I'm terribly sorry for the late chapter! I couldn't finish it in time, and Christmas was coming… Anyway, here's the twelve page chapter. Enjoy! Merry Christmas and happy new year!

Disclaimer: …

Yuuko stood at the balcony of her house, admiring the view of the magnificent city. The purple kimono she opted to wear hung loosely from her pale body. She watched as the smoke from her pipe swirled and twirled, creating a beautiful pattern as it sifted through the air, floating into the night sky. Her brows furrowed, something heavy weighing down in her chest, making it a little hard to breathe.

Worry. Depression. Guilt. Regret

She must know. Now.

With a sad look, feather-like footsteps retreated into the living room of her Japanese house, snatched her mobile phone away from the desk, and dialed a number. It took exactly 30 seconds for someone to pick up the phone.

"What is it, Yuuko-san?" An irritated voice with no manners at all. Clearly the man needed some teachings.

"How is the girl, Watanuki?" Well, come to think of it, she herself wasn't so polite either.

"Gone. With them. Seems you were right all along." The sentence was accompanied by a snort of disbelief. Yuuko felt like reaching out and strangling the stupid boy, but held back. He did, after all, helped her a lot in this situation.

"… Good. It seems they're moving on, all making their own choices based on their own resolutions," she whispered into the phone, slightly annoyed when she heard Watanuki sighing and huffing something that sounded like 'not with that Hitsuzen crap again!'. "And…." She continued loudly. "Are you all ready?"

At that, Watanuki was silent. Yuuko coughed.

"… Yes."

"Good. I will send someone for news so be sure to act soon. Don't let the both of them die."

"… Yuuko-san?"

"Yes?"

"… Why are you doing this?

Silence.

"… Because this was what Clow Reed wished for. The cycle must end. Now." With that, she hung up, leaving her former employer and friend staring at the phone before him in confusion.

"… Eh?"

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"So… what am I supposed to do again?"

Fai slapped his hand to his forehead hardly and groaned. This was the sixth time he had explained the plan both to Ashuar. Syaoran kneeled beside him, a defeated look on his face. Nice man may he be, but Ashura's age was finally getting to him. It seemed he was having difficulty understanding the… complexity of their plan. The boy met the blonde's eyes nervously.

"Maybe… he can just do what we tell him to do by the time the plan comes into action?" he suggested, feeling slightly crept out by all of this. He certainly didn't want Fai to lose his temper. And with those blood-shot eyes staring at him and the thin line of his mouth, Syaoran was sure he was on the verge of a breakdown.

Fai closed his eyes and ran his hand over his hair, taking deep breaths to calm down. "Alright," he said finally, eyes fixed on the innocent looking Ashura. "Just… do whatever we tell you later, okay?" Slightly confused, the old man nodded. "Still, I don't understand why you're not telling me the plan. I mean, you explained six times only."

With that, Fai stormed to the other side of the dark room sat crossed leg, sulking like a petulant child. Apparently, being around Kurogane too long does have its consequences.

Tonight. They will move on and escape. Everything ends tonight.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

There was nothing in here that he liked. Even though he could be messy at times, Kurogane had a thing for cleanliness. He couldn't stand dust, and he hated the dark because it associates being blind, and the red-eyed man can't afford to be blind, for it posed a danger to his oh-so important manly pride.

The passage was long and wide, a purpose of filling up with as many people as possible at times of emergency. It was dark, dusty and the place was very, very unpleasant. Torches hung on the stone walls, lighting and guiding the way as the three of them walked inside this huge maze. The passage was very unstable; if there were any big explosions or some sort, Kurogane was sure the whole place would actually collapse, or at least cave at some point of the passage. Despite being large, it was horribly long, stretching for at least a kilometer. Well, it wasn't too bad for him since he was an extremely healthy teacher teaching PE, a man who had served in the military for years could endure walking for kilometers a day. But as for Sakura and Subaru… it was an entirely different story.

Kurogane stopped, closed his eyes and turned around. The two of them were a long way behind him.

"Will you two hurry up?" he snapped, gaining him a sharp glare.

"We're doing our best, you know!" Subaru snapped back, dragging Sakura behind him, who was on the verge of passing out. He took out a water bottle from his handbag and handed it to Sakura with a soft look in his eyes. His previously cough beautiful cough face was now sweaty, ruining the makeup that was all over his face. Halfway through the journey, the man had decided to dispose the wig, his hair was now all wet and disheveled. After what seemed like hours for Kurogane, the both caught up with him, leaning against the wall, panting.

"Took you long enough," he growled, crossing his arms.

Subaru ignored him, complaining. "Why do all the missions I'm given requires me to travel at long distances like this?!"

"… Probably why you're so thin."

"Shut up."

"Well, good news for you then, we're almost there"

With this, Sakura lifted her head and gazed into red orbs, a hopeful twinkle in her eyes. "Really?" she panted. Kurogane nodded and sat down.

"Well, I reckon you both sit down and rest. We're not far from here now and we'll need all the strength we have to get out of there later," he said, turning his head up at the ceiling so he wouldn't meet any of their eyes, trying to hide his worry.

… Was Fai alright? Was he hurt? Was he safe?

… Was he too late?

Kurogane shut his eyes and tried to drive those thoughts away. No, Fai was a strong person. After enduring so much pain, he knew that the blonde man would still be able to hold on; to endure. He was strong, he was a man, and he could handle it.

Please, idiot. Just hold on a little while longer. We're almost there.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

It was dark outside when Fai woke up from his sleep. Time to leave, he thought, and quickly nudged both Syaoran and Ashura.

"Time to go," he whispered, making sure not to let the guard outside hear that. Quickly, he peeled off the pair of socks (which hadn't been washed for months) and took the socks offered by Syaoran (which he had been wearing ever since he was a child on the streets) as the boy instructed the older man to take his off (Fai didn't even want to imagine how smelly it was). Next, he tied it all to Ashura's walking stick that was thin enough to slip through the hole.

"The keys are in his pocket, Syaoran-kun. Make sure you catch him and get the keys out before he collapse to the floor," Fai instructed. "You're hands are probably small enough to reach out, so we're counting on you, alright?" Syaoran nodded, further encouraged when Fai gave him a determine smile, accompanied by Ashura's blind cheers and loud squeals of "Go! Go! Go!" The two of them instantly turned to hush him, but it was far too late.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT NOISE?!" A roar came from the other side of the door. Both males instantly backed away into the corner when the door opened, revealing the angry, purple face of the guard. "WHO WAS THE ONE?!" he spun around, glaring. "WHO DID THAT?!" His eyes darted around the three of them but finally rested his gaze on Ashura's innocent, smiling face. The blonde man and the boy stood staring at each other before Syaoran shrugged.

"Well, that makes things a lot easier," he said, pretending he didn't see those fearsome eyes boring down on him.

"Hmm," the chemistry teacher shrugged, agreeing, before the both of them surged forward and tackled the large man to the ground, the loud noises accompanied by the old man whistling like he had no care of the world with a smile on his face.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"I can't believe our socks are really that smelly to make him faint!" Syaoran exclaimed, blushing as they dragged the large body to the darkest corner of the room. "It wasn't scientific at all, and I never thought it would work, Fai-san! But…" He couldn't seem to get over the fact that their socks had indeed been so smelly to actually make a man faint. The idea was just so fascinating and fearful to him as his oh so imaginative mind started dreaming of smelly socks chasing him trying to smooch him…

"Yeah…" Fai replied dazedly. He remembered reading this from a storybook given to him by Ashura a long time ago, but never expected it to work to well. What could you expect? They were stripped of all weapons and this was this only thing left that he could think of since they couldn't just depend on brute force and violence to solve it unlike Kurogane. As that thought slipped into his mind, he suddenly felt a sharp pang on his chest where his heart was.

I'm so sorry, Kuro-pon. I'm sorry that I don't know what's going on. Do you really love me? Or is everything that you do just out of pity? Would you care so much of me as to put your life on line trying to save me? Oh, Kuro-chi! I wish you were here! I'm so scared, Kuro-pon… so scared… They haven't done anything yet, but what if we're caught? What if they hurt me, or worse, Ashura-san and Syaoran-kun? Oh please, Kurogane, what are you DOING TO MY HEAD?!

"F-Fai-san… are you a-alright?"

The blonde man snapped back into reality, and stared at the source of the voice with a confused expression on his face.

"What?"

"No, I- I thought you were in pain or something, with your face scrunched up like that… are you sure you're alright?" the little boy gazed up at him, eyes filled with concern. Again, that sharp pang rose from his chest. This boy is so much like Kurogane in deep nature. Yeah, so he wasn't some mean, old gruff little doggy who frequently loses his temper and all that, but… he was just as caring, as strong and determined to protect the ones precious to him, ones whom he hold dear in heart. Ones whom he call 'treasures'.

Am I your treasure, Kuro-pii? If so, why haven't you turned up? It's been weeks. Fai thought bitterly. The actual truth of Kurogane abandoning was slowly eating away his hope that there was someone in the world who truly cared about him besides Ashura and perhaps this boy in front of him.

"Yeah," Fai gave the boy a forceful smile. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"Should we… just leave him here? Or should we tie him up?"

"… Let us give him some mercy. I don't think anyone would like to be tied up and gagged at all." It was true. When he was a child, Kyle and his buddies (including this man) used to tie him to the bed and gag him when they… raped him, just to keep him quiet from Ashura, Kamui and Subaru. No matter what anyone did to him, Fai really didn't want anybody else to feel the same helplessness as he did.

"Well," Ashura declared, trying to stand up. "Let us be on our way, shall we?"

Kuro-pon… where are you?

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

With every single second that ticked by, a part in Kurogane died. It wasn't of fear or anticipation, but of nervousness. He couldn't just sit here and do nothing! Fai might be in danger now, or hurt, or…

He turned back, glaring at Subaru, who was holding a sleeping Sakura in his arms, staring at her in a motherly way. He caught Kurogane's eyes, and whispered "Not yet."

"Why?" he growled impatiently, reaching for his sword.

"It's not time yet. These ceilings," he pointed above. "are very, very thin. Any noise, and I really mean any noise, would certainly pass through it. The Mafia is extremely busy in the evening, where most people's guards are put down. Night is suspicious, but evening is in between night and day, not to mention that everyone is having their dinner. Their operations run most actively during this time of the day, and by that, there are people everywhere. A very unwise decision, not to mention we haven't heard any sounds or movements indicating distress, I think it's best if we stay, and listen."

Kurogane grunted. As much as he didn't wanted to admit, Subaru was right. He knew more about the place than he did. Grudgingly, the man sat down and closed his eyes in an attempt to relax and rest, but kept his ears on high alert.

Silence passed between them, and for a moment, Kurogane actually dosed off. He didn't know how long they stayed like this: seconds, minutes, or even hours, but as a scream tore from above from a very familiar voice, he jerked away. He turned to Subaru, whose face was pale as well. Sakura just woke up, but the message written in his eyes were evident.

Fai.

Kurogane growled. Wise or unwise, with or without consent, he would barge in. Now.

He stood up, and before the others could even open their mouths to speak, Kurogane had already disappeared into the above.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The three of them crept around the place, making sure to be quiet and unseen. But however long they seemed to walk, the end never seemed to come.

"Are you sure we're on the right path?" whispered Fai with urgency in his voice. Syaoran nodded. He was probably the only one who was absolutely certain of the place; as he had made sure to note every single detail down to help him escape if he could. "The underground passage is near, a few more minutes and-"

"What do you think you're doing?"

All three of them froze, cold dread rushing in quicker than light. Fai felt as if his stomach was full of lead and his head suddenly felt very light, and oh God he just couldn't break down and cry here! Not now! Fearfully, he turned around, his heart plummeting down into darkness.

Standing just beside them, was Fei Wong Reed. His huge body, though quite a distance away, towered over them, his authority and power emanated from him more powerful than ever. Syaoran froze in place, but Fai knew that beyond his fear, his mind was calculating his weaknesses, his quick mind formulating a plan. He turned to Ashura, and found him almost unaware of the horrifying man before them. Instead, his eyes were darting aroundto every corner that might be able to use as an escape. The three of them backed away from him as he took a step forward, that ever amusing smile on his face. It was always like that – Fei Wong never liked to take his victims seriously. He preferred toying them, making them feel fear at his very existence. The smile on his face only grew wider.

"Well, I never imagined Firenze to fail me. After all, he never did before. But well, everyone makes mistakes." He turned his eyes to Fai, who instantly shrunk away, hoping the wall behind them could just melt and then they can escape and have a new life and…

No such luck.

"Boss! Boss!" Another man came running, but froze as he saw them. Fei Wong gave him an incomprehensible look, and a smile crept into his face instantly.

"… Yes. I'll go get the others." Once he was out of sight, Fei turned his attention back to them.

"Don't bother to find an escape. As long as you're here, I won't let my guard down." God, those eyes… it's not just amused, angry and intelligent, there's something else in there… something he had never seen before in those eyes, but something familiar: it looked very much like…

Lust.

Fai's eyes widened in terror, and everything went cold at once, like a misty chill appearing out of nowhere. He could no longer see or sense Ashura and Syaoran standing beside him, he could no longer see the lights shining from above… all he could see was Fei Wong, and the darkness he never wanted to return to. He started shaking in fear.

"No… N-No… You- You can't…"

"I can, and I will. I've done it before, don't you remember?" Those words seemed to light something in him and suddenly, memories he so desperately trying to forget assaulted his mind mercilessly. The feeling of bodies pressing him down, pinning him onto the cold, hard floor… Hands touching, groping, squeezing, claiming, hurting, that feeling of something invading his body, the pain of being torn open: tearing, tearing, hurting, bleeding, red, haze, pain, tears…

In his haze of terror and pain, Fai never noticed the amount of people slowly gathering around them, never heard his comrade's shouts and the feeling of them being pulled away from him. All he could focus on now was the crowd that slowly descended upon him. Their red eyes were filled with lust, glee and happiness.

"As for a reward of your good behavior these months, I think I'll let you all go first."

Suddenly, Fai felt pain as his back was slammed hard onto the ground. Then, all that existed was pain, and only pain. Fists descended and collided with his face and body, drawing screams and cries from him as many others kicked his side. They submitted him to all kinds of pain: punching, kicking, slapping, pinching, squeezing, stomping, yanking… Distinctively, he could hear his bones cracking and snapping in him, and, oh God, the pain… it just wouldn't stop, it can't stop, it was so unpleasantly familiar; maybe he deserved it, maybe-

As quickly as it has begun, the torture stopped. Fai just lay on the floor, writhing in agony. The pain of his broken bones and bruises overwhelmed him until nothing else existed anymore but the pain. Breathing heavily, Fai opened his tear-filled eyes, just in time to see a man above him giving him a good kick in the side, sending him tumbling on the ground, stomach facing the floor, and realized what was going to happen.

"No…" he whimpered. "P-please… d-don't…" But his words went unheeded. He could feel a pair of arms grabbing his pants and yanking them down roughly, as oh my how many are there hands roamed and touched his body, taking away everything, claiming him once again. Fai felt the suppressed panic in his heart slowly ripping his way out. Tears began to stream down his face.

"No… No… NO. NO! NO! STOP! STOP IT!" he screamed, the final, thin threads of his control snapping as he struggled violently, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Hit something. Hit, hit, hit, hit, HIT! Must stop oh please stop stop stop stop STOP STOP STOP!!

Tears flowed down his face rapidly as more punches were delivered to his body and spine, blurring his vision, but the stress was too much. Fai continued screaming, kicking and struggling as hard as he can, doing anything, anything he could think of to prevent the torture that was going to happen. More punches and kicks. More pain. He could remember it now: the same helplessness and fear he felt as they took him, invaded him, tore him open, ripping him deeper and wider, spilling blood across the floor. The stripping of his innocence away from him, his virginity, and the never-ending pain that just refused to stop!

Fai screamed louder as he felt something being pressed onto his opening, desperately praying all of it to stop and that this was just a nightmare he'll wake up to. It won't be long now. Seconds afterwards and it'll just be pain and pain and pain and nothing else but pain.

… Why can't he feel it?

The situation suddenly felt so surreal, it like being trapped in a dream: standing there (in this case, lying), watching or hearing everything unfold before him with absolutely no idea what was going on. The… thing that was pressed against him remained there, yet it wasn't hurting him. Why? They had never once hesitated to cause him pain, why stop now? Suddenly, he felt the weight above him lifted away, the hands pinning him to the ground wrenched off from his body. Fai didn't know what was going on, nor did he want to find out. Eyes shut tightly, he could hear yells and screams around him; some of pain, anger and even fear. The blonde man curled into a ball and sobbed, not wanting to face the reality of what was in store for him. What kinds of torture are they planning now? Whatever it was, Fai knew it was going to hurt and he didn't want to face it, no matter what.

Something grabbed onto his shoulder. Colder than winter nights and ice.

The blonde let out a panicked cry, trying to pry himself away from that cold aura emanated from the figure. He didn't hear the reassurances from the familiar voice above. All that existed there was panic, red, screams…

Suddenly, something warm grabbed onto his wrist, pulling him away from the cold grasp. The yelling and strange noises had stopped as he was pulled into an embrace, warmth spreading from the figure to all corners of his body. Fai screamed in terror, being buried too deep under the depths of his crazy state, pounding and pushing the body before him, desperately trying to get away as tears streamed down his face mercilessly. The hold on him only got tighter, causing the man to struggle even harder, sobbing and screaming.

"Shh."

A smooth, deep voice broke through his hysterical mind, and for a moment, time froze. Opening tear-filled eyes, the sight of a disturbingly familiar man with red eyes filled his vision, and for a while, Fai felt himself melting within those ruby orbs.

"K-Kuro…" he croaked.

"Shh," Kurogane soothed, holding Fai close to his chest. The smaller man reached out shakily, gently cupping his face in his hands.

"Is t-this… a d-dream?" the blonde hiccupped. No, this was just too good. Kurogane couldn't be here. It was impossible. He wasn't supposed to care for him. If he really did, he would have arrived days before… right?

Kurogane frowned, but didn't dwell on it for long. Fai was hysterical; he would need all the comfort he could get. So, gently but uncertainly, the gym teacher pressed his lips against Fai's chapped ones, showing and locking him in the tender affection he deserved. The blonde stiffen, too shocked for words, and the longer the gruff man held those blue eyes in gaze, he could see the crazed mist in those sapphire orbs fade away. The lithe man began to shake, out of fear or anger he did not know as he melted completely into his arms.

"Ku… ro…"

Fai lunged forward, crashing his lips against the other, kissing him for all he was worth. He needed it. He needed an anchor, to pull him away from the depths of insanity and darkness. It didn't matter the one he was kissing didn't love him back, or was the one responsible for all his pain and suffering, all he needed now was for the person he loved to be beside him, giving him a sense of reality. The blonde cried out, sobbing as he clung desperately to the man.

"Pleasedon'tleavemeohpleasedon'tleaveme DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE, KURO-CHI!" Fai cried out loudly in his arms. It broke Kurogane's heart to see Fai so broken and desperate, almost as much when he saw him descended into insanity weeks ago. He held the blonde tighter and stroked his hair gently, hushing and whispering soothing words into his ear while pulling his pants up.

He doesn't deserve any more pain and humiliation.

A faint cry grabbed Kurogane's attention. Lifting his head, he saw the boy with Fai on his knees, breathing heavily, blood gushing out of his left shoulder. Fei Wong stood before the boy with a gun pointing straight at him.

"Don't move."

The air suddenly became very chilly, with the feeling of 'something bad was going to happen' hanging in the air. He hugged the blonde closer as he eyed the evil man warily. The only remaining sounds in the room were the boy's heavy and ragged breathing accompanied by Fai's gentle sobs. Fei's smile never wavered, and Kurogane felt the rage inside him intensify.

"… Do you really think…" he began, "that I would actually be so careless, as to let all of you escape so easily?" There was an etch of pride and fury in his voice.

"Well…" said a tired voice from behind. It was Ashura. "Of course we do, but like they say: wish for the best, eh?"

Fei Wong smirked. "I don't think I agree with you on that. I thought you knew me better, after working together for so long."

"Weelll, to be honest, I do know. Would you like me to tell? About why you gave me left me with a walking stick that could be used as a weapon and with a boy with the mind of a genius?"

"I'm not the gloating type, and certainly not one of those cheap TV villains, so no."

"Suit yourself."

At that exact moment, a noise sounding vaguely like an explosion erupted from the room next to theirs. The building shook and the chilly feeling got worse. Kurogane knew the worst was yet to come, but fast approaching. Fai jerked in his arms with a loud sob.

"W-What… is t-that?" choked the blonde, eyes wide and fearful as he tried to move his body to look around. Kurogane held him tighter.

"It's nothing," he whispered. "Whatever happens, I'll protect you."

Fai jerked his head up and gazed into ruby orbs for a moment, brows furrowing. A storm was going inside his eyes, a battle between trust and mistrust. Kurogane watched, trying to convey as much truthful sincerity through his eyes as possible. Finally, Fai closed his eyes softly and leaned against the man, planting a chaste kiss on his neck.

"Then save me. Protect me. Don't abandon me," he whispered, eyes pleading. Kurogane only tightened his grip on him, pulling him up as he stood up himself, sword drawn. It wasn't long before someone burst into the room. They didn't even pause to say something or pose themselves; instead they charged ahead… at Fei Wong.

Surprised at the sudden intrusion, Fei was unable to dodge the attack. The knife pierced him sharply into his fat stomach, and for a long moment, he stood there, gaping in confusion and horror before falling to his knees. Ashura took advantage the shock at charged forward, walking stick prepared to crunch the skull ahead.

A sudden figure appeared and surged forward.

Fai turned his head around to see the commotion.

A gun whipped out, opened shot, blood.

Time froze again.

Blood splattered everywhere, Ashura covered in it, standing in the middle of it all, a tiny hole in his chest. His mouth was wide open, blood trickling down from it.

Fai's eyes widened, his mouth open in a silent scream.

And in one swift movement, Ashura collapsed, unmoving on the ground.

Time moved again.

Xing Huo withdrew her gun, face void of expression. Fai's face became familiarly gaunt, eyes shrinking, emptiness and madness taking over him. A snarl crept to his face and a few seconds later (with strength Kurogane never knew he had), the blonde tore away from his grasped and charged towards Xing Huo, screaming while tears coursed down his pale cheeks despite his injuries and bruises. The anger within him has moved beyond that stage.

No! NO! I won't lose him again! No, no, not when we just met, I just found him! No, he's not going to leave me again! Not again! This woman will pay, she'll-

Crack!

A young man with glasses had just hit Fai on the head with a metal pole, and, just like Xing Huo, his face was completely set, as if they were on an important mission and the only goal was to get the job done. Fai stood still, trying to the register the shock, before collapsing onto the ground, unconscious.

Kurogane didn't know what happened afterwards. He vaguely saw figures fighting Fei Wong in a distance, but even the temptation of violence didn't seem to snap him out of his trance. All the man saw was Fai, lying on the floor, unconscious and unmoving like Ashura's body. The only difference was that the blonde's eyes were closed and no blood on the scene, a complete opposite of the other's. Despite the chaos, Kurogane stood up and made his way towards the lithe man with only one single thought surfacing in his raging mind.

Failed to protect. Failed to protect. Must protect. Protect. Protect. Protect.

He knelt beside the body, and quickly searched for a pulse, praying to whatever fucking God there is out there to spare him this one time. To his utter relief, he found one; weak and irregular it may be, but a pulse is still a pulse.

How could he have failed to protect? Damn it! You're much stronger than him and you couldn't even keep him safe and pull him back! What is wrong with you?!

All of a sudden, a hand grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him down aside along with Fai, barely dodging a shot.

"Are you paying attention at what's going on?!"

That voice snapped Kurogane out of his trance. He looked over his shoulder to see Subaru staring at him angrily. "I know you're worried about Fai, and I am too, but you can't go getting yourself killed like this!"

"Mm," he muttered, trying to cover up his embarrassment of being caught off guard. Seriously, what was happening to him? He was usually the alert one. The gruff man lifted Fai with one hand, and surveyed the scene. There were many people fighting here and there, the sound of gunshots deafening in the room. The girl – Sakura, was it – was held protectively in Syaoran's arms, both cowering in a corner. Well, who could blame them? It's like throwing kids in the middle of a war with bullets and missiles flying everywhere.

"Subaru! Subaru!"

Said man searched through the scene for the source of voice, and his eyes fell on a figure as his heart stopped dead.

Kamui.

"Subaru!" he yelled, rushing towards them. The thin man seized his brother's shoulders, shaking him with worry. "Subaru! Are you alright?! Answer me!"

"Ka… Kamui?" he asked weakly. "What… What…"

"No time for stuttering now." There was panic in his voice. "You guys have to hurry back into the passageway before things get out of hand. There'll be people waiting for you there and they'll get you out and take you somewhere safe!"

"What… what about you?"

"I'll join you as soon as we get things settled." He dragged all two – well, three actually – of them up, pulling them through the madness.

"Wait! Wait, there's Sakura, and the boy!" Subaru continued weakly, pointing at the two huddled figures. Kamui followed his gaze and muttered something under his breath that sounded like a swear word before turning at the other direction.

"Doemeki! Get those two kids out of here! Now!" he yelled at a guy who seemed to be killing with no expression on his face at all. He locked eyes with him and nodded, running towards them. "C'mon," Kamui whispered. He dragged all of them through the room and to the corridors, Doemeki and the kids not far behind. Occasionally they had to stop to listen or shoot, but after what seemed like an eternity, they finally made their way through into the underground passage. Several men and women greeted them.

"Follow them. They'll lead you back to where you came from and a van will be waiting for you all. They're going to drive you to a remote area outside Florence for the time being. So go, now!"

"Brother…" Subaru started weakly.

"Go!"

In a flash, Kamui was gone. They heard a loud noise as he shut the door.

"We have to leave before they notice you're gone," said a young woman beside them. She had black, curly hair tied in two ponytails as her piercing blue eyes stared at them. She took both Syaoran and Sakura's hand in hers and caught all of their gazes. "I know you have many questions, but please hold them for the moment. As soon as we reach our destination, you can ask as many questions as you like, and no matter how bizarre or embarrassing they are we will answer. We know we can't win your trust yet, but when all is said and done, it will be proved that we are on your side."

"Come on," said another man. "Off you go."

Eyes narrowing in suspicion, Kurogane followed with Fai in his arms, refusing to let anyone else touch him. Oh yes, yes, he does have a hell lot of questions to ask, and they better answer them before he finally loses his temper.

Hang on, Fai. We're almost there.

Happy? Oooooh! I hope I didn't do too badly, did I? DID I? Like I said, terribly sorry for the delay. The next chapter will be out on the 5th of January, and no, there won't be any delays. By the way, I have a poll in my profile about my next fan fiction, so if it isn't too much, please vote! You'll have my thanks!