Eigengrau
Rating: PG-13; really it's only for excessive language. If cussing doesn't bother you then consider it PG Word Count: ~4,850
Summary: Kurogane and Mokona go to work. Fuck up and get saved by a questionable,
Notes: Human Mokona was largely based off Anna from K Project initially. In my mind she's altered quite a bit from that. Mokona isn't nearly as inexpressive and silent as Anna or short. Mokona here, despite being 12, is approx. 5ft 4in. Average height of a 12 year old female is about 5ft - 5ft 3in. Her body is also tone and probably almost rid of baby fat because of her altered DNA and lifestyle. Also I love writing sibling relationships. It's probably one of the only things I feel exceptionally good at while writing.
World War III - WWIII began in the summer of 2049 A.D. The war only lasted one year but managed to reduce the population to roughly 2.5 billion people including residual deaths from nuclear contamination and famine. Many countries, cultures, plants, and animals are now extinct due to this. All remaining countries/forms of government banned nuclear weapondry as a result of the war in 2049 A.D. or 0 P.W..
High Chancellor - a position created following the Scrib Massacre of 217 P.W. by the newly elected Fei Wang Reed. Previously, the government of Pâro had tried to implement the previous government of the United States (which fell in 2049 A.D. or 0 P.W.). The High Chancellor is the head of all of the five Administrations of Pâro. He is essentially a masked Dictator.
Date: September 17th 237 P.W. 16:17 EST
Any second now. Any second.
Kurogane was nothing if not punctual Mokona thought as she blew her translucent like white bangs out of her face, she would have to remember to ask somebody to trim them for her because they were getting too long. 'The History of Scribs' was her least favorite lesson of the year if only because she had to sit in a stuffy makeshift classroom with thirty other kids her age and pretend to listen to the only mandatory lesson of each class. The room they occupied was on the third level down from the surface as were all the other classrooms. The classrooms themselves had at one point been conference or demonstration rooms and so they were rather large and open; all the children sat crowded around a long oval table as the teacher paced around them like a hawk. In the center of the table was a small bulb that projected a rotating screen upwards; images of the riots rotated so everybody could see them in all their high definition glory. You could see the sweat on the first generation Scribs as they stormed the streets dragging what had been their masters behind them; some looked like they had been burned others looked like they had been trampled.
The pictures continued to rotate and the one in front of Mokona flipped as the teacher transitioned from the riots to the massacre. The picture she was looking at now was a close up of a girl's face as chaos continued behind her. Her head lay against the pavement, a single trail of blood trailed downwards from her mouth to join the blood that pooled around her head staining her blond hair, and her eyes stared blankly at the camera. The girl in the picture couldn't have been any older than Mokona herself and she was fairly young, only twelve, even more disturbing the girl had eyes nearly as red as Mokona's. The girl's eyes were a bit more pink but it didn't matter because it made no difference how much she assured herself that the girl in the picture was not her all she saw was herself.
The door to the room burst open with a loud swoosh and all thirty students turned to look at the imposing figure in the doorway. The figure was dressed in all black including a beanie that some exceptionally unruly pieces of hair were poking out from and he had a long black canvas bag slung over his shoulder. They all knew the length and bulk of the bag and quickly identified it's contents: Sniper Rifle. “I'm here to pick up Mokona,” came Kurogane's thundering voice.
Mokona was already packing up her stuff as she looked to the teacher for permission to leave. The teacher nodded and she half heartedly pushed her chair in as she all but sprinted out of the classroom, her long white hair swishing as she left.
“You're late,” Mokona said conversationally as she paced ahead of Kurogane.
Kurogane rolled his eyes, she might have sounded impassive but he'd known this girl since she was knee high to a grasshopper and he knew she only had three moods: happy and overexcited, sad and depressed, and pissed and brooding. He thought that maybe hungry counted as a mood but decided it better suited her as a personality trait. “I know I said I'd be there on time but something came up.”
“More like you we're flirting with the artillery keeper,” she sulked.
He blushed and was thankful she wasn't looking at him as he did so. “I was not flirting with Doumeki. I-”
“-what a dumb name.”
“It's not dumb it's cultured,” Kurogane growled. Mokona didn't answer him. He quickened his pace and caught up with her. “Look I'm sorry you had to see the picture this year. How about I make it up to you.”
A white eyebrow shot up and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as her lips pursed to one side cutely. “We'll be out kind of late tonight so how about we go get food at that place you like -”
“You mean Extraordinaire?” she questioned turning suddenly and clapping her hands together, a big smile was plastered on her face.
“Yeah. Sure. If that's what it's called.”
“Can we get the Chili Fries, Dude appetizer?” She questioned suddenly in full gear.
“Sure.” She was talking fast, it was giving him a migraine.
“And can I get a Dollhouse Burger and the Drug Rug Chicken Sandwich, too?”
“Yes.” This is why he usually didn't take her out, it usually cost him an arm and a leg.
“And – and when we're done with the food can I have a Munchies Shake?” She was practically bouncing off the wall as they neared the center of the floor, all the floors were circular in fashion with a singular pillar that housed the elevators in the center.
“You can have whatever the hell you want if you just shut up!” Kurogane growled.
Mokona smiled smartly at him, “Got you.”
Kurogane frowned knowing exactly what she meant. Ever since he was little he’d had a temper and when she was about eight he had gotten particularly upset with her for knocking boiling water off the stove in his kitchen. She hadn't been injured – thank god – he had turned just in time to grab her by her waist and haul her up to his hip. He had sat her on the couch and yelled at her, at fifteen he hadn't known what else to do with the anger he felt for himself other than to release it onto somebody else. Big heavy tears started to stream down her porcelain face and he had stopped like he had been punched in the stomach. He had tried to console her and she just cried harder whispering into his shoulder that he was scary and that he should be happy she was okay not upset that she had almost gotten hurt. From that day forward they played a game: whenever Kurogane got needlessly mad or irritated she would say, “Got you,” in a tiny scared voice and he would stop and collect himself. Since then she had grown and turned it into a different game in which she would purposely try to irk him for her own entertainment. But, in the end, her smile was worth his irritation.
“I'm beginning to think you're trying to piss me off Girlie,” Kurogane huffed.
Makona beamed at him, “Whatever would give you that idea?”
He looked over her – she was wearing all black like him though it did little to help her blend in since it just made her pale skin glow and reaffirm how white her hair was. She carried a small backpack with her that Kurogane had helped her spray paint black two summers ago when she had first started accompanying him. Inside he knew she was carrying the rest of her outfit: black gloves and a cowl so that when the time did come for them to slip into the shadows she didn't glow in the darkness. “You got your drops in there in case we get separated?”
She looked at him with irritation, “Yes. I'm not a baby anymore. I can remember to pack the things I need in my bag.”
“Do you have water?” She rolled her eyes telling him that 'yes' she did have water. “Hmm, what about snacks?”
The young girl stopped short, “Damn.”
“Hey don't say that! You're still just a kid,” Kurogane said with a stern sideways glance as they boarded one of the elevators and began their ascent to the first floor.
Mokona threw her arms away from herself, “I just told you I'm not a kid! For your information I have boobs now!”
Kurogane pinched the bridge of his nose, “That was information I did not need.”
“And I'm probably going to start my -”
That was where he drew the line, “Shut your mouth! I cannot talk about this with you!”
Her shoulders slumped and Kurogane realized the weight of what he said and mentally kicked himself. “Who else am I supposed to talk about it with?” He knew her situation; they were really all each other had in this world.
He sighed his resignation. “You don't have boobs,” Kurogane grumbled as he looked anywhere other than her face.
She scowled at him indignantly, “I do too!”
The elevator dinged and let them out on the first floor. The entrance to the research facility had been caved in and leveled to build apartments on top of so the closest you could get to the surface using the elevator was the first floor. The floor wasn't used for anything and looked to have been a large lobby area. The edges were littered by debris that had fallen when they destroyed the exit to the surface. At the far end though there was a tunnel that led to the sewers of the city and from there they carefully picked their way through the maze of tunnels until they reached a secluded manhole in the middle of the Oriental District. Before they climbed the ladder up to the surface Kurogane took out his bottle of eye drops and handed Mokona his flash light. He put the solution in each eye and blinked a few times and leaned down towards his partner who was pointing the light at him, “Well?”
“They changed,” Mokona handed the flashlight back to him and leaned her head back as he put some in her own eyes. “Well?”
“Your eyes are blue. Alright let’s get this over with.” Kurogane pushed the manhole up and pushed himself to the surface before turning to help Mokona through.
The city towered above them in numerous high rise buildings that ended in spires. All around there was lights and sound and movement. In the slums, where they had made their way after emerging, small shops were packed tightly together advertising food, clothes, and pleasure of various sorts.
Still, large banners hung over the street and large light boards advertised the reelection of Fei Wong Reed for High Chancellor. He’d run unopposed for nearly fifteen years. In those fifteen years the rich had gotten richer while the middle class slowly dwindled to only consist of politicians or people who worked in the underground sex, gun, or drug trafficking. The slums became populated by those who could barely afford to eat and those who couldn’t eat at all. But Reed /had/ promised to eliminate the Scrib threat. It was the fear he instilled in people that allowed him to keep office.
Propaganda constantly lined the streets reading “Is your neighbor a Scrib?” with a picture of a man; one eye brown the other bright yellow. As if the gene was contagious.
Reed’s voice boomed over the speakers in the streets, “This is your High Chancellor Fei Wong Reed. The man who has protected you and your family from the volatile abomination that is the alien Scrib race. My opponent Clow Reed plans to eliminate all protective measures against Scribs and reinstate the program. A vote for me is a vote for your continued freedom and safety”
Mokona scoffed at the announcement and rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe people believe that bologna.”
Beside him one of the scanner bots turned their head to look in their direction and he shoved Mokona’s head down so the bot couldn’t read her face.
“OW! Kurogane you’re hurting me!” Once he knew they were clear he released her head. “What was that for!”
“It was for being annoying.”
“You’re a jerk - you know that?”
Kurogane smirked down at the pale child, “That’s what you keep telling me.”
Mokona pouted at the ground. “Are we still getting food?” She mumbled.
“Is that all you fucking think about?” The older asked rolling his eyes. Of course they were getting food; he had promised.Runner - Street title for the illegal profession of delivering any form of communication either orally, written, or otherwise undocumented and beyond the reach of the Administration of Communication and Assimilation.
Date: September 17th 237 P.W. 20:57 EST
The building they had holed up in for the rest of their evening was a three story factory – abandoned for the evening by it's workers. They were on the second level looking down at a similar factory where one Paul Rein was to rear his ugly head. Kurogane wasn't sure if the head was ugly – metaphorically speaking of course – so long as he got paid at the end of the night.
Rein was a corrupt politician getting ready to take some low level governmental office that, really, he didn't give two shits about. What he knew of Rein's career though was that whoever was funding him under the table liked to meet in this district and in the next twenty or so minutes his target would be arriving.
He and Mokona had set up shop nearly an hour ago. He had punched a hole roughly the size of a serving platter into the wall near the base of the wall where it met the concrete floor and set up his sniper rifle so it pointed at the door Rein was to be arriving at according to Mokona.
Mokona had dragged over a wooden crate and sat on it eating the snacks she had insisted she needed. She licked the residue of various chips and sweets off her fingers and would occasionally look off into the darkness with no particular target. A moment later she would blink back to where she was physically and shake her head. “Fifteen minutes-,” she said without missing a beat as she went back to inhaling a rather large bag of cheese puffs.
Kurogane was laying flat on his stomach the butt of the rifle pushed into his left shoulder as he stared intently down his sight at the door. To be honest, he hadn’t been fully paying attention to her at that moment. He had been aware that she had ‘zoned out’, as she called it, but his mind had been elsewhere. Nineteen years old and /still/ a virgin? He didn’t actually believe there was anything wrong per se with being a virgin. But he was tired of waiting for Mokona to go to bed so he could masturbate - alone. He was tired of being alone and Doumeki was available; and into guys, which was a plus.
“Kurogane are you even listening to me?” Mokona’s irritated voice finally resonated in his mind.
“No.” He replied curtly. She scowled and threw a puff at him which he managed to catch in his mouth. “Nice try. You said fifteen minutes right, pork bun?”
Mokona let her head drop back with a thud against the wall, “I'm not a pork bun -”
“Tell that to your baby picture pork bun.”
She scowled at him and he glanced at her with amusement playing in his red eyes. “I said fifteen to twenty minutes if we stayed here.”
“Good I’m getting tired of being here,” he said adjusting his position so he was more comfortable.
The only noise around them was the waves lapping at the wharf, if you listened closely enough, and Mokona crunching on chips. “Do we have any assignments after this?”
Kurogane thought back to earlier today when he had last seen Yuuko. “No. The witch didn’t mention she had anything for us to do after this.”
Mokona nodded in recognition and went uncharacteristically quiet as she glanced around the room. “Something wrong?” Kurogane sighed.
“Birthday’s coming up,” she mumbled.
Now he got it. No work no money. No money no gifts. “You don’t need to worry about that.”
“But-”
“Mokona. We are fine. You let me worry about money and shit, okay?” They weren’t poor. Far from it but the less Mokona knew the better. She was still young and while Kurogane trusted her with his life he didn’t want to give her the responsibility of keeping their future a secret. If he kept saving at the rate he was they should be able to leave sometime next year. Finally be free of this city where every day they were in danger of being caught and executed on sight.
Mokona kicked at the floor dejectedly. He knew she just wanted to be more involved in their day to day lives beyond what Kurogane titled her responsibilities: school, homework, cleaning up after herself, and enjoying what little childhood he could afford her living in a secret underground facility. His resolve to be a tough older makeshift brother was crumbling. “Listen pork bun,” he relented. “You don’t have to worry about money. Your mom trusted me to take care of you and that’s what I’m going to do. /Kids/ don’t need to worry about money.”
She pursed her lips together in annoyance. “Your only nineteen. All you do is worry about adult things. If I wasn’t around you could just take care of yourself.”
“Mokona.”
“You should just let me live in the community cubes,” she whined.
“Mokona! I’m not going to send you to the home. You are not a burden to me so shut your mouth.” Kurogane rubbed his eyes in irritation. “We are a family. Only kids without families get sent to the home.”
She seemed to accept this. Still she knitted her eyebrows together, “You should be a kid too. Get a boyfriend or something.”
Kurogane turned back to his scope and scowled. “I’m working on it. Besides, one of us has to be an adult.”
“Work harder. I’m tired of listening to you talk about Doumeki.” She replied as she returned to stuffing her face.
The older blushed, “I don’t talk about him that much!”
Mokona dropped her snacks to the floor and clasped her hands together comically. “Oh Doumeki!” She mocked. “I see you all the time and it’s obvious I like you but I won’t ask you out on a date!”
“Shut your face Girlie, before I do it for you.”
She eyed him trying to calculate how serious he actually was. A smile crept across her face, “And you have such a nice ass Doumeki!”
“That’s it!” Kurogane shouted as he sprung from the floor. “I’m going to eviscerate you pork bun!”
Mokona was already running to the opposite side of the room laughing maniacally as she went. The worst part of having so much muscle mass was that it slowed a person’s stopping significantly and Mokona knew this. She was always able to escape Kurogane by waiting until the last possible second to change direction which in turn caused him to create gigantic-human sized craters in the walls.
“Get your ass back here you fucking powdered doughnut!” Kurogane growled shaking plaster from his beanie. He sprinted after her and finally realized she was running herself into a corner.
She turned to face him a huge smile on her face, “No. No. No. Kurogane please, no! I’m sorry,” she apologized while laughing as the situation grew more dire.
Kurogane approached slowly before snatching her up by her middle. Mokona squirmed managing to turn herself in Kurogane’s grip. She kicked outwardly as Kurogane began to tickle her. Her laughter was piercing, always was and her voice similarly so as she begged him to stop.
Something in her voice changed from playful to suddenly shrill, “Stop! Stop!” and Kurogane released her immediately. The sudden worry that he hadn’t been careful enough with the tiny girl dawning on him. Her eyes lost focus for a moment before she snapped back.
“Something changed! He’s going to be arriving now,” Mokona rushed out of her mouth.
“Shit,” Kurogane rushed back to his rifle and got into position as fast as physically possible. He lined the door up in his sights. “When, Girlie?” He never fired without her say so. The future had a tendency to be more unsettled when large events were about to take place. More factors mattered in the moments leading up to an assassination.
Mokona zoned out and back in at rapid speed. “Now!” Kurogane pulled the trigger, the silencer muting the noise. “Wait!”
Kurogane froze. Mokona had never gone back on what she said because she never gave the cue before she was sure. She stared at him blankly. “Something changed,” she said meekly.
“What changed? What /changed/ Mokona?” He hissed as he heard voices building outside. He’d missed the target.
She looked stunned, “I-I don’t know!”
Kurogane began hurriedly putting the rifle away and flung it on his back, “How much time do we have?”
Mokona zoned out again, “I don’t know. Everything is changing too rapidly. But they are coming. We need to leave.”
His mind was racing a million miles a minute. They couldn’t rely on their previous escape route now that people were aware of their presence. Now that it counted the building plans weren’t coming to his mind; he had no direction.
Mokona’s eyes had changed back to red and were the only part of her visible now that she had dressed her face. She was scared and uncertain. The noise outside was growing louder and more frantic. He heard it then, the steps on the stairs and he turned pulling the gun at his hip out and training it on the blonde standing at the tops of the stairs. “How long you been there?”
The man looked unphased by the weapon focused on his face. “Long enough to know you’re willing to kill me if you think I pose a threat.”
Kurogane cocked the gun, he didn’t have time for this bullshit or witnesses. “I can get you out of here,” the blond said quickly. “You and her.”
Kurogane looked over to Mokona, “What do you think?”
Her eyes went blank, “I-I don’t see anything bad happening.”
The blond beamed like a clown. “This way then. And you can put that gun away Mr. Assassin.”
Kurogane growled but if he had learned anything in his years as an assassin it was that sometimes you have to do things that are counter intuitive. Besides Mokona had said it would be okay. “Keep up,” the new person called as he took off in the opposite direction of the downward stairs.
“Why the fuck are we going up?” Kurogane bit out when the man took them to the emergency stairs. Mokona was so fucking small and falling behind. Now was not the time to be shy about his strenght. Damn what conclusions the blond would draw. He hoisted Mokona up and situated her on his back on top of the rifle bag as they ran. Her legs and arms locked tight around him and he knew she was ready to endure whatever he would have to do. He picked up his pace so he was right on the blond’s heels.
“Do you want to get out of here alive or not Mammoth?”
Kurogane knitted his eyebrows together - he wasn’t that big. He decided this guy was an asshole.
They sprinted up seven flights of stairs before bursting out onto the roof. The man looked around observing his surroundings. His eyes settled on the north end of the building and he ran full speed towards the edge. There seemed to be no hesitation in movement or break in stride as his right foot left the edge of the building and he jumped cleanly to the next building. The blond looked back at Kurogane to see if he would follow.
Kurogane reared back; he could do it. He might of been significantly heavier than the other guy and carrying a girl on his back but he was an Alpha. If he couldn’t even do this little bit this gene wasn’t even useful “You let go I’ll fucking kill you, brat.”
“Might not have to if I’m already dead,” she replied doubtfully. Ten stories /was/ an awfully long way to fall.
Kurogane ran full force to the edge of the building and jumped to the opposite with no trouble. Something playful flashed in the blond’s eye. “Try to keep up. I can’t keep waiting for you.”
The man took off, Kurogane keeping pace as the other led them from rooftop to rooftop by various means: planks, scaffolding, jumping. By the time they finally slowed down Kurogane was close to breaking a sweat. They were on the top of a three story building. The blond worked at the door for a minute before it popped open. “There might be a silent alarm so we should hurry.”
“You just open a door without knowing if there’s an alarm?”
The other looked at him, “Well I wasn’t exactly planning on running around the wharf district either. Think of it as an emergency situation Gigantour.”
He pushed the door open, the man’s slighter frame disappearing inside. “He called you ‘Gigantour’,” Mokona giggled.
“Shut your mouth Snowball.” He followed the other inside and down the stairs until they were on the first floor.
“This way” the blond prompted as he took them to the main entrance and immediately smashed the glass door to the street using a nearby pot. This guy was either brave as shit or a complete moron.
Standing in the brisk air Kurogane let Mokona down in the street the glass crunching beneath her boots. “Now what you fucking idiot? Were standing on the outskirts of the Wharf District and what’s that I hear? Police sirens.”
The blond blew his bangs out of his face and went to the middle of the street. “You complain a lot don’t you. Like a grumpy giant.” He bent at his knees and lifted the cover to the manhole with a strained ‘oopf’. He turned back to Kurogane, “Fee fi fo fum I’m grumpy and I’m dumb!”
Kurogane scowled, “There’s a second part to that, idiot.”
The man began to descend the ladder paying no mind to the displaced cover. “Not idiot! Fai. My name is Fai.”
Mokona went next down the ladder into the darkness of the sewers. “Mine’s Mokona!” The girl chirped.
“Is that so?” Fai chimed back. “And who is the giant?”
Above them Kurogane growled as he closed the manhole and started his descent, “That’s Kurogane. You’re really pissing him off.”
“Is that so?” Something in the man’s voice set Kurogane on edge. Like at any moment he was going to have a splitting headache.
“Pork bun,” Kurogane warned through gritted teeth.
Mokona paid him no mind. “He /hates/ to be reminded about how big he is. Something about being /too/ big.”
“Shut your trap Marshmallow!” Kurogane roared as embarrassment tinted his cheeks. He had one insecurity. Just one. “And why would you tell this idiot our names?”
“Not ‘idiot’. Fai,” Mokona chided as Kurogane touched ground in the sewer. “And because I’m /trying/ to be nice.”
Kurogane’s lip twitched up in a snarl.
Fai walked over and clapped him on the back. “Don’t be such a sour puss Kuro-muscular. Now,” The blond announced stepping away from the two of them. “Let’s get going.”
Fai skipped ahead of him like he could see in the dark but not so far ahead that Kurogane couldn’t see him and Mokona. Now that things had begun to calm down Kurogane began to note just how physically tone the blond was. His calf muscles worked effortlessly when he jumped and he seemed just as physically fit as Kurogane. He was obviously some sort of athlete. He also seemed to work in the underbelly - that’s the only way Kurogane could explain the blond’s comfort and ability to maneuver so effortlessly in the tunnels. Not to mention he was clad in all black indicating that, just like them, he hadn’t been in the wharf district to socialize. His pants were obviously meant for freedom of movement and flexibility while his shirt clung tight to his body and it’s sleeves ended at his elbows. His skin and hair is what gave him away in the darkness. Though with the grace he walked Kurogane was convinced this guy could disappear in any setting.
Eigengrau
Story summary: Kurogane is a Scrib (otherwise known as a genetically altered human who's kind is executed on sight and forced to live underground). His main goal in life is to get him and his sister out of Pâro and to a country where they can live freely. However nothing is ever that simple. The introduction of an unknown enemy threatens to destroy everything around him in the last few months before he thinks he and Mokona can leave and then there is Fai - an entirely different problem all on his own.
Title of Chapter: Prologue
Rating: G
Word Count: ~1720
Summary: The fall of the world as we know it, the birth of Scribs, and the rise of Pâro in brief.
Notes: Intro to the rest of the story a la mode with death, dystopian societ,y and maybe a typo or two.
Melting Against the Darkness
From Firsts to Last - Part II
Warnings: adolescent stupidity and the struggle of trying to understand sexuality
AN: Kurogane and Fai are both in their first year of high school. While childhood friends a numerous amount of things are pulling them apart. Is this the last straw? An adolescent party, a laundry room, and a moonlit bench?
“Did you say tongue?” Kurogane knit his eyebrows together in disgust as his sister just stared forward, driving.
Yuuko bit back her laughter and shook her head 'yes'.
“That is so gross. Why would anybody want a tongue in their mouth?”
Yuuko shrugged, “That's just how you do it. You lean in, smoosh your mouths together, and jam your tongue in the other person's mouth before they know what hit them!”
Kurogane scowled, and Yuuko couldn't help but cackle. “Don't worry about it. You don't have the balls to kiss somebody at this party anyway."
“Hey I have plenty of,” Goddammit! Just cuss already will you?! You're fourteen in high school and on the JV Swim Team! But Kurogane couldn't cuss because the thought of disappointment on his mother's face was enough to stop him. She was tired and sick enough as it was and he didn't feel the desire to add to the stress. “Just shut up. If I wanted to kiss somebody I would,” he mumbled. Kurogane hardly ever mumbled but his sister had that effect on him.
Yuuko chuckled and the car was silent for a moment save for the radio. “You could be a little nicer to me you know,” she pouted with no real intent at making Kurogane guilty and he had spent enough time with his sister to recognize she was just being dramatic and talking to talk. On the other hand she would say she was talking to discover.
“And why would I do that, Witch,” Kurogane added the 'insult' as more of an afterthought.
His sister slowed for a stop sign and sighed as she thought the sign was completely useless out her the in back woods, “Well I did have to use gas to drive you to this party.”
At this Kurogane frowned. “You're doing it as a favor for mom. You don't really care.”
“Are you upset her and dad aren't taking you?”
He didn't respond.
“Because it would be okay.”
“I'm not upset!” He fixed his stare out the window. “They should have taken me with them.”
Yuuko reached over and ruffled her brother's hair to which he swatted her hand away in annoyance. “Brat, you've been so good these past couple of months and mom and dad see that. You help by cleaning, and taking care of the chores while dad is at work and mom really appreciates you taking up her knitting for the season.” Kurogane stared pointedly at her, “Which I will never mention to anybody especially, and I quote 'the Idiot'. But my point is they also see what you're giving up. How many swimming practices have you missed? When's the last time you and Fai did stuff together? Hell when is the last time you even talked to him?”
It was silent again and the trees of the landscape swished past as Yuuko headed over the familiar road into the town where the party was. “I haven't missed that many practices,” was all Kurogane could mumble.
“And what about Fai?”
Kurogane could feel his ears warm but either Yuuko had missed it or was uncharacteristically ignoring it. “Things are awkward.”
Yuuko rolled her eyes. “How so? What could be so awkward that you would stop talking to your best friend.”
Kurogane was slowly becoming more irritated, “Okay. One: I didn't stop talking to him we just grew up, we have different friends now. I go to practice -”
“You stay home.”
He scowled but his sister hardly seemed to notice. “I go to practice and he has I guess stage practice? I don't know what they call it.”
“Rehearsal.”
“Yeah that! Anyway we still eat lunch together and we're lab partners and we have PE together, again.”
Yuuko made some sort of affirmative noise. “But that doesn't tell me why it 'awkward'”
Kurogane fixed his gaze out the window again. “He started growing his hair out. He looks like girl.” It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact Kurogane thought Fai was even more attractive with long hair. And Fai wasn't even attractive! Lean, tall, pale, gorgeous! Not his type. And then Kurogane's thoughts caught up with him and he groaned.
“That's dumb and you know it. Anyway, my point is that mom and dad don't want you to grow up too fast. They want you to go out with your friends, kiss people, get in trouble and all that jazz. In fact if there is alcohol at this party and you got drunk I wouldn't even tell them you got wasted!”
“I'm not drinking at the party Yuuko. Besides we're just freshmen.”
“Huh. I forget because you're so freakishly tall.”
The rest of the ride was a borderline friendly and hostile, typical for any pair of siblings. And when they pulled up to the house and Kurogane went to unbuckle his seat belt Yuuko put a hand on his shoulder. “Have fun tonight, Brat.”
He knew what she was trying to say: don't worry.
Regardless he scowled, “Whatever.”
With that Yuuko smiled and called out after him, “Call me when you're ready for me to pick you up!”
The party was being held at a girls house for her fifteenth birthday, at least that's what his invitation had said. Personally he didn't know the girl but everybody on the swim team had been invited so at least he knew people. He had every intention of standing awkwardly with his teammates as they discussed which girls were developing faster and which ones they would bang but Fai caught his eye.
He was standing with another theatre student he’d seen him around with by the punch talking and sipping juice. He made his way over there and planted himself squarely in front of Fai. “Hey.” It was as good a line as any, right?
“Hey!” Fai lit up. “I didn't know you were coming. I thought you said something like 'I'm a big Kuro-grump and I don't like to socialize with anybody,'” he ended his impersonation with a growl.
“Tch. I don't sound like that you Idiot.”
“Sure you do Kuro-bear. Anyway, I really didn't think you were coming.”
“I didn't think I was either. I was going to go into the city with my parents overnight but then my mom found the invitation in my jeans and....” He stopped to observe that Fai was shifting his eyes to the left and that's when he remembered there was another person there.
The girl laughed a little uncertainly. Fai smiled sweetly and put his arm around her in such a natural motion Kurogane was sure it was practiced, “Sakura. Why don't you go find Syaoran.”
The girl nodded politely and excused herself.
“Okay you were saying.”
Kurogane snapped back to the present. He had been momentarily lost in his thoughts of not-jealousy. “Oh, right. Anyway, my mom found the invitation in my pocket while doing laundry which I told her I could do myself but she doesn't listen to me. She's so hard-headed sometimes!”
“Hmm, reminds me of somebody else I know.”
Kurogane's face went sour, “I'm not 'hard-headed.”
A smile spread across Fai's face and that, along with the way Fai's hair framed his face, was enough to make Kurogane scowl harder. “Remember when we got lost in the woods when we were nine? And I said, 'Oh! Kuro-pon,'” Fai flung himself against Kurogane with thespian vigor, “'I believe we're lost! We should stay put like they say to do in school!' But what did you say? Oh yes I believe it was something like , 'No! I'm Kuro-warrior! I've lived in these woods my whole life I know where we are!' And then it got dark and we reached the river which is in the complete opposite direction of both our houses... by seven miles!”
“That's completely different from my mother!”
“Kuro-wrong they had to take out the quads and the search dogs to find us!”
Now Kurogane was frowning because he was sulking but regardless he wasn't finished with his story. “Whatever. Let me finish. She found the invitation and then she asked my dad about it and he didn't know anything because I didn't plan on coming because they were going to the city. They couldn't let it go though and we had a discussion about it in which my mom cried because she somehow got it in her head that she's letting me grow up too fast and take on too much responsibility. So of course I had to go because..... because I couldn't just let my mom cry over something so stupid.”
Fai took a moment to mull this over and finished off his glass. “Are you mad?”
“No. I just wish I could be there in case they need me.”
Fai rested his hand on Kurogane's shoulder and Kurogane tried to deny the incessant fluttering in his stomach by grabbing something to eat off the table with the punch bowl. “She's going to do fine without you there. Your dad's with her, right?”
The words weren't necessarily eloquent but they did comfort him and he nodded in the affirmative. There was a short lull in conversation, “How is she anyway?”
“The doctors still don't know what's wrong according to her. But I think she knows more than she's letting on. She's going to the city for some tests I guess.”
Fai came closer and wrapped Kurogane in a hug that made him want to melt. It was comforting and familiar and long. Too long. Fai lingered more than Kurogane had learned was actually appropriate for a male relationship and his mind went flying. Then Fai did let go and he was left no longer thinking about his familial situation but about how soft Fai's hair was against his cheek.
So maybe he had known for a long time. That didn't mean he had to admit it. Maybe he had known he couldn't just see Fai as a friend for a while. Maybe he had realized he didn't like girls a year or so ago. But perhaps he had also realized he couldn't tell Fai that without ruining their friendship. And his friendship was much more valuable.
Then again Fai did look really good tonight.
It was time for a subject change, “Your hair is getting long.”
“I know.”
Kurogane folded his arms over his chest. “Are you going to cut it?”
“I don't know.”
“Makes you look like a girl.”
Fai smirked smartly at him, “Maybe some girls are into that.”
“Tch. No girls are-” Kurogane stopped himself and analyzed Fai. “What do you mean by that?”
The other tucked some hair behind his ear, “I'm just saying maybe there is a girl who likes my hair.”
Kurogane frowned. He did not like this conversation anymore than the last. In fact he knew for a fact he liked it less. “Which girl?”
“Just some girl in my theatre class. You wouldn’t know her.” Fai got a wicked gleam in his eye and put a finger to his mouth in thought. “On the other hand, perhaps I should cut it just so I don’t get mistaken for a girl, thrown to the ground, and kissed.” Fai hummed his contemplation, “Thoughts, Kuro-hiney?”
Kurogane felt his face heat up in embarrassment. Fai didn’t often bring up the incident from when they were children and as far as he knew they were the only two privy to the fact it had even occurred. “How many times do I have to tell you I thought you were a girl?” Kurogane ground the words out under his breath.
Fai laughed openly at Kurogane’s embarrassment and clapped his friend on the shoulder. “I’m going to go find Sakura. Want to come?”
Yes he wanted to go with Fai but being around his friend was becoming emotionally unbearable. As if the universe was trying to help him for once Kurogane heard his name called from behind him and one of his teammates appeared sporting a large grin and a muddy face. “Kurogane you gotta’ come watch this. Carter is going to try and jump this huge mud puddle outside.”
He turned back to Fai who was looking at his with patience. “I’m going to, um-”
“Yeah. No problem. I’ll see you later right?”
“Yeah,” Kurogane replied stupidly as his teammate pulled him towards the deck outside.
Outside most of the swim team had gathered to watch the spectacle. It wasn’t that Kurogane was particularly interested in watching guys jump mud puddles it was that he needed room to breathe. Fai’s presence was stifling, made him want to crawl out of his skin and hide in his bed with a box of tissues for both the overwhelming emotion and the, well, “overwhelming emotion”.
His internal dialogue when he was around Fai often went, “I’m not gay. You are so gay. No I’m not. You know you are. Why can’t you just say it? Because, I don’t want to yet. So when? I-I don’t know! Maybe I just haven’t found the right girl yet. I mean I could still like girls. This hurts. I just want to - Want to what? Kiss him? I just want -” And that was mostly why being around Fai was irritating, uncomfortable, fulfilling, and difficult.
Thinking back to the conversation he’d had with his sister in the car maybe it was his fault
that him and Fai weren’t hanging out as much despite his mother’s illness. They were drifting apart; he knew it and it hurt.
The sun was beginning to make it’s final descent in the sky as it fell behind the trees of the surrounding forrest and the air was rapidly beginning to chill as the breeze carried the ocean’s coolness inwards. He’d been lazily wearing his jacket around his hips and he moved to put it on when he saw Fai come out the side of the house and slowly pick his way to the edge of the woods.
He went to move after Fai when a girl emerged from the back door calling the few people who had wandered outside back in. He would have gone after Fai if the swim team hadn’t been so adamant about going inside. It seemed that the twenty or so kids that were there had packed themselves into the livingroom and part of the dining room. Some of them looked around nervously like they weren’t sure what was going on or thought they were about to be inducted into a cult. Kurogane felt like the first and probably looked like the later. Yet, there were other people who smiled secretly and to be honest it creeped Kurogane the fuck out.
Another girl he didn’t recognize sprang forward with a small notepad and pen in hand. “What’s your name?” She began asking the people who had come in from outside and writing down their response. “Okay you’re the last one,” she said when she stepped in front of Kurogane. He stared at her dumbly causing him to look away from her pad and over her no-rim glasses to him, “Name?”
“Kurogane,” he stated with an upward inflection of reserve.
She scribbled quickly on her pad, “Hope I spelled that right.” She retreated back towards a group around the coffee table they began dividing the papers into two hats. The air grew thick with anticipation and around him his teammates were grinning and punching each other in the shoulder for encouragement.
The party’s host stood up in the coffee table her light blue dress swishing about her knees. “Alright! Since this is my party I’m going to draw two names first and after that we’ll have the couple from the previous round draw.” She bent and picked up the first hat and sifted through it’s contents before drawing. “Claret.”
A rather well endowed girl came forward a warm, an inviting and eager smile on her face. She was pudgy but even Kurogane could see that she was still rather cute with her wide hips, ample cleavage, and pretty face. She grabbed her wrist behind her back and rocked back and forth on her feet as she waited.
The host was handed another hat and she repeated the process. Kurogane felt oddly nervous as she unfolded the paper and stared quizzically at it. Her mouth looked like it was about say something a few times before stopping. “I’m sorry,” she finally spoke, “Kuro-something? I can’t make out the rest.”
Suddenly his teammates were pushing him forward to the center of the living room cheering like a bunch of idiots. Kurogane tried to scowl at them but he found himself face to face (more like her face to his chest) with Claret who quickly disarmed him with a smile. People giggled around them and the host, whose name he still didn’t know, smiled toothily. “Well go on now,” she said motioning to the door behind her.
Claret took him by the hand and determinedly pulled him behind her into the laundry room. The door clicked shut behind them and Kurogane heard someone shout, “The next drawing will be in seven minutes!”
Out of nowhere Claret sprang herself forward backing Kurogane into the second door at the opposite end of the small, narrow room. She pulled at his shirt as she pressed herself against him. Kurogane had no idea what to do with his hands so he pressed them flat against the door behind him and resisted picking at the peeling paint. “Don’t be nervous,” she said inching closer to his face. He felt her hand find his and draw it to her hip. Her perfectly glossed lips gleamed in the moonlight coming in through the door’s window and then her lips were on his pressing hard as if trying to encourage him. Kurogane’s mind was racing a million miles a minute. He wasn’t sure how he had gotten himself in this situation and he truly wondered if he could have stopped it. Then he thought that this might be his chance to prove himself wrong. He closed his eyes, pushed his lips experimentally against hers, and willingly brought his other hand to the small of her back to draw her closer.
She was small and soft against him; her breasts pressed against his chest and it felt wrong. All of it - all of felt wrong. Kurogane wrenched away from her causing her to stumble back. Kurogane’s hand went to his mouth as he tried to wipe the sticky gloss from his lips.
It suddenly occurred to him that Claret was still in the room. Whatever confusion he felt must have been evident on his face because he didn’t see disappointment or rejection on her’s but pity and concern. “What’s wrong?” She ventured taking a tentative step towards him. “Don’t like me?”
Well that was one way to make him feel like an asshole. “No! I mean no, I hardly know you. How am I supposed to know if I like you?” Kurogane looked at his mud splattered shoes.
Claret crept closer and peered up at his downturned face with her wrist clasped behind her back. “Like someone else?”
“No!” Kurogane said quickly, too quickly and a blush appeared across his cheeks.
Claret laughed lightly, ‘What? Like boys?”
If speaking too quickly last time had been a mistake not saying anything this time was an even bigger one. Claret’s eyes widened and her lips made a perfect circle, “Oh.” The air between the grew thick as she contemplated.
Kurogane berated himself for not denying it. For not saying anything and letting the tension grow. “That was my first time. Sorry.”
“Your first time with a lot of things should be with someone special sorry I took that away from you.” She wiped her lips and suddenly tapped his. “There. I give it back. Your first kiss.”
He looked up quickly and touched his lips. “I-I like girls.”
Claret sighed slowly. “So do I.”
“Wait what?”
“Most of the time I do. I guess the best way to put it would be that I like people but I have more appreciation for a woman.” She smiled reassuringly at him. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell. I’m leaving in a few days anyway.”
“You’re not a student at the high school?” Kurogane said with a relieved sigh.
She shook her head. “No. Just visiting family. It’s my cousins birthday.” The room fell silent after that. “So what should we do?”
“What do you mean?”
Claret sat against the washer and pulled her knees in. “I mean that the guys are going to be expecting you to come back with messed up hair and a stupid grin. I could help you mess up your hair.” Kurogane just stared at her. “Or we could go out the back and go back separately. Say we were too embarrassed to come back together.”
“I like that idea better.” Quietly the two of them went out the side door. They walked around the perimeter of the house towards the front steps. Kurogane looked off towards the woods where Fai had gone. The temperature had dropped pretty significantly and that idiot probably hadn’t taken a jacket. “Hey do you mind if I-” he trailed off looking towards the woods.
“Like nature that much?”
“No. Just need to walk for a bit.”
A small smile played on Claret’s full lips, “I’ll cover for you.”
Kurogane walked off to the part of the woods Fai had went towards earlier. There was a small beaten path lined with head sized rocks where Fai had gone and about ten feet into the woods a small rock-lined circle big enough to fit a stone bench big enough for three yet comfortable enough for only two. Fai was laying across the bench looking up towards the canopy with his arms inside his shirt.
“You could have warned me you idiot,” Kurogane said approaching.
Fai jumped a little and sat up to acknowledge Kurogane which wasn’t easy considering he had no arms. “Might have gotten caught had I gone back for you. Besides looks like you escaped.”
Kurogane scowled and plopped down at the far end of the bench. He looked at Fai out of the corner of his eye. The blond was as skinny as ever but he was solid, Kurogane knew from the many stolen glances in the locker room, and the simple white v-neck shirt Fai was wearing exposed just enough of Fai’s chest to assure Kurogane there would be nothing soft about it.
It was awkward definitely awkward when he sat next to Fai; though maybe it was only awkward for him because Fai seemed to be totally at ease. The blond broke the silence, “So did you go in the closet?” Kurogane could hear Fai’s teeth chatter as he spoke.
“Wasn’t a closet,” Kurogane mumbled in response. Fai raised an eyebrow, “It was the laundry room.”
“Oh.” Fai wrapped his arms tighter around himself. “Don’t you think you’re a little dense for not figuring it out?”
“I was the first person I didn’t have time to figure it out.”
It was silent between them again as Fai dug his shoe into the soft, damp dirt. “How was it?”
Kurogane stuttered over his words, “It wasn’t anything special.”
“So you’ve done it before?” Maybe Kurogane had sounded more nonchalant than he thought.
“N-no! Of course not!” Kurogane defended himself. He could feel Fai smiling at him the way he did when he found Kurogane amusing. “Not before tonight anyway,” he mumbled and Fai’s smile dropped.
Fai stopped digging the in the dirt to plant his feet firmly on the ground and pulled his arms out of his shirt. He seemed to contemplate what Kurogane had said for a moment before asking, “Are you okay with it?”
“She gave it back to me,” Kurogane said without really thinking about what Fai had asked.
“She gave it back?”
Kurogane rubbed his neck, “Well, yeah. She kind of wiped her lips and then tapped mine.”
Fai blinked at him, something like relief flashing it his eyes. “That is the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard of.”
“Well it’s true!” He grunted under his breath, “She said I should have my real first time with somebody special.”
“Somebody special?” Fai repeated slowly.
Kurogane snapped his head to Fai to properly look at the other boy. He gulped and suddenly felt hot. “Yeah somebody special.” Kurogane inched closer to Fai, his muscles seeming to react on instinct rather than conscious command.
Fai froze suddenly aware of the closing space between them. His hands tightened on the edge of the bench as Kurogane leaned in puckered lips meeting his.
His heart was thumping in his chest as Kurogane realized too late that he had no idea what he was doing. He noticed Fai’s lips were soft against his chapped ones as he raised his hand to gently touch Fai’s jawline. Fai’s lips pressed back tightly against his own and Yuuko’s words flashed in his mind. His hand went to Fai’s hair and he licked Fai’s lips before pushing his tongue into the blond’s mouth. Fai’s gasp filled Kurogane’s mouth as he pressed forth.
Reality came at him suddenly when Fai beat his fist against Kurogane’s chest hard enough to get him to stop. Fai stared at him wide eyed for a second before turning away and clapping a hand over his mouth.
“Why did you do that?” Fai demanded as an edge crept into his voice.
Kurogane’s blood went cold in his veins as he begged the universe to obliterate him. “I thought you wanted me to-” he mumbled unintelligently.
Fai gawked at him and he stood up thoroughly offended. “What made you think that?!”
“You-you looked happy that she gave it back and you weren’t happy that I got kissed!”
“Of course I would be because you’re my friend and something had happened to you that you didn’t want!” Fai was shaking with anger. “Are-are you gay?”
“I - I don’t - I don’t -” Kurogane swallowed the lump in his throat. Why was saying it so hard? “No. No, I’m not.”
Fai pulled at his hair, “I don’t look like a girl anymore, Kurogane.”
“I know.”
Fai rubbed his eyes and sniffled as he tried to repress whatever emotion was creeping up on him. “That was my first time, too.” Fai mumbled, his voice suddenly numb.
Fai disappeared in the darkness as he went back towards the house. Kurogane was left sitting on the bench as he mumbled how sorry he actually was.Part I
Interlude I
Part II
Interlude II
Part III
Interlude III
Conclusion
From Firsts to Last - Interlude I
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
AN: This fic was written so each part can operate independently of each other for the most part. The 'Interludes' are meant to sort of bridge the gaps in time but otherwise are probably unimportant.
The kiss was forgotten and Fai's hair fixed. Their relationship didn't stay the same though. Kurogane never fully recovered from the embarrassment brought on by his first rejection but he couldn't bring himself to let Fai go either. He started becoming easily embarrassed, which translated to irritation. He was especially irritated by Fai and the blond took full advantage of it by coming up with ridiculous nicknames like Kuro-blush and Kuro-warrior. That's how their relationship became; a game of irritate and chase. Sometimes Fai would think that Kurogane really was done with him and Kurogane wouldn't see him for days on end. After enough sulking on his couch Kurogane would stomp through the woods to Fai's back door, pull the blond outside, and call him an idiot.
Fai also became an integrated part of the family, especially over the first summer. Though it was unknown to Kurogane, Fai's mom worked in the city and he was often left alone with his questionable step-dad. Fai's step-father wasn't physically abusive so much as he was mentally; he would constantly yell and scream at the slightest peak in his stress level. Fai's mother rarely came home from the city where she worked and so Kurogane's mother Tsumebe became a surrogate for the growing child. They would both snuggle at her sides while watching a movie and each hold a hand when they walked in town. And while they were young Kurogane could justify the way he felt towards Fai as brotherly: he wanted to protect him.
Elementary school passed without incident. When Fai finally started going during third grade, before he had been home schooled by a tutor because his mother had feared him entering a new school in the middle of the year, he became very popular very quickly and Kurogane experienced the same explosion of popularity by default. He became the scary friend in the background that glared death at you if you overstayed what he felt was your welcome. It's not as if they didn't have individual friends of their own it's just that the majority of their friends were mutual and neutral. Neutral in that they had no real strong affinity towards them. Sure each boy had people they liked more than others but they were attached at the hip for the most part. Nobody surpassed their best friend and they had the luck of being in the same class for both third and fourth grade.
Fifth grade was the year they got split up into different classes and what Kurogane's mom came to call the 'growing year'. Him and Fai had to grow into separate personalities instead of relying on the comfort of having each other. Instead of being known as Kurogane and Fai they had to individualize. Fai soon found a place in his class and quickly became recognized as charismatic and humorously dramatic. Kurogane found he more than excelled in sports: he dominated. While their new labels did little to soil their relationship in private they found they didn't need each other as much in public even when they secretly wished the other was there.
Middle school brought no relief. Six classes a day, only one together in their sixth grade year: PE. That was the first time Kurogane consciously realized he was different. He'd never really seen Fai with his shirt off, not even when they went to the local swimming pool or the nearby lake (Fai burned easily). Perhaps he had thought he might be different before this point but, hell, girls were hardly important to him while playing dodgeball... unless they were on his team then he cared. But middle school brought with it hormones; girls got boobs and the boys stared wide eyed wondering when girls became attractive. Well all except Kurogane it seemed and Fai to some extent. Fai more or less seemed uninterested in girl or boys for that matter. He would occasionally comment that a girl was pretty, much to Kurogane's contempt, and he would always reply politely when random females came to talk to him while blushing and stuttering like mad.
The friends they had made started talking about girls and giving each other horrible sexual advice. Sex became a regular topic even though not one of them had actual experience, though they feigned knowledge on the subject. Kurogane pretended to be interested in boobs. He was actually interested in the way Fai's cheeks dusted pink right along his cheek bones when the girls started staring at him. Fai stopped blushing once his own hormones started to catch up with him late in the seventh grade and instead he would flash his million watt smile that would throw the girls into a frenzy of giggles. Though even then it seemed Fai was doing it more to be polite than to actually show interest. Even so when that happened Kurogane found himself scowling more deeply than usual and he became more interested in the way Fai's hair framed his face and he thanked the divines more than once for bringing the v-neck back. He was too young to know that he wouldn't eventually grow past his preference for boys and actually be able to mean it when he called a girl cute.
But he convinced himself he would.
Interlude I
Part II
Interlude II
Part III
Interlude III
Conclusion
From Firsts to Last - Part I
Happy belated birthday Xia! I'm sorry it's not done and to be honest it'll probably be a WIP for a while but this is the first of four mini stories that all compile to a larger story. Lucky for both of us I know how I work and wrote something can can operate as an independent piece before the rest of the story is introduced.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and once again I'm so sorry I'm late..... and I REALLY tried to fix everything in here so it reads easy but I'm still not sure it runs smooth.
MWAH!
Rating: PG
Warnings: Cute kids being cute?
~o~
This is the story of a boy and the first time he kissed him, the first time he kissed him, the first time he more than kissed him, and the last first time he kissed anybody.
~o~
His blade sliced through the air and made a dull thud on the ground when Kurogane brought it down to strike his invisible enemy. The seven year old was currently in the middle of an intense battle between himself and the Bat Demons! He had also been playing the game for the last hour; it had started when a note from the king showed up on his porch reading, “Great Warrior Kurogane. HELP! A bad man has kidnapped my daughter, the princess, and you must find her! You're reward will be a great big feast of dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets with mac 'n' cheese and maybe a trip to the ice cream shop. Thank You, The King.” He found these notes every Saturday morning after breakfast along with a stopwatch that beeped when he was supposed to come home.
He had run to the backyard to the 'outdoor toys' toy chest he mom had made for him and grabbed his foam sword (he wasn't allowed to have a real one, he had asked) and ran to the woods beyond his open yard towards his tree house. On the way he had slayed several dragons and decoy minions but he was growing tired of his game. He never got to rescue the princess because she didn't exist. And why would he rescue he same princess every weekend? - it was her fault for getting caught all the time! And why did he always have to rescue a girl? When he did get to her she could never fight and she just got in the way. More than once he had accidentally cut her in half because she got scared of a bug or something and got in his way. When this happened he had to rewind his game so he didn't go home crying like the fist time. (His father still liked to tell that story to which he would respond with a dramatic sigh “I was six, okay Dad?”)
He was now approaching the last stretch of his journey to the princess. He usually found her somewhere around his tree house and then they would spend the remaining time in his tree house waiting for the magic call to come home. Today, however he heard the sound of crunching leaves in the forest and he turned ready to battle whatever creature had followed him on his journey. He was surprised to find a blond kid emerge from the bushes running full speed. Kurogane lowered his sword and was then greeted by the ground as the kid ran into him causing them both to topple to the forest floor. The kid looked up with eyes that Kurogane had seen once when he was chasing a rabbit once he caught the rabbit he had let it go because of that look. Later his dad told him the rabbit must have been scared. The child turned to look in the direction they had come and it was then that Kurogane noticed the long ponytail of blond hair and suddenly ideas of playing games with a real princess ran through Kurogane's mind all he had to do was save this girl for real and he would be a real warrior!
The girl looked back at him frantically and then turned again to look behind herself and Kurogane followed her worried gaze to the direction the blond had come from. Then he heard a voice calling out angrily like he had just gotten up from a nap and couldn't talk right just yet. “Fai! Come home now!”
The kid looked at Kurogane who was still strewn underneath the other wondering how a warrior such as himself could have wound up on the ground. “Is that a 'bad man'?” Kurogane questioned, he could only save princesses from bad men.
The girl shook her head up and down slowly and Kurogane got himself up, grabbed his sword and put it in his belt loops, and took the girl's hand and began to run towards his tree house. The tree house was set in a low tree and had a small, cylindrical crawl grid to the hatch in the floor. They both got on their bellies, shimmed up the grid and into the house. Kurogane closed and locked the hole in the floor as the new girl crawled over to the window on her jean covered knees and tentatively peeked out the curtains. Kurogane joined her just in time to see a tall man with greasy dirty blond hair walk past where they had just been. The man reminded Kurogane of an ogre. A few moments later he came back and continued back through the forest from where ever he had come from. The blond sighed and collapsed against the wall next to the window, “That was close.”
“The ogre almost got us,” Kurogane replied siting back on his knees.
The blond furrowed her brow in confusion for a moment before her faced stretched into a dramatic 'o'. “Oh. You mean him. He's not an ogre. Just my step-dad.”
Kurogane frowned, “Aren't dad's 'sposed to be nice?”
“Real dads, yeah. I don't think step-dads have to be though,” the girl replied pulling her knees to her chest.
“Oh.” They stayed silent a moment, “What's your name?” Kurogane asked.
The blond smiled for the first time and Kurogane felt like he had belly flopped into a pool but instead of pain he felt warm, “Fai! I just moved here! Whoa! How do you make your face go all red like that?”
“M-my face is not red! You idiot!” His face was burning, maybe this girl was a witch because, well, girls never made him belly flop without water.
“It is to! Even your ears!”
Kurogane rubbed his face and when he was done he looked up with a frown, “You're annoying.”
“No. I'm Fai. Who are you?” Fai was now sitting cross legged facing him.
“I'm Kurogane,” he mumbled.
Fai broke out into a big smile, “Kuro-hiney?” She began to laugh and Kurogane only frowned in response.
“Kurogane,” he corrected clearly but it was already too late: Fai was rolling on the ground laughing making her ponytail come undone. “If you don't stop laughing I'm not going to let you play with me!”
That seemed to shut the girl up. “What are you playing?” Fai asked with renewed interest and she picked the leaves from the floor out of her hair.
Kurogane stood and took his foam sword out of his belt loop and thrust it toward the ceiling. “I'm a warrior and I have to rescue the princess! You can be the princess if you want,” he added as he brought his sword down.
This time Fai scowled “Why do I have to be the princess? I don't wanna.”
“But you have long hair,” Kurogane rationalized.
“So! That doesn't mean I have to be the princess.”
Kurogane looked down at Fai, “But I want to save you.”
Fai propped her head up in her hands, “What if I'm your friend instead and you come to rescue me but I already got out of the castle and now we're going to fight the ogre!”
The other smiled, “That sounds really cool! But if we're going to be fighting together what are you going to be?”
“What do you mean?”
The child warrior sighed loudly, obviously this kid didn't get out much. “Well you can't just be my friend. You have to have a way to fight.”
Fai thought a moment, “Well I could use a sword too.”
“You can't do that. I'm already a warrior you have to be something else.”
She thought again, “Maybe I could be a magician?”
Kurogane furrowed his brow, “What's a 'magician' going to do?”
“Well I could shoot fire from my hands and ice too!”
“Wow! That's really cool! Okay,” Kurogane looked out the window, “You go hide behind that bush and then we'll bump into each other and fight the Bat Demons!” Kurogane thrust his fist in the air for emphasis.
Fai frowned, “The what?”
Kurogane sighed and pinched between his eyes like his dad did when he asked something stupid (Like if he could jump out the window with his bed sheet and use it as a parachute. They had nailed his window shut after that.) “Just go with it, idiot.”
They played in the woods for another hour making comical 'wwwsh' and' kerkgh' noises as they battled back to back and Kurogane didn't slice her in half once! - but the stopwatch went off and they paused mid-battle with cannibal dwarfs to stare at each other. Kurogane sheathed his weapon. “Are you 'sposed to go home now?” Fai asked tucking some stray hair behind her ear.
“Yeah,” Kurogane replied disappointed. This was the first time he had ever gotten to play with another kid outside of school. He lived way on the outskirts of town and had to be driven to the bus stop each morning because it was so far. “You could come with me! The king told my dad to make dinosaur nuggets and mac 'n' cheese. And my sister isn't home, she's a witch.”
Fai's head popped up and he smiled as he ran up and took Kurogane's hand. “Your dad knows the king?!”
Kurogane's face suddenly felt hot again, “Yeah.”
“Well what are we waiting for then?” And Fai tugged them in the direction of Kurogane's house.
Kurogane's father was leaning on the porch railing by the stairs when the two children emerged from the trees. “I see my valiant son has brought back another warrior with him!”
The two raced each other the rest of the way to the house, “Fai's not a warrior. Fai's a magician.”
“Oh is that so?” Kurogane's father mused as he leaned down to get a better look at the boy his son had brought home with him. “You wouldn't happen to live in the new castle down the road would you?”
Fai smiled, “It's not a castle. It's just a house.”
“Fai's not a princess either, even if she does have long hair.” Kurogane chimed in.
“Wait I'm not a-”
Kurogane looked shyly at Fai, “I- I um like your hair.”
Fai blushed, “Thank you.”
Torihiro smirked down at the blond boy his son had dragged in, “Well my house isn't a castle either but we are about to have a feast. What do you say? Wanna join us?”
“Yeah! And after will you take us to get ice cream?” Kurogane asked in earnest looking up at his father.
He couldn't help but smile at his son. “I don't know. I think I might have to talk to Fai's parents first. We could take him home after we eat though. We'll get in the truck go to his house and if his parents say it's okay we'll all go into town and get ice cream.”
“No! It's fine. I'll just walk home.”
Kurogane came up and slapped Fai on the back, “Don't worry about it! My dad said he'll take you home and he will!”
Fai smiled tentatively at Torihiro's son and he couldn't help but smirk at the two boys. “Okay.” Fai replied with that same small tentative smile.
The other boy took Fai's hand and began to drag him inside, “C' mon! I'll show you my dinosaur collection, but I'm not sure if you'll like that kind of stuff.”
“Wait, Kurogane-,” Torihiro sighed. It was to late his son had already taken his new friend inside and he couldn't help but think that, perhaps, his son was misinformed.
“Hey dad,” Torihiro turned to see his daughter, Yukko off to the side of the porch. Since when had she even been there? “Is it just me or does Kurogane seem to think his new friend is a girl?”
“He'll figure it out eventually.”
~o~
Saturday had come again and Kurogane had already found the note from the king, this time it had been in the laundry room, but Fai was running late. Since Fai had moved in during the early spring they had ritualistically played together every Saturday on the condition that Kurogane didn't go get Fai. He had went there one Saturday when Fai was running particularly late and Fai had been so mad that she had sent Kurogane home. So he had learned to stay at his house and wait for his best friend.
About a half hour later Fai came sprinting from the woods, “Sorry I'm late!” Fai yelled waving a hand over her head.
Kurogane sprung up from the porch irritated and ran to meet Fai in the middle of the yard. “You're late! Now we don't have as much time to play! And we're at the most important part of the game too!”
“And which part is that?” Fai retorted slightly peeved that Kurogane was slightly peeved.
The boy crossed his arms about his chest, “We're at the point where the Bat King kidnapped and poisoned the wizard.” Fai always forgot where they were when they played.
“Oh! Well I'm sorry I'm late. Let's go okay?”
The two of them ran off into the woods together to start where they had ended last Saturday. This really was the most exciting part of their game so far, it was times like these he wished Fai could play during the week. He had had to wait and entire week before they could continue. They took their places and then realized they couldn't exactly remember how it had happened and started from the part where the Bat King kidnapped Fai and dragged her off. Fai yelled for Kurogane but he couldn't save Fai in time and the girl was whisked away through the portal to the evil King's castle. Kurogane ran around for a while slashing at trees and invisible henchmen in his valiant fight to the castle. Fai picked flowers in the clearing since there was nothing to do while he wasn't in the part. After a while they both decided it was about time Kurogane arrived at the castle and Fai laid down in the tree house which was actually the dungeon where he was supposed to be, turned towards the ceiling and shut his eyes.
Kurogane rushed in to the dungeon threw his sword aside in his panic and collapsed to his knees dramatically beside his friend. He shook Fai and he could tell Fai was trying not to smile as he did. “Fai you need to be serious!”
Fai giggled in response before responding, “Okay, okay.” She swallowed her smile and did a very god job of 'looking dead but not being dead.'
He hated it when Fai smiled an he loved it for the very same reason: it made his face burn. Fai's smile made his face burn even now. The blond looked like she was seeping beneath Kurogane and he couldn't help but wonder if his parents' faces burned like this when they kissed him when he was asleep or being tucked in. He supposed he could find out. It would be like tucking Fai into bed but then the thought struck him that when his mom kissed his dad good night she did so on his lips. In response to this new thought Kurogane changed the direction of his mouth and firmly planted his lips on Fai's.
His face felt like the sun but instead of embarrassed he felt elated though he couldn't understand why. Then he felt embarrassed when Fai shoved him backwards, “What are you doing?” the blond demanded angrily.
Kurogane struggled to find words seeing as he suddenly felt accused. “I-I.... It's not my fault! You're the princess!”
“I'm the princess?” Fai yelled in retaliation as she scrambled to her feet wiping her lips.
Kurogane stood too and threw his hands from himself, “Yeah! Because you're a girl!”
The blond looked at him indignantly, “I'm not a girl!”
“Are too!”
“Am not!”
“But you have long hair!”
Fai balled his hands into fists, “So that doesn't matter! I'm a boy! And boys don't kiss boys! I'm going home.”
Kurogane, too, went home. He slammed the door to the back yard, then the door to his room, and he flopped on his bed landing roughly on a toy dinosaur that he threw at the wall. Fai was a boy? He didn't even know! And now he might never see him again. Fai was his only friend really. At school people stayed away from him not because he was mean but because he was foreign. All the children at school had grown up in the same town able to walk to each other houses with no problem but he was isolated from them and that reflected at school.
Yet, even in all this he felt confused. Fai was a boy and he had kissed a boy but he didn't feel grossed out. Wasn't he supposed to be grossed out? Instead he felt he liked Fai even more. Like Fai now met some qualification he didn't know he had wanted the other boy to meet. He was supposed to save and kiss princesses not princes. Right?
There was a knock at his door and then it was opening. He could tell it was his dad by the way the footsteps sounded. “Did you and Fai have a fight?”
“Dad did you know Fai's a boy?” Kurogane asked he didn't mean to avoid his father's question his was just more important.
Torihiro raised an eyebrow, “Yes, yes I did.”
Kurogane sat up as quick as lightning, “And you didn't tell me?”
“I honestly didn't think it would take you so long to figure it out,” his father responded with an awkward rub of his neck.
And with that Kurogane flopped down on his bed again. “I must be an idiot.”
“Is Fai being a boy a problem?”
Kurogane turned his head so he wouldn't suffocate, “No. Just...” His small word hung between them for a moment. How could he ask his dad if it was possible for boys to like like boys? Would his dad be mad at him? What about his mother and sister? “What if a warrior doesn't wanna save the princess? What if he just wants to ride around and battle with a prince?”
Torihiro blinked at his son an didn't respond for a moment and in that moment Kurogane thought his dad might be mad. But his father wasn't and instead he responded, “Well, the warrior better stop wasting his time saving princesses then.”
Kurogane turned his head back into his pillow and growled and his dad patted his back firmly to comfort him. “Everybody is dumb.”
“Yeah? Wait until you're and adult.”
There was a knock at the door, frantic and loud and unrelenting. “C' mon. Let's go get that and then I'll let you help me make lunch.”
While Kurogane didn't want to do much, he also didn't want to mope alone. What he wanted to do was sit on the couch and 'not' cuddle with his father but he couldn't do that up here so he relented and followed his father downstairs to the back door where they found the knock coming from. His father opened the door and found Fai standing there breathing heavily, fists balled at his sides, and hair cut so unevenly that the oldest sucked in a breath and tried not to laugh and Kurogane felt like he had been punched in the stomach.
Fai walked past Torihiro and right up to Kurogane, thrusting a finger in his face. “I don't have long hair anymore so you better not think I'm a girl!” He retracted his finger and looked at the ground, Kurogane could see the tips of Fai's ears turning pink. Fai looked up again, “And if you do that again I'll-I'll never talk to you again! EVER!”
“O-okay,” Kurogane sputtered.
Hidden Boys Omake - For Sickness
~o~
“You're sick.”
“No I'm not Kuro-pu.”
Kurogane snarled. “Yes you are.”
“Aw. You're so cute when you worry, Kuro-cute.”
“I'm not cute.” Kurogane leaned against the window frame of Fai's car and looked in at the blond who had already shifted his car into drive. “And you are sick. You wouldn't be leaving this early otherwise.”
Fai relented and sighed, “It's just a cold. I don't even have a fever. I'll be better with a little rest no worries.” Kurogane didn't move. “I'll call you if I need you. Go on back inside. The kids are going to come looking for you.”
The larger man smirked, “More like they'll come looking for you. You know they ask about you when you aren't around.”
Fai smiled in return. Kurogane's smile could literally melt ice, well, if ice was Fai. “I know.”
They stared at each other a few moments lost in looking at the other. Recently their relationship had begun changing. It had been roughly five years since Kurogane had been rejected in the hospital and since Fai and him had gone through he tedious motions of building a solid friendship, establishing mutual trust, and slowly becoming part of the other's everyday life. Their relationship was in a fragile transition phase entitled “we-kiss-but-not-in-front-of-the-kids”. It had been that way for roughly three months and was showing very few signs of progressing to something more anytime soon. This wasn't bad, both of them knew that they were not the only people to consider in their relationship, there was always the children to consider and because of this their relationship had not progressed past gentle kissing and sweet necking when they could. And when they could was generally the days the kids were with Yuuko and Clow in the town over.
Fai cleared his throat and looked away in embarrassment, Kurogane had developed a habit of openly staring at him and while he by no means hated it, it never failed to turn his cheeks pink. He then glanced out his windshield to check for peeking eyes and when he didn't find any his hand shot out his window. grabbed Kurogane by the collar, and pulled the larger man's head in through the window. They kissed then in a slow meeting of lips that reluctantly pulled away after a few brief seconds. “I should go,” Fai tried to say and was silenced when Kurogane kissed him again.
“I know,” Kurogane said and Fai kissed him. “Call me if you need me. Please.” He kissed the blond again, this time a little more forcefully for good measure.
Kurogane retreated and stood straight as Fai smiled at him, “Goodnight, Kuro-darling.” With that Fai backed out of his driveway.
He stood there in the darkened driveway a few more seconds and once he was sue he was out of Fai's sight he broke into a grin reminiscent of a kid at a candy shop. He ran his ran over his face as if trying to contain his happiness before walking back to his house to finish the stupid fish movie that Kina liked so much.
He walked into his sunken living room and his children stared at him. “What?” He growled.
His children didn't even flinch and looked at each other before looking back to him. “You're smiling stupid, Dad,” Kina replied and turned back to the movie.
Kurogane looked to Mori who shrugged with a smile that was much to similar to the one Yuuko wore when she knew more than she was letting on.
Friday afternoon and the idiot hadn't called. For all he knew Fai could be dying in his loft not taking medicine and refusing to see a doctor. That's how his stubbornness presented itself and Kurogane pondered this as he stirred his ice cream soda. As usual, if the opportunity presented itself, he would take the kids to their favorite ice cream parlor at the end of the week. He might not have been one for sweets but ordering an ice cream soda was more desirable than listening to his kids scold him for not participating in the family outing.
“You look upset,” Mori said thrusting his spoon towards his father across the table.
Kina pursed her lips then clucked her tongue. “Yeah,” she agreed from beside Kurogane.
“I'm not upset. Eat your damn ice cream so we can go home and make dinner would ya?” Kina snuggled up closer to him not even phased by his unintentionally harsh way of speaking. “I wish Fai was coming over today. He could come with us to get ice creams. And he makes yummy food.”
Kurogane scowled down at her, “What? I don't make 'yummy' food?”
His children blinked at him. “We didn't say that.”
“But Fai puts butter on the vegetables,” Mori added.
Kina looked up at her dad, “ And he cuts the crusts off the sammiches.”
Well, Kurogane wasn't one to deny his children. “You guys want to go see him?” He asked as casually as he could.
Both of them perked up at the prospect, “Really?”
Kurogane rubbed his head, “Yeah but you guys can't be running around in the bar.”
“We won't!”
The bar was busy seeing as it was a Friday so he held Kina more securely on his hip and gripped Mori's hand a bit tighter as they made a b-line for the stairs at the back. They hurriedly shuffled up the stairs and he knocked loudly on Fai's door.
An ominous groan resounded in the small hallway in response. Kina scurried out of her father's grip and rushed the door declaring, “That means 'come in!'”
“Fai!” Kina shouted as she ran and jumped on the lump in the middle of the mattress that was Fai. “Daddy brought us over because we want food!” She shook the lump.
Mori walked over towards the bed cautiously, “I think he's dead.”
Kurogane flicked on the lights and took in the apartment. It was littered with tissues and smelled of sickness. “Guys, stop.”
It was then the Fai moved and turned to look at the kids and even they could tell something was terribly off. Fai was so pale that his skin was blanched and his blood vessels made him look green in color. He tried to smile but failed.
Kina and Mori pulled back a bit, “Are you sick Fai?” Mori ventured.
The blond actually looked like he was about to answer 'no' but then he began to convulse as he tried to repress vomit and failed and threw up in a trashcan on the other side of the bed.
Kurogane rushed in “That's a yes.” He pulled his kids back and rushed them out the door. “Tomoyo!” He called down to the bar.
A moment later she was at the bottom of the stairs, “Please tell me he's not dead.”
“Tch. As if.” Kurogane replied with a scowl, “Take the kids to the back and feed them some of that grilled ham and cheese stuff you guys have.”
“Alright,” she responded throwing the dish towel she was holding over her shoulder.
Kurogane turned his kids to face him and squatted to be at their level, “You behave for Tomoyo and don't cause her any trouble.”
“Yes daddy,” they responded. Kina kissed his nose and Mori his forehead and then they retreated.
Kurogane called after them, “Hold each other's hands!” They both shot him a thumbs up in response. He went back into Fai's loft and closed the door behind himself. Fai was still bent over the side of his bed though it didn't seem he was throwing up anymore.
Kurogane went around to the side Fai was facing knelt down beside him, “What are you waiting for?”
Fai swallowed thickly, “Second wave.” No sooner had he spoken the words had his body started retching again.
“Shit,” Kurogane said as he reacted by pulling Fai's hair back from his face. The golden strands more closely resembled wet hay and felt similar. Fai vomited into the trash for a good ten seconds before his body stilled. “Done?” Kurogane asked massaging Fai's scalp.
“Water.” Fai's arm shot out to his night stand and collided with a cup that had water in it sending it to the ground. “Fuck,” Fai mumbled almost pathetically.
Kurogane picked up the cup and went to the sink to refill it. He grabbed the hand towel and dropped it on the small puddle before setting the glass down on the night stand. Fai hadn't even attempted to move while he was getting water and so Kurogane lifted Fai under the arms and brought him back so he was propped up on his pillows. “Here,” Kurogane said handing Fai the water.
Fai looked at it a moment before taking it and drinking roughly half the glass in the span of three minutes. Kurogane sat on the edge of the bed. “You were supposed to call.”
“You have the kids.”
“You were supposed to call,” he repeated. He wasn't mad so much as he was upset that Fai hadn't given him enough credit.
“I didn't want to get you guys sick.”
Kurogane took Fai's hand, “You promised idiot. You're practically dying up here. I can make arrangements for the kids.”
Fai closed his eyes and gave Kurogane's hand a light squeeze, “Your time with them is important.”
“You're important too idiot. Don't forget that.”
Blue eyes settled on red ones, “I'm sorry I broke my promise.”
“I'm not leaving you alone. I'm going to go call Yuuko.” Kurogane stood and Fai opened his mouth to protest. “And don't try to talk me out of it either.”
Fai closed and opened his mouth a few times as if about to say something and thinking better of it. “I'm going to try to sleep then.”
Kurogane's gaze softened, “I'll be back in two, three hours tops.”
Fai nuzzled into his pillow. “Hng. Hit the lights on your way out.”
They met half way between Yuuko's house and Kurogane's. They had had to return to his house to gather the kid's things before they left. They pulled off into the gas station they deemed half-way; Mori and Kina were trying their best to sit still as they waited for their mom to arrive.
Kina kicked her legs in the back seat while singing a song under breath. “Daddy,” she prompted.
“Hn?” Kurogane responded and locked eyes with her in the rear view mirror.
“Are we going to Mommy's house so you can take care of Fai?”
He turned to look at her and evenly stated, “Yes. Is that okay with, you?”
“Yep!” She smiled happily to herself and played with her thumbs.
Mori spoke up then, “Are you going to stay the night?”
“Maybe, it depends on how sick he is and if he'll let me.”
His son's face scrunched up, “Are you going to kiss?”
Kurogane couldn't decide if his skin had paled or if he was blushing. “What?” He barked in embarrassment.
Mori grew embarrassed himself and shouted in retaliation, “That's what happens on TV!”
“Y-your mother needs to stop letting you watch those dramas!”
“I just don't want you to get the pregnant!”
Kurogane hit his head against the steering wheel and the horn resounded across the parking lot. How old was Mori? Nine now, almost ten. Now was not the time to have the talk especially when Kina was siting there watching this all unfold with confusion written across her face.
“What's the pregnant? Is it bad? Is Fai going to give it to you?” She sounded genuinely worried.
Kurogane was about to answer when Mori piped in again. “It's when people kiss and then their stomachs get huge and then they explode!”
“Daddy! If you explode I'm going to have to beat Fai up! I don't wanna do that! I like him!” Fatherhood. Kurogane wondered if he could negotiate the life long contract.
“Okay listen,” he growled and both of them piped down. “You can not get pregnant by kissing. And when a person does get pregnant their stomach doesn't explode they have a baby.”
They both blinked up at him and just when he thought they were satisfied they threw their questions at him.
“Then how does somebody get pregnant?” Mori asked with a raised eyebrow.
Kurogane knew he was most definitely blushing.
“Oh,” Kina decided “Then you can get the pregnant with Fai daddy and have a baby! I think you guys would have a pretty baby!”
He stared dumbfounded at his children and ignored the urge to bang his head against the window or, alternatively opening his car door and run into the woods. Instead he snapped his head to Mori and very nearly shouted as he pointed at his son, “Ask me again next week and don't you dare ask your mother.” Then he turned to Kina who had knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. “And men can't have babies with other men by 'getting the pregnant' they have to adopt.”
Mori stared at him irritated, he was the kind that wanted answers immediately but was slow to give up his own. Kina though looked thoughtful. After about a minute of silence Kurogane thought the subject was done and over with, “Well then you guys can just a-pot! I'm sure the baby will grow to be cute even if it does have leaves.”
Kurogane couldn't help the smirk that crawled across his face nor could he help his vocal pleas for help from the almighty god above. Thankfully Yuuko's headlights swung into view blinding him in the process, she certainly knew how to make an entrance.
The kid hopped out of the car without so much as asking and went to their mother to hug her around her waist. Kurogane got out of the car just in time to catch Kina telling her mother “-but it's okay that Daddy can't get the pregnant because he can just plant a baby in a pot!”
Yuuko smiled, amused, at her daughter and looked to Kurogane as she said slowly, “Is that so?” She tuned back to the kids, “Why don't you guys get in the car and I'll talk to your dad?”
Both of them ran back to their father who crouched down to embrace them. They both kissed his forehead. Mori lingered a moment and bopped his dad over the head with his little fist, “Don't let Fai die.” Mori retreated to the car then.
“So your planting a child?” Yuuko asked as she closed the back door the kids had went through.
Kurogane sighed and handed her the kids backpacks which she slung over he shoulder. “I said adopt. Not a-pot.”
“Hm,” she mused, “Are you and Fai in a relationship?”
The taller of the two sat on his car and kicked his legs out. “No. He's just sick and he's to much of an idiot to take care of himself.”
“I think that will change soon.” She mused. “Your and Fai's relationship status.”
“What makes you say that?”
She smirked at him and walked over to ruffle his hair like a cute pet. “Just because you don't tell me how often Fai comes over during the week doesn't mean the kids don't. They're very fond of him, they like to talk about how he 'makes Daddy smile stupid' if I'm quoting them right.”
Kurogane rubbed his hands over his face, “Yeah. They tell me that too.”
Yuuko looked a bit shocked that he had admitted to it but smiled at him pleased, “You should get going.”
Kurogane nodded in agreement.
It was nearing nine in the evening when Kurogane walked into Fai's apartment carrying a bag from the pharmacy with various forms of cold medicine: nighttime, daytime, multi-symptom. Fai was still asleep on his bed, even from the doorway Kurogane could see the fine layer of sweet the coated him.
Kurogane flipped on the lights and went to the kitchen as Fai rolled over groaning and pulled the sheet over his head. He found a pot and pulled out a can of soup and dumped it in and put a lid over the pot. He looked around and saw Fai was peering at him through a small peep hole he had made in the blanket.
“You need to shower.”
“I'm not going to eat that. It's to heavy. I'll just throw it up.” Fai frowned and turned away to snuggle deeper into the sheets. “I'm to tired to shower.”
Kurogane turned the pot off and walked over to lean down by Fai's ear. “I don't care. Your fever is really high. I can feel it and I'm not even touching you. You need to cool your body down before you fry your brain.”
Fai made a childish whining sound as he threw the blankets off and tried to stand. He wobbled a bit and Kurogane caught him and helped him to the bathroom. He ran the water so it was temped and let it run. He was waiting for it to fill with Fai sitting on the toilet head facing the floor and hair hanging limply about his face. Fai made a small tired noise and Kurogane saw him with his arms outstretched and raised ever so slightly with his wrists hanging limp.
Kurogane rolled his eyes and grabbed the hem of Fai's soaked shirt and brought it over his head in one swift motion. The waistband of the baggy pajama pants Fai was wearing had slipped halfway down his hips and Kurogane found his eyes pinned to the parallel scars that seemed bright against Fai's pale skin.
Fai's hands crept slowly over his own skin inward to cover the scars and this movement effectively snapped Kurogane out of his stupor. Fai's eyes were waiting for his when they met and he his gaze was unwavering on Kurogane. “They're fading you know.”
Red eyes glazed over in guilt before Kurogane gave a curt nod. He reached down and turned off the water. There was only a few inches of liquid in the tub, enough to take away the heat of Fai's fever. There was a small press into his side and he looked down at Fai who was now wrapping his arms around his hips and trying to burrow his head into Kurogane's middle.
“Kuro-sama, stop staring and let me get in the tub before I get sick again without a bucket to barf into.” Fai sounded terrible and Kurogane could feel the heat of his fever even through his clothes.
He scratched Fai's head before he backed away to the door. “Stay in there for ten minutes,” he instructed before closing the door behind himself.
Fifteen minutes later and Kurogane had managed to do the pile of dishes in Fai sink, pick up the crap on the floor, and change the idiot's linen because sleeping in sweat soaked sheets was disgusting even when sick. Fai emerged from the bathroom in and oversized shirt and snow-pea green cotton pants. The ends of his hair were wet and his skin was still pale but had taken on a less green quality. “How do you feel?” Kurogane ventured as he followed Fai to help the blond into bed.
Fai managed a weak smile, “A little less like shit.”
“You look it too,” Kurogane smirked and he put his hand to Fai's forehead. He was still burning but at least he wasn't as hot as the fiery pits of hell anymore. Kurogane went to the kitchen area where he had stashed his bag from the pharmacy. “When's the last time you took medicine?”
“Let's see I graduated high school at eighteen. So about eight years before that?”
Kurogane stared at him with disbelief. “You're fucking kidding me.”
“Cold medicine is gross.”
He shook his head, grabbed some nighttime fever reducer, the thermometer he bought, and a stack of saltines. Kurogane stuck the thermometer in Fai's mouth and filled the cap to the brim with cold syrup which caused Fai to visibly grimace through his misery. The thermometer beeped and Kurogane looked at the digits: 101.3 degree fever. “Well the good news is I'm not going to take you to the hospital. The bad news is you're going to drink this and eat some of these he said motioning to the medication and crackers respectively.
Fai did so with little complaint and Kurogane sat at the side of his bed attentively. About forty minutes later Fai was struggling to keep his eyes open and Kurogane went around the apartment shutting off the lights after changing into his sleepwear. He went back to Fai and pulled the covers up around his neck and turned with the intent of grabbing a blanket from the closet and a pillow from the bed and sleeping on the couch but Fai's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. “Where are you going? Are you leaving?”
“As if I could leave you by yourself. You nearly died in the few days I didn't hear from you,” he replied with a sigh and sat back down on the floor by the bed. “I was going to get a blanket and sleep on the couch.” He could just barely make out Fai's blue eyes in the dark.
“No,” was Fai's simple reply. Fai's hand weakly pulled Kurogane up and towards the bed. He followed obediently and crawled over to the opposite side.
They were lying next to each other on the bed and Fai turned to face him. His hand reached up and ran up the length of Kurogane's neck to rest on his cheek. Fai ran his thumb back and forth over Kurogane's cheekbone for a moment before stopping to stare at him. “I want you to sleep with me tonight.”
Fai's eyes were serious but Kurogane could tell it had taken a lot for Fai to invite him this far. He had demonstrated a lot or restraint (like last year at the Halloween party when Fai had gotten particularly drunk and flirtatious) but he lost himself and bent his head down to grab Fai's lips with his own. It started heated but quickly faded to light pecks that Fai tried his best to return even as he fought sleep. Kurogane pulled away and kissed Fai's nose before pulling the blond by the waist into him.
“Your going to get sick,” Fai mumbled into his collarbone and gently kissed Kurogane's neck.
Kurogane close his eyes, “Don't care. Just don't barf on me in the middle of the night.” Kurogane could hardly bring himself to care that he might get sick because Fai's body was pressed into his and not in some wet dream either but in the flesh. He loved Fai and while now was not the time to blurt out how the blond made him complete he couldn't help but be reminded of something Kina told him.
“Kina says I smile stupid when we kiss.”
Fai smiled and burrowed his head deeper, “Tomoyo tells me the same thing.” His voice was sleepy, almost delirious.
“Can we be stupid together then?”
Fai mumbled into his neck. He hadn't heard the reply and he probably wouldn't because Fai had fallen asleep. So he pulled the blankets around them and fell asleep himself. On the border of consciousness his brain was able to depict what Fai had said and though he might have conjured it up he would probably forget that Fai had promised him Forever.
That Which Possesses You: That Which We Embrace
Warnings: Angsy Fai? That counts, right?
Rating: pg-13
Notes: Guess who got a job, and is trying to write college essays, and maintain her grades? This girl. I'm terribly sorry I haven't been updating but I do have what I consider legit excuses. However, things are finally going to get better
Kurogane found himself in the port city not far from where Suwa use to be. It was always harder to be in the areas surrounding his homeland because unlike other Demons he hadn't been around long enough to forget his pain. After a while it seemed that most Demons forgot the very reason they had sacrificed their humanity. For him it had been hardly more than six months since his mother's death and almost a year since he had seen Fai. Not that he was keeping track. No he wasn't. He had more important things to worry about being a Demon now. Like stopping rogue Wrath Demons. He simply didn't have time to look for Fai. Which he had done but would never admit to doing.
Surprisingly Demons from different houses scarcely interacted and it was near impossible to get information about active Demons from other houses, once again, not that he had tried. Waking up in some of the deepest chambers in the House of Body he had realized why Fai had been so cautious in their relationship and he could hardly blame him for how he had acted though thinking of what had been said still hurt. He missed him.
As of now he was hunting a Demon and he was running low on Essence. He would finish this poor Soul Prowler off and then hit the streets to deliver some well deserved justice. Kurogane had a rule when he killed: if he had to kill to live he should kill those deserving of death. Rapists and murders were his usual targets. Not to mention they carried with them the most Wrath. Most of the Demons possessed by Wrath were hardly inclined to search for those deserving of Death. Wrath was a force derived from dark, evil passions that took root in a person and those with that particular Demon generally took on this 'evil passion' mask. They enjoyed the kill, the blood, the pure satisfaction of slaughtering and so under normal circumstances they didn't think about their victim just zeroed in on the amount of sin that person possessed. However Kurogane was not a normal circumstance as Tomoyo, the training Demon Keeper at the House of Body. He was more than a human and a Demon. He was part Angel because he was a Demon link.
Tomoyo had explained to him that it was a miracle the part of his Soul that made him a Demon Link hadn't been obliterated when Wrath possessed him. Instead his Soul had made a barrier of sorts in his Essence. Part of his Essence remained inactive meaning it didn't affect his Soul and it's only purpose anymore, as far as he knew, was to protect the small bit on Angel in him from the Demon occupying his body. The other part of his Essence was used to feed the Demon, and it was this part he had to replenish or he would die.
This was another reason why Kurogane was selective in his kill. The more powerful Wrath was in a person the less he had to kill. Unlike other sins, Wrath was one that took root in a person and permanently tainted their Essence so once consumed it lasted longer than say other sins like Lust which were generally passing sins and so they were consumed more quickly.
His plan at this point was to finish off this Demon and find a target to consume. It took a few hours to locate the Demon and it was already late afternoon by the time he did. And an hour later, after a battle on a fishing boat, the sun had set and the Demon was dead. Now he need only do one thing: find a suitable victim.
He found them all to soon. When hunting it seemed that people full of Wrath emanated a scent so vile and disgusting that he would go insane had he not destroyed it. Kurogane followed the most pungent of the scents in the air to find a child murderer in the middle of further defiling the dead corpse of a young girl. The man was dead before he spoke.
Kurogane, in need of a drink after what he had just witnessed, went to a bar towards the outskirts of the city. He had every intention of returning to the Demon Realm that evening and would need the cover of the forest to create his blood portal home. He walked in and took a seat at the crowded bar and ordered a shot of their strongest. He winced as it burned down his throat and he brought the shot glass down onto the counter pointing at it for another.
Once he had taken his second shot and shook off the burn he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. It was a familiar tugging in his chest that had only ever been proceeded by, well, him. Why was his body doing this to him, Fai was not coming back. He had stated so clearly but the anxious, on-edge feeling that he usually got when Fai was coming had onset so suddenly that it had surprised him. He was not going to stick around for this bullshit, he could go home and fantasize about old ghosts rather than panic about them in public. Kurogane threw his cloak over his shoulder because he couldn't find the time to put it on; the crowd was getting to him and making him hot anyway.
He pushed the door open and made an abrupt left successfully knocking over whoever he had just run into. The tension he had felt in the bar ebbed away just like it always had when he had finally seen Fai after a day of that anxious feeling. His eyes widened and he could feel his heartbeat quicken. Two things were going through his mind: one; he was either about to see Fai again and he would not under any circumstances let the idiot get away from him, two; the person he had just run was probably not Fai and he was most likely never going to see the blond again. He didn't want to look up because he didn't want to know but he did anyway.
Blue eyes peered back into his own, wide and surprised. “Kurogane. What are you doing here?” Fai got himself to his feet and stared at the man something was different. The man felt different in presence; had he felt Kurogane he never would have come this way. It clicked with him when he met Kurogane's eyes. They were red as blood, fire, fury, wrath. Fai, unable to stop himself, rushed forward and took Kurogane's face between his hands and brought his face level with his, “What did you do!” He demanded angrily.
Kurogane reached up and peeled Fai's hands away from his face angrily. “I did what I had to do. Nobody does this if it's not what they have to do.” What right did the blond have to demand answers from him?
“D-do you even understand what you are now!” Fai looked horrified as he again reached for Kurogane's face, this time specifically for his eye, this time much less urgently. He set his hand on Kurogane's face gingerly, as if afraid to confirm what he knew.
The taller closed his eyes and sighed. “Yes I do,” he replied and Fai ran his thumb over Kurogane's eyelid.
“Why did you do it? I left so that you could lead a normal human life and you repay me by doing this? This is the exact opposite of what I wanted for you!” Fai took his hand away abruptly and Kurogane opened his eyes. They were beginning to draw attention from the various people filtering in and out of the bar and walking along the streets. “What could have possibly driven you to this?”
The way Fai gestured at him as he said this brought only irritation. He wasn't a child and was more than capable to accept what he had resigned himself to and what had brought him to the decision he had made. “She died. They killed her you bastard! Don't stand there and imply that her life, my mother's life, was not worth the price I payed to avenge her.”
Fai shrunk back, his once anger filled resolve dissipated. “Kuro-s-, excuse me, Kurogane, I-I didn't know.” He really didn't. It's not as if he understood in that one sentence what had happened but he didn't want to risk pressing the issue.
“That's right you didn't know. You left.” It felt good to be angry and release his frustration of nearly the last year on to it's source. But he had nothing left to say, pointing out the obvious had satisfied him.
Fai slumped against the wall of the pub they were outside of and licked his lips, his mouth was suddenly dry. “D-do you want to talk? Not here I mean.”
Kurogane relaxed his shoulders and, as a result, he became less intimidating. Common sense told him that going with Fai wasn't he best idea. All the months he had spent forgetting the idiot would be a waste – more like they were already a waste. He looked back to Fai who peered at him timidly, as if he was having the exact same thought. “Yeah. Let's go inside.”
An hour later Fai was nursing his sweet alcohol and Kurogane was on his fifth shot. Up until this point they had been making idle small talk at a table in the crowded bar. It wasn't uncomfortable just tense. Fai could have sat there forever pretending that things weren't different from before and in just a few hours they would return to Kurogane's house and spend an hour trying to say good night to each other by the stairs. But that wouldn't happen, he still had to feed and there was no house to return to.
Kurogane was smirking at something he had just said when he broke the news. “Kurogane, I have to feed still. It'll only take a little while if you want to wait for me.”
“No. I'm not going to wait for you while you have sex with somebody else.”
Fai frowned even though he hadn't been expecting much else. That, however, didn't stop the sting. “How would it be any different than me waiting for you to murder somebody?”
Kurogane didn't have an answer for that. He supposed it wasn't much different, the only difference being that thinking about Fai being touched by another person made his skin crawl with jealousy and want and he had no idea what Fai felt thinking about him killing a human. He decided to steer the conversation a slightly different direction, “Why did you push me away when we kissed?”
“You mean when you kissed me.”
He scowled, “Bullshit, when we kissed. Don't try to deny that you returned it.”
Fai sat back in his chair and swirled the bottle by it's neck. “Because – because when we kissed I began to drain you. And that was just kissing. I shouldn't have been able to extract Essence from you by those means! I panicked. What if I hadn't been able to stop?”
It all made sense when explained like that, why the idiot had run from him and why he had insisted on pushing Kurogane away. However, things were different now. “That won't happen anymore.”
“How do you know?” Fai questioned bitterly.
He didn't know and he had nothing to base his notion on. “I don't know. But we can try, right?”
Fai's head snapped up, his face was set in a deep scowl. “No we can't!”
Regardless of his refusal Kurogane grabbed his face from across the table in both his hands, smooshing Fai's face in a way that would be comical in any other situation, and yanked him rather brutishly across the table so their faces met halfway. Their breath mingled momentarily before Kurogane crashed his lips into Fai's closed and unresponsive ones. Though it occurred to him to stop just in case Fai did drain he couldn't and wouldn't because at that moment he could think of no better waste of Essence than this. Slowly he felt Fai relax and taking it as a good sign he allowed himself to ghost his tongue over Fai's lips to prompt a reaction.
It wasn't happening. Kurogane's Essence wasn't flowing into him! With the realization months and months of sexual and emotional frustration were released and as Kurogane's tongue retreated from his lips he lost what little control and restraint he had around Kurogane. Fai lips pressed back feverishly and the intense urge to touch Kurogane reigned supreme. He launched himself towards the other in a blind urge, unfortunately there was still the matter of the table between them which he disregarded by crawling across the table top and pushing shot glasses out of his way as he made his way to his destination: Kurogane's lap. He hadn't known what prompted his sudden outburst be it love or lust nor did he care at that moment.
Kurogane landed with a soft thud against the back of his chair and released a small 'oompf' as Fai's weight settled on him. Fai's hands were on his face keeping their mouths locked together and seeing no alternative he placed his hands on Fai's waist so the idiot wouldn't fall.
This wasn't right. Fai pushed his tongue into Kurogane's compliant mouth. He still had to feed. Kurogane tasted horrible thanks to that gross scotch, but he could hardly bring himself to care. They were still in a bar. Kurogane pulled back slightly and bit Fai's lip causing Fai to mewl excitedly against Kurogane's upper lip. Wait, they were still in a bar.
Fai pushed Kurogane back against his chair and scrambled off of him only to meet the eyes of the crowd looking at them with varied interest, which waned as Kurogane scowled at the crowd, regardless Fai couldn't stop the blush that crept to the top of his ears. His breathing regulated as Kurogane mumbled incohesively yet irritatedly all the same. What had he just done? They couldn't do this! Since when was there a this? Fai wrapped his head around the situation for what it was. He had just kissed a man who had actual, genuine feelings for him. He had made it obvious that he returned those feelings if the very public display they hadn't put on right now hadn't been any indication. But he was still him; a Lust Demon. He had to feed and feeding meant sex for him. What kind of normal relationship could be built if one partner had to commit an infidelity daily in order to survive? Was this even progressing to a relationship? They might have been nearly immortal but forever was a long time. It was time to discover people's faults and grow tired of them and what would Kurogane do when that happened? Fai had already lost the one he cared for once but that was to death and old age but to do it a second time? Even he could see the idiocy. These were all very sobering thoughts. “Shit,” Fai let the word slip out with an upset, angry tone.
Kurogane must not have caught on. “Yeah, shit,” he laughed breathlessly, like he could hardly believe what had just happened and the happiness it brought him.
Fai scowled. “No not 'shit',” he said the word the best he could mimic Kurogane. “Shit,” he corrected by saying it darkly. “I shouldn't have done that. I-I have to go.”
“'Go' - your bed or mine?” Kurogane teased with a satisfied smirk on his face which immediately fell when Fai brushed past him while adjusting his triangular hat. “What the fuck!” Kurogane quickly gather his things and slapped some bills on the table to chase after the idiot. He emerged outside to bar to find nothing, but he could still feel Fai around. He took to the roofs to follow the quickly fading trail, “Idiot you can't run from me now!” He called out into the night as his feet silently padded over thatched roofs. He saw Fai in the distance leaping and tumbling from roof to roof, like a graceful dancer, and he broke into a run. Fai must not have considered Kurogane's speed as a Demon considering the last time he saw him he was human and less physically adept, because he looked seriously shocked when Kurogane jumped off the very edge of a building and came down landing on top of him. They skidded across the roof a few feet from sheer impact and, before the dust even had time to settle, Fai brought his leg back and pushed it into Kurogane's abdomen thereby successfully sending Kurogane flying to the other side of the roof.
Fai adjusted his body and launched himself to his feet by arching his back and pushing off with his hands. Kurogane was collecting himself on the opposite side and Fai flicked his wrist to summon his claws before taking a defensive position.
Kurogane looked at Fai, he didn't want to fight the other but at this point it seemed like the only way to communicate with him. He scowled and clapped his hands together to summon Ginryuu. He gripped the hilt and he too took a defensive position. “I don't want to fight you, idiot.”
“Are you going to keep following me?” Fai asked conversationally.
Kurogane thought a moment, “Yes.”
The blond narrowed his eyes, “Well, then this is the only way I'm going to get you to stop then, isn't it!” Fai rushed forward and raised his left hand to strike. Kurogane, however sidestepped his attack. From behind he could sense Kurogane's sward cutting through the air. He ducked and supported his upper body so it was parallel with the roof and swept a leg out behind him in hopes of tripping Kurogane.
“What's your excuse now, Fai? You aren't sucking me dry now,” Kurogane yelled angrily as he sprinted towards Fai, blunt side of his sward ready to strike.
Fai calculated Kurogane's offense and dropped to his hands using his upper body strength to spring into the air, as he approached the pinnacle of his jump he fixed his body into a ball and using his forward momentum spun over the approaching sward. He landed on his hand and feet in a crouched position.
This was getting nowhere fast. Kurogane stuck Ginryuu into the roof and drew his faithful throwing daggers from his sides. He threw them both with equal force and precision at the other and watched as they landed in Fai's cloak pinning him to the roof. Kurogane knelled in front of Fai who refused to meet his gaze momentarily and when he did he did so while also putting his claw to Kurogane's throat. Kurogane met his movement and drew another dagger and placed it against Fai's neck. “Why are you running away from me now?”
“I don't know what you want from me, Kurogane. But in case you forgot I have to feed every night. How do expect to have any kind of relationship where I have to sleep with a new person each night?”
“I can feed you,” Kurogane returned. Actually, he wasn't sure he could but he could at least try.
Fai looked at him like he was dumb. “What even makes you think I'll allow myself to have sex with you? I'll just drain you or have you already forgotten-”
“Just shut up! I can feed you the way Links feed Demons. I'm still part Link, even now.”
Fai stared at him with hardened eyes and challenged Kurogane, “Then do it already.”
Kurogane swallowed. He hadn't purposely feed anybody since he was a child and even then it would take him a while. At best, he was inexperienced. At worst, he was incapable. His mother's teachings came back to him slowly. He tilted Fai's face so their eyes met and cleared his mind. He focused solely on how energy was flowing through his body. There were two circles instead of the one that he had expected. It must have been the two hemispheres of Essence and Soul with in him operating independently of each other. Since it was the presence of a small amount of Angel Soul that gave a Demon Link their ability he went off a limb and tapped into the Essence surrounding this portion of himself. There was a push and pull of energy within him and as pressure built behind this push and pull Kurogane narrowed his eyes and the energy came out of him blinding him as it passed through his line of sight to his target. The Angel Soul within him beat rapidly and replenished what had been lost until Kurogane stopped giving. He blinked a few times and his vision came back. He stared dumbly at Fai who stared blindly back at him for a moment. “Holy shit. I did it,” he said breathing heavily and running his hand through his hair in disbelief.
A predatory smile crept across Fai's face as his own vision came back, “Yeah you did.” Once again he was unaware of what he was doing but the realization that he could be with somebody who he cared for in the most intimate way overtook him. He was consumed by lust for Kurogane, consequences be damned and forgotten.
That Which Possesses You: That Which Returns
Notes: Lotsa time skippy bullshit will ensue, beginning here and continuing the next few installments. Probably update in five days or so. Also I edited this last night after a very eventful day and I was extremely tired so if there are things I over looked sorry.
~o~
Sleep had been hard to come by the past evening and Fai awoke from his fitful rest just before daybreak. It was now time for him to return to the House of Soul to report to Ashura and probably be handed another assignment. As much as he hated traveling from country to country tracking rogue Essence Snatchers turned Soul Prowlers doing so at least kept him out of the Demon Realm.
The Houses of the Demon Realm were each run by a Demon Keeper. Demon Keepers were, at one point, humans with incredible magical abilities. However in having these abilities they were watched intensely by the Reaper until they demonstrated the one ability that would seal their fate as a Demon Keeper: the ability to create wards. The ability to create and maintain wards allowed for the Keeper to contain large quantities of Demon Souls. Once hand picked by the presiding Reaper he or she extended their youth and longevity seeing as the ability to create wards was extremely rare in a world where magic was already scarce.
Fai threw his legs over the side of the cot and rubbed his head willing away the fogginess of sleep before standing. He had told Tsumebe he would take his leave first thing in the morning and he had no intention of lying to her. He threw his cloak on and upturned the hood as he made his decent down the stairs. He looked towards the curtained doorway and wondered briefly of he should bid farewell to the hunter and his mother, he decided to let them sleep. He pushed the door open the bell overhead quietly acknowledging his leave.
“So you're just going to leave then, huh, idiot?” Kurogane yawned from behind him.
Fai turned to face the other, “I didn't want to disturb the people who treated me so kindly. Besides I told your mother I'd be gone by morning.”
The other nodded in some sort of uninterested recognition and tossed the bread roll he had in his hand ever so slightly. “Which way are you heading?” He stuck the roll in his mouth to allow his hands freedom to adjust the strap of the bag that lay across his jacketed chest.
“Just northeast of here. I left my horse at the stables on that side for the evening.”
Kurogane knelled on one knee and tightened the straps of his brown leather boots. He wore loose fitting green pants that were tucked into his boots and a tan jacket. “I'm heading that way too. Might as well go together. Where are you heading to next?”
Well this was inconvenient Fai thought but he smiled politely anyway. “Oh, you know. Wherever the wind takes me, Kuro-chu,” he said with a flippant wave of his hand.
“Sounds frivolous,” he responded standing. “Well let's get going.”
“Oh, Kuro-pon, you don't have to babysit me. I'm perfectly capable of walking across the town by myself. Regardless I hate to think you're missing out on sleep for my sake.” Fai batted his eyelashes, hoping to get the man to consent to leaving him be.
Kurogane smirked, “Your sake? Did it ever occur to you that I hunt game to make a living? And this might so happen to be one of the three days a week I stay in the woods? And perhaps once I'm done I'll bring my game back and sell it to the butcher who will clean it and cut it and all that great stuff? And then with my money I'll pay taxes and buy everything else we need to live?”
Outside the air was chill in the dawn. The wind had settled and the air smelled distinctly of fog. “Well Kuro-grump didn't have to be so brash. You could have just told me you were heading to the woods to hunt. But you still don't have to come to the stables with me.”
The other rolled his eyes, “I can't consistently hunt in the same area, the herds move as the weather changes. My hunting area is a days journey away. I'll get there later this evening, hunt the next day, and leave the following morning. In other words, I'm going there to get my horse.”
Leaving Kurogane was becoming increasingly difficult. He could always leave his horse but that wouldn't do. “What do you hunt?”
“Mostly stuff that isn't being bred. Venice, duck, turkey, the occasional predator.” Kurogane side glanced Fai. “The occasional demon.”
Fai's blood ran cold and it must have showed because Kurogane stopped smiling and frowned. “I'm just kidding. It's not like demons are real. Even if my mother thinks they are.” He coughed to clear his throat.
“But what if they were? What if somebody became a Demon to save a person they love?” Fai questioned quietly.
“It wouldn't matter. If the legends are true, anything that needs to feed off a persons soul deserves nothing but death.”
It was Fai's turn to smirk. Death wasn't easy to come by as a Demon. They could only be killed by another Demon's hand and even then they were only killed if they began hunting Souls. In those cases though the Soul didn't pass on seeing as it was consumed. When he had first become possessed he had thought he would end his life when his brother died only to find that he either continue to live or have his Soul obliterated while knowing he was unleashing a Soul Prowler into the world. Live guilty or die guiltier. “There are worse punishments than death Kuro-pon.”
“But it's the only permanent one.” They were approaching the square from the previous night. Just beyond it they would find the stables, while the town was rural and small it was compact enough that those that lived within it weren't exactly land holders.
Fai smiled solemnly. “One would think, wouldn't they?”
“Um, yeah.” Kurogane scratched the back of his head. Leave it to him to bring up death as a topic of conversation first thing in the morning. “So, uh, your wrist,” he stated glancing at the bit of white bandage that peeked through the cuff of Fai's white shirt, “does it feel better?”
Instinctively, Fai tugged the cuff of his shirt down around the bandage. He hadn't bothered to check but there had been no throbbing that morning and it hadn't given him a problem as of yet so he was sure it had healed. They were approaching the stables now, upon seeing them the hands already working retreated to where the horses were kept to saddle them for their owners. “I'm sure I'll be fine! It doesn't even hurt! Kuro-nurse did such a wonderful job bandaging it.”
“I should have asked my mom to look at it this morning. She would no more about it than I would. Or at least she would have been able to give you something in case it did hurt.” He felt a blush, however small, coming on and tried to repress it. Why did he care so much?
“Oh Kuro-kun doesn't have to worry about me! I've been taking care of myself for a long time,” Fai assured him by lightly patting his shoulder just as one of the stable boys brought his horse out by it's bridle. The horse snorted in recognition and the blond pet his snout. He put one foot in a stirrup and hoisted himself into the saddle.
Kurogane's horse followed soon after and the pair didn't bother with any greeting, the horse probably to disciplined to ask for affection. “Just because you've been taking care of yourself for a long time does not mean you're any good at it.”
“Aw, Kuro-myu has no faith in me. How disheartening,” the blond replied as the other situated himself in his own saddle.
Kurogane scowled, “Whatever. Just be careful you idiot.”
“Will do Kuro-pu. I guess this is goodbye for now then,” Fai said gently nudging the horses side.
Kurogane's hand reached out and caught the blond's arm before he could stop it. His face was set in a deep scowl when Fai looked at him but there was something genuinely soft about it, nearly child-like. “When exactly do you plan on returning. Not that it matters but I usually only stay in town two or three nights before heading back out to hunt.”
Fai knew what Kurogane was trying to say: that should he return to come on a night when he wasn't off hunting in the woods. “I'm not sure. But you'll know when I do. I'm sure of it.” Fai gave the other a small reserved smile before clucking his tongue to urge the horse into a canter towards the woods.
He kept the canter up until he and his horse had made it far enough into the woods that they would be blanketed by the trees. He glanced around himself cautiously to make sure the hunter hadn't followed them. Fai clicked his tongue twice and tightened his grip on the reigns as the horse began to steadily gather speed. The trees began to blur past and he knew they were going fast enough that he could open the portal to the Demon Realm when they began to pass through the trees. He fingered the edge of his boot and pulled forth a small dagger and gripped the bladed end in his fist. Fai straightened himself against the onslaught of wind, incredibly grateful horses from the Demon Realm had the ability to pass themselves and their rider through solid objects. His hair wiped in his face as he used the other hand to quickly pull the dagger from his other, tightly clenched hand. He felt blood pool in his fist and when enough had gathered he threw if forward in front of the running beast with such force that it landed one-hundred meters in front of them. The blood stopped midair and rapidly it expanded to reveal a portal. The horse charged through and behind it, the momentary blood portal collapsed.
~o~
It had been three months since he had see Fai. Not that Kurogane cared. In the beginning, when they had first met a little more than a year ago, he had looked so forward to the blond returning that he began staying in town four nights before going out again. Fai had said he would know when he returned, but what the hell did that mean? At the time he hadn't known what it meant, at least.
Kurogane sat at the bar of the local tavern all day he had felt anxious, like at any moment something would happen: good or bad. He took his second shot of whiskey for the evening, three was his limit and then he had to switch to beer, something he began once he learned Fai could drink him under the table.
Goddammit, he slammed the shot glass on the bar and grunted against the warm sting traveling along his throat. Why did he even care so much? It wasn't as if he and the idiot had shared any particularly spectacular moments. That was a blatant lie, and Kurogane knew it the moment he thought it because the sensation of Fai's lips on his and the memory of his arms wrapped around a slim waist rushed back to him with a vengeance.
He would come to town and the first thing Fai would do was go to bed with somebody. Kurogane wasn't sure if all the women in town were especially loose or if Fai just had a way, and he didn't want to know. The two of them would drink, and the next morning he would watch silently as Fai retreated into the woods. Every time the other man left it was jarring, and he suddenly felt empty. However, the particular night replaying in Kurogane's mind had been different. Fai had shown up later than usual the previous night and had, for the first time decided to stay for the entire next day. By that time he had accepted that he was strongly attracted to Fai but attraction and emotional attachment were two separate beasts and he was much less willing to accept and tame the second. That late spring evening though he had acted, be it the alcohol or the summer heat that influenced him as they left the bar the next night Kurogane had pushed Fai into an ally pinning him against a wall. He wouldn't force the blond to do anything, he knew better than most the idiot could hold his own due to some surprisingly well matched arm wrestling events.
He had looked into Fai's frighteningly blue eyes as he ran one hand up the side of Fai's cheek to brush stray hair out of the blond's face as he felt Fai's long fingers run up the front of his shirt over his pectorals. Of all the times to be silent the moron had chosen that moment, all Kurogane had to go off of was body language. Fai didn't seem disgusted or scared just nervous (made evident by his visible gulp and aversion of his eyes after a moment), which the man standing over him would never admit to have also been at that moment.
Kurogane tilted Fai's chin up and couldn't help that his heartbeat quickened as the other's cheeks dusted pink and his lips went slightly slack causing his bottom lip to slightly protrude. He had watched Fai go after and catch enough partners that he knew the blond didn't blush when it came to moments like these. He was always so sure of himself. Just then he felt Fai's hand on his neck and he took it as a sign to continue. Slowly they broke eye contact as their eye lids slid closed and the distance between their lips lessened.
Kurogane had quite literally dreamed about kissing Fai before, and in those dreams everything progressed so slowly that he was plagued to wake up before they progressed any further. If this was a dream though he wasn't about to sit idly by while he felt he had some control over the situation. He aggressively pushed his way past Fai's lips, not that the blond wasn't entirely compliant. Fai had tasted of that sweet cherry flavored alcohol he had ordered and though he generally avoided anything overly sweet he gladly welcomed the taste. They had been kissing for milliseconds it seemed, not long enough, when Fai's once relaxed body that he was holding became tense and he was forcefully pushed away. Kurogane had been so caught off guard that he tripped over his own feet and landed on the opposite side of the thin alley.
“Sorry, Kuro-sama. But I don't think that's a good idea,” Fai said through a gross, fake smile that made his skin crawl. To shocked and utterly embarrassed to speak he had been powerless to stop Fai when he quickly added, “I should be leaving tonight instead of in the morning as usual I've aready stayed to long as it is. I'll see you next time.” Fai walked away quickly, as if he didn't want to give Kurogane a chance to talk, but the taller would be dammed if that was about to happened. It had taken him a moment but he was on his feet calling after what had almost been his blond but when he reached the main street Fai had turned onto he found no one. Dammed he was.
Thinking about this was pissing him off. That was it! If Fai didn't walk through that door in the next ten seconds Kurogane decided to give up on ever seeing him again, that bastard couldn't just leave for three months and expect Kurogane to wait like some house wife. Ten. Nine. Seriously the idiot was consuming his thoughts and he hadn't even seen him in roughly ninety day, he should be preoccupied with chasing skirts for Christ sake, just like him! Eight. He was a fit formidable young man, any woman would be lucky to have him! Seven. Six. Who was he kidding even if Fai didn't walk through the door he would still think about him. Five. Four. Three. No he wouldn't because he was a man and not some stupid school girl with a crush. Two. He was nearly liberated, this felt right. One. But those soft lips on his... Zero.
The bell rang as the door to the tavern opened and the blond came waltzing back into his life. His cheeks were pink from the cold and his skin seemed even paler than Kurogane remembered. He had been so close too, but now he was instantly sucked back up in Fai.
“Kuro-pu!” Fai shouted across the bar once he spotted the taller.
Kurogane reddened, why had he missed the idiot again? “Shut up! I'm a man not a dog!” He shouted back automatically. There were scattered snickers around him which he silenced with hardened glances.
The blonde made his way over, his navy blue cloak swinging with his steps and showing of embroidered gold designs. Now that the weather was colder his clothes had adjusted accordingly. He had replaced the billowing fabric of his pants from their first meeting with skin tight black leather that still ran into equally black boots. His loose white shirt traded for a warm looking navy jacket that strapped across the front, probably entirely to difficult to remove.
“But Kuro-puppy would make such a good pet,” Fai mused sitting alongside him at the bar.
Fai smiled happily at him as he scowled back. “I thought you said you'd be back soon.”
“I know I did,” he huffed, “but work got so hectic that I couldn't sneak away to see Kuro-needy and Kuro-mama.”
“I thought there would be a letter or even a fucking carrier pigeon. This entire day all I felt was anxious and annoyed but then here you come walking through the door as if you never left.” Kurogane held his shot glass up in irritation to alert the bartender he needed another.
Fai's smiled dimmed, “So you knew I was coming. How cute.”
It was true, Kurogane had know Fai would be arriving today just like he always had since the blond had first left. The entire day he would be on edge, but he would never admit that he 'knew' because that would just make him insane. “Cute? I'm not cute. I'm manly or even handsome would be better than 'cute'. Cute is what you call a child.” The barkeep poured Kurogane another whiskey.
“You are but a child by comparison. I'll have a bottle of raspberry vodka please,” the blond alerted the bartender casually. “Now why is Kuro-cute so grumpy? I came back didn't I?”
“Tch. You're only twenty-two..” Kurogane mumbled. “That hardly matters now thatyou came back. Now the problem is that you are so unwaveringly annoying.”
Fai batted his eyelashes, “Now there HAS to be a way I can make it up to you Kuro-tan.”
Kurogane chocked on his whiskey. Fai couldn't possibly be suggesting anything like that could he? He hated their relationship. Kurogane hated how Fai could so easily flirt with him especially after what had happened. “Um, well, I don't know.” Jesus he sounded like a teenager going through puberty and he felt similarly awkward at the obvious innuendo.
Fai began to look around the bar, it wasn't like Kurogane was going to feed him so he might as well find both of them some reasonable prospects. Nowadays he at least tried to replenish his Essence before seeing Kurogane but today's schedule hadn't allowed for it. “Kuro-pon, look behind me. Do you see those lovely ladies sitting at the corner table?”
“Yeah what about them?” Fai watched irritation flash in the other's eyes complimented by betrayal.
Fai glanced behind himself again, they were both equally attractive but he was more interested in their escort and tall brunette man who radiated Lust. “Which one do you find more attractive. The busty blond or the busty brunette?”
Kurogane snarled, “Does it even matter? I mean they're both obviously prostitutes hired by that man.”
Fai smiled back at him, “Soon enough he won't need them.” He stood and to his surprise Kurogane put up little fight in following him after downing the shot the bartender had poured him. “I need you to help me, Kuro-handsome,” he lied. He could do what he needed to regardless but he felt guilty leaving Kurogane when he understood that watching him do this only hurt the other. “I'm going to chat up the brunette while you talk to the other two.” He figured he at least owed him an opportunity for sexual relief if he was going to be forced to watch him seduce another, and another man at that. He could almost hear Kurogane's questions upon his return later.
“Wait so you're having me distract the man and the blond so you can get with the brunette?” It irked Kurogane that this situation didn't bother him more. Well, that was partially inaccurate. He was bothered that Fai had the intention of having sex with a random stranger but some unexplainable part of him understood that the blond needed to do this, even though he wondered why he couldn't chose him. At least once. The thought that Fai was refusing him in order to preserve their friendship was believable but pissed Kurogane off all the same. He wouldn't let himself be just another conquest so he had no fear of being tossed aside after sex or allow for their relationship to stay as is in that case.
Fai froze momentarily before continuing to the other side of the bar where the three others were located, “No. I should have been more clear. You talk to the ladies and I'll talk to their escort. If you want I can make sure both go home with you.”
Kurogane's eyes narrowed, Fai's voice had sounded downtrodden as he spoke but he couldn't bring that up now, not as Fai plastered a brilliantly dazzling smile and casually placed his hand on the man's shoulder. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as fury built inside of him. He hated that Fai was touching this scum, that he was laughing so easily, that the man laughed with him, how Fai looked pained and guilty. But he couldn't stop it, the gut feeling that told him Fai needed this wouldn't let him. And what would he do anyway? Pull Fai away, snarl at the guy for his obvious attraction to the blond, beat him for his equally obvious intentions? Both of their smiles disgusted him, the man's lustful and lecherous, Fai's a mix of all the emotions generated by shame.
“Kurogane,” the name sounded so wrong floating on Fai's light and airy laugh but it successfully snapped the larger out of his lull. The blond's smile fell only a fraction of a centimeter when Kurogane returned his gaze with a cold a hardened one. “These lovely ladies here,” he motioned to them with a wave of his hand, “were just commenting on how quite and handsome a guy like you is.”
He cleared his throat, “Why should I talk when I have nothing to say?” Kurogane took this opportunity to realize he was the only one standing. Fai was mindlessly rubbing circles across the man's hand beneath the table.
“Well, Kurogane, it's only proper to compliment such beautiful ladies after they have complimented you. Or at the very least ask their names.”
Kurogane felt childish, like he was being led around by the hand. He was a man goddammit and was very well aware as to how to interact with women if he chose to do so. However currently he was more concerned with Fai's confusing decent into this. Awkwardly, he pulled a chair out for himself and sat down while mumbling a half ass compliment of, “You both look very lovely this evening.” He wasn't lying, both women were pretty and had their youth and when they smiled warmly at him, probably for his attempt at flattery, he almost forgot they were prostitutes. “What are your names?” He asked feigning ignorance as Fai began running his fingers through the man's hair. He resisted the urge to break something and pushed the thought that Fai should be running his fingers through his hair out of his mind.
“I'm Summer and this is Susan,” answered the blond female and both of them batted their eyelashes.
Quite honestly, he had no idea how to reply to this or what to say next so part of him was relieved when he felt Fai's hand on his shoulder. Fai leaned down so his mouth was right next to Kurogane's ear, “Kuro-pon,” he whispered his hot breath sending shivers down Kurogane's spine. “Me and Jeremy are going to get out of here for a little while. I'll meet you back here in an hour.” There was a brief pause, beside him he heard Fai lick his lips, “I'm sorry.”
Kurogane's mouth went dry taking away his ability to speak. To protest. Fai wasn't smiling when he turned his head, their noses almost touching, instead he looked like a man who was about to take part in a business deal, calculating. Do something, don't let the idiot leave!
Fai looked pointedly at Summer and Susan who were busy listening to Jeremy make his own excuses to leave. “Take the next hour and enjoy yourself.” He smiled and Kurogane loathed it.
He watched in silence as Fai left the bar. He had no right to be angry, he had no claim to the idiot, as the blonde had made clear previously, but a large part of him wanted to envelop the blond in his arms, hold him close, and protect him from the world and whatever made him smile so unemotionally. One hour the blond had said and it was already feeling like an eternity.
From across the table Kurogane heard a snort. “Jeez I can't believe you let him leave with Jeremy.”
“I couldn't believe it either!” Susan replied. “I thought you were going to sweep him into your arms and carry him away like in one of those romance novels!”
“Oh shut it Susan. You imagine everything as a romance novel,” Summer laughed and looked at Kurogane.
“I have no idea what you two are talking about,” Kurogane defended through clenched teeth though his red ears gave him away.
The two women looked at each other and cackled. “Of course you don't. Just like you don't want to rip Jeremy's throat out for all the indecent things he's about to do to your blond. I'm sorry the blond.”
“This doesn't concern you,” he stuttered in embarrassment. Was he really that obvious?
Summer waved a hand dismissively and sat back in her chair, “Regardless, both of us have already been paid for the evening. Courtesy of your friend. Why don't you use us to take your mind off him? We'll even let you do it from behind if it helps.”
“Yeah, a big strong man like you should have no trouble pleasing the two of us and we certainly won't have any trouble pleasing you as much as you want for the next hour,” Susan added raising her eyebrows.
Kurogane creased his forehead in irritation. Of course Fai would do something like this. But, how long had it been since he had felt the warmth of another, man or woman, in his bed after the most precious embrace? He had stopped pursuing anybody after he had first met Fai, the decision hadn't been a conscious one. Honestly, he was tired of shower fantasies and late night messes. Despite what part of him craved to do he couldn't feasibly wait around for Fai forever.
He cleared his throat and coughed into a closed fist, “Did he pay for a room too?”
That Which Possesses You: That Which We Forget
Notes: The second chapter of who knows how many. It picks up right where chapter one leaves off only changing perspectives. Once again I apologize if my fantasy sucks.
~o~
Somebody was watching him, Kurogane could feel it. It was probably a special talent he had picked up being a hunter: the ability to know when being hunted. The presence didn't seem threatening only curious, still he drew both of his double edged daggers from their holsters hidden by his cloak and held them poised at his side. If the presence started moving he would strike, but not until then. He was nearing the fountain now in the middle of the square when he heard the unmistakeable sound of somebody jumping to the ground. With all the practiced skill of a person who had been around knives their whole life Kurogane spun the dagger in front of himself catching it by the bladed tip and threw it just to the left of his stalker.
“I won't miss a second time,” he asserted with his dagger in position to attack if need be. Instead he found the blond from earlier staring dumbfounded at the knife pinning his cloak to the ground.
“There is no need for you to attack a second time, Kuro...,” he paused. “And I was just thinking it too. Why is your name so long?” He whined.
Kurogane scrunched his forehead together irritated disbelief. This idiot couldn't be seriously wasting his time. He had places to be and he would be damned if he let this guy – what was his name again? Fai? - he would be damned if he let Fai keep him from them. He walked over and knelled beside the other and extracted his blade from the stone underneath with little effort. He stood and holstered his weapons at their respective spots against his ribs and through it all the idiot kept mumbling himself.
“I got it!” Fai snapped, “Kuro-rin!” The idiot smiled at him as if he was unbelievably proud of himself for remembering, or misremembering really.
“Tch,” Kurogane shook his head and began to walk away. “Not even close, idiot.” Part of him thought about correcting the new found nuisance but he didn't have time to deal with the man.
He heard Fai picking himself up behind him and honestly thought he would either stay put or walk back inside to that good-looking redhead, but no, footsteps began to follow him. “Kuro-pi?”
“No.”
“Hmm, Kuro-pu?”
“No.”
“Kuro-san?”
“No.” He was becoming increasingly irritated and though he knew it showed in his voice the blond continued to follow him.
“Kuro-dagger?”
He abruptly turned around to face his follower causing the blond to nearly collide with him a second time, “Now you're just making shit up.”
“Well, Kuro-pon has a mouth doesn't he. Besides he hasn't asked me to stop yet,” Fai replied inching his face closer to the others provoking no reaction.
“Stop. My name is Kurogane. Can you remember that?” He poked the other in the chest roughly to assert his point. Fai nodded, a huge entertained smile on his face. “Good. Now if you'll excuse me.” Kurogane turned swiftly, his cloak making a circular sweeping motion as he did.
Fai stared after the retreating man a moment before walking after him, “Just because I remember doesn't mean I'll do anything differently, Kuro-min.”
Kurogane looked over his shoulder and snarled, “Stop following me,” he punctuated each word hoping to ward the nuisance off.
“Aww, but Kuro-chi, I was hoping you could point me in the direction of an inn or some other form of lodging.” This was hardly true, he was supposed to be reporting back in a matter of hours on the condition of the newly fallen Prowler and possibly pick up a new assignment.
The taller snorted in mild cynical amusement, “Go back to the tavern. It looked like that woman was willing to point you in the direction of more than an inn.”
Fai smiled to himself, his intrigue for this human only growing the more he talked. “I can hardly go back to the tavern now. You have gone and gotten me lost. Besides I already told her I have urgent matters to attend to.” He wasn't really lost. Scaling one of these buildings would be only too easy, and looking out over the small village to find his way back even easier.
“And do you have 'urgent matters to attend to'?” Kurogane asked turning a corner out of the alleyway he had walked them through.
The blond paused, “Well of course! I had to talk to you, Kuro-rin.”
He put a hand to his face and rubbed in aggravation, “I thought you had to find an inn.”
“Well we could do that too, but I must say I think you are being awfully forward,” Fai replied.
Kurogane looked behind himself confused, “Wha-?” The impact of Fai's implication hit him and fire crept up his neck. “I said you not we you idiot! Besides I could do much better than an annoying blond who can't shut his trap.”
Fai scrunched his face in a private pout, twice he had been denied by this man. Once at the tavern when he was confused and now when he had been putting forth an earnest effort. Most humans would have dropped whatever they were doing to point him in the direction of an inn but not this one. He was different, and not in some cliché romance novel way but in a “he's-not-affected-by-me” way. Fai wasn't necessarily upset that Kurogane was impervious, if anything he was curious as to why and it only fueled his attraction. The attraction he felt wasn't necessarily physical nor sexual either, the taller just pulled him in like a magnet. The irony was that the magnet was trying to push him away. “What's in the bag Kuro-myu?” Fai asked thinking a change of subject might be in order.
The taller glanced back again at the blond, the man really did seem to want an actual answer. “Distilled alcohol for my mother. She's the closest thing the village has to a doctor,” he answered matter of factually. Kurogane picked up his pace remembering why he was in a hurry. If you asked him the kid that had been brought in didn't look like he needed any procedure done that would require alcohol to sterilize a wound or medical instruments. He was probably another one of the crazies. God bless his mother's soul but the day he actually started to believe she was some kind of 'spiritual link' was the day the town got raided which was far fetched. Nihon was home to one of the strongest if not fiercest volunteer militias in fifty miles. They trained when they had time, worked on actual military tactics, and had a constant patrol around the outskirts. Not to mention the village was largely made up of formidable fit men who made their money hunting animals or cutting trees in the surrounding forest and selling the meat or lumber at the port city twenty mile east. It wasn't like the village had ever been disturbed but it was better to be safe than sorry. Other than the occasional wolf Nihon was safe.
“Is there an emergency?” The blond asked increasing his pace so he was walking beside Kurogane instead of behind him.
Kurogane rolled his eyes, “Didn't I tell you I was in a hurry?”
Fai thought a moment, he supposed that made sense. Perhaps that was why the other was so irritable and wasn't responding to his curiosity fueled advances. Then again, probably not. “If your mother is the town doctor does that mean she had cots?”
“Yeah what of it?” The darker asked raising an eyebrow. All to late did he realize what Fai was suggesting.
A smile crept across Fai's face, “Would one be available for the evening? I assure you I can pay.”
Every nerve in his body screamed for Kurogane to say no, but it wasn't his house nor his profit that he would make letting Fai stay. “That's for my mother to decide,” he stated begrudgingly.
“Well then we better hurry. We shouldn't keep them any longer what with the way you've been lumbering along. How far until we reach our destination?” Fai asked suddenly taking the initiative and walking ahead of the other as if he had any idea where he was going.
“Lumbering? I seem to remember my trip back much differently. I remember it with an unwanted guest, who can't be quiet, and doesn't have the decency to remember my name.” Kurogane made a disgruntled noise in his throat, listing the reason for his annoyance only fueled it. “It's the shop with the lights still on, so not far.”
The shop he was addressing was one of the few two story buildings in the village and the window was allowing light to spill out over the cobble stone street. The two quickened their pace to both get out of the cold that was only made bone chilling by the wind in order to deliver the alcohol.
The bell overhead within the shop rang as they entered. The shop was systematically cluttered with various containers of herbs that sat on low wooden platforms that provided a warm and flowery fragrant “Kurogane?” Came a woman's voice from beyond the clutter, probably, if Fai had to guess, from a back room.
“It's me mom. I got the alcohol you asked for. A pest follo-” Kurogane began only to be cut off by a large crash from the back room. “Mom?” He called out gruffly setting the bag down and making for the back room. “Mom answer me!”
Fai watched as Kurogane headed for a doorway covered by a red curtain only to be stopped when a slight woman, who only came to Kurogane's pectoral, with long flowing hair raven colored hair emerged an ran into the taller. “Oh, Kurogane. You're back. What took you so long?”
“That's not important right now, what was that noise? Are you hurt? I told you I would get everything for you. You should be resting.” He crossed his arms about his chest and stood up straighter.
“Kurogane,” she said sternly, “I may have had an asthma attack earlier today but I took care of it and I rested all morning and afternoon, now let me do my job.”
Her son breathed out through his nose with a distressed look in his eyes that he tried to cover by frowning. She gently laid her hand on his cheek and he would have leaned into the touch affectionately if she didn't think he hyper-aware of the stranger standing by the door. She was just as aware as he was. All day she had felt the presence of a Demon within the village, it had arrived suddenly as if it materialized out of thin air. Normally when Demons came to town they approached at a steady pace allowing for her body to compensate for the strain of the afflicting Aura. But the Demon's sudden arrival to the northwest of the village, less than a mile, away from the edge of the woods had sent her body into a state of shock causing her to have what she had always explained to her son as just another asthma attack, he was accustomed to seeing them enough that he accepted her explanation.
When Kurogane had been younger she had sensed that he possessed the same ability as she did. Within the secondary world, that humans were unaware of, they were known as Demon Links. They acted as ambassadors of sorts to those from beyond this realm, helping them if they chose to do such. Not every Demon was bad, much like the one standing in her shop now, and every Link had the freedom to decide who they would assist. More importantly though Links had the very special ability to feed Demons Essence needed to exist within the mortal realm without losing anything themselves because they were touched by the Reaper, the most powerful of all creatures. However, they had to consciously push their Essence into the Demon.
Reapers we're the closest thing to the conceived notion of God. They decided life and death and the fate of Souls but they were hardly immortal and could hardly do much else. They lived surround by Angels who were sent as messengers to the mortal realm, messengers who took and delivered Souls from and to Bodies, human vessels, when the Reaper decided it was time for the Soul to return. It was then decided weather the Soul would become an Angle or return to Earth as a new born. Being on Earth was meant to allow the Soul to gain knowledge in order to gain internal peace through relinquishing desire, if this was achieved the Soul became an Angel. However this was very hard to achieve and most Souls returned to Earth seeing as they had to overcome want and desire. Even after becoming an Angel though one could fall, and these fallen Angels became demons who could neither return to peace or Earth without first experiencing death. Demons both wanted and avoided death. Avoided it for self preservation and craved it so that they could begin the process of finding peace again.
The Angels that fell were sent to one of the four Demon Keepers until an opportunity presented itself to posses a Body seeing as the only way to satisfy both instincts was to be placed in a situation in which the host kept the Demon living but dormant or allowed for it's Soul to be consumed and set the Demon on a path of destruction to gain power, once this path was started the Demon would be hunted and killed thus fulfilling the other desire. The Demon Keepers chose the humans they thought would continue to do the first and could utilize the power given to them by the Demon that possessed them.
Demon Links were the Souls of angels who requested to be sent back to Earth, knowing full well they may not be able to find peace in their new lifetime. And because they volunteered to go to Earth and relinquish the peace they had found they were granted the ability to feed Demons and sense them. Tsumebe, had tried to explain to her son their place in the world but he hadn't be able to go any further after his first encounter with a Demon because after the horrific event he had forgotten everything he had been taught and began to think his mother crazy. Which is why she had been surprised and fell off her step stool when she felt the Demon presence follow her son into the shop.
Kurogane uncrossed his arms and ran a hand through his hair. “At least let me help you.”
His mother smiled warmly, “As if I could do any different with you at my every beckon call. And stop scowling so much, you are much to young to look so displeased.”
Her son 'hmphed.' “Just be more careful. I'm the only person here to look after you and I can't be everywhere at once.”
“Alright, my dear boy. Now what was this you were saying about a pest?” She asked acting as if she wasn't acutely aware of the Demon possessed blond in her shop.
Kurogane's scowl deepened, “This babbling idiot is the reason I was late in returning. He insisted on following me while spouting bullshi-” his mother raised an eyebrow, “- I mean, spouting nonsense. I had to stop several times just to collect myself.” Normally he restrained himself from cursing in front of his mother out of respect but his irritation with the blond standing just inside the shop while feigning innocence annoyed him to no end.
“Kurogane, that's no way to treat a guest,” she chided lightly. “Have you offered him a cot for the night?”
Fai decided to use this as his opportunity to interject, “I can pay milady. I am good for one nights fee and I will depart at first light.” He smiled politely.
Tsumebe made her way to the blond and took his hands in hers, “There is no need to hurry. You are welcome here, Lust,” she whispered.
The Demon inhaled sharply, losing his composure for the slightest moment before regaining his polite smile. “I am humbled by your hospitality but I'm afraid I must return home,” he emphasized to attempt to determine how much the woman knew of his existence.
Understanding flashed across her eyes, “Well if you must. But I will not accept money.”
“Mom! Don't just open your home to a complete stranger without compensation,” Kurogane threw out hastily.
His mother smiled patiently at him, “Kurogane, we have plenty of money between your hunting and my healing. If you had let me finish you would also know I do not plan on letting him stay for free. I believe he can help me upstairs.”
Kurogane groaned, just as he had suspected, the blond was one of the crazies
The upstairs was simply a plain room with a few cots pushed to the sides and on one lay a boy no older than fifteen panting as his chest rose and fell rapidly. His face shined with sweat yet radiated fever. The boys mother was knelled at his bedside obvious worry twisting her face. Fai and Tsumebe had left Kurogane down stairs to retire to his room located beyond the store front once he had gotten the items his mother needed from the store room.
Tsumebe went forth and placed herself at the center of the room with the things she had carried up: Dragon's Breath, a goblet, and a shallow basin filled with water. “What is it exactly that you are hoping I can do for you?” Fai asked in earnest.
“The boy has a Soul Parasite. Normally people are brought to me much sooner and I can extract the Parasite through herbs and prayer alone, but the Parasite it so tightly wrapped around the Soul and I wouldn't be able to remove it without a long drawn out ritual that would drain both me and him. Honestly, he doesn't have much energy to give. So I was hoping you would-”
-draw it out with Demon blood.” Fai finished for her. Humans possessed by Demons found that their blood created portals to the Demon Realm. If this Soul parasite took the bait it would try to go through that portal and ultimately fail. Blood portals could only be seen and used at speeds incapable of any human or animal of the mortal realm. “I can do that for you.”
The healer knelt in front of the water and said a quick prayer that caused to water to momentarily glow. She then stood and carried the basin and other things over to the boy's bedside. “Miss,” she addressed the boy's mother, “It would be best if you waited downstairs. We'll be done in just a little while.”
“B-but Thomas, what if-”
“Milady,” Fai chimed in. He walked over to her and took her hand in order to pull her up. She followed his lead without question. “Thomas will be just fine. I'm sure if you go down stairs it'll all seem over much quicker.” He took her to the staircase and she descended without question. Sometimes his dashing good looks could be used for things other than evil.
Tsumebe handed him the goblet when he returned and looked intently at the boy to allow Fai privacy. He relaxed his right hand that he held the goblet in and allowed for his claws to extend from his finger tips in to gruesomely long points that were sharp to the touch. He touched the claw of this pointer finger to his left wrist and drew it across smoothly forming a deep gash and red liquid began to surface. Before a single drop could leave him his claws retracted and he held the goblet underneath the collecting blood. He upturned his hand and allowed to blood to flow freely into the cup. Once half full Fai set the goblet on the night stand next to the bed and applied pressure to the cut to staunch the flow of blood.
The healer reached across the bed, grabbed the cup and held it in her lap.
Thomas' body began to shake violently and the veins throughout his body bulged in an alien way. He sounded as if he were choking and deprived of air. His back arched inhumanly away from the mattress as his limbs went taught. All to suddenly he vomited, the vile substance landing on his chest. The parasite was coming, it had released the Soul and the body was reacting violently as it tried to restore internal balance and repair itself. The boys eyes popped open as he convulsed on the bed but there was no iris nor pupil just white but even then you could sense the terror within the child. He opened his mouth as if he were about to scream only to be silenced as the Parasite began to exit through it, worm like and slimy, roughly the size of a fist in diameter and a foot long in length. The worm dove straight for the blood placed in Tsumebe's lap. She let it come and when it was close enough she grabbed the Dragon's Breath from behind her and placed it in the goblet. The Parasite tried to redirect it's course but it was futile it's head landed in it's intended, but now tainted, target. It made a noise of pain and fell to the wooden floor with a dull thud. On the floor it withered and continued to cry as it began to shrink in size until it was no more than the size of a plump centipede. Seizing her chance Tsumebe grabbed the awful thing and dropped in into the purified water unceremoniously. The water boiled upon contact and stopped once the Parasite had been completely incinerated.
Thomas lay panting in the bed asleep but well. Fai still gripped at his wrist as Tsumebe stood. “Thank you very much Fai. I'll finish up here. Please go down stairs to the back and ask Kurogane to give you some bandages for your wrist. You may be a Demon but your wounds still need time to heal albeit less time.”
“Isn't Kuro-puu asleep?” Fai asked giving less pressure to his wound to see if it had slowed. It hadn't, he must have made the cut to deep.
“Kuro-puu?” Tsumebe repeated quietly as a smile spread across her face. She now understood why her son had been so irritated and couldn't help but laugh. “No wonder he's so bothered by you. And no, he might have said he was going to sleep but he never sleeps until I'm in my own room.”
Fai descended the steps, quietly passing by Thomas' mother who had fallen asleep in a chair, he went through the curtained doorway making a left in the hallway. Earlier he had learned that going right led to a storeroom so it was safe to assume which way their living quarters were.
Kurogane turned over in his bed when he felt somebody approaching, he had left his door cracked so he could see his mother when she came down from the crazy room. However he knew his mother's presence and was aware that the person slowly walking down the hall was none other than the crazy blond. It was easy to pick up on his presence it was one that made him edgy in one sense and at ease in another. A knock came drifting through his room, light and tentative.
“Kuro-sama? Your mother said you could get bandages-” No sooner had the word escaped his lips was the door pulled the rest of the way open with incredible force.
“Did she injure herself? Is there blood?” Kurogane rushed out.
Fai's eyes went wide, in the door frame stood the most well crafted man he had had the privilege of seeing in all his years. Damn Kurogane for not wearing a shirt to bed because Fai found it increasingly difficult to talk the longer he stood there staring at the well sculpted chest. If only he could touch it, he reached his left hand out intent of spreading it over the muscles of the man's lower abdomen and slowly pushing it upwards over the other well defined muscles, up his neck, curl a hand in his hair and then - “Shit!” Kurogane barked. “Why didn't you say it was you that was bleeding you idiot!”
Being pulled away from his daydream Fai followed Kurogane's eyes to his wrist where blood was still freely flowing even if at a much slower rate. The taller growled and clamped a hand over the pale wrist. “Don't just fucking stand there and watch yourself bleed.”
Kurogane dragged him down the hall past two closed doors and through another curtain at the end of the hall which gave way to the darkened kitchen. The taller dragged Fai around causing the slighter to trip over unseen objects until they reached the oven where embers still glowed. He grabbed a thin yet long wooden stick and stuck it in the embers waiting til is caught fire to drag Fai to the middle of the room and expertly light the oil lamp the hung from the ceiling thus giving light to the room.
The taller sat Fai in a chair at the table just to the left of them. He took Fai's other hand in his and looked the blond in the eye. “Keep pressure on it while I find the bandages and antiseptic.” He removed his hand and placed Fai's own where his had been.
The blond used this opportunity to take in the cluttered kitchen. It wasn't dirty by any means just packed full of boxes and other miscellaneous items. No wonder he had been tripping so much as he was pulled through the dark.
Kurogane returned from behind him with the bottle of alcohol his mother had sent him to get earlier and hadn't needed in the end, a rag, and a roll of white bandages. “Let me see it,” Kurogane commanded quietly his voice losing it's usual gruffness as he concentrated. He pulled up a chair and sat across from the blond.
Fai complied holding out his wrist to the other, “Kuro-sleepy, I'm capable of doing this myself.”
“Pft. As if. You'd probably forget to disinfect the wound get and infection and die a slow agonizing death as your flesh was eaten by bacteria,” he said pouring the alcohol onto the rag.
Fai's face twisted, “Is this going to burn?”
Kurogane shrugged in response.
The blond tried to pull his wrist away, “Let me do it myself.”
The other scowled as if that would stop it from burning if it was going to burn. “Just hold still and let me do this!”
“I'd rather take my chances with the flesh eating disease!”
“Stop being so irrational you idiot!” Kurogane groaned, how old was this guy anyway. Twelve? “Fai,” he said firmly catching the blond off guard, “Purple elephants walking in the street in dresses.”
Fai looked at him confused and to distracted to stop the other from laying the soaked rag across his wound. He flinched just a bit at the slight burning sensation. “That's not fair Kuro-sneaky. You tricked me.
Kurogane rolled his eyes as he took the rag in hand and began cleaning the cut. “I wouldn't of had to trick you if you hadn't acted like a bratty kid.”
Fai smiled warmly and adjusted his position so his elbows rested on his thighs and his chin in his free hand. He studied the sharp lines of Kurogane's face and tried his best not to stare to much at the mans biceps and otherwise tone figure. He watched coal eyes concentrate on his wound and he wondered if perhaps it was a common eye color in his village. Most northern villages had blue eyes and fair skinned people like himself. Tsumebe didn't have them so perhaps it was something else her eyes were a light brown. “Do you get your eyes from your father Kuro-sama?”
The taller looked up locking his eyes with blue ones, “My mother says I do.”
“Oh and is Kuro-papa off hunting in the woods while you hold down the fort?” Fai teased.
Kurogane sighed reaching for the bandages, “No. My father is off being dead.”
Fai's face fell, “Oh. Sorry. I didn't know.”
“Did you kill my father?”
Blue eyes widened in horror, “No!”
“Then don't be sorry. To be honest I don't even remember.” Kurogane blew over the wound causing a cooling sensation over the alcohol and began to wrap it tightly. “Clean it everyday. Don't let dirt get in it.”
“Ay ay, Kuro-sir!” Fai flexed his hand
Kurogane ran a hand awkwardly through his hair. He supposed the idiot wasn't so bad once he got past the nicknames. Not to mention he felt an unexplainable sense of responsibility for the blond and the thought of just letting him leave and not seeing him again was not a welcomed one. “Do you plan on coming back through town anytime soon?”
Fai stopped making a fist. “Mm, perhaps. It all depends on what my next assignment is and where it is. But maybe if my boss gives me a break and sometime to enjoy myself Nihon will be on my list of places to visit.”
“Don't go out of your way for my sake.” The taller leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms about his bare chest. Wait – his chest was bare. In front of the most attractive blond man he had ever met. The realization embarrassed him to no end. He cleared his throat and looked away, there was nothing he could do about it now without stopping the conversation. “What do you do for work?”
A coy smile crept across Fai's face, “I find people who have strayed from the path of good and deliver punishment.”
Kurogane scoffed. “Are you trying to tell me you are some sort of mercenary?”
“Some sort.” He smiled.
The other looked Fai straight in the eyes, “So my options are I accept you're a mercenary or I assume you're a liar.”
“Hmm, quite a conundrum you find yourself in. I will tell you this. My life requires me to be both of those.”
Kurogane stared a him for a moment waiting for any sign that the man was lying. “Bullshit.”
Fai chuckled contently. “Well we better head to bed. I'm sure your mother needs help cleaning up so I should go do that.”
“Right. My mother.” Kurogane had forgotten about her for a few moments. “Make sure she gets down the stairs safe then.”
“Will do Kuro-puu.”
Fai stood and made for the kitchen exit. “Wait. Earlier. I was going to ask you to get a drink with me if you come back here. I'll buy.”
The other's smile could have melted an iceberg, “I'm sure I can make time for that.”
“Like I said, 'Don't go out of your way for my sake.'”
“I wouldn't think of it.” With that Fai left throwing a wave over his shoulder as he went through the curtain.
Then Kurogane did something he didn't normally do he smiled, full and happy. And he went to bed that way.
Upstairs Fai found Tsumebe busying herself making up one of the cots with a thick quilt. She fluffed a pillow and set it down at the head of the bed. “So you fed off my son?”
She didn't sound upset but Fai chose to stop in the middle of the room just in case. “I only ask because I can sense his energy in you.”
“I did so by accident. I don't think he was even aware anything happened. Quite honestly I don't know what happened. One second I'm nearly drained and the next I'm fuller than I have ever been.”
“It's interesting if you say he didn't seem aware of it seeing as it's normally a conscious thing when a Link pushes their Essence. Kurogane has the same ability as me, but he isn't aware of it at all.”
“Excuse me, but I don't even know what this ability is. What are you and Kurogane?”
“We're Demon Links.”
The two of them talked for another hour in the upstairs room that had been vacated shortly after Fai had went downstairs. She was patient with him as she explained to him what Demon Links were and how they operated. When he asked why he had never heard of Demon Links before she reasoned it was because they were so rare, seeing as most Angels had no reason to return to Earth unless they fell and became Demons. Most Demons she met over the years hadn't known what she was, she didn't think they were secret just unknown.
“So if you know that Kurogane had the same capability as you why is he unaware of it?” Fai asked once she had concluded.
“When he was younger he knew what he was. And I was training him to become a healer like me. One day we were walking through the woods so I could show him the differences in wild herbs and we came across a young boy. He looked like he hadn't eaten in days. In reality he had just failed to satisfy his Demon. He was possessed by one of the more dangerous Demons: Gluttony.”
Fai flinched. Each Demon required something different to gather Essence and stay dormant. Every Demon required Essence, however each could only gain it through certain means. Gluttony required flesh. Fai would have been dead long ago had he been possessed by that Demon and he was a grown man. He couldn't begin to imagine having to eat humans and the affect it would have on a child's mind.
“I sensed what he was right away. Kurogane was still young and couldn't differentiate the Aura of humans and Demons yet so seeing the boy he made a mad dash for him. I had every intention of feeding the boy, but Kurogane got there first and when they locked eyes the boy was filled with Essence again. After that we took the boy home and he begged for us not to turn him out on the streets. He was only a child hardly capable of an impure thought and yet there he was in a situation where he would have to commit a heinous act everyday for survival.
“My son saw this and he too begged for the boy to stay. He said he would feed him everyday and that we couldn't just let him go. The boy had been a new Demon turned out by his family for whom he accepted the Demon for he later told me. After discussing it with Toriho we agreed knowing in a few years time we would have to move to avoid suspicion seeing as he would never age.
“However just a year after he came to live with us tragedy struck. Him a Kurogane had gone exploring in the woods, about two miles east, to some caves that the villagers thought safe. There was small tremor that day, not even strong enough to knock paintings off walls but in the mountains it must have been stronger. It caused the entrance to cave in, trapping the boy inside and Kurogane outside.
“He raced back to town to alert the villagers and they went with shovels and pickaxes to remove the stones. A full day passed and our family became worried knowing what would happen but we could do nothing, nobody believed us that when the boy was free the first person he would need to see was Kurogane if he was still even human at that point. I felt it when the Demon ate his Soul and I looked to Toriho and he knew too. He hurried to round the militia hoping they could stop Gluttony before it ate enough Souls to take it's true form. But that was only a hope.”
Gluttony was a demon with no self control, Fai knew. While other Demons could strategically stalk souls and hide, when Gluttony was released it ran rampant.
“There were to many villagers at the cave and they could hardly out run a Demon, let alone one that has no self control. Which is typical of the Gluttony Demons. He managed to eat the Souls of all the town people at the caves. When he hit Nihon we were prepared, the militia had been gathered but Gluttony had taken it's true form by then and quickly did away with most of the militia. I went to face the Demon knowing I was the only one who had a chance at stopping it by hopefully summoning a human possessed by Gluttony. It was the only way.
“I told Kurogane to guard the shop. He was confused he kept hearing me telling his father the boys Soul was gone when it initially happened but that meant nothing to him. After I left he followed, though I was unaware at the time because I as intent on finding Gluttony and summoning a Demon. I took a path that took me behind the Demon and Kurogane took one that planted him directly in it's path. I must have got to my destination first. I remember it being unbearably hot because of all the fires that were catching in the panic. When I got there I got busy summoning, successfully I might add. As soon as the Demon arrived though I felt the presence of a much stronger Demon. I felt Wrath just beyond the Demon and suddenly it's huge body exploded and on the other side of the smoke stood Kurogane clutching his father's sword.
“Wrath was showing him what it could provide my son but I couldn't let my son become possessed. I rushed forward throwing out the only spell I could think of at the time. A memory charm. I locked the memory of that pass year inside of him and without a source of rage to allow for it to take over Kurogane, Wrath relinquished my son. I still don't know what happened that day, though I have an idea.”
Fai stared in stunned silence. He gulped, how was a person supposed to process a story like that. Let alone one about a person you hardly knew and who themselves didn't remember it ever happening. “Why did you tell me all this? What am I supposed to do with this information?”
Tsumebe sat on the bed and looked at her hands as she fiddled with them in her lap. She exhaled heavily and looked out the window on the east wall. “It felt right to tell you. I'm not a Dreamseer or a Clairvoyant, but maybe I was in my past life. I'm nothing more than simple Healer and a skilled Spellcaster who happens to be a Link as well. However, even if I can't see the future I know you need to know this.”
“One last thing. If a Link has to give their Essence up knowingly how did-”
Tsumebe put her hand up to keep Fai from talking, “Believe me when I say that I don't know. More than a few Demons have come through since then and it has never happened before. All I can say is you must be different.”
Fai mulled this over momentarily. He had told Kurogane he would come back but had he really meant it? Part of him had and that same part had fluttered at the thought of talking with a person and not to fulfill an ulterior motive but just to talk. Another part of him, the part who had lived many years and didn't hold on to the optimistic nature of his twenty-two year old body knew that forging any relationship with a human was inviting heartache no matter how platonic that relationship might be.
Chapter 1
That Which Posseses You: That Which You Must
Title: That Which Possesses You (The Darkest Seduction)
Rating: PG (this chapter)
Warnings: Mentions of sex nothing explicit
Summary: Possessed by the Demon of Lust Fai must bed a new partner each night in order to survive but when he happens upon a young man with the ability to allow him to feed without doing this his interest flares. Torn between preserving Kurogane's human life and his emotions he leaves to spare them both but finds that protecting those you care for isn't always as easy as it seems and can't always be reached through self-sacrifice.
While Fai and Kurogane deal with their own personal issues they are unaware of the responsibility they will have to take on with the coming of the new Reaper and their relationship is tested under he strain of unforeseen responsibility and circumstance.
Notes: The fic is mostly pre-written and will be updated twice a week unless it reaches a point where I no longer have stuff ready to post. The first chapter is rather short and cuts at a odd place but I had to do that or it would be to long, so I apologize. Set AU. Thisis my first time writing fantasy since third grade so I'm sorry if it's horrible
~o~
Cold air whipped around him as Fai walked through the small village he had found himself in. Around him stood thatched roof houses and structures no more than two stories high and while most were dark with drawn wooden widows to ward off the dangers of the night and the present wind there was one illuminated building. A tavern, as it was, sat at the far end of the cobble-stoned town square directly behind a circular based water fountain. And this was his destination.
As he approached he could hear the patrons inside talking, drinking, dancing – overall having an enjoyable evening. He pushed the door open with the confidence of a man who knew exactly what to do and how he was going to do it. A bell chimed overhead and most people sparred him a glance, but to these he paid no heed for it was the people whose stares lingered that would fulfill his purpose. He looked up and took in the faces of those around him as his hood dropped from his head. To reveal his blond hair. He smiled warmly at no particular person and walked to the far end of the wooden plank lined bar and took a seat.
Three people had continued to stare to stare at him when he walked in and chance willing one would approach him he was much to worn to pursue them himself, but if it came to it he would. Now that he was in a warm place he began to get comfortable first removing his flawlessly white hooded cloak with blue designs and setting it on the counter and then his black gloves yanking each individual finger before extracting his hand. He turned his left palm over and rubbed the marking gentle with his fingers. It had grown large that day, larger than usual, but it hadn't been his fault that the Soul Prowler had taken so long to find and kill. According to his mark the sun would rise in roughly four hours, in that time he needed to bed, and he could already feel himself becoming weak. Male or female didn't matter it was Essence that counted, the life force behind the person.
Fai sighed, adjusted his flowing white shirt, and smoothed the billowing black fabric of his pants that fed into his knee high similarly black boots, each tied with a perfect bow. The fashion of the day was loose fitting, light clothing, not that he minded for it gave him the ability to move freely while battling Soul Prowlers and he could more easily hide his weapons, when he hadn't left them with his horse. It seemed to him that he might actually have to physically hunt his prey this evening. Normally his own Essence was strong enough to attract somebody immediately. It was like a unseen force just reached out and chose the most compatible bedmate for the night based purely off of the Lust in the victim, and after some time the two of them would leave, mostly unnoticed, and he would do what he needed to survive: extract their Essence.
Essence and Soul – the two driving forces behind his existence. In this world there were many magical beings but in Fai's mind there were only two that mattered: Essence Snatchers and Soul Prowlers. The later of which he hunted and the first of which he was. Essence Snatchers were the tame form of Soul Prowlers and any Snatcher was capable of becoming a Prowler. Snatchers had to absorb the Essence of humans in order to live. Essence and Soul worked in harmony to create a person's being. Soul was what a person was at the core remaining the same and Essence was the driving force behind the Soul constantly changing with the person and their life. At the core a person could be kind and caring but if surrounded by misfortune they could be driven to do questionable things.
Essence Snatchers were, or at least at one point had been, humans willingly possessed by Demons. The Demon lived within it's host keeping them forever young and giving them unimaginable beauty, grace, and elegance; it came at a price of course. The Demon fed off of it's host Essence to fuel it's existence within the mortal realm constantly draining the driving and protective force surrounding the Soul. If the host were unable to replenish their Essence by sunrise their Soul would be left vulnerable and eaten by the Demon within them and in that moment they would cease to exist.
Existence and death are similar and separate. When a person dies their Soul is no longer of this world but still alive even if it can no longer maintain it's attachment to it's vessel, the Body. However, if the Soul is absorbed it is obliterated and turned into raw energy for the Demon that absorbed it and if enough Souls were absorbed the Demon had the potential to destroy the delicate balance of the spirit world and the mortal world. Most notably Demons would be able to exist without a host in the mortal world. Therefore when a Essence Snatcher failed to refill their Essence for the Demon within them their Soul became unprotected and the first that it would take and absorb thus their existence would cease. The Demon would continue to search for Souls until it had become strong enough to exist without it's host and take on it's true form. And this was why Fai had to bed a new partner each night, because he had the fortune and misfortune of being possessed by the Demon Lust. His Soul would remain protected and he could do his own part in keeping the oblivious humans safe by taking a new person to bed each night to drain them.
Fai never took more than he needed, always operating and the lowest level of energy he could. He would never say he regretted becoming this way he had saved his brother even if he had become basically immortal with no hope of salvation. Now, two hundred years later, he was sent out on missions to destroy the various Snatchers that became Prowlers when needed, his brother was dead of natural causes, and he would forever remain at the preserved age of twenty-two. As previously stated, normally his Essence was strong enough to attract the individuals needed to sustain him but he was much to weak now and thus his Essence was depleted and not nearly as magnetic.
He pushed himself off of his seat thinking, “Might as well use this beauty for something,” and made his merry way over to one of the people whose stares had lingered when he first walked in. Even in his weakened state he could read person's Essence even if he could hardly transmit his own and of the people he had targeted he settled for a plump redhead, her Essence was filled with enough Lust that he could drain it without completely devouring it. Human's who had their Essence completely drained became the living dead – a Body with a Soul but no desire and they became unresponsive to the world. Even if the human wasn't fully drained the effects were rather devastating. Aspects about the person would change and normally the victim, as Fai thought them, became lost because even if they didn't remember what had transpired they were acutely aware that something was missing from them. Some went insane, others became depressed, and the then there were the lucky few who with incredibly strong Essence would continue their lives with nothing more than feeling like something was forever missing. This woman was one of the later, and though he took comfort in that it did nothing to relieve his guilt.
The redhead's bosom stood taught being supported by a brown leather corset under which she wore a blue flowing top that ruffled at her wrists and was tucked into a pair of skintight red pants. Fai tapped her on the shoulder, “Good evening milady,” he said smoothly.
She turned from her companions, her red curls were held back from her face with a tightly done bandana. Her smile was radiant, and her cheeks flushed from drinking and laughing carelessly. Silently Fai wondered if he was about to take that smile from the world. “Milady?” she scoffed loudly in a distinctly Irish accent. “I haven't been addressed as 'Milady' in all mi' life! Call me Francis, short for Francesca.”
Fai gave her a slight smile, “I apologize for the rudeness of other people up until this point, Francis, for a woman as lovely as you should always be addressed in the highest regard until otherwise told.”
The young woman smiled to herself before giving him a once over, “And what shall I call you, handsome?”
“Please call me Fai. Forgive me for not stating so earlier,” he took her hand and planted a kiss atop it. “Tell me Francis, do you know a lodge close by that is still accepting customers?”
She smiled and titled her face down while keeping her gaze on the blond man, “Ay, but lodging isn't cheap and neither is a bedmate. If you catch mi' drift.”
Fai hummed, “A lady as lovely as yourself?”
She smiled wickedly, “Lucky for you I come free to the right person.”
“What qualification does this person need, love?”
Francis stepped closer to him and interlaced her fingers behind his neck, “Tonight the right person need only golden hair and amber eyes.” She planted her mouth firmly to his and Fai engaged sucking at her rosy bottom lip as his eyes slid close, not from pleasure exactly but habit.
From the group behind Francis came numerous cat calls in similar accents, “Oi, Francis, get a room why doncha?”
She turned sharply and planted her hands on her hips, “I was plannin' on it Brutus! Now if you'll excuse me I have business to be attendin' to.” She grabbed her cloak and took Fai's hand as they headed towards the exit.
“Just a moment,” Fai interrupted their departure, “I forgot my cloak. I'll meet you outside.” He took her hand in both of his and kissed it for a second time that evening.
She kissed him chastely, “Hurry back.”
He bowed deeply as he backed away, “Will do.” Once she had left he stood upright and walked uncaringly over to his cloak which he slipped on quickly before pulling the hood up and grabbed his gloves in one hand and rushing towards the door. Unexpectedly, though, he collided with with a solid mass that sent him tumbling backwards. Irony would have it that he could fight and slay Soul Prowlers but could be sent flying when he walked into a simple human. Fai braced himself for impact with the dirty wooden floor but his decent was halted by two hands grasping his forearms.
“Tch. Watch where you're going idiot,” a deep voice chided lightly.
Fai looked up, the hood of his cloak falling away from him as he caught the coal eyes of the large stranger. The feeling of being weightless was instantaneous and it felt like the two of them had been removed from the world. The man's eyes dilated slightly as they began to glow a bright gold and though he couldn't confirm it Fai was sure his were mimicking the other's. A beam of light extended from the pupils of the stranger and met with a beam of light from Fai's own eyes and there was an explosion of warmth between them.
As quickly as it had began the moment had passed and they were back in the tavern though based on the way the man was looking at him he guessed that whoever was holding him had never left. “Hey are you okay?”
Fai gathered his senses about him, “I'm fine. Thank you for catching me.” He smiled brilliantly and brought his hands to he man's biceps (which he noted were huge) to support himself and the man catching his cue adjusted his position so Fai could find his footing.
The stranger rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and looked back to Fai with confusion.
The blond felt incredible like his Essence had been fully replenished – no it couldn't be. He glanced at his hand and sure enough his marking had disappeared. The marking never full disappeared because he only replenished the minimum amount he needed to make it through the next day. But here was proof that he had absorbed Essence right in front of him and he had done it without even having sex. This went against everything he knew about his existence. He knew that in order to absorb Essence the supplier had to be filled with excess of the sin his Demon craved and this man was not filled with enough Lust to taint his Essence.
“Weren't your eyes amber?” The rough voice brought Fai back from his thoughts.
Fai instinctively reach up and touched beneath his eye “My eyes?”
“Yeah I thought when you first looked up they were amber they're blue now.”
“Blue?” It suddenly clicked with Fai his eyes became amber when his Essence was extremely low but became their natural blue when it was strong. “Oh! Blue! Yes my eyes are blue. It must have been the light or something,” he trailed off. “Um, what's your name?”
The darker raised an eyebrow, “Kurogane. Are you sure you're okay? You seem a bit strange.”
“Oh yes! I'm fine. More than fine actually,” Fai rushed being so animated with his hands that Kurogane took a step back.
Kurogane rubbed the back of his neck, “If you say so. Anyway I think you're girlfriend is waiting for you.” He pointed behind Fai.
The blond whipped around to see Francis calling him over with her finger. “Oh, she's not my girlfriend she's-”
“You know this is of no concern to me. I have business here. Now if you'll excuse me,” Kurogane pushed past him and went to the bar and started a conversation that sent the bartender to the back room. Fai stared on only to stop when, simultaneously, a hand was placed on his shoulder and the coal-eyed man looked up to glare warningly at him.
“Friend of yours, love?” Francis ventured. Her hand traveled from his shoulder up the nape of his neck and tangled itself in his hair.
Fai was confused to say the least. For two hundred years he had been use to people being unwaveringly attracted to him and yet this man had simply walked away from him. The even greater mystery was how he had been able to replenish his Essence. For the first time he had been denied and he found himself irrevocably attracted to this man for reasons he was scouring his brain to find. It had been a century and a half since he had actually been attracted to anyone physically or otherwise. Sex and his condition had taken away his ability to be anything but objective about it and the people he slept with.
He removed Francis' hand from his hair gently and turned still grasping it. “Francis, you'll have to forgive me. It seems something urgent has come up and I must leave. Perhaps another time.” While he had her he might as well try to secure a second opportunity he still had to absorb tomorrow as well.
“Ay, I wish I could agree but, alas, me and mi' crew,” she threw a thumb in the direction of her counterparts, “be headin' out at first light.”
“I find myself in a similar position. Well then this is farewell until we meet again.” He kissed her hand and departed as swiftly as he had come.
Fai had been waiting on the roof of the tavern for close to twenty minutes and regardless of the need he felt to talk to Kurogane he was becoming impatient. Just then the door opened and the familiar bell chimed. Light found it's way into the square for a moment before being sucked away by a closing door and the person who had emerged with the light stepped into the square.
All to quickly he became unsure of himself. What exactly was he supposed to do now? How was he supposed to approach the situation? He couldn't feasibly walk up to the taller and explain that he was possessed by a Demon of Lust, fed off the Essence of innocent humans and was about to do so when he walked in and somehow filled him with Essence, and now he was unexplainable drawn to him. Logic told him not to do that so instead he crouched further down on the roof to silently watch Kurogane walk away a bag now slung over his shoulder.
I'll Hold Your Hand
~~~~~~~~
I'll Hold Your Hand
Autumn had always been Fai’s favorite time of year, it brought families together whether it be around a bonfire out back or the park for a day of kite racing in suburbia. The smell was the other thing that got to him, the smell of burning wood that he associated with the cold months of the year. It wasn’t so cold he needed a heavy jacket but it wasn’t so warm he could go without. It was a season surrounded by warmth for him, the warmth of family. A family that had always been the most important to him, but now there was him: Kurogane. He was the most important and that’s why they were here standing outside his house as the autumn breeze flicked his blue and white plaid scarf in the wind.
“You look nervous,” came the gruff voice from beside him. “You know, you don’t have to do this if you aren’t ready.”
“I am ready!” Fai shot back in mild irritation. Just because he was nervous didn’t mean he wasn’t ready. The blond sighed heavily and his breath turned white before him, “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have snapped. I’m just a little apprehensive, that’s all.”
“What for?”
“What do you mean?”
Kurogane cleared his throat, “For what reason are you apprehensive?”
Fai brought his ungloved hands out of his pockets, maybe it was late enough in the fall he should start wearing them, and he blew hot air into his cupped hands, “What if,” he paused trying to stop the worry in his voice from taking over, “What if they don’t accept me?”
The movement was swift as Kurogane pulled Fai in to a tight hug against his thick, rough corduroy jacket. He kissed the blond’s head the smoothed his hair gently as he felt Fai grip the front of his outerwear. He pulled back and titled Fai’s chin so their eyes could meet before descending upon him and giving him a light, chaste kiss. “It won’t matter,” he said running his thumb over pink lips.
“How can you be so certain? You’ve already done this before and your parents are much more accepting than mine. You did it in high school, I went away to college and instead of coming back with a girl like they expect I came back with a man!” Fai gushed and secretly hoped his little sister wasn’t watching from the window.
Kurogane turned to face the green door that fronted the house. He took Fai’s hand in his and tried not to flinch when the grip wasn’t returned. “It won’t matter because we have each other.”
Fai’s heart warmed him from the inside out and all apprehension was thrown out the window. This was why he was doing it because he now lived for the moments where Kurogane said things that made his heart stop. He returned Kurogane’s grip. “I love you Kuro-sama. Will you hold my hand the entire time?”
Kurogane smirked to himself, “I’ll hold it as long as you need me to.”
The blond smiled and with renewed reason and vigor took a giant step towards the door, “Onward! - Kuro-sama!”
The other didn’t move at first causing Fai to look back at him with a puzzled face. He saw that Kurogane was blushing ever so slightly though it could have just been the cold. “Fai?”
“Yeah, Kuro-sama?”
Kurogane quickly relaced their fingers, “I love you, too.”
With that the approached the green door and knocked. The door was answered and they were still holding hands.