Next chapter's on the 5th of April.
Then the witch addresses him and he looks at her, stares into her eyes and is so, so afraid that she'll tell them everything or anything. He can't face them knowing what he's done, how he's been betraying them for so long.
She waits a moment. It feels like forever.
"It was the same with you." She says.
His heart is beating far too fast and he drops his gaze to the ground, not wanting to see her as she tells the truth like he should have so long ago, not wanting to look at these good people who he's betraying.
"Certain events were part of his plot, and other events weren't. You have already figured that out for yourself, haven't you?" The witch asks.
Although Fai instantly feels relief that she didn't go into detail he finds himself drifting as she moves on, mind going to that boy in the tower and how he begged and begged and begged and wanted for something he deserved so much more than he who is still living does.
He feels the ice touch of dead bodies and the slickness on his fingers as he tries to reach him, tries to get to him.
Then there's warm, light, against his fingertips and he sees beneath him now Sakura frowning, caring even when she's in so much worse a state than he is and so much less deserving of it.
She's so selfless and kind and so he smiles gently for her and places his hand over hers, hoping it reassures and settles her.
He must have bothered her, gripped her too tightly.
He'll try not to do it again- to be better even now when they're journey is coming to an end.
He'll try to not betray them anymore.
His attention is caught again when the ninja speaks.
"So what's this wish that needs that ruin or whatever it is and the princess' memories?" He asks bluntly and Fai tries not to go too still, tries to hide his surprise, because he never thought of that in all these years. He's never thought to ask why. He's so selfish that all he could think about was bringing him back, giving him the life he deserves.
The witch looks away for a moment and if Fai didn't know how to lie nearly as well as he did then he knows he wouldn't have recognised the gesture as the signifier of omission that it is and the guilt which she carries.
"He desires the power to cross dimensions. He wishes to make the power to manipulate both time and space his."
Sakura catches it and her hand starts to slip between Fai's as she almost chokes on her words.
"What. What will he do with it?" The princess asks.