A/N: I'm rather glad with how this chapter turned out even though the plot is very, very insistent on running away from me. But I'm awesome and I reeled it all back in by the end of this chapter. But anywho, this was fun to write all the same because I got to explore a few things I had wanted to do for quite some time and someone finally got a chance to be the badass they were truly meant to be.I shall keep you no more and save my ramblings for the end so enjoy the update~

Adrenaline was slowly beginning to pump through his veins as he gave last minute instructions to the guards, making adjustments here and there in their plan as his visions kept coming. Deliberately using his abilities to induce these visions was a little different from the major visions he got – like the one he had had back in Celes letting him know of Ashura's plan to kill Masooma, or the one he had had only a couple days back about the hunters coming to Magihidusi. The visions he triggered himself only allowed him to look a few hours into the future, while the ones that came on their own could let him see things years into the future at times.

Nixon was making a rather conscious effort not to see what would become of Masooma's battle or of his own battle. It was better not to know than to dread the inevitable by knowing it. Changing the future through direct interference took a higher toll after all. That was the reason why Yuuko always pulled the strings in the background, only nudging and prodding things to go in the direction that would yield a favorable outcome, though sometimes it took years to just make a minute change. Sadly, Nixon did not have the luxury of such time at his disposal and thus he was trying to avoid setting things in stone by seeing them. It did not make much sense but that was the way these things worked, he had discovered.

Nodding his farewell and good luck at Captain Numero, Nixon finally turned away from the guards, leading his sole companion down to the chambers housing the Essence. It took him half a minute to completely cut himself off from his visions so as not to accidentally receive something in the midst of battle, sending out a silent prayer for the safety of everyone he cared about as he entered the cool tunnels beneath the pyramid.

He had spent the better part of last night setting up the spell to redirect the incoming hunters to the tunnels outside of the main complex where an ambush would be lying in wait for them. He was not foolish enough to think that that alone would be able to keep them all away though, so they had all worked on laying traps throughout the city. They knew the place a lot better than their adversaries and that was what they were planning on using to their advantage.

Everyone hoped the hunters would be staved off outside the pyramid, but worse come to worst; he and Kurogane were to be the last line of defense for the Essence. The plan he had been developing ever since the three Elders had walked to their deaths was not exactly foolproof and a lot of it was based on the probability that he would be able to convince that bastard to go along with it. Considering the Shaman's dislike and recent hostility towards him, Nixon's hopes were not very high. But even so, he did have a Plan B. He just kept hoping it would never come to something of that sort.

"How far can you sense someone?" he asked Kurogane in a level tone as they made their way through the twisting tunnels, going deeper and deeper.

"Sense?"Kurogane repeated.

"The auras." He explained, "how far can you sense someone's aura?"

"Till the edge of the main cavern." The ninja replied and Nixon breathed a sigh of relief. At least his Plan C could still work. He had to keep himself from smiling as the Shaman materialized before them in the antechamber to the cave that housed the Essence in all its powerful glory.

"What is the meaning of bringing this ordinary human here, Oracle?" the Shaman spoke in its cool, feminine voice. "You know only the appointed Guardians can come here." The child's voice added, "Yet this mortal is neither a guardian nor a mage."

"He is here to protect the Essence while I negotiate with you." He could see Kurogane's aura change color in curiosity. Nixon had never mentioned any sort of negotiations with the Shaman when he had demanded that Kurogane come with him to the catacombs.

"We will not be sparing the Guardian if she fails."The female voice reminded him, causing his irritation to rise a little.

"She won't fail," he replied, managing to keep his emotions under control as he spoke. He had to keep the Shaman interested in what he had to say, "Because I have a way no one can get their hands on the Essence ever again."

"Destroying the Essence is out of the question, Oracle."Surprisingly enough it was the old man's voice that told him this. "Those foolish council members already tried and paid for their insolence with their lives."

"I'm not stupid enough to think the Essence can be destroyed, or absorbed," he added with a small smirk. He had the bastard's attention. "The council members wanted to absorb the Essence to protect the city. That is not my intention, however," he shook his head, "I want to release the Essence back into the world."

"Unacceptable." The woman's voice said thunderously."The Essence is not to be tampered with."

"Would you rather the hunters laid their hands on it?"he shot back hotly.

"The Essence will be protected!" the woman's voice spoke forcefully, "Whether your precious Guardian survives the ordeal or not…" she trailed off, making Nixon clench his fists in irritation. If only he could have knocked some sense into the bastard. Unfortunately, he could not expend all his energies here when he would be needing his magic for something much more important later on.

"If you're the Shaman, you're supposed to be all-powerful, right?" Kurogane interrupted Nixon's retort as the warrior took a step in the cloaked entity's direction.

"Correct, mortal."

"Then hypothetically speaking, you should have no trouble healing the mage, right?" the ninja questioned and Nixon held his silence, curious to see where the warrior was heading with this conversation.

"Just because we can do it does not mean we will." The Shaman replied dismissively as it made to return its attention towards Nixon.

"I'll pay the price you asked of the Oracle!" the red-eyed man declared out of the blue, causing Nixon's blood to run cold. The foolish man, how could he have just…

"You seek something in return?"

"Yeah," Kurogane nodded, Nixon unable to say even a single word because of the magnitude of the warrior's stupidity. For all his rationality and thinking things through, Kurogane never even paused to consider that he had no idea what the price the Shaman was asking for was! How could he have just offered to pay it, without even knowing what it was?! "But I don't want something for myself." The man was speaking once again, "I want you to fight me." He proclaimed rather loudly, making Nixon want to bash him over the head with a rock. Who was he kidding here? Even Nixon had trouble standing up to the shaman in his last encounter and Kurogane did not even have magic on his side! "If you win, I pay the price you asked the Oracle to pay and you keep the city and everyone in it safe. If I win, you let him go through with his scheme and you heal the mage."

For a fraction of a second the silence was so thick it could have been cut with the warrior's sword but then the Shaman burst into amused peals of laughter.

"You keep amusing pets, Oracle." The being said in between bouts of laughter, before sobering up rather abruptly. "As entertaining as he is to watch, however, we do not have time to…put up with his insane antics." The Shaman was back to full-on ignoring the ninja now.

"Afraid I might wipe the floor with your almighty ass?" Kurogane taunted, though Nixon could see the way his aura changed colors. Guess the 'Shaman's pet' comment had really ticked the man off.

"Do not fool yourself into thinking we could be bested by the likes of you, mortal." The woman's voice was overlapped with the other two, all three voices sounding incredibly angry at the warrior's insinuation.

"Well then, why don't you come off your high horse and try and prove it to me?"

"And when you lose, you will be willing to do what the Oracle failed at?" the question in the being's voice let Nixon know of its answer, making chills of dread race down his spine. Kurogane had no idea of what he was getting into!

"The bastard wants me to kill Fai!" he blurted out, imagining the way the warrior's eyes must have gone wide when his aura nearly turned white with alarm, "That's the price he's asking for to protect the city!"

For a heart-stopping moment, all he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat, blood pounding in his ears, before Kurogane gave a derisive snort.

"Should have figured as much." The man said in his trademark nonchalant manner. "I guess this means I'll just have to make sure I don't lose, doesn't it?"

-0-

Dread settled in the pit of Masooma's stomach as she hurriedly walked through the darkened tunnels, returning to the main complex above the catacombs. Syaoran and Fai were in the safe room with Sakura and Nixon had insisted on Kurogane accompanying him to the antechamber of the cave that housed the Essence. She had no idea what was going on inside the blind man's head, but she knew he had a plan of some sort. Pausing near the tunnel opening that was spelled to look like it would collapse any second, she took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

Despite the strong front she had been putting on in front of everyone, she was scared. The hunters had tormented her and nearly driven her insane. She had seen with her own eyes what they could…what they had done to people she knew and people she cared about. What if she wasn't strong enough? As the sole Guardian it was her duty to keep them at bay and stop them from taking over the last stronghold of the magicians, but...she was not stupid enough to fool herself into believing she could actually take them all on by herself. And for that reason, there were volunteers and guards stationed all over the city, lying in wait to spring ambushes at strategic locations to keep them from discovering the entrance to the catacombs.

The last time she had fought with the hunters, her magic had been stronger due to her emotional state. And Bauld had truly not been expecting her to be actually able to fight back after what he had done to her. This time, however…he was not going to be alone and there was no way in hell he would underestimate her true power. He would be wary of her and so would all the other hunters who faced her, but how many could she take on at a time?

Shaking her head, she cast a small spell that braided her hair to keep it out of her face. She always felt more comfortable with it down and free, but in a fight like this one, her hair could be more of a problem than a strength. If she lost it…she would be too weak to fight. After all, she drew her power from it, her magic literally turning half the strands red as it asserted itself. The more she used her magic, the more her hair changed to red. At the same time, the black of her hair kept her magic in check. It was rather similar to how one of Fai's eyes increased his magic with every spell he used, but his other eye would decrease his magic by the same amount, keeping it all in balance.

Even as things stood, it would be hard for her to fight on even ground with the hunters while they wielded weapons and armor made of Cerellium. Pure magical attacks would never work on them as the metal had the ability to nullify magic, but physical attacks being directed at them through the use of magic…not so much, and it was this little loophole the magi were going to use to their advantage.

She just hoped that Fai and Syaoran would be able to heal if she was no longer there after this ordeal. The possibility of dying was very, very real and while she did not want to die, she was not fooling herself into believing she was not walking to her death. This was going to be literally it for her. She might not live to see another day and it broke her heart thinking about what her death might do to Fai. He might have lost his mind, but it was still quite clear that the blond was very attached to her. In fact, he had become just that much more expressive now and…maybe he might be able to get over her because of that, and maybe he would move on with his life once she was no longer there because it was much easier for a child to let go than it was for a full grown man. Children did not understand things all that well, after all, and that was all Fai was now.

Syaoran atleast knew the truth, so it was only a matter of time for him to come to terms with his feelings before he was ready to let his friends back into his life. He probably would not be so affected by her death. She never was very close with either Kurogane or Sakura to begin with; she was just the-witch-Fai-was-in-love-with in their eyes, so it wouldn't matter much to them either. Nixon would probably be the only other person who would…Heaving a tiny sigh, she shook herself out of those morbid thoughts. It would not do well to dwell on something like that. She had to try her very best and survive. If she died, well, then…it wouldn't make that much of a difference for her because she would be dead, wouldn't she?

Deciding she had loitered for long enough, she summoned her staff, her mind flashing back to the very first time she had held the weapon in her hands. She had been such a naïve little thing back then, refusing to seal it back even after Fai had taught her how to perform the act because the staff was proof that she was witch. That she had magic. That she was…special. Back in Celes, her village never had that many magical children. She was one of the few that were extraordinary. Her most basic training in magic had been from a kind-hearted healer. Before her apprenticeship to Fai, she had always imagined she would be an apprentice to the healer and take the magician's place once she was old enough to do so. Never in a million years had she imagined being trained by one of the very best magicians in her country, let alone… Well, at least she knew she was not just an ordinary witch now.

She could only hope her magic would be enough to help her survive this attack. She wanted to see her Fai again one last time before she died. Her Fai, not this childish version of the man she loved, but that smart, witty wizard with a sweet tooth who got annoyed every time she broke a rule. The man who would endlessly lecture her about responsibility or proper conduct for a witch whenever she pulled a prank on the annoying, tittering daughters of the court members when they followed after Fai like lovesick little puppies. The man who would hold her and comfort her when she was in pain, listen to her when she needed to rant. The man who would kiss her with so much love and tenderness that it would make her heart soar to the heavens. She wanted to see that Fai once more. Even if it was only for the briefest of moments, she hoped that she would live long enough to see him again.

-0-

Kurogane spun around, narrowly avoiding the spell sent his way by the Shaman. The being was ridiculously powerful-magically speaking, that was. Ever since their fight had begun, something like fifteen minutes ago, the being had only moved from his place once, and even then, Kurogane had only managed to nick a corner of the bastard's cloak with his sword before being blasted across the cavern by a powerful force. It was near impossible to get close to the thing, what with the numerous protection spells surrounding its presence. Kurogane suppressed an irritated growl, just knowing the bastard was laughing at him from underneath that cloak. It was quite evident the Shaman was playing with him like a cat played with a mouse.

Pushing off from the wall of the cave with his feet, he lunged for the Shaman, sword poised for a strike- though the ninja switched his pose just a few feet away from the bastard, knowing it was much harder to do what he was about to do in midair than it was on the ground-but summoning his family's secret technique all the same.

"Senryuu Hikougeki! He cried and a blue blast of light tore from his sword, colliding with the Shaman's outermost magical shield. The attack produced a tiny crack in its surface, though Kurogane did not have much cause to celebrate because the bastard was cocooned in layers of protective spells. Even so, he was not giving up just yet, so without even pausing for a breath, Kurogane launched another attack at the Shaman as soon as his feet touched the ground. "ChiRyu Jinenbu!" the golden blast of light whistled through the air, colliding with the magical shield and shattering it completely on impact.

He allowed himself the briefest of grins at that, somehow knowing he had managed to shock the bastard into taking him seriously now. He might not have magic, but he was no less powerful. Magicians always made the mistake of assuming that those without powers like theirs would be no match for them. Kurogane would show this bastard just who the hell the Shaman was messing with. Here was a mouse that could snap right back at the cat and chew off its paw if it came to it.

"Tenma Shouri Sen!" he pushed on with his attack just as the Shaman sent a dark, crackling spell his way. The two attacks met halfway and there was a rather brilliant explosion of raw power. Sharp blades of air burst out every which way and one such blade nicked his side, drawing a tiny streak of crimson. The Shaman vanished with a swish of its hooded cloak, appearing behind Kurogane just a fraction of a second later, but thanks to Kurogane's sixth sense, it was easier for him to locate the thing. He blocked the next spell coming his way, trying to sweep the bastard's feet out from underneath it with a low spinning kick.

"Hama Ryouh Jin!"Attacks went back and forth at a lightning-fast pace. Most of the time, the opponents were too quick for them to connect with their intended targets but at times they managed to meet their mark and either blood would be drawn or a shield would crack or shatter.

"You are a strong warrior." The shaman spoke in its feminine voice as a spell knocked him off his feet and sent him sprawling almost at the Oracle's feet. The blind man had wisely stayed out of the fight, if only to not further agitate the Shaman than Kurogane already had. "Much stronger than the humans we have faced before. We will give you that."

"Thanks." He shot back, jumping back to his feet without missing a beat, "you compliment them all when they kick your ass?" Without waiting for reply, he swung his sword in a wide arc, summoning his most powerful attack. "Tenma Kuuryuusen!"

A bright blue dragon bigger than a house and longer than those flying things-trains, the manju bun had called them in Rekourt- raced towards the shaman, nothing but raw power crackling around it as it snapped its jaws at the apparition, breaking through the magical shields like a hot knife through butter. The Shaman vanished before his attack could fully touch it, though even as his summoned dragon vanished into smoke, a tattered old cloak fluttered to the ground, Kurogane's sixth sense picking up the Shaman appearing somewhere in the shadows of the cave to his right.

"I guess I forgot to mention, I'm stronger than the idiots you've faced before." Kurogane did not let on that he had never faced an opponent this powerful before on his own. Never before had he used so many of his family's techniques in such close succession and to be honest he was wearing down, but he would rather cut off his other arm before admit that to present company. "ChiRyu Jinenbu!" Not giving the bastard a chance to recover from his previous attack, Kurogane followed up this one with another, "Hikougeki!"He screamed, both techniques slamming into the Shaman in quick succession, throwing the being into the cavern wall. Deciding to finish off his opponent with a final strike, Kurogane spun his sword, the metal piercing the air with a shrill wail as he ran towards the Shaman. The words of the attack died on his lips when he finally caught sight of the Shaman's revealed face for the first time. All the blood suddenly drained from his face, eyes wide in disbelief as he took a staggering step back."To-Tomoyo?"

"Once upon a time, perhaps," The Shaman gave a murmur as she looked up at him with those familiar lavender eyes before she flung her hand in his direction and a dark spell sent him flying through the air. By the time Kurogane climbed back to his feet, she was gone. He cursed explosively, berating himself over being caught off guard so suddenly. He had no idea where Tomo- No! The Shaman had gone to. Its aura had completely vanished, like it had never been there in the first place. He had been thinking about his princess these past days and never in a millions years had he expected to see her so soon or here of all places, but…he should not have stopped his attack. He should have known it was not his Tomoyo. His Tomoyo was kind and gentle and loving and more mischievous than the devil itself, but this…this was not her. This was the Shaman!

He should have…he should have beat the shit out of it- he could not allow himself to think of the being as Tomoyo- like he had initially planned on doing. He should have carried on and struck that final blow and claimed victory and then the mage would have been healed and the city would have been saved and he would have been able to go back home to the real Tomoyo. But deep down, Kurogane knew that he could never have fought against his opponent the way he had-like a man possessed-had he known his opponent shared the same face as the woman he loved.

"Well, well, well," the sound of loud clapping echoed all around the cavern, and Kurogane cursed himself for letting his guard down just because the Shaman had vanished. The unfamiliar voice that spoke was gravelly and rather unpleasant, setting the ninja's teeth on edge as he looked in the direction of the newcomer. A man dressed in a pair of dark pants, chainmail and wrist guards stepped into the light, the heavy battle axe he carried made out of the same metal as the chainmail glinting red in the light being cast by the floating orb high above them. His bald head, a gold ring in the shape of a fang on his left ear and red eyes were his only distinguishing feature, causing Kurogane to narrow his eyes a little warily. Their first true opponent had finally found them.

How the hunter had managed to find his way down to the antechamber with all the traps and obstacles and the labyrinth of tunnels meant solely to confuse wanderers Kurogane did not know. It was rather evident that the man had gotten over all the hurdles, though because he was nearly bathed in red and yet there was not a single scratch on his body. He could only hope the healer was still alive. It would crush the Mage and the Oracle both if she were to die like this. But having heard of the tales of her skill in battle, Kurogane figured this man must not have faced her for the witch would not have let any hunters past her this easily.

"The Oracle and his sidekick." The man drawled in a bored manner,though Kurogane could pick up the taunting undertones to his speech. "I was expecting a welcome committee, but I had been hoping for something a little more…entertaining."

Behind him, the Oracle's aura spiked and shifted colors; magic suddenly growing so heavy in the man's vicinity it was nearly suffocating. The blind's man aura had always been in varying shades of gray ever since Kurogane had gained his ability to see the stuff, but Kurogane could have sworn that it turned pitch black in less than a heartbeat as the man summoned his throwing knives and took slow, even steps to come and stand a few paces ahead of Kurogane. If one were to only judge on the basis of physical appearance, the Oracle was a perfect example of calm and collected, but his aura and magic were a completely different matter. His magic was pulsating in an agitated manner, as though eager to rip the man before them apart through sheer power and his aura was so darkened by hatred it was like gazing into a black hole which no light could ever escape from.

"Bauld." Their opponent's name was hissed with so much venom that if it had the power to kill, the man would have been dead a thousand times over in less than a heartbeat. "I was hoping you would be the one to come here tonight."

"I would have personally preferred fighting against your little bitch," the man responded with a leer, "but I guess I could settle for you."

'Kurogane, I'll keep him occupied.' The Oracle's voice sounded inside Kurogane's head as the world around them was suddenly plunged into darkness. The only light that was there now was coming from him or the blind man before him. The caves and the hunter were gone. It was all just one big empty vacuum where they were. A brightly colored orb of light, flickering like a beating heart as the colors inside it shifted in hues flew from the man towards the warrior, burning against his chest like fire for a fraction of a second before settling against his heart like a warm little…thing. It was impossible to describe what it truly felt like but the only thing Kurogane could think of would be that it felt powerful and…magical. 'Get to the Essence and unseal it.'

'I don't have magic.' Kurogane replied, furrowing his brows to understand what this man was getting at. He vaguely wondered why he was not even bothered by the fact that he was hallucinating in the middle of a war. This had to be a hallucination, after all. Maybe that final blow from the Shaman had given him a concussion?

'I know.' the man nodded, 'butyou can still use this spell. I had initially planned on serving as a distraction for the Shaman while you did the unsealing when I created the spell, but this is much better.' The man was speaking rather hurriedly now. 'I don't have much time to explain it all. Just know that the minute you get back to the real world, you need to make a run for the inner chambers. I'll handle the rest. Trust me on this and just do as I say.' And then the world was back to the way it was, with the Oracle standing in front of him in what may have appeared to be a protective manner though Kurogane now knew to be his way of drawing attention away from Kurogane. Knowing he did not have a lot of time, Kurogane decided to put his faith in whatever plan the blind man had come up with and race for the inner chambers.

A powerful blast of magic hit the roof of the tunnel right after he had crossed over the threshold and Kurogane bit his tongue to keep from cursing the bastard to hell and back. Thiswas his brilliant plan?! He heard the hunter scream in rage over the thunderous crashes of the rocks nipping his heels as he put more effort into picking up some speed. The sound of metal striking against metal reached his ears as Kurogane swore to all the gods he believed in that the minute this shit was over, the Oracle was getting his head bashed for this stunt.

A/N: And how many of you were expecting the hated Shaman to be that world's version of Tomoyo? I bet none of you saw that one coming. xD

Kurogane had been contemplating on springing a deal along these lines on the Shaman when Nixon had first revealed about the impending attack and his inability to pay the price asked by the Shaman. I realized in the manga, Kurogane appeared to Yuuko's price without even knowing what it had entailed and though yes he had put his faith in Mokona's trust on the witch, I still think it could have come back to bite him in the ass. This time around, Kurogane had put faith in his own ability to do whatever was necessary to help his friends that he somewhat neglected to take into account the reason why Nixon had refused the Shaman's offer.

I know many of you would disagree with me on this but Kurogane does not hold people who have no care for their lives in very high regards and Nixon had been categorized in that list when he pulled that stunt in the catacombs after they had gotten Fai back. Because of this and the fact that Nixon did admit to doing selfish things for Masooma where Fai was concerned or rather Kurogane getting a glimpse at the thoughts running in his head somewhat made him dismissive of the Oracle as just another selfish fool. Admit it! You know he thought of Fai in the same way in the beginning of the manga. ;P So putting that together with the fact Kurogane has just been itching to do something to make it better for Fai- he dismissed Nixon's undisclosed reasons as something selfish and trite and offered to pay it himself. Poor guy was in for another surprise but he recovered real quick and decided that he would not screw this one up no matter what.

Masooma knows she's pretty much walking to her death, despite all their defenses and Nixon's plan and all and thus is justifiably worried about what her death might do to the two people who are counting on her the most at present. She doesn't want to die and she will fight to live but being a realist in the face of such hopelessness she is trying to mentally prepare herself for whatever comes her way. I finally got around to shedding some light on how her powers work. The basic concept for it all was drawn from the way Fai's magic works. Tsubasa wiki and several other online sources stated that Fai's magic is balanced in this manner , and because the eye he had when they went to Celes was the one which decreased his magic, Kuro was able to swap all of Fai for just his arm which had equal amounts of magic at that stage and we all saw how tiny a spell Fai had used on him had been.

I always got the feel that the source of Fai's magic was not common knowledge but I justify Masooma knowing about it due to the fact that Fai had a brief stint as the Oracle and nearly died in the process and since she had been his apprentice and a healer-in-training at that time, she would have found out about it one way or the other.

The names for all of Kurogane's attacks were taken from an online source- including the size of the blue dragon summoned through Tenman Kuuryuusen. Since I know my beta won't be the only person wondering how a dragon that big would into a small cavern, it's mainly just an embodiment of Kurogane's aura through his family techniques. What Kurogane does is not magic but since I never actually found an explanation for how his techniques worked, I came up with the explanation that it's just his aura manifesting itself in a physical manner. The reason why Kurogane was sweeping the floor with the Shaman- considering how I made it to be almost impossible to beat previously- is related to why it looks so much like Tomoyo.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I have put up a companion one-shot piece titled 'The Breaking' that will be shedding some light on the history of this world and why the Shaman shares the same face as Tomoyo so I would recommend you go to my profile and check it out. ;) It will also shed a little bit of light on how Nixon's plan would work.

Long rambly note finally done and over with. I would love to hear your thoughts on the latest developments so please drop me a review. Till next time.