Yay! Thank you so much for the reviews, minna-san. Sorry this chapter took so long...I've been rather ill. But once I was able to write, I had fun doing so. A few surprises in this chapter, I think you'll like them.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Tsubasa Chronicle. The glory is bestowed upon CLAMP. Then again, I suppose I'm lucky that I don't get hate mail about ripping certain characters' eyes out. -cough-
Memory III: All Along the Watchtower
The group sat patiently, albeit slightly uncomfortably, at a long banquet table. They were awaiting the arrival of Jotosuke, who had invited them to dine with him that evening. Syaoran's amber eyes glanced around them; there were those strange soldiers completely surrounding them. Perhaps accepting this invitation was not such a grand idea after all... Before he could dwell on the thought longer, in strolled Jotosuke, flanked by inumerous servants. His seat was pulled out for him and he was seated, a napkin placed in his lap as cooks and waiters began delivering the food.
"Thank you for accepting my invitation, and on such short notice at that," Jotosuke said in a nasally voice, a large slab of meat being doled on his plate.
"Oh, it's no trouble at all. Thank you for inviting us...Your Highness," Fai said with a large grin.
"Now, I suppose you must be wondering exactly why I asked you here," Jotosuke began.
"A bit, yes," Syaoran said.
"Well, I suppose it would be best to cut to the chase," Jotosuke said airily. "With my father's passing, rest his soul, I have come to the throne. As King, I have many duties, however...I cannot perform them all on my own. You've heard the old adage, no doubt, that behind every great man there is a great woman?"
"Yeah, what's that got to do with anything?" Kurogane asked, cutting into the meat (Was it some sort of bird?) on his plate.
"Quite frankly, I need a wife. A Queen to be exact," Jotosuke said with a snarky grin.
"And, where do we come in with all of this?" Fai asked, head tilted to the side with a smile.
"Well not you specifically, but rather your lady friends. I have not seen such beauty in quite some time, and none other in this land shall do. Not to mention," Jotosuke said, sloshing his wine, "that you have brought a rather...exotic prize with you."
Hana and Sakura shifted uncomfortably, while Miyuki seemed to be distracted by something or other. Syaoran grabbed Sakura's hand and squeezed tightly. Kurogane grated his teeth. The nerve of this guy! That's it, this guy was getting a beating, King or not... He jumped up, slamming his hands on the table.
"Now, listen here! You have no right to...to claim whoever...who...whoever..."
"Kuro-daddy?" Mokona said uncertainly.
He felt dizzy all of a sudden. His knees buckled and he went crashing down, groping at the edge of the table as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Was the King...smirking at him? Sakura and Syaoran quickly made their way to his side, but if they were shouting, he couldn't hear them. Fai rose immediately, looking calmly to the King. Swiftly he moved over.
"Excuse me, but could you please tell me what you might have done to our friend? I'm afraid it's not very nice to--Nngh!"
Fai's eyes widened when he felt a prick on the back of his neck. He, too, went crashing down, a strange colored dart sticking from the back of his neck.
"Fai-san!" Hana cried, jumping up, only to go down as well, a nearby soldier shoving Mokona in a bag.
Syaoran and Sakura attempted to help their fallen comrades. Syaoran blinked...his eyes were growing blurry. There was something in the food! And yet, the King was unharmed. He could barely speak when he saw Sakura pass out next to Kurogane. The King rose, smirking down at him.
"Don't worry, it's not poison," Jotosuke said, the echoing in Syaoran's head making his voice no less nasally. "Just call it a bit of...insurance."
A trap. They hadn't even seen it coming. He was such a fool. His friends were in danger, his princess was in danger, all because he couldn't...because he didn't think ahead...and now...
Jotosuke smirked as Syaoran, too, collapsed. The only one left now was... He turned around, eyes wide. Miyuki's hand was inches away from his neck. He smirked again. She really was interesting. She wouldn't do for a bride, of course, Sakura or Hana were far more suited for that. This young woman was merely a tool, something to be used at his disposal. Throwing a hand out, the red satin cover fell of the square case in the corner of the room. When he turned around, Miyuki was on her knees, clutching her head.
"None of that would have worked on you, I know. Not with that curse on you. You're incapable of sleep, natural or otherwise," Jotosuke said. "But look here, I have something of yours. It has been passed down through generations of my family, ever since they were taken from you five hundred years ago."
Miyuki could see them. Even if she couldn't, she could sense them...her horns. As yet another punishment for her sin, she'd been stripped of her horns, cutting her power in half. That was something she'd never forgotten. Her pure white horns had been replaced with horns of crude, black onyx. They weren't visible now...not in her current form. But if she were to attain her horns, her real ones, she would be able to transform again. But her head...her head felt like it was splitting.
"As such, I have the upper hand. You and your friends shall be detained until you're a little more willing to do what I ask," Jotosuke said, snapping his fingers.
Immediately the black clothes soldiers swarmed in, dragging them off towards the holding cells. General Zhao followed briskly along, his eye on the strange beings. Things were going just as planned...
T+S+U+B+A+S+A
Kurogane slowly opened his crimson eyes, allowing them to adjust to the lack of light in the room. His body ached from laying on the cold, stone floor. He supposed they'd just been dropped there. Sitting up, he shook his head and looked around. He heard chains rattling and glanced across the room. Miyuki was bound in chains and was currently straining against them in an effort to be with the group, several feet away.
Getting up unsteadily, he walked over and knelt down next to her. They weren't chains like he'd seen before. They were pure black. Miyuki stopped straining long enough to tug on his sleeve questioningly.
"Hn? Yeah, I'm good. That bastard just doped us up," Kurogane grumbled. "Quit trying to break out of these things. You're not going anywhere."
Miyuki sat obediently, hanging her head. The chains felt funny to Kurogane...they made his skin prickle unpleasantly when he touched them. He grabbed onto one and tried to break it, but it was just as things had been with the door of the tower. For all his strength, he couldn't put so much as a dent into them. He sat back irritably. This sucked. He had a feeling the walls of this cell would probably be something similar. Miyuki motioned towards Fai.
"Huh? What about him?" Kurogane asked.
She waved her hands toward the mage.
"He's fine," the ninja grumbled.
But the white haired girl persisted, nudging him. Syaoran had just sat up, and Hana was beginning to stir, but the mage and the princess remained unmoving. Begrudgingly, he walked over and stood over Fai, glancing to his right as Syaoran attempted to stir Sakura.
"Oi. Mage. Wake up," Kurogane sighed.
He grumbled when the mage didn't respond. He was probably playing one of his stupid pranks again, pretending to be asleep, then popping up to surprise him with a stupid nick-name. He knelt down and shook the other.
"I said wake up," he said louder.
But still, the mage did not respond. Sakura was beginning to wake, with prompting from Syaoran and Hana was staring around the cell blearily, so why hadn't Fai woken? The ninja growled, grabbing a fistful of the other's clothes and hauling him up roughly.
"I swear, if this is one of your stupid pranks...!" he hollered.
"Kurogane-san, please!" Syaoran said placatingly.
"Your friend won't be waking for quite some time."
The group looked towards the small opening in the cell door. Zhao peered in at them before opening the door and stepping in, locking it behind him. Kurogane glared at him untrustingly. Syaoran stepped in front of Sakura and Hana, looking ready for a fight. Miyuki however, waved pleasantly at Zhao. He chuckled sightly.
"And just what are you laughing about?" Kurogane growled.
"I implore you to keep your voices down. There are guards all along the watchtower at this time of night and if you wake the others, our plan will not work," Zhao said quietly.
"Plan?" Syaoran said, skeptically.
Zhao smiled slightly, opening his mouth. He sang softly with words that weren't quite words. As he did so, his gruff appearance melted away, revealing that of a handsome young man with wavy brown hair and warm golden eyes. Syaoran's eyes widened slightly in recognition.
"Jotosuke?!" he gasped.
"No, it's the banished prince...Jotosuke's twin brother Kotosuke!" Hana said in an awed whisper.
"I apologize for my deceit. It was wrong of me, but necessary for my plan to work. I will release you and your friends, but we must make haste before they discover us," Kotosuke said.
He swung a hand out towards Miyuki and the chains dropped off her. She grinned appreciatively, hugging the banished prince fondly. He smiled sadly towards the group.
"I know where your other friend is, the small white creature, and as for the mage..." Kotosuke said, his sentence dropping off.
"What's wrong with Fai-san?" Sakura asked, looking between Fai and Kotosuke.
"You were a given a small dosage of a sleeping potion. But my brother Jotosuke, despite his wicked heart, still possesses the same ability to detect and use magic that I do. The same strong ability that's been passed down my bloodline. He sensed your friend's power and knew that it would pose a problem," Kotosuke explained.
"He's not..." Syaoran said, unable to finish his sentence.
"No. But he was given something extremely potent called Histhalmine. He'll be asleep for a long while yet, and he'll probably have to bear with the aftereffects when he awakes, like your little friend," Kotosuke said.
"They gave the same thing to Mokona?" Sakura asked.
"Yes. He's a rather unique creature. I know where he is, we can grab him before we leave. Now quickly, please follow me," Kotosuke said quietly, slipping out the door.
The group looked to each other hesitantly. Miyuki jumped up suddenly, glad to be rid of her chains, and smiled to the rest of them, nodding her approval. Looking to Sakura and Hana, Syaoran nodded slightly, grabbing hold of his princess' hand and making his way out of the cell with them. Kurogane snorted lightly, stooping to pick up the lithe magician before proceeding out of the cell as well, Miyuki nipping at his heels.
Kotosuke edged quietly down the corridor, stopping outside a room. He held a finger to his lips then motioned for them to stay put. Singing lowly once again, he morphed back to the appearance of Zhao and entered the room. The group heard two people speaking before the door opened once more and he emerged with Mokona. Quickly glancing down the corridor, he leaned over the battlement and looked down. There was a single guard, asleep at his post below. The shadows would give them enough cover to slip down. He morphed back to Kotosuke, suddenly looking fatigued.
"Alright, we're going to scale down the battlements. It's shadowy here, so it should provide us with cover. I know that guard, he's out drunk," Kotosuke whispered. "Can you all handle that?"
"If we couldn't handle something that simple we'd be dead by now," Kurogane said with a smirk.
"Alright then," the banished prince replied with a smile.
Miyuki reached out and took Mokona from him, cradling the white creature gently in her arms as Kotosuke lowered and secured the rope. He propelled silently down the wall and waited for them below, motioning for them to follow. Hana went next, followed by Syaoran aiding an anxious Sakura. The ninja looked to the white haired girl.
"Alright, you and the manjuu next," he said.
She shook her head.
"Don't you shake your head at me," he hissed, left eye twitching.
She mock-pouted, then grinned, pointing behind her. It seemed their escape had not gone unnoticed. Sighing inwardly, he lowered Fai, leaning him against the battlement. Miyuki placed Mokona in the magician's lap. The ninja looked to her curiously.
"What, you're going to fight to?" he asked.
She nodded enthusiastically.
"Che. Fine. Just don't die and don't get in the way," he said, cracking his knuckles eagerly.
He found the warning wasn't really needed, as they were met head on by attackers. The girl moved with the same ease in battle as that stupid magician...dodging, weaving, ducking, jumping...but never actually attacking. She let them do that to themselves: tripping over each other, falling off the battlements and such. He himself preferred his brute force, bowling into them and rendering them each unconscious.
It took a mere moment or two to properly dispatch of them. Once that was done, Kurogane looked back to Miyuki, who had picked Mokona up once more and waited by the rope. He himself picked up Fai.
"Alright, now you go first," he said gruffly.
She stared, then shrugged before propelling down the rope with Mokona. Kurogane soon followed, Fai slung over one shoulder. When he reached the ground, Syaoran approached him anxiously.
"Are you alright?" he asked seriously.
"Fine. It was easy pickings," he said airily. "Let's get out of here before anyone else notices we're here."
"I would have that you'd have liked to fight," Kotosuke said with a slight grin.
"Yeah I would, except I can't be bothered with this fool and that white manjuu passed out," Kurogane grumbled.
"I see, well, let's be on our way," Kotosuke said.
"Not so fast...Kotosuke."
The group halted, turning in the direction of the voice. Jotosuke stood atop the battlements, flanked by soldiers. He had a furious gleam in his eye, hand tucked into the long sleeves of his robe. Kotosuke met his gaze, calm and sure despite the anxiety welling up within him. In this situation...
"I suggest you stay where you are," Jotosuke sneered.
"As if. I'll pummel you all to the ground," Kurogane said, smirking.
"Please, Kurogane-san. I understand you are a seasoned warrior, but this is a land of magic. Those soldiers you see there are the Emperor's most elite battle mages, the Yamamaya. If you value the lives of your companions, you will not put up a fight," Kotosuke implored.
"You've got to be kidding me! There's no way I'm going to sit here and allow myself to be captured again," Kurogane said agitatedly.
"That's not what I meant. Instead...we'll leave it to Miyuki," Kotosuke answered.
"I don't understand," Sakura intoned, frowning.
"You will. Miyuki...the second you feel my spell break off, I want you to sing," Kotosuke said.
Miyuki blinked, staring at him curiously as the banished prince reached a hand out and placed it on her shoulder. He began to sing once again, in sweet tones with no lyrics. Jotosuke growled, ordering his Yamamaya to attack. Their voices came as a deep, thundering chorus, manifested in the form of fire and lightning. Syaoran pulled Sakura close as it neared, but strangely, it deflected ten feet away from them. Kotosuke sang louder and Miyuki's eyes widened in surprise. At last, the banished prince's voice cut out and he collapsed to his knees, supported by Hana. He looked to Miyuki with weary golden eyes.
"Now, Miyuki...sing!"
Unsure at first, she opened her mouth, the same kind of musical notes escaping her lips. The air around them seemed to ripple, much like water that's been disturbed. To Kurogane's amazement, part of the battlement seemed to fold in on itself. Yamamaya toppled and fell, though he saw not what became of Jotosuke. He did not have the chance as they were suddenly enveloped in a space of warm, pastel colors. As Miyuki finished her song, the colors faded and they found themselves in a house, though it was not Hana's.
"What...what just happened?" Hana asked.
"I removed one of the curses...from Miyuki," Kotosuke managed to say.
"The curse of silence. So...Miyuki-chan can speak now?" Sakura asked.
Miyuki looked almost hesitant. Opening her mouth slightly, she spoke. "...I...think so."
"That's great, but where are we now?" Kurogane asked.
"...in an old home of mine. I lived here...after I escaped my father and brother..." Kotosuke said, looking pale. "They won't find us..."
"...Kotosuke-san. Are you alright?" Syaoran asked, frowning.
"I'm...I'm fi--...fine..." Kotosuke managed to grind out before collapsing in a heap before them.
Hana hovered anxiously over the prince, rolling him on his back. Miyuki frowned, looking at his pained expression. His breathing was shallow and he was pale and sweating, almost as though he were in a fever. Kurogane quirked an eyebrow slightly.
"What happened to him?" he asked.
"...he used too much of his magic," Miyuki said, unused to the sound of her own voice. "Kotosuke-ou has a lot of magic energy inside him...more than almost anyone in this land...but to attempt to remove one of my curses after making three transformations..."
Despite the fact that it was laced with sadness, the girl spoke in honey sweet tones. Kurogane vaguely wondered what she must sound like when she was happy. He looked from Fai in his arms to Kotosuke on the floor and sighed.
"Well, let's at least get the idiot and that guy to bed. Then we'll talk," Kurogane said.
The ninja hefted Kotosuke up as well, disappearing into another room. Miyuki sat on the floor with the others, cradling Mokona in her arms. She had a feeling something bad would be happening soon...very soon indeed.
Okay, chapter complete! I have a feeling I might have rushed that one a little, but I got so excited I just couldn't help it. Anyway, reviews are nice and I hope to see you next chapter!