The Book of Kalium
- A reading from the Histories of Clow according to a servant of Libra
Clow had named it a Divine.
The First Divine.
The Light.
The gold thread which had spun and weaved had taken shape into something beautiful, and otherworldly. It had taken the shape and form of a mortal, but its aura was something I – and the Gathering – had never felt before.
He had sent The First Divine to the mortals to bless the worthy.
Worship and prayers had returned to the kingdom through the vessel of the First Divine. The mortal worshipped the First Divine, sent prayers and love in force the Kingdom had not felt in ions.
Not only the mortals, but the Godly beings who watched over them too, had erected statues of gratitude and had adorned the First Divine with jewels and gold and silks. Clow had crafted her a five pointed crown which placed upon it white hair.
I can feel its blessing and I am awed in the presence of The Light.
I should have never doubted him, I am devoted to the Sorcerer Clow.
I shall follow him
until the end of time
x x x
Chiharu stifled a yawn.
Her mind drifted to the doodle she was drawing at the bottom of the agenda page.
A not so subtle kick to the shin from Head nurse Matsumoto made her flinch. She straightened her spine and pretended to listen to the meeting.
She didn't need to be here, but nurse Matsumoto loved to breath down her neck at some attempt at a power trip. The staff were discussing bringing a high calibre inmate to present to the Council in hopes to display the new model of Shylde.
It all went over Chiharu's head.
"Dr. Mizuki?" Someone repeated when Kaho didn't reply.
Chiharu side glanced at Dr. Mizuki. Mizuki was another person Chiharu didn't care for much, although her sharp tone and presence did keep Chiharu on her toes, and on edge.
At times like this Chiharu wished she'd turned down this job.
But at the time she felt special. A small town girl in a particularly dull corner of the Continent chosen to work for a Facility of the Divine – she felt very special indeed. She hardly looked back to say goodbye to her overly-sensitive parents and to the people she called friends out of circumstance. How quickly she forgot them as she dreamt of her new lavish life ahead of her. She didn't know then her only trait that qualified her was that she had tested Empree-Immune – a rarity – apparently.
Three miserable years later and here she was, doling out medication she didn't really know the names of and sitting behind a screen typing in numbers an data.
There were the experiments she had to sit in and witness, of course. She had seen quite a few deaths. But overall, she was bored.
It wasn't like she could go home again either – not now that she made sure to burn all her bridges before she left her home town of Moynall.
"Meiling is making progress, I don't want anything disrupting that. I'm worried her participating in that would make her uncomfortable or regress."
Chiharu looked at Mizuki queerly as she said that. It was not like Dr. Mizuki to show a shred of emotion towards the inmates – just like her husband. People said those two were a match made in heaven – Chiharu agreed that. Eriol was handsome – strikingly so. Chiharu found herself staring at him perhaps too long whenever he was in the room, and he hardly ever said anything to her in her three year employment except to ask for a prompt update on the patients.
Dr. Mizuki replied to the stares in a matter more aligned to her character.
"Yamazaki? I believe a Mielu would be a safe bet?" the doctor across the table suggested.
Chiharu stopped doodling when she heard Yamazaki's name and she felt her palms begin to sweat, making the pen slippery in her grip.
"Safe, but not effective. It's already hard enough to prove the Shylde works on Mielu's. We need to prove its effectiveness on an offensive Divinity, or an anomaly." Kaho said.
Chiharu felt relief there. A worry line creased her forehead when she thought back to all those Shylde's they had placed on him. As usual, he had that smirk on his face and was overly-oblidging – annoying so – to the staff and seemed to wave off the warning the doctors gave him prior to placing the metal plate in his head.
She remembered that day clearly – he had made a point to turn his head to her as they cuffed him to the chair and tell her she looked beautiful that day.
Chiharu had blushed so hard Head Nurse Matsumoto barked her out of the surgery room.
"Besides, I believe Yamazaki is a candidate for a new prototype for a new Shlyde model developed by the Ebba Facility. Best to keep him put."
Chiharu bit her lip. It was unfair how much they tortured Yamazaki. He didn't deserve it, she thought. He never seemed to mind – or perhaps just an act.
The other nurses said he was creepy – how he always looked at them with his pale green eyes and wide grin. Not to mention how he towered over them with his seven foot thin frame and arms tht were perhaps too long. The women stayed away from him.
Chiharu felt strangely drawn to it – much to the disgust and sneering of Head Nurse Matsumoto who accused her of being a sympathizer of the Divinity.
Dr. Mizuki dismissed the meeting and Chiharu was ordered to return to her desk.
She was on monitoring duty in the common area today. She actually didn't mind this. It consisted of inputting data, watching the inmates behind ridiculously thick glass and trying to disguise reading romance novels behind a thick folder.
The rain outside had driven quite a few Divinity into the common area. Some lounged about on the sofa's other's played boards games which were decades old with missing pieces, others read and some...some just sat there quietly, waiting for the day to turn to night.
Seeing them like this – the supposed threat to pure humanity – made Chiharu wonder if it was all exaggerated. They ate and slept like the Undivine, they cried and laughed and lost at chess like the Undivine.
Then again, Chiharu had read the reports, she had almost consumed the ones about the so-called Delinquent 6. Among the litany of crimes they stood accused of – theft, arson, battery... the suspected murder they stood accused of was most disturbing. Though there was no concrete evidence, it didn't take a genius to piece together that he – the one they call Li – was responsible for it.
"Shame about this glass." Chiharu spun around in her chair with shock. She knew Yamazaki's voice before she even saw him. He was leaning against the counter and tapped a long finger against the glass between them. "There always seems to be something keeping us apart." He said with a slanted smile.
As usual, Yamazaki was unabashed with his shameless flirting. It both flustered and excited her.
"Yamazaki." She said as strongly as she could, but it came out meekly and with an awkward smile attached. "How are you feeling today?"
He leaned his elbows on the counter and leaned in. Placing a hand into his palm he sighed. "So sweet of you to always ask, it makes me feel special."
Such a small blunt statement made Chiharu's skin blush and heart escalate. "I-I need it for my records." She brought her folder to her chest and mumbled "You know that."
He leaned his head to the side, revealing his white Shylde. His dark hair had grown out a bit since and covered some of where the skin tried to heal around it. "I want to know how you are. You look tired...you have thoughts keeping you up at night?"
"I sleep just fine." She answered. "You should return to the common area." She turned away and began filing and also to conceal the small smile on her face. She liked his flirting, though she shouldn't.
"How can I leave you now, when you look so sad? I'll not sleep right knowing you're unhappy."
"Stop, Yamazaki." She said shyly and pretended to keep filing. "You haven't charmed any of the other nurses with this talk, it won't work on me."
"My dear Chiharu," He said and fluttered a hand to his chest. "The notion that I would profess such concern for other women insults me, when you know I've only had these eyes on you. Why do you think I stay here in this prison?"
Chiharu's pulse raced with pathetic glee.
Chiharu was – in comparison to the other staff and inmates, a very plain-looking girl.
She had the privilege of knowing that since birth when her mother often reminded her she was so indistinguishable, she didn't even know if she was really hers.
With a small mouth, a thin nose and brown eyes that didn't particularly sparkle, she had grown used to being overlooked.
So with Yamazaki's attention – or stalking – she deduced his advances may be just a sick joke.
"Because," She said and turned back around. "You have a Shylde, and there's guards...and...and you can't leave."
When she finally sneaked a glance up at him she saw he was shamelessly drawing transparent hearts with his finger on the glass and looking at her with a small grin. Nerves twitched between her legs and she gulped quietly.
"Oh?" He said and raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you buzz me in there and we can see exactly what I can do." He glanced around him. "There'd just be the two of us."
"You're being inappropriate." She said without the strength in her voice that she had wanted.
"If you're uncomfortable here...shall we rendevouz somewhere else? I have fond memories of the last time it was just us."
Chiharu's face was beet red at the memory he was referring to. Her lips parted as she flustered for a response.
"S-stop that." She whisepered. "That was..."
"The most wonderful moment of my stay here at this rotten place." His smirk widened.
"A mistake." She looked down and thought she might pass out from her panicked breathing. "Don't mention that. Ever again." She whisepered lowly, though she knew his ear would pick it up.
A long finger crossed his mouth. "My lips are sealed. Those memories are for us only."
It was only a kiss. She told herself. A moment of weakness.
A kiss maybe, but it was also a massive breach and an extrelemly firable offence. And when one is dismisssed from the Facility, one does not simply return home. Who knew what they'd do to her.
Yamazaki could hear the hesitance in her voice. His ear twitched and he delighted in hearing her heartbeat escalate in her chest. He could tell she was nervous around him, but not uncomfortable. Chiharu tucked a thick strand of hair behind her ear, doing so, he picked up a faint scent of her conditioner – it was the generic one all the nursing staff used, but hers had a small hint of something sweeter. He had grown to know her natural scent.
That, and much more.
Yamazaki was unashamedly – obsessed.
Perhaps it was the sweet, little sighs she emitted, or the way her eyes darted back and forth when she had to do something she was uncomfortable with, or how she squeezed her legs together when she got flustered.
Or, perhaps it was when he had undergone his first Shylde fitting. A horrendous surgery which did and will continue to scar him until they decide to be done with him. As they had him strapped down against his will and the sound of drills screeching in the background, he remembered soft fingers briefly his hand in a rare moment of sympathy.
In her eyes he saw the sympathy, and some kindness behind them.
And when she had kissed him – it sealed his obsesssion, regardless of her claims it was a mistake.
Either way, Chiharu had remained cautious.
Plus, he was an inmate – and a violent Divine.
"You're being inappropriate." She repeated in a slightly more assertive tone.
"I think you like it." He said in a blasé way which disarmed her.
Chiharu shifted and smoothed out her uniform in an attempt to gain some authority. From behind Yamazaki she saw a pair of red eyes glaring at them both.
Yamazaki's hands froze mid-heart and he glanced behind to see Meiling, arms crossed and a displeased look on her face.
Yamazaki sighed and winked down at Chiharu. "Looks like our time has been cut short."
He barely acknowledged Meiling as he walked by. "It's creepy to spy Meiling."
"I'm not the creep here, Yamazaki. Don't you think you should back off her a bit?"
"Oh, Meiling." He said and waved her off. "I'm one of the good ones, remember?"
Her eyes flickered from him to Chiharu, who ducked behind her desk when she was caught watching Yamazaki leave.
X x x
Tomoyo's finger grazed the back of a thick book.
Her finger trailed across the spines of his many encyclopedias as she walked. Dr. Hiirigazawa's office was not large, but the ceiling stretched high and were adorned with books from across the continent.
"You seem to be well, I'm glad to see that." He commented.
Tomoyo nodded and hovered over by the window. He let her roam freely during their sessions. "Thank you, I'm sorry to be a bother."
"It wasn't your fault, The eclipse had an unnatural effect on all the inmates. I was worried about you when I heard." Eriol replied and rolled his black pen between his thumb and index finger. He sat and observed her. Her movements were slow, more fatigued than usual. This didn't alarm him though.
She smiled to hear him say that. "I hope I haven't troubled you too much. It's good to see you back. How was your trip, Dr. Hiirigazawa?"
Eriol watched her gaze out the window onto the view of barbed wire below of the Eastern courtyard. Beyond that was the canyon with unfathomable depths, there was no fence there. If an inmate chose to escape that route, good luck surviving that.
She twirled a lock of hair around her finger.
"It was...busy. I don't think I need to tell you how hectic the Council can be."
It took a moment for the penny to drop. Her glazed eyes widened very slightly – "Oh – yes, it is, isn't it?"
His eyes fell to her Shyle. The porcelain white Stahluminium metal sank flawlessly into her skin, it's trail was careful not to ravage her face but was subtle and discreet as it could bes.
He had fitted it personally.
"What have you been doing in my absence? Have you been writing down your thoughts like I asked?"
Tomoyo nodded proudly, she didn't want to disappoint him. She was a monster before this place, before him. The time before the Facility, the memories of a life roaming the Continent were so vague and blurred. Perhaps she had intentionally blocked them out. She didn't want to remember the person she was before here, before him.
So she would do right by him.
"I wrote a letter to my mother like you asked." She took the envelope from her pocket. A moment of hesitance caused her to frown. "What if she doesn't write back? She never does."
Eriol uncrossed his legs and place his notebook on the side desk. "All you can do is try. Did you open up a bit more? Perhaps she'd be more inclined to reply if she knew where her daughter was all those years and what she was doing."
Tomoyo bit her lip. "I...tried but...it's hard to recall all of it. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize." He said and rose from his chair. He approached her and held his hand out to take the envelope.
Tomoyo tilted her head as he approached. He always had a kind smile which reached his deep blue eyes. She felt safe with him, and lamented their session were not longer. Meiling and Yamazaki had other opinions about him, but she couldn't see him that way.
Perhaps he favoured her, she thought.
She handed him the letter, which he placed on his office desk. As he turned away she could smell his scent which always had a calming effect on her.
"I'm going to keep you on the same dosage as last time," He said, clicking his pen and taking notes. "The medication seems to be helping, unless you disagree?"
Tomoyo shook her head. In reality, he didn't need to tell her that. The other doctors barely confided in their patients at all. But Dr. Hiiragazawa was nothing but transparent with her. He trusted her, and Tomoyo was determined to keep things that way.
As he wrote Tomoyo roamed around his office. She felt she knew it inside out at this stage. It was a dark office, with an oak smell. His books were perfectly stacked upon the rows and rows of shelves that stretched around the two walls. A big window behind his desk allowed light to spill in. The wall to the left was adorned with framed certificates to practice psychiatry, perform surgery, awards for innovation of Divine research – particularly in the fields of medication and pharmacy.
Only one photo of his family sat skewered to the top left. Himself, a young Dr. Mizuki and a child – perhaps three at the time – smiled back. A youthful Dr. Mizuki beamed as her husband had one arm wrapped around her shoulder and another holding up their daughter. Tomoyo smiled, she wondered if she felt like that once, like she was a part of a family.
If she did, the memory wasn't particularly strong.
Her smile evaporated quickly and she rubbed at the purple armband on her sleeve. Eriol had noticed her sudden change in mood. "Something wrong, Tomoyo?"
She tilted her head to the side and rubbed her arms. "Dr. Mizuki seems sad lately." She said, remembering her ancouter with Dr. Mizuki just moments ago outside Eriol's office. She liked Dr. Mizuki, although she could be cold and had been labelled the 'Red Marble' behind her back by the other inmates. Tomoyo coul dnot help but to feel a mixture of admiration and saddness for her.
Of course, Tomoyo could always feel the low lying unease and anger Dr. Mizuki held towards her. Dr. Mizuki was Empree -immune but Tomoyo didn't need her influence to sense it. Tomoyo didn't let it hurt her too much, for as far back as she could remember women had distrusted her for some reason.
Eriol's hand stiffened. He slowly peeled his glasses from his face and gave a mildly stern expression. "She seems, or you felt...?"
Tomoyo's lips parted and she shuffled in embarrassment. "I didn't use my influence, I'd never do that. Not to you, not on Dr. Mizuki. I promise. No that II coul don her anyway..."
Eriol regarded her for a moment. "Good, because we talked about that Tomoyo, didn't we? I'm not a fool. I know your Shylde is not 100% effective on you, but I'd hate to ever have to consider fitting another one."
Tomoyo shook her head and looked down in shame and his disapproving look. "I don't do that any more. I...try not to... feed."
"The only thing you need to focus on is your own recovery, Tomoyo. Don't concern yourself with others."
She nodded, obediently.
"They are releasing Syaoran from the Pits, today. I want you to be careful around him. Remember, he's not a good influence on you."
His statement was met with silence. He looked up and saw Tomoyo's down cast eyes begin to fill with worry and...something else.
"You regress around him, Tomoyo." Eriol said in a gentler voice. "I know you were close, but don't forget all he put you through."
"Syaoran is my friend. He wouldn't hurt anyone." She replied with some bite, a rare thing to come from Tomoyo.
As soon as she said those words her hands fluttered to her mouth. "I'm sorry, I- I don't know why I said that."
Eriol sat back and clasped his hands. "You are attached from the hardships your group have been through prior to your imprisonment. But you are getting better, Tomoyo. They are not. Li would rather you didn't."
Tomoyo gritted her teeth. She felt unreasonably defensive. For Syaoran, but more for Li, and she couldn't explain why. Dr. Hiirigazawa only wanted what was best for her. She should listen to his advice but...
"He's not...he's not what you all think he is."
Eriol sighed disappointingly. "He has made you do awful things, it is natural to want to diminish it. That would make you feel less ashamed, wouldn't it?"
Tomoyo began to shake her head when a blinding pain struck her head, causing her to gasp.
Eriol shot up and hurried to her side.
"I apologize..." She mumbled. "I...I don't want to talk about him."
A strange dissonance throbbed in her mind, as it always did when she spoke of Li, or more so, when she came to his defense.
Eriol nodded and hid his annoyance. He placed a hand on her shoulder. Though he was use to her, even a year of therapy and personal sessions couldn't erase the impact of her beauty. He found his thoughts breifly interrupted before he continued.
"I just want you to get better." He said. "That way, you can have some sort of normal life out there."
She blushed from embarrassment at her outburst.
His words were kind, but they both knew, there would never be a time when she would be 'normal', nor leave these walls. She thought she may just be better off that way. No one would let her have peace. Even is she weren't Divine on such a high calibre, her family name brought with it too much hate for her to live peacefully.
"I know...I'm trying."
Eriol nodded. "I think that's enough for today. Do come to me for anything."
When she left, his pleasant smile evaporated.
Returning to his desk he pulled out a small knife from his desk and sliced open Tomoyo's hand-written letter to her mother. He scanned it with cold eyes which narrowed when it spoke only of her sessions, her improvements with painting and as always, her gratitude for Eriol's patience.
At least it's consistent.
But it read nothing of her time before – specifically about Li, or the rest of the irritatingly name 'Delinquent 6'.
He crumbled it up in frustration and let in drop into the thrash.
This was not going anywhere fast. And there were too many people breathing down his neck for answers.
He was about to return to his notes when a low rumble below his feet made his stop briefly. Almost immediately after that he could hear footsteps scrambling outside his door. A nurse burst in.
"Dr. Hiiragazawa, there's an issues in the lower experiment Unit."
"What?" He replied and shot up. "There are no tests scheduled for today. Who is involved?"
"Currently Dr. Tsukishiro and Dr. Mizuki. Something has gone terribly wrong."
x x x
ARCHIVES FROM THE TOMOEDA FACILITY OF DIVINITY RESEARCH
RECORD #030
CATEGORY: SPECIES
NAME: GUARDIAN(S)
THESE CREATURES ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE INHABITED THE CONTINENT IN AN ERA BEFORE DIVINITY AND MAN, HOWEVER RESEARCH IS STILL DEBATING THIS TIMELINE. THEY ARE HIGHLY INTELLIGENT AND FULLY CAPABLE OF COMPREHENDING AND MIMICKING HUMAN SPEECH.
GUARDIANS POSSESS THE ABILITY TO RECOGNIZE DIVINE FROM UNDIVINE, THE DIVINE TYPE AND RANKING. BECAUSE OF THIS, THE MAJORITY OF GUARDIANS ARE UNDER THE PROTECTION AND OWNERSHIP OF THE COUNCIL AND DISTRIBUTED AMONG THE MANY DIVINE RESEARCH FACILITIES.
MANY POSSESS SPECIAL ABILITIES DEPENDING ON THE GUARDIANS LOCATION AND OR TYPE.
WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS, GUARDIANS WILL ASSUME A 'FALSE' FORM WHICH USUALLY COMES IN THE FORM OF A SMALL DOMESTIC CAT OR DOG-LIKE CREATURE – TRANSFORMING INTO TO THEIR 'TRUE' FORM AT WILL.
FOSSIL REMAINS PROVIDE EVIDENCE THAT THOUSANDS OF GUARDIANS ROAMED THE CONTINENT CENTURIES AGO. CURRENTLY, THERE EXISTS LESS THAN ONE HUNDRED AND THEY ARE UNDER THE OWNERSHIP OF THE COUNCIL.
IT IS UNKNOWN WHY THE NUMBER OF GUARDIANS HAS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY.
THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE KALIUM (Ref. #004) HAS MANY INTERPRETATIONS OF THE ROLE OF THE GUARDIANS. THE FIRST GUARDIAN IS DEPICTED AS A LOYAL SERVANT TO THE MYTHOLOGICAL SOURCERER CLOW REED, OFTEN PAINTED TO THE SOURCERERS RIGHT AS A SYMBOL OF UTTER LOYALTY. OTHER INTERPRETATIONS SUGGESTS GUARDIANS WERE BANISHED TO THE MORTAL PLAIN IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE BREAKING WAR.
NOTE: INTERPRETATION OF THE KALIUM ON THE ROLE OF THE GUARDIANS IS NOT CLEAR. ANY INTERPRETATION IS COMPLETELY FICTIONAL AND NOT A DEPICTION OF ACTUAL HISTORICAL EVENTS.
WARNING: DO NOT APPROACH A GUARDIAN IN ITS TRUE FORM. ALTHOUGH TYPICALLY A FRIEND TO HUMANITY, THERE HAVE BEEN CASES RECORDED OF UNPROVOKED MAULINGS RESULTING IN DEATH.
WARNING: THE COUNCIL TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR BODILY HARM OR DEATH CAUSED OR ATTRIBUTED TO GUARDIANS.
X x x
Sakura scratched at the white band on her sleeve.
They gave it to her along with the grey jumpsuit that put her in uniform with the other inmates.
Other Dae'er – she later learned – were branded with a white band too. Apparently being lowest on the Divinity ranking was reflected in blander colours. It seemed to reflect her status among the inmates too as she was often overlooked and physically pushed aside.
She shuffled forward as the line she was in kept moving. She noticed those in the line with her had all arrived on the wagon with her. Abouse stood in front with his red armband. She could hear him grunting under his breath. He seemed to have become increasingly more adjitated as the days passed.
Behind him, Naoko stood with a bored expression in her purple armband. And behind her, gurgling incoherent vowels was Mai, with her green band.
If there was a logical reason for the colours, Sakura didn't dare ask.
She and the others had been hoarded to below basement level with no explanation. Sakura kept her eyes peeled for Kero although she didn't know how he could help her at all. But he was the only one who seemed remotely kind to her.
Sakura and the other eight were currently sharing a heavily guarded dorm before she would move into a shared cell, so she was told.
They were prodded in one-by-one, a few minutes between each it seemed.
"What are they doing?" Sakura whispered to Naoko over Mai's head.
Naoko threw her head back and shrugged. "Something unpleasant, I suppose."
"Why do you say that?"
Naoko frowned in annoyance. "Well...think about it. We're at a Divinity Research facility, what do you think they're testing on?"
That sent Sakura's pulse racing.
The door opened again and the guard signalled Naoko to follow. "See you on the other side." She said. "Maybe."
Sakura watched as the other inmates disappeared behind the door. As she edged closer a knot in her stomach tightened. She never thought she'd wish to be back in The Arva again. But suddenly green hills and the smell of Mirth fields seemed like paradise compared to now.
Mai disappeared before her and it was only Sakura left.
Sakura shuffled in suspense as Mai seemed to be in there much, much longer than the others. The cuff on her left hand – which she has come to know was a type of 'Shylde' – was burning into her wrist more as her pulse raced.
Finally, the door opened and the guard prodded her forward with the butt end of his tasered spear.
She walked forward into the narrow room. The door behind her slammed shut. The light above the metal door buzzed green and slowly, it creaked open. There was a dully lit but wide room in front of her which she assumed she was meant to enter.
She figured it was part of whatever experiment was happening. She questioned whether or not to stay put, but it wasn't like she could work herself around whatever they had planned for her.
She took a hesitant step into the room, which was eerily silent. Her own breathing seemed frightfully loud despite her efforts to calm down. She tilted her head up and made out two huge tinted glass windows looking down at her. Sakura's eyes panned the room until her eyes fell onto a figure at the back.
He was so silent she questioned if he were alive.
She blinked and looked around her for perhaps the rest of their group. But it was just the two of them.
"Are you ok?" She asked and approached him, fearing his complete silence may be a sign he was in danger.
As she began to close the gap between them she made out the chains draped around him. She halted suddenly, sensing something was not right. He must have been some bit older than her - about twenty or twenty-one. What struck her as unnervingly odd was the excess of chains draping around his not so broad frame. Black chains, silver chain, white chains, iron chains.
He was hunched over though she didn't know if that was purely from the weight or something else.
Against her better judgments, and her tendency to be overly curious about everything, she took cautious steps towards him. She could see his chest expand and contract – a sign he was alive. He made no movements as she stood in front of him.
Concern took hold of her and she knelt down gently, placing both her hands on the floor. She leaned in, trying a glance at his face concealed under tuffs of dark, brown hair.
"Are you...in pain?" She asked in almost a whisper.
"Should she be doing that?" Kero asked with concern as he floated upwards and pressed a paw against the glass. "Getting that close to someone whose chained up?"
"Li won't hurt a fellow Divine." Kaho responded, although her tone indicated uncertainty. "Although this girl is stupidly naive."
"She's a strange one." Kero nodded, though his fondness of her had caused him to worry more.
Sakura could hear his faint breathing. His forehead creased, as if suddenly realizing her presence. When he looked up she saw deep amber eyes, heavy with exhaustiong look down back at her.
He suddenly moved, causing her to gasp slightly and retreat back to his feet. He curled into himself more, seemingly wanting her to stay away.
Sakura bit her lip and looked around for other signs of life.
Suddenly, his head snapped up a fraction.
His chains jingled off each other and the sound echoed around the room. Sakura grunted and threw an arm to her chest when something invisible seemed to ripple painfully throughout her whole body.
She grunted and fell to one knee in pain.
Kero hissed and jumped onto all fours.
"Yuktio..." Kaho said with her heart beginning to race.
"Security is standing by." He replied but his own worried expression betrayed the gravity of the situation. "Kero, are you ok?"
Kero shook, his fur spiking at the massive shift in the atmosphere. But it was not like he felt before hand when Li had revealed himself. This was an entirely new sensation and it caused Kero to question his response.
He had not transformed into his true form yet – a sign things were not that dire yet.
"Aahh..." Sakura gasped. She had felt that before. It was when she first arrived to the Facility. The moment she crossed the threshold into the Facility she was hit with the same sensation.
Her vision blurred momentarily. As it cleared she saw a shadow begin a dark stretch towards her fingertips.
Her fingers began to shake as she lifted her head. The chain clanked harshly as he rose up tall, taller than she guessed he could possibly be. His breathing seemed to have deepened into an animal-like sound until she realized that sound was actually coming from his broad chest.
From under his dark hair, two blazing amber eyes glared with an intensity that froze her to the ground.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound could escape.
A low and continuous growl, unlike any she had heard before had filled the room. She could feel it vibrating within her body.
"This is too far!" Kaho said and shot up. "Get the guard in there now!"
"I'm trying!" Yuktio said. "But the doors are barred from the inside."
"It's...him..." Kero said and grunted in soem sort of agony. "He's using Malar."
Kero struggled to transfrom. Something was blocking him.
When Li took a step towards her, his foot seeming to crash down with an unexplainable weight, Sakura finally scrambled to her feet.
Sakura's throat ran dry. The somewhat slim man who was curled up on the chair not moments ago had seemed to double in size. She heard something break. No – not just something, she heard many things cracking seemingly at the same time.
To her horror, she realized it was the many sounds of his chains, the individual links snapping as he appeared to continue to grow in size.
A final smash and the chains had scattered around him. Broken links of gold and silver rained over Sakura's head. She threw her arms up in protection.
Her breathing went shallow as he towered above her with clenched fists. His veins throbbed around his neck and face with a look of intense hatred and anger. His prison jumpsuit wrapped tightly around his broadened body, threatening to tear. Only when he was free did Sakura see on his left arm, a thick coloured band. It was black.
Sakura's body finally began to react and she backed away from him slowly, terrified to make any too-sudden movements. With every step back she took, he followed her.
Alarm bells all around the interrogation room sounded followed by flashing amber lights. It momentarily distracted her as she finally broke off eye contact with the creature before her to look for signs of help.
A hand shot out and clutched her neck in an iron grip winding her instantly. Sakura's hand frantically pushed down on Li's arm but it was terrifyingly futile. She couldn't scream for help as she kicked and pulled away from him, but his arms had become as solid as metal, unmoving at her flaying.
Kaho froze in panic at the events unfolding below as Yukito frantically called for backup. Kero was flashing in and out of a brilliant white light in an attempt to transform.
"Kaho!" Yukito called again. "Go, now!"
Yukito's panic had brought her back to reality. "Kero, you need to transform and stop him. The guards can't get in!"
"Can't..." Kero said in a pained voice. "It's him...and ...her...I can't..."
Li squeezed his hand around her neck, crushing her windpipe slowly. Tears flooded her eyes as her visions blurred. The pressure around her neck intensified as she realized he had lifted her with a single hand and her legs were dangling a foot from the floor.
Her face flooded a shade of blue, her arms were loosing the strength to fight back.
You want more...don't you?
As her vision blurred further, Sakura didn't know if she was imagining the voice in her mind at that moment.
You always...wanted more...
Li's hand tightened further, rage had consumed him.
Li, stop!
Syaoran's voice had managed to momentarily pierce through.
Sakura felt her body drop to the floor as Li released her. Her head smacked the floor painfully but shs was relieved to be out of his grip.
Syaoran was not in control any more. In fact, he barely felt he was there in his own body.
Sakura coughed and sucked in air painfully, chocking as she did so. As her hand flew to her bruising throat, she saw Li stagger back. He had his hand over his face and a pained growl snarled from his lips.
Syaoran could not hear the guards attempting to barge the door down through Li's Malar, nor could he see the flashing yellow warning lights dancing frantically in the room. All he could hear was the all-consuming sound of Li's rage bouncing from within his mind. He thought his head would explode.
Li, I'm begging you...not again. Please. Please, not not again.
Sakura staggered to her feet. Her hearing had returned and she heard guards barging at the door. She could not understand why they could not break through. Tears streamed down her eyes and she could barely make out the man. He was clutching his face, his feet shuffled from steeping forward to retreating. Like he couldn't decide to either finish her off or restrain.
Syaoran could not hear Li's voice any more. He had gone deranged...something he had not seen in years.
I have to fight back... Syaoran thought.
"As long as you exist, you can have control."
Syaoran did not know why Dr. Mizuki's words had come to him at that time, but they gave him that last bit of strength to fight against Li.
Sakura had pressed her back to the wall. A small tear stream flowed from her bloodshot eye. He wrestled with himself and his legs reluctantly pushed forward to close the gap between them. Stopping inches from her, his free arm slammed against the wall inches above her head.
The concrete had smashed from his impact and cemented dust powdered her right shoulder.
She felt his body shake tremendously, the low continuous growl almost deafening her.
Suddenly, she saw his body freeze then his shoulders slump down slightly.
When he lowered his hand, she saw the same timid amber eyes look back at her. His face was so close to hers she saw a mixture of torture and angst spilling from them. At the same time, she could hear the low growl in his chest.
Syaoran felt numb at the fear in her wide and petrified green eyes. Her small, now bruised body pressed hard against the wall in attempt to escape the monster he was.
The air had shifted and she felt the gravity that was pulling on her had momentarily eased. He breathed heavily, exhausted from his ongoing mental battle and whispered to her.
"Run."
Sakura froze at the plea in his voice, at the...desperation of it.
Her shaking legs began to side-step away from him. His head dropped and another hand slammed the wall, caging her in.
"I said...stop..." He said in a pained voice. Sakura did not know if that was directed at her.
Suddenly he threw himself backwards grabbing and furiously pulling fistful of his hair.
"I said don't hurt her!"
Syaoran felt Li rebel against his commands, pushing his violent side to act.
"Kho...saint...mo...athar...C..low..." Li's voice was barely understandable as he raged on with a level Syaoran had not seen in years.
When those words left Li's mouth Kaho felt her whole body numb. The words rang in her ears.
"C..low..Clow...mo...athar." Li repeated in a foreign tongue Syaoran did not recognise.
Just as Syaoran thought he had reigned him in, a powerful surge shot through him that was enough to knock Sakura onto her back.
Once again, he was glaring down at her. Whatever entity had emerged first had returned. Sakura felt a wave of hopelessness crush her.
The guards had still not broken in, perhaps this was the plan all along.
She thought and closed her eyes as Li inched towards her, hungry for an unknown reason, to finish her off.
A loud smash overhead had jolted both of them back. Sakura covered her face as shards of glass rained down on them both.
Kero, in his true form, crashed down from above them. His four great paws planted themselves between Sakura and Syaoran. When Sakura looked up, Kero's fangs growled towards Li and his claws were out, ready to pounce.
Li actually winced in hesitation. Kero roared an ear-shattering roar that caused Li to retreat a step. Sakura slapped her hands over her ears.
Flames began to drip from the Guardian's fangs and he drove Li back further from Sakura. Kero's wings sprawled out in a display of intimidation, his feathered ends pointed like white knives. The red jewel in the center of his foreheard glowed an angry red.
With every roar Li seemed to weaken.
Syaoran grabbed onto what he could.
Li...calm down...calm...
The doors finally burst open as Li felt himself fade away.
Sakura felt and arm loop around her wait and pull her up. "Let's go."
She looked up to see Dr. Tsukishiro carrying her towards and exit. Sakura looked back, the guards had swarmed him now, whipping batons and tasers down on him. Syaoran didn't put up any resistance. He stayed down as they scrambled to cuff him again. Nurse Matsumoto was hastily readying a powerful sedative.
He had turned his head and searched for her as if he needed the confirmation she had escaped him. Her green eyes were the only colour he could see in his fading vision.
Kaho looked down at the scene and clenched her fists to stop them from trembling.
Fear rose from the pit of her stomach. Such fear, such rage that had radiated from him. She had never witnessed a Divine on such a level.
That was no normal Divine.
That was the Arch-Dae'er.
That fear had worsoned when Eriol had emerged into the experiment unit.
He took in the sight of Syaoran and the guards that were pressing down on his body with incredulous eyes and then darted his glare upwards to her.
Sakura's lips parted when she had caught Syaoran's eyes. She knew, it was Syaoran she was looking at now and not...whatever that entity that had possessed him was.
Perhaps it was the shock of it all, or perhaps the sedative Dr. Tsukishiro had kindly jabbed her with...but she thought Syaoran looked...relieved.
As Syaoran faded from consciousness, the remnants of Li's voice echoed in the deep, dark depths of his mind.
"Khosaint...a...athar..."
Protect the father.
X x x