I know this could never happen in TRC, what with the current development in the series, but this was a plot bunny that wouldn't go away. Admittedly, slightly OOC Fai and Kurogane. I'm writing this in celebration of my lover's giving me the DVD collection for the entire second season of Tsubasa.

You all know the drill, TRC isn't mine and I'm not making any money off it. :-) Comments and criticisms are accepted and wholeheartedly appreciated.

Raison d'etre

I

The sky above the marketplace bulged inexplicably, as if threatening to fall. The townsfolk panicked at the sight, but not for the right reasons. The flurry was not so that they could escape from whatever threat the strange stratospheric distortion signified, but rather for preparations of some sort. By the time the bulge burst open and the party of two popped out, their landing spot was already covered with layers of cushions and silk.

The tall darkly clad man was the first to hit the ground and feel the soft silk around him. "What the--?" he was about to voice out his surprise, but was quickly silenced when his breath was taken away by the solid weight of a lanky blond "mass of wizard" falling squarely on his stomach.

"Thanks for breaking my fall, Kuro-tan!" the blond chirped happily, giving "Kuro-tan" a big smile of appreciation. He felt the softness that surrounded them and found a very good reason to ignore the dark man's shouts of 'Get off me, you idiot, and call me by my proper name!' He glanced around and noticed the townsfolk looking at them expectantly. "We're receiving a rather warm welcome, aren't we?" He turned back to the man on whose stomach he had decided to keep sitting on, "You should watch your language, Kuro-pin, there are children about."

"You're not the princess," a disappointed voice rose up from the crowd.

Another person spoke up. "Yeah, who are you?"

"Princess?" Fai glanced at his companion. "Could they be talking about Sakura?"

Kurogane's eyes narrowed as he examined the crowds. He shoved Fai off him and felt for Souhi. He cursed when he realized he had left his sword with the meatbun. "I don't know..."

"But they were expecting us or this princess to appear in this manner," the magician pointed out as he prepared himself for the situation where the people might attack them. He sat up. The crowd was quickly getting restless. "Which means they know—or at least someone here knows—about jumping between worlds."

"What did you do with the princess?" from the crowd that was quickly becoming enraged.

"Since I can understand you, it means that the manjuu and the kids are somewhere close by," Kurogane added as he weighed their options. The disappointed and suspicious crowd was closing in on them. "We should get out of here and find them."

"Get them! They have the princess!"

The tension in the people quickly peaked and all it took was one angry cry to send the mob after the two of them. Fai had been closer to the onlookers and was therefore the easier target to reach. The magician barely had the time to dodge the first strike headed at him.

Fai was easily restrained and Kurogane had to wonder if he even attempted to save himself. But, nevertheless, the idiot could be beaten to death and if that happened...

"I hoped it wouldn't come to this!" Kurogane lunged to help his companion. "Fight them you stupid magician!" he shouted as he pushed aside those who assailed him.

Fai kept his smile. He didn't even use his arms and legs to protect himself from the numerous blows raining at him. "I don't see how I could do that, Kuro-pon."

"Stop this."

As it took one cry to produce the angry mob, it took only one command to dissipate them.

"Sire!" came the collective gasp and the men holding Fai down let him go. Kurogane was finally given a chance to reach Fai and he stood between the magician and the awestruck crowd.

The man who was able to control the crowd was a charming young man with gleaming silver hair and dazzling golden eyes. "We have the Princess Sakura and Syaoran. They are in the palace, resting," he addressed the people. A kind smile graced his features and his next words were meant more for the two foreigners than for anyone else in the area, "There is nothing to worry about."

Upon hearing that their beloved princess was already with this young man, the people immediately became apologetic to the pair they had attacked and the populous literally began buzzing with excitement. Kurogane remained suspicious, keeping up his defensive stance for both himself and the injured blond. Fai, on the other hand, seemed preoccupied with something—something about this newcomer who was wearing long light robes that bespoke status and ceremony. The staff he held told Fai that he was a user of magic as well.

The golden-gazed man approached them. "I am the High Priest Yukito," he said as he held out his hand in friendship. "You're in Clow Country."

-

"It makes sense," Fai was saying as he and Kurogane were escorted through the palace of King Touya. "I do remember Syaoran-kun saying that it was the High Priest Yukito who sent him and Sakura-chan to the Dimensional Witch's place."

"But is this the right Yukito?" Kurogane muttered, still not letting down his guard on account of their odd welcome. "We've seen enough worlds to tell us that there are a lot of the same people appearing in different worlds. And if this isn't the right Yukito, then he could be working with those people who the girl says are watching us since he knows about us traveling between worlds."

Fai was pensive for a millisecond, "That's true." But the millisecond was quickly over and his trademark grin returned. "But Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan would be able to tell for sure! Kuro-kichi is always so serious."

"You should try it sometime, too," Kurogane grunted as they came face to face with a large door.

The doors opened to reveal a large dining room. The table was covered with a lot of sumptuous food. Though he would never admit it—despite the fact that it was painfully obvious—it was a great relief to Kurogane to see Sakura and Syaoran seated around the table with a dark haired young man. But, he couldn't help but think that there was something missing.

"Kuro-ponpon!"

Suddenly, Kurogane couldn't breathe on account of the suffocating white fur that suddenly covered his nose and mouth. He pulled the offending thing off him. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Don't mind him," Fai opened his arms for the white meatbun with ears to jump into. "He's just grumpy cause we weren't welcomed as nicely as you were."

Kurogane looked like he was about to bite Fai's head off, "You're understating the situation!"

"Tsk. Kuro-chan, you're so loud."

"That's because nothing I say seems to get through that thick head of yours!"

On the other hand, Sakura was very happy at that moment as she watched Syaoran from the corner of her eye. Despite the fact that she still had quite a number of feathers missing from her memory, she remembered enough to be comforted by this place she called her home. Her gaze wandered over to her brother who was scrutinizing her companions with a critical eye, then to Yukito who was watching Fai and Kurogane with unhidden amusement. She knew her troubles weren't over, but it was just nice to be home with her dearest friends—especially those from other worlds. She suppressed a giggle when Mokona imitated Kurogane's voice and said, "Yes, I'm in denial, mommy."

Then, she noticed a large bruise, previously hidden by long blond bangs, beginning to form on Fai's fair skin.

"Oh, Fai-san! You're hurt!" Sakura immediately ran over to the Celes mage's side examining the injury. Syaoran stood up, too.

The silent brunet with piercing eyes sitting at the table stayed quiet and still, but threw a questioning glance over at the priest. Golden eyes were quickly redirected away from the familiar brown gaze. The brunet frowned slightly at this, but still said nothing.

Yukito walked over to Fai and Sakura and gently drew the worried princess away from the mage. "The people thought that they did something to you, princess," he said, fixing his eyes on Fai's bruise. He then gave Sakura a remorseful look. "They didn't mean to harm your friends. I'm sorry I wasn't there on time."

"Yukito-san..."

Fai quickly cut in. "Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan." Though the mage appeared to ignore the raven-haired youth at the table's apparent bristling at the familiar moniker, he made a mental note of it. "Your people were just worried about you. Nothing serious happened."

Sakura was not convinced. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Fai reassured the princess with his trademark grin.

Though she was well aware that Fai was sugar-coating things for her, she decided not to press the issue. It was only when Sakura heard her brother clearing his throat rather conspicuously that she remembered that she had not introduced her companions, yet. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she stepped back so Kurogane and Fai could see her brother. "Oniisama, this is Fai-san and Kurogane-san," she presented the two travelers with a wave of her hand. "And Fai-san and Kurogane-san, that is my brother Touya and his friend, Yukito."

"So, since you're the princess," Fai pointed a finger at Sakura, and then swept it over to her big brother. "That would mean he's the king."

Kurogane resisted the urge to smack Fai upside the head and settled for once again yelling at the magician. "Stop being so impolite, you damn mage!"

As Kurogane was so eloquently lecturing Fai on his manners, the blond bowed politely for King Touya, then waved at him with a happy, "My name is Fai D. Flowright. It's an honor to meet you, your Majesty," leaving his lips. Seeing that Kurogane had finished yelling at him about the same time he finished greeting the king, he grinned up at the ninja who was still glaring at him post-shout. "You should watch your language and tone, Kuro-wanwan, we're in the presence of the king of Clow Country."

In the millisecond it took the red-eyed shinobi to find a retort, Fai managed to interrupt him by saying, "Now, be a good puppy and greet King Touya properly and apologize for being so loud."

Finding that proper court etiquette was more important than scratching his proverbial itch to slowly tear Fai apart one limb at a time, Kurogane bit back his anger and bowed for the king. As he grumbled out his, "Pleased to meet you" and "My apologies for the antics this idiotic magician has caused," he found very tempting images of Fai having very intimate contact with his sword dancing through his head.

Despite his stoic appearance, Touya was smiling inwardly. During his life in court, he had developed a talent for reading the people he met during the first few moments of their encounter. Though he would never admit it out loud, he was glad that these people were with Sakura on her journey through the worlds. By the looks of things, they were very much capable of taking care of Sakura and the brat during their mission. It eased his mind a little knowing that his little sister was in good hands.

Now, there was something else on the young king's mind. He glanced at his high priest and best friend, Yukito. For the past few days, the other youth was distracted and even a bit depressed. Now, he was strategically avoiding the king's gaze. Touya was making a mental note to have a long talk with Yukito when Sakura's blond friend yelped in pain.

"Kuro-pin's so rough!"

"I didn't even touch you!" the darker man growled.

"Ooooooooooow!!!"

"Oh, Fai-san!"

Touya noted the tones of concern and suspicion in the red eyes of this other companion of Sakura's. He also saw that whatever discomforts the foreign magician felt, he was tolerating just fine. But why put up an act? He decided to go with the flow to see. "Your injuries," he said to the blond. "They should be tended to."

Fai gave the king a reassuring look and a sunny expression. "It's nothing to worry about, your Majesty," he said. Then, without missing a beat, he added, "I'm sure the high priest can get me patched up in no time."

Yukito nearly jumped out of his skin at the mention of his name. His mind had been wandering these past few minutes. As he recovered from his surprise, he nodded slowly, "Of course, right away, if it's alright with out, Heika." He made it a point to not look in Touya's direction as he said this. He wanted to hide the fact that he was desperate to the leave the room and be anywhere else.

Touya frowned in suspicion. Something was bothering Yukito and to make matters worse, the blond was up to something. "Go ahead."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Fai-san," Syaoran was saying as Fai and Yukito left the room.

The king resisted the urge to follow, the pair out of the room. He knew something was up, but what could it be?

-

"If something happens to you, Sakura-chan will be sad."

Yukito looked up from the salve he was making fresh from some herbs from the palace gardens. He and Fai were now alone in one of the guest rooms. He had found the perfect excuse to stay away from Touya for a while. Yukito chose to stay away from the palace infirmary and attend to the injured foreigner himself. "I'm not sure I understand you, Fai-san."

Fai waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking that you're probably very important to the royal family," he said with a laugh. "You're the king's most trusted friend and you must do a lot for the kingdom as well, being the high priest and all."

"Who told you that?" Yukito tested the consistency of the salve.

"Sakura-chan."

"Oh," the high priest of Clow chuckled. "Don't let heika-sama hear you call Sakura-hime that. He's very protective of his sister."

Fai grinned, "I noticed."

"I take it you use magic as well," Yukito ventured. He had observed the interactions between Sakura, Syaoran, and their companions earlier and had made a mental note that the darkly clad male had, on more than one occasion, addressed Fai as a magic user.

Blue eyes darkened almost imperceptibly as the empty smile twitched to a slightly more pensive version of itself. "I was a magician in a king's court like you. But, I think our jobs were pretty different."

Yukito finished his task of mixing up the herbs. He sat on a stool beside Fai. "How so?" he asked as he tested the consistency of his concoction one last time before applying the salve on the blond's bruised cheek.

Fai looked wistful more than anything else as he stared at his hands. "Different worlds need different rulers. When a world is as peaceful as yours, your ruler can afford to be as kind as he is."

"Your world," the high priest of Clow began. "What's it like?"

By this time, Fai was already lost in a sea of memories. His voice was distant as he answered, "It's was cold. It was very cold."

-

"Execute her."

The words resonated throughout the majestic throne room. The look on Fai's face as he glanced at his beloved king was one of both fear and worry. "Ashura-ou," he murmured quietly, examining the stony expression on the sovereign. He knew better than to believe the callous stare that watched without remorse as the woman—the mother of three—who sold critical information to enemy states was led out of the room screaming. The woman was sobbing uncontrollably and was doing her best to struggle free of the guards holding her captive. Along the sidelines, the two daughters and one son of the woman along with a few other friends, begged for their mother's life and pleaded for mercy from the king.

"Please, sir, she's the only parent we have left!" the eldest daughter called out to the general direction of the Celes king and his most powerful magician. It wasn't clear to whom she was appealing to, but it was most probable that he was talking to the mage with the kind eyes.

Ashura-ou stood in order to direct all attention on himself, thus saving Fai from having to say anything on behalf of the condemned woman. "Silence," he ordered the murmuring crowd and hysterical family. And everyone, except the sentenced prisoner who was beyond consolation, obeyed. Ashura-ou fixed the guard holding the mother with a meaningful look and the guard understood and struck his prisoner effectively reminding her to mind her place. The eldest daughter cried again for her mother, but was warned by an older member of the community to hold her tongue. When the room was relatively silent, the ruler of Celes spoke in a clear strong tone, "Let this be a warning to anyone who is considering to betray our kingdom. There will be no salvation for you if you do so," he addressed the guards. "Now take her away from my sight."

The warning was heard and heeded by all. And with a single command, Ashura-ou sent all the people gathered at his court to leave and return to their responsibilities. There was a war at hand. Every minute they lost in preparation was gained by their opponents.

When the people who had witnessed the judgment had left, Ashura-ou fell back on his throne, allowing the only remaining person in the room to witness his exhaustion. "Come, beside me, Fai."

"Ashura..." the blond moved closer to the throne and took the other man's hand into his own in a comforting gesture. "...are you alright?"

"I keep on reassuring myself that it needs to be done," Ashura-ou tugged slightly at his magician's hands signaling the other to move down so they could be face to face. When Fai knelt beside his throne, he turned to stare deep into Fai's blue eyes as if searching there for answers. "But, she is another casualty of this war. Her blood, like the blood of so many others, will forever stain my hands."

Fai smiled sadly, "We're stained together," he said. "You, I, and everyone else who keeps participating in this war, but it can't be helped in this world. We do what we can to protect the people and help them survive."

For the first time since the woman's case had been brought before him, Ashura-ou smiled as he used his thumb to trace Fai's lips. "Yes, we have to do what we can," he said. "I can continue to be the man they fear and hate, but need for protection, but I ask you to be the man by my side that they look to for mercy and learn to love and confide in. Can you do that?"

The request surprised the magician and the gravity of it both honored him and weighed down on him, but, "I live to serve you, Ashura." He did not say those words out of duty. He meant them from the bottom of his heart. Ashura-ou was his beloved king. And Fai, he served out of love for his king in the same manner that he lived for this love. His life, like Ashura-ou's, revolved around the kingdom and its people.

"Good," Ashura-ou held on a bit more tightly to Fai's hands, despite his command. "Now, please see to the children of the condemned woman. Find them a place that will care for them if they cannot take care of themselves and make sure nobody hurts or judges them for the actions of their mother."

Fai rose from his position, "I'll do that," he bowed slightly and put on his most comforting smile. "And I promise I will come back to you, Ashura," he gently extricated his fingers from his king's.

"Thank you, Fai," the dark-haired sovereign watched as his magician and only friend in the kingdom begin to walk away. He laughed softly when he was directed a puzzled look. "Thank you for always smiling. You don't know what a treat your smile is for me."

Fai's smile only widened.