[Sorry this is so long in coming. I've been having a hard time bridging the gap in the story. I know where I want it to go, but getting there is the hard part. It also doesn't help when Madame Muse decides she wants me to work on something else now. New fanfics are in the works as well; look for the first chapters to be up soon. That being said, here we go…]
Chapter 4 ~
Kurogane glanced behind him as he walked down the slope to the edge of the pond. Behind him Syaoran had a slight spring to his step, smile plastered on his face.
"If he was a dog, his tail would be wagging," he thought with a chuckle.
And no wonder. His relationship with Sakura had been rapidly growing for some time now. It appeared they had taken the next step sometime during their time on this world. Their kiss as he'd left just now proved that.
He peered back again, watching. Syaoran's head appeared to be in the clouds. He allowed his own thoughts to stray, annoyance washing over him as they hurried back to the pallid color of Fai's face as he had left. At least his fever seemed to be fading… for now.
Surely he was finally getting better. He half regretted his choice to come sparring. Part of him wanted to stay as close as possible to Fai. Somewhere along the lines he had become attached to him. He wanted to protect him, but it was more than just that. He wanted to protect the others too, but this was different. Syaoran was capable of protecting himself and the princess as well. Not that the wizard couldn't take care of himself too. He just wasn't sure Fai had found a way to love himself yet.
Their talk on Outo was still painfully fresh in his mind. Would he still throw his life away if given the chance? Or had he finally learned that there were people here, who cared for him; who needed him to live? Kurogane shook his head. Stupid wizard, getting under his skin like that.
He stopped abruptly, twisting around, striking out with his sword. He grinned as Syaoran easily leapt over it, ducking back as he quickly pulled his own out. He rushed at him, kicking out at Kurogane's feet as he went. The kid was getting good at this. He smirked, quickening his pace.
~~ooOoo~~
"Where am I?"
Darkness pressed in from every angle as Fai turned to stare about him. Pinpricks of light erupted around him and he twisted around. His movements were slow and his breath came in strangled gasps. Bubbles floated around his face as he screamed as if he were submerged in deep water.
A strand of long black hair lazily drifted in front of him and he turned eyes wide with fright as Ashura suddenly stood before him, arms outstretched. He gasped, feeling the tightness in his chest as his oxygen decreased. He shook his head, stepping back in terror.
"No," Fai panted, clutching at the stitch in his chest. "I..I put you under a spell. You're not really here. You're not here!"
He covered his ears with his hands, gasping for breath. He couldn't breathe. His vision was already becoming blurry.
"You're not real! This isn't real! None of this is real!"
His voice broke as he collapsed, hands clutching at his hair, tugging. His shouts turned to screams as he curled into himself.
~~ooOoo~~
A scream rent the stillness and Kurogane turned suddenly, sword still in hand as he stared up towards the cliff. Syaoran was at his side in seconds. They exchanged a quick glance before racing towards the path.
Mokona met them halfway up, zooming into Kurogane's face. "Hurry!" she shrieked. "Something's wrong with Fai!"
As if he couldn't hear it himself. The screams were growing louder as he dashed up the winding trail. He burst into the cave to see Sakura, nearly in tears, bent over Fai. His back arched as he unleashed another blood curdling cry, fingers clutching at the blanket that had gotten tangled around him.
"Hey," Kurogane shouted, shaking him by the shoulders. "Wake up. Come on, wake up!"
"I don't know what happened," Sakura was hastily explaining to Syaoran while Kurogane knelt beside him. "He was fine a minute ago. I can't get him to wake up."
"It's ok, Princess."
Kurogane's hand brushed Fai's soaked hair from his face, cursing. "He's burning up!"
Vivid blue eyes shot open as Fai sat bolt upright, panting for breath. He shivered violently, arms clutching his stomach as it churned again. Kurogane's hands were still on his shoulders, face tight in concern. Fai glanced up at him, swallowing hard and took a deep breath, willing himself not to throw up. It wasn't easy.
"You ok?" Kurogane's voice was low, close to his ear.
He took another quavering breath, steadying himself. His head was clearing. Now if his stomach would just calm down.
"I think I need some air," he gasped, struggling to get up and tore at the covers. He rose with some difficulty, clinging to the rocks for support. He felt Kurogane's hand on his shoulder and shrugged him off. He stumbled, rushing towards the exit, barely able to keep the contents of his stomach down.
"Fai!" Sakura shrieked, hurrying forward as she saw him sink to his knees near the bushes.
Syaoran caught her arm as she moved to go to him. "Let's give him a few moments to himself," he said softly. "I doubt he'd like company at the moment."
She glared back at him, yanking her arm free and marching over to the fire. He was probably right but it pained her to see her friend this ill and her with no way of helping. She stared hard into the dancing flames, swiping at her cheek were a tear had made its way down.
Behind her she could hear Syaoran and Kurogane whispering and she turned, unsurprised to see their heads bent together as they talked. Her eyes strayed to where Fai was kneeling, body trembling as he heaved. Try as she might, she couldn't pull her gaze from him. She's never seen the mage so weak before and it broke her heart.
"Mokona," she heard herself whispering before she was even certain what she was planning. Mokona was quick to flutter over, allowing her to hold her. "I need you to call Yuuko for me."
Syaoran and Kurogane glanced up at the same time, staring at her. She ignored them, staring at Mokona as she jumped down onto the floor, concentrating. Suddenly the room was filled with a strange purple light as Yuuko smiled down at them.
"Well well, to what do I owe the honor?" she asked.
Sakura took a deep breath, stepping forward. "I need you to grant a wish."
"Is that so? Well every wish comes at a price, you know," she replied, petting Larg as he hopped onto her shoulder. "What is your wish?"
~~ooOoo~~
Fai ran a shaky hand over his mouth, taking a deep breath. He continued to sit there, not really caring that his legs were falling asleep from kneeling for so long. His stomach rolled again and he shut his eyes against the pain. Surely he had to be empty by now.
Once he was certain the nausea had passed, he stood gingerly making his way back to the others. He was grateful to them for allowing him privacy while he'd been like that. He shivered, tugging his coat closer around himself as he reentered the cave, stopping short as Yuuko hovered in the air before them; the black Mokona perched upon her shoulder.
The edges of his vision had begun to cloud over as he walked. His hand reached out, resting on the cool rocks. He paused, blinking to clear the fog from his head. The ground under his feet seemed to tilt sharply and his hand slipped. Cold sweat rolled down his neck and a rushing filled his ears.
"What is your wish?" Yuuko's voice came from across the sea of consciousness as the earth rose to meet him.
[Sorry this is so short. I promise to make the next chapter stupidly long to make up for it. And, as always, thank you for reading and any and all comments are welcome.]
