Yes, that's right, I'm finally back from Japan! I'm ultra-happy because I got the Tsubasa: RC sheet music book. Strange games sounds a little weird on piano but all the other songs are gorgeous.

Anyway, back to business. To all those who asked me my opinion on the KxT pairing, I admit that I like to have fun playing around with the pairings (a bit like a mad scientist) but KuroxFai is of course my OTP for Tsubasa:RC andI do believe that Tomoyo and Kurogane have more of a brother-sister relationship. In other news, I agree that the last section wa a little out of place. Even though I'm no longera newbie I'm still making such mistakes. Thanks to those who have helped me try to better my work.

Wow, that was long. Now for the actual story.

Section 10 - Cheering up your love

A good sign of whether you and your target of affection are meant for each other is how quickly you can cheer up said target. The next time your target of affection is feeling blue, time how quickly you can get him/her to smile/laugh/punch you in the face.

XX

It had started with a simple question.

"What's it like to die?"

Kurogane propped himself unto his elbows. He had been relatively enjoying one of the rare peaceful moments between himself and Fai, choosing to relax on his futon whilst acidic rain poured outside when the wizard had popped a rather unusual question.

"What?"

"I said - "

"I heard you!" Kurogane snapped, glaring at Fai for interrupting his quiet daydreams. Nowadays, moments when they were not or could not search for the feather were few and far between. He wanted to enjoy every moment of his free time, not that there was anything particularly free about being cooped inside a safe house whilst the rain ate at everything outside.

Fai, who had been staring wistfully outside at the grey clouds did not return his gaze. "So what do you think it's like, Kuro-pon?" he asked absently. "That time in Outo doesn't count."

"A lot better than being with you," his reply was automatic and defensive. He thought that perhaps Fai was attempting to tease him again.

If Fai was hurt by the comment he did not show it but only seemed vaguely intrigued. "Oh? If it's so good then why don't you kill yourself?"

"I said that it would be better then being here with you, I didn't say that it would be any good," Kurogane scowled at Fai's back. "Besides, I detest people who give up while there's still hope and just throw away their lives."

Fai made a 'hmm' noise that sounded amused. It mildly annoyed the ninja that Fai had broken the peace for such a pointless question and that the wizard was having a conversation with him just because he was bored. "So what do you think it's like to die?" Fai persisted.

"I don't know! Why are you asking me this?" Kurogane's glare intensified, pushing himself into a sitting position. Since the wizard was probably going to drag out their 'conversation' he might as well be comfortable.

"Just curious," Fai smiled. He was all too aware of how riled up Kurogane was and was probably loving every minute of it.

"You have one morbid curiosity then."

It was only then that Fai chose to face him. "I've had dreams where I'm dying," he spoke casually but his expression was not as mindlessly happy as it usually was. "I feel my life slipping away but I always wake up before I actually die. I wonder what happens after."

"Nothing. There's nothing after death, that's why you have to enjoy life while you can," Kurogane replied, though he was merely guessing.

"That's true. Kuro-chi sure is wise," Fai put his hands behind his head, stretching backwards he slid off of the stool like a snake. With his legs still propped atop the stool, he stared blankly at the ceiling, which now had his attention as much as the rain had had. "Life's so bothersome though."

Kurogane frowned. He hated talking about unnecessary things. "That's because you're an idiot."

Fai smiled and said with the infuriating tone of an adult trying to teach a child; "Kuro-wan, you can't keep using my idiocy as an excuse for everything."

"It doesn't change the fact that you're an idiot."

Accepting that he was indeed an idiot, Fai waved off the insult. He was already used to it. "Back home…in Celes…there were really long flights of stairs that spiralled upwards into the clouds," he spoke with the same nostalgia that overcame all those looking back on their lives. It made Kurogane wonder what kind of place Celes was that Fai would want to avoid it and yet spoke so tenderly about it.

Fai noticed Kurogane's inquisitive glance and turned to him with a smile. "I wondered what it would be like to fall from them. I suppose that not even the hardest of people could survive such a fall."

"Were you planning to throw someone off of there?"

"Maybe," Fai grinned as Kurogane's expression darkened. "Don't you think that it'd feel great? It'd be like flying!"

There was not much that Kurogane hated more than talk of death. When you die, you die and that was all there was to it. It was weak to wonder when or how it would happen and equally weak to spend life running away or towards death. Death would come naturally and when it did it should be accepted, he believed.

Something about their conversation annoyed him and the fact that it was Fai talking about such morbid things pissed him off even more.

"There's nothing great about dying!" Kurogane snapped, jabbing a finger viciously in Fai's direction. "It's all very well to dream about it, you can just wake up if you don't like it anymore, but the thing about dying for real is that once it's over you have to stay dead and that's all you do for all eternity, you remain dead!"

"You have a point, Kuro-rin, but - "

"You can kill yourself if you want to," he raged on, not giving the wizard a chance to talk, "but don't you think that that's a little selfish? Without you, the kid would have a harder time looking for the feathers, the princess would probably cry and that damn white manjuu wouldn't have someone to join him in his daily rounds of 'let's call Kurogane girly names and laugh at his valiant but futile attempts to commit homicide!'"

Fai smiled at the ceiling. "And you?" he asked. "What would you do if I was gone?"

"I…" Kurogane began but stopped there. What would he do? His immediate answer would be to celebrate but that would not have been being truthful. He tried to imagine Fai dead but found that he could not bring himself to conjure up the image. "I…would be pissed off at you because you remained an idiot 'til the last."

"And?" Fai wriggled towards his futon.

"And nothing!" Kurogane backed away, resenting the fact that Fai had no concept of personal space.

"And, Kuro-pii?" Fai brought his face closer.

Kurogane sighed, giving in to Fai's persistence. "Also, I would be upset that you would do such a thing without asking me for help."

"To help me commit suicide?"

"To help you solve your problems!" he snapped. "I'm not a total bastard, y'know?"

"Well, that's very nice, Kuro-chin," Fai smiled.

At first Kurogane thought that Fai would leave it at a simple smile. The mage began to withdraw with the indications that he was going to return to his seat until he suddenly lunged himself at Kurogane, wrapping his arms around the ninja in a great hug.

"I knew that you were soft and sweet on the inside!" he delightfully squealed whilst Kurogane was struggling to unsheathe his sword.

Fortunately, it was Fai who finally decided to relinquish his grip, allowing the ninja to breathe once again. The mage stood up, idly grinning, and softly padded towards the door.

Kurogane rested his hand on the hilt of his sword just in case it was another trick to bring his defences down and warily asked; "Where are you going now?"

"The kitchen. I'm hungry. Coming, Kuro-puu?"

"Being around you too long is bad for my mental health," he sighed, deflated and ready for some serious sleeping.

Fai nodded. Just as he reached the handle he stopped and turned around suddenly remembering something quite important. "Oh, by the way, Kuro-wan-wan," he said, "what made you assume that I would kill myself?"

Kurogane blinked.

"I was merely asking what it was like to die, I wasn't saying that I was going to kill myself," Fai smiled as Kurogane tried to recall exactly how their conversation had gone. "No, teasing my Kuro-chan is too fun for me to give up. So what made you assume that I would kill myself?" he asked.

Kurogane stopped, scowled, and realised that the noise coming from the mage's mouth actually made sense and what was more, that the blond was actually right.

"It's because you're an idiot," he muttered.

It's countdown time! Only one or two more sections to go! I hope that this latest section came off as cute and simple rather than boring and pointless. Thanks again to all those who reviewed.