Stolen chapter 5
Chapter 5 - Zankou
Rating - K+
Characters/Pairings - KuroFai, Yuuko, TRC!gang, a little TRC!KuroFai, Soel, Larg, Chii, Ashura
Words - 2670
Stolen
Chapter Five - Zankou
Dakara, Itsumo.
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Last Time:
Yuuko was silent, studying Kurogane’s face for a while. The gym teacher didn’t know why, but it suddenly felt like the dread stone had doubled in size.
“You need to go home. Right now.” She said after a short while, staring Kurogane right in the eyes again, all traces of sarcasm gone, and he practically felt himself pale, not at the stare, but at the instinctive panic that such a line would bring to anyone.
“W-what the hell are you talking about?” he asked, voice wavering involuntarily.
“Fai-sensei is in danger. If you don’t get home as soon as possible, it will be too late.”
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As soon as Kurogane stepped off of the train, he was sprinting towards the apartment, buildings and crowds flashing past him. He burst into the apartment building and flew up the stairs, never relenting in his furious speed, pulling his keys out of his coat pocket as he neared the door.
He struggled to unlock it, however, as nervous adrenaline coursed through his veins, making his muscles respond awkwardly and shakily.
The latch clicked and he hesitated briefly, expecting the home to be completely ransacked, with pools of blood soaking the carpets and staining the walls. He shook his head; now wasn’t the time for thoughts. Now was the time for action. He threw the door open and was momentarily stunned by the lack of chaos, before charging across the main room into the hall, his footsteps echoing eerily around him.
Kurogane’s hand clasped the door handle and he instantly recoiled as if shocked; the waste magic from inside tingling up his spine and making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He frowned and rammed the door open with his shoulder, wishing briefly that he hadn’t made sure the handles were strong before buying them, before the door swung open and revealed to him…
…Nothing.
Nothing out of the ordinary, anyway. Nothing to suggest a struggle. Nothing to show for the surge of magic Kurogane was sure he’d experienced after stepping through the doorway. Nothing that even implied the blonde science teacher had been in here mere hours before, groaning from sickness and hiding in the bedcovers.
Kurogane gulped and backtracked, checking through all of the rooms until he was satisfied that Yuuko was pulling his arm and that Fai had probably either gone back to the bar or gone to buy more alcohol so that he wouldn’t “suffer sober”, as Kurogane remembered him say once.
There was no way that Fai had been--
The phone rang, jolting him from his thoughts. He calmed his skittering heartbeat as best he could before answering.
“You were too late.”
It wasn’t a question, and Kurogane guessed Yuuko’d known he’d be ‘too late’ all along. However, she’d continued before he could answer.
“Come to my shop. It isn’t far from you.”
Click. Dial tone. Cursing.
Kurogane ran his fingers through his hair agitatedly.
The likelihood of Fai just upping and going out without calling him or leaving a note taped to the bedpost was slim to none, and nobody would go this far for a prank, not even Yuuko.
Panic teased at his heart before he suppressed it, shaking his head clear. He stood and left the apartment, heading to Yuuko’s.
She had some explaining to do, after all.
X o X o X
The sky was dark when he stepped outside. It would rain soon, not that he cared.
He took off down the street, noticing dimly that he had never been to Yuuko’s shop before and had no directions to it, but he still knew where to go.
He pushed through the thick crowds, getting angry shouts from some people and frightened squeals from others, but he didn’t care. He didn’t even spare as much as a backwards glance.
‘Why didn’t I stay with him?’ He thought angrily, narrowly dodging a group of small children, ‘He even asked me to and he-‘
Kurogane remembered the morning. The emotion that had flickered across Fai’s expression when he refused to stay. He slowed a little, understanding worming its way into him.
‘He knew this would happen!’
The afternoon before, outside Yuuko’s office. When she asked Fai to “consider her offer”. When he replied that he wasn’t going to run anymore.
‘The idiots both knew this was going to happen and neither of them said anything!’
He sped up, now sprinting as fast as he could down the streets, adrenaline and anger fuelling him, swearing on his entire family that if Yuuko didn’t tell him what had happened to his blonde lover, there’d be hell to pay.
X o X o X
Apart from being utterly freaked out by Maru and Moro, Kurogane figured that Yuuko’s shop wasn’t too strange. In fact, the only thing really strange about it was the fact it was an old style house surrounded by modern skyscrapers, right in the heart of Tokyo.
He didn’t see the inside, for Yuuko was waiting for him in out in the front, wearing an odd black dress and a serious expression, neither of which he’d ever seen from her before. Two students, Watanuki and Doumeki, were behind her, as were the two creepy girls, and there was a strange black… rabbit sat on Watanuki’s head.
Yes. Not strange at all.
Kurogane adopted his usual scowl, waiting for her to make the first move.
“If you know where Fai is, you better tell me. And I don’t care if you are my boss.” he growled threateningly, when it seemed she wouldn’t make the first move after all.
Yuuko smirked, “Of course I know where Fai-sensei has been taken, but I’d watch your mouth if I were you. Especially as I’m the only one with the power to get you to him. If you make the right wish.”
Kurogane’s scowl grew into a full-blown glare, as if he was trying to intimidate her into letting up, before grumbling loudly: “I want to go and save Fai.”
Yuuko’s smirk widened at Kurogane’s submission.
“There is a price to go and retrieve him, and I’m afraid you alone don’t have enough to pay it,”
She paused, and rain began to fall slowly from the skies as they rumbled menacingly,
“Fai-sensei has been taken to another world.”
“Another world?” Kurogane repeated sceptically.
“Another dimension, if you will.”
“Right.”
“You wish to be able to cross dimensions to find him,” Yuuko stated, not expecting a reply from the taller teacher, though she got one in the form of a gruff nod, “Usually, you would not be able to pay any equivalent price I could name, but however; you are in luck.”
Kurogane looked up slightly, hopefully, and Yuuko’s smirk softened somewhat into a smile.
“I already have a group travelling dimensions, and I’m sure they’d be happy for you to join them. However, this also requires a suitable price.”
Thunder crackled in the distance.
“Your price is to travel with this group and help them regain feathers. Feathers that have tremendous magical power and are the memories of the young princess that is with them.”
Kurogane nodded without hesitation, and Yuuko turned to the kids.
“Mokona, contact the other Mokona for me.”
The rabbit thing smiled and hopped over to Yuuko, resting on her shoulder. A projection appeared from the jewel on its forehead, which it had directed off to the side.
“Yuuko!” something from the screen exclaimed, before the view bounced and the… whatever it was came up to what Kurogane assumed was a reflection of itself.
“Hello, Mokona.” Yuuko smiled, and the white clone of the black rabbit smiled in response.
“Did you want to talk to everyone? ‘cos they’ve gone to battle!” it asked, using up the rest of Kurogane’s Surprise Toleration for the year.
“Mokona, I believe you know Kurogane-sensei.” Yuuko signalled to the stunned teacher in front of her, who was about to ask how the hell a little meat bun would know him, before it “aah!”ed in recognition.
“He looks like Kuro-pin!”
“MY NAME IS KUROGANE!” he yelled back out of reflex, before he recoiled slightly, realising subconsciously what that could mean. If Yuuko noticed Kurogane’s observation, she didn’t comment on it.
“Kurogane-sensei has lost something very important to him, and he’ll be joining you on your journey for a while until he finds it. He’ll help you search for the feathers, as it was his price. Part of it, anyway.” her grin widened sadistically, to the point it made everyone in the vicinity shudder slightly.
The white thing nodded.
“Sakura-chan and I are going to the battle field to meet with everyone! We’ll be back soon!”
The communication ended. Yuuko rounded on Kurogane.
“The other part of your price is… You must travel with this group and live with being completely on your own as the relationship between the other Fai and Kurogane grows.”
Kurogane was about to demand to know what the hell she meant, when suddenly a massive drop stretched down from the sky between them, bursting to reveal the backs of four people, all of which he swore he recognised.
“WHY IS IT THAT THIS IS THE ONLY TIME YOU LAND US RIGHT, PORK BUN?!”
“Kuro-sama, stop being so mean to Mokona!”
Kurogane’s eyes darkened and he stared between the newcomers’ shoulders at Yuuko, who gave a sad smile in return.
“There is no coincidence in this world.” she said softly, as if they were the only two there, “only Hitsuzen.”
“Yuuko-sensei…” Watanuki started, walking slowly over to the Head Teacher, looking warily over at the two Mokonas, who were embracing on the other Fai’s head, “Don’t you think this is a little… cruel?”
“That woman wouldn’t recognise cruelty if it came and stole her alcohol, kid.” Kurogane growled, his voice pained, his head dipped slightly, his eyes now staring at the witch with hatred.
The four travellers turned around at the sound of another voice, somewhat surprised to see another Kurogane there.
“This is your price. Do you accept?” Yuuko said smoothly, immune to the looks she was receiving.
“Damn right.” Kurogane replied arrogantly, walking forwards until he was stood in front of her, his expression betraying his uneasiness and distrust, “But I swear, if this is some sort of trick,” he paused, clenching his fists, “I won’t hesitate in killing you.”
Yuuko’s smirk was back, the witch intimidated neither by his height or his words, “Then you’d best be off. Time waits for no-one.”
If Kurogane had turned to face the group, he would have seen the white Mokona sprout wings and a large magical circle appear under it as it sucked them all in.
X o X o X
This was originally where I ended chapter 5… but when I wrote chapter 6, they were both so short that I decided to stick 6 on the end of 5 XD;
Enjoy chapter 5.2! XDD
Also, to distinguish between Fais, I’ll refer to TRC Fai as Fay. I don’t really know how I’ll split the Kuros other than the TRC four calling him Kurogane-sensei… most of the Kurogane chapters will be in his POV (still in 3rd person though) anyway, so just bear with me!
X o X o X
Fai blinked his sore eyes open, and was shocked when he was greeted with a cold stone floor and a dark room that smelled damp and old and decaying.
He shuddered and tried to stand, but found his wrists were bound to something that, after hearing a dull ‘chink’, he realised was metal.
He tried to call for help, but his throat was sore and his voice cracked painfully.
Panic gripped at him and his chest shrank in on itself as he gasped for breath, shivering and whimpering.
The room, no, dungeon was suddenly flooded with light as someone opened a heavy door and strode in, his posture strong and regal, his expression as cold as the frigid air that chilled Fai to his bones. Fai shrank back slightly into the wall before his mask fell back into place and he forced himself to relax and think rationally.
The man smiled, though it made him seem no warmer, and gazed down at Fai, who couldn’t help but notice that he wasn’t even really looking at him. The man suddenly turned around.
“Chii, his dinner please.”
His voice was strong and smooth, and could have just as easily been used to charm women off of their feet, Fai thought idly. His eyes then flickered to the small girl who had just entered, keeping back a gasp at how similar she looked to one of his students.
Chii dropped the tray in front of him and turned, standing behind the man whom was obviously her… master? Owner? Something along those lines.
Fai tore his gaze away from the girl and her master to look down at his tray, not really processing what its contents were.
“You’re being fed because you aren’t my prisoner, dear Fai.”
Fai’s head snapped up in shock. How did he know his name?
The man’s smile widened softly, looking almost pained, “You are a hostage. There’s no point wishing for anyone to come for you soon, my pet, as I’m afraid we’re in a world… different to your own.”
Fai let out a small breath. The man raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t seem as panicked as I thought you’d be…” he commented slyly.
Fai started slowly, testing the waters. “You travelled across worlds to get me, and I’m guessing specifically me, as you knew my name… you won’t kill me.”
The man said nothing, so Fai carried on with more confidence.
“And you said I’m a hostage. That means I’m not really what you want, am I? I’m just bait.” he spat the last word, the volume of his voice climbing.
“But why would you go to such…” Fai trailed off, suddenly realising that getting angry at his captor wasn’t really a smart move, no matter how far the man had travelled to get him.
“Very good…” the man chuckled, his tone sinister enough to make Fai shrink back a bit. The man swooped down on him, lifting Fai’s chin with a cold index finger, their faces intimately close, “But you got one thing wrong… just because I can’t kill you… it doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you.”
Fai flinched as the man’s fingernail left a small cut along his jaw. His captor grinned maliciously and made his exit, telling Chii to stay with Fai.
“Yes, Ashura-ou.” she replied monotonously.
The door slammed shut, throwing them both back into darkness.
X o X o X
“So… your name is Kuro-pon?”
“Kurogane” the man in question growled, not looking the blonde in the eye, but rather pretending he was looking at the new world they’d arrived in.
“But you look just like our Kuro-rin!” the white thing chimed
“KUROGANE!” the other one yelled, grabbing Mokona from off of his head and throwing him at Fay, “Leave him alone, mage! He probably doesn’t want you near him either!”
Kurogane studied his double for a few moments before averting his gaze, not wanting to admit how right he was.
“Um…” Sakura started, blushing cutely, looking timidly up at the new Kurogane, “What is it that Kurogane-san is looking for?” she asked quietly, before looking away and blushing deeper, “I was thinking we could help him look!”
Kurogane smirked bitterly, not answering, pain flashing in his eyes.
Fay and Syaoran easily caught on to the look, so the two of them managed easily to redirect the conversation to observations of the new world they were in.
Kurogane gave a rumbling sigh, Fay’s faraway babbling squeezing his heart. He knew what Yuuko meant, he noted dully, as he looked around, ignoring the inquisitive glances from his companions and studying the scenery that was so very different yet so very similar to him.
He truly was alone now.
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