Dealing with Fai was like peeling a damn onion. There were so many layers to the man – and Kurogane wasn't referring to his multiple coats.
The fist layer was the smile. Kurogane knew that if Fai wasn't smiling his fake cheerful smile, then he was telling the truth.
The next layer was the feathery blond hair. If Fai's fringe was obscuring his eyes, then no-one could see the pain in them.
Another layer was his name. The day Kurogane learned that Fai was actually the name of his deceased twin was the day he knew the mage was stripped bare.
Fai was used to wearing layers. His home world (he wasn't even sure if he was thinking of Valeria or of Ceres anymore) was cold, and although his magic had kept him from freezing, he'd liked wearing layer upon layer of coats and cloaks. He'd worn them like armor.
Being used to Kurogane's rather simple style of clothing, Fai had been surprised to discover that the people of Nihon wore quite a lot of layers themselves. Princess Tomoyo had graciously helped him dress, guiding him how to properly wrap the many layers of hakama, haori, obi and obi-age around himself.