Chapter 25

Yasha-ou was there when I arrived at his tent. He had been waiting for me and he embraced me and I met his eyes fully, unhesitatingly this time before laying my head against his chest, listening to his heart and closing my eyes.

He did not ask about Ashura-ou as he clasped my hands. He did not question anything close to destiny, but I wonder…did he know that I had accomplished my destiny, even in this world? I would be the root of the cause of his death one day…did he know and if he did…why did he embrace me? Why did he look at me like that…? What could he possible want from me and what could I possibly give him to make up for what I was, or what I had done?

"You have gotten the antidote?" He said.

"Yes."

"Then you have spoken with Ashura-ou?"

"Yes."

"And…" He paused, lifted my head so he could see me and I wished I didn't have to be seen. "What did you learn?"

"I learned that you were right. He and I are alike."

He waited. "Is that all you learned?"

I shook my head, wondering if the reason he had told me where to get the antidote, the reason he had kissed me, the reason he had taken my hand the moment we had met was all so he could ask this question. I smiled at him and said, "Yes."

In reply, his face changed, slowly, quietly and he pulled me close, cupped the back of my head and whispered into my ear, "Yes, you are alike, and that is why I feared sending you to him, but, you are also unlike him…" He sighed and pulled me closer, my head rested on his shoulder and I could smell him now and realized he smelled like Ashura-ou… "Ashura-ou is alone, Fai. There is no one else there for him, and the same for me, no one else we will open to, but I know this is not true for you. I would not have told you where to find the antidote if this were true."

I laughed. "You mean Kuro-tan…"

"Yes."

"But I don't…that is…He protected me, I had to…"

"Truly? Is that the reason you went?"

I paused, "I…"

I heard Yasha-ou laugh, I felt it through his chest and I wondered if he felt my own heart begin to speed up at the sound, the feeling, "Even if you do not understand it, even if you do not want to understand it, I think Kurogane does."

"We're nothing alike."

"Exactly. You are completely opposite…"

I paused, lowered my head. "You don't understand. I…can't let that be true." I said and pushed myself away from Yasha-ou. I felt him watching as I came to Kuro-tan's side, as I pulled Sohi from my belt and returned it to his side, where the sword belonged. I felt the king watching as I uncorked the tiny glass bottle of antidote Ashura-ou had present me as he had bid me good-bye. He had been smiling at me and he had been so relieved, I think, that his wish had been made. I wondered if one day, I would be transformed into the same thing as he: this cat-eyed man, or god, or fool, only too happy to join the circles of life and death with love…

I gazed down upon Kuro-tan, swept back his hair from his forehead, touched his cold lips. He had blushed that morning in the springs when he thought I would kiss him. He had protected me all this time, be it from the Oto oni or myself the afternoon he had found me on the edge of the moon castle…Did that mean anything?

Even if I feared it, did I want it to mean something?

What do you want?

I did not dare to know what I wanted, but I was very clever and I would not make the same mistake I had made when I had chosen to look into Yasha-ou's eyes. I would embrace this fear and I would not look to see what Kuro-tan thought of me and I would not look to see what I felt for him…

I could not…because...

Then, feeling my mouth twist, my hand where it held the antidote grip tight, I knelt beside Kuro-sama, feeling the eyes of Yasha-ou upon us. Then, I pulled my head back, poured the contents of the bottle into my mouth. I felt Yasha-ou watch me as I lowered my lips to Kuro-tan's, as I coaxed them open, as I stroked his throat, felt the sharp points of his teeth and the softness of his tongue. I felt him watch as Kuro-tan swallowed the antidote and when it was all done, I breathed in and Kuro-sama breathed out and at least, for a moment, in this way, it didn't really matter what I felt or did not feel or might feel: we were one.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: Well! Another set of chapters comes to a close...for now! Thanks for reading so far and if you'd be so kind (bows and begs shamelessly :) Please review what you think - the good, the bad, the "what did that mean, exactly" - I'd totally appreciate it! Also! I will be changing chapter 14 with the next update...sigh...I should have looked up moon cycles before starting this fic, but there should have been a full moon that night (the phases of the moon each last a few days, you see...), and so...a battle...

So! Please return. Next time will be...dum dum daaaa! The conclusion. Thanks again :)