I do NOT own Tsubasa!! I'm not that creative!
The brilliant storyline for this story was conjured up by my sister:
REDAUGUST
I'm simply just the writer
The sky twisted and warped before finally giving under the magic weight. It oozed into the form of a sticky teardrop and slimed down to the ground where it broke like a water balloon.
"We're here!" Mokona sang.
Syaoran scanned the area as his back was to Kurogane's; there wasn't anything entirely new about this place that they hadn't seen already.
Grey and sandy colored buildings stood bravely like tamed rocks all about them and the alleyway they sat in was quiet. All was still and silent save the echoes of the busy streets near by somewhere out of sight.
"There's definitely a feather here," Mokona's voice lowered to a sort of whisper, "I can feel it clearly! It's magic is all around!"
Kurogane sighed and Syaoran could feel him slump forward. "Which way do you want to begin, kid?"
Syaoran shrugged and looked to Sakura. "Ahhh!"
Kurogane turned and echoed his cry as they both balked down at Fai and Sakura.
"Wha- wha-?" Syaoran gasped as Kurogane's eye twitched with distaste.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"Sa-sakura," Syaoran stammered, "you're one foot tall!"
"Oh! They're so cute!" Mokona exclaimed.
Sakura's bright orbs stared curiously at Syaoran with innocence that could soften the devil's heart as her clothes hung loosely about her tiny frame. She smiled brightly at him with a chirping giggle.
Fai bent forward and worked his feet under him until he stood up. His shirt collar barely hung around his shoulders and it hung heavily in front of him; exposing his porcelain skin down the middle of his chest. He brought up his arms in first attempt to take off the baggy clothes but he was standing on his right sleeve and couldn't bring it higher than his waist. He grunted in frustration as he tugged.
"Great," Kurogane mumbled, "now we're babysitting! What from Hell did this?"
"I have no idea," Syaoran didn't take his eyes of Sakura as she worked on taking her cape off over her head. "But it must've been magic."
"You think it's the Princess's feather?" Kurogane lazily glared at Fai as he continued his battle with his sleeve.
"It could very well be," Syaoran picked Sakura up carefully as she had begun to crawl away. His face flushed lava red as her clothes slipped completely off her.
"I bet it is," Mokona said thoughtfully, "I feel it very strongly!"
"So where do you think?" Kurogane asked and Fai suddenly fell over in the momentum of the sudden release of his sleeve and loss of ground. Fai's rounded face looked surprised at Kurogane, obviously debating whether to cry or not but Kurogane just stared without any expression. The little blonde decided to move on and he worked his way to his feet again but fell during take off. Kurogane let out a loud groan, "I hate this already!"
Syaoran used Sakura's cape to cover her but couldn't figure out how without her trying to crawl away. "Well, we're……going to have to find more information……Sakura," Syaoran's face was still burning as he tried to gently dress her.
Kurogane turned away from Syaoran's battle to find Fai escaping from his shirt through the bottom. His blonde head emerging from the fabrics, Kurogane picked up the wizard's heavy white coat by the hood and tossed it over his little body before he could stand straight. Fai's clumsy form gave in as the weight of his coat stole his balance. Kurogane watched the lump move as labored grunts and cries escaped through the heavy whiteness. The warrior turned back to Syoaran who had finally managed to cover Sakura up but failed to make her happy. She struggled feebly against his arms and began to cry in protest.
Kurogane raised his voice to be heard over her crying. "If there's a bar somewhere near by where the city is most busy, we could ask someone there."
"We can't take them there! It's too dangerous!" Syaoran began rocking forwards and backwards for Sakura and her cries weakened.
Kurogane looked stupefied; it's too weird to hear that a restaurant is dangerous from a kid with a baby. He shook his head, "I didn't say we would take them in there, you hold them while I go inside."
"I can't handle both of them!" Syaoran worried as he rocked while Sakura was still complaining.
"And Mokona can't do much to help!" Mokona added.
Kurogane grumbled and grabbed Fai's ankle and he tried to slither from under the coat. "Well, do you have any better ideas?"
"Do you think that you could watch them?" Syaoran kept rocking but now little Sakura was bored. Her whimpering encouraged the small wizard to tears of frustration.
Their cries suddenly felt like nails against a chalkboard, sending sound waves with edges like knives and cutting away at the soul.
"Ugh, can't you shut them up?" Kurogane growled.
"Well, I don't see you doing anything!" Syaoran adjusted his hold on baby Sakura who continued to worm around in her cape.
"Do you think I know anything about training little brats?"
"Do you think that I would know something?"
"Guys!" Mokona cried.
Syaoran was the first to redirect his attention to Mokona through the frustrating cries.
"Listen you two, we've got to get moving! We have to get someone to help us!"
Kurogane growled as he began weeping up the clothes with one arm. "Fine, let's just find out what happened and get this fixed and over with!"
/\/\/\/\/\
After a couple hours, Kurogane managed to keep Fai in his shirt and tuck away the extra clothes but Sakura wouldn't stop crying. The ninja had to walk away with Fai just to get him dressed without destroying something.
However, they eventually made it to walking down the street without too many strange glances. It was mostly women staring at them, which made sense. What female wouldn't stare at a couple of men with two young infants?
Meanwhile, Kurogane never recalled ever being embarrassed, he had heard about it feeling like shame, though he couldn't really understand that either. Now he knew; he was transparently, immensely, horribly, completely and miserably embarrassed. A doom cloud now accompanied his forbidding aura and sweat drops added a feminine glittery attraction to his desolation. He wished now, more than anything; that he could go home to where he was respected and feared. His home where he wouldn't have to go strolling through the streets holding hands with a short one year old that used to be about his height just a few hours ago.
Fai, however, didn't mind at all. Though he would try to go in a different direction occasionally, he was only able to go as far as Kurogane's arm allowed. Fai didn't complain; he seemed quite content just to hold to the protective man's hand.
Conversely, Syaoran was walking in depression as he continued to try to silence little Sakura. She had done nothing but cry this whole time and the stares he was getting from surrounding women were getting to him as well as her tears. What was he doing wrong? He was keeping her safe and warm but she was still unhappy. Maybe he did something wrong before? With her crying this much, this loud, for this long she must be hating him for something.
"Kurogane," He slowed to a slimy halt and turned to him with a grossly pitiful expression as Sakura's cries continued, "please tell me you know something, I can't figure out what she wants and I don't want her to cry anymore."
"You know as much as I do, kid."
Syaoran sighed and let his head drop. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Fai cupping his left ear with one hand and trying to mute the noise against Kurogane's leg.
"What have you tried?" Kurogane asked.
"I've rocked, I've waved objects over her head, I've even tried singing to her and she doesn't stop." Syaoran looked drained.
"Have you tried feeding her?" a feminine voice chimed in front of them.
A girl stood in front of them with her straight brown hair dancing about her shoulder blades in the wind and her hazel eyes focused on Syaoran. She didn't look much older than Syaoran but she carried herself in a way that showed extra maturity for her age.
"No," Syaoran blinked, "I haven't thought of that."
She held her arms out for the little girl in his arms, "Do you mind?"
Syaoran carefully handed Sakura over and the girl smiled warmly; Sakura stopped crying to stare.
The two men stared in awe and confusion. How did she do that? From her appearance, she was just coming out of childhood years.
"Oh, you poor little girl," the brunette rubbed noses with Sakura, "men just don't know what a girl wants, huh?"
Kurogane glared at her.
"Thank you, miss," Syaoran sighed in relief to hear the quiet and have some help.
"You're welcome," She shrugged and Sakura began to cry, "follow me to my place, you don't look like you're from around here and these two are probably hungry."
"Thank you so much!" Syaoran relaxed.
/\/\/\/\
The five followed the brunette for a few blocks; Syaoran let her hold Sakura until they finally came to her house. The front door opened to the apparent living room with a couch facing to the TV on the left. In that immediate direction, there was a hallway. The place wasn't decorative at all save the pale differences of color on the walls.
They followed her to the right where she handed Sakura back to Syaoran as they entered the kitchen. The baby girl had quieted, tiring of constant crying but she continued to mumble and whine.
"My name is Marki," She said, "my parents are out on an important business trip so I have the house to myself. You are most welcome to anything in the kitchen and I don't care where you sleep just as long as you don't make a mess."
"How old are you?" Mokona's voice was impressed.
"Twelve, but I'll be thirteen in a month." Marki shrugged and went into the kitchen. "Who are you?"
"My name is Syaoran and this is Kurogane," he gestured to the both of them then to the others, "The baby is Sakura and the little boy is Fai."
"And I'm Mokona!" Mokona chirped from Kurogane's shoulder.
"You're awfully young to be on your own." Kurogane set his hands on his hips.
"Whatever, taking care of me is the easiest chore, it's taking care of others that's the hard part." Marki stretched in the open space of the kitchen. It was rectangular with the stove, counters and fridge lined against the far wall. The table and chairs stood at the end below a small window. The entire room was a pale yellow.
"What would you do if a bad guy came in here?" Mokona asked curiously.
Marki spat, "Please, I can handle a thug. It's wizards that are the scariest but to meet a wizard these days is pretty rare," she snickered, "as an adult that is, Ha!"
Kurogane and Syaoran exchanged glances and nodded.
"What do you mean?" Syaoran asked.
"There's a barrier in the atmosphere that will turn them into babies." Marki smiled mischievously, "That's what the barrier is supposed to do: put powerful things in the beginning of their beginning so their harmless."
"So basically," Kurogane leaned against the kitchen doorway, "It changes all magically powerful threats into their weakest form."
Marki rolled her eyes, "That's what I just said, are you slow or something?"
Kurogane grinded his teeth but let the comment go.
"Who put up the barrier?" Syaoran continued.
"The Queen, duh," Marki grabbed a jar from the pantry next to the fridge.
"With what?" he asked although he already had an assumption.
"Some feather with powers," Marki put the open jar in the microwave above the stove and set the timer for half a minute, "I think it's morbidly ironic."
"In what way," Mokona asked, "does the Queen have something against wizards?"
Marki's eyes widened with seriousness, "You have no idea," she shook her head but her hazel eyes stayed glued to their faces, "she clings to that feather for dear life after what happened to her husband."
"What happened?" Syaoran didn't like the information given so far; if it got any worse, they'd have to use a cover story to avoid persecution.
"The King was murdered by one," Marki's face softened as she stared to the side, "We don't know the details because she's never wanted to talk about since she witnessed the whole thing. She's absolutely traumatized with paranoia now these days because of that…." Marki's mouth twisted in clear anger, "she used to be so carefree and sweet. Now she's always freaking out and she looks like she half died…probably did." Marki sighed and added another 30 seconds to the timer, "No one blames her though, wizards are demons."
Marki turned to Syaoran as the microwave beeped, "Put Sakura down in the baby chair and feed her this."
She put the little jar with a small spoon on top the tray to the weird chair. Syaoran obeyed and began feeding her the warm orange mush from the jar. Sakura finally quit whining and gurgled happily.
"So," Syaoran stammered, "how do you know she doesn't drink milk?"
"She's got teeth," Marki glanced over her shoulder at him from the counter where she was preparing a sandwich for Fai, "I saw them when she smiled at me. She also has a lot of hair compared to a baby that is still nursing. She's frickin' adorable."
"Oh, I see them," Syaoran smiled back at Sakura as orange mush slid down her chin.
Kurogane peered over Syaoran's shoulder; two little white teeth were there on the top jaw; along with the thick spread of her brown hair, Kurogane mentally compared her to a squirrel.
His attention on Sakura was diverted abruptly to what hit his hip.
Fai stood there glaring up at him with him bottom lip squished out in a pout.
"What do you want?" Kurogane mumbled.
His question was answered when Fai's stomach growled back.
Marki giggled, "Okay, okay, Fai, here I have your sandwich." She set the plate down at the table and set the blonde in a chair. "Geez, Kuro, didn't you feel him tugging your arm?"
"It's Kurogane and I did but he's been playing this dumb game with me so I quit paying attention."
"That's evil," Marki glared, "you always pay attention to your kid even if it's just a dumb game."
Kurogane's face twisted, your kid? "He's not mine!"
"Sorry for the obvious assumption?" Marki was sarcastic as she imitated a weak surrendering gesture. She put her hands on her hips, "Where are their mothers?"
"We're looking for her." Syaoran was quick to respond.
Marki lifted a brown eyebrow, "these two are siblings?"
"Yes," Syaoran smiled tightly as Sakura chewed the rubber-covered spoon.
"So what are you two? Husband and son or what?"
Kurogane stiffened, even the image of that made him sick. Kid, don't you dare go along with that…
"We're cousins," Syaoran nodded in approval of his own quick thinking.
Marki accepted it, "Okay," she turned to the fridge and retrieved milk and a Sippy-cup out of the cupboard, "you're gene pool must be whack or something-you look nothing alike."
"What are we supposed to?" Kurogane snapped.
Marki set the Sippy-cup in front of Fai without any shift in expression. "No," she stated flatly, "but there are usually similarities in physical features that represent other family members. It's not always the case but if you and Syaoran are brothers, cousins to these two, then there would be obvious resemblances."
"Well," Syaoran interrupted, "Kurogane and I are cousins, as well as cousins to these two."
Marki's eyebrows collided. "Okay, but Sakura and Fai would look more alike then"
"They have different fathers," Syaoran added quickly.
"Where are their fathers?"
"Gone," Kurogane answered off the top of his head although he felt like this conversation was going in useless circles.
"You mean dead or on vacation?" Marki asked sarcastically.
"None of your business," Kurogane turned his back to her in the doorway; he'd about had enough of this.
"My house, my business," Marki stated, "You know I shouldn't be letting you in according to society perception. I took a risk because you had children with you and it was plain as the nose on your face you were oblivious as to what you were supposed to be doing with them.
"The more I know about you, the more trust is made so if you want to stay here, you'll answer my questions."
Kurogane focused on his deep breaths. It was official: he hated this girl.
"So where are you from?" Marki asked but a sudden bang distracted them all.
Fai's blue eyes stared back at the adults who just spotted the unscrewed Sippy-cup on the floor; spilling the milk about the tile.
"Uh-oh," Fai stuck his finger in the "O" his lips formed.
Marki sighed and grabbed paper towels from the counter, "Fai, how'd you get the lid undone, huh?" Her voice was in a higher and friendlier octave, "That's pretty smart, lil' buddy but don't drop your drink, okay?" She smiled and ruffled his hair.
Fai smiled so big his round cheeks made him look like he was squinting.
She giggled and kissed his forehead before walking to the trash across the kitchen. "Let me guess something," Marki leaned against the counter, "You've managed to lose the kid's clothes during your adventure."
"People were chasing us," Syaoran lied but then immediately wished to take it back.
"Are you fugitives?" Marki folded her arms.
"No," Kurogane sighed, "Sakura is a Princess."
Marki shrugged and sighed, "That means more errands to run," she paused, "and more laundry."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The four of them along with Fai and Sakura had spent the rest of the evening buying clothes for them and the little ones. Syaoran had picked some cute dresses he knew Sakura would like if she were older. Marki chose a couple of outfits for Fai since Kurogane didn't want to participate.
Now the men lay on the living room floor under blankets with Fai while Sakura slept in a makeshift bed of pillows and blankets on the couch.
"So what now, kid," Kurogane interrupted the silence.
Syaoran turned to his right where Kurogane lay on the other side of Fai between them. "We have to ask her tomorrow if it's possible we could see the Queen. There, is where we'll try to reason with her."
"You have good reasons?"
Syaoran sighed, "No," he paused, "not ones she'll be agreeing with anyway."
Fai's small breathing whispered through the awkward silence.
"A bargain, perhaps?" Kurogane stared at the ceiling fan in boredom.
"What do we have that the Queen would want?" Syaoran brushed his bangs back, "The feather offers ultimate protection for her and the city."
"What if we asked the witch?"
"She might ask for something in return," Syaoran grimaced internally; with Yuko, Sakura's memories of him laid in the palm of her hands. He'd never been very comfortable asking for help from her since then.
Syaoran nodded, "We could try though," he lifted his head slightly to see the bundle of cushions on the couch, "for Sakura."
Yata! I have the first chappie of this bubbly story done!! Hope you liked it and if you did: R&R!! Please! I gave up on my other story because no one was giving any reviews! Please take pity!! T.T