When Worlds Collide

by MysticDawn5

After four years of travel, Kurogane and the others finally end up in Nihon. In between searching for the feather and dealing with mysterious phenomenons, Kurogane has to face a startling revelation that will change his life forever. / Pre-Volume 13 / DISCONTINUED /

20. Lord Of The Dragons

Summary: After four years of travel, Kurogane and the others finally wind up in Nihon. To his horror, he finds that a lot has changed in his absence. From Tomoyo getting married, to a mysterious force infiltrating Nihon, getting Sakura's feather back isn't going to be easy. Especially when Kurogane is forced to come to grips with a startling revelation that will change his life forever...

Pairings: KuroganexTomoyo, SyaoranxSakura

Disclaimer: Do I even need to do this? You ought to know this already.

Note: This fan fic is based on the manga, with a few extra tidbits here and there from the anime. It was first published on July 28, 2005, therefore set before Chapitre 91. A lot of theories here will coincide with the actual events in TRC, either because I added them later (evident in latter chapters) or because of some good guessing (evident in the first chapters). I also decided to use the official spelling for Fay's name (and Fei Wang Reed's name).

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A/N: With the last chapter of the first part of this series, I decided to do a much-needed revamp concerning replacing a couple of phrases, some spelling mistakes, grammatical structures and misuses in punctuation, a phenomenon fairly evident in the first chapters, which are, in my honest opinion, horrible. They're short, crude, rough, and pretty boring. Thankfully, as time passed, my chapters became longer and much more elaborate in description. I still don't understand how the majority of my readers managed to stay interested enough to keep reading, but I'm grateful that they did. It was your encouragement that has made me what I am today!

It's been nearly two years since I started out as a fan fic writer and I can say without preamble that I've definitely matured. While writing my fan fic, I gained experience, so even though it was a laborious task rereading and editing it, I feel it was worth it so you could enjoy When Worlds Collide as it was meant to be. Constructive criticism is still greatly appreciated.

I hope you enjoy my fan fic!

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When Worlds Collide

Chapter 20 — Lord Of The Dragons

By Mystic Dawn

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Kurogane sighed heavily and laid his large, wedge-shaped head upon his crossed forelegs. He eased his weight slightly, grunted, then closed his eyes. A few moments passed before he opened them again, shifting his hind legs into a more comfortable position. He made a satisfactory noise, then settled down to sleep again. He soon opened his eyes, exhaling in frustration. This time, it was his tail getting in the way. He quickly curled it around himself, flexed his claws, and lowered his head... only for the tip of his tail to jab him in his left nostril.

He grumbled irritably and raised himself from the cold stone floor of the cave. His cave, he corrected himself dryly. There were so many fissures and openings abandoned and left uninhabited in the mountainside that it would have been ludicrous if he did not take one for his own use. At least that was the way Lightningstreak had voiced his feelings about the matter after practically shoving him inside, pleasantly informing him that he would be in the next cave if he needed anything. Ironically, Kurogane had to admit that this cave was unnaturally close to most of the caves his friends were occupying, as if they had taken it upon themselves to care for him, teach him, and guide him in the dragon ways.

More like imprison him, he thought sardonically.

Kurogane shook his head and snorted softly, flames emitting from his nostrils. He had gotten so used to the occasional bursts of fire that he hardly noticed them anymore. But he had yet to consciously belch fire like a real fire dragon, except in the initial moment of his transformation. Actually... he had, he reminded himself darkly. In the fight he had found himself in with Moonbeam. Despite Goldenridge's assurances that Moonbeam had been a rebellious dragon that had eventually had to be stopped, Kurogane did not like it at all that the task had so conveniently fallen to him. Another person's blood was on his conscience. Again. Kurogane desperately wanted to end that aspect in his life, to put a stop to it once and for all. But for some reason, death followed him everywhere, along with him severing more and more lives. Silverthorn had been able to sense that even from their first meeting...

A lump formed in Kurogane's throat and he forced himself to draw deep breaths to calm himself. Ever since Silverthorn's demise two days ago, Kurogane could never seem to control himself whenever he was reminded of his old friend. And to his disappointment, the reminders were many. He wished that he could have told Silverthorn about his plans to fortify the valley before it had been too late. Kurogane was sure that if he had only told Silverthorn, the rest of the dragons would have been more receptive of the idea.

Kurogane had outlined his careful plan to the entire community that morning, after discussing it at length with Firebolt, Thunderbell, Pewterstone, Lightningstreak, and, surprisingly, Evenstar the previous day. He had explained in great length his plans for bringing livestock for them to feed on which would ensure that none would go hungry. Pewterstone and Lightningstreak had been slightly dubious about it, for they were notorious for their large appetites, but, as Evenstar had so pointedly reminded them, dragons needed nourishment only once every five to six days, which would certainly ensure the beasts to spread. They had all agreed that it was a good plan, a plan that would certainly provide them with all that they would need, and so, Kurogane had hastened to inform Goldenridge. There were loopholes—Kurogane knew that very well—but in his humble opinion it was the best that he could come up with on such short notice.

Goldenridge had appeared neither excited nor distrustful of the idea. She had merely nodded in silent approval and had given him her consent to spread the word to the other dragons. Kurogane had done so that morning, only after encouraging his friends to scout out of the Valley for possible herds to accumulate. He had been hesitant at first since they were an uneven number of five, for he did not want any of them to leave the valley on their own, but Starbreeze had cheerfully offered to bring the numbers into balance when Lightningstreak told her of what Kurogane had planned. At least she had been receptive of his idea, Kurogane reflected moodily, unlike everybody else.

When Kurogane had gathered the rest of the dragons and had informed them of his plans, there had been an immediate uproar. Some of them protested that it was not right for them to go into hiding for a crime they did not commit, while others supported that it should be the humans who should retreat into seclusion. Others still had violently demanded at the reason for letting humans get away with killing off so many of their kind, which was strengthened by cries of agreement that they should launch an attack and kill off as many humans as they could in vengeance. Still more louder rang out the complaints of those who had dragonlings, refusing to raise their young in a world where they would not be able to be free. And then there had been mutterings, dark and murderous mutterings, that Kurogane was not trying to help them out of charity, but, being born as a human, he felt more inclined to inconvenience dragonkind. He had tried to explain that that had not at all been his intention, but he was overruled by the larger and more hotheaded dragons.

All in all, it had been a complete and total catastrophe.

Kurogane was forced to relive the whole sorry tale to his friends when they had returned later that afternoon. They had sympathized with him, but still, that had not been enough to wash away his humiliation—a feeling that he was not used to—at dashing their hopes with his inability to cope with the sudden upheaval. He could have tried to use force to strengthen his position, but he had refrained from doing so in fear of a result similar to that of Moonbeam. He supposed that he should have given his plan more thought before deciding to make it official. Perhaps that had been the problem. When he had confided his worries in Evenstar, she had assured him that his plan was flawless, but it was due to the rest of the dragons living in their denial that it would not work out. "We do not take kindly to change," she had told him solemnly.

Kurogane exhaled loudly and settled down on the floor again. Nothing seemed to be going according to plan. Nothing. A gnawing anxiety persisted in tormenting him, reminding him malevolently that he only had four days left to help dragonkind. His expression became lour. Did he even want to help them? They did reject his efforts, didn't they? He snorted. No matter how much he resented it, he knew that he couldn't just abandon them... especially his dragon friends. He wanted to help them. He wanted to protect them. But something was definitely in the way. Why couldn't he protect them? He scowled and frowned. His plans weren't perfect. He had missed something, something dreadfully important. But what? He couldn't for the life of him put his finger on it, no matter how much it nagged at him. Kurogane was not a person who easily gave up. There had to be another way, something else he could come up with. But then again, he reflected morosely, maybe there wasn't...

Maybe he was just fooling himself, trying to convince himself that his efforts were not futile and that he would find a solution soon enough. Maybe he was just determined that he would be able to find a solution and put an end to this nonsense once and for all. Maybe he was just hoping beyond hope that when all this was over he would be able to go back to his old life... return home...

Kurogane opened and closed his claw, observing his steel-like talons. It had been three days since he had turned into a dragon. Three days... And all the while, he was becoming more and more dragon. In truth, he didn't feel any different than when he had started out as a dragon. He didn't feel as if a battle were taking place inside of him. He didn't feel as if he were becoming a real dragon. Even so, the thought that his transformation had not yet completed was starting to give him second thoughts. Did it... did it possibly mean that there was still some hope that he could become human again? That he could return to his home? To... Tomoyo?

What had Silverthorn said? Kurogane scratched reflectively at his cheek as his words came flooding back. Silverthorn had said that he was in danger of losing himself. That he had to decide something about himself before he would forget. And that no matter what, he had to remember Tomoyo. Was that what Goldenridge had meant? That, as he started becoming more dragon, he would start forgetting how it was to be human until he became a full dragon? He started in sudden realization. Did that mean that... he was losing his memories?

It was so reminiscent of Princess Sakura's own problem that he was inclined to laugh out loud at the stunning similarities. He supposed that now he would be able to understand how she felt. Only... his memories would be irretrievable, he surmised bleakly. He certainly wasn't going to lose them all at once in the form of feathers. He chuckled, picturing the comic scene. No, his memories would probably seep out of him slowly, without him even realizing it. He sat up straighter. Did that mean that he had already lost some of his memories? It had been three days since his transformation, and four more days until his total conversion to a full dragon. Undoubtedly...

He tried to think back on recent events, screwing his eyes shut as he tried to remember. He could recall them pretty much. Traveling to different worlds for four years in search of memories in the forms of feathers with his friends: Syaoran, Sakura, Fay, and Mokona. He hesitated, wondering how they were faring. They were probably off in some other world now, continuing their journey in retrieving the feathers. He sighed heavily. He wished that he could have said a proper goodbye instead of... running away like that. At least to tell them how much he appreciated them...

And then there was Tomoyo. How he desperately wanted to see her again. He needed her to understand that he still cared for her. He needed to tell her, to explain his actions for running away. He had been terrified. Terrified to see the fear, the pity, and the confusion reflecting on all of their faces. But how could he ever hope to explain himself? How could he ever explain why he was a dragon?

"Oh, it's because of a divine prophecy some soothsayer or other mentioned at my birth," he started grumbling under his breath. "I wasn't conceived normally, my father's the god of the dragons, my mother's some sort of noblewoman I've never seen or heard of before, I'm the strongest warrior in the world, unique because of being a dragon born as a human, and I have an extremely complicated destiny. Why's it so complicated? Well, besides being cursed for my killing-obsession and skipping around other dimensions, I was also destined to become a peacemaker and save dragonkind from extinction..."

And then it suddenly dawned on him. Of course! Why hadn't he realized it sooner? How could he have been so blind? He began to swear sulphurously under his breath. He knew what Goldenridge had said didn't sound right! She had said that dragons mated to reproduce only once in their lives, and, even then, they only produced one member of their kind. If it had always been so, then they had been doomed from the beginning, and nothing Kurogane did or didn't do would make a difference.

Kurogane got to his feet and raced to the entrance of his cave. He understood that the time was late, but he badly needed a second opinion. With a few flaps of his massive wings, he was airborne. He couldn't help but grin to himself as the cool night air rustled past him. Flying was always a pleasant experience.

He flared and clawed at the edge of a cave entrance, tucking his wings behind him. Still gripping onto the ledge, he tentatively extended his scaly neck. "Firebolt?" he whispered loud enough so she could hear while trying to keep his voice low so he would not wake anyone else. "Are you awake?"

"I am now," came her grumbling reply. There was a loud rustling of scales as she slithered to the entrance, her shimmering green eyes fixing him with an irritated look. "What's so important that couldn't wait until morning? I finally managed to get to sleep until you came along."

"Sorry," he apologized hastily, not wanting to agitate her further. "I just wanted to ask you something that you and Goldenridge mentioned when you were all telling me about my task and everything. It only just made sense. It's pretty important," he added hastily.

She took a step to the side to allow him more room to enter, settling down on her haunches a little way away from him. "I'm listening." Her tone was ringed both with displeasure and mild curiosity.

"Well..." Kurogane fidgeted slightly, not exactly certain how to phrase his words. "It's basically... about dragon mating flights."

Firebolt made a peculiar sound in her throat, something registering either outrage or incredulity, it was hard to tell. "What about them?" However, despite her reaction, her tone was not condemning.

"Well, Goldenridge said that dragons could only rise to mate once—"

"That is incorrect," she interrupted briskly. "Dragons rise during specific seasons to mate in accordance to which clan they belong to, and, of course, depending on their age. Earth dragons mate in spring, water dragons in summer, air dragons in autumn, and fire dragons in winter. Metal dragons are the sole exception, for they are able to rise during any season. Some dragons maintain fixed mates while others tend to choose those who are the biggest and the strongest. Basically, dragons that can fly for extended periods of time without tiring during the ritual. Stamina also plays an important role in mating flights. And acrobatics. If you don't impress your partner-to-be, you'll be sorely outsmarted by the rest of your opponents."

"Well, yes, but besides that," Kurogane interjected quickly, floundering at her cynical observations, "Goldenridge said that no matter how many times a dragon mates, he or she can only reproduce once. And you seconded her statement."

"That is true," she admitted, nodding. Her eyes narrowed. "Why does the mating cycle interest you?"

"It doesn't interest me personally," he said defensively, squirming under her scrutinizing look. Trying to brush it away, he shrugged before continuing, "Has that always been the case? Since the beginning?"

"As far as I know, yes," she replied, eyeing him speculatively. "Our Records do not go as far back as our first ancestors, however."

Kurogane leaned forward slightly, his own look speculative. "Doesn't that seem odd to you? I mean, there must have been thousands of dragons in the past. What happened?"

"Humans happened, Blacksteel," she said coolly. "Humans used to revere us as mystical creatures and always respected and honored us. But when the feud began..." She shook her head. "The past cannot be changed."

"I'm not talking about the blood feud. I'm talking about the low number of births."

"How can you use that term when there is only ever one dragonling born from two dragons?"

"Exactly," Kurogane pointed out emphatically. "Only one dragonling to two dragons. That's impossible."

She arched a brow in interest. "How so?"

He snorted incredulously. "Can't you see? Dragonkind is a doomed race. You're basically halving your population with each new generation with this peculiarity. It's against nature. I'm not trying to justify humans by not blaming them fully," he said quickly, raising a claw in supplication when he saw her ready to retort, "but can't you see that with each new generation there are less and less dragons? And not just because of humans."

Firebolt peered at him intently, her eyes almost glowing in the faint moonlight. "Go on," she said slowly.

"Every species regenerates in accordance to its needs. Rabbits multiply rapidly because they're easy prey for strong predators, like eagles, a species that doesn't face such a problem because of being in a superior position in the food chain. Dragons are in a similar position, the only difference being that humans began to hunt you down after one point in history, which brought upon an excelled reduction to your numbers. Can't you see that due to both your low birth rates and to humans eliminating you you're facing a premature extinction? An extinction that was probably inevitable from the start due to this anomaly?"

Firebolt did not reply at first. She appeared to be in deep thought, her expression unreadable as she tried to digest what Kurogane had just told her. After what seemed like an eternity, she raised her head. "I... I'd never thought about it in such a way before... I mean..." She struggled to express herself. "I knew something was wrong. I've lived close to four centuries, and I could see that our numbers were lessening with each generation. It was painstakingly obvious that we were dying out ever since the feud first began... everyone said so... but... because it happened so long ago... I'd always thought that it was due to the humans. The fact that we reproduce so slowly may seem like an impossibility to you because you were raised differently, which is probably the only reason you realized there was a problem when the rest of us had simply taken it for granted as a way of life. It's never been different."

Kurogane grunted in satisfaction. "You understand the problem now, don't you?"

"Of course I do. But I suppose the real problem is what we're going to do about it."

"I'm not going to do anything," Kurogane said flatly.

"What?" she said in surprise.

"How do you expect me to go out and try to help those morons who wouldn't even listen to me the first time I tried? If I try again, this time with something even more ludicrous to tell them than before, they'll be howling for my blood. And anyway, how do you expect me to do anything about it? Judging by how serious the situation is, it'd take who knows how much power to fix it. It's not like I can fix it myself. I'm no mage. And besides, who knows if a mage even can do anything about it?"

She exhaled in frustration, twisting her tail around herself. "Then what was the point? Why do we even exist if we were doomed to die from the start?"

"That's what I intend to find out," he said grimly, getting to his feet.

"And I thought you didn't want to help," she muttered accusingly.

"Don't twist my words around. I only said that I wasn't going to do anything about it. I didn't say that I wasn't going to help."

"Even so, how're you going to do that?" Firebolt demanded incredulously. "You wouldn't even know where to start!"

Kurogane's mouth tightened. "You forget just exactly who I am," he reminded her darkly as he walked up to the cliff's edge.

"You're the Dragon Lord. So what? How's that going to help you? This isn't what you were chosen to do! This is beyond you!"

"Of course it's beyond me. I thought I made that clear before." He smirked. "But I may know someone who can. Figuratively speaking, of course."

"Who?"

He looked back over his shoulder at her. "I should get to know my father, shouldn't I?" And with that, he spread his wings and soared down from the cave.

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They left Matsusaka early that morning and set off at a measured pace along the Highway, reaching Nigachi early that evening. They stayed at another inn for the night, none of them broaching the subject that sooner or later had to be discussed—whether or not Tomoyo would continue on her own once they had reached the Valley. Fay was obviously wrought at her decision, but he avoided expressing his concerns. Syaoran was also worried, more so because they had not yet discovered a way to turn Kurogane back into a human again, but he could understand Tomoyo's sentiments all too well to have the heart to defy her. Mokona was particularly agitated about the whole situation and kept trying to keep all of them company, trying to ease everyone's pain and guilt. And although Sakura was terribly anxious for Tomoyo, she respected her friend's decision.

The two girls had grown close since their first meeting at Shirasagi, and they usually sat together away from the others to talk quietly between themselves. Despite their age difference, Tomoyo being several years older than Sakura, they had the same height, which only enhanced Tomoyo's petite stature. Fay remarked to Syaoran that it was only logical for Sakura and Tomoyo to seek each other's company because girls only ever felt at ease together. He also surmised that Sakura had tired of constantly being in the company of men. Syaoran had been perplexed at the older man's observations, and had asked why Sakura would ever get tired of their company since they had all been traveling together for so long and had become friends. Fay had merely chuckled, replying cryptically that there were some things that girls could not possibly discuss with men no matter how close they were. His answer had only helped in confusing poor Syaoran even more.

They set off for Minakotsu the next day, following the left-hand route as they had planned. The road was undeniably longer, for they still hadn't reached the town by nightfall, so they set up camp a little way from the road. Syaoran found the opportunity to examine the map again and judged that they would reach Minakotsu by late afternoon in less than two days' time.

"After that it'll only be another day's trek before we reach Jorsan—if we stay at another inn in Minakotsu and don't press on and set up camp—and then around half a day before we reach the valley." He promptly rolled up the map and stuffed it back into his pack. "We're making pretty good time," he said in a lighthearted tone. "I suggest we don't stop at Minakotsu so we can gain half a day."

"Well, the sooner we find him, the better," Fay agreed, stroking the fire with a long stick. He removed the small lid from the steaming pot and peered at its contents. "And it looks like dinner's ready!" he cried jubilantly, bustling over to one of the horses to fetch some bowls.

"Does Fay seem to have a fixation with making soup or is it just me?" Mokona asked the group at large, bringing a paw to its chin in speculation. It hopped over to the fire and sniffed at the air. "Specifically vegetable soup."

Sakura giggled and gathered the white creature in her arms. "It's simple, efficient, filling... and Fay-san is a good cook," she added, scratching its ears good-naturedly.

"But still, eating isn't as much fun without Kurogane around!" it complained bitterly. "Who is Mokona going to steal food from?"

Even Tomoyo laughed at that. "Mokona's a devious little imp, isn't it?" she said affectionately, standing up to help Fay serve the meal. She grinned in remembrance. "Whenever I'd invite Kurogane's family to Shirasagi, Suzue-chan would tease Kurogane in a similar fashion, taking morsels of his food when he wasn't looking. The way he glowered at her..." Tomoyo shook her head, grinning. "But he would never lose his temper in front of Kumaso Ito."

"His father, if I remember correctly?" Syaoran inquired.

Tomoyo nodded and shrugged helplessly.

"But not his biological father," Fay piped up, handing him his bowl. "Hmm... now that I think about it," he muttered thoughtfully, "in a way, he's illegitimate." He snickered, a devious glint in his eyes. "And he calls me a bastard!"

Syaoran was in the act of swallowing soup and choked in surprise at Fay's sudden observation. Sakura instinctively began pounding on his back with her fists to help him cough it all back up, even though it wasn't the proper way of handling someone who was choking.

"Is that the correct term in this case?" Fay continued innocently, extending his arm to Sakura to hand her her own bowl, seemingly not taking note that she was trying to help Syaoran from suffocating. "I mean, his father's a god and he wasn't conceived normally... Hey, is there a term for someone who hasn't been conceived normally?"

"I don't think there's ever been a similar occasion, Fay-kun," Tomoyo said weakly, sweat-dropping. "At least none that I've ever heard of."

"Does it really matter?" Mokona added, clambering up his shoulder. "Kurogane will always be Kurogane, no matter how he was born!"

"Are you so sure? He is a dragon now, in case you didn't notice."

"But Kurogane's still Kurogane," Mokona said stubbornly. "Just because he looks different doesn't mean he is different."

"I think Moko-chan's got a point there," Sakura murmured reflectively, giving Syaoran one last reassuring pat. "Despite Kurogane-san's transformation, he'll still act with the same mannerisms he had when he was human."

"You do remember that he's becoming more and more dragon, don't you?" Fay reminded them pointedly. "Which probably means that he'll be losing his human traits and start becoming wild and uncivilized?"

"He was wild and uncivilized before he turned into a dragon," Mokona shrugged.

Fay couldn't help but laugh at that all too true statement. "Why, yes, he did have that unusual temperament from the start, didn't he?"

"Personally, I'm more worried about the other dragons attacking us," Syaoran started slowly, clearing his throat. "However much Kurogane-san has changed, he'd never hurt us intentionally."

"Kuro-ryuu is a good dragon!" Mokona tittered in agreement.

Fay roared with laughter, slapping his knee with mirth. "Oh, Mokona, you're precious! I was running out of ideas for new names!" He fondly kissed Mokona's cheek. "I can't wait to see him again and begin pestering him!" He chuckled evilly. "This dragon business has given me brand-new things to torment him with! Oh, joy!" He suddenly straightened and put his hands at his waist, thrusting his chest out and drawing his shoulders back, assuming a haughty bearing. "Kuro-ryuu, the illegitimate dragonman." His voice rang out proudly with his bold statement, as if his announcement were the most startling news of the century.

Sakura and Syaoran snorted with ill-suppressed laughter, and even Tomoyo had a hard time stifling her giggles.

Mokona cocked its head to one side. "Do you think you should start calling him that, Fay?" it asked him with genuine worry. "I don't think Kurogane will know what 'illegitimate' means."

"AHAHAHAHA!" Fay doubled-over with mirth, clutching at his stomach as he gasped for air.

———————————————

The snow was crisp and cold beneath his feet. His breaths steamed in the air as he drew deep breaths, surveying his surroundings. He nodded slightly as he continued to climb to the top of the hill, the sun's rays making his black scales shine in the daylight. No sooner had Kurogane reached the top than he spread his wings to their fullest extent, the muscles in his shoulders and chest rippling. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Yes, he supposed this hill would do just nicely. No one else was around and he was well out of earshot. He was also out of sight. The perfect angle of the medium-sized hillock would be able to warn him if anyone chanced upon him uninvited.

Flapping his wings a few times, he folded them across his back as he looked around one more time, just to make sure. You could never be too careful, especially with people who thought of you as a parasite upon their society.

Kurogane raised his head to the sky, drawing a deep breath. "Ryuujin!" he called. "I need to talk to you!"

He waited for a reply, but none came.

He exhaled irritably. "Did you hear?! I need a word with you!"

He waited for a few moments, but nothing happened.

He flicked his tail impatiently. "I really need to talk to you, Ryuujin!"

Again, silence.

He began to pace around, tossing his head back as he stomped through the snow, growling furiously. Who did that Ryuujin think he was, ignoring him? He already so conveniently got out of telling him of his task in person. He didn't have the right to ignore him any longer!

"Look, I know you can hear me!" he bellowed, quickly losing his patience. "You're going to have to face me sooner or later! You can't keep ignoring me forever!" He raised his face to the sky, gnashing his teeth together in frustration. "I'm your son!" he roared. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?!"

Kurogane waited for a few moments, then snorted incredulously for even expecting an answer. "Fine, do what you want! See if I care! I'm not going to waste my breath on the likes of you! Let your precious little dragons die off, for all it's worth! That's just fine by me!"

He turned around and made to leave, his anger starting to get out of control, but he froze in his tracks when a sudden dazzling light appeared before him, blinding him. He screwed his eyes shut and raised a foreleg to protect his eyes. When his vision began to clear and the pulsing white light began to fade away, he cautiously opened an eye. He thought he could make out a hazy shape in the intense brightness, so he slowly lowered his foreleg and opened his eyes.

His jaw dropped open in astonishment.

For then, in all of his splendor and glory, Ryuujin appeared to stand before him. Rainbow-colored scales gleamed in the sunlight and wings spread wide to reveal many-hued transparent membranes as the mighty dragon raised his head and bellowed ferociously, revealing golden teeth the same color as his claws and spiraling horns. His thick mane was also golden-colored, as was his spinal ridge, that crawled down his back to his spiked tail. Crystal-like eyes regarded him, revealing everything, and yet nothing, in their swirling depths.

"Now," Ryuujin rumbled in a deep voice, "what does my son find so important that he ignored all the conventional niceties to get my attention?" He chuckled wryly. "Well, I can most certainly assure you that you now have my rapt attention!"

Kurogane raised a brow in perplexity. Judging by his dynamic entrance and everything that he had heard of him, Kurogane had been expecting Ryuujin to be a proud and stiff-necked personage, but by his words and manner of speaking he appeared to be quite the opposite. Kurogane felt that he had to rethink his tact somewhat.

"I didn't think you were going to come," he admitted uneasily. "I didn't even know if you could hear me."

"From the moment you invoked my name I heard every single word."

"Then why didn't you answer my call immediately?" he demanded suspiciously.

"You appeared to be having so much fun blaming me for everything that I didn't want to interrupt your tirade."

Ryuujin's tone was so matter-of-fact that Kurogane sweat-dropped and keeled over, spluttering.

"Well, now that you're obviously over your emotional outburst, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Kurogane? I thought I distinctly heard something about dragonkind's rapid decline?"

It took Kurogane a moment to organize his thoughts, and another to realize that Ryuujin had just called him by his proper name.

"Well?" Ryuujin said expectantly.

Kurogane drew himself up, straightening. "I wanted to talk to you about a peculiarity dragons have."

"Oh?" He raised a curious brow. "What peculiarity is this?"

"No matter how many times a dragon mates, he or she can only reproduce once," Kurogane said quickly, cutting down to the chase. "Only one dragonling is ever born from two dragons."

Ryuujin's eyes narrowed. "What about it?"

"It's... it's impossible. Dragons can't possibly survive if they don't produce more offspring. They're a doomed race." Kurogane couldn't help but shrink under his piercing gaze, wondering perhaps if he had gone too far.

Ryuujin looked at him steadily for several long moments. "That is no mistake," he growled, swishing his tail around himself. "That is a curse." His lips suddenly pulled back in a grimace. "A curse I laid upon dragonkind thousands of years ago."

"It's a curse? And... and you cast it?"

He nodded. "Dragons are too proud. They think only of themselves. Before the blood feud, humans held them in high esteem, honoring them and presenting them with offerings as they did to gods. Dragons took it upon themselves and began acting like spoiled children. They needed to be taught a lesson, a lesson they still have not learned. They must learn humility before they can be saved."

"Then what was the blood feud for?" he demanded heatedly. "If you'd already cursed them..."

"But they did not know that they were cursed. And they are still ignorant of it."

"Then the blood feud was only another way for them to learn humility?!"

"No," Ryuujin said strongly. "It is true that it was because of humans that the blood feud began. However, dragons continue to act imperiously, even though they fully realize that they are dying as a race. Although they are cooperative, helpful, and sympathetic to each other's plights, they do not see past their own society. They do not care about others. They care only about themselves."

"Sounds familiar," Kurogane muttered.

Ryuujin grinned. "Yes, humans are quite similar in that aspect. However, humans evolved into what they are today due to the circumstances demanding it. Dragons, being gifted with longevity, are not as willing and able to adept to changes as quickly as humankind."

"I always thought dragons were better than humans. They had honor. They had ideals. They had ethics and morals." Kurogane looked up at him and shrugged exaggeratedly. "At least I thought they did."

Ryuujin chuckled. "Every race has select individuals who are as you described them. And then again, every race always has select individuals who are the complete opposite. No race is without such discriminations."

Kurogane had noticed it upon occasion, so he did not say anything.

Ryuujin flicked his ears. "Now then, for you to be telling me about the curse... You wish to rectify it?"

Kurogane squirmed slightly. "The reason I wanted to talk to you was to ask you if you could do something about it." He shifted his weight slightly. "I mean, well, I was created for the sole purpose of creating peace for dragonkind. But if I accomplish it, it'll be like I didn't do anything. They'll die out anyway."

"Oh, Kurogane," Ryuujin sighed, shaking his head, "you weren't born solely to create peace for dragonkind. That's the least of your troubles."

"What?!" he said quickly.

Ryuujin's thin lips curved. "You could say that all we did was give you a proper push in the right direction." He suddenly chuckled deeply. "But I'm confusing you even more than before. I'd better not." He flexed his talons reflectively. "However..." Ryuujin looked up at him. "You are a unique being," he said quietly. "It is true that we did initially decide to create you to help dragonkind, but fate decided to twist things around. You are also one of the Chosen Ones. A member of the Fellowship of the Beloved One."

Kurogane frowned. For some reason, those terms sounded strangely familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had heard them before.

"In accordance to the Prophecy regarding you and your companions," he explained.

Kurogane felt even more confused than before. What prophecy was Ryuujin talking about? He remembered nothing about a prophecy. His frown deepened. What was the matter with him? Why couldn't he remember?

"I understand how frustrating it is to deal with dragons," Ryuujin said then, misinterpreting his expression, "but try to reason with them just one more time. Try to persuade them again about forting up the valley. Tell them of the curse. If anyone can talk some sense into them, it's you."

Kurogane snorted. "Yeah, right."

"I have complete confidence in you," Ryuujin assured him. He spread his wings. "If dragons reform, I will remove the curse. Tell them that." And without another word, he was gone in a flash of blinding light.

Kurogane had to blink several times to clear his vision. He raised his head, looking at the spot where Ryuujin had just stood. "Well," he muttered under his breath, "that was certainly illuminating."

He shook his head and scowled as he unfurled his wings. Why did he have the feeling he was missing something? He tried to ignore it as he crouched low, extending his wings to their fullest. He deepened the crouch slightly just as he kicked away from the ground with his powerful hind legs, catching a thermal that propelled him high into the air.

He hovered and closed his eyes, savoring the feel of the wind caressing his face. He felt wild and free whenever he was flying, as if he had found the perfect means of escape from all of his problems. But his talk with Ryuujin had managed to remind him that he had responsibilities. Kurogane flapped his wings a bit, rising higher into the air. He supposed that he should try to talk to the others and bring them back to their senses, at least one more time.

It didn't take him very long to reach the cliff-side where most of the inhabited caves were situated. There were a number of dragons flying in the air, drifting around in lazy circles. For the most part, they ignored him, but some of them did cast him shifty looks when they thought he wasn't looking.

"Hey! Blacksteel!"

Kurogane banked to the right to turn around and face a grinning Lightningstreak.

"Where were you this morning?" he demanded before Kurogane even had a chance to open his mouth. "Firebolt wasn't making much sense when I asked her. She said something about mating flights, dragonlings and Ryuujin. She was probably still half-asleep so she couldn't give me a coherent answer, but still, it was more than when I asked everybody else where you'd gone. I was getting a little worried, but Thunderbell and Pewterstone kept telling me not to worry because you weren't an irresponsible person and it didn't really matter where you went since there's probably not anything you can do for us anymore since everyone else practically—"

"I get it!" Kurogane said quickly, cutting off his long-winded speech. His mouth twitched slightly. "How about we find the others first? Then I'll explain."

"They're over at the riverside." Lightningstreak twisted himself in the air as he tucked his wings behind him and started speeding downward.

Kurogane shook his head. Really, Lightningstreak was too energetic for his own good. He bent his wings back and dived after him.

"About time," Firebolt grunted when Lightningstreak and Kurogane settled down upon the ground.

"Where were you, Blacksteel?" Pewterstone asked him curiously, tilting his head to one side. "It's almost noon."

"I had some business to attend to." He shrugged with seeming indifference. "Now, I need you to gather the rest of the dragons. I need to talk with them."

Pewterstone and Thunderbell exchanged perplexed looks.

Firebolt was grinning smugly. "I told you he'd gone to find Ryuujin, but you wouldn't believe me!"

"Did you really?" Lightningstreak asked him eagerly.

"Look, I'll explain everything in due time," Kurogane said quickly. "But first, call the rest of the dragons. I think you should all hear what I have to say firsthand."

Pewterstone and Thunderbell set off in one direction while Firebolt and Lightningstreak set off in the other. It took close to an hour to find everyone, but soon enough, all of the dragons had gathered before him. Some appeared curious to hear what he had to say, while others appeared highly distrustful. Goldenridge and Cloudbeard had also come to hear, but they stood to one side, as if not wishing to influence anyone else with their presences. Kurogane had to note that Cloudbeard had attained a rather silver sheen to his white scales.

Kurogane nodded at Thunderbell and the others, who stood at his side. "I'll take it from here," he said quietly.

Kurogane straightened and unfurled his wings, climbing up a rock so he could see them properly. If he thought it'd be difficult to address them the first time, it was just as difficult a second time. "I know most of you were probably dragged here against your wills, but I'd like for you to hear me out before making any hasty decisions." With that said in fashion of an introduction, he drew a deep breath and plodded on.

"Dragonkind is a dwindling race. Every year your numbers have continued to diminish and will continue to do so unless we do something about it. Even if we manage to drive away humankind, you'll still be a doomed species. Without more births, dragons will soon cease to exist. And I know this to be true," he said, raising his voice to be heard over the angry mutterings, "because Ryuujin told me so." He looked up at them to see their reactions, which were pretty much as he had expected.

"As if Ryuujin said something like that," someone sneered.

"Who does he think he's kidding?" another scoffed.

"He's just trying to butter us up to agree to go into seclusion," one of them surmised darkly.

Kurogane tried to keep his temper under control. "Ryuujin told me that he put a curse upon dragonkind thousands of years ago," he said in a voice he tried to keep steady. "Dragons were cursed due to their excessive pride and insensitivity toward others, toward species they consider inferior to them. Dragons must be taught humility before they can be saved."

"Humility?" a large bronze dragon with whirling amber eyes demanded, pushing forward to stand in the first line of the crowd. "We have been humiliated enough all of these centuries humans have been disposing of us! How much more humiliation are we to stand before we are saved?!"

"Humility as in the absence of arrogance!" Kurogane finally snapped, baring his fangs. "Which you, apparently, don't have in the slightest!"

The bronze dragon drew himself up imperiously. "Are you calling me arrogant?" he asked him, his eye twitching in ill-suppressed anger.

"I'd have thought it was obvious," he retorted coolly. Ignoring the death glare he received, he looked back at the other dragons. "Ryuujin told me that he would remove the curse if you reform," he continued, taking in a deep breath to calm himself. "Due to your longevity, you are unwilling to change your way of life, but change must be accepted for you to be saved. It's the only way."

"So you plan to fort us up in the Valley, do you?!" one of them exclaimed. "You want to trap us here so we don't supposedly cause anyone harm, is that it?!"

"Dragons are meant to be free!" someone shouted.

"Cooking up this whole story just to make us change our minds about going into seclusion," another snorted. "How dare you stoop so low to trick us?!"

"But what if he's telling the truth?" someone piped up. "What if he really did speak to Ryuujin?"

"He is Ryuujin's son," another reflected.

"I don't believe it," the bronze dragon said flatly. "Ryuujin is our god! He would never put a curse upon his own people!"

There was a murmur of agreement from the majority of them.

"I say he's just trying to protect his own kind," he continued, grinning maliciously, the tic in his eye more prominent than before. "Pathetic, really. Humans can't compare to us." He turned around to the others standing behind him. "Are we just going to stand here and take insults from someone who's not even a real dragon?"

"Blacksteel's only trying to help us!" Lightningstreak protested, stepping forward. "Why can't you give him a chance to prove himself?"

"And he's not human!" Firebolt added. "He's Ryuujin's son! He's as dragon as any of us!"

"Once a human, always a human," the bronze hissed. "What makes you two so sure that he's changed?" He suddenly smiled cruelly. "Ah, yes. Change. Just as he himself spoke of change." He looked up at the black dragon standing on the ledge with undisguised hatred. "Have you changed, Blacksteel? Do you consider yourself a dragon? Or do you consider us inferior to you? You surely must since you dared to kill Moonbeam—"

"That's quite enough," Goldenridge suddenly said strongly, coming forward and looking at them all disapprovingly. "I will not tolerate us fighting amongst ourselves."

"But, Goldenridge!" the bronze dragon protested vehemently, turning his head toward her. "You can't deny that he deliberately killed one of us! And in cold blood!"

Goldenridge sighed. "Moonbeam's death was a tragic accident—"

"No, it wasn't," Kurogane said loudly, causing everyone to look up at him in surprise. He climbed down the rock to stand before the bronze dragon and Goldenridge. "It wasn't," he repeated. "Moonbeam died because of me. It wasn't an accident. I killed him."

"See?!" The bronze dragon turned to Goldenridge triumphantly. "I said so—"

"But I did it in self-defense," Kurogane interjected quickly. "Moonbeam was out of his mind. He wouldn't have hesitated to kill me. I had to fight back."

"You attacked him first!" he spat bitterly.

"Moonbeam would have killed Lightningstreak if I hadn't stepped in."

"Oh, so killing Moonbeam was perfectly fine but killing Lightningstreak would have been wrong?" the bronze sneered.

"I didn't say that," Kurogane spat through gritted teeth.

"You most certainly implied it."

"Don't you dare twist my words!" he roared as he slammed his fist into the ground.

"You're twisting them yourself," he said smugly.

"Enough!" Kurogane grabbed one of the bronze's horns and pulled him down to his eye level. "You have no idea how much I wish I could undo what I did that day," he growled in a low voice. "I never wanted to kill him."

"You may say that, but do you mean it?" The bronze dragon's lips curled back as he flung him away. "When one of us dies, it concerns all of us," he said grimly. He turned back to the others, raising his voice to cry, "Dragons have never killed one another before! You see?! Change has come! And with it, our deaths!"

A loud and angry cheer rang from the crowd. The bronze dragon smirked in satisfaction.

"Goldenridge! Can't you do something?" Pewterstone turned to her hopefully.

Goldenridge looked at the bronze and then at Kurogane. She bowed her head, sighing heavily. "They have decided."

Pewterstone's face fell. He and Lightningstreak exchanged anxious looks.

Thunderbell frowned. "Then there is nothing more we can do?" He looked up at Kurogane.

Kurogane forced a bitter laugh. "I knew it was useless. I knew they wouldn't listen to me. I told him so, but he wanted me to try again." He shook his head. "And I guess I wanted to, too. Maybe even make him proud of me. I would've liked it if my real father was proud of me."

"Blacksteel?" Firebolt said tentatively, eyeing him worriedly.

Kurogane grimaced, his eyes gazing unseeingly before him. "I used to think dragons were different from humans, but I guess you're both one in the same. Too damn selfish and proud for your own goods," he whispered vehemently. "I thought you could change. But I guess I was wrong." He unfolded his wings abruptly, nearly knocking down Thunderbell in the process. "I don't give a damn what happens to any of you anymore. Do what you want. I offered to help you, but you wouldn't accept it." He wasn't shouting, but speaking to them in a voice that he kept emotionless and under control with little effort, which was the most surprising. "If you want to die, that's fine by me. I'll trouble you no further."

Before anyone could say or do anything else, Kurogane rapidly kicked off from the ground, sending snow spraying in all directions. He was airborne and already some distance away before anyone else could regain their bearings or even think of going after him. He did not look back as he sped through the air, his wings knifing through the air as each quick beat took him farther and farther away, away from his guilty conscience and away from his self.

He had done what he could, even if he had failed. At least he had tried.

———————————————

The weather that morning was considerably warmer, a pleasant exchange from freezing winds and chilly temperatures, even though they could still noticeably feel the winter's cold. They struck camp and proceeded again along the Highway at a steady pace so as to not tire the horses. Although they covered a great deal of ground, they still hadn't reached Minakotsu by nightfall.

The next morning was colder, but they kept along the Highway all the same, passing through Minakotsu a little before noon. They decided not to stay so they could head on for Jorsan, for there was no need for them to replenish their supplies and waste half a day. When the sun began to set, casting lazy shadows over the road, they found another spot to set up camp under a protective cluster of trees.

"It's times like these when I wish I knew more about the great outdoors," Fay laughed helplessly at one point, scratching his head. "I keep blundering when I try to set up the tent. How did you say I do it again, Syaoran-kun?"

"You have to secure the ropes tightly so they don't come loose, Fay-san."

"Is that so?" Fay rubbed his hands together and stuck his tongue between his teeth. "Alrighty then. One more go until I'll admit defeat."

"Who's going to stand first watch tonight?" Tomoyo asked curiously, handing Sakura a loaf of bread.

"I can," Fay said brightly, but in his enthusiasm the tent collapsed on itself again. "At least... as soon as I finish here," he grinned sheepishly.

"I'll be on first watch, too," Syaoran offered, getting to his feet to help Fay properly erect the tent.

"Then that leaves us to get some sleep before it's our turn," Sakura said cheerfully, putting the last finishing touches to their supper. "And I just finished making our sandwiches!"

"Wow, you made a whole bunch of them!" Mokona chirped as it perched precariously on Tomoyo's shoulder. "When are we gonna eat?"

"Just as soon as Syaoran and Fay-san finish setting up the tent," Sakura assured him. "I'm sure it won't be long now."

Tomoyo clasped her hands behind her back and looked up at the starry sky. "Isn't the moon beautiful?" she said breathlessly, closing her eyes. "A lone source of magnificence and splendor in the darkness of night."

Sakura's eyes also lifted to the sky. "The moon is beautiful," she agreed, inhaling deeply. "It's so big that it looks like you can even touch it." She raised her hand to emphasize her words, pretending to grasp it in her hand.

"Do you think we'll see a shooting star?" Mokona squeaked happily. "I'd really like to see one! Yuuko says that you can make wishes on shooting stars!"

"The feather we got in this world had a shooting star," Sakura said quietly, clasping a hand to her cheek. "Remember when I absorbed it the night we stayed at that inn?" She smiled tentatively at Tomoyo. "I was sitting on the edge of the desert, right beside the palace. I'd gathered all sorts of things I'd need for stargazing. A telescope so I could see the stars, a globe with a star map so I could discern the various constellations, and a small glass hearth that would provide me with light." She frowned slightly. "I was really happy that night. I kept talking to someone, even though there was no one there. But I was happy all the same. And when I saw the shooting star I was really excited because I wasn't alone." She laughed. "Do you know what I wished for?"

"What?"

"I wished that we would always be together. Me and that special someone." Her smile was happy and sad at the same time. "Strange, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't call it strange," Tomoyo assured her with an impish wink. "You should hear what I did to Kurogane once."

"Oh?"

"I forced him to sit out with me all night in the royal gardens once." She chuckled. "It was such a pleasant summer evening that I didn't want to stay inside the castle. Being Lead Ninja, Kurogane was obliged to accompany me everywhere, even if he resented it tremendously. He kept saying that I'd catch cold and that he'd never hear the end of it from Souma. She was away from Shirasagi at the time, patrolling the Highway, and Kurogane was positive that he'd be scolded when she found out." Tomoyo chuckled mischievously. "I told him we didn't have to tell her if he was so worried about it."

"So what happened?"

"We spread blankets on the ground and watched the stars together. He grumbled quite a bit about it at first, but I eventually made him lie down beside me so we could watch them properly without craning our necks." Tomoyo sighed softly. "It was the first time Kurogane and I had ever been so close. We just watched the stars. I don't remember well what happened afterward because I fell asleep, but when I woke up in the morning I was in bed. I assumed that he must have carried me inside, but he wouldn't answer me directly when I asked him."

Sakura giggled. "Kurogane-san would be embarrassed about something like that, wouldn't he?"

"You betcha," Fay grinned hugely, settling down between them as he grabbed a sandwich. "We finished with the tent, but we couldn't help but overhear your stargazing stories, right, Syaoran-kun?"

Syaoran nodded and sat down beside Sakura, reaching for a sandwich. He avoided making eye-contact with her.

"How about you, Fay-san?" Sakura asked him curiously after swallowing her bite. "Do you have a story that has to do with stargazing?"

"Me?" he said in surprise. "Nah, no stargazing for me! Unless you count studying the various constellations and marking down their positions for school projects and stuff. Boy, that was quite a long time ago." He munched thoughtfully for several moments. "Actually, there was this one time when I couldn't sleep," he admitted slowly. "So, having nothing better to do, I crept up to the astronomy tower and fooled around with the telescope." He chuckled. "We weren't exactly allowed to touch it, but I was really curious about it." He grinned in remembrance as he leaned back upon his arms. "I saw all sorts of things that night. Bunches and clusters of bright and colorful galaxies, and numerous planets of different shapes and sizes. I stayed up all night long." He smirked proudly. "And they never caught me."

"How about Syaoran?" Sakura turned to him, smiling warmly. "Surely you've stargazed before."

"No," he lied, meeting her gaze evenly. "I've never gone stargazing before."

Fay and Tomoyo exchanged significant looks, but said nothing.

"Me neither!" Mokona chirped. "I guess it's just the two of us then, right, Syaoran?"

Syaoran forced a smile. "Right."

"It's really a shame, Syaoran, it's so wonderful to..." Sakura started to say, but faltered. She drew a hand to her forehead, frowning.

"Sakura-chan?" Fay said worriedly, putting his hand on her shoulder to keep her steady. "Are you sleepy?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, it's not that..." She took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "It's Kurogane-san..."

Fay and Syaoran exchanged nervous glances.

Tomoyo swallowed hard. "What's happened?"

Sakura did not reply at first. She closed her eyes as the same caressing breeze appeared to rustle her hair. It was a long moment before she stirred again, gasping sharply. "He... he's losing himself," she whispered in horror, her eyes widening as she began to tremble uncontrollably.

"What's wrong with her, Fay-san?" Syaoran demanded in alarm, gripping her shoulders as he tried to keep her steady.

Fay's face drained of all color. "We have to bring her back before it's too late."

"Too late?! Fay-san, what's wrong with her?!"

"She's gone in too deep," he explained in a voice he tried to keep steady. "She's sharing his mind now. Whatever he feels, Sakura-chan feels. Something terrible must have happened for her to be reacting like this."

"He's losing himself!" Sakura shook her head and burst into tears. "He's losing himself!"

"Sakura!" Syaoran shook her slightly. "Pull yourself together!"

"Oh, God, he's losing himself!" she shrieked in dismay, sobbing convulsively.

"Sakura, listen to me! You have to snap out of it!"

She tried to pull away from him. "He's losing himself!" she cried hoarsely, pounding his chest with her small fists. "He's losing himself!"

"She can't hear me." Syaoran looked up at Fay and Tomoyo helplessly. "What are we going to do?"

"We have to do something!" Mokona squeaked.

"Let me try," Tomoyo said softly, getting to her feet.

Syaoran relinquished his hold on Sakura's shoulders and moved to one side for her, anxiously hovering nearby. Tomoyo pressed her fingertips against Sakura's temples as she closed her eyes and started murmuring under her breath. The air seemed as still as death. Then there was a sudden surge of magic and Sakura gasped sharply, snapping her eyes open. Tomoyo released her and took a few steps back, trembling violently.

"Sakura?" Syaoran said quickly, kneeling down beside her and gripping her hands. "Are you all right?"

Sakura swallowed and nodded. "I'm all right now." She smiled at him shakily. "Really, I'm all right now."

"What happened?"

"It was Kurogane-san." Sakura drew a deep breath. "His emotions are... cold. He was so cold I thought I'd... I thought I'd been trapped." She suppressed a shiver. "He tried to reason with the dragons. He tried to help them. But they wouldn't accept his help. They blamed him for... for the death of another dragon. They kept accusing him for everything, it was... it was horrible. He'd finally had enough and left."

"So he hasn't completed his task?" Fay questioned.

"He doesn't care about his task anymore. He doesn't care about helping them anymore. He doesn't care about anything anymore." Her lower lip quivered. "He's full of bitterness and defeat... and he's so cold..." She drew another deep breath. "He's losing himself. He's starting to forget how it was like to be human. He's becoming dragon. But not like other dragons. He's becoming... wild."

There was a half-choked cry in the background. Tomoyo had covered her face with her hands, her whole frame shaking.

Syaoran looked up at her. "Tomoyo-hime?"

Tomoyo shook her head. "I'd been feeling strange ever since we left Solar Tower," she admitted hesitantly, her voice muffled behind her hands. "But I hadn't realized that I'd been feeling Kurogane's thoughts and emotions. I only just realized it with the little contact I had with his mind when I helped Sakura-hime break free..." She drew in a shaky breath and looked up at them with shimmering eyes. "He... he's desolate and... and empty..."

"We'll bring him back," Syaoran told her confidently. "He's not gone yet. We still have two more days." He got to his feet and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "I promise you, we'll find him!"

"We don't even know where he is!" Tomoyo collapsed at his feet, weeping uncontrollably. "It's useless!" she wailed despairingly. "He's not even himself anymore!" Her frail body was trembling violently now, torn apart by the paroxysm of her grief.

"Syaoran-kun, why don't you take her to the tent?" Fay suggested quietly. "A good night's sleep will do her good."

Syaoran nodded and bent down to help Tomoyo to her feet. She blindly gripped his forearms, her tears obscuring her vision as she stumbled to her feet. Her tearing sobs would not allow her to speak, and Syaoran had to support her weight as he almost carried her to the tent. He had to push her down into her sleeping pallet, but once he had managed to draw the blankets over her, her sobs had subsided into pathetic little whimpers.

"I'm sorry," she managed to gasp raggedly once her shaking had subsided. "I must be such a nuisance weeping all the time." She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "You probably think I'm a fool."

Syaoran smiled slightly. "I'd think of you as a fool if you didn't cry," he told her honestly.

"I don't think I've ever cried so hard in my life."

"Well, there's always a first time for everything."

"You're always so good to me." She lowered her gaze. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate your concern. All of you."

"We're friends," he said easily. "Friends help each other."

The empty ache she tried not to remember was threatening to devour her. She felt as if she were hovering precariously on the edge of a precipice with no way to turn back to safety. Was Kurogane feeling the same? Her eyes started filling with tears again.

"Just try to sleep," Syaoran said softly. "You'll feel better if you've had a good night's sleep."

Tomoyo managed a weak smile of gratitude and nodded.

Satisfied, he squeezed her shoulder lightly before standing to his feet and creeping quietly out of the tent.

Tomoyo wrapped her arms around her shoulders, knowing that Syaoran's advice was the best to follow in this case. She tried to calm herself enough to fall asleep, however impossible the feat seemed to her. She couldn't help but feel that her dreams would not be able to provide a sufficient refuge. She tried not to think about Kurogane and go to sleep as the moon rose higher and higher in the night sky.

She tried not to, but she continued to think about him.

———————————————

Kurogane woke to a throbbing headache and sore eyes. He groaned and rolled over onto his back, wincing sharply when his wing claw poked him in the side. He scrambled to his feet, blinking blearily. He had just had the most vivid dream, but it had been full of disconnected images and events that he could not make any sense of.

Yawning hugely, he slithered out of the fissure he had slept in for that night. Yesterday had been more comfortable, even if he had spent the night outside and had woken to stiff and protesting muscles due to the cold. He felt just as battered this morning for sleeping in such a small space. He arched back and stretched, extending his wings and flexing them experimentally. He still ached all over.

He waddled up to the nearby waterhole and took a long, refreshing drink. Just as soon as he had parched his thirst, he looked around, his rumbling stomach informing him that he was neglecting himself. He smirked. A juicy and plump herd beast would be a perfect distraction. Unfurling his wings, he leapt into the air, and with a few effortless strokes he had risen above the clearing.

The chill air swept past him in a refreshing manner, soothing his swollen eyes and relaxing his tired muscles. He held his wings stationary and glided along, savoring those precious, solitary moments that were open to him when flying. The sun was just rising over the crest of the far-off mountain range. He banked to the right, making a full spinning turn in the air. He looked down upon the snowy acres of land spreading below him. He turned to his left, but again, he found nothing. Where could he find a place to get a bite to eat? His growling stomach was starting to get pretty distracting.

After flying along for a couple of hours, he located what he was seeking: a series of small, connected buildings protectively shading a closed pasture. A few solitary oxen were kicking at the snow morosely in hopes of finding a hint or two of grass. Kurogane's lips curled in a triumphant grimace. He swooped low and singled out an ox at the edge of the pasture, a little way away from its fellows. He grabbed the struggling beast, cracking its neck as he brought it down. Then, gripping it tightly in his claws, he rose up, settling down upon an outcropping of rock several feet away to feast.

After he had satisfied his hunger, gnawing and picking at its remains to the bone, he spread his wings and soared overhead. He might as well return to that waterhole and wash away the aftertaste. And maybe even take a bath. He had a terrible itch somewhere along his back. He was just about to turn and head back when a disturbance below made him cock his ears and change his direction the last minute.

Humans had pooled out from the buildings, pointing up at him and shouting amongst themselves. They seemed to be arguing about what they should do. Some were gesticulating wildly at the remaining oxen while others were shaking their fists and snarling. Some of them were brandishing pitchforks and shovels. Kurogane snorted incredulously. As if they could do him any injury with such petty little tools. They weren't even real weapons.

He knew that he could very well just fly away and ignore them, but the temptation was too great. He figured a good scare would make them less provocative around dragons. With an ear-splitting roar he spiraled overhead and plunged downward, extending his claws as flames erupted from his jaws.

Anyone who had been suggesting that they face the dragon paled at his rapid and ferocious descent. As one, the seven men who had gathered threw down their tools and ran for it, screaming in terror, just as he swooped right over their heads, nearly singing their hair with his fiery breath.

Kurogane pulled out of the dive and flew up again, raising his voice to a shriek as he sped above the compound. After a few more lazy circles, making quite a show of spitting fire and screeching loudly, he turned on his wingtip and flew away, back toward the morning's clearing.

A rumbling chuckle bubbled up to his lips. It was the first time he had ever terrorized anyone and he found it a refreshing change from the usual monotonous boredom life had to offer. Humans really were such simpleminded creatures. How pathetic. Well, at least the humans living in that compound would never underestimate dragons again. Kurogane's expression turned bleak. Dragons were just as simpleminded fools.

He was an outcast, a reject to both societies. He sighed wearily. Was there even any point in living on like this?

He kept flying for close to twenty minutes until he spied a small clearing, different from the first. There was a crystal-clear pool with a small waterfall, churned water, and ice chunks crashing at its base. He banked to the left and landed smoothly by its snowy bank. He lowered his head to the rippling surface and sampled the water. It was cool, almost icy in his hot mouth. He surmised that the water spilled straight out of a mountain spring.

After drinking more than his fill, he cautiously entered the pool. He suppressed a shiver as the cold water foamed around his legs when he stood in the shallows. Sucking in his breath and bracing himself, he plunged into the icy depths. He was surprised to discover that the pool was deeper the further he went, deep enough for him to swim around in quite comfortably beneath the surface. He swam along for several more seconds before rising up and breaking the water's surface, gasping for breath. He shook his head free of clinging water droplets, blinking his eyes rapidly. He was clean enough, he decided, with or without the waterfall. He supposed that its pressure would be too much to bear, anyway.

He climbed out of the pool, dripping water, his wet scales making a strange, rasping noise as they overlapped each other. He shook the water away, extending his wings and flapping them to dry himself. He could feel his mind steadily clearing, as if he were only just waking from a dream. The icy water in combination with the wintry atmosphere was probably the reason. Kurogane sighed and stretched, wincing slightly at his protesting muscles straining. The cold must have seeped into him. He didn't remember ever feeling so sore before. Or did he?

He snarled in frustration, crushing the snow beneath his claws. Why couldn't he recall? Ever since he had left the Valley of the Dragons he was discovering that more and more things had been slipping his mind. He settled down upon his haunches, screwing up his face in an expression of fierce concentration. He had thought that if he avoided thinking about it, his memories would come back on their own. However, he hadn't taken his impatience into account.

When he had realized yesterday, after leaving the Valley, that he had already forgotten more than he had expected to, he had been determined to force himself to remember everything. But it had been a futile effort, extracting no results whatsoever. In that moment, Kurogane had nearly lost all hope and had desperately wanted to surrender... to die. He still didn't know what had held him back. A momentary flash of something familiar had overwhelmed his senses just as he had begun to give in to the terrible, empty ache inside of him. A familiar and warm sensation. The feeling had been so warm that it had been enough to draw him out of his mindless despair before he had completely succumbed and lost himself. He shuddered, swallowing hard. He never wanted to return to that horrible emptiness.

He tried to remember faces, events, happenings, but all he could bring forth were blurs. Raising his head and trying to force down the nauseating panic that began to rise within him, he tried to focus on his first childhood memories, memories that he was sure he would be able to recall, for they were the oldest he had. Other than a few vague faces he could not put names to, and the unmistakable surge of hot excitement flowing in his veins as he violently parried with random foes, he could not remember anything.

He stood up straighter, flexing his wings nervously, as he decided to focus upon something more recent. But again, nothing. Just as he was beginning to lose hope, a vivid memory suddenly burst forth in his awareness.

Lightning streaking across a rainy sky. Dead bodies lying at his feet. His arms covered in blood. And a face. He could remember a face. He clung to that memory, desperately trying to put a name to that tantalizingly familiar face. It was the pale face of a young man with wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes, staring at him avidly in... horror? Apprehension? Disgust? It was so hard to tell. Who was that man? Where did he know him from?

And then another memory, as vivid and as confusing as the first, flashed before his eyes. The blond man was beside him, wearing peculiar winter-like garments. To his other side was another man, but he seemed younger, with dark brown hair and keen amber eyes. An adolescent? He was cradling a sleeping girl in his arms.

Who are they?! He gritted his teeth angrily. He thought his head would explode in his attempts to remember.

Faces, he suddenly realized. He could remember faces. He screwed his eyes shut and concentrated on remembering faces. The face of a woman came to his recollections, with short black hair and piercing green eyes. Where did he know her from? A number of other faces flickered across his mind's eye, vague and undistinguishable. But another face, sharp and clear, drifted to the surface of his awareness. A girl with long black hair and soft, brown eyes, chuckling impishly. He knew her, but from where? More faces appeared and disappeared, blurry and unrecognizable. If only he could remember someone properly...

And then he gasped as he saw someone wholly for the first time.

A stunning young woman with long black tresses surrounding a pale, childlike face, her silvery laughter ringing in his ears pleasantly. An elaborate golden headdress adorned her head, its dangling crystals chiming with every graceful sway, her long burgundy dress swirling around her ankles. She was small in stature, but she radiated both power and kindness. But it was her eyes that inexorably caught his rapt attention. Beautiful amethyst depths that swirled with a hidden emotion he knew was reserved only for him, though how he could not say. It was the same warm and familiar feeling he had felt yesterday.

If only he could remember her name! It was on the tip of his tongue, but it continued to elude him. He reached out to her, as if longing to draw her into his embrace, but when he raised his scaly claw the apparition disappeared and the stark reality of his dragon self came crashing down.

"Why can't I remember?!" he cried out hoarsely, raising his eyes to the unforgiving sky. "Why?!"

———————————————

Tomoyo awoke the next morning to a stiff neck and sandy eyes. She scratched her head, blinking blearily until she had a few moments for last night's events to flood back. Ah, yes. Now she remembered. She sighed and sat up, pushing back her messy hair. Stifling a yawn, she looked around her. Fay was sleeping peacefully beside her, his expression unusually soft and vulnerable in his sleep. Mokona was curled up in a ball beside him, his little foot twitching slightly. Tomoyo frowned. If she remembered correctly, wasn't she supposed to keep second watch with Sakura? She arched an eyebrow. Where was she anyway? And where was Syaoran?

Tomoyo unsteadily got to her feet, drawing her warm cloak around her shoulders. She looked down at her white robes. A full five days on the road had succeeded in adorning them with a fine layer of grayness. Running her fingers through her hair, she tried to comb the larger tangles out. When she was somewhat satisfied with the result, she stepped around Fay to pull open the tent flap.

Coming out, her breath steaming in the unusually frosty morning, she cautiously took in her surroundings. There was the blackened pit where they had made their fire, and there was the long log they had dragged from beside the road where they had been sitting on the previous night. And sitting upon it were Syaoran and Sakura, talking quietly together. Tomoyo couldn't make out their words, but judging by their soft expressions, they were talking about something pleasant.

What a shame that Yuuko had asked for Sakura's memories of Syaoran in return for her aid. Tomoyo could tell that Syaoran was in pain whenever he was reminded of those happy, blissful childhood years they had spent together. Sakura was also in pain, more so because she could not recall who she held affection for. She apparently felt the same affection for Syaoran and was confused at the similarity of her feelings. Sometimes, Tomoyo was tempted to reveal everything, but she knew the rules and restrictions in sorcery. The price had been paid, and it would never be returned.

Tomoyo tried to be silent as she crept toward the horses tethered nearby, but she stepped on a dry twig that crackled loudly, causing her to freeze in her tracks and Syaoran and Sakura to start and turn around in surprise.

"I'm sorry," Tomoyo apologized. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"It's all right," Sakura smiled. "We were just about to wake you three up, anyhow."

"We let you sleep in, Princess," Syaoran added.

"I noticed that," Tomoyo said dryly, flexing a sore arm as she settled down beside them. "Who did the extra shift?"

"We split it with Moko-chan and Fay-san," Sakura admitted. "They did the first shift while Syaoran and I did the second."

Tomoyo's face fell. "I'm sorry for being such a burden."

"There's no need to apologize, Tomoyo-hime," she said quickly. "Last night was... understandable."

"Could you two please not call me 'hime' or 'princess'?" she asked petulantly. She poked at a twig at her feet. Bending, she picked it up and began to break it into little pieces. "I get enough from everyone at Shirasagi."

"Can I call you Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura said eagerly.

"Of course you can!" Tomoyo said happily. "I'd like to call you Sakura-chan, too!"

"That's fine with me!" Sakura seemed genuinely pleased.

"I'll settle on Tomoyo-san," Syaoran said, looking up at her with a smile.

"Certainly!" Tomoyo tossed the twig bits into the black pit. "Kurogane needed cozening to feel comfortable about dispensing titles." She smiled a small smile. "He thought I was teasing him when I told him I'd gotten tired of him always being formal with me. And I don't blame him," she added with a small chuckle. "I tease him a lot. When he realized that I was serious, he was actually quite relieved. You know how he gets when he loses his temper. People mistake his shouting spells as signs of disrespect when he's only trying to blow off a little steam."

"You two must know each other very well," Sakura said. "Kurogane-san would sometimes tell us about you, too."

"Really?" she said in interest. "And what would he say?"

"Not much," Syaoran shrugged. "He'd take on a melancholy look or he'd just mention you from time to time whenever something reminded him of you. Like in Piffle." He grinned. "Sakura was determined to participate in the Dragonfly Race despite his warnings, and he started grumbling under his breath." Syaoran cleared his throat, assuming Kurogane's gruff tone. "She's just as stubborn as that princess."

"I'm not stubborn!" Sakura laughed, pinching Syaoran's upper arm.

"I didn't say you were!" He winced slightly, rubbing the place she had pinched him. "Kurogane-san did."

Tomoyo laughed gaily. "Well, I suppose I do appear stubborn in his eyes."

"Don't we all?"

Fay came out of the tent, yawning hugely and ruffling his hair as he stretched his arms. "Couldn't help but overhear," he grinned. "Kuro-tan has this tendency to call everyone stubborn when they don't agree with him."

"That's a sad truth," Tomoyo noted, trying to suppress a grin.

"So, I take it you're okay now?" Fay sat down beside her, arching an eyebrow curiously.

Tomoyo's grin faded and she half-shrugged. "As okay as I'll ever be."

"Then I'll make breakfast," he offered, getting to his feet again and going to the horses, Mokona skipping along behind him.

"Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura said tentatively after a few moments of silence.

"Yes, Sakura-chan?"

She hesitated at first. "We only have two days left," she finally murmured quietly.

Tomoyo tried not to flinch. "I know," she admitted heavily.

"But Kurogane-san left the valley and we don't know where he's gone now."

Tomoyo looked up at her. Surely she wasn't suggesting...?

Her expression was set. "I think I should try sensing him again."

"Oh, no, I couldn't possibly ask you take such a risk again!" Tomoyo gasped. "You nearly lost yourself with him."

"But you could've been lost, too, Tomoyo-san," Syaoran said softly. "By entering Sakura's mind, you also entered Kurogane-san's mind. It was your intervention that saved them both from going mad." He gripped her shoulder tightly, his amber eyes excited. "Which means that we still have a chance to save him! All we have to do is find out where he is before it's too late!"

"Let me try again, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura begged. "I promise I'll withdraw the moment I sense something's wrong."

Tomoyo looked from Sakura to Syaoran. "There's no changing your minds, is there?" she said helplessly.

"No chance," Syaoran confirmed with an awkward grin.

She sighed. "Be careful, Sakura-chan," she cautioned.

Sakura nodded. "I will." She took in a deep breath and half-closed her eyes.

The wind began to rustle around them, kicking up swirls of snow. Sakura's expression was glazed and her eyes were oddly blank. "He's flying," she reported. She suddenly frowned. "Strange..." she murmured.

"What's strange?" Syaoran echoed, but fell silent when Tomoyo shushed him.

"Has she found him?" Fay asked, coming up to them from behind.

"Not yet."

Sakura suddenly blinked and shook her head slightly, as if coming out of a daze. "How peculiar," she muttered, looking up at them. "Kurogane-san seems to be resenting both humankind and dragonkind."

The three of them exchanged surprised looks.

"It must be because the dragons were so distrustful, blaming him for everything when he was trying to help them," Syaoran said slowly, frowning in thought. "But why would he be resenting humans?"

"Maybe the dragons influenced him with their way of thinking?" Fay suggested.

"But he was a human himself. Surely he can determine for himself how humans are like."

Tomoyo's brow creased. "I don't know what to make of that," she admitted.

Sakura had her fingertips to her forehead. "Give me the map," she said, holding out a hand. "Hurry! Before the image fades."

Syaoran stuffed his hand in his pocket, hastening to obey. He quickly unfolded it as he handed it over.

"Here," she said, pointing at a small, bare patch of green and blue in the middle of the forest. "He just landed there a few moments ago."

"I'd forgotten that he could fly," Fay chuckled wryly.

"That's not too far from here!" Syaoran exclaimed in relief, circling it with a charcoal piece. "If he doesn't budge we'll catch up with him before noon!"

"Really?" Fay said excitedly. "We're only a few hours away?"

"It's absurdly close to where we are now!"

Sakura shrieked with delight and hugged Mokona tightly. "That's wonderful news!"

"Well, what're we waiting for?" Fay demanded joyously. "If we're lucky, we'll be eating dinner with him tonight!" He made to head for the tent, but was interrupted by a low growl. He grinned sheepishly. "Of course, before we eat dinner with him we're going to have to do something about breakfast," he said, unnecessarily pointing to his stomach.

They all burst out laughing.

———————————————

"Why, why, why can't I remember?!"

The question remained unanswered, echoing in Kurogane's mind repeatedly. He could not remember anything that made any sense. All he could remember were numerous faces, disconnected scenes, and emotions. A number of conflicting emotions. Rage was mixed with tranquility, anger was crossed with happiness, lust was confused with love. He felt as if his mind were splitting in two with all of the distorted images.

And again, the question that he could not answer continued to sound from his lips, reverberating continuously in the clearing. "Why—?!"

Kurogane screamed, clapping his claws over his ears, as if to shut out all sounds. "Get out of my head!" he exclaimed, tearing at his flesh with his talons. His voice rose to a shriek as he twisted, trying to flee from the images flashing over and over again in his mind. "Go away!" he gasped weakly. "Go away!" He did not want to remember, not if it meant that he would have to go through such torment and agony.

Escape... he needed to escape. Flee... he needed to flee from the incomprehensible images. Images of faces and places he knew, but did not know at the same time. And all the time that girl kept appearing, her violet eyes haunting him in his inability to recall her name.

"Who are you?!"

And then the hole returned. The horrible, hollow emptiness that wanted to devour him, body and soul. It was agony, agony in all the sense of the word. He felt as if he would bleed to death from the unbearable sensation. If only to relinquish himself from the tearing, burning pain gnawing at his insides, he would surrender. He would surrender and let it all end. No more suffering, no more pain, no more agony, no more thinking, and no more memories. He did not want to feel anymore. He had to escape. He had to flee down the hole.

And then he was falling, falling with no way to return, into the vast, hollow spiral, into the horrible emptiness.

And he knew no more.

———————————————

Tomoyo suddenly clapped her hands over her ears and screamed, falling to her knees.

"Tomoyo-chan!" Fay dropped the water-skin he had been holding and dashed to her side.

"Oh, no!" Sakura gasped, her hand flying to her chest as she sagged to the ground. "It can't be!"

"Sakura!" Syaoran quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and helped her up. "What's happened?"

"Is it Kurogane?" Mokona squeaked anxiously from its perch on Syaoran's shoulder.

"He's gone..." Sakura covered her mouth with her hand. Tears began to pour down her cheeks. "He couldn't stand the pain..."

"Gone?" Syaoran repeated, blinking dazedly. "What do you mean gone?" His eyes suddenly widened in realization. "Is he dead?!" he demanded in horror.

Sakura shook her head. "No..." she spluttered, drawing a shaky breath. "He... he lost his mind..." Her lower lip quivered. "Oh, Syaoran!" She clung to him, burying her face in his shirt, sobbing.

Kurogane lost his mind? Syaoran tried to digest the news as he held her close. How could this happen? And so suddenly? No, he suddenly realized darkly. It had begun last night. His head swiveled around to Fay, seeking a confirmation.

He saw Fay say something to Tomoyo, causing her to look up at him sharply. He said something else, but she furiously shook her head, pushing him away.

"I'm not going to abandon him!" she flared, getting to her feet. "I won't!"

"Tomoyo-chan, be reasonable!" Fay snapped. "You can't possibly be thinking of facing him on your own! Especially now that he's out of his mind!"

"I can't just leave him!" she wailed in despair. "He needs to be brought out of his madness!"

"No one can do that, Tomoyo-chan, no one!"

"No! I'm going after him! I know he'd do the same for me!"

She turned on her heel, but Fay reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly, pulling her around to face him.

"Believe me, I know what I'm talking about," he said in a low voice that carried to where Syaoran and the others were. "I've seen people go mad before. No matter what you do, he's not going to snap out of it. Can't you see, Tomoyo-chan?" He searched her eyes desperately. "There's no way to bring him back!"

The line of her mouth was drawn. "Let me go," she said coldly.

"I can't do that, Tomoyo-chan."

"I said let go of me!"

With a furious jerk she managed to escape from his hold. But before he could make a move to grab her again, she had hitched up her skirts and had fled into the trees, her long cloak flying behind her.

"Tomoyo-chan, come back!" Fay cried. "It's suicide!" He took a few steps, then stopped, realizing that it was futile to go after her. Gritting his teeth, he kicked at the snow angrily. "She's going to get herself killed!"

"Are we just going to stand here and do nothing?!" Syaoran demanded vehemently. "We have to go after her!"

"It's too dangerous if she goes alone!" Mokona agreed with a squeak.

"But this is something she has to do alone," Sakura said quietly, causing them all to turn and gape at her incredulously. "Can't you understand how she feels? She can't just give up. She has to try." She gripped Syaoran's hand and got to her feet, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I believe in her!"

Fay exhaled. "The odds are against her, Sakura-chan. How can she possibly bring him out of his madness? Not even specialized doctors can bring madmen back to sanity."

"She loves him," she replied simply. "She'll save him."

"Are you sure, Sakura?" Syaoran asked her carefully. "Kurogane-san probably won't even recognize her."

"She'll save him," she repeated strongly. "I know she will."

Fay ran a hand through his hair, sighing heavily. "All right," he said. "We'll wait for three days. If she's not back by then, we leave. Agreed?"

Sakura momentarily stiffened, as if she were going to reprimand him for saying such a thing, but she held herself back. She knew Fay wasn't being cold out of spite or arrogance, but only so he could mask his frustration at being unable to help and his anxiety for Tomoyo's welfare. Syaoran had also been shocked at Fay's words, but he nodded, bowing his head in understanding.

Sakura swallowed hard, looking up at the cold, gray sky. She had nothing else left to do but hope that Tomoyo would make it and bring Kurogane back, safe and sound. She could still sense the emptiness that had replaced Kurogane's emotions. She shuddered, clasping her hands together.

She could only continue to hope with all her heart.

———————————————

"It's suicide!"

Tomoyo steeled herself determinedly, ignoring Fay's echoing voice ringing in her ears. So what if it was suicide? She had made a promise to herself and she would keep it. She raised her arms to push offending limbs and tree branches out of her way. She would either save Kurogane or die in the attempt. She knew she would die of grief without him, anyway. Satisfied that she had resolved some of her conflicting emotions, she forced her way on.

She could sense him now perfectly well on her own. The hollow sensation was quite acute and guided her through the dense forest. She only hoped that the emptiness in his mind would not strengthen. She suddenly realized that she did not even have the slightest idea how she was going to save him. She was walking into this blindly, but save him she would.

Hours later her legs felt as if they were on fire, heavily contrasting with the rest of her freezing body. She was sagging and stumbling with exhaustion, but she determinedly plodded on. She could feel him now, closer than ever. She froze as a resonating rumble suddenly sounded in the distance. That had to be Kurogane! She began to run toward the sound, her heart thumping in her chest. A sliver of light through the trees led her on, and she parted the leaves, pushing through into the clearing.

Her eyes widened as she stopped in her tracks.

A black dragon was screaming his defiance, an enormous gout of flame bursting forth from his gaping muzzle to envelop a large tree before him. Orange and red flames licked at the tree's trunk, its bark hissing as the clinging vapor rose as mist into the wintry atmosphere. The heat of the dragon's breath was so intense that the tree had soon burnt to a crisp, its gray ciders a blemish upon the white snow.

Tomoyo's mind reeled and she involuntarily let a gasp escape from her lips as she clutched at a tree trunk behind her for support. There was no doubt left in her wildly beating heart any longer. She raised a trembling hand to her chest, drawing a shaky, uneven breath. She had found him.

"Kurogane..."

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To Be Continued

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A/N: Cliffhanger! The only thing I have to say is that the inspiration for Sakura's stargazing memory came from the splash for Chapitre 14, when she and Syaoran are watching the stars fall. And the following below, of course. XD

If you notice any mistakes or things that don't make sense, point them out, please. Sometimes, though, they'll be intentional, like the problem dragons had with mating which would eventually result in their extinction.

Kurogane could still remember his friends in the beginning of this chapter because they were important to him, as was Tomoyo. But when he left dragonkind, he began to forget more easily because he was alone and not around anyone he knew who could keep him from forgetting who he was. I hope you can understand what I'm trying to convey here. It's the reason Kurogane lost his mind. (Yes, I know I'm evil!)

Tell me if you like it or tell me if you hate it. Please review!