Hi, it's my second TRC fic here. Don't worry, no spoilers for recent chapters since it set in Shura-arc. Hope you like it :D.
Credit: Special thanks to jasetsi on LJ for beta-ing my fic.
3 Moments in Shura
1. Lie
The moment Kurogane looked into those blue eyes, he realized something; the mage really couldn't understand his words. He cursed in his mind. Separated from the kids and the white manju, stuck in the foreign world, and the only one company he had there couldn't understand him. He wondered if things could be worse than this. And yes, it could be worse.
A group of men came from afar towards their direction, riding on animals that look like a dragon. The blond man smiled and looked at him with an expression that seemed to ask what to do now. Kurogane growled, he knew they couldn't run away from them. And to make it worse, they also couldn't fight them, since he didn't had his sword with him, and the mage refused to use his magic without the tattoo that he used as the payment for Yuuko, the witch.
The group soon approached them. The black haired man stood in front of the mage, blocking him from those men in case they were planning to attack both of them. He then noticed that all the men here had black hair and black eyes, almost similar with the people in his country. He also noticed that they were soldiers by their uniforms.
A man that looked like their commander came to the front. "Who are you?" he asked. His tone intimidating, but it didn't make Kurogane annoyed since he was so surprised by another thing. That man spoke in a language that was familiar to him.
Kurogane felt a bit relieved, at least he could talk to them.
Usually, at a situation like this, he would let the mage take care of the conversation part since he was better than him at convincing people. But now he must take the role since he was the only one who understood the language.
"I'm Kurogane and he is Fay," the ninja started. "We're only travelers." He could feel that the man behind him was surprised when heard him talking to the commander.
The commander's face showed that he still was suspicious. He stared on Kurogane, then on Fay. "You two don't seem to come from the same country."
Kurogane turned his head to look at the man behind him, who was only smiling weakly to him since he couldn't do anything to help. The ninja cursed in his mind. He really wanted Fay to take care of this, but he knew that the blond man couldn't do it even if he wanted to.
So then, after thinking for a moment, the black haired man decided to do his best to save them from this situation. He must create a story that could convince the soldiers.
That day, Kurogane found out for the first time in his life that he actually could lie so well, and he blamed the mage for it.
2. Fake
Kurogane walked around the camp alone that night. He didn't see Fay anywhere in the camp. Usually the blond would follow him everywhere he went, and he didn't mind it because he knew the mage must be feeling uneasy to be alone in this unfamiliar place. But now the mage was wandering without him.
At first he told himself repeatedly that he didn't care, it was good that the mage finally left him alone. But then he found himself looking for him around the camp.
As he arrived at the riverside near the camp it didn't take long until he found Fay, sitting on a big rock at the riverside. His face looked lost, like he if was in deep thoughts. His legs were swinging slowly in the water, making a sound of water ripples.
The black haired man sighed. He knew the mage was worrying about something. Not about the kids and the white manju, but about something else; the thing that he always hid from everyone with the happy mask. He wanted to ask the mage, force him to at least speak to him, but he knew that he couldn't do it since they couldn't understand each other without their translator, Mokona. Also, even if he hated it, the mage had the right to keep his problem as a secret, and he couldn't do anything if the other man didn't want to talk about it.
Kurogane could see the mage startled as he approached him. But it wasn't long until he recovered and put a smile on his face. Unfortunately for him, that smile couldn't trick the ninja. The black haired man knew that the mage's smile was only a fake smile, like his other smiles.
Kurogane didn't know why those fake smiles always annoying him. It was like the blond man built a thick wall to distance himself from the ninja, from everyone. It was like he already threw away all of his hope.
"Why are you always hiding behind that mask?" Kurogane found himself asking subconsciously.
The mage only stared at the ninja, didn't have any clue of what the other man said to him.
Kurogane then pointed at the blond man's face. "That mask! Why are you always hiding behind it?"
The smaller man's eyes widened when the tanned finger suddenly pointed towards his face. His smile wavered. But then, as if he understood what the ninja's meant, he smiled softly towards him. A smile that seemed like it wanted to tell that it was no need to worry about him.
Kurogane lost his words. He couldn't tell if the man in front of him was wearing a mask or not. The mage's face looked ethereal, and the moonlight that was shining on them that night made the scene in front of him become even more ethereal.
3. Care
Kurogane could feel that Fay flinched when the king, Yasha, mentioned 'Ashura'. That was the name that could make the man's mask waver, even if just for a second. It was happened once before in Shara, and now it happened again.
It was just a second, but it was enough for the ninja to see the little change. The mage's face darkened for a while before it hided perfectly again under the mask. It now convinced him that 'Ashura' was the name of the person who the mage was running from. He wondered if the 'Ashura' in this world was the same person as the 'Ashura' in Fay's world.
The ninja could feel the mage's anxiety after the conversation with King Yasha. Even if he couldn't fully understand their conversation but apparently he caught the point that there was an 'Ashura' in this world.
The black haired man actually didn't want to care about the mage, but he couldn't help it. He found himself bringing some bottles of sake to their tent that night.
When he entered the tent, he found Fay lying on his bed. But he knew that the mage was still awake.
"Hey," he called the blond man as he sat down on the ground.
The mage turned his head towards him slowly and smiled. Kurogane knew that the man was wearing a mask again. He didn't like it, but he decided to let it be for now.
He then raised the bottles to let Fay see them and motioned to him to join him drinking the sake. The mage soon joined him on the ground, and they both drank quietly.
After drinking some bottles, the blond man's face started to turn red. The black haired man wondered if the man in front of him already drunk, but then he remembered how many bottles the mage had been drinking when they were in Shara.
"Who is Ashura?" he asked suddenly, not bothered by the fact that Fay couldn't understand him. He could see the mage flinch when he mentioned the name. And this time it took longer time than usual to recover his mask. Kurogane took that time to explore the mixed emotions that reflected in the man's eyes.
He could see the mage's eyes showing fear and sadness. Those explained why his face always darkened when he heard the name. But the emotions that were too be seen in those blue eyes weren't only that. There was also longing. It made him confused.
He wondered what kind of relationship the man in front of him had with that Ashura. What kind of person Ashura was that could make the mage felt both longing and fear.
When the mage's mask finally recovered and hid the emotions once again behind the smiling face, the ninja realized something. He didn't know when it started, but he found himself actually caring about Fay now.