(Let me remind everyone that I wrote this fan fiction a looong time ago. What ever I resolve here were my predictions of both the Harry Potter series, and the Tsubasa chronicle series. No, book 21 of tsubasa was not in english when I was in middle school. So although now we know Kurogane's curse that Tomoyo gave him is actually a charm of protection, I have written this as though it was still a weakening curse. Also stay tuned to how my firm belief in Snape shows through to the end. Something tells me this will take a while to type. Enjoy!)
Chapter 23: Kurogane's Curse.
Kyo ran as fast as he could to Fai's office. He was relieved to see Ami already there.
"Thank goodness!"
Fai looked startled by Kyo's reaction. Kyo blushed in embarrassment. "Fai, what is the plan, I mean for a suitable weapon with which to fight?"
Fai smiled. "Well, we will rely mostly on our wands and wits, but I have something additionally in mind." He called Mokona over. "Mokona, we need to talk to Yuko, the space-time witch."
Mokona closed its eyes and shot out a beam of transparent light through its mouth. Kyo fearfully backed away. Wasn't this the same witch who took away Sakura's memory of Syaoran so that she could travel with the group? Ami took a step back as well, though she responded out of her surprise. A tall, lean woman appeared within the light. "What's up?"She asked.
Fai cleared his throat. "I need that spell that we discussed earlier."
Yuko frowned. "The spirit wave orb as I warned you, has purifying abilities that are enhanced depending upon how evil the foe may be. Should you use this against Voldemort, there is no telling what draining effects this spell may have upon the user, or to what extent you will be able to control it."
"I understand. What is the price?" Fai asked cheerfully.
Yuko thought for a moment. "Since this power has never been really tested since the psychic Genkai created it, there is no way for me to truly know how much it is worth. However, it is worth a great deal to you, Fai, so you must make me an equal trade. I am very intrigued by this world of magic and I know that you have been experimenting with invisible ink. This is your price. I want your ability to make words invisible."
Fai blinked. "That's all? It seems like an unfair trade."
Yuko smiled mysteriously. "Perhaps to you. Perhaps I am taking something in which I have a much larger interest than you. But then, even I get greedy sometimes."
Fai retrieved all of the invisible ink that he possessed, and passed it through Mokona's mouth. The image of Yuko showed that she had recieved the ink, and then blurred.
Kyo looked at Fai with wonder. "Do you feel any different?"
Fai bit his lip and made a weak reply. "Nope, but I am hungry."
Kyo shook his head. They were all going to die.
Folding her arms, Ami asked, "So, we just go to Snape's office, and then what? Ask Voldemort if he'll surrender peacefully because he's surrounded by two underage wizards and a fraud DADA teacher?"
"That's one possibility," Fai answered.
"Well, if we're going to do this, then lets do it now." Kyo said, and quickly exited, and crossed to Snape's office. The others followed, knowing his thoughts were locked on Sakura-chan.
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Ami looked around, blinking in the ink-like blackness of the dimly-lit room. Would this be the night when they finally found all the answers? Would they live to share those answers?
"Over here," She heard Kyo whisper. "There's a trap door below Snape's desk."
"Is it safe?" Ami asked.
"Seems to be," he returned. With that, Kyo took a leap into the hole, landing safely on firm ground. Ami blindly fell through the hole and Fai winced as she fell. Taking note of where the hole began, Fai jumped gracefully through the gap and looked to where Kyo and Ami were. Kyo was already helping Ami to her feet.
"I'm sorry guys, I'm such a clutz."
"This isn't the time for pointless excuses," Kyo said. "Just be careful from here on out."
An amused voice filled the room. "It's too late for the three of you. There is no exit to this basement but up. And I've taken your wands."
Kyo felt at the side pocket of his cloak. Just as the phantom voice had said, his wand was gone. Fai and Ami desperately checked as well, but it was futile.
"Who's there?!" Kyo demanded. "Snape?"
Blinding lights eliminated the abnormal fog of darkness that surrounded them. "No. But Snape is here." The mock-casual voice echoed around the room. Kyo's eyes adjusted quickly to the light, and he was able to see the owner of the voice.
"Yuki." Kyo said the name with a painful edge.
Uncontained laughter fell from Yuki's mouth. "No. I am Lord Voldemort! Now, witness, as I rise to power once more!"
Kyo looked behind him. Sakura was chained to a wall, guarded by the ever-faithful Snape. He had to rescue her. But how?
"The girl will help me immensely, or rather, her feathers will!"
Kyo smirked. "Sakura-chan would never give them to you!"
"No?" Voldemort smiled. "Snape! The potion, is it ready?"
Kyo's eyes widened. Of course. They were going to force her somehow to unwillingly give them up! And, truth be told, he was helpless without his wand. By some miracle, he had remembered to bring his christmas gift- the gloves that could generate fire. Those would come in handy. Also, Fai seemed pretty composed. That must mean he has a plan.
Suddenly afraid, Ami stood by Kyo and watched as Snape held a vile of silver liquid to Sakura's pale lips. It looked as though she had not eated properly in days. And her legs were askew, healing wrong. It was torture to look at her frail body. But it did work to intensify his need for revenge. Kyo ran at Snape, but it was too late. Snape discarded the vile and Sakura's eyes widened in pain. "Sakura-chan!!!"
Sakura's green eyes turned it's complementery color, as if to foreshadow the bloody battle that was about to insue. But Sakura didn't even seem to see Kyo, or recognize him. Without warning, Sakura toppled over the chains binding her no longer.
"Rise, servant." Voldemort commanded. "Faithfully serve your new master and return me to life with the fragments of your soul!"
A skull-like burn mark appeared on Sakura's arm, revealed beneath her shredded sleaves of her school robe. Chris fought as tears began to surface in his eyes. He couldn't believe what was happening. Sakura wasn't a death eater! Kyo's eyes showed his understanding. "COWARD!I see it now! Those you can't recruit to your side you either kill or control!"
Voldemort smirked. "So you've finally figured it out. It's the most valuable discovery I've made yet. The dark mark is not merely a symbol of loyalty, it is also infused with the imperius curse! My death eaters know what awaits defiance. The more they resist, the more their body is tortured. Depending on how much they struggle, their body will shut down for a peroid of time, and then they awaken under my complete control!"
Kyo turned to look at Snape. "That's what happened to him? You mean he's innocent?!"
"Now you're catching on. But if you think that I am merely sharing this boy's body then you would be most mistaken. I am controlling his SOUL!"
Kyo stared at Yuki's body. What did he mean?
"You look puzzled," Voldemort said. "Let me give you a clue. This boy is dead. I killed him myself. Does that help you any?"
Kyo tightened his fist. "So Kabuto was dead too? You switched because the body was beginning to decay! I'm going to kill you you parasite!"
Kyo lunged at the wizard with flaming fists. Voldemort never even drew his wand. Sakura was instantly in front of the dark lord and Kyo quickly released his tight fist if he hadn't he would have thrown his punches straight into her ribs. "Whaa--?"
Sakura assumed a fighting position.
"By the way," Voldemort said with a yawn. "I thought you might like to know that the reason this pathetic excuse for a school is playing quidditch with a one-winged snitch, isn't because it is easier to catch. I sent Snape to steal the snitch last year, but he only came back with one wing. He said something about not being able to touch the rest of it. Well, I decided that if something was to be done right, I would do it myself, only to realize in the most recent quidditch match, that indeed, I too felt the snitch try to repel me. Conveniently, the feathers sensed the presence of Sakura and returned to her body shortly after she was knocked out of the sky. The wing I was able to retrieve consisted of 8 feathers. And now I have the rest!"
Kyo was sent flying into one wall. Ami and Fai knew it was useless to hide. They were in Voldemort's territory now.
A burst of green light erupted from Sakura. Surrounding her now were all of the feathers that she and her friends had worked so hard to collect. Her memories, the fragments of her soul.
Greedily, Voldemort snatched the feathers from the bright sphere. "I think I'll leave her with two. So she'll have just enough life left to kill you!"
Between Ami's silent disbelief and Kyo's morbid dispair, the giggles coming from Fai seemed oddly misplaced.
"What?" Voldemort snapped.
Fai was muffling his giggles with one hand. "It's just.... You rhymed!"
Voldemort raised his eyebrows. "Kill them," He instructed to Sakura.
Ami flung herself at Voldemort, causing him to loose his balance. Sakura paused, mid-attack, as though she were fighting the imperius mark. Ami managed to grab a bunch of feathers from Voldemort before he could absorb them, and stuffed them into her robe. "Wheet Woo!" Fai said in the place of a whistle.
Voldemort stood up again. "Curse this child's body that I'm confined to!" He envisioned the tall, well-built Kurogane who he held captive with the others whom he suspected of knowing too much. Yes, he thought, his soul will do.
Sakura attacked Ami, who stuck to defense. Meanwhile, Voldemort said something to Snape. Sakura hit Ami square in the jaw and sent her flying backward. For a moment Snape disappeared, and then returned with a struggling Kurogane. Sakura paused for a moment as her companion was brought in. Taking this chance, Ami summoned her wand with all of her will. Obediently, the wand jumped into her waiting hand.
"Makai!" Ami shouted the spell Fai had taught them.
Voldemort spun around. Sakura blinked. Ami had vanished!
Voldemort shrugged and continued to speak to Snape. "That girl Ami is hiding. She's taken 14 of the feathers. Once I've killed Kurogane, I'll find her."
Kurogane stiffened. "You freak! There's no way that you're killing me! After we collect the feather's from this world I'm going home to Tomoyo!"
Voldemort pointed his wand at the ninja. Kurogane raised his sword. "I'm not afraid of your stick! Hyaaa!"
Fai realized Kurogane was planning to trample Yuki's body. "Wait Kurogane!"
Kurogane made an abrupt stop. Fai was serious. He hadn't used an honorific.
Voldemort shouted the unforgivable curse, "Avada Kedavra!"Kurogane's face contorted in agony. Yuki's body hit the cold stone floor.
"KUROGANE!" Fai shouted.
Kyo tried to get up, his head pulsing with pain. Obviously, whatever Fai's plan had been, Kurogane's death had not been a part of it. So now, he would just have to improvise. Kyo found his wand carelessly tossed to the ground and grabbed it.
Kurogane began to laugh madly, abandoning his prized sword. "Now where is Ami?"
By now, Ami's spell had worn off, and she appeard behind Kyo, wand tightly clenched in her hand.
Voldemort came at Kyo and the two began sending spells flying at eachother at a rapid pace. Sakura resumed her fight with Ami. The two students watched as Fai slipped away and skillfully knocked Snape out, and began freeing all who were captured.
Fai was unlocking the last cell when Voldemort caught him in the corner of his eye. "Enough!" Voldemort hissed. "Die all of you!"
Lifting his wand, Voldemort created a bomb of flames over their heads. Fai was the only on the escape the full blast, while he lost sight of Kyo in the fire and watched helplessly as all of the prisoners screamed their last breaths. Sakura pinned Ami to the blazing wall and allowed Voldemort to approach. Directing the tip of his wand at her throat, Voldemort said harshly, "Tell me where you have hidden the---ayyiii!!!!"
A burned Kyo had come behind Voldemort and twisted his wand hand out of place. He heard a snap. Taking Voldemort's wand, he tossed it into the flames. Voldemort stared in shock and dismay.
Fai grabbed Voldemort by Kurogane's shirt colar. "Do you think you can beat me with your bare hands?"
"You'll regret this!" Voldemort howled, raising his left fist to strike him. But his body would not obey his commands. "Why do I feel. So. Weak?"
Fai punched Voldemort in the face. "Kurogane's soul was cursed. He was forbidden to ever kill needlessly. Now you will pay the price of your actions!" Fai focused on the stunned opponent. "Spirit Wave Orb! Purify!" Fai touched Kurogane's chest with two fingers. Voldemort's essense rose from Kurogane's body restoring Kurogane to his body. A faint image of Voldemort lingered in the underground room. "Be gone!" Fai demanded.
The ghost vanished.
"And stay out." Kurogane added.
Fai looked at Kurogane with a smile. "I thought you would be gone forever."
Kurogane shook his head. "Shut up. Look over there. Your purifying tactic has restored everyone here."
Fai was startled and turned to see the scorching flames begin to die under a cool blue haze that had been created by the Spirit Wave. Beneath the fire, the prisoners stood up and looked at each other in wonder at the miracle.
Fai smiled. "In the face of evil and death, the spirit wave was able to draw the power of revitilization." He slumped backward in exhaustion.
"Easy now," Kurogane said, helping him to his feet. "You have to get out of this with us, or I'll be really angry."
"Right. Sorry, Kuro-pon." Fai stood and turned to Ami. "Where DID you leave the feathers any way?"
Ami laughed, supporting an unconscious Sakura. "I went to japan for three minutes using that spell you taught us, and I put them somewhere safe."
"That spirit stuff really works!" Kurogane said, looking at his arm in surprise. Although Kyo had broken it when Kurogane was under Voldemort's control, it was perfectly fine now.
"Kuro-whoof!Ami was talking. Shhh!"
Ami laughed. "It's okay. Anyway, I'll go get the feather's now."
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