RATING DISCLAIMER. IMPORTANT! This is rated as teen, however, I was debating whether it needed to be mature or not. It doesn't contain any explicit sexual scenes, but it does have some mature themes, including one that can be sensitive; rape. If you don't feel comfortable with this topic, then please, make the decision not to read this story. Thank you. : ) (And I think it's obvious that I don't own Tsubasa or the characters! So sad...)

This takes place some time (maybe a couple months) after the end of the manga. Syaoran, Kurogane, and Fai have continued their journey without Sakura. Enjoy!

1. Starry Starry Night

"I think I'll go to bed now," Syaoran said, yawning as he stood and stretched his back.

"Mokona's tired too…" the little white puffball said, looking up at Syaoran. He smiled and picked it up before saying good night to Fai and Kurogane and ducking into his tent.

The two remaining by the fire sat in perfect, serene silence, listening to the fire crackling and the night creatures murmuring in the trees around them. Kurogane felt extremely content in this beautiful and calm world, and he even allowed himself a slight smile. Well, almost a smile. But it slid off his face as he looked up and his gaze met only leaves and branches. He knew it was a clear night, but he couldn't see the stars through the canopy above.

"Is something wrong, Kuro-rin?" Fai asked, his soft voice finally breaking the extended silence. Kurogane slowly shifted the focus of his stare to rest upon his companion's fair face. There was a gentle sort of concern in his eyes.

He must have noticed that my face fell when I looked up, Kurogane thought. The nickname didn't even bother him tonight; the evening was too calm and perfect for him to get roused. "I'm fine," he said in response. "I just wish we could see the stars. It's the first clear night we've had in a while."

A smile lit up Fai's features. "I know where we can!" he said excitedly. "I was looking around earlier and there's a clearing over that way." He pointed in what Kurogane approximated to be a south-east direction. Then, before he knew what was happening, Fai was on his feet and pulling on his arm. He stood and followed with only a grunt of annoyance at the enthusiastic mage. It was more of a formality than an actual expression of anger, though; he was looking forward to seeing the stars of this world.

A short walk through the dense undergrowth led them to, just as Fai said, a forest clearing. The long grasses and wildflowers swayed as a gentle breeze played across them. The sweet scents of a summer evening filled the air as they stepped into the moon-drenched world. The silver light was so bright Kurogane could see almost as clearly as during the day, though the ordinary scene around him seemed softer and it had an unearthly quality that could never be duplicated in the harsh light of the sun.

But as beautiful as their surroundings were, Kurogane's crimson eyes were immediately drawn upward. In his opinion, there was nothing on this world or any other that could compare with the beauty and the mystery of a star-filled sky on a clear summer night. The absolute darkness of this world, from the lack of any nearby cities, and a cloudless night gave Kurogane the opportunity to observe the stars in a way that he hadn't been able to in ages.

"Do you recognize any of the constellations?" Fai asked. He was also watching the heavens above with interest. For the first time Kurogane realized that Fai was still hanging on to his right arm, holding it tightly against his side. He thought about pulling it away, but decided against it.

"No," he said, "These stars are different than the ones I know." Fai nodded in silent agreement.

They stayed like that for some time without speaking. It was something Kurogane would never forget, an absolutely incredible experience. The stars seemed closer, clearer, and more vibrant than those he was used to. Finally, however, Kurogane had had his fill of star-gazing and glanced down at the mage clinging to his arm. Fai's smile from earlier had faded, leaving behind a look full of something Kurogane couldn't quite place. Worry? Sadness? It made him uneasy, so he decided to ask about it.

"Are you happy?" he asked abruptly. He wasn't one for beating around the bush, unlike his blonde comrade.

Surprise flitted across Fai's face before it was replaced with his world-class smile and a small laugh. "Why would you ask that? Of course I am, Kuro-tan."

Kurogane narrowed his eyes. "You're lying," he said. Fai's body tensed slightly against his arm and he knew he was correct. Kurogane shook his head. "So after everything, you're still pretending, even with me. Why?"

Fai stayed silent for a minute, now staring at the ground, then shook his own head and turned to meet Kurogane's eyes. "You're not completely right. I am happy; at least, happier than I have been in a long time. But after all these years, I think I've forgotten how to let myself smile naturally, how to be happy. I guess I'm still just getting used to it."

Kurogane was somewhat satisfied with this answer, though he had his suspicions that the other man was holding back. Still, he hadn't had any intentions to pry further than that tonight, until Fai opened his mouth again. "Is it ok if I tell you something?" he asked so quietly that Kurogane almost didn't hear him over the buzzing of insects all around them.

He nodded, but then realized that Fai was staring at the ground. "Sure."

"You won't get mad at me, no matter what it is?"

A brief flare of annoyance forced Kurogane to take a deep breath before answering. "No," he said. He only accomplished to hide about half of the irritation in his voice. But he knew how important it was for Fai to be able to trust someone and to actually open up. He wanted Fai to have this chance.

"Somehow I don't believe you," Fai responded with a smile. Then he let go of Kurogane's arm and turned around to face him, forcing the other's red eyes to meet his blue ones. He looked like he was going to be serious about whatever he was going to say.

"You are the first person I've ever considered a friend," he said with an honesty and bluntness that was unusual to hear from him. "To be frank, you, Syaoran, and Sakura are the only reasons I'm here today. Still, I didn't want to get too close to you, because I was afraid. But since we've started this new journey with Syaoran, and I've begun to let myself feel again, I've realized something really important that I want to tell you, no matter what." He paused and reached out his arms to grasp Kurogane by the shoulders. Kurogane's eyes were wide, and his heart was pounding agitatedly; where was he going with this?

"Kurogane…" Fai said softly. The use of his full name didn't seem cold or formal to Kurogane like it had the first time Fai had used it. Instead, the tenderness with which it was said sent a thrill down the ninja's spine that settled somewhere in his stomach. "Kurogane, I love you."

There was a shocked silence that stretched out for a whole five seconds, enough to last a lifetime. Eventually Kurogane had to break it. "…what?" he whispered gruffly, his eyes wide, surprise betraying itself in his voice. It was the only response he could come up with at the moment, as his head spun in a dizzying, confused whirlwind, and his heart continued to beat at an erratic pace. The two stared at each other, neither making another sound for nearly a full minute before Fai finally looked away.

"I'm sorry," Fai said, releasing Kurogane's shoulders and hanging his head forward so his bangs swung to cover his face. He didn't manage to do it before Kurogane had seen the small pinpricks of tears forming in his eyes. "I just wanted you to know." He gave a bow, an odd and formal gesture for him, and without saying another word, ran back through the trees in the direction of their camp.

Kurogane stared after him, still at a loss for words, or even comprehensive thoughts. He knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he should follow Fai and say something to him, but he didn't know what. So instead he let out a groan and sank to the ground.

He covered his face with his hands. He told me that he loved me. He slowly dragged his hands down to reveal his eyes again. He glared at his beloved stars, not truly seeing them anymore. "What does he know, anyway?" he angrily demanded of the heavens. "What a damn fool!" He pounded a fist against the grassy terrain and fell backwards to lie flat on his back. He watched the trees shifting in the wind, staying in that position for quite some time before he deemed it safe to return to his tent.

Unfortunately, he and Fai had been sharing a tent for the duration of their trip. He hesitated for a moment outside its fabric walls, steeling himself against the worst, before ducking his head under the canvas flap. Fai was curled up on his side with his back facing the entrance, obviously pretending to be asleep and even more obviously not. Kurogane couldn't count the number of times over the last few months that he'd been awake in the middle of the night listening to Fai's gentle breathing. He'd unconsciously memorized the sound of the soft snores he'd grown accustomed to hearing, and, try as he might, Fai could not recreate them correctly while awake.

Kurogane felt a strange pain building in his chest as he settled himself with his back facing Fai's. He wasn't sure if it was guilt or concern or something else entirely. All he knew was that he wouldn't be sleeping much tonight either.

The worst part about it all was that Kurogane was confused. Confused about Fai's feelings, confused about his own; confused about everything. He carefully went through everything he and Fai had done together since they'd first met at Yūko's shop, and he couldn't imagine a single instant where he'd given Fai enough to fall in love with. He'd kept to himself as much as he could, argued with the man constantly, and thought that he'd been a rather unpleasant travel companion overall. But still, Fai had said those dreaded words.

"Kurogane, I love you."

He kept hearing them in his head over and over until he thought he would go mad. Nevertheless, he could think of nothing else. He ran through several different scenarios of how he could have reacted differently. He could have yelled at him, his usual response to the crazy things Fai said and did. He could have let him down gently. He could even have…told Fai that he loved him too.

But do I? he wondered. It was true he'd grown rather fond of him, and felt a certain need to protect him. But was that…love? He tried to think back to the exact moment when Fai had said those words, and how he'd felt at the time, but all that came to mind was how warm Fai's body had felt against his arm as they'd stood together in the field, before the confession.

Kurogane blushed, and then grew angry with himself. Surely…this wasn't love…right? There was also the fact that they were both men, but that didn't bother Kurogane quite so much. He'd grown up in a world where homosexual relationships had been accepted, at least on some level. Still, he'd never imagined that he would ever attract the attention of a fellow male. It was all new and confusing, and all he knew right now was that he hated the way his heart was racing and his palms were sweating.

Eventually Fai's fake snores were replaced by real ones, and Kurogane too fell into an uneasy sleep punctuated by strange dreams that seemed so real at times he wasn't sure if he was awake or dreaming.

He dreamt he was holding Fai's limp body after he'd been attacked by the other Syaoran, blood pouring from the empty socket that had, until recently, housed a beautiful blue eye. He again experienced the pain and rage he'd felt at the sight. He wanted to avenge Fai. He wanted to kill.

He dreamt he was lying in the tent, listening to Fai's calm breathing and watching his slim chest rise and fall regularly. But… was he awake or asleep?

He dreamt he was standing in the forest clearing from the night before, but this time he was alone and the moon was obscured, throwing everything into deep shadows. He was looking for something, but couldn't find it, growing more and more frustrated as his feet seemed to become heavy and drag behind him.

He dreamt Fai was standing close to him, waiting expectantly for him to speak. But what was he supposed to say? He opened his mouth…

"Kuro-Daddy! Fai-Mommy! It's time to wake up, we've got to go!" Mokona's high, cheerful voice disrupted Kurogane's scattered dreams and tore him back to reality. He sat up in the tent, a hand on his sword a matter of seconds after waking, just a habit of his. Fai also sat up, and left the tent a moment later without saying a word. Kurogane followed him into the darkness of a pre-dawn morning.

Syaoran and Mokona were waiting by the embers of last night's fire. The jewel on Mokona's head was glowing; it was time they had to move on to the next world, wherever that may be.

"Can't you ever wait until a decent time before forcing us to move?" Kurogane growled conversationally. He wanted everything to appear normal in front of the kid and the puffball, but of course Syaoran wasn't completely oblivious.

"Why do you guys look so tired?" he asked, staring at the dark circles beneath both Fai's and Kurogane's eyes. "Did something happen last night?"

"Not at all, Syaoran," Fai said with a pleasant smile. "We were just up pretty late sitting at the fire."

"Come on, let's go!" Mokona huffed impatiently. Without waiting another minute, it had sucked their tents and their gear into its endless maw, storing them away safely. As annoying as the little meat bun could be, Kurogane acknowledged that it had its uses.

"I hope we end up in a town or something in the next world we go to," Syaoran said, pulling his thick cloak from Clow Country over his shoulders to deaden the cold of the morning.

"Me too. It would be nice to see some other people for a change," Fai agreed. The two continued their conversation light-heartedly as they all stood together, getting ready for Mokona to spread its great wings and transport them to another world. Kurogane couldn't help but be impressed with how casual Fai was acting. He would never have been able to pull it off, if anyone expected him to talk like that.

Good thing no one did.

The three stood shoulder to shoulder, and felt the familiar sensation of the earth disappearing beneath their feet. For a moment the world around them seemed to stretch and begin to twist and swirl and before they knew it, they were touching down lightly in a new location.

Kurogane glanced around, looking to see if the world they'd landed in looked familiar; it didn't. It was also forested, like the last, and there weren't any signs of nearby intelligent life; it seemed that Syaoran hadn't gotten his wish after all. They would spend a few days here, relaxing and training in the forest and wasting time until they had to move on again. That's how it always went, since they were basically traveling without aim now.

Syaoran sighed, but then smiled at Fai. "Oh well. I'm sure next time we'll end up in a town." Kurogane could tell that Syaoran's smile was somewhat strained; it was obvious that he'd been hoping to land not just in a town, but Clow Country.

Fai smiled sympathetically at Syaoran; he could probably sense his disappointment as well. "Yeah, I bet we will! Right, Kuro-woofy?"

Kurogane was thrown off by the sudden question. He still didn't understand how Fai was acting so natural; was he burying his personal feelings again, like he did all that time ago? Kurogane gave a non-committal grunt and took a look around. The ground here was level and dry; they could camp here without a problem, if there was some water nearby. "I'll go look for a river or something," he muttered, not wanting to stay near Fai any longer. "Sword, manjuu," he demanded.

"Mokona wants to go with you!" it yelled, jumping up to land on Kurogane's shoulder. Kurogane shrugged, and marched off.

The trees thinned a bit in the direction they were heading, and before long they came upon a grassy hillside with trees dotted here and there in the great open area. First Kurogane's eyes were drawn upward, toward the blue sky; it wasn't morning on this world, but mid-day. Rising up to join the occasional white fluffy clouds was a steady stream of gray smoke; looked like there was a village or something nearby. Kurogane made a mental note of the direction in which it lay. Then he shifted his gaze downwards, to the bottom of the hill. He smirked, satisfied. There was a river meandering along the dip between this hillside and its twin across the way.

"Wow, Kuro-pi, you're really good at finding water! That must be one of your abilities! Mokona doesn't have that one!" Mokona jumped off of Kurogane's shoulder, did a little flip in midair, and started bouncing down the hill. Kurogane followed it, taking care not to slip and fall on the steep, grassy slope.

Mokona was sitting on a large gray rock by the side of the river when Kurogane caught up. "Look! Fish!" the little bun-like creature said excitedly. Kurogane looked in the direction it was pointing, but didn't see what it was talking about. To be honest, he didn't really care. With a heavy sigh, he sat on the rock beside Mokona and buried his face in his hands. Why me?

"What's wrong, Kurogane?" Mokona asked, trying to sense the mood and not use a silly nickname for once. Only it didn't know that hearing his full name like that only brought back memories from last night.

"Nothing. I'm just tired," Kurogane answered miserably. There's no way I'll ever tell a stupid little white manjuu about my problems.

Mokona gave him a concerned look for a minute, and then said seriously, "I think you should just tell Fai that you love him, too."

Without even stopping to think, Kurogane grabbed the little Mokona and brought it close to his face. "What did you just say?" he snarled through bared teeth, letting it know he was not in the mood for jokes. His voice didn't betray how his pulse was racing.

Mokona squeezed out of his grasp and laughed. Smugly, it said, "Mokona can tell how you're feeling if Mokona tries really hard, so you can't lie!" It danced tantalizingly out of Kurogane's reach. He ground his teeth for a moment but eventually gave up with another sigh; gave up on trying to thrash the little meat bun and on pretending he didn't know what it was talking about.

"Even if were true…" Kurogane said, though it pained him to even partially admit it, "I couldn't tell him."

"Why not? Would it not be accepted in Nihon?"

"No, that's not it…" Kurogane closed his eyes, finally resigned to continue what he'd started. "I just want to do what's best for him, and letting him…you know…love me isn't it." By now he was blushing fiercely.

"Kurogane, how can you say that?" Mokona demanded, as close to angry as he'd ever heard it. And for some reason; stress and lack of sleep, probably; Kurogane snapped.

"Just take a look at me, you stupid puffball!" Kurogane yelled, angry. Angry at himself, angry at Fai, angry at his stupid heart for pounding at just the thought of him. "You think I could make him happy? You think I'm what he really wants? He doesn't know anything about me, and he's an idiot for thinking that he loves me!"

"All I know," Mokona answered defiantly, and a bit sadly, "is that right now he's hurt and unhappy because you won't tell him the truth. Is that what's best for him?"

Kurogane didn't have a good answer for that, so he just muttered, "He'll get over it, and he'll be better for it."

Mokona looked like it wanted to respond, but was cut off by a distant shout. "Kurogane! Mokona!"

"That sounds like the kid," Kurogane said, getting to his feet. Syaoran stepped out of the woods and looked around the clearing. "Hey, kid, over here!" he shouted, catching Syaoran's attention. He got up and began to walk back up the hill to where Syaoran was standing, but an indescribable fear suddenly gripped his stomach. He grabbed Mokona and began running up the grassy incline as fast as he could. "Something's wrong…" he told Mokona.

Syaoran was leaning against a tree by the edge of the forest; it looked like he was breathing hard, too. As he got closer, Kurogane saw that his shirt was torn in a couple places, and he had dirt and dead leaves all over his face and body. "Hey! What happened!?" he yelled as he got closer.

"Some men showed up and took Fai!" Syaoran cried, obviously distressed. "I couldn't stop them, I tried but I couldn't, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

"What?!" Kurogane hissed as he drew nearer, panic building up in his chest, but he kept it under control; for now. He had to find out what had happened before he could react.

"I'm sorry, I let them take him, I'm so sorry," Syaoran was saying repeatedly, his voice slowly losing the strength to speak, as though he had a lump in his throat.

"Shit!" Kurogane cursed. He hadn't left the two of them with any protection when he'd gone to look for water. He had all been lulled into a false sense of security by the last few weeks they'd spent in quiet, peaceful worlds. But he shook his head, knowing that he had to try to pull Syaoran together. He clapped his shoulder. "Kid, it's ok, just tell me what happened; slowly," he ordered, helping Syaoran sit down. He wasn't used to being gentle, but he was trying, for the kid's sake.

After a minute spent collecting himself, Syaoran began anew. "We were collecting firewood and scouting the area when I heard Fai's voice, like he was talking to someone. I followed the voices and saw about a dozen men surrounding him. He was trying to talk his way out of it, but they all sprang on him at once and one hit him on the head and he fell down. I…I tried to reach him to help him, but the bushes were thick and I didn't have my sword and I…well by the time I got close, they were just gone!"

Kurogane's heart and mind were racing, but he tried to keep calm. Panicking wouldn't solve anything. "Do you know why they took him?"

Syaoran shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"No, it's… it's not your fault…" Kurogane said a little awkwardly. The kid was just so upset, he couldn't possibly be angry at him. It really wasn't his fault, anyways. "But we have to find him. I'm going after them," he continued, standing up.

"Me too." Kurogane nodded; he hadn't expected such a minor shock to keep Syaoran down. "But I don't know where they went," Syaoran said, sounding worried.

Kurogane pointed towards the smoke he'd noticed earlier. "I can think of a good place to look."

Hey, thanks for reading the first chapter! Hope you stick around to find out what happens next! And of course, I really hope you liked it! : D

Also, keep an eye on the chapter titles (as well as the story title). If anyone knows what song they come from, I'll be extremely impressed, and you'll get…a metaphorical gold star! xD Exciting, right!