If he closed his eyes, he still saw her, reaching for him and calling his name. He could hear their mocking laughter. "Give yourself up," they'd sneered, "and your precious little girl will go free." They said it with such scorn, as if condemning any emotion that should make him weak enough to return to captivity willingly.

And so he'd lain awake all night, trying to come up with some kind of plan to save them both. Yet somehow, when dawn came and found him alone on the forest floor, his mind was blank. There was no way to save himself and insure her safety as well.

Which left him with one option.

He closed his eyes and envisioned her face, her beautiful eyes that were so like and unlike his own.

"I'm coming, Rei-chan," he whispered into the chilly morning air.

He stood and stared at the rising sun for a long moment, shivering. He could almost feel the icy weight of the manacles clamping around his wrists and ankles and throat. . . and for a moment he felt the white-hot pain of regret twinge through his slender body. But he shoved it away, forcing himself back to focusing. He had to be strong today. He couldn't let them see any weakness or they would pounce on it and rip them both apart. He had to be strong so that Rei wouldn't fear for him.

He breathed deeply, filled himself with the essence of the forest, felt it bracing him. I will be strong. . . I'm coming for you, imouto-chan.

He set out across the forest toward the road where they would be. With her. He felt bitter anger rising at the thought of her in their hands, knowing full well what kind of damage they could do. Deep breath. It didn't matter, he told himself. In a matter of hours she would be free, and then he could work on his own escape plan.

It was too soon when he arrived at the road, and yet he couldn't have gotten there fast enough. He waited in the shadows a moment, watching.

The general was with them, he realized with a pang of surprise. He must have been more of an inconveniance than he thought. He felt a savage sort of satasfaction that he'd been so much trouble for them. She was there, held by the arms in the iron grip of her slit-eyed captors. Her face was pale and tear-streaked, but she held her head high and glared resentfully at the mazoku.

That's my imouto. Don't give in to the likes of them.

He took a deep breath. Time to go.

He stepped out of the undergrowth silently, one shadow seperating from another, and walked toward them slowly with an air of confidence he did not feel. They would know he was afraid, of course, but he refused to show as much. And Rei. . . it was possible that she would know as well, but if not, there was no need for her to know.

I will be strong for you, imouto.

"So you came after all," the general said with a smirk. There was cold contempt in his eyes. "You're a fool."
"Let her go," Aza replied tightly. "I'm here, I've fulfilled your Lady-damned deal."
The general shook his head. "You kitsune are so impatient."

Aza nearly shook with rage. "Let. Her. GO."

"Niichan. . . "

He swiveled around to look at Rei as she spoke for the first time that day. She was staring at him with wide eyes, expression pleading. "Niichan. . . run. . . ." Her eyes filled with tears. "Why are you doing this?? RUN!"

"Shut up," one of the mazoku growled at her. She was struggling in his grasp now, trying to reach Aza. "RUN, you idiot! GO!"

Aza stared at her, appalled. "I can't leave you. . . ."

Rei didn't seem to hear him. "RUN! Go! Get out of here before it's too late!! You can still save yourself-"

The mazoku holding her got fed up. "SHUT UP!" he bellowed, slapping her hard.

"KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF HER!!" Aza lunged for him, and was grabbed by several pairs of hands that hauled him back roughly.

The general shook his head at Aza, who glared hatefully at him as the mazoku released their grip on him.

"You're more trouble than you're worth," he sighed. "Both of you."

The kitsune gritted his teeth. "I don't give a damn about your opinion of us. Just let her go. NOW."

He saw the general's eyes flash a little before they went back to their previous calm. "You should show a little respect, /kitsune./" He somehow managed to turn the word into an epithet.

"I don't show respect to people lower than DOGS," Aza spat.

"I see," the general said quietly.

"Lord Zarian. . ." one of the mazoku murmured, and Aza could almost smell the blood-lust on him.

The general- Zarian, as it were- shook his head smoothly and the lower mazoku closed his mouth. Aza glared at them both. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rei shaking, yet she was calmly trying to pry her captor's fingers off her arm, without much success.

The general turned his attention back to Aza. "I will let her go, but first I need to make sure you're not going to break your end of the deal. That's fair, isn't it?"

"I will not be bargained with!" Rei shouted, earning herself another bruised cheek. Aza winced. He had to get her out of here, and fast.

"Hai," he said levelly. "That's fair."

"AZA!" Rei yelled. "Don't be stupid! They're-" but the mazoku holding her clamped a hand over her mouth, cutting her off. She railed against him, making enraged sounds, and glared at Aza.

He turned back to the general, giving a very small nod.

The general smirked. "Very well then." He gestured for Aza to come to him.

Aza heard the masoku guard curse and then Rei was screaming at him again, angrily. He felt his feet take a step forward, and then another.

"If you give in to them, I'll never forgive you!! Do you hear me, Aza? AZA!!"

Gomen nasai, Rei-chan. . . .

His gaze met with the general's, and for a second his vision filled with flashes of darkness and chains. He fists clenched at his sides.

I will be strong. . . I won't falter. . . .

He stood in front of Zarian, their eyes still locked on each other. I HATE you, Aza thought viciously, and watched as the blue in Zarian's slitted eyes flashed and sparkled slightly.

He could hear Rei screaming at him- no. . . that was wrong, the tone of her voice sounded wrong. There was no anger anymore. It sounded like pain. . . he started to turn, to look at her. He caught a glimpse; her mouth was open in a scream, blood streaming down her face from-

And then a hand wrapped around his throat and his gaze jerked back to the general's. He opened his mouth but no sound came out and suddenly he was being lifted off the ground and everything seemed to go absolutely still for a moment.

He stared directly into Zarian's eyes and for the first time that day, he knew true fear.

The world went into motion again.

The grip on his neck that held him aloft tightened and then a wave of pain swept over him, pain that defied his senses and seemed to shatter him from the inside out and he heard a wild, inhuman howl that he only vaguely recognized as his own. He was being torn apart, the innards were being ripped out of him, he was sure of it, nothing else could hurt this much. It was pain like nothing else he had ever felt, worse than the cold slowing of his death, worse than the frantic struggle that had preceded it. And then, just as he thought he would lose his mind completely if he had to endure it another second longer, the grip around his throat released and he dropped heavily to the ground, crumpling into a heap.

"Rei. . . " he choked weakly, "let her. . . ." He lifted his head a little. "Let her. . . ." He looked at her and felt his gorge rising. Her eyes. . . . He stared, his mind unable to reconcile with what his eyes saw. Her eyes were. . . .

Blood gushed from between her fingers, which were pressed to her face as she lay curled on the ground in agony. The mazoku guard who'd held her stoood above her smirking, his hands dripping crimson.

"You. . . ." He could only gape in horror and rage.

Abruptly the general leaned down and grabbed her collar, lifting her off the ground in the same way he'd lifted Aza.

"Let her go. . ." Aza whispered, his mind swimming with confusion. This was wrong, it was all wrong, this was not the way things were supposed to happen. . . .

Zarian looked at him and smiled, an expression that would have been sweet if not for the cold hatred in his eyes, and drew his sword. Rei screamed, "AZA!" and before the kitsune could take a breath Zarian drew back and ran the sword through his sister's heart.

"No. . . ." Aza felt her blood, hot and dark as rose petals, splatter his face.

For a moment, she seemed frozen there, impaled upon the gleaming silver length, dark rivers of crimson staining it's immaculate surface. Her head lolled back, mouth open, and Aza got his first good look at the bloody holes tha rested where her eyes were supposed to be.

It was raining, and the rain washed her blood from his face.

And then she fell, as Zarian jerked the sword from her chest, and suddenly Aza was on his feet and cradling her body without realizing how he'd gotten there.

"Nii. . . chan. . . ." Rei whispered brokenly.

What happened after that was a blur of motion and blood and the sound bones make when they splinter, and the feeling of claws raking through flesh.

And Aza ran, clutching Rei's body to his chest.

It seemed to him that he had never run this fast before, that his feet were barely touching the ground by the time he had left the shouting voices of the mazoku behind. He came to a clearing at last, silent except for the soft patter of the rain. He dropped to his knees, holding Rei close but trying not to look at her mutilated face.

"Rei-chan," he whispered, shaking her slightly, and felt a surge of panic when he got no response. "Rei-chan!"

"Niichan. . . ?" One of her hands lifted weakly, touched his cheek. His tears of relief mixed with the rain and blood on her face. "Why. . . why are you crying?" she murmured chokedly. "You are, aren't you? I can't see it. . . Aza. . . I'm scared. . . ."

He pressed his hands to the wound in her chest, trying to staunch the floor of blood. "Don't worry, Rei-chan. It's. . . it's not that bad. . . ." The lie made him choke, and he wished he could reassure her better.

But she was smiling at him, somehow, and despite what they had done to her face, she was beautiful. "You're a bad liar, niichan."

He felt a rush of love for her and pulled her close, trying to keep her warm, her skin was alarmingly cold. "Please just try to hold on, Rei. . . ." He tried to cloak her in an illusion, but his fears were confirmed when it had no effect. The general had stripped him of his powers.

Please. . . sweet Lady, save her. . . .

When she spoke again, her voice was fainter and filled with sorrow. "I love you, niichan. . . I'm sorry. . . I said those things before. . . ."

"Don't talk like that," he said quickly, his voice breaking. "It doesn't matter now. You're gonna be okay. . . and we'll laugh about this, you'll see. . . ." He bit back a sob, trying to show her a confidence he didn't feel. She was quiet now, her small frame shivering in the rain, and he tried to shelter her with his body as much as he could.

"It's raining. . . ."

He had to strain to hear her, and her voice was starting to take on the dreamlike tone of someone struggling to focus.

"Shhh, Rei-chan," he told her softly, wishing the cold knot of fear in the pit of his stomach would go away. "Don't try to talk. I've got to get you to shelter. . . ."
They both knew there was no shelter to go to, and he was afraid that if he moved her he would make it worse.

"It's okay. . ." she whispered, then coughed weakly, and Aza watched with a kind of numb horror as fresh blood spattered over her lips. Her face twisted in pain a moment, her body tensing, but another moment later she smiled softly, a strange acceptance in her features.

"It was raining. . . the day you died. . ." she murmured, and he felt her go limp in his arms, and he knew.

"Rei-chan. . . ?" It was a plea, and a denial.

But he felt something inside him, the part of him that belonged to her, wrench and break, and in a way he breathed his last with her.

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