Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any of the CLAMP works.

The fight that ensued to obtain Sakura's body afterwards descended into complete chaos. The mad king, Ashura-ou, easily pushed Syaoran back, he blocked all of Fai's attacks, and he dealt Kurogane a heavy blow that left the ninja severely wounded. Still, perhaps it was a fluke of luck, but in a moment of inattentiveness on Ashura-ou's side Fai managed to get to Sakura; once he got her, he quickly handed her over to Syaoran.

"Take Sakura," he said to the boy, "and..."

"No..." Syaoran protested, "don't..."

But Fai pushed Syaoran's hand away and stood back up to face Ashura-ou. "All I've been is weak!" he told the mad king, "I have never been kindhearted. And it's that very weakness of mine that brought us to this point! Let's end this now, your majesty. Let's fulfill your wish. And fulfill mine as well."

It was clear what Fai desired. He wished to kill Ashura-ou and die alongside with him. But anyone could tell that it was not possible. Even Kamui, whose acquaintance with the group had been only for a very short time and was shallow at best, knew that Fai, in his current state, could never defeat Ashura-ou.

"He needs help..." Kamui whispered to himself.

In that moment, movement beside him caught his eye. Kurogane was weakened, but he still struggled up to stand. "He needs help? He gets it," the ninja stated, and then he charged forward.

His sword plunged into Ashura-ou's chest.

It became Ashura-ou's deathblow. With his last breath, the king smiled and said his goodbye to Fai, "I was hoping that you would kill me, and that would remove the final curse from you, but... with their help you may yet overcome your curse."

When the king died, a feather appeared from the real Fai's body; the memory of the valley fluttered in the air, before it returned into Sakura's being. With Sakura's feather no longer sustaining the child's body, the long-dead twin, finally disintegrated and disappeared, leaving only his brother Yuui, who was now Fai.

It was in that that moment that Fai's second curse was activated; Mokona opened the portal, but -while the world of Celes was closing itself- no one could pass through. Because of Fai's magic, and they were all trapped inside. All but one...

"I'm not part of this group," Kamui realized. "I've never been part of it. The curse doesn't bind me, but I can also not interfere with their fates, the same way they cannot interfere with mine. We are from two separate stories. Their journey is not mine; their destiny, not mine. I've only been walking along side them as pedestrians would do, sharing an intersecting path before parting ways once more."

He waited to see what happened, but the group hardly appeared to even notice him.

Syaoran desperately clutched onto Sakura and Mokona. Fai used his last magic to push them out of the crumbling world to which they were bound, but it wasn't enough, what magic remained in his last eye had been depleted by the fight before, and only Syaoran and Sakura could pass. Mokona then threw in one of its magical earrings, anchoring the world long enough to let Kurogane pass through. But the ninja could not let the mage go; in a last desperate attempt to save Fai, he sacrificed his own arm, cutting it off and leaving it behind in Celes. That arm had been infused with Fai's magic before. It was enough... barely, to allow Fai to pass through.

Kamui watched the group reach their new world in safety. Watanuki had said that these people already knew what dangers they were to face, but Kamui believed now that they would come through in the end, because they were strong and Kamui had faith in them. With those thoughts easing the worries in mind, Kamui silently departed from them, in search of his own destiny.

He remembered what Yuuko had told him then.

Understand, Kamui, that once you leave Celes, you cannot travel further with Syaoran, Fai, Kurogane and Mokona. The first price that was paid only allows you to journey past Celes.

His journey with them was over. But he was not done travelling. A second price had been paid. He remembered what Yuuko said about that as well.

You will cross that bridge once you reach it.

He wasn't certain what kind of world this was, but Kurogane, upon arrival, seemed eerily at home. It was his gut talking to him, but Kamui was certain that was the ninja's home world.

Cross that bridge once you reach it...

Was there a bridge here somewhere?

TBC...