A few days after Tomoyo had left to go back home, Kurogane was tending to a deathly sick Fai. He had tried to bring his fever down with cool rags and rest and some ibuprofen during the first night. When Fai had only gotten progressively worse, he knew that this wasn't something to be handled with a couple of Tylenol pills. The boy was resting in his bed (they had long since given up on Fai having his own apartment, seeing as how he was always staying over with Kurogane anyhow, and it would be cheaper for him to live there.)
His hair had dulled, having not been washed for nearly four days now. His cheeks were flushed and on the rare occasion he woke up and opened his eyes, they were horribly glazed over. Kurogane felt like kicking himself for not taking Fai to the medical wing sooner. The only thing that had stopped him was that his boyfriend had screamed in utter terror, putting up more of a fight than a person so sick as him should have been able to. Somehow, some way the frail blonde boy had convinced him that he would be fine. Kurogane made a vow to remind himself to never trust the bastard again, especially in matters concerning his health.
"Idiot," he whispered, running his hands through the damp blond hair on Fai's forehead, then reaching for the cloth again. "You didn't have to fake being healthy. I'm not that much of a jerk. I know when someone needs to see a doctor." Of course, the boy did not answer, too deep in his sick sleep to even recognized the words. Fai did, on occasion, make sounds of contentment when his hands scrubbed over a particular place on the his head. There wasn't anything in the world more pitiful to Kurogane than someone who was so ill they were helpless as Fai was.
Once he had tried his best to cool Fai off again, wiped the sweat away, he reached for the thermometer. The device was one of those older models for children, made to be shoved into an ear. He clicked the button and waited. One-oh-two point six, much too high, especially when you considered the fact that he had been taken medicine that should have brought it down.
Kurogane really did not think he wanted to know what poor Fai's temperature would be if he had not been giving the Tylenol pills to the boy so religiously every four hours. The boy with red eyes decided that he was going to call a doctor, and he was prepared to take him the the hospital right then, if need be. Fai shifted, snuggling into the pillow beside him in a very childish manner. For some reason, he had, in his stupor, asked that Kurogane give him an extra pillow to lay beside him. Probably the blond wanted to have the feel of something next to him, and because it would not have made sense for his only caretaker to catch whatever ailment he had, the pillow was the next best thing to a cuddle toy.
When he got off the phone, having described all of Fai's symptoms, the doctor suggested that he try for a few more hours to get the boy's fever down, even giving the OK for an increase in the ibuprofen and encouraging Kurogane to strip Fai down completely naked and try sponging him down, then leaving him for a little while, even if he complained that he was chilled.
Well, not that he would complain, being as exhausted and sick as he was, but Kurogane was not sure he would be able to bear the sight of him shivering from the cold. He was, to begin with, not even certain he would be able to undress the boy.
Still, if it was going to help Fai, Kurogane would find a way to do it. Even though he highly doubted that he was ready to see Fai naked yet, he found a clean rag and some water, which he set by the bed. He sat beside Fai, wondering if it would be better to try and wake him up or let the boy sleep. In the end, he figure the former was better, as he would probably remain that way throughout the ordeal anyhow, thereby eliminating any awkward explanations. Slowly, he lifted the covers off the blond, holding him up in a sitting position with one hand, and working his arms out of his t-shirt with the other. Fai whimpered at the cold, trying to curl into a ball to retain his warmth.
"Sorry," Kurogane apologized briefly, laying him back against the pillows and taking hold of Fai's pajama pants, leaving him solely in his underwear. Surely that would be enough. The boxers were thin material, and he was bare enough as it was. The least Kurogane could do was leave the guy his dignity.
Before the teenager could protest, he lifted his legs and arms up, wiping him down from head to toe. Then, he turned Fai over onto his stomach and washed his back. That was the way Fai slept normally, so he figured it would be more comfortable for him that way. The doctor had said to leave him with only a sheet to keep him from getting chilled from the air, but any other covering was strictly forbidden.
"Kurosama..." Fai moaned, now half awake. "Cold...blankets." He twisted around with his hands, trying to grab Kurogane's over-sized black and red comforter. The Japanese had already moved it off the bed however, leaving him with nothing but the thin sheet. "Cold...need warm." He blinked his pale blue eyes open in confusion. Why was he not allowed to stay warm? He felt like his body would never stop shaking, and trying to stay awake only made it worse.
He felt Kurogane's hand on the back of his neck, offering a bit of heat, then it was gone just as quickly as it had come. Fai vouched for cuddling himself around the cushy pillow, trying to keep himself from shivering in that way.
"Not yet, idiot," Kurogane said. "The doctor says I have to leave you like this for at least an hour. Your fever is too high for me to let you try and sweat it out under a bunch of blankets." And if this doesn't work, a cold bath's next, he thought grimly.
He wished he didn't have to do this to Fai, to see him so lost and trembling like that. He tore his eyes away from the fair skinned boy, heading into the kitchen for some apple cider. Maybe Fai would want some when he woke up. Nah, he was more a fan of hot chocolate or something else that was equally likely to fill your mouth with cavities in under three seconds.
He picked up his manuscript for the book he was writing, and his mug of hot cider, and sat in the armchair by the bed where Fai was sleeping fitfully. It was a dream, he had been having them before, and they normally went away after a few minutes. Besides, Kurogane needed to get to work on his paper. He had neglected it in favor of caring for Fai (not that it was even a choice), but now he was falling behind.
Kurogane had been wrong this time. The nightmare did not go away in matter of minutes. As he sat there, torn between watching Fai and revising his paper, Fai's thrashing about became even worse. ***
Again in the same room. Fai wanted so badly to believe that he was not in here, that he was somewhere far away in some very nice place with Kurogane. Cuddled in his bed. Yes that sounded very nice. He only wanted to be anywhere but in this house. Because he knew what was going to happen to him, just like the last time. Would he ever be able to escape the nightmare that had become his waking reality for the past six months?
"Fai, my sweet little Fai. Good little one, my pet, come here and sit with me a moment, won't you?" The creature said. No, the man was no longer Ashura Kingsman, the man who had given him candies after school and the friend his father trusted so much. No, in his place was a monster with long hair tied into a ponytail, and golden eyes that bore heavily, unavoidably and inexplicably down on the boy in the room, making him feel like cornered rabbit. There was the younger version of Fai again, somehow even more thin and frail looking than before. Dark blue circles accented his blue eyes, bags weighing heavily under the lower eyelids, as if the boy had not slept in weeks. Well, he had not, and Fai already knew it, because he remembered it. Didn't want to remember it, and definitely did not want to re-experience or relive the ordeal, but here he was. Just as he though he had put the past behind him, prepared to start a new life with Kurogane, he had come full circle, in his mind.
"What's wrong?" He cooed, as if talking to a small animal, like the frightened bird that Fai was at such a vulnerable age. "Do you not want to come be with me? Because I want to be with you." He hissed, sensually, or what he probably thought was sensual. To the young teenager it just sounded creepy and disgusting. He never wanted to be in the same room with him, much less sit on the very couch where he had had that...that thing done to him.
"No sir, I'd rather go to my room," Really, that was a terrible choice of words, and Fai regretted the them immediately. Ashura moved off the couch and crossed the room to where Fai stood, cowering, in breakneck speed. Fai squeaked as he was flung towards the couch (so precisely and wisely covered with a dark towel that could be easily washed, and even so, the stain would not show through if it did not come out), and pinned his arms over his head...
Afterward, Fai was allowed to go to his room. He could barely manage to walk there, and he collapsed straight onto his bed, pulling a pair of sweat pants on and covering himself with a blanket just before giving himself up to exhaustion.
He sobbed in his nightmare, mostly unintelligible things, but Kurogane could make out the desperate pleading, and painful moans. And the strange sound of...a name? in the middle of it. What in hell had that been about? He jumped out of the chair, and took hold of Fai's shoulders roughly. Bad idea; Fai only flung his arms and kicked in his desperate attempt to escape whatever imaginary monster was holding him captive, nearly hitting Kurogane in the face. He had to wake him up some way, or at least calm him down. Thrashing about was only going to make him feel worse in the end.
Thinking quickly, the red eyed boy straddled the one on the bed, but gently. He didn't try to hold him down, just hovered over him, wondering what he should do. It was times like these that he desperately wished that he could see inside Fai's mind, if only to protect him from the monsters inside himself. Whatever was happening inside Fai's head, Kurogane was sure that it was not a mere dream. In the meantime, Fai caught his scent, and pulled him on top of him, finally relaxing. After a little while, Kurogane was able to get Fai to let go of him, but he made sure to stay close at hand, turning away from Fai, but allowing him to cuddle close against his back, against his better judgment.
"Kuromyuu..." The blond mumbled, burying his head into the warmth. Kurogane sighed, wishing all his time had not been wasted when he could be sitting there being productive. He really did not want to have to face Ms. Hinoto when she discovered that the manuscript of one of her most prized students was going to be handed in late. That was, if she agreed to take it at all; she was one of the strictest professors on the campus. Well, it couldn't be helped. The boy knew where his priorities lay, and they had never been in his grades. He could become a good writer without having learned all the nit-picky things that teachers swore you had to in order to get anywhere. No, right now it was good enough to be here, keeping Fai safe. The little waif in question had wrapped his arms around Kurogane, trying to be as close as possible in his desire for something to keep him warm and safe
"Kurotan" he whispered, nuzzling his face in between his shoulder blades.
"Fine," Kurogane grumbled. He turned over to face the boy and tucked his head under his chin, wrapping his arms around his waist. There, at least in that way he wouldn't be inhaling Fai's sick germs too much, and Fai could have the warmth he wanted. He kissed Fai's forehead quickly, gruffly, noting that he did not seem quite as hot as before. He would be sure to check his temperature when they woke up, however, just in case.
A/N: Yeeeah, sorry for the late update, guys! Life gets int he way sometimes, ya dig? This chapter didn't exactly move the plot along well, but be kind and leave reviews for me, please duckies? x)