Wow, something new. This will be an epic! I get the shivers just thinking about it. I don't think I've ever tried writing something like this. Yuui/Kurogane/Fai, plus slight one-sided Freya/Yuui and mentions of Chii/Hideki. The Yuui/Fai can be platonic or otherwise depending on your interpretation. If I say any more I think I might spoil it.

Character crossovers from; Clover, xxxHolic, Rayearth, X, Chobits, TRC, RGVeda, CCS

It's AU-ish, so there are slight spoilers for Celes arc but not many. Set in a Valeria where twins were not seen as cursed. The twins are using their original names. In other words our!Fai goes by Yuui. Creepy twin Fai will be Fai.

Chapter one

XX

The ballroom was filled with candles hovering close to the vaulted ceiling, suspended in mid air, floating on some invisible force. Their flames flickered dangerously close to a painted ceiling of white winged angels and dancing maidens whose eyes seemed to watch the men and women dancing beneath them.

Everywhere was lavishly decorated – marble columns, crystal chandeliers, polished floors and flowing tendrils, like twisting vines in blue lacquer, tumbling across the white walls.

Young nobles looked on from the sides whilst servants waited on them with wine decanters and platters of food. Many of the guests were dancing across the ballroom. The men in long, elegant robes trimmed with fur, decorated with gold and black spirals and fluid patterns led ladies in long gowns across the room. In the soft, dim glow of the candlelight, everyone seemed beautiful.

Fai reclined against his seat, silently checking himself in case he accidentally let a sigh of boredom escape his lips. The piece of music slowly treading across the ballroom could send him to sleep. The dancing Lords and Ladies only made him dizzy to watch.

Besides him, his brother caught his less than spectacular mood. "Cheer up! Parties are made for enjoying yourself!" he grinned and pinched Fai's cheek.

"But, Yuui, you like parties and people and noise. I'd rather be outside than cooped up in here," Fai waved his brother aside. Bored blue eyes gazed absently outside the windows. The night was pitch black, without a star to light the way. A blanket of silver snow stretched as far as it could before it was swallowed by the darkness and everything was lost in the indistinguishable gloom.

Yuui turned his gaze toward the musicians, then to the servants, then the dancers, scrutinising each one in turn. Perhaps he was looking for their mother. She had a penchant for immersing herself into the crowds at social functions such as these.

"I like the open air as much as anyone but you've got to get used to these things too. Why don't you ask some pretty girl to dance? I can introduce you to someone if you like," his eyes shifted to his brother's face, so much like his own, working his lips into a small frown.

"I don't really like dancing either," Fai sighed.

"That's a lie! You always seem to be enjoying yourself when I dance with you," Yuui promptly slid off of his seat. "Dance with me then!"

Before he could protest, Fai found his wrists in Yuui's grasp, and that he was being hauled into the crowd of dancers.

"H – hey! I can walk!" he lamely objected as he was led through the weave of bodies waiting for the next song to start.

They used to dance together a lot when they were younger, when they were just learning the basics of formal dance.

Yuui took Fai's hands and placed one of them on his waist. The music began – a steady sonata that propelled all of the couples into motion.

They moved steadily; in and out, twirl, step, step, twirl. Feet moving to the precise beat of the music, feet swaying, bodies closing the distance between them and then moving apart again.

They had danced this dance before. A thousand times before. It was just like breathing. Fai did not even have to think.

As they spun close to the sidelines, Fai heard one of the ladies gasp "Look! The princes are dancing!" to her neighbour and wondered what they must look like to their audience.

It was a strange sight. It was almost surreal, almost angelic. Two nearly identical brothers dancing with each other, their robes swishing around their feet as they moved, the candlelight casting a halo of white atop their blond hair.

Fai wondered if they were admiring his brother properly. If they could see the tender smile gracing his lips that he, at such close proximity, could see.

His bother was always so cheerful. He was always so bold. Always smiling as if there was, and would always be, something in the world that secretly delighted him. He never seemed to let that mask of perfected politeness slip when in public.

"How wonderful!" The ladies in watched in their ornate dresses of pleats and frills, of gathers and ruffles.

"Prince Fai only ever seems to dance with his brother," they whispered to each other.

"Maybe they should marry each other!"

"It would certainly solve any nasty problems that arise when deciding who will inherit the throne."

"Don't even talk about such nonsense!"

By the time the song trailed onto its last note, the servants had begun milling around again, offering wine and gently spiced delicacies to all.

Fai and Yuui broke apart, the former smiling with enjoyment, the latter grinning as if he had won a bet.

A man in a long black coat, lined with fur, strode in. He clicked his polished heels together. After a swift bow and a tip of his hat, he raised his chest and called out loud, "Announcing, Lady Freya!"

Many of the guests looked towards the entrance with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Others seemed annoyed and frustrated. To arrive late to such a party was abominable, but those emotions transformed into pure shock as Freya shrugged off her cloak and stepped inside.

Her long blonde hair reached her waist, appearing silver in the shadows of the doorway, gold in the warm candlelight. Her black butterfly dress was imprinted with a white fleur-de-lis on the back, silver thread lacing the hems, translucent grey gossamer ribbons trailing over her shoulders. Her skirts were shorter than most of the ladies' dresses, standing almost horizontally at the waist.

Heels clicked against the hard floor. Sharp amber eyes darted around the room before resting on a certain point ahead of her.

A sudden hush fell over the room.

"Why is she here alone?" tiny whispers penetrated the silence.

"Look at her," they hissed behind their hands as Freya strode through the parting crowd. If she heard their gossiping, she ignored it, keeping her eyes and head fixed on the wall ahead of her.

"Eleventh in line for the throne, I hear."

"I suppose that father's measly connections do not matter much now. There's no way anyone but one of the twin princes will succeed the throne now."

"She could always marry whichever one becomes the crown prince."

"But have you heard?"

"You mean the rumour about her sister? Of course! I feel sorry for Lady Freya, having a sister like that!"

"If it's true, it would be a disgrace upon their family."

"Don't even talk about such nonsense!"

"They're at it again," Yuui seemed amused by the sight of the gossiping ladies trying to appear inconspicuous.

"I wish they would find something more productive to do with their time other than sit and gossip," Fai sighed as he caught some men speaking to each other in conspiring tones.

The court seemed full of all sorts of talk, and the gossip never flowed as freely as it did during a dance. Passionless marriages, sordid affairs, embittered nobles seeking revenge, unrequited love and scandalous elopers, such functions were always rife with rumours.

Fai was quietly pondering if there were any unwanted tales about himself or his brother floating around that he did not notice Freya approaching them until she spoke.

"Yuui-sama, Fai-sama," she curtsied in greeting, dipping barely low enough to convey the required amount of respect.

Around them, both Fai and Yuui could feel the disgruntled guests shifting awkwardly, frowning disapprovingly. 'Who does she think she is?' they were most probably thinking. 'She may be royalty but she's only eleventh in line. Such a curt greeting!'

Freya stared blankly at them. Fai was beginning to feel awkward when Yuui stepped in. "'Sama' is too formal. Yuui-chan is much cuter, don't you think?" he smiled carelessly.

His words seemed to break whatever tension had been simmering in the air. The musicians picked up from where they had stopped and couples joined to dance again. Conversation returned to the room, though many of the guests had found something new to discuss.

"Freya-san, where is Chii-san?" Fai asked.

"Is she sick? Are your mother and father staying to look after her?"

"She is not sick," Freya spoke laconically, although her voice was raised a little so that everyone nearby could hear. "They are not coming."

"Oh!" Fai looked surprised. Then her words sunk in and his face took on a thoughtful expression. "Oh…I see,"

"They send their apologies for being unable to attend, Fai-sama," she nodded, though her neutral tone made it hard to believe that she was sorry.

Yuui laughed and he nudged Fai with his elbow. "With all these samas and sans flying around, no wonder you feel cooped up." A fast-paced violin melody picked up. Yuui turned and offered his hand to her, "would you do me the honour of this dance, Freya-chan?"

The change on Freya's face was barely noticeable but, for a moment, her expression was completely open. She looked almost like a little girl, not cold and impenetrable as she had been before.

This rare expression vanished in the blink of an eye. Warily, as if she was afraid of being bitten, she accepted Yuui's hand.

Yuui had a queer expression, a mixture of delight, amusement, and curiosity, but before it was time for the dancers to take their places he sent his brother a small, questioning look.

"Don't worry, Yuui, I won't get lost without you," Fai smiled and waved them off.

He watched the two for a while, they both danced gracefully and seemed to easily take the centre spotlight, before he allowed his mind and his feet to wander away. As he passed the window, he caught sight of a carriage pulling just outside.

He heard a man close by sip his wine and nod outside. "Look who it is."

"Why were they invited?" his companion turned to the window curiously.

"Who is it?" Fai stepped behind them.

The two men almost jumped. "A – ah! Prince Fai! It is no one of importance!" they cried but their hurried responses only caused him to frown.

The porter came to the door again. Another late arrival.

"Announcing, Lord Kurogane and Lady Tomoyo!"

On cue, a man and a woman stepped into the light. The man was tall and gruff. He looked both tense and powerful, like an animal that had just been put into a cage. His red eyes scanned the scene disapprovingly with what seemed to be a permanent frown fixed to his lips.

The woman by his side, however, seemed much more open and relaxed. She smiled pleasantly and looked on at all the pretty ladies with much delight. Both had jet-black hair, hers reaching the small of her back whilst his stood up in short spikes.

"Are they foreigners?" Fai questioned. He had never seen the two before.

"No, their father was some knight somewhere until he somehow managed to marry the baroness of Suwa, a small place far east of the capital. They're only here today because the father was famed to have been an excellent knight."

"No real standing in the court," they started the flames of judgement again.

"From some backwater part of the country."

"Next to no connections."

Yet Fai hardly heard their criticism. He was too entranced watching the newcomers make their way through the room.

The woman smiled at everyone and immediately got into a conversation with a young lady next to her. However, the man besides her leaned against one of the marble columns and spoke to no one, annoyed that he was even inside the ballroom.

Maybe he could get Yuui to introduce him, he thought before he shook his head. Yuui would not know these people either. In that case, he would take the initiative.

XX

They moved across the ballroom, dancing in time with the melody. Their clothes billowed as they twirled, limbs moving as if they were flowing through the air.

The kept their eyes locked on one another until Yuui leaned forwards. "Hey, Freya-chan, what are you planning?" he whispered into her ear, his tone light and casual, as if he was wondering what she had eaten for lunch.

"Whatever do you mean, Yuui-sama?" he could feel her smiling dryly.

"You made Chii stay behind, didn't you? Even is she is twelfth in line, coming after you, attendance is mandatory. Are you trying to affront the rest of the royal family?" he continued, his gaze pinned on something other than his dancing partner.

"You should not be concerned. I know what I am doing."

The dance came to a halt and they both parted a little. Though Freya stayed fixed attentively on her partner, Yuui's eyes immediately wandered in search of his missing brother.

"Oh, look," Yuui smiled with delight when he found him, "Fai's found a friend." He stepped back and made a beeline for his brother.

Freya said nothing as he left. She moved away from the dance floor before she could look awkward standing there without a partner. She had yet to greet the queen, though the twins' mother had apparently disappeared.

Nevertheless, she made her way to the clearly empty thrones at the very end of the ballroom. She halted as soon as her eyes settled upon a young man sitting on the small steps of the raised platform.

"Freya-chan!" he waved her over, smiling pleasantly.

Freya regarded the man cautiously. He was seventh in line, though that meant nothing as none but Fai or Yuui was sure to succeed the throne. Nonetheless, she only took a single step forward. "Yuuto-san," she nodded, giving him a blank expression.

The man smiled as if she had greeted him warmly, though there was something in that smile, something slightly sinister. "And how is my dear cousin today?"

XX

"I'm glad to see someone else is feeling a little out of place at these sort of gatherings," Fai gave the man a ready smile as he approached him.

The newcomer gave him a nod of acknowledgement but merely grunted in reply.

"Kurogane has no social skills. If it were up to him, he'd spend all day talking to his sword," the woman, Tomoyo, Fai believed her name was, stepped in on behalf of the man.

This managed to pry a few words from his reluctant lips.

"I would not!" he shot at her, frowning with disapproval, though his affections for her were hard to conceal.

"You must be good if you're the son of a famous knight," Fai tried to pursue conversation with him, "do you think you could beat me…or my brother for that matter?"

Kurogane grinned wolfishly and said, "I'd take you both on at once."

For a moment, Fai could say nothing. The man's confidence astounded him. He did not seem like the boasting either and his tone was so different from the frightened, falsely humble nobles that tried to please him every day.

When he finally gathered himself enough to reply, he felt a slender arm snaking around his shoulders and someone pulling him against them.

"Ah, who's this?" Yuui held his brother close.

"My name is Tomoyo, Prince Yuui, and this is my brother, Kurogane."

Fai gently freed himself in time to see Yuui's expression go through several phases – curious, amused, mischievous.

"I haven't seen you around before. Where are you from, Kuro-chan?" Yuui said lightly, throwing in an odd nickname as if it were as normal to him as breathing.

Kurogane, however, thought the obscene mangling of his name was anything but normal. It was anything but amusing as well.

"W - what the hell did you just call me?" he exploded.

His voice echoed across the hall. The entire ballroom fell silent again, a dead silence thick enough to cut. This time, the expressions on all the faces were united in one of pure shock.

The silence seemed overwhelming. No one moved at all. Then, quietly at first, all eyes turned to a small, sniggering sound that slowly began to grow louder.

Fai tried to hide his face behind a curtain of blond hair. "I'm sorry. It was just - just…" he stuttered, trying to stifle his laughter with a hand.

However, Yuui was not so polite. "Kuro-chan looks like an angry doggy when he yells," he grinned and suddenly burst into fits of laughter.

This only caused more laughter from both Fai and Yuui. A moment later, Tomoyo joined in.

"Tomoyo!" Kurogane cried incredulously at his traitorous sibling.

"I'm sorry," Fai apologised through small chuckles, "it seems Yuui likes you."

Kurogane frowned and stubbornly folded his arms across his chest as he fought against a blush. "Then it's a good thing that I won't have to see him again," he muttered.

Made a few brief changes. Mostly correcting some mistakes. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!