Why, Hello and welcome to my little world of weirdness!

I state for the record that, while I really, really wish I did, I don't own any of the wonderful characters that will grace this story . . . they are all CLAMP's, always have been, always will be! However I do lay claim to a few of the original characters, for example . . . I own Hei-ying, and his false form, Tomodachi Yukito, I own Mystrasa Kyree, and Carolyn and Adeline Reed, I don't own The Dragon, Saurian because he is on loan from my very good friend, the ever intangible Blue Goo.

This is a Sequel to 'In This Tainted Soul . . .', which actually started out as this stories prequel . . . what can I say? I love writing!! Anyway, while it's not strictly need reading, since the first few chapters will be focus on establishing well . . . basically everything, it would still be nice if you go read up, especially if you want to know why Hei-ying is the way he is . . .

In This Tainted Soul . . . There Lies Hope . . .

By Dr Megalomania

[I stamp warnings all over this one, this is my sick and deprived mind at work . . . {points at Bluegoo} I said stop agreeing with me! anyway, those of a weak stomach, a dislike of normal healthy {thinks about Hei-ying, shakes head} let me rephrase that: slightly twisted relationships between two guys, angst, horror, blah, blah, blah . . . then what are you doing here? If you've read Tainted Soul then you know what's coming, if you haven't and then you come along and flame me for it . . . why waste your time? Go flame a fic that begs for flames, do it anonymously and do it several times . . . and then when you're all grown up, come back and read . . . you never know . . . you might like it . . .} 

Part One: Beyond Faith . . .

*** . . . In The Now . . . Four Years later . . .***

"Carolyn."

The rain fell in a soft patter, as the black haired girl came to a stop, "Yes, mama?"

"It is disrespectful to the dead to skip," Her mother sighed and passed her hand over her eyes. Her daughter pulled at her skirt gently.

"Mama?" Her mother steadied herself and smiled down at her beautiful daughter. Carolyn Reed was the last of the Reeds, the last of the blood Reeds. Her husband, the one of the last of the male blood Reeds, had recently . . . she looked up through her veil, her eyes crimping with sadness. Her husband's coffin swaying gently, side to side on the traditional horse drawn cart.

Adeline Reed had married into the family nearly fifty years ago, her family were of little importance, and to be chosen to become the wife of a Reed was a great honour. Or so she thought. The Reeds had been slowly dying, since the loss of Clow Reed, nearly six hundred years ago. The family had been keeping up the pretence that, while they didn't have many children, the Reeds had been magically strong. This was a lie. The Reed family's magic had been starting to become weaker, not only because of dwindling belief in the magic of the western sphere, but also . . .

She sighed, stumbling slightly. Carolyn caught her hand and squeezed gently, "Be careful, mama . . ."

Adeline looked down, staring into her daughter's pale grey eyes. Carolyn had none of the arrogance the rest of her family possessed. The arrogance that had lead to the Reed family's deterioration, each Reed had foolishly believed that the magic they so promoted themselves on, could sustain the family without intervention from them. So, each generation had fewer and fewer children, each member living as long as they could and enjoying the pleasures of life. It wasn't until recently that the family began to realise that no one was having children.

This realisation had opened the flood gates, families of relatively unimportance in the magic world, were suddenly asked to join the family, under the pretence that the Reeds were trying to extend their magic to all. Adeline looked down at her child again. Carolyn was merely five years of age; her mother and father were already over the ages of seventy. Adeline's husband had been stubborn, refusing to accept the responsibility of ensuring the Reed heritage, he only agreed to give Adeline a child when she finally begged him, after years of pleading and wishing, the only reason he agreed was when she pointed out that without child; his would be the last generation. Adeline was eighteen when she had married him, he was already thirty, the honour and pressure to marry made it seem an awful pairing. However, William Andrew Reed had been a kind man, despite his arrogance, and the couple had come to love each other deeply.

The service was short, and cold. Typical Reed, aside from Carolyn, there was no one below the age of fifty. Black hair, and deep blue eyes, pale faces stared emotionlessly at the Father as he stumbled over his words. They had heard it all before, and emotion was not something one showed at a Reed family funeral. Carolyn stared at the box as the diggers covered it with the muddy soil. The rain and cold wind blowing hard against the mourners as they turned silently to leave. She looked up at her mama, as she stayed.

Adeline Reed waited until the last of the family left before motioning Carolyn to come closer, she knelt and held onto her child as she murmured, "Carolyn . . . say goodbye . . ."

"'Bye, 'bye father . . ." She looked at her mother, "Where's he going?"

"Somewhere nice . . ." Adeline murmured, she pulled a long stemmed rose from her coat and placed it gently on his grave. "Somewhere very nice . . . Goodbye William."

As her mama stood and started to walk away, Carolyn stared at her father's gravestone. It seemed so cold, and damp, she knelt down and pressed her hands against the cold stone, running tiny fingers over the Reed family motto. She smiled, even though she couldn't read the strange letters of Latin, she knew what it meant. She whispered it quietly, "Beyond faith, beyond chance, beyond all else . . . There lies hope."

She leant forward and kissed the stone lightly, unaware her mother was staring at her, silently crying. Adeline turned her eyes upward, "May there always be hope . . ." She swallowed and said louder, "Carolyn, come on now . . ."

Carolyn got up slowly, and started to walk away when she stopped. "The stone looks too cold mama, father will be sad . . ." she pulled on her necklace. Adeline watched her daughter proudly as she called forth her wand, the little girl mightn't have the ability to comprehend that her father wouldn't notice the temperature of his grave, but at least she knew how to use her magic. The little girl tapped the stone gently, and all around it the ground stirred. The cold soil of the Reed graveyard, barren of everything but dulled green grass, gave life, and dozens of summer flowers began to grow around William Andrew Reed's grave. Blood red roses curled around the stone, embracing it tightly. Despite the rain, the grave seemed a little warmer.

Adeline smiled as Carolyn turned to show her mother her achievement, but frowned as Carolyn's pale grey eyes widened, "What is it, Caro---"

Carolyn screamed as her mother's head rolled to a stop in front of her, her shuddering body dropped to it's knees and fell over in the gathering rain water. Blood dripping off it's razor sharp tail; the small, autumn orange dragon fluttered it's wings lazily, he smiled at her, baring tiny stained fangs. The black haired little girl backed towards her father's grave for safety, but looked up when she felt someone stand between her and it. She gasped as the cold wind blew his shiny black hair away from his face, revealing he had a gaping hole where his right eye should have been. His one remaining eye was dull, as if he had done this a thousand times and was tired of having to do it again.

"Don't run little girl . . ." The jade eyed angel tilted his head, "You will only make it harder . . ."

Carolyn screamed, she screamed for her mother, for her father, for the mourners who had recently left. The tiny, dark orange dragon smiled lecherously as it wrapped it's wings around it. Her screams died out to a whimper as the dragon's shadow fell on her, he was now the size of a tiger or a large cat. Her head fell back as the dragon's head and neck extended into the air, he growled deeply from the pit of his hardened stomach, before expelling a hot plume of bright red flame. Even though the green eyed boy was a stranger, Carolyn pressed her back against him, the dragon sniffing the air as he pushed his head closer to her, it turned to the side as his bright reddish orange eye slid open. "Hello little thing . . ."

Carolyn pointed her wand at him, "Stay away from me!"

The dragon's eye rolled, "Do you want to play with me little thing?" It hissed before grinning. Carolyn swallowed as the dragon's teeth were revealed. The teeth were sharp and flecks of blood stained them. "I like to play with little things like you . . ." He turned quickly and snapped his jaws at her. She jumped slightly and started to chant a defence spell. "Magic of Reed, protect me---"

Carolyn screamed as the dragon's mouth quickly snapped at her arm. She crumpled to the ground as she stared at the end of her arm, he had just eaten her hand . . . her pale grey eyes stared searchingly at the green eyed boy as he knelt beside her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Please . . . help me . . ."

The cat like jade eye soften for but a moment, "I can't . . ."

"Please . . . I don't want to die . . ." Carolyn licked her lips, feeling the dragon's rank breath on her neck as he nudged the back of her head with his jaw. She raised her remaining hand to his face, touching it gently, "You can help me . . . please . . ." Her eyes closed once again, as the dragon's tongue played with her ear. "Please . . . I know you don't want this . . ." She trembled as she felt the dragon moved down her back slowly, long tongue slipping out ever so often, sampling her. "Please . . . Please help me . . ." Her small voice began to sob, her pale grey eyes opened, "Please!"

The jade-eyed boy lifted his cold, pale hands to her face and lifted it. His eye creased as he whispered, "Yue?" He nodded, and leant closer to her, "I will . . ." He smiled gently, his eye blanked, "I will help you . . ."

Carolyn smiled tearfully, knowing that he wasn't going to help her get away, his cold fingers tightened on her jaw.

"Beyond faith . . ." She began to pray, "Beyond chance . . ." She stared at him, her trembling slowed, "Beyond all else . . . There lies hope . . ."

The boy nodded, as he murmured the traditional Reed reply, "May there always be . . . Hope . . ."

Grateful, she closed her eyes tight and relaxed as the boy snapped her head hard to the left.

Saurian glared at this new brother of his, "You should not mess with my food, Hei-ying . . ." he threw the adult woman's head into the air and caught it easily in his teeth, he crushed it slowly as he growled at his brother, "Bad things might happen to you . . ."

Hei-ying sighed as he leant against the cold gravestone of some nameless Reed. He glanced down at the moss ridden name, Alexandra Martha Reed, //Died shortly before Clow Reed was born// He noted. He lifted his head to look around; blood covered most of the gravestones here.

His brother was messy as he consumed his meal.

Hei-ying sighed and stepped over the pool of blood as it seeped towards him. "I am the adviser of the 'Captor, Saurian, I doubt Clow would be impressed if you killed me . . ."

"Who said anything about killing you?" Saurian drew back his lips and flashed his blood stained teeth, "I would leave you breathing."

"Thank you so much!" Hei-ying snapped, he gathered himself immediately, "Your kindness astounds me . . ."

Saurian smirked at him and ripped off another limb. Hei-ying looked away as his dragon brother crunched loudly, the bastard knew Hei-ying couldn't stand his eating habits. He looked down; the little girl's unseeing pale grey eyes were bloodshot as she lay against the gravestone of her father. The red roses she had created, kissed her pale cheek, her black hair remained matted by the rainwater.

"Carolyn."

He looked up as his mistress drew closer, she smiled as her eyes travelled to the body of the woman they attacked first, "And Adeline Penelope Reed . . . not a blood relation, but . . ." she patted Saurian on the head, "I guess you must have been hungry . . ."

Saurian grunted but said no more, she moved away and stared at the girl again. "Her name." She sneaked a glance at her moon guardian, "Her name was Carolyn Zenith Reed."

She grinned mockingly as Hei-ying closed his single eye in an effort to remember the name, he did that a lot, memorising the names of every victim. "Carolyn Zenith Reed." He murmured, "She asked me to help her . . ."

His mistress frowned disapprovingly, "And did you?"

"He let her die painlessly . . ." Saurian grunted, and moaned, "I didn't even begin to play with her!"

His mistress stared at him; "I thought you were hardened against pleas for help . . . especially after Yue."

"Yue was  . . ." Hei-ying lifted his head to the skies, watching the rolling grey clouds as they pelted the ground with hard rain. ". . . Yue was another lifetime ago . . ."

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And Now It's Time To LEAVE IT TO DOCTOR MEGALOMANIA!!!

DrM: I'm Baaaaaccccckkkkkk!!! [Laughs] Thank you all for reviewing!! Wow!! I hope this really lives up to your expectations!! I do hope to keep this going!! YAY!!

Hei-ying: I'm so evil . . . but not as evil as Saurian!!

Saurian: Oh come on . . . everyone wanted me to eat the kid . . . simply EVERYONE wanted me to eat the kid, the kid needed eating!!

Mystrasa: I wanted you eat to the kid!

DrM: But you would, wouldn't you . . . because you are the very embodiment of EVIL!!! [Points at fic] So evil in fact I haven't even mentioned your name once!!

Hei-ying: I thought that was a typo . . .

DrM: Silence you!!!

Saurian: I'm still hungry . . . [Looks at readers interestedly]

[DrM blinks and jumps in front of readers to protect them]

DrM: You can't eat them!! They need R&R this chapter and the rest of the fic!!