Everyone, I am so sorry. This story has been constantly on my mind, it just didn't form itself into anything until now. So here you all go, and since we're on summer break I promise to get you the next chapter quicker. Also, this is a lot longer than the others; I figured I might as well pay you all back for waiting around for so long. I'm so sorry again.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 10: Routine and Laughter

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Fai's POV:

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During the rest of the week, the warden saw to it that I followed a very strict routine:

I was to wake up with everyone at 6 sharp.

Eat in my room. Alone.

Sit in my room. Alone.

Visit the Doc and the Shrink, such fun!

Then, sit in my room some more.

Alone… God knows what Kuro-chan was up to!

Then visit the library, which I was never allowed to do before.

Then sit and read in my room. Alone.

THEN I'D PLAY WITH KURO-TAN!

Then I'd sit. Alone.

Read. Alone.

Then we'd sleep —Alone.

…

…

Then I'd wake up at 6, and Eat and Sit and Sit and Visit and then Sit and Read and Sit and—Gah!

This went on for two days.

Anyone can see that there was something seriously wrong with that schedule.

….

There simply wasn't enough PLAYTIME!

It's very easy to acknowledge that what a recovering trauma-patient needed more than anything was lots and lots of playtime with his favorite toy who happened to be an angry Japanese fighter who didn't exactly happen to share his enthusiasm, or tried not to at least.

Either way, after those two days, I managed to convince the Shrink that I was just a lonely little sucker who needed company and affection and the all-powerful-ingredient-sometimes-referred-to-as-love. Yes, everyone, apparently I was a loner in need of some serious bonding time.

It wasn't true, obviously…not to that extent at least. I don't think. I liked being alone. It was better that way. But when you're trapped between four walls all day your priorities sort of shift and being alone isn't such an amazing idea anymore. So no, thank you very much, I would like to have my playtime!

Convincing the Shrink was easy. All I had to do was not talk to her, which in all honesty wasn't exactly planned. I never liked talking to Shrinks, and shutting up usually gives them more answers than you'd think. Anyway, she seemed to be pretty wacko herself, if I may be so bold. If anyone can judge a crazy person for a crazy person, it's me. And yes, she was crazy. She was just rambling on and on about Fate this, and Fate that and time and memory and past and present and then more talk about Fate…..

Actually, she was quite smart and what she was saying was really smart too. I just didn't like listening to it.

In fact, if I'm to be honest, I didn't exactly do any convincing or acting or anything. It wasn't really needed. The acting didn't even seem to work on this women, just like Kuro-pi. Strange that she also happened to have red eyes just like him. A different red but still. Maybe it came with the eyes…. I say I didn't really need to convince her because my situation still wasn't the best: I still woke up screaming and drenched with my own sweat, I still began to convulse and seize whenever I went to sleep, and I still hated myself when it happened.

But it was getting better.

It got better when Kuro-sama would hold me at night. I was embarrassed, but it was the truth. When I told her that, just to get her off my case, she was convinced all on her own that Kuro-sama was indeed the solution. Now that I think about it she seemed oddly excited when she suggested that Kuro spend more time with me…

I'd gotten what I wanted, but I was scared... real scared.

At least until I got to hear Kuro-woof's howls of furry. That's when I went back to thinking about how much fun the coming days would be.

To say the least, Kuro-frown did not enjoy it when the Shrink told him that he was, in fact, the cure to all my problems. Those were her exact words. And Kuro-furious definitely didn't like it when his playtime with the other prisoners was cut short. And Kuro-furry-fury definitely and surely did not like it when they took away almost all of his free time…just so that he could spend it with me...!

Hehe, he's such a spoilsport, I bet he's not angry at all.

I hope he's not.

Anyway, the point is that the schedule changed.

Now, I woke up at around 5:30 and pounced on Kuro-sleepy with as much force as I could muster without breaking any more of my bones.

Then we'd play.

Then we'd eat together in the room. They brought our meals to us, you see.

Then we'd sit quietly for a while.

Before I teased him or pounced on him or poked him, he hates poking!

Then we'd play.

Then I'd sit and read and he'd do his afternoon exercises. Why he needed exercise when we were already running around so much is something I was always quick to ask, at which point he'd get angry…

And we'd play.

Then I'd sit and read then throw the book at him just to see what would happen.

Then we'd play.

And then we'd sleep…still alone. Kuro-meany hates cuddling! I tried once and we ended up having to extend playtime past bed time.

…

….Did I mention that playtime consisted mainly of me running around squealing and giggling while he chased me with a string of profanities and half-threats.

It was good times… mostly.

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Kurogane's POV:

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"You little….stop moving and let me hit you!"

"That would be silly of me, now, wouldn't it Kuro-pi?"

"Like you're not dumb enough!"

"Kuro-meany!" said the brainless blonde in full high-pitch, accompanied by trademark fake bawling.

I took a half-assed swipe at him, and he evaded it so easily it almost hurt my pride. What the fuck?

I was nearly breathless, how did this guy keep it up? I was used to fighting and charging head on, so my fights don't usually last long. But this guy was the opposite. The complete effing opposite! With a thin frame and a fighting style based primarily on evading he had to have much higher endurance levels, which made him impervious to exhaustion while I was left feeling more like a wheezing geezer! True, we'd been at it for most of the day now, on and off, but still! How he managed to save up enough air in his lungs to laugh and giggle like that was, right now, the most annoying thing in the whole god-damned world. Dumb prick!

"When I get my hands on you—!"

"But that's not going to happen is it!" said the crazy idiot as he came leaping down from the top bunk.

"Hyuu hyuu, Kuro-sama's so scary!"

But he faltered with his footing. By the time he landed he was bracing his back against the bed post, his hand pressing against his broken rib. His bangs hid his expression from me, but I was sure he was in pain. And judging by the way his jaw was set: he was in a lot of it!

"There I've caught you, now stop moving. You're making it worse." I said, grabbing his shoulder and tilting his chin up with my other hand.

"Kuro-sama's scarier when he cares." He spoke with only the faintest hint of flirtation, but it was forced. Like the weight of what he was saying bothered him somehow. His eyes were round and that soft smile on his face made him look more sad than happy. It wasn't right, and I hated it!

"Shut Up! Just sit down for a second and let me have a look at you." I said, already pushing him towards the bed. After much whining that I didn't even care to listen to, he finally sat down.

I hesitated for a moment, suddenly flustered as I looked down at his shirt. He seemed to get what I was grappling with, and so he took of his own shirt: saving me the trouble and embarrassment. Sort off. I was still left staring at his chest. It was just so white!

You know he's not thin exactly, more toned. Smooth soft muscles—

"You really should stop staring, Kuro-naughty"

Oh shit.

"You're getting too thin!" I don't even know why I said that. Acting like a teenager: looking away from him instead of at him.

"You can look I don't mind." I feel his fingers at my chin and I'm forced to look at his calm eyes. His cheeks are red. I can't help but feel a little smug.

I'm professional as I examine him, I have to be. He winces at every other touch, but it's an involuntary reflex. He fights hard not to show it.

"Why didn't you tell me it still hurt this much?" I don't know what my face must have looked like, but something in it must have made the blonde look that…sad.

"I don't like it when you worry, Kuro-sama." He said poking my lips upwards into a forced smile. "It takes away your good-looks."

"It's not funny! What did the Doc say?"

"Kuro-sama, you can't do anything for ribs. Unless you want me even loopier and high on pain meds then—" he left the sentence hanging and I found it oddly funny that he was acknowledging his own insanity.

"No, I don't want that. But how about no more running around."

"But Kuro-rin, you're the one chasing me!"

"And you're the one annoying me!"

"I'm not that annoying, I bet you enjoy it." The flirtation was back on.

Before I could come up an angry retort, he predictably changed the topic.

"By the way, Kuro-sama, how come they're letting us room together? I thought we were in a maximum security joint?" The flirtation was now at full blast, but it didn't bother me as much as it used or as much as it should have.

I was too busy thinking about how much it bugged me that he thought it was max security, since that meant he was a high security prisoner. I guess the warden wasn't joking: this guy's a real murderer. I shook my head, I couldn't think of him like that.

Murderer…?

Like I was one to talk….but that was different, right? Maybe this guy's different too. Or maybe not.

"This is medium security. So you got anything from small fry to mass murderers." He flinched at the word. I sighed.

"And they're letting you room with me 'cause you've been categorized as a danger to yourself and others. They can't afford dead prisoners."

He laughed a bitter laugh that came out in labored huffs. "Shouldn't they be aiming for that?" he asked. "Shouldn't they want us dead?"

You'd like that wouldn't you?

"There was some trouble about 2 months before you showed up. One of the gangs tried to kidnap the Super. Didn't work out, but he still has that scar on his face. There were 5 deaths in total. A dozen injured. Press had a field day: Warden Loses Control of His Own Prison… all that jazz. It wasn't that big a deal, but it was the last straw for this place. It's just too violent."

"Were you in the military Kuro-tough?" and there he goes asking a completely random question right out of the blue.

"WHA—? What does that have to do with anything?

"It's just the way you talk, like you're making a report or something." He said it so simply, adding one of those monster-fake-smiles he loves so much.

"Yeah, I was in cop-training….Before this."

I didn't say anything else, and he seemed to figure out that I wasn't going to. I'd be damned if I spilled out my life story when he wouldn't so much as give me a drop in return. Damn the man.

He looked away and out the bars of our window. Getting up, he made his way over there with slow graceful strides. Curling his fingers around the black metal so that his nails scratched against the cold paint, he stood there in silence.

"So many secrets in this place, with bars to keep them in."

He said it softly enough that it might have been the wind throwing my own thoughts back at me.

Secrets and lies…

I just stare at him, thinking I can bore a hole in his head if I look at it long enough. Thinking, maybe things will click into place and all his thoughts will lay themselves before me. All his secrets. And it'll all make sense. But I don't figure it out… I can't. Or maybe I just don't want to. I'm not meant to…. Yet.

His hair looks cleaner than it ought to in here, and it looks white with the moonlight shining in on our little room. So fine, those strands. Their silver shine like the glint of a sword: powerful, mysterious and…. Beautiful.

The word pops into my head before I can stop myself. My heart lurches for a second as my mind races to censor itself. But it was true. That was the truth if nothing else was.

The way that his hand grips the bar annoys me for some reason. Maybe it's how strong that grip is, like he was trying to tear the bar away or else wedge it deeper into the concrete. The two actions meant wholly different things: escape or entrapment. I doubt even he knew which one he wanted.

I'm standing next to him before I realize it. The week had passed so quickly, had I really hugged this crazy idiot? I must have been dreaming…..but strangely, that wasn't a comforting thought either. Kinda. The warmth of his skin that I had felt against mine was a memory.

It was cold here now.

"What's up with that hand?" I ask, partially to see if he'd reveal something about himself and partly to stop myself from thinking too much about his presence.

As if shocked back into reality, he suddenly lets go of the metal bar and his eyes snap unto mine. The corner of his lips turns as he looks down at his hand. The hand that had remained frozen for weeks when he was in that strange state.

I was sure he wasn't going to reply to my question. As I reprimanded myself for being vain enough to expect answers out of this guy, a small voice emerged from behind wispy blonde hair. It had to be him, right? He's actually answering me. My heart couldn't help but lurch out to him.

"When I was…A long time ago, something happened. And to make it through, I found myself gripping onto…." He passed for a long time, and my hand wavered. Should I touch him? But he went on. "So whenever something happens that reminds me of that I… I find myself needing to hold on…to anything…."

He backed up so that his shoulder was leaning against the wall. His hand was braced in front of his face, like he was fighting the impulse to hide behind it. In my mind's eye I could see him sliding down that wall and crumbling. I don't know why I supposed he would do that, I don't know why he didn't.

"Even if it's just a figment of my imagination." He added softly and laughed.

I realized then why that grip had annoyed me in the first place. It was the desperation with which he did it. In my mind I saw an image of myself, holding onto the stiff corpse of my mother, refusing to let it go.

I shuddered as the coldness that seemed to have been enveloping him permeated into me as well. From there, it wasn't hard to imagine this guy in a similar situation, gripping onto some other ghost from his own past.

"Well, holding onto a metal bar sure as hell ain't gonna do you any good." I said speaking from experience. "You need to find something else to hold onto."

I had meant that he should let go of the past and hold onto the future, but he took it the wrong way. Or maybe the right way, I don't know anymore.

He looked up at me and his eyes shown bright in the moonlight: two glowing goading orbs of light. I could see their blue despite the darkness, and I remembered the roaring waves of the sea that I had not laid eyes on for what felt like a whole lifetime. Fierce and, I had to admit: beautiful.

"Yes, you're right." He said speaking softly into the night, as he went up on his tiptoes and laid his hand against my cheek.

"I need something else to hold onto."

He whispered into my ear and his breath tickled at my senses. His words that were soft and caressing came crashing down on me. As if he'd reached within me and played with my insides. Foreign emotions invaded me. My heart beat intensely and my cheeks burned with a red that I hoped was cloaked by the night. But my breathing was steady; years of training could at least accomplish that…right?

His other hand slid itself down my arm, slowly and with excruciating softness. It was a faint touch that left goose bumps in its wake. His fingers found mine and gripped them harshly. So harsh that I almost jumped, but his eyes held me.

And I understood just what my words had meant to him…to us.

Nudging his cold nose against my earlobe, I could almost hear his cat-purr. The hand that was one my cheek was now playing with the sensitive hair on my neck. How it managed to get there without me noticing was beyond me. He could feel the heat of my skin, I'm sure. His skin was hot too, and I wondered how I had been thinking of coldness not a moment ago. When did the mood flip? But I had no time to think about that. I had no time to think at all really, as he tilted his head and brought a pair of lips to the edge of my jaw. A kiss that could have been called a platonic-cheek-kiss if it handed been so tender, so….

Oh, god!

But the touch was gone before it even began. Just like that. He was gone, withdrawing so quickly it might all have been a dream. My eyes still staring at the black spot that had been occupied by his brilliant blues not a moment ago, my hand still suspended in mid air holding onto nothing. It might all have been a dream, but the way my skin tingled with the memory of his touch convinced me otherwise.

I laughed when I got to the bunks; he'd taken the top one. I'll let him keep it this once, I thought as I heard a soft laughter echoing mine. We were both laughing. This was a start at least, of what I hadn't the faintest idea. I didn't feel like thinking too much. Not about this. Not right now.

It was a warm night, and as I was slowly drifting off into sleep I thought of why I hadn't moved when he was…well, you know… and then a more shocking thought crept up on me and I wondered what I would have done had he stayed there...

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A/N: I hope you liked that everyone! And again I am so sorry.

Oh and I just had to add that rib section because right now my rib hurts like a fucking bitch! (Excuse my language, but damn! It hurts!)

Oh and I posted a One-shot called Fate's Flaws. You can check it out if you like, its kinda experimental but….

Anyway, please please please Review! Nice long reviews make my day, but I'm not a picky person so write as much as you want. Even if it's just a word, I guarantee I'll love it. Seriously. And I wonder if everyone who was reading this in the beginning is still doing it. Gosh it's been so long! I totally don't blame you if you've ditched, but I'd still like to know who's still reading this…

And last but not least: THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! EVERYONE! REALLY!

Take care of yourselves and have a nice day :D!