Nihon: Immersion
Title: Immersion
Characters/Pairings: KuroFai
Rating: K+
Summary: Fai talks about a dream he had. Kurogane, like a good puppy, sits and listens to him.
A/N: Another instalment in the Nihon series. Set during the early spring of their first year in Nihon, because - hey, I really need to remember that this part of my timeline exists more often. ;;;
This is short, and not the ‘shot I was planning on writing next. But the plunnie demanding writing, so…. >>
*****
“I dreamed in Nihongo last night.”
“Hn?” Kurogane made a mild noise of interest to show he was listening to his companion as he finished tying his chest-armour in place, glancing up when he was done to see Fai looking over at him from beside the part-open sliding doors to the garden, patiently waiting. Apparently that meant the comment wasn’t just a statement of fact - they were going to have a conversation. (It wasn’t the best time - Kurogane was supposed to be heading out on patrol that night.) “What of it?”
“It was the first time…” Fai’s speech was halting, hesitant - as if he were waiting for some confirmation of his words, correction.
Kurogane didn’t understand the hesitancy at first; the language Fai was using was simple, and the vocabulary well within what Kurogane knew the mage had already grasped and conquered. Fai knew it too - it was why he’d grown less polite in his general speech overall and become more teasing, confident enough to leave politeness’ formality, why he’d moved onto the more abstract terms in his lessons with his tutor and Tomoyo-hime, why the dictionary scrolls in his rooms were full of kanji that Kurogane hadn’t seen used in regular conversation except when Amaterasu was in one of those moods with some of the more irritating of her nobles, forcing them to maintain the strictest tones of politeness. But…if it wasn’t the uncertainty of the language he was using that was causing Fai to pause so, then what-?
Ah.
“…How was it?” Kurogane busied himself with his gauntlets and the guards on the back of his hands, looking down so he didn’t have to blush at the spark of happiness that the room’s lit hibachi picked out in Fai’s blue eyes in response to his question. He failed somewhat, too aware of Fai’s quiet smile, and the idiot himself decided to push the point home by rising to his feet and crossing the room - Kurogane’s room - to take a seat at the ninja’s side and usurp Kurogane’s right arm, batting away Kurogane’s other hand and tying the ninja’s guards in place himself.
Fai’s outer kimono was coming loose, the heko obi supposed to be keeping it in place along with it, everything slackening even further with Fai’s movement, but Kurogane remained silent about it. The outfit could be a pain to tie up again - and what would be the point, anyway? They were in the privacy of Kurogane’s chambers, and Fai’s eyes had taken on a sleepy slant that suggested it wouldn’t be too long before he retired for the night - most likely just slipping off his robes and curling up on Kurogane’s futon, rather than returning to his own room down and across the hallway. The kimono would, no doubt, be coming off soon; there was no use in fixing it.
“Not very interesting.” Fai’s fingers made deft work of their task, brushing against the cloth at the inside of Kurogane’s wrist as they laced the guard up the ninja’s arm, a mildly ticklish sensation.
Kurogane, having nothing else to do, watched him while he worked, noting the way Fai bowed his head just slightly, the lingering smile Fai wore on his lips. Permanent immersion in a foreign culture was an alienating experience - to feel like one was slowly beginning to properly fit in… A dream was a stupid thing, probably, to be proud about, but it was pride that had lightly touched Fai’s opening words, quiet happiness, so Kurogane didn’t ask why it was that Fai had felt the need to talk about a dream that hadn’t been of great interest, in his own opinion. He knew why Fai was talking about it.
“It was a good dream though…” Fai didn’t relinquish his grip on Kurogane’s arm when he’d finished tying the guard, slipping his hold down to loosely encircle Kurogane’s wrist, bringing the other man’s hand down to rest comfortably on his lap, his thumb brushing over the rise of Kurogane’s palm.
“Yeah?” Kurogane had a few minutes to spare before he had to head out (like anyone but Souma would complain if he was a little late, anyway), so he curled the fingers of his kidnapped hand just slightly. Fai took the discreet hint, shifting his grip so that his hand wrapped around the ninja’s palm - and all without a direct comment, so Kurogane had plausible deniability for the hand-holding should the idiot decide to tease.
Fai nodded slowly. “Me, you, Mokona, Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan…we were all talking, back…like it used to be before.” Before it had gotten complicated, and the kids had doubled up on them. Or after. Or sort-of-still-happening. It was…confusing, to say the least, when time and space was concerned. “At the beginning. We were in a large field, and the sun was shining, and it was warm, Kuro-chan. So we lay down to sleep, and everyone had good dreams.”
Kurogane eyed his companion. “…You dreamed about having a dream?”
Fai thought about it for a few seconds. “…I guess so.” His expression took on a rueful tinge, amused when Kurogane muttered something that sounded suspiciously like ‘only you, idiot.’ “Just because Kuro-sama doesn’t dream big…”
“Having a long nap in a field on a sunny day isn’t big, idiot.”
Fai’s grip tightened briefly; Kurogane felt the fingertips pressing through his gauntlet. “Not anymore.”
There was snow between them, for an instant, snow and ice and the shadow of a tall tower rising high up into the night sky, a chessboard floor, buckles and fangs and blood and swords gleaming as worlds fractured and magic seared -
Not anymore.
A blink, and yesterday’s dreams were gone, the shadow behind the waxing moon outside. Kurogane stood, pulling his hand away from Fai’s, and brushed imaginary dust from his legs in one sweep. “If you hog all my futon again,” he told the other flatly, “I’m sitting on you when I get back.”
Fai sighed at him. “Kuro-pii is such a romantic.”
“I could smother you instead.”
A soft laugh - it was only mock-reproach, after all - and Fai pushed himself up to join Kurogane on his feet, idly tugging at the collar of his kimono when it began to slide even further down his shoulder. Kurogane wouldn’t dare try it - although he had shoved Fai out of a bed or futon on more than one occasion. “Have fun tonight, Kuro-rin.” Take care.
“Hn,” Kurogane reverted back to his general noise of assent, already turning to go. He raised his hand though, ruffling Fai’s hair as he passed and completely ignoring the part fond, part exasperated, part amused look Fai gave him for his efforts. “See you.”
“Don’t sit on me when you get back.”
“Whatever.” Kurogane left, and let Fai go to his dreams - whether they were in Nihongo or otherwise.