Annnnd I made myself cry again. Extra thanks to KidWestHope for convincing me that people wanted to meet the baby, and Angelheart96 from tumblr for PROMOTING THIS FIC. I just about died.

Syaoran dug the heel of his hand into his eye. He was getting a headache. Book after book after book and still no sign of anything that could be useful. The boy sighed, blinking hard and trying once more to get through a particularly dry section of the text he was reading.

No use. The words were all blurring together, and it was a language he wasn't very well-versed in. It took serious concentration for him to read it in the first place. Honestly with as tired as he was, this was a lost cause. He could try again tomorrow. Marking his place with a slip of paper, he closed the book and stretched. This world had the least comfortable chairs he had ever encountered. The food was good though, and that was something.

The boy stood up, hoping to get some blood back into his legs. He pulled his cloak back on, abruptly realizing how cold the little office room was. Goosebumps raised on his arms and he made his way eagerly to where Fai was working on the soup for dinner over a fire.

"How's it going?" Fai asked, stirring the spice-filled broth with a long ladle.

Syaoran shook his head.

"I'm not sure we'll find anything here. I can't find anything in the historical records that would hint at magic. No strange events. Nothing unexplainable."

"Hmm, well its only been a few days. How about tomorrow you show me the basics of this country's language and I help you out?" The magician laid his arm over Syaoran's shoulders and pulled him into his side.

Syaoran leaned into him and gave him a thin smile.

"That would be wonderful, thank you, Fai."

The door behind them burst open with a crash, Kurogane storming into the small house. He had Mokona clutched in his fist.

"No time! The pork bun says we're leaving!"

Mokona's earring was glowing.

"What? We haven't even been here a week," Syaoran scrambled to grab his belongings. Fai doused the fire, smoke billowing up and covering the ceiling.

"Mokona is sorry, but Mokona can't control when its time to leave worlds!" The creature cried, wings erupting from its back.

"Its okay, Syaoran. Its probably a sign that there was nothing useful to find here. No point in wasting our time, right?" Fai smiled consolingly, reaching out a hand for the younger boy to take.

Syaoran held on tight, Kurogane's hand clamping down on his shoulder as the winds picked up around them.

"I didn't get to give the books back!" Syaoran exclaimed, aghast.

Fai just laughed.

The dull scene around them swam and faded, white overtaking Syaoran's vision. The sudden contrast made him shut his eyes against the glare, his headache flaring. After a few seconds of white, gravity overtook them and Syaoran's stomach lurched in the familiar way that meant they were entering a world about five feet above the earth.

They trio hit the ground with an outcry of surprise, landing in a tangled heap.

"Why do you always have to drop us out of the damn sky, manjuu?" Kurogane extricated himself from his two companions and glared up at Mokona, who was descending from their entry point with almost an offensive amount of grace.

"If Mokona doesn't aim up, everybody could end up down," Mokona chirped, dropping down to land on Kurogane's head.

Syaoran got to his knees, looking at the grass with more than a little alarm.

"You mean we could wind up underground?" There was horror on Kurogane's face.

"Oh dear, I think I'll take a few bruises," Fai stood and brushed himself off, squinting around at the new landscape.

Syaoran winced lightly, a chill rippling through him. It had been cool and damp in the last world, and the switch to hot and dry was a little bewildering. He blinked at their surroundings. They appeared to have landed in a grassy space behind a main road. There was a line of brick buildings to their left, slices of the street beyond them. To their right a hill extended upwards, yellowed leaves adorning the thin trees.

There was something familiar…

Syaoran turned, a thrill of excitement sparking in his stomach. He didn't want to get his hopes up, but-

He jogged towards the street, Fai and Kurogane following him curiously. When he hit the sidewalk, the boy bounced on his toes, craning his neck to read the shop signs. He did a double take when he recognized one.

Syaoran felt a laugh bubble up in his throat, a wide smile taking over his face.

"That's Briina's café…" He breathed, joy making his chest feel lighter than it had been in months. "That's Briina's café!"

It took a good hour to navigate his way through the town, pausing every so often to explain something to the others. His heart was singing. How long had it been since he left in this world? They had tracked two hundred and fourteen days since he left in their time. Almost eight months. But it could have only been a week here if the flow of time was in their favor. Or years. Or decades. Syaoran shied away from those thoughts.

Fai and Kurogane were watching him with open smiles, indulging him when he took a ten-minute detour just so he could point out the museum down in the center of city. Mokona shared his enthusiasm, dancing around on his head and asking endless questions.

By the time they reached Briina and Wrennen's street his throat was dry from talking and his face was flushed with the heat. They turned down the road, a strong breeze sending a couple leaves floating across their path. It was early autumn, the long grasses lining the road browned and crackling when they shifted in the wind.

Anxiety stirred then, and crept further towards Syaoran's chest with every step he took. His heart fluttered in his chest and finally his steps faltered. He wrung his hands, looking to his companions with wide eyes.

"What if they're gone?" He whispered. "What if we've been away for decades, or… Or we've come back before they met me?"

Kurogane rubbed a hand through the boy's hair roughly, making it stick up all over the place.

Fai gave a sad smile.

"Then we'll deal with that if it happens. Until then we don't have any reason to think the worst, okay?"

Swallowing thickly, Syaoran nodded.

They climbed the stairs, not talking. Things looked the same, taking into consideration the difference a change in season made. The ivy along the side of the apartment looked wilted, crisped leaves littering the balconies. There were no frogs plucking away at their odd songs. The few lizards Syaoran spotted had transitioned to a faded brown, moving away sluggishly when he got too close. The air was full of piercing bird cries.

It felt strange to think that he could have seen this before if he had stayed longer.

The group came to a stop in front of the familiar door and Syaoran hesitated.

"After you, kid," Kurogane prompted.

The boy took a bracing breath and knocked, heart hammering.

There was movement inside.

The door opened and Syaoran felt like he'd been dipped in ice water.

An elderly man stood before him, wispy grey hair falling over his forehead.

"Can I help you?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

Syaoran opened his mouth but nothing came out. His tongue was too big in his mouth, his throat dry. Who… Who was this?

"Pardon our intrusion," Fai swept forward, touching Syaoran's back lightly. "We're looking for Briina and Wrennen. Do you know where we could find them?"

The man licked his lips, adjusting his grip on his cane.

"There's no one here by those names, sorry to disappoint. Have a good day."

He shuffled backwards, moving to close the door on them. Syaoran's chest constricted.

"Dad, who's at the door?" A woman's voice called from inside.

"Nobody, Deliah. Wrong house," He called back to her.

Footsteps sounded on the tile, and then a hand snatched the door open again. A tall, middle aged woman smiled at them, a damp towel hanging over her shoulder.

"Dad, why don't you go sit down. I've got this, thank you," She patted her father on the shoulder and he wobbled away. "Hi, what can I do for you?"

"We're looking for a couple named Briina and Wrennen, they used to… They may have lived here at some time," Fai corrected himself, his hand still bracing Syaoran.

The woman's eyebrows rose, wrinkling her forehead.

"Oh, yeah, they lived here before us. Its been a little while, but I think I may have their address somewhere. We kept getting their mail for months. You want it?"

Syaoran's mouth unstuck, but his voice still came out small.

"They moved?"

The woman rubbed her hands on the towel.

"Yeah. Having a baby, weren't they? Too many stairs here, and this apartment isn't really big enough for a family. Here, hang out a second and I'll see if I still have their address."

She turned and disappeared back into the apartment, voices wafting out from inside.

"Who's having a baby?" The father asked.

"No one, Dad. Drink your tea before it gets cold, please."

"Didn't Senia have a baby?"

"That was eight years ago. Mora's in third grade, remember?"

"Oh…"

Syaoran twisted the hem of his cloak awkwardly, exchanging an uncomfortable look with Fai. Kurogane crossed his arms, leaning back on the bannister and trying to ignore the wiggling lump in his clothes that was Mokona.

"Hey, sorry about that! I got it," The woman rushed back to the doorway, offering a slip of crinkled paper.

Fai took it, shooting her a thousand-watt grin.

"Thank you very much, I don't suppose you could give us any directions? We're not from around here and aren't familiar with the streets."

That was one way to say that they could only read the numbers to the address and the words looked like gibberish to them.

"Um, well lets see. If you go down to the end of this street, turn toward the center of town and go about five blocks in. Then take a right and its what, number eighty-six? Should be toward the end of that road. The houses are pretty clearly marked over there so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding the right building. First floor. Can't be more than a fifteen-minute walk away, I'd guess."

"Thanks," Kurogane said, turning to head back down the stairway.

"Yes, that was extraordinarily helpful, thank you," The magician waved.

"Sure, hope everything works out for you. Have a nice afternoon," The door shut.

"Thank you," Syaoran found himself saying, trailing after the others. He felt dazed. Briina and Wrennen had been gone for a while, however long that meant. But they weren't too far away.

"You okay, kid?"

Syaoran bit his lip.

"I don't know."

Syaoran stood in front of the new door, anxiety making raising his hand to knock a daunting task. Mokona snuggled into his neck, staying quiet and still for once.

Before he completely lost his nerve, he jerked a fist up and rapped it a couple times on the wood, taking a step back nervously. Something inside fell to the ground with a dull thud and it was followed by unintelligible grumbling. Then the door popped open.

Syaoran's heat leapt into his throat.

Wrennen stood stock still, eyes wide and fixed on the boy as if he were sure what he was seeing wasn't possible. The man looked older, more tired, with a day's worth of stubble on his chin and a few more wrinkles around his eyes. There was something staining his shirt, and the most likely reason for the spill sat in his arms.

A baby squirmed against his side, obviously displeased at being held. He couldn't have been more than six months old, a grumpy frown on his tiny face.

"Oh my god…" Wrennen said, his face slack.

Emotion swelled up, filling Syaoran's whole being. Warm and happy and so relieved. It made his eyes water, despite the smile that lit his face.

"You scared me," He choked out. "You moved."

Wrennen laughed, lunging forward to wrap the boy in a one-armed hug. Syaoran hugged back the best he could while avoiding squishing the baby. Miniscule fingers smacked at his face clumsily. One poked him in the eye and he didn't even care.

"I don't believe this, look at you!" Wrennen pulled back, his hand ghosting Syaoran's cheek. "You don't look any different! And I'm probably a mess, look at me, Syaoran, this is what having a baby looks like," He was smiling though, and the warmth in his gaze was unparalleled.

"Looks okay to me," Syaoran grinned. He couldn't believe it. No more than a year could have passed if the baby was as young as he suspected.

"Come in, come in! Welcome back Kurogane, Fai. Is Mokona with you too?" He waved for them to enter their home.

Syaoran shot a look behind him, flushing at the doting expressions on his companions' faces.

"Mokona is here! Hello baby!" The magical creature popped up, squealing with delight.

"Hello again, Mokona," Wrennen greeted Mokona with a miniature handshake. The baby waved his arm wildly at Mokona, but Wrennen caught his hand before he could smack it. "Hey, what did I say about hitting, young man?"

The baby gave his arm a drooly, openmouthed kiss.

"This is Ruliil. We've been calling him Ru. He's teething and will try to eat you, just a warning," Wrennen adjusted Ru in his arms, letting the child flop over his shoulder.

Syaoran's heart did a flip when Briina's familiar voice sounded from deeper into the apartment.

"Wrennen? Who's here?"

Wrennen winked at them.

"Your mother, dear! Should I let her in?"

"Don't you dare. You better be joking," Briina warned, stomping around the corner. She stumbled to a stop when he locked eyes with Syaoran, and her face went from exasperated to stunned. "Oh…"

"Hi, Briina," He said, his eyes misting at the sight of her. She was wider than he remembered, her hair longer and tied in a braid on the side of her head. But when she flew at him and pulled him into a tight embrace… She felt exactly the same. He hugged her back just as fiercely, so, so grateful to be able to do so.

"Oh, Syaoran, sweetheart… You look tired. How are you?" She cupped his face and thumbed away a tear before it had a chance to fall.

He chuckled wetly.

"Tired."

"Well, you all can stay as long as you like and sleep as much as you want, okay?" She punctuated her statement with a firm kiss to the crown of his head.

That elicited another laugh.

"That sounds incredible-"

"Mama! Is Nanam here?" A childish voice cried from a room in the back.

Syaoran startled, confused. Briina wrapped her hand around his.

"No, but we do have guests, so please come out. And you better have pants on, madam!" She put her free hand on her hip and tapped her foot.

A little face poked into the hall from the left-hand door. A girl scooted out, brown curls bouncing.

A strange emotion tugged at Syaoran's heart. Something almost like fear. He looked between Briina and Wrennen as if begging them to say they were babysitting.

"I thought I said pants?" Briina asked dryly.

The girl looked down to what were clearly pajama shorts and back up to her mother, putting her hands up in annoyance.

"That's pants."

Briina scrubbed a hand over her face when Fai couldn't suppress his laughter.

"Debatable," She mumbled. "Honey, come here. There are some people I want you to meet. Syaoran, this is Feabi. Feabi, this is Syaoran. The famous, dimension travelling kid I told you about."

Feabi pinned Syaoran with a look of awe, her mouth open in a tiny 'o'.

"What, did you think we were lying to you?" Wrennen snickered at his daughter's face.

Suddenly shy, the little girl fidgeted, curling her bare toes into the carpet. She ducked her head and peeked up at the newcomers with round hazel eyes.

Heart still uncomfortably achy, Syaoran let go of Briina's hand to crouch at the child's level.

"Hi, Feabi," He greeted softly, holding out his hand.

She side eyed him, then tiptoed up to the older boy and slapped his hand in a low five.

"You're going to be the death of me," Briina grit out, and Wrennen danced out of range with Ru, hooting with glee.

Syaoran stood, not taking his eyes off their daughter. Kurogane and Fai came to his side.

"She looks like Ashal," He murmured.

Briina threw her hands in the air.

"Thank you! Wrennen thinks I am crazy. He refuses to see it."

He shook his head, overwhelmed. Briina's face softened.

"It wasn't five years for you."

Syaoran swallowed.

"Not even one."

"Well, next time don't wait so long."

The boy turned to her, his helpless expression fading when he saw the amused look on her face.

"Now, all of you go take a nap. You can have Feabi's room; she can sleep with us. I'll call you for dinner, okay?" She patted his cheek.

Syaoran closed his eyes, leaning into the touch. Briina let her thumb brush his forehead.

"Hey, don't you worry, kiddo. I don't care how old I get. You'll always have a home here."

I'm just going to go cry over this forever, thanks me