Yes, finally, I mamanged to complete this chapter. I had to go back and read my previous chapter to remember what was happening, it's been so long.

I capture the castle

Chapter IV

"You play well. Another game?" The figure asked, nails toying with the defeated king.

"No," was the curt reply, suddenly seeming bored.

Nails swept the pieces into a small black box. "Master is a busy man. He will be with you shortly."

"I appreciate that."

XX

"Well? I want answers," Ashura growled, digging his nails into Fai's throat. "You know that I have the feather so why did you send your friends away? What is your ploy?"

Fai's gaze hovered to Sakura's feather, shimmering with golden radiance in the palm of the king's hand. Even without touching it, he could feel the indescribable power it secreted.

"Ashura-ou," he breathed, "you think so low of me." He tried to smile, though it was quite difficult when someone was crushing your throat at the same time.

Ashura's grip ever tightened, squeezing the life out of his traitorous subject. Fai winced as he felt Ashura's nails draw blood. The king's face was the picture of outrage; his cheeks were coloured crimson with anger, blossoming against his pale skin.

"You want me to kill you, don't you?" he seethed. "Do you really think that I would be so kind? No, I know you, Fai, I know that you can't stand pain. I will have you suffer a Fate a thousand times worse before I allow death to claim you," his face changed. Suddenly, he was smiling, just as a snake would smile at the foolish mouse that stumbled upon its lair. Ashura's smile never reached his eyes. His lips twisted in a cruel and callous smirk.

Fai paled. "Ashura-ou, you don't seem to understand," he muttered, trying to squirm out from under him, trying desperately not to give in to his fear, trying not to do anything rash. He just needed to get away. "Ashura-ou, so much time has passed. It's all over now."

"No, it's not over yet!" Ashura cried. "It's not over as long as the king is still standing."

"I won't do it," Fai said. It was a simple statement. That was all he needed. He had fled his world just so that he would not have to do it.

"You will do as I say!" Ashura cried. Obviously, he had not lost any of his regal air over time, nor the desire to command absolute obedience. "You remember the old days, don't you?" he smirked. "Remember how the inquisitors tortured our enemies, how they raped their minds and sent hot acid through their veins?"

Fai drew a sharp breath. He remembered. He could never forget. The inquisitors had been masters at torture and mind games. He had seen them work enough times to know how effective and how agonising their methods were. This was what he had feared. When he had fled, he had feared Ashura's awakened, had feared being punished and subjected to the same kind of torture.

"You wouldn't…"

"Fai…" Ashura spoke very softly but his voice seemed to resound across the walls of the empty chamber. "The castle is still here. I am still here. I have the feather and I have you. It is not over yet."

XX

"I don't like it," Kurogane muttered, kicking at a wooden chest. The lid popped open to reveal golden coins and shimmering jewels but no matter how many chests he kicked none of them yielded the treasure they sought.

"I know that there is some sort of history between Fai-san and his king but maybe this will help them sort it out," Syaoran said as he flicked through dusty tomes and expensive scrolls.

The treasury room was impossible to miss. With the crumbling state of the castle, it had been quite a task to reach it but once they had entered the vast chamber they found it in pristine condition. Chests full of impossible riches spilt forth their bounty, lush carpets and decades worth of history books lay in an assorted jumble. There was a pile of silver ware in the corner, strange glowing stones on a wooden shelf and translucent crystals hung from the ceiling.

Kurogane took a staff and poked through the carpets, unimpressed by all the wealth around him. "Hey, manjuu, do you sense anything?"

"There's a lot of magic floating around here," Mokona waved, hopping around the shelves.

Kurogane grunted. He should have known that things would not be easy. Syaoran sat immersed in yellowed pages whilst Sakura doing her best to scale a large pile of coins. He watched her slip and stumble, clawing her way up at a feeble pace. She had determination; he would give her that.

Just as she neared the top, the coins under Sakura's feet gave way. Syaoran immediately snapped out from the pages that he had been so absorbed in to run to his princess' aid.

Sakura screamed as she fell, reaching out for whatever she could find. Her hand grabbed hold of a hanging tapestry, steadying herself for a second before it ripped from the wall and she tumbled downwards.

"Sakura-hime!" Syaoran held his arms out underneath her and she fell with a thud into his arms.

Sakura's cheeks flushed. "Th - thank you," she stuttered, awkwardly climbing free.

Syaoran blushed and coughed. The two of them looked away, feeling the intense heat in their cheeks and the awkward silence drowning them.

Kurogane coughed. He did not particularly want to be stuck in a room with two, hormone-raging teenagers, especially when the thought of Fai and that king alone irked him so. Who knew what they could be doing or plotting?

The two children jumped, startled, as if they had forgotten Kurogane's presence entirely. Sakura looked down at the tapestry she had ripped.

"I hope that the king won't mind," she murmured, holding the torn tapestry in front of her face.

From the broken weave, another slip of cloth fell out from its folds. Syaoran picked it up, drawing a sharp breath.

"This is…" he handed it to Kurogane, who took it with the resignation of someone who had better things to do and see.

Then he looked at the cloth.

XX

"I was tired, Ashura-ou," Fai had been released from his strangle hold and was now lying, propped up on his elbows. Ashura still stalked above him, prowling like a suspicious, injured animal.

"What?" he snapped.

"The reason that I sealed you away. I was tired."

Ashura fought the urge to lunge at the blond man. "What kind of reason is that?" he asked tautly. He so dearly wanted to hurt the man.

"You would not listen to me," Fai turned away, unable to bear Ashura's piercing gaze. Even now, even after so many years had passed, it felt as if the king could still see through him, right into the depths of his soul. "I wanted you to take me away," he whispered. "I waited forever for you to take me away but you were caught up in this! In what that man told you!" he gestured towards the wide expanse of the castle. "If I let things continue, it would have ruined our country!"

"Yes, and I suppose the country is at the height of prosperity now," Ashura's biting sarcasm made him wince.

"I had to stop you. You were - "

There was a loud thud. Ashura glanced towards its source, quickly concealing the feather into the folds of his robe and Fai used his momentary distraction to stand up.

Kurogane stormed into the room, his face almost murderous. Fai wondered what he could have possibly found in the treasury room. Then he realised. Then he blanched.

"What the hell!" Kurogane's voice echoed across the walls. He shook the piece of cloth in Fai's face and then towards Ashura. "What the hell is this?" he demanded, holding up the cloth for all to see.

It was a symbol; a coat of arms if that was what one liked to call it. It was a red symbol embroidered on black cloth, the same symbol Syaoran had claimed were on the soldiers that attacked Clow country, the same symbol on the sword that had killed Kurogane's mother.

Ashura glared at Kurogane's impudence and the ninja glared right back, his crimson eyes demanding answers.

Fai shifted uncomfortably. Never so longingly had he wanted to hop into Mokona's mouth and disappear.

A great deal shorter than my previous chapter. Thank you everyone for being so patient.