"I'm...so sorry.."
"Shut up! Save your apologies for when you're better!"
"I...I don't think...I'm going to get any better...Kurogane."
"What the hell are you talking about!?"
"I'm not going to make it...I'm dying Kurogane."
~~earlier~~
The night was crisp and a cool breeze ran across the open field. Nothing made a sound. The world seemed a pinnacle of serenity. That silence was shattered abruptly when the sky split open in a metallic flow of magic. The metallic substance fell forth from the sky only to burst upon impact with the grassy plain, leaving behind a small group of interdimensional travelers.
The dark haired traveler at the rear of the small group straightened his back and peered out across the plain. It took only moments to come to the conclusion that they had landed in a safe place. It was a nice change of pace from the last world. During their stay in the last world they had barely gotten any sleep due to the constant battling, night and day, that they were required to take part in so as to be trusted by the inhabitants of that land. The whole group seemed to have the same thought and breathed a sigh of relief in unison. In the darkness Kurogane could vaguely see the kid helping the princess and the manjuu bun to stay together. Sakura and Mokona must have have been afraid that they'd get separated from the group.
"We should find a place to set up a camp and a fire then search for a town and the feather in the morning," Syaoran suggested to the others.
"Whatever," Kurogane grunted in response. "We should move to a place less out in the open though, we're too vulnerable to a surprise attack out here."
The boy nodded in agreement though it was almost impossible to see, even for Kurogane's keen eyes. The group started off in the direction of the forest around to the left of the field but the raven-haired man had only walked for a few seconds when the princess called out.
"Wait!" she yelled suddenly, causing the small group to stop in their tracks. "Where's Fai-san?!" She panicked, turning on her heels, trying to spot the mage's position.
"Oi, Idiot!" Kurogane called out. It would be impossibe to see him, even if he was as little as a few feet away. This wasn't good. "Oi, mage! Where the hell are you!" There was nothing but silence as a response.
"Mokona." The princess turned to the manjuu bun. "Can you sense where Fai-san is?"
"Mokona will try!" The ball of fluff jumped from Syaoran's shoulder to land on the palm of the girl's hand. Mokona was silent in concentration. It probably only took a few seconds, but Kurogane wanted desperately to yell for the manjuu bun to hurry up and tell them where that idiot mage was. Mokona whimpered anxiously. "He's right near here somewhere. He landed with us but something's wrong."
"What the hell do you mean by 'wrong' manjuu!" Kurogane growled.
"Mokona doesn't know for sure but I can barely sense his energy anymore."
"Damnit!" The group began searching the area for their missing companion. They called his name but it was no use. The ninja strained his eyes to see in the now intimidating darkness. Anger and frustration were beginning to build up in his chest as they continued to search in vain. Then, their luck turned for the first time in a long time. The moon peeked out from behind the dense clouds, illuminating the grassy field with pale light. Working quickly with the limited window of oportunity before the moon was once again cloaked and hidden, Kurogane ran his eyes over the field, looking for any sign of the blonde man. In his rush, he almost missed the shine of golden locks among the the thick grass one hundred metres or so away. As soon as his eyes rested on the shining locks the moon was gone once again. Despite this, the raven-haired man rushed towards the memory of those golden locks among the dark green. As he got closer to where he had seen the man he began to hear strange sounds. The sound of ragged breathing and gasps for breath. He came to a stop when he saw clearly the figure of the man on the ground. He knelt by his companion and lifted his torso to rest on his knee.
"Oi, he's over here!" he called out to the others, placing a hand on the other's chest, trying to calm his harsh breathing.
"Keep talking Kurogane! We're coming!" the kid called back.
"Is he alright?!" the princess asked.
"Don't know! I think he's unconscious and he's having trouble breathing. He must be sick or something!" The moon came out from behind the clouds and Kurogane could see Fai's pale face, wet with perspiration. His face was contorted in pain. The ninja held him close, still attempting to calm his breathing. Damn it, Fai...
The kids and the manjuu reached them quickly now that they could see the two men. Kurogane was still holding the very ill looking mage. Mokona whimpered again, looking down at her friend. The puff ball knew something she wasn't telling the others. Yuuko had told her not to tell the others, since Fai had chosen to keep it from them at the time, but she couldn't stand it. If she told them they might be able to help Fai get better, right? Fai wouldn't get mad at Mokona for trying to help, right? She whimpered again, not knowing what to do. She jumped down from Sakura's shoulder and landed on the suffering man's lap. "Fai-san, you won't get mad at Mokona if she tries to help you right? Mokona just wants Fai-san to be alright," she cried, although the man was not nearly conscious enough to understand, let alone give a response to the manjuu bun's question. "Ohhhh! What should Mokona do?!" She continued to worry over it.
"What are you talking about Manjuu!?" the ninja demanded. If Mokona weren't so panicked, she would have made a joke about 'how cute Kurgy is when he's worried about Fai-san' but now was not the time.
"Mokona knows what's wrong with Fai-san."