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[Yeah, that drama would wind up being a bit much for him, so it's probably for the best that Kurogane doesn't elaborate on it. He could sort of pick up on something being amiss, from Fai's expression when he had alluded to Kurogane... but again, it wasn't really his business to pry when neither of them wanted to speak about it.

Kurogane's agreement over Sakura comes as a bit of a surprise to him, but he can't help but feel happy about it nonetheless. There was something... gratifying in others seeing the positives in the people you adored, especially from someone as gruff as Kurogane.]

I think that quality's helped her a lot here. I was worried when I first arrived that she was dealing with this stuff on her own, but...a lot of other people were looking out for her in the meantime, so I'm glad for that.

[Kurogane can interpret what he wants from that statement-- whether he's an overprotective friend, or something more. But Syaoran's probably going to be too shy to admit outright the true nature of their relationship, so he's better off getting the answers from Sakura. (Unless Kurogane wants to sit there for an hour while Syaoran stammers and blushes, that is!)

The water starts to boil, and Syaoran moves to pour it into the teapot, letting it steep as he gets the cups and such together. He frowns for a moment as he considers Kurogane's statement, before nodding a bit.]

I could sort of see that. The annoying part, I mean. [Because Fai did seem remarkably chipper about things, even when he was attempting to get Syaoran squished by a killer robot.] I'm sure being good with people must have helped a lot in your travels too, though.

[ He definitely interprets that as meaning something more, thinking that Syaoran's probably taken up looking after her now that he's here. If he were one to consider anything cute, he would think they were.

That comment about Fai gets a small huff of a laugh from him. This Syaoran is nowhere near as polite and, honestly, he likes that difference. ]

Yeah, it did. He and the kid would usually take care of getting us set up somewhere.

[ Meanwhile Kurogane just waited until there was a fight or work, which suited him just fine. The less he had to deal with people, the better. He watches as Syaoran gets the tea ready, leaning back against the couch and crossing his arms. ]

[The laugh, as small as it was, gets a bit of a bewildered look from Syaoran, unsure what he had said that was so amusing. He was just being honest...! Though it was that honesty and bluntness on his end that wound up ruffling a few feathers sometimes (namely, Kero's).

There's not much else for him to do aside from portion out the tea into the cups, though he does pause as Kurogane mentions one of the other members of his traveling party.]

The kid...? You had a child along with you guys too?

[Joke's on you, Syaoran, this 'child' you speak of is actually older than you are.]

He's older than you, but yeah.

[ Which means you are a baby to him, Syaoran.

Kurogane waits for Syaoran to finish pouring the tea before reaching out to grab his own cup and take sip from it. He should probably go ahead and just say it now, since Syaoran needs to know this anyway. It's better to tell him sooner rather than later, and Kurogane's never been one to delay things.

So when Syaoran seems like he's done, and preferably isn't holding a cup, Kurogane sets his down and looks at him for a moment. ]

That kid is another version of you from a different world.

[ Right to the point. He's going to leave it there for now, because he doesn't plan on getting into anything regarding the clones if he can help it. But Syaoran deserves to know that Kurogane knows another version of him. ]

[His eyes widen as Kurogane corrects him, a small 'Ah' of understanding escaping his lips. Well, that makes sense-- Kurogane seemed to be a lot older than Syaoran was, so even someone around Touya's age could seem like a kid to him. (But Syaoran is also Baby too, so he's not wrong on that point)

He really only takes a few sips from his own cup out of politeness-- the whole tea custom was more for the guests and less for himself-- before Kurogane sets his cup down, fixes him with a look, and tells him that. A bomb could go off and Syaoran would be all the more unaware, the news stunning him into complete silence as he processes it. A whole parade of expressions cross his face as he tries to grasp what he'd just heard-- shock, confusion, disbelief, and bewilderment, all while he struggles to find a way to respond to that. Because... well, how DO you respond to someone saying they know an alternate version of yourself?]

... what?

[Well, this explains why Kurogane didn't want to tell him at the supermarket, anyway! That would have been a real awful place to find that out! His mind reels, recalling what Sana had said about people from home having different memories and personalities than she knew, and he can't help but sputter out:]

A... Are you sure he's from a different world? You said he's older-- is it possible he's a future version of myself instead?

[Because somehow, the idea that he might be world-hopping with Kurogane and Fai in the future seems more plausible than... well, different versions of him existing in different worlds. (And that's not even covering the clone nonsense)]

[ He watches as a myriad of expressions flit across Syaoran's face, patiently waiting for that information to sink in. It's not something anyone would ever expect to hear, so he doesn't mind waiting as Syaoran processes all of it. ]

I'm sure. [ There's no doubt in his voice either, his tone leaving no room for arguments. ]

He's not a future version of yourself. You were never an archaeologist, were you?

[ Mentioning one of the bigger differences between them should help drive home that the two of them are different.

It's no doubt hard for Syaoran to wrap his head around it, and Kurogane definitely had trouble with it himself, so he decides to explain further. ]

There's different versions of everyone in different worlds. I saw some of the same people over and over.

[ Honestly, it's shocking he didn't come across himself at some point. ]

[He falls quiet at Kurogane's frank tone, his mind still boggling from all of the implications behind it. Kurogane didn't seem the type to lie (at least intentionally) and there wasn't any point for him to make up something like this... but how? How was this even possible?

Silently, he shakes his head at the other man's question, his expression somewhat unfocused.]

... no. I'm still in middle school. Sakura's father is, though...

[But... dang. His other self is an archaeologist? AND he's young enough for Kurogane to still be calling him 'kid'? He's already envious of this Syaoran, and he's only just heard about him.

But mentioning Sakura brought something else to mind, and suddenly it started to all click together. Kurogane getting along with her. Saying that he 'wasn't surprised' that Fai and her were friends. Maybe he was reading too much into it, but--]

... wait, what about Sakura? Is there a version of her with you guys as well? Or--Or did that other version of me ever mention her at all?

[He wouldn't be surprised if those alternate versions of themselves didn't know one another-- after all, they had spent most of their lives in different countries back home. If it weren't for the Clow cards, or her magic, he might not have ever met her. Still, even if it seemed likely, it was a bit sad to consider...]

[ He definitely isn't reading too much into it, because he's definitely on the right track.

It's really kind of cute the way he's immediately wondering if he knew the other Sakura... Once again, Kurogane is not surprised. ]

Yeah, she was with us for a while. She's a princess, so she's back home for now.

[ He'll let that information sink in for just a bit before answering Syaoran's other question. It's best to leave it like that though, that she's a princess and needs to stay in her world. The reality of it would be too hard (and likely painful for Syaoran) to explain. ]

You know each other pretty well. I guess that's the same here too?

[ With the way Sakura knew Syaoran's address and the fact that Syaoran calls her just "Sakura"? He's going to assume so. ]

[Look, Sakura is the most important person in the world to him!! If there was any thread that tied all of these Syaorans together, it most definitely was that. That's why his eyes go wide at the mention of her-- at least, the other her-- being a princess, trying to envision such a thing in his head. The mental image was, admittedly, a cute one, but it also felt a bit off from the Sakura that he knew. It felt-- too regal, too detached from the slightly clumsy and sweet girl he adored, though if his other self was an archeologist, then anything was possible...

His cheeks can't help but flush slightly at Kurogane's question, though, and he gives a small shake of his head in response.]

N-No... she's just an ordinary girl back home. [Well, no, that's not exactly accurate, and so he amends:] I mean... she's a powerful magician, and her father is the reincarnation of one of the greatest sorcerers in history... but she's not ruling a country or anything like that.

[Though she will always be royalty in his heart!]

We've been through a lot together, though. She's... someone very close and important to me.

[He doesn't know if it's the time to really go into the full details about that, though, about all the Clow Card hunting and Sakura's evolving powers and all. That said--]

You... said your version of Sakura had to go back home, right? Is the other version of me with her there as well? Or... or is he still travelling with you and Fai?

[Because he can read between the lines there-- this Princess Sakura had a duty to her people, and this alternate Syaoran? Not so much. It could be that maybe these versions of themselves weren't so close after all, or maybe there was something holding them back-- status or obligation, or a mix of the two, possibly. Either way, it was a bit sad to think about.]

[ Kurogane nods, not surprised to hear that she's a powerful magician. She showed him her cards earlier in the month, so he had suspected as much.

But he levels Syaoran with a look at the mention of Sakura being close and important to him. He doesn't say anything about it though, because teasing just isn't something he does, but Kurogane does feel like he has a clearer picture of their relationship with each other now.

There's a brief silence as Kurogane considers his answer before he finally nods. ]

The plan is for the three of us to keep traveling, yeah. I came here before we ever took off.

[ The fact that they're traveling because Syaoran is paying a price isn't something this Syaoran needs to hear, and Kurogane plans to keep that to himself. ]

...Don't worry about those two. They'll see each other again.

[ He tries to get that out in case Syaoran starts to really worry or feel sad about it, and his words have no trace of doubt. That they'll all meet again is something Kurogane is sure of. ]

[He can't help but glance up when Kurogane tries to reassure him about things, wondering if his worries really were that transparent upon his face. It wasn't like he was this other version of himself, and it's possible this older, possibly wiser Syaoran felt differently about things. But... he couldn't help feeling that any alternate version of himself, no matter the timeline or the world, would probably be a bit upset about the whole situation.]

... I hope they do. Being separated from someone you care about can be really rough.

[As he's had decent experience with, being in Hong Kong for about a year or so to finish up family business. But at least that was on the same planet... these two were literally worlds apart.

Though on that topic--]

Ah-- you've never really told me why all of you were travelling between all of these worlds to begin with, though. I know we were going to talk about it at the campsite, but...

[... well. All of that stuff wound up happening instead. But now he's extra curious, especially if it was something he and Sakura, albeit alternate versions, wound up getting involved with.]

Edited 2020-10-07 00:30 (UTC)

[ He nods, taking another sip of tea. His main focus had been letting Syaoran know about his own counterpart and getting that out of the way, since he knew that talking about why he was traveling at all would bring up the other Syaoran and Sakura.

It takes him a moment to think of what exactly to say. ]

We were getting back the princesses' memories since she lost them. They were in these feathers, so we had to get them back and return them to her. [ That's what they were doing most of the time anyway, so he's not going to get into... everything else. ]

I got pulled into it because Princess Tomoyo sent me to travel a bunch of worlds. I was trying to get back to Japan, so I helped them out so we could keep going to different worlds and eventually I would get back.

[ Hope you like knowing that Tomoyo is also a princess, Syaoran! Kurogane doesn't even think much about mentioning her, because why would Syaoran even know her. He'll leave out the fact that she sent him out to become a better person for now, but he won't mind if Syaoran asks either. ]

[Syaoran picks up his own cup, turning it around in his hands as he tries to sort through all this news. He hadn't been that thirsty before, but now after all of this, he seriously needed a drink to re-center himself a little. He's quiet as Kurogane tells him about their motivation and reason for their travels, his lips pursing as a flood of new questions pop up in his mind. How did she lose her memories in the first place? Why did they scatter that far? Better yet, why did they take a physical form to begin with?

He takes a sip of his own tea as Kurogane continues on, only to sputter on it when he drops yet another casual bomb amid these surprise developments. He gasps for a moment, making sure there was nothing left for him to choke upon, before openly gaping at the other man.]

You mean Daidouji's a princess too?!

[Of course, it was much easier to picture Tomoyo as a princess, given her exuberant upbringing and her refined nature, but... man. If Kurogane's Tomoyo was anything like his Tomoyo, their kingdom must have some unique fashion sense. But something else sticks out to him, and he shakes his head, trying to make sense of it.]

But... wait, the one I know doesn't even have magic. How was yours able to do such a thing?

[ It's Kurogane's turn to be surprised as Syaoran sputters and stares at him. He raises his eyebrows. Apparently he knows Tomoyo too. While Kurogane knows he shouldn't be taken aback, he still can't help it. ]

...She used her magic to send me to meet the others.

[ Mentioning the witch could potentially lead them down a rabbit hole, so he keeps it vague unless Syaoran wants more details. ]

Princess Tomoyo is a powerful priestess in my world. [ He assumes Syaoran would want to know a little more, so he elaborates: ] I work as a ninja under her, so it's my duty to protect her.

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