And... we're back on schedule with this series.
Warning: This series, and this arc in particular, smashes canon to bits.
Piffle takes place after "the sands of Harasa", and before "speak your desperate lie".
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle and its characters do not belong to me.
in Piffle, we play Pretend
ARC 1
Chapter 1: New Horizons to Pursue
Piffle was a whirlwind of everything all at once.
They landed hard in a bright alley full of solid walls and sunlight, careening painfully into concrete, and the first thing Fai did was to check that everyone had made it through the dimension crossing. The second thing he did was to stretch his senses out.
There were people in this world, people everywhere, and the glint of steel and glass on tall buildings fed into the knot of hope in his chest. This world was empty of magic, too. No Ashura. Things rumbled and buzzed about them, murmured and beeped. They'd been in worlds like this before, worlds where people relied on electricity and machines to get chores done. It meant comfort and medicine and cleanliness, and they all desperately needed a bath.
"There're people here," he said to the children, who were wincing and cradling various parts of their bodies. He'd bumped his head, too, but it was nothing of consequence in the face of the children's hurts. "Are you okay? Sakura-mis? Syaoran-sha?"
And because the magical construct deserved accolades for bringing them somewhere good and safe, "Mokona-mis?"
They answered with a chorus of "I'm fine," and Fai blew out a sigh, leaning back on his feet.
Kurogane's arm was at his back, and Kurogane was looking at him.
Fai very resolutely did not return his stare, instead holding a hand up against bright sunlight. "Well, shall we head out to find a doctor for Sakura-mis?"
"At least put your clothes on first. Tch." Kurogane shoved the bundle of clothes at him.
Well. They should definitely do that. Fai extricated the thin, black length of his pants. That was the other strange sensation; air brushing his bare skin. All he and Kurogane had on were the cloaks they'd traveled with in Harasa. He'd lost the makeshift skirt around his waist when they squeezed between dimensions, and he wondered if it had happened to the warrior, as well.
The children turned away so they could shrug clothes on in relative privacy. From the corner of his eye, Fai watched as Kurogane shook out his pants, lined his underwear up with it, and stepped into both at the same time. His cut blanket was still around his waist. It wasn't fair.
After, Kurogane turned to him with his bundled blanket, raised an eyebrow. "Where's yours?"
Fai frowned. He fastened the button on his pants and stepped into his shoes. "It's been blown away, it seems."
The warrior considered him for another long moment, interest glimmering in his eyes. "If it falls off while we're doing the jump—" he nodded at Mokona "—then is it gonna land in another world?"
"Who knows? Maybe it hit someone on the head." Fai tried for a grin. He certainly wouldn't want to be smacked in the face with a blanket that had just been covering someone else's privates. Kurogane snorted.
"C'mon, you done? We'll find a doctor for the princess. It looks more like late afternoon than early morning." Kurogane stepped around the children, tucking his cloak and blanket under his arm.
"How do you tell that it's afternoon?" the princess asked, turning her dusty face up at Kurogane.
He shrugged. "Just the way people walk slower. I could be wrong."
There weren't many people on the ground at all, they discovered. This was another world with bright displays and flying machines, to the extent that there were few cars cruising down the road. All along the street were towering buildings and tall streetlamps, and there were shops halfway up the skyscrapers, serving vehicles that stopped for half a minute and peeled off after.
"Is there a feather in this world?" Syaoran said.
Mokona nodded. Fai smiled. It meant that they'd have a chance to catch up on their rest, if they could. Dirt had crusted on his skin, and there was still sand on his scalp that came away in his nails each time he combed them through his hair. (He really, really wanted a bath.)
"Maybe we should split up and search for a doctor," he said, eyeing the few colorful shops at ground level. "That way, we should be able to get to one before it closes!"
He wasn't feeling too positive about it, with so many of the services so far off the ground, but it helped to cheer the children up. From the way Kurogane glanced askance at him, the warrior felt the same.
They'd all but trooped down the side of one building when something large flew at them from behind. It was inanimate, containing multiple life forces, and Kurogane whipped around, one hand on his sword. Fai tensed.
It pulled to a clean stop next to them, a wide, gleaming black car that was far longer than any they'd seen. It was perhaps the length of a bus, even.
"It's a limousine," Syaoran gasped. "I've never seen one before."
He stepped in front of the princess, just in case, and the tinted window before them rolled down. Next to Fai, Kurogane tensed.
The lady looked exactly like she did two worlds back, silky dark hair falling past her shoulders, and soft eyes that were so much like the princess's. Fai felt the skin on his back prickle in recognition. She was wearing a neat, black dress in this world, though, that stood out against the paleness of her skin.
"Hello," Tomoyo said with a smile. She looked at all of them, focused on the princess. "You must be Sakura!"
Sakura blinked owlishly at her. "I am," she said. "How did you know?"
This Tomoyo smiled just as enigmatically as the one in Yama, Fai realized. He guessed that she spoke in much the same way, too. Kurogane's mouth had drawn into a thin line, and he wondered if the warrior felt slighted, that the princess was the one Tomoyo acknowledged first.
"You knew we were coming?" Kurogane said.
Tomoyo's eyes flickered up to his, and her smile grew wider. "Kurogane. Yes, I did. You weren't supposed to know that."
"Tch." But the warrior's mouth was twitching into a grin, and Fai relaxed at the sight of it. "Met another you a couple worlds back."
Her eyes were calm. She had to be a dream-walker then, too, if she wasn't surprised at all by this. Not every soul they met could be trusted with information like that.
"You should have a seat inside, all of you," Tomoyo said suddenly. "Forgive my rudeness."
She snapped her fingers. A passenger door opened somewhere up ahead, and a bodyguard stepped sleekly out, waiting by the side of the car.
"We, um, we shouldn't impose," Syaoran stammered, looking down at his dusty cloak.
"That's fine. A princess should always be treated like one, shouldn't she?" Tomoyo glanced up at Sakura, smiled, and the princess flushed.
"I'm sorry for imposing," Sakura said. Fai nodded when she sent him a glance.
"No, no! This is my pleasure," Tomoyo answered. She brightened when Sakura stepped up to the open door.
He stood with Kurogane while the children filed in. There could be no threat within a vehicle belonging to Tomoyo (at least, no threat to the children), and there didn't seem to be malicious presences in the area. They were still being watched, though. He couldn't do anything about that.
Inside, the limousine was plush and comfortable, with air-conditioning and moist air and thick curtains drawn to the sides of the windows. It was such a stark contrast to the sweltering heat and sharp rock they'd just left that Fai could have gasped with relief. Instead, he sank gratefully down into the leather seat, clicked his seat belt into place. Tomoyo passed around fresh bottles of cold water, melted ice trickling down their sides. Fai had forgotten how thirsty he was until he glimpsed them, and then he couldn't stop thinking about the dryness in his mouth. The wet coolness in his hand was a relief; he didn't care if Kurogane was watching him as he gulped mouthfuls down this time.
"I should have introduced myself from the start," Tomoyo said quietly, pressing a hand to her chest. "My apologies. I am Daidouji Tomoyo, president of the Piffle Princess Company. This is Piffle World. May I know your names? I did not mean to ignore the rest of your party."
"I'm Syaoran," the boy said. "This is Mokona, and that's Fai-ril."
"Mokona is Mokona!" The creature bounced into Tomoyo's hands, and she gazed upon Mokona with utmost delight.
"This is amazing!" she said, turning Mokona around. "We don't have technology like this at the moment in Piffle World."
"Mokona is amazing. Mokona can do all sorts of things." Mokona grinned, waving her paws, and Tomoyo giggled.
"The texture of your skin is wonderful," Tomoyo said, touching her fingertips to Mokona's head. "Almost like synthetic skin, but without the friction of latex. You are an inspiration!"
Mokona crooned. "Tomoyo likes Mokona!" And more slyly, "Mokona is magic."
Tomoyo laughed. Syaoran glanced down at the cushioned seat, winced. Before Fai could ask what the matter was, the boy lifted the edges of his cloak gingerly away from the seat. Light smudges of brown were imprinted on black leather. Fai moved his leg, saw the traces of dust he left behind.
It wasn't really something they could help. Harasa had left them smeared with dirt, and they needed a place to spend the night. With how this Tomoyo had such a large number of staff at her disposal, though, Fai didn't doubt that there would be someone else in charge of cleaning this vehicle. As it was, she had a row of guards seated in the front and back of the limousine—all female, he realized.
"President Tomoyo," he said.
"Call me Tomoyo." She smiled at him, familiar and gentle, and he realized that he'd missed her presence in the time they spent in Harasa.
"Tomoyo-mis, then," he said, grinning back. "Do you know where we can find a doctor? Sakura-mis needs to see one."
Tomoyo's smile just as soon vanished. She straightened in alarm, leaning towards the princess. "Are you hurt, Sakura?"
"I'm fine, really," Sakura said. Her eyes were a dull green, even if she was smiling, and Fai felt a stab of guilt that he'd not rushed her to the nearest clinic available. "It's an infection I've had for a while."
"Oh, no." Tomoyo turned and spoke directly to her driver, before facing them once more. "We're going to my personal doctor, then. I'm glad you mentioned it now, Fai—it'll be closing time soon, although Dr Arashi will keep her clinic open if I asked."
"I'm glad," Fai said, sagging into his seat.
"Know any decent places to sleep?" Kurogane asked.
Tomoyo clicked her tongue. "I was warned that you might be rude," she said, and smiled when Kurogane's brow furrowed. "There are a few good places around. I'd let you have complimentary stays, but as the event organizer, it would not bode well for publicity."
"Event?" Syaoran perked up.
"You're all here for the dragonfly race, aren't you?" Tomoyo said. She reached toward the front of the car; one of her bodyguards pressed a glossy brochure into her hand. "There's a grand prize. Lots of people are coming here to participate in the race."
Fai couldn't say he was surprised when he saw Sakura's feather on the front panel of the brochure. Syaoran gasped. Sakura made a little sound of exclamation, and even Kurogane huffed.
"It'll take place in two months. Today's the twenty-eighth, which gives you just about sixty days to get your dragonflies ready," Tomoyo said, watching as they bowed their heads over the pamphlet.
It wasn't as if most of them could read the language, but there were pictures aplenty—big golden crowns, crafts zooming across the sky, and the same crafts navigating through some canyons. Fai grimaced.
"There's a desert here?" Syaoran said, looking back up at Tomoyo. "Or is it just a canyon with a great river?"
"It's a canyon with barren land around it. This city is built close to a waterfall," Tomoyo replied. "It's a source of hydroelectric power. With the technology we have, we've come to utilize what we can of renewable resources."
Some of her words went over Fai's head. He didn't know what she meant by "hydroelectric power", but it wasn't something he was concerned with right now.
The conversation that followed revolved largely around the competition. Fai had seen Kurogane twitch at the mention of deserts, and he could empathize. They'd had enough of that terrain for a while. This time, they could, and would, venture into the canyon prepared.
The race itself sounded like fun. Dragonflies were different from cars—they were little flat things that rode only one, maybe two, and they were open-topped, with no wheels or space for storage. Circumstances allowing, they would all be participating in the race to increase their chances of winning it.
"Where do we get the machine parts?" Kurogane asked. His eyes were a vivid red, sharp and interested. Fai remembered car races and dusty hooves thundering down dirt roads.
"There's a mall right along this street," Tomoyo answered. "It's called Canyon Complex. There's a great number of shops in there, but be sure to buy only from the reputable ones if you can."
"Sakura-hou and I have some experience with engines," Syaoran said. "Is there a way we can learn how to build the dragonflies?"
"Yes." Here, Tomoyo paused, giving them all a considering look. "Actually, I think you'll all benefit from having a phone."
"A phone?"
Fai was reminded of the "telephones" of the other worlds, ones where people pushed buttons and held plastic-or-metal receivers to their ears. Tomoyo pulled a sleek black rectangle from a hidden pocket on her dress, pushed a button at the very top. Its dark screen glowed with an image of purple flowers swaying beneath a full moon, and Tomoyo swiped her fingers in a pattern over it.
"This is a phone," she said, tapping on the screen to demonstrate. "With this, you'll be able to find maps to places, and information about the competition on the internet. If you're unsure about hitting the right website, look out for the Piffle Princess address."
The words looked like gibberish to Fai, though he noted the way she controlled the phone with her fingertip. It was similar to how he wrote his runes in the air—not so difficult, in all honesty.
"How do we get one?" Syaoran asked.
"Why don't we all go to a phone shop after this?" Tomoyo beamed.
"Still need a place for tonight," Kurogane said. "Look, why don't you drop me off somewhere. I'll look for a place so the kids don't have to."
"Don't you need to go to the doctor yourself, Kurogane-ril?" Sakura asked, her eyebrows knitting together. All of them glanced at the wad of cloth tied tight around his thumb, dark with dried blood.
"Tch. It's just a cut. All it needs is a rinse."
"Are you sure, Kurogane?" Tomoyo leaned forward to touch his hand, frowning. "If it's a bad injury, or if it's infected..."
He shook his head. "It was just my sword. No big deal."
"You have spines in your foot too, Kuro-lief," Fai said. "Don't be a grumpy dog."
"I'm not a grumpy dog."
Tomoyo giggled. Kurogane turned to stare at her, grouchy.
"Look, all I need is a shower. 'Sides, the princess is still not feeling well. It's best for her to have somewhere she can rest right after the doctor. The kid too."
Fai bit his lip. He did really want a bath. And the sooner Sakura got to rest, the better. "Is your doctor good, Tomoyo-mis?"
"You can leave Sakura in my hands," Tomoyo said with the sweetest smile. "Dr Arashi is one of the very best."
"Actually, why don't the rest of you stop to buy a phone first, Fai-ril?" Sakura said. "I don't want to hold everyone up. Or do you want to see the doctor, too?"
Fai opened his mouth to protest, but Kurogane cut him off. "That's a better idea," the warrior rumbled. "I'll get a phone and use it to call Tomoyo when I've got a place."
Fai frowned. "You shouldn't go alone, Kuro-pup. Someone has to supervise you, or we'll end up sleeping on planks of wood."
"I did not—"
"There was that one time, you remember, you said it was comfortable," Fai said, nudging him. He turned to Tomoyo. "Kuro-mer said he found a good, safe spot for us, and it was all crooked, narrow planks with stones as pillows! The next day, we found another place we could've stayed, and it was so much better."
"It wasn't that bad," Sakura said hesitantly. Syaoran nodded along.
"It was safe," Kurogane muttered. He shot Fai a sideways glance. "Which is more than—"
"Boys," Tomoyo said, laughing. "I think it'll be best if Fai goes with you to the phone shop, Kurogane."
Kurogane looked sourly at her, but he did not object. Fai didn't want to think too much about what that meant. "But Sakura-mis," he protested. "I'd want to know how she's doing."
"I'll send you a message as soon as we're done at Dr Arashi's," Tomoyo said. "And you'll know right away how it goes."
He had nothing to say to that, so he nodded. "We should look for a pawn shop first, though. Somewhere we can sell some things for currency. We don't have money for a phone, as it is."
Tomoyo wore a thoughtful look. "What if I were to lend you some money to get you started?"
"We couldn't do that," Syaoran protested. "We'd rather not have debts in case we need to depart for the next world suddenly."
(None of them mentioned that one world with the sushi shop.)
"What about a cash advance for services in return?" Tomoyo rubbed her chin. Fai saw the way Kurogane narrowed his eyes.
"What kind of services."
"Oh, there's all sorts of things you can do. The Piffle Princess Company is involved in various industries—we're constantly in need of fresh faces for our campaigns. Stage hands to help with filming props, models, actors, cameramen, and so on." Tomoyo beamed at them. "I'm sure you'll find something that fits you!"
"Will I be able to help?" Sakura asked, leaning forward.
"Sure you will!" Tomoyo took her hands in her own, matching the princess's smile. "In fact, I would love to cast you in some of our new ads, Sakura. We have a series of ads in the works about preserving the environment. Piffle World is doing rather well in that regard, but it'll definitely put a smile on the people's faces to see you on TV!"
Sakura blushed. Her entire face grew pink with delight, and Mokona hopped up onto her knee. "Sakura has high fees," Mokona said, waving a paper fan she'd got from somewhere. "Because Sakura is a princess and a celebrity!"
"Is that so?" Tomoyo glanced at the princess, who was staring wordlessly at Mokona. "You're a celebrity?"
"Sakura-hou is greatly loved by the people of Clow," Syaoran said in earnest. To Sakura, he said, "the street vendors would give you apples and tarts and the food you love. But mostly it was apples, because it's your favorite."
She beamed at him, and the boy flushed beet-red.
There was a slight wistfulness to Tomoyo's gaze when she looked at Syaoran. Fai wasn't sure how to read it, so he turned to the princess. "It must be nice to have so many people love you, Sakura-mis."
Truth be told, he hadn't intended to think about how royalty should not be treated, but it crept up at the back of his mind, two princes who were only allowed to look at cakes and puddings, but not touch them. Fai had sneaked a cupcake back to him, once, and they had shared it, crumbs on little mouths and hands and a red cherry carefully bitten into two equal halves.
A large warm hand curled around his elbow, breaking him from the memory. To his side, Kurogane clicked his tongue, but he was looking at Tomoyo instead. "How much are you going to lend us?"
"We should draw up a contract," Tomoyo said. Kurogane's forehead wrinkled further. "For the sake of keeping our company transparent to our shareholders, Kurogane."
Mokona was the one to haggle over Sakura's acting fees with Tomoyo. Kurogane muttered beneath his breath about "demon witch spawn", and Fai hid his amusement. With the rest of them promising hours of labor, and with Tomoyo signing off a third of their fees as advance payment, they had enough money for a month's rent, some food, and a phone.
Tomoyo had the limousine pull up in front of a shop with an array of phones in its storefront window. There were far too many choices and prices, and she ended up picking one out for them, that was "fast and not too complex, so you guys should be able to get the hang of it really quickly."
She keyed her number into the phone, "saved" it, and showed Fai how to send a message and how to call. Kurogane folded his arms and huffed, standing to a side while all this transpired.
"I've also sent you a map of company-owned properties," Tomoyo said, phone in hand. "There'll be staff on hand if you'd like to look into the places you're interested in."
Fai looked at his phone when it buzzed. Tomoyo showed him the pattern he should draw to unlock it, dragged the "notifications" panel down to pull the map up.
"What if I can't read the words?" he blurted.
Tomoyo taught him how to give simple voice commands to the phone. It worked somehow—perhaps Mokona's translation matrix extended to the phone, too—and he could now do some basic things with the device. She drove away with the children soon after, leaving them with the phone and a stack of cash.
"I hope they don't go out of range," Fai said, watching as the car disappeared into sparse traffic.
Kurogane rolled his eyes. "Then hurry up before they get too far."
It was a simple matter to find the places on the map, once they'd got the hang of how the image on the screen rotated. "It's like magic," Fai said, thoroughly impressed.
"Really." Kurogane held the bag with the rest of the phone accessories. The cash they'd split and carried on themselves, even though Tomoyo had assured them that the people of Piffle were good and honest. "I can't imagine."
Fai huffed. "It's possible to create a map with magic," he said. "But here, with no magic of any kind, the people have invented this—" he turned the phone to show how the map still pointed true north "—and they get along fine just like that."
"You get along fine without magic," Kurogane said.
Fai looked at the phone instead of the red eye fixed on him, plodding along the sidewalk. "Never thought I'd see you joke, Kuro-min."
"I'm not joking."
He swallowed. "Then you haven't been looking, of course. I haven't done anything useful."
"Tch." Kurogane reached up to knock his head, and Fai dodged. "You did a lot in the last world."
Fai laughed. It was without mirth, and he wasn't looking at anyone. "Maybe I did."
"Look." Kurogane caught his arm, pulled him to a stop, and turned him around. Fai couldn't help glancing at his eyes, and he couldn't look away. Two worlds later, he still wasn't used to eyes this red. "You did stuff. You taught the princess how to defend herself. You got them to sleep, and you fed them. You did all that without magic."
"I could have prevented them from getting hurt," Fai muttered, finally looking away because he didn't want to see accusation in those eyes. "Clearly you aren't seeing everything."
"I know you have secrets," Kurogane growled, and Fai froze. Panic fluttered cold in his stomach. How much had he heard in Yama? What would he do if he knew?
The warrior released him. Fai turned away, continued on the path he'd been following, his heart going thudthudthud in his chest like it was doing all the running he couldn't.
Kurogane followed behind. After some time, he drew abreast of Fai. "Whatever," he said. "If you want to keep your secrets, keep them. I won't think differently."
"You're an idiot," Fai muttered.
"So are you."
They walked in silence to the first apartment. It was large with great glass windows and a view of the city, but it was also expensive. They would not have enough money left for food or dragonfly parts if they took it.
"I'm afraid we'll have to pass on this," Fai told the guard with a smile. She nodded and showed them out, and he looked back at the phone.
The second and third apartments were much the same—they were richly-furnished, came with machines that cleaned the apartments, or a service that would do the housekeeping. Fai sighed.
"Tomoyo-mis's company sure owns big places," he said, breaking the silence. "I was hoping for something smaller."
"Keep looking," Kurogane said. "And don't poke around the rooms looking at the view if we aren't going to rent it. Idiot."
"You're no fun." After a while, he studied the warrior. "You didn't pull all the spines out, did you?"
Kurogane shrugged.
Fai frowned deeply. "Then you should've told me it hurt to walk, you big oaf!" He felt guilty, too, because he'd assumed that Kurogane had got all the cactus spines out when he could. "How are you supposed to be a father to the children if you don't care for yourself?"
"I'm not a father, you idiot," Kurogane said, swiping at his head. Fai dodged again. "C'mon, all we need is a place with a shower."
Fai scratched at his scalp again, and winced at the sand that lodged in his nails. "Maybe the guard knows somewhere else we can look."
They struck gold at the fourth apartment. The apartment itself wasn't one that either of them thought suitable, but the security personnel brought them up to the rooftop, where there was a large camper van in one corner of the sprawling space. Fai brightened. Kurogane perked up, his eyes darting about when they followed the guard into the silvery construct.
It was three stories tall, came with a living room, a small kitchen, and three bedrooms. There was even a bathroom and a dining area with table and chairs, and it smelled clean. There was hardly any dust on the surfaces. Kurogane checked that the shower worked.
"We'll take it," Fai said.
They followed the guard back down to the ground level, signed some papers, and handed over the rent and deposit. It was still more money than Fai would rather part with, but this suited their needs. Kurogane wanted the rooftop to work on the dragonflies for the race. There were bedrooms for all of them, and it was growing dark.
Fai had the guard type the address on his phone. He sent it to Tomoyo, who replied less than a minute later with a picture of Sakura, Syaoran and Mokona, and some text.
"Look at the children!" Fai leaned towards Kurogane, turning the phone on its side so the photo stretched to fit the screen. "Sakura-mis looks so much better! What does this mean?"
Sakura had one hand curled in a fist, index and middle fingers pointing up to represent "two". They were familiar with how the children counted on their fingers, but Fai couldn't fathom why the princess would send them this message. He curled his fingers to mimic the sign.
"Two?" Kurogane looked at the picture and shrugged. "No idea."
"Is she saying they want two rooms?" Fai frowned. "I figured they'd each get a room. Can you read what Tomoyo wrote?"
Kurogane looked at the text, shook his head. Fai ended up returning to the security guard, who read, "'I'm treating Sakura, Syaoran and Mokona to dinner. Do you guys want to join in?'"
It turned out that he could have the phone translate his speech to text. Mildly amused, the guard showed them how to have the phone read text aloud, and how to type with an audio input.
"Do you want dinner with them?" Fai asked, turning to the warrior.
"No," Kurogane said. He glanced at Fai, said, "I want a shower."
Fai gulped. He thanked the guard, replied to Tomoyo, and headed back towards the elevator, key swinging around a finger.
"Hey," Kurogane said, stopping him. "There's no soap. And no food. We'll get some first."
The guard gave them directions to the nearest convenience store. It wasn't too far away, and Fai breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped into its air-conditioned comfort. Unlike the blue-blackness of the evening out, the store was awash in soft, creamy light, and cheery music played from the overhead speakers.
"This is nice," he said. "We haven't had any of this in a while."
Kurogane didn't answer, merely grabbed a basket. Fai followed him around the store.
It was strange to see round foam cups of instant noodles again, crinkling bags of fried potatoes and bread in puffy packaging, when they'd been eating out of mess tins for the past six months. In Harasa, they'd eaten out of cardboard boxes and cans, but what Fai remembered more of was the rice and fish they'd had for so long, that he'd looked forward to taking a break from.
There were little conveniences in the store, too, sponges and bars of soap and shampoo, and towels and mugs and toothbrushes. He ended up getting a second basket just for toiletries—a washcloth, a towel, and a toothbrush for every one of their traveling group, and toothpaste and soap that smelled the best.
They each picked a box of frozen food for dinner, and Fai filled Kurogane's basket with breakfast items for tomorrow, like eggs, milk and pancake mix.
Kurogane went up to the counter and asked for cooking oil.
It shouldn't have sent his mind straight into the gutter, but it did, and Fai watched as Kurogane picked a bottle, set it into his basket. His mouth was dry. It was only when Kurogane headed to the liquor aisle that he could think again. They picked four bottles. Fai added another two, just to be safe.
After they'd paid, the cashier handed over a colorful, palm-sized card, with twenty dotted squares on its back. He gave Fai a sheet of stickers, too.
"It's a loyalty program. If you spend enough to collect another five stickers," the freckled, gangling teenager said, "you'll get to redeem the free gift of the month."
"Oh? A free gift?"
"This month, it's a carton of crackers." The teen jabbed a finger at a stack of large boxes behind the counter. Each box looked to contain enough crackers to last all of their group a week.
"We'll be back," Fai told him, tucking the card and sticker sheet into his pocket. To Kurogane, he said, "I'm liking this world a lot."
Kurogane snorted.
The guard smiled at them when they returned. Fai smiled back; Kurogane headed straight for the elevator. The elevators in this world were fast and silent, sending them to the highest story in scant seconds. It was kind of like flying. There was no direct roof access, however. They climbed the stairs to the roof, pushed the stairwell door open, and Fai glanced up at the sky. There were clouds in this world, and the sky was bluish-purple, too bright for them to see any constellations at all.
Around them, the buildings of Piffle were dark, but several windows were lit, and ads moved on large displays on the sides of buildings. It was enough to faintly illuminate the rooftop, and the silvery capsule that would be their home for the next two months or so.
When they got in, Kurogane headed first to the kitchen, emptying his bags of food. Fai set the toiletries to a side and put the perishables away. Then, he cracked open the first bottle of liquor.
"Can't wait?" Kurogane's eyes flicked over at him, and back to his frozen dinner. He slid a finger under the cardboard flap, frowned at the instructions, and tore the plastic covering off.
"Nope. Booze is booze." Fai sat himself down on a chair, tipped the glass bottle into his mouth. Alcohol spilled over his tongue, burning warm and sweet down his throat, and he pulled away from it. "This isn't bad."
The warrior looked at him again. He'd set his food in the microwave by now, and was frowning at the buttons on the machine. "Think it'll blow up if I push any button?"
"Most likely not." Fai slid the bottle over to him.
Kurogane pushed the first buttons on the right, hit the largest one, and watched as the machine worked for all of one second. He tried again with the second button from the right. This time, the machine worked for ten. The third button had the food heating for one minute, and Fai felt his stomach shriveling the longer he thought about food. He reached over for his own cardboard box, picking the flap open.
By the time Kurogane's food was ready, he had figured out the instructions from the drawings behind his box. "You're supposed to peel the plastic off by a bit," he said, pointing at the first picture. "Then heat it for a bit, stir, and heat it again."
Kurogane rolled his eyes. "Go ahead. Do it to yours."
For lack of things to do while he waited for his food, Fai peeked into the cabinets. He found pots and pans, to his delight, two spatulas, and some cutlery. So, he took a fork and stole food from Kurogane's plastic, compartmentalized dish.
The ninja batted his fork away. "Eat your own food."
"I'm hungry," he said, and poked at what looked like corn.
"I'll take yours if you take mine," Kurogane answered.
"You're talking about food, right?" he said, deliberately casual, and turned when the microwave beeped.
Kurogane looked at him for a long moment. Fai swallowed, felt his stomach flip, and retrieved his food. "Maybe."
Kurogane did drag his chair over to pick at Fai's food, though, and Fai let him. They'd been trading pickles and fish and things for months, now, in Yama, and this didn't feel any different.
"This is delicious," Fai said, spearing his fork into meat. He'd forgotten when he'd last had pork. Kurogane grunted.
For a time, neither of them talked, just concentrated on eating food that was warm and hearty and good. They passed the bottle of wine between themselves, and when that was empty, started on another.
Kurogane stood when he was done, tossing his plate into the trash. "I'm going to shower," he said.
Fai cleared his throat, scraping the last morsels of his food together. "I'm just going to... assign the children their rooms. Sakura-mis should get the one with the flower-print bed sheets, don't you think? And Syaoran-sha will have the room across from hers."
Which left the bedroom on the highest floor to be theirs, and which made complete sense because the princess needed her privacy, and Syaoran was a growing boy who needed his own space, too.
Kurogane looked at him for another dragging moment, and nodded.
Fai took his time with finishing up, and when he was done, cleared the table. He tucked the alcohol back where Mokona wouldn't find them, sorted through the toiletries that Kurogane had left behind. There were three sets of things left, one each for the children and Mokona. (Mokona seemed so much like a child, the more he thought about it.)
He found some paper and sticky tape, drew Little Doggy on one and Little Kitty and Mokona on the other, and stuck them on the children's bedroom doors. The toiletries he left on their beds.
Then he tried the bathroom door, found it unlocked, and slipped in.
He was hit first by the wall of humid air. The shower was on, loud behind the curtain, and he glimpsed the vague shape of Kurogane behind it. He had nothing to say to the warrior, not when they were this close, so he saw to himself. Fai felt much, much more comfortable with his teeth clean. When he was done, he peeled one side of the shower curtain open, and squeezed in.
Kurogane wasn't surprised by his presence. How he knew this, Fai wasn't sure, because he wasn't looking at the warrior when he stepped beneath the shower spray.
The water was hot and needling on his skin. It stung his face when he turned into the spray, stung his wrist where hot water seeped into the cloth bandage and wet dried blood, and it felt altogether good, when he scrubbed his fingers through his hair, dislodging sand that had caked on his scalp. He heaved a long, slow sigh, overwhelmed with gratitude for the chance to feel clean again.
Fai lost count of how many times he shampooed his hair. He eased past Kurogane to let him have the shower, tried not to watch the ripple of muscle across the warrior's back when he dragged a washcloth over his skin, and failed.
It had to have been the fifth time he rinsed his hair out when he decided it was clean enough, and shut the shower off for the soap. Kurogane was done. Fai knew because Kurogane had been standing and watching him for a while, not moving. He still wasn't moving when Fai grabbed the soap and lathered his hands with it, washing his face.
"Where's your washcloth?" Kurogane said. Fai shrugged. He must've left it on the bathroom counter. The warrior sighed, took the soap, and before he really thought about it, Kurogane was scrubbing gently at his neck with damp, warm terrycloth.
Fai stilled. He hadn't expected that, but it felt good. Kurogane rarely washed him—just twice, when Fai had told him about Nemi, when they did the ritual—and he couldn't say no this time because... because soap would get into his mouth if he opened it.
Kurogane started with his back. He stroked soapy terrycloth over the tattoo, slow downward strokes, then cleaned his shoulder blades and down his arms, over his hands and between his fingers. He stepped closer, so he was brushing lightly into Fai's back, and cleaned his other arm, tugging off the cloth strip around his wrist to get at the wound. It stung. Fai hissed, but it did not deter the slow, careful sweep of rough cloth over his wrist. When he was done, Kurogane turned the shower on briefly, wet the washcloth with it, and Fai blinked as it rinsed the suds off his face.
When the shower was off, Kurogane continued to scrub down his chest, down his sides, and every crevice between his legs. Fai let him. Kurogane's fingers went beneath his sac and curved up over it. He swirled his soapy fingers around Fai's soft cock and stretched it, cleaning every inch, and when his fingers slipped behind, into the cleft of his ass, Fai's heart slammed itself into his ribs. He couldn't think.
Those fingers slid all the way down, pressed snug against him until they found his entrance, soaping around it, pressing lightly. He trembled. Kurogane pushed a finger shallowly into him, stretching, cleaning— And if it meant— If it meant he'd be there later—
Kurogane pulled away, taking his warmth with him, and Fai almost whined. He drew the terrycloth down over Fai's thighs, his calves, and spent a minute at his feet, washing between toes. He could only watch as Kurogane stood again, turning the shower on.
He wasn't any surprised when Kurogane's mouth dropped to his shoulder, a hot, sucking heat that sent a shiver arcing down his spine. Large hands smoothed down over his chest; he couldn't look up when Kurogane turned him around so the shower rinsed the suds off his back, but he was half-hard, and he could no sooner hide it than pull himself away.
So, Kurogane turned him back around, slipped a hand down his chest, straight to his cock, and Fai was glad that he was facing the wall when his breath hitched.
They shouldn't be doing this here, in bright light, because he wasn't doing this with Kurogane, only strange hands in the dark, and— and Kurogane was stroking him, sending feathery bursts of pleasure into his flesh so his thighs tingled and he wanted to groan. He knew those hands, large and calloused, and they felt good on him. They stroked firm to his tip, came back up to grasp him around the base, wet, and Kurogane's teeth was on his neck, biting just hard enough so he whimpered and grew full.
There was no hiding his interest now, when his hips were rolling and he was fucking into those rough, snug fingers, and Kurogane was pressing hard into his back. (It was bright here and they shouldn't be doing this, but he wasn't thinking straight right now, he wanted to be pleasured and he wanted Kurogane pounding inside him.)
Those fingers left him suddenly—he whined—and a hand pressed down on his shoulder. He bent forward, braced himself against the wall, hungry and eager, and when Kurogane's fingers spread him open, he bit down a whimper. Kurogane's tongue was soft and warm against him, touching him right there against his hole and Fai shuddered, leaking down into the bathtub. That tongue circled him, pressed lightly inside. His limbs twitched hard; some sort of noise burst from his mouth, and he was so hard he needed to feel more, to be inside, anything but stand there untouched and straining and dripping.
Kurogane left him. Fai trembled, didn't dare look back, but he felt him move around in the bathroom, heard the snap of a plastic seal. He heard the heavy, brittle thud of a glass bottle set down on the floor, and Kurogane was back, tongue pressing against his entrance. Fai jerked. His nails slid over cool tile.
When Kurogane pulled away again, he didn't go far. He touched his finger to Fai's entrance, solid and slick, and Fai groaned when he slid in, stroked heavily over his balls. His cock ached.
Another finger joined the first, scissoring inside him, stretching him open, and Fai pressed his forehead to the wall, needing something more than this. Kurogane was so long to the third finger that Fai almost—almost—said something, but he didn't, and the moan that fell from his mouth cracked when that finger slid inside. Surely he was stretched enough now.
He whined when Kurogane passed a hand over his cock, testing him, thumbing his very tip, and he bucked, gasping. Those fingers pulled out from him. Kurogane gripped his waist lightly, tugged him downwards, and Fai carefully, carefully lowered himself, shuffling his feet backwards around long legs until he felt the blunt press of cock against his balls, and he shivered.
Kurogane slid into him, smooth and slow, and he swore when he let himself fall the rest of the way down. Behind, Kurogane's curse was raw; he jerked, and Fai felt it all the way inside himself.
It was an uncoordinated mess from there. Fai gripped the sides of the tub for leverage, shoved himself down hard on Kurogane, and groaned when he brushed that sweet spot inside, that sent pleasure scorching through his body. He lost his momentum after a while. His legs were trembling, he needed too much and there wasn't enough. Kurogane eased up behind him, wrapped his arm around to stroke his cock, and Fai was coming before he knew it, blindsided and spilling and clawing at the sides of the tub, inhuman noises slipping from his throat.
Vaguely, as he recovered, he felt Kurogane thrusting within, until his strokes grew more frenzied and his fingers tightened around Fai's hips, hard enough to leave bruises.
Kurogane came quietly, with a low groan and a shiver, and he curled up behind Fai for a moment, chest to back. Fai held still, breathless. None of this was supposed to happen, and here they were, a sweaty, trembling heap, Kurogane deep inside him.
Kurogane's mouth brushed over his back.
They cleaned up in silence. Fai waited for Kurogane to leave first so he could dry himself. Kurogane shoved a clean towel past the curtain; he blinked at it in surprise, took it wordlessly. By the time he stepped out, Kurogane had gone, dirty clothes and all, and Fai grimaced at the thought of having to wear his dirt-encrusted things from the previous world.
He could tell that the children had not yet arrived. He didn't want to welcome them home in only a towel. What was Kurogane wearing?
Fai looked up when the bathroom door swung open.
"Found a washing machine," Kurogane said, sweeping his gaze across the discarded clothes on the floor. He had his towel around his waist, and Fai tried not to stare. "You want to share a load?"
"Sure." Fai steered his thoughts carefully away from the bathtub. "Is there soap? I don't... want to still be in a towel by the time the children get here."
Kurogane shrugged. "Yeah, there's soap. Wear some sheets or something. Not like they haven't already seen you naked."
"Unlike you, Kuro-lord, I have some modesty." Fai drew his towel closer to himself. The warrior saw, but did not remark upon it. "The children can stand not to receive another eyeful."
"Tch. Then hurry up and get the machine going." Kurogane stared briefly at him, turned away, his footsteps light down the smooth plastic floor. Fai scooped up his clothes and hurried after him.
The washing and drying machines were tucked in a closet that they'd missed at first. They were on the third floor, to one side of the bedroom, next to an empty storage unit. It had fewer buttons than the microwave; Fai had hot water running in minutes, and he poured three times as much washing powder into the machine as the diagram on the powder box said to. There was a lot of sand and sweat on those clothes.
"Hey," Kurogane said when he was done. "Your wrist."
Fai looked at the damp red line just beneath his palm, that was a constant sting he was trying to ignore. Kurogane had held his own injured hand out of sight during the shower. "I don't have any salve for it. How's your thumb?"
Kurogane didn't show it to him. "It's fine. I got a medicine kit from the store when we were there."
Fai brightened; he had been looking at the rest of the products when the cashier rang up the items, and had missed it. "Where is it?"
They made their way back to the bathroom, where Kurogane pulled a small box out of the cabinet beneath the sink. Fai reached for his hand. Kurogane pulled it away, jerked his chin at Fai's wrist.
"Don't be a grouchy dog, Kuro-tim, I'm trying to work here." Fai reached over again, and Kurogane stepped back.
"Stitch up that wrist before you start making it worse, idiot."
He was right, though. The cut on Fai's wrist had pulled open during the shower and the... subsequent events that followed. Grudgingly, Fai spread out the contents of the medicine box on the counter. There was a needle and some thread, and there were tubes that were covered with blocky print, that he couldn't understand. "Think the phone will help?"
"I'll get it." Kurogane turned away. By the time he returned, Fai had rinsed and dried his cut, threaded a needle and sorted out the tubes of lotions they most likely needed.
The security guard had also taught him how to translate words on things—all he had to do was take a picture of them, and run them through an application. It was what Fai did now, with Kurogane standing next to him, air-drying in the dampness of the bathroom.
"Not a foolproof method, but I guess it'll have to do," he said, when the application read to them rough translations of the labels.
Kurogane reached for the needle. He inspected the knot at the end, took Fai's wrist, and began stitching. Fai held still and let him. He wasn't fond of doing the stitches on himself—he knew exactly when to expect the pain, and that seemed to hurt more somehow.
Kurogane had his forearm pressed up against the wall for stability, and Fai had the phone search up the lotions' uses, wincing through each prick and tug of needle and thread. Kurogane's stitching was slow and methodical; Fai did not doubt that he'd done it countless times before. There was a multitude of scars across the olive expanse of his skin, scattered over those broad shoulders and down strong arms, and he imagined the warrior craning his neck, getting at an awkward injury.
It seemed almost endearing— Fai shut that thought down, heaved away the flutter of warmth in his chest.
"Did your princess stitch that up for you? That scar on your hand?" he blurted.
It wasn't like this meant much. If anything, Kurogane was just helping Fai recover, which would mean that Fai would be able to take him down quicker, if he had to.
The thought sent a frisson of unease through his gut. He set it aside as well, watched as Kurogane tied off the stitches. It was a favor repaid for the times in Yama, he figured. At least there was medicine readily available here, and he didn't have to look for plants to grind into healing salves.
"Yeah," Kurogane said, and left it at that.
Fai had the tube of antiseptic cream in his hand. Kurogane took it, daubed the cream thinly over his wound, and cut a length of cotton gauze to fit. When he'd taped it down firmly, Fai had him wash and dry his hand, and began sewing up the split in his thumb.
The journey so far had helped. Without a need for them to fight or lift heavy things since Harasa, Kurogane's thumb had had a chance to heal somewhat. In all honesty, this might have been the first time he'd held the warrior like that, cradling his thumb in one hand and sewing it shut with the other. Kurogane didn't seem to be in pain. He was watching Fai, though, and Fai did not return that stare.
After, they checked on the washing machine, which still had time left to go. Fai sent Tomoyo a message. She said they'd be there in half an hour—they were now at the Canyon Complex to get some things for Sakura.
It left them with more time on their hands and nothing to do. Fai returned to the medicine kit, took a pair of tweezers out.
"Do you want to pull the spines out yourself, or do you need my help?" he asked.
Kurogane studied him for a moment. "I need your help."
Which he thought wasn't very truthful, but he didn't want to think too much about it. He had Kurogane lie flat on their bed and sat down next to him, leaning over to carefully feel for cactus spines buried in his chest. And if he were honest to himself, this was a futile effort. His fingertips had lost far too much of their sensitivity. Things too close to his face had no clear outline. He had to scrape his nails lightly across Kurogane's chest to locate any protrusions, leaning away to pick at one when he found it.
Things further away in his vision were sharp. Things closer, not so much. Fai had learned to get by with this, though, and it always caught him by surprise when Syaoran read books close to his face. (Fai read books, but not in this way. In Celes, he had read with magic glowing in his hands, absorbing information as easily as he breathed.)
"There's one here," Kurogane muttered. He pointed at a spot on his chest, that Fai had felt over and missed, and Fai frowned.
"Oh. Really?" He touched the spot again, couldn't locate a sharp spine.
"You can't..." Kurogane took his hand, moved it to the slope of his pectorals, and all Fai could feel was a hazy smoothness. Dark brows drew together. Kurogane's finger shifted, and Fai felt a light pressure against one of his fingertips. Was that... a fingernail? "You can't feel."
Kurogane lifted Fai's hand up to expose his fingertips, and Fai pulled them quickly away. "None of your business," he said. "I have to go check on the clothes. The children might be back soon."
He left Kurogane with the tweezers, pointedly ignoring the memory of stone walls stained with cold, slick red.
A/N: I've had so, so much trouble with Piffle, but I think I'm finally finding my footing. (Currently writing the end of chapter 8.) Also yes, I realized that Tomoyo's limousine was only in the anime and not the manga, but I kind of realized it too late.
Anyway... to those who have been waiting for this series to continue - welcome back!