Disclaimer: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle is the intellectual property of CLAMP

Author's Note: You might remember from a past fic, I've mentioned that I had fun with that song-blip writing excersize, the one where you listen to 10 random songs and write a little blip for the duration of the song. In this case, I hit on "Stray", the opening theme of Wolf's Rain, a very good, very artistic, violent, and tragic anime. The opening passage is the blip that began this fic.

For those who haven't seen Wolf's Rain, the series revolves around four wolves who follow Chesa, a flower maiden (a girl scientifically created from lunar flowers) toward paradise. An important note is that, while humans may see the wolves as men, this is an illusion. They are, in fact, wolves and do not transform into the human form that others see.

This fic is set in the world of Wolf's Rain and follows Kurogane and Fai, two wolves on a journey.

And the Flower Maiden Shall Guide them Home

Kurogane jumped down from one rooftop to another lower one and kept running. Fai laughed, hot on his heels as they weaved and dodged the laser fire from behind. At the edge of the city's limits, Kurogane plunged into the wreckage of what had once been part of the city without hesitation and Fai followed, eyes fixed on the dark form ahead of him. Their human pursuers could not follow them long and soon they were simply running for the feel of the air through thick fur and Fai laughed as he passed Kurogane and pranced around in front of him, initiating a high-speed game of tag, heedless of where they might be running to and thoughtless of the place they have left behind. Kurogane growled low in his throat and gave chase, adrenaline shifting from flight to play-fight with the sounds of Fais laughter ringing in his ears.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

It was all the because of Fai and his damned nose, Kurogane mused.

Kurogane jumped down from one rooftop to another lower one and kept running. Fai laughed, hot on his heels as they weaved and dodged the laser fire from behind.

If Fai had not absolutely insisted that he'd smelled something interesting that just had to be investigated right that damned second, they might still be sharing barbequed ribs and watching their desert swim around from the foot bridge over the pond in the city park. No, Fai had bolted off so suddenly that Kurogane had been forced to leave his hard-won lunch behind for some dog to find. And when he had finally gotten the chance to ask the idiot just what the hell he was doing, what had Fai's great emergency been? "I smelled flowers, Kuro-ru!"

Kurogane had been just about to abandon the idiot and let him run off to get himself captured, right back where he'd been the day Kurogane had met him and forget he had ever existed at all…really…when Fai had rounded a corner and ran smack into a patrol cop trying to arrest some gang banger. The delinquent, of course, used the confusion to get away and, frustrated, the cop turned and grabbed Fai instead. Kurogane had rounded the corner growling and it had taken all of a second to assess the threat and act accordingly, which of course had directly resulted in their current situation.

At the edge of the city's limits, Kurogane plunged into the wreckage of what had once been part of the city without hesitation and Fai followed, eyes fixed on the dark form ahead of him.

Kurogane was going to find this flower-smelling-thing and rip it apart for drawing that idiot's attention in the first place. Kurogane had never been chased out of an entire city before. He'd had a place to sleep there, food there, territory; dogs and men had cowered at the sight of him and now because of Fai and his stupid nose it was all gone. Kurogane was trying very hard not to sulk but it all put him in a funk just the same. Then again, Kurogane couldn't remember the last time he'd felt his blood pound or his lungs heave this way. No one made him feel alive the way Fai did…even if part of that was due to the other's horrendous luck pulling him down like a lead weight around his foot.

Their human pursuers could not follow them long and soon they were simply running for the feel of the air through thick fur and Fai laughed as he passed Kurogane and pranced around in front of him, initiating a high-speed game of tag, heedless of where they might be running to and thoughtless of the place they had left behind. Kurogane growled low in his throat and gave chase, adrenaline shifting from flight to play-fight with the sounds of Fais laughter ringing in his ears.

* * *

"Kuro-min," Fai declared, prancing along at Kurogane's side, tail sweeping from side to side lazily behind him "I wonder where we're going."

Kurogane bristled, every hair on his back rising. "You wonder? It's your fault we're out here in the first place! I had everything in that city, now what do I have? A growling stomach and a great big expanse of dead land in every frickin' direction!"

"You have freedom," Fai answered simply "and me." he added, brushing his head against Kurogane's shoulder; the faintest of contact but it left Kurogane choking for air. Fai grinned to himself and continued along at Kurogane's side.

* * *

"Kuro-rin, I'm tired!" Fai whined for the thirtieth time.

At least, Kurogane guessed it was the thirtieth time because it felt like thirty times he'd said "I told you, we're not stopping 'til we get somewhere."

"But Kuro-woooooof!"

The next morning, Kurogane had to disengage himself from the mess of limbs that was Fai, sprawled out and lying half on top of him, with a growl. It didn't seem to wake the other so Kurogane bent down, ready to bite Fai good when he noticed that those bright blue eyes of his were looking up at him, half-lidded, a grin spreading across his face. Kurogane froze, mouth open awkwardly and Fai took the opportunity to dart his nose up, touching it against Kurogane's. Kurogane stumbled back, tripping over himself in his surprise, but rather than make fun of him, Fai got to his feet and jogged away, in the direction of the next town.

* * *

Kurogane knew that Fai had a certain affection for humans but when they rounded the corner into an alley, late at night in a dark and desolate city, after an hour of Fai dragging him along after his nose…again… Kurogane was not pleased. Two children were huddled behind a pair of garbage cans, shivering in their sleep. A boy and a girl, around the same age, and the boy's arm was wrapped around the girl protectively.

Fai stood before them, head cocked to the side, contemplating and then he spoke the words Kurogane had been dreading.

"I want to keep them Kuro-howl."

"Are you stupid?!" Kurogane hissed. "Those are humans not stray puppies!"

"But they are strays, Kuro-alpha. Look they're freezing." Fai whined and Kurogane rolled his eyes.

Their exchange woke the children, as it was bound to eventually, and the girl yawned, blinking sleepily at them. The boy, however, immediately pulled the girl tight to him, eyes narrowed and hardened as he tried to slowly ease the girl behind him, standing to protect her.

"It's ok." Fai told the boy, disarmingly, easing forward with lowered head. "We won't hurt you. I'm Fai and this is Kuro-ru…"

"Kurogane!"

"Syaoran." the girl said timidly from behind the boy, a hand on his arm. "It's ok." The girl stood and reached out a hand to Fai around the boy, Syaoran.

Fai took the hand gently, bent down to kiss it, and Kurogane rolled his eyes. It was all well and good until the girl stepped out from around the boy, taking Fai's head in her arms and stroking him gently. Syaoran wasn't the only one choking in shock. Kurogane growled a warning and Fai turned, smiling at him as if he hadn't just practically handed over his tail to a human…right under Kurogane's nose!

"That's enough!" Kurogane finally put his foot down - the front one on the right, not the back one that thumped against his will when Fai… Kurogane grabbed onto Fai and yanked him away from that human girl as hard as he could.

Finally the boy spoke up. "What do you want?"

Fai wriggled out of Kurogane's grip and pulled him forward before the girl. Syaoran didn't seem too happy about this. Kurogane bared his teeth at the girl but instead of reaching out to him as she had to Fai, she bowed deeply and introduced herself.

"I'm Sakura and this is my friend Syaoran." The look that passed Syaoran's face, cleared as quickly as it had come, did not go unnoticed by Kurogane. "We're traveling to a city far away called Clow where they have medicine that can return my lost memories."

"All by yourselves?" Fai asked sympathetically and Syaoran nodded, taking his eyes off of Kurogane for the briefest of moments to address Fai.

"I won't allow any harm to come to her." Syaoran stated, determination thick in his tone.

"Kuro-wan wan and I were going that way anyway,"

"No we're not!"

"Shall we travel together?"

"Uh…"

"I would like that very much."

"Then it's settled! We're a happy family now! Kuro-daddy has a pack to lead! Yay!"

"Someone shoot me."

* * *

Kurogane's red eyes burned a searing hole in the back of Fai's head from across the campfire Syaoran was tending to, or at least they would have, if Fai had not been too preoccupied with getting petted to notice.

"She seems to think he's a dog." Syaoran said quietly, startling Kurogane out of his concentrated glare. "I'm sorry. It's…kind of him to humor her like that."

Kurogane growled. "He's not a dog!" He wasn't. Although Kurogane secretly thought he Fai had to have been a half-breed, that he had to have some golden retriever in him because a wolf's fur just didn't come in silk and gold even though he had the build of a lanky wolf. It was probably so, but Kurogane did not say it and he would not allow anyone else to say it either. Fai was…an exception.

"Sorry." Syaoran muttered and Kurogane grumbled to himself.

* * *

As it turned out, Clow was actually very far away. Day three had Kurogane on the prowl for some kind of food, anything that moved. Sulkily, he eyed Fai and contemplated eating the girl in a day or two when he was really hungry.

They came across a settlement one day, with very few people around. Going into town on the main street, they were met by a four man gang, brandishing firearms and chains and knives. They were informed, amid sneers and pointed looks, that the men were the law in that town and that they would be closely watched during their stay. Kurogane graciously decided to allow the threat to slide until they'd filled their bellies and found something to drink. His mouth felt like paste. But Kurogane should have known his luck wasn't that good.

They had split up. Syaoran and Sakura still had a little money saved for food but Kurogane's money had been left behind in the city they had fled from so he and Fai went in a different direction to find something appetizing to steal. They'd gone a ways but hadn't found anything when Kurogane's ears picked up on a sound that raised his hackles instantly; the distressed scream of a girl in a familiar tone. Without thought, he snapped back in the direction they'd come from and ran, leaving Fai to follow behind, a startled nickname fading in the distance.

The sounds led Kurogane to a dark alley. In the space between rounding the corner into it, seeing Sakura pinned to the wall by one of the men from their little welcoming committee, and anyone having noticed his presence there, he had leapt at the man and crashed to the ground again, claws sinking into pale flesh. He'd acted on pure instinct, pure adrenaline, the scene laid out before him had never even registered; one man already unconscious on the ground, Syaoran struggling against chains to reach Sakura. He had not even had the chance to process the situation when Fai rounded the corner behind him and in the space of a single second more, the world shifted again.

The two men holding back Syaoran decided that Kurogane was a bigger threat currently and drew their weapons, throwing Syaoran back to attack Kurogane. And like Kurogane had, Fai acted instantly, cutting them off just in time to take a shot to the shoulder. The pained yelp caused something in Kurogane to constrict painfully and he turned, watching Fai fall with a hard thump to the ground before him. The scene blurred and like lightening had struck, Kurogane turned on the man in one swift movement taking him to the ground and sinking his fangs into the hot, pulsing throat below him, tearing back and feeling the blood fill his mouth and slide down his throat. It sickened him how it soothed his dry throat as it went down, as he turned back, promising the same to the next man in line.

That man stumbled over his own feet in his rush to escape, the man Kurogane had originally pinned trying to sneak around Kurogane after him. Kurogane let them go, turning back to Fai, turning away from Syaoran, whose expression of horror told Kurogane that he now could see him for the wolf he truly was.

Fai was conscious. His smile was forced and pained. "Kuro-fang saved the day." he said, letting Kurogane know that he'd be hearing about this for a while.

"Shut up." Kurogane rubbed his muzzle against his fur to clean it of that filth's blood as best he could before he started licking at Fai's wound. Behind them, he heard footsteps leaving the alley and thought it was probably just as well.

"We have to get out of here." Kurogane said, Fai leaning heavily against him as they exited the alley.

Fai was silent, mourning the loss of "their children" but Kurogane set all that aside and concentrated on getting them both out of there.

He never expected it to be easy.

A hail of gunfire followed them out of the town. Kurogane and Fai had only just broken through their line of defense; a few men who made up for their small numbers in firepower, and they were clear now but soon the men would be following in vehicles. Kurogane said nothing of it to Fai, but in the vast expanse of wasteland ahead of them, and with Fai injured as he was, he knew they would not be outrunning them for long.

Fai said nothing, just ran as best he could at his side, leaning against him from time to time until he tripped, collapsing to the ground against his injured shoulder with a sharp cry of pain.

Kurogane turned back instantly. As he struggled to push Fai back to his feet, his ears caught the sound of an engine and his head snapped up to face the direction of the sound. Soon a small jeep came into view, a cloud of dust in its wake as it sped towards them. Kurogane stepped over Fai, ready to make his stand there when the driver of the vehicle came into view and Kurogane could only stare in shock.

The jeep came to a screeching stop next to them and Sakura leapt from the passenger's side, running around to meet them. Syaoran exited the driver's side, eyes focused with determination as he approached.

"Fai-san!" Sakura cried, dropping to her knees at his side.

"Help me get him into the backseat." Syaoran said, already stooping to lift Fai's head in his arms.

Kurogane shoved everything else to the back of his mind and did as instructed, climbing in with him as Sakura slammed the passengers door and Syaoran took the wheel, throwing the jeep into drive and shoving the gas pedal to the floor. In the distance, Kurogane could hear other engines but looking back, he never saw them.

* * *

By the time the gas had run out in their jeep, the weather had turned cold. They had found themselves in the city of Celes; a place of eternal winter where nothing lived. The water there was undrinkable, even the water frozen in ice, and the ground beneath their feet was saturated with deadly chemicals so they made sure to walk only where the dirt could not be found. They were forced to spend the night there, in the city of death, due to a terrible storm.

Syaoran chose for their shelter the basement of an office building, a place with no crevices for the elements to leek in around them. It was still cold; too cold for human children, Kurogane knew, but at least they were out of the biting cold wind and away from the city's contamination.

Fai curled around Sakura, shivering uncontrollably as he lent her the warmth of his thick coat. She wrapped her arms around him, trying in turn to warm him, believing him cold. He let her think it but Kurogane knew better. The desolate, empty streets had gotten to him; the stench of death in the air, forever frozen there like a thick blanket of decay; the empty city with no people. Fai was terrified of it. Whether it was the thought of dying alone in such a place or merely that the death haunted him, Kurogane did not know and he made no attempt to understand. An individual's deepest fears were a personal thing, he thought. His own deeply rooted fears were personal. He didn't wish to talk about them or deal with them. He only needed to know that Fai was there and Fai, Kurogane figured, really only needed that from him as well.

Syaoran had finished his thorough inspection of the room, satisfied that they were secure for the night, and seemed to be worrying over the appropriateness of adding his own body's warmth to Sakura and Fai. Kurogane snorted and rolled his eyes, not wishing to make a bigger deal out of it than it was, and moved in behind the boy, shoving him toward them and lay down, settling himself so that the children lay curled between himself and Fai and reached around Sakura to rest his nose next to Fai's, not so close as to make it obvious but close enough that he was there, if Fai needed him.

Fai smiled and moved a little, just enough to rest his nose against Kurogane's, before closing his eyes contentedly.

* * *

They came to a great river. Syaoran made the decision to stop there for a time, to give Sakura a chance to rest and Fai declared that he would demonstrate his amazing, awe-inspiring fish-catching skills to her by catching her dinner.

While Fai splashed around in the water, getting himself soaked and clearly enjoying play time more than being serious about catching their food, Syaoran sat himself down next to Kurogane.

Kurogane watched the boy out of the corner of his eye, feeling questions coming.

Syaoran took his time, watching as Sakura would catch the fish that Fai threw to her, finding it amusing despite himself that the wolf was playing catch with her instead of the other way around.

"My father was an archeologist." he said, watching them fondly as Kurogane inclined his head to listen. "He studied the history of man left behind in carvings and ruins and long-forgotten places. I went with him everywhere he went. So I've seen the paintings and carvings of wolves made by ancient people, things that were lost and forgotten. It was history that would have been destroyed otherwise. So I've always known…that wolves once lived among men. I've always believed that they still did. But with the world the way it is…I never saw that it made any difference one way or the other."

Syaoran tilted his head back to look up at the gray sky overhead. "Our world is worn down and…faded. There's a legend…that speaks of a flower that will lead the wolf to paradise…"

Kurogane's ear perked at this. A flower? He could remember Fai saying he had smelled flowers on the day they had been driven from the city. Was that significant?

"But we human beings don't have any hope at all for such things. Because it was mankind that made the earth what it is today. We have to pay for that. So in the end, only wolves will be able to find that reward. Don't mistake me," the brunette added, turning to face Kurogane now.

"I accept that destiny. I just find it hard to let go of the footprint we've left behind."

Kurogane snorted and turned away. "If there's a price to pay for the future of this world wolves will pay for it too." Kurogane watched as Fai laughed and shook droplets of water all over Sakura's giggling form. "We'll pay it in blood, and pain, and loss. Just the same as everyone else." Kurogane fixed Syaoran with a hard gaze. "Doing nothing is just as destructive as doing something bad."

* * *

Kurogane pushed off with a mighty shove of his back legs, climbing the mountainside in quick leaps, Sakura clinging tightly to his neck, careful even in her fright not to choke him. Fai brought up the rear, helping Syaoran make his climb and making sure he had chosen sure footholds each time. When they reached the top it seemed a whole new world; the vantage point allowing them to see the land stretched out beneath them for miles and miles around. As Kurogane stared out at the barren land, he wondered if they would ever find this place called "Clow". Kurogane gave the idea no thought. Turning away from the view and toward the path ahead, he figured that it didn't matter if they never made it to this Clow place. It didn't really matter what the destination was called.

Fai sidled up to him, bumping shoulders and offered him a smile. "What's Kuro-ru going to do when we get to Clow?" he asked and Kurogane wondered if he had known his thoughts or if the question was merely a way to start up a conversation.

Kurogane thought for a moment; not on the question, but on the opening Fai had left him and finally decided to breech the subject.

"On the day that you smelled flowers, we followed the smell. It's supposed to guide wolves to paradise. After we make it to Clow…we could find that scent again…if you wanted to go there…"

"To paradise?" Fai questioned, tilting his head slightly in curiosity.

Kurogane's silence was yes as he absently watched the children walk ahead of them.

"Does Kuro-howl want to go to paradise?" Fai asked and Kurogane glanced his way briefly before correcting himself.

"What do I care about paradise?"

Fai grinned and snuggled his head under Kurogane's chin. "This is my paradise."

* * *

The mountain where they traveled was forested with tall, hardy trees, the land largely untouched. It was like taking a stroll through an old nature documentary on woodland creatures. They were never short on food, even given the rabbits that Sakura begged them to make an exception of and not hunt. At night, Syaoran made a small fire to cook their food and keep them warm in the chill night air and Kurogane lay awake listening to the sounds of the forest, so alien to him, having spent much of his life in the city, but calming too.

Kurogane was listening to the noises with closed eyes when suddenly, he got the feeling they weren't alone, like a sharp tug in his gut and crimson eyes snapped open. Not wanting to startle Fai, sleeping next to him, Kurogane remained still as his ears and eyes strained to find something in the dark shadows made by their fire's flickering flames.

"I smell something." Fai whispered and Kurogane wasn't surprised that he had woken. Kurogane stood, Fai following suit, and from the darkness emerged several large figures; wolves…

Kurogane watched them cautiously, ready to act at a moment's notice.

There were four of them and they approached the group soundlessly; their leader, a large gray and black furred wolf, eyeing them each in turn with intrigued distaste. He finally came to a stop in front of Kurogane and spoke. "You have entered into my pack's territory."

"There weren't any markings." Kurogane countered firmly. He wasn't going to be accused of trespassing.

"This is my mountain." the wolf continued. He was larger than Kurogane and older. It was obvious that, while he may not have been used to dealing with this sort of thing, he was used to the task of keeping others in line. "I do not allow humans or dogs on my mountain." His gaze traveled to the children and Fai as he said those words like they had given him a bad taste and Kurogane growled.

"Don't get so busy talking down that you forget what's in front of you." Kurogane warned, baring his teeth.

The wolf seemed unconcerned. "We understand that the world outside isn't easy for a wolf to live in, and not all have been lucky enough to share in the benefit of a proper upbringing. When left with no other alternative, a wolf has to make due with what is available."

"I've heard just about enough of you." Kurogane growled. "You can just take your all-natural life and shove it!"

"Hmmm." The lead wolf took his eyes off of Kurogane, looking back at the sleeping children and at Fai. He seemed to be considering something. "Tell you what, why don't you bring your…friends…and join my pack for supper."

"We've eaten." Kurogane answered, a firm "screw off" hidden just below the surface.

"Let me rephrase myself." the wolf said, turning his back on Kurogane and from the corner of his eye Kurogane saw two of the other wolves shoving at Syaoran and Sakura to wake them, a third coming up just behind him, at Fai's side. "You are traveling on my mountain and I have graciously offered you my hospitality. Won't you come to dinner?"

Kurogane growled low but he knew he really had little choice.

"I wonder," the pack leader said, sitting next to Kurogane and watching as the black wolf pointedly ignored the elk leg in front of him "when I look at you I see a perfectly capable, strong, dominant wolf, surely a great asset to any pack, with strong genes to pass on to the next generation, who's surrounded himself with what must surely be the most needy of animals he could find."

Kurogane growled again, not liking this wolf's obvious amusement at the spectacle before him.

"Was it that you felt sorry for them? Surely they don't add to you in any way."

"Is that why you dragged me up here," Kurogane demanded "to insult me? Get tired of pissing on your own packmates?" Kurogane derived some pleasure in the way the other's ears slowly pressed back against the sides of his head.

Beside Kurogane, Fai raised his head to see what would happen.

"I am merely trying to understand." the gray wolf stated slowly, but his tone betrayed his irritation. "If you haven't been entirely domesticated by humans, then this is truly the place where you belong. You are one of us. A wolf is not meant to be a pet, nor to keep other pets."

Kurogane stood swiftly, baring his teeth in a snarl and the gray wolf rose to meet him. "I am no one's pet! Fai is the mate I have chosen, he is not a pet. This is my pack and our business is ours alone. I don't give a shit what you think of it!"

The gray wolf seemed stunned at this but it wore off quickly and he mirrored Kurogane's snarl.

"I was wrong. You are no wolf! You're no better than a confused house pet!"

Those were the words that served as their starting shot and both wolves launched themselves at one another in a flurry of fur and fangs.

Fai circled around and chomped down on the lead wolf's tail, trying to pull him away from Kurogane but he turned on Fai instead and Kurogane went for the throat to pull him back. Seeing this, the other hunting party wolves jumped in and catching a glimpse of some going for Sakura and Syaoran, Kurogane shouted out to Fai.

"Get the kids out of here!"

"But Kuro-rin!"

"Now!"

Kurogane paid for his distraction as teeth sank into his shoulder and there was no time to see them go. Kurogane trusted Fai and as pack leader, it was his responsibility to pay the sacrifice he once had spoken of. He would do it with honor.

Fai led the children through the forest a long way, stopping only once to deal with a pursuer. He took them far out of harm's way and told them to wait for him high in the branches of a tree. Syaoran protested. He could fight too, he told Fai, he should fight too, but Fai shook his head and smiled.

"Let mommy and daddy take care of it, ok?"

And Fai raced back, praying he would make it there in time. Kurogane sacrificed so much for them, he was always sacrificing for them; adapting and shifting to become what they most needed, a protector and teacher and steadfast mate, going against nature and even himself to do so. It could have been said that Kurogane was merely finding himself along the way, but Fai knew that Kurogane had done it all for them. Knowing what they truly meant to Kurogane, he couldn't let the wolf take all of the responsibility on himself. Fai was responsible too and to Fai, Kurogane was someone who could never be replaced.

When Fai finally made it back to the clearing it looked as though there had been a war. Kurogane was still on his feet, most of the underlings lay dead around him, but the lead wolf and two others looked to have worn him down enough to go in for the kill. Fai wasted no time in joining the fray, taking on the two underlings for himself. They were both fierce opponents but Fai was driven by the grip of fear and they both soon joined their comrades. Their bodies had not even settled before Fai had abandoned them to face the lead wolf at Kurogane's side.

They were across the clearing, and no matter how hard Fai pushed himself, how fast he ran toward them, the scene before him seemed to play out in slow motion, his moon-wide eyes catching every movement as the lead wolf reached down, taking Kurogane by the neck and snapping his head back and forth, throwing the limp body to the ground. He towered over Kurogane for a moment, silhouetted by the near-full moon before the spell shattered and he crumpled to the ground. It was as if the entire world had stopped turning and gone silent, as if Fai was the only living thing left in existence. His heart froze in his chest.

Kurogane was making noises, pawing blindly at the ground when Fai reached him. He was trying to stand, Fai realized and Fai threw back his head and screamed.

* * *

Fai tried to imagine how Kurogane might argue with him as he pressed his body close to the wolf's under the light of the full moon. 'Don't baby me.' Kurogane would say, if he had not been unconscious a full two days and nights. 'Eat something.' maybe, because Fai's stomach could not handle food, even the smell made him sick.

No, that was Syaoran, telling him to eat. Fai looked up and brought the boy into focus, and turned his nose away from the offending smell of fish.

"Later, maybe." he mumbled and Syaoran seemed unsure.

"Fai-san…"

"The moonlight will heal him." Fai answered. "We always bathe in the moonlight together."

Syaoran hesitated a moment more and then busied himself checking the bandages he and Sakura had wrapped Kurogane in.

They made him look ridiculous. They made him look smaller and vulnerable but Fai couldn't find it in himself to fault either of the children for them. They were worried about Kurogane too, and him. They did all of the work. Syaoran had fashioned a wooden sword in his spare time and stood guard over them while they slept. Fai was grateful for them both.

"See, Kuro-sama," Fai whispered, laying his head on top of Kurogane's "what it was you were protecting."

Fai took comfort in the even breaths and warm body below him.

* * *

"What the hell? I can chew my own food! Quit babying me!"

Sakura laughed as she watched them.

"Now, Kuro-pon," Fai's tail swished back and forth happily "don't make me feed you too. The children have been working so hard to keep you in once piece, it would be a shame to pull something after all their hard work."

"As if some back-woods geezer could kill me!"

"That's right!" Fai agreed, nodding his head. "My mate is the best in the whole world!"

"Who ever said I was your mate! What makes you think I'd ever take a blonde idiot like you for a mate?" Kurogane turned his head in a huff.

Fai's tail never slowed down.

* * *

Clow was the hidden city of sand, a place that only a true legend seeker could find. Kurogane had never heard it spoken of, nor Fai, and Syaoran's knowledge of the place was based entirely on the journal of an ancient explorer that had written of it in the yellowed pages of his travel accounts, but Sakura spoke of Clow as if speaking of wistful memories. She spoke of the sun rising warm over the cool sands, of storms that made air travel impossible, of scrawny desert hares and kind, smiling people whose faces and names she did not know.

Sakura did not know how she had lost her memory or how she had come to be in the ruins far, far from Clow where Syaoran had found her, but Syaoran had made it his life's mission to take her there to that lost city, in the hopes that her memories were truly connected to that place.

The journal that Syaoran had discovered with his father long ago told of the city of Clow as a place advanced in medicine and the cultivation of crops. He did not know what they would find now, so many years later; if Clow would even still exist, but Syaoran vowed that he would find it.

The group stocked up on supplies for their journey across the desert and Syaoran led them into the expanse of sand with the journal in one hand and his compass in the other.

"Kuro-taaaa!" Fai whined. "It's hoooot!"

Kurogane bristled. The heat was already threatening his short fuse, he didn't need Fai bothering it further.

"No shit stupid! That's why it's called the desert!"

"I wish I had some dessert!" Fai whined and if Sakura hadn't journeyed to his side, lifting her cloak over his head to create shade, he would have snapped at the idiot. He was almost glad he hadn't though, he didn't really have the energy.

"You think you're hot." Kurogane retorted. "Let's try spray painting you black and see how hot you get."

"Ughhhh."

* * *

"It's no wonder this place is lost." Kurogane groused. "It's impossible to find!"

"Uh…well…" Syaoran said, consulting the journal for the upteenth time that hour, it says "On the day after I thought I would die, on a heading of east, south-east, I came upon it…" I think it might still be a ways yet. But we're on the right heading."

Kurogane rolled his eyes. He had memorized that passage already. But Syaoran seemed so apologetic about it, Kurogane let the subject drop.

* * *

During the cool nights, Kurogane and Fai took turns carrying Sakura to cover more ground. They stopped only for three hours in the early morning before the sun took hold, for Syaoran to sleep. Fai had wanted to give him more time, but the growing realization that they might run out of water before finding Clow, and that it was far too late to turn back now, kept them going.

In this way, they lost track of the days, and Kurogane began to wonder if they had made a grave mistake in coming here. He and Fai had not eaten in days and their food supply had run out. They had stopped drinking the water the day before, and Syaoran had given it up early that morning. The moon had risen in the sky and Syaoran stumbled. Fai moved to walk at his side to steady him and Syaoran sunk his fingers into Fai's golden fur gratefully.

"Thank you."

His voice was scratchy and Fai offered a reassuring smile. As Syaoran lost strength, he was seeing the wolf more and the illusion less.

Kurogane caught the worried look Fai let drift his way and knew he was close to despair.

When the moon began to set, they did not stop. They could no longer stop anymore. As the morning advanced, the wind began to pick up, carrying sand with it in little swirls that frightened Sakura.

"If it becomes a sandstorm, we could get buried or lost!" she shouted above the rising wind, pulling her cloak tighter around her fragile frame.

"Kuro-pon!" Fai called out suddenly.

Kurogane turned but Fai bolted, racing ahead of them. Kurogane had never seen a sandstorm but he would have been willing to bet he was now in one. He tried to keep up with Fai, and not lose the children in the process, but Fai was the color of the sand blinding his eyes and he lost sight of the blonde fast.

Then finally, several agonizing seconds later, during which the sand was attempting to fill Kurogane's nostrils and cut off his air, a piercing howl cut through the storm and Kurogane grabbed onto Syaoran's cloak, trusting the boy to keep Sakura close, and pulled them toward the sound.

Kurogane ran blindly, the sand around him weighing him down, shifting beneath his feet until suddenly…the atmosphere changed. The howling, swirling wind vanished and the soft, ever-shifting sand below became hard, propelling him forward unexpectedly. Kurogane's eyes snapped open and he whirled around in confusion. It appeared as though he'd entered some kind of cave.

"Don't stop now!" Fai shouted, dancing in front of him and running the length of his cool, wet tongue across Kurogane's nose excitedly.

Kurogane's eyes widened as realization dawned on him and his nose finally cleared enough to take in the scent around him.

Water.

Fai bolted away again and Kurogane followed, further into the cavern and straight into a pool of cool, clear water. The children weren't far behind.

"Water!" Sakura exclaimed and both waded in, clothes and all, after the wolves.

Fai splashed Kurogane playfully and Kurogane chased him through the water. He'd never been so glad to be wet in his entire life.

* * *

After replenishing their water supply and getting a few much-needed hours of sleep, the group decided to follow the cavern's tunnels further in hopes of passing through the mountainous ridge they had found themselves in.

Eventually they came to a fork in the tunnel system. They stopped to decide. Taking a closer look at the left tunnel, Kurogane chose that path, but Sakura hesitated.

"I like this path." she said, standing in front of the opposite tunnel.

"There have been people this way." Kurogane declared. Very faintly, the left path held the scent of travel.

Sakura bit her lip, unsure.

"You know what I think, Kuro-koi," Fai said, trotting over to the girl and looking back at Kurogane with a contented grin "I think Sakura is the flower we've been following to paradise."

* * *

Kurogane's eyes constricted at the sudden light as they emerged into the sun from the right-hand tunnel.

A second later when they had focused properly, Kurogane stared in shock at his surroundings.

Sakura spread her arms wide and twirled in a circle, smiling happily, and all around them people turned to watch them, the wolves, the boy, and the girl, dancing in the carpet of blooming rainbow flowers.

* * *

Somewhere out there, Kurogane was sure there were other wolves that had followed the scent of flowers that Fai had once smelled, the flower-smell that had sent them on a journey. Maybe that scent had led those wolves to the paradise written of in ancient texts, but Kurogane did not envy them.

Fai stirred beneath him and Kurogane shifted his neck slightly, stretched across Fai's, opening one eye to take in Sakura and Syaoran, sitting nearby watching the sunset, locked in their own embrace. A light haired man came to offer them a blanket and Kurogane closed his eye, sighing deeply.

- end -

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