Summary: After four years of travel, Kurogane and the others finally wind up in Nihon. To his horror, he finds that a lot has changed in his absence. From Tomoyo getting married, to a mysterious force infiltrating Nihon, getting Sakura's feather back isn't going to be easy. Especially when Kurogane is forced to come to grips with a startling revelation that will change his life forever...
Pairings: KuroganexTomoyo, SyaoranxSakura
Disclaimer: Do I even need to do this? You ought to know this already.
Note: This fan fic is based on the manga, with a few extra tidbits here and there from the anime. It was first published on July 28, 2005, therefore set before Chapitre 91. A lot of theories here will coincide with the actual events in TRC, either because I added them later (evident in latter chapters) or because of some good guessing (evident in the first chapters). I also decided to use the official spelling for Fay's name (and Fei Wang Reed's name).
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A/N: With the last chapter of the first part of this series, I decided to do a much-needed revamp concerning replacing a couple of phrases, some spelling mistakes, grammatical structures and misuses in punctuation, a phenomenon fairly evident in the first chapters, which are, in my honest opinion, horrible. They're short, crude, rough, and pretty boring. Thankfully, as time passed, my chapters became longer and much more elaborate in description. I still don't understand how the majority of my readers managed to stay interested enough to keep reading, but I'm grateful that they did. It was your encouragement that has made me what I am today!
It's been nearly two years since I started out as a fan fic writer and I can say without preamble that I've definitely matured. While writing my fan fic, I gained experience, so even though it was a laborious task rereading and editing it, I feel it was worth it so you could enjoy When Worlds Collide as it was meant to be. Constructive criticism is still greatly appreciated.
I hope you enjoy my fan fic!
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When Worlds Collide
Chapter 15 — The Eye Of The Beholder
By Mystic Dawn
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Tattered sheets of slanting rain pounded mercilessly on the cobbled streets. The rain that fell was cold, a rain which would swiftly turn to sleet, and then into snow. A deep rumble of thunder sounded in the distance, and a jagged flash of lightening split the sky, momentarily lighting the streets up. No one in their right mind would dare to brave the forthcoming storm.
Fay was soaked through, the hem of his heavy cloak dragging in the muddy waters as he strode after Kurogane as quickly as his tired legs could afford him. The rain continued to dribble down his back, plastering his clothes to him like a second skin. The air was cold, and the fact that the wind tore at him, making his bedraggled garments stick even more firmly upon him, wasn't helping in the slightest. Fay was feeling pretty sorry for himself right about then, and he was beginning to wonder what he had ever done to deserve tromping through ice-cold rain in the middle of the night.
He suddenly sneezed violently. "Oh, dear," he sniffled. "I think I'm going to catch a cold."
Fay might as well have been conversing with a brick wall for all it was worth. He jogged along a little and fell into step beside the dark-garbed ninja. "Kuro-taaan," he drawled. "How far is it to the inn?"
"'Bout fifteen more minutes," Kurogane grated out the reply. And don't you dare say another word, 'cause I've had it up to here with all your whining, he added silently.
"I'm going to catch pneumonia before long," Fay said gloomily. "I just know it."
Kurogane clenched his teeth together in irritation. He had just about had enough of Fay's chatter (for the flaxen-haired wizard had been talking almost non-stop since they had left the tavern) and was beginning to find the idea of giving him a punch very appealing when he suddenly froze in his tracks, tilting his head to one side. He thought he could hear something other than the steady tattoo of the rain in the darkness. "Can you hear that?" he whispered, concentrating on seeking out the sound.
Fay raised an eyebrow curiously. "What is it?" All he could see were the dark and oppressive buildings gleaming with the rain, and the only sound he could hear was the sound of the rain.
"Something's not right..." Kurogane muttered as he narrowed his eyes, searching for the source of his unease. He suddenly grabbed Fay's cloak and jerked him to the side, shouting, "Look out!" just as a thrown dagger narrowly grazed the wizard's shoulder.
"Yikes!" Fay gulped, eyeing the space where he had been only moments before with a nervous gaze. "That was close!"
"Too close for my liking," Kurogane grunted.
Suddenly, shadowy shapes approached them from all around, slipping out into the open from narrow alleyways and dark walls. There were about twenty figures in total, and all were shrouded in heavy cloaks which obscured their faces. They closed in on the hapless duo, gleaming knives in their fists.
"Damn it," Kurogane cursed under his breath. "We're surrounded."
One of the figures took a few steps forward. He towered above all the rest, and as he approached, something hidden in his cloak clinked. He threw back his hood, ignoring the rain, as he revealed deep-sunken eyes under a shaggy mane of gray hair and a heavily scarred face.
Fay gasped. "It's him! That guy in the tavern yesterday!"
"I know," Kurogane said, eyeing the scarred man with a strange glint in his crimson eyes.
"Well, well, well," the man said tauntingly in a deep baritone voice. "What do we have 'ere? A couple o' mice caugh' in a trap, eh?"
Kurogane did not reply, but his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"What's the matter? Cat got yer tongue?" He roared with laughter at his own joke, and the other ruffians guffawed along unintelligibly.
"Stand aside," Kurogane snarled.
"An' what if me 'n me mates jus' stay put, eh?" the scarred man said with the veiled hint of a threat. "We're gonna make ourselves a grea' big pile o' money by killin' yeh two off."
"That doesn't sound too promising," Fay murmured dryly.
"What do you want?" Kurogane asked the roughneck in an ominous voice.
The scarred man arched a grizzled eyebrow. "Now, don' play coy with me. I can see by yer face tha' yeh know perf'ctly well wha' we want. We got our orders. Though, I mus' say, it'll be an honor to do yeh in." He paused, and his face broke into a huge, mirthless smile. "Isn' tha' right... Kurogane?"
Fay started violently. "Do you two know each other?!" he asked Kurogane in a shocked voice.
"It's not tha' we know each other person'lly," the scarred man interjected. "It's jus' tha' this man's rep'tation precedes 'im. Everyone's heard o' the strongest ninja from Nihon. Though I mus' say I'm a tad dis'ppointed. They say tha' yeh drink the blood o' yer enemies an' tha' yeh'd never pass off the opp'tunity to kill anyone who even so much as looks at yeh in a weird way." He crossed his arms. "I was expectin' yeh to be more impr'ssive-looking."
Kurogane gave no indication that he had been affected by the scarred man's words.
Whether the man was trying to force Kurogane into doing something rash with falsehoods or whether the man's words were true, Fay honestly did not know what to believe. He was seeing a whole new side to Kurogane, and he wasn't sure if it was for the better.
"Who hired you?" Kurogane demanded in a growl.
"I suppose it won' make much o' a diff'rence if I tell yeh," the man decided. "Yeh oughtta be flattered an' all abou' the price, though." He grinned eagerly, and Fay saw that he was missing a few teeth. "Me 'n me mates aren' really squeamish with a bi' too much blood when we slit throats an' all, so I'll tell yeh who paid us when yeh chokin' on yer own blood."
"Urgh," Fay shivered. "Spare me the graphic descriptions." His comment was more in the nature of trying to calm his nerves rather than because he found the scarred man's threats humorous.
Something flashed in Kurogane's eyes, as if he seemed to come to a decision. "Why don't we test that and see if it's not the other way around?" he said in a deadly voice.
Scar-face smiled gruesomely as he parted his cloak, revealing a heavy sword strapped at his waist. He drew it out with a steely hiss and hefted it in his hands with the bearing of one very experienced with the specific weapon. He raised the massive blade to his face and licked it with apparent relish. "Why don' we?"
Kurogane slowly removed his cumbersome winter cloak and let it fall to the ground, not wishing for its amplified weight by the rain to impede his movements. He spread his hands and crouched low, flexing his fingers as he readied himself for battle. His hot breath steamed in the chill air, and the corners of his mouth twitched to form an evil-looking grin. He was in his element now, and that meant that he had the upper hand, even though the cutthroats surpassed him in numbers.
Fay also readied himself, raising his arms slightly while assuming a defensive stance. Although he was not as skilled as Kurogane in combat, he was nevertheless competent enough to be able to fend off anyone who would come within range.
The rain seemed to intensify and another flash of lightning streaked across the sky. Neither Kurogane, nor the scar-faced man made a move. The rainwater trickled down Kurogane's limbs, but he paid no attention to it; his focus was entirely upon his opponent.
The first move was made by a lanky, middle-aged man with a protuberant nose, his steps swift as he rushed at Kurogane with a hoarse cry, his stiletto poised upward. Kurogane easily avoided the clumsy head-on attack by stepping to the side and striking his hand down sharply upon the man's forearm, causing him to drop the weapon. With a solid punch in the face, Kurogane promptly knocked him out.
And then the fight commenced.
One of the cutthroats lashed out at Kurogane with a long knife in his hand. Kurogane slammed it aside, and, grasping the man's wrist in a tight grip, twisted it with a sharp snap. The man howled and clutched at his broken wrist in pain, the weapon slipping from his useless hand to the ground.
Fay sprang forward and dealt a stunning high kick at his opponent, sending him reeling backward. He took a few steps back and ducked low, sending another attacker who had been about to lunge at him tumbling to the ground.
Another ruffian sought to drive his blade through Kurogane's chest, but Kurogane jumped back quickly to avoid it, and then, leaping forward, dealt him a stunning uppercut. The blow was so strong that it drew blood, and the would-be-attacker toppled to the ground. Kurogane whirled around to face another foe, and, with a satisfied smirk, jabbed at the man's face, gouging his eye.
With cat-like quickness, Fay nimbly avoided a near death-blow, and, leaping into the air, actually stepped upon a man's face twice before somersaulting in the air and landing smoothly back upon his feet. He twirled to the side and elbowed a man who had been about to plunge his blade into his back. It seemed that wherever Fay turned, another cutthroat was there. There're too many of them! he thought desperately, dodging another roughneck.
Kurogane jumped back to avoid a knife, then threw himself flat on the ground even before the overhand slash aimed for his throat had been swung. He kicked out viciously, his foot making contact with the man's knee. Kurogane twisted the heel of his boot through the knee savagely, breaking it with a sickening crunch. Leaping to his feet, he drew out his hidden dagger in one fluid motion and sliced the crippled man's stomach open, sending him toppling to the ground as he vainly clutched at his vitals.
As if revealing his hidden weapon had been something like a signal, Kurogane began to fight even more fiercely than before, driving the five-inch blade into anyone who dared to get close enough to him. With a deafening roar, he lunged at a terrified roughneck, slashing open his throat. He then whirled around and threw his dagger into another man's chest. The man's eyes rolled into the back of his head, bright blood gushing from his gaping mouth as he collapsed onto the ground. Retrieving his bloodied weapon, Kurogane turned to face another opponent.
It was as if each death Kurogane caused was a release, a release from everything that he suppressed and held inside of himself. His bottled-up anger at finding out how Dai had manipulated Tomoyo had finally found the opportunity to come out in this fight, and all of his pent-up feelings of late also seemed to surge out of him, relieving him of his burdens and responsibilities.
Fay hesitated slightly in the midst of the fight, taken aback at Kurogane's sudden ferocity, which was more than enough for the scarred leader to sneak up on the wizard from behind and twine his arms around his neck. Fay exclaimed in surprise and struggled to break free, but the cutthroat was larger and stronger than him. His forearms were mercilessly pressed against his throat, and Fay could feel himself slowly suffocating. Scar-face smiled mirthlessly and lifted Fay in the air so that his feet would not touch the ground, never relaxing his hold as he continued to choke the life out of him. Fay began to feel light-headed and dizzy, his vision swimming before his eyes and his lungs screaming for the oxygen being denied them. He croaked feebly, trying to pry away the muscular arms of his attacker with weak fingers. If only it would all just end...
Then, suddenly, Kurogane was there. His knife thrust into the leader's hip, seeking and finding his kidney. With a nasty grin, Kurogane twisted the knife through him savagely before jerking the blade back out.
Fay sprawled onto the ground as the scarred man released him. Scar-face howled in pain, his hands clutching at the small of his back where Kurogane had stabbed him as he fell writhing to the ground, his face dead white with pain.
Kurogane drove his knife through the man's chest slowly and deliberately, a fountain of blood spurting out from the man's open mouth. He twisted the blade through him cruelly, causing the man's cries of pain to die off with a gurgling sigh. Kurogane grimly tugged his weapon free and turned to face the last remaining roughnecks.
Fay drew in a shaky breath that seared through his lungs, but it was a wonderful and heavenly sensation. He gulped down the cold air eagerly, as if he had never breathed properly before in his life, coughing and massaging his throat with one hand.
After several moments had passed and he had regained his breath, Fay raised his head. Kurogane was standing a few feet away from him, but all Fay could see of him was his back. Kurogane just stood there, ignoring the incessant rain that continued to fall down upon him, still clutching his blood-encrusted dagger tightly in his right fist.
Fay suddenly realized that the fight must have ended, how, he did not know. "It's over?" he croaked, standing on trembling legs.
"Yes," he heard Kurogane reply in an emotionless voice.
Fay swallowed uneasily, noticing that Kurogane's arms were covered up to the elbows in dark blood. "Are they all... dead?"
"Yes," Kurogane said, again in a voice devoid of feelings.
Fay shifted his weight uneasily, not exactly sure what to say or do. "Are you injured?" he finally asked the ninja, though he had a faint feeling that he already knew the answer.
Kurogane barked out a harsh laugh. He wiped his dagger clean on the hem of his shirt and stuffed it back in its sheath. His blood-red orbs were practically the same shade as the blood smeared on his arms, and they glinted peculiarly in the moonlight.
Fay bit his lip. "That blood...?"
"Not mine," Kurogane said heavily. He looked down at his hands, then turned his face away, shuddering. He had completely lost control over himself. He couldn't even clearly remember what had happened. Flashes of the fight flickered before his eyes, but most of it was a dim haze.
"How do you feel?"
Kurogane shook his head slightly to chase away the images and bent to retrieve his cloak. He closed his eyes for several moments, struggling with himself. "Strange," he finally admitted in a quiet voice. "This time was different than with the mercenaries." He slung his cloak over his shoulder. "But they were trying to kill us," he said defensively, almost as if he were trying to justify his actions. "I had no choice." He turned to face Fay and arched an eyebrow at the blond man. "What about you? Are you hurt?"
"Oh, I suppose I'm as fit as a fiddle," Fay grinned, seeking to somehow break the tension. "If I can get over the fact that I was nearly strangled," he added wryly.
Kurogane mopped at his streaming face with his shirt. "We need to get outta here," he muttered as he started down the street at a quick walk.
"What's the rush, Kuro-sama?" Fay giggled. "It's not like we're that far from the inn. Personally, I'm exhausted, and I can hardly take another step—"
"Cut the chirpy crap and listen to me," he snapped irritably. "We've gotta get out of the city. We have to leave Sembia as soon as possible—in the hour if we can manage it. It's not like these sods were on their own. This was an organized attack, which means that they must have also had some others as a reserve squad. They'll be looking for us once they find out that these bastards failed. And then—"
"They'll head straight for the inn!" Fay gasped, his sky-blue eyes widening as he cast away his pleasant mood. "For Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun!"
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"What does it say?" Syaoran muttered to himself as he scanned the faint spidery-looking text of the Prophecy. The brittle and yellowed parchment offered no help his way as the ink had faded over the ages, and it was almost impossible to read the passage properly in the dying light of the guttering candle. The flame flickered constantly, drawing designs that danced across the bare white walls.
Syaoran sighed exasperatedly. He had always liked figuring things out for himself, but this was getting ridiculous. He forced himself to look back down at the scroll. In passing, he observed that each ideogram was a work of art, having been beautifully and meticulously drawn. Whoever had written the Prophecy had obviously devoted much patience in its creation.
But as Syaoran's eyes traveled across the text as he unrolled the crackling scroll, his own patience was growing thinner. He clenched his teeth together angrily. There it was! No matter how hard he tried to make out what was written underneath the smeared line he just couldn't tell, and the undeniable fact that he knew there was something of vast importance just out of his reach made him want to howl in aggravation.
Instead, Syaoran exhaled in frustration and raked his hand through his untidy chestnut-colored hair, messing it up even more. Raising his tired eyes from the scroll, he watched the endless rain hammering against the dark windows as his mind drifted back to his latest dream.
The time is nearing... Syaoran recalled. He did not know what significance the statement held, but he could understand that there must be some sort of perplex and obscure meaning behind it. Could it have anything to do with Sakura's memory shard? Could it perhaps have anything to do with the meeting at Solar Tower? Or, as the Prophecy proclaimed, something to do with one of the four of them?
Even if it were something altogether different, what worried Syaoran was that he would be powerless to prevent what was meant to happen. The feeling of helplessness made his blood run cold and his stomach churn. If it were indeed so, what would happen? It seemed as if the voice in his dreams knew for certain what was to come. But were Syaoran's dreams his own, or were they messages of some kind? Were they visions and illusions projected purposefully by their enemies? Were his dreams a way their enemies were using to weaken him, having no real substance or essence? Or maybe a way for their enemies to spy on them, using Syaoran himself as a vessel of some kind?
Syaoran flung the Prophecy away and fell back upon his sleeping mat with a groan. There were so many 'what if's' and 'maybe's' to take into account, and each 'probably' and 'possibly' made his mind reel, causing him to feel as if his head would soon burst and overflow with his futile attempts to discover the truth.
Syaoran frowned and sat up. What was the matter with him? Why was he giving up so easily? It wasn't at all like him to lose hope so quickly, even though this agonizing speculation was probably more than he might be able to handle.
Syaoran sighed as he lay back upon his pallet and closed his eyes, emptying himself of all thought and emotion. Perhaps if he rested for a few moments he'd be able to tackle the Prophecy again with a clearer head. Inevitably, his mind drifted back to memories with Sakura, as it always did when he needed a breather from his research.
Oh, how he missed the times before he and Sakura had embarked upon this quest. They would talk with each other for hours on end, not about anything really specific or important, but there would always be something else to chat about, some other little event that either Syaoran or Sakura had forgotten to mention that would extend the time they spent together.
Syaoran admired everything about Sakura. The way the sunlight would stream through her hair, the way her keen emerald-green eyes would sparkle impishly whenever she was planning anything on her brother, and the way her face would light up with happiness and joy whenever she was enjoying herself tremendously. Sakura was the liveliest and most fantastical person he had ever had the good fortune to meet. Although the Sakura now was still as energetic and cheerful as always, it pained Syaoran that she had become more serious and withdrawn with their journey. He sometimes had an unexplainable impulse to gather her in his arms and assure her that all would be well.
Syaoran reminded himself firmly that he had made a choice. He had willingly sacrificed his past relationship with Sakura, but it was hard not to show her his true emotions. Syaoran's determination to help her was too obvious not to go unnoticed, as had proven all too true in Outo. He had to take great care to hide his true feelings from her. Now that she was able to sense strong emotions others were feeling with her magic...
"Syaoran?" a soft and all too familiar voice suddenly said from above him. "Are you awake?"
Syaoran started and snapped his eyes open. Sure enough, above him was Sakura's smiling face. He was slightly taken aback, for he had not been expecting her, least of all while he had been thinking about her. He then slowly realized that only a few inches separated his face from hers. He blushed furiously as he sat up, turning away from her guiltily.
Sakura blinked in confusion. "Are you all right, Syaoran?" she asked him in genuine concern.
"Er, yeah," Syaoran managed to croak, his cheeks still carrying a faint flush. "You just surprised me, that's all."
"Sorry about that," she apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you." She settled down onto his sleeping mat beside him. "Moko-chan and I were packing our things and we finally finished," she said with evident relief. "It was quite a struggle trying to dig him out of Kurogane-san's pack." Her face took on a worried expression. "Do you think he'll notice if his things are a little mixed up?" Although her tone was serious, her eyes shone mischievously.
"Knowing Kurogane-san, I bet he will," Syaoran replied with a tight grin. "Where is Mokona, by the way?"
"Sleeping. Crawling around all over the place really took a lot out of it." Sakura suddenly frowned, for upon a closer inspection, she noticed that Syaoran's appearance was haggard-looking. "Why, Syaoran, is anything the matter?"
"Oh, no, not really," he assured her. "I was just trying to puzzle something out."
"Have you made any progress with the Prophecy at all?" Sakura asked him curiously as she peered down at the scroll beside him, laying a casual hand on his shoulder.
"Some," Syaoran admitted, his cheeks reddening again at their close contact. "I've found out some more on the One Without Destiny, but I'm having a little trouble with the part referring to this dimension."
"What have you found out so far?" Sakura asked him excitedly.
"Well, according to this section," he said, unrolling the Prophecy and showing her one of the paragraphs, "it seems that Fei Wang Reed somehow amplified the powers of the One Without Destiny. Although the One Without Destiny had had some magic beforehand, he wouldn't have been strong enough to face us unaided. It also says that he's got one of you memories, which has also strengthened him significantly."
"Well, this confirms what we've already found out, right? Remember when Kurogane-san told us about the dragons sensing my memory?"
"Yes. This just proves it," Syaoran nodded, tapping at the Prophecy thoughtfully with one forefinger. "The One Without Destiny really does have your feather."
"Does it say anything else?"
Syaoran hesitated at first. "It says that he'll confront us," he finally said. "And that... something will happen to one of the four of us."
Sakura's eyes widened and she gasped. "Who?" she asked him fearfully.
"It doesn't say," he sighed heavily. "And I don't know what it will be, either. I've got the faint suspicion that it may mention it in the section referring to this dimension, but the part's all smudged."
"How do you mean?"
"Here," Syaoran said as he unrolled the Prophecy to the proper section, pointing at the smeared line.
Sakura looked down at it and shook her head. "I can't read this archaic form at all."
"It talks about Kurogane-san," Syaoran explained with an abbreviated summary, "either being 'stripped' from our party or continuing onward because of having to make some sort of choice." Syaoran shook his head in disgust. "And then it breaks off. There's a line totally smeared and I can't read what it says. And then when it picks up again it talks about something completely different. Another world, to be precise."
Sakura frowned. "But Tomoyo-hime is an extremely careful person; she was especially careful with the Prophecy. She had two magical shields protecting it, after all, and she even cautioned you to handle it with care. Was it like this when she gave it to you?"
"Yeah," Syaoran nodded. "I asked her about it while Kurogane-san was still healing from those arrows, and she told me that it was the way the Dimensional Witch had given it to her. They couldn't use magic to see what was underneath it or else the Prophecy would become unbalanced, and Fei Wang would win by default."
Sakura wrinkled her nose. "That's not really fair," she protested. "I was going to suggest I try to decipher it with my magic, but this changes everything. There's no way to see what's underneath without ruining the Prophecy." She bit her lower lip in worry. "But for it to be talking about Kurogane-san... do you suppose that whatever is going to happen is going to happen to him?"
"I hope not," Syaoran shuddered. "He's been through enough already." He sighed exasperatedly and rubbed at his hair furiously. "I just don't know what else to do."
"Then stop." Sakura reached for his hand and looked into his eyes gravely. "You've already done more than enough. I'm sure that once we put together what you've learned with what Kurogane-san and Fay-san find out we'll be able to face the One Without Destiny properly."
Syaoran smiled at her and shrugged helplessly. "You're right. It's not like there's anything left for me to do." He sweat-dropped. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked her anxiously.
Sakura broke into peals of silvery laughter.
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Chii was a mild-mannered young girl. She was obedient and always did what she was told. She would accept her chores with grace and without question, then set off to accomplish them. That did not necessarily mean that she always liked the chores, but that was, of course, another matter.
Her present task at hand was to feed hay to the stabled horses in the courtyard. She did not particularly mind this, for she always enjoyed being able to spend time with animals, especially horses. They had their own soft way of communicating their feelings with low neighs and flicks of their tails. Chii always enjoyed helping out Kusanagi, the stable-master, despite his somewhat stern appearance. His heavyset jaw and coarse black hair made him look rather intimidating at times, but he was kind at heart, and did not mind if Chii wished to see the horses.
But to go and tend to the horses all by herself was something that had never crossed her mind before. It wasn't her fault that Kusanagi caught a cold and had to stay in out of the weather. How did the task of going to the stables fall to her? And at night! Chii had never really liked roaming around in the dark. She knew perfectly well that there were no such things as ghouls or ghosts and all those folktales that mothers told their children for them to behave, but she had an imagination that sometimes got the better of her at times.
So, it was with her heart beating wildly in her chest that she tentatively opened the back door of the inn and peered out. She was wrapped up in a warm hooded cloak and she was carrying a lantern in one hand. She looked around the courtyard cautiously, and, swallowing hard, ran across it as fast as she could and into the stables.
She sagged slightly against the stable wall, sighing with relief. She pulled back her hood and placed the lantern upon the little hook set in the wall to illuminate the space. Sleepy nickers from the beasts of burden greeted her.
Chii's face broke into a smile. "I'm back," she whispered happily.
One of the horses, a large chestnut-colored beast with soft brown eyes, raised its head and neighed in greeting. Chii could have sworn that the animal looked genuinely pleased at her presence.
Humming a nameless tune, she turned to the haystack in the corner. Reaching for the large pitchfork, she was just about ready to start hefting hay to the horses when she heard a sound from outside in the courtyard that made her heart almost stop.
There were people outside! Chii hastily laid the pitchfork back against the wall and covered the lantern with a worn-out blanket. The stables were immediately plunged in darkness. Chii fumbled blindly, gripping at the walls as she crept back to the corner and huddled there in fright, praying fervently that whoever those people were would not come inside the stables.
But it was as if her pleas had fallen on deaf ears, for she heard the characteristic opening of the stable door. Outlined against the night gloom, she saw two figures garbed in dark cloaks.
"Quiet," one of the dark figures said to his companion in a harsh-sounding voice to Chii's delicate ears. "We don't want to alert anyone that we're here, do we?"
"After you," the other replied with a wave of his hand, his voice lighter than the first man's, but carrying an urgent note, as if he were worried about something.
They entered silently, and one of them closed the door with a soft snap. "Just what're we going to do again?" the second man asked the first, not taking care to lower his voice.
"Don't tell me I have to go over it again," the first replied exasperatedly, his heavy footfalls coming closer to where Chii was hidden.
Chii caught a strange odor in the air as the man approached her, a smell that was definitely not reminiscent of the rain that fell from the night sky. It was strange, reminding her faintly of... iron, though it was beyond her why someone would smell like that.
"No, it's just that I don't exactly understand what you want me to do," the second answered. "Do you want me to go get them, or do you want me to help you out with the horses first?"
Chii nearly gasped once she realized that the first man had stopped only a few feet away from her. She saw him raise a hand slowly to the second, as if telling him to remain silent. Please don't see me, she thought desperately, closing her eyes tightly. Please...
She suddenly felt a large hand close around her wrist in a tight grip, and she cried out in mindless terror. She felt something cold pressed against her throat and she shrank back from it, whimpering. "Please don't hurt me!" she sobbed.
"Wait!" the second man exclaimed, dashing forward and catching the first man's arm. "It's Chii!"
How is it that he knows my name? Chii wondered as she felt the chill object at her throat removed.
"What the hell is she doing here?!" the first demanded in an angry voice, releasing her hand.
What's going on? Chii thought as she saw the second man, a lithe and tall figure, remove the blanket from the lantern, bringing light flooding back into the stables. She blinked for her sensitive eyes to adjust to the faint light and gasped.
The blond man she knew as Masayo bent down before her and laid his hand upon her shoulder gently. "Are you all right?" he asked her in genuine concern, his blue eyes gazing into her amber ones.
Chii nodded, albeit a little shakily, as he helped her to her feet.
The first man shook his head angrily, and she recognized him as the wine-merchant Kumaso. His scarlet eyes seemed on fire in the lantern's light, and she squeaked with fright when she saw that his arms were covered in blood. "Great," he snarled at his porter. "Now what're we gonna do?"
"We'll do just as we said," he replied, one arm wrapped protectively around Chii's shoulders. "I'll go get Syaoran-kun and the others, and we'll be on our way."
"But what about her?"
"Chii didn't do anything wrong," he said defensively. "She was obviously in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Kumaso threw his hands in the air, mumbling a few choice swearwords. "Do what you want," he growled. "I'll ready the horses."
Masayo turned to Chii and smiled at her warmly. "There's nothing to worry about," he assured her softly. "We won't hurt you. All we want is to get our things ready and leave as quickly as possible." He impulsively brushed back her bangs. "Now stay here, all right? I'll be back in a few minutes."
Kumaso raised his head angrily from saddling one of the horses. "What the—?! What the hell d'you expect me to do with her?!"
But Masayo had already left.
The black-haired man shook his head in disgust. "Frigging bastard," he mumbled as he went back to readying the horses.
Chii swallowed nervously. In any normal circumstance, she would have made a mad dash for the inn as fast as her legs would have carried her. But something told her that she had to stay. Although the wine-merchant was positively terrifying in her eyes, there was something about the blond man that made her feel calm and at ease.
True to his words, Masayo returned after around ten minutes, along with two people Chii recalled as Yoshiko and Sadamo. The chestnut-haired adolescent, along with Masayo's help, was carrying their packs.
A strange white creature tittered excitedly upon Masayo's shoulder. "Kurogane!" it squeaked.
Yoshiko drew in her breath sharply as she covered her mouth with her hands. "Kurogane-san!" she gasped, her eyes wide with horror. "Why are you covered in blood?!"
"I'll explain later," Kumaso, or rather Kurogane, said as he took the pack from Sadamo's hands and hauled it onto one horse's back. "Right now we have to get outta here."
"What happened?"
"There's no time to explain," Kurogane said as he finished tying the pack on the horse. "Gimme my bag," he told Sadamo.
"Fay-san's got it," he replied. "I'm carrying Sakura's sack."
"Just trying to help Syaoran-kun out," the blond man grinned, handing Kurogane his pack.
Chii felt rather confused at all the different names being used. She blinked, twirling the edge of her cloak with her fingers. "You four aren't ordinary people, are you?"
The two adolescents started and turned at her voice, for they hadn't even noticed her standing there.
"You could say so," Fay admitted without preamble. "But we aren't people with evil intentions."
Chii shook her head. "No, of course you're not evil. I can tell." She sweat-dropped. "Though I won't hide the fact that I'm feeling pretty confused at the moment."
"It is rather complicated," Fay agreed with a chuckle. "How about we just settle for proper names? I'd like to explain everything to you, but we're running short on time."
Chii nodded.
"Well, I'm Fay. Yoshiko's name is in fact Sakura, Sadamo is rally called Syaoran, this little white rabbit is named Mokona, and Kumaso's name is—"
"Kurogane," Kurogane said quickly. He fixed Fay with a glare. "Knowing you, you'd have told her one of those damn nicknames."
Fay grinned helplessly. The smile then faded as he turned back to Chii. "If strange people come to the inn asking about us," he told her seriously, "don't tell them about us. It's very important. Do you understand?"
Chii swallowed hard and nodded. "But if they do come, what am I to tell them?" she asked him anxiously.
"Just tell them that we've left for Jorsan in hopes to find better deals in the wine trade."
"Jorsan," Chii repeated. "Got it."
Kurogane cleared his throat loudly. "We'd better get going," he reminded them impatiently.
They led their horses out into the courtyard and mounted them, taking care not to make too much noise.
"Fay-san," Chii suddenly said, tugging on the wizard's cloak from his seat on his white horse.
"Yes?" he said, reaching down to smooth her hair with one gloved hand.
"I hope that you'll be able to accomplish whatever you've set out to do."
He nodded. "I hope so, too. Take care," he said softly.
Chii flushed and nodded. "You too."
Fay nudged his horse's reins, shooting Chii one last smile before riding out of the courtyard and down the street after the others.
Chii stood in the rain for a long moment. She was still rather bemused about what had happened in the space of less than a half-hour, but she felt a strange sort of peace residing within her. As if what had just happened had been something meant to happen. She could not rightly explain it, even if she wanted to. But from the little that she had been able to comprehend, she understood that Fay was someone very special.
———————————————
Kurogane led them to the east gate of the city, which was unlocked and unguarded. He sniffed disapprovingly as they passed the gatehouse, where the guards were obviously busy drinking the night away rather than keeping watch.
He led them out along the Highway, and after a while the steady downpour dispersed. The gibbous moon shone brightly on the gleaming wet stones of the road, but it seemed to have drained all color from the surroundings, rendering them gray and dull-looking.
They rode on and on and on, and Sakura was beginning to feel extremely battered and sore. She was also feeling weak from lack of sleep, and more tired than she ever thought possible. Just when she felt that she could not keep her eyes open for another moment, Kurogane called a halt. Raising her head, she saw that they were in a clearing surrounded by large trees, and that a frost-tinged brook babbled by their horses' hooves. She also dimly realized that the sun was just rising.
"We could all do with a rest," Kurogane said in a heavy voice, looking at Sakura significantly. "We'll set up camp here. I think we're far enough away."
After all the necessary preparations, they managed to make a mediocre campsite, mediocre from lack of sleep. They all wordlessly fell asleep, succumbing to their exhaustion immediately, not caring to even eat.
Kurogane knew that he had been hard on them, so he took it upon himself to keep watch on his own. He knew of ways to keep himself awake, and the others would be no good if they did not rest up.
It was the familiar prickling sensation of being watched which ran along the back of his neck that warned him; his instincts were alerting him of an unwanted intruder. His hand moving ever so slowly, he dove his arm into his shirt, closing his fingers upon the hilt of his dagger.
"You need not fear me, Kurogane."
Kurogane narrowed his eyes, searching for the one who spoke, but he did not release his grip on the dagger. Standing erect, he drew it from its sheath and held it in his clenched fist, assuming a defensive stance.
"How d'you know my name?" Kurogane demanded of the watcher, whom he could not locate, even though his eyes had traveled around the clearing twice; he had even tried sensing the intruder's aura, but he neither saw him, nor sensed him. "Where the hell are you?!"
"Behind you," the voice offered its aid with a faint hint of amusement.
Kurogane spun, raising his right hand, which held tightly onto the dagger-hilt. But what he saw confused him even more, for he recognized him as the mage he had spotted in the streets of Sembia.
The mage was tall, surpassing even Kurogane by a head in height, and he was also slender, and garbed in a dark-colored tattered mantle. The hood was large and covered the better part of his face, but from what Kurogane saw, the mage's skin was as white as snow, and his lips were, strangely, also as pale as his skin. "I mean you no harm," he assured Kurogane in a deep and soothing voice; but his mouth did not move.
Kurogane tilted his head slightly to the right to get a better look at him from the corner of his left eye. "Who are you?" he asked him warily. "And what're you doing here?"
The figure smiled slowly. "Always wanting to get past the formalities and cut down straight to the chase," he commented, again, without parting his lips to speak. "Very well. To satisfy your curiosity, I came to see you."
"You didn't answer my first question," Kurogane reminded him impatiently.
"True. But I did that intentionally."
"Who are you?" he repeated stubbornly.
The mage simply smiled mysteriously.
Kurogane was finding this man infuriating, so he tried a different question, rethinking his tact. "How d'you know my name?"
"I have been watching you for a very long time," the mage informed him calmly. "Your whole life, in fact."
Kurogane blinked. "And I'm supposed to believe you?" he demanded.
"Believe what you wish." He looked at Kurogane queerly, but it was a lost expression on the ninja, for he could not see beneath the mage's hood. "But if you doubt me, I can prove it. It is essential for you to cooperate."
"Then prove it," Kurogane snapped irritably. "Tell me something about myself that no one can possibly have knowledge of."
The mage chuckled, obviously ready to answer him. "As a warrior, you have killed many in combat. But there is quite a big difference from killing in battle and from killing in cold blood, is there not, Kurogane? Especially the way you treated your first victim..."
The dagger slipped from Kurogane's slack grip onto the earth, his blood-red eyes widening in astonishment and horror.
"A young man had stolen something of high value from the Lunar Shrine," the mage continued. "You tracked him down and killed him to retrieve it. He was unarmed and could do nothing to escape from your wrath. When you returned the stolen item to Princess Tomoyo, you did not hide the fact that you killed the man, but you did not tell her that you had killed him while he was defenseless, correctly realizing that it would have upset her tremendously." The mage smiled grimly. "For deliberate murder is something hardly forgivable, is it not?"
Kurogane was breathing heavily, his hands visibly trembling. "How... how did you know...?" he asked weakly. He had never told anyone about what had happened in that dark alleyway over six years ago... no one...
"I have been watching you since the moment you were born, and I know everything about you. From the exterior appearance of your body"—he indicated Kurogane's characteristic red eyes and his long canine teeth with a negligent wave of his hand, causing a shiver to travel up the ninja's spine as he was shocked to see that the mage's fingers were long and skeletal-looking—"to the deepest and darkest thoughts in the very vaults of your mind."
Kurogane glared at the mage suspiciously. "What d'you want from me?"
"Nothing from you," he answered truthfully.
"I don't believe you," Kurogane told him bluntly.
"It is your choice." He shrugged. "But the reason I made the decision to appear now is because of the attempt your friends made to track me down." He surveyed Kurogane seriously. "I am beyond your capabilities, and beyond the capabilities of your comrades."
"What d'you mean?" he growled suspiciously.
The mage said nothing for a time. "I am not an enemy, and you and your companions should not exert your futile efforts upon me," he finally told him—although it was more in the nature of a command. "I do not work for Fei Wang Reed, nor do I work for the One Without Destiny. I am my own master, and my primary concern is not your mission on retrieving the memory fragments."
"Then what is," Kurogane suddenly demanded, "this primary concern of yours?"
"You are, Kurogane," the mage said simply. "I made my appearance to give you a fair warning, as well. The time when you will have to make a choice is nearing. This choice, however, does not concern others. It is a matter that concerns only yourself."
Kurogane was thoroughly confused now. "What...?" he said almost inaudibly. "What're you talking about?!"
"I cannot, because I choose not to, reveal more. I am merely informing you of this approaching choice. And warning you that you will only have a limited time to answer. Everything you have come to know will change depending on what you answer. We will meet again soon," the mage promised him. Then he began to dissolve.
"Hang on, how the hell d'you expect me to make this so-called choice without more details?!" Kurogane bellowed angrily at him.
"You will understand when the time comes." And with that, the mage vanished in the swirling wind.
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To Be Continued
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A/N: With this chapter I finally manage to surpass 100,000 words! Currently this is the only fic in the Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle section that's this big! I first wrote this chapter during Christmas vacation in the year 2005. Yes, at first I was very diligent with my fan fic, but then a little something called school and entry exams made me move at a snail's pace. Bugger.
I'm still very pissed about that because abandoning When Worlds Collide for close to a year did awful damage to my inspiration. Even when summer vacation came and went I couldn't just get down to write the last chapter! It was very aggravating! I'd completely forgotten everything! The only way to get back down to it would be to reread it again, and for me to reread it all over again I'd have to correct all the horrid mistakes that suddenly popped out, glaring at me for forgetting them. Which I did. I went through this fic five or six times at least, so it ought to be perfect now. And I'm damn proud of it!
Yes, I'm a Virgo, how could you tell? XD
Oh, one more thing. If the stable scene seems awkward because I'm not using their proper names at first, I'm sorry about that. It was meant to be like that because it was written from Chii's point of view. It was a spur-of-the-moment idea to write it from another person's point of view and I liked how it turned out in the end. No, I'm not a FayxChii shipper, I won't go down that road again, but the father/daughter (or should I say mother/son?) relationship is sweet.
Tell me if you like it or tell me if you hate it. Please review!