A/N: Thank you everyone so much who reviewd! This chapter is for you. As to all of you who didn't review (yes, i know you didn't! 81 hits and only 6 reviews? Come on everyone,how hard is it to hit the little button at the bottom of the page and write "Never touch a word procesor again?"),I hope someone puts cheese in your hair.
Chapter two: The world of the bare grey ground
"What do you mean I'm not Kurogane?" asked Kurogane rudely.
"Well," said Fai "you don't have a sword," Fai pointed to the missing sheath on Kurogane's belt. "and you're wearing different clothes, and you were confused when Sakura-chan talked about worlds. Ahh, and you called Sakura-chan 'your Highness'."
"What?" said Kurogane, surprised. "I've never had a sword. These are the clothes I always wear. Of course I don't know what her Highness meant by worlds, it's nonsense. No offense, your highness." When neither Fai nor Sakura said anything, Kurogane threw out: "Maybe you're not Fai-chan."
"F-Fai-chan?" stuttered Sakura, looking up at the mage.
"Okay, now I know you're not Kuro-rin." Fai crossed his arms, but was grinning. "Ah, of course! This world must have its own Kuro-tin and Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun and Fai!" The sorcerer smiled down at Sakura. "Won't Kuro-woof be surprised!"
Kurogane had finally gotten bored with his sword and was waiting impatiently for someone to get back. He heard a faint, strange sound outside the door and opened it suspiciously, sword in hand.
The Manju bun stood outside, looking exhausted. Or at least, Kurogane assumed that the look was exhaustion. It was always hard to tell with things that weren't human. Kurogane stepped aside to let Mokona pass.
"What happened to you? Where's the kid?" he asked.
"Mokona doesn't know," replied Mokona as he climbed up on a chair. "Syaoran and Mokona were walking, and Syaoran saw Fai and Sakura. Fai did a magic and Syaoran went poof!"
" 'Poof'?" asked the Kurogane incredulously, but inside he was fuming. He knew that damn magician couldn't be trusted. He'd obviously got rid of the kid and maybe the princess too . . .
Speak of the devil. Just then, the magician came prancing in. "Kuro-rin! I have a supri --"
Fai's words were cut off as Kurogane pinned him against the wall. "What'd you do with the kid?"
"Kuro-kun, I don't know what you're talking about," said Fai, smiling.
"Kurogane!" interrupted Mokona urgently, "it wasn't that Fai! It was the other Fai!"
"Huh?" asked Kurogane, letting go of Fai. "What are you spouting?"
"Mokona," said the wizard kindly, "did this world's Fai do something to Syaoran-kun?" Behind him Sakura stepped into the room.
Mokona nodded and repeated his story. Sakura gasped.
"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on here!" said a voice from the doorway. Kurogane looked up to see . . . himself.
The new Kurogane looked over at the magician. "You. Explain." Which Fai proceeded to do.
"Master Syaoran? Master Syaoran, can you hear me?"
The call seemed to come from a long way away. Syaoran wrinkled his brow. He wasn't a Master at anything . . . He became aware of someone gently shaking him, and managed to pull himself up into consciousness.
"Sakura?" he asked, sitting up. He couldn't see anything around him; just blackness.
He heard a giggle from nearby. "No, Master Syaoran, it's just me!"
Syaoran squinted as a lantern was suddenly shown in his eyes. The light receded enough to show him a bit of his surroundings. There wasn't much to see. Just a few rocks on grey soil. In front of him sat a girl about Sakura's age, holding the lantern. She had raven black hair and was dressed in a simple dress.
Syaoran frowned slightly, still drowsy. "Who are you?"
The girl stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't be so mean, Master Syaoran." She got up and turned away "come on, everyone's waiting."
Syaoran scrambled to his feet, not wanting to be left in the blackness. "Where are we going?"
"To the castle, of course," replied the girl. "you're late for your meeting. If everyone weren't so scared of you, they might be impatient!" she smiled at him over her shoulder.
Scared? Thought Syaoran. Why would anyone be --
Syaoran's thoughts were interrupted as a boy came walking out of the darkness. He draped an arm on the girl's shoulder. "Hey, Lily. Are you done looking for me already?"
"Eh?" Lily stepped back so that she could clearly see the new arrival. "Master . . . Syaoran?" she looked back and forth between the two boys standing before her.
One was dressed in plain pants and a short sleeve, black shirt. He wore a pair of goggles around his neck, and a confused expression. He held a sheathed sword in his hand.
The other boy was dressed in what looked like new, expensive clothes. He wore black pants and a red long sleeved shirt, both of which had gold designs embroidered on them. He carried himself with an air of command.
Other than these few differences, the boys were identical.
The Syaoran in red followed Lily's gaze over to the other Syaoran. They stared at each other for a minute, and then the first one burst out laughing.
"Let me guess," he gasped out, "the magician thought you were me, and banished you back here! And they yelled at me for banishing people!" (more laughing).
Syaoran stared for a second, astonished to actually see a double of himself in another world.
Master Syaoran recovered from his hysterics quickly, and draped an arm companionable around Syaoran's shoulder. "Come on, my friend. I am eager to hear your story. I trust it is an interesting one.
The three of them walked for a while in silence. Syaoran was still remembering how Sakura had looked at him. She thought he was this other Syaoran. What had he done to her? Master Syaoran seemed nice enough, and content to wait until they got wherever they were going before asking questions. But . . .
The ground continued to be a bare grey. There was nothing living. No grass, no insects, not even lichen grew on the small rocks that dotted the land. There was no moon out, and no stars. If it wasn't for the lantern, it would have been completely black.
Before the lantern light a wall rose up. Lily led them around it to the right for a while, and they came to a giant pair of doors. They opened at Master Syaoran's touch.
The room Syaoran was led into seemed to be part of a mansion. The walls were highly ornamented, and the few pieces of furniture in this entry room were ornately carved. The room was well lit from torches placed in brackets on the walls.
"Now," said Master Syaoran, "we'll hear your tale, hmm?"
"Um," interjected Lily warily, "Master, your meeting?"
Master Syaoran sighed. "I suppose I had better show up for it. Get our guest some rooms. We'll talk when I'm done."
Syaoran watched him walk off through one of the many doors out of the room.
"Sir?" asked Lily, "Would you come with me, please?"
"Yes." Syaoran said, still watching the other door and wondering at everything that had happened so far. Most of all, other's reactions to this world's Syaoran. He finally turned and followed Lily through another door.
Fai smiled at this world's Kurogane, who looked back astonishedly.
"You don't believe that we're from a different world?" Fai asked teasingly.
"It's not that," replied Kurogane, "it's just . . . you're sure that there is a Syaoran traveling with you?"
"Yes" said Sakura. "He's been with us the whole way."
"And you're sure he's not . . . not evil?"
Fai, Sakura, Mokona, and even Kurogane looked in shock at the native. It was finally Sakura who broke the silence. "You mean . . . your Syaoran-kun is evil?"
The native Kurogane sighed and started to tell his own story.
A/N: Sorry it was so short! I had trouble making Master Syaoran stay in character, and finally decided to make him totally different. Well, in some ways. i'm going to try and update at least once a month, but with school going onI can't make any promises.Anyways, tell me what you think!