The Man in the Glass
Chapter Three
By Hayai Akurei
--((00))-((00))--
Some people may think you're a straight-shooting chumAnd call you a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.
"The Man in the Glass"
--((00))-((00))--
Night fell quickly. It almost came without warning, as the stormy clouds allowed few of the sun's rays to pass through. Agreeing to retire for the day, the group had settled under an expansive oak, managing to start a little fire.
They had finally made it back into the forest, soon after which both girls fell asleep.
Syaoran smiled fondly at the princess, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She was smiling in her sleep, obviously having a good dream. Kohaku lay next to her, with Godzilla and Mokona sandwiched in the middle. They all looked so peaceful.
"I wonder how much further we have to walk," Fai mused, setting his coat out to dry on one of the many overhanging limbs.
Next to him, Kurogane gazed into the meager little flames. "I just hope we're not going in the wrong direction."
"Kohaku said that her home was in the mountains," Syaoran reasoned. "As small as she is, she couldn't have wandered too far from home."
"But also," added Fai, "considering her size, a large hill could count as a mountain to her. And this area is full of large hills."
"Great," Kurogane grunted.
"Kohakuuuu!"
"Did you hear that?" Syaoran asked, standing up. The older men nodded. It was faint, but they still heard it. Kurogane stood up, still keeping one hand on Souhi. Peering out into the dark, he said, "There. See the little lights moving off over there?"
Syaoran grinned. Several lantern lights bobbed in the dark like fireflies as the shouts grew louder.
"Kohaku!" the voices shouted again. "KOHAKUUUU! KOHAAAAAAKU!"
Kneeling down, the young man shook the toddler's shoulder.
"Kohaku!" he whispered loudly. "Kohaku!"
With a yawn, the child blinked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "Hunh?"
"I think it's your father!" he said, "He's out there looking for you!"
That got her up. Springing to her feet, she jumped up, trying to see through the bushes. "Where? Where?"
Picking her up in his arms so she could see, Syaoran pointed out over the hill. "See the lights? That's them over there."
"Kohakuuu!"
"Yes!" she cried happily, bouncing up and down in his arms excitedly as she waved. "PAPA! I'M HERE! I'M OVER HERE! PAPA!"
The lights paused and started to make their way toward them.
"PAPAAAA!" Kohaku yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. "I'M HERE! OVER HERE! OVER HERE!"
Soon, the search party was within sight. A tall man who bore a striking resemblance to Kurogane ran ahead of everyone else.
"KOHAKU!"
"PAPA!" Kohaku squealed as Syaoran set her down. Running as fast as her legs could carry her, the little girl sped towards her father. "PAPA!"
The man swept her up in his arms, hugging her tight and kissing her face over and over. She was crying, and he looked like he was about to. Some of their fellow villagers gathered around, laughing happily.
Syaoran smiled, as Fai, Kurogane and a recently awakened Sakura joined him. The princess moved to his side and hugged him, watching the sweet reunion.
"YOU FOUND HER!"
A young woman barreled towards the two teenagers, glomping them both. The boy felt his face burn as she pressed them against her rather ample chest, nuzzling her cheek against their heads and crooning like a deranged pigeon.
"You all are, like, heroes! You found our little Kohaku! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Ah!" Fai said, clapping his hands, "Isn't that the bartender we met at the Clover Bar in Outo, Kuro-chii?"
The ninja grunted the affirmative.
"Mokona wants a hug too!" the little white manjuu cried, bouncing up and down. "Kuro-rin! Hug me! Hug me!"
The ninja grabbed him and shoved him into Fai's arms. "Shut up!"
Syaoran felt like he was going to run out of air. The same went for Sakura, judging from the look on her face.
"You found her, you found her! I, like, cannot thank you enough! She's like a baby sister to me! Even though, she's not!" the girl shouted. This was followed by another bout of thanks and an ecstatic series of kisses on the cheek for them both.
"Ooo!" she squealed. Smooch smooch. "I oughta throw ya'll a party!"
Finally, she let them go, leaving them half-dazed and gasping for air. At least they were at last able to get a good look at her. She had tan skin and blue eyes, and the most outlandish color of rose pink hair Syaoran had ever seen. Was that even natural?
"The name's Caldina," she said cheerily. "Thanks a billion for finding her."
"I believe I should be the one giving thanks," a deeper voice said. All eyes turned to Kohaku and to her father, who stepped into the light of the fire.
He was tall, matching Kurogane in height, and while his right eye was black, his left was a milky white.
Bowing shortly to them, he said, "I'm Kokuyo. You have my deepest gratitude for finding my daughter. I owe you a favor for safely returning her to me. You need only ask."
"My name is Syaoran," the boy said, "We'd be most grateful if you could find us a place to stay. We're travelers in these parts, and these lands are unfamiliar to us."
"By all means, come and stay with us," the man said, "It is the least I can do for you."
Remembering his courtesies, Syaoran bowed shortly, as the man had done. Behind him, Sakura curtsied gracefully. "Thank you very much, sir."
"The pleasure is mine," he replied, adjusting his hold on his lantern and little daughter. "Now, let's all get back home."
--((00))-((00))--
The village was further than Syaoran had anticipated. This was only so because they had been walking in the wrong direction. Later on, Fai took many opportunities to rub this in Kurogane's face.
The magnificent structure was that met his eyes was hardly a village. It was practically a giant palace built into the side of a small mountain. High walls kept the howling wind at bay and its inhabitants safe from potential predators. Dozens of winding paths followed the curves of the rock as the village went higher and deeper into the caverns.
Such a stunning example of architecture left only awed stares on four foreign faces. Mokona just beamed. (No one knew if Godzilla was impressed, the lizard having a severe lack of expression in the first place.)
Syaoran couldn't even bring himself to speak as they walked through the fortified gates and into the little town in the mountain. All around them were wondrous sorts of plants, growing in bountiful waves from their decorative pots. A wall of white limestone stood behind them, curving around in a half-circle to form a sort of courtyard.
Families gathered inside their separate homes, coming out to greet those who had gone out with the search party.
"Come," Kokuyo said, adjusting a sleeping Kohaku in his arms. "It's time we got inside."
As the villagers bid their goodbyes and retired for the night, the newcomers followed their host down the cobblestone streets. A bright light caught Syaoran's eye and he turned. From within the rock itself was a window, a lamp sitting at the sill, burning brighter than any normal flame above everything.
"That's the home of our village elder," Kokuyo explained, "His house overlooks the entire village. I'll take you to him tomorrow when the sun rises. He'll probably show you around the library like he does with everyone, but he's not a dull sort of person."
"A library?" Syaoran's eyes brightened. Beside him, Sakura giggled.
"Syaoran-kun loves books," she said, "He's an archeologist, and he's very curious." This earned her a somewhat sheepish smile from her companion.
Guiding them to a flight of stairs inside a small alcove, the older man nodded. "Rest first. Then we'll call on him tomorrow. Kohaku goes by regularly. And he enjoys having visitors."
"Hyuu," Fai murmured, peeking his head out to look upon the town. "You really can see everything from up here."
Drawn by the magnificent view, the children looked out over the sweeping hills, gently lit by the moon's soft glow.
Scowling, Kurogane growled. "Get back or you'll fall off the ledge."
"Oh Father," teased the wizard, waving his hand nonchalantly at him. "You're so cute when you're looking out for the children. But don't worry."
He was about to continue, even after Kurogane's killing death glare, but was cut off by a short cough. Syaoran felt a small rise of concern well up inside him as Fai cleared his throat. Was he getting sick?
"Are you getting sick?" asked Sakura worriedly. Had she read his mind? The Celesian wizard merely smiled. "Just a little cold from the chilly air. It'll go away eventually."
"Well…" The princess worried her lip. "…okay. But take care of yourself."
Petting her head in a rather fatherly manner, Fai met her eyes. "I will. Thank you for caring, Sakura-chan."
The princess smiled prettily. Godzilla yawned.
The stairs continued to go up and then went back down, tunneling further into the rock until it came out the other side of the elder's house where only a few houses were situated. As quietly as possible, Kokuyo unlocked the door and led them all inside.
Syaoran felt a small twinge of homesickness, seeing how simple and cozy the house was. It reminded him of his own little place in Clow, except less cluttered. He briefly wondered if he would ever get around to tidying it all up if they got back.
When… he told himself sternly. When we get back.
Tucking Kohaku into bed, Kokuyo left her door slightly ajar and led his guests down the hall.
"These are the two guest bedrooms," he said, opening the doors. "A little dusty, but otherwise clean. We hardly use them except for when the relatives come to visit."
Sakura smiled. "It's perfect."
"I'll share a room with Kurorin and Syaoran and Sakura can share the other," declared Fai cheerily, dramatically pointing to one room with one hand and to the second with the other hand. "And since Godzilla will be staying with you, Mokona can come with us."
The ninja snarled. "What makes you think I'm sharing a room with you and the meat bun? Both of you are crazy!"
"Aww Kurorin, don't be shy!" Fai crooned. "It's like a sleepover! No worries! He's asleep already anyway."
From his nesting place in Fai's jacket, the white manjyu snored softly.
Syaoran's face flamed red when what Fai had said finally settled into his brain. Share a room with the princess! Again!
He'd done it a few rare times before, but every time he did, he had nightmares of Touya-ou exacting his imperial wrath upon him for even going along with such an idea. While he liked the idea of spending time with the princess and being close to her (meaning he'd have an easier time protecting her), he knew that getting too close would end up with catastrophic consequences. He doubted that he would be granted the mercy of a swift death for rooming with the princess. Sure they'd had something akin to sleepovers when their fathers talked all night about whatever adults talked about, but that was different!
"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked, tugging on his sleeve. "Are you okay? Your face is red."
"I-I'm fine," he stammered.
"You're not getting sick too, are you?"
"No, princess."
At this, she gave him an odd little look that said, "Okay, but I'm onto you and you better not be lying."
After settling into their rooms a little, the group gathered in the living room, admiring the spacious quarters and homey furnishings. For the first time in a long time, they were in a place that actually looked like a home. Pleasant smells wafted from the kitchen, and bunches of dried spice grasses hung from the rafters, casting odd shadows over the ceiling from the light of the fireplace.
"Tidy place you've got," Fai said, covering his mouth as he coughed. "Very cozy."
"It's not much, but now I'll finally be able to use some of this space up," Kokuyo commented, clearing away a few things from the table. "It's a little big for just me and Kohaku."
"And her mother?" Sakura asked. "Where is she?"
Kokuyo looked to a framed picture on the table, his eyes softening. "Hisui died giving our daughter to me."
The princess bit her lip, looking ashamedly into her lap. "I'm…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."
"It's all right," Kokuyo said, giving her reassuring nod. "Every now and then, Kohaku claims to have seen her. So I take comfort in knowing that she watches over us both."
Syaoran looked at the miniature painting of Kohaku's mother. She was tall, with long blonde hair and green eyes. He knew that the little girl would grow up to look just like her.
Looking at the woman's countenance, he recalled seeing portraits of Queen Nadeshiko hanging in various rooms in the palace back home when Sakura had taken him on a full tour. He had never seen her in person, as she had sadly died when the princess was barely two. She was such a beautiful woman, and she and the king looked genuinely happy together. Both Hisui and the Queen seemed to physically radiate motherly tenderness, gentle smiles eternally gracing their kind faces.
"It's getting late," Kurogane said, turning to the children. "You both better get in bed and get some sleep."
"Indeed," Fai chirped, "We have lots to do tomorrow! Like find that feather!"
"All right," Sakura said, cradling a sleepy Godzilla in her arms. "Is Fai-san and Kurogane-san going to stay up?"
He shook his head. "No, we'll be there in just a moment."
"Well then, goodnight," she said, hugging the taller man.
For a brief moment, Fai was taken aback. But his blue eyes softened and he returned the gesture somewhat awkwardly.
"Goodnight Sakura-chan," replied the wizard. "Sweet dreams."
"Uhn!" With a smile brilliant enough to dazzle the heavens, Sakura went to her room where Syaoran was waiting.
--((00))-((00))--
Syaoran didn't know what time it was, but for some odd reason, he had woken up. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. The princess lay in the bed on the opposite end of the room, Godzilla curled up against her chest for warmth.
Sitting up, he glanced outside. It was still dark.
"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura mumbled, sitting up groggily and wiping the sand from her eyes. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," he said, smiling at her. "Everything's fine."
"Syaoran-kun?"
"Yes, princess?"
She turned over on her side so that she was facing him, her head propped up on one hand. "Uhm…what do you think will happen once all my feathers are found?"
"I suppose we'll find our way home," he replied.
"And Fai-san and Kurogane-san?"
"They'll reach their destinations too, I'm sure."
"Oh."
For a while, silence reigned between the two of them, although not at all uncomfortable. Syaoran found himself once again gazing contentedly at the princess, warmed by her very presence.
There was a thump from outside the room.
"What was that?" asked Sakura. Bolting to his feet, Syaoran grabbed Hien and stood in front of the door. Slowly, Sakura slid out of bed, her bare feet making light padding sounds on the carpeted stone floor. He put one arm in front of her, keeping her behind him just in case danger lurked nearby. But he sensed nothing dangerous.
Carefully, he opened the door to their room and peeked into the hallway. The door that led to Fai and Kurogane's room was closed, as was Kokuyo's and Kohaku's.
From the direction of the kitchen, he could still hear the sound of the dying embers crackling every once and a while.
He wasn't hallucinating. He had heard something, and Sakura had heard it too.
Carefully, the two made their way to the kitchen, taking care to stay in the shadows. Nothing was to be seen.
"It was nothing," Syaoran said, turning around, "Probably a cat or somethi – ahh!"
Sakura started when he suddenly fell over.
"Syaoran-kun! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I tripped over something…"
With a twist of a knob on the side of a little oil lamp, a soft light filled the room. A slender form lay sprawled out on the floor at Syaoran's feet, curled around itself on the warm stone. Both gasped in recognition.
"FAI-SAN!"
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Author's Notes: Ah, ah! This story hasn't died yet! I came up with some really good stuff while I was away, so look for more! Kohaku and Kokuyo belong to CLAMP's "WISH" and Caldina cameos from "Magic Knight Rayearth."