COPYRIGHT INFORMATION: The characters of the original Tsubasa Chronicles anime/manga hereby belongs to CLAMP group and I respect their rights over them. However, the original characters involved belong to me.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Seems like I need to speed up this entire story; looks like this is slated to exceed 20 chapters as planned by me currently. I apologize for the rather dry content of recent but I still have much stories to tell so not to worry!

Warning: This chapter is longer than usual!

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CHRONICLE THIRTEEN: GRIEVANCES OF A CENTURY (PART II)

"What the heck…?" Kurogane stared back angrily at the shape-shifting princess, who was laughing away at her trick. "How did you…?"

"It's rather surprising for a maid to able to create a barrier, Kuro-chan," she answered sarcastically while giggling away at the ninja's naiveness. "I'm surprised you didn't fall through the trick yet."

"Shut up," he turned his back around, with the aura of embarrassment surrounding him.

"You need more practice, ninja-sama," she emphasized the last few words, on purpose of annoying her ninja in black. Truly, Kurogane had not realized that Tomoyo could perform shape-shifting and mimic anyone too. "An enemy like that would have killed you by now."

"I'll have sliced you for that," he mumbled to himself.

"Did I hear something, Kuro-pii?" the princess questioned, moving closer to the ninja. An aura of nervousness splashed over his entire face.

"None of your business," came the sharp reply, along with a giant sweatdrop on his head. "Of all people, why her?"

"Her?" Tomoyo was confused for a little while before realizing. "You meant Kaori?" The princess chuckled for a while, irritating her ninja further.

"Why of course," she responded enthusiastically. "Kaori's probably the only one who's the closest to you."

"Shut up," Kurogane snapped back, turning around to face the princess. "Which princess will go around playing with her servants?"

"Servant?" Tomoyo looked back at her ninja surprised. "Did you just say 'servant', Kuro-pon?"

"I didn't say anything," he looked away from her hanging his head low. "You didn't tell me you could shape-shift."

"Now you know," Tomoyo answered quickly. "Now let's move along."

"To where?"

"Find the disturbing force here," a solemn look covered the expression on the princess' face. "I have solved the entire puzzle here."

Kurogane did not understand what his princess was saying. To him the only thing was to exit the place with the princess to safety. The ninja shook his head as he followed behind the active princess.

"Someday I'm going to die from Tomoyo-hime's games…" He spoke quietly behind the strolling princess.

"Kuro-pon, did you say something again?"

At the other side of the haunted section the dark figure laid down the other Tomoyo on a mural of a red dragon. She was still unconscious as her body lay limp on the floor.

"So you have brought the princess?" A feminine voice sounded behind the white translucent silk curtains. A silhouette produced itself, revealing a woman dressed in rather rich clothing.

"Yes, madam," the dark figure answered back, kneeling on the floor before the authoritative person. "The person before you is none other than Tomoyo-hime."

"My dear servant," her voice sounded sweet and gentle as she spread the curtains open, her face still covered by the shadows. "Haven't I been kind in teaching you the on energy spells?"

"Yes, madam."

"And haven't I been good in taking you in as a prized disciple?"

"Yes madam…"

"THEN WHY HAVE YOU TRICKED ME IN BRINGING THIS ILLUSION?" She suddenly burst out, startling the disciple. He quickly lowered his head in response.

"I-I don't understand, madam…"

The woman shook her head and raised two fingers to produce a purplish light. As the glow flew to the unconscious princess, it quickly disintegrated the body into sheer nothingness. In its place was just a small white paper crane that shook slightly with a passing gentle breeze.

"Shikigami?" The figure was surprised at the trick. He took his hood by his hand and lowered it, revealing his head. In the hood's place was a young boy with black hair and a pair of large green eyes.

"A person like you can't even get over with the trick of shikigami," the mistress turned back to walk into the dim light. "Never mind, I'll get someone else to handle this."

"But madam…"

"No buts," she snapped back at him. "You have failed me again and you'd better rest. That Tomoyo-hime is not someone easy to subdue, whether physically or magically."

A dark figure began appearing behind the curtains, approaching the boy. In one hand was a long katana that hung carelessly. The figure shape seemed that of a woman, as the boy thought.

"All men are useless, even boys," she revealed herself as she came out from the curtains. The katana shone brightly no matter how dark it was. "Madam wants me to subdue that menace known as Kurogane."

"Wait…but the princess…"

"Obviously she wants you to handle Tomoyo," the samurai girl looked irritated at her co-fighter. "You know madam doesn't always mean what she says. And your magic is enough to subdue that wretched princess."

The girl walked by the boy, crossing him before stopping. "Don't disappoint madam," her tone became more serious. "She really wants you to prove yourself."

------------------------------------------------------

"Stupid wench," Kurogane grumbled to himself, sulking away while following his princess. "Where the hell is she going to go?" The magical green flame had appeared on Tomoyo's palm again, guiding the duo towards the source of the disturbance.

"Stop grumbling, Kuro-pon," she answered back at her disgruntled ninja. "I'm not a wench, and I don't go around reading people's minds." The second part of her last sentence was rather ironic, as what Kurogane had thought.

"Why are we going in this stupid merry-go-round thingy?" He burst out, unaffecting the princess however. "There's nothing here except dust…and stupid red columns around!" He looked at the various red columns that lined the corridor like lamp-posts lining a pavement.

"Patience is a virtue," his ears picked up a most annoying statement. To Kurogane, Tomoyo was always full of rubbish statements and any motivating sentence she made was always a load of crap to him.

"Argh, shut up," Kurogane cupped his ears tightly in agony. "I don't want to hear your corny rubbish again! I'll just stay quiet!" What the ninja did not realize was a princess laughing at his crazy outburst.

It had been like a thousand years to the ninja that the princess had been walking. The dust had begun to increase in volume, as they ventured deeper into the abandoned building. To Tomoyo her beloved ninja had managed to keep shut for five minutes but she wished that he would open his mouth again.

"It's rather quiet here," she initiated a conversation. "Anything to say?"

"Shut up," he gave two words of warning. The ninja had pulled a long face and was bored out by the monotony of walking.

"Shut up?" Tomoyo giggled for a brief moment. "You meant to shut up there, Kuro-pii?" The princess looked up at the ceiling. Only carvings of a dragon decorated it.

The ninja could do nothing except roll his eyes at Tomoyo's corniness.

"I'm afraid you may have to end your bubbly conversation with Tomoyo-hime," Kurogane heard a sudden foreign voice from behind. His eyes widened as he turned around to see sheer darkness. His sharp ears picked up the sound of a katana swinging through the still cold hair.

"Who are you?" He drew his katana from its sheath. "Show yourself!"

"What a bad way of introducing yourself," the feminine voice answered to his action. As the shadows melted away, it revealed a young girl with a katana in her hand. Kurogane lowered down his sword.

"You're…just a child…" Kurogane looked at her with eyes of unseriousness. He was about to replace his sword in its sheath when she vanished instantly in a wave. "You're impressive."

The girl had discreetly and swiftly ran around him. Her katana was just positioned a few milimetres from the ninja's neck. Kurogane gave a sinister smile with his eyes looking behind at the enthusiastic child.

"For someone to learn such a technique," he answered back professionally and solemnly. "That master must be no ordinary swordsman."

"My teacher is no man," she swiftly moved away, avoiding Kurogane's sudden retaliation as he drew his sword and cast her away. A soft landing on the dusty red floor, the girl pointed her katana at her black opponent.

"I see," he positioned his sword in a vertical manner. Kurogane's piercing red eyes continued to meet the brown eyes of his opponent. "So there was the legend of a female master samurai."

"I may be young," she swung her sword through the air, replied with a swift block by Kurogane's weapon. "But a child been able to use Kaze no Katana should be no easy opponent of anyone, even an accomplished samurai like you."

"I'm a ninja," he corrected her with a slight drop of blood flowing down from his forehead. "Don't confuse samurai and ninja together, young girl." Kurogane charged at her, complemented with the many dodges she made against his thrusts.

"A brat like you seems impressive to dodge so many of my hits," he complimented with the girl now retaliating back as her sword began to strike against his.

Tomoyo strolled across the red chamber, unknowing of Kurogane's disappearance. Her eyes affix onto a unique glyph on one of the red pillars. Curious to appraise it, the princess approached it, taking each step second by second.

"I'll advise you not to touch that glyph," a voice sounded behind her as she was about to touch the unique glyph. She lowered her hand and smiled slightly.

"You must be a knowledgeable person," she responded calmly. The person revealed himself as a boy with green eyes. "I'm quite surprised your voice sounds familiar to the one my shikigami heard earlier."

"You're really smart for your age, Tomoyo-hime," he complimented, raising his head to look at the back of the princess. "I'll advise you to come with me."

"Is there a need to be that rushing?" She turned around to face the boy who produced the paper crane on his palm. Her eyes met the palm, responding with enthusiasm.

"I must thank you for returning my shikigami," she spoke back, taking the crane slowly from his palm. "Would you like to play with me?"

"I'll gladly play with you," he grinned back at the princess who was about the same age as her. "If you will come with me later."

"Let's bend the rules," she shook her head. "Let's having three rounds."

"That will be interesting, princess."

"If you lose, you will have to leave," she maintained her unfazed posture. "I don't play with people who are no fun at all." Tomoyo closed her palm, instantly extinguishing the green magical flame.

It was all darkness for a while before the boy conjured up a spell that lighted up the entire area with a yellowish glow. Tomoyo took a step back and moved her hands in a conjuring position.

"First round, we'll play the kekkai game," she announced.

"Let it begin." He snapped his fingers, displaying reddish out bursting flame.

The two katanas struck against each other, producing a metallic screeching sound throughout the dark corridor. A dim light had produced itself magically. Kurogane twisted his blade, only to meet with a blocking by his opponent.

"An impressive girl like you," he jumped backward from her. "In such a dark place you're able to perform well too."

He could only spot a smirk from the young samurai, met with a swift attack from her. As the blade sliced through his shoulder, Kurogane eyes widened as he witness blood spurt from it.

"You talk too much, ninja-san," she landed behind him. Her katana was stained with blood, its drops falling to the ground just like raindrops. "You're a strange ninja. Of all ninjas, you're the slowest of them all."

The black ninja fell on his knees, the blood still spouting out from his shoulder. Even for his black armor, the crimson colour of his blood was evidently distinguished from it. His pupils began to dilate. A pool of blood now began to encircle around the fallen ninja.

"What a useless ninja," she licked the blood off her katana. As the black kimono of hers flowed with a ghostly wind, she turned behind leaving the death scene. "Now it's up to you to handle the princess."

Behind the samurai girl the pool of blood around Kurogane had began pulsating, his still eyes now beginning to move again. A strange presence disturbed his opponent who was walking away. She turned around, just in time to block a surprise ambush from a rather black figure.

"No one can defeat the all powerful Kurogane," the monstrous and inhuman voice sounded out to the girl. There was no sword in his arm but now replaced with sharp-looking claws that looked like they could cut through anything, even steel.

"You're lying!" She retaliated back, swinging her sword and pushing the transformed ninja back. "You're a crazy monster. Y-you must have used the dark arts."

The monster now grinned, his red eyes now shining. The transformed Kurogane was now more transformed than he ever was. Heavy, slimy liquid dripped from his mouth with even sharper fangs now lining his mouth. It was truly a monster to be feared upon.

"The samurai Tsukumaru will now destroy this freak of nature," she spoke gallantly. "So this is why Tomoyo-hime wanted a ninja like you no matter how weak you were." Tsukumaru raised her katana again, pointing it at the monster.

"No one can defeat Kurogane," the freak hissed. It was not of Kurogane before but of a monster that knew nothing but bloodlust. "I'll take over this weaker human side and become the strongest in this world!"

Tsukumaru now began to tremble despite holding her weapon stable. "Y-you're just a crazy person," she raised her sword again, preparing for an attack. "I'll destroy you to protect the interests of my master!"

"Bring it on," it now screeched, tightening its white claws.

Tsukumaru charged with her katana, ready to pierce its abdomen and kill it instantly. She was about to come into contact with his claws when a sudden mysterious force shook her backwards, causing her to somersault back before the monstrous ninja. An emerald barrier surrounded Kurogane.

"I'm afraid I may have to halt your battle," she noticed a princess emerging from the shadows. "If Kurogane is not to be subdued, the curse will not be lifted," Tomoyo-hime had the most solemn look of all ages to come.

"Cooperate with her, Tsuku-chan," the other figure emerged from the darkness, clothed in a gray robe. "This was an entire plot preplanned by our master."

"Our master!" She had the most shocked expression on her face, dropping her katana to the ground. "Wasn't it our orders to take the princess?"

"The princess already have magical powers equal to our master," he lowered his head, turning his head to look at an angry Kurogane trying to break the strong emerald barrier around him. "Our master's main goal is to capture him, not Tomoyo-hime. It was just to lure her away."

"Y-you both have been bewitched by that monster," she took several steps back. "Wasn't master supposed to help us?"

"Tsuku-chan," the boy took a step forward, complemented with a step back by her. "You're most likely bewitched by the monster."

"You're all lying!"

"Tsuku-chan, I believe I need to tell you something," the princess walked forward up to the samurai girl, giving her a sharp slap on the cheek. "Please awaken."

"I know your master wanted to capture Kurogane," Tomoyo explained, holding the hand of Tsukumaru. "The spirits around here told me."

"The spirits?"

"You probably did not know," she continued her explanation. "The spirits here are just puppets of your master whom I do not know." Her eyes now descended to the look of a serious princess.

"This barrier is to protect Kurogane," she looked back at the angry transformed ninja. "The spirits are out to acquire him and take him away."

"But for what purpose?"

"Tomoyo-hime's ninja has a very powerful curse on him," the other person answered, looking at the barrier. "It seems it's the most forbidden curse ever seen by anyone, even sorcerers themselves."

"And we need to release these grieving spirits in this palace," Tomoyo picked up from where the co-magician had paused. "Your master has been manipulating a curse that has kept the inhabitants of this old palace for more than a century."

"Let's just keep this commotion down, children," the three of them heard a sudden voice that sounded from the top. The figure slowly descended down, revealing herself as a woman with a matured body yet young face.

"Shall we begin our game?"

END OF CHRONICLE THIRTEEN

NEXT CHRONICLE: THE ANTAGONIST'S BATTLE

SYPNOSIS: So the evil antagonist has revealed herself? Can Tomoyo protect Kurogane from the evil magic of the sorceress? Or does she have to depend on a mysterious external force to prevent the barrier from breaking?

Nothing much for glossary today.

SEE YA ALL SOON! I'LL BE BACK TO UPDATE SOMEMORE!