Chapter Text
“There's no end to these damn villagers,” Kurogane grunted as he kicked one of them back. “I don't remember this many of 'em living in that place. Where are they coming from?” It seemed as though for every ten that got knocked down, five more came out of thin air to replace them. Were they all villagers or some of them fakes crafted by magic? Could their magic even clone people...?
Syaoran was beginning to pant, sweat dripping from his forehead as he used another spell in an attempt to keep the ever growing crowd back. “I don't know... but I'm not sure how much longer we'll be able to keep this up. If only we knew what was possessing them... maybe we could help?”
Just as the words left his lips, a white veil swept over the villagers. As they began swaying on their feet, half of them vanished. The remaining individuals slumped to the ground as Touya and Yukito ran toward them.
“Are all of you okay?” Yukito called, brows creased in worry. “We could sense that man's magic and suddenly our Fai had summoned us with his magic. Your Fai is looking after the two beast clan children, right? We should all go to him. Something doesn't feel right.”
Kurogane's eyes narrowed as the two teens stopped in front of him. “What do you mean 'something doesn't feel right?' What's going on? How do you know about those brats?”
Yukito pressed his lips together, as though he had mistakenly said too much, and shook his head. “That... we can talk about it later. We should hurry.”
Touya's gaze lingered on Yukito before flicking up to the angered expression on Kurogane's face. “...Listen. That book of curses doesn't just talk about the ones given to our world. We didn't end up here by mistake. Sure, we came mostly to translate the book and get information but... breaking the curses from worlds we visit also weakens Watanuki. We didn't go chasing after those books 'cause we wanted to get them back. It was to keep them safe while the curses lifted.” Yukito's worried expression shifted to his companion, but Touya gently took Yukito's hand in his own. “Look we really gotta go. Yuki thinks your Fai might be in trouble.”
- - -
“Get your damn hands off of him you disgusting bastard,” the other Fai spat, magical runes raging around his body. “What the hell are you even doing in a minor world like this?”
The man that had caught Fai was older than the Watanuki they knew and held a stronger build. His two toned eyes and black hair remained the same, as well as his affinity for dark coloured clothing. “Ah, you've gotten quite the vulgar mouth since last we met, dear Fai. Are you getting that anxious to save your beloved brother?” He jumped back as Fai lashed out at him, a small crater left in the sand where he'd once stood. “Surely you wouldn't want to kill his likeness, would you? Though it seems you did take a good shot at it.” The man had scooped Fai up into his arms, holding him close with a twisted grin on his face.
“Shut up!”
“I never took you for the rash type when I cursed you,” Watanuki continued airily. “Your little game of 'kill Yoo' seems to have turned in my favour. What an interesting curse this one received. A shame it was broken so easily... Of course, I just had to give it back.”
The other Fai froze. “...What...? What are you talking about? The curse... it was the same as Yuui. He was freezing--”
“Mm, freezing,” Watanuki agreed. “But he was hit with a curse not meant for him. It was twisted, you see. This Yuui received a mix of both the curse of your brother and his lover. Once his heart freezes over, he will kill anyone it once held dear. Sounds too fun to pass up, doesn't it?” He grinned as realization flashed through the other Fai's eyes. “It's most fortunate this Yuui also holds the blood of a vampire. I'm curious how violent he'll become.”
Darkness finally fell upon them, a full moon bright in the sky as light magic wisped into life around them. Kero and Spinal both held their books to the magic and they slowly began to glow as the magic took effect. With the curse beginning to lift, Hotaru rushed forward to make her way back to Fai. Fai, in turn, let out an agonizing yell as he used magic to enhance his physical abilities.
Jumping toward the man, Fai lashed out, aiming a punch to his face. Watanuki merely continued to grin, dodging each punch and kick aimed to knock him out. Anything he couldn't dodge was met by a blast of magic that left Fai temporarily stunned each time. But he continued to push himself, eyes hazy with rage.
“Fai!” Hotaru called out the man's name, even knowing it wouldn't do any good. Despite the Yuui in Watanuki's arms not being his brother, Fai was desperate to get him back no matter the cost. Hotaru wasn't willing to let that happen. She planted a foot harshly into the ground and used all of her strength to jump up and grab Fai around the waist. He didn't acknowledge her at first, the powerful magic coursing through her as it tried to shove her away.
“Fai! You have to stop! You'll die!” she pleaded, gripping him even tighter as the magic flared. “Yuui wouldn't want you to die! I don't want you to die!”
The desperation in her voice managed to catch Fai off guard and he paused in his actions just in time for Kurogane to take a swing at Watanuki with Ginryu. When the man pulled back and landed back into the sand, Kurogane slammed his heel against the other Fai's stomach and sent both him and Hotaru flying in the opposite direction. Kurogane landed with his blade poised for another strike, eyes narrowed as they bore into his opposition. Syaoran stood off to the side, blade at the ready should Kurogane need his help.
Yukito and Touya used their magic to slow their comrade's descent, letting them fall gently in the grass. Both were out of breath from their run through the meadow. Fai stared at Hotaru in a daze, the shinobi panting in the grass beside him. When his eyes focused and their gaze met, she promptly gave his shoulder a shove before a rare smile eased its way onto her face. They were okay, for now.
“Ah, the protector,” Watanuki tilted his head as he observed Kurogane. “You're much different from the Dream seer.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Kurogane shifted his weight, his eyes trained on the target while taking note of Fai's deteriorating condition. “I'm willing to kill you.”
“I'm sure you are.” He nodded. “However, I do believe you won't be willing to kill sweet Yuui... although... he will be more than willing to kill you.”
Kurogane clenched his jaw as Fai's body writhed in the man's arms, breath coming out in wisps of white. “What the hell did you do to him?”
“I allowed the curse to take root again. It was such a waste otherwise.”
Fai stilled again momentarily before turning a sharp, golden gaze onto Kurogane. He shoved himself out of Watanuki's arms to land neatly on his feet, the steely stare never leaving the shinobi. Kurogane tensed, his eyes assessing Fai before shifting to Watanuki again. Pushing forward, he swung at Watanuki's head, but Fai knocked the blade off course with the flick of his wrist against the flat side of the blade. Kurogane shifted his weight, spinning around to take another shot at the curse giver but once again his attempt was halted by the mage.
“What a good guard dog. Once he's done with you and the boy, perhaps I'll keep him.” Watanuki ran his gloved fingers through Fai's hair, as though petting him as a reward for good behaviour.
“Keep your hands off of him!” Kurogane yelled, swinging his sword to unleash his signature attack. The dragon roared as it surged into the sky before diving back down to consume Watanuki. Fai turned, his hand raising to bring runes to life, but Kurogane took hold of it before Fai could finish. “Get a hold of yourself! Do you want to be his puppet?”
Fai's fingers twitched beneath Kurogane's hold, his sharp pupils boring into Kurogane. For a moment, the shinobi thought he might have gotten through to him, but with a swift strike, Fai slammed the heel of his left hand roughly into Kurogane's ribs. Kurogane buckled at the sudden hit, eyes wide before narrowing as Fai took his chance to escape.
“Kurogane!” Syaoran cried out, starting to run over. He stilled in the action as Kurogane carefully stood up straight again, his blade held out toward Syaoran as a warning to stay back. Syaoran tightened his grip on his trusted sword. He wanted to help. But he knew Kurogane was merely trying to keep him safe.
The sand began to settle again as Kurogane's attack dissipated and his eyes narrowed as the silhouette of his target remained standing amongst the debris. “My, that was certainly a close one. You are, indeed, quite strong.” Watanuki wiped some of the blood from his cheek, an agitated smile on his face. “I'd love to see Yuui destroy you in person, but I'm not one to ask for a death wish. I'll collect him when he's done.”
“Ryu--” Kurogane began, aiming to hit Watanuki again before had a chance to flee, but Fai raced forward and took hold of the blade before he had the chance. Blood streamed from Fai's palm to stain the silver blade crimson. Kurogane moved to take hold of his wrist, to force him to let go, but the second his fingers brushed against the mage's skin he let go and jumped back out of reach. “Damn it...”
Kurogane watched from the corner of his eye as Watanuki vanished. The man wasn't his primary concern anyway. From what he understood from the explanation Yukito and Touya had given him, it was only a matter of time before Watanuki was weak enough to be killed by their group. He was more concerned about how he could break the fully formed curse afflicting his mage. It would be impossible for him to kiss Fai in his current state and even if he had the chance, everyone was there watching them. He gritted his teeth. Such small matters weren't important. If he had the opportunity, he needed to take it. If Fai made him or Syaoran bleed, the mage would never forgive himself.
“--me.”
“What...?” Kurogane's thoughts were broken at the soft sound of Fai's voice.
The mage was trembling, his eyes still glazed over from the effects of the curse. His breath came out in rasps of white, skin shimmering from the difference in temperature compared to the warmth of the night air. He took a deep, forced breath. His brow's creasing.
“My... game...” he repeated, the words coming through gritted teeth.
His...? Kurogane's eyes widened. Of course. No matter the curse, the deal that had been made back then could never be broken. As a vampire, Fai only had a thirst for Kurogane's blood. And if Kurogane died, Fai would die. That damned curse giver had no idea what he was dealing with.
“That's right...” Kurogane nodded slowly. He brought his blade up to make a thin cut against his arm. “You want this?” He lifted the arm for Fai to see, the mage's eyes following the thin line of crimson that snaked down the shinobi's forearm. “Come and get it.” Kurogane licked the trail of blood until his lips hit the fresh wound and he sucked some of it into his mouth. When he brought his arm down, Fai was already approaching.
The mage was hesitant in his stride, eyes never leaving Kurogane's arm. Once he got close enough, Fai reached toward Kurogane's wrist but the shinobi pulled the arm back, eyes challenging as Fai looked up at him in displeasure. The gaze dropped to Kurogane's lips, glistening in the blood he sought after. After a short moment of consideration, Fai took hold of the man's shoulders as he pressed into his chest and licked up what was available to him.
Kurogane wrapped his arm around Fai's waist and opened his mouth to capture the mage's in a messy kiss. Fai brought his arms around the shinobi's neck as he drank the blood offered to him, licking his way into the other man's mouth to make sure he could get it all. As they kissed, Kurogane could feel the warmth begin to take over Fai, the mage's body relaxing as the curse started to lift again.
“Aw! Kissy, kissy,” the white Mokona cooed suddenly from Syaoran's shoulder, causing the teen to jump.
“M-Mokona? Where did you come from?”
Mokona pouted. “Mokona was scared when Fai fainted, so Mokona hid on the other Fai. But then things got really scary, so staying with Kero and the orange Mokona was the safest place. Then Mokona saw Syaoran and Syaoran was the safest!”
“Right...” Syaoran nodded, giving her a sheepish smile.
Wisps of light magic lit up the night sky as their power filled the books in Kero and Spinal's outstretched hands. Once the pages shone with their light, the books floated into the sky, bursting in a blaze of coloured lights like fireworks as the citizens trapped inside were set free. Syaoran and the others could only watch in awe at the scene before them. But then Syaoran brought his focus back to Kurogane and Fai, the two of them having finally broken away from one another.
“... Saved me again,” Fai breathed, sapphire staring up into ruby. “It was hard, keeping it back. You caught on pretty quickly, though, Kuro-pi.” He gave the shinobi a teasing smile, but his knees buckled from exhaustion and he found himself leaning into Kurogane for support.
The shinobi sighed, pulling Fai close. “This is why I told you to stay back, damn mage.”
“You're right, sorry.” Fai eased his arms from Kurogane's neck to wrap loosely around the man's back instead. “Though... staying at the Inn would have only invited the man there.”
“...Don't tell me you knew that guy was hanging around here.” Kurogane could practically feel the vein throbbing in his forehead at the thought.
“Well, I knew something didn't feel quite right with the village. Gerome and Lyra were fine, though, so had I stayed there I'm sure they would have gotten hurt. I didn't realize someone was watching us until after we started chasing Kero and Spinal, though,” Fai informed him.
Kurogane let out another rough sigh, but didn't bother lecturing Fai further. Knowing what was going on earlier wouldn't have changed much, anyway.
At the edge of the beach, Touya and Yukito sat together beside Hotaru and Fai. Their Mokona had quickly joined them after the fighting calmed. They exchanged relieved glances as the curses of the world finally lifted, magic flowing free once again. In the distance, they watched as Syaoran made his way toward his companions.
“Think we'll be able to get our happy ending and finally lift the curses back home?” Fai murmured.
“Only if you stop being such an idiot,” Hotaru retorted. She paused, glancing over at him from the corner of her eye, then sighed through her nose. “I'm sure we'll be able to do it. We've gotten this far, haven't we? Just need to keep doing what we've been doing. We'll save our families and our world. I know we will.”
- - -
After the excitement of the night had come to an end, the two groups returned to the Inn to rest. Kurogane took care of bandaging Fai's hand and they told Gerome and Lyra of what transpired. The two vowed to learn all they could now that the clans had been restored. With the curses lifted, the villagers had awoken in their beds the next morning with no recollection of what had happened. Syaoran and the others bid farewell to Gerome and Lyra before heading out in their regular clothing again. The morning brought a light chill with it as they gathered together in the meadow with their fellow travellers.
“I finished translating the rest of the book before I went to sleep last night,” Syaoran informed them, passing the book back to Yukito. “Everything you need and which world they're in should be visible to you now.”
“Thank you,” Yukito gave him a soft smile, holding the book close to his chest. “We'll finally be able to gather everything we need to return home.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Touya stated, voice rough yet sincere. “We'll let the brat from our world know he has the chance to grow up to be an alright kinda guy.”
“Oh... th-thank you?” Syaoran stammered. Mokona gently patted his head.
“Good luck on your journey,” Fai addressed the group next. “I hope you'll be able to save your brother and the others soon.”
The other Fai nodded, a gentle smile gracing his lips. “Yes, I hope so as well. I promise not to attack any of the other likenesses to the Yoo of our world. I've certainly learned my lesson.”
“You damn well better have,” Hotaru scoffed, punching his arm. “We owe you guys for all the help. If we ever cross paths again, or if you happen to land in our world, I hope we'll be able to return the favour someday.”
“Don't worry about it,” Kurogane stated. “When you get back home, tell that brother of yours 'thanks' from me.”
Hotaru's brows knit in confusion. “'Thanks'? For what...?”
“He'll know.”
“How cryptic,” Fai teased, giving Kurogane a gentle nudge.
“Shut up,” he grunted, roughly ruffling Fai's hair.
“Well, it's about time we head off,” the other Fai stated, pulling his white coat close. “Best of luck on your adventures.” The familiar seal appeared beneath them as their Mokona prepared to warp them to another world. The magic enveloped the group of four and then in a blink of the eye they were gone.
Mokona jumped into the air a few seconds after, wriggling as the teleportation magic activated. “It's time for us to go, too!” she exclaimed. Fai, Kurogane, and Syaoran huddled close as Mokona pulled them in and in an instant, they were gone as well, off to another world in their never ending journey.