What You Wish For (Chapter 10)
Title: What You Wish For
Author: alliterationhor
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Spoilers: not unless I am somehow supremely psychic.
Rating: pg-13
Status: 10/12 chapters.
Author's note: *gasp* omg, a plot!
Another note: I really love my Chii.
Fanfic archive here.
Comments/concrit appreciated.
Previous chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
What You Wish For
And I will get what I deserve . . .
-Guster, What You Wish For
Chapter Ten
Kurogane knocked on the door to Fai’s room and went inside without waiting. They had long passed the point where either of them would mind walking in on the other naked.
He found Fai inside the room, wearing those strange white clothes again and reaching into the back of the closet for his big white overcoat with the fluffy-trimmed sleeves.
Kurogane frowned, beginning to get a bad feeling. “Why are you wearing that?”
Fai did not answer.
Kurogane stayed in the doorway, blocking it. “What’s going on?”
“Kurogane.” Fai stepped up to him and took Kurogane’s face in both his hands, thumbs caressing his cheeks. Fai looked up into his face and smiled. For a moment, nothing else mattered except this; “I love you.”
Kurogane laid one warm hand on Fai’s wrist. “I know.”
“Remember that.” Fai dropped his arms and slipped past him, out of the room.
Kurogane followed Fai down the hallway. “What’s wrong?”
“He is awake.” Fai said, without slowing his purposeful stride.
“Who-?”
“Ashura.”
Kurogane caught up to Fai halfway across the snow-covered gardens, matching his stride to walk beside the wizard. “How do you know?”
“I know.”
“Where are you going?” Kurogane growled, frustrated by the less than informative answers.
“I’m going back to Celes.”
Kurogane almost stopped walking, he was so surprised. “Why?”
“Because Ashura will slaughter his way across dimensions to find me. Because I failed last time. Because I should have made sure then that he was stopped permanently, or died in the effort.”
“Can he do that? Travel Dimensions?”
Fai stopped abruptly. He spoke while looking only ahead of him. “The Time-Space Witch is not the only one in the profession of granting wishes. There are those who are far less ethical about the wishes they grant. Ashura made a wish, and his price was murder. Thousands and thousands and thousands of murders. He had almost paid in full by the time I sealed him.”
“He wished to travel dimensions ...?” Kurogane asked, although he already had a good idea why the bastard would wish for such a thing.
“Yes.” Fai answered, still only looking ahead. “He wished to travel dimensions so that he could conquer each dimension he went to. He would raise a new army and keep his War going ...” Fai paused, whispered, “until someone stopped him.”
Kurogane took a long breath, absorbing the information. “Can you defeat him?”
“No.” Fai started to walk again. “At least, I do not expect to.”
“I’m not one to run away from a fight.” Kurogane stated, a few steps behind Fai now. “But if it’s one you know you can’t win-”
“I have to try. At the least, I will be able to slow him down.”
Fai raised his hand to begin writing in the air and Kurogane grabbed his arm.
“You’re not going without me.”
“Yes, I am.”
Fai tried to get his arm loose from Kurogane’s grip, but Kurogane held on too tightly.
“You’ll stand a better chance with me by your side.”
“You have no part in this. This is not your fight.”
“I have friends in other dimensions.” Kurogane reminded him. “This is my fight.”
It was the most terrible feeling in the world, that Fai could not tell Kurogane that he was doing this for those same friends-for Syaoran and Sakura and Mokona too.
“No.”
“If he’s a warlord out to conquer dimensions, chances are I’ll meet him sooner or later. I’d rather choose my battleground.” Kurogane glared at him with eyes the colour of fire, not backing down. “I’m coming with you.”
“Ashura cannot be defeated by a sword.” Fai stated quietly.
“Maybe not.” Kurogane admitted, after a moment. “Maybe he can be defeated by a sword and a wizard.”
“What about Tomoyo?”
Kurogane blinked; for a moment he was quiet and thoughtful. There were not many reasons he would voluntarily leave his princess’ side. But as much as he hated to admit it, Tomoyo had gotten along fine without him before. Tomoyo did not need him as much as he perhaps wished she did. But she did need him and he did need her, he knew that. He loved his princess more than he would probably ever admit.
But Tomoyo had made sure that he had learned true strength. And true strength was to do what you knew was right, instead of what you wanted to do.
Finally Kurogane said, “Tomoyo would want me to go.”
“I do not have enough power to transport two people.” Fai argued, still determined to refuse. “I might not even make it there myself.”
“Then we will ask Tomoyo to send us.”
Fai blinked slowly, and looked as if he had not thought of that.
Kurogane smiled a small smile. “You don’t have to do everything by yourself, you know.”
Fai twisted his arm out of Kurogane’s grip. “Even if I say no, you will follow me. Am I right?”
“Yes.”
Fai stared at Kurogane for a long moment. Neither blue eyes or red wavered.
Finally, Fai sighed in resignation. “You realize that if you come with me, it is likely you will die.”
“No.” Kurogane spoke with no doubt whatsoever, “Neither of us are going to die.”
“Well.” Fai turned and started to walk back toward the palace. “You will need some warmer clothes.”
Kurogane walked beside him. “I’ll be fine.”
“You will need some warmer clothes.”
* * *
Fai would not be convinced otherwise. He insisted they go to Kurogane’s room to get him some warmer clothes.
Kurogane insisted that Fai retrieve his sword from his room.
“What were you thinking? Leaving without a weapon?” Kurogane grumbled, leaning against the doorjamb. “What were you going to do, throw snowballs at him?”
Fai paused from where he was lifting his sword down from the pegs over his bed. His shoulders started shaking first, then laughter burst out of him. “No, I do not think that would work!” he managed to gasp.
Kurogane huffed a breath, almost a laugh, and shook his head.
Still laughing, Fai walked over to Kurogane and slid his arms around the ninja’s neck. Kurogane returned the embrace, his arms wrapped securely around the mage’s back and one hand resting reassuringly at the back of the mage’s neck. He held on until Fai stopped laughing.
Fai took a deep breath and moved back enough so that Kurogane could see his face. Kurogane was relieved to see that the blond was not crying.
“I do not want to do this.” Fai whispered, his voice unsteady.
“I know.” Kurogane returned, just as softly.
Fai nodded, gathering his determination again, and took Kurogane’s hand. “Come on.”
* * *
They found Tomoyo in her receiving hall, the same room where Fai and Kurogane had arrived in this world many months ago. Tomoyo finished with her visitors quickly and dismissed them.
The three of them met halfway, at the center of the hall.
Fai took a deep breath, forced himself to speak: “Tomoyo-chan ... I have to return to my world.”
Kurogane added without hesitation, “And I’m going with him.”
For a brief second, Fai hoped that Tomoyo would order Kurogane to stay.
But Tomoyo nodded, sadness in the depths of her violet eyes. “I understand. And you would like me to send you?”
“Yes.” Fai answered quietly.
“I will not be happy to send either of you away, but I am happy to help you with what you must do.” She took one of their hands each and held them together between her hands. “It is good that you came to me. It would take too much of your magic to send you, Fai-san, and you will need all your strength for the battle you will have to fight.”
Kurogane bumped his elbow into Fai’s side, a silent, “I was right.” Fai rolled his eyes.
“Kurogane.”
Tomoyo held two fingertips up to his forehead and Kurogane felt dizzy for a moment, then warm.
“What was that?” he asked, touching his forehead.
“A translation spell. You do not speak Fai’s language.”
Kurogane frowned a little, thoughtfully. “You mean you could have put a spell on him to understand our language?”
“I could have.” Tomoyo looked over at Fai, and smiled. “But he wanted to learn.”
Fai smiled a little at Tomoyo, in agreement and a shared, private understanding. He had wanted to learn; he had wanted to do things right this time. “Yes.”
“Say something in your language, Fai-san, so we can be sure the spell is working.”
“What is your favourite colour?” Fai questioned.
“Blue.” Kurogane responded immediately. “What’s yours?”
“Green.”
Kurogane could not tell if they had spoken in another language or not; it had not sounded any different to him. “So did it work?”
“Yes, it is working.” Fai answered.
Tomoyo hugged Kurogane for a long moment. “I love you, you know that.”
“I know.” Kurogane nodded against the top of her head, holding his princess tightly. “I will come back. I promise.”
“You are a great man, Kurogane-sama.” She whispered, “I never doubted you would be.”
“Because of you.”
Tomoyo smiled as she looked up into his eyes. “Not only because of me.”
After Tomoyo released Kurogane, she turned to Fai.
There was so much Fai wanted to say to Tomoyo, so much he wanted to say in case he never got the chance to again. He wanted to offer her a thousand thank you’s (of which he was sure she would accept none, but he still wanted to offer them). The most important one being, “Thank you for giving me the chance to protect something precious instead of destroy it.”
But if he started, Fai was sure he would never stop. And there was not enough time.
Fai simply said, “Thank you, Tomoyo-chan.”
Tomoyo only smiled, and embraced him too. “And I love you, Fai-san.”
“Tomoyo ...” Fai murmured, surprised by both the gesture and the words. “I love you too.”
“You are ready.” she stated. She took a few steps back from the two of them and raised her hands to begin the spell.
Fai shook his head slightly, wanting to scream, “I’m not!” But he did not scream.
“Go with my blessings and return to us safely,” Tomoyo wished them, with a small smile.
Kurogane and Fai felt the too familiar sensation of the world slipping away, as the warp swirled around them and pulled them under.
* * *
Except for a few servants and guards, Fai and Ashura had been alone in the castle for the majority of the time. Fai had never gone very far from the castle, he had never actually seen any battles taking place. It had been easy for him to pretend that the world was as isolated as himself, Ashura and the castle.
It had been easy to pretend that Ashura’s War was just a distant idea, instead of a bloody reality.
Until his family had died. His world had shattered and he had thought it would never be repaired again.
His king was a murderer, his music was a weapon, his family was dead, his castle was no longer a home, and Fai had nothing.
If it had not been for a kitten Fai had found in the rubble of his home town, Fai was certain he would have lost his mind. Or worse.
Chii had been his touchstone and his first true friend. She had been his anchor while he was running from Ashura. She had taught him the control that, juxtaposed with his marking, made his magic stronger. She had kept him sane while he had been forced to smile so that Ashura would not know that Fai was searching for a way to defeat him.
Fai realized that he did still care about Ashura. Ashura had been the first one to accept him absolutely. Ashura had given him a home and taught him magic. Ashura had chosen Fai, when everyone else in that world had rejected him. That still meant something to Fai.
But Fai knew, when he had wished Ashura to have a “good dream” before he left their dimension, what that good dream would be. In his enchanted sleep, Ashura was dreaming that he had fulfilled his quota of murders and was traveling dimensions, raising armies and conquering every world he went to.
Fai did still care about Ashura, but he feared Ashura much more.
* * *
“Fucking hell, it’s cold!” Kurogane exclaimed.
Fai looked over at Kurogane with what might have been a smile under different circumstances. “That is why I made you put on some warmer clothes.”
They were standing in the middle of a patch of tall everblue trees. There was snow under their feet, crunching with every step they took. Their breaths froze in the air. If not for the two of them, the silence would be perfect.
“But this is ... This is fucking freezing!”
“Actually.” Fai looked around, unbothered by the climate. “This is summer, here.”
“Your world is just as crazy as you are.” Kurogane grumbled, wrapping his cloak tight around him.
“This way.”
Fai guided them out of the everblue forest and Kurogane got his first look at the Castle of Celes.
Kurogane had to admit, “That’s ... impressive.”
It was a very big castle. And it was floating in the sky. It was floating very, very high in the sky. The castle looked like it had been given wings and ripped itself from the earth by its roots.
There had to be at least four hundred stone steps that led up to the castle doors from the bridges that tethered the castle to the tall towers-which had more stairs inside them, Kurogane assumed.
“Bastard doesn’t like visitors, does he?”
Fai chuckled. “I know the spellword, so we will not have to use the stairs in the tower.”
“I don’t suppose you could magic us the rest of the way up too?”
“No. There are defensive spells to prevent magical transportation to the castle.”
Kurogane muttered, “Figures.”
They started to walk toward the nearest tower.
“Did you do that?” Kurogane questioned, curiously. “Make the castle float in the sky?”
“I ... found a spell. I had to ... adjust it quite a bit.” Fai paused, somewhat unsure. But he knew he could be honest with Kurogane, and more than that he knew that Kurogane wanted him to be honest. So he continued, “Ashura wanted it to be a permanent spell, which is not easy to accomplish even on the easiest of spells. We both did it, I suppose, but it was his magic that was used when the spell was cast.”
Kurogane nodded, listening in silence.
“He had me do many things like that for him. Research, find a spell, adjust it to his specifications. I thought it was fun; reading spells and combining spells and inventing spells ...” Fai sighed. “It was usually his magic that was used for the actual casting of the spell, though.”
“You did the work, he got the glory.”
Fai smiled a small, amused smile. “Something very like that, yes.”
* * *
The scene at the top of the stairs that led to the castle doors was not a pretty one.
Columns toppled, stone cracked.
Blood frozen black on stone.
Soldier’s faces frozen in death, hard and cold as ice.
“Did Ashura kill all these men?”
Kurogane shivered as he walked past the fallen, frozen soldiers. There was not much that could surprise him after all the worlds he had traveled to; there was not much left in the universe that could shake him. But he found something very wrong and unsettling about a king who would kill his own soldiers. Although, he had to admit, it was not so surprising from a king who would slaughter his own subjects.
“Yes.” Fai answered shortly, giving them only a passing glace. Their images were already permanent in his mind. “As did I.”
Red eyes slid over to the magician’s face. “You?”
“He had them under an enchantment to do his will. I could not break his enchantment, but I could ... redirect it. I made them do my will instead of his. The ones under my will fought those under his will. It was the only way I could get inside.”
Kurogane nodded; acceptance, not judgment. “You did what you had to do.”
“They were ... Their souls were lost already. Even if I could have broken his enchantment, they would only have been an empty shell. I think death is better.” Fai shivered a little, but the shiver was not a result of the freezing temperature. “But I did not want to be the one to give it to them.”
“I would definitely prefer death in that situation.” Kurogane said, voice low.
“I would too.”
* * *
Their footsteps echoed hollowly as they walked through the marble halls of the castle.
Fai had once found a kind of solace in these same empty, cold hallways, a kind of comforting feeling of himself and Ashura being the only ones in the world that mattered. Now the silence was oppressive and unfriendly, and gave him the haunted feeling of walking through a familiar nightmare.
“It’s warmer in here.” Kurogane remarked. His own voice sounded odd to him. He had the strangest feeling that the silence of this empty castle resented him for disturbing it.
“Yes.” Fai answered, a bit distractedly. “There are heat charms inside the castle.”
Kurogane thought for a moment, then revised his statement, “The air in here is warmer, anyway. This place ... feels cold, though.”
Fai nodded in agreement. “I have something to do before we meet Ashura.”
“What’s that?”
“I must set Chii free.”
Kurogane frowned. “You left her here?”
“I could not send us both to another dimension. But I was sure she would be safe. I left a magical signature on her that told Ashura I would not come back if he harmed her.”
“And you’re sure he wanted you to come back?” Kurogane asked, voice dark.
“Yes.” Fai replied, with a grim and absolute certainty. “I believe he still thinks I was having some kind of temper tantrum. That I can be lured back into his arms with a few kisses and a meaningless apology.”
Kurogane felt his skin prickle unpleasantly; the feeling of being watched. “He knows we’re here.”
“Yes.”
“He’s not happy about it.”
Fai looked over at him and smiled. “He is not happy about you being here,” he corrected.
Kurogane grinned. “Good.”
Fai led them farther through the castle, down hallways and around corners and up many wide stone staircases.
Kurogane noted that the castle seemed to have almost no doors, mostly archways. The windows were all arched as well, and had no glass. The ceilings were high and vaulted. Everything seemed to be made out of marble; everything glittered coldly.
Kurogane noticed that despite the grand appearance, this castle felt like a tomb.
They went through an archway that led them outside the castle walls to another staircase. This staircase brought them up to a room that was open to the sky, filled with columns that fitted to more arches, and the ceiling was high and vaulted like the rest of the castle.
Fai walked over to the center of the room, where there was a deep pool with a strange kind of cover stretched over it.
“I need to concentrate.” Fai said. “I do not have my staff and this will be difficult without it.” He chuckled a little. “And she will never forgive me if I turn her into a goat again.”
Kurogane leaned against one of the columns and pointed. “So-that’s Chii?”
“Yes. At the moment.”
Fai stood in front of the deep pool, his back straight and his eyes closed. He held out one long arm, his palm and fingers straight in the air, and moved his hand around slowly as if he was feeling for something.
This was the first time Kurogane had ever seen Fai use magic, and he watched silently, curiously.
Kurogane could feel magic building in the air around them; he could feel the intense power of it. The air seemed to become charged, electric. His skin started to shiver, aware of the currents of magical energy in the air. There was a deep hum in the air around him, a vibration that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.
He had grown up with magic but he had never felt anything like this. The magical power Fai commanded would be scary, if he did not trust Fai as absolutely as he did.
This might be the first time he actually knew what it meant that Fai was a magician, Kurogane realized.
“Ah!” Fai said, a few minutes later, satisfaction in his voice. His hand closed tightly and his arm circled in the air, going faster with each revolution. Then his arm came to a stop and he opened his hand.
The cover over the pool started to shimmer, then sparkle with light as it began to warp, until it formed the shape of a girl.
As slowly as it had begun, in an instant it was over. The air was calm again; the hum of magical energy vanished. Fai was only Fai again, in his stupid white coat with the stupid sleeves that were too long for his arms.
Chii blinked, looked at her hands and her arms, looked at Fai, then threw herself into his arms.
“Fai!” she cried happily, hugging him as if her life depended on it.
“Hello, lovely.” Fai murmured, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.
“My Fai. I missed you!”
“I missed you too, Chii.” Fai drew back and put one hand on her shoulder, the other on her cheek. “You are alright?”
She smiled, nodding. “Chii is fine.” She poked at his chest, lifting the corner of his coat to inspect him. “How is Fai?”
“I am alright.”
Then Chii noticed Kurogane and shrank back a little, shyly. “Who ...?”
“He is a friend.” Fai said, holding onto her hand. “He is no one to be scared of.”
“He does not look nice,” Chii whispered in what she seemed to think was a discreet manner.
Kurogane rolled his eyes, thinking that he was nice enough not to mention how inappropriately she was dressed for this country’s weather.
“Do not worry, Chii.” Fai reassured her. “He is here to help me ...”
“Do what you must do.” she finished solemnly, nodding.
“Yes.” Fai led her over to the edge of the open room, still holding her hand. “Chii, you have to go wait somewhere safe. Somewhere outside the castle. If we do not-” He paused, took a breath to steady himself, “If we do not make it out, head east until you come to the ocean. Find a ship that will take you far away from here.”
“Chii does not want to go anywhere without Fai.” she said, grabbing onto his other hand tightly. “Fai only just returned to Chii.”
Fai turned to her, looking at her with sadness. “I know, lovely.” he murmured softly.
“Chii loves Fai.”
“I love you, Chii.” Fai hugged her again, stroking a hand over her hair. “But you must be safe.”
“Chii will go.” she agreed sadly, tears in her eyes. “I will wait for Fai to come back.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t worry, Chii.” Kurogane said. “I’m not going to let either of us die.”
“You will protect Fai?” Chii inquired, timidly.
“With my life.” Kurogane promised, his eyes locked onto Fai’s with steady gaze.
Fai nodded once, returning the promise silently.
Chii smiled at the strange man, more reassured by the way he looked at Fai than by his words. She turned to Fai and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “Chii loves Fai,” she whispered again.
Then she turned into a bird and chirped at them a few times before she flew away, down toward the everblue forest.
Over the mage’s shoulder, Kurogane watched as the little bird faded from sight. He nudged Fai’s shoulder with his own. “You’re gonna explain that bird thing to me later, right?”
* * *
At the end of a long hallway (Kurogane was getting annoyed by all the columns and the vaulted ceilings, he found the design unimaginative and repetitious. How were you supposed to know where you were when everywhere looked exactly the same?), Fai stopped in front of the grandest and most ornate archway they had come to yet. This one had heavy doors of a silvery wood that were polished to a high shine.
“This is the throne room. Ashura will be here.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“No.” Fai answered dully, setting a hand on the door.
Kurogane glanced over at the magician. “One thing.”
“Yes?”
“If you go in there expecting to die, most likely you’ll die. If you go in there expecting to win, you’ll fight your best.” Kurogane paused, and drew himself up a little straighter, proud and prepared for what was next. “But if we lose, all that will matter is that we did everything we could. If we lose, our deaths will be honourable.”
Fai took a long breath, and exhaled slowly. He confessed quietly, “I do not expect to win.”
That reply did not surprise the ninja. “Then it’s a good thing I’m here. Because I always fight to win.” Kurogane grinned, sharp and ready for action. “And I have a plan: kill the bastard.”
A ghost of a smile crossed Fai’s face. “That is a good plan.”
Fai pushed the doors open into a huge room. There was a line of wide marble columns along either of the side walls and the ceiling was so high it was lost in darkness.
At the end of the room was a high marble dias with a marble throne at the center.
There was a man sitting on the throne, his poise as perfectly regal as any king’s should be. His hair was long and black, shining white where the light touched it. His eyes were black and glittering and emotionless. His robes were perfectly white, silk, and without even the most insignificant wrinkle. There was a blue crown set on his forehead, with five sharp points.
Ashura smiled, cold and beautiful.
“At last my little songbird has flown back into his cage.”
* * * * *
end note: chapter alternately titled, “in which everyone says ‘I love you’ except Kurogane, because he is a dumbass.”
Author: alliterationhor
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Spoilers: not unless I am somehow supremely psychic.
Rating: pg-13
Status: 10/12 chapters.
Author's note: *gasp* omg, a plot!
Another note: I really love my Chii.
Fanfic archive here.
Comments/concrit appreciated.
Previous chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
What You Wish For
And I will get what I deserve . . .
-Guster, What You Wish For
Chapter Ten
Kurogane knocked on the door to Fai’s room and went inside without waiting. They had long passed the point where either of them would mind walking in on the other naked.
He found Fai inside the room, wearing those strange white clothes again and reaching into the back of the closet for his big white overcoat with the fluffy-trimmed sleeves.
Kurogane frowned, beginning to get a bad feeling. “Why are you wearing that?”
Fai did not answer.
Kurogane stayed in the doorway, blocking it. “What’s going on?”
“Kurogane.” Fai stepped up to him and took Kurogane’s face in both his hands, thumbs caressing his cheeks. Fai looked up into his face and smiled. For a moment, nothing else mattered except this; “I love you.”
Kurogane laid one warm hand on Fai’s wrist. “I know.”
“Remember that.” Fai dropped his arms and slipped past him, out of the room.
Kurogane followed Fai down the hallway. “What’s wrong?”
“He is awake.” Fai said, without slowing his purposeful stride.
“Who-?”
“Ashura.”
Kurogane caught up to Fai halfway across the snow-covered gardens, matching his stride to walk beside the wizard. “How do you know?”
“I know.”
“Where are you going?” Kurogane growled, frustrated by the less than informative answers.
“I’m going back to Celes.”
Kurogane almost stopped walking, he was so surprised. “Why?”
“Because Ashura will slaughter his way across dimensions to find me. Because I failed last time. Because I should have made sure then that he was stopped permanently, or died in the effort.”
“Can he do that? Travel Dimensions?”
Fai stopped abruptly. He spoke while looking only ahead of him. “The Time-Space Witch is not the only one in the profession of granting wishes. There are those who are far less ethical about the wishes they grant. Ashura made a wish, and his price was murder. Thousands and thousands and thousands of murders. He had almost paid in full by the time I sealed him.”
“He wished to travel dimensions ...?” Kurogane asked, although he already had a good idea why the bastard would wish for such a thing.
“Yes.” Fai answered, still only looking ahead. “He wished to travel dimensions so that he could conquer each dimension he went to. He would raise a new army and keep his War going ...” Fai paused, whispered, “until someone stopped him.”
Kurogane took a long breath, absorbing the information. “Can you defeat him?”
“No.” Fai started to walk again. “At least, I do not expect to.”
“I’m not one to run away from a fight.” Kurogane stated, a few steps behind Fai now. “But if it’s one you know you can’t win-”
“I have to try. At the least, I will be able to slow him down.”
Fai raised his hand to begin writing in the air and Kurogane grabbed his arm.
“You’re not going without me.”
“Yes, I am.”
Fai tried to get his arm loose from Kurogane’s grip, but Kurogane held on too tightly.
“You’ll stand a better chance with me by your side.”
“You have no part in this. This is not your fight.”
“I have friends in other dimensions.” Kurogane reminded him. “This is my fight.”
It was the most terrible feeling in the world, that Fai could not tell Kurogane that he was doing this for those same friends-for Syaoran and Sakura and Mokona too.
“No.”
“If he’s a warlord out to conquer dimensions, chances are I’ll meet him sooner or later. I’d rather choose my battleground.” Kurogane glared at him with eyes the colour of fire, not backing down. “I’m coming with you.”
“Ashura cannot be defeated by a sword.” Fai stated quietly.
“Maybe not.” Kurogane admitted, after a moment. “Maybe he can be defeated by a sword and a wizard.”
“What about Tomoyo?”
Kurogane blinked; for a moment he was quiet and thoughtful. There were not many reasons he would voluntarily leave his princess’ side. But as much as he hated to admit it, Tomoyo had gotten along fine without him before. Tomoyo did not need him as much as he perhaps wished she did. But she did need him and he did need her, he knew that. He loved his princess more than he would probably ever admit.
But Tomoyo had made sure that he had learned true strength. And true strength was to do what you knew was right, instead of what you wanted to do.
Finally Kurogane said, “Tomoyo would want me to go.”
“I do not have enough power to transport two people.” Fai argued, still determined to refuse. “I might not even make it there myself.”
“Then we will ask Tomoyo to send us.”
Fai blinked slowly, and looked as if he had not thought of that.
Kurogane smiled a small smile. “You don’t have to do everything by yourself, you know.”
Fai twisted his arm out of Kurogane’s grip. “Even if I say no, you will follow me. Am I right?”
“Yes.”
Fai stared at Kurogane for a long moment. Neither blue eyes or red wavered.
Finally, Fai sighed in resignation. “You realize that if you come with me, it is likely you will die.”
“No.” Kurogane spoke with no doubt whatsoever, “Neither of us are going to die.”
“Well.” Fai turned and started to walk back toward the palace. “You will need some warmer clothes.”
Kurogane walked beside him. “I’ll be fine.”
“You will need some warmer clothes.”
* * *
Fai would not be convinced otherwise. He insisted they go to Kurogane’s room to get him some warmer clothes.
Kurogane insisted that Fai retrieve his sword from his room.
“What were you thinking? Leaving without a weapon?” Kurogane grumbled, leaning against the doorjamb. “What were you going to do, throw snowballs at him?”
Fai paused from where he was lifting his sword down from the pegs over his bed. His shoulders started shaking first, then laughter burst out of him. “No, I do not think that would work!” he managed to gasp.
Kurogane huffed a breath, almost a laugh, and shook his head.
Still laughing, Fai walked over to Kurogane and slid his arms around the ninja’s neck. Kurogane returned the embrace, his arms wrapped securely around the mage’s back and one hand resting reassuringly at the back of the mage’s neck. He held on until Fai stopped laughing.
Fai took a deep breath and moved back enough so that Kurogane could see his face. Kurogane was relieved to see that the blond was not crying.
“I do not want to do this.” Fai whispered, his voice unsteady.
“I know.” Kurogane returned, just as softly.
Fai nodded, gathering his determination again, and took Kurogane’s hand. “Come on.”
* * *
They found Tomoyo in her receiving hall, the same room where Fai and Kurogane had arrived in this world many months ago. Tomoyo finished with her visitors quickly and dismissed them.
The three of them met halfway, at the center of the hall.
Fai took a deep breath, forced himself to speak: “Tomoyo-chan ... I have to return to my world.”
Kurogane added without hesitation, “And I’m going with him.”
For a brief second, Fai hoped that Tomoyo would order Kurogane to stay.
But Tomoyo nodded, sadness in the depths of her violet eyes. “I understand. And you would like me to send you?”
“Yes.” Fai answered quietly.
“I will not be happy to send either of you away, but I am happy to help you with what you must do.” She took one of their hands each and held them together between her hands. “It is good that you came to me. It would take too much of your magic to send you, Fai-san, and you will need all your strength for the battle you will have to fight.”
Kurogane bumped his elbow into Fai’s side, a silent, “I was right.” Fai rolled his eyes.
“Kurogane.”
Tomoyo held two fingertips up to his forehead and Kurogane felt dizzy for a moment, then warm.
“What was that?” he asked, touching his forehead.
“A translation spell. You do not speak Fai’s language.”
Kurogane frowned a little, thoughtfully. “You mean you could have put a spell on him to understand our language?”
“I could have.” Tomoyo looked over at Fai, and smiled. “But he wanted to learn.”
Fai smiled a little at Tomoyo, in agreement and a shared, private understanding. He had wanted to learn; he had wanted to do things right this time. “Yes.”
“Say something in your language, Fai-san, so we can be sure the spell is working.”
“What is your favourite colour?” Fai questioned.
“Blue.” Kurogane responded immediately. “What’s yours?”
“Green.”
Kurogane could not tell if they had spoken in another language or not; it had not sounded any different to him. “So did it work?”
“Yes, it is working.” Fai answered.
Tomoyo hugged Kurogane for a long moment. “I love you, you know that.”
“I know.” Kurogane nodded against the top of her head, holding his princess tightly. “I will come back. I promise.”
“You are a great man, Kurogane-sama.” She whispered, “I never doubted you would be.”
“Because of you.”
Tomoyo smiled as she looked up into his eyes. “Not only because of me.”
After Tomoyo released Kurogane, she turned to Fai.
There was so much Fai wanted to say to Tomoyo, so much he wanted to say in case he never got the chance to again. He wanted to offer her a thousand thank you’s (of which he was sure she would accept none, but he still wanted to offer them). The most important one being, “Thank you for giving me the chance to protect something precious instead of destroy it.”
But if he started, Fai was sure he would never stop. And there was not enough time.
Fai simply said, “Thank you, Tomoyo-chan.”
Tomoyo only smiled, and embraced him too. “And I love you, Fai-san.”
“Tomoyo ...” Fai murmured, surprised by both the gesture and the words. “I love you too.”
“You are ready.” she stated. She took a few steps back from the two of them and raised her hands to begin the spell.
Fai shook his head slightly, wanting to scream, “I’m not!” But he did not scream.
“Go with my blessings and return to us safely,” Tomoyo wished them, with a small smile.
Kurogane and Fai felt the too familiar sensation of the world slipping away, as the warp swirled around them and pulled them under.
* * *
Except for a few servants and guards, Fai and Ashura had been alone in the castle for the majority of the time. Fai had never gone very far from the castle, he had never actually seen any battles taking place. It had been easy for him to pretend that the world was as isolated as himself, Ashura and the castle.
It had been easy to pretend that Ashura’s War was just a distant idea, instead of a bloody reality.
Until his family had died. His world had shattered and he had thought it would never be repaired again.
His king was a murderer, his music was a weapon, his family was dead, his castle was no longer a home, and Fai had nothing.
If it had not been for a kitten Fai had found in the rubble of his home town, Fai was certain he would have lost his mind. Or worse.
Chii had been his touchstone and his first true friend. She had been his anchor while he was running from Ashura. She had taught him the control that, juxtaposed with his marking, made his magic stronger. She had kept him sane while he had been forced to smile so that Ashura would not know that Fai was searching for a way to defeat him.
Fai realized that he did still care about Ashura. Ashura had been the first one to accept him absolutely. Ashura had given him a home and taught him magic. Ashura had chosen Fai, when everyone else in that world had rejected him. That still meant something to Fai.
But Fai knew, when he had wished Ashura to have a “good dream” before he left their dimension, what that good dream would be. In his enchanted sleep, Ashura was dreaming that he had fulfilled his quota of murders and was traveling dimensions, raising armies and conquering every world he went to.
Fai did still care about Ashura, but he feared Ashura much more.
* * *
“Fucking hell, it’s cold!” Kurogane exclaimed.
Fai looked over at Kurogane with what might have been a smile under different circumstances. “That is why I made you put on some warmer clothes.”
They were standing in the middle of a patch of tall everblue trees. There was snow under their feet, crunching with every step they took. Their breaths froze in the air. If not for the two of them, the silence would be perfect.
“But this is ... This is fucking freezing!”
“Actually.” Fai looked around, unbothered by the climate. “This is summer, here.”
“Your world is just as crazy as you are.” Kurogane grumbled, wrapping his cloak tight around him.
“This way.”
Fai guided them out of the everblue forest and Kurogane got his first look at the Castle of Celes.
Kurogane had to admit, “That’s ... impressive.”
It was a very big castle. And it was floating in the sky. It was floating very, very high in the sky. The castle looked like it had been given wings and ripped itself from the earth by its roots.
There had to be at least four hundred stone steps that led up to the castle doors from the bridges that tethered the castle to the tall towers-which had more stairs inside them, Kurogane assumed.
“Bastard doesn’t like visitors, does he?”
Fai chuckled. “I know the spellword, so we will not have to use the stairs in the tower.”
“I don’t suppose you could magic us the rest of the way up too?”
“No. There are defensive spells to prevent magical transportation to the castle.”
Kurogane muttered, “Figures.”
They started to walk toward the nearest tower.
“Did you do that?” Kurogane questioned, curiously. “Make the castle float in the sky?”
“I ... found a spell. I had to ... adjust it quite a bit.” Fai paused, somewhat unsure. But he knew he could be honest with Kurogane, and more than that he knew that Kurogane wanted him to be honest. So he continued, “Ashura wanted it to be a permanent spell, which is not easy to accomplish even on the easiest of spells. We both did it, I suppose, but it was his magic that was used when the spell was cast.”
Kurogane nodded, listening in silence.
“He had me do many things like that for him. Research, find a spell, adjust it to his specifications. I thought it was fun; reading spells and combining spells and inventing spells ...” Fai sighed. “It was usually his magic that was used for the actual casting of the spell, though.”
“You did the work, he got the glory.”
Fai smiled a small, amused smile. “Something very like that, yes.”
* * *
The scene at the top of the stairs that led to the castle doors was not a pretty one.
Columns toppled, stone cracked.
Blood frozen black on stone.
Soldier’s faces frozen in death, hard and cold as ice.
“Did Ashura kill all these men?”
Kurogane shivered as he walked past the fallen, frozen soldiers. There was not much that could surprise him after all the worlds he had traveled to; there was not much left in the universe that could shake him. But he found something very wrong and unsettling about a king who would kill his own soldiers. Although, he had to admit, it was not so surprising from a king who would slaughter his own subjects.
“Yes.” Fai answered shortly, giving them only a passing glace. Their images were already permanent in his mind. “As did I.”
Red eyes slid over to the magician’s face. “You?”
“He had them under an enchantment to do his will. I could not break his enchantment, but I could ... redirect it. I made them do my will instead of his. The ones under my will fought those under his will. It was the only way I could get inside.”
Kurogane nodded; acceptance, not judgment. “You did what you had to do.”
“They were ... Their souls were lost already. Even if I could have broken his enchantment, they would only have been an empty shell. I think death is better.” Fai shivered a little, but the shiver was not a result of the freezing temperature. “But I did not want to be the one to give it to them.”
“I would definitely prefer death in that situation.” Kurogane said, voice low.
“I would too.”
* * *
Their footsteps echoed hollowly as they walked through the marble halls of the castle.
Fai had once found a kind of solace in these same empty, cold hallways, a kind of comforting feeling of himself and Ashura being the only ones in the world that mattered. Now the silence was oppressive and unfriendly, and gave him the haunted feeling of walking through a familiar nightmare.
“It’s warmer in here.” Kurogane remarked. His own voice sounded odd to him. He had the strangest feeling that the silence of this empty castle resented him for disturbing it.
“Yes.” Fai answered, a bit distractedly. “There are heat charms inside the castle.”
Kurogane thought for a moment, then revised his statement, “The air in here is warmer, anyway. This place ... feels cold, though.”
Fai nodded in agreement. “I have something to do before we meet Ashura.”
“What’s that?”
“I must set Chii free.”
Kurogane frowned. “You left her here?”
“I could not send us both to another dimension. But I was sure she would be safe. I left a magical signature on her that told Ashura I would not come back if he harmed her.”
“And you’re sure he wanted you to come back?” Kurogane asked, voice dark.
“Yes.” Fai replied, with a grim and absolute certainty. “I believe he still thinks I was having some kind of temper tantrum. That I can be lured back into his arms with a few kisses and a meaningless apology.”
Kurogane felt his skin prickle unpleasantly; the feeling of being watched. “He knows we’re here.”
“Yes.”
“He’s not happy about it.”
Fai looked over at him and smiled. “He is not happy about you being here,” he corrected.
Kurogane grinned. “Good.”
Fai led them farther through the castle, down hallways and around corners and up many wide stone staircases.
Kurogane noted that the castle seemed to have almost no doors, mostly archways. The windows were all arched as well, and had no glass. The ceilings were high and vaulted. Everything seemed to be made out of marble; everything glittered coldly.
Kurogane noticed that despite the grand appearance, this castle felt like a tomb.
They went through an archway that led them outside the castle walls to another staircase. This staircase brought them up to a room that was open to the sky, filled with columns that fitted to more arches, and the ceiling was high and vaulted like the rest of the castle.
Fai walked over to the center of the room, where there was a deep pool with a strange kind of cover stretched over it.
“I need to concentrate.” Fai said. “I do not have my staff and this will be difficult without it.” He chuckled a little. “And she will never forgive me if I turn her into a goat again.”
Kurogane leaned against one of the columns and pointed. “So-that’s Chii?”
“Yes. At the moment.”
Fai stood in front of the deep pool, his back straight and his eyes closed. He held out one long arm, his palm and fingers straight in the air, and moved his hand around slowly as if he was feeling for something.
This was the first time Kurogane had ever seen Fai use magic, and he watched silently, curiously.
Kurogane could feel magic building in the air around them; he could feel the intense power of it. The air seemed to become charged, electric. His skin started to shiver, aware of the currents of magical energy in the air. There was a deep hum in the air around him, a vibration that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.
He had grown up with magic but he had never felt anything like this. The magical power Fai commanded would be scary, if he did not trust Fai as absolutely as he did.
This might be the first time he actually knew what it meant that Fai was a magician, Kurogane realized.
“Ah!” Fai said, a few minutes later, satisfaction in his voice. His hand closed tightly and his arm circled in the air, going faster with each revolution. Then his arm came to a stop and he opened his hand.
The cover over the pool started to shimmer, then sparkle with light as it began to warp, until it formed the shape of a girl.
As slowly as it had begun, in an instant it was over. The air was calm again; the hum of magical energy vanished. Fai was only Fai again, in his stupid white coat with the stupid sleeves that were too long for his arms.
Chii blinked, looked at her hands and her arms, looked at Fai, then threw herself into his arms.
“Fai!” she cried happily, hugging him as if her life depended on it.
“Hello, lovely.” Fai murmured, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.
“My Fai. I missed you!”
“I missed you too, Chii.” Fai drew back and put one hand on her shoulder, the other on her cheek. “You are alright?”
She smiled, nodding. “Chii is fine.” She poked at his chest, lifting the corner of his coat to inspect him. “How is Fai?”
“I am alright.”
Then Chii noticed Kurogane and shrank back a little, shyly. “Who ...?”
“He is a friend.” Fai said, holding onto her hand. “He is no one to be scared of.”
“He does not look nice,” Chii whispered in what she seemed to think was a discreet manner.
Kurogane rolled his eyes, thinking that he was nice enough not to mention how inappropriately she was dressed for this country’s weather.
“Do not worry, Chii.” Fai reassured her. “He is here to help me ...”
“Do what you must do.” she finished solemnly, nodding.
“Yes.” Fai led her over to the edge of the open room, still holding her hand. “Chii, you have to go wait somewhere safe. Somewhere outside the castle. If we do not-” He paused, took a breath to steady himself, “If we do not make it out, head east until you come to the ocean. Find a ship that will take you far away from here.”
“Chii does not want to go anywhere without Fai.” she said, grabbing onto his other hand tightly. “Fai only just returned to Chii.”
Fai turned to her, looking at her with sadness. “I know, lovely.” he murmured softly.
“Chii loves Fai.”
“I love you, Chii.” Fai hugged her again, stroking a hand over her hair. “But you must be safe.”
“Chii will go.” she agreed sadly, tears in her eyes. “I will wait for Fai to come back.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t worry, Chii.” Kurogane said. “I’m not going to let either of us die.”
“You will protect Fai?” Chii inquired, timidly.
“With my life.” Kurogane promised, his eyes locked onto Fai’s with steady gaze.
Fai nodded once, returning the promise silently.
Chii smiled at the strange man, more reassured by the way he looked at Fai than by his words. She turned to Fai and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “Chii loves Fai,” she whispered again.
Then she turned into a bird and chirped at them a few times before she flew away, down toward the everblue forest.
Over the mage’s shoulder, Kurogane watched as the little bird faded from sight. He nudged Fai’s shoulder with his own. “You’re gonna explain that bird thing to me later, right?”
* * *
At the end of a long hallway (Kurogane was getting annoyed by all the columns and the vaulted ceilings, he found the design unimaginative and repetitious. How were you supposed to know where you were when everywhere looked exactly the same?), Fai stopped in front of the grandest and most ornate archway they had come to yet. This one had heavy doors of a silvery wood that were polished to a high shine.
“This is the throne room. Ashura will be here.”
“Do you have a plan?”
“No.” Fai answered dully, setting a hand on the door.
Kurogane glanced over at the magician. “One thing.”
“Yes?”
“If you go in there expecting to die, most likely you’ll die. If you go in there expecting to win, you’ll fight your best.” Kurogane paused, and drew himself up a little straighter, proud and prepared for what was next. “But if we lose, all that will matter is that we did everything we could. If we lose, our deaths will be honourable.”
Fai took a long breath, and exhaled slowly. He confessed quietly, “I do not expect to win.”
That reply did not surprise the ninja. “Then it’s a good thing I’m here. Because I always fight to win.” Kurogane grinned, sharp and ready for action. “And I have a plan: kill the bastard.”
A ghost of a smile crossed Fai’s face. “That is a good plan.”
Fai pushed the doors open into a huge room. There was a line of wide marble columns along either of the side walls and the ceiling was so high it was lost in darkness.
At the end of the room was a high marble dias with a marble throne at the center.
There was a man sitting on the throne, his poise as perfectly regal as any king’s should be. His hair was long and black, shining white where the light touched it. His eyes were black and glittering and emotionless. His robes were perfectly white, silk, and without even the most insignificant wrinkle. There was a blue crown set on his forehead, with five sharp points.
Ashura smiled, cold and beautiful.
“At last my little songbird has flown back into his cage.”
* * * * *
end note: chapter alternately titled, “in which everyone says ‘I love you’ except Kurogane, because he is a dumbass.”