Title:
Pairing: young!KuroFai
Rating: T ( though this chapter is probably K+)
Warnings: Shonen-ai, light ( and I mean light) yaoi. We're talking about kids here. Like around 12 to 13 year olds. They're not going to do anything that would be in a total yaoi fan girl's dreams. Except for maybe a kiss or two. I'm not sure yet.
Disclaimer: I do not own. CLAMP on the other hand does…damn it.
Authors Notes: Well… I wanted to write a multi-chapter story and now that it's summer, I finally have the time. I also wanted to write a KuroFai story while they were in their preteens, so hence this Alternate Timeline fic. Review please, 'cause you know it makes me oh so happy.
Prologue: Wolf Moon
Cold. Desolate. Empty.
Those words not only described the snowy and corpse filled valley in which he lived-no, lived- but his emotions as well. As the young boy cradled a freshly dead body in his frail arms, he could only think of how Gehenna, the name of his world's hell, could only be slightly worse than where he was now. There was no way life could get much worse. Death would be welcomed with open arms.
He sighed dejectedly as it began to snow again. His whole body was numb, and not to mention he was severely dehydrated. Death was coming soon, and then he could rejoin the only person who had ever loved him. The person he had murdered unintentionally. He tightened his grip on the body.
The wind started to pick up and move more erratically. The boy shielded his eyes against the wind with his hands, glancing up at the sky with fear. This was strange weather, even for the snow-covered land of Valeria. When the walls surrounding the valley started to crumble away, he realized that whatever was happening was completely out of the ordinary.
"Is the world being destroyed…?" He wondered out loud, not really afraid, but weary all at the same time. Yes, he wanted to die, but he did prefer if it happened quickly. Though, he didn't deserve a quick and painless death. No, he deserved the death of a traitor.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a form starting to take shape. His vision blurred and he could barely see as a figure bloom out of a distortion of space, a short, chubby figure. The child did nothing as he felt himself being sucked into a vacuum, into a portal of some sort. The only thing he thought of as he left his home world was that Gehenna would punish him as he rightfully deserved.
The sun shone brightly down on a large, oriental castle, with pink sakura trees surrounding the palace with imposing grace. Cherry blossoms spiraled in counter clockwise motions on the breeze, giving the place an aura of peace and calm. Though, this was just an illusion. The palace was anything but serene on that day, despite its aesthetic appearance.
It was another seemingly normal day when the witch contacted them. The young princess of Nihon could only stare in wonder as a projection of the legendary Time-Space Witch appeared on the wall after a surprise visit from a strange rabbit-like creature. The creature, self-proclaimed as Mokana Midoki, had dropped in out of nowhere in the middle of the palace courtroom in a blur of feathers and twisted air. It hadn't surprised the princess, but the apprentice ninja and the ever faithful Souma had jumped up and assumed attack positions.
Tomoyo chuckled at the ninjas and flicked her hand to signal for them to calm down. The two relaxed slightly, but their guard was still up as they regarded the projection suspiciously. The witch smirked at the two and turned her attention to the princess.
" It's nice to meet your acquaintance, Tomoyo-hime," the witch said, bowing slightly to show respect. Tomoyo smiled warmly at her.
" Thank you. It's nice to meet you at long last…" Tomoyo paused, not quite sure as to how she should address the witch.
" Please, call me Yuuko, hime." Tomoyo nodded and murmured an agreement.
" So, Yuuko, what is the reason that you have contacted me?" The witch sighed deeply. This was going to be difficult. Especially for her.
" I have a favor to ask of you," Yuuko admitted, almost regretful in her tone of voice. Tomoyo's eyes widened in shock. Despite the fact they had never met before, the princess had heard many things about the Time Space Witch. About how she granted wishes for an equal price. It was strange that a woman who granted wishes for a living, was now asking for a favor.
" What is it that you ask of me?"
Yuuko closed her eyes, hoping that the outcome would come as expected. She knew the princess wouldn't refuse, but the witch hated that she had to force the decision upon the young princess.
" I would like to ask you to take a child into your care. This child comes from another dimension. Sadly, this dimension is coming to an end and the child has nowhere to go. I was hoping you would be able to take him in."
While Tomoyo pondered the proposition for a moment, the young ninja apprentice grinned broadly. There weren't a lot of kids in the palace and he often found himself lonely. Tomoyo was nice and all, but she was much younger than him and was always busy with her duties as princess. The thought of having another kid his age around, a boy at that, excited him greatly.
Tomoyo glanced at the boy she had taken under her wing not that long ago and smiled at the rare grin on his face. The ninja apprentice had rarely smiled since his parents had died, so it was nice to see a slip of the scowl that was constantly on his face. Tomoyo turned back to the witch and nodded swiftly.
"Yes, we'll take him." Yuuko smiled and bowed once again to the princess.
" Thank you, Tomoyo-hime. Mokona will stay in Nihon until the boy learns your language. Hopefully that won't be too long, for I need it for other uses…never mind that, though. Thank for accepting this favor and one day I will assist you, no matter of what you ask." Yuuko bowed once again and the projection faded away. Tomoyo blinked.
So…what now?
The princess turned to the rabbit-like creature. It smiled cheerfully at her, hopping towards her like a bunny on a sugar high. It stopped in front of her, and with a dramatic gulp of air, it 'gracefully' spit out a small, human child.
Tomoyo's throat tightened at the sight of the child, whom she presumed was a boy. His hair was far too overgrown, matted and gnarly. His clothes were threadbare and ripped. His skin was covered in blood, tiny hands scarred beyond belief. The princess rushed toward his, ignoring all the rules of royal etiquette, and gathered the grotesque child into her arms.
He blinked wearily up at her, too tired to struggle. His skin was puckered and stretched, making him look like a corpse. Tomoyo stroked his cheek with concern.
"What is your name?" She asked, giving him a small, sad smile. The boy hesitated before giving an answer.
"Fai," He whispered, before falling asleep in the princess's arms, safe at last in a strange world.
2 and a half a page. Grrr… I suck at writing long chapters. I really need to work on that. Anyways, please review. They make me smile.
Footnotes-
Gehenna is Valeria's name for Hell. I did not come up with this, CLAMP did. Or so the translation notes in the DelRey translations say.
I know this chapter sucked on thin ice, so I may rewrite it later. I'm not going to revise the whole entire story and resubmit it just so I can get more reviews, I'll just replace the chapters, okay?
Wow. I don't think ever seen 're' that many times in a paragraph before. Impressive or what? To add another 're' to this author's note, reply and review.
Paragraph Count: 27
Total Word Count(Chapter): 1,118
Total Word Count(Story): 1,118