Chapter 10.

It was a blur for Nazaiya since the last world, but now she realized that they were all inside some sort of bar or café in a very cold, dark country. Jade Country, as it was called. As the group sat down together at a round table, Fai couldn't help but notice how they stood out by hearing people's whispers. Of course, whoever could guess that it was all because of their distinctive, odd clothes.

As Nazaiya sipped her cup of hot milk, she could understand how worried Syaoran was. With the fact that they had no money of the country, how are they supposed to pay for the drinks and get out of there? But as Nazaiya put her cup down, she saw the signature smile of Fai that he always does on a daily basis.

"It's gonna be alright!" Fai exclaimed, "Right, Sakura-chan?"
Sakura blinked, confusion written all over her face.

Before long, Sakura was then being sat on another table, where she played cards and won every single round by having the kings of the cards, all of them, in each and every turn. Everyone was amazed, but the other players were of course dissatisfied. They claimed her for cheating, and when they did, Fai defended her.

"If you're not happy about it," Fai pointed to Kurogane, "then you can talk with the guy over there!"
Kurogane was in a bad mood, because Mokona took his food again. And when the players looked at him, he gave him the 'what-the-hell-do-you-even-want' look, sending shivers down their spines.

Nazaiya on the other hand, couldn't help but feel envious of the princess. With Fai's coat being wrapped around her, she was really lucky and looked really adorable. It is as they say, 'the beloved child of God'. "If only I'm that loved", she thought, before turning her focus towards the man that came towards them with drinks and complimented Sakura.

As they all gathered around the table again, the man began to tell about the legend of The Golden-Haired Princess that resides in the North. The princess received a feather, then her parents died, and after that kids were starting to go missing. She listened intently, but something about it seemed off. Or to be exact, something about that man seemed off. But she wasn't interested to dig in the details, though. Before she knew it, the group has decided; head north to investigate about the legend.

After paying for everything with the money they won earlier, Nazaiya observed at the whole new look everyone was in, including herself. She had a beautiful gown with ruffles that compliments her looks, which adds a vintage charm on her. Her dull, black cloak was ditched away as she was wearing a much more brighter, thicker cloak to cover herself, similar like the new one Sakura was wearing. She then looked at the guys, who wore a very gentleman-like clothes. The most charming in her eyes was of course, Fai. With his blue eyes and blond hair, the outfit he wore was really breathtaking. For a moment, her heart skipped a beat.

After enough preparations, they all got on their horses. Rejecting Fai's offer of riding a horse together like Sakura did with Syaoran, Nazaiya got on her white, 'majestic' horse and smiled triumphantly. She felt happy to be independent riding a horse, because as far as she remembered, she never did to get on one despite being trained back in her place long years ago.

The group then marched forward to north, though they had little to no clue or directions. As they passed through a black, creepy forest that only had dark branches of trees, Nazaiya couldn't help but shiver at the cold. Still, she couldn't adjust to the surrounding. It felt different. Really different.

"Wah~" Mokona cooed, "the trees curved at just the right angle!"
"I don't care about that. It's getting cold." Kurogane groaned.
"Are you alright?" Syaoran asked Sakura, which was replied with a nod.
"I'm fine. This cloak is very thick." She smiled.
"Ah, that's right." Fai said, "Sakura-chan's country is in the middle of dessert right?"
"Yes, but it's very cold at night." The princess answered.
"What about you, Kuro-tan?" Fai asked again.
"There's two seasons. Cold in the winter, and hot in the summer." The ninja answered.
"What about Fai?" Mokona perked his ears up.
"My place is wayyy colder than here." He smiled.
"What about Syaoran-kun?" Sakura's turn to ask.
"I travel a lot, so I'm used to both." Syaoran smiled.
"And Nazaiya-chan?" Fai looked over at the girl.

The said girl clenched tightly on her cloak, trying to surpass the cold. Realizing that everyone was looking at her, she tried to smile. "I'm not used to the cold at all." Her voice cracked, and Fai had to quickly come beside her, making sure she was okay. He always knew what to do.

"Why didn't you say so earlier, Nazaiya-chan?" he asked, a worried frown on his face.
"I couldn't even bring myself to speak…" She mumbled, looking as if she was about to freeze right then and there. "It's alright, I'll get used to it soon enough." She strained a smile, before focusing on the path up ahead.

Just then, Mokona spotted a signboard of a village. It wrote 'SPIRIT', as Syaoran read it. For a minute, they praised him for his knowledge. But the next minute, Kurogane called out for everyone to be alert. As they entered the village, they could sense the glares and unwelcoming aura around them, making them know that they weren't welcomed at all.

They ventured through the village, and passed by with their horses. Syaoran decided to ask something at a kid that he saw, but the kid then was dragged back inside her house, while being scolded for going outside and talking to strangers. Syaoran frowned, feeling unaccomplished.

As they neared the center of the village, they were all stopped in their tracks when a number, a huge number of snipers were aimed at them. Their horses neighed, feeling as surprised as their owners were. A leader, or what he appeared to be, stepped out and looked at them suspiciously.

"Who are you?!" he shouted, his voice echoes.
"We are travelling around the world for old legends and architectures." Syaoran answered calmly.
"What for?!" the leader shouted again.
"To write a book." Syaoran answered simply, to everyone's surprise.
"A book? A kid like you?!" he asked suspiciously, yet again.
"No, not me." Syaoran pointed towards Fai. "But it's that person."
"That's right!" Fai exclaimed happily. "That's my assistant! The girl with him is my little sister. And that black guy over there is my servant!"
Before Kurogane could object, Mokona headbutt-ed him on the back from inside his clothes, allowing him no chance to speak.
"And what about this other girl?" the leader asked, and a sniper was aimed straight to her face.

Nazaiya was too cold to even speak, and she couldn't care less if the guy shoot her.

"This, is my fiancée. So I ask none of you would ever hurt, much less to even point her with anything, again." Fai said with a smile, as if to claim his ownership towards her. "Don't even come close to her, actually. She's mine."

Nazaiya looked at him with widened eyes, surprised at his words. She smiled a little and blushed slightly, looking down as she mumbled a thanks. Somewhere in her heart, she kinda wished it was true. At that time, she only thought that it was just her heart fluttering about like a schoolgirl in love or something, though she knows that is out of the question.

She heard someone saying stop, stopping the people with the weapons, before inviting everyone to his house. Introducing himself as Kyle Londart, a doctor in the village, Nazaiya couldn't help but feel suspicious again. It might be because how her heart responds with bad intentions, but she couldn't even control her powers to begin with, so she decided to keep it to herself again.

Before long, a guy with a moustache barged in the house, interrupting all of them who were talking in the living room. Calling the team as vagabonds, the doctor then defended them by saying that they all could be their last hope. And as fast as he came, he went outside of the door and stepped furiously, with an old man having to keep up with him. Mr. Glosam and the mayor, as they were introduced.

Though they were still talking, Nazaiya couldn't even remember how she fell asleep right then and there in the living room, not caring whether she missed an info or two.

To be continued…