Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, canon storyline, etc. I'm just borrowing characters…though I've probably OOC'd them so much that CLAMP would be happy to give their battered new forms over to me and be rid of them, lol.

AN: This is set in some random world, but before the whole Acid Tokyo arc, or whatever it's called.

He came in quietly, stealthily; just the tiniest click of the door closing behind him and the softest whisper of denim-clad legs brushing together announced his presence.

"Where were you?"

The voice from the dark made him start slightly. He recovered quickly, however, and shrugged.

"Nowhere."

The ninja stepped from the shadows and faced the wizard, frowning darkly.

"Tell me."

"No."

Kurogane fell silent, surprised. Fai rarely said anything so certainly, so adamantly. He would have expected some ridiculous answer along the lines of "I was off visiting the moon, Kuro-rin." or "I was kidnapped, but my captors set me free because they thought I was annoying." Something as simple and certain as "No.", coming from Fai, was as rare as apples from cherry trees. And where was the usual false smile, the fake levity? Tonight, the blonde looked…moody…sad…grouchy? And that coming from Fai was about as rare as oranges from pear trees.

Fai moved to step past the other man, and Kurogane grabbed his arm, halting him.

"You smell like liquor."

"So, I went drinking. How is that any of your business?"

It was possible that it was really that simple…but unlikely: partly because if Fai was drinking, he usually invited Kurogane along; and partly because nothing was ever that simple with Fai.

"It's my business because this world seems dangerous; none of us should be out alone."

"I can take care of myself, Kurogane. Now, if you don't mind, I'm tired and I want to go to bed."

The irritation was thick in Fai's voice, evidenced by the lack of a silly nickname, the clipped tones, the set lips rather than the normal goofy smile. Though the difference was somewhat worrying, it was also a relief. For once, Fai was being honest. Honestly irritated, true…but still, his real emotions were coming through, unhidden. Being angry and allowing it to show…it was a sign of trust. Kurogane found himself pushing it, trying to see more of that aggravation, that honest frustration. So, though perhaps he should have relented and allowed Fai to go to bed, instead, he refused to let the other man's arm go, and pressed further.

"Not until you tell me where you were."

Fai spoke through gritted teeth, his blue eyes flashing. Kurogane found it absurdly delightful.

"I was at a bar just a couple of streets over, trying to get drunk. I didn't ask you along because I just wanted to get drunk alone, alright? But then that…that…"

He huffed angrily and wrenched his arm from Kurogane's grip, marching down the corridor stiffly, somehow managing to give the impression of stomping his feet without actually making any loud noise and risking waking the others. It was amusing.

Kurogane followed the smaller man, intent on enjoying this unusual display of emotion for as long as possible. At the foot of the stairs, Fai spun around on one black-booted foot and glared. Kurogane refused to speak, savoring Fai's building anger. It might have been an awkward silence, had this world not been so loud. The engines of those…"car"…things could be heard zooming by outside. Loud music and laughter drifted from the bars which seemed to inhabit every second building. Bright, artificial light poured in the windows. This city never slept. Yet even over all the sound, Kurogane imagined he could hear Fai's head making a sort of tea kettle boiling noise as his aggravation grew.

Finally, without another word, Fai turned and stomped up the stairs, this time not really restraining the noise, the bulky boots which were popular here thumping heavily on each step. Kurogane followed him up, chuckling internally, yet somewhat worried. Behind the anger, he thought he'd caught a glimpse of something else. And what had Fai been talking about? "But then that…that…" That what? From the tone of voice, it seemed he'd been angered by a person. Perhaps a bartender refusing to give Fai the enormous amounts of alcohol it would take to get him drunk when Fai didn't have enough money to pay? Was it something as simple and silly as that?

Finally taking mercy on the angry mage, Kurogane did not immediately follow him to their shared room in this rickety vacant building they'd moved into. Instead he checked on the children. Syaoran was curled around Sakura. As usual, they'd started out sleeping on separate blankets laid out on the floor, and somehow drifted together. Mokona was snuggled into Sakura's arms, a stupid smile on its fuzzy little face. In any of the worlds they came from, except perhaps Mokona's, Syaoran and Sakura sleeping curled together like that might have been considered improper, despite their youth and innocence. Yet there was nothing improper about it…it was a sweet gesture of protectiveness and comfort, and even gruff Kurogane privately found it extremely cute. Both of the children were smiling in their sleep.

Kurogane carefully pulled the door closed again, relieved that even the fuzzball had slept through Fai's stomping. Having that irritating creature awake at this time of night would have been beyond annoying.

There were only two bedrooms in the place, and though they could technically have each had their own room if they'd utilized the downstairs rooms such as the kitchen and living room, they had chosen to stay together in pairs…or rather, a pair and a group of three, since Mokona was always attaching itself to one pair or the other. They had only arrived in this noisy, too-bright world a day before, and it seemed to be inhabited by mostly mean drunks, so it seemed wise to never be alone, even in sleep. Vacant buildings like this were apparently fought over by groups of unsavory people as bases for whatever shady activities they engaged in. It was all too possible that some good-for-nothing might slip into the building in the dead of night and try to stab them all in their sleep. Thus, the buddy system sleeping arrangement. No one alone; everyone had someone else watching their back.

Fai was sitting on the blanket which was his bed, his boots discarded, black denim-clad legs crossed, equally black shirt unbuttoned at the cuffs and bottom, guzzling from a bottle, and Kurogane noted with a certain puzzlement that there was a jewel of some sort glinting at the blonde's navel. A piercing? Was that new or just something that'd been covered before? And why on earth would anyone want to have any part of them pierced, aside from maybe the ears? Then again, knowing Fai, the wizard probably jumped at any chance to make himself sparkle. He was like a pale crow, drawn to anything shiny and pretty. A crow…or maybe a woman. The thought made Kurogane snort slightly in amusement, and Fai glared at him over the bottle, but didn't remove it from his lips.

"Oi, wizard, stop stealing my drinks!"

"Finders keepers, ninja boy."

Shrugging, Kurogane settled onto his own blanket and grabbed another bottle from the bunch he'd bought earlier. It was awful stuff, really…cheap and oddly colored and containing small amounts of mysterious debris. Still, it was something.

Fai's bottle was empty, and with a sudden movement, he threw it hard at the wall. It smashed into a million pieces, and Kurogane started, more at the oddity of Fai's mood than at the sound. Certainly, he'd found the mage's anger amusing and his openness pleasing, but this was getting just a little too weird. Without acknowledging the mess or the noise or Kurogane's surprise, Fai simply snatched another bottle and kept right on drinking. Kurogane watched him, more worried now than amused.

They were silent. Kurogane was worried that one of the children, or worse, the white thing, would show up to ask what the noise was. Fai would probably blame Kurogane for the broken bottle, all fake smiles and laughter. Thankfully, no one came.

Fai had drained the next bottle, and when he lifted his arm as if to throw this one as well, Kurogane grabbed his wrist, gently but firmly. He was done with teasing and tormenting the mage. Though it was basically beyond him to make his voice soft, he tried.

"If you need to throw things, mage, then maybe we should go out, somewhere where it won't wake the brats up."

Fai set the bottle down and sighed heavily.

"No, it's alright."

"Tell me what happened."

Thought it was worded as a demand, it was really Kurogane's way of expressing that he was willing to listen if Fai needed to talk. The weak smile the wizard gave him showed that Fai understood his meaning.

"It's stupid anyway. You'll think I'm an idiot for being so upset over it."

Kurogane considered denying that, but thought better of it. He was nothing if not honest.

"Maybe. But tell me anyway."

"It's not like you can understand. You've never had to be the small one, the delicate one, the…the pretty one. You're big and you can scare people away with a look."

"Just spit it out, mage."

"Fine. Some big ugly thug decided he wanted me. Cornered me and wouldn't let me go…groped me…kissed me." He grabbed Kurogane's half empty bottle right out of his hand and took a long swig. "I'm still trying to wash the taste out of my mouth."

Kurogane was surprised by his own surprise, if that made any sense. Really, why was he so shocked by such a thing? Fai was thin and feminine and habitually flirtatious. Even his clothes at the moment; those tight "jean" things, that belly-baring top, the piercing…in a world like this, dressed like that, why was it surprising, to Fai or to Kurogane, that Fai should become a target for such attention? Fai was right; Kurogane did find the whole thing at least a little idiotic. Mostly because he knew Fai was entirely capable of defending himself, and couldn't understand why he hadn't.

"What did you do?"

"Don't look at me like that, like you think I allowed it. It was all very quick. As soon as I got my bearings, I knocked him over the head with a bottle and got away while he was dazed. But I'm still furious."

"Why? It's not such a big deal. You got the better of him, so what's the problem?"

Fai, seeming to relax at least somewhat, stood up and stretched, arms over his head, his shirt riding up higher. Curiously, Kurogane tried to see what it was that other man had seen. He found it easily. Fai was extremely attractive, that was simple fact. He was lean and lithe and…well, pretty. Still, Kurogane viewed it in a strangely distant way. Though he would likely never admit it aloud, Fai was a close comrade…his best friend, even. Annoying, certainly, but beloved in his own way. But though the wizard was attractive, Kurogane felt little, if anything, more than friendship for him. Though again, it was something he would never admit, he enjoyed the way Fai called him idiotic nicknames; he enjoyed the game they played, Fai flirting and Kurogane acting angry about it. As far as he could tell, they were both just playing. Fai was not sincere in his flirting, he was merely teasing; and Kurogane was not overly sincere in his anger either. They played the parts expected of them, and enjoyed the acting. If there was any deeper feeling, anything more than friendship and joking, it was a very small something, and best left alone and ignored.

"You wouldn't think it such a small thing if you'd lived your entire life like that. Always being grabbed and kissed and touched. It's humiliating, even if you can get the best of them in the end."

"You hardly help your case by dressing that way."

Fai shrugged, unbuttoning his shirt without self-consciousness. Kurogane was pleased by the trust that simple act demonstrated. Fai trusted Kurogane not to act like the others, not to lust after him. And Kurogane, despite his awareness of Fai's beauty, found it easy to live up to that trust.

"How I dress should be my own business. I shouldn't be attacked for it. Besides, next to everyone dresses this way here. I just get picked on because of how I look."

Kurogane rolled into his blankets and winced at the discomfort of trying to rest in jeans. Had he been alone, or even with a fellow ninja back in his own world, he would have shucked off all his clothing and slept naked. But, trust or not, he had the feeling that would make Fai uncomfortable, so he bore the discomfort with a sigh. Fai had removed his shirt and tossed it aside. The blonde flopped down on his belly, burying his face in his pillow. Kurogane chuckled quietly. He would never understand why…or even how…Fai slept facedown. Sleeping on one's stomach with the face turned was one thing. But actually sleeping with one's face in the pillow seemed likely to be suffocating and uncomfortable. Still, Fai did it.

"Are you alright, wizard?"

Kurogane didn't like to admit concern, but seeing Fai as upset as he had been tonight worried him, even if the mood seemed to be passing.

When no answer came from the depths of the pillow, Kurogane's worry built again.

"Fai?"

Fai rolled onto his side, facing Kurogane's pallet, wrapping his long arms around himself, his hair hiding his eyes. The room was absurdly light for this time of night, all of the city's light coming in the windows in odd splotches and the misshapen forms of neon words on bar billboards. "Penny's Place" was spelled out in blue light on the floor between them, and the wall sported green and pink flashing letters advertising that some bar or another had dancing girls who wore next to nothing. Fai's hair had a bright pink streak of neon light in it. Was the mage crying? It was impossible to tell; his body was still, no sobs, there were no tears on his cheeks, yet something about his manner suggested weeping. Kurogane wanted to speak again, to ask again if Fai was alright…but held back, allowing the other man his silence. Finally, Fai spoke.

"I haven't always been able to get the best of them, you know. I haven't always been strong enough."

The implication of those words had Kurogane freezing mid-fidget as he shifted in those darned uncomfortable pants.

"You mean…you've been…" He searched for the softest word. Raped? Violated? Taken? "…used?"

"Don't sugarcoat it, Kuro. I was weak, and I paid for it. I know you must find that pathetic."

He contemplated that. Did he think that was pathetic? No, he decided, he did not. He himself had been weak, once upon a time…and he too had suffered, though in a different way. He pushed the pain of his own past aside and slid the couple of feet that landed him next to the wizard's makeshift bed.

He considered what sort of gesture he could make to comfort his friend without appearing to be attempting to take advantage. In the end, he settled for taking the blonde's chin between his thumb and forefinger and tipping his head up, forcing Fai to look at him, then releasing him before the move could be taken the wrong way. He was rather surprised to find that those sapphire blue eyes were dry.

"Don't tell me what I think, mage. You're strong now. Whatever your past is, I don't care. The present is more important."

Fai studied his eyes, searching for a lie. After a long moment, the wizard smiled, just slightly, but sincerely.

"Maybe you're right."

Then, to Kurogane's surprise, the smaller man curled up against him, shamelessly snuggling. He might have laughed at the childish gesture if it hadn't been so utterly awkward. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around Fai, debating internally over the stupidity of this. The fuzzball and the children would probably find them like this in the morning, and Syaoran would be nervous and blushing, thinking it was something more than it was, and the fuzzball would tease and snicker and make rude innuendos, and Sakura would be all innocent and wondering what the others were implying…it was foolish, to allow this embrace, even if it were nothing more than friendly. It wasn't anything more than friendly, was it? Anyway, Kurogane was most certainly not the huggy type, in any situation. But the sadness and anger in Fai, the apparent need to be held, made him force himself into the decidedly uncomfortable action. He only hoped he wouldn't end up regretting this.

"'Night, Kuro-sama."

The nicknames were back. It was both a relief and a pity. It meant Fai was going back to normal…but that meant that Fai was going back to acting. Still, there was a sort of sincerity in his voice that implied the nickname was used this time in genuine affection rather than affectation.

"Goodnight, mage."

Kurogane fell asleep already planning how to beat the lewd hints out of the white thing in the morning.