a second before he whipped around and started hurrying away.

"Syaoran-san," she tried to reach for him, her body moving sluggishly as though wading through sand instead of open space. Her fingers curled around air as his form turned intangible and slipped right through her grasp. "Wait!" But he didn't stop and he didn't turn around. Feeling confused and a little hurt at his abrupt dismissal, she raced after him, thoughts rushing through her head as she tried to recall what had happened. She had blacked out and done something that caused him to panic like that. The tenderness of her lips gave her a vague idea of just what it was, but… that couldn't be right. There was no way, no way at all, that they could have…. Even if he shared the same soul and face as the boy she loved, they were different and she would have never let that distinction between them blur out enough for her to do something like that.

But the lapse in her memories worried her. Sakura caught sight of her reflection in a shallow pool of water near the beginning of the marketplace and stumbled, almost falling flat on her face as she froze, forgetting all about pursuing the spirit as she backtracked to the pool of water and gaped at the image being reflected.

Eyes as green as hers, hair the same length and color as her own, a face that should have been a complete reflection of her own, stared back at her. Gingerly, she brought her hand to touch her own cheek and saw the reflection do the same, only… it wasn't her.

-0-

Syaoran could not believe what had just happened. He kissed her… he actually kissed her! Although, truth be told, it had been her that instigated the kiss…but he kissed her back! She wasn't his Sakura, but he had kissed her back all the same. He had closed his eyes and it had felt like he had his wife back. But then realization had slammed into him like a ton of bricks and he had pulled away as though her touch had burnt him. The princess had looked at him in such a confused state, it reminded him of the time when his Sakura had lost all her memories and she had looked at him for the first time in the Hanshin Republic. Half of him had expected the princess to ask him the same question, but the words that came out of her lips had not been his princess's 'who are you?' but instead a dazed recitation of his name.

I'm sorry, Princess, I-I… I need to go… he had told her, steadily backing away from her, trying to put as much distance between them as possible as her face started to morph into that of his wife. He blinked and it was his son's princess again.

"Syaoran-san, what just happened?" she had asked as she gingerly touched her lips. He had kissed them only a few seconds ago!

I think I'm losing my mind, was all he said as he tore his gaze away from her face as it once again morphed into that of his wife. She might have been the vessel housing his beloved Sakura's spirit, but she was not his Sakura. He had to put some distance between them and figure out just what the heck had happened. How could they have done this? They both had someone they needed to go to, and that someone was not the person they had just kissed.

"Syaoran-san," she called for him and he felt her fingers graze the skin of his arm. Acting on instinct, his body turned intangible as he tore down the hallway, her faint words telling him to wait. He raced down winding corridors without even once thinking to pause for the princess, ducking here and there. He needed some time to think, cool off and work out why that had just happened. He ran into the bustling marketplace, not even bothering to pause or wait for people to give him a way to pass as his incorporeal form simply glided through their bodies, drawing yells of panic and surprise from people behind him. He did not stop, though, hoping to lose the princess in the crowd before heading someplace far off and quiet to think.

After nearly five minutes of running through people and stalls, he paused at the outer edge of the market, turning back to look at it. Sakura was nowhere in sight. Heaving a tiny sigh of relief, he looked around, realizing that he had come to a rather unfamiliar part of the city. Provided he had not been able to explore much of this place in the past four days he had been here, but this was one of the directions he had been thinking of exploring only hours before when his former mentor had come for him.

The market was set up near one of the tunnels that led out of Magihidusi, the cavern walls around the tunnel carved with runes drawn in intricate patterns and symbols. It was beautiful to look at and his inner archeologist was bursting to explore and decipher what each and every one of them meant. It helped that he had knowledge about the workings of magic thanks to his time spent as the heir of the Li clan. Tracing the pattern that appeared to be more or less like a waning moon hidden behind a cloud, he walked into the tunnel. He had to keep moving if he did not want the princess to find him. There would be time later on to explore and study these walls.

The spirit walked through a tunnel that was lit up with little globes of light at regular intervals until he came to a small opening in the tunnel that led to a dead end. The room-like ending was lit up with a larger version of the globes and the light emitting from it threw the intricate carvings etched onto the stones into sharp relief. Judging from their repetitive patterns and twisting spirals, Syaoran figured they were spells etched into the stone to keep unwanted people from finding the true entrance to the city, but he couldn't quite figure out how this place could have led to anywhere else. The spirit walked out of the tunnel and into the room, then realized with a start that the light inside the cavern had begun to dim. Turning on his heels, Syaoran came face to face with solid stone.

Reaching out with one hand, Syaoran made to touch the wall, the only source of light now available to him being the slowly-dying globe above his head. His fingers met the stone wall, which did not budge even when he pushed against it. Trying to keep himself from panicking, he concentrated on turning his body intangible before pushing through the wall one more time. His hand easily slid through and the opening to the tunnel replaced the wall. Drawing his hand back, Syaoran watched in fascination as stone took the place of the opening once more. Looking a little closer at the carvings, Syaoran concluded that the tunnel he had come through had not been the only opening to this dead end. Rather, all other entrances to this intersection were sealed off with magic and could only be unlocked with magic.

In order to test his theory, Syaoran once again turned his hand intangible before walking around the circumference of the room, watching in fascination as his hand slid through the wall in places, giving him glimpses of four branching tunnels.

"That's bullshit!" Syaoran almost jumped a foot into the air upon hearing the Oracle's snarl echo all around him. His hand was still halfway inside the fourth tunnel he had discovered and it seemed as though the blind man's voice was coming from the end of it. He heard the murmur of a voice speak in response to the Oracle's swearing, though it was too faint for him to be able to make out what was being said. Curiosity getting the better of him, Syaoran threw caution to the winds as he stepped through the tunnel and started walking towards the place where he had heard the Oracle speak from.

"-knew the consequences of her wish when she made it." He heard the voice of a young boy speak, though it was overlapped with that of a woman and had the under-tone of an old man mixed in. It was a strange to think anyone could sound that way, but that was what Syaoran would swear to hear as he drew closer and closer to wherever the Oracle was. "If the Guardian fails to protect the Essence, We have full claim to her, mind, body and soul."

"You leave her out of this!" Nixon growled like a wounded animal. "She is not the one at fault here."

"She is the sole Guardian now." The amalgam of voices spoke.

"Then make me one too."

"We cannot do that anymore. You broke the agreement between us. Who is to say you will not do that again?"

"She made the wish on her own." A hint of desperation was creeping into the Oracle's tone and Syaoran wondered just who this other person was that he was talking to. "I did not ask for her to do it for me."

"Be that as it may," the amalgamation spoke, though the old man's voice grew in prominence as the child's voice grew fainter, "Our deal was broken. We do not think it is wise to trust someone that wanted out of the agreement."

"Why the hell can't you get it through that thick skull of yours? I. Did. Not. Break. The. Deal. I don't care about being free. Make me a guardian again, I don't give a damn. Just make sure they can't get inside."

"We cannot do that."

"Don't you dare try to fucking pull your bullshit crap over me." The tunnel up ahead seemed alive with wild, pulsating magic, the air humming and crackling with the energy slowly gathering in the tiny enclosure and Syaoran paused, wondering briefly if revealing himself would be a smart idea when the Oracle was this agitated. Pressing himself into the shadows, Syaoran decided to stay hidden and only listen for now. "I know you can easily hide this entire place and make it so that no one can find it. You're just a bastard who doesn't-" he was cut off mid-sentence before the sound of flesh being hit and then a body colliding with the wall and sliding to the ground met Syaoran's ears.

"Perhaps you have forgotten your place, mortal," the woman's voice rose above the cacophony of voices and an invisible shudder travelled down Syaoran's spine despite the sweet tones in which she spoke. There was something dangerous about this woman, whoever she was. "You are of no use to us anymore. It would not be wise for you to do something foolish that would leave the Guardian in an emotionally-weakened state."

"Do whatever you deem necessary." It was the old man speaking now, "Warn her or not, that is your choice, Oracle." The child said, "Do not forget what is at stake here." The woman said before all three voices spoke in unison once more. "If we have to step in to protect what was entrusted to you magicians, the Guardian that failed at the task shall be made an example of."

"The girl knew of the consequences when she wished for you to be free of our pact." The child said. "She knew what was at stake," the man added, "yet she foolishly took the risk all for the sake of the love of one man." The woman spoke, "If you truly wish to be able to help her," a moment passed and Syaoran held his breath, wondering what this entity was going to ask of the blind man, "you need to make her wish null and void."

"Y-You want me to…"

"That man is the cause of her weakness. Remove him from the equation and you can have what you ask of us." The woman, despite her sugar-coated voice, was the one that made Syaoran the most uncomfortable. "Do not think we are unaware of what you almost did in the catacombs. If we had not sent the demon-eyed man after you…" she left the sentence hanging in the air, the silence only broken with the electric crackling of the restless magic. "Think of it this way, Oracle," the child took up, "once he is no longer there, the girl can be yours." Syaoran's breath caught in his throat as realization sunk in the pit of his stomach like an iron anchor. "Together," the old man said gently, "you two can be a force to be reckoned with."

"You want me to… kill him?" Rage coiled like an angry python inside of him. How dare they… and how dare he…to Fai…that man had already been through so much…why would anyone want to-

"You bastards…" Nixon's hiss brought his racing thoughts to a crashing halt. "How dare you… How dare you even think to suggest something like that? You want me to kill my own brother!"

"That man only had one brother, Oracle," the woman's voice took on an icy edge, "and that was never you."

"Get lost." Syaoran jumped at the sound of exploding stone as the Oracle snarled, magic buzzing angrily through the air. "Get out of my sight this instant!"

"You do not command us, mortal." The old man warned dangerously as ancient power seemed to travel through the very essence of the rocks around Syaoran, gathering in the general vicinity of the Oracle and the entity that Syaoran now suspected to be the much-hated Shaman. "Do not forget your place."

To the spirit's intense surprise, Nixon let out a laugh tinged with such insanity it sent chills racing through Syaoran's very bones just listening to it. Power at par with the ancient magic in the walls quickly began gathering, the stench of ozone filling the air as the two opposing magics collided and battled for dominance.

"What is it that you find so amusing?" the child questioned curiously.

"You immortal bastard," Nixon got out in between bouts of his psychotic chuckles, "You all think yourselves so high and mighty. But you forget," his laughter stopped and the temperature seemed to drop by several degrees, "immortality is not all that is required to become a god. You might have once commanded me but you do not have power over me. If you are a Shaman, do not forget that I am the Oracle. I am not just your average, weak mortal. It was foolish of me to even think of asking you for help. Get lost before I do something you will regret."

The ancient magic retreated just as quickly as it had gathered around the entity.

"The Guardian is ours, mind, body and soul, the minute she fails at her task." The woman said chillingly.

"If she fails at her task." Nixon retorted even more frigidly. "In my panicked state, I somehow seemed to have forgotten that I do not truly need you to protect what is precious to me."

"We hope you are still this confidant once the hunters have come barging into this last haven your kind has." The old man was the one who spoke this time.

"If you are done with your ominous sermons, leave. I'm sure you have other helpless magicians to terrorize. I have some work I need to get back to, myself."

Syaoran dared to peek around the jutting rock he had been hiding behind just in time to see an androgynous, cloaked entity-presumably the Shaman-swing a sleeved arm towards the Oracle, who had his back turned towards the immortal creature.

Nixon-san! Watch out! Syaoran cried out as a bolt of lightning shot towards the blind man, but his words were drowned out by the loud explosion that followed as the spell met its mark. Wild magic pulsed and crackled through the dusty air and Syaoran held his breath, unable to look away from the spot where no doubt now lay the charred, smoking body of the former Oracle.

To his immense surprise, however, as the dust settled, he found himself staring at the still-upright-and-expressionless body of the blind man.

"You must be getting weak if this is the best you have." The Oracle said without even bothering to look at the creature that had just tried to kill him. "Just because I called you here for assistance, don't underestimate the extent of my powers."

Wordlessly, the Shaman faded from Syaoran's view. Only a second later, Nixon collapsed on his knees, panting hard. "Damn that cowardly, manipulative bastard." The blind man cursed violently.

Nixon-san? The spirit took a hesitant step in his direction, wondering how the man would react to learning Syaoran had eavesdropped on his conversation.

"How much of that did you hear, Syaoran?"

I heard enough. He replied, trying to sound braver than he actually felt at the moment. Seeing the way this man had flipped through his emotions, Syaoran wondered what he would do to him now that he had heard something so private.

"I see." That was all the man said as he struggled to climb back on his feet.

Are you going to kill me now?

"Why would I do that?"

I overheard your entire conversation.

"Killing you won't accomplish anything, Syaoran." Nixon shook his head, "besides, Fai would never forgive me if I hurt you or any of your friends."

No one would ever know it was you who did it. The brunette did not know why he was pointing out something that would lead to his own destruction, but maybe he wanted to test him and see if he truly could trust this man. True, he had gone and helped Fai, going so far as going inside the magician's head to 'wake him' using the Oracle's help, but he had been stuck and without any choices at that time.

"I'm not going to do anything to you, Syaoran." The raven-headed man shook his head before offering him a small smile.

Even if I might go back and tell the others about what I heard?

"You won't mention any of this to anyone, for the very same reason I won't hurt you." It was a statement that was designed to show his level of trust in the spirit. However, at the same time, it was also meant to warn the brunette of the consequences of going against what the blind man had just said and Syaoran-having trained to take the position as the head of the Li Clan-was well aware of this subtle game of thinly veiled threats and shows of trust.

If that is the case, he crossed his arms carefully as he watched the man closely for any sudden movements, just what vision did you have that drove you to seek out the Shaman when it's quite clear from your display you hate the thing?

"Did you know I grew up with Masooma in a country to the far east of Celes?"

What does that have anything to do with…

"She applied to be an apprentice at the palace when it was announced that I would be going away to participate in the tournament that would decide the new Oracle." He spoke up again, a small, melancholic smile making its way to his lips as he gave up on trying to stand and simply slumped on the ground, "We were inseparable from the beginning. Our mothers used to say we were meant for each other. But then Celes happened and she fell in love with someone else and I never worked up the courage to tell her how I felt."

You love her. Syaoran breathed in realization.

"Always."* Nixon chuckled heartbrokenly, "But Fai is the one that makes her happy."

Did you ever tell her?

"It doesn't matter." He shook his head, making Syaoran wonder if maybe he had told the witch only to be rejected, "Fai is here to stay. I hate him for it. It's funny, but I also love him for the very same reason. He might not have thought of me as a brother, but…he's the closest thing I have to one."

Syaoran vaguely wondered why everyone seemed to think he was the perfect person to unload their feelings on. Did he give that much of a 'shrink' vibe to people? First the princess, and now the Oracle. Next thing he knew, Kurogane would be coming over and confessing his deepest, darkest secrets to him as well.

Why did you try and make a deal with the Shaman?

"The magic circle I used to get us out of the Complex and back here can be traced to the destination from the point of departure." Syaoran's breath caught in his throat as the implications of that single statement dawned on him. The hunters… if they could trace the circle… they would be coming to Magihidusi. The hunters were after the Essence. The Essence was hidden beneath the city. They hunted the magicians and this city was crawling with Magi. The Shaman's warnings made a lot more sense now that he knew what was coming. Masooma was a Guardian, but she was also the one working on fixing and healing his son. If she were to somehow perish…Tsubasa would… no! There had to be some way to prevent things from coming to that.

You have powerful magic, too. Can't you just make the city undetectable? He asked almost desperately.

"That is beyond my powers…"

But you told the Shaman you would-

"That I would protect what I hold dear," the blind man interrupted. "and that is a promise I intend to keep."

We should tell the others.

"No." he replied evenly, "Telling them now would only cause everyone here to panic."

So are you going to leave them in the dark and let them die unprepared? You were really freaked out by whatever vision you had. If their coming is as bad as you saw…We have to tell them.

"The future is not set in stone." Nixon said in an almost frosty tone. "Go check up on your son and let me handle this. There is still time. I will let them know once I have done all that I can."

But…

"Trust me, Syaoran." The man looked him in the eye, despite sitting on the ground, "You should go and check on your son."

-0-

Thinking something to be really wrong with Tsubasa, Syaoran hurried through the tunnels back to the bustling marketplace. Just like before, he turned his form intangible and ghosted through the people, trying to reach his son's room as fast as he could. Tsubasa appeared to be peacefully asleep when he got there, however. Confused and wondering why the Oracle had insisted he be there at that very instant, Syaoran slowly approached his son's bedside, feeling the mattress dip under his weight as he sat down.

An invisible force tugged at his heart as he reached out to touch his son's sleeping face, gently brushing hair from his closed eyes. The tugging grew stronger the longer he looked at his face, until the force almost seemed to rip his heart out of his chest. The pain he felt almost caused him to blackout as he lurched forward. His world turned to black long before he actually hit his son's prone body.

He felt like he was sinking through sludge. Very warm sludge. But then, the thick, suffocating mass gave way to an open, airy space that was made of nothing but inky black. He could see crumbling islands with decrepit houses built on top of them floating all around him in this darkness. Trying to understand what had just happened, Syaoran tried to move towards the nearest island, finding his body moving through the space like he was swimming in water. There was no sound in this place. In fact, if it had not been for the little fires burning on those islands, he probably would not have had a source of light in here, either. Feeling rather unnerved by the oppressive silence, he tried to keep his breathing even as his feet finally touched the ground.

"No! Please, I'm sorry!"That was Tsubasa's voice.

Tsubasa? Alarmed, he looked around for his son.

"Sakura, stop!"

The darkness that had surrounded him before began to fade away as his surroundings morphed and changed and Syaoran found himself standing in the middle of a very familiar-looking dungeon.

*Haha I totally ripped that one off of Snape. Honestly though when Snape said that to Dumbledore in the movie (and the novel) it almost brought me to tears.

A/N: Yes, I did indeed do that. Despite several warnings from the readers to not make Sakura and Syaoran kiss, that still happened. There is a perfectly explanation for this and those who paid attention might already have figured it out. If not, don't worry, the revelation will come in about two to three chapters. Everyone rooting for Tsubasa remembering/discovering the truth, hold your breath people because the next chapter is IT! You heard me. He remembers!

So how many people think Nixon is making a bad choice (a-gain) by not telling people about the upcoming attack? And who hates the Shaman for suggesting Fai's murder?

Next chapter Kurogane has a little chat with Sakura and Syaoran finally gets to talk to Tsubasa, face to face. But will Tsubasa be happy to see his father or will there be a little bit of an altercation between father and son? Keep an eye out to find out. Feel free to leave your guesses in the reviews because I would love to hear them.

Btw, to all TVD fans, I have finally put up my crossover. It's called 'How I Met Mr. Flourite' so leave a review here then go check it out.

Edit: I kinda forgot to reply to an anonymous reviewer so yeah here's my response to 'the bunny god()'

Masooma will be kicking that woman's ass though I someone else gets the chance to kill her. I wont say who it is though. I wish she could have had kids too but my bunnies demanded otherwise so... yeah ^_^; But if they did have kids, I'm pretty sure Fai would have named one of them Yuui or maybe Fai... guh,.. confusing. _ I wont actually go into Fai and his brother in this fic but the prequel that I'm planning on writing (and hopefully will get started on once Broken and Shattered Secrets are done) will explore that aspect of Fai's life as he develops a rivalry with Nixon that later on turns to friendship and his feelings for Masooma. I'm actually a little confused by what you meant about the whole ' alternate world fai whos the actual fai, notthe tsubasa fai who took his dead bros name. THAT would be mind shattering, "oh hi im your dead alternate twin that lived through an expirience like yours" part so I dont think I can answer that question yet. If you can elaborate a bit, I can give it a shot I suppose ^_^