First Always

AN: mostly an emotional center to this one rather than physical, but I still hope you like.

Disclaimer: I again, repeat that I do not own this series and that everything that occurs below has probably not actually happened in the series ( I cannot say for sure since I have not read the books –they should really bring those to English).

It was dark. It was always dark. Ran always seemed to wonder –Was it always dark? Was it always yoru and never hi?* Why? As much as Yoru would like to answer Ran he never could, because to him he was born from the yoru and belonged to it. It was where he was destined to be.

Even though he knew this despite his young body and even younger mind he always seemed to have his thoughts wonder to what the hi, the day, was really like –that is when he wasn't thinking about his companion Yoru or the experiments or the glimpses of this other person staring back at him in the mirror.

Was the sky always a light shade of blue?

Did the birds always sing?

Were the fields always filled with flowers?

Did there really exist big people that didn't hurt smaller people?**

Was there an always?

While Ran drifted further into his thoughts and questions the other occupant of the room, a persona named Yoru, who laid upon Ran's lap dwelled with a similar theme as well.

Always.

What was such a thing?

The thought bothered him so much today, even though yesterday he barely even noticed or even known of the word always.

Always.

It, ironically, always seemed to come back to that one word. It seemed like always was a truly dangerous wish indeed. So why did that single word haunt his small mind. It started with a realization. He was just a fake, a persona, an illusion that they created, that Sora created. And Ran was exactly the same. He just didn't realize it yet, and when he does…

Yoru didn't want to think about it. It hurt he chest too much.

He looked over to his companion, his friend, his always, his…

Always… it came back again he internally cursed.

"What's marriage?" he, or rather Sora asked in the memory.

"Well," the taller man started with his brown hair fluttering in the breeze of the fall, "its… it's a promise with someone you care about very much. Someone who you always, always want to be with."

"Always?" Sora spoke in a form of childish awe.

"Yes, always." The man confirmed with a light smile.

"Then I want my always to be with Sunao!" he spoke in glee lifting his arms up happily. The man just smiled back.

"Hey Ran." His voice moved but the young persona, still older than Ran, didn't even realized it till, "Yes" Ran replied with his light voice that gave him a strange flutter in his chest again. Then he realized that a pair of small hands were holding his own and red glowing eyes where burning into his.

"Always."

"Huh…?"

"I'll be your always, promise."

"I'll be your always, promise."

The words seemed to haunt Ran now, somehow they always seemed to haunt him. Ran sighed. He had hoped that with his reunion to his beloved Yoru that the words would leave his alone… he hoped that they would just vanish –but of course they would not he reminded himself as he dwelled in the corners of Sunao's sleeping mind.

Abandoning those simple, taunting, and haunting words –that single promise among many would mean leaving –no abandoning a piece of his precious Yoru to the dust. That is why, he thought aimlessly, you do not forget even when it hurts so, so much…

"I wonder…"

Does he even still remember that promise? It was so long ago, he realized, towards the very beginning of our existences.

Does he even realize the pain that promise brought to me? An angered voice spoke in his mind.

But it wasn't his fault, a kinder voice of reason said in defeat.

"No… it wasn't something that could be…"

Controlled…

"Ran."

"Huh?" Eyes blinked opened glowing the color red and saw a blurry dark world that they were all too familiar, tears.

"Ran." The other voice spoke from across the room, it was followed, as expected by the sounds of a squealing mattress, and the shifting weight of the mattress he sat on. "Ran. What is wrong?" Yoru spoke in a whisper his hand wiping away the threatening tears of his lover's eyes.

Ran, until now had not realized that with his strengthening thoughts he had taken over Sunao's and his shared body and began to speak out loud where he happened upon awakening Yoru. "Nothing." His said in a rasped voice quickly, to quickly he only noted a moment later and a moment too late.

"It is not nothing," Yoru rationale from the evidence of his beloved's behavior.

"It is not something that you can help me with," Ran whispered tears still welling up even as both boys tried to wipe them.

"How do you know?" Yoru questioned stubbornly anger setting its roots as he contemplated who or what had made his beautiful flower upset. "You haven't even told me yet."

"Because… because you wouldn't understand…"

Ran said meekly in fright as he only angered his lover more and sound found himself surrounded by Yoru. Above him, around him, enclosing him –all was Yoru. Even the blurry world that he became familiar with in pain vanished.

"THEN make me understand." He spoke softly into Ran's ear with power that made him quiver. "Please," he added, "don't you realize it yet? I will always, always be with you. Don't you remember the promise?"

"I'll be your always, promise."

"… You… you rem-member th-a-t?" the tears fell freely now as he wailed silently into Yoru's shoulder.

"Of course I remember." Yoru reassured.

"I… I thought you forgot." Ran admitted his heart now spilling itself through his mouth, "I thought that…that you forgot and it… it haunted me so much… that promise, just like the rest of them… it hurt so, so, so badly when you left –when Sora escaped and… and me, Sunao –we were left behind… that promise haunted me and it never left me… I –I –I…" the tears took too much for Ran to say anymore as he breathe continued to become irregular, making it harder to speak.

The silence in the room and of the yoru haunted the sounds of Ran's crying that continued to echo almost through the walls and back at Yoru as he began to understand the pain his lover went through.

He had never thought that his precious sweet Ran even dwelled largely upon such matters –Ran had always been good at forcing such thoughts ways.

But of course he had dwelled upon such weights a voice chimned in smug, and, it added, you weren't even there to keep your promises, not a single one of them.

"Ran…" Yoru whispered removing his lover from his body and back onto the mattress, "I will never abandon you," he vowed his mismatched eyes boring into red, "I will always, always return to you," his finished kissing the corners of Ran's eyes, his nose, his forehead, his cheeks, and lastly a swift peck upon the lips.

"I know that the past is cruel and that we have been separated before, but I promise, vow, amen to one day seeing you again –not matter what the odds there will never be a day without you and me existing and breathing on this earth… that is why," he laid down and held his lover close to his chest. "No matter what you must never forget that we have and will be forever be –always."

He sealed the night with a passionate kiss retuning both to sleep with a new promise to hold dear.

AN: yeah like I said mostly emotional, so here is the index:

*Vocabulary from the first one-shot, Yoru (pun of the show) means night and Hi means day, how to say it is in the first one.

** This is both figurative and literal –although big words will be used in his vocabulary Ran is only a couple of weeks old to maybe months and he doesn't even yet realize that Sunao exists other then when he looks in the mirror and he thinks he feels/sees someone else, but the words that would fit here is adult and child and in the questions he is referring to memories of Sunao from before his creation.

I hoped that all who read this is happy and as always will review but before you go here is a short to just brighten up the mood…

First Always OMAKE

The sun of the hi arose right on time the next morning after the two personas emotional promise. And with the sun rose the other selves inhabiting the shared bodies. But before they awoke, woke another primarily Matsuri –who as a good dorm manager decided to take it upon himself to arrive bright and early to get a head start on his "match making".

Of course as a Matsuri, for lack of better word, he was prepare for anything. And he meant it. Then his saw it.

And his brain shut down to auto piolet where he simply took a picture of the scene as evidence then closed the door quietly and left like he saw nothing.

It in reference to what he saw was the sight of Sunao sleeping on top of Sora and the two of them cuddling under the covers, convietly showing none of their clothing –for or lack of.

Sadly for them Matsuri has a dirty mind and filled in the blanks on his own.

The End~