This one came out earlier than expected! Yay, Yay!

Disclaimer: If I owned Tsubasa Kurogane and Fai would be… well…. You get the point.

Chii's dead. Uh oh. Ha-ha, I hated her anyways. And another I hate will be dead in this chapter too. Poor Fai. He's like, breaking. Oh my god, I just found the best song (totally off topic, Iku) DOKI DOKI WAKU WAKU it's terribly cute!

Iku-chan

After It All

Chapter 7: We'll Always Be Together

Fai covered his face as he turned around so his eyes didn't have to be invaded by Ashura's piercing pitch black eyes. She… She was dead. Fai didn't cry, he couldn't show such a weakness in front of Ashura (god save him if he did…), but he did shake as he sunk to the ground on his knees, not able to move any more, not able to speak as Ashura kneeled down next to him and touched his shoulder lightly.

"Are you breaking Fai?" asked Ashura, taking Fai's shaking face in his hands. "Why are you breaking if you're going to stay here with me?"

His face reminded Fai of all he did, all the pain, all the suffering. The sight of his lifeless brother's face as he hugged him tightly, no warmth emitted by the cold pale skin. The harsh cold laughter that came from Ashura when Fai broke down crying. The old Ashura, who Fai had grown to love, who had kissed Fai so delicately, so softly, a delicacy that had left Ashura completely.

Who said that people could stop loving once they started?

Fai couldn't control himself anymore. He started to cry out, violently retreating from Ashura's touch, his whole body shaking.

As soon as Kurogane entered the world and heard Fai's cries and screams, he immediately rushed into the tall snowy castle, each second running faster. The stone floor of the castle was frozen and wherever Kurogane looked there were people in rooms, frozen cold but dead. When Fai lived here… what must he have been feeling?

He was surrounded by death. No wonder he wished for it. He must have been envious of the dead all around him, envious that they were released from Ashura's grasp. But who was this Ashura person? All Kurogane knew that he was once Fai's lover, and that he abused him, but nothing more. But… wasn't he dead? And Fai's brother too? Then why was he here if everyone was dead?

Kurogane stopped in front of the door where the screams were coming from and he took a deep breath and pushed open the door. There was Fai, on his knees, screaming down at the floor while Ashura wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in his chest, trying to muffle the screams he loved to hear so much. Fai's eyes widened when Kurogane entered turning to see his face.

Fai looked away immediately once Kurogane and his eyes locked. His red eyes seemed to pierce him. Read his heart, his mind, his soul. Those eyes who knew him so well yet didn't know him at all. Those eyes that had comforted him and hurt him soothed him and pained him. Those… those eyes. Those truth-telling eyes that could always see through that mask…

"G-Get away from him!" yelled Kurogane, rushing to pull Fai upwards and away from Ashura.

Fai shrugged away from Kurogane's grasp, suddenly lunging for Ashura. But Kurogane held him back as he yelled.

"Those are Sakura-chan's feathers!" yelled Fai, trying to release himself from Kurogane's grasp on his stomach. "Give them back to me!"

"Fai," said Ashura, bravely getting up and putting a finger under Fai's white chin. "You can't kill me. You're not brave enough to kill me, I know it. And if I die… you'll be alone."

That's when a fist collided with Ashura's face. Ashura spit out blood, coughing and turning to glare at Kurogane. He pulled Kurogane from Fai and pressed one of his nails against Kurogane's jugular vein, pumping precious blood to his head. Kurogane looked down at him with wide eyes as he held Kurogane's hands behind his head with one hand.

"I can kill you just as easily as I could kill Fai," said Ashura. "Here," he pressed his nail to his neck. "Here," said Ashura, moving his hand to wrap it around Kurogane's neck. "A lot of places. Do you want to die?"

"Ashura-ô! Don't!" yelled Fai, trying to rip Ashura from Kurogane.

Ashura slapped Fai as he squeezed harder on Kurogane's neck. Kurogane was running out of breath as he gasped, trying to pry Ashura's hands from his tanned skin. But Ashura was too strong. Fai tried to pull Kurogane away, but once again Ashura was too strong. And it was as if something was preventing him from touching Ashura.

"Please, don't kill him!!" yelled Fai as Kurogane's face turned red as he gasped for breath. "If he dies I'll kill myself!!!"

Fai bit his lip and conjured up the last of his magic. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down, and then reached out to touch Ashura's neck lightly as he bit down into it with his overly sharp teeth, making Ashura fall to the ground.

Kurogane fell also, on his hands and knees, gasping for breath as Fai leaned over Ashura's neck, sucking the blood from the throbbing vain, closing his eyes so he didn't have to watch while Ashura's life drifted away. The color finally drifted away as Fai ripped his lips from the wound, breathing heavily. He fearfully looked over at Kurogane, blood still on his lips. He slipped his hand in Ashura's pocket, taking out the feathers and putting them in his own pocket.

Fai dropped Ashura's limp body and stood, facing Kurogane as he stood. He bravely took a couple of steps forward, breathing labouredly. He wrapped his arms around Kurogane's stomach and leaned his head against his chest, closing his eyes for a moment, breathing Kurogane in. He smiled up at him, oh god, it took so, so much power to smile at that moment.

"At least that's over with," said Fai, smiling.

But it wasn't over with.

"Fai!" cried Mokona when Kurogane and Fai entered the kitchen, both silent. "Kurogane! You're back!"

Mokona jumped into Fai's arms and Fai smiled, embracing the furry creature. Syaoran didn't pay much mind, absorbed in his book about the country they were in. Kurogane just stood, slowly closing the door, as he watched the mage smile at Mokona. He couldn't possibly.

"Mokona," said Fai, smiling. "If you would excuse me, Kurogane and I have to go pack things up before we leave."

"You got the feather?" said Syaoran, immediately looking up from his book.

"Two," Said Fai, taking out the two feathers from his jacket pocket and holding them out.

Syaoran lunged and grabbed them from Fai's outstretched hands. Fai retreated from his sudden aggressiveness. They stood there for a couple moments, looking down on the floor before Syaoran spoke.

"Thank you, Fai-san," said Syaoran, bowing and pocketing the feathers.

Fai smiled painfully and followed Kurogane into their shared room, closing the door after them both. Kurogane turned when Fai closed the door, looking him straight in the eyes quite intimidating. He nearly pinned him against the wall. (Well, not nearly. Actually, he did pin him against the wall.) Fai looked up at him, expecting something.

"Why did you lie?" asked Kurogane, leaning in a bit closer so their faces were only about a half a foot apart. "About Ashura being dead."

Like Fai needed him to say that… Fai's legs were shaking, threatening to give out as he tried to look Kurogane straight in the eye. But he couldn't. Not when he had lied to him, he couldn't face him. There were so many reasons he had lied. He was… he was afraid. Of being weak. In reality, that was Fai's greatest fear, to show weakness.

Partially it was because of Ashura. If he ever showed weakness to Ashura, he just hurt Fai even more. One thing Ashura hated most of all was weakness, and Fai had learned not to show anything, just put up with it. Fai wasn't one to put up with much pain. Every person breaks after a while, and Fai had already broken.

Fai was weak. This he knew, but he was not a solitary person. He couldn't live without someone by his side, even if they hurt him or loved him or whatever. He just needed someone. He also feared being alone for the rest of his life, like he was in the tower.

When Fai lay awake in the tower, he always heard the screams of his brother. They were his voice and when he looked down he saw his face in pain. He tried not to look down much as the tears ran down his face. Every bit of pain Yuui felt was as bad for Fai, even worse because he had to sit there, not able to do anything, crying until he couldn't anymore.

He was only a child! Who would do such a thing to those children… just because they happened to be twin? Fai asked these questions every night, begging that they would be found, or at least Yuui, so they could live again. So they could see the sun again.

"Fai? We'll always be together, right?"

Sorry for the excess explanation points! Please review, sorry the chapter was short, I had to cut it down, cuz I thought this was a good place to end it, don't you think so? Now for some honors or thank you's or whatever.

SilverKleptoFox- you almost got all of what happened in this chapter right!!! Wow, you're a good guesser!

And the rest of the reviewers, thanks so much, and I will take your advice on where to take the next chapters. And I have a feeling this WILL be a monster fic. (Laughs hysterically)

Oh yeah, all, please go on my profile and do the poll. I'm trying to think of what fic to write after this. Please help me!