A/N: Remember how I said I wouldn't be posting again until after finals? Well, I lied. I'm such a horrible person :(


Taboo

Kurogane dropped into his chair, glaring as the teacher approached the skinny blond boy who had entered the room, battered and soaked to the bone. He didn't need to hear the ensuing conversation to know what was going to happen; he had seen it so many times already.

"Oh, Fai kun! Honey, what happened?! Why are you all wet?! And what have you done to yourself?!"

In spite of his numerous injuries and uncontrollable shivering, Fai smiled apologetically. "We were playing soccer at recess and the ball went over the fence into the creek," he explained, pushing dripping hair out of his heavy-lidded blue eyes. "I went to go get it and slipped on a patch of ice and fell in."

Kurogane gritted his teeth against his rising anger. He swung his head around to look at a group of boys who were sitting in the back of the classroom trying to look innocent and hiding their poorly suppressed laughter behind their hands or notebooks. When they noticed him glowering at them, their sniggers died down considerably. Kurogane rubbed his knuckles threateningly as they determinedly avoided his eyes. Those cowardly little bastards… if he wasn't almost just as annoyed with Fai, he'd go back there and smack their heads together. The teacher, however, seemed completely oblivious as usual.

"Why don't we get you down to the office and see about getting you some Band-aids and dry clothes, ok Fai kun?" the teacher offered gently, taking off her own coat and wrapping it around Fai's tiny trembling shoulders as she led him out of the room and down the hallway toward the office.

Kurogane shook his head in disgust. He had seen Fai in the office for similar reasons often enough to know that he was hardly any better off there than he was in the classroom with the little shits who had done this to him. That was because the people in the office, along with a startling majority of the town's population, thought Fai's mother to be a witch and Fai himself to be a bad omen. Kurogane, for his part, thought that this was stupid; he didn't believe in witches or bad omens, and his parents had told him that the reason people were so willing to go along with the outrageous stories was because they were eager to find any explanation for their problems besides themselves. Their teacher was the only one whom Kurogane had ever seen treat Fai kindly, but that was probably because she had just moved here recently and hadn't grown up with the stories of Fai's mother's supposed sorcery.

Once the teacher had left the room, the boys who were responsible for Fai's mishap burst out laughing.

"Did you see the way he squirmed?!" one of them choked, banging his fist on his desk.

"Yeah! We got him good, huh?!" another agreed, wiping away tears of laughter.

Kurogane threw his math book on the floor as hard as he could and the boys' laughing stopped. He glared at them as he bent down to pick it up.

"Oops," he muttered, pretending that he had just dropped it. The boys got the message, however, and quickly busied themselves with other things.

Kurogane hadn't seen them bullying Fai this particular time, but judging by what they had just said he could guess what had happened. They had probably ganged up on him, tossed him over the fence, then climbed over the fence themselves and held his head under the water in the creek. Since it was the middle of winter, that water would be freezing cold. The mere thought that someone could be so cruel to an innocent made Kurogane sick to his stomach. Not that he especially cared about Fai; in fact, Kurogane didn't really even like him. Fai liked to hang around him sometimes, and when he did the blond chattered endlessly and was always laughing and smiling and calling him girly nicknames. If Fai didn't already get the shit beat out of him on a regular basis, Kurogane probably would have punched him in the nose by now.

This abstinence had been hurting his reputation as a tough guy and general badass, some even going so far as to suggest that he and Fai were secretly crushing on each other. But these rumors died down rather quickly once Kurogane started prosecuting those who spread doubt about his manliness, hunting them down and handing out quite a few serious wedgies. Needless to say, Kurogane also spent his fair share of time in the office as well but he didn't care as long as it gave his rep the boost it needed (which it did). Still, even though Fai hadn't been spreading those stupid sorts of rumors himself Kurogane still hadn't really forgiven him. After all, if Fai didn't insist on hanging around him so much, the damn things never would have been started in the first place.

The teacher returned to the room, hung up her coat in the closet and started class. Kurogane couldn't believe she hadn't guessed by now who was really responsible for Fai's injuries. Of course, other kids, some who weren't even in their grade, bullied Fai too but the boys in their class were the worst. What bewildered Kurogane the most was the fact that Fai never told the teacher who was beating up on him and didn't seem to hold any resentment whatsoever toward the perpetrators. He had no intention of telling the teacher for him, though. This was Fai's fight and babying him wouldn't help him get any stronger.


Kurogane got on the school bus to go home (sometimes he walked home but he didn't feel like it today) and found it completely full, as usual, except for his regular seat. No matter how full the bus was the other kids knew better than to sit in his seat. Those who didn't know always found out soon enough, usually at the cost of having nightmares about wet willies for weeks afterwards. There was only one person who ever dared to sit next to him but Kurogane assumed that that person wouldn't be riding the bus today. He sat down at his seat, giving everyone who even thought about making eye contact a glare, just for good measure.

Just as the bus was getting ready to leave, the top of Fai's golden head appeared as he climbed the three steep stairs. His coat was torn and dirty and Kurogane could see some bruises and a nasty bump on his forehead yet Fai just smiled cheerfully as he slid into the seat next to Kurogane. The dark-haired boy heaved a sigh to show that he was displeased about this but didn't chase Fai away. He knew perfectly well that he was the only one who would allow Fai to sit with him, and this was why Fai was the only person who ever was permitted to do so. Kurogane looked at the blond with a raised eyebrow; he didn't understand how someone who was treated like dirt all the time could always seem so happy. Plus, he hadn't been expecting to see him on the bus since Fai hadn't returned to class after his incident.

"Hello, Kurotan," Fai chirped. "Happy to see me?"

"Tch," Kurogane snorted. "No. And don't call me that."

"Did we get any homework in class today?" Fai asked, his smile widening further. Kurogane wondered if smiling like that was making the cuts on his face hurt and he frowned at his classmate for a moment before answering. "Yeah, a math sheet. Teacher gave me an extra copy to give you."

He reached into his backpack and dug out his folder.

"Ah, I was afraid we'd get math today…" Fai said, his smile now tinged with regret.

"What, you don't like it?" Kurogane asked, handing him the sheet. "If you don't feel like doing it, then don't. It's not like the teacher will do anything about it."

"Kuropun, you naughty boy!" Fai scolded lightly. "You have to do your homework or else you'll build bad habits. But I really don't get what we're doing in math right now… I tried asking Mrs. Li for help but I still don't understand…"

Kurogane noted the way Fai kept glancing up at him hopefully and leaned back in his seat with a heavy sigh. "So you want me to help you? Is that it?"

Fai smiled apologetically again. "If you don't mind, I'd like that a lot."


Kurogane ended up getting off at Fai's stop so that he could come home with the blond and help him with his assignment. He figured he could just call his mother once he got there to let her know where he was. The two of them walked the short distance from the bus stop to Fai's modestly-sized house in silence, something which surprised Kurogane a great deal. He didn't think that Fai was capable of keeping his mouth shut for so long in his company. When he glanced over at the other boy to study his facial expression, he simply found him smiling as usual. No, he realized, this smile was a little bit different than the one he normally wore; it was softer, somehow, and… was he blushing? The coloring in his milky cheeks was pretty light so Kurogane wrote it off as a side effect of the chill. Once they reached Fai's yard, the blond flopped down on his back in the snow, spread-eagled.

"What the heck are you doing?" Kurogane asked, looking rather unimpressed.

"Making a snow angel, of course!" Fai trilled. "You make one, too, ok Kuropii?"

"No way, you look like an idiot doing that," the dark-haired boy growled. "And anyway, quit calling me those stupid names."

Fai just sat up, snatched Kurogane's hand and gave it a good, hard tug, causing him to fall on the ground next to him.

"Hey! What did you do that for, you jerk!" Kurogane snapped.

"You have to make a snow angel before you come inside," Fai ordered with a grin. "It's the rules."

"Idiot. You just made that up," he growled. In spite of his protest, he reluctantly complied. Then he stood up again and Fai did the same, stepping back to admire their work of art.

"Wai! Look Kurochii, it looks like they're holding hands!" Fai squealed happily. "Isn't that sweet?"

"No, it's stupid," Kurogane pouted, folding his arms defiantly. "And I thought I told you not to call me any more of those dumb nicknames."

"Aw, don't be such a party-pooper, Kurorin," Fai scolded playfully. He admired their snow angels for another second or two, then turned to go inside, leading Kurogane with him.


"Mom! I'm home!" Fai called as he shut the door behind them.

"Is that you, Fai?" His mother appeared in the entryway to greet them as they began to pull off their coats and gloves. She began to reach out to give her son a hug but stopped abruptly when she saw the state of his coat and face. The big, joyful smile that had been on her lips died immediately and was replaced with a much more serious expression.

"Oh, Fai, honey…" she breathed, running delicate fingers gently down his cheek. "What happened? You have bruises everywhere…and your coat is ripped, too…"

Fai threw a quick glance of uncertainty at Kurogane before shrugging and smiling that apologetic smile that he wore so often. "I was playing soccer at recess and the ball went over the fence and landed in the creek and when I went to get it, I slipped on a patch of ice and fell in."

Kurogane couldn't believe it! This kid wasn't even telling his own mother about what was going on?! Why the hell not?! Still, Kurogane kept his mouth shut and didn't contradict him. If Fai wasn't telling his own mother that he was being bullied then he probably had a good reason for it. Kurogane looked at her to see if she was buying his story. For a moment, her face was obscured by her extremely long, silvery hair so that neither of them could make out her expression. When she eventually lifted her face to meet her son's blue eyes, she had a sympathetic smile on her face.

"Poor baby," she cooed, kissing his forehead. Kurogane looked away, embarrassed by the display of affection. Not only that, but because of the way she was bending down to Fai's level, he could see right down her shirt if he cared to do so (which he didn't). Finally, her gaze fell on Kurogane and she straightened up and her smile became more cheerful.

"And who have you brought home with you, Fai?" she asked sweetly.

"Ah, this is Kurochuu," Fai replied enthusiastically. "He came to help me with my math homework since I'm having a little trouble with what we're learning right now."

"My name isn't 'Kurochuu'!" Kurogane snapped, blushing. "It's Kurogane!"

Both of them ignored that, causing to Kurogane to fold his arms again and sulk.

"You're having trouble in math?" his mother asked, looking surprised. "But that's always been one of your best subjects."

Fai shrugged again and continued to smile. "This unit is extra hard."

Kurogane narrowed his eyes at Fai suspiciously; the unit they were working on was not especially difficult and would be fairly easy for someone who was good in math. He wondered if Fai had some sort of sinister ulterior motive for bringing him here.

Fai's mother was speaking again. "Well, how unusual! Fai doesn't bring friends home very often! It's nice to meet you, Kurochuu!"

Kurogane glowered at her for the nickname as she shook his hand politely. Fai's mother laughed. "But are you sure you want this boy as your friend, Fai? He looks so grumpy!"

Of course, that comment only made Kurogane even angrier.

"Don't worry about Kurowanko," Fai assured her. "He looks mean but he's actually really sweet."

"I am NOT sweet!" Kurogane snapped, his hands balling themselves into fists. The two of them just laughed at him again and it didn't help that he could feel himself blushing again.

"Oh no, we've embarrassed him!" Fai's mother giggled. "But I guess he really is cute; I could always see you ending up with someone sweet and shy, Fai."

At that, Kurogane's blush deepened. What the hell was she implying with that comment?!

It didn't help that he felt Fai's hand suddenly brush softly against his as though he agreed with her.

"Well, I won't keep you from your homework any longer," Fai's mother sighed, putting a hand on her perfect hip. "Good luck, you two. Take good care of him, Kurochuu."

Kurogane gritted his teeth in annoyance but said nothing; they were just going to do a stupid math worksheet, it wasn't like they were getting married or anything! But if this was no big deal, then why was his heart suddenly beating so fast?

"Come on, Kuromyuu," Fai said, taking his hand. "My room is this way!"

Kurogane was too busy trying not to trip over their boots in the entryway as Fai pulled him deeper into the house to really notice the way Fai's affectionate touch made his hand feel all warm and tingly.


Kurogane took a deep breath, trying not to loose his temper with the blond, but it was so difficult when he kept insisting on making the most ridiculous errors. He would do unbelievably stupid things like add eight and two and somehow get thirty-four. It made Kurogane highly suspicious that Fai was being stupid on purpose, just to annoy him. And of course when Kurogane would yell at him for making idiotic mistakes, Fai would launch into a wave of crocodile tears and complain about what a mean teacher he was. He had just about had it with his classmate when Fai's mother knocked on the bedroom door and pushed it open.

"Sorry to bother you guys, but I thought you might like some cookies while you were working," she said.

"Yay!" Fai cheered. "Wait until you try them, Kuromin! My mom's cookies are the best!"

Kurogane snorted and turned his head away. "I don't like sweets," he grumbled.

"Now Kurowanwan, don't be so difficult!" Fai pouted, taking the plate of cookies that his mother was offering them. "How do you know that you don't like them until you've tried them?"

"You're the one who's being difficult, you jerk!" Kurogane retaliated. "You keep making all these stupid mistakes just to tick me off!"

Fai returned to his place as Kurogane's side as his mother began to slowly close the door. Kurogane saw her pause there, watching them, and he could almost swear that he saw tears in her eyes but then she shut the door with a snap, leaving the two of them to their work again.


It was almost six thirty by the time Kurogane could call his mother and tell her that they were finished. It had taken a grueling two hours to complete the sheet of thirty easy questions. After having to deal with the blond's stupidity for so long, Kurogane found himself all Faid out and glad to be able to go home. Fai waved to him from the window as he and his mother pulled out of the driveway. Kurogane sighed and leaned back in his seat, hoping that he never had to go back to that house to help Fai with his homework again.


If he thought Fai was going to ease up on him just because Kurogane had helped him with his homework once, he had another thing coming. In fact, Fai seemed to be hanging around him even more than usual, being chipper and loquacious and generally annoying. Kurogane tried half-heartedly to shake him off, thinking that this increased amount of time they were spending together would probably be noticed and taken by everyone else the wrong way. But although he refused to admit it, even to himself, Kurogane found that maybe he didn't completely hate Fai. Sometimes he was a tiny bit fun and even kind of cute. And Fai benefited because as long as he hung around with Kurogane, everyone else was too afraid to bully him like they usually did.

The only thing that really bothered him about spending time with Fai was the way it made him feel. Every time he thought about the blond, his stomach would begin to feel as though it was full of butterflies, his cheeks would feel hot for no reason and his lips would tingle as though he was longing for a taste of something that he couldn't quite put a finger on. Kurogane was beginning to worry that maybe there was something seriously wrong with him.

Not only was Fai making the choice to hang around him more, but Kurogane found himself deciding to walk him home to make sure that no one bothered him. He told himself over and over again that it was only because he hated watching Fai lie to Mrs. Li about where his injuries had come from whenever he got himself beaten up but the more he thought about it, the less sure he was. But aside from the worry that he was going completely bat-shit insane, things were going alright. And as everyone knows, when the author of a story says that things are going alright, that's the reader's cue that things are about to go to hell.

"Aw, Kuropiko is on cleanup duty today?" Fai pouted cutely. Now that his bruises were starting to fade, he was looking even cuter than usual and Kurogane had to constantly force himself not to look at him or else he would start blushing like a doofus, something that Fai was always quick to pick up on.

"If you want to get out of here so bad then why don't you help instead of just whining about it?" Kurogane growled as he dribbled the basketball and shot it expertly into the basket. Recess was being held in the gym today because the principal had declared it too cold for the children to be outside. Kurogane didn't especially like basketball but he had to occupy himself somehow during all these recesses that he spent with Fai or else the two of them would just be sitting around all the time, staring dreamily into each other's eyes. Although maybe some tiny portion of Kurogane didn't think that Fai's eyes were the most hideous things in the world, the dark-haired boy had quickly shoved that portion away into a closet, telling himself that he was not going to turn into some mushy idiot.

"But I have piano lessons today so I have to go home right away after school," the blond explained. Kurogane wondered fleetingly who Fai's mother had been able to find that would be willing to teach her supposed bad omen of a son to play piano.

"Jeez, you're such a pain, you know that?" Kurogane grumbled, missing his next basket.

"What should I do?" Fai asked faintly. Kurogane knew that he was wondering about how he should get home without him around to act as his bodyguard.

"Can't you call your mom to come get you?" he asked.

"Our car broke down the other day so she's kind of stranded at home," Fai replied, that stupid apologetic smile of his making its appearance. "And she can't be outside in the winter for very long because her health isn't very good…"

Kurogane paused in his game of basketball, trying to decide on the safest way for Fai to get home. If he rode the bus, he would be in forced close contact with the kids who bullied him. If he walked, it would take him longer to get home and thus there was more opportunity for him to be attacked. Not only that, but temperatures were below freezing today and the walk to Fai's house took them along a somewhat secluded road. If Fai got into trouble he wouldn't easily be able to get himself to a safe place. It seemed like the bus was the best option.

"Maybe I should just skip cleaning duty," Kurogane mused.

Fai shook his head. "You can't do it again, Kurorun, or else Mrs. Li will send a note home to your mom, remember?"

Kurogane swallowed hard. He had forgotten about that. Even though his mother was always smiling, he was afraid of making her mad. But his mother being mad at him was less scary than what might happen to Fai if he went home by himself. Kurogane had noticed that since it had been so long since they had been able to take their anger out on Fai, the boys in their class were starting to get restless.

"I don't care if she gets mad," Kurogane decided. "I'm not gonna let you go home by yourself and get the crap beaten out of you just because of that."

Fai smiled sadly. "You really are sweet, Kurochan… No one has ever been this nice to me before…"

"I told you before, I'm not sweet!" Kurogane scoffed but he could feel his face getting hot. "I'm just doing this because…"

He stopped. Why was he doing this? He personally got nothing out of it except more hassles. Also, he had been enjoying scaring the crap out of the other kids since he was in kindergarten which ruled out Fai's suggestion that he was doing it because he was sweet. The only other possibility that Kurogane could think of was that he was doing this because he had some sort of special feelings for Fai. What that feeling was exactly, the dark-haired boy didn't know; it wasn't especially pleasant, but when it was gone he found himself missing it somehow. Fai was still patiently awaiting the rest of his sentence, his head tilted quizzically to one side, a curious smile on his face.

"I'm doing it because you just look so freaking pathetic with bruises all over your face," he finished finally, not looking at the other boy.

Fai laughed. "If you say so, Kuropon."

The two of them stood there awkwardly for a moment against the wall of the gym, unsure what to say. Kurogane started suddenly when he felt Fai take his hand. He stared down at their intertwined fingers in stunned silence but made no move to pull his hand away.

"Kurokuro, there's…there's something I've been wanting to tell you," Fai said slowly.

Kurogane waited for him to continue but before the blond could coax the words out of his mouth, the bell rung signaling the end of recess. Fai hurriedly let go of his hand as the students began to head back to the classroom.

"Never mind, I'll…I'll tell you later, alright?" he assured him with a smile.

"Whatever," Kurogane said in a way that he hoped sounded apathetic. In reality, he found himself feeling a little bit excited for some reason. He shook his head; if Fai found out how unapathetic he really felt when he'd said that, he was pretty sure he'd never hear the end of it.


By the end of the school day, Kurogane was nearly going crazy. His desire to find out what Fai wanted to tell him and his anxiety about whether the blond would get home alright by himself made him antsy. When the bell finally rang, he shoved his way through the rest of the class who was heading in the opposite direction and stood at Fai's desk.

"I've made up my mind," Kurogane said firmly. "I'm skipping cleaning duty."

"And I've made up my mind that if you do I'll go get myself beat up on purpose," Fai said in a voice that was somehow cheerful yet just as firm.

"Don't be an idiot!" Kurogane snapped.

"Don't skip cleaning duty," Fai replied calmly. "I'm not gonna let you get in trouble just because of me. I'll be fine, alright Kurosama? Trust me?"

Kurogane glared at him for a moment. "Tch. Whatever. But if something happens to you, I don't care how bad of shape you're in; I'll kick your butt."

In spite of his rough words, Fai could hear the concern in the other boy's voice and it made him smile.

"Now what did you want to tell me?" Kurogane demanded, folding his arms and trying to fight off the blush that he could feel creeping into his cheeks.

As soon as he said that, he was no longer the only one of the two that was blushing. For some reason, seeing that delicate hint of pink on Fai's face made his heart beat faster. The blond opened his mouth but no words came out. Why? Why was it so easy for him to spout endless amounts of meaningless drivel yet he was unable to say what was really important? Seconds passed that seemed to contain an eternity. Kurogane was looking somewhat impatient. Fai closed his mouth again and looked down at the surface of his desk. He decided that this was neither the time nor the place for this conversation. If he didn't hurry, he was going to miss the bus.

"I…I'm sorry, Kuromu," he said with his characteristic apologetic smile. "I'm afraid I'll miss the bus and I don't want to rush what I was going to say… I'll tell you tomorrow, ok?"

Kurogane huffed irritably. "Hmph. Just hurry up and get out there, then."

"Goodbye, Kuropiko! See you tomorrow!" Fai called as he hurried out of the classroom.

Kurogane went to the window, wanting to at least watch and make sure that he got on the bus safely. As soon as Fai had climbed on, he breathed a sigh of relief and grudgingly tore himself away from the window to begin his tasks.


Fai realized just as he boarded the bus that he had forgotten his reading homework back in his desk. He bit his lip uncertainly, wondering if he should go back and get it or just forget about it. Kurogane's words of wisdom on the subject suddenly filled his head. "If you don't feel like doing it, then don't. It's not like the teacher will do anything about it." Fai knew that the other boy was right but Mrs. Li was always so kind to him and he hated to see that look of disappointment on her face that she always got when someone didn't do their homework.

"Can you hold the bus for just one minute?" Fai asked the driver. "I forgot some homework back in the school.

The driver looked at him like he wondered if Fai was seriously asking him this but Fai dashed off the bus and back into the building.


As much as he liked Kurogane, Fai was relieved to see that his friend wasn't in the classroom when he reached it. He knew that the dark-haired boy would scold him for being so careless. Fai raced over to his desk, dug frantically through it until he found his reading anthology, shoved it into his backpack and hurried back to the bus… Or at least he would have hurried back to the bus if it hadn't already left without him.

Fai sighed deeply, clamping his eyes shut as he felt the familiar stab of heartache that always came when someone treated him like something less than human. Even though he had had to put up with such treatment all his life, it didn't make it any easier to stomach when it happened again and again. Since he had been spending so much time with Kurogane lately, who, despite his huffing and puffing and rough words, was actually quite sweet to him, Fai had found his faith in humanity very slowly being returned. How stupid of him. Hadn't he learned repeatedly that humanity didn't accept him as one of their own and as such that he should not expect or even hope to be treated as though he was? Fai wiped his eyes quickly started in the direction of home. His piano lesson was in half an hour and it usually took him at least forty-five minutes to get home on foot. Perhaps he could make it if he ran the whole way… The little blond took a deep breath and began running.


Fai's breath came in sharp, painful gasps as he choked on the frigid air. His mouth was so dry and his face, especially his lips and ears, stung from the cold. The rest of him was more or less numb but there was still enough feeling in his toes for them to also sting with every footfall. If he hadn't been so utterly miserable, he might have been frustrated by the way the snow slowed his progress, despite all his efforts. Still, he forced himself to keep running. His mother had worked hard to get this piano teacher for him and he wasn't about to miss his lesson just because of his own carelessness.

Fai readjusted the strap of his backpack. His reading anthology was heavy and Mrs. Li had given them math homework again so he was carrying his math book too. Readjusting his backpack did nothing; it was still just as agonizing as the two heavy books jostled around painfully, weighing down his tiny back and shoulders. Fai wished he could find something else to focus his mind on, other than his suffering, but it seemed that his fatigue wouldn't allow it. All he could think about was how much each step hurt, how parched his throat was, how freezing his body was, how tired his legs were. This may have explained why he didn't realize that he had company until a ball of what felt like solid ice suddenly collided with the back of his knee and made him fall down hard in the snow. Fai gasped in pain and whipped his head around to see who had thrown it.

"Nice shot, Fei!" shouted Kyle.

Fai's heart clenched with dread. There they were, the boys from his class that had always bullied him the worst: Kyle Rondato, Fei Wang Reed, Seishirou Sakurazukamori, and their teacher's (much younger) brother-in-law Shaoron Li. How long had they been behind him? It must not have been very long or else they would have attacked sooner. His thoughts became a blur as another ball of packed ice hit him squarely in the forehead. Fai cried out in pain as the next one smashed against the side of his face. He tried to scramble to his feet but his whole body was so tired and numb and cold that he was only on his knees before one of Syaoron's projectiles hit him in the chest, knocking the air out of him. The blond only managed to find his feet again when Seishirou seized him by the front of his coat and jerked him up to face him.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Fai? How have you been?" Seishirou asked coldly.

Fai didn't dare answer, though his silence certainly didn't save him. When the boy failed to elicit a response from his terrified prey, Seishirou thrust him with all his might into the ground, forcing Fai to land hard on his back and once again knocking the wind out of him. Fai coughed harshly, trying to regain his breath, but Kyle shoved a ball of snow into his mouth. The little blond could taste blood as he frantically tried to draw oxygen.

Meanwhile, Shaoron and Fei were busy packing the half-frozen snow into ammunition. Fai managed to crunch the snow in his mouth, swallowing some and spitting out the rest which was red with his blood, so that he could finally get some air into his lungs. He gasped and choked, trying once again to force himself to his feet. Kyle kicked him hard in the back, knocking Fai down again face first in the snow, and put his foot on the back of his head to keep it there. Fai ground his teeth, trying not to cry out again as he felt a vicious, pointblank onslaught of hard snowballs, knowing from experience that this type of reaction only encouraged them. There was a brief pause in the torture, presumably where his attackers ran out of ammo, before he felt what was most definitely a rock smack into his leg.

What happened next was unclear to Fai, who was lying face-down on the ground, too battered and exhausted to roll over and have a look for himself. All he knew was that Fei and his lackeys suddenly stopped abusing him, though apparently they were still nearby because he could hear them shouting. There was a new voice present as well, though Fai's mind was in a haze of pain and was unable to identify it. Whoever had joined them seemed to be on Fai's side, or at least not on Fei's side; their shouts had changed from panicked to agonized. There was quite a lot of cursing going on as well. If Fai hadn't been in such a state, he might have been stunned by his classmates' choice of language.

Fai felt a mixture of deep relief, hope and terror when he heard Fei and his gang run off. With them gone, the visitor would be free to focus their attention on him. Given the fact that the whole town considered him something to be both feared and despised, Fai thought it unlikely that this new person was on his side. He clamped his eyes shut as he heard hurried footsteps approaching him. Fai was blinded momentarily when the person (with surprising care) turned him over onto his back. The blond blinked into the sudden daylight, willing his vision to come back faster. When he was finally able to make out a familiar shape bent over him, Fai actually managed a very weak laugh.

"Kurosama…Th-thank goodness…"

"Are you alright?" Kurogane asked urgently.

Anyone else might have scoffed at that question and responded with a snappy "Do I bloody look alright?!" but Fai was genuinely glad to see him so he just smiled.

"N…No," he admitted in a strangled whisper. "But…I w-will be, right? I have…f-faith in you…Kurowanta…"

That was all the speech that blond boy could manage before he passed out.


Kurogane had never felt more terrified in his entire life than when he turned Fai over onto his back after chasing off his assailants. Fai looked terrible, cuts and bruises standing out starkly against his ghostly white skin, and Kurogane could see blood on his lips. Trying to control the panic rising in his chest, the dark-haired boy gathered his injured friend into his arms as gently as he could and continued on his way home.


It was dark when Fai opened his eyes. He moaned as he suddenly became aware of his pain again, though it was decidedly less intense than he had expected it to be. Once he became accustomed to the throbbing pain all over his body, Fai noticed that someone was holding his hand and had begun to stroke his hair ever so softly when he had opened his eyes. It was too dark for him to see who the person was but he could only guess that it was the one he remembered being with when he had lost consciousness. At least, that's who he hoped with every particle of his being that it was.

"Ku…Kurotan…?" he tried hopefully.

"You…you idiot!" Kurogane croaked. "I t-told you to ride the b-bus home! What the h-hell did you walk for?!"

"I'm sorry…" Fai breathed, though his heart was soaring blissfully to find that Kurogane had stayed faithfully at his side this whole time. "I forgot some…homework back in my desk…I told the bus driver to wait but…it was gone by the time I came back…"

"Y-you said you'd be alright, you j-jerk! I knew you w-wouldn't be! But you had to p-pull that 'trust me' c-crap, so I…" Kurogane broke off, taking several deep breaths to calm himself. It wasn't until then that Fai noticed how badly the dark-haired boy's hand and voice were shaking.

"You're shaking…" Fai said slowly. He distinctly heard Kurogane sniffle, and this confirmed his suspicions. "Kurochan…are you…Were you…crying?"

Kurogane did his best to sneer offhandedly at Fai's question like he usually did when the blond said something stupid, but Fai was almost sure he could make out Kurogane's dark shape hastily wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "D-don't be stupid! Why the h-hell would I be crying over you?!"

Fai felt a bit guilt for mentioning it and bruising his friend's fragile ego so he simply dropped the subject. "Where…are we…?"

"My room," Kurogane replied, sounding relieved that Fai had decided not to push the subject. "I h-hope you're h-happy…Making me d-drag your s-stupid butt all the way home… forcing me to g-give you my bed…w-worrying m… my mom… and you own m-mom…"

"Oh, that's right!" Fai gasped. "I have to call her and tell her where I am…!"

"My mom already c-called her and…told her what h-happened. Sh-she said she'll be over as s-soon as your d-dad gets home from work with the c-car…" Kurogane assured him. Fai gave the other boy a small, apologetic smile, bringing his other hand, with difficulty, to rest soothingly on top of Kurogane's.

"I'm sorry for worrying you so much, Kurochuu," he whispered. "And thank you for taking care of me…"

Although Fai's wounds were still stinging painfully, he could tell that they had been medicated and bandaged and could feel the warm weight of several blankets spread over him. He also noticed with a start that his clothes had been changed as well; he knew that he hadn't gone to school wearing sweatpants and a tee-shirt.

"Tch…like I had a choice," Kurogane grumbled embarrassedly. "If you would have died… I probably would have been blamed for it, somehow…"

Fai smiled to himself; even though it was too dark for him to see, he could tell that Kurogane's face was bright red right now.

"Hey…what did you want to tell me before?" Kurogane asked eventually.

Fai's heart suddenly began to flutter nervously in his chest. He had no excuse not to tell Kurogane now. The mood and setting was perfect and there was no rush this time. The blond took a deep breath.

"Come a little closer," Fai whispered. "It's a secret."

Kurogane bent down, putting his ear closer to Fai's mouth. Fai hesitated for only a second before pressing his lips shyly against the dark-haired boy's cheek.

"I…I really like you, Kurochan."

Kurogane was frozen briefly from shock. He would be lying if he said that he hadn't been hoping to hear this from Fai, but he hadn't actually expected that it would happen.

"Tch," he said finally. "You're… you're so stupid…"

Fai grinned, hearing the pride and affection in Kurogane's voice. His breath caught in his chest as Kurogane touched his lips softly to his and gently caressed his face. And for the first time in his life, Fai felt that perhaps were was hope for him after all.


A/N: Hmm… how was that? Was it ok? I think so, right?

For those who haven't read the Horitsuba omakes, "Shaoron" is the AU name given to clone Syaoran. And if you were wondering, Mrs. Li is Sakura. She and Syaoran got married. Hurray.

Ok, I'm going back to studying now. For real this time. I ought to be back in about a week. Bye bye!