Review responses~
Xynostaph: Oh you magical person you... The shower scene was really your fave part? I thought for sure Kuro pseudo-groping Fai in his sleep would set you pervy fangirls into overdrive but apparently not lol. And you must be psychic, requesting a kiss like you did ;) Hope you like~
wolf1380 Aww, thanks ^^-
BleedingOpal: Aww, haha, I actually wasn't sure if the shower scene got better or worse in this version lol, so if that's your fave chappie I'll assume better^^- I always try to strike a good balance between sweet and suicidal~
sathreal: Thank uuu! I would co-write that with you myself but I've never actually watched Inu Yasha o/o But I like the way they look lol... I'll beta it if you ever want^^
GUESS WHO WROTE YOU A BONUS CHAPTER FROM ALTERNATE UNIVERSE KUROGANE'S POINT OF VEIW? OF HIS WHOLE RELATIONSHIP WITH ALTERNATE UNIVERSE FAI?
Me, that's who.
You're welcome.
Please review and ENJOY~
}{
It was more than a few minutes later when affection won out and he rolled over to make sure Fai was relatively alright. He swallowed a yell, choking.
In fact, if he hadn't spent his entire life being trained to be absolutely silent when startled, he probably would have. It was only an instant but it was a long, heart-wrenching instant that he didn't think he'd ever forget.
He's dead. The blood bloomed outwards from the wound on his chest and his eyes are open but you know they don't see anything. The tears are still wet on his cheeks and the fear is still plain on his face and-
"KUROGANE!"
The sound of his own name, his full name, brought him back to reality with a start. Fai was sitting before him, eyes wide and worried and very much alive. No blood, no gashes, no tears.
"You... were dead."
"I was-"
"Dead. You... It looked like a bullet wound."
He watched as the mage's mouth slowly dropped open and he struggled for words, starting the same sentence twice before making it all the way through.
"Th-That was my dream!"
"What?"
They were both in the center of the bed then; Kurogane sitting while Fai knelt before him, suddenly unsettled. He reached out and caught the blonde's arm, giving it a gentle tug until Fai was sitting before him, wrist still in his grasp.
"What was it?"
"In my dream, I was shot..."
He wasn't looking at the ninja, but not in one of his infuriating refusals to make eye-contact; he was too shaken to properly censor himself and the ninja caught the whispered beginnings of a quickly cut off sentence.
"He shot..."
But that was it. He didn't finish the sentence and somehow, even though the only possible word was 'me', Kurogane just wanted him to say it; to make one completed admission instead of broken sentences he had to stitch together. Still, it was enough to go on.
"Who?"
"What?"
The blonde's head snapped up as he wrenched his wrist away and Kurogane took a steady breath.
Don't smile. Don't smile. Don't smile.
"Who shot you?"
Nothing.
Blank.
Infuriating, all encompassing silence.
"Fai!"
He barked and the mage came back to him, shaking his head.
"I don't... I don't reme-"
"Ashura."
He hadn't meant to say it but once he did he realized it was probably a good idea; Fai honestly didn't seem to realize just how much he knew. Blue eyes focused on him carefully, warily.
"How... do you know that name..?"
"You say it in your sleep a lot. You were saying it when I woke you up."
"Oh..."
"What was your dream?"
"I don't remember it."
"That's a load of-"
"I don't remember!"
His voice cracked and his shoulders slumped and for an instant the ninja thought he was going to cry and he honestly didn't know what he'd do.
But Fai wasn't crying; he was too stubborn for that. Crying would mean acknowledging that something was wrong.
"Okay... okay... I... Relax..."
Coming from anyone else, telling someone to relax would have sounded dismissive. But when he said it he meant it and Fai realized that; it was meant to soothe and it did.
"Come here..."
It was a whisper because somehow saying it quietly made it almost like he wasn't saying it at all, like he was just putting the suggestion out there and whether Fai decided to follow it or not had nothing to do with him. But he did say it and, after a moment of hesitation, Fai did follow it, slowly sliding closer without looking at his eyes. He reached out and touched his arm and, carefully, gently ran his fingers up the length until he reached his neck. Fai's eyes flitted to his but he didn't hesitate; his hand finally came to cradle his small face. The blonde was frozen, wide eyed and stunned for the third time that night. When the ninja slowly, deliberately pressed his mouth to the man's smooth cheek, he silently hoped he wasn't as horrified as he'd been the first two.
When he pulled back Fai was still motionless but he wasted no time touching his finger tips to the spot where he'd just been kissed. He didn't seem unhappy, just hopelessly stunned.
So it took some coaxing for him to lie down but when he finally did he was quite comfortably nestled in the circle of the warriors arms. Their was no extra kiss, no star-crossed confession, no long night of whispered names not belonging to past acquaintances. But their was comfort for both, if only for a little while
}{
But eventually he did wake and rolled away from him in the process. The ninja watched him yawn like a cat from behind.
"Good morning, Kuro-sama."
"Good morning..."
It wasn't much but it was more than he usually offered in the way of a greeting and Fai's shoulders raised.
He had no misconceptions that things would be different between them; that one, one-sided kiss would end all the self destructive behavior and the efforts to keep him out. But he was tired and high on the smell of the blonde after breathing him in all night; his head felt almost like it was swimming.
He came down quite violently though when Fai finally turned to face him, showing off the scars of the night.
Little violet half moons showed under tired eyes and if he looked carefully he could see shiny streaks along his skin; the dry evidence of tears that must have fallen long after he'd drifted off, the mage still cradled in his arms.
}{
"It's freezing in here..."
Kurogane rolled his eyes as he followed the mage into the apartment, kids close behind.
"So? It's always freezing in here, where the hell have you been?"
"Outside," Fai stated, matter-of-factly, "Where it's warm. So isn't it odd that it's warm outside but cold in here?"
"Uh, guys?" Syaoran interrupted, "It's warm in the hallway..."
Sakura doubled back to stand next to him and gasped.
"It is! I wonder why..."
Kurogane leveled a glare at the blonde.
"Now look what you've started. You're all exciting yourselves; the windows are single-paned and the hallway is in the center of the building. It's insulation, not magic..."
Fai nodded slowly, clearly thinking. Before Kurogane could ask, Mokona cut him off.
"Mokona thinks we should ask someone else if their apartment is cold!"
"That's a good idea Mokona..." Fai agreed, smiling but absent. "We'll ask one of our neighbors..."
The ninja's brow bunched.
"Of course it'll be cold-"
"Since he's head of the household I vote that Kuro-daddy asks. All in favor?"
"Aye!"
Mokona shouted while the kids looked nervously between the too until Fai motioned for them to raise their hands. They did so without hesitating and the ninja sighed.
"Alright..."
He strode to the next door down, followed by his makeshift family and knocked.
It was minutes before the deadbolt clicked out of place and they knew they weren't being ignored. The door only opened as far as a fine chain would allow and habit caused the ninja to notice that he could force that chain easily if he wanted to. Unfortunately the frail, elderly woman who had answered the door seemed to think that was exactly what he planned to do. She wedged her face into the crack between the door and it's frame and eyed him warily, unable to see the rest of the group.
"C-can I help you?"
"Yeah..."
He tried to come up with a subtle way of asking his question so he didn't come off as crazy, but he wasn't the mage and he didn't know how to re-word things to sound reasonable.
"We were wondering... if your apartment is cold..."
"C-cold?"
She looked at him, confused, and whatever patience he'd been harboring quickly left port.
"Cold. Like snow."
Eyebrows that had been tweezed within an inch of their life shot to the top of her forehead and intimidation quickly morphed into annoyance.
"I know what you meant boy."
Kurogane sighed.
"If you know than just answer the question-"
"Kuro-rin, remember your manners!"
"Who else is out there?"
Brows back in place and even slightly lowered she glanced around and Kurogane sighed, side stepping so that she could see past him. She squinted at them, eyes passing quickly over Sakura and Syaoran, who each bowed slightly, and landing on Fai who smiled charmingly. She shook her head, slowly at first and pushed her face even further through the tiny space.
"Young man?"
Syaoran stepped forward and she waved him away with a roll of her eyes.
"Not you, you."
She jerked her chin at Fai.
"Come closer so I can see you."
Fai did as he was told and the woman squinted further.
"Do I know you? You seem familiar…"
"We live next door-"
"No, no… I remember you from a long time ago."
There was an uncomfortable silence as she examined his face. Then the door closed. The all stared at each other until they heard the chain drop and the door swung all the way open. The woman called over her shoulder absently as she disappeared into the apartment.
"I'll just have to have you in for tea."
The warrior had a hard time moving more than a few steps inside the apartment before Fai nudged him quite roughly-more of a push, come to think of it- and he was immersed in a tiny, over-decorated hell that smelled overwhelmingly of stale potpourri and had a color pallet that made him slightly nauseous. If something wasn't pink, it was white. If it was white, it was covered in little pink rosettes. Every available surface was covered in figurines of little angels or kittens with wings or children, the warrior's issues with which extended past taste level.
"Have a seat in the living room, anywhere is fine."
There were two small couches in the living room, both pink and white striped. Even more outlandish were the clear plastic covers that gave the upholstery a tight sheen and made unsettling sounds when disturbed. Syaoran and Sakura sat stiffly on one and Fai sat down on the other, patting the spot next to him for Kurogane. The ninja however was having an internal battle between his need for comfort and his need for dignity. Fai stepped in as the ref.
"Kuro, be polite or I'll tell her not to give you a cookie with your tea…"
"I don't want a friggin' cookie…"
He grumbled as he dropped next to Fai, the force making the slighter man fall sideways. He was louder than he thought though.
"I wasn't planning on giving him one anyway, so rude…"
Kurogane rolled his eyes as the woman called from the kitchen and grabbed Fai's arm, righting him without much difficulty and leaning down close to his ear to whisper.
"Why are we still even here? We're inside, we already know that… it's… warm…"
Fai turned his face slightly so that their noses brushed briefly and the ninja was caught in that stare of his; the one when he was figuring out things that a normal person could never comprehend. His eyes were were burning, not their normal frosty blue but an electric sapphire. He could see the thought swirling through them.
"Now we're figuring out why."
With the kettle on the stove, the woman returned and settled a plate full of small sandwiches on the coffee table, adjusting a cherub doll to make room, before taking one and lowering herself into a large plastic-covered armchair. For all her snipes and barbs she seemed to have a very hard time maneuvering herself. Once seated she gestured for them to help themselves and they did, Kurogane only after Fai poked him in the ribs, teasing comment poised on his lips. Kurogane cut him off though by shoving the blonde's sandwich the rest of the way into his mouth and grabbing one with a growl. The woman conveniently waited for all of their mouths to be full before starting a conversation.
"So I assume you've found out what you were wondering?"
"Yes."
Fai managed after quickly swallowing what Kurogane assumed was mostly un-chewed sandwich. Ingrained manners were going to kill him at some point, Kurogane decided.
"Your apartment is…" Fai searched for the word, clearly thinking of several and passing them over. He settled on: "Lovely…"
She smiled.
"Oh thank you dear."
"Yes," Sakura agreed quickly, "I love the colors."
Syaoran looked slightly ill and Kurogane was left to debate if she meant it or was just being polite. Either way, their host didn't seem to appreciate it.
"You shouldn't repeat another's complement so quickly, child. It comes off entirely insincere."
There was silence as they all tried to figure out what had just happened. Sakura spoke first.
"O-oh… I'm… sorry..?"
She looked to Syaoran to see what she had done wrong and the boy offered a subtle shrug. Then the woman seemed to have had enough of them and turned back to Fai.
"I'm Ruby, by the way."
"Ruby,"
Fai repeated, dropping the honorific as they had earned to in some worlds.
"My name is Fai and this is Sakura, Syaoran and Kuro-"
"-gane."
The ninja finished for him to avoid any misunderstandings. He knew better than to let Fai perform introductions. Ruby offered them each a brief nod as Fai gestured to them before looking back at him.
"May I ask why you wanted to know if my apartment was warm?"
"We," Fai reiterated, "were interested because our apartment is so cold."
She nodded.
"You live in apartment thirteen, right?"
"Yes, we do."
Ruby shook her head at him.
"Thirteen… That's a bad number you know, bad luck."
"Yeah, we get it."
Kurogane piped up from his disgruntled slouch next to Fai. She was just going to scare the kids. Ruby looked at him.
"You're not very bright, are you?"
"What the he-"
Fai placed a calming hand on his arm without turning around.
"Yes, we've been told it's very unlucky. We certainly haven't been having much luck lately…"
He looked away as if lost in thought and Kurogane grinned. When it came to manipulating a conversation, Fai could give Tomoyo-hime a run for her money.
"How so?" Ruby was now the picture of concern, sitting forward, eyes trained on Fai.
"Well… we're looking something, something important, but we're having a very hard time tracking it down…"
"Could I help you?"
"No… well," Fai's face visibly brightened. It was all a mask. "You might. What we're looking for might cause strange things to happen where it goes. Ruby, can you think of anything strange happening lately?"
"Like the temperature?"
Ruby asked hopefully. Fai hesitated.
"…Sure. Just something strange, that wouldn't normally happen."
"Well, lately I haven't been able to get any hot water."
Her tone suggested that this was a punishable crime. Fai nodded sympathetically.
"Neither have we." He looked around. "Was…was that all?"
Kurogane could have laughed at Fai's face. He was obviously regretting the situation.
"Oh no," Ruby continued.
"I was talking to Estelle in apartment twenty-four and she says she can't get any either. The super says that the hot water heater is fine and it's probably because the water tower is on the roof and it's so cold out, but today was warm and it's still freezing!"
"Right…"
"And then there's the electric!"
"The electric?"
Fai asked desperately.
"Yes, yes, you haven't noticed that the lights flicker?"
"Oh, right…"
"Just the other day I was having lunch with Edna in forty and the lights went out completely! Not just one bulb, all of them! Right in the middle of my story too; what was I telling her…" In the background the kettle began to rattle. Ruby continued. "Oh right! I was telling her how the other night I was trying to fall asleep and I hear footsteps out in the hall! At three in the morning! And then there was crying-"
The kettle buzzed louder.
"Um, Ruby? Your kettle…"
"I mean, people could learn to be considerate of their neighbors. If you're going to cry, stay in your apartment!"
Sakura stood to get the kettle before the water evaporated but Ruby stopped her.
"Excuse me we're in the middle of a conversation you shouldn't just leave."
"I'm sorry, but your kettle-"
She didn't get to finish her sentence though as the kettle exploded with a loud bang and all three light bulbs on the fan over their heads burst.
The shattering glass was startling but it was late afternoon and so thin grey light filtered in through the drawn blinds. Everyone seemed frozen in place for a moment before Ruby snapped.
"Well, don't just sit there, I'm an old woman, go clean it!"
Everyone sat stock still, concerned as to what might happen if they moved.
"Why don't you let me take care of it?"
Fai moved to stand and the woman reached out and put her hand on his knee.
"Oh you're such a nice young man, but you stay hear and talk to me, we were having such a nice conversation. The rest of you should make yourselves useful."
Fai looked slightly disappointed and Kurogane realized he was probably looking for a polite way to end their 'nice conversation'. But Ruby was desperate to talk to someone it seemed and she wasn't ready to let the blonde go. Kurogane decided to go and figure something out later.
"We'll get it."
He stood and ushered the confused children with him. Fai all but scowled at him and he didn't give him any indication of intending to help. He was at the mercy of the blonde's whims so often, he decided to let him sweat, just for a little while.
It worried him, how accommodating Fai was. The man, despite all his teasing, had an innate desire to please and in situation a when 'pleasing' was sitting with a lonely old woman, that wasn't too troublesome. But politeness paired with a need for approval and a lack of self-respect could be dangerous. It led to being taken advantage of and if his suspicions were correct, something like that had already happened.
"You two go home, I'll rescue blondie."
Without so much as a question Syaoran and Sakura ducked out the front door and Kurogane worked up the right amount of concern before striding into the living room. Polite or no, he knew the mage had priorities and the kids were, if not at the top, pretty damn close.
"The princess burnt her hand on the kettle really bad, I think you should go look at it."
"Oh!" Fai jumped up in the middle of Ruby's sentence. "Ruby it was lovely meeting you but I have to go."
"Oh that's alright sweetie, you just come back and visit me soon okay?"
"Uh-huh."
Fai was up and out the door before Kurogane could get a hold of him. He reached the apartment before him as well and went strait to Sakura, grabbing her hand and examining it.
"Let me see it. Does it hurt? How long were you-"
Sakura was watching Fai confusedly, clearly unsure as to what he was talking about.
"Oi, mage, calm down. No one burnt anything."
Fai looked at him.
"Why did you-"
"For as much of a bastard as you are, you are really fucking polite. You'd have sat there and talked to her all day if I'd let you."
Fai processed the information, a slow grin spreading across his face.
"Kuro-chu learned how to be subtle, I'm so… proud!"
Just as Kurogane was about to come back at him there was a knock at the door. They all looked at each other and Kurogane muttered as he strode over to the door.
"If she followed you she can have you."
He opened the door to an older woman, certainly not Ruby though, in her mid seventies. She had dark salt-and-pepper hair and deep ocean blue eyes. She was thin but not frail and her face was lined but determined.
"I think I can help you."
}{
}{
ありがとう,
ハッピーハロウィン
ShingetsuXMangetsu