Tsubasa Chronicles Remix Chapter 4: IV: Outo Country, a tsubasa chronicle fanfic

Sly 2018: Thanks for giving our story a shot! We hope you enjoy the new and enhanced version of this chapter!

Regular disclaimers apply

IV: Land of Outo/Edonis Country

It was another normal day in the Land of Outo until a white creature appeared above the sky and dropped five humans unto the ground. Meine blushed when she found herself in the position on top of the smiling blond mage. Something shifted within her ever since she woke up in his arms; somehow Fai had become more than just a simple companion to her. She ended up sitting on his lap with her hands and head leaning against his chest when he sat up. Being so close to him gave her butterflies in her stomach.

"Now, what country have we come into this time?" Fai asked aloud as he prompted Meine up to her feet before getting up himself.

Suddenly, five women wearing identical outfits stepped forward to them. They wore a simple black long-sleeve dress with white collar, and white cuffs. They wore a plain off-white apron with a small flower emblem over it. Their outfit reminded Meine of the dresses the female servants wore in the palace. "Welcome to the Land of Outo!" they said in unison. They screamed and ran towards the travelers and pulled each one of them into their arms.

"Hyuu~! There are beautiful girls everywhere!" Fai whistled as a girl fawned over him. He had his hands on his hips as the girl with him pulled his head down so she can see his face better.

Meine tried to free herself from the woman who was hugging, more like smothering, her. "Quit it!" she exclaimed weakly as she felt a hand on her backside. These girls were very touchy.

"Look at all the costumes everyone is wearing!" commented the woman hugging Kurogane. "You must have come from a different world, didn't you?"

The five of them whipped round to look at the woman who spoke, their eyes wide in shock.

"Other people have come to this country from other worlds?" Syaoran asked, sweating as he tried to wiggle himself out of the woman's tight embrace.

"Of course! Everyone comes from near and far to enjoy the wonders of Outo!" Said the short haired woman smothering Meine.

The woman hugging Syaoran prevented him from speaking because she was hugging him too tight in her arms. "You haven't registered yet, have you?"

They all shook their heads and the women all had worried faces. "Oh dear, you have to go to the city hall immediately! We will take you there!"

Without another word, the four women dragged them to the middle of the city and into a huge building nearly resembling a palace. In big letters, it had a sign labelled : "Country of Outo: Central City Hall."

A kind lady behind the counter labeled "Express Assessment" helped them. Meine followed Syaoran and Fai to the counter, while Kurogane and Sakura took the liberty of sitting it out on the bench across the room.

"Welcome to the country of Outo!" the desk lady greeted them pleasantly. "Please put your names here." She handed Fai five pieces of papers with writings that none of them recognized.

Fai stared at the papers, a mischievous smile crossing his lips. "Is it absolutely necessary that we give you the same ones we've been using?" he asked playfully. "Is an alias acceptable?"

"Yes." The lady replied.

Fai's grin widened. "Then I'll enter everyone's names" he began writing on the papers. "I could write this and this, right?" he inquired in a sing-song voice.

"Um…" Meine turned to look at Syaoran who had the same alarmed face as her. "Fai… what are you doing?" she asked, feeling half amused, half annoyed at the same time. She didn't like where this was going but she was too amused to stop it.

Syaoran caught a glimpse of the papers as Fai handed them in. He looked uncomfortable. "Fai-san! Those are…" The lady took the papers before Syaoran could finish.

Meine covered her eyes trying to block out what was happening. She felt childish for not stopping Fai from doing something ridiculous. She shook her head and headed towards Kurogane who had a sleeping Sakura leaning on his shoulder.

"What?" Kurogane asked, raising an eyebrow.

She sighed audibly in reply before sitting down.

"Kuro-woof-woof! Please bring the bag!" Fai said loudly over his shoulder to the man clad in black beside Meine.

Kurogane stood up and grabbed the sack beside him. "QUIT CALLING ME LIKE I'M SOME KIND OF DOG!" he screamed. It was so loud that some people around them started staring and Sakura who was peacefully sleeping jumped awake.

The five of them were given the address of the house they were going to stay in. It was spacious and had a big room in front while there were several smaller rooms at the upper floor. But for the night, they were going to sleep in the main room at the front, they wanted to be sure that there were no threats in this world before they start to sleep separately.

"I'm glad we brought the clothes we wore when we were in the other worlds." Fai said as he laid out his fluffy white coat on the floor.

"And also thanks to Queen Suu!" Mokona exclaimed happily. "We were able to afford this place thanks to a bit of her reward!"

Just as the four of them were starting to loosen up a bit and relax, Kurogane suddenly dropped a warning. "Maybe you guys shouldn't get too cozy. It's possible that we are being watched."

Meine turned her attention to him and walked over to where he was sitting with a mischievous look on her face.

"Kurogane needs to relax more. Your eyebrows are going to be stuck together permanently if you keep this up." She teased, furrowing her brows together to mimic Kurogane's.

She heard everyone chuckle behind her. Kurogane huffed before responding "You're starting to become like the mage, brat."

Meine smiled playfully in response. She turned around to look for a spot to sleep in.

"Come sleep with me tonight, Meine-chan." Fai invited, patting the space right beside him.

She found herself sitting beside the mage before she could even feel bashful over the fact that they will pretty much be cuddling tonight. Being so close to him made the butterflies in her stomach go in a frenzy. 'What's wrong with me?' she thought to herself, placing a hand on her chest to try and calm her pounding heart. She could feel his warmth right next to her and something deep down inside her begged for more it. 'It's just Fai! It's just Fai!' she repeated in her head trying to convince herself that what she felt for him was just gratitude.

"Thank you." She said, a blush appearing on her cheeks. She laid down facing the other way so that she would not have to be face to face with Fai. She didn't want him to hear how loud her heart was beating.

Syaoran smiled and leaned against the sofa where Sakura was already sleeping in. "Now that we have found a nice place to stay, next is we have to find the princess's feather."

Mokona nodded and it emitted a faint yellowish glow before it bounced to rest on the armrest of the sofa. "It's very slight, but Mokona senses the power of Sakura's feather.

After a few more minutes of discussing a few things of what to do tomorrow, the five of them (including Mokona) then fell asleep.

Meine slept lightly that night, mainly because of the man who was spooning her from behind, but she couldn't ignore that she was very warm inside his coat and she was very comfortable, except of course of the feeling of someone breathing on her neck. She wondered why he wasn't facing the other way like she was. Normally, she would've commented on that already but somehow she didn't hate feeling Fai breathe right next to her.

It was a few hours later when Meine felt something shift just outside the house and she noticed the streetlight flicker.

"Are you awake?" Kurogane asked softly.

"Yes." Syaoran replied.

"Something doesn't feel right." Meine whispered as she turned to face Fai, ignoring the blush growing on her face as she noticed that his lips touched her nose. She pulled away slightly and watched a smile appeared on his features before his eyes opened slightly. "There's something outside." He added.

The lights flickered once again and a creature with a weird aura appeared and broke through the glass windows. It was a huge monster with an incredibly long tail and sharp claws, with spikes covering the entirety of its back. Its face was very grotesque; its eyes were huge gaping black holes on its face. The long hair on its head effectively made it more nightmarish.

The four of them jumped out of the way and evaded the flying shards of glass, Kurogane grabbing the sleeping princess who woke up from the noise and Meine grabbing Mokona.

"We just moved in and already we have guests!" Fai said as they set a groggy Sakura on her feet away from the monster. "Are you hurt, Meine-chan?" he asked as he eyed her for any injuries.

"We didn't invite this one though." Kurogane smirked.

Meine shook her head in response. "Sakura-chan let's move out of the way." She said, taking the other princess' hand to take her to the other side of the room far away from the unearthly intruder.

Syaoran, the one nearest the monster was attacked and he got a cut on his right arm. He stumbled to the side. Sakura screamed his name and held on to Meine's sleeve.

In the end, to avoid getting hurt any more, he jumped high into the air and landed a hard kick on the center of the monster's head and it disappeared.

Within a split second the window behind the two princesses shattered as another Oni pierced through it. Meine had the sense to push Sakura away from harm the moment she noticed the movement from behind them. However, she was grabbed by the Oni which was almost as tall as the house they were in. She screamed involuntarily as terror washed over her like a splash of ice cold water. The Oni had lifted her up and was crushing her in its black hands. It felt like being crushed between two jagged stone walls. "HELP!" she cried out as the Oni's grip got too painful.

The last thing she saw before the darkness clouded her vision was Fai and Kurogane running towards her.

Meine woke up the following day on a bed she didn't remember getting in to. She sat up slowly, wincing as her body ached in pain. She suddenly remembered the utter terror she felt as she was being crushed to death by the monster. She trembled, unable to move nor utter a single word. If it wasn't for her companions, she would've been dead already. She couldn't muster up enough strength to free herself from the Oni's grasps as she was too focused on the pain she felt. All she could think of in that moment was how much it hurt and how much she wanted back her ability to heal quickly. "I want to go home…" she whispered to herself as tears welled up, her voice hoarse and shaky.

A knock on the door brought her back to reality. She shook off her dread, aggressively wiping the tears from her eyes in an attempt to look calm and normal. She tested her voice a couple of times before answering. "Come in." she managed to say normally.

The door swung open revealing the blond mage. "Good morning, or rather good afternoon, Princess." He greeted. Meine took note of how completely different his aura was. He was smiling but she could clearly sense that something was bothering him.

Fai made his way over to her bed and sat down right beside her, placing the cup of water he had brought with him on the bedside table. Meine stared at him as he scanned her for any new bruises. "How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice laced with deep concern. Something Meine is still surprised to hear coming from Fai.

"I feel fine." She lied. She must've said it too monotonously because his eyebrows furrowed. He knows she's lying.

"Please don't lie to me." He replied seriously, which was so unlike him. "I don't like it when you lie to me, Princess."

Meine's heart ached terribly in her chest from the guilt she felt. She clenched her fist and was surprised when Fai placed his hand on it. "…I'm sorry." She mumbled.

"It's alright," he continued to stare into her with concern. "I just hate it when you get hurt. Especially when I'm right there with you. I feel like I've failed to keep my promise to you."

"You didn't fail me." She reassured. "I'm right here and I'm alive. You did a great job protecting me."

Fai's expression softened. "You are impossible." The corners of his mouth began to lift only just for second before they straightened.

"I want to lock you up in a cage and keep you in my pocket." He stated with a straight face.

Meine's eyes widened in shock. "What?" She felt some truth in his jest.

"You seem to have a way of finding trouble and getting in one." He responded as a matter-of-factly.

"I don't actively pursue it." She replied curtly. She was starting to get mad. It felt like he was being condescending towards her.

Fai reeled back slowly and turned away from her. Meine watched as he took a deep breath as if he was trying to calm himself down. His eyes remained closed as he tried to steady his breathing. That's… that's what my mother taught me to do. Her mind supplied. Chills suddenly ran down her spine as her mind was whisked away elsewhere.

….

"….all better…. mother said…."

The faceless figure in front of her nodded.

"…you should…. I will…."

She couldn't make out most of the words that were coming from her own mouth. The memory she was remembering was very hazy. Faces and voices were quite unclear.

A mouth materialized on the faceless figure she was talking to. "Eira… kind…." The person smiled. "Thank…"

Meine tried harder to make the words out but it proved to be an impossible task as most of the words came out as a buzz. She wanted to see who the other person was but she couldn't make anything out other than their mouth, which was still mostly a blur.

"…. anytime…. you…" Meine said in the memory. "…. promise…"

"Yuui." she said out loud without realizing it.

The sound of glass breaking brought her back to the present.

"Fai! What happened? Are you alright?" Meine was suddenly up. She stood in front of Fai and checked to see if he was hurt. She was taken aback by the petrified look on his face. "Fai!" she called out, cupping his face with both hands. "Fai! Snap out of it!"

The blond mage gasped, his eyes immediately went to Meine's face. The petrified look on his face was replaced with blind fury. "Why did you say that name?!" He bellowed . "Who are you?!" Everything that happened next was a blur.

"Fai… stop… you're hurting me…" Meine pleaded. "It hurts… please…. stop." She struggled to catch some breath, wrapping her hands around Fai's wrists to try and pry them off her neck. "I… can't… breathe..."

"Eira," a voice in his head whispered. "Don't hurt Eira" it repeated. Fai snapped out of his angry daze and he realized what he was doing. He was on the floor on top of Meine and he was strangling her. With a gasp, he let go of her immediately and fell back. His forehead was covered with a thin film of sweat as he panted as though he was just running. Fai had a horrified expression on his face. "I… what?..." he breathed. He looked at his trembling hands in disbelief. I just tried to kill Meine.

Meine wheezed and coughed, trying to get a hold of herself and steady her breathing. She was horrified by what just happened. They both stayed on the floor, shocked and dazed for a few minutes before one of them spoke.

"Fai…" the princess started, extending her arms to caress the mage's cheeks. She willed her hands to stop trembling as she tried to find the proper words to say to calm him down. Something about his quivering hunched figure reminded her of someone. "Yuui." Her mind whispered.

"Yuui?" she tested the name on her lips. The name felt so familiar, so dear to her like she has said it a million times over. A rush of memories flooded into her as she said the name once more. Unbeknownst to her, magic flowed from her to Fai causing both of them to see the same memory.

A blond boy with sky blue eyes laughed as she made a huge snowflake appear out of thin air. She made it spin and tiny little snowflakes broke off as it spun above them. A snowflake landed on her nose causing her to let out a tiny sneeze. The boy kept laughing.

She felt the same joy the young her felt in that moment as she watched the happiness radiating from his face.

"How are you doing that?" the boy inquired, wonder filled his eyes.

"I'm made out of ice and snow, that's why I can make these with my mind! That's what my mother told me today." She answered, smiling.

"Wow! I wish I was made of snow too!" he exclaimed as he stared right at her face.

"Why do you wish that?"

"If I was made out of snow too maybe I can be with you in your land forever."

She reached out her tiny hand to touch the boy but her hand just went through him. Sadness welled up inside her. She wanted to cry but fought against doing so. She's worked so hard to cheer him up today more so than other days. It took her hours to get a tiny smile from him. Today must've been a particularly difficult day. She didn't want to see her friend sad again. Meine instead flashed him a cheerful smile in hopes that it will keep his spirits up.

"It's okay!" she beamed. "My mother can see the future and she said that we will be together someday!"

His face brightened. "Really? Do you promise?"

"Yes! We will definitely be together!"

"I can't wait to be with you forever." He held both his hands up, inviting her to put hers on them. Meine hovered her hands just above his. It looked like they were actually touching. "You're the only person who has ever been kind to me." he continued. "When we see each other in person I'll introduce you to my brother!"

"I can't wait!" she enthused. "We will be together forever, Yuui!"

The warm memory ended. They remembered exactly who each other was the moment their eyes locked.

"You're…" they both said at the same time as they looked at each other. Finally it all makes sense. The feeling of familiarity, the warmth and happiness they both got from one another. The feeling of knowing each other for a lifetime the moment that they met finally makes sense. They finally found each other.

The price is your memories of one another.

You two are quite powerful.

Being able to break my spell like that takes tremendous power.

The memory disappeared just as suddenly as it appeared. Neither of them could remember what happened after Meine first said "Yuui".

They both sat on the floor, confused and panting. "What on earth just happened?" Fai asked as he looked at Meine who was also on the floor, and then at shattered glass right beside her. He couldn't remember how they both ended up on the floor together.

"I have no idea." she replied. Fai stood up and offered her a hand which she gladly accepted. "How did we end up down there? Why can't I remember anything?" Meine tried hard to search her mind for any inkling of what just transpired between them but she couldn't come up with anything. Her mind was completely blank.

"I'll bring you a new glass of water. Wait here." Fai left the room abruptly. He did not want to show his distress to the princess.

As the door closed behind him, he grabbed his head with both hands and attempted to recover his lost memory. Someone had deliberately erased both their memories and it alarmed him how he didn't know how it happened or who did it. He cursed at himself in frustration.

There was definitely something different about Meine. He knew for sure that she was a vampire as it was confirmed to him when he saw her eyes flash gold, but there was something else to her that he could not figure out. This bothered him tremendously as he has always been able to sense immediately what powers people have; it was one of his special abilities that came naturally to him from having strong magical powers.

He decided it was something he could figure out later on, for now they had other things at hand. He made sure that he was all composed before heading downstairs to join his friends.

...

Meine stood in place for a couple of minutes, trying to figure out anything at all. It felt like she just lost something precious but she has no idea what it was. A feeling of emptiness washed over her as she desperately searched her mind for what she could have lost that have made her so sad. She eventually decided to put it all aside for now after remembering that everyone was waiting for her to come down. She went down to the first floor where she found the rest of her companions working in the big room. The glass window that was broken by that monster last night was fixed, there were several round tables in the room, and they were wearing new clothes. Sakura was also there in the room but she was still asleep on top of the sofa.

"Good morning, Meine-san!" Syaoran said with a smile as he stood by the wooden counter.

Meine felt refreshed after seeing her friends. "Good morning, Syaoran." she smiled. "How I did get up there?" She asked as she took a seat on one of the high chairs and fiddled with the glass Fai had set in front of her "I don't remember what happened after..." She froze in mid-sentence as she recalled the events of last night. She remembered small glimpses of Kurogane slashing the monster with his sword, then Fai's serious face, and then darkness as she fully lost consciousness.

"Kurogane-san brought you up there after they killed the second Oni last night." Syaoran explained.

"Kurogane-san did?..." she asked. She glanced at Kurogane and was startled when he caught her gaze. She was about to apologize to him for causing him trouble but he glared at her as if to say 'Don't mention it, brat' So instead she gave him a little nod to thank him. She was glad when his expression softened. She turned her attention back to Syaoran and asked: "The monsters are called Oni?"

"That's right! When you kill one, you get a reward." Fai answered. "The Onis we killed last night had a huge reward and it was more than enough that we bought clothes and we found jobs."

"Jobs…?"

The blond mage nodded. "Yes, jobs. Kuro-sama and Syaoran-kun are going to be Oni hunters while you, me, Sakura-chan and Mokona will be running a café here. And I will assign you as my own personal assistant!"

"So basically I will be like your attendant?" Meine asked. Fai nodded with a smile. Her gaze lingered at him, searching his face for something that would remind her of what happened upstairs. He caught her eye and gently shook his head. Meine understood this as he also was not able to recall anything. She went to a different topic instead. "Why a café by the way? Don't you want to be an Oni hunter too, Fai?"

"Hmm. Oni hunters has to come in pairs." He stared at her. "Syaoran-kun was already taken!" he grinned.

"But..." what about me? She wanted to say but then she understood what Fai was trying to tell her. She can't be an Oni hunter. Shame and resentment burned within her.

Just then, Sakura slowly stirred awake and sat up. Fai once again explained what had happened last night and explained the clothes that they were wearing. Sakura just sat there listening to their explanation and stood up to fold her own sheets.

"I was wondering if Sakura-chan, would work the café with me." Fai requested.

"Yes, it would be my honor." Sakura replied, bowing slightly.

The two ladies got pushed inside two separate rooms in the second floor and were each handed a set of clothes to change into. Meine sat there staring at the outfit given to her and gave a long sigh before changing into it.

A few minutes later, she heard the door in the other room where Sakura was open and heard slow footsteps on the stairs and she decided that she couldn't hide what she was wearing any longer. As soon as she heard voices in the main room, she went down the stairs.

She peeked out a little and saw Sakura wearing clothes similar to what Kurogane was wearing but it was fit for girls. She suddenly felt annoyed at why the mage picked this for her to wear as a servant.

She stepped out of her hiding place and the rest of them in the main room froze and stared at her. Meine couldn't hide the blush on her cheeks. She wore a corseted, off-shoulder black dress that covered ¾ of her thighs. The hem of the dress was trimmed with lace and it had several petticoats underneath to make the skirt pop up a little. Black, knee-high socks and black platform heels are what she used for footwear. She also wore a white apron that is tied around the waist along with a black choker to adorn her neck. She also had a white lace ribbon to tie her hair with.

Fai whistled, Syaoran and Sakura gaped at her with their mouths in an "O" shape, and Kurogane was blushing and looking away.

"Why on earth did you choose this as my uniform?" Meine asked glaring at Fai. She was no longer embarrassed by what she was wearing but rather she was pissed at the stupid look that the blond man was giving him.

He raised his arms up in defeat when Meine grab hold of his collar. "It was the only one left that the guy in the shop could sell to us so I took it." Just kidding. He added in his head. The truth was there were a lot more other clothes available but the moment he saw the outfit, he knew that he just had to get it for Meine. "You look beautiful, Meine-chan."

Meine let go of the mage to cover her face with both hands as she tried to hide her blush and she sat on one of the high chairs while mumbling to herself "I'm the Crown Princess you know… I shouldn't be wearing this kind of outfit". She then tried to ignore Fai when he walked towards her but she turned completely crimson when he had tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear and smiled at her.

Suddenly, Mokona's eyes opened. It opened its mouth and a plate with six pieces of brown, mountain-shaped food appeared and it landed on the table.

"What's this?" Fai asked. Meine jumped out of her seat when she sniffed the air as she recognized the familiar scent of something sweet.

"It's from Yuuko!" Mokona said, like the rest of the ladies, it was also wearing an apron around itself. "It's called chocolate fondant! You eat it while it's hot!"

As soon as Meine heard the world chocolate, she eagerly took a seat in front of a table beside Kurogane. As soon as a piece and some tea were served in front of her, she immediately took a bite. Its hot creamy center really satisfied Meine's love for sweets as she craved for more than just one serving. Watching the sweet lover eat her share, the others just couldn't wait to have a taste of their own share since it seemed really delicious when Meine was eating it.

Syaoran and Kurogane then left when the sun set to hunt for more Oni and earn more cash for them to spend. Meine, Sakura, Fai, and Mokona were then left alone back in the café to prepare for their grand opening tomorrow. Fai and Mokona were making the sign while Sakura and Meine were folding lots of napkins.

They were having a quiet and peaceful time and the only sounds they were hearing was the meowing of Fai and Mokona.

Meine was enjoying her time until she felt the murderous aura of a familiar person stomping towards the front door. A few seconds later, the door flew open and Kurogane entered the room with a very angry look.

"YOU BASTARD!" he screamed at Fai as he stomped towards him. The mage just sat there on the floor grinning at the taller man, which pissed Kurogane even more.

"You little…" he growled "You went and gave us weird names, didn't you?"

"The girl at the city hall told me that we could use aliases, but I don't know the writing system here…" Fai took a piece of paper that were scattered on the floor to prevent the paint from staining the tiles and took a brush and swiftly drew a picture of two dogs, one bigger than the other. He then showed the drawing to the two hunters. "So I drew this!"

"Kuro-pon's name is Big Puppy, while Syaoran-kun's name is Little Puppy."

He then took another piece of paper and continued drawing two animals on the paper and another one of a different kind on another piece and held it out to show them when he finished. "Sakura-chan and my name are Little Kitten and Big Kitten respectively." he said as he held the piece of paper with two cats drawn on them. "Meine-chan's name is Usagi-san!"

Meine, who didn't bother to stand up from her seat, looked up from the napkin she was folding. She thought it was amusing at the time but after hearing it said out loud…

Fai smiled and nodded. "Because of that, since me and Sakura-chan are kittens and you are the bunny… I decided to draw this as a sign!" He then picked up from the floor the wooden sideboard he was working on. On it was a picture of a black cat's head with yellow eyes… beside it was a drawing of a small rabbit head right beside the picture of the cat.

Meine noticed that Kurogane was fuming and she froze when she heard the click of the unsheathing of his sword. "Please calm down, Kurogane-san." She whispered to him since he was standing so near. "What did I say about furrowing your eyebrows too much?" she teased.

"Shut up, Little Bunny!" He glared at her before he resumed on glaring at the mage. "I'm going to knock those stupid thoughts out of your stupid head!" he threatened and pulled out his entire sword and ran after the mage who was just skipping as he evaded the sword.

'Little Bunny!?' I hope he trips. Meine huffed in annoyance. An image of her sitting on her throne as a stuffed bunny with a crown popped up in her mind. I am a fearsome, regal Crown Princess! She thought, trying to re-establish her image in her own mind.

The door opened slowly and a man and a girl wearing a school uniform entered with a large gray dog beside her. "Excuse me?" she called in a loud voice and the two of them entered the house. "What a pretty house you have, Little Puppy-san!"

Meine couldn't sustain the giggle as she heard Syaoran's alias. The girl noticed her and smiled. "Hello!" she greeted. "My name is Nekoi Yuzuriha, and this dog's name is Inuki!" she gently rubbed the ear of the gray dog. "My partner's name is Shiyu Kusanagi." She pointed at the tall man with the square-shaped jaw.

"Nice to meet you…" Meine said and stood up from her seat. "My name is Me—… Usagi…"

She stood there watching Sakura, Syaoran, Yuzuriha, and Kusanagi talk with each other and Kurogane running after Fai who was flitting around the room. She caught Mokona with both her hands when it bounced its way towards her.

Princess Meine. A voice called. Meine looked around for the source of the voice but found no one else but her companions and their new friends.

"Meine!" Mokona said as she bounced off her hands and unto her shoulder. "You seem awfully quiet. What's wrong?"

She cupped the creature to her face to feel the warmth of its furry body. "Something just feels weird… It's like something bad is going to happen…" she whispered to the creature.

Mokona looked up at her. "It's okay, Meine! Everyone's here! I'm sure nothing bad will happen" it said, trying to make her feel better.

Meine looked at the adorable little creature and nodded.

"Something smells delicious." Kusanagi said with a smile.

Fai leaned back to evade the swing of Kurogane's sharp blade. "It's a chocolate cake that we're experimenting with. We open the shop tomorrow, but if you like you could try it now."

"We'd love to!" Yuzuriha and Kusanagi replied with huge smiles and proceeded to sit down on the high chairs beside the wooden counter.

As soon as Meine heard the words "chocolate cake," she turned to Fai, eyes wide and expectant. The mage had stopped running and Kurogane had returned his sword back in its sheath.

Fai instructed Meine and Sakura to help serve the guests for practice. Much to Meine's dismay, she was assigned to prepare and bring the cups of tea together with Sakura. When she noticed that she was shaking trying to balance the tea on the tray , Meine came to her aid and stopped her, taking one from her tray and served it to Kusanagi, leaving the other for her to serve to Yuzuriha.

"Thank you." Kusanagi said when Meine set the cup on the table.

"Please enjoy." she said with a pleasant smile before walking away to sit on the empty seat next to Syaoran who was sitting two seats away from the other two hunters. She couldn't help stealing furtive glances at their plates as she watched Yuzuriha take a bite from the chocolate fondant with cream on the side.

"It's delicious!" Yuzuriha said animatedly.

"I'm glad you liked it. I took Mokona's advice and poured fresh cream." Fai explained with his usual smile as he watched the customers enjoy his cooking.

He noticed Meine eyeing the food and smiled as he leaned on the counter in front of her. "I'll give you a piece later, if you promise to do a good job as a hostess." he whispered to her.

She nodded happily.

It turned out that Kusanagi and Yuzuriha were Oni hunters and they were kind enough to explain the different rankings of the Oni. Meine was too busy folding the other napkins and that was left on one of the round table in the middle of the room and was barely listening to the explanation when she heard Inuki whine and when she felt the familiar shifting when the Oni appeared in front of their house.

"It looks that some Oni has appeared nearby." Yuzuriha said and she and her partner stood up from her seats.

Meine froze. Her thoughts going back to when she was being crushed by an Oni.

"How much?" Kusanagi asked, taking out a cherry blossom shaped badge the size of Meine's palm.

Fai said, smiling as he walked towards Meine. "Consider it as sample. Just please tell everyone about us!" He placed his hands on Meine's shoulders from behind, his gaze still fixed on Kusanagi. She was in such a daze that she did not even notice him.

The man smiled back and nodded. "We'll make sure you get business."

"Thank you, please come again!" Sakura said as they left.

Meine flinched at the sound of the door slamming close. "It's okay." She felt Fai whisper against her ear. When did he get behind me? "Nothing bad will happen."

"Okay…" Meine's tense shoulders relaxed as she whispered back.

"Meine-chan?" Sakura asked, slightly tilting her head as she watched the two.

"Let's go eat some more cake!" Fai cheered as he let go of Meine. "Come both of you." He called as he made his way back behind the counter.

Fai served both of them the same dessert he had just given the Oni hunters. He watched with a smile as Meine slowly perked up as she ate the cake little by little.

"You're so good at making these." She complimented, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Where did you learn how to make them?"

"I'm glad you like them, princess." Fai leaned on the counter in front of her, leaning his head on his hand. "Baking isn't much different than creating potions. You just have to mix the right ingredients together and cook them accordingly. Baking was something that came naturally to me."

"Fai-san's desserts makes everyone feel happy!" Sakura beamed.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan."

…

Meine slept peacefully that night. Watching Syaoran and Kurogane, or the puppy combo as Fai put it, made her feel safe. Her dreams were calm that night as she dreamed that someone was stroking her hair gently.

Meine woke up earlier the next day just before the sun was rising and she was able to watch the rising of it from the window inside her bedroom. She changed into her server uniform and walked down the stairs to see Fai already behind the counter and preparing something.

"Good morning, Meine-chan." he said with a smile.

"Good morning." she replied. "You're up early."

He didn't reply but smiled at her and continued what he was doing behind the counter. "Can you please check if the boys are awake and you can tell them that they can eat breakfast already?"

Without another word, Meine nodded and went back the stairs. She knocked on Syaoran's door and told him that breakfast is ready. She moved a few feet to knock on Kurogane's door. As her hand was about to touch the door, Kurogane's voice sounded from inside the room.

"Come in." he said.

Meine hesitated a little before opening the door and spotted Kurogane sitting on the bed with his back facing the door and he was already wearing his hakama. His sword was on the bed beside him.

"Sit." he said softly. Meine noticed the gentleness that she had never heard before.

She sat on the bed and she was sitting back to back with the older man. "Is something wrong?"

"How's your body?" he asked. Meine turned her head just enough to see the back of Kurogane's head. She was touched by his concern. Kurogane reminded her a little bit of Akemi.

"It doesn't hurt anymore." She paused, thinking of how to put into words how she felt. "But I'm still… scared." She couldn't find a more appropriate word for how she felt. The witch took the one thing she valued the most that she didn't even know she did. Her confidence is gone now and it is tormenting her every waking moment. It was a very frustrating handicap to have.

Kurogane shifted and let out a suppressed sigh. "I've seen you fight, kid." He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You of all people should have nothing to be scared about. You fight better than most of the soldiers I've faced on the battlefield."

Meine suddenly got up and stared at the ninja in confusion. How does he know?

Kurogane turned around. Her confusion must've been so obvious because he was able to answer her thoughts. "Back in Clover, we saw you fight. Or rather, we fought you." Meine didn't dare to move nor even change her expression as Kurogane's scrutinizing gaze held her frozen in place.

'I fought them?' she felt like she was just punched in the gut. 'Just how much did I show them?'

"Why are you trying to hide it from us?" his voice was calm and leveled, but his eyes were burning her that she had to stop herself from flinching away.

"I-I'm not…" she stammered. "I'm not trying to hide… anything."

She was surprised when Kurogane suddenly lunged at her. She was able to dodge within a fraction of a second as her instincts kicked in.

"Kurogane-san!" she screamed. Without warning, he swung his unsheathed sword at her. Meine had barely any room to move inside the closed quarters they were in but she was still able to dodge every single blow.

"Stop it!" she called out from the corner of the ceiling where she had just jumped to avoid the swordsman's sharp blade.

"You are too fast for a normal person." He commented, eerily calm. "What are you?"

I can't tell him but he's too perceptive.

"Spit it out." The ninja impatiently demanded.

"I'm not pretending to be scared all the time, Kurogane-san!" she cried out, deflecting his question completely.

Kurogane didn't move a muscle, his sword was still pointed at her but he seemed to be listening at least.

"Yuuko-san took something from me. It's something that I really need to be able to fight!" she answered. She didn't want to tell him about her ability to regenerate as that would lead to further questions that she wasn't ready to answer yet.

Meine sighed in relief when Kurogane sheathed his sword. "The only thing you need to be able to fight is yourself." He stated, glaring at her. "The witch obviously didn't take away any of your limbs nor your strength and ability to fight. The only thing holding you back is your fear. It will kill you if you do not let go of it."

Although his tone was harsh, Meine sensed that he truly cared. She could sense his frustration with her. She jumped down and stood in front of him with her head down, she felt so small and ashamed. Everything Kurogane had said rang true.

She heard Kurogane sigh before she felt his big warm hand on her head.

"Let's go down."

Though she was initially shocked by what he had just done to her, Kurogane seemed like a big brother to her. He was firm but really kind at the same time. She could not hold any ill will against him because she knew that he was just looking out for her.

Meine nodded and followed Kurogane down the stairs. Syaoran was already there in front of his share waiting patiently for the other two to come down the stairs.

Kurogane was then force fed by Fai because he refused to eat the pastries that he had prepared while the Meine and Mokona were preparing the tea behind the counter. She was very thankful that Kurogane had let the subject go for now.

The puppy combo left right after eating breakfast, leaving the two of them behind to clean up. Meine took the dirty dishes and washed them well with soap while Fai was the one who dried them. They really didn't have a conversation. Fai couldn't bring up the conversation he heard right outside Kurogane's door when he went upstairs to check on what's taking the two so long.

He knew that Meine was hiding something from them but he felt like he shouldn't poke his nose in someone else's business like that, especially when he himself was also hiding something. They all were. And they've gotten pretty good at ignoring it. Still, he wanted to talk to the princess about what happened in Clover as well but he felt that this wasn't the appropriate time for such a talk. His questions could wait.

She then heard the frantic footsteps of Sakura upstairs. She came in through the door on the back and she had a small bump on her head. "Good morning! I'm sorry I overslept."

Fai smiled back and also called Meine towards the counter and he poured three cups of tea for them to drink. "It's alright! We still haven't set the exact time when the shop opens. Besides, you still aren't on 100% yet, Sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled and looked around the room. "Where are Mokona, Syaoran-kun, and Kurogane-san?"

"They went to the city hall a few hours ago." Meine replied, taking a seat beside Sakura.

The blond mage nodded and was preparing something on two trays. "There was another Oni attack last night so they went there to get their reward."

The young princess looked at Fai and Meine with eyes filled with worry. "Last night? Did somebody get hurt again?"

"Syaoran did but he's fine." Meine replied. "It's just a scratch." She assured.

"Does that worry you?" Fai asked.

Sakura nodded. "Syaoran-kun is working very hard to get all of my memories back, and yet I can't do anything… Also sometimes Syaoran-kun looks so very lonely."

Meine was impressed by how much Sakura noticed. Even when she's in a daze most of the time she was still able to notice Syaoran's pain. Fortunately, Fai was there to lighten up the mood. He served Sakura her breakfast and she happily dug in the bagel with bacon, scrambled eggs, and cheese and sipped some of that hot chocolate inside the mug in her tray. Fai gave Meine another cup of hot chocolate as to not leave her out since she had already finished her breakfast earlier on.

As Meine sipped some of that delicious hot chocolate, she remembered a memory from before when she was just a little girl and she would get defeated during combat training. Akemi would always make her hot chocolate to cheer her up. Of course she would be given at least three mugs until she would stop pouting. She longed for another moment with him.

"Meine-chan… Meine-chan?" Fai called, waving a hand on her face to get her attention as she noticed that she was staring at the hot chocolate in her mug. "Is something wrong?"

Meine shook her head and set her mug down. "No, it's nothing."

Later that night Sakura, Syaoran, and Mokona were left behind to watch over the café as Kurogane, Fai, and Meine went to get more information about the new kind of Oni that has appeared. The bar that they were heading to only opened from 6 in the evening. Meine pretty much begged them to take her along, arguing that she hasn't been able to roam around at all since they arrived. She was overjoyed when both men agreed to let her tag along on their little walk. Fai figured she would be safe enough with both him and Kurogane at her side.

Meine wore regular clothes other than the maid outfit that was given to her. She wore a knee-length purple satin dress with a matching purple ribbon to tie her hair up and a black coat.

"I wonder if we've got customers tonight…" Fai thought out loud. Kurogane was stomping angrily in front of them. "Are you still angry?"

"WHAT DO YOU THINK?"

Meine sighed as she listened to the two men arguing about the names Fai had given them.

"Ah!" Fai exclaimed.

Kurogane immediately turned around only to get his cheek touched by Fai's finger. Kurogane pulled his sword half way out its sheath when Fai once again said "Ah!"

"It's not going to work this time!" he growled.

Meine watched as the darts that flew out of Fai's hand hit three Onis on the head. Even Kurogane was shocked at first.

"This time, it's the real thing." Fai said with a smile as more darts appeared on his hand.

The three of them stood back to back against each other as the Onis once again regenerated and surrounded them. Meine pulled out the dagger that was hooked on her belt.

"Ugh" Meine grunted under her breath as she tried to shake off the fear bubbling up in her stomach. Kurogane's earlier statement replayed in her head. The only thing holding you back is your fear. It will kill you if you do not let go of it.

"These Onis are too much of a pain one-on-one, so just come at me all at once!" Kurogane said, pulling out his sword.

The Oni lunged for them and the three of them jumped in different directions. Meine slashed an Oni on the head with her dagger and it disappeared.

"Not bad!" Kurogane grinned as he sliced an Oni in half. Meine took note of his compliment as she kicked the head of an Oni similar to what Syaoran had done before. Now that she has killed her first couple of Onis, she was filled with a boost of confidence.

She skillfully dodged two Onis who tried to slash her at the same time. She jumped up high and landed on top of one, stabbing its head with her dagger then immediately pulling it out and throwing it at the other Oni just right before the first one disappeared. The second Oni disintegrated and the dagger lodged in its forehead started to fall but Meine caught it with ease before it hit the ground.

"I don't have any more weapons!" Fai shared with a smile as he jumped to evade an attack and landed on top of a tall lamppost. The eyes of the Oni behind Fai started to glow.

"Fai watch out!" she shouted and she jumped up to push him away when her right arm got hit by the laser beam that shot out of the Oni's eyes. She was only able to notice that she was missing a part of her right sleeve and that her arm was bleeding when they got down on the ground.

Meine's eyes turned gold and her pupils turned into slits for a brief second as she caught a whiff of her own blood.

"Damn it…" she whispered to herself. "I don't heal fast anymore." The fear came back tenfold as she watch her own blood continue to spill on the ground.

"Meine…" Fai whispered her name and reached for her slowly. He didn't seem to be his usual self until another Oni started to lunge for them, he suddenly carried the injured Meine in his arms and jumped out of the way and let Kurogane take care of the rest. He set Meine on her feet as soon as they were in a safe spot.

"Stay there." he ordered in a tone that she has never heard before from him. He took her dagger from her and went to join Kurogane. Meine was stunned for a moment before she was actually able to move.

In the end, only Fai and Kurogane were left standing and able to fight. The number of Onis surrounding them proved to be too much for only the two of them.

"Chi-Ryuu-Jin-En-Bu! (Earth Dragon Circular Attack Dance)" he said and all the Onis around them disappeared, but sadly his sword also broke into tiny little pieces beyond repair.

"I knew this sword was too cheap for that technique." he said, nonchalantly.

Fai was still different from usual as he reached for Meine.

"Why?!" he exclaimed. His blue eyes were filled with worry as he looked at her bleeding arm.

Meine shrugged weakly. "My body just moved on its own…"

She saw the hurt that flashed in his sapphire eyes. "I'm the one who's supposed to protect you."

"I wouldn't be able to stand it if you got hurt…" She replied sincerely.

Fai balled his hands into fists beside him. "How do you think it makes me feel seeing you hurt like this!?" he spat out.

Meine took a step back, startled by Fai's sudden outburst. The look on his face was like a punch to her gut. She has never seen such an expression directed towards her.

"I'm alright, Fai. I won't die from such a small injury…" Meine tried to reassure him.

Kurogane, the person who they seem to have forgotten grumbled and threw what's left of his sword at the ground. He took the sheath out of his belt. "It's not that you 'won't' die. It's that you 'can't' die… Am I right?" He used the sheath of his sword to hit her arm and pushed against it, making her wince in pain.

"Kurogane." Fai growled as warning.

"You only fight when you're cornered even though you are very capable of exterminating your enemies swiftly. When you do fight, you don't give it your all." Kurogane pointed out. "If I seriously tried to kill you right now, I will be able to because you are too scared even though you are powerful enough to go toe to toe with me." He pressed on her wound harder, causing her to yelp. "Stop being a burden and use your true strength to fight so that you won't get hurt like this."

Fai swatted the sheathe out of Kurogane's hand. Meine sighed in relief as the pressure was finally released. "That's enough." He stated, standing in between them. He stared icily at Kurogane.

"If there is something that I am protecting and anybody tries to take it, I'll kill them without a second thought." Fai threatened.

The ninja stood his ground, his gaze fixated on Fai. They both looked ready to fight.

The princess grabbed the mage's arm. "Please don't fight. He didn't mean any harm, Fai." She pleaded. She called out to Kurogane. "I get it, Kurogane-san. I'll stop being a burden to everyone so please both of you calm down!"

"Hey, hey!" called a voice. Meine averted her eyes from Kurogane and looked at a woman with dark skin and light hair standing right outside the bar they were supposed to go to. "No private fights close to our doors." She tutted. "If you're going to come inside, come. If not then scram."

Meine pinched the bridge of her nose to calm herself down. Her bleeding arm was pulsing in hot flashes of pain which was something she has never experienced before. Fai stood unmoving in front of Meine.

She heard Kurogane sigh as the tension was dispelled. Both men appear to have finally calmed down. She stood watching as Kurogane made a move to follow the girl inside.

"Oi, let's go!" he grunted at her before entering the bar.

Meine waited for her heart to slow before taking out the handkerchief she brought and tied it around her wound as a first aid to stop it from bleeding too much before she entered the bar.

"No not like that." Fai said, his lips were curved into a frown as he watched her. "You'll make it worse if you tie it that way." He removed the handkerchief and folded it a couple of times before tying it around her arm much tighter than she had. "We need to get this cleaned up and bandaged as soon as possible." His tone was serious.

"I'm okay for now." Meine fidgeted as she spoke. "You're mad at me…"

"I'm mad at myself for not being able to keep you from harm." His expression looked pained. Meine's heart clenched. She's heard this from Akemi before after a very bad incident. Back then she also couldn't find any words to say, so she decided to do the same.

"Hey, can you bend down for me? I want to tell you a secret." She said softly, slyly using her allure to convince him.

Fai raised a brow at her sudden change of tone. He decided to comply wordlessly after seeing the tender look in her eyes. His eyes widened when he felt her warm lips on his cheek. "Wha—"

"Thank you for caring about me, my prince" She whispered warmly against his ear, sending chills all over his body.

Fai slowly stood straight. He looked at Meine who had both her hands covering her mouth, her face utterly red. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest as he was overwhelmed by her adorableness. A genuine smile crossed his lips. "You're completely red." He teased.

"You're the one to talk!" she blustered "Your face is red too!"

His hand went straight to his cheek as if to check if she was telling the truth. All of a sudden he felt a burst of laughter coming from inside him. He tried to hold it back from coming out but failed. Fai started earnestly laughing. "You really are something else, Princess Meine."

Meine tried to hide her embarrassment behind a pretend cough. "I'm going in!" she said, suddenly feeling very conscious. 'What on earth was I thinking?! I just kissed Fai!' She went ahead and entered the bar without waiting for the mage.

She sat on the chair right next to Kurogane who was already relaxed with a drink in his hand. "Took you long enough." He glanced at her and saw that her face was completely crimson.

Fai was a few steps behind her and he settled on the available seat next to her. Kurogane took note of how gleeful the mage was and compared it to how flustered the raven haired princess was. From that he was able to make a somewhat accurate assumption of what happened between them outside.

The bar named "Clover" was crowded inside and there was a beautiful lady on top of the stage in front of everyone with a microphone in her hands.

The bartender named Caldina offered Meine a drink that originated from the bar called "Four Leaf." It had a beautiful shade of green with a four leaf clover floating on top of it for garnish.

"Is it okay to let a kid drink that?" Kurogane asked, sipping his own drink.

Meine couldn't help but smile. "How old do you think I am?" she asked.

Before Kurogane could even say a retort, a spotlight was pointed at the woman at the stage and music started playing.

"If you want to talk to the person who has met the new type of Oni, you'll have to wait a bit until this song is over." Caldina said.

The woman began singing and her voice was so beautiful that it sent tingles down Meine's spine.

"Take me away across time to the town of wind
Grant the dream of my white flower

Take me by the hand with your gentle fingers, I want you to guide me
To a far-off place, to be by your side.

The lyrics of the song tugged her heartstrings. There was something about it that resonated deeply with her. Meine couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something that she needs to do and it has something to do with what this song was about.

"What a pretty song." Fai complimented as he watched the performance.

"If she wants to go somewhere, she should just go. She shouldn't ask someone else to take her away." Kurogane responded. Meine shifted her attention to him, and Fai also did as well.

"I'm sure that's what you'd do." the mage said. He turned away from him and continued to watch the performance. "But, as for me, I was always waiting for someone to take me away."

'Huh?...' Meine stared at him. She felt as though she was so close to remembering something important. Something about a promise made centuries ago, a promise that ate at her heart. How could it have anything to do with Fai when they have never even met before coming to Yuuko's shop?

On this afternoon, though their voices could not sing clearly,
Two lovers awaken to become one,
For the first time, they'll learn the meaning of happiness.
Take me away…

So close… She is so close to remembering. It felt like this song was meant for her. Why was she so strongly longing for someone right now? Her hand trembled. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on that feeling, hoping that it will help her remember and figure out where this sadness was coming from.

Then it finally came. Another hazy memory flashed in her mind.

"...is…. grown up…. beautiful." A tall faceless figure in front of her said.

Meine couldn't make out most of the words in the memory as it mostly came out as a buzz.

She reached out her hand in the memory and caressed the face of the person. "...also…. very…." she giggled. "Soon….touch…." more buzzed words that she couldn't make out were said by her. "...finally be together…..promise."

The person bent down and brought their face closer to hers as though they were coming in for a kiss.

She tried harder to make out the person in front of her. She had to remember who it was because that person was someone very important to her. Her heart raced when she saw a glimpse of blue. She was almost there.

Her concentration was completely broken when Fai called out her name. Her heart fell to her stomach as the memory slipped away.

"Are you in pain?" he asked, his voice filled with worry. His gaze moved back and forth from her face to her wound.

She shook her head. "It doesn't hurt as much anymore, don't worry." she smiled ruefully at him. "This song just makes me a little sad."

With a painful, echoing voice,
They sing out with all of their hearts,
Without knowing the meaning of happiness, sleeping in darkness,

Fai watched the princess, feeling every bit as sad as her. This song was something that truly spoke to him and it made him remember his past. The main difference about them was that he could hide his emotions very well.

Take me to a dream I've never seen before, far away.
We'll go together... to the town of wind."

'A dream I've never seen before…' Does it have something to do with Fai? She thought.

When the song ended, Kurogane leaned against the counter. "It's over. Can we talk about the Oni now?

Caldina prepared another four leaf cocktail and set it on the table beside Fai. "That's what they want to hear, Oruha-san."

The beautiful woman who was singing onstage smiled at them.

"Your song was beautiful." Fai said with a smile as she came over. "Is this where you always sing?"

Oruha nodded and smiled back at Fai. "Yes, it's my bar. If you buy me a drink, I'll give you the information that you need."

Meine sat there, tuning in and out at the conversation happening beside her as she stared distractedly at her drink. As she was partly listening, she heard something that piqued her interest.

"That Oni takes the shape of a human. That shape of a beautiful young man." she said. "That's all I know."

Fai nodded. "Thank you very much, Oruha-san."

The woman left after explaining and Fai waved goodbye as she left. He turned around to look at his other companions to see that Kurogane was already having shots. Before Meine could even drink her shot, Fai put a hand on Meine's shoulder to stop her.

"Meine-chan, I don't think it's a good idea for you to drink that." he said.

"You're so overprotective. That's why she's too spoiled." Kurogane commented.

Meine sighed loudly and waited for another argument to erupt between her two companions.

Caldina approached them. "If you want to drink more at home, I can recommend some for you if you want and you can get some here."

"We'll take it!" Fai said with a huge grin.

The three of them arrived in front of the café with Meine being carried by Kurogane. During their walk back to the café, Meine started staggering. Kurogane decided to pick her up so she didn't have to walk anymore. Fai chuckled at him before giving a sly remark "Who's the one being overprotective now?"

Kurogane grunted in response. "Shut up you stupid mage."

Meine was grinning during their entire walk back. She was glad that the two had finally made up.

...

Outside the café, the three of them that were left behind and four customers stood. It seems that they have just defeated an Oni that had attack the café again. Kusanagi and Yuzuriha were true to their word and brought two new customers with them.

"We're home!" Fai chimed when they entered through the wooden gate.

Sakura, Syaoran, and Mokona gasped at the sight of Meine who was injured and was partly covered in blood.

"We ran into some trouble on the way to the bar." Meine explained.

All of a sudden, Kurogane froze in his tracks as he spotted one of the customers who had short, asymmetrical, black hair.

"Souma…" he called. The woman turned around at the sound of her name being called. She looked at Kurogane with confused eyes. Kurogane gently handed over Meine to Fai and hurried to get to Souma.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be guarding Princess Tomoyo!" Kurogane exclaimed.

Souma raised her hand and shook her head to stop Kurogane. "Excuse me, my name is Souma, but I am afraid that this is the first time that you and I have met."

Kurogane was stunned and was probably also embarrassed. He just stood there staring at Souma for quite some time with his mouth slightly open until they left the shop.

Fai set her down on a chair as Sakura and Syaoran followed them both. He stood there watching as Sakura took off Meine's coat for her, gasping and stepping away at the sight of the bloody handkerchief that wrapped the wound. Syaoran also gasped and immediately let her take off her ruined jacket and let it fall to the floor.

He cleaned Meine's arm and wiped away all the blood before applying ointment for it to heal faster. Meine winced a bit.

"You're quite skilled at this, Syaoran-kun" she praised, her eyebrows creased despite the smile she had on.

"My father taught me how to dress a wound since a lot of people usually get hurt during archaeological explorations." Syaoran replied, smiling at the memory of his father.

"There" he whispered as he finished dressing her wound.

"Thank you."

"So there's a Souma-san in Kurogane-san's country who looks a lot like her, huh?" Sakura said as she delivered tea to the men and Meine.

"You were so surprised!" Mokona exclaimed.

Syaoran finished tying up the bandage on her arm.

"I guess it's true that a variety of worlds exist." Fai began. "Just like what Yuuko-san said, they're the same and yet not the same. If it's true then we might meet more in the future. More people who exist in our original worlds…"

Meine once again thought about Akemi. Someone who actually looked like him but wasn't him at the same time. Someone who wasn't a vampire like her.

"I brought back presents!" the mage chimed, walking to the couch where he had set down the bag and opened it to reveal the four bottles of alcohol that he bought.

Half an hour later, Fai, Mokona, and Sakura were giggling and meowing like idiots that Kurogane, who was still sober, was starting to get pissed. They all had glasses filled with alcohol and they were now drunk, well at least the kitty combo are.

Meine sighed as she looked out of the window. For some reason she was craving for wine, the one her kingdom proudly produced from their very own vineyards.

"If you get drunk so easily, don't bring home liquor even if somebody did recommend it!" Kurogane said to the two noisy drunkards. Their meowing and giggling was getting on his nerves. But the brunette princess and the mage were obviously not listening.

Meine sighed again as she sat on the couch beside Fai who kept on cuddling with her. When he started pouting and moving towards her face, she immediately stood up and flicked his forehead away. "You reek of alcohol."

She headed to the counter where it was more peaceful.

Things started to get weird from then on. Mokona was twirling around the room. Fai and Sakura were meowing even louder and started making cat ears using their handkerchiefs; and Syaoran started swinging a ladle like a sword asking Kurogane if this was how it was done.

Kurogane looked around the room and spotted Meine by the counter who was also looking at the drunken mess in front of them.

"Are you drunk too?" he grunted and set his glass on a table.

"Not really." Meine replied with a shrug. "I don't like the taste of what they're drinking."

The dark ninja already had veins popping out on his forehead and he was about to lose his temper.

"GO TO BED! ALL OF YOU! NOW!" he ordered in a loud voice. The people in the room fell silent and just stared at Kurogane before making more noise again.

"I think we're going to have to force them to bed." Meine commented. "Good luck Kuro-daddy!" she laughed.

The ninja gave her an irritated stare. "I swear to god you are turning into the mage! I don't need two of him!"

Meine stuck her tongue out at him before sauntering towards Sakura. A little payback for calling me little bunny.

Meine helped get the four, including Mokona, back to their respective rooms and offered to lock up the café downstairs. Kurogane refused, saying that she was injured and ordered her up to her room, the vampire princess did as what Kurogane told her to do since she's also feeling tired from what had happened earlier.

"Big puppy is so nice." She said softly as she went upstairs, knowing full well that the ninja could hear her.

"Go to bed, bratty bunny." She heard him reply as she reached the top of the stairs. A playful grin crossed her lips.

Meine, Fai, and Sakura were left behind to run the café as Kurogane and Syaoran headed out for some sword training. Meine just watched Sakura as she kneaded the dough of the scones that Fai taught her how to make while Fai entertained the men who came to deliver some furniture to the store.

When the men left, Fai went over to the piano that they placed in the middle of the café.

"What's that, Fai-san?" Sakura inquired, looking up from what she was doing. She's never seen such an instrument before.

"It's a piano!" he answered, brushing the top of it with his fingertips. "I saw it at a shop and I thought it would be a good decoration for our café. It really helps set the mood doesn't it?"

"Do you know how to play it, Fai?" Mokona asked excitedly.

Meine's heart started to beat in anticipation. Back in her world, they had a piano. It was her favorite instrument as it produced the most beautiful melodies. Fai looked good with it. She waited with bated breath for a magical tune to play as the mage readied his fingers over the keys.

They were all disappointed when Fai just started pressing random notes one at a time.

"Do you not know how to play it?" Meine pouted, disappointment heavy in her chest. She really wanted to hear Fai play it beautifully.

The blond laughed and told them he had no idea how to play it. "Can you play it, Meine-chan?" he asked, smiling.

"It's been a while, but yes I can." She responded, as she walked over to the piano. "We have a piano in our world too. I used to take lessons as a child." Her eyes softened as she recalled the fond memories of her happily playing a song for her family.

"Why don't you play for us then?" the mage stood up from the seat and offered Meine to sit.

"It might not be good though. I haven't played in a while." She explained as she took a seat on the piano chair.

"I'm sure it will be wonderful!" Fai encouraged as he stood beside the piano facing her.

Meine nodded. She smiled fondly as she ran her fingers across the cold and smooth keys. She closed her eyes and played her favorite song, the one that she lovingly wrote for someone she longed for.

Everyone in the room remained completely still as the breathtaking melancholy music played. A slow and clear melody which invoked a sense of deep longing captured their hearts as they listened. The notes began as soft and gentle, then it slowly rose as though it was yearning for someone and they could not contain it anymore. It would go down again to a mellow tune that gave a sense of warmth, a promise that someday they would be together. It was sad yet hopeful at the same time.

Her audience remained mesmerized as she gracefully played. Fai's mouth hung open just ever so slightly as the music took his breath away. He has never heard such an enchanting melody.

'So this is what the word beautiful mean.' He thought as he watched her.

Meine focused on the message of her song as she played.

I want to be with you

Wherever you are

When you feel too lonely

Please think of me

I will be with you soon

I promise

Just hold on and wait for dawn to come

We will be together

No matter what

My beloved

I yearn for your touch

Your lips, the warmth of your skin

I will do whatever it takes to find you

Please hold on and wait for me

We will be together

I promise

She slowly opened her eyes as soon as she hit the last note. Her heart felt lighter after being able to pour out her emotions. She looked around the room and caught Fai staring at her with tenderness. Then she heard a faint sniffle from Mokona. She looked over to them and saw Sakura in tears.

"That was so beautiful!" Sakura wiped her tears away before applauding.

"Meine is amazing!" Mokona cried out, still feeling really emotional from the song.

Fai remained still as he stared at the piano after Meine headed over to the other princess. "Truly." He added under his breath.

"I have an idea." He said once he was finally able to get a grip of his emotions. "Why don't you play the piano for our customers today, Meine?"

Meine played the piano for the most part of the day which she thoroughly enjoyed. Today was busy as a steady number of customers poured in the café throughout the day.

As their closing time neared, Fai had approached her and asked if she could take over his duties for a bit as he had to fetch more flour for tomorrow's service.

Bye-bye for now. She bid the piano farewell before heading behind the counter to join Sakura who was cooking up something.

"You're working really hard huh, Sakura-chan." She commented.

Sakura wiped away her bangs that were getting on her face. "When Syaoran-kun gets home, I want to give him some really good food!"

Meine couldn't help but smile at her and Mokona moved to hug the bowl by the sides to hold it steady. "Sakura is so sweet!" she said, giggling. "Syaoran is a very lucky man to have you."

Sakura blushed and stammered as she continued to cook.

Two hours passed and the men still haven't come home yet. Sakura have finished baking and Meine has already finished washing all of the soiled plates and utensils and they both sat on the high stools and watched Mokona fall asleep on a soft clean rag.

The two of them then brought Mokona up to Sakura's room and tucked it under the sheets where it murmured something in its sleep. "Kuro-wanko… Hug me…"

Meine and Sakura looked at each other and giggled.

As soon as Mokona was once again breathing slowly, Sakura and Meine stood up and left the room. "Until Syaoran-kun comes home I've got to work harder!" Sakura whispered to Meine.

"I'm sure he will be very happy." She replied.

They both went down the stairs and Sakura went to the oven to take out her scones while Meine took the liberty of sweeping the floor. Suddenly, she felt the huge wave of power from Sakura's feather and she heard Sakura gasp.

Before she knew it, Sakura was walking outside the door in a daze. Meine walked with her and waved a hand in front of her face. This has happened before, when Sakura would be drawn towards her own feathers in a daze just like what happened in Koryo Country.

"Sakura-chan?" Meine called as she walked backwards a few meters in front of her. Her instincts told her that she should let her go to where her feathers are calling her, but it also told her that it was dangerous for them to be out and about without anyone knowing where they were.

As they passed an intersection, Meine and Sakura passed Nekoi Yuzuriha and her dog Inuki as they were skipping, talking about kinds of cakes that Yuzuriha would like to eat. She noticed the two girls walking and decided to follow them, calling Sakura's alias every now and then asking for her to stop. Unfortunately she was too far behind them for them to hear her calls.

Meine spotted Syaoran and the customer who once went to their shop named Ryouh standing under a tall sakura tree. "Syaoran-kun!" she called.

Syaoran turned around and he saw the princess walking towards him with Meine by her side.

"Princess Sakura!" he said and ran towards her. He placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder to stop her from walking. "What's wrong? What happened?" he looked at Meine searching for an answer then turned back to Sakura. Please snap out of it!"

"I think she's being called by her feather again." she answered.

Sakura's hand slowly raised and pointed at the building of the city hall that could be seen from behind the tree.

"Could it be that your feather is right over there?" he asked.

Before the girl could possibly even answer, her eyes closed and she fainted in Syaoran's arms. Yuzuriha rived after that and Inuki started growling and Ryuoh's sword started shaking.

"There's an Oni here!" Ryuoh said.

Syaoran then left Sakura in Yuzuriha's care and ran after Ryuoh.

"I'll go too!" Meine stated and followed the two to the plaza where there was a huge level "Ha" Oni in the middle of the street. Two Oni hunters slashed the Oni and it regenerated and only grew bigger.

Meine's eyes landed on the largest Sakura tree where she found a silhouette of a man sitting on one of its branches. Syaoran seemed to have noticed too and stood beside Meine.

The man raised his hand to pull his hood down. As the seconds ticked by, Meine's eyes widened and she felt her blood boiling under her skin as she saw bit by agonizing bit the face of the new breed.

Meine felt her eyes shining gold as her adrenaline started to kick in. She knew the man on top of the tree… He was a friend of hers until he betrayed her. She tried to reason with herself by saying that this was a different person from the one she knew.

"It's been a long time, Syaoran… and Princess Meine." He greeted. She felt her heart drop to her stomach.

'Seishiro…san…" Syaoran whispered.

"Seishiro…" her hand tightened to fists at her sides. She mentally prepared herself for a fight.

"Why is Seishiro-san in this world?" Syaoran asked aloud.

Before the two of them could react, Ryuoh grabbed their hands and ran away from the group of Oni that was closing in on them. "That must be the new type of Oni we heard about!" he shouted as he continued to pull them towards the direction of the café.

The three of them arrived at the shop in no time, running all the way until they arrived. Fai and Kurogane were already there standing by the doorway and Kusanagi had Sakura in his arms.

"What happened to you guys?" Souma asked as she noticed her panting partner.

"We met the new breed of Oni…" Ryuoh said in between pants.

Meine just stood frozen in place as her mind raced, trying to rationalize how and why her former mentor had showed up in this world. He wasn't just someone with the same face, he knew who she was.

She quickly excused herself and ran back to her room to think. She felt angry and confused, and she felt like she wanted to kill something.

She lay down on her stomach on top of her bed, her face buried in her pillow. She didn't even bother looking up when she heard the door open mainly because she already knew who it was.

"Meine," Fai's voice said as she felt the bed shake as he sat on the edge. "You saw the new type of Oni with Syaoran-kun?"

"Yes." Meine's muffled voice replied.

"He also told us that the Oni looked like the person who taught him how to fight. He said that the person called both your names… Do you know him?"

Meine sat up and her eyebrows furrowed. "Yes. Seishiro was my friend."

"What happened?"

She gripped the sheets under her. "He came to our country as a traveler when I was younger and he was looking for a place to stay. We allowed him to stay in the castle, then in return he taught me how to fight…"

"Then what happened?"

She took a deep breath. "I got attached to him. I was still a child. He managed a way to get in my head and knew how to keep my interest. He stayed long enough with us to become my favorite mentor. I told him everything he asked about." He charmed his way into my heart. She explained, clenching her chest with her hands. "He was interested in a pair of twins. Kamui and Subaru. They were my dear friends."

Fai waited for Meine to continue and watched as she wrapped her knees with her arms.

"I was naïve. He found them thanks to me. That's when he told me that he was a hunter who has been looking for the twins in search for immortality. He used me to get to them." She said the word used with more disdain than she had intended. To this day, his betrayal still affected her deeply even though it's been decades ago. He was the first man she has ever had feelings for after all.

Fai kept silent as he waited for her to continue.

"He tried to take me by force when the twins ran away. I tried to fight back but I was no match for him. Luckily my father was there at the time… If it weren't for him I would've been taken away by Seishiro. When I came to, they told me that he had escaped using magic."

"I trusted him, I loved him. He was my friend."

Tears started to pool at the corners of Meine's eyes and Fai pulled her to a hug to comfort her. She allowed herself to bury her face on his chest as the memories of that moment filled up her mind once again. That was the first time she's ever felt utter betrayal from someone she cared deeply about.

A few hours passed and the sun rose. Meine hadn't slept a wink as she slowly changed into the new waitress uniform that Fai had bought for her the other day. It was a girl's hakama, similar to what Kurogane wore but the pants were tied just around her waist line.

She went down the stairs to see Fai serving Kurogane breakfast. The mage smiled at her as she saw her wearing her new uniform. "Good morning, Meine-chan. That hakama that Kurogane bought for you looks good on you."

"T-thank you." she stammered as she went behind the counter to prepare tea for the ninja. "Good morning." She greeted.

Sakura and Syaoran arrived in the main room just after Kurogane had finished his meal. After Syaoran finished eating the breakfast, he and Kurogane left for another day of sword training. The four of them took this as an opportunity to eat their share before opening the café. Fai prepared pancakes for them. He garnished his plate with sliced strawberries and bananas while Meine let her share float in a pool of maple syrup, sweet fruits and shredded bits of chocolate. She couldn't help but smile and close her eyes after each bite as warmth and sweetness covered her mouth every time. Fai watched her with glee, delighted that she's enjoying his food very much.

A few hours went by and the last of the morning customers left as they closed for lunch time. Meine cleared the tables and cleaned the area while Sakura washed the dishes and Mokona dried it. Fai was there as always, baking more pastries that made Meine's mouth water.

She placed another stack of dirty dishes on the counter near the sink where Sakura was. "Sakura-chan's working hard." she commented.

"You don't have to hurry." Fai said as he watched Sakura scrub the plates with much vigor.

Sakura shook her head. "It's okay. I'm almost finished anyway. I can hardly do anything for any of my traveling companions. So if I can do something, I'll do it! Someday if only just a little… I'd like to bear my share of everyone's burden and pain…"

She was halfway falling down to the floor when she said the last word of her sentence. Fai caught her easily with one arm and supported her back as he slowly lowered her onto the floor.

"You really are a good kid, Sakura-chan…" he whispered softly.

"I'll go get a blanket and a pillow." Meine said as she excused herself to the bedroom for a quick moment. When she returned, Fai had carried Sakura to the couch where she first slept when they arrived to this world. He inserted the pillow under her head and pulled the blanket up until her shoulders.

"How is she?" Meine asked.

"She's just fast asleep. She's been going full out recently, only sleeping at night." he said with a smile. For a moment he stared into her eyes that made Meine uneasy.

"What is it?"

"You didn't sleep last night, haven't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Not really."

He smiled gently and sat on the ground. "Why don't you lie down for a moment and rest your eyes?" He looked at her encouragingly and patted his shoulders. She slowly sat on the ground beside him and leaned against him, using his shoulder as a pillow.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest so that she would be more comfortable. Instead of pushing him away, Meine breathed in his scent as her eyes closed and her breathing slowed. Being in his arms made her feel safe and relaxed.

She was still half asleep when she heard Mokona's soft serious voice speak. She heard them, but she was so sleepy that she could only understand a little bit of what they're saying.

"Fai?" Mokona started.

Fai whispered his reply to Mokona to not wake the sleeping girl in his arms. "What is it?"

"Fai said before in another world that if Syaoran laughs or has fun, nobody will blame him for it."

"Yeah… What about it?"

"It's true even for Fai, too. Nobody will blame Fai. Not Syaoran, not Sakura, not Meine or Kurogane. Nobody."

He smiled and took Mokona in one hand. "Me? I always have fun!"

"Fai thinks of other things even while laughing."

Meine felt Fai freeze against her and his hold on her shoulder tightened ever so slightly. "Mokona, you really are amazing."

Meine felt Mokona's furry body against her cheek as Fai placed it on her shoulder. "It's one of Mokona's secret techniques: knowing when someone is sad. Fai, Meine, Kurogane, and Syaoran are all somehow sad… but as everybody travels together, the sad parts get a little smaller. It'd be nice if the warm feeling that Sakura always has spread out to everybody else a little bit more. That's what Mokona thinks."

She felt Mokona leave from her shoulder as Fai took the little creature somewhere. "Yeah… That'd be nice."

Meine's eyes shot open in alarm as she felt a familiar powerful aura by the door. Fai noticed him too and he ordered Mokona to stay by Sakura's side. Meine jumped up to her feet right before the door opened.

"Seishiro…" she growled, her heart pounding hard against her chest. How did he find me?

"Hello, Princess Meine." he said with a smile. "Have you been keeping well?"

"Why are you here?" she asked venomously.

"I came to see you, of course." Seishiro replied. "Since you're here, that could very well mean that Subaru is also here with you."

"They're not with me! And even if they were I would never let you anywhere near them." She spat, spite dripping from every word.

"Ah, that's too bad then." He calmly smiled at her. "Since we're are both here, why don't I start with you then? I won't let you get away this time."

"Meine get behind me." Fai commanded, stepping in front of her as a human shield.

Suddenly several Onis materialized inside the café, surrounding them. They all attacked at the same time and Meine had no choice but to use her dagger and fight back. She swiftly killed 3 Onis at once as she moved with her true speed. She fought alongside with Fai as another wave of enemies appeared. Meine was determined not to get hurt this time and she swore to not let Fai get hurt.

She was distracted by two particularly strong Onis when Seishiro lunged at her. She didn't have enough time to react by the time she noticed him.

Fai came out of nowhere, stepping in front of her just in time to catch the blade that was meant for her. Some of his blood splattered on her cheeks.

She was unable to scream as she was overcome with shock at the sight of a bloody blade piercing through Fai's chest. She stood, eyes wide with absolute horror as the Onis surrounding them turned into a black substance and started swallowing the mage's body.

The sight of Akemi and Fai both stabbed in similar fashion flashed in her mind side by side until the images became intangible. She began to scream, her eyes glowing silver.

Seishiro was taken aback by the state of her. She looked absolutely feral, and along with it came a sudden burst of magical power.

She came at him without warning. He smiled as she neared him. "I'm sorry, princess. It seems like you cared for that man deeply."

His statement was ignored by the vampire princess. Seishiro almost got cut in half by a wind attack Meine threw at his direction, it was only a diversion however as her real attack was with her dagger. It was exactly what he taught her to do back when she was younger. Unfortunately for her, Seishiro knew everything there is to know about her fighting style.

He casted a powerful spell which bound the weeping princess. She fell to the floor with a hard thud and tried her hardest to break free of his spell but it was to no avail as her current emotional state made her magic go awry. She was a complete wreck. Nothing mattered anymore.

Seishiro picked her up by the neck and squeezed, dangling her in the air like a doll.

"Farewell, Meine." he said as he tightened his grip even more.

Meine looked over at where Fai's body was before it vanished. Her hand tried to reach out for him.

"Fa…i." she whimpered as she started to disappear.

The last thing Meine saw before she disappeared was Mokona crying.

Meine opened her eyes when she heard an incessant beeping. She found herself inside an egg-shaped pod with wings and a comfy chair inside.

"Guest number Delta 435702 is now dead. Player is now been extracted from the country of Outo." A voice spoke from inside her pod. The latch opened slowly, allowing Meine to see her surrounding more clearly. She looked around and found more egg-shaped pods similar to hers. She found her other four companions also inside their own pods and were still asleep. One pod was empty.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked aloud, still too disorientated to get out of her pod.

Then she felt a sharp pain in her head. Memories of when they were dropped by Mokona to this world flooded her mind.

Mokona opened its mouth and they were once again dropped a little bit too harshly inside a glass pod. It was one egg shaped-pod per person.

"Are you not capable of spitting us out properly for once!?" Kurogane growled at the creature that landed on a separate pod.

"Welcome to Fairy Park!" six women said in unison as they moved towards each one of them in floating stands and held a rectangular screen.

Meine panicked and started stammering when a woman approached her. "Are you here for the dream capsules?"

She could hear Syaoran replying to the woman asking her but they didn't listen to them and asked several other questions.

"Is this your first time?"

"Y-yes?" Meine replied, baffled at what was going on.

"Then we'll use the introductory settings then." a woman replied and started pressing buttons on the rectangular screen.

The egg capsule closed on top of Meine as she knocked on it with her hands.

"Now everyone, we wish you enjoy the very best of 'dreams'."

Before Meine could even answer to what those women were saying, her eyes were slowly forced shut and the vision of her five companions inside egg capsules blurred.

"Why do I remember it just now?" She mumbled to herself.

"Meine." Someone called out from below. She gasped and forced herself to stand to look over her pod and saw the mage standing right below it.

"Fai!" She cried out as she hurriedly jumped out of her pod, reaching out both her arms to him. He caught her with ease and set her down gently so she could stand on the floor.

She cried against his chest as he breathed in the scent of her hair.

"I thought you were dead!" she sobbed in relief. Her world was shattered for a few agonizing minutes but now it was whole again. She wanted nothing else but to stay in arms forever. 'He's alright. He's alive.' Her mind rejoiced as she continued to cry.

"Shh… I'm here now. Everything's alright." He soothed, gently stroking her hair. "I'm so sorry to have made you sad, princess." His feeling of guilt was overshadowed by a sense of happiness.

Her hysteria quickly subsided as Fai held her tightly in his arms. Once she had calmed down, Fai gently moved her back to see her face. Meine savored the feeling of Fai's finger running across her cheek to wipe away her tears.

He gingerly caressed her cheek with his hand and felt warm happiness swell up in his chest as Meine leaned against his touch, putting her hand over his. Her eyes were still red from crying; her tears spilt all for him and only him. She has never looked more beautiful in his eyes. He has never had anything of his own that he could freely claim as truly his, the tears she had shed for him were like treasure. No amount of guilt can ruin the twisted joy he got from it.

Fai bent down and tenderly kissed her cheek, then the corner of her eye where her tears were just flowing, and then finally he moved to kiss her forehead.

Meine's heart raced as she closed her eyes. She couldn't fully comprehend what she was feeling as he kissed her; all that was clear to her was that she wanted more. His lips lingered on her forehead before he whispered "Thank you for caring about me, my princess." He smiled as he returned her previous words to her.

A woman with long dark hair suddenly appeared from the shadows. "I'm so sorry to interrupt. I will explain everything to you. My name is Chitose."

When Meine and Fai found out that Syaoran and Sakura had already "died", they both decided to be the one to explain the confusing situation that they were now in.

The two of them brought Syaoran and Sakura outside of the room full of capsules and brought them outside where the real country where Outo is, the country of Edonis.

Chitose once again appeared to them and introduced herself to the other two.

"I am informed that you know the person who is interfering with our dream capsule system." Chitose said to Syaoran as they brought to a dark room with computer screens lining the walls. "I would ask that you tell me more about this person."

"Why do you want to know?" he asked.

"This can't continue any longer… Our game has stopped being a game!"

"What does that mean exactly?"

Chitose paused and her eyebrows met in the middle. "The game must be completely safe. No matter what the dangers are in the virtual world, they aren't real. Once you are out of the world, it's as if you dreamed the whole thing… but since this person entered, the Oni that should be under control by the Fairy Park's systems are being manipulated by some outside force."

"If this keeps up, the dream will…"

The ground suddenly shook and all the monitors inside the room switched to where the rumbling came from. On the screen was a video footage of what was happening just outside. In the Edonis Country's Fairy park, everyone was running away from the numerous Oni that had materialized right there where the rides stood.

"It looks like the dream has turned into reality." Chitose said. She approached the largest screen in front of her. "Edonis Country has no system that could allow images from the dream capsules to appear in the real world! What method could the saboteur be using to make them real?"

The floor started to shake even more and small debris from the ceiling started falling down.

"If we don't find a way to counter it, the Oni will spread throughout the country!"

Syaoran started running for the direction of the door. Sakura placed a hand on his arm and tried to stop him but to no avail. "We have to find Kurogane-san!"

Meine just happened to glance on one particular screen and she spotted Kurogane on top of a fallen gondola of the Ferris wheel. Seishiro was also there on top of the head of an Oni.

She didn't say anymore and ran out towards the main part of the park where Kurogane was about to fight with Seishiro. She chose a different path so that she wouldn't pass by Yuzuriha and the other Oni hunters.

She jumped from one fallen debris to another until she was near enough to watch the fight where she wouldn't be seen. She truly hoped that Kurogane could defeat him.

Kurogane had just charged for Seishiro, which he evaded but not by quite enough. His coat was cut in half by just one swing of the ninja's sword.

Her eyes grew wide open as she watched Seishiro get his glasses from his front pocket and put it on. Whenever the man wore his glasses, it usually means that he was very serious about what he's going to do.

Meine did not want to take any chances. She quickly looked for the highest peak inside the park to position for attack just in case to help Kurogane. It may take a huge toll on her body but she didn't mind. She refused to allow Seishiro to hurt anyone else that she cared for again.

She rushed to the tallest peak of the park was the fallen tracks of one particular ride and she easily jumped up on ledges to reach it. She had to keep down so that she wouldn't be seen and she just stood there on one of the lower beams.

Just as the two men were about to lay down their powerful blows on each other, a long stick with a piece of paper attached to it came out from Mokona's mouth and landed on the ground between them.

"What the hell?" Kurogane asked loudly. He turned to the direction to where the stick came from and he spotted Fai, Sakura, and Syaoran on the ground. "It's you guys!"

Meine didn't expect that she would still be able to hear what they were saying because they had quite a distance between them.

As she was watching, she swore that she met Seishiro's eyes for a second and he actually smiled at her before he looked over at Syaoran. "It looks like you've made it back safely."

All of a sudden, light came out of Seishiro's chest and Sakura's feather appeared. Meine flinched as she once again felt that strong wave of energy.

"How did you get it, Seishiro-san?" Syaoran demanded.

Seishiro smiled and held the feather with both hands. "I cannot control the feather any longer. We'll have to finish our match later."

The city hall from Outo appeared out of the blue and landed near them. Seishiro used the feather's power to break the piece of the bridge that they were standing on and brought it up to the air.

"That's it!" Chitose said. "That thing in his hand is the incredibly powerful source of energy! That's the cause why Outo, the world of the game was able to come in reality!"

Meine continued to watch in confusion. She watched as Syaoran climbed up to the roof of the city hall so that he would be standing higher than Seishiro.

Strong gusts of winds surrounding the man prevented Syaoran from even having a chance of going near him. "Seishiro-san!" he called out.

As the winds got stronger, Meine saw a silhouette of a tall dark creature appear in front of Seishiro. Her eyes closed slightly as a strong gust brought dust to her eyes. By the time she was able to rub the dust away she saw a huge Oni, the biggest she's ever seen.

"The I-1 Oni has appeared." Seishiro said.

As soon as the dust and the wind cleared up, Meine saw a person standing on the hand of the Oni. It was a woman, a very beautiful woman with long curly hair and a clover tattoo on her chest.

"Oruha-san?" she asked.

"I never imagined that I'd be called back to duty this way." She said as she held onto one of the claws of the huge Oni.

Seishiro just smiled. "Sorry."

"But there's no help for it. When such promising Oni hunters requested for information, I decided to use you to deflect their attention."

"So the things you told as at the bar…" Fai began.

"…Those were lies?" Kurogane finished.

"Not all of it. I, in fact, have met a beautiful young man who can control Oni. It's simply that the young man isn't an Oni himself."

She turned to face Seishiro. "So… What business does the saboteur have with me?"

Seishiro nodded. "The country of Outo is virtual reality, which means that in the real world the shape you have now may not be what you really look like."

"That's true."

"Is your real form the shape that you have now?"

"No."

Seishiro didn't have a smile on his face. "I've heard that you can give eternal life."

"Yes."

"Shall we dispense with the roundabout questions?"

He paused for a moment. "Your true name… is it Subaru?"

Meine flinched at the sound of the name. She already knew what Oruha's answer would be.

"No." she said.

"Do you have any knowledge about a pair of vampire twins?"

"No, I don't. I am one of the people who made the system that runs Fairy Park. When we say eternal life, we mean that once you have defeated me, the strongest Oni, then there is no enemy you can't defeat. In other words, we as the creators convey the special privilege of making it impossible to die in the game no matter what happens. That's what it means. It has nothing to do with vampires."

Meine laughed a little, making everyone below them turned to look at her standing way up high. "Seishiro, didn't I tell you earlier that they weren't here?"

Seishiro just smiled at her comment. "I suppose you are right, Meine. So this isn't the place either. The reason this world of the game came out into reality is because of this."—he motioned to the feather at hand. "I cannot control it, but once that it vanishes from this world, so will its effects."

"No! Please wait!" Syaoran shouted.

Seishiro turned around to face Syaoran.

"I'm traveling across different dimensions in search of that feather." He exclaimed, trying to reason with him.

"It isn't yours, Syaoran."

"It's a crucial part of the most important person to me!"

Seishiro just continued to smile there. "I'm afraid that I can't return it. Will you fight me?"

Syaoran seemed to be looking for words before he answered. "You're the one who first taught me how to fight. I cannot defeat you as I am now. But I will get that feather! I've decided on that."

He started to untie the string that Kurogane had tied around his sword.

"I don't have the skills, and I know I can't use this sword as I should… but if I don't draw it, even my one-in-a-million chance turns to no chance at all!"

When Syaoran took out the sword, the blade was covered in flames.

"My chances may be near zero, but I'll take that chance!"

Syaoran jumped off the ledge and aimed right for Seishiro with his blade held with both hands and pointed straight at him.

He just stood there with a smile on his face as he was seemingly engulfed by flames but it just surrounded him like a tornado of fire before it disappeared.

"A sword of fire… it suits you Syaoran." He said with a smile. He simply swiped his hand and a strong gust of wind knocked Syaoran away like he was a mere leaf.

Meine shivered when Seishiro's gaze landed right on her. She was suddenly pulled by an unknown force towards him.

"Hello again, Princess Meine." He smiled ominously as she landed on her knees right in front of him. He bent down to her level. "I just want to test something so can you please stay still for me?"

Meine felt something cold go through her stomach as soon as Seishiro finished speaking. It took her a few seconds to comprehend what just happened. The odd sensation was then immediately followed by a sharp excruciating pain. She coughed up a lot of blood as Seishiro's sword pierced through her stomach.

Am I going to die like this?

"Meine-san!" Syaoran yelled, his eyes wide in shock.

Fai turned away from the Oni he was facing. He felt coldness wash over him when he saw a sword sticking out of Meine's back. Her blood was pooling on the floor. He immediately ran towards her, abandoning the fight he was in with the other Oni hunters.

Seishiro pulled out the sword as he stood back up straight. He watched with a cold calculated expression as the princess covered the gaping wound with her hand, coughing up more blood on the floor. "I see." He murmured. "You gave the witch your ability to regenerate. You are no longer immortal."

Meine's vision was starting to go dark but the pain kept her awake enough to look at her former friend. "Why… are you… doing this?" She struggled to speak, blood dripped out from her mouth.

Before Seishiro could answer, he felt a wave of incredibly powerful magic charging up for an attack likely aimed towards him. He turned his head towards the mage who was absolutely enraged. He flashed him a casual grin before using the feather's power to transport himself and Meine to a different plane where they would not be disturbed by any meddlesome people.

To the rest, Meine and Seishiro had simply vanished without a trace.

It was dark inside the alternate plane they were in but somehow she could still see him, and also herself as though they were illuminated by something from the inside.

"It seems weird that Prince Akemi isn't here with you." He observed, "Tell me Princess Meine, how is the prince doing?"

Her chest clenched in pain at the thought of him. "He's gone."

"Oh?" he seemed a bit shock. "The Immortal Prince is dead?"

Meine bit her lips to stop herself from coughing out more blood. She took a second to reply. "We are…. not immortal, Seishiro." she grimaced in pain. She tried to put more pressure on her open wound.

"I see that." He stated coldly as he looked in fascination at her surrounded by her own blood. It reminded him of someone from a long time ago. "You're trying to revive him aren't you? I can sense the power of the witch coming from the toy you had with you. I assume it's what you use to travel between worlds." he paused as though he was distracted by a memory. "The dead can never return back to life.

"It's… none of…your business." she gritted out as she glared at him.

"You will find out for yourself just how futile trying to resurrect the dead is. You should give up on your quest now and just come with me."

Her breathing started to become increasingly labored as blood continued to pour out from her fatal wound. Seishiro knelt in front of her and noticed that she was on the brink of death so he finally decided to heal her using the feather. Her wound closed in an instant as the magic of the feather flowed through her. It felt warm, just like how Sakura made her feel. She was still weak and pale however as the closing of her wound didn't restore any of her lost blood.

"You've lost a lot of blood. You'll die if it doesn't get replenished." He said, raising her head up with his hands. "Drink my blood." He offered, his smile gone.

Meine tried to sit up by herself but it was in vain, she was still too weak to move on her own. "I would never… drink from you" she panted heavily.

He helped her sit up straight by letting her lean against him.

Meine's eyes turned gold when she smelled his blood. He presented his bleeding arm to her as an invitation for her to drink. She stubbornly refused, closing her eyes tightly and turning her head away. "I'd rather die than have you inside me!"

Seishiro chuckled softly. He used his magic to gather up the blood flowing out of his wound into a solid red ball. As he finished gathering his blood, he quickly healed himself. It was the size of a marble but it contained enough of his blood to replenish her enough for her to be able to stand and move.

He held the solid marble in his fingers and tried to force it into her mouth.

"No!" she screamed as she saw what he was about to do. She struggled to get out of his arms and kept her mouth tightly closed.

"You haven't changed one bit." He clicked his tongue. "Still as stubborn as ever." He spun her around so she was facing him, then he put the marble in his mouth and pulled Meine's hair back with one hand. When she yelped in pain, he took the opportunity to force the marble into her open mouth with a kiss.

Disgusting! I hate this! Meine screamed in her mind as she struggled, trying to spit out the cold marble. Seishiro deepened their kiss and used his tongue to push the marble further down her mouth, forcing her to swallow it so that she won't gag.

Once he was sure that the princess had swallowed it, he pulled away to see tears clouding her amethyst eyes. To him, the kiss was nothing. It was just a way of delivering what he needed to deliver. But to Meine, it was the most horrendous violation. She didn't know that she could still hate him even more than she already did.

"You're a monster!" she yelled as she pushed him away. She wanted to throw up when she felt the energy his blood gave her. She fought back the urge to and stood up on her feet. She jumped away from him, putting enough distance between them for her to be able to cast a spell.

She brought her fingers up and pointed them at Seishiro. Lightning cackled at her feet as a burst of lighting shot at Seishiro. He grinned and used the feather to shield himself from her attack.

At the same time, a huge tear appeared right beside them revealing Syaoran holding a flaming sword. Kurogane, and Sakura stood behind him while Fai stood at his side. The plane completely disappeared and the two of them were brought back to Edonis.

The raven haired princess fell to her knees as the use of a powerful spell took a toll on her newly healed body.

"You've gotten better, Meine." he said, looking at the intruders. He was impressed by how they were able to figure out that they were still there and by how they found a way to tear through the plane he brought the two of them into. He suspected the mage had played the biggest part in destroying his alternate plane. "I'm sure you and Syaoran will grow stronger."

A magic circle similar to Yuuko's appeared under his feet as he readied to move to another dimension. "It'll be too difficult to take you with me now that the others are here."

Meine used up all her strength to stand up. "Seishiro you bastard! I will kill you!" she shouted.

He smiled for one last time at her as he was disappearing. "We'll meet again, Meine… Until that time comes, please stay well."

Meine's eyes met with Fai as he looked worriedly at the girl. He ran towards her, reaching her just in time to catch her from falling to the ground. Fai carried her up in his arms. Mokona who was on his shoulder floated up into the air. Its large wings stretched out behind it.

"What's going on?" Meine asked, gripping onto his shirt.

"It seems that Mokona has picked up the trail of Seishiro-san's magic device. They are both from the Dimensional Witch. The roots of their power are the same." Fai explained.

He held Meine tightly. "Meine, Syaoran-kun, Sakura-chan, Kuro-rin… We have to bid farewell to this country."

"Eh?"

A magic circle appeared underneath Mokona who had its eyes closed. It opened its mouth and at the same time, the Edonis country seems to be returning back to normal. Meine, Fai, Sakura, Syaoran, and Kurogane were then swallowed by Mokona's powerful vacuum.

Meine closed her eyes and held onto Fai tightly as she braced herself for another drop to a new world. She was incredibly thankful to have survived that ordeal.

-chapter owari-

If you want to listen to the song Meine played on the piano, just look up Yiruma – Kiss the rain on youtube haha!

The song up there in the middle is the English translation of "Kaze no Machi e" by FunctionJunction Keiko. We got it from gendou so we don't own any of those.

**This is the latest updated chapter. If you still wish to proceed to the next chapter, please be informed that nothing will make sense as the previous version of this story does not match the new version.**

Thank you for reading! Let us know what you think by leaving a comment down below!