Fai walked into his classroom, to see his best friends Sakura and Chi sitting there. Hideki was sitting next to them, as well. Fai smiled coyly at Chi, thinking that maybe there might be something between the two of them.
Chi saw the smile, and instead of getting the hint, just smiled cheerfully back instead. Fai's smile then turned more genuine, as he sat down with his group.
"Hi, Fai." Sakura told him, and Fai told her hi back. He then said hello to Hideki, as their teacher walked into the classroom.
"Okay, kids. You know what today is. Today is the day we plant our flowers." Ashura, their teacher, told them. Fai knew perfectly well what this class was doing, since not only was Ashura their teacher, he was also Fai's father.
So he actually knew about this project weeks before the rest of the class did. Not that knowing helped him any.
Fai always wanted a heads up, but Ashura hardly gave it to him, unless their was no way Fai could cheat his way out of it. And growing flowers would be hard to cheat at.
"I just don't understand why father won't tell me the class plans. I would NEVER cheat." He fake boasted, after the lesson was done being explained.
Sakura giggled, while Chi laughed with her. He saw that Hideki didn't think it was all that funny, but once he saw Chi laugh, he then laughed, too.
"Oh, Fai. Don't move." Sakura suddenly spoke, and Fai sat in place. He knew what it was for. Sakura did this all the time. But Fai didn't mind. In fact, he thought it just added onto to Sakura's cuteness.
"Kurogane, five o clock." She whisper warned, while Chi then whipped her head around to see where Kurogane was.
"Sakura, this isn't five o clock. This is three o clock." Chi told her, and Fai wondered how Chi could be such a ditz, yet be freakishly smart at the same time. Sakura's face then turned pink, as she looked at her desk.
"Oops. Sorry." She spoke, and while Hideki pat Sakura's head.
"It's okay. To be honest, I don't know the difference, either." he told her, and Chi looked at the two of them. Fai saw her not look jealous, but instead confused. Probably confused as to why this bothered her so much.
Fai knew why.
Although that was probably because he liked someone, too.
He liked the captain of the Samurai Sword Club, Kurogane.
He was tall, muscular, and didn't take sass from anyone. But that's not why Fai liked him. In fact, Fai liked Kurogane because of his secret sides.
How Kurogane acted when he didn't think anyone was around.
At first Fai didn't like him much. At the start of the year, sure he was attracted to Kurogane, but it wasn't anything deep. Although as time went on, he began to see another side to him. The kinder side.
Surely Kurogane didn't know that many days Fai would have to stay after school. And that would give him more than enough time to see the real Kurogane.
And that's how it first happened.
Fai did have to stay after school a lot.
He and his father lived together, but other than that, they were alone. And at first Fai used to go home on his own, but Fai didn't really like to be all by himself.
Not that he would have actually said that.
So for a while he did stay at home by himself. But then one day, on the way home from school, Fai was beaten up. Fai didn't like to think about it, but it was kind of hard not to. Because Kurogane had saved him that day.
Fai remembered that it was because Sakura had turned down the ring leader of a gang. She did it kindly, of course. But he didn't care.
All he cared about was that someone had said no to him. That, and now he wouldn't be able to sleep with her. So at first he stalked her. It began to freak her out so bad that she didn't want to go to school.
But something changed, because she started going again. And Fai vowed to protect her.
So when the guy tried to intimidate her again, Fai stood up to him.
"Leave her alone." He demanded, as the ringleader glared suns at Fai. But Fai didn't care. In fact, he didn't even care on the inside. He wasn't the least bit scared.
He was doing this for his friend, and it was worth it.
"You don't know what you're getting into." He spat, and Fai smirked, as Sakura stood behind him, not sure what to do.
She felt terrible that she couldn't do anything.
"Actually, YOU don't know what you're getting into." Fai had told him, tipping him off. The ring leader then punched Fai in the stomach, making Sakura gasp.
"Fai!" She yelled, but Fai didn't seem hurt. Sure, he was. But this was all part of his plan. Because a second later, Amaterasu, another teacher, showed up. And she had seen what happened.
And Fai knew she would have.
Everyday she walked here, almost at the same time, since her lover came to meet her here. And now the ringleader was screwed.
So afterwards, he was pissed.
Which was why he was beating up Fai again. He not only not gotten the girl, but he also got expelled. So he waited until Fai was on his own, and attacked.
But he didn't get very far, because almost out of nowhere, Kurogane had shown up. In three seconds flat, he had the guy pinned on the ground, begging to be let go. Ever since, Fai knew that there was another side to Kurogane.
So not only did he begin to wait at school until his father was finished so that he wouldn't walk alone, he also used that time to watch Kurogane.
Who was always practicing his sword skills right on the lawn below the window. Since it was the second story, he hardly ever saw Fai watching. Which was how Fai got away with his watching on most days.
Sometimes Kurogane would see, and Fai would whip his head to the side, pretending not to look as he did his best fake whistle. Which kind of sounded not whistle like at all.
And through those many days, Fai fell deeper in love, since he got to see almost every side of Kurogane.
"You should confess to him." Hideki told Fai, as he was searching through flower magazines.
This was their first part of the assignment. They had to look and see what flower they wanted to grow. Sakura who was also looking, nodded in agreement with Hideki. Chi on the other hand, was too busy looking at the flowers.
"I don't know. Kuro-tan is pretty popular. He probably doesn't even know I exist. And even if he does know who I am, he probably only thinks of me as that weirdo who sometimes watches him from the second story." He told her, and Hideki laughed nervously, not sure what to say.
"Or he knows you as the one who reads books to blind children. Or as the one who almost always stays after class to clean up so that no one else has to." Sakura defended, but it was hard for Fai to accept praise.
"You know I have to stay after school." He told her, trying to make what she said seem less heroic. Although, the reading to blind kids thing was kind of hard, so he just hoped that she wouldn't bring it up again.
"Yeah, I know you don't like to be alone. So you could very well let the person who was cleaning duty actually do their job. But you don't." Sakura continued, as Chi finally looked up from her magazine, and the twinkle in her eye made it obvious that she had picked her flower.
"Thank you, Sakura. But I'm not that great." He told her, putting his eyes on the magazine. He really didn't have much of an idea of what he wanted.
Although, his eye did keep trailing back to a sun flower.
"Oooh, that looks cute!" Chi spoke, looking over at the sunflower.
"It is." Hideki agreed, and he and Chi both looked at each other for a moment. Their faces turned red, as they both turned their heads back to their own magazines.
Suddenly, Salrua's phone buzzed. Fai knew that she was talking to someone. And since she was getting into his buisiness, he sort of felt like butting into hers. Of course, he will do it in the most endearing way.
"Sooo, who is he?" Fai asked, and Sakrua's face blushed.
Fai's eyes sparkled with meddlingness as he scooted his chair closer to hers.
"Come on, tell me. A princess musn't keep secrets from her people." Fai spoke,and Sakura laughed.
"I'm not a princess. Although, my middle name is Hime." She added, although Fai knew full well. In fact, that's why he called her a princess in the first place.
"Anyway, it's my friend online. Syaoran." She told Fai, and Fai smiled.
When Sakura started to not go to school, and her friends went without her, she had no one to talk to. So she went online and befriended a boy from Hong Kong. And he gave her the courage to go back to school.
"He texts you now? Cute!" Fai cheered, when he saw Kurogane looking at him. Fai's heart sped up.
Both of them looked at each other for a moment, before Kurogane's friend Tomoyo said something, tearing his attention away.
He looked back at her, and only then did Tomoyo see that she ruined the moment. Her face went pale, as she looked at Sakura. Sakura looked at her, sympathetic. Sakura, too, had ruined what could be moments towards them.
"This must be fixed!" Tomoyo called, and everyone looked at her. She just smiled, before looking down at her magazine.
"Flowers can help with love." She spoke, while Kurogane looked at her, eyebrow raised.
"Huh?" He asked, while she just skimmed the magazine.
Later, Tomoyo walked over to Fai's group, including Hideki, and pulled Sakura away from them. Fai looked at them puzzled, while the two began to discuss.
"What's going on?" Chi asked, cocking her head.
Fai had a clue.
After about five minutes, the two girls walked back over to them, and Fai just waited for them to speak.
"We came up with a good idea." Sakura told Fai, and he smiled.
"What is it?" He asked, while Tomoyo got a million twinkles in her eyes.
"We're going to help you confess your love to Kurogane, of course!" Tomoyo cheered, and Fai looked at her.
"Oh. I see." He replied, and the two girls looked amongst each other, not sure what that meant. Was he against the idea or not?
"Okay. So are you in?" Hideki asked, curious for them.
"Sure!" Fai laughed, and Chi smiled, happy that he was willing. All three girls jumped up and down, and once Fai joined them, Hideki felt a tad bit left out.
Plan One: Day of the Flower Planting.
Fai had finished putting his Sun Flower in the ground, and was looking over at Kurogane. He was planting something Fai thought was very like him.
A venus fly trap.
Fai laughed, and Tomoyo stood there, hands on her hips. She was probably fake scolding him about planting something so outrageous.
"Are you ready for Plan One?" Hideki asked, as Fai looked at what Hideki had planted. He planted and egg plant, surprisingly.
"Yep." Fai spoke, pretty sure that he was ready.
"Okay. So Chi and Sakura will make you trip into his arms." Chi announced, since she sometimes spoke in the third person. Hideki laughed nervously once again, as Sakura began to lightly push Fai.
"L-let's go!" She cheered, sounding more put on the spot than Fai.
Once they got there, Chi reached out her foot, but instead of tripping Fai, she fell over herself.
"Chi!" Hideki called. Sakura leaned down to help Chi up, when a gust of wind blew by, lifting her skirt.
"KYAAH!" Sakura yelled, dropping to the ground so no one would see. Fai went to sit down with her, and his footing slipped.
Fai fell forward, but right before he hit the ground, Kurogane reached out, and stopped Fai from hitting the ground. The moment seemed to have been forever. And Fai had felt a spark between the two of them.
"Ha ha, clumsy us." Fai laughed, standing up, ending the moment. Hideki just finished getting Chi back up, while Sakura was still on the ground, blushing out of embaressment.
"Oi, you okay?" Kurogane asked, and Fai smiled.
"You bet, Kuro-chan!" He spoke, and Kurogane's face went from normal, to angry.
"Don't call me that!" He barked, while Fai's smile just got bigger.
"Okay, sorry Kuro-rin." He added, and Kurogane got even laughed, pretty happy that Kurogane's attention was on him.
So sort of, plan one worked.
Plan Two: Two weeks since Planting.
"Our plans keep failing. So I say we don't count those."Tomoyo spoke, while Hideki and Chi were holding hands.
Sure the plans didn't get Fai and Kurogane that much closer, but Chi and Hideki finally started going steady.
"So wouldn't that make this plan two, then?" Sakura asked, and Tomoyo just continued to laugh her ho ho's, making Sakura cock her head.
"So what's plan seven? I mean, plan two?" Fai asked, looking at Kurogane.
He was with the Samurai Sword Club. That included the adult in charge of it, Souma. And that also included another girl (maybe?) named Jojo.
Everyone was pretty sure the he was a guy, but for some reason, dressed up like a girl.
And that club also included Jojo's friend Mikoto, who only joined to get the number of the group to a higher number. He wasn't exactly that tough.
"We're going to lock Fai and Kurogane in a closet." Tomoyo cheered, while Fai looked at her, wide eyed.
"What?" He asked, when Tomoyo whipped out a camera, wanting to record this.
"Alright, Chi! Push him." Tomoyo ordered, and Chi looked guilty.
"Sorry, Fai." She spoke before pushing Fai back into a closet.
Fai should have known something was up. His group never stood there before.
"Guys, let me out." Fai told them, the place actually pretty dark. Fai felt his heart rate pick up, as he began to get more and more nervous.
They didn't know it, but Fai hated being trapped.
"Guys, please!" Fai begged.
"What's gong on?" Fai heard Kurogane ask, and Fai had assumed that they had gone to go get him.
"The door is jammed. We need your help." Tomoyo explained, and Fai's vision began to get a little swirly. He tried to sit down, but there wasn't even enough space for that. Fai then realized that it wasn't a closet, but more of where teachers kept their tools.
More like a cabinet.
"Um, okay." Kurogane said, although his voice sounded a bit muffled to Fai. Fai blinked to keep himself in order, but that didn't help much.
"Hurry. Fai's stuck in there!" Chi told him.
"What? You should have started with that!" Kurogane barked, before he grabbed onto the door handle, and ripped the door open.
Fai's vision went black, and he fell towards the ground. Kurogane reached out once more to catch him.
"Fai!" Sakura yelled, now truly scared. Tomoyo's heart riddled with guilt, instantly knowing that something was wrong.
"What's wrong?" Chi asked, as Hideki inspected him.
"I think he only passed out." He spoke, while Kurogane picked him up.
"I'm taking him to the nurse." He told everyone, before he walked out the door, Fai in his arms.
Once Fai woke up, he was confused. Even when he remembered what happened, he was still confused. Since Kurogane was sitting next to him.
"Kuro-rin?" Fai asked, and Kurogane got an angry look. But he didn't complain.
"Why are you here?" Fai asked, his heart pumping.
"I carried you here. You passed out in that closet." Kurogane told him, and a blush came to Fai's face, while Kurogane inspected him.
"The nurse said you were okay. She said you weren't in there long enough for it to be because of the lack of air. So do you know what it was?" He asked, and Fai's heart stopped its beating. His face went kind of dark.
"Yeah. It's pyscological, that's all."Fai told Kurogane, who just waited patientally for him to finish.
"You see...my brother and I were homeless for a long time. It's the first thing I remember. But eventually we were found and sent into foster care." Fai continued, tears already welling up. It wasn't like Fai kept this a huge secret.
In fact, Ashura told him that telling it out loud would help him.
Well that, and Fai knew he could trust Kurogane.
"We weren't sent to the same family. But I couldn't stand it, so I ran away to him. Even though I had a really kind parent." Fai continued, his voice starting to shake.
To his surprise, Kurogane reached forward, and ruffled Fai's hair, subtly telling him that eveyrthing was okay.
"A-and, Yui on the other hand didn't have a nice parent. She locked him up in the closet all the time and hit him." Fai added, as he felt his heart break.
"By the time I got there, his foster mother already hated him. She wanted him dead. So she locked me in the closet, while she beat my brother outside the door." Fai told Kurogane, tears spilling down his cheeks.
"That's why closets freak me out so much. I had to listen to my brother almost die, while I couldn't do anything." Fai contiuned.
"Almost?" Kurogane asked, while Fai nodded.
"Yeah. Almost. Yui didn't die. The cops were called, and I was sent back to Ashura, while Yui was sent to another parent. It was only temporary at first. In fact, Ashura was going to adopt both of us. But Yui needed to stay with another parent until Ashura filled out all the paper work." He informed.
"And by the time it was all filed, Yui was with a parent he really loved." Fai finished, and Kurogane smiled.
"Sounds great. Do you still see each other?" He asked, and Fai nodded.
"Of course! Every weekend we have slumber parties! You've had one of those, right Kuro-rin?" He aksed, and Kurogane thought about it.
"Yeah. Tomoyo made me." He replied, before he realized what Fai had said.
"Dammit! Don't call me that!" He yelled, while Fai laughed.
And in that laughter, Fai thought of something.
The plans weren't working, so he was just going to confess. And he knew the perfect time to do it.
Two months after the plant was planted:
"Your sunflower is getting big, Fai-san." Syaoran told him, and Fai smiled.
"Thanks. I'm proud of him." Fai added, while Sakura looked up at Syaoran.
"I'm sorry you transferred too late and couldn't plant one." Sakura told him, and Syaoran looked down at her, and smiled.
"Why would I plant a rose when I have the most beautiful one in front of me right now?" He asked, and Sakura's face flared red. And even though Syaroan was the one who had said it, his face was still red as well.
Syaoran had transferred into the class one month ago. His family was moving to Japan, and even though he had to take two trains to get to this school, he still did. Since it was where his now, girlfriend went.
"I can't believe you're going to confess the day the sunflower blooms! That's so romantic!" Sakura cheered, as Chi and Hideki walked up.
Fai's face was dusted red, as he recalled his idea.
He was going to confess the day his flower bloomed. And in between that time he would not only get the courage to confess, but he would get as close to Kurogane as he could.
Suddenly, a boom of thunder went throughout the sky. The kids looked up, and once they deemed it was going to rain, they all went inside.
It was a good thing school was already over for the day.
Everyone walked inside, and waited for either the bus, or their ride. Some walked. Fai went outside, only to see Sakura and the others off, when he saw Kurogane, standing there. Fai was confused, though.
Although he very well couldn't say it outloud, due to his daily watchings of Kurogane, he knew that today Kurogane wouldn't stay after, and that he would go home.
At first Fai thought maybe he was waiting for a ride, but the hour soon grew late.
"Um, Kuro-rin?" Fai asked, walking up. Kurogane just stood there, nice and tough. His arms were folded, and he looked like he was ready to fight. Although, the stray bird that was parched on his shoulder made him look a little less scary.
Fai laughed.
"What?" Kurogane asked, while Fai stood in front of Kurogane. He lifted his hand, and started to lightly pet the bird. Fai didn't notice that Kurogane's face was now getting red.
"Animals really like you, huh?" Fai asked, and Kurogane scoffed.
"Not really." He replied, only making Fai laugh some more. After Fai was done petting the bird, he just stood next to Kurogane, making small chat.
But finally, Fai decided to ask.
"Why aren't you going home?" Fai asked, and for a moment it seemed like even the rain was silent. Fai felt bad for asking.
"I'm waiting for my dad...sort of." He admitted, and Fai looked at him, puzzled.
"What do you mean sort of?" He asked, and Kurogane stood there,not sure what to say. Finally, he let out a sigh of defeat.
"He's dead." He told Fai, who only stood there for a moment. Fai then smiled kindly at Kurogane.
"You're so kind to wait for him!" He told Kurogane's whose eyes widened. Kurogane's face got red again, and Kurogane then looked ahead, trying not to look at Fai.
"Whatever." Was all Kurogane said in reply, as the rain began to pitter patter.
"Does he ever come? I mean, I know he can't come completely, but does he come in some form? Is that what you're waiting for?" Fai asked, and Fai noted that even though he seemed super tough, Kurogane was just a big softy.
"Sometimes I think I feel him. But what I'm really waiting for is my mother to bring a certain umbrella. Because...well..dammit, this is hard."Kurogane grumbled, and Fai smiled. It was hard for Kurogane to talk about feelings.
"I won't make you say why." Fai told Kurogane, who then let out another sigh of defeat. Fai really was good at getting Kurogane to talk.
"Well, when I was younger my mom used to pick me up from school. But for some reason, on rainy days, my dad always picked me up." He began to say, and Fai waited for him to finish.
"And every time it rained, I came outside to see my father. He would always be standing there, smiling at me, holding that same umbrella of his. But once he died, he obviously stopped. Although, I still wait for my mom to come with that same umbrella." He spoke, before he folded his arms.
"So that's it, okay?" He asked, angry that he was actually showing a softer side. Fai laughed lightly, and to Kurogane, it sounded like music.
"Okay! So what's taking her so long?" Fai asked, looking around.
"We have a nanny that looks after my little sister. But until the nanny gets there, mother can't leave." Kurogane informed him, and Fai had no idea that Kurogane had a sister.
"She's my foster sister, actually. So she's a foster kid like you. But also like you, we're going to adopt her."Kurogane told Fai, whose heart felt warm. And even though he didn't mean to, Fai stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Kurogane's neck, hugging him.
Kurogane was frozen, his heart beating.
"You're so kind, Kuro-chan." Fai whispered, and Kurogane rolled his eyes.
"Don't call me that." He spoke, but his voice was angry at all. Fai pulled away, his heart now beating as well.
"So, what does the umbrella look like?" Fai asked, and Kurogane stood there.
"It shows a white kitty with an umbrella. Even though it's sunny." Kurogane answered, and Fai's eyes went back to his own umbrella. Fai then reached down to grab it, and he popped it open, and put it above Kurogane's head.
"I think Kuro-tama's daddy would want me to walk you home." Fai spoke, and Kurogane looked back, and lo and behold, Fai's umbrella had the same design Kurogane's did.
Kurogane knew that those umbrellas were rare. They didn't make them anymore. So Fai must have had that for a long time.
Kurogane's heart felt lighter. He just brushed it away,
"Yeah, okay. We'll meet up with my mother halfway." Kurogane spoke, as they both set out into the rain. Along the way, they were talking. And with each growing second both of them felt a spark that was drawing them closer to each other.
Their shoulders would touch, and even though they had enough space to not do so, they didn't stop it. Neither of them wanted to.
Finally they got to Kurogane's house, and Kurogane was confused.
"Is she okay? Usually she picks me up." Kurogane spoke, walking inside his house. Worried, Fai came in after him.
The house was a mess, while the nanny, Kurogane's little sister, and his mother were surfing through a bunch of stuff. Kurogane's mother was knee deep in the closet, as Kurogane walked over to her.
"You're okay?" He asked, and she jumped.
"K-Kurogane." She mumbled, her face bubbling with tears.
"What is it?" Kurogane asked, worried.
"Momma couldn't find the umbrella." Kurogane's little sister, Hana, informed them. Kurogane was wide eyed.
"Mom, I was worried. The umbrella doesn't matter. You do." he told her, and his mother just sniffled, before they hugged. Fai smiled, happy. Hana looked up at Fai, wide eyed.
"You're pretty!" She awed, and Fai looked down at her.
"Thank you." He told her, and Fai looked up and saw Kurogane, actually looking a tad bit jealous. Fai glowed, as his heart erupted.
"K-Kuro-chan." Fai spoke. Kurogane looked at him, and both felt the moment.
"Oh, who's this?" Kurogane's mother asked, stopping the moment. Fai just turned to his mother, and happily introduced himself.
After dinner, which Kurogane's mother insisted Fai stay for, Fai was ready to take his leave. The rain had stopped for now, so Fai thought now was a good time to leave.
"Thanks for walking him home." Hana told Fai, and Fai smiled.
"Thanks for being so friendly." He told her, before he then grabbed his umbrella. He thought for only a moment, before he reached out his hand, offering Kurogane the umbrella. Kurogane looked at him.
"No way. They haven't made this type of umbrella for years. You've been holding onto it for so long. I'm not taking it from you."Kurogane told him, but Fai shook his head.
"This was what Yui and I had used to protect ourselves from the rain when we were homeless. But I still have Yui and my memories. And now you'll have this umbrella and memories with your father."Fai told him, and Kurogane's mother got misty eyed.
Kurogane reahced forward, and purposefully grabbed onto the stop where Fai's hand was. Again, the moment locked into their memories.
Fai smiled, and it was then Kurogane fully knew how he felt.
He liked Fai.
Two Months after planting the Flower:
"I can't believe you're sick." Ashura spoke, and Fai laughed, pulling the covers up. It was still raining, much like yesterday.
After Fai had left Kurogane's house, it started to rain again. And since he didn't have an umbrella, he walked home in the rain.
"I want to watch you, but there's a test today."Ashura spoke, his voice upset. Fai looked up at his father.
"It's okay, dad. I'm all growed up, you know?"Fai asked, purposely saying the wrong word, just to make it funny. Ashura just smiled, before he looked at the clock. He stood there, nervous. Before he finally realized that Fai would be okay.
"Alright. But I'm sending Arashi to look after you today." Ashura told Fai, who knew that's what was going to happen. Arashi was pregnant, but she would still help look after Fai. She was Yui's mother, after all.
Later that day, all Fai mostly did was sleep. Arashi and he had pleasant conversations whenever he was awake, though.
Fai looked outside, and saw that it was probably six pm.
Fai stood up, and looked around. He had to sneak, since Arashi wouldn't let him get up yet. He walked out the door, and to his surprise, there was something in front of his door. He looked down and saw a present.
It was a charm bracelet. There was a sunflower for Fai, an eggplant for Hideki, a Gerbera Daisy for Chi, and a rose for Sakura. There was also a tiny pyramid for Syaoran, since he liked that kind of stuff.
There was also a get well card. Fai smiled, happy he had such great friends.
He was about to go inside, when he saw another present. He stopped once he saw what it was. It a new umbrella with a cute bow on the handle. Fai smiled even brighter as he reached down to grab it.
Three Months after planting:
"Yui, hurry! The chocolate's over flowing!" Fai cried out, covered in flour and who knows what other cooking ingredients. Yui ran over, just as floured up as Fai. He was holding a whisk, and he started to stir the chocolate.
"Is it growling? It sounds like it's growling?" Fai asked, surprised. He always thought he was a good cook, but every recipe his near cooking prodigy brother suggested always made him reconsider.
"I hope not." Yui laughed, his golden hair shining just like his twin's.
"Is that growling?" Sorata, Yui's father, asked.
"I think it is." Arashi replied, walking up. They all just laughed, before it growled louder, freaking them out even more.
Later that night, Fai sat there, holding onto his chocolate.
"So, who are those for?" Yui asked, smiling. Fai raised an eyebrow.
"Who do you think? They're for Kurogane." He replied, and Yui laughed, happy that his brother had someone.
"I'm so glad you like someone." Yui spoke, and Fai laid his head on his twin's shoulder.
"I do. But don't worry, I won't ever let you go. Nothing can replace you." Fai told him, and Yui smiled.
"I know."
The Day before the Flower Blooms:
"I can't do this. I can't." Fai paced, actually feeling nervous. His friends all stood beside him, as Syaoran looked at Fai.
"You can, Fai-san. If it wasn't for you, I never would have confessed to Sakura. And I want to help you, too." Syaoran told him, and Fai pushed it away. Fai didn't like compliments. He didn't think he deserved them.
"You really like him." Chi pointed out,holding hands with Hideki. She loved to do that.
"I know. That's the problem. I've fallen in love with him. And if he rejects me…" Fai spoke, trailing off. Sakura stood up, and hugged Fai.
"It's okay, Fai."She told him, as someone walked up.
They all assumed it was Tomoyo, especially since the confession was going to happen soon, but it was Kurogane. Looking at his face, Kurogane didn't hear any of it, though.
"Fai..can I talk to you?" He asked, and Fai's heart stopped.
"Um..okay." he replied, and to Fai, the moment seemed to be dragging out. It seemed like forever for them to get away from the others, but it probably couldn't have been more than a minute or so.
Fai looked around, confused.
Kurogane had brought them to where they planted their plants.
"Why are we here?" Fai asked, looking at Kurogane. Fai couldn't quite make out Kurogane's expression, which only made him even more nervous.
"I have something I need to tell you. That's why." Kurogane grumbled,and Fai didn't know what to say. So like always, he pretended to make it comedic.
"Aww, you're so cute when you don't know what to say, Kuro-chan!" He laughed, but instead of yelling, Kurogane didn't say anything. His face did get redder, though.
"Um, Kuro-chan?" Fai asked when Kurogane then took a step forward.
"How do you feel about me?" Kurogane asked, almost shouted. He was having trouble, obviously. He wasn't exactly great at showing or saying how he felt.
Fai stood there, his heart beating.
He could have made a joke out of it, but Fai felt that Kurogane didn't want that. He wanted Fai to be honest.
"I like Kuro-rin. Why?" He asked, and Kurogane folded his arms. He was getting angrier, and now having more trouble.
"How do you like me? As what?" Kurogane asked, and Fai's heart started pounding. Mostly out of fear. Did Kurogane somehow figure out that Fai liked him, and was forcing him to admit his feelings, so he could turn him down?
"I..I don't want to say." Fai replied, and Kurogane looked at him, confused.
"Why not?" He asked.
"Because Kuro-sama might.." Fai began to say, and he only then noticed that he had been shaking. Kurogane took a step towards Fai.
"I might what?" He asked.
"Kuro-sama might hate me." Fai finsihed, tears now streaming down his cheeks. Kurogane grabbed onto Fai's hand, and pulled his closer. He leaned down and pressed their lips together, and out of all their moments, this one was their favorite.
"Kuro-sama." Fai spoke, before Kurogane just kissed him again.
"Kuro-" He began to say, before Fai then kissed him.
"Kurogane." Fai finished, as Kurogane pulled away.
"You..you can't like me." Fai mumbled, and Kurogane looked at him, surprised.
"Why not?" He asked.
"Because I'm...I'm odd! I like to watch you and see how many things I can love about you! And I like to pretend that we both wake up at the same time of the day." Fai began to say, his heart racing.
It was small.
Fai's insecurity was small. It really only showed when people complimented him. But due to his childhood on the streets, there was always a small chunk of his heart that thought no one could love him.
"I like to sing songs about you, and I like to-" Fai continued, but Kurogane just grabbed onto Fai's shirt and pulled him into another kiss.
Fai felt it.
He loved him.
"You can't like me…" Fai cried, and Kurogane just wiped away his tear.
"I like doing things other people think I can't do."Kurogane said, and that was all he needed. Fai then threw his arms around Kurogane.
"I love you!" Fai told him, and he knew in his heart that they would always be together.
At the same time, the group sat together, Tomoyo included.
"What are they doing?" Hideki asked, and Tomoyo smiled coyly.
"They're confessing, of course." She told them, and all of them stopped. They slowly looked at Tomoyo, who was now beginning her ho ho laughs.
"What? How do you know?" Syaoran asked.
"Because once Fai got the idea to confess on the day his flower bloomed, I did some research. And apparently, Kurogane's plant takes one less day to bloom than Fai's. Since Kurogane's was special, as well." She began to explain, leaving them all puzzled.
"So I just "subtly" suggested that Kurogane should do the same." Tomoyo finished, and instead of getting angry, they all just let out a huge, collective sigh.
"Thank god."Syaoran spoke, and Hideki lightly pushed Syaoran.
"You think you have it bad? Think about us!" He laughed, and the whole group laughed together.
They knew for sure that when Kurogane and Fai got back, they would walk in, hand in hand,smiling at each other.
And they did.