Chapter Forty-Three
"Aren't you going to send that back to them?" Watanuki asked, staring at the large white feather.
Yuuko turned her head in the direction of his voice, not smiling for once. "If I were to return it now, they would have to pay an additional price for it," she explained. Watanuki would need to know the rules of the shop one day, and instilling these lessons in him now would make the transition easier. "If I keep this feather a while longer, their suffering will make a sufficient payment, and they won't have to forfeit something else to get it."
"But . . . So, that guy with the glass eye . . ."
"He paid for a way to save Syaoran-kun's life, as well as to land in a world with another feather to replace this one. Truthfully, it wasn't a fair price—a life is worth more than any magical artifact, no matter how powerful—but Seishirou has brought me many useful things since I gave him the means to traverse the dimensions, and it was within the bounds of my interference to help him save the boy."
Watanuki watched her turn the glass container in her hands as she spoke. Contained within was the feather Seishirou had exchanged for the enchanted bulb. Its magic signature was blocked by the capsule's walls. "Fuuma-san sent that, didn't he? The case."
"Yes. Since he is also benefiting from Seishirou's wish, I am considering this part of the price."
"Doesn't the person who makes the wish have to pay the price on their own?"
"That's the way it's supposed to be," she murmured, glancing down at the black and white tiled floor. "But in this case, the price would've been too great for Seishirou. So I took this capsule as part of that payment, to ease his burden."
Watanuki looked at her for a long moment, his expression turning thoughtful as he considered the exchange. "There have been times when I've thought your prices have been unfair," he said slowly, eyes flashing over to her as if he expected a rebuke for saying so. Yuuko waited for him to elaborate, crossing one leg over the other and shifting the container in her arms. "but I see now that you really are doing your best to make a fair trade, whoever you're dealing with."
She nodded. "It is within the bounds of my interference to exact prices from multiple parties. I try to avoid doing so, when I can, especially when the situation is as hopeless as this one. But even so . . ." She glanced at the portal the Black Mokona had set up. In the image, Seishirou was leaning over his bedridden brother, feeding him soup by the spoonful. "I hope he succeeds. As much as the laws of the universe are against him, I hope he is able to grant his wish."
Watanuki nodded. "Because that's your price? To grant the wishes of anyone with the means to pay?"
"In a way," she said simply. The truth was a tangled mask of qualifications and natural laws, but she supposed keeping the balance was part of her duty, too. My price. What an apt way to put it. "Watanuki, I have something I need you to do."
"Yes, Yuuko-san?"
She stood up and walked over to him, the magic-resistant capsule still in her arms. "I want you to take this downstairs and put it somewhere it won't be seen. Cover it up if you have to. It is a thing of great power, and I don't want to lose it before it can be exchanged."
He took the capsule and bowed. "I understand."
Yes, but do you understand the price paid for you to be here? she wondered, as he disappeared down the steps.
The first thing Kurogane realized when they settled in for sword practice was that the princess had absolutely no aptitude for weapons at all.
"It's heavy," she said, holding up the sword they'd bought so the tip pointed toward the sky. It was a cheap thing, more equipped for basic training than actual combat, but Infinity was evidently not famous for its metalwork, so it would have to serve until they fell in a country that was.
"Of course it's heavy," he said. "That's why you practice with it. Once your arms are stronger, you'll be able to hold it up."
She held the weapon awkwardly, her arms sticking straight out like she was holding a flag instead of a sword, her stance too narrow to keep her body stable. But because this was her first day of training, and because he had nothing better to do until the next game of human chess, he spent ten minutes correcting her stance and explaining why she needed to hold the sword properly. "You won't be ready to fight anyone for a good while, but you'll at least look like you know what you're doing, and a good bluff can deter an enemy."
She nodded, focused.
"Now, see if you can take a step forward without messing up your stance," he said.
Kurogane watched carefully as she obeyed, paying attention to her damaged leg. She moved exactly as he'd expected: her stance narrowed several inches, and her crippled leg met the ground at an odd angle, so her feet were no longer parallel. He said as much, allowing her to correct herself before moving on.
"It's better," he said, when she had made the proper adjustments. "Now try it again."
Training Syaoran had been almost easy compared to this. The kid had possessed a decent background in fighting, and knew how to move and defend himself. With the princess's lack of training, Kurogane suspected the road was going to be a lot more difficult.
We all started out like that, though, he thought. Maybe she'll surprise me. "Again," he commanded, as she stepped forward. "Your stance is still too narrow. Bend your arms more, or you'll break an elbow when someone hits you."
She corrected herself with the next step. "Again."
When her leg came down, her foot settled awkwardly in the grass. "You have to keep your feet parallel," he reminded her, trying to modulate his voice so he sounded patient. "Learning a proper stance now will save us both the headache of correcting it later."
"I can't," she said quietly.
"You have to."
"It doesn't bend right anymore. It hurts to move it like that."
He sighed. "Look, I told you this was a big commitment. You're going to be sore, and you're going to have days where you hate me for working you like this, but you have to learn the basics. If you don't, you'll never be able to defend yourself in a real fight."
"But—"
"Listen to me. I know that wound is only a month old. I know it seems like there's no way to work around it right now. But if the other kid can fight with one eye blind, you can fight with a bum leg."
Frustration flashed across her face, mixing with anger. Her reaction surprised him, not because he thought the training wouldn't elicit those emotions, but because he was so used to seeing his old apprentice grit his teeth and take it without complaint.
It doesn't matter how many students you take on, some part of him thought. You will always compare them to the kid. As long as you have someone to teach, there will never be a day that goes by that you don't have to think about it. He looked away, staring at the lines in the sidewalk.
After a moment, Sakura lifted a hand to wipe the budding tears from her eyes. "I'm not giving up," she whispered. "I can't give up. Syaoran-kun never would've quit over something like this."
Neither of them, he thought, gritting his teeth to keep from saying so. The princess knew what she meant, and that was enough.
She took a fighting stance again, wincing as she adjusted her foot so it sat at the proper angle.
"Tomorrow, we'll spend some time stretching that leg out. It's too stiff the way it is."
"Okay." She lifted the cheap sword, being careful.
At least she respects the weapon, he thought, seeing the resolve in her features, the caution in her eyes. There may be hope for her yet.
"Again."
Author's Note:
I put the first section in because someone wanted to know why Seishirou's feather hadn't found its way back to our heroes yet. It made most sense to tell it from Yuuko's perspective, as cryptic as she is, but it may be inconsistent with the events of XXXHolic, since I haven't read that series yet. So anyway, we'll just say that since this is technically and AU, Watanuki and Yuuko had that conversation, and that whatever was going on in XXXHolic at the time doesn't interfere with this scene.