A/N: Hello again ! I'm so happy to read the reviews that I've gotten so far… there's only four, but I'd say that's pretty good for the first day! I'm trying my hardest to respond with at least something to every review I get. I'm glad you guys like it, and I hope that you like this chapter as well. Oh, another thing. There are supposed to be a few scene changes but for some reason, fanfiction isn't including them. I'm sure you can tell where they're supposed to be, but I apologize for the inconvenience.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Tsubasa, sadly enough. But we could pretend, if you wanted.

Chapter Two: A New Routine

The morning wasn't something that Kurogane looked forward to. In fact, it wasn't even something that he remotely liked. No, one could say that he hated the morning, and he had reason.

He hated the morning because, just like today, he would rise early and be in the living area before the rest. Why was that such a bad thing? Because this meant that he would be awake when the former mage came out of the room…. The room that he shared with the Princess.

Normally, it wouldn't have bothered the ninja quite as much as it was now. It wasn't simply the fact that Fai was sharing a room with her, but more that he was trying as hard as possible to avoid Kurogane. It was odd…. Different. Before they had always been left alone together, it was almost inevitable. But now, Fai attempted to attach himself to the princess every time he could, and it was next to impossible to even speak to him.

Then, there was the hallway. That stupid, narrow hallway leading to the bedrooms where they were bound to cross paths at least once a day, no matter how hard the vampire tried to avoid it. He hated that hallway. He always tried to get a glance, some sort of look from the blonde. Something. But no, he couldn't even be granted that much. Something was truly wrong here.

As usual, Kurogane was standing near the window, leaning against the wall next to it and staring, waiting for someone else to awaken. When they were all up and ready to go, they would venture out to find the feather and who knew what else?

He heard the familiar sound of the door sliding once again. This time it was quieter, as whoever was coming out into the room didn't want to disturb anyone who may have still been sleeping. It slid shut, with a small click. Footsteps, getting closer and closer, but he wasn't going to turn and see who it was. He had a hunch, and if he turned to confirm it, he may have to face reality. That was one thing he didn't want to do right now.

"Are we ready?" The voice was that of the kid. It was odd, how everything seemed the same and yet so completely different. Who was he kidding? Everything was different.

The others made assorted noises, getting to their feet to let Syaoran know that they were up for the day's task, Kurogane included. He stood, making sure his sword was still in place, and sent a glance in the blonde's direction. He was greeted with the sight of Fai elegantly holding out his hand to help the Princess stand, and he quickly averted his gaze. Why was that making him so angry?

He tried to tell himself he just hadn't had a lot of sleep the night before, and followed the rest of the group as they left. Mokona had gotten a lead on the feather… now all they had to do was retrieve it, and stay alive in the process.

"Princess!" The kid's voice came from somewhere to his left, but he couldn't be completely sure of where the others were. They were deep in the midst of a battle, and the area around them was thick with smoke and dust.

The ninja could barely make out the outline of the thing they were fighting… none of them were even completely sure of what it was. In a way, it resembled some of the Oni he and the other Syaoran had encountered in Oto, but then again, it was completely different.

It seemed more like a giant shadow then anything else, no real features to distinguish characteristics. All that Kurogane knew currently was that it was very hard to get in a good hit on the thing, but the thing itself was very dangerous. The bleeding gash on his shoulder was reminding him of that.

He moved in for another strike, hoping to somehow gain the upper hand, even though he knew that would be close to impossible with the given situation. One attack couldn't turn an entire fight around, but it wasn't about to stop him from trying.

"Senryu-Hikogeki!" He brought the sword up before thrusting it back down, watching the attack as it made it's way to his opponent. Good, it hadn't been expecting that. The thing was in a combat with Syaoran, this was his chance. All that he had to do was make sure that he didn't harm the kid in the process, but where was the vampire during all of this…?

That one moment that took away from his concentration nearly cost him an arm, as the thing swiped impatiently at him. Luckily, the ninja was able to avoid the assault and jumped up into the air, raising his sword once more. If all went well, this would be the final blow.

"Tenma-Ku-Ryu-Sen!"

He tried to study the effects of his attack, but it had stirred even more dust, meaning that he would have to wait until it cleared before he could see what had happened. This would be dangerous, considering the thing to still be living.

When it finally cleared enough for him to see, he noted that the thing… was gone. He didn't know if he had defeated it, if someone else had chipped in, or if it had simply disappeared. All he knew was it was gone, and it left behind no trace of it's whereabouts. He coughed only slightly, his eyes scanning the battlefield. He was just starting to wonder, when…

"Fai-san!" The princess's cry snapped him out of his thoughts and back to reality, where he finally located them and saw what didn't appear to be a pretty sight. From his location, all he could see was the Vampire on the ground, with the kid and Sakura right there, huddled around so that he couldn't tell much of what the situation was in detail.

He hurried over, wanting to know what was happening. As predicted, the sight wasn't a pretty one. His eyes were met with blood. It was soaking through the Vampire's shirt at a quicker rate than it should've been, and his mind wasn't functioning as quickly as it should have been. Fai was injured, Fai was hurt….. The rate that the blood was pumping….. If they didn't do something soon, they would lose him.

That much was obvious.

Don't you guys just love cliffhangers? Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get an update soon. After all, this one is, what, the day after? XD I'm bored and it's Christmas break…. Anyway, please review and give me your thoughts!