Wow, I think that this is my quickest update ever. To make up for the shortness of last chapter, I present to you a longer one. A rather unusual job, I know but Kurogane and Fai are multi-talented people!

XX

Taxi driver

XX

Kurogane leant against the bright yellow car, arms neatly folded over his chest, his eyes closed and his face caught in a perpetual frown. This world was full of noise and disgusting smells that aggravated him to no end.

Currently, he was surrounded by several identical yellow cars parked in one long line by the curb. A loud honk from the car in front caused him to open his eyes, giving the man in front of him an irritated glare.

"Hey, check this out, Kuro-sama," Fai yelled above the atrocious noises the horn made. "We never had anything like this is Celes!" he laughed.

The mage loved it. Of course, he seemed to love just about every world they came to. The noise and bustle of a thriving civilisation suited him just fine and the mage devoured new ideas and inventions with the enthusiasm of a child. Kurogane could not stand it. He did not even like this job. He had only agreed upon this because learning to drive would be useful practice and this world did not require one to hold a licence.

"You'll scare all your customers away like that," he grumbled as Fai continued to slam the butt of his palm into the horn.

The mage stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut with his hips. Kurogane felt himself turn away sharply at the sound of the door clicking shut. He acknowledged the fact that Fai had curves no man should rightly have, the problem was that Fai knew it too and the blond seemed to go out of his way to make sure that Kurogane did not forget.

Fai walked over to Kurogane's car, patting the large sign on the roof that said 'taxi' in the country's language. "As least I'm friendly. I bet that I'll make more money than you."

Kurogane turned to the grinning mage. "Oh, and what do you want to bet against?" he asked. If he was not so bored he would have ignored the man but he was never one to back down from a challenge and the car fumes had gotten to his head.

Fai pondered for a moment. "If I can make more money than you, you have to treat me to a banana chocolate sundae every day!"

Kurogane made a vague, disgusted sound in his throat. Trust the mage to want something sweet and sugary. Something sweet and sugary and expensive.

"Fine," he grunted, "but if I make more money, you have to be my slave for a week."

Fai smiled. The race was on.

XX

Kurogane's frown was beginning to make a permanent indention on his face. Fai had long since driven off, leaving with some official-looking suit whilst he remained stranded in the depot. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. If only the princess were old enough to gamble. The under twenty-one age restriction was ridiculous!

He sat in the driver's seat, resting his head in his hands. His eyes traced the figure of a portly man walking in front of his taxi. The man turned and walked alongside the car. Kurogane sat up.

The man stopped, hesitating before the passenger door.

With an irritated grunt, the ninja leaned over and rolled down the windows. "Hey, where to?"

The man jumped. His eyes shifted everywhere. He had large eyes. Large, dark eyes that seemed constantly glazed over. He hesitated again then opened the back door and slid in. "The docks please," he said, disregarding the 'Please wear your seatbelt' sign.

"Sure," he grunted and applied the gas.

The taxi began gliding down the motorway, running smoothly along a grey road with little traffic to speak of. In the rear view mirror, he glanced towards the man, his passenger, shifting on his seat. He was a short man, slightly portly but not quite fat. He had a fine mop of dark hair and wore a suit, which seemed to bother him as he was constantly tugging at it, loosening his tie and fiddling with the buttons of his shirt.

"Are you hot?" Kurogane glanced over his shoulder.

"No, just nervous," the man smiled weakly. He had an odd way of speaking, as if he was constantly out of breath. He tapped a metal suitcase. "I'm supposed to deliver something really important. No one else wants to do it so they shove the task onto the lowest person on the pole."

"Yeah, I'm sure your life sucks."

"It's my fault really. I always screw up," he shook his head. "My boss says this is my last chance. I have a wife and kids for God's sake!" he cried. "I tell them that I'm just not capable but they won't listen! They just keep demanding and demanding and demanding! What's a guy supposed to do? My co-workers abuse me, little children make fun of me, I'm a disgrace to my family! Life sucks!"

"Hey, do you mind if I turn on the radio?"

XX

Fai tapped his fingers against the wheel, humming a mindless tune. The man in the back was a terse man; sitting up straight in a suit that seemed freshly washed and ironed. He was a bald man; hair shaved by the looks of things. Fai's eyes drifted to the rear view mirror where he could glance at how stiffly the man sat, wearing a deep frown, which he directed at his own knees.

"So, why are you two going there? Business or…"

"Business," the man spoke abruptly.

Fai leaned into the leather of the seat. "Oh, what do you do?"

The bald man refused to answer.

"Lovely!" he exclaimed. "So, how about some music? What's your favourite station?"

"Please keep your eyes on the road."

XX

The warehouse was blanketed by darkness, swamped by shadows that climbed the walls and slid across the floor, waiting to waylay an unsuspecting intruder. Dust and dirt had taken up permanent residence, creating the ideal environment for all creatures small and slimy.

Sakura crept behind her protector, almost stepping on his heels. "Syaoran-kun…" she trembled, keeping a hand on his shoulder at all times.

"Just stay close to me," he whispered. His flashlight swept across the empty floor, over the boxes and crates in the corner where things with eyes warily peered at him.

Ushering her towards a stack of wooden crates, they took refuge behind the broken wooden boards. It was almost time.

XX

Normally, Kurogane would have just left the man to drive himself off of a bridge by now. There was only so much wailing one could take but to quit now would mean to loose to that annoying, giggling, mage. To stop driving would mean buying Fai a banana chocolate sundae every day for as long as they stayed in this world. He would not allow it. He could not allow it. Not only was he naturally opposed to all dairy products, his pride would not allow defeat.

"She's cheating on me, I know it!" the man wailed, burying his head in his hands. "What am I supposed to tell the children? They both know that daddy's a failure!"

Kurogane's eyes shifted to the rear view mirror where his customer was currently steeped in depression. "I know a great place where you can buy some cement shoes," he suggested, utterly deadpan but the man shook his head and rambled on, showing no indication of ever hearing him.

"She thinks that I have no idea what she's been up to with that macho, hunk, co-worker of hers!" he continued to wail.

"We're here," he sighed, thankfully applying the brakes.

The man suddenly looked up, glancing around as if he had suddenly been zapped to his destination. He coughed and cleared his throat, adjusting his tie in the mirror. "Please wait here. I'll need a lift back," he stepped out, slamming the door with a trembling hand.

"Fine, but pay me for the ride here first," Kurogane held his hand out and the man slapped several paper notes into his palm.

The ninja-turned-taxi-driver watched the man awkwardly walk towards a large warehouse on the edge of the docks. When he had departed most unwillingly on this journey he never expected to be transporting people here and there. Frowning, he kicked back and waited for the man to return.

XX

Sugar, sugar, doo, doo, doo, doo. Oh, honey, honey

"Please turn that off."

"Oh, so you wanna chat?" Fai perked up, reaching for the radio's power.

"No."

The wizard laughed as if the man had just cracked a joke. "It makes me feel uncomfortable if I'm just talking to myself."

The man shrugged, which was some response, Fai consoled himself. He took his eyes off of his knees to stare out of the window at the scenery flashing past in a blur.

"We are here."

"So we are," Fai stuck his head out of the window. He brought the car to a halt, ignoring the shocked and angry honks of the cars behind him.

The man sighed and slid out of the back seat. "Wait here," he spoke laconically. Fai made a two-finger salute and kept his car parked in front of the traffic.

XX

"Syaoran-kun!"

A finger over her lips silenced her.

The two crouched behind a pile of crates, hidden from view as they peered through the cracks in the boards. She hardly dared to breathe as the door to the warehouse opened and a bald man sauntered inside. A moment later, he was followed by a short, portly man.

It was exceptionally dark as the door closed again and she had to squint to make out the two figures in the obscurity of the shadows. One carried a metal case. The other had a bag in his hands.

The first man lay down the case. The second man opened his bag. The case was then opened and for a second something bright shone in the gloom before the case was snapped close with a loud click.

"The feather!" she breathed.

Syaoran nodded.

They were talking but she could not hear their words, only vaguely make out their gestures. As they talked, their gestures became wild and more irritated. They seemed to be arguing. She shifted and squinted.

Then the bald man grabbed both the case and bag and ran.

She stood up, forgetting herself in that moment. Syaoran stood up too but neither of the men noticed them. Both were running out of the warehouse in seconds; one chasing the other.

XX

Fai was humming to himself, drumming his fingers across the dashboard to the sound of electronic drumbeats.

The door to the back opened and closed with a loud slam. The bald figure was back, though without his usual emotionless expression. He buckled his seatbelt and cried, "Drive!"

Fai smiled and sped off.

XX

Kurogane yawned. Not only was this world incredibly annoying, it was also incredibly boring. The constant stream of people and the flow of metal boxes on wheels were too strange, too unnatural for his liking.

He was just beginning to ponder why that crazy blond mage loved all things loud and bright, broaching upon some very deep philosophical questions when the slamming of his car door suddenly interrupted his road to enlightenment.

"After that taxi!" the man cried. His eyes were wide as he pointed to a speeding yellow car taking off a few meters away.

XX

"Syaoran-kun, what do we do?" Sakura glanced around for their unseen saviour. Two taxis had sped off into the distance, taking her feather with it.

Syaoran did not hesitate. He ran into the road, right in front of a bright yellow car.

"Taxi!"

XX

"Faster!" the man hauled himself closer to Kurogane's ear and was screaming all sorts of wild directions in his ear. Kurogane bit back the urge to punch the man and continued driving.

The acceleration pedal was firmly pressed down by his foot. The sound of rushing wind tore through the open window, bringing with it the sound of furious honking.

How he hated that sound. He stuck his head out of the window, ready to curse the loud idiot to the darkest depths of the seventh level of hell. Yet as his mouth opened, he found that he could only gape at the stupidity of his situation and there, hanging out of the window, the wind blowing his blonde bangs, was the wizard.

"What the - " were the only words that seemed to suffice.

"Kuro-sama!" Fai waved.

"Idiot."

Though Fai's taxi sped ahead of him, it was soon replaced by another yellow taxi. He did not recognise the driver but he sure as hell recognised the passengers in the back seat.

"Kurogane-san! Fai-san!" Syaoran rolled down the windows. He could barely hear the boy over the wind. He pointed and waved towards Fai's taxi. "He has the feather! The bald man has the feather!"

"I don't believe this," he muttered and felt the muscles near his mouth twitch. A situation like this just should not happen.

His passenger began padding his suit, shoving his hands into random pockets.

Kurogane kept his eyes trained on the road but his eyes shifted to the mirror on occasion. "What are you doing?" he growled as the man pulled out a black switch from his innermost pocket.

"Don't worry. We tested it before and the feather will remain unscathed in the explosion."

"You put a bomb in the suitcase?" he yelled then realised that he was yelling at the wrong person.

XX

It was fun. Fai was having a particularly good time with his friend, Mr Acceleration, when Kurogane's taxi decided to speed up as well. He turned to the other taxi, wondering if it was a race that they wanted when he saw the ninja making all sorts of stupid gestures and mouthing something inaudible.

"What was that, Kuro-chi?" he yelled against the wind, holding a hand to his ear.

"It's gonna blow!"

Fai looked behind him but the man in the seat suddenly rolled down his window. His eyes were wide. His bald head was shining with sweat. He grabbed the case and flung it out of the window.

The metal case whizzed through the air, appearing to almost fly. Fai thought he heard a click of a button being pressed, but then again perhaps that was only his imagination.

Then it crashed into the window of a taxi following close behind.

XX

"Holy crap!" the driver cried as the metal case shattered the glass window screen, landing in the seat next to the driver. The taxi screeched and skidded, spinning around and around.

Sakura screamed and clung to Syaoran, positive that no simple strap of leather could possibly protect them from the crazy-go-round they were on.

However, the saying 'Seatbelts save lives' was proven to be true and after much persuasion from Syaoran and some waving of paper money the diver kicked down the rest of the glass and began speeding away.

Syaoran retrieved the metal case from the front seat. The lock had been battered into a pulp. One hard punch was all it took to pop it open. Inside, a white feather shone with iridescent brilliance.

XX

"Cheap, economy-brand junk!" the man cursed all things under the heavens, econo-save in particular, with tears in his eyes.

With a sigh, he flopped into his seat, closing his eyes. He gave up. Let this taxi drive him to the ends of the earth, to hell even. It was over. It was all over.

His eyes opened.

"Why have you stopped the car?" he was on the verge of asking but the driver had disappeared. Moments later, he spotted the dark haired driver walking down the road with his hands in his pockets. The figure of a man who had taken all the crap he could stand for one day.

XX

"Turn back! Follow that other taxi!" the bald man screamed. Cursing his own rash actions, his composure was lost. He had to get that feather. He had to get it no matter what. Its power was phenomenal. He needed it. "Turn back!" he cried until he realised that they were not turning anywhere. In fact, the taxi had stopped altogether "What are you doing?" he stared at the blond driver.

The man switched off the engine, throwing the keys up and down in his hand.

"It's twelve thirty. I'm on break," he closed the door, leaving him and the taxi stranded in the middle of the road.

XX

It was almost evening. They would be leaving soon. Feather gained. Mission accomplished. Time to leave and see just how far the next world would stretch their sanity.

Fai was still humming as he lay their supplies out on the kitchen table. He hoped the next world would have music everywhere.

"That was quite an adventure, huh, Kuro-tan?" he smiled as he sensed the ninja approach. His fingers chose a can of beans and stuffed it into the bag.

Kurogane did not respond but lay down a few paper notes on the table.

"What this?" he looked up expectantly.

"The money I made," he grinned. There was something particularly unsettling about his grin.

Fai laughed. "Now, Kuro-chi, you can't expect today to count now, can…you…" his voice trailed away, as did his smile.

XX

I'm getting through all the suggestions slowly but surely. Let's give Kurogane and Fai a CV any employer would be impressed by!