A.N.- The story is complete, but I've broken up the chapter which was a bit long. This is part 1. Part 2 will be up in a few minutes.

The End- Part 1

The companions travelled across the hazy green Wastelands for a day and a half before the grass on the ground became thinner and paler before eventually being completely replaced by a thick blanket of sparkling white snow. Syaoran gazed in awe at the uniform, dazzling whiteness of the Snow Queen's Kingdom. There were no birds in the pale grey sky, there were no burrowing animals. All was still and empty and cold.

"Never have I seen anything like this" the boy breathed, starting at the sight of his own breath now a small puff of dissipating smoke.

"You have led your entire life within the confines of the Golden Forest," answered Kurogane, squinting his eyes and looking for something, "you've never known winter." He glanced at his young friend, "be wary. Winter is very beautiful, transcendent even, but it's cruel. The animals starve and die. The flowers and plants suffocate under the snow. In my village children died this time of year. It's beautiful but very cruel."

"The Lady Tomoyo called it the Land of the Polar Bears. What are those?"

"I do not know."

"We had bears in the forest," said Syaoran conversationally, "but they were dark brown or black. They were friendly and wise. They were friends. I wonder if we would find allies within these Polar Bears?"

"I somehow doubt it." Kurogane coughed a little, his chest rattling. The Poet looked concerned but said nothing; if he fussed Kurogane would only become angry. "In every land I've been too," continued Kurogane, "the moods of its Masters affected their environment. The Sage's Summer Garden was beautiful, but limited and ultimately false. The Land of Spring was desolate and miserable as was the girl being tortured within it. The Forest of Autumn was a place of dignity and wisdom, as were your fair Ladies. If this land is ruled by one who is cruel and selfish, then I highly doubt the creatures will be any better."

"I wonder how the Snow Queen got that way, especially when the others seem so nice?"

"Only a poet or philosopher would wonder about such a thing. All I care about is saving my friend."

"What shall you do if you succeed in saving him?"

"Take him home of course, back to his mother. Make sure he gets back to his old self."

"Then what?" pushed the boy, "continue the same as before." Kurogane shrugged and said nothing. His chest was hurting and his head felt heavy. He wasn't sure what Syaoran was angling for and felt no patience for it. The boy could just come out and say what it was that he was thinking.

"You will have both changed," the younger insisted, "so much! You have both been through pain. You will not be the same and neither will your relationship. You may even need to start it all over again. It may have transformed into something more. I believe your feelings have."

"You don't know what you're talking about. You never knew us before and you still do not know Fai. We have been friends since early childhood."

"How did you meet?"

"Living in a village I'd caught glimpses of him now and then, but only for a moment. I was engaged with my sisters and parents and hadn't paid much heed to other children, especially ones that were older than myself. But the day we truly met and made friends was during the summer. I think I was around six years old so Fai was about seven or eight. I was walking, where to I do not remember, and I heard weeping. I followed the sound until I saw Fai, standing in a field. He was softly crying. A little black rabbit lay dead on the ground. I wasn't a sentimental child," he shifted and coughed a little, "but something about Fai crying got to me. I walked towards him and hearing my steps, he turned to look at me."

Kurogane paused and gulped, "he was very beautiful. I couldn't believe it. Blonde hair and blue eyes are not rare in my village. If anything I'm the unusual one. But for some reason I felt like I had never seen anything like him before. I continued walking over once my breath had returned and I held his hand. He smiled at me and suddenly everything was so much warmer. I mean, it was warm anyway, it was the height of summer- but in that moment it was something like magic. And that's the thing…we smiled at each other and then looked down. The rabbit was alive and nibbling grass at our feet.

"Ever since that day, Fai and I were close friends and I always believed that there was a magic deep within him. I mentioned it a few times, but he always laughed. The rabbit lived a few more years before eventually succumbing to old age."

"That's a beautiful way of starting a friendship," said Syaoran, "you two were destined for one another. How do you feel about the idea of Fai getting married one day, perhaps to a pretty woman and having children?"

Kurogane shook his head, "I would be there on his wedding day. I'd hug him and congratulate his wife. I'd adore his children and teach them how to defend themselves."

"And if you marry?"

Kurogane tried to imagine himself with a wife, perhaps a pretty dark-haired girl, intelligent as Tomoyo, as sweet as Rika and as kindly as Sakura. He couldn't see it. It didn't fit. If Fai was married he'd just be there for them.

"I don't think I'm cut out for marriage," he at last.

"Would you marry Fai?"

"I would like to be with him forever…" Kurogane muttered, knowing marriage meant more than that. He imagined kissing Fai, making love to him, knowing him more deeply, emotionally, psychologically and physically, more than anyone else. He felt warmth flowing through his body and whilst the feeling was pleasant, he suddenly felt as if the thoughts were somehow obscene. He had no idea how Fai felt, and he didn't want to tart imagining feelings there that weren't true.

"Why do you ask such nonsense!" he bit out angrily.

"Because I think you love Fai, more than a brother. Perhaps before you thought of Fai that way and maybe he felt that way about you but I am not sure. But now…now things are going to be different."

Kurogane coughed before answering, "Fai is a beautiful person. Love is not anything to do with it. I will save him and I have no expectations. Do not thrust your theories onto me Poet."

Syaoran nodded his assent and did not press the matter. It was true that it was possible that Fai did not love Kurogane, and Syaoran did not want to build up his friend's hope only to have it all crash down around him.

Mokona inclined her head and began to walk in a new direction without Kurogane leading her. "Where are you going horse?" he barked.

She looked back at him with amused and too intelligent eyes.

"She's enchanted you know," said Syaoran, "all our creatures are. Autumn is the most magical season, magic is everywhere, it permeates everything. These steeds are magical, such as Golden-Oak here," he tapped his own chestnut horse, "but Mokona even more so than usual. She knows exactly where she is going."

"And yet she is not a creature of Autumn but one of Winter," Kurogane responded dryly, "are you sure Autumn is the most magical season?"

Syaoran shrugged, "it's the one with the wildest magic then, at least."

Mokona continued through the heavy snow, Golden-Oak cautiously following in her footsteps.

As they walked snowflakes began to fall from the sky. They were beautiful, intricate and delicate but they filled Syaoran with foreboding after Kurogane's earlier talk. This Snow Queen should be a fearful adversary indeed. He thought back of his beautiful Sakura sitting under a honey-coloured tree and sighed with longing and sadness. If he survived this Land of Cold what would he do? Where would he go? He glanced up at his dark and silent companion. Would Kurogane still want him around?

They sky turned from pale grey into a deep blackness. There way of lit only by the moon. Up ahead a fortress began to make itself known to them. It was a high building, one that was clear blue.

"Ice," muttered Kurogane before saying more loudly, "do you see that Syaoran? It's a castle of ice. Surely a palace for a Snow Queen!"

"Who goes there?" snarled a deep guttural voice out in the darkness.

Golden-Oak reared slightly in shock, but Mokona stayed still and calm. Out of the darkness four large, white wolves padded towards the men.

"I am Kurogane," the dark man gripped the reins tightly. "And my friend is the Poet Syaoran. We are looking for someone. We come in peace."

"And yet," snarled one of the wolves, "you come with blades and fiery hearts. Our Queen does not like trespassers on her land."

Kurogane noted that more wolves were circling them. He could not see them in the darkness, but he could hear them.

"We will leave this and as soon as possible," said Syaoran in the calm and commanding voice of a natural leader. "But first we seek an audience with your Queen. We are looking for something."

"Everything here belongs to the Queen and she is not one to share," the wolves were drooling now, "food rarely walks into this domain. Since the last of the Snow Horses fled, we have been hungry, forced to feed on the weakest of our own kind and the corpses of starved Polar Bears."

"We have food that we can give you," said Kurogane, feeling for his sword and becoming increasingly anxious. Syaoran's horse Golden-Oak was sweating and panting, desperate to run from the predators but obeying its master's command to stay standing still.

"No, we are not pets. Live bait is what we desire. You were fools to come here!" The wolf launched itself at Kurogane, who lifted him arm. It bit into it viciously, but he had enough strength to throw it off himself.

Mokona had reared herself up, her powerful hooves beat down at the wolves with an unusual power. They yelped and leapt out the way, snapping their jaws all the while.

Golden-Oak let out a shriek of fear, pounding his much thinner horse legs at the wolves. The majority began to aim for him and Syaoran, doubtless viewing them as easier prey. The chestnut horse rose high into the air in terror, and in doing so threw Syaoran from his back.

Kurogane leapt off Mokona ordering her to stay with Golden-Oak. He ran past the circle of wolves and stood in front of Syaoran, who was half sitting up on the ground. The boy was breathing heavily; he was injured.

The dark warrior bought out Ginyru and held it out in front of him. The blade sang with the hope of blood and glistened in the moonlight.

For a moment the wolves hesitated. Normally wolves are intelligent creatures, but this night their hunger overtook their senses, and the wolves pounded forward blinding.

Kurogane struck out. The first wolf lost its head.

The men stared at the headless wolf as it slowly fell to the ground. The beheading had been so quick, the body had not responded in time.

A few of the wolves stepped back now, but the others charged again, this time as a pack.

Two leapt either side of Kurogane, biting deep into his arms and disabling him from using his sword. Another jumped onto his chest aiming to tear out his throat.

Syaoran had recovered enough to stand now and his grasped his small dagger (used til now only for cutting bark and fruits) and plunged it into the heart of a wolf who had slipped past Kurogane and onto the boy.

He pushed the wolf off and ran to Kurogane who had now flung one of the wolves off his left arm and grabbed the wolf on his chest by its throat. As he slowly killed it, Syaoran slit the throat of the wolf that was attacking Kurogane's sword arm, freeing the warrior completely.

The wolf fell, and soon after so did the wolf Kurogane had strangled. The surviving wolves ran away, yelping into the night.

Kurogane turned to see the horses were alright. One dead wolf lay at the hooves of Mokona, who had no doubt trampled it to death. Golden-Oak was behind her shivering slightly.

Syaoran went to comfort him, but Kurogane stopped him. "Are you alright? I thought you were injured from the fall?"

"I am a little hurt," was the honest reply, "my leg aches. But I can continue on."

Kurogane nodded and watched the boy continue up to a bashful and apologetic Golden-Oak. Kurogane felt a little guilty for allowing Syaoran come with him into such a dangerous adventure, but then he began to cough viciously and noted that this time, blood had spattered out of him mouth and onto his hands. It was wet and sticky and glistening.

The Redleaf servants were correct, he was dying.

He wiped his hands and gazed at the Ice Castle. They hadn't got long.

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