A/N: Howdy ^^ This is my first and probably only fic...the idea just came to me one day and I thought I'd get it down on paper. It doesn't have spoilers, but you would understand it better if you had read the manga, or know about Fai's past. I do not own Tsubasa...if I did...so much KuroFai... :'D Anyways. Review please~! 3

Fai looked down into the depths of the murky river water as he sits on the damp stump, pondering his existence; using a stick to disturb the surface of the water, creating numerous water ripples expanding away from the center. The new world the Tsubasa gang was in didn't have any signs of civilization, and they were planning on heading out to search for the feather first thing in the morning. For the time being, it was the dead of night, and Fai couldn't sleep. So instead he separates himself from the rest of his companions to seek comfort from his friend Mother Nature.

The mage sees his reflection—no. It's not his own face he sees; at the moment Fai looks into the water and sees…Fai. The real Fai. The one who should be standing on this earth, living, breathing, smiling…not him. His identical twin brother seemed to be staring back at him, the same beautiful blue eyes he had seen so long ago in Celes. Getting frustrated, he throws the stick into the water, the reflection of confused images shatters slowly. Wanting his attention to be at something else, he tilts his head back, the beautiful golden locks falling back with the motion. His deep blue eyes scan the sky, looking at the stars dancing and flashing above them. How he wishes the mage could simply disappear and become one with the continuous night sky, away from this life safe and sound.

Fai lies down, starting to feel slightly drowsy, his head resting in the fabric of his white coat under his head listeing to the sweet sounds of the running river water. He thinks about returning to the others at the miniature camp they set up, but decides against it, not wanting to wake anyone. The air is dry and eerie, a peaceful silence surrounding Fai. That's when he hears the noise.

It was only a soft rustling sound, coming just a few yards away from Fai's temporary rest spot; it could have just been an animal, yet he hasn't seen or felt any signs anywhere in the world they were in. Tensing slightly, Fai casually turned his head to the direction of the disturbance, only to find the bushes exactly the way they were. He shifted his body completely in the other direction then, trying to tell himself it was nothing.

"Can't sleep?"

The sudden voice made Fai jump, sitting up almost panicked and opening his eyes. Kurogane was standing in front of him, looking down at Fai with his arms crossed looking slightly drowsy but at ease.

"Kuro-chi ~ You frightened me." The mage puts on his trademark fake smile, attempting to hide the small fear on his features. The false mask makes the ninja frown.

"I woke up and you were gone," Kurogane explained, taking a seat next to Fai. The mage looks back over in the direction of the sound he heard earlier; there's no way it could have been Kurogane. Yes, he was a ninja, but Fai clearly didn't see Kuro anywhere the bushes only a few moments ago. The taller man notices his lack of response and anxious behavior.

"What's wrong?" He asks, carefully studying Fai's face. Kurogane was sitting up, slouching slightly with his arms still neatly folded in his lap. The magician casually looks back at him, smile still in place yet wavering the tiniest bit.

"Why, nothing, Kuro-chan ~ You worry way too much." Fai waved a hand in the air, as if trying to brush away his concern. This, however, did not appeal to Kurogane, and the lack of amusement showed on his face.

"Whatever." The ninja looks away, frustrated with Fai. He was now glancing at the floor, eyes anywhere but meeting Kurogane's own red eyes. Fai had the disturbing feeling that there was someone watching him. The fact that Kurogane didn't seem to feel it made the matter even more odd. He was a ninja, was he not? He was trained for this sort of thing; maybe he was only imaginging things.

The mage looked up from his subconscious thoughts only to find said ninja giving him a funny look, probably trying to figure out what was running through his mind. All Fai wanted to do was get away from Kurogane and this place; it was giving him chills, and if they stayed in that position much longer it was bound to end badly. The warrior opened his mouth to speak but Fai interrupted him.

"You should probably get back to the camp sight. It's getting cold out and you need plenty of sleep for tomorrow—you never know what kind of world we'll end up in next." Fai tried to keep his voice leveled, becoming more uneasy as he sees something move out of the corner of his eye. How could Kurogane not sense this?

"Same goes for you too." Kurogane glares at Fai, red meeting ice blue. Finally he decided to say something. "Why do you keep looking around like that?" He turned his body slightly to face the mage more. Fai had his hands resting effortlessly behind his head, pretending like he didn't have a care in the world. Though his body movements didn't show it, he had a sense of stress lurking deep within his sapphire blue eyes.

"Don't be silly. I'm just enjoying the scenery." Fai looked up at the sky. "Isn't nice to just take some time to visit the starts every once in a while? It's a nice break from everything that goes on in the journey, ne?" Blonde hair fell back a tiny bit with the motion of moving his head slightly as he looked around the vast area above them. Kurogane didn't respond, making Fai a bit more uneasy. The ninja let out a small yawn, clearly wanting to get back to the camp site. The mage pulls his gaze away from the moon to give Kurogane a playful look. "Does Kuro-pipi need his nappy time~?"

Kurogane made a noise of annoyance, "Tch, shut up. It's the dead of night, and it's your fault in the first place for waking me up." He stood up, dry leaves rusting underneath his feet. "…That's what I get for checking up on you… Come back whenever you feel like. No one's missing you." And with that, he left, leaving Fai to his thoughts.

Wonderful. He was not alone with the disturbingly uncomfortable feeling of someone watching him, topped with a grumpy ninja pissed off at him. Just what he needed. Fai concentrated his blue eyes on the running brook in front of him, not wanting to return to Kurogane, yet not wanting to stay there either. Hearing the snapping of a twig, Fai rose to his feet and began walking in the direction opposite to the rest of his companions. He didn't feel the slightest bit safe in his current area.

Fai picked up the pace. Not quite jogging, yet not walking either, he maneuvered his way through the forest. He touched the trees here and there, feeling his way around because it was late at night and the darkness seemed to be growing. But no matter how far he went, that ominous feeling remained with the mage.

He decided to look back to see if anyone was following him; bad idea. A figure a long distance away that Fai could not distinguish—though clearly none of his traveling companions—was heading in his direction, almost running. Breaking into a sprint, the mage shot off to his right, trying to shake him off his tale.

They entered into a clearing; not good. He needed to hide and get away from him, something Fai has been doing his whole life…running. He's had so much practice with it, why not do it now? He darted around, trying to find a place to escape the figure, starting to pant slightly from being out of breath. When he saw the figure from the corner of his eye, he carried on again, heading away from the stream behind him. The air was still, the only sounds he heard was his own heavy breathing and the leaves crunching under Fai's and his follower's feet. The cold air nipped at his pale skin as Fai made his way through the forest, legs moving faster and faster as he runs. Fai came upon a bridge as the river started to wrap around.

Listening only to the sound of funning water and trying to steady his breathing, the mage hid underneath the bridge that looked like it had been there for several years, way past it's time. The wood was worn down with many bugs nests underneath. It reeked of rotting wood and dead animals. What a terrible hiding place, he thought to himself. If only he could use his magic at a time like this…if only Ashura couldn't locate him better if he used magic…

Fai held his breath as the mysterious figure ran over the bridge. He caught a glimpse of the man; he was tall and rather skinny, with a slim body almost like Fai's. He was wearing a beige trench coat, covering up the clothes he had underneath. Not seeing Fai, man continued over the bridge down his path. Releasing his held breath, the blond man leaned up against the wooden structure, barely able to see in the night. More stars were coming out, illuminating more ground than earlier. Who could this man be and why was he following Fai? What did he want with him? Why is he the only person in the world…that they know of? The magician thought back to Sakura, Syaoran, Mokona and Kurogane back at their campsite. He only hoped that they were safe, sleeping soundly and unharmed, not noticing the absence of Fai. He was leading his stalker away from his friends—or were they his family?—so they should be alright. Hopefully this man is the only dangerous one in this new land. What was he saying? Hopefully he wasn't dangerous at all.

It wouldn't be too long until the stranger realized he had lost Fai and went looking for him again. He glanced around after his small break, deciding where to escape next. While he was thinking, Fai thought about how ironic it was that he was always running; never fighting back. Why couldn't he just face the figure himself? Why didn't he have the strength to face the music head-on, battling him and having the courage to approach him? Even when he fought battles against enemies, he would never try to fight back. Only dodge, avoid, and run. That was all he knew how to do. Not even having the guts to face Ashura, the man he once thought of as a father figure… Hell, sometimes Fai wondered if he could even face himself.

That's when he heard the footsteps behind him. There was something about this man that didn't feel right. It's not like the vibe he gets off of other enemies he fights. It's something more…intense. Whenever he feels the vibe of this man following, his whole body grows cold. Fai noticed his forehead started sweating with nerves. Every ounce of his body was telling him to get out of that place, his instincts telling him not to approach him, but to just run.

So that's what he did; he ran. Dashing out from under the bridge and feels light rain falling down on him. He looked up at the sky, noticing it was too dark to see the black rain clouds. Water started dripping off his blond locks as he ran, being more careful where he stepped to avoid slipping in the wet substance. The only sounds he heard was the remaining foot steps behind him and the soft raining coming down on them. Hopefully the rain would slow the creepy man down. Fai sped up, now running at full speed to get away. He ducked under tree branches, some of which scraped against his face and created thin lines of blood on his pale image. His blonde hair became messy and before he knew it, Fai was on the ground. He looked back and found that a tree root had tripped him. The whole front of Fai's body is now coated in mud and rain. From the corner of his eye he saw the figure approach him. Not only did he see it, but he felt it too. That intense aura… With feeling this, he scampered to his feet and continued on. The man's breathing became labored and uneven.

He realized that he couldn't keep running forever. No matter how frightened he was, no matter how much he didn't want to face his fears, he was going to have to stop running. From everything. As Fai continued to travel, the amount of trees started to lessen, before there were no trees except for some bushes. The landscape clears out, and Fai comes to a fence. It's much too high to climb, and he doesn't think he'd be able to in the first place. He was feeling very weak and every muscle in his body was shaking. There was also a very high chance he would slip off and fall.

Kurogane. That's right, Kurogane was a ninja. He always knows when something is wrong. He'll come and save Fai…right? Although, he did seem pretty mad when he left earlier…and Kuro also didn't seem to notice the man watching them. He was probably asleep at the campsite right now without a care in the world…

The strange man catches up to Fai. He can't run anymore. He doesn't have the energy or the will. Instead, he tries to focus his eyes on the man's face. It's covered by a hood for the most part. However it starts flapping in the wind, along with the storm starting to pick up. The hood blows off the figure and Fai sees

He sees the truth.

As he looks at the man's face…

He's tall and skinny, very slim body, with blonde hair and intense blue eyes that looked sad and like two sapphires. That's when Fai realized…

You can't

Run

From

Yourself