Day 51: Men's Showers [Second Shift]

[perfectrecord]

Bah. So much for yet another suggestion of von Karma's. Such priorities this Institute had. They would implement a foolish suggestion to introduce origami lessons and to offer sewing supplies to select patients, yet refused to allow them to cleanse themselves more often than twice a week -- and, of course, without any additional privacy? How

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[not_rly_fai]

His words didn't seem to make Yukito look any less worried, but at least he wasn't getting upset with him. To say he was like Yue though? He was a little surprised that hadn't been enough to set off the guardian, but he'd had a hard time reading Yue since they'd first met.

But the other connection... about keeping others from caring about him or worrying for him, that was a little harder to deal with. A part of him knew it already. It happened in any world they stayed too long in. People got attached, goodbyes were harder, and it was so tempting to believe them and stay and forget about curses and the past, but... it always came back. And it was true that it was the one thing he couldn't ever stop or change.

"I don't think you want my help," he said quietly, only a bare smile visible as he rinsed the last of the soap from his skin and let the water run over him for a few moments. "It only seems to bring you trouble."

As far as he could remember, that was all that seemed to happen when they went together. The birds that had attacked them on the field on their way to the roof, the constant run-ins with that strange puppet-like boy, and of course their most recent trial in the basement. It was hard, in fact, to remember a time when they hadn't had a lot of trouble going together. Not to even mention that now, more than ever, their agendas were so different. Their loyalties and their goals, it would be impossible to keep up, wouldn't it? And just as Yukito had mentioned, this worry, this caring, it was the same for him. And that was exactly why he didn't want to pull them in any closer. He didn't want to see any of them get hurt.

[winged_moon]

"Fai-san...." Yukito turned toward him again with a sudden smile and shook his head. "If you attract trouble, then I think you have even more need of someone to watch your back. I'm sure Yue-san feels the same way, too. Neither one of us wants to see you hurt."

That was why that night in the basement had been so dificult and upsetting -- had his opponent been a stranger Yue still wouldn't have wanted to kill him, but to attack someone under his protection? Someone he wanted to ensure stayed safe? It was so contrary to his very nature that for days afterwards he had barely been able to grasp the concept. But still the fact remained clear: no matter what had happened or what Fai had done, Yue still wanted to make certain that he stayed safe.

None of that was for Yukito to explain, though; Yue likely never would, but it was his to say if he so wished. "Please keep that in mind, Fai-san? I'm sure the others wouldn't mind if you went with us at night, rather than going off on your own. Stay safe, okay?" He smiled again, then turned away to leave.