//(TRC - AU) Sprites And Samurai

[Fai]

"Tomoyo, you'll never guess what I saw!"

"Oooo, what did you see Kurogane??? Was it a pretty girl? And if it was, when is the wedding?" Tomoyo asked with a playful smile on her face as she spun around from her spot by the window.
"Maybe Kuro-muu has finally decided to settle down? Must be the full moon tonight..Oh yes and you barely made the cerfew! So this means that it has to be a girl!! "Tomoyo said as she walked towards Kurogane laughing.

[Ruby Chan]

Kurogane pulled to an aprupt halt at Tomoyo's words, and fluidly swung around, beginning to walk in the other direction seamlessly, as if that was what he had been intending to do right from the start.

Stupid! Kurogane cursed. How could you forget what she was like?!

[Fai]

Tomoyo chuckled, "Wait Kuro-muu!! Sorry, sorry! Couldn't help myself!" she smiled a wide smile. Tomoyo ran over to Kurogane and dragged him over to a large chair sitting him down.

"Seriously, what did you see?" Tomoyo said her smile fading, and her face became serious as she sat on another chair across from Kurogane.

[Ruby Chan]

Kurogane studied her suspiciously, searching for any sign of a typpical 'oh hohoho@. Seeing none, he shrugged and crossed his arms, smirking at Tomoyo knowingly.

"You know, I never really believed in sprites....even as a child, I was sceptical. But then tonight.....tonight, hime, I saw one." His voice was awed, and the fact that he had used Tomoyo's proper title was an indication of how much he had been overwhelmed by the experience.

"He was really annoying though." He said, coming back to earth with a bump.

[Fai]

"A sprite? Hmm..you don't see many around here. Interesting. Are you that you didn't drink to much sake though Kurogane? They're rarely allowed in the human world." Tomoyo said as she tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Annoying? Not pretty? Awww..When are you seeing him again? I want to meet him." Tomoyo said absentmindely as she looked out her large bedroom window at the moon and smiling at the same time.

[Ruby Chan]

Kurogane turned up his nose at Tomoyo's comment about him drinking too much sake, although he was secretly wondering that himself.

"He said something about tomorrow night....but there's no way I'm letting you go near him! He'd probably end up running for the hill screaming, in one of your outfits." He snorted. "And pretty? Not really....although there was something fragile about him, almost effeminate.....and he had this blonde hair, you know? Like golden flax...." He breathed, before getting a hold on himself.

"And what do you mean, 'not allowed'?"

[Sakaki]

As Fai walked through the mist and snuck back to the Faerie realm, a light blush covered his face as he thought only of the dark haired human...Kurogane...

And still feeling a disbelief that he had actually spoke to a human man...he snuck quietly to where the King slept and resumed his position near him.. as if he had never left... And as he closed his blue eyes, began to dream of the next night, when he could see the man again...

[Fai]

"Ohohoho, Kuro-muu. Now why would I do that? Put a total stranger into one of my creations?" Tomoyo asked as she laughed.
"His blonde hair though, that sounds pretty! It would go well with some of my outfits, but if I could make one, it would look perfect!" she turned starry eyed just thinking about the outfit.

"And pretty? Not really....although there was something fragile about him, almost effeminate....and he had this blonde hair, you know? Like golden flax...."
"Sound to me like Kurogane likes someone!!!" Tomoyo said in a sing song voice when she heard that. When she saw Kurogane's face she reacted by laughing.

"What do I mean by saying "not allowed"? Well...Their King is quite strict about that rule. I can't explain it, must have been all the wine! I suppose you must ask him yourself tomorrow." Tomoyo said beaming at Kurogane while waving her hand in front of her.

[Ruby Chan]

Kurogane frowned at Tomoyo's explanation...or rather, lack of.....but simply nodded and got to his feet, exiting her chambers without another word. Tomorrow night then...he'd see whether this 'Fai' was real, or just a figment of his drunken imagination.
The next night, Kurogane leaned against the fence, waiting at the same point in the road that he'd seen Fai the other night. Slung over his shoulder was a bag.....and in that bag were several sake bottles. He'd gone down to the tavern early tonight especially to get them, but this time had not stayed to drink anything himself, wanting a clear head tonight.

Of course, if Fai never turned up because he hadn't really existed, Kurogane wouldn't be at too much of a loss.....

He could always drink the sake himself.

[Sakaki]

Fai walked across the field...blonde hair shining in the moonlight... hoping but not really believing Kurogane would come... then he saw the dark haired man leaning against the fence...

"Kuro-mu!" Fai cried, as he ran to the ninja, unable to restrain himself... throwing his arms around him and pressing himself close against the man’s warm body... Then suddenly realizing what he was doing, the blonde moved back quickly, a blush covering his face... “Gomen ne, Kurogane... I missed you...”

[Ruby Chan]

“Gomen ne, Kurogane... I missed you...”

Kurogane raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, secretly relieved that Fai had glomped him like that. There was no doubt at all now that Fai was indeed real, and not just his imagination.

"Here. The sake." He said shortly, holding the bag out to Fai.

[Sakaki]

"Is this sake?" Fai asked, eyes wide as he looked into the bag filled with bottles that clinked together as Kurogane handed it to him.

"Arigatou, Kurogane!" He laughed, and then hugged the ninja once again, this time holding on longer than before, nuzzling the ninja's chest...taking in the larger man's warmth...

"Where shall we drink our sake?" He asked, looking around, then taking Kurogane's hand and pulling him to a small group of trees where they wouldn't be seen from the road.

[Ruby Chan]

As Fai began to pull him over to a small group of trees, Kurogane dug his heels into the ground and shook his head.

"Uh uh. If you haven't had sake before, we have no idea what kinda effect it's going to have on you. We're going back to the palace." He said firmly, turning and beginning to pull Fai down the road and towards his home.

"Of course, we'll have to keep out of the way of the other ninjas and Tomoyo." He snorted, realising exactly what they'd think if they saw him entering the palace with an attractive, girly looking blonde.

Kurogane's life wouldn't be worth living.

[Sakaki]

"We're going back to the palace."

"Kuro-mu is taking me to the palace!" Fai smiled up at him, letting the ninja take hold of his arm and pull him along. The blonde rested his head against Kurogane as they quickly walked down the road in the darkness... feeling safe... all his worries about humans fading away as he began to completely trust this man...

Upon seeing the palace in the distance, Fai let out a happy cry and began to pull Kurogane... "Can I see your room first, Kuro-mu?!" He asked, looking up at the ninja with his innocent, blue eyes...

[Ruby Chan]

"Can I see your room first, Kuro-mu?!"

Kurogane swallowed hard, wondering why such an innocent question was effecting him so much.

"S..sure." He croaked,speeding up the pace and pulling Fai into the shadow of the great Imperial building. Then, glancing furtively around, he slung Fai over his shoulder and jumped up to a window ledge, before leaping onto another.

He carried on this way until he reached his own window, and kicked the shutters open, sliding into his room and putting Fai down as he turned to lock the shutters back up.

"Sorry about that. If the other ninjas saw you, they'd have assumed that....never mind."

[Sakaki]

"Whee!" Fai cried, as Kurogane suddenly lifted the slender blonde over his shoulder and carried him through the window and into his room. As Kurogane sat him back down, Fai held onto him for a moment trying to catch the breath that had been knocked from his slight body.

He then turned around in a circle, gazing around the room. His eyes fell momentarily on the futon bed that took up part of the room, and then he turned once again to the bag of sake the ninja was now holding.

"Teach me to drink sake now!" Fai told him, grinning, as he sat down on the floor crosslegged, gazing up at the ninja through blonde bangs.

[Ruby Chan]

Kurogane rolled his eyes, sitting down opposite Fai on the floor.

"Baka. It's just like any other drink. You pour it, drink it, and pour again." Kurogane snorted, demonstrating by grabbing a small goblet and filling it with sake, passing it across to Fai.

"And if you get more used to it, you can just drink it straight out of the bottle" He continued, grabbing another bottle and taking a swig from it. Smiling at the innocent way Fai was staring at the sake in wonder, he nudged the goblet slightly with his foot.

"Your turn. Or are all sprites this chicken?" He taunted.

[Sakaki]

"Chicken?" He asked Kurogane, then smiling once again, he lifted the glass and poured the whole contents into his mouth, swallowing it down quickly...

There was a pause as the blonde's eyes got huge, and his face flushed slightly, then he began to cough and sputter, trying to catch his breath.
After a few minutes of that, he settled down, and lifted his glass to the ninja, "More, please!" He laughed.

[Ruby Chan]

A small smile crept onto Kurogane's face, and he shook his head even as he poured Fai more sake and handed the bottle over to him.

"You're really something, you know that? Most people would just give up after a reaction like that." He snorted, leaning back on an elbow and taking another swig of his own drink.

"But then again, you're much dumber than most people, aren't you?" He sniggered.

[Sakaki]

"But then again, you're much dumber than most people, aren't you?"

Fai looked up at the ninja's face then, hurt shining in his eyes, "Just because you're the first human I've ever talked to doesn't make me dumb," He said quietly. Then lifting the glass Kurogane had given him, he once again poured it all into his mouth, this time sputtering a little less.