It was a very beautiful day; the day when they first met. The sun was shining brightly down from an almost completely clear sky, birds were singing and a gentle breeze sent golden leaves flying through the air.
However little Kurogane weren't outside playing with his friends, and enjoying the weather; instead he was inside a hospital currently visiting his mother, who had collapsed the day prior, and was now admitted for the next couple of days.
He scowled a bit, not liking the way her skin was pale, and the obviously tired tone of her voice. He was too young to fully comprehend the severity of her illness, but he did know that his mother wasn't well, and he hated seeing her suffer.
When the doctor came to talk to his father, he was sent outside the room, and with a worried glance at the door, he made his way down the hall, exploring the hospital. The doctor had said it would be a while before they were done talking, and had suggested he found the waiting room, were there would be toys to keep him occupied.
But he didn't want to play with toys. Only children played with toys, and he was already seven. Therefore he decided to explore! That's what real men did, when they were at an unknown place. He would explore this place, and when his mother came home again, he would tell her all about what he had found, of all the dangers he had survived on this quest, and all the monsters he had killed. That would certainly make her proud, he thought.
As he was walking by an open door, a flash of something golden caught his eyes, and he stopped. A treasure?
Carefully he poked his head inside the room, and what he saw would be forever ingrained in his memory. On a bed as white as snow, sat a boy about his age; his face was turned toward the window, were the golden light of an early evening, shone through. His honey colored hair glittered in the rays from the sun, and his blue eyes sparkled, while his surroundings seemed to emit a soft glow.
Kurogane was enraptured by the sight, and couldn't do anything, but stare at the wonder before his eyes. At that moment it seemed the boy finally noticed him, standing in his doorway, for he turned his gaze on him instead, and just sat there for a bit.
Slowly his eyes that almost seemed not to see anything lightened, and a small, soft smile worked its way to his lips.
,,Hello" he said, his voice melodic, ,,You're welcome to come inside black one"
Kurogane frowned and looked down at himself; indeed he was dressed in majorly black, and somehow he felt out of place, even just standing in the doorway. Everything in the room was light, and it seemed somehow ominous for him to let something black enter that space.
But his curiosity got the better of him, and cautiously he stepped inside the room.
,,My name's Kurogane, not black one." He mumbled as he walked up to the bed and looked closer at the boy in it. He was pale, like, really pale. Even more pale than his mother was, and that made him frown again.
,,My name's Fai, it's a pleasure to meet you." Kurogane almost forgot how to breathe at the sound of that voice again. Now that he was closer to the boy, the voice was so much clearer, he almost felt himself drowning in it.
,,Are you a Faerie?" he asked, before he could stop himself, and as the words slipped out off his mouth he felt himself blush and suddenly wished the ground would swallow him whole. He was seven years old, for crying out loud! He didn't believe in Faeries.
Fai chuckled a bit, a sound that was quite resembling of the chiming of bells.
,,No I'm not a Faerie, I'm just a normal human." He said still sounding amused.
Kurogane blushed deeper, but couldn't make himself be angry with the other for laughing at him, the sound was simply to beautiful to insert any kind of negative feeling, in the listener.
But then Fai started coughing, violent shakes raking through his small body. Kurogane could only stare in dread, as the fragile looking boy kept coughing and coughing, and some machine that stood to the side of him, started beeping.
Immediately, people flooded the room, doctors checking him over and holding him up while he coughed, and nurses injecting him with strange colored fluids, and talking to him softly.
He just stood there, staring at all the commotion in front of him, hoping Fai would be okay and wishing he could get a glimpse of him, so he knew he was well. Suddenly a nurse noticed him standing, and ushered him out of the room, closing the door behind her.
But this time he didn't go exploring; this time he stayed outside the door, listening intently to what happened on the other side, trying to hear if Fai had finally stopped coughing.
He stood there, waiting, in what felt like forever to the small child, before the door at last opened to reveal the doctors and nurses walking out, talking quietly amongst themselves. He could only catch bits of pieces of the conversation, but the way their shoulders slumped, and they shook their head at each other, made a feeling of dread wash over him.
Without asking permission, he hurried in the door and looked toward the bed. Fai was lying there, very still, and for a moment his heart stopped at the sight. But then he noticed the faint rise and fall of his chest, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Quietly he made his way to the bed, and sat at the chair next to it. Then he hesitated; he wasn't sure what to do in this situation. He thought back to what he had seen his father do, and so he leaned forward and gently wrapped his hand around Fai's unnaturally cold fingers.
And then he just sat there, oblivious to the fact that he had half the hospital in an uproar, because of his disappearance. He sat there until a nurse finally found him and, when he refused to leave, went to get his father.
When his father came into the room, he was very much ready to scold his only son for disappearing like that, but when he saw him, sitting there on a chair so big, his feet couldn't even touch the floor, holding the hand of a boy, he was sure his son had never met before, the words died in his mouth.
The mere look on Kuroganes face at that moment was more than enough to melt his heart.
,,Hey." He said in a low voice coming to stand next to him at the bed. ,,Who is that?"
,,…Fai" Kurogane answered after a bit. He was sitting very still in the chair, his eyes fixed on the blonde boys face, but he was shaking ever so slightly.
,,Kuro…" his father said, but never got any further before his son had suddenly thrown his arms around him, and was crying into his stomach as that was the only place he could reach.
The man kneeled beside him, and held his son close. He could feel that whatever had happened, had really shaken the boy.
,,There, there Kurogane it's gonna be okay. We have to get going now, since visiting hours are over, but you can come back tomorrow and see him again." He said, trying to calm down a very upset seven year old.
Kurogane sniffled, ,,Really? Will Fai really be here tomorrow?" he asked his voice only barely not breaking.
Kurogane's father looked at his son, knowing he probably didn't understand the true meaning of his own words.
,,Yes he'll be here." He promised, though in all honesty he couldn't be completely sure. This was the ward for the dying after all.
The next day, Kurogane barely stayed in his mother's room long enough to say hello. The moment he saw that she was well, he ran out the door and down the hallways, to get to Fai's room.
He was slightly out of breath when he got there, but didn't waste any time before he stepped inside, eyes instantly locking on the slim figure that belonged to Fai.
Fai turned his head and looked at him, surprise lighting up his eyes.
,,Kurorin?" he asked cocking his head to the side.
Kurogane stared at him, reveling in the way the light played with his hair. Then he blushed at the ridiculous nickname. Then he responded.
,,My name's Kurogane, get it right." He huffed, but at that time, Fai's face had lit up into a beautiful soft smile, and he couldn't be mad at him.
,,You really weren't just a dream." He whispered, as Kurogane came closer and once again sat at the chair next to the bed.
,,Hey Fai? Are you sick?" he asked suddenly, having noticed that Fai was at least just as pale, if not more so, than the day before.
Fai looked at him, looking a bit incredulous.
,,Kurotan, I'm in a hospital. Of course I'm sick." He said and Kurogane could only blush again, this time at his own stupidity.
,,Well… what's wrong with you?" he followed up with, trying to save however much of his dignity as he could.
Fai looked away from him, choosing instead to stare at his hands he had folded on top of his lap.
,,…I'm cursed." He whispered so low Kurogane almost didn't hear it.
,,Cursed? Like… how?" he asked feeling intrigued.
Fai smiled at the tone in his voice, but this one didn't reach his eyes, that suddenly seemed much older than they should.
,,But Kuropon, you're obviously not sick, so what are you doing here?" he asked instead of answering.
Kurogane frowned when he didn't receive any answers to his question. The guy was cursed, that was simply too interesting to not talk about.
But he had a feeling Fai really wanted to avoid that subject, so with more maturity than a seven year old should have, he let him change the subject.
,,I'm visiting my mother. She's also sick, but she's not nearly as pale as you though"
Fai gave a little laugh at that, ,,Well I'm glad then. By the way did you know? If you make a thousand paper cranes, and give them to a sick person, that person will become healthy again." He said watching small lights go on in Kurogane's red eyes.
,,Really? Like magic?" he asked to excited to remember that seven year olds definitely doesn't believe in magic either.
,,Yes just like magic. It can cure any illness that someone may have."
That day, Kurogane made his first paper crane.
It was two days later that his mother was released from the hospital, but Kurogane still insisted on visiting the hospital, making his father drive him there every day. Sometimes he would just come pick up his son when he called for him, other days he went inside with him, accompanying his son on his visit.
That was when he noticed that Fai mentally, was much much older than his small seven year old body was. It was also at that time he started wondering why the boy never had any other visitors.
It was painfully clear that Kurogane wasn't aware of the fact that Fai was dying, and that Fai very much wanted it to stay that way. So he didn't say anything, but every time he spotted his son sitting in his room and making paper cranes, he felt his heart constrict a little.
As the days went by, it became clear that Fai was becoming more and more ill. The visiting hours became very short and he was even paler than usual, almost translucent now. His breaths were also much shallower, and he often ran a fever when they came.
And then, exactly two weeks after they met, Kurogane finished making the one thousand crane, and he couldn't wait to give them to Fai. Finally Fai would get healthy, and then they could play together!
Kuroganes father stood in the doorway and watched his son, barely containing himself from grapping him in a big hug, and telling him everything. He just hoped Fai would still be alive to see all his hard work.
The next day Kurogane noticed his father was very quiet in the car on the way to the hospital. He looked over at him, and saw that his body seemed tense, and his grip on the steering wheel was way too tight. He almost asked what was wrong, but just then, the bundle with the paper cranes almost fell from his lap, and he quickly forgot about his worry, as only a child can.
,,Fai!" he exclaimed as he practically jumped inside the room. ,,Look, look I made you a thousand paper cranes. Now you'll get all better!"
Fai was lying down in his bed, but at the sound of Kurogane's voice he sat up with difficulty, and stared at the boy.
,,You… what?" he asked uncertain, his voice raspy and hoarse, and his breath labored as if he had spent the day running instead of resting. Kurogane quickly crawled up on the chair, and dumped the bundle with paper cranes in his lap.
,,I made you a thousand paper cranes. You'll getter better now right? Just like you said right? Just like magic." Kurogane knew he sounded a bit desperate, but he couldn't help it. Fai didn't look better at all, in fact he looked worse than ever.
,,Fai?" he asked in a very small voice.
Fai just stared at the paper cranes in his lap, but then he turned his head and looked at Kurogane. He smiled, and though he was as thin as a skeleton, sweaty with bags under his eyes and way to pale for health, he had never been more beautiful.
,,Thank you, Kurogane." He whispered, and laid his tired body back down closing his eyes, while his fingers gently played with one of the red cranes.
Kurogane looked very intently at Fai's face, searching for signs that he was getting better, but he couldn't find any.
There was an annoying persistent sound in the background, but he tuned it out as he reached forward to gently shake Fai awake. He didn't like the stillness of his body when he was asleep. He had even stopped playing with the crane.
Faintly he noticed his father's arms lifting him away, heard him mumble something incoherently, and watched as nurses flooded the room checking on Fai, before shaking their head. Why did they shake their head, why did they… wait why did they cover his face with the sheet, they only did that when someone had died. Fai wasn't dead. He wasn't .
He had made the thousand paper cranes! Fai was getting better! He was!
,,No! Set me down. What are you doing with him? Set me down! Fai! FAI!" he yelled while his father carried him from the room. Idly he noticed warm drops of water hitting his neck. God what was that sound in the background? It was annoying and teared at his senses.
It was only when he saw the nurse pull out the plug to the machine that counted Fai's heartbeat, and the annoying sound disappeared, that he realized it.
No!
,,But I gave him the cranes! Why isn't he getting better!" Kurogane asked his father desperately.
,,He was cursed my son. There is no cure for that." Came the silent answer while more warm drops landed on his neck. This time they were followed by Kuroganes own.
Nine months later a nurse looked in on an infant, just born, and noticed the red paper crane in its fingers. Smiling softly at the small baby she tugged a bit of blond away from his face.
A/N: I changed the meaning of the paper cranes slightly in this story; normally the saying is, that if you make a thousand paper cranes, you can get any wish you want.