Black Steel and Worldly Wisdom

Of Ghosts and Other Matters

By Mystic Dawn

Summary: (AU) Having children had its ups and downs, Kurogane soon realized, looking down at the little boy who was his spitting image with a sense of trepidation. It made him wish that he had asked his mother for a fitting explanation instead. Though, Kurogane knew, if Tomoyo were here, she'd probably be laughing her head off rather than helping...

Today had started off like any other typical day. Kurogane had gotten up, eaten a quick breakfast, and gone to work on his motorbike, leaving Tomoyo with the car so she could take their five year-old son, Haganemaru, to the daycare center before going off to her own work. Around noon, Fay (affectionately called 'Uncle Fay' by the little child) had gone to pick Haganemaru up, babysitting him until Tomoyo came around five in the afternoon to take him home. Around seven, Kurogane had also come home. A daily-enough routine that should have ended with the three of them settling down on the couch after dinner for some quality family-time, if the phone hadn't rung earlier that evening.

Sakura had been on the other end, requesting to speak with Tomoyo on some urgent matter or other. Kurogane had wordlessly relinquished the phone to his wife before taking his proper seat in the squishy armchair before the fireplace, unfolding that morning's newspaper. He had long since decided not to interfere with 'womanly matters' whenever Sakura telephoned. But that didn't mean he was oblivious to the conversation.

"Goodness, it can't be that bad, can it, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked. A slight frown began to form upon her brow. "Are you sure?" she pressed, chewing on her lower lip as she heard her friend's hurried reply. "Well, maybe..." Her words were cut off as Kurogane heard Sakura say something to her. He hadn't been able to exactly hear what she had said, but her tone of voice had sounded anxious. "Sakura-chan, be reasonable," Tomoyo told her sternly. "Don't jump to conclusions so easily. I'm sure it's all just a simple misunderstanding."

Tomoyo had looked so endearingly adorable, chewing on her lower lip, one hand on her hip and her dark hair falling in her eyes, that Kurogane had had to force himself to look back down at his paper to stop himself from getting up and kissing her right then and there. Something serious was going on, and he knew that his petite little wife wouldn't appreciate it at all if he interrupted her. But his sharp hearing had still caught her next words.

"I'm sure everything will work out between them, they're grown men for goodness sake." Tomoyo sighed and shook her head, listening to her reply. "I can't believe he'd say something like that, Sakura-chan. He isn't—" Sakura said something else and Tomoyo suddenly gasped, "Oh!" clasping a hand to her cheek. "No! You can't be serious!"

Kurogane had arched a quizzical eyebrow, finally giving up on pretending to read the paper as he put it to one side and rose from the armchair, striding over to Tomoyo's side worriedly.

"Yes... yes..." Tomoyo said distractedly. "Of course I'll be there. As soon as I can, right? All right... see you soon." She hung up on the phone, sighing heavily.

"What's happened?" Kurogane asked, gently squeezing her shoulder reassuringly.

"It's... complicated," she muttered, taking off her apron. "Sakura-chan's got a problem and she needs my help to fix it."

"Does it have anything to do with her brother and her boyfriend?"

Tomoyo paused from pulling on her jacket. "Strangely, it does," she answered. "Were you eavesdropping, Kurogane?"

"I wasn't eavesdropping," he said defensively. "It's not that hard to put two and two together."

"I always knew you had your light bulb moments," Tomoyo teased as she drew on her shoes. "Anyway, she needs me to somehow resolve the issue. I'll probably take the car, it's too long to walk there."

"But it's already half past eight. How long is this going to take?"

"Hopefully an hour, at the least. Add another hour for transport. And another hour if Touya-san and Syaoran-kun are too stubborn to listen to me."

Kurogane rolled his eyes and exhaled exasperatedly. "Can't you just... go in the morning or something?"

"Kurogane, you and I both know that I can't take time off of work."

"Of course," he said sardonically. "The great fashion designer Tomoyo Daidouji cannot possibly take time off of work, as her empire is sure to crumble to dust without her there." He snorted derisively. "I still don't get why you're still using your maiden name."

"Kurogane..." she crooned, putting her arms around his neck. "We've discussed this before. I started out in the fashion industry long before we met. Changing my name after our marriage would be like starting all over again."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Now, if you and Haganemaru are good boys I might just bring you two surprises when I get home."

"A surprise?" the little boy demanded excitedly from his seat before the fireplace. He put his picture book aside and scrambled up to Tomoyo and Kurogane. "Mommy's gonna bring me a surprise?" He tugged on her skirt a bit for good measure.

"I swear, that kid's taken after you when it comes to eavesdropping," Tomoyo chuckled affectionately. "Yes, Haganemaru, dear," she said, stooping down to kiss the boy's cheek. "I'm sure I'll be able to grab a sweet or two for you to eat tomorrow for a snack on my way to Sakura-chan's."

"Yay!" Haganemaru cheered. "Can Mommy get me some ice cream?" he asked hopefully.

"Haganemaru, it's too cold to eat ice cream. I'm sure you'd much rather enjoy something else. You wouldn't want to catch a cold now, would you?"

Haganemaru's face scrunched up into a thoughtful expression. "Could Mommy get me ice cream with hot chocolate syrup so I don't catch a cold?"

"We'll see," Tomoyo laughed as she enfolded him into a warm embrace. "You're such a treasure, Haganemaru."

The little boy flashed her a huge grin of thanks before streaking past her and settling down again on the floor before the fireplace.

"And if you're good, you'll get your treat tonight," Tomoyo whispered seductively in Kurogane's ear. She then kissed him slowly, stirringly, stepping back from him after several moments, her cheeks flushed. Any longer and she was liable to stay glued to him forever.

"If that's an appetizer I can't wait to see what the main course is like," he whispered back roguishly.

She gave him a small smile before turning to the door and stepping out, closing it behind her, but not before shooting him one last impish wink.

That woman's going to be the end of me, he thought happily as he turned and strode back into the living room. He spied his son reading a book (or rather just looking at the pictures) and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Looks like it's just you and me tonight, kiddo."

"Hey," Haganemaru grumbled, trying to flatten his hair again. "Why does Daddy always mess up my hair?"

"Like it's not messed up enough already," he scoffed, settling down into his armchair.

"I hafta look presentle in front of everybody, Daddy. You can't keep messin' up my hairdo."

"You mean 'presentable,' kid."

"Whatever," he shrugged, turning back to his book.

Kurogane scratched at his head, wondering if he was supposed to do anything. Truth be told, he had never really spent much quality time alone with Haganemaru before. Without Tomoyo being around, that is. She always seemed to be in some corner of the house, cleaning up or baking some sweet monstrosity or other, but she had never been away. Kurogane was at a loss.

He finally decided after a few minutes to do something with his hands. Getting up and going to the kitchen, he rummaged around the fridge a bit (cringing in disgust at all the sweets it contained) until he located a lone beer in the corner. It was from the six-pack he had bought last week, as he recalled. At least there was one left. He opened it and took a long drink, walking back into the living room and settling down into his favorite squishy armchair. No, he did not like it because it was squishy (or so he kept telling himself). He liked it because it was right beside the fireplace, providing him with a good means of warming up in such a chilly season.

He sat there for some time, nursing his beer and letting his thoughts wander, until he heard Haganemaru finally speak up.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you and Mommy do at night?"

He blinked, perplexed. "Eh?"

"Well, I hear strange noises at night sometimes," the little child said solemnly.

"What strange noises...?" Kurogane asked slowly and carefully.

"Well, some really loud creaking sounds."

Kurogane opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out except a feeble-sounding croak. He tried to cover it up by taking a large swallow of beer. "Is th-that all you hear?" he finally stammered.

Haganemaru frowned in thought. "I guess," he replied. "Kinda..."

"Well... it's probably just the wind then," Kurogane suggested feebly. "Well, you know," he continued in a stronger, more confident voice, "sometimes the wind makes tree branches sway and creak. And I bet your swing creaks in the wind, too! And maybe the chairs on the patio..."

Haganemaru sighed in relief and nodded. "Yeah, that's probably it!"

Kurogane couldn't exactly hide his own relief as he let out his breath explosively. He marveled at his son believing in such a weak lie. Well, maybe not so weak a lie. To the innocent child mind, swings and branches that creaked in the wind probably sounded perfectly normal.

"But what about the moans?" Haganemaru asked quietly.

Kurogane looked up so quickly that he heard his neck crack. "Wh-what?"

"I hear moans at night, too." He abandoned the book and crawled over to hug one of Kurogane's legs. "Coming from your room," he added in little above a whisper.

Kurogane just stared at him, mouth agape, making him look like an unintelligent fool.

"Is our house hauted, Daddy?"

Somehow, this brought him out of his frozen state. "Hauted?" he asked in confusion.

"You know, Daddy." Haganemaru looked around, as if fearful that someone was watching them, and whispered, "Ghosts?" his grip on Kurogane's jeans tightening.

It finally dawned on him then why Haganemaru had been asking him so many questions on the subject. He was afraid! "You mean 'haunted,' son," he corrected, scooping the five year-old up and setting him on his lap. "Haunted houses have ghosts."

"So our house really is h... haunted?"

Kurogane chuckled good-naturedly. "Not at all, Haganemaru. You see, those creaking noises are just as I said. They're caused by the wind."

"And the moans?"

"That's the wind, too. Sometimes, when the wind whistles through the trees, it's as if you hear someone crying."

"Yes, yes, yes! That's just how it sounded like!"

"You see? There's nothing to be afraid of."

Kurogane was only immensely relieved and thankful that Haganemaru hadn't had the urge to investigate what the noises really were.

"My goodness, look at the time! Your mother's going to kill me if she finds out you've passed your bedtime!"

"Will you read me a bedtime story, Daddy?" Haganemaru asked hopefully. "Mommy always reads to me before I sleep."

"We'll have to brush our teeth and put our pajamas on, first."

"You're gonna get ready with me, too?" Haganemaru seemed thrilled by the prospect.

"'Course I will. Remember, Mommy said we have to both be good little boys to get our surprises."

"Oh, yeah!" He scrambled down the armchair and was about to run off to the bathroom, but he paused and seemed to think better of it. He turned back to his father and tugged on his jeans to get his attention.

"Yes?" he asked, looking down.

"What surprise is Mommy gonna get you, Daddy?" His expression was appropriately serious. "I don't think she said what it's gonna be."

Kurogane had to force down his swallow before he replied, "She never said."

"Oh." Haganemaru looked up at him then and held out his arms. "Will you carry me, Daddy?"

Kurogane seemed a little surprised, but shrugged and hefted him easily into his arms, earring himself a delighted shriek from the child for being so high in the air. He strode to the bathroom and set him down, handing him his toothbrush and the toothpaste. Haganemaru seemed a bit disappointed and reminded Kurogane that he had promised that they would brush their teeth together. So, having no other choice, Kurogane and Haganemaru brushed their teeth together, squabbling over who would use the toothpaste first, who would have the bigger toothpaste smile and who would get to spit into the sink first. Haganemaru seemed to be having so much fun that Kurogane wasn't too sore about humoring him and bruising his manly ego with such childlike displays (not that he didn't enjoy them, but that was another story).

Afterward, Kurogane hauled Haganemaru over to his room and tried to get him into his pajamas. It wasn't easy at first the way Haganemaru kept running around the room in childlike abandon, but he had managed it in the end (even though he noticed Haganemaru's shirt tag sticking up from the front and not the back after a few minutes). Haganemaru excitedly chose a book from the numerous he had scattered around his room and dove under the bed covers, hovering on the edge of the mattress excitedly so he could be right beside Kurogane from his sitting position on the floor. His violet eyes were alight with anticipation as he cuddled a white stuffed animal with rabbit-like ears in his arms.

Kurogane pursed his lips, looking at the title with distaste. "Snow White..." he mumbled. Really, he had to have a say in what books their son was reading. Sappy fairytales would do no good for a growing boy who was supposed to become strong like him.

"What's wrong, Daddy? Don't you know the story?"

"Eh? Sure I do..."

"Then read it to me!" He hesitated before adding a hopeful, "Please?"

Kurogane snorted softly. The kid was too spoiled for his own good. But he really was an adorable toddler. And too observant for his own good!

He shrugged and cleared his throat gruffly. "Well...once upon a time..."

Somewhere along the poisoned comb, Kurogane suddenly felt Haganemaru's head touch his shoulder. He turned his head to see that he had fallen fast asleep, still holding the tacky stuffed animal. Kurogane couldn't hide a soft smile that spread on his face as he gently eased him off of his shoulder and tucked him in. He kissed his forehead and straightened, feeling the kinks in his knees from sitting for so long on the floor. He made for the door, but heard Haganemaru call him softly in his sleep. "Daddy?"

He turned and whispered, "Yes?" so as not to bring him fully awake.

"Will you read to me tomorrow night, too?"

He shrugged. "If you want."

There was a pause, then, "Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Will I hear more noises tonight?"

Kurogane froze. "I should hope not," he finally said truthfully.

"I hope not, too." Haganemaru yawned hugely and rolled onto his side. "G'night, Daddy."

"Goodnight, son." He quietly closed the door behind him, for once not ashamed of the warmth spreading in his chest.

—

"So, how did you two manage while I was gone?"

It was sometime around eleven when Tomoyo finally made it home, and she unceremoniously collapsed onto the couch in exhaustion. Her head was comfortably propped up against Kurogane's lap as her feet dangled off the couch-arm. He was absent-mindedly threading his hands through her hair as he looked down at her lovingly, but at her question he seemed to come out of his half-asleep state. "Hmm?"

Her lips quirked into a sly, knowing smile. "Were you two good little boys?"

"I'd say so. Haganemaru wants me to read to him tomorrow night, too."

"Really?" Tomoyo grinned. "That's wonderful. See? My absence did do you two some good. You spent some quality father-son time together."

"And you spent some quality time mothering two fully grown men."

Tomoyo chuckled softly. "Sakura-chan nearly threw a fit, she was so upset. In the end, that's what did the trick. Neither Touya-san nor Syaoran-kun could stand the sight of a crying Sakura-chan. Goodness, I couldn't either. I got so mad at them for making her cry that I threatened to unleash my secret weapon on them if they ever did it again."

"Your secret weapon?"

"You," she said simply. "They both sobered up immediately at the suggestion."

"See? Sometimes, diplomacy doesn't work. You need brute force to get your point across."

"Something you've always told me."

"I knew what I was talking about, Tomoyo."

"Sure you did." She suddenly flipped over and supported her chin in her hands, looking up at him with a captivating look. "So..." Her fingers began to crawl up his arm. "Are you ready for the main course?"

He caught himself swallowing in anticipation, then remembered what Haganemaru had told him earlier. "Um... I think there's something I should warn you about on that subject."

"What?"

Kurogane could feel his cheeks reddening. "We're... uh, well... we're a bit too noisy, I think."

"Excuse me?"

"Well..." Kurogane drew a deep breath and explained what had happened previously with Haganemaru.

Tomoyo's expression was mortified at the end of his tale. "Goodness! I would have never thought that he was such a light sleeper! How many times has this happened?"

"I... uh... I don't know. He never said how many times."

Tomoyo groaned and covered her face with her forearm (she had long since flipped back to rest her head against Kurogane's lap again). "Never, in all my life, have I ever heard of a child hearing his parents making love. How could have we been so careless?"

Kurogane made a strangled noise at her statement and sank into the couch a bit.

Tomoyo looked up at him, eyebrow raised. "You have?"

He nodded after several moments, his face beet-red.

"Oh? Who was it?"

There was an uneasy silence for several long moments before Kurogane practically squeaked, "Me," as quietly as he could.

This was enough to make Tomoyo sit up and gape at him in horror. "You did?"

"Well..." If his face got any redder Tomoyo felt it would surely explode. "I didn't exactly hear them, if you get my drift."

She shook her head. "No, I don't get it."

"I... well... I..." Honestly, his face was red enough to match the couch's red shade. "I... walked in on them... doing it."

Tomoyo didn't even know what to say. She merely blinked once, then twice. Then she collapsed in helpless laughter.