Fai knew Ashura when he was young

[Senefen]

Slight spoilers for the last TRC chapter, you have been warned.
I was looking through the 2nd character guide when I came across something quite interesting.
Big image in spoiler tags, not really a spoiler

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Dont resize! >.<
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i9/Senefen/0208.jpg

Mokona, for fun made a storyboard of how she would have liked the opening of the anime it features the gang when they were young, the page before this has Kurogane with his parents, this page has Syaoran with Fujioka, Sakura with Yukito and Touya and a young Fai reading a book with Ashura.
We have to take this with a grain of salt as the saying goes but this points to
-Ashura and Fai were not lovers, at least not at first
-Ashura did not save Fai from prision when they met (unless Fai was there with his Mum or something O.o)

Um yeah... any comments ^^

[Tatasenko]

in fact this subject has already been talked about,and it came out that as you said Fai and Ashura weren't past lovers but rather parents  !
maybe that Ashura has adopted Fai as his son when he was still a lttle child and so that he was the one who took him out of his jail,but for now this sketch is enough for me,because it could mean that the love relationship between Kurogane and Fai would not be crushed because of Ashura 

[mela]

I don't understand how that indicates that Ashura did not take Fai out of prison (that's the only thing I can think of when Fai says that Ashura "took him out"...)

Plus, I think you mean Fujitaka, not Fujioka

[Airashii]

Cool, pic! This is great news, I didn't always liked Ashura and Fai as a couple.

[Senefen]

No no i didnt say they wernt lovers, I said they didnt start that way.
Really it was discussed in 132? I didnt notise ^^ sorry, havent been around so much lately.

badly worded
"Ashura did not save Fai from prision when they met "<-as in this was not how they met. Unless that wasnt Fai it was his mother or something and he was watching her *shrug* Ashura could've taken him out of there still but it was not how they originaly met.

[Emiko]

The Fai in the picture looks similar to the Fai in the prison, so it could be a picture of him after Ashura took him out. Also, Fai ages slower so it's hard to tell how much of an age difference there is between the two pictures, but the character guide picture could well have taken place after Fai was removed from prison, I think.

While I certainly think your idea has merit, and I'm not 100% sure that Ashura was *actually* the one to take him out, I don't think that picture can really prove anything besides the fact that Fai knew Ashura when he was younger, whether it be before he was tossed in the prison or after.

Though I don't know if I see Fai and Ashura having a parental/son relationship, personally. While it may not be romantic, it doesn't really seem to have that dynamic to me.

[mela]

Though I don't know if I see Fai and Ashura having a parental/son relationship, personally. While it may not be romantic, it doesn't really seem to have that dynamic to me.

I agree, I don't think Ashura was a father figure to him. The way Fai reacts to Ashura and the mere mention of his name, plus that splash page with Fai and Ashura... I dunno, perhaps it isn't romantic, but it sure doesn't seem like a parent/child relationship either.

[Emiko]

If *anything*, I would say that the guide picture makes me think 'hero-worship' before 'fatherly'. It's difficult to say without really knowing that much about Fai's background. I think it's likely that Fai thought that Ashura was going to be the one to 'take him away' or whatever it was he said in the Outo bar, but he didn't end up following through with Fai's ideal, either intentionally or unintentionally. Or maybe Ashura *was* the one to 'take him away' but it didn't end up working out the way it perhaps should have?

Either way, I can't shake the feeling that that Outo quote was in some way, be it large or small, a reference to Ashura.

[Capella]

It could be a mixture of parent-child and romantic - it's not like CLAMP hasn't doen that before. Fai could have had romantic feelings for Ashura-ou while Ashura-ou thought of Fai as his son, for example. Or it could have been a relationship that started more familial (or resembling familial) and became romantic. You never know.

I agree that Fai's statement in Outo is probably related to Ashura-ou. The similarities between that and the "took me out" sentence are very strong. I wonder if there's more of a parallel to Suu (of Clover) here. Perhaps Fai fell in love with the first person who was kind to him, and took him out of his captivity, regardless of whether that person would love him the same way. Just a random thought.

[Ando]

I agree with previous posters on that Fai and Ashura's relationship could possibly have gone from family to romance. I'm thinking of that splash-page showing them together; although Fai resting in Ashura's lap could indicate parental/childish love only, the text that accompanies the pic could not, at least not to me. I don't remember the exact wording though - anyone?

A little off topic, perhaps, but you know what strikes me looking at those sketches? Everyone is drawn together with an (arguable) father figure (and, in the case of Kurogane, a mother figure as well), but why is little Sakura being cute together with Touya and Yukito instead of Clow? I mean, it's no secret that he is her father. Mysterious guy... I bet he isn't even dead.

[Tatasenko]

It could be a mixture of parent-child and romantic - it's not like CLAMP hasn't doen that before. Fai could have had romantic feelings for Ashura-ou while Ashura-ou thought of Fai as his son, for example. Or it could have been a relationship that started more familial (or resembling familial) and became romantic. You never know.

so it would mean that in some way Fai and Ashura's relationship could have been similar to Sakura and Yukito's link in Card Captor Sakura  ...
of course it's different due to the fact that Sakura is a girl,but love is love and so in the same way that yukito was Sakura's first love because of his natural kindness and mainly because of the effects of his hidden magical power,Ashura may have been as well Fai's first love because he has been the one who saved him from his loneliness and has filled the emptiness in his heart with his reassuring magical aura 

if we follow this logic(which is totally contestable),Fai can't move on because he is still haunted and frozen because of his tormented feelings for Ashura,but exactly like Sakura has succeeded to free herself from her painful and impossible love and realized that Shaolan was loving her,Fai would certainly also manage to put an end to his endowed sentiments,and so be able to accept what Kurogane has to offer him 

[Capella]

I agree with previous posters on that Fai and Ashura's relationship could possibly have gone from family to romance. I'm thinking of that splash-page showing them together; although Fai resting in Ashura's lap could indicate parental/childish love only, the text that accompanies the pic could not, at least not to me. I don't remember the exact wording though - anyone?

A little off topic, perhaps, but you know what strikes me looking at those sketches? Everyone is drawn together with an (arguable) father figure (and, in the case of Kurogane, a mother figure as well), but why is little Sakura being cute together with Touya and Yukito instead of Clow? I mean, it's no secret that he is her father. Mysterious guy... I bet he isn't even dead.

The tag line said "Without nestling together like this, one cannot survive. A maze of memories and emotion, such is this 'World of Ice.'" I don't think it's exactly indicative of the relationship between Fai and Ashura-ou. Someone on LJ noted that the pose in the picture is actually quite similar to one of Yasha and (younger) Ashura from RG Veda, which is definitely a case of a relationship with a mix of parent-child and romantic love involved.

I think they were just supposed to be "when they were little" pictures, though I don't know why Sakura was shown with Touya and Yukito. Maybe because Touya and Yukito are more prominent than King Clow? Heh, CLAMP doesn't like to draw attention to King Clow much, do they?

[Senefen]

A little off topic, perhaps, but you know what strikes me looking at those sketches? Everyone is drawn together with an (arguable) father figure (and, in the case of Kurogane, a mother figure as well), but why is little Sakura being cute together with Touya and Yukito instead of Clow? I mean, it's no secret that he is her father. Mysterious guy... I bet he isn't even dead.

I dont think they really needed to be parents I think it was just a childhood thing, Kurogane, Syaoran and Fai(?) didnt have older siblings. I'm not sure if it was father figure so much as who took care of them and raised them.
Kurogane had both is parents.
Syaoran was orphansed and only had Fujioka
Sakura had her father, big bro and Yukito.
Its not lack of a motherly figure so much that they lacked mothers O.o

[Becster]

Personally, I don't think Fai and Ashura had a romantic relationship. Although I do believe Fai may have had that odd sort of love where you worship someone so much you believe you love them. If Ashura did get Fai

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out of that cel

, then I think that Fai would've probably latched onto him...especially if he was the first person to really show him kindness. Fai could've believed that was love. (I hope I'm making sense.)

Incidentally, I was flicking through my character guide (my friend went to Japan and brought back Birthday/Christmas presents for me, two of which included the Tsubasa Character Guides 1 and 2...) and the little picture with Fai and Ashura is part of a storyboard. I didn't get it at first, but was looking through the kanji at the side when I noticed Clamp had put, in English, by a couple of the panels 'JUST GO-OU'. So I assume it was a plan for the second season opening. ...Maybe you all knew that and I'm being an idiot, I dunno. But...yeah. I found that interesting :3 And I love the fact they expanded on that awesome picture with Sakura on the throne...and Fai with the uber mace...and...and...

...Yeah. *shuts up*

[Tatasenko]

if my eyes are not mistaken Ashura and Fai are reading a book,i wonder what it is about...peharps it is a romantic story about prince and princess,so no wonder if Fai is now such a bobby-soxer  ...

but i rather think that this is a magical book which contains spells and incantations since Ashura has certainly been Fai's teacher.
Moreover Fai is pointing out at the book with a happy smile which shows how much he is enjoying this privileged moment with Ashura,he definitely has got natural talents to learn quickly 
but if Ashura is the one who has taught Fai how to control his magical powers,he may be also the only one who has the knowledge to stop him,so when the day will come for Ashura and Fai to confront themselves,Fai will certainly be too divided by his feelings to fight,and Ashura will have the opportunity to dominate the situation