[Team Future] (Dreaming Unspeakable Dreams) Cyber Sleep

[rinoa11]

Title: Cyber Sleep
Prompt: Dreaming Unspeakable Dreams
Rating: T and up
Warnings:Incest, allusions to sex, nothing explicit, Language

Umm well what can I say? I'm very nervous? I hope you enjoy it! Thank you to everyone who I've flailed and cried at.... Especially Manda and Down.

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The light of the hologram flickered gently in the room in which Kurogane sat. In one hand he held a tablet with a message about how the hologram was to be deleted after being viewed; in the other a cup of coffee. He pressed the play button and watched the image of a small, charming young woman who he knew as Tomoyo to come to life. She smiled sweetly at him and began to tell him of the task at hand in a businesslike manner.
“Kurogane, I have a job for you to undertake of the utmost importance. It is of vital importance to our company that we secure this information. We had a number of agents over the years try to infiltrate but none have been successful. It is an incredibly dangerous mission however my company is willing to reward you a considerable amount if you are successful. The details are being sent to your console. Please give us your answer within 24 hours. As per usual, if you refuse this job, I stress that the details are top secret and any use of them will result in a memory wipe. Thank you for your time. This hologram will delete momentarily.” On that note the picture of the young woman disappeared and the disk which the hologram came out of cracked and shattered. The mission’s details came up on the tablet in his hand a few seconds later. He took a sip of his coffee as he scanned the details.

There was a picture of a smiling blonde in a lab coat, written underneath was his name Dr Fai .D Flourite. His smile didn’t look genuine at all, that bothered Kurogane, causing him to feel slightly uncomfortable but he continued to read the file. It turned out that this young man was in fact in a state of self inflicted statis on a distant planet which many had thought to be destroyed a long time ago.

Most knew the story about Celes, once a brilliant centre of technology and genius and how the leader Ashura went mad and ended up destroying the planet single handily. With the information that lay in front of him it seemed that now this was not the case. This young man was still there, a brilliant genius in his own right, one of the greatest electrokinetics, who created his own scientific leaps and bounds for humanity across the universe still alive by his own power but asleep. He was being given the mission to go there and wake him up so that Tomoyo’s company could use the knowledge and expertise that his man had, that no one else in the universe had, to better the existence of everyone. However this mission was incredibly dangerous, getting to Celes would be no easy feat in itself and by the time he got there he would have to wake the scientist up. According to the file he had very powerful firewalls and traps set up to prevent intruders. He would have to be very careful and discrete when hacking or he may end up with brain damage like many others that tried before him. If you were not caught by the physical traps, you would be caught by the mental ones but all of the results were ugly. The reports of all the failures had informed him of this. Yet he had something no one else did. He had knowledge of his own that would help him on this mission.

Kurogane came from a family which trained amazing warriors, he was the last before the war killed both his mother and father, ending the line of Suwa with him. He had agility of the body and of the mind and the eagerness to learn. When he was taken in by Tomoyo and her corporation he found himself to have a knack with ancient computer languages and tech. He was a one man mercenary able to wipe out armies with knowledge and power. He was used to going to derelict worlds to take down ancient robots and security systems to get valuable information. Most of this information contained details of genetic manipulations which were considered illegal by today’s standards or perhaps unheard of. These could then be used to improve on medicines and genetic engineering or even robotics.

Kurogane set his ships coordinates to Celes and pressed the “yes” button at the end of the file stating that he accepted the mission. He was confident that his ship “Mokona -Larg’s” autopilot would be able to get him most of the way there safely, he certainly had Yuuko and Watanuki do plenty of modifications on it for it to navigate space systems safely without him needing to actually pilot. Those two had a knack for getting rare parts, he didn’t know how they did it but they delivered what he needed, even if the ship and his small robot companion “Mokona – Soel” were incredibly annoying. They did help keep him alert although he couldn’t understand the need to name them both Mokona. With that taken care of he decided to take a nap so his mind would be in the best mental shape when he was close to his destination.

He awoke with the irritating white manju shaped robot bouncing on his belly telling him to wake up. It served his purpose as he grumbled and got up to go to his control room. He was in a completely different system, one which he had never seen before. It seemed to be incredibly cold, a space system where there was no life left. What seemed to be asteroids were only huge lumps of ice which floated around the small planetoid of Celes. It hung in the air like a pale crystal ball. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he sat down and made an attempt to land.

After manoeuvring past the glacial asteroids he had to locate the laboratory complex on the Celes so he could land. It took about ten minutes after looking at the logs that were left for him. He had to find a big crystal spire, which wasn’t terribly hard. On closer inspection it seemed that the whole complex had been encased in crystal and ice, which made it difficult to find a place to land. He had to navigate the maze of spikes to find somewhere close enough for him to land so the outside air wouldn’t kill him with the cold. Larg took care of finding the suitable position with its scanners. Soel was meanwhile preparing the things he would need to take with him to complete the task. The rush he felt pushing through the atmosphere caused him to grin widely, his crimson eyes glinting in satisfaction as he heard the pop and then the whoosh before racing around the sky of this planetoid.

He quickly and carefully navigated the crystal spikes which gutted out at multiple angles like a thorny hedge. On the way he found crashed ships from people who had attempted and failed, presumably from other corporations. He figured that he’d need to use Ginryuu to get into the actual laboratory. Bringing up the building maps on the console he looked for a place which held little security and would be easy to infiltrate so that he could sit and begin to hack into the mainframe. Sector C seemed to be the one with the least security. So he landed next to where the fire exit was on his map. That would get him into the staff canteen and after that he’d have to figure out a way to reach his target, who was situated deep at the centre of the labyrinth of hallways and rooms. He got up, set his ship to hibernate and then went to his quarters to go get Ginryuu, once he had this he slipped on his leather coat, zipping it all the way up and securing Ginryuu to one of his many belts.

His respiratory mask was light and unobtrusive; but what he could breathe in was musty and cold. His skin felt the biting chill of the dead world. He would have to get inside quickly to find shelter before his skin blistered. Unsheathing Ginryuu he hacked at the ice sealing the fire exit shut. He knew that there were more efficient weapons available to him, he could have a laser gun or a light sabre but neither of them were as satisfying as the feel of the perfectly tempered metal cutting through the ice with only his own strength to guide it. Moments later he heard the sound of the spring becoming loose, allowing him to kick down the door and enter. The white Mokona rested on his shoulder as he slipped inside, into the dusty staff canteen where he could begin his work.

A quick survey out into the corridors showed that there were sentry robots patrolling, presumably to keep the inhabitant and all the information safe. He knew by a look that they’d be able to kill him in an instant if they deemed him to be a threat, which would most likely be upon sight. He brought up the map of the building on Mokona and looked to see where he could go. It seemed that the utility closet nearby would be his safest bet. Kurogane couldn’t realistically see himself getting any further into the complex without triggering security alerts so he’d have to try and hack into the system. Stealthily, he quickly made his way to his destination with Mokona. Crouching inside he found a control panel where he saw various pieces of data, such as tasks for the janitors to do and the temperature of the area. Now it was time for the hard work to begin.

Pressing the red jewel in the middle of Mokona’s forehead caused the small robot to dispense a cable, he reached for the back of his neck and found the jack to connect it in, he then connected himself up to the control panel and with a visor, which was dispensed from the robot’s mouth, slipped over his eyes, he searched the virtual mainframe of the complex. A 3D landscape of ice spikes sprung up as soon as the visor connected, mirroring the landscape outside.

Kurogane spent quite some time trying to navigate the files in the browser before having to remind himself that the computer system and its defenses were not mad, it was just that the electrokinetic mind behind it was one of the most powerful documented in all of human history. His own abilities paled in comparison but he still sifted through the codes for any breaches. For anything that could give him an edge in. If he tried to pry apart the ice spikes, pushing them apart, Kurogane would find himself alerting the security. The slight burning feeling in his fingers wasn’t terribly nice either and only caused further irritation, something he was trying his best to control. During his search he did find some files to do with finances, nothing important, just food bills, researcher files, a supplies list. It was to be noted that the supplies keeping the scientist alive were incredibly low. He gauged that there were maybe three more weeks left before starvation and dehydration would take place; all the more reason for him to convince this man to come with him.

He also found some entertainment files. The scientists on the lab would have had to keep themselves amused somehow. He scrolled through the various files before spotting a key one called “Ice Spikes” and then, it clicked. These Ice spikes were not part of the security system, they were part of Fai’s dream Everything in here was something to simulate something for Fai to either see or do. In his sleep he would have to keep his mind at work somehow so it didn’t disintegrate. So what better way to do it than dreams? A grin came to his face as he continued to search. The entertainment files seemed to be linked together and they were frequently accessed as well. So Fai was in control of both the security system and could provide himself with entertainment. He was probably living the ultimate fantasy life, plugged into them like a holovid addict. This was his way in. If he could alter the entertainment program somehow to allow him to talk to this techno wizard, he’d be able to fulfil his mission. He scrolled quickly through the lists of simulations until he found something suitable and he set to work changing the parameters to meet his needs. He just needed to integrate this file and that story and sort out some suitable armour and weaponry with this old code and lure him into playing it. Then he switched to the supply lists and closed the browser and unplugged to shift his position.

Staying here after tampering with this all would be bad news. So he silently made his way along the corridor to an office and hid himself in the supply closet, sitting down crosslegged in the tiny space, plugging himself back into the mainframe to continue his alterations. He’d need some helper programs to assist him in case he got into any trouble. He searched through the entertainment browser and sighed in satisfaction when he saw there was a random selector button for the simulations. If he hacked this just right it would lead him to the file he wanted so that the scientist would actually be helping him to rescue him and he’d be none the wiser! He felt his chest puff slightly with smugness. He knew that the scientist liked this file seeing as he accessed it several times over the decades but he wouldn’t expect what Kurogane had in store for him. Although, if it didn’t work he didn’t expect to live long enough to ask him for his opinion. In this plugged in state he was vulnerable, if one of the sentry robots found him, he’d be dead within seconds as he had little chance to defend himself. He quickly integrated himself into a dormant program, that wouldn’t become active until Fai accessed the execution file, to hide from the security system. He only had to wait moments until the Scientist had taken the bait. He felt his surroundings change to match the simulation. All Kurogane needed to do was close his eyes and open them again to find himself in a barren wasteland with the maze of ice spikes laid in front of him. He was thankful to have made the modifications to Ginryuu in this cyberdream. It would make getting to the scientist that much easier.

The scientist in question lay in a luscious bed in the dream at the top of the tower confused. This was not his usual start point for the simulation. Usually he entered in the barren wasteland. He heard the voice of Chii, the computer speak to him.
“Player two has entered the simulation.”
This caused Fai some cause for alarm. Sure he had made the variables super random, he had been through this simulation many times before and without the randomizer he’d be bored with the usual. He cleared his throat and decided to find out as much as he could. He was curious enough not to stop the simulation completely but he wished to know his parameters within the dream.
“Chii, what are my parameters?” speaking with his mind to the computer he quickly found out the answer. “Player one must be on the bed when the one minute countdown is triggered to continue the simulation” was the computer’s stoic reply. So he could stand and move around in his dream until this player two triggered the one minute count down. He got up and looked out the window of the room. Usually he was the one out there and not the one inside here. This place was reserved for someone very close to his heart; someone who was now gone thanks to his hands. He wished he hadn’t been so blind or naive.

He remembered the way it was supposed to go. He’d fight through the ice spikes with him magic, he’d climb the tower up to the room and Yuui would be there on the bed. He’d kiss his brother’s forehead gently and he would open his eyes and smile. He wouldn’t be mutilated by the experiments that Ashura did, that Yuui consented to. He wouldn’t be in horrific pain, he’d be content. Then Fai would smile at him and gently take him into his arms and they would kiss. He would tell Yuui that he loved him over and over and Yuui would return that love. Clothes would be removed and they’d unite, carefully building a climax, carefully healing the emotional scars that both of them had. Fai would apologize for allowing Ashura to bring him such pain and Yuui would forgive him. They would lie in the afterglow of the climax feeling content and at peace. It was at that moment that the illusion would begin to crack. Fai’s memories of how his brother actually was would creep up on him, the dream version of his brother would morph in to the mutilated, scarred, burnt and blistered husk it came to be, it would scream and writhe in pain and Fai would have no choice but to whisper apologies and promises that next time, next time he would really rescue him. Next time this wouldn’t happen. Next time his hands wouldn’t be at his throat, pressing down until he heard the crack of the bones and the gasping breath stop. Next time he would let the past go and leave with Yuui. But Yuui was dead; Yuui could not leave even if he wanted him to.

Chii’s one minute warning shook him from his reverie along from a knock on the door.
“Can you get in your position so we can continue?” grumbled a gruff voice from the other side of the door. It was one that Fai did not recognize. However in order to see who was intruding his dreams he’d have to follow protocol so he got into the bed and closed his eyes as the scenario required.

Moments later Kurogane entered, quietly and carefully. He knew his physical strength would have no use here and his mental strength could do only so much in comparison to his master, all he could do was try to be patient and hope for the best. A bit like when Yuuko is being temperamental and programs Larg to do unusual and annoying things. He walked over to the lavish bed to look at the sleeping scientist. He knew it was nothing more than a simulation, and that the real Fai d Fluorite could be an old and wrinkled man by now or a ghost in the machine but he had to see for himself. What he didn’t need to do was to lean down and kiss the scientist gently. He knew that all he needed to do was gently shake him to wake him but he found himself absentmindedly connecting virtual lips with him. There was neither scent nor taste but the sensation was very pleasant. At this the blonde sat up with a flush and looked embarrassed and a little annoyed. Fai looked Kurogane up and down and deemed him to be someone who could be a threat. A good looking, well built threat, but a threat none the less. He looked the man in black leather straight in the eye and said,
“Who are you and how did you make it past security? You should have been shot on sight.” Kurogane cleared his throat and carefully chose his answer; he knew this could be the difference from having a minor headache or no head at all. Another matter was that his physical body was beginning to demand certain needs be met, like the need to go to the bathroom. He had been here longer than he was hoping.
“My name is Kurgogane, I am of the Suwa clan from the Nihon system. I am here to rescue you.” The simulation ended and Kurogane’s hand reached to hold Fai’s tightly in a scythe like grip.
“Would you let me go?” protested the blonde. “I do not have any reason to trust your word! Therefore leave me in peace!” Kurogane frowned deeply. “I’m afraid I have no choice but to grip to you tightly, I’m using a piggyback program, if we are not in the simulation, I risk being caught by your security systems. If you do not trust me I will leave my Mokona transmitter so you’re able to read the files on you that I have so you can gauge my intent. May I also request that you make Sector C safe as I am in desperate need to relieve myself? I’d prefer not to die if you choose to go down that route having wet myself. ” his voice was gruff and strained with a desperation tinged with embarrassment. It was clear that he was trying to seem professional as possible in this awkward moment. Fai’s eyes locked with Kurogane’s own which seemed to hold a great deal of honesty in them. He had every right to be suspicious but he hadn’t heard of any other terrorist plead for bathroom privileges. It was just something too human. Something he hadn’t felt like in a long time. He sighed and let out a sound which was like a whistle and an exhale combined, culminating in a “Hyuu! Fine! Sector C is now safe, but only Sector C! The nearest bathroom to your location is out the door and on the left. Leave your robot for me in the office and I’ll have Chii pick it up while you are relieving yourself.”

Coming out of the virtual dream made Kurogane dizzy and his head hurt. He checked his watch; he’d been in there for over two hours. It was longer than he was accustomed to thus his symptoms of “Reality is stranger than virtuality”. He carefully made his way to the bathroom, leaving Mokona in the office outside his closet, taking more care than usual when walking. On his way back he did hear a noise, it was like a female voice saying “Chii” and in return Mokona would say “Puu!” He waited for the exchange to finish and for the robot known as Chii to leave before entering the office again. He then sat back down in the closet, plugged himself in and waited for Fai to start the simulation again to discover his verdict and whether he was going to live or die.

As his eyes focused he spotted the blonde scientist sitting on the bed, gently stroking the duvet as if he was deep in thought. All was silent for a while. It was clear that he’d have to perhaps wait a little longer for the verdict but Kurogane was an impatient man. He needed results sooner rather than later and he did not want to disappoint Tomoyo with no result at all. He also knew that his death would be most unsatisfactory to Tomoyo and her clients. Fai then slowly looked up at him. He seemed to have relaxed from earlier, no longer feeling the need to defend himself. The look in his eyes made Kurogane want to punch him. It was a man who had given up without even trying. This frustrated and annoyed him beyond belief but he needed to remain calm. He took a breath in and waited for him to talk. His usual course of action of smacking some sense into this man would not help him here, not when an arsenal of Robots could easily take him out.
“So you’re saying, I’ve been in statis for 500 years and 74 days. That’s a long time. Why are you so interested in ‘rescuing me’? Are you even sure I’m worth rescuing? I made the decision to be like this. I have my reasons for locking myself in this existence. For all you know, I don’t deserve to live. I could have done horrific things as far as you know.” A horribly cheerful and very much fake smile painted Fai’s delicate features. Kurogane felt his patience slipping with the scientist. He couldn’t use force; he needed to seem polite and diplomatic. And yet he couldn’t stop himself from speaking his mind.
“I think you’re a coward.” So he was now in dangerous territory. The blonde looked like he was about to laugh and cry all at the same time. He obviously wished death upon himself. It seemed to be a thing that went with great genius, great despair. Then it clicked in his mind. Cowards hated painful deaths, especially slow and painful ones. Fai had only enough resources to continue to live for the next 3 weeks. If he stayed here any longer than that he’d be heading down the route of a slow and painful death. So he decided to pander to that train of thought.
“You know, you’re going to die in three weeks if you don’t leave here. Not a nice and easy death like you probably desire, but since you’re the type of guy who annoys me the most and my boss thinks you to be an amazing genius and she wishes to find out what secrets you have that could improve the lives of people. I have to save you. I don’t want to disappoint my boss, she’s a wonderful woman, and she’s like a little sister to me. However, I can give you a deal which will benefit the both of us.” He knew he had Fai’s attention. Now was the time to launch into his diplomatic and necessary speech with some added extras for the given situation. “I will take you away from this place. You will meet my boss. She will take care of any need you have and you will have the decision on what happens to this place. If you wish it to be destroyed it will be.” This seemed to bring a small smile and a look of slight relief. “We offer this option to others in a position like you. You are the only living member of this research team so it is your decision what happens here. You will also be able to take anything you feel necessary from here. This includes robotics.” Fai stood and came towards him until he was standing right in front of him.
“So what’s in it for me Mr leathery prince charming? Where’s my sweet kiss to seal the deal?” He couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. Kurogane guessed that despite the sugary sweet tone to his voice that this man was not joking.
“The final part to this deal is something I’m only doing for you.” He felt a hand on his chest, fiddling with the zip on his jacket. He wasn’t sure if this was part of the simulation’s programming. He kissed the man earlier so perhaps it was programmed in this simulation that both participants be a bit more touchy feely with one another. Absent-mindedly his hands latched firmly onto the blonde’s hips to which the blonde replied with shuffling closer and draping his arm over his neck with a stupid smile on his face.
“I will be your kill switch. If you ever decide that you can’t adapt to this new time I will kill you in the most painless way I know. The catch is that only I will be the one to do it. How does that sound?” The smile that came from the clinging blonde was slightly mechanical, yet oddly alluring. The way his finger gently rubbed his neck was delicious and made him want to purr. Despite how nice this was Kurgoane promptly reminded himself that he needed an answer and hitting the virtual sack wasn’t going to get him an answer. He didn’t want to be in another man’s dream and ultimately under his control.
“Well?” A pause hung in the air as Kurogane carefully tried to create distance between himself and the blonde. Fai let out another annoying fake whistle and walked away from Kurogane with his fingers touching his lips as if in a playful mimic of thought.
“Alright then, have it your way Kuro-puu. You will be my personal kill switch. Chii will meet you to take you to my room. All I need to do is find the exit protocols.” His voice faded away as he turned to smile at Kurogane as the room faded away and him with it.

It took some time for Kurogane to collect himself and regain his bearings in reality. Mokona bounced and chattered away at him with its “Puu!” sounds, congratulating him on how he managed to persuade Fai. The chirpy voice didn’t help but he was glad when the robot known as Chii came to collect him. He looked completely surprised at what Chii was. Before him stood a young robot woman, with big brown eyes and very long blonde hair which parted in an odd way. As he followed her he continued to observe her. She wore a white dress with some frills, much like the kind Tomoyo liked to design in her spare time for her friend Sakura. Was it Lolita? It didn’t matter for now at least. However now he knew what helped Fai control the facility. It was amazing the craftsmanship and care that went into making her and that she was completely self sufficient, or so it seemed.

Eventually her padding feet came to a stop and Mokona jumped up on his shoulder exclaiming her surprise with a “Puuu!” The sight before him caused his breath to hitch. The room was filled with wires and tubes all connecting to a tank in the middle. At the edge of the tank were a skeleton and a pile of clothes and in the corner of the room was another larger skeleton. The tank itself was well lit and filled with a blue liquid. What lay inside was Fai himself, wires and tubes plugged in all the way down his spine, causing him to lean forward slightly. Kurogane assumed that these wires aided him in not only living by giving him nutrition but by amplifying his electrokinetic skills. He slept suspended in the liquid which gave him enough resistance when he moved to keep his muscles toned. Yet he was very thin, almost too thin. His hair was still the golden blonde which it was in the dream but he couldn’t see his face. A mask covered that, feeding him oxygen and shielding his eyes from light and the liquid. The sight was very eerie, almost beautiful. Like an angel had been captured in a jar and wired up, fated to forever be gazed upon by mere mortals.

His silent reverie was broken when the rig to which all the wires met above the tank began to beep and whirr before stopping completely. Kurogane assumed this meant that Fai was waking up. Chii stood next to him, having gathered a dusty towel while he watched. She murmured “System shut down” and then Fai began to rise to the top of the liquid. His waif like body began to move in a more lively fashion as his hands searched and scrambled for the edge. In response to this Kurogane held out his hand and gripped Fai’s arm, his other arm snaked under Fai’s back to help lift him out of the tank. After that his hands carefully roamed Fai’s body, taking out the cables and wires. It would take some time for the wounds to heal. The process was a slow and laborious one, each wire required gentle unscrewing before being able to be released delicately. Fai could not help him as he lay like a weak ragdoll in his lap. He couldn’t blame him; he had been asleep in a virtual world for over 500 years. His mind remembered how the body should work yet his body didn’t. So he took his time, steadily releasing, unscrewing and pulling gently at all the cables and tubes. His hands rubbing ointment where it was needed and then they came to the mask which fit over his head; the mask which kept him breathing and alive for all these years. The clasps at the side came undone with a click before slipping off his head. He was very surprised to be met with the face of a man in his mid twenties.

Fai whimpered at the light coming from above which caused Kurogane to smirk and lean down to kiss his forehead.
“Wake up sleeping beauty” was the jibe that came from the gruff man. His eyes fluttered open, slowly adjusting to the light which was at first painful but as his eyes focused on Kurogane, he decided that to see him in the flesh was not so bad, nor was the feel of real warm lips against his forehead. It was hard to sit up but he did so anyway, taking the towel from Chii with a small smile in her direction and cleaning the blue goo off himself. Clothes were then handed to him and Kurogane helped him dress and stand, not making a single comment about how weak he was. He was grateful for it. Chii came to his other side and took his other arm as they walked across the wires and then his eyes caught the skeletons. Both Yuui and Ashura were really dead. Ashura really did blow his brains out and he really did strangle Yuui. The pressure from Kurogane’s hand on his shoulder helped bring him out of his daze.
“I understand that you’ve just woken up, but it’s time to leave this place. We need to get you somewhere warmer.” A nod was given in response as he made a final silent apology to Yuui and then he began to leave with Kurogane and Chii.

It took some time to get back to the fire exit where Kurogane’s ship was parked. Fai’s body would take a while to remember how to walk which ended up in Kurogane sweeping him off his feet and carrying him the rest of the way there. And now they were at the fire exit, Kurogane realized there was a slight problem. The air would not be safe for him to breathe and he only had one mask. He carefully set Fai down who looked curious at him as Mokona then spat out the mask at the click of his fingers. He then set to putting it on Fai.
“Hold on a second! Why are you putting it on me? Why aren’t you using it yourself?” Fai almost stammered in something which sounded like bashfulness.
“Because you need to breathe more right now than I do. I don’t want any shocks coming to your system unnecessarily. You get the mask.” It was clear that Kurogane was not going to budge on this detail. His voice held a decisiveness which left no room for argument. If Fai wasn’t wearing the mask he’d see a childish pout which accompanied the huff and the attempt of folding the arms in an over exaggerated manner. Instead his arms flopped comically to his sides which caused Kurogane to snort and roll his eyes. Chii opened the door and a cold wind blew in. Fai was bundled up once again in Kurogane’s arms and Chii scouted ahead to the ship with Mokona. It didn’t take long to get there but Mokona had opened the door and soon they were all safe inside.

Fai looked slightly worried as Kurogane coughed the kind of cough that wracked his whole body but his own worry confused him. He was only worried because if Kurogane died who would kill him? That was the only logical explanation in his mind. It was the only explanation he needed. Yet his mind wavered when Kurogane was so gentle in laying him down in his soft bed. It contrasted greatly to the gruff and stern demeanour he showed earlier. He heard him taking his boots and coat off revealing his toned arms.
“I need to sleep, Scientist. The ship will fly itself. It knows the flight path. Don’t cause trouble.” Within moments of that he had settled down next to Fai and fallen asleep, exhausted from the ordeal earlier which left Fai to stare up at the ceiling.

The world around him had changed; he was no longer one of the leading scientists of mankind. Or at least he wasn’t sure if he was. Kurogane’s boss seemed to think that he had skill and expertise where no one else had. He supposed that this was probably true. But he had destroyed most of the research both digital and physical when Ashura’s madness showed itself at full capacity. It was known for a long time that he was heading down that path. However everyone had been too cowardly to stop it. They were engulfed and distracted by the great work they were doing. They were all blind and naive. And by the time it mattered, it was too late. All he could do was hope to survive his teacher’s murder spree. When it passed having survived it he couldn’t allow any possible intruders to get a hold of the research. The news of the death of Celes would have spread far and wide and it had. He knew of the people over the centuries who thought to take a chance to take the hard work that they had done. He couldn’t allow that. The only existing piece of work that they had done together was actually the pinnacle of Dr Icchan Mihara’s career. He created Chii along with Fai. Icchan did the engineering and Fai helped with the programming. At the time she was the most realistic and self sufficient cyborg ever created. The body for Chii was actually based off of his twin daughters. He couldn’t remember their names but he remembered the moment Ashura slashed at Icchan’s neck. He didn’t deserve it. None of them did. But it was what had happened. Now Chii was the only legacy of the work their team did. He drifted off into his own sleep, worrying about the changes in the world he might experience, feeling both excited and guilty at the same time for being able to.

Fai was woken up by Kurogane shaking him roughly. It seemed that he had rolled over onto his front. He must have thought that maybe he had suffocated. Nonetheless they were back to civilization near the Nihon space system, finally away from the dead dreamscapes of Celes. Fai sat up and silently watched Kurogane leave the room and grumble orders to Larg.
“Is Kuro-puu always this grumpy when he wakes up?” asked Fai to the bouncy Mokona in his hands. It replied with an affirmative “Puu!” which caused Fai to wrinkle his eyebrows slightly and look in the direction of where Kurogane went. His own bodily weakness frustrated him beyond belief at this point. So he decided to project his voice over the ship’s speakers. “Is it possible to turn on the robot’s language package?” In return he heard a grumble and an affirmative answer. “I switched it off on purpose, the witch programmed it to annoy me specifically.” The scientist began to whine like a spoilt child over the speakers. “Aww but I’m bored Kuro-sama! I need to do something to make the journey pass quicker. Can I play with it pleeeease?” A growl of frustration was heard and then a huge sigh.
“It’s Kurogane.” Other than that grumble, there was no argument in return so Fai assumed that he could do as he pleased. So he set to his task of recalibrating Mokona’s language package, just for something to do.

The question of why Fai didn’t decide to work on Chii’s voice kept going through Kurogane’s mind as he brought the ship into land. Also he now saw glimpses at the potential irritating fun and games he could have with the scientist and Mokona and felt a feeling of impending doom in his gut at the loss of his nice quiet time. However the objective of his mission was also complete and now he had parked his ship, it was time to take Fai and Chii to Tomoyo so she could assess the situation and help Fai in whatever way possible.

It was a short journey for them; Fai got strange looks as he was carried down the corridors by the leathered Kurogane who shot dirty, defensive looks in return. Chii seemed to glide next to them and Mokona sat on her shoulder. They all came to a stop in front of a large ornate wooden door. Fai supposed that they would have to knock and wait but the man holding him had no sense of ceremony and simply barged in, not caring if there was a meeting going on or not. He was glad to see that there was not. It was simply a young woman with dark hair going through papers diligently, sitting in the middle of the beautiful office. She looked up at the small group and smiled.
“I see your mission was a success, I’m pleased.” Her words were gentle but held an air of authority to them, authority that Kurogane respected as he nodded firmly.

Details of the planet of Celes were then arranged. Fai had decided it was to be destroyed and no questions were asked. Kurogane raised an eyebrow, it seemed cowardly to him. The blonde man smiled but look in his eyes were subtly pained. It bothered Kurogane deeply, what other secrets did this man hold? He wanted to know why the man was a coward. However, despite Kurogane’s internal feelings of discomfort Tomoyo complied with no resistance and a sweet smile on her lips. She told Fai that he would either be offered a new identity if he wished (he refused), money and a ride to whatever system he wanted (he also refused) or he could be given training on how to live in this new time. He would be given a full citizenship to the Nihon system and an offer to work for Tomoyo in whatever position he wished. This was the offer that he accepted; it was the offer that allowed him to be close to the man who was his kill switch. His positive answer pleased Tomoyo, causing her to smile and clap her hands together.
“Well then, Kurogane shall be in charge of your training! I’m sure there will be no arguments there?” Kurogane’s eye twitched ever so slightly but he nodded in agreement. Fai’s plastic smile came back full force as he mimicked Tomoyo’s hand clap with a “Wonderful!”

After making arrangements to discuss Chii at a later date once Fai had settled, they left. It was at that moment Kurogane decided to push Fai against the wall and stare down at him. He wanted to know. He felt he needed to know. Or did he? Fai did not meet his gaze and instead pushed gently at his chest.
“I don’t want any of your bullshit, scientist. This is the future. We are no longer in your dream world. You need to adapt and you need to live on. To do that you need to show how you feel and not bottle it up. That sort of shit pisses people off, most of all me. I understand you’ve probably been through a lot but it’s time to wake up.” When Fai looked up, he saw that Kurogane’s eyes held a kindness; he couldn’t look for too long. He needed to keep his dreams to himself yet the message had sunk in. Like a guilty child he pushed Kurogane away awkwardly, unsteadily hobbling away like a baby deer and rubbed his arms as if he was defending himself. His dreams were unspeakable, but he needed to move on. He needed to let it go, let the past die with Celes instead of torturing himself with the memory. Another smile came to his lips, a different, more organic one as he looked out at the sun rising through the window, fists clenching as tightly as he could clench them. A different sunrise to any he had seen before. And in the early morning light of Nihon he let his fists relax and open before looking towards Kurogane with a small nod.
“I think you’re right Kuro-sama. The dream must end; it’s time to wake up now.” It would take time for his body to regain its former strength; it would take time for all the wounds, wounds of the heart, mind and body to heal. But now he had hope, he had a man at his side who wouldn’t take cowardice for an answer. He had a man who would guide him towards a new day, who would help him to save himself and show him not to lose faith. And in his heart of hearts, he was glad of it.

~the end.
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