"I have a message to deliver from the Worldwalker."
"Who?"
"The Worldwalker," she repeated as the wind picked up. "You'll find out who it is when the time comes. For now, just remember the message. 'Don't let her pick up the blank book.'"
Masooma's message played inside Fai's mind as he watched the girls approach. He could only hope that the panic didn't show on his face.
As Xahra's tutor, Fai had been about to suggest that she try and identify the magical books in the shelves and see if she could pick out the self-translating books for Sakura. It was a rather simple process that he was certain would have served as a perfect exercise for Xahra to get used to sensing the nature of magic in the world around her.
But then Fai's attention had been drawn to the book Xahra reached for as she teased Kurogane about his comic fixation, and Fai had frozen in his steps. Masooma had asked him to make sure that 'she' did not open the blank book, and looking at the scene play out before him, Fai knew that Xahra was reaching for the very book Masooma had warned him about. Fai only had a fraction of a second to react and he knew that he was too far away to physically stop her from picking it up, so without even realizing it, he called on his magic. The spell was at the tips of his fingers when he faltered.
How was he going to explain himself? Kurogane was already suspicious of him, and if he used magic to stop Xahra from picking up an empty book, he'd trust Fai even less. He wouldn't be able to throw Kurogane off his trail without admitting to the fact that he knew more about their journey than he was supposed to.
Immediately he reined in his magic, deciding to call out Xahra's name instead, but it was too late. She was already looking through the book.
No…
It only took him a moment to identify the nature of spell woven through the pages, but immediately Masooma's request started to make a lot more sense. The book was a replica of the "Book of Memories." Fai had spotted a flier about the original artifact on a newspaper stand on his way to Xahra, and he'd grabbed the flier with the intention of showing it to Syaoran later. The original book was supposed to be a very powerful magical artifact capable of bringing memories to life. The replica, however, was enchanted to show the memories of the first reader to whoever opened the book next. Whatever had happened in Xahra's past would be revealed to whoever picked up the book, and that was the point at which Xahra handed it over to Kurogane.
Is this why the Worldwalker had Masooma deliver the message? TokeepYuuko's pawn from seeing Xahra's memories?But why? Isthe Worldwalkerin league with thatman?
Sakura spotted Fai lingering near the bookshelf and gave him a smile. She said something to Xahra, who saw him and proceeded to drag Sakura along with her as she walked over. Fai plastered a sunny smile on his face even as he felt the spell activate on Kurogane. I failed...
"Is Mokona still with Syaoran-kun and Madiha-san?" Sakura asked.
"Yes," he said, feigning confusion. He already knew why Sakura was asking for Mokona, but he wasn't going to acknowledge that."Why do you ask, Sakura-chan?"
"I think my feather might be somewhere in the library."
"What makes you say that?" He cocked his head to the side, giving her a curious look.
"I felt it."
"Really? When?" Xahra asked in Fai's stead as she excitedly turned to Sakura.
"Just now, when you were teasing Kurogane-san. It felt like my feather, but it was too faint, so maybe it was far away. I wanted know if Mokona had sensed it too."
"We can go ask Mokona right now," Fai suggested, turning back and the girls followed.
"So what did you want to talk about, Fai?" Xahra asked as she came up to his right. For a moment Fai panicked that she had somehow found about what had just transpired, but he shook it off. Don't be ridiculous. How would she know?
"I thought of a new exercise to help you with your magic," he said, keeping the silly smile in place as he turned to Sakura. A plan was already forming in his mind to get the situation under control, but he knew he had to get Xahra back to Kurogane for it to work "Mokona should be right around the corner, Sakura-chan. Is it okay if I stay here with Xahra-chan for a while?"
"Of course, Fai-san."
Fai waited for Sakura to leave before turning back to Xahra. He needed to think of some way to stop Kurogane from viewing all of Xahra's memories. Mind magic was a tricky thing to interrupt mid-process, and though he possessed the skill needed to accomplish it, he would need to use magic to do it. And if he did that, his lies would start to unravel, and he would be revealed for what he truly was.
There is only one way to stop this, he thought grimly, not letting any of his darker emotions show on his face.
"I asked you to identify magical objects in our apartment yesterday. The library has quite a lot of self-translating books. Like this one for instance." He paused to point out a thick, leather-bound tome on the superiority of steam engines to combustion engines. Self-translating books were usually expensive compared to the regular ones, but quite an impressive portion of the Central Library comprised of the enchanted volumes. He handed it to Xahra. "Can you describe how it feels?"
"I can try?"
"Are you asking me or telling me that, Xahra-chan?" he said, trying to think of a way to get Xahra back to Kurogane.
"Sorry." She flushed, dropping her gaze to the book in her hands. "I'll try."
"Good. Now close your eyes and concentrate on the book in your hands. Think of nothing but the book and explain how it feels."
"I-I... I can't really explain it," Xahra said after a while, frowning as she tried to follow his instructions. She shuddered as though trying to fight off something unpleasant, and Fai suppressed a chuckle. Sensing magic took some getting used to. "It's like this strange buzzing in my bones that leaves a metallic aftertaste in my mouth. I didn't know magic could affect your taste buds."
"Only some spells do, Xahra-chan. Every spell has a different effect on your senses. Some make you recall strange flavors while others might play tricks on your sight or your sense of smell or hearing or even touch. Identifying these effects can help you categorize the type of magic and the nature of the spell used. We will work on that later. For now, memorize how the magic in the book feels like and use it to pick out as many books of the same nature as you can."
"Okay." She nodded, cracking an eye open to give him a curious look. "Can I ask you something though?"
"Of course." Fai smiled. She doesn't know anything yet. Calm down.
"I'm not really using any magic to sense this stuff. How is it going to help me get used to using magic?"
"Excellent question, Xahra-chan," he said, holding back a sigh of relief. "You're not using your magic, but being able sense it is the very first step in learning how to control it. Once you can identify magical objects around you without having to consciously think about it, that's when we can move on to controlling the power you posses."
"Hey, Fai, where's Kurogane? We think we might have found a lead on Sakura's feather." Madiha rounded the corner with Syaoran, Sakura, and Mokona in tow, a pleased grin on her face that didn't fade even when she saw Xahra. Fai felt a soft flutter in his chest.
"Kuro-tan is attached to one of those picture books I think," he said, turning to give Sakura a kind smile. This was the perfect opportunity to get Xahra to Kurogane. "That's great news, Sakura-chan. Is the feather somewhere in library?"
"No, Madiha-san found a flier about a powerful object that sounds like it could be my feather. It's being kept in Grand Central Library."
I guess there won't be any need to show them the flier I grabbed earlier,Fai thought, remembering the folded piece of paper in his jacket's pocket.
"That's amazing." He clapped his hands before latching on to Sakura's arm, proceeding to drag her in Kurogane's direction. "Let's go get Kuro-addict and find Sakura-chan's feather. Yoo-hoo, Kuro-tan, you can stop reading the picture book now. We're leaving," he sang, knowing full well that Kurogane wouldn't be able to hear him. Fai pretended to frown when he did not respond, dropping Sakura's arm in favor of approaching Kurogane."That's strange...Kuro-tan?" he called, poking the spellbound man with his forefinger before grabbing on to the replica of the book of memories.
He tugged at the volume, even though he knew it wouldn't part from Kurogane's hands until all the memories had finished showing themselves or the original owner of the memories touched it.
"He won't let go," Fai stated as he turned back to the group, pretending to look worried for Kurogane's sake. "I think the book is attached to Kurogane until the spell holding him has run its course."
"That could be dangerous!" Syaoran cried out in alarm, taking a step towards Kurogane, though he faltered when he realized there was nothing he could do to help.
You have no idea, Syaoran-kun, he thought, shaking his head to give Syaoran a reassuring look. "Don't worry, it's nothing harmful. The spell on the book feels like it's designed to show Kurogane some memories from whoever looked through the book before him."
"You can tell what sort of spell it is?" Madiha said, giving him a look Fai couldn't decipher at the same time as Sakura exclaimed that Xahra had looked through the book before Kurogane.
"He's looking at my memories!" Xahra cried as she moved around Fai to grab the book. "I need to see what he's looking at."
"Xahra-chan, wait," Fai said as he turned around, taking his time with the warning, knowing that he had to time perfectly or else risk exposing himself. "I don't think that you should—"Xahra's finger touched the book and Fai felt a surge of power inside her, similar to the one he'd felt when she'd attacked him the previous day.
Time slowed down for a fraction of a second as Xahra's magic clashed with the spell on the book. The two magicks reacted very much in the same manner as volatile potion ingredients in a sensitive concoction. The air filled with the stench of ozone and an array of colorful sparks only a magician would notice as the book exploded. A thin layer of magic formed a shield in front of Fai and the two girls behind him as Kurogane's and Xahra's bodies arced through the air. Fai let his magic dissipate before either Sakura or Maddy could notice, not that he thought they could sense the power protecting them. Kurogane and Xahra crashed into opposing bookshelves. The towering structures swayed dangerously, unleashing a hail of thick, leather-bound volumes as both Xahra and Kurogane slumped to the floor, eyes closed.
For a moment, they all remained frozen where they stood, watching the dust settle.
"Xahra!" Madiha cried, snapping out of her dazed state as she dashed around Fai to her best friend's side, dropping down on her knees to frantically shake Xahra.
"...touch the book," Fai murmured, pretending to finish his earlier warning as he slowly approached the unconscious Kurogane. He crouched next to the man, taking in his slack features as he contemplated the best course of action, oblivious to Syaoran's presence by his side. The stench of ozone still lingered in the air but the sparks had vanished. He could hear Madiha's panicked demands for Xahra to wake up as Sakura tried her best to console her. Syaoran was saying something as well, but Fai's attention was fixed on Kurogane.
It would be so easy to erase the past hour from his mind altogether, Fai thought as he felt his magic tingle at his fingertips, his mind already picking out an appropriate spell for the purpose. Masooma didn't want those memories to be seen. I couldn't stop that from happening, but I could do the next best thing.
"What happened here?" an irritated librarian snapped, seeming to appear out of nowhere as she glared down at the group. Fai reined in his magic, knowing he would have to find a chance to get Kurogane alone before he woke up. He couldn't do anything with witnesses around. It was likely that Kurogane would have a concussion. Memory loss was a possible side-effect of a concussion after all.
"I think we might need some help, Miss," Fai said, turning to give the librarian his most charming smile. "One of your books reacted to my student's magic, and it seems they're both knocked out. Could you arrange for someone to take them to the infirmary, please?"
"Your student destroyed our book." The librarian frowned, and Fai struggled to keep his irritation in check. There are injured people here and she's more worried about a destroyed book?
Madiha was still panicking over Xahra's lack of response, and Fai almost felt guilty for manipulating Xahra into stopping Kurogane. This was the only way, he reminded himself, smiling even more widely at the librarian.
"Why don't you arrange for someone to help my friends and we'll see if we can work something out to cover the damages my student caused?" Fai kept his demeanor pleasant, though he did alter his tone to the one he used to reserve for hardheaded, irritating foreign dignitaries. It seemed to work, as the librarian flushed and gave him a curt nod, raising her wand to cast a quick spell to call for help. Fai continued to smile, his mind already plotting a way to get a few minutes alone with Kurogane.
-0-
Madiha sat down on the hard plastic chair, her gaze fixed on Xahra's unconscious body. The healer in charge of the infirmary had assured them that both Xahra and Kurogane were only knocked out as a magical side-effect of the explosion and that they would wake up on their own. The healer had promised to come check on them again when they did, to ensure that they were all right, but Madiha couldn't keep her worry under control. She glanced at the clock and back at Xahra.
She'd been brought in two hours ago and still hadn't woken up.
What if she never wakes up,and the last thing I ever said to her was how I couldn't even be bothered by her anymore? Madiha thought, biting her lip as she hesitantly reached for Xahra's shoulder. I can't let that be our last conversation. Oh God...she'd been trying to apologize to me since yesterday, and I kept ignoring her.
"Xahra? Hey, wake up." She gently shook Xahra. "Come on, please? I swear I won't even stay mad at you anymore."
"Don't worry, Xahra-chan will wake up soon." Fai's soft voice came from behind her. Maddy jumped, turning around only to nearly crash into him. She took a hasty step back, her knees buckling when they collided with the bed. For a moment, she panicked about falling on top of Xahra, but Fai's arm snaked out, catching her around the waist before she could fall. Her hands came to rest on his chest off their own accord as he pulled her away from the bed, though it took her mind a few seconds to realize the position she was in. Maddy flushed as she slipped away from him, taking a few steps to the right to put some distance between them.
"S-Sorry," she mumbled, dropping her gaze to the ground as her heart pounded. Heat rose to her face. "What are you doing here?" she asked, praying that he wouldn't notice the blush."I thought you were with Kurogane. Is he awake?"What is wrong with you? Quit blushing like an idiot! He's the same old, stupid, annoying Fai.
But now you think he's cute, sang a voice in her head that sounded just like Xahra's. Madiha nearly snapped at Xahra to shut up before remembering that her friend couldn't hear her. Thinking about Xahra reminded of their fight and the last words they'd exchanged, which immediately sobered her up.
"I was with Kuro-tan," Fai said, though Maddy did not look up, "but Syaoran-kun just came in with Sakura-chan, so I thought I should come check on Xahra-chan instead. Kuro-sleepy is still asleep, I'm afraid."
"Oh..." Madiha nodded, worrying her lip as she glanced back at Xahra.
"A pretty girl like you shouldn't be frowning, Madiha-chan," Fai said and Maddy gaped at him in shock. Fai laughed, quirking his brow. "Did I say something wrong?"
The heat returned to Maddy's face, and she looked away. "It's nothing," she mumbled, mentally cursing herself for acting so stupidly around him.
"Are you sure?" Fai said, leaning closer to peer at her flaming cheek, his grin taking on a mischievous edge as he stepped away. "You look embarrassed."
"Don't flatter yourself," she grumbled, making him laugh.
"It's okay, Maddy-chan. I can keep telling you how pretty you are until you stop feeling embarrassed by it."
"No need to do me any favors," she snapped, wishing there was some way for to stop feeling like a miniature sun had taken up residence in her face. She turned around to glare at him."And why the hell would I be embarrassed by someone telling me I'm pretty?"
"I don't know," he said in the singsong voice he sometimes used when baiting Kurogane. It took her a moment to realize that that was exactly what he was doing right then. He was teasing her to get her mind away from Xahra. And it was working.
"I know what you're trying to do, Fai," she paused to give him a tiny smile, mentally cheering at the stunned look she received from him in return, "so thanks."
An indecipherable emotion flashed across Fai's eyes, but it was gone before Maddy could identify it. Fai opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by Xahra's groan. "Why do I feel like I got run over by a bus?"
"Xahra!" Maddy cried as she whirled around, throwing her arms around Xahra just as she sat up. "Do something like that to me again and I swear I'm going to shove you off a cliff."
"M-Maddy..."Xahra gasped as Madiha drew away.
"I mean it." Madiha gave her a stern glare. "We still have to get back home, so you can't just bail on me by trying to die. You're the one who dragged me into this mess, remember?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"Good." Maddy nodded, turning away. "I'll go and let Sleeping Beauty and Syaoran know you're awake. They're really worried about you."
"Maddy, wait," Xahra said, and Maddy paused mid-step. "I need to talk to you."
Maddy looked uncertainly at Fai, who merely smiled in return.
"I'll get them," he promised as he left the room, though Maddy didn't turn around to face Xahra.
"I know you're still angry at me," Xahra said and Maddy realized that what she said was true. Now that she knew Xahra was okay, she could feel her anger returning. Madiha wanted to walk away, but she knew had to give Xahra a chance. "But I wanted to tell you that you were right. I did get caught up in my past. You were worried for me but I... I got jealous of you. I know I should have felt happy for your success, but instead I acted like a complete bitch."
"Finally realized that did you?" Maddy didn't hide the bitterness in her tone as she turned around, catching the look of remorse and hurt that flashed across Xahra's face. Feeling guilty for making things difficult for Xahra when she was trying to make amends, Maddy looked away.
"I'm so sorry, Maddy," Xahra said. "There's no way for me to take back what I said but I would if I could."
Maddy gave Xahra an uncertain look. She wanted to forgive Xahra and get their friendship back on track, but Xahra's jealous words had really hurt her. Even though she wanted to accept her apology, she wasn't ready to let go of her resentment. But an accident could get one of us killed at any time. Do I really want us to not be friends when that happens?
"Do you really mean that?" Maddy finally asked.
"I do." Xahra nodded. "Do you forgive me?"
"Only if you promise that you won't make library books explode again," Maddy grumbled as she came to sit beside Xahra. "I'm the one that's supposed to blow everyone up," she said, giving Xahra a wry smile. If Xahra could suck up her pride and ask for forgiveness, then Maddy could make an effort to accept that apology.
"Okay," Xahra promised. "I swear I won't try that again."
"Good. I think the librarian had an aneurism when she saw the mess you made." Maddy laughed, feeling happier than she'd felt in days. "I must say though, I'm surprised you apologized so soon."
"Fai did help me with that," Xahra admitted with a sheepish grin."He was the one who pointed out that I had my head shoved up my ass. Well… he didn't use those exact words, but he did make me realize I was wrong."
"He did?"
"Yup." Xahra nodded.
"I guess that means I'll have to thank him," Maddy said, glancing towards the door. Where are they? "Do you think you can walk?"
"I injured my head, Maddy. My legs are fine."
"Let's go see what's keeping Fai and the others, then." Maddy jumped to her feet. "So tell me. Are you excited?"
"About what?" Xahra gave her a curious look as she pulled on her shoes and began to tie the laces.
"Kurogane has seen your memories." Madiha looked at her incredulously. "You can finally get the answers you've been obsessing over. Don't tell me you forgot?"
"Of course I didn't forget. I was just... more focused on apologizing to you," Xahra admitted softly as she stood up.
"Oh," Madiha muttered, leading the way towards Kurogane's room.
"And I'm more nervous than excited," Xahra added as they stepped into the corridor. "Who knows what he saw."
"Ask him and you'll know," Maddy shrugged. "It's not like he won't tell you."
"That's true."
"And it looks like he's awake too." Maddy grinned as she pushed open the door and saw Kurogane sitting up in his bed. Fai stood next to him with Mokona perched on Kurogane's pillow. Syaoran and Sakura were nowhere to be seen. Maybe they went to fetch the healer."Hey Kurgy, did you enjoy your nap?"
"It Kurogane, damn it!" he snapped, and Maddy took a step back in surprise. I guess he's not a morning person. Although, technically speaking, it's already afternoon.
"Aren't you just a ball of sunshine, Kuro-grumpy." Madiha rolled her eyes. "But you're just all bark and no bite."
"What did you say?" he growled.
"You're just upset that you fainted, aren't you? Well, you can be upset at some other time. Xahra has things she wants to ask you," Maddy said, giving her friend a nudge in the back. Not giving Kurogane any time to respond, she turned towards Fai. "Can I speak to you outside please?"
Fai looked surprised by her sudden request as she waited for Xahra to walk over to Kurogane. Once Xahra had pulled up a chair next to Kurogane's bed, Maddy turned around to walk back outside. Fai followed right after with a polite smile, shutting the door behind him.
"What is it, Maddy-chan?"
"Xahra told me about what you did," she said.
Fai's head snapped in her direction and Maddy took a step back at the intensity of his gaze. The corridor became far too narrow.
"I'm sorry?" she heard him say from somewhere far away.
"The other day, when you talked to her," she clarified and his gaze softened, the strange feeling that he was looking inside of her soulvanishing completely. What was that? she thought, feeling a little spooked. "You made her realize that I had only been trying to help. She apologized to me for the stuff she said."
"I didn't really do anything."
"Are you kidding me? Me and Xahra are both too stubborn to give in, you know. If it hadn't been for you, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have talked for years."
"I'm quite certain it wouldn't have gotten that bad," Fai chuckled and Maddy decided that she really liked that sound. It's different from the way he laughs.
Yup,agreed Xahra's voice inside her head. This sounds way sexier.
Wait. What?" I did not just think that," she muttered under her breath though Fai heard her.
"Think what, Maddy-chan?" He cocked his head to one side and she noticed the way his bangs brushed across his cheeks.
Admit it, Xahra's voice spoke in her head again. You like him.
"N-Nothing," Maddy stuttered as she looked away. Shut up, you stupid voice inside my head. I don't like him like that and I can prove it. Before her brain could process what she was doing, Maddy stepped closer to Fai. Standing on the tips of her toes, she brushed her lips against his cheek, feeling his hair tickle her nose. "I wanted to say thank you," she mumbled. She caught a whiff of vanilla and frost as she hastily moved away from him.
Fai appeared too stunned to say anything in return, and Syaoran and Sakura chose that moment to make an appearance, saving him from having to speak at all.
"Madiha-san, Fai-san, the healer says that he will be here in five minutes," Syaoran said as he approached them. He paused next to Fai, glancing at the closed door before turning his attention towards them. "Were you waiting out here for us?"
"We were giving Xahra-chan some privacy to speak with Kuro-tan," Fai said, moving away from the as he beckoned for them to follow him to the other room. "Let's give them some time to finish talking, hmm? By the way, Maddy-chan," Fai added with a gentle smile once he had ushered the two teens inside, "you're welcome."
See? Madiha crowed at the voice in her mind as she walked in after Fai. If I liked him, things would have been totally awkward between us right now, but they're not, so there! I don't like him.
-0-
Xahra glared up at Kurogane. Despite the fact that he towered over her and looked ready to kill her right where she stood, Xahra held her ground."They're my memories. You have to tell me."
"For the last time, you don't need to know what I saw," Kurogane growled and Xahra bit the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming in frustration. She drew in a breath, holding it as she prayed for patience.
"Why not?" she demanded, finding that it wasn't easy to keep her anger in check. "I deserve to know what's there"
"Look for some other way to find out," Kurogane snapped.
"Tell me what you saw, damn it!" Xahra cried, losing control of her emotions. Why won't he tell me? "If this is your attempt at trying to protect me from whatever happened, don't. Besides, what do you care? Even if my real family is dead, it shouldn't matter to you." Though Xahra wanted to meet them very badly, she had considered the possibility that she had been sent to the orphanage because they were dead."It's not like you killed them or anything."
"I didn't," he snarled, "but I'm not saying anything."
"I can handle whatever the hell happened!" Xahra shrieked in aggravation, shoving Kurogane in the chest with both her hands.
"Oh yeah?" Kurogane's voice dropped to a dangerous hiss as he caught her before she could hit him again. He leaned closer to her, lips pulled back like a snarling dog's as he glared at her, but Xahra refused to let him scare her."Your real name is Haruka. Your father was a warlord married to the priestess charged with maintaining the wards around their land. They're both dead now."
Xahra recoiled at his words, but Kurogane didn't let her move away. His grip tightened around her wrists, cutting off the circulations in her hands as he pulled her closer. She resisted the urge to flinch at the pain.
"You had an older brother who saw a demon devour your father," Kurogane continued, his gaze vindictive as he stared down at her. "He tried to keep your mother from bleeding out on the floor of the family shrine just as your village was destroyed in a demon attack. That happened right before you were kidnapped by that silver-haired demon and taken to some other world."
"Kurogane, stop. You're hurting me," Xahra whispered, trying to tug free from his grip, having lost all feeling in her fingers.
"Your brother grew up believing that his family was dead because he was too weak to protect them," he said, ignoring her words altogether, "so he joined the Royal Guard with one goal in mind. To become the strongest man in his world... And he accomplished that." A touch of pride colored his tone, a vicious grin tugging up the corners of his mouth. "He defeated anyone who stood up against him or threatened the sovereign he served, becoming the most feared warrior in his land. But his sovereign thought that he was a bloodthirsty monster, so she banished him to the witch's shop."
Xahra gasped. Kurogane was banished by his princess to Yuuko's shop… Xahra thought, her body growing numb as the connections formed in her mind. Kurogane continued to speak.
"Now, that man is looking at the sister he thought he failed to protect all those years ago." Kurogane finally let go of her hands, taking a step back though Xahra found that her legs couldn't support her weight anymore. She staggered away from him, collapsing on the bed. "Are you still confident you can handle the things that I saw?" Kurogane sneered as Xahra cradled her bruised wrists. A flash of guilt flashed across his face when caught sight of the marks on her skin, but he quickly turned away.
Xahra opened her mouth to speak, but found that she couldn't make a sound.
'Are you confident you can handle the things I saw?'Kurogane's words rang inside her ears and she realized that she didn't know the answer. Something warm slipped down across her cheeks and Xahra raised a hand to touch her face, her fingers coming away wet with tears. I'm crying… Why am I crying? she wondered, a painful lump rising in her throat as she tried to stifle a sob. It slipped past her lips anyway as she tried to hold back her tears.
Kurogane's back stiffened for a moment, though he didn't look at her.
I shouldn't be crying.She angrily wiped at her cheeks. I got what I wanted, didn't I? I still have family. I have a—
"Don't wait up," Kurogane grunted as he strode towards the exit before she could speak.
I have a brother,she thought, curling in on herself when the lump in her throat only grew worse. I should be happy. So why am I crying?
A/N: So Maddy and Xahra have made up, Maddy seems to be in de-Nile about her feelings for Fai and Kurogane acted like a complete ass towards his younger sister. Any thoughts on how are things going to progress from here?
I'm curious by the way, how many of you are still reading this story?