PLEASE READ THIS, IT'S IMPORTANT!

If you're reading this, there's a good chance you've read it before, exactly one year ago. If you have read this before, I'm so happy you've decided to return and if you haven't, I hope you enjoy...

I have gone through each and every chapter, editing and making changes. I ended up re-writing a lot so I'm sure you'll notice a difference (Hopefully in a good way) I even left up the old version, just in case you got the crazy notion to go back and compare/contrast ^^'

Once again I'll be UPDATING EVERYDAY leading up to Halloween and I'll be responding to reviews for each chapter in the chapter after it. If you review after I've posted the next chapter, I'll private message you, but you will still get a response.

As you know, there will be copious KuroFai, so if that's going to be a problem, I suggest you turn back now...

Anyway, please review and let me know how I'm doing^^

ENJOY~

Kurogane sighed and shoved the mattress up against the wall; it wasn't very large, but it was heavy and laying flat on the floor which made maneuvering it a hassle. The room was small and almost dingy, with not-quite-white walls of flaking plaster and bare wood floors that were scratched and chipped. The windows were single-paned and lacked blinds, letting in the dim grey light of their current city.

He and the rest of the group had arrived two weeks prior and Mokona went off about the feather right away. Two weeks later, they were still looking.

Money was tight to the point of strangulation. They had an identical currency left over from their last dimension, a world mercifully similar, and had been staying in some gritty hotel, paying nightly, searching for a feather that was supposedly within a mile. Considering the source, Kurogane couldn't say with confidence that it was on the continent.

But whether they were close to the feather or half-a-world away, they couldn't leave until they found it and so a hotel was no longer an option, along with living off saved money and the proceeds gained from selling exotic goods on the street. They needed long term living arrangements and an income. Multiple incomes. Preferably before they missed any more meals.

The solution turned out to be Green Meadow Apartments, a building that turned out to be neither green, nor remotely resemblant of a meadow. At least not any meadow he'd ever seen; if there were meadows somewhere out there comprised of broken bricks, unsettling stains and a less-than-thin veil of cigaret smoke, then Kurogane would stand corrected.

Despite the many non-meadow images Green Meadow conjured- prisons, for one- there was only one vacancy. That was a blessing though, because even though there was only one available apartment, it had been empty for more than a year and the owner was so happy to rent it that he reduced the already low rent. Or maybe he hadn't meant to lower it and Fai had just worked the conversation to their advantage. The ninja spent a good deal of time trying to figure how much of their 'good-fortune' was dumb luck and how much was the blonde talking circles around people. His answer left him wondering whether he should be grateful or scared.

But they got exactly what they paid for; discolored linoleum, stained drop-down ceilings and left over furniture that looked as if it might crawl away. When Mokona bounced on the couch a cloud of dust rose that had them all coughing for minutes on end. There was a perpetual draft, a dripping faucet and a small colony of spiders that had a gauzy metropolis woven into the corner of the living room. They really didn't have a choice.

Kurogane straitened with a sigh. He wasn't really a nitpicker and he knew beggars couldn't be choosers but this place was a dump. That's why it was so hard to rent he reasoned; all that stuff about the thirteenth apartment being unlucky was total bullshit.

"Kuro-sama!"

Bedroom relatively set up he turned and stalked down the hall to find Fai and the others seated on the living room floor, gathered around an open newspaper. It was a familiar sight from whenever they had to be in one world for too long; the search for jobs was made infinitely easier by the kid's ability to read several languages and by then they all had a decent idea of what jobs they were good at at which ones to avoid. It was a mindless activity, the worst kind in Kurogane's opinion, and he wound up watching his companions as they discussed their limited options.

Everyone looked washed out in the thin grey light; even the mage, who was usually pale, seemed less porcelain or more like the news print he was occupied with, grey tinged and tired. His smile still glowed though, independent of his eyes which were the one thing that stood out in the room.

If Kurogane were the type to lie to himself he'd say that he wasn't anymore in tune with Fai's well being than any of the others, but he wasn't so he quietly accepted the fact that he payed far more attention to the blonde and left it at that. Or tried to leave it at that anyway; it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

Jobs acquired-Syaoran and Sakura as waitstaff in a restaurant, Fai and himself at the a nightclub- the blonde decided to take the last of their money and buy groceries. As he made his way to the door, tucking his hair behind his ear and mumbling over a list, the warrior grabbed his coat and followed him, earning a raised eyebrow.

"Kuro-tan is coming with me?"

"You have no sense of direction and if you get lost I'll end up looking for you."

This earned him another look, this time of either confusion or amusement before acceptance, and Fai turned back into the apartment.

"Daddy's coming with Mommy, you guys know the rules!"

"Mokona's in charge!"

Fai laughed and spun out the door, grabbing Kurogane's arm and pulling him along, smiling gently as they made their way down the hall.

"So what was that about me having no sense of direction?"

He shrugged. He was on dangerous ground and he knew it by the smirk Fai was sending him.

"It's true..."

"No, my petulant puppy, it's an impressive exaggeration, especially since we've been here a while. I've only been lost once and it was only because it was a new world. Anyway I was completely fine when you found me."

"You were drunk."

"Which means I was fine enough to accept drinks."

There was no point in arguing with the mage, he'd learnt that long ago. Honestly he just didn't think any of them should be going out alone. The world wasn't at war but it was certainly violent and he didn't trust Fai to not get himself killed. Sure he had the ability to defend himself but he'd already proven in Outo country that he couldn't be counted upon to use it.

Shopping was hell as shopping in any highly populated area is bound to be. Even late as it was the city was very much awake and the streets were crowded as they made their way back, Kurogane wondering how he had ended up with every bag of groceries aside from the one that was easily swinging from Fai's hand as he bounced along beside him.

There was an endless stream of meaningless chatter pouring from the magician as they stood in the elevator and it continued as they made their way down the hall, Fai unlocking the door and stepping inside. Kurogane noticed the sudden lack of white-noise before he noticed that the blonde had stopped directly in front of him or even that the lights were off.

He stepped up beside him and watched on the edge of his vision as Fai's expression turned from startled to puzzled. he could see the kids in the next room, seated stiffly on the couch and entranced by the television. It was the only source of light in the apartment.

"That's odd; they usually don't pay to much attention to TVs."

The ninja shrugged, setting groceries and two sets of bedding down on the counter before flicking on the light. There was a delay as the light flickered but that was all it took for both kids to bolt up, startled. Mokona appeared from one of their laps and shot through the doorway, landing in Fai's waiting hands.

"Mokona will make sure he is real!"

Fai laughed but it sounded more confused than anything else. The kid and the princess crossed the room to them, both radiating anxiety; Sakura looked almost scared though, and Syaoran was watching her carefully.

"Mokona, what are you talking about?"

Mokona ignored him though as the princess suddenly lurched forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. He returned the hug without hesitating, worry etched into his featured. He smoothed her hair down a few times and murmured gently.

"You're alright, what's the matter?"

She shook her head without looking up. Fai looked over her at Syaoran who shook his head and bit his lip.

Later

"Nothing, Fai-san… sorry."

"It's okay."

He murmured as she stepped away offering a shaky smile.

"Can I help?"

"Sure," He smiled reassuringly, reaching back to the counter and retrieving the bedding.

"You could make up the beds if you'd like."

"O-okay."

She took the bundles and hesitated momentarily before moving off to the bedrooms. Finally, Kurogane spoke up from behind Fai.

"Oi, kid, what's going on?"

"Well," He paused, speaking low, "A little after you left I went to the bathroom and when I came out I heard Sakura-hime talking to… someone. But when I walked into the living room, no one was there. She was talking to a… a space, and she was saying your name."

Syaoran looked at Fai as he spoke and the blonde arched his eyebrows.

"You mean-"

"When she noticed me she turned around like nothing was going on. I-I asked who she was talking to and she said she was talking to you. Then she turned around and screamed. I asked why and she said you had disappeared. But you were never there to begin with."

Syaoran reiterated and they nodded. Fai looked around.

"Where was Mokona?"

"Mokona was exploring the air ducts!"

The small white creature dropped out of a near by heating vent and bounced over.

"Mokona didn't see anything but it sounds really creepy!"

"I'm going to go check on Sakura-chan, make sure she doesn't have a fever…"

Fai strode down the hall to where Sakura was making one of their beds and Kurogane focused on Syaoran.

"Well? What do you think?"

"Kurogane-san?"

The ninja leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.

"I taught you in Outo how to sense the energy coming off of living things. Don't tell me you didn't try..?"

"N-no," Syaoran stuttered, nervous as to whether he was being called lazy or forgetful. "I remembered. I even closed my eyes to keep from confusing myself. There wasn't anything there."

"You're positive? It wasn't magic or anything? An Illusion? You can still feel the difference between that and anything else, right?"

"Yes, I'm positive; I would have felt something if there had been magic… There just wasn't anything there and Sakura-hime got scared and I… decided to turn on the TV…"

Kurogane raised a critical eyebrow as Syaoran trailed off with an embarrassed flush and tried to explain himself.

"She... we were unsettled," He admitted, "I-I thought the background noise might help…"

"Hmm…"

When Fai returned he moved strait to the counter and started unpacking groceries, seemingly unconcerned.

"She doesn't feel warm, certainly not enough for her to hallucinate… She said she was hungry; she might just need to eat something."

He smiled assuredly at Syaoran and the kid's posture visibly relaxed. He bowed slightly as he retreated, presumedly to help the princess.

The ninja moved to help Fai, silently chopping vegetables while the blonde disassembled a whole chicken with impressive speed. It was several minutes before Kurogane asked the question that had been nagging at him.

"You... think it's okay for them to be sharing a bed?"

He spoke without looking up and, after a small, thoughtful pause, Fai answered in the same manor.

"Yes..." He quirked a grin, "You know what a gentleman our son is and Sakura... just doesn't think like that. Yet. Besides, when they have to be together I have Mokona stay with them."

Kurogane rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure that thing's a big help…"

There was a laugh beside him.

"You'd be surprised how observant our littlest companion is. I think I would have heard by now if we had anything to be concerned about."

The ninja did not respond; despite constant claims of Fai's indecency, if the blonde thought it was alright then he didn't have a problem. Regardless, Fai continued.

"Beside, Sakura-chan is so shaken up I think she'll sleep better with company and it's so cold I think they'll both be better off together."

He was right of course; the apartment was freezing. They had the heat dialed up as far as it would go but it made little difference unless you were standing right in front of one of the vents. Move more than a foot away and it may as well have been off.

Question resolved the larger man pushed a pile of cut vegetables towards Fai, only to receive more.

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