Chapter 17 – Ball

Kurogane finished buttoning his best shirt, pulled on his dress jacket, and ran his fingers through his hair, but didn't check the mirror mounted on the wall above the wash basin. There wasn't going to be anyone at the ball tonight that he cared to impress. He wouldn't even be going if not for the prince's announcement – not because he had any question regarding the content of the speech, but because he wanted to see the reactions of the councilmembers when the prince declared his affections for the one girl they'd constantly ignored through this whole ordeal. That, and because it was something to do other than lie in bed. Since returning home, he'd spent nearly all his time there and he was sick of it.

He shouldn't complain. It wasn't as if he were letting the time go to waste. He may be far away from the troubles of Jashar but he was determined to do everything in his power to help. On his first day home, he'd commandeered a servant to fetch the books Fai had been studying from the library. He'd been reading one after the other ever since, looking for hints about how Fai could use his magic to combat the curse. If those old wards on the edge of the Irtat forest could keep the magical creatures inside from crossing the border, Kurogane felt sure that Fai could learn to contain the power of the Harmony Relic. All Fai needed was the right spell and a teacher to help him gain strength and learn control over his innate abilities. Kurogane knew just what to do about that last part. Before he'd even stepped foot off the Sea Hawk, he'd penned a letter to the one person he knew that possessed any practical knowledge of magic. The courier Kurogane hired set out immediately and he'd been expecting a reply all week.

Kurogane did have visitors to distract him from the monotony of reading and sleeping. The prince, the pork bun, and the Kinomoto girl had all been in to see him multiple times. They told him all about the picnic he'd missed while he was gone, about the bonfire and storytelling he slept through the day after he arrived home, and the parade he'd skipped the following week.

The surgeon visited at least twice a day to check for infection, ask if Kurogane was keeping up with the deep breathing exercises he'd learned while still aboard the Sea Hawk, and instruct him as to how much walking he was allowed to do for the day.

At first, just getting out of bed to shuffle down the hall and back had been a big deal. His longest walk so far entailed an errand to the Green Leaf Apothecary to replenish one of his medications. In addition to stretching his legs, the trip allowed Kurogane to inform the dark haired apprentice of his sister's whereabouts in Jashar. He made sure to warn the boy about the curse too when it became apparent that he was set on crossing the lake to retrieve her.

No sooner did Kurogane finish his explanation than the light haired apprentice said, "I'm coming with you, Rikuou. I want to help."

The dark haired apprentice rounded on his co-worker. "You're staying here! You heard what he said about a curse."

Kurogane left them to their squabbling and went to the back wall where the apothecary handed him two containers of medicine before Kurogane could say a word. The surgeon must have told the man to expect him, because the larger container was definitely the medicine he'd come for. The label listed the blend of herbs by percentage weight and when Kurogane opened the lid, the contents had the right look and smell. The other container was a round metal pot containing a pungent salve that Kurogane didn't recognize.

"What's this for?"

"That salve reduces scarring. Apply it across your wound in the morning and evening until you stop noticing improvement."

Kurogane paid for the herbs but declined the additional expense of the salve, saying, "I don't care about scars."

The apothecary smiled softly. "You know where to find me if you change your mind."

Kurogane had scoffed and headed back to his room – back to his reading and sleeping and waiting. If nothing else, tonight's ball would break up the monotony.

-x-

Kurogane tugged at his collar while ignoring the urge to unbutton his jacket. Despite the temperature outdoors, the air inside the main ballroom was over-warm, and no wonder. The doors had only opened a short while ago and yet the ballroom was already near capacity. Several doors along the interior walls stood wide open and partygoers had begun spilling into the adjacent rooms.

From the rich noble ladies in their poufy silk gowns to the common tradesmen wearing their least worn jackets with clean work trousers, everyone dressed in their finest. The eclectic mix of people moved about, laughing and talking, eating and drinking. A small ensemble of musicians played a lively tune and several couples had taken to the dance floor.

Near the southeast corner, that photographer stood with all her equipment taking the picture of any guest who desired a memento of the evening. The Council must have planned this well in advance in order to procure all the photographic plates needed to take that many pictures. The ex-guardsman and his sparring partner from the athletics tournament waited next in line, paying more attention to each other than to their surroundings, while the photographer gave instructions to the couple in front of them.

"Doesn't my honey look exquisite tonight?" the man being positioned for his photographed said. "The only thing that would make this any better is if there were a tiny baby with us!"

The woman's expression remained utterly flat the entire time, even when the photographer advised them both to smile.

Near the entryway to the east side room, the Jashari surgeon spoke with one of the models from the fashion show. A vaguely familiar man stepped up and gave the surgeon a vigorous handshake, a hearty clap on the back, and a brief hug. Considering the surgeon had only been in this country a few short weeks, it was an unusually warm greeting.

As Kurogane walked past the refreshment table, a girl putting the finishing touches on an arrangement of elaborate desserts said, "Can I interest you in a glazed petit four?"

She looked like the captain of the Sea Hawk except that she wore an outfit nearly as outlandish as the ones the photographer had pushed on Sakura at the fashion show.

"I don't like sweets."

"But if no one is willing to taste-test my creations, how will I ever be able to improve my homemaking skills? This future housewife will be doomed to culinary mediocrity!"

One of the prince's new friends from the gaming event bounded up to the table. "I'll try it! If it's good, I'll have to get the recipe for Take-pon! He never eats breakfast. If I make him something extra delicious, maybe he won't skip the meal for once."

The two struck up a conversation while Kurogane pursued the selection of foods. His appetite still wasn't back to normal, but the bland rice and broth he'd been eating every meal of every day for the last three weeks was nearly as annoying as all the bed rest.

Plates rattled as the pastry girl dropped a tray of desserts without warning and sprinted away squealing, "Little brother! What are you doing here?"

As she threw her arms around a stunned Subaru, Kurogane wondered the same thing. Last he'd heard, the Sea Hawk had only stayed in port a single day then returned to Jashar.

He ghosted a hand over his wound. He'd have to talk with the captain and convince him to hold off any plan he might have for sailing back to his home port until a reply came to Kurogane's letter. Nothing he learned here would be of any use if he couldn't find a way to get the information to Fai.

Two women brushed close to Kurogane and he twisted to avoid a collision. A stab of pain jolted through his side but dissipated quickly. Neither of the women appeared to notice. They were too busy with their gossip.

"How intriguing!" the woman closer to Kurogane said. "Where do you suppose the new ambassador is from?"

"One of the lands to the west, I'm certain," said the other. "There were representatives from a few of those countries at the animal exhibition last month."

Not long ago, Kurogane would have dismissed their talk as wild speculation, but he could no longer ignore rumors as he had in the past. And yet, even if the women were right, what did Kurogane care about another ambassador? The ones they already had were a stuffy, ostentatious lot.

Kurogane eyed the row of chairs lining the back wall and deliberately turned away. He may not be here in his official capacity, but he refused to use that as an excuse to take it easy. Having nothing in particular that he needed to do and seeing no one he cared to speak with, he resorted to what he knew best to fill his time. He checked the back entrances to make sure the guards were alert and scanned the crowd for trouble makers. One of the king's engineers, the one with the crazy glint in his eye lurked near the punch bowl. Kurogane scared the man off before he had the opportunity to spike the drinks.

From the size of the crowd, this ball had drawn more attendees than any of the council's other events. After the festival, the tournament, the games, and all the rest, he'd thought he'd grown to recognize every citizen, or at least every one that had any interest in playing along with the Council's whims, but there were a good number of people here tonight that were wholly unfamiliar. Some of them even acted like they'd never been inside the castle before, studying the tapestries and murals as if seeing them for the first time. Maybe they'd traveled in from the countryside.

"Kurogane," a familiar, gentle voice called from behind him.

He turned around, convinced that it couldn't possibly be who he thought it was. He was wrong. His letter requesting assistance had been answered, but not in the way he'd expected.

"You look well," the woman said.

"Why are you here? I asked you to send information. There's not much you can do from here that you can't do from home." She'd always had a weak constitution. He hadn't meant for her to wear herself out traveling.

"The courier who delivered your letter said you'd written it from your sick bed, but you made no mention of being unwell. I thought at first that you simply didn't wish to worry me. Then I saw you were requesting assistance on behalf of someone else and I knew the omission was because you were more concerned about them than you were about your own condition. This person must be very special to you."

"If you can help, it will benefit an entire country."

"That's not why you asked though, is it?"

Kurogane only grunted in response.

"So who is this person I've been asked to teach magic?"

"He's someone I met at the first of these Council events. There's a lot of rumors going around about him. None of them are true. He's not a criminal or a vagabond. He's a prince who wants to help his brother and his people."

"Odr's son? The older one?"

"How did you know that?" He hadn't even mentioned Jashar in his letter.

She only smiled and waved him forward. He wasn't a child anymore, but he leaned down and allowed her to kiss his cheek as she'd often done when he was little.

"Look at you, my handsome boy. You're all grown up. I'm proud of you. Your father would have been too."

He took a deep breath, hoping what she said was true. They spoke for several more minutes, until Kurogane detected a weariness to her voice and suggested that she retire for the night.

"We'll talk again tomorrow," she promised, then left for the comfort of a warm bed.

Mere minutes later, shouting erupted at the main entrance.

Kurogane pushed his way through the crowd and quickly discovered the cause of the disturbance. The guards were turning away that odd group of women that had been kicked out of the gaming contest. Now that the winds had faded and the snows had arrived, most everyone bundled up in heavy coats or cloaks, many sporting scarves, hats and gloves as well. This early in the season, no one was used to the colder weather yet. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this group of women had chosen to forego seasonal outerwear and stood shivering in low cut tops and inappropriately short skirts. It wasn't their state of dress though that was barring them from entry, but rather the harassment charges a local student had lodged against them.

As they left, Sakura stepped up to the entryway with only Mokona on her shoulder as an escort.

"Kurogane!" Mokona said as the little beast jumped from Sakura's shoulder to spatter its body across Kurogane's face.

He pulled his parasite away none too gently. Mokona only giggled.

"Good evening, Kurogane-san. I hope you're feeling well today."

"I'm fine," Kurogane said, turning to look to the side. He'd be much happier when everyone stopped worrying over him.

"Invitation, please," the guard said to Sakura.

"Invitation?"

"Yes, miss. You must present your invitation to enter. They were delivered to each household weeks ago."

"But I never received one."

"Then I'm sorry to say that I cannot permit you to enter."

"I'll vouch for her," Kurogane said to the guard.

"Ahh… Kurogane, sir." The man looked at his fellow guard stationed on the opposite side of the doors as if expecting help in forming his words. Receiving none, he shook his head. "My instructions were very clear and they came from the Council itself."

Kurogane narrowed his eyes. "I bet they did." He could see what was going on here. The Council might be stupid, but they weren't blind. They hadn't failed to notice where the prince's attention lay; they were purposely excluding the girl, most likely because they didn't approve of her family connections. One Kinomoto had already foiled their plans to marry off the king. This had more to do with their petty grudge against the king's consort than it did with Sakura herself. Kurogane let out a low growl. Politics. Nasty business.

There was no use in arguing with the guard.

"Come on," he said and grabbed Sakura's arm, pulling her away from the entrance past the long line of people waiting to present their invitation and join the party. "We'll find another way in."

"Ah, Kurogane-san…?" The girl lagged behind, perhaps unnerved by all the people watching her walk in the wrong direction. "Are you certain this is okay?"

"Would you rather go home without seeing the prince?"

She squared her shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "No, I want to see him no matter what!"

Kurogane nodded, pleased with her resolve. It wouldn't bode well for her relationship with the prince if she gave up at the first sign of hardship.

They circled around to the back of the castle, Sakura walking delicately through the light dusting of snow decorating the cobble stones and Kurogane forcing himself to put one foot in front of the other as a familiar fatigue began to set in. He hadn't anticipated the need for this much walking tonight and hadn't restricted his activities, limited though they were, during the day.

Only a single guard stood watch at the side port where Kurogane intended to enter.

"Good evening, sir! Dressed for the ball I see. All attendees are required to enter through the main doors."

"The prince will be very upset if this girl," he indicated Sakura, "isn't at the ball tonight."

The guard frowned. "But…why don't you just use the main entrance like everyone else?"

Before Kurogane had the chance to respond, the guard perked up. "Oh! So she's the one, is she? I understand. Don't want to risk her safety. Never know what jealous rivals might do."

The guard didn't understand at all, but Kurogane wasn't about to correct her. The woman moved aside with a cheerful, "good luck!" and Kurogane set about leading Sakura through the maze of halls back to the ballroom.

They passed through the servant's housing area first, where the majority of the castle staff stayed. A few of the doors stood open where the employee was lucky enough to have the night off and had chosen not to attend the ball.

"What was that guard talking about, Kurogane-san?"

"It's not my place to say."

During one of his several visits over the course of the last three weeks, the kid had confessed his plan to tell Sakura how he felt before tonight's ball. Either he'd lost his nerve or someone had foiled his plans to tell the girl beforehand.

Only a few turns from the ballroom, a bulky figure moved into the narrow hall ahead of them, blocking their path. Kurogane knew the man. He was a council member, but not a very influential one. He took his direction from Councilman Reed on all issues, which, in Kurogane's estimation, made him nothing more than Reed's lackey.

"Move aside."

The man puffed up his chest, spread his arms wide, and gave a derisive snort.

"You might be able to intimidate others, but I know the limits of your authority. If I want to escort this girl to the ball, you can't stop me. Not legally, anyway."

"What makes you think I care about legality?"

Kurogane found himself grinning. "Perfect. Then I don't have any reservations about doing this." He slid his left foot forward and pulled his right arm back, angling his body to get the maximum force, then launched his fist forward to punch the lowlife in the face. They both crumpled to the ground, the councilman dazed from the force of the blow, Kurogane on one knee, clutching his side.

"Kurogane!"

"Kurogane-san! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" he growled, forcing himself to stand though the pain hadn't subsided yet. "It's just a bit tender still, that's all. Come on," and he stepped around the councilman and continued down the hall.

The guard standing watch over the back entrance to the ballroom turned out to be Kizu, the prince's backup bodyguard for those occasions when both Kurogane and Souma were unavailable. The man held the door open for them without question and even gave Sakura a slight bow.

"I wonder where Syaoran-kun is," Sakura said, standing on her toes in a futile attempt to see over the top of the crowd and across the room. "He said he needed to speak with me as soon as I arrived."

Instead of looking for the kid, Kurogane looked for Souma, who was in charge of watching the prince tonight and would be easier to find by virtue of her height.

"I'll look, too," Mokona said, then bounced off through the crowd, sparking cries of surprise in its wake.

Before Kurogane could take more than a dozen steps, a horn sounded, the music stopped, and the partygoers fell into a hush. The Council spokesman had mounted the stairs that edged the north side of the ballroom in a crescent moon shape. The balcony at the top where the councilman stood made the perfect platform for announcements.

The spokesman's voice thundered over the crowd. "Ladies and gentleman! Citizens and guests! I welcome you to this special occasion!"

The crowd cheered and when the noise died down, the councilman launched into a prepared speech that had nothing to do with the ball or the prince, blabbering on about the importance of good diplomatic relations and a new era of cooperation and understanding. Kurogane tuned the man out as he moved through the crowd looking for Souma and the kid, Sakura following along at his side.

He passed a girl gathering up the long train of her ball gown. "Never ends," she groaned. Maybe next time she wouldn't choose such an impractical dress.

He'd made it nearly a quarter of the way across the room when the councilman's words started to register again. He caught the words "treaty" and "High Defender," then "ambassador" and "prince."

Kurogane spun back toward the balcony and there he was, the one person he'd least expected to see tonight, standing at the top of the stairs with a soft smile on his face, waving at the people below like this was no big deal, like he wasn't supposed to be on the other side of Lake Ethis helping his brother rule Jashar. Fai scanned across the sea of onlookers, searching for someone… searching for him.

A polite applause rippled through the crowd and their eyes met. Kurogane took one mindless step forward, then another, pushing people out of the way as Fai descended the stairs to greet his new neighbors, looking more like a prince than ever in his bright white tailcoat and breeches, sky blue waistcoat, navy cravat, and those well-traveled, thigh high boots. Aside from those few minutes to test out the repairs at the cobbler's shop, Kurogane had never actually seen Fai wear them.

Sakura used her smaller frame and good health to her advantage and cut through the crowd ahead of him. By the time Kurogane caught up, Fai had reached the base of the stairs and wrapped the girl in a tight hug. Fai looked up at him over Sakura's shoulder. There was a tightness to his expression that Kurogane didn't like.

"Hey."

Fai opened his mouth to say something, but the councilman's annoying voice interrupted.

"If I might keep your attention a little longer, our Prince Syaoran has a very special announcement to make."

The man gestured to the dance floor below him where the prince was being escorted onto a low platform by no less than three council members. With the exception of Sakura, it looked as if every eligible girl that the prince had spoken to in the last six months was there, lined up in one of several rows along the edge of the dance floor. Did the council really expect the prince to select a girl to court from their ranks just because they lined them up in this way? Some of the girls cast side long glances at people in the crowd. Maybe they weren't quite so eligible after all.

When the prince spoke, his voice projected over the crowd like the announcer's had at the fashion show. "Over these last few seasons, I've been lucky enough to meet a great many new people and I'm truly honored to now be able to call many of those I see here tonight friend." The kid shifted his weight to one foot, then the other. "As prince and heir to the throne, I understand that many of you are interested to know… certain personal details." He looked around the room, much like Fai had mere minutes ago, trying to find one specific person.

Fai put a hand between Sakura's shoulder blades and ushered her up a few steps so that the prince could see her. Sakura gave a shy little wave. The kid gave her a tentative smile in return.

"And so," the prince cleared his throat, "if she'll allow it, I'd like to introduce you to someone who has become very special to me." He jumped down from his platform and made his way to the stairs, the crowd clearing a path before him.

The kid stayed a step below Sakura, tipped his head up to look her in the eyes. When he spoke again, his voice no longer carried across the room. Still, even for those too far away to hear, it must have been perfectly obvious what was happening.

"I wanted to ask earlier, but between recent events and random interruptions, the timing never seemed right."

"Ask me what, Syaoran-kun?"

"Sakura Kinomoto," he paused to take a deep breath as Kurogane had taught him to do before his training exercises, "might I have your permission to begin a formal courtship?"

A huge smile broke out across her face and Kurogane could tell that she could barely restrain from launching herself at the prince for what would have been a very public hug. "Yes!"

Syaoran smiled back at her. They both looked ridiculous, standing there staring at each other like no one else existed in the entire world while hundreds of people looked on. The kid extended his hand. "Will you dance with me?"

She nodded and accepted his hand. The crowd broke into a thunderous applause.

Councilman Reed, still stationed on the balcony as if he were presiding over the whole affair, grimaced, then stormed out of view.

It wasn't until the music started back up again and the kids were twirling about the dance floor that Kurogane turned to face Fai and his grim expressions.

"What's wrong?" There was defiantly something. "Don't you want to be here?"

Fai looked at the floor, for once not trying to deny his troubles. They'd come a long way.

"When I first came here, I had high hopes that this would be the place where I would find the information I needed to help my country. Then I met Sakura-chan and for the first time since leaving home, I felt like I belonged. Later I met Kuro-sama and I thought, for a little while at least, that I might even be…."

"What?"

Fai paused before whispering, "Happy."

"And now?"

"Now?" Fai risked a glance up, but couldn't hold his gaze, studied the buttons on Kurogane's jacket, turned his head to the side, looked anywhere that didn't require meeting Kurogane's eyes. "Just look at what I've done. I'd understand if you can't forgive me, but I promise, I won't hurt you here. The curse doesn't extend this far."

"Listen to me," Kurogane said, grabbing Fai's arms above the elbows before the man could continue his stupid apology. "You never hurt me. If you're so eager to lay blame, think about this. If I hadn't followed you home I'd never have—"

That got his attention. Fai finally tipped his chin up to look at him properly. "But you came to help me! I—"

"I know and I don't regret going."

Fai cocked his head to the side, furrowed his eyebrows.

"Maybe now you see how stupid you sound in blaming yourself."

The man let out an audible puff of breath. "I thought you might say something like that, but… when it came down to it, I still worried you'd be angry with me. That you might… hate me."

"I always knew you were an idiot." Stepping closer, he slid one hand up to Fai's shoulder, moved the other to his hip, and—

"F~ai!"

—suppressed a groan as the pork bun came into view and promptly latched on to Fai.

"Mokona's so glad that Fai is back!"

Fai let out a soft chuckle. Kurogane didn't see what was so amusing. He didn't blame Mokona for being happy to see Fai, but good timing was clearly not one of the creature's so-called special skills.

"Syaoran and Sakura want to talk with Fai, too. They're going to have their picture taken. Let's all go together!"

Kurogane glanced over his shoulder and sure enough, the kids had finished their dance and were now moving through the crowd toward the photography station, Souma trailing along behind them.

Mokona jumped out of Fai's hands and onto the top of Kurogane's head. "Let's go!"

Kurogane could imagine the pork bun leaning forward, pointing its little arm in the direction of the kids like some brave explorer setting off toward uncharted lands. He swiped his hand above his head, meaning to grab the creature and toss it back to Fai, but Mokona jumped straight up just in time and Kurogane only managed to capture a handful of air. He tried again with the same result. "Stop that. Settle down or we're not going anywhere."

Mokona did as requested, choosing a more suitable perch on his shoulder, but not without drooping its ears in exaggerated sadness and saying, "Aww, Kurogane's no fun."

The kids were already waiting in line for their picture by the time Kurogane and Fai made it across the ballroom. Mokona jumped off Kurogane's shoulder in favor of waiting in line with Syaoran and Sakura while Fai found a spot against the south wall where they could wait for the kids without getting in the way of other partygoers.

"You still haven't explained why you're here."

"You didn't pay any attention to the councilman's speech, did you?"

"He's a power-hungry zealot. I ignore him as much as possible."

"Ah, well. It's all rather simple really. After everything that happened, Yuui wanted to find a better way to help those affected by the curse. He sent an appeal to your king and with little negotiation, they managed to strike an accord. King Yukito is allowing those afflicted by the curse to take refuge here until it's safe to return home. Those who wish to accept the offer can live here without fear or condemnation. In return, we're supplying your country with our most advanced medical knowledge.

"That's what that surgeon was talking about when he mentioned taking on apprentices."

"Yes."

Kurogane scanned the crowd again, finally realizing why certain people had looked out of place earlier. They were Jashari citizens. For most of them, this was probably their first time in a land on this side of the lake. The familiar looking man that was so friendly with the surgeon must be Jashari as well. No doubt Kurogane recognized him from his short trip to Fai's country.

Their kingdoms had only ever enacted minor trade treaties before, but with the nature of this new agreement, it was only natural to exchange ambassadors as well.

"Yuui offered the ambassadorship to me first. I couldn't say no. Even if you never wanted to see me again—"

"Humph!" The man really did have the most ridiculous thoughts sometimes.

"—I still wanted to continue with the research I started here. This castle has the best library in the known world. I'm convinced it's our best chance to find a way to break the curse."

"I have an idea for how we might do that."

"You do?"

"Mmm." But first, they needed to talk about Fai's magic. "How much do you remember about the morning the curse took hold of you?"

Fai closed his eyes a moment before he began. "I remember waking up. You were still beside me, of course. I don't think you'd moved an inch from the time I fell asleep. It was early. Sunlight had just begun to spill in the windows. You looked so relaxed. It was the perfect moment. I didn't want it to end. That," he paused, "was when I knew it wasn't my brother that was in danger. I panicked. Things get…confusing after that, muddled."

Kurogane could tell he was holding back, but didn't press for details. "You should have woken me. We could have dealt with it together."

"I was scared, wasn't thinking straight. I just… ran. If you could see your way to letting me stay by your side, I promise I won't run again."

It was exactly what Kurogane wanted to hear. He wrapped his fingers around the back of Fai's jaw, his thumb resting on the man's cheekbone and pulled him forward. Their lips had little more than brushed when a low popping noise and a flash of light had them both pulling away to discover the source of the interruption.

The photographer had maneuvered her contraption around to sneak a photo of their kiss. She held one hand to her cheek and smiled, a disturbingly dreamy sort of smile. Sakura hovered wide-eyed behind her friend, her closed fists held in front of her mouth. Syaoran waved his hands frantically as if he'd been trying to dissuade the photographer from her course of action and now disavowed any part in the deed.

The pastry girl and her brother had also witnessed the incident seeing as they were next in line for a photograph. "Woo-woo! See that, little brother? That's how it's done!"

"Hokuto!" A blush crept across the young captain's cheeks.

"Now, next time you see Sei-chan—"

"Ahh… Hokuto, you don't understand!"

"What's to understand? You love him, don't you?"

Kurogane growled at the lot of them.

Fai smoothed a hand down his arm, then repeated the action. "Settle down."

Kurogane turned his glare on Fai. He didn't appreciate being treated like a dog.

"Ahh, Kuro-sama," Fai said, ceasing his petting and tactlessly changing the subject. "I caught a glimpse of you when I arrived. You were speaking with a beautiful woman. Who was she?"

Woman? He thought back. "What nonsense are you talking now?"

"Are you teasing me? She kissed you on the cheek! I need to know if I should be jealous."

"Oh. That wasn't a woman."

Fai chuckled as if to say, 'I'm pretty sure I know the difference.' Kurogane hastened to clarify before the idiot could spit the words out. "That was my mother." He paused, realizing just how well things were turning out. "She's going to want to meet you."

"I would be honored."

"There's something I want her to teach you as well. I got sidetracked earlier, but you need to know, that morning back in Jashar, you were using—"

"Oh, yes, magic! I know! I figured it out after you left. It was rather dramatic!

I'll tell you all about it later, but for now," Fai eyed him critically, taking in his stance – set wide to counteract the instability that came with his fatigue, "you look like you could use a rest."

The kids and the pork bun joined them before Kurogane had a chance to refute Fai's assertion and the crafty little rat took the opportunity to say, "Let's have a seat. I'm feeling a bit worn out."

Kurogane could hardly refuse him when he worded it that way. He just hoped he'd be able to get back up again without making everyone think his fatigue was a bigger deal than it really was.

After the usual pleasantries, Kurogane was finally able to explain his plan to contain the Harmony Relic's power in detail.

"I'll help research the proper spell for the wards, Fai-san," Syaoran said. "Then you can focus on learning to control your magic."

"I want to help too," Sakura said.

"Fai can count on Mokona!"

Fai looked at the three of them in turn, the realization that he didn't have to do any of this alone finally sinking in. "Thank you."

The musicians began a new song and the kids excused themselves for another dance. Mokona tagged along, practicing twirls in the palm of Sakura's hand.

Once they were alone again, Fai rested a hand along the side of Kurogane's knee and ran his thumb in an arc over joint. "Thank you," he said again, this time in a whisper. His lips curved in a soft, genuine smile that Kurogane couldn't help but return.

The future was far from certain and difficult choices loomed ahead, even after they managed to subdue the curse. If the Jashari citizens returned home, what would become of the ambassador's post? A foreign prince wouldn't be so welcome without an official position. Would Fai even want to stay or would he long to return home to help his brother? None of that worried Kurogane because there was one thing he knew for sure – whatever the future brought, they would face it together.

Author's Notes: Sorry for the massive delay in getting this chapter out. I hope it was worth the wait. There's still the epilogue to go so we're not quite finished yet and just as a forewarning, I'll probably be bumping the rating up to Older Teen for the last little part.

Most of the crossovers and cameos are repeats from previous chapters, but here's the full list:

1. The surgeon - Shuichirou Kudou from Wish (no TRC appearance)

2&3. Dark haired and light haired apothecary apprentices – Rikuou and Kazahaya respectively from Legal Drug/Drug & Drop (no TRC appearance)

4. Apothecary – Kakei from Legal Drug/Drug & Drop (no TRC appearance)

5. Photographer – Tomoyo from Cardcaptor Sakura (Kurogane's Japan and Piffle in TRC)

6&7. Ex-guardsman and his date – Yasha and Ashura from RG Veda (Counties of Yama and Shura respectively in TRC)

8&9. Man being positioned for photo and his date – Sorata and Arashi from X (Hanshin Republic in TRC)

10. Fashion show model speaking with surgeon - Kohaku from Wish (no TRC appearance)

11. Pastry girl – Hokuto from Tokyo Babylon (no TRC appearance)

12. Captain of the Sea Hawk - Subaru from Tokyo Babylon and X (Post-apocalyptic Tokyo in TRC)

13. The Sea Hawk – A somewhat vague reference to Seishirou's shikigami from Tokyo Babylon (a modified version of the shikigami appears in the County of Outo in TRC)

14. Boy talking with pastry girl - Kentaro from Clamp School Defenders: Duklyon (Country of Outo in TRC)

15. Take-pon – Takeshi from Clamp School Defenders: Duklyon (Country of Outo in TRC)

16. King's engineer – Ichiro from Angelic Layer and Chobits (no TRC appearance to my knowledge)

17. Group of ladies being denied entry to ball – unnamed women from Miyuki-chan in Wonderland (no TRC appearance)

18. Reed's lackey - Fei Wong Reed's tavern worker toady from the County of Jade in TRC

19. Kizu from Suki. Dakara Suki. (no TRC appearance)

20. Souma from RG Veda (Kurogane's Japan, Outo, and Edonis in TRC)

21. Girl with long dress train – Miyuki from Miyuki-chan in Wonderland (various countries in TRC)

22. Sei-chan – Seishirou from Tokyo Babylon and X (Countries of Clow, Outo, Edonis, and Kurogane's Japan in TRC, also in the TWC special chapter)