Disclaimer: CLAMP owns them all.

A/N: This is a 5101520ficqifs response, the theme being "Stork".

Stork's Surprise

"Kurogane-san? Fay-san?" Sakura asked, looking up from whatever she had been drawing. "I kind of have a question."

"Yes? What is it, Sakura-chan?" Fay asked with a pleasant smile. "You know you can ask anything from us!"

"Where do babies come from?"

For once, Fay seemed to have been stunned speechless for a moment. At the very least he did not say anything yet. The same did not, however, apply to Kurogane.

"A stork brings them," the ninja replied gruffly. "It's that simple. When two people like each other very much, a stork brings them a baby, and then it's theirs."

"Ah. I had been wondering." Sakura smiled pleasantly. "Thanks for the explanation, Kurogane-san!"

"That was a nice one, Kuro-in," Fay chuckled as Sakura walked away to show her drawing to Syaoran and Mokona. "Who knew you'd be capable of such quick thinking in that situation?"

"What do you mean?" Kurogane gave Fay a flat stare. "What's so special about telling her? My mother told me when I was about four."

"But… Surely you don't still believe such an old wives' tale?" Now, Fay's eyes were wide with astonishment. "Sweet, innocent Kuro-tan, has nobody ever told you the truth about the matter?"

"What do you mean, 'the truth'?" the ninja asked with perfect seriousness.

After a long and rather graphic explanation, Kurogane stared at Fay. "…I've got to say, the people of your world definitely have imagination."

"It's not imagination!" Fay protested. "It's the truth! Ask any sensible adult and they'll agree!"

"Well, ask any sensible adult in Nihon and they'll think you've gone crazy," Kurogane replied. "Come on, my mother was a miko. They lose their powers along with their virginity. As she still had her powers, according to your stupid story, I haven't been born. Yet, here I am."

"You're so naïve, Kuro-in," sighed Fay. "But I guess it can't be helped for now…"

Kurogane merely grumbled something about idiotic blondes who believed in fairy tales.

"…Kuro-rin? Kuro-rin, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" As usual, Kurogane was instantly awake when the need arose. "…The Hell. Somebody's outside the window?"

"Sounds like that." They were both up now, staring at the window making such questionable sounds.

The window was slowly opened. In the outside, they saw a bird. A gigantic bird, with a long neck and even longer beak. From its beak hung a bundle of cloth with apparently some object hidden inside.

"W-what is that?" Fay asked, startled.

Kurogane, however, no more seemed wary, although a bit surprised. "That," he said, stepping forward, "would be a stork." As he reached out his hands, the bird extended its neck to poke its head through the window, carefully placing its mysterious burden in the ninja's hands. Letting go of the bundle, it then withdrew its head, spread its wings wide and, silently, took into the air.

"What is it?" asked Fay cautiously, stepping closer. "What did it give to you?"

Kurogane shifted the bundle from his both hands to one arm before carefully drawing aside the cloth. Underneath they saw the small face of a peacefully slumbering baby.

"A child?" gasped Fay. "But whose is it? And why did that bird bring it here?"

"Quite simple," replied the darker man. "It's ours. That's why the stork brought it to us." Drawing aside more of the cloth, he grinned. "Looks like we just got ourselves a fine little son."

"It can't be ours!" the mage exclaimed. "We are both men! Okay, so it's blonde, and that's rare around here, but –"

Perhaps startled by the exclamation, perhaps just because he felt like it, the baby opened his eyes. They were, the two men saw, mismatched, one of them a fiery red, the other a glowing blue.

"…Oh." Fay just stared. "Maybe he is ours after all. But still – how –"

"The stork brought him, like it brings all children," Kurogane replied dryly. "I've no idea why things must be so complicated in your universe. Storks are much easier."

"So… what do we do now?" asked the magician then. He still seemed rather stunned.

"We go tell Tomoyo, I guess," Kurogane sighed. "Her irritation at being woken up will be nothing compared with her rage if she later discovers we were visited by a stork and didn't tell her right away. And then… well, then we take care of the kid, I guess."

"Yeah." Fay nodded. "But still… a stork?"

Kurogane grinned. "You could believe me every once in a while, eh?"