Mekyo!

Well, folks, it's finally time to update RRGA. We're nearing the end, now. The name of the new world, Wells, comes from H.G. Wells, author of several popular steampunk novels like The Invisible Man and The Time Machine. Enjoy, it's about to get messy...

Andrix

Cause our days were numbered by nights on too many rooftops.
They said we're wasting our lives,
Oh at least we know, that if we die - we lived with passion.
They said we'd burn so bright.
We'd burn this city and go.

Kurogane looked down at the small box Tomoyo had given him earlier. He knew what was inside it. It wasn't something for him, but for a certain blonde-haired magic man. Attached to the ribbon on the box was a small card. He sat in the library with a pen, trying to figure out what to write.

'To Fay' was simple and easy. However, it felt inadequate to him. So he scribbled it out. He tried again, 'For Fay…from Kurogane' worked, but that also didn't feel right. So that was scribbled out too. He gave a frustrated sigh. If he kept going like this, the entire card would be full of nothing more than scribbles. He decided that whatever he wrote next, he would keep. He touched his pen to the card. The ballpoint rolled smoothly over the surface. When he was finished, he read over what he had written.

"It looks like one has come to you after all," the little piece of paper read. He then stood, leaving the little, blue, snowflake-printed box sitting on the chess table.

Tomoyo had dragged everyone out to go shopping again. Fay, however, had volunteered to stay behind and help Souma around the house. When he walked into the library, he was surprised to see the little box. He gently picked it up, inspecting every aspect of it until his eyes fell upon the card. What he read there made him smile.

He hid it behind his back as he went to find Souma.

"Souma-saaaaan," he called.

Souma poked her head out of the kitchen, "Yes? What is it, Fay-san?"

"Um... I don't feel well, suddenly... I'm going to go lay down," he told her.

"Oh! Well, alright, Fay-san. If you need anything, let me know."

Fay smiled and nodded as he wandered off to his room. Once he was within it's walls, he carefully opened the small box and moved the paper out of the way so he could see it's contents. There, nestled safely in the crisp, white tissue paper, was a rearing crystal unicorn. Fay's slender fingers ran over it slowly before he lifted it from it's nest. It was the unicorn he had seen in the shop window. The one he had shown Kurogane. He smiled and placed it back in the box, closing it and setting it down on the night table. He sat down in the chair that was in the room and patiently waited for Kurogane to return with the others.

When Kurogane got back and had deposited the grocery bags he was carrying in the kitchen, he was informed that Fay had gone to lay down. He blinked and hurried off to find Fay. He first checked the library. He saw that the box was gone, and got a strange feeling in his gut. He couldn't place it. He just knew it was something he hadn't felt before. He didn't like it, but at the same time he wanted to feel it again.

He figured that the next logical thing for him to do was check the room they shared. He opened the door, only to be tackled by the very person he was looking for. He grunted in surprise as Fay's small frame rammed against him. The magician didn't succeed in his goal of knocking over the ninja, however.

"What the hell?" he asked of the magician, who was now hanging from around his neck like some weird collar.

Fay looked up at him, crystal eyes sparkling as a grin spread over his face. True happiness, not the false visage he put on for everyone else.

"Thank you, Kuro-sama," he said.

Kurogane looked away as his cheeks flushed a light pink. "That's why you're hanging off me? It was nothing."

"To Kuro-pon, maybe..." Fay said, not once letting go of him, "But not to me."

Kurogane looked back at him, into those shining crystal blue eyes, "It's just a little hunk of crystal. What makes it so special?"

"It's special..." Fay said, voice hushed, "Because Kurorin gave it to me."

Kurogane blinked, his stomach doing a funny little flip. It was different than the one it had done before, but similar. He tugged himself away from Fay. It took a little more effort than he thought it would, but he succeeded. Fay frowned.

"Are you okay, Kurorin?" he asked.

"I should be asking you that," was the ninja's gruff reply, "I was told that you weren't feeling well."

"Oh..." Fay mumbled, "No, I'm okay. I just wanted to surprise Kuro-wanko with my thank you."

"Idiot," Kurogane hissed.

Fay looked taken back slightly by this response, "Why?" he asked simply.

"Because you had me all worried for nothing," was Kurogane's equally simple reply.

Fay's face lit up again. "Kuro-pon was worried about me?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, if you're sick, then I could get sick," he said, making it up as he went along, "I hate being ill."

Fay grinned and tapped the side of his nose with his finger. "Ohhh. I get it, Kuro-puu."

Kurogane gave him an irked look. "Hey, what's with that?"

"What, Kuro-pon?" Fay chimed.

"This!!" he demanded, touching his finger to the side of his own nose.

"I have no idea what you mean!" Fay said, shrugging ad he held the little box close to his chest. Kurogane growled quietly.

"Stop lying!" he commanded, "It's so annoying when you do that! Everything you do is annoying. Almost like that's the only thing you know how to be."

Fay drooped, "I didn't mean to make Kuro-sama angry."

Instantly, Kurogane regretted what he had said. He let his annoyance get away with him, and again said things he knew he didn't really mean. He didn't understand why he didn't mean it, at least not entirely. But he knew that he hadn't meant to hurt the magician's feelings as much as he did.

"Sorry," he said quietly, pushing past him gently and sitting down in the chair that was in the room "I'm not angry. Not really. I just don't like it when you do things like that. It is annoying."

Fay set the little box down on a nearby table, then knelt at the arm of the chair, crossing his arms on it and resting his chin on them. He looked up at Kurogane and smiled slightly.

"I understand, Kurorin," he said, "It's annoying when you don't tell the truth, too."

He blinked at the thinly veiled rebuke, then smiled faintly. He hadn't been entirely honest. Fay had caught that. He was a magician. His job was to make lies, and that meant he could see through lies that weren't as strong as his own, such as Kurogane's poorly pieced together explanation of his worry. He looked down at the smiling face, framed by that messy, bouncy golden halo of hair, with it's crystal clear blue eyes, and felt a strange twang in his heart. He felt compelled to reach out and place a hand on the other man's cheek, and did just that.

Fay blinked, looking up at him questioningly. He pressed his cheek against Kurogane's hand lightly, eyes slowly drifting closed. Kurogane's hand was comforting, and warm. He sighed. "Kuro-puu..."

Kurogane smiled faintly. He liked the feel of Fay's skin on his own. He was confused when Fay pulled away from him. He looked over. The magician was standing now, looking down at him. Without a word, he slid sideways into Kurogane's lap.

Kurogane looked into Fay's eyes as his weight settled in his lap. The magician gently placed his arms around the ninja's neck, looking back at him. Kurogane in turn placed his own arms around Fay to hold him in place. He was confused, and it showed. Fay smiled, resting his forehead against the other's.

"I want to be close to you... is Kuro-puu uncomfortable?" he asked.

Kurogane shook his head, "No," was his reply.

Fay shifted and adjusted himself so that he was now straddling the ninja, his face quite close to Kurogane's, "How about now?"

"No," he replied again.

Satisfied with Kurogane's responses, Fay closed the gap between them and brought their lips together in a gentle kiss. This caught the dark one off guard slightly, but he recovered quickly and returned the lip lock. Fay made a satisfied noise and pulled himself closer to Kurogane, their torsos flush against one another.

Fay eventually pulled his supple lips away from Kurogane, slowly catching his breath. Kurogane seemed disappointed, and Fay noticed. He grinned.

"Kuro-pon likes kisses?" he said teasingly.

"Just shut up and do it again."

Encounters such as this were common in the following days. And yet, it seemed to others that nothing had changed. And really, it hadn't. Kurogane still found Fay obnoxious and childish. And Fay still loved making fun of him. As the days passed, the group was slowly getting more and more anxious to retrieve the feather and get on with their journey. Finally, the day came when they could do so. Kinomoto-san invited them to his shop, and they were happy to oblige.

Reluctantly, the craftsman handed over the large, crystal star. The flawless piece of translucent artistry, with it's precious treasure enclosed, was given to the princess as though it was a child, a baby that Touya was trusting her with. As she had done with the last feather that had been encased in a cocoon of crystal, she held it to her chest, silently begging it not to break. Pleading with it to give back her feather, but not destroy the beautiful gem.

And it did. The feather silently floated through the walls of it's prison, and into the princess' heart where it belonged. As she slipped into unconsciousness, Yukito caught the star.

"Oh, good... it's in one piece," he said with a happy smile.

Kurogane lifted up the princess, and Syaoran gave his thanks. Once she woke up, they could continue on their journey. They didn't have long to wait. Once again, they said goodbye to their friends and slipped into the void between worlds, drifting along in silence.

The world they landed in next was cold and rainy. Far off in the distance, a tall clock chimed loudly through the din.

"Do you sense anything, Mokona?" Fay asked as the puffball landed on his shoulder.

"...No..." Mokona mumbled, "But... it might be hiding."

The travellers looked around, taking in the world around them. The rain fell heavily from grey clouds, adding a sense of dreariness. They stood in the middle of a large square, in the center of which was a fountain, playing despite the rain. The entire city smelled of damp earth and wet concrete. A spindly, bronze sign shone below a street light.

"'Wells'," Syaoran said, "That's what it says."

They looked off into the city once more as the rain continued to fall around them. As they progressed through the streets, they became aware that it was very late at night. There was no one out and about at all. The only noise was the sound of the rain and the occasional cat or dog meandering through the back alleyways. There was no sign of any life, until – soaking wet and quite tired – they found the town center. The dreary city came to life almost instantly. Instead of being surrounded by dark buildings, they found brightly lit inns and pubs and restaurants. The store windows were filled of little gadgets that spun about and displayed the products. Dress mannequins twirled like little dancers as a small steam engine travelled through a tunnel in the next window over. The weary travellers smiled as they were presented with this slightly more comforting image.

They wandered up to an inn and walked inside, happy to be out of the rain. The in keeper grinned at them from behind the counter. It was Sorata. Arashi was meandering about the inn, waiting tables and making small talk with the guests.

"Hey, you four look pretty sad. Why were you out walking around at this time of night, especially in this rain?" Sorata asked them.

Syaoran handled the introductions, as he usually did. "We've just arrived in town," he told Sorata, "and we were unaware that it rained so much..."

"My wife will show you guys to some rooms," Sorata told him, "And we'll get you a change of clothes too."

"Thank you," Fay said, smiling happily. He was drenched. Even his thick fur coat was soaked through.

Arashi showed them to their rooms. As usual, Kurogane and Fay ended up together in the same room. This one, however, had two beds. She set a pile of clothes down on one of the beds.

"These should fit the two of you." she said, "You can just toss your other clothes into the laundry. We'll get them dried and washed and back to you when they're done."

"Thanks," Kurogane said in his usual gruff tone. Arashi nodded as she left the room.

Fay began to peel off his coats, one by one. The heavy fur one first, then the lighter fur coat he wore underneath. Soon he was down to just his black tights, white tunic, and gloves. Kurogane was watching him, smiling faintly as he did. Fay blinked over at him.

"Kuro-pii is staring at me..." he said, grinning.

"Yes," Kurogane admitted, "I am staring at you."

"Kurorin should get out of his wet clothes. He'll catch a cold if he doesn't." Fay insisted, turning his back to the ninja as he began to undo the fastenings on his tunic.

Kurogane took off his mask and his mantle, letting them fall to the floor and land in a pile with Fay's clothes. He approached the magician slowly, slipping an arm about his waist and drawing him close. He leaned down and pressed his lips to Fay's neck. They were both soaking wet, but it didn't matter as their bodies pressed against one another.

"Kurorin... what are you up to?" he asked, his head falling back against the ninja's shoulder.

"Marking my territory."

Fay awoke the next morning in the arms of his ninja. Kurogane was snoozing peacefully beside him, his hair still somewhat flat from the night before. Carefully, he pulled himself away from the dark one, sitting on the edge of the bed. He stood and slowly got dressed before making his way down to the inn. It was still quiet, but voices could be heard.

"Fay!" Mokona chirped, bouncing over and sitting on Fay's shoulder.

Fay smiled. "Good morning, Mokona."

Mokona was not the only person awake, though. Sakura was sitting at a table with Syaoran, drinking tea. She smiled at him warmly. "Hello, Fay-san."

"Ah, Sakura-chan. Good morning. Syaoran-kun, too." he said happily.

"Good morning, Fay-san," Syaoran replied, "Where is Kurogane-san?"

Fay's eyes twinkled as he gestured towards the stairs. "Lazy Kuro-myu is still asleep."

"Lazy Kuro-puu!" Mokona chanted, "Lazy lazy lazy~!"

"Who's lazy?" came a gruff voice from behind Fay.

"Waaai!" Mokona cried, startled by Kurogane's sudden appearance.

Fay laughed, taking the puffball in his hands. "Why, Kuro-sama is lazy, of course. He's the last one out of bed."

Kurogane scowled, but his eyes seemed almost amused. He said nothing and walked around Fay, grabbing a slice of toast from the table where Sakura and Syaoran sat.

"We should go out and ask around. See if anyone knows anything." he said, munching on the toast. "I don't want to stay in the soggy place any longer than we have to."

The four adventurers and their puffball travelled out of the inn to find the dead city they had arrived in the night before full of life. Cars powered by steam engines clattered along the streets. The store windows were even more full of life than they had been. The big clock in the distance bonged loudly as people milled about. Syaoran was fascinated by the technology. It seemed like such an old world, but the technology within it rivalled even Piffle.

Some shop windows displayed armaments that none of the travellers had ever seen before. One particular weapon was set on a pedestal. It was made of metal, with several strange cartridges on it. It appeared to be a gun, but it was unlike any gun they had seen before.

"What does the sign say, Syaoran-kun?" Fay asked curiously.

"'Raygun'," Syaoran said, furrowing his brow, "It has a description of what it does..."

"Raygun?" Kurogane asked, "Odd."

"Yes," Syaoran said.

A pleasant sound reached his ears; the sound of Sakura's laughter. She and Fay had found a little organ grinder. Atop the organ a mechanical monkey danced and did tricks as the grinder played. At the end of it's performance, the life-like little monkey tipped it's hat and bowed.

"How cute," Sakura remarked "How does it work?"

The grinder smiled. "He has a furnace on his back. The furnace burns little bits of coal, and the energy turns the gears and makes it dance."

"There are lots of interesting things in this world," Fay said, patting her shoulder.

Syaoran smiled. "Hey, Mokona."

The puffball popped up from inside Kurogane's shirt. "Puu!"

"Stop hiding in my clothes, stupid Manjuu!" Kurogane growled.

Syaoran smiled. "Can you sense a feather, Mokona?"

Mokona hopped onto Syaoran's head, concentrating hard. He began to glow before he stopped. "Yep! It's faint, but there's definitely a feather in this world!"

Deep in the shadows, a figure smirked. So there was a feather in this place. If he was careful, they would lead him right to it. All he had to do was keep out of sight... he quickly dashed away as the ninja looked towards his location.

"What is it, Kuro-wanko?" Fay asked playfully. Kurogane didn't even seem to notice the nickname.

"I felt like someone was watching us," he said, "But it's gone now."

There you go, readers, the next instalment. Who is the mysterious person in the shadows? Which one of our adventurer's many enemies has come to pay them a visit? Guess we'll find out next chapter...

The background track is Burn This City by Cartel.

Till next time,

Andrix

P.S. I realize that Fay wouldn't really be able to read what Kurogane wrote, because he doesn't know Japanese. We'll ignore that for now.