Title: The Evening Piano

Author: crimsonrosepetals

Summary: Drabble. Pianofic. It is not that Fay doesn't know how to play the piano. It's just that he doesn't like to.

Rating: K

Length: 545 words

Characters: Fai and Kurogane. Mentions of Ashura.

Warning/s: Set waaaaaaaaaaaay back in the Land of Outo.

Disclaimer: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle does not belong to me. Probably only will in an alternate universe.
Author's Notes: I don't know if Fai really doesn't know how to play the piano but for the sake of this fic he does. Set after the events of episode 20 "The Afternoon Piano". Please pardon the title. And please be nice if you plan on commenting.

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It was late. The kids and Mokona had already fallen asleep a couple of hours ago, and Kurogane was already upstairs, presumably resting as well. It had been a tiring day, especially for Syaoran who'd had a rough first time training with the ninja.

Fai had woken up just a few moments ago – he'd had another one of those dreams; the ones which involved a clear blue ocean and a pair of closed black eyes – and had gone down to the café, not being able to go back to sleep. It had to be around midnight already, but it wasn't so dark; the full moon could be seen through one of the glass-paned windows, its scarlet-streaked rays providing enough light for the mage to be able to see without having to turn on the lights.

For a moment, the blond just stood in a corner, looking around the neat, empty room. Then, without knowing why, he walked towards the piano on the opposite side of the coffee shop, mindful of the weight he placed on his still-sore left leg. He sat down gingerly on the low brown bench and positioned his fingers on the ivory-white keys. He hesitated; not because he didn't know how to play the instrument (as he'd pretended to Sakura and Mokona), but because it has been a long time since he last did. And he didn't usually like to.

In fact, the only times he played were those times he asked him to. Ashura had been very fond of music; he'd taught Fai how to play the piano himself when he first took him in.

Fai closed his azure-blue eyes and began to play: a soft, slow lullaby from his childhood. Ashura had used to sing it for him when he was much, much younger, to lull him to sleep on those nights when the nightmares became too much to handle. When his King's gentle voice was enough to banish the faceless, nameless ghosts that came for him at night. The mage nearly smiled – sadly, wistfully – at the memory.

Pale, slender fingers carried on, stroking the keys lightly, careful not to wake the sleeping children, hitting each note perfectly from mere recollection.

Fai concentrated so much on playing that he didn't notice a dark shape coming down from the stairs. He started when the said dark shape tapped him firmly on his shoulder; his playing broke off, the last few notes resonating through the atmosphere, before fading away into silence. He turned around.

"Get back to sleep you dumb mage." His deep baritone grumbled roughly. "It's too late for this, and you're too noisy when you're awake."Kurogane grabbed one of his hands and yanked him out of the seat, making the smaller male stumble. He winced.

The ninja steadied him, remembering Fai's hurt leg, then began hauling him towards the stairs, albeit a little less forcibly, fully intent on bringing the blond back to their room. His cheeks coloured an interesting shade of almost-invisible pink.

Fai blinked once, twice, before smiling; he let himself be pulled along, and snuggled up against the ninja's side. "Okay, Big Doggy" he lilted quietly.

Kurogane huffed irritably, and continued dragging the mage up the stairs, letting the name and the snuggling slide. Just this once.

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