Fai awoke again to the sounds of voices. The polis was awake. He quickly pulled on his cloak and left to go join it.
The voices grew louder as he swam out of the house and into the sun. He was surprised that the sun's rays could even reach the polis. Looking around, Fai noticed all the stares he was receiving.
"A new citizen, perhaps?" One whispered. Fai waved, smiling brightly.
"Hello! Have any of you seen Maecenas?" The merman asked.
"Try over there, in the market. Not that there's anything edible there anymore." Fai nodded, swimming past them and into the market a few hundred feet away. A group of young mermaids grouped together, casting glances at the retreating figure.
"Who is he? I've never seen him before."
"I don't know. I think he just got here."
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Fai quickly noticed the small shop set back in the shadows.
"MAGIC SHOP"
The man smiled and darted in the door.
"She may be in here." He muttered.
As he left the sunshine behind, a strange shadow fell over the doorway, blocking it. Fai turned to look at it, confusion mixed with hostility in his gaze. A webbed hand pressed against the fog, only to find that it was impenetrable. Fai knew what type of spell it was, and how to break it. He chose not to; there wasn't a threat yet. The merman chose to look around the shop. It was full of all sorts of things to aid a common user of magic, but his gaze was pulled to a single book resting on a stand in the middle of the room. He swam over to open it to study the contents. A withered hand emerged from the shadows, slapping his away.
"You don't want to go and touch that, young man." A worn voice warned. Fai turned to face an old citizen of the sea. Her lower half was that of an electric eel. She grinned evilly. Fai blinked.
"What would happen if I did, if you don't mind me asking?" The woman sneered.
"Nothing. Why don't you come over and see some of my other wares? I know one that'll take your breath away!" Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the back of the store, stopping him at an open shadowbox of jewels and stones by the back door. He could sense the raw dark magic flowing from them. Fai's magic had been ripped in half though, so some of the stones caused him to feel weaker. He tried to hide it, and the woman grinned. She pointed to a green polished stone with pale green streaks set in copper with a matching chain.
"It's malachite. The stone dulls quickly; its magic can only be used once! You seem to enjoy its aura, do you not? Go ahead and take it."
Fai nodded, his eye glazed over. He reached out with a shaky hand to pick up the stone.
Stop!
His hand twitched for a moment, about to pick up the malachite.
Don't touch it! Stop!
The hand froze; for the moment, Fai had gained control, if only a little. He slowly pulled it back.
"I'd rather not. If you don't mind, please remove your charm from your door and let me leave. I'm trying to find someone- Hey! Stop!"
The woman seized his wrist, jerking it down until his palm was pressed into the face of the stone. Fai gasped as he stared at his hand; the webs between his fingers melted away. He felt his legs return, and only had a second to take in one last gulp of air before his gills sank back into his neck.
"I knew it! A human!" The woman cackled madly as Fai struggled to get away. Her grip on his wrist was like a vice, and she only tightened it. Fai looked around frantically, trying to find something, anything, to save him.
I can't die!
The woman stopped cackling, staring at him with bored distaste.
"Calm down, boy!" She barked. "Do you really think I'd kill you? You're much too valuable!" She whistled a sharp staccato note, and her prey went limp. She dragged him into her arms as he slowly sank, studying his face.
"No, I won't let you die, yet. This spell will stop your breathing, but you will still live." The woman stopped and glanced out the window. Her most loyal customer was quickly approaching; of all the times to show up! She quickly hid Fai behind a desk and erased the magic sealing the door as Maecenas swam in.
"Ma'am, how are you?" Maecenas smiled.
"Oh, you know. The usual. Slow business. Citizens lately seem to avoid my shop like the plague; like they think I'll kill them." Maecenas placed her hand on her shoulder.
"Times have been hard, I know. People just don't have the money to spend on magic and spells anymore."
"I wish someone could fix all of this."
"I know what you mean. If only Her Highness would quit laying waste to everything and just rule like she should, we'd all be off a little better." Maecenas sighed.
"Anyway, I came here to ask you something. Have you seen a man? His name is Fai; he's blond, has a dark tail, and a black eye patch."
The old woman blinked.
"I can't say that I have, dear. He sounds new, a friend of yours?"
"Yes, I just met him. He and I were planning on going to a town meeting this evening." She said, slowly looking around the room.
"I can sense his magic. He was just here." She thought, blinking. "No. He's still here!"
"Oh well, he'll show up on his own." Maecenas swam forwards, to the back of the store, peering into a display case. She noticed that one of the wares was noticeably duller than the rest. She turned around.
"I think someone used one of your stones, Ma'am."
"Oh, I know. It's alright." Ma'am smiled too sweetly. She swam to the small front window and began to rearrange the items on display. Maecenas frowned. Something was wrong here. She looked back at the stone. The green face was pressed in slightly, as if some weight was forced on it. Maecenas looked to her left, at a huge desk and swam over to it. She nearly screamed. There was Fai, laying on the floor as if in sleep.
"He's a human again! Who did this to him?" She thought. A pale hand lie out, palm facing up. There was a green bruise in its center, in the same shape as the stone, as well as real bruises on his wrist in the shape of fingers. Maecenas shook her head in denial. A shadow fell over the mermaid and Fai, and Maecenas slowly looked up into the eyes of Ma'am.
"I was hoping you wouldn't have to see this, dear. Goodbye." She said, throwing Maecenas against the far wall. The woman cackled, transforming into a taller, younger, more sinister being. The Queen.
"Now, for the human. I'll be taking him back with me; what a prize he'll be!"
"No…" The Queen sneered at her.
"Let me guess! Was he going to be the one who was to defeat me? That weak, little human? I'm not stupid! I knew you have been leading a secret group of rioters for weeks now. It was only a matter of time until you decided to replace Kai."
Maecenas growled, snapping the fingers of her left hand and sending a spell at Fai. A volley of merchandise slammed into the Queen, followed by several more, until she was buried in it. The spell sank into Fai's chest, and he became temporarily light as air. Maecenas dived to him, picking him up from under his arms, and shot out the door.
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Sakura looked out the window in her room sadly. Memories of what the captain and Syaoran said rang through her mind.
"I'm terribly sorry about the events of today, lad. My men will search high and low for your friend."
"I'm sorry, princess. Fai has gone missing in the sea."
"I know that my feather may be down there," She said to herself "but is this all worth it? Is it even fair? Fai-san must be suffering, alone down there, and it's my fault." A tear fell out of her eye.
"I'm so sorry, Fai-san!" She gazed sadly at the sea.
"Princess, would you like to come downstairs for awhile?" Sakura gave a start at the sound of Syaoron's soft voice, and she quickly wiped her tears away.
"Okay, Syaoran-kun." They walked down the stairs together. She stopped at a figurehead of a woman; it was the one Fai had been gazing sadly at only days ago.
"I talked with Yuuko earlier." Syaoran said. "She wouldn't give me something to help Fai if he gets too far away from Mokona, only this." He held up a bottle with the pattern of butterflies on it. It held a blue potion.
"She said to 'make sure Fai drinks this when you see him next.'"
"Let's go and wait by the sea!" Sakura said, donning a sunhat. Syaoran smiled. They left through the front door, past Kurogane, who was sharpening his sword, and Mokona, who was dozing in a bed of flowers. The ninja glanced up.
"Where are you two going?"
"The sea, Kurogane-san. We need to give Fai something." Kurogane laughed darkly.
"Like that coward would show his face. I'm coming with you."
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Luck was on their side. They had only been waiting for an hour in the sun, when a pale head appeared out of the water.
"It's a woman!" Sakura whispered. Syaoran nodded.
"Maecenas."
Sakura gasped, running out in the water.
"Fai-san!"
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Maecenas turned herself back into a human when she reached the surface. Fai still wasn't breathing. The feather-light charm vanished however, when his head broke the surface. She looked to the shore, and began wading towards it. A girl ran out towards her, and helped pull Fai to land. Maecenas and Sakura knelt by his side.
Once he was lying on the sand, they all noticed something. Protruding from under his long and buttoned up robe, the fabric stopping just below his knees, were two pale legs. Kurogane drew his sword and held it at Maecenas's throat.
"Did you kill him? Drown him?" The woman pushed the blade away, glaring.
"No, I just saved his life. The Queen tricked him and almost took him prisoner. How she managed to do that is a mystery. Unless she was the shopkeeper all along…" She stopped and noticed the potion in Syaoron's hand. The boy held it out.
"This is for Fai-san." Maecenas took it and opened it, pouring the contents in Fai's mouth. At first, nothing happened. Fai gasped, pulling his bruised left hand to his chest.
"Let me go!" He yelled, throwing a punch with his right hand. He hit the ninja hard in the knee, causing him to lose his balance and fall to his knees. Fai opened his eye at the sound of an angry groan, giving a start.
"Kuro-puppy?" He propped himself up on his elbows. The sun was too bright at first, and he squinted.
"Damn it, idiot. Don't throw wild punches! And that's not my name!" Syaoran and Sakura smiled, laughing. Fai turned and looked at them, smiling.
"Syaoran-kun! Sakura-chan!" The princess flung her arms around him, almost causing him to fall back to the sand.
"I was so worried!" she said, hugging him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm quite alright, Sakura-chan. How are you?"
"I'm alright." She quickly let him go, and he sat up on his feet, hiding them under the robe.
Maecenas glanced back at the sea, where the clouds were darkening and the waves began to churn. The Queen was furious. Her prey had gotten away. Maecenas and Fai wouldn't be able to return to the aqua polis for a few days at least, and even when they did, they would have to do so with extreme caution. She knew that staying with the humans was their best bet for survival, and she quickly shot a question at them.
"Can we stay with you for a while? A violent storm is coming." Kurogane shrugged. He wanted to chuck her back in the water and be done with it. Syaoran spoke up.
"Of course. I need to go and tell the captain something though. I'll meet you back at Hans later."
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The queen had freed herself and swam back to her castle. While inside her private chambers, she yelled in rage.
"No! I had him! He was mine!" She seized a hand mirror and gazed into it. It had been a gift from Maecenas to the shopkeeper. One of its best features was to show the location of anyone, anywhere in the world.
"That woman was a fool to speak his name. Now, he'll fall." She cackled.
"Show me the human, Fai!"
AN: Yay! My longest chapter yet!
Disclaimer: story, plot, and OC's are mine!
The Tsubasa characters belong to the awesome women of CLAMP!