oOoOo
When Kurogane woke, it was dark, but the room was illuminated by the glare of a street light outside. Someone was sitting in the chair next to him. Kurogane looked up, expecting to see Fai, but instead it was Syaoran asleep in the chair, his head nodding forward. Shaking off the annoying feeling of disappointment, Kurogane sat up with a groan. The noise disturbed Syaoran, who awoke with a start.
"Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling?" asked Syaoran with a yawn, troubled that he had fallen asleep.
"I'm okay," he replied. Glancing about, he saw that Sakura and Mokona were asleep on the other bed, but one of their group was missing. "Where's that idiot mage?"
Startled by the question, Syaoran looked wildly around the room. "Oh no! He didn't come back yet? It's so late. I have to go look for him."
He leapt from the chair, but before he could get anywhere, Kurogane grabbed his arm. "Don't be a fool, kid. It's dark out there. Who's going to go look for you if you don't come back? Sakura?" At the sound of her name, Syaoran stopped short. "Don't worry about that moron. He's a vampire, remember? He can watch out for himself. No point in you going missing as well."
"I suppose you're right," Syaoran reluctantly agreed. "He'll probably be home any time now, right? How about you? Are you hungry? Fai was going to bring back dinner, but I'm sure we have something around here."
"Do we have any sake?" Kurogane asked hopefully.
"I'm afraid not," Syaoran answered apologetically.
"Then I guess I will settle for some of that nasty tea. It did seem to help some." As Syaoran went to start the tea, Kurogane got out of bed.
"Are you sure you should be up?" asked Syaoran with concern, turning to look over his shoulder at the ailing ninja.
"I can't stay in bed forever," Kurogane replied.
"Well, just be careful then," he warned, returning to his task.
Kurogane made his way to the window, using the furniture for support. He leaned his forehead against the cool glass as he looked out at the street below. A group of loud drunks was passing by, shouting obscenities at each other and laughing obnoxiously. The wail of a siren and the barking of dogs could be heard in the distance. Kurogane stared out the window, thinking that if he glared hard enough, he would see the blonde magician walking up the street at any moment. "Where can that damned idiot be?" he cursed under his breath. "Doesn't he know better than to make these kids worry about him?"
"Tea's ready," Syaoran called from across the room. Kurogane tore his gaze away from the window and made his way back to the table. He grimaced at the smell of the tea, and recalled Fai cajoling him to 'be a good boy and drink it all up.' Kurogane shuddered at that thought, and downed the tea in a single gulp, causing him to choke and sputter.
"Are you okay?!" asked Syaoran anxiously, jumping up to rush to the ninja's aid.
"I'm fine," spat Kurogane gruffly, between coughs. He regained his composure and Syaoran sat back down warily, still keeping an eye on Kurogane just in case. Kurogane stared at his empty cup as he thought of what might have happened to Fai. Perhaps he had just gone off drinking. Maybe he got lost, and was too far from Mokona to ask for directions. Knowing Fai, it was probably something stupid like that. But what if it wasn't? What if he was hurt, or sick, or worse yet, dead? Kurogane shook those thoughts from his head. Why did the mage's fate bother him so much? Fai was a grown man. He could take care of himself. It was not any of Kurogane's business. Why did it matter where he was right now?
"Would you like some more?" asked Syaoran, breaking the awkward silence.
"I'll pass," said Kurogane, holding a hand over his cup.
"I wonder what's keeping Fai," Syaoran voiced his concern aloud. "It's not like him to be late like this. He promised to be home before dark. I can't imagine that he would wander too far off. He's probably really tired."
"Why would he be so tired?" asked Kurogane.
"Well," began Syaoran, "he hasn't really slept. He's been taking care of you since you got sick. I told him he should get some sleep, and he said that he would, but I don't think he ever did. A few times I woke up during the middle of the night, and saw him still sitting beside you. I think he was really worried about you."
"Stupid mage," Kurogane grumbled, scowling. "Always doing unnecessary things."
"If he doesn't return tonight, I will go out to look for him in the morning. Sakura can stay here with you," offered Syaoran.
"I don't need a nursemaid," argued Kurogane defiantly. "I'll be fine. I don't want you going out alone either. Take Sakura and that white fuzz ball with you. I can take care of myself."
"Are you sure?" questioned Syaoran. "You're still sick."
"I told you, I'm fine!" Kurogane repeated forcefully. He had forgotten about the sedative in the tea, and he was starting to feel groggy again. He didn't want to pass out in front of Syaoran, and show that he was still weak. "We should both get some sleep. We will most likely wake up in the morning to find Fai sitting on my bed, with that stupid grin of his plastered on his face."
Syaoran smiled. "You're probably right. Well, good night then. Sleep well." He went off and lay down on a blanket that was on the floor next to the bed occupied by Sakura and Mokona. Kurogane just barely made it back to his own bed before his strength gave out. He flopped down and quickly drifted off into a deep sleep.
oOoOo
Fai awoke to the smell of fish and leeks. It made his stomach churn. He was lying face down on a hard surface, nothing but a layer of burlap beneath him. His whole body ached, and he was shivering. He was able to lift his head only enough to turn it to the side. It was too dark to see much, but from where he lay, he could make out the old woman holding a pan over a fire built in an oil drum. 'That's Kurogane's fish,' thought Fai sadly as he watched helplessly. He tried to call out to her, but couldn't find his voice. She took no notice of Fai, as she talked to herself while she cooked.
"Don't look at me like that Mr. Fish. You got yourself into this mess. If you would just look out for yourself for a change, you wouldn't be here would you? You would be swimming happily with your little fishy friends. You should have valued your own life a bit more, then your fishy friends wouldn't be missing you right now, would they? Hmmm? At least I get a nice dinner out of it. Too bad for you. This ought to teach you a lesson. Oh, but it's too late for that now, isn't it?"
She chuckled to herself as she removed the pan from the fire. She poked around on top of some wooden crates until she found a fork. She looked at it, wiped it on her coat, then examined it again. It must have passed her inspection, because she stuck it into the fish and pulled off a large chunk. After blowing on it to cool it, she began to nibble at the piece of fish. "You are quite tasty Mr. Fish. Your foolishness has allowed me to eat like a queen tonight. I am much obliged."
She had nearly finished eating when she looked down and noticed that Fai was watching her. "Oh, so you are awake now, are you? I suppose you want some of Mr. Fish, don't you? Well, I'm not a greedy woman. I'll share." She set the pan down next to Fai. A wave of nausea overcame him from the smell, and it was all he could do to keep from retching. He slid his hand up to cover his nose and mouth. She paid no attention to his discomfort, as she left the pan sitting beside him and walked away.
She returned a minute later with a dented tin cup, which she set down next to the pan. "Sorry I don't have any tea to offer you. You will have to settle for water. But you know what they say, beggars can't be choosers." She looked at him more closely. "Hmph, you're shivering. Are you cold? That's not much of a jacket you've got there. You should wear a nice warm coat like mine." She wrapped her coat around herself as if to demonstrate. "Well, you can't have my coat, but I'll go see what I can find." With this she wandered off again.
While Fai had no desire to eat the fish, he was thirsty. He reached out a shaky hand for the tin cup, but before he could bring the cup to his lips, it tipped over, and he watched in dismay as the precious liquid spread out on the ground. His vision blurred as tears welled up in his eye. He felt miserable and worthless. How could he be of any help to Kurogane and the others while in this condition? They didn't even know where he was. Would he ever even see them again? Perhaps they would be better off without him. If he wasn't with them, they couldn't be unhappy because of him. But deep down he knew it was too late for that. He had already become involved with them. He had shown concern for them, and used his magic to save their lives. It was as Yuko had said. He had become important to them. His hardships were their hardships. Kurogane had given him this life. It was no longer his own to lose. His life belonged to Kurogane. He had to protect it, but could he? A single tear slid down his cheek as he slipped once again into unconsciousness.
The old woman returned and tossed a knitted baby blanket over Fai. It was small, and partially unraveled, but it was better than nothing. "Not hungry are we? I guess I'll just take care of that for you then." She picked up the pan from the ground, settled herself down on a crate, and began to pick at the remains of the fish.
"Don't you worry, young man," she mumbled between bites. "You are a precious thing, even if you don't think so. They'll come for you. They always do. I'll take good care of you until then, so sleep soundly and have sweet dreams." She nodded as she licked bits of food off her fingers, then turned her attention back to the pan to finish off Mr. Fish.
oOoOo
A/N: Sorry that this chapter is shorter than the first. I just got a little carried away with that one. I also forgot that at this point in Tsubasa, Sakura's leg was injured. So let's just pretend that it's all better now, 'kay? If you are enjoying this story, or find any mistakes, please let me know. Reviews make my day.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Tsubasa characters. They're all Clamp's.