Kurogane loved quiet nights, but he also hated waking up.

When he was alone in his room he would close his eyes and feel the scent of a familiar loved-one pour into his lungs as he peacefully drifted back to where his heart belonged.

Sometimes, he would be on the balcony, his eyes on the pale moon, with her in his arms, her head against his chest. She was very small, but he felt very warm. He could see her eyes and they spoke of only one thing - her love for him, even though she rarely, or never, made it known to him. Her long imperial robes flutters in the wind, her ebony locks tickling his arms and neck.

He would place his lips over hers and told her he was always there. He would always protect her.

Then he would dream of her leaving him in the cold hallway. She would never turn back, leaving him at his knees, and he woke up with damp eyes and clenched fists. Always.

Each night he woke up with a strange longing, pining away for the aching familiarity. It was such a shame they were a hundred worlds apart. He could never reach her. He wondered if she was having the same pain that gripped his heart each night despite that strong front. He knew his companions never uncovered this tender, weak side of him.

Kurogane was a strong man. He had a steely facade. But each night- each night he would go back to being the vulnerable, child-like Kurogane. That Kurogane who needed Tomoyo by his side even though he made it seem like she needed him more. The Kurogane who woke up bawling his lungs out when he lost his parents and his home, but found solace in the tiny embrace of the young princess. The Kurogane who longed for her innocent pecks on his cheeks.

Those dreams were too real. They left him waking up on the floor sometimes, his heart breaking with feelings for her. She was more real to him than anything else in the world - anything else in all the other worlds, perhaps. He could never really believe he was on this crazy mission. But he knew each world he went to, he was one world closer to her, one world closer to home.

But each night, he was home.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

A world away, Princess Tomoyo opened her eyes and she felt a hot tear escape from its amethyst pools.

"He's coming home," Yuuko exclaimed, pouring herself a cup of sake in an exquisite teacup. "I expect payment for updating you on this so frequently, Tomoyo."

Princess Tomoyo managed a watery smile. "Take everything that you want, Yuuko. Thank you for doing this."

"You don't seem too excited," Yuuko probed amusedly. "It's been a long time."

Tomoyo wiped her tears and looked away. "He comes home every night," she answered.