VIII. The Softest Voice

Touya appreciated a good night's sleep. In fact, he adoreda good night's sleep. And what with all of the country-running and sister-comforting he had been doing lately, he needed a good night sleep.

There was a drought. Well, they were located in the desert, so there always was a drought. More specifically there was a terrible drought. And the lack of water made his normally peaceful people restless and angry. Common opinion had turned their eyes to the more lush lands to the North, and even some of Touya's advisors had suggested conquest in the other countries.

And then there was Sakura. It had begun about a week ago, when Sakura had approached him a little apprehensively, holding the black…bunny…thing, and told him that the brat hadn't contacted her in a week. He had waved it off, busy trying to prevent internal strife, but Sakura had probably done the next worse thing to causing a civil war.

She went to Yukito.

Yukito – with his harmless hands, doting smiles and skylark voice – Yukito with secretly the worst temper in Clow.

And so Yukito stormed back into the throne room, making sure (Touya wasn't sure how he did it, those doors were huge and Yukito was – well – not) to slam the doors open with an authoritative BOOM! and say, in a low low low voice, "Your Majesty."

"Yukito, I told you not to call-."

"Your Highness, then."

And then Touya knew he was in trouble.

A good scolding (and threatening) later and Touya was across the room, hands on Yukito's shoulders, holding the boy against his quakes of anger and saying quietly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll apologize to her, I promise."

He said he would and he did, and then he (very nicely, he minded to tell Yukito later) asked her what was wrong. She had somewhat tearfully held the strange black animal up to his face and told him that she was worried about the twerp. "I haven't heard from him in a week. He usually tries to talk to me every day (sniffle). What if he's in trouble?"

He had dismissed her with the promise of looking into it, and later (very late, he might add) he had gone to search for the High Priest of Clow. He had found Yukito in the library, surrounded by a hurricane of papers and Black Mokona at its eye.

He was maybe not that I would admit it a little nervous. Yukito was leaning on the table (in a very un-priestly manner), head in one hand, round gold glasses in the other, peering down at some foreign old tome, and still was completely oblivious to Touya's presence.

Touya coughed lightly and shuffled forward. Yukito swung his head around, as if jostled awake, and found Touya leaning against the bookcase. He smiled lightly and said, "Your Majesty."

"Yukito, please."

"What is it, Touya?"

"Have you…found anything?"

Yukito pinched his eyebrows together.

"Well, yes and no."

"Are they okay?"

"All Mokona was able to tell me is that his counterpart is sleeping."

"Sleeping, not-."

"No!" The black lump interrupted, "Mokona would know if Mokona was dead."

"Wherever they are," Yukito continued, running a hand through his grey tufts of hair, "it would take a lot of power to reach them."

Touya noted the droop in the Priest's shoulders and the darkness rimming his eyes and remembered that Yukito was probably working as hard as he was, scouring both physically and mentally for a solution to the water shortage. And now, he figured, they had another issue to add to their long list of issues and could both use some rest.

"Go to bed, Yukito. It can wait till morning." Yukito nodded shyly and stood. With what seemed like a passing breeze he had left, presumably to his retire to his chambers. Touya was quick to do the same, because he could really really appreciate a good night's sleep.

You look around you, shocked at seeing the glowing cube expanding and eating the dead world and making it your own and your enemies.

Although he didn't initially remind you of Him, now he can't but help it – there has only been one other person trapped in a green cube of death with you before, anyway. Maybe there was something familiar in his condescending smile, something that was similar to His condescending smile and mismatched eyes.

You stand there, both awestruck and a little afraid, because the last time you were in the green cube of death, you had your sword out ready to kill or to be killed.

But it was neither you nor He who died in a shower of Sakura petals.

But now you have no sword and it is Fai and Kurogane who are jumping around the cube, smashing into wayward buildings, clashing into steel threads of magic and slashing them with such speed that their weapons look like

Little

Falling

Stars.

The bandage has fallen from Fai's face and you can see that his eye has already healed. You didn't know that it could still do that.

It's all very odd because this is the first time you have soon Kurogane and Fai fight with the same lustful smile on their face.

But of course, there was something – there was always something – interrupting his blissful sleep. Outside his doors, there was banging and scraping as if someone was arranging a meeting in the hall. It was too late to have any comprehension or logic (for example, the fact that he was the King and could order them to stop making sound evaded him) so all he could do was groan and roll over. He pulled the covers over his head and hoped that whatever god awful thing making sound outside his door would just go away.

But of course it didn't. In fact, the noises only seemed to grow in the darkness, until finally he heard a loud rapping at his door.

"Nii-san! nii-san! Wake up, Nii-san! There is something wrong with Yukito-san!"

And that got him up quickly.

Sakura was standing in front of his double doors, clothed in night robes, looking more than a little jarred. With a trembling hand she pointed out, towards the great hall, towards –

Yukito at the center of a hurricane, at the center of the clumsily drawn runes on the floor, as large as the space would allow. With only loose pants clothing him, he seemed almost carved out of pale marble and lit by the glowing strands of golden magic whipping around him and tearing at his hair. He held his staff in both hands, elevated above his head. He was muttering louder, faster, the artificial wind and the very real magic caused the furniture in the room to become airborne.

"Yukito!" Touya ran forward, dodging flying armchairs and tables. The boy seemed not to hear him and continued on with his chanting.

"What's wrong, Yukito!"

Yukito's arms began to shake, a bead of sweat dripped from his forehead. The magic – his gold magic – became an almost solid sphere around him, glowing and dripping around him as his voice grew stronger and louder – strong and full in an old, forgotten language – his glasses flew off of his face – the air grew warmer and warmer and like sickness and now his skin is turning whiter whiter and his voice louder and louder until he is screaming SCREAMING and his staff is glowing and he is glowing and –

"YUKITO!" Touya has one hand on Yukito's forearm and it feels like fire.

With a sudden gasp, Yukito drops both of his arms and the end of his staff slams onto the floor with a sharp clang.

The wind stops. The Magic stops. Yukito is quiet and he opens his eyes.

He barely motions his staff to the left.

A hole tears open in the air above him.

Fai and Kurogane complement each other. You've known this for as long as you've known them, but you have never really paid attention. Even if Fai lacks magic, and Kurogane an arm, they still move across the battlefield like the sunlight and shadow underneath a tree.

Fai is agile – they are both agile – but Fai can fly – almost like his feet never hit the ground. He usually fights with a smile, that fake little smile that he hangs from his cheeks like a sign on a door.

Kurogane is powerful – they are both powerful – but Kurogane can kill – his sword does not look like a sword, but an earthquake. He usually fights with a smile, a hungry excited smile that rips across his face like a wound.

But now they are a little different. Kurogane isn't smiling.

Fai is smiling. He is showing his teeth. He is angry and confused and for some reason the smile on his face looks much more like a threat.

You want to tell somebody, maybe Kurogane, because he just doesn't look right. But you can't really go anywhere because of that injured leg and you don't want to touch the red-haired opponent because that would make Sakura sad.

So, instead, you divert your attention to the other man inside the kekkai?

You hadn't seen him yet, and you are sure that the other two haven't as well. He seems to be running straight in your direction. He could be – no – you can't believe it –

He looked a bit scruffier than you've seen him, of course, and a bit more irritated (if that's even possible, you wonder), but that stern brown and steady jawline cannot be mistaken.

"Touya-san!" you call, and he looks up.

But he isn't looking at you. He is looking at the red-haired mage, impaled on Fai's sword. Now you are looking at him too.

And Fai shouldn't be smiling like that, almost goading and snarling down at the troublesome dead mage like he was just vermin to begin with.

You watch Kurogane watching Fai, expecting a response. You don't get one from him.

"What the hell?" The mage slips off of Fai's sword and everyone is looking at this Touya.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Touya-san! What are you -."

"I thought I asked you a question, brat."

Kurogane steps forward, like he usually does. "You looking for trouble, boy?"

Touya sneers, almost identical to his counterpart in Clow, and says, "I'm the one looking for trouble? YOU are the one who took my…prey. And in such a public place? What were you thinking?"

Kurogane growls a response, "What do you mean, prey?"

"I mean what I mean. Are you planning on finishing him?"

"What?"

"Does he look dead to you? Unless you weren't planning on killing him. In which case, draw your sword. I won't let you leave here alive."

"Why you little -."

"Stop."

All heads – save for the injured assailant – turned towards the voice. In what seemed like a tear in the sky – a window to a very different place –

"Yukito-san." Syaoran called, looking at the mage through the tear. A window to Clow, he figures. "How are you…what…?"

"This connection is very taxing, so I don't have much time to speak you with." Yukito's voice was very soft, and almost strangled, "It was hard enough getting through to here in the first place, so please just listen."

"I have had a troubling dream. Syaoran, this is very important. You musN'T-." Yukito's voice broke off with a strangled gasp. He clutched at his neck and his eyes grew large. Very faintly, from somewhere outside his vision, Syaoran heard a faint "Yukito!"

"You – mustn't-." he continued, his voice broken and raspy, "kill her. The princess-," blood was visibly running out from his mouth and down his chin, "she will…die. Don't…kill…they'll all die-." And the tear was gone.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Much Love,

Elegy