A/N: I feel bad, like a failure, really. Nothing I want is going right and I'm getting myself further and further into a trap...Oh well, at least I'm not dead yet, which means that I can still continue this fic. If anybody is still reading this story 'o mine, enjoy ;____;
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Part V: Segregation: Why..?
'Oh, God, what am I going to do?'
For the first time in her life, Tomoyo felt lost and helpless. Eriol was gone, the guardians, like herself, were captured. Their chances looked bleaker and bleaker, escape seemed almost impossible and so she looked onto the future (if there was any) with dismay.
It was some time after the Doppelganger left her, and the knowledge that as time wore on something bad would happen pressed down on her, making her feel trapped and condemned. Tomoyo felt a fresh bash of tears sting at the corner of her eyes and she fought the temptation to break down. 'I must not cry. I must not! Eriol would not have liked to see me cry like a sissy, therefore I will not! What would he think if he saw me like this? What would he do?' she kept on saying to herself. It seemed to help for no wetness trailed down her cheek, only the lump in her throat making itself known.
There was a knot of something at the pit of her stomach, an almost nauseating sensation. Her chest hurt, making it difficult for her to breathe. She clutched at the front of her dress in the vicinity of her heart, trying to smooth out the dull ache there. 'Why does it hurt so much? What is wrong with me? Is this what true sorrow feels like?' Tomoyo asked herself and scrunched into a tight ball. She wrapped her arms to cradle her quivering knees, resting her weary head on top of her folded hands. She did not cry, as promised, but that did not stop the small shake of her shoulders and quick, desperate intakes of air from escaping.
She suddenly heard thundering sounds outside the heavy door, and, charged with momentary vigour and anger at her disposition, she grabbed a rust-encrusted candleholder for protection, uncoiling from the foetal position she was in. Tomoyo was expecting the creature to come back for her, to finish off the job and dispose of her as well. Scampering to the back of the room, farther into the oppressing darkness, she waited. She bit her lower lip and fought to slow down her rapid heartbeats, praying that the creature would not hear. Suddenly, the door was flung open and two struggling figures where thrown unceremoniously in.
"What did you do that for, you... you monsters?!" Screeched Nakuru while stumbling to his feet. "You will never get away with this! I know some big-shot people out there, ya hear?! And if they find out how you've been treating poor, innocent me, why, you might as well kiss your butts bye-bye!"
"There is no need for you to yell, Ruby Moon," Spinel calmly intervened, "they're already gone."
"I know, I know, but what else is there?" He let the question trail, the answer practically hanging in the air.
Tomoyo chose that moment to come out of her shadowed corner, pale and wide-eyed in the dark. Bringing a trembling hand to her mouth, she managed in a hoarse whisper: "He's really gone then..."
Nakuru looked at Tomoyo's seemingly small form and the obvious anguish painted on the girl's face. It suddenly dawned on him: his beloved Master was gone, and the realization brought forth with it a maelstrom of tears and sobs. The guardian rushed to the girl, crushing her in a tight embrace. Tomoyo just stood there, barely aware of feeling anything besides this ache in her chest, smoothing Nakuru's slightly shaking back, cooing softly.
Tomoyo could feel the anger and pain radiate off the guardian, it was almost palpable. Glanced almost bitterly at the closed door, biting down the urge to do something explosive. Tomoyo had never before felt this much... emotion all at once. Not even when Sakura forever disappeared out of her grasp. Suddenly feeling so much made Tomoyo dizzy, light-headed and weak in the knees. She found herself sinking to the floor, still clutching the sobbing guardian in her embrace, not quite herself. She stroked Nakuru's hair and pressed her face into the flaming hair, where her own quiet sobs were stifled.
The sobs eventually died down to hiccoughs, but Tomoyo continued to hold the shaking guardian, more for her own sake than anything else. It took time to calm the distraught guardian, after which the three clustered unconsciously together for comfort and consolation, not saying a word, just keeping to each other's raging thoughts.
"Can you sense Master at all?" Nakuru broke the silence after a long while – was is hours? Days? The truth hung in the air, but the trio still dared to hope. After all, the guardians were a living, breathing link to Eriol, their lives were intertwined; the two could not exist without their master, and they were as real at that moment as any. There was some fleeting, barely lingering hope in the back of Tomoyo's mind that maybe they would be psychically linked, that Eriol was alive after all. That would at least settle the hurt in her chest.
Spinel replied,"I can try; though I can't guarantee anything concrete."
Concentration laced over the small feline, buzzing from his large ears to the tips of his fur. The other two held their breaths, their posture taught, muscles clenched. After what seemed like too long, Spinel began to speak. "I can sense him–" Tomoyo visibly relaxed and Nakuru nearly whooped in sheer joy "– but barely. Master is weak, I can tell you that. His aura is very faint, as if something is blocking it. He's very far, miles, continents away, it seems."
"At least Master is still with us," Nakuru said, trying to force some cheer into his voice – and failing to do so.
An uncomfortable silence reigned then. All knew that even though Eriol was alive and kicking, it did not solve their problems in the least. In the end, they were still held captive, miles away from their leader and friend, short on time and ultimately doomed. What to do with the time remaining, then? 'We cannot just give up. There must be something we can do. Some way out.' Tomoyo didn't know how, but she would find a way; he had to. For the moment, however, all she wanted was to close her eyes and escape to dreamless sleep, where visions of a tortured Eriol did not haunt her. She wanted to escape the guilt and the pain.
"How about we rest on it and decide what to do from here later?" Spinel voiced her thoughts and she was grateful for that.
"Yes, sleep, they say, is the best cure for anything," 'even heartache' Tomoyo added mentally.
The three settled down in their respective places, each lost in their own thoughts. It was not long before Tomoyo heard soft snoring coming from the two guardians. Despite the emptiness that besieged her heart, the girl smiled faintly, glad that at least she wasn't alone, and let the soft breathing lull her to a dull sleep.
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"Everything isss ready, Master," the creature said into what appeared to be an empty basin. "Iss there anything Master wishess uss to do?"
"No, that is enough," said "Master" replied from out of nowhere, his deep voice bouncing off the walls and echoing throughout the room.
The boy had been rid off, "Master" was happy. He didn't even know why he despised the boy so much. Was it because of boy's connection to the girl? Or perhaps it had something to do with the magical power radiating off the boy. Maybe he was afraid of what that power could do to him. No! Master shook his head slightly with a grin. The boy would not be able to use that magic for very long. Oh, he knew that the boy was still alive, he had ordered it, after all, it wouldn't do to have murder of your hands. No, the boy was broken, weak, and soon, given the right repercussions, he would be no more.
"I want you to return as soon as possible, and bring the girl with you. I want no harm done to her. Understood?" Master commanded his waiting servant.
"Yes, Master! Anything to please Master!" The creature exclaimed eagerly. "What ssshall be done with her pestsss, Master?"
The voice hesitated, plunging the room in eery silence. "She will be distraught, hysterical even, if they were to leave her. Bring the rats as well, to console her, but make sure to keep a close reign on them. Make sure that she is comfortable. I do not want her mutilated, you hear? I will not tolerate failure." He snarled the last part out and an uneasy shiver run down the creature's spine.
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A soft whimper woke Tomoyo up from a light daze. She sat on her knees, wincing slightly when the bones cracked, to discover the two sleeping figures beside her. Spinel was curled at Nakuru's side, his tail twitching slightly and whiskers quivering with every breath he took. Nakuru was lying in a foetal position, one arm enveloping the sleeping feline, the other being used as a makeshift pillow. Tomoyo found the sight endearing, and for a brief moment, for just a fraction of a second, she forgot that she was held against her will, that one of her closest friends was wounded and miles away, and that she was stranded in an apparently very hostile world. There existed only here and now, this moment, only her and the two slumbering guardians.
The two were safe in each other's embrace, completely oblivious to the girl next to them. Once awake, she could not fall back to sleep and instead opted to just sit and listen for any alien noise. Tomoyo was afraid of the darkness and the things and thoughts it hindered, but she refused to wake the guardians – they deserved their rest. She understood their grief; after all, she, too, cared about Eriol. And it was she who was to blame for his plight.
She began to softly hum to herself to pass the time.
She stopped abruptly when she heard faint thudding noises in the hall. As quietly as a mouse, she moved to the door and pressed her ear to the heavy wood, holding her breath while doing so. Her fears had been confirmed when the noise got louder and considerably closer: someone – most likely the creature and his minions – was coming their way! Scrambling over to the two guardians, Tomoyo shook them awake urgently.
"Wa- wuz goin' on?" Nakuru mumbled sleepily before he was dragged upright and to the darkest corner.
The thud-thud grew louder and the three froze on their spot, breaths lodged in their throats. The moment was pierced by the sound of metal hinges grinding against each other, which seemed almost deafening to Tomoyo's ears. The door opened to grant access to the wane light and a quartet of hunched-over monsters.
"What? You're not pleased with our captivity and want to torture us instead?" Snarled an irate Nakuru.
The foremost of the four, whom Tomoyo recognized as the same creature that posed as their friend, pointed a calloused finger at her. "I wantss to speak with her."
"Not while there's still breath in my body, you won't!" Screeched Nakuru, taking a defensive position in front of Tomoyo.
"That could be arranged," the creature hissed back, nodding to his three followers, who appeared even more menacing than they originally did. The creatures advanced toward the trio, claws and glinting teeth at ready.
"No!" Tomoyo exclaimed before the situation could really turn ugly. "What is it that you want to speak to me about that you can't say here?"
The Doppelganger snarled at her, making her jump back in fight, before saying: "I wantss to speak to you only!" He gestured again to his thugs, commanding them to attack the three.
"Wait! If I agree to talk to you, will you promise to not hurt them?" Tomoyo pleaded with the creature, a note of desperation evident in her voice.
The creature huffed in return and motioned for his minions to withdraw. "Agreed."
Tomoyo followed him out of the chamber. Just before she exited the door, she heard Nakuru call out: "If that bastard does anything to you, holler and we'll come and save you! – Get away from us, you disgusting vermin!"
The girl glanced briefly at the two guardians, encouraged by their support – even though the chances of them succeeding were slim – and gave a tiny nod accompanied with a smile. She knew as well as they did that escape was almost impossible. It was the fact that they would gladly risk their lives for hers that made her feel better.
The creature remained silent, Tomoyo following behind him, too afraid to say anything in return. Tomoyo was angry and scared. She wanted to both run far away and inflict heavy bodily damage on the creature. She was wary of what it wanted with her, so she kept her mouth shut and tried to blend in with the shadows. Tomoyo wondered where exactly he was leading her and why, unpleasing scenarios wafting into her mind. Soon, her question was answered for her.
Stopping in front of a massive mahogany door, the monster fumbled for a rusty key on its person, finally coming up with one and opening the door. "Get in," it growled and pushed Tomoyo inside, coming in after her and closing the door.
Tomoyo looked up from the floor where she fell, a look of hurt crossing her features. She landed in an awkward position, somehow managing to take the blunt of the fall with her right hand. A numbing sting was beginning to spread through the said wrist. 'I must've broken it...' she thought.
"What do you want from me?" She demanded, a hurt note in her voice, rising slowly to her feet, making sure to use her uninjured hand for support.
The creature looked at her and snorted, a guttural sound, like stones grinding together, or something foul frothing, and turned its back to her. "I wantss nothing to do with yeh."
"That can't be true! Otherwise you would let us go!" She exclaimed, her voice sounding too shrill to her ears. Exhaustion, pain and sorrow must have been getting to her. The Doppelganger remained silent.
"Tell me, what you want from me?" Tomoyo could imagine herself sounding like a broken record, but at the moment she did not care. "Is it money? I have none. To torture me? I cannot imagine anything worse than you have already done to me. Do you want my body for your sick pleasure? You can have no part of me save my lifeless corpse!" She was getting hysterical now, she could tell. "My death? Is that it? You have already killed my spirit and crushed my heart; all that is left is my body!"
"Enough!" The monster hollered, rounding on her. His nostrils (if they were nostrils) were flaring and his large, glassy looked crazed. Tomoyo felt herself shrink on her spot, knees shaking and throat dry. She berated herself mentally; she felt that she left the danger zone and was now staring into an open, hungry maw of even larger danger. "I shall have none of yer whining, wench!"
Tomoyo backed against the wall, realizing too late that she was trapped. A choked sob escaped her lips before she could stifle it. She clutched her wrist closer to her chest, whimpering softly. The creature stared at her, pupils dilated, spittle dripping and craws clenching. Both stared at each other, Tomoyo too afraid to move or breathe, the creature very irate and at the point of almost throttling her. It was then that it remembered its Master's wishes, and a wide grin spread through its hideous visage.
"My, my," the low hiss returned to the creature's voice as he began anew, "what iss wrong?" It stepped closer to her, its wrinkly, hairy knees brushing against Tomoyo's skirts. It was so close; the girl could smell its fetid breath and see the individual hairs on its forehead. She gulped and tried to become invisible, closing her eyes. Fear gripped her stomach, and is if empathic, the ghoul asked, "Are ye frightened? Of me?"
One slimy, calloused hand came to brush her cheek and she visibly cringed at the feel of it against her skin. Tomoyo could not open her eyes for the fear of seeing the glint in the Doppelganger's glare, neither could she stop her heart from hammering painfully against her rib cage.
She felt something change in the touch on her cheek and risked stealing a peek. To her surprise, before her was not the hideous beast but the charming Goreneil with his sparkling eyes – though this time there was nothing tender in them – and friendly expression.
"'Tis better?" He asked almost teasingly before smoothing the hairs off her forehead. "Wat iss there the be afraide ofe? Meh, yer friende?"
Tomoyo was so confused. She was looking into the eyes of her friend; he would do her no harm. Or was that just grief and fear talking? Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she managed to say, "If you are truly my friend, then let me go."
A smirk crossed the man's features, though it appeared to Tomoyo a grotesque contortion of a leer. "Ah cannote doo that, girlie. Wut would ye doo all alone out there? Yeh are mi guest, Ah hafe tu be considerate of yer... needs."
Something in his voice struck a chord within her, and she fought to regain control on her senses, trying to calm the pulsing pain in her heart and head. "Why?" She breathed out the word. It was strained and barely audible.
"Ah'm trying ter help ye, lass. Yer tired an' sicke. Yer need reste and...."
"No! Get away from me, you monster!"
"Monster? Whom are you calling a monster?"
Startled, Tomoyo looked up and nearly broke down in tears. Before her was Eriol, unscathed and seeming his effervescent self, grinning at her teasingly. Everything that happened seemed like a bad dream, and now she finally awoke to reality. The hand on her cheek was warm and soft, not callous and hairy and his eyes were the same humble sapphire pools.
"Oh, Eriol-kun!" She threw her uninjured arm around him, holding on to him tightly, muffled sobs escaping her lips. She clung to him, as if to a lifeline, savouring his protective embrace, afraid to let go lest he disappear again.
"Shh," he cooed, caressing her back in a soothing fashion. "What had upset you so, dear?"
"Oh, it was horrible! We were captured, and then you were hurt. Oh, Eriol! I thought you died. You seemed so lifeless, I swear I could see death upon you. And then they took you away and I was all alone...."
"Is that all?" He whispered softly, stoking her hair. "Just a silly nightmare?"
Tomoyo could barely manage a half-hearted nod against his chest. She was safe. In Eriol's embrace, she was protected, impenetrable. From here, everything that she thought and did seemed almost ridiculous. If she wasn't in so much pain, she would have laughed. But her head was swimming, and she felt weak. It was only Eriol's hand on her back that kept her upright.
"It's all right. I'm here; I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered into her hair, a smile in his voice. "Come, lie down. You're sick and need rest."
Tomoyo looked up from where her head was nestled in his chest. She reached out an unsteady hand to his face, brushing against his cheek softly. His eyes were the same, so was the soft smile on his lips. So why did this feel so wrong, she wondered. The hand on her back became more urgent, pushing her to the bed not far off.
"Eriol?" She breathed out, still looking into his eyes.
"Shh, darling. It's me. I'm here."
Despite his soothing words, the nervous ball in her stomach refused to abate. A thought stuck her. If everything that happened was a dream, then why was her wrist hurting? Why was she out of bed and in regular clothes? Why was Eriol in the same room as her?
"Why are you here?" She asked softly while being guided underneath the cold comforters.
"I heard you calling from my room," he answered, pulling the blanket over her.
'But, his room is all the way across the hall,' Tomoyo thought, frightened. This did not seem right. It was fake, traitorous. She was sleepy, dizzy, but the light pat on her knee through the blankets was making her feel edgy.
"You are not him, are you?" She whispered, weak and drowsy. "You are not Eriol."
Eriol blanched and for a moment Tomoyo thought she had offended him. Then his face began to shift before her eyes. She was no longer looking into Eriol's warm sapphire gaze, but large, hideous eyes. A wicked grin and sharp teeth replaced the teasing smile. Tomoyo had been fooled by the creature once more. She felt bitterness settle in her stomach, along with anger and hatred. She could do nothing, however, as she was overcome with almost feverish sleepiness. 'What is wrong with me?' she thought. She could not remember feeling this sick a couple of moments ago.
"Why are you doing this to me?" She managed meekly, her voice sounding too weak to her ears. This last hallucination had been too much for her, too painful to bear. There were tears in her eyes but she couldn't find the strength to wipe them away. 'I'm sorry I broke my promise to you, Eriol,' she thought.
Perhaps it was the desperation in her voice or the fear in her eyes, but the creature replied, "Becaussse I have no choice. I have to."
It seemed like a century later that Tomoyo was seeing the Doppelganger's retreating form. His movements seemed slow, strained, but that could have been the dizziness spell playing with her senses. For a second there, she could almost swear she heard pity and sorrow in the monster's reply.
"Thiss iss where ye'll be staying from now on." Was the last thing she heard before the door was closed with a 'thud' and a mechanical click of the lock. Tomoyo stared into the darkness of the room for a while – it might have been minutes or seconds, she could not tell– before tiredness conquered over her. 'Where are you, Eriol?' was her last conscious thought.
(tbc)
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Sorry for the *kofflongkoff* delay. I had to sort out a lot of plot problems. Also, I had quite a large author's block concerning this fic. Gomen nasai!! (not that there is anybody who would actually mind, considering that there is no one reading...)