Yay, shorter wait time for this chapter! And this one is longer than the last, too. This chapter is going to be mostly action, and the next (which will be the last!) is going to be simply oozing with KuroFai sweetness. Big thanks to everyone who's been reading, favoriting, and reviewing. And thanks to Failover77, kute, James Birdsong, and Guest, who left reviews signed in as guests, which meant I couldn't send them a PM.

3. The Darkness in My Soul

"Yes, beautiful, we'll have some fun. And then I'll kill you."

"What?" Fai couldn't stop himself from saying it, though he had no idea what kind of answer he could possibly get.

Kowa smiled. "Yes, you filthy magicians really are all the same. You think yer better than us common, non-magic folk. Ya think that we're stupid or somethin. But we thought you were all gone…after the Purge. I guess you just escaped, eh? I'll take care o' that. But only after I make that beautiful face of yours twist in pain." His grip on Fai tightened.

Fai could feel his heart beating horribly rapidly as Kowa brought their faces together and he kissed him, crudely, roughly, his tongue forcing its way into Fai's mouth, his stubble scraping his chin. It made Fai feel sick; violated. He managed to turn his head enough to escape for the moment, gasping.

"What, ya don't like that?" Kowa chuckled and forced Fai to face him again. As he leaned in for another invasive kiss, Fai struggled, wriggling his shoulders and trying to turn his face away.

"No!" he said as forcefully as he could, though tears were gleaming in his eyes. "Stop it, or I'll-"

"Or you'll what?" Kowa shouted. He seemed genuinely angry again. He slammed Fai's head down. His tender skull hit the stone floor, his vision went black for a second and he felt momentarily stunned. "You can't resist. We gave you a drug; you're magic's useless, and your body's weak." He laughed, coldly. "You're mine."

There was a time, not all that long ago, when Fai might have just lay down and accepted his fate, allowed Kowa to have his way without resistance, and then died quietly at his hands. But now Fai could only think of what he had to live for. He thought about Syaoran, Mokona, Sakura, and all the other friends they had made on their journeys together. But mostly he thought of Kurogane. Kurogane, who was strong, brave, and selfless; all the things Fai wasn't but wished he could be; all the things Fai loved about him. His love confession hadn't been returned, it was true, but he wasn't ready to give up. He had hope. He had a future. And he wanted to fight and live for that future; for Kurogane, if nothing else. So he didn't stop struggling. He didn't give up, even as Kowa hit him in the face, held him down by the throat, and began tearing at his clothes. He didn't stop, and he wouldn't, as long as he had breath in his body.

…

Kurogane was led to a small, non-descript building a short way from the center of the town. But it was where he was taken from there that was interesting. In the corner of a back room, a trapdoor was lifted to reveal a shallow stone cellar beneath the building. Kurogane was taken to a cramped chamber within this basement and was sat down in a short, wooden chair.

His captors stood in a loose circle in front of him, discussing what should be done with him. They seemed lost and discordant as a group. One or two were arguing vehemently that something needed to be done with him now, while the others maintained they needed to await orders from a man named Kowa. Kurogane listened intently whenever this man was mentioned; he seemed to be their leader.

"We need to ask Kowa before we do anythin' with this one."

"We don't have time! He's still with the other one!"

Kurogane's ears perked up at that. Other one? Could that be Fai? He had to get out of this room and find out. He began moving his left arm, the metal one, back and forth, rubbing against the fibers of the rope that bound him. There was a rough spot, an irregularity in the metal right at the wrist joint, that he was trying to catch on the rope.

The argument began to be dominated by the pro-action men, and Kurogane knew that the time before they did something was very limited. Unfortunately, he couldn't feel how much, if any, progress he was making on the rope because his artificial arm did not have a sense of touch. He would just have to keep going.

Having finally come to the decision that something had to be done, the four men approached him. "Hold 'im down," the tallest one ordered. He was holding a flask filled with a cloudy liquid that Kurogane did not like the look of. The other three grabbed ahold of Kurogane's shoulders, though his lack of resistance up until this point seemed to have lulled them into a false sense of security. They applied a relatively small amount of pressure, maybe enough to hold down an average man; but not Kurogane. When he judged the time to be right, he made his move.

The only question was as to whether the rope would break or not; it did. He'd worn through it enough to snap it when he suddenly ripped his arms apart, also throwing the men holding his arms and shoulders off balance. The one directly in front of him barely had time to shout, "Hey!" before he was knocked flat on his back, the contents of his flask spilling across the stone floor.

Kurogane ran out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him, yanking the gag out of his mouth. He didn't have anything on him; he'd been afraid that his captors would confiscate anything that he brought; so he had nothing to stick through the handle of the door to buy himself a few more seconds. Instead he took off running down the hall, slowing down momentarily at every doorway he passed.

There were several empty rooms identical to the one he'd just left and one slightly larger door at the very end of the hall. He continued glancing into every room he came across, but he gravitated toward that end one, gut instinct telling him that was where Fai was.

When he'd finally passed all the other doors, he ran straight into the last, solid wooden one, leading with his shoulder. Nothing was going to stop him from getting into that room.

The door didn't stand a chance. It was flung wide open, banging against the wall and bouncing back from the force that Kurogane had struck it with. He stumbled across the threshold after it, and gasped at what he saw.

Fai was there, alright. He was being held down by a hand at his throat and his eyes were closed; Kurogane couldn't tell if he was conscious or not. His clothing, what was left of it, was in tatters. His body was bruised and beaten.

And above him, a dark-haired man was laughing.

"Fai!" The single word was ripped from Kurogane's throat, raw and terrified. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been as frightened as he was right now, seeing Fai in this helpless position, obviously in pain and at the mercy of this man, presumably Kowa.

Kurogane moved without thinking. His feet carried him across the floor and he fell upon Kowa before he even knew what he was doing. Then he was watching as Kowa went flying and hit the stone wall, meeting it with a tremendous crunch on impact, and then sliding down to the floor, though Kurogane hardly remembered hitting him. Then he was sinking to his knees at Fai's side.

Fai was stirring; his eyes fluttered open once or twice, and his head moved slightly. "Fai," Kurogane breathed, relieved just to find him alive and seemingly whole. He removed his cloak and laid it over Fai's shivering, exposed body.

"He's mine," Kurogane heard, and turned just in time to receive a blow to the face. Kowa was back on his feet and wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. His eyes burned with determination. "I won't let you take him."

"You bastard." Kurogane also rose, revealing his superior height and size. Kowa didn't back down, though, but went to throw another punch. Kurogane rolled with the blow as it landed on his chin, minimizing damage and at the same time using his long reach to strike at Kowa's exposed ribs. Kowa crumpled, cursing, and took a step back, out of Kurogane's reach. He fumbled at his waist for something and when he raised his fist again, it held a long, wicked looking knife.

But now Kurogane was fighting with a sort of blind fury where things like knives meant nothing. He took a step and swung at Kowa's face, but he ducked just in time to avoid it. A frustrated snarl escaped Kurogane's lips as he pursued the other man ever more desperately, even wildly. Kowa struck with his knife as he approached, but Kurogane raised his left arm and protected himself. The knife rebounded off his fake arm with a metallic clang, stopping Kowa in his tracks. "What are you?" he whispered. His eyes were wide with fear for the first time.

Kurogane didn't answer, but continued pursuing him, eventually striking him full in the chest. He was pushed back all the way to the stone wall and fell again. This time he did not stand up.

As Kurogane stood panting over Fai's injured body, rage coursed through his veins. The intense urge to kill, stronger than he could ever remember feeling it before, reared itself in his chest. He wanted to end that man, Kowa's, life. He wanted to make him pay for anything that had been done to Fai. He wanted to make him hurt; surely it was all that he deserved. The dark desire almost overwhelmed him, but his gaze fell on Fai's face, and he knew that he couldn't do it. Instead he just set his jaw and knelt, gathering Fai's limp body in his arms. He hadn't woken up yet.

Kurogane stood, holding Fai, and faced the door. He was surprised that the other four hadn't shown up in their leader's defense yet; perhaps he'd injured them worse than he'd thought when he was making his escape.

Cautiously, he edged out of the room and into the narrow passage, expecting at any second to be overwhelmed by men. But nothing came. He walked slowly down the hall, listening and watching for any signs of movement in the dim lighting. He was about halfway down the hallway, watching the door to the room he'd originally come from closely, when he finally saw a human form emerging from the chamber.

He immediately tensed and he turned slightly, shielding Fai's body with his own and preparing to fight as the person took off running in his direction.

"Kurogane!" At the sound of his name being called in a familiar voice, Kurogane took the time to look over the young man and recognized it to be Syaoran, Mokona sitting on his shoulder.

He nearly slumped to the ground in relief. "Dammit, kid, I thought I told you to stay away!"

Syaoran grinned. "Sorry. But I took care of those guys back there for you." He nodded to the first room and then seemed to see Fai for the first time. The color drained out of his face. "Is he…"

"He'll be fine. Let's just get out of here."

Syaoran nodded. "The villagers aren't too happy with you, though."

"I know. But we'll make it."

Kurogane followed Syaoran back up to the surface, into the light, and allowed him to take the lead as they dashed into the streets. He was exhausted; the adrenaline that had been keeping him going after the lack of sleep last night was finally wearing off. He could only follow Syaoran and trust that he was leading them to safety.

They were met with no resistance on their way through the village until they approached the wall at the outskirts. There, Syaoran paused and Kurogane looked up, following his gaze.

There was a heavy, middle-aged woman blocking their way, her mouth set, holding a rake like a weapon across her body. She didn't say anything, just stared down Syaoran, who was in the lead. Her face clearly told them that they weren't getting by without a fight.

Syaoran stopped and the silence between the two groups was almost palpable, broken only by Syaoran and Kurogane's slight panting. Mokona was being prudently quiet for once as both sides waited for the other to act first. Eventually Syaoran took a step toward the woman, who immediately bristled. "Ma'am, please," Syaoran said. "Please let us go through. We don't want to fight you."

"Are you magicians?" she asked slowly. Her eyes flicked to Kurogane for a moment, and then back to Syaoran.

The kid shook his head slowly. "We just want to leave your town peacefully."

"You've already disturbed us. It's too late to go peacefully." The woman hadn't budged an inch, and it didn't look like she was going to. Syaoran glanced back at Kurogane for help.

Kurogane took a small step forward to stand next to Syaoran, and when he did so, the woman noticed Fai for the first time. Her eyes widened and she gasped before averting her gaze. She blinked rapidly and her arms shifted down slightly, lowering the rake to a less threatening position. "Did…did they do that to him?" she asked. She looked younger, softer, and more vulnerable than she had a moment ago.

"Yes." Syaoran answered, once again taking a cautious step closer to the woman. This time, though she eyed him warily, she remained in her relatively unguarded position. "Those men hurt our friend. But all we want to do is leave, and to heal him." He gazed softly at the woman with those big brown eyes of his. "Please help us."

"That boy…he looks like…" She stopped and wiped under her eyes with one hand. After composing herself for a minute, she was able to meet Kurogane's eyes steadily. "You're really going to leave?"

"Yes."

She studied him for a long moment, probably deciding whether or not he was trustworthy. Eventually she said, "I shouldn't do this. But I…I believe you. And more importantly, that boy's hurt." She stepped aside, clearing a path out of the village, though she stared determinedly at the ground instead of them. Syaoran exchanged a quizzical look with Kurogane. Kurogane nodded and they moved together, slowly, non-threateningly, as they passed the woman. She made no move to stop them or call anyone else to detain them. They were free.

Kurogane couldn't believe their luck as he saw that there were only a few fields of grass separating them and the comparative safety of the forest. In fact, he almost thought that it truly was too good to be true when he heard the woman's voice again from behind them. But all she said was,

"Please, take care of him!"

Kurogane looked back over his shoulder to see her standing and watching them, her rake lying forgotten in the dust at her feet. After he watched for a moment he nodded and turned and ran to catch up with Syaoran, replying in a voice so low that no one else could hear, "I will."

They hit the forest and had to slow down, but they kept moving relentlessly forward, trying to put some serious distance between them and the village. It wasn't long before Kurogane was breathing hard and slowing down, burdened as he was carrying Fai. But he kept going, taking the journey one step at a time, doing his best to keep pace with Syaoran and trying to keep Fai comfortable in his arms, though his muscles were beginning to burn from the strain. It was all he could do to keep walking for the sake of the man he held in his hands.

The sun was beginning to set by the time Syaoran stopped. "We need to rest for the night," he said. Kurogane agreed wordlessly, sinking to his knees, his limbs trembling. He was physically and emotionally drained, and he didn't think he could go any further without rest. But he didn't want to stop.

"We'll get going again in a few hours," he said, laying Fai gently on the ground. Syaoran began to protest, but Kurogane stopped him with a glare. "I won't be able to sleep until we're a world away from the bastards who did this."

After a moment, Syaoran relented. "Fine. But please-"

"Don't worry." Kurogane fell back on the ground heavily, leaning against a tree. "I'll get some rest. I'm just not going to sleep. Someone has to be on watch, anyways."

Syaoran's brow wrinkled in concern, but he didn't say anything else. He also settled against a tree, holding a yawning Mokona in his lap. A few moments passed in silence as the last red light of day faded around them. Then Syaoran spoke. "I learned a little more about why those people hate magic."

Kurogane's eyebrows shot up. "You did? How?"

"A young woman told me after I offered her a bit of food. They're not bad people, they're just frightened."

"And what did you find out?"

"Well, up until recently, people with magic ruled those without. The magicians used their powers badly, and were harsh and cruel to the common people. But a group of men, led by one named Kowa, attacked the magician leaders in their homes and killed them all, taking back their country for themselves. They called it the Purge. And now, using a device of some sort, they can track the use of magic and hunt down any others who use it. My guess is that this device comes from another world, because this one seems to lack complex technology."

Kurogane thought for a moment, then said, "So it must have been the creampuff's powers that led them right to us, and Fai was just the first one they found."

"I guess so." Syaoran closed his eyes after that, and Kurogane followed suit, just for a moment. His stomach was too knotted up with worry for him to accidentally drift off, but his body appreciated the rest he was getting. It wasn't until later that Syaoran's voice cut through the night air once again. "You know, I feel bad for those people, now that I know what they've been through. I might not agree with their methods for dealing with it, but I don't blame them for not trusting magicians." Kurogane looked up just in time to see him roll onto his side, seeming to fall asleep. Then he shifted his gaze to focus on Fai.

Kurogane struggled to make out his pale, bruised face in the darkness. Break time was over. He began to rip strips of cloth from the large cloak covering Fai, making bandages which he then used to wrap the mage's shoulder, where it had been rubbing against Kurogane as they walked. Anything that he could do to help. He worked for a few minutes before responding to Syaoran, whether he was awake or not.

"That may be. But I will never forgive them for what they did."

More background information on this world, which Syaoran didn't find out (but I imagine): the magicians were originally given their powers by one of Sakura's feathers, though it was generations ago on this world. Also, these people (at least those from this isolated village) aren't really aware that travel between worlds is possible, though they are visited often. In fact, the man that gave Kowa his device to track magic was indeed from another world, looking to make a quick buck, and it's also possible that he planted the idea of a revolution in Kowa's mind. Kowa was told that this complex technology came from a great city across the ocean, a society that does exist and that is more advanced, so even he is unaware.

Hope you liked it! Like I said, the next chapter will be the last! : O