"So you admire the leader of the goggle wearing gang?" Fai asked.

"Y…yes!" Masayoshi answered with an embarrassed smile.

The group were seated in a quaint, cosy little restaurant for lunch. Masayoshi, the boy whom Syaoran had saved earlier, had led them to this place saying it was one of the most popular spots in the city. Looking around, Fai had to agree. Every single table in the joint was occupied, and the food – okonomiyaki it was called, he remembered – smelled delicious. Fai was really looking forward to tasting it, but probably not more than Kurogane, who couldn't keep his eyes off the hot plate while Mokona happily danced away on his head.

"But I also admire Syaoran-kun" Masayoshi added shyly.

Syaoran looked simply perplexed, "Huh?"

"Oh don't look so confused, Syaoran! You were totally amazing" Ayame laughed. "But that doesn't mean that you run off doing heroics again" she added sternly.

"Syaoran-kun has a special Kudan with him. That's really great"

"Special Kudan?" Syaoran asked, intrigued.

Fai leaned in to listen, curious himself. The Kudans in this world were unlike anything he had ever seen. The knowledge hungry child in him ached to know more.

"It's the best Kudan. You see, Kudans are ranked according to their power. The 4th level is the bottom. Then there is the 3rd level, the 2nd level, the 1st level and right at the top is the special Kudan" Masayoshi explained, "Having the special kudan was stopped by the countries a long time ago, but people still use it"

"So that leader has a really strong kudan?" Fai asked, remembering the power emanating from the stingray Kudan.

"Yes! Syaoran-kun is the same. A special Kudan only goes with people who are strong" Masayoshi's small black eyes were shining with awe, "Since a Kudan is controlled telepathically, its strength reflects the strength of the mind and character of the user"

"Kudan reflects the strength of the mind, does it?" Ayame, who was sitting beside Fai, smiled fondly at the young boy, "It is no surprise you have it then, Syaoran. A fiery wolf suits you really well"

Fai laughed lightly as an embarrassed blush slowly creeped across Syaoran's face. He agreed with Ayame, of course – the focus and dedication the young boy showed was quite impressive considering his age. His mind was steady, patient and strong, just like a burning flame.

"I wonder what kind of Kudan Kuro-tan will have though" Ayame said, giving the ninja sitting next to her a curious glance.

"You better stop calling me that, princess" Kurogane scowled, still not taking his eyes off the okonomiyaki.

"Definitely something that matches his temper!" she giggled in response.

'What kind of Kudan will you have…?' Fai wondered as he watched Ayame scold Mokona for jumping about. She was a lot more complicated than Syaoran and Kurogane, making it difficult for Fai to place her, which was saying something. He was pretty good at reading people after all.

"That's it" Kurogane finally ran out of patience and he slowly lifted the sizzling pancake from one side curiously.

"I don't think you should…" But Ayame was cut short by an urgent shout.

"WAIT!"

The shout had come from a tall, tanned man with black hair, his navy blue eyes scanning the entire group with a little irritation. The bespectacled, silver blonde man behind him, on the other hand, had a warm smile adorning his fair face.

"The King… and the Priest!" Syaoran exclaimed.

"Touya… Yukito…"

Fai's gaze shifted from the two men to Ayame, whose lilac eyes were wide with shock and disbelief.

"I think you are mistaken" the black haired man said tonelessly, clearly unamused, "I am not the king" Turning his attention to Kurogane, he said, "Please wait so you don't knock something over"

He then went over to another table, ignoring Kurogane's protest.

"So he is the King in your country then?" Fai asked, his eyes flitting between the black haired man and the still shell-shocked Ayame.

"Yeah… the black-haired one is my twin brother Touya, the King. And the one with the round glasses is my best friend Yukito, the High Priest"

"Is this what the Dimensional Witch meant, when she said we might meet someone we know in a different world… but in a different world they have different lives?" Syaoran seemed to be in shock too, but not as much as Ayame.

"They are the same and not the same" Fai answered, "But their connections, their heart is still the same"

"You mean their soul?" Kurogane asked no one in particular, absent-mindedly poking his okonomiyaki with his chopsticks. However, Fai noticed that he was looking at Ayame through the corner of his eye, his mind clearly abuzz with questions. The wizards' instincts had been right – there was definitely something going on between them that he didn't know about.

Ayame, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to all the attention that was being showered on her. Her eyes wistfully remained glued to Touya and Yukito, who were attending on other tables. Fai's chest clenched slightly on seeing the pain etched on her face. 'Those two must have been really dear to her'

Fai sighed inwardly, the mood around the table had gone from energetic to sombre within seconds. He decided to shake things up a little.

"Aya-chan!" he chirped, waving his hands in front of her.

"Huh?"

"Looks like we lost you for a moment there"

"Ayame-san, I'm sure they both are fine" Syaoran said, clearly understanding the reason behind Ayame's distress.

"Yeah" Ayame managed a small smile, though a twinge of sadness still lingered in her eyes, "I'm alright, don't worry about me"

The rest of the meal was uneventful… well except for Kurogane's growls and grunts added with Mokona's shrieks and squeaks as they both fought over their food. By the time everyone was finished, Fai chuckled at the vein that throbbed on Ayame's forehead. Clearly, she was not amused by the arguing as much as he was.

Seeing their empty plates, Yukito came over and asked, "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"That will be all" Fai sang while Syaoran politely said, "Thank you for the food"

"But that stupid pork bun ate half of my food" Kurogane grumbled.

"No I did not! Kuro-puu was too mean to share so Mokona just took some!" Mokona lilted, dancing in front of Kurogane.

"MY NAME IS KUROGANE!"

The ninja was just about to grab Mokona roughly, when a hand suddenly pulled the fluffy rabbit out of harm's way, while another smacked him hard on the head.

"That's enough both of you! Behave or else…"Ayame said icily.

Kurogane just huffed and looked the other way while Mokona cooed as she perched herself on Ayame's shoulder, "Aya-chan saved me from Kuro-monster! Aya-chan is my hero!"

"I won't remain your hero if you don't behave now, Mokona"

Yukito, who was watching the shenanigans patiently, chuckled, "That's a lively bunch you've got here"

"Yeah," Ayame replied with an awkward smile, "We're so sorry about the commotion"

Kurogane simply snorted but when he saw Ayame glare at him, he cleared his throat and mumbled an apology before getting up and stomping out of the restaurant.

"It's your first time here, right?" Yukito asked as the rest of the group filed out of their seats.

"Yup. Me and my friends we're new to town"

"Well, if that's the case then lunch is on the house" Touya came up to their table too.

"What? No!" Ayame fumbled with the wallet Sorata had given her, "We can't do that!"

Touya placed a gentle, yet firm hand on the wallet. "That won't be necessary miss. You can pay us the next time you visit" He then cracked a mischievous smile, a smile which looked a lot like Ayame's, and added, "You will be coming back right?"

"Of course I will be" Ayame grinned back, "And I will not be eating free food again"

"That's a deal then" Yukito said with a smile.

"We'll be back soon!" Mokona sang from Ayame's shoulder as they were leaving. Touya just raised his hand in acknowledgement while Yukito waved.

Fai, who had observed the exchange between Ayame and the two men very closely, couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She had been born a twin, just like he had. Where he was persecuted and labelled as cursed, Ayame seemed to have a led a normal, happy life. It just wasn't fair.

But then again, what he was doing wasn't fair either. Fai knew everything about the feathers and the man who was behind the whole situation. Any decent man would tell the truth after seeing how worried Syaoran and Ayame were about Sakura. But Fai didn't have the luxury to be decent.

'I have a promise to keep' he told himself as he jogged to catch up with the others.

XXX

"WHO IS THE BOY CALLED SYAORAN!?" yelled a stout guy with a pink Mohawk.

Ayame let out an irritated sigh. To say that the day had been eventful would be putting it lightly. First there was Syaoran jumping to save the day, then there was that sneaky attacker and the tiny glimpse of her own Kudan. Oh, and how could she forget meeting this worlds' Touya and Yukito? She had had enough excitement for one day.

"Why do you want to know?" Fai asked politely.

"ARE YOU THE MAN SHOUGO SAID HE LIKED?" By this time, at least 8 other people sporting a similar Mohawk showed up behind the portly man.

'Brilliant, another street gang. Just what I needed today' Ayame bristled.

"And what if I am?" Fai still had an inane smile plastered on his face, as if he didn't have a single care in the world. Surely everyone did not fall for that? Ayame couldn't understand what he was playing at.

"I am Syaoran" the chocolate haired boy took a few steps forward to face the man with the Mohawk.

"You're joking! That's just a kid!"

"Hey, watch your mouth!" Ayame moved ahead and stood behind Syaoran, glowering at the leader of the gang.

"Are you going to join Shougo's team?"

"Team?" Syaoran asked.

The question only served to annoy Mr. Mohawk, "Don't play dumb with me! Shougo liked you. You've been haunted with a special Kudan. If you join Shougo's team, I won't forgive you!"

Ayame quirked an eyebrow in surprise, word about the special Kudan got around fast. She cast a worried glance at Syaoran, who stood his ground. 'How many more people are going to come after him because of this?'

"I don't intend to join any team, not yours nor Shougo's" Syaoran told the man firmly.

Ayame couldn't help but smile at the young boy's simplicity.

"SO YOU PLAN TO MAKE YOUR OWN TEAM!" Mr. Mohawk bellowed.

"Look… there is nothing like that going…" But Ayame's voice got stuck in her throat when she felt the air around the man hum with power. "Syaoran, he is summoning his Kudan"

The words had barely left her lips when a huge crab-lobster hybrid materialised in front of them.

"Wow! It's so big!" Fai and Mokona cooed.

"Now is not the time to admire the Kudan!" Ayame yelled.

"I AM GOING TO BREAK YOU INTO PIECES!"

The Kudans' tail swung viciously and headed straight for them. Ayame pushed Syaoran out of harm's way and jumped to dodge the attack. It was a close call, she could feel the appendage pass inches below her feet before it crashed into the pillar behind her, ripping right through it. However, the flying debris threw Ayame slightly off balance, making her land awkwardly, twisting her right foot in the process.

"Dammit…" she cursed, wincing at the throbbing, pulsating pain that emanated from the affected area. But she didn't have a moment to spare on her injured foot – her muscles tensed when she felt the Kudan gathering power again. Ayame hissed in frustration, there was no way she was going to be able to dodge another attack. 'Well, it's now or never' she thought, preparing to summon her Kudan, when a rough voice interrupted her.

"What do you think you are doing to my friend?"

Kurogane slowly, but purposefully walked forward, glaring at Mr. Mohawk.

"Hey, stop getting in my way!" the stout man's face turned the same shade of pink as his hair in annoyance.

Kurogane simply ignored him. "Are you alright?" he asked her tonelessly, but Ayame could see worry lining his bright red eyes.

She couldn't resist giving the tall man a cheeky grin, "I'll survive… friend"

Kurogane scowled in response as Syaoran came running to her side. "Ayame-san, are you alright?" He didn't try the slightest to keep his worry hidden.

"It's just a twisted ankle, Syaoran. I'll be fine"

"Hey kid. Get her outta here" Kurogane growled, "I'll take care of this guy"

"But Kurogane-san, Yuuko-san still has your sword… how will you fight?" Syaoran asked.

Kurogane cracked his knuckles menacingly, "I don't need a sword to fight this clown"

"Kuro-tan is soooooo happy to be in Hanshin!" Fai chirped as Ayame hobbled over to where he was standing, a hand firmly placed on Syaoran's shoulder for support.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Kurogane roared.

"What grade is your Kudan?" Mr. Mohawk asked angrily.

"Don't know, don't care" Kurogane smirked, "Stop rambling and attack"

Ayame couldn't keep the worry gnawing at the pit of her stomach at bay. Sure, he was strong – the ripped muscles that his figure hugging black t-shirt showed off were proof enough – but he was up against a Kudan for crying out loud! Brute strength wasn't going to help.

Mr. Mohawk wasted no time now and commanded his Kudan to attack. This time, instead of swishing its tail, the crab sent a rain of long, sharp spikes. However, the sudden change did not affect Kurogane the slightest, he ran and dodged with ease, grinning all the way. Ayame was impressed, the speed and agility the man showed was a testimony to the years of training he had as a warrior.

Mr. Mohawk was clearly not impressed however, and egged his Kudan to attack with more power. It shot out spikes with more force this time, blasting the already damaged pillar and sending it cascading over Kurogane. The Mohawk guy began laughing when he didn't surface again.

"KUROGANE-SAN!" Syaoran cried out.

Ayame ignored the pain in her leg and prepared to dash to help the ninja, but a cool, firm hand grasped her wrist and pulled her back gently.

"Aya-chan, I know you want to help Kuro-tan. But I think we both know that he will not appreciate it" Fai still had that annoying smile on his face, though his sapphire blue eyes bore into hers meaningfully. Ayame pursed her lips, she knew he was right.

"Annoying…" a voice grunted, "Your constant talking is so annoying"

Ayame breathed a huge sigh of relief – Kurogane was standing among the broken pieces of the destroyed pillar. He sported numerous scratches and bruises and a small gash on his forehead was bleeding, but the grin on the man's face told her that he was absolutely fine, if not more riled up.

"How did you survive that?" Mr. Mohawk was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet, waving his fists at Kurogane in fury, "My kudan is first grade! It is very strong!"

"It still has a weak spot" Kurogane sneered, "If I had my sword, I could stop this quickly"

The moment he uttered those words, Ayame felt a surge of power around the tall man. The energy whirled around him and finally took the form of a beautiful, majestic blue dragon. The dragon stretched its wings and perched itself on the broken pillar behind Kurogane, its deep orange eyes twinkling as it regarded the ninja curiously. An understanding seemed to pass between them and the dragons' form shifted and melted into a blue hilted broadsword, which hovered expectantly in front of Kurogane.

"So I can use this, eh?" Kurogane grasped the sword and carefully took in every inch of it, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. Ayame marvelled at the size of the sword – it was easily more than half his size!

"I've had enough of your theatrics!" Mr. Mohawk screamed, "GUNSHOT CRAB ATTACK!"

At his command, the Kudan started shooting spikes at Kurogane again, but this time with better accuracy and a lot more power. Kurogane didn't seem worried however, he raised his sword high above his head and swung it with immense force releasing a wave of energy so strong and massive that it sent a shiver up Ayame's spine. The power was simply astounding and she wasn't surprised when the wave cut the other Kudan in half easily, like a knife cutting through butter. There were collective gasps and wows as the crab Kudan simmered and disappeared and Mr. Mohawk fell down on his knees, whimpering.

"See" Fai finally let go of her wrist, "Kuro-rin didn't need our help after all"

"You can say that again" Ayame gave a relieved smile in response.

"You… you already made a team…" Mr. Mohawk said weakly, pointing a trembling finger at Kurogane, "Syaoran's team… and you're a part of it"

"No" Kurogane said firmly, a fire burning in his red eyes, "I work alone… only for Princess Tomoyo"

From the seriousness in the man's voice, it was pretty evident that he cared deeply for the Princess.

'Well, she is one lucky woman'

XXX

Kurogane couldn't reign in his irritation anymore. He picked up a wooden ladle near him and threw it at Fai, who casually waltzed out of the way, singing, "Kuro-mu mi~ssed!" And to make matters worse, Mokona, who was perched on the blonde's shoulder, started singing the same thing too. Kurogane was just about to throw another spoon at them when an angry shout stopped them all in their tracks.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!?"

Ayame was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, glaring at all three of them.

"We are here, in this kitchen because we agreed to help Arashi-san clean up the dishes we used for dinner. Not to play tag!"

"You agreed to help, we got dragged along" Kurogane grumbled, earning another glare from her.

"But Kuro-pon was being the meanie, Aya-chan!" Fai sobbed dramatically, "He started throwing things at me and Mokona"

"Yes he did! Yes he did!" Mokona sang.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Kurogane roared and picked up the spoon again, but he got a hard whack on his head.

"Keep it down! Syaoran and Sakura are asleep upstairs"

Kurogane scowled and crossed his arms while Ayame let out a sigh.

"Now that we have established that there is no way you all can work together, I'm going to give you different jobs"

"We will follow Aya-chan's orders" Fai saluted, grinning so wide that Kurogane wanted to tear his face into two.

"Fai-san, Mokona, you two go up to the terrace and help Arashi-san with the laundry"

"Okie-dokie" Fai beamed and danced his way out.

Kurogane breathed a sigh of relief. Finally he could get some silence.

"And you" Ayame said, turning to him, "Are going to help me tidy up the kitchen"

"Why me?"

"Because you are the one who threw things around"

Kurogane scowled but started picking up all the strewn utensils anyway. This was better than listening to that stupid mage come up with annoying nicknames.

"You know, if you want Fai-san and Mokona to stop with the nicknames, all you have to do is not react"

"Why should I not react?" he snapped, "If I am pissed, I show that I am pissed"

"Which is exactly what makes it so much fun" Ayame giggled.

It took them around 15 to 20 minutes to set everything in order. After they were done, Ayame scanned the whole kitchen and gave a satisfactory nod.

"Now for the second task at hand" she began to rummage around one of the overhead cupboards. "Arashi-san said it would be here… Aha!" Ayame pulled out a small red box.

She then drew a chair and motioned Kurogane to sit down.

"And why would I do that?" he asked.

"That cut on your forehead needs to be cleaned out properly" she replied.

"I'm not some child to get my wounds patched up…" Kurogane began to protest, but when he saw Ayame glowering at him, the rest of the words died in his throat. Instinct told him that there was no point arguing. He let out a long breath and sat down on the chair grumpily.

"Now let's see…" Ayame gently pushed away his spiky black hair to observe the cut, "I knew it" she looked at Kurogane reproachfully, "You didn't clean it properly. There is still dirt and grime on it!"

Kurogane quietly watched as Ayame opened the red box, pulled out a cotton ball, put some saline on it and began to gently clean the wound. Even though he felt awkward about the current situation, Kurogane had to admit that it felt weirdly comforting. It had been a very long time since someone fussed over him like this. Well, Princess Tomoyo and Soma always did make a big deal about his wounds, but he never let them mollycoddle him. Now… he himself didn't know why he was letting Ayame patch him up.

He glanced up at the princess, whose brow was furrowed in concentration as she dabbed some antiseptic on the wound now. An almost healed cut on her right eyebrow caught his attention. From the extent of healing, he guessed that she got it not so long ago and the sharp edges of the wound indicated that it was inflicted by a sharp blade, like a sword.

Wait, what? A sword?

Curious now, his eyes traced Ayame's arms, trying to find more evidence. At first glance, the skin seemed to be smooth and flawless. However, a closer look revealed a fair number of faded scars all over her forearm. Sure, you get a few scratches by accident when you are playing with swords in a palace courtyard, but not as many as that. Ayame had been in a good number of battles, that much was obvious. But why would the princess of a country have fought battles?

Before he could ponder over the question, the sound of amused laughter pulled Kurogane out of his thoughts.

"I can see you staring at me you know…" Ayame grinned as she performed a final check on the newly placed band aid on his forehead and stepped back.

Kurogane felt his face heat up in embarrassment and looked away, which just made the princess giggle even more.

"Now, now… is Kuro-chan being a naughty boy?" she teased.

Kuro-chan… the nickname stung him more than any wound could. When the mage used it, it was plain annoying, infuriating even. But when Ayame used it, it just dragged up very old memories.

"Don't call me that" he growled, albeit lacking the usual vigour.

"That didn't sound right" Ayame said thoughtfully, "You usually sound angrier than that"

Kurogane chose not to reply to that, he didn't trust his mouth at the moment. He hoped that his silence would discourage Ayame from pursuing the matter.

It had the exact opposite effect though; she pulled up another chair and sat down facing him. They both just stared at each other, their faces blank, waiting for the other person to break the silence.

After what seemed like ages, Ayame finally spoke, "Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer if you don't want to though"

When Kurogane still didn't respond, she went ahead and asked, "Do you know me? What I mean is that, back in your world, did you know another me?"

Kurogane inhaled sharply. He had prepared himself to face this question, he knew she or one of the others was bound to notice that he behaved a little differently around her. He just hadn't expected it to be this soon.

Ayame sighed at the ninja's continued silence, "You know what… you don't have to answer that. The look on your face says it all"

After a few seconds, Ayame got up and placed a warm, comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry" she had a sad, understanding smile on her face, "I know how difficult it must be for you to see the same face"

Kurogane just gaped at her, speechless. What was she apologising for? It was not like she had asked for all of this to happen! For a moment he thought she was just being courteous, but the distress in her eyes told him that was not the case.

"You don't have anything to apologize for"

"What?"

"I said, you don't have to apologize" Kurogane looked straight into her eyes before continuing, "My past, my life before I landed in the witch's shop is my business. And whatever complications and difficulties that I face because of that past is my business as well. You came on this journey to save your sister, didn't you? That's a big weight on your shoulders already. Don't make that weight heavier by carrying problems that don't concern you"

Now it was Ayame's turn to be speechless. She simply blinked at him, but soon the surprise on her face melted away and she chuckled.

"What?" he growled.

"Nothing" she grinned, "I was just thinking that you have a very short temper for someone so kind"

"Kind…! HEY, STOP SAYING THINGS LIKE THAT"

Ayame just continued to giggle while Kurogane fumed. Seriously, why did he even bother telling her anything?

"Get some good sleep, Kuro-mi. We are going to have a busy day tomorrow"

She gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before skipping out of the kitchen.

"MY NAME IS KUROGANE!"

XXX

A/N: Hey guys! Chapter number 4 all wrapped up! It took me a lot longer than expected to finish this one, especially the conversation between Ayame and Kuro-puu. It was fun to write definitely, but getting that grumpy ninja right is no easy task I tell you. What do you guys think? Do drop a review to let me know. Reviews are pretty important to me cause they lemme know what you all think about the story. Did you like something in particular… or even if it is something you didn't like and would like me to change, do let me know. That way, I can help you guys enjoy the story better :)

So the next chapter – some questions will be answered, some more will be raised and we will have Fai vs. Primera! I know, I know, it is not really necessary to include the Kudan battles in the story, but I feel that it is a good opportunity for Ayame to get to know her travelling companions better. We learn so much about Syaoran, Kuro-pon and Fai in those battles that it just doesn't feel right to skip them.

Damn, I am rambling a little too much. I should probably stop now.

Until the next time!