Hello! Welcome to my second fanfic! Just so you know, this story occurs a while after the manga ends. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tsubasa.

A Second Enigma

Chapter One

Crawling on his hands and knees, Fai drilled silently through the rubble, panting heavily. His forehead soaked with sweat, he gripped his left wrist with his right hand, hoping that it would cause the spell to be less agonizing. He had been trying to penetrate the dome of debris for hours already, and he had to admit, whatever magic was protecting it was extraordinarily strong. But that wasn't all. Right at the beginning he had already figured that the entire wall was at least five hundred metres thick. He paused and looked back at the narrow tunnel he had created. All he saw was a tiny spot of white. He couldn't make out the figures of his companions anymore; he had to be close to the source of magic he had sensed. The presence of it had been steadily getting stronger as he'd drilled. His hands shaking with the effort, he forced more magic out of his fingers and watched with weary satisfaction as the solid rock broke away. I wish I had a staff, he thought, a little frustrated with having to use his bare hands to wield magic. But his annoyance was broken as the last of the rock suddenly gave way and light streamed into the dark tunnel. Fai squinted at the sudden brightness, his heart pounding with anticipation. As his eyes adjusted, he saw an icy wonderland; the smooth floor was covered here and there with craggy blocks of ice, and transparent icicles hung from the . . . ceiling? Fai had been knocked senseless. This wasn't what he had expected at all. Suddenly, his sensitive ears caught the sound of a sweet, quiet voice singing. He looked around and noticed a figure huddled against a block of ice, wrapped in an oversized and very thick white coat with a hood. Frozen with amazement, he strained his ears.

". . . it's true that I have been waiting

For someone, all these years

To break this dreadful imprisonment

Of nothing but ice

If only I could return

To where I came from

The sacrifice returning home

Would be the key to everything

If only someone

Could fracture this shell

But no matter how painful it may be

I will wait

Until someone sets me free

I will always be waiting"

Fai realised he had been holding his breath all the way through the song. He let it out slowly. Then suddenly, as if in response, the figure turned abruptly, revealing the face of a stunningly pretty teenage girl. She stared at him, as if she'd never seen anything like him before.

"Are you . . . the one?" Her voice, clear and sweet moments before, had become a barely audible whisper.

Fai gripped the jagged rock so hard that a drop of blood oozed out of his finger. "I'm afraid that I'm not exactly . . . clear on what you're saying."

The girl stood up, the coat slipping off her shoulders. Fai stifled a gasp. Her hair, a pure blue so pale it was almost white, reached down to her feet and shimmered with every movement. Her eyes were almost the same colour, set so perfectly in her pale face. The white dress she was wearing looked dull compared to her dazzling features, despite its elegance. To add to all that, she was smiling, a warm, gentle smile that could have warmed up the entire icy place. "I take it you are the one. Events often cast their shadows before them."

By now Fai's heart was beating so loudly he was sure the girl could hear it. Somehow, despite the complex language she was using, he could understand her perfectly. "You're a dream seer?"

"I am. Koyuki Quinnajul. And you are?"

"Fai. Fai D Flourite."

For a moment, although over so quickly he might have imagined it, Fai thought he saw a look of shock on the girl's face.

"Then, Flourite-san, you may gladly advance out of your alcove." Koyuki's face was unbearably unemotional again.

"You can call me Fai," he said, doing as she'd said. He walked towards her, noticing that she was barefoot.

"Equally, you may address me as Koyuki."

"Yes, Koyuki-san." Fai's nerves were gradually easing. Behind the commanding speech, he could see a heart of kindness and compassion.

"There is truly no need for the polite speech."

"Alright . . . Koyuki-chan. But . . . it seems you're a figure of fairly great importance. Are you sure this is right?"

All Koyuki did was smile. Fai assumed it was a yes. He suddenly remembered why he was here. He put on his trademark smile. "Koyuki-chan, you're a strong user of magic, aren't you?

"The same as you."

He shook his head. "No, there's quite a difference between us."

"You sensed the presence of my magic, yes?"

"Yes, but the reason you couldn't leave this place is a certain control of your magic, isn't it?

"I see you noticed."

Fai kept his smile plastered to his face, but said nothing.

Koyuki continued. "I have been imprisoned in this dome for three years, I believe. And since then, I have been waiting, as I mentioned in my song, for someone to break the magic."

"But . . . why are you here?"

Koyuki smiled, the tiniest hint of sadness in her face. Fai was beginning to feel nervous again. Koyuki's consistency of not answering his questions was really starting to disturb him. Wanting to exit his state of awkwardness, he shyly held out his hand. "Coming?"

For the first time since Fai had been in the dome, Koyuki looked genuinely surprised. She had seemingly changed from a completely stoic girl to a typical, maybe even childish teenager. All of her composure gone, her cheeks lighted up, from almost white to a pretty, pale pink. Really, she was more of an enigma than Fai had ever been, despite the fact that Fai had always thought that no one could match his mysterious personality.

After a few seconds of blushing to the ground, Koyuki allowed her pale eyes to meet Fai's. "Y–Yes, I'm definitely coming." The girl hesitantly stepped forward and took Fai's hand. Fai almost squealed in shock, but managed to clamp his teeth down onto his tongue. He smiled at the girl and began to lead her towards the tunnel he had so expertly drilled, but stopped after a few steps.

"What about your coat?"

"It's excessively much of a dilemma. I highly doubt I'll require it anyway."

There she goes again, Fai thought as he pulled her along. Koyuki had become the mature iceberg he had seen just moments ago. Pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind, he stopped and turned at the mouth of the tunnel. "You'd better be careful. It's rather cramped in here."

"I'll be tolerable."

For the next hour or so, the two of them crawled cautiously through the tunnel, nervous to break the tense silence. Finally Fai summoned up his courage and asked hesitantly, "Were you born in this country, Koyuki-chan?"

"No."

Fai was jolted by the blunt answer. "Then where were you born?"

Silence. Then the girl said quietly, "I don't know."

Fai stifled a gasp for the second time that day. How could she not know? It didn't seem to be the right time to pry further, so he kept his mouth shut for the rest of the 'journey'.

After what seemed like forever, Fai and Koyuki finally reached the other end of the tunnel. As Fai climbed out into broad daylight, he realised something was seriously wrong. After a moment of hesitation, he comprehended. His companions. They had disappeared.

Ok, time to click on that button below! ^_^ BTW, I'm not exactly sure when I'm posting the next chapter, so until then, you'll just have to make the most of the agonizing wait!

TsubameTrebleClef