Wow, this is so old, I can't believe I haven't posted it yet. Just a little bit of angst and fluff, almost imperceptible. Hope you enjoy reading it!
I do not own any of the characters, they belong to CLAMP. But the plot and world are mine.
A blizzard whipped furiously over the already snow-covered ground, tossing the trees as if offering them up to the cold, gray sky. Light flashed and four dark figures tumbled into the whirling snow.
"C-c-c-cold!" Mokona squealed, burrowing into Kurogane's coat.
"Mm. We'll die if we don't find shelter," Fai said in an off-hand manner, his usual slight smile unmoving. "In the meantime, we'd better pull out all we have and bundle up." The others nodded, pulling out their meager supply of blankets. They didn't have much with them.
"Sakura-hime, please take this," Syaoran said, holding out his blanket to the princess.
"But then you'll be cold Syaoran!" she replied, concern evident in her voice and face.
"I'll be fine," Syaoran said, smiling. He would do anything for Sakura. However, the princess couldn't stand to see the boy in any sort of pain. She took the cloth from him, but instead of wrapping it around her own body, she wrapped it around Syaoran.
Syaoran opened his mouth to protest, but stopped. "...Thank you," was all he said instead.
"Come on, let's get going!" Kurogane yelled from a few feet away.
"Ah, h-hai!" Syaoran called back. The group set off through the snow.
It was impossible to see anything in the swirling whiteness all around. The wind tore at their skin and clothes, the snow penetrating easily to chill them to the bone. Even Fai seemed affected by the cold. Foot-deep snow didn't make the way any easier.
A crumbling noise permeated the howl of the wind, brushing five pairs of ears so softly it could have been imagined. And suddenly, the ground beneath Syaoran's feet gave way, sending him tumbling down into the sea of white.
"SYAORAN!!!" Sakura screamed as he fell, reaching out for him. But he had disappeared before she could reach him. "SYAORAAAAN!!!" she screamed into the gorge that seemed to come from nowhere beside the path the group had been walking.
Kurogane swore as he and Fai rushed to the edge, looking down. The blizzard had eased of slightly, allowing them to see down a ways. The boy was nowhere in sight. Sakura continued to scream Syaoran's name into the abyss, crouched at the edge he had fallen from. There was no reply.
"How are we going to find him?" Mokona asked, poking its head out from Kurogane's collar. Nobody replied, but Fai pulled something out of his pack.
"This rope should do the trick," he said. "Kuro-rin, lower me down," the blonde spoke, tying to rope around his waist.
"Is there anything I can do?" Sakura asked desperately, as Fai carefully stepped down the edge. The mage smiled back at her. "Yes. Believe in Syaoran-kun."
It became quiet, with Kurogane slowly letting out rope and Sakura peering over the edge, while Fai looked for Syaoran. Forty minutes or so passed before the black ninja felt the rope slacken and stopped releasing it. A slight tug and he let a little more go before it slackened again. 10 more minutes passed. Two firm tugs on the rope, and Kurogane began hauling the rope back up.
"Did he find Syaoran-kun?!" asked Sakura.
"Feels like it," the ninja grunted, pulling up more rope. It took half an hour to haul the wizard up. When he was within sight, the two at the top of the cliff could see a shape on his back. When he was heaved onto solid ground once more, Syaoran was tied to his back with the rope.
"Syaoran-kun! Daijoubu desu ka?" Sakura asked immediately, rushing forward. She shook his shoulder but Syaoran didn't respond.
"He's unconscious, Sakura-chan. Syaoran-kun hit his head on a rock, probably when he fell. Lost his blanket as well."
"Come on, we still need to find shelter," Kurogane spoke up gruffly. He moved forward, handing Fai his rope and pulling Syaoran's limp body up from the snow to hoist onto his back.
"You weren't worried about us, Kuro-pun?" Fai asked teasingly, throwing Kurogane's blanket over both fighters.
"Quite calling me names!" the ninja snapped back. The blonde wizard just chuckled as the dimension-traveling group set off. By then the blizzard had eased off into a lazy snow fall. It was difficult walking in the high snow, especially for Sakura, who ended up getting near constant help from Fai. Snow that was almost knee-deep for Fai and Kurogane reached almost mid-thigh for the young princess.
Eventually, after a few hours of trudging through the snow, they came upon a sign for a village, though they couldn't read the name written on it.
"We're almost to shelter, Sakura-chan," said Fai. Mokona danced excitedly on Kurogane's shoulder, chanting "Shelter, shelter, shelter!" until the black ninja got fed up and tried to knock it into the snow. The white creature screamed like a girl, still smiling, and bounced over to Syaoran's back, out of reach.
The group had gone only a few feet past the sign when something happened. Skeletons jumped out from among the trees, rushing at the travelers. Sakura screamed as Fai pulled her to the side, out of the way. Kurogane kicked two skeletons at once, crushing their heads. They crumbled into dust in the snow.
"Kuro-tan, bring Syaoran-kun over here so you can fight properly," Fai called from beneath a large tree, where the snow wasn't quite so thick. Kurogane dumped the kid to the ground next to Sakura and drew his sword.
Kurogane grinned sinisterly at the skeletons as he raised his sword. In one swing, he felled half of them. Behind him, more skeletons appeared from behind the trees. As Fai was distracted by three attacking him, another skeleton approached Sakura. Terrified, the princess gripped Syaoran tightly as he lay, still unconscious, against her. She closed her eyes as the skeleton drew nearer.
Syaoran's weight disappeared at the sounds of crunching bones. Sakura looked up quickly. Syaoran stood over her on one foot, the other one crushed into the skull of the skeleton.
"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura cried out. But the boy didn't respond. Confused, Sakura shifted over slightly, tilting her head to peer at Syaoran's face. His eyes were open, but blank.
Four more skeletons approached, but Syaoran made quick work of them. Kurogane let out a vicious move and the rest of the skeletons crumbled into the snow.
"Hyuuu, nice job, Kuro-pun," Fai praised, a smile plastered on his face. He glanced around at the two youngest members of the group. "Are you and Syaoran-kun alright? Sakura-chan," he asked. His eyes widened slightly as he spotted Syaoran standing next to Sakura.
"Syaoran protected Sakura!" Mokona cheered, bouncing on Sakura's shoulder. But Sakura's face was still worried. Fai leaned over to look at Syaoran's face. Before he or Kurogane could say or do anything, however, the boy staggered backwards, bumping into the tree where he slid down into the snow.
"Is he conscious or not?" Kurogane growled, tromping closer.
"Unconscious," Fai reported.
"But how could he fight while unconscious?" Sakura asked.
Mokona bounced over to her. "It's because of Sakura-chan! Syaoran-kun loves Sakura-chan so much that he will protect her no matter what, even if he's not awake."
"Syaoran-kun has a pretty powerful drive," Fai said kindly. "Now come; we still need to get to shelter, and someone in the village might be able to tell us about those skeletons that attacked us."
Sakura blinked and nodded, a light blush hidden by the redness already caused by the cold.