Introduction

Welcome to the realm of heartbreak, angst and fluff! This is my collection of drabbles, oneshots and ficlets about Kurogane, Fai and the pairing KuroFai! This is my ultimate favourite shonen-ai/yaoi pair ever, so I just had to write a tribute to them!

Let the angsty love begin!

Feather

The quest was over.

After months, maybe even years, of travelling through different dimensions looking for Sakura's feathers, Syaoran somehow knew that he had all of them in his possession – the only one missing was the one given up as payment to Yuuko, the price he had paid to save the life of the one he loved most.

Now all that was left to do was to return home, leaving Kurogane to travel until he returned home, and Fai to travel forever, most likely alone. It was doubtful that Kurogane would ever give up his dream of returning to his Japan to stay with the blonde, so Fai was doomed to an eternity of world skipping with only Mokona for company.

Somehow, the idea didn't sit right with Syaoran.

Glancing to his left, Syaoran watched Sakura as they floated through the dimensional tunnel, heart aching at the sight of her lively smile. His Princess was whole and complete again, ready to give Clow her beautiful spirit once again. And more importantly, she was ready to tell Touya that she had chosen someone to share her life with, having decided long ago that anyone who had risked so much to help her was definitely worthy of her love.

He just wished that a certain black garbed warrior would realise the same thing.

Maybe it was true that without his magic Fai more often needed rescuing by Kurogane rather than being able to protect the ninja, but that didn't mean that Fai had risked nothing to help his comrade. On the contrary, he never gave up trying to make Kurogane believe that fighting wasn't the end of the world, to clear the narrow view he had of his life. Fai was always there to lift Kurogane up when his mood darkened, despite the angry retorts he received in return.

And Fai never hesitated to try and relieve Kurogane of his pain, even when it meant that his own would be relived.

Sometimes Fai would let his mask drop for a moment, just to let Kurogane see that there were others who felt a deep grief in their hearts. But this would mean that everything that had happened to him was real, and Fai would find himself drowning in a sea of agonising memories until he pulled his mask back up, able to retreat into his smiling façade once more. But Kurogane never realised what he was doing, and instead only focused in on the dark Fai behind the shield, trying to draw his comrade into the open.

But perhaps the most painful times for Fai were when the blonde tried to tell Kurogane that someone did love him for who he was, and would always love him. These occasion always resulted in a not-so-gentle rebuff, and Fai would just smile and pretend that he had been joking, when in reality he had been putting his heart on the line once more.

Kurogane was blind to him. And Syaoran hated how this was one couple that would never get to be together, just because Kurogane was too proud to admit to himself that he was falling for the wizard.

With a soft thump, the gang landed on the ground, Fai somehow managing to sprawl himself over Kurogane in a very ungainly manner. The ninja flushed a bright red and bolted upright, shoving Fai roughly off him and ignoring the hurt look he got in return. Syaoran was about to ask if the blonde was alright, when a clear, sly voice cut him off, its soft tones stopping him in his tracks.

"So, we meet again. I wondered if it would be so." Slowly, Syaoran turned around, warm brown eyes meeting cool ones. Swallowing slightly, he bowed his head in respect, sensing that Sakura and Fai were doing the same.

"Yuuko-san." Fai murmured, his hood slipping over his head to hide his face. The Witch smiled mysteriously at him, eyes flashing with what could have been humour.

"It appears that your secret has remained intact, Fai-san. Though I think that your time has run out now, hmm?" She smiled.

Moving to face Syaoran, Yuuko grinned as she placed a strong hand on his shoulder, eyes flickering to the dark clothed ninja behind him.

"You think you have collected all of Sakura's feathers, don't you? Well I'm afraid to say that there is one remaining…although to claim it would mean pain for you all, especially a certain Japanese swordsman." She said calmly, voice showing no trace of the smiling expression she currently wore.

"One left? I…I was sure…" Syaoran muttered, frowning in confusion. Behind him, Kurogane was glaring silently at the witch who had so dared to associate his name with what could only be emotional pain – something that he had long ago sworn that he would never allow himself to feel. Fai, meanwhile, was clenching his fists tightly, refusing to look at the worried princess that was anxiously asking what was wrong.

"It felt like you had them all because that missing one had always been with you, right from the start of your quest." Yuuko explained. "But in its current form, it is useless to the princess."

"With me? I don't understand, I…" Syaoran began urgently, not getting what was going on. But before he could continue, Fai's voice cut across his, strong tones seeming suddenly subdued.

"What she means, Syaoran-kun, is that the final feather is me. And that for Sakura-chan to regain the last of her unclaimed memories, I must return to my original form." Fai said quietly, lifting his head to show the group sorrowful blue eyes. Kurogane visibly started, hand beginning to tremble as he gripped tightly at Souhi's handle.

"When Sakura-chan's feathers exploded from her, they all flew into different worlds, shifting dimensions. Often, they ended up in places where they would be used for evil, or perhaps inspire others to do bad things in an attempt to stop the hurt that lay in their hearts. I was no different. I simply ended up in the clutches of a young king in Seresu, one who was lonely because his wife had just died in childbirth, taking his unborn son with her.

"When a feather of such power fell into his hands, he first tried to revive his dead queen. But when it failed, he instead used his own crafts to shape me into a beautiful mortal man, every bit as elegant and graceful as his former lover. My inner magic gave me life, and I had a sense of being for the first time.

"Ashura-ou treated me well, and in return I healed his lonely heart, allowing him to take comfort in me. Time in Seresu passed faster than in Clow, and by the time Syaoran-kun had begun speaking with the High Priest, I was deeply in love with my creator, happy that the feeling was mutual.

"But when I sense Syaoran-kun's first journey through dimensions with my former mistress, I knew that it was time for me to leave, to rejoin with her. But Ashura-ou didn't want me to leave, and grew almost hysterical at the thought of being alone again. He even ordered his guards to restrain me. I had no choice but to incapacitate them, before sending Ashura-ou into a sleep where he would dream only good dreams, and have no knowledge of his lonely life.

"And I came here. One look at the two solemn, pained figures that would be protecting my mistress was all it took for me to realise that without some sense of happiness in their lives they would fall. So I remained concealed as a mere man and allowed Yuuko-san to strip me of my markings – the markings of the Suzaku, that had bound me to my fellow brothers and sisters, showing that I was a feather.

"My 'magic' or 'intuition' was nothing more than the magic of others calling to me, allowing me to sense other feathers or mystical forces. And the reason I had to keep running was simply because I could not stop until the quest was over. You saw my darker side, Kuro-chan. But you didn't realise that I was the betrayer, not the betrayed. None of you did. And now, it is time for me to fulfil my purpose."

Sakura's eyes widened at Fai's speech, and she flung herself forward in alarm, arms outstretched.

"No! Fai-san, it's alright, you don't have to…"

But Fai never paused, a sad smile on his face as a strange ribbon of light wound round him, covering him until only his head was visible. With a sudden explosion of glitter it faded, showing a featureless humanoid form that was more mist than corporal, face no more than a smooth disc. Billowing forward, the figure hovered in front of Kurogane, staring down at the frozen warrior with invisible eyes.

Goodbye Kuro-muu…as I healed Ashura-ou's heart from the pain of losing his queen, you were the one who healed mine. Thankyou for letting me love you, even if you never returned those feelings.

And then the figure was gone, shrinking down into a fragile pink feather that drifted backwards into Sakura, allowing her to remember the mother she'd never thought she would. But along with those memories came fresh, new ones, memories of a journey taken among friends, of two loves so deep and achingly pure that they had gone beyond the boundaries of existence, living on even though they could never be allowed to be.

And Sakura wept.

Author's Note

Well, there's my first entry into my little series! Had that idea on my mind for ages now, so just had to write it down. Anyone who read Memories Of When Smiles Were Real - told you I'd get it done!

Anyway, I hope that was ok...I didn't really spend that much time thinking about the phrasing of certain things, I just ended up writing whatever popped into my head. I'll probably do some drabbles next, although if I get a good idea it may be a oneshot again.

Please read and review!