A/n: Sorry it took so long to update.
"Why are you following me?" Faerie demanded. For the past half hour she'd determinedly pretended her little brother was not scurrying along behind her, stumbling in his efforts to keep up with her stride, but when he fell over and scraped his knee, he didn't cry, just got back up and ran faster to keep close.
"Because it's not safe." He told her. She rolled her eyes.
"Look kid, I can hold my own, you're only gonna get in my way so just… go home! Play happy families with my dad all you like." She said bitterly, before going back to ignoring him, though she slowed down enough to let him catch up, walking a few paces behind her in the dawn. Faerie had chosen to head for the hills, figuring she'd be harder to trace once she left the village, the dew drops soaked her shoes causing her to slip which made climbing a little difficult, but she ploughed on.
Fay yawned, and was not particularly bothered when he found Fable wasn't in the bed with him, he knew his son often got up early wanting to help Faye with her chores, and it was unlikely he'd kicked the habit yet. He stretched out, and peered around the room. Kurogane was not asleep, he was sat up deep in thought. Faerie was nowhere to be seen.
"Morning Kuro-tan?" Fay suggested. Kurogane nodded but didn't bother looking up. "Where's Faerie?"
"She got up early… usually does." The warrior said, having no cause to be worried. Glancing at the sundial he found it was 7am. Fay stood up and crossed to the ninjas bed, sitting himself beside him.
"What's on your mind?" He asked, drawing his knees up to his chest.
"Dragons." He grunted. Fay nodded weakly.
"Was the time with Faerie…"
"The last time yeah." There was a moment's silence, before Kurogane spoke again. "I can't die… I promised her I'd protect her, so I can't die." Fay smiled gently and looked Kurogane in the eye.
"My sentiments when facing Ashura. There's too much to live for, to die now." Kurogane hadn't really talked to Fay much after Faerie had been born, so this change in his attitude seemed drastic yet welcomed. From not caring for his own life, to a resolve to stay alive. Fay had changed.
Fay reached up and trailed his fingers down Kurogane's cheek (ignoring his narrowed red eyes).
"You included." Fay whispered. There was a split second Kurogane thought Fay was going to kiss him, then came a knock at the door.
"Whatta ya want?" He asked gruffly, turning away from Fay. After all, he was unsure how he'd react if the magician had kissed him, some sore spots weren9
9t healed that easily. Sakura peeped around the door, smiling brightly then crept in. She was still in her nighty, and although she was now a young woman approaching twenty, and it was not as appropriate to be wandering around in her negligee as it once would've been, she had somewhat overcome her shyness.
"I was about to make breakfast, I was wondering who was up and wanted some." She glanced around the room, and Fay saw her eyebrows knit in concern.
"They woke up early." He explained, knowing she was searching for Faerie and Fable.
"They're not downstairs." Sakura said, her brow becoming more furrowed. "I was just down there…"
"Maybe they went in to see Syaoran-kun?" Fay suggested hopefully, unable to keep the panic from his voice. Kurogane stood up abruptly. Having slept in his clothes he didn't need feel the to change.
"Syaoran and I share a room." Sakura said shaking her head. "They didn't come in." Kurogane darted out to do a scan of the house and garden, only to return seconds later.
"They're gone." He growled.
"No they… they can't be…" Fay said shaking his head violently, he had paled more than death itself. "Fable doesn't wander off."
"Now that I think about it…" Sakura said biting her lip, the fathers'
eyes turning on her. "The door was open this morning when I came down. I thought we'd just forgotten to lock it."
"Go wake the kid!" Kurogane ordered, grabbing his katana. Syaoran had already reached manhood but was still 'the kid'. "Everyone get dressed. We're going out to look for them, if you're not ready in a MINUTE I'm leaving." He barked, knowing each second was precious if they were going to recover his children safe and sound.
"I'm tired." Fable told her, from their point at the top of the hill, they could see the entire village, and those surrounding it, laid out like patchwork beneath them, fields of fresh green taunting them in the morning light. Both the children were out of breath, and Faerie didn't want to admit her legs hurt just as much as Fable's, so scowled.
"Fine." She snapped, and plonked herself down on the grass. Fable stood, trying to catch his own breath, and surveyed his sister. Her cheeks were tinted pink, and the altitude made her eyes a little unfocused. She still looked miserable. Fable kneeled beside her and picked a daisy. "Go home." She told him.
"No."
"Go HOME, your dad will worry." She said firmly, unused to being told 'no'.
"So will yours." Fable countered, twirling the stem of the daisy between his fingers so the petals span out like a fan.
"No he won't. He has you. You're what he wanted." Faerie reached over and pulled his ponytail, he emitted a yelp and she a 'tcheh!' before she looked away, and he noticed there were tears in her eyes.
"I look like your dad… and you like mine. I hate you for that." She told him, sniffling slightly. "You just waltz right in and… and he loved you."
"He loves you too." Fable said comfortingly. She scowled.
"But he didn't! Not right away!" She screeched, startling a small brown rabbit that had been approaching the daisy Fable held out for it. The critter hopped off, frightened, and made its way into a large crack in the hillside. Fable looked at his sister, wanting her to continue. Her nose was running and tears were threatening to fall. "When I was born… he didn't want me. Your dad kept me away from him. I don't think my dad ever forgave him for that."
"My daddy said your dad loved you." Fable whispered awkwardly.
"Fairytales." She scowled. "Your dad fed you on fairytales and lies… he hated me. Then I nearly died and… Fay got scared okay… he panicked. And he left… he left me." She was shaking. "He ran away and didn't tell us why! And he left me with my dad…"
She broke off to wipe her eyes. "My dad loves me. I know that. But it took time for him to love me. I had to really fight to overcome everything your dad had left behind. And you just walk in and… he loves you right away! Why!" She raised her kendo stick and whacked him on the head with it, before walking off. He scrabbled to his feet and followed her.
"Faye told me…" He said, quickening his pace to walk beside her. "That my daddy… said he could never love a boy. I adore him… but I sometimes think he doesn't…" Fable broke off, tears streaming down his cheek. "I look like Kurogane-tou… which is probably why…"
"He loves you, idiot." She grumbled. "All you have to do is cry and he's all over you."
There was a long pause, and still crying, Fable broke it.
"Faerie?" He asked quietly. "Can we go home now? They're waiting for us." He held out his hand and she sighed.
"Fine. But if you tell ANYONE I cried, I'll black both your eyes." She warned, wiping hers to rid them of any evidence of tears. She didn't take his hand, but began the trek back down the hill.
Pitying looks followed the five as they wandered around the hamlet, obviously frightened. Sakura was crying
"They're not here." Syaoran said eventually, they'd scoured the area so very thoroughly that no stone had been left unturned. Kurogane nodded, and looked around.
"They like tall places." He grunted, nodding towards the biggest surrounding hill. Fay felt sick and dizzy. He knew by 'they' that Kurogane didn't mean the children. He reached out and grabbed Kurogane's arm, shooting him a pleading look that said it all. Kurogane couldn't promise everything would be okay, so just wrenched his arm free and walked ahead, a determined look on his face. Syaoran took Sakura's hand, and placed it in Fay's, hoping they could comfort each other, before sprinting ahead to Kurogane.
"Head, throat and stomach." He said monotonously and Kurogane only nodded, there was a sick dread bubbling in his stomach that told him something was wrong. Sakura squeezed Fay's hand, practically having to steer them onwards. Fay's head was aflame with thoughts and worries and concerns. He found he wasn't just obsessed with Fable's safety, that instinctively Faerie was as big a worry as the son he'd raised for nearly five years alone.
"They'll be together…" Sakura said gently, in what she hoped was a comforting tone.
"I wonder where the rabbit went." Fable said, trying to start a
conversation as they passed the crook in the hillside that the bunny had scampered into. Faerie shrugged trying to keep her balance on the slippery slope. She frowned. Given that they'd come down in a slightly different direction to the one they'd climbed up, the route was different. And in front of them was a four and a half foot wall.
"Can you climb?" She asked him.
"Never tried."
"Well I can, I'll give you a boost… they'll kill me if I go home without you." Even though Faerie was small she was deceptively strong, and surprising her brother, she pushed him by the ankles, up and over the wall. He landed with a thud on the other side. Faerie scrabbled up to follow, and one shoe fell off, tumbling over the side of the wall she'd just come from. "Oh hell." She said.
"Faerie!" Came Fable's voice, and she turned her attention to his side of the wall, he was curled up, back pressed against the grey stone wall, staring in horror at what was in front of him. A nest, easily 8 foot wide, piled high with cobalt coloured eggs.
Faerie jumped off the wall, landing in front of her brother.
"Cool." She said, untying her impromptu satchel and freeing her kendo stick. One of the eggs gave a violent shudder, as did Fable.
"We need to leave!" He whispered in fright.
"Why?" She asked, getting closer to the nest, the egg that had been wobbling, rolled right off the pile and cracked. From the shattered shell emerged a 'small' dragon with cyan blue skin and purple wings, its eyes pink with newborn blindness. Faerie froze. She was torn between thinking the creature was unbelievably cute, but at the same time could kill her. It yawned showing four sharp white fangs, and spread its wings, which were nowhere near big enough to support it's body yet.
From above came a loud beating noise, like a jet engine in trouble. Faerie screeched and fell to her knees, as a huge, ice white dragon easily fourty feet tall lowered itself in their mist. As the creature landed, between them and her nest, Faerie knew this was it. It was all over. She thrust her kendo stick in front of Fable as the giant dragoness emitted a fearsome roar that echoed across the valley. Faerie closed her eyes preparing for the worst.
A/n: Aww! Again I'd like to apologise for the long gap between updates, FANFICTIONDOTNET HATES ME!!! I'm currently unable to update my stories, uploading bunches and deletes half the text, and copying and pasting crashes the site. Anyone else having this problem???
(Ps: thanks to Ella for helping!)
Reviews are love.