All right! I'm back with a new story!

Please keep in mind while reading this that this is, in fact, my first Tsubasa Story...

Also- might I remind you that this story will be told from the point of view of the original Fai, not our favorite angst muffin, Fai- who is actually going to be referred to as Yuui in this story when Syaoran, Sakura, and Kurogane aren't present.

Also! No romance. And the OC's in this chapter will not be played out through the whole story. More than likely, they'll only be in this first chapter.

Please, enjoy and review! I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible!

Disclaimer: I own only the plot line in this story and the characters Takeshi, Bellatrix, and the knock-off of Kurogane. The actual story Tsubasa belongs to CLAMP, as does all of its characters used in this story. This is not for profit, mearly entertainment.

What Doesn't Kill You

The day started as normal as any. The blonde boy sat up from his bed (his face had been in the pillow the whole night, so naturally his day started out with a deep gasp), slipping on his slippers, and walking to the bathroom to relieve himself. He was hoping his friends weren't up yet; he had a few things to do without them,

Quickly slipping into his clothes- the ones he'd been given when he was younger, blue pants, white, blue, and gold shirt, and navy gloves-, Fai snuck down the stairs. He smirked, sighing in relief. Luckily, no one was in his house. He was free to have the morning to himself.

Grabbing his sketchpad and pencils, he tucked them under his jacket. With that, he exited his two-story house, shivering as he stepped onto the sidewalk. The first snow of winter was falling, though it was usually snowing either way. Sensue was like that, after all.

He pulled his coat tighter around him, walking down the strip toward his 'alone-place'. Bella had followed him there once- hadn't been fun. She's ripped the drawing right from his fingers, Takeshi helping her make her escape. He never had seen it again.

He scratched the back of his head, approaching his favorite tree. He smiled. "Just you and me, ol' buddy." He said, putting a hand on its bark. Fai put a hand on the lowest branch, as he'd done so many times before in his life. Pulling slightly to secure it, he propelled himself onto the branch nimbly, following suit with a similar motion to the next branch. Finally, he reached the top of the tree, sitting himself into a forked branch's crevice and settling into it.

His sapphire eyes scanned the town. Bland. Boring. As usual.

He sighed, reaching into his coat and pulling out his drawing material. Ideally, he began to pencil in his mind's-eye's vision. Yuui stood to his right, both of them holding an odd-looking staff that was almost three-times their size (given in the drawing they were about eight compared with his now nineteen. That was the only way Fai could remember his brother.). It was almost as if he'd drawn half of the picture and simply mirrored it, though of course it'd look like that. They were twins, after all.

The magician leaned back in the tree, closing his eyes and relaxing. He would never be able to forgive himself for that…

An aging man stood in the wormhole before him, glasses glinting. "Who will you choose? Only one of you can leave this place."

Fai bit his lip, looking to the floor nervously. He'd been in this tower for so long; could it be he was simply imagining this man in front of him? He couldn't possibly just be able to walk out of here- no. But…

If I leave… he thought, attempting to scramble a plan into place. I could come back for Yuui… That way, we'd both escape! Sounds better than both of us dieing…

He stood, his knees trembling from how little he'd used them as of late. "I want out."

A scream erupted through the window, sending a chill up Fai's spine. He rushed over to the window, pulling himself up so he could see over the edge of the seal. "YUUI! YUUI!" he screamed, seeing the boy crumpled at the bottom of the tower. Red… so much red…

"This is the cost of what you've chosen. This is a curse."

Fai's eyes widened. Wait…. That's not fair! He thought, his mind screaming. He only said one could leave, not only one could live… right?

He fell to his knees, shoulders hitching in sobs. "No…"

"Someone will be here soon to pick you up. Just stay where you are. Remember your promise."

Fai blinked. "P…Promise?"

Of course, now he knew. Groaning, he squatted on the branch, long arms dangling between his legs. Something about feathers…

That was the man's requirement. Upon his escape, he was to be a tool. When called upon, it was Fai's job to secure the feather in question. After that, a man had picked him up, simply throwing him onto this planet and running. He'd had a long, black pony-tail, coal-colored eyes, and round glasses. Not a very king person...

"Ow!"

He rubbed his head where the rock had hit, squinting one eye as he looked down. Which one had thrown the item in question this time?

Naturally, it was Bella, Takeshi and Kurogane by her sides. "Come on down, Mr. Anti-Social!" She tapped her foot impatiently, hands on her hips.

Fai chuckled slightly. The girl was the only reason he was even associated with the outside world. He'd been told not to mingle with people- prevent any attachments. But she refused to let him just sit on his hands his whole life. She'd introduced him to his current group of friends.

Bella was actually Bellatrix, for the longest time going as Trixi. She was blonde, much like himself, with nearly the same haircut; her hair was slightly longer, and slightly darker, more dirty blonde than anything else. She had no special abilities whatsoever. She was probably the most deadpan in his little circle. Her eyes were a deep crimson, with more purple than red. She was always the one planning some group activity or another. He just suspected she was lonely, living alone in that house.

Next was Takeshi. He was the shortest, by far, with amber eyes and hair a light brown. He constantly tagged along after Bella, refusing to let her alone with Fai. The blondes both assumed it was because he thought of Fai as a threat, but he had nothing in for the two's relationship. If anything else, he helped Takeshi with it when he could. He found himself pretty good with dating advice, having never been in a relationship himself.

Finally, we had Kurogane, the tallest of the group. His eyes were a lighter crimson color, more red. His hair was shorter than Fai thought could possibly be comfortable; it was a jet-black color. His best ability was his sword fighting, which he'd taken to heart so much that he constantly had his sword with him. Well, it was either that or the fact that his father would attack him randomly to make sure his skills were still up to par. Fai supposed it was now more for self defense than to look cool.

Bella had another rock in her hand by the time that his reminiscing was over. "Well, are you coming down or do we have to stone you?" she asked, tossing the rock in her hand.

Fai smiled. "I'm coming! Be patient!"

He began scaling the tree, sighing. And I always get stuck in this situation- at point-rock-range.

Reaching the ground, he tucked his materials into his coat's inner pocket before the female of the group could pluck it off. "So… what's the agenda?" he asked, rocking back on his heels.

Bella looked back at the other two boys, shrugging. "Actually, we were going to let you take the reigns. I'm sick of thinking of things to do."

Kurogane bit his lip, trying not to laugh.

Bella glared. "You think something's funny, Kuro?" she asked acidly.

Takeshi joined the laughing. "You'll let him pick something, then mold it into an all-out entourage!" he cackled, knowing the girl's scheme.

She growled. "No! I was going to let him plan it! I would just give some… pointers…"

Fai shook his head, laughing. "Let's just go to my place or something like usual."

Bella nodded. "Right! See? Just his plan!"

She turned heel, dragging Takeshi after her. "All right! On the road again!"

The group walked on, reaching Fai's house quickly. He sighed. The beginning of yet again another long day.