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burningdarkfireTitle: Masquerade - Unmask
Series: TRC
Pairing: KuroFai; DouWata
Rating: PG - 13
Length: about 4000 words, chapter 4 (4/5)
Note: Based on Stephen King's The Shining. Written for Halloween Contest at kuroxfai_pop.
Series: TRC
Pairing: KuroFai; DouWata
Rating: PG - 13
Length: about 4000 words, chapter 4 (4/5)
Note: Based on Stephen King's The Shining. Written for Halloween Contest at kuroxfai_pop.
Masquerade
Part IV. Unmask
Part IV. Unmask
Watanuki stared up at the ceiling in Doumeki’s room with a vague unease. As much as he tried to shove it out of his mind, he couldn’t avoid the feeling that something was dreadfully wrong at the Kleine.
“You’ve been really quiet,” Doumeki observed, turning over in bed beside him so that he also stared up at the ceiling. He studied it carefully for a few minutes, but after apparently not finding anything of interest, turned his attention to Watanuki again. “It’s not like you.”
“Don’t be irritating,” Watanuki snapped, but only half his heart was in it. Part of his mind was still screaming at him that something was wrong, that he had made a really bad decision in letting that small group stay at the hotel for the winter. “I’m just wondering how they’re all doing in the Kleine.”
“It’s been nearly three months, and we haven’t heard anything from them,” Doumeki pointed out sensibly. “If something happened, we would have found out by now.”
“Not if they’re all dead,” Watanuki replied uneasily. The words landed heavily, striking blows against his chest as he spoke them. “Not if something terrible has happened and they can’t get help.”
“That’s a pessimistic way of thinking,” Doumeki said, almost critically, and Watanuki twisted to glare at him.
“You could be a little bit consoling,” he informed him coldly. “I’m trying to stress out here, so either you agree with me and we do something about it, or you disagree and you talk me out of doing anything about it.”
“How about we just stop talking,” Doumeki suggested, and leaned forward for a kiss.
Watanuki shoved him back, keeping his hands between their bare chests underneath the covers. “Not now, you great big oaf. There’s something wrong, I can just feel it.”
“Ask the witch.” Doumeki looked at Watanuki, head propped up on one hand, as if this answer should have been easy. “She’ll know.”
“But would she tell me? Watanuki brooded, and then shook his head. “Even if I wanted to, I have no way of contacting Yuuko. She just appears out of nowhere whenever she wants something from me, the greedy –”
“I would stop right there, if I were you,” a familiar voice said cheerfully from the hallway. Watanuki gaped in horror and Doumeki watched in amusement as their bedroom door was flung open, and the Dimension Witch strode in, dressed in a coat made from unidentifiable furs that covered her from neck down to her ankles. “How are the two darling lovebirds?”
“We’re good,” Doumeki replied easily as Watanuki spluttered, his face slowly going red. “And you?”
“Fantastic,” Yuuko said happily. She took off her gloves and stuffed them into her pocket. “Watanuki, be a good host and get me a drink.”
After a few more moments, during which Watanuki’s expressions ranged from incredulous to furious to resigned, he sighed and pushed himself up. “Get out so I can get dressed first.”
Yuuko complied, even shutting the door behind her as she flounced back off into the corridor. When Watanuki had deemed himself and Doumeki presentable, they made their way down the stairs to where Yuuko was waiting in Doumeki’s living room. The back wall, made entirely of glass, illuminated the room with its view of the fresh snow.
Yuuko was lounging languidly on one of the long couches in the room, her fur coat draped carelessly over the back of her seat. She appeared to be studying, or playing with, something in her hands, but when Doumeki and Watanuki appeared, she hastily stored it out of sight.
“I have a job for you,” she purred, before they were even seated. Watanuki noted with annoyance that she had taken the liberty of opening the alcohol cabinet for herself. “It’ll be slightly dangerous, but it’ll go a long way towards paying off your debt to me. What do you say?”
“What is it?” Watanuki asked cautiously. He had had too many bad experiences with jobs that the witch considered ‘slightly dangerous’.
Yuuko took a dainty sip of the sake she had poured for herself. “The Kleine. You let four travelers stay there over the winter, right?”
Watanuki nodded, feeling the icy dread clutching at his heart.
Yuuko straightened up and looked at him straight in the eyes, her customary sly grin gone. “I need you to do this.”
“What is it?” Watanuki asked again, his mouth feeling surprisingly dry. “What do you want me to do?”
“Save them,” Yuuko said, and her eyes seemed to flutter with a million secrets. “Do whatever you can, everything that you can, to save them. It’s essential that they leave this world safe and sane.”
Watanuki licked his lips. He paused, to think it over logically, but his heart was already set on going back and doing whatever he could to help. “How? What do I do?”
The witch reached behind her and seemed to pull a bow and quiver out of nowhere. “This is for Doumeki. It will be up to him to strike the final blow.”
“There are no arrows,” Doumeki remarked, his eyes on the empty quiver. “What will I shoot with?”
“Just shoot as you normally would,” Yuuko told him. “Your powers as an exorcist are quite strong, strong enough to keep the hotel at bay, and strong enough to destroy it if its gather in one place and you really focus your power.”
Doumeki blinked and nodded. Watanuki scowled at Yuuko. “Why do I have to go then?”
Yuuko lifted an eyebrow. “You’re hardly going to let Doumeki go running off alone, are you?”
The raven-haired male frowned and turned away in a huff. “I guess not.”
“If you succeed, and even return the bow, you can consider your payment filled,” Yuuko informed him, her voice brisk and business-like. “The price of interference is mine to pay.”
Watanuki looked at her in concern, but she didn’t notice, or pretended not to.
“Your plane tickets,” Yuuko said, as she held them out to him. A grin slid back onto her face once Watanuki took them. “They came out of your bank account, of course.”
“We could have just driven there!” Watanuki protested.
“You have to hurry,” Yuuko insisted, her tone serious again.
Watanuki groaned loudly and then stomped off to pack.
-
Kurogane watched in fear as the mage’s body seized up, as if all the muscles in his body were tensing, then relaxed completely and fell forward. Kurogane caught him, not too delicately, and winced when Fai’s head crashed into his ribs.
“Oi,” he said gruffly, shaking the blond. “Wake up. Come on, idiot, this isn’t the time to go crazy on us. We have to figure out what we’re going to do, if we can’t stay here.”
Fai didn’t reply. Kurogane stared at his inert body. For a horrible moment, he thought the blond had stopped breathing and he placed his hand nervously under the mage’s nose, greatly relieved when he felt the air tickling his skin.
Kurogane sat there, with Fai in his lap, as the hours crawled by slowly. He was determined to keep Fai bound, if necessary, when he woke up, but otherwise, he would do whatever he could to help the mage emerge from the grasp of the hotel and his own nightmares.
Syaoran poked his head in once, a shaken but still caring Sakura by his side, but Kurogane sent them away quickly. “I’ll take care of this,” he said, and Syaoran had opened his mouth to protest but Kurogane glared at him and he closed it again. With a nod, Syaoran closed the door behind him as he left with Sakura.
“Come on.” He shook Fai again. “Wake up!”
As if they were waiting for their cue, Fai’s blue eyes shot open. Rather than their usual clear sky blue, they seemed to almost be spotted with flecks of black – as if there were shadows moving within them.
“Mage?” Kurogane asked hesitantly. “Do you know where you are and what time it is?”
Without saying a word, Fai pushed himself up and away from Kurogane. He let the blond climb out of his grasp and simply watched as Fai stood up mechanically on the far side of the bed. He stepped lightly towards the door and flung it open with a bang.
“Hey –” Kurogane started forward with a protest, but Fai swept out of the room without taking any note of him. The ninja hurried to his feet and followed the mage, certain that something was amiss again. He glanced around uneasily as the hallway lights flickered and a faint buzzing noise filled the corridor, and from time to time, as he fell into step a meter or so behind Fai, he swore he could see the shadows fluttering along the walls.
“Mage,” he hissed, grabbing the blond’s arm as he stepped onto the staircase to go downstairs. “What’s going on? Where are you going?”
Fai turned to him, his eyes dull and dark. “The kitchen,” he replied blankly, and shook himself free of Kurogane’s grip. He walked down the stairs calmly, not even sliding down the banister or launching himself from the fifth lowest stair with some ridiculous cry of joy.
Kurogane followed, and reached out for Fai again, but the other man dodged him and quickened his pace. Fai strode past the front desk, and the moonlight lit up his hair so that he seemingly shone with a supernatural light. They made their way to the kitchen, where the lights were off, and Kurogane found himself flinching away from the twisting shadows – but he was being ridiculous, because shadows didn’t move of their own accord and they certainly couldn’t hurt him.
Kill him, they said in their quiet whispers of movement, but Kurogane hurried after Fai and shook his head angrily, trying to clear himself of his delusions. Other words slid in and out of his hearing, but Kurogane was too focused on Fai to pay any attention to what they were saying.
Once they entered the kitchen, Fai headed immediately to the right, his path sure and steady. Kurogane followed more slowly, eyes darting from side to side to try and take in their surroundings – but it was shadows, all shadows, and surely the darkness shouldn’t be so complete in here? It was dark enough that he could only just barely make out Fai in front of him, and he relied more on the soft tread of his footsteps to guide him.
“Hey,” he called out, wincing as his voice pierced the murmuring silence. “Stop! Where are you going?”
There was no answer, and Fai’s shape faded into the blackness. Kurogane increased his strides forward, a frown settling onto his face, but the mage didn’t reappear. He took another step, less sure of himself now, and then another – was the kitchen really this big? Another step – and the lights turned on, their brilliance blinding him for a moment. One hand went to his sword hilt, a habit ingrained from years of training, and he was extremely glad that he had chosen to keep it with him rather than give it to Mokona in this world.
Something flung itself at him, and Kurogane retreated, whipping his blade upwards to block the slash of silver coming down. Sohi met the wickedly sharp kitchen knife with a clang, and Kurogane was nearly forced to his knees with the unexpected strength of the blow. He pushed upwards and sideways, casting the knife aside and trying to twist it out of the writhing black creature’s grip with no success.
He leaned into the offensive, pressing forward with a flurry of attacks that the shifting thing in front of him always seemed to manage to avoid, its body twisting and turning and rippling on the surface as if it was made up of thousands of entities bound together with a single goal in mind.
“Where is he?” Kurogane grunted out as they fought. The shadows leapt at him, its nearly humanoid shape losing definition for a moment as the knife flashed and Kurogane stumbled backwards, shadows pressing in behind him until he was surrounded on all sides, their light touches lingering on his skin. He clutched his side, where blood was slowly seeping through his torn shirt, and growled defiantly. “What did you do to him?!”
The creature laughed manically and raised its arm for a killing blow. Don’t you realize? It asked, glittering black. Haven’t you figured it out by now? The knife fell down and Kurogane flung himself to the side and lashed out, feeling satisfaction as his blade sliced into something solid. The shadows fell back with a screech, melting away until Fai stood there alone, eyes closed, a gash across his chest.
Kurogane swore loudly, and moved forward to support the swaying mage, but the shadows swarmed in front of him, blocking his way feebly. It seemed that without their human host, they were incapable of becoming fully solid. Kurogane persisted, pushing his way through until he reached Fai, who collapsed in his arms.
He opened his eyes, and Kurogane was horrified to see that they were blank and unseeing. “Mage?” He whispered, trying to get past the emotion clogging up his throat. “Damnit, say something!”
He’s ours now, the shadows insisted, fluttering against him. He said he would do anything for him.
“Mage!” He yelled, ripping Fai’s flimsy shirt and then his own into strips to form a makeshift bandage. “Just wake up!”
Fai’s eyes drooped shut again, but his hand, the one that wasn’t holding the knife, fluttered weakly. Kurogane grasped it in his own and squeezed.
“Wake up,” he repeated, trying to keep the desperation he was feeling out of his voice. “Wake up!”
With a labored exhale, Fai stirred a little and pushed himself up slightly. Kurogane held him, keeping a hand in his, and watched for any further movement. The blond’s lips moved slightly, and Kurogane knelt down. His ear was nearly brushing Fai’s mouth before he heard him, ever so faintly, saying one word.
“Sorry,” Fai breathed out again, a tiny puff of air against his ear. Kurogane nearly dropped Fai as the mage’s body convulsed, and the shadows swarmed again over it, stronger and thicker than before, and he was horrified to see that they had taken up their own shape – large insects, crawling and flying all over Fai’s form.
“Give him back!” Kurogane roared, trying to plunge his hand through the twisting blackness on top of Fai, but he was repelled and the shadows, having claimed Fai once again, sat up and grinned. “He’s not yours!”
They were strong, stronger than before, and Kurogane found himself fighting an opponent that was everywhere at once, yet he couldn’t land a blow. He didn’t dare aim for the core again, in case he hurt Fai, and Sohi bit uselessly at overwhelming darkness.
Let’s play a game, the creature suggested, and solid tendrils curled upwards to bind Kurogane’s hand and feet. Let’s see how long you can hold out before you break.
“Never,” Kurogane spat out, struggling against the bindings holding him in place. “I’ll never give in.”
Won’t you? The shadows parted once more, flowing downwards so that Fai’s head was revealed. One by one, the individual shapes crawled up slowly and approached Fai’s eyelids, nose, or mouth, and they crawled into him, disappearing through his milky skin as if it was nothing. He’s ours now. He was never yours to begin with!
Kurogane couldn’t help the shudder that passed through him as the seventh – or maybe the eight, or even the ninth – one began its journey up Fai’s neck. “Stop it!” He raged, trying to free himself of the buzzing shadows that clung to him. “I SAID STOP IT!”
The insect paused, and there was a faint ripple in the room towards the direction of the entrance. Fai lifted his head up, and Kurogane felt a moment of – relief? terror? – but when his eyes opened, Kurogane saw that they were pitch black and flat.
We have a visitor, the creature proclaimed in surprise. Fai’s form was lifted up and the shadows flowed towards the main doors as one, the humanoid shape in the middle leading the way. We’ll deal with these rude people first, and then come back. Don’t worry, we’ll be back soon.
Kurogane was about to shout out for help, but there was a sudden pressure around his neck and he fell into darkness.
-
“This storm,” Watanuki said uncertainly as he tried to peer through the white snow in front of the windshield. Doumeki was in the driver’s seat beside him, his knuckles nearly white from clutching the steering wheel. “It’s not natural, is it?”
Doumeki grunted in response as the savage wind hurled itself at their vehicle. The car that they had picked up at the airport jerked sideways and he cursed quietly. Watanuki steadied himself and stared at the hazy whiteness.
“I hope we’re not too late,” he said tensely as a smudge of darkness appeared. “Yuuko wouldn’t have sent us if we weren’t able to complete the job, would she?”
Doumeki didn’t reply and Watanuki stared at the looming Kleine as it became more and more defined. The storm lashed and clawed at them, but Doumeki managed to inch his way safely forward until they were at the front of the resort.
Watanuki looked at Doumeki. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”
Doumeki just turned and extracted the bow and quiver from the backseat. “But you do.”
“So let me do it,” Watanuki said, holding onto Doumeki’s arm. “You might not even be able to see what you’re fighting against.”
“The witch said it was up to me,” Doumeki replied stubbornly. “I’m not about to let you go in there alone.”
“You’re an idiot,” Watanuki huffed affectionately. He opened his door and the wind shrieked in his face, slapping him backwards. He gritted his teeth and struggled out of the car, amazed at the fact that Doumeki had even managed to get them up to the Kleine in these conditions.
Watanuki staggered towards the main doors and flung them open. Doumeki followed closely in his footsteps. Once they stepped inside the lobby, the doors slammed shut and a sudden unnatural hush fell around them.
“It looks normal,” Watanuki whispered with surprise. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting – destroyed furniture, maybe, or at least panicked screams – but the place was deathly quiet. “Maybe everyone is sleeping.”
He stood there undecidedly for a moment then turned to ask Doumeki what he thought. When he saw his partner, his eyes flew open and he gave a strangled gasp. There were flowing shadows lurking around him menancingly, yet none of them touched him.
“What is it?” Doumeki asked, giving him a strange look.
“Can’t you see – the shadows –” Watanuki gestured wildly, but he knew that of course the other couldn’t see. Doumeki never could. “Just – stand still and don’t move!”
We have a visitor, the shadows whispered insubstantially. Or perhaps … an intruder? Watanuki fought the urge to back up, knowing that he couldn’t leave Doumeki to fight what he couldn’t see alone.
“Let go of him,” he said, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice. “Leave him alone!”
We can’t touch him, was his reply. The shapeless mass shifted, and leaned slightly towards him. Watanuki took an involuntary step back. But you …
They leapt forward, and Watanuki let out a strangled yell as they changed, becoming a swarm of yellow wasps that flew straight at him in a pack. He scrambled back, no longer reluctant to move, and dashed towards the staircase, barely aware that Doumeki, the fool, was following him.
Going somewhere? The insects overtook him and hovered at the top of the staircase. Watanuki’s gaze followed them up and he let out another exclaimation at what he saw.
“It’s the blond,” Doumeki remarked, faint surprise in his voice. “Maybe you woke him up with your screaming.”
Watanuki couldn’t find the words to tell Doumeki how absolutely and terribly horrifying the scene was. Fai was standing with one hand on the banister, his eyes dead and black as he stared down at the two of them. The wasps that settled on him dissolved back into shadows, and draped around his shoulders as if proclaiming him their leader. The other insects landed on the railing, the carpet, the walls, until everything that Watanuki could see was covered in them.
He started up the stairs, Doumeki at his heels. “Fai!” He called out desperately. “What’s going on? What happened to you?”
There was no answer. Instead, Fai raised his hand and the wasps all rose as one, some of them fading into shadows, and the writhing mass all rushed at him. We don’t welcome intruders!
Watanuki gasped and tried to jump out of the way, but he was struck and the insects swarmed around him as he batted furtively at them. They clogged the air and he screamed, as some landed and crawled all over him and others stung him. He took a step backwards, but the shadows tripped up his feet and he was vaguely aware of Doumeki’s cry and his futile grab.
He landed awkwardly, hearing a loud crack as he did. Doumeki was at his side in seconds, amber eyes burning into his, barely distinguishable from the golden insects. He seemed to be saying something, but blackness was dancing across Watanuki’s vision.
“Damnit,” he managed to gasp out, hoping desperately that the idiot could hear him. “Shoot! Use the bow! Use …”
The shadows smothered him and he couldn’t even pull in enough air to scream.
-
Kurogane opened his eyes and staggered to his feet. The kitchen was empty, the lights off, but there was a frightening lack of darkness. The shadows were all gone. He clutched the wound on his side and made his way towards the entrance, trying to shove aside the weakness he felt.
A scream made him hurry, although it wasn’t one that he recognized, and he remembered the shadow’s ominous words before he had passed out. He dashed into the main hall, and saw the fronk desk clerk from months ago kneeling over the cook, who had passed out.
“He’s not breathing,” the clerk said in a strangled voice as Kurogane reached him, more to himself than to the ninja. He stood fluidly, pulling a large bow from his back and drawing back the bowstring. Kurogane followed his gaze and saw, to his horror, Fai looking down at them from the top of the stairs. The shadows were once again a thick, black entity behind him.
“Don’t!” Kurogane shouted, running forward, but it was too late. The clerk released the string, and although there was no visible arrow that Kurogane could see, something flew and this shining streak pierced Fai right through the heart.
Kurogane screamed as Fai did, running up the stairs as fast as he could. He rushed to Fai’s fallen body as it convulsed, the shadows thick around it. “No! Mage!”
The shadows shrieked horribly and Kurogane clenched his hands furiously. “You idiot mage! Damnit, Fai, WAKE UP!”
-
A/N - I'd love some critique on this chapter in particular, since I think I could've done a little better, if I had more time - was it too quickly paced? Too action-y and not enough creepiness? Thanks for reading =)
“You’ve been really quiet,” Doumeki observed, turning over in bed beside him so that he also stared up at the ceiling. He studied it carefully for a few minutes, but after apparently not finding anything of interest, turned his attention to Watanuki again. “It’s not like you.”
“Don’t be irritating,” Watanuki snapped, but only half his heart was in it. Part of his mind was still screaming at him that something was wrong, that he had made a really bad decision in letting that small group stay at the hotel for the winter. “I’m just wondering how they’re all doing in the Kleine.”
“It’s been nearly three months, and we haven’t heard anything from them,” Doumeki pointed out sensibly. “If something happened, we would have found out by now.”
“Not if they’re all dead,” Watanuki replied uneasily. The words landed heavily, striking blows against his chest as he spoke them. “Not if something terrible has happened and they can’t get help.”
“That’s a pessimistic way of thinking,” Doumeki said, almost critically, and Watanuki twisted to glare at him.
“You could be a little bit consoling,” he informed him coldly. “I’m trying to stress out here, so either you agree with me and we do something about it, or you disagree and you talk me out of doing anything about it.”
“How about we just stop talking,” Doumeki suggested, and leaned forward for a kiss.
Watanuki shoved him back, keeping his hands between their bare chests underneath the covers. “Not now, you great big oaf. There’s something wrong, I can just feel it.”
“Ask the witch.” Doumeki looked at Watanuki, head propped up on one hand, as if this answer should have been easy. “She’ll know.”
“But would she tell me? Watanuki brooded, and then shook his head. “Even if I wanted to, I have no way of contacting Yuuko. She just appears out of nowhere whenever she wants something from me, the greedy –”
“I would stop right there, if I were you,” a familiar voice said cheerfully from the hallway. Watanuki gaped in horror and Doumeki watched in amusement as their bedroom door was flung open, and the Dimension Witch strode in, dressed in a coat made from unidentifiable furs that covered her from neck down to her ankles. “How are the two darling lovebirds?”
“We’re good,” Doumeki replied easily as Watanuki spluttered, his face slowly going red. “And you?”
“Fantastic,” Yuuko said happily. She took off her gloves and stuffed them into her pocket. “Watanuki, be a good host and get me a drink.”
After a few more moments, during which Watanuki’s expressions ranged from incredulous to furious to resigned, he sighed and pushed himself up. “Get out so I can get dressed first.”
Yuuko complied, even shutting the door behind her as she flounced back off into the corridor. When Watanuki had deemed himself and Doumeki presentable, they made their way down the stairs to where Yuuko was waiting in Doumeki’s living room. The back wall, made entirely of glass, illuminated the room with its view of the fresh snow.
Yuuko was lounging languidly on one of the long couches in the room, her fur coat draped carelessly over the back of her seat. She appeared to be studying, or playing with, something in her hands, but when Doumeki and Watanuki appeared, she hastily stored it out of sight.
“I have a job for you,” she purred, before they were even seated. Watanuki noted with annoyance that she had taken the liberty of opening the alcohol cabinet for herself. “It’ll be slightly dangerous, but it’ll go a long way towards paying off your debt to me. What do you say?”
“What is it?” Watanuki asked cautiously. He had had too many bad experiences with jobs that the witch considered ‘slightly dangerous’.
Yuuko took a dainty sip of the sake she had poured for herself. “The Kleine. You let four travelers stay there over the winter, right?”
Watanuki nodded, feeling the icy dread clutching at his heart.
Yuuko straightened up and looked at him straight in the eyes, her customary sly grin gone. “I need you to do this.”
“What is it?” Watanuki asked again, his mouth feeling surprisingly dry. “What do you want me to do?”
“Save them,” Yuuko said, and her eyes seemed to flutter with a million secrets. “Do whatever you can, everything that you can, to save them. It’s essential that they leave this world safe and sane.”
Watanuki licked his lips. He paused, to think it over logically, but his heart was already set on going back and doing whatever he could to help. “How? What do I do?”
The witch reached behind her and seemed to pull a bow and quiver out of nowhere. “This is for Doumeki. It will be up to him to strike the final blow.”
“There are no arrows,” Doumeki remarked, his eyes on the empty quiver. “What will I shoot with?”
“Just shoot as you normally would,” Yuuko told him. “Your powers as an exorcist are quite strong, strong enough to keep the hotel at bay, and strong enough to destroy it if its gather in one place and you really focus your power.”
Doumeki blinked and nodded. Watanuki scowled at Yuuko. “Why do I have to go then?”
Yuuko lifted an eyebrow. “You’re hardly going to let Doumeki go running off alone, are you?”
The raven-haired male frowned and turned away in a huff. “I guess not.”
“If you succeed, and even return the bow, you can consider your payment filled,” Yuuko informed him, her voice brisk and business-like. “The price of interference is mine to pay.”
Watanuki looked at her in concern, but she didn’t notice, or pretended not to.
“Your plane tickets,” Yuuko said, as she held them out to him. A grin slid back onto her face once Watanuki took them. “They came out of your bank account, of course.”
“We could have just driven there!” Watanuki protested.
“You have to hurry,” Yuuko insisted, her tone serious again.
Watanuki groaned loudly and then stomped off to pack.
-
Kurogane watched in fear as the mage’s body seized up, as if all the muscles in his body were tensing, then relaxed completely and fell forward. Kurogane caught him, not too delicately, and winced when Fai’s head crashed into his ribs.
“Oi,” he said gruffly, shaking the blond. “Wake up. Come on, idiot, this isn’t the time to go crazy on us. We have to figure out what we’re going to do, if we can’t stay here.”
Fai didn’t reply. Kurogane stared at his inert body. For a horrible moment, he thought the blond had stopped breathing and he placed his hand nervously under the mage’s nose, greatly relieved when he felt the air tickling his skin.
Kurogane sat there, with Fai in his lap, as the hours crawled by slowly. He was determined to keep Fai bound, if necessary, when he woke up, but otherwise, he would do whatever he could to help the mage emerge from the grasp of the hotel and his own nightmares.
Syaoran poked his head in once, a shaken but still caring Sakura by his side, but Kurogane sent them away quickly. “I’ll take care of this,” he said, and Syaoran had opened his mouth to protest but Kurogane glared at him and he closed it again. With a nod, Syaoran closed the door behind him as he left with Sakura.
“Come on.” He shook Fai again. “Wake up!”
As if they were waiting for their cue, Fai’s blue eyes shot open. Rather than their usual clear sky blue, they seemed to almost be spotted with flecks of black – as if there were shadows moving within them.
“Mage?” Kurogane asked hesitantly. “Do you know where you are and what time it is?”
Without saying a word, Fai pushed himself up and away from Kurogane. He let the blond climb out of his grasp and simply watched as Fai stood up mechanically on the far side of the bed. He stepped lightly towards the door and flung it open with a bang.
“Hey –” Kurogane started forward with a protest, but Fai swept out of the room without taking any note of him. The ninja hurried to his feet and followed the mage, certain that something was amiss again. He glanced around uneasily as the hallway lights flickered and a faint buzzing noise filled the corridor, and from time to time, as he fell into step a meter or so behind Fai, he swore he could see the shadows fluttering along the walls.
“Mage,” he hissed, grabbing the blond’s arm as he stepped onto the staircase to go downstairs. “What’s going on? Where are you going?”
Fai turned to him, his eyes dull and dark. “The kitchen,” he replied blankly, and shook himself free of Kurogane’s grip. He walked down the stairs calmly, not even sliding down the banister or launching himself from the fifth lowest stair with some ridiculous cry of joy.
Kurogane followed, and reached out for Fai again, but the other man dodged him and quickened his pace. Fai strode past the front desk, and the moonlight lit up his hair so that he seemingly shone with a supernatural light. They made their way to the kitchen, where the lights were off, and Kurogane found himself flinching away from the twisting shadows – but he was being ridiculous, because shadows didn’t move of their own accord and they certainly couldn’t hurt him.
Kill him, they said in their quiet whispers of movement, but Kurogane hurried after Fai and shook his head angrily, trying to clear himself of his delusions. Other words slid in and out of his hearing, but Kurogane was too focused on Fai to pay any attention to what they were saying.
Once they entered the kitchen, Fai headed immediately to the right, his path sure and steady. Kurogane followed more slowly, eyes darting from side to side to try and take in their surroundings – but it was shadows, all shadows, and surely the darkness shouldn’t be so complete in here? It was dark enough that he could only just barely make out Fai in front of him, and he relied more on the soft tread of his footsteps to guide him.
“Hey,” he called out, wincing as his voice pierced the murmuring silence. “Stop! Where are you going?”
There was no answer, and Fai’s shape faded into the blackness. Kurogane increased his strides forward, a frown settling onto his face, but the mage didn’t reappear. He took another step, less sure of himself now, and then another – was the kitchen really this big? Another step – and the lights turned on, their brilliance blinding him for a moment. One hand went to his sword hilt, a habit ingrained from years of training, and he was extremely glad that he had chosen to keep it with him rather than give it to Mokona in this world.
Something flung itself at him, and Kurogane retreated, whipping his blade upwards to block the slash of silver coming down. Sohi met the wickedly sharp kitchen knife with a clang, and Kurogane was nearly forced to his knees with the unexpected strength of the blow. He pushed upwards and sideways, casting the knife aside and trying to twist it out of the writhing black creature’s grip with no success.
He leaned into the offensive, pressing forward with a flurry of attacks that the shifting thing in front of him always seemed to manage to avoid, its body twisting and turning and rippling on the surface as if it was made up of thousands of entities bound together with a single goal in mind.
“Where is he?” Kurogane grunted out as they fought. The shadows leapt at him, its nearly humanoid shape losing definition for a moment as the knife flashed and Kurogane stumbled backwards, shadows pressing in behind him until he was surrounded on all sides, their light touches lingering on his skin. He clutched his side, where blood was slowly seeping through his torn shirt, and growled defiantly. “What did you do to him?!”
The creature laughed manically and raised its arm for a killing blow. Don’t you realize? It asked, glittering black. Haven’t you figured it out by now? The knife fell down and Kurogane flung himself to the side and lashed out, feeling satisfaction as his blade sliced into something solid. The shadows fell back with a screech, melting away until Fai stood there alone, eyes closed, a gash across his chest.
Kurogane swore loudly, and moved forward to support the swaying mage, but the shadows swarmed in front of him, blocking his way feebly. It seemed that without their human host, they were incapable of becoming fully solid. Kurogane persisted, pushing his way through until he reached Fai, who collapsed in his arms.
He opened his eyes, and Kurogane was horrified to see that they were blank and unseeing. “Mage?” He whispered, trying to get past the emotion clogging up his throat. “Damnit, say something!”
He’s ours now, the shadows insisted, fluttering against him. He said he would do anything for him.
“Mage!” He yelled, ripping Fai’s flimsy shirt and then his own into strips to form a makeshift bandage. “Just wake up!”
Fai’s eyes drooped shut again, but his hand, the one that wasn’t holding the knife, fluttered weakly. Kurogane grasped it in his own and squeezed.
“Wake up,” he repeated, trying to keep the desperation he was feeling out of his voice. “Wake up!”
With a labored exhale, Fai stirred a little and pushed himself up slightly. Kurogane held him, keeping a hand in his, and watched for any further movement. The blond’s lips moved slightly, and Kurogane knelt down. His ear was nearly brushing Fai’s mouth before he heard him, ever so faintly, saying one word.
“Sorry,” Fai breathed out again, a tiny puff of air against his ear. Kurogane nearly dropped Fai as the mage’s body convulsed, and the shadows swarmed again over it, stronger and thicker than before, and he was horrified to see that they had taken up their own shape – large insects, crawling and flying all over Fai’s form.
“Give him back!” Kurogane roared, trying to plunge his hand through the twisting blackness on top of Fai, but he was repelled and the shadows, having claimed Fai once again, sat up and grinned. “He’s not yours!”
They were strong, stronger than before, and Kurogane found himself fighting an opponent that was everywhere at once, yet he couldn’t land a blow. He didn’t dare aim for the core again, in case he hurt Fai, and Sohi bit uselessly at overwhelming darkness.
Let’s play a game, the creature suggested, and solid tendrils curled upwards to bind Kurogane’s hand and feet. Let’s see how long you can hold out before you break.
“Never,” Kurogane spat out, struggling against the bindings holding him in place. “I’ll never give in.”
Won’t you? The shadows parted once more, flowing downwards so that Fai’s head was revealed. One by one, the individual shapes crawled up slowly and approached Fai’s eyelids, nose, or mouth, and they crawled into him, disappearing through his milky skin as if it was nothing. He’s ours now. He was never yours to begin with!
Kurogane couldn’t help the shudder that passed through him as the seventh – or maybe the eight, or even the ninth – one began its journey up Fai’s neck. “Stop it!” He raged, trying to free himself of the buzzing shadows that clung to him. “I SAID STOP IT!”
The insect paused, and there was a faint ripple in the room towards the direction of the entrance. Fai lifted his head up, and Kurogane felt a moment of – relief? terror? – but when his eyes opened, Kurogane saw that they were pitch black and flat.
We have a visitor, the creature proclaimed in surprise. Fai’s form was lifted up and the shadows flowed towards the main doors as one, the humanoid shape in the middle leading the way. We’ll deal with these rude people first, and then come back. Don’t worry, we’ll be back soon.
Kurogane was about to shout out for help, but there was a sudden pressure around his neck and he fell into darkness.
-
“This storm,” Watanuki said uncertainly as he tried to peer through the white snow in front of the windshield. Doumeki was in the driver’s seat beside him, his knuckles nearly white from clutching the steering wheel. “It’s not natural, is it?”
Doumeki grunted in response as the savage wind hurled itself at their vehicle. The car that they had picked up at the airport jerked sideways and he cursed quietly. Watanuki steadied himself and stared at the hazy whiteness.
“I hope we’re not too late,” he said tensely as a smudge of darkness appeared. “Yuuko wouldn’t have sent us if we weren’t able to complete the job, would she?”
Doumeki didn’t reply and Watanuki stared at the looming Kleine as it became more and more defined. The storm lashed and clawed at them, but Doumeki managed to inch his way safely forward until they were at the front of the resort.
Watanuki looked at Doumeki. “You don’t have to do this, you know.”
Doumeki just turned and extracted the bow and quiver from the backseat. “But you do.”
“So let me do it,” Watanuki said, holding onto Doumeki’s arm. “You might not even be able to see what you’re fighting against.”
“The witch said it was up to me,” Doumeki replied stubbornly. “I’m not about to let you go in there alone.”
“You’re an idiot,” Watanuki huffed affectionately. He opened his door and the wind shrieked in his face, slapping him backwards. He gritted his teeth and struggled out of the car, amazed at the fact that Doumeki had even managed to get them up to the Kleine in these conditions.
Watanuki staggered towards the main doors and flung them open. Doumeki followed closely in his footsteps. Once they stepped inside the lobby, the doors slammed shut and a sudden unnatural hush fell around them.
“It looks normal,” Watanuki whispered with surprise. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting – destroyed furniture, maybe, or at least panicked screams – but the place was deathly quiet. “Maybe everyone is sleeping.”
He stood there undecidedly for a moment then turned to ask Doumeki what he thought. When he saw his partner, his eyes flew open and he gave a strangled gasp. There were flowing shadows lurking around him menancingly, yet none of them touched him.
“What is it?” Doumeki asked, giving him a strange look.
“Can’t you see – the shadows –” Watanuki gestured wildly, but he knew that of course the other couldn’t see. Doumeki never could. “Just – stand still and don’t move!”
We have a visitor, the shadows whispered insubstantially. Or perhaps … an intruder? Watanuki fought the urge to back up, knowing that he couldn’t leave Doumeki to fight what he couldn’t see alone.
“Let go of him,” he said, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice. “Leave him alone!”
We can’t touch him, was his reply. The shapeless mass shifted, and leaned slightly towards him. Watanuki took an involuntary step back. But you …
They leapt forward, and Watanuki let out a strangled yell as they changed, becoming a swarm of yellow wasps that flew straight at him in a pack. He scrambled back, no longer reluctant to move, and dashed towards the staircase, barely aware that Doumeki, the fool, was following him.
Going somewhere? The insects overtook him and hovered at the top of the staircase. Watanuki’s gaze followed them up and he let out another exclaimation at what he saw.
“It’s the blond,” Doumeki remarked, faint surprise in his voice. “Maybe you woke him up with your screaming.”
Watanuki couldn’t find the words to tell Doumeki how absolutely and terribly horrifying the scene was. Fai was standing with one hand on the banister, his eyes dead and black as he stared down at the two of them. The wasps that settled on him dissolved back into shadows, and draped around his shoulders as if proclaiming him their leader. The other insects landed on the railing, the carpet, the walls, until everything that Watanuki could see was covered in them.
He started up the stairs, Doumeki at his heels. “Fai!” He called out desperately. “What’s going on? What happened to you?”
There was no answer. Instead, Fai raised his hand and the wasps all rose as one, some of them fading into shadows, and the writhing mass all rushed at him. We don’t welcome intruders!
Watanuki gasped and tried to jump out of the way, but he was struck and the insects swarmed around him as he batted furtively at them. They clogged the air and he screamed, as some landed and crawled all over him and others stung him. He took a step backwards, but the shadows tripped up his feet and he was vaguely aware of Doumeki’s cry and his futile grab.
He landed awkwardly, hearing a loud crack as he did. Doumeki was at his side in seconds, amber eyes burning into his, barely distinguishable from the golden insects. He seemed to be saying something, but blackness was dancing across Watanuki’s vision.
“Damnit,” he managed to gasp out, hoping desperately that the idiot could hear him. “Shoot! Use the bow! Use …”
The shadows smothered him and he couldn’t even pull in enough air to scream.
-
Kurogane opened his eyes and staggered to his feet. The kitchen was empty, the lights off, but there was a frightening lack of darkness. The shadows were all gone. He clutched the wound on his side and made his way towards the entrance, trying to shove aside the weakness he felt.
A scream made him hurry, although it wasn’t one that he recognized, and he remembered the shadow’s ominous words before he had passed out. He dashed into the main hall, and saw the fronk desk clerk from months ago kneeling over the cook, who had passed out.
“He’s not breathing,” the clerk said in a strangled voice as Kurogane reached him, more to himself than to the ninja. He stood fluidly, pulling a large bow from his back and drawing back the bowstring. Kurogane followed his gaze and saw, to his horror, Fai looking down at them from the top of the stairs. The shadows were once again a thick, black entity behind him.
“Don’t!” Kurogane shouted, running forward, but it was too late. The clerk released the string, and although there was no visible arrow that Kurogane could see, something flew and this shining streak pierced Fai right through the heart.
Kurogane screamed as Fai did, running up the stairs as fast as he could. He rushed to Fai’s fallen body as it convulsed, the shadows thick around it. “No! Mage!”
The shadows shrieked horribly and Kurogane clenched his hands furiously. “You idiot mage! Damnit, Fai, WAKE UP!”
-
A/N - I'd love some critique on this chapter in particular, since I think I could've done a little better, if I had more time - was it too quickly paced? Too action-y and not enough creepiness? Thanks for reading =)
