AN: More death. *Hides before she's pelted to death with stones.* This chapter will probably piss more than a few people off. ^^; But, this is the end so no worries. If you have no understanding of Fai's past, some of this may not make sense to you. I tried to be clear about it so people weren't left in befuddlement. XD So, needless to say, spoilers ahead. But, everything ends with a tragedy and a twist with a bittersweet moment. I tried to stick to CLAMP's theme the best I could. XD (Personally, I think I condensed too much information into the last bit. Gomen ne.)

Something caught Kurogane's eye as they ran through the forest to where the other Fai said the door should be. At first, the reason the object caught his eye was because it was white against the green and brown underbrush. Closer inspection told him it was a body. No sooner had he realized this than he heard an anguished cry from the other Fai.

"Chii!" The blonde was by the body in no time at all, cradling her in his arms. Freya moved to Fai's side and knelt down next to him. She zoned out for a moment, eyes going blank before returning and looking up at Fai.

"It was the assassin, Kurogane. Her last images were of him. The other Fai-san is in grave danger. They were alone when he attacked." Freya stated and then searched Fai's eyes in confusion. "Onii-sama?"

Fai gently set Chii down and lowered his head. The blonde bangs cast a shadow over his eyes, making it impossible to see what he was thinking or looking at. "It doesn't bother you?"

"Bother me?" Freya asked, not following.

"That he killed Chii." Fai clarified, earning him an even more confused look from the doll.

Angrily, Kurogane assisted the blonde. "She was practically your twin sister!"

Realization replaced the confusion on Freya's face and she frowned ever so slightly. "If you are implying I should feel the desire to seek vengeance against her murderer, then I fail to see your logic. In a sense, she was never really alive. Just a spell."

Despite the shadow concealing Fai's expression, Kurogane could still see the look of sorrow deepen. He knew the mage too well to be fooled by his twin brother's attempt to hide his emotions.

"I guess that's true. But you and Chii were more than just spells to me and Yuui." Fai said flatly.

Freya nodded. "You've expressed that before." She replied simply.

Fai decided to drop the subject at the moment and gently closed Chii's lifeless eyes before standing back up. "We have to find—"

Fai was cut off by a scream from Sakura. Syaoran was by her side instantly and grimaced when he saw the sight that caused the young princess to let out the startled cry. Mokona, on Sakura's shoulder, was hiding behind Sakura's collar trying not to look at the sight again. Fai and Kurogane rushed to the princess's side and mixed emotions swarmed both of their features. One thing was obviously shared in both of their minds. 'Please don't be mine.'

Syaoran was holding Sakura close, her head in his chest as he covered her eyes and comforted her. If the situation hadn't been what it was, he would have been blushing furiously. As things were, he found no room to enjoy the closeness.

A blonde and blue eyed body lay in the bushes, broken and bleeding. Several wounds carved into his body by a sword. Kurogane automatically spotted the fatal one in his chest. As Fai approached the body, all Kurogane could do was hope that the body didn't belong to their Fai. That thought left a bad taste in his mouth, not wishing it to be this Fai's brother either, but he couldn't help it.

"F-Fai…?" The body, still clearly holding some life, spoke and reached out to Fai who moved quickly to hold his hand.

"Yuui?" Fai asked and Yuui smiled.

"I thought… he… he had you…" His eyes darted to Kurogane and the dying male panicked. "Fai! Run!"

Fai looked back at Kurogane and then back at Yuui. "Iye… this isn't the assassin, Yuui." The words nearly choked in his throat as he spoke and pulled his brother into his arms who relaxed hearing those words.

"Ah… good… I-I'm glad that… you're ok." He said softly then looked worried again. "Chii…! He killed… Chii…" The blue eyes filled with tears again and he looked over at Freya who was standing behind Fai. "I-I'm sorry I couldn't… couldn't save her." Freya said nothing but closed her eyes and tipped her head down slightly.

Kurogane studied the doll for a few long moments and determined she truly was hurting. Not just for Yuui and Fai but for the loss of Chii whether she admitted it or not.

"Don't be stupid…" Fai replied, choking back tears for his brother. "What about you?"

Yuui's eyes dulled for a moment and then he looked away. "I… protected Fai." He said with a soft smile. Shortly after the words left his lips his features slacked and his eyes slipped closed. Fai couldn't hold his tears back any longer. The magician held his brother close as he cried.

Freya opened her eyes half lidded and stared down sadly at the scene. Kurogane could swear he saw the glimmer of tears in those brown eyes before she closed them again and knelt down to hug Fai in an attempt to comfort him.

"At least… you got to say goodbye." Freya spoke in a hushed voice to Fai and the blue eyes full of tears widened. He realized then just how badly Freya was hurting without her sister. Neither of them said another word for a while. The minutes stretched on and no one bothered them as they mourned until Kurogane just couldn't take it any longer.

"We… need to find Fai before something happens." He said after clearing his throat.

Fai nodded in agreement and gently settled his brother's body down on the ground again. The blonde said several words that Kurogane couldn't understand despite Mokona's translation ability and then Yuui's body vanished along with Chii's. Fai stood and started off, following the path he was sure the assassin had taken. There was only one place the man would take Fai.

***

Kurogane had had to carry Fai all the way to the castle after the fight. The blonde never awoke, but he periodically checked to ensure he was still alive. If the guy died, the king would be furious with him seeing as he'd already killed the other twin. Technically the king only said he needed one of them alive. Though, given the circumstances, he wouldn't have been able to succeed at all without killing one of them. He was sure his king could understand that. The assassin reached the doors to the king's throne room and knocked several times before entering. He lugged the mage's body to the king's throne and dropped him like a sack of grain at the king's feet. Kurogane knelt down and bowed his head obediently under the king's gaze.

"Here is the thief, Ashura-ou. As requested." Kurogane announced.

He was met with silence but didn't dare look up at his king until instructed to do so. Several moments passed and he heard the sound of fabric rustling as the king rose from his throne and stepped down to inspect the body of the mage. Fingers brushed through blonde strands as he pushed the bangs back to reveal the bandaged gash in his forehead, a result from the attack on Fai when he first entered this world.

Wordlessly, the king's fingers slipped under Kurogane's chin and forced him to tilt his head up. The assassin found himself staring into the soft honey brown eyes of his king. Kurogane's body froze when their gazes locked and he could feel something was wrong. His king was displeased about something despite how serine his expression was. He could just feel it. The unsettling gaze would have continued if Fai hadn't begun to awaken.

The mage groaned and shifted on the ground. He felt sick. He was exhausted and could barely command his body to shift let alone open his eyes. He tried to put his hands out in front of him and push himself up but found they wouldn't move. Only then did he recall that his arms were bound behind him. As his mind began to defog he felt a presence near him that terrified him but he was still unsure why. His head was pounding, he could hear his heartbeat in his ears, and he couldn't open his eyes despite how hard he tried. Even through the beating of his heart he could hear the sound of a short muffled cry of pain then the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. Then something brushed past him, lifting his head up off the ground.

"You are not my Yuui. You belong to someone else." A cold voice whispered into his ear. He could feel the chilling breath on his cheek almost as if the breath had belonged to Death itself. He couldn't move. Couldn't pull away. Couldn't even open his eyes to look at this being that held him so close. More icy words like a chilling winter's breeze were spoken against his cheek. "You cannot escape him as my Yuui has escaped me. It is not meant to be." Fai's breath hitched and his mind clicked with what his captor was saying. This man was…

Searing pain erupted through Fai's skull and he cried out. He never felt his head hit the ground again. He never noticed the presence of Ashura-ou vanish. He never even felt the strong arms that lifted him off the ground and the gruff voice that called his name repeatedly in panic. Things just faded to black once more.

***

Fai could hear voices in the background as his mind began to awaken. He cracked his eyes open and quickly closed them with a groan. The light was too bright. He heard shuffling by his side and opened his eyes again. He found himself staring up into concerned crimson eyes.

"Ah… Kuro-muh is a sight for sore eyes." The blonde chirped in a slow lazy voice. The ninja scoffed and his brow twitched in annoyance.

"He's just fine." The ninja growled and several more faces filled Fai's vision. Sakura and Mokona were two of the first, both smiling brightly, relieved to see Fai awake and well. Then was Syaoran who wore a soft smile of his own. And finally, two faces he recognized too well.

"Fai?" Fai asked with surprise and his eyes drifted to the next. "Chii?" Both expressions dropped at that and the twin looked away.

"Iya, Chii… Chii didn't make it. This is Freya, her…" Fai began but couldn't quite find the right word.

"Sister." Freya supplied with a soft, yet sad, smile. "I'm Chii's twin sister." She said almost proudly.

Fai smiled up at both of them. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Freya-chan." He said sweetly and tried to sit up. He was happy to notice his head wasn't spinning or throbbing and he wasn't feeling sick.

Sakura had disappeared but quickly returned with a bowl of soup. "Fai-san has been sleeping for almost a week!" Mokona piped up from Sakura's shoulder. "So Sakura and Mokona made something for Fai when he wakes up!" The little meat bun looked so proud of himself.

Fai looked up from his bowl and glanced at Kurogane. "How did you defeat the other Kuro-meanie?" He asked curiously. He thought the idea in itself was somewhat tragic. Speaking of doubles, he noticed he didn't see Yuui anywhere.

"The other Kurogane was already dead when we got there. You were lying on the floor unconscious next to his body. We thought you…" Kurogane didn't need to finish his thought, though he seemed relieved to learn that Fai hadn't killed the other Kurogane. The thought scared him for some reason.

"No." Fai said and slipped into thought. "The last thing I remember was the beginning of the fight between Yuui and the other Kuro-tan." He said then asked, "Where is Yuui, by the way? I would like to thank him and properly apologize for…" Fai trailed off as he noticed everyone's dismal expressions.

"Yuui and Chii were both killed… by the other Kurogane." The other Fai announced solemnly. He averted his gaze from Fai's, unable to weather the shocked expression from the one that looked just like his brother.

Fai was dead in his world and he was dead in this one. Fate—no—Hitsuzen… If he hadn't arrived here, this could have been avoided. Yuui and Chii would be alive. Two less people would be aching and incomplete. This was the curse of the twin, was it not? He was a bringer of disaster and misfortune to those around him. That's what the king had told him. That's why all these terrible things happened to his world. And to Celes. And his Fai. And his Ashura-ou.

"Oi." A gruff voice caught his attention and he looked up into red eyes that were staring sternly down at him. "Don't be an idiot." The ninja replied and Fai forced up a plastic smile but the ninja cut him off before he could say anything to piss him off.

"I could see it in your eyes. You were blaming yourself for all of this and it wasn't your fault!" The room went silent as Kurogane raised his voice to the blonde.

Mokona hopped around from shoulder to shoulder and tried to break the tension. He hated tension. "Hyuu-hyuu! Daddy's yelling at mommy!" The little white meat bun cooed then danced out of Kurogane's striking range. The ninja swatted at the little puff a few times before it dived into the safety of Fai's neck.

"Che! Teme." Kurogane growled then sent a one eyed glance back at the blonde who was smiling and comforting the little fluff ball. He grumbled something to himself then stood silently.

The other Fai slipped back into view. "Fai, did you… did you kill Ashura-ou?" He asked, though he already knew Fai couldn't remember. "Rumor has spread around that the king has gone missing."

Fai paled hearing that name. This world had a king Ashura as well? This was the first time he'd heard the name of the king and things started to make more sense. Though he felt like there was something he should know but couldn't remember. The nostalgic feeling was there but the memory was not. Even without the memory, for some reason, he knew that, without Yuui, this world's Ashura would not appear again. His cheek was suddenly very cold for no apparent reason. He covered it with his hand to warm it up once more. Ashura-ou was the reason he was running. The reason he never wanted to return and yet he'd been so close to him this whole time without realizing.

"No, I didn't. I never… I don't remember even seeing him." Fai said softly.

"Well, something happened. The other Kurogane didn't just kill himself and leave you home free." Kurogane said skeptically. He didn't like the feel of another version of himself, let alone an evil one at that.

A powerful and very chilled gust of wind shattered the windows and the lights went out, leaving everyone in darkness. Syaoran jumped to Sakura's side protectively, Kurogane's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and Fai stood ready to cast a spell. Though nothing seemed to happen. Another powerful gust of wind blew something into the room and Mokona popped out of his hiding spot between Fai's shoulder and neck.

"Mekkyon!" Mokona chirped and his eyes opened wide.

"A feather?" Fai gasped and Syaoran retrieved the object. Sure enough, there was a feather tucked inside a scroll. The brown eyed boy held the feather tight as the lights came back on and everything seemed back to normal apart from the shattered window and mysteriously appearing feather. He unrolled the scroll and read it aloud:

"Dear Prince Fai of Yukigakure,

This kingdom now belongs to you. The official paperwork can be found under the cushion of my throne bearing my official crest and signature. Please make use of that feather. It possesses great magical properties. I'm sure you can fine some use for it.

Best wishes,

Ashura"

The other Fai didn't know what to make of this. It tore him apart to think that this man that had caused the death of his brother and Chii could have possibly not been as evil as he thought. He and Yuui had been illegitimate twin sons born of the Queen of Yukigakure. But other than himself, Yuui and their mother, no one had known about their illegitimate birth. No one questioned their brilliant blue eyes that didn't match either of their alleged parents. She sent them out of the country as soon as they were able to walk on their own and reported them dead in an accident to erase them from any records. They survived on the streets as thieves, able to use magic that matched even that of the mighty king Ashura, which aided them in their survival and earned themselves a bad reputation from the start. He had no idea how Ashura-ou found any of this out or why he would just turn rulership over to him. Especially after such a tragedy.

Fai gasped as he held the note tighter, considering something. Had that been why Ashura had put out a bounty on them yet clearly instructed that they be captured alive? No one could simply contact either of the twins which made it impossible to reach them peacefully. The only way for the twins and the king to meet would be if one of them had been captured. Fai closed his eyes tightly and tried to hold back tears. Yuui's death was… an accident? Something that wasn't supposed to be? Ashura's intentions had never been hostile from the beginning.

Freya wrapped her arms around Fai and hugged him, attempting to console him. He looked up into her brown eyes and noticed they looked dazed. Before he could question it, she spoke.

"When Fai-sama is like this, Chii aches here." Freya said and gently touched two fingers over Fai's heart. "Chii wants Fai-sama to be happy."

"What did you say, Freya?" Fai said, stunned and the dazed expression cleared from her eyes.

"I didn't say anything, onii-sama." Freya said, confused.

Everyone was silent for a long time, looking at Freya who thought she should probably feel uneasy. She shifted and then finally looked away. The silence was finally broken by Fai, who had somehow silently slipped out of the bed.

"Syaoran-kun, you should probably return the feather to Sakura-chan." Fai stated and motioned to the feather clenched in Syaoran's hands.

"Oh, hai." He said and turned to his princess. She nodded and he held the feather out to her. It floated towards her and slowly integrated with her with a magical glow. Promptly, the princes slipped into slumber, caught in the boy's arms.

Mokona jumped into the air and began to glow, long flowing wings sprouting from the small round body. The light began to engulf the little group. Fai stepped towards the other Fai and Freya with a warm smile.

"Take care, Fai." He said softly and ruffled Freya's hair playfully. "You too, Freya-chan." Both nodded and in the blink of an eye, the group of foreigners had disappeared with a flash.

END

AN: Thank you for the comments! ^-^ (Because I'm not sure if the 'reply' feature works)