A/N: I'm back with another update. Have a fun read.

Sighing to himself, Kurogane finally hung the dirty washcloth on the rim of the tub filled with bloody water before settling down on the edge of the bed. Casting a glance in the direction of the doorway, Kurogane returned his attention to the unconscious blond. His eyes were closed, dirt and blood-matted hair sticking to his face in places, though he had done his best to clean him up as much as possible. Now that the grime had been cleansed off of his body, the full extent of the damage done to the blond was laid bare for the world to see. Apart from the Y-shaped cut bisection in his torso, there were bruises of all shapes and sizes littering his entire body. The right side of his face was swollen and purple, decorated with small cuts that appeared to have been made with the tip of a sharp knife. Similar cuts ran down the side of his neck and chest, interspersed with deep scratches that were probably the result of someone, most likely that silver-haired bitch, raking her nails across his skin. There were rings of torn flesh on both his wrists and ankles, no doubt formed when he struggled against whatever was being used to retain him. Hand-shaped bruises also covered his shoulders and the sides of his waist, each mark tipped with small crescent wounds that were starting to scab over.

As he picked up the healing salve and twisted its cap, Kurogane felt almost glad at having sent the princess away when he had. As naïve as she was, even she would have been able to deduce what had happened to the blond from those wounds. Dipping his hand in the jar of cool paste, the ninja scooped out a handful before applying it to Fai's cheek, gently rubbing it over the bruises and cuts before moving on to the bite marks on his shoulders and neck. The blonde's entire back was burned, as he had discovered while washing the blood off, but he knew he'd have to wait until the princess had finished stitching up the blonde's chest before attending to those. Dipping his hand into the jar, Kurogane scooped up some more salve, moving to the bruises on his waist. The blond was still having trouble breathing, but he did not appear to be in any immediate danger of choking or dying. The ninja felt almost glad about having forced the magician to become a vampire back in Tokyo after the kid had gone berserk and gouged out one of the blonde's eyes. After all, it was only thanks to the fact that he was a vampire hybrid that the idiot was still alive after everything he had been through.

Forgive me for thinking it might have been a bit more humane to have let him die, if only to spare him the pain of having to deal with these things.

As his fingers gently massaged the salve into the blonde's skin, his thoughts strayed back to his confrontation with the Oracle. Maybe he had been a bit too harsh with the man. After all, the Oracle was one of the idiot's closest friends, from what he had seen during their stay in this world the last time. As much as he hated to admit it, the Oracle did have a point. He'd have to apologize to the man the next time he saw him. The mage was in for hell when he woke up…he hoped the kid's presence might have helped the blond retain enough of his sanity to not scream himself hoarse at the sight of them. He did not know what he'd do if the idiot started acting like the other kid.

Realizing that the blonde was still completely bare, he looked around for something to cover him up with. After a couple of minutes of searching, his eyes landed on a spare, unused washcloth that he spread over the unconscious man's hips. Lathering up some more healing salve on his fingers, he moved on to the magician's thighs, tending to the motley of purple, green and yellowing bruises there that appeared to have been made from something thick and long, a stick perhaps? The bastards had used knives to carve deep cuts into the flesh of his legs as well, though thankfully, they had spared the tendons. He doubted he'd have been able to heal that sort of crippling wound even with the accelerated healing that came with being a vampire. The knee of his left leg was swollen and almost blackened, however, and he wondered what had been used to damage it in that manner. Nevertheless, he carefully worked the paste into the injury, noticing with some satisfaction that the mixture of herbs had already helped lessen the swelling to some extent. It was probably spelled to accelerate the healing process. Already he could see the cuts scabbing over and the bruises lightening by a shade.

Once he was done with the salve, Kurogane stepped back to observe his handiwork for a second before frowning thoughtfully. Casting another glance in the direction of the doorway and the empty hallway beyond it, he eyed rolls of bandages placed on the small table that had held the jar of healing salve. Deciding that the best way to keep the princess in the dark would be to hide the injuries from her sight, he picked up some gauze and looked around for something sharp enough to cut the bandage to an appropriate size. Sadly, he could not find anything that would work so he had to settle for summoning his sword. The silver blade was still stained with the blood of all the hunters he had cut through in his attempt to reach the mage before it was too late. Impatiently, he wiped the blood off with the pink piece of cloth he had hung on the tub. As he bandaged the blonde's injuries, he wondered why none had gotten infected even if some of them looked as though the blond had received them several days ago. He knew the hunters had a habit of healing their victims' wounds to prolong their agony by keeping them alive for longer, thanks to the princess, but it still came as a bit of a surprise and relief to him to know that the wounds would heal without creating any further complications.

He had just finished tying the knot to the bandage he had wrapped around the blonde's throat to cover the marks there when the princess walked back in with the kid right at her heels. The girl refused to meet his eyes and the kid hurriedly looked away with a vague gesture when he raised a questioning brow at the brunette.

"I'll take it from here, Kurogane-san," the princess told him quietly, as she set her supplies on the table right next to the half-empty jar of healing salve before threading a hooked needle. Tying a knot at one end, the girl then muttered a hurried spell, small golden tendrils of magic wrapping around her hands and the thread and needles before dissipating in the air. Kurogane spent the next hour or so watching the auburn-haired girl as she expertly sewed the Y-shaped rip. He tried counting the stitches but stopped after the count reached forty. It sickened him to his stomach to see but he forced himself to keep his gaze fixed on the torn chest. An involuntary shudder ran down his spine, the image overlapped with that of the one he had witnessed in that dungeon, with blood everywhere, the whites of broken ribs peeking through the red in some places, the flattened lung, the struggling heart… shaking his head, Kurogane pushed the image away, noting the way the princess avoided looking at the mage's face. The girl's control over her emotions had surprised him. She was strong, of that he had never had a doubt, but just how strong she truly was, was revealed to him as she had healed the mage earlier on. She had collected her emotions quick enough to be able to save the idiot's life and even now she was stitching him up without breaking down.

-0-

Nixon bit back an angry curse as he broke out into a run the minute he was out of the cave. So what if he couldn't see anything. He did not need his eyes to know that he had made her cry. He had made Masooma cry. The witch that hated showing weakness, that hated shedding tears, the girl who had helped him after he had become blind, the one that had kept him company in an alien world, the one who had stuck by his side through thick and thin, the one whose happiness mattered more than everything else in the world, he had made that person cry. As if he had not sunk low enough already. Dodging people left and right, shying from their happy greetings, he ran through the marketplace. He ignored the council member calling after him as he passed the part of the pyramid that served as the executive block of Magihidusi. In his haste, he almost bowled over a couple of new recruits, but with his training from back in Celes where he had learnt how to dodge spells and other projectiles at almost superhuman speeds, he nimbly sidestepped the startled guards, not even bothering to throw an apology their way as he vanished down the dark corridors of the lower levels of the pyramid.

The damp, slightly musty air of the underground tunnels hit his nose as he pushed himself to run faster. He did not know what he was running from, but he knew he had to get far, far away. He had to get his raging emotions under control before he ended up doing something that would make him hate himself even more than he already did. Using his 'sight' to look only enough to know that he would not collide into the walls, he raced through the cold, abandoned labyrinth of twisting tunnels, not even bothering to note the path he was following. Something collided with his foot and he stumbled, crashing harshly into the grimy floor and skinning his palms, legs and arms as he fell. His breath burned in his throat as he exhaled, chest heaving with the effort as he lay where he was. He could feel the blood seeping from his wounds, but he could not summon the energy to stem the flow. 'It will clot in a little while anyways.' A tiny voice murmured gently in his ear as he shuddered, drawing his knees closer to his body, assuming a fetal position. He felt so tired… and drained.

It had been so hard to smile and pretend like everything was alright in the world when he had been speaking to Syaoran. He had known it would be a while before Masooma woke up and since the boy needed to trust those around him, he had done his best to make him relax a little by acting like nothing was wrong. Like he had not played any hand in his best friend, no! His brother's death. And then Masooma had woken up and it had become impossible for him to act that way because every word that left her mouth had been like a knife that pierced his heart. He tried to let her know and leave as fast as he could. He tried to not let her see his guilt. But in doing so, he ended up being rude and cold. But in a way, that was good. She'd get angry at him and he would be able to get rid of some of his guilt because of how she treated him because he deserved to be treated that way. With his own twisted logic, it had all made sense and so he tried to rile her up. But in a surprising display of self-control, the witch had swallowed her anger and he found himself internally crying out to her to yell at him. She then started to apologize to him for that day and he knew… he knew that if he let her finish what she was trying to say…he knew that he'd be crushed. The twisted, dark part of him still harbored hope- despite everything else- it still hope, prayed, wished that things would end up changing between them. And so, he had acted like the bastard that he was and snubbed her, brushing off her apology like it meant nothing to him and walked away, not even caring when she cried.

Oh God… he made her cry.

Biting the inside of his cheek until it bled, he clenched his sightless eyes shut, saltine tears escaping the closed lids as he dug his nails into his arms, not caring as the barely-clotted wounds reopened to bleed anew.

"I'm so, so, so sorry…"

-0-

"Kurogane-san, could you please find some trousers for Fai-san perhaps?" the princess asked him as she cut off the thread with her teeth and looked up at him.

"Sure." The ninja grunted as he moved to the other side of the room. Three shelves were built into the wall here, the top two containing random knick-knacks and the bottom one containing three rows of neatly folded clothes. Looking through the pairs of nearly-identical trousers and shirts, all of varying shades of bluish-gray or black, he pulled out a black set of loose slacks. "I haven't put any salve on the burns on his back." He told her as he approached the bed with his find.

"Can you help me turn him over?" she asked quietly as she finished applying the salve to the stitches. Though he could not see any visible changes, Kurogane knew the injuries had healed a little more. "I don't want to rip out his stitches by moving him on my own."

Nodding, he wordlessly set down the trousers before helping the princess move the unconscious mage so that he was on his side. Supporting his body, he watched the girl as she grabbed the washcloth and cleaned each blister with great care before applying the paste and covering it with pieces of gauze. There were many times when she would have to stop and cast a spell, golden light enveloping the wound before dissipating completely.

"I'm disinfecting them so they won't cause complications in the future." She told him without any prompting, "Fai-san's healing abilities should be able to fight off the minor infections with some help from your blood, but I don't want to take any risks."

When does Kurogane-san need to give him some more? The kid asked as he walked up from his position behind the princess and stood beside her.

"A little bit every few hours to speed up the healing process." The girl responded as she moved on to the blonde's legs. "I'll have to ask Violetta-san to set aside some more bandages and salve as well. The dressings will need regular changing, too."She frowned thoughtfully before sending a glance in his direction, "giving so much blood won't be healthy for you, Kurogane-san. You will have to watch your own health as well."

"Any idea how long it'll take for him to wake up?" he asked as she covered the last blister with some gauze. His scowl deepened as exhaustion showed clearly on her face, the dark circles that had developed thanks to the sleepless nights she spent taking care of the kid standing out like bruises, sweat shining on her brow as she cast another spell. Her skin appeared slightly sickly and he had no doubts that if the princess continued pushing herself like the way she had been for the past few weeks, she would be the one needing a healer. He'd have to get her to rest as soon as she was done, even if it meant slinging her over one shoulder and dumping her on a mattress in one of the rooms or restraining her with bindings. He would not allow another person to become invalidated under his watch.

"I can't say, to be honest." She shook her head, motioning for the ninja to lay the blond on his back again as she herself picked up the trousers. He helped her dress the blond before picking him up so that she could change the bloodied sheets. He wondered who had brought those, but the thought was pushed away when the princess started to speak again, "I need to perform another scan to assess the current state of internal damage. I might need you to give him some blood after I'm done."

"You're getting some sleep right after that." He told her in a tone that brooked no arguments, even if the girl appeared ready to protest. "Don't think I won't strap you to a bed if I have to." The ninja warned dangerously as he gently set the blond on the fresh sheets.

The purple-haired girl showed up just as Kurogane was unwrapping the piece of shirt from around his wrist. The girl gawked as he sliced through the scabbed-over wound and brought the bleeding cut to the blonde's cracked lips. Massaging his throat to make him swallow, he quirked his brow at the girl, who had the decency to blush at her open staring.

"Sor-sorry."She stuttered, hurriedly looking away, "the Oracle says that you and your friends are free to stay in this room. We can move your friend to Healer Masooma's quarters after you have all rested. You can sleep in the room attached to this one."

"Thank you."The princess bowed towards the girl who returned the gesture somewhat unsurely, probably unused to the custom.

"Is there anything else you would like?" she asked.

"No, thank-"Kurogane's eyes narrowed in disapproval as the girl started to decline. "Bring some food for the girl." He cut in sharply, making the other girl jump while the princess sent him a reproachful look, "Eat something and recover some of your strength." He ordered sternly, meeting her irritated glare squarely. Sighing, the princess nodded and looked at the other girl. "I'd like to eat something, if it's not too much trouble, please." She told her politely.

"I'll see what I can arrange."

"Kid, make sure she eats the food and gets some rest." He said, grabbing the discarded piece of cloth that he had been using as a makeshift bandage earlier. "I'll be a while, so stay with the mage till I get back." Then he was tearing down the hallways until he caught up with the purple-haired girl. He heard the kid call after him but he'd ignored the brunette. There was something he needed to do. "Where is the Oracle staying?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" he frowned, "you spoke with him, didn't you?"

"He sent me a message." The girl shook her head, "I don't know where he is."

"Right, okay."He muttered distractedly as he took the next turn and started making his way towards the part of the pyramid that served as the barracks, or what was equivalent of the barracks in this world. Striding through the place, he searched for the man he was looking for, finding him lying on a bench with his eyes closed. The man sat up upon hearing him approach though, eyeing the ninja curiously.

"Is everything okay? Is something wrong with your friend?"

"He's fine." He replied hurriedly, "I'm looking for the Oracle. Do you know where he is?"

"The guards told me he went into the catacombs a couple of hours ago."

"Is he still there?" he quirked a brow, casting a wary glance at the entrance to the catacombs. At least, he thought it was the entrance. The slightly rectangular archway was crumbling in places, with numerous cracks running across its entirety, making the ninja doubt its stability. Similar archways were lined up in the entirety of the pyramidal structure, but he remembered the Oracle mentioning something about all the entrances to be false save one on one occasion. And his gut told him that the one he was currently staring at had to be it. He never really understood what went on inside these magicians' heads, what with magic having been integrated into almost every bit and corner of the underground network of caverns. He knew it was smart of them to employ decoys and other various traps to set intruders on the wrong path that would have them going round and round in circles until a guard or two appeared. If an intruder ever got inside the city in the first place, that was. From what he had seen, it was next to impossible to plot the city without the aid of magic and those hunters clearly lacked that. The council members- that he had yet to see as a matter of fact-were a bunch of paranoid old coots though. Every generation added something new to protect the haven of these magical folk, but spelling tunnels to lead the intruder round and round in circles for no reason whatsoever was a bit extreme.

"Don't worry," the captain grinned upon noticing his apprehension, "it's only spelled to appear like it will fall any minute. The structure is actually quite stable, but I would advise against going in there. Only the Guardians can find their way through the labyrinth."

"I'll keep that in mind," he grunted over his shoulder as he disappeared into the darkness. He knew he was right about the entrance because the captain had seen him looking at it and his reassurance had only confirmed his suspicion. Even though he had been told there was nothing but old ruins down there, Kurogane was sharp enough to know that the actual tunnels led to someplace important. He couldn't quite recall what place it was, damn that Oracle for messing with his head before the first time they had decided to break into the Complex to find a cure for the meat bun. The then-Guardian had done something to his head. He had holes in his memories from around that time, though he could recall having given his consent to the Oracle to mess with his head in the first place. Why would he have done that, though? He wasn't sure of the answer and though he knew he might find the answer at the end of the tunnel, he had something more important to do.

-0-

He had no idea how long he stayed there, the rough stone robbing his body of all warmth, leaving him as cold and stiff as a corpse, but when he ran out of tears to shed and his wounds ran out of warm blood to spill- the gouges having scabbed over once again- he slowly sat up.

He knew he could not let things go on the way they were. The spell he had used to get them all away from that dungeon could be traced back. He had been too panicked at that time to think about covering their tracks. The hunters would no doubt come knocking the minute they figured out how to get to the city and only he was to blame for that. Peoples' lives would be in danger soon and he needed a sound mind to think of a way to avert the disaster. His emotions were making him act rashly. He could not let that go on any more. He…

He had to get rid of them before he ended up doing something dangerous.

-0-

Kurogane cursed himself for not having listened to the captain. It would seem that the stupid magic of this place was indeed working against him. He felt like he was going in circles, even though he couldn't really see anything in the dark. Just as he was about to give up and turn back, he felt a tiny flare of something at the edge of his senses. Closing his eyes to better help himself concentrate, he broadened his senses, latching on to the distinct signature. Feeling his way through the darkness, he picked up his pace once he grew used to employing only his sixth sense to navigate.

The power or thing or whatever it was seemed to be growing in concentration, slowly but surely permeating the air and gathering in one place. An uneasy feeling gripped his heart, a sense of foreboding telling him to move faster. He quickened his pace, swallowing rather thickly as the feeling worsened. Something was wrong. He broke out into a run, a heavy, somewhat-suffocating sort of warmth suddenly replacing the damp chill of the underground tunnels, almost making him stumble before the ninja caught himself. A reddish glow assaulted his closed lids the deeper he went into the tunnels as the suffocating warmth began to grow in intensity, making him sweat. Stopping for a little bit, he cautiously opened his eyes, squinting against the sudden brightness that assaulted his vision as his eyes watered. Blood was pounding inside his head, his vision swimming as the unease and sense of foreboding grew to epic proportions. He couldn't quite understand why but he felt the urge to run like hell. The source of light was at the end of the tunnel he was currently in and for the life of him he could not understand why but he felt the urge to get to the end as soon as possible. Something bad was about to happen.

Deciding to worry about why he was feeling that way later, he gave into the foreign demands being injected into his body because he was starting to sense something amiss himself.

"Oi!" he called out the minute he was inside the cavern. A cloaked form was sitting hunched over in the middle of the bright light that was dancing around the person in thin wispy tendrils, pulsing in time like a beating heart, growing thicker and brighter with each pulse. The form shot up at the sound of his voice, startled out of its trancelike state.

Before he could say anything else to the clearly-shocked Oracle, the tendrils of light shot in his direction. A burning sensation ripped through his entire being as soon as the magical energy made contact with his skin. A strangled cry tore from his mouth as he staggered back a couple of steps, an intense ache assaulting his chest. Gasping for breath, he fell to his knees before falling over completely as his body hit the ground with a dull thud. He wanted to scream until his throat bled, the pain almost a dozen times worse than the agony he had experienced when he had cut off his own arm to save the idiot's life in his home-world. The last thing he saw was the blind man racing towards him before the pain grew unbearable for him and he passed out.

A/N: Well now, would you look at that? It's another cliffie! *shot*

Any thoughts on what might happen to Kuro now that the spell went awry and he got hit?

Oh btw, I've put up some line-art for the way I picture the nameless woman in my head. Feel free to check it out at the following link. And lemme know if someone is interested in coloring it.

http: / / nimmxx. deviantart .com / art / Nameless - Lineart - 284781468

Until next time.

~Obsidian