Day 47: Sun Room [4th Shift]

[forgot_it_all]

[For Yuna!Fish and chips weren't his favorite thing ever, but he did make sure to eat it all. He just liked to think of the fish as the Filet'o Fish without the bun and it made it easier to eat. The french fries had been pretty well cleaned off and he'd even managed a bit of fruit, although he avoided the oranges and other sour things his nurse

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[winged_moon]

It wasn't that hard to find Fai after all, but -- he didn't look like he was feeling very well. Maybe something had happened to him between the end of the arena battle and when Sakura saw him this morning. What it was, though...well, that was difficult to tell. Maybe back at home Yue could still use his powers while they were in Yukito's form, but here it certainly wasn't true. Yue wasn't even able to sense the magician's presence at all at the moment, which would explain why he'd gone unnoticed earlier in the day.

Yukito was somewhat inclined to leave the man alone until he felt better, and Yue reluctant to speak to him again after how the other night had ended. At the same time, though, there were questions that needed to be answered, first and foremost whether he really was Fai and what had happened during the last day. They hesitated for a moment, then Yukito glanced up at Touya, gave him a smile touched with a hint of sadness he didn't mean to display, then moved to carefully settle on the empty part of the couch.

"Fai-san...?" he asked, hesitantly, not quite sure what sort of response he was going to get. Or even what he expected to get. He wasn't even sure whether he hoped this was a different Fai or the same one, somehow returned to life, but felt Yue lurking very close indeed as he also awaited the answer.

[guardiancomplex]

Touya was still unsure as to what Yuki was trying to get him to ask Sakura, but he figured he would just have to go with it. Partly because Yuki had told him not to say 'it', and partly because the nurses had come to take them to the next shift. Where, hopefully, they would get some answers from the ever-elusive Fai. Though Touya wasn't holding his breath.

Touya followed Yuki out of the cafeteria, fingers laced in between his, looking for Fai. They both saw him, and they both looked at one another simultaneously--but while Yukito looked a little sad, Touya's expression clearly said that he was distinctly troubled by this. Even if he thought it would be a good idea in the moment, now he was thinking twice about it. Harassing Fai wasn't his intent.

He let Yuki approach him--they knew one another better (relatively) and Touya didn't want to overwhelm the magician. He sat down next to Yuki, settling himself and looking down at the carpet. He was there, but he wasn't staring at Fai trying to figure out what had happened.

[not_rly_fai]

Yuuhi looked up when the name was called and though he recognized the voice, he was slower than usual to respond. An after-effect of the drug perhaps. His blue eye glanced from Yuki to the man behind him, and he tried to make it look as if he didn't have to struggle just to smile.

"Hey," he offered, managing at least a friendly tone. He still felt unsure around them; Yue had to be furious at having his hand forced and Touya probably wanted him to stay far away from his little sister after everything that'd happened. For now though, how could he spin things? What could he say? Sakura might believe his stories, but Yue'd been there and he didn't know Touya well enough to be sure of much. It was probably best to let them ask their questions before giving an explanation. It was just a little more difficult with the drugs remaining in his system to listen to that logical part of his brain.

[winged_moon]

It was true, then: he did have a patch over his eye, just as Sakura had said. Yukito's attention visibly focused on that for a moment before shifting down toward the bandages on the man's neck. That matched their memories, but the eye...didn't. Had something happened to him after they returned? Well, obviously something had, since he was up and breathing now, but...what?

"It's -- is that really you, Fai-san?" If it was, what then? Yukito really wasn't quite sure what to think, especially not with Yue's feelings bleeding over so strongly. He paused, eyes unfocusing, then his expression and voice shifted to one far colder, more like his other self. "Who else was with us, that night on the outdoor patio on the second floor?"

[not_rly_fai]

"It's me," he nodded, glancing from Yuki to Sakura's quiet older brother. There was reason enough for suspicion, given the nature of this place. He wished it were as simple an explanation as before, but as soon as he heard the change in Yuki's tone of voice, his eye glanced down, avoiding contact. The other two he could handle easily enough, but Yue...

"Orihime and Ururu," he hesitated a moment before answering, silently weighing the options. It might've been easier to pretend that he didn't know, but in the end, it would only lead to more questions. "We were trying to get to the roof. Probably not one of our better ideas."

He let his gaze drift to the other people in the room, flicking from one conversation to the next, but not on the one right in front of him. There was no easy way to change the subject, which was usually his favored way of getting away from something he didn't want to talk about.

"You're both so serious," he tried, smiling gently as he finally focused his attention back on the ones speaking to him. "Everything's fine now though, right? Everyone got out alright." He hadn't even seen any visible injuries on Sakura, much to his relief. Touya and Yuki both seemed to be doing well enough too. No lingering damage he hoped.

[winged_moon]

It was certainly Yue who fixed Fai with a flat stare at that, for a look of such cold fury would never have suited Yukito's personality. The answer had been correct, which meant that this was the Fai they knew. He remembered what had happened, and yet...dismissed it with such a calm, almost lighthearted air. That made it so much easier for Yue to wash concern and guilt and everything else away under anger, outrage at being forced to do what he had done by someone who seemingly didn't care about it.

And then the guardian abruptly subsided, shutting himself off as best as he could within their shared mind and leaving Yukito blinking in momentary disorientation. He shook his head slightly, blinked again, then refocused on Fai with a puzzled air. "You don't...look fine," he said, glancing at the eyepatch again. "I mean, you, well. And you're...here."

[guardiancomplex]

Touya assumed that Fai's answer was correct. He couldn't remember such an incident, so it was likely he wasn't around for it, but Yuki and Yue didn't object so the answer must have proved Touya's earlier suspicions: it actually had been Fai that had been raised from the dead. What else was there to surprise him now? Monsters, magic, the dead coming back to life...

Nevermind: that look Yuki had assumed for a moment scared the hell out of him. It took him a moment to realize that it was most likely Yue expressing his displeasure instead of Yuki, and this realization was confirmed by Yuki's sudden disorientation. He covertly put a hand on Yuki's back and rubbed gently, trying to ground him again.

"And what happened to your eye?" Touya asked bluntly, looking at Fai while trying to see to Yuki at the same time. "Sakura said you spent all day in your room, so I'm wondering how that happened."

[not_rly_fai]

The cold glare was enough for Yuuhi to refocus his attention on other parts of the room, the floor, or his own two feet. Pretty much anywhere that wasn't the guardian looking back at him through Yuki's angry eyes. And from the sound of things, Sakura had already talked to them about what he'd told her this morning. Would they really believe that?

"Ah... this?" he shrugged, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. It was a lot more difficult to find a good reason when he didn't know himself how it'd happened and the thought still made him queasy. "The doctor said there was a... problem with my medication so they're having me wear this for a few days so that... the color might even out again. That's all. Really, I'm fine. Everything looks a lot worse than it is."

[winged_moon]

Yukito couldn't recall feeling Yue quite this upset before; despite the way the guardian was resolutely pushing himself away, his feelings were still strong enough that he couldn't shut them out, and neither could Yukito. He was upset and confused himself, and that seemed to resonate with Yue's anger, making the touch very welcome -- as Touya intended it provided him with something physical and real, something he could focus on in order to tell where he ended and Yue began. Even so, though, it wasn't easy.

"I don't know when you're telling the truth anymore, Fai-san." Yukito tilted his head slightly, giving the magician a small, confused frown. "I don't mind what you said to Sakura-chan -- I don't want her upset, either. But it'd be easier if you told us the truth. I think...I think you owe that to Yue-san, at least."

[guardiancomplex]

Touya was quiet, but kept stroking Yuki's back slowly. He agreed on those points: he didn't want to see Sakura upset, so a white lie was most likely the best way to do this, and he didn't know if Fai was telling the truth or not. Maybe it was an issue with his medication, but he hadn't seen Fai taking eyedrops or anything so what could have caused him to lose an eye?

"Yue's a guardian, Fai," Touya began, figuring that Fai knew that much already. "He protects lives, and he had to take yours. How do you think that makes him feel?"

[not_rly_fai]

Right to the heart of things then. While the coliseum might be their concern, his latest injury wasn't their doing so there was no reason for them to worry over it. Much as he might like to tell the truth, too many other questions inevitably followed. Unfortunately, confrontations like this were difficult whether he told the truth or lied. Nothing he said now would change what'd happened.

"I don't know what you want me to say," he replied after a moment, smile faded into a thin line as he tried to find his way through the mess things had become.

"I'm sorry for forcing Yue's hand, but I'm not sorry for being the one to end things. I was... too weak to do it myself. He's not at fault and... if there's anything I can do to assure him of that I'd..." he trailed off, shaking his head. As if there were any way to make something like that up. If Yue wanted to hate him, he had every right to.

"As a guardian... he protected the people who mattered. Sakura needs her brother and her friend a lot more than she needs a stranger she's only known a few days. He shouldn't feel anything... it was the right decision." It'd made sense then and it made sense now, even as tired and ill as he felt. He wished he could run away, like he always did, avoid these kind of talks, but even if he had the strength, there was nowhere to run to. Four walls surrounded him no matter where he ran in this place.

[winged_moon]

For a long moment Yukito was silent, his eyes unfocused and face utterly devoid of expression; he finally gave a faint shudder and reached out blindly to rest his hand on Touya's knee, seeking an additional contact of his own. It was like Yue's feelings were impossible to separate from what he himself felt, and that -- he couldn't remember ever feeling anger like this before, especially not mixed with equal parts guilt and, yes, concern as well. What did he think? What did Yue think? What should he, could he say now?

"All of you were...are important. Worth protecting," he began, voice halting, sounding almost distracted. "He...Yue-san told you that before, that he wanted to protect you. Even if you thought there was no reason." He hesitated again, then glanced up at Fai with an expression both sad and worried. "We cannot believe that anyone had to die, down there. As Sakura-chan likes to say, it will definitely be all right. There is always hope."