Untold Worlds #1: "Pacifica": a modern-day world (that I made up) between Piffle World and LeCourt
Fay sat on the edge of their hostess' porch, swinging his legs playfully. He grinned suddenly, looking up at Kurogane, who stood beside him, seeming to tower into the sky as he glared at the distant city lights. Kurogane noticed the movement, and looked down, redirecting his scowl.
"Nee! Kuro-rin! You look especially grim tonight!" Fay laughed, leaning back and tapping the mountainous man's boot. Kurogane grunted in reply, looking away. Fay raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Aw, Daddy, what is it?" He pulled his legs up, wrapping his arms around them, and resting his chin on his knees with a delicate sigh. "You seem lost in thought... Is there a special someone on your mind?" He beamed as he peered up at the ninja. Suddenly Mokona jumped out of the front of Kurogane's cloak. "Are you thinking about Mommy?!" It poked Kurogane on the cheek with a giggle.
"HN! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, YOU CRAZY MANJUU?!?!" Kurogane grabbed the marshmallow-like creature with a snarl, squishing him like a living stress-ball. Mokona squealed, flailing about desperately. "WHY THE HELL WOULD I BE THINKING ABOUT THAT GUY?!?! AND BOTH OF YOU STOPPIT WITH THE 'MOMMY' AND 'DADDY'!!!"
"Daddy is being abusive!" Fay laughed, flouncing to his feet cheerfully. He jabbed Kurogane in the middle of his forehead, saying, "Now, now! No fighting! Come on Kuro-tan, let Mokona go!" He grinned, and Kurogane grunted, tossing the bunny-thing and turning away. He rubbed his forehead in irritation. Fay let Mokona scrabble up to the top of his head. Once there, Mokona took up the task of helping Kurogane keep watch. He suddenly bounced, making a frightening face and shouting, "Mekyô!" He leaned down in front of Fay and whispered loudly, "Mokona went 'boink'!"
Fay reached up and patted him on the head, began to say something, but was interrupted by Kurogane's growled, "Where is it?" The man turned, looking at Mokona determinedly.
"Mokona doesn't know! It's very strong though! It seems to Mokona that the power is from the big buildings, but Mokona can't tell for sure!" It wore its serious(ly ridiculous) expression now, looking at Kurogane without actually opening its eyes. The man glared at it for a moment, saying nothing. "You're a useless piece of mochi."
***
"Good morning, Moko-chan!" Sakura beamed brightly at Mokona, holding it up to her face to nuzzle its non-existent nose. Mokona laughed, returning her greeting with obnoxiously cute enthusiasm. Sakura giggled back, and put the bunny-like creature on her shoulder, standing. She smiled a greeting at Syaoran, who blushed and bowed slightly as she walked into the dining room, stuttering, "H-hello, Sakura-hime! Good morning! How did you sleep?!" He placed a bowl of cereal in front of her in embarrassment.
"Oh, Syaoran, I slept fine!" Sakura laughed. "You worry too much!" Syaoran nodded, agreeing dutifully.
"HEEEEY EVERYONE!" Fay leaned into the room. He flinched with a grin, as Kurogane and their hostess both shouted, "KEEP IT DOWN, WOULD YA?!" He smiled.
"Sakura-chan, Syaoran-kun! Morning! Mokona sensed a feather last night!" Fay said, as Kurogane trudged into the living room, grumbling things like "Y' woke me up", and "I might as well eat something". Sakura and Syaoran were silent, mildly surprised and wondering about the feather. Kurogane sat down with a grunt, crossing his arms and glaring at the back of Fay's head. He snorted, muttering, "Damn windbag," and leaning back in his chair. As Fay walked past, he hooked an ankle around the chair leg and tugged. His intention was to knock Kurogane over, but he ended up tripping himself instead, as well as pulling the ninja and his chair over. Awkwardly. Fay and Kurogane lay in a tangled heap, with the chair half on top of Kurogane. He stood up in a flash, his face reddening, and tugged Fay to his feet forcefully, practically ripping the smaller man's arm out of its socket.
Fay grinned sheepishly, rubbing his armpit, and said, "Well, that backfired!" Kurogane smacked him(lightly) upside the head, threatening to throw him into the nearby ocean. Fay laughed. "You wouldn't really do that, Kuro-tan!" He quipped, laying his forehead against the taller man's shoulder. Kurogane snarled something rude and unintelligible, shaking the wizard away. He righted his chair, his face slightly red, and sulked his way out of the room, to the bathroom. Fay covered his mouth with his hand, laughing quietly. "Oh dear," he said. "Kuron-ron is angry, ne?" He grinned at the children. They smiled uncertainly back at him, not knowing how to react. Fay patted Sakura on the head as he walked by, and went into an adjoining room. The door closed behind him with a hum and a whisper. Syaoran cleared his throat uncomfortably, and put the unused dishes in the large, box-shaped automatic dishwasher. He pressed the start button nervously, starting when he heard the water begin to flow.
***
"What the hell are you two doing?!" Yasuko, their hostess, stomped onto the porch, scowling almost as fiercely as Kurogane. She jabbed Fay in the chest, pushing him back a bit. He couldn't take her very seriously, being as she was even shorter than Princess Tomoyo. Fay grinned awkwardly. He'd been chattering at Kurogane like a total ditz-- in short, having an extremely blond moment-- and Kurogane had promptly started bellowing incoherently about Fay's stupidity, idiocy and other flaws which were all synonyms for "dumb". Yasuko snarled something unintelligible, telling them both to shut the fuck up. She grinned and punched him lightly on the arm, with a snicker. Kurogane scowled at her, muttering about how it wasn't his damn fault and how he was being perfectly reasonable.
"That scarecrow is just an idiot! A skinny mage without a serious thought in his head! Airhead! Windbag! Moron!" Kurogane snarled, wapping Fay on the back of the head. Fay laughed, putting his hands on his hips and grinning at Kurogane dopily.
"I'm sure you don't mean that, Kuro-pin!" Fay said quietly, smiling. He didn't meet Kurogane's eyes. "After all... we're just the best friends ever!" The sarcasm was subtle in Fay's tone, but even Kurogane managed to pick it up. He reddened a little, embarrassed and angry.
"Screw you," he muttered, looking away. "I dunno what the hell you're talking about, you crazy mage." He knocked Fay on the top of the head lightly; teasingly. Fay looked up at him in surprise, blushing, rubbing the top of his head. He mumbled something quietly, shook his head and smiled at the taller man. Kurogane grunted, and Fay hugged him tightly.
"Get off me you damn scarecrow." he rumbled, surly. He didn't shake Fay off, though. Fay whispered something, his face flushed. Kurogane tilted his head, looking down at him. The scrawny wizard was clutching Kurogane's arm tightly, shakily, and breathing with some strain. Yasuko walked up to him and slapped a hand to his forehead roughly. Fay fended her off feebly, mumbling something about being "fine". Yasuko snarled at him to shut up, and felt her own forehead in comparison. She snorted.
"You really are a moron, aren't you?" Yasuko murmured, stepping away. Fay looked at her in confusion. "You let yourself get sick," she retorted tartly, glaring at him. "I'd call that idiocy."
"Oh..." Fay smiled, looking tired. "I suppose... I do feel a little lightheaded... It was just so sudden..."
"Yeah, it's a fever peculiar to Pacifica. Strikes without warning."
Fay nodded weakly. Kurogane snorted, and suddenly lifted him into the air. Fay let him carry him inside, resting his head against Kurogane's shoulder. He protested inaudibly about not carrying him around like a sack of potatoes. Kurogane grunted at him to shut up. Fay obliged willingly, tired and just about ready to pass out. Syaoran and Sakura saw them as they passed by, and blushed at the scene. After all; Fay had his arms wrapped around Kurogane's neck, and his head tucked into his chest, and was half-asleep as Kurogane held him close to him and the slightest hint of worry was betrayed on his expressionless face. He held Fay up with one hand and had his other hand twisted into the mage's hair. Sakura began to say something, stopped, blushed. Syaoran stuttered unintelligibly. Mokona hopped out of the room, and leapt onto Kurogane's head.
"What's wrong with Fay, Kurogane?!" Mokona squealed. It prodded Fay's head with its little soft white paw. "Is Fay dead?" Kurogane told him to buzz off.
***
Fay had gotten well almost instantly. What he'd gotten-- Pacific Fever-- was an overnight thing. He and Kurogane were in town, Yasuko trailing behind them with Mokona on her shoulder. Fay pranced down the crowded sidewalk, as a procession of people paraded down the road. Some sort of holiday. Yasuko hadn't specified. There were a lot of handmade, animal shaped floats, and dancing people. It was all very gaily done. Kurogane grunted at Fay, who'd suddenly latched onto him like a leech. Maybe one or two people gave them weird looks. Kurogane glared them down and they scampered away.
"Neeee! Kuronpyuu!" Fay laughed. "Why are you being so psychopathic?!" He stopped Kurogane and looked up at him, trying to catch his eyes. Kurogane evaded Fay's bright blue eyes... of course. Yasuko took one glance at them, smirked, and abandoned them, slipping into the crowd and thinking: If only this was the pride parade... Neither of them noticed her absence, as Fay pestered Kurogane and Kurogane glared. A teenaged girl walked up to them, introducing herself as Debbie, and asking bluntly,
"Are you guys gay?"
Kurogane stared at her, as Fay burst out laughing. "That depends, Debbie! Why do you want to know?" he asked, grinning at her. She raised an eyebrow in response, thinking that this skinny guy was disguising rude manners beneath a smiling facade. She paused, thinking, and said with a grin,
"Because gay guys are happy-making!"
Fay blinked cluelessly. "Eh?" He was confused by her slang and her apparent like of gay guys. Baffling, she was. Absolutely baffling.