"Here, take this. First clean out the cut, then apply the salve. He should feel a lot better" Ayame explained to a sleepy Sakura.
"Will he be fine, Nee-chan?" Sakura asked.
"He will be alright in no time" Ayame gave the girl a reassuring smile.
"It's all because of me, isn't it?" Sakura twisted her fingers anxiously, "Maybe if I hadn't gotten in the way, Syaoran-kun wouldn't have hurt himself"
"Hey, listen to me" Ayame reached out and cupped Sakura's cheek, "It's not because of you. Syaoran did exactly what he wanted to do. You didn't force his hand, no one did. And in the exact same way, you should do what you want to as well"
"I want to help in every way I can" Sakura said softly.
Ayame couldn't help but feel a pang of pain as she followed her sister into the room where the others were seated. Ever since Sakura woke up, she always seemed so timid and nervous. It was the exact opposite of what she was before – loud, vibrant, and cheerful. Ayame knew that two feathers were not nearly enough to get Sakura's previous self back, but she couldn't help but worry. She worried that in her state, Sakura might not be able to handle the difficulties of their travel.
"It seems to me that the Ryanban has been oppressing the people of this town" Kurogane was saying as Ayame sat down next to Chunhyang. Sakura busied herself with treating Syaoran's wound. "Why haven't you and the townsfolk retaliated?"
"We tried, many times!" Chunhyang answered, "But we could never lay a finger on him. The castle is protected by secret spells. No one can penetrate them"
"Something like a barrier, surrounding the whole castle, right?" Ayame had felt the power oozing out of the castle ever since they had landed in this world.
"You sensed the power, Aya-chan?" Fai asked.
Ayame nodded. Mokona hopped into her lap and said, "Mokona felt it too. There are mysterious powers in this world, and I can't tell if any of it is from the feather"
The group lapsed into a momentary silence, all of them thinking of ways to get to the Ryanban. After a minute or so, Fai spoke up.
"What about the Ryanban's son? We could keep him hostage"" The cheerful tone of his voice and the inane grin on his face did not match the gravity of his suggestion.
"You just proposed kidnapping a little too jovially" Kurogane noted, but there was an unmistakable undertone of amusement in his voice.
"That won't work" Ayame reasoned, "If the Ryanban has the power to cast strong spells on the castle and control the wind, he will definitely have some way to keep track of his son. If we do something like that, it's possible he might retaliate by attacking the town" Chunhyang nodded her agreement.
They fell into another bout of silence, which was punctuated with Syaoran's soft hisses as Sakura dabbed the salve on the cut on his forehead. Once again, Fai was the first one to speak.
"The Ryanban and his power" he said slowly, "From what I heard, he got his so called power suddenly about a year ago…"
"Your point being?" Kurogane asked.
Fai gave Ayame a meaningful look. Realisation hit her like a hammer on a nail.
"His sudden power, it could be related to Sakura's feather!"
Syaoran slowly brushed away Sakura's hands, listening more intently now.
"But the timeline doesn't match" Kurogane pointed out, his brows furrowed sceptically, "The feathers were scattered recently, right?"
"Since the dimensions are different, maybe time passes differently in them too" Fai explained.
It made sense to Ayame. But what didn't make sense was the conviction with which Fai offered the explanation. She couldn't shake off the feeling that the mage knew a lot more than he was letting on.
"I'll go check if the Ryanban has the feather" Syaoran stood up.
"Wait!" Sakura grabbed the sleeve of Syaoran's clothes to stop him, "Syaoran-kun, you're hurt!"
"Don't worry about it" Syaoran gave her a warm smile, "If the feather is there, I will get it"
Sakura bit her lips and turned to look at Ayame, her emerald eyes pleading silently.
Ayame gave her sister a small nod and said, "Hold it right there, Syaoran. Don't you think you are being a little too reckless?"
"But… Ayame-san…" Syaoran said, "The feather…"
"Yes, the feather, I know, we need to get it" Ayame replied, "But this is not like Hanshin Republic. Back there, people just wanted test your strength. So, you could take the risk of going head on. Here, the Ryanban will not hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way" – she shot a quick glance at Chunhyang before continuing – "That's why, before we go to his castle, we need a plan"
"She is right" Fai said, his usual silly expression replaced by a slightly serious one, "The Ryanban's powers are strong, so just marching up to the castle will not serve any purpose. You need to find a way to break the spell at the entrance at least"
"Can you do anything about it?" Kurogane asked.
The childish smile was back on Fai's face as he replied, "Not at all!"
Kurogane began to yell something about suggesting things one can't help with when Mokona chirped, "Let's ask Yuuko!"
The little creature jumped out of Ayame's lap. The red jewel on her forehead gleamed and projected a circle of light, just like it had done a few days before. Ayame watched with curiosity this time, while around her, everyone reacted differently as the image of the witch flickered in the circle of light – Kurogane flinched violently, Chunhyang shrieked and clung to a perplexed Sakura, Syaoran stared, his jaw hanging open and Fai looked pleasantly surprised.
Mokona began explaining their situation to Yuuko while Fai pointed at the fluffy creature saying, "Mokona is very useful. We can talk to people from other worlds"
"Useful has limits too!" Kurogane yelled, also pointing at Mokona.
"I see" Yuuko said, "So you want to break the spell and go into the castle"
"That sums it up" Fai answered.
"But you don't have to ask me" Yuuko began carefully, fixing Fai with a stern gaze, "You can use spells, can't you Fai?"
This piqued Ayame's interest.
"I gave you the core of my powers" Fai replied without hesitation.
Ruby eyes remained fixed on sapphire ones as Yuuko said, "The tattoo I took from you as payment, is the core to keep your powers in. It's not the source of your powers"
Alarm bells went off inside Ayame's head. Not because Fai had lied, she knew he was hiding something, but because someone had put an enchantment on him to curb his powers. Ayame couldn't help but wonder, just how powerful was he that such a measure was taken?
Fai's smile hardened around the edges as he replied, "But still, I had made a decision a long time ago to not use my magic without it"
Fai's answer only made Ayame more suspicious. If that was the case, he could have said so in the first place. Why did he have to lie about it? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kurogane and Syaoran give Fai similar looks of doubt. The mage stared pointedly ahead, not meeting any of their eyes.
A few nervous seconds ticked by before the Witch of Dimensions sighed and turned her attention to Ayame. "What about you?" she asked.
"What about me?" Ayame asked back, confused.
"You have recovered a little bit of your abilities, right?"
Now, it was Ayame's turn to be cautious. She hadn't exactly explained that little part to her companions yet.
"Yes, I have" she replied, briefly meeting Syaoran's surprised eyes before continuing, "But I'm not sure I have enough power to break the spells around the castle. There is also the fact that I haven't done anything like this before"
"That shouldn't be a problem" Fai said, "In the previous world, you instinctively knew how to build shields. If your body remembers how to build them…"
"It will also instinctively know how to break them" Yuuko finished. "And I can assure you, you have just enough power to accomplish the task"
Ayame held the Witch's gaze as she turned the idea around in her head. Yuuko definitely knew a good deal about her powers; and she had no reason to lie at the moment… not one Ayame could think of anyway.
"Okay" Ayame finally said, "I think I can give it a shot"
"That's settled then" Yuuko said, "The mage from Celes can guide you through the process. If it doesn't go against his rules, that is" she added in her signature sly manner.
"That would be no problem" Fai smiled, "Helping from the side lines won't require any magic, so it doesn't go against any of my principles"
'He has a very complicated set of rules' Ayame thought.
"I will be taking my leave now" Yuuko then turned to Kurogane with a smirk and said, "And Kurogane, if you dare bully Mokona…" She trailed off, laughing evilly.
"WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE MEANING OF THAT!?" Kurogane roared as the connection flickered and died.
XXX
Ayame definitely liked the clothes in this world more than the ones she got in Hanshin. Sakura and Syaoran had got her a white, knee length, long-sleeved tunic with matching pants. The tunic had an attached lavender vest and the outfit was completed with a purple sash. She threw a few test kicks and punches and she was completely satisfied – the clothes fit her well and did not hinder her movements at all.
"Are you dressed, Nee-chan?" Sakura poked her head in through the door of the room.
"Yeah, come on in" Ayame said.
Sakura walked up to her and held out a black ribbon, saying, "Chunhyang just gave me this. Nee-chan could tie up your hair"
"Perfect!" Ayame tied up her long hair into a high ponytail, letting a few strands frame her fair face.
"Do your clothes fit you fine?" Sakura asked.
"They're great!" Ayame said, "Who picked them?"
"It was Syaoran-kun" Sakura answered, "He specifically looked for an outfit with pants. He said you didn't like skirts"
"Clever boy" Ayame laughed, "I'm a little surprised that he remembered"
"Oh…"
Ayame turned around to find her sister twisting her fingers again, staring at the floor. Her eyes were misted with a thin film of tears which threatened to leak out any moment.
"Sakura? What's wrong?"
"No… it's just that… Syaoran-kun knew something like that about Nee-chan… and I… being your younger sister… didn't…" Sakura's soft voice trembled.
Sadness welled up in Ayame's heart as one solitary tear made its way down Sakura's cheek. For the millionth time since all the madness began, Ayame cursed whoever did this to her little sister.
'But now is not the time for that' she told herself, crouching down a little so that her face was on level with Sakura's.
"Sakura… hey, look at me" When the girl didn't respond, Ayame placed one finger under her chin and lifted her face till lilac met emerald. "None of this is your fault"
"I know" More tears began to stream down Sakura's face now, "I know it's not my fault. But I don't like not remembering things about you"
"You've got only two feathers back, Sakura" Ayame brushed off a few stray strands of caramel hair before cradling Sakura's face in her palms, "And the more feathers we retrieve, the more you will remember. It's only a matter of time" She then added with a playful smile, "Maybe, when we get the feather the Ryanban has, you will remember that your Nee-chan hates to see you cry"
Sakura finally cracked a small smile at that.
"Be brave and just a little patient. Everything will work out. Okay?"
"Okay" Sakura said, wiping her face clean with the back of her hand, "Please be careful today, Nee-chan"
"I'm always careful" Ayame replied with a wink.
XXX
"It's alright if we go together" Fai said, glancing back at the house as he, along with Kurogane, Ayame, and Syaoran made their way to the Ryanban's castle, "Aya-chan and Syaoran-kun were too hard on her"
"I know we were" Ayame sighed.
"You two didn't want to trouble her anymore, right?" Fai continued.
"It's not just that, she wanted to come with us not just to help the people of this town, but also for the sake of revenge" Ayame said, remembering Chunhyang's angry tears, "She is too young to get involved in things like that"
"You might have a point there…" Fai trailed off. Syaoran, who was walking a few paces ahead, simply nodded his agreement.
"All that doesn't matter if we defeat the Ryanban" Kurogane grinned, "If we don't, we won't be able to look that girl in the eye, now would we?"
"Look how excited Kuro-sama is for a fight!" Fai quipped.
"Why can't you just call me by my proper name!?" Kurogane growled.
Ayame quickened her pace and fell into step with Syaoran, leaving Fai and Mokona to tease Kurogane.
"Sakura tells me I have you to thank for my clothes" Ayame said.
"I remembered Ayame-san's preferences from before, when you accompanied me and Dad in some of our travels"
"Yeah, I remember those times, running around to find answers to questions and ending up with just more questions…" She then added thoughtfully, "Talking about questions… don't you have any for me, Syaoran?"
A crease formed between Syaoran's brows as he met Ayame's gaze, "I don't understand, Ayame-san"
"You don't want to ask about my magic?" Ayame clarified.
She had been thinking about how to explain the situation to Syaoran ever since the conversation with the Dimensional Witch. Of course, she was under no obligation to completely explain herself, but she didn't want Syaoran to feel like she didn't trust him, nor did she want to keep things from him. Even though they had travelling companions, the only person she truly relied on was Syaoran, and she didn't want any misunderstandings to crop up.
"The only reason I didn't tell you about it was because there is so much I don't understand myself" she explained, "I wanted to figure it out myself first"
"You don't have to explain it to me, Ayame-san" Syaoran said, the frown on his face easing into a smile, "I was a little surprised at first, but I knew you had a good reason to keep it from me. You can tell me when you feel it's right"
"You didn't feel… I dunno… like I didn't trust you?" Ayame asked.
"Of course not!" Syaoran answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Ayame laughed indulgently at Syaoran's response. "You never fail to amaze me, Syaoran"
Of course he didn't feel that way, she had been worrying for no reason.
After a few more minutes of walking, the tall, brick walls of the Ryanban's castle began looming in the distance. By the time the little group crossed the bridge over the moat surrounding the castle and stood right outside its gates, the Koryo sky was coloured in brilliant shades of orange and red as the sun settled below the horizon, bathing the world in a pinkish-golden glow.
"So what do we do from here?" Fai asked.
"It is very suspicious that there are no guards out here" Ayame said, looking around, "The Ryanban, with his powers, should have seen us coming"
"That bastard probably thinks we are just small fry" Kurogane said, scowling.
"In any case, we should take a look around the perimeter of the castle, see if he has any people waiting to ambush us" Ayame said.
"He could even ambush us when we walk into the castle" Kurogane pointed out.
"That is entirely possible. But at least in that situation we won't have anyone blocking the exit if we need to retreat and regroup" Ayame explained.
"Wah~! Aya-chan is the beauty with brains" Fai lilted.
Ayame swallowed her irritation at Fai's comment and continued, "We should split into two groups. That way we can cover more ground quickly. If I remember the drawings of the castle I saw in Chunhyang's house correctly, there will be another entrance exactly opposite to this one" – she pointed at the gate in front of them – "We'll meet there. Also, Fai-san and I should probably be in different groups. Each of us can assess the magic around the castle. It'll be easier to break the spell if we know exactly how much power it holds"
Ayame then remembered Fai's set of rules about magic and asked, "That's okay with you, Fai-san?"
"Absolutely!" Fai beamed. He then took hold of Syaoran's shoulders and said, "I'm tired of being around Kuro-gloomy, so me and Syaoran-kun will be one team. See you two on the other side"
Before anyone could say another word, Fai gave Kurogane and Ayame an over enthusiastic wave and dragged away a confused Syaoran.
"Was it just me… or was Fai-san doing his best not to be paired with you?" Ayame asked as Fai and Syaoran reached the curve of the walls and disappeared.
"Probably" Kurogane grunted, "We should get going too"
Kurogane and Ayame covered ground swiftly in silence; the ninja was on the lookout for possible guards while Ayame skimmed the tips of her fingers on the brick walls, checking the power of the enchantments weaved into the castle. When she concentrated just a little, she could feel the thrum of power in the walls. The magic was firmly set and strong. By the time they were half way through, Ayame began to worry. Would her magic be enough to break this spell? Maybe they should have taken something from Yuuko as a back-up plan.
"You look worried"
Ayame snapped her head around to see Kurogane frowning at her.
"What do you mean?"
"I meant exactly what I said" Kurogane answered, "You look worried"
"Well… the spell is quite powerful… I'm not entirely sure I will be able to do it" Ayame replied with a huff.
"But nothing is going to stop you from trying, is there?"
"Nothing at all"
"Then, don't waste your time worrying about it" Kurogane said, "Worrying will get you nowhere"
Ayame had to admit, the ninja had a point. Fretting about the situation would get her nowhere. She needed to remain focused.
"However" Kurogane continued, "It doesn't mean that you push yourself too hard, like you did in Hanshin"
Ayame stopped suddenly, blinking at the man.
"You thought I didn't notice?" Kurogane smirked.
"Well…" Ayame trailed off.
"Just like worrying won't serve any purpose, taxing yourself like that won't do either. You'll only end up getting in everyone's way, and make those kids more anxious than they already are" he then began walking.
Ayame played Kurogane's words over and over again in her head as she followed the man. What he said struck a chord inside her. She was so focused on doing her part that she hadn't stopped to think how it would affect her and in extension, Syaoran and Sakura. Now she saw how foolish that was. Ayame realised that if something were to happen to her, the children would be lost. She decided to take Kurogane's advice and take better care of herself.
And then, there was one more thing. Even though Kurogane's baritone voice had been flat when he gave her a piece of his mind, it was definitely covered with a small hint of concern. The ninja was probably worried too. But that didn't surprise her much; she did have the same face as someone who was important to him afterall.
'He is quite a wise and kind soul beneath all the snarls and growls' she thought to herself, smiling.
"What are you smiling for now?"
'Add highly observant to that list too'
"Nothing at all" Ayame said with a wink.
As expected, Kurogane scowled in response.
A minute or so later, they cleared the curvature of the castle walls to find Fai and Syaoran waiting for them in front of the other gate.
"You guys didn't run into any trouble, I presume?" Ayame asked, quickly scanning their clothes for any signs of a fight.
"It was all clear" Fai replied.
"That guy probably thinks we are not a threat at all!" Kurogane growled, "I'll fix that soon enough"
Before anyone could utter a word of protest, Kurogane stomped off towards the massive wooden door and placed both his hands on them firmly.
"I don't think you should do that" Fai said, but the words fell on deaf ears.
Kurogane continued to push with all his might. After a couple of seconds, the doors shuddered slightly and began to slowly open inwards with a resounding creak. A brilliant, blinding light spilled out of the crack, along with wisps of what looked like fog. With one final push, the doors slowly yawned open, spilling out more fog and light.
When the fog cleared and Ayame's eyes finally adjusted to the light, she saw an entire world nestled inside the doors of the castle. She saw the houses, the green fields, the roads, the market place, and even a small stream running through the middle of the town, complete with a bridge. But that wasn't the unnerving part – it was the fact that she was looking up at the town. It wasn't fog spilling out of the doors, it was the clouds in the bright blue sky of the world inside the castle doors.
"What the hell?" Kurogane muttered as Mokona, who was perched on Fai's head, sang, "We are up in the sky!"
"Now I understand why the Ryanban doesn't have guards around here" Ayame said. She then turned to Fai, "There were enchantments on the other side as well, right?"
"Yup" Fai replied, "And I would say that the power is evenly distributed around the castle"
'Twice the amount of power I felt on my end then…' Ayame thought.
Fai seemed to read her mind. "That's a lot of power, I know. But if you are smart about it, it takes far less energy to break a shield than to maintain it" he then gave her a reassuring smile and continued, "I'm sure you'll do fine. Besides, you have three very capable young men watching your back"
Syaoran gave Ayame a curt nod. Kurogane simply grunted.
Ayame took a deep breath and pushed her doubts and worries aside. Now was the time to act.
"So what do I do first?"
"First, you need to find the boundary of the spell" Fai said, "And then establish a point of contact"
Ayame willed her magic to gather at her palms. Almost immediately, she felt her hands tingle as magic pooled into them. She extended her arms in front of her and began walking towards the door. Just when she felt she was about to walk into the sky on the other side, her hands met an invisible wall. She could feel the Ryanban's magic pushing back at her, not letting her move forward.
"Okay, Aya-chan. Now comes the difficult part" Fai said, "You need to close your eyes and concentrate. Block out everything and everyone. Focus only on the castle and the spell surrounding it"
It took Ayame a minute or so, but she did it. One by one, she blocked out the warmth of the setting sun on her back, the rustling of the trees, the calls of the birds as they made their way back to the nests and the distant shrieks of bats waking up from their slumber. The most difficult part had been blocking the presence of Syaoran, Kurogane, and Mokona behind her, as her training fought against it. The only person she didn't cut out was Fai.
As she focused on the pressure against the palm of her hands, her mind's eye could see every detail of the castle in front of her. And she also saw the shield protecting the castle – it was like a dome, covering the entire complex.
"You should be able to see the spell covering the castle now" she heard Fai say. When she nodded, he continued, "Let your magic flow over the shield. Analyse every inch of it"
Ayame gave a free reign to the magic pooled in her hands. In her mind, she saw a soft, lavender mist washing over the dome. The areas covered in the mist lit up and she could see the construction of the shield; hexagonal blocks of energy packed together closely, like a honeycomb.
"Try and see building blocks of the…" Fai was saying, but before he could finish, she said, "I can see it"
Since Fai was the only living thing she felt around her, Ayame could almost taste his surprise. But before she could comment on it, the mage said, "There should be certain blocks lit up more brightly than the others. These points are the…"
"Lynchpins of the shield. If I break anyone of them, the spell will collapse" she completed.
Another surprised silence followed, her own astonishment mixing in this time. The words had just spilled out of her mouth and she had no idea how. But she knew that she was right.
And that did nothing to ease the confusion in her head. The sudden emotion almost disrupted her concentration when she felt a cool hand squeeze her shoulder gently.
"I can sense your confusion, Aya-chan" Fai whispered, "And we can talk about this later. Now, you need to focus on what you are doing right now. If your concentration breaks, you might not be able to try again today"
He was right. Ayame had already invested too much to pull back now.
She focused on the castle again. It took her less than five seconds to find one of the lynchpins – a brightly shining hexagonal block some four feet above the door in front of her. Ayame gathered her spread out magic and directed it at the spot. Her magic slammed into the block, but it just rattled softly and stayed put.
'I need to send more of my magic'
Ayame felt herself drain as more and more magic poured out of her. Finally, the block began to rattle and shake violently, sparks flying everywhere. Ayame thought she heard a cry of alarm, then she heard Fai shushing the person whom it belonged to, probably Kurogane. She then heard him say, "Just a little more power is all you need, stay focused"
Ayame could feel beads of sweat forming on her brow as she poured out more and more magic. Small cracks began to appear on the block. On seeing this, Ayame gathered her strength and focused it on one single blow. When she heard a sharp, echoing crackle, her eyes snapped open. All the sensation she had blocked out returned to her at once, making her shiver slightly.
A massive crack had appeared on the spot where the cornerstone of the shield was. As Ayame watched, the crack began to radiate outward, slowly at first, then faster and faster. The chink of breaking glass sounded everywhere.
Fai reached out and grabbed Ayame's wrist. "We should move away" he said, pulling her with him.
They all moved a safe distance away and watched the cracks encompass the whole castle. Then, with one deafening crash, the dome around the castle vanished. The landscape on the other side of the door disappeared as well, revealing a long, narrow, stone corridor.
"Wow… that was something" Ayame said, slightly out of breath.
"You did well, Aya-chan" Fai beamed, letting go of her hand.
"Couldn't have done it without your help, Fai-san" Ayame smiled.
"But, Ayame-san, you don't look well" Syaoran said, his brow creasing with worry.
Ayame took a deep breath to steady her breathing and said, "I'm just a little tired, Syaoran. I should be fine in a few moments" – she threw a quick glance at Kurogane – "I'm not completely spent, we have more work to do afterall"
She thought she saw the faintest traces of a smile on the ninja's face before he said, "Let's get moving then, yeah?"
Ayame nodded.
"Let's go" Syaoran said, walking into the corridor, with the others right on his heels.
XXX
A/N: Hey you guys! Sorry for the long wait. My convocation ceremony was last weekend, so I was completely busy with that. I'm finally a graduate! Yippeeee :D
Now, I have a good news and bad news. Bad news first right?
Well, I have got the joining letter for my job (okay… maybe this is partly good news?). I have am joining in January, so my updates might be a little slow… something like one or two times a month.
The good news is, the next chapter is almost ready! I just have to put some finishing touches. It will be up within 24 hours mostly :D
I tried out a few things in this chapter, let me know what you think – everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly (please nice with the bad and the ugly :P)
See you guys very soon ;)