Kurogane/Fai

A/N: Written while getting feels-high on Richard Siken and the song ‘Little Talks’. Excuse that ‘Peter Pan’ reference, let’s pretend that the vast libraries of Ceres had a folk tale similar to it and that Fai might have come across it ;) *brick’d* There will be a sequel to cover the events in Infinity and so forth. Concrits are always welcomed with open arms! (Forgive that weird-looking cut tag, I'm still confused by 'em)





( Fai )

For reasons unknown as well, I haven't gotten the hang of fake-cutting yet (=.=) Chronologically, drabbles 1,2 and 3 were set before Acid!Tokyo while drabble no. 4 was during Infinity and drabble no. 5 Kurogane and Fai as post-series. Lyrics were taken from the Killers (huzzah!). If you've noticed the increasingly decreasing wordcount, blame it on Burn-out syndrome -- I worked 8 hours to produce 5 puny drabbles which is pathethic,really. Anyways, cheers! :)





1. I said, he doesn’t look a thing like Jesus


He had been taught to never judge a book by its cover long, long before, and naturally, as the secret antagonist of their motley group of travellers, he must be a great example of it. Yet, perhaps, Fai got blinded by the most important of things, and at times, neglected to actually apply it on everyone else as well.


To say that Fai was only a little surprised when he first caught sight of the Dimensional Witch’s agent would be entirely untrue for the man was anything but all the conventional notions of what a hero should naturally portray. Simply put, this towering hulk of a grouch uncannily exuded the air of a kicked puppy, one all too ready to bare its teeth and snap at foreign hands, and it made the warrior seem somewhat adolescent - might he add, bratty? - yet, altogether, all too dangerous. This was a man to look out for, and to be cautious about; ‘Kurogane’ might have been disconcerting upon initial impression, but, sadlyluckilyunfortunately, Fai was immensely familiar with paradoxes.



2. they say the devil’s water it ain’t so sweet;
you don’t have to drink right now
but you can dip your feet
every once in a little while


Fai would like to make one thing clear -- to himself mostly: wooing temptation was not a particular hobby of his, it, in fact, went against his better judgement and against his ways of normalcy. What he did not expect was how unpredictable and fun dabbling in it could be, especially when it involved a certain delightfully emotionally-volatile target. Having fun was a completely alien concept to Fai, but he was never adverse towards new education, and, really, his resistance -- plus patience -- could only go so far.


In Outo, he took charge of the group’s registration at the City Hall, slyly filling everyone’s names with what he deemed were appropriate associations to themselves since pseudonyms were allowed here, a Syaoran too flustered to properly protest being Fai’s sole witness. Gleefully, Fai looked forward to the backlash that was bound to burst out later on.


Swinging swords and extensive roundabout chases soon came to be a regular feature of Kurogane and him.




3. I’m Mr. Brightside


What should not be a regular feature about them, however, was how often they started looking out for each other. Fai was not sure of the origin of this growing mutual concern: perhaps it had began in Koryo when Kurogane had whacked his pole against Fai to shove him away from the exploding bubble, or in Outo during Fai’s numerous attempts at stuffing Kurogane with his cooking; perhaps it had been there all along, an unassuming undercurrent that neither were aware of while they mingled in differences and suspicions. It just so happened that Kurogane displayed his care through unorthodox ways. In Fai’s case, the ninja would call out most of his bluffs, but he would not press for an answer; he merely expected it to come out of Fai’s own mouth and free will at the right time.


But there had never been a right time, or a right thing, or to be concise, a right him, for the matter, in this lifetime of wrongs.


In the end, all Fai could do was smile and laugh him off because was it not glaringly obvious from the start?


He was the happy idiot of their group, after all.



4. I check my face
I look a little bit older
I look a little bit colder


Anger is a friend, and Fai kept it close to his heart for there could be no room for mercy; it burnt in his chest, it kept him in check whenever he glimpsed his reflection or the scars littered across Kurogane’s wrist, it made him unrecognisable.


Fai did not request for this ligature of blood and prey and sorts because what he did want was to die; it would have kept things far simpler, far more succinct. It would have been the right thing.


What Kurogane did not know would come to hurt him, and Fai would be the cause of it -- again.



5. for reasons unknown


‘ Say, opposites do attract, eh , Kuro-sama ~ ? ‘


Fai winked and looped his arms around Kurogane’s neck, bringing the ninja’s face down to award it with a peck on the cheek while mindfully resting as minimal weight as possible upon his shoulders. With a quirked eyebrow and a customary snort, Kurogane gave a brief smile.


‘ For reasons unknown, apparently. ‘