(Summary by JustaFanGrell.)

(Garnet: "Hi guys! This story's a little bit more... (Blushes) mature, then my others. I wanted to try something a little different and thought this turned out really good so... I hope you like it! Please Review and such!")

(Warning! swearing and Implied sex.)

Another day, another meaningless fight. Jessi thought as she lifted her head off her tear-stained pillow, only to fall back down on it as another wave of sadness and tears began. Kurogane's angry shouts still rang in her ears and only caused her more sorrow.

"You're useless! Ya can't fight, ya can't even protect yourself! I'm always havin' to save your ass- not to mention your always cryin' and bitchin' 'bout everything. Why the hell are ya here anyway? I swear that witch just brought you along to cause us trouble."

She had heard it all before, the effects of his harsh words on her had begun to dull, but this time there was more.

"-You even wanted Fai to die for no reason! What the fuckin' hell is wrong with you?! You just stood there and watched as that bastard ate your so-called brother's eye! Why didn't you do somethin'? Why did you just stand there with that bored look on your face?" he asked. "I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out you're one of Fei-wang's minions, ya cold-hearted bitch."

Her body shook as her sobs became louder. He didn't understand that she was forced to watch, she couldn't have saved him...

could she?

The question stung more than anything else the samurai could have said. She had been telling herself, reminding herself, of all the tales about people going back in time and people foreseeing the future, but that's all they were, tales. There was a possibility that if she did alter something, nothing would happen or that she was supposed to do it from the beginning. She had been a change herself by merely being there, so maybe she could have done something... maybe she was meant to do something and ruined everything by by just standing there.

Her eyes widened in fear as she remembered her nightmare from a few days back. The chess board covered in pools of crimson blood from the corpses of her three companions, leaving her and Sakura to search for the girl's feathers alone. What if her fear had caused the vision to come true? And what if that horrible future didn't come to pass? There was always the one Sakura had seen. What if she had condemned them to death? Her sorrow grew unbearable, if she kept thinking like this she'd revert to biting once again.

"Jessi? Are you okay?"

She sat up and looked to see who had come into her room, though she already knew. Fai stood in the doorway looking worried. Seeing him almost made her heart break. Every one had grown suspicious of her, only Kurogane was brave enough to say it out loud... every one except Fai. He hadn't seen her unemotional gaze after the attack like the others- he had seen the fear, the helplessness of before. He was the only one who knew how she begged and pleaded for him not to go down to the reservoir, almost to the point of tears, like she knew what was going happen.

"Honestly? No, not at all." she said, or at least tried to, though it came out in a series of sobs that made it almost impossible to understand.

He sat down beside her and gently pulled her into his tender embrace, running his fingers through her hair in an attempt to soothe her. "No matter how many times he tells you... you're not useless." he told her, finding a sense of relief as her breathing calmed and and she leaned into his chest.

"It's- it's not that... I just couldn't handle it when he started talking about Tokyo and-" she stopped herself, not wanting to bring back the thoughts that almost drove her mad.

"Jessi..." he whispered softly as she began to cry once more. The poor girl couldn't handle the others' sudden distrust in her. They had become her friends, her family, and now they just saw her as a traitor. Anger started to well up within him. How could they suspect her? After all they been through, how could they just turn their backs and act so coldly to her? She was just a girl. No, she's so much more than that. he thought as she slowly returned his embrace.

"I-I should have done something, I know that but... I couldn't. I tried to warn you, to save you, I really did! But you just wouldn't listen... and afterwards when those vampires offered their blood, I tried to stop them! It was going to hurt you so much, it was going to be just the beginning of your pain..." she said with a far off look in her eyes like she was playing the events back in her mind. "So much pain... for you, for the kids, for everyone, and I can't do anything about it! I thought it was a blessing when I was able to come here, but now... I'm starting to think otherwise." she said and sighed heavily before continuing, her hold on him tightening. "I-I always wanted to meet you guys, especially you. I wanted so badly to hear your voice, to see your smile even if it was fake. I wanted to save you from all the pain you'd have to endure, even if it meant I'd be the one who got beaten and bruised... I-I wasn't going to tell anyone but..."

"You don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to." he said, seeing how stressed and worried she was. Though he had become quite curious. What was she trying so hard to keep a secret? What did she mean by "Always"? She didn't seem to recognize them back at Yukko's shop. From the way she was talking, it seemed like he may not want to know.

"But I have to! I-I don't want to keep any secrets from you... Yuui, I love you too much to keep lying." she admitted, keeping her head down so she didn't have to see his reaction.

He couldn't decide which was more shocking: her knowing his true name or her saying she loved him. She had said it so many times before but back then it had sounded much less serious. It was...empty, meaningless, and as common as a "Hello" or "Goodbye". A simple, instant response. Unlike now. Now her words had his heart pounding.

She let go of him and moved away from him a little (even though she couldn't really move a significant amount without falling off the foot of the bed) and dropped her gaze to her feet. If she told him, it could ruin their relationship- she could lose her last friend. She had been lying since the beginning. How could he forgive her? She didn't care anymore, he had to know.

"I've known about you guy's since before the shop. In my world you are all character's in a story. I was a fan of the tale and... came to love it more than anything. I found a feather one day and wished to be there with you, to help you. I-I knew everything that was going to happen, everyone's past and future, until the end of this journey."

"I-I knew from the beginning that you would lose your eye, that you'd become a vampire." she said and fearfully looked over at him. To her surprise he didn't look angered by her lies, his single blue eye only shown with sympathy. This poor girl had to deal with so much, all the sorrows and all the pains of not just himself but all of them. "You must hate me now..." she mumbled, just loud enough for him hear.

"How could I ever hate you?" he asked. He gently took her chin in his hand and tilted her head up so he was looking straight into her storm grey eyes. "I love you. I've loved you since the day we met." he admitted and closed the distance between them, kissing her slowly and then passionately when she kissed him back.

She knew it was wrong, that her friendship with him was too precious to risk ruining if things didn't work out... but it just felt so good. She had dreamt for so long about her first kiss (Though usually it was Kurogane she was kissing) and what it would be like, though she could never have possibly imagined this. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist bringing them even closer as their kiss grew more intense. What started out as a simple, innocent kiss had become a full-blown make out session. She still felt guilty for what she was doing but it had begun to numb. She just needed love so badly and he was so willing to drown her in it.

She let a out a small whimper as all the wondrous, new feelings just vanished when he suddenly broke away from her, leaving her confused, panting, and wanting more. "We shouldn't be doing this." he said,

"You love Kurogane, not me."

"No I don't. I did once but now..." she paused. Now what? Now she's completely over him? Now she's suddenly in love with a man she only saw as a friend until they kissed? She could only think of lies. With a sigh she continued. "You're right, I still love him but I want to love you." She nuzzled into his neck. "Please, make me forget him, make me forget this ache in my heart was ever for him. Please..." she begged.

Her desperate pleas stabbed him through the heart like a dagger. He had wanted her for so long but now he was having second thoughts. He had seen the way she and the samurai looked at each other, all the love and longing that only the other was blind to. Fai didn't want to believe it but what they had was true love, they just hadn't realized it yet. How could he ruin such a beautiful thing? What if tomorrow she regrets everything she'd done with him? He knew that she and Kurogane were meant for each other, he wanted them to be together and yet...

He longed to hold her, kiss her, and for Kurogane to just disappear from her mind so she could be his and his alone. He had loved her ever since they met yet she never felt the same. Her heart was constantly crushed and thrown away by the brute only to crawl back to him, looking for the love he kept denying her. Yet even though she was dying for attention she had never given into Fai's temptation, not until now. He finally had her and she was begging for him to love her.

He felt her smile against his lips as he returned to kissing her. All the doubts in his heart hadn't faded in the least, yet that wasn't important to him. It didn't matter how wrong it was as long as he made her happy; as long as it brought back her smile he would do anything. He gently moved her warm brown hair off of her shoulder, revealing her pale, delicate-looking neck, and lowered his lips to it.

She let out a sharp gasp as his warm lips brushed against her neck. She forced her eyes shut, expecting the sharp pain of fangs being driven into her skin. Her heartbeat grew faster and she tried her best not to push him away, though even if she tried, her strength was no match for him. She felt idiotic for not noticing what was happening until she was already in the vampire's grasp.

She flinched as one of his fangs accidentally nicked her, exciting his vampiric side. His now sharpened nails dug into her back slightly and made her whimper in pain. Her cries were like music to his ears, hideously beautiful music. "F-fai..." she mumbled, sounding scared but still so trusting. It had sounded like she was going to ask him to stop and yet she never continued.

Her fearful voice, tense body, and the sickeningly sweet taste of her blood on his tongue brought him back out of his trance. He was horrified by the thought that his newfound hunger for blood had overpowered his love for her. That the beast inside him could so easily have taken over.

He loosened his grip on her and at the same time held her closer, placing a small kiss on the scratch his fang had left, hoping that it would at least ease some of the pain and fear he'd caused her. "Jessi... I-" he stopped and tried to think of what to say as another wave of guilt crashed over him. This was dangerous, and not just because of what the Samurai would do to him if (or rather when) he found out. What if the beast inside him took control again and left her with more than just a scratch? This- this monster he had become wanted to harm the person he loved most, the one he had promised to protect. How could he ever risk destroying something so beautiful and loving yet so fragile?

"It's okay, Fai." She said with a kind and reassuring smile, trying to relax herself even though he was so close she could still feel his breath on her neck. "What's a little pain in trade for all you've done for me? I could offer all the blood in my body and still wouldn't be enough to thank you properly." she continued, hoping she sounded as honest and sincere as she truly was.

Suddenly and without even the slightest warning, she pulled him into another heated kiss, making him discard the last remnants of his conscience.

This is what she wanted, so why argue? Who cared if it was right or wrong? How could it be wrong if it felt so right? he thought to himself in one last attempt to justify his actions.

The couple eagerly tore into each other's clothes, too drunk off lust for one another to notice or care about the consequences of their sinful actions.

(….)

Fai awoke from yet another taunting dream of his angel.

The sight of her pale skin shimmering with sweat, making it have an almost unearthly glow in the moonlight and the sweet sound of her voice calling out his name were far too vivid in his mind to be just a mere dream.

That bittersweet thought was confirmed far too quickly for his tastes by the realization that the same angelic young girl was curled up in his arms.

Memories of the night before hit him like a ton of bricks and that sweet dream dissipated into the horribly real nightmare as regret and shame filled his heart.

He had taken advantage of her.

She may have asked, even begged him for it... but she had been overtaken by heartbreak and the false idea that she could rid herself of the feelings she had for Kurogane. He shouldn't have let his lust for her keep him from telling her the truth:

That not even death would come between her and the samurai's love.

The last few worlds had been tough on everyone. No matter how many fights the two had gotten into, his crimson eyes still shone with his love for her.

But when Fai looked back at her, brushing is fingers through her soft hair glowing gold and bronze in the morning light, he realized that he wouldn't have taken anything back from that night.

(…)

Jessi opened her eyes only to find she had been crying in her sleep and not even her dreams could comfort her from the thoughts of what she had done.

Had the others heard them? Did they already know? How would they react? Would they hate her even more? Would they turn their backs on Fai now too?

Many thoughts flooded her mind, but one rang much louder then the rest.

Why didn't it work?

The whole time she had tried not to think of him, catching herself every time she almost screamed his name and not Fai's. She had thought fulfilling her urges would make this aching feeling in her heart stop and yet it only grew stronger.

She loved him, but now it might be far too late to tell him.