A Smile for Your Birthday
On my darkest night you came to me
riding on the beam of moonlight
that flowed from the barred window
and told me that
"everything will be alright."
"Hello, Fai." Watanuki smiled from the portal that Mokona created, disturbing the festive scene in front of him. The traveling companions had come to Piffle Country for a second time, and are currently having an alcohol-worshipping feast. Some of the natives, not used to this kind of disturbances, fainted on the spot. Others ran out, leaving only Syaoran, Kurogane, and Fai left.
"Happy birthday."
The sake bottle slipped a little from Fai's hands, but he caught it in time. "Birthday?" Fai's brows furrowed slightly.
"Of course! Don't you remember it?"
"Fai, I'm wondering, when is your birthday?"
"Ah...I've never really kept track..."
"Oh dear, that's a problem. Everyone needs a birthday to celebrate their life!"
"But my life caused..."
"Now, how about this." The dark-haired man took out a box, filled with straws. In it was a bird's egg. "This bird is you. When it hatches, that will be your birthday, Fai."
"...Not really. I've never really kept track of the days." A smile was plastered to his face.
"Oh really?" Eyebrows raised, Watanuki took a sniff of his pipe. "However, I doubt you. Yuuko told me not to believe you when you are smiling like that."
"Ahahaha...That's so typical of her to be so observant!" Fai laughed, but to those close to him, they can see that his eyes were crossed with a shadow.
Mokona noticed, too. "Fai. You know, it's okay to be sad, and show it too."
"Well, it doesn't matter if remember or not. I've come to fulfill someone's wish." Watanuki held up a soft, honey-colored feather. "Fai, this is your birthday gift. I hope you have a nice day!" With that he blinked out of existence in that specific world.
"Hyuu! I wonder what memory it holds?" He received it through Mokona's wide-open mouth. His hands shook, but slightly enough to be inconceivable.
Do you remember?
The chilling wind, the soft snow that fell through the top of the tower. Just like the bodies, piling up day after day, season after season, years upon years.
Do you see?
A dark-haired figure stood in that abandoned world. He was dreaming, and he knew it.
"These children, they will die, you know." A voice from within a veil of darkness spoke. "Don't feel too sorry for them. They were not meant to be twins."
"Yes, I see their fate. But that was your mistake that caused it. Why are you making showing this to me?"
"Oh, no reason...I just thought that you might have a wish."
"How long do you think Fai-san will stay like this?" Syaoran asked worriedly.
"Not nearly long enough for him to fully repent for not telling us about his birthday!" Kurogane answered roughly.
"Kuro-rin is mean! Fai has been through a lot!" Mokona defended "Mommy" frantically.
"Well, as I've said, his past has nothing to do with me!"
The king continued to dream. The reflection of a warm scene created a halo of light in his eyes, dark as the midnight sky.
He saw a boy, hair emanating rays like the sun, but sky-blue eyes sad and stormy, plagued with a painful scene and an ominous curse.
He saw him screaming out in horror at his brother's dead body.
He saw him dying in a closed-off world, alone in his final moments.
Yes, he saw it all, the boy's sad fate, never to smile again.
His gentle gaze grieved for the golden boy. The radiance was swallowed by the darkness. An innocent spirit that should have never died.
The moonlight shone on his lonely figure through the window.
"Smile...Please."
Bathed in that moonlight, the king made a wish.
Fai's ever-present smile faded as he saw the scenes unfold in his dream, familiar, yet so unfamiliar at the same time. "Why show this to me? My past has nothing to do with the present, does it? Kuro-rin said that himself."
"No, but sometimes you need to remember your past, just so you don't forget." A voice answered. "You had learned a lot through you adventures. However, there seem to be something of your past you still cannot let go of, isn't it?"
Fai slowly turned around, slightly shivering.
"Your Majesty?"
"Are you sure?" The figure in the shadow asked. "After all, as that witch likes to say, for everything, there is a price to pay."
"...What else is there to do?" The king answered, eyes sad and empty. "The first rule of the universe has already been broken. Why not break it again, especially when an innocent life is at stake? If I can fulfill your wish, my wish will also be fulfilled. Those twins, they can become happy again. They do not deserve the misfortunes that will befall them."
"That is not the only reason you are doing this, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"You have another wish. You wish to die."
"Why?" Fai asked desperately, tears swimming in his eyes. "How are you still here? What is this for?"
Ashura smiled down at him. "I'm not really here. This is a dream, Fai. A manifestation of my wish. " He leaned down to wipe away Fai's tears.
"To be honest, I was surprised when I saw what was going to happen myself. I never saw it until the last minute, with ninja's sword was stuck in my chest. The chances for you surviving...Was next to zero."
"Your Majesty..."
"But you survived...Somehow. No, I shouldn't have been surprised. I've never taken that factor into consideration, for he was not on my side. He was a surprise, planned by the witch, through and through."
"But why did you want to die?" Fai asked tentatively, watching those eyes that seemed to say more in silence.
A young dark-haired boy sat in a dark world, abandoned by everyone that he cared about. Abandoned, because the world was stopped by him, and he was the only one left.
He sat in the dark. Alone.
A star flickered slightly somewhere in another world. But it stayed alive.
He stood up, and decided to create a new world.
"Why did you kill everyone? You were the king! I thought you loved them! You taught me to love them!"
He painted a world with his feeble light and cold heart. He needed a sun.
And he found one. The day the fair-haired boy came to his palace of ice, his world gained a sun to revolve around.
Everything was but a reflection of the sun's light.
"Why did you pick me up, only to abandon me again?"
"For each wish there is a price. Your first wish can be fulfilled with your second. But what about your second wish? For that, you have paid no compensation."
"Do you wish for my world? I'll give it to you."
"Very well," the figure in the dark smiled. "That is enough. I can use that to fulfill my wish."
The king walked away from the dream, then paused in his steps.
"Thank you." He said. "For the sun."
Ashura squatted down and patted his hair, as if Fai was a child again.
"That is why. I hope you understand now. I hope you'll forgive me for my sins...Because, I'm sorry."
Then he stood up, and looked into the distant light, becoming bigger and brighter by the second.
"My time is coming." He turned to Fai, smiling. "It is time I leave."
Tears flowing down his face, Fai cried out as the light engulfed the king with its radiance. "Wait, Your Majesty! What was your wish? What was the wish that Watanuki spoke about?"
He turned around to smile one last time at his little, golden bird. "I asked Yuuko-san, in the moment of my death, to give you this feather of my memory. I gave her my world...So that your heart can smile again."
"Hello, Ashura. Come on in. You are welcome here." An elaborately dressed female opened the door to the shop. The bells in the doorway chimed.
"Greetings to you, Time-Space Witch. I don't have much time."
"Don't worry, I know your wish. If you give me power over your world, it will be granted."
"Thank you. I would give it to you. He will not succeed, and will not be able to grant my wish, so the contract is broken. However, what can you do with my godforsaken world?"
The Time-Space Witch smiled. "Don't you know? The death of a star is precious. It creates a void that destroys all order. A dead world gives the one who wields it power to destroy and recreate the universe."
She took a sip of red wine. "Ah, but with the technology in your world, I don't suppose you would." She gave a short laugh. "Just trust me, you do not want to give that power to someone with too much unrealistic ambition. It's just bad business."
"Fai-san! You woke up!" Syaoran's relieved face appeared in Fai's vision, still blurry with tears. "Are you okay?"
"Hmph...Don't be so nice to him. He lied to us again!" Kurogane shouted over his shoulder.
Mokona bounced to Fai's bedside. "Don't worry, Mommy! Daddy's just mad he didn't have time to prepare a present for you!"
"Shut up, you white manju bun! I speak for myself!" Kurogane stalked over and tried to punch Mokona, but Mokona's speed is no match for him, causing a dog-and-cat chase around the bed.
Fai sat up, smiling at the scene in front of him. Everything is in order. All is as it should be.
Syaoran glanced over at the smiling magician curiously. "What memories did Watanuki give you, anyway? You seemed to be crying about something...But you woke up smiling. I take it you're okay, then?"
"Why, of course! Never been better!" Fai laughed sincerely. "Hey, Mokona, Kuro-rin!" He called out into the happy chaos. "Gather around! It's time for Mommy to tell you all a story..."
It hatched one spring morning, when Fai gave a gift to his majesty.
"Your smile has healed my heart, Fai. Thank you." Ashura patted his feathery head.
A chirp caused them to look up.
"Look, Your Majesty! It hatched!" Fai ran over to he box lying on the windowsill.
A soft, sun-colored bird shook off the pieces of its shells. The eyes were blearily opened, as if just waking up and seeing the world for the first time. Fai picked it up gently, smiling at its small, experimental chirps.
The king followed the fair-haired youth, whose radiance he reflected with his eyes.
"Happy birthday, Fai." He smiled.
Author's Note: This was a birthday present for wildicebell, better know as xellaya on DeviantART. A lot of the scenes were inspired from her drawings. Go check them out!