Disclaimer: We still don't own any of the anime, characters, or places mentioned in this fic. All belong to their respective owners. All we own is the plot and our original characters.

SPOILERS FOR TSUBASA RESERVOIR CHRONICLE! This next chapter contains spoilers from the Celes Arc of Tsubasa (a.k.a. Fai's past). If you haven't gotten that far into the manga yet, don't read this chapter unless you want to. Other that, enjoy everyone! :)

Chapter Six

Gazing into a Past of Tragedy

Guardian woke up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. The little alchemist looked out the window and gazed upon the bright moon that was flooding the Ranger room with soft radiant moonbeams. She smiled up at the pale moon and the stars when she heard the sound of faint moans and sobs. Guardian looked around the room at the others before her eyes rested upon Fai.

The magician was lying on his side and Guardian could tell by his facial expressions and breathing that he was having a nightmare. Guardian crawled over to his side, being careful not to wake Kurogane, so that she could wake him from his nightmare and comfort him.

"Fai?" Guardian put a hand upon the magician's shoulder in order to wake him, but, as soon as she did, Guardian felt a sudden surge of magic run up her arm and spread throughout her body like an electrical current.

What's going on? Guardian thought before she blacked out, her body falling sideways on her bedding. The noise woke up Kurogane and he sleepily sat up in bed. Mokona also woke up when it didn't feel Guardian beside it and the two of them found Guardian and Fai on their sides facing each other, but they looked like they were both in the throes of a nightmare. Kurogane was about to wake Guardian and Fai when an image of Yuko suddenly appeared from Mokona's red gem.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Kurogane," the witch said to him. Kurogane growled at her and snapped, "Why not, witch?"

"It is because Guardian needs to see what Fai is showing her in his subconscious mind. His past," Yuko explained to Kurogane and Mokona.

"His past?" Yuko nodded. "Yes, his past. This is not of Fai's doing though. Someone else has orchestrated this, but it is for Guardian to be able to heal Fai's broken soul and heart by gazing into his past so that she can understand." Kurogane didn't fully understand what was going on, but if this whole thing was for Guardian so that she could help Fai, then he wouldn't interfere this time.

"What's going on?" Kurogane turned his head and saw Fallin sit up in her bed, rubbing an eye sleepily. But when she saw Yuko, Fallin knew that something was up. "Yuko, what's going on?"

"Awake the others, then I'll tell you all what's going on."

xXx

When Guardian came to, she found herself in a strange courtroom, no, a throne room, but it was so cold. Then she stood up and jumped in surprise when her bare feet touched the ice cold floor, shivering a little bit as the chill of the air hit her bare skin and tried to make its way through her clothing. When she had gotten used to the slight chill, Guardian turned to where the throne was.

Upon it sat a wizened king dressed in elaborate clothes and furs, but there was something about him that didn't seem quite right…something that left a sour feeling in the pit of Guardian's stomach. There were many lords and ladies surrounding the throne whispering to each other, their robes and cloaks decorated with elegant swirls similar to the King's. At the foot of the stairs leading to the dais where the throne was, two guards stood with spears pointing at two small boys, hardly older than maybe five years of age.

But there was something about these boys that seemed...familiar to Guardian somehow. Like she actually knew them, but she had never seen these two boys before in her life. Still…as Guardian approached them, the hairstyle that the two boys had looked oddly familiar to her and the color of their locks was pale blonde...just like...Fai's! This made Guardian's stride quicken as continued to walk towards the boys.

Twins. Guardian stopped short next to one of the boys when she heard the word echo through her mind. But she just shook her head. She must have imagined it until she looked at the boys' faces.

They were utterly identical to each other in every way. Pale blonde hair and pale skin, the same style of clothing that was very similar to the King's, and the bluest eyes Guardian had ever seen. But it was when one of the boys, no, twins seemed to turn his head to look at her that she gasped in realization. He was like a younger version of Fai! No…this boy was Fai, but the name didn't seem quite right to Guardian as it floated through her mind. But this boy was Fai….so why didn't his name seem to fit.

Then one word...a name...passed through Guardian's mind even though she had never heard it before in her life. And as it passed her lips when she looked at the younger version of her dear friend again, it felt right...like it belonged to him. It was unfamiliar upon her tongue...but at the same time it felt like Guardian had used it all her life.

"Yui."

xXx

"WHAT!" Fallin cried, making everyone cover their ears. "And you're going to let this continue, Yuko! What if Guardian gets killed in the dream? What if she never wakes up?"

Yuko put a hand up and replied, "There is no fear of that, plus Guardian will be a specter in Fai's memory world. She will be able to feel cold and things like that, but no one will be able to see or harm her." This gave Fallin and the others some comfort, but they wondered what looking into Fai's past would do to her heart and soul. Would they be wounded by what she saw?

xXx

Guardian continued to look at the twins before the King spoke. She turned to look up at him as he spoke to the two twins. All the while she also listened to the mutterings of the courtiers. They whispered things about the boys' parents. How their father, the late Prince of Valeria, died of a sudden illness and their mother had allegedly taken her own life due to giving her husband twin boys, and that the land and people had suffered because of their birth.

Guardian's eyes flashed with anger and she felt her chest tighten at their words. She knew that these two boys weren't responsible for their parents' deaths and for the tragedies that had befallen their world even before she knew what the meaning of the birth of twins was in this world. But she paid no attention to them and listened to what the King had to say, her heart sinking as his words to them filled her ears.

"Unhappy twins. You shall be imprisoned. You shall be sealed away and, with you, the calamity that you bring. As twins, you are doomed to sorrow and your magic's ensure a lifelong condemnation for you both from birth. And as you feel more pain and sorrow, our kingdom will prosper and the people will be happy. That is your curse."

Guardian couldn't believe her ears. The situation was absolutely ridiculous! But she knew from some of the cultures in her own world that twins were the sign of a bad omen. She was sure that it was the same here. But still, it wasn't their fault that they were born! And it was Guardian's belief that each child was a gift...that not one of them was a curse despite what other people believed.

The King continued with the twin princes' sentence. "The twins will be taken by separate paths to the valley where magic is rendered useless to all that dwell there and time flows at a different pace than the outside world. One will be imprisoned at the top of the tower, the other at the bottom. As twins, you will live in great pain and sorrow for the rest of your lives...and the people will be happy and prosper as you suffer.

"Into that valley is where we cast the guilty, those who don't deserve a proper grave. In that valley, they do not decay, but stay in the state they were when they were thrown in. That is their fate! It is the most accursed place in our entire kingdom and you twins will be sent there, not to live, but to exist. But if one of you wishes to take the bulk of your fate, one of you must die. Choose!"

Guardian felt her entire body shake at the King's sentence. She wanted to protest, but the words died on her tongue. She couldn't talk...she couldn't breathe and her heart was pounding in her chest, her throat constricted, her eyes welling up with sorrowful tears. Then she looked at the princes. What they decided surprised her a little.

They looked at each other, not saying a word, and took each other's hand, sealing their fate. They would rather share the punishment together than see the other killed while the other survived. They had made their choice.

"Then take them to the valley. They shall never be allowed to leave….not until this world comes to an end!" The guards then marched towards the princes, but Guardian stood in front of them, ready to protect them. ...But they passed right through her as if she were a ghost.

Guardian's eyes widened in realization and horror. She turned around and could only watch helplessly as the twins were taken away by the guard to their fate. Her body felt heavy and Guardian sunk to her knees in despair, sorrowful tears flowing from her eyes.

Then an ice cold wind tore through Guardian's clothes and she curled in on herself to keep herself warm. When it died down, Guardian found herself in a new place with a circular wall and a huge tower in front of her with one window near the top, no entrance or exit. So this was the valley that the King had spoken of. But before she rose to her feet, Guardian screamed. All around her were dead bodies in the snow banks surrounding her.

Her heart was pounding and she felt like she had been thrown into some sick horror film as she shakily got up and walked towards the tower, stepping over and around the bodies surrounding her. There were so many people...including the old and the very young. The sight brought tears to Guardian's eyes as she walked along and saw a small babe in its mother's arms.

When she reached the tower, Guardian was shivering uncontrollably from the cold and she found one of the twins at the base of the tower picking himself up from the snow. She had seen him fall and had run to him, but knew that she wouldn't be able to help him. Still, her instincts had kicked in despite of that. Then she heard a loud thump. Someone else had been thrown in. Guardian turned and saw that it was the King, but he had a wild look in his eyes and went for the twin.

Guardian gasped as the King caught hold of the boy's leg, his sword drawn, and heard the twin from up in the tower scream, "YUI!"

Then the King spoke to Yui. "It's all...a calamity that...you brought upon us. The birth of you two...was the start of all the sorrow and misfortune in this country. Now the only ones living in this country are you two and me. This is where it all ends!" The King raised his sword and Guardian was sure that he was going to kill Yui when he slayed himself. His sword pierced his own body and a demented smile crossed his face as he looked upon the little prince. "Now the only ones... who now live... are the two of you. Live...and attempt to atone for your sin."

Then the King drew his last breath and collapsed upon the snow in a pool of blood. Guardian felt sick and she sank to the ground as Yui started to scream in horror. The little alchemist could faintly hear the other twin repeatedly called out his brother's name as Yui screamed and tears came to her eyes again as she listened to the sorrowful voices of the two brothers. All should could do was listen…she couldn't comfort them...she didn't even exist in this world.

Then Yui's screams disappeared and Guardian listened as he spoke aloud, his words bringing more tears to her eyes as his brother continued to scream his name. Fai, the same voice as before told her. The name of Yui's twin brother is Fai. "Is it a sin...just to be born as twins? ...We were born together...we were born! That's all! ….Would the same thing happen if we were born in a different country? ...Would people that we didn't even know die because of us? ...Only because we were born together...just because we exist?"

Guardian could barely hear Fai's cries to his brother, but could feel his sadness as it washed over her in waves. Tears fell down her face and she wondered if they were her own or Fai's as they listened as his brother spoke his mind. "Will it happen again...will everyone die...just...JUST BECAUSE WE LIVE?" Yui screamed to the heavens before he curled in on himself and wept out of pure sorrow. "Is it a crime," Yui whispered softly. "...to simply be alive?"

Guardian wept out of sorrow as well for the twins' fate, holding her face in her hands. She wanted to tell them that it wasn't a crime…..that it was a gift that they were alive….not a curse.

xXx

Kurogane noticed that tears were falling down Guardian's face from her closed eyes and wondered what she had witnessed to make her weep like she was. Fallin also noticed and stroked Guardian's hair in a vain hope that it would comfort her.

Fai's face was also contorted and great tears were falling down his face as well. They all knew that what Guardian was witnessing was a very painful, sorrowful moment in the mage's life.

xXx

Then the scene changed again. Guardian knew that she was still in the valley, but it was Yui that had changed. He looked so gaunt and he was lying in the snow, piles of it covering parts of his body. His skin was terribly pale, his poor lips were chapped, and his pale blonde hair was longer than the last time, almost reaching his feet. He looked like he was nearing death's door.

Guardian almost couldn't bear to see her dear friend like this...so helpless...so vulnerable...and she couldn't do anything to help him! ...She couldn't do anything to help either of them. This was just a dream, a memory...Guardian knew that for certain now.

Then she felt a strong power approach and watched as a rift appeared before Yui. Inside of the rift in space and time, Guardian saw man with black hair and white hair, which was cut in a peculiar style, a monocle over his right eye, and his eyes were the color of dark gray. But the look in his eye made Guardian shiver and left a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. There was something not right about him...something evil that made her blood run cold.

Suddenly the memories started to fly past her like a fast moving film, but she heart and saw everything perfectly. Yui talking to the man, Fai falling to his death, the strange man telling Yui what he needed to do to bring his twin back to life and giving him a curse...the second one he started to talk about, but the memory was fuzzy then faded, much to Guardian's dismay. It might have been something important. But the memories of Yui talking to the man leading up to Fai's death didn't seem right to Guardian…as if they weren't real.

But part of his words stuck in Guardian's mind. "Soon someone will come for you and you will be able to leave this country. But one day you travel the worlds because of a personal reason. And when someone with magical powers greater than your own comes along...you will kill them." He had also talked about who Yui would meet up with on the journey: a desert princess without her memories and an image of a boy he had prepared...Syaoran and Sakura.

So Fai journeying with Sakura and the others...was orchestrated by this man? Guardian thought horrified. Then she shook her head in disgust at the thought. No. Fai chose to journey with them of his own free will. It was his choice...not the choice of this man for him.

Then the scene changed again and the tower and walls were crumbling and Guardian wondered if this world was falling apart. She found Yui holding onto his twin as everything fell apart around them. He looked so sorrowful and she could tell that his heart had already started to grow cold…had started to turn to ice.

Suddenly a piece of the sky came down to them like a raindrop and exploded, revealing a young man with long black hair, elegant robes fit for royalty, and a crown of five ice crystals upon his brow. Guardian swore that his green eyes looked at her for a second before he looked down at the twins and said to Yui, "I've come for you."

Guardian felt like she could almost trust this man…that he would keep her friend safe and take him somewhere far away from the awful place he was in. Ashura...this is King Ashura from Celes, the voice from earlier told her.

"Ashura," Guardian repeated and then the memories flashed by her once more. Many years passed by and Yui, now transformed into her dear friend Fai D. Fluorite, grew up and became a powerful magician with Ashura as his teacher and guardian. And as the memories passed her by, each one was engraved into her own memory: every conversation, every image...everything.

Then came the moment that changed Fai's life forever again.

It was during the time that a so called 'monster' was ravishing Celes, killing people left and right, that Fai found out that it was his own King, Ashura, that was the one responsible for the killings. He had told Fai that killing made his magic stronger and that he was doing it for Fai's benefit...he had said the same thing about the phoenix tattoo he had put on Fai's back as well. Plus he reminded the magician that he had made a promise to kill anyone who threatened Celes.

Then Fai made the decision to seal Ashura away so that he wouldn't have to kill him. Fai then told his creation Chii, which had made from one of Sakura's feathers to keep his twin company, who was sealed at the bottom of a pool perfectly preserved, to warn him when Ashura awoke. The other feather, Fai kept in his possession.

After that, Fai went to Yuko and started the journey with the others.

But there is something I don't understand, Guardian thought as she floated in a dark space as the memories continued to pass her by like movie film. Why did Fai choose to save himself? ...It doesn't make any sense at all.

It is because his memories were tampered with, the voice from earlier explained. The man you saw, Fei Wong Reed, wanted Yui to feel guilty for what happened to me...even though it was my choice for him to live.

"'For what happened to you?' Wait a minute! Are you...?" Guardian started to ask before a light flashed before her and a young boy, Fai's twin, the real Fai, appeared before her as he was before they were sent to the valley. She stared at him wide-eyed before she asked, "Are you...Fai? The real Fai, Yui's twin?"

Fai nodded and replied, "I am."

"Are you the one that brought me here to see your brother's memories?" The young twin nodded again and started to explain. "I am. I did this so that you could help heal my brother's heart, his soul. Yui has suffered so much over the years and I just want him to be happy...to see him whole again without guilt. Plus it wasn't his fault that I died...it was my choice."

Then Fai pointed his middle and index fingers on his right hand and made a projection in the air in front of Guardian. Guardian saw that the man, Fei Wong Reed, was talking to Fai.

"Only one can leave this place. Choose...between you and the other one."

"Then free Yui." With his choice to save his brother, Fai's fate was sealed forever.

The image closed as Fai fell to his death. Guardian felt her body shake, but everything now made sense. She now understood why Fai was the way he was. Now it was her turn to help heal the broken heart and soul within him...just as he had healed her injuries when she had been wounded to the point that she was dying back in Amestris.

Guardian looked up at Fai and smiled at him. "Thank you, Fai. Now I think I know how to free your brother of his misplaced guilt over your death and truly befriend him. He deserves a friend that he knows that he can trust...a true friend."

Fai smiled and said, "I was hoping you would say that. Take care of my brother, Guardian. He needs his younger sister just as you need your older brother."

xXx

Fallin and the others had been waiting several minutes for Guardian to wake up. Fai had already wakened and was watching over Guardian now. Yuko had told them that the one responsible for what had happened was now speaking to Guardian and explaining a few things, but it was agonizing to wait for her to wake up.

Suddenly Guardian gasped sharply and her brown eyes fluttered open. She started to get up using her arms since was still on her side when Mokona bounced over to her.

"Guardian!" The little alchemist smiled and patted Mokona on the head. "Nice to see you, too, Mokona." Then Guardian stiffly sat up the rest of the way and sat with her legs tucked neatly under her when she noticed Yuko. "Yuko."

"I see you made it back all right, Guardian. Everyone was really worried about you as you slept." Guardian looked at her bedding, sad that she made everyone worry. "Don't be so down-cast, young one. They know that it was for the best."

Then Fai crawled over to her and asked with a worried look in his eye, "Are you all right, Guardian?"

"I'm fine, Fai. I wasn't hurt or anything….oh!" Guardian suddenly curled in on herself, shivering uncontrollably. Fallin flew to her side and frantically asked, "Guardian, what's wrong?"

"I-I'm just c-c-c-c-cold, Fallin. Valeria and C-C-C-C-Celes are a lot c-c-colder than our own world. It was like being high in the m-m-mountains with no c-c-c-coat on or anything, that's how c-c-c-cold it was," Guardian replied as she shivered before she felt a very thick blanket draped over her. She snuggled into the blanket before looking up. It had been Kurogane that had given her the blanket. "T-t-thank you, K-K-Kurogane."

The ninja nodded with a very rare smile. "You're welcome, Guardian."

Guardian smiled back at him as best as she could before her body started to shiver uncontrollably again and her teeth started chattering. She curled into her blanket again before she felt someone wrap another blanket around her then envelop her in their arms.

Guardian looked up and saw Fai smile down at her. She smiled back up at him then snuggled into his chest as he pulled the blankets around her more. "We can't have you get hypothermia, now can we?" Guardian shook her head and closed her eyes, listening to the magician's beating heart.

"Did you see everything you needed to see, Guardian?" Guardian opened her eyes and looked up at Yuko. The little alchemist nodded. "I did." Then she proceeded to tell everyone what she had witnessed and what Fai, the real Fai, had told her.

After she had finished, Fai asked softly, "So...it wasn't my fault that my brother died, Guardian?"

Guardian looked up at him and shook her head. "No, it's not and it was his choice for you to live, Fai. All he wanted was for you to be happy and to get out of Valeria." Fai nodded and hugged Guardian tightly, tears flowing from his eyes.

"Thank you, Guardian... Thank you." Guardian hugged him back as best as she could in her blankets then looked up at him with a smile. "Now I have a question...what name should I call you by now, Fai? Fai or Yui?"

Fai smiled and then ruffled her hair, making Guardian giggle. "Why don't you just call me 'Fai'? It'll be like a nickname from now on, but I've gotten so used to being called by that name that it's become second nature now." Guardian smiled in agreement and said, "Okay...Fai."

This time...his name sounded right upon her tongue. Guardian grinned and settled back into Fai's chest, sighing contently.