A/N: I'm back~ Here's a new chapter (I know many of you would be going 'finally!' over this). There's a little bit of timeskip (about a day's worth) in the middle of this chapter but since I didn't really clarify that in the story I thought I should mention that here. I would have put this chapter up over the weekend but unfortunately I ended up losing the first half of this chapter and I realized that I didn't have a copy of it anywhere so I had to rewrite the whole thing. But I like how it turned out the second time around a lot more than when I first wrote it so enjoy~

Kurogane watched the witch closely for a response but she refused to say anything further, gently brushing her fingers across the magician's forehead instead. The blonde's hair was a dirty, unkempt mess and the princess had pulled it back in a rough braid to keep it from getting in her way, but he doubted anything could really be done about it until the mage woke up. Judging from its length, Kurogane figured it must be halfway down the idiot's back by now, though the rusty, brown-ish gray color was somewhat unnerving to see where he had been so used to seeing locks the shade of sunny gold.

"You need to feed him soon." It was a statement but it sounded a bit like a question to Kurogane at the same time.

"As soon as the princess wakes up." He nodded even though the witch's gaze was still fixed on the blond.

"Why wait for her?"

"She's been keeping track of his progress every time I give him some blood."

"Of course," she dipped her head once before turning around to look at him. "Prey's blood accelerates healing."

"Yeah, the princess is hopeful he'll wake up by tomorrow if this keeps up."

"Has Sakura been resting properly? I haven't been able to come see her since when you four first arrived, but she looked exhausted to me that one time we talked."

"She has been working herself to unconsciousness these past few weeks." He sighed with a shake of his head.

"So this is probably the first real sleep she has had in a while." She pointed out quietly.

"It is." He grunted, feeling annoyed at what she seemed to be insinuating. He did not like it anymore than she did. The princess needed rest just as much as anyone else. Maybe even more, considering the amount of magic she had been constantly expending for the past few weeks. She would definitely fall sick if she did not stop acting that way, but there wasn't much Kurogane could do to help her out. The princess hated seeing the ones she cared about in pain. The only reason she was asleep even now instead of worrying over the mage was because she had almost collapsed a few hours back and he had to sling her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and literally dump her onto the bed in the next room, ignoring her protests and telling her he would tie her there unless she rested for a little while herself, promising to not leave the mage alone for even a second while she slept. The jade-eyed girl had been asleep before he had even turned around to leave.

"Would it be wise to wake her up now, considering she might not rest again until she passes out from exhaustion?" Kurogane was smart enough to pick up on what she was subtly trying to hint at. She might have not come out and outright said it, but from the way she was putting it, she wanted to be the one to look after the mage for a little while. From what he had gathered of the two from his observations of their interactions - and maybe an encounter with a very red-faced Syaoran on one occasion mumbling something about having run into the pair- Kurogane knew they both cared about each other a lot.

The murderous look in the blonde's eyes when he had calmly told them about his wish to stay in Magihidusi a little longer and maybe go pay a visit to the hunters at the Complex while they were there was something that had shocked Kurogane when he thought he had figured out pretty much everything there was to know about the blond. The mage was a coolheaded, manipulative plotter who liked to sit back and let others do the work for him, something that he had done a lot in the beginning of their journey though he had stepped up to help out every now and then as they had spent more time together. Topping the mage's pseudo-request with what he had known of the witch's strange behavior around him – her fear of being left alone someplace with just Kurogane, shying from physical touch unless she knew beforehand about the contact and her aversion to them going to Metropolis in search for a cure for the meat bun the last time they had been there, Kurogane would either had to have been blind or stupid to not know at least that the two were in love, even if neither of them had outright said it in front of him.

"You could check him over and tell the princess about it later." He offered, taking pity on her a little. The girl looked so hopeful and somewhat afraid as she looked at him.

"I should probably take a look now before you feed him, in that case." She nodded, turning back around to look at the unconscious magician, magic already flaring at her fingertips as she traced patterns through the air. "I'll need something to compare his state to, to know the true extent of the progress he makes."

The ninja nodded, his eyes following the tracings through the air. Kurogane had never been a true fan of magic, what with it being somewhat unnatural and beyond his control in most cases, but seeing any magician cast magic was somewhat…enchanting to look at. It was beautiful in its own deadly way and though he vehemently claimed he could never be distracted by something like magic, Kurogane was guilty of having tuned out everything around him in favor of watching the way any magician- in most cases the idiot that travelled with their group- cast a spell when the situation allowed it. Of course he never let his attention waver in the heat of a battle, but when they were in peaceful worlds or when nothing was at stake, Kurogane would allow himself to indulge in this guilty pleasure of watching magic at work in the hands of a master.

This witch was definitely the magician's apprentice. The magician's influence showed in the way she moved her fingers and the way she concentrated as she cast the spell and even though Kurogane had not seen her fight, he was sure it would show in the way she handled her weapon. She knew how to fight, that much he could tell. He was a trained fighter, a veteran at that, and he knew another weapon handler when he saw one. From the way she moved, he would guess her weapon to be some sort of spear or a staff. She was a mid-range fighter, though she could probably handler herself just fine at close-range as well.

The runes she had spelled out glowed steadily crimson as they hovered above the magician's prone form for a second or two before they descended and disappeared beneath the bandages. Kurogane could see a steady stream of thin crimson threads connecting the tips of the witch's fingers to the runes he had seen vanish inside the blonde's body. It was slightly unnerving to be able to see the flow of magic as it moved through the latter's flesh, seeing it concentrate around the places where he knew the injuries were located. The largest concentration of this magic was the mage's chest- the place where that ugly y-shaped cut existed. Kurogane's mind flashed back to the first time he had seen the mage lying in a puddle of his own blood, his flesh stained crimson and his innards exposed to the world through the torn flaps of muscle, littered with snapped bones and God knew what else. He had been the one to realign those bones and cover his exposed insides with that bloody flesh.

The princess had been the one to tend to the magician after that and he had not really seen any of the internal damage done to the blond after that first time when they had rescued him. It was hard to believe it had only been a day since they had gotten him back. It felt like years to him now as he stood there.

The healer's magic originated from the crimson strands in her hair, Kurogane was surprised to note as he saw the energy flare in those areas before moving through her own body to the tips of her fingers, through the threads of magic connecting her to the mage, spreading out to the injured areas in a heartbeat. His blood seemed to be doing the magician some good, considering how the bones that had been snapped clean were now reattached with barely hairline cracks present, the burns on his back all but gone and the bruises nearly invisible. Of course, not everything had been fixed already, or the idiot would have already been awake seeing as how the cuts were still there, the worst of the damage showing up around his wrists, ankles and his chest. Then there was that one spot near his shoulder blade as well.

The cut on his chest had to have been almost three and a half inches deep a day back, but now it was only about an inch deep. For that Kurogane was grateful, for it meant that the blond was healing just fine. The ninja had been a little worried about how the witch would handle it once she realized the true extent of her beloved's injuries, but as the amber-eyed woman turned around to face him, she had a mask of detached professionalism slapped across her features. Kurogane supposed he could not begrudge her this, seeing as if she let herself feel, she might not be able to hold it together. Hell, the only reason why he had managed to hold it all together was because of the fact that it had not been the first time the magician had come close to death, even if this had been the first time he had actually been dead for over five minutes.

"Do you need help holding his head?" she asked softly just as Kurogane started unwrapping his wrist.

"I'd appreciate it." He grunted quietly, pulling out Ginryuu to slice at the barely-healed flesh of his hand, causing it to bleed anew.

The witch nodded before moving to the magician's side, gently placing her hands beneath his head to lift if above the pillow. Kurogane sat down on the bed near the blonde's arm in such a way that his knees almost touched the healer's when he moved to part the blonde's lips. Touching his wrist to the man's mouth, the ninja felt his blood steadily dripping in, though he still had to massage the blond's throat to make him swallow. No words were exchanged between the two conscious people in the room, even after he withdrew his hand and started wrapping his wrist with the cloth again. He was assaulted by vertigo when he tried to stand and he had to shake his head a couple of times just to get rid of the dark spots dancing across his vision. The princess had been right about him losing too much blood.

Soft hands touched his arm and he turned his head to find the witch looking up at him in concern.

"Losing that much blood is not good for your health." She said and Kurogane had to resist the urge to snort at that. Had he not been just thinking about that? Before he could say anything else, the amber-eyed witch was tracing a spell through the air before directing it towards him. Warmth filled his whole body before the lightheadedness and the dull headache that had been assaulting him all day vanished completely. "It's a spell for blood-replenishment." She told him with a soft smile before letting out a startled gasp as she looked at the blond.

The hollowness of his cheeks had filled out and a little bit of color had returned to his skin. The sickening wet sound of his breathing had also dulled out so much that it was only noticeable to him because he was looking for it. It wasn't the first time he was happy about his selfish decision to have turned the mage into a part-vampire back in Acid Tokyo, but it had to have been the first time he was thanked for it as the amber-eyed witch wrapped her arms around his torso in a hug.

-0-

With a tiny prick, the needle broke his skin. She smiled at him as she pushed the plunger and the burning liquid was injected into his veins. It hurt. It hurt like hell, but he only bit his lip and struggled to keep the screams from escaping him. A swift kick to his ribs took care of that, making him cry out, but even as he felt like he was yelling himself hoarse, he could not hear anything except her cruel whispers next to his ear as her charcoal eyes slowly morphed into a light, honey-ish amber shade.

He was being dragged someplace by his hair, his bare back scraping and bleeding against the rough stones before he was thrown into a coldcoldcold room. There was no light but despite the darkness his world turned white with pain as he hit the wall and broke his arm with a sickening crack.

Laughter echoed all around him. He was cold. So, so cold. He was so weak. And thirsty. But he did not want water. No. He would rather die of thirst than ask to be given some water. The bile always burned his throat when they forced him to throw up again and again and again before drowning him without really drowning him. No… dying of thirst was a much better option.

He was burning, fire licking at his flesh, eating and tearing and ripping and peeling away his body. He couldn't move, though. He couldn't even scream, could only feel the pain and cry, tears evaporating before they could touch his cheeks, his eyes shriveling up inside his head, his skin cracking and flaking under her cold finger as she caressed his face.

'Tell me, Fai,' her lips were brushing against his ear even as he screamed yet couldn't scream at the same time. He had no eyes, but he could see her as she pulled away to give him an insane grin, one eye as dark and unforgiving as a bottomless pit of pure evil while the other was a cold, stony amber, a cruel smirk twisting her face into something inhuman, silver bangs falling across the black eye while crimson and black tresses partially covered the brown one. He was screaming and screaming but no sound was escaping his lips that were no longer there, blood was filling up his mouth even though the muscles of his face were shriveling up and crumbling to dust, 'you like this, right?' her fingers were snaking across his chest, scraping across the charred ribs and moving lower and lower, 'you want this.'

He was dying. Burning, yet she was laughing. Smiling. She leaned closer as he found it harder and harder to breathe, 'Why won't you tell me, Fai? You know you want this.' Why was he still alive? His body had burnt away yet he was still alive. A touch of her lips and his flesh was back, firm and whole. The fire was gone. 'I'll take it all away, Fai. Just say you like it.'He parted his lips but he had no voice. 'Say it!' she ordered as the fire returned her hand morphing into a claw. When he still could not speak, she covered his lips with her own, her face changing and morphing yet again, becoming demonic before she shoved her hand into his chest, tearing out his beating heart as she pulled away. 'I'll take what I want, Fai.' She grinned at him, her face morphing into that of a familiar-looking brunette. 'Why did you do it, Fai-san?' Syaoran accused him as his world slowly turned to darkness.

He shot up, panting hard, a scream dying inside his throat as he looked around, eyes wide and panicked. His heart thundered inside his chest, pounding wildly as his whole body was wracked with tremors. Where… where was he? What was going on? What had that… what had that dream been? Breathing hard, he tried to take in his surroundings through blurry vision. The first thing he noticed was the light. It wasn't dark where he was. The next thing, of course, was the wide window with sun setting over sparkling waters, the sky turning a beautiful blend of golds and pinks and blues. The air smelled musty and damp and had that underground quality to it but… he wasn't… he was… he wasn't… he was- where was he?

His heartbeat slowed down a little as he blinked his eyes a couple of times, trying to get the bleariness to go away, though it didn't do much except make a few tears escape. He slowly felt his panic subside as a few familiar scents flooded his senses, calming him down enough to take in the appearance of the place. He recalled having been there before, his fingers slowly unclenching from their death grip in the clean sheets. He felt the soft mattress beneath him and the clothes covering his body and he let out a shaky sigh. He was safe. He tried to think back on what had happened to him before he passed out but all he could recall was the feel of slender hands snapping his fingers one by one, followed by the agony of being burnt alive. Gingerly, he reached over his shoulder to touch his back but all he felt was smooth, unblemished skin.

He was healed. How long had he been sleeping? Where was everyone? Why was he alone?

'They didn't care enough about you to stay by your side, Fai.' A cruel hiss next to his ear had him freezing up as he made to push the sheets off his pajama-clad body. A ghost of a touch snaked across his neck and he scrambled out of bed, falling flat on his face and then scrambling across the floor until he had his back pressed against the wall as he hurriedly surveyed his surroundings. He gulped slowly as he forced himself to calm down, noticing the tangy flavor of blood on his tongue for the first time. Had Kurogane been…?'You didn't really think you got rid of me, did you, Fai?'

His eyes widened as his breath hitched in his throat. His mind dredged up memories of a time when he was surrounded by nothing but a heavy, deafening silence and blinding darkness. He remembered being consumed by agony, remembered being paralyzed and unable to move, to feel, to do anything except… he had known nothing but pain but now… he raised a shaking hand to his eye level, taking note of how not even a single scar marred its perfection. Had all that been…'You know it wasn't a dream. They abandoned you. Left you to suffer at my hands. And even now, they've left you alone. There's no one here but you and me.'

"N-No…" he could hear footsteps approaching outside in the hallway and subconsciously found his claws elongating. The scent of spilt blood hung heavy in the air as he remembered having sunken his nails into something soft and warm. He had… he had hurt someone… the scent of this blood was familiar to him and he couldn't help but gasp just as the door was pushed open and in stepped the owner of that scent.

"Fai-san!" Surprise, alarm and joy all flittered across her face as Sakura stepped inside the room, hurriedly setting the tray down on the ground as she approached him with the cautiousness of someone approaching an injured wild animal. "You're awake. How are you feeling?"

'Look at those scars, Fai!' the voice whispered in manic delight, as his gaze settled on the three scabbed-over marks that started right under her eye and ended just above her lower jaw, 'you did that to her.'

"I-I… No… No…"

"Fai-san, calm down," her voice was soothing and soft and kind. But he had… he took in the scars on her arms and he found himself going cold all over. "It's okay. You're safe."

"Sak-Sakura-chan…"he gasped out, struggling to bring his hysteria under control even as the voice listed off things that he had done to her. "I-I…"

"You recognize me!" Her eyes shone with pure joy as she stepped closer to him. "How are you feeling, Fai-san?"

"I- Why wouldn't I rec-recognize you, Sakura-chan?" It took everything he had in him to flash her a smile, though from the way it strained the muscles of his cheeks, it must have turned out to be more of a grimace, "Am I in…" he gulped heavily, looking anywhere but at her face, "Am I in Magihidusi?"

"Yes," she cried happily as she launched herself at him, her arms enveloping him in a warm embrace, though he fought to keep himself from trembling as she held him. "Oh, Fai-san, you have no idea how happy I am to see you're okay."

"I'm happy to see you, too, Sakura-chan." He mumbled in response as she pulled away, beaming widely at him.

"I'm… I'm going to go get Kurogane-san, okay?" she told him, pulling him back to the bed as she gave him a bright grin, "He's sleeping in the room next to this and I was just…I'll just go get him, you wait right here, okay?" and then she was out the wooden door, calling out the ninja's name as she raced down the corridor.

'The stupid girl just doesn't realize how wrong she is about you.' The voice purred, phantom fingers slowly trailing up his chest, all the way to his neck. 'You're not fine at all, are you, Fai?'

"Shut up." He hissed, fingers digging into the palms of his hands as his gaze darted over to the doorway.

A/N: Things have started to pick up a little bit of pace now (hopefully) If this keeps up we'll be back into the swing of things in another chapter or two at max. I want to thank everyone for their suggestions on who should be with Fai when he wakes up (most of you wanted it to be Kurogane) but the problem with that bit was that with Fai's current mental state, Kurogane would have been able to tell in an instant that something was wrong with him. Heck, even now he'll be suspicious and him knowing that Fai was hearing voices in his head was not working out with what I had in mind for this story so in the end I decided that Fai had to be alone. Sakura would have been there but she stepped away for a little while to get something to eat.

Because I'm sure there are a lot of you who're thinking this is getting too depressive, Tsubasa will soon be realizing the truth. (like maybe in a chapter or two ;) ;) ) aaaaannnnd thanks to my awesome Beta who has rightfully earned the title of Fluffy because she is the cause behind pretty much more than half the fluff you see in my stories, the chapter after next will have some good old sickeningly sweet fluff.

P.S. The 400th Reviewer for Broken will be getting an exclusive sneak peak at the fluffy bits. ;) ;)