A/N: Feels like ages since I last updated anything but my schedule has been truly hectic. And my bunnies keep on abandoning me every single time I do have some time to spare. I'm beginning to dread the coming months. There is going to be so much work *pales*
But let's not bore you with my whining since I've been known to go on for hours upon hours. Not a lot of people reviewed last time. I wonder if that was because there was no torture in the previous chapter. Is there a directly proportional relation between the amount of torture and the number of reviews in effect here or something? This and the next chapter will act as determiners.
Anyhow, enough rambling, enjoy!
"I was also training to compete for the place of the next Oracle."
Seeing the confused looks his companions shot at him, Fai clarified, "You see, every couple of hundred years, a new Oracle is chosen. Prodigies and talented mages from all over Celes and the adjoining kingdoms gather at one major city each time, undergo a series of test before being deemed worthy of the position of Oracle."
"So him and the girl were the other possible candidates?" Kurogane quirked a brow.
"No," Nixon was the one who answered this time. "Only I was. Masooma actually came to Celes to learn under the apprenticeship of the Celesian High Mage."
"But you two knew each other from before?" Syaoran asked.
"Yeah," Nixon nodded, "though Masooma was infatuated with the HighMage in the beginning. You have no idea how annoying that got after a while."
"Ehh... I didn't really mind listening to her, to tell you the truth." Fai said playfully.
"Well, you're a good for nothing, self conceited bastard so your opinion doesn't count." The Oracle responded carelessly, making Kurogane smirk in amusement.
"Now that's just mean." Fai pouted. "Besides you were only annoyed because she was oblivious to your crush on her and liked me more."
"… Anyhow," Nixon cleared his throat loudly, not denying what Fai had said but not acknowledging it either. "Masooma and I came to Celes for different purposes. We had actually grown up together, but while my teachers nominated me as a possible candidate for the Oraclehood, Masooma's name was put up for apprenticeship."
"The whole apprenticeship thing was Ashura-ou's idea to get me to open up some more," Fai continued the story, "back then I was more like Kuro-grumpy and very anti-social."
"That's hard to believe." Kurogane snorted in response.
"But it's true." The magician answered, "So in order to escape having to take on an apprentice, I made the test really hard, failing all the possible candidates. But Masooma-chan was smarter than the rest of the lot. She found a loophole and managed to enlist Nixon's help to secure her position.
"Despite my inability to perform even the most basic of healing spells, Masooma-chan was truly exceptional. She trained under me even as I prepared to undergo the trials for choosing the Oracle. It wasn't easy and for a while it almost seemed like I would lose."
"You would lose?" Syaoran repeated, voicing his confusion, looking between the blond and the Oracle. "But isn't Nixon-san the Oracle?"
"Oh but Nixon wasn't the one who won the trials." Fai shook his head, "I was."
"But then why is he the Oracle and not you?"
"In order for a mage to receive the sight of the Oracle," Nixon spoke up before he could answer. "The candidate has to lose his own sight." Kurogane looked from the Mage to the Oracle and back to the Mage as though seeking confirmation of what Nixon had just said.
"The source of my magic and life are my eyes." Fai nodded, a hint of sadness and regret tainting his tone.
"You were dying?" Syaoran asked softly.
With a small nod, Fai continued, "In the end, Nixon took my place."
"Don't you mean I kicked your ass and then took your place?" The Oracle teased lightly, but it was clear to those present that he was only trying to keep the mood from turning somber.
"Aww… Don't go all angsty on me now, Fai." He said, punching the blond on the arm in a joking manner when he failed to respond. "Anyhow, seeing as he's clearly making himself look better than me on purpose, I think I'll continue telling the tale from here." he tried a different tactic to try and get a rise out of the blond like he did back in Celes.
Kurogane's quirked brow was lost on his sightless gaze, so the ninja shrugged and decided to let the Oracle continue anyways.
"Wait, why did Fai-san try out for the position in the first place if he knew about the price?" the amber eyed teen questioned.
"None of the candidates were informed about the conditions that applied. Only the heads of the states from where the candidates were appearing were informed and they were bound by their word not to interfere in the test in any way." Nixon answered, "Besides, all the candidates knew that they would have to give up something precious to gain that spot anyways, so it doesn't really matter whether they know what they'll lose or not."
"Masooma and I were the best of friends, but she still hated my guts," he laughed reminiscently.
"She stopped when you ended up saving my life," Fai said and Kurogane was somewhat irritated to hear the gratefulness in his tone. Why did the Oracle get the gratitude for saving his ungrateful ass, yet all he had gotten in Infinity had been cold smiles and thinly veiled hatred?
"You make it sound like I did it for you." Nixon answered in mock haughtiness.
"Must you break my heart every single time?" Fai sobbed dramatically.
Kurogane shrugged off the irritation he had felt earlier as he silently watched the two interact. It was clear that they were quite close, like brothers. And if the circumstances arose, they might just end up risking their life for the other. It was nice to know that Fai had not really had such a lonely life before he had met his current family.
-0-
He reached out with bloodied fingers, a small grim smile dancing across his lips as Fai scrabbled at the crumbling grey stone. He had been thrown here a few days ago, or maybe it had only been a few hours. There was no way to tell how much time had passed. Even his internal clock was messed up thanks to his frequent visits to the dream world.
He knew he must look a sight, covered in bruises and cuts and his own blood, his wrists having a ring of barely healed scabs thanks to the manacles that had been used to hold him to the flat platform as those hunters had tormented him.
Funnily enough, he was reminded of his time back in the valley of sinners, his scraped and bloodied fingers leaving dark, wet trails on the stone wall. He wasn't even quite sure of what he hoped to accomplish from this, seeing as by now he had not only managed to break three nails and claws, the forefinger of his right hand was bent at an odd angle, slowly turning a sickly color, not that he could tell underneath the blood coating it.
There was a jagged cut on his left forearm, oozing a warm liquid that burnt against his frozen skin. Gritting his teeth, trying not to scream out in pain, Fai struggled to his feet, favoring his right ankle. If the swelling was anything to go by, it seemed like it was broken. Dragging his foot behind him, Fai crawled to the wall opposite to the one he had been scraping at, falling against it with a heavy thud.
The rough stones tore open the barely healed wounds on his back and they began to bleed anew. His own cold sweat mingled with the crimson liquid as it trailed down his torso, making him hiss in pain as the wounds stung mercilessly. Panting heavily, he leaned his head against the wall, letting his eyes slide close.
Pulling his breaking body tightly into himself, he let out a sigh that sounded like a moan as he rested his head on his drawn up knees. His drifting thoughts wandered to the subject of a visit from his tormentors. He had been left at the mercy of those brutes for far too long. It seemed like ages ago when he had been visited by a familiar face. How long was it going to be till Masooma would visit him again? Would Nixon come with her? Would she heal him this time?
He had almost learnt to ignore the bugs that crawled beneath his flesh by now. Oh, now he remembered why he had been scratching at the wall. It was to keep himself from going insane by tearing away his own flesh. The phantoms, having formed a stronghold in his mind, let him be only when his mind was preoccupied with something else. He could hear the distant echoes and cries of men and women, innocent children and veteran old ones all accusing him of bringing about their demise. He had not heard those voices for a long, long time now.
Not counting the time he had spent in this prison, that is, the last time he had heard those voices had been when he was still learning magic under Ashura, way before he had even met Nixon or Masooma. Speaking of Masooma, though, when was she going to visit him next? Would she heal him this time? Would she bring some water for him maybe? He was just so thirsty. And what about Nixon? Surely, the Oracle couldn't hate him so much so as to leave him here to rot forever, right? His friends wouldn't do that to him, would they?
They couldn't just forget him like that. He couldn't doubt them now when he had no one to rely on. They'd pull through for him, just like they always did. Telling that to himself in a firm tone, Fai allowed his body to relax for a bit, his head jerking up only seconds later when he heard multiple footsteps in the corridor outside. They were all heavy thuds, immediately letting him know who his visitors for the day would be.
"No." he shrank in once more, his muscles tensing up painfully as the door to his cell slid open and a blinding light filled the dark room, making Fai flinch as his sensitive eyes burnt from the onslaught and he clenched them shut.
It was the hunters.
They had left the door open behind them, unlike all those other times. And he wasn't shackled in place this time. He could make run for it if he wanted. He could finally get out of this horrible place.
But he knew he couldn't. So instead, he merely buried his face into his knees. Please, just let them leave me alone. He prayed in his heart. Their footsteps grew closer and he struggled to move away from them. Unable to progress much thanks to the state his body was in, he pressed himself into the wall behind him, acting like a cornered puppy that had been kicked far too many times by its owners to know what to do.
A distant part of his mind scoffed at him, throwing jeering taunts his way. He wasn't doing anything. He was submitting. He was acting like the animal they claimed he was. He ignored that voice, just like he had learnt to ignore the bugs that crawled beneath his skin or the voices that flung accusations at him of times and events long past.
He licked his chapped lips, tasting his own blood. He throat flashed as he struggled to dredge up words he had not spoken in a long, long time. "Please…" he pleaded softly, "Please…. Leave me alone."
They laughed at his request, the jarring sound bouncing off the walls around him, making the world spin nauseously. It grated on his ears, making him clench his teeth to keep the sick feeling at bay as a rough hand, the same as before, grabbed his hair and dragged him to his feet. The sound of their laughter only grew louder as he gave out a pained yelp and stumbled. The only thing holding him upright was the hand on his hair as his body sagged like a lifeless marionette.
Pathetic. The voice in his head scoffed, as tears of pain prickled his eyes. Pathetic, weak and scared. You are no magician. You're just a scared, sniveling weakling.
"It's time to feed our esteemed guest," his captor sneered, bringing his face close to Fai's, relishing the way Fai's eyes widened in fear.
"No," he rasped, bloodied hands reaching out to free his hair from his tormentor's grip as he remembered the last couple of times they had fed and watered him. It had been nothing short of agony on his part. The feeling of helplessness, the icy coldness enveloping his mind as the darkness enveloped him from all sides as he struggled not to drown in the stream of water being poured on his face, the way his throat burnt from vomiting his own acidic bile every time they kicked him in the stomach, not caring whether he was awake or unconscious. It scared him.
The feeling of the feeding tube tearing his insides as it was forced down his throat and into his stomach as the foul smelling gunk was fed to him, the sick sensations that roiled his beaten body as he would lay shivering in his own mess for hours, paralyzed, unable to move, completely, utterly helpless.
He did not want that.
He'd rather starve and die from dehydration then go through all that again.
A blinding blow to the side of his head made him cease all struggles as he was reminded of his place. "Do you want us to make it more painful than it has to be, eh, Mage?"
"N-no," he whispered, letting them drag him out of the freezing dungeon into the dimly lit, narrow hallway. Closing his eyes, ashamed of his own shortcomings, Fai let his muscles slacken as they jeered and taunted at him, carelessly yanking him towards a room he had been in only three other times since he had been captured.
A needle pricked his arm, the burning-freezing liquid filling his veins as hands held him down. The man who was responsible for bringing him to this chamber, let go of his hair once he was secured in place by the means of shackles. He had wondered why they had not done so the first time they had force-fed him, but no explanation had come to his mind.
The man returned with the large rod that he proceeded to shove between his parted jaws. He swallowed hard, knowing what was coming next. Yet he did nothing at all to prevent it. He couldn't help it. His pride, his dignity, his confidence and his fearlessness… nothing was left of any of those. He merely shuddered, cracking his eyes open when the door to the chamber creaked open once more and a soft clack of high heeled boots approached him.
"Hello, Fai," Masooma grinned down at him, taking the metal jug that held the freezing water he was going to be tormented with. "Thirsty?"
A/N: Oh no, Fai is breaking. Will someone manage to come rescue him before it's too late or will he end up like Syaoran?
Speaking of dear our Little Wolf, how many of you think he's dead? How many think he might survive after all? Send in your responses via review or PM since the next chapter will be all about him. ;) ;)
I hope my explanation about Fai's past wasn't too disjointed or incomplete. If you have any questions feel free to ask since this is the last you'll be reading about his time in Celes unless I get any questions pertaining that.
Well, now I'm off to dinner. We're having steam roast tonight. *grins* I hope you enjoyed the update. Till next time.
Ciao!
-Nims
*runs after rabid plot-bunnies* Oye wait up you damn balls of fluff. That food is meant for humans!
Edit: March 30th 2011 I've been trying since Sunday night to upload this chapter but the page displayed an error message everytime I tried putting this up. Luckily I came across this little bit of info that helped me out. I figured it might be of help to some of you too.
After you click edit on your story and the error message appears, go to the URL bar. Replace the word property with the word content and press enter. You should be redirected to the upload chapters page. Happy updating!