Chapter 2

POV: Starsight

I couldn't really believe it when I hung up the phone on Lilacheart. It sounded so far-fetched, that Syaoran, Fai, and Mokona could have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They were book characters! At the same time though, I couldn't help feeling slightly ecstatic, which was quickly overtaken by a highly unusual 'fangirlyness' fit. Fai was real?

"I'm going out!" I called to my sister as I grabbed my coat. "Don't freak out again!"

I quickly shut the door before she could retort back with something worse. She tended to freak out sometimes when left home alone, though it didn't always happen.

I pulled my scarf out of my coat sleeve and wound it around my neck. It was getting colder lately; soon it would be winter. Shivering, I yanked out my gloves and pulled them on as I walked down the street. It was a good ten minute walk to Lilacheart and Soundstorm's house, and I didn't exactly want to show up with blue fingers. That would be embarrassing, not to mention life-threatening.

I turned right and slipped into a little catwalk, ending up in the Town Park. I took one of the winding gravel paths, kicking up leaves as I hurried along. I wondered briefly if I should call my friend Rabbitfoot, but I quickly dismissed that idea. Poor Lilacheart and I were teased enough by her over Syaoran and Fai. If she found out they were real...Well, let's just say I'd probably have to lock myself in my room for a month.

Something caught my eye through the trees, and I turned my head curiously. It looked like a red scratch was hanging in the air, growing larger by the second. I stepped off the path and made my way into the underbrush, staring curiously at it. It suddenly widened, and a figure burst out of it. I barely had time to dive under a holly bush (cursing myself for picking the worst foliage) before the figure straightened up and looked around.

It was Ashura.

Okay, I know what you're thinking right now. You're a nutcase! Seeing people who don't exist? Come on, stop pulling our leg!

I swear, it's all true.

I shoved myself further under the holly bush, mentally whacking myself with Syaoran's frying pan as my coat caught on the sharp leaves. I didn't want him to see me. Logically I knew that this couldn't be Ashura; he didn't exist. But something told me that this was real. I wasn't sure I trusted my conscience anymore, but I felt it was better to not be seen.

The man who looked like Ashura looked around for a very long time, so long that I could feel my leg beginning to cramp. After what seemed like an age he turned around and disappeared into the trees.

I dragged myself to my feet, muttering colourful complaints under my breath as the holly leaves poked at me again. I brushed leaves off my coat and glanced in the direction that man had gone. He couldn't really be Ashura, could he? Feeling confused, I went back to the path and continued to Soundstorm and Lilacheart's house. I startled myself when I found that I was beginning to believe her tale.

It took me another five minutes to reach their house. I was shocked to see that the entire front door had been blown off and was now sitting in the middle of the street. Picking my way around the rubble on the front porch, I stepped up to the door and knocked lightly on the frame. "Hello?" I called.

Soundstorm's head poked out from the living room. "Oh, hi!" she said, coming towards me and gesturing that I come inside.

"What the foo happened here?" I asked, stepping over the ruined doorframe.

"Mokona," Soundstorm said simply.

I gave her 'the look'. "Okay, now this is getting just a little weird."

"Believe me, it'll get worse," Soundstorm laughed, leading me through the kitchen and on to the living room. I followed her, then completely stopped in my tracks.

There were three people sitting on the massive couch. One of them, obviously, was Lilacheart. The others were people whom I had never met, but knew so well. Syaoran and Fai.

I swear, I probably stood there for a full minute (if not more) just staring at them. Something poked me in the arm, and I jumped in surprise and whipped around. Soundstorm was staring at me with a slightly amused look on her face. Mokona—yes, Mokona—was sitting on her shoulder.

"You all right, Starry?" she asked, sounding like she was trying to hold back a full-blown laughing fit.

"Um, yeah," I responded lamely. Recovering myself I retorted, "I'll be much happier if you can keep from bursting into laughter."

She gave a short chuckle and sat down in one of the chairs. I sank into the other. "How...what...when did this happen?"

"Just now," Lilacheart responded. "I was on my way to your house to drop off that book, when the three of them literally dropped out of the sky."

"Come again?"

Lilacheart sighed. "I don't get it any more than you do."

"Riiiggghhhtt..." I muttered, trying to ignore the impulse to keep shooting glances at Fai. "Um, slightly random question, but did you see something like a red scratch in the air?"

Lilacheart looked shocked. "Yeah, I did. They came out of the scratch."

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" I said suddenly, rising.

"Okay..." she said, looking a little sceptical. I beckoned to Soundstorm too; she passed Mokona over to Syaoran before following me outside.

I paused in the hallway, when I was sure I was out of earshot of the others, and turned back to Lilacheart and Soundstorm. "If what you said was true, then something really bad could happen soon."

"How bad?" Lilacheart asked.

"I'm talking about as bad as Ashura being here."

Absolute silence. I could practically see the wheels turning in their heads. Since we were all going by when the books were published in English, none of us knew anything past book 19. At least, I couldn't be bothered to read more online. Soundstorm and Lilacheart, however, read a few too many online spoilers for my liking.

"Do you think we should tell them?" Soundstorm asked tentatively.

I shook my head. "I'm not sure, but probably not yet. I mean, we don't know anything really, except that they likely hate each other."

"This could end badly," Lilacheart muttered.

"You think?" Soundstorm and I said at the same time. I shook my head, then went back to the living room, the two of them right behind me. I went back to the chair and sank into it again, putting my head in my hands.

"Anything wrong?" Fai asked softly.

I flinched—it still seemed so weird that he was actually real—and shook my head. "No, nothing. Do you have somewhere to stay for the night?"

"Lilacheart-san offered us to stay over here," Syaoran said.

"Just call me Lilac," Lilacheart said, sounding a little stressed.

"Well, there's room over at my place too if you want to stay there," I suggested. "Icemoon—she's my sister—is going out of town for a while, to visit some of her friends. Otherwise I can predict she would freak out to having strangers stay over."

"Well, we're not exactly strangers, are we?" Fai asked, amusement in his tone.

"I guess not," I whispered, blushing. Behind him, I could see Soundstorm breaking down in silent laughter. It was all I could do to not run to the kitchen and find a frying pan to whack her over the head with.

"There're frying pans in the kitchen if you want them," Lilacheart chuckled, reading my mind.

"Yeah, but none of them are Syaoran's," I muttered, forgetting for a moment that he was sitting on the couch across from me.

"What?" Syaoran asked, looking completely perplexed. The look on his face caused Lilacheart to start sniggering uncontrollably.

"Erm, nothing!" I said quickly. The whole frying pan joke had originated from Lilacheart's own fanfic, The Final Feather, and had mostly been my fault. Trying to find a change in subject, I blurted, "Well, I do have room if you want to stay at my house."

"Thanks for the offer, Starry-chan, I think we'll probably be fine here with Lilac-chan and Soundy-chan," Fai said. I couldn't help it; I blushed again and looked down at my feet. I was certain that Soundstorm was on the floor now in an attempt to hold in her laughter.

As I looked down I happened to catch a glance of my watch. "Ack!" I squeaked, leaping to my feet. "I've got to get home! Icemoon will starve!"

"And that's a problem why?" Soundstorm choked out, using the couch to drag herself back upright. Syaoran twisted around to give her a look, but Soundstorm either didn't notice or didn't care.

"She'll be ticked and find a way to get back at me, that's why," I said. Last time my sister had gotten ticked off at me she had come up with a really elaborate plot to get back at me. To be short, it involved vegetable oil, the entire school, and a fair few chickens. No details, please.

"You'll be at school tomorrow, right?" Lilacheart asked.

I nodded. There was really only one building that served as both an elementary and a high school, so I would likely see them tomorrow.

"See you later!" I called, waving back at them (and attempting to not make eye contact with Fai) as I jumped over the debris left from Mokona's Ncha Cannon at their front door and raced down the street.