Author's Notes: I feel so bad about this late posting but it's been hell this week…enough said. I was in a horribly mushy mood so it starts out sappy… I decided to tone down the torture and stuff to a minimum…not too graphically disturbing… Feel free to hate Yana; I based him on myself…doesn't that say something about me? =)
Thanks to Hikari Silver, mya (you deserved the dedication), pokey (take two aspirins and call me in the morning), jurei (I reviewed the tournament…very good, sorry this has taken so long to get posted), cherry kawaii wolf, Caoilfhionn (when am I going to start seeing something from you?), Little Blossom, Rhea-chan, Riley S ('hunted' is good, don't you dare stop…)
Big thanks to Rhea-chan and Unicornhime for both beta-reading this chapter.
Well the dedication will be to … despite the fact that I don't know if you're the same … that reviews my other fics. Either way, this chapter's for you!
Slipping AwayChapter 5: Breakdown
Slinking low to the ground Syaoran and Sakura pulled themselves along the wall. Mentally ticking the minutes by, they crept cautiously under the gaze of the spotlight, hands squeezing hands in assurance. The ground dipped as they traversed ditches and rolling hills, the icy grass crunching under their footfalls. A thin plume of barely visible white danced in the moonlight, breath crystallizing in the cold.
Sakura whispered lowly, her words almost indistinguishable. "How much time do we have?"
Syraoran flicked on a blue glow, tensing as the hands swept across the face. "Twenty minutes." He gripped her hand tighter, footfalls increasing to a jog. "We have to do this quick."
The edge of a building came up on them, towering stories above their heads. The thick smell of smoke and tobacco hung stale in the air, deep inhalations sounding from around the corner. Syaoran gestured with his eyes, darting from the corner to a shadow lined alcove a ways off to their left.
Sakura nodded in comprehension, fingering a length of cord tied around her waist. As Syaoran's form disappeared from her side, slipping into the enveloping darkness. For a minute she stood alone uncertain, but quieted her fears as a thin stream of snowy breath drifted from the dark recess, knowing confidently Syaoran was waiting flush against the brick wall. Slowly she bent over and took up a small pebble into her hand, pausing momentarily before throwing it past the corner, hearing it click a few times against the paved asphalt. The odor of smoke increased, as footsteps made their way toward her rigid form. The red-hot end of a cigarette jutted from the corner as its bearer turned to face her.
The florid scientist rose en eyebrow, face set in a suspicious gaze. "Who are you?"
Sakura thought quickly, trying to draw the man closer to Syaoran's hidden form. "Oh, I was just wandering…in the woods, and I guess I got lost."
The man looked disbelievingly at her, arm reaching out to brush against a panel along the wall. "And you just happened to get through the perimeter fence?" Sakura's eyes peered deep into his, averting suddenly to watch his stocky fingertips graze the alarm button. Click. The button bounced back into place quietly, the silence tense between the two. He creased his eyebrows in wonder, muttering under his breath. "Why didn't the alarm sound?" Leaning in toward the instrument panel, he scrutinized the buttons, all glowing and appearing functional; his eyes fastening alternately on the alarm button and Sakura's form. His momentary interest drew him from realizing a menacing hand materializing above him from the shadows.
Sakura drew her eyes closed as a quiet crack and thud resounded into her ears. Blinking a few times to dispel the sudden onslaught of light, however dim it was, she watched Syaoran leaning over the unconscious man, Syaoran's gun finding its way back into the holster. Syaoran's voice reawakened her, drawing her to the prostrate man, helping him remove the while lab coat and searching pockets for anything of use.
"Help me hide him." Syaoran had already thrown the coat over his body, placing the unconscious man's identification crookedly on a lapel, picture hidden from view by white cloth. He dragged the scientist into the alcove, straightening his newly acquired clothes.
Sakura looked thoughtfully at the insensible man, his features serene. Silently she regretted anything she had ever done to hurt others, all the lives that must have suffered each time she undertook a mission. A curious blinking caught the edge of her visual perception; she looked toward the flickering illumination, her head swiveling to find Yana's cubed fortress. One of the uppermost windows flashed erratically and somehow painfully. Her mind closed itself off from the feelings washing over her, disgust, nausea, anger. Yana. Suddenly, the scientist bundled before her wasn't as serene, the compassion leaving her. Deflty, the cord untied itself from her waist, twisting into loops and knots around the man's hands and legs. Removing a coarse strip of fabric from around her thigh, she gagged him, leaning his heavy form against the walls, careful to hide his body in the shadows.
Syaoran signaled over to his wife, cautiously raising two fingers for her to join him. He had stopped close to a guard station, listening carefully to the movements of the Corps ahead. Sakura appeared at his elbow, mouthing 'fifteen minutes'. The Corps seemed to be getting closer, the echoes of talking bouncing off the walls and coming from everywhere. Syaoran raised his gun anticipating the appearance of guards. He almost fired as a jerk pulled him backward spinning around wildly, his hand banging into the wall, gun clunking onto the snowy ground. He started incredulously at Sakura as she pinned him against the bricks. "Sak…"
Lips cut off his breath, as Sakura leaned forward, kissing passionately, rubbing up against him. Syaoran drifted somewhere between confusion and pleasure as Sakura ground against him, seemingly almost in panic. He didn't understand what was happening. As he moved his arms instinctively to encircle around her, a gruff voice called out.
"What's going on?" Sakura broke off the kiss immediately, turning a flushed face to the smirking guard. Syaoran turned with her, something like an explanation forming in his mind. The guard looked up and down Syaoran's form, appraising the haphazardly placed identification badge and white coat. "You know the rule; no uncleared people are allowed inside." He pointed to Sakura, her coat open to the breeze, pale skin glowing in the fluorescent light, repulsion in the Corpsman's gaze. "Especially whores."
Sakura quickly pressed hard against Syaoran's arm, feeling his anger peak dangerously, his muscles poised to attack. She looked into the stranger's face, forming a seductive look with her lips, narrowing her eyes, forcing a sultry air into her words. "Do you think we could have some privacy?" Conveying her warning to Syaoran wordlessly, she left his side, approaching the guard with a tempting sway. She pouted up at him, inwardly disgusted with herself, feeling the degradation. "Pretty please?"
The Corpsman looked down at Sakura's face pleading with him. His hands reached out, his eyes clouded over with lust. He brushed up her arms leaning his face close to her lips. Closing his eyes, a hard force shook him back, red light sparking to life and fading as he fell insensible to the ground.
Syaoran opened his fist, rubbing the pain away from his knuckles. He glared at the prostrate guard, holding back the urge to kick him. "Bastard." Turning quickly, he faced Sakura's trembling form. "Are you okay?"
She nodded quietly, unconsciously kneading her skin roughly at where the guard had rubbed against her. Staring ahead she merely drew her coat around her, motioning to Syaoran to start moving. "We're probably down to ten minutes."
Syaoran caught Sakura's arm as she tried to walk, drawing her close to his body. He whispered down to her, filling her drained eyes with assurance. "You didn't have to do that. I could have…"
Sakura interrupted, turning her face shamefully to the prone man. "No, he was coming up from behind you; you wouldn't have had a chance. I did what I had to."
"But…" Syaoran trailed off, seeing no way to arguing this. He pulled her in to touch a flitting kiss against her cheek. "I love you."
She faintly smiled, her cold shell falling off. "Of course you do." She giggled quietly as his fingers tickled her sides. "But we've still got a mission to do." Her lips returned to their thinness as Syaoran's body tensed with the prospect of laid ahead, unconsciously locking his now regained gun into its holster.
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The door swung open with a silent motion, the air picking up in its wake. A small shaft of light pierced the thickness of the darkened laboratory, flitting from wall to wall in a hurried search. Seven minutes…
Sakura wrenched her attention randomly, craning her neck to peer hopefully into the darkness. Her voice whispered in the stillness, holding a trace of apprehension. "I don't see it; maybe it's in the one of the other labs." Syaoran nodded in silent agreement, the flashlight dying with a soft click. Sakura sought his form in the dark, fingers entwining themselves, as they silently crept to the door. As they neared, the sound of scraping boots against the floor rose up to meet them. "It must be the Corps." Instinctively, both had flung themselves against the wall, flush next to the door. The footsteps had taken a louder quality, marching amongst many, all nearing the lab door. Syaoran cursed quietly under his breath, white coat abandoned at his feet, gun drawn and pointed to the metal door. Sakura followed suit, both sets of eyes intently watching the shadow of feet disrupting the light illuminating from underneath the door. Five minutes…
"My, my, what do we have here?" Both Syaoran and Sakura jerked involuntarily in surprise, whirling around, weapons drawn to face a shadowed figure at the opposite end of the lab. The lights awakened with a harsh wince, casting angular rays at the now exposed form. "It seems I have some unexpected visitors."
Syraoran growled deep in his throat, gun discharging without warning. The energy blast hit the man dead center, but seemed to dissipated around him, flowing past him without doing injury. He cursed through grinding teeth. "Yana…"
The man smirked, a triumphant twisting of the mouth baring his teeth. Wiping away a wisp of long brown hair from his face, he removed a card from his pocket, blue circle glowing brightly. "Guns won't work while I have this. Besides, men shouldn't hide behind technology. I'd much rather prefer a good old fashioned duel."
Sakura tugged at Syaoran's elbow desperately, casting glances to the silent door. "Syaoran…"
Yana merely smiled indulgently, shaking his head in a mock mournful fashion. "I wouldn't dear. There's quite an army out in the hall." He jerked a thumb behind him. "That's the only way out of here unharmed…behind me." Drawing out two cards, he laid a challenging gaze on Syaoran. "Guns may not penetrate the energy shield, but swords do. I'll make you a deal; you defeat me, you're free from such a horrible monster." He pouted lightly, eyes gleaming with malicious mischief. "You lose, and well, you lose. I'll make sure you have a nice burial. So is it a deal, Syaoran?" Yana sneered at his opponent's name, holding out a card.
Syaoran rapidly raced through his options, none of them guaranteeing safety. He looked forlornly at Sakura who was shaking her head violently. He bit his lip as he knew what his only choice could be. "Sakura…"
Sakura shouted with blind passion. "You can't!" She held tighter onto his body, hastily taking out her only card. "We can use this! And run!"
Syaoran shook his head mournfully, knowing full well the card could not sustain two beings. He inwardly apologized as he set out to do what he had to do. He took the card gingerly from Sakura's grip, closing his eyes, bracing himself for the worst. "Activate." The blue icon blinked to life, energy surging through its rectangular matrix. Quickly, he pressed the card flat against Sakura's palm, watching as her surprised figure was bathed in an unnatural light. "You have to go Sakura. Run."
Sakura pulled desperately at the card, the thermal adhesive bonding her to Shield. "I won't Syaoran! I won't leave you here to die."
Yana cleared his throat, head cocked to the side in petulant sympathy. "Ah, to be young and in love. Where have all the years gone?" He shook his head dramatically, eyes unseen. "But he is right, Sakura is it? Syaoran is right; you can run, right now and with Shield, you can't be stopped. And…your Syaoran may just win against me." An arrogant complacency swept across his face as he rose his eyes to peer at the two stricken intruders. "After all, anything's possible."
Syaoran took hold of Sakura's shoulders in a firm but gentle grasp. His eyes pleaded with her, her feet making a tentative move to go. "That's right Sakura; you have to go now. I promise you I'll be fine. Go."
Tears rained from Sakura eyes as her vision of Syaoran distorted and shrunk. She walked unsteadily toward the door, her gaze never leaving her husband's form. Brushing by Yana she shuddered at his sienna gaze, the unnerving smile still on his face.
Yana inhaled deeply, face almost jovial in anticipation. "I can't tell you how long I've waited to have another duel. Unsheathe." The green arrow glyph flickered, the metallic card gleaming as if wet, solidness becoming liquid, stretching and compressing until a long sword appeared in his grasp. He waved the weapon with a flourish catching the reflection of the halogen lights on the deadly surface. He held out a second card to Syaoran. "You want one?"
Syaoran narrowed his eyes in caution as he fought back swelling anger. He retorted icily, tone dangerous. "No, I have my own. Unsheathe." His own card drew into a sword, held out defensively before him. One minute…
Sakura stood in the doorway unwillingly, her feet no longer able to take her away from Syaoran. She watched in horror as both figures met in the middle of the lab with a metallic crash, ringing across the deadly stillness. Yana may have been older, but he was still in good shape, attacking and slashing at Syaoran, maniacal gleam in his eye. She caught Syaoran's insistent eyes once as he thrust toward Yana, only to be skillfully blocked.
Yana bent his elbow cushioning another attack from Syaoran. "You're pretty good…" The lights dimmed once and burst again to full intensity as an overwhelming wailing of sirens overtook the compound. "But not good enough." Yana plunged forward just as Syaoran's attention wavered, the sirens distracting his senses.
Sakura's scream pierced the thick chaos of sound, the alarm nearly mute in the face of her anguished cry. She ran back into the lab, pushing herself to go faster, everything around her melting into oblivion. She crashed into a triumphant Yana, hastily shoving him from her path without any realization of her actions. Sliding onto her knees, she bent over Syaoran's body, the hilt of a blood spattered blade protruding from his chest. His eyes glittered as his lifeblood oozed around his wound to the floor, his lips parted in struggling to speak. He rasped out a single word, speaking infinite volumes to Sakura. "P-Promise."
Sakura wiped her tear stained cheeks, as reality seemed to slip from her grasp, Syaoran's last word echoing in her mind as his dead body lay cradled in her shaking crimson tainted hands. She noticed nothing around her, not Yana's voice in the lab, not the pounding of feet, not the commands dictated to her from above. She blinked, unending tears the only evidence of her even feeling her loss. "I promise." The butt of a gun crashed down against the back of her head, the sudden pain lost to unconsciousness, her body slumping to lay over Syaoran's.
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A dim orange colour swam distantly ahead of Sakura's half lidded eyes, the lantern making a slow arch, casting its dull radiance into the cell, flashing against metal chain before withdrawing into darkness once again. Sakura lay cold and stiff on the stone ground, hay bristling against her skin. Red rimmed her eyes as the green orbs swallowed up her pupils, watching something unseen in front of her. Hoarsely, she whispered into the darkness, the soft rasp of her voice contrasting with her earlier heart wrenching sobs. "I promise." She neither stirred nor even took notice of a sharp ring at the front of the cell, a tall shadow cast strikingly into around her.
A man's sing song voice called out to her. "Sakura? Are you awake my dear?"
Sakura flinched involuntarily under Yana's question, closing her eyes and invoking Syaoran's image. She filled with horror as his features faded, the full realization of his death sinking in. Sitting up, fists clenched white at her sides, she slowly met Yana's crimson gaze, taking ragged breaths. Without warning, she leapt against the bars, metal pressing into her flesh as she clawed at Yana's face. "You monster! I'll kill you!"
Yana merely looked amused, backing out of Sakura's reach. "Tsk, tsk. Anger does not suit you, you know? Why don't you just cooperate with me; it's much easier and less painful." He laid emphasis on the last word, a sudden twinkle in the corner of his eye. Sakura's rage contorted face met his in unnatural defiance, arms still reaching themselves in his direction. He sighed, holding up a cloth to his mouth. "I suppose it'll be the hard way. Guards."
Two masked men appeared at Yana's side, flicking a few beads into the cell, a sweet aroma swirling around Sakura's senses. She fought off the mind numbing effects of the gas, but eventually succumbed to its strength, collapsing into a heap on the icy floor.
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"Syaoran?" Sakura twirled listlessly in the white fog, her coat fluttering in response to her actions. "Syaoran?" The mist seemed to darken, a gray low-lying ocean of steam remaining at her ankles. Snow fell in heavy flakes, a flickering fluorescent light casting a strangle glow around her, buildings blanketed. A form blurred his entrance, sharp colours coming into resolution, brown hair, flashing eyes, familiar jaw line.
"Sakura?" Syaoran's voice called out uncertainly, his arms grasping, feeling into the emptiness. Sakura rushed to his side, to once again be in his arms, to be pleasantly overwhelmed by his scent, pressed up against his warm body.
"Syaoran!" Sakura's mind whirled in confusion, flashes of blood, tarnished steel, Yana's malicious eyes running through her consciousness. Was it all just a daydream; she surveyed her surroundings, the same familiar street, the same night as the mission. She clung to her hope; it must have been a daydream, a vision, something unreal. "I had the worst daydream, about this mission. It was horrible; you died and…" She trailed off into a fit of emotional sobbing, throwing out unfinished exclamations. "I don't…I don't…we can't…not tonight."
Syaoran hugged her tight to his body, extracting a snow flake from her hair. "Of course we don't. We don't have to go through with this mission. We'll find Tomoyo and tell her we can't do it."
Sakura wiped her tears, nodding emphatically, anything to prevent her vision from coming true. "You think she'll let us quit on this mission?"
"Of course; just tell me how to find her." Syaoran peered steadily into Sakura's eyes pleading against her resolve.
Sakura furrowed her brows in bewilderment, forming her words carefully. A twinge of danger formed at her spine, chilling through her soul. "But you know how to contact Tomoyo."
Syaoran chuckled, face twisted into a sheepish grin. "I must have forgotten. Remind me again, and we can go home."
"I…I." The overwhelming feeling again sent shivers through her nerves. She looked deeper into the sheepish grin, cautiously backing away from her husband. Behind the easy laugh, the expressive eyes, there was a faint show of teeth, sharp and treacherous, his face suddenly taking the form of not joy but derision, threatening and mocking her. The memories cascaded down through her mind, the sword, the hilt, the blood, Syaoran's corpse. She pointed an accusing finger, horrified what was around her. "You're not Syaoran; you're not!"
Syaoran shrugged, face shifting to sienna eyes, a spiteful sneer on his face. "Ah aren't you the smart little one?"
The buildings rumbled and shattered into dust, the whole area around Sakura bursting into millions of dots of lights. She snapped her eyes open, wires crisscrossing her face, a rapidly beeping machine to her right, bright floodlights blinding her. "Yana!" Sakura tried desperately to sit up, her back arching in effort as her limbs remained down to a table.
"You should have just told me, Sakura." Yana appeared off to her right, gently scolding her as he removed an electrode from his forehead. He shook his head disapprovingly looking mildly reproachful. "It would've been so much easier." He ignored Sakura's fury as she spat venomous curses at him, picking up a small vial and a hypodermic needle. "This is your last chance; tell me how to find Daidouji. There's no turning back after you're infected."
Infected? Sakura's mind reeled on itself; she was going to die. Part of her laughed ironically; of course she was going to die. But Yana was giving her exactly what she wanted. What was life without Syaoran, her alone in this hellhole? Another voice within her fought against acceptance; what about her promise? Would she break her last promise to Syaoran? But would she tell Yana? Live for another moment in exchange for the death of all the other Resistance members? No; she wouldn't. Mentally she threw herself on her knees praying to Syaoran for forgiveness; she wouldn't be able to fulfill her promise. She wouldn't be able to stop Yana. Sakura twitched her mouth into a macabre smile. "Burn in hell." The sharp pain of a prick sealed her fate, the corrosive liquid burning through her veins. Her body contorted as much as the restraints allowed her to, the immediate sensation of throbbing dissipating to a subdued ache somewhere deep inside. She opened her watery eyes warily; why wasn't she dead?
Yana met Sakura's puzzled gaze with a smirk. "You thought I'd kill you so easily? No, this poison works slowly; it'd be a shame to let such a beautiful young lady die so suddenly." He lifted a long thin vial, snapping the cap off. "No my dear; we're going to keep you alive to keep me company. And when I tire of you; well you know…" He forced Sakura's mouth open, her body being too exhausted to fight against him. Forcing the vial's contents into her mouth, he snapped his fingers, two guards untying Sakura's limbs and carrying her of the lab.
Sakura felt the chemical sliding down her throat, the aching suddenly disappearing. She turned her head to catch Yana replacing the empty vial in a rack, a sickening smile playing across his features as he waved goodbye. Sensations of grips encircling her arms and legs flashed through her muddled consciousness, occasionally distracted by a sharp scream or pained groan around her. The last sound she remembered before succumbing to her protective slumber was Yana's raucous laugh.
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An icy draft blew across Sakura's skin, causing her to shiver in hurt, the mere quivering movement of her body sending jabs of pain across her insides. She wanted to die, to leave the vial of medicine placed at the front of her cell alone, to meet Syaoran again. But she had promised and she was still alive. She rose quickly, ignoring the ache of her joints, swallowing the unctuous liquid, shuddering at its noxious taste rolled down her throat. How was she supposed to fulfill her promise, to escape and stop Yana? Some thought nagged at the back of her mind, something seemingly inconsequential but could mean freedom for her. Who said it? It was last night. Syaoran? No; the pain burned deep in her chest as she remained fixated on his memory for an instant. Tomoyo? That didn't seem right. Red; very red… Nakuru? Yes, something she mentioned…she escaped? How? 'I escaped through an air vent a couple years back.' Air vent? Sakura whipped around in the dimness, finding the stone wall in the orange light of a dying lantern. A light breeze rose to meet her squinted gaze, resounding echoes as she banged against the rocks. Air vent. Sakura's deep breaths saturated still air as she desperately threw her light weight against the stone wall, the mortar starting to crack under the constant stress. Her shoulder was bruised, blood running down one arm. With a crash, a section of wall broke apart and fell at her feet, a dark cavernous void greeting her efforts.
Without a second thought, Sakura entered the darkness, her fingertips feeling for the walls, gusts of air blowing past her. The soft whir of a fan attracted her attention as she moved closer to the sound. Next to the fan was the darkened vent to the lab, the empty chamber filling Sakura with torrents of anguish. She suppressed the lump in her throat as she lowered herself into the room, quickly scanning the countertops. The same box stood where it had last night, one empty vial amidst hundreds of filled ones. She struggled to lift the heavy load, supporting her precious cargo with two sore arms.
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The silence overwhelmed Sakura's limping figure, all the windows darkened, the compound without sound, like a graveyard in the murky hours of the morning. Stumbling over the brittle snow, she trudged toward the perimeter fence, straining her ears to listen for sounds of voices, footsteps, anything remotely dangerous. Her lungs burned in the cold, skin numbed, exposed to the unforgiving winds. The wound in the fence lay directly in front of her wrecked body, the sewer entrance beckoning her forward.
Forcing her left arm to support the medicine, she lowered herself down of the ladder leading into rank depths. With finality, the manhole cover slid into place with a resounding clank. Mind reeling with thoughts of freedom, of loss, of pain, her body heaved with surging emotions. Sakura laid the crate down at her feet, the weight splashing the tranquil turbid waters. She leaned heavily against the walls of the sewer, letting out a scream inhuman in its unimaginable despair. As the morning sun rose above ground, tears dripped endlessly into the brackish waters. A huddled Sakura, crouching into a ball under the ladder, sobbed her heart out.
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Author's Note: I came up with something I wanted to do next chapter: flashbacks to everyone's past (Nakuru, Yamakazi, Tomoyo, Syaoran, Sakura…) What do you think? I know I'm not getting into the present too much right now, but I think it'll help people understand the characters better. I hope I don't have to separate them if it gets too long…=( No promises!