Chapter 8: Porcelain

The forest seemed boundless. No matter which direction Mokona led them in, everything had begun to look the same and they really weren't getting anywhere anymore. Kurogane had quickly grown frustrated and inpatient. His temper had never been one of his stronger points.

" Manjyu," he growled. " This had better not be a wild goose chase."

Mokona made an adorable little 'meep' as it popped its head out of Kurogane's shirt.

" No, I definitely sense him," it said. " But we still have a little ways to go."

Kurogane growled in frustration and peered behind him. It was obvious that Syaoran was getting tired. Sakura had fallen asleep several hundred trees before and Syaoran had simply picked her up and begun carrying her in his arms. This could only last so long though, and Kurogane could see that Syaoran was running just a bit slower and that he looked a little out of breath. Thus, against his will, Kurogane halted him and suggested that they take a small breather.

" If we go into battle you'll be useless if you're too tired," he said roughly.

Syaoran didn't argue. He laid Sakura down gently against a tree trunk and then took a minute to catch his breath. Kurogane peered over as Syaoran carefully watched his princess. It was as though the boy was trying to will her awake with his eyes alone. Kurogane had begun to believe that she really was the only thing on Syaoran's mind.

Kurogane bitterly pulled Mokona out of his clothes by the ears and dropped it on the ground. Mokona cried just a little, but after a stern glare from Kurogane it bounced away, back to Syaoran and Sakura.

While they stood there, anything could have been happening to Fai. Kurogane hated waiting and he almost regretted telling them they could rest. They should still be moving onward! Unfortunately, the damage has been done and now he would simply need to wait.

He refused to make himself vulnerable and sit though. Anything could come by at any moment and he wanted to be prepared. After all, the monster they fought the other day, the Tier, lurked in these woods. They had lost before, and Kurogane did not want to loose again.

Just as Kurogane remembered that battle, he heard a soft rustling of leaves behind him. Quickly he swiveled around and drew his sword, waiting for whatever it was to show itself. The action startled Syaoran, who hadn't heard a thing.

" What is it?" he asked, but Kurogane hushed him.

It was several moments before anything emerged from the brush. When it crawled its way out though, it left Kurogane dumbfounded. It was a creature that simply looked too cute to be menacing at all. The creature was just barely bigger than Mokona and it didn't even come up to Kurogane's knees. It was all black and seemed to be almost a cross between a dog and a very tiny bear. It 'yipped' cutely at Kurogane, making him twitch slightly.

Syaoran showed up behind Kurogane and peered around him to see this creaturethis disgustingly adorable creature Before either of them could say anything though, it scampered over to where Sakura was laying asleep and pounced lightly on her.

" Ah, Sakura-hime!" Syaoran called out, but it was too late.

The creature was already licking her face. It wasn't long before she coughed and woke up, giggling. Kurogane and Syaoran ran over to her, just incase it changed its mind and decided she would make a good snack.

" Aw," she cooed. " You're so cute."

She scooped up the tiny creature into her arms and it 'yipped' again, making itself comfortable. Mokona scurried up onto her as well, balancing itself on top of her head.

Syaoran and Kurogane looked at each other, each realizing the same thing at once. This creature looked almost exactly like a much less menacing version of the Tier. Their thoughts were confirmed when they saw the markings on its front legs. They were unmistakably sword marks and Syaoran and Kurogane were the only ones that they had seen in the entire village of Nebanos carrying such weapons.

" It's so tiny," Kurogane said. " Does it just grow bigger when it feels like it?"

" I don't know," Syaoran said, slightly worried. " I'm not sure you should be holding it though, Sakura-hime…"

Sakura merely giggled, petting it softly.

" No, I can tell," she said. " He doesn't want to hurt us."

Given how many times Sakura has been able to sense these sorts of things, no one questioned her judgment. Kurogane wasn't sure he understood it completely himself, but then again, he really only had battle senses anyway. He didn't know how trees or tornadoes or Tiers were feeling inside, and to be perfectly honest, he didn't care.

" I suppose that rules out the Tier having Sakura-hime's feather," Syaoran said. " Mokona would have said something by now."

Kurogane nodded. He had to admit that he hadn't really been thinking about Sakura's feather or where it was at all. Kurogane had other concerns, ones that he deemed just a little more important. As much as he liked the kid, Syaoran had his mission and he had his.

" We should get going," Kurogane said abruptly. He had never once been known for his patience.

Syaoran didn't question him, but Sakura gave him a curious look. After all, they had only sat for a minute or two. Her thoughts on that never left her throat though.

" Ah…can we take him with us?" she asked instead, motioning towards the animal squirming in her arms. " He's been hurt."

Sakura had her own sweet, unknowing way of guilting Syaoran and Kurogane. They certainly couldn't argue with her, because they had been the ones to slash at the Tier in the first place. Those wide eyes of hers begged and pleaded with them without uttering a word.

" Okay," Syaoran said, giving in completely.

Kurogane twitched. His princess, Tomoyo, was manipulative in the exact same way. She'd ask for something to be done, and then she'd bat her long eyelashes and lo and behold she'd have twenty-something servants surrounding her. Occasionally, Kurogane himself would be conned into fetching something for her highness.

Needless to say, Kurogane didn't argue. There was no time to argue anyway. Without another word, he led the group off again, further into the woods, turning whenever Mokona directed him to. They had wasted enough time. Kurogane needed to find Fai and he needed to find him now.

Earlier that day, Kurogane had thought he heard something. It was a foreign sound, something that he had hoped to never hear. It was so unusual that he wondered if he had imagined it out of fear. He had not though, because he heard animals stir and run away at the noise.

It has been a blood-curdling scream. Kurogane had heard enough of them to know, but this time he knew exactly who it had belonged to. After they spent a good amount of time searching, they had only found a small clearing. It was an empty, ghostly spot with only a bed of ruffled leaves left behind. Not a drop of blood was found anywhere.

Kurogane was painfully aware that the situation was dire. After hearing that awful scream, it was entirely possible that they might only find his mangled body. Kurogane could see it clearly in his mind and it twisted the knot in him even tighter.

Up ahead Kurogane saw that their path led into a large field. He put his arm out to one side, signaling that Syaoran and Sakura should stop.

" You don't run right into an open field," he said. " That's liking asking someone to kill you."

Syaoran nodded, absorbing that for future reference. Kurogane liked that he never had to tell him anything more than once. Infact, he was more obedient than some of the people Tomoyo-hime had forced him to work with.

" What do we do then?" Syaoran asked.

" We go slowly," Kurogane said. " We keep our eyes and ears open for anyone who might come at us. If and when they do, we stand our ground and fight."

" Right," Syaoran nodded.

Kurogane could feel the wind picking up. He looked up through the trees to see storm clouds brewing above them. He glared at nothing in particular, furious that it would be raining soon.

Carefully, Kurogane led them through the last little patch of forest. Nothing could have prepared him for what was on the other side though. As he pushed aside the last branch, he stopped.

The strong wind was blowing the tall grass around fiercely. What caught Kurogane's attention though, were the figures several yards away. Ashura's long hair whipped around in the wind. He was holding Fai's head and their mouths were intertwined in a fit of passionate romance. The thing that struck Kurogane as the strangest though was the way Fai's long arms were wrapped tenderly around Ashura.

For once, Kurogane was speechless. It hurt to watch, and yet he couldn't take his eyes away. If he was weaker and more feeble, perhaps he would have allowed his knees to shake, but Kurogane was too strong to crumble at something like this.

" Fai-san," Syaoran said softly.

Kurogane had almost forgotten that the two children were there. It was hard to ignore Mokona though, seeing as the manjyu was squirming in his shirt. Mokona carefully poked its head through the top, staring at Kurogane carefully.

" Kuro-bun," it said frowning out of worry. " Are you okay?"

He didn't have a comeback at first, because he honestly wasn't sure if he was okay. He found himself wondering again what this feeling was. It was a different feeling though, a sickening, weak feeling.

" Kurogane-san?" Syaoran said, once he realized that Kurogane hadn't said anything.

Kurogane's face twisted into an angry snarl, causing Syaoran to grab Sakura and take a few steps back. Mokona jumped away from Kurogane as well and the Tier scampered out of Sakura's arms. Kurogane didn't understand; if Fai hated Ashura so much, why was he out there making out with the damn guy? Kurogane couldn't help but be angry. They had run around the woods for at least a few hours searching for him, and they find him messing around out in a field. He was also just a little annoyed because he had genuinely worried about him, and there he was, having the time of his life with his supposed nemesis. Of course, Kurogane would never again admit that he had been worried.

This is, of course, also why Kurogane completely ignored his own words of caution and charged out into the field. He ignored Syaoran and Sakura's cries for him to turn around as well. Kurogane was stubborn though, and he had always been. Nothing would make him turn around.

" Oi!" He shouted, trying to get their attention. " What the hell do you think you're doing?"

As he approached, he watched Ashura pull away from Fai and glance over at him. He seemed mildly annoyed at the disruption, but Kurogane could care less.

" Kurogane," he said simply. " I was wondering when you would arrive."

" Don't talk as though you know me," Kurogane growled.

Ashura laughed at that, a dark laugh that seemed to echo against the dark clouds above.

" Fai says you go by other names," he said. " Like Kuro-rin and Kuro-pon and such."

" I do not!" Kurogane shouted.

How dare that wizard tell Ashura things like that? It made Kurogane wonder what other secrets the two of them shared. Kurogane looked up at Fai, as though he expected some sort of answer to his unspoken question. That answer never came though, and Kurogane eased his angry pose.

Fai was pale as a ghost and his eyes were empty. He was like a porcelain doll, staring out at Kurogane without really seeing him. Infact, it was as though he were looking through him and out to the other side, like he was a piece of glass. Fai's face was expressionless.

Something wasn't right.

It was only then that Kurogane noticed the glistening jewel on Fai's forehead. It was obvious that it had come from Ashura's own set and it stood out against Fai's fair skin. His arms fell quietly to his sides when Ashura pulled away. Fai seemed to only be a shell of the person Kurogane knew.

Something really wasn't right.

" You bastard," Kurogane said, turning back to Ashura. " What did you do to him?"

" I didn't do anything," said Ashura. " I merely made him return to his senses."

Kurogane's hands had become fists and his anger surged. He knew that Ashura had to have done something to Fai. He wasn't normally like this. Fai had never been so empty and hollow. It was though he had died and his ghost was all that remained.

" What did you do to him?" Kurogane asked again, moving towards Ashura. At this point, it didn't matter if he had Souhi with him. Kurogane was ready to tear this man apart with his bare hands for all that he'd done.

Ashura made no moves to get out of the way. Instead, he only smiled that sickening smile and stood perfectly still.

" What the hell did you do to him?" Kurogane growled, pushing up his sleeve.

Before Kurogane could even throw a punch though, Fai appeared before him. Kurogane wasn't sure how he had moved so fast to step in between them, but that was where he stood, his arms spread out wide.

" Stop," he said.

Kurogane halted at that. He had never heard Fai speak to anyone that way, so forceful yet lacking any emotion.

" If you continue," Fai said. " I will kill you."

This made Kurogane's eyes go wide. He didn't doubt Fai's threat, but it sounded strange coming out of his throat. Even as Fai stared directly into his eyes, he still seemed to be looking elsewhere. Fai was protecting his enemy with his entire body. It was both strange and painful to watch.

Kurogane gritted his teeth. He wanted to rip Ashura's insides from his body, but he couldn't fight Fai. He wouldn't. He couldn't.

Ashura walked up behind Fai and tenderly wrapped his arms around him. He had wandering hands that slowly crawled up Fai's torso, all the way to his face and back down. Even as this went on, Fai didn't move away or utter a sound.

" Isn't he such a nice minion?" Ashura said, twirling Fai's hair around his fingers and smiling.

That statement made Kurogane reach for Souhi, but he stopped when he saw Fai pull away from Ashura, only to go into his own ready position. When Ashura saw this he laughed.

" What's the matter, Kurogane?" he grinned. " You can't fight an ally?"

Kurogane could only glare at Ashura, knowing that he was correct. He had come out here to save Fai, not battle him. Something in him kept him from drawing his sword, something that didn't want to see Fai's blood on the grass.

" Perhaps you need a reminder then," Ashura said. " He is not your ally anymore."

With that, the jewel on Fai's forehead began to shine brightly as he raised his arm. Ashura's jewels glowed as well, and Mokona's "Mekyo" went unheard. Familiar white and blue lights rapidly traveled down Fai's arm, aimed right for Kurogane. Knowing what was happening, Kurogane ducked and rolled out of the way just in time. He watched as the magic blast through the air Kurogane had left behind him and singed the grass he had stood on.

The flames didn't last very long though. For at that moment, the rain softly began to fall and the thunder crashed through Kurogane's very soul.

(A/N: Dun dun dun! Thanks for the excellent reviews everyone. : ) A lot happened in this chapter, eh? A lot more than usual anyway. Please R&R and I'll try and get the next chapter up soon! )