"Oh Kuro-puu, it's time to get up and moving. Did you doze off again?" Fai's voice was even but contained a touch of mirth as he observed where Kurogane was lounging, head on his chest under a tree.
"A true warrior doesn't doze off. I was meditating," came the short-tempered retort. "And how many times do I have to tell you, it's Kurogane!" He growled, quickly rising to his feet.
"Tsk, tsk, I thought meditating was supposed to improve your mood. But it appears that Daddy Kuro-tan is in a worse mood now than he was before. Such a shame too…" Fai sipped at his tea and looked over at Kurogane.
"Mokona thinks Kurogane is angry with Fai! Mokona thinks maybe they will fight!" The white Mokona popped up, bouncing in the limbs of the tree above Kurogane's head. "Mokona says that Kurogane is strongest warrior!"
Fai nearly spit out his tea. Fight? With Kurogane? There would be only one potential outcome that he was aware of: his complete and utter defeat if he was to face Kurogane without his magic. He recovered and let out a short laugh. "Mokona, I'm sure that my dear Kuro-sama would rather have a real sparring partner than go up against me. But perhaps if he needs to let off a little steam, I can offer him a cool drink," he finished smoothly.
"It sounds to me like you're asking for a fight!" Kurogane stormed, reaching a hand to the sheath of his sword. "It would be quite easy, I'm confident of this. Not to mention it would be a quick match too."
"Perhaps. But wouldn't it be more satisfactory to retaliate in a non-combat manner? After all, we already know who's the strongest warrior." Fai shot back, scrambling for a way to not have to fight Kurogane. "I promise you that I would handle anything you were able to come up with for me. What say you?" He asked, extending a hand for a friendly handshake to agree to the terms.
Kurogane gave a low growl, but thought about it for a minute, and sighed heavily. He lifted his hand off his sword, and grudgingly shook Fai's. "Yeah, whatever. Just watch your back, mage."
"Oh, believe me, I shall be. It shan't be easy for you to prank me good. But I look forward to your efforts, Kuro-wan." Fai flashed what amounted to a mischievous smile for him at Kurogane, who stomped off.
Two weeks later, Fai had all but forgotten to keep watching for opportunities that Kurogane could retaliate against him. He assumed, despite his initial paranoia, that perhaps Kurogane had either let it go or forgotten to find anything as payback. After all, the first week had Fai watching around corners and checking everything twice, suspecting a prank in everything. He grew weary of such checking and by the middle of the second week, he had ceased keeping an eye out entirely.
He arose early one morning to get a shower before they started packing up to leave for another destination. He didn't relish early mornings, but such was the price to keep his hair looking perfect all the time. He blearily turned on the water, adjusted the temperature and stepped into the shower, humming softly to himself. Grabbing the shampoo bottle, he poured a good amount into his hair and lathered it through, and noticed it smelled a little stronger than he remembered. His sleepy mind dismissed this as simply not being awake enough to recognize his normal routine and he rinsed, wrapping a towel around his waist as he stepped out of the shower. His eyes caught sight of himself, namely the unnatural tint to his hair, in the mirror, and he let out a very unmanly screech. "KURO-PUU! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY PERFECT HAIR?!"
Down the hall, Kurogane grinned and then started to laugh, first a low chuckle, then a full belly laugh. He turned and high-fived Mokona. "Thanks again for the help in finding that pink hair dye. How long did you say it would last again?"
The white Mokona bounced up and down excitedly before saying, "The box said it lasts 6-8 weeks! Fai-kun has pink hair for a long time!"
Fai stepped out of the bathroom with his hair combed, no longer gorgeous blonde locks but now a stunning shade of fuschia. He stopped dead in his tracks as he heard how long his "punishment" would last. "Six to eight weeks?" He groaned but remembered the promise he had made to Kurogane when the deal was struck. "Well, then I suppose six to eight weeks of fabulous pink hair it shall be. Good job, Kuro. You did quite well with this 'retaliation'."
Kurogane grinned. "Just keep telling yourself that… Easter egg." He mumbled the last phrase just loudly enough for Fai to hear as he walked down the hall to the kitchen. Fai gaped at him, shocked at what he'd just heard. Did he just…. no, it must've been my mind playing tricks on me. Fai, get a hold of yourself!
Kurogane glanced over his shoulder and saw Fai frozen in place, his jaw dropped open. He chuckled as he turned back and went around the corner. "Well, may not be as much fun as sparring, but it was worth it to get the king of stupid nicknames and comebacks to be speechless." He thought aloud as he headed outside for his morning warm up training.
The End.