Hey everyone! Sorry for being a bit slow. My parents took my computer as a punishment, so I'm kinda sneaking on right now (but if you keep it quiet, nobody has to know). No dedications this time, but I would like thank Icequeen987. It's not really a dedication, because I already made a dedication to her, but I'd still like to thank her for giving me the website where I can get the dialogue for Tsubasa.

Okay, quick summary. Basically, things take an unexpected turn in the lake country. Izumi has another dream, and uncovers another piece to the puzzle. Please review? Pretty please? Oh, come on, I was, like dangled over lava last week. Not cool, ok? Show some sympathy, peoples!

Disclaimer: Ok, so I've been through this before. I don't own Tsubasa or any of its characters but Izumi and possible other OCs. All rights belong to CLAMP and other respective right holders. Arigato Goshaimas!

She prowled through the woods like a tiger on a hunt. In her hands were two swords, a katana and a wakizashi. The blades were silver, with a bluish, marble-looking streak down the middle. Moonstone. She knew that these weapons would never fail her. Behind her lurked a man with blond hair that seemed white in the light of the moon and the stars, and blue eyes that looked like frozen water, reflecting all light. In his hand was a dagger, sharp and precise. Like the girl's weaponry, the dagger in his hand had a streak of moonstone, and it was invincible. He was sure of that, not to mention over-confident of its power. That was his weakness.

The dream focused, and I saw in detail these strangers' clothing. The girl wore a white sweater, which seemed to glow in the lighting. She wore absolute black jeans, which seemed to blend into the dark forest around her. If it weren't for her sweater, nobody would have noticed she was there. Wound around her neck was a shimmering white scarf, which sparkled every time she made the slightest movement. The man wore a brown coat with a tie, and dark dress pants, which were tucked into black boots.

At last, the man shattered the silence. "Are you sure she's out here?" He asked the girl, his eyes glowing with anticipation. The girl looked up at him slowly, but turned away, putting her finger to her lips to signal him to be silent.

It was a long while before the girl responded. When she spoke, her voice was very quiet and barely audible. "I'm sure. I saw her when we got to this world, and she made a break for the woods." The girl sighed, tossing her hair behind her ear. "She's here. I can feel her presence." Suddenly, she flattened herself against a tree, pulling the man with her and holding her breath. "Shh!"

A fox leaped out of the bushes, and she breathed. She looked a little disappointed, but didn't stop walking. The man looked at her, concerned. "Remind me again why we're here. Why we're looking for this woman." He said, stopping in his tracks and forcing the girl to turn around and face him. "You could very well be having inaccurate visions. Maybe we're doing all of this for nothing."

The girl's eyes were narrowed. She seethed, "Don't say that! We've already made it this far, and I know that this is what I have to do!" She took a step towards the man, who unknowingly took a step back. "I know that maybe you're a little upset that I gave your bow and arrows to that daemon back at Ryonfi, but she's the only person I can trust. Just like the woman we're looking for here is the only one I can trust with this." The girl tugged on the scarf around her neck, and the man watched as it unwound slowly, like a snake uncoiling. She pulled the scarf off, and held it up in the light. It looked like the moonstone on the blades.

The man shook his head defiantly. "But how do you know that we have to give it to this particular woman? How?" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "How?" He repeated, his eyes wild.

The girl only removed his hands from her shoulders and remained silent. She walked ahead, and when she spoke, there was a hint of anger, of fear, in her voice. "I know because of my visions! She's a ghost, and I will meet her again. When I do, I will retrieve the scarf, and that's all! Just like what we did in Ryonfi." The girl said confidently.

The man still did not wish to believe her. "But then, if the woman is a ghost, how will we see her?" He asked. He hurried to catch up to her, but she ran ahead before he could reach her.

The girl called back. "You may not be able to, but I will." The girl treaded through the fallen leaves, her lips tinged purple from the cold. "Because I already saw her. I will be able to see her again."

The man decided to give into this, but he still had more questions. He caught up to her eventually, holding her arm as if afraid she would run away again. The girl tried to claw at his grip, but it was no use. The man spoke coldly. "Ghosts don't exist unless their task is not fulfilled. In other words, their spirits rest in peace unless they have something important—life saving important—to do. So why does this ghost still exist?"

The girl looked at him, as if to say, 'How can you not know?'. She spoke, her voice even icier than his was. "Because. Her task is not yet fulfilled. She cannot rest until we give her the scarf and she does what is asked of it. That's why!" The girl's voice climbed higher and higher with each word, resulting in a shriek at the end. The man calmed her down by putting his hands on her arms.

He shushed her. "It's alright. I'm sorry—I guess I'm still relieved that I could come with you here. That I could know you're safe." He sighed, and hugged her, breathing in the scent of her hair.

The girl mumbled into his chest. "Yeah? Well you sure have a funny way of showing it." The both chuckled, and the man sighed, hugging her tighter. They stood like that for what seemed like an eternity.

A ghostly pale flash flew by them, and they let go of each other. The flash stopped before them, seeming to materialize before their eyes, and they could see that it was a beautiful young woman with glimmering, golden locks. Her skin was impossibly white, and translucent, and she wore a silver circlet in her hair. The woman reached out to touch the girl's cheek, but her hand went through it. The woman drew her hand back to her side, and spoke in a soft voice, like the wind. "Who are you? And why have you come?" Her voice was not threatening, but it trembled as she spoke, as though she was afraid of them.

The girl stepped forward. "Lady Emeraude, we are travelers, come to ask of you a favor." She bowed, holding out the scarf woven from moonlight. "We need for you keep this."

The woman stared at them, her ghostly eyes searching for any sign of trickery. At last, she sighed. "May I ask why you need me to do this?" She asked, a hint of sadness in her voice.

The man and the girl exchanged nervous looks. Both were unwilling to tell her the truth, but obliged, as it was their only way out. The girl gave a simple explanation. "Feathers." She said. The woman looked at her as if she was crazy. The girl noticed this, and rephrased her word. "What I mean by that is, something terrible will happen, and our lives now will never have existed. Not in the same way, at least." She said, pausing before going on. "Instead, our lives will be very different from the way they are now, and we will not remember anything that has happened. But you will." The girl watched as the woman's expression became one of utter confusion. "In the other life, you will find a feather. Your job will be to return that feather to its original owner: the princess of Clow, named Sakura. I will be there when she is, because we were destined to travel together. When you give her the feather, I ask of you to return this to me." She held out the scarf.

The woman stared into the girl's eyes, her expression cold and frozen. But she saw something in the girl's eyes, and her mood changed. Her expression softened, and she whispered, "I believe you." With that, the ghost took the scarf from the girl. "But how should I give it to you? If what you say is true, then you will not remember any of this, correct? If your lives will change, then the scarf will disappear."

A smile graced the man's lips. "You're smart." He said. "Very smart. But we thought of that already. She—" The man pointed to the girl beside him "—charmed the scarf, and so it will last even when the worlds change." The man looked down, scared. "I think she forgot to mention that right now, we are living the life that could have been. It worries me."

The girl nodded. "Yes. When the time comes, we will no longer be living this life, the life that could have been, but we will be living the life that is." The girl looked away. "And when that happens, this life will never have existed."

"Assuming we never meet in your other life…what will you do then?" The woman asked.

"We will meet. I have visions that tell me the future, and the past. That is how I know where to find you, and what world you are in." The girl watched as Emeraude nodded. "If I am correct, I will still have the visions even in my other life. That may bring me to remember."

The woman nodded. "As I said, I have total trust in your words. I will keep this scarf." The woman held the scarf in her hands. "Please return, so I can rest." The woman said, before fading away into the dark.

The man looked at the girl. "You know, she may be right. Maybe…maybe we won't ever meet her again. I'll leave something else behind, just in case." The man looked at the dagger in his hand. The moonstone glinted in the light. "This should do." He said. Though he seemed reluctant to give up his weapon, he plunged the dagger into the heart of a tree. "Should we ever come across this clearing again, we will find this dagger." He told the girl.

"Yes…" She sighed, and leaned against a nearby tree. The man was shocked to find tears on her face. She crumpled to the ground, head in hands, and he rushed to her side.

"What's wrong? What happened?" He asked, his voice edged with anger.

The girl looked away from him, shaking her head violently. She continued to sob. "It's…It's just that I don't understand any of this! How can it really be true?" She sniffed, wiping tears away. "I mean, the life we know…it won't exist! How is that possible?" She cried leaning against the trunk of the tree for extra support. "Why does it have to be that way?"

The man kneeled beside her, putting his arm around her. "Like I said before, maybe you're just over thinking this a little. Maybe none of this is true." He tried to comfort her, but in his voice, there were traces of uncertainty. "Why are you suddenly so concerned about this all?" He asked, his own eyes glinting with tears."

"Because!" She shouted back. "Because…" Her voice was weaker now, fading away like the note at the end of a song. Suddenly, she looked up, a new ferocity in her voice. Her liquid-amber colored eyes seemed to swim in circles in the light as she spoke. "Because what if we're not the same as we are now? What if we weren't friends? What if we never loved each other?" She cried.

The man understood now, and hugged her. He closed his eyes as tightly as he possibly could, feeling her pain. Tears welled in his eyes as realization came to light. "We'll find a way." He whispered, and buried his face in her hair.

My eyes fluttered open, and I bolted upright in a cold sweat. "Fai!" I gasped, my breathing rough. I looked around desperately, searching for the man I was sure was in my dreams. "Fai!" I called again. Kurogane, who sat cross-legged beside a fire, shifted his position so that he was closer to me. "Kurogane, where's Fai?" I asked worriedly, noticing that Syaoran and Fai were not anywhere in sight. Sakura turned over in her sleep, mumbling something like, "Why wasn't anyone there?"

Kurogane gently pressed me back down to the ground. "He's over by the lake. Making sure Syaoran is okay." Kurogane replied. His answers were always too short for me. "Go back to sleep. Strict orders from your Prince Consort over there." Kurogane sniggered, the corners of his mouth turning into a smile. A genuine one, not just a mocking smirk. His dark eyes laughed with him, and I realized that it was the first time I had ever seen him laugh. He noticed I was watching him, so he cleared his throat and stopped laughing. "What?" He asked.

I realized I was staring, and turned away, blushing. "Nothing." I said, turning my head slowly to face him once more. "It's just that…well…I've never seen you smile, let alone laugh." I said, embarrassed. "You have a nice smile. You just never show it." I said, sitting up again. "You should more often."

Kurogane clamped his hand over his mouth, mortified. "Well, just because I don't smile much doesn't mean I can't." He growled. Same old Kurogane. His words came out muffled because of his hand. "You wouldn't smile so much, either, if you went through what I did." He said, looking away. The look in his eyes reminded me of the one in Fai's—sad and cold. For the first time I noticed this. I realized that every time I looked at him, I thought of him as an emotionless rock. But one look into his eyes told me I was wrong.

I noticed something on his hand. A scar that seemed to be healing from some sort of puncture wound. "Kurogane…what happened?" I asked, reaching out to touch it. He snapped it away, not letting me see it. "I'm…I'm really sorry. It's just that I've never noticed it before." I felt guilty for ever bringing it up. "I'm really sorry." I said again.

"No." Kurogane breathed. He showed me his hand again. I took it, and traced every single mark along it. "You deserve to know. I…I guess it's because we'll be stuck with each other for a while. If I don't tell you now, then I'd still have to tell you later, anyways." He said. The scar was terrible. It had obviously marked him for years, but it had never completely healed. Kurogane turned his head. "It will never heal."

I stared at it, and I instantly felt sorry. It had never occurred to me why Kurogane was always so grouchy, but I got the feeling that it was because of something that happened in his past. "You don't have to tell me. It's serious. Kurogane, if you told me, I'd feel obliged to tell you something about myself. And I understand how much it hurts to share something like that." I said. I closed my eyes and concentrated on his chi. "You've lived a very difficult life, Kurogane. You lost many dear to you, and you make up for that by shielding yourself from others." I paused. "But you have hope. A very strong hope that you picked up the day you went to the witch's place. And…" I smiled, shaking my head. "Though you'd never admit it, you're happy you were sent away. But that doesn't mean you don't miss someone there." I opened my eyes and squeezed his hand. "You miss someone, don't you?"

Kurogane stared at me, dumbstruck. "How did you know all that?" He asked, but, realizing what he said, he blushed. "I…I mean…not about the missing someone part, but about everything else." His eyes darted around like a rabbit.

I threw my head back and laughed. "Oh, come on Kurogane, you know you miss someone." I smiled. "But you don't have to talk about that. Alright, if you really want to know, I just felt your pulse and found your chi. It's a Chinese custom." I said, laughing again.

Kurogane was blushing furiously now, something I never though he could do. "Y…you have a nice smile, too." He stuttered. "It's dazzling." He mumbled, looking away. "Really."

The mood changed completely. I stiffened, not really expecting it, and not really wanting it. Oh, god…this is not right. No, no, no! I smiled half-heartedly at Kurogane, but the smile didn't last long. I took his hand again, and said in a choked whisper, "K-kurogane…"

Kurogane pulled his hand away, knowing what was coming. He sighed, looking down, and I wanted to comfort him, I wanted to tell him I loved him, but I couldn't, because I knew I would never mean it. Instead, I sat there, frozen. "I know." He said. "And I understand completely. You love Fai, and there's nothing I can do about that."

I jumped back. "W-wha? Where the heck did you get that?!" I yelled.

Kurogane laughed again, and I found myself laughing with him. He looked at me, and shook his head. "It's true, isn't it? You do love him. You can't deny it." He said. "Maybe you don't really know it now, but it'll turn out. I know it will." Kurogane laughed again, but this laugh was a little sad. "I…it's just that you remind me of Tomoyo. You really remind me of her." He saw the look in my eyes. "But it's not like you look the same, or anything. It's just that your personalities are similar. And you smile just like she does."

"Uh… Thanks?"

He shook his head, smiling again. "Honestly, Izumi-san, I like you. We should talk more." He said, before standing up. I felt as though I discovered a new side of Kurogane. For the few minutes we talked, he seemed so out of character. But what if that's who he really is, and he's just playing a part? I wondered. Kurogane spotted something. "I think they're back." He was right. Syaoran and Fai sat down beside us.

Suddenly, Sakura jumped up. "Syaoran!" She shouted, running as fast as she could. "Syaoran's still in the lake!" I chuckled. I probably should have told her that Syaoran was actually right next to her, but…oops, I forgot (plus it was a lot funnier without telling her). Syaoran leapt to his feet and ran after her, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt. Fai and I burst out laughing.

When everyone was around the fire, Fai turned to me. "Oh! Izumi-san, I believe these belong to you." He held out the silver bow and the black arrows. I stiffened. I was sure of it now: the were the ones in my dream. I took them, and slung the quiver over my shoulder. Fai looked at them suspiciously. "Where did you get those?"

I was surprised that I never told them, but I got over the shock. It was true that I never had the time to. "I found it at the bottom of the lake. They were just lying there for me to take." I said. "I don't even know why the water didn't kill me…"

Fai's eyes widened. "Right! What happened, anyways? I know you fell, and I really thought you were dead. But you're not." He looked at me with a look of relief, and added, "But didn't it hurt at all?" He asked, taking my hand in his. I barely noticed the contact; I was so dazed.

I shook my head. "Not at all. Oh! And…" I looked at the group, and decided it wasn't best to tell them all about the dream. "Can we talk somewhere? Alone? There's something important I need to tell you." I whispered. "Something…about these weapons." I said, standing up. Syaoran and Sakura looked at me, but Kurogane just sat quietly. He was back to being his own self. Fai nodded. I turned to the group. "Fai and I need to talk. Could you excuse us for a moment?" I asked.

"Of course." Syaoran said, and Sakura nodded beside him. Kurogane rolled his eyes angrily, but I tried to ignore the small movement. I dragged Fai into the woods.

"Izumi-san, what is it?" Fai asked me, sensing the awkwardness of it all. "It regards the bow and arrows, right?" I nodded. I stared at him. In the moonlight, I saw that his blond hair that seemed white in the light of the moon and the stars, and blue eyes that looked like frozen water, reflecting all light. He was the man in my dream. There was no doubt. The only difference was his clothing, and that his blue eyes seemed softer somehow, not as cold and hard as the man in my dream's.

I realized that I was trembling, and Fai must have noticed too, because he put his coat over my shoulders. My trembling continued despite the newly found warmth. It must have been because of the anxiety caused by my latest discovery. I looked up at Fai, and gasped. The moon had risen above the mountaintops now, illuminating everything. Fai's eyes were a mystic gray, and specks of blue dotted them. His hair was so blond it was almost white, and I could see the light making it look silvery. He was the man in my dream. He was. I spoke. "D-do these look familiar to you? At all?" I asked, holding out the intricately carved bow and the black-as-night arrows.

Fai took the weapons, turning them over in his hands over and over again. "They're beautiful…but…" He sighed, handing them back to me. "I've never seen them before you found them."

I knew that would be his reaction. I looked down, nervous, groping for the right words to say. "Maybe…" I looked at him, trying to remember the words in my dream. "Maybe these words would ring a bell. You once said, 'Right now, we are living the life that could have been. It worries me.'" I winced, hoping I got the words right. "Do they mean anything to you?"

Fai seemed deep in thought. "I…No, I don't think I have ever heard those words b—" Suddenly, a look of horror settle on his face. A look of fear, of sadness, but mostly of realization. His eyes widened, and he spoke, his voice quaking. "I…I did say that once!" He exclaimed. "I mean, I don't know where I did, or when…not recently, I don't believe." He said softly, looking down at me. "I may be crazy, but it seems to me that I said that in a past life or something."

I jumped up, excitement coursing through my veins. I remembered the words he had said in my dream about him and the real Fai, 'You're here, and you know. Help me Izumi.' This was my first step for helping him. I grabbed his hand, and pulled him around in a circle, like a dance. "That's because it was in a past life, Fai! It really was! A life that could have been, as you said!" I said, jubilated. "Right now, we're living the life that is, but when you said that, you were living the life that almost was, before the incident happened."

Fai blinked at the word, 'incident'. "You lost me there. What incident?" He asked me. "What are you talking about, Izumi? I mean, I remember saying that, but I don't understand!"

I pulled us to a stop and looked down. "It was an incident…something caused the worlds to forged everything that happened in that life, as if time was spun back…" I said, releasing his hands and staring at the moon. "It was a terrible incident, and it caused many lives to be altered forever." I spun back towards him. "Don't you understand? You did say those words!"

Fai looked at the ground, as if concentrating on a little pebble or something. He seemed so focused on the damp floor. He looked up, a look of utter shock and embezzlement in his eyes. "Y-you're right." He stated tersely. "You're right!" He laughed, pulling me around like I had done to him. "I did say that! I was on a quest to deliver items to certain people in certain worlds! And you were there, too!"

I froze, causing him to stumble and let go of my hands. My mind raced so hard that one could almost hear the gears turning. My heart slammed against my chest, and I was afraid it would puncture a hole through it. My vision fogged up, and my hearing ability seemed to fade. I stumbled forward into his arms, and he staggered under my weight. He lifted me up, and let me rest my head on his shoulder. Nothing had ever felt so warm and nice. My mind was spinning to a halt, and I finally came to a conclusion.

I was the girl with auburn hair and amber eyes.

Me: Ouch. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.

Fai: Still hurt cause of the lava?

Me: Uh...YEAH! DUH!

Fai: Sheesh. Don't need to get all huffy.

Me: Sakura and Izumi! GET YOUR BUTTS OVER HERE THIS INSTANT!

Sakura: Yeah, yeah.

Izumi: What do you want?

Me: I want a formal apology.

Kurogane: Ha! And what makes you think you deserve one? Where'd you get THAT crazy idea?

Me: Uh...from the fact that I was dumped into a pot of boiling lava. But maybe you're right. Maybe I DON'T deserve to get an apology.

Kurogane: NOW we're seeing eye-to-eye.

Me: ARE YOU A MADMAN? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? OF COURSE I DESERVE AN APOLOGY!!!!

Izumi: Backing away slowly...very slowly...

Sakura: I'm with ya, sista! She complains so much!

Fai: Hey, are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?

Izumi: Frankly, no.

Fai: (rolls eyes) I MEAN, since she hurts so much from the lava, maybe we should do something to cool her down a bit (winks at Sakura).

Me: Ooh! Yeah, an icepack sounds pretty good right now.

Kurogane: Oh! I get what you're saying, Fai. Come on, everybody! Let's huddle up! Not, you, author lady.

Me: *grumbles* Fine.

Fai: *whisper whisper whisper*

Kurogane: (nods) *whisper*

Sakura: *whisper*

Izumi: Yeah!

FAI, KUROGANE, AND SAKURA: SHH!!!

Sakura: We're ready! We just need to phone Mokona up real quick. (dials phone) Hey, Mokona! What's shakin? Yeah? Well, we need you to stop by real quick.

Fai: I'll just set things up (backs away slowly, making sure nobody sees).

Me: You do that, Fai.

Mokona: I'm He-ere!

Me: Oh, great. I'm bouncing with joy.

Fai: Mokona, here's what you need to do. *whisper whisper*

Mokona: Alright! Author lady, just stand right on the red X, and relax. Nothing bad's going to happen, I mean, it's not like we're going to try to kill you or anything.

Sakura: (elbows Mokona) Nope! Nothing at all. Just reeeelaaax!

Me: Okee dokee!

Fai: Mokona, just do exactly what you did last time, ok?

Mokona: OK! (skips over to rope dangling from ceiling)

*snip*

Me: Hey, I don't like that sound. Remember what happened the last time I heard it? Wait, what are you doing? No! AHHHH!

Kurogane: That was a brilliant plan, Fai.

Sakura: I know! Genius! I love the part when the snow falls on top of her. Speaking of which, do you think she's dead yet?

Me: AUGH! GET ME OUT OF THIS DEATHTRAP!!!

ALL: NOPE.