A/N: Been almost a month since my last update but I hope that the extra length of this chapter and the whole lot of shocking revelations would be enough to appease you guys. *looks hopeful* Just a bit of a warning for the future though, my updates for all of my fics from now on will be sporadic, since my schedule and life itself has gotten a bit more hectic and I can't really spare much time for writing anymore, so yeah. But don't worry, I will finish the fics that I have started. Anywho… without further ado, please go ahead and enjoy.

"Why, hello there, Fai," Kyle smiled brightly, ignoring the look of alarm on the two females' faces at the blonde's reaction. "Or should I say, Yuui."

Sakura was paralyzed in place as realization dawned upon her.

Yuui.

Only hunters knew him by that name.

"Where is that little wolf of ours?" Kyle made a show of looking around him, as though searching for a lost pet.

"He's dead." Fai hissed venomously, golden eyes narrowing dangerously. "The backlash was too much for him to handle."

"Oh?" Kyle's brow shot up as he looked the blond over before thoughtfully tapping his chin.

"I think you are lying." He said softly, "same as you lied to these lovely ladies about who you are and what you used to be."

"Shut up." Fai whispered, shaking with barely suppressed rage.

"Oh, my. I seem to have touched a nerve." Kyle spoke in mock horror. "Really though, Flourite," he continued in a nonchalant manner, "I must say, gold isn't really your color, if you know what I mean. Your eyes almost make you look like a vampire. But it's no wonder you managed to avoid capture all this time." Lazily, he climbed to his feet. Sakura tried to follow, but for some reason, she found that she could not even twitch a muscle, "A pair of contacts was all it took? Well, that and the hunters assuming you have died by now. Just goes to show how stubborn a monster like you can be."

"Shut up!" The blond repeated but Kyle ignored him, turning his attention to Tomoyo.

Sakura felt her gut sink in dread as she realized that she wasn't the only one immobilized. Tomoyo was staring just as helplessly at the scene playing out before her.

"This man isn't all he appears to be," he said seriously, "but let's wait for your boyfriend to get here before going into the depth of that, shall we? In the meantime, Sakura, I'm really disappointed. I thought your brother would have taught you better than to accept treats from people you've only just met." he shook his head in mock discontent, "Now look where not following his advice has landed you."

"What the heck did you do, you bastard?" Fai growled as he clenched his fists by his sides.

"Seems like you've forgotten your place, Flourite," Kyle's expression seemed almost angry, staring right into Fai's eyes, "perhaps a small reminder would be better?"

Fai flinched, his arm moving to grip his left shoulder, but the blond did not back down as he glared at the man before him.

"Stubborn as ever," Kyle shook his head, managing to sound somewhat amused even though he was frowning angrily. "You have far outlived your usefulness, so you can join your worthless twin in the afterlife."

Fai grunted, his expression pained as he fell to his knees, the knuckles of his right hand turning white as his grip on his shoulder tightened. His eyes flickered between gold and a clear cerulean, finally settling on the latter as he swayed dangerously. Sakura tried to move to help the blond, but her limbs refused to obey that simple command.

A muffled scream escaped the pilot's lips and Sakura felt that mysterious pale blue aura flare all around him. But unlike what she had felt around the man for all the time she had known him, it was not weak. The magic felt strong enough to rival Sakura's. She saw a pale light the same shade as the aura emanate from Fai's shoulder as his body teetered precariously before he fell face-first on the floor.

Sakura had been able to sense the binding magic at work and had immediately understood what was going on. Fai, unlike what he had led everyone to believe all this time, was not an ordinary Mage. No, he was far from it.

Almost a minute passed by as he lay there, shaking, moaning so softly she could barely hear him as his shoulder continued to glow. Slowly the aura receded as the light faded away. She feared him dead, having somehow understood what had happened. Fai had Fei's seal and Kyle had somehow activated it. But to her surprise, he struggled and pushed himself off the ground on shaky arms, grinning crazily as Kyle.

"You can't kill me that easily," he hissed, blue eyes glaring fiercely at the man before him. "That bastard's seal isn't tied to my life anymore."

"But you're not completely free of its control, are you, Yuui?" Kyle answered coolly, though Sakura could see that he was slightly unnerved. He waved his hand in the air and Fai screamed, his arms giving out under him.

"Mage, what the heck is going on?" Sakura heard Kurogane yell as he stormed into the galley, Syaoran at his heels, looking scared and worried. They both froze at the sight that met their eyes.

"Ah, you must be Tomoyo's boyfriend." Kyle said pleasantly. "Kurogane, I presume?"

"Who the heck are you?" he growled, warily eyeing the knife currently pressing against his girlfriend's throat. Sakura vaguely wondered when Kyle had moved behind Tomoyo or drawn the knife.

"My name is Kyle Rondart," His eyes moved past Kurogane to Syaoran's chalk-white figure, who stood frozen in the doorway like he was a statue carved out of ice, "Hello, Syaoran."

The boy took a step back, eyes wide, his breath coming in short irregular pants.

"N-no…" he whimpered, shaking his head. Sakura had not seen him look this afraid since his encounter with those hunters back in Clow Bazaar.

"Now, now, little wolf, is that anyway to greet your old friend?" Kyle stated as though he was speaking to a four year old. Kurogane stepped protectively in front the amber-eyed boy, blocking him from the bespectacled man's line of sight as Syaoran seemed to shrink into himself in fear.

"What the hell do you want, you bastard?" Kurogane snarled dangerously.

"You seem like a smart man, Kurogane," Kyle said as though he had not heard the red-eyed man. "Look around you. Your pilot is out of commission, your girlfriend is currently my hostage, you passenger is incapacitated and your ward is too afraid to do anything to help you out here. One wrong move on your part can cost Tomoyo her life. Do you really want her blood on your hands?"

"What do you want?" The captain repeated, his voice shaking in anger.

"Not much, to tell you the truth," Kyle replied frankly, " but how about you get us out in space and get back here and I'll let you in on the deal, hmm?"

"You really don't have any choice in the matter, Kurogane." Kyle pointed out when the other man made no indication of obeying him. Shooting him a murderous glare, Kurogane turned on his heel, reaching out for Syaoran to take him along to the cockpit when Kyle spoke up again, "Oh, you can leave Xiao Lang here."

The chocolate haired teen was pressing himself pitifully against the wall, as though trying to sink into the metal itself, his pupils dilated in fear as he stared at Tomoyo's captor.

"He'll take me back…" he whimpered, staring at Kyle as though there was no one else present in the ship apart from the two. "He'll take me back…"

"We don't have all day, Kurogane." Kyle said, "Standing here all day long can tire me out, and my knife might just… slip." As he said the last word, his blade sliced across Tomoyo's creamy neck, drawing blood from a thin shallow cut. She bit her lip, refusing to show any fear, but still a muffled sound formed in her throat.

Clenching his fists, Kurogane stepped away from Syaoran, storming out of the galley.

"Your magic won't work right now, Sakura." Kyle informed her, somehow managing to tell that Sakura had been trying to summon her magic to their defense. "The chocolate was coated in a poison that acts as not only a paralyzing agent but also as an inhibitor."

"You're completely at my mercy, I'm afraid." The ship shuddered as the engines roared to life, the artificial gravity kicking in to hold everyone in place the vessel shot off into space. After several long minutes, Kurogane stepped back in the galley and Kyle smirked, seeing that the red-eyed man had chosen not to arm himself. That would have complicated things unnecessarily.

"Ah, now that we are all here," Kyle started happily, "how about you answer a question for me, Kurogane. Did you ever find out what happened to Syaoran all those years ago when he was taken from you and your fiancé?"

"How do you know about this?" he growled dangerously, narrowing his garnet eyes in response.

"Oh, I know all about our little wolf." The bespectacled man said fondly, a smirk playing across his lips as he gazed past the captain at the trembling figure of Syaoran. "In fact," he added, looking at Fai who was glaring at him venomously, "you should have asked Yuui here, he knows about him just as much as I do."

"What?"

"But of course, how could I forget?" he gave a fake laugh, shaking his head in a disappointment. "He goes around here by the name of Fai."

"What the fuck are you going on about?"

"Perhaps it would be better if you see it with your own eyes." Kyle responded, drawing out a thin strip of paper with numerous symbols drawn on it in dark ink. The paper itself seemed yellow with age, the edges slightly frayed but it was intact otherwise. "But first," he grinned widely, his fingers tracing a small intricate pattern in the air. A beam of red light shot at Kurogane, a seal glowing on the man's forehead for a couple of seconds before sinking beneath his skin. "Just so you don't try anything funny till we're done." Kyle said, his hands already busy tracing the spell on the aged parchment as Sakura's world was plunged into darkness.

"You do realize this is a top secret project," Sakura whirled around to see a slightly younger version of Kyle seated at the table of a rather rundown bar. Judging from the faint light being emitted from the tabletops that were placed around the settlement, she would have guessed the place to be Infinity. Only Infinity had the trend of using touchcoms in bars and such. Well, Infinity and one other planet in the multitude of inhabited systems. Somehow she knew this was not Infinity. Maybe the symbol of a crimson bat was what gave it away.

"I know." The soft voice that replied to Kyle's question was one that she knew almost all too well by now.

"So you know we won't be letting you in without a proper initiation." The bespectacled man pressed on.

"I do." The blond sitting with his back towards Sakura responded, making Sakura's heart clench in dread. Was this a memory?

"Good," Kyle nodded, "that's good. Wouldn't want you complaining about not knowing what you were getting into later on, would we now?"

"Of course," Fai acquiesced, turning his head to the right to signal a barmaid over to their table for some drinks. Sakura took a step back in surprise, noticing how blue his eyes were. They were the clearest shade of the sky on a warm, sunny day on Clow.

"So you have no problem in submitting yourself to Lord Fei?"Kyle confirmed.

"If that is what I must do," was all Fai said in response as he turned his head back to look at the younger version of Sakura's cousin.

The memory flickered and shifted, turning to the scene of a wide, open courtyard. The sky was overcast with dark clouds, occasional flashes of lightning and the rolling thunder heralding an approaching storm.

"Impressive, very impressive," the rough, gravelly voice of a heavyset man reached her ears. What the heck was it with the memories starting behind her back? She thought in exasperation as she spun around yet again to watch the scene unfold.

"I'm glad you approve," Fai said politely, bowing a bit before the man. Straightening up, he began to carelessly dust his clothes. The courtyard itself seemed to have been decimated by magic. From what little she could actually still see standing, it appeared to be an obstacle course of some sort.

"I do, you will make a fine servant," Lord Fei nodded, motioning for him to follow as he walked down out of the courtyard. Wanting to see what would happen next, Sakura followed. "Kyle, I would like to oversee his initiation myself."It was only when the Bat lord mentioned the bespectacled man's name did she notice his presence.

"Of course, my Lord," Kyle bowed lowly.

"I have some free time on my hands," Lord Fei spoke, looking over at Fai who had a pleasant smile plastered across his features. "Why not initiate Yuui here right now?"

"As you wish, my Lord."

The scene flickered and shifted once again. This time, though, it morphed into a place that gave Sakura a strong feeling of déjà vu. She had been here before.

Here being a cold room, partially enshrouded in darkness. It was of a roughly rectangular shape with a raised metal platform in the middle. A young Syaoran, barely older than thirteen cycles at most, was strapped to the table.

He was struggling rather violently, shouting angry threats at the three other men present in the room.

"I did not know that the subject was just a child."Fai said, ignoring the boy's cries as he struggled to free himself.

"Will that be a problem, Yuui?"Lord Fei questioned, a frown forming on his lips as he scrutinized the blond.

"Of course not, my Lord." Fai… Yuui shook his head as he smiled apathetically. "I have no personal ties to the boy."

"Good," he grunted, "let's begin, then. You can start with the first part of the seal." He informed the blond, handing him a jagged-edged knife before motioning to the younger Syaoran strapped on the surgical table.

"As you wish," Fai said politely before stepping forward, ignoring the way Syaoran's body tensed up as he approached the child. "Relax, little one." Fai said lightly, "this will only hurt for a little while." And before the boy could react in any manner at all, Fai had plunged the knifed into the chocolate-haired boy's forearm. As Syaoran screamed out, the scene flickered and the memory changed once more.

Once the haze cleared away, Sakura realized that they were still in the same dungeon as before, but it was clearly a different time seeing as the boy strapped to the table was covered in copious amounts of blood, his wrists chaffed from where the bindings had cut into his skin. He was panting, only partially conscious of what was going on around him.

A weak whimper escaped his lips as Kyle approached him with a needle, filled with some sort of black liquid that he carelessly injected into his jugular.

Before the needle was even retracted from his body, the boy was screaming in pain, thrashing about wildly and tearing the skin off his flesh even more as his body convulsed violently. His head whipped from side to side as he screamed before he began to choke and gag on the thick haze that enveloped his body.

His struggles grew more frantic as he failed to draw in a proper breath, his back arching in vain as he tried to break free of the bonds that held him. But the more he tried, the thicker the haze grew.

Slowly, his flailing body relaxed, his movements growing sluggish as his lids began to droop. Then, all of a sudden, there was a brilliant flash of forest green and the thick, choking haze that surrounded him was pushed away by the pure aura.

But it only took a couple of seconds before the choking haze began to seep into the aura that immediately retreated inside the boy's body before it could be polluted any further.

Sakura recalled seeing this all happen in a dream before, but at that time, she had not been able to get a good look at any of the other faces present in the room with her. But now, she could easily see the wild gleam in Kyle's eyes, the small smirk on Fei's lips and the apathetic look in Fai's stormy, ocean blue eyes. The first time she had seen those eyes, her mind had automatically connected them with Touya, but now? Now she knew that her brother wasn't even remotely involved with Syaoran's condition.

It had been Fai all along. The lighting in the dungeon made his eyes appear darker than they actually were.

Just as they started the cycle all over again, Sakura felt everything shift around her one final time.

She was back in the ship.

Looking around, she noticed that Tomoyo was openly crying, Kurogane was looking murderous, and Syaoran? Syaoran was curled in on himself, pressing himself against the wall as his entire body trembled in fear. Her heart went out to the amber-eyed teen but she knew there was nothing she could do in her current paralyzed state.

If only she had not accepted the chocolate from Kyle, she would have been able to help Syaoran now.

"I hope that was enough of an eye opener for you lot." Kyle grinned, ignoring the filthy look Fai shot at him, before the blond flinched, grabbing his shoulder so hard, Sakura could see it starting to stain red. "Your beloved pilot, Fai, is actually the notorious Yuui Valeria, the mage wanted in more than half the planets in the galaxy."

Sakura could distinctly recall the conversation she had had with said mage back on Clow, where he had vehemently refuted the idea of him being Yuui, creating a non-existant twin to pin the blame on. How could she have failed to see the signs? Even Chi had called him Yuui.

"He… He took my twin. He wanted him for an experiment of sorts." She remembered him saying. "I searched and searched for my brother, but by the time I got to him… It was too late."

She had just seen Fai willingly enter the service of that man. How could she trust anything he had told her before? His request for her to keep quiet about Syaoran's tattoo should have been more than a clue for her. He had obviously been trying to save his own neck by tricking her into not telling Syaoran's guardians about it.

And she had gone along with it!

"I'd stay and chat with you all some more," the grey-eyed man said airily as he pocketed his knife and approached Syaoran, "but I have to take our precious little wolf back to his master now."

"N-no…" the teen whimpered pathetically, as Sakura felt his choking aura begin to surface. She inwardly grinned a grim grin. This was probably the one time she was glad about Syaoran having that tattoo. If anyone could save them now, it would be Syaoran's alter ego. "Don't want to… ungh… go back…" he gripped his forearm, as though in immense pain.

The forest green aura flared out around him visibly as he clutched his arm to his chest, a pained scream issuing from his lips as he scrunched up his eyes. He seemed to be resisting the effects of the tattoo just like he had been back in Clow. But why? Why would he want to not change when that was the only chance to save his friends? The aura was moving around his erratically as he shook his head, the same words tumbling out of his lips again and again.

"You shouldn't resist your nature, Xiaolang," Kyle cooed as he squatted next to the struggling boy. Why wasn't his aura lashing out at Kyle like it had with those hunters?

"Stay… the fuck… away from him!" Fai snarled angrily from where he lay on the floor.

"There isn't anything you can do to stop me, Valeria," Kyle responded dryly as his gazed moved past him towards Sakura, "don't worry, cousin dearest, I haven't forgotten about you either. The pretty little lethal Cherry Blossom. Lord Fei would be pleased to see you again as well."

Unable to talk, the only way for her to express her shock was through her face.

"In a minute, Sakura, in a minute." Was all Kyle said as he drew another seal from his pocket, proceeding to press it against Syaoran's pale, clammy skin. The runes glowed cerulean blue for a fraction of a second before sinking into his flesh. Sakura recognized the magical signature, her eyes darting to Fai who was staring at Syaoran and Kyle in horror.

"I had managed to nick a few of your seals prior to your defection," Kyle grinned as Syaoran screamed his loudest yet before falling completely limp. "Even if you managed to suppress the seal for all these years, your magic isn't strong enough to rival Lord Fei's anymore."

"I… might not be… strong enough… to rival his magic," Fai gritted out as he pushed himself into a half kneeling position as Sakura felt him dreg up his reserve of magic previously being used to counter the effects of the seal. "But… I won't let… that bastard… have them both!" Faster than even Sakura could comprehend, a spell was shot in her direction, the cerulean runes burning her skin wherever they touched her as they spun around her in a crazy circle.

"No!" she heard Kyle snarl in the distance as Fai's words reached her ears as well, "I'm still strong enough to undo the memory seal placed on her by my brother."

That was the last thing she could comprehend before her world turned to darkness once more. This time, however, she knew she was not being plunged into another memory but merely losing her consciousness.

A/N: Okay, how many of you expected that to happen?

I hope this chapter cleared up all the questions related to what had happened to Syaoran. If not, feel free to ask so that I might be able to address them in the coming chapters. We're almost at the end of this story. I think there may be a maximum of five to six chapters before the end if things keep on going at the current rate. So send my your questions and queries before then.

Till next time.

-Nims.