Chapter 11
(A.N: This is my explanation behind the question F. Jane asked in her review for chapter ten: I use the term, male instead of boy, or man, because when I think of the word boy, I usually picture a little kid. When I hear the word man, I usually picture a guy who is in his thirties…OR I'll picture this big, buff, muscular guy…Please don't ask me why…I'm still trying to figure that out for myself. But I can change the image once I read the description of the character…However, I don't like applying either of the above terms to Fai or Kurogane…-Shrug- And when I think of the word male, I can picture every age group of the male population. So I guess, in short…It's just easier for my pathetically small brain? -Shot- Anyways! TT means scene changes or time passing…'This means thoughts.' And sorry it took so long…R&R?)
TT
Days had turned into weeks. Fai and Kurogane still lived in separate apartments, but they were closer than ever. So close, in fact, that the blonde practically lived with his boyfriend. But they didn't share an apartment…Fai still left every night - minus the weekends - to sleep at home.
A certain brunette haired male was feeling kind of down. He didn't mind if Kurogane had a boyfriend. He knew that everyone was unique, and that you really couldn't judge someone just because they loved. But, at the same time…He hated not hanging out with the raven. They'd been best friends for so long, and now, it felt like he wasn't important anymore. He didn't let on, of course, because he didn't want to bother his friend who was so clearly doing better.
And chaos had broken out the minute Kurogane showed up at school…Holding Fai's hand.
Ryuuoh had started off by asking what the hell the raven thought he was doing. When he wasn't met with a satisfactory answer, he set himself on making Fai's life a living hell. Calling him a fag in the hallways, grabbing the tip of the blondes books as he passed by, and flipping them so that they would land on the floor. He'd even slammed him into the lockers a few times…Which stopped after Kurogane noticed the bruises…Ryuuoh learned to stay away from Fai when Kurogane was around…
He wasn't keen on having his face rearranged.
He himself hadn't really been speaking to the rowdy male. He was turning hostile…And it was rather unnecessary.
"Hey, kid." The voice was so familiar that it caused him to immediately snapped out of his reverie and look up.
It was Kurogane.
"Hey."
"You okay?"
He answered with a nod.
"Look…I know I haven't been around much…But…Fai is busy tonight. Sakura is kidnapping him. So I was going to see if you were busy…"
"I'm not busy," he answered simply. This was what he'd been waiting for…A chance to hang out with his friend.
TT
"Sakura-chan, where are we going?" Fai looked around himself at all of the buildings that passed them by as they continued down the street. Sakura sighed,
"Well I know you've been busy with living on another planet and all, so I guess you wouldn't be aware of it…But here, on Earth, it's October. And Halloween is in two weeks."
"…"
"…And I need a costume…Badly…"
"You're going to dress up?" He hadn't known about this.
"Of course I am! I'm not too old to have fun! Watanuki, Doumeki and I were even going to go trick-or-treating, just for the hell of it." She grinned as she thought about this.
"What are they going as?" Fai was really out of things these days. He needed to get more of a social life…
"Well, Doumeki was going to go as a ghost…But he felt bad when Watanuki got anxious, so he apologized and decided to go as Frankenstein instead."
"Why do ghosts bother Watanuki?"
"Well…He's kind of got the sixth sense…He's spiritually inclined, you know?" The blonde nodded in reply, and Sakura continued,
"So Doumeki's going as Frankenstein…And Watanuki is going as a ghost buster."
The blonde burst into a fit of giggles upon hearing the words. Sakura joined him,
"It is kind of ironic."
"What were you going to go as?" Fai wondered aloud, looking down to his female companion. She looked as though she were giving it some thought, but she didn't seem to have an answer.
TT
"No. Just…Put that one back," he shook his head from side to side. This had been going on for the past twenty minutes. Sakura took five dresses in with her at a time, came out, twirled for Fai, and he kept saying they didn't look right. She knew they didn't look bad on her. Fai was just as much of a critic as she was - which was exactly why she brought him along.
"You go look for something this time," she announced, heading back into the changing room. The blonde got up from his post, and wandered around the store. He dug through the depths of dresses - looking for the right costume - when he found it.
A white two piece. The top half cut off about midway down the stomach. There was a line running along near the bottom of it too. And purple sectioning at the top, with a nice blue gem fastened up in the front. The bottoms started off with a purple and golden band at the top, and then fell into a vast white stretch of dress. There was a sash-type piece in the front, and on it - and along the dresses bottom, there was purple sectioning. A bag came with this outfit, containing a golden band necklace, and a pair of white shoes.
Fai didn't hesitate any longer as he picked it up, and dashed for the changing rooms.
"Sakura-chan!"
"Find something?" She stuck her head out of the door.
"Possibly. Put this on, and come out when you're done." He thrust the dress at her. She sighed, and closed the door.
When she walked out, she did the usual twirl for the blonde. Fai stared,
"Sakura-chan…You look…Amazing…"
TT
"So what is it like, anyways?" She questioned. They were each holding a bag full of purchases from various stores, as they wandered down the street.
"What is what like, Sakura-chan?" He didn't understand the question, which had erupted out of nowhere. Their last topic had been where they wanted to go next, so her question hadn't really had a stem…
"Living with him."
"…I don't." He wasn't lying. Kurogane and Fai simply didn't live together.
"You don't?" Emerald eyes showed confusion now. She apparently had assumed that they did, because they were always together.
"No. I don't. And it's probably for the better…I mean, no one is supposed to get close to me romantically anyways…Remember? It's bad enough that I allow myself to feel the way I do about him…Allow myself to love him like this…But…"
"Fai," she stopped walking, and waited for him to do the same. He did.
"You're human. I know your past was…Well…It was awful…More terrible than words can describe…But you're still human. You have to learn how to trust people again…You need to be able to rely on Kurogane…Even if it's just a little bit."
"…" He was staring at her, and he wasn't speaking. She knew what he was thinking,
"Yeah, I said it, okay?" She started walking again, and the blonde followed her - grinning.
TT
"Listen Jiro…I wanted to ask something." He was standing before the landlord of the apartment complex. He felt kind of bad for having to approach him…He knew he made the male nervous.
"Kurogane…Is something wrong?" He already felt himself trembling a little. He didn't like talking to the raven haired male before him…He was always scowling…And he'd seen him knock down part of a wall with his fist before…
"Well…Not exactly." He wondered how he should word this…
"Oh. Then…?" He was trying not to set him off. He didn't know what kind of mood he was in.
"My lease is up in May…And…I wondered if I would be able to change it…Not right now, because I don't know if I should or not yet…But…If I need to, would I be able to?"
"…As long as you don't mind signing paperwork…And as long as you let me know at least two weeks before you'd like to go…"
"Alright. Thanks." With that, he walked off.
Jiro sighed. He was getting to old for this.
TT
"I'll see you tomorrow Sakura-chan!"
"See you at school!" She called, before closing the door.
And then he was alone.
'She actually wants me to rely on him…That's so strange…' He thought to himself in silence, before he continued down the street. It was weird, walking alone. Sakura's absence made his trek home seem long, and endless. But soon enough, he'd lost himself in his thoughts.
He wanted to be with Kurogane, more than anything…Well, he was, in a way. They were dating, after all. But still…He went home every night, and hated waking up every morning. He wasn't complete on his own. He needed the raven, and his friends…
Because when he was alone, he had nightmares.
But did he even deserve the life he was living? He had so much freedom, and spent most of his time with Kurogane. Teasing him, laughing with him…Loving him. And then he had three best friends; Sakura, Watanuki and Doumeki.
But did he deserve it?
Of course he did…Didn't he? He had a terminal illness, suffered child abuse, had been bullied, received scars from being burned, as well as from cutting, nearly killed himself drinking - on three separate occasions…
But he had let his brother die alone.
He stopped walking.
His brother had died alone. They shared an illness, but they did not share death. And he didn't know why. They had promised to be together, always…And he had broken his promise by staying alive.
"Isn't that him?" A voice somewhere in the background, but he didn't pay it any mind.
He was too busy with his thoughts to notice anyone, so he went back to walking.
"Yeah, that's him…I'd know him anywhere."
Probably just some guys from school, making fun of the faggot, again. No surprise there.
"Flourite?"
'Play it off, and don't let them bother you,' he thought in his silence as he stopped walking, and turned to face the voices.
His eyes went wide.
He hadn't realized that he could still fear someone, after not seeing them for so many years. But he could; and he did. He clutched the handle of his shopping bag tightly and backed up a step.
"I think he remembers us, Aoi," the taller of the two spoke, and the voice sent chills up and down Fai's spine.
Hands clutching him. A knee to his stomach. His clothes torn away…
He could feel his scars as though they were on fire once more. These two were too familiar. Too close, and too familiar.
"We shouldn't be out here, Mikail…You know what the court said…" The shorter one was trying to be logical. He didn't want to get in trouble again.
"Oh I'm just saying hello," Mikail smirked,
"It's been a while…Hasn't it, Yu--"
"--DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Fai hollered, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. He didn't want to hear that name. No. No, that person was dead. He'd died alongside his twin four years ago…
Mikail ran a hand through his reddish-brown hair and his smirk deepened. He set his green eyes on Fai,
"But it's your name."
"…No…" He didn't want to be called that name. He had abandoned it four years ago…Along with his soul…He'd buried it with brother's coffin.
"Mikail…" Aoi spoke again, setting his blue eyes on the male. He shook his head of light, brunette hair and sighed,
"We're not supposed to be near him."
"What will the court do this time? Give us a larger restraining order?" The green eyed male didn't seem to care.
The blonde took the opportunity to open a text to his boyfriend. He dared a glance behind himself to read the street name, before he typed it in. He took his hand out of his pocket once more. Neither boys had noticed.
"And who is going to see us anyways Aoi? No one comes down here."
TT
He read the text for the third time as he picked up his keys. A street name. He knew this one too, it was a five minute walk from where he lived…And only a couple of minutes driving time. Fai wouldn't ask to be picked up from that area…It was a side street the male used as a way to avoid traffic, and people…
Unless…
Understanding made an audible click as realization dawned on him. He grabbed his keys.
TT
He'd dropped his bag already, so that he could at least have his hands, to fend for himself. Aoi wasn't approaching him, but Mikail was…And Mikail was the person Fai feared. Aoi had learned his lesson long ago, and had only been minimally involved in the attacks. He'd called Fai a fag growing up, and on that terrible day, he had been the one to hold him, as Mikail kneed him in the stomach…He also had held his legs down. But Mikail had been the one to truly hurt the blonde.
He had called him a fag on various occasions, shoved him into lockers, hit him when the opportunity was there…And he was the reason Fai had so many scars.
Now he was standing a few feet away from him, and coming closer.
"Flourite, you know…You were always so fun to pick on. Except when your brother was still alive…He was such a pain in the ass. He came after me whenever I hurt you, you know." The male picked up the shopping bag and chucked it to Aoi, who caught it, set it down, and stepped away from it. He didn't want to be involved, and Fai was glad that at least he wouldn't be outnumbered.
"But he died. Painfully and slowly, if I remember correctly," Mikail spoke with a smile.
"…Shut-up Mikail…" The blonde murmured. He clenched his fists. He didn't know what he was feeling more at the moment…His fear, or his anger. Whatever it was, it made his adrenaline pulse through him at rapid speeds.
"Plan on fighting me, do you?" The green eyed male wondered, stepping closer,
"Trying so hard to be like your twin…But you can't be him, you know. He wasn't scared of me at all…But you're trembling." He reached out, trailing his fingers along Fai's cheek. The blonde lashed out, trying to hit the male,
"DON'T TOUCH ME!"
Mikail easily caught his wrist, and hooked his fingers around the other one as well. With his free hand, he grabbed the blonde by his hair,
"Who's going to save you now, Flourite? Who is going to come to your rescue this time? Your dead brother, perhaps?"
"Shut-up!"
Mikail threw the blonde to the ground, before he walked over to him, and landed a good kick in the males side. Fai cried out in pain, curling in on himself. But there was no one to stop his attacker. So he tried not to scream when the kicks hit his arms, and legs…His stomach…
He kept his face shielded from the blows. He didn't want to watch, and he didn't want a broken nose, or a black eye. He could hide the rest of the bruises with his clothing…
"Worthless faggot!" Mikail yelled, sending another kick to one of Fai's arms.
"Mikail! We have to leave!" Aoi called. He didn't want trouble, and he didn't want to get in Mikail's way either…
"Shut-up, Aoi!"
Tires screeched to a halt and someone leapt out of the car. Fai couldn't see who arrived, but he heard Mikail backing away, and someone stepping past him. Mikail was grabbed by his shirt collar, and thrown up against the wall of a nearby building.
"Who the hell do you think you ar--!" He was cut off as the person pulled him forward, before slamming his back against the building again.
"SHUT-UP!"
It was then that Fai knew who had shown up.
"You have some nerve, asking me for my name. You fucking bastard," the male growled, his grip tightening. Aoi picked up Fai's bag and brought it closer to the people before him, put it down, and backed up.
"You." Aoi looked to the dark figure before him.
"Your name, and his. Now."
"…I-I'm Aoi…And his name is--"
"SHUT-UP, AOI!" Mikail yelled, but the dark haired figure before him gripped him tighter, and held him up a little higher.
There was a silence then - minus Mikail's grunts as he struggled to get free.
"…Kuro…Rin…" The voice was hoarse, and as soon as the name was spoken, the blonde coughed, hard. He was tired, and aching.
"Ooi," he spoke to him then, though he didn't take his eyes off of Mikail and Aoi,
"You're alright?"
"…Bruised a bit…" Fai managed to say,
"Leave Aoi…Alone…He didn't…Do anything…It was…Mikail…The one you're…" More coughing. But the raven had heard enough. He looked to Aoi and nodded,
"You heard him. Get the hell out of my sight, before I change my mind."
The brunette didn't waste time in getting out of the way. The raven set his eyes on the green eyed male he was holding up.
"I'll have the cops after you for attacking me!" The male threatened weakly. The raven didn't look bothered, but he landed the male a good punch in the face before addressing him,
"Che. Good luck. You have no idea who you're fucking with right now, kid. You think I don't have enough money to bail myself out of prison? You clearly don't know me. If I really wanted to, I could hire someone to kill you for me…Even if I got caught, I could still bail myself out. So go ahead, call the police. I'm sure they'd love to hear about you attacking him," he inclined his head in Fai's general direction. Mikail was trembling…
"What's wrong? Scared of me? Good. You should be. Because if you ever come near him again, or send someone else after him…You're fucking dead. I'll make sure of it." He paused a moment,
"Do we have an understanding then?"
The green eyed boy nodded. The raven threw Mikail down to the ground,
"Now, get out of my sight."
When the two had disappeared, Kurogane sighed. He unlocked his car doors, and opened up the passenger side. He picked up Fai's shopping bag and put it on the floor, before he picked up the blonde himself. He cradled him carefully against his chest and carried him to the car.
Fai was unconscious, as soon as he knew he was safe.
TT
He was beginning to stir.
He didn't know how long he'd been out, but he was sore all over…
His eyes cracked open slightly, and he blinked, only opening his eyes a little bit again. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, before he turned his head to the left. Couch. He blinked again, and turned his head to the right. Television on low, playing some random sitcom, and a glass coffee table. He lie there, watching it absently, before it finally dawned on him that he wasn't at home.
He shot up, and instantly regretted it. He was sore, and he gripped his head - it was pounding. He hadn't been hit in the face, but the back of his head had been kicked a few times.
"Ooi, you need to take it easy," a deep voice instructed, and a warm hand eased him back into lying down. He stared at the raven before him. He didn't know what to say.
"…You told me you didn't know their names," Kurogane muttered, glaring at Fai.
"…I didn't think I would see them again…Ever…" The raven was moving his hand away, but the blonde reached out and held onto it. He massaged an area on the back of it with his thumb,
"Don't be mad," he murmured, "Please?"
Kurogane sighed in response,
"I'm not mad. Well, not at you." He glared at the coffee table. He was clearly still thinking about Aoi and Mikail…Particularly Mikail.
"You know, I thought you were going to kill him right then and there."
"I was tempted."
Fai eased himself into a sitting position, and intertwined his and his boyfriends fingers. He pressed his forehead against the ravens shoulder and sighed,
"Thank you…For coming to get me…"
"What else would I have done?" Kurogane wondered aloud, giving Fai's hand a small squeeze.
"I don't know…But I had an interesting conversation with Sakura-chan."
"Oh?" That worried him. He knew she wasn't fond of him.
"Mm-hm. She told me to…Rely on you more…That it was okay to do that…"
"…" It was at that moment that he heard a fist on his front door.
"Ohh, my head…" Fai groaned, lying himself back down. Kurogane took the chance to get up so that he could answer the door. He checked the peephole, and pulled the door open.
"Look, a congregation."
"How is he?" Sakura demanded.
"Bruised pretty badly, but he's okay. Keep your voice down, his head is killing him. Jeeze, you rounded up the whole grou--Syaoran?"
"You took off, so I went to go see Sakura…And well…They picked me up along the way…"
TT
He was just letting the four into his house, when another person showed up. Chi had come running down the hall, and he let her in without question.
Kurogane got Doumeki to help him move the coffee table back, so that people could sit by Fai. Sakura crouched before him, with Chi next to her. Syaoran stayed back a bit, by the coffee table. Doumeki and Watanuki stood behind the couch, and the smaller of the two leaned against the back of it. Kurogane wandered into his kitchen, to get drinks for the others. He grabbed sodas for Syaoran, Watanuki, Doumeki, and Sakura. And for Fai and his sister, he was heating water for their tea.
The blonde started stirring as soon as he heard the kettle going off.
"See? He can ignore us, but as soon as a kettle goes off…" Chi's voice reached Fai's ears, and his eyes cracked open. He hadn't realized that he'd fallen back asleep.
"Fai, you're awake…" Sakura's voice greeted him next, and he was suddenly aware of her presence.
"…Hi…" He managed to croak out. He looked to his left, and found Watanuki and Doumeki. He smiled,
"Surrounded by friends, and my sister."
"How are you, Fai-san?" Watanuki questioned.
"I've been better, but I'm okay," he looked past Sakura and found that Syaoran was sitting not too far away, looking a little out of place,
"That you, Syaoran-kun?"
The brunette looked up, and gave the blonde a smile and a nod.
"Hyuu…Everyone is here…But where's…?"
"I'm right here," Kurogane spoke up, stepping into the room. He put the tray of drinks on the table, and picked up Chi's and Fai's. He handed Chi her drink, and set Fai's on the side table. He picked up his cup of coffee, and watched over his boyfriend.
"Hmm, now I really do have everyone here," Fai murmured, easing himself into a sitting position. Kurogane didn't waste any time in sitting next to him. Fai leaned against him.
TT
When the group had finally gone home for the night, Fai sat on the couch, not looking at anything in particular. Kurogane positioned himself behind the male, and pulled him close, resting his chin - gently - on the blondes shoulder. Fai sighed,
"I'm sorry for causing trouble."
"I'm not mad at you…Okay, a little bit, but only because you lied about not knowing their names."
"I didn't want you to go looking for a fight," Fai argued gently. Kurogane sighed in response, and held his boyfriend closer. He was careful not to hold him too closely, out of the fear that he would hurt him,
"Ooi. I want to say something."
"…"
"…That conversation that you had with Sakura…" He paused for a moment,
"Well…She's right…You can rely on me…"
"…Kergs…"
Fai couldn't say anything more. He was using up all of his energy in restraining himself from crying.
Just when he thought it would be the end of everything, Kurogane turned right around and contradicted him.
He truly loved this man.
TT
(A.N: I lost track of how many times I have listened to I Dare You To Move by Switchfoot, but I played it the whole time I worked on this chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. And don't worry, there will be more. R&R?)