Shards II

Disclaimer: Tsubasa Chronicle belongs to CLAMP, while Neverwinter Nights 2 belongs to Obsidian Entertainment and I make no money from this work of fanfiction at all.

Pairings: Hints of Syaoran/Sakura, Fai/Kurogane and eventual odd pairing.

Summary: Sakura continues her journey to Neverwinter, finding new companions and gaining new strengths. Yet there are trials that even she cannot overcome.

It was a familiar dream.

Sakura walked, and for some reason she knew that it was something about her contrary nature that caused the sound of footfalls to echo in this strangely silent place. Of course they had to be there. It was natural for footfalls to be made by feet, and as a Harborman, she wasn't going to deny when something was natural. So she made the only whisper of sound, because it was right and proper to do so.

It was empty of people, and as dry as West Harbor was wet. Sand, something she was only familiar with from muddy banks where it clung to shoes and people and was never dry, stretched outside the windows of this place. The walls were decorated in pale stone and rich fabrics, in an alien style. Everything was in curves and sweeps and odd shapes, beautiful even as it was strange.

Sakura was always herself, unlike other dreams where she was sometimes a character from a tale or even her foster father in all his elven strangeness. She stood out from the flowing curves in her usual earthy garments of leather and homespun. Feathers were braided in her short hair: gifts from her favorite air spirits. Her leather moccasins continued to slap the polished floor.

It occurred to her that she had not walked on a floor this smooth in her entire life.

Yet every time she rounded this corner-

She saw herself. Maybe it was a strange reflection. The girl there had her face, her hair a bit shorter and her face so much more innocent. Her hands, unlike Sakura's, were smooth and delicate. She had never handled a bow or any other weapon in her life. White fabric (which would be murderously hard to keep clean, especially in a swamp) draped over her body. This girl was a noble, someone with wealth…

She looked just as surprised, and almost appalled, by the sight. More so than…

Sakura looked down at her chest. The scar between her breasts was obvious, wide and ugly. And somehow, she knew that the other girl did not have it.

And then she woke up.

When Sakura got up the next morning, she wasn't surprised that Kurogane had already left. Given the looks he was getting, it was probably the safest thing for all parties. Tieflings where almost never welcomed by honest folk and Kurogane was certainly not the friendliest man. Besides, for all she knew, he was headed south. She was aiming for the opposite direction. It wasn't like they had even become friends.

It didn't stop her from being lonely.

Having someone to fight with again had been comforting. Fuuma couldn't come with her, and she hadn't been able to blame him. Not after Hokuto had… So many Harbormen had been lost; far too many.

It was disconcerting when the memory only brought a lump to her throat and not the old flood of tears. Perhaps that was good. At least she could watch the path clearly now with only a few sniffles as she went on her way. According to what she had been told her next stop on the way to the city of Neverwinter was the outpost of Fort Locke.

Over the course of the day she watched the land change as she walked, becoming firmer and the entire area more cultivated, less wild and well… There were less swamp beetles. The dangers were different, certainly.

Like those wolves.

She had seen their marks, the huge prints in dried mud, and heard their baying on the wind. There were many of them. A small girl by herself was easy prey. Of course, that girl had not been trained by Daeghun Farlong, the best ranger of the Mere.

While Sakura had ultimately chosen the path of the Shaman, being raised by a ranger and having lived in the Mere meant that she was more than capable in the wilds. Knowing to stay downwind and being aware of the forest around her- as well as having a very observant Spirit Guide- meant that she had little to fear. It also meant she could take the time to enjoy the strangeness of actual dry land.

Kind of like that dream…

Her thoughts went back to it, letting her muse over the strangeness. It had been with her for years, and it was like watching someone else grow up, every time she saw the other girl. Her other self. Sometimes she fancied it was her Spirit Guide. It was a 'little Sakura,' after all, which existed solely within her.

This was one of the hilliest places she had ever been through, with a winding trail and various cul-de-sacs within them. It made sense that the wolves would have their lair back there. It was well protected. Yet she had to wonder what exactly they preyed on. Wolves, if she recalled her foster father's teaching, preferred large herd beasts.

Herd animals, deer or boar, did not leave behind scraps of blood stained cloth, like the white tatters lying on the road.

It stopped her cold. There was a blood trail- quite an obvious one- that led off the path and into broken brush. Something larger than the average animal, and given the clumsy way it had run through, probably a lost humanoid. Her mind ran through the scenario, and she dismissed it being anything other than beasts. If it had been bandits, they wouldn't have left signs on the road.

It wasn't a lot of blood. Not enough to be life threatening to a humanoid… still enough to lead the rest of the pack of her, or him. Sakura's eyes narrowed, quickly stringing her bow and setting off into thick bushes. If these wolves were man-eaters, two people had a better chance than just one.

She had a light gait, and had no trouble avoiding making excess noise while heading through the underbrush. This person's trail was easy to read, leaving bits of cloth and blood in his wake. The leaves were disturbed, and there were wolf tracks following the same path. A good twenty yards off the trail and into the forest, she heard yips and excited growls, and could see the shape of at least one wolf lying dead among its fellows. Their prey was not going down easily- and was taking shots with a crossbow.

She could hear the baying of the pack in the background as more wolves came, and she made out the distinct call of a dire wolf answering. Not much time then…

An ally of her own was necessary; plotting out her spells she summoned a wolf of her own as a distraction, before causing the others to fall asleep.

"Hey! You in the tree! Are you all right?"

A masculine voice, hoarse with pain, called back. "I believe I've been better. Do you happen to have a potion on you?"

"Yes," Sakura replied without hesitation. Her ally was already delivering the coup de grace to the fallen wolves, and she grimaced. It wasn't a kind thing, but if these creatures had gotten a taste for human flesh it was only a matter of time before they started dragging off children. It made her wish for the ability to speak with these creatures. Yet… yet this wasn't normal behavior…

The man was high up enough to avoid getting bitten, but Sakura could see the wounds on his leg and arm- wounds that were keeping him from aiming well with his crossbow and maybe casting spells. Sakura picked her way to the foot of the tree while the man started sliding down in a flutter of leaves and shredded cloth.

He was dressed in puffy white shirt under a blue leather vest that gave him some protection, but it was a least half torn from the shoulder down on his right arm. His leg was savaged on the same side. Sakura blinked when he came into the light.

Despite the fact that pain lined his face… this had to have been one of the most beautiful men she had ever seen before. White gold hair framed his face set with large, startling blue eyes. Despite his loveliness, still, quite masculine… Sakura blinked at him repeatedly as he looked up to meet her eyes.

"I believe that potion would be much appreciated..?"

Flushing, Sakura reached into her pack, not only to hand him a potion (bought with her meager funds after the bladeling attack at the inn) but to also pull out her healing kit. The wounds needed to be cleaned if nothing else. If there were bits that needed removing, the potion wouldn't be of much use. She knelt with a clean needle and some salve beside him.

To the man's credit, he held utterly still while she worked before quaffing the potion.

"Ah, that's better," he murmured, downing fluid from the small bottle. Immediately the wounds on his leg started to heal. He stood straight, and Sakura sat back on her haunches, looking up at him again. He was quite pretty…

"My name is Fai," he said with aplomb, sweeping an elegant bow despite his tattered shirt. "Teller of tales and caster of arcane magics, and it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance. Might I know the name of my rescuer?"

"I'm Sakura Kino." There was something odd about this man, in the same way that Kurogane was odd. Yet there was obviously no sign of the Hells or the Abyss on him… But his ears were pointed. Not a half elf, though-

She instinctively looked to her Guide, who took him in and whispered an answer in her ear.

"A Spirit Shaman," Fai announced, having just performed his own inspection of her jerkin and equipment. "And a Harborman at that." His eyes opened to glance at her cloak. "I see why you had little trouble- considering how tough they train you lot to be. And Harvest Fair champion? That means you must be tougher than the norm."

Sakura found herself blinking again. "You're an aasimir."

"Indeed," he answered, and laughed. "A scion of the upper planes. And a humble bard, at that."

Sakura wondered if there was something about her that was drawing people who were plane-touched to her. It was rare to meet anyone who had the blood of the other worlds, or planes, in them, but she had met two in as many days. Not to mention the bladelings. The aasimir were the opposites of tieflings; they were the descendents of angels. That would at least explain his beauty.

"How is your leg?" she finally asked. Her Spirit Guide urged them to be leaving. The two of them weren't going to be enough for the rest of the pack. Sticking to the road would be better than staying out here where they could get pinned and trapped. At least there they could see pursuit coming.

"Much better. And I would not be averse to traveling together for a ways. I think that it would be to our mutual benefit."

Sakura tilted her head before nodding. Safer for them both, certainly, and his music and knowledge would most certainly be useful. She had little idea of the world outside the Mere…

"I agree." She felt a sly smile cross her face. "A city bred man like yourself could use the looking after out here."

Fai laughed, and the newly healed skin of his arm showed through his ripped shirt as he tapped his chest with his fingers. "Touché," he replied. "Having someone who knows woodcraft would be a boon. And if she happens to be beautiful, well, then, all the better."

The casual compliment made Sakura's face redden again as she sputtered, but she gave him a hand to help him stand up. There wasn't much time before they would need to be getting out of there anyways…

With any luck they would be to the Fort before nightfall, and they could sleep inside walls. She let Fai lead while covering their rear, listening with her Guide's help for danger. It bothered her- what was so wrong with those wolves that they were attacking humanoids now? Like the Lizard folk, they were usually peaceful if left to themselves, and hunting this season had not been that bad…

With a little luck they avoided more wolves, but there were other things in the forest to worry about.

As they rounded a bend Fai stopped, quickly grabbing Sakura and pulling her off the road.

"It looks like the rumors I heard were right." He crouched, and gestured for her to look. A ring of four men in gray cloaked uniforms and chain shirts were standing around a tall figure in black. It took her a moment to recognize them as Neverwinter soldiers… and that it was Kurogane they had surrounded.

Her jaw dropped. She hadn't realized it was him at first- his armor and weapons were on the ground and he was dressed in a shirt and trousers, without the heavy enveloping cloak and helmet to hide his more obvious features. They were waving their blades at him, and she could make out their rather crude taunts about his bloodline. He took them stoically, dodging their blades but otherwise not making a move.

Considering that he was nearly naked she could understand his caution, but why was he just..?

"Apparently, a new commander has taken over the Fort," Fai whispered, his breath warm on her ear. "And they have been attacking travelers and claiming that they're bandits." He sighed softly. "And someone with demon blood… well, I can see why they're so eager to get him. No one will protest."

Sakura turned to him, her eyes growing wide while she shook her head. "No, he's not evil, and no one deserves to be attacked for no reason! He's helpless- I've got to do something-"

Fai's eyebrows went up, before chuckling softly. "Hmm. So the tales about you Harbormen are true, are they? Well… if you truly want a pet demon, let's see if we can get him for you."

With a chuckle, Fai stood up and left cover, holstering his crossbow and broke into a quick trot.

"You!"

The soldiers, and Kurogane, turned to him to him as he huffed and puffed, suddenly seeming two feet taller than he was and full of righteous indignation. "How dare you, you bastard?" he roared, ignoring the guards to stride up to Kurogane with his hands waving.

"What is this?" one of the soldiers asked, but Fai just brushed by him to land a solid slap across Kurogane's face.

"What is the matter with you?" Fai proclaimed, drama dripping convincingly from his voice as he played up his role. "You just left her, you monster!"

"You know him?" the apparently leader of the soldiers asked, still surprised by Fai's performance.

"Know him?" Fai responded, whirling to poke a finger in the man's face. "This fiend left my sister at the altar! What she saw in him, I'll never know," he began waxing poetically, wringing out every ounce of emotion that he could from his lovely voice. "But she is such a kind soul. We told her not to marry him, that he was just after her dowry, or maybe her maidenhood, but the very day they were to be wed he ran! This treacherous monster wooed her with kind words- you know how girls are, always loving the tall dark, dangerous ones- and she was left heartbroken! Our mother was in tears and my poor, poor sister…"

Sakura wanted to choke, watching Fai rant and rave, but the expression on Kurogane's face was hilarious. Total disbelief at this madman who had come out of nowhere to presume something so ridiculous-

"How dare you leave Sakura!"

The sound of her name goaded her into preparing, readying several spells in order to attack. Meanwhile Fai's gesturing got wilder, and wilder, while the soldiers started to laugh at the spectacle. He even grabbed his crossbow, still waving about like a madman to threaten the flabbergasted Kurogane.

"I'm of half a mind, you baatezu half wit, to tell you to duck right now."

Kurogane must have suspected something was up, because he did so, letting Fai loose on the soldier behind him- and Kurogane dived to the right, trying to get to his falchion.

If she had ever wanted a signal, that was it. Sakura called vines to trip them, and then used sleep- normally effective, but these soldiers were made of sturdier stuff than the gray dwarves. Only one fell, insensate to the world, and it revealed her location.

She didn't have time to call sleep again. Fai's shot had clipped the soldier but didn't do massive damage, and the soldier was swinging his long sword towards Kurogane's unprotected back. Her bow string sang, catching the man in the shoulder. It sang again, and she caught him in the throat.

By this time Kurogane had gotten his weapon, and Fai had danced out of range. Both men acted, Fai casting a spell while Kurogane cut upwards, disemboweling his opponent, and then Fai's, which he had paralyzed. It was over in a manner of moments.

Silence descended, and Sakura swallowed hard as she lowered her bow.

It was the first time she had ever killed another human. Not the first time she had killed, no, she had been taught to hunt from an early age. Not the first time she had fought and killed beasts and attackers.

But to see another human lying there with one of her arrows through his neck…

She could feel their eyes on her as she sprinted to the nearest bushes, falling to her knees to heave what was left of her last meal. Her fingers clawed the ground at the unexpected self-loathing that followed, the questioning… and the knowledge that, even if there had been another way, it was too late now. What was done was done. Those men had been harassing travelers for money. They would have had to deal with her or someone else…

"Oi," someone called. Sakura grabbed her water bottle to rinse out her mouth, pride reasserting itself. It just wouldn't do to be weak, not now. Not when she still had her task ahead of her.

"Your first time?" another voice broke in, and a hand lightly fell on her back. Fai's voice was calming, even as it questioned.

"You had no trouble with the raiders," Kurogane replied, talking to her and to Fai at the same time. The sound of his tail thrashing against the grass got her attention and she shakily got to her feet.

"Ah- I've never had to fight humans before…"

Kurogane looked over at her, then back at Fai, who smiled sheepishly at the bright red handprint across the tiefling's cheek.

"Never had to kill them, you mean," Kurogane said, before turning back to the bodies and starting to gather up his equipment.

Sakura nodded, watching him grab his suit of scale armor. It jingled faintly as he started to don it. It was strange that he had been caught without his gear, but she really didn't know if she should mention it just yet. There was still blood on his falchion.

It also reminded her…

"You called him a baatezu?" she asked Fai as she wiped her mouth clean.

"Oh yes. You can tell from the smell- those who are descended of fiends who favor law over chaos," Fai said, and chuckled.

"And you are an aasimir," Kurogane replied, lifting an eyebrow. Said eyebrow twitched before he half lifted one hand, and quickly placed it back on his armor.

Fai started to cackle.

Sakura realized she had to be missing something. Still, it could wait.

"Are you heading for the Fort?" she asked carefully, as he continued to grab his pack. The tiefling, despite obviously being a warrior, didn't look like he had been fairing well on the road.

He grunted.

"Are you heading in the direction of Neverwinter?" she asked, and turned to include Fai in the question. The bard smiled and nodded, while Kurogane just grunted again.

"I know there is a boat that I can take from the town of Highcliff, it will get us there faster… if you would like to travel with me? At least until we reach the city?" She did not best to not sound too hopeful… but she was tired of traveling alone. "I can also promise you will eat better with me here. I know the woods well."

Kurogane's tail lashed, before going still as he finished buckling his armor. At the moment, he didn't look so devilish as disgruntled, as he replaced his helm and cloak, covering up his true nature.

"Until Neverwinter, then," he said finally, not looking at Sakura as he started to clean his falchion. "And after that, we go our separate ways."

It was the most she could hope for, and Fai continued to smile. "I have nothing better to be doing right now, and I can see a tale in the making." He clucked his tongue, before reaching into his own pack to pull out a mandolin. "I feel inspiration! The adventures of Fai Fluorite and his two companions!"

Sakura's eyes fluttered in surprise, closing her jaw with a click. Oh, well… At least she wasn't alone anymore…

Together, the three walked up one of the many hills to the walls of Fort Locke.

To be continued.

A/N: Notes on Fai- level three aasimir bard.