Revision 7/3/2014

It took barely minute for Kurogane to make it up to the apartment. It took another minute for him to nudge open the door and put Nakietra on the couch. He had no idea what to do and contemplated running out and asking someone to find a doctor. He paused though and watched Nero drag over her bag.

"Water?" Nakietra asks weakly as she sifts through the bag. Her movements are very slow and cause lots of effort. Kurogane gets her a glass of water from the kitchen. He watches Nakietra take out a black padded case. He takes it from her as she fails to open it and does it for her. Inside are five clear glass vials. He takes one out and wonders if he's supposed to give it to her straight or mix it into the water. He's seen medicines like that before.

"Mix it," She breathed as she watched him fingers. He uncorked the vial and poured it into the water. Then, he helped her drink it all. She lay back when she was done as her body started to reboot.

"Thank you." Nakietra said after ten or so minutes. She was very still as she opened her eyes a little wider.

"Does this happen every me you use your ruins?" He asked. Nakietra thought for a long time and stared up.

"Yes," She responded carefully after a while. They sat in silence for a long time then. It was very rare that the two were left alone. Usually Syaoran of Fia was with them, or at least Mokona and Sakura.

"Don't tell anyone," She said then.

"I wouldn't," He answered. She nodded her head like she almost believed him. She continued to stare up before pushing herself up. He watched as her arms shook a little but made no move to help her.

"Tell me about your home. It sounds…like a place in my own world," She asked not looking at him. She was staring down at her hands. Meanwhile, Nero put the black case and the empty vial into her bag and dragged it to their room.

"What have you heard?" he asked instead of telling her anything yet. He still didn't trust her completely although he knew Sakura and possible Syaoran did to some extent.

"Syaoran tell me your people use chopsticks. We do too in our….village. Demons run free in your land, ours only come out at night and only during the Dead Days. We have priests and priestesses with their magic…" She said slowly and carefully. She would not mention the differences.

Kurogane nodded his head. "Those are true," He said and thought hard before saying anything else. He looked at her hands and watched as her fingers curled around each other and dig into old scars. He felt she deserved to know something at least from him.

Kurogane told her about his world then. He talked about his demons, and she told about hers. He found that her demons were much different from his for hers were more like ghosts, evil spirits that steal dead souls and kill children. He told about the priestesses then and also found that their ideas were very different. Her priestesses relied on old magical arts and could only be white. And then he mentioned Tomoyo. Her eyes looked up at him then. She asked so many questions….and then she revealed that she knew Sakura in her world, a different girl but the same in all ways. She didn't share anything else about her Sakura. He told of his village. She looked down again and told him about hers.

"The streets are dirt and dusty. No one sits on them or is on them during the day. Everyone is made to work in the fields if they're able. The children learn from their parents, there are no schools or teachers because no one is allowed to read or write. My people are very many, but we have always been humble. We don't have weapons and with the King we had no reason to. He made sure every house had enough to eat and sent his soldiers down sometimes to spend a day fixing our homes. He was a good King to our people. He rewarded my people who gave their services to him and took care of the families of those who lost their lives in the wars…days are long and hot. Most days we cook outside on flat stones in the sun, but our houses are made of stone also. Our houses block out most of the heat though because they are different stone. The nights are nice, but dangerous. The demons wait in the air about the town. Children disappear when they go out after sunset. Sometimes adults are injured. They can't enter our homes though because they are protected. Life was hard, but we found our ways to be happy…."

They stopped talking then. He didn't know she couldn't read or write. Her way of life was easier to understand though. Her way of life is much different than any of theirs. That is why she distances herself, because she is different.

They heard the elevator then. Nakietra slid her feet off the couch and got up. Without saying anything, she disappeared into her room with Nero and shut the door. Kurogane left her before they even came in, and Nero followed her. Nakietra smiled as she laid down. She forgot what it felt like to talk to someone so freely.

Morning

Besides Syraoran suicide attempt, this feather was easier to get by far than many of the previous ones. More and more recently the feathers they've needed have been in dangerous places or powerful hands. Morning came easily and breakfast was calm. No one mentioned Nakietra's face and completely left that subject alone just like they knew she wanted. Then it was time to leave though, and as they made their way to the roof top with Nakietra in the lead, they questioned if they should wait for their busy hostess to appear.

"Nakietra, wait!" she said huffing with her hands on her knees as she banged through the door after them. Nakietra looked back at her. She was hoping to leave before Tomoyo could show up.

"I just remembered this morning, that I found some things with that same symbols that are on you knife," Tomoyo huffed. Nakietra took a step forward with interest. She was always curious about her knife and where it came from. A man came up behind Tomoyo and set a heavy box on the ground in front of her.

"If they don't work, you could give them to the Witch like you did with that sword, but I think they'll work," She said and moved over to the side. Cautiously, Nakietra moved closer. The man opened the box and she looked inside. The objects were strangely shaped like curved "X's" of green marble. She reached out and picked one of the small ones up. The symbols carved in black on the arms were similar to the ones along the hilt of her knife.

It started glowing then in her hand with the same soft white light that her knife did when she first picked it up. It floated up a foot from her hand. She watched it and held perfectly still. It floated around her opposite hand and landed on the back of her other hand. It's arms snaked around her hand and gently clasped around it. She concentrated on it and watched a thin glove surround her hand. She closed her hand and barely felt it.

She picked up the second one then, which looked like the first one. This one attached itself to her other hand just like the first one. The third object floated to her head and made a circlet around it. She looked up and could see a slight green haze.

The power was amazing. She remembered how empowered she felt from the knife. This time she felt next to unstoppable although she knew in her head how easily she could be stopped. "Tomoyo…this is amazing," She said amazed as she flexed her hands.

"There were some ruins like the one where we found your knife. We're still working on translating, but it's supposed to empower the knife we think," Tomoyo said smiling.

"They will… Thank you so much Tomoyo….I can never repay you for everything you've down for us," Nakietra said and swallowed hard. She watched as the power now faded and the objects disappeared into her skin. She rubbed her fingers over her hand and just felt smooth skin. The power was still there though and when she concentrated it, she could see them become visible again.

"I guess, this is goodbye again," Tomyo said sadly. Nakietra looked up sadly.

"Yes…. I won't be able to come back again this time. I know it," Nakietra paused, "Goodbye Tomoyo. I will miss you."

"Bye Nakietra. I hope you succeed in whatever you're doing," She said and wiped her tear away. Nakietra took her hand in her own.

"Me and Hiro will miss you," Nakietra clarified and then stepped back. Mokona was ready and then they were gone.