Title: Newcomer
Author: Midnite2ndLife
Disclaimer: I do not own CLAMP. This is not the works of CLAMP. (Wish it was though)
Pairings: KxF, SxS and YuukoxBreadroll.
The minute hand on the clock ticked ever closer to the 12. Kurogane was poised on the edge of the seat, waiting for the god forsaken bell to ring.
"Someone looks like they want to go home!"
Kurogane glanced at his workmate. Grant lent against his door, smiling. He walked in and tried to pull Kurogane back into his chair. In vain. Grant flopped over the back of Kurogane's chair and poked his cheek. Again and again. Kurogane swatted his hand away and fixed his eyes on the clock again.
"C'mon, dammit!" the bell rang and Kurogane ripped his jacket from underneath Grant, sending him toppling to the ground. Kurogane ran past his secretary, Lisa, tripping over a pile of boxes.
"I hate you…"
"Tells you not to run then." She glanced up from her paperwork, watching Kurogane pull himself up with a groan. Kurogane picked the boxes up, leant over the counter and dropped the boxes on the floor.
"Must be handy having a 2m long back…" she mused, still flipping through endless files.
"Not as much as you think…" he straightened and checked the clock.
"Shit! Bye!" he sprinted down the hall and pulled his coat off, and grabbed his leather bike jacket. He swung onto his bike, navigating the busy roads. Why the hell he wore a suit today, he thought loosening his tie.
Kurogane dropped onto the couch, exhausted. Fai walked past and lent against the wall.
"Memo to self: do not have highly important meetings a couple of minutes after work."
"Did you pick up Sakura?"
Kurogane half sat up abruptly, then fell back into the pillows.
"She went home with one of her many squealing friends." He cracked open an eye and rolled off the couch, kneeling up and going to the kitchen, still on his knees. He thumped his head against the fridge and pulled it open, pulling out his vodka-shots.
"You, Kurogane Haganemaru, are an alcoholic."
"I know. You can't blame me." He put them on the floor, turning as Syaoran walked in. He waved and reached over Kurogane to grab a bottle of soda.
"Where's Sakura-hime?"
"Out"
"That's helpful, Kuro-tan!" Kurogane sat against the fridge and pulled his shoes off, leaning around the bench in front of him and chucked his shoes around to the door. Syaoran sat on the counter, playing with the hem of his t-shirt, watching Kurogane slowly slide down until he was flat on the floor.
"Hard day at work, Kurogane-san?" Syaoran stepped over Kurogane and washed the bottle out, placing it in Mokona's basket. For some reason, she liked to collect them.
"No, I'm just slowly slinking down the fridge sighing and sculling vodka-shots because I feel like it." He sighed. "A little advice: Do not have important meetings that require a lot of attention a couple of minutes after work has finished that are held on the other side of town."
Syaoran laughed and turned suddenly as the door blasted open, Sakura running in squealing. She ran into the kitchen and promptly tripped over Kurogane. Kurogane groaned and rolled to the side, Sakura's foot having caught him in the stomach. She jumped up and tripped over Kurogane again, her foot connecting with his crotch this time. He yelped and stumbled away on his knees, away from the pacing Sakura, who jumped occasionally, still squealing. Kurogane glared at her before collapsing onto the couch, hand between his legs.
"Sumy-chan said I could have one of her puppies! Can I Fai-san, Kurogane-san?!" she started babbling about what the puppies looked like and what she would buy and call it if she got one. Fai looked at Kurogane, who was still nursing his crotch with his eyes closed, so he didn't bother asking him.
"Sure Sakura-chan, Kuro-wan also says yes!" she shrieked and hugged Fai tightly, running over to Kurogane and glomping him, kneeing him in the crotch again. Kurogane roared with pain but she took no notice and rushed out the door, Syaoran sprinting after her. Fai sat next to Kurogane who had now buried his head in the couch, on all fours. He groaned, Fai patting his back.
"I think I'm going to go see if I have any balls left." He stumbled off to the bathroom. Fai stood and followed him grabbing some jeans and a shirt for him to change into. Fai gave them to Kurogane, as he passed on his way to the laundry, who accepted them with a small word of thanks. Fai stepped into the laundry, humming to himself. He looked around for a place to put the puppy's food bowl, basket and a spot to hang up its leash. It really was a beautiful house. Very modern. His Kuro-wanko had worked long, hard hours to get the money to buy the house. Fai worked too, but he was paid a lot less than Kurogane, who was the assistant boss in a large sport-commitee office in town. Fai worked part-time in a small bakery up the road, where he was a cook. Kurogane leant against the doorframe, watching Fai shift boxes and some towels.
"What type of dog is it?" Kurogane held out a hand for the boxes Fai couldn't put up on the tall cupboard.
Kurogane went back to his comfortable spot by the doorframe, Fai chasing some dust out of the corner.
"I think Sakura-chan said it was a Teruveren…" Fai paused for a moment as he tried to remember what the girl had said in her happiness.
"A what?" Kurogane quirked his eyebrow. Fai frowned, concentrating.
"I honestly don't know." He shrugged and jumped slightly as the front door slammed, admitting Sakura, Syaoran and a small bundle of brown-black fur. Sakura put the puppy down and it looked around. It was a little girl and looked like a wolf pup with a longer coat and legs. She gave a little bark-squeak and gamboled up to Kurogane's legs, putting her paws on Kurogane's ankles since she couldn't reach his knees, wagging her tail furiously. Kurogane gave her a small scratch behind her ears and stepped over her to grab his keys, glancing at the rest of them.
"Are we going to get her a basket and all that? 'Cause she is not sleeping in the beds until she's toilet trained." Sakura giggled, nodding. "What have you decided to call her?"
"Mmm…How about Iyuki-tan!" she picked little Iyuki up and gave her a squeeze. Fai laughed and pulled his jacket off the chair with some difficulty as it was half caught under pile of books. Kurogane walked out the door and ended up sprawled over the concrete, having tripped over some boxes.
"I think your secretary left this here, Kuro-tan." Kurogane pulled himself up, groaning and rubbing his shoulder.
"I swear the woman wants me to die from tripping over these boxes…" he stumbled up and walked to the car Sakura, Syaoran and Iyuki were sitting in. Fai giggled, locking the front door and going to the car.
"What time is Moko-chan coming home?" Kurogane shrugged, pulling out of the driveway.
"Gods, it's gonna be scary when she sees Iyuki."
"Hyuu! Sakura-chan, look at this!" Fai held up a slim pink collar and leash set, studded with glass diamonds. Sakura picked it up and held it to Iyuki's neck.
"It looks beautiful!" she dropped it into Kurogane's arms, already laden with food bowls, toys and brushes.
"Hmm, we need a bed and food." Fai flounced off to look at the beds dragging Sakura with him. He bent to look at a squishy one that you could turn inside out, thus switching the color pink from black and vice versa. Sakura picked it up and nodded at Fai, skipping over to the food and grabbing a bag of treats and puppy food. Kurogane deposited the stuff on the counter, chucking Syaoran the keys. The motherly looking lady smiled and clucked away at Fai happily while keying in the prices.
"That'll be $166.50, please!" Fai slid his hand around and pulled Kurogane's wallet out of his back pocket, making him twitch. Fai smiled at the short, chubby lady who looked a little bemused, handing her the money in cash. She tapped at the till passing the change back to Kurogane. The slightly disgruntled man grabbed the bags and put them in the tray of his 4x4 Ute, closing the tonneau cover. Fai walked out of the shop a couple of minutes later, holding an extra bag. He smirked at Kurogane and slid into the car, glancing back at the kids and puppy.
"Home, I think."
They set up Iyuki's bed, bowls and litter tray, showing her all where it all was, before Sakura and Syaoran ran out the back to play with the spoilt (In Kurogane's mind. It was a dog for god's sakes!) puppy. Fai was rummaging in his drawers, unaware of Kurogane sneaking up behind him. Kurogane slipped his arms around the slim waist, giving the surprised mage a hug. Fai twisted in the embrace, pushing Kurogane away from the drawer, hands on his shoulders.
"Not for Kuro-wans just yet!" Fai said severely, trying in vain to look serious, as Kurogane was pouting adorably. Fai lovingly brushed a hand through the spiky black locks, chuckling.
"Aww, so cute! Kuro-tan looks like a puppy!"
"Kya! Your right Fai-san! We have two puppies now!" Mokona leapt onto them, snuggling into their chests so it was a kind of group hug.
"So, you met Iyuki?" Kurogane released Fai, striding over to the door and pulling his shirt off, scratching his nails down his hip lightly.
"Kuro-rins stripping! Mokona better cover her eyes!" she did as she implied, but peeking out, grinning wickedly. "Wouldn't Yuuko-san love to see Kuro-wan." Kurogane pointed at Mokona, his shirt bunched in his fist.
"1. I'm not stripping, it's hot. 2. You show the witch and I'll kill you." He strode out of the room chucking his shirt behind him, somehow getting it to land in the washing bin beside Fai's draw. A good 5m away. He walked into the kitchen, grabbing out the meat for tonight's dinner. He wondered if he should just barbeque it or use a marinade. Fai was a better cook with most things, but using a barbeque was a real mans job. He flipped through a little cook book he found the other day, searching for a marinade. He paused at a likely looking one.
"Steaks in red wine marinade…" he murmured, running his finger down the list. "Wine, oil, water, soy sauce…, brown sugar, garlic, ore-egono…" he pulled the stuff out of the cupboard and fridge, setting it all out.
"Right, barbeque."
The barbeque was sizzling, the kids were playing and Fai was in Kurogane's lap. Kurogane kept a watchful eye on the food as they watched Iyuki run around with Mokona.
"Hmm, look at our happy little family. Sakura, Syaoran and Mokona are happy with us being together and we don't have to hide it, we have a pretty house and now we have a puppy." He stood, Kurogane making a small noise of displeasure at Fai leaving him, walking inside, Kurogane following him. Fai started making a salad, chopping the vegetables and fruits, tossing them around skillfully. Kurogane liked to watch him cook.
It made Kurogane happy that Fai could have a place to cook, instead of the rushing around, tending to wounds and sad moments. Everything fell into place once they found Sakura's last feather, which, incidentally, contained all her memories of Syaoran. Kurogane got his arm covered in skin, Fai his eye back. Though they couldn't get back the blue color of his golden eye. Before all this luck, though, there was one last battle to fight for the feather and Kurogane surprised everyone who knew him. There was a man who by all rights deserved to die slowly, being the one who made twins unlucky in Fai's world and killed Fai's brother and who sent the order to kill Kurogane's Mother and Father. But Kurogane didn't kill him, even though Tomoyo had lifted the curse from him. He just left him alone and in pain, with a disfiguring injury to cripple the rest of his life. Which was effectivly killing him, when you thought about it.
"Take this out, ne, Kuro-tan?" Fai smiled holding out a bowl. Kurogane nodded, taking the bowl and digging for a pair of tongs in the drawer among all the other utensils. He walked outside, placing the bowl on the table. He checked the meat and potatoes, straightening and sighing. The evening breeze played over his chest, cooling the light sheen of sweat from the heat of the day, curling across his bare stomach. He shivered slightly, almost uncomfortable by the easy, death-threat less, murder less, seeing-yours-and-everybody-else's-insides-less days they now lived. Then he remembered his secretary tried to kill him by boxes on a daily basis and his assistant who had been trying to hug him ever since he started working there, and snorted. Nah, that was enough excitement for him now. Once in a while they got a call from Yuuko who gave them small jobs like informing a person of some payment she needed or finding her suitable White Day presents. He still had his katana and still trained regularly. A friend of Syaoran's had seen him training and begged him to do a demo at his kendo club. He was now a part-time teacher there and often was called upon for traditional ceremonies. Fai was gaining respect at the small bakery and had spent 3 days making a massive wedding cake with his best friend, Kyoya. That was a really horrible time for Kurogane as whenever he came to bed he smelled of sugar and, more often than not, had a daub of icing on his face. Then Kurogane would point it out and get subjected to some sly remarks about how Kurogane should lick it off for him.
"Is it dinner time yet?" Sakura gazed up at Kurogane from her seat on the ground. He quickly checked the meat and potatoes.
"Mmhmm" she yipped, calling Syaoran and ran up the patio steps, washing their hands in the little sink Kurogane installed. Kurogane tossed the meat onto the plates, along with the potatoes, passing them around while Fai dished out salad and the hot, crusty rolls he had freshly baked. Mokona held her potato out to Fai, who cut it into quarters.
"Kyaa! Kuro-pon made a reeeaall feast!" she jumped over and kissed him on the cheek, darting away from his swatting hand.
"Damn manju! Stop doing that!" he growled as Fai held his arm back, hand curled around the tongs. He wrenched his arm free, snorting at the dancing shiro manju bun and turning the barbeque off. He sat at the table, stabbing his steak.
"Ahh! This meat is so tender, Kurogane-san!" Sakura took another bite, smiling happily. Syaoran nodded enthusiastically, pulling apart a bread roll.
"And these rolls are delicious, Fai-san!" Mokona hopped over, inspecting the situation for herself. She paused.
"Mekkyo!" she projected Yuuko onto the wall, ignoring Kurogane's mutter of 'Why the hell is she here?!'
"Yuuko-sama! To what do we owe the pleasure?" Fai smiled at her, putting the basket of bread rolls down.
"Well, one of those rolls would be appreciated…" she smiled innocently, still eyeing off the rolls. Kurogane 'tched' and chucked a roll at Mokona, who swallowed it. Yuuko let out a small cry of triumph and tackled the roll, taking a bite. A look of bliss passed over her face, and she quickly finished the roll.
"Fai-san. I congratulate you, these are beautiful!" she brushed crumbs from her clothing, a long black skirt, deep red jacket, black shirt and red scarf. She reminded Kurogane of a crane." Now. To business." She held up a long list, placing a delicate pair of glasses on the bridge of her nose. They were used to the Dimension Witch occasionly popping around by now." I want you to get me this stuff, or Kurogane is my man-slave for a week." Kurogane roared in indignation, Yuuko doing a fantastic job of ignoring him. "Soo, what will it be?" Kurogane shot loaded looks at his fellows. You could almost see the knife in Kurogane's hand begin to melt.
"Ah, I think we'll get you the items, Yuuko-sama."
She looked slightly disappointed for a couple of seconds, before brightening up and adding a couple more things to the list.
"Okay, here it is then. There are 20-. 24 things I want." She clapped her hands. "Enjoy searching!" and then her picture fizzled out.
"I- cannot believe her!" the rest of them ignored Kurogane's tirade, eating their dinner before it got cold.