Chapter Three
It was a longer trek back than he remembered, and it had begun to rain. Kurogane sighed as he leaned against a tree, shifting his injured friend's weight.
"Can Chii help?" a small voice asked.
He smiled thinly. "Just keep your eyes and ears open, kid. I need to know if his royal pain-in-the-ass comes back. We'll get there." He glanced down at Fai who had fallen unconscious in his arms. "We'll get there."
"Will Fai be all right?" Chii asked as Kurogane forced himself to move forward again.
"He has to be. He promised not to die."
Fai groaned and tried to shift in the larger man's arms. His breath quickened as his just-waking-up mind tried to place who was holding him, why, and if he was still in danger from it. He struggled on instinct.
"Shhh, daijoubu, Fai, daijoubu. It's me." He said quietly, holding him closer so the smaller man wouldn't hurt himself.
His breaths were coming in gasps as his eyes fluttered open. "Kuro-chan?"
He smiled again. "Hai. Daijoubu. We're escaping."
"Oh good," the mage breathed, allowing his head to lull a bit so that it rested against Kurogane's chest. "Daijoubu ka?"
"Hai. I'm fine." Kurogane said. "We're close to the village. We'll be fine."
Fai grimaced and clung tightly to Kurogane's arm. "I thought I had it figured out," he murmured softly.
"Had what figured out?" Kurogane asked. He kept his sight on the path ahead of them, hoping Chii was being alert because he was loosing focus every minute.
"The way I could beat him to it. I thought I could get us both out of there... I suppose I was wrong, eh?" He chuckled slightly, wincing as he did and turning blue eyes up to gaze at his friend. "You're too pale."
"Ch'. You're one to talk. You're like a snowbird." Kurogane said with a short laugh.
"Am I?" the magician questioned. He leaned against the taller man for a moment, resting, then tensed, his grip on Kurogane's arm tightening again. "How close?" he gasped through clenched teeth.
"Stay with me." Kurogane said firmly. He grimaced as he quickened his pace, but he had no other choice. If he bled to death, so be it. He would get Fai help.
"Don't... hurt yourself." Fai sighed. "Perhaps we should stop? It might do us both good."
"Iie. We're almost there."
"How close?" Fai whispered. "Seems like... forever, ne?" He forced a small smile on his lips, trying to lift the ninja's spirits a bit. He was wounded and worried, possibly forcing himself past what he should be doing. Fai wouldn't see him hurt because of him. Not anymore.
"How would we know what forever feels like?" he wondered aloud. Just a little bit more and they'd be there. Syaoran and Sakura would be looking for them, they would find them. He just had to make it a little further.
Fai clung tightly to his friend, his other arm wrapped around his midsection. "We have to stop," he gasped finally.
Kurogane let out a soft breath and stopped walking. He was concerned he'd never be able to take another step as he slowly knelt to the ground, gently cradling Fai against him and crouching over him to offer what cover he could from the cold rain.
The mage shuddered and clung to him. Chii seemed to appear from nowhere on his other side. He smiled at her and she looked sadly at him.
"Chii's sorry, Fai."
The mage chuckled slightly. "Mou... no one blames you, Chii."
She turned wide, fearful eyes to Kurogane. "But it's Chii's fault."
Kurogane shook his head. "No. It's his fault." he said with half a grin. "Next time, he'll have to give you better instructions."
"Mou, Kuro-rin! Don't make fun of me! It could be the last thing you say to me!" It was said in a light, joking manner, a large smile plastered on his far too pale face, but Kurogane's eyes widened.
The idea pierced him and he struggled to find something to say to mask it, but could come up with nothing. "We need to get moving again." he said finally, a trace of desperation in his voice.
"You're hurting yourself," Fai whispered, his voice serious.
"You need a doctor."
Fai smiled. "It can wait a bit. Just lie back for a moment. Even sitting all you're doing is fussing over me." He wanted to sit up, to show the other that he could and that he'd make it, but he knew what that would bring: searing pain just like when Kurogane had been carrying him. It could only make it worse.
"Can't give up now. There' s no rest for the wicked, ne?"
"You're not wicked, Kuro-chan," Fai responded tiredly.
He laughed. "No?"
Chii held his arm as he began to stand again.
"Kurogane!" Fai all but begged, getting as far as his knees and reaching out. He gasped as he fell forward.
Kurogane jerked forward and fought back a cry as he caught Fai before he hit the ground. "Baka ne!" he whispered fiercely. He looked to Chii. "Go ahead to the village. Find a boy and girl, both with brown hair. The girl has green eyes, her name is Sakura. Tell them we need help. Go!"
Chii nodded and ran off without a word. Fai clung desperately to Kurogane. "Will we stay here?"
"Hai. But let's see if we can't get you over there, under that tree. It looks a little drier there." Kurogane said.
"Hai..." Fai managed. He felt Kurogane lift him as best he could - the other man's strength had all but given out on him - and they hobbled their way over to the tree. The ninja leaned against it, pulling the smaller man up against him. Fai was shivering, clinging tightly with one gloved hand.
Kurogane wrapped his arms around Fai and absently stroked the blonde locks under his fingertips. He felt his eyes grow heavy and fought to keep them open. Chii would be back soon. She had to come back soon, he thought desperately, looking at Fai.
The blond man coughed and leaned in. "Chii will bring help soon," he whispered softly, barely audibly.
"Hai." Kurogane murmured. "Soon."
Fai licked his lips, tasting the blood on them. "Will you be alright?"
"We'll be fine." he answered firmly. If he said it enough, believed it hard enough, it would be true. The witch had told them there were no coincidences, only fate. He wasn't willing to leave it up to that.
"Yokatta," the mage managed, still shivering.
"Kurogane-san! Fai-san!" Syaoran's voice rang through the wet forest.
"We're here!" Kurogane called back. He let out a sigh of relief. They had been found in time.
Syaoran ran towards them, Sakura, Chii, and another man in tow. The young boy's eyes widened at the sight. "Daijoubu ka!"
"Now, yes. Attend to Fai first." Kurogane said firmly. He eyed the new man warily. "You're the doctor?"
"Hai," the man answered, bowing slightly. He moved to where the blond mage had gone still. He knelt, trying to pull him away. Fai let out a cry that startled everyone and his eyes flew open, wide, but unseeing.
Kurogane knocked the doctor's hand away and grasped Fai to keep him from flailing. "Fai! Fai! Daijoubu! Fai?"
The mage was gasping, tears in his eyes, but whether it was from the pain or all that had happened, Kurogane could not be sure. The doctor reached a hand forward. "You must let me attend to him."
"Not until he's calm." Kurogane growled. He gently touched Fai's face. "Fai? Can you hear me?"
Fai didn't respond as his body convulsed and his breath came out in ragged gasps. He reached an unsteady hand up, as if reaching for something. Kurogane caught it and held it tightly. "Fai?" he asked softly, afraid of what was happening to the magician. Fai's fingers were cold in his own. "Daijoubu...Fai..."
The smaller man went limp suddenly, falling aback against the ninja.
Kurogane caught him tightly and his eyes became wide with fear. "Fai..." he breathed.
Sakura and Chii both gasped softly. The doctor tried to move forward again.
"Let me see to him," he pleaded.
"It will do him no good," a voice said from the shadows.
Kurogane shut his eyes and held Fai tightly. "I will not allow you to die, even if that means these are my last words to you." he whispered to Fai. He grabbed the doctor's arm. "Tend to him." He said. He released Fai and Chii came to ease him to the ground. Kurogane stood. "You again. And you call me a dog." he said darkly.
"Even if the doctor can close the wound, he will not be able to save him," Ashura said calmly.
"He will not die." Kurogane said firmly. "I will see to that."
"There's a poison running through his veins, Kurogane-san. One that no one on this world would know how to counter."
Kurogane smirked. "You are wrong if that concerns me. Now we will finish this." His kudan flared around him. "Prepare to die!"
"I know how to save him, isn't that what you want, ninja? To save your friend? If you kill me, there will be no saving him, though you won't get far in it."
"I need no help from the likes of you." he sneered, grasping his sword.
"Then you condemn him to death. Very well. It was my first intent, after all."
Kurogane wasted no more words on him, and rushed at him, determined to kill Ashura once and for all.
The king brought forth his own attack, red aura flaming up around him.
Sakura gripped Syaoran's arm. "Syaoran-kun, should we help him?" she asked softly.
He hesitated and shook his head. "Iie. This is his fight. We will protect Fai-san while he is battling."
"Ashura-ou is very strong," Chii murmured, eyes fixed on the ninja and king.
"He has nothing but hatred to fuel him." Syaoran said. "Eventually, he will fail."
A/N: packing, editing, writing, editing, cleaning, editing, seeing friends, and you guessed it: editing! Yay! Perhaps I'll actually get up to date on editing by the time I leave! Lol! If not, Anna-chan might take over. Yay for Anna-chan :Holds up a "go Anna-chan" flag: Oh! Has anyone seen the Tsubasa anime:dies of happiness: Anna's been keeping up with it and sending me some. I looooooooove the music! Kirei des….
Mkaiou: Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear that Fai's in character, b/c I'm mostly in charge of him. :) Anna's in charge of Kurogane and Fai's mine, so yay! We're doing alright:happy Chase-chan: Hmm… I've got it mostly figured out, my idea for poor Fai-chan… and we'll explain that here in a few chapters :) No worries! It'll probably be totally off from CLAMP's idea, but we can imagine, ne?
Japanesenut: Haha! I like Chii too in this series. I never really got into Chobits, but I adore her in this! So yes, more Chii moments :bounds off to brainstorm:
Meowzy-chan: He won't… in this chapter. Lol! You'll have to wait and see ;)