Kurogane used to be a fast sleeper, one that slept trough the night without being disturbed by sounds, dreams or problem that needed to be solved. He had always seen himself as a rational person who didn't waste a chance to rest with fruitless ranting. But as the shrill noise of the cell phone's alarm clock awoken him this particular morning, he had to admit that he didn't felt rested at all.
He had somewhat expected to hear the sounds of the door opening and light steps disappearing down the stairs, but it seemed like his guest had been sincere at least when it came to his plans on staying in Kurogane's apartment. Finally he had fell to sleep but his dreams had been haunted by visions of blood and endless corridors where all the rooms were small and dim and in which he could see a thin shape hidden in the corner.
Cursing lightly he turned off the alarm, subconsciously wondering if there wasn't any more pleasant sounds to chose from. At least the sharp, rasping tune ought to have wakened Fay up as well. However, he discovered as he had dressed himself and went out of his bedroom and into the kitchen, that it hadn't been needed.
The room was filled with a most delicious smell of honey and fresh waffles, coffee and toasted bread. It was also irreproachably clean and all the dirty dishes seemed to have moved on from the sink and into the cupboards. Fay looked up from the other side of the room as he entered.
"Good morning, Kuro-sama," he greeted him with a smile, "I made some waffles for breakfast, I didn't find any fresh cream, but I did what I could with what I could find. At least if it didn't look like it would eat me first…"
The old clothes he had found among Kurogane's spares were way too big, stonewashed jeans and black t-shirt which made him look almost sickly skeletal.
"I seldom have the time to go shopping. When did you get up?" Cleaning the kitchen up must have taken it's time.
"Ah," Fay turned his attention back to the waffle iron again, "I have been up since one and a half hour. I didn't sleep very well, even thought the room was very nice…"
Kurogane was rather disturbed by the idea of having the other man walking around in the apartment without waking up; apparently he had been quite tired as he finally fell to sleep. And apparently; Fay was good at moving himself soundlessly.
However, he had to admit that the breakfast was pretty much delicious. At least this unreliable stranger seemed to have been sincere when he said he could cook.
He swallowed his share in an instant, which seemed to amuse Fay, and than he stood abruptly.
"Don't care about the washing right now, we can take care of that later… Just get yourself ready and we will go shopping." His teeth were clenched as if he prepared for the biggest trial of his life.
"Whatever you say, Kuro-sama," Fay looked down on his plate, his features once more those of a porcelain doll, haunted eyes and ethereal smile. It gave Kurogane the creeps, really, something that no horror movie ever had succeeded in.
"Fine, then we'll leave in ten minutes," Kurogane left the room, cursing both himself for being so disabled by the blondes acting, Fay for being such an unusually complicated bastard even for a psychotic murderer and Yuuko for being the sly witch she was.
Cursing or not, twenty minutes later he still found himself parking his car outside the mall with the thin blond on the passenger seat. It was quite early on a regular Thursday morning and the parking space was as good as empty. Fay slid out from the car and took some steps forward as if testing new ground, his caution once more making Kurogane wonder what kind of threat he was under. Criminals were supposed to flee from those who tried to prove their guilt but instead Fay almost seemed to seek protection from him. Whatever it was that the man feared; it was worse than being judged for murder in a country supporting capital punishments.
"It's such a huge place," Fay cut his thoughts off with a voice full of wonder as he looked at the shopping centre.
"You haven't been here before?" Maybe that shouldn't surprise him; after all, nothing seemed to be "normal" or "regular" about Fay.
"No, I haven't been here in this town for long," Fay smiled at him over his shoulder as they went for the entrance, "Kuro-chan will have to show my around…"
Kurogane answered with some sort of neutral reply; it wasn't very likely that more detailed questions about how, when and why Fay had come here should give him any more useful facts. It would only bring the blue eyed man to retire into his shell in an instant.
"There is a shop selling clothes quite cheap on the second floor, I think, and the food store is on the first floor. I don't go here very often either."
"Judging from the content of your fridge…"
Kurogane shrugged.
"I'll trust you with the food purchase then."
"I feel honoured," Fay looked himself around in the almost empty foyer, the shops were only just opening for the day before showing Kurogane one of his best doll smiles, "let's go then, I know Kuro-sama wants to get this over with."
Well, the black haired man though as he followed the other up the escalator, Fay was watching him too, right? A hell of a strange game.
Finding clothes for the lean man was a trying experience. Everything was either too big or too short. He wasn't very tall, but still a grown man and he couldn't weight much more than a fifteen years old kid. Apparently, the days in the cellars weren't the only time Fay had been suffering from starvation. Kurogane suddenly found himself wondering how thin the blonde actually was as he saw the form of his bony shoulders underneath the bright blue cardigan he was currently trying out.
Fay looked back at him with an ironic smirk that was actually much better than the bright doll smile.
"Do you think this one is okay, Kuro-chan, or are you just checking me out?"
Kurogane snorted.
"Like hell I am, don't flatter yourself. But it looks okay, it's probably meant for fourteen years old girls."
"Kuro-sama is being mean, it's not my fault I'm not as muscular as him." Fay gave him a small pile of clothes, "it will be enough then, I'll be back in a moment."
Enough clothes for at least some months, Kurogane thought as he took the pile and started off towards the counter, hoping that would be enough.
It was in the same moment as they stepped out of the shop that Kurogane was halted instantly by a cheerful voice behind him.
"Kurogane-san, Kurogane-san!"
Fay looked curious against the source of the call.
"My, my, to think that you know such cute girls, Kuro-sama…"
"Shut the hell up will you," Kurogane glared at him before turning against the short, dark haired girl approaching them, "good morning, Tomoyo-san."
"So formal," Tomoyo smiled brightly, a pleasant variety after having to see that stupid doll face all morning, "and I must say I didn't expect to meet you here this time of the day, Kurogane-san. Please introduce me to your friend!"
She gave Fay a curious smile.
"He's not really a friend," Kurogane said gruffly, "he's… A part of my job, I guess. His name is Fay."
"Hello, Fay-san, nice to meet you," Tomoyo offered him her hand and Fay answered the greeting happily.
"Pleasure is all mine, Tomoyo-san," he said with a smile so perfect and hastily put on that Kurogane wondered why Tomoyo didn't seem to react at the falseness of it, "it's nice to be introduced to such a beautiful young lady after having spent all morning with this grumpy policeman here."
Tomoyo giggled.
"Oh, I think I can understand that. I was Kurogane's employer some years ago."
"Ah," Fay looked over at him with one eyebrow raised, "I see…"
"It was such a long time since I saw you last, Kurogane-san," Tomoyo said as she turned the attention back to him, "I expect that you at least let me invite you for lunch this time, Fay-san too, of course."
It was absolutely not a good idea to go on a lunch meeting with someone for whom you have been working as a body guard together with a suspected murderer. But he knew since before that persuading Tomoyo about that would be impossible, and therefore, he accepted.
As they met for lunch about half an hour later at the Italian restaurant on second floor, Kurogane was carrying a huge amount of plastic bags with what Fay meant was absolutely needed in a kitchen and which the black haired man had only agreed in buying because he was honestly curious about Fay's cooking skills.
Even if he was quite hungry by now, Kurogane didn't really concentrate on the spaghetti carbonara as they had gotten their food, but on every sentence that left his pale lodger's lips. The man was chatting with Tomoyo in what sounded like a relaxed way, but everything he said regarding himself was shallow and unimportant.
"So," Tomoyo said, putting down her fork for a moment to pick up her glass, "do you work for the police as well, Fay-san?"
"Oh, no," Fay smiled avoiding, "I don't really have a job right now, I guess…"
"Really!" Tomoyo sounded way too enthusiastic in Kurogane's opinion, "would you be interested in one then? You see, my secretary cancelled yesterday and I need a stand-in while I look for a new one…"
Fay looked over at Kurogane with doubt in his ice blue eyes.
"I don't know, Tomoyo-san," he said carefully, "I don't think I would be the right person…"
"Nonsense, I think you would suit perfect," the dark haired girl stated.
Not quite wanting to believe this unfortunate turn of events Kurogane stood.
"Could I have a word with you, Tomoyo-san," he said.
He bought the girl to the more quite corner of the restaurant. The shopping centre had become more active now at lunch time and there wasn't too easy to find a spot where you could talk without being over-heard by at least twenty other people. When they had come as far away from the crowd as possible, Kurogane eyed his former boss with a grim expression.
"You will take that offering back at once, that man is suspected for murder, I won't let you have him in your service."
"Really," Tomoyo glanced over at Fay, "he don't seem like a bad person. If he's suspected, why is he here with you?"
"There weren't evidences enough," Kurogane admitted, "and I didn't want to let go of the case."
"Then it's even more perfect," Tomoyo said definite, "you won't be able to look after him all the time, will you? You still have a work to do. I won't be in any danger at all, not at the office, there are a lot of people around all the time. I can keep him there all days and you can pick him up at your way home."
"It's too dangerous! Tomoyo-san, you didn't see that crime scene!"
"As I said," the girl said haughtily, "there won't be anything to worry about, Kurogane-san. You are not my body guard any longer and therefore you don't have anything to say about the risks I chose to take. If Fay-san agrees with being my secretary, I'll give him they job."
Kurogane could only look as Tomoyo went back to the table, all resoluteness. Evidently his ill-fate knew no bounds this time…