The Bright End of Nowhere

Warnings: Spoilers through Celes

Notes: For the 2013 KuroFai Olympics. Original prompt: 'ghost in the machine.'

oOo

It was cold and the wind blew endlessly. He lay in a deep pile of snow, hands and feet numb, covered by the shadow from a high, high tower.

"There was something precious to you there, right? I once had something like that too. That's why I can't forgive the people of this country."

"Do you want to get out? Out of there." Dimly he was aware of what the consequence of that choice would be, but there was no way to stop those events already in motion. He was only an observer, and could do nothing but watch.

His arms hurt.

"There are other worlds."

"Are there? This is the only world I've ever seen. If I could go beyond this world, do you think I could find them again? My lost precious things."

"If there is a way that can revive the dead, what will you do?"

"Wait."

"If there is a way that can revive the dead, what will you do?"

"What did you answer? Is there a way? Let me see it."

Pain shot up his arms and he thought he might be screaming, even though he couldn't feel his mouth.

"After that, I will let you go on a journey."

"Is that it? Is that something I can help with?"

Pain again, and images flashing through his mind so fast he thought he might go mad from it. Words spoken in the past, repeated over and over as if an invisible hand was sifting through them like grains of sand.

"I see. Hey, you're like me, right? If I help you, will you let me have that wish too? You're my friend, all right? I'll do that thing for you, and we can have our wish granted together. How about it?"

And suddenly something was torn from his arms and he was gasping and blinking in the harsh light, feeling as if he'd just surfaced from being underwater for a long, long time.

The dark wall in front of him shifted and opened, and a cold white mask stared back.

oOo

Kurogane swore quietly as he ducked down behind another broken slab of concrete. Something large and gray moved slowly past him, the cracked pavement straining under its weight.

"Kurogane?" a small voice ventured from inside his clothes and Kurogane made a silencing motion, one hand going to the hilt of his sword. He remained perfectly still for a long moment until the sound of creaking metal had faded and then he finally stood, peering out cautiously into the darkness.

"Is it gone?" Mokona's head poked out from beneath his cloak.

"Yeah." Kurogane snorted.

"Kurogane is annoyed?"

"Damn right I'm annoyed," Kurogane snapped. "I don't hide from things that can be fought."

"But Kurogane's sword is no good, right?"

"Shut up," Kurogane grumbled.

The irritating thing was that the white thing was right. The monsters in this place weren't like the kind he was used to. All the ones he had run across so far were made of a strange thick gray metal and the sword that had effortlessly sliced through the hides of much tougher living things barely made so much as a dent in it.

What made things even worse was that the damn things were definitely not alive and it was taking all Kurogane's training to keep out of their way. Living things he had long ago learned to sense, but with these monsters he could only rely on his hearing to tell when they were approaching. And even that was useless against the ones he'd seen swoop down from the sky or clamber around along the tops of decaying buildings. He might have been able to rely on sight but that getting to be almost as much of a problem as everything else. The world they were in had a pitch dark sky save for a long thin red scar that cut across it, the edges a sickly yellow as if the sky itself was mortally wounded. The only lights came from far off in the distance, a wavering orange glow hovering behind dark clouds that had been growing steadily brighter in the last day or so. Every so often there would be a strange streak of blue light that would dance across the sky just in front of it, as if there was some kind of barrier that surrounded the area.

He and Mokona had been here for at least two days, and in that time he had not seen a single sign of any of his companions. He'd landed alone in the middle of three of the machine monsters. Kurogane remembered fighting them, remembered his sword uselessly scratching the metal hulls and then finally managing to do some damage by plunging Souhi into the largest machine's glowing orange eye socket and slicing at whatever wires and circuits he could manage, but things grew fuzzy after that.

He scratched distractedly at the three long thin scars that ran down his right arm. He remembered something sinking into his flesh there, serpentine cables tipped by long thin needles, and then—

—and then Suwa burning and a sword that came out of nowhere, his mother's blood, his father's arm—

And then Mokona had been shaking him and he'd woken up surrounded by strange-looking corpses with one of the machines sprawled out on the ground in front of him, a hatchway in its stomach dangling open and a tangle of needle-tipped coils crowded beneath it like intestines. Three of those cables had been on the ground right beside him, the needles still wet with his blood. Mokona had apparently landed not far from where Kurogane had been spat out and had spotted the machine hovering unsteadily over him. It had fallen to its side as Mokona approached — apparently Kurogane had managed to do a little damage to it, at least — and upon finding Kurogane unresponsive Mokona had pulled the needles out of his arm.

They'd been wandering blind since then, trying to find their companions, and Kurogane had just about reached his tolerance point for the crappy world they had fallen into. They had yet to see any people — any living people at any rate — but they'd been under constant threat of attack by the giant machines that seemed to roam the entire world. The place they were in at the moment looked to have once been a fairly large and advanced city, but it was currently abandoned and falling into ruins. It made hiding from the machines easier but it also made it easier for the damn things to sneak up on him if Kurogane dared to let his guard down for even a moment.

Kurogane remained pressed against the concrete slab for a moment more before breathing a cautious sigh of relief and straightening.

"Let's go." Kurogane pulled his black cloak closer over Mokona and began to carefully pick his way across the destroyed street.

"Kurogane…" Mokona's voice was small and miserable. "Do you think everyone else is all right?"

"Let's worry about ourselves for now," Kurogane said gruffly, even as his hand went reflexively to his sword again.

Whatever kind of world this was, it was definitely dangerous. The kid at least had a sword, but Kurogane doubted Hien would be any more effective against the monsters than Souhi had been. The princess would be even worse off, though knowing Sakura Kurogane suspected she would somehow manage to find safety. As for the idiot mage…

Kurogane snorted. Who knew what kind of trouble that guy had probably gotten himself into. Kurogane was looking forward to hitting him as soon as he managed to find the idiot.

"Kurogane!" Mokona's shout and a sudden screaming of wind were the only warning Kurogane had before something large and heavy slammed down into the ground in front of him. Kurogane leapt back out of the way of the flashing metal claws and they sliced through the air inches from his torso.

"Damn it, where the hell are all these things coming from?" Kurogane swore as he pulled out his sword. Useless as it was, it was still better than nothing,

The machine facing him looked somewhat like a large metal cat, its tail a long and coiling piece of cable covered in sharp spikes. It moved towards him a slow, almost dancing motion, tail whipping through the air in a slow circle.

Kurogane raised his sword, prepared to defend, when suddenly a small bright dart of green light hit the monster in the side of the head and it stumbled to one side. Another shot sent it reeling and Kurogane glanced over in the direction of the attack.

A cluster of small dark figures were racing through the shadows towards where the monster was still struggling to remain upright. Several of the attackers held some kind of gun in their hands, shooting out bright shots of green light that pierced holes straight through the monster's metal hide. As they got closer some of the attackers pulled out something that looked vaguely like a sword, but the blade was made of thin pulsing red light instead of cold steel. Unlike Kurogane's sword, the light swords were slashing through the metal hull of the monster as easily as if it was thin flesh.

The figures themselves were dressed almost completely in black, with flowing capes and hoods pulled up over their heads. Covering their faces were smooth white masks that obscured all of their features. There were no nose or mouth holes, only thin black-lined slivers cut out for the eyes. Through the darkness Kurogane could almost make out different expressions painted on each face — smiles, grimaces, open-mouthed surprise, each splashed across the white surface like black scars.

There was movement behind him and Kurogane tensed. Someone was coming towards him, someone living, not another metal monster. He heard the sound of shoes crunching on gravel and waited just a moment for the unknown presence to get closer before whirling around to face the approacher, drawing his sword as he did so.

He found himself staring down the barrel of a gun, the tip of his sword inches from the holder's throat.

The person facing him was human-shaped, but considerably taller and wider than any humans Kurogane had ever met. Its fingers were long and slim, tipped with silver claws, and its eyes were slitted like a cat's. The person had pale fish-white skin marked with black slashes along the cheeks and its hair was styled in thick black braids like cables that fell down its back. Unlike the masked figures, this one wore neither mask nor cape. Its black clothes were dotted with bright blue lights that seemed to move across the surface like sparks.

"Well, well." The voice was deep and masculine with a gruff edge to it. "What we got here? Imris Garan find somethin' interesting on the hunt today. You don't look like you belong here, stray dog. How long Little Brother be feedin' on you, I wonder?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kurogane narrowed his eyes and kept his sword aimed at the other's throat, prepared to strike before the man could shoot if necessary. He could feel Mokona burrowing itself deeper inside his cloak, unnoticed by the stranger.

"Not so smart, stray dog, to be hangin' 'round Eastpoint if you don't know Little Brother," Imris Garan said in reply. He gestured with his head towards the monster, which had been brought to its knees by the masked figures and was twitching spasmodically. Several more figures without hoods or masks were approaching it now, their clothes covered in the same sparking blue lights as the man Kurogane was facing. "The reaper. How long you been inside it?"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Kurogane repeated coldly. "I don't even know what the hell it is."

"Then you definitely not from 'round here, stray dog." Imris Garan laughed but didn't lower his gun. "You gonna fight reapers with that little bit o' steel? Ain't nothin' can score that hide but laser burns. Anyone left alive in Eastpoint knows that. Even the Faceless know that."

Even as he spoke one of the masked figures broke away from the group and approached them, holstering its gun as it came. This one was noticeably shorter and thinner than the man Kurogane was facing, and its mask was completely white with no expression painted on. Imris Garan gave the newcomer a disgusted look and made a quick gesture with his hands.

"You got work to do still," Imris Garan said darkly. "Don't be messin' with no stray dogs. Unless he's one of yours, huh? Is that it?" The man's slitted tiger-eyes glared sharply at the masked figure, who made a conciliatory gesture with its hands. Kurogane noticed that even the figure's slim hands were covered with thin black gloves.

"I don't answer to you, Faceless with a face." Imris Garan made a slicing motion with his hands. The masked man nodded and made another gesture of apology, then pointed at Kurogane and made another complicated motion with his hands. Imris Garan wrinkled his nose in disgust and sliced his hands again. "I ain't takin' no dog home. He can fend for himself."

The masked man made another gesture and then touched the edges of his mask, running a finger along the black-lined holes that had been cut for his eyes. Kurogane's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he followed the motion.

"I don't care what Edras Agra says, he ain't here," Imris Garan argued, slicing his hands a third time. The masked man placed one hand on the gun, lowering it, and pointed to himself and then to Kurogane. Imris Garan rolled his eyes in clear irritation as he pointed sharply at the masked figure. "Fine, fine. But you be takin' charge of him when we get back to the underground, and you be talkin' to Edras Agra. I ain't got time for this." He made another sharp hand gesture and stormed back towards where the rest of the group was finishing off the monster.

The masked man watched him go for a moment and then turned back to Kurogane, gesturing for him to stay put. Now that he had moved closer, Kurogane was at last able to get a clear view of the familiar blue eyes shining out at him from behind the mask.

He started to say something and the masked man put a finger to his lips in a silencing motion. Kurogane crossed his arms but closed his mouth anyway, sheathing his sword. He could almost see the amused smile radiating out from behind the mask as the figure turned and went back to assist the rest of the group.

"Kurogane?" Mokona's voice floated out timidly from underneath his cloak. "That was…"

"I know," Kurogane said, sharp eyes following the masked figure as it joined the the others around the downed machine. He still had no idea what was going on in this place. For now all he could do was trust in the people who had just saved him.

But who knew what the hell that stupid magician had gotten him into this time.

oOo

Eventually the strangers seemed to be satisfied with the condition of the downed machine and began to regroup. Kurogane kept a sharp eye on the lean cloaked figure he knew to be Fai as the magician began to gather up the rest of the masked people, looking for all the world like a sheepdog herding sheep. Those without masks seemed to be assisting him, each taking charge of one or two masked figures and leading them away. One of the unmasked people broke from the group and approached Kurogane. This one had the same cat-like eyes and dark hair as Imris Garan.

"This way, stray dog." The voice was female and mildly amused. "Atta Gaval gonna be your escort 'til we get back underground. Follow me. Ain't safe up here no more, with the reapers around, eatin' and killin' everyone unlucky enough to get in the way."

"I still have no idea what any of your people are talking about," Kurogane muttered, irritated. He was getting sick of people talking about things as if he was supposed to understand them. Atta Gaval eyed him curiously and then gave a bark of laughter.

"You really are a stray dog, ain't you?" she said. "That thing you was about to be killed by, that's a reaper. Anythin' machine and big enough to eat a person we give that name to. Usually it's your grave, stray dog. You a lucky one, we get to you in time. And your friend in the mask, who spoke for you…well, he somethin' different all together. But that's his problem, and no business of yours or mine. Now, you at least know how to ride one o' these things?"

They had reached a small cluster of vehicles, sleek black motorcycles big enough to hold two people. The bright blue lights illuminating their wheels and handlebars were the only things that made it possible to see them through the darkness.

"I'll take that one as no," Atta Gaval said off his stare. "Well, hop on back, stray dog, and hold on tight to me. This is fast-movin' stuff, not like that thing you just fightin'. Little Brother don't got no sense of style, not like we do."

"If you're so worried about the damn monsters," Kurogane said, eying the motorcycle suspiciously, "why the hell do you have all those lights on that thing? You might as well paint a bullseye on it."

"No problem if they can see us, they gotta catch us first," Atta Gaval laughed, pulling herself into the driver's seat. Nearby Kurogane could see Fai sitting sidesaddle on the back of the motorcycle being steered by Imris Garan. "Not too many reapers fast enough to catch one of these, long as we can see 'em comin' first. Now, hop on, unless you wanna stay here and beg for scraps in the streets. No skin offa my nose either way."

"I'm coming." Kurogane carefully climbed into the seat behind her.

"Better hold onto the bars in front of you," Atta Gaval said. "We move fast and we don't got time to go after anyone who can't stay in their seat. You fall, you stay behind. Got it?"

Kurogane glared darkly at the back of her head but steadied his hold anyway, making certain that Mokona was still hidden safely underneath his cloak.

"You gonna regret that attitude, stray dog. Here we go." Atta Gaval's laughter floated back to him a moment before she hit the engine and the motorcycle burst into motion.

Only his hands on the bars in front of him kept Kurogane from flying off as the cycle accelerated abruptly. The wind screamed as it blew by his ears and the lights on the side of the motorcycle were nothing more than a bright flash in the night as they all but flew over the broken ground.

"Never been on something like this before, eh, stray dog?" Atta Gaval laughed, her voice barely heard above the howling wind. "Hold tight, we got some tight corners comin'!"

She had barely spoken the words when the motorcycle lurched abruptly to the right, nearly going vertical as they slid under a half-fallen beam. Scenery flew past them so fast Kurogane could barely get a good look at it, the motorcycle swerving this way and that around corners and flying over rubble with unexpected ease. Surrounding them Kurogane could see several other streaks of light, the only indication of the other cycles keeping pace with them.

The motorcycle swerved low again and then they were sliding into a small alcove and straight into a tunnel Kurogane hadn't even seen between two crumbling buildings. The cycle flew easily down half-destroyed stairs and landed with a small spray of water into a large curved tunnel that looked like it had once been used for a subway train. Beneath a thin layer of moldy water Kurogane could see the dim outline of long-rusted iron tracks.

The headlights from the cycle were the only thing lighting their way now but Atta Gaval seemed to know exactly where she was going, navigating the tunnels with ease. At last she began to slow the motorcycle and they slid to an easy stop as they emerged into what looked like the dusty, crumbling remains of an old train station.

"And this be as far as you go, stray dog." Atta Gaval gestured for him to get off the bike as other motorcycles slid out of the darkness behind them. Atta Gaval immediately turned away from Kurogane and went to help with the masked figures, all of whom were milling about aimlessly in the ankle-deep water as if they had no idea what to do or where to go.

All but one. Fai neatly jumped off the back of his motorcycle and splashed over to Kurogane, motioning for him to follow. Kurogane glanced back at Imris Garan, who was glaring darkly at them both, but no one made any move to stop them. Fai was already climbing up a ladder onto the subway platform, waiting impatiently for him to follow. When Kurogane would have spoken Fai put a finger to the part on his mask where the mouth would have been, shushing him again and indicating for Kurogane to follow as he began to make his way across the platform.

He led Kurogane through an old iron door to a creaky wooden ladder that led upwards into a small brick-lined alcove. As he emerged into the room Kurogane saw immediately why it had been given to Fai — the room was small and circular with a roof so low even Kurogane had to duck slightly as he entered. The tall, broad-shouldered people of this world would be far too cramped in a space like this. The room was lined with blank screens and there was a lumpy bed in the center that took up most of the floor space.

"All right," Kurogane said at last, crossing his arms. "Enough of this crap. What the hell is going on here?"

"Really, Kuro-sama," Fai's impeccably cheerful voice replied as the mage at last pulled down his hood and removed the white mask, revealing bright blue eyes and an unwavering smile. "You're always so impatient."

oOo

"Fai!" A white streak darted out from beneath Kurogane's cloak as Mokona launched itself into Fai's arms. "Is Fai okay?"

"I'm all right, I'm all right," Fai said soothingly but Kurogane thought there was a slight edge to his voice. Now that Fai had removed the mask, Kurogane noted that there seemed to be something a little…off about the other man, something strained and hollow that seemed to be stretching him even thinner than usual. "These people have been taking good care of me. We couldn't understand each other very well since I don't speak their language, but we came to a general understanding."

"They didn't seem to like you much," Kurogane noted. "What's with the mask?"

"Ah, that." Fai shrugged, forcedly casual. "Just a formality, Kuro-sama. These people don't think it's wise to show your face above, that's all."

"The guy with the gun didn't seem to have a problem with that," Kurogane said, undeterred. Fai had already turned away from him, facing one of the screens that lined the far wall. He pressed one palm against the surface and shaking white lines appeared on the screen.

"That's a bit different," Fai said, turning back with a smile. "It's a little hard to explain, Kuro-tan, and I'm not completely sure about most of it but here's the general idea of it that I've managed to put together." He pressed a finger against the screen and it went black, a small dot of blue light appearing where his finger touched the glass. Fai dragged his finger across the surface, drawing a line with the blue light. He drew a crude circle surrounded by four rounded protrusions, an image that looked somewhat like a compass on a map. "This country is made up of five areas. The middle one here" — he pressed a finger into the center of the circle — "and then the four outer districts: Northpoint, Southpoint, Westpoint and Eastpoint. We're in Eastpoint." He tapped the protrusion on the eastern side of the circle. "The people here were apparently fairly technologically advanced. They created some kind of machine — I'm not really sure what exactly it was, they couldn't really tell me in a way I'd understand, not without Mokona nearby — that they called 'Mother.' It's in the main center city. The outer areas all got their own smaller machines, the 'Little Brothers.'" As he spoke the words Kurogane noted Fai's eyes widening just slightly in surprise and a darkly amused smile coming over his face, and it occurred to Kurogane that Fai had likely been unaware of what exactly the names given to the machines had meant until just this moment. "Anyway, I suppose they…went out of control? I'm not really sure exactly." He gave a shrug that seemed far too calculating for Kurogane's liking. "You saw the scar in the sky when we got here? Mother did that. And I think it…did something to the people here, somehow. The thing we saved you from earlier, the reaper…that's the name these people give to the agents of Mother and the Little Brothers. They catch people and inject them with those needle things. The people of this country who evaded capture made some kind of underground resistance to try and destroy Mother."

"So that's where this place is?" Kurogane said, raising an eyebrow. "You're helping them with that?"

"Don't be silly, Kuro-rin," Fai said with a laugh. "They destroyed Mother nearly a week ago."

"But those whatever the hell you just called them are still out there."

"Exactly," Fai said. "When Mother was destroyed, it couldn't supply power to the reapers or the Little Brother machines anymore. Apparently the Little Brothers of the other three point cities have already stopped working. Only this one is still functioning…almost as if it had some alternate source of power."

"The princess's feather." The answer came immediately and Fai nodded.

"Apparently this one's been acting strange for days," Fai continued, and Kurogane noted that he'd turned his back so that Kurogane could not see his expression. "Normally the reapers capture anyone who goes above and take them to Little Brother, but lately they've been attacking and killing more people than they've been capturing. Kuro-sama was lucky we showed up just in time. Your sword hasn't been doing any good, right?"

Kurogane glared at him in reply and Fai laughed.

"This isn't a normal world," Fai said. "That sort of weapon is no good here, I think. We'll have to get you a better one before we leave."

"Leave for what?" Kurogane asked suspiciously. Fai whirled to face him, bright smile fixed back in place.

"To destroy Little Brother, of course!" Fai said it as if it he was discussing a picnic. "I did promise these people I would take care of it."

"You idiot," Kurogane snapped. "How the hell do you think we're going to do that? My sword doesn't work on those things!" He paused. "Unless you plan on using magic on them."

"Don't be silly, Kuro-rin." Fai waved a hand dismissively. "I haven't got any sort of power like that, and besides these people don't even know what magic is. They'll supply us with weapons. After all, they're all leaving."

"Leaving?"

"You saw the sky? The fire in the distance?" Fai leaned back against the wall. "That's from Centerpoint. The fire's been burning since they destroyed Mother. We've lost contact with all the other cities. There are electronic barriers around each city that run on power independent from Mother's systems but they won't hold for long. This is a dead city, Kuro-rin. They expect the fire to reach us in a few days. Once it does, it will burn until there's nothing left. Even these underground places won't be safe."

"But what about Sakura and Syaoran?" Mokona whimpered. "If we don't find them…."

"Don't worry." Fai patted Mokona reassuringly on the head. "I know where they are." He glanced back at Kurogane. "These people have eyes on the citadel that's Little Brother's main stronghold. A while ago it underwent some kind of big change, restructuring itself into a different form and we lost contact. But one of the last images they were able to show me was definitely Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun. Nothing's left that place since. They should still be there."

"So if we go after this Little Brother thing, we can get the kids and the feather," Kurogane said.

"Exactly. Kuro-rin! That's why I volunteered. There's not enough time to reach the citadel and come back before the fire catches up. I had hoped Kuro-sama and Mokona would be there as well, and then once I met up with all of you there wouldn't be a need for a way back." He looked down for a moment, expression unreadable. "There won't be time to go back, so you'll have to come with me. I can't leave you here where it's safe."

"If you thought I was going to hide here like a coward you're a bigger idiot than I thought," Kurogane stated. Fai didn't look up.

"I know," he said softly, forced cheer obvious in his voice. "You'll have to come above with me. But it'll be dangerous, Kuro-rin. You have to be prepared."

"I'm not scared," Kurogane said, gaze steady.

"I didn't say you were." Fai smiled at him. "Ignore me, Kuro-tan. I'm just an idiot, after all."

The sound of someone climbing up the ladder made Mokona dive under the bed as Fai hurriedly pulled on his cloak and mask. Imris Garan's scowling face appeared over the edge of hatchway, his eyes darting briefly to Kurogane before moving back to Fai..

"You." He pointed curtly at Fai. "Come on. Edras Agra want to talk to you."

Fai nodded and rose. Imris Garan immediately glared at Kurogane when the ninja rose to do the same.

"Not you, stray dog. This invitation for Faceless alone. We deal with you later."

Kurogane opened his mouth to say something back and Fai put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. The magician indicated to Imris Garan that he should go on ahead and that Fai would follow, and the other man snorted derisively in response.

"Fine. Don't dawdle, Faceless."

Imris Garan's face disappeared from view and Fai relaxed slightly.

"Edras Agra is the leader of these people," Fai said in a low voice. "We need his permission if we want to leave. Let me handle it."

"Try not to get us imprisoned, that's all I ask," Kurogane said darkly.

"Kuro-rin's so mean," Fai whimpered. "No faith at all. You should be more trusting, Kuro-tan."

"I don't need to hear that sort of thing from you."

Fai laughed as he removed his hand from Kurogane's shoulder, moving towards the ladder. Kurogane suddenly reached out and grabbed him by the wrist.

"Kuro-tan?" Fai stared down at him in surprise as Kurogane pulled back Fai's long black sleeves, revealing the bandages wrapped around his arms.

"How long?" Kurogane asked slowly. The scars on his own arms itched, but he didn't let go of Fai's wrist.

"Not long." Fai pulled his arm away, his expression completely hidden by the mask. "It's nothing, Kuro-sama."

"What did you see?" Kurogane said. "While it had you?"

"What did you see?" Fai replied smoothly. "Don't worry so much, Kuro-tan. It's nothing."

With that he disappeared down the hatchway, leaving Kurogane staring after him.

oOo

Syaoran turned another corner, keeping one hand on the wall as he went. His head hurt and he was covered in bruises but he couldn't let himself rest, not while the princess was still missing.

Princess… His hands clenched for a moment in frustration and worry. They had been trapped in the strange citadel for what had to be at least two days, following a maze-like series of halls and secret doorways, hidden ladders and sudden trapdoors, trying desperately to find a way out in order to find their companions. They had been together until only a short time ago when suddenly the entire building had begun to shake. The floor beneath them had cracked in two and the walls crumbled and fell, almost as if the entire building was breaking apart and re-forming itself into something new. The last thing Syaoran remembered was reaching for Sakura's hand when something heavy had struck him from behind and he'd lost consciousness. He'd woken up alone in a completely darkened hallway with a low ceiling and no apparent door. It had taken him hours of feeling around in the dark before he'd managed to find a small hatchway and had climbed through it. Ever since then he'd been wandering the place alone, trying to find Sakura.

Something bright caught his eye and he increased his pace. He'd barely seen any lights at all while wandering in this place other than the occasional flash of orange from somewhere off in the distance. There was an opening just up ahead of him and he could see light pouring in from around it.

He ran forward and just managed to stop himself before he would have fallen. The floor dropped away immediately outside the doorway and Syaoran took a quick step back, staring.

He seemed to have found the very center of the building. In front of him was a vast circular room, the walls all made of metal and cable, dotted all around with sheets of glowing orange glass that looked as though they had been cut from a lantern. Smaller bursts of light shot upwards along the walls and there were strange creatures made of machinery everywhere — giant monsters with gnashing teeth and thick limbs crawled along the walls, claws making deep scores in the metal. Tinier creatures ran between them, metal mockeries of mice and birds and even insects, all moving both upwards and downwards throughout the circle with mindless urgency. Looking down Syaoran couldn't even see the ground, only a deep drop occasionally crossed by thin pipes or metal beams. Above him he could just make out the ceiling, hung with what appeared to be a network of giant metal lamps. They hung from an extensive array of beams so thick it looked like a giant metal spiderweb. More orange lights burned from inside the lamps, making shadows on the walls.

One shadow was moving differently from the others. It was small and moved like a living creature, not a machine.

"Princess…" Syaoran glanced around quickly and his eyes fell upon a series of metal rungs just to his right, leading upwards. He reached over and swung himself onto the ladder, willing himself not to look down.

Steeling himself, Syaoran began to climb.

oOo

"Al…most…there…aah!" Sakura gave a small cry as she hit the ground hard. She sat up with a groan, rubbing her head as she looked upwards once again.

The place she was in seemed almost like a giant metal lamp. There was an orange cone-shaped light bulb in the center of the lamp that glowed with a warm light and the walls were all made of frosted glass. Above her the roof was made of a series of criss-crossed metal bars. There was just enough room between them that someone of her size should be able to slip through the bars and escape the lamp, if only she could reach them.

The lamp didn't seem to have been originally made as a cage but even so someone had prepared it for her as such. There was long flat bench along one side and several small chairs, even a table. Ever since she'd woken up to find herself here alone, Sakura had tried stacking them in various ways in the hopes that she could climb high enough to grab onto the bars and pull herself out.

"One more time!" Sakura told herself encouragingly. She didn't know where she was exactly or who had put her here, but she knew that she couldn't wait around for someone to come find her. The last she'd seen of Syaoran he'd been falling to the ground after being hit by a piece of debris. She had tried to reach him but the floor had split under her feet and she'd been thrown backwards. She didn't know where Syaoran was now but she knew that she couldn't just sit around and wait, not when she didn't know if he was all right or not. And she hadn't seen Fai, Kurogane or Mokona ever since they'd landed. Sakura knew that they were likely looking for her and just as worried about her as she was about them. Therefore, she had decided right away that she couldn't simply wait to be rescued.

Carefully she clambered onto the makeshift ladder, balancing precariously on the top chair. The bars were above her head, just out of reach. Sakura took a moment to be sure of her balance and then jumped.

"Aah!" Her hands missed the nearest bar by just a hair and she fell back onto the ground, landing hard enough to knock the wind out of her body for a moment. Sakura lay there on her back, breathing shakily.

"One more time," she told herself again, sitting up gingerly.

"You can't get out." It was a child's voice and Sakura immediately straightened, looking around.

"Is-is someone there?" she called nervously.

"You can't get out." The voice came from by her feet and she looked down to see a small metal bird sitting there, looking up at her sidelong out of one glowing orange eye. It hopped forward like a living bird would, head cocking curiously in a mockery of life. "You're here because you have to stay safe until my friend comes. So you have to stay where you are."

"I can't do that," Sakura told it, reaching out her palm so that it could jump into her hand. "My friends are looking for me."

"Looking?" The bird cocked its head at her again as she lifted it up to eye level. "Then you should wait until they find you. It's safer if you wait here, you know."

"They could be in trouble, though," Sakura said. "And…and I don't want to just sit here and do nothing, if they're in trouble." Syaoran's face flashed through her mind, his eyes wide as he fell away from her. "If there's something I can do to help them, I want to try."

"But you're important," the bird insisted. "An important piece to grant my wish. So you have to stay."

"Your wish?" Sakura asked curiously.

"A very important wish," the bird said. Its small wings suddenly started to flap as it leapt back into the air. "The most important wish of all, the one all people want granted and never can have. But I will. It will work for me. As soon as I find the person I'm looking for, we're going to have our wishes granted together. So you need to stay safe here, where I can find you. Don't worry. I won't let anything hurt you here." The bird began to fly upward towards the gap in the bars.

"Wait!" Sakura reached a hand after it but it had already disappeared. She stared after it for a long moment ans then turned back to look at her makeshift ladder.

"One more time," she said firmly. "I'll try one more time."