Thank you very much pitou77, Sailor Pandabear, nyu, Atm0stFears, Bai-Feng333doudouchinois, Sol,BK-201 and OoO for reviewing to last chapter! :D

Music suggestion: One More Soul to the Call - Akira Yamaoka and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn; Silent Hill Homecoming

Feitan began searching Hei Àn's mansion from the top, hoping that, by some sort of miracle, Senristu would've managed to keep herself from getting the General's attention and be fast asleep in a bed. If he was lucky enough, he'd order the small woman out of the mansion and then search each and every room, kill their occupants swiftly until there was only Hei Àn left.

Then, he'd take his sweet time with the General. With or without Senritsu there to watch and hear what he'd do to the man.

As the Spider searched the mansion's bedrooms, he felt anger - and something else he couldn't quite put a name on – grow in him each time he failed to locate Senritsu. Once he had finally ceased his pursuits and killed every bodyguard of the top-floor, Feitan was nothing less than seething and, not for the first time, he wished he had chained the gentle Music Hunter to his side.

Stupid woman can't keep safe; she got find danger.

The torturer was sure Hei Àn was doing something to the small woman and that it was all because she couldn't bear to stay put when the Sonata of Darkness was involved. He'd have to show her what happened when she disobeyed his orders.

The thief scowled.

What I do? Kill her? Hurt her?

Somehow, Feitan didn't find those choices agreeable.

Force her watch as I torture Hei Àn?

That still left him with a nagging feeling in his chest that he believed was guilt. He remembered all too well how distressed she was in Greed Island, when he was about to play with some of the other players.

…do nothing?

That option just increased the anger inside the Spider, but the nagging feeling had left him and that was good enough. Anger Feitan could deal with, but guilt was something the torturer just didn't do.

But nothing is no good. I have punish her for ignored me.

How he would do it was something he'd decide later, once Hei Àn was dead and this mansion destroyed. Right now, he had other things to worry about.

Like dealing with those annoying bodyguards.

Once Huo Chieh's En told him that all of the bodyguards from the upper floors were dead, he started to slowly make his way up the basement's stairs. The small space between the end of them and the black door wasn't appropriate in the least for a fight.

As soon as the scarred man reached the wine cellar on the mansion's first floor, a blade sliced at his throat. The blow would've easily decapitated the man if he hadn't moved at the last second, jumping up to the ceiling, then using it to boost himself towards his short attacker. Huo Chieh's speed, combined with the fortuitous counter-attack was enough to allow him to deliver a successful kick to the side of the intruder's face, making the small man fly through the wine cellar's wall and into the dinning room.

Feitan spat blood on the ground as he stood up. This man he was about to face was, without doubts, much stronger than all of Hei Àn's other bodyguards combined.

As Huo Chieh calmly passed through the hole in the wall then began to follow its length in a deliberate pace, Feitan's eyes narrowed to slits, trying to make out the man's features despite the night's darkness enveloping them. Huo Chieh allowed him to do so by flicking the light switch on.

Feitan's eyes widened in realization.

Three children, a boy and two twin girls, stood in front of a small and old wooden house, watching with dumbfounded eyes as a pregnant woman was dragged away from it by two soldiers, crying and begging them to let her go and not do it. Inside the house, a man was fallen on the ground, beaten bloody.

The small boy was the first to move. He ran to the house, grabbed a small axe and then moved towards one of the soldiers, weapon raised above his head and ready to strike.

Before the weapon could make contact, another soldier appeared and took it from the boy's hands. Said soldier had a burned face.

Axe in hand, he stared down at the boy before raising his eyes to the two little girls standing a few feet away from them, watching what was happening with terrified eyes. Without a second thought, the scarred man grabbed the back of the boy's shirt and threw him away. Before the kid could stand up again, a soldier stepped on his body, pushing him on the muddy ground.

The bravest of the girls screamed "弟!"and ran towards the boy.

However, before she could reach him, the burned soldier grabbed her around the waist with his free arm and raised her from the ground. The girl screamed and struggled in his grip, but the man was completely unfazed as he turned his gaze to the right, where stood yet another of the Army's members. This one had an imposing posture and unfeeling eyes; he was obviously the leader.

"General, it seems we were lied to." The scarred man spoke calmly. "They have three children, not just two. They obviously cannot pay the fine. What should we do about it?"

The pregnant woman stared at her three children with wide eyes full of fear. "Please, don't harm them! Please, I'm begging you! I'll do whatever you want! Just don't harm my children! It's not their fault!"

The General settled his cold eyes on her. "You lied to the Government. You said you had only two children."

"No, sir, I'd never lie to you! They asked me how many pregnancies I had gone through and I answered honestly! My girls are twins, sir, they were born together!" The woman cried. "Please, have mercy! They've done nothing wrong, sir! They help in the farm! They help grow food for our country! Don't hurt them, please! You're going to take one child from me already, one that isn't even born yet, please don't take another!"

"Indeed, I will terminate your pregnancy. It is a good thing you understand that already." The General spoke coldly. "But you have broken the law already. You have three children, when it is clear that peasants from the rural area can only bear two. The Government demands a fine for this transgression and you cannot afford it."

"Oh, sir, I'll find a way to pay you! No matter how, I promise I will! Please, just let my children go!"

The General stared hard into the woman's eyes before moving to her children. First, he stared at the boy, who was glaring murderously at him from his place on the floor; he showed promise. Then, the man's gaze went to the girl being held by his trusted bodyguard; there were tears in her eyes, but also the same promising fire he found in the boy's orbs. Finally, his cold eyes settled on the girl standing a couple of feet away from her family; she was trembling in fear and had urinated herself, and her eyes were submissive and scared – she was worthless.

"The law is clear. Only two children per couple." The General stated, turning his eyes back to the woman's. "Huo Chieh, dispose of the scared one."

"Yes, General Hei Àn."

The pregnant woman cried out in misery as the axe flew from the burned soldier's hand to her daughter's head.

Feitan glared hatefully as the memories came to him. In front of him stood none other than the scarred man from his past.

Huo Chieh, General's Hei Àn's lapdog.

Huo Chieh, the man who had murdered one of his older sisters.

Huo Chieh, the man he was about to kill.

The torturer's murderous Aura spiked dangerously and his opponent knew immediately that their fight would be personal. Huo Chieh didn't know where, but it was clear he had met the short devil before and he could see clearly in his hateful glare that he remembered him all too well. Better for him; the more emotional his opponent was, bigger was the chance of him making a mistake.

Unable to wait for another second to have Huo Chieh's head rolling on the floor, Feitan raised his blade and attacked the man with all of his speed. Speed that was evenly matched by the scarred man, who jumped from wall to wall in the dining room, dodging each and every attack that came his way and never giving the Spider an opening to catch him unaware.

The bodyguard was fast and he was smart, but Feitan would get the better of him. He always did.

Sooner than the Spider expected, Huo Chieh made a mistake: he gave his back to the thief as he jumped away from him. Not one to let opportunities pass him by, Feitan quickly leaped towards his target, Ko activated so he could deliver the most powerful blow he could muster. It left Feitan completely defenceless, but that was of no importance; he would put an end to that miserable bastard's life with that one blow.

Or so the Spider thought.

Before his blade could connect, Huo Chieh turned around and raised his arm to the thief's chest.

Feitan felt the fabric of his coat melt on his chest before he saw the flames leaving Huo Chieh's hand and engulfing his body. The thief activated Ken as fast as he could, but it wasn't fast enough to protect his body from the flame's cruel caresses.

Gritting his teeth as to not cry out in pain, the Spider jumped back from his opponent. Once he was a safe distance, Feitan used his free hand to tear the remainders of his coat from his body, hissing in pain as he glared at the burnt man standing calmly in front of him, flames still dancing passionately around his right arm.

So you're Transmuter like me.

Feitan found it ironic how his nemesis' Nen was similar to his. Even their developed abilities could be compared; after all, Huo Chieh's fire trick was nothing more than Feitan's Rising Sun in a reduced scale.

The thief felt tempted to use that power to end the fight, if only to show how superior he was, but decided against it. His Rising Sun would destroy the whole mansion and Senritsu was still in there somewhere.

But still, the Spider had to end this fight soon, not only moving his burnt body would prove to be pure agony for him, but he also couldn't take any more damage from Huo Chieh. He still had Hei Àn to deal with.

Feitan tightened his grip on his sword's hilt when the flames started to grow, enveloping the length of Huo Chieh's body like a lover would. The bodyguard would be a tougher opponent than he believed. The Spider's muscles tensed when the scarred man took a step forward; it was clear he intended to be the one to initiate the attack this time.

However, for both of their surprises, a large chunk of a concrete flew towards Huo Chieh, hitting him on the side and pushing him until he hit went through one of the room's walls.

Automatically, Feitan turned his head to the direction the stone had come from and his eyes widened at what he saw. Standing there, just as tall and lanky as the torturer remembered, was none other than that infuriating Music Hunter, Nocturnal.

"I apologize for my delay." The tall man spoke, not moving his gaze from Huo Chieh's general direction. "I should have come here much sooner."

Feitan scowled. "You should no come here at all. I take care of everything. It's no your business."

Behind his ceramic mask, Nocturnal smiled. Despite the short man's words, he could hear in his heartbeat the tiniest bit of relief; it was hidden by a thick veil of annoyance, but it was there.

"Well, I am here now. Let us just make the best of it and get Senritsu safe."

Feitan scowled at the idea of accepting the Music Hunter's help, but kept his mouth shut in acquiescence when the burning in his body spiked and came close to agony.

Huo Chieh was calmly standing up from the debris and turning to them as if he hadn't just been hit by a 2.600kg piece of concrete; the flames' never stopped caressing his skin.

"Mr Nocturnal." Huo Chieh greeted with a polite nod. "General Hei Àn deeply enjoys your music and would be utmost displeased to know that I had to kill you for trespassing. If you turn around and leave right now, I promise to forget this ever happened and let you go with no repercussions. We will 'call it even'."

"What if I do not?"

"I will kill you alongside the half-pint over there."

The thief narrowed his eyes at the nickname but held his annoyance in. He couldn't afford more careless attacks like the last one.

"Do your worst, Huo Chieh."

As a servant complying with his order, Huo Chieh fed the flames dancing around his body with his Aura, making them burn with renewed life and their colour change from blood red to mesmerizing blue. It wasn't needed Gyo to see that the embers that now kissed the scarred man's body were much more unforgiving than the others. They were playing a sudden death game: one hit and you're out.

Huo Chieh leaped towards Feitan first. The weaker the enemy, the easier it will be.

To the bodyguard's surprise, instead of being slowed down by his injuries, Feitan was actually faster than before, managing to avoid his attacks with a series of well-timed feints. Unsurprisingly, Nocturnal didn't remain still while Huo Chieh attacked Feitan. The Music Hunter continued to throw heavy debris towards the bodyguard, distracting him from his attacks and making it easier for the short thief to avoid them.

An especially well timed rock thrown towards Huo Chieh forced him to give Feitan an opening to shove his blade on the bodyguard's back, right between the shoulder blades. Careful not to focus all of his Aura on Ko this time, the Spider took his chance, watching with narrowed eyes as the blade approached its future victim.

Then, the Spider widened his eyes and aborted his attack, jumping away from the human torch. At a safe distance from his enemy, Feitan raised his blade in front of his face and examined it. Its tip had been completely melted by the blue fire hugging Huo Chieh's body.

"You see now?" The bodyguard asked, eyes glued on the thief. "You cannot hope to defeat me."

Feitan glared at the scarred man. Oh, he would defeat him; even if he had to use his Rising Sun and burn the whole place to the ground, he would defeat him.

"You truly think so?"

Nocturnal's words took the Spider from his murderous thoughts, making him and the bodyguard turn their heads in the Music Hunter's direction.

"Fire is a fickle mistress, Huo Chieh. It needs more than your Aura to keep burning that passionately. It needs oxygen as well."

The scarred man scowled. "Your point?"

"My point…" Nocturnal began, concentrating an immense amount of Nen around his arms. "…is that I can defeat you."

With a speed neither Feitan of Huo Chieh expected, Nocturnal ran towards the later, shoving his open hands on his chest. Surprisingly, the flames didn't touch Nocturnal skin.

That right. Feitan thought. He's Enhancer. His Ken is more strong than Huo Chieh's or my.

Seizing Huo Chieh's momentarily shock, Nocturnal emitted a strong pulse of Aura from his hands, sweeping away the oxygen and flames around the scarred man's body.

Feitan smirked in sadistic anticipation. Not only Huo Chieh's flames stopped dancing around him, but the bodyguard had also concentrated his Aura on his chest, to protect himself from receiving damage from Nocturnal's blow. Now, even his melted blade would be more than enough to claim his life.

Huo Chieh saw the short devil leap towards him, raised blade aiming at the spot between his eyes, and turned around to retreat.

However, Nocturnal had listened to his intentions in his heartbeat and wasn't about to allow that to happen. Quickly, the Music Hunter opened his arms and bent down so he could tackle the bodyguard. Arms encircling the bodyguard's waist from behind, Nocturnal raised Huo Chieh in the air, as if offering his life to the torturer.

In a last attempt to save himself, Huo Chieh used Ken to protect the area between his shoulder blades. It was the place the thief tried to attack before, maybe he would do so again. Unfortunately for him, Feitan intended to make this attack count. As he kneeled on Nocturnal's shoulders, the thief used Gyo and noticed the bodyguard's last defence. It was easy for him to avoid it completely.

The melted tip of Feitan's blade slid comfortably into Huo Chieh's skull, as if it belonged there.

I meant to kill you. The torturer thought, smiling as the blood tainted his blade. Now you know how Dan Chuern feeled, you piece of shit.

Nocturnal felt the body in his arms go limp and quickly dropped it to the floor. He wasn't very comfortable of the idea of killing in general and he didn't want warm blood on his hands, literally.

Without a word, the Music Hunter turned to look at Feitan, who was now standing by his side, observing Huo Chieh's body with sadistic glee. The tall man couldn't help but frown behind his mask as he took in the Spider's state. It was a miracle that the short man could move as if nothing had happened; those burns around his body seemed to be very painful. However, Nocturnal said nothing about that, knowing from the man's heartbeat that he didn't care about whatever he had to say. All he could hear in the torturer's heartbeat was an immense satisfaction and an intense bloodlust.

"Let us go." The Music Hunter spoke in a calm voice. "I want to get Senritsu out of here as soon as possible."

Feitan scowled, but nodded nonetheless. If the lanky man was there just to take Senritsu away, he could deal with him. However, if he dared to steal Hei Àn's life from him…

I just kill him too.

Now, I want to leave you with the translation (again, courtesy of the internet) of some of the Chinese names and words I used so far:

弟 (di): younger brother

Dan Chuern: simple and pure; unpretending

Huo: fire

Chieh: concubine

And we had a new flashback about Feitan's past in this chapter (not the last one). I hope you enjoyed it. :D

Also, while I did base the flashback on China's one-child policy and the abuses many women sadly have to endure from their Government (forced abortions do happen), the characters I used are in no way, shape or form related to people in the real world.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. And I apologize for the wait, but I was having a difficult time writing Feitan and Nocturnal's fight against Huo Chieh. So, please, review and tell me what you think about it. Writing fights always make me apprehensive. =.=

Kisses,

RedVoid