FROM THE CEILING WITH LOVE

Surprisingly enough, the huge dome like room they entered was completely empty. The group came to a halt, alarmed by the lack of enemies to interrupt them, since they had expected a preocuppyingly huge mass of demons ready to attack them.

"This is peculiar." Fuu said touching her fingers to her lips lightly. "How comes nothing's here to stop us?"

"Maybe we finished them all off already." Ferio suggested grinning.

"That's unlikely at its best." Lafarga replied. "They're probably setting an ambush somewhere."

"Monster aren't that organized." Kurogane replied walking in some steps ahead of them, looking around suspiciously.

"Yet here they are, figting against us in a more than organized way." Umi countered arching an eyebrow at the ninja.

"In any case, we should take advantage of the fact that they didn't ambush us and move on forward." Syaoran said rationally. He turned to smile softly at Sakura, behind him. "On straight ahead, right?"

Sakura shook her head wearily. "They moved it. I can't feel it anymore." She said apologetically.

Syaoran's eyes widened, but he hid it inmediately. "Well, I'm sure we'll find it eventually, so don't…"

He was interrupted forcefully when an unexpected rain of enormous speers of rock fell towards them from the ceiling.

Fai turned to form a shield but Fuu moved faster than him with her wind. The group was safely protected by her magic, but Kurogane was far away from her rach. Fai jumped out of the field towards him, dodging the spears with the agility of a feline.

Kurogane also dodged, but unsheathed his sword and teared apart the ones he couldn't avoid, as he fluidly moved across the dome to any direction. Fai found a nearby wall and took impulse from it upwards towards the ceiling, where he could maybe found the source of the speers.

His eyes narrowed upon discovering the mechanism; the dome itself was a deadly trap; ceiling and the higher part of the round walls were covered in holes similar to those of a bee panal. The speers came continuosly falling from them.

Fai soon discovered it was impossible to dodge the speers the closer he was to the ceiling; while in the ground, so many feets below, the speers took dustance between each other enough for a body to fit, here the distance between them was a matter of a hair.

Fai changed in midair and grounded his feet in the long body of one of the speers to push himself down to the floor. He landed against the wall, searching for Kurogane with his eyes among the forest of speers that now clouded the view on the ground. The dome of wind Fuu was making was dense and holding up good enough, he didn't need to worry about that. Kurogane was nowhere to be seen; in the increasing noise of the speers hitting the ground, his breathing was impossible for Fai to hear as a source of location.

Suddenly he realized his own position. Right in the corner between the wall and the ground, where they joined, the speers didn't reach. He had noticed there was an angle for the shoothing holes in the walls and near them but he hadn't figured it out then. Kurogane had probably realized the same thing and now was resting in the same position the Mage was.

Naturally, the closer to the ceiling the smaller the angle would be, but Fai had to risk it if he wanted to find the ninja.

"We can't stay like this much longer." Lafarga said looking around. "We are going nowhere!"

"I can't understand how anyone would live through this hell." Umi said wearily. "I hope Fai-san and Kurogane-san aren't…"

"They'll be fine." Syaoran said. "They aren't so weak as to die this way." He was crouching down in the ground, hugging Sakura clsoe to him in a way his body was over hers protecting it.

"Fuu-chan!" Hikaru cried. "Please hold on a little longer!"

"Oh… I don't know if…" Fuu gasped, forcing herself as far as she could go against avery powerful hit of the heavy speers against the shield fo wind she was mantaining. "Uh…"

"If you feel you can't hold it any longer" Lantis said aproaching her gently. "Take it away and I'll take over."

"Then there would be a gap…" Fuu said gasping. "Between my releasing and your protection and it would be dangerous."

"You're already too weak." Lantis insisted, the light blade of his sword appearing. "You are the only one of us that can heal wounds. We need you safe. Withdraw the shield."

"But…"

The shiled suddenly cracked and Fai precipitated to the floor right besides them. "In the floor clsoe to the walls the speers can't reach." He said quickly. "Run there when I tell you to." He looked at Fuu. Then his eyes switched to Umi. "The speers come from holes in the ceiling and upper walls. If you can make an extended range attack that hits them, maybe blocks them, we'll have time enough to run to the door before they break through."

"Where is the nearest wall?" Lafarga said, picking up Sakura.

Fai pointed to his right. "That way. It's where we came from. If we were to run close to the wall all the way towards the door it would takle too long and drain us. Turning back is pointless. So the quickest way across is in straight line. Wait near the wall until I tell you."

And just like that, he was gone, breaking through the wind shield as if it were thin water.

They felt a strange pressure they made them all gasp, then Fai's yell to leave the shield. Fuu released her magic and stumbled back: Lantis picked her up and shot towards the wall—through a path of clear ground thet suddenly appeared in the exact direction they had to take... at the end of it he could even see the wall.

As they run across it, not a speer feel in their way or behind them, as if there were some kind of magic protecting them. However Lantis didn't feel magic around him; he only felt Fai's presence more clearly than ever. And Kurogane's, dimmer for some reason.

It came to him that the ninja was wounded. He couldn' locate him exactly, but he knew he was weaker. A single scatch of the heavy razor sharp speers could have cut off a limb; with a little luck, it wasn't the case.

Just like Fai has said, near the walls the air was clear. As soon as they were out of danger, Umi turned resolutely to the dome ahead of them.

"Very well" she said firmly. "I can get a hint!"

She raised her hands and closed her eyes, concentrating her magic. She bend her right arm back over her shoulder, preparing to throw and attack in front of her, and remembered what Hikaru had said about voice helping release tension.

Her voice rouse to a thunder as she jumped and sent her magic against walls and ceiling, extending her arms. The water dragon collided against the holes and inmediately froze to ice at her command, creating about a meter of watery cristals that included speers trapped in midair. The silence was oppressive after that.

"Umi-chan!" Hikaru gaped. "Incredible!"

Umi was panting too hard to smile at her. This new form of using her magic was exhausting.

It was then they noticed a white thunder roaring across the dome towards them, tearing the ground apart and destroying the forest of speers. The light died right ahead of them and steam rouse from the burnt tiles of the floor.

"Let's go!" Lafarga said, lunging forward with Sakura in his arms towards the newly made path, at the end of which they saw the door. Ascot grabbed onto Umi's hand as he ran by her and the blue haired girl followed him.

Fai landed elegantly next to the ninja. The red eyed man looked up at him irritably.

"Tsk tsk, the carelessness, Kuro-piu."

"Shut up." The ninja grunted. "It's a scratch."

"A little less luck and you'd be picking up your leg from the other side of the dome." The mage said seriously, walking towards the black dressed man with a worried frown. "Let me look at it."

"I'm pressing it down." The ninja countered. "It's bleeding."

"I can see that. Is it bad?"

"Bad enough so that I'll probably won't be able to run to that door." The ninja signaled to the exit with his chin.

"Hmm. Well with your size I can't drag you there." The thinner man said. "I'm not good at this, at least not as good as Fuu-chan, but I can stop the bleeding long enough for her to tend to you."

"And then what? I just told you I can't run."

"And so, shall we stay here until the come back with the feather?"

"Don't joke. I'm not."

"You never are." Fai chided. "You'll get all wrinkled and grey, really."

The ninja eyed him angrily, but finally let go of his thigh.

The wound was nasty. One of the speers had cut through the flesh so deep Fai could see the bone. It was clear the artery ahd been sliced, thus the distressing amount of blood rushing out of the ninja's body. It was right in the middle of the left thigh, on the outer part. That was good, because had it cut through the inner side, much tender than the outer, Kurogane would probably already be dead.

"Healing magic drains me, so be still." Fai said as he placed his hands gently over the wound and pured his soul to it. By donating energy to the flesh around the wound, he could regenarate part of the lost tissue and stop the bleeding. When he forced Kurogane to run and worsen the wound the bleeding would obviously return, but he would at least get as far as Fuu's reach.

It was then that they were surprised by a huge water dragon crushing against ceiling and walls. Fai half grinned as he diverted a part of his magic to form a white lightening that zig-zagged like a bee until it collided with the ground next to the door. It made its way towards the group at the other side of the dome.

"You doing that with your magic?"

"Not exactly." Fai lied. "It's not magic itself. I used the atmosphere's energy charge and condensed it in a lightening. I'm not using my magic; I'm abusing Lantis's and the other's. This isn't magic, either. I'm using your viatl energy to stop the bleeding."

"Coward."

"Get up." Fai rose to his feet inmediately. Kurogane grounded his right foot and used his hands to push himself off the wall. He stumbled and Fai caught him, placing the left arm around his lithe shoulders. "This will hurt. Try to endure it."

"Feh." Kurogane said, disregarding the matter as if pain was nothing to him.

Even as stubborn and headstrong as he was, it was obvious to Fai he was in a great deal of pain. The thigh was little less than cut in half and it was already bleeding badly by the third step that the ninja forced the leg to give. Fai was thin and even though he was only a little shorter than Kurogane, the weight the ninja placed on him was distressful. It was clear Kurogane was struggling to do it himself with as little help from Fai as possible; it was obvious because if he hadn't, Fai would have been crushed under his larger body.

Only a few meters away from the door, Kurogane was forced to stop and put a hand on the wall to support himself. Fai didn't like at all the heavy way he was breathing and how pale he was.

"Damnit." He breathed out, staring at the door.

"It's only a little more. We can't stay here. The ice is already cracking."

"I know!" the ninja hissed. He took his lef arm away from Fai and leaned against the wall for support. "You go on ahead. Help the girl keep the ice."

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm not leaving you here, Kurogane." For once, Fai's temper flared at the suggestion.

"You don't be stupid, I'm not gonna let myself die in a place as miserable as this, idiot!" The ninja growled. "I'n gonna be right behind you, just at the pace I can afford."

"Let me help you."

"No, I'm fine, now go!" Kurogane roughly pushed the Mage away from him and in the direction of the door. The blonde took a good look at him and hesitated.

He was breathing erratically, the blood pured from the wound and dripped down to the tiles of the floor; a trace of the liquid guided his eyes back to the splattering where it was started again. The ninja was pale as a sheet of paper, covered in cold sweat and could barely stay on his feet.

He met his eyes for a moment, and finally decided. He turned and left running.

The fire behind those crimsom eyes wouldn't die of something as pitiful as this!

In the silence of the dome, or maybe in the silence of his mind, the sound of the sword being unsheathed and sank into the ground was like a scream. He ignored it.

He almost collided against Lafarga as he ran straight through the door. Ferio and Ascot stopped by his side.

"The ice won't hold for long." The Mage said. "We have to get off this mountain inmediately."

"Where's the gloomy guy?" Ferio asked.

"He's coming." Fai answered and stopped by the door, where they were safe.

"Let's keep moving!" Lafarga said, placing Sakura gently on the ground.

"Fai-kun, where's Kurogane-san?" Syaoran asked worried.

"He's coming." The Mage repeated, looking down to him. He smiled reassuringly at him, but fisted his hand.

"But, is he injured? What happened?" Fuu asked very worried, lightly touching Fai's arm.

"He got dealyed." The Mage said gently taking her hand. "But he's…coming."

"If he's not injured, he'll catch up. Let's move." Lantis said.

"No." Fai said firmyl. The warrior froze. The Mage's eyes were narrow and cold. "He's coming."

"Let's go help him!" Syaoran turned to the door. Fai's hand gripping his shoulder stopped him.

"There's no need for that." The bangs of blonde hair kept his face shadowed, and Syaoran coundl't see his eyes, but his worry of Kurogane's health kept increasing and frankly, he didn't think he was ready to loose another father figure…

Right then the ice gave up. It fell in heavy layers to the ground exploding in a cloud of ice, dirt and wood fragments. It burts through the door and hit them so suddenly no one had time to react very well. Fai pulled Syaoran back against the wall, and Lantis managed to form a shield with his sword to protect those behind him, who were Lafarga, Umi, Hikaru and Sakura. Ferio pushed Fuu against the wall and covered her with his body, and Ascot dropped to the ground.

"Kurogane!" Fai rushed to the door. If the ninja had been caught in that storm of destruction…

He collided against something solid.

Well, not very solid. It fell back when he hit it. Fai ended up sprawled over something not very soft.

"Fuck." The rough voice thundered in the chest beneath his. "Get off me, Mage. This shit stings."

Fai stared at him for over five seconds before actually getting off. By that time, the ninja was much very annoyed at him. Only when he pulled back was he able to appreciate the whole of the damage to the warrior's body.

The wound to the thigh being the worst, Kurogane now counted in his record with multiple splinter stabs, either of ice or wood. Tiny daggers of both eructed from many portions of his body. Half his face was covered in blood—the only part of his face that had some color—and his left arm was inutilized by a splinter of wood entering behind and portruding in front.

Fai was frozen kneeling by his side.

"Kurogane-san!" Fuu screamed horrorized, and inmediately poured her heart into her healing magic.

The warrior grunted and closed his eyes. For a horrible moment, Fai feared he was dying. Well, clearly he was dying, had it not been for Fuu's magic, but he feared he had just died. He did it before he realized; his hand was gripping Kurogane's wrist very hard, attached to it like a leach.

The ninja hissed and looked at him annoyed. "Let go, I'm not going anywhere. Isn't it obvious?"

"I-I don't… I don't know what to do… with his arm." Fuu said wearily. "Should we…pull that off?"

"I decidedly doubt he'll survive that." Lafarga murmured to her. "He looks rough, but he's nearly dead. Take care of the rest of him first and then we'll see, Fuu-chan."

The girl nodded.

"God, Kurogane-san!" Sakura fell to her knees next to Fai and touched the ninja's hand very carefully. "This is horrible!"

"Well, it ain't my best moment, but I've had it rought before." The ninja answered eyeing her.

"I'm so sorry!" Sakura's eyes fileld with tears. "This is because of me!"

For a moment, the tears rolled down her cheek and only Hikaru managed to put a hand on her shoulder and start saying something. But Kurogane's larger hand was suddenly on Sakura's head, easing her. The girl looked at him with clouded green eyes and the man smiled—or rather smirked as sweetly as he could manage, which wasn't much, Umi decided.

"Don't cry, Princess." He said. "I'm harder to kill than this. This was negligence. A mistake. And it isn't your fault if we get hurt by sticking up to our own choices; I decided to come in here and get your feather. My decision, my choice. All of us; our choice. So don't cry and don't feel guilty. It's easier to fight for someone who smiles at your efforts than for someone who cries over your failures."

Sakura firmly wiped her eyes dry and looked at him with determination as green winds of healing magic swirled around him. "I'll be strong for you." she said.

Kurogane chuckled low, closing his eyes. His hand slipped from her head and she caught it, gasping.

"You do that." He said. "I'll sleep a bit, now."

"Kuro-puu…" Fai said sternly. The warrior opened his eyes sleepily to gaze at him.

"Finally wiped that goofy smile from your face, did I." he murmured sleepily. "Don't run off doing anything stupid while I sleep, idiot."

And he fell asleep.

"The shock to his body was too big to heal him awake." Lantis said. "Let's wait from him to wake up. We all need some rest before continuing."

"We can't stay put in enemy grounds." Lafarga said.

"Neither can we move him." Lantis said. "We can uall use the pause." He looked down and put a reassuring hand on Hikaru's head. "Once he's awake he'll be as good as new. He's earned us to wait for him."

"The feather is right ahead, there." Mokona whispered in Syaoran's ear. "There's a shiled over it now, that's why Sakura can't feel it. But it's there."

Syaoran nodded firmly, a look of detemrination taking over his features. He eyes Kurogane a little alarmed, but as seeing the warriori's sleeping face with it's usual grumpy frown, he felt reassured.

Kurogane had the strange ability to make you feel safe by being rough. One could lean on his strength, and trust everything would be fine.

Syaoran fisted his hands. He would get that feather for Sakura, and he would do it without the need of putting Kurogane-san and the others in danger. He would do it himself.

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Well, this story turned out to be KuroFai. I hadn't thought of any pairings, but I really like Kuro, so, well. It happened.

Namariel, out!