A/N: This is actually a reply to Starshine, since they had some complaints regarding this fic. I'm actually glad they took out enough time to point out what they found wrong with this fic and even though they said they couldn't stand reading it anymore, on the slight off-chance that they might, I figured I'd just address a few of the points they raised. There's gonna be explanations for why I made the main characters act the way they did and what this story is all about.
First off, this is actually a torture-fic more than anything else but since they don't have that listed in the genres, I had to go with the second best option that was Angst. But I'm gonna put up the warning in my summary all the same. ^_^;
I actually went back and reread the chapters to see if Sakura and Kurogane did anything to distress him after they discovered the cause of his trauma. The only times Kuro pinned Syaoran were before Sakura went through Syaoran's memories so they actually didn't know that restraining him would cause him more distress. Once they found out, Sakura and Kurogane were quite careful about their actions around him. The reason why I didn't have Yukito or a castle maid take care of Syaoran was because a) a maid looking after him would be rather impersonal and b) Sakura wanted to show him through her actions that it wasn't them that did those things to him. It's another thing he didn't trust their word but they didn't do anything to agitate him further. It was supposed to be a part of his mental healing and Sakura wasn't actually aware of his paranoia since he never let it show. They were only trying to earn back his trust. Touya is the king in this fic so he doesn't really have enough time to devote to taking care of Syaoran. They weren't being stupid by doing what they did, they just didn't realize that their attempts at helping him might have such consequences as Syaoran jumping out of the window.
Syaoran (the Clone/Papa Syaoran) is indeed quite intelligent and I agree that he would make a great detective. This was actually going to be revealed a little later but I guess telling it now won't make that much of a difference. The way I see it, the clones ended up inside their originals as memories and were thus dormant inside their respective Tsubasa's body. In other words they don't have any awareness of their surroundings. For certain reasons, staying in this world caused Syaoran's spirit to slowly awaken inside Tsubasa. Though it happened a couple of weeks after Tsubasa was captured. By then, the drugs the hunters had been giving him had managed to greatly mess with Tsubasa's head, making him believe that it was his companions that were hurting him. Obviously Syaoran did notice that something was amiss when he first woke up inside Tsubasa and saw that the princess was torturing him. But due to the bond that he shares with Tsubasa, his own opinions were influenced by the drug since he only sees and hears what Tsubasa sees and hears. The drug is designed to make the receiver mistrust and become afraid of the person he sees as his tormentor. His concern for Tsubasa actually overrode the cool analytical mind that he possesses so he missed some of the obvious hints as time wore by. So yeah, he failed to solve the mystery.
As for Fai, I'd say it's all about how you see that guy. I agree, Fai is quite cunning and usually tries to influence and change the situation to his advantage but I like to think of him having a bit of a defiant streak as well. Having spent so much time in Kuro's company would influence him enough to actually stand for what he believes is right. Besides, he knew there was no getting out of that situation, so he decided to do something about it as he went down. (if that made any sense. ^_^; )
I'm sorry if the genre was a bit misleading, but this is first and foremost a torture-fic. Angst isn't the main focus in this story so yeah… a lot more torture than development of the plot. But thanks for the advice all the same. I'll keep that in mind in the future. ;)
I hope the above explanation would have explained any questions the rest of the readers might have had about the story. If not, feel free to ask guys. I don't really bite and I know how to take criticism. The only thing I can't stand is when someone gets personal and outright insults me. Otherwise, I'm totally cool with anything you might have to say about the stuff I write. ;) ;)
I think I should shut up and let you guys enjoy the actual story now. Have a fun read ~
Masooma blocked another attack with her staff before retaliating, feeling the blood flow down her left side. The wound bled due to her constant movement but thankfully it was a shallow wound. No organs had been ruptured so she let herself not care about the injury. It was a given that no magician ever came out unscathed from an encounter with a hunter. She allowed herself a grin at the disturbed look on Bauld's face. Clearly, the hunter had been expecting her to cower in fright before him instead of retaliating as fiercely as she had. Especially after all that he had put her through. The only reason why she was doing the latter instead of the former was because she had pushed everything to the back of her mind, knowing that if she were to dwell on those thoughts at that time, she'd never be able to get away.
"You seem worried Bauld." She sneered as the hunter ducked out of the way of her attack, "Afraid I might actually win?"
The hunter's lack of response only caused her grin to widen. She was not going to let him get away. Back at Metropolis, she had been heavily drugged and restrained, helpless to defend herself in any way or form. But out here… out here she could dish out hell and then some. She had been the apprentice of the Celesian High mage for a reason. Even if healing had been the main branch she had focused her attention on, her combat abilities were no laughing matter. She had been a part of the court's elite battle mages. Swinging the staff around her in a tight circle, she wove her magic through the air in small concentric circles. The air began to hum with the offensive magic, held at bay by its caster until the right moment to unleash it in a terrifying blast when the right moment arrived. She swirled out of the way, weaving an elaborate trap as she darted right and left, physically exchanging blows with the dark-skinned hunter.
"I'm nothing like the weakling you thought me to be, Bauld." She hissed, pinning the hunter to the ground with her left leg as she rested the tip of her staff above his jugular.
"Tell me," the hunter drawled in response, not even caring that just a single twitch of her arms would end his life, "is defiance inherent to you magical scum? You're boyfriend has been proving to be quite a thorn in our side for a while now. It's nothing that can't be fixed though." He added nonchalantly.
"Shut up!" she snarled, hurtling a spell at the man below her, watching in vicious satisfaction as the magic began tearing the flesh of his face to tiny shreds. The man cried in agony as blood blossomed out on his face. Knowing she had gotten all the hunters in the just the places she wanted, she began letting go of the control she had on her spell-trap. She was going to send a message to Metropolis through the slaughter of this little band of hunters. At that moment, she did not care that actively killing the hunters outside the limits of Magihidusi would be a breach of her guardian contract. All she cared at the time, was hurting the bastards in any way she could. Before she could fully activate her spell though, she felt the familiar tendrils of Nixon's magic wrap around her body and the five men aiding her as the Oracle's summoning spell came into effect. Her offensive magic dissipated into thin air behind them as the group was whisked away from the forest and into the Oracle's living chambers. Growling angrily, she rounded on the Oracle but remembered to shut herself up in front of the First Guard that was standing there with her. At a nod from the blind man, the sheathed their weapons and stood at ease, though Masooma only tightened her grip on the slightly bloodied staff.
"I understand that it was at a great personal risk to you all but you succeeded in protecting Healer Masooma." Nixon nodded at the men, "For that, I thank you all. Please see the healers at the infirmary for your injuries. You have done a fine job today. Captain, have the Second Guard take up the patrol. " Nodding at each of them in turn, he added, "you are all excused for the rest of the day." Masooma bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from speaking as the men bade her goodbye and left. As soon as they were out the door, she turned away from the blind Oracle, knowing that any words that came out of her lips would only be something she'd regret later on.
"Masooma," Nixon started as he took a step in her direction. Gritting her teeth in an attempt to reign in her anger, she stepped away, staying well out of range. She did not want him to touch her just then.
"Masooma…" he called out again. The sound of his voice cracked the fragile barrier of her restraint, causing her to round on man with an angry snarl.
"I guess word weren't enough for you." She spat, narrowing her eyes as she looked at his face, hatefully schooled into a calm expression. "The great Oracle actually had to go so far as to interrupt the fight because he needed to impress upon the world his superiority. I bet you were disappointed to find out I didn't need your help after all." she scoffed, growing angrier the longer she watched his face. Unknown to her, her magic began crackling and hissing in the air around her, the tip of the bejeweled staff in her hand glowing softly as magic began to gather in the stone, "Is that why you summoned us back? You couldn't bear the thought of someone else besting the hunters in your mighty stead, could you, oh great one." She mocked.
"Masooma, will you please listen to me?"
How could that bastard be so calm?
"Why should I listen to the likes of you?" she growled, ignoring the flash of pain that crossed his feature as she said those words. "You probably saw how I beat the shit out of those hunters thanks to your all seeing eye. But you couldn't have me upstaging you, could you? That'd have gone against the whole 'most powerful guardian in history' image that you've got going for yourself. People would have stopped coming to you for advice if that ever happened. Well I've got a bit of news for Nixon," she hissed, stepping close to the man until they were inches apart, "I. Don't. Need. You." she had expected a lot of things that would happen in response to her declaration but what actually did happen was something she had never thought of in even her wildest dreams. Her body went rigid and her eyes widened in shock when a warm pair of lips collided with her mouth. Her staff clattered uselessly to the ground as she let go of her weapon, frozen in place in disbelief. The kiss did not last for long but Masooma found it difficult to draw another breath as Nixon stepped away from her, refusing to meet her gaze, even though he was blind.
"I did see the outcome of the battle," Nixon admitted, his voice pained, "You killed all those hunters, effectively breaching the Guardian Pact. As a result, the shaman claimed your life" he said softly, picking up her fallen weapon and placing it in her hand. His fingers lingered for a short time as he added almost regretfully, "I know you don't need me anymore, Masooma… But I need you. I might never be able to have you but I'm not ready to lose you just yet." Letting his words hang in the air, he retreated, leaving her alone in his room. Breathing hard, Masooma collapsed in a limbless heap on the floor for the second time that day, the staff clattering noisily against the stone.
-0-
He tried not to let his discomfort show on his face as the air kept on growing hotter, glaring at the woman coldly as he pressed his lips into a thin line. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Syaoran staring at him in mortification. Whatever the source of this unbearable heat below him was, Fai was sure would hurt like hell very, very soon.
"I'll give you one last chance, Fai," her words came out soft, almost comforting as her fingers lightly traced his cheek, "Where is the essence hidden?"
"Fuck off." He spat, snapping his sharp canines at her fingers but she managed to withdraw her hand before he could inflict some damage.
Her slap echoed in the room as his head was thrust to his side. Wordlessly, she motioned for one of her following goons to begin and Fai felt the frame lower towards the ground. From the fearful look on Syaoran's face he could tell that whatever came next would be unpleasant to say the least. He bit his lip to keep the cry from escaping his mouth as a sudden burning sensation assaulted his back. He could smell the scent of blood in the air mixed with that of burnt flesh and hair as the various sized balls of fire pressing into his back began to work their charm. The cry had been holding back finally escaped his lips as the woman hit his naked chest with a rather thick steel rod. He struggled to draw a breath as the frame was pushed further into the glowing coals beneath him. Although he had not seen them with his eyes but he was pretty sure it could not have been anything else that was currently roasting him alive. He tried to arch his back to get away from the heat beneath him but the strap around his waist kept him in place. He gasped raggedly as the frame was raised and he was relieved from his torture momentarily. Though he had no doubts this was merely the beginning.
"Where is it?" the woman demanded venomously as she leered above him. Tears of pain prickled his eyes but he refused to speak another word, resorting instead to glare at her mutinously.
His cries echoed around the chamber as he was lowered back into the coals once more. The third time this was repeated, his sense began to leave him as his body's tolerance for pain reached its limit. Thankfully however, his tormentors were interrupted by the arrival of a dark-skinned man with no hair on his head. The man spoke in low tones with the woman as Fai struggled to not let the pain overwhelm him. Their conversation done with, the woman motioned for her cronies and Fai was unceremoniously taken off of the frame and dragged to a very small chamber adjoined to the one he had been burnt in and dumped there, thankfully, facedown. The door had been slammed shut behind him the sound of talking and boots receding until he was left alone in silence and darkness.
The blond did not even struggle to try and move into an upright position as he knew he certainly did not have the energy left inside of him. His mouth felt dry and sandpaper scraped the insides of his throats as he tried to breath in rapid, shallow breaths. His chest hurt too much for him to draw in deeper breaths and with the faint feeling that threatened to take hold of him and take him into the dark arms of oblivion, he thought better than to try and go against what his body did on its own. He felt cold all over, his body moist with sweat, the wounds on his back had all been cauterized so no blood would flow from them but he knew for a fact that ugly, watery blisters covered the entirety of his back. He could hear someone call out his name in the distance but at the moment he was unable to identify whoever it was. His head throbbed in time with his pulse, the world spinning in circles around him.
-0-
Syaoran bit his lip worriedly as he crouched next to the barely conscious wizard.
"Fai-san?" he tried in vain to get the man to respond, as he had been doing for ever since those goons had thrown the blond in here and left. Syaoran could not believe what he had witnessed in that room. That woman… she was a monster. Her cronies equally so. What they had done to the magician. Not even animals deserved this type of treatment. The sight of his back once they had pulled him off the frame had been enough to make him want to empty his guts right then and there. Ugly black burns marred the entirety of the blonde's pale skin, oozing a clear sort of liquid in some places, brownish patches where the blood had dried off due to the heat turning it all into a gruesome and horrifying sight to look at.
"Fai-san," he called again, noticing how shallow the magician's breaths seemed to be, his eyes were glazed over, staring into nothingness as he put forth all his efforts into trying to inhale and exhale. The spirit clenched his fists by his sides. He had done nothing to help the older man. Not one fucking thing! But then again… He was merely an apparition, without a body, there wasn't much he could do to help him. He could have tried crushing their hearts like he had tried to do so with Fai when he had first been sent here but somehow, something had stopped him from going through with that plan. If the hunters thought it was some part of Fai's magic that was doing that to them… there was no telling what they'd do to the blond. Not that what they had just done to him was anything good but still. "Fai-san, can you hear me?"
Heaving a hopeless sigh at the lack of response from the older man, he slumped to the floor next to him. They starved and dehydrated him. And now they had burnt his back and legs. How much longer would the magician be able to survive? Even Tsubasa had been rescued before things had come to this. Or had Fai's stubbornness to not let the hunters know he was still afraid of them brought this down upon the vampire-magician hybrid? Whatever the cause, he could only pray that the others got there soon. From the looks of things, the blond wouldn't make it to the end of another week in this place.
A/N: Who saw that coming? The original fight scene was quite short but due to everyone wanting to see Masooma kick Bauld's ass, I went back and rewrote to include the epic fight. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Leave a review and tell me how you think things might go between Masooma and Nixon now. And what do you think would Fai have to say about that? If he survives until the gang arrives that is. ;) ;)