A/N: I've got to thank people! Thank you to Clow'd9, Lady Kazune Kikenshi, Pandora, Lady Zephyros, TamChronin, and Kawaii-Tenshi! You guys absolutely kick ass! This is the chapter, where the confrontation begins. I *was not*, repeat, WAS NOT, going to write this with a meeting. My original plan had been for Nickoli and Tristan to disappear without a trace, but after some goading from certain other author (CoughCough~Clow'd9~ Cough), I figured I should write one. After all, Clow isn't going to have another chance at a battle with Tristan. If some things later in the story clash, please point them out, because the next two chapters weren't originally there. So, enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I own Nikki, Tristan, the house they live in, Nia and her numerous creations, and everything else that doesn't already belong to CLAMP. Arigatou!
Chapter 12: The House By The SeaNia stopped and said quickly, "Have you seen a man, about a foot taller than I, with dirty blond hair that was-"
"Nope, I 'aven't seen 'im."
That was how many of Nia and Yue's conversations with strangers went. They had searched for three weeks, describing Nickoli and/or Tristan, asking everyone they met for information and going farther away from the mansion than they originally expected to. Taverns, towns, cities, farms, everywhere they looked and no evidence was found. Days had stretched into weeks with no change, and not even the smallest sign from either magician or angel. Keroberos searched all the woodland areas, forests and such, with no results. Eventually the three wearily returned to Clow's home, a little over a month after Nickoli's initial disappearance.
The sorcerer had waited and prepared the spell to be done upon their return, needing even the slightest amount of added strength from his ailing friend. The sun lion and moon angel could not be present, for it would disrupt the flow of the magic in the room, though Clow worried over how shut off Yue was acting. Nia and Clow settled into Clow's library, the large one he preferred to perform magic and incantations in. While Clow had been flourishing under the careful preparation of the spell, focusing his energies and actually causing them to grow, Nia had not been so fortunate. She seemed to be wilting and loosing power, never having really recovered from her brother's vicious attack. But she still wanted to help with the spell, and if she gave out Clow could easily pick up the slack.
They sat in deep concentration, no words passing between them. Incensed burned in the middle of the small circle they sat in together. There was a map of Europe placed next to the incense, and after a while it began to glow. Clow and Nia opened their eyes to watch the progress of the small lights hovering above the map. Abruptly, they glowed stronger, but the color turned to black. Nia gasped as she recognized the magic that was filling the room.
"Tristan!" She shouted. The black lights dove in upon one area, close to the seacoast in Italy. Nia and Clow lost consciousness as someone else commandeered their minds for a minute.
A deep, sonorous voice sounded in their minds. (__++ Ah, Clow Reed. I never expected her to go to you for assistance. She probably would have run to mother, but wait, mother's temporarily....no, permanently disposed of. If you're trying to find me, give up. It's useless, and you know it Mr. Reed. Hmm, you're doing this for someone else's sake, aren't you? No matter. You cannot possibly win mastery over me, despite how powerful you are, or claim to be.
(__++ I do not wish to engage you or anyone in battle, I simply want to live outside that wretched box my dear, sweet sister locked me in. I kidnapped my creation because Nia would never have returned him to me, even though he's mine by right. But he's stubborn! I returned his memories, the real ones, to him. They took time to adjust to, and now he's doing a typical thing of a young person. Fighting authority. I find that rebelliousness a good trait, just not directed towards me. Speaking of fighting, he trained and learned even more techniques against your will, didn't he Nia? Well, that's *MY* guardian... I should let you get back to your futile and fruitless little search.++__)
Clow sat up immediately, but Nia was slower and he moved across the space between them to help her. Her magic had dwindled so much that she could barely pull herself into consciousness. As soon as she did, the tears began again. The sorcerer assisted Nia into standing, and also helped to seat her on a comfortable chair, briefly embracing her before walking out of the room to where his guardians were waiting for news.
Their master was about to tell them what the other magic user had thought impossible. While Tristan had been speaking to them, he'd underestimated Clow's powers. The magician had been able to find the general area the dark mage was in.
"Yue, Keroberos," he began, "I did find where he is." Yue's eyes lit up despite his efforts to seem unaffected. Clow held up a hand, "I'm not sure of the definite place, but the region I know of. It's in Italy, along the coast. There's a simple transportation spell that would only take me a day to prepare, and it would not use much of my energy. I think Nia should not accompany us. She's been far too weakened by the ordeal she endured." He turned, heading to check on the woman, but calling over his shoulder, "Be prepared. We've no idea what we will face." The two guardians went their separate ways, not without Kero giving his brother a worried look. Once the moon guardian was gone, the sun lion padded into the library.
Clow was explaining the information he'd obtained to Nia, as well as his plan. Her tears were barely dry, eyes still red and puffy. At first she argue vehemently about going, but Clow simply left no room for argument. "You will stay, whether by choice or force," he warned. Eventually, she ceded, wearily retreating to the room she was given. Keroberos stared at his master, who had slumped in his red leather chair, hand braced on his forehead and so blocking his face.
Eventually the creation spoke. "Are you sure it's a good idea to do this?" Clow moved his hand and glanced up, eyes betraying an exhaustion that wasn't completely physical. Kero went on, "What we find there will in all likeliness be Nickoli's remains. And this mage, you say he's that powerful? We might have quite a hard time with him... And what about Yue, who's already distancing himself from us? If Nickoli is dead, or we can't help him, how do you think my brother will feel? Are you sure he can deal with this? Should he even come?"
Clow stood suddenly and began pacing with such vigor that it astounded the lion. "Don't you think I've considered all this? This, inevitably, is my fault when you trace it to the roots. I was the one who introduced the two, and then I ignored Nia when she and Nickoli needed my assistance the most. Yue must come, because we'll need all the help we can get. I must follow Tristan, because he's such a huge threat that I am the only one who could possibly stop him! Anyone else would be immediately killed, and we cannot leave him to his own devices for too long. And most of all, Yue deserves closure. He can't live the rest of eternity never knowing if there was a chance or not! Yue is strong; whatever comes, whether Nickoli be dead or damaged beyond repair, he will cope with it better than he would the constant uncertainty that would have plagued him all his long life if he never even tried!"
A quiet sound by the door drew both sets of impassioned eyes belonging to the debaters, each fighting for their beloved moon angel, each trying to impose what they thought was best. The quiet sound was Yue shifting. He walked into the room, utter silence reigning momentarily, until he reached the center of the large expanse, standing between his creator and his brother. He turned, looked long and hard at Keroberos, turned to Clow, hugged and then kissed the shocked mage on the cheek. The dark haired man seemed pleasantly surprised as Yue whispered, "Thank you." As rapidly as he was there, the silver haired being was gone, off to deal with his own thoughts.
"I think Yue made his own decision," the lion said softly, with resign. He knew, somehow, deep inside himself, that no good would come of this venture. Ambling out of the chamber, he left Clow alone. And that's how everyone in the house spent his or her evening: Alone.
+ + + + + + + + + + +
Nia knew she had to give up, and it weighed heavily on her mind. Her home needed repairs, some of her creations got hurt in the battle and she hadn't gone to them yet, though it had been a month. She also knew it was best to leave things in Clow's hands. The next day, the woman left for her own home, extracting a promise for any good news from her friend. Clow marveled at how different her aura was from her brother's when the information that they were really related finally sunk in. During that transmission, he could feel the dark strength of Tristan's magic, which was in truth so similar to his own. It almost explained the strange similarities between Nickoli and Yue, they could be a result of the similarities in the two opposing magician's magic. But even now Clow could sense those similarities dwindling. He didn't express it, but the mage had a strong feeling that Nickoli was not dead, something he sensed discreetly through the dark mage's power. If you could touch magic, Nia's would be thin and airy, light and easy to shake off, but welcome like a soft breeze. Tristan's was thick, deceptively warming you outside while it froze you on the inside all at the same time. It felt dark, all consuming, like a substance you could sink into forever and drown in happily. Somehow it was tempting, just to let that power cover you, possess you...
The spell was done almost as soon as they were sure Nia was far enough away. Clow Reed and his two greatest creations found themselves in Italy before sunrise twenty-four hours after they originally concocted the plan. Clow, of course, had all his cards with him. Kero and Yue had prepared as much as possible on such short notice. They were all ready for any type of trap that would await them. What they weren't ready for was what they actually found on the hills by the crashing sea.
There were small islands off in the distance, dim shadows over the pale gray expanse of water, fog settling comfortably over it. The drizzle didn't bother them, but the silence of everything except the sea unnerved them. There was no wind, no animal life, no plant life other than some coarse grass, and reeds closer to the water, and the usual crowing of birds by the ocean was not to be heard. Clow began walking towards a nearby rise, and his guardians followed silently behind. Kero did not like this place because of its lack of sunlight. If a world without sunlight or natural darkness ever existed, they had stumbled their ways into it. The area bothered Yue as well because, as far as his amazing senses and observational skills could tell, there wasn't a living thing beside themselves within the radius of a few miles.
"There!" Clow announced at the top of the hill. Through the fog they could see a few lights on in a home, and an amazingly powerful aura could be felt in the building, even from their distance. The two guardians called forth their wings, and Clow used Fly so they could all move swiftly. There was no discussion as to what they would do once they reached the building. It was understood that times like this called for the Guardian/Master relationship to come to the fore, and until Clow had orders his guardians would follow him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"... They're here."
"I know."
"They'll kill you."
"Ha! Of course they will."
"... You'll be dead. I'll go home, and laugh over your rotting corpse." (A pause) "Aren't you going to do anything about them?"
"Why should I?"
"......"
"Well?" (A pause) "Why don't you tell me, my beautiful angel, why I should care if they are trying to enter my house? They won't be able to. If they do, you'll be privileged enough to watch them die."
"... They will kill you."
"You're so adorable when you're being a stubborn, moronic twit."
"And if they don't, I will."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The trio approached the house, only realizing what a massive structure it was once they neared it. The house by itself was gigantic enough to be considered a monstrosity, but there were porches, verandas, gardens, and fountains surrounding the area. One wing stretched out towards a precipice, a jagged outcropping of rocks somehow braced over the sounding sea. It was such a grand old house that on a happier occasion it would make Clow jealous, but what would be beautiful was not. The estate was dilapidated, falling apart and seemingly abandoned. The lights they'd seen from outside were not visible any longer, and Kero began doubting they'd come to the right place.
"Master, are you sure there is someone living in here?" Yue voiced the question they were all wondering. Clow did not answer. Instead, he started searching for a door. The windows were blocked, some with a stone or plaster, others bricked, and there was no sign of a single opening to enter through.
The magician asked the Dash card to run swiftly around as much of the villa's perimeter as it could, and come back to tell them of any possible access routes. As soon as the card returned, which was rather quickly, especially for so large a house, it disclosed that it could locate to possible entryways other than the blocked windows. The Dash communicated this information to Clow through the special understanding for his creations that the Master of the Cards had developed with much time and practice.
Kero paced, unnerved. "We're here, in this odd place, not really even knowing what we're trying to do." Yue glared at the lion, but Kero continued to speak. "We saw lights in the house before, now there are none. There are blocked windows, but not a door to speak of. So, we're pretty sure he's in there, but the question is, how did he get in there? And how do we?"
Yue folded his arms across his chest, looking up at the gray clouds in the sky before saying softly, "There's obviously a spell at work here. We need to discover which though-"
"No," Clow interrupted in a deadpan tone, "No we don't."
Kero scoffed, "Master, what exactly do you plan to-" Suddenly the Through card was released, and an instant later there was a large hole in the wall before them. Kero did the closest thing to a shrug a lion could manage while standing. "Or you could do that."
Yue looked almost disdainful. "Subtle," he mumbled. Clow really didn't seem to care as they entered.
"If he doesn't already know we're here, we must have the wrong house," the dark haired man observed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"They got in."
"Yes, I'm not an idiot, I can see the gaping hole."
"......"
"Nothing else to say, oh Master of the Obvious?"
"... You're going to die."
"If you keep talking like that YOU'LL WISH YOU WERE DEAD!!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Clow, Yue and Keroberos all stood in the center of what seemed to be the large front hall or foyer. It was as gigantic as a lobby in a hotel, with an extremely high ceiling and broken chandeliers. The space would have been glorious, if it wasn't in such disrepair. Clow gazed around in confusion, noticing that once again there were no doors, and where he had seen windows from outside, there were none.
"What's wrong? Shouldn't we be moving on?" Yue sounded as confused as his master looked.
"I would," Clow replied slowly, "But something isn't right about this place. Keroberos, tell me what you saw of this building from a distance. You've the best eyesight of the three of us."
The lion began to share Clow's expression as he recalled, "It looked very large, as big as an old manor."
"Did it look as decrepit?"
"... No. It did not." Kero and Yue then understood what their master was referring to.
Yue supplied, "So, this is an illusion. Shall we dispel it?"
"Of course," the mage said, pulling out and summoning the Illusion Card.
Immediately, the card began working to counteract the deception set upon their surroundings. The card at first was making no headway, forcing Clow to begin pouring his magic directly into the spirit. The images of objects around them began to shift and swirl, dizzying the three. Even still, Clow kept focus on helping his card defeat the spell put on the house. //I'm doing this for Yue,// he thought. //I started this whole mess, and because of my lack of caution, Yue is suffering. I'll make this as right as I possibly can, and I'll kill Tristan. If anyone holds just as much fault as I, it's that spineless bastard. He's ruined lives, and ended many, and I cannot allow him to cause any more damage to this world. Whatever comes, I must do this. If not for the good of everyone, then for a selfish reason: Yue.//
As their setting continued to alter, colors began to bleed together and new shapes emerged from the chaos, like watching the world's creation all over again. Clow swooned on his feet as his unused magical energy backlashed onto him, emanating off his card in waves. The job was done; the room had changed. In fact, the whole house had changed, as had the general atmosphere. The Illusion returned to card form, and the magician straightened. Clow gazed around in wonder, along with his guardians.
Now seeing the mansion in its full glory, Clow was the slightest bit jealous. Out of every house he'd ever seen, his had always been ranked superior. But the pure unique luxury of this place outweighed even his own. The entire room was decorated in crystal and gold, shining and spotlessly clean. The crystal chandeliers were in full working order, the stone floor was polished golden and white, warm yellow light illuminated every corner, making the whole area seem open and welcoming but no less royal. Wide, door less entryways led to the next room, and there were two huge double doors behind them that were open. The chamber left the whole group in awe.
"Well, at least he has taste," Kero whispered with a low whistle.
The trio began walking slowly towards the opening to the next room. They walked slowly, fearing attack and still partially entranced by their surroundings. Yue felt that the old illusion of a run down manor much more fit his expectations than this lavishly decorated home, fit for a king. Clow shared the view, and somehow the suddenly nicer atmosphere unnerved him even further.
"This isn't good," the mage proclaimed. His creations did not argue. Yue noticed that there was a mural painted on the ceiling, in the style of the Italians. Florid, rambunctious nymphs, flew across a dark sky of glowing stars with no moon or earth in sight. The colors were so rich, the young ladies' garments of such varied shades as to make one dizzy. It vaguely came to the moon guardian's mind that had this been any more welcoming place, he would have been overjoyed to see such an outstanding work painted onto the ceiling above him. He probably would have laid upon the floor and stared up at it, using his preternatural eyesight to pick out every little detail, search for any out of place brush strokes, imagine what he would have done different and if any colors would have been better in selected areas. Without even consciously realizing it, Yue already knew one change he would have loved to make; to add a moon among all those charming nymphs and stars. He felt permanently cast out of that pleasure-filled world of an endless night with tireless playing, simply because his namesake was absent from the image.
Noticing he had fallen behind, Yue strode forward on silent feet to walk with his brother and Master.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"They've even broken your guise on the house. The doors are uncovered, and they'll easily be able to find us now."
"......"
"Say something."
"......"
"Say something, God-fucking-damn it!! Say ANYTHING, you damn asshole, or I'll rip out your throat!"
"... One of the good guys would never say something like that."
"Who said I'm a good guy?"
"Ah ha! So then you admit it?"
"... I never denied it."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The wide, spacious corridors were darker than the front lobby, but no less beautiful. But within this beauty, both Clow and his creations could sense something watching. Eyes seemed to follow their movements, and those eyes were answering to a higher, darker power. At one point, Keroberos whirled around, convinced something was behind him, only to find an empty passage. The feeling of being observed, like an insect under glass, was making Clow's skin crawl. He also didn't like the sudden inferiority he had, the powerlessness that began permeating his mind from an unknown source.
The corridors steadily got dimmer and dimmer as they moved on, using the sixth-sense of magic to track the powerful life force in the house. It was leading them perpetually inward, toward the heart of the huge house, farther away from exits and windows. There were lights mounted along the top of the wall, old oil lamps, but as the trio moved on, they noticed that the lamps were weaker, and some had gone out all together. Suddenly, as they rounded a corner, everything around them went pitch black.
For long moments the room felt like it was spinning, and the lion, angel, and mage fought just to keep to their feet and fight down disorientation. Yue placed a hand against the wall, and the solid surface disappeared beneath his hand. He stumbled a bit, but kept his balance and stopped moving. Another bout of dizziness overtook him, but this time it was different. With the loss of his sight, Yue's other senses automatically became drastically improved, including his ability to sense auras. Regularly, the guardian could only vaguely sense magic auras, like if the person had power and if so approximately how much. But now, he could see actual size and even the specific color, unique to that person. This type of faintness was summoned by the fact that, in his mind, he could see the general layout of the house, and near the exact center were two overpowering auras.
The first was most powerful, pitch black and absolutely gigantic. It was unusual for someone's aura to stretch more than a few feet away from them; the largest Yue had ever viewed or heard recorded was Clow's, which stretched an amazing five feet away from him without effort. And every day, it was growing ever so slightly, like a child's height. Clow was still learning and creating more magic, therefore his aura would continued to grow. But this presence filled *the entire house*, and it both astounded and frightened the moon guardian. Yue knew now, for certain, that Clow could not truly face this foe and win head on. He'd either need a very brilliant strategy, or a miracle.
The second person was familiar. Very familiar. Painfully familiar. An aura he had known just about as close as he knew his own, but now it was different. What used to be a comforting, purple-red, was slowly changing. Yue knew it was Nickoli, but yet he was becoming someone else. A change in the color of one's aura meant a change in the things that build that person's identity. He could see the thick, strong black line tying Nickoli's aura to the other, who could only be Tristan. A magical tie was not good either, and one so noticeable and unbreakable was very rare. The ties from Clow to Yue and Clow to Kero were nearly unperceivable, so to see one that bound the two together strongly enough to create a dependence, both from creation to master and vice versa, made the silver haired angel gasp. The blackness of the larger aura was seeping into his creations', and turning the color from that odd shade between red and purple into a deep crimson. Yue could see the erratic splotches, marks that would cause psychological problems until one color or the other triumphed. Once one did, there would probably be no going back. Yue nearly fell to his knees when he felt Clow's presence next to him, holding him.
Sound seemed to have shut off in the moon guardian's mind, and slowly the vibrations came back into focus. The first thing he heard was Clow's concerned voice, "Yue! Are you all right? What's wrong?" He sounded almost frantic, and the overflow of emotion puzzled him. But Yue could feel the disapproval coming off Keroberos in subtle waves, surprisingly not directed towards his brother, but instead their master.
Yue stood straight and answered, "I'm sorry. Were you saying something?"
Clow replied from the dark, suspiciously, "Are you sure you're well? What made you act like that?"
"I'm fine," the angel answered, slightly irritated. "Why, what was I acting like?"
Kero snorted. "We were just trying to get you to talk, and it felt like for the longest time you were unconscious. You just wouldn't answer, but then I knew you were awake. Like leaving the lights on, but no one was home for a few minutes."
Yue answered his brother almost sheepishly. "I apologize. Just lost in my thoughts. What were you saying, Master?"
Clow hesitated, then answered, "I just said, at first, that I should use the Light Card to make our way through here."
"Good idea," Yue replied.
Clow swiftly summoned the card to them, and she illuminated the entire area like there was an invisible sun hidden somewhere. None could pinpoint exactly where she was making the light originate from, but it was there, good and pure. The three easily realized that the hallway had shifted while they couldn't see, and there were now three passages branching off directly in front of them. Their ability to sense auras were gone almost completely, and though they could feel Tristan in the house, they could no longer direct themselves on where to go from his position. They were on their own.
Above the first hallway was a sign, written as a riddle. When Clow first looked closely at it, he realized that it was carved into stone in French, which he had very little knowledge of, only some very basic words, of which few were used. Before their eyes though, the lettering shifted into English characters. The riddle read: "Through the Seventh Circle of Fire must ye past to reach the Throne of the Master. The most puzzling question of all is this: Which knows more, the Heart or the Mind? Death awaits mistakes."
Clow and Yue exchanged looks. This riddle made no sense, and though both normally excelled in matters that called for deep or abstract thinking. Clow began talking aloud, "Nia mentioned to me that Tristan was obsessed with the Catholic religion. He saw himself as a sort of outlet of Satan, given power by God but defying him. There was something in that and many other religions about seven circles in hell. Perhaps that's what the riddle refers to?"
"Maybe," Yue replied, and after some thought answered more firmly. "In all likeliness, yes. Hell was always identified by fire as well, so it makes sense. The throne of the master is obviously where Tristan himself is. So, it's saying we must go through trials, hell, to reach Tristan."
"That sounds correct and probable enough to me, but what about the second part?" Clow glanced down each corridor carefully, while repeating the second half of the riddle, "The most puzzling question of all... Which knows more, the heart or the mind? I think we all know what the last sentence means."
Kero growled, "It means that if we mess up, we're done for. But we don't even know what we have to do!"
Yue forcibly shut his brother's mouth. "We must choose a hallway, apparently."
"But is that all there is to it?" Clow asked. This gave the guardians pause, Yue releasing his hold on Keroberos who remained silent anyway, trying earnestly now to help out. The mage continued, "Which knows more, the heart or the mind? I've a feeling there will be a decision one of us if forced to make, in order for us to find the correct path. shall we choose a direction? And be wary, there will most certainly be traps along the way."
"Of course, Master," both guardians answered automatically. Kero was the one to randomly pick the hallway the would try, choosing the one farthest to their left, which turned sharply away from the other corridors a few feet in. The three walked in, Clow leading, Kero walking next to his brother.