Title: Four
Author: Gypsy Dancing Girl
Fandom: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles
Pairings/Characters: light Real!Syaoran/Clone!Sakura. Characters include: Fay, Kurogane, Clone!Sakura, Real!Syaoran, and White Mokona.
Genres: Family, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort
Rating: K
Warnings: None.
Author's Note: Not much to say. I'm just sorry that it's so short. I can't help that Fay and Kurogane have everything so in control that it doesn't take long to calm Sakura's fears.
The night was quiet. After an uneventful match, the group had silently split into its two factions. Fay tended to Sakura upstairs, settling with a book once the young girl fell asleep. Kurogane distracted Syaoran and Mokona downstairs.
Fay was too distracted at first to notice when Sakura's usual restlessness gave way to utter stillness, but it did register on his subconscious and he looked up at exactly the right moment and dropped his book.
Uttering, a terrified shriek, Sakura bolted upright in bed, calling out his name in a panic. "Fay-san! Fay leapt up, rushing to her side. "Fay-san!"
"I'm right here, Sakura-chan," he reassured her, already wiping away her tears with his handkerchief. "It was only a bad dream."
"Everyone was . . . everyone . . ." Sakura trailed off as footsteps thundered up the stairs. Her initial start had drawn the others. "Oh, Fay-san, make them go away!" she pleaded, throwing her arms around him and hiding her face in his coat. "Please!"
The door was flung open and Kurogane stood silhouetted in the doorway for a long moment. Fay met his eyes steadily, petting Sakura's hair in a reassuring and repetitive gesture. "I have it, Kurogane."
The ninja stared him down for a long moment, walked forward and roughly mussed Sakura's hair himself. Sakura choked on a sob when he did so and for a moment, Fay thought Kurogane would ignore him entirely. The ninja looked angry enough. But Kurogane turned away. "Remember, Princess, that the four of us are here," Kurogane said gruffly. Then he left, pulling the worried boy and manju after him.
Fay stared after him in wonder as Sakura clung to him even tighter. Then he waved his hand to shut the door against the outside world.
"Thank you, Fay-san," Sakura whispered.
"It will always be as my one and only princess wishes," Fay answered. Casting about for some method of reassuring against her dreams, Fay failed to come up with any stronger defense then Kurogane in a righteous rage. So he held Sakura closer and whispered, "Kurogane was right. The four of us are always here and nothing can get past us. Rest now." He held her gently, stroking her hair and whispering calming words until her breathing began to even out.
Fay leaned back a little more comfortably against the wall. He didn't need sleep as much as Sakura did and he refused to wake her for that reasoning. If the princess slept better while he held her, he would hold her until the journey was over.
Apparently Kurogane's promise to take care of them would hold that long as well, for when Fay woke up the next morning, he was not very surprised to find a blanket around his shoulders and another draped lightly over Sakura. It was equally unsurprising to find Mokona and Syaoran sleeping outside the door. After all . . . for now at least . . . the princess' guardians remained four.
The End.