I'M BAAAAAAACK! Sorry for the long wait, I've been through a bit of a general slump this summer. But everything's back to normal, just in time for school! (yay...)

Shameless promotion time: I have a tumblr now under Hellopurpleplanet, in which I occasionally post doodles and writing dribbles (and pictures of puppies. Lots of those.) So you guys can come by and say hi!

I've also been thinking about changing the name of this fic. Any ideas or suggestions?

But, but! New chapter! In which Fai writes erotic fanfiction, doctors are scary, and Seishiro doesn't know how to use a phone! It's a wacky romp of happiness and mirth!

Read on! :)


I feel like an unruly child being lectured. Imaike-san has finally caught up with me – apparently Tomoyo-hime had been very good at misdirecting him so far – and is now trying to explain exactly how irresponsible I am.

"And to think you were wandering around the palace in your state, without even waiting for me to examine you! And with your powers! You could have killed us all!"

I nod, pretending that I'm listening. Instead, I wait until he has his back turned to make faces at Kurogane. The ninja rolls his eyes.

"And you!" Imaike-san turns dramatically to him. "You are in no shape for frolicking around the gardens before further examination! I am going to formally complain to Amaterasu-sama about the both of you!" We'd tried to smuggle Kurogane outside to see Sakura, but apparently Imaike-san was just on his way to see the ninja again and we bumped into him – bad luck. He quickly herded us back into the room (allowing Fai, Syaoran-kun and Mokona to escape) and has been lecturing us like naughty schoolchildren ever since.

"I feel fine," I say. "Really."

"Is that why I keep seeing burn marks on the wall panels? I mean no disrespect, but you have been flippantly endangering the lives of everyone in this palace by refusing treatment! As for you, I assume you haven't developed any more sense about your injuries than you used to have," the physician sighs, gesturing to Kurogane. "While your blood will replenish in time, you are to stay put for at least a day, so I can make sure you'll be strong enough to carry on with your activities. No demanding physical activities for at least three days. And that includes-" he waves towards me, "bedroom goings-on."

I stiffen; Kurogane growls, barely audible. "We're not lovers," I correct.

"If you say so," Imaike-san shrugs. He doesn't seem to care either way.

"If you could maybe spread the word of that…" I suggest.

"I have more important things to worry about than the matters of the heart. As long as you listen to me, I won't interfere in your personal relationships." The problem is that he doesn't seem to believe me.

"No, I mean we really aren't," I pursue, "and we've been hearing rumours that are quite annoying…"

"Well with the scenes you've been causing trying to stay with him, I don't blame them," he says. I bristle.

"Listen…"

"No, the both of you listen. If you obey my instructions to the letter without complaining, I'll start setting the record straight with the staff. If you don't, I'll invent a very steamy anecdote involving you two and an enchanted squid. Do I make myself clear?" I stare at him, horrified; he holds my gaze without flinching. Kurogane seems about to explode, but Imaike-san stops him. "No agitation for three days, starting now," he reminds him. This man is terrifying.

"Um… okay," I agree, suddenly careful not to upset him.

"Good," he says, straightening up. "Now Kazumi-san, if you would please step out for a moment, I'll call for you when I'm ready." I nod hurriedly.

"Sorry," I mouth to Kurogane before leaving the room. The poor ninja seems like he needs to strangle someone. I close the door behind me and sit in the hallway, chuckling hysterically.

"Did you escape?" Fai whispers dramatically as he, Syaoran-kun and Mokona peek around the corner.

"Not exactly," I mutter. Syaoran-kun sits beside me.

"Is everything okay?" he asks. I shake my head.

"Just remind me not to piss off the doctor," I tell him.

XxX

"So… he doesn't believe in healing magic?" I ask skeptically, already fiddling with Kurogane's bandages. The ninja shrugs.

"Obviously he does, or else he'd have a hard time explaining how I survived. I think he's just angry at you."

"I know he's angry at me," I chuckle, "but that's not an excuse for refusing help." I've been expressly forbidden to use magic for at least a day – since I'm apparently still too unstable not to kill anyone. That includes using healing magic to spead up Kurogane's recovery. I've tried to explain to Imaike-san that my healing is waterborn, which is completely separated from my fireborn magic - which is the one he's afraid of - to no avail. He doesn't seem to care.

"You know, I'd rather he not spread that squid story if you don't mind," Kurogane tells me, but does nothing to stop me from taking off his bandages.

"He won't find out unless someone," I glare at the small assembly around us, "tells him; which won't happen, right?" Syaoran-kun nods hurriedly, but Fai only grins innocently. That's never a guarantee of anything. "Right?" I repeat.

"Of course!" the mage finally says. I don't believe him.

"What did you do?" I ask.

"Nothing!" he replies, overly wounded. "Why do you always think everything's my fault?"

"Because it usually is," I shrug, and turn back to Kurogane. I can deal with the mage later.

"Just don't make it too obvious," the ninja warns me.

"Yup," I nod. "I don't want that story circulating around either." It's easy enough just to mend around the edges of the wound, just to alleviate the pain and speed up the process of natural healing.

"What's the squid story?" Fai chirps. "Is it… no, wait… It is, isn't it?" His grin turn wicked.

"What is it?" Syaoran-kun says, looking for all the world like he doesn't know. Someone protect this child's innocence at all costs.

"It's a Raki-Kuro love story, of course!" Fai replies, looking over the both of us with a spark in his eye. We bravely try to ignore him. "I wonder if I should share it with the others tonight… it is a bedtime story, after all."

"Eh?!" Syaoran-kun exclaims, now even more confused.

"I swear to the only gods we've ever actually met, if you tell a single soul I will cut out your tongue and eat it for breakfast," I snarl. I don't think Kurogane has anything to add.

"But you're cheating!" Fai points out. "And that's the story the doctor was going to spread if you two cheated, right? So really, I'm just obeying the rules."

"Please stop saying that we're cheating like that. It makes it sound like we're sleeping around with other people or something."

"Ah-ha! So you admit it!" the mage proclaims, raising a dramatic finger. "There is something between you two!"

"That is not what I said and you know it!" I throw the first object I can get a hold of – a pillow, disappointingly enough. He catches it before it does any damage to his face.

"Tsk, tsk. Already with the pillow-talk," he scolds. "You could at least wait until Kuro-pii is out of the room."

"Don't start dragging me into this! I said nothing!"

"Kurogane-san… Aisha…"

"Stunned into silence by your paramour's unfaithfulness?"

"Are you done tying that bandage yet so I can go kick his ass?"

"I'm trying…" I mutter. My fingers are shaking.

"Fai-san…" Syaoran-kun's feeble protests heed no one.

"Kuro-daddy can't just let his daughter flirt with anyone! He needs to make sure the suitor is good enough by challenging him to a contest of strength!" Mokona pipes in.

"Goddamnit, she can do whatever she wants with whoever she wants to! He's just annoying me!"

I'm tempted to just throw a fireball at Fai's head, but if Imaike-san sees another burn mark on the wall the squid story will go out for sure…

The obvious solution presents itself when I notice the pitcher of fresh water placed in a corner of the room.

"Fai?" I call.

"Yes hon-" he doesn't even finish his sentence before the entire contents of the pitcher is thrown at his face.

"Shut up," I conclude.

XxX

I'm a little disappointed by how easy the roofs are to reach here – they're so low, and there are so many trees, that it's not even a challenge. Still, this is a pretty good vantage point; there's quite a large pond in the garden below, and from here I can see the fish swimming lazily around in circles. Their constant movement is calming. The water shines red like fire in the light of the setting sun.

The wind is cool in my hair; I close my eyes and lean back. It's been good seeing everyone, but I needed to be alone for just a little while. I'd forgotten how lively it gets when we actually talk to each other.

I tug at the strand of hair where my barrette used to be. It feels oddly light now. I miss it, strangely enough. I guess that's a petty thing to say considering everything that's happened, but losing it makes me a bit sad. I haven't truly lost it, actually – apparently I'd been clutching it when we got here, that metallic weight in my hand, so Tomoyo-hime placed it with the rest of my things. It's just that I'm obviously not about to put it back on anytime soon.

Seeing Fai is so strange now. I'm not sad that he's being kind – heaven knows I've been hoping for something like this to happen for months now – but I can't help but feel that there are too many unspoken emotions between us. I don't know how I feel when he looks at me anymore, and his touch is… I don't know. I'm not sure about anything when it comes to him. He's infuriating and soothing and frustrating and disastrous and beautiful. I want him to be happy, and yet I'm inexplicably angry at him.

I hear his footsteps on the tile. Speak of the devil…

"Hi," he says, leaning over me. I look up.

"Hey," I answer. "Why are you up here?"

"I climbed?" he teases. I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, I know you climbed, I just… you never seemed the type to hang out on rooftops. Before." I realize how awkward I sound so I shut up, embarrassed.

"I was just looking for you," he sits down beside me. "You were on a rooftop; I followed." I don't ask how he found me. I know all too well how easy it is to track someone down if they use only a bit of magic. That's why they called it a mark.

"So… why were you looking for me then?" I ask. I already suspect, but I want him to tell me.

"I thought we'd plan your lessons?" he says, smiling.

I nod. "And you didn't know where Mokona was," I conclude. He chuckles nervously.

"And I didn't know where Mokona was either," he admits.

"I won't leave, you know," I say. "I said I wouldn't, so I won't. Besides, Mokona wouldn't let me do anything."

"I know," he says, looking out to the garden. "I'm sorry. I just… I'm still a little bit scared of losing you."

"You won't," I say. "I promised I wouldn't die. I won't." He pulls his knees to his chest, still not looking at me. He almost looks like a child, all pressed up together like that.

"I trust you, it's just… That's a bit of a foreign concept to me," he whispers. "I tend to lose more people than I can keep."

"Well, you're keeping me," I say. "You wanted me, so I'm planning on sticking to you like a burr from now on." If they won't let me leave, then I'll become their shield. No one will hurt them while I live.

"Thank you," he says softly. Then he smiles a bit. "And thank you for this morning. The plants and the song and all that."

"No problem," I shrug. "I thought… I don't know what I thought," I admit with a breath. "It seemed appropriate."

"Thank you," he simply repeats. The past few days seem to have really taken a toll on him.

"Are you thirsty?" I ask. He shrugs.

"I'm okay," he says.

"But you're thirsty," I reply. He's always been terrible at hiding that, at least.

"I'm not starving."

"You don't need to be." I offer him my wrist. He ignores it.

"I was thinking of getting you and Syaoran-kun practicing together tomorrow," he continues. "Just to see what you know."

I let it drop, for now. "Sure," I shrug. "You don't have to help us if you don't want to, though; I'm sure we can figure it out."

He chuckles. "I lost half of my magic, not half of my brain," he replies. "I probably know more about magic than the two of you combined." He sounds melancholy, which is weird; Fai doesn't sound melancholy. Then again, he didn't apologize either until yesterday.

"Is it weird?" I ask softly, trying not to startle him. I don't know why I would, but he's acting so strange… vulnerable. I almost want to hug him. "Losing just half?" I remember what it felt like when my magic would retreat behind its barriers; it was disorienting and frustrating at times. And it had some – I glance at Fai's eyepatch – not very pleasant consequences.

And now, well – now. Everything is so much more open, so much more… there. I can hear the sound of a butterfly landing on a flower; I can feel the water lazily spinning below us in the garden pond; I can sense every breathing thing in this palace if I just close my eyes. The world feels wholer than it has ever been. I have trouble imagining losing that.

"I got used to it," he admits. "To be honest, it took longer for me to learn to compensate for the lack of depth perception." He reaches forward, as though to demonstrate. His hand is shaking.

"You barely drank anything yesterday," I say. "Here, just drink a bit." He recoils from my reaching arm.

"I'm okay," he repeats.

I move closer. "Fai…"

"I can hold for a while," he says. "You've had enough pain for a lifetime. I don't want to hurt you any more than I need to."

"You've had your fair share," I remind him. "I don't mind, Fai. Really." He clenches his jaw. I touch his cheek, forcing him to look at me. "I can take it."

He lowers his gaze. "I'm not sure I can."

I shudder. He's doing it again, but I can't get angry at him now, not when he's like this. "It doesn't have to hurt," I remind him softly. "It's my decision, Fai, not yours and not anyone else's. Besides, I can just heal it right after; there won't even be a scar." He swallows.

"Promise?" he asks. He meets my eyes, and he is pleading.

I'm not sure what to do, but I lean in until our foreheads are touching. "Promise," I whisper. His skin is warm under mine.

"Thank you," he sighs. "For everything. For staying." His hands on my arms again, grounding me like he's afraid I'll just vanish if he lets go.

"I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to." My fingers are in his hair now.

"You can't always promise that," he says. I know he's thinking about Celes now, about his brother and Ashura-ou. They left without asking, too. I almost left without asking.

I am suddenly overcome with the knowledge that he saved my life. With just a few words and a touch, he has brought me back from the darkness that threatened to swallow me, and he doesn't even know it.

Just when I first realized there was someone out there who cared, I wanted to be everything for that person. I would be anything for that person, do anything they would ever want of me. I didn't know it was Fai then, but…

"I'll be there when you wake up," I whisper, brushing my lips against his skin. His fingers tighten, but I don't mind. If I can bring him back with my touch, then I will do it.

He lays his head on my shoulder. "Promise?"

"Promise."

My name drops from his lips now, like a falling star. He pulls me close and I hold him as he murmurs my name as though it were a prayer, one that gets stronger with repeating.

"Aisha, Aisha, Aisha…" His whispers turn to sobs. I don't move, don't say anything; not until the gathering light around us announces the sunrise. He falls asleep in my arms.

XxX

I try to slowly extricate myself from the tangled mess we make in the morning light, but his head is resting on my arm. When I pull it back, he only groans and settles himself deeper into my shoulder.

"Good morning," he mutters, eyes still closed.

"Good morning," I reply. His smile is heavy with sleep and satisfaction.

"Good morning," he repeats. I chuckle.

"Good morning."

I'll get him to drink later – if the bastard thinks he can distract me with that stupidly adorable face, he is sorely mistaken.

In the meantime, I allow him to dig himself a nest into my collarbone. "I'll show you what I did to the gardens when you wake up," I whisper.

XxX

Fai's preferred method of teaching is to just throw you in the water and hope you can swim, it seems – and in this case, it's not just a metaphor.

I briefly wonder if this is the mage's idea of payback for cornering him into drinking this morning. You'd think he'd owe me after I served as his pillow for the hours it took him to finally get up, but apparently not.

No, I have to suffer.

"Don't let him knock you in!" Fai calls out from his safe spot on the nightingale floor, and Syaoran-kun's wind gust nearly sweeps me into the pond.

"Sorry!" the boy yells. I reply with a gust of my own, but he easily redirects it towards me. Out of instinct, I raise a shield.

"No shields!"

"I'm TRYING!" I insist. The bastard had to make up this arbitrary rule, even though shields are among the only things I know how to do on the fly. Anything else I want to do requires concentration, something I am very unlikely to find as long as the constant threat of tumbling into the pond is dangling over my head. Add to that the fact that Syaoran-kun, for all his inexperience, actually knows what he's doing, and I'm not exactly in the best position here.

"Come on, get creative!" the mage says.

"I'll get creative with your face!" I reply. Clumsily, I am able to catch Syaoran-kun's latest gust of wind and shoot it off somewhere behind me. I hear the trees rustle for at least a mile.

"Sorry again!" Syaoran-kun calls out to the space behind me.

"Can I just have a minute?" I ask. He nods, and relaxes his stance.

"No breaks until I say so!" Fai protests.

"I'm staging a mutiny!" I throw my arms in the air. "Just give me one second to figure this out, will you?" I sit myself down on the stepping stone that serves as my perch.

I take deep breathes as I listen for the water's song. If I get to know this pond, maybe I'll stop freezing up whenever the thought of falling in hits me.

It is a slow, lilting melody, and I find myself humming to it. Don't worry, it says. We will catch you. We will catch you if you fall.

I hope so, I reply. With a flick of my wrists, I gather water in my sleeves and stand. I have an idea to deal with this.

Syaoran-kun gets back in a fighting stance, but I stay still. Winds begin to twirl around me. They swallow his first attack, which bounces back before it even reaches me.

"Hyuu! That's what I'm talking about!" Fai cheers. Unfazed, Syaoran-kun retorts by creating a whirlwind of his own.

"Ratei Shourai!"

To distract him, I shoot a gust of wind his way. Then I stop my winds for just a moment – the moment I need to send forth the water still hidden in my sleeves.

I knew the drops themselves would be too light to penetrate his makeshift shield, but just before they hit the invisible wall created by the wind I order them to freeze. A thousand tiny icicles glide through Syaoran-kun's barrier.

"Sorry!" I exclaim as he stumbles back, startled – but inside I am beaming. I'm finally getting the hang of this.

Soon it turns into a dance; with wind and water as my shield, I push and pull as he does – up and down, back and forth, strike, block, evade, do it all again. For long periods of time we barely move, but our winds and our wills interlock in complicated, fluid patterns as we race to break the other's defenses. Once in a while, Fai yells some words of encouragement. We mostly ignore him.

It all ends when I grab a hold of him and pull my winds back towards me – just as a gust I hadn't anticipated scoops me up from behind. We both splash into the pond.

Immediately something pushes me back to the surface, and in an instant I am standing again, drenched and gasping for air.

"Hyuu!" Fai calls out.

"Nice move, Aisha!" Syaoran-kun laughs, as dripping wet as I am. It takes me a moment to realize that far from being back on the stone as I had thought, my feet are instead resting on the surface of the water itself. I stare a few seconds, both confused and amazed.

"Alright, I'll allow you two a break now!" Fai says, waving us over. Tentatively, I take a step on the surface – and it holds. I walk to the shore as Syaoran-kun swims. "We have sake!" the mage cheers as he shows us the bottle. I don't even have the time to grimace before he adds: "And some iced tea for Raki-chan!" I let him pour me some, eyeing him suspiciously. He remembered without asking, and… he's going to say something embarrassing now, isn't he.

"Thank you," Syaoran-kun says, taking a cup of sake.

"No problem," the mage answers, then winks at me. "We better make sure Raki-chan doesn't try to take advantage of us while we're drunk; that would be embarrassing," he whispers conspiratively.

"Out of the two of us, which one tried to undress the other while she was unconscious?" I snap back. I can't see myself, but my face must be bright red.

"But you were sick and your clothes were all wet," he replies. "Besides, I didn't."

"You would have if you weren't afraid I would hit you after."

"Probably," he grins. "You should really stop giving me ideas."

"Um, Fai-san…"

Syaoran-kun's intervention doesn't save him though; his sake splashes all over his face.

"Shut up," I whisper. There is a warmth in the pit of my stomach when I look into his eye, and I have no idea what it means.

Fai just laughs. "No worries; I wouldn't want to ruin your and Kuro-wanwan's reputations." My iced tea is starting to simmer and steam in my cup.

"Aisha, are you alright?" Syaoran-kun seems genuinely worried now.

"I'm fine," I mutter, glaring up at Fai.

"But see? I told you it was your emotions that triggered your magic." The mage just seems pleased. "I just wanted to see if you could control it under stress."

"I'd be really happy if you'd stop tormenting me just to prove your theories." There's no point in drinking my tea now – it wouldn't be much of a refreshment. "And if you must know, this is me controlling it. I hate you."

"No you don't," he smiles. He's right, of course – but he shouldn't be able to tell me that so easily. I don't know why I can't just let him off the hook and forget about it, when that's what everyone else seems to have done.

"Seriously though," he continues, "that was some pretty impressive coordination out there. You two should keep practicing like that, so that when the time comes you'll know each other's patterns." He doesn't say what the time will be. He doesn't have to; we all know what he means. The time where I will put every person I have left in danger.

I hear someone approaching; it sounds like Kurogane.

"Hey," I call before he opens the door.

"Hey," the ninja replies, poking his head out on the terrace. "I heard there was sake."

"Alcohol!" Mokona sings, bouncing out.

"Yay! Let's get drunk together, Kuro-rin!" Fai exclaims.

"If you pretend to be a cat, I'll punch you in the face," Kurogane says as he sits down with us.

"Please do me a favour and punch him right now," I mutter. "Oh, and more tea, please."

"Why are you two soaked?" The ninja hands me the tea without asking why I'd like Fai punched. I suppose it's just a regular occurrence by this point.

"We were training by the pond and we fell in," Syaoran-kun explains. Kurogane shoots me a questioning look.

"I can walk on water, apparently," I shrug.

"Yes, well you still both lost," Fai smiles. "You should have stayed out of the water altogether."

Kurogane frowns down at his sake. "You had them try to push each other in?"

"Of course! They needed some incentive, right?"

"In a pond that's too deep for them to touch the bottom. With a person who's afraid of water."

"Oh? Oh." Fai seems to just realise this now, and his glance goes up to me.

I raise my hand. "Hi. Still afraid of water." He used that against me, the bastard, and now he forgot? I just thought this was his idea of payback.

Kurogane's glaring at Fai now, which would probably be more intimidating if Mokona wasn't bouncing up and down on his head.

"Meh, it was my fault," I wave him away. "I didn't remind him."

"She is afraid of water," Kurogane mutters, as though it would better drive the point home.

"I never told you, now that I think about it," I continue, completely ignoring him. Of course he must have figured it out. I'm not exactly a good actress.

"Fai needs to apologize right away! How is he supposed to be a charming prince if he scares his beloved like that?" Mokona croons. "Kuro-daddy must come to the rescue!"

"Could you stop with that whole storyline, please?" I groan.

"Nope!"

"I'm asking you politely!"

"But it's too much fun!"

"It's been months! Aren't you tired of it yet?"

"Mokona will never be tired of the truth! Mokona will always seek the truth!"

"You're horrible!"

"Mokona will always seek justice and catch the bad guy! Like in those detective stories Yuuko used to read!"

"And on top of that you're off-topic!"

"I'm sorry." All eyes turn to Fai. There is no trace of a smile on his face, and he is looking straight at me. "I put you in that situation, and I made fun of you. I'm sorry."

"I told you it was my fault!" I say, irritated. Sheesh, I got through it, didn't I? "Don't worry about it!"

"I still shouldn't have made fun of you for it," he says.

"Yes, because you usually care so much about my feelings!" I snap. The wind dies around us, until the air stands suffocatingly still. "I can take care of myself," I continue. "You don't have to feel responsible for me." I stand up; I've had enough. Why does he always find the best way to piss me off?

"Kid…"

"I'm not thirsty," I mutter before running off. It's only a few steps later that I realize that I'm crying.

When is he going to stop looking at me like I'm a porcelain doll? I don't need him to take care of me; I've been taking care of myself long before he came along. I don't want him to stand there and apologize for something that doesn't matter, because he thinks I wasn't strong enough.

I can handle it, I wanted to yell at him. I can handle anything you throw at me. I've been doing it for long enough.

I'm strong, I need to be. I'm not that scared little girl anymore. I can fight with magic. I can protect all of them if I need to. And I can survive without his constant approval.

But I hate the way his face twists as though in pain when he thinks that he's hurt me. That look in his eye, it was like I could have destroyed him with a single word. I hate that look.

I remember his arms around me last night and I can't recall why I'm so angry at him, only that I am. Somehow this only makes it worse.

XxX

"Hey, kid."

"Not in the mood," I reply, staring out at the garden. I couldn't go on the roof, not now that I'm mad at Fai.

"I haven't said anything yet."

"No, but you're going to ask me what's wrong, and when I tell you that it's nothing you're going to reply with a pointed comment about how it's not healthy to keep things to myself all the time. And then you're going to ask me questions to figure out why I'm really angry, because why just believe me when you can do the whole mentor shtick?"

"Actually I was just going to ask if you were hungry. The cooks are throwing a party – something about me finally divorcing my sword, or whatever. It could lead to some unwanted attention, but I thought you might like food more."

"Oh." I push my hair back out of my face. I badly need a haircut. "I'm not really hungry."

"No, I know that. You're fine."

"I am!" I insist.

"I heard you," he says, sitting down beside me. He still wobbles a bit off-balance because of his arm, but seems better than yesterday.

I conjure up three small fireballs, barely more than embers, and concentrate on making them spin over my palm. "I can handle myself," I say.

"He wasn't saying you couldn't, you know," Kurogane says. I lean against his shoulder.

"Aren't you still banned from the gardens?" I mutter, staring at my flames.

"I'm banned from the central ones. This is just outside the guards' quarters."

"Mmh."

"Hey." He nudges me just enough to make me look up. "I wasn't saying you couldn't handle it, either. This is all on him."

"No, it's all on me," I say. "He just forgot, I didn't remind him. Not everything is his fault."

He grunts, like he understands something. "Then you're angry at him because…?" I nudge him in the ribs.

"You're not exactly off the hook either."

"What did I do?"

"You didn't have to make such a big deal out of it. It's not like I'm a child."

"I know that. It's just…" he sighs. "He never asks. You never tell. He likes pushing you and you never tell him off when it counts. One day you're gonna get hurt, and he has no business hurting you."

"I direct you to the previously-established fact that I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, yeah, I know that."

"You almost died too, and I'm not coddling you," I point out. "So why is everyone doing it to me?"

"Is that what you think this is?" He looks at me from the corner of his eye.

"What else?"

"Him being an asshole?" he shrugs. "I don't know about you, but for me it's mostly that he's a complete bastard and you're not calling him out on it."

"No he isn't," I pout. He gives me a puzzled look. "Well, not completely," I amend. "Okay, he's pretty much a bastard. Still, you could stop blaming everything on him."

"You could stop blaming everything on yourself," he replies. "Since that's not about to happen anytime soon, I think I'm in the right here."

I groan and let myself fall in his lap. He smiles down at me like he thinks he's won this argument. I glare back. Finally, I sigh.

"I can't stay mad at him," I grumble. "He's like a… lost puppy dog or something. I just wish he would stop acting like I'm about to trip and shatter all over the floor if he so much as startles me."

"He made you go out there, didn't he? I don't think he's that protective," the ninja shrugs. So he hasn't noticed the way Fai looks at me then. Maybe it's just all in my head. And if it is, then maybe last night meant nothing.

Somehow, that thought just makes my heart clench tighter.

"You know, just because you can take care of yourself doesn't mean you have to do it alone," Kurogane continues, looking off in the garden. "We're in this as a team, right?" I sigh. Yes, yes we are. "So I'm going to keep looking out for you and you're going to keep fretting over everyone like you always do, and everything's going to turn out fine."

"I don't fret," I protest, but he doesn't listen to me.

"Now you may not be hungry but I am, so I'm going to go to the kitchens now. I'd appreciate it if you got off me."

"Hmm, no," I say, and nestle myself more comfortably. He rolls his eyes.

"I'm not carrying you over to the kitchens."

"It's not my fault! I can't get up!" I say, putting all my weight onto him. "The gravity has increased suddenly!"

Kurogane groans in exasperation. "Fine, then I will carry you over to the kitchens. I'm sure the cooks will have a great time talking about how romantic we are."

"And I'm cured!" I proclaim, shooting up. "It's a miracle!" He chuckles as he leaves.

"You know, I think some of the staff would really love a story when the alcohol starts pouring. Preferably something scary." He grins. "I haven't invited the mage yet, so there's no reason for him to come." I pretend to think for a moment. The truth is I'm starving, but I didn't feel like proving Kurogane right earlier.

"I think I might have a few that could interest them," I say, feigning nonchalance as I stand.

"Alright, then come on," he signals me over. "Before all the food's gone." I gently bump into him as I pass.

"You're the middle-aged man, not me," I tease. We play-wrestle to the kitchens, and I am pleasantly surprised that no one comments on our dishevelled appearance. I believe they all notice it, however, and I am sure the rumours flow as freely as the wine.

XxX

The time has finally arrived. Kurogane is allowed to leave the guards' quarters without releasing the squid story. I think a chorus of angels might have descended from the heavens, but then again that might just be the calamari from last night. I ate way too much food.

So this means that we can take the ninja to the central courtyard to see Sakura. I myself haven't been there since the first time Fai and Syaoran-kun showed me her body. I guess there are still too many hard feelings - or maybe it's just that she's like Fai and I can't stay mad at her even when I want to.

Stupid girl, throwing herself away like that. She's going to get quite the talking-to when we find her soul, I can promise you that.

A guard waves at me as we pass by. I remember him from last night, and timidly wave back. He was the one who kept asking me to tell the story about the man with the blue beard who kept all his dead wives in the cellar. He was also the only one who didn't try to make me spill the beans about my "relationship" with Kurogane, so he's my favourite now – although I can't seem to recall his name. Sousuke? Daisuke? Something like that.

It's still a bit awkward around Fai, but he doesn't seem mad. I nudge him a bit and smile to show him that I'm not angry, either. His hand brushes mine. A warm tingle makes its way up my arm. We'll need to figure out what this whole thing is soon, or I think I'll go crazy.

It's a beautiful day, sunny and light. The cherry blossoms rustle softly in the breeze. In only two bounds, Syaoran-kun climbs the tree to where Sakura is resting. You can tell from his expression that just seeing her breathe makes him feel better. I'm still amazed that she's still alive after days without a soul. And who knows how long she spent in Celes before we got there?

"We've taken the liberty of tending her wounds," Tomoyo-hime explains to Kurogane. "This tree is…"

"The oldest in Nihon," the ninja completes for her. "It should help her stay alive." She smiles.

"I think making friends with magic users has taught you a thing or two," she says. Fai whistles in false humility, and I just kick up some invisible dirt. I think the only thing I taught him is that magic is incredibly weird and mostly unpredictable.

I feel someone I don't know approaching us from behind and swing around before she gets a chance to cough to announce herself. I feel like I've seen her before but I can't recall where, exactly.

Behind her stands Souma. I'm almost surprised to see her here, despite knowing that Kurogane used to know her before Outo. It's strange to see someone from before all this madness started, but strange in a comforting way.

There's someone behind them, standing behind the doorway, who hasn't shown himself yet.

"I see you've returned, Kurogane," the strange woman says.

"Yeah," he replies gruffly. I wonder if she's Amaterasu-san? That would make sense, given that she has a bodyguard.

She observes Kurogane for a long moment, her eyes unwavering. "It seems you've grown somewhat on your journey," she continues.

"What does that mean?" he whines. She ignores him.

"I welcome the guests that you have brought as well. I invite you to stay here and rest for all the time that you need, though your journey is far from complete." Her eyes meet each of ours in time. When she looks at me, I dip my head slightly. I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to act around an empress. Kurogane doesn't seem too concerned with decorum, but Kurogane is also the very last person I would turn to for lessons on etiquette.

The man in the doorway moves, and the others seem to notice him now.

"Ah yes, we have one other guest," Amaterasu-san says as she turns toward him.

"Who is it?" Mokona asks, bounding forward. When I finally see his face, I wince. It had to be this asshole, huh?

"Fuuma!" the fur-ball exclaims, actually sounding happy about seeing him here. I mean, I suppose he's not the worst person we've met in Tokyo, but I'll be damned if he was anything but infuriating.

"Long time no see!" the man responds, also oddly chipper. "Well, I say that, but I don't actually know how long it's been for you guys…"

"Not long enough," I mutter. I didn't think he could hear me, but he turns to me with an amused smile.

"You might not think that when you see what I'm here for," he says, pulling out a large bag from behind the archway. There's nothing magical in there so I can't begin to guess what it is, but I do distinctly hear something sloshing around in liquid.

"What's that?" Mokona asks.

"I'm delivering something," Fuuma answers enigmatically.

In just a few practiced motions, he opens the bag and lifts out it's content, placing it with a dull thud on the ground. It's a glass cylinder, about the length and width of an arm, and-

Oh.

"What is that thing?" Kurogane asks, eyeing the thing floating in the cylinder.

"An artificial arm. There was no time to cover it with skin, so I apologize for its appearance," Fuuma explains, suddenly serious. "Still, I think you might find it useful."

It's a carefully assembled mix of metal plates and wire mesh, probably hiding miles of electric wiring underneath. It's far more intricate than any technology I've ever seen. I observe it, fascinated. Why would Fuuma go to the trouble of bringing this to us?

"Why did you bring this here?" Kurogane's eyes narrow. "No, actually… how did you even know about this?"

"Because I asked Yuuko-san," is the breezy answer. I grimace. This was starting off well, but now that the Witch is involved…

"I told you back in Tokyo that I had made a promise to Yuuko; this is what I meant. The price I paid to be able to cross dimensions is to deliver things like this for Yuuko-san. It's like paying it off in installments," Fuuma continues, patting the cylinder. "I found this in a world with technology much more advanced than this one's. A place called Piffle." Tomoyo-hime smiles just a little smugly as we all turn to her. Does that mean she's the one behind this?

Kurogane stands silent for a moment. "And the price?" he finally asks, angrily.

"I've already received it – from Yuuko-san, that is."

The ninja grunts. "Well I'm not giving that witch anything for it." Fai doesn't say anything to that. Fai, who's usually the first to joke about baking pastries for the Witch.

Kurogane and I turn to him as one, and the smile he offers us is timid. Aaand… we found the culprit. He could at least have told me.

"I promised the Witch I would pay for this while you were sleeping," he explains. Then he raises a hand to his eye and I recognize the energy flowing through his fingers.

"No." My order claps like thunder, and the mage stumbles back from the strength of my wind gust. Almost unconsciously, I prepare myself to physically restrain him if I must. There will be no exchanging of eyes today.

Fai's eye twinkles. "It's all right," he says, looking exclusively at me. "It's just my magic. I'll still be able to see just fine."

"Just your magic," I repeat sarcastically. "That thing that's keeping you alive. Just that. Yep. No problem here." He seems surprised at my bitterness, but I hold his gaze. The last time he lost part of his magic I felt like I was being torn in two; he can't tell me it didn't hurt him.

"I won't die just from losing what's left of my magic," he continues, this time to everyone. "My vampire's blood will keep me alive." He looks directly at Kurogane. "Giving my life in exchange for something – I would never do that. Not anymore." Then he looks at me and I feel… proud. And happy. I'm so used to hitting him whenever he starts talking about this that I'm not sure how to react now.

"Can I?" he asks, raising his hand to eye again and wiggling his fingers. I sigh.

"If you promise you'll be fine," I say.

"Promise," he grins. Then there are blue runes floating in the palm of his hand, and magic slowly dripping out of his eye in shining blue droplets. It's painless, at least to me. I can see no strain on his face to suggest it is otherwise for him.

The droplets eventually settle into a floating crystal. I look into Fai's eye; it is golden now, like a cat's. At least his pupils are still round rather than vertical.

The mage hands over the crystal to Mokona. "Could you send this to Yuuko-san?"

"O… okay, I'll send it," Mokona agrees slowly. I think everyone is a bit anxious with this decision, but it's Fai's to make and no one else's. In a flash, the crystal has disappeared into Mokona's mouth. The air feels strangely empty.

"Alright, now Kuro-sama has to try it on!" Fai exclaims cheerfully. We are still a bit uneasy as Fuuma unscrews the lid on the glass tube. Kurogane shrugs his kimono off his shoulders without a word. As Fuuma busies himself with the task of explaining the arm's inner workings to a ninja who can't figure out a coffee machine, I nudge Fai in the ribs.

"You could have told me," I hiss.

"You were sleeping too," he whispers back innocently.

The arm locks into Kurogane's flesh with a wet sound. The ninja examines his new limb, opening and closing his fist and stretching out his fingers. Even I can barely hear the mechanics.

"It feels pretty weird, but it ain't half-bad," he grunts.

Fai claps. "Yay!"

The fabric of the world pinches.

I turn around to the source of the disturbance just a second before Fai. A glob of time-space stretches out from the ground, and when it pops...

Fuck.

Seishirou.

With a clap of my hands, he is surrounded. Deep blue, glowing threads weave themselves around his body like a web, prohibiting all movement - he will not be hurting anyone while I'm still alive. Never again.

"If you move, they'll choke you," I snarl. I don't know how I've done this, and neither do I care – if it works, it works.

He only chuckles. "I wasn't expecting such a warm welcome," he says evenly, looking at each of us in turn. When his gaze reaches me, I shudder. "You still owe me a song, don't you? The last one was a bit disappointing. You're a stubborn one," he smiles. The threads tighten.

Before the man can completely emerge from his trans-dimensional goop, Kurogane has placed himself between the threat and Tomoyo-hime, and Syaoran-kun has done the same with Sakura. Fai shifts his weight so that he falls exactly between Kurogane and I, but I can play that game too – and I slide my foot to remain just in front of the mage. I'm the shield here, dammit.

"It's been a while – then again I don't know how long it's been for you, since time flows so differently between worlds," Seishiro continues, completely unfazed by my trap. His gaze locks on Fai. "Although, I can't say you're exactly the same as when we last met," he says, and smiles. That man's smile can mean nothing good. "You seem to have lost your magic, but gained another kind of power in its place. The blood of a vampire?"

He moves forward, tripping my web. The threads hold him back, but barely. Though I can feel them tighten around his neck, it doesn't seem to bother him in the slightest. What is this guy?!

"That's Kamui's blood, isn't it?" he asks Fai. The mage's claws slide out.

"What if it is?" he replies. Seishiro takes another step forward, and I realize with some panic that I can't stop him completely. I build an invisible wall between us, hoping that it will be enough – remembering painfully how fallible my shields can be.

"Where are the two vampires?" Seishiro is inching closer, so that he could touch me if he only stretched out his arm. His gaze turns to me. "Or should I ask the songbird?" Fai's claws rake against my shield. His eye looks like a cat's.

"So is that your brother?" I hear Tomoyo ask Fuuma.

"Yeah. He can be a bit of a nuisance," the man replies. Understatement of the universe.

"Really? My sister's the same way."

"And what do you mean by that?" Amaterasu-sama has a hard edge to her voice.

"You guys can shut up!" Kurogane barks. "Is that any way to ask a question?"

"Yes, why don't you show him how it's done," Fai grins, "since you're so good at it?"

"Shut up!"

"Oooooh..."

"Yup, that's right."

"I thought I already told you guys to shut up?"

To my surprise, Seishiro backs away until my threads loosen around him. "My apologies," he says, "let me try that again. You seem to have encountered the vampire twins."

"That was in another world," Fai answers, his smile gone. "In a place called Tokyo."

"Hmm. And are they still in this 'Tokyo'?"

"No, they moved on after these guys left," Fuuma helpfully answers.

"Moved on where?" There's a dangerous gleam in Seishiro's eyes. I strengthen my wall.

"Do you really think they would tell your brother?" Fuuma laughs. Seishiro chuckles as well.

"I suppose not," he says. Then he turns to Fai again. "They say that hunters are naturally drawn to their prey, but the ones I truly wish to find continue to elude me." Fai gives him a dark look.

The winds move, and I feel the world tug and pinch again. Good. I want him gone.

"Wait!" Syaoran-kun yells. Seishiro turns to the boy standing under the cherry tree. The winds die.

"Your name is Syaoran as well, correct?" he asks as though this were all a question of academic curiosity.

"Where's the feather?" Syaoran-kun asks.

"I have it right here," the man replies, holding a hand to his chest. I can feel something pulse for a moment before receding again.

"Give it back," orders Syaoran-kun.

"Last time we met, I grabbed the feather and left in a bit of a hurry. But this feather contains enough power to turn an entire fictional world into a reality. Do you really think this is something I can just hand over because someone told me to?" That dangerous spark in his eyes again.

Fire starts to pour from Syaoran-kun's palms. "Give it back," he repeats. I silently extend my shield to circle Seishiro, cutting him off from the boy.

Syaoran-kun looks at me for a moment, his eyes burning. His sword is slowly phasing out of his left hand. In response, Seishiro is conjuring up his own black, liquid blade.

"I suppose we can't talk this out?" he asks amiably. His sword stretches out into what appears to be a bird, before reverting back to a straight line.

Syaoran-kun shakes his head. "I've seen far too much evidence already of the kind of person you are," he replies.

"Through your link with your other self," Seishiro completes. "You're so very much like your father in that respect. Although I suppose it's because you truly are your father's son."

This is the first time I realize that I know nothing of Syaoran-kun's life before he got mixed up in all of this. I can't even conjure up an image of what kind of person his father might have been, or how Seishiro might have known him. Did Syaoran-kun even know his father? The expression on his face gives nothing away.

"Does he mean Syaoran's father who was always travelling with him?" Mokona asks timidly.

"No. After all, Syaoran and Fujitaka-san aren't related by blood," Fai reminds him.

Seishiro's sword finally stops contorting itself and settles into its final, deadly form. I suppose he's done talking.

Syaoran-kun glances sharply at Kurogane, who nods. I feel something tug insistently at my shield, not enough to break it but just so that I know what he wants.

Oh, come on.

I narrow my eyes and a thin sliver of wind passes through his hair. Fine.

I shouldn't have eaten so much last night. Then again, I was not planning into seeing Mr. I'll-kill-everyone-you-know-because-I-apparently-can't-just-call-you-like-a-normal-person today. Seriously, we were in the Outo phonebook.

Said asshole pulls out a pair of glasses and proceeds to slowly put them on. "Well then, let's begin." I tense.

"Wait." This time it's Amaterasu-sama, calmly stepping out towards the fight. "If you fight like this, Shirasagi castle will be damaged. However, if you were to conduct your fight within a kekkai..." She looks to Tomoyo-hime. The princess nods and joins her hands together before sending something magical our way.

Well, I say something. It feels more like nothing, to be honest. A bit wave of emptiness, like a fruit with nothing left of it but the peel. When we surface, my shields are gone and so is the courtyard.

"Where?" I start to panic. This doesn't feel right. And yet I'm physically here, I can feel it – or can I? I couldn't last time.

"Pocket dimension," Kurogane explains calmly, like he's seen a thousand before. "Nothing we do here will affect the outside, and the outside can't affect us."

"Where's Fai?" I ask, trying to soothe my frantic heart.

"Probably outside with Tomoyo-hime," he shrugs. She's not here either, I notice. "I'm sure he's fine."

"It wouldn't do for the one who has erected the kekkai to become entangled in the battle," Amaterasu-sama adds. I can't even find the limits of this place; every time I feel like I've locked on something, it fizzles away.

That's when Syaoran-kun dives on Seishiro.

Dang it, I missed my opening.

Their swords clash, but no one seems to be hurt yet. Except that Seishiro's sword bends like it always does and nicks Syaoran-kun's arm, drawing blood. I memorize the pattern, and carefully lay out my plan.

"Are you content simply observing?" Amaterasu-sama asks Kurogane.

"This is the kid's fight. I'm not going to interfere where I'm not wanted."

"It seems you have indeed grown," she smiles. I'm too busy weaving tiny shields around Syaoran-kun's vulnerable spots to pay much attention. The boy wanted me to lower my wall, but he never said I couldn't interfere at all. Hopefully these will be small enough to avoid detection if I keep changing them to suit his movements. I just hope I have the concentration to pull this off.

Seishiro's sword bounces off one of the invisible plates, then predictably bends again. This time I'm ready, and the blow misses by a hair. Is it just me, or does Seishiro hesitate?

Syaoran-kun must see the opening too because he takes it, thrusting his foot out in one of his signature kicks and landing Seishiro in the stomach. I hear Mokona gasp audibly.

"Well," Seishiro says as he recovers, "it seems that you've learned something from what I've taught the other Syaoran." He points his sword forward, and I weave a few more shields around Syaoran-kun. I don't care if he can sense them anymore, he's not getting hurt.

"Is it over?" Mokona asks.

"No," Fuuma says. "It seems that my brother is taking this more seriously now."

"Is that good?"

"Well, it can get a bit scary." I can hear the smile in his voice. I hate him.

Seishiro lunges forward and my mind starts to buzz with all the corrections I have to make to my shields' trajectories. I won't use them to physically move Syaoran-kun, but maybe if I can find a way to nudge him enough that he'll get the message about his misplaced leg...

"What are you doing?" I gasp at Kurogane's metal hand on my shoulder. Only now do I realize I've been staring and muttering under my breath.

"No-nothing, just..." I explain hurriedly, trying to get my concentration back to the battlefield as soon as possible. I don't manage it before Seishiro's kick finds its target.

I can barely make out anything of the flurry of blades that follows, but the end result is clear; Seishiro's sword can split into a half-dozen smaller blades. Oh gods...

Syaoran-kun's body stays suspended in the air for what seems like an eternity before crashing to the ground. Blood trailing behind him...

"Syaoran!" I don't know who yelled it, but it might be me. The world is spinning, and there are no bearings here.

I try to run to the boy, but Kurogane's hand stops me. The ninja's gaze is murderous, but he won't let me go.

"Now then, I think I shall leave," Seishiro says, taking off his glasses. The winds rise around him.

"Wait." It's Syaoran-kun, slowly lifting himself from the ground. "We haven't finished yet."

The winds die.

"So it appears." And he slips his glasses back on.

I mentally tug at Syaoran-kun, trying to make him understand that I can help him. Seishiro wouldn't even have to know. Even if it's just healing his wounds...

He shakes his head, eyes still locked on his opponent.

"Just let me..." I start, but Kurogane still holds me back. I send him a look that says that if Syaoran-kun dies I will hold him personally responsible, but submit. If that's what they want, then fine. Fucking fine.

"You look just like your father, you know?" Seishiro asks as though this had been a polite conversation the whole time.

"I'll get that feather back no matter what," is Syaoran-kun's only reply. Then he raises his hand and I feel his magic awaken. "Rattei Shourai!" I feel him pulling me along, carving out an opening for me, and I dive in gratefully. Our powers acting as one, the fire becomes a veritable inferno raging towards Seishiro. I fan the flames away from the rest of the group while Syaoran-kun directs his full power towards the assassin, trying to drive the feather out. He has more control than I do, so I leave him to direct the flames while I simply push forward. For a long time, we lose sight of him and Seishiro.

And then the man reappears, holding onto what I recognize as Sakura's feather. Syaoran-kun pulls out first, and I obligingly smother my fire. To my dismay, all we've managed to do is crack his glasses.

Seishiro smirks. "That attack just now… that could have been a little dangerous." Syaoran-kun lunges forward.

"Give it back!"

The power of the feather flares, and for a second I can feel the kekkai balloon around us before it pops.

We are in the courtyard again, next to the cherry tree. Fai and Tomoyo-hime are there, just as bewildered to find us as we are to be here. The feather is still pulsating strongly in the air, like it's looking to reach something.

And then Syaoran-kun actually touches it, and it's like another world is pouring out in big globs of black.

The goop drips down to the ancient tree, and immediately its branches move towards Syaoran-kun, engulfing him in world-juice and wooden barriers. Everything in the courtyard is singing all at once, and the weight of it almost makes me topple over.

"Syaoran-kun!" Fai yells. There is a break in the black, and we can see his face for a moment.

"Don't worry! I'll be back with Sakura-hime!" Syaoran-kun responds, determinedly. The branches pull him towards the tree, where he and the globs disappear with a sucking sound.

Everything is quiet now. I stare blankly at the spot where Syaoran-kun disappeared. He's not here anymore. He's not even in the tree, he's just… gone. My eyes lock onto the sleeping figure high in the branches.

Just like Sakura.

"Where is he?" yells Kurogane, for the first time seemingly angry at Tomoyo-hime.

"He was sent inside the dream," she answers calmly. My eyes widden. Sakura. Not that dream.

"I see," Fai says, much cooler than he should be. "That feather was the one which made the imaginary world of Outo into a reality. And this sacred tree probably acted as a portal to the dream world."

"So he's planning on bringing the princess back from the dream?" Kurogane asks.

"The dream where Syaoran is going," I whisper, unable to do much else than stare in horror. She said he would go inside the dream. She said it like it was unavoidable. And there's no way he would go there if the feather was already gone. Which means…

"Damn," Kurogane completes for me. A thunderbolt cracks through the sky as though to answer.

"They're going to meet each other," I say as a whirlwind appears atop the cherry tree. If I were to bet, they already have.

"Aren't you going after him?" Kurogane asks, though I'm not sure if he's speaking to me or Fai. I shake my head nonetheless.

"I don't know how to cross over…" I say. Besides, I don't do well with dreams.

Fai smiles at me. "I have no magic anymore," he says, "but even if it's painful, I'll stay and wait."

"You couldn't show me how?" I ask, almost afraid that he'll be able to.

But he shakes his head. "It's not something you can master in a few minutes," he apologizes.

"I can no longer enter dreams, so all I can do now is believe that he will certainly come back to us," Tomoyo-hime adds.

"Mokona believes that too!" the fur-ball agrees.

"You don't have to feel like you have to follow him," Fai whispers to me. "Sometimes it's more painful just to wait."

"You don't have to tell me that!" I hiss. It's like he doesn't remember Tokyo at all. The water in the reservoir, our choosing to wait for Sakura…

"That boy that used to be your student… he was so strong! Even more than you'd told me. There's really no comparison," I hear Fuuma say to Seishiro behind us. Right, those two assholes are still here.

"A person with no hesitation is strong," Seishiro replies. "Besides, he can no longer feel the pain of his heart or the pain of his body, which only makes him stronger."

"You saw Syaoran?" I ask, turning to them. They seem surprised that I heard them. Well yes, I'm not deaf. There's only one person they could be talking about right now.

"Just once after I left Tokyo," Fuuma admits. "I stayed out of his way."

"That's a shame," I say coolly. His only reaction is to smile.

"You still don't like me, do you?"

"I think I've made that plenty clear," I reply.

"That's a shame," he grins. "I think Seishiro likes you quite a bit, though. You might want to be careful with that." Flames begin to dance between my fingers.

"Do you really want to see if I can make you sing again, Songbird?" Seishiro asks. "I'm afraid we'd have to wait until this current predicament is over, but I'd love to give it a try."

"I've died a thousand times over since we last met," I say, with my voice like a thunderstorm. "I've watched a world crumble around me. I've spoken with gods and defeated monsters. I am a thrice-marked daughter of Frei's line, and I am still alive. Don't think you scare me." It doesn't even matter that I'm terrified right now. If he moves, I won't say no.

"Kid," Kurogane calls me back to attention. "He's not worth it." I take a deep breath and lower my voice to a whisper.

"If you call me Songbird one more time, I'll make you wish I'd killed you," I glare at Seishiro before turning away, the flames at my fingertips trailing behind me.

"Calm down," the ninja says as I reach him. "They're coming back."

"I know," I sigh, slumping against the trunk. "I just feel so damn helpless and I really wish they weren't here." He rests his weight on his mechanical arm. "You know I don't mean it like that," I say, waving my hands to extinguish the last of the fire. "How's your new arm doing, by the way?"

"It's not as good as the old one, but it's not bad," he grunts. "I'll need to train with it some more to get a good feel for it."

"And if we go to Piffle to get it coated in skin, maybe we'll meet Tomoyo-chan again," I suggest. Mindless conversation seems like the best option right now.

"Maybe," he nods, then directs his attention to the top of the tree. I rest my head back against the bark; I just need to get a hold of myself and calm down. Syaoran-kun is coming back with Sakura, like he said. I have to trust him.

Just at that moment I feel something like a shockwave emerging from the tree, and the earth shakes around us. When I look back, the trunk of the cherry tree is split top-to-bottom by a great gash.

"The cherry tree!" Mokona cries.

"Something must have happened inside the dream," Fuuma says.

Tomoyo-hime bows her head down in determined prayer.

I stare, both horrified and fascinated at the dream on the other side.

There is only swirling darkness as far as the eye can see, but I can feel the thin barrier between this world and ours rippling like a veil. I don't even try to touch it, certain that if I do it will reject me; instead I back away slowly, fighting the urge to run away as fast as possible. Something's not right about that dream, and just as the tree begins to crack and give way under the weight of the portal do I understand why: it smells of blood.

"Fai…" I start, but only when I see his face do I realize that he can't feel magic anymore. He seems concerned, but not overly so – no more than Kurogane or Souma. I feel that I should do something about this but I don't know what, and he can't tell me anymore. This must be why he insisted that Syaoran-kun and I practice together yesterday – so that we would be able to help each other when theoretical knowledge wasn't enough. It's just that Syaoran-kun isn't here right now, and I'm lost.

"What is it?" he asks. I look back to the portal, searching for a clue as to what is actually going on.

"It feels like…"

The veil rips and I choke on a mouthful of dream goop as it suddenly floods the courtyard.

Two Syaorans emerge from the gash, wrestling for a feather. It escapes them and floats upwards, above the cherry tree. I can't breathe and I can't move; all this dreamstuff is too dense. I can't see Sakura anywhere. If she was in the dream too, where is she now?

My heart leaps painfully when I see Syaoran again. He looks so different now. Colder. I'm not sure if Syaoran-kun actually stands a chance against him.

Both boys leap for the feather, swords raised. I try to raise a shield between them, but when it touches the feather, it shocks it out of existence. If I can't make a shield through the feather than maybe I can weave one beside it…?

I only have time to raise the shield before I see Sakura. By then it's too late. I can't even scream.

It never occurred to me that what I should have been protecting wasn't the boys, but the feather itself.

My shield stopped Syaoan-kun dead in his tracks, but Syaoran's sword kept true to its aim and pierced through Sakura's chest. Sakura, who used her feather to throw herself between the combatants, and used herself as a barrier.

"Sakura!" screams Syaoran-kun.

The sound that escapes my lips is more akin to that of a wounded animal.

The princess turns to look at Syaoran-kun. "You Sakura isn't me," she whispers in that voice that is everywhere and nowhere at once, "because I'm the same as him." And she looks at Syaoran.

Her body is already fraying away into delicate flower petals. Her words barely register in my mind because that is all I can see; the edges of her arms and legs turned ragged with the shapes of thousands upon thousands of sakura petals peeling from them and floating away. The bittersweet tinge of her soul unraveling.

"You must have known the truth too," she continues to Syaoran-kun. "You're Sakura is waiting!" She almost sounds cheerful. No, goddamn it, she shouldn't be cheerful right now. Nothing is right.

She starts to fall forward, petals streaming behind her. "So please, from now on… for the sake of… your true important person… be free…" Syaoran catches her. Her hand goes up to his shoulder. "Even if we are only… creations… if those two keep on living… it won't end." She lifts herself up to whisper in his ear, "I… love y-"

She is gone.

I can't see Syaoran's face, but his scream shakes my spine. The world feels empty but for that scream.

Sakura.

Sakura can't be dead.

If I had only raised a shield on both sides of the feather she would still be here. If only I would have…

The black moves towards the boys. It engulfs Syaoran, still screaming, and pulls him back towards the tree. Something begins to form from its edges, another feather, the one that was in the dream all along. Its familiar pulse might be comforting if Sakura weren't dead.

A figure appears from the gash in the cherry tree. I recognize him right away: it's Kyle. What the hell is Kyle doing here?

He smiles and reaches for Sakura's body in the tree branches. I scream out, trying to run over there and stop him, but the dreamstuff flooding the courtyard is still too heavy. Maybe I could move it or make it disappear if I could stop for a moment to figure out exactly what it is, but I can't think anymore. I just want to kill him.

The vermin touches Sakura and takes her in his arms. How dare he touch Sakura?!

I am a tower of fire directed straight at him, and somewhere I am faintly aware of Syaoran-kun pushing my flames forward. Still, it doesn't work. No matter what I throw at him, it fizzles before burning his flesh off.

I can only watch in horror as he grabs the feather and retreats back into his hole with Sakura's body. "I'll take this," he says smugly, and the gash closes behind him.

The black is gone, sucked back into the portal it came from. I find that there is nothing left to keep me upright.

"Syaoran!" screams Mokona, and I see the boy fall to the ground. I scramble up to him, crying water and liquid fire and who knows what else. My tears fizzles and smoke as they hit the floorboards.

"Give," I order, taking Syaoran-kun's arm and immediately beginning the task of healing his injuries. He barely seems to register my presence and only stares ahead.

The only thing I understand is that Sakura is somehow a clone too, and there is another Sakura out there somewhere. I don't get it. It doesn't make any sense.

I look around to the others and catch Fai's gaze. His expression tells me all I need to know; he knew the truth. Or he suspected it, at least. He didn't say anything.

I want to scream out fire.

Sakura is dead.

The ice is clawing at my throat, extinguishing the fire, and I let it come. If I don't control myself now, I'll destroy everything and there are still people here I want to protect. Even Fai. The lying bastard.

Syaoran-kun tries to push me away but I hold onto him. "Sit still," I say, and stare into his eyes. He knows better than to argue with me right now.

"What was all that… about being like the other kid?" Kurogane asks hesitantly. "Did she know that from the start?"

"No," Fai answers calmly and confirms my suspicions. "I suspect she only found out after receiving that feather in Tokyo. Not only because that's when Syaoran left… but also because that is when she began to change. It wasn't that she was unable to accept Syaoran-kun for himself, but rather that she had realized that she herself was a clone and that another Sakura was waiting for you. She must have been acting cold towards you on purpose. Still, she did all she could to prevent that terrible future she saw."

"How long have you known?" the ninja probes. Fai looks at me for a moment, then down at his feet.

"Since the beginning," he says darkly. "He told me everything." He doesn't have to say who; that man who's been watching us. The one who killed Kurogane's mother. "That's why I wanted to be able to grant that wish, if I could," he continues. I feel that he's trying to apologize for lying, but I can't bring myself to care. All I want right now is to keep myself cold enough that I won't hurt anybody.

"Sakura was different from Syaoran. With Syaoran, only the body was cloned; it was the original Syaoran who gave him part of his heart. With Sakura, both body and soul were cloned. In short, the feathers that were scattered were equivalent to the soul of the original."

"Why do it that way?" I can tell Kurogane is angry at Fai too, although he's much better at hiding it.

"Well… he must have been thinking that if anything were to happen to the cloned Sakura-chan... as long as he had the original, he could simply substitute. That way he could continue doing again and again if needed…"

Kurogane tenses. "Did the princess' soul… disappear?" he asks. I want to yell at him that she's gone, that her soul is gone, that I felt it unravel and fade before my very eyes, but all I manage is a single, croaked word.

"Yes."

"Sakura!" Mokona cries. "It doesn't matter if you're a clone! You're still Sakura!"

"That's right," Syaoran-kun says, taking the fur-ball in his hands. "I've been watching all this time, your entire journey together – and that's why I will bring her back. Because she is Sakura."

I stand up and walk away. I can't stand this talk of bringing her back. She's gone. Her soul is gone, and even if we find her body, what then? She still won't be coming back. And I can't even plant a tree for her, because there is no soul to find it.

She's gone, and it's my fault for being so careless.

I hear the Witch behind me. "Yes?" she asks.

"I have a wish to make," Syaoran-kun says. "I want to know where Sakura is."

"And which Sakura would that be?"

"Both of them," he proclaims. "I will never allow Sakura to die!"

"And even if I were to tell you, what of the others?"

"I'll go," Kurogane answers without hesitation.

"I will go," Fai adds. There's a short silence as they expect me to join in. I hug myself in tight.

I finally turn around. "I'm going," I say. Not because I have any loftly hopes of getting Sakura back, but because I can't let that Fei Wong Reed have her body. He doesn't deserve to have anything to do with her.

The Witch nods. "In that case, I require payment," she says.

"And the price?" Syaoran-kun demands.

"I've already received it," she replies. I hear everyone gasp.

"From who?" Mokona asks.

"From the person who is closer to Syaoran than anybody else. He paid the same price as the princess who traveled with you."

"The same price, you mean…"

"Memories?" Fai completes for Kurogane.

She nods. "He's forgotten about his past, the name of his parents, even that he has handed the price over to me… for the sake of this wish that you both have."

I don't know who this mysterious person is and what wish he might share with Syaoran-kun. He seems important to the boy though, because a lengthy, thoughtful silence follows.

After a while, the Witch continues. "Fei Wong has been collecting the souls of people for the sake of his wish. If you follow them, you will know where he is."

"And did you already know that?" Kurogane asks in an exasperated tone. She's been so secretive with us, it's frustrating.

"I've only found out recently," she answers.

"For those who have power, finding the whereabouts of your opponents is akin to showing them your own position," Fai points out. Is that concern in his voice?

"Yes. This shop was created for the day that has to come, and I am here for that day as well," the witch says, closing her eyes. I suppose she knows what she's doing then. "Fei Wong is in Clow country, inside a 'cut-off' time."

That's a bit more interesting. At least now we have an actual goal.

"Reading the time, reading the place… playing people like puppets… and now that he has this body engraved with the memories of all these dimensions, he will soon be able to grant his wish," Yuuko concludes.

"But… he can't," Fai protests. "It's not…"

"What is his wish, anyways?" I point out. "The rest of us aren't privy to the whole plan of operation." There is a bite in my voice that I swear I shouldn't be able to feel. I guess I'm better at resisting the ice now.

"He wants to bring someone back from the dead," Fai whispers, as though just saying it will make it true.

"I thought that was impossible," I counter.

"It is," he says, looking at me. "He would have to completely rewrite the rules of the universe to allow that." The magnitude of the issue hits me.

"Fuck," is all I can say. This isn't just about Sakura anymore.

"When are we leaving?" Syaoran-kun asks Mokona. The fur-ball doesn't seem sure.

"Mokona can't choose which worlds we go to next…" he hesitates.

"Because this is not only a move between worlds, but a move to a time normally sealed off, you will have to wait," the Witch explains. "Only at a time where the barrier between these two worlds is thinnest will you be able to leave."

"And when is that?" Kurogane asks.

"Mokona will know," she answers enigmatically. Well it's not as helpful as I would have wanted, but it's far from the worst answer she's ever given us. At least I trust Mokona.

"Thank you," I say coldly, then turn on my heels and start walking away from the courtyard. I'm done with this. We'll leave when it's time, but for now I need to mourn where I won't kill anyone in doing so.

"Aisha?" It's Fai, reaching for me. His hand brushes the inside of my wrist; I snap it away.

A gust of wind shakes the branches of the tree, and flower petals snow all over the courtyard. My armour of ice, already thin, begins to crack.

"I'm fine," I warn, and run.

I barely have the time to reach the center of the pond and spin a shield around it before what was left of my restraint falls away.

Sakura is dead.

I fall to my knees, crying and screaming. Not Sakura. The world is a blurry mess of fire and water and blinding light around me. I can feel myself spill out over my shield.

My last words to her were of spite. The last time we spoke together, I got angry and I yelled at her. And now she's gone. She's gone.

Sakura.

The girl who received everything she ever asked for, even if it could mean her death, because we could not say no to her. The girl who kept falling asleep and working as hard as she could to bring us just a shred of comfort. The girl who allowed herself to die so that we wouldn't have to.

The girl I would have killed and died for.

She's dead because I made a wrong move, because I didn't think things through, because I made a mistake. Oh goddesses Sakura, why would you throw yourself between them like that? Why would you do any of this without telling us? Why would you think you were any less deserving of anything just because you were a clone?

I hold the pain inside my stomach; I nurture it and nurse it until it grows much bigger than what I can hold. I don't deserve to forget what this feels like. I don't have the excuse of being a child anymore, of being afraid and helpless. I should be strong now; I should be able to protect them. I want to always remember what this failure feels like, so that I never have to feel it again.

There is only sound and light and screaming as the pain gushes out of me like a river. I failed to protect her. I failed.

When my body feels completely emptied, I finally look up. There is no water in the pond; instead I sit in a steaming crater of dead, shattered earth. Four koi fish lie, lifeless, a few feet away. I am alone in the stillness.

It takes what feels like a lifetime before I consider it safe enough to lower my shield. Dry sobs still rack my body as I close my eyes and try to forget myself in the warm, crusty earth. I'm sorry.

Sakura.