Title: A mirror
Author: Tuliharja
Disclaimer: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle belongs to CLAMP. I'm just writing fan fiction about it.
Author's note: I've only once before tried writing style like this and I found it kind of interesting, so I decided try it again. The POV is from Fai's, showing how he is feeling currently, while the other one is from regular. I hope you'll enjoy for this.
A mirror
I don't like mirrors. I don't like to look into it and see myself –or as I would say, that stranger –who is gazing that childish look at me. That isn't correct, though. That isn't me.
But can someone see behind a mirror? Does a mirror even have a back?
They say if you break a mirror it'll bring misfortune to you. About twelve years of bad luck…Who would want to break one then? Who would be ready to break me and see behind the mirror?
ò
Kurogane looked at Fai's swinging as he tried to place the painting. It all seemed really dangerous; the blond mage, humming some random song, with nails in his mouth and a hammer in his right hand. With his free hand he tried to place the painting in the correct spot. He had a bad feeling about this, one worse than normal.
ò
I guess no one. Though, some people have tried just not in that way. They didn't care how much pain those pieces had caused when they shattered the mirror. That's why I brought them misfortune. Like an illness or death's herald. Or was it more selfishness that they had brought pain? Pain that only connected with them? I made it my own pain.
ò
A little 'ouch' could be heard and then a small crash. Right after that, cursing. The cursing had come from Kurogane's mouth. The swordsman looked annoyingly at the mage who had dropped onto his knees, holding his left hand and biting his lip that was bleeding from a cut. The dark haired man sighed and crouched next to the blond, looking at him carefully, studying. He could easily see the tears in the blond's eyes which he had tried his best to hold onto, but failed. Kurogane snorted. He hated tears.
ò
Pain...that came endlessly. Pain, which I hated so much, but oh! I couldn't let it go. I just couldn't. The pain… the pieces of the mirror… I collected them together and made it a mirror once more. A mirror that I wouldn't ever want to look at again.
ò
Kurogane muttered to the blond to stop crying. Fai turned his head away and bit his lip more violently. So violently that the blood dripped onto the mat, making a little red spot. Kurogane let out curse at the sight of it.
ò
I avoided it. I avoided all mirrors, making sure no one would see the pieces of them. Some people did –but didn't say anything when I perfectly hid that crime behind the most powerful thing ever; a smile.
A smile that was always cheerful, innocent, and kind of like a child's. Who could then assume the worst? Who could see the broken mirror that you absolutely shouldn't have broken when you hid behind a smile? But someone did. Someone saw my crime.
And he didn't care.
ò
"You idiot…" Kurogane mumbled as he grabbed onto Fai's left arm. Holding it gently in his hold, he turned the mage's face back towards him. Fai had stopped crying. A little smile was wavering on his lips. His eyes just stared at the dark-haired man who frowned, annoyed.
"Damn fool…You shouldn't have swung like that while you were trying to nail that painting up. Even worse, you shouldn't have put the damn nails in your mouth at the same time!" Was what he said, annoyed when Fai let his hair drop to cover his eyes.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"A sorry isn't enough."
ò
He didn't care about the misfortune he would receive if he broke the mirror. He wouldn't care about the sharp pieces that would come from it. He didn't mind walking through the sharp road, a road where there would be the pieces of the mirror. And yet, he wouldn't break it. He wouldn't hurt the mirror, that was so broken already and so ugly from every time it was used roughly. He would use it gently. As gently as lover with another but he would still see the levels of it, of its ugliness and beauties. He would still see the whole scales between it, and even over it.
ò
The blond man raises his look to the dark haired man's, a little fear in his eyes. But with his surprise, he didn't see anger or the pity in other man's gaze. No, Kurogane wouldn't ever hurt Fai like that. He wouldn't be honestly angry with his silliness or pity him fully because he would act some way. He would secretly smile when Fai would do something really silly or fix him if he did something wrong. He would always admire and support that fool front of him. Even if every day, every week and every year would be hell. Still, he wouldn't leave and break this thing between them unless he truly wanted to.
ò
I guess, in the end, the mirror that I've faced isn't that bad. Certainly not when someone is next to me, saying 'it's just a bloody mirror. Like hell it would show something other than if your hair is a mess!'
ò
Kurogane placed a towel on Fai's lip, the mage letting out a small whine. The swordsman muttered for him to shut up. After he fixed his lip, he placed a band aid on his thumb just to make smaller man happy. And after that, he made sure that the painting got to its place, even if it was damn ugly. Who would like a painting that was of some ugly fish? Knowing Fai, though, he knew he had some strange taste in paintings. Kurogane just thanked the gods that Fai didn't think he was ugly. One gloomy teenager was enough, not talking about a magician who wouldn't even face a mirror!
Thinking these things, Kurogane suddenly hit his finger with the hammer and let out a loud curse.
"My, my! Seems now its mommy's turn to fix daddy!" a cheerful tone came from the other room. Kurogane let out small smile before fixing his face into its normal, annoyed look.