This chapter's a little funky cause I had to change stuff, and now the whole thing is from Fai's POV. Sorry. That won't happen again, there'll be at least one section from each of our boys in every chapter.

Thanks for the reviews, and for new followers/favoriters! Special thanks to the Guest that left a review, too! But I have to apologize…if the last chapter got your hopes up that development of their relationship was picking up, well…it's still gonna be awhile. xD

Chapter 7: Questions


Day 25, night

Fai readjusted his blanket, smoothing a few wrinkles from it, simply to find something to do with himself as he waited for Kurogane to return.

Sometimes he fell asleep before Kurogane even left, and sometimes while he was gone. But then there were nights when he wanted to stay up and wait for him to come home. His lips tugged into a small, almost bitter, smile. Home. He'd begun using the word unconsciously to describe this place; this world, and specifically, this room. But after what he thought must have been almost a month, he had to accept that they were here to stay. Not to mention the fact that Kurogane had moved them to this bigger room in a different, more secluded area of the compound, closer to the inner-most ring. It seemed more… permanent than the last, in some way, so he figured he may as well get comfortable here.

Kurogane had been gone for a long time, longer than he usually was. Fai didn't get anxious anymore like he had the first few nights; there was no point in it. But when the time dragged on like this, he began to feel uncomfortable and jumpy, his eyes darting to the door every time he heard a noise. After yet another false alarm of this nature, he turned his head languidly to one side, sick of the tortuous game he was playing with himself. He was tired but he refused to go to sleep until Kurogane returned.

Moonlight fell onto the empty cushion beside Fai, reflecting off the white material and making it bright enough to see the whole, empty room. He'd opened one of the doors to get a little relief from the heat, but now that it was cool he didn't feel like getting up to shut it. Instead he chose to burrow down deeper under his blanket, into the little pocket of warmth he'd created. His eyes felt heavy and began to close but he shook his head, forcing them open. He had to stay awake.

He traced the patterns of light and shadow falling across Kurogane's bed with his eyes for the hundredth time that night, counting the number of squares once again. There was something sad about that empty cushion, the blanket folded neatly in preparation for sleeping. Maybe it reminded him of himself, in a way. He felt like it was the two of them, waiting together for Kurogane to come back, and only then would they all breathe easily once more and sleep.

There was a gentle rattling and Fai's head whipped around to find Kurogane standing in the doorway, kicking off his boots. His face and hands were clean and shining with water droplets. The armor he held in his arms was also gleaming and free of blood. Fai had noticed lately that Kurogane always washed himself before coming back to the room.

Kurogane stepped, barefoot, onto the mats that covered the floor, padding softly across the room. He placed his armor gently in a corner before returning to the center of the floor, where the two beds were set up. Fai let one hand escape the warmth of his blankets and gave him a small wave in greeting. Kurogane grunted in response, kneeling down and beginning to spread his blanket out, but stopped when he noticed the look Fai was giving him. He raised an eyebrow. What? he was asking.

Fai's eyes traveled along his finger as he raised it to point at the door that was open to the outside. Kurogane's head turned and he gave a sigh when he saw. Rolling his eyes, he got up and slid the door shut before lying back down in the ensuing darkness. Fai could hear him readjusting, getting himself comfortable, for a minute or two as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the sudden lack of light. By the time he could see clearly, Kurogane was snoring, dead to the world.

He always fell asleep so quickly after coming home from the mysterious battlefield that Fai still hadn't been invited to. He was beginning to get frustrated. Every night he lay there, wondering where this war was being fought and how Yasha managed to keep the carnage out of sight. It seemed impossible, and clearly Fai was missing something. Perhaps it had something to do with the strange power he could sense emanating from Yasha. He could be even more powerful than I imagined. There's definitely something strange about him. I'll have to keep my guard up-

But Fai yawned in the middle of his speculations, breaking his concentration. Well, I'll think about it more tomorrow. I'm tired. He always felt better with Kurogane asleep next to him. Now everything was right and his body demanded the rest it deserved. He wouldn't deny it any longer. He closed his eyes.

Day 26

Kurogane and Fai were going somewhere different this afternoon, somewhere within the walls that he'd never been to before. Hiroto led the way, speaking with Kurogane and acting quite lively. He'd really loosened up since they'd had first met him, at least when he was with Kurogane. And the ninja also seemed to enjoy the other's company. Sometimes Fai wondered about their relationship. How had Hiroto been able to get Kurogane to open up and be friendly so easily? Did it have to do with the change in Kurogane's whole mood that Fai had begun to notice? Now that they were getting settled here, he seemed more…relaxed or something, like he really belonged in this world.

Fai's musings dissipated as they approached their destination and he began to smell the distinct odor of animals coming from the wooden building in front of them. Curiously, he followed Hiroto and Kurogane through the doors and found they were in a stable, albeit unlike any stable he'd ever seen before.

The main difference was the animals being kept in the building. They were the large mounts that Fai had seen Yasha and a few others riding from a distance, but he could appreciate for the first time just how huge and bizarre they were.

He'd always compared them in his mind to horses, but now that he was up close, he saw that he couldn't really be further from the truth. These things were more lizard-like than he'd thought. They were taller than any man, with long, sturdy legs and an impressive neck. They also had a lengthy tail, very wide where it connected with their bodies and tapering to a point. They had powerful-looking jaws and teeth, and a short, sharp horn in the middle of their foreheads. The one in front of Fai had a shape like a crescent moon on its chest, and staring, completely white eyes.

He shifted a little nearer to Kurogane as Hiroto took them down the aisle that led between stalls on both sides. He didn't want to get too close to these intimidating creatures, which stamped their feet and snorted as the small group passed.

Hiroto took them about halfway down the length of the building before stopping in front of the stall of a particularly large specimen. Hiroto talked animatedly, gesturing towards the beast and Kurogane nodded along, occasionally asking a question, it seemed. Then Hiroto opened the gate and Kurogane, placing a hand on Fai's chest to tell him not to follow, went inside, inspecting the creature along with their guide.

Fai pouted. What was he supposed to do all alone in a stable? He looked around, feeling eyes on him from every direction, sending a shiver down his spine. It was kind of creepy in here. Maybe he'd just stay put and wait. But then, from amidst the general noises of the barn, he heard something distinctly out of place; soft laughter.

He glanced guiltily at Kurogane's back for a second before moving away from the stall, searching for the source of that sound. He moved slowly down the aisle, listening intently as the laughter got louder the further he went. He began checking every shadowy corner of each stall as he passed it, until he finally found what he was looking for.

Standing inside a stall with one of the creatures was a young man he'd never seen before. He was thinner and paler than most people here, and had shoulder-length, loose, brown hair and a kind face. He was smiling and laughing as the animal at his side rubbed its face against his cheek. Then he spoke to it in a gentle voice, patting its nose and stroking its neck lovingly.

Fai watched the interaction curiously. There was clear mutual affection and trust between the two, despite the obvious differences in physical ability. That monster could easily overpower the frail boy, but there wasn't a trace of fear on his face. Perhaps these beasts were friendlier than they appeared, if such a delicate boy was able to tame one. He moved a little closer to the front of the stall in order to see better, causing the straw beneath his feet to rustle. The boy looked up when he heard the noise.

His face immediately lit up when he saw Fai. Leaving the creature behind, he approached the blonde, talking excitedly and gesturing with his hands. Unsure of what to do, Fai nodded and smiled, playing along. He wished Kurogane were here to help him, but he was just out of earshot of this boy's mild chatter.

With one last affectionate stroke on the nose of the lizard, the boy seemed to say goodbye to his companion before letting himself out of the stall to stand beside Fai. He said something and cocked his head to one side, indicating that it was a question. Fai shrugged and nodded, hoping it was the right answer. The boy excitedly grabbed Fai's hand and began tugging him toward the stall that he'd just left, pulling him within a couple feet of it.

When he realized his companion's intentions, Fai shied away, removing his hand from the other's grasp. The boy's face fell as Fai backed away from the animal, shaking his head now. He didn't want to touch that thing. He'd seen them riding into war; he knew that these creatures were strong and ferocious and his instincts wouldn't let him forget it. This strange boy might feel comfortable with it, but Fai did not feel the same way.

The brunette looked disappointed and asked Fai something in his soft voice, but the only thing the mage could do was keep shaking his head, a faint smile on his lips out of habit. He hoped he wasn't being rude, but he just didn't want his hand anywhere near the mouth of an unfamiliar animal.

"Fai-san!" he heard from his left. Hiroto and Kurogane were making their way towards them at a leisurely pace, done with whatever their business in the stable had been. Fai felt somewhat relieved as they came to stand by his side, surveying the situation. He stood to Kurogane's right side, hanging on his sleeve, the only one left out of the conversation. As they talked with the kid, the two older men began smiling, apparently finding something quite amusing. Fai wondered if it was at his expense, figuring it probably was.

Eventually he felt Kurogane touch his elbow, drawing his attention. Leaning down to speak in Fai's ear, he pointed at the young man, who was still chatting with Hiroto, and said quietly but clearly, "Aoi." Fai nodded slowly. That must be his name, the only words he'd managed to pick up in Kurogane's language so far.

Aoi turned back to the animal in the stall and absentmindedly stroked its neck as he and Hiroto talked. His eyes slowly turned and met Fai's gaze, smiling as he did so. "Kurogane-san," he said, before continuing in that dizzyingly fast manner of speech these people had.

Kurogane laughed at whatever was said and a moment later Fai felt one of the ninja's hands on his back, pushing him forwards. He tried to resist but Kurogane was a lot stronger than him, so he was pushed within a couple feet of the front of the stall against his will for the second time that day. Then he felt Kurogane's much larger hand covering his own, pulling both of their arms up and towards the creature. Fai took a sharp intake of breath, but there was nothing he could do.

His fingertips, held beneath Kurogane's, touched the animal's snout. It was smooth, cool, and slippery, made of tiny, overlapping scales. It felt somewhat like a snake that Fai had held before, but sturdier. Its hide was like personal armor, making it an ideal beast to ride into battle. The feel wasn't unpleasant, once he got used to it, and the creature made a slight humming noise in pleasure as they rubbed its nose. Fai giggled at the vibrations it sent through his arm, and he felt a little foolish for being nervous before. But it was a lot easier to be brave with Kurogane forcing him into it.

Kurogane said something to him softly, like he did with names. When Fai didn't react, he said again, more slowly, "To-ka-ge. Tokage." It was either the name of this particular specimen or the species in general, Fai couldn't tell, but it didn't really matter. But he finally had something to call them, at least.

He nodded this time, to tell Kurogane he'd understood, and he felt the other man back away from him a little, leaving him alone with the tokage. He gently ran his hand down the length of its nose, feeling a small smile come to his lips. It was kind of cute, really. Dangerous, but with a mild temper.

"Fai-san," he heard, and looked up to find Aoi looking at him intently, offering him the wooden handle of a pitchfork. Confused, he looked over his shoulder at Kurogane, only to find him smiling smugly, arms crossed. He turned back to Aoi, still innocently holding out the farm tool.

What…did I get myself into…?

Day 29

Fai had been working with Aoi and the tokage for a few days now, in the afternoons after he practiced archery all morning. He still didn't know exactly how he'd gotten roped into doing the duties of a caretaker of the beasts, but Kurogane kept bringing him to the stables, and Aoi met him every time with enthusiasm before they began their chores. Cleaning, feeding, exercising the animals. It had just become another part of his life in this world, and he was glad to do it, as difficult as the work was. Before he had this job to do, the silent afternoons had tended to drag on, so at least he was doing something with himself now. He also hoped that learning more about the tokage would help him somehow get invited to the battles, since he'd seen soldiers riding them before.

Today, he and Aoi had taken some of the tokage down onto the plain that was home to the training grounds, in order for a few men to exercise the beasts and practice their riding. And, to Fai's surprise, Kurogane had appeared among them, choosing for himself the large beast he'd been examining with Hiroto the other day.

And now, while Kurogane and the others were riding the animals in a small marked-off area, Aoi was trying to show Fai the proper way to strap a saddle onto a tokage. But it was rather difficult to concentrate.

Fai had decided this morning that it must be the hottest day they'd experienced yet in this world, unbearably so. And it had only gotten worse as the day went on, the early-afternoon sun still beating down mercilessly upon the land. It was getting hard for Fai to breathe, even just standing still. So he shouldn't have been surprised when the riders had appeared, stripped to the waist in an attempt to keep themselves cool.. But for some reason he was, and for some reason his stomach did a tiny little flip when he saw Kurogane, shirtless like the others.

It's not like he'd never seen Kurogane without a covering on the top part of his body. But the ninja tended to be pretty conservative, so this was really the first time that Fai had seen him participating in any sort of…physical activity without a shirt at all. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't curious, and he got the feeling he wasn't the only one looking, either.

Kurogane just happened to be a lot more interesting than what Aoi was trying to teach him, that's all. So every couple of minutes he'd find his eyes drifting away from Aoi's hands, which were busy with various buckles and knots, and he'd begin to search out his dark companion among all the other riders. When he found him, his eyes would tear across his sculpted features, wondering how he'd never truly noticed them after all their time together. Of course, he'd always known Kurogane was strong, but he realized now that he'd never properly looked at him before. His skin was tanned and smooth, his muscles toned and well-defined, but not bulging. It really suited his tall, graceful frame.

However, even though he noticed these things, Fai wasn't simply gaping at his muscles like an idiot; he'd noticed something for the first time, and it was this that captured his attention.

On Kurogane's lower back there was an obvious, white scar that marred his otherwise flawless skin. Fai could see it from a distance, so it must have been fairly large, at least a few inches long and maybe an inch wide in the middle. It was jagged and rough, as though the flesh had been mangled and healed badly. Fai was burning to know its origin. Every time that Kurogane rode by close enough for him to examine it, his head whipped around to see, possibilities filling his mind in the few seconds he had until he passed.

Then Aoi would say, "Fai-san?" gently, and Fai would have to turn around and smile in apology, blushing slightly in embarrassment. But his mind stayed with Kurogane the whole time, and he absorbed very little from his lesson as he kept stealing glances whenever he could.


I have no clue where Aoi came from. He just…inserted himself in the story. xD Well, he won't be too important. He'll probably kind of…disappear after this… o_o

tokage – lizard. I wasn't able to come up with anything creative…xD Anyways, let's assume this is short for a word that's a little more complex, eh? …Please play along, lol. (Unless anyone knows if they have an actual name?)

And Kurogane's scar is my own idea. While not exactly canon, I think it's plausible that he'd have a few. It will be explained eventually, though it's really just a point of interest. ^ ^