Chapter Forty-Seven

Even without the fancy clocks they'd come across in more developed worlds, Kurogane would have been able to mark the time by the movement of the stars or, failing that, the needs of his body. In Nihon, he'd been able to judge the time within fifteen minutes just by glancing at the sky, day or night. It was harder here, but not impossible.

He didn't need to be able to tell time to know that this was taking too long. "Mage."

Fai looked up from the payphone, his expression grim. "Sakura says he hasn't come back yet." He turned back to the machine, murmured a quick goodbye to the princess, and hung up.

"Then we need to keep looking," Kurogane said. Fai nodded and started down the sidewalk again, eyes yellowing as he peered down the alleyways. They'd searched the area around the bookstore first, looking for some sort of trail, physical or magical, but the only evidence of the kid's passage was the smear of blood in the alley right beside the bookstore, and as the hours passed, their chances of finding him dwindled.

But now, with the wind howling through the empty streets, Kurogane couldn't help but think their chances of finding him at all were slipping away. "Do you sense anything?"

"No," Fai said, wincing. Belatedly, Kurogane realized just how loud his voice must've sounded to the vampire's enhanced hearing. Most of the time, Fai operated on a human level, but as soon as the claws came out, he transformed from an equal to a predator. His hearing was as sharp as a demon's, and his sense of smell was almost as good. "I'd have to be closer to sense his magical signature, and until we cross his path, I won't be able to follow his scent."

Kurogane turned and slammed his fist into the nearest wall, his other hand trembling. The kid was too responsible to just run off without telling anyone, and the blood Fai had found suggested a darker explanation. So whatever had happened in the eight hours since he'd vanished, it wasn't good.

They reached the street corner. Fai paused, looking to him for direction. Kurogane tilted his head to the side, and they took a right, following the sidewalk. He could see the red neon sign of a tavern a block away, still burning bright despite the late hour. He'd been using that bar as a reference point, to avoid searching the same street more than once. Once they reached the end of this block, he'd have to find a new landmark.

Their pace was quick, but not so hasty that they were likely to miss something. Still, the fact that Fai was doing most of the actual searching irked him. Kurogane's senses were sharp, but still bound by human limitations. Fai was the one scanning every shadowed crevice for signs of the boy.

It made him feel useless.

"You can say it, you know," Fai said.

His head snapped up. "Say what?"

"That this is my fault. That I shouldn't have let him out of my sight."

He ran a palm through his hair, frustrated. "Do we really need to have this conversation?"

Fai's shoulders slumped; he said nothing.

Kurogane sighed. "Fine, then. I'm pissed you let him out of your sight. But he's an adult, at least by experience; he can make his own choices. And when we do find him, I'm going to punch his lights out."

Fai's lips parted. Then he looked away, stepping up his pace and looking down a shadowed alley. When he spoke, his voice was almost inaudible. "What if we don't find him?"

Kurogane stopped. Turned. Grabbed Fai by the collar of his shirt and yanked on it so they were face to face. "Don't. Don't you fucking dare."

A shadow crossed Fai's face. "You have to acknowledge the possibility. Things aren't going to work out just because we want them to. Syaoran-kun could be—"

"Shut up," he snarled, shoving Fai's chest so the man staggered backwards for several steps before hitting the brick wall of the nearest building. "He's fine."

Fai stared at him for a long moment, then started walking again, this time moving faster than Kurogane could follow. The blond paused at the next street corner, and Kurogane ran to catch up. "What the hell are you running off for?" he demanded, catching his breath.

"You should go back to the apartment."

"Like hell—"

"Listen!" Fai snapped, and the venom in his voice was so unexpected, Kurogane actually paused. "I can run faster, see farther, hear better. I can cover more ground in a shorter period of time than you can."

"So?"

"Go back to the apartment. Get some sleep. You're no good to him if you're exhausted."

"I'm not going to leave him out there, and I'm definitely not going back to the apartment to catch a nap while someone could be hurting him."

Something changed in Fai's face. Something indefinable in the set of his mouth, and the look in his eyes. Then, slowly, he nodded. "Let's keep looking."

The chill of the basement deepened as the fire died.

Syaoran fidgeted in his restraints, trying to drive the numbness from his arms. The tingling had ceased except for the occasional prickle when he shifted. That sensation plagued him now, burning through his arms as if a hundred hot needles were stirring just under his skin. The rest of his body felt uncomfortably cold. Sweat had collected along the creases of his pants, and the spot under his knees was still damp. The cement floor sapped his body heat wherever he touched it, and as a result, he'd started shivering hours ago despite the searing touch of metal against his skin.

If my wounds don't kill me, the cold might, he thought, swallowing. Hours of screaming had left his throat raw, so even the simple motion made it ache anew. He couldn't recall ever being in so much pain. Even in Tokyo, where the rain had burned his skin and the Other's sword had pierced his leg, he'd never felt pain like he had tonight.

I could go to sleep, he thought again. I could go to sleep and die, and it would be over.

He closed his eyes, lowering his head and curling up as much as he could with his arms bound behind his back. His cheeks were slimy, his chest carpeted in peeling skin and scabs. A crust of blood had formed over all his fingertips now, since Cassie had finished ripping his fingernails out of his other hand about an hour ago. She'd gone upstairs shortly thereafter, granting him the first reprieve he'd had since they'd dragged him here.

He wondered, not for the first time, if anyone was really looking for him. Fai had been so kind to him these past few days, but it could've all been an act. Would he even care if I lived or died? Syaoran wondered. He'd probably be relieved, not having to see my face anymore.

His lungs convulsed, and a quiet sob broke through his control. He pressed his mouth against his knees to stifle the sound. The thought that they might not even be looking for him made his heart clench. Or perhaps Fai had searched for a while, then gone back to the apartment, assuming he'd return. Maybe they wouldn't even start worrying until tomorrow when he didn't show up for breakfast.

I could be dead by then. Really dead. He took a shaky breath, trying to come to terms with the possibility. Because somehow, even with everything they'd sacrificed to continue this journey, he hadn't believed he could die. Not here. Not in some stranger's basement, carved up like a cow in the slaughterhouse. And if he'd expected to die, he would've thought it would be defending Sakura. At the very least, he'd expected his death to be swift.

Could I even make it through another day of this? he wondered, eyes darting to the dark red ridges on his chest. None of the cuts were deep enough to put him at risk of bleeding out, though their cumulative effect had weakened him. With the heat from the hearth sterilizing the knives between uses, he wasn't likely to die of infection either. Theoretically, Cassie and her friends could draw this out for weeks, tormenting him as he sat here waiting for his companions to come for him.

And just like that, his fear switched from dying to being unable to die, trapped in this agony for days and days until it broke him. Another sob tore through his throat, and he curled up even tighter, shivering. No, he thought, breathing hard. No, I still have my magic. He'd considered using it earlier, to escape, but anything strong enough to shatter his restraints would likely backfire on him with lethal force in this enclosed space. That realization had brought him only despair when it had first occurred to him, but now . . .

What if no one's coming? he wondered, throat tightening. What if they can't find me? His breathing hitched again, and a pair of tears slipped from the corners of his eyes. What if they get sick of searching and just leave me here?

What if Kurogane doesn't come for me?

He shook off the thought. Of course Kurogane would come for him. Even if nothing had changed since Tokyo, the ninja would still search for him. He knew that, knew it as surely he knew that winter followed fall, and spring followed winter. Still, that seed of doubt remained, dark tendrils wrapping around his heart and sinking thorns into his flesh.

As he heard footsteps descending from the main level, he closed his eyes and tried to believe it was Kurogane walking down the stairs.

It wasn't.