Characters belong to CLAMP.

Story and grammar mistakes belongs to me.

Very hard to get back into writing but wanted to publish something this year.

The Book of Kalium

- A reading from the Histories of Clow according to a servant of Libra

He works slowly, but continuously.

The gold thread weaves in silence.

Weaving and chanting and weaving and chanting. It seems it shall never end. Something builds and moves

Ethereal

and New

He chants and weaves and chants and weaves. One day he shall stop

And we shall fear or rejoice in that day.

But that day has not come

x x x

The wagon finally rattled to an abrupt stop.

The chains clanked and the resonation within their metal box was deafening but familiar at this stage.

She didn't know if the end to their three-day trek was a good sign. She was thankful they had all been in complete darkness. She didn't want to see the face of the woman who wailed the first day until one of the men – the one with the white coat and scar etched along his jaw – had dragged her out and made it impossible for her to speak, let alone howl.

She reckoned there were seven or eight of them crammed into the back of the wagon. She tried to swallow but her throat had dried to the point it was impossible. Her wrists ached; they had intentionally cuffed her too tight.

She overheard one of them reason to the other that is was to hinder them from attacking – this made no sense to her either.

Someone had vomited yesterday and the smell had become nauseating that she wished death could just take her. The past few days her own nausea had come in overwhelming waves in tandem with dizzy spells but she managed to keep it together.

A constant mumbling buzzed quietly beside her.

"…protect from the fowl…the strength…bathe in your light. Yuna…."

It sounded like a prayer. Either way, she chose not to interject the woman's ramblings.

A man across from her would occasionally have an outburst of "Malar's iron flows through me!", only to fall silent and whimper.

The only thing that occupied her thoughts - was how she got there.

She could remember nothing and no one. Only her name. But even that she began to question. She traced it into her palm over and over again, terrified it would escape her at any notice.

So, she stayed silent for three painful days. Saying nothing, tracing her name, pushing the sickness down – remembering nothing about anything.

Now they've stopped.

A vertical sliver of light stabbed into the darkness. She would have moaned as she winced but she found herself too weak. When her eyes adjusted, she saw greys and brown and reds that had pasted and hardened into the cracks of her palms.

The others had the same pained expression on their faces. Eyes wide with the same fear.

"Out." An order barked that made them all but her jump.

A hand grabbed the person on the very left and dragged him out. A chain linked them all together.

Her joints cried as she was forced herself to stand and follow the man beside her. Her knees buckled on the harsh scorched ground. She was yanked up immediately.

They were lined up – all eight of them – in front of a large concrete door. Only when she looked up did she see the enormity of the structure before her. The walls stretched both left and right as far as she could see. On top of the pillars – thick barbed wires snaked all the way around.

The panic she had been suppressing had begun to bubble in her stomach.

"Walk!" The man barked.

They shuffled forward, heads down. Her eyes struggled to receive the light. When they had adjusted she took in the stillness of the structure as they passed the main arch.

A sudden overwhelmingly awful sensation rippled through her at that moment. It shot through every vein in her body to the point of nausea.

"What was that?" The man in front of her asked.

She did not reply – but was thankful someone else felt it too.

"Please." The woman to her right blurted. "Please, please! This is a mistake. I'm not like them. I'm not cursed like them." She leaned into one of the men.

He responded with a blunt strike to the mouth. She collapsed and coughed. Her blood speckled brightly on the grey concrete.

No one said anything else.

Another door in front of them opened.

From the large reinforced door, a well-dressed man strolled forward, accompanied by two more men in white.

Despite the dull overcast, his glasses reflected white and an ominous feeling rolled over her. But when it passed, she saw his eyes were not as malicious as she had imagined. He adjusted his glasses with one hand and held his clipboard in front of his with the other.

An annoyed look consumed his face as he looked from them - pausing on each face for a few moments - to the man beside him. He sighed heavily and scratched his silver-grey hair with the butt of his pen.

"Did you really transport them all in the same wagon?" He was annoyed, but his voice was strangely soft. "So, we're just completely ignoring protocol?"

The tall man to his right shuffled awkwardly and looked at his feet. "They didn't present much of a threat in the holding cell."

The grey-haired man clenched his jaw and scratched something onto the clipboard. When he looked up he smiled at the eight of them in their matching grey gowns dirtied with dirtied muck, dried blood and reeking of sweat. Some were petrified, others held their facade of indifference and then there was that one girl at the end who held a glazed over look.

"I understand you're all tired, hungry and maybe a little bit frustrated." The silver-haired man said. "But rest assured, we'll do our best to get you all settled as soon as we can. I'm Dr Tsukishiro Yukito and-"

"This is a mistake!" The woman shrieked again. "This is a mistake I'm not meant to be here!"

Everyone looked down expecting her to be punished again. Instead, he smiled with an apologetic sadness in his eyes. It was difficult to tell if his sympathy was genuine, and this threw them off even more than they were.

"I'm sure any mix up will be sorted ASAP. But for now, let's get you categorized and moved into your temporary accommodation where you'll be much more comfortable."

The girl traced her name into her palm secretly as she watched the events unfold. She would have almost believed Tsukishiro's sincerity – almost. But the rattling box by his feet had sent her hands shaking in their sweat.

"You are all here because you were present and believed to have taken part in an incident that in Tomoeda city last week. As you may know – the provision of Divinity activity is strictly illegal outside a designated zone or facility as per the mandate of the Council of Human Protection enforced by last years Divine Directive 1941. Yourselves and dozens more – of whom have yet to be located – participated in the mass murder of one hundred and eight-eight undivine citizens."

His chirpy account of the actions she stood accused off left her confused and even more nauseated. She felt a ringing in her ear and a sickness in her stomach. Her memories searched for an image that could relate his words but her mind would not allow to recollect anything recent.

Mass…murder…

"Under normal circumstances, crimes of this magnitude will result in trial and execution. However…" He shifted uncomfortably. "You have been fortunate enough to be given an alternative route for your crimes. So,"

He bent down and unclasped the silver box and its grunts became silent.

She gasped quietly when a small golden creature, four-legged crawled out. Its movements were slow and deliberate. The dirt around it seemed to wisp away, afraid to dirty its short fur.

All eight of them shrieked and stepped back when the creature was engulfed in flames and emerged much larger than before with great yellow eyes and white fangs protruding down towards its equally sharp claws.

"Please keep still as Kerberos does his reading." The man said without a hint of being fazed at the guardian stalking towards them. At this stage he was so use to it.

The man on the far left, the one who whispered prayers in the wagon stepped forward. He clenched his jaw in either fear or defiance as Kerberos stopped at his feet and lifted his head. For a moment there was utter silence.

"And what might your name be?" Yukito asked and flipped a page.

"Takeyama Ruka" He grunted and puffed his chest out with some pride. He was enormous. That was something the girl didn't notice in the wagon. She wondered how he ever fit in such a small space among them.

Yukito pursed his lips, looking rather bored as he scanned his clipboard.

The jewel in Kerberos's head seemed to hum as it glowed a deep red.

Another few second passed until the silence was broken by the beast himself.

"Malar, three."

She felt the low growl of his voice vibrate the earth beneath her feet. Even when he finished speaking those two words, she could still feel their influence shaking her insides.

Yukito signed and scratched something down. "That's all we seem to get these days. Can barely hold the ones we already have."

Malar all seemed to enter in the same, Yuktio thought. Puffing their chests out, heated and ready to go on the offensive. Until Meiling got involved – which – she always did. But Meiling was another issue he didn't want to think about. He didn't need the headache.

Yukito waved two fingers at the attendants who uncuffed the man and began to escort him away.

"The Malar bend to no one. Our bones are iron, our hearts are-"

"Hearts of steel, yes, yes, yes I'm overly-familiar with the slogan." Yukito said with a smile.

The girls heart began to thud harder, sensing that things were about to get much worse. In that moment, she almost wished she was back in the vomit-stench wagon heading the opposite way.

Tsukishiro licked his finger and flicked over the page. He called and then next victim stepped forward.

The girls to the left who stepped forward received some pained looks from all except Yukito, whose smile was too genuine be believed. Her vomit had hardened and clung onto her greyed dress. Her eyes had become glassy and she had a faraway look that might have settled in long before they arrived.

"And what do we call you?"

Though her mouth hung suspended, she didn't – or couldn't say anything.

"Hmmm... I'm guessing you're Utsuki Mai..." He mumbled to himself.

Kerberos stalked over to her. His huge paws leaving prints in the ashen ground.

He repeated the same procedure. "Shadow, two."

Yukito sucked air through his teeth. "Oh, that's a caution. Best get her fitted sooner rather than later. Do you have a…" He gestured to one of the attendants who handed him a metal device.

The girl stopped tracing her name and studied it with curiosity.

It was shaped like a large horseshoe with its rusted metal ends dipped down.

Yukito walked up to Mai. "Just a pre-caution." He awkwardly maneuverered the device around her neck so that the hook sat at the back of her neck and the opening rested on her collar bones. It was a bit too large for the woman's frame but when he pressed it down it adjusted itself, retracting until it sat as close to her collarbone as it could.

"Sorry about this." He said and ruffled his brows together. "We wouldn't want you to go poof on us now, would we?" His nimble fingers searched the device for a groove. He pressed it and then came a sharp snap.

The girl's intrigue gasped and reeled back, clanking her chains against the man beside her. When Yukito stepped away, blood streamed from the two ends where the device hooks pierced into Mai's skin. Mai didn't seem to notice as she continued her faraway look.

He blinked. "We'll get a better one fitted for you. Next."

She watched as the second one was ushered away towards a different set of stone doors. She still didn't speak.

"Next, please."

She realized that was her. She took a shaky step forward.

She was too far away to feed.

She wasn't too disappointed, the fear from freshlings only ever gave Tomoyo insomnia anyway. She was content just to watch.

Up at her height the wind could play and tickle her dark hair. Her sight was only partially obscured by the rusted iron bars in front of her but she could still make out the eight frightened souls way below. Her chest tightened in reflex as she focused in on the second from the right. Her fear and panic could be felt even at Tomoyo's distance – though just a smidge.

She was jealous.

The girl closest to her emitted absolutely nothing. Shock tends to do that to people.

Tomoyo sighed.

She could have diverted her attention to the sea of emotions behind her in the courtyard, but she was bored of that. Besides – she was on high alert – they were always watching her. She had been bad...or so she was told.

She observed Tsukishiro. She didn't need to reach to feel the ever-lasting calmness that never seemed to dull around him. It was such a unique sensation to her at first. But with the passing of time it just became…boring.

Even when he walked over to the girl who was spaced out and placed that heinous contraption around the her neck, Tomoyo knew he kept that same gentle smile.

Tomoyo ran a pale finger along her collar-bone until she felt the cool steel of her own Shylde. Hers was different. Put white silver…and she had two of them.

She had forgotten why they branded her with a second one. Or was it her third. The one that ran down the back of her neck was there so long she wondered if it had pre-dated her sentence here.

Tsukishiro fiddled around with the girls Shylde, looking for the groove.

Tomoyo braced herself and focused in on the girl, blocking the others out. Her finger curled and clenched around the bars to steady herself. The edges of her vision blurred. Her skin prickled then numbed into a blank slate, waiting in anticipation.

Click

She slumped down. Tomoyo barely felt a pinch. Nothing more than a twinge.

She had to stop doing this. Dr Hiirigazawa said it wasn't healthy. But it was a shameful vice she couldn't shake off no matter how much time she spent here.

She felt a warmth suddenly roll across her shoulders, from left to right. Tomoyo knew who it was before turning around. She jumped slightly when the empty space beside her suddenly became occupied.

The small escalation in Tomoyo's heartbeat was something she revelled in. But it was over too quickly.

"Sorry." Akiho mumbled. "You seemed really focused."

Tomoyo shuffled in her scratchy maroon jumpsuits to make space from her.

"It's ok. You just frightened me. You're really sharpening your skills, I didn't notice you at all." She said and patted the girl on the head.

Akiho beamed and puffed her small frame out at the compliment. Her Shadow skills had worked despite her enhanced Shylde.

"Why are you all the way up here? Tomoyo can get caught up here." Her pale grey eyes widened with worry.

Such emotion. Tomoyo thought. So...expressive.

"I was curious." She replied and smiled. "Seems like we have new friends."

Akiho wrapped her small arms around the bars and peered down. "Wonder where they'll put them. Akiho doesn't want another roommate. She wants to stay with Tomoyo."

The girl pouted and pushed her bottom lip out.

The temptation to tap into Akiho's frustration was strong. Tomoyo reached her hand up and felt the small cluster of emotions floating around Akiho.

Don't. She told herself.

Instead, Tomoyo's hand fell to Akiho's hair to fix the braid she had done earlier.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine." Tomoyo soothed. "Akiho doesn't need a room-mate."

"Akiho doesn't need a room-mate." The girl repeated quieter after her.

Tomoyo shifted her attention from the freshlings to him. She was clenching her jaw slightly. She didn't want to intrude so she had blocked herself.

"Tomoyo…" Akiho suddenly asked in a saddened tone. "Where's Syaoran? It's been three weeks already. Akiho is worried."

Tomoyo didn't look at her when she replied.

"He'll be fine…they'll both be fine." She said quietly. Tomoyo had tightened Akiho's braid and smoothened down the loose, rebellious strands. "Go on," She encouraged. "You don't want to get caught up here."

"But Akiho wants to see the freshlings too-"

"You wanted to play cards with Yamazaki, remember?" Tomoyo said and placed a hand on Akiho's shoulder. The physical contact always makes it that bit easier to influence. "Off you go."

"Akiho doesn't want to-" A small pulse tremored from Tomoyo's hand which cut Akito off mid-protest.

Akiho's eyes dulled for a brief second before flaring back to life. "Oh…yes!" She replied with sudden agreement.

In a fraction of a second, she had disappeared on the spot. Though no longer in sight Tomoyo could hear her scramble to her feet and the soft patter of footsteps as she left. She was mastering her frightfully quick. But Akiho's child-like demeanour...

When Tomoyo was alone again, she sighed and focused her attention back on the freshlings below.

"Name?"

When she looked at him dead on, she felt less intimidated. Perhaps he would understand that this was the last place she should be. But when she opened her mouth to speak for the first time in five days, hesitated.

He was a stark contrast to the beast prowling her way with a hungry look in its slanted golden eyes.

She didn't know what the words the creature was saying, but she knew it would determine her fate from here out. When her eyes locked on to his she found herself unable to look away.

She felt something – like a pulse – deep inside her.

Her hearing began to fade, and it seemed as though her blood had frozen in its veins.

Tsukishiro cleared his throat. "Eh…name?"

She shook her head to snap herself back to the present. Though the beast's eyes lingered menacingly on her, she found herself able to speak again.

She traced her name into her hand again before speaking. "Sakura."

Her own voice sounded so foreign to her.

"Last name?" He prodded but received silence.

Even if Sakura knew that, she enough that in this foreign land, it was best to keep herself to herself.

"Well, that's OK I suppose we'll figure that out later." Tsukishiro replied and scratched her name onto his clipboard.

Sakura could feel the low grumble in Kerberos's chest, and she tensed to keep her arms from shaking. Kerberos sucked the air through his black nostrils. She felt her body even being sucked in, then again she was famished, fatigued and…terrified.

They waited for the guardian to brand her, but he stood on all fours with an intense and rather…annoyed look on his face. Tsukishiro tapped his pen impatiently as the second ticked by.

"Undivine." He said with a tone mixed with surprise and disappointed.

Tsukishiro made an annoyed noise behind him and cursed the extra paperwork he'd have to fill in about this second mishap.

Sakura did not know what that intended, but breathed a sigh of relief either was and felt the pent-up nervous energy disperse.

"Wait." Kerberos said suddenly and turned his head back to her. Her heart stopped as he scanned her again.

"Dae'er, five." He replied and moved away as quickly.

Sakura felt her heart freeze as her direction swiftly moved from away from the facility, to being dragged to the large brass doors.

"Close one." Tsukishiro muttered to himself. "Shylde needed?"

"Not necessary." Kero replied. "That one is weak. Barely there."

Her toes scraped the dirt as the two men held up her now numb, limp body. Sakura felt her heartbeat thud in her ears. Panic finally pushed her to move after five days of disorientation. She knew once they got her through those gates, she would never go home.

Wherever home was.

She knew it wasn't here.

"No." She whispered to herself at first, then louder and stronger as her limbs began to thrash against her captures. "Stop!" She screamed and looked back at Tsukishiro who had not so much as turned his head back to her.

She felt it again.

That deep, familiar anger buried within unknown places of her mind.

She had felt it before.

"Stop." She growled through her teeth.

The anger was rising, swelling from her chest. Its unnatural heat began to burn through her veins. She had felt this before, she had been terrified of it – but this time she wondered if she did not fight it, could it save her.

Kerberos twitched his ear and shivered at she sudden spike in the air. He looked back at the girl who screamed and resisted her designated fate. Her aura began to distort and twist even so subtly to the Guardian's eye.

What is that-

It died. Whatever it was. If it even was something.

The needle stabbed her neck and punctured her rising anger. Her whole body went limp within seconds.

Kerberous mentally scoffed. If she were Divine, she would be on the bottom of their food chain.

Tsukishiro went through the rest rather quickly and when he and Kerberous were alone, he loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. Not that that helped considering the dust that constantly whirled around the vast desert around them.

"They're wheeling them in weaker and weaker." Kerberos commented and sat in front of Tsukishiro.

Tsukishiro lowered his clipboard to his side and placed a hand on his hip. He couldn't disagree with the Guardian. Where once they would constantly be worried about resource depletion and security safety, now a mere injection or a light Shylde was enough to keep the newcomers at bay.

Kerberos turned his head up to the left, to the top fence of the perimeter. Tsukishiro followed his gaze.

The figures in the distance watching them were difficult to distinguish, but he cold venture a guess. Two of the six, anyway. He wouldn't be surprised if they were there just to taunt them. He didn't have time for that now. Besides, they wouldn't be able go any further. What was that harm for now?

He glanced back to his notes.

"Kaho won't be happy." He commented. "Two Shadows, three Maler, a Wuth'er, and Empree and an Dae'er. All low level."

"I would barely even count that last one – the Dae'er. Could barely sense any Divinity within her. If she behaves herself, she could be out within the month. And besides…Is Kaho ever really happy?"

Yukito nodded with a smirk. He trusted the Guardian's senses; they were never wrong…almost.

"Also," Yuktio said in a lighter tone, smiling playfully at the beast. "Really milking the dramatics back there, weren't you?"

Kerberos grinned and combusted once against into a ball of flame to reveal himself a fraction of the size he was. Yukito always found Kerberos's transformation amusing to watch. His longed, sharpened fangs had well retracted, and the defined muscles puffed out into a smooth – almost cute – layer of fat around his body.

His cream wings allowed him to float in front of Yukito and show his grinning face.

"Dramatic – yes. But you can't blame me?" He said with a light shrug. "Us Guardian's are so few in number. I need their respect somehow. And it worked. Think one of them even peed themselves." He said with a delightful grin.

"You've outdone yourself again, mighty Kerberos." Yukito said and patted the creature on the head and popped a candy in its mouth.

Kero munched on it gleefully and rested himself on Yukito's shoulder. The gates moaned behind them. Their echo died slowly, and that dull silence descended again.

X x x