A/N: Chic-ching! Thanksgiving break, baby! That means there's time for writing!
Right, so since there were two reviewers who basically tied in being the first to correctly complete the challenge that I gave in the last chapter, I let them both make a request. Here is my result for the request made by vanion. I don't want to spoil the effect of my beginning, so I'll tell you what the request was at the end of the chapter. For now, I'll start by defining "kitsch" as it is given by .
Kitsch /kich/ n. something of tawdry design, appearance, or content created to appeal to popular or undiscriminating taste; Sentimentality or vulgar, often pretentious bad taste, especially in the arts.
Right, enjoy.
Kitsch
He closed his laptop with a sigh, removing his headphones and rubbing his eyes tiredly. It was only ten, but he had been working on his latest novel since five that morning. Inspiration had seized him in the middle of the night and kept a tight hold on him all day long so that he could hardly force himself out of his chair to eat or use the bathroom. Even though he was still on a roll, his eyes were starting to burn from being glued to the computer screen for too long. The next chapter of his novel could wait until tomorrow; for now, he would take a bath and go to bed.
He headed towards his bedroom with the intention of grabbing some pajamas before starting his bath. As he turned into the hallway that led to his room, he noticed the light in his bedroom was already on. That was odd… he didn't recall having gone in there recently and he was pretty sure that it hadn't been on all day. An intruder? Kurogane wondered with a frown. But what intruder would be so stupid as to turn the light on when the owner of the house was home?
He could hear movement coming from within. There really was someone in there after all! The novelist edged into the kitchen and grabbed a steak knife before continuing toward his bedroom. After hesitating briefly outside the door, stealing himself for what could potentially be a fight to the death, he leapt into the room with a yell, holding his knife out in front of himself threateningly.
What he saw made him shout in surprise and abruptly drop his knife. There was his neighbor, the beautiful blond man from next door, kneeling in front of his dresser, his hair dripping wet, wearing only a towel around his slender waist. Judging by the way the drawer was hanging open, he had been digging through it, presumably looking for some clothes that he could borrow, when Kurogane had shouted.
"Goodness," Fai laughed, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw his neighbor standing there. "You startled me! I wasn't expecting you to appear so suddenly!"
"Wh-what the hell are you…?!" Kurogane sputtered. His face was a brilliant shade of scarlet.
"I guess you're probably pretty surprised to see me here, too, though," the blond admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in mild embarrassment. "Sorry; I forgot to tell you I was coming.
The dark-haired man was too shocked to do anything but stand there and stammer stupidly.
"Wow, your heart sure is pounding loudly!" Fai noted with a grin. He got to his feet and crossed the room to where the other man was standing, frozen in shock. "I can hear it from all the way over here! I hope you don't mind me coming over to use your bath like this, but I'm having some work done on mine…Does it make your nervous to see me like this?"
Kurogane's face was beet red. He had always prided himself on being professional and composed, no matter what role he had to play, but this was the first time he had ever had to do anything like this. Admittedly, he was a bit nervous (this being, of course, the understatement of the century). His throat was dry and his hands were sweaty and his heart was beating so fast that he thought it might burst. But he had to say something. "I, uh…"
The blond's hand drifted up to touch his companion's chest absentmindedly, his smile widening mischievously. "Or are you just excited?"
Kurogane swallowed hard, trying to calm himself. "Excited…? Yeah, I…I guess you could say that," he mumbled. He had to try hard not to grit his teeth, knowing that it would be apparent in his speech if he did. And like hell he was going to do this part over. "To tell the truth, though… my heart… isn't the only part of me that's excited."
"Oh?" Fai said innocently. "I wonder what part that could be…"
Kurogane choked on his next line for a moment, trying to force it out, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Finally, he ripped off his headphones and threw his script on the floor, turning his back on the suspended microphone. "Screw this!" he snarled. "I've had enough humiliation for one lifetime! I'm out of here!"
"You just get your cute little seiyuu butt right back over to that microphone, Kurogane," the director, Yuuko, ordered with a self-satisfied smirk. "You've already signed the contract and it's legally binding. That means no walking out on the job."
"YOU TRICKED ME INTO SIGNING THAT FUCKING CONTRACT, DAMMIT!!" he roared, his hands curling tightly into fists at his sides. "I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SIGNING ON TO WORK ON AN ACTION/ADVENTURE ANIME!! YOU SAID NOTHING ABOUT THIS KIND OF SHIT!!"
"I admit that I didn't say anything about boy's love, but action/adventure is a pretty vague term," Yuuko pointed out amusedly. "Adventure can refer to anything that's exciting, and your character was about thirty seconds away from getting some action. I would say it was your own fault that you ended up in this situation. You're the one who didn't mention that there were certain roles that you weren't willing to play. An experienced voice actor like you ought to know better."
"DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO PIN THE BLAME ON ME!!" Kurogane howled. "THIS SCRIPT IS NOTHING LIKE THE ONE YOU SHOWED ME AT THE PRELIMINARY MEETING!!"
"I told you it was still under revision," she shrugged, not looking the least bit guilty.
"THIS IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM THAT SCRIPT!! IT'S NOT EVEN THE SAME CHARACTERS!!" Then he glared over her shoulder at Fai who was trying rather half-heartedly to stifle his laughter. "AND YOU!! QUIT LAUGHING, YOU BASTARD!! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!!"
"I just think it's cute how shy you are!" Fai giggled. "I mean, it's not as if you actually have to do anything with me; you just have to say the lines. The next part is mostly just grunting and panting, and there's plenty of that in action/adventure anime, right? It's just in a different context here, that's all."
"Don't be a dumb ass!" Kurogane snapped, his face still red. "They're nothing alike! Besides, even if I could delude myself into thinking that these two types had anything in common, I still don't want my name associated with an anime like this!"
"Use a fake name in the credits," Fai suggested coolly.
"People would still recognize my voice, moron!" he scoffed. "I've only been in about a fifty different series!"
"I know," the blond sighed dreamily. "Kurotan is such a talented actor… And popular, too! You get a ton of fan mail!"
"Not as much as you, Fai," Yuuko chimed in helpfully. "You're probably the hottest voice actor in Japan right now! And not without reason, of course. You play every part so perfectly!"
"Oh, you flatter me, Yuuko san," Fai grinned, his cheeks going slightly pink with pleasure.
"That's why I knew I had to have you in this anime," she continued excitedly. "I told the script writers to write the part of our sweet little blond uke Masaki with you in mind!"
"You mean… you had this part written just for me?!" Fai gasped, his eyes sparkling.
"Of course!" Yuuko gushed. "Isn't it perfect?!"
"You two can continue your little tea party without me; I'm out of here," Kurogane grumbled, heading for the door of the recording booth again.
"Not so fast," Yuuko said sharply, grabbing him by the back of his collar and nearly choking him. "Just because you threw a little temper tantrum, doesn't mean you're released from the contract. If you don't want a lawsuit on your hands, you'll get back to that microphone right now."
Kurogane's whole body quaked with fury and he mentally cursed himself for ever even considering her when she had offered him the part. There had been stories floating around his acting school about the infamous (though, admittedly, wildly popular) director/producer Yuuko and her underhanded trickery in getting actors to play parts they hadn't agreed to, and that was five years ago that he had been in school. But he had thought that he would be safe from her tricks if he just made her show him a copy of the script. Boy, had he ever been wrong.
"I still don't understand what you're so upset about, Kurogane," Yuuko commented as he stomped reluctantly back to the microphone. "Yukage is a great character, complex and charismatic with plenty of emotional depth. Pulling off a tough role like this will only increase your popularity as an actor."
"If you like this guy so much, why don't you play him?" Kurogane grumbled, picking up his script from where he had thrown it on the floor.
"But my voice isn't deep and manly enough," Yuuko said with another one of her trademark smirks. "As sexy as he is in appearance and personality, he just won't have the same impact if he doesn't have a nice, sexy voice to go along with it."
"Hmph," Kurogane snorted doubtfully.
"Besides," she continued, "you and Fai have such wonderful chemistry together. You two make almost as great a couple on screen as you would off screen. I think you two ought to hook up."
"You really think so, Yuuko san?" Fai asked with feigned shyness.
"Of course!" Yuuko chirped. "You'd be beautiful together! You two already know each other pretty well, right?"
"Well, we did go to the same acting school and took a lot of classes together," Fai admitted slowly, as if he was seriously considering her proposition. "Kurosama and I have worked on a few of the same projects, too. And we're neighbors! Sometimes Kuropon even invites me over for tea!"
"Oh really?" Yuuko asked with a sly grin in Kurogane's direction. "I didn't know about that little detail. You two are practically a couple already!"
"D-d-don't be stupid!" Kurogane stammered, his blush returning in full force. "He invites himself over! A-and anyway, I don't bat for the home team!"
"Why are you getting so red, then, I wonder?" Yuuko asked, her grin widening. "Could it be that you really do have feelings for Fai?"
"Sh-shut the hell up!" he snarled. "Even if I did, which I don't, it would be none of your damn business! Now, are we gonna get this damn thing over with or not?!"
"Goodness, so eager all of a sudden," Yuuko laughed. "Alright then, from the top, you two."
"What's wrong?" Kurogane asked worriedly. "Why are you so quiet?"
"I wouldn't say anything was wrong, per se, but…" Fai trailed off.
"…Was I really that bad?" he mumbled, flushing.
"No need to sound so worried, Yukage chan," Fai laughed. "I just can't believe it… Could this have been your first time?"
"Don't be stupid!" Kurogane snorted. "Of…of course not!"
Fai giggled triumphantly. "It really was, wasn't it?"
"S-so what?!" Kurogane growled defensively. "You got a problem with it?!"
"No," the blond sighed, nuzzling against his dark-haired partner affectionately. "In fact, it… it makes me really happy. I'm glad that you saved your flower for me, Kurotan…"
Kurogane snatched his script off of the stand in front of him and whipped it at Fai's face, his own face brilliantly red once more. "You said my real name, dumb ass!"
"Ah ha ha! Did I really?" Fai laughed in embarrassment, his cheeks going pink. "Whoops!"
"Oh my," Yuuko said, her trademark sly grin creeping onto her face once more. "Could that have been a little Freudian slip just now, Fai?"
"I wonder…" he replied thoughtfully, still smiling at his mistake.
"WH-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!!" Kurogane demanded, stomping his foot like a spoiled child. "IF YOU'RE GOING TO SPACE OUT AND HAVE WEIRD-ASS FANTASIES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RECORDING THEN JUST GO HOME!! AND KEEP ME OUT OF THEM, DAMMIT!!"
"But I can't help it, Kuropuu!" Fai whined, hugging him and snuggling his cheek against the taller man's chest. "You're just so handsome!"
"Hah?!" Kurogane squawked indignantly, attempting rather half-heartedly to pry the blond off of him.
"I knew it!" Yuuko squealed in delight, clasping her hands together. "You have a huge crush on Kurogane, don't you, Fai?!"
"Shh!" Fai said, putting a slender finger to his lips as his grin widened. "That kind of thing is supposed to be a secret, Yuuko san!"
"Would you morons quit talking about me like I'm not here?!" Kurogane snapped. "You're pissing me off!"
"I don't suppose you really are a virgin, are you, Kurogane?" Yuuko asked curiously.
"TH-THAT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS!!" he raged, his face redder than a tomato.
"He totally is!" Yuuko hooted, laughing as she clapped her hands in sheer glee. "Isn't that sweet?!"
"Saving yourself for someone special, are you, Kuropiko?" Fai asked softly, his eyes sparkling.
"This has nothing to do with anything!" Kurogane snarled. "Get serious or I'm going home."
Yuuko heaved a sigh. "As much as I hate to admit it, Kurogane has a point. I want to get this scene finished this evening and we still have a ways to go. I'd hate to have to keep us all here all night."
Kurogane shook his head in exasperation as he turned to face the microphone again.
"Now since we've stopped already anyway," Yuuko said, pushing her reading glasses a bit further up the bridge of her nose so that she could see her script properly, "I'd like to go back to the part where Yukage confesses his love to Masaki. The first run seemed a little too stiff, thanks to a certain someone." She glanced pointedly in Kurogane's direction. Kurogane glared back at her mutinously, but held his tongue, just wanting to get this humiliation over with. "So let's try it again from there, alright?"
"No…" Kurogane said, his teeth gritted. It took all his resolve to resist the half-naked blond's advances, but if they were going to take things to this level, this wasn't how he wanted it to happen.
"But…why?" Fai asked, sounding hurt. "Have I been reading the signs wrong all this time? Is this not what you want?"
"Of course this is what I want," the dark-haired man growled. "I've never wanted anything so badly in my whole life."
"Cut!" Yuuko interrupted.
"What?! Why?!" Kurogane demanded, looking up from his script furiously.
"I don't believe you," she said calmly. "You're supposed to sound resolute but conflicted and instead you're just coming out sounding constipated."
"I AM NOT!!" he roared.
"Tee hee hee! Kurowanko sounds constipated!" Fai giggled.
"Shut up you!" Kurogane spat.
"Let's do that line again."
"Of course this is what I want," the dark-haired man growled. "I've never wanted anything so badly in my whole life."
"Then…" Fai began, but Kurogane cut him off.
"But I don't want us to enter into this kind of relationship lightly," he continued. "If we're going to do this, I want more than just your body. I want… your heart, too."
"Cut!" Yuuko said again. "Don't pause in the middle of that line, Kurogane. Your words won't match up with the animation otherwise."
"It's such a stupid, sappy line," Kurogane groused, running a hand backwards through his hair. "Can't you change it?"
"No," Yuuko replied bluntly. "It's sweet and romantic and I like it, so it's staying. Now try that last bit again."
"Dammit," Kurogane grumbled.
"I want your heart, too."
"Yukage san…" Fai breathed. "I…"
"You won't do it, is that what you're going to say?" he asked coldly, turning his back on the other man. "Then get out."
"No, no!" Fai said quickly. "That's not what I was going to say at all! I just… I've never had anyone say that to me before…"
"Well, I refuse to be just another one-night stand." He turned back around to face the blond, his eyes somber and determined. "If you do this with me, you're agreeing to stay with me…for good."
"You really mean it, Yukage san?" Fai asked quietly.
"Of course I mean it. I......"
"Cut!" Yuuko shouted. "No trailing off! Do it again!"
"Of course I mean it. I…love…"
"Cut! No pausing! Do it again!"
"Of course I mean it. I love you."
"Cut! Too quiet! Do it again!"
"Of course I mean it. Iloveyou."
"Cut! Too rushed! Again!"
"Of course I mean it. I l-love you."
"Cut! No stuttering! Again!"
"Dammit! I quit!" Kurogane snarled.
"Cut! No quitting! Again!"
"Kurochii sure is having a hard time with such a simple line," Fai remarked with a good-natured smile.
"Well, it would be a simple line, if Kurogane wasn't so emotionally emasculated," Yuuko sighed teasingly.
"I AM NOT, DAMMIT!!" Kurogane raged, balling his hands into fists at his sides.
"No?" she asked doubtfully. "Then what's the problem?"
"It's…" Kurogane paused and looked away, his cheeks blazing. "It's too weird saying this kind of thing to another guy."
"You mean you feel awkward confessing to Fai in front of me," Yuuko chirped.
"WR-WRONG!!" he snapped.
Fai smiled at Kurogane as he and Yuuko argued, staying out of it for once. As unlikely as he knew it was, Fai wished Yuuko's joking suggestion could be right. When he saw Kurogane's reaction, he couldn't help feeling just a little bit hopeful.
"Stupid bitch, keeping us here so late," Kurogane growled as he pulled on his coat. He glanced up at the illuminated clock on the wall of the darkened studio. It was almost midnight.
"Well, maybe if Kuropin would've just said his lines and not made such a fuss we could have finished sooner," Fai pointed out lightly, wrapping his scarf around his slender neck.
"Shut up," he said half-heartedly, too worn out from his humiliating vocal performance to get as worked up as he might have usually. "You're not seriously putting all the blame on me and letting that woman off the hook scot-free. There's no reason why we couldn't have finished it tomorrow."
"Maybe you're right," Fai agreed. He followed Kurogane outside into the freezing January night, still fishing around in his pocket for his gloves.
"Oh, my gloves are gone," he pouted. "I must've forgotten them at home…"
"Stick your hands in your pockets, then, if they're cold," Kurogane suggested gruffly, not looking at him.
"But I only have one pocket and it's on the inside of my coat," Fai said. "Mm, my fingers are already starting to go numb."
"If you're trying to get me to hold your hand, then forget it," the dark-haired man replied shortly. "What if that bitch sees us and thinks we really are a couple?"
"It's pretty dark out, though," Fai noted. "I really don't think anyone would notice."
Kurogane said nothing, so Fai decided to try slipping his hand into his to see if it would be accepted. To his surprise, Kurogane's fingers closed hesitantly around his chilled hand. Fai smiled to himself. Even though his other hand was still unprotected, having Kurogane holding one hand made his whole body feel warm. The two of them walked in companionable silence for a few blocks as they headed towards their apartment complex.
"Hmm… I was thinking about making some pasta when I got home since we didn't get much of a break for supper during the recording," Fai said, breaking the silence at last. "Would you care to join me, Kuropyon?"
Kurogane considered him for a moment. "Fine," he agreed. "I haven't been grocery shopping in a while so it's not like I've got anything better to eat at home."
"Yay!" Fai cheered, hugging the other actor's arm. "Dinner with Kurotan!"
Kurogane rolled his eyes and shook his head in exasperation with the other man for getting so excited over something so trivial, but secretly he couldn't help being just a little flattered. When they arrived at Fai's penthouse apartment, the blond reached into the pocket on the inside of his coat and dug out his key to unlock the door. The two of them paused to remove their shoes and hang up their coats in the entryway before the blond led the way to the kitchen. Kurogane had been there numerous times in the past but he still couldn't help feeling a little awkward about being in Fai's kitchen. Fai began to hum as he dug out the ingredients and set them on the counter.
"You want me to do anything?" Kurogane asked, hoping that being active would help dispel some of the awkwardness he was feeling.
"Ooh, so polite, Kurochan," Fai giggled. "I didn't think you had it in you!"
"Shut up!" he snapped. "If you're just gonna make jokes, I'm going home!"
"Relax, Kurowanta," Fai said soothingly. "I was just having a little fun with you. Let's see, what can you help with… Hmm, how are your dicing skills? You could chop up the coriander."
"Can't you just buy it already ground?" Kurogane asked, frowning.
"Yes, but it tastes so much better when it's fresh," Fai explained. "Here, I'll get you a knife and a cutting board and you can start washing the coriander leaves."
Kurogane went to the sink obediently.
"Finished!" Fai chirped proudly as he set the completed dish on the table. "Hyuu! It smells great!"
"Hn," Kurogane agreed.
"Just a minute; I'll go get some wine to go with it!" Fai skipped off to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of authentic Italian wine and two delicate glasses. He set one glass on the table in front of Kurogane and one in his own spot. Kurogane frowned when he noticed how Fai's place setting had mysteriously moved so much closer to his than where he had put it when he had set the table, but opted not to say anything. Fai seemed to noticed this because he flashed him an appreciative smile as he sat down in his chair. After he had served both of them, the blond picked up his fork.
"Itadakimasu," they said together.
"Mm!" Fai sighed happily after tasting some of their pasta. "It tastes just as good as it smells! I didn't expect Kurorin to be such a good cook!"
"You have to know how to cook if you're gonna live by yourself," Kurogane grunted. Admittedly, though, he was quite surprised at how well the meal had turned out himself. There was another pleasant silence between them as they enjoyed the fruit of their combined efforts.
"Today's recording was pretty tough, wasn't it?" Fai asked, breaking the quiet again. "Yuuko san is a tough director!"
"More like a slave driver," Kurogane grumbled. "I can't believe I was careless enough to let myself get into this mess."
"You've never been in a boys' love anime before, have you, Kurokuro?" Fai grinned.
"Damn right I haven't," he said, his cheeks flushing a little. "What self-respecting man would willingly put himself through this kind of torture?"
"Hmm, but I've done a few of them before," the blond told him.
"Tch. I know," Kurogane sneered, though for some reason, he wouldn't meet Fai's eyes as he said this. "I'd ask you if you had any pride in yourself as a man if it was anyone but you."
"Eh? How did you know I'd done boys' love before?" Fai asked, genuinely surprised.
"I…I just…!" Kurogane stammered, his blush deepening as he realized his careless mistake a little too late. "I could tell by the way you played the part today, that's all!"
"Why are you getting so red?" Fai pursued, curious and amused at the same time. "Don't tell me Kuromyuu's a closet boys' love fan!"
"Of course not, you bastard!" Kurogane snarled. "That's…! I would never…!"
The blond scanned his flustered neighbor with his sharp blue eyes. Somehow, he sensed that Kurogane was telling the truth when he said he wasn't a closet boys' love fan. The source of his embarrassment had to be something else, then. Before Fai could venture anymore guesses, Kurogane polished of the last of his wine and pasta and hurriedly gathered his dishes for washing. Fai smirked to himself as he watched Kurogane disappear into the kitchen and turn on the water as he rinsed his plate. He finished off the last of his own pasta and joined him at the sink.
"Would you like to watch some anime before you go back you your apartment, Kuropipi?" Fai asked pleasantly, acting as if he had completely forgotten their previous conversation.
Kurogane snorted. "Your collection is probably full of a bunch of shoujo and that boys' love crap."
"I think you'd be surprised, Kuromin," Fai grinned. "I've got a few series that I think you might find interesting."
Kurogane clicked his tongue doubtfully but he couldn't help being just a little curious now. "Let's see it, then."
The smaller man led him into the living room and opened the tall side cabinet on his wooden entertainment center. Kurogane's jaw dropped when he saw the sheer size of his collection. There had to be nearly a hundred DVDs tucked away in there! Sure, it wasn't as big as his own collection, but he had never known that Fai was such an anime fanatic. He supposed he ought to have guessed, what with Fai being such a huge name in voice acting and all.
"Impressed, Kurorinta?" Fai asked pleasantly.
"Hmph," Kurogane grunted, frowning as he leaned in to study the actual titles on the DVDs. His frown deepened as he progressed. He not only knew every one of the titles…
"…These are all ones I've done voices for," the dark-haired man realized. Fai owned every single series Kurogane had ever acted in, even the really obscure ones and ones where he had only had bit parts. "And these…" His scarlet eyes rested on a collection of about twenty or so DVDs that had been set apart in a special place of honor. "These are all the ones we worked on together."
"You noticed, huh?" Fai said softly. He laced his fingers with Kurogane's. "It's true… I've been following your career pretty closely the whole time."
Kurogane looked away in silence, his cheeks starting to burn again.
"It wasn't cheap," Fai admitted. "Kuropyun's such a popular actor who's acted in so many series…It was worth every yen, though." The blond looked over at him curiously when Kurogane didn't say anything. "Is something wrong, Kurowanko?"
"…I did the same thing," he mumbled.
"Hmm?" Fai said, puzzled.
"…I've got all your DVDs, too. Every damn one."
Fai stared at him in shock, his eyes wide. "Really? …But why?"
"Why do you think, moron?" Kurogane growled, staring determinedly at the floor. "Same reason I couldn't say that stupid line in front of that witch today. Same reason I didn't try harder to get out of my contract for this damn series when I found out you were the other lead. Same reason I agreed to eat with you just now, why I have such a hard time looking you in the eye, why I'm letting you do this," he said, squeezing Fai's hand in his lightly.
"Kurochuu…" Fai breathed. "You mean, you…"
"…Yeah…" Kurogane turned his head abruptly, and in one smooth movement, lifted Fai's chin and pressed their lips together. The blond drew a shuddering breath against Kurogane's mouth, freeing his hand from the other man's so that he could wrap his trembling arms around Kurogane's shoulders. Kurogane pulled the two of them backwards, heading blindly for the couch and letting Fai push him down onto it as he deepened the kiss. They were so wrapped up in each other that they could scarcely bring themselves to make brief, minute separations for the sake of breathing. Fai didn't pull away from the dark-haired man until his mouth was too tired to continue any longer.
"…Yeah…" Kurogane repeated breathlessly, stroking Fai's golden hair. "I love you. Moron."
A/N: Ah… was that ok? The request was "Kurogane and Fai as BL seiyuus (Boys Love vocal actor)." I hope this satisfied you, vanion, and all you other readers, too, of course. And to Roxie Archer, the other reviewer who made a request, don't worry; I haven't forgotten about you. I'm just having a ridiculously hard time figuring out what to do with Fai's back story. Roxie Archer's request was as follows: "I like elves. So could you write an AU where Fai is an elf, please. A place where different races and cultures clash, where Fai finds himself in Kurogane's world of humans who don't always accept other races. For Kurogane, it's a bit of a culture shock; Fai has his own ways and mannerisms and a past he won't talk about but Fai gets to him, as Fai always does, and before long he is important to Kurogane. How, exactly, Fai and Kurogane cross paths I leave up to you. But please something with a happy ending and a little drama." Being the nerd/perfectionist/loser I am, I've spent literally hours and hours wading through Nordic, Swedish, Germanic and Russian folklore, researching how elves are traditionally portrayed… Anyway, just know that I haven't given up and that I'm working hard on it. See ya'll later!