Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TSUBASA CHRONICLE NOR ANY OF IT’S CHARACTERS NOR AM I MAKING AND MONEY OR PROFIT FROM THIS. It’s purely fun ^__^ I ALSO DO NOT OWN THE LINE WHICH I STOLE FROM THE FILM “300” (those that have seen the film will know which one. I’ll point it out at the end so that I don’t spoil it if you haven’t seen the film).

Reviewer Replies:

Toraus: I'm glad that you like it! *Smiles broadly* It's good to know that the time-skip thing worked, I was a little worried about it, so thank you! Yay! Go Syaoran and Tomoyo! I love the idea that they're so close that they can team up against Kurogane and beat him *Snickers* I love Kurogane an' all, but the thought of him loosing to a couple of teenagers he helped raise is just too much fun. Thank you once again!!

Krylancelo: I am still interested in this, and I am going to continue it since you all seem to like it so much. It's nice to know you're enjoying it, since that’s what I'm writing it for. *Anime smile and head tilt* I like Syaoran the best, with Kurogane coming in close second with Tomoyo too! Thank you!!!!!

Thank you to all reviewers once again! *Bows*

Somebody Help Me

“The dance is a poem for which each movement is a word.”
– Mata Hari

//The dreaded sunlight continued to filter in through the cracks in the boards of the widows.

Kurogane had sat on the small wooden stool for over six hours, and the young teen laying still had yet to wake up. Shifting slightly, the Captain watched Syaoran’s chest rise and fall. Despite his want… his need… to go out and destroy the things that had done this to his ward… he couldn’t find the strength to leave the brunettes side.//

Sighing inwardly, Kurogane pushed the memory to one side.

Syaoran was still holding out the egg towards them. The Captain didn’t know what had made him remember that horrific wait, but he pulled his focus to that little egg, knowing that it was going to be trouble.

“How odd. Was their anything else?” Tomoyo asked, reaching her hand out for it.

“No. Nothing. I think that, perhaps, it was used as some sort of ward,” Syaoran replied, letting the egg slip into the Princess’ right hand.

“Or was hidden under the other ward to keep it from harming anyone,” Kurogane glared suspiciously at the thing. He hadn’t liked it in Syaoran’s hand, and he sure as hell didn’t like it in Tomoyo’s.

“Well…” Tomoyo’s eyes glittered a bright violet colour for a few moments as she used her magic to scan the egg shaped object in her hand. “…It doesn’t seem to be dangerous. I think you’re right Vice-Captain. It does seem to hold some form of barrier or defensive magic. But its old... and it is inactive.”

“Doesn’t stop it from being dangerous,” Kurogane muttered.

Smiling, Tomoyo handed the egg back to her Vice-Captain. Nodding to herself, she motioned to the egg, and then at Syaoran. “I want you to take care of it. Keep it on you at all times.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“No.”

Everyone looked at the tall, dark Captain, surprised. Tomoyo’s eyebrows disappeared under her fringe, and Syaoran’s eyes widened.

“I beg your pardon?” The amethyst eyed princess asked.

“No. He’s not going to take care of it. It’s too dangerous. Let one of those two” – here he pointed towards Kamui and Domeki – “take care of it. He has other things to be thinking about without added, unneeded danger.” Crossing his arms over his chest, Kurogane stood tall over them, trying to make his decision final.

“I can handle it, Captain,” Syaoran spoke directly at him, not breaking eye contact. “I handle with danger everyday, just like everybody else, and it would take my mind off what needs doing if I’m busy worrying about whomever on my team ends up taking care of it. I shall look after it, and I’ll still take care of my duties.”

“Now that that’s taken care of,” Tomoyo interrupted the argument before it came into full fruitation, clapping her hands once, “Vice-Captain Syaoran, you and your team have the rest of the day off, and you will all resume your duties and patrols tomorrow at the 2nd Seg*. Until then, you have your leave.” Nodding to the rest of the team, the Princess turned to Syaoran, “Please stay behind for a few moments, Vice-Captain.”

Receiving a nod in reply, the three waited for everyone else to leave the room before Kurogane started growling.

“You are not taking care of that thing,” he ground out.

“Yes, he is,” Tomoyo confirmed. “That isn’t why I asked him to stay behind. Syaoran,” she turned to the teen, “I have a special mission for you – without any sort of team – and it will have to remain absolutely secret.”

“I accept your mission,” Syaoran immediately responded, bowing slightly.

“He’s not taking that thing,” Kurogane ground out.

Sighing, Syaoran stood up straight – his now seventeen year old, six foot height leaving only four and a half inches between the Captain and the Vice-Captain – and looked Kurogane straight in the eye.

“I’m not arguing with you, Kurogane. Please, just let me do this. Nothing is going to happen,” he said sternly. He knew the consequences of making mistakes. His eye was a constant reminder of it, and he wasn’t about to make any more mistakes. He hadn’t in the past two years.

“You don’t know that. It’d be best if you left that thing here, with one of those two. You don’t have to put yourself at any risk. Not again.”

Swallowing, Syaoran pushed past his guilt and held firm. That had been the first time Kurogane had gotten close to talking or even mentioning two years ago.

//A tired, dull eye opened.

Blinking, Syaoran noticed that something was off. Shifting, the brunette felt every inch of his skin burn as he tried to move. Feeling a slight weight, pushing on his hand, Syaoran ignored the heavy burn in his chest and neck as he looked at the source. His eye landed on his superior, his mentor, and his father figure.

Kurogane sat slumped on a wooden stool, his eyes closed, and his hands wrapped firmly around Syaoran’s left hand. At his movement, Kurogane’s eyes opened at he looked at Syaoran, who was breathing harshly and in obvious pain. There was definitely tears glimmering at the corners of the elder mans eyes.

Syaoran cried.//

Blinking to prevent the tears from welling up again at the memory, Syaoran stood stubbornly, refusing to back down. “I can do this. Please, trust me.”

“I do. It’s not you that I don’t trust. It’s that thing.”

“Regardless,” Tomoyo sighed, “Syaoran is going to take care of the egg. Now, Syaoran I want you to complete this mission as subtly as possible. It would be very problematic if one of the ministers from the capital found out about this.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

~I’ve seen the face of my reflection~
Of my reality

The ‘ministers’ were the ‘advisors’ from each of the populated areas both militant and otherwise, and they were supposed to ‘advise’ the person in charge of each area on the goings on. They never took blame for any wrong doings, but were greedy enough that they insisted on taking credit for the better ideas.

Nobody liked them, but were considered important if just for sake of procedure. Thankfully, they were not a large part of society.

Princess Tomoyo, Captain Kurogane and Vice-Captain Syaoran were all well known in the military for politically despising the ministers, so it is with great caution that they had to move around without the ministers noticing certain missions being carried out that the ministers did not particularly like.

Growling, Kurogane had stormed from the hall leaving the two young wards behind. If they wanted to cause trouble and put the brunette teen in even more imminent danger than he already was by carrying that damn thing that that was their problem.

Sighing through his nose in annoyance, the Captain headed to the indoor training grounds where he was going to have an hour long session of beating up anyone in range.

He already knew the mission details – he had insisted on working out every detail to make the mission less dangerous, if it was at all possible – and that hadn’t put him in a good mood to start with. Now, it was made worse.

He didn’t trust or like the egg. And he didn’t like Syaoran carrying it.

//”The gods blessed me with a spare.”//

Growling, Captain Kurogane walked the main corridors in a dark and foul mood.

~I’m being tortured by the future~
Of things yet to be

Tucking the egg into one of his many pockets, Syaoran bowed in acceptance of his new orders.

“The ministers wouldn’t like this at all,” he commented.

“No, they wouldn’t. But it’s necessary. Besides, what they don’t know won’t hurt us, or our current budget,” she smiled brightly. It was an internal joke among them that the budget would suffer greatly if only because it was really the only thing that could hurt the re-capturing of the cities. And there wasn’t any real proof that this would happen anyway. They just couldn’t be bothered with the large amounts of complaints they always seemed to be receiving from the ministers.

“I should be done by tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest. Thank you, Your Majesty.” Bowing formally, Syaoran smiled back at the Princess before leaving.

He had not liked hurting Kurogane, but it had needed to be done. The incident had been hanging over them for too long, and it had need addressing. Syaoran was seventeen, and in this part of the world he was considered a full grown adult, even if the Captain didn’t see it that way.

Kurogane needed to let go of Syaoran one day, and the incident had unwittingly pulled that back a few years. But Syaoran was his own man now, and he needed to make these choices on his own.

Frowning, Syaoran wondered how he was going to make up with his mentor, as he knew he had to. It had been a little harsh. Shaking his head, the brunette marched forwards concentrating on his new mission.

The weight of the egg was a comfort in his left hand pocket.

Leoanda: The song “Somebody Help Me” by Full Blown Rose which I do not own was used as the time breakage, mainly because I was listening to it at the time I first wrote this. Thank you!

Notes:

Okay, first off, I’m sorry for not really moving this along, but I wanted to show everyone that theres still a lot of tension going on even after two years. And things are going to be a bit strained between them.

Secondly, the reference from the film “300” was //”The gods blessed me with a spare.”// and will be appearing in full context in the next chapter (with why it was spoken).

And lastly:

*2nd Seg – this means ‘2nd Segment’. The days for the military personal, plus Tomoyo, are split into periods or ‘Segments’. The Segments go like this:

1st Seg – 00:00-05:00
2nd Seg – 05:00-10:00
3rd Seg – 10:00-15:00
4th Seg – 15:00-20:00
5th Seg – 20:00-00:00

These segments allow for the Day and Night Patrols to alternate between their patrols and duties. For example, Syaoran’s team is told to start their patrol at 2nd Segment. This means that they take over the 1st Night Patrol and begin the 1st Day Patrol which is the least dangerous Day patrol of the day. The most dangerous patrol of the day is the 3rd Segment – which is the Patrol that Syaoran’s team is usually landed with. Tomoyo giving them the 2nd Seg means that she’s going easy on them.

Thank you once again!!!!!