Breathless

Chapitre 1. Atarashii Sekai (Brand New World)

By Sanzaki Kojika

Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form own Tsubasa or any of the CLAMP characters sadly. What I'd give for even half their talent! But anyways, don't expect much out of this story as I'm just kinda writing it to blow time while I ftp upload my manga to its new server on my lovely 56k dial-up. Fun…So, don't look for errors in this as you'll probably find a lot…This is KuroFai, by the way…meaning guy-on-guy action! Oh nos!

n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n—n-n-n-n-n-n-n—n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n—n-n

The sky opened up and the center of it dropped away, slipping down to the ground, but leaving everything untouched in its wake. There was a sharp snap and the drop broke free from the sky and gently settled to the ground. As the drop receded, the surrounding area reverted back to its normal state; even the sky was unmarred. Slowly, the drop imploded on itself to reveal four very wary travelers and a manjuu.

Shaoran quickly looked towards Sakura, making sure his princess was all right. After all, without her, this quest would be entirely pointless. She gave him her sweet, innocent smile, and the world around him seemed to fade. He smiled back and quickly pulled himself out of the moment. Now was not the time to linger on what his heart yearned for most.

"Hyuuh! We've finally arrived! Where do you think we are, Kuro-pan?" Fay chirped, standing beside the disgruntled samurai. His comment was met by Kurogane's dark glare.

"Shut up, sorcerer! How the hell would I know?" Kurogane snapped. Fay pouted slightly.

"Ah, Kuro-tan is soo mean!" Fay teased. He was met with another dark glare. His companion's response only proceeded to amuse him more.

Kurogane decided it was better to ignore the wily sorcerer for now and turned his attention to the white manjuu clutching on his shoulder. With a swift motion, he ripped Mokona off and held him up.

"Shiro Manjuu, where are we!?" Kurogane growled at his prisoner. Mokona squirmed in his hands, trying to break free. Kurogane grew bored and let the bouncing manjuu go. Mokona hopped to safety in Sakura's arms.

"I don't know…" Mokona pouted. Sakura stroked his head gently and his pout quickly turned into a smile.

"Well, for now all we can do is find a place to rest and gather information," Shaoran slowly climbed to his feet. He reached down and helped Sakura up as well. The two moved over to join Kurogane and Fay.

"Hyuh…" Fay glanced up at the sky and blinked slightly. Kurogane glared at him, but his glare had no effect (not that it ever did).

"What now?" Kurogane scowled. Fay looked over at him and gave him a goofy grin that spread from cheek to cheek.

"It's going to rain!" Fay chirped. Kurogane growled and lunged at him, just missing catching the sorcerer by the end of his coat.

"What the hell are you babbling about!?" Kurogane tried to chase after Fay, but the sudden rumbling of thunder caught his attention. He growled and averted his attention from Fai to the dark sky looming above them.

"Yeah…a bad storm is blowing in," Shaoran frowned slightly. He glanced over at Sakura and watched her for a moment as she stared up at the sky. Then, he glanced back to Fay and Kurogane.

"We should hurry and find a place to stay…" Shaoran added after a moment. Kurogane grunted and Fay nodded in response.

Without so much as another word, the small group of weary travelers hiked off, hoping to avoid the inevitable coming of the storm.

Nnnnnnnnn

The gray clouds loomed ever closer and still there was no sign of anything beyond the barren rocky land the group had traversed into. The thunder had followed after them with madly rushing winds and sharp, cold raindrops. In moments, the storm would be upon them.

"This isn't good! We need to find someplace to wait out the storm!" Shaoran shouted above the roaring wind. Kurogane grunted and nodded slightly. He liked this storm less and less the more it chased after them. Fay seemed unaffected; that goofy grin forever plastered across his face. It annoyed Kurogane to no end! He tried to ignore it and hurried on ahead.

"Hmph. You'd think there would be caves in a place like this," Kurogane scowled at no one in particular. Fay just giggled slightly in response and he pretended not to hear the sorcerer.

Suddenly, the sorcerer came to an abrupt stop beside him. Kurogane hurried to a stop and glanced back. Fay had a serious look on his face…this couldn't be good. The samurai frowned back at his companion. He could hear Shaoran and Sakura stopped ahead of them, just as confused as he.

"Something's coming," Fay's eyes narrowed as he stared straight ahead. The others followed his gaze but found themselves staring only at the same barren ground they had been since they arrived. Nothing seemed out of place.

"What the hell are you babbling about? I can't feel anything!" Kurogane scowled at him again. Fay continued to stare ahead into the emptiness. His hand clenched into a fist.

"Of course not, Kuro-pan!" After a moment, Fay turned and flashed Kurogane a grin, "It's magic!"

Shaoran frowned slightly. He wasn't exactly sure what it was, but something was making a shiver run up his spine. He wondered if this was perhaps the thing-the magic-that Fay was getting so worked up about. He moved closer to Sakura and wrapped an arm protectively around her.

"We need to stay together!" Fay chirped as he latched onto Kuro's arm. The samurai glared at him and tried to shake him off. Just as he was about to open his mouth and snap at the idiotic sorcerer, there was a bright light. He turned his head to catch a glimpse of what was happening, but only succeeded in blinding himself.

Without even thinking, Kurogane wrapped his free arm around Fay, encircling the thin sorcerer completely. He could feel Fay shift awkwardly against him, but he made no move to release the sorcerer. All he wanted to do is hold on to something…

Then suddenly, it felt like the ground beneath them dropped away. He glanced down and squinted, catching sight of what he thought was a doorframe as they passed through it. Then, he was met by cold and darkness, and he blacked out as they hit the ground.

Nnnnn

Kurogane forced his eyes open and groaned slightly. There was a heavy weight on top of him, but when he tried to knock it off, it rolled off with ease. He glanced over to see Fay lying next to him.

"Yo, wake up!" Kurogane gave the sorcerer a rough shove. Fay grumbled and slowly forced his eyes open. After a moment, he sat up and rubbed his head slightly.

"Wow, what a trip!" Fay whistled quietly as he climbed to his feet. He put a hand to his forehead and gazed around. They were obviously no longer in the mountains.

"Where are we?" Kurogane asked as he climbed to his feet beside Fay. He glanced out and glared at what he saw. They were standing in the middle of a desert. Just great.

"It appears we were transported somewhere…but, I think we are in the same world, and not too far from the others as we can understand one another," Fay grinned over at him. He just glared back.

For a moment, the two men just stared out into the desert, unsure of what to do. After that moment of silence, Kurogane groaned and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Whatever! Let's just get going!" Kurogane snarled as he started forward. Fay chuckled and hurried after him, trying to keep up with the samurai's long strides. The pace was hard to keep up with, and soon the sorcerer found himself slipping further and further back.

All around the two was a sea of sand, broken only by the dots of rocks, dried weeds, and rarely a deep green cactus-like plant. Fay wanted to go observe one closer as he felt something pulsating from them, almost as if they were alive, but he felt his energy being drained with every step he took. And with the lack of energy came a lack of desire to explore such mysteries.

The sorcerer glared up at the sun that was beating down on them. It glared back at him and caused him to turn away; the light almost seemed unreal. The heat seemed to rise from the ground and filter down from the sun; it was all around them, trapping them inside of its heinous warmth. He watched the wavy lines of heat dance around him, trying to keep himself focused on the dark figure before him. He couldn't even imagine how the samurai was keeping so well, especially dressed in mainly black as he usually was.

Though the heat was affecting Kurogane, too, he had lived most of his life (until Tomoyo-hime sent him away) in a world with a climate that was more likely to get scorching heat than it was to get snow. Being the warrior he was, he had grown used to being able to handle such extreme temperatures, or at least pretend he could. Summers in Japan often reached extreme temperatures, though he doubted in his lifetime it had ever gotten this hot! He cursed to himself and willed himself to move forward.

Fay blinked, trying to keep the water in his eyes. It felt as if they were trying to dry up and shrivel away while still inside his sockets. He shook his head slightly and blinked again. His vision was blurred, though he could still make out enough of the dark figure leading him, even though Kurogane was steadily gaining ground ahead of him and he was falling back ever more. The gap between was growing with each and every step.

Unlike Japan, Celes, or at least the part Fay had lived in, hardly ever even reached minor warm temperatures. The land was a frigid wasteland of ice and mountains. The only plants he ever saw were covered in pines as opposed to leaves. Nothing else could survive. Though it made the land a beautiful place in a way, it also lead to many disasters like famine and disease. Because of Fay's rather sheltered life back in his own world, he had never been accustomed to higher temperatures, assuming, of course, such places had actually even existed in his world.

Fay stumbled and barely caught himself in time before he landed face-first into the sand. He struggled into a sitting position and glanced around. The cactus that had been so far away seemed to have moved closer. He shook his head. He must be getting delirious! Chances were it was just another cactus. He slowly climbed to his feet and tried to hurry after the black samurai.

Suddenly, the world around Fay spun out of control and he tumbled to the ground. This time, he wasn't able to break his fall, and he landed into the sand with a thud. There was a sharp ringing in his ears and his head was still spinning. He slowly forced himself into a sitting position to find himself face-to-face with a blur of green.

Power. Power! Mmmm….tasty.

Fay blinked and tried to focus his vision. Where was that voice coming from? He wondered if he was just imagining things. Hadn't Ashura once talked of distant lands of heat and sand where the land played tricks on the people in it? It was called a mirage of something….Fay couldn't focus clearly on the thought.

Ripe Energy! So delicious!

Every time the voice rang through Fay's head, he felt a little weaker. He felt his arms shake and he forced them to hold his body up a little more. He squinted at the green blur of motion in front of him. Was that one of those odd desert plants…? He couldn't make it out cleary, but he was almost sure that's what it was.

Much power! All mine! Yummy!

Fay could no longer support himself. He fell down into the sand and tried to look up at the cactus hovering over him. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on…but it was almost as if that plant was draining him of his magic power. He could feel his energy slipping away…

Yummy! Delicious!

There was a sharp pain in Fay's throat, and he yelped despite his best efforts to hold it in. Though the sound had barely managed to escape his lips, not too far off, it had caught a dark figure's attention. Fay buried his face in the sand and clawed at his throat, trying to relieve the pain. It felt as if something had been thrust inside his neck and he wanted nothing more than to rip it out.

"You damn cactus!" came a deep growl as a blur of black thrust itself towards the green. There was a flash of silver and the green just evaporated as if it had never existed. Fay could hear Kurogane cursing to himself.

"Oi, majutsushi!" Kurogane knelt down and tried to force Fay off the ground. Fay rolled over and stared at him, his vision slowly starting to come into focus. His hands slowly withdrew from his neck as the pain subsided. For a moment, he just laid in the sand trying to recover.

"Daijoubu ka? Nanda korya!? Ano temee…." Kurogane muttered above him. Fay blinked up at him, not sure what the samurai had just said. He forced himself up to a sitting position and nearly toppled over backwards. Kurogane caught the sorcerer in his strong arms.

"Bakayarou!" Kurogane hissed at him. Fay blinked again. If he couldn't understand Kurogane….had they drifted too far from Mokona? He didn't think so. Until just a moment ago, they could understand one another just fine. He wondered if something else was disrupting it…

"Oi! Naniga atta ka?" Kurogane cocked an eyebrow down at the sorcerer. Fay grinned slightly and opened his mouth to speak.

There was a sharp pain in his throat and he only managed to get out an awkward squeak. He blinked and tried to speak again, but still, no sound came out. He frowned slightly and rubbed his throat.

"Kimi no koe ga inai…?" Kurogane blinked back at him. Fay shook his head slightly and shrugged in response. He was at a loss of what the dark samurai was saying. Hopefully, it wasn't important.

Kurogane growled slightly and climbed to his feet, pulling Fay up with him. Fay stumbled slightly, but Kurogane caught his arm and held the sorcerer right up.

"Kuso saboten!" Kurogane muttered as he started forward, pulling Fay along with him. Fay struggled to keep up, but he was already having enough trouble before he was attacked. Kurogane grunted slightly and slowed down, pausing at the sorcerer's side.

"Hontou ni daijoubu ka?" Kurogane cocked an eyebrow at Fay again. Fay grinned at him. He liked the way the samurai had said that…it almost made it sound like Kurogane was worried about him! He chuckled at the thought and quickly brushed it aside.

Kurogane glared at him for a second then sighed. He knelt down in front of Fay and glanced back at him. Fay just blinked over at him. Kurogane motioned with his hands for the sorcerer to climb on. Fay hesitated for a moment, a little nervous about being so close to the samurai, but before he could manage to get away, Kurogane had backed up and was picking him up. Soon, Fay found himself being carried on Kurogane's back.

"Tsukamatte." Fay couldn't understand the samurai, but he was pretty sure that meant 'hold on.' He wrapped his arms tightly around Kurogane's neck as they started forward. Even with holding on he still felt like he was going to slide off at any giving moment. He felt so awkward on the large, black back.

Kurogane sighed and cursed to himself. Great, just what he needed! Not only had Fay been attacked and was now voiceless, he also didn't seem to be able to understand a word the samurai had said to him. Kurogane wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew he didn't like it.

As he walked, Kurogane glanced back at the burden on his back. Fay's head was almost resting on his shoulder; the sorcerer's face was contorted, lost deep in thought. Often times, Kurogane found himself wondering just what went on in that head of his. Fay always seemed so happy and optimistic, but then a moment would pass when the look in his eyes was real, and there was no way a smile could pass the pain and suffering he held there. But, no matter how much he would like to know, it was really none of his business. He too kept secrets from the others, and though he could guarantee they didn't torment him like the sorcerer's did, they were still things that were too embarrassing or too personal to tell anyone else. If he wanted them to respect his privacy, he had to do the same to all of them…including Fay.

Kurogane continued muttering to himself as he trudged along, carrying the silenced sorcerer on his back. This world was going to take some time.

Nnnnnn

Um, well, honestly, I didn't expect this to be more than a oneshot…but when I finally got the details worked out…a oneshot seemed too short. Heh. So, this will be an ongoing story for now…but not too long cause I don't feel confident writing long stories (I'm even rewriting my 24 chapter novel for like the 7th time for some of the chapters…) I'm almost kinda liking this story though…haha XD

Now, if only my mouse would work…I'm using my big sister's crappy tablet as a mouse right now since my stupid mac computer decided not to read my actual mouse. I hate Yukinari sometimes…

Oh! And the Japanese? I ain't translating it Xd First off, it's really basic and minor stuff anyways (please don't check for errors…I wrote most of it late at night and when I'm half asleep, even my Japanese is bad)…if my mouse decides to work later tonight when I get on, I'll change the one mistake I actually found. But, back on track…I also left it like that cause this is more from Fay's pov than anyone's…okay, it was supposed to be. So, I wanted the audience to be as lost as him. XP