A/N: I'm so excited! I have so many ideas running through my mind for this fic, I'm about to burst! Thanks for the comments, they are loved. I'm still not sure how many chapters this story will be; I guess I'll just have to keep writing until I come to a finale. I can't keep secrets, so I'm just gonna get on with the story. Thanks for reading!

Counting the Stars

Sing a Song of Sake

Syaoran…

Syaoran… wake up…

"Syaoran!"

The sudden scream and splash of icy cold water triggered the young boy to jump up, his deep brown eyes searching about. The party, obviously, was over; the guests, still locked in by the Revere, dwindled about, huddling together in soiled party attire with hearkened spirits. It was also obvious that every soul in the room was shivering with fear--- that enigmatic fear when someone is afraid of something that they are not quite sure about. The grave samurai hovered over the boy with an empty decanter, dripping with remnants of the water splashed upon his face. "He's up," he grunted to Fai, who was leaning against the wall, picking at his nails.

"Good. Too bad he didn't wake up in time for roll call."

"Wh-what?" Syaoran whispered hoarsely, grasping his scratchy throat and his throbbing head soon afterwards. "What happened?"

"You passed out like a big punk, that's what happened!" Kurogane barked, snapping his eyes over to Syaoran.

"Calm down, Kuro-boo, it's not the boy's fault," Fai said evenly, slightly smirking at Kurogane's reddening face. "The Masked Revere, as Mokona-chan and me concluded, either holds--- or is--- the last feather."

"But… how can a person be a feather?" Syaoran inquired.

"That I'm not sure of. What I am sure of is that he has the information we need to retrieve the last feather--- and our princess."

The next few minutes were a blur to Syaoran. All he could see was red. Everything seemed to by dyed in crimson as the world swirled around him. He could see people's mouths moving, and he could see clattering plates and valuables. People running, vases crashing… everything was muted, for all they boy could hear was Sakura's soft voice whispering in his ear:

I prayed that you would be the first person I saw when I awoke.

A shove and a grunt, and Syaoran's head was throbbing once more. His heavy body slumped down the wall and onto the floor, Fai's fist still balled up. He relaxed his arm, and then his hand, striding over to the now calm Syaoran. "Again I say, calm down. That isn't how you are going to find… your love." Fai's voice was soft like a mother's as he rested his hand on the boy's shoulder and spoke into his ear. The blonde carefully, readjusted Syaoran's crimson blazer, and then brushed his hair with his fingers a little. "But… but… What were you talking about when you said 'roll call?'" a shaky voice whispered. Fai stood erect, straightening his own jacket. "The Masked Revere asked for you, Syaoran, to step forward, after he snatched the princess. He said that you were the only one that could save her. But… his voice… his voice sounded so much like---"

The lights flickered. Then darkness.

"Oh, Syao-ran," said a sing-song voice. "The princess and I are just dying to see you. Catch me if you can!"

The light flickered back on. The hysterical faces of the party guests waved through the crowd as they grew more anxious and more fearful of what was going to happen next. Not soon after, a humming of voices began to spread like wildfire. "Who is that boy he speaks of?" asked a red coat.

"Yeah, where is he?" piped some others.

"He needn't stay here longer! He's causing us trouble!"

"If I find him, I'll---"

"Don't kill the boy! He's our ticket out of here!"

Each person looked around at each other's faces, studying their faces as if the other were a champion poker player. They were trying to sort out the man called Syaoran--- for he was their ticket out of hell. Only three guests knew the secret; though, they dare not speak up. Syaoran, Kurogane, and Fai played the game and played the game well; they searched the faces of the crowd as well, as if they had no clue as to who the boy was. "If you can slip up the stairs unnoticed," Fai whispered out the side of his mouth, half grinning at some passing maids, "No one will ever know that you are who the Revere seeks."

"And how will I do that?" Syaoran hissed, burying his head in his hands in anxiety and despair.

Before Fai could even respond, a gust of wind blew through the hall

"Mokona and me will distract most of them. They're noblefolk; they are entertained by the simplest things."

Syaoran nodded, although he was still unsure of the whole plan.

"Kuro-chan is the master at stealthness." The blonde let out a girlish giggle. "He'll go with you."

Fai gave Kurogane a too-close-for-comfort bump with his hip, covering his mouth to hide another round of giggles. "Mokona wishes Syaoran-kun good luck!" the white fluff chirped as he bounced from Kurogane's head to Fai's. As the four nonchalantly parted, Fai quickened his steps, moving towards an open area away from the grand staircase. "Ladies and gentlemen, in this time of despair and fear, it would humor us all to be relaxed and amazed by a little treat!" Stunned, surprised, and weary, the guests curiously filed around the blonde, who held Mokona, who was in stuffed animal mode, under his arm. "Today I have an amazing treat for you all! Watch as I make this doll… dance!"

The predictable gasps and whispers of unbelief filtered through the crowd. Fai's crystalline eyes gave a quick sidelong glance to the "doll." "Mokona," he whispered almost inaudibly, "I need some music!" His eyes instantaneously brightened up once more, as he grabbed for the object Mokona conjured up with one hand and dropped him onto the floor with the other. Mokona bounced and rolled about a little, playing his part. "Now watch the magic folks! I will use my enchanted--- ukulele?!?!--- I mean, ahem, ahem, yes, yes, my enchanted ukulele to wake the doll and make it waltz to my tune!"

Reluctantly, the blonde placed the tip of his thumbnail onto the waxy strings of the instrument, fingering some unknown chord and tapping his foot. "Oh, how I love to… drink sake, oh yes I do," he sang in a cracking falsetto, "Sing a song of sake, how 'bout... you...?" Sweat began to gather at the back of his neck as the crowd looked on in disbelief, murmuring amongst themselves and becoming restless. "The taste is amez--- am-az-ing, like warm kisses or a visit to the zoo, oh how I love to drink sake… oh, how I love to drink sake…" Fai glanced down to the immobile Mokona, fighting the urge to kick him. "Oh, how I love to drink sake, dammit!" he hissed, stamping his foot.

"That's no magic doll!" shouted an onlooker in the crowd. The crowd buzzed in agreement.

In the nick of time, Mokona popped up, tapping his large feet, spinning and flipping about. The crowd gasped in amazement, totally distracted by the "magical feat." The ninja nudged Syaoran, glancing from Fai to the stairway. "Now's our chance," he whispered. "Everyone's distracted by the blonde idiot and the white pork bun. We could probably scale the side

To be continued…