Chapter Fifty-Eight

If he'd been human, he might not have heard the startled whisper. As it was, his head whipped around, eyes scanning the grassy park as his focus shifted from the feather to the one who'd said his name.

Across the field, Sakura stood, breathing hard. Her face, normally the fair skin tone of royalty, was flushed with exertion. Did she run all the way up that hill? he wondered, unable to look away from her face once his eyes found it.

"Little Wolf," Seishirou said behind him. "The feather, remember?"

The feather. That's right, I have to get it back before the bird holding onto it teleports. But he couldn't make himself look away from Sakura, not when she was looking at him for the first time in weeks.

He took a hesitant step toward her. It seemed almost like a dream when she did the same. It's like she wants to see me again, he thought. Before he could think anything more, Kurogane and Fai crested the hill beyond the fence. Syaoran tensed, feeling his claws slide another inch out from his fingertips.

Sakura continued to stare at him, her jade eyes wide with shock and fascination. Her gaze to his hands. My claws, Syaoran thought, ashamed. He recoiled from her gaze, flinched away from her horror. Within seconds, she would grasp the ramifications of what he'd turned into, realize he was a monster.

Behind her, Kurogane and Fai made those same connections. Syaoran's eyes flashed to each of their faces, measuring the shock and rejection in both. Fai stood frozen where he stood, clutching his furry winter coat with one hand. His eye was the same sapphire color the Other had seen throughout their whole journey, and there were no claws jutting out from his fingertips. His control is far greater than mine, Syaoran thought. But that might give me an edge, if I have to fight him.

"Syaoran," Seishirou barked, farther away now. From the corner of his eye, Syaoran saw his new mentor wringing the neck of the teleporting bird, and retrieving the white feather that belonged to Princess Sakura. "Let's go."

His legs rooted him in place, but he managed to look back at Seishirou. The dark-haired man brought the feather inside his body, absorbing its power. We don't need it, Syaoran thought. I could give it to Sakura right now.

It was an irrational thought, and he knew it. But she was right there, and returning the feathers to her was his duty. Had been ever since he'd joined them in Tokyo.

But they never accepted you. The thought seemed to come from outside his mind, it was so at odds with his own thought processes. This wasn't the time to be rash. This wasn't the time to feel distressed about what they thought of him. In a fight, there is no time to think, only react.

His mind processed everything from Sakura's arrival to Seishirou acquiring the feather in less than a second. His gaze focused on a spot of light on the edge of the park, the glint of the moon reflecting off a steel blade. Souhi, he thought.

"I've been waiting for this rematch," Kurogane growled, his eyes focused on Seishirou.

"I'm afraid we have to be moving along now," the dark-haired man said with a smile.

"You're not going anywhere with him." Kurogane made a quick motion with his chin to denote Syaoran. Me?

"That's not up to you."

"I don't care." Kurogane took a step forward. Syaoran analyzed his stance, noting the precise angles at which he bent his knees, the sturdy base from which he worked. The ninja had to adjust slightly for the curve of the hill.

Seishirou grinned lazily, drawing his black sword from thin air. "The boy came to me."

"And now he's coming with us."

Syaoran felt a shiver of unease travel down his spine. Why would they want me back? Fai tried to kill me. They both came after me in Infinity. Do they want to kill me on their own terms? But that doesn't make sense. It wouldn't matter to Kurogane-san, and Fai already tried in Infinity. Sakura wouldn't want to watch something like that . . . So there must be some other reason they need me back. Do they think I have more information about their enemy? I already told them what they need to know. Did they think I was holding back?

Why not? You lied to them about everything else. Visiting Seishirou, all those nightmares, every insecurity.

Kurogane took another step forward. He's got the higher ground, Syaoran thought. He should be at an advantage.

"I thought you were all brute force," Seishirou said, noticing the same thing. "but you're a more clever creature than I thought." He took several sinuous steps forward. The ninja shifted slightly, taking a subtle defensive stance.

"One of us has to move eventually," the red-eyed man said. The moon glinted off Souhi again. It was as if the fairytale world they'd landed in had ceased to exist, leaving behind only the bloody dance of two opposing forces.

For the first time, Syaoran realized he had no idea which of them would win this confrontation. "We should go," he whispered, knowing the faint words would reach his mentor's sensitive ears. And Fai's, too, if he's not too far away. His eyes, gold with black slits for pupils, flashed to the magician. Fai gave no indication that he'd heard, but Syaoran wasn't sure he believed it. Always in perfect control of himself, even now that he's contending with bloodlust.

Seishirou advanced another step. Kurogane matched him. Fai leaned over to Sakura to whisper in her ear, and Syaoran found himself listening to that instead of paying attention to the fight.

"When their swords meet, run back to our place as soon as you can," Fai had said.

"No."

No? Syaoran thought, eyebrows knitting together. While he didn't doubt Sakura's willpower, he knew she hated bloodshed. It didn't make sense for her to watch this, but as he looked at her, he noticed the sword at her hip. It was a cheap thing; that much was evident from the dull metal of the handle and simple wooden sheath that housed the blade. If she'd picked it up in Infinity, as he'd hoped she would, it was likely the best they had to offer. No one was expected to survive long playing human chess, after all.

But why would she want to stay, even if she's acquired some ability to fight? She must realize she's outmatched. He frowned, watching her draw her sword.

Alarm passed across Fai's face. "Sakura-chan—"

"It'll be okay," she promised the magician. Her voice was so earnest, Syaoran had to believe her. Fai must've believed it, too, because he returned his attention to the escalating fight.

Kurogane and Seishirou were closer now, but not quite within striking range. They circled each other, wolves vying for territory. "Leave the kid with us, and I'll let you walk away," Kurogane said, never taking his eyes off the dark-haired man.

"I'm afraid I'm going to need him a little bit longer." Another step closer, almost within striking range now. Kurogane could use one of his special sword techniques and end Seishirou right then. One solid blast was all it would take.

So why doesn't he attack? Syaoran wondered. Does he think he can negotiate with Seishirou? If he knew the stakes . . .

The fight erupted. Within a fraction of a second, the two blades crashed against each other, and the sound of steel colliding with steel sang through the park. The sounds blended together, like a drum roll. Both men moved with seemingly unnatural speed, and Syaoran wondered if Kurogane had merely been holding back in all the previous fights, or if he had inexplicably gained the power to move like a vampire. Syaoran guessed the former. He handled Seishirou well enough in Outo, and in Infinity. When he's fighting at full force, he's much more dangerous.

The warriors danced, swords coming together in a series of frenzied clangs. Syaoran winced at the sound of skin splitting apart. But whose?

Does it matter?

He shoved the last thought away. Of course it matters. Someone is going to die in this fight, if no one stops it.

But does it matter who? If it's Seishirou, then you go back to the others prematurely, whatever they decide to do with you. If it's Kurogane, you stay with Seishirou and hope Sakura eventually comes to you looking for feathers. So does it really matter who wins?

His hands tightened into fists, his own claws digging into the palm of his hand. It matters. Because whoever loses is going to die.

"Stop it!" someone shouted. Not someone. Sakura. His eyes flashed to her gangly figure as she staggered across the grass, toward the fight. Her new sword hung awkwardly in her hands, pointed off to the side as she ran. She can't honestly believe she can stop this, can she?

Her leg brace creaked and groaned as she ran. The joints had never been intended for such exertion, and the screws holding the plates together were coming loose. Still, she pressed on, sprinting headlong for the fight. Syaoran took a clumsy step forward, his mind refusing to believe what his eyes were telling him.

If she goes into that fight, she dies, some part of him thought urgently. You have to stop her.

But she was too close now. And how would he reach her before Fai reacted to his movements?

There has to be some way to keep her from going over there. He took another step forward, and saw the mage step forward in response to his movement. I can't. He'll stop me before I make it.

The swordfight went on, neither combatant aware of the rest of the battle. Syaoran's mind worked furiously, looking for a solution. But there was only one thing floating around in his mind, and it would get him killed just as surely as going after Sakura would.

You love her don't you? Don't you want her to live?

He did. Even if the love he felt was born from the Other's memories, he wanted Sakura to live. So long as she lives, I'll survive.

Steel met steel in a grating scream. A piece of metal came broke off from Sakura's leg brace, sending her staggering. He could see her trying to correct her altered gait, pushing herself forward in spite of her weakened leg.

There was one way to make her stop. One way.

I am so sorry, he thought, lifting his arm out in front of him. The words exploded from his mouth, none of his regret seeping into them. "Raitei Shourai!"