A/N: Hey everyone! Here's a new TRC fanfic for you all to enjoy. Pairing is to be decided. This chapter's a little on the slow side, but it'll pick up. Please read and review—your comments and criticism really do mean a lot to me. The summary provided isn't the best of summaries, but I hope you'll overlook that and enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: All original TRC characters and the original TRC plot belong to CLAMP.

"Ugh…" the boy groaned, rubbing his forehead. One would think he'd have been used to the ways of time-space travel by now. Maybe it was just a particularly rough landing, or maybe it was because he was so affected by being separated from his loved one for the umpteenth time. Whatever the case, he was off his game—that much was for certain.

"You okay there, Syaoran-kun?" the wiry blond asked, gleefully helping the boy to his feet. His smile was, as always, sweet but tinged with sadness. At least he was smiling now. "You took quite a tumble this time, didn't you?"

Syaoran nodded slowly. "Yes…" he said, patting the dirt off his cloak. "Thank you, Fai-san. I think the landing just caught me off guard."

Nearby, the black-clad man staggered to his feet. "It's the god-damned manju bun's fault," he snapped, glaring at the manju bun in question. But before he could quite get his hands around it, he stepped on his own cloak and stumbled backwards. "God dammit! I'm gonna get you, you little runt!"

"Kurogane is so scary!" the white manju bun squealed.

The blond giggled as he caught the manju bun in his hand. "Now, now. Kuro-pii, don't frighten Mokona," he scolded, though the jocular tone in his voice was evident.

Syaoran, having recovered from his fall, was all business now. "Where are we?" he wondered, taking a good look at his surroundings. They were standing on what appeared to be a hill overlooking an impressive city. It was quite obviously nighttime—the sky was pitch dark—but people milled about on the streets nonetheless. Lights in the windows of the high rises and buildings indicated that the people of the city were wide awake. "I don't think...we've been here before…" Syaoran muttered. His companions nodded solemnly.

The sound of an object ripping through air startled them out of silence. "Get out of the way, bozos!" a girl shouted as she hurtled towards them at an impossibly high speed. Accordingly, the group scattered.

Fai kept his eyes trained on the girl's face as she plummeted towards the earth head-first. He noticed that her expression gave no sign that she was bracing for impact, even as impact drew nearer. In fact, he could see only a burning determination in her eyes. Was this the face of a warrior headed to battle?

Suddenly, as if a parachute had been deployed, the girl hovered, her face only inches from the ground. Two enormous, silvery wings had unfolded, now beating rhythmically. It was clear that she wasn't quite used to the mechanics of flying, because she hovered awkwardly in the air, seemingly unable to keep the balance between the speeds at which the two wings flapped. "They're mechanical!" Fai exclaimed. Sure enough, upon close inspection, the girl's wings appeared to be constructed of metal and a sort of microfiber. Though they were beautiful in their own right, one couldn't help but feel that they were clunky and their movements stiff.

"Everyone, look!" Mokona gasped. With each powerful thresh of her synthetic wings, the girl began to climb higher—joining the hundreds of other airborne people in the sky. People zipped around on hang gliders, jet packs, personal airplanes, and other hovercrafts. "It's almost like in Piffle World!"

Syaoran and the others nodded. "Yes, but...It's not the same," he asserted. "The technology is advanced, but everything else looks so...different…" He picked up a stone from the ground. "It's like a city surrounded by mountains on all sides. It feels so hidden away," he said. "And I can't say what, but something feels so strange about this place. There's a lot of tension in the air."

"Well, it's a lot less peaceful here, that's for sure," Fai agreed. "No feather, but I'm sure there's some other kind of magic here. It's very faint, but it's there," he concluded. "And there are no cars here, either. But boy, it sure is incredible that they have flying boxes like in Piffle World. And that girl even had wings!"

"Hmph," Kurogane grunted, clearly unamused. "If people were meant to fly, we'd have been born with wings."

Fai laughed at his companion's dour expression. "Oh, Kuro-puu. We know you enjoyed flying the Kurotan during the the Dragonfly Race. I mean, you just looked so-o-o cool!"

"Why you little—"

"Stop it, you two!" Mokona shouted, latching onto Kurogane's face. "We have to be serious now!"

Syaoran surveyed the area once again. "Is it strange that we're in a place that we've never been to before?" he asked. "Mokona told us that the memories in the black Mokona's earring would lead us back to the people we've met, but this place is entirely new. And we don't have feathers to guide us anymore," he sighed. "But I don't think I'm wrong to say that there's definitely another source of magic around here." He started down the hill, looking towards the cluster of skyscrapers. "Let's head to the city—there might be something worth checking out there."

"Yes, sir!" Fai chirped, happily bounding after Syaoran. Kurogane simply rolled his eyes at Fai's act before trudging after them, Mokona perched on his shoulder.

*.*.*.*.*

"Oi, Rina," the bartender said as he wiped off the counter-top. "You here already? It's not even six yet."

Rina nodded slowly, unzipping her jacket and throwing it over the back of a stool before taking a seat. She pulled her goggles down around her neck. "It's been a long day, Touya," she sighed. "Rayze and I got into another argument over the prototype." She rested her cheek against the polished stone of the bar.

"Hey, sit up! I just cleaned that!" Touya snapped. Then, more gently: "Look, Rina. I don't get why you still hang around that little brat. God knows he's up to no good."

Rina sat up reluctantly. "He's more than just a brother to me. He's an old friend of mine, y'know? We're like you and Yukito. Friends for life. Best buddies. Pals. Whatever," she mumbled. "Anyway, just get me the usual."

"Already done, Rina-chan," Yukito said, emerging from the kitchen with Rina's drink. "Your White Russian Float, made-to-order."

"Aw, what?! Yukito-san, you're the best!" Rina giggled, taking her drink from Yukito's hand. "Why doesn't Touya ever make my drinks? Is he really that lazy?"

Touya snorted. "Please. As if I'd ever make such a sugary woman-drink." He poured himself a glass of red wine and sat down next to her. "Anyway, so tell me about that prototype. My guess is that it's another no-go?"

Rina sighed again. "Well...it's getting somewhere, at least," she said. "Rayze thinks it's a real waste of my time to be working on it, but I really do think it's a glimpse of the future." She stirred the ice cream in her drink until it melted. "I mean, he says he needs me to be helping him out with R&R corporation above all else."

"Hmm. It's true he's been pretty hell-bent on that ever since you two got here," Touya recalled. "What is it that you've been doing with R&R corporation, anyway?"

Rina took a deep breath. "That much is classified information," she chuckled. "It's my night job, if you will. We've got nothing but prototypes so far."

"Huh. So, more machinery and such. You two sure are an ambitious pair," Touya remarked. "But it's funny how neither of you ever thought about going back home." He paused. "We enjoy your company here, sure, but you were so young when you got here."

The corners of Rina's lips turned up slightly. "You'd be surprised how much we wished we could go home," she said, downing the last of her drink. "Rayze never stopped thinking about it, actually. But for me, this is my home now."

Yukito plucked her glass from her hands. "I think it's time we wrapped up this conversation," he cooed, giving Touya a pointed glare. "Speaking of Rayze, where is he, Rina-chan?"

Rina threw her head back and laughed. "As if I knew! But Rayze being Rayze, he's either got his nose stuck in a book or he's programming something."

Yukito smiled knowingly. "He's a brilliant kid."

Touya slumped over, resting his head on the counter-top and sighing loudly. "Brat or not, what would we be without his skills?"

"Come now, Touya." Yukito dragged Touya off the stool and onto his feet. "You just cleaned the counter."

*.*.*.*.*

"Do you get the feeling we're horribly out of place here, Syaoran-kun?" Fai asked cheerfully. "People have been staring at us as though we're monsters of some sort."

Kurogane scoffed. "It's not like our clothes help us blend in. Clow country's pretty different from here." He paused for a moment. "Not that it matters, of course."

Syaoran shrugged. "You're right, though. We definitely don't fit in, but there aren't any shops around here where we can buy new clothes."

"Not to mention the fact that we don't have money that can be used here, by the looks of it," Fai said, pointing to the people swiping credit cards in vending machines. "I guess we'll just have to make do."

"You three look like you just came in from the excavation site."

Fai, Syaoran, Kurogane, and Mokona swiveled around. A boy, maybe seventeen, stood before them, clad in the white and blue jumpsuit that they'd seen around the city countless times. In his right hand, he carried a wrench; in his left, he cradled a book. "People like you don't come into the city all too often," he commented. Lifting his goggles so that they rested atop his head, he laughed, "But I guess that's a refreshing change of pace for us city-dwellers."

"We couldn't help but notice how busy it is here when it's so late at night," Syaoran blurted out. "Is that just what the city's like?"

The boy raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "You kiddin' me? Or are you seriously ill?" he asked, running a hand through his messy brown hair. "The curfew's still in place, kid. Gov's just as strict as it's always been. Nobody'd be out past ten thirty, you can be sure of that." He chuckled to himself. "Boy, I'd heard stories about the archaeologists being pretty clueless, but this is priceless."

Fai broke into a smile. "You see, we're not from around here," he explained. "I'm Fai. My pals here are Kurogane, Syaoran—"

"And Mokona!" Mokona interjected.

"And Mokona," Fai chuckled. "I'm not sure what excavation site you may be talking about, but we would be honored if you would explain it to us."

"Not from around here, huh? So you're travelers…." the boy mumbled, thinking to himself. Suddenly, he looked up at the group, grinning madly. "That would explain a lot. Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Rayze Murasaki, and this—" he said, gesturing to the bustling city around them with his wrench "—is the lovely city of Marxus."

"Lovely indeed," Fai said, watching citizens soar high above the buildings like kites.

"But the sky is so dark," Syaoran said. "It's dark, but it's not night. Is this what the daytime is like here?"

Rayze stifled a laugh. "Sky? Daytime? You must be traveling from very, very far away," he said. "This is what it's like here all the time. Marxus is the largest of a good number of underground civilizations—that's the only kind of city or community you're going to see for hundreds of miles." He started walking, motioning for the rest to follow. "C'mon, I'll show you around a little."

"What's this curfew you mentioned?" Kurogane asked gruffly.

"Ah, the infamous curfew," Rayze said, smiling impishly. "We've got very limited access to electricity down here. We can generate enough for us to live, but not enough to keep the city powered all hours of the day," he explained. "Basically, city shuts down at ten thirty every night, and while there's no 'official' curfew, you're as good as dead if you go out past shutdown. It's too dark to see anything and the bugs'll get you in a flash."

Rayze led the group past a lofty glass structure. "This here's The Elevator. It goes straight up to the surface, but unless you've got the proper license and protective gear, you're not allowed to use it," he said.

Syaoran looked up at the tower. It stretched so high up that he couldn't see where it broke the surface. "What's up there?"

"What indeed," Rayze sighed. "No one really knows too much about it because the chemical waste up there is lethal. The gear needed to go up is pretty pricey, and nobody who goes up comes back down." He pointed to a tall, ornate building to their left. "That's the Meridian. It's the only hotel here, and it's not at all a bad place. You guys looking for a place to stay?"

Syaoran shook his head slowly. "We don't have much money. And besides, we don't know how long we'll be here."

Rayze nodded in understanding. "I gotcha. It's not exactly the cheapest place," he admitted. "But don't let money be an issue if you're looking to stay here for a few nights. I'll gladly offer you my place to stay."

Mokona, who had migrated from Kurogane's shoulder to Fai's, whispered in Fai's ear, "Are we leaving very soon?"

Fai shrugged. "It's up to Syaoran, but my guess is that whatever little magic is here isn't what we're looking for."

Syaoran furrowed his brows. "We appreciate your offer, but money isn't the issue," he insisted. "We're going to have to head to our next destination very soon."

"Hmm." Rayze puffed out his cheeks as he thought. "If that's the case, we have one more stop on this tour. Follow me." With that, he ducked into a narrow alley and stopped in front of a large metal door. "Use this as an opportunity to relax a little before you head off," he said, smiling as he turned the doorknob.

Inside was a clean, modern bar with wineglasses hanging from the ceiling and a beautiful, well-lit display of various alcoholic bevarages in the center of the room. "This is a little-known joint on the edge of town. It's a real treat to those of us who know about it," he said proudly. "Don't worry about the costs; I've got you covered."

"Is that Rayze?" the bartender called from behind the counter, squinting at the customers. "Heh, I knew it was you. We were just talking about you."

"Y-your Highness?!" Syaoran gasped, but quickly covered his mouth after realizing his mistake.

"Ah, that's the king in your land again," Fai whispered to Syaoran. "Touya, wasn't it?"

Touya eyed Syaoran strangely. "'Your Highness,' huh? Hah, that'd be the day," he scoffed. "Brought some friends today, did you, Rayze?"

"Just some travelers," Rayze beamed, patting Syaoran on the back. Then, catching sight of the lone other customer in the room, his eyes lit up. "Rina! Rina, come and meet my new acquaintances!"

Rina spun around in her seat, lazily swinging her legs as she did. "Travelers?" she asked. The moment she made eye-contact with Fai, she stood up abruptly, accidentally knocking her jacket off the stool in the process. "Y-you're the guys who were in my way this morning!" she declared, pointing at them accusingly.

Fai smiled at her. "Ah, so you're the girl with the robotic wings," he said.

"Oh, you mean the clumsy one who couldn't fly straight?" Kurogane deadpanned.

Rina's shoulders slumped. "I can't believe this," she whined. "It's bad enough that I have to hear this from Rayze, but now I get it from random strangers, too?"

Rayze looked from Rina to the group in confusion. "...Guess you've met before?"

Rina sat back down dejectedly. "Hardly," she groaned. "I can't believe you know them, Rayze."

Rayze rolled his eyes. "That's no way to treat visitors," he scolded. Turning to the group, he said, "This is my sister Rina. I'm sorry if she was rude to you at all."

Syaoran and Fai shook their heads. "Not at all," Fai said. "I thought her wings were actually very cool."

"You saw that, huh?" Rayze frowned, but only for a moment. "In any case, I'm glad you don't hate each other or anything," he said, crossing the room and taking Rina's hand. Though she struggled initially, she eventually gave up and allowed him to drag her back to the group. A combination between the alcohol and her general tiredness took all the fight from her.

Rayze gestured to the travelers. "Rina, meet Fai, Syaoran, Kurogane—"

"And Mokona!" Mokona giggled.

"—and Mokona," Rayze said. "I want you to treat them very nicely. You're going to be traveling with them for a while."

"What?!" Rina spat, nearly choking on her own surprise.

Syaoran, Kurogane, and Fai looked at one another curiously. "...Huh?" Syaoran sputtered. "You can't mean you want us to take her with us, can you?"

Rayze grinned and shoved Rina forward. She only just managed to stop herself from falling into Syaoran. "I'm afraid that's exactly what I mean," he chirped.

Bewildered, Rina looked at each of the faces before her. Each of the travelers looked back at her with expressions of equal confusion. But before she even turned around to argue with Rayze, she knew that his decision was set in stone. Syaoran, Fai, and Kurogane noticed the look of utter resignation that had settled on Rina's face—and in that moment, they knew this, too.

Whatever it was that Rayze was keeping up his sleeves was going to make sure that they'd have a new traveling companion, whether they—or she—liked it or not.