Chapter 4: Hide And Seek

When Fai came out of his room near noon no one questioned the bags under his eyes and no one sent him back to bed. Sakura did offer to make him some tea though, since he didn't look very well rested at all. Fai was much obliged and drank the entire cup and two more after that one.

" We should really start looking for Sakura-chan's feather," Fai said with a grin.

Syaoran glanced up from across the room, where he had been staring at the door. " Shouldn't we wait for Kurogane-san?" he asked.

" Yes, and what about you, Fai-san?" Sakura asked. " You're still hurt, you should be taking it easy now."

Fai chuckled, as though Sakura had told some sort of joke. " I'm certain that Kuro-popo can take care of himself," he said. " As for me, I'll be fine. Besides, we shouldn't forget why we're here, right?"

Syaoran regarded Fai carefully, knowing that there was more behind this. Unable to find the problem though, he merely nodded in agreement. It was certainly like Syaoran to be that loyal to his mission.

The real reason behind Fai's sudden determination to find Sakura's feathers was because of something much different actually. There was no need to question his dream. Ashura was free and Chi, well, Fai didn't want to think about Chi. The whole thing could have easily been played off as paranoia, but Fai knew better than to ignore premonitions. His hands shook from something other than the caffeine in the tea. The sooner that Fai was out of Nebanos, the better off he would be.

Reluctantly, Sakura and Syaoran agreed to go look in the town's marketplace for any clues as to where the feather was. Mokona rode on Fai's shoulder the whole way, ready to "Mekyo" when needed.

" It's very faint," Mokona said when asked about the feather. " It's here, but I can't tell where."

Fai patted the top of Mokona's head and Mokona made a happy "Puu!" noise. He decided he shouldn't be too discouraged by that answer. After all, the feather was in that world somewhere. It would be immensely helpful if they could find it soon though.

There was no use shaking any of Fai's fears. Every few minutes Fai would find himself gazing behind him, waiting to see those cold eyes meeting his once again. Every dark corner brought thoughts of Ashura's hands around his neck. Every shadow could have been his dark cloak. Every minute that went by made Fai more nervous and worried.

" Nee? Fai, are you okay?" Mokona asked softly in his ear.

Fai laughed nervously, " I'm fine, Mokona." It was extremely difficult to convince himself of this fact though, especially with Ashura free and likely to come and murder him at any moment.

He lifted his head, trying to figure out where Syaoran and Sakura had wandered off to. Ashura wasn't beyond kidnapping family and friends. Luckily he spotted them not far off, over at a booth that sold some sort of food native to Nebanos. They were probably doing what Fai should have been doing, gathering information as to where Sakura's feather might be.

What Fai really needed to do was try to calm his nerves. After all, it would probably take a while to track him down, right? Fai only just had the dream, so Ashura couldn't be there yet, right? Besides, if he stayed as panicked as he was, he would never be able to help find the feather and then it would take even longer to leave.

Just as Fai turned to go and question the nearest street vendor, he saw the crowd up ahead of him begin to part for someone. The people whispered, watching in awe at whatever was running by. Fai didn't recognize who it was until it ran into him and knocked him down to the ground. The hit was so forceful that it knocked poor Mokona off of Fai and into a vendor's booth.

Fai gazed up in fear, wondering if this would be the end for him, but he caught himself when he saw that it was not Ashura, but Kurogane standing above him. Saving himself from any questions, Fai laughed and stood, brushing himself off.

" Kuro-puu…" he whined with a smile. " You scared me half to death."

Kurogane didn't seem to be paying any mind to his act though. He was breathing very harshly, as though he had just run some sort of marathon in a minute. This struck Fai as odd, because he knew Kurogane was very fit and most likely capable of running very long distances without loosing his breath. Fai wondered what had made him run so fast.

His eyes widened when Kurogane gripped his sleeves tightly. Fai felt himself tense at his touch and tried to lightly tug himself away. He certainly didn't want a repeat of the night before.

" Nee?" he laughed. " What are you doing Kuro-chii?"

When Fai stopped laughing, their eyes met. For once, Kurogane didn't seem to be angry or full of rage. His eyes were wide and perhaps even concerned. Fai couldn't even fathom that thought though. Kurogane? Concerned for him? Kurogane would sooner chop off his arm than show concern, according to Fai.

It seemed that Kurogane realized how odd his behavior was on his own, because he stepped away from Fai. He forced his face to become more stern.

" Oi," he said.

Fai watched him carefully. There was no doubt that Kurogane would still be angry at him from the night before. Taking a good look at him though, Fai noticed that his arm looked better. Kurogane must have changed his shirt, because he was certain he blew a hole in the other one.

There was no use trying to predict Kurogane. He was very driven by his emotions, most notably his anger. This is what made the two of them so different. While Kurogane was always himself, no matter what the scenario, Fai always hid his real feelings behind a mask. He often felt as though he were trapped behind a mirror, watching some stranger walk around in his body. Either way, he envied Kurogane in that regard.

" You," Kurogane tried to form the sentence properly. " There's someone…"

" Someone?" Fai echoed with a laugh.

Kurogane looked deadly serious though. He shook Fai by the arms, which immediately ceased the giggles.

" Would you cut it out for a minute?" Kurogane glared.

Fai's smile faded then, knowing that the situation must be dire. If it wasn't, Kurogane would be screaming and raging and loosing his temper. It was as though he were trying to stay calm as well.

" There's someone looking for you," Kurogane said seriously. " Someone named Ashura."

Someone named Ashura. Those words froze Fai's very soul. The paranoia, the fear, the dark shadows that lingered in his mind; they were all reborn. Ashura was there. He was there. He was there to kill him; he would die! Everyone would die! Ashura had no mercy for anyone who opposed him. There was no hope and yet Fai's mind fluttered back and forth in desperation.

Finally, Fai shoved himself away from Kurogane with a strength no one knew he possessed and took off in the direction that he had come from. He gracefully navigated the crowd with speed. There was no need for anyone to stop for him. Kurogane didn't chase after him, and for that Fai was glad. It would have merely ended in another fight anyhow and in Fai's panicked state he wasn't sure just how far he would go.

At this point it didn't matter where Fai went, as long as it was away from everything. Though really, that was the way it always was. After all, why was here? He had been running and running, running longer than anyone ever though possible. It was an endless game of hide and seek between them. Come out, come out wherever you are.

Fai passed by cart after cart and booth after booth. Was there no end to this marketplace? He didn't care if he had to hide in the woods for a few hours or even days; Fai just needed to be away. It was terribly cowardly and he knew it, but this was the way he was. If the real Fai weren't such a coward, then he wouldn't need his mask in the first place. He wouldn't be running his life away.

Soon the buildings he was running by became eerily familiar and he realized they were the ruins of the other day. Fai was running through the ghostly part of the town, filled with broken buildings and the scent of blood. Though he had only been conscious for a short time there, the smell of blood was very distinct.

There, amidst the corpses and the crumbled brick was a man. He was gazing down at the bodies with an odd expression. It was far too cold and merciless to be a mourner.

The man turned at the sound of Fai's hurried footfalls. He stared at him with emotionless eyes and Fai stopped in his tracks when he saw who it was.

Ashura-ou.

Fai couldn't help feeling defeated, as his mask fluttered to the torn earth beneath him.

(A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews everyone! Also, thank you to those of you who wished me good luck with my exams and my computer issues. My computer's fine now and my exams are done so…thanks. : ) So, Fai and Ashura have finally crossed paths. Things are getting exciting now, huh? Please R&R and I'll try to have the next chapter up soon!)