Pairing: KuroFai
Warning: Shounen-ai and some cussing
Disclaimer: Do I look like CLAMP? No? So then, I obviously don't own Tsubasa Chronicle, now do I?
Author's Note: I'm tired…really tired…ugh…you guys better enjoy this chapter. The gardens are based on the Koko-en Gardens. The castle, is of course based on the Himeji Castle. Look it up.
Kurogane practically dragged Fai out of bed the next morning. Given permission from Tomoyo, though he was still weary of the suspicious smile she give him, he had received the day off from ninja training. The young shinobi was ecstatic. He loved being a ninja and he wouldn't trade it for the world, but sometimes it was nice to relax. Not that he'd ever admit to such out loud.
"Come on!" Kurogane said, helping Fai into his yukata. The blonde looked at him wryly.
"Why, Kuro-wanko, I don't believe I've ever seen you this excited? Is it because you are happy to be spending the day with me?" Fai asked smugly, not really meaning what he said. Or, at least, that's what he told himself.
Kurogane snorted.
"Idiot. I'm happy that I have the day off. Not because I get to spend it with you."
Fai chuckled nervously, half-way disappointed. He had been hoping for Kurogane to get aggravated and for him to fling back some insult. He hadn't expected the blunt truth from the young ninja. Nor had Fai expected the sadness he felt that accompanied it.
He shrugged it off though and smiled amiably.
"That's too bad, Kuro-chi." He leaned into the taller boy.
"Because, we're stuck together, you and I are," Fai said, eyes twinkling.
Kurogane rolled his eyes and pushed the blonde away.
"Whatever," he muttered as he turned around quickly, surprised at the warmth spreading over his face. No way. There was no freaking way he was blushing because of the blonde moron.
"Are you blushing?" Fai asked with innocent curiosity.
"Hell to the mother-fucking NO!" Kurogane roared, fists clenched. Fai giggled and waved his hands in calming manner.
"Jeez, Kuro-kun, I was simply joking around."
Fai slipped on a pair of geta before sliding open the door. Taking in a breath of fresh air, he smiled in contentment. He had been stuck inside the same room for weeks now while regaining his health. He was a little shaky on his legs, but Fai didn't mind this. He was happy as long as he could be somewhat free.
"It looks as if it might rain today, doesn't it, Kuro-pippi?" Fai said, looking out at the gray sky. Kurogane muttered something under his breath, and Fai chose to ignore him.
Kurogane was right behind him as Fai took a step out into the hallway. The blonde stumbled a little. Kurogane took hold of his arm to keep the boy from falling over. He scowled.
"Klutz. Come on, we don't have the whole day."
Fai grinned at him.
"On the contrary, we do, Kuro-mun."
"It's nice to meet you, Fai-san and Kurogane-san!" The girl Fai had seen yesterday had quickly introduced herself as Kinomoto Sakura, Tomoyo's cousin. She ran up to the two boys as they made their way towards the gardens, and after she gave them her name, Sakura had asked if she could accompany them.
Fai smiled brightly at Sakura who smiled sweetly in return.
"Of course you can, Sakura-chan. You can help me cheer up Grumpy!" Fai said, pointing at Kurogane. The ninja growled, eyes flashing dangerously.
"Shut up, dumbass!"
Sakura gasped at Kurogane's obscene choice of words. Fai clamped his hands over her ears and mockingly glared at the ninja.
"Kuro-chan! How could you use such harsh language around children?"
Fai removed his hands and placed them around the young girl protectively.
"It's okay, Sakura-chan. Fai-mommy won't let Kuro-daddy dirty your mind."
"What the hell! Don't be so familiar with someone you just met! And we are not her parents! You aren't her mother, you're male, you idiot!" Kurogane snarled viciously. Fai just grinned, apparently unfazed by the somewhat dangerous ninja. Sakura stood there, unsure of whether or not to interject.
"Um…" Sakura mumbled shyly. Fai looked down at her.
"I'm so sorry about, Sakura-chan. Kuro-wan wan doesn't know how to control his tongue," Fai said. He linked arms with the girl and they began walking once again to the gardens. Turning his head to look back at the ninja, Fai stuck out his tongue at Kurogane in a teasing manner. Kurogane fumed.
The blonde was extremely annoying. A total pain in the ass.
And yet, Kurogane found himself chasing after Fai, trying to catch up to him.
"These gardens are gorgeous."
Kurogane couldn't help but nod in agreement. They were in the third of the nine different gardens of Shirasagi Castle. This one contained an expanse Koi fish pond. Fai stared with wonder as the multi-colored fish swum about. Sakura was kneeling by the edge of the pond, peering into the water.
"Don't fall in, kid. I won't be happy if I have to fish you out," Kurogane said.
"What Kuro-wan means to say is that he wouldn't want you to get hurt, Sakura-chan," Fai remarked, walking over to stand by the girl. He patted her shoulder lightly.
Kurogane growled menacingly.
"I say what I mean to say! Don't correct me, moron!"
Fai ignored him and continued to chat with Sakura.
Kurogane sighed and leaned up against a sakura tree. Looking up, he saw that the blossoms would soon be in full bloom. He grinned to himself, vaguely wondering if Fai would enjoy going to the Cherry Blossom Festival with him. He shook this off quickly, angrily finding that once again that he was blushing because of the blonde. Groaning inwardly, the ninja was seriously considering therapy. No sane person would be intimately interested in Fai, so Kurogane must've be losing his mind.
Plop.
Feeling a warm, wet substance hit his nose, Kurogane glanced around to see that it was beginning to rain. 'Crap,' he thought.
"Hey, let's move to the pavilion, it's starting to rain," Kurogane called out to Fai and Sakura.
Sakura ran with Kurogane to the structure. Once they got under the roof, the rain began to pour. Looking out, Kurogane saw that Fai had lagged behind.
"Hey get in here! You'll get sick!" Kurogane shouted over the roar of the rain. Fai apparently did not hear him for he was still walking idly towards the pavilion. Kurogane grimaced, wondering if he should run out to retrieve the blonde.
Kurogane made up his mind when Fai fell over into the now muddy ground. Cussing under his breath, the ninja dashed into the rain to help the fallen boy.
Fai's hands kept slipping in the mud, making it difficult for him to get up. His once white yukata was stained brown and his spirits were considerably low. Fai sighed dejectedly. He would just have to wait until the rain let up. He was too weak to get himself up and it was unlikely that Kurogane would come and help him. Heck, the ninja was probably laughing at him right now.
Letting the dull pain in his knees sink in, Fai almost wanted to cry. Then he felt a tugging on his arm. Glancing up, he was surprised to see Kurogane trying to pull him up. Though in utter disbelief, Fai attempted to push his aching legs up, only to have them slide out from underneath him. He accidentally pulled Kurogane down with him, resulting with both of them face first in mud.
Kurogane growled and muttered "Klutz." Fai hung his head. Couldn't he do anything right?
Kurogane rolled his eyes at the melancholy blonde and scooped the boy up into his arms. Only because there was no way the klutz could get up himself, not because Kurogane felt concerned. Nope, he just wanted to get back to the pavilion as quickly as he could. End of story.
Fai gasped in surprised. He stared at Kurogane, who had pointedly kept his gaze on the pavilion. Gulping, Fai felt the back of his grow hot. His stomach felt like there were crickets going wild inside of it. Breathing harshly, Fai started to shake with fear. He could think like this. He shouldn't feel like this. These emotions for another male were extremely taboo. It was wrong.
So with a slight shake of his head, Fai decided to forget, to push aside his feelings. He wouldn't get himself caught up in them, he would simply ignore them as if they didn't exist.
He didn't thank Kurogane when the older boy set him down. He leaned on the side of the pavilion, watching the rain with a determined expression on his face.
"Hey."
Fai glanced over at the ninja.
Sakura had taken off after the rain le up to take a bath and change her clothes, leaving Kurogane and Fai to themselves. They hadn't talked much. Most of the time, a thick blanket of tension hung over them, surrounded by the uncomfortable silence.
"Yes?" Fai replied, not saying Kurogane's name like he usually would. He wasn't even sure if he would continue with the silly nicknames. It might be better to be formal with Kurogane, easier for Fai to ignore the nagging infatuation for the ninja. He cringed at the possible thought of being infatuated with Kurogane. Somewhere, fate was laughing at his expense.
"Do you want to see the village?" Kurogane asked nonchalantly. Fai shrugged.
"Sure. How long of a walk is it there?"
"We aren't going there."
Fai raised an eyebrow, a puzzled look adorning his face.
"Then how-" Fai was cut off by Kurogane, who had swiftly pulled the blonde onto his back.
"Hold on, klutz. It'll be messy if you fall off," Kurogane said. Fai was about to voice a protest before Kurogane took off. The ninja ran at full speed, successfully scaling the wall of one the buildings of the castle. Fai yelped and held onto Kurogane for dear life.
Kurogane jumped onto the roof and sprinted off towards the front of the castle. Fai shut his eyes tightly, whimpering in fear. Heights were not his forte.
*Flick*
Blood spattering his face lightly.
White sky.
Snow.
Blood. Red blood.
Bodies flung everywhere.
A small corpse.
*Flick*
Fai shuddered at the flashback. He pushed it away. He was now hyperventilating with fear. Perhaps even excitement.
"Oi. Open your eyes."
Fai slowly opened up his eyes, his arms still clutched around Kurogane's shoulders. A breathtaking sight greeted him.
They were looking out into the intricate maze lazily winding downhill in the front of the castle. Paths and large trees and bushes made up the labyrinth. Beyond that was a sprawling village. Fai found himself transfixed on the beauty of Kurogane's world, not able to find the right words of the simple wonder of it.
"Cool, huh?"
Fai shook himself out of his trance.
"Yes. It's…amazing," He replied. The ninja smirked at him. Fai hesitated, and deciding to screw what wrong and right, he smiled happily back at the boy.
Ah, you fan girls will be really happy with the next chapter. No smut, but it's really sweet, in my opinion.
Review if you can, please.
Total Word Count (Chapter): 1791
Total Word Count (Story): 5680