The Man in the Glass

Prologue

By Hayai Akurei

"I still don't believe it."

Kurogane snorted, shaking his head. Fai glanced at the ninja and grinned. "We've seen it before, Kuron-pyuu. It shouldn't be that surprising."

"I still don't believe it," he grumbled as he looked at the tiny lizard that Sakura cradled in her arms. "To think this squirt could've leveled the whole city. He was bigger than that kudan was back in Hanshin! And now look at him!"

The princess regarded the small creature sadly. "He was just lonely! But since the feather made him bigger, people just became more afraid of him. He just wanted a friend. That was all."

Coulda fooled me…looked more like he wanted to eat us.

But Kurogane knew better than to voice his thoughts on the scrawny reptile, and kept his mouth shut. Syaoran smiled, relieved now that he had another feather at last returned to the princess. "What will you do with him, Hime-sama?"

She paused.

Oh no… Kurogane moaned silently. Please, don't let her ask…

"May I keep him?"

GAAHHHHHHH!

Syaoran was about to try and protest – as he opened and closed his mouth like a gaping fish for good measure – but gave into the pleading look she was giving him. Desperately, he turned to the two adults.

"I don't see why not," answered Fai. "Although we did just try to kill him."

Kurogane just "mmphed." It was the same damn thing, and he felt a familiar twitch coming on. Tomoyo'd flick on the puppy eyes and BAM! She got her way. Vaguely, he wondered just how many times his princess had suckered him into coming over for a tea party when she was younger. But if habit didn't just settle in and make their tea "parties" into counseling sessions for his "ill conduct"! Arghh! She was just so…sickeningly twisted and too cunning for her own good!

He was interrupted from his thoughts as a chirping Mokona wiggled down the back of his shirt, muttering something or other about being cold.

"What, do you get some sort of weird pleasure squirming around in my clothes!" Kurogane snarled viciously, snatching the manjuu with one hand and bonking him on the head with his fist.

"WAAHH!" it wailed, leaping over to Fai. "Kurogane's mad at me!"

"It's all right, Mokona," Fai assured him. Turning to tickle the lizard's tummy as Mokona hid in his expansive coat, he asked, "What will you name him?" Sakura shrugged. Pursing his lips, the wizard wracked his brain for a name.

"I know!" he crowed delightedly, clapping his hands. "We'll call him Kuro-ryuu!"

"Kuro-ryuu!" Mokona echoed.

"SHADDUP, THE BOTH OF YOU!"

Standing chipmunk-faced, Syaoran and Sakura watched as, once again, the two adults ran around in circles: one giggling insanely and the other lashing his sword about with murder in his eyes.

"Kuro-ryuu! Kuro-ryuu!" Fai sang. "I think it's a lovely name, Kuro-pin!"

"DOES THAT FLAPTRAP OF YOURS EVER STAY SHUT!"

"Kyaa! Kyaa!"

"What was the name the people here called him?" Sakura asked Syaoran. Her head cocked to the side in thought. "I know they called him something…"

"Godzilla," Syaoran replied. The city residents only screamed the name a couple thousand times as it rampaged downtown. It was a wonder he wasn't deaf already as well as visually impaired. The news reporters were all over the disaster too. Across every newspaper was the name "Godzilla" followed by a giant print of the several-hundred foot tall reptile.

Sakura lifted her hands up so that the she and the lizard were at the same eye-level. It cheeped at her, curious with this human as much as she was with him. After a few tense moments, she nodded with a smile. "Godzilla. Such a big name for such a little one."

Kurogane stared incredulously. "You're gonna name it Godzilla?"

"Ah! That's what the people of this world call him, ne?" Fai applauded, clapping enthusiastically. "Now, seeing as we have completed our mission here, shall we be on our way?"

"Let's go!" Mokona giggled with a SWOOSH of his wings. A familiar wind gusted up around them as the tiny manjuu swallowed them whole and vanished into the Witch's magic circle.

AN: Man, this is short. I'm not very good at writing long stories, but I'm trying. This may be the first one I actually finish. The chapters will hopefully get longer. It's mainly Fai-centric, but I'm going to try and focus on the other characters too. crosses fingers

Please review!