TSUBASA RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE chapter 165 (CLAMP)

Even though it’s rather out of character of me to write TRC review for only one chapter, I’ve decided to write this down immediately because.....mmm, ......because I feel like it! Tch, as if anybody would care about my reasons.

Okay, first thing that I’d like to make clear is the “Kurogane slashed realFai”-thing. He didn’t and it was very stupid of me not to realize it sooner. RealFai was still “asleep” inside the pool and the one Kurogane was, well, nobody. It was just a vision, a magic trick, or whatever you want to call it, created by Ashura-ou.

Then, answering question number 1 and 2 (at least some part of question no.2) from my previous TRC installment-- Ashura-ou is positively dead and what Tomoyo-hime gave Kurogane was really a protective seal. There’s definitely something more to it than “you lose some of your strength if you kill someone unnecessarily”-thing. What protection does it serve, actually? Heck, we’ll never know until CLAMP reveals about it in the future.

Almost instantly after the fall of Ashura-ou, realFai’s body started to ascend from the pool. Sakura’s wing that “protected” him all along returned to Sakura’s body, making the inevitable--the decay of the body--happen. However, during that process (the wing’s return and the decomposition), realFai’s last memory was somehow revealed. Contrary to ourFai’s belief all this time, his brother had never had any grudge against him before he died. RealFai willingly died so that he could save Yuui. As simple as that. OurFai finally realized that by preserving realFai’s body, he had prevented his brother from resting in peace.

Of course, we all know that ourFai’s letting go of his brother is not the end. Far from it. OurFai’s still got one curse. Ashura-ou wanted ourFai to kill him so that the final curse would be lifted from him. I suspect that the curse has something to do with killing someone most precious to him (apart from realFai, Ashura-ou seemed to be that person to ourFai). Gosh, makes me wonder, is Sakurazukamori-thing (destined to kill and be killed by his/her most precious person) will be applied here.

In the end of chapter 165, ourFai came into trance state like the one he was in before stabbing Sakura (when the first curse was activated). What will the second curse be? Something devastating, I'm sure of it.

It would be interesting to see how the rest of the gang would refer to ourFai after this. I don’t recall Syaoran ever called ourFai “Fai”, Sakura is still soulless, and Kurogane always use “that guy” or “the mage” when referring to Fai. So, it only leaves Mokona. Will he call ourFai “Yuui” right away? Aargh, my questions is piling up.....