A/N: Sorry I took so long with this post. I'm working on like 3 fics at once. Good plan, dumb ass. Yeah, shut up.

This story, while similar to Celebration, has no connection to it. I tried to make this one different from its counterpart and I think I did a decent job with that…

Oi vey… this fic is so fluffy, I'll be surprised if it doesn't grow long ears and a cotton tail and hop away. I hope the fluffiness of it doesn't kill you or, like… send you into a coma or something. That would be sad.

Chapter 1

Love Tomoyo Hime

The ninja slipped on his sandals and carefully pushed open the door, trying to make as little noise as possible. It was early in the morning and Kurogane was sneaking out of the café, his mind set on finding a newsstand that the group had passed the other day on their exploration of the city. He had seen an issue of Maganyan Shounen Manga magazine there that had caught his attention. It was about time he got his hands on the next copy. The one he had read in Jade Country had left him hanging at a very suspenseful part in the manga so he was eager to see how the next chapter played out.

Once Kurogane had made it around the block, he sighed with relief at the fact that he was still alone. He had worried that Fai might hear him leaving and dash down the stairs to join him on his expedition. Somehow, this world seemed to bring out the sorcerer's irritating nature more than any of the previous ones and Kurogane wasn't sure how much more of Fai he could take before he went kung-fu on his skinny ass.

The warrior was able to find the newsstand fairly quickly and snatched up the long-awaited copy of the magazine. He passed the flower-shaped card containing their money to guy inside the stand, flipping through the pages as he waited. As the pages flashed by, he noticed the date on the top corner and stopped abruptly to examine it, wondering if he had read it right. There was no mistake, it truly was that day. Kurogane blinked. He had been so focused on the journey that he had completely lost track of time and hadn't even noticed that today was his birthday.

The guy running the newsstand handed back the ninja's card, thanking him as he left. Kurogane had never cared much about celebrating birthdays but Tomoyo hime had always insisted on making a big deal out of it; something that he found a bit embarrassing. He felt a rush of relief as he realized that she wouldn't be able to do that this year since he was in a completely different dimension. And he certainly wouldn't be telling his traveling companions about it. They would definitely blow the matter way out of proportion. Fai would probably try to force him to eat cake or something. Stupid magician…

Kurogane let himself back into the café and found Fai sitting on the counter, drinking a cup of coffee and waiting for the warrior's return. Aside from the wizard, the place was empty. Kurogane groaned to himself. Great; a moment alone with Fai. Just what he didn't need. When the blond saw him come in, he put on a pout.

"Where were you, Kurowanko?" he demanded. "How come you didn't take me with you?"

"I went to get a magazine," Kurogane replied shortly. "And I didn't take you because I don't need you hanging on me every second of the day."

"Oh? So I can hang on you some of the day?" Fai asked, perking up at once. "Yay!"

"I didn't say that!" the ninja snapped "Quit putting words in my mouth!"

The blond ignored his protests and bounced over to the table where Kurogane was sitting, a cup of black coffee in his hand. He sat down opposite his companion and pushed the steaming mug toward him. Kurogane muttered his thanks and took the cup from the table. Taking advantage of the fact that the warrior's hands were full, he leaned across the table and patted Kurogane on the head the way one might pat a dog.

"You're a good puppy, aren't you?" he cooed.

"I'M NOT A PUPPY, BASTARD!" Kurogane roared.

At that moment, Syaoran and Sakura walked in along with Mokona who was hitching a ride on the princess's head.

"Good morning!" they three of them said simultaneously.

"Morning!" Fai echoed cheerfully. Kurogane merely nodded.

Mokona jumped down from Sakura's head, landing gracefully on the table.

"Kurogane, Mokona has something for you from Yuuko!" he squeaked.

"Eh? You mean that witch?" Kurogane asked, one of his eyebrows rising in surprise.

"Yep! And there's something here for you too, Fai!"

The white creature opened his mouth wide and out came two small items. One was a package with wrapping and a bow and the other was a thick parchment envelope. The two men leaned forward to examine them. The package had Kurogane's name on it while the envelope was addressed to Fai. They each picked up their respective items for closer examination.

"Yuuko said that both of them came from Tomoyo hime! She asked Yuuko to send them to you!" Mokona explained excitedly.

At the mention of the princess's name, the ninja dropped the package while the wizard simply looked surprised.

"Oh damn…" Kurogane grumbled, pushing the package away from him. "I don't want to open it…"

"Aww, come on, Kuromin!" Fai urged. "I wanna see what Tomoyo hime sent you!"

Grudgingly, the ninja pulled the ribbon off the package and flipped open the card that was stuck to the top. He scanned it disinterestedly and snorted, rolling his eyes as he tossed it aside. Just as he was about to remove the wrapping he became aware that everyone's attention was focused on him.

"QUIT STARING!" he shouted and everyone but Fai quickly turned their heads though they continued to watch from the corners of their eyes.

Kurogane reluctantly ripped off the paper and opened the small white box that was inside. He turned it upside-down and a gold ring fell into his hand. Kurogane held it up and squinted at it, studying the intricate mess of symbols that was engraved on it.

"What the hell…?"

"There's a note here, Kurogane san!" Syaoran said, holding up a piece of paper he had found in the bottom of the box.

"Dear Kurogane san," Sakura read over Syaoran's shoulder. "This ring is a good luck charm that I had custom made for you. I put all sorts of protective spells on it. I hope that it brings you fortune along your journey. Love, Tomoyo hime."

"Oh, how cute!" Fai giggled. Kurogane glared at him.

"It sure it pretty…" Sakura remarked as she studied the ring, "but why did she decide to send it to you just now?"

"Today is Kurogane's birthday!" Mokona blurted, waving the card that had been attached to the present.

"Kurotan's birthday!" Fai said excitedly, jumping out of his chair and draping his lithe body over the ninja's shoulders. "Why didn't you tell us, Kuropi!"

"Because…THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TRYING TO PREVENT!" Kurogane snapped, pushing the wizard off of him.

"F-Fai san…if he doesn't want you to… then…m-maybe you shouldn't do that…" Syaoran stammered nervously as the blond simply picked himself up and threw his arms around the warrior's neck again.

"In my country, it's tradition to give a person kisses on their birthday! One for each year, plus one extra so that they will make it to their next birthday!" Fai chirped.

Kurogane quickly extracted himself from the sorcerer's grip and scrambled to get as far away as possible, his hand moving to his sword in case he needed to defend himself.

"Don't even think about it, magician!" he snarled, brandishing his weapon threateningly.

Fai sat back down, laughing, before turning his attention to his letter. "I wonder what Tomoyo hime could possibly have to say to me…" he mused. "I mean, I've never even met her."

Kurogane took advantage of everyone's preoccupation with Fai's letter to slip on the ring that his princess had sent him. Even though she had blown his secret about it being his birthday, he appreciated the gift all the same. He would admit this to no one, of course, which was why he had waited until they were distracted to put it on. Now that he was wearing it, he stuck his hand in his pocket to hide the gold band and moved forward curiously to have a peek at the letter that Tomoyo had sent Fai.

There was a red wax seal on the letter that bore the Daidouji family crest. The wizard tried to open it but it stubbornly resisted his efforts.

"Hmm? Now why can't I open it?" Fai asked.

As if in response to his question, graceful, spidery words written in purple ink began to scrawl across the back of the envelope. The blond tilted his head at the message.

"I can't read it," he said.

"It says 'for your eyes only'," Kurogane informed him. "I guess that means you can't open it here."

A mixture of annoyance and jealousy bubbled up in the ninja's stomach. What could Tomoyo hime possibly have to say to that damn magician that only he was aloud to know?

"But how will I know what it says?" Fai wondered aloud.

"Mokona will read it to you!" the white thing offered, bouncing excitedly.

"Ok! Let's go then!" the wizard agreed, allowing Mokona to scramble up onto his shoulder before he dashed to his bedroom, eager to find out what the princess had to say.

Kurogane watched him go bitterly before returning his attention to his coffee. Outside, the weather was cloudy and humid and looked a bit like rain. Ha. Well, someone up there might be trying to take a shit on his day but the joke was on them; he just happened to like rain. Put that it your pipe and smoke it, dumb ass, he thought smugly.

Fai rubbed his temple thoughtfully. Mokona had just finished reading him Tomoyo hime's letter and the wizard was now processing the information.

"You could always ask at the Central Government Office," Mokona suggested. "Mokona is sure they could tell you where to find a place where you can get that stuff."

"You're right," Fai nodded. "That's what I'll do. Good thinking, Mokona!"

"Mokona is good at problem solving," the rodent bragged.

Fai smiled as he stuffed the letter into the pocket of his coat. Then he sighed.

"That stuff is yucky and it smells gross too…but it's for Kuro chan, so I'll put up with it."

"You should just try some, Fai," Mokona suggested. "It's really good. Mokona bets you'll like it if you just give it a chance."

The wizard shook his head. "I don't think I could do it. It's just too nasty…I suppose I'll just have to eat something before we go."

The white creature shrugged. "If you say so, Fai. It's your loss."

"I'll live, I think," the blond grinned as he left the room. Syaoran, Sakura and Kurogane watched him curiously as he left the café without a word or even a backwards glance. Fai might have told them that he was headed for the information desk at the Central Government Office but he didn't want to waste time answering the inevitable tidal wave of questions that would come at him at the release of so little information. Besides, he was excited. He couldn't wait to see the reaction he would get from Kurogane when they reached their final destination.

A/N: Oh man. I hope that chapter didn't stink like poo. I'm not sure --;

Oh, but hey! I got a deviant art account this weekend! Hurray! Come check it out, y'all! There's some Tsubasa goodies there (including KxF deliciousness, of course). Just copy and paste the following link into your address bar to get there: http / hikari-kaitou. deviantart. com

For some reason isn't letting me write the link in there as it should be so you'll have to delete the spaces on your own. Also, there should be a colon and another / right after the http but it keeps deleting it everytime I add it! Argh!