So... I might have neglected to mention that this thing has a total of 10 chapters. After which we'll take a short break while I post my modern-world KuroFai AU. (Currently 16k words, unsure if I should split it into 2 or more parts.)
Reader - Fai is finally in trouble! It was definitely coming to him. So glad you enjoyed the family dynamics and the conversations with the kids! It's not something we see very often in kurofai fics ;) Fai sucking blood comes back to kick him in the butt, ha. ;)
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle and its characters do not belong to me.
the sands of Harasa
Chapter 8: A Loved One
They had been in the middle of a spar when Kurogane caught movement from the corner of his eye. He twisted away from the boy, studied the growing shape floating across the flooded wash. It wasn't the flat surface that Fai and Sakura had left on, but there were two people in it all the same, and Syaoran's exclamation proved his suspicions right. "It's them! They're back!"
"Yeah," he answered. Syaoran turned a bright grin on him; he couldn't help smirking. Fai had delivered, and he was proud of the idiot for pulling through.
Except the blanket wobbled in midair, and it wasn't slowing down when it approached. Sakura had a hand on Fai. She wasn't waving at Kurogane or Syaoran; both her attention and Mokona's were focused on the wizard, who was shaking his head, blinking blearily.
Then the blanket tipped, and all its passengers were sent sprawling across red dirt, scarce yards away from their temporary campsite. Kurogane swore. He was running before he was truly conscious of it, noting the way Sakura pushed herself onto her arms and looked around. He changed courses, stopping right next to Fai and extricating him from the blanket. The wizard was limp.
"Kurogane-san! Fai-san, he hasn't been feeling well the entire way back," Sakura said, crawling over to them. He examined her briefly—dirt had smudged across her face and arms, but she looked otherwise unharmed. The white lump was hanging on to her cloak. "I think it's heatstroke. I don't think he had enough water."
"You idiot," he seethed, gathering the wizard up in his arms. His heart thudded painfully in his ribs.
Through all the times he'd scooped Fai against himself in Yama, the wizard had never felt so light and fragile as this. It made him scared, because he was reminded of his mother, small and fragile and limp.
Syaoran had joined the princess by his side; Kurogane carried the wizard to the shadow of the nearest rock, where the oppressive heat of the suns immediately eased. "You're sure it's heatstroke."
Sakura nodded. "We weren't attacked at all. Fai-san just said he needed to close his eyes. He was flushed the whole time we were coming back. I tried getting him to drink, but I didn't think he needed more than that. I'm sorry."
Kurogane snorted, glared down at the unconscious blond. Fai's forehead was pinkish, and so were his cheeks. His lips were chapped. "Not your fault. What do I do?"
"If it's heatstroke, we'll have to cool him down," the boy said, looking around them. There wasn't much available—the floodwaters were murky and questionable, and all they had were shade and water. "You'll, um, have to remove all the unnecessary clothes, Kurogane-san."
He didn't want to do that here, if he could. Not out in the open, and not with the kids staring at them like that. Kurogane tugged Fai's hood over his face, carried him a little ways deeper into the cliffs, where there were narrow crevices between rocks that would offer Fai some privacy. "And then what?"
"Wet his skin. It'll help cool him off. If we were on another world, I'd say to use ice, but all we have now is just water." The kids were still with him, and Sakura had grabbed a couple bottles of water and the blanket. "I can do it if you'd rather—"
"Save it. I'll do this myself. Just go tend the fire. Eat something. I'll yell if I need anything." Kurogane rounded the leaves of a juniper tree, found the little space beyond satisfactory. "You know where I am. The meat's probably cooked by now."
"Do tell us when Fai-san is feeling better," Sakura implored, green eyes shimmering. "I'll come by with some food for you later."
"All right. Now go." He set the wizard down, nodded his thanks when the princess left the water and blanket behind.
They were in a small canyon of some sort, with walls of rough red rock rising above them. This particular crevice was a dead end. Above, the sky was bright blue between the rock faces, almost too bright to be stared at for too long. Kurogane sighed, unbuckled Fai's cloak and spread it out. The suns had passed over this spot earlier—the ground was warm and dry, and the air in the shade was still. It was quiet in here.
He set to work stripping Fai of his clothes, gaining a new appreciation for the idiot when he was awake. Right now, Fai was a dead weight, and he received no cooperation whatsoever in getting his shirt off. So, he leaned Fai against his chest, peeled away his tight shirt and pants.
There were bruises on pale thighs. Faded, yellow-green bruises that were almost gone.
Kurogane frowned, tugged black pants absently off bony feet. He didn't remember seeing those bruises last night, when Fai had stripped briefly to wring his clothes out. Maybe he hadn't been looking closely, but. When had Fai hurt himself?
For good measure, Kurogane undressed the blond completely, grabbed one bottle of water, and cut a piece out of the blanket so he could use it as a rag.
As far as he knew, Fai hadn't done much here that would get him hurt. He'd been leaving the driving to Kurogane, and bouncing on those plastic seats hadn't given him bruises.
They had landed hard on those steeds back in Yama, though. Kurogane traced the bruises with his eyes, turned Fai over to check his tailbone.
And there, an angry purple-green that still had not faded, was another bruise.
"You're a fucking idiot," he told the wizard. Fai didn't answer.
He wet the rag, ran it over the idiot's forehead, neck and torso. His back was warm. More water went onto the rag, and Kurogane took care to wipe the tattoo down gently. It didn't take long to identify the warmest parts of Fai's body—armpits, groin, neck, back. Kurogane fanned the wizard dry with his hand, repeated the towel bath. When that was done, he set the rag on the bottles, pressed his mouth to Fai's temple, and set him back on his open cloak.
Fai, when unconscious, looked far less happy than usual. Maybe it was the way he held his lips in a perpetual half-smile when he was awake. How long had he been doing that? All his life, perhaps.
Another bath later, Kurogane decided that Fai would be better off lying on his front. Maybe he wanted to see Nemi again, but it really was because Fai's back had the greatest surface area, and he could still reach his armpits and neck from this angle. Exposing his back to air would cool him in the shortest time.
He turned Fai carefully over, thought about Yasha's steeds, and slipped a hand between the wizard's thighs, spreading them open. Kurogane winced. Fai had a bruise on the underside of his balls, more green than yellow. And he never said a damn word about all this.
Kurogane glowered at that blond head. Was that why he looked so uncomfortable about the kids' bruises?
"You could've just told me, damn you." Not that he could do much about them right now. He wet the entirety of Fai's back again, frowned at the phoenix. "And you were supposed to take care of him."
At least the tattoo wasn't a breathing, talking thing like the white lump.
Kurogane turned Fai on his side, ran the rag over him, and poured a thin stream of water onto the back of his head, ruffling his hair so it spread across his scalp.
He hadn't looked closely in daylight before, but Fai's hair was soft and fine, like spun silk. Or sunlight. It had been the first time he'd ever seen hair this color, and though there was hair of all colors in Hanshin, Sorata had said they were unnatural. Fai's was real. Kurogane rubbed the fine strands between his fingers, thought back to Yama. Where he'd had to trim his own hair with a blade, Fai's barely grew at all in their time there.
He ran his fingers through Fai's hair, thought about the last night he'd seen his parents together. When his father had kissed his mother's hair.
Kurogane swallowed.
He thought about doing the same, could not. Fai wouldn't accept it. This was nothing like what his parents had.
He pulled his fingers away, in case Fai woke to find him touching his hair. (It had been fine, when Fai was the one to touch his hair, but he wasn't sure how the idiot would react to this.) Kurogane looked further down, at the phoenix on Fai's thin back. The damp was drying; he ran the wet rag over Fai's skin again, set it aside.
The wizard had mentioned that the phoenix liked him. Whether it was really the case, Kurogane didn't know. He wanted to stroke it with his fingers. But this was broad daylight, and if it was sentient, it would be rude not to greet it first. He'd greeted his family's guardian spirit before; this wasn't any different. So, Kurogane muttered, "hey."
The phoenix didn't respond, merely rose and fell with Fai's breathing.
Kurogane reached forward, stroked his thumb over the phoenix's crown. Fai's skin was warm and smooth, and the phoenix remained still. Slowly, he traced the bold, sweeping lines of its wings, the circles and swirls, until he'd covered every last curl of ink. And he hadn't had enough, not really. He'd touched it countless times by now, under the flicker of the bathing tent lamp, and in the cloak of darkness, Fai sweating beneath him.
Whatever it was, the phoenix was still part of Fai. Perhaps it was all the best parts of himself he couldn't see.
Kurogane pressed a brief kiss to the phoenix's head, and drew away.
It took a while before the pinkness of Fai's skin dissipated. When it did, he stirred, fingers clenching by his sides. He sucked a sharp breath, looked down at himself, and froze.
"You're an idiot," Kurogane said, pulling away from the cliff face he'd been leaning against. Relief unfurled in his chest.
"Kuro— What— The children?" Fai sat up, and the shirt that had been draped across his hips slipped a little.
"They're fine," he said roughly, shoving a fresh bottle of water at the wizard. Sakura had come by with two more bottles of water, and he'd intercepted her before she could round the leafy tree. "Probably doing kata together."
Fai's shoulders sagged. He took the bottle gingerly, glanced around them, and down at himself. "What happened?"
"Tch. Heatstroke. I told you to drink the damn water, and you didn't fucking listen." Kurogane rolled his eyes, watched as Fai took a small sip. "Drink half of that, you idiot. I'm not returning your clothes if you don't."
The wizard's eyes grew wide. He drank again. His voice was distractingly hoarse. "What kind of game are you trying to play this time, Kuro-sama?"
"I'm making you stay hydrated. Idiot." He rolled his eyes, grabbed the lump of clothes next to him and waved it at the blond. "Drink more. I didn't say to stop."
Only when Fai had downed a decent portion of water did he toss the clothes over. Kurogane watched as Fai pulled his shirt and underwear on.
"Those bruises."
Fai tensed, looked up. "What bruises?"
He sighed gustily through his nose, yanked Fai over by his arm and sat him in his lap, facing away. "These."
Kurogane pressed a firm finger against his tailbone. Fai jerked and yelped. "Ow! What are you doing—"
He held the idiot down with an arm around his waist, slid his hand further down. "Were you waiting for me to discover this?"
He'd grown up learning to massage bruises so they healed faster. Fai made a little strangled noise in his throat when Kurogane rubbed him gently. This wasn't sex, though, but Fai stiffened all the same, didn't make a single noise.
"You seemed to know something about the bruises on the kids," he added after a while. At this, the blond set his palms on Kurogane's knees, ready to heave himself away.
"I know just as much as you do, Kuro-pon."
"You're lying."
Fai's smile, when he turned around, was big and bright. Kurogane sighed, pulled his hands off. "You aren't all that truthful yourself, Kuro-rin." Fai looked away. Quietly, "you promised."
Just like that, the air between them shifted. Kurogane gulped. "What do you want?"
Fai licked his lips, fingers curled around the soft material of his pants. Carefully, Kurogane set his hands on the wizard's waist, brushed fingers past the hem of his shirt. Fai shivered, leaned back a little.
This wasn't the right time for anything, but he remembered the hot and wet from last night, and it sent a rush of blood south.
A branch snapped.
Fai scooted out of Kurogane's lap so fast he tripped and landed on all fours, and Kurogane's eyes fell to the curve of his ass. It didn't help.
This was how Sakura found them when she stepped around the juniper tree; Kurogane still staring at Fai's ass, and Fai struggling to pull his pants on.
"I'm sorry!" Sakura gasped, backing out of sight the moment she saw them. "I was just here to bring water, and, um, I'm glad you're feeling better, Fai-san!"
"I'm sorry about earlier, Sakura-chan," the wizard said, hurrying to the mouth of the crevice the moment he found his footing, shrugging his cloak on. "I was just getting dressed—it's hot here, isn't it?"
Kurogane blew out a long breath, collected the blanket and bottles of water. He hadn't expected the girl to show up suddenly, but he'd been distracted by Fai. Again. He caught up with the pair, listened in when Sakura told the wizard about the cooked meat waiting for them. She turned to Kurogane next and beamed. "Syaoran-kun has been showing me more of the kata. Is that okay?"
He gave a slight nod. "Yeah, sure. Show me what he taught you later."
Fai turned and smiled, reaching up to pat him on the head. "Kuro-ron really deserves an award for being the best father!"
Sakura flushed; Kurogane tried to deck him. The wizard slipped away with a delighted laugh.
They wove through the rock walls back to the temporary campsite, where a yellow fire was burning in a circle of stones. Mokona was sitting alone by the roasting snake pieces, talking to Yuuko through her circular projection. Kurogane blinked.
Yuuko turned her gaze on them when they approached. Sakura and Fai greeted her cheerfully; Kurogane folded his arms, kept his mouth shut. Sure, he wanted to buy something from her, but that didn't mean he had to act like they were friends.
"Good to see that you've recovered, Fai," Yuuko said, her voice slightly tinny. "And Kurogane—ungracious as usual."
"Tch. Where's the kid?" He did a quick sweep of the sparse campsite, found no sign of the boy.
"Syaoran-kun said he'd go look for water," Sakura answered, turning to him. "I volunteered to go with him, but he said to keep the fire going for you and Fai-san."
"And Mokona needs to be around so everybody can talk to each other," the white thing said. "Fai! Mokona is happy that Fai is awake!"
The wizard swooped down to hug Mokona. Kurogane stood away from the ensuing conversation. He would talk to the witch in private later.
When Yuuko's connection ended, he turned to Sakura. "Did you eat?"
She shook her head. "I was waiting for you and Fai-san. Syaoran-kun said the snake meat is delicious, though!"
"It smells good!" Mokona chimed. She hopped onto a rock to pull a skewer out, and her piece of meat disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Don't eat it all," Kurogane told her, settling down by the fire to sample a piece. It smelled like smoked meat, and his mouth watered. Breakfast was hours ago; he'd spent some of his time by Fai's side thinking about food. The meat itself looked decent—Syaoran had flipped the skewers so they cooked evenly, and it was firm between his teeth. He reached out for another slice.
"Snake?" Fai pulled a face. He sat down next to Kurogane, however, thin fingers pulling a skewer out of the fire pit.
"Thought you eat your snakes whole," Kurogane said. After all that dried food, warm, fresh meat tasted very good on his tongue.
"That is different, Kuro-pon." The wizard shuddered. He turned his piece of meat over, sniffing at it. "They look slippery. And slimy."
On his other side, Sakura bit into a slice. "It tastes like chicken! And it's delicious, Kurogane-san!"
Kurogane nodded at the princess. "Even she likes it."
"But Sakura-chan liked the raw fish in that other world." Fai winced, turned his skewer again. His stomach rumbled.
Kurogane rolled his eyes and polished off his second slice of snake. On the other side of the campfire, Mokona was steadily depleting their supply. "The white thing is gonna finish all of it if you don't start eating."
Fai grimaced, peeled his lips back, and bit gingerly into the edge of white meat. He chewed and swallowed, and the wince eased off his face. "It's bland."
Kurogane reached over to tap the side of his head. "Eat it and find something else to complain about."
By the time Fai finished his slab of meat, Kurogane had eaten three, and the princess had had two. Kurogane swatted Mokona away from the remaining pieces.
"Did the kid have enough? We gonna save some for him?"
"Syaoran-kun said he'd had enough," Sakura answered with a burp. She flushed. "What about you, Fai-san?"
The blond shook his head violently. "That's enough. It tasted funny. Maybe Kuro-pon should hunt some rabbit instead."
Kurogane angled a punch at him; Fai rolled away. "Go hunt for food yourself."
It was late afternoon in this world. The shadows were drawing longer, and the sky was turning a darker yellow-blue on one side. Kurogane stood up to survey the wash. The water had gone down somewhat, exposing the top of the car hood. He had no idea how much water had got into the engine at this point, however, and he was reluctant to step into the fish-infested waters. Were they waiting until the wash had completely dried?
"When did the kid say he'll be back?" he asked the princess. He didn't sense the boy anywhere nearby, and he'd be damned if they had to go rescue him somehow. At least Syaoran had brought his sword along. "Also, when did he leave?"
Sakura looked up. She was sitting next to Fai, copying his moves—legs straight, hands reaching out to touch her toes. "He left when I went to check on you and Fai-san the second time. So... not too long ago. He said he'd be back in an hour or two."
"Huh." Kurogane looked at the sky again. There were possibly two hours before sunset. They hadn't much water left, though; the kid was right. Fai's recovery had depleted some of their water, and there were three bottles remaining. Kurogane could only assume that Syaoran had taken a bottle with him. The rest of their water supply was on the car roof, in that plastic drum they'd left behind.
At least they still had water within reach, and there was no need to start collecting it with bowls and plates and that sort of thing.
"Kuro-wan, are you going to do some stretches with us?" Fai beamed up at him. He was on his front, now, propping his torso up on his arms as he leaned back. The princess was almost as flexible as the wizard was. She did the same exercise with ease, and Fai was enthusiastic in his approval.
"I'm going to get more firewood," Kurogane said, turning away to locate Mokona. "Oi, meat bun. Come with me."
"Whee!" she cheered, bounding up onto his shoulder as he crossed to the far end of their campsite. "Kuro-rin gives Mokona a ride!"
"Yeah, whatever." It was the perfect opportunity, he figured, both to scout around for the boy, as well as to find a secluded spot to talk to the witch. "You weren't hurt when you got lost?"
"Nope," she sang. The white thing did a waddling dance across his shoulders, fell into the hood of his cloak with a squeal. "Kuro-tan is Mokona's playground!"
It was strange, how she was like a child but younger than the kids. Or she was like a cross between Fai and Sakura. She was an innocent like the princess, crafty like the wizard, and she had learned a great many things since they'd all met at the witch's shop. He hadn't seen anything like her before. Had Fai? Was Fai capable of creating creatures like Mokona?
He wandered down into the lower reaches of the canyon, snapping twigs off dry shrubs when he came across them. The canyon was like a maze. Kurogane had faith in the boy, however—he had a good head on his shoulders, and he would know to leave markings of some sort to guide himself back.
The lack of markings on his path didn't disturb the warrior. There were a number of entrances to start off from, and Syaoran could have picked any one of them.
Kurogane stopped when they reached a spot where Mokona's monologue didn't seem to echo as much as it did elsewhere. They were on a rounded red boulder, half-covered with tiny plants and the roots of a sprawling juniper. He remained standing, asked, "is the witch free to talk right now?"
Mokona paused on his shoulder, cocked her head up at him. "Kurogane wants to talk to Yuuko?"
"Yeah."
He watched as the gem on her head glowed into a red beam, which stretched into the wide circle of a window. Beyond that was the witch, and a wood-and-paper screen similar to the ones in Nihon. Yuuko turned to look at him, sleek eyebrows lifting in surprise.
"Kurogane. It hasn't been two minutes since I saw you."
"Tch. It's been half an hour here." He glanced around, wondered if his voice would somehow carry to the other parts of his traveling group.
When he didn't say anything else, Yuuko leaned forward. "Mokona, go to sleep for a while."
The white thing nodded, and just as soon curled up on Kurogane's shoulder. He frowned at her, took her in his hand in case she rolled off, and sat down on a gnarly grey root.
"You seemed to want privacy," Yuuko said when he looked back. He shrugged. "What is it?"
"It's about that wizard." Maybe he was wary, talking about Fai to someone like Yuuko. But Mokona trusted in this woman, and she hadn't done them injustice so far.
"Fai? What about him?"
"I want a protective charm for him. Sort of like the thing on my forehead."
Yuuko raised her eyebrows, did not comment. "Oh?"
"He isn't going to protect himself. So, someone has to look out for him."
"And your solution is a charm?"
"I can't guard him every second of the day. So yeah, a charm."
Yuuko studied him carefully, wry twist to her red lips. "The artifact we're talking about is magical. Fai is a wizard. He has the power to destroy a charm the moment it lands on him."
"Even a strong one?"
The witch's smile fell away. "Are you sure you want this, Kurogane?"
He narrowed his eyes. "What's the catch?"
"There is a price on this charm."
"I know that. What is it?"
"Your left arm, and the flesh off your back."
For a long breath, he stared at her, looked down at his arm. "Why?"
"You do not question the price. Are you sure you want this?"
He hesitated, studied the smooth, pale line on his palm. Without his arm, he would have to relearn his techniques and balance. He would be sacrificing his response speed and the safety of the kids, all for something Fai could possibly remove from himself.
It didn't seem to be worth it. He didn't even know if Fai would ever need that powerful a charm. If it was powerful at all. And Fai would run if he learned what Kurogane paid for his protection.
Kurogane swallowed, looked away. Maybe there could be a different solution. "He has a phoenix on his back," he said. "If— If he ever wants a charm for it, at any point. Is there a way you can include a protection spell in that? Without him knowing?"
"It will not be the strongest charm," Yuuko conceded. "But that can be done if Fai wants the spell of his own accord. The price will not be the same."
He nodded. "I will pay it then."
"Very well. I'll speak with you again, Kurogane." Yuuko looked solemnly at him. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, she in her simple blouse and tied-up hair. He hoped she felt the same about him. "Choose your battles wisely. That is all I can say."
He didn't know what the hell she meant, so he ignored it, waited for Mokona to wake up after the projection faded. The white lump stirred when he prodded her belly with a finger, smiling up at him. "Did Kuro-pon have a good talk with Yuuko?"
Kurogane shrugged.
"Yuuko says clever things," Mokona told him. "But she says simple things to Mokona."
"Yeah, well, the witch talks in riddles to me." He picked his firewood up, stretched his senses out for Syaoran. Nothing.
"That means Kuro-pon still has lots of learning to do!" the white thing chirped, bouncing onto his head. "Kuro-pon should go to school."
"The hell."
Mokona giggled, slid into the hood of his cloak, and he sighed, picking his way back where he came from. He wanted to see how far Fai had got in teaching the princess. The wizard didn't need help with that, at least.
Syaoran glanced up at the sky. Past the scaly, finger-like leaves of the juniper trees, and past the red, stony lip of the cliff faces, the sky was rapidly turning a royal blue. It was late. He hadn't thought he'd spent that long tracking the creek, but apparently he had. The plastic bottles he'd brought with him rattled hollowly in the hood of his cloak.
He frowned, set a foot down on a lower rock, one hand on the rough wall of a cliff. Next to him, far below, a shallow creek ran through the rocky slope, bordered on both sides by shrubs and crooked trees. It signaled a water source, and so far, whatever rock he'd found was damp on the underside—evidence of the rainfall last night. He was confident that if he followed the creek all the way to its end, he would end up at an oasis or a river, and there would be water for all of their bottles.
He couldn't wait for the gleam of pride in the princess's eyes again, the approving hand Kurogane set on his head, and Fai's bubbly praise. Sakura's smile was what kept him going deeper into the ravine, step after shaky step, and he still had water left in his bottle to sustain him through the trip back. All he needed was to get to the bottom of this place first.
Syaoran wasn't afraid of travelling alone. His father had brought him on archaeological digs many a time, and had trusted Syaoran to mind himself while he was gone. Syaoran knew to keep his eyes and ears open, to test the give of rocks before he put his entire weight on them. He knew to listen out for predators, to note food and water sources in case he needed them.
So, he knew he could care for himself in a desert. This was fine, if a little lonely, after he'd spent days and months with the princess and the rest of their traveling group.
It was also sort of calming, if he were perfectly honest with himself. Things had been very awkward last night. Kurogane had set the example of wringing his clothes dry, and Sakura had followed without much care for her modesty.
Syaoran knew it was the perfectly logical thing to do, to dry one's clothes before the chill set in. And yet. The princess didn't have all her memories back yet, so it was up to him not to look if she exposed more than she should. He remembered the brief flash of her smooth legs, paused to squeeze his eyes shut. This wasn't something he needed to remember.
It had grown worse when Kurogane motioned for him to move, because his pants had got kind of tight and he didn't want anyone to see.
Shara had been a hundred times more embarrassing. In a city with only womenfolk, there had been lapses in privacy that Syaoran had not expected. Karen's people had dressed him up, and with the rest of the troupe blissfully unaware that he was actually male, he had been offered glimpses into places that made his face burn.
There were the changing rooms, where women pulled shirts off their chests and stepped into form-fitting costumes. There had been the bathing areas, where women wrapped themselves in towels (and only towels) and he'd seen someone stepping out of her towel. (He'd whipped his head away, but the sheer expanse of skin had been burned into his head.) Then there had been the sleeping quarters, where some women wore modest garments, and others wore sheer chemises that hid absolutely nothing, and the princess blushed and murmured at how pretty they were.
(And then the ladies had dressed Sakura, and he'd turned to look at the most inopportune time. Her back was smooth and flawless, and so very beautiful.)
Syaoran had been in a state of perpetual arousal that he'd never hated as much as when he was in Shura.
He was thankful for the puffy skirts they'd put him in, because they hid far more than he could stand the women to see otherwise.
The second time they landed in Shara, he had tried to broach the topic with Fai. He hadn't known how to begin, though. He'd got as far as Fai-shen, have you seen people who look really good, and the wizard had promptly turned to Kurogane and repeated the question.
"Kuro-zif," Syaoran said to himself, voice high and stretched thin like Fai's. "Have you come across anyone who looks really, really good? Like you want to eat them?"
Kurogane had sent a dark look at Fai, glanced at Syaoran, and snapped a resolute No, you idiot.
"But Kuro-sey," Syaoran muttered, "surely there has to be someone. You've eaten a lot of people. You're big."
What Fai said and what he did didn't always match up, and Syaoran knew that it irked Kurogane to no end. Sakura had said that Fai had some things he needed to work out. It seemed to be the case—sometimes Fai smiled like he had a stomachache.
Syaoran felt a stab of guilt, right after, for parroting Fai's words. Sakura had said, gently, that people did the best they could. Yukito had told her that. He saw the way Kurogane looked at Fai, steady and brooding, and the way Fai glanced back occasionally. They had been doing that ever since Shura. While Syaoran still couldn't grasp the six months that he'd missed, it seemed to be a big deal for the two men.
Then Fai had fainted, and it was one of the only times Syaoran had ever seen his mentor pale. Kurogane hadn't even looked at him when he rushed Fai off. Syaoran had been worried, too—dehydration in the desert was no laughing matter—but Sakura had reported that Fai was doing better, so Syaoran took the time to show her the kata that Kurogane had taught him.
Sakura had whispered that she was sure Kurogane and Fai had kissed. From the sounds he'd heard, and that comic Mokona had shown them, he was positive there was more, but he didn't really want to tell the princess that. Then they had talked about snakes in the car. He could hear Kurogane's voice in his head telling him it was none of his business. And it really was.
Syaoran remembered King Touya and High Priest Yukito, how their souls kept appearing together in some worlds. For how much Touya disliked him, he liked Yukito a great deal. They had something like what Kurogane had with Fai, except Kurogane was far more inclined to hit Fai over the head.
Sakura had suggested that they leave Kurogane and Fai alone when it looked as though they had things to say to each other. It sounded like a good idea. He desperately wanted to be good friends with her again, wished he had six months alone with the princess. Teaching her the kata was a step in the right direction.
Syaoran blinked when spots appeared at the edges of his vision. He paused in his descent, one hand wrapped around a protruding rock, and tried blinking it away. It didn't work, however. The spots grew larger. There was a strange sort of roiling in his stomach.
The nausea, when it hit, was swift and overwhelming. He clutched at his middle, wobbled, crouched so he didn't lose his balance. His fingers scrabbled over rock. Had he eaten something bad?
His foot slipped; Syaoran gasped when he lost his balance and landed hard on his butt, stars blinking across his vision. A bottle bounced onto the dry, rocky creek and clattered down the slope, hollow plastic thunks echoing through the ravine.
A growing pain jabbed in his stomach. Syaoran pressed down on it, leaned his back against the cliff face so he wouldn't fall, and closed his eyes. It didn't help. He really should have brought Mokona along—she had some medicines in storage.
His head swam. His stomach lurched. He leaned forward suddenly, emptied part of his lunch onto smooth rock. Was it the snake? Had Sakura eaten it too?
He wobbled, trying to find his balance, and his hands caught on loose pebble.
Syaoran gave a strangled cry when his weight shifted and his vision grew dark. He was rolling down the slope suddenly, bumping his head and back and a whole slew of other places. Branches caught in his clothes; he smashed his elbow against rock, and something poked sharp across his cheek.
The spinning in his head didn't abate when he finally came to a stop. He was still nauseous, and he pushed his forehead to cool rock, willing the dizziness to go away. It didn't.
He found himself in a shadowy part of the ravine, splayed across bumpy rock. Next to him, a thin, silky creek flowed over tiny stones. Syaoran squinted, trying to see if the water was any good.
A shadow moved some paces away, behind a boulder.
He froze immediately, straining his eyes to see before he remembered to shut them instead. He reached his senses out. It was a huge creature that walked on all fours, and it moved slowly.
Syaoran wanted to scrabble away. There wasn't any strength left in his muscles, however, and his stomach squeezed again. At this rate, he couldn't move any distance at all before it caught up.
The shadow shuffled closer.
He closed his eyes and held his breath, hoping it would leave him alone.
A/N: Yup, this entire fic is 70k words of OH NO and at the very end is our long-awaited smut, soooo. Good luck, everybody. LOL Ratings will be bumped up to M when we hit the last chapter. Any idea what Kurogane should pay for a protection spell? He owes Yuuko for his Nihon clothes already. He owes her so much. LOL