A/N - Dang, I'm bored. XP Since it's aweekend, I might upload two parts tomorrow if I'm feeling nice... and if I get some reviews... I'm also working on a Furuba parody fic right now, which may or may not be uploaded soon.

Tharaide was true to her word. The following day, she deemed Shigure fit to explore the city and proceeded to show him the sights of Nystas Elden. Shigure was amazed; this place was incredible. The buildings ranged from small houses to soaring marble structures with beautiful architecture, unique and unlike anything he had seen before. The paths and streets were lined with white stone and silver, and the few trees he saw were tall and stately with lush foliage and smooth bark. As he drank in the experience, he realized that all the phoenixes he passed seemed fascinated with him. "They act like they've never seen a human before," he said to Tharaide.

"Most of them haven't," she replied. "Nystas Elden has been isolated from Earth for over three hundred years.

After he'd seen the gardens and prominent buildings of Nystas, they stopped in a park-like space for a meal. They were joined by another phoenix, a male, who seemed far more cheerful than Shigure's saturnine companion.

"Tharaide," he greeted her. "I assume this is your human guest?"

She nodded, and they were introduced. The phoenix, Misaya, narrowed his eyes sharply at the mention of the name Sohma, but did not elaborate. Instead, he produced a satchel of food, settled himself in the grass near them, and began to eat. Halfway through their meal, however, Tharaide suddenly stood.

"I must be leaving," she said. "I will see you both tomorrow… goodbye…" The girl hurried off. Shigure stared.

"Well, that was unexpected."

Misaya shrugged. "That's Tharaide for you. She's never been the same since…" He trailed off.

"Since what?"

"It's not my place to say."

The two were silent for some time, but after a while Shigure began to ask questions, taking advantage of the time in order to gather some much-needed information.

"Where is Nystas Elden, anyway?" he said. "Tharaide said it was isolated."

Misaya chuckled. "It certainly is," he replied. "Nystas is located atop a floating island, several miles above Earth. It's shielded from view, as well, so to any passing pilots it appears as a misty blur. There are several others like it, but this is the largest." There was pride in his voice, and he smiled, pleased.

"And what about the phoenixes?" Shigure went on. "I've only seen a few creatures that are actually… well…"

"Birds?" Shigure nodded. "Yes, one of our powers is to disguise ourselves like this. We can hide the wings, as well, but on our own we prefer this form. It is the most practical, after all. The best of both worlds."

Misaya answered the dog's questions for a couple hours. Shigure was astounded at what the phoenix knew. Most incredible of all was the story of Shigure's own family. He had known that the Sohmas were cursed and, as a result, had a slight trend towards the magical rather than the mundane, though only the Dragon was blessed with any special powers. However, he did not know that hundreds of years ago, in Japan's feudal days, the family had actually been close to several mythical species like the dragons and the phoenixes. As time went on and these creatures vanished from the human world, however, the phoenixes eventually chose to erase the family's memory of such things. Ever since, the Sohmas' knowledge of magic had been no more than what superstition most humans retained.

This pleasant existence lasted for several days. Shigure stayed in the tall, pillared stone building called Healer's Hall, roaming the city and speaking with Tharaide and Misaya. He found the two phoenixes were agreeable company, and though Tharaide was formal and somber, he found himself being drawn to her.

One odd thing he noticed was that every afternoon, Tharaide would stop whatever she was doing and slip away from the others, not returning until evening. She never told him where she went and never made any move to bring him, and so he minded his own business and let her be. One day, his curiosity reached its limit and he asked Misaya about it.

"Tharaide?" Misaya smiled sadly. "Training. Her life is dedicated to it. She blames herself for the… losses… we suffered, years ago in the battle of the Phoenix Fallen, and she has put her heart and soul into learning the art of fencing. She wasn't always like this, but…" Again he trailed off. "She may consent to bring you along if you like."

The next day, she did. She led him to a terraced hill some distance from the city, and there proceeded to practice her craft. The girl was changed completely with her sword and spear in hand. The blade whipped around her like a living thing, scoring deep into her targets with a slight flick of her wrist or a nearly insignificant turn. Shigure never tired of watching her.

After a few days, he worked up his courage to ask her if she would teach him. She agreed, and they began practicing with wooden cudgels. His first training session lasted all afternoon, and by the end he was nearly regretting his request, but just before they parted Tharaide gave him a slight nod and her solemn expression lightened somewhat. "You have talent," she said, and strode off.

"Coming from Tharaide, that's high praise," murmured Misaya, and smiled.

Shigure nearly forgot his longing for home with this new challenge on his mind. Every day he joined her in training, and she drilled him until he could block everything she threw at him and launch strikes that would disarm or slay an unprepared opponent. After a while, they progressed from wooden stakes to actual sabers, and their fencing matches moved on from the stone plaza atop the hill. "You need to be able to fight back no matter what the terrain," she said, and they would fence on the paths and steps of Nystas Elden.

Sometimes, in the middle of their fencing matches, they would stop for a rest and Tharaide would point out interesting places or features in the city. These rests never seemed to last long, but they always seemed long enough. Soon, they would pick up their sabers again and begin another long match.

In the excitement of matching her wits and skills against Shigure's, Tharaide became less reserved. Instead of staying in the secluded training arena, they fought wherever and whenever they could: in the city, in the forest, even at the very edge of the city where foliage turned to cloud and cloud became thin air. The pair's duels became near legendary among the phoenixes of Nystas Elden, who would often gather to watch them.

"I've never seen her so happy," said Misaya softly to Shigure one evening, and he smiled. "Not since the battle of the Phoenix Fallen."

Shigure inquired again as to the nature of this battle, but again Misaya refused.

Parry and thrust. Fencing became second nature to Shigure, and it was as if he had spent his whole life learning it. It wasn't like the constant martial battles that went on between Yuki and Kyo. It was art, it was a dance. It was a challenge of the mind. Absorbed in their battles, sometimes hours long, Tharaide and Shigure would be completely unaware of their surroundings, of the phoenixes watching, of the splendor of the sky city. They were content; and forgetting that Shigure was recovering from his injury, they pushed themselves to their limits.

One morning, however, Tharaide was missing. "She's gone to see the Council," said Misaya, and refrained from saying that the subject of their discussion was Shigure himself. When Tharaide returned, her face had lost some of the light it had gained in her weeks with Shigure.

"You leave tomorrow," she told him quietly.

He smiled sadly. "It'll be good to be back. But… I'll miss you."

"I know." There was a long silence, and then she spoke again. "And…" She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Shigure, but you will… have your memory wiped."

"What?" He stiffened. Now this was irony. Usually the Sohmas were the ones doing the mind-wipes, not the other way around.

The girl's eyes were suspiciously bright. "I tried to tell them that you could be trusted. You're a Sohma. But the law is the law, and…" She trailed off, shaking her head as if speechless. Finally she turned to him hopelessly. "It will be painless. When you wake up, it will be as if you spent these weeks in a coma. Nobody will be any the wiser."

"I don't want to forget you, Tharaide." Shigure's voice was a whisper.

"And I wish you didn't have to forget." Her tear-filled eyes met his, and they were silent for a long time.

Finally, Tharaide rose, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Well. One last match, Sohma-san?"

He smiled. "Yes. One last time."

It was talked about in Nystas Elden for years to come. The pair's movements were crisp and precise as they strode out into the street and drew their sabers. Tharaide's eyes glinted with the promise of a challenge, and Shigure was smiling. In one fluid movement, she lunged, and he met her rush with a clang of metal. Then she turned and slashed, and he blocked with a twist that forced her to back away. It was a test. She was trying his defenses.

This time, they were not fully unaware of their surroundings. Shigure knew this would be his last day in Nystas Elden, and was drinking it in. The blades whipped around them, catching the sunlight and making the air hiss. The two moved through the city, across the streets and over steps, until they were at the very edge of the island.

It was a pageant of steel. Their movements were as fluid as if they had been choreographed, their steps weaving a dance, a challenge on the clouds. They drew back momentarily, pausing, swords raised; then Shigure's sword swept forward and the dance continued.

Turning, stepping, leaping, the match continued. A few phoenixes from the city watched in amazement at the ease with which the two battled. Finally their sabers clanged together three times, one after the other, until their swords were locked. With identical twists, their swords were sent spinning to land point-down in the ground behind each. Shigure was smiling again as they paced back from each other and bowed. The match was over; it was a draw.

The next day, Shigure met Tharaide by the edge of the clouds. The Phoenix Council stood in a semicircle around them, with Misaya nearby. One of the councilors nodded to Tharaide. "It is time."

Shigure grasped her shoulders, a look of deep sadness in his eyes. "I wish it didn't have to be this way."

"I know." Her voice was a whisper as she returned the partial embrace, and they held each other for several moments. Then Tharaide pulled away.

"Goodbye, Tharaide," he whispered. The girl's face was filled with anguish as she closed her eyes and spread her arms slightly, letting the magic fill her. Shigure sank to the ground as he knew he would, falling into unconsciousness. Her face was the last thing he saw before slipping from consciousness and into a dreamless sleep, a sleep that would purge him of all memories within the past three weeks.

"Goodbye," Tharaide whispered brokenly. "Shigure…"

She turned away, and Misaya stared at her sadly as one of the councilors recited the spell that would send Shigure back to Earth. If only her happiness didn't have to end this way…