A/N: Yaaayyyyyy! Chapter number 10! At this point I would like to thank NightlyRowenTree for leaving reviews on every chapter, they really motivate to work harder AND a special special thank you to Illusion of Crystal for checking up on me! Now, without further ado, here is the much awaited Chapter 10.

XXX

Ayame felt disoriented.

For three days, she had been lying on a very fluffy futon, placed in the most spacious room in Chunhyang's house; slipping in and out of consciousness at irregular intervals. Her body burned, even her hair felt like it was on fire. Her head felt fine now, but even the smallest movement, even something insignificant like turning around in her futon, made her head throb, as if the blood in her skull wanted to be free of the vessels and run amok. Her throat was parched, but no amount of water quenched her thirst. Her stomach rumbled, but even the thought of food brought the taste of bile to her mouth. And if she did try to force something down, it came back up right away (They found out this part the hard way, when she had thrown up all the food Touya and Yukito from Hanshin had packed so carefully for her).

She sighed, staring up at the wooden beams supporting the roof. Disoriented was the word.

As for the injuries from the battle in the Ryanban's castle, they were all healed up, thankfully. The bruises, cuts, and acid burns faded away without a trace. Her magic had taken care of that for her.

Her magic…

A cool evening breeze tickled the wind chimes as it made its way into the room, bringing Ayame back from her reverie. The patch of sky visible was flushed with the orange and red from the setting sun, much like when she had gone to the castle with the others.

As another wave of sleep rolled into her, Ayame's mind replayed the events from three days ago for the umpteenth time.

XXX

"Those five locks you have on your heart, sealing away your magic and some very crucial memories, I can break the first one for you"

For the second time, Ayame's mind was almost wiped blank… almost, when a few words Kiishimu had uttered demanded her attention.

"What do you mean sealing away my magic and some very crucial memories?"

"It's exactly as I said, Princess" Kiishimu's voice was dripping with amusement, "The spells are not only sealing away magic, but they are also holding back memories"

Ayame's head reeled as she processed this new information. The person who had locked away her magic was none other than her own father. So that means… the one who sealed away the memories was also him. And he wanted her to find out this bit on her own, or else he would have included this with the other information he had paid the Dimensional Witch to give her. Even when he was alive, the logic behind her fathers' decisions eluded her. Somethings never change.

This could explain how Ayame knew how to build and break shields when she had no memory of learning how to do so. And this could also explain… explain why she couldn't remember anything from the night of the accident which ended in her mother's death.

For so long, Ayame thought it was post-traumatic stress that was preventing her from recalling the happenings of that night… however, this definitely made more sense. Whatever had transpired, her father didn't want her to remember. But eleven years was a long time to live in the dark. She didn't care what her father thought, she wanted to know the truth.

"So what is it going to be?" Kiishimu asked, "Information about the prophecy or your magic and memories?"

What was she going to do? Should she take the information that could possibly give some insight about her role in the bigger scheme of things? Or should she regain her power and throw some light on the mysteries of her past in the process?

Once she put it that way, the choice was obvious really.

"How do these enchantments work?" Ayame needed to know what she was getting into.

"Every one of those seals is holding back a certain amount of magic along with some memories" Kiishimu answered.

"So the magic and memories will be returned to me in parts with every broken spell"

"Correct"

Ayame then asked the next obvious question.

"What if I ask you to break all the five seals at once?" She didn't want to waste her time in doing this step by step. If she could get all her power back in one go, why not take that chance?

Kiishimu chuckled indulgently.

"You are a very ambitious, little child" she said, "But I'm afraid that is not possible"

Of course, nothing was going to be easy. "Why not?" Ayame asked.

"Because your mind and your body won't be able to handle it" Kiishimu explained, "Even though the magic never left you, your body hasn't used it in a very long time. The sudden introduction of your powers into your veins will end up causing a lot of harm, harm which you may not recover from. The same goes for your mind. The sheer volume of the memories will overwhelm it"

The magic aspect of it she understood. But her mind being overwhelmed by the memories sealed away? Just how much had her father shielded from her?

"One more question, before I make my decision" Ayame said, "You said the five locks are placed on my heart. Why my heart?"

"That's because your heart is the source of your magic; just like those blue eyes are the source of magic of the other child who left here a while ago"

Source of magic… that explained why she always felt her magic flowing through her, like blood. And the other person Kiishimu was referring to had to be Fai. Ayame stored away that bit of information in some corner of her head. Who knows, it may be useful later.

"By all these questions, am I right in assuming that you have decided to get one of the seals removed, Princess?"

Ayame thought about it one more time. The details of the prophecy may help her understand many things… but that's the thing, it may help. On the other hand, breaking the first seal will definitely make her a little bit more powerful. She would be better equipped to protect Sakura and Syaoran. Getting her memories back was an added bonus.

The Princess made her choice.

She nodded.

"This is not going to be easy" Kiishimu said, "The pain you will feel during the process will be excruciating. If it succeeds, it will take time for your body to adjust. The adjustment can manifest in anyway, you may not wake up for days, or maybe it will be some kind of illness. Not to forget that your dreams will be plagued with bits and pieces of memories which may not make any sense for a while. Are you ready for that?"

Ayame nodded once more.

"Very well then," Kiishimu said.

The woman held out her hand expectantly. Ayame raised her left arm and slipped her hand into Kiishimu's. She winced as a long, sharp nail cleanly slashed her wrist open. By the time blood began to trickle out of the cut freely, a sliver of doubt needled its way into her head. Was this really a good idea, to leave herself open and vulnerable in front of the woman who was trying to kill her just a while ago, as Kurogane had put it?

Kiishimu sensed Ayame's hesitation. She clucked her tongue and said, "If this has to work, there can be no disinclination, little one. I will ask you again, are you ready?"

Ayame took a deep breath and pushed the reservations out of her head. This was a risk she needed to take.

"Just get on with it" Ayame said.

Kiishimu gave her a curt nod, the ornaments on her headdress tinkling. She placed one finger on the bleeding cut. Ayame immediately felt a smooth, silken strand of Kiishimu's magic enter her body through the gash. She shuddered at the intrusion. Goosebumps erupted all over Ayame's arms and neck as the thread crawled up her left arm, reached her shoulder and then turned sharply to make its way to her heart. Slowly and steadily, it navigated her blood vessels and moved towards its target, like a worm burrowing its way through soil.

When it finally made contact with her galloping heart, Ayame was far from prepared.

One moment, she was looking at her bleeding wrist, breathing in the smell of the stagnant air mingled with Kiishimu's sickeningly sweet perfume… and the next, brilliant lights arched in her vision, blinding her. Ayame didn't feel her body go rigid, didn't hear the bones of her neck crick as her head snapped back, didn't notice the blood that welled up in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.

The only thing she could feel was the pain.

Searing, piercing pain, first flared in her chest, then radiated outward, till every nerve, all the way to the tips of her fingers and toes, felt like it was melting. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth – it was as if she had lost all control of her functions. Her arms shook and her knees knocked together no matter how hard she strained to stop them. All she could do was writhe in agony as the pain continued to rage inside her, like a sandstorm, wrecking everything in its path.

And just as suddenly as it began, it stopped.

Ayame fell heavily on all fours, wide-eyed and red-faced. Her throat made husky, choking sounds as she gasped for air. A cold sweat broke out across her body, making her tattered clothes cling to her, like a leaf to wet window. The fire that had lit her up moments ago faded quickly, replaced by a numbness; soothing yet unnerving. She blinked to get rid of the lingering spots of white in her vision and swallowed thickly to clear bitterness that coated her tongue.

A few moments later, when the sound of the blood thumping in her head somewhat subsided, Ayame pushed herself off the floor, groaning as her sore muscles protested. She wiped the blood off her face and turned to look at Kiishimu.

The woman had not moved an inch. She stood impassively, arms folded. Her jet black eyes, however, were regarding Ayame curiously.

"Your tolerance for pain is remarkable" she said, "I had expected you to faint halfway through the process"

It took all of Ayame's self-control not to scowl at the edge of fascination covering Kiishimu's voice. Instead, she asked, "So? Did it work?" Her voice sounded hoarse.

There was a moment of anxious silence before Kiishimu answered.

"It did"

XXX

"Kuro-tan, are you done chopping firewood?" Fai called as the ninja stepped into the house from the back door.

"How many times must I tell you, it's Kurogane" he muttered, throwing an irritated glance at the mage.

That's when he saw Fai hunched over an assortment of ointments, balms, tonics, and other medicines on the table. A bowl of water with a clean, white towel half immersed in it was placed nearby as well. He picked a small bottle containing a deep red liquid.

"Chunhyang said this could help with Aya-chan's nausea…" Fai said thoughtfully.

"Are you not done pondering over one medicine after the other?" Kurogane asked, sitting down in his usual spot in the corner of the room.

"I'm looking at alternative possibilities" Fai answered, setting the bottle down just to pick up another one.

Kurogane let out an irritated sigh. The mage had been like that ever since Ayame had fallen sick. He had become her self-appointed caretaker, supervising everything from her medication to her diet; from making sure that the pitcher of water near her futon always stayed full to reprimanding her if she tried to move around a little too much. Anyone else would have chalked it down to worry, but Kurogane's sharp eyes saw that there was more to it. He could see guilt mingled with Fai's concern. Probably because Ayame had gotten herself injured while saving his hot-air balloon of a head during the fight in the castle.

Syaoran mostly let Fai have his way. He anxiously hung on every word the mage said. Kurogane had asked the boy why. The response was surprising… and mildly interesting.

"In all the time we travelled, Ayame-san has never fallen sick… as a matter fact, I don't remember her being unwell at all. That's why I don't exactly know how to handle this" he had admitted sheepishly.

(Now that he thought about it, the one from back in his world never really fell ill either. But when this train of thought creeped into his head, he firmly pushed it out)

That conversation with the kid was two days ago. Now, Syaoran knew more than enough about nursing people back to health… enough to become just as fussy and persistent as Fai when Ayame tried to push off the medicines. Fai she could turn down, the boy she couldn't. Kurogane had to admit, Syaoran's learning curve was pretty impressive.

The younger princess, on the other hand, dreamily followed Fai and Syaoran around and clumsily tried to help when she was not too busy feeling sleepy and fainting. Quite a few times she fell asleep right next to Ayame, holding her hand so tightly that it was difficult to pry her fingers off. This was to be expected, since she didn't have all her memories. But Sakura put everything she had into what she was doing, no matter how small of a task it was. It was hard not to find it a little endearing.

Kurogane, on his part, helped around with housework sometimes just to swat away the boredom, though he did drop a few helpful bits and pieces to the others sometimes. He was the one who had suggested using a bowl of cold water and a towel to keep Ayame's fever under control when they got her back to the house from the castle; while Fai had immediately attacked Chunhyang's medicine cabinet.

"This should do it" Fai said, holding out another bottle, this time containing a mustard coloured liquid, "A little bit of this before dinner should help her keep all the food down"

"What is the point of filling her up with more of that stuff when it's clearly not working?" Kurogane said, "You and that girl have tried almost every single bottle of medication that is there in this house, and nothing has had an effect. Maybe you should just let the illness run its course"

"We won't know till we have tried, Kuro-ne" Fai grinned, "Also, 'that girl' has a name. Chunhyang. It's rude to address the person who has graciously allowed us to continue staying in her house in that manner"

"And isn't it also rude to force the medicines on the Princess just to assuage your own guilt?"

Kurogane had never intended to broach this topic with Fai, he knew he would never get a straight answer. But he just couldn't help it. Fai's constant teasing was really getting on his nerves and once… just once, he wanted to get under the mage's skin.

And he got exactly what he asked for… maybe a little more than what he asked for.

Fai's usual cheery smile slipped off, like a mask falling away. His face was now the perfect picture of surprise and shock mingled with… fear? Kurogane was a little taken aback; this was not what he had expected. Is it possible that he actually thought that they blamed him for Ayame's injuries?

But the moment lasted only for a few seconds. Fai slapped an inane smile back on his face quickly, with the ease of a stage actor preparing for his act.

"You think too much, Kuro-wi" He then picked the bowl of water and the towel and shoved them into Kurogane's hands saying, "Now, why don't you attend to our ill Warrior Princess for some time while I start preparing for dinner. Syaoran and Chunhyang should be back soon"

Fai skipped off to the kitchen without further ado, leaving behind a very surprised and irritated Kurogane. This was exactly why he disliked the mage, he hid behind his stupid smiles and teasing and name-calling; he was too complicated. Kurogane hated complicated, even if he could see right through it.

XXX

Kurogane silently slipped into Ayame's room to find the Princess spread-eagled on her futon, snoring softly. 'Snoring is a good sign' he thought, 'She is sleeping well'. He slid the doors shut carefully, set the bowl and towel near her head and sat down.

Kurogane saw that some colour had found its way into her cheeks, which was also a good sign. He brushed aside a few strands of hair from her face and placed his hand on her forehead. She was still burning with a fever, but the temperature was less than what it was three days ago, so that was an improvement as well.

He dipped the towel into the bowl, squeezed off the excess water and placed it on Ayame's forehead, thinking about how they had found her half-conscious outside the castle. Her skin had been deathly pale, her voice barely above a whisper and Kurogane could have sworn that the blood stains on the sleeves of her clothes were not there when he and Fai had left her with Kiishimu. Later that night, when she finally came around, she didn't offer any explanation. She only said that it was nothing to worry about and that in a few days' time, she would be back to normal, before falling into restless sleep again.

The lack of clarification annoyed the hell out of Kurogane. He wanted to wring an answer out of her, but Ayame was so exhausted every time she woke up, he didn't find it in himself to do it. He might not have to wait for too long though. Earlier that day, she had found enough strength to lecture Syaoran and make him promise to leave the house with Chunhyang for a while before flopping back onto the futon. She was definitely getting better.

"Mother… no… please…"

Ayame was not sleeping peacefully anymore. She rolled to her side suddenly. The wet towel on her forehead fell to the floor with a plop. Kurogane was going to let her be, maybe she was just dreaming. However, when Ayame began to whimper, a bubble of panic popped in Kurogane's chest.

He reached out and shook her shoulder gently, saying, "Oie, wake up"

When she didn't open her eyes, another bubble of dread filled up his entire chest. He shook her more urgently.

"Hey, wake up!"

Kurogane felt a swell of relief as Ayame's eyelids finally snapped open and she sat up, breathing heavily. Lilac eyes shining with fear and confusion scanned the room frantically, but they stopped when they met a pair of concerned red ones.

"Are you alright?" Kurogane asked.

Ayame tore away from his gaze and took a deep breath.

"I'm fine"

"You were whimpering" Kurogane said, making a conscious effort to keep his tone flat.

Ayame met his gaze again.

"It was a nightmare" she replied.

Kurogane could sense there was more to it than a nightmare, but decides not to push it.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Much better. Three days of rest did me a lot of goo-"

Ayame's hand flew to her mouth. Her other hand quickly grasped a tin bucket nearby and pulled it towards her. She tipped her head into the bucket and retched. Kurogane instinctively jumped to her side. He gently eased her twitching back as Ayame emptied her lunch of stew and bread. After spitting out the last of the bile, Ayame pushed the bucket away, groaning. Kurogane's free hand poured out a glass of water, which she took from him eagerly, while his other hand continued to rub soothing circles into her back. Ayame quickly drained the glass and set it down with a small sigh.

"Do you need more?" he asked.

Ayame shook her head in response, her eyes travelling to Kurogane's hand still on her back.

Kurogane blushed a deep red and swiftly pulled his hand away. He mentally hit himself for letting his guard down the way he just did. What was he thinking? Back in Hanshin, he had decided that he would not let his past influence the way he behaved around Ayame, but now, seeing her in that state, he just couldn't help it.

Ayame's brow furrowed a little as she observed Kurogane's reaction. He could see that she was itching to say something. However, when she finally opened her mouth, she said, "I shouldn't have mentioned that I was feeling better. I think I jinxed it"

She gave him a small smile. Kurogane understood the meaning behind it. It meant that she had noticed his reaction, that she knew what it meant, and that she was choosing to ignore it… for now. Kurogane decided to go along with her choice as well… for now.

They both just sat there, Ayame staring into her hands, lost in thought; and Kurogane keeping his eyes fixed on the towel lying on the floor. The silence they had fallen into was awkward and shifting. It made Kurogane feel queasy. When he finally reached the point where he couldn't take it anymore, he broke the quiet.

"You didn't pay any attention to my advice, did you?" he asked.

There was a sharp intake of breath as Ayame was shaken out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I told you to take care of yourself, to not push yourself too hard; but you went ahead and did it anyway" Kurogane said.

Ayame raised an amused eyebrow and said, "So you disapprove of my actions?"

"Of course I disapprove" Kurogane said, a lot more quickly than he would have liked.

Ayame chuckled. Kurogane scowled and turned away with a huff.

"You're wrong you know"

Kurogane turned back to see Ayame smiling at him.

"I did pay attention to what you told me"

It was Kurogane's turn to raise an amused eyebrow. His eyes traced the bags under Ayame's eyes, the trembling of her fingers and he took note of her languid breathing before saying, "And that's how you end up?"

"I had to do what I had to do" Ayame said primly. Then after a pause, she added, "I knew it would take a toll on me, but I also knew that it wouldn't kill me; I knew I would recover. So see, I did remember what you told me outside the castle"

"You worried the kids" Kurogane said.

A fond smile worked its way across Ayame's face.

"I really did, didn't I? I need to apologise to them both. The same way I need to apologise to you too"

Kurogane flinched just a little.

"Why do you need to apologise to me?"

The spark of mischief in Ayame's eyes did not match the innocence in her voice when she said, "Well, I worried you too, didn't I?"

Kurogane's ears felt like they were on fire. He crossed his arms and looked away pointedly, before saying, "Why the hell would I be worried? Of course I wasn't worried"

The blush on Kurogane's cheeks deepened as Ayame continued to shake with laughter.

"Maybe you should apologise to the mage while you're at it" Kurogane grunted when Ayame finally stopped giggling, "He has been driving me crazy with all his talk about medicines and helping out around the house"

"You know… that's a little odd" Ayame said, her forehead scrunching into a thoughtful frown.

The sudden change of tone piqued Kurogane's interest.

"What is odd?"

Ayame looked startled, as if she had accidentally spoken out loud. Realising that she had to answer, she said carefully, "It's just that… Fai-san being a fully-fledged mage and all, should know that my illness is magical in nature; not physical. My body only needs time to adjust. It's odd that he is fretting over medicines"

A soft hum was all the response Kurogane gave while his mind replayed Fai's behaviour from the past three days. In light of this fact, all of Fai's worrying did seem odd. Kurogane's previous guess was probably right.

"Guilt" he simply said.

"Guilt" Ayame repeats, not as question, but as confirmation.

Kurogane was about to respond when the door slid open and a mop of blonde hair poked into the room.

"Wah~! Our Warrior Princess is awake at last!"

Ayame huffed as Fai walked in and plopped himself down next to Kurogane.

"How art thou feeling, oh Warrior Princess?" Fai asked dramatically.

"Stop calling me that, please" said Ayame, "And I am feeling a lot better"

Fai hopped to his knees and took Ayame's left hand in his own before declaring, "It gladdens my heart to heareth that, oh Warrior Princess"

Ayame pulled out her hand and smacked him on his head, saying, "I told you to stop that!"

While Fai rubbed the victimised spot on his head and said something about Ayame not being a sport, Kurogane could barely contain his irritation. He had seen through Fai's charade. All that drama just now was done not only to annoy Ayame, but also to check if all the acid burns on her left arm were gone; Kurogane did not miss the sapphire eyes quickly scanning Ayame's arm. If he wanted to know, why couldn't the mage simply ask; like normal people? Why did he have to hide behind such frivolous nonsense?

"Kuro-wu loves the nicknames I give him!"

The sudden mention of his name… more like the sudden mutilation of his name, pulled Kurogane back into the conversation. The ninja was about to make his position on the nicknames very clear when another voice cut him off.

"Yes. I like them very much"

Ayame turned to stare at Kurogane, her eyes wide open with surprise. Even Fai looked mildly astonished. To say Kurogane was shocked was putting it lightly. The voice that had answered sounded exactly like Kurogane's; but he hadn't uttered a single word!

"I think the nicknames are very appropriate and adorable" Kurogane's voice continued.

The ninja's shock quickly turned to anger as he tried to locate the source of the voice. He found it soon enough – a small mound under Ayame's blanket. He pulled it off to find a thoroughly amused Mokona, whose ears were trembling with barely contained laughter.

"WHY YOU LITTLE DEVIL!" Kurogane roared, lunging for the little creature, "I WILL GUT YOU IN YOUR SLEEP AND EAT YOU FOR BREAKFAST!"

"Kuro-puu is mad! So mad!" Mokona sang, this time in Ayame's voice; jumping out of harm's way and into Fai's waiting hands.

"That was a very good imitation, Mokona!" Fai said.

"It is one of Mokona's 108 secret abilities!" Mokona piped up.

Fai leaned in a little closer and asked, "What about the other 107?"

At this, Mokona assumed a self-important air and answered cautiously, "It is a secret!"

"You are such a tease, Mokona" Fai cooed, nuzzling the furry creature, while Ayame laughed.

"Whatever" Kurogane huffed.

XXX

A/N: I'm sorry this update took so long! I just joined my first job and the cross country move and the new job timings took a while to get adjusted to. I'm not fully integrated into this lifestyle yet, but I tried my best to get this update out as soon as possible. I will try my level best to put out at least two updates every month, three if I get lucky. But be assured, I will not be abandoning this fic!

P.S: Do not be disheartened AyamexFai shippers! I promise to make the country of Jade a very interesting place for them :P

Till the next time :)