OD: I don't own Tsubasa. I don't own Legal Drug. I don't a vest. I don't own a car. I don't own Liechtenstein. I don't own a lot of things.

Synchronicity
Chapitré Deux: Implications

this is one old game that I can play so well

Fai's back aches and the floor he's lying on is terribly cold. No, on second thought, it's not the floor - it's the countertop, which he nearly rolls off when he tries to sit up. His trench coat is rolled up in a makeshift pillow and his fedora falls off his forehead as he steadies himself.

The counter? What is he doing napping on that? He thinks back, gripping the edges of the granite countertop so tightly his knuckles turn white. Damned hospitals. Walking around the block. Brick walls. Photographers and hot chocolate. Oh.

"Oi, idiot. Lie back down before you pass out again," Kurogane growls, sitting up against the wall. He doesn't even look up, his face buried in his arms. "You started talking funny - funnier, that is - and just fell over. I'd bet my camera you've got a concussion and should be in a hospital bed right about now."

Fai makes a noncommittal sort of grunt, grabs his hat, and steadies himself again. "I'm feeling perfectly peachy now, I promise. I just got a little dizzy, that's all."

"Humph," Kurogane snorts. Perfectly peachy - he had no idea people actually said things like that in normal conversations. "I said lie down. If you're not gonna do that, at least sit there. And that accent of yours is gone again. What is with you?"

"If you say so, Kuro-pon," Fai agrees cheerfully, dangling his legs over the side of the counter and swinging them gently. "How long was I out? I hope you've not been waiting too long for me."

Kurogane shifts, looking up and glaring. "Almost an hour. Scared the hell out of me, too. I even considered calling an ambulance once or twice, or least till I remembered the way you freaked out when I mentioned it the first time. And quit avoiding my questions - you haven't explained anything at all. I still don't know what you were doing out in this weather wearing nothing warm in the middle of a school day, or why you suddenly acquired a flawless French accent."

"Fine, fine, you win this time. I was at the hospital from three to five in the morning, and I got lost on the walk back and missed my bus. It's much too far to walk from here to Aceline and I'm still not sure of my way 'round here yet because I only moved here last week. So I decided to go for a walk to kill some time and clear my head," Fai says, his ever-present smile on at full blast.

"What about your accent? Why can I understand you now?"

"I probably wasn't thinking well enough and slipped back into old habits. This isn't my first language, you see. My family spoke French," he explains softly, closing his eyes for a moment. Reminiscing. "But I've become very good at it; it's easier when no one asks questions or mocks you because you speak a little differently, you know? Mais voilà tout - that's all."

"That's stupid. Sure, it's almost impossible to understand you when you're talking like that, but no one should tease you for it."

Fai looks almost taken aback, but he flashes another thin smile. "Thank you, Kuro-sama. I appreciate the kind thought, however misplaced it may be. Are you hungry? I've got some cookies and whatnot in store for the opening I could give you for your trip back."

"You're not getting rid of me that easy, kid," Kurogane says, standing up to stretch his legs. As much as he hates this idiot, he refuses to leave Fai on his own in his current state.

"Get rid of you? Now, Kuro-tan, you don't need to be unnecessarily harsh to -"

"You're not the only one who can read people, idiot. You've been making subtle and not so subtle remarks like that every other time you open your mouth. You obviously don't want me here, but I'm not leaving a kid with a concussion and a gash longer than my palm alone. I'll wait until your parents get back or whoever your legal guardian happens to be, 'cause I'm not gonna be held responsible if something happened to you," Kurogane insists.

"You see, this is wherein our problem lies. You won't ever leave if you have that intention," Fai says cautiously.

"I'm going to leave, idiot. I just don't want you passing out or worse because someone wasn't here with you."

"No, no, you misunderstand me. I am currently living here on my own. Alone. I've no real parents to speak of, and I'm old enough now to have my own place, so I thought bothering a distant relative was rather unnecessary."

"You're in high school - not even a senior yet. And there's no way you ever got into Aceline if you were held back long enough to be legal and still be a junior."

"I missed a few years of high school in my old city. Things were, ah, rather complicated and I was forced to drop out of school for a little while; I'm nineteen and one-sixth to be precise. Technically that's not true, but I'm not going to get into that because if I told you, I'd have to kill you." Fai punctuates his threat with a blasé smile and a wave of his hand, but something in that strange grin makes Kurogane almost believe him. "I thought I told you there's more to me than meets the eye. If you're waiting on someone else, you'll be here a very long time, with any luck."

"Well," Kurogane says, scratching his head, "I refuse to leave an idiot like you alone when you're all banged up like this, but I've got an assignment to do. I only need a couple more shots of the city, too."

Fai is smiling again, only his grin has gone from cheerful and placating to Cheshire Cat creepy. "I think I can help with that."

~-~

"Holy hell, Fluorite. I thought the first floor was crazy and then you go and show me this," Kurogane says, standing on the open area of the upper floor and waving his arm to indicate this. Which is about the third most spectacular of his city Kurogane had ever seen - and that said a lot, considering Kurogane had been photographing every corner of it since he'd first learned how to work a shutter button.

The second floor of the Cat's Eye is almost entirely taken up by an open-air patio with railings around the edges of the building. The back part where the stairs come up is covered, and there is a bathroom and some kind of office or bedroom to the side. Directly across the street is a small park with a small fountain and a plethora of blossoming sakura trees.

"Hyuu," comes the soft reply. (If you can call blowing air through your teeth in a pathetic attempt at whistling like that a reply.) "I'm rather used to it. My room's thataways, and so it's day-in-and-day-out for me. Haven't missed a sunset, though, since I moved in. It's terribly convenient to have that park directly facing the balcony, no?"

Kurogane grunts, too busy finding the perfect angle of the skyscraper next door.

For the moment, Fai is content to sit on the small iron table near the back wall and watch Kurogane snap shot after shot after shot. It's rather amusing to watch Kurogane in action because he's so absorbed in his work. He doesn't even check to see the results, despite having the advantage of a digital camera; he just keeps going. His name suits him, Fai thinks. The colors are growing on him; the bright orange 'Kuro' helps, even if 'gane' looks like a pile of dead leaves threw up on it. There's another color sitting in the back of his mind too, though it's too fuzzy to figure out exactly what hue it is. He'd already worked out his few friends' colors, the shade of their personality as opposed to their name, and he's beginning to think that he's got one for Kurogane, too.

When he finally slows down ten minutes later, Fai stands up and stretches his long, lithe legs.

"Kuro-bun, might I take a picture or two?"

Kurogane turns around, unsure but unwilling to turn down the blonde's request because he feels slightly indebted to him for showing him the balcony's view. "Break it and I'll snap you in half," he growls as he hands over the SLR. "If you hurt Jadel I will hurt you."

"You've given your camera a name? How adorable," Fai calls over his shoulder. He's standing on the table now, and Kurogane is a slip away from rushing over and throwing the idiot over his shoulder so that he can't get into any more trouble. "Don't worry about me. I'm just going to stand on the skylight, which is secure as any floor. I could do this in my sleep."

"Doing it asleep and doing it with a concussion are two totally different ballgames, kid. You could fall, and that'd get you something a lot worse than that cut."

"I did this half-drunk the first time. I can handle woozy, Kuro-pun. Thanks for caring, but it's really very unnecessary." Fai has clambered onto the roof of the covered area and begun snapping pictures, his feet a good yard and a half above Kurogane's head. "You can come up too, if you'd like."

"Liar. You've never climbed up here drunk. You're old enough to live on your own but you're not old enough to buy alcohol. I'm not naive enough to think you couldn't get the stuff, but I don't believe you anyways," Kurogane says as he effortlessly pulls himself over the ledge to stand on the large glass skylight.

"Maybe you are better at reading people than I thought," Fai says, checking the viewfinder. He points the camera down so that he can capture the decorated walls of the café below. "So how am I going to be able to convince you of my good health?"

Kurogane strides over, scowling again. (Come to think of it, he's been doing that a lot today.) Fai's attempts at photography go against every technique he'd learned in class and that he'd taught himself. It nearly makes him wince. "If you can stand for more than a minute without wobbling like that I might consider it, idiot. And you're holding the thing all wrong! You're not gonna have anything but the brick in focus like that," he says, gently taking away the camera and demonstrating 'the proper way'.

"I'm doing it on purpose, Kuro-rin. I don't actually want to focus on the background, because it has a nice effect. A little abstract but not wrong. Look through the ones I've already taken if you don't believe me." Fai moves a little closer to Kurogane, shoving the awkwardness to the very back of his thoughts along with the memories of... well, he shoved those thoughts away. He was still a little attached to the camera, after all; it's deal with the unknowing invasion of personal space or be choked by Kurogane's jerky movements. "Who did the embroidery on your lanyard-thing? The flowers are very intricate and I've only ever seen lettering that ornate in one person's work."

Kurogane flushes, but doesn't look up or let go of the camera. "Whatever, Fluorite. You're a floater so I should've known better. And I didn't want the stupid thing; there was this junior in my study skills last year who decided that I was gonna be 'her' freshman that year. And now she's a senior and calls me her BS - that's baby sophomore, and it's her words, not mine. Oh, and I'm apparently her mannequin, too. She gave me that and cheerfully stated that if I didn't use the gift she'd slaved over she'd use me as her pincushion. You probably don't know her; her name is -"

"Tomoyo Daidoji," Fai finishes with a grin. "I actually have had the pleasure of meeting her. She's got a few baby freshmen this year, too, and her favorite is Sakura Kinomoto. I tutor Sakura-chan in French and Tomoyo hangs around a lot when I come over. She's adorable, don't you think? Her designs are amazing too - when Sakura-chan bothers to dress up, she always looks spectacular because Tomoyo makes all of her nice clothes. Sakura-chan is a bit absentminded and doesn't pay too much attention to what she throws on in the mornings," he tacks on as an afterthought. The first time he'd met his new protégée she'd been wearing a red plaid miniskirt, two different colored socks and mismatched sneakers, and an ancient paint shirt - backwards. (To her credit, the sneakers were on purpose.)

"Adorable and annoying, yes. You've not been used as a mannequin for a dress, kid. That's not fun. Not. Fun," Kurogane punctuates, pulling on the camera and unknowingly dragging Fai along with him. He shivers a little at the memory from freshman year. Standing in the Design classroom with a dress pinned in a million different places. Ripping up the photographic evidence from the neighboring Photography class next door and threatening to beat up anyone who didn't immediately delete the shots from their cameras. Suffice to say, no pictures survived that particular incident.

"You're wrong there, too, Kuro-tan. She managed to get me into a long skirt and tunic-style shirt last week. She said that I was the perfect height for it and somehow guilted me into it. Sakura was beside herself with embarrassment, too, poor girl. En vérité, je les aime."

He's not quite sure what Fai has just said, but he's pretty sure it would probably piss him off if he knew. "Again with the French, Fluorite. At least tell me what it means if you're gonna be obnoxious enough to use it," Kurogane says, jerking his camera again which causes Fai to make a strangled cat-like noise.

"Ach, Kuro-pun. You don't have to be so rough, you know," he says, rubbing his throat.

Kurogane finally notices he's been dragging Fai with him and quickly removes the lanyard. Fai wobbles again, falling straight into already awkwardly close Kurogane. Immediately, Kurogane reacts, one arm shooting straight up in the air to protect his camera and the other snaking around Fai's waist to keep him from toppling over. This time, Fai lets himself rest against Kurogane's chest, fists full of the material of his thick jacket. His knees are weak, and he's got a sinking feeling that when he takes off his fedora the pristine white gauze is going to be completely soaked red.

"Kuro-tan, it's all your fault. If you'd only left me alone you'd not have to deal with this now, you know. I'd be safely incapacitated in the comfort of my own bed, instead of clutching a near-stranger on my skylight," he murmurs, resisting the urge to stay like this forever, eyes closed and somewhere close to delirious but safe.

"Damnit, Fluorite, quit talking nonsense. If it weren't for me, you'd be a lot worse off. Don't you know anyone who can take care of your head? The sun's starting to set and you're about to pass out for the second time today." Kurogane lowers his camera slowly, almost afraid to make any sudden movements as if that would set off another fainting spell. "Hey, kid, don't fall asleep on me. We still gotta get back down to the balcony and then down all those stairs, too." Not that either of them knows exactly how that is going to be accomplished, considering Fai's current state.

Fai moves slowly, too, straightening with a sigh and letting go of Kurogane. "I refuse to be dragged back to the hospital," he says, voice still low but hard-edged. "I could go to an old family friend, if I must. He runs a kind of maison de santé a little ways from here. He should be able to help, or at least give me some painkillers."

"It's that guy or the hospital, kid, so pick one. Meanwhile," he says, "we're gonna have to start getting down 'cause it's gonna take a lot longer with you like this." His left arm is still firmly attached to Fai's side, should he decide to wobble again and fall three stories to the sidewalk. He pulls Fai with him over to the edge of the upper roof and stares down. Fai stumbles along, mind going from painfully clarity to dark fuzziness.

Kurogane looks over the edge at the table, up at Fai, then down to the table and back up again. "I'll go first so that way if you trip or fall or something I can catch you, alright? Sit here and try not to pass out," he orders, jumping down onto the table and then to the balcony.

Fai blinks three times, willing away the cloudiness that keeps rolling in and slides gracefully off the edge of the roof straight to the balcony without a sound. He grins at Kurogane and latches onto his arm again, just in case. "Now to make it down the stairs and we're good to go," he says, ignoring the slight throbbing in both of his ankles from the strange way he landed.

(Here's to hoping the photographer is too surprised to notice.)

~-~

"Here we are," Fai says brightly - if somewhat unsteadily. They're standing on the front porch of an impressively large house in the strange area where the Highlands meet the business district. It's almost Victorian in style, but obviously refurbished and well modernized. "This is Kakei's maison de santé, his health house. His patients are rather different than one might usually expect in any kind of hospital, so be forewarned."

Kurogane grunts his reply, knocking again. He's still annoyed at the fact that the second set of bandages that he'd put on Fai just before they left the Cat's Eye is already beginning to show large red splotches and that no one had answered the door yet, despite Fai's relatively urgent condition. The short walk over had been tough enough, what with Fai stumbling every fifth step and clinging to Kurogane's jacket like a security blanket. (He doesn't even want to think what the three-piece suits on their way to a fancy meeting had thought of that.)

Suddenly, the door swings open and a short, oddly dressed girl is standing by in an impossibly poufy dress. Her hair is pulled up into long pigtails on either side of her head, large cerulean bows tied on each, a shade to match the interior décor.

"Ah, hello. I'm here to see the doctor - tell him that I'm an associate of Chimère and would like to see him immediately," Fai says, tipping his fedora - did he ever take it off unless it was absolutely necessary? Kurogane honestly would have suspected that he slept in the thing if it weren't for the fact that Fai treated it almost reverently and wouldn't be likely to chance squishing it.

The pigtail girl nods and walks off, leaving the door open in what can only be assumed to be an invitation to step inside. It's certainly decorated to match the exterior's architecture; the front room could be a set from a Jane Austen novel for the old English parlor feel it gives off. Several men in business suits sit on the uncomfortable-looking lounges, reading or messing around on their obviously expensive phones or PDAs. Not at all what Kurogane had expected when Fai told them they'd be going to see the family doctor at his 'house of health,' for sure.

Fai looks completely at ease in his jeans, t-shirt, and trenchcoat (Kurogane didn't manage to convince him to put on anything any warmer before they left), hands deep in his pockets and smiling as if he belongs among the suits. Kurogane, on the other hand, is completely aware of the difference between them and the men - patients, maybe? - and busies himself with checking the shots on his camera.

Shortly after, another similarly dressed girl skips down the long hallway to their left. She, too, is wearing an impossibly poufy dress but her hair is cut short and she has a small cap that reminds Kurogane of a plain nurse's hat. "The doctor will see you now," she sings, immediately turning back around to skip down the hallway again.

Kurogane glances warily at Fai, still smiling, who nods and begins to follow the girl. She stops at the third door down, a large wooden monstrosity with intricate carvings and an ornate golden handle. "The doctor is in here," she says, beaming and gesturing towards the door. "He says that any friend of Chi's is welcome any time."

"Salut, docteur. Ça va?" Fai announces as he walks in without bothering to knock.

The room is large, with tall bookshelves on the left and right walls. The back wall is taken up mostly by a window with a view of a garden, and a hefty mahogany desk faces them. At the desk sits a slender young man with glasses and short, light-brown hair, who looks up, surprised at Fai's sudden entrance. "Salut! Ça va. And you? I wasn't expecting to see you so soon after your departure," he says, smiling broadly and standing up. "It's good to see you again." The doctor wears a long white labcoat over slacks and and a light blue turtleneck to match his assistant's outfits.

"Ici, on parle en français, s'il te plait," Fai says curtly, although he still smiles. "Et je m'appelle Fai Fluorite maintenant."

"Alors, je t'appelle Fai aussi. Et comment vous appelez-vous?" he says to Kurogane.

Kurogane only scowls, slightly more than perturbed that Fai has decided to leave him out of this conversation. The idiot owed him for putting him through this - and this was the kind of treatment he received? (He ignores the nagging voice in the back of his mind that says it was at least partly his fault the said idiot had been injured in the first place and the same idiot had tried to stop him from helping every step of the way.)

Fai makes a point of not looking at him, instead choosing to stare into a space somewhere over the doctor's right shoulder. "Ah, voilà mon nouveau ami, Kurogane Suwa, qui ne parle pas français. Il est étudiant á Aceline Mathys avec moi et il est photographe aussi. Je viens de L'œil du Chat, mon café. J'ai été en train de faire une promenade quand j'ai rencontré Kuro-tan. Mais le problème - je saigne trop. Et j'ai le vertige."

He takes off his fedora, revealing the bloody gauze. Kurogane folds his arms and stares off at the bookshelf on the opposite side of the room as Fai, still scowling.

"Ton tête est rouge!" the man scolds, coming over to examine the now soaked bandages. He peels back the layers, eyes wide. "C'est un grand problème, certainement."

This, Kurogane can understand. "Finally, someone who agrees. I told you it wasn't 'just a cut', idiot."

Fai turns slightly towards Kurogane, but still avoids eye contact. "I should probably explain. This is Doctor Kakei. He's kind of a psychologist at the moment, but he's also got a great medical knowledge and should be able to stop the bleeding and give me something for the pain."

"You know, it'd help a bunch if you'd actually speak in a language I could understand, Fluorite. I don't like being left out of things," Kurogane growls.

"Just have a little patience, Kuro-rin. It shouldn't take long. Docteur, cette bosse - est-elle sérieuse?"

"Oui, elle est sérieuse, garçon bête. Elle n'est pas une bosse, indubitablement. Mais tu ne va pas á l'hôpital, je sais. Je peux donner vous un antiseptique, des aspirines, et des plus bandes de gaze mais je ne peux pas faire plus," Kakei says.

Suddenly, he swings an arm at Fai, who blocks immediately reacts and grabs his wrist. Kakei nods, conceding his loss and Fai lets go of his arm. "Reflexes are as sharp as ever. And considering that you're making all the introductions and explanations, I assume you're thinking relatively rationally, too. You've probably got a concussion, but it's almost certainly not a grade three, and therefore not terribly serious. And, if I may, comment tu te blesses?"

"Je me blesse quand Kuro-tan frappe mon épaule."

Strangely, this calms the doctor, who is now digging in his desk for what Kurogane assumes to be his supplies. "J'ai peur il a te trouvé. Tu n'as pas une infection, alors c'est bien. Tu vas te sentir mieux quand tu ne saigne pas. Mais vas chez un ami, s'il te plait. Cet ami ici, peut-être? Il semble s'inquiéter de te - et il a les beaux yeux," Kakei says coyly, smirking and motioning for the two boys to sit down in the chairs facing his desk.

"Docteur! Je ne peux pas demander aller chez Kuro-tan, quand même il a les beaux yeux. Je vais aller chez un ami," Fai says rapidly, blushing slightly as he sits.

Kurogane takes the chair slowly, unsure of his current situation. He wasn't sure the ineffably, obnoxiously cheerful idiot was capable of embarrassment. "Excuse me? I heard you screwing up my name again and I'd really like to know what's going on," he says, glaring alternately at Fai and the doctor.

Kakei winks at him, which only makes things less understandable. "So, Kurogane - or do you prefer Kuro-tan? Fai seems to call you that -"

"Fermez la bouche," Fai orders with a dangerous smile that clearly means business. "Ce n'est pas quoi tu penses. Don't listen to a single word he says."

"Excuse me?" Kurogane repeats, leaning forward. What the hell kind of conversation is this, anyways?

The other two simply ignore his outburst. "Nous venons, mon enfant gâté." Kakei grins. He holds up a large bottle of disinfectant, wielding it like a weapon. "Shush, Fai. We don't want this to hurt any more than it has to, do we?"

Fai widens his smile in a slightly wolfish manner but remains silent.

"So, Kuro-tan, as I was saying. It's terribly kind of you to accompany my dear friend here throughout this whole ordeal. From what I gather, you just met," Kakei comments offhandedly, dabbing a cotton ball in the alcohol.

"Ordeal is one word," Kurogane says, unfolding and refolding his arms. "But you're almost as bad as this guy, too. One, my name is Kurogane; two, I do not appreciate being talked about like I'm not right here when I am; and three, yes, we did and he's been a pain in the ass from the second I ran into him."

"Alright, it's Kurogane, then. I truly am sorry about leaving you out, but it seems Fai is somewhat embarrassed by me."

"For health reasons, of course," Fai chimes in, staying perfectly still as Kakei dabs his wound. He's not going to press his already thin luck if he can help it, but he's also not going to sit here and be insulted (even if it is in the most roundabout, subtle way possible). "I think that Kuro-wan would've throttled the both of us if he knew the kinds of things you were implying. I've never been one for what you've got in mind, doctor."

"To each his own, I suppose. It's odd you turned out the way you did, considering the acquaintances you keep. Kept, now - it's all water under the bridge now, I'd hope. For your sake," Kakei adds, screwing the lid back on the disinfectant bottle.

Fai relaxes, sliding down the back of the chair. "For yours and mine."

The mood is oddly somber, and the three sit in strange silence for a few minutes while Kakei roots around in his desk again.

"It seems I don't have any spare bandages here in my office; I'll have to go upstairs and get some," Kakei says apologetically, thumping a drawer shut. He steps towards the door, but neither of the teenagers move. As he reaches for the door handle, he hesitates and turns around. "Before I go, I've got a favor to ask. Kurogane, could he stay with you for the night? Since you're both attending Aceline and he's probably still got a minor concussion. He's got nowhere else to go."

"I just told you I don't want to do that, Kakei. We wouldn't want to impose on Kuro-ran here, now would we? I'm sure he doesn't want a nuisance like me hanging around," Fai says, not moving from his slumped position in the chair or even bothering to open his eyes.

"You're a nuisance, all right, but I'm not gonna go to school tomorrow and hear some story about how the floater fell off of his roof and no one knows why," Kurogane informs him, shifting in his seat. "I'd have to ask my roomies but we're already hoarding a few unfortunates so I don't think that one more idiot will matter. You'd prolly get along real well with the girl, too. She's almost as bouncy as you are." Of course, Kurogane conveniently leaves out the part about it already being cramped because of the extra people and the fact that one of his roomies is not at all happy as the situation stands.

"That would be wonderful, Kurogane. He'll be dizzy, disoriented, and probably will have a splitting headache but Fai should be fine, otherwise. His reflexes are fine and he seems to be functioning relatively normally. Normal for him, at any rate. I hope we're not putting you through too much trouble," Kakei says, smiling again.

"I really don't think this is a good idea," Fai says, finally sitting up and looking around again. "Don't I have a choice in the matter?"

"No," Kurogane and Kakei both say together. Kurogane looks somewhat perturbed and Kakei laughs - giggles, almost.

"You can't be left on your own and Kurogane here seems perfectly fine with this situation, so you're the only one who has a problem with it. I could always ask Saiga to talk to you about it, if you insist on being difficult," he says, reaching for the door handle again.

"No, that's fine," Fai says, stiffening slightly. "I'll just go with Kuro-rinta. No need for drastic measures."

"Good," Kakei throws over one shoulder as he leaves, flashing a bright smile that Fai returns sardonically.

Kurogane turns to Fai, who has slumped back down in the chair and closed his eyes again. "Hey, kid. Who's this Saiga guy that freaks you out so much?"

"Saiga is, for lack of a better term, Kakei's bodyguard. And enforcer. He's smart, too, so it's not like he's all brawns and no brains. And I'm not 'freaked out' by Saiga," Fai says brightly, his cheerfulness in severe contrast to the conversation. "It's more like I learned my lesson the first time. Saiga 'escorted' me back home once. I tried to run away and the bruise on my arm didn't fade for nearly two entire weeks. It was my fault, of course; Saiga was only doing his job and I deserved it for trying to beat on him like I did, but it's not something you want to do twice."

"You certainly get roughed up a lot."

"You don't know the half of it," Fai agrees. "So, where's your boarding house? You aren't in the dorms, definitely - there's no way you'd get past the RAs with extra boarders."

"For your information, Sherlock, I'm rooming with some juniors in the Highlands - just a ways from here. You're lucky that we've got an extra mattress, kid."

"I suppose you could put it up to luck, though why it'd take such a turn for the better now fails me. I really do appreciate you taking me in and such, even if I am against it. It's terribly sweet of you, Kuro-rin."

Kurogane sits up abruptly. "Sweet? I'm not sweet," he hisses, resisting the urge to shiver and scoot away. Kurogane Suwa was many things, but sweet was certainly not one of them.

Fai smiles, twirling his fedora lazily on one hand. "Of course you're not, Kuro-doux. I offer you un amende honorable."

"You're doing that to annoy me, aren't you? Friggin' sadist."

"Oui, mon cher. It's amusing," Fai grins, standing up to examine the bookshelves. "And it's not that hard to figure out what an 'amende honorable' is. I admit that getting 'sweet' out of 'doux' is rather difficult, but still. It's positively adorable how you're so easily flustered. Besides, masochist would be a more fitting description."

That comment gets the desired reaction, and Kurogane sputters. "What the fu-"

"Sorry to keep you two waiting," Kakei says as he walks back in the room, throwing the door open. He holds up a box of bandages and a small plastic bag filled with pills. "Here we are, Fai. It looks like the alcohol's helped to stop the bleeding. Expect it to hurt like hell for up to a week, and it may bleed some more on-and-off for a while, but head wounds tend to be misleadingly painful and oddly unserious. A good night's sleep should do you good. That means no strenuous activity, okay?"

Fai smiles that dangerous smile again, walking over to take the supplies from Kakei. "Bien entendu, docteur. I don't believe we are going to have that issue, so don't worry."

"Take good care of him now, Kurogane," Kakei cautions, his all-too-perfect smile an exact mirror of Fai's own.

It makes Kurogane's hackles rise - something is decidedly off about the seemingly jovial atmosphere, and he doesn't like it. "You don't have to wake him up every few hours, or anything like that. As I said, a good night's rest should fix most of the symptoms."

Fai is currently trying to put the bandages on himself - and doing just as bad of a job as he did before. Kurogane stands up, sighing, and snatches the sticky gauze pad away. He brushes the light blonde hair off of Fai's forehead, gently and carefully placing the bandage on his cut, which is decidedly better looking than it had been two hours ago. "Idiot," he mutters, rolling his eyes. Fai's eyes go wide, once again stuck with Kurogane in his overly large 'personal bubble' and no choice in the matter - but he doesn't try to move away.

Kakei watches carefully, mildly but pleasantly surprised. "Well, I've got business to attend to - a particularly high-standing client's had a relapse and needs a psychological assessment rather urgently. So if you don't mind leaving?" he says, motioning towards the door with his hands and raising his eyebrows inquisitively.

Fai sucks in a big breath and starts off towards the door, shakily placing his fedora back on his head, taking care not to touch the gauze or anywhere near the spot on his forehead that Kurogane just touched.

Kurogane pauses for a moment, but then starts to follow. As he exits the ornate doorway, a hand on his shoulder stops him and Kakei leans in uncomfortably close. "Take good care of him, Kurogane. He needs this more than he could even imagine," he breathes. Suddenly the hand is gone and Kakei brushes past him, a jump in his step. The bubbly girl waits with Fai at the end of the hallway, and Kurogane simply stares.

"Come on, slowpoke!" Fai calls, grinning widely in that annoying manner that makes Kurogane so irrationally angry. "I've got the money for the fare, which Kakei here's so graciously gifted us."

Grumbling, he starts down the hallway again, and it dawns on him what was off about the doctor and Fai. They're both hiding, he realizes, behind their smiles and their perfect façades. The entire exchange in Kakei's office had been a series of flawless illusions and carefully constructed fronts. And the doctor's whispered request does nothing to ease his growing suspicion. "Whatever, Fluorite. Let's go," he huffs, grabbing Fai's wrist and opening the door with his free hand. "And thanks," he throws over a shoulder at Kakei, who stands smiling next to both of the short, poufy-skirted girls.

In the street, a cab is waiting - Kakei must have already called for one when he left to get the meds and gauze. Kurogane strides down the stairs, dragging a slightly startled but ever cheerful Fai with him. Despite his roughness, he makes sure to wait for Fai on the stairs, taking extra care that he doesn't fall. When they reach the sidewalk he swings open the yellow door and lets go of Fai's hand. He narrows his eyes at Fai and argues briefly before forcing him in first and then clambering in himself. The door shuts with an overly loud bang, and the cab drives off into the rush hour traffic.

Far behind them, Kakei allows a small, real smile and shuts the front door gently. "No, Kurogane Suwa. Thank you."

~-~

My Madhouse of Magniloquent Macroscopic Malapropisms

It is finally OVER. Dear Lord, this chapter was hell to write. The scene in Kakei's office was just sitting there for an entire week before I sat down and forced myself to end it. Anyways, I tried to keep things pretty interesting during the bit o' French that goes on between the doctor and Fai, but if I totally lost you there, these translations might help. It's not at all necessary to know what happens during that conversation, but it very very very vaguely alludes to Fai's past and other teensy little informations.

Fai's Fabulous French Phrasebook
Mais voilà tout: But that's all, as Fai so helpfully says.
En vérité, je les aime: In truth, I like them. (Fai could pull off the transvestite thing. And because he's taking theatre arts and is therefore associated with Aceline's Performing Arts department, he could probably get away with it. He might actually manage to blend in there if he did...)
Maison de santé: An insane asylum, basically, though this man's place is more like a get-out-of-jail-free-card for really rich, legally troubled businessmen.
Salut, docteur. Ça va/Salut! Ça va: Hi, doctor. How's it going? (Note that Fai uses informal speech here, so they know each other well.) Hi! I'm okay.
Ici, on parle en français…: Fai asks that they speak French and says that he's called Fai now. Kakei agrees to call him Fai and asks for Kurogane's name. Fai intervenes on Kuro-tan's behalf and tells Kakei that Kurogane goes to Aceline, is a photographer, he doesn't speak French, and he met him while taking a walk. He then says he's bleeding too much and is dizzy.
Ton tête est rouge: Your head is red! (I kill me.)
Docteur, cette bosse - est-elle sérieuse..: Fai asks if his 'bump' is serious, and Kakei says of course it is, silly boy, and it's definitely not a bump. But because he knows Fai won't go to the hospital, he'll give him some painkillers, antiseptics, and put on some new bandages. He also asks how he hurt himself, and Fai says that Kurogane ran into him and he hit his head. Kakei was afraid that 'he' had found Fai. Luckily the cut's not infected and Fai should feel better once the bleeding stops. However, he should spend the night at a friend's house, to be safe - maybe this friend here? He comments that Kurogane seems to be worried about Fai and has 'the beautiful eyes,' an idiom meaning that he's pretty good-looking. Which causes the blushing fit.
Fermez la bouche. Ce n'est pas quoi tu penses: Shut your mouth. It's not what you're thinking!
Nous venons, mon enfant gâté: We'll see, my spoiled child.
Bien entendu: Of course/well understood

Legal Drug fans may've noticed that I borrowed Kakei and Saiga. Here, Saiga is Kakei's friend-bodyguard-enforcer-type-thing. Not that he needs a bodyguard, but their line of work means you can't ever be too careful. Originally the doctor was going to be Kyle Rondart, but he took a very... suggestive sort of undertone that Kakei fits much better. We'll be seeing Kyle later on, anyways. Speaking of cameos, Kakei's girls are supposed Sumomo and Kotoko from Outo's Dwarf Tower. It's not terribly obvious, but hopefully I got them relatively accurate in the sparse descriptions.

Good lord, these two author's notes make about 1k of my entire wordcount. I need to be more concise. (Or write more clearly...)