A/N: I'm sitting in front of my laptop thinking of words to say but I can't even come up with much to say to be honest. My paternal grandfather passed away this past Saturday and I honestly can't seem to bring myself to do anything at all. I've tried really hard to get motivated to do something – be it write, work on my project, draw anything really- but with no success whatsoever. So now pretty much everything has been put on halt but I suppose you guys got lucky that I had a couple of chapters for Broken already typed out for a week or so. So yeah… here's an update.

Finding the Oracle and the Healer had not been as hard as Kurogane had initially thought for he saw them both climbing down the stairs towards the Oracle's former bedroom- Kurogane suspected the blind man to have permanently changed his rooms or something, considering how he never went back for any of his belongings or anything else. He wondered briefly why they were heading that way before realizing that the Oracle must have seen Fai waking up and gone to fetch the witch to save time. Knowing they'd both be there by the time Kurogane got back, Kurogane turned around a corner and tried sensing where the kid might have wandered off to.

He found the brunette staring at a pair of children playing near the marketplace with a small, melancholic smile on his face. He did a double-take, though. The kid didn't look anything like the kid. Or, well, he looked like the kid, only not the kid he was used to seeing. He looked older now, like he had aged several years in the span of one night. Not metaphorically-speaking, but literally aged several years. He looked to be almost Kurogane's age now.

"Kid?" he called out, wondering if maybe he was sensing this world's version of the kid instead of the one he was looking for.

"Kurogane-san," The brunette turned around to greet him and the doubt vanished from his mind.

"What the heck happened to you?" he blurted out, "you look older."

"I'm not really sure," the amber-eyed man, not kid, responded with a frown. "Something has been happening to me ever since I came back to Magihidusi."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"With everything else going on, my problem didn't seem all that important." The kid, who had grown into a man, shrugged, "everyone was worried about Fai-san and Tsubasa. Besides, whatever has been happening, I think it's good. I can touch things for a little while if I try really hard."

"As opposed to you passing through things…"

"Yes. I wasn't really able to control it at first but it has gotten easier. I've been practicing for a few hours now."

"That's good to know," the ninja nodded. "Maybe we can ask the Oracle about that."

"Did you want something?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, the mage is awake, the princess told me to get you."

-0-

Nixon tried not to pay any special attention to the witch walking only a few feet behind him. From the way she had acted back in Syaoran's room, she definitely was in no mood for talking to him, which was good considering he had somehow made a habit out of hurting her with every word that came out of his mouth. Kurogane was somewhere near the marketplace, talking to Syaoran's father, but they would not be long. He had been actively avoiding the ninja and Masooma what with being able to see where they were long before they could actually see him. But despite staying away from the dimension travelers and the Guardian of Magihidusi, he had still been keeping track of Fai's condition from a distance, so he had been the first person to know when the magician had regained consciousness.

He had still waited for quite a while before leaving the safety of his new living quarters to get the witch. He had not only been avoiding her for the past few days, but he had been actively steering clear of the ninja as well. It was a good thing the red-eyed man had been rather preoccupied what with worrying about the blond magician and his half-paralyzed student along with juggling some time to look after the princess. In what few respites the man had gotten, he had tried to search for the Oracle, but Nixon had been able to sense him coming from quite a distance and managed to get away in time. It had been rather unnerving to discover that the ninja had somehow acquired the ability to sense auras like he could. Obviously his range wasn't quite as large as Nixon's and neither was Kurogane as proficient at using that ability yet, but it was still rather surprising to see the man take it all in stride and just adjust to the changes.

He had struggled with his 'vision' for a long time when he had gone blind in Celes, having to learn to tell inanimate objects from the living ones. In a magical castle suspended thousands of feet above the ground, navigating one's way by relying solely on magical auras was a big task seeing as how all magical creatures, beings and objects emitted auras. Anything that was spelled also carried an aura. If things had been simply restricted to sensing magic in the environment and adjusting oneself accordingly, blindness might not have mattered that much. But as it was, the real problem was posed by the non-magical items, people, objects and creatures included. He had spent more than three months crashing into random walls as he had tried to learn to tell the difference between a non-magical barrier and simple air.

The dark-skinned warrior, on the other hand, seemed already used to the idea of seeing things without really seeing them. Nixon had put off casting away his emotions after that one outburst down in the catacombs after Kurogane had interrupted his first attempt. He decided he would try again once Fai was awake and talking. The essence obviously did not want Nixon to use that spell and it had been a mistake on his part to try it somewhere so close to the chambers where the energy resided. The next try, for he knew he was going to try again once Fai was awake and Masooma had reconciled with the blond, would definitely take place away from the city where the essence wouldn't be able to interfere in any way or form. But that issue had to wait until he knew for certain that Fai was alright.

He could feel the princess's gentle aura in the room ahead, right next to the magician's, but there was a remarkable difference between the two and not just in terms of the color. Sakura's mix of pink and soft golds was serene and calm, contained in her small frame, moving to and fro around the edges like the waves of an ocean lapping at the shore. There was a tint of melancholy and a touch of pain topped with worry and anxiousness, but it was still rather soothing to look at.

Fai's aura was the complete opposite. The usual cerulean tones had darkened to a turbulent shade of blue, moving within his body in an agitating manner, streaked in places with a black that serrated through everything, twisting and turning, mutilating what was within. Unsurety, fear, anxiousness… it was almost painful to see the amount of negative emotions radiating from the blond, though given everything he had been through, it was still something of a relief to see that at least there was something there instead of that terrifying void that Nixon had been forced to look at when Fai had died.

He had been frowning as he had led the way up to his previous room, but it deepened automatically as he heard the echoes of a whisper inside his head travelling through the frayed blue thread that connected him to the blond magician. A shudder travelled down his spine at the raw fear and panic he was suddenly exposed to and he had to cut off his connection with Fai completely to maintain a semblance of control over himself. He had seen what captivity had done to Syaoran and it appeared as though the same had happened with the blond. But he still harbored a hope that maybe it only appeared to be worse than it actually was. After all, Fai had only just woken up.

Stopping outside the wooden door, he knocked on it a couple of times before pushing it open and stepping inside the room, Masooma walking over the threshold only a few steps behind.

"Nixon-san! Masooma-san!" the princess turned around to greet them.

"Fai…" Masooma murmured the blonde's name as she walked past him and a wave of emotions crashed over Nixon. Berating himself, the Oracle snapped the connection he had with the witch before nodding at Sakura politely as he returned her greeting. The princess seemed a little too preoccupied to notice anything amiss between the two newcomers, but Nixon was sure that the ninja would be able to pick up on the subtle hints even if his primary concern for the time being would be Fai.

"How is he doing?" he asked softly after beckoning the girl over to him, leaving Masooma to greet Fai in peace. He still wasn't sure what he wanted to say to the blond and figured he might as well give those two some privacy, leaving it up to the magician to acknowledge his presence. A familiar pain twanged inside his chest but it was easily pushed aside as he focused his attention on the princess. Fai was awake now, there was no room for his own feelings anymore. In fact… he might be in for hell once Fai found out just what it was that he had done behind his back.

"He's very jumpy and agitated, but that is to be expected." The princess said softly as he heard Fai say something to Masooma in the background. "He is not… he's doing much better than Syaoran, at any rate. I think the trauma of having that done to him might have caused him to forget what happened right before we found him, which helps a little."

"Syaoran is getting much better as well," he offered, hoping to lessen some of the pain the girl was feeling, although judging from the hurt that tinged her aura, it wasn't much. "It might still be a few days before he's anywhere near ready to see you or Kurogane though, I'm afraid… but you should discuss that with Masooma later."He added with a small smile just as he felt a shift in the atmosphere right before Fai spoke up.

"Are you going to keep on ignoring me for the rest of the day?" He could almost picture that particular grin of Fai's as the blond approached him.

"Of course not," he mirrored the other's smile with next to no effort at all, "I just figured I should give you some alone time with your lady love before interrupting your sweet little reunion."

Slipping back into the old routine he had developed with the blond came easier to him than he would have imagined a few days back. Perhaps it was just a desperate attempt of trying to make things go back to the way they were before or maybe it was just that neither wanted the other to really know what was going on in their minds that they both refused to call the other on their façade. Either way, even though Nixon knew that Fai could tell there was something he was hiding just as Fai would have known that Nixon knew what the blond was feeling right that moment, they both played along in this game of hide-your-thoughts like seasoned players. They had done so for so long it came to them as naturally as breathing.

"Fai-san!" They were both spared from having to say anything more by the timely arrival of Kurogane and Syaoran, "you're awake."

"I am." The blond chuckled softly, "and you are apparently much older than I remember seeing you last. How many years was I out for?"

Even though the Oracle could not see it, he could still sense the changes that had been made to the spirit's physique. It appeared as though the Essence had already restored the brunette to his original age.

"Umm… only three days, actually." The boy- no, he was a man now- replied a little uncomfortably and Nixon was struck by the shock and awe the princess felt at the brunette's new look rolling off her body in waves. He had to internally groan and fortify his mind against such emotions. He hated not knowing what other people were feeling, what with his handicap of being unable to decipher it from their facial expressions, but sometimes his sixth sense turned out to be a bit of a curse as well. Especially when his own mind was in a state where it became a little difficult for him to keep himself from being affected by the emotions that were not his own.

The ninja seemed a little surprised by Fai's behavior and Nixon safely deduced that the man had acted in a much different manner upon waking up. But unlike the princess passing it off as anxiety and confusion upon waking up in unfamiliar surroundings, this man was conscious of there being something lurking just beneath the surface. A whisper of a murmur echoed inside his head and Nixon played witness to some of the panic Fai was feeling right at that moment by the shift in his aura.

"You've grown quite a lot in just three days," the blond remarked in a lighthearted tone.

"It's good to see that you are doing well, Fai-san." Syaoran was probably smiling at the man but even he seemed to have picked up on the fact that not all was right with the magician. But he must have seen something to decide not to call the blond out on his bluff, though even the princess's aura hinted at her realization of something wrong. He purposefully refused to see just what Masooma was making of it all, if only to keep himself distanced from the witch as much as possible. It was hard, though.

"How did I get back to Magihidusi? And… how long was I gone for?" Fai's tone grew a little serious and… there was a hint of anxiety in there somewhere too. "How did you even find me?"

"Kurogane-san, Nixon-san and I broke into the Complex to get to you." The princess offered with only a hint of a smile.

"Nixon?" Fai immediately latched onto the very thing Nixon had been hoping he would ignore."But you're a Guardian. Guardians can't just- How did you… I'm confused."

"It never really took a lot to confuse you back at Celes either, did it, Fai?" the Oracle smirked, trying to stall for time, wondering how to inform the blond of the broken promise. Masooma was the only guardian now. He had failed at protecting her. Luckily the witch in question came to his rescue.

"We made a wish that let him leave Magihidusi with Sakura and Kurogane." The woman said and Nixon was glad to note that no one tried to correct her by stating how she had been the only one to have made that wish. "His Oracle-ness managed to use his powers for something useful this time around and somehow located you right before things got ugly. I'm still a little surprised by that bit. As far as I recall, Nixon had always had a bit of a problem when it came to focusing his attention on a particular task long enough to accomplish it."

"But aren't you glad I did manage to focus long enough to get our favorite High Mage out in time?" Nixon quipped without missing a heartbeat. It was obvious she did not want Fai to think anything had changed between them and even though it hurt to know, he'd be damned if he would be the one to break that illusion. He had already lost her friendship, he did not want to lose Fai's as well, because if that were to happen, he'd be truly alone.

"How long was I there? What happened while I was gone?" Fai asked in quick succession.

"Three months and four days." Masooma supplied solemnly. Nixon was quite sure she would have been able to recount the time down to the exact second that Fai had been in the Complex, but it was obvious why she stopped at the days.

"Three months…"Fai murmured weakly and Nixon heard another faint whisper inside his head, though it was impossible to make out the words being said. The next minute, however, Fai had given voice to that very whisper. "If I didn't know any better, I would have thought you didn't want me back at all." He sounded a little bitter but then his aura flashed brightly in alarm and fear, Nixon's own expression unknowingly mimicking his panicked look for a moment.

"Stop being an idiot," Kurogane said gruffly, "if we had wanted for you to die, we wouldn't have brought you back."

"Why would you even say something like that?" Masooma said at the same time.

"We tried our best to get you back as soon as we could, Fai-san." Sakura promised earnestly. "If there had been a way to get to you before, we would have done it."

"We did send ahead a messenger to remind you we were coming, didn't we?" Nixon pointed out, referring to having sent Syaoran there to help Fai cope with everything. "But enough about that, how are you feeling?" He decided it would be best for all involved to just change the topic, but he only belatedly realized that he had not really done anyone any favors by choosing that question as the direction in which to head the conversation.

"How am I- I'm fine." There was a blatant lie if there ever was one. "Speaking of fine, though, how is Tsubasa-kun doing? I see he isn't here. Did you leave him back in Clow?"Apparently, even in the middle of a mild panic-attack, the blond was much better at redirecting conversation than he was. But then again, Nixon had never claimed he was good at doing that. He always had a tendency to get defensive and lash out at the person questioning him if he felt himself backed into a corner.

As he thought about this little difference between himself and the blond, something smashed into him with the force of a speeding boulder, leaving him gasping for breath as he slid to the floor, his world going white for a fraction of a second as alternative waves of heat and cold raced down his spine. He could hear the others calling his name but he was far too stunned by the sudden vision to actually answer anyone.

"Nixon?" That was Masooma calling out his name. An image of the witch, lying panting on the ground, clutching at a bleeding wound in her side materialized inside his head as a woman stood over Masooma with the witch's staff pointed threateningly at her throat while Masooma looked at her cold, unforgiving eyes with defiance shining bright in her gaze. The image changed and he was standing before the glowing form of the Shaman in an otherwise dark cavern. The image changed again and he witnessed a burning Magihidusi, the pyramid they all currently stood in razed to the ground with dead bodies littering the streets, bleeding and burning.

"Oi!" Someone slapped him and he was plunged back into the world of perpetual darkness just as the vision ended, "Oracle, snap out of it."

"I-I… I've got to go." Before anyone could stop him, Nixon was on his feet and tearing down the hallways with his heart pounding inside his ribcage as panic threatened to overwhelm him. He had screwed up… and it was going to cost not just himself but every single person that had trusted him with their lives.

A/N: It ends on a cliffhanger I know. But it also foreshadows what is to come. A storm looms right beyond the horizon. Dun dun dun! *sighs* I seriously hope I'll be able to wrap this up somewhere before the sixtieth chapter. Oh btw, the 418th reviewer gets to have a sneak peak at the fluffy bits before everyone else.