Disclaimer: I do not own these characters nor am I making any money from writing this.

Prompt: Air

How long had it been since he had actually tasted fresh air without this infernal mask? Kurotowa found that he really couldn't remember anymore. How long had he and Kushana been taking refuge in this ruined Corvette after the insects had destroyed the Torumekian fleet? He couldn't recall that either. He found that it really was difficult to keep track of the days when he kept losing consciousness for unknown lengths of time. Kurotowa was many things; smart, underhanded, and very, very good at self-preservation. So he was not in the habit of nearly killing himself in an effort to protect another person. Yet he had, without a single thought; as the pain radiating throughout every inch of his body seemed to delight in reminding him. If it had been anyone else, anyone at all, he wouldn't have done it. But for Kushana…

Perhaps it was because they had been about to die anyway. Perhaps it was because she had decided to trust him, even after she found out that he was a pawn in one of the Vai Emperor's plots against her. Somewhere along their travels he had grown remarkably attached to the woman. She wasn't afraid to use the authority she was born to as Princess but she didn't flaunt it; she genuinely cared about the soldiers that she commanded, even mourning them when they died in battle. It was unheard of amongst the royals of their time, Torumekian or Dorok. Maybe that is what drove those that served under her to such blind devotion. And he had unknowingly, happily, joined their ranks.

'Oh gods,' Kurotowa thought to himself with a painful sigh. 'I'm well and truly smitten aren't I?' He opened his tired, uncovered eye as steady, metallic taps indicated that someone was approaching his makeshift bed. Kushana's eyes looked just as exhausted as he felt, but he could tell she was determined not to show it in front of the few men that had survived with them. He could dimly see one of the soldiers keeping watch for another ship; if one didn't come along soon they were going to be in worse trouble then they already were.

"Already awake are you?" Her voice was muffled through the mask she wore, gods how he hated these things.

"I'm tired of sleeping all the time." He heard himself mumble, "It makes me feel as useless as I look." He saw the faintest of lines deepen at the corners of her eyes and he just knew she was smirking at him as she responded,

"It's no different than how you usually are." He tried to not chuckle, truly he did; but he couldn't help it, even as his healing lungs and ribs protested painfully. "Stop that." Kushana ordered him as she reached above his head for the only tank of drinkable water they had. Detaching the tube, she held the end with pinched fingers as she knelt down to attach it to his wretched mask. He should be thankful to even be able to drink while they were stuck in this miasma. But he'd give almost anything to have a breath of fresh air again…

Author's Notes:

Firstly, thanks for reading! It's been a long time since I've written fanfiction (or anything really), so please bear with me as I get back in the swing of this.

As the summary said, this will be a series of one-shots surrounding Kushana and Kurotowa. Most will be unconnected to each other; but there may be an occasional couple that ties together. All of them will be manga based; as much as I love the anime, it was my favorite movie growing up; I feel it doesn't do the characters justice like the manga does. Also, I apologize for any grammatical errors; it's not really my forte. If anyone would like to beta them I wouldn't turn them down.

So, that all being said, please R&R and let me know what you think!