Next chapter on the 22nd of December.
Fai stays away until he feels his spell begin to slip again.
By the time he reaches her, dragging his feet the whole time because he knows that it means being in a room with that man again, she is sitting upright, more alert than she's ever seemed before and he knows that something vital in her has changed and aches for it.
Mokona whimpers when they see Fai and Syaoran's eyes go wide with shock and pain as Fai holds his head high, saying nothing but looking at neither of them directly.
He's already begun to heal.
He can feel it itching as it runs through him, too warm.
Kurogane says nothing but his eyes linger on Fai even longer than usual though the mage can't read what he's thinking in them.
Pitiful probably.
Sakura doesn't flinch either, the princess frowning as her eyes meet his and he lets them stay like that, not averting his gaze even as her gaze traces each reddened line on his skin and the traces of blood on his clothes.
"Fai-san." She says, something lost and hurt in her tone though it would seem firm, a mere acknowledgement to most.
The blonde can't help but bow his head, teeth clenched as he looks at her longer, too pale, too bruised, too young.
He goes down onto one knee and takes her right hand in both of his, letting his head rest above the surface of his hand over hers as he speaks.
"I am in your duty, princess." He promises, tongue licking over his lips, dry from the amount of time since he's last drank.
The mage doesn't look up to see the pain of each separate person's faces, shared but not divided.
There's silence for a while and Fai doesn't move, waiting for her to realise what he's saying.
Eventually she speaks again.
"Okay."
He looks up to see her nod and almost, almost smiles as he feels some of the guilt ease.
His anxiety skyrockets again as he sees her curl in on herself a little, still in pain, and cough, heavy and wheezing.
In moments he is on the bed, pulling her into his lap, fighting the prickling discomfort of the awareness of changes to his body he just can't confront now as he tries to make her as comfortable as possible, put her into the position that will put the least stress on her body.
The fact that he studied this so intensely only makes the fact he can't do healing magic sting more, the shame burning even stronger than the things he won't think about yet.