A/N: Well I got nothing to say except here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it. And don't forget to review.

"It's okay, it was just a dream," Fai said as he rubbed my back. But I couldn't feel it. I was still so numb.

"It was so real… so real…" I shook in his embrace as tears flowed down my cheeks, unchecked.

"H-he was there… And I… I-I… " I whimpered, "I-it was all so re-real…"

"It was just a dream Sakura-chan," Fai tightened his arms around me.

"…" for the second time in less than twenty four hours, Fai-san held me in a tight hug, letting me cry my heart out.

"It was terrible…" I whispered hoarsely after a very long while. "Syaoran's eyes… I can still see him falling. Over and over again…"

"Saku-" he started but I cut him in. I had to tell someone. Or I would go crazy.

"There was a hole in his chest… and his blood was pooling all around him as his body went limp… I saw the light fade from his eyes."

"Oh Sakura-chan." He sighed sadly but let me continue anyways.

"And there was a woman standing over him. Laughing, as she stabbed him again and again with his own sword." My voice cracked. "Her back was towards me but then she turned around… Her face…" I shuddered, screwing my eyes shut. How could I tell him the next part? The identity of that woman. The one who killed Syaoran.

"Sakura, it was just a dream," he repeated as though saying that would make me get over it. I know he was trying to help, but it wasn't just a dream. Oh God! It had been so real.

"It was me!" I wailed as my eyes snapped open. "The one who killed him. It was me!"

He drew in a sharp breath letting go of me to look me in the eye. His expression was one of worry and alarm.

"I was covered in his blood!" I had no memory of getting to my feet but before I knew it, I was towering over Fai-san's frozen form. "And I was laughing! Like I enjoyed it every single time that sword pierced his flesh!" I shouted hysterically.

"I killed him Fai-san! I killed him!" I shrieked feeling like my throat would rip.

"Sakura!" He said brusquely. His eyes were narrowed and his expression was… angry? "It was just a dream! You are not a killer." He took a deep breath, trying to get his emotions in check. "You are not a killer," he repeated in a lower voice, locking his blue eyed gaze with me. "And don't you dare forget that." He spoke, almost desperately.

"But-" I choked.

"No." he whispered harshly. "It was not your fault. You're not a killer."

I wanted to believe him. I really did.

But I knew what I had done.

And no matter how many times he told me it wasn't me I couldn't deny the fact that I had killed a man.

-0-

I looked outside the window in her room and I saw the dark sky outside. It was still night-time but judging from the slightly bluing horizon, sunrise was not very far away.

She stood there, rooted to the spot next to her bed, as we both stared outside. I could hear the early birds chirping brightly to greet the morning sun. Soon, the color transited from dark blue to light purple to pinkish orange to gold and then finally a light blue.

"You should rest some more." I suggested, knowing that it wouldn't be of much use but we couldn't really go out in our current states. A couple more hours like this and all coherence would jump out the window. We were exhausted and overworking ourselves was not going to help. Or so I told her as I apologized and tucked her back in bed, drawing the curtains close so the bright light would not disturb her sleep.

I lightly tapped her forehead with my fingers, letting the magic flow as I cast a spell. Her eyes drooped close and her breathing grew even.

"This should keep the nightmares away," I whispered, to her or to myself? I had no idea. My feet padded quietly against the carpeted floor as I made my way back to the living room, slumping on the sofa I had fallen asleep on a couple of hours earlier.

Taking a deep breath, I forced all thoughts out of my mind, extending the edges of my mind. I was going to search for Syaoran one more time.

Luckily, this time I already knew the general location of his signal so I did not have to waste much time on searching through the whole city. I drew closer to the barrier, feeling his signal blur out once more. I backed away a bit, scrutinizing the barrier for a weakness. There was none.

I pushed against it, letting the feel of Syaoran's magic disappear as I put all my efforts into getting through the barrier. Like a sheet of elastic material stretched to its limit, the barrier pushed back at me, a sense of familiarity flooding my mind as I tasted this magic.

"That bitch." I snarled angrily as my mind identified aura of the wards. Akira had not used any of her own magic to set the barriers up; rather she had used the stolen essences. Two of them dominating over all the others. The two that I was most familiar with and feeling them oppose me was tearing up.

I grit my teeth.

They were gone. I had already lost two people to Akira. I was not ready to add Syaoran to that list. Relentlessly, I pushed on.

My head started throbbing, the ache intensifying to forceful pounding, yet I continued pushing.

I was not about to give up. Sweat beaded my brow, rolling down the side of my face as my body tried to keep up with the strain I was putting it through. My heartbeat fastened as my breathing grew heavier, but I did not stop. I knew I was pushing myself beyond my limit, but something about the condition Sakura had been in a short while ago did not let me discontinue.

The hammering in my head tripled in intensity, I could feel something warm trickle down my lip. From its scent my nose identified it as my own blood. But I could not stop, I was almost through.

With a cry I gave one last mental heave, feeling a sense of relief flood me as I got through to the other side.

Let her go! I heard Syaoran's hoarse voice yell in my head as though he were in the same room as me. I saw a dimly lit room with him thrashing against his bonds. He was still hanging from the chain but now he was struggling and bellowing like the world was coming to an end.

Kid! It's not f**king real! I heard a second voice roar in desperation and anger but before I could give the owner of that voice a name, my world went black.

I had clearly pushed myself too far…

"She wouldn't have gotten away if you had taken me along," Masooma's teasing voice reached my ears. I was in the library with my nose buried in a book on healing magic. I was once again trying to learn something I clearly sucked at.

I could not even perform a basic level healing spell. And yet I had somehow still managed to end up with the title of D.

"Sulking, are we?" she laughed, pulling the book out of my hands.

"No," I crossed my arms. "Studying." I corrected her.

"How to perform healing magic?" she cocked a brow, reading the title.

"I can still try to learn." I shrugged carelessly.

"Hmm…" she nodded thoughtfully, placing the book on top of the dark wooden table before pushing herself on top of it as well. "So, how did it go?" she asked, her eyes alight with excitement. "I heard you single-handedly captured alltheStealers except for one of the apprentices. A witch named Akira, I think."

"They didn't put up much of a fight for a bunch of magicians who stole essences." I answered with yet another light shrug. "But where did you hear all that? You were clearly not in the castle when I got back."

"I was practicing my transportation spells." She jumped back to her feet. "I think I've mastered long distance travel," she said with a satisfied grin as she pulled out a blue flower from her jacket. Its petals looked crystalline yet I knew for a fact that they were very soft to touch.

"An ice-flower?" I questioned skeptically as I took the pale blue blossom from her hand and observed it closely. Its petals looked like crystallized ice but left a velvety feel against my skin. And not brittle at all. Yet they still felt cold in my fingers, like frozen water, thus the name ice-flower. "But they grow far south."

"Yup." She nodded happily. "So do you think I can move on to inter-dimensional travel spells now?"

"Maybe," I answered vaguely handing the flower back to her as I retrieved the book she had placed on the table. "I'll let you know about it tomorrow," I said as I climbed to my feet.

"Faii…" she whined, sticking out her lower lip in a pout.

"Tomorrow Masooma," I answered, once again ruffling her hair.

"Hey!" she cried, ducking to escape my outstretched hand. She looked at me through narrowed eyes before bursting out into laughter. I joined in.

"So tomorrow?" she skipped by my side as I pulled open the ornate double doors that led to the hallway outside.

"Yes, tomorrow." I rolled my eyes in mock exasperation.

"That means no sleeping in Fai." She chided.

"Fai-sama!" one of the court magicians joined my side before I could respond to her. "Ashura-ou requests your company in the throne room. He's about to decide the fate of the Stealers."

"Of course." I nodded, steering myself in the right direction. Masooma followed wordlessly, her expression growing solemn.

"I normally don't like it when someone is killed," she said softly, lowering her head to hide her eyes behind a curtain of her hair. "But for animals such as these," she continued. "There is no better punishment."

"I agree." I nodded gravely as the guards threw the doors to the throne room open.

"Fai, Masooma, come." Ashura-ou stood next to his throne with a somber expression on his face. His eyes hardened as he looked back at the six men lined before him in magical shackles. The objects were designed specifically to restrain magic.

After a short trial that involved the reading out of their crimes which included kidnapping, brutal, inhuman torture and murder of twenty magicians from all around Celes, they were given a death sentence. Their death would be by Saru, one of the deadliest and supposedly most painful poisons out there.

"I think they deserve it," Masooma whispered from her place next to me. The leader of the group of those deranged magicians looked in her direction with wild eyes.

"You're next pretty face." He grinned widely, not in the least bit fazed by the fact that would die in twelve hours.

I stepped in front of her with a dangerous scowl fixed on my face, shielding her from his view.

"Take them away," Ashura-ou ordered the guards.

"She'll be next." His cackle echoed in the hallways as he was led to the dungeons.

"She'll be next!"

If only I had not dismissed those words as an empty threat. If only…

-0-

The room around me transited yet nothing had changed. Much.

I was still in the throne chamber, but now Ashura-ou was facing me with a solemn expression.

"How can it be?" I tried to keep my voice down. I really did but it still echoed in the cavernous room.

"Fai, I have every court magician out there, looking for her," he said in a tired yet reassuring tone. However, the words had the opposite effect on me.

"But I'm still here. Why are you not allowing me to join the search?"

"Akira wants you, Fai." He repeated what he had already told me at least a dozen times.

"With all due respect, I can handle her, Your Majesty," I answered stubbornly.

"Fai-" he began.

"Please," I begged as my voice cracked. It was hard to keep my emotion in control. "It's my fault she was taken in the first place. She is my apprentice. She's my responsibility."

"Fai," he sighed, shaking his head.

"Please Ashura-ou. Let me go look for her."

"Very well."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." I gave him a respectful bow before turning on my heels and walking out of the room. I still held the crumpled paper in my hand as I strode through the white marble halls.

Your Apprentice for mine, High Mage. That was all the note said. I clenched my fists in rage, feeling my nails dig into my skin. I had been such an idiot. The witch who had evaded capture had been the real leader of that group.

And now she had Masooma.

-0-

A/N: Fai found out where Syaoran is being held. And he knows that the boy is not alone. And Akira's reasons for going after the group have been revealed. What's going to happen now?

Please let me know of what you think. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Please leave a review because everytime you don't, a plot bunny dies. And we wouldn't want that happening now would we? Reveiws is what makes the plot bunnies thrive, so don't hesitate. Support the bunnies and help me take over the world. X_X

-Nims.