Lingering Embers *A Tsubasa KuroxFai Fanfiction*

CHAPTER I

**AUTHORS NOTE: if you are unfamiliar with the CLAMP work that is Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE; "the wizard from Celes" is Fai D. Flowright, "the Princess" is Sakura, "the young archaeologist" is Syaoran, "the white, manjū bun" is Mokona and "the Nihon ninja" is Kurogane. Also this is a story I've wanted to do for a while, just didn't have the time or the confidence, so please leave feedback of any type if you wish. Many thanks. Hope you enjoy!

Fai!

The wizard from Celes jolted upright, cerulean eyes wide with shock reflected the dying embers of the campfire as he slowed his erratic breathing. He glanced around the small cave his group had been forced to settle in, assessing whether any of his comrades had seen his show of weakness. The Princess' slight chest rose and fell steadily, her slender arm still lovingly wrapped around the white, manjū bun creature called Mokona, whose ears remained still and tucked over his eyes. Next to the pair, the young archaeologist lay deep in slumber, his face a frozen picture of compassion and care for the girl next to him, his one true destined. And finally to his other side was the extremely tall Nihon ninja, who appeared to be still asleep, but his dark, tanned skin made it hard to tell. Breathing under control and decision made that the ninja was still soundly sleeping, the male carefully and silently crawled out from between his companions and made his way to the sluggish fire. He gently placed some fresh firewood on the stack and poked around trying to coax some life into their only source of heat.

Earlier that afternoon, they had retreated as far back as the cave would allow before setting up camp, an attempt to distance themselves from the cruel, icy wind and snow that ravaged the outside land. Shivering violently from the cold, the Princess had wrapped her arms tightly around her legs and nuzzled Mokona between her knees and chin. Seeing the silent suffering, Syaoran had been quick to shed his cloak and drape it over Sakura's narrow shoulders. The wizard however let his own powder blue cloak fall from his body and exchanged it for the young boy's. Syaoran looked up at the taller man who was fastening the cloak back around him and questioned simply, "Fai?"

The wizard replied with his usual smile, "as much as Sakura appreciated your kind gesture, she is deeply concerned about your staying warm and my cloak is enchanted so it works especially well against the frost. Besides," Fai looked over to where the ninja sat cross legged, setting up the fire. "Kuro-daddy will protect Fai-mummy from the cold, isn't that right Moko-chan!"

The ninja bristled at both the assumption and the stupid nickname as Mokona jumped up from Sakura and bounced over to Kurogane where he sat atop his head. Kurogane grabbed the creature from his head and growled, "it's Kurogane! And how about you conjure some of your magic, wizard, to keep us from dying of hypothermia, huh!"

Thinking back at Kurogane's statement, Fai stopped stoking the embers. Magic once coursed through every fibre of his being, but Fai had refused to use so much as one spell or rune since commencing their journey, and thus the ebb and flow of his power had waned, laying dormant until the day it was called upon again. But perhaps Kurogane had been right. Perhaps Fai was being selfish, keeping his magic potential bottled up rather than used for the greater good. Fai glanced around the cave again, this time looking closer, looking for the finer details of their current situation. Despite his own enchanted cloak, Sakura still shivered in her slumber and Mokona was curled up unusually tight. Syaoran was also shivering, albeit less violently than his princess, and Kurogane had his arms tucked under him instead of behind his head per the norm. Fai bowed his head sadly and quietly tossed the useless stick aside. No matter how much he had shuffled the kindling around, the fire refused to pick up intensity.

Realising that he had to do something or his whole party would succumb to frostbite and hypothermia, Fai let out a soft sigh of resignation. He scanned the cave nervously a final time before shuffling closer to the pile of sticks. He lowered his head close to the heat, eyes watering slightly, and cupped his cold hands around his mouth. He licked and pursed his lips and allowed a tiny whistle to escape his lungs.

Kurogane's eyes snapped open at the tiny shrill noise and the hairs on his neck prickled. He spotted the wizard bent over the pathetic fire and furrowed his brow. At that moment, the fire roared with a new life and crackled with a pleasing sound. Kurogane stared with disbelief at the mage who had been so adamantly against using any of his magic and wondered whether this was the first time Fai had used magic in secret. He watched the pale blond stand up and begin trekking silently back to his spot beside Kurogane and Syaoran, but did not feign sleep. When Fai reached the ninja, the wizard's bright blue eyes locked on to his own piercing red ones. Fai's eyes held a stab of fear for only an instant before turning soft and accompanied by a huge grin. "Tch," he mumbled audibly at the wizard's obviously fake smile before turning away from Fai and closing his eyes.

Fai dropped the smile when Kurogane rolled over, and he lay down on his back, looking up at the stalactites and the shadows they cast. He saw me, he thought panicked. He sincerely hoped that the ninja would not mention what he had spied Fai doing to the Princess or Syaoran. Time will tell, he supposed closing his eyes gently. Please Kurogane, don't get too close to me or you will get burnt.