A/N: Um-kay, next chappie of the miniseries is here. I hope you like it!
Uneasy
"Kurogane, dear? Are you alright?" the queen asked her son worriedly.
Kurogane snapped out of his stupor and looked up at her. "Huh?"
"You've been in a daze since you came in for breakfast and you haven't complained about anything for a whole five minutes," she said. "Are you sick?"
"Tch. No," the prince sneered. "I'm just… thinking about something…"
Kurogane's father, the king, lifted his eyes from his plate to study his son, looking slightly amused. "Or maybe you're thinking about someone, eh son?"
Kurogane started, choking on his rice, and immediately he could feel his face getting hot. Oh god, his father had hit the nail right on the head! Had someone spilled the beans about his rather embarrassing run-in with Fai last night?! But who would…? Tomoyo! It had to have been her! When he caught that little snitch…
And what if his father had been watching him out on the training grounds that morning when he had been practicing his with his sword, and had witnessed Fai sticking his head out the window to wolf-whistle (if you could call that weird sound he made "whistling") at Kurogane when he had taken off his shirt?! He's father was going to think he was some kind of freak. Would he still be able to become a warrior if they thought he was that type of person? This was so, so bad…!
"Wh-what would you know about it?!" Kurogane managed finally.
The king threw back his head and laughed. "A father should be able to tell these things about his son! Besides, that's the very same look I used to wear when I was thinking about your mother, back before we got married! And your reaction just now completely ruined any chance you had of denying it!"
Kurogane clenched his teeth, bowing his head so that his blushing wouldn't be so obvious. Damn it, he was such a fool for answering like that! What the hell was wrong with him recently?!
"Who is she, son?" his father asked after his laughter had subsided.
The prince looked at him, totally clueless. "Who's who?"
"The girl you like, of course!" the king replied heartily. "Anyone I know? Or have the two of you been meeting in secret? Don't worry; you can tell me! I won't stop you!"
Kurogane opened his mouth but no words came. It was rather difficult to suppress his urge to sigh with relief; his dad had absolutely no idea. He had gotten all worked up over nothing.
"Oh, stop it," the queen scolded her husband playfully. "Can't you see you're embarrassing him? I'm sure whoever Kurogane has chosen to fall in love with is a very lovely girl."
The prince looked down at his plate again, thinking that at least she was right about the "lovely" part. He totally wasn't in love with Fai, of course, but if he were…
"Alright…" the king agreed somewhat reluctantly. "But if you ever need some advice on women, you come to your old man. I'll tell you what's what."
Feeling a little weirded out by that offer and not really sure how to reply, Kurogane went back to his breakfast. Not that he had anything against his dad, but the idea of going to him for tips on love just kind of put a bad taste in his mouth. Not that he needed that kind of advice anyway; he certainly wasn't in love now, nor did he have any plans to be later on.
His mother just giggled at the king's self-assuredness. "Maybe it's about time you gave our son The Talk, dear."
At those words, Kurogane suddenly lost his appetite. He knew it might be naïve of him to think that he could avoid The Talk forever, but he sure as hell planned to try. Quickly, the prince stood up from the table, mumbled "thanks for the food" and got out of the room as fast as he could without actually running. But he could still hear his parents laughing at him on his way out.
Fai hummed happily as he made his bed. It had been such a long time since he had a good night's sleep that he had almost forgotten what it felt like. And how refreshing it was not to wake up with a stiff back from sitting up against a wall or to find his face half submerged in muddy water. Not only that, but he had managed to get up just in time to catch some of the prince's morning sword practice outside his window. He giggled to himself as he recalled Kurogane's reaction to his wolf-whistle. Fai honestly didn't think he'd ever met anyone so entertaining. He wondered if perhaps his exploration of the palace today might allow them another meeting. That was when Fujitaka returned.
"I asked the king about giving you that job as an entertainer, Fai kun, and he said he'd be happy to," the man reported cheerfully. "And I brought your work clothes, though I'm afraid they might be a little big on you…"
Fai stared at him blankly, his head tilted to one side. Then he remembered the promise he had made just before falling asleep the previous night to become a royal entertainer. Fujitaka handed him his so-called work clothes and Fai looked over them curiously. Both the jacket and pants were made of a very smooth, light-weight blue fabric, possibly silk, and had gold trim. The jacket was embroidered with the shape of a phoenix on the back in gold, and had a high collar and sleeves that were close-fitting at the top and flared out at the ends. It terminated with what looked like formal coattails. The pants came with long, slender legs that puffed out at the bottom and then became narrow at the very ends to encircle the wearer's ankles.
"Tomoyo chan embroidered that design on the back of the jacket just for you, Fai kun," Fujitaka informed him. "I think it suits you very well, don't you?"
Fai nodded, speechless. Had Tomoyo somehow known that his symbol had always been the phoenix back home? He couldn't imagine how she could, but she could have chosen anything, any bird, to adorn the back of his jacket. How had she decided on the phoenix?
"Is something wrong?" Fujitaka asked, looking concerned.
Fai shook himself out of his daze and smiled quickly. "No, I was just thinking that Tomoyo chan really is amazing."
Fujitaka returned his smile. "Yes, our Tomoyo chan is a true prodigy."
Fai nodded and traced the phoenix design absent-mindedly with his finger.
"By the way, you're wanted in the practice hall as soon as you're ready so they can train you," Fujitaka told him.
"Hmm, I'm a little nervous," Fai admitted with an apologetic smile. "I hope they don't ask me to do anything too difficult."
"I'm sure you'll be fine, Fai kun," his guardian reassured him. "You're already so graceful; you should have no problem learning the routine. Now, why don't you go change into your work clothes and I'll take you to the practice hall. Everyone is very excited to meet you."
Fai took a deep breath, trying to calm himself as Fujitaka ushered him over to the bathroom to change. Suddenly, the image of Kurogane's flustered shouting face appeared in his mind, bringing a slight smile to Fai's lips. He hoped he got to see the prince on his way to the practice hall. If simply thinking about him had such a soothing effect on Fai's nerves, he was sure that seeing him would work even better.
The blond plucked at his new clothes as Fujitaka led him toward the practice hall, feeling slightly uncomfortable in them. Actually, he would have been just fine with wearing them if there was no one else around. But the thought of people watching him dance in this outfit made him feel kind of awkward and self-conscious.
The clothes were close-fitting, hugging his body and accentuating everything. Mostly, it was the pants that bothered him; they were extremely low-riding, sitting well beneath his navel. The fabric was flexible enough that he was pretty sure he didn't need to worry about them ripping, but if they slipped down any further… The jacket became rather narrow at his waist, the center-line parting a bit below his ribcage to show off his bellybutton. To tell the truth, his outfit was so open and lightweight that Fai felt a little bit chilly in them, though he supposed it could have something to do with nerves.
He was jerked out of his musings when Fujitaka stopped suddenly at a nearby door and knocked loudly. "Come in!" a young female voice called. Fujitaka pushed open the heavy, polished red door to reveal a spacious, high-ceilinged room with strong Asian-style décor. A waterfall cascaded down one wall into a pretty stream full of koi and various potted plants stood along the perimeter of the practice hall. The place was lit by paper lanterns which cast their warm glow over everything, giving the room a permanent evening feel.
Fai had to take these things in rather quickly because as soon as his fellow performers laid eyes on him, they swarmed around him like bees on a melting popsicle, chattering excitedly. They were all girls, he realized. Most of them were pretty young, some around his own age, though he didn't see any that looked a day older than twenty. Not that he had any problem with that, of course. Girls were so sweet and refreshing, qualities he would surely by grateful for in this strenuous line of work.
"Wow, he's gorgeous!" one girl gushed excitedly.
"Look at that blond hair! Is he a foreigner?" squealed another
"We've never had a boy performing with us before! I can't wait to see him in action!"
"What a great build! He'll fit in just perfect!"
"I call the first dance with him!"
"Take it easy on him, girls!" Fujitaka chided lightly, still smiling. "You don't want to scare him away, do you?" He looked down at Fai and ruffled his hair in a distinctly fatherly manner. "I wish I could stay and watch your first practice session, Fai kun, but I've got some work to do. Good luck, do your best. I'll leave him in your capable hands then, ladies. Try not to work him too hard."
The girls nodded agreeably as the advisor closed the door. As soon as he had gone, they all pounced on Fai again, knocking the little blond right off his feet, squealing with glee.
"What's your name?"
"How old are you?"
"How long have you been at the palace?"
"So many questions!" Fai laughed amiably, enjoying all the attention. "Let's see… My name is Fai, I'm eleven years old and this will be my first full day at the palace."
"Wow," one of the younger girls marveled, "you haven't even been here for a whole day and they're already putting you to work, huh? That's rough!"
"Oh, I don't mind it!" Fai assured them all cheerfully. "Even though I haven't been here that long yet, I already know I'm going to love it! Everyone is so nice! And I want to be friends with all of you, too. Why don't you tell me your names, alright?"
"My name is Sakura!"
"I'm Himawari!"
"I'm Sumomo!"
"Nakuru!"
"Suzuran!"
"Chii!"
"Rika!"
"Chiharu!"
"Wow, there sure are a lot of you," Fai remarked. "I hope I can learn all of your names quickly."
Nakuru nodded eagerly as she threw her arms around his shoulders in a sisterly embrace. Fai was a bit surprised by this sudden display of affection, especially when she began tracing his cheeks and ears lightly with her fingertip, apparently enthralled by the softness of his skin.
"So, Fai kun," Suzuran said with a grin, "Tomoyo chan came in this morning and told us that you've already had an encounter with the Savage Dog. Tell us all about it."
"Yeah, what happened?" Rika asked eagerly. "Tomoyo chan says that he actually liked you!"
"Savage Dog…?" Fai repeated questioningly. "I'm afraid I don't know who you're talking about."
"We meant Prince Kurogane!" all the girls answered at once (Kurogane, who was all the way on the other side of the palace, sneezed when his name was mentioned).
"Oh, Kurosama," Fai said, nodding, a smile spreading across his face at the memory of last night's encounter. "Yes, we met."
"Isn't he scary?" Sumomo cried, clutching her skirt instinctively.
"I think Prince Kurogane is cute," Himawari and Nakuru disagreed.
"Tomoyo chan said that his face was bright red the whole time he was in the room with you!" Suzuran recalled. "Maybe he has a crush on you, Fai kun!" (Kurogane sneezed again.)
"I don't think so," Fai said, though the very idea caused his grin to widen even further. "I think he was just nervous because I caught him hiding under the bed. He probably didn't want anyone to know he was there, so I think he was pretty surprised when I called him out."
"Why was he hiding under the bed?" Chiharu asked with a slight frown. "Was he in trouble or something?"
"Hmm… I'm not sure," Fai admitted, playing thoughtfully with a strand of his golden hair. "I guess I didn't really think about that last night."
"I'll bet he saw you coming into the castle and thought you were beautiful so he decided to follow you!" Sakura suggested.
"That's what I would do!" Nakuru chimed, nuzzling her cheek lovingly against Fai's hair.
"But Prince Kurogane has never shown any interest in any of us at all," Rika pointed out.
Suzuran giggled mischievously. "I guess that means our suspicions are confirmed, after all, huh, Nakuru chan, Himawari chan?"
"Mm? What suspicion would that be?" Fai asked.
The three girls beamed at each other. "Prince Kurogane swings the other way!" they sang in unison (Kurogane sneezed a third time and rubbed his nose irritably, thinking that he'd better not have caught a cold or else he was going to be pissed. Not that that was an uncommon emotion for him, but that was beside the point).
Fai giggled. The rest of the girls had mixed reactions to that claim; Sakura and Chii traded confused looks, Sumomo laughed and began a chorus of "he swings the other way! The other way!", and Rika and Chiharu's faces turned a bit red as they exchanged a quick glance and then looked determinedly at the floor.
"You know what this means, don't you?!" Suzuran asked excitedly, her hands clenching into determined fists.
"The kingdom is doomed?" Chiharu guessed.
"Someday we might have two kings rather than a king and a queen?" Nakuru volunteered.
"Panties?" Chii asked, still looking confused.
"We'll have to put our theory to the test!" Suzuran announced.
"How are we gonna do that?" Sumomo asked.
"I don't get it…" Sakura squeaked, mostly to herself.
"Once Fai kun learns the routine, we'll have to pay Prince Kurogane a visit and give him a surprise private show! Then all we have to do is watch him and see what he does when he lays eyes on our lovely Fai kun and we'll be able to tell!" Suzuran explained.
"But how can we get Prince Kurogane to watch our show?" Chii asked. "Prince Kurogane says that dancing is boring to watch."
"Tomoyo chan can arrange it for us," Himawari said brightly. "Prince Kurogane can never say no to her."
"What do you think, Fai kun?" Suzuran asked anxiously. "Will you do it?"
Fai looked around at their hopeful faces. He did want to see Kurogane again, and admittedly the idea of the prince having a crush on him made him feel all warm and bubbly inside. Plus, if he somehow managed to get Kurogane wrapped around his finger it would surely prove to be quite useful for his purposes…
Fai grinned. "Sound like fun to me!"
The girls cheered and jumped to their feet, all of them itching to get started on training Fai as soon as possible.
"Prince Kurogane!" Tomoyo called, poking her head into Kurogane's huge room.
The prince looked up at her from his studies, annoyed. "What do you want? I'm busy."
She smiled and let herself in, looking much too pleased about something. Immediately, Kurogane was suspicious.
"I just thought you might like to know that Fai kun managed to get a job in the palace," she said.
Kurogane blinked, momentarily speechless. "He…HE WHAT?!!"
"Oh yes, he's officially part of the royal entertainer staff now," Tomoyo chirped. "And just wait until you see him in his work uniform! He looks absolutely stunning! Ah, but you don't like to watch dancing, do you?"
"Don't tell me what I don't like!" he snapped. "I can decide that for myself!"
"Really? So you do want to see Fai kun in action?" she asked sweetly, tilting her head to one side.
Kurogane quickly realized that he had carelessly revealed his feelings again and tried to redeem himself. "Tch. Quit giving me that damn grin; it's not like that! I just want to be there to laugh at that idiot when he falls on his face!"
"Will you watch his first performance, then? He invited you and me for a private sneak preview," she said.
"…He did?" Kurogane asked, slightly surprised.
"Mm hmm, what do you say? Will you come, Prince Kurogane?"
He hesitated, his pride and his desire having an intense battle in his head. Finally, he said "Fine, whatever. I don't really care."
"Fai kun will be so glad to hear that!" Tomoyo giggled excitedly. "He said he'll be ready by eight o'clock tomorrow night. Don't forget, ok?"
Kurogane snorted; as if he'd forget something like that. Only because he wanted to see Fai make a fool of himself, of course. And he would never dream of trying to picture what Fai's lithe body would look like in one of those entertainer outfits.
"Ok…" Fai said slowly, nodding his head. "I think I've got it now."
"Alright!" Suzuran replied, looking impressed with how quickly he was able to get the act down. "Why don't you get in line with the rest of the row and try it from the top while I watch, then, ok?"
"But I'm confused…" Sakura said. "If we're doing a private show for Prince Kurogane to see if he watches Fai san, then why are we having Fai san stand in the back row? Shouldn't we put him in the front?"
"Silly girl," Nakuru scolded jokingly, tapping her on the nose. "If we put Fai kun in front, of course Prince Kurogane will watch him; anyone would! He stands out from the rest of us, see? But if we put him in the back, then he has no excuse to pay any special attention to him."
"Ah…I see!" Sakura trilled. "That was a pretty smart idea, Suzuran san!"
"Thanks," Suzuran beamed. "Now is everybody ready? I'm gonna start the music!"
As the song began, Fai listened closely, watching the two girls on either side of him out of the corners of his eyes while he waited for the cue. Once he started to move, he kept his eyes shut tight, concentrating as hard as he could on remembering the motions. The only time he opened them was when he forgot a move, though he usually managed to remember once his fellow dancers began to do it. Before he knew it, the song was over, and he was grinning as he struck the final pose.
"Great job, Fai kun!" all of them cheered. "That was almost perfect! You're a natural!"
"Now," said Himawari, clapping her hands together, "why don't you try it without closing your eyes so tightly? They're such a pretty color, Fai kun; it seems a shame to hide them."
Fai laughed and rubbed at the back of his head nervously as he took up his starting position again. When he imagined Kurogane watching again he smiled to himself slightly, wondering if the prince would be impressed. Fai decided to do everything in his power to see that he was.
Thanks to Tomoyo's little interruption, Kurogane found it almost impossible to concentrate on anything for the remainder of that day and well into the next. He found himself glancing up at the clock constantly, or drumming his fingers, or pacing. What in the world was he so anxious for, anyway? It wasn't like Fai had meant anything by inviting to watch this stupid thing; the prince knew perfectly well that the other boy was just trying to mess with his head. A few of those entertainer girls liked to give him crap, too, from time to time. They probably wanted him to come so they could make stupid jokes about him like they always did. Besides, he had never liked to watch dancing anyway. So why did it seem like he was almost looking forward to the performance? His obvious agitation became the talk of the dinner table again that night.
"Kurogane, don't gulp your food down like that, dear! You'll give yourself a stomach ache!" his mother warned. "Is something else bothering you now?"
"Oh, I get it!" his father interrupted before Kurogane could get a word in edgewise. "You must have a date set up for tonight with your mysterious little girlfriend! Is that it, son?"
"No!" Kurogane snapped through a mouthful of food. "And don't start that again!"
"Such a temper!" the king remarked amusedly, scratching his chin as his son glared at him. "Maybe something went wrong between you two and that's why you're so eager to get out of here, eh? Because you're still worked up over your little lovers' quarrel?"
"I said stop it!" Kurogane demanded.
"You should have come to me sooner, son! I know just the thing to get you back on her good side!"
Kurogane, quirked an eyebrow at him, curious in spite of himself. His father allowed himself smirk, pleased with himself for capturing his boy's attention, before elaborating.
"Just take her into your arms, hold her nice and close, then whisper in her ear 'I'm sorry for what I did. I really do love you.' And then, while she's still trying to decide whether she wants to believe you or not, kiss her neck a few times, really softly, whispering 'I love you' after each one. If she doesn't pull away, that's your cue that it's ok to start making your way up to her lips and give her a nice, big, wet smooch. Works every time. And if you're skilled at it like your old man used to be, you might even get lucky afterwards, if you know what I mean!"
There was a heavy silence in the air as Kurogane's head reeled. It wouldn't have been as bad if only his father hadn't added that last bit about 'getting lucky', which Kurogane understood far to well from some of the steamier comics in his manga magazine. Suddenly, the young boy's mind had been bombarded by two equally disturbing mental images. The first was of himself using those moves on Fai, and the second was of his father using them on his mother. Kurogane's chopsticks slid out of his numb fingers to clatter loudly on the polished tabletop. For a moment, he seriously wondered if it was possible to cause your children permanent paralysis and foaming at the mouth by inflicting these kinds of images on them.
"Oh no, I think you may have killed our son, darling," the queen giggled shyly. Apparently she was remembering some encounter with the king's reconciliation method from their younger days.
"Maybe he's frozen," his father said, pretending to be clueless. "The only thing that might thaw him out is a great big hug from his mom and pop!"
The two of them, laughing like idiots, reached out to embrace him from either side. Kurogane came to with an irrepressible shudder and hurriedly slipped out of his chair, darting out from under the table before they could get him. Even once he got back to his room and tried to distract himself by reading one of his manga magazines, the prince could still feel his skin crawling.
Kurogane thought he felt his heart skip a beat when he looked up at the clock and saw that the show was due to start in an hour. He began to put down his magazine, then paused. Of course he didn't want to show up early; then that stupid blond would probably think that he actually wanted to be there (pfft! Him, wanting to be there? As if!). But he had nearly been driven to insanity waiting for this since Tomoyo had told him that it was going to happen and if he had to wait one more second, he might just pop. That's how eager he was to see Fai…make a fool of himself when he messed up the routine.
Grinding his teeth, he looked around for something, anything, that could distract him for just a little while longer. He could change his clothes, but someone from the troop might have seen him earlier in the day and would notice that he was wearing something different. Knowing those girls, they wouldn't keep something like that to themselves; it would have to be broadcasted to the whole freaking palace. The same would go for putting on cologne. It wasn't his style so naturally it would stand out. Plus, it was weird for eleven-year-olds to wear cologne, no matter who they were. Eventually, he decided that he might be safe if he just brushed his teeth.
He wondered irritably as he squeezed some paste onto his toothbrush why in the hell he suddenly felt this incessant need to groom himself for something stupid like this, but the thought was pushed aside as he eyed a comb sitting out on the bathroom counter. Would it be too much to comb his hair? They might think it was weird; it was a well-known fact around the palace that Kurogane wasn't interested in boring things like primping.
Then boy glared at his reflection as something occurred to him: he was the prince, dammit, and if he felt like combing his hair then he could comb his hair. Stupid peasants should not have any power over what their future ruler felt like doing to his appearance. And if he felt like taking a bath right now, none of them could do a damn thing to stop him! In fact, he would do it just show them how little their petty opinions mattered to him. Emboldened by his own severe badass-ness, Kurogane rinsed his mouth and called a servant to fill the tub with hot water. He would show up smelling nice and looking good. That would show them!
"Fai kun! Finish up your bath or you're going to be late for your own performance!" Fujitaka called through the bathroom door. "You wouldn't want to make Prince Kurogane wait, would you?!"
"Almost finished, Fujitaka san!" Fai replied.
He was starting to feel nervous again. Even though he had managed to perfect the routine early in afternoon, he couldn't shake the feeling that something would go wrong somehow. These little spells of nervousness had attacked him at various points throughout the day and although he did a fairly good job of hiding the extent of his fear from his fellow performers, they had kept him from being able to eat much of anything that whole day. His stomach was too knotted with worry.
It wasn't so much the thought of the performance that scared him, although that certainly contributed to it. Mostly, it was the thought that he might not achieve his ultimate goal, a goal on whom the very life of another person depended on. That person's life… if it was lost because of Fai's insufficiencies, he didn't think he'd be able to live with himself. It was Fai's fault that that person was even in this dire situation; if he had just been able to do what had needed to be done in the first place, things would still be ok. And the more Fai thought about it, the more he realized that making Kurogane fall for him was the quickest way to fix what had happened. He had to get this performance right; he had to impress the prince.
The blond boy took a deep breath to help steady himself as he left the bathroom, said goodbye to Fujitaka, slipped on his shoes and scurried off down the corridor to the practice hall.
It wasn't until he was already standing outside the polished red door to the practice room that Kurogane started to seriously regret having bathed, brushed his teeth and combed his hair before coming. The feeling was triggered when he got close enough to be able to hear what was going on inside; the performer girls seemed to be rushing around making last minute preparations, chatting and giggling all the while. Kurogane sighed in frustration with himself; he had gone overboard in his effort to impress Fai and now it was pretty much too late to fix that.
He wondered for about the thousandth time why he was so desperate look good just for that stupid blond boy. He supposed it would make him seem all the more intimidating when Fai screwed up his dance and made a fool of himself. The prince scratched the back of his head awkwardly, thinking that maybe he could roll around on the ground a bit in order to grunge down his appearance a little and hopefully make his efforts less obvious.
Just as he was about to get down on the floor, the sound of bare feet running on tile met his ears. Kurogane looked around for the source of the noise. Fai was racing down the corridor toward the practice hall, still trying to do up the top button of his jacket. When he reached Kurogane's side, he stopped, slightly out of breath, his face a bit colored from running. Still, he somehow managed a grin that nearly made Kurogane's heart skip a beat. The young prince hurriedly crossed his arms and looked away as he felt his own face start to redden.
"Kurorin came," Fai panted, looking relieved.
"Tch! You've got a lot of nerve to address your prince so informally! It's Kurogane sama to you! And don't get the wrong idea, idiot," Kurogane growled, still not looking at him. "I'm just here to see you screw up and look like a moron."
Kurogane glanced at the other boy out of the corner of his eye to see him leaning against the wall, as if for support, swaying slightly and covering his eyes with his hand. He was struck by a pang of worry and reached out reflexively to offer his help. Then he noticed what Fai was wearing and froze, his face instantly turning scarlet. What the hell was up with that outfit?! The pants were so low that he could see the delicate contours of Fai's pelvic bone sticking out far above the waistline. His stomach was rather exposed, too.
"That's ok," Fai said eventually, regaining his smile, apparently oblivious to Kurogane's shock. "I'm still glad Kuropii is here."
Kurogane was so surprised by that answer that he didn't even scold Fai for the nickname and completely forgot about Fai's apparent dizzy spell. The blond's smile widened as he reached over to take Kurogane by the hand and pushed open the door, leading him inside.
Everyone stopped to watch them as they entered together, and Tomoyo, Suzuran, Himawari and Nakuru all burst out in a fit of delighted giggles when they noticed the two of them holding hands.
"No wonder they're a little late!" Nakuru squealed, clasping her hands joyfully. "They went on a secret date beforehand!"
Kurogane's blush returned in full force and he hurriedly shook his hand loose from Fai's. "Shut up! This dumbass just grabbed my hand suddenly! We sure as hell weren't on a date!"
"Oh, saving that for afterwards, then?" Tomoyo asked innocently.
"No!" Kurogane snapped. "There's no date!"
"Oh really?" Fai asked with a mischievous smile. "Then how come Kuromin put so much work into getting ready before the show, hmm?"
"I…I dunno what you're talking about!" the prince insisted unconvincingly.
"Kurochii smells good, like soap and mint toothpaste," the blond said, leaning in closer for a sniff. "Plus his hair looks extra soft, like he washed and even combed it a little. I'm so touched that Kurowanko would do all this for me!"
"I didn't do it for you!" the prince argued, his face still bright red. "I…my mom made me! And I told you to cut it out with the damn nicknames!"
"You two can continue your little love fight after the performance," Suzuran interrupted. "I'd like to get this show on the road."
Fuming, Kurogane allowed himself to be led by a still giggling Tomoyo over to one of the large red and gold seating cushions. He flopped down on one of them and watched sullenly as the performers rushed to their places. Fai was stationed in the back row. This caused Kurogane a strange pang, a mixture of disappointment and relief. Suzuran started the music and hurried to take her spot amongst the others. As soon as the music began to play, the performers sprang into action as though someone had suddenly pushed some giant magical on-switch.
Tomoyo was clearly liked what she saw; she was nodding her head in time with the music, a big smile on her face. Admittedly, Kurogane could see why she was impressed. All their movements were so smooth and graceful and fluid. And Fai looked absolutely stunning. No! the prince scolded himself sternly. Don't look at him! Reluctantly, he tore his eyes away from the blond and forced himself to watch the others. He was sure that if the rest of them noticed him staring at Fai like that, he'd never hear the end of it.
When Fai looked in Kurogane's direction, he felt a little jolt of disappointment to see that the prince wasn't watching him. Fai shook his head, telling himself not to get so worked up over it, but he couldn't help but continue to stare at Kurogane, willing him to look his way. Minutes passed, but the other boy didn't give him so much as a glance. Fai's heart clenched with desperation; Kurogane needed to watch him! He needed to fall for him! If he didn't, then that person might…
Fai felt faint, overcome by a mixture of disappointment, frustration, worry and overexertion on an empty stomach. He had been too nervous that day to eat much of anything and now it was taking its toll. Fai twirled in time with the rest of the performers but that pushed him over the edge, causing his dizziness to get the better of him and he fell forward against Sakura. The younger girl let out a little squeak of surprise and hurriedly turned around to help steady him.
Kurogane started when he noticed Fai falling and nearly jumped to his feet to grab him but he remembered himself at the last second and stayed put. The other performers immediately stopped to check on their fallen comrade, rushing to his side. Kurogane realized grimly as he watched the scene unfolding before him that this was exactly what he had told everyone, including himself, that he had come to see. It had really happened; Fai had more or less fallen flat on his face. Why didn't it feel as good to witness as he thought it would?
"Fai kun! What happened?!"
"Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine," Fai assured them with an apologetic grin, waving aside their worries. "I just lost my balance during that twirl, that's all. No need to worry…"
Kurogane, who had seen Fai being bothered by dizziness before they had even entered the room, folded his arms crossly and glowered at the blond. "You liar. You were dizzy back in the hallway, too. If something's wrong then just say it."
All of them stared at the prince in astonishment after this accusation. Kurogane felt heat rising in his face but managed to keep it under control, his glare fixed stubbornly on Fai as he waited for him to come clean.
Eventually, it was Sakura who finally broke the tension. "P-Prince Kurogane's right, Fai san… If something is wrong, then please tell us so that we can help you."
Fai looked awkward and a bit lost. "I…" His attempt at speech was interrupted when his stomach growled loudly, startling everyone. Kurogane clicked his tongue in exasperation as he got to his feet.
"Hmm, guess maybe I should have eaten something before I came, huh?" he laughed, looking slightly uncomfortable. He yelped in surprise when Kurogane stomped over and unexpectedly plucked him from the circle of girls. "Ku-Kurosama?!"
"Obviously if you're too much of a moron to take care of yourself, then someone else is gonna have to get involved," he growled. "Since everyone else is just sitting around and looking stupid, looks like it'll have to be me."
With that, he threw Fai over his shoulder and took him from the room without another word.
"I can walk by myself, Kuropun!" Fai insisted. "You don't have to carry me!"
Kurogane snorted derisively. "Are you honestly this much of a dumbass or are you just trying to piss me off? You just collapsed from hunger. I'm not letting you walk on your own, so just shut the hell up."
Fai lapsed into an uneasy silence, resigning himself to being carried.
"You still smell nice, Kuropyon," he said after a while, hoping to get a rise out of his companion and make things return to being at least partially normal.
Fai couldn't see Kurogane's face from where he was but he did notice with satisfaction that at least his ears were turning red.
"Shut up or I'll drop you!" he snapped.
Kurogane, for lack of a better alternative, took Fai to his room where he had some servants bring food for them. The prince had already eaten supper, but he felt awkward just sitting there and watching Fai eat. Having his own food didn't stop his eyes from being drawn irresistibly to the blond boy. He noticed Fai's hand shaking uncontrollably as he lifted a bite of food to his mouth. Fai was uncharacteristically silent while he ate, a distant look in his eyes that suggested that his mind was a thousand miles away.
"So what's your problem? How come you didn't eat earlier?" Kurogane said finally, jerking Fai out of his trance.
Fai shrugged easily. "I guess I just didn't have time with trying to get everything right for the performance."
Kurogane saw through that lie immediately. "You're lying again. I didn't see anyone else back there falling over."
Fai laughed nervously. "Hyuu, Kuromin catches me every time! You're amazing, Ouji-wanko!"
"Don't try to change the subject," Kurogane said sternly, fixing Fai with his scarlet gaze. "Just answer the question."
The blond's smile faded noticeably, though it didn't go away. He hesitated for a moment, seemingly trying to decide what answer would be best. "…I wanted the show to be perfect so that Kurokuro would be impressed. I suppose being all nervous like that made my tummy feel a little bit sick so I didn't feel like eating."
Kurogane stared. He wasn't sure what answer he had been expecting but that wasn't it. Why did Fai care if he was impressed?
"But I just ended up causing trouble for you…" Fai continued quietly. "I'm sorry, Kurotan."
Kurogane didn't know how to reply to that so he busied himself with his food and said nothing. Fai, apparently wanting to dispel the silence, looked around the room in wonder as he took another bite from his own plate.
"So this is Kurochan's room, huh? Not bad."
The prince blushed slightly but tried to shrug it off. "It's nothing special."
"And look at all your toys!" the other boy marveled. "I bet you never get bored, do you, Kuronta?"
"You can have some if you want," Kurogane said dismissively. "I dunno why my parents keep buying me this crap; I'm too old for toys."
"Silly Kuromun! You're never too old for toys," Fai grinned. Then his grin faded to be replaced with a nostalgic look. "But I guess it's true that you never really appreciate what you have until it's gone."
Kurogane frowned at him, getting the distinct feeling that Fai was speaking from experience. The blond cleared his plate not bothering to elaborate further, his eyes becoming distant once more. Once he was done, Fai hitched his smile back in place and got to his feet.
"Well, thanks for the food, Kurorinta," he said. "I'm sorry about the performance…"
"Hold on," the prince growled. "You didn't think I was just gonna let you have that food for nothing, did you?"
Fai stared, his mouth open slightly as he searched for some reply though nothing came.
"Try again," Kurogane ordered, folding his arms behind his head and leaning his back against the wall.
"Huh?" Fai asked, thoroughly confused.
"You said the reason you didn't eat before was because you wanted the performance to be perfect," Kurogane reminded him. "It didn't turn out the first time, so try again."
"You… you want me to dance?" the boy asked, his eyes round with shock. "Now? By myself?"
"I can have one of the servants go get the music from the practice hall," Kurogane said.
Fai blinked at him in surprise a few more times, then a smile spread across his face. "Hmm, alright then."
Kurogane called for a servant and sent them to retrieve the enchanted music box that the entertainers had been using earlier. When the servant returned, the blond boy took the music box and set it on the dresser, opening the lid to start the song. This time, the prince allowed his focus to settle on him, no longer inhibited by the possibility of the girls teasing him for doing so. Fai danced, and even Kurogane had to admit, though only to himself, that maybe he didn't completely hate it.
A/N: Humm… I kind of feel like nothing really happened in that chapter… I don't know though; what do you think?
