A/N: And now for the grand finale! Not quite as good as I had hoped, but not bad, I don't think.

Chapter 3

The Princess' Request

By the time he got back to the café, Kurogane was completely drenched. He had done his best to keep Fai out of the worst of the rain but as he had few resources with which to do so, the wizard was also soaked. The ninja strode through the door, quickly shutting out the storm behind him. Sakura and Syaoran had just closed up the café for the night and were enjoying a cup of tea when their companion returned but when they saw him, clutching an unconscious Fai in his arms, they immediately jumped up from their chairs.

"Ah! Kurogane san! What happened!" Syaoran gasped.

"What's wrong with Fai san! Will he be ok!" Sakura panicked.

"He'll live," the ninja said stoically as he kicked off his sandals.

"But—" Sakura began.

"I'll take care of it," Kurogane interrupted. "It's not a big deal."

The two younger travelers could only watch helplessly as the ninja carried Fai up the stairs. Once he had vanished on the landing, Sakura turned to Syaoran.

"We should probably bring up some tea to them," she suggested. "They were out in the rain for a long time."

"Right," the boy agreed.

Without another word, the two set to work.

Kurogane carefully laid Fai down on the bed before dropping to the floor, every limb heavy with fatigue. He sat there for what seemed like an eternity, trying to scrape together the energy to get up and change out of his dripping clothes. After resting for a few minutes, he was able to do so. Once he had put on a dry outfit, he looked over at Fai.

The sorcerer's clothes were rather wet too but he was unable to change them himself. That left only the ninja able to do it, a thought which caused a strange sensation to spread throughout his stomach. Shaking himself mentally, Kurogane grabbed a dry shirt and pair of pants from the closet before peeling off Fai's wet garments. The warrior found himself overcome with a desire to let his fingers play across the pale, silky skin. It was so inviting and Fai was asleep so he would never even notice…No, stop it, Kurogane told himself. That's wrong. How could I even think something like that?

It wasn't until he forced himself to tear his eyes from the mage's beautiful slim form that he noticed a letter on thick parchment, wet and slightly crumpled on the floor amongst Fai's rain-soaked clothes. Kurogane's eyes widened as he identified it: it was the letter that Tomoyo hime had sent. Curiously, the ninja picked it up and peeled it open.

Dear Fai san,

My name is Tomoyo hime and I am the princess of Kurogane san's world, Japan. I know we have never had the pleasure of meeting each other but I am in need of a small favor and I was wondering if you might possibly be able to help me out. I have been keeping track of everyone's progress along this journey and it has come to my attention that you and Kurogane san are forming an ever-closer bond. Though it may not be apparent to you in your current position, I can see that you have become someone that Kurogane san considers to be important to him. This means a lot to me because I care about him very much but I know that he does not open up to others easily. His attitude is understandable as betrayal is not an uncommon sight for a ninja. Please keep this in mind when he is cold towards you and do not be discouraged; he really does care for you.

As you may be aware, today is Kurogane san's birthday. I regret that I cannot be with him on this day but that does not mean that all hope is lost. My primary concern is not that I am able to enjoy myself today but that Kurogane san is happy. This is where you come in. I know that the world you are currently visiting receives travelers from many different dimensions, all of whom bring a piece of their culture to that place. Because of this, cuisine from all reaches of the earth can be found there. Kurogane san is especially fond of ochizushi (pressed sushi) and I was wondering if you would mind going with him to get some as I am sure it will be available somewhere in the city. I warn you not to let him know where you are taking him or he may very likely refuse to go as he considers things like celebrating birthdays to be frivolous.

I hope you will give my request consideration. I know that even though Kurogane san may seem hostile towards you for making him participate in what he considers to be "pointless activities", he will actually appreciate it very much. Best wishes to you and good luck on the remainder of your journey.

Sincerely,

Tomoyo hime

Kurogane blinked at the letter that he held in his hands, disbelief washing over him at the ridiculous things that Tomoyo hime had written about him to the wizard. How could she ever think that he cared about that stupid blond mage? Usually, he found Tomoyo hime's words to contain wisdom beyond her years but this time, she was so far off, it was laughable. Then, a timid voice spoke up from the back of his mind. You know, maybe Tomoyo hime is right. You do spend an awful lot of time thinking about Fai…And don't you remember how worried you were when you saw him fall out of the tree? You haven't felt that much compassion towards anyone else recently besides Tomoyo hime and that's because she's like a younger sister to you.

Kurogane considered this for a few moments. At first, his charge's suggestions had seemed ludicrous but now that he thought about them a little more seriously, they stopped looking so outlandish. But his pride wouldn't give up the fight so easily. I've always felt at least a faint desire to protect those who were weak and helpless. That's the only reason I cared when he got hurt. And he acts so girly that my mind regards him in the same way that it does Tomoyo hime: like a little sister.

But look closer, the timid voice in his head insisted, becoming a little more confident. Haven't you realized that they aren't the same? Your feelings for Tomoyo hime are warm and fuzzy but your feelings for Fai burn with passion and desire. They are very different. Now Kurogane's argumentative side was drawing a blank. It tried to reject this suggestion but found that it couldn't truthfully do so. The timid voice was right. And so was Tomoyo hime. In fact, the only one who didn't seem to be sure about his feelings was himself.

A hesitant knock on the door interrupted his train of thought. He turned his scarlet eyes towards the entrance, narrowing them in slight annoyance at whoever had dared to disturb him. There was a short pause before the door creaked slowly open. Sakura poked her head in nervously. When she saw Kurogane looking at her, her face went red.

"U-um… I thought…since you and F-Fai san were out in the… in the rain, you m-might like some t-tea."

"Fine. Whatever," the ninja sighed. "Just put it on that table."

Sakura quickly obeyed, bowed nervously to the warrior and departed at top speed, closing the door behind her. Kurogane picked up one of the cups and took a drink. At least they had remembered not to put any sugar in his tea.

A soft moan from beside him startled the ninja slightly, making him flinch. He looked over at the wizard and saw that he was slowly regaining consciousness.

"Kuro…tan?" Fai said dazedly.

"You're awake, are you?" Kurogane grunted, not looking at the sorcerer.

Fai pushed himself into a sitting position with his good arm. "What happened? Why are we back here?"

"You fell out of a tree and broke your arm. You don't even remember?"

"…Hmm… oh, maybe I do… that would certainly explain why my arm hurts so badly…" the wizard laughed, though it sounded hollow.

"Dumb ass," the ninja grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"So then… did you carry me all the way back here?" Fai asked.

"Not like I had much of a choice," Kurogane said defensively. "The brats would have gotten worried and made me go back for you if I'd just left you there."

"Ah…I see," the sorcerer nodded, smiling sadly.

They fell into an awkward silence then, neither one exactly sure what to say to the other.

"Is there a window open?" Fai asked finally. "It feels really cold in here."

"Eh? No…" the ninja replied, his frown deepening. "This room doesn't even have windows, moron."

"I must be imagining it, then…"

Kurogane looked at Fai, suddenly noticing that his usually fair cheeks now had a dull red flush to them. Without thinking, the ninja put his hand on his companion's forehead. He just had time to note how warm the skin beneath his fingers was before he realized what he was doing and quickly withdrew his hand.

"Feels like a fever," Kurogane mumbled, avoiding the wizard's eyes once more. "You won't be doing much for a while, I guess."

"Aww, that's no fun," Fai complained. "I was looking forward to helping Sakura chan make a cake tomorrow, too…"

"At least you can still walk, right?" Kurogane asked.

The blond tilted his head. "I'm not sure… I think so…Let's see."

He tried to get up and managed to get partially to his feet before his strength gave out and he collapsed into the ninja's arms. Kurogane just sat there, not really sure what his reaction should be. Fai closed his eyes, resting his check against the warrior's chest.

"I'm really sorry, Kurowan," he muttered. "I wanted to take you somewhere special for your birthday but I just ended up causing you trouble again."

The mage clutched a handful of Kurogane's yukata in his uninjured fist.

"I guess I screwed up pretty good this time, hmm?"

Fai smiled apologetically at the ninja. "You probably really hate me now, don't you, Kuronyan?"

The warrior was silent, not knowing what to say. The blond put his arms around Kurogane's waist and buried his face in the swordsman's shoulder, the heat from his feverish cheeks soaking through the fabric of the yukata. After a few moments of silence, Kurogane spoke up.

"You're wrong."

Fai looked up at him, his eyes widened with surprise. "Hmm? Wrong about what?"

"I don't…" the ninja began uncertainly but then stopped.

The wizard cocked his head curiously at him, waiting patiently for him to finish.

"…I don't…hate you," Kurogane muttered.

Fai blinked at him, as if he hardly dared to believe what he was hearing.

"…I…I never hated you."

"Kuro chan…" the sorcerer breathed.

He tried to meet Kurogane's eyes but the ninja was staring determinedly at the floor and refused to look at him. Most people might have found this discouraging but Fai was in heaven. Getting Kurogane to admit that he didn't hate him was almost as good as getting a love confession. A heavy burden was suddenly removed from the mage's heart; one that had been there as long as he could remember. For some reason, the pain in his broken arm seemed to fade considerably and his head no longer felt heavy.

Unable to contain himself due to the feeling of ecstasy that coursed through his veins, Fai threw his good arm around Kurogane's neck and pressed his lips against the ninja's. His companion was so shocked that he simply let it happen, frozen with disbelief. After the blond finally drew away from him, Kurogane got abruptly to his feet and made to leave the room but he paused at the door and looked back at Fai.

"Are you going to write back to Tomoyo hime?" he asked, seemingly out of the blue.

The mage thought for a moment. "Yes…" he said finally. "I suppose I will."

"When you do…" Kurogane began hesitantly, "tell her…"

The ninja stopped. Fai smiled innocently at him, waiting for the rest of his sentence.

"Tell her she was right…" he finished. "She was right about everything… as usual…"

Having said that, Kurogane opened the door, stepped through it and was getting ready to close it behind him when Fai stopped him.

"Kuromin!"

The ninja paused in the doorway but didn't turn to face him.

"Happy birthday," the sorcerer said softly.

Kurogane remained still for a few more seconds before continuing to shut the door behind him.

Though Fai was unable to see the warrior's face through the door, he could sense that for the first time in quite a while, the ninja was smiling.