Summery: An AU of Tsubasa, based on the manga up to the end of vl. 7, and then completely out of my own head. A woman with connections to Yuko is sent to Fai and Kurogane by Mokono, but her purpose is unclear, just like their reason for being put together.
Warning: Some language, nothing else for now.
Disclaimer: I do not own Tsubasa, but I own the plot and my characters.
I've only read the manga, and have not seen the anime, so I apologize if I do anything 'wrong' or something. This is my first Tsubasa fic so I'm trying hard to keep them in character.
Please review if you read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism is welcome. If anyone has anything to say, whether you like this story or not, please tell me the reason, not just that you don't like it.
"Damn it…this isn't getting me anywhere," Aea muttered, looking around at her surroundings. The ocean air blew her loose straight hair around her face, creating a swirl of dark blond with pinkish tints. "Traitors," she continued emotionlessly, her dark indigo eyes flashing briefly before returning to their usual blank look.
The blue waves lapped at her boot-clad feet as she stood in the pale sand, taking in her surroundings. The island was a small one, barely a few miles in radius, with a few trees scattered and no source of water or food anywhere – even the fish refused to come to the Sea of Blight, which was so salt-filled everything refused to grow there.
"I don't have the power to send myself to Yuko," the mercenary thought, tapping her finger against her lips. "But I should be able to send a message to her through the dimensions," she continued, grateful that she hadn't been stripped of her elemental powers as well. Closing her eyes, she created a seal of fire in the sky in front of her with a finger. It suddenly flashed white and disappeared, leaving no trace it had ever existed.
"I suppose that's the best I can do for now," she sighed, sitting down on the sand. Crossing her bent legs, she folded her arms over her knees and stared out at the empty ocean, prepared to resign herself to death if the space-time witch didn't answer her plea.
"I see," the black-haired witch murmured. Turning to Watanuki, she smiled thinly. "Prepare for another payment, Watanuki. We shall soon have a visitor."
"Yes," the young man bowed slightly and disappeared once more.
"Mokona?" she asked, glancing down at the image that shone in front of her as she communicated with the creature that aided the others in their travels.
"Mokona will arrive in a moment!" he chimed, and she nodded. Mokona suddenly appeared back in Yuko's arms after several moments, and a whirl of silvery dust formed nearby. Within moments a young woman stepped out of the wind, dressed in high brown boots, a long loose black skirt, and a crimson-colored top that clung to her figure and sleeves that reached her fingertips in a loose wave. A slit in the skirt revealed several thin daggers belted to her thigh, and several more were apparently strapped to her wrists.
"Aea Elian, I have received your message and decided to accept the payment offered in return for your rescue," Yuko said to the newcomer, who bowed low.
"I thank you, Yuko," she replied, shaking her head to rid it of sand. "How would you like the payment?"
"In a solid object, of course," the witch replied, and the other nodded with a small laugh.
"Of course," she agreed, and closed her hands together. A glow seemed to emanate from her palms, and in the next instant she opened them, revealing a silver stone with multiple swirls inside it's clear body.
"Are you sure?" Yuko asked again. The girl paused, indecision apparent for a moment, before nodding firmly. "All right. Mokona will take you to the world where he was at before coming to get you, Aea. Good luck on your journey."
The girl bowed low as Mokona flew above her.
"Mokona go now!" the creature cheered. Yuko waved slightly as the two disappeared into the dimensional gateway, and handed the stone to Watanuki.
"Place this with the others," she ordered.
"Mokona, where did you go?" Fai asked cheerfully, grinning down at the white creature that sat on top of Kurogane. Unfortunately, Aea had also landed on Kurogane, and both were momentarily stunned.
"Yuko needed Mokona to rescue her!" Mokona told him, jumping on top of the magician's head. Fai looked down at the grumbling ninja and laughed as he helped the girl to her feet.
"My name is Fai D. Flowrite," he introduced himself, and then pointed to Kurogane, who was standing behind her. "And this is Kuro-poo."
"Kurogane!" the other young man shouted, "I told you to stop using those ridiculous names!"
"This is Aea Elian," Mokona supplied, now on the girl's shoulder. "Yuko took her voice as payment."
"What?" Fai asked, slightly stunned.
"She can still control dark and sound, but not any other elements," the white pork-bun-like thing continued cheerfully. "She's here to get back her status and get revenge on the people who stripped her of her power."
"Yuko said this?" Kurogane asked, causing the girl to glance at him.
"Of course!" Mokona replied, bouncing on top of his head. "Since Aea can't speak yet, Mokona will talk for her!"
A groan emitted from the girl, and they glanced to see her face in her hand.
"Don't worry, he talks for everyone anyway," Fai said brightly. "So, you're from another world as well? Well, we're busy looking for our companions – we were separated, you see, when they were transported without us suddenly."
"And this pork bun couldn't follow," Kurogane added.
"Mokona not a pork bun!" it shouted. "Head-butt!" With that, it promptly smacked it's head into Kurogane's…well, his butt, and knocked him over.
"Cut that out!"
Aea shook her head in amusement and grinned when Mokona jumped behind her neck.
"Kurogane mad!" he cried, sounding delighted.
"Get over here, you little…"
"Now, Kurogane, don't you think we have more important things to deal with right now?" Fai prodded, and looked around. "I think we're lost in these woods, so the first thing to do is get out of here."
"Aea can find the way!" Mokona told them, and she shrugged. Pressing the tips of her index finger together in front of her face, her eyes glowed briefly before she closed them. Her lips moved silently as the wind seemed to become louder. Fai and Kurogane glanced around nervously as the sounds around them grew louder with each passing moment, until they became almost deafening. Mokona had hidden himself in Kurogane's clothes again, and Fai covered his ears.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes and pulled her fingers apart, and the sounds died.
"It's that way!" Mokona supplied from inside Kurogane's pants. "Aea used the sounds to find the pathway!"
"Really?" Fai asked interestedly, beginning to walk forward. Keeping pace with him she nodded as Kurogane stalked behind them, attempting to dig Mokona out of his clothes.
"Aea is an elemental sorceress and mercenary where she lives!" Mokona informed them suddenly, now being stretched out by Kurogane. "But most of her power was lost when she was betrayed by –"
The two men stared as the young woman suddenly snatched Mokona from Kurogane's grasp and stuffed his ears in his mouth, glaring darkly at him. Mokona's eyes grew big and watery, and he rushed to Fai as soon as she dropped him.
"I suppose you don't want us to know anything about you," Fai commented, amused by her reaction. She glared at him and shrugged. "It must be hard for you not to talk," he continued. "After all, you gave you voice to Yuko as payment, which must mean that it meant a lot to you."
"Of course!" Mokona dared to say. "Aea used her voice for her most powerful spells! She's scary!"
"Yes, she is," Fai agreed teasingly. Mokona fell silent for a moment, appearing to concentrate, and then leapt to Aea's head.
"Aea wants to know the names of the others, and how you lost them!" he said.
"Princess Sakura from the Kingdom of Clow and Syaoran from the same world," Fai said.
"We lost them when we were coming into the forest," Kurogane grunted. "Another thing suddenly appeared and created a gate, sucking them into it. We were blocked out and Mokona couldn't follow. Then we somehow got in this stupid forest and got lost."
"I'm a magician, not a scout!" Fai protested with a grin. Aea seemingly ignored the argument around her and peered at her surroundings. She suddenly stopped, causing Fai to walk right into her. "Oh, sorry – oh," he blinked, looking up at the creature that appeared in front of them.
"Damn it!" Kurogane swore, and leapt at it. He was thrown back, taking Mokona with him.
"I don't have any weapons," Fai commented, and Aea braced herself into the ground. Holding out a hand, she moved it in a circular formation. Violet-black fog formed where she moved her hand, creating a circle when she was complete. Placing her hand in the middle of the ring, Aea's lips moved silently, and it suddenly shot toward the creature, filling and expanding as it flew until it was a sphere of darkness. Aea watched calmly as her spell disintegrated the monster, while Fai's jaw dropped visibly.
"What the hell was that?" Kurogane demanded, finally regaining his power of speech.
"A spell of darkness."
Fai and Kurogane looked from Mokona and Aea, who had apparently spoken in unison.
"A spell of darkness," Aea repeated, and felt her throat with a frown. "How did I get my voice back?"
"Yuko says that the monster was sent by Aea's enemy, and was tracking her!" Mokona said. "Yuko says that Aea will need her voice to create her spells, but will not receive her powers. Yuko says that Aea earned her voice back by proving she doesn't rely on it to defeat enemies of that level."
"What does she want in return?" Aea demanded. Mokona remained silent for a moment, communicating back to the witch before replying.
"You must release your hold on your weapons," Mokona told her. "And when you return to your world, you will not regain your status if you defeat your enemy, but must start fresh or travel to another dimension again."
"Again?" Fai repeated quietly, but they ignored him. Aea thought for a moment, and nodded.
"Done," she decided, and gasped when her daggers and straps flew off her body by themselves, shimmered in the air before them, and melted into the gate Yuko created. "Damn witch," she muttered.
"Yuko says she heard that, and to be grateful that she returned your voice," Mokona warned. "Or else would you rather it be taken away again?"
Aea remained silent, a sulky look on her face, and Mokona laughed.
"Yuko says to be careful," he said brightly, and Aea shrugged.
"I thought Yuko said that a price paid cannot be returned," Fai said calmly, recalling how Sakura had begun to remember Syaoran. "How is it that she changed for you?"
"She didn't change," Aea said through her teeth, her fist clenched. "I am – was – the most well-known mercenary in my country after I arrived in the world. I had to bargain with Yuko a first time in order to escape my first home."
"Where was that?" Fai asked.
"A world that must have disappeared by now," she said, once more calm. "I traded my memory of my childhood to escape to another world. I retained my skills that had been taught me and used them to survive until I established myself. Ironically, they became my livelihood. In taking away my weapons, Yuko just forced me to create yet another image for myself and now I have to think how to survive when I return."
"What were you in your previous world?" Kurogane asked suddenly. When they looked at him curiously he huffed. "My princess, Tomoyo, speaks with a different tone than most people. So does Sakura, even though she's regaining her memory. I'm guessing you were royalty."
"Your guess is as good as mine," she said stiffly and quickly began walking down the newly-revealed path.
"Kuro-tan, you shouldn't have brought that up," Fai said calmly, before striding after the girl.
"Would you cut that out?" he yelled, rushing after them. "And wait up, damn it!"
"Mokona coming!" it yelled, and promptly latched onto Kurogane.
"Get off!"
"No!"
"I said get off, you stupid white thing!"
"Mokona not a white thing! Mokona Mokona!" it insisted, and jumped up in front of Kurogane, scaring the life out of him.
"Cut that out!"
"Are they always like this?" Aea asked coolly, not even glancing at Fai. He looked at her for a moment, and shrugged helplessly.
"Yep."
"It figures. Mokona always was like this, but I'm surprised someone like Kurogane acts that way," she commented, "I wonder why Yuko sent me with you people of all people." Fai blinked, and then shrugged.
"He used to be a lot worse."
"I heard that!"
"Mokona senses something!" it cried, and leaped back to Aea, sitting on top of her head with an odd look on it's face. "It's not very strong, but Mokona is definitely sensing something!"
"Is it a feather?" Kurogane asked, glad to get it off him.
"Mokona doesn't know!" he squinted his eyes shut in concentration, but shook his head – or top of his body. "Mokona doesn't think it is."
"It feels like an elemental power," Aea thought, her eyes closed as well. "Wind, if I'm not mistaken. But it doesn't feel as if it's being controlled…more like it's not wind at all, but a copy. It's impossible to create a false element as far as I know, but this…it isn't normal, that's for sure."
"I wonder if someone got a hold of one of Sakura's feathers, and the power is masking it?" Fai wondered, and then laughed at Aea's blank look. He quickly explained about the feathers, leaving most of it for another time, and she nodded. "So it's important to get them back," he finished, and turned back to face the path. "I wonder if there's a village?"
"There is," she nodded. "I can hear it. But again…something's off about it."
"Mokona doesn't want to go there!" he protested, hiding in her hair. "Mokona scared!"
"Let Kurogane protect you," Aea suggested suddenly, earning an amused grin from the magician.
"What?" Kurogane demanded, and growled at Mokona. "Don't even think it!"
"Kurogane scary!" Mokona cried, once more sounding like he was laughing, and jumped to Fai. "Mokona will stay with Fai!"
"All right," Fai nodded good-naturedly, and then glanced at their clothes. "I wonder how we'll be received in this town? Some places we fit in, and others we stick out like a sore thumb."
"You mean, most places we stick out like a sore thumb," Kurogane reminded him in annoyance, and Fai laughed.
"Oh, yeah!"
Kurogane rolled his eyes with a resigned sigh, and Aea shook her head.
"Why on earth would Yuko send me with these guys? Last time Mokona brought me, we went alone. Maybe she thinks it's easier for all of us – well, if I'm not crazy by the time I get back home, maybe it will be," she thought. "But Yuko always has a reason. She wanted me to meet them for a purpose – there's something she isn't telling me, of course. There was last time, so there's one this time. I just have to be careful not to fall into her trap before I get home."
"Any ideas?" Fai asked, interrupting her musings.
"Nothing except to take what we've got," she shook her head again to clear it. "But we better stay on our guard. Something is most definitely off."
"I can sense it too," Kurogane added, as they continued walking. "The closer we've gotten, the more certain I am. I'm not sensing any auras anywhere – it's like there's no people."
"Mokona wants to leave."
"Then why don't we?" Kurogane demanded.
"Mokona can't leave until Mokona can!" he wailed, much to the confusion of Kurogane. Fai merely laughed and Aea couldn't help but laugh at the ninja's expression. "Mokona will stay out of sight," it decided suddenly, and disappeared underneath Kurogane's cloak.
"If you can't stand him, why does Mokona always hang on you?" Aea asked him quietly, falling next to Kurogane as they approached the village.
"Hell if I know."
"Mokona only acts like that with people he likes," she informed him.
"How do you know so much about the white thing?" he demanded, stifling an offended protest from Mokona. Aea suddenly looked blank and shook her head in brief frustration.
"I don't know."
"Well, this is unexpected," Fai commented as they strode through the streets. The occupants of the village acted like they didn't even see them – and if they did see them, they did a good job of constantly walking into them and then walking off without a glance back.
"This used to be a village until recently," Kurogane noticed, narrowing his eyes. "If you look, there are footprints – but these people aren't leaving any."
"You're right," Aea realized, her eyes widening slightly. "I keep getting the feeling that this entire area is fake…but who would do that? Create a place where even nature is fake?'
"In my experience, when a person tries to make something fake to emulate something real, it's usually because they want to perfect the real thing, and think they hold the power to perfect whatever it is they're trying to copy," Fai said, a sad smile on his face which disappeared as soon as they looked at him. "I think it would be best if we leave as quickly as possible and search for the landowner or someone like that. That's the person who's probably doing this."
"Where did all the people go?" Mokona asked quietly, but Aea poked him to keep him quiet. He was still in Kurogane's cloak, and she ended up poking his side by mistake. Giggling, Mokona squirmed through the ninja's clothes until he grabbed it and handed it to Aea, who paled and quickly shoved Mokona back under his cloak.
"I thought you wanted him!" Kurogane hissed.
"Shut up, Mokona," she whispered back. "Didn't you notice? When Mokona talked people around us looked up, as if they heard him. And when you pulled him out, that person –" she pointed to a man who was striding off "–frowned and stopped what he was doing. I think whoever did this knows about Yuko, or at least about Mokona and you guys."
"Hm," Fai murmured. "It seems you have a point. Mokona, perhaps you should stay quiet and remain in Kuro-rin's cloak until we say so." For once, Kurogane merely grunted his protest and then looked around anxiously.
"Where'd she go?"
"Who?"
"Aea, you idiot!" he said heatedly. "She's gone!"
"Oh," Fai blinked in realization. "Mokona, can you sense her?"
"Yep! Mokona will poke Kurogane in the direction she is!" he replied softly, and Kurogane suddenly jumped as it poked him hard in the side.
"That way?" Kurogane checked, turning around. A path led away from the main village and seemed to go into a fog-like area.
"Yep!" Mokona poked him again, this time in the stomach, and Kurogane grabbed him through his clothes.
"Unless she changes directions, no more poking," he growled, looking rather ridiculous holding his stomach.
"Mokona not poke anymore then."
"I suppose we better get going," Fai interrupted. "Yuko sent Aea with us for some reason, and we may as well not lose her. Though why she went off on her own eludes me."
I don't think Aea is a MS because there's a reason Sakura and Syaoran aren't in the story yet. But don't worry, they'll come back, I promise! And all shall be explained...please review! Thanks to SakuraBlade for pointing out it was MokonA, not MokonO. I fixed it!