Disclaimer: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle is the intellectual property of CLAMP.
Author's Note: I don't think I explained what happened to Syaoran and Sakura's Kurogane and Fai well enough. To hopefully clear that up...Mokona apparently hiccupped during transport and only Syaoran, Sakura, and Mokona dropped out into this world. Kurogane and Fai are still waiting to enter it. It works like this: Syaoran, Sakura, and Mokona arrived at point A on the timeline while at the same exact time, Kurogane and Fai arrive at point B, which happens to be at some later time. When Kurogane and Fai finally arrive, it will be as if absolutely no time at all has passed.
~ All That I Am ~
Part 2, Chapter 3
"The hotel security is programmed to search for energy signatures and sniff out chemical substances. It won't detect these." Subaru explained to Fai, handing him one of the small, black handguns he had brought from his personal collection. "I had hoped to have more time to teach you how to use it but if you have to draw it, it should at least cause a panic, even if you don't hit your target." He proceeded to explain to Fai how to fire the mechanism.
"Hold still!" Tomoyo ordered and Kurogane averted his gaze to the young woman kneeling at his feet, stitching at the cuffs of his slacks.
She had been forced to finish her last-minute alterations en route, showing her impressive skill and drive. Taking the feather as her inspiration for Sakura's dress, as Sakura wouldn't be seen by the guests of the auction, Tomoyo had designed for her a pale pink and white dress with a petal in the front bearing the image of the feather.
Fai and Kurogane were dressed in black to discourage attention but, while she'd dressed Kurogane smartly in a simple but elegant suit, she had designed a black, lacy gown for Fai, accessorized by the black lacy veil that would cover his hair and face from view. Tomoyo had even gone so far as to change his gender while she was at it. The dress Fai was wearing came complete with figure and Tomoyo made a point to demonstrate that groping them would not be a problem in concealing their falsehood. A small pocket in his new "chest" gave him the perfect hiding place for the small pistol that Subaru was arming him with.
Kurogane once again tore his eyes away from Fai to wander the room. Syaoran was meditating nearby, sitting cross-legged on the floor, his sword lying across his lap. Sakura was watching Tomoyo interestedly from one of the armchairs. Mokona was hanging out with Fuuma in the cockpit.
Kamui had contacted them again that morning and explained what he wanted from Syaoran in greater detail…which wasn't much. He'd done all of the preliminary and set up work himself, had already done all of the scouting. What Kamui really wanted was just to do what he had gotten himself ready for and pretend that Syaoran wouldn't be following him around while he was doing it. He'd never complained at Subaru's request that Syaoran accompany him but he also made it clear that he wouldn't be needed.
Syaoran himself didn't seem to mind one way or the other. He seemed convinced that there was something he could do just by being there. Maybe he thought he was fulfilling some duty to the princess by merely making himself available to Kamui. And it was likely so, Kurogane decided. Even if Kamui could pull the entire thing off by himself, as he was obviously wont to do, he doubted they were getting in his way by flanking him.
"There." Tomoyo declared, standing.
"Thanks." Kurogane said and Tomoyo flashed him a bright grin.
"Just don't ruin it." she said, shaking her finger at him with every word.
Kurogane nodded, thinking of the amount of effort she put into it, then he remembered that she hadn't said a thing to Fai on the subject and frowned instead.
"Why are you telling only me?" he demanded to know but before Tomoyo could answer, Mokona's voice came over the P.A. system.
"We'll be landing in Russia within the hour, now. Your captain would like to thank you for flying Mokona Air!"
"Don't you dare tell me you're letting that weird little meat bun pilot this airplane!" Kurogane shouted back, shaking his fist in the direction of the cockpit.
He meant to go and make sure, but Fai swept into his path and held him back.
"I think Kuro-kun should take Mokona with him. They'll think Mokona is a computer and he may come in handy."
"There is no way I'm carrying that thing into a room full of yakuza and mafia members." Kurogane argued back, putting his foot down firmly on the subject. "I'm going to have enough trouble keeping an eye on you." he added, waving an indicative arm at Fai's outfit.
"All the more reason you should take Mokona." Fai returned. "So Kuro-tan can keep an eye on me and Mokona can keep an eye on Kuro-puu."
"I was counting on you for that."
Fai's eyes widened but then he looked away. "Kuro-ta would do that to me."
"I'm taking Mokona with me," Syaoran interrupted them. His eyes were still closed in meditation. "to absorb the feather until we can bring it to Sakura hime."
"Nothing's going to happen." Kurogane said, laying a firm hand on Fai's arm. "It might be true that everyone there'll be armed to the teeth but it doesn't matter because no one's gonna pull any shit in a room full of armed enemies."
"You're right." Fai said, nodding his head but he wasn't agreeing with him, Kurogane could tell, he was just trying to convince himself.
Suddenly, the jet lurched and everyone stumbled. Almost immediately, Mokona's voice came over the P.A. system again.
"Sorry about that everyone. Mokona made a little mistake."
Kurogane growled and shoved Fai aside as he advanced toward the cockpit on a warpath. He would be damned if the same fur ball who hiccupped his other self into oblivion sent him crashing to a fiery death on board this stupid private jet.
-oOo-
Kurogane held his stomach as he threw up on the airport landing strip while Fai rubbed his back sympathetically. He was too upset to shoo him away. Chasing Mokona around the cockpit had turned out to be a bad idea because after he'd inadvertently knocked Fuuma into the controls, the plane had performed a series of swooping aerial maneuvers generally reserved for air shows and no one was happy with him.
"I'm glad you're the distraction and not the operative."
Kurogane looked up, startled at the new voice, to find a thin man dressed entirely in black standing before him. It turned out to be Kamui, on closer inspection, and Kurogane frowned darkly, straightening. He hadn't seen him approach at all, hadn't even noticed him standing there until he'd spoken. There was a tingling in his spine that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, like the hackles of a dog. There was something about this Kamui guy that put him on edge. It wasn't a bad feeling, necessarily, but it left him on guard just the same.
A firm scowl settled on Kurogane's face as Kamui walked past him to meet with Subaru. Sakura, standing nearby, curtsied politely to him.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kamui-san." she said.
Kamui looked at her and after a beat, during which Sakura adopted a hesitant look in her eyes as she stared back at him, he nodded curtly.
"I wonder what he's going to do when Sakura gets her feather back." Fai whispered. "He seems kind of single-minded."
Kurogane wanted to say that he'd probably take over a country somewhere but he knew full well that Kamui could hear them and he didn't want to make an enemy of the other man - at least not until they had gotten thorough this thing in one piece.
oo
Kamui wasted little time. After a brief exchange with Subaru, he directed them to his rented car and drove them in silence to a hotel parking garage, explaining that they would walk to the designated hotel from there. He took Syaoran and Mokona with him; to where, Kurogane didn't know, and left Fai and Kurogane to join the other auction guests. He didn't tell them his plan, didn't explain anything at all to them. They were the figureheads, on display while Kamui and Syaoran stole the feather.
"Has it crossed your mind," Fai said, as they walked down the sidewalk together on the way to the Paramount Hotel where the auction was to take place "that all of these mafia and yakuza and business people at the auction might remember you later and think that we seemed kind of out of place and come after us?"
Kurogane had not, in fact, considered that possibility. As he recalled now, the only thought he'd had when he'd insisted on going himself was that doing so would bring him face to face with a certain person that he wanted to see for himself. He couldn't afford to worry about things. It was too late in the game to think that way.
"Look, that self-servicing asshole doesn't get to do anything if we win the feather ourselves. And since you only get one wish off it, no one's gonna bother looking for us to get it back."
Fai seemed reassured and returned his gaze to the hotel as they approached it. He took a calming breath and opened the black, lacy fan that Tomoyo had given him to hide behind. With the veil covering his hair and face, he was unrecognizable. He lifted his arm and Kurogane dutifully took it in the fashion of an escort, taking the arm of his benefactor. Fai walked with his head held high, chin level, his gait slow and deliberate; the flawless image of a lady of wealth and standing. It had to be flawless.
oo
The hotel doorman pulled open the large, glass door for them and they walked in together. Directly to the right was the reception hall where the auction was to take place, guarded by two men on either side of the door.
They stopped before the guards and Kurogane handed over their ticket. Subaru had not known the extent of the security measures that would be taken, only that the tickets could be presented by anyone, regardless of who they had originally been issued to. The assumed idea was that if the issued couldn't even hold onto their ticket, they certainly didn't deserve the power of the feather.
The man holding the ticket pocketed it after inspection and the other opened the door for them. They passed into a large room with a shining wood floor and a raised platform at the far left. Soft music drifted above the murmur of quiet conversations.
Scanning the crowd of people gathered, Kurogane spotted each of the individuals that Subaru had brought to their attention - including the stocky Fei Wong Reed, flanked by the tall, waif Kyle Rondart. Both were dressed exclusively in black and were speaking with a pair that Kurogane had never seen.
Kyle seemed to sense that he was being watched because he began to look around and eventually he found them across the room, his eyes settling squarely on Fai.
Fai must have noticed because he turned toward the bar along the wall to their right and made his way in that direction, turning away from the pair.
Kurogane would have reminded him that refreshments weren't a good idea but he was already too late. He went along at Fai's side, wondering if it would be too noticeable for him to check the pocket watch that Subaru had lent him. He refrained though, afraid he'd be checking it every two minutes if he started now.
By the time they reached the long counter where several other guests had gathered to drink in relative silence, Fai had realized that he didn't want to be there; he didn't want to lift his veil to drink anything, but Kurogane couldn't help him now. He ordered Japanese sake, determined to pass whatever time remained behind the single glass sat before him by the expressionless barkeep.
"I would recommend Château Margaux, 2000 if they offer it."
Kurogane turned quickly at the voice, smooth and low, and found Kyle speaking over Fai's shoulder, close to his ear, an easy smile in place. Fai's chin was elevated slightly, and Kurogane knew he was caught.
"Real wine for real women." Kyle continued, straightening. "Everyone knows the synthetics aren't worth drinking."
Kurogane's meaningful glare caught the lanky man's attention as he sat his glass back down on the counter.
"My lady does not drink." It took everything Kurogane had to grind out each word.
Kyle raised an eyebrow to him, his grin sliding to one side. "Oh? A pity but, perhaps she dances, then? There is music after all." One hand gestured vaguely to the air to indicate the softly floating music and came to a stop in Fai's view, palm up, awaiting his hand.
Kurogane's glare darkened. "We aren't here to socialize."
The smile faded from Kyle's face. "How unfortunate. I was hoping to get to know you better. You see, rumor has it that there is one of us who received a ticket and found something more valuable in selling it. And while the identity of said object is certainly in itself is a grand mystery, a more relevant inquiry might be to whom was the ticket sold? While we may all have our own enterprises, our own corners of the world, if you will, there isn't anyone here that doesn't have an intimate knowledge of the poison standing next to them. Know your competition, as it were. Even I recognize or at the least know of everyone who's gathered here tonight. Everyone, that is, except you."
Kurogane reached back for his glass, averting his eyes momentarily. "You're probably accustomed to people answering all of your questions and doing whatever you like after your little monologues," he downed the contents of the glass in one long gulp "so it's probably about time you learned that you're not always going to get what you want."
Kyle opened his mouth to speak when they were interrupted by the yakuza man, Okiura. He was clapping, smiling at them, obviously taking some sort of amusement from their exchange.
"After about the first or second sentence it's easy to tune out the people whose self-importance outweighs their charm."
Kyle shot the man a dark glare, a look that may have seemed comical in a room surrounded by other people, but that could easily have sent chills down a man's back if they were alone.
"Come," he beckoned Fai, a hand held out for him "that is…if your escort doesn't mind?"
The slight incline of Fai's head told Kurogane he was likely to say no but if it meant creating a distance between Fai and Kyle, Kurogane was willing to gamble. When he looked at Kyle, he got the distinct impression that he was a snake, just waiting for a warm body to sink poison into.
"My lady does as she pleases." He hoped that Fai got the hint when he turned back to order another drink. A moment later he heard their receding footsteps so he imagined Fai had accepted the invitation.
Faced with only Kurogane to amuse himself with, Kyle retreated, returning to his companion across the room. Kurogane imagined him slithering away and the alcohol still warming his throat made him smile at the imagery in spite of the situation. The smile faded as a thought settled itself firmly in his brain. That man had once murdered a child, a small, innocent child who had looked exactly like Fai. The sake burned on its way to his empty stomach and Kurogane cut himself off.
He turned to watch Fai and the yakuza instead. The man was talking with Fai, the careless smile held unwaveringly in place. He couldn't tell if Fai was speaking in return, but he seemed relaxed enough. They were the only two people dancing and people gave them a wide berth. He spotted another man watching them, Kiyokazu, if he remembered correctly. His hair's unusual color made him easy to spot. He looked about as disgusted with Okiura as Kurogane was with Kyle and Fei Wong.
oo
As Kurogane was sizing up Kiyokazu, another member from Subaru's hot list appeared. He was dressed purely in white, a flowing oriental shirt over matching pants all trimmed in gold, his long silver hair gathered gracefully at his back. He smiled welcomingly but his eyes were sharp enough to make Kurogane frown. He couldn't remember the man's name; he was the guy from Korea.
He ordered himself a vodka martini and once the drink was made he turned around with it and joined Kurogane against the bar, watching the people mingling before them.
"Allow me to guess that you are the man with the missing ticket."
When Kurogane didn't answer the man chucked to himself, as though he were amused by Kurogane's silence, and plucked the olive from his drink, touching it to his lips.
"Perhaps in this I should be direct."
The man from Korea pushed the olive into his mouth and paused a moment to chew it thoroughly and swallow before he continued.
"You have no hope of possessing the feather. It is far out of your league. You may walk among those of standing and wealth and power but, make no mistake, this does not raise you to the level of those such as myself. In this world, a man's fate is decided the moment that he is born; whether into wealth or poverty. A man such as you can wear whatever he likes but everything about you gives away your true standing; from those calloused paws of yours to your uncultured expression. You would do better to leave now and save whatever dignity it is that you imagine you have."
Kurogane was honestly too furious to form a coherent sentence. Who the hell did this pompous ass think he was?
"Why you…"
Kurogane reached out for the man next to him but a firm hand found his arm first and Kurogane turned to find another of Subaru's footnotes; the guy whose mother was supposed to be a pain.
"It wouldn't do to fight here."
The Korean took a sip of his drink around the smirk on his lips and left the glass on the counter before he turned with a flourish to make his exit. He didn't go far, however, before he turned back, smiling with false warmth. "Just a bit of friendly advice."
Kurogane made a lunge for him as he turned back around and walked away but the man at his arm held him back.
Kurogane growled and the man released his arm.
"The auction will begin soon." he said.
Before Kurogane could reply, Fai reappeared, minus his dancing partner, and interrupted them.
"Problem?" He spoke softly, quietly, with just enough force to push an air of authority but not so much as to give away his true nature.
The man next to Kurogane turned and quickly bowed to him. "No, my lady." He sounded like he was used to answering to women with little patience. "Beg your pardon. I am Tennou, my lady. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Fai bowed his head in kind. "Likewise. I am Faye and I see you've met Tetsu, my escort."
They'd thought it best not to give names they could be associated with. Unfortunately, Fai's attempt at cleverness had a sad lack of creativity to it, in Kurogane's opinion.
"Your attention, please."
Kurogane, Fai, and their companion turned toward the platform across the room to find the projection of an elderly gentleman addressing the room.
"Tonight's event will now begin."
There was a long pause, during which the bartender and several other attendants left the room; the last turning to close the door, the sound echoing in the now-silent room.
Kurogane nearly sighed in relief. With the start of the auction, social hour was over. Kurogane didn't think he could take any more socializing.
On the platform, two new attendants, dressed in black and wearing identical expressions, lips pressed sternly thin and eyes hard and narrow, carried onto the stage a large easel and set it up with an impressively framed abstract painting. A murmur rose in the audience.
"The first item up for auction will be this painting…" the auctioneer began. "It is an early 20th century piece by the famous…"
"What kind of shit is this?"
All eyes turned toward the Lady Shashi who was glaring up at the auctioneer's hologram with a fierce look. No one else seemed inclined to interrupt her.
"We didn't come here to participate in some petty rummage sale! We want the feather. Get on with it!"
A few agreeing murmurs rose, scattered about the audience but the auctioneer was unmoved.
"I'm afraid you misunderstand." he stated calmly. "The final item does not go up for auction until every item before it has been successfully sold."
Seeing the fuming expression on the Lady Shashi's face, Kurogane thought he understood now why the auctioneer was physically elsewhere.
It must have been her breeding, Kurogane guessed, that was the only thing holding her back from starting a riot, but she, and everyone else, remained silent as the auctioneer gave his long-winded description of the artwork and finally opened bidding at 30,000 US dollars, the preferred currency of the auction's host.
The room remained silent.
The auctioneer allowed the silence to persist for a long, drawn out moment before his hollow, emotionless words permeated the stillness.
"This being the situation, bidding will begin instead at 35,000 dollars."
Gasps sounded around the room; shouts and threats followed closely after.
"This is ludicrous!" someone yelled. Kurogane thought it had come from the Korean woman.
The auctioneer allowed the clamor to wane before speaking; always calm, always uncaring and Kurogane wondered if he might have been a program running from somewhere rather than a human being. It was impossible to tell.
"This being the situation," he began, and everyone knew from this what would be said "bidding will begin instead at…"
"I'll bid!" Tennou's voice rose just in time; the voice of reason and acquiescence among the malcontents. "At 35,000. I'll bid."
"Tennou!" his mother cried.
Words were exchanged between them, quietly so that they couldn't be heard, but then, no one needed to hear the conversation to know what had transpired. They all knew. Putting aside an outright rebellion, they would never see the feather if they didn't jump through the hoops first.
And so the bid went through and Tennou went to pay for his purchase and the auction continued.
"I hope there isn't too much to go though before the feather." Fai whispered next to him and Kurogane grunted in agreement. "If we end up the last pair who haven't bid on anything we may have to spend some of Subaru's money before the feather even comes up."
It was a possibility; that they might have to actually bid on the feather themselves. They'd known that ahead of time but after meeting Kamui in person, Kurogane found that event unlikely. The only thing that would keep Kamui away from that feather would be if they'd somehow managed to clone him ahead of time and set the clone on him. Kurogane had this image of Kamui in his head, running out of bullets in his gun, tossing the thing aside and pulling some sort of complicated karate shit to kick five guy's faces (who were twice his size) in at once.
The auction moved along slowly, due mostly to the auctioneer's slow tone and the fact that everything had to be set up on the stage and paid for on the spot. Nothing that was presented was bid on more than once. Impatience was growing thick in the room like an invisible, oppressive fog.
Somehow, Kurogane and Fai had managed to avoid being pressured into bidding on anything, mostly by standing at the back of the room behind everyone else, and finally, finally, the main event item was announced.
The two assistants disappeared behind the curtain to the room behind the stage where the items had been held. An instant later the room was thrown into darkness. In the distance an echoing noise, like a rumble of thunder or a far off explosion accompanied the sudden blinding void but that sound was quickly drowned by the rising panic in the room and shouts of "Someone's stealing it!" and "They're taking the feather!".
There was a stampede for the stage, people shoving and knocking each other down in the dark, but Kurogane knew better than to go that way. He reached out for Fai but couldn't find him.
"Hey!" he called but his voice was drowned out in the commotion.
Suddenly, the lights came back on, blinding Kurogane. They'd only been out for a matter of seconds but when he looked around, searching for the black lace of Fai's dress, he was nowhere to be found.
"Shit!" he cursed. Why would Fai leave his side like that? Had he noticed something Kurogane had missed? He wouldn't have followed the crowd heading for the stage, would he?
Across the room, an emergency exit was standing open and Kurogane ran for it. Maybe he'd thought Kurogane had been behind him and made his escape in the darkness. He cursed himself for being caught by the moment.
oo
Outside, the noise of the auction attendees somewhat faded behind him, Kurogane heard a new voice, one he recognized immediately.
"It's because you're so stupid," the voice said, so condescending. Kyle. "when you think about it, you're practically begging to be caught, to be taken advantage of. It hurts not to, you know, when you act that way."
Kurogane growled and followed the voice around the corner in an alley behind the hotel.
"Shut up!" Fai cried and Kurogane, rounding the corner behind Fai, concealed by the deep shadows of night, found the tall, lanky Kyle facing Fai whose veil had fallen away, or perhaps been thrown, to the concrete at his feet. Held tightly in trembling hands was the pistol that Subaru had given him, pointed at the man who only grinned back, a sinister, smug look that plainly said he feared nothing from the pitiful man before him.
"You might as well give me the gun now, Fai." Kyle said, stepping forward, hand outstretched, beckoning Fai to obey. "You know you can't kill me with it. You know what I'll do to you if you try."
"I'm not the same child under your thumb." Fai returned, but truthfully, he didn't sound so sure. "You can't control me anymore."
The smile on Kyle's lips slid ever wider, until it split his face with terrible amusement. "I see. You must have fallen in love, is that it? Is it that ape who brought you here tonight? Is it him, Fai? I don't have to hurt him, Fai. He doesn't have to suffer for you, not like poor Yuui. I'll let you keep him, Fai. I'll let you go free and live happily ever after…if you tell me where the feather is."
Kyle took another step forward. Fai - Yuui - didn't seem to have noticed.
"Just tell me who it is that brought you here. Tell me who you've fallen in with. Who has the feather? Where is it? Tell me Fai."
Kurogane had heard enough; enough of him saying Fai's name to…Yuui like that. He knew what it was doing to the blonde, how his insides twisted at the sound of it. Kyle halted as he stepped from the shadows, his lip curling into a snarl as he came to stand behind Fai, carefully wrapping his arms around so that the slight form of the trembling blonde was sheltered in his almost-embrace. Fai jerked at first but, without looking, knew it was him and resisted the urge to pull away.
Kurogane lay his hand over Fai's, reinforcing his grip on the gun shaking in his hand, steadying his aim, telling him without words that he was there, that he would support him no matter his decision, that he need not be afraid, not ever again.
He could feel the trembling in Fai's hand settle and Kyle was not pleased. His mouth opened but his poisonous words were silenced by the deafening bang of a gunshot. Fai dropped the pistol in shock as Kyle's eyes widened impossibly large, blood streaming from the corner of his mouth before he fell to the ground with a heavy sound.
But it had not been Fai who fired the killing shot. Kurogane looked up to find the silhouette of a woman behind Kyle, dressed in black. She stared back at him for a moment before fleeing and Kurogane was jolted into action. Stooping to grab the pistol in one hand, Kurogane took Fai's arm in the other and pulled him away from the scene as fast as he could. They had to get away from there. There was no time to worry about Kyle Rondart's killer or the fate of Sakura's feather. They made their escape down the darkened sidewalks lit only by passing vehicles, shoving past the pedestrians in their way.
The city had gone dark, lit only by backup generators creating pockets of light here and there and spots of darkness elsewhere. What the hell had that crazy shit Kamui done, blow up the frickin' power plant?
When Subaru's jet finally came into view, Kurogane realized that he and Fai had not been the only ones delayed. Fuuma was standing in the doorway, a laser weapon pointed over their heads, shouting to them "Hurry!".
He chanced a look behind them to see Syaoran, holding Mokona tight to his chest with one arm, his sword drawn at his side and Kamui trailing behind, firing off shots over his shoulder that missed their pursuer due to his hasty aim.
"Kamui!" Fuuma shouted, leaping down from the jet. He started firing as soon as his target came into range. His third shot hit the man in the leg, throwing him to the ground and giving them all just enough time to scramble aboard, the jet lifting into the air before Fuuma's left foot had the chance to leave the ground of its own accord.
Their hearts still racing, adrenaline still pumping in their veins, the group took a moment to breathe, watching as the door closed behind them and the Russian city disappeared from view; all but Fai.
Fai's wide, round eyes didn't seem to see Kurogane standing in front of him as he panted for air, grasping at the neck of his dress, tugging futilely at the chest.
"I can't breathe!" Fai was panicking. "I can't…I can't breathe! Help me!" He started tearing at the dress, succeeding in partially removing the top but he couldn't undo the corset beneath – why Tomoyo had made him wear that Kurogane couldn't fathom.
He pulled Fai into his arms, holding him there tightly, struggling and gasping.
"Fai! Fai!" It seemed that nothing could reach him like that. "Yuui." he whispered, close to the blonde's ear.
Fai's body went rigid and Kurogane could see the tears streaming down his face before he gave way, slumping heavily against his chest. Behind him, Kamui held up a hypospray and Kurogane frowned dangerously.
"It's a sedative." was his simple response and Kurogane noticed there was blood dripping down from his shoulder and Subaru was following behind, holding the bandages.
He lifted Fai into his arms and carried him to the couch, laying him out carefully and Tomoyo came to fix his dress, moving tenderly beneath his hawk's gaze.
It took several moments for it to sink in, that they had been successful, that finally, it was over. Mokona opened its mouth and a ball of light floated out, becoming the feather, floating slowly into Sakura's waiting hands.
She held it to her chest gratefully. "Thank you."
Kurogane watched as it dissolved there, against her breast and Syaoran was there to catch her when her eyes drifted shut and she fell into his waiting arms, like magic.
"I have news." Subaru said in the stillness that ensued. "An hour ago the call came in. Kurogane and Fai have arrived in Neo Tokyo. I have a colleague bringing them in now. They should arrive by mid-morning."
Kurogane and Fai… Kurogane looked to Syaoran, Mokona perched on his shoulder. He was standing next to the armchair he'd put Sakura to rest in. He would never see them again. His adventure was over; no more talking rabbits, no more secret societies, no more espionage. Of course, this also meant that there would be no more guns pointed at him, no more yakuza or jetting from one continent to another, but somehow, it felt as if something was being taken from him. He felt as if he somehow fit into this lifestyle. He wondered if it was because another him would be living it instead.
Syaoran sank to the floor, leaning back against the chair. "Is Fai-san alright?" he asked, looking across the way at Fai.
Kurogane followed his gaze. Fai seemed troubled, even in his sleep. He had never seen Fai panic like that before. Fai was as fragile as he was strong, it seemed. It reminded him of something his mother had once said to him; that people were meant to be completed by others. She had been talking about his anti-social attitude. As a child, he had always thought that there was nothing he couldn't do by himself, that he didn't need anyone else around to burden him. He'd never had any real friends. Now, though, he understood what she had meant. His mother had always been right – especially about him.
"He's fine."
As long as he was at Fai's side, somehow they might be complete.
Fai's side…Yuui's side. It wasn't Kurogane's place to tell him to let his brother go. If he was somehow keeping his brother alive inside by taking his name, it wasn't Kurogane's business to tell him how to live but if what he was doing was keeping his own failure and pain around to torture himself with, to make it impossible to move on for fear of forgetting his twin, Kurogane couldn't watch him do that to himself.
Fai had told him that Yuui died on the day that his brother was killed but Kurogane thought the truth was that he had hidden himself away and just didn't know how to unlock that door. He thought that he had seen the truth in the instant that Kamui had sedated him, in the instant he had said his name, but there was always the possibility that he was reading too much into things. Maybe all Fai needed was just to keep moving.
"Subaru," Mokona called out, pulling Kurogane from his thoughts and drawing his attention to the creature perched on Syaoran's knee "Syaoran needs bandages too!"
Syaoran blushed slightly under the concerned gazes he received and shook his head. "No, I… it's just bruises."
"…Let's see." Subaru offered and, reluctantly, Syaoran pulled his shirt over his head. He probably knew that arguing the matter would only draw more attention to it.
His ribs were beginning to color with nasty bruises that would surely be tender come morning and Kurogane wondered how ordinary this might have been for him, how often he might have ignored them so as not to worry the girl behind him.
"They aren't as bad as they look." Syaoran said, avoiding the gazes self-consciously.
Subaru turned to the medical kit lying open on a nearby table and produced a bottle of green cream. Kneeling before Syaoran, he flipped the cap open and squeezed some out on his hand, asking silent permission.
Syaoran moved his arms out of the way and Subaru spread the cream over the discolorations for him.
"This is what I use for Kamui. The bruises should be gone by tomorrow."
Syaoran's eyes widened as he looked down at Subaru's work. "What is it?"
Subaru handed him the bottle to read. "A mix of herbs, mostly. You could make it yourself at home but it wouldn't be quite as effective as this."
Syaoran studied the bottle's ingredients, clearly memorizing the list.
Speaking of Kamui… Kurogane wanted to ask him how long it was that Fai was supposed to sleep, but he was nowhere to be found so Kurogane took his seat on the floor, like Syaoran, and listened as Mokona piped up to tell them all about the battles that Syaoran and Kamui had fought.
-oOo-
Kurogane thought he might have dozed off a time or two during the relatively monotonous flight back to Subaru's Italian home, but he couldn't really be sure. Time seemed to stop whenever he boarded an airplane and he could never really be sure he wouldn't be caught within that still-time forever.
Sakura was awake by the time they landed but Fai was still out cold and Kurogane grew more and more irritated with Kamui with each passing hour. He kept telling himself that if Fai didn't wake up by any given amount of time that seemed to change on his whim that he would wring the bastard's neck.
Landing on solid ground calmed him a bit though, saving Kamui a horrid death, surely.
Kurogane took Fai back to the room they had shared and undressed him of the lace gown and all its complicated undergarments and redressed him in his own clothes which had been cleaned and folded and put in the dresser by the bed.
His mother had owned one beautiful, expensive kimono in her lifetime. He remembered that she had always hung it out for a time after wearing it so he found a hanger in a closet and hung the dress inside instead of trying to fold it. He wasn't sure if Tomoyo might get mad at him for folding it wrong – or folding it at all – but he was fairly certain that he didn't want to see her angry.
The veil and fan were missing. Kurogane intended to leave before she found that out. For some reason, he had the feeling that she would find some way to blame him for it, rather than Fai.
oo
Leaving Fai to rest, Kurogane went to find Subaru, to ask for copies of all the footage he had of his parents but he ran into Sakura instead.
"Kurogane-san!" She seemed happy to see him. "I'm so glad that I had the chance to run into you and to say goodbye properly before we leave." She bowed respectfully and, for an instant, Kurogane thought of doing the same, but the thought of politeness passed quickly as she straightened and smiled up at him. "I'm glad we had the chance met this world's you and Fai-san. The more time we spend together, the more I feel that we all share a very special bond so it wouldn't surprise me if someday you were able to meet a me or a Syaoran-kun from this world."
"I wouldn't mind that." Kurogane offered her a smile and Sakura's brightened twice as much. "It must be strange for you," Kurogane added after the moment had passed "to be leaving us behind here and keep traveling with…us…"
"A little." Sakura admitted. "But I'll always remember the time we spent with you here and what you did for us…for me. I'm only sorry that there was nothing we could really do for you in return."
Kurogane shook his head. "That isn't true. You've done more than you know. It's because you came here that my parents met in the first place, so in a way, I exist because of you…" Kurogane hadn't realized it until he'd said it. He existed because these children had traveled to this world resulting in the gathering of people to help them. Somehow, the scope of it made it a frightening thought. Frightening and sobering.
"I never thought we could affect the worlds we travel to so much." Sakura said, sharing his solemn expression. "Just because we came here, people met and became friends and families, my feather caused such goodness and such evil; people's lives were changed forever because of us."
Kurogane's gaze focused on the girl before him, a determination in his eyes and his voice as he replied. "Don't let it stop you. Don't let it slow you down. Things happen. It doesn't really matter why they happened in the end. You do what you can when the time comes and don't waste your time thinking about everything else."
"That's right." Mokona agreed and both turned to find Mokona riding on Subaru's shoulders, approaching them. "It was hitsuzen that the feather came here. That's what Yuuko would say."
"That's not what I said at all!" Kurogane argued.
"Sure it was!" Mokona argued back. "Kuro-pon's parents were destined to meet and make Kuro-pon so that Kuro-pon could find Fai and help Sakura, Syaoran, and Mokona!"
"My name is not Kuro-pon!" Kurogane shouted back. "And I didn't say anything about anything being destined to happen. What I do with my life is entirely under my control. Things just happen. Which is what I said: shit happens!"
Subaru, caught in the middle, stifled a small laugh under Kurogane's tirade and Kurogane turned away with a huff.
"I'm gonna go check on Fai. If he doesn't come around soon, I'm gonna kill that bastard Kamui." Kurogane muttered.
He only remembered the footage he wanted to ask Subaru about when he got back to the room. Fai was still asleep. He took a moment to look the blonde over. He seemed to be sleeping better than he had been before so Kurogane changed into his own clothes and sat in the bed next to him, crossing his arms over his chest, and soon fell asleep.
oo
Kurogane woke to voices talking softly outside the bedroom door. He'd left it ajar and outside, Syaoran and Mokona were talking about saying goodbye.
"I don't think it's a good idea." Mokona said. "I don't think we're supposed to meet ourselves."
"But after everything…" Syaoran hesitated. "I don't think it could do any harm for them to meet now."
"I'm not thinking about this Kuro-pon and Fai." Mokona clarified. "It's our Kuro-puu and Fai."
There was silence for a time until finally Syaoran answered. "I understand."
He lingered for a few more moments before Kurogane heard his footsteps recede down the hall.
"You want to see them, don't you?"
Kurogane looked down but Fai was lying on his side, facing away from him.
"I'll admit I'm curious."
"You should go." Fai said, his voice soft, almost worn out. "You'll never have another chance."
"What about you?"
Fai shook his head. "I don't want to see him." he whispered and Kurogane understood; the man who had his face. "Go."
Kurogane nodded, even though Fai couldn't see it, and stood, letting his vacant seat be his answer and left the room.
oo
Kurogane didn't know where Syaoran had been heading so he decided to try Subaru's study. On the way, he passed by Fuuma who offered to lead him in the opposite direction.
"Subaru's inner study is for private meetings, the outer office is for work, this is the one where general meetings are held." Fuuma explained, pointing out a large pair of double doors down a short hallway off-shooting the main sitting room.
Kurogane moved to approach the room but Fuuma stopped him, a hand on his arm, a smile on his lips. "The master study is special because this room is next door." he explained, indicating the smaller door they were standing in front of. Reaching around Kurogane, Fuuma turned the handle and swung the door open, waving him inside.
Following him inside, Fuuma turned on a monitor and the entire wall lit, showing them the study next door. It was the most impressive surveillance system Kurogane had ever seen. In fact, he was pretty sure that systems this good were generally reserved for government offices. It was as if the screen he was looking at was simply the rest of the room.
And on the other side was another version of himself. It was like looking through a mirror into some sort of alternate reality. He was dressed in black and red; a red mantle framed his face emblazoned with the simple image of a crescent moon, a wrap-around cape hung at his shoulders, the collar hiding his neck from view. He was shaking Mokona by the ears.
"-stupid pork bun! You did that on purpose, didn't you!"
"Mokona didn't even know you were gone because this world's Kuro-puu was just as grumpy as you are!" Mokona cried back, swinging at…him.
Fai laughed. It was a sound that said he was only reacting to the knowledge that the situation was funny, or maybe he'd done it just to further annoy the him that was standing next to him. Either way, Kurogane recognized the sound. It was a sound that said he didn't know how to fully relax without worries.
The Fai standing next to his other self was dressed in a thick long coat, trimmed in fur, blue swirling patterns sweeping along the length of it. It was open, revealing a strange form-fitting outfit with a tailed overcoat and boots that seemed to actually be part of his pants. Draped over one arm was another coat.
"I'm not saying you can't join in next door," Fuuma said, drawing just enough of Kurogane's attention to glance his way "but nobody can hear or see you from here and everything's being recorded anyway." That said, Fuuma left the room, closing the door behind him and a moment later, Kurogane saw him enter the next room.
"Don't worry, Mokona." Fai assured. "Kuro-tan is just trying to hide how worried he was when we got here and didn't find the three of you."
"I was not!" Kurogane yelled back, dropping Mokokna. "Stupid mage! Don't put words in my mouth!"
"He was sick with worry." Fai insisted, dramatizing the statement with a hand at the corner of his mouth.
Syaoran, obviously sensing the mounting tension, was quick to cut in, interrupting any potential comeback Kurogane might have had. "We've already found the princess's feather in this world. We were helped by the you and Fai-san from this world and Subaru and his organization; they were the ones who found the feather in the first place."
"Oh yeah? So…where are those guys?"
"I sure would love to meet Kuro-puu in other worlds." Fai commented wistfully. "I wonder if he's as fun to tease as you." he added, poking Kurogane's cheek playfully.
"Don't do that!" Kurogane snapped, stepping away from the blonde - just a single step. "One of you is already one too many."
Fai's smile was hollow and fixed.
"He is fun to tease!" Mokona declared, dancing in place. "He is! We had so much fun!"
Sakura nodded, smiling happily. "We got to ride on a ferris wheel and dance in the sky!"
"Huh?" Kurogane seemed confused.
Mokona nodded in agreement. "And then Tomoyo-chan made Fai-Fai into a girl!"
A faint blush dusted Fai's cheeks at that. "Pardon?"
"Tomoyo?" Kurogane declared. "Is she here? Where is she?"
"I'm sorry," Subaru said, speaking for the first time in their conversation "she had an appointment to keep later this evening and left as soon as we got back."
Kurogane watched the sudden crestfallen expression on his double, the frown slowly ease back into place, and a brief thought about his other wanting to meet Tomoyo even though she wouldn't be the one he had known led him to wonder if somewhere out there were worlds in which his parents were alive and well, worlds where Fai and his brother led normal lives. Fai didn't seem to want to see those worlds but Kurogane couldn't deny that he would probably take the chance to see his mother or father again if he could – even if they didn't know him. But he couldn't compare his loss to Fai's.
"You all are welcome to stay here as long as you want before continuing your journey." Subaru offered.
"Oh? That's very nice of you." Fai commented.
"Mokona thinks we should go now." the creature suggested. "Since Sakura and Syaoran and Mokona have been here a long time already."
"Yeah, whatever." Kurogane muttered. He was looking around discretely. "Does anyone else feel like we're being watched?"
Kurogane grinned from his room next door. Someday, he'd like to be that good, he thought.
"Kuro-ru's just nervous from the flight." Fai suggested teasingly.
Kurogane frowned. "I am not. … But if I were tired it would be from sitting in that thing with you for hours and hours with you blathering on in my ear in your ridiculous language you knew I couldn't understand!"
"I was just keeping Kuro-pii company." Fai defended light-heartedly. "Don't you like the sound of my voice?" he asked innocently.
Kurogane growled and grabbed Mokona from its perch on Syaoran's shoulder. "Time to go." he declared, throwing the creature into the air.
Mokona giggled as it flew up, up, and seemed to hover above them before it declared "Mokona Modoki is all excited!" and swirls of light seemed to emanate from it, swirling around the room.
The jewel on Mokona's forehead began to glow brightly. The four travelers gathered closer together and a glowing circle spread out beneath their feet, encompassing the entire floor. The symbols inside it reminded Kurogane of the ancient alchemical circles that had been in the history chapter of his science book in high school. Subaru and Fuuma moved quickly out of it, watching with awe as Mokona began circling the four within the circle.
"Ahh~" Its mouth opened and glowing white wings sprouted from its back. "Puu!"
The swirls of light closed in on the travelers until they, too, began glowing and soon, everything within the circle was formless bright light that Kurogane had to squint his eyes to see. Mokokna opened its mouth wide and the light condensed into an orb that flew inside. As the circle began to collapse, Mokona flew into it and it all vanished, leaving Subaru and Fuuma alone in the drawing room.
Kurogane stared at the empty floor space. He knew that if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed in it but he thought maybe the existence of magic was a little out of his league and vowed not to spend any more thought on it other than that they were gone.
He remembered Sakura stepping out of the dressing room, twirling before Syaoran, her smile nervous and excited, Syaoran hesitant and shy. He remembered her infectious laugh as Fai had danced with her on the airplane and her guilt and determination in helping to get back her feather.
He remembered Syaoran catching her as she fell after absorbing the feather, his oblivious offer to sleep on the floor when Fai had been distracting him at the restaurant they'd gone to together, the sword he had held out to him like an honored treasure.
Even Mokona's hyper exuberance, bouncing around the room, pillow fights and flying the jet – nearly crashing the jet…
And they were gone. He hadn't known he would miss them until they were gone.
oo
Kurogane returned to the bedroom he shared with Fai, thinking of how hectic his life had been since going in search of his mother's letter and how he wasn't sure he knew how to go back to the quiet life he'd lived before.
Fai was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking away at the floor across the room. He didn't look up when Kurogane walked in.
"Was it him?"
"It was you." Kurogane answered without doubt and Fai looked to him, his eyes haunted and uncertain.
"How could you know?"
"I would know." Kurogane assured him, ending the conversation.
Fai nodded absently and stood, turning to face Kurogane, his shoulders squared, practiced lines firm. "I have to go back. Now. To New Chicago. To stop Fei Wong before he disappears forever."
Kurogane waited, letting Fai get the difficult words out with growing determination.
"The woman who killed Kyle is Xing Huo. She works for Fei Wong too. With Kyle out of the way, she'll be at the head of all of the business deals he was in charge of. When she tells Fei Wong about me being there, he won't take any chances. He'll collapse his illegal operations and leave the country. He can fall back on legitimate enterprises and there'll be nothing anyone can do to even prove he did anything wrong. I can't let that happen, not now when I can finally do something. I can't let him go on making more children like me."
This was Fai's resolve. A lifetime of stolen innocence and vague memories of happiness lost to one man's selfish desires had grown into his existence and this was his only chance to avenge himself.
"Then we'll go now."
oo
They wasted no time and sought out Subaru to ask for the use of his jet.
"We'll pay you back for it someday." Fai promised but Subaru just smiled and shook his head.
"I brought you here, after all."
"I wanted to ask if you could copy all of the footage with my parents in it." Kurogane said, wanting to bring it up before he lost the chance.
"I will." Subaru agreed. They were standing in Subaru's private office and on the desk nearby he found a business card and handed it to Kurogane. "These are the numbers you can reach me at. Give me a call in a few days and I'll send it to you."
Kurogane took the card and slipped it into his pocket. "Thank you."
Subaru nodded. "Don't be strangers. You're both welcome to visit here whenever you like. And if you ever need a place to stay, think of this as home. The house is going to be a little more empty without secret society meetings to host." he added, grinning. "But I'll still think of all its members as a kind of extended family. It's the way Sorata and Arashi created penna and it includes you now, even though the society itself is now obsolete. There's nothing like a magic feather to bring people together."
"I have to admit," Fai said "I'll never think of the universe in the same way again."
"Yeah." Subaru agreed. "It's like we've found all the magic and wonder the world seemed to have when we were kids. It never went away; we just lost touch with it."
Kurogane didn't know about "magic" and "wonder". His childhood games of pretend had all involved invading armies and swordplay. But having seen things in the past few days that the world had no explanation for, things he never would have imagined, he couldn't say that anything was impossible anymore.
"I'll find Fuuma and let the two of you get ready." Subaru told them. "I'll have him meet you at the jet. It's already been refueled and is ready to go. Do yourselves a favor," he added "and take the flight time to relax a bit. There's a nice bathtub and a tv and refrigerator. Just ask Fuuma if you need anything."
"We really appreciate it." Kurogane said, offering Subaru his hand and they shook. As they parted ways, Kurogane was sure that they hadn't seen the last of him – he was also sure that Fai had not seen the last of Tomoyo but that was a whole other issue altogether.
Omake: Kamui and Syaoran
"You blew up a power plant!"
"Less talk, more running." Kamui hissed behind him.
The lights were already on again. If Kamui had had a little more time, he would have set explosives at the hotel's backup generator too. He hated only doing things half-way.
They broke through a service exit at a dead run but it wasn't fast enough. If only he'd had more time…
"Leaving kinda early aren't we? Auction's not over yet."
The searing pain that only laser fire can make as it burns through flesh threw Kamui off balance but his recovery was instantaneous and before he'd even identified his assailant, he'd fired back several bursts of laser fire from his own weapon. Not a single shot landed and Kamui saw that his opponent was Bols, the militant leader and suspected arms dealer.
"Kamui! Are you alright?"
Kamui frowned. The last thing he needed was some kid worrying about him. He stole a glance to his left to see Syaoran flanking him, brandishing a sword as his weapon. He guessed it had been inside of the talking creature he'd brought along; things went into it, things came out…
"I bet you're wondering how I snuck this little baby past hotel security, aren't you?" Bols said, holding up his laser gun with pride. "It's a brand new model. I commissioned it myself. Families were kidnapped and everything just so I could bring this little darling with me tonight. You're impressed aren't you?"
Kamui was not impressed. In fact, he was busy calculating the quickest way to make the lunatic disappear. He decided that the direct approach was faster than listening to his monologue and before Bols could open his mouth again he was dodging out of the way of Kamui's foot in its path to his chin.
Syaoran moved to follow but movement in his peripheral caught his attention and he just barely had time to lean back, avoiding the fist on a collision course with the side of his face. It breezed past him and Syaoran turned to find Kiyokazu Fujimoto pulling back for a lower strike.
"I'm your opponent." he said simply and Syaoran couldn't avoid the fist that slammed into his side, throwing him back.
Kiyokazu was unarmed. He waited for Syaoran to rise.
"I'm sorry," Syaoran said "I can't give you the feather. It belongs to someone else."
The slight shift of Kiyokazu's eyes guided Syaoran to a man standing in the shadows, watching them intently. His name was Okiura, Syaoran remembered, the yakuza, and he was controlling Kiyokazu.
Syaoran sheathed his sword and lay it on the ground at his feet. Kiyokazu advanced immediately; a high, strong kick that Syaoran deflected with his forearm, launching a kick of his own that Kiyokazu dodged.
oo
"How old are you?" Bols asked, firing off a random shot that Kamui had practically already dodged when he'd fired it.
"Because I think you might be better in a different line of work, I really do."
Kamui went for his face this time but Bols was infuriatingly quick at dodging him.
"I think if I take you back instead of the feather that I couldn't count the trip a total loss. Or I take back you and the feather. Or you and that interesting little computer you've got there."
Bols looked past Kamui to where Mokona was sitting on the ground nearby, looking worriedly in Syaoran's direction and Kamui quickly blocked his line of sight with a foot on its way to his face and Bols grinned.
"I could take that foot back, to remind me of you."
oo
It was clear to Syaoran that Okiura had not chosen to bring Kiyokazu along simply because the other was in debt. Kiyokazu was a formidable fighter. His style seemed to be a mish-mash of moves he'd picked up here and there, untrained and undisciplined, but he was determined nonetheless. He obviously had something desperately important to him to fight for. It was Syaoran's eternal lament that he sometimes had to do less than honorable things, get in good people's way, to keep the promise he had made to his own precious person. He did not regret, but that did not mean that he didn't carry it with him.
"Syaoran!"
Kamui's shout meant that it was time to wrap things up. He was being given no more time for honor or understanding. Syaoran leapt back, stooping to take up his sword and when Kiyokazu followed, unaware, Syaoran brought it up, striking the hilt against his opponent's temple. Kiyokazu went down in a crumpled heap and Syaoran reached out for Mokona, who leapt to his waiting embrace.
"Sorry." Syaoran afforded the other. It was better this way, he thought, making his escape under the watchful eye of Okiura. Kiyokazu was defeated, he couldn't be blamed. Syaoran chose to think that to be the case; to think otherwise would only keep him awake at night.
At the first opening, Kamui followed behind but he knew it wouldn't be long before Bols was up again. 'Don't kill anyone,' Subaru said, 'unless you really have to.' Subaru wanted to spare him the consequences of the things he saw himself asking his brother to do. Kamui couldn't make him understand, that he did them gladly, for Subaru.
Post whatevers: Two notes: 1) Russia's technology is behind the times and 2) hyposprays are also called "jet injectors". As always, if you liked, please review.
