Author's notes- And...WE'RE BACK! Well, Summer vacation is coming up in two weeks for me *YAY!* And I, the awesome Carmen-san, will be heading off to High School! *Throws confetti* In other news, KCH33 IS BACK FROM MORROCCO! *throws confetti again and toots horn* LET THE CHAPTER COMMENCE!

KawaiiChibiHime33 is responsible for editing these chapters for your enjoyment. *sparkles!*

Disclaimer:

CV: You know, I really don't feel like doing the disclaimer today. *snaps fingers* ~Mokona!~

Mokona: Yes~ Carmen-chan?

CV: Do the disclaimer for me, and I'll get you some sake.

Mokona: *eyes widen in excitement* OKAY! Carmen Veiga doesn't own Tsubasa or FMA.

CV: Good girl! *gives bottle of sake to Mokona.*

Kurogane: Thank God for that. Hey, wait a minute! You're not even old enough to buy sake! Not to mention you don't even have any money.

CV: I know. That's why I got permission from Fai to steal and use your credit card *evil smile*

Kurogane: MAGE!

Fai: Eee hee hee! Kurger-burger's mad! *runs away*

Kurogane: *runs after him with Souhi*

CV and KCH33: *sits down on the couch and laughs at the scene while eating popcorn :P*

KCH33: This is just like the doujinshis we read!

CV: I know right? KUROFAI FTW!

Chapter Six: Seishiro

Bright sunlight filtered through the cafe's windows as late afternoon approached. Fai, Sakura, Carmen, and Mokona were busy tidying up Cat's Eye. They didn't have any customers at the moment, so the four of them had decided to wash the breakfast dishes from the rush hour they had gotten that morning.

"Sakura's working really hard!" Mokona said cheerfully. The princess had worked non-stop all day to help them out.

Finally, the last plate was washed and placed on the counter. "There, all done." Sakura said looking quite pleased with her work.

"Thanks for the help, you two," Fai said thanking Carmen and Sakura.

"Anything else we can help you out with?" Carmen asked him, drying her hands with a dishtowel.

"I think we're good for now. You guys can take a break for awhile if you want." Fai told them with a smile.

"I want to work hard so I feel like I'm contributing something to the group," Sakura said softly. "I can't fight Oni like Syaoran-kun or Kurogane-san, so I need to do the best I can to-" she then stopped in mid sentence. Her eyelids closed and she started to fall backwards.

"Look out!" Mokona cried.

Fai reached out and caught the princess gently by her elbows. He knelt down so that Sakura was safely resting in his arms. Carmen lowered herself down on one knee so that she was positioned next to Fai. Mokona hopped down from the counter to stand at Sakura's side.

"Is she okay?" Carmen asked in a worried tone. She wasn't wasn't used to her younger friend fainting unexpectedly.

"She'll be fine. Sakura-chan just overworked herself, that's all. She'll wake up in a little while." Fai reassured the alchemist.

Carmen sighed in relief, "That's good."

A few minutes later, Sakura was lying on the cafe's couch, fast asleep. Mokona was sitting on the arm rest and Fai was kneeling at the couch's side. Carmen was in the kitchen making herself and the others some tea and snacks. The door was open a little.

"Hey Fai?" Mokona's voice asked.

Carmen's ears perked up. Her hearing abilities honed in on the conversation as she continued making the tea. She knew it wasn't polite to eavesdrop, but what her friends didn't know wouldn't hurt them. Besides, it's not like her sharp ears could really not hear it.

"What is it, little one?" Fai asked.

"Do you remember what you said to Syaoran when we were in the world with that big lake? You told him that if he laughed, smiled, and had fun, no one would think less of him." the manju said quietly.

World with the lake? Jeez, someone really needed to explain about the different worlds to Carmen so she wouldn't get so confused.

"Why are you bringing that up now, Mokona?" the mage asked her curiously.

Carmen could picture the little manju's smile creeping over her face as she continued, "You really need to hear it too, Big Kitty. There won't be any scolding from me or Syaoran or anybody. Be happy!"

Carmen heard a gasp of surprise escape from the blonde. An awkward silence followed. Then, Fai broke the silence.

"But Mokona, I'm always happy!" he said cheerfully.

"That's not true. You smile even when you're feeling sad." Mokona said in a soft tone.

Silence.

"You're a lot more observant than you look." Fai replied gently.

"That's just another one of my 108 secret skills," Mokona explained. "I'm the type of Mokona who can always tell when someone is upset. I can sense it with you, Syaoran, Kuro-puu, and Carmen,"

The alchemist froze. She stood there at the stove with the kettle full of boiled water.

"But, I think the more you travel and be with each other, you all feel a little less lonely. You're all working hard to help Sakura and that's enough." the manju said in a happier tone.

"I think you're right about that, Mokona." Fai said. Mokona gave a little giggle.

Carmen was still standing at the stove. A million things were racing through her mind. Like Mokona, she could also see through Fai's smile. The happy expressions always looked real, but the emotion never did reach his cobalt eyes. They were always sad, and sometimes far away. She always thought she hid it well. "I guess this kind of sadness could never really be hidden."

Her mind then switched back to the manju sensing the sadness in her friends. Plenty of sad things had happened to Carmen that made her upset. She just never chose to release her sadness. She didn't want the people around her to be worried. "I guess I'm similar to Kurogane and Syaoran in that way."

Shaking her head to clear it, the alchemist walked out of the kitchen, carrying a tray with four mugs of tea and a plate of frosted buns that she'd made that morning. Fai was holding Mokona in his hands. He closed his eyes and smiled as Carmen approached.

"Here's your tea, you guys. I made one for Sakura in case she wants to drink something when she wakes up. And here are the leftovers that I made for breakfast this morning." Carmen said, trying to act like she hadn't been listening to the recent conversation.

"Thanks, Rubi-chan!" Mokona said taking the mug Carmen offered her. She also took a bun and shoved it in her mouth.

The alchemist handed a cup to Fai and picked up her own. She sat down cross legged on the floor and took a sip.

"So, is Sakura fainting a regular thing that happens?" Carmen asked the blonde.

Fai gave her a small smile. "Sometimes. It usually happens if she overworks herself without taking a break," he told her.

"Fai, how's ankle been doing?" the alchemist asked him. She remembered the princess telling her how some Oni had ambushed Fai and Kurogane when they had been going to a bar. Fai had injured his ankle in the fight.

The bell above the front door jingled as it opened, interrupting the wizard's reply.

"Welcome to the Cat's Eye!" the trio announced together.

There was the sound of a cape slicing through the air. Carmen opened her eyes and her smile faltered. In front of them stood a tall man wearing a white, hooded cape. Something about this guy made the alchemist feel uneasy.

She felt Fai stiffen next to her. He then quickly closed his eyes and put the mask smile back on, "Actually sir, you wouldn't mind coming back a little later, would you?"

An evil smile crept across the man's face. "Just tell me where the Oni hunters are," he said.

Fai's smile turned down completely and his eyes opened up into a frown.

The trio stayed there in silence, glaring at the newcomer. Something suddenly caught Carmen's attention. A flash of blue light illuminated the stranger's right dark brown eye. Carmen gave a small gasp.

"Mokona, stay here with Sakura." Fai told the manju. Mokona nodded.

Fai slowly got to his feet. Carmen followed suit. Like a reflex, her right hand slowly wrapped around the hilt on one of her sheathed daggers. There was the noise of metal clanking as her grip tightened around her weapon.

Fai walked toward the hooded man, Carmen trailing behind him. A small smile crossed over his face. "Hello sir. Can my friend Rubi and I seat you at a table?" he asked him casually.

"No thank you. I'm actually looking for the two Oni hunters who live here." the stranger answered.

"Unfortunately for you, they're out right now." Fai explained, keeping his voice calm.

"Really? You're positive that you're not a hunter yourself?" the man asked.

"Not me. I'm just a regular cafe' manager." Fai answered, closing his eyes and grinning.

The stranger's attention then directed to Carmen. His gaze rested on the dagger belt around her waist and the automail hand wrapped around the hilt. "What about you young lady? Someone carrying that powerful a weapon would definitely have the fighting skills of an Oni hunter." he questioned.

Swallowing down her nervousness, Carmen tried to keep her voice calm like Fai's, "No. I'm just a waitress who helps run the cafe' with my friend, Big Kitty here."

The man was silent for a few moments. He then continued, addressing both of them, "You're here running a cafe' when the two of you possess all of that magic and alchemy?"

Carmen stiffened. Her grip tightened around her dagger. How the hell did he know about her being an alchemist? No one int he group had come from her world.

Fai was silent for a few moments, keeping the mask up and acting like this random guy hadn't just told him that he knew who he really was. However, Carmen could sense nervousness rolling off in waves from the blonde. He then opened his eyes and replied calmly, "But that's beside the point. Why are you here for the Puppy Pair?"

A shadow then started to rise up around the stranger. Carmen gasped as two huge Oni took their forms. "Why, I intend to get rid of them, of course."

The blonde wizard looked calmly at the beasts before continuing, "So... you're this "Seishiro" who Syaoran told us so much about."

"Seishiro?" Carmen thought warily.

"And just how do you know Syaoran?" Seishiro asked.

"My friend here and I have been traveling with him and a few others for sometime now."

"He can travel between dimensions now?" the raven-haired man asked. "He didn't have that gift the last time I saw him. He met up with the witch, didn't he?"

Fai opened his eyes. "You can travel too," he replied.

Seishiro brought his fingers to his right eye. "Correct. I had to give her my eye. In its place she gave me this magical one. It enhances my own magic and lets me travel from world to world."

Something clicked in Carmen's head. "That kind of magic is limited, right? You can only use it a certain number of times." she said quietly remembering the old ledgends that she was told to by her mother when she was a kid.

Fai tilted his head. "And that means that they're are a certain number of worlds you can go to."

"So you see, because of my restrictions, I can't afford any missteps, can I? And I'm afraid you and your friends are unfortunately a liability!"

One of the demons suddenly lunged forward at Fai and Carmen. Jumping out of the way, the alchemist went to draw her dagger, but the beast batted her aside like a fly. She flew across the room and crashed against the couch, letting out a cry of pain as she did so. She was about to get back up, but her body suddenly started to shine with a familiar glow.

"No. No, this can't be happening now!" she cried. Her form then turned from a human back into a cat.

Carmen watched helplessly as Fai back flipped, dodging another attack. He landed on the bar, but not without twisting his injured ankle slightly. The alchemist sensed the cracking noise and the blonde's pained grunt.

"Fai! Your ankle!" she cried from her position on the floor.

"Stay and protect Mokona and Sakura. Don't move from that spot!" he ordered firmly. Carmen was a little surprised at his command, but nodded in response.

"Seems like your friend is concerned for your injury," Seishiro commented. "Wouldn't it be easier to use magic to protect yourself and put her mind at ease?"

"Naturally I would," Fai said, "but I gave up using my powers after I left my home."

"Well...it looks like you're as good as dead."

A moment of silence passed between the two.

The cloaked man's eyes narrowed. "That's what you were hoping was for, wasn't it?"

Carmen was shocked. Fai wanted to die! "But, why?" she thought.

Fai smiled. "It was like that in the beginning. But then a tempermental friend of mine changed my mind.

(A/N: KUROFAI!)

"I'm not giving up on myself anymore. I won't let you kill me... at least not without one heck of a fight."

Seishiro was silent for a few moments. He then raised his hand and an orb of dark magic appeared in it. Trapped inside was a white feather with a strange pink marking.

The alchemist's eyes widened. "That must be Sakura-chan's feather!" she thought.

Fai, who was frowning again, spoke to her. "Carmen, you need to stay out of this fight. If anything happens to me, you and Mokona have to find Syaoran. It's critical that he knows about the feather."

Carmen felt like she was going to cry, realizing the reason for the blonde's words. "Fai. No...please!" she whimpered.

The feather started glowing. The wizard turned away from the alchemist, a look of determination on his face.

"Say goodbye, wizard." Seishiro sneered. The Oni lunged once again. Fai lept upwards and delivered a kick to the demon's face. He landed on one of the tables and jumped again as the second Oni went for him. He reached for the dart board and threw the remaining darts that he had, even though it didn't do any good. He was only on the table for a few seconds before it happened.

The beast lunged.

Fai gasped.

A red bow tie flew into the air.

"FAI!"

Carmen screamed. Her friend's legs were now hanging limply out of the demon's jaws.

Mokona started crying uncontrollably. Carmen just stood there shocked with her eyes wide, starting to overflow with tears themselves.

Seishiro, who now had a sickening grin on his face, held up the feather. A blinding light illuminated the cafe. Mokona started screaming in terror. Carmen squeezed her eyes shut and huddled against the couch.

A few moments past when she finally opened her eyes. The cafe was a complete wreck. Huge gaping holes were in the walls, and everything was overturned. Carmen, realizing she was back in her human form, stared at the couch, her breathing heavy, her eyes still enlarged, and desperately holding on to tears.

Seishiro had murdered Fai. And she hadn't been able to stop him.

Tears started to burn her eyes and it made her vision blurred, but for once she didn't try to stop herself. Squeezing her eyes shut, she gripped the couch cushion and lowered her forehead to it, letting the howls and sobs she had held in for so long out, with tears falling down her face in hot trails. This was all too familiar to her! She hated it. Memories from that night forced themselves back into her mind: Flames illuminating the sky, the choking stench of smoke, and the feeling of his hand becoming lifeless and cold in her grip. The image of Lust's sick smirk flashed in her mind. It was the smirk Seishiro had. The look of a killer.

The tears stopped coming. Her hands slowly clenched into fists. Her dark jade eyes seemed to glow as they opened, the familiar look of fury being the expression that she held.

She slowly stood up, angrily wiping the tears from her face. She unclasped her locket and put it around Mokona's neck. Even though the manju was unconscious, she knew that her friend would know she was alive when she woke up.

Carmen took off through the huge hole in the wall, her sandals clacking against the cobblestones. She had to hunt that bastard down and kill him before he took another innocent life.

It didn't take the alchemist long to find her friend's killer. She easily followed the path of the same destruction that Seishiro caused in the cafe. It led her into a small park. The sky had turned ink black as night had arrived. The moon was full, and dark red.

Carmen walked under the various cherry blossom trees, keeping her ears pricked. Coming to a clearing, she spotted Seishiro a few feet away. He was positioned under one of the Sakura trees, his demon henchmen around him. The princess' feather was in his hand, floating in the orb of dark magic.

The brown-eyed man turned his head in her direction as he heard her approaching. "Well... looks like I should have taken care of you when I had the chance." he muttered.

"Shut the hell up!" the alchemist snapped. "You just murdered an innocent man in cold blood. How can you live with yourself!" The words that she was yelling sounded familiar too.

Seishiro was silent for a few moments. "I said that I would rid myself of anybodywho got in my way, and the mage tried to stop me," his eyes then narrowed. "What are you going to do about it, alchemist?"

By now, the Ivory Blade had been transformed into a sword. "I won't let you get away with this. I'll kill you before you leave here, you bastard!" yelled an infuriated Carmen.

The Oni then attacked. The alchemist dodged before slicing up a few demons with her sword. She managed to sever a head from its owner's shoulders when the dead creatures regenerated. "Fuck!" Carmen cursed mentally. (A/N: Hehe, sorry! Just had to put that in XD)

Clapping her hands together, Carmen slammed them onto the ground. Giant cracks erupted through the earth's surface as the Oni one by one exploded as they were engulfed in the scalding hot water coming from under the earth's surface.

The alchemist then turned to Seishiro. The man was standing in the center of the clearing, his demons killed.

"I underestimated you, kid," he began, "You're a lot stronger than the mage, or even Syaoran for that matter." At that moment, an Oni in the form of what looked like a large hawk, landed on his shoulder.

"If I'm stronger than they were, why the hell won't you fight me yourself?" she growled. She let out a surprised gasp as the hawk-demon turned into a huge sword.

"Because I didn't want to waste my time sword fighting a little girl like you!"

Seishiro advanced on the alchemist with great speed. Carmen tried to stop him by transforming some ice barriers from a nearby fountain, but they were destroyed easily.

She didn't even have time to block the attack. Her eyes widened and a pained gasp escaped from her as the male's sword was plunged into her torso.

Suddenly, Carmen's body broke apart into little particles. Seishiro backed away as she let out a terrified scream. "It's all over... Carmen." The last thing that the alchemist saw before she vanished was the bastard's evil smirk.

Carmen's eyes opened slightly, her vision blurred. They flew open a few seconds after she realized she was still alive. She found herself sitting in some egg-shaped capsule; many similar capsules were all around her. The alchemist saw that she was back in the clothes she had arrived in Outo in: Dark blue hooded cape, white tank top, blue jeans, and brown combat boots (the locket was still with Mokona.)

"What the hell? Where am I?" she asked.

A tapping noise was heard on the side of the glass dome over the capsule. Carmen let out a gasp when she saw Fai smiling and waving at her. In place of his bartender outfit, he was wearing a dark blue long jacket and gloves.

"FAI!" she yelled happily. She scrambled out of the capsule and tackled the mage in a hug, almost causing the blonde to topple over.

"~Hyuu~ surprised to see me alive, huh Rubi?" he said jokingly, placing a hand on top of the brunette's head and smiled warmly at the alchemist.

"But, how can you be alive? Seishiro's demons killed you." Carmen questioned. She released the mage and looked at him in confusion.

"Well, that's quite an interesting story," Fai answered, obviously amused by th young girl's confusion. He then pointed at something behind her. "but maybe I should tell it while we're all here, don't you think?"

Carmen looked behind was surprised to see Syaoran and Sakura waking up in their capsules. Like Fai, their recent outfits had been replaced by knew ones. Syaoran was now wearing a black T-shirt, tan cargo pants, and a green hooded cloak. A pair of goggles hung around his neck. Sakura was wearing a pink and white dress with a matching hooded cloak.

The alchemist immidiately hurried down to greet her baffled friends. Syaoran was relieved to see both Fai and Carmen alive. He then looked past them to something behind them. Following his gaze, Carmen saw Mokona still sleeping peacefully in her own capsule. Above her, Kurogane was sleeping peacefully in his capsule. The hakama was gone. In it's place the ninja wore a black cloak with a raised collar that came just above his chin. Black pants and boots were worn on his legs and feet. A red helmet imprinted with a black cresent moon adorned his head.

"Kurogane and Mokona are here too." Syaoran said relieved.

"Did that mean they were killed in Outo too?" Carmen asked.

"Not exactly," Fai told them. "We're dead in a certain way... well, in Outo at least.

All three teens fixed the mage with a confused look. They then followed as Fai led them onto a moving platform, taking them through a lit tunnel.

"You see, we were never in Outo Country at all because Outo doesn't really exist." Fai explained. A door then opened in front of them.

"...Whoa..." Carmen breathed. The door had reavealed to the four travlers a huge theme park.

Post notes- CV: *Stumbles into room and flops onto bed.*

Sakura:...Is she okay?

KCH: She's just exhausted from writing this chapter over the past few months.

CV: I'm...never...writing...a chapter... that long...AGAIN! *head starts to steam*

KCH: Uh... so, yeah, Read, Review, and Comment, and we'll see you in chapter seven... that is if Carmen survives that long.