Sorry I abandoned this, guys … School started again. Bleh. But … you get a big update. So… yay!

Chapter Four: The Awakening

The cool breeze washed over his face. In a way, it was a relief. And yet, in another way, Kurogane felt even more flustered than he had before the confrontation with the mage. They had had many a conversation, and Kurogane had spent time thinking about them, but never before had they frustrated him this much.

It was something about the way that that stupid Vampire looked at him … something in that smile that suddenly seemed to be more of a sneer. That laugh that seemed to mock him… And that eye. The way that that eye stared at him filled Kurogane with something unexplainable. It was something that made him want to hide and never see Fai's flawless face again, but at the same time, for the first time in Kurogane's life, it made him feel vulnerable.

And this wasn't something that he enjoyed.

Over and over again, he told himself that he only felt weird because it was his fault. It was all his fault that Fai hated him, and now there was nothing he could do about it. Obviously, that conversation between the two hadn't helped much of anything, and Kurogane knew that.

But still, it was the little things that he missed the most.

Those stupid names… he couldn't even remember half of them. The only one that stood out in his memory anymore was Kuro-paipai. Maybe it had been starting to grow on him…

He missed those days when everything was how it was supposed to be. The princess was cheerful, the kid was determined and caring, the pork-bun was annoying as hell, and Fai … was Fai. Or was he?

The ninja didn't even know anymore. He had thought that the mage was acting like himself from the start, but after only a few days it was evident that a sort of pained longing was hidden away in his heart. That much was obvious just from the fake smiles and forced happiness. Nobody could be that happy all the time.

Noises from inside of the building brought him back to reality, as the kid and the princess returned with the medicine. With a sigh, Kurogane turned and allowed himself to return to his room, but he didn't dare to even glance into the room that held the Vampire. It wasn't something he wanted to see.

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Nightfall wasn't something that he particularly looked forward to. Yet again, Kurogane would have to watch as Sakura slid the door closed, and they were together, alone, in a room. It wasn't that he thought Fai loved her … and he couldn't have been jealous.

No, of course not. A ninja wasn't supposed to be jealous… Kuro couldn't be. Right?

Something inside of him told him that he was wrong, but for the time being, he chose to ignore it. He rolled over instead, facing the moon and staring outside through the large window in his room. The moon was the only thing shining, and it seemed to illuminate everything around it …. Just like Fai used to.

Fai…

Kurogane couldn't hold it in any longer. He was worried about Fai. He was worried and scared and confused and upset, and then confused again because he had never felt so many conflicting emotions inside of himself at one point in time.

He was sitting up now, the slight rustling of his clothing seeming to echo throughout the room that had been so silent just moments before. He didn't know what he was planning on doing … maybe he wasn't exactly planning on doing anything. But he couldn't stop himself now.

He stood, walked slowly to the door and slid it open silently, looking around before stepping out into the hall. Moving then into the kitchen, he thought he saw something, and almost dismissed it. His eyes were tricking him, that was it.

No, they weren't. Fai was up, and he was standing by the window, staring up at the moon just as Kurogane had been in his own room only minutes earlier. Normally, the former mage would have reacted instantly and given Kurogane that cold look, but now, he did nothing. He simply stood, and stared.

Before he knew what was happening, the ninja's voice was ringing out. Loud, but not loud enough to rouse their other companions. Firm, but lacking the usual harsh quality.

"Fai."

This grabbed the blonde's attention, and he seemed to jump only slightly before turning to face the ninja.

Kurogane could tell immediately that something was wrong. Fai's fake smiles, forced cheerfulness and generally happy-go-lucky attitude just wasn't cutting it anymore. No matter how much the vampire masked his true state, the ninja saw through every little thing. They knew one another far too well, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

The weird thing was, this time, Fai didn't try to hide it.

"Kurogane…"

The ninja found his own name being tossed at him, though the sound wasn't cold or sarcastic as it had been before. It wasn't bitter, it wasn't angry. It sounded generally helpless, and somewhat afraid. He didn't remember ever seeing Fai like this, and as he took a brief trip through his memory, he found that he had never been like this before.

Something really was wrong.

"What happened?"

It was strange, the fact that the two of them were suddenly talking as though there was nothing between them. For a short moment in time, it almost seemed like the argument between them hadn't even happened. Almost.

But Kurogane could still feel a tension, no matter how slight it was.

That is, until Fai stepped forward and didn't something that Kurogane would never even have imagined. It was something that he had a hard time picturing even the old Fai doing, let alone the newly transformed blonde and the current state of their relationship.

The ninja felt the blonde's arms go around him, felt him being pulled close and felt Fai take refuge in his muscular form. The smaller man gripped at Kurogane's clothing tightly, crushing his face into his chest.

There was only the slightest moment of hesitation before Kurogane's arms moved, awkwardly at first, and soon enough he had enveloped the vampire's tiny form and was holding him as he trembled.

Something bad had happened. Something that had scared Fai, terrified him. Something had effected him enough to make him do this, so it was obviously serious.

"Fai…" Kurogane's voice was still soft, softer than it had ever been. He didn't even know that he was capable of speaking so softly.

"Ashura-ou…." The ninja stiffened at the words, and he felt his heart skip a beat. Something else he thought that he wasn't even capable of. Why did that name awaken such a rage inside of him?

But it was about to get worse.

The words came out of Fai's mouth, shaking ever so slightly, and it seemed that the blonde had to force them out.

"Ashura-ou … has awakened."

Tee-hee! Read and review, please! Thank you!