Of all of the strange things I had seen in the Hanshin Republic, a boy kudan was one of the strangest. After Syaoran-kun had saved the two little boys, he asked them both if they were okay. The first one nodded enthusiastically, while as the other one simply evaporated without a trace. "Oh!" Fai had exclaimed. "That was a kid kudan!" It made me laugh, not because it was really funny, but because I was rather shocked that kudan could be anything. It was a tense laugh, and I used it as a way to relieve some of the stress that had built up within me.
"Now…" Fai announced. "Where could my 'almost kudan' have gotten off to?" He began over-dramatically scanning the streets.
When Syaoran figured out what the problem was, he hopped up in surprise. "Mokona!" He yelled anxiously, joining Fai in the search, although not over-doing it quite so much as Fai had.
"Aaah!" Kurogane yawned sarcastically. "It probably got stepped on somewhere around here, like a discarded pork bun." He turned so that his back faced us, and ignored us, as if he was humiliated to be around dorks who were searching for a discarded pork bun.
Fai laughed childishly. "Noooo… the truth is quite different!" He pointed to a crowd of girls who were standing not so far away. They giggled in a very girly tone…almost flirtatiously. I had to jump up to see what they were laughing at, because stupid Mr. Black's back was in the way. Mokona was the center of attention, looking its cutest and enjoying the ride.
"It's so cute!" An especially rich, snobby-looking girl squeezed Mokona. Her amber eyes were so large that they took up half of her face combined, and her mouth was so small that you could barely see it. In China, large eyes and a small mouth was a sign of great beauty, but this girl's exaggerated features almost made her look ugly.
"Mokona is popular with the ladies!" Fai laughed. Kurogane stood in disbelief. I let a small giggle escape from my mouth. Syaoran pulled Mokona out of the girl's arms and let it hitch a ride on his shoulder. Mokona waved goodbye to the girls, who giggled and blew kisses. "Mokona, where were you?" Fai asked. He wasn't scolding Mokona; his voice was good-natured and light, but he was demanding to know all the same.
"On top of Kurogane." Mokona said, leaping up onto Syaoran's head. "But then, Mokona fell off! And just earlier, Mokona went just like this!!" His eyes bugged out, and I took a step back. What does that mean? I guessed that Syaoran and Mokona had discussed it separately.
"You mean that Sakura's feather is somewhere nearby!?" Syaoran shouted restlessly. His eyes filled with a hope so strong that I knew he would be hurt when it was broken.
"It was…but Mokona doesn't feel it anymore." Mokona looked down sadly. Though Syaoran's shoulder's sagged slightly, he was still hopeful.
"Did you figure out who had it?" Syaoran's voice was perfectly calm, but still, you could hear the disappointment when he said it. I turned away sadly. I didn't want to see the moment when his heart was broken.
"Don't know." Mokona said sadly.
"Oh…I see." Syaoran said, his voice drained of emotion.
Fai sighed, and tried to make the conversation a little more enjoyable for all of us, and for that, I was grateful. "Hmm. Even if we limit it to the people who were here, it'll still be a long search. There were lots of people."
I was surprised when Syaoran spoke with an unexpected optimism. "Still, we know that someone close by has it. That's pretty good progress." I had the guts to turn around and face them again. Sure enough, Syaoran's expression was not one of defeat, but it was an excited smile. I admired his ability to look on the bright side of things, rather than hide his emotions like somebody else I knew… Syaoran held up Mokona. "And if you sense anything more, let me know."
"Yes! Mokona will go all out!" Mokona nodded.
A little boy ran up to us. He had the cutest, sweetest face, and wore black clothing. When I took a closer look, I found that he was the boy who Syaoran had saved earlier in the day. He bowed to Syaoran. "I just wanted to thank you. My name is Masayoshi Saito. Please let me do something for you in thanks." He offered generously.
While Syaoran tried to convince Masayoshi-kun that it was no big deal, Fai and Kurogane were bickering, as usual. "…but if Kuro-chi never dropped Mokona, this wouldn't have happened." Fai smiled mockingly, poking Kurogane. He continued to taunt the ninja.
"What makes this my fault? And would you stop calling me those names?" Kurogane yelled. I was sure I could see steam rising from his head.
I watched as the two quarreled. Fai was really beginning to bother me, the way he loved to tease Kurogane, while as Kurogane wasn't really getting on my good side either, with all of his endless yelling and profanity. Eventually, I got very agitated with both of them, and yelled, "Would you two quit fighting already, and maybe listen to the boy here?" I pointed to Syaoran and Masayoshi-kun, who had completely stopped their conversation to listen to Fai and Kurogane's. Fai and Kurogane ignored me completely, so I stepped right in between them. "Would you two quit thinking of your own needs and maybe agree that you are both to blame!?" I shouted. The two of them quieted down.
"Mokona wants lunch! Something good!" Mokona squealed. Why is Mokona making the decisions for all of us?
"Okay!" Masayoshi-kun nodded in approval. We followed him to a restaurant, where he ordered 'okonomiyaki' for all of us. When the food arrived, Kurogane stared at his food like it was going to come alive and eat him, and Syaoran and Fai didn't touch their food for some deranged fear of being poisoned or something. I picked up my chopsticks and shoved all the food on my side of the table into my mouth at once. I chewed slowly before swallowing and looking up, once again meeting the startled gazes of the group of people.
I licked my lips. "Wow! That was some good chow." I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. The group didn't speak, simply stared, as if they had never seen a person with such an appetite. "What?" I asked. "It was good food! No joke!" I put my hand over my heart.
Kurogane broke the silence. "I may have mentioned this earlier, but, YOU EAT LIKE A PIG!" He shouted, making everyone in the room look in our direction. He coughed, "Er…what I meant to say was, you sure have quite an appetite there." The room became its normal, buzzing self again.
"Yep." I sighed. "I do have quite an appetite, and I'm proud, thank you." I stated.
Fai looked at me, shaking his head as if he couldn't figure out a puzzle. "You know, I have never met a girl like you in my life. Really. I mean, you almost don't seem like a girl!" He laughed, and seemed startled to find that I laughed along with him.
Syaoran cleared his throat. "Ahem…well, now that we have that cleared out of the way… What is…?" He stared down at his food.
Masayoshi-kun looked down bashfully. "Umm…Y'see, Okonomiyaki is my favorite dish, so…" His cheeks turned a pale rose color.
"Okonomiyaki?"Fai asked. "Is that what this is called?"
"Okonomiyaki is a staple of the diet in the Hanshin Republic." Masayoshi-kun continued. "If you don't know, then that must mean…you come from outside the country?" He asked us inquiringly.
"Outside the country?" Fai laughed modestly. "You could say that."
Masayoshi-kun told us that the battle we had witnessed earlier was a fight for dominance. So... Even though they don't go to battle with other countries, they fight amongst themselves for territory. He really admired the goggle team leader, Shougo, because he had a strong kudan, but he also had a deep longing to be Syaoran's friend, too. Masayoshi-kun described in great detail about how the kudan levels worked. At the very bottom, there is fourth level, the least powerful kudan. Moving up, there is third level, and then second level, and then first level. The most powerful kudan are classified as special level kudan, and in order to have a strong kudan, a person—no, more like a person's heart—would have to be strong themselves. Apparently, Syaoran's kudan was special level, but it was clear as to why. He was always so determined, always ready to protect princess Sakura, and his determination, love and courage was what made him strong, and what made his kudan strong. What about mine? I asked myself.
"But when did Syaoran-kun's kudan join up with him?" Fai asked, resting his chin in his hands casually. It's meant as a playful act… I muttered so nobody could hear. …so why does it seem so depressing?
"Now that you mention it…" Syaoran's eyes lit up like lights. "I had an odd dream last night." I watched as Kurogane carefully tried to poke his spatula underneath his Okonomiyaki.
"Stop right there!" A man yelled. I turned around. Just a waiter. Another waiter trailed behind him.
"Your majesty?! And the high priest?!" Syaoran-kun exclaimed. These men were ordinary waiters, and looked nothing like a king or a high priest. Maybe…maybe they are different people in Syaoran-kun's world. I concluded. "Y-your majesty, what brings you here?" I realized that if my theory was correct, Syaoran-kun was making a total fool of himself.
The waiter looked rather humiliated himself. "You got the wrong guy. 'Your majesty' is nowhere in my name." He stated firmly, obviously making Syaoran utterly confused. "And mister…" He turned to Kurogane. "We do the flipping around here. If you just leave it and wait, we'll be right there."
Kurogane looked baffled. "Y-yes sir!" He agreed. I don't think he was intimidated by the man himself (I mean, who can intimidate Kurogane?), but maybe he thought the waiter was a king. I shrugged.
"Majesty? Was he a king in your world?" Fai asked questioningly. He wore a thoughtful expression on his face, and I knew at that instance that he was thinking the same thing I was about the king in Syaoran's world.
Syaoran nodded, trying to keep his expression firm and solid, but his eyes were deceiving him. They reflected a sort of incomprehension that you only see on children who have been lost in the forest, and these eyes matched him perfectly, as I could see why he was perplexed. "Yes." His voice was a mixture of both expressions.
"And the guy with him was the high priest…" Fai sighed in amazement. "It's just like the dimensional witch said… people you've met in your world—they've developed under different conditions in other worlds." I nodded gravely. But what if…what if what she told me isn't true? What if my magic's still here? Then who do we have to trust? It was a depressing question indeed, but the feeling was gone in three seconds flat, as I pushed the thought out of my mind, and looked to the future instead of dwelling on instances in the past.
"You're saying they're the same as the king and the priest of the kid's world?" Kurogane asked, his appearance sardonic. He didn't believe this junk at all. It was all just hocus-pocus to him.
"They're the same…and not the same." Fai commented, sounding so sure of himself that nothing could change his mind. What makes blondie the wise guy all of a sudden? I asked. I mean, he always acts so…clueless. A new thought struck me. But what if he knows much more that what I think he knows? What if he knows something about what's to come that we don't? Fai continued. "The two from Syaoran's world lived completely different lives than these two. But when it comes down to it, at the very basic level, they're the same. I guess."
Kurogane looked at him with an interrogating eye. "Basic level?" He snorted. None of this talk appealed to him.
"The very roots of their lives…their nature, their hearts." Fai stated, his eyes lost in a dreamy state.
Their soul… The thought hit me instantly. Their personality, their inner-selves, their soul. "Soul. That's what you're trying to say, right?" Kurogane had spoken. It was as if he could read my mind, and stole the words right out of my mouth. Syaoran lost sense of the real world, and his eyes glazed over. He's daydreaming.
Masayoshi-kun ordered another Okonomiyaki for me, which I enjoyed slowly, in an attempt to avoid looking like a pig. I didn't do so well with that. I loved it! It was probably the best food I'd ever tasted in my life. But man, I missed Chinese food.I devoured three dishes of Okonomiyaki, and was sure that I would burst by the time I was done with the third helping.
As it turned out, Masayoshi-kun was going to help us look for Sakura-chan's feather. We didn't tell him what we were searching for, only that we needed a guide around town. He had to phone home first to confirm with his family. While he was at the payphone, Fai remembered something important. He turned to Syaoran. "I nearly forgot! Our conversation was cut off! You were talking about your dream?"
"It was about this creature that had appeared. That beast of fire." Syaoran jumped into the conversation eagerly. He seemed very interested in his own dream, and was very willing to share it with us.
Kurogane popped out from behind me, making me trip into Syaoran. "If you're talking about weird animals, then I had a dream, too." He said. I was surprised by his sudden interest in our conversation. He had never shown any sort of curiosity whenever we had spoken in the past.
"Me too!" Fai agreed. "It was very persistent." He looked at me. "Did you have a similar dream, Izumi-san?"
I didn't know what to say. If I tell them…will they still trust me? I decided to make things up as I went along. "Um…" I looked down, concentrating on the ground to keep me from feeling dizzy. I nearly fell over when I thought about that dragon's teeth, the way they were so crooked, so sharp, so malicious… I stayed strong, and pulled myself together. "I-I did have a similar dream, actually." My eyes never left the ground. I was very relieved to find that they didn't push any further. After all, nobody else was really sharing any details.
"I want to know who this 'Syaoran' is!" A man's voice yelled. I ripped my eyes from the ground and spun around to see who the voice belonged to. I saw Kurogane's muscles grow tense. Though he showed no emotion whatsoever, he seemed to care about Syaoran, which was a sign of a loyal ninja. At first, I couldn't see the man, but then I saw him—a short, ugly round man with shades and a Mohawk.
Fai stepped forward, all smiles. "Do you have business with him?" His voice was calm and courteous, but strangely, it had small traces of a playful, wild side to it. He had to lean forward to even out the height difference between them.
The man completely ignored Fai's question. "Are you the one who Shogo said, 'likes your style'?" He asked. I could already tell we could never get along well. He was rude and noisy, and completely inconsiderate.
"And what if I am?" Fai dared to push the man to his very edge. Somewhere inside me, I knew he wouldn't be the one to fight this man.
Syaoran stepped in front of Fai. "I'm Syaoran." He affirmed.
"A little kid? Are you serious?" The man turned to the group behind him, who looked almost exactly the same as he did, only they didn't look like potatoes. They argued for a bit over who was Syaoran, and finally agreed on the kid. The group leader took a step closer to Syaoran. "And you plan to join Shougo's team?"
"Team?" Syaoran asked.
"Shougo already has too many top level people on his team. Any more will tip the balance!" The man lost his cool for a moment. "Even Shougo admitted you have a strong kudan! If you're going to join Shougo's team, I'll have to stop you!" Potato yelled.
"I'm not joining." Syaoran said sternly.
A smile spread across potato man's face. "Then you'll join my team?" He asked.
"I'm not joining your team either." Syaoran said calmly. "I have my own affairs."
"Then you're planning to start your own team!" The potato yelled. He looked outraged.
Syaoran shook his head frantically. "No, you're not getting—"
"Well, I'm gonna take you out right now!" The man roared, summoning his kudan. His kudan was a whole lot more powerful-looking than he was. It was like a crab in the sense that it had a shell, but different because it had a tail and sharp points all over its body. That thing can kill Syaoran in an instant if he's unprotected…He needs to summon his own kudan.
Fai and Mokona chirped, "That's huge!"
"I'm not doing anything like that!" Syaoran yelled, and suddenly there was a new urgency to stop the battle. Potato's kudan lashed out its tail, slamming Syaoran in the stomach and making him fly into a column. It was lucky that Syaoran didn't look that badly hurt, but the tail came again. Syaoran quickly dove for the ground, just missing the tail by a fraction of an inch.
"Syaoran!" I shouted. He glanced my way for an instant. "Summon your own kudan! This is not something you can take on your own!" I realized for the first time how unconcerned my voice sounded. I didn't shriek out, 'Syaoran!' like a little girl, but instead, I gave him instruction.
Kurogane shoved me aside and stepped in front of me valliantly. "That won't me necessary. I've been pretty bored around here." He shouted so that Potato could hear him. "I'll take you on!"
"Kurogane's been looking forward to this! He's not bored at all!" Mokona giggled.
"The Hanshin Republic is just his style!" Fai agreed.
Syaoran tried to protest against Kurogane battling with Potato guy. "But Kurogane-san! You gave your sword to the dimensional witch!" He tried to take his place back in front of Kurogane, but Kurogane simply just pushed him back.
Kurogane shrugged. "That sword was magic. It was special, and in my Japan, it was used to kill the monsters there. But kudan aren't monsters." Kurogane stated. He was right. Kudan were like guardian angels, just about as far as you can get from monsters.
The leader tried to bring the attention back to his battle. "So, what level is your kudan?" He bellowed at Kurogane. I had the brains to know that Kurogane's kudan was no pushover. I knew that a ninja who was so loyal to this 'Princess Tomoyo' must be a very strong person.
Kurogane seemed so uninterested. "I don't know, and I don't care." He smiled deviously. "What's the talk for? Come and get me." His voice was so challenging, as if he really had been waiting for this battle.
"Syaoran-kun!" Masayoshi-kun came running towards us hastily. "Syaoran-kun!"
Fai smiled at the young boy, seeming completely sure that Kurogane would bet through this just fine. "Masayoshi-kun, do you know this guy?" He asked casually, as though there was no big deal here. He's got guts to be able to keep his cool here. I admired him silently. I mean, sure, I can just stand here and look totally unconcerned, but I know that I wouldn't be able to keep my voice from shaking when I speak.
"That team leader wants to control the district!" Masayoshi-kun shouted, obviously shaken by the event. "They're battling Shougo's team for it!" Hah. I laughed in my head. He'd have to lose a couple of those stomach rolls to beat him, though.
"Is their leader any good?" Fai asked.
"Yes!" Masayoshi-kun exclaimed worriedly. "His kudan is first-level! He may not look like much, but his kudan is one of the fastest around!" He looked very pale and afraid.
My attention snapped back to the battle. "Take a look at the attack of a first-level kudan!" The leader snarled. Kurogane took his stance, and I could tell he had been training for a long time. The leader yelled, "Kani-nabe Senkai!" As soon as the crab-like kudan flinched, Kurogane slid behind a column. I was impressed by the speed of his reaction time. He ducked as low to the ground as he possibly could, and put his hands over his neck to protect it. It seemed his quick reaction paid off, too, because the kudan's tail sliced right through the solid column, and would have sliced through his neck as well, if he hadn't had ducked.
"It sliced right through!" Syaoran ogled at the sight.
"It seems this kudan is a lot stronger than it appears, and trust me, it looks pretty strong to begin with." I started to panic now, though tried my best not to show it. "Kurogane! Don't underestimate it!" I shouted. I realized that my words were worthless unless he actually listened to them.
"That kudan can sharpen parts of its body to an edge as sharp as a knife!" Masayoshi-kun clarified.
"Kani Doraku!" The Potato man yelled. The crab lunged for Kurogane, and I felt time slow down in my mind. Kurogane tried to leap out of the way, but the crap attacked, and Kurogane had nothing to defend himself. The best he could do was put his arms up to guard his face, but that didn't help at all when a column crumbled on top of him.
I gasped in horror and in fear. "Kurogane-san!" I called.
"Where's your kudan? You're probably so weak, you're ashamed to bring it out!" The man approached the rubble. He's going to mock Kurogane… I felt a tear warm my face. Damn. I thought furiously. Why am I crying? Of course, I was trying to be tough, but on the inside, my mind was racing with a million questions. Am I really that bad of luck? I asked. Are my powers really gone? What will happen to Kurogane? But my sorrow was short-lived. I wiped my tears when I saw Kurogane surface from the blocks of marble. Impossible…
"Oh, shut up!" Kurogane yelled. He was in one piece, bruised and cut, but otherwise perfectly healthy.
"My kudan has an even tougher shell than most first-level kudans!" The leader hollered. I could tell he used his gloating voice to hide his own cowardly fear. He was nothing but a mere weakling.
Kurogane shrugged coldly. "But it has a weakness. If I had a sword, it'd be in pieces right now." He grinned maliciously. The floor shook beneath my feet, and I lost footing. I fell into Fai, who held me by my arms. I stood up, and looked to see what had happened. The earth had split apart, and gave way to an enormous dragon. I gasped sharply. Is that my kudan? I shook with fear. Fai put a gentle hand on my shoulder. No…It can't be…my kudan is not white…it's black. Pitch-black. I caught my breath with a sigh of relief. I looked up at this other kudan, another dragon. Its eyes were a bluish color, and it's body was an ivory white. When its delicate wings spread, I saw how powerful they were. The skin between its bones was lucid and strikingly beautiful. The dragon's scales reflected the light so that it looked as fluid as the wind, but as powerful as fire. Suddenly, the dragon melted like metal into a beautifully crafted sword with a gem on the hilt.
The leader took a step back in dread. "S-so that's your kudan, huh? I bet it's all show!" The leader yelled as a way to make himself feel more secure and powerful. "Well, I've got an ultimate attack! Kani Kui-Hondai!" He yelled.
Kurogane charged forward gallantly. "Hama-Ryu-O-Jin!" Kurogane roared. He jumped up, and slashed his sword through the air. It slammed against the ground with an impressive thud. Without even touching the leader, it seemed to harm him. I gasped. H-how is that possible? I wondered.
"My kudan!" The leader shrieked in pain, as he fell to the floor. For a second there, I was sure the man would roll backwards. I was rather disappointed when he didn't.
"Are you okay? Hang in there, boss!" The leader's team mates panicked.
The leader gasped for air. "T-the kid lied! He did form a team!" He pointed a trembling finger at Kurogane. "You part of Syaoran's team, aren't you?" He breathed.
"I'm not on anybody's team." Kurogane snapped viciously. "Listen, I only served only one person in my life, and that's Princess Tomoyo!" Kurogane was yelling now. He twirled his new sword around in his hand without paying attention to anyone around him. I let out a yelp when the blade sliced deep into my arm. Another tear slid down my cheek, but this time, for good reason. He quickly pulled the sword out, and I smacked my hand over the cut.
I looked up, terrified. "Blood?"I gasped. I began hyperventilating. "Blood!?" For the entire span of my life, I had never seen my own blood. If I was cut, the wound was healed the moment after I was. It was something I could do with magic, although it wasn't always a good thing. If I couldn't get hurt, I was unstoppable.
"What, you mean you've never bled before?" Kurogane asked in disbelief. He snorted. "You know, you're going to have to get used to it, then, because there's gonna be a lot more in the future for you." He said. "In fact, just to prepare you…" He took the tip of his sword and lightly scratched my hand. It began to bleed immediately.
"Ah ha ha…" A voice was swimming around in my mind. "Brilliant! I have been waiting for a threat for the whole day." The voice was so familiar. My heart stopped. It was the dragon.
"No!" I shrieked. "Oh no, please just go away!" I shouted.
Fai looked around in a confused manner. "May I ask who you are talking to?" He asked. Kurogane and Syaoran shrugged. I watched as my blood dripped into a deep crimson pool on the floor. He pointed to himself. "Unless you're talking to me?" He asked.
"No! No, I'm not talking about you! Trust me." I felt my cheeks burning badly. My breathing was uneven. Y-you… I warned the dragon. Don't you dare come out here. Don't you even think about doing anything of the sort!
"But I am your kudan. I am here to protect you." His all-too familiar laugh erupted in the air, this time being audible to everyone. Fai glanced up curiously. "Was that…laughing?"
"Yeah, I think it was, too." Syaoran agreed.
I dropped to my knees, mumbling nonsense. I stared at the ground, and pleaded, Please, please, please don't do this to me! Don't hurt my friends! I cried now. My tears mingled with my blood. The beast would not reason, and it was coming. Fast.
Suddenly, I could feel something in my heart, building, burning. We were all in a cloud of darkness, and I gazed at the sky. The sky was a deep purple-ish color, and then I saw it. First, a claw. Next, I saw a black leg. Soon, the whole dragon was there, and the sky returned to its regular color. I screamed through my tears, begging it to stop. It was twice as large as Kurogane's kudan, and no doubtely twice as evil. The potato man's jaw dropped. "That's…that's impossible! I've never seen any kudan so big!" He scrambled to his feet, and he and his team ran for cover.
"Oh my GOD!" Masayoshi-kun screamed, clinging to Syaoran-kun for dear life. "Izumi-san! H-how?" He yelled.
I put my head in my hands, shaking my head and murmuring, Oh no. Fai kneeled down beside me. I looked at him. He was smiling. "F-Fai, what are we going to do?" I sobbed, burying my face in my hands again.
The dragon bent down as low to the earth as possible, and looked at Kurogane, who was only about an eighth of the size of the dragon's head. "You are the one who wounded my mistress?" He bellowed, making Kurogane jump back.
"Y-yes!" He gulped.
The dragon gave a satisfied smirk, before rising up to its full height. It spread its massive, black wings, making everyone gasp in terror. Kurogane's sword rattled in his hand, and he let go of it. We watched as it became liquid again, and melded into its original dragon form, its silvery body only a fraction of my dragon's. I was horrified as the two kudan measured up against each other, and it was already obvious as to which one of the two would win. One of us would have to die.