A/N: Ta-da! Finally, the first chapter of the story I promised Roxie Archer! It's about time, huh? Sorry it took so long, but planning the plot for this story has given me some major ouchies on my brain. I went through so many ideas and did so much research… I just hope this doesn't disappoint!
Roxie Archer was one of the two winners of the reader challenge and therefore was allowed to make a request. The request is as follows: "I like elves. So could you write an AU where Fai is an elf, please. A place where different races and cultures clash, where Fai finds himself in Kurogane's world of humans who don't always accept other races. For Kurogane, it's a bit of a culture shock; Fai has his own ways and mannerisms and a past he won't talk about but Fai gets to him, as Fai always does, and before long he is important to Kurogane. I think I actually wanted the light and fluffy parts drabbled throughout so that they stand out more, are more appreciated, you know? So that their relationship isn't taken for granted. (not "drabbled" as in 'not many of them' but not so much that it's all fluff and nothing else.) The light and fluffy parts further the plot by furthering their relationship. And then not so much plot that it takes the focus away from their relationship. I wanted the state of the world to be apparent and to affect them but the story to be about Kuro and Fai who live in that world. More, maybe, drama and mystery with underlying angst than actually dark. How, exactly, Fai and Kurogane cross paths I leave up to you. But please something with a happy ending and a little drama."
I rewrote this chapter at least five times before I came up with this version, so I hope this turned out alright. Since the request is a bit involved, it looks like this will be my next mini-series endeavor. Ok, definition time, provided by :
Foment [foh-ment] –verb 1 to instigate or foster (discord, rebellion, etc.); promote the growth or development of: to foment trouble; to foment discontent. 2 to apply warm water or medicated liquid, ointments, etc., to (the surface of the body).
Enjoy!
Foment
"That's enough for today," Kurogane grunted to his two employees. "I'll finish the rest; you guys can go."
"Are you sure, Kurogane san?" Syaoran asked. "We haven't fed the chickens yet."
"And the horses still have to be brushed," Watanuki added.
"I said I'd take care of it," Kurogane said, folding his arms stubbornly. "You guys are probably going to the Martinmas feast (1) in town tonight, right? If you don't leave now all the good food'll be gone by the time you get there."
"Aren't you going?" Watanuki asked. "The fast starts tomorrow, you know."
Kurogane snorted. "I don't do that fasting crap. It's a waste of time. If you don't eat right, you won't have enough energy to work."
"I guess so…" Syaoran agreed hesitantly.
"Get going, then," the older man urged.
"Thank you, sir!" the two boys said gratefully, bowing.
Kurogane huffed and rolled his eyes as his two young employees scampered off into the deepening darkness. With a sigh, he headed off toward the chicken coop. He paused when he saw his dog, Inuki, sniffing curiously at the air just inside the fence.
"Inuki," Kurogane said warningly. Inuki sniffed the ground around the fencepost, pacing back and forth, then turned his nose to the air again and growled. "Inuki!"
It looked like that crazy dog of his was planning to jump the fence. Surprisingly, Kurogane didn't really feel like forcing his way through waist-high grass to chase after him. Inuki was a pretty disciplined dog, so he must be catching a whiff of something pretty interesting for him to ignore Kurogane's orders so blatantly. Kurogane went over to shoo his dog away from the fence but before he could reach him, Inuki leapt over the fence and bounded through the tall grass, barking wildly.
"Dammit, Inuki!" Kurogane snarled, tearing after him. "Inuki! Oi! Get back here!"
Inuki continued to ignore him, barking loudly, excitedly. It wasn't until they reached the edge of the field that the dog finally shut up in favor of sniffing something on the ground eagerly.
"Stupid dog," the dark-haired man grumbled, approaching his pet with the intention of grabbing his collar and dragging him back home. Then he frowned. What was that thing lying on the ground up ahead? It didn't look like a rock, or a clump of leaves. Actually, it looked a bit like an animal, perhaps a dog or a stray sheep… or maybe even a person; it was too dark to be sure. It was lying perfectly still, leading him to believe that it was either seriously injured or dead. He approached it curiously.
As he got closer, Kurogane realized that the figure was, in fact, human, though the lighting was so poor he couldn't tell whether it was male or female. He dropped to his knees beside the figure and lowered his ear to their chest. The person was breathing, but it was pretty faint. Kurogane cursed under his breath and gathered the slender, shaking body into his arms. Inuki yipped excitedly and tried to jump and give the person a warm, doggy welcome which would involve much sniffing and licking. Kurogane swatted at the dog impatiently.
He started when his fingers found a warm and wet area on the body and he shifted the person's weight onto one arm so that he could examine his hand. It was covered in a dark, slightly sticky liquid. If there had been enough light, he suspected he would have found the stuff to be red. Kurogane cursed again. This person was in bad shape; if he didn't do something quick, there was a good chance they would die. Holding the delicate figure in his arms as carefully as he could, Kurogane continued on towards his home as fast as his legs would carry him.
It wasn't until Kurogane reached his house, started a fire in the grate and lit a few candles that he realized the extent of the person's injuries. The clothes were extremely tattered, revealing horrible, bloody welts all over the place. It looked as though the wounds had been inflicted mainly with a whip, though there were also a stunning number of bruises which may have been caused by stoning and Kurogane was pretty sure the person's arm was broken. Inuki scratched and whined outside the front door, scandalized that Kurogane was trying to keep their new guest all to himself.
The dark-haired man carefully brushed aside the person's golden hair (which was also bloody in some places) to study the face. He had to admit that he was stunned as he viewed the lovely fair skin and elegant features. Yet even now that he was getting a good look at the person's face, he still wasn't completely sure whether he was looking at a man or a woman. Still cradling the battered figure carefully, he dug his spare futon out of the closet and unrolled it in front of the fire, covering it with towels to protect it from bloodstains. Kurogane laid the person down carefully with a sigh. It looked like he would need to warm up some water; if he didn't clean and dress those wounds, they would get infected for sure. What a hassle. Kurogane went back outside and shooed Inuki away from the door so that he could draw water from the well in his yard.
Once the water had been brought to a suitably warm temperature, he brought a bowl and rag over to his patient's bedside and began to carefully unbutton the torn shirt so that he could better access the injuries. Kurogane's eyes widened slightly in surprise when the shirt was removed, revealing the flat chest of a man. The person was so beautiful and petite, he had been almost certain that it was a woman. He shook his head slightly; this was no time to let his mind wander. Kurogane dipped the rag in the warm water and began to gently clean away the blood.
The dark-haired man had seen his share of fights, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone with such severe wounds. This guy must have pissed off the wrong people pretty badly. As he worked, Kurogane tried to guess what the other man might have done to incur such wrath. Perhaps he had been accused of witchcraft. No, that couldn't be it; if that was the case, whoever had done this to him would have made absolutely certain that he was dead before leaving him. Perhaps he was a thief. But if that were true, he would most likely be in jail after his beating. Perhaps he had gotten a little too fresh with a nobleman's daughter… or son, even. If his looks were anything to go on, Kurogane wouldn't have been too shocked if the guy turned out to swing the other way. It was a possibility, he decided.
Kurogane was still deep in speculation as he began to wash the blood from the man's soft blond hair, so when he felt something long and soft and pointed on the side of his patient's head he hardly noticed at first. It was pressed against his hand for as long as five minutes before he pulled out of his musings enough to wonder what exactly he was touching. Kurogane frowned slightly as he separated the hair carefully. When he realized that the long pointed thing was the man's ear, he started so violently that he upset the bowl of water. Shit! This guy, this thing… was an elf!
Kurogane's stomach churned with revulsion, shock and outrage. Elves… what a disgusting race! Thanks to them, his family had been torn apart, and yet he had been so stupid and blind as to rescue one from outside, bring it into his house and begin to care for it and clean its wounds! The thought filled him with an almost blinding rage. Well, now that he had realized his mistake, he had no choice but to correct it; this foul creature would have to die. And once he was done killing it (which he would do with great enjoyment) he would sterilize himself the best he could, burn the futon it was lying on and the rag he had used to wash its injuries and have the local priest come and perform a cleansing ritual on his house as soon as possible.
The dark-haired man marched over to his kitchen area and seized his sharpest knife. He knelt down beside the thing and raised his knife, ready to put it out of its misery. Just as Kurogane was about to plunge the blade into the elf's heart, some distant memory from his childhood stirred in the back of his mind, causing him to hesitate. The memory in question was of a lesson at school when they had discussed elves. It was rare that Kurogane remembered things that he had learned in school so long ago (especially since he had spent more time doodling and making paper airplanes than actually listening) but for some reason, something was suddenly coming back to him.
There were two kinds of elves: light elves and dark elves. Light elves were beautiful, with fair hair and skin; they were guardians of nature and were usually benevolent (unless you did something to anger them). Dark elves had dark hair and eyes and performed even darker deeds. The dark elves were the ones who stole human children and replaced them with changelings, and brought sickness and death to humans and livestock.
Kurogane's eyes scanned the elf before him, taking in the pale skin and blond hair and lowered his knife slowly. This elf was clearly one of the light variety; there was no mistaking it. He was not part of the evil race that was responsible for what had happened to Kurogane's family. Kurogane's instincts told him to kill the thing anyway. The only good kind of elf, in his book, was a dead elf.
Then again, he had also heard tales throughout his life of people who were blessed with good luck for helping an elf. Heaven knew he could use a bit of good luck. Hesitantly, Kurogane got to his feet again and put the knife away so that he could return to treating him. He supposed that he would take care of the elf for now, but he would definitely be using his day off tomorrow to go talk to someone with more experience in these matters to make sure he was remembering his facts correctly.
A low, quiet sound awoke Kurogane in the middle of the night. It sounded like it was coming from somewhere near the fireplace where the elf was resting. He rubbed his eyes and hauled himself out of bed to check out the situation. The fire he had built in the grate before bed had died down to mere embers, but the dark-haired man could see that the elf still hadn't opened his eyes, though he was moaning and stirring restlessly. Kurogane reached out and touched the blond's face and sighed when he realized that his patient had a high fever. It was probably his body's way of dealing with the shock of the abuse it had been forced to deal with.
Kurogane retrieved a cool, damp cloth and spread it out on the delicate elf's burning forehead. The elf jerked when the wetness touched his skin, causing Kurogane to also start in surprise. His patient made a blind grasp in Kurogane's direction, catching hold of his strong, calloused hand. The slender, bandaged fingers gripped it weakly, and the touch seemed to calm the elf because he began to breathe a little easier.
Kurogane felt slightly awkward with a total stranger holding his hand in the middle of the night in almost total darkness, but he dealt with the mild discomfort for the elf's sake. The guy had clearly been through hell already and Kurogane figured that the least he could do was allow him this little bit of comfort. He reached up with his other hand and brushed the blond bangs aside carefully, his hand skimming one of the elf's long, pointed ears. He frowned slightly when he felt something cool and hard there that he hadn't noticed earlier.
Kurogane ran his fingers over it. It was too dark to see, but it felt like an odd sort of earring. His fingernail found a couple fine grooves in it. There was probably something engraved in the metal. Kurogane was prevented from further examination when the elf flinched away from the hand at his ear and shuddered. It seemed that he didn't like having his earring touched. The dark-haired man reluctantly drew his hand away. When it seemed that the elf had calmed down sufficiently, Kurogane carefully set down the hand he had been holding and returned to his own bed.
Kurogane stopped outside his front door, folding his arms and glaring at Yuuko as she paused to scratch Inuki behind the ears. Nothing pained him more than having to bring that stupid bitch into his house but he simply couldn't think of anyone who might be more knowledgeable. As a witch, and therefore, as Kurogane had so tactfully put it, "a weird-ass magical creature", it was only logical that she would know a thing or two about other "weird-ass magical creatures". Besides, as much as Kurogane hated to admit it, she seemed to know about pretty much everything else under the sun. She ought to be able to help him figure out what to do about the elf.
Normally, those who were suspected of witchcraft were dealt with swiftly and severely, but Yuuko had proven herself highly useful to the king and villagers (not to mention clever enough to outwit anyone who might try to do her in for being a witch) and was allowed to stay. That was why he had brought her to his house. He hadn't had any medication to use on the elf's wounds when he had doctored them the previous night and with the way things were going, it looked like the blond might die if he didn't do something. He had been sweating buckets when Kurogane had checked on him that morning. Plus Kurogane didn't know how he was supposed to get him to eat when he hadn't even regained consciousness yet, and the guy didn't look like he could afford to miss any meals.
"Well, what are waiting for?" Yuuko asked. "Let me in."
"Hold it, you," he growled. "Lazy bastard hasn't opened his eyes yet and by the looks of things he needs the rest. So you better be quiet while we're in there. Don't go waking him up."
Yuuko pinched his cheeks and stretched them in punishment. "How rude! Here I am, coming all this way just to help you out of the goodness of my heart and you speak to me as if I'm some delinquent child!"
Kurogane swatted her hands away angrily. "Don't give me that 'out of the goodness of your heart' bullshit! You're charging me a whole freaking cow worth of salted beef for this!"
"That included the price of the medicine, too, you know," she reminded him sharply. "This medicine isn't easy to produce. Quit making me out to be so stingy when I'm giving you a discount."
"A discount?!" Kurogane howled. "That's practically a whole month of food! How the hell is that a discount?!"
"If you'd rather ask someone else for help, then by all means, go ahead," Yuuko suggested with an evil grin as she poked him in the chest.
Kurogane gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. Both of them knew that wasn't an option. Plus, the fewer people that found out he was harboring an elf, the better. Elves were generally feared and despised by most people. "Hmph. Just don't wake him up, that's all."
"It seems to me that you're the one who's most likely to wake him up with that uncontrollable temper of yours," she jibed as he opened the door to let her in. He wanted to snap back at her but that would only prove her point so he simply glared at her.
Yuuko crossed the room to the elf's side in four graceful strides and knelt down beside him so she could begin to examine him.
"He's in bad shape," she said quietly. "If you hadn't picked him up last night, he would probably be dead by now."
Yuuko lifted her gaze to meet Kurogane's eyes with the barest hint of a smile on her face. "I'm a bit surprised, to tell the truth. Considering your personal experience with elves, I would have thought that you would have finished him off rather than bringing him inside and trying to help him get back on his feet again."
"Hmph," Kurogane grunted. "If I'd known he was an elf when I saw him lying there, I might have killed him. But he's a light elf, right? So he's not on of the guys responsible for what happened to me."
Yuuko watched him in thoughtful silence for a moment. "I see…" She lowered her eyes to look at the elf again, took one of his slim-fingered hands and carefully unwrapped the bandages to reveal his palm. "You reached that conclusion even after seeing this?"
Kurogane frowned as he knelt down beside her to have a closer look at the elf's hand. When he saw the odd, bat-shaped mark there, he felt as though his heart might have stopped. "That mark…!" he choked, the blinding rage that had seized him when he had realized that his patient was an elf filling him once more. "She…that thing from before had one just like it!"
"So you didn't notice it, then?" Yuuko asked calmly.
Kurogane didn't answer; he just got to his feet to retrieve his knife again, meaning to finish the elf for real this time.
"Just a moment, Kurogane," she said in such a sharp voice that even Kurogane, who was deep in the depths of torment and rage over having seen that blasted mark, paused to hear her out. "Look at the mark a bit more closely. It's different than hers."
Kurogane returned to her side and forced himself to look at that cursed thing one more time. Now that he was looking at it properly, he realized that the witch had a point; it was a little different than the one he had seen before.
"Dark elves are born with this mark on them," Yuuko explained. "This elf's mark has been burned into his skin by a branding iron."
Kurogane was silent for a moment as he tried to figure out the significance of this information. "Meaning what?" he asked.
"To say that I know of his precise circumstances would be a lie," she admitted. "However, I can offer you my expert opinion. For a dark elf to brand a light elf, whom they envy and despise with their entire being, with the mark of their species, which they take so much pride in, they must have considered him to be theirs."
"If you have a point, then make it," Kurogane snarled dangerously.
Yuuko looked briefly exasperated at his slowness. "You are a farmer, are you not? What does it mean when a farmer brands one of his cattle?"
"…It means he owns it," he replied thoughtfully. "So then this guy was like a possession to those twisted bastards?"
"That would be my guess," she confirmed. "Now that you are aware of the connection between this child and the dark elves, do you still wish to help him?"
Kurogane thought about this for a moment. "Hmph. Looks like both of us have been exploited by those dark elf assholes."
"So you will continue to take care of him, then?" Yuuko asked.
"Yeah," the dark-haired man decided. "Maybe I can get some information out of him about those guys."
"Very well." Yuuko turned her attention back to the injured elf and continued to examine him. "He's nearly dehydrated. It looks like it's been a while since his last proper meal, too. He's too weak to feed himself; you'll have to do it for him."
Kurogane stared at her blankly. "How?"
"You'll probably have to chew his food up for him and spit it into his mouth," Yuuko shrugged.
Kurogane choked. "H-hold on… I must've heard you wrong. You want me to what?!"
"I said 'you'll probably have to chew his food up for him and spit it into his mouth'," she repeated. "It's not that big of a deal."
"Are you kidding?!" he hissed, trying to express his indignity yet simultaneously keep his voice down. "That's disgusting! It's like I'm kissing him and barfing into his mouth at the same time!"
"It's either that or he dies of starvation," Yuuko pointed out. "If you wish to save this child, you need to be willing to take the necessary steps. You don't have to do the same thing to get him to drink; you can just help him sit up and tip some water down his throat. Besides," she grinned, "at least he's good looking, right?"
"Tch! Like that has anything to do with it!" Kurogane spat, his flushed face revealing the fact that he secretly agreed with her.
"If you say so," she smirked knowingly. "Just so you know, most elves don't care much for meat so it's best to feed him mainly fruits and vegetables."
"Doesn't matter what he likes if he's unconscious," Kurogane mumbled.
"Now for the medication," Yuuko continued, acting like she hadn't heard him. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a bottle of medicate lotion which she pressed into Kurogane's hand. He looked at the bottle in disgust. It was tall, slender, pink and sparkly. The dark-haired man was pretty sure he'd rather do the kiss/barf thing with the elf then let anyone catch him with this stupid bottle in his possession. Ok, maybe not, but he was still highly displeased.
"Couldn't you have picked a bottle that was a little less…sissy?" he asked in revulsion.
"What was that?" Yuuko asked airily. "I couldn't hear you because you were mumbling."
Kurogane gritted his teeth again in frustration, knowing that if he repeated it any louder he risked waking the elf.
"That medicine needs to be applied to his injuries every day for the first week when you change his bandages. Make sure that you wash all his wounds with warm water before applying it," she instructed. "After the first week, you can cut down on it. Three times a week should be good enough. By that time, you won't have to wash his wounds anymore. If you do everything right and give him food and drink regularly, he should regain most of his strength by the end of the second week."
"I have to keep this shit up for two freaking weeks?!" Kurogane hissed in outrage. "I don't have time for that! It's blood month!" (2)
"I'm sorry to hear that, but if you want him to get better, then that's what you'll have to do," Yuuko said bossily.
"What a pain in the ass," he huffed. "All this work for a damn elf… I better get a pretty freaking huge pot of gold for this."
Yuuko giggled. "Leprechauns," she said.
"Hah?"
"Leprechauns do the pot of gold thing; not elves," she corrected him, getting to her feet as she prepared to take her leave.
"Whatever," he muttered disinterestedly as his guest opened the front door and stepped through it. Yuuko was just about to close the door behind her when she remembered something and looked at him over her shoulder with a smug little smirk. "Oh, and you'll want to give him food and water as soon as possible. Good luck!"
Kurogane replied with a very dog-like snarl as she waved cheekily and closed the door with a little snap. Once she was gone, he heaved a sigh and looked down at the petite elf, scratching the back of his head awkwardly as his face grew hot. He knew that he was being a bit stupid about this whole feeding business. Obviously, the elf needed food and water in order to live and he had accepted the role of caretaker when he had picked him up the previous night. Besides, the elf was unconscious and there was no one else around to witness the feeding. Telling himself these things didn't stop his face from burning and his stomach from filling with butterflies at the thought of doing what Yuuko had described.
Kurogane went to his kitchen area, trying to decide what would be best for their first meal together. The elf was pretty weak, so it should probably be something that was easily digested. That ruled out meat, then. Fruit would most likely be his best bet, and maybe some bread. Kurogane cut a small piece from the long loaf of bread sitting out on his counter and selected two of the peaches that Syaoran and Watanuki had picked from the trees on his farm the previous day and brought them over to the elf. He had been planning to sell those peaches but he figured he could spare a few.
Kurogane set the things down on the floor and, with all the care he possessed, scooped the elf into his arms. This drew a small moan of protest from the other male as his wounds were disturbed by the movement. Kurogane allowed him to rest his head against his shoulder and eased his patient's mouth open, his heart pounding almost painfully against his ribs. His hands shook as he picked up the piece of bread, took a small bite and proceeded to feed the blond. Kurogane did his best not to think about what he was doing as it made his skin crawl, but thanked god that at least the elf was swallowing it easily enough. He didn't know what he would have done if he'd found out that the blond wasn't even capable of doing that much.
Once the bread was gone, he moved on to the peaches. Kurogane bit into the first one and almost spat it back out again. It had been such a long time since he actually ate a peach that he'd forgotten just how sickeningly sweet they were. He clamped his eyes shut against the revolting sweetness and forced himself to bear the flavor for the blond's benefit. While Kurogane was trying not to gag, the elf seemed to like the peaches far more than the bread. He opened his mouth on his own to accept the fruit and swallowed it eagerly. Fortunately, the blond's cooperativeness allowed Kurogane to finish feeding him the stuff much more quickly.
As soon as it was over, Kurogane carefully laid the elf down again and leaned back against the wall with a sigh, trying to restore his heartbeat to its normal pace. To be completely honest, that could have gone a lot worse. He could have found out the hard way that elves couldn't stomach human food, or the elf could have woken up in the middle of the feeding process. Really he ought to consider himself lucky that nothing like that had happened. Not only that, but the beautiful elf's lips had been pleasantly soft and warm (not that Kurogane had tried to let their lips touch, but it had happened accidentally a few times). Kurogane groaned and smacked his head against the wall in punishment for allowing himself to even think such a thing.
Well, as long as he was already next to the elf and had time, Kurogane figured that he might as well apply the medicine and change his bandages. Remembering Yuuko's instructions on how to doctor the wounds, Kurogane drew some water from the well and started a fire in the grate so that he could heat it. As he was waiting for the water to heat up, he sat beside his patient and parted the hair that obscured his left ear, wanting to have a closer look at the earring he had noticed there last night. It was an unusually wide gold band, about a fourth of an inch in width, with the number 200 engraved in the metal and next to it was that hideous bat-shaped mark again.
Kurogane ground his teeth at the sight of the mark. It had been quite a while since he had last seen it, maybe ten years or so, but no matter how much time passed, he doubted he would ever forget that symbol. He had been on the lookout for anyone who bore it ever since, but he had never really expected to see it again. Considering the circumstances in which he had encountered that mark, Kurogane seriously doubted that this elf had been through exactly the same thing that he had but he was willing to be that whatever happened to him had been just as bad, if not worse (though Kurogane wasn't sure that was possible).
He shook his head, trying to free himself from the grip of the painful memories that were bubbling to the surface of his mind and threatening to overtake him as he removed the pot of water from the fire. The dark-haired man scooped some of the warm water into the basin, retrieved the rag and loathsomely girly bottle containing the medication and sat at the elf's side, gently removing his clothing to expose the injuries.
As Kurogane began to wash the wounds, he noticed yet another unusual thing about his patient. In addition to the outrageous number of gashes and bruises he had now, there were also many older scars covering his delicate back and shoulders. Kurogane traced one lightly with his fingertip, drawing a weak shiver from the feverish elf. Apparently, this wasn't his first time being whipped. Judging by the fact that some of the scars looked older than others, it would seem that this was a rather frequent occurrence for him. What in the world had happened to this guy? Realizing that the only way that he would ever know for sure was to help him get better so that he could ask him, Kurogane uncorked the medicine bottle and began to dab it on.
"Oi, it's break time, you two," Kurogane said to his two farmhands.
Syaoran and Watanuki both sighed and trudged out of the barn after their boss, following him to the well for a drink of water.
"What's up?" Kurogane asked gruffly, noticing that the two of them seemed unusually dispirited.
"Eh?" Syaoran squeaked, starting in surprise. "Oh, n-nothing!"
Kurogane narrowed his eyes suspiciously and turned his gaze to the slightly older boy.
"Well?" he prompted.
Watanuki looked uncomfortable, knowing that his boss would probably scoff if he told him what was bothering them. But with the way Kurogane was looking at them, Watanuki figured he would be even more irritated if they acted like nothing was wrong.
"Er… It's not a big deal or anything," the bespectacled boy said. "We just don't like blood month very much."
Kurogane snorted as he dropped the bucket into the well. "Guess you picked the wrong job, then."
"Oh no, we like our jobs just fine!" Syaoran assured him. "It's just this part; it's kind of…"
This time, Kurogane was silent. He understood what they meant; they liked caring for animals and not killing them. He had gotten that vibe from them when he had first met them and that was the reason he had chosen to offer them jobs on his farm. Kurogane couldn't exactly mock them for displaying the qualities that had caused him to hire them in the first place.
"Well, if we didn't do it this way, they'd die of slowly of starvation," Kurogane explained grimly. "At least this is quick and painless… Dying a slow, painful, drawn-out death is the most degrading thing that can happen to a living creature."
His voice was so dark and bitter when he said this that it startled the two boys.
"Kurogane san…?" Syaoran said softly.
"Anyway, you two better hurry up and eat if you want to be able to finish before break's over," Kurogane mumbled, turning his back on them as he went into his house to have his own lunch and give the elf his. The two boys looked at each other in puzzlement. Usually, the three of them ate lunch together but it seemed that their conversation just now had somehow touched a sore spot in the older man. Syaoran and Watanuki sat down against the well in a depressed sort of silence and began to eat their lunches.
Kurogane heaved a sigh as he locked his front door behind him, separating himself from his two younger employees. Why did it seem like all of a sudden so many of his painful memories had been forced to the forefront of his mind again? He rested his forehead against the cool wood of the door, closing his eyes as he tried to get a hold of himself. The elf needed to be fed, and he could use some food for himself as well. Kurogane glanced in the elf's direction with a slight frown.
Although the elf was clearly starting to regain his strength, he still (at least to Kurogane's knowledge) hadn't opened his eyes yet. Kurogane had never looked after someone who was in such bad shape before, but this struck him as odd. It had been twelve days since he had taken the blond into his care. Shouldn't he have woken up by now? Perhaps Kurogane wasn't doing everything right after all. Well, for right now all he could do was feed him. He could go ask Yuuko's advice again once he was done with work. The dark-haired man went to get some carrots and peaches for the elf's lunch.
That was when he heard something unexpected; some rustling, a quiet yawn and a small groan. Kurogane whirled around and started violently when he saw the elf sitting up and stretching his battered arms gingerly above his head. His patient was awake at last. The elf rubbed his eyes sleepily.
"Mm, that sure was a nice nap!" he said lightly, acting as though he had merely nodded off for an hour or two rather than having been in a deep sleep for almost two full weeks after having just barely escaped death.
All Kurogane could do was stare stupidly.
"Good morning," the elf chirped at him with a sunny smile. "Are you the one who's been taking such good care of me these past couple of days?"
Kurogane nodded wordlessly, wondering how this guy could possibly be so cheerful and at ease in his situation.
"Thank you very much!" the blond trilled. "I really appreciate your help; I sure would have been in a pinch if it weren't for you!"
"'In a pinch'?!" Kurogane sputtered. "You nearly died, you idiot!"
"Ah yes, sorry about that," he grinned, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "But I think I'll be alright now, thanks to you! Why don't you come a little closer so I can see your face?"
"Tch. I thought elves were supposed to have stronger senses than humans," Kurogane sneered.
"Hmm, normally, yes," the elf agreed, still grinning. "But I'm afraid I'm still not fully recovered yet. I guess being asleep for so long must've made my eyes a bit weak, hmm?"
Kurogane snorted derisively and came over to kneel at his patient's bedside. The elf rubbed his eyes again and looked upon the face of his rescuer for the first time. Apparently, something about Kurogane's appearance startled him because he jumped in shock and his grin vanished immediately. Kurogane was a little indignant. He never put much effort into his own appearance, but he had always thought of himself as being pretty decent looking. He admitted that many people probably considered him to be rather intimidating but surely this guy was taking things just a little too far. The elf looked like he was suddenly on the verge of tears. Kurogane was surprised, therefore, when he reached out with his delicate, slender, bandaged fingers and touched his cheek gently.
"K-Kurosama…Kurogane…" the elf choked. "I…is that really you?"
"Huh?" Kurogane said numbly, his own eyes widening. What was going on here? How had that elf known his name? Was this some kind of joke or something? Judging by the mixture of shock, pain and hopefulness on the blond's face, it seemed that it was no joke. "Well, yeah, that's me, but…"
"Kurosama!" The elf suddenly launched himself at his caretaker, wrapping his arms around him in a hug and burying his face in the crook of his neck. "Kurosama… I…I've missed you so much!"
A/N: (1) Martinmas- a medieval holiday which involves a feast before a forty day fast in honor of St. Martin. Although this is technically a Christian holiday, I didn't intend for it to have any religious connotations here.
(2) Blood month- November; so called because by this time of the year, it was usually too cold for farmers to continue growing feed for their animals so they were forced to slaughter them and cure, salt or smoke the meat at this time so that they would be able to sustain themselves and their families through the winter.
Phew! That was hard work! There's just one major element of the story that I haven't decided yet, and that is whether Fai's past will be something for the two of them to actively confront or if the climactic conflict will come from somewhere else. The way I've set it up, it looks like I may have to have them face it head-on but I want to know what you all think I should do with it. Please leave your thoughts in a review ;)
