A/N: I LIVE! And I present to you this ridiculously long one-shot! I could have made this into a 5 chapter story, but i thought it sounded too odd, so...18,540 word one-shot it is! xD I don't want this to look longer than it is, so go to my profile for more info on the story and on why it's so late :D Please, enjoy!

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE

Nights

-Night One-

Fai cannot hear a single sound, and he wonders if it is because every living being has become mute or because the only sound he had listened to disappeared. He cannot hear Kurogane's raspy pants and this must mean that he's dead, he's dead, oh god please no Kurogane's dead but wait, there's a hand on his arm and it is Tomoyo-hime frowning worriedly at him. And Fai reminds himself for a third (Fifth? Tenth? Hundredth? The carriage ride to the castle seems to go forever) time that Kurogane is still alive thank gods he's still alive and is in another carriage in front of this one, preparing to receive as much medical attention needed to treat the wound to his side and to his arm his goddamned arm!

The blond suddenly notices the Nihon princess's mouth moving, and although he cannot quite hear her words, he knows she is concerned and tries to recover and adjust his face so it does not look so tormented. He nods dumbly but does not smile; he can neither smile nor speak with his lips frozen to a grim, straight line. Tomoyo-hime smiles slightly but does not look convinced, and Fai inexplicably wonders if it is a characteristic of all the people in Nihon to be observant, but stops. Sakura-chan was observant, she knew, understood, and sympathized with him and he killed her, just a few days ago, and there was so much blood like when Kurogane cut his arm off for him-

The carriage stops. The castle towers over him and Fai is mildly surprised but wholeheartedly relieved. He must be here, Kurogane must be here, unconscious and bleeding profusely but still breathing and living and alive. And he feels a hand again and it's Tomoyo-hime again and she is halfway out the carriage, holding the mage by his forearm, guiding him outside. Fai follows the princess as she briskly walks towards the doors leading her inside the castle, knowing without asking that her destination is to Kurogane. The guards surrounding Tomoyo-hime are eyeing him distrustfully, he notes silently, but they cannot do anything because the princess is still gently grasping the foreigner by his arm, striding towards the room where the ninja who finally returned home rests. But he hasn't seen Kurogane for too long, and oh no what if he didn't make it what if he died Kurogane died…!

Tomoyo-hime opens a door and suddenly Fai can hear, he can hear the loud talk of the guards behind him and the bustling of the nurses in front of him but most importantly, he can hear the heart of his prey beating and the quieter, but still rasping breaths of Kurogane. His frozen lips finally part and a rush of air goes through them, not caring if his sudden movements towards the injured man are impolite or rude or disrespectful as long as he is near him. Tomoyo-hime's voice is distant but he hears her clearly as she quietly speaks behind him. "Kurogane is alive. He will live. Do not worry, please, and understand that your Kurogane will be fine." Fai listens, but is scared to believe, and falls to the floor next to Kurogane in a heap. The man's side is bandaged, but will need changing since the wound is bleeding again and stains the white gauze red. On the other side of the bed, nurses are huddled together in a combined effort to stem the blood from Kurogane's stump of an arm, and it works, for the most part, but even so, the cloths used are drenched with blood. It is hard to believe that he will be okay, but Tomoyo-hime is an honest person, and he will he must believe her.

Fai reaches out a trembling hand towards the ninja, and the nurses still for a moment and glance at the blond with pity but do not stop him. His shaking hand hovers over Kurogane's mouth, relived to feel short gusts of breath hitting his hand, and moves his hand up to gently remove a smudge of blood on the red-eyed man's cheek, rubbing the dark red substance on his own grime-covered fingers. Fai brushes Kurogane's black strands of hair out of his closed eyes, and lets his fingers move on its own accord, trailing down the injured man's face lightly, as though a firmer touch would kill him. The mage feels tears streaming down his cheeks yet again and pulls his hand away from Kurogane, clenching it into a fist and holding back a choked sob while a debilitating wave of exhaustion overwhelms him. "Kuro…" is all he can say before he sways dangerously and finally falls back onto the floor, hearing the gasps and the worried murmurs of the nurses and the soft, sad sigh accompanied by a "Oh, Fai-san," by Tomoyo-hime. He drowsily wonders how she knew his name before falling asleep, the last sounds he hears being the shallow breaths and the erratic heartbeat of Kurogane.

-Night Two-

Fai wakes up the next day (or is it the same day? He does not know how late at night they arrived to Ku- to Nihon.) and is confused for a moment as to where exactly he is before his eye widens at the thought of where Kurogane is. He quickly sits up, wincing slightly at his heavy and sore body, and turns around in search of the ninja. And there he was, only feet away from where Fai slept, and Tomoyo-hime is present as well, sitting next to Kurogane's bed and staring at him softly.

"You were incredibly exhausted and fell asleep, Fai-san. I don't believe you would have wanted to part with Kurogane, so I left you here in this room. I hope that is okay with you?" the princess explains quietly.

The blond nods, noticing the makeshift bed of blankets he sat on and quickly daring a glance at Kurogane before looking away to look at Tomoyo-hime. "Thank you," he murmurs, unable to smile but conveying gratitude through his harsh and raspy voice. His eye drifts toward the unconscious man again. "Did he…?" Fai asks hesitantly.

Tomoyo-hime sighs and lowers her eyes, folding her hands on her lap. "Kurogane has yet to awaken since he had arrived. I don't expect for him to wake for a few days."

Fai averts his gaze from the two and instead busies himself with looking out the window, noting that the sun is already well past its highest point in the sky, meaning that it is sometime in the early afternoon. The mage wonders why he isn't hungry, considering that the last proper meal he ate was before he stab- before Sakura-chan was stabbed, but he is relieved for his lack of hunger. Anyways, his main source of food was currently incapacitated, and there was no possibility that Fai would even consider cutting Kurogane to drink.

His thought of his prey started Fai in realization, his eye widening in alarm. Why can't he hear Kurogane's heartbeat? The blond quickly drew closer to the ninja, straining his ears before sighing in relief at the faint, but comforting heartbeat, before turning his troubled gaze to the dark-haired princess on the other side of the bed. "Why is his heartbeat so faint? What's wrong?"

Tomoyo-hime frowns slightly. "Kurogane is fine. He lost a lot of blood yesterday. The heart has less blood to pump through his body." The young girl smiles softly at the red-eyed man. "But Kurogane is a fighter. He wants to live; he does not want to leave us." Tomoyo-hime turns her gaze to Fai, smiling reassuringly. "He does not want to leave you."

Fai rests his pale hand over Kurogane's tanned one. "He's a fighter," the blue-eyed man agrees with a whisper, squeezing the hand slightly. He feels some warmth from Kurogane's hand and as he brushes his fingers over his wrist, Fai feels the man's pulse throb faintly, causing a surge of hunger to overcome him. The vampire closes his eye and takes several deep breaths, removing his hand but still keeping contact with the ninja's body. He has felt worse hunger, worse thirst, than this.

Tomoyo-hime notices his difficulty and stands up, walking around the bed to where the mage sits next to Kurogane, and rests a hand lightly on his shoulder. "You must be hungry. We have already had lunch, but I can ask the cooks to make something for you."

Fai shakes his head, not looking at the princess but at the ninja. "I'm not hungry. Please, do not do anything for me. I don't want food."

The Nihon princess frowns and kneels next to the blond, tightening her hold on his shoulder so he would turn his face towards her. With Fai's attention, she moved her hand to grasp his hand firmly. "I know your main source of food is Kurogane's blood, since you became a vampire in another world. However, it is essential that you have other food as well, because you are not able to drink his blood at the moment. I don't want you to collapse or fall unconscious because of your lack of food intake, Fai-san."

The vampire's eye widens as he stares at the younger girl. "How did you know about me being a vampire? And my name?"

Tomoyo-hime smiles slightly. "Yuuko-san and I are good friends. We correspond with each other regularly. And besides, I wanted to know who that beautiful man was that Kurogane had become so infatuated with," she ends with a knowing smile.

Fai flushes slightly and looks away, eye roving over Kurogane's immobile body. "I hardly think he's infatuated with me," he whispers wearily. "Maybe intrigued by me, or even physically attracted to me, but never infatuated with me." Or in love with me, he adds silently. "He told me himself that he hates people like me. He can't be…" Fai trails off, gazing at the ninja and feeling completely baffled, the hand not being held by Tomoyo-hime resting on Kurogane's forearm.

The black-haired girl smiles lightly and squeezes Fai's hand. "Then I suppose you should just ask Kurogane himself why he sacrificed an arm for a person who he is only intrigued by and supposedly hates. But I think you already know the answer to that, Fai-san." She stands and tugs at Fai's hand. "Come. I have already readied a bath for you. I'm sure you would like to clean yourself."

Fai blinks and looks at his hands, noticing for the first time since he has woken at his dirty and bloody appearance. He nods and follows Tomoyo-hime out the room, turning his head back once to stare worriedly at Kurogane's body. The princess laughs quietly and stops in front of a door a few rooms away from the ninja's bedroom.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen to Kurogane. You can return to him as soon as you are finished with your bath," she assures the blue-eyed man as she ushers him into the bathroom. "Keep your soiled clothes in here when you leave; we will wash them and give them back to you when the time arrives. A yukata is here already for you to wear. I hope it will be to your liking." Tomoyo-hime smiles at Fai before leaving, closing the door quietly. The blond turns to study the inviting bath for him and quietly strips himself of his clothes before slipping inside the pleasantly warm water. He methodically scrubs his body of dirt and grime and blood, noting dully that most of the blood was not his. Fai closes his eye tiredly and lets his arms fall back to his sides in the water. He thinks distractedly that his face hasn't been washed yet, still covered with dirt he'd rather remove. So the mage leans back and slinks into the water even more before dunking his head into the bath water. He opens his eye, unsurprised to see the blurry, murky water, and out of instinct breathes out through his nose. He looks at the miniature bubbles forming with some amusement, and Fai feels the corners of his mouth twitch.

Which is when Fai widens his eye in surprise and pulls his head out of the water in a snap, mouth opened to take great gulps of air, blond hair sticking on his face. Why in the world was he almost smiling and having fun at such a childish pleasure when Kurogane was…not here? The slender man frowns and pushes his bangs out of his face in irritation. He can't act like this, not when the ninja could possibly…

Fai blinks and shakes his head absently. But Kurogane would never want someone to be this distraught over him, especially when waking up was an option. He knew that much about the surprisingly kind swordsman, Fai thinks warmly. And if Tomoyo-hime was right and Kurogane really did have feelings for him, then he would truly hate the current zombie-like state the blond is in right now. Fai frowns in confusion. But if the red-eyed man really is "infatuated," he would have allowed Fai to do what he wanted and would have let the mage die, right?

The blue-eyed man brings his hand up to feel the empty socket, visible for once without the black eyepatch to hide the aftermath of the other Syaoran's need for power. A small voice in his head whispers softly that Kurogane knew him better than he himself did. The mage never really wanted to die; he wanted to escape, to run away and find someone to run with that he could love wholeheartedly and know that the other felt the same.

Fai groans and closes his eye in frustration. He already knows he is in love with Kurogane; he had felt it since the beginning but pushed it off until he had to face it in Tokyo. He thought that if he could distance himself, Kurogane wouldn't get hurt because of him. But the damn ninja purposely got hurt for him after all of Fai's attempts to create space, and now the pale man is lost. What now? What should he do now? Forgive him and embrace him and hope to gods that he feels the same or stay cold and scathing and distant and hope to gods that this is the right thing to do? The blond finds both possibilities too difficult.

Fai starts as a soft knock was heard from outside, followed by a slightly worried call of his name by Tomoyo-hime. He blinks and sees that he is still in the bathtub. The vampire shakes his head out of the daze and splashes his partially dried face with water once again to properly wash it. He gets out of the now lukewarm water and hastily dries himself before stepping into the yukata prepared for him. Fai opens the door to reveal Tomoyo-hime, who looks thoroughly relieved at the mage's overall well being. Fai looks apologetically at the young girl.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs to the princess. "I'm not quite sure why I stayed there for so long. I was…lost in thought." He shrugs helplessly and stares back at Tomoyo-hime.

"No need to say sorry, Fai-san. You have much to think about." The dark-haired princess stands on her toes to smoothen several invisible creases on Fai's yukata. She stares appreciatively at the blue-eyed man. "Fai-san, you look beautiful. A yukata looks wonderful on you." She grins at the flustered man. "I can't wait for you to wear the other clothes I've made for you."

Fai's eye widens and he looks at the comfortable, expertly sewn material. "You made this?" At Tomoyo-hime's nod, his eye softens and he looks at the princess gratefully. "Thank you…for making this for me. You are very kind, Tomoyo-hime."

Tomoyo-hime beams with pleasure and takes a few steps back. "Would you like some dinner before you go back to Kurogane's room?" she asks hopefully.

The slender man shakes his head and looks apologetic. "I don't think I can handle food just yet, Tomoyo-hime." At the girl's slightly crest-fallen face, Fai crinkles his eye in assurance and allows his mouth to quirk up infinitesimally. "But I will have a meal with you tomorrow, I promise."

The violet-eyed princess smiles teasingly, overjoyed at the slightest hint of a smile appearing on the blond's face. "Very well, then. I was afraid I'd have to force you to have food with me. It helps sometimes, to have skilled ninjas at your beck and call," she muses with a grin. Fai suddenly has the image of Kurogane muttering incoherent curses at an innocently grinning Tomoyo-hime while serving her a cup of tea with biscuits. The mage chokes back a reply and shakes his head at the utter idiocy of it all and simply nods back at Tomoyo-hime with the quirk on his lips, feeling the slightest bit brighter. The girl smiles as though she knew Fai's thoughts, and starts towards Kurogane's room. "Let's not keep Kurogane waiting, yes? He must be missing your presence."

The Nihon princess stands in the doorway as Fai immediately strides over and kneels next to the ninja's bedside. His blue eye looks at Kurogane's chest rising and falling with a heartbreakingly soft expression on his face, one hand gently resting on the swordsman's upper arm. "Good…They've changed the bandages," he whispers, the almost-smile becoming a permanent fixture on his face. The need for a change of bandages shifted Kurogane's position, with his head now turned towards Fai's direction.

Tomoyo-hime speaks out, voice soft yet carrying through the entire room. "Now that Kurogane is in capable hands, I will go have some dinner before getting an early night's rest. It's been a tiring day." Fai looks up and nods, eye quietly expressing contentment.

"Good night, Tomoyo-hime. I will see you tomorrow."

The girls bows her head and slips out the door without another sound. Fai sighs and looks back at the sleeping man, his doubts coming back to harass him once more. Softly, hesitantly, he cups Kurogane's face with his hand, reveling in the moment before staring intensely at the closed eyelids.

"You're making things a lot harder for me when you're asleep." He muses dryly. "And I thought you made my life difficult when you were awake." Fai pauses, and closes his eye, removing his hand from the red-eyed man's face only to grasp his hand tightly. "So wake up, please, and call me an idiot or a bastard, or something, but please don't stay asleep like this." He sighs and presses his forehead against the pillow next to Kurogane's head, voice low and muffled against the white sheets. "You gave me another chance at life and this time, I want to take that chance with you. And I can't live until you wake, so wake soon or else I won't be able to live properly." His mouth twitches. "And I know you wouldn't be happy about that."

The smaller man stays in this position for a long time, a pale hand holding a tanned hand, a mop of blond hair resting next to a head of black hair, until his peacefully closed eyelid droops heavier than before, signaling tiredness. Fai finally raises his head, eye opening blearily to glance at the sleeping swordsman before gazing at the marred, white surface of the moon from the window. He turns his head to stare at the mess of blankets not too far from him, frowning slightly. The blond squeezes Kurogane's hand once more before letting go and quickly crawling over to the layers upon layers of blankets, tugging it closer to the ninja's bed. Once Fai deemed it the correct distance between him and the taller man, he burrows his body underneath a particularly warm blanket and turns his head toward Kurogane. He stretches one arm out, wondering if it will reach the bed and closes his eye contently when his fingers grasp Kurogane's sleeve.

"Good night," he murmurs, partly to himself, partly to the chirping crickets outside, but mostly to the man who was within reach for once. His fingers slacken on the sleeve and his arm instinctively curls up against his body. His breathing slows and evens out, becoming in sync with the other man's quiet breaths as Fai slips into a dreamless sleep.

-Night Three-

Fai wakes up to loud chirping, glaring light, a steady heartbeat, and comforting breaths. The birds twittered cheerfully outside where the sun shines bright and high in the sky, bathing the room with warm light. The mage squints up with his blue eye, his arm coming up to shield the obnoxiously bright sun from his sleep-ridden eye, yawning tiredly and attempting to blink his sleep away. He shifts his eyes from the window to the still-sleeping man mere feet away from him. Fai's sleepy frown cheers into a half-smile. Kurogane's heartbeat strengthened almost overnight, the unusually pale tint to his tanned skin disappearing completely and his previously raspy, shallow pants easing into slow, soft breaths. His bandages were replaced yet again during the blond's sleep, but the movement used to wrap the gauze around his torso caused the ninja's head to tilt away from the mage, towards the window.

Fai shuffles over, closing in on the few feet separating him and Kurogane and leans over the broader man's body to stare at his face. He raises and eyebrow in amusement at the slightly furrowed eyebrows and overall annoyed expression on the ninja's face as the brunt of the sun's light hit him full on the face. The blond raises a hand to Kurogane's cheek and slowly turns his head the opposite direction, away from the light and towards himself. Fai notices a flicker behind the red-eyed man's eyelids and he stills in breathless anticipation, wondering if Kurogane would actually wake and thinking distractedly about what to do when he does. But the flicker was a false alarm; Kurogane must have subconsciously registered the fact that the offending light disappeared and smoothened his facial expression, though Fai muses that the swordsman still looks a little irritated. He feels neither relieved nor disappointed, but rather resigned in the fact that Kurogane would not wake just yet, and pulls his hand away from where it froze on the other man's cheek. The vampire opens his mouth to greet the sleeping man with a good morning, but grimaces and quickly closes his mouth in slight disgust. It seems morning breath is something that happens in every world, Fai considers with a slight frown.

He stands up and leaves Kurogane's bedroom with only one backward glance to the sleeping swordsman and walks toward the bathroom. The blond opens the door and blinks in surprise at the black yukata hanging on the wall, obviously meant for him to wear. He just wanted to wash his mouth and splash his face with water to wake himself up, but Fai supposes a shower in the morning would be quite refreshing to his dragging body. A shower, he reaffirms in his mind, not a bath like yesterday where he spent a good two hours arguing with himself for no reason. He walks over to the shower, turning it on and changing the water temperature until it was comfortably heated before shrugging off the cloth covering his body and stepping into the warm water. He allows for a few minutes of relaxation, tilting his head up and letting the water droplets trail down his face before quickly cleaning himself with a scented soap. Fai quirks an eyebrow at the arguably feminine smell of plum blossoms and tea leaves, but dismisses it without another thought.

The mage dries himself with the same fluffy white towel as yesterday and puts on the yukata. The black garment had light blue blossoms haphazardly sewn in as though it had been fluttering in the wind. The belt was a bright white, contrasting nicely with the dark black and pale blue. It was skillfully sewn and fit him wonderfully, which brings puzzling questions into mind, like how the Nihon princess had uncannily known his measurements. But there is no use pondering about it now; with one last look at the foggy mirror, running a hand through his damp hair, the blue-eyed man walks out of the bathroom and strides toward the ninja's bedroom. He kneels next to Kurogane, giving out a half-smile—Fai still cannot produce a smile, not even a fake one, and it irks him to no extent— and finally greeting him with a warm "Good morning."

Kurogane's response is an intake of breath, which Fai deems good enough before turning away from the broader man to his makeshift bed. He notes the disheveled mess of blankets from the night before when he pulled them towards the other man's bed. Fai immediately sets out to work, straightening the blankets until not one wrinkle marred the cloth. He sets the warmest blanket on top, smoothing out the folds and placing the pillow above the blanket. The blond pulls back and nods at the made-up bed before turning around to face the sleeping man. Fai says nothing, but watches Kurogane's chest rise and fall with each breath, hearing the steady pounding of his heartbeat.

The quiet peace is broken when the door slides open quietly and a person steps inside. The blue-eyed man doesn't turn to see who walked in and assumes that it must be a nurse or Tomoyo-hime. He is startled when a different, but not completely unfamiliar voice speaks out and his eye widens in recognition at the tall, female ninja clad in black and struggling to wear a nonchalant expression on her face.

"So the bastard still hasn't woken up yet?"

Fai gives her a miniscule smile. "Good morning, Souma-san. And no, he hasn't woken yet."

Souma blinks in surprise and eyes him warily. "Did Tomoyo-hime-sama tell you my name?"

The mage realizes that she hadn't actually introduced herself and bows his head in apology. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that we had met another version of you in a country called Outo." Fai glances at the sleeping ninja. "He talked about you to me once when he mistook that world's Souma for you."

The black-haired girl's eyebrows furrows in confusion at the thought of another version of herself before shrugging it off and walking over to the vampire, kneeling down next to him. "Kurogane talked about me?"

Fai nods. "He told me you were a ninja too, serving under Tomoyo-hime like him." His mouth twitches, gazing fondly at the swordsman. "I'm afraid I can't say what else he said about you. I make it a habit to not call a lady those names."

Souma laughs once and crosses her arms, staring at Kurogane with a smirk. "Of course. I guess the guy didn't learn any manners while traveling." She looks some more, her smirk sliding off her lips until she sighs quietly, a flicker of worry crossing her face. "It's a little weird though, to see him like this. Kurogane never got this injured before as far as I remember. And now, with his arm gone, I don't know if he can still be a ninja. I mean," she corrects hastily, "he's extremely disrespectful and arrogant and rude, but in the end, he was a good ninja."

Fai frowns and stares at the red-eyed man's face, attempting not to look at the bandages covering his left shoulder. "He can't be a ninja now?"

Souma shrugs helplessly. "Well, considering that Kurogane was the youngest ninja to ever join, I wouldn't be surprised if he somehow stays as one, but it would be extremely difficult. We need two arms to fight efficiently." The girl looks at Fai, who seems thoroughly distraught, gazing at Kurogane with what looked like guilt. She furrows her eyebrows in thought before smiling slyly and shrugging again, standing up abruptly to capture the mage's attention. "Well, that can't be helped now. Kurogane knew the consequences but went through with it, and honestly, I don't blame him. I would have cut off my arm too if that meant saving the one I love." Souma grins down at the startled man sitting on the floor.

The blond starts in surprise after Souma spoke, looking at her with a wide blue eye. "Did…Tomoyo-hime tell you that?"

The dark-skinned girl's eyes flash with realization. "No, I figured that out myself. But Tomoyo-hime did tell me to wake you up and make you get into the bath and into the yukata in the bathroom, using force if necessary." She looks appraisingly at Fai's attire and smiles. "I guess you already did that. So now I just have to bring you to the dining hall for lunch." The female ninja stretches out her hand towards the slender man.

Fai tilts his head quizzically once he stands up with Souma's assistance. "Lunch? Already? What time is it?" he questions with a glance to the window.

Souma looks back at the mage following her and smirks. "It's already past noon."

The blue-eyed man blinks in disbelief. "Noon," he says slowly, before shaking his head sheepishly. "I have to start waking up earlier," he decides with a quirk on his lips.

The two stay silent for a bit, with Fai attempting to remember the countless halls they had passed while Souma walks forwards with an unerring sense of direction. The vampire finally sighs in defeat, taking a few steps forward to walk next to the black-haired girl. "So, are you having lunch with Tomoyo-hime and me?"

The tall ninja smiles and nods. "Yeah, and Tomoyo-hime-sama's older sister, the empress of Nihon, will join us as well, along with that brown-haired boy traveling with you and the white…thing."

Fai halts in mid-step, eye widening in horror. "Syaoran-kun, Sakura-chan, Mokona!" he exclaims, eye pleading with the puzzled girl in front of him. "Where are they? Are they okay? What about Sakura-chan? Is she okay?" he questions in a rush, before groaning in loathing. "I can't believe I didn't ask before," he murmurs in a guilt-ridden voice.

Souma sighs and retraces her steps to where Fai stands with shoulders slumped. "Don't worry. The boy—Syaoran, I guess? —is faring well; he's been visiting you and Kurogane at night so he wouldn't disturb you during the day. And the girl, Sakura, is as well as she can be. Tomoyo-hime-sama had tended to her personally and took her to the most healing and spiritual place in Nihon; the oldest sakura tree. It should revitalize her body a bit. And the white furry thing looks fine, if you ask me. It's been clinging to the boy since you guys arrived." At Fai's still forlorn expression, Souma grasps the man with her forearm and jerks him forward gently. "They're fine," she reassures softly. "Syaoran had asked Tomoyo-hime-sama not to say anything about him and the others to you until you were ready. He knows you need time to think, so he didn't want to intrude. Come on, you can talk to him now during lunch."

The blond nods to himself and composes his face. "He's having lunch with us, right? And Mokona, too?" Souma nods and Fai straightens his posture, looking up with a steely determination in his eye. "Is the dining hall nearby?"

"Right down the hall, to the left," she confirms.

"Great," Fai says, before glancing at the tall girl with the corner of his eye. "Thank you, Souma-san." He curves his lips up, giving her the miniscule half-smile. Souma grins in relief and walks in step with Fai's brisk strides towards the dining hall.

They were about to open the door when a familiar, perky voice reaches his ears, and the mage turns around to face yet another long hallway. He notices a figure running towards their direction and his eye flashes in realization when he sees that his 'son' was coming this way with Mokona exclaiming, "Syaoran, we'll be late, we'll be late! Hey, that looks like Fai. Syaoran, that's Fai!" The brown-haired boy slows and stops in front of the vampire with a relieved smile. Mokona jumps off his perch on Syaoran's head to sit on the taller man's shoulder, nuzzling his neck. "Mokona is very happy to see Fai! Syaoran and Mokona haven't talked to Fai for a long time! Does Fai feel okay?"

The blond closes his blue eye and brings his hand up to pet Mokona. "I'm really glad to see you too, Mokona. It has been awhile." He opens his eye and looks at the amber-eyed boy warmly. "It's great to see you as well, Syaoran-kun," he murmurs. The shorter boy offers him a hesitant smile, and Fai gives his half-smile before scooping Mokona into his hands. "Mokona, will you please go with Souma-san into the dining hall? Tomoyo-hime is already inside, and Syaoran-kun and I will be there in a bit, okay?"

The white manjuu hums in agreement and jumps on Souma's shoulder. "You're a ninja like Kurogane, right? Do you work under Tomoyo-hime too?"

The dark-skinned girl tries not to look disconcerted and nods slowly. "Er…hi. And yeah, I am a ninja…"

The rest of the conversation was silenced by the doors closing, leaving the two outside. Fai turns to look at Syaoran, who stares back solemnly. The mage takes a step forward towards the younger boy and resists the urge to rest his hand on his shoulder. "Syaoran-kun, it's good to see you well. But are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay?" he asks worriedly.

Syaoran gives a small nod. "There isn't a fresh injury on me. The nurses here are very good," he answers evasively.

Fai bites his lip and wrings his hands guiltily, looking at the shorter boy apologetically. "I'm so sorry. I hadn't gone to check up on you and I was so caught up with myself that I couldn't think properly," he explains quickly. "You must think I'm even more of a horrible person now, Syaoran-kun, and I don't bla-"

"It's not like that, Fai-san!" Syaoran blurts out. He flushes slightly, but looks at the blue-eyed earnestly. "I don't think you are a horrible person. You had to take care of yourself first before anything else, and you have to keep Kurogane-san company. I'm fine; you don't have to check up on me," he says with a small smile, appreciating the sentiment nonetheless. His smile soon slips. "And you have a lot to think about," he whispers to himself, before looking up at the other man with an apologetic frown. "I should apologize too, Fai-san, for invading your privacy. Your memories are yours, and I shouldn't have seen them. I should have tried to stop him, or have tried to prevent the memories from entering my head. I'm sorry." He bows his head.

Fai's startled blue eye softens in affection and he brushes his fingers over Syaoran's shoulder, earning his attention. The blond mage looks into his brown eyes. "That is not your fault whatsoever," he says firmly. "There is no possible way you could have stopped that. If Ashura-ou wants something, he usually gets it," he mutters wryly. "If you tried to stop him, you would have died. Don't blame yourself, Syaoran-kun. I certainly don't blame you."

Syaoran nods, but looks troubled, as though he were fighting an internal battle. Fai begins to ask what was wrong when the younger boy opens his mouth to speak. "Then…" he starts out hesitantly, weighing out each word in his head, "Then you shouldn't blame yourself for when Kurogane-san cut his arm off." Fai froze. "It wasn't your fault," he explains quickly, anxiously staring into Fai's indecipherable face. "You couldn't have stopped him, Fai-san. When Kurogane-san did that, he knew what he was doing, and nobody could have stopped him. No one here blames you, so you shouldn't blame yourself either."

Fai continues to stare unseeingly at the boy, and Syaoran frowns, opening his mouth again probably to apologize for intruding his privacy once again, but suddenly stops. The blond's face breaks out into a soft, heartwarming smile, and feels much lighter than he had felt in a while. The boy was simply a miracle-maker, to make him smile so genuinely without nothing more that a few well-spoken words, and Fai smiles wider, happy to be the proud parent.

The shorter boy looks relieved, but before he could reciprocate the other man's smile, long, skinny arms envelop him into a brief but warm hug. He stiffens in surprise and the mage pulls away quickly, now smiling apologetically. "Sorry, Syaoran-kun. I got a bit carried away."

Syaoran shakes his head, red staining his cheeks. "No! Eh-uh-umm…It's j-just…" he stammers out, flustered at the token of affection. He seems to rack his mind for something. "It's just," he says more quietly, "that I don't remember you hugging the other me before." The boy's eyes dart around the hallway nervously.

Fai smiles gently and tilts Syaoran's chin up. "Because the other Syaoran-kun had never made me smile like this in a time of crisis. And because you are a wonderful boy. Besides, how can I, a mother, not hug my son after he cheered me up so well?" the mage asks in a gently teasing tone.

The boy's brown eyes widen, completely startled. "But… the other me is-"

The vampire interrupts him by waving his hand carelessly. "There was never a law to have more than one son, was there?" Fai smiles, unable to stop the curve of his lips. "You sell yourself too short, Syaoran-kun. Both of us care about you more than you think. I would never adopt a son if Daddy didn't agree, right?"

Syaoran gives a small smile, and Fai notices in happiness that the boy's tired eyes looked much brighter and younger. "Thank you, Fai-san," he says softly, before clearing his throat awkwardly, attempting to ignore the embarrassed flush on his cheeks. "Um…let's go inside. I don't want to hold up Tomoyo-hime for too long." Fai nods in agreement and walks in behind Syaoran as they enter the bright room. The three women look in their direction and the blue-eyed man notes the unfamiliar lady sitting at the head of the table and deduces her to be Tomoyo-hime's sister, and therefore the empress of Nihon. Fai watches Syaoran as he greets the females politely, addressing the empress as 'Amaterasu-sama.' Was Amaterasu her name, then?

All three directed their attention to the vampire, making him feel oddly self-conscious. Souma and Tomoyo-hime smiled their greetings, and Fai smiles back, pleased at their somewhat surprised but happy expressions. His eyes flicker back to the empress who stands and walks over to the slender man.

"You must be Fai-san. It is a pleasure meeting you," she says regally, observing his face intently.

Fai smiles and bows, dipping his head down low. "The pleasure is all mine, Your Highness," he responds accordingly. He looks up to see her smile slightly.

"Ah, then, let's stop all this politeness. I go by Amaterasu, but that is only my title. Since you are honored guests, you may call me Kendappa."

"Kendappa-ou it is," he agrees.

Kendappa sighs and glances at Syaoran. "Now if only your companion would stop using keigo and we would all be on the same page," she remarks.

Syaoran starts in surprise to hear himself in their conversation and stutters, trying to respond when Mokona pipes up from his position on Tomoyo-hime's shoulder. "That's because Syaoran is very polite! He always uses keigo with everyone." This caused the younger boy to stammer even more, and Fai decides to spare the kid some embarrassment.

"Yes, well, let's all sit down and have some lunch! I am a little hungry," he points out helpfully. There is a general murmur of assent and while they gets themselves situated, Syaoran gives Fai a thankful glance to which Fai nods and gives a little half-smile. As wonderful as it was to smile dumbly at everything, something restrains him from smiling excessively. He will only smile now if there is something to smile about, something he is happy about, instead of masking his other emotions through the smile. Kurogane's sacrifices will not be in vain, Fai knows without doubt.

Soon everyone helped themselves to the various foods placed upon the table. The blue-eyed man looks around at the plentiful amount and wrinkles his nose when he recognizes a platter that held the raw fish that Kurogane was so partial to. Contrary to what he said a moment ago, the blond wasn't particularly hungry for human food yet, but helps himself to a pastry at the end of the table, taking an experimental bite for taste. He closes his eye and smiles slightly, savoring the warm melted chocolate before commenting on the excellent cooking. Though most foods had become rather mediocre in taste compared to Kurogane's blood, some things kept their delicious flavor: sweets and alcohol. And when Fai thinks about it, he isn't surprised. Even before he became addicted to the ninja's blood, sugary sweets and warm alcohol were the only foods he ever really liked. So the mage quickly finishes the pastry and takes a sip of sake before reaching out to grab more.

"I take it that you like the pastries, Fai-san?" Tomoyo-hime asks with a warm smile. Fai simply nods and brushes away any invisible crumbs with a napkin before replying.

"It's quite delicious, Tomoyo-hime."

The conversation quickly strays away from him, and the vampire listens to the idle chatter and the trivial topics. Fai's mind wanders back to Kurogane, and he fidgets with his unused chopsticks on the side of his plate, distressing about the comatose man. What if he wakes up, aching with pain and confused as to where he is? What if his arm starts to bleed again for an unknown reason? What if his health suddenly plummets? What if—

"So, Fai-san," Kendappa-ou starts, pretending obliviousness to the blue-eyed man's panic-stricken face and dabbing her mouth with a napkin, "I must be the only one who knows almost nothing about Kurogane and his companion's journey, so let me ask you one question. What happened in the last world that made Kurogane cut his arm off?"

"Onee-sama," Tomoyo-hime says, but the empress cuts her off with a wave of her hand.

"I don't want to hear your perspective, Tomoyo. I want to hear it from Fai-san." She rests her hands on her lap and looks expectantly at the blond.

Fai closes his eye and takes a deep breath before exhaling slowly, opening his eye to glance at everyone at the table. Tomoyo-hime looks slightly concerned, unsure if the man is ready to say anything about his world just yet, but Souma looks curious, wanting to know his side of the story. Syaoran and Mokona, however, look outright worried, and the amber-eyed boy seems like he is on the brink of asking Kendappa-ou not to make him say all that happened in Celes, but Fai shakes his head minutely before speaking. He needs this.

"The last world…was my home country, Celes. I had fled from my country to escape my king, Ashura-ou, but I learned that he had awakened from the sleeping seal that I cast on him. I had to go back, but I knew that if I did, I would most likely die, but I didn't want anyone else to get hurt. So I asked the Witch of Dimensions, Yuuko-san, to get the others into a safe world after Celes so they would be able to treat any wounds." He pauses and smiles slightly to himself. "Obviously, my wish was granted, but as an extra precaution, I put a seal on Kuro—on his left arm so he would be able to take out his sword without depending on Mokona.

"And then we were transported to Celes. As I expected, Ashura-ou was awake, and he held Sakura-chan captive." Fai stops and struggles to maintain his composure. He blinks the tears out of his eyes and pushes forward. "Things… became a bit confusing, and Ashura-ou started attacking all of them, just so I would attack him. But one of his attacks hit K—him in his side, and he fell down. I couldn't…or wouldn't kill Ashura-ou before, but then I had to do something now, because I thought Kur—he was already dead, and that couldn't happen to anyone else. I had planned to kill both Ashura-ou and myself in one spell, but it didn't work." The mage let out a shaky breath. "He knew I would try to kill myself as well, so he hurt me and Syaoran-kun and almost hurt Sakura-chan…if I had tried to kill him then, everyone in the room would have died as well. But he somehow stood up and he stabbed Ashura-ou. He killed him, just like that.

"But because I did not kill Ashura-ou, my other curse activated. My curse trapped everyone in Celes as it was destroyed. I used my magic, all of my magic, to get the four of them out, but it only transported Syaoran-kun, Sakura-chan, and Mokona. He was still here with me. But Mokona's earring burned a hole through the sphere Celes had turned into, and he got out. But he wouldn't let go of me." Fai furrows his eyebrows, eye far-off and distant, sounding more like he was talking to himself. "He never let go. I told him to go, and I really meant it, but when he finally did…I didn't expect what happened next. I don't know how he knew my magic was needed for the curse to be fulfilled, but he sacrificed his left arm, the one that I sealed his sword in, along with Souhi to get me out. And it worked. He cut his arm off…to save me."

The man bows his head and lets his blond bangs hide his eye, waiting for some comment about Kurogane's stupidity for saving him, or about Fai's selfishness for sounding happy when the ninja saved him. The room is deathly silent, and Fai resumes fidgeting with his chopsticks, chewing his lips nervously for a response.

"So," Kendappa-ou starts slowly, causing the mage's head to snap up in her direction apprehensively, "after all those years of trying to tame Kurogane, all we needed was to find this guy and he would have been as harmless as a fly?" She frowns in annoyance and stares at Tomoyo-hime accusingly. "I blame you. You probably knew this even when you saw me trying to stop Kurogane's tantrums."

Fai's eye widens in comical astonishment before lets out a breath, the gust of air sounding like a relieved chuckle. "Tantrums?" he questions with a slight smile.

The empress huffs slightly, her scowl contradicting her amused eyes. "Yes, well, Kurogane was very disobedient and unruly as a child. And even while growing up, he retained his immature side. I had to keep him in a kekkai when he was being particularly childish and sulky." She sighs resignedly. "If we had known beforehand, we would have paid almost any price to the Witch asked to get you over to Nihon. Dealing with Kurogane just gave me headaches. You seem like you would be much better at it."

A brilliant smile lit up the slender man's features. Right when he was about to thank her older sister, Tomoyo-hime speaks out cheerily. "From what I've heard from the alternate me in Piffle, they get along splendidly. Fai-san made Kurogane into a father figure for Sakura-san and Syaoran-kun, and he invented some adorable nicknames from him, like Kuro-rin and Kuro-wanko. The other me says they act just like an old married couple."

"Kuro-wanko, eh?" Kendappa-ou muses quietly to herself. "Well, he did seem to growl too much to be considered normal."

"Kuro-daddy and Fai-mommy are very close!" Mokona exclaims brightly, causing Fai to flush at the implications. Before he could respond, Syaoran joins in.

"Kurogane-san and Fai-san are very good friends. Without their help, Sak—I mean, the princess, would not have received so many feathers already," he says softly.

"Just good friends?" Souma wonders skeptically, grinning at the expression on the blond's face.

"For now, I suppose," the empress decides. "Though the best chance to see Kurogane play the domestic housewife is if Fai-san's there." She stares at the mage with a small smile. "You suit that role very well too. You're quite easy on the eyes, aren't you?"

Souma nods in agreement. "I've never seen hair in that color before."

"Fai-san is very handsome," The Nihon princess gushes. "He looks wonderful in that yukata, doesn't he? Any color would suit him well, and his complexion is perfect! Don't you agree, Onee-sama?"

"Handsome isn't the first word I think of," Kendappa admits. She studies the paler man's face. "You look more pretty, if I may say so." She smirks at the vampire.

Fai laughs slightly and looks sheepish. "Thank you," he replies with a smile.

"I'm not surprised that Kurogane chose a pretty man for some reason," the empress says as she stands up from the dinner table.

"Who can blame him? Fai-san is beautiful and he has a kind heart," the younger girl retorts, standing up as well and beckoning the other to follow. "Come, we can go visit Sakura-san and take a walk through the gardens. It is a nice day outside, and I'm sure you want to check up on her."

Tomoyo-hime's eyes seek out Syaoran-kun's dim brown irises and smiles warmly at him brightening at the thought of seeing the Clow princess. Fai softens at the barely concealed worry the boy had for Sakura and follows the dark-haired princess out of the dining hall, walking next to Syaoran as a comforting presence.

Kendappa-ou walks in the lead, with Souma right on her heels, and Tomoyo-hime trails behind the two older women with him, Syaoran, and Mokona in tow. Souma opens a seemingly obscure door and reveals a courtyard surrounded by lush flowers and sprawling green plants. The group walks outside with Syaoran closing the door behind him and Tomoyo-hime slows down, preferring to walk beside the blond. The two walk in silence, quietly strolling down the worn path marked by stones, hearing the occasional chirp of a bird and the gentle rustle of wind and the indistinguishable murmurs by the two women at the lead.

The black-haired girl glances over at the blond. "How is Kurogane doing today? I'm afraid I haven't been able to see him today," she asks quietly.

Syaoran tactfully steps around the two and quickly walks toward Kendappa-ou and Souma, keeping him out of hearing distance. Fai gives him a thankful glance unseen by the younger boy before responding. "He's well. He looks better and sounds better. His heartbeat's stronger. It's…hopeful," the man admits with a soft smile to Tomoyo-hime.

She returns the smile. "Wonderful. Then he should wake soon." Her smile fades, and violet eyes look into blue inquiringly. "I hope you don't mind me asking you a question, Fai-san?" At the mage's shake of his head, she continues. "You seem to have trouble calling Kurogane by his name. Is there a reason for that? We don't mind if you would prefer to use your nicknames," she assures, her face curious.

Fai furrows his eyebrows, trying to word his unease properly. "I can't. It's too hard for me. I can't call him by his name nor can I use nicknames." Tomoyo-hime's face looks puzzled, and he sighs. "Well, it's more like I don't know whether to use his name or his nicknames. I started calling him by his name after he turned me into a vampire. I couldn't forgive him. But now…" he trails off, staring at the sakura petals blossoming on the trees lined up next to the trail.

"You don't know what to do," the princess finishes, frowning slightly. "You're conflicted."

"To forgive him or not," he comments bitterly. "I wonder which one is best for him."

"What about what's best for you, Fai-san?" Tomoyo-hime asks, her eyes stern against his. "What do you want?"

The blue-eyed man hesitates. "What I want may not be what's best for him," he says slowly, resignedly. "I don't want him to get hurt."

"Then," the girl responds, looking at Fai with a quiet determination, "let's think about Kurogane. You couldn't forgive him after he turned you into a vampire. You didn't want him to hurt. Yet even after all that, he still would do anything to save you in a heartbeat." The image of the ninja slicing his arm off sprang up in his mind, and Fai grimaces at the unwanted memory. "But he still hurts." The blond's eye widens in surprise. "He is in pain over the fact that you did not forgive him, that you are unhappy to be alive and with your family. Kurogane does not regret, nor will he ever regret the consequences in effect for saving you, but he hurts because you don't hold you life in as high regard as he holds yours."

Tomoyo-hime pauses for a moment and checks their surroundings. The group is still walking, but the princess and he are lagging behind, taking slow strides. Fai closes his eye for a moment, his expression slightly pained, before opening it and turning his head towards the younger girl. As he opens his mouth to speak, Tomoyo-hime stops with a raise of her hand and continues.

"However, if you did forgive him, things would change, if only slightly. You still don't want Kurogane to get hurt, and he would still do anything to save you. But he will be happier if you decide to value you life as much as he does. He will not hurt if you want to live for him and for your family. And you will be closer to him. In more ways than one," she says bluntly, causing Fai to sigh in frustration.

"But I don't know how he feels! I can't just assume…" The mage quiets, glancing at the oblivious ones in front. "This is assuming he feels the same. What if he doesn't?" he murmurs, distressed.

Tomoyo-hime's face breaks out into a soft smile, grasping the man by his wrist and tugging him forward. "You shouldn't live fearing the worst, Fai-san. Don't sit around and wonder if those assumptions are true. Find out. You would be happier when Kurogane admits that he does love you."

Fai smiles weakly. "Looks like I don't really have a choice, do I?"

The princess shakes her head. "There's always a choice," she disagrees quietly. "It all depends on what you want for yourself and what you want for Kurogane." She smiles into the distance and looks back at the contemplative vampire. "Sakura-san is right there, on the biggest sakura tree of Nihon. I'm sure you want to see her, right, Fai-san?"

Fai brightens slightly and his lips curve up to form a small smile. He quickens his pace, Tomoyo-hime falling in-step next to him, and closes the distance between him and the others. The mage leans down to whisper in Syaoran's ear. "Sakura-chan is near. Do you want to see her?" Syaoran's eyes widen and he stares at the man's smiling face before looking over to the princess, asking for permission.

Tomoyo-hime nods and gestures towards the blooming tree. "Go ahead," she says with a smile. "Don't wait for us. Sakura-san must want to see you."

The amber-eyed boy smiles gratefully before running towards the green-eyed princess, Fai quick to follow. When they reach the tree, the two companions find Sakura above the ground, laying on a hammock-like place comprised of ribbons, looking beautiful and peaceful while sleeping among the hundreds of cherry blossoms. Syaoran jumps up to inspect the unconscious girl while Fai stands on the ground with a relieved smile, eye softening at the image of the younger boy brushing an errant strand of hair off Sakura's face.

"She doesn't look so pale now," Syaoran observes, his eyes gentle as he looks at Sakura's face. "And she's regained a bit of her warmth."

"This tree has healing properties," Kendappa-ou comments, standing next to Fai along with Tomoyo-hime and Souma. "It can rejuvenate the body and the soul. It helps the girl very much since her body is without a soul at the moment. She will not die while she is under this tree."

"Thank you," Fai replies, eye flicking to all three women with a sincere smile. Syaoran repeats the sentiment, still gazing at the sleeping princess while Mokona snuggles into her neck. Tomoyo-hime giggles at the scene and the ensuing conversations and idle chatter break the silence, although all voices were soft and barely above a whisper, as though anything louder would wake the sleeping girl.

Fai is content to sit at the base of the sakura tree, occasionally looking up to observe his younger companions and answering any questions about their journey to their hosts. Only when he takes a passing glance as the sky does he do a double take and note in disbelief at the sun low on the horizon. Kurogane! He has to get back to Kurogane before—

The vampire stops in mid-thought. Before what? What would happen if Fai was not there by his side? Nothing, he supposes grimly. After all, he's the one that depends on Kurogane for life and is comforted by his strong presence. What comfort does the ninja feel from him?

"Fai-san," Tomoyo-hime calls out, and the blond looks up in surprise at her standing in front of him with a serene smile. He stands as well and bites his lip, unsure of how to ask for permission to retreat to the swordsman's chambers. The princess tilts her head and stares knowingly at the paler man. "I think you may want to return to Kurogane, am I correct?" Fai smiles helplessly and the girl giggles. "Well, I'm sure Kurogane misses you as well, so I can't keep you with us for much longer."

The mage smiles vacantly. "It's not as though he knows I'm there."

She shakes her head. "The body is able to sense when someone familiar is near, even if the mind cannot. The body reacts when the mind cannot comprehend. I'm sure Kurogane can feel you."

Fai's eye dawns in recognition at the familiar words. "Did Yuuko-san tell you that?"

"No. It is something I have learned," she replies with a kind smile.

He returns the smile, but remembers something and drops it quickly, a worried frown replacing it. "Without an arm…can he still be a ninja?"

Tomoyo-hime stays silent for a moment. "I want to keep him as one. But the training may be too strenuous and difficult." At the blue-eyed man's crest-fallen face, she smiles reassuringly. "I wouldn't worry, though. If Kurogane wants to stay as one, he will work to stay as a ninja."

The blond returns the smile but feels uneasy. Too many obstacles…

"If you take that door," Tomoyo-hime points at another unremarkable doorway, "and walk down to the end of the hall and then take a left, you will be in his room's hallway. It would be the third door to your right." The man sighs in relief at the simple directions and nods in thanks to the dark-haired princess. He looks at Syaoran and Sakura one more time, smiling at the boy as he says goodnight and turns to say the same to the empress and the female ninja. "Will you be joining us for dinner?" Tomoyo-hime asks.

He shakes his head. "Lunch is enough for me." He gives a small smile to the princess. "I'll be there for breakfast tomorrow, though." She nods in acquiescence and Fai turns and walks away from the group, loping over to the door and quickly making his way inside the castle and down the long hallway. As he turns into Kurogane's hallway, he notices a nurse holding the broader man's dirty bandages. She smiles hesitatingly and the mage gives her a half-smile, passing her and walking into the ninja's bedroom.

Fai is kneeling by the red-eyed man's bedside in a matter of seconds and brushes his fingers down the freshly wrapped bandages around his shoulder and torso. He sighs and rubs his eyes tiredly, frowning at his exhaustion in the late afternoon hours. The vampire looks at Kurogane's closed eyes. "I smiled today. And it wasn't fake." The man attempts a weak imitation of the smile he gave Syaoran but it looks too forced. He drops it and furrows his eyebrows. "I would smile if you wake, you know. Even if you didn't want me there. Tomoyo-hime says your body knows when I'm here, so…" he takes Kurogane's hand and holds it, stroking a thumb across the calloused skin. "If you flinch, I'll know you don't want me here," he says wryly. His tone softens, and he looks conflicted. "I know you want to serve under Tomoyo-hime. I don't blame you. I want you to stay as a ninja too," he admits in a whisper, looking at their hands joined together. "I'll try to help you. It's all I can do."

He stays like this, holding Kurogane's hand and stroking it softly while observing his chest rise and fall with every breath. After a while, though, he begins to yawn sleepily and covers it with his free hand, blue eye flicking up to stare out the small window. It was relatively dark, but rather obvious from the noises in the hallway outside that it was early in the evening. Fai frowns, looking behind him to see the inviting blankets laid out next to the ninja's bed. He turns back to Kurogane, who looks perfectly comfortable on the soft mattress. In all honesty, the blond thinks the bed looks more inviting that the layers of blankets, especially with the red-eyed man unconscious and unaware of what the mage is debating. What if someone sees him? But, he thinks with a quirk on his lips, most everyone he knows believes Kurogane wouldn't mind at all to Fai curling up next to him to sleep. And if the body can remember faster, wouldn't he be able to wake up sooner?

"This isn't because I want to," he assures himself as he climbs into bed with the sleeping swordsman. "I want you wake up faster, that's all." Fai smiles to himself in amusement. "And if you wake up in the night and kick me off the bed, then I know it worked." His slim frame doesn't take up much space on the large futon, but the vampire makes sure to keep his body in close contact with the ninja's body, his hand never letting go of Kurogane's only hand. Fai hesitantly places his head in the crook of Kurogane's neck, but flinches and pulls back; the strong pulse point wouldn't help the blue-eyed man with his hunger right now. So he opts to rest his cheek against the ninja's shoulder and closes his eye. This is enough.

"Good night."

-Night Four-

Fai feels the faint stirrings of consciousness urge him to wake up and open his eye but he promptly chooses to ignore it and bury his face deeper into the toned muscle and skin that was Kurogane's shoulder. The mage never forgot where he lay in the bed next to the swordsman's surprisingly warm body, the thought lurking in the back of his mind even in sleep. It was slightly disappointing not to wake up tossed half-way across the room with a disgruntled and extremely annoyed ninja glaring at him, but it isn't so bad now to be resting here next to Kurogane without any qualms invading his mind yet.

Fai lays there quietly, unmoving and in peace, his mind drifting between foggy consciousness and unconsciousness, half-formed thoughts sluggishly crossing his mind. In a moment of clarity, he hears the door to the room open softly and recognizes Tomoyo-hime's voice as she calls out "Fai-sa…"

The blue-eyed man is positive she stopped because she noticed his position on the bed and is reinforced with that belief when the princess breaks out into light-hearted giggles. Fai thinks off-handedly that it is a good thing his face is hidden by the ninja's arm to cover the flush he knows is staining his cheeks. To his dismay, the mage hears another voice chime in. "Hime-sama, what are you laughing a…Oh." He could almost imagine in his mind Souma biting her lip to restrain a smirk. Well, he thinks as more heat rises to his face, this will be very awkward when he comes face to face with them.

"I know we came here to wake Fai-san for breakfast, but…" The Nihon princess trails off, barely repressed amusement lacing in her voice.

"I know. I would feel horrible to wake him up right now. They look awfully comfortable, though, don't they?"

They look so peaceful; it's lovely," the younger girl agrees. "I suppose that decides it. We can wake him for lunch. Let them have some time."

The door silently slides shut and Fai is left with his thoughts now crowding his mind. He forgot about breakfast, he thinks with a frown. He told Tomoyo-hime he would go join them for breakfast, and the vampire doesn't want to break his word. Turning his head to the side slightly, Fai opens his eye, rapidly blinking the sleep away before lifting his head up to look at Kurogane's face. He stops half-way, eye widening in shock, blinking again to register the sight before him.

When he fell asleep, the red-eyed man's face was looking straight up at the ceiling, but now it is turned towards the other man, bringing his face so very close to Fai's shocked one. The mage's nose nudges Kurogane's sharp nose ever-so-slightly, and Fai notices dazedly that the other man's breath hits his face as he breathes out, tickling him. Their lips are almost as close, not even an inch apart, and the blond man doesn't move at all to either make distance or close the distance, frozen in his position as his eye focuses on the edge of Kurogane's mouth, wondering if that quirk on his lips was there last night. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices Kurogane's pulse jumping with the rhythm of his heartbeat, which Fai can feel even better what with his and Kurogane's joined hands resting on top of his chest. He stops for a moment to evaluate his own heartbeat and wonders why it is so erratic since they have been in close proximity before and there isn't anything different this time so why…

Fai shakes himself out of the daze, abruptly stopping when his nose nudges the ninja's nose again and forces his eye to look up to the sleeping man's closed eyelids. "Good morning," he breathes out, and almost laughs at the simplicity of those words when so many other thoughts feelings barrage his mind with no pity. Instead he shuts his eye closed and drops back down on the other man's shoulder, distractedly wondering if his blond hair fell into Kurogane's face before rolling away to the edge of the bed, letting go of the ninja's hand in the process. The mage opens his blue eye to the less exhilarating sight of his makeshift bed of blankets and supposes there would have been more logical ways of disentangling himself from Kurogane such as merely sitting upright and then standing up and then walking away as though nothing happened, but Fai doesn't want to be like that anymore. He smiles at the thought and stands up to leave for the bathroom, looking once at the sleeping man and turning back quickly because no, he didn't look lonely with his head tilted to the side as though he missed the one sleeping with him…

The blue-eyed man leaves the room and walks down to the bathroom, unsurprised to find another yukata waiting for him. This one was a soft white with blue swirls, accented with a solid black obi. It oddly reminds him of his coat, left behind in the freezing ruins of Celes, buried with Kurogane's arm and Souhi after its destruction. Fai smiles sadly at the thought; at least, he thinks with childlike logic, his coat can keep the other man's arm and sword company.

Pushing the nostalgia away, the blond turns on the shower, keeping the water temperature fairly hot as he takes off his clothes and steps in. The water is warm and comforting and sleep inducing, but Fai resists the drowsiness and scrubs himself with the arguably feminine scented soap until he deems himself clean. He turns off the water and steps out, drying himself before wringing the water out of his soaked hair, leaving a wild mess of blond locks. With the yukata on, he takes a last look at the fogged up mirror, and helplessly tries to comb his hair with his fingers to no avail. The vampire frowns in mild annoyance at his hair's reluctance to cooperate and puts on his eyepatch before tying up the tangled strands into a small ponytail at the base of his neck with a black ribbon.

Once he believes himself presentable, he walks out of the bathroom, instinctively turning to walk back to Kurogane's bedroom before freezing in his tracks. He had to go to the dining hall to have breakfast with Tomoyo-hime…damn. Fai curses inwardly, and looks down the hallway Souma and he walked down to get to the dining hall, wondering why he didn't ask for directions. The countless passages and rooms were truly disconcerting, and he hopes for a maid or a servant that would be kind enough to lead him to the hall instead of scuttling away in fright like they always seem to do. But the nurses aren't so scared; if anything, they seem to pity him. Maybe if he goes back to Kurogane's room and waits for the nurses to show up, they could tell him the directions. Yes, Fai thinks with an inarguably happy nod, he can wait with Kurogane, and the nurses have to come change his bandages again sometime soon so he can keep the other man company—

"Fai-san!" a voice rings out, and he sees Syaoran, accompanied by Mokona, closing the door to the room next to Kurogane's room. The blond blinks in surprise.

"Syaoran-kun, Mokona," he greets with a smile. "Good morning." A blue eye flicks up to the room the he walked out of curiously. "Is that your room, Syaoran-kun?"

"Ah, yes," he nods quietly. Fai frowns, wanting to apologize for his overall unobservant mood when he notices an unusual pink tinge to his cheeks. The mage's frown becomes puzzled; what could the boy be embarrassed about?"

"Eh, um, Fai-san, um, I-I hope you slept well?" he stammers out, the flush turning considerably darker. Fai groans inwardly in realization. He vaguely remembers that Syaoran visits Kurogane at night, and if his red face means anything, the kid checked up on the ninja last night as well. The poor boy, he laments silently with a hint of an amused smile. Just adopted and already saw his parents in bed; it must be petrifying.

"I suppose I did," he responds with a sheepish smile. "And you two, as well?" At Mokona's "Yes!" the blue-eyed man blatantly changes the topic, pretending not to see the relieved face on the younger boy. "Syaoran-kun, would you happen to know how to get to the dining hall for breakfast? I'm afraid I don't know the way."

Syaoran brightens slightly and nods, motioning the vampire to follow. "Tomoyo-hime escorted me and showed me a shorter route; since Souma-san was leading you, she probably walked you through the complicated way that other guests use so they won't know their way around the castle without an escort. It maintains safety for the royal family. But Tomoyo-hime said we don't need to go through all the trouble since we are honored guests of Kurogane-san." They stop in front of the door in a matter of minutes with Fai fervently thanking the Nihon princess for the relatively easy route. Compared to the other, which had a myriad of corridors and numerous twists and turns, this route only had three long hallways to walk through.

The entered the dining hall, gaining the attention of the two women inside, looking pleased to see their arrival but more than a bit surprised to see Fai's face in the morning. "Good morning!" Tomoyo-hime greets. "Syaoran-kun, Mokona, I hope you've had a good rest?" At the shorter boy's nod, she turns her innocently inquiring eyes to Fai, who believes the smirk on the girl's face completely contradicts the princess's innocent aura. "And did you sleep well, Fai-san?"

The blond gives her an amused glance. "Very well, actually. It's a pity I woke up so early instead of sleeping in," he replies with a wry smile.

Souma looks down at the dark-haired girl, grinning slightly. "I think he's onto us, Hime-sama."

Tomoyo-hime giggles into her hand. "Oh dear. We must feed him more of those pastries before he scolds us for peeking." Souma nods emphatically and Fai shrugs indifferently, his eye dancing with laughter as Syaoran stands awkwardly with the tips of his ears a bright red, to the point that Mokona pokes it curiously with a paw. They all sit down at the table, and this time, Fai is pleased to see, the sweets are in front of him to eat as he pleases. They chat amiably during breakfast, with Fai listening and commenting along with everyone else. He thinks, maybe, if there is a chance, he could get used to this, to Nihon. It is a thought that is tantalizing yet terrifying; Valeria and Celes were his homes too. But this world, Kurogane's world, is different. He can feel it in the cool, fresh air that he breathes and in the sense of purpose that the people of this country exude. It is something, Fai realizes, he could get used to, that he wants to get used to.

"Well, now that we've been properly fed, I would like to go visit Kurogane." Tomoyo-hime interrupts his thoughts with a cheerful smile. She looks at the blond, eyes bright and a little too knowing. "I hope you will join me, Fai-san?" she asks, and he smiles lightly and replies.

"You don't have to ask, Tomoyo-hime. I'll join you."

"Um…" They turn to Syaoran, who looks serious. "May I go with you?"

Fai smiles kindly. "Of course, Syaoran-kun!" He pauses, sliding his blue eye over to the princess. "That is okay, right?" he questions.

Tomoyo-hime smiles teasingly. "You don't have to ask, Fai-san. They are your family."

The mage smiles sheepishly, a hand on the back of his neck feeling the heat creep up towards his face. He ignores it and turns to Syaoran. "Let's go, then."

Fai and Syaoran lead this time, walking briskly with Tomoyo-hime and Souma following. Mokona jumps between the two, as though judging which shoulder would be most comfortable, before nestling his head in the crook of the vampire's neck, cuddling unashamedly. The blue-eyed man smiles down at the back of Mokona's head and pets him absently as they turn the last corner into Kurogane's room. Fai opens the door and blinks in surprise; there's a nurse, and she's unwrapping the ninja's soiled bandages, and before he even understands what is going on, he is kneeling next to Kurogane, looking at the flustered nurse intensely. "Can I help?" he asks quietly, and her eyes widen a bit before nodding slowly with a glance at the black-haired princess in the room.

"You can hold him up while I rewrap the bandages," she offers shyly, biting her lip nervously at the odd light-haired man on the other side of the bed. Fai gives her a thankful smile and complies, his right hand grasping the swordsman's arm while he wraps a cautious arm around his shoulders, gently bringing him to a sitting position. He hears some murmurs and notices Souma leaving the room out of the corner of his eye. He catches Tomoyo-hime's gaze and she nods encouragingly and he smiles, looking back at Kurogane. His smile soon fades when the nurse takes off the last of the bandages, revealing the wounds. The ninja's entire stomach in discolored like a bruise, with ghastly shades of blue and purple stretching over the tanned skin and steadily becoming darker as the wound nears. The wound itself is black and dark and thick and painful and Fai struggles not to wince but refuses to look away. His eye wanders up to the stump, and he gulps down a gasp. The dead skin at the edge is already dark and bruise-like, but the rest is still red with blood covered only by a transparent sheet of skin. The vampire thinks dully that he might see bone within the mess of visible muscle and dead skin and transparent skin and blood.

"Kurogane!" Mokona cries out despairingly, and jumps softly onto the broader man's shoulder, nuzzling his face to his throat, small tears pricking the edge of his eyes. Fai gulps again, blinking stupidly but never tearing his gaze away from Kurogane's injuries. The nurse pauses in her work, looking sadly at the sight, before clearing her throat slightly. The blond jumps and looks at her bleakly. She looks uncomfortable, but determined.

"Ano…sir…these wounds are faring very well." The paler man furrows his eyebrows in disbelief. The nurse nods and gives him a small, reassuring smile. "They were very serious injuries, but I think Kuorgane-san will recover fully. He will be sore for a few days, but by then the wound on his side will just be a scar. The arm will take a few more weeks for the skin to cover it completely, but it will heal as well. We only need to change the bandages once a day for sanitary purposes."

Fai stares at her blankly until he lets out a deep breath, closing his eye. He nods and gives her a half-smile. "Thank you," he states, "for doing all this." The mage looks at Kurogane's face, pointedly not looking at anything else, as the nurse starts to rewrap the injuries. Mokona looks up at Fai, looking somewhat surprised.

"Fai," he calls out, catching his attention. "Fai, have you been with Kurogane all this time?" At the vampire's puzzled nod, Mokona grins cheerfully. "Mokona wanted to help Kurogane's loneliness, since Mokona would be lonely when asleep like that. But Kurogane isn't lonely at all! Mokona thinks that's because Fai was with Kurogane all this time!"

The blond's blue eyes widens, startled, before softening and smiling down at Mokona. "That's great, Mokona." Mokona jumps and gives Fai another nuzzle before bouncing over to Syaoran, who sat at the foot of the bed with Tomoyo-hime. The mage looks at Mokona contemplatively, biting his lip and glancing at Kurogane before his face sets with the look of a decision made. "Mokona, would you mind if you come with me after dinner? I want to ask Yuuko-san something." His eye flicks over to the amber-eyed boy. "You can go back to Syaoran-kun after I'm done."

Both Mokona and Syaoran look puzzled and curious but Mokona agrees and Fai smiles happily down at Kurogane's face. The nurse finishes wrapping the bandages and he carefully lays the ninja back on the bed, arm slipping out from underneath his shoulders and surreptitiously brushing his fingers past Kurogane's cheek. The nurse leaves with a hurried bow to Tomoyo-hime and the tension in the room leaves with her, making the other conscious occupants in the room relax and slip into light conversation.

Tomoyo-hime asks the three others endless questions about their journey and Syaoran and Mokona respond for the most part. Fai sees a strange parallel between him and Syaoran; like the younger boy kept close to Sakura yesterday, the vampire stays close to Kurogane today. Hitsuzen enters his mind, and so does the red strings of fate. He could almost imagine Kurogane's scowl and him crossing his arms and muttering that all the Dimensional Witch's blabbering about destiny and fate and soulmates is bullshit, but Fai wonders. Fai wonders, but he stops at one point and realizes he honestly doesn't care, that it doesn't matter as long as Kurogane be kept alive and with him. It sounds selfish and it is selfish but he won't regret his selfishness for once because his heart has never felt so strong and fragile and real. Now the only question is whether or not to tell the swordsman of the strong yet fragile heart he holds, but even then it seems every time Fai looks at Kurogane's face his willpower to keep distance shatters bit by bit, and to his surprise he doesn't mind at all. So now, Fai thinks a little exasperatedly, he wonders when in the world the ninja will wake up because he wants to say all this before he loses his courage.

The noise of the door sliding open pauses his brooding and Kendappa-ou walks in with Souma by her side. The empress stares at Kurogane with a grim expression on her face before turning to her sister. "No change?" she asks curtly.

Tomoyo-hime shakes her head. "No, but his health is getting better. A nurse explained to us that his wounds will make a full recovery."

Kendappa-ou nods and smiles slightly at the hopeful news. She looks at the mage kneeling next to the red-eyed man. "Hello, Fai-san. You look…handsome as always." She smirks.

Fai quirks an eyebrow but gives her a smile. "Good morning, Kendappa-ou. I hope you know that I don't mind being called pretty if you would really prefer to describe me as that."

Souma grins. "Then allow me to say that you look very pretty."

The blond sends a wry smile her way. "Thank you very much, Souma-san." Tomoyo-hime dissolves into helpless giggles and Mokona joins her and even Syaoran lets out a repressed chuckle.

They talk and talk and talk some more, until the princess calls it time for lunch and ushers everyone out. Fai is last to leave, giving Kurogane one last look before sliding the door shut and walking alongside Tomoyo-hime. She says nothing while walking, but gives him a long, searching look. Once she looks forward, she speaks.

"I don't suppose you would want to talk to Yuuko-san to ask her to grant a wish?" shes asks casually.

Fai smiles at her. "Yes, I have a wish. But I won't do anything rash."

The dark-haired princess nods. "I didn't expect you to tell me what it is. But I will believe you, Fai-san, not to do anything foolish that would upset Kurogane." She looks up at him with serious eyes.

Fai holds her eyes. "I've been able to think about it for some time now," he murmurs. "I don't think this is a foolish wish. If it can be done, I will try my best." Tomoyo-hime gives him a soft smile.

"I believe you."

They reach the dining hall and sit down for lunch. Fai is tempted to continue eating only the pastries, but tries some of the cooked fish and finds to his relief that it is not only edible, but also rather good. Lunch passes in a blur and he hears Syaoran ask Tomoyo-hime to visit Sakura. He guesses, as he blinks and notices himself in the clearing with the green-eyed princess sleeping in the sakura tree, that he might be just a bit anxious about the price of his wish to be walking around the gardens without knowing it. Kendappa-ou is not present, and he remembers dimly something about her having to deal with some pressing matters about the state of her country. He doesn't know why he didn't think of it before, since she is, after all, the empress of Nihon.

The hours pass too slowly but the slender man hides his fidgeting and restlessness well while conversing with the others. He glances up at Syaoran and Sakura and observes them discreetly. It is sad, Fai thinks, to see the younger boy look so pained even with a smile on his face. Surely, the man is almost positive that Syaoran knows this shell that is Sakura's body is a cloned one. It makes sense as well, and not just with Fai's sense of magic. This Syaoran must have a Sakura, the one this Sakura had been modeled by, and it is obvious he has the same problems Sakura had in Infinity with distinguishing the difference between her Syaoran and this Syaoran. Life is cruel to all of them, but these kids are too young, too kind, and too good to feel these burdens when all they should have experienced was a sweet romance. Fai hopes that Sakura and Syaoran will get their happy ending together, because they deserve it more than anyone he has ever known.

"Thinking about someone?" Tomoyo-hime asks, tilting her head curiously.

"No, actually," he replies with an ironic smile. "Just wondering why life is unfair even for the best of people."

"There is nothing that one could call a perfect life. Even those as capable as Yuuko-san won't be able to grant a wish like that."

"I know. I've come to terms with almost everything in my life." He sighs in irritation. "It's the small things, though. Like when time passes too slowly or when someone you need won't wake up soon enough." Fai glances over and gives the dark-haired princess a helpless smile.

Tomoyo-hime nods wisely and the mage sees the repressed grin in her face. "I understand completely. But we can't do anything about it, can we? Oh, it's almost sunset. Why don't we have dinner and then retreat to our rooms for the night?" She smiles charmingly.

Fai agrees solemnly and stands. "I agree. This sounds like a plan." A content smile graces his features. "Thanks, Tomoyo-hime."

The princess waves away the comment and walks briskly towards a door. "I've already sent Syaoran-kun and Mokona with Souma. Let's not be late."

Dinner is a quiet affair. Souma stands by to watch Tomoyo-hime and alternates with another man at intervals, always keeping watch and never slacking off. The blue-eyed man idly wonders if Kurogane did this as well. He wants to know everything Kurogane did when he was home in Nihon, Fai thinks as he chews on a portion of his rice thoughtfully. Maybe he will know everything, one day. They might not have enough time during this visit, but maybe he will know. If when he comes back to Nihon. Maybe…

"Fai!" Mokona jumps over to the blond's shoulder. "Does Fai want to talk to Yuuko now?"

He pushes his plate away and nods. "Not here, though, Mokona. I want to do it in his—er,my—room." The paler man looks at Tomoyo-hime in askance.

She smiles broadly. "Of course, you may leave now, Fai-san! I hope to see you tomorrow at breakfast." The younger girl turns to Syaoran. "I suppose you will have to bear with me for some while longer, Syaoran-kun," she teases lightly. The brown-haired boy's eyes widen and he shakes his head fervently in disagreement, looking earnest while stuttering out a response. Fai smiles fondly at them before closing the doors and walking towards the ninja's room.

Once inside, Fai sits down on the blankets next to Kurogane and situates Mokona on his lap. Yuuko appears a few moments later, and the mage smiles in greeting to the witch. "Good evening, Yuuko-san." He pauses, frowns, and strains to look behind her. "Or should I say good morning?"

The woman smirks. "Good afternoon, actually. Nice guesses." She drops the smirk and evaluates the blue-eyed man. "You have a wish."

"Well…yes." Fai looks uncertainly down at Mokona, who looks extremely curious, and glances back at Yuuko. She smiles at Mokona.

"Mokona, would you be able to fall asleep while we talk?"

He pouts and turns to the vampire. "But Fai…"

Fai smiles reassuringly. "Don't worry, I won't do anything bad. I'll tell you what I wished for soon, okay?"

Mokona nods slowly and falls asleep. Yuuko looks back at Fai with a measured intensity in her gaze. "Now what is it that you wish for?"

The blond sighs and stares back determinedly. "An arm. I wish for an arm that works as well as a human arm that fits him."

The witch's eyes flick over to the sleeping man in bed but does not look surprised. "And what will you pay for your wish to be granted?"

"Anything," the man answers immediately. He gives her a small smile. "Anything except my life."

Yuuko smiles brightly. "What's this? Have you become possessive over your life, Fai-san?"

He gives her a wry smile. "Not me, no. I've heard someone else is, though. I wouldn't want that person to have given up so much in vain, so I won't give up my life over as a price."

"Good," Yuuko remarks. "And just so you know, I don't take lives as payment either."

"Then," Fai questions, "what will be the price?"

The witch ponders for a moment. "The price for an arm for Kurogane that functions like a normal one." She looks at the blue-eyed man. "Kurogane's life had once been only about fighting," she explains slowly. "His arm is very important to him, and therefore, your price will be rather heavy. Are you willing?"

The mage nods resolutely, ignoring the doubts and hesitation lurking in his mind. "Yes. If I can pay the price, I will do it. He needs an arm. I want to give one to him."

Yuuko smiles knowingly. "Motivation and sincerity," she drawls out. "You have both. Very well, then. I can grant your wish. But your price will be your remaining magic."

Fai blinks in horror and bring a hand to his eye. "You want my eye?" he whispers.

She shakes her head. "No, of course not. Then you would die, wouldn't you? What I want," she mumurs, "is the blue color of your eye."

"Oh," he says, dropping his hand limply. That was it? His mind cried out in joy. "Okay. I'll give it to you. My magic, that is."

Yuuko arched up an elegant eyebrow. "Do you understand the consequences?" The blond tilts his head questioningly, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. She sighs and looks at him seriously. "If I take your magic, you will not be a mage anymore, but a vampire. Even if you retrieve your stolen left eye, you will remain a vampire. You will have to feed from Kurogane for the rest of your life."

"…Oh." Oh. So then… Fai racks his brain for a coherent thought. "You will not be a mage anymore." Kurogane won't be able to call him an idiotic mage anymore, he thinks somewhat sadly, before thinking how stupid that sounds. If you retrieve your eye, you will remain a vampire." So even if he gets his eye back, he will have to stay with Kurogane. "You will have to feed from Kurogane for the rest of your life." He will have to be with Kurogane for the rest of his life. The vampire jumps in realization. Him and Kurogane, together, no matter what. If they live through this, then together and living in Nihon. Finding out what he does in Nihon. Knowing what he does for the rest of his life. Being together.

"Well?" Yuuko asks with a smile, and Fai is mildly surprised to feel a wide smile on his face. He looks at the witch and tries to be serious, but he cannot get rid of the ridiculously happy smile.

"Yes. I…yes." He looks over to the red-eyed man and has a sudden urge to hug him, but resists the urge and glances back to Yuuko. She smirks.

"Good. If you had agreed instantly, I might have had to change the price since it would not have been important enough." The witch glances at something offhandedly. "The arm will reach you in three days. You will give me your price once it reaches Nihon."

Fai starts, surprised. "That fast?" he asks doubtfully. "Don't you need more time?"

Yuuko smiles. "Do you honestly believe that I didn't think you would have asked me this beforehand? It's been in the works for a few days already."

"But what if he doesn't wake up by then?" the man insists. "We can't exactly give it to him when he's asleep."

"He will wake up before it arrives." The woman's certainty was absolute. The blue-eyed man smiles softly, looking at the ninja.

"Is that so…" Fai muses. He smiles up at Yuuko. "We'll talk another day, I'm sure."

She smiles distantly. "Unfortunately. But until then, take care of yourself, and don't jump on Kurogane when he wakes." She grins wickedly. "At least, not unless Mokona's there. Good night!" The screen flickers and dies, and the slender man is left looking at a sleepy Mokona, smiling slightly to himself. His gaze wanders over to the door and smiles wider.

"Come in, Tomoyo-hime."

The door opens and closes gently, and the younger girl enters with an abashed smile. "I'm quite the eavesdropper, hm?"

Fai shakes his head. "I don't mind. Now I don't have to explain why an arm will fall from the sky in three days' time."

Tomoyo-hime laughs. "I suppose so. But, I did hear that Kurogane will wake before then. It's good news."

"Very," the blond agrees, eyeing the swordsman's face for any signs of movement. He bites his lip anxiously and stands, holding Mokona in his hand. "I should drop Mokona at Syaoran's room," he comments distractedly, walking out the room and stepping in front of the door next to Kurogane's room, Tomoyo-hime trailing behind with a concerned frown. Fai opens the door silently and leaves Mokona next to the dozing boy. He smiles gently, pulling the sheets up around his body before standing up and smiling slightly at the princess at the doorway. He steps out the room and closes the door softly. He turns to Tomoyo-hime.

"You should go to sleep," he urges quietly. "You've been wonderful, Tomoyo-hime, but even you need rest."

She looks at him skeptically. "Are you sure?" she whispers questioningly.

The mage smiles. "Yes. We'll talk tomorrow. Sleep comes now," he chides gently, nodding assuredly. The princess smiles back and bids him goodnight before walking away. Fai enters Kurogane's room, and with a moment's hesitation climbs into the bed with the broader man. With a stifled yawn, he rests his head against the warm shoulder and holds his hand like yesterday. He closes his eye.

"Now there will be two hands again," he mutters sleepily, stroking the tanned hand. "And I'll be stuck with you. I hope you don't mind." Fai smiles absently. "I guess I'll figure out within three days, ne?" There is no response except measured breathing, and the blue-eyed man concentrates on the steady heartbeat. "Good night."

-Night Five-

"I have a question," Fai states, staring expectantly at the princess on the other side of the bed. It is late afternoon, and Tomoyo-hime and he had excused themselves from dinner to relocate in Kurogane's room. It was nice, to have a routine of sorts. Wake up, refuse to be affected by the ninja's extremely close face, bathe, follow Syaoran to breakfast, return to Kurogane's room, have lunch, visit Sakura, have dinner, and now this. He likes this. He can get used to this, if it weren't for the man in between the two.

"What is it?" The black-haired girl asks with a smile.

Fai smiles sheepishly. "How did you make this? It fits me perfectly, and I never gave you my measurements." He gestures to his light blue furisode. It was a solid blue with a patterned black and white obi.

Tomoyo-hime giggles. "Oh, I asked Yuuko-san," she answers evasively.

The mage raises an eyebrow. "And she gave it to you for free?"

She shrugs. "No, but the price wasn't bad. I actually like it. Making dresses for Yuuko-san, that is."

Fai shakes his head disbelievingly. "If I had known this before, I'd probably be wallowing in guilt." He smiles wryly.

The princess nods slowly, gazing at him intently. "You would have. But you've learnt to let people care for you." She pauses. "Will you let Kurogane care for you?"

The blond looks down at the aforementioned man. "Is that what you wanted to speak with me about yesterday night?"

"Yes."

Fai is quiet. His hand itches to hold Kurogane's hand, but clenches it into a fist. "I care for him," he says. "He's important to me. But you know that already, don't you?" He glances up and flashes a smile at the younger girl. "Even so," he frowns down at Kurogane, eyes narrowing slightly, "even so, I don't think…I mean, are people supposed to be this angry at the one most important to them?"

Tomoyo-hime shifts slightly, surprised. "You're angry at Kurogane?"

"He's a hypocrite!" Fai exclaims, glaring at the oblivious man. "He sacrifices things like this, like his arm, just for me, and he yells at me for thinking about giving up something of mine as well? And he calls me the idiot! If he doesn't want me to give up something like that, then he should lead by example and not cut off his damned arm! I mean, he's just…" The vampire sighs and smiles tiredly at Tomoyo-hime. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

The princess shakes her head, grinning. "No, I was glad to hear it. When you say it like that, your anger is most definitely justified. In fact," she grins even more, "you should show Kurogane exactly how angry you are."

Fai smiles, looking brighter, and grabs the ninja's hand. He examines the man's calloused fingers absently. "You won't tell on me if I happen to hit him?" he asks childishly. "Not hard, of course, but just enough to knock some sense into him."

Tomoyo-hime smirks. "You have my blessing," she agrees merrily, eyes twinkling.

"It's weird," he says suddenly, lacing their fingers together, pale and tan, soft and rough, flawless and calloused. "Even with my anger, I want to be with him. Maybe that's how he feels? I don't know. I still don't know exactly what I'll do when he wakes up."

Tomoyo-hime looks at him anxiously. "Fai-san," she starts.

"I mean," he continues, as though no one spoke, smiling slightly, "so many nicknames to choose! Which one would be best in this situation?" Fai sneaks a peek at the princess and is glad to see her relieved smile. The blond looks back down at their hands, now clasped together casually. "Maybe Kuro-wanko? I know that was his favorite. Or Kuro-daddy? There's a nice ring to it. Kuro-tan? Kuro-rin? Kuro-min, Kuro-pipi, Kuro-puu, Kuro-chi, Kuro-run, Kuro-sama…" Fai continues, loving the names he made for Kurogane, savoring each as he says them for the first time in a long time. He squeezes Kurogane's hand absentmindedly. His breath hitches.

Kurogane squeezed back.

"Kuro-sama," he breathes out, tensing for a moment before clutching the ninja's hand even tighter, staring at Kurogane in anticipation. There it is, again; a miniscule amount of pressure, the slightest movement of his fingers brushing against the mage's pale palm, the smallest tilt of his head towards Fai, the tiniest wrinkle formed by a furrow of his eyebrow.

"Oh!" Tomoyo-hime's eyes widen in astonishment, noticing the flicker of expression across the swordsman's face. "Fai-san!" She stares at him, eyes bright. "Your nicknames, Fai-san! They're familiar! Do something else, something else that he will recognize!"

"Er," he mutters, searching his conveniently blank mind. Fai curses inwardly. Why now, of all times? "Oh, for goodness sakes!" The mage sighs in defeat and does the first reflex reaction. He pokes him in the cheek. Harshly.

The effect was instantaneous; Kurogane's face became irritated, his head turning towards the intruding finger, and lets out a soft growl. Fai is stunned to silence. Tomoyo-hime is stunned to laughter.

"That was perfect," she praises. "Now, Fai-san, if you will, could you leave for just a few moments? I want to speed up his awakening." The dark-haired girl is brimming with excitement and Fai nods dumbly and stands up, pausing to look at their joined hands before removing his hand reluctantly. He wonders if he imagined Kurogane's frown once he let go and leaves the room, closing the door and leaning heavily on the opposite wall.

Awakening. He's waking up. Kurogane's waking up. Fai senses the magic emanating from Kurogane's room, and thrills jolt him into comprehension. He's going to wake! Tonight! The blue-eyed man cannot explain his emotions. He feels terrified. He feels wonderful. He feels anxious. He feels excited. He wonders again what name to call him. He worries over the other man's strength once he punches him. He thinks he feels happy.

"Fai-san?" Syaoran-kun steps out of his room, glancing nervously over to the ninja's room before giving Fai a questioning gaze. "Mokona felt a power coming from Kurogane-san's room. Did something happen to him?" He looks at the door again worriedly, and the vampire suddenly notices his exhausted eyes, accentuated by dark bags. He frowns slightly and shakes his head.

"He's waking up, Syaoran-kun," he says softly. "Tomoyo-hime is helping him wake faster."

Syaoran's eyes lit up, crinkling around the edges and looking relieved. "That's great!" His eyes blink rapidly and he attempts to stifle a yawn. "I'll stay with you until he wakes," the younger boy offers, smiling through his tired eyes. Fai feels a pang and shakes his head, catching the amber-eyed boy's attention.

"No." Syaoran looks shocked and just a little hurt, but Fai smiles kindly. "You haven't been sleeping well, have you?" The boy blinks in surprise and looks embarrassed. "We need you, Syaoran-kun. Go sleep for tonight. You should be well-rested." He smiles slightly. "It will make me feel better, to know you slept. And I don't think Kuro-sama will be happy to see you this tired. You can talk to him in the morning, okay?"

If the younger boy was surprised by his use of Kurogane's nickname, he didn't show it. Syaoran nods and looks at the room once again before smiling a goodnight and disappearing into his room. Fai slumps back on the wall again, noticing the absence of magic in the room, and bites his lip. Time passes, seconds and minutes and hours blurring together until Tomoyo-hime opens the door.

"He will wake in a few minutes," she says simply. The girl looks at him silently before smiling softly. "Are you ready?"

Fai shrugs. "Maybe. I'll know when I get inside." He closes his eye and breathes slowly. Things like this are supposed to be happy and exciting and anticipated, not scary and anxious and confusing. Tomoyo-hime smiles sympathetically.

"I feel horrible for asking you this after all you've been through, but—"

"Do you want to speak with him first, Tomoyo-hime?" She nods, and he gives her a small smile. "I expected you to do so. He wants to see you. His home is Nihon, after all."

The princess looks at him gratefully. "Thank you." She clasps his hands with her own and smiles. "Remember, no matter what you do or say, Kurogane cares for you, as much as you care for him. Never forget that." She slips back into the room without another word and Fai waits. What exactly the mage is waiting for, he's not quite sure, but he waits for it nonetheless.

Some moments later he hears something. A rustle, a soft rustle of sheets in Kurogane's room, and then a tiny grunt barely discernable through the flimsy door. Fai turns pale, and then flushes; his heart stops, and then pounds furiously; he takes a sharp intake of breath in fear, and then exhales softly in happiness. The mage hears Kurogane's panicked shouts and then a softer murmur probably at the sight of Tomoyo-hime sitting by his bedside. He allows himself to smile at the sound of Kurogane's voice, rough from lack of use but still deep and blunt and comforting. They talk for a while, and although Fai cannot hear what they are saying, he settles for listening to the soothing voices as he prepares himself. He clenches his hand into a fist experimentally and lets his face look emotionless. This is nerve-wracking, he muses, even if he isn't the one about to get hit for being stupid. But at least he knows which nickname to use.

The princess calls out to him from inside the room and he steadies himself and takes a deep breath before opening the door to red eyes.

.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.

That night, Fai hears Kurogane wake up, and he hopes the ninja won't get a headache from his punch.

That night, Fai punches Kurogane, and he wonders how surprised the red-eyed man will be when he smiles.

That night, Fai smiles at Kurogane and calls him "Kuro-sama," and he thinks his smile is too smug and his voice too harsh but the swordsman seems to like it nevertheless.

That night, Fai talks to Kurogane, and they talk about anything and everything while Tomoyo-hime leaves with a knowing grin that both notice and pointedly ignore.

That night, Fai laughs at Kurogane, and it was about something stupid and irrelevant and he would have stopped in embarrassment if not for the other man's small smile.

That night, Fai hugs Kurogane, and it was awkward and somewhat painful on Kurogane's part and he grumbles about Fai smelling girly, but neither one lets go.

That night, Fai kisses Kurogane, and Kurogane kisses back.

OWARI

A/N: If you read this in one go, I commend you xD Longest story I've ever written in my life, school-related works included :P I ask you to please review! If you see or remember any mistakes, tell me so I can get better :) And I would feel bad if I didn't get any reviews for such a long story T-T Why yes, I am guilt-tripping you xD But thanks to all who read the story! I hope you enjoyed it! :)