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burningdarkfireTitle: Falling For You - Departure
Series: TRC
Pairing: KuroFai
Rating: PG
Length: about 1000 words, chapter 21 (21/26)
Kurogane jolted awake as he heard a light tap on his window. Already glaring at whoever was on the other side, he got up and drew back the curtain.
"What are you doing here, witch?" Kurogane hissed, staring at Yuuko, who was perched on his windowsill. Yuuko just grinned cheerfully and cupped her ear with one hand, pointing at the window with the other.
Kurogane growled and slid open his window a small fraction. Yuuko grabbed it, pulled it all the way open, and then swung into his room effortlessly. "What was that, Kurogane-kun?"
"I said, what are you doing here?" Kurogane crossed his arms and glared at her, contemplating whether or not to throw her back out the window. "It's 3 in the morning."
"It's time," Yuuko said mysteriously. She perched on Kurogane's desk, her black hair flowing around her.
"Time for what?" Kurogane grumbled, tired and impatient. "What can't you tell me tomorrow at school?"
"I won't be there."
Kurogane blinked and then scowled. "You're cutting class?"
"I'm insulted that you would think such a thing," Yuuko grinned. "But no, I'm leaving."
"Why?"
"Because it's time for me to leave."
"That doesn't make any sense," Kurogane muttered. "Make sense or I'm throwing you out the window."
Yuuko leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees and balanced her chin upon her open palms. "I've done what I came here to do, and now it's time for me to leave."
"Great. So why are you here?"
"To collect payment, of course."
"For what?" Kurogane demanded, glaring at her. "I've never asked anything of you!"
Yuuko 'tsk'ed. "It was for your wish that I came all the way here."
Kurogane gaped at her. "I never even said I had a wish!"
"No, but you wished for it with all of your heart." Yuuko got up and walked in front of him. She pressed her fingers into his chest, her nails poking him painfully.
"That doesn't mean anything," Kurogane countered. "I never asked for your help, so I shouldn't have to pay you."
"No, you didn't," Yuuko agreed. "There is someone else that wished that your wish might come true, but your wish is an expensive one. It is impossible for anyone to pay the price for me to see the wish granted in full."
"Then why are you here?" Kurogane would have shouted, if there hadn't been three others sleeping in the house. "Just leave!"
"There are limits to how much I can interfere," Yuuko murmured, backing up and staring at the stars outside. "But I stayed longer than I should have, and now everything is unbalanced. I need something from you to balance it out."
"No way," Kurogane said. "I'm not giving you anything."
Yuuko ignored him and looked around his room. She dodged around him to his bookshelf and picked up the blue ribbons that sat there, bundled together. She fingered them thoughtfully, until Kurogane snatched them out of her hands.
"You're not getting these ribbons," Kurogane told her firmly. "No way am I giving them to you."
"They're worth too much anyway," Yuuko replied. "Why are they so precious to you?"
Kurogane looked away. "None of your business."
Yuuko moved on, her eyes scouring the room. They lingered on a small photo album that rested on his drawers. She flicked it open, flipping through the pages. "I'll accept one of these photos as payment."
"No!" Kurogane reached for the album but Yuuko held it out of his reach. "Why do you want my pictures?"
"Because they're precious to you," Yuuko murmured. She turned to a page with two pictures from Kurogane's surprise birthday party last year. There were four photos on the page: a big group picture, a picture of him with his family, a photo of him with his friends, and finally one that Tomoyo had slipped into his hand with a wink. It was a picture of just him and Fai; Fai was laughing and trying to feed Kurogane cake. "Perfect."
"For what?" Kurogane demanded, somewhat nervous. Whatever Yuuko wanted to do, she usually got away with. "You're not getting any of them; that's just creepy …"
"Choose," she said, propping the album up so that the photos faced Kurogane. "I'll let you keep one picture of the four."
"Just give me back the album, witch!" Kurogane made another grab for it, but Yuuko once again flitted out of his way. "Why do I have to choose?"
Yuuko just looked at him, strangely serious. "Do it, or I'll take all four."
"Wouldn't that disrupt the balance, or something?" Kurogane grumbled. When Yuuko just looked at him, he sighed and resigned himself to his fate. He would be losing three photos tonight, whether or not he liked it.
"Choose!"
"Alright, you damn witch. I'll choose." Kurogane hesitated for a moment, unsure which photo he wanted to pick, but his eyes seemed to stray by themselves to one of the four. Aware that Yuuko would probably make some obscene comment, he pointed at the one with only him and Fai. "That one."
To his surprise, Yuuko didn't smirk or say anything aggravating. She simply removed the other three from their places, tucked them into a pocket on her extravagant pants, and nodded. "I'll be leaving now then."
"Good riddance," Kurogane muttered, showing her the window.
"When you need me again, ask your sister. She'll know." Yuuko's last words lingered behind her after she disappeared into the night.
"There's no way I'm ever asking for your help," Kurogane told the night air.
-
"Kurogane-kun, you look awful," Souma commented the next morning.
"Blame that damned witch," Kurogane snapped, spinning his lock with more vehemence than usual. "She showed up at my house at 3 in the morning."
"Why?" Souma asked, surprised, but Kurogane didn't answer.
"Did you know the witch was leaving?" He demanded, glaring around at his group.
Watanuki looked puzzled. "Yuuko-san's leaving?"
"Well, she's not here today, right?" No one spoke up, so Kurogane took that as confirmation. "She said she was leaving."
Watanuki frowned. "She didn't say anything to me …"
"If she's really gone," Kurogane muttered. "Then good riddance … I don't care what she was here for. I can grant my own wishes."
-
Now ( 21 years and 5 months)
Kurogane doesn't know how it would have all played out if it wasn't for Yuuko, but if this is what happened with her help, then he is afraid of what would have happened if he had tried to grant his wish himself.
He would have failed, he fears.
-
A/N - ... Most of Yuuko's part in this world had to do with Fai, which means Kuro didn't get to see them (her interactions with Fai are, for the most part, still gathering dust in my mind. I'll type them up someday ^^').
Wow, we're almost at the end! Just five more chapters =) And next chapter, things really start moving again!
It's also been a full year since I first started this fic - which is really fitting, because this is one of the first scenes that popped into my head (although this chapter is SO different from my original idea - maybe I'll type it up sometime and compare, just for fun).
Thanks for reading! =)
Got the free paid account trial, so I'm going to spend this week hunting for/making icons and uploading <3
Series: TRC
Pairing: KuroFai
Rating: PG
Length: about 1000 words, chapter 21 (21/26)
Departure (16 Years and 1 Month Old)
August 29, 16: 15 Years and 8 Months Old
August 29, 16: 15 Years and 8 Months Old
Kurogane jolted awake as he heard a light tap on his window. Already glaring at whoever was on the other side, he got up and drew back the curtain.
"What are you doing here, witch?" Kurogane hissed, staring at Yuuko, who was perched on his windowsill. Yuuko just grinned cheerfully and cupped her ear with one hand, pointing at the window with the other.
Kurogane growled and slid open his window a small fraction. Yuuko grabbed it, pulled it all the way open, and then swung into his room effortlessly. "What was that, Kurogane-kun?"
"I said, what are you doing here?" Kurogane crossed his arms and glared at her, contemplating whether or not to throw her back out the window. "It's 3 in the morning."
"It's time," Yuuko said mysteriously. She perched on Kurogane's desk, her black hair flowing around her.
"Time for what?" Kurogane grumbled, tired and impatient. "What can't you tell me tomorrow at school?"
"I won't be there."
Kurogane blinked and then scowled. "You're cutting class?"
"I'm insulted that you would think such a thing," Yuuko grinned. "But no, I'm leaving."
"Why?"
"Because it's time for me to leave."
"That doesn't make any sense," Kurogane muttered. "Make sense or I'm throwing you out the window."
Yuuko leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees and balanced her chin upon her open palms. "I've done what I came here to do, and now it's time for me to leave."
"Great. So why are you here?"
"To collect payment, of course."
"For what?" Kurogane demanded, glaring at her. "I've never asked anything of you!"
Yuuko 'tsk'ed. "It was for your wish that I came all the way here."
Kurogane gaped at her. "I never even said I had a wish!"
"No, but you wished for it with all of your heart." Yuuko got up and walked in front of him. She pressed her fingers into his chest, her nails poking him painfully.
"That doesn't mean anything," Kurogane countered. "I never asked for your help, so I shouldn't have to pay you."
"No, you didn't," Yuuko agreed. "There is someone else that wished that your wish might come true, but your wish is an expensive one. It is impossible for anyone to pay the price for me to see the wish granted in full."
"Then why are you here?" Kurogane would have shouted, if there hadn't been three others sleeping in the house. "Just leave!"
"There are limits to how much I can interfere," Yuuko murmured, backing up and staring at the stars outside. "But I stayed longer than I should have, and now everything is unbalanced. I need something from you to balance it out."
"No way," Kurogane said. "I'm not giving you anything."
Yuuko ignored him and looked around his room. She dodged around him to his bookshelf and picked up the blue ribbons that sat there, bundled together. She fingered them thoughtfully, until Kurogane snatched them out of her hands.
"You're not getting these ribbons," Kurogane told her firmly. "No way am I giving them to you."
"They're worth too much anyway," Yuuko replied. "Why are they so precious to you?"
Kurogane looked away. "None of your business."
Yuuko moved on, her eyes scouring the room. They lingered on a small photo album that rested on his drawers. She flicked it open, flipping through the pages. "I'll accept one of these photos as payment."
"No!" Kurogane reached for the album but Yuuko held it out of his reach. "Why do you want my pictures?"
"Because they're precious to you," Yuuko murmured. She turned to a page with two pictures from Kurogane's surprise birthday party last year. There were four photos on the page: a big group picture, a picture of him with his family, a photo of him with his friends, and finally one that Tomoyo had slipped into his hand with a wink. It was a picture of just him and Fai; Fai was laughing and trying to feed Kurogane cake. "Perfect."
"For what?" Kurogane demanded, somewhat nervous. Whatever Yuuko wanted to do, she usually got away with. "You're not getting any of them; that's just creepy …"
"Choose," she said, propping the album up so that the photos faced Kurogane. "I'll let you keep one picture of the four."
"Just give me back the album, witch!" Kurogane made another grab for it, but Yuuko once again flitted out of his way. "Why do I have to choose?"
Yuuko just looked at him, strangely serious. "Do it, or I'll take all four."
"Wouldn't that disrupt the balance, or something?" Kurogane grumbled. When Yuuko just looked at him, he sighed and resigned himself to his fate. He would be losing three photos tonight, whether or not he liked it.
"Choose!"
"Alright, you damn witch. I'll choose." Kurogane hesitated for a moment, unsure which photo he wanted to pick, but his eyes seemed to stray by themselves to one of the four. Aware that Yuuko would probably make some obscene comment, he pointed at the one with only him and Fai. "That one."
To his surprise, Yuuko didn't smirk or say anything aggravating. She simply removed the other three from their places, tucked them into a pocket on her extravagant pants, and nodded. "I'll be leaving now then."
"Good riddance," Kurogane muttered, showing her the window.
"When you need me again, ask your sister. She'll know." Yuuko's last words lingered behind her after she disappeared into the night.
"There's no way I'm ever asking for your help," Kurogane told the night air.
-
"Kurogane-kun, you look awful," Souma commented the next morning.
"Blame that damned witch," Kurogane snapped, spinning his lock with more vehemence than usual. "She showed up at my house at 3 in the morning."
"Why?" Souma asked, surprised, but Kurogane didn't answer.
"Did you know the witch was leaving?" He demanded, glaring around at his group.
Watanuki looked puzzled. "Yuuko-san's leaving?"
"Well, she's not here today, right?" No one spoke up, so Kurogane took that as confirmation. "She said she was leaving."
Watanuki frowned. "She didn't say anything to me …"
"If she's really gone," Kurogane muttered. "Then good riddance … I don't care what she was here for. I can grant my own wishes."
-
Now ( 21 years and 5 months)
Kurogane doesn't know how it would have all played out if it wasn't for Yuuko, but if this is what happened with her help, then he is afraid of what would have happened if he had tried to grant his wish himself.
He would have failed, he fears.
-
A/N - ... Most of Yuuko's part in this world had to do with Fai, which means Kuro didn't get to see them (her interactions with Fai are, for the most part, still gathering dust in my mind. I'll type them up someday ^^').
Wow, we're almost at the end! Just five more chapters =) And next chapter, things really start moving again!
It's also been a full year since I first started this fic - which is really fitting, because this is one of the first scenes that popped into my head (although this chapter is SO different from my original idea - maybe I'll type it up sometime and compare, just for fun).
Thanks for reading! =)
