Tsubasa Chronicle Fan Fiction ❯ You're Not Alone ❯ Chapter 02 ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

You're Not Alone 2 / ??
Written by Jezz-Ra
Warnings - Not all warnings apply to all chapters.  Yaoi, Lemon, Violence, Language, Angst
Disclaimer - I don't own Tsubasa or anything CLAMP related, don't make money off it.  Wish I did.

My other stories can be found under my author profile at any of my archive sites.
Archived at - adultfanfiction. net, fanfiction. net, and mediaminer. org ::: Anywhere else, ask!
Questions or Comments?  Email me at megami _ no _ remon @ hotmail. com  ((remove spaces))

// Blah // indicates thoughts.

A/N - Well well, seems like people liked my opening chapter.  Feedback made me happy.  You'll never get rid of me if you encourage me, you know.  Now you may be stuck with me.  Bwahaha!

So yes.  Please, please, PLEASE review.  I'm not going to be childish and be like "oh, I won't write if you don't!!!"  but I really get happy and excited to know what people think of my work.  Honest.  Every time my e-mail alert goes off I get a big stupid grin and I go 'Squee!'.  So please, give me my kicks.

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Kuro gane's eyes snapped open and he found his hand automatically shifting to clutch the hilt of his katana.  Slowly he rotated his gaze, checking for any detail that was different from the image he had burned into his brain prior to going to sleep.  He judged that three or four hours had passed due to the position of the moon and stars.  The horizon showed the barest hint of gray starting to thread into the night sky.

What had intruded into his slumber to wake him?  He must have heard something, felt something...

Kurogane's eyes immediately gravitated to Fai at the sound of a low noise, somewhere between a keen and a moan.  The wizard was flat on his back and his whole body had gone rigid, fingers turned to claws and gouging into the earth beneath his hands.  Sweat streaked his pale skin and his expression was one of soul-wracked torture.  His voice came again, and Kurogane couldn't make out any of the whispered. sleep-slurred words, but the tone was one of a broken plea.  

Kurogane frowned and shifted a bit uncomfortably.  He had no intentions of prying into Fai's secrets if they were so damned important to him, as long as they didn't directly affect him or the kids.  He had no idea what the wizard was running from - his favorite theory had always been that Fai had done something criminal, something bad enough to make himself very powerful enemies that were angry enough to hunt him even across dimensions.  It was hard to hold on to that conviction, though, looking at the mage in the throes of obvious torment.  Was whatever he had done so terrible that the mere memory of his victim was enough to create this sort of guilt?

// No. // Kurogane decided after a moment.  It just didn't fit.  The mage's demeanor at the moment was more in line with the victim than the antagonist.  // So supposing he didn't commit some terrible crime, why would he still be pursued?  I haven't forgotten his reaction when I mentioned that we might run into someone that looks like someone from his homeworld.  I've never seen him so pale .  The thought horrified him..  So, what ... or who... the hell is he running from?  What in the hell happened?  //

The warrior finally took pity on Fai.  He was sure the wizard wouldn't appreciate knowing that he was making something of a scene in his sleep for any that cared to watch... he wouldn't appreciate just being shaken awake.  // Just this once, damn you, because you're making me feel bad and I didn't have a damn thing to do with whatever is going on in your brain... // Kurogane thought with vicious mental growl.  He picked up a small branch that had fallen from the tree and then tossed it at the wizard before allowing his eyes to slit almost all the way shut.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

He stood alone in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by countless corpses that had died in agony.  Fresh blood still leaked through the light dusting of fat snowflakes that drifted lazily around him.

A broken woman pointed an accusing finger at him, and Fai barely managed to bite back a wail.  It was Sakura, oh dear gods, and she was torn in half.  "You did this to us!"  Syaoran and Kurogane lay nearby.  Syaoran had been burned to an almost unrecognizable crisp.  A few scraps of bloody white fur and a long ear stuck in a growing snowdrift, their ends scorched and attached to nothing.  Kurogane's head lay a few feet from the rest of his body in a sea of blood."No!  I didn't....!" Fai's protest cut short as he took note of the blood splattered everywhere on his coat, covering his staff, dripping from his gloves.  Images of terrible destruction filled him.  The screams of people dying as they were torn apart, blackened and burned or simply ripped asunder...the  mad surge of arcane power raging through his veins.  The power....it was intoxicating, almost sexual in its intensity.  He could drown in its rush, lose himself.  The sky darkened and the ground shook, the world itself trembling from the force that sang in him in wild ecstasy.   How easy it would be to rip this world apart from its roots...as easy as it was to snuff the life from anyone that dared come close.  He was cursed.  Anyone that got too close to him would die.  "I didn't.....please."

But why did he remember it, then?  The magic exploding from him in cutting bands, shredding flesh and bone, the lightning bowing to his command and shrieking down...no!  He didn't!  He didn't kill them....

// Murderer... // a sibilant tone hissed in his ear.  // You killed them all.  You killed the whole of your country, you sacrificed your own flesh and blood for your own sake, and everyone else will meet the same fate.  Everyone dies because of you.... you are a cursed thing, a horrible demon beast made flesh, and you'll only repay kindness with pain and death.  Any who get close to you will not be spared.  And yet you selfishly horde these new friends of yours... what sort of sick monster are you, to keep them near, knowing what you are? //

"No!  I'm not a monster....god, please, forgive me, I never wanted anyone to die..."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Fai lurched awake as he felt something hit his chest.  He sat up so fast he almost fell over, sucking in a choked gulp of air, his eyes wide and darting, tears stinging their corners.  It took him a moment to take in his surroundings and to still his heart, which fluttered in his chest like a broken-winged bird.  He relaxed in small stages, lifting one hand to his chest as if to soothe his wild heartbeat.

His eyes caught sight of a small branch from the tree they were sleeping under in his lap and he almost let out a tired chuckle.  The thing must have fallen and landed on him, waking him up.  His eyes darted over to Kurogane to see if the ninja had noticed anything, but the warrior seemed to be asleep.  // Good.  I wouldn't want to face him right now.  I'd much rather be alone. //

Still somewhat shaky, he sat up and ran his fingers through his hair, images of terrible destruction and suffering still flashing through his mind.  He used the stick to poke some life back into the fire and then hugged his knees to his chest, staring into the embers until the tears stopped coming.

Dream or not, it was probably a warning.  Fai could well appreciate  the power of dreams.  And while he had never gone on an apocalyptic killing spree, to his knowledge....so very, very many people had died because of him.  // I should leave, get far away from all of them.  //  He smiled bitterly and jabbed at the fire more forcefully.   He knew he wouldn't leave.  He'd find Sakura and he would protect her.  He'd travel with her, and with Mokona and Syaoran and Kurogane, because he'd grown very fond of them.  

He'd never had friends like this before.   They laughed with him and accepted him as one of their own, even though he had told them nothing.  Well, everyone but Kurogane did, anyhow....but the warrior was simply not the type to grab onto someone and welcome them with open arms.  The thought of Kurogane randomly glomping a stranger and laughing brought a ghost of a smile to the mage's face.  // Ah yes, my Kurgy-puu, a striking example of the social butterfly... //

Fai's smile faltered again.  Yes, he had come to care very much for his four companions....and he knew he didn't have the emotional strength to walk away even if he DIDN'T want to protect the princess and see her through her quest.  He was too lonely.  He needed this.  He hadn't realized how much fun it would be to do something even as simple as tease Kurogane with silly nicknames and flee the warrior's mock rages.

// Ah, what a paradox.  Monster, indeed.  Because I care for them, it will bring them grief, but even though it will bring them grief, I can't help caring about them.  I can't protect them from myself. //

He continued to stare at the fire until dawn broke.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Kurogane watched the mage underneath mostly-lidded eyes,  He saw Fai lurch up from his sleep as if all the demons of hell had suddenly risen up to claim him.  It was....disturbing.... to see so much anguish on the wizard's face.  Even though the smile Fai always wore was annoyingly fake, it didn't lessen the simple wrongness of such pain and sorrow contorting his features,  the traces of tears sliding unheeded down his cheeks as he poked at the fire pit.  Kurogane was glad he hadn't let the wizard know he was awake - the panicked look Fai had thrown his way confirmed his suspicions that the mage had assuredly not wanted his current state shared with anyone.

Kurogane closed his eyes as much to keep up the ruse that he was still sleeping as to wipe away the image of Fai's personal torment.  He just didn't want to see it.  // Well, if he doesn't want to tell anyone what's wrong, its his own damn fault then... //

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Some time later, when Fai showed no signs of going back to sleep - or even moving from his current position - Kurogane got up himself, making sure to take the time to stretch and yawn, alerting the mage to his presence.  Normally he wouldn't have cared, but the wizard looked so wounded that he simply didn't have the heart to ruin his illusion of solitude.  Despite accusations from the very wizard in question, he wasn't a cruel man.  By the time he had taken the few steps towards their fire, Fai was already giving him a cheerful grin.

"Well good morning, Kuro-rin!  I'm afraid I don't really have anything to prepare for breakfast."

Kurogane just grunted in response before sweeping a hand out towards the road.  "Syaoran and Sakura?"

"Oh, yes.  Its not like we have much better to do than look for them regardless."  Fai stood up and carefully scraped some dirt over their little fire pit.  The sun hadn't risen just yet, but the world was bathed in the light gray of pre-dawn.

They set off from their camp.  One direction seemed as good as another, and Fai cheerily twirled a stick and let it fall, marching off in the direction it pointed.  Kurogane thought the whole process ridiculous, but as he didn't actually have a better idea - or a way to communicate it even if he had - he remained silent and just followed the wizard.

After roughly an hour on the road, the two of them had reached the same conclusion.  Something had been bothering them both and they finally pinpointed it.

All the world was silent.  The only noise was the soft rustle of grass waving in the breeze.  There was no hum of insects, no birdsong.... Outside of the two of them, there was no sign that a single creature lived in this world.  In fact, outside of the occasional, rare tree, they found no plants growing either.  All they saw was an endless sea of grass that was just starting to brown.  The morning sun had risen on a canvas that was blank save for the two of them.

Fai found it to be rather eerie, and unconsciously shifted a bit closer to the warrior.  His tone wasn't quite as cheerful as normal.  "Kuro-wan, I think we might have finally found our very first dead world.  I've not seen so much as a fly or a bush or an animal track all day...."

Kurogane had no way to know what the mage was saying, but had he known, he would have disagreed.  He felt something teasing his sixth sense.  He kept his hand on the hilt of his sword and his eyes constantly scanning the surrounding area.

Fai noticed Kurogane's state of hyper-awareness and slowly lifted an eyebrow, glancing around.  He usually wasn't one to miss the warning signs of an attack....to miss noticing when something was coming for him.  Despite his practice as a wizard, he had been through very extensive physical training as well.  He had worked hard to attune his senses, and it didn't sit well with him that Kurogane had noticed something, couldn't even tell him what to look for, and even knowing there was something there he still couldn't find it.

The only change several more hours of travel brought was an increase in trees and a decrease of light as the sun began to dip down towards the horizon.  It wasn't really dense enough to call the twisted trees a forest, but there were more than they had seen earlier.  Still with no sign of ... well, anything... the two headed towards them.

Fai used a stick to idly prod random clumps of grass, wondering if they would find anything to eat or if the two of them would simply end up dying of starvation.  He was about to turn to ask Kurogane what they should do - it was so easy to forget someone he'd held conversations with several times in the past couldn't make out what he was saying - and something brushed his face.  Several somethings, in fact.

Fai let out a shocked noise of surprise and immediately moved to jerk backwards, only to find himself stuck.  It had taken a mere few moments and his whole body was frozen in place despite his best efforts.  // Like a fly in a web...oh dear. // And it was, indeed, a web.  The wizard found if he tilted his head just slightly and looked out of the corner of his eye he could barely make out thin, nearly invisible strands woven together.   

"Kuro-rin, be careful!"  He knew Kurogane wouldn't understand him, but he hoped the urgency of his tone was enough to convey a clear warning.

Kurogane took the hint, approaching very cautiously and leading with his katana.  // What the hell kind of spider can make a web this big?  Guess that means we aren't alone here after all.  Even if there IS a spider around, I can't see anything, unless its hiding in one of these trees... //

There was a slight clatter of motion behind Kurogane, and he whipped around, instincts guiding his strike.  His sword lashed out and banged off something hard and metallic with a shower of sparks.  There was a lout, squealing chitter.  The warrior gawked for a moment, convinced his eyes were playing tricks on him.  Was this thing invisible?!

He saw a faint ripple of motion, a wavering blur like steam in the air, and he brought his katana up to block.  He focused his senses, trying hard to get a good look at what he was fighting.  

He saw it for a mere instant as it moved and the fading sunlight reflected off its hide just right.  It looked something like a huge spider, save for a much narrower body that curved under like a wasp's and ended with a barbed stinger.  It stood almost ten feet tall.  Instead of eight legs, it had six, with two arms ending in long but thin, curved claws.  The beast's hide was glassy, almost completely clear.  // Great.  Almost-invisible spiders. //

Kurogane dodged backwards, parrying another couple attacks that he sensed more than felt.  The beast chittered in rage and came on again.  Kurogane grinned viciously.  Now that he knew what to look for, he was better able to pick out the way the light played off the spider's hide.  It wasn't so much that it was see-through as  it reflected its surroundings so perfectly it simply seemed not to be there.  But once his mind knew to look for the tiny play of sunlight glinting off a moving leg or bent limb, it was much easier to pick out the monster.

// Alright, this isn't so bad.  I can take this thing down without too much problem.  I just need to find the weakness in its armor, then I'll cut the idiot mage down and we'll continue on our way.  Wonder if these things are any good to eat.... //

Kurogane smiled fiercely and charged forward, his confidence renewed.  This wouldn't be any trouble at all.

Behind him, Fai let out a blood-curdling scream.
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