Keeping Up Appearances

Upon their arrival in a new world the gang loses Fai and find a cat instead. Kurogane doesn't mind at all, well, until the next morning anyway.

The landing, as usual, was rough.

For Kurogane, at least, who had hit the ground first and thus went on to become the bottom of the pile of travellers. Apologising profusely the children clambered off him and allowed him up. Still grumbling, the disgruntled ninja dusted himself off and looked about.

They were in a clearing, surrounded by seemingly docile woods. Just off to their right Kurogane could make out a what appeared to be a well travelled road. He was just about to suggest they make for it when Sakura spoke up.

'Has anyone seen Fai?'

Syaoran looked about in surprise and then shook his head; Mokona mimicking the gesture.

'Mokona doesn't see Fai anywhere,'

Kurogane sighed and moved back to the centre of the clearing where they had landed. He could find no sign of the wizard there, or in any other part of the clearing. Kurogane moved a little way into the woods surrounding them to see if he could find the troublesome wizard there.

He wasn't.

Instead Kurogane found a small, yellow cat. It mewed pointedly, gazing up at them with wide blue eyes. Kurogane ignored it and made his way back to the clearing. The kids and pork bun were waiting for him.

'Did you find any sign of him?' Syaoran asked in concern.

'No,' Kurogane growled, 'Trust him to get lost the moment we arrive,'

'What if he's hurt?' Sakura clutched Mokona close.

'Don't worry Sakura, Fai isn't hurt, Mokona would know if he was; it's one of Mokona's 108 special abilities,' Mokona said with a knowledgeable tone that didn't suit the pork bun at all.

Kurogane sighed inwardly, when the wizard returned he was going to kill him.

As it turned out there was a small town just down the road from where they'd landed. It was pleasant and the people were friendly.

And no one there had seen an overzealous blonde wizard.

In Kurogane's humble opinion the only way the situation could possibly be better was if he was the one who gotten lost instead. Then he would be completely free. Unfortunately the children and pork bun disagreed. That and the cat had followed them. But as far as companions went Kurogane would much prefer a cat to a wizard any day; cats couldn't talk endlessly for hours for one thing.

So that night, when the cat climbed into his bed in the room in a tavern they had taken for the night he didn't complain.

Blonde hair was tickling his nose. Groaning Kurogane brushed it away. A few quiet moments passed in which Kurogane replayed his actions. Very, very slowly he sat up.

There was a woman in his bed.

...why was there a woman in his bed? And just how did she get there without him noticing? He was a goddamn ninja for crying out loud.

The woman shifted in her sleep and her face was revealed. Kurogane barely stifled a yell of surprise as the shock sent him tumbling less than gracefully from the bed. Fai sat up and stretched sleepily, before turning his gaze downward to the ninja.

'Whatever are you doing down there, Kuro-chin?' he asked innocently, running a hand through sleep-mussed hair.

'Is everything okay, I-' Syaoran broke off mid sentence, and stood mutely in the doorway. Kuragane turned his glare towards the boy, who was rapidly turning an interesting shade of red. Slowly Kurogane looked back to Fai and putting the pieces together slowly he saw what Syaoran was seeing. His head snapped back to the doorway, but Syaoran was gone, and had closed the door firmly in his wake.

Kurogane leapt to his feet and grabbed at Fai, meaning to take him by the collar and drag him from the room, before realizing the damn wizard wasn't wearing a shirt. Or pants for that matter.

'What the hell?' Kurogane demanded in a dangerously low voice, 'Why are you in my bed? And why were you naked?'

Fai just smiled, 'Why are you so upset Kuro-pi? You more than happy to let me snuggled up with you last night,'

Kurogane was dumbstruck. Fai just smiled.

'And really, Kuro-tan, even you should know cats don't wear clothes.'

Thanks for reading! This one's been sitting around slightly unfinished in my story folder for quite sometime now. But finally, I have finished it!

Hope you liked it, please review; it'd be much appreciated!

~Ulan