A/N: Ahm… I'd tell you that I have a good reason for why this took so long, but other than the fact that I have hard times with fight and action scenes, there are no other reasons other than me being incredibly lazy and preoccupied with other stories… AND SUMMER HOMEWORK! Growl. And this chapter is altogether FAR TOO LONG! This one chapter is the length of four or five normal chapters of mine! OMG, how the heck?! AND IT TOOK TOO LONG TO WRITE! I've been working on this damn chapter SINCE DECEMBER! It was actually supposed to come before Pain, but, I kept gettting stuck, so I went ahead with Pain. Other than this; I really like it.

There are SLIGHT spoilers for the Celes arch, but nothing that's really pressing. It's mostly about Ashura, not Fai's past. You'll get what I'm talking about later. I also realized belatedly (as in at the end of the chapter) that I didn't give the demon a name. Well, crap. It's Ashura, deal with it. And the chick is... um... :thinks for a long time: Well, lets just say she's some CLAMP character, no??

Anyway; this chapter's to Breaking Benjamin's "Dance with the Devil". Will Fai die, or…? (Next chapter… PIRATES! … or something similar. I just know it'll be AU.)

Chapter Seven: Dance with the Devil

Here I stand,

Helpless and left for dead;

The words dripped; the chains echoed. Petals fell, perfume hung. Silk rustled, and lace scratched. Through it all, a steady hum of prayer filled the dark cell.

A funeral for a sacrifice.

Close your eyes—

So many days go by—

Fast-forward. Rewind. Speed up. Slowdown. Pause… And play…

Outside the barred window, the sun seemed to set in a blur of speeding time. He couldn't count how many days he'd been here, because time had begun to fissure and slide downwards in unimaginable speeds. Except for tonight; as the sun touched the horizon, everything paused. The wind stopped blowing, and the petals that littered the air seemed to cease their descending twists.

Pausing himself, he could remember just how long he'd been in the cell. … Four weeks. Funny, he mused, it had seemed like days. That was twenty-eight days in the dungeons of Rosette, waiting to become the next human sacrifice to the devil of the country…

Easy to find what's wrong;

Harder to find what's right—

He was never the one to believe in superstitions; considering his history, it was hardly a fault. He despised things like the beliefs of Rosette, the kind of things that made people kill and offer sacrifices to beings that weren't ever real. It repulsed him that be was being used to satiate their fear of a deity that only existed in dreams.

Even so, he was treated kindly, with the same type of respect that he believed they'd treat their demon with. With every meal that was brought to him, they'd apologize. Sometimes, women would come and chat, and the men would offer thanks…

He was beginning to wonder if this demon was real.

I believe in you!

With a loud, rusty clunk, a key turned in the padlock to Fai's door. The paused time began to run once again, this time at a fraction of the mercury-like speed of before.

"It's time to get ready, sir," a small woman murmured, holding her hand out for the blonde even though she never left the doorway.

Fai examined her thoroughly before recognizing her; she was small with mousey hair. She was one of the few who helped 'obtain' him.

"You!"

Fai turned, blinking. "Me?" he inquired, pointing to himself, his customary impish smile planted firmly on his face. He surveyed the small crowd that now surrounded him, gauging the situation… It was bad.

"Are you a traveler?"

The mage turned his attention to the man speaking. Tall and lanky, the man would normally have posed no threat to Fai… But seeing as he had shackles in one hand, and a gun in the other, the blonde decided to cut to the chase.

"Yes, actually; I have a few companions… I was actually out looking for a place to stay," Fai admitted. He turned his palms outward, signaling surrender; "Do I need to register anywhere?"

The man shook his head. "I… I am the mayor of the village of Rosette. You need to come with me," he said evenly.

With that, a few more people stepped forward, two men and a woman. The men deftly grabbed Fai and the woman shoved a cloth over his face. As he fell unconscious, the shackles were locked around the blonde's wrists and ankles.

He didn't even have the strength to protest.

Since his capture, Fai learned about the town. It was cloaked in shadows of old superstitions and culture. By far, the strangest was the yearly ball.

"Excuse me," Fai mumbled, shifting uncomfortably as the woman began to stride towards him.

She smiled, "Yes?" she asked, pulling out a few chains.

This was the part he hated: being chained. "Can you tell me the story about this ball again? I'm not quite sure I understand it," he said smoothly, closing his eyes as the heavy weights fell against his wrists.

The woman laughed, grinning. "You may hear it as many times as you like."

"As many times as I am able," Fai corrected, standing.

She shrugged, beckoning him forward as she strode out of the cell. "Once, a long time ago, a man came from the forest. He was handsome, well dressed. His allure was overwhelming, though he spoke very little. The village girls fell in love with him, as did some of the male population… Faithful wives left their husbands, children went missing, and the occasional wife would wake to find her husband gone," at this, she broke, giving a scandalous giggle, "Soon, it was determined that this man was the cause. It was investigated, and it seemed that only the most beautiful of the town were disappearing… First the most, and then following by the next and so on. After a while, only a few were left in the village, and they were old, sick, or impervious to the man's charm. The strongest few gathered up, and found bait. A beautiful girl who had traveled recently into the village; she had seen the man, and fallen in love with him as well.

"They followed a girl in the night to his layer. There it was discovered that the man was a shape-shifter; he appeared the form most appealing or comforting to his prey. Once he had his prey in his grasp, he would slowly drain them of their life… They pleaded to him that the race that he depended on for food would become extinct. The man made a deal. Once a year, the villagers would hold a grand ball for him.

"At the ball, he would appear, and for him would be prepared the most beautiful person in the village. He would only dance with them, while the others would celebrate. And he agreed, that at the stroke of midnight, that person would become his prey, and he would kill them."

The woman stopped, then smiled over at Fai. "You see? You are the most beautiful person to cross through Rosette in ages. It will make Him very happy…"

Fai sighed. "I'm sure," he mumbled, looking away from the woman's smile.

For the rest of the journey, the two traveled in silence.

Fai began to notice a subtle change in scenery. The dark walls became lighter, the concrete being replaced with a smooth wallpaper of green and cream. The old floors became polished and cared for, and slowly the damp air turned dry and warm. In fact, the hallway was so inviting that the blonde began to forget why he was so anxious. He chanced a grin at the young woman, and she flashed a strong, reassuring grin.

Magic tugged at the edges of Fai's mind, but even the insistent nag of foul play soon slipped away. In fact, by the time they had reached the dressing room, the blonde was so pliant that the woman slipped off his shackles. "Just go in there, dear, someone will prepare you. … I believe in you," she murmured, patting Fai's cheek.

The magician stumbled into the room, only to be grabbed by two older women and stripped of his clothes. He was handed new garments, and he put them on absently.

Afterwards, Fai glanced at himself in the mirror, wrinkling his nose. He'd never had a taste for fancy clothes.

All in all, he supposed, he looked nice—he wore a black suit, with long, sweeping coattails; the sleeves and hems were embroidered with silver threads in dusty designs; underneath he wore a silver vest, and a light blue silk shirt; his ribbon was same silver as the embroidery and vest. He even had to admit that the mask was beautiful, black with jewels the exact same blue as his shirt—and looking at himself in the mirror, his eyes. All in all, the effect was stunning.

He grinned, supposing that it was alright this once, and one of the older women straightened his tie. "There you go, sweetie. All ready. Remember, we believe in you…"

I can show you that

I can see right through

All your empty lies—

Several hours after being dressed, Fai was lead to the ballroom. Many people crowded the enormous room, which was filled with streamers and roses. Everyone wore ornate dresses and masks, and Fai took a curious look around. "A masquerade?"

"That it is," one of his escorts murmured, then gave him a gentle shove towards the dance floor.

"How am I supposed to know who to dance with?" The magician murmured, turning back to look at his guards.

One gave a coy smile, "Well, who are you in love with?"

The blonde's face fell blank, and he puzzled over the question for a long time. "I… I don't… I'm not sure," he whispered.

"Then go find them."

The words rang deep with magic, and Fai turned on his heel, obeying the command.

He wandered helplessly along in the crowd, calling. His mouth formed the words, but his mind took no register of them. Plaintively, he cried out, searching; "K… kuro…"

"Are you looking for me, mage?" a voice came.

Someone captured Fai's sleeve, and the magician turned, eyes searching. "Oh…!"

Before him stood Kurogane, decked out in clothes similar to Fai's; except, where Fai's suit was blue, his was dark, blood red. "'Oh' isn't an answer. Were you looking for me?"

The blonde nodded softly, shaking his head as if he were a wet dog. "How did you know to come and find me here?"

"The kid asked around," the ninja said smoothly, "It was easy enough."

"Oh…" Fai looked around, trying to locate Syaoran and Sakura, but couldn't see through the crowd. "I'm supposed to find someone."

Kurogane said nothing, watching Fai in something akin to amusement.

"But I don't know who."

"How do you know it's not supposed to be me you're looking for?" the ninja inquired, reaching out and pulling Fai to his chest.

"What?"

"You've hidden yourself very well, little magician," Kurogane sneered, smiling down at Fai. "And you thought you fooled everyone?"

"I… I'm sorry," the blonde murmured, staring up at Kurogane's eyes. "Wait… You're not! Y-your eyes, they're…"

Kurogane smiled coolly, sending shivers up the magician's spine. "Won't you dance with me?"

Fai fell limp in the other man's arms, eyes dull. "Of course, Kurogane," he mumbled.

I won't stay long

In this world so wrong!

Say goodbye,

"What do you mean, sacrifice, kid?!"

Syaoran stumbled after Kurogane, glancing down at the book he held tightly. "According to legend, the most beautiful person who arrives in town is sacrificed to the demon of the hills at an annual ball! … and this would explain his disappearance…"

Kurogane growled, his hand finding his way to his sword. "So you mean, any moment now, the magician could be demon food?!"

"Well, yes," Syaoran muttered sheepishly, stopping.

The ninja pulled his sword out, and held it in front of him, hissing; "I'll be damned if I let another person in my life be killed by a demon! We're getting that mage, then we're leaving; feather or not, you got it kid!"

Syaoran nodded reluctantly. "Alright. How do you propose we get Fai-san?"

"We get into that ball."

As we dance with the devil tonight;

Don't you dare look at him in the eyes—

As we dance with the devil tonight!

Syaoran was amazed; "I didn't know they took it that seriously," he breathed, wide-eyed. "This legend must have basis in real life. Otherwise… I've never seen anything like this before…"

Kurogane straightened his tie irritably, "Whatever. Why don't you and the princess go dance or something?"

Syaoran blushed, and then looked over to Sakura, who was leaning over the railing to stare at the huge ballroom. "Okay," he mumbled.

Kurogane left the two, storming down the winding marble staircase, knocking over a few people in the process. Eventually, people got the message and started to avoid the ninja.

"Don't look at his eyes!" "His eyes!" "That must be the demon!" "Is he unhappy?"

Kurogane twitched, listening to the hushed conversations of the dancers. They all began to hide their faces behind their masks. "What the hell is going on here?!" He glanced around, and found a woman smiling in his direction. She was more opulently dressed than most of the ball-attendees, her clothes had an almost antique feel about them. She was one of the few who wore no mask, but instead wore a necklace as her decoration, and she was looking at Kurogane in unbridled amusement.

"What're you lookin' at?!" he barked, stomping over to the ornately dressed woman.

"They think you're the demon," the woman laughed, "When they know good and well that your eyes are the wrong color."

"What do my eyes have to do with anything?"

"You're not from here," the woman said jauntily; not a question—a statement, "So you wouldn't know. The demon that this ball is for has eyes black as pitch, and if you stare into them, you'll die. …Maybe, you'll want to go save the blonde who's been dancing with your image?"

The woman pointed to the center of the ballroom, and when Kurogane turned his head, she disappeared into a cloud of silver moths.

Trembling,

Crawling across my skin;

Feeling your cold dead eyes,

Stealing the life of mine…

"Where did you learn to dance, Kuro-kyu?" Fai asked serenely, feeling the taller man guide his moves.

"I was forced to take lessons," Kurogane said with a wrinkle of his nose.

The magician laughed, "Tomoyo-chan made you, hmm?"

"Where did you learn, mage?"

Fai made a face, "… I was taught," he murmured, laying his head on the man's chest.

Instantly, he realized something was wrong. He tried to jerk away, but suddenly Kurogane—no this wasn't Kurogane!—had a vice-like grip on him, holding him in place.

"NO! Let me go!" Fai cried, struggling. His hands, he had to get his hands free; if he had to use magic, he would… for Fai had no desire to die like this…

This man, this thing! It wasn't Kurogane! This thing had no heartbeat!

"HELP!"

"Hush you idiot mage," the thing posing as Kurogane snapped. Fai felt the magic in his words, and his jaw immediately snapped shut, nearly biting the tip of his tongue off in the process.

The acidly metallic taste of blood filled Fai's mouth, and he swayed, suddenly very dizzy.

"Look at me Fai," it said gently in Kurogane's voice.

Even without the magic, Fai would have looked. It sounded exactly like the ninja, using the tone and the words that the blonde mage wanted to hear the most.

Blue eyes locked with flat black, and Fai felt everything slipping away.

I believe in you!

I can show you

That I can see right through

All your empty lies—

I won't last long

In this world so wrong!

Say goodbye,

Kurogane could see him; and the stupid mage was dancing with someone who looked exactly like himself. He could see as the two chatted, Fai grinning in a warmly stupid way that made the ninja want to hug him.

Then the mood changed; Fai put his head to the double's chest, then yanked back screaming.

Kurogane thrust his hand to his waist, drawing his sword. People scattered away from him, screaming, leaving a clear path towards Fai and… whatever that thing was.

He saw the two make eye contact, and Fai fell limp in the thing's arms.

"MAGE!"

The thing looked up, then smirked as he watched as Kurogane charged at him.

"I think it's time you stop napping, love," he said quietly, and the once comatose blonde started awake.

"Huh?"

Fai blinked, then raised his hands to rub at his eyes. There were two Kuroganes. "What's… going on?" he mumbled, uncharacteristically muddled. He seemed to float away from Kurogane's arms, to stand between the two.

One was the one he had begun to dance with, wearing a matching suit. The other was dressed in a secondhand black suit, red eyes blazing angrily.

"Why are there two Kuro-chi's?"

He looked back at the one in the flat black suit, frowning. "Do you know what's going on, Kuro-two?"

"Mage," Kurogane growled, "That thing is going to kill you! At midnight, it's going to eat you!"

"That sounds ridiculous, Kuro-two," Fai scoffed, turning to the Kurogane in the red and black suit. "And you?"

"We were dancing, and then an imposter comes up," that Kurogane said with an irritated shrug. "I've half a mind to teach him a lesson for that. It's almost midnight, and that's when the ball ends."

Fai rubbed his eyes again, feeling tired. That sounded like something Kurogane would say, but something wasn't right. Fai stared at the red and black clad ninja, then realized. Their eyes were different. "You're lying…" he mumbled softly, backing up towards the real Kurogane.

"You're lying!" Fai cried, feeling Kurogane grab him around the waist to hold him close. "You're not real!"

The demon gave a feral snarl, and then began to morph in front of Fai and Kurogane's eyes; he still kept to form of Kurogane, but long fans sprouted in his mouth, and claws shot from his fingers. "You're rather powerful, little one," he said. Fai gasped, instantly enthralled by the smooth, honeyed voice. He tried to step forward, but found himself locked in Kurogane's firm grasp.

"Hold him all you want," the demon laughed, smirking. "He is still mine. At midnight, he will die. And I will no longer be hungry for the year," he gloated. "Your poor lover made a mistake, he saw my eyes."

The demon then turned on his heels, and disappeared into the crowd, who was, for the most part, callous to Fai's situation.

The blonde gave an unhappy whimper; "I really am going to die," he muttered. "I hate this world, Kuro-sama! I just hate it!"

As we dance with the devil tonight;

Don't you dare look at him in the eyes—

As we dance with the devil tonight!

Hold on!

Hold on!

Morosely, Kurogane and Fai found the two children, and Fai explained what had happened to him in the past few weeks. Sakura began to cry and Syaoran had a distant look about him. The only time the blonde left the protection of Kurogane's arms was to hug the depressed princess.

Mokona was unusually silent through the entire exchange, until; "Fai, did you say that the demon has been around for a while?"

"A good bit."

"When did it leave?"

Fai looked at the large clock at the other end of the ballroom. It was now 11:15. "Fifteen minutes ago," he murmured.

The white rabbit-thing grinned. "Fifteen minutes ago is when I felt Sakura's feather disappear!" it declared happily.

Fai gasped, and Kurogane's hold tightened onto the blonde. "Now you tell us?!" he growled.

"If we can get Sakura-hime's feather back," Syaoran mused, "I think the spell on Fai would break; I've done some research, and no one expected that demon to live that long. I believe that the feather is what's keeping that demon alive."

Fai sighed in relief, "Oh, that's great. 'Cause I've decided, dying is a bad thing. It's not pleasant at all. You feel all tingly in weird places," he mumbled, sinking into Kurogane's hold on him. "And sleepy."

The ninja regarded Fai unhappily, then scooped his magician companion into his arms. "Let's go get that feather back," he growled, stomping towards the exit.

Syaoran and Sakura followed quickly behind him. "But we don't know where the demon's lair is!" Syaoran pointed out hurriedly.

"Go that way," Fai murmured, pointing towards the town's square. "I'm being drawn towards it. Most likely, he's trying to get me back so he can… munch on me," he said, making an odd face.

"Shut up."

"Awwww, I'm just trying to help, Kuro-sama!" Fai whined, poking the swordsman's cheek. The blonde paused, watching quietly for a moment. "You don't have to worry about me, you know."

"I'm not," Kurogane barked.

Fai giggled weakly, staring up at his companion's face. Instead of having a frown or a snarl on his face, Kurogane's expression was carefully neutral, his eyes glowering fiercely. "Your face says otherwise," the magician said softly, laying his head on the ninja's shoulder. "I won't die."

"Can't?" Kurogane asked.

Fai winced; this question again!? "Can't, maybe," he muttered, "I just know my big bad puppy won't let anyone hurt me!" he chimed, trying to evade the question.

"We'll settle this later, Fai," Kurogane barked.

The blonde gasped, eyes growing wide. After a moment a warm, sad smile spread across his face, "Then save me."

The swordsman grunted, then took off out of the ballroom.

It didn't take long to find the demon's lair, but Kurogane thought that not too long was too long. Fai had begun to grow paler than normal, and even though the magician had tried to control his tremors, he still shook violently.

"Well, this is unexpected," Fai murmured, blinking languidly at a house in the woods.

"If this guy's a demon, what the hell's he doing in a house?" Kurogane growled incredulously.

The four— plus a sleeping Mokona— stood at the foot of a winding gravel driveway that led to a Victorian white house with light green trim. The house looked like some old castle, and the forest that surrounded it threatened to swallow the house whole.

"I half suspected a cave," the ninja continued. Fai weakly reached up and smacked Kurogane upside the face, "No stereotyping, Kuro-sama."

The magician then turned his gaze to Syaoran and Sakura. "How about you two stay here and wait for us, okay?" he murmured.

Syaoran opened his mouth to protest, but Sakura gave a sad smile, nodding, "Alright, Fai-san. If that's what you want," she answered quietly. "But at least take Moko-chan with you… in case…"

The princess let her sentence dangle, but everyone knew what she meant: 'In case you need help', or 'in case you can't save Fai', or just, 'in case we need to leave quickly'… None of the endings to Sakura's worries were ideal.

As the girl placed the sleeping rabbit-thing into Fai's arms, the wizard reached over and ruffled her hair. "Everything'll be okay, Sakura-chan. I feel fine, and as if Kuro-daddy would let someone take mommy away!" he laughed. "We'll beat him down!"

Say goodbye

As we dance with the devil tonight

Don't you dare look at him in the eyes—

As we dance with the devil tonight!

The two made their way to the porch of the enormous house. As soon as they stepped up under the overhang, an enormous wooden door swung open.

"Creepy," Fai murmured, giving a weak, appreciatory 'hyuu'. Kurogane grunted something unintelligible, and as he stepped forward to the door, the floor fell through.

The ninja lost his grip on Fai as the wood gave way under his feet, leaving the blonde to fall to whatever fate awaited them first.

The two tumbled down onto a roughly hewed metal slide, which carried them from where they fell to a dark damp room. The two tumbled to a dirt floor, Fai skidding to the middle of the room.

The room was so heavily laced with malignant magic that it made Fai dizzy.

"What the hell was that?!"

"It was obviously a trap door," the magician mumbled faintly. He tried standing up, but fell back onto his backside, incredibly weak. "I don't feel good at all, Kuro-sama," he said piteously.

"I'll get you," Kurogane replied, standing. He began to stumble forward in the darkness, knowing exactly where Fai was because of his aura.

Rubbing his temples, the magician felt himself being lifted into the air by a set of warm arms. "We've got to find him, Kuro-sama," Fai said weakly.

"I know we do," Kurogane snapped. He began to hurry, sensing the urgency of the situation. However, something seemed to be holding him back. He knew he was moving forward, but Fai's aura never seemed to get any closer.

Blinking, Fai looked around the dark room; "Kurogane," he said softly, "Do you know ventriloquism?"

"What the hell?! No," the ninja growled from the other side of the room, something was wrong. He'd just been called by his name.

A cold dread rushed through Fai's body, and he felt his stomach drop as if it were filled with lead. "H-h-help me," the blonde whimpered, his voice trembling violently. "Please! He's got me!"

A pentagon of blue fire erupted along the edges of the room, filling it with a chilly glow. Magic runes were drawn into the dirt with silver, crisscrossing into a complex series of stars, hexagons, and circles.

The demon from the legend stood in the middle, Fai cradled in his arms. "It's not such a bad thing, love," he purred.

Fai screwed his eyes shut, tears streaming down his face. "Put me down!" he shrieked. This voice elicited such terror from within him; he couldn't stand the thought of the being belonging to the sweet but cruel voice touching him anymore.

The demon gave a smile that only Kurogane could see; "You'll come to me in time," he murmured, letting Fai slide from his arms.

The magician hit the floor, knees first. He looked up, seeing the demon in his true form for the first time.

Pale skin, paler than even Fai's, who had grown up in perpetual twilight and snow; long, straight hair that fell against angled cheeks; pitch black eyes that seemed to hold the world's knowledge— the magician knew, instantly, that they could hold love and mirth, but right now, all they held was hatred. Robes of white and a navy that was almost black clothed his tall, slender frame. Long nails curved out from his fingers, and as he grinned, fangs glinted in the cold light. Even though he knew it would be his downfall, Fai let his eyes travel up to the other's eyes; so exactly like the ones who had kept him sane all those years, exactly like the ones that gave him his happiness, his name, and his companions. These were the eyes that forced him to leave his happy life, the eyes that turned from kind to cruel in response to his own fate. He saw the monster dripping in blood of his companions, the ones who amiably talked of the weather and cheered him on when he came out of his shell… He saw it mirrored on this dimension, and he locked eyes with the devil, wondering if he should resign his wretched life then and there.

Fai began to shake so hard that even Kurogane could see it, trapped behind the magic runes that only allowed those who were unfortunate to be prey pass. A strangled sob left the mage's throat, which quickly became an anguished scream.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Fai collapsed onto the ground, sobbing frantically. The demon reached down, stroking Fai's blonde hair, sardonically grinning. "If it's that bad, grant my wish." The demon's words only worsened Fai's state.

Kurogane began to throw himself at the invisible wall that held him back from killing that demon then and there. "Dammit!" he hissed, unsheathing his sword, hacking at the barrier, knowing good and well that it'd not help a bit.

Mokona, who had been sleeping, forgotten, at the base of the metal chute, opened his eyes wide, and suddenly Kurogane found himself standing on nothing. He could see to the center of the room, but the dirt and silver-covered floor was gone, and the fire rimmed wall was nowhere to be seen. In the center of the blackness, he could clearly see Fai screaming while the demon made his moves to kill the magician.

"Kurogane, you wish to save him?"

The ninja whipped his head to the right, glowering at the projection of the witch, Yuuko.

"Well, ain't this convenient?" he muttered, "Of course I want to bloody save him!"

"Why?"

Kurogane blinked, taken aback. Yuuko's face was stern, and her eyes held a sort of strength that made the ninja answer the closest thing to honest he could muster at the moment. "Because the kids are expecting us back…"

"That's not good enough! Why do you want to save him?" she commanded; "If you go on other's desires, you will not be strong enough."

"I just want to! I can't stand the thought of him dying. It would be… It would be lonely. I care for the idiot."

"That much is proven. As you know, the demon's power lies in Sakura's feather," Yuuko said quickly, her voice clipped; "But he has far more power over Fai than just the Princess's memory. This demon is this dimension's version of a person who means much to Fai, but has broken him extremely. I will give you means to step into the magic and release the feather, which is embedded into the chest of the demon. But you must be the one to draw Fai out from his own mind. We will discuss price after; we've already wasted far too much time."

A necklace flew out of Mokona's mouth, and Kurogane caught it with one hand. "What is this?"

"Put it on. I will explain later."

With a shrug, Kurogane slipped the string of bead around his neck, and then hoisted his sword, ready for attack. Then…

The entire world seemed to blink, like a bad movie, between reality, and the separate dimension that Yuuko had created for the moment it took to grant Kurogane's wish.

Suddenly the fire was back, its soft crackling drowned out by a heart-wrenching scream, sadistic cackling, and the tolling of bells.

Kurogane charged forward, and with a sweep of his sword, he sliced a diagonal across the demon's chest. Silver blood poured from the wound, much like liquid mercury. Stunned, the demon fell to his knees, his head dropping onto Fai's shoulder, Kurogane standing over the both of them.

The magician screamed even louder, his voice finally catching and sputtering to a halt as he slumped forward, unconscious. Kurogane dropped his sword, then crouched, pushing the demon off of Fai. He reached out, tearing the ripped cloth from the demon's body.

As the ninja reached for Sakura's feather, the demon lifted a clawed hand, grabbing Kurogane's. "No," he breathed, blood spilling from his mouth, "Please. I have to stay alive."

"You've not given anyone else a chance."

"I have to find her," the demon pleaded. "The one I love."

"She'll probably be disgusted with what you are," Kurogane snapped, shaking off the demon's hand. "Besides, she's more than likely dead. You've been around for hundreds of years."

The demon's eyes grew soft, "Yes… I remember now…" And as Kurogane grabbed the feather, the demon's body faded away into silver moths.

Finally the bells stopped tolling, marking the passage into midnight. "Fai," Kurogane muttered, turning to the blonde. For a second, his heart stopped beating, but then he saw the rise and fall of Fai's chest.

Hold on!

Hold on!

He reached out, pulling Fai's head into his lap. The man was unnaturally cold, his skin clammy with sweat. "Hey, wake up. Now," Kurogane commanded, scowling down at the blonde.

It took a few minutes, but Fai finally did awaken. When he did, his eyes were wide and crazed, and he instantly pulled away from Kurogane. He searched the room for the demon, and when he didn't find him, he gave a shriek of terror. "I killed him!" His eyes scanned the room, then finally fell on Kurogane's sword. He reached out, but the ninja caught him, holding him tightly.

"Fai," he said sternly, "It's over. The demon's gone. I killed him."

Fai tensed, but then sighed, his body going limp. "Kuro-sama," he breathed.

"You're safe."

Fai buried his head into Kurogane's shoulder, trembling. "It was Ashura, Kuro-sama… He looked exactly like Ashura. I was going to die. I knew it. I thought he had found me."

Kurogane hugged Fai tighter, and although no clue what the blonde was talking about, he let Fai babble on until he fell silent. "Are you okay?"

"Now," Fai breathed, his violent shaking calming somewhat; "Everything went black for a moment, and I thought I'd died. I was scared…"

"Well you didn't die, so shut up!" The ninja said loudly, hoping to cover up the fact that he was highly uncomfortable.

"I know, Kuro-sama saved me," Fai gushed, nuzzling his damp face into Kurogane's neck. "You're so brave!"

Kurogane sighed; even though the blonde seemed back to normal, he could feel Fai shaking underneath his arms. "Just be quiet," he ordered sternly.

For once, Fai obeyed.

Goodbye…

Kurogane and Fai sat in silence for a long time. When the dregs of dawn were beginning to creep into the cellar room, a shriek and twin thuds broke into the silence.

"You don't think…" Fai murmured, blinking as a grin spread across his face.

"There they are," Kurogane finished, standing.

Syaoran was the first to tumble down the chute, landing on his stomach, face in the dirt. Sakura followed seconds after, landing neatly on top of Syaoran's back.

The princess gave a small 'eep', then jumped away from her companion, who rose from the floor with as much dignity as possible. "Um, Kurogane-san, Fai-san? Is everyone okay?" he inquired.

"Right as rain!" Fai cheered, waving boisterously.

"Syaoran forgot Mokona!" the white ball of fluff cried, seemingly hurt.

Sakura laughed, scooping Mokona into her arms; "So everything went alright?"

"Meh, I owe that witch another debt… But the job got done in the end," Kurogane grunted.

"Speaking of!" Yuuko chimed, her image erupting from the jewel in Mokona's head, "I've come to collect!"

Kurogane rolled his eyes, "I don't suppose if I give the necklace back, you'll cancel the debt will you?"

"That's not how it works. Besides, all I want is liquor from the world you're in," the woman whined, wagging her finger at the ninja. "That's not too hard, huh?"

"Um… Witch-san," Syaoran ventured, before Kurogane and Yuuko got into another fight, "About the demon… I've searched the legend back and forth, but… I've not found a pattern at all…"

"It was only beautiful people, Syaoran-kun," Fai said dryly. "He used them to keep young." The magician suppressed a shudder, and Kurogane put an arm around his shoulder, making Sakura blush at the obvious tenderness between the two.

"Wrong," Yuuko stated, shaking her head, "The real story of that demon is a sad one. A long time ago, Rosette was made up of only magical creatures, and the occasional human who passed by. One day, a woman with beauty that challenged that of even the most beautiful nymphs came to Rosette. Your demon fell in love with her, unknowing that she was a human. He was a faerie of high rank within the fey hierarchy, and therefore, was forbidden to love a human. The penalty was death. Even when he found out that she was human, he never stopped loving her.

"There was a woman of his own status, and she went mad with rage and killed the human woman. He began to die, not only because of love, but as grief as well. He did not believe that she was dead, however, because fey are forbidden to kill. He looked for her, even though she could never be found… One day, he came across a feather, which understood his sadness, and bonded with him, keeping him alive. As he lived, it slowly drove him insane, the knowledge that he'd never find his beloved, so he began to kill and devour all the souls that belonged to beautiful people in love who reminded him of his love. And it continued until today, when you finally put an end to it. Both he and she are grateful," Yuuko murmured sadly, a soft smile gracing her lips.

"How sad. He must have suffered so much," Sakura whispered, tears pooling in her eyes.

"How do you know all of this?" Fai asked, frowning, "Not even the people of Rosette know this…"

"The human woman is a client of mine. She wished that an end could be brought to her love's behavior. That necklace I gave you, Kurogane, was hers. Do you remember it now?"

Kurogane frowned, thinking back; "The woman at the ball!" he exclaimed.

"You've met her?" Syaoran asked, stepping forward, a look of curiosity gracing his features.

The swordsman nodded, slightly bewildered, "She helped me find Fai."

Fai smiled softly at the unwitting use of his name, reaching up to squeeze the ninja's arm. "Well isn't she sweet?" "Humph."

"Thanks to you, they'll be able to move on peacefully," Yuuko said, a devious grin snaking across her face, "Who knew you were so kind, Kurogane?"

"Hey!"

Fai leaned back into Kurogane's chest, and as he listened to him yell at Yuuko and Syaoran excitedly asking more questions of her, his eyes traveled to Sakura, who was smiling warmly in the opposite direction. She looked over at Fai, and then pointed to the corner where she was looking.

Fai turned his head, then chuckled softly. He should have known.

The demon and a woman stood in the corner, arms linked. No longer did the demon have fangs or talons, in fact, he looked quite amiable. The woman winked at Fai, grinning from ear to ear as she snuggled up to the man. The two began to fade, waving at Fai, smiles on their lips.

"Goodbye… Thank you." Fai mouthed. He then closed his eyes, content in leaning against the man who saved his life, knowing that happy endings were possible, even after much hardship.