A/N: It took longer than I would have liked to get this chapter done, but here it is!


Both Kudans, along with their respective owners, face each other in a clashing standoff between fire and water. Once more, the fire wolf protects Syaoran from another of the opposing Kudan's water-based attacks. The impressed gang leader offers a small smile. "I like you. I'm Asagi Shougo. You?"

One brief pause later, the boy answers, "...Syaoran."

I'm expecting the fighting to continue, but before I know it, one of Shougo's followers alerts us all to approaching police and both gangs have dispersed, fading into the safety of the crowded city. Even the wolf Kudan vanishes back into Syaoran. Remaining slightly behind Fai and Kurogane, I slowly follow the two towards Syaoran and the boys he helped.

"Are you okay?" Syaoran is frantically asking the black-haired boys beside him. One wears a black school uniform and the other stands in traditional-looking clothes. I don't even need a response from them to know that the worst injury is only a bruised knee. I am somewhat taken off guard, though, when the traditional boy completely disappears like Syaoran's Kudan had.

I realize just before Fai verbalizes the thought and exclaims in understanding, "Oh! That boy was a Kudan too!"

Unaware that I had started staring at the back of Fai's head, I now find myself jerking my head away when the blonde begins looking around for the now-missing Mokona.

What is wrong with me? My current behavior is—

Creepy? My resident phoenix finishes for me, nothing but amusement in her tone.

Ugh, stop it. I thought I told you to stop talking. And that was not how—

I can almost see the mischievous glint in her red eyes as she interrupts me. You're right. You're actually being rather—

Falkira. Stop. I get it.

My mental conversation with Falkira ends when I notice gleeful squeals erupting from behind me. A group of girls are doting over—and I completely understand why—the fluffy white snowball who is bold enough to cheer, "Mokona is so popular!"

The girls don't let Mokona leave easily, but after the creature returns to Syaoran's the top of Syaoran's head, she starts to rigorously tap the boy's head to get his attention. "Earlier, Mokona was like this!"

Oh god! I have a near heart attack when Mokona opens her eyes wide to reveal dark pupils that absolutely do not suit the rest of the cute creature. I can't believe she could open her eyes at all. Her eyes have been closed the entire day so far, but thinking about it, how does she know what's around her if her eyes are always closed? Her behavior has indicated that she can actually see, but maybe her hearing and other senses compensate for lack of sight? Maybe those aren't actually eyes? Maybe that gem on her forehead is actually where she sees from? So many questions… But I don't ask a single one.

Syaoran, on the other hand, jumps at the development. "Sakura's feather is here?!"

"That's how Mokona is going to tell us if there's a feather?" I blurt out.

Eyes back to normal now, Mokona turns to me to exclaim, "Yep!"

As she continues to explain to Syaoran how she can't feel the feather's power anymore, I wonder about what else I missed before I woke up. Suddenly, there is a gentle hand on my shoulder. I know immediately who it belongs to, of course.

"Don't worry, you didn't miss much else," Fai says, as if he read my mind.

I offer the blonde only a quick glance of acknowledgement before telling Syaoran, "I sensed a strong power, too. I thought it was just a Kudan, but…"

Fai's hand is gone now as he continues my thought. "It could very well have been the feather. It would be hard to know who all the people here were, but at least we know someone has it."

Someone has it… Yes, I suppose that could be true. Something bothers me, though. In that mass of Kudans, I had indeed sensed a stronger power. It was too hard to distinguish it, and given the unknown nature of Kudans, I had ignored it. Now that I am recalling it a little more, I realize that that power of what is supposedly one of Sakura's feathers is… unsettlingly familiar.


Masayoshi, the boy Syaoran helped, takes us to a restaurant. Per Mokona's request, of course. Not particularly hungry and more tired than anything, I spend most of the time watching Kurogane and Mokona's tug-of-war fight with food that is basically just Mokona trying to steal the muscular man's lunch. The fluffy snowball couldn't have picked a worse person to annoy, but at least it makes good entertainment. I do very slowly consume a couple of pieces of meat, but that is more to keep up whatever appearance of normality I can manage. All the walking around while I haven't fully recovered is starting to catch up with me.

"Is something wrong?" Fai asks me as we stand up to leave.

"I'm just tired," I reply.

"That's not—"

"That was tasty!" Mokona exclaims, interrupting Fai. Relief washes over me now that the mage cannot press me further.

"What now?" I ask before Fai can find an opportunity to finish talking to me.

Syaoran answers, "We should look around some more."

I was hoping we could go back to the apartment so I could talk to Yuuko and get some much needed rest, but I knew from the start that Syaoran definitely would insist on searching for Sakura's feather longer. I'm not keen on going back on my own and showing weakness, so I'll continue going along with the others.

From my peripheral, I see Fai give me a final look before turning to Syaoran. "We don't know this place well, so it'll be hard to go far."

"If you're looking for something," Masayoshi eagerly offers, "I'll help and be your guide!"

"It's not too much trouble is it?" Syaoran asks.

"Not at all! I just need to call home, so please wait here!"

Running off towards a shop, the boy disappears into the crowd and leaves us in the middle of the packed shopping center.

"We didn't get to talk to you about it much before," Fai says to Syaoran, "but your Kudan…"

"I had a dream," Syaoran explains, "about that fire beast that came from me."

Arms crossed, Kurogane adds skeptically, "I also had a strange dream with a beast in it."

Fai confirms that he, too, had a similar dream, and all of a sudden the three all look at me with the same underlying question. Did I have a dream about a beast—presumably a Kudan—as well? Honestly, I wasn't sure if I dreamed at all. Sure, I had an encounter with Falkira, but does that count as a dream? There's no way Falkira is a Kudan, though, so that would mean I wouldn't have had the same kind of dream as the others. On the other hand…

What is a Kudan, Airia? Falkira's voice sounds in my head again.

How should I know? I retort. I hardly know anything about this world.

These Kudans seem like gods that reside within each individual.

I stop when I realize what Falkira is thinking.

Oblivious to my inner conversation with Falkira, Fai tries to prompt a reply from me. "Airia?"

"Yes," I reply. "I had a dream like that, too."

And to Falkira, I respond, You could be considered a god. A god that lives with me, and me alone. But you're not even from this world, so how could you be a Kudan?

Whatever I am, maybe I shall attempt take my physical form in this world.

I can feel her mischievous anticipation, and I really wouldn't mind meeting her in the physical world again except for how troublesome she can be. If you do, you better not cause any problems. There are enough annoying problems already, I bitterly think as I watch members of yet another gang confront us. They wear leather jackets and chain necklaces and sport incredibly tacky mohawks.

A short, plump man steps forward and yells a question at us. "Who is the one named Syaoran!"

"Why do you want to know?" Fai asks before the boy himself can reply, a small smile on his lips.

"Are you the man that Shougo liked?"

His smile is now a wide grin as he answers, "What if I am?"

Along with Kurogane's silent glare, I give the blonde my own questioning look. Is he trying to save Syaoran from whatever trouble this gang is about to cause? Or maybe he just wants to get into trouble himself. But… why is he smiling so much? All day, and even now, he's managing a grin. It's not bad to smile, but this seems wrong in ways that I can't put into words. He's not really the man I remember, and while I never expected him to be exactly the same, it's like that man I searched for all this time is lost somewhere in this person. Everything is here, but it's put together wrong, almost like jumbled pieces of a puzzle. Yet even for a mixed up puzzle, he still stirs something in me in a way no one else could.

Snapping me out of my thoughts, the young brunet identifies himself. "I am Syaoran."

Once the gang leader learns that Syaoran isn't part of Shougo's team, the next couple minutes is an annoying attempt by the gang leader to recruit Syaoran for his team. Naturally, the boy in question clearly and calmly maintains that he has no intention to join any team. The knucklehead quickly jumps to his own conclusions, though, practically ignoring anything Syaoran might have to say.

At this point, he's just looking to start a fight. He stupidly reasons, "So you plan on forming your own team!"

Syaoran attempts to explain himself better, but the leader is already summoning his Kudan: a giant spikey-shelled creature with a long tail. The vaguely crab-like beast quickly swings its tail towards Syaoran, who ducks just in time as the tail cuts straight through the pillar behind him. Kurogane, Fai, and I were further back, just out of range of the attack, but now Kurogane is walking forward to challenge the attacker.

"I've been pretty bored," Kurogane confidently says. "I'll take you on."

Bored? He wants to fight because he was bored? I can tell he's probably also trying to help Syaoran, but from his movements and tone of voice, it's obvious that he seeks the thrill of battle. Knowing that, I clench my fists.

At the command of its owner, the shelled Kudan tries to slice Kurogane. Its target somersaults backwards to dodge the swift attack, but its claw ends up cutting right through another pillar. The innocent citizens have long run away from this fight, which means they can't get caught up in this, but this is still unnecessary property damage.

Kurogane is on the defensive now as he runs from the slashing claws of the Kudan. One particularly strong attack sends the warrior flying towards more pillars, urging a worried Syaoran to run out to help. I, on the other hand, start to raise my hand to create a magic barrier around the man like I had done earlier in the day. Given his eagerness to jump into combat, there is no way Kurogane would be happy if any of us interfered, but it won't be just him feeling his impact with the pillars. I am part of this fight just as much as him, and I'm not going to stand around watching these idiots hurt each other.

However, Fai stops both me and the boy, placing one hand on Syaoran's shoulder to hold him back and one hand on my arm to keep me from acting.

"I think he's trying to help. Don't worry about him," Fai says.

I'm not so much worried about him as I am annoyed that this fight is happening at all. The pillars are destroyed as both Kurogane and the Kudan's attack reach them, and pain shoots up my back. When Kurogane hits the ground, slight pain crosses my body. Unlike the normal, constant buzz of pain I endure from my surroundings, this sensation is sharper due to my close proximity to the man. I don't feel the full intensity of Kurogane's pain, but it's still a surprisingly low level. His pain tolerance is incredible.

As he stands amidst the rubble, I see the scratches and scrape on his arms and face. I also see him sneering with deadly, bloodthirsty eyes piercing his foe, whatever pain he felt already brushed off. He won't kill, I can tell, but the Kudan and its owner are in for a world of pain. Which means so am I if I don't do anything.

"My Kudan has an even tougher shell than most first-level Kudan!" the short man boasts.

"If I had a sword," Kurogane says as he cracks his knuckles, "I could end this quickly."

A blue dragon—a Kudan— appears behind Kurogane. It must be at least a couple stories tall, not to mention the enormous length of its body. I only get a short look, though, as it transforms into a broadsword, which the man eagerly wields.

Unfazed, the crab Kudan launches what its owner calls its "ultimate attack," which Kurogane poises himself to lunge straight towards.

"Kurogane, wait!" I shout. But the man doesn't pause for even a second as he propels himself towards the crab Kudan, his sword positioned to deal a fatal blow.

I want to jump between the two, but I'm too far and they are both going so fast that I won't make it in time. In an attempt to erect a magic wall to separate the two, I let my magic flow out of my hands into the surrounding air.

To my surprise, much more power flies out from my body, leaving me feeling weakened and heading straight forward. Golden-red flames reach Kurogane and the crab right before they meet, and the result is a powerful blast that fills the air with smoke and deflects the two combatants backwards. Both Kurogane and the crab Kudan land and regain their balance without much harm. A strong gust of wind disperses the smoke, revealing a large fire-bird about half the size of Kurogane's dragon hovering slightly above the ground with its flame-riddled wings outstretched. It lets out a resonating cry before turning its head to me. Falkira's glistening red eyes, intense like fire, meet mine.

I sigh, and despite the fact that the phoenix is currently outside of me, I still communicate with her mentally. You just had to come out, didn't you?

Shouldn't you be thanking me for intervening for you? Falkira responds into my mind, her physical beak unmoving. This time, I can actually see the playfulness shining in her eyes.

You didn't need to.

But it's still a wonderful opportunity to stretch my wings.

Upon concluding that Falkira is my Kudan, Kurogane and the gang leader both verbally attack me.

"Don't interfere!" Kurogane barks indignantly.

"What's with your Kudan? There's no way that over-sized fire turkey can break through the shell of my Kudan!" the gang leader mocks. "Do you want to lose to me, too?"

How dare he call me a turkey! Insulted, Falkira turns her hot glare onto him as her entire body erupts into intense crimson fire. The air around us instantly warms as a result.

Hey, don't burn any buildings down, Falkira.

Walking over to join the phoenix, I request with an edge in my voice, "Leave us all alone. Please."

"You think a girl like you with a turkey can beat me?" the leader shouts before commanding his Kudan to attack again.

With a powerful flap of her wings, Falkira flies upwards. Skillfully dodging claw swipes, she lands on the crab Kudan and clamps her talons onto the front of its shell. The crab can neither shake Falkira off nor get through the barrier of flame she has created around herself. Meanwhile, it starts to writhe uncomfortably in pain as its owner grips his chest in discomfort bordering pain. It's interesting how the owner feels the same pain as his Kudan. If Kurogane's attack had connected, I'm sure the man would be in tremendously more pain. Even now, Falkira could easily cause immense pain if she wanted. She is only gradually burning hotter, though, which gives the gang leader a chance to stop and retreat the moment he reaches his limit.

"Stop fighting, or you will burn even more! Do you want that crab of yours cooked?" I threaten.

When the gang leader stubbornly hesitates, a powerful slice of razor-sharp energy whizzes past me and misses him by only inches. It came from Kurogane, who created that blast with a swift swing of his sword. Were Falkira and I not in the way, I have a feeling that attack would not have missed.

"Just listen to her!" Kurogane growls. He is clearly unhappy that I have ended his fight early, but there's no point in trying to continue it with Falkira and I in the way and the gang leader now considering whether to give up.

With Kurogane's added threat and Falkira still slowly cranking up the temperature, the leader finally gives in and withdraws his Kudan. "Fine, you win!"

His lackeys immediately rush to his side to make sure he's alright. I know for sure he is feeling much less pain than he would have otherwise.

"You're both part of Syaoran's team…" he mutters, still deluded and believing any of us even have an interesting in being part of a team.

"You're wrong," I say.

Kurogane has come to where I stand, sword held to rest on his shoulder. His stare is intense, holding tremendous conviction. "I work alone, and only for Princess Tomoyo."

Dedicating himself to who I assume to be the princess of his country… Perhaps he isn't as bad as I originally thought, but he still irks me. Anyone who enjoys rushing into fights, hurting others, killing… They're all…

Noticing the swordsman's eyes on me, I turn around and start walking past him to return to Syaoran, Fai, and Mokona. "I pretty much just do everything for my own sake."

Behind me, the gang is minding its own business and leaving us alone. Thankfully. I'm more exhausted than I was before and don't want to put up with anything else. My phoenix companion, on the other hand, circles around in the sky overhead, energetically enjoying her momentary freedom. I have a feeling that her being able to remain in the physical world is at the expense of my energy and magical power, but this is a rare opportunity for her so I leave her alone for now.

"Why did you interfere?" Kurogane asks from behind me, still where he was standing before.

I completely understand why he is annoyed. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to back down. Stopping, I turn around and challenge his red-eyed glare with my own. "I hate when people get hurt unnecessarily," I say.

"Airia! Kuro-puu!" a familiar voice calls.

The swordsman's Kudan returns into its master as Fai runs to meet us with Mokona on his shoulder and Syaoran close behind.

The blond claps his hands together with a broad smile. "That was amazing! Is that your Kudan?"

Falkira. She's not exactly a Kudan, but I suppose the description is close enough. Now that I think about it…

Aren't you smaller than usual? I ask the phoenix, looking up at her.

Still flying around and drawing the attention of many onlookers, she doesn't even glance down at me when she explains, This world supports my physical incarnation, but my power is still sealed by the contract. In your current weakened state, this is about all you can manage as the conduit of my power.

So it's all your fault that—

Thank me later, Falkira says. It sounds like she is trying to suppress a chuckle, and I have no idea why I should be thanking her. Then the phoenix tacks on one more word. Maybe.

What?

With a burst of power, Falkira explodes into tiny flames that disappear into the air except for one orb of fire that moves towards me. As she returns to me, everything starts to spin, and the ground is suddenly closing in on my face.

Worried voices. Warmth instead of the hard ground. I catch a glimpse of a white shirt before the world involuntarily fades away for the second time in two days.


It is night when I wake up again in the same room as before. The drawn curtains let in some light from the moon and the street lamps outside. On the bed beside me, the girl, Princess Sakura, still sleeps. The clothes Arashi washed for me are folded neatly in a stack one corner of the room while I still wear the borrowed clothes.

Remembering what happened, I demand from Falkira, What did you do?

Chuckling, she answers, I expended more of your energy than you could handle.

Why?

So that mage would catch you when you fell. He even carried you back to this room, which was a bonus. My plan was a great success, the phoenix snickers.

What?! You did that all so Fai would—agh! Falkira, you are having way too much fun with this! And here I was trying to give you a bit more freedom. Get out here right now so I can beat some sense into you!

I'll pass on that.

I stand up with an agitated sigh and look into the hall to find that no one seems to be awake. I hope I wasn't a burden on Fai and the others, but it seems I'll have to talk to them later. Going back into the room, I shut the door again and sit against the wall by the window before pulling out the pendant from under my shirt. Really, it is two separate pieces that I wear on a single silver chain. One is a circular, silver locket. I open it now and look at the picture hidden within. Two people smile back at me, and I am one of them. I haven't been that happy in a long time, I muse as I gently rub my thumb over the image. Closing the locket, I grip the other piece—a smaller, diamond-shaped mirror—in my fist and let some of my magic power flow into it. The only purpose it serves is to allow me to communicate with a certain witch, and I intend on doing just that now that I finally have the chance. Upon opening my hand again, the mirror glows softly and projects a person's upper body in front of me.

My friend and favorite wish-granter brings the end of her pipe to her mouth and puffs out some smoke. "It's been a while since we last talked."

I waste no time in asking the question that I have been wanting to ask all day. "Why did you send me with them?"

"You wished for it, did you not?"

"But you didn't even know why I went to your shop this time. I wasn't even conscious." I realize after I have spoken that I am mistaken. Of course the witch, with her incredible knowledge and foresight in these matters, knows.

"In accordance with your wish, both then and when you initially made it, the immediate reason for your latest arrival at my shop was of little consequence. Even if you were awake, you would not—could not—have wished for anything else. Am I wrong?"

With a sign, I admit, "You're correct."

"You paid a heavy price for your wish the second time we met," Yuuko continues, "and now it has been fulfilled."

"When you sent me with these people?"

"Yes. Your price covered the cost of traveling with them, but this is as far as that payment will take you."

The problem is that Yuuko and the price I paid got me here sooner than I am ready for. I'm not going to get another chance if I mess this all up, and so far, I'm off to a horrendous start. Then again, I wonder if I would ever have been ready.

"But that is not all you wanted to talk about," Yuuko prompts.

Thoughts of Fai have been crossing my mind again and again, and now I confess, "I don't know if I made the right choice. I think I hoped everything would just… go back to how it was before somehow. I… Maybe I needed it to. I couldn't afford to believe anything else, or I wouldn't have been able to keep going. But after seeing him…"

"Not how you remembered?"

"He's the same person with the same soul, but he's also not the same. I don't know exactly what it is."

"Even if the soul is the same, the environment in which a person lives can change them," Yuuko reminds me.

"I know. But since he's a reincarnation, there's more than just his soul that's the same. I just… I don't know."

How someone can be the same and still be different is beyond me, but that's how it is when it comes to Fai. Thinking about it brings back that ache in my chest.

The witch takes another slow puff of smoke. "You always knew that you would never get back what you lost, but you ignored that. You can't do that any longer. What you lost, in its exact form, will never return, but that doesn't mean your promise can't be fulfilled still. You must choose. Will you keep going, knowing that?"

I didn't come all this way and survive for all those years just to run into a wall and give up. It's undeniable that Fai is reborn from the man I knew long ago, but at the same time, even a reborn man is different. I was so desperate to hold onto a sliver of hope that I didn't care, so I did anything to get to where I am now. Perhaps, though, now that I'm faced with reality, it's time for me to let it go. Time to put it all to rest and just move on from these unrealistic hopes. Except…

I can't.

Even if it won't be the same. Even if he isn't the same…

"I won't leave him alone," I say.

"And if it's difficult to bear?"

My gaze fall to the floor and fixates on a single point. "Part of me wants to just forget everything so I won't have to bear it. But I can't ask you to take my memories—that's impossible now. I could also just leave, find a way to end the contract with Falkira, die... But my true wish remains the same, so I can't do that either. Whether I want to or not, I have to bear it. In the first place, that's part of what being in a contract with a phoenix means."

"Airia, your real wish was never something I could grant," Yuuko says, her words causing my head to rise. "From here, only your own choices can get you closer to fulfilling that wish. Should you do everything in your power, there is still no guarantee that you will succeed."

"I know." The words are hardly more than a whisper.

"Remember—"

"There is no coincidence, only hitsuzen," I quote, the words ingrained in my mind from all the times the witch has said it. "Right?"

With an all-knowing smile, the woman puts her pipe down before her expression becomes darker. "There is one thing I must warn you of. That man in the last world you stayed in…"

Narrowing my eyes, I say, "Senir? He seemed to know about the phoenixes."

"You shouldn't underestimate him. He managed to back even you into a corner, and you might not be able to escape so easily in the future."

I acknowledge the warning with a small nod. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good." Then, as if a switch has been flipped, she sheds all seriousness and a certain light enters her eyes. "Now that we're done with all that talk, it's time for me to have some sake!"

A distant voice of a boy on Yuuko's end yells, "Give that back, Mokona!"

Yuuko catches a black version of the fluffy snowball on her hand. Other than its color and the blue forehead gem and earring it has, it looks exactly the same as Mokona. And it's… just as adorable. If the two were together, I'm sure they would look exponentially cuter. If that's even possible.

Where does Yuuko get these things? If there's a Mokona store then—

"Is that sake?" I ask, surprised that the black Mokona would be holding a bottle of my friend's favorite drink.

"I keep telling you—" The boy, who I can now see standing behind Yuuko, stops himself when he notices me. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were talking to someone."

The boy has short black hair and glasses and looks about the same age as Syaoran. Given the apron he is wearing, he was probably in the middle of cooking. Yuuko introduces me to him.

"This is Airia. She's a friend of mine," she says before gesturing to the boy. "And he's my assistant Watanuki."

"Hmm, so you have an assistant now?" My eyebrow quirks up. Yuuko didn't seem like the type to get a helper, but then again, she's full of surprises. It's been a while since I last contacted Yuuko, so I wonder how long Watanuki has been there for.

Yuuko holds up the black Mokona. "I'm sure you've met the other one. This one can communicate with the white Mokona."

"You can call me Mokona!" the black Mokona exclaims. His voice is lower than the white one's. He also seems to share Yuuko's concerning enthusiasm for drinking. "Time for sake now!"

Watanuki and I both let out heavy sighs. Great, now Yuuko has a drinking buddy...