Introduction
In an ancient ruin in Clow, the feathers of one girl fly away, slipping through thousands of dimensions, unaffected by time or space. Some fall into the hands of evil; others accidentally manipulate the weak hearted into becoming evil themselves. Only one escapes this fate.
In an icy palace in Seresu, one king cries for the loss of his queen and unborn son, his advisors unable to comfort him. But when destiny steps in, it looks like all is not quite lost. A chance walk on a balcony will start a chain of events that no one had ever dreamed of…but when magic and mortality mix, can there ever be a happy ending?
For love of a feather, one man's heart will die…
Prologue
"No! Bring them back! They cannot be dead! I forbid you to let them die!" An anguished scream echoes through the silent halls of an icy palace, servants and visiting nobles alike turning their heads to the side at the sound, their expressions pained and full of grief.
"My king, I can do nothing…they've already passed on…" Another voice, quieter but choked with a similar sorrow, speaks, and all is suddenly still, the only sound the grief-stricken sobs of an inconsolable king. The doors to the room slide open before being carefully shut once more, the doctor unable to do anymore for his patients except leave the sole survivor in peace.
There is the sound of smashing glass as a priceless statuette is thrown savagely after the retreating doctor, before the culprit sinks slowly to his knees beside the bed, weeping bitterly over the loss of his queen and unborn child, both lost to him through childbirth. With silent whimpers of agony, he lifts his hand to gently caress her pale cheek, the skin remaining unmoving underneath his fingertips, the rosy warmth held in life long evaporated into the night.
Moving to lie next to his love's motionless form, the young royal fixes dark eyes on her still rounded belly, seeing with his magic the small, still body that lies within, knowing that this child never even had the chance to breathe for the first time, lost before it could make its bid for freedom. It will still be inside of her when they burn her body, the pair's ashes mixing as they are released into the Whirlpool Of Memories. The king lets out another shuddering sob, unable to imagine his life without his queen, unable to find the strength of will to go on.
He is only 23.
Rolling onto his back, Ashura shows the world eyes that are dulled from grief, his blank gaze focused unseeingly on the same crystal ceiling that his wife loved so much. He doesn't move again.
At the same time, in another world, another dimension, a girl's feathers fly from her, escaping through the boundaries of time and space to flee to different worlds, leaving their brothers and sisters behind in their own bid for freedom. The only thing binding them together as one heart is the mark of the Suzaku, forever symbolising that they are one of many, yet all of one girl.
As its siblings fall prey to the ambitions of mankind's cruelty, one feather continues on with its journey, passing through thousands of worlds to arrive in one of ice and snow. Its magic temporarily spent, it drops, only to spin lazily upwards once more as it is caught by the wind, spiralling towards an ornate city in the sky.
Shooting by the crystalline wings that are curved around the highest turrets of a gleaming white palace, the feather is caught in a small crevice, trapped by the elaborate design of a balcony, unknowing of the sorrow felt by all that exist behind the gleaming windows of such a lavish dwelling.
All it can feel is the grief of one man.
And all it can do is grieve with him.
Author's Note
Sorry it's short...but hey, it's the prologue! And to everyone who's been reading my KuroFai series...told you I'd do it! If you haven't...go read it! This fic'san expanded version ofone of my oneshots!If you can find the time to review, I'd be very happy!