FicWad

There was a knock on the door of Yuan's office. "Come in!" he called, and a subordinate entered. Yuan recognized him as Lyon, a young squad leader. He held something in his hand, and Yuan could feel a powerful magical aura coming from it. "...What have you got there, Lyon?"

Lyon approached his desk. "A- well, I'm not exactly sure, sir," he admitted. He placed the object in front of Yuan: it was a strangely curled feather, with an odd design on one side. "It...it looks like a feather, sir, but I've never felt a mana signature like that before. I was hoping you'd know what to do with it."

Yuan picked it up carefully, examining it. There was something very odd, and yet almost familiar, about the aura it emitted. "Where did you get this?" he asked curiously.

"One of my men picked it up on patrol in Flanoir, sir. It was freshly exposed, in some ice that had recently been melting, looked like it had been there for years. Colin's always been real sensitive to auras and magic; he said there'd always seemed something odd about that area, and once it was exposed, he could sense it a mile off."

"I'm sure," Yuan murmured, "Thank you for bringing this to me, Sergeant. I'll investigate its origins myself." Understanding the implied dismissal, Lyon saluted, then left his leader to ponder the mysterious feather. Once he was alone, Yuan murmured to himself, "It almost feels like...like a fragment of a soul, unfiltered by an Exsphere. But that's impossible..."

Hate naki yume motomeru shirube naki mirai de...
Out seeking our limitless dreams in this future with no guide...

A few months later, after yet another trip through the swirling space between dimensions, a small group of travelers landed in a desert in a burst of mana and looked around them.

"My goodness, it's hot here!" said a tall, willowy magician. His short blonde hair was slightly tousled, while his clear blue eyes reflected sadness even though his face was always smiling. He wore blue and white robes, all covered with a matching fur-lined cloak, the hood of which was pulled up onto his head; he quickly brushed it down, so as not to overheat as much. "Although, I suppose you're used to this type of climate, aren't you, Sakura-chan?"

A girl in a pretty white dress with pink trim nodded. She was young, with brown hair so light it was nearly blonde, and green eyes that sparkled with life. "Yes, this is just like where I grew up...I wonder if I've come home?"

A boy with messy brown hair and hazel eyes approached her protectively. He wore a black shirt and grey-white pants, all covered by a flowing forest-green cloak. A pair of goggles hung loosely around his neck. "Maybe Mokona knows?" he told her.

The fourth person had short, spiky black hair and brown eyes that were currently narrowed in suspicion. He wore all black, except for two criss-crossing red belts, and he had a black cloak with a high collar which covered his mouth. He also wore a strange sort of red face mask; it covered his forehead, and came down to protect the sides of his face, without obscuring his vision at all. The mask was decorated with a black crescent moon. He addressed a small creature, "Oi, manjuu. Are we in Sakura's world or not? And is there anything weird around here?"

A small, rounded white creature bounced around them energetically. It had stubby arms, feet without legs, and long rabbit ears. Its eyes seemed to be perpetually squinting, but were no less expressive for that, and it had a strange red jewel embedded in its forehead. It spoke in a cheerful, high-pitched voice, "It's not Sakura's world, I don't think, but there's something really weird about it. There's a feather off that way-" it pointed in a direction, "but there's almost no magic in the air at all, and it feels like there should be, too."

The tall magician grew serious, "Mokona...you're right. This world...is nearly without mana."

The man in black shrugged, "So what's the big deal? That just means no spells for us to fight against, right?"

"Wrong, Kuro-wanwan," the magician responded with false cheerfulness, then grew serious again, "Life can't exist without a certain amount of mana around. Crops won't grow right, people and animals will become sickly and weak...with such low mana levels, it's clear that...this world is dying."

Sakura looked troubled. "I hope...it's not because of something my feather did," she said softly.

The boy shook his head firmly, "Even if it was, Princess, it's not your fault that it happened."

The magician smiled at her, "Syaoran's right. But I don't think that's the case, at any rate...some worlds are simply old and worn out. Even worlds have lifespans; it could be that we've simply reached one which is near the end of its life."

Sakura managed a smile, "I hope that's all it is, Fai-san." She turned to Syaoran, "And I thought I told you not to call me 'Princess' anymore, Syaoran. My name is Sakura, and we're friends, so you should use it!"

Syaoran smiled sheepishly at her, "Sorry...Sakura." He turned to the man in black, "We shouldn't stay here too long; we should try to find some shelter before we roast in the sun. Will you lead the way, Kurogane-san?"

Kurogane shrugged, "Sure, I guess. Let's head toward the feather, it's as good a direction as any other in this place. So I suppose the manjuu bun should lead us, instead."

The white creature squealed in joy, "Mokona will lead! Hooray! Follow Mokona!" It bounced off in the direction it had indicated before, and the others followed it through the burning desert sands.

Boku ga hikari nakushite mo itsuka...
I know that even if I lose the light someday...

The intercom on Yuan's desk beeped, then said, "Lord Yuan."

Yuan looked up from his work, "Botta? What is it?"

"Sir, we recently took some travelers prisoner under unusual circumstances, and they seem a bit...strange."

"Define 'strange'. And while you're at it, define 'unusual circumstances'."

"They came up and knocked on the door to the base, sir. There are children with them, and a...talking creature of some sort. And sir...they asked the name of where they were, and when I spoke with them for a while, I discovered that they had never heard of either Sylvarant or Tethe'alla." Botta sounded as confused as Yuan felt.

"...You're in the prison area?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'll be right there."

"Thank you, sir." There was no mistaking the relief in Botta's voice.

Kimi ga tomoshitekureta kirameku mune no honou...
You'll light up the flame within your sparkling heart...

A short while later, they were all in Yuan's office, Yuan having decided that whatever they were, they wouldn't be dangerous to him.

"So let me get this straight. You claim to be simple travelers..."

"We are."

"And yet you don't know the first thing about Sylvarant or Tethe'alla."

"We're from a long way away; we've never visited either of those countries before."

Yuan stared in disbelief at the cheerful mage who said his name was Fai. "Sylvarant is the name of this world," he informed the man icily.

Fai blinked in shock, as his ninja friend smirked, seeming to find the man's faux pas amusing. "...oh," said the pale wizard, who had suddenly grown somewhat paler. Then he looked confused. "But your friend...he seemed to be talking about a place called Tethe'alla as if it were separate from Sylvarant..."

"It is. There are two worlds here, and it seems that you don't come from either." Yuan remembered something, and his eyes widened, "Wait a minute...could it be...?" He looked at them with a new light dawning in his eyes, examining the group, "I've heard theories of multidimensional travel before, but I've never seen evidence of the implementation except with our worlds, which are so close together...it would require immense power, though..." His eyes rested on the little white creature, whose magical aura was almost as strong as that bizarre feather that a patrol had brought in a few months ago, the one that he'd asked both Kratos and the Elven Storyteller about, with no success in learning its origin. "That creature. Is that your transportation, then? Or do you cast the spells yourself?"

Fai blinked at him again, "You're very observant. Mokona is our transportation, yes."

"I've had a lot of time to practice observing things. So, why are you traveling through the dimensions?" He eyed the eclectic group, "Somehow, I can't see all of you traveling together unless you had some sort of mission."

The ninja, Kurowani or something like that, snorted, "You can say that again."

Fai draped himself over his friend's shoulders while the other man struggled, "Aw, you know you love me, Kuro-pippi!"

"Don't call me funny names! My name is Kurogane!" the ninja roared, his cheeks red.

Yuan smirked at them, "Get a room or something." Gratified to see Kurogane's entire face turn a violent red, and Fai's a delicate shade of pink, he turned to the others, "Well? Will you answer my question, if your companions won't?"

The boy, Syaoran, nodded, "Princess Sakura has lost her memories; fragments of her soul have been scattered throughout space and time, and we are on a quest to collect them for her."

Yuan nodded in resignation, "Let me guess; they look like feathers."

Syaoran's eyes widened, "How do you...?"

"Why else? We found one. We've been working on trying to harness its power for our cause, but if she needs it back..." He pressed a button on the intercom, "Jordan?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Bring in that feather that we found a few months back."

"Yes, sir!" The intercom fell silent.

"Wait," Sakura broke in, "What...what are you trying to use it for?"

Yuan turned to her, "My soldiers and I are attempting to repair the world. I don't know if you've noticed how low the mana levels are here?"

Fai nodded, and Sakura said, "Yes...Fai said it meant the world was dying. Is this world old and worn out? Or..."

Yuan shook his head, "Not yet. Or, it shouldn't be. I mentioned that there are two worlds here. Once, they were one world. Mana was supplied to them by a huge tree, called the Great Kharlan Tree. But excessive use of magitechnology consumed the mana faster than the Great Tree could produce it, and it withered away, leaving only its seed. A great wizard was forced to split the world into two halves, placing the two halves on phase-shifted dimensions, and binding the seed between them to provide them with mana. But the Great Seed only produces enough mana for one world, and so the worlds are constantly exchanging roles, like an hourglass. Right now, this world is nearly empty, while the other one is full of mana; in a few years, there will be a ritual to reverse their positions.

"If the Great Seed were allowed to sprout, the worlds could be healed, and people wouldn't have to suffer as they do now. But the wizard who split the world won't allow it, because his sister's soul is bound to the seed, and if it grows, it will absorb her. However, I know that the sister would never want the worlds to suffer so that she can remain in such a state, half-alive and in constant pain...and so, for both her sake and that of the worlds, the Renegades and I are trying to find a way to make the Great Seed sprout."

The others looked shocked. While they were doing that, a soldier entered the office. "Here's that feather, sir," he said, handing Sakura's feather to Yuan.

"Mekyo!" the creature Mokona cried out, opening its eyes wide to reveal bizarre cat-like pupils, "That's really one of Sakura's feathers, all right!"

"So it detects them too?" Yuan observed, "How interesting." He turned back to the soldier, "Thank you, Jordan. Dismissed." The man saluted and left. Yuan turned to Sakura and offered the feather to her, "Here you are, child."

Sakura stared at it; she seemed to be coming to a decision. Finally, she said, "You can...keep it, if it will help you. ...You need it more than I do."

Yuan was floored. "You...you can't mean that," he said finally, "It might take centuries for our task to be completed, even with your feather. Are you willing to risk never getting back that part of your soul? Losing those memories permanently?"

Sakura's expression was determined, "If it means the happiness of so many people...then I am."

Yuan stared at her, then smiled sadly, even a bit nostalgically. "You're...just like her, aren't you..." he murmured, "So utterly pure..." He shook his head, "It's true that your feather might help us reach our goal faster...but I can't accept it, even freely offered as it is." He stared at the gem embedded in the back of his hand, "Our enemy...he forces a transformation upon certain young people, ripping away their pure souls to create vessels for his sister, a new body that she can inhabit. These people never deserved to lose their souls, and what he does makes him a monster; the fact that these Chosen Ones go willingly to their doom, even knowing their fate, makes his crimes greater and not less. They, too, are willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the world...but that doesn't make it right to accept such a sacrifice." He met Sakura's eyes, "If I were to take this feather from you...I would be no better." He proffered the feather again, "Take it, child. It's yours."

Sakura nodded, "I understand. Thank you, Mister Yuan. I...hope you manage to save your world."

Yuan smiled sadly, "So do I."

Then Sakura reached out and took the feather from him. It dissolved into sparkles and vanished into her small form, and she wavered for a moment before collapsing into Syaoran's waiting arms.

Yuan was mildly alarmed. "Will she...be hurt by this?" he asked, a little concerned by the similarity to the Chosen's angelic transformation process.

"Only if the memories she's regaining are painful," Fai assured him.

Yuan nodded, "I see...good, then." He turned to Syaoran, "Take care of her, kid...Don't you ever lose her." His gaze was stern, but underneath was a gaping loss, and Fai nodded in sudden understanding.

"The wizard you spoke of...you knew him, didn't you? And his sister...you were close?" Fai asked.

Yuan nodded slowly, "Yes. Yes, Martel...was my fiancée." He looked at Sakura's sleeping face, "Sakura is...very similar in personality."

There was an awkward silence for a moment, which Kurogane broke. "Well, we've got the feather, so we should get going," he said bluntly.

Yuan blinked, then snapped back into his businesslike demeanor, "Yes, I'd like it if you could do one small favor for me."

Fai seemed apprehensive as he asked, "What would you like us to do?"

Yuan smirked a little, "Leave from right here, if you can. I want to study your method of transportation, perhaps we can find a way to duplicate the process with magitechnology."

Fai smiled at him, "That we can certainly do. Everyone ready?" They all gathered close together, "Okay, Mokona, let's go!"

"Mokona Modoki can't wait!" cried the puffball as it opened its mouth impossibly wide and grew wings. Shining streams of rainbow magic swirled around the group, creating a vortex of wind in Yuan's office which scattered papers and tugged at his cloak.

Yuan watched, fascinated, as they all disappeared inside the creature's mouth; Mokona itself then disappeared with a small 'pop!' noise, and Yuan was alone in his office, with nothing but disarrayed papers to prove that he hadn't just had a very strange dream.

Tsubasa ni kawaru kibou no kakera.
And we'll trade these fragments of our dreams for wings.