Hey all,

I know this has been done to death but it's another multi-chap fic about the transition from the Celes to the Tokyo arc. Like I said, it's been done, but sometimes an idea just won't leave you alone until you let it out, ya know? This is my first TRC fic, and I am hopelessly in love with KuroFai, which is kind of odd because I'm not the type to go looking for m/m pairings when the original authors don't explicitly state/show that they exist. I guess that just attests to the awesome power of this pairing :).

Anyway, on the off chance that some CC fans have sought me out over here writing for another manga gasp, I apologize profusely, but I can't force myself to write stuff; I have to want to do it. I've got way too much stuff going on IRL to give up my increasingly limited free time to do something I'm just not in the mood for. Don't worry, I still heart Chrno/Rosette to death and those stories aren't dead, just hibernating (a year between updates has happened before, if you'll remember a few chapters back). Anyway, sorry for the side rant, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I'm not CLAMP, I don't own anything in here

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At first, I couldn't quite figure out what he'd done.

I told him to go, and for once he'd actually listened to me, loosening the steely grip on my wrist and withdrawing completely from the enclosing circle. I could only keep my head up a few seconds longer due to the spell's overwhelming drain on my body, and when I was no longer able to feel his strong presence next to mine I quickly crumpled. My last look at him showed a man uncharacteristically shocked and desperate, ignoring his wounds and discomforts to focus on me. I couldn't have thanked him enough for that look. Perhaps one of my wishes had come true, and before I died someone would feel some concern for me…however misguided that concern might be.

Before I could close my eyes and submit completely to the spell's action I was roughly grabbed again. My head shot up, confusion barely getting a chance to flicker across my features when something warm and wet dripped on my face.

Oh my god…

There were no words for what I saw, none at all. Kurogane grimaced, bone-crushing grip pulling me tight to his chest as his now bloodied and dead arm fell into my place in the sphere.

"Mokona!!" He yelled, adrenaline fueling his every move at this point. "Let's go!"

My eye wouldn't go any wider. All I could do was stare at him as the golden light and stiff winds from the transportation spell engulfed us, leaving my second home world to collapse in on itself and cease to be. The ninja was quiet and quivering slightly from the rush of what had just happened. He turned his head to confirm that the rest of our party was safely in tow, eyes stretched as far open as I'd ever seen them and pupils retracted down to the size of pinheads. Syaoran and Mokona stared back at us, struck dumb as they clutched the princess with twin expressions of shocked horror riding their faces. It was their stunned appearances, surely mirroring my own, which finally snapped me out of it.

"Kuro…" He's going to bleed out… I pressed my free hand to the stump of his shoulder, applying pressure in a surely futile attempt to staunch the flow of blood. The ninja inhaled sharply at the contact and loosened his grip, allowing me to extricate my other arm from his grasp and squeeze the seeping wound with that hand as well. I put all of my strength into that gaping maw of a shoulder, pressing harshly into the weeping flesh. It was no good, blood continued to flow in rivulets over and around my fingers. It quickly soaked my gloves and steadily began seeping into my sleeves as well, where the white fabric made it easy to tell how fast my companion's life was leaving him.

"Kuro…gane…" I muttered stupidly, feeling my breath go ragged as I watched my attempts to help him fail, the blood was up to my elbows now and not slowing in its advance up my arms. My eye went gold at the sight of it, pupil narrowing down to a cat-like slit. I was absolutely appalled at myself and tried to force the vampire back down but it simply refused to go. I could feel the pulse in his shoulder against my palms… squirt, pause, squirt, pause, squirt… could hear the weakening pounds of his heart… my E was dying. A choked sound wormed out of my throat and I leaned forward in desperation, placing my entire body weight behind my hands to put more pressure on the wound. I was shaking, he was shaking, the blood continued to ooze.

"Mage." His voice was at about a quarter of its normal volume. My head snapped around at the simple word, and I had to blink several times to clear my vision (when had I started crying?). "Don't take this for granted." His burning eyes tied my single golden one up. "Don't die before I wake up."

"Kuro— "

"No excuses." His voice, although quiet, held a bit of its normal bite. I blinked at him, studying his face carefully and trying to think of something reassuring to say. I couldn't get past the thick knot of worry in my stomach, it seemed to be constricting my thoughts. After a few seconds of gaping I managed a nod, cursing myself for not being able to come up with anything to say now of all times. The ninja seemed to accept it however, closing his eyes and relaxing his hold on my waist, presumably to focus on his breathing. Gradually his rapid and shallow breaths slowed and deepened, as if he were falling asleep.

Quite abruptly, my voice decided to return. "No, no, no, no… No… Damn It!!" I hissed pathetically, feeling my own heart rate and breathing skyrocket as the ninja's plummeted. I had to do something more, but what more was there to do… what the hell else could I possibly--suddenly, I found myself kneeling on a wooden floor. Kurogane slumped limply forward against my chest and it took most of my strength to keep his unconscious form upright. The ninja's remaining arm slid down my back, dropped off, and hit the floor with a hollow "thud", the sound betraying a kind of heavy finality that I couldn't help but notice.

All at once my adrenaline-heightened senses began registering the commotion in the room around me. The first thing I recognized were the spears thrust shakily in my direction, the second the cries of "Oni!!" and "Demon!!".

My mental processes working a mile a minute, I quickly realized what this must look like, hell, what I must look like… I wanted to ask for help, but again my damned voice wouldn't come, so I simply clung to my prey and stared at the men who were staring at me. One of them took a step forward, advancing the tip of his spear dangerously close to my injured friend…and then everything snapped. In a flash I had moved back two full body lengths, snarling like some kind of beast and baring my fully-lengthened fangs. My hand shot out and a spell dutifully flowed through my outstretched fingers to establish a protective barrier around us, but it quickly flickered and died; sending me into a fit of coughs and spasms. I really had pushed myself too far today.

The edges of my vision went dark, but I fought them back into focus, gasping, choking, and wheezing around my persistent and terrifying snarls. No one will harm him again as long as I live to fight against them. No one.

"Prince Fai," A clear voice suddenly cut through the chaos of the guards and the blood rush pounding in my ears and chest. It resonated truly in my mind, clearly fortified and directed by some form of magic. I blinked, shooting my burning golden eye in the direction of the voice, one that I recognized, although vaguely.

It was Tomoyo. Dressed in a style of garb that resembled what my dear warrior preferred to wear, resignation and concern painted miserably across her young features. Of course, it had to be her.

"Please, we need to help Kurogane now. Give him to us." My grip loosened only slightly, the resolve to hold onto my savior only partially dissolving at her words. I glanced over at the guards still directing their weapons at us.

"Fai-sama," The princess continued, more magic working into her speech with every word, "No one here will harm him or you. Your appearance has startled those of my court who are concerned for my safety; but I promise that they will stand down." At that, the guards reluctantly did so, still eyeing me with distrust and trepidation. "If we do not treat him soon, Kurogane will die."

The last three words struck me like a blunt club, helping to sober my overworked mind. I took a few steadying breaths and swallowed harshly, trying to choke down another bout of coughing. Finally, I nodded to indicate that I was calm and had agreed to surrender my friend. The princess motioned to someone behind her and four men of slight build swiftly carried out a stretcher. They deftly extricated the heavy ninja from my grasp and placed him onto the stretcher before each grabbing a corner and lifting him up and away. My blood-soaked hands fell uselessly into my lap and I watched pathetically until Kurogane was completely out of sight.

I was so intent on the ninja that I didn't even notice Tomoyo's approach until she stood right beside me. I raised my head slightly, wrapping my single red-rimmed eye around her slight form. She looked tired, but smiled softly as she pressed two fingers lightly to my forehead. I felt the gentle kiss of her magic flow into me as she murmured a few words. A wave of exhaustion rolled over me. I recognized the spell, it was one that I could have shattered in an instant if I had the gumption. But for whatever reason, right now I really didn't want to resist.

"Sleep now, child." Her warm voice filled me, and I felt another line of tears slide down my cheeks. Then, I felt nothing.

&

There you are, poor Fai. The angst stick is fairly merciless sometimes, unfortunately. Anyway, those of you who have read me before know that I rarely use first person in stories, so the rest of this should be interesting to write! Hopefully it's interesting to read too! Please review, poor grad students live on cheap food and occasional praise.

Have a happy day!

SR