Chapter Two
A/N: A warning to readers, I'm moving as of Wed August 17 and will be offline for a couple days, I'd think, as I'll be setting everything up...And then editing and writing may not be on a regular basis, as school will start. Anna-chan' will start soon too, I just don't know when... As it is, we're both going to be swampt so stick with us
Fai shivered and pulled his long coat closer to him. He'd used the hood as a sort of pillow the night before, curling up into it. He opened his blue eyes lazily and felt certain that he should close them once again. He groaned loudly, not really caring if Kurogane heard.
Kurogane sat several feet away, out of the mage's direct line of sight. His ga ze shifted to the other man when he realized Fai was awake, but said nothing. Syaoran would already be awake as well, even thought it was early dawn and not completely light. They would come looking and that was for certain.
Fai sat up, popping his neck so that it sounded with a loud CRACK. "Mou? Kuro-mi? Are you awake?"
Kurogane cringed at the sound. It just wasn't natural, but Fai did it every morning without fail. "Hai." he responded.
"Sleep well?" the magician asked as he stood very slowly, stretching his long limbs out.
"Hn." He said, neither agreeing or disagreeing. Truthfully, he hadn't slept at all. He had watched and waited, unwilling to chance leaving an opportunity to attack. Ashura had said he would return, and Kurogane doubted he would be unfaithful to that particular promise. "You?"
"Terribly," came the cheerfully said answer and grin. Fai took one step and found himself tumbling to the ground. "Itaii..." he moaned pathetically then turned to look at the ninja who sat questioning. "My leg's asleep."
"Need help?" he asked with a smirk. "Or shall you walk lopsided for the rest of the day?"
"It'll wake up," the mage murmured, trying to rub his leg so that the blood would flow.
Kurogane watched, amused as Fai limped around in a circle while attempted to regain feeling. His smirk grew as Fai entered the "pins and needles" stage and added a little hop to the routine.
"Don't be mean, Kuro-pipi! Don't laugh!"
At that, he couldn't help himself and laughed aloud. He stood just in time to catch Fai when he tripped over a root. Still chuckling, he held onto the other man so he wouldn't limp away. "Just stay still and tap your foot gently against the ground. You'll get the blood flow without so much pricking and much less falling."
"Honto des?" Fai asked, eyes wide. "I never knew..."
Kurogane nodded. "Honto ni. Did you always wobble in circles before?"
The mage grinned and laughed. "Hai... and fell over. I think I scared Chii one time," he murmured.
"Chi?" Kurogane asked. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it.
"She's... hard to explain. On my world."
"Ah. A relative of yours, then." he said, pretending to be thoughtful.
"Iie... not really... She's... I made her."
"You...made her?" he echoed. He's powerful enough -was powerful enough- to create people?
"Hai," Fai murmured. "She was my only companion while Ashura-ou slept."
"What happened to her?"
"I don't know. I left her there... She was supposed to tell me when he woke."
Kurogane frowned. There were only two possibilities for the girl, then. Either she escaped...or she didn't.
"Perhaps she escaped." he chose.
Fai shook his head. "No," he said sadly. "I wouldn't think so." He took a seat next to the ninja. "Who did you leave behind, Kuro-kun?"
"Hmph. I didn't 'leave' anybody, I was forced out by my meddling hime-san. Tomoyo-hime...chi. No one left to properly guard her."
"And yet you'll stay with us?"
Kurogane stretched his long form. "Hai." He met Fai's gaze. "I gave my word. I will stay with you until the end."
Fai grinned. "Anou, then we better get moving. Don't you feel it?"
The darkness was growing closer and stronger. "Hai." Kurogane felt his kudan flash within him at the mere thought of Ashura. "Bastard." he growled.
"Fai!"
Fai whirled around and came to see the girl who he had just proclaimed all but dead. "Chii?"
Kurogane's jaw slacked as the petite, blonde girl flung her arms around Fai. "He got out! Chii tried to find Fai sooner, but Fai was hard to find." she announced softly, her eyes wide as she gazed at her creator.
She'd lead Ashura right to them... Fai forced a smile, patting the girl on the head. "It's alright, Chii. You found me now."
"Chi'kuso...do you realize..." Kurogane trailed off, tensing and staring into the forest, trying to see anything that didn't seem right. They were sitting ducks now, and that bastard Ashura had planned it that way. The ninja felt the anger rise in his chest.
"He's scary.." Chii whispered.
"Don't be scared, Chii," Fai said with a big grin. "Kuro-tan is just a big puppy!"
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me stuff like that?"
Fai grinned. "Demo, Kuro-nin, that's your name!"
The taller man twitched. "You don't even remember my real name, do you?" he muttered under his breath.
"Mou... Kuro-pin... Kuro-chan... Kuro-tan... Kuro…"
"I give up." he said. Fai was still listing off names when Kurogane sensed it. His eyes narrowed and blue light engulfed him. He reached out and grasped the dragon sword that was offered to him. Light seared off the sword and cascaded into the forest behind them. "Bout time you showed up." Kurogane challenged. "I almost thought you'd forgotten us."
"I never will," the voice said lowly as Ashura appeared. "Thank you, Chii, for leading me right to them."
Chii clung to Fai, arms wrapped around his middle. "Chii didn't know, Fai! Chii didn't know!"
"Shh," he murmured, stroking her hair affectionately. "I know, Chii, it's alright. No one blames you."
Kurogane kept his comment about that to himself. He made sure Fai and Chii were completely behind him or the reach of his kudan. "I will not allow you to harm them." He said firmly.
"You don't have much choice in the matter."
Ashura laughed. "You pitiful fool. You really are arrogant, aren't you? You really think you have a chance to save his pathetic life and yours? Hardly." The aura around him had changed from blue to a deep red. "You're going to regret the day you ever laid eyes on Fai D. Flowright, and then you'll beg me to take him from you." He charged his attack.
"Shut up! Shut up!" Kurogane snarled. Blue energy fused around his sword and he charged.
"Kurogane!" Fai yelled, recognizing the attack.
He jumped, angling to bring the blade down against the king's torso. Ashura waited until the split second before the blade would have sliced him open and released his attack close range. Red shocked against blue and steel, but Kurogane could not withstand the attack so close he was flung back into one of the trees. He landed with a thump at the base, his blood spilling against the cold ground.
"Kurogane!" Fai screamed, rushing over to him. He fell next to him, hands reaching to his neck, checking a pulse. It was there... far from steady, but there. "Kuro-kun..."
"Ch'. So you do...you do remember my name." Kurogane said, forcing a grin that quickly turned into a grimace. He placed one hand on the ground and began pushing himself up.
"Iie!" Fai whispered as he pushed the larger man back down. "Don't move."
He took a deep breath. "I don't know...how much you remember about battling...but he's not...going to wait very long to attack again." He tried not to wheeze at the pain in his ribs whenever he inhaled. "Now help me up or let me do it myself."
"You're not in any condition to go back to it," Fai said sternly, no hint of his usual carefree attitude. "Stay." He stood from his kneeling position and turned to face Ashura.
"Some protector you found, magician." Ashura said mildly. He wasn't impressed by the ninja's attack nor his determination. Determination was useless without power in his mind, and so far he had seen none from the man. "At least it wasn't an instant kill. I hear that's bad for one's honor."
"I won't let him die for me," Fai said quietly, stepping forward. The stick he'd taken with him lay a few feet to his left, where he'd slept. He needed to get to it so that he might have some manner of protection.
Chii knelt next to Kurogane. "Will you and Fai go away?"
Kurogane forced himself into a sitting position and held his side gingerly. "Not until this battle is done." he said quietly. "Will you help me up?"
"Demo, Fai wanted you..." her voice trailed off as he glared at her. Finally she nodded and helped pull him up. "You will help Fai?"
"I will give it my all." he agreed. "Arigato." he said once he was standing. "Mou, Ashura! Is that the best you can do? It's no wonder you were a lousy king." he picked up his sword and his kudan swirled in encouragement.
"Kurogane!" Fai gasped. Did the man want to die? It certainly looked that way. He grit his teeth and took the momentary distraction to go for his stick.
The ninja moved quickly, gritting his teeth as he got between Fai and Ashura once more. The king frowned and drew his sword. "We will do this your way, then." The sound of steel clashing resounded through the forest. Kurogane and Ashura moved deftly and quickly through the dense foliage. Their motions became a blur to Chii, who was trying to keep track of the battle. She clenched her little fists and wished there was something she could do. The battle came to a head and they shoved against each other, both vying for the upper hand.
Fai took hold of his stick and watched as the two went back and forth. Something told him it would not be in his best interest to jump in the middle of it just yet, so he reached for the darts in his pocket and aimed, releasing them.
Kurogane was completely absorbed in controlling his sword and the pain in his side and did not see Fai send his attack. Ashura did. He smiled darkly and quickly shifted his body weight, throwing Kurogane off balance and causing him to step to the side right into the attack.
Fai shook in horror and he found himself stepping forward as Kurogane fell to his knees. The mage reached a trembling hand out to him, eyes wide.
Ashura laughed and rested his sword against the side of Kurogane's neck. "Get back." he sneered at Fai. "His will be the last name you can add to your death toll."
"I won't let you," Fai said quietly.
"You can't stop me. You sacrificed your powers to get away from me. What would the witch take from you now, I wonder. You're pathetic. You don't realize the power you have and then you get rid of it to try to escape an inevitability. You're weak." he spat.
Kurogane lifted his head. "Shut up. You have no right," he gasped, "to talk to him like that."
"I may be weak, but it's me that you came here for, not him."
"Don't listen to his crap." Kurogane snarled.
Ashura pressed the blade closer into his skin. "Insolent dog."
Fai was now standing within arm's length of his former king. "I won't let you hurt him." There was something stirring within his blue eyes and Ashura knew what it was.
"You would die for him?" Ashura asked quietly. "You would make a sacrifice like that?"
"I would."
Kurogane's eyes widened and a cold wave of fear washed through him. Fai's words rang in his head and it was almost more than he could fathom. He closed his eyes and called out to the power within him. Help me...don't let him die...give me the strength to save him...
Ashura moved very slowly away from Kurogane. "Very well."
Kurogane's eyes flew open. "Iie!" he gasped. Ashura summoned an attack to his left hand and sent the ninja reeling once more before turning his full attention to Fai.
A small smile spread across Fai's lips as he glanced from the corner of his eye to see Kurogane a good several feet away. He was out of immediate danger from the king, and that was the point. The smile turned to a grin. "Ne, Ashura-ou, didn't you learn the hard way I'm not one to trust?" With that he took a good swing of his stick straight at the other man.
Ashura blocked easily and took a defensive stance. "Oh, no. I know all too well that you're not one to trust." He called another attack into his hands.
Fai leapt upward, fully intent on bringing the stick down in another, better thought out attack, when he realized how quickly his opponent was moving. The attack hit him, sending him falling. He landed unsteadily on the ground, dazed. The next thing he felt was a cold sensation spreading across. He looked forward to see Ashura and down to see the sword... through him. Well that couldn't be good...
Kurogane felt his breath catch in his throat. "Iie...Fai..." He struggled to get to his feet. "Fai!" He stumbled foward. "Fai!" he gasped.
The mage felt the other man rip the sword from him and his knees gave way. He could hear Kurogane's screams. He knew he should respond, tell the ninja that he was all right... but he just couldn't find the strength to.
Kurogane fell to his knees next to Fai and grabbed his shoulders. "Fai?" he whispered. "Fai, answer me! Fai!"
Blue eyes fluttered open. "Kuro... pii... you shouldn't be up..."
Kurogane felt his heart twinge as he couldn't decide between reaching up to touch the pale face or down to cover the wound that was bleeding worse than his own. "Daijoubu." he forced himself to say. "Daijoubu...Fai..."
Fai reached a shaky, gloved hand up to his friend's face. "Don't look so... scared..." He smiled. "I don't die easily, 'member?"
"Ashura-ou's gone..." Chii said from behind Kurogane.
Kurogane pulled Fai forward the rest of the way into a loose embrace. "We've got...to get off this world..." he whispered.
"But he's gone," Fai whispered distantly.
He pressed his face against the blonde hair. "Demo, he'll be back...We can't...I can't..."
"Then we'll go," Fai murmured.
He had to stand and get Fai to a doctor. "Stay with me." he murmured. He gathered his strength for the walk back to the city.
Calliope la muse: Will do! Thank you!
Meowzy-chan: Ahh! Thanks so much! Glad you like it!
Flojiro: Well, the Kudan nearly got written out of it b/c Anna-chan thought they didn't go to other worlds with them, but, me being a geek and having just read the series, found Arashi's whole thing on that. So yay for kudans!
CY&AM