Disclaimer: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle is the intellectual property of CLAMP

Author's Notes: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I did it! I took time off and said I would and I actually got this up before Halloween was over! I'm so happy! I just got the KuroganexFai version of Yume no Tsubasa too and I opened a ghost rare in a pack of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards today. I am having an awesome day!!! Yay!!! I'm also probably on a sugar high. Yay!

It was supposed to be short...I don't know what happened. And maybe I should warn for queasy stomachs?

- Blood -

There was blood everywhere. The carpets were soaked with it, to the point that the weight of a footfall made a small splashing sound. The walls were painted in it; gold and cream painted crimson. It dripped down from the ceiling above like slow rain. As the pinpoint blacks of wide eyes expanded and blue irises began to register the scene around the small figure of a boy standing in the midst of the carnage, blood spattered hands began to shake, blood covered knees grew weak, and a voice tore painfully from the throat in an unearthly scream that pierced the still night and echoed mercilessly off of surrounding mountain peaks.

Deep in the forest, a pair of black-furred ears perked up; a large wolf's head turning quickly toward the sound. In no more than an instant the large animal was on the move, heavy black paws striking the earth in rapid succession, carrying a well-toned body swiftly through the ancient forest, down the mountain, and toward a place that every instinct was screaming at him not to go.

The gargantuan castle striking toward the sky with wicked black spires came into view quickly but the wolf did not hesitate. Never had he heard such a sound and never did he want to hear it again so he pressed onward until the scent of blood hit him like a wall of heat on a summer day. The smell was so strong that it nearly knocked him from his feet. It smelled as though every living thing in the forest had died directly in front of him and bled out onto the land.

Cautiously, the animal transformed, his body shifting and reshaping until he stood on two feet; human-like legs supporting the weight of his man's body. His diminished sense of smell offered him small relief for as he stepped across the safety line of trees he came into view of what could only be described as a massacre.

He regarded the scene with disgust, crimson eyes narrowing as he pressed onward, trying not to step on the figures scattered across the ground. What could possibly have done this? What on earth could possibly have the power to destroy such a large clan of vampires this way? And if it were able to destroy vampires, would his own people be next?

The large, double doors that led into the mansion's foyer hung awkwardly by their hinges and for the first time, the man worried what he would find inside. Pushing one of the doors out of his way, he passed through the entrance. He passed through the foyer, all too aware of each footfall as he moved. The mangled bodies around him looked as if they were reaching in vain for the doorway.

Following them back toward their epicenter, he discovered a great open space, painted in blood, and from its center, a small child looked up to him with wide, empty blue eyes. He stared back at the boy, their eyes meeting across the carnage. The boy stared at him for a moment, as though he weren't quite comprehending the sight in front of him then suddenly, he started to laugh; a choked bark that spoke of insanity; a sound that urged the man to move, that gave him an inexplicable urge to shut him up so strong that he could not deny it and crossed the room to the child, pulling him to his feet roughly.

"Stop it!" he growled, shaking the boy a little.

The child quieted, unfocused blue eyes met his once again and he watched as they rolled back into the head and the small body slackened, falling forward into his arms.

The man didn't know what to do. He lifted the child and took him from the castle, out of the carnage and into the moonlit forest.

* * *

It was well known among the wolf-people, the werewolves, that the only thing worse than a vampire was a human. Vampires and the wolf-people were like the mongoose and the snake; they simply did not coexist well but human beings were another matter entirely. Human beings feared both the vampire and the wolf and they would kill them wherever they got the chance. The only way to avoid all-out war with the humans seemed to be to stay far away from them and so, the vampires had their lands, the wolf-people had theirs and humans had not been seen nearby in many years.

Yet it was obviously a human that the wolf Kurogane carried through the forest to his den where he lay the child on the soft ground and wondered what it was in him that had made him bring the boy home, interfering in matters that were obviously far over his head.

He cleaned the boy; because the smell of the vampire's blood was making him sick…and maybe also because he felt a twinge of pity for the child. Whatever he'd been through, it had been enough without waking to the aftermath of it.

Kurogane found the boy had fair, blonde hair and that his skin was pale as if he'd been kept indoors for long periods of time. There were old scars on his neck and fresher wounds that told the wolf that the boy had been a source of food to the vampires for quite some time.

He burned the boy's simple clothing in his fire pit and redressed him in yet another shirt that was far too large for him.

Kurogane did all of this and still the boy did not wake and he couldn't bring his pack's healer to him. They would lynch him for this.

While Kurogane was considering his options, the sound of footfalls on the stairs that led to the surface echoed in the stillness around him and his head snapped in their direction, eyes widening as he realized that he had no time to hide the child lying on his floor.

Another wolf came into view quickly, his man's form dressed in dark clothing. Kurogane growled. Zima never announced himself and it had never bothered Kurogane more than it did now.

"Hey, buddy." the dark wolf's voice carried just a hint of concern. "I thought I smelled blood down…" Zima trailed off as he noticed the human child lying on his friend's floor.

Kurogane stepped in front of the boy.

Undeterred, Zima leaned to the side to see around the man in his way. "Is that a human?"

Kurogane knew that Zima already knew the answer to his question.

"I found him in the south castle."

"While they were out on a picnic?"

Kurogane growled again. "While they were dead."

This time it was Zima's eyes that widened. "Dead? You mean like…"

"The whole damn southern clan. It's a massacre down there."

Zima turned his attention toward the boy again, eyes narrowed in thought.

Kurogane didn't like his silence. It was impossible for a human child to have anything to do with the carnage he had seen, wasn't it? Kurogane followed Zima's gaze to the boy. He was so small.

"You can't keep him here." Zima said eventually.

"Well what else am I supposed to do with him?" Kurogane snapped back.

"If you go to the west, off the coast there's an island. Take him there."

Kurogane was confused. "Why? What's there?"

"It's where the witch Yuuko lives. You should take the boy to her." Zima said, all seriousness now and Kurogane frowned.

"To a witch? You've got to be kidding!"

"Can't you feel it?" Zima asked.

Kurogane turned back to the child. He didn't know what Zima was referring to. The boy felt strange to him but he had just assumed that it was because he was a human.

"The other clans won't let this go." Zima warned and Kurogane knew he was right. They would be on a constant hunt until they found something to blame. "You should leave as soon as you can."

Zima turned and made his way back up the stairs. "I'll tell anyone who asks that you went to the mountains."

Kurogane watched him leave silently. It only occurred to him after Zima was gone that he'd never said what he'd come for in the first place.

-

The boy wouldn't wake no matter what Kurogane did so he decided at some point near sunrise that he would take Zima's advice and take the boy to Yuuko. Kurogane had never met the witch himself. He had heard that Yuuko, the immortal witch, lived among vampires and who knew what else in a castle on an island off the coast. He had heard that Yuuko was all-knowing in the ways of magic and the three peoples so it would make sense that Yuuko could tell him who was capable of the massacre he had found this child in.

Kurogane wrapped the boy in a cloak of his, to mask his scent as he moved with him though the forest and set out, taking half form for greater speed.

Even at half form it took Kurogane the entire length of the day to make it to the coast and when he arrived there he realized belatedly that he had another problem. There was no way to the island, barely visible off the horizon, from the beach he was standing on.

Kurogane scowled down at the sleeping child in his arms. "You're one complication after another, kid." he grumbled.

-

It was obvious that the only way Kurogane was going to get to the island on the horizon was to build a raft himself and take it there. Not one to waste time, he set straight to work pushing down small trees and lashing them together with vines. When he was finished, and the moon had risen halfway to its peak, Kurogane decided to wait until dawn to make his journey. If there were truly vampires on that island, they would all be asleep by the time he arrived. Deciding that this was the smartest course, he settled down in the sand and tried to get some sleep.

* * *

The sound of shuffling woke Kurogane and he got quickly to his feet to face the threat only to find a tall, thin figure pulling a boat ashore nearby.

"Hey!" Kurogane called, catching the figure's attention. "Where did you come from?"

The lanky figure came toward him; a boy in his teens. He stopped before Kurogane and held one hand out politely, a bit out of breath from his task of manning the boat. "I'm Watanuki." he said and, hesitantly Kurogane shook his hand. Watanuki was unmistakably human. "Lady Yuuko sent me to pick you up."

Kurogane was a little upset that Watanuki had arrived after he had spent hours building his own raft and not before but he was unsurprised that the witch had seen him coming so he merely nodded and scooped the blonde child up from the ground, following the dark haired human back to his boat.

Much of the ride was silent but as they neared the island, Kurogane spoke.

"What can you tell me about that witch?"

Watanuki started and turned to look at him. Slowly a frown settled onto his face. "She's a slave driver, that's what I can tell you." he answered. "She drinks like a lush and she never cleans up after herself. That Yuuko is the type of person who'd bury herself in empty wine bottles and cry out from the bottom of the heap for another bottle of wine!" Watanuki was working himself up, his eyes heating with fire as he went on, finally dropping one of the oars he was holding as he began gesturing widely with his arms. "She's the kind of person who sends her pets to jump on your head in the middle of the night so you can run out the door for something she knew would be coming the whole entire day!"

So she had known he would be coming. Kurogane frowned. She had probably even waited until she knew he'd be done building that stupid raft before she had this guy show up in a boat.

Watanuki grabbed up his oar again and continued rowing. "But she's the one to come to when you've got big problems." he continued, eyeing the boy lying in Kurogane's lap. "She'll charge you an arm and a leg," he added spitefully "but she'll solve your problem."

Kurogane laid a hand on the boy's golden head absently. He wasn't really sure how much of a problem he had and he didn't really intend to ask for anything, particularly anything that was going to cost him an outrageous amount, but he needed information that he was growing more and more certain that Yuuko could provide.

-

When they began to near the shore, Kurogane noticed a man standing there, waiting for the boat. He was tall and much of him was hidden by the hooded cloak he wore but Kurogane could tell, even from yards away, that the man was a werewolf. He'd had no idea that wolves lived here. Had everything he'd heard about this island been wrong or were wolves living with the vampires here?

The man smiled at him as he helped Watanuki bring the boat to shore, his eyes shadowed by his oversized hood to the point that Kurogane couldn't make them out.

"Hey there, buddy."

Kurogane wasn't sure how to respond. He lifted the boy again into his arms and jumped from the boat onto the sandy shore.

"Well come on then." the man said, leading the way toward the entrance of the great structure before them; a dark castle whose spires jutted toward the sky in five great pillars. "My name is Saiga. I'll take you to Yuuko and don't let her fool you, buddy. She's been looking forward to this."

"Kurogane."

"Hmm?"

"It's Kurogane."

"Oh." Saiga grinned back at him. "I don't need to know it yet."

Kurogane had no idea what Saiga could possibly have meant by that but he figured he'd gotten just about all the information he was going to get out of this guy so he kept his mouth shut and saved his questions for the witch.

Saiga led him to a large central space. Twin spiral staircases led up to a wraparound walkway on the second story overlooking the room. In the center of the space, on a platform two steps up, was a decorative lounge so covered in pillows that they spilled down to make small piles on the floor around it and laying askew on that lounge was the most elegant woman that Kurogane had ever seen.

Her hair was pulled back into a long black ponytail that climbed over one shoulder and spilled across her bent legs. Held precariously between her long fingers was a smoking pipe which she puffed on languidly as she watched the rings of smoke rise from her lips into the air above her head. Liquid crimson orbs slid Kurogane's way and took him in fully, staring just long enough to make Kurogane genuinely nervous before sliding away again.

"You have a problem." she stated simply.

Kurogane frowned. "Tell me what killed the vampires of the southern clan."

"I might tell you…" the woman drawled "when you care."

"I care if it affects my pack!" Kurogane shouted back but the woman seemed unmoved.

"We may be removed from the gossip of modern society out here, Mr. Black,"

"Kurogane." he supplied and the woman nodded.

"Kurogane. But that does not mean that we are unaware of the situation beyond our walls. If I'm not mistaken, you do not even live within the circle of your pack."

Kurogane growled.

Yuuko blew one long trail of smoke from the remainder of her cigarette and turned to face him, standing on her feet in one fluid motion. "You rescued this boy and that makes him your responsibility." Yuuko said, approaching him as though her feet were stepping on air beneath her.

Kurogane was about to protest when the witch held one hand out over the boy's head and he stilled, awaiting a result.

"He will wake soon. You must keep him safe, Kurogane. There are few alive who will not want this child for themselves. You have found a rare and priceless thing but like all treasures, an equal price must be paid to keep it."

"I don't want it!" Kurogane hissed, his voice low so as not to wake the boy prematurely. "You take him if he's worth so much."

Yuuko smiled; an expression that told Kurogane she was enjoying herself despite the serious atmosphere.

"For that you should ask Kamui. It is his castle after all."

"NO."

Kurogane looked up to find a young man leaning over the railing above them and instantly he recognized the creature as a vampire. He was Kamui, the dark prince, a well-known name attached to a seldom-seen figure.

"Get him out of here at once!" the vampire ordered, descending the stairs quickly. "Be gone, wolf! Every minute that thing stays here you put us in danger."

"That's awful cruel of you, Kamui." Saiga chided.

"Do you want it here?!" Kamui shot back and Saiga wisely kept silent.

"Could someone tell me what the hell we're talking about!" Kurogane demanded, raising his voice above the young clan leader.

"Perhaps I'd best explain."

Everyone but Yuuko, who'd gone back to her lounge, turned toward the new voice. The man who entered the room carried himself much like Yuuko. His long hair, pulled back only by a tight ribbon at its base, was the color of moonlight and his skin was like flawless porcelain. Behind his back were folded a large pair of white feathered wings. His robes were white and gold and his presence in the room was strong enough to silence even Kamui. Kurogane was awe-struck at the very presence of him.

Yuuko pouted. "You spoil all my fun." she complained to which the man merely frowned in exasperation.

The man approached Kurogane and laid a hand gently on the golden head of the boy in his arms. "Long ago, before the age of darkness and technology, this boy would have grown to be a god. Rare then, and rarer still in this age, a human child is born so saturated with magic that, once unleashed, no force on earth can control it.

It is likely that this boy was born in the keep of those unfortunate vampires. Feeding on his blood likely empowered them by several thousand times. Eating his flesh or his heart would likely grant one such as you a thousand years of life. It was often the case that the gods of old who survived their first difficult years of life were wild and cruel, driven mad by their own power."

Kurogane looked down at the boy in his arms. He looked like a child to Kurogane; a pain in the neck to be sure, being human and possessing an annoying amount of magic likely coupled with an annoying emotional problem of some sort, but a child none the less. To the wolf-people, children were cherished and protected. He pulled the boy to his chest, away from the winged man's touch.

"If you won't take him then he's none of your concern."

Kurogane turned and made his way to the entrance. Behind him he heard light steps running to catch up.

"I…I'll take you back to the main land." Watanuki offered, turning to look at him as they walked.

Kurogane ignored him.

* * *

Among the wolf-people there were two sayings that every member of the race except Kurogane seemed to have no trouble paying heed to: never do anything alone and never bite off more than you can chew.

The moment he stepped foot off that island Kurogane realized that he was absolutely doomed. What was he supposed to do with a child? He couldn't take the boy to his pack, couldn't take him anywhere and couldn't let anyone find him. He had more or less just volunteered to raise the human himself.

"What are you going to do with him?"

Kurogane looked up at the solemn voice, watching the dark haired teen row the boat for a moment before deciding to answer him.

"I…" but Kurogane was interrupted by a sudden, piercing scream so loud that his hands automatically flew to his ears in pain. Watanuki, startled, flailed wildly and jerked back, loosing his balance and falling overboard into the dark water below with a great splash.

The boy whose head had been lying in Kurogane's lap, had bolted up from his sleep, as if from a terrible nightmare, clutching the sides of his head as he continued to scream.

Squinting his eyes from the loud noise, Kurogane reached out, grabbing the boy's hands and forcibly pulling them away from his head.

"Stop it!" he screamed. "You're safe now. Shut up!"

"I killed them!" the boy screamed, voice strained. "I killed them all!" He struggled against Kurogane behind him but Kurogane held firm.

"If it bothers you then don't do it again!" Kurogane yelled back. "Settle down!"

It seemed he had gotten though because the boy quieted. Silenced, he ceased all movement and slackened in Kurogane's grasp. Kurogane looked over the edge of the boat to find Watanuki had pulled himself up to the edge and was watching them.

-

The boy said nothing further as they made their way to shore. He stepped out of the boat, head hung low and waited for direction. Kurogane sighed heavily, scratching the back of his head. Emotional problems had never been his strong suit.

"Come on." he said to the boy, laying a hand on his head and pushing him gently in the direction of the inland forest. He could feel the dark-haired boy behind them watching until they were out of sight.

"You got a name kid?"

"Fai." a quick and trained response followed by predictable silence.

Kurogane frowned. This was going to be a long walk.

-

Kurogane led Fai into the mountains. He had nowhere else to go. At first the blonde kept pace with him well but after a few hours he began to stumble and Kurogane realized that he was tired, though he said nothing of it so he knelt down and offered the little human a ride on his back. Fai seemed startled and Kurogane frowned over his shoulder.

"I'm not going to hurt you, kid, come on."

Reluctantly, Fai climbed on gripping him gently first, experimentally, then, when Kurogane didn't complain, more tightly.

"Who are you?" Fai asked him after a little time had passed.

"Kurogane." he replied simply.

Fai let a little more time pass before he spoke again. "What do you want me for?"

"I don't…" Kurogane answered uncomfortably. "You can leave if you want."

"Are you…human?" Fai whispered the last part in Kurogane's ear, his soft breath making the man twitch.

"Can't you tell a wolf when you see one?" he complained and, to his chagrin, he could feel the boy shake his head negatively.

Kurogane growled and muttered to himself. "What a pain."

* * *

Kurogane took the human child high into the mountains where the wind howled cold through the evergreen trees. For someone capable of exterminating an entire clan of vampires, Fai proved to be far more frail than Kurogane had anticipated. He had wanted to dig them a proper den below the earth but Fai could not wait that long in the harsh environment so Kurogane had to take a faster route and build them a small cabin instead.

Any amount of sun seemed to burn him but Kurogane forced him to go out in it anyway because having been deprived of the light for so long showed far too much in him and then he had to treat his burns.

Food made Fai sick. He had apparently been living on two meals a day. His "hosts" hadn't seemed to know how to feed him properly so one meal consisted of overcooked rat and the other was a heaping of fruits, vegetables, and roots from the forest. Kurogane fed him cooked venison, fish, and quail.

During that first year, Kurogane learned two things; one: the vampires would never stop pursuing them; defeat didn't stop them, crossing enemy territory didn't slow them down; and two: Fai was about as far from an ordinary human as your average human could get. In one year's time, he aged five years…physically. Kurogane was sure that humans with magic in their blood lived a very long time, so he guessed that Fai would stop aging at some point but would get to that point very fast.

The first third of the second year brought Kurogane's worst nightmare. Somehow, Zima had managed to track him down and came to "visit". He brought Saiga with him. They were a complete burden to him the entire time. Saiga did nothing but loaf around and complain about his "parenting skills" and Zima did nothing but agree with him. And just to further upset and annoy him, they would often disappear with Fai for hours at a time without so much as leaving him a trail to follow.

Apparently they'd heard that the vampires had found them a time or two because Saiga brought a sword with him. He gave it to Kurogane in "compensation for putting up with the company". Kurogane wasn't so sure but he wasn't in any position to turn it down either. It's name was Sohi.

His guests must have sensed when he'd reached his limit because that was the very day that they took their leave. Fai waved goodbye to them then he turned around and did something that Kurogane had not believed him capable of. He smiled. He smiled up at Kurogane and said "I like you!"

Kurogane looked after the retreating wolves but they were already gone. What had they done to Fai?!

Fai did not stop smiling. A year later he had grown to the middle of his teenage years. He stared at Kurogane when he thought the wolf wasn't paying attention and he continually pushed his boundaries, preferring to call Kurogane "Kuro-Kuro" or "Kuro-ro" when he thought he could get away with it. He was annoying in whole new ways but…he was happy.

And then the vampires came again.

They came while Fai was out gathering berries at dusk. Kurogane howled the stay away signal as soon as they came within sight. It was a system they'd worked out shortly after the first attack.

There were four in the group this time, more than Kurogane had ever faced alone before. He wasn't afraid; as long as he had Sohi, he had a chance, but he realized that retreating had definitely become a possibility. Fighting with Sohi gave Kurogane enough of an advantage to want to remain in his man's form to do it but taking that form reduced his strength. Either way, he was handicapped.

The vampires wasted no breath on conversation. They knew he was the wolf they were hunting and they knew that they would not have Fai until he was dead.

They attacked him in pairs on either side. It was all Kurogane could do to keep them at bay. He thought that maybe he could turn the tide when a powerful thrust sent one of them reeling back, clutching his stomach where Kurogane had embedded his blade, but in the next instant another had caught him in the side with razor-sharp claws. It might have cost him a counterattack…if he hadn't suddenly been paralyzed with shock.

A figure had burst forth from the line of trees to the left, charging straight for the vampire Kurogane had knocked back, a long blade held back at the ready, blonde hair flying out after the teen as he ran.

"NO!" Kurogane screamed. "Get back! Get out of here!"

But it was too late. Fai was too short for the strike he was trying to make. The blade buried itself into his target's shoulder, the result of which was a very amused vampire - which was very bad for Fai. The vampire reached down, gripping the boy's shoulder with a vice grip. Fai cried out in pain as the claws pierced his skin. He struggled but it was no use. Kurogane watched in horror, pinned by the three vampires around him, waiting, watching, as the vampire descended on the teen in his grasp, fangs plunging into pale flesh as Fai screamed.

Enraged, Kurogane managed to wrench his sword arm free and struck out, the distant sound of a head hitting the forest floor reaching his ears as he charged forward for the creature in front of him.

The vampire knew he was coming. He dropped Fai in a crumpled heap at his feat and vanished from Kurogane's view. Before Kurogane had even slowed, he reappeared again at his back. One raking blow from his claws sent Kurogane flying.

He knew then that they had to escape but he'd barely gotten to his knees before the vampire had caught up, tearing into the flesh of his back, exposed by his torn shirt. Desperate, Kurogane transformed and met his assailant in a flurry of teeth and claws, abandoning Sohi. He had to find an opening.

It took the two spectators a while but eventually they wised up and decided to leave the two battling enemies behind in favor of kidnapping their target. Luckily, Kurogane happened to notice and broke away in pursuit - the opening he had been waiting for.

It wasn't hard to overpower them while they were both running and take the weakened teen back but even in hybrid form, at full speed, he could not outrun or outmaneuver the vampire that had drank from Fai's blood. Every time Kurogane dodged a tree, he was there, every time he struck out, the vampire dodged his blow effortlessly. Kurogane's only advantage seemed to be the continual motion, keeping his pursuer from trying anything that might inadvertently kill Fai in the process. But he never tired and Kurogane, wounded as he was, knew the vampire would outlast him by a long shot.

Over the years they had moved west and north across the mountain range. An hour's pursuit finally brought Kurogane within sight of the ocean, far, far below a ridge of cliffs he knew lay ahead and he knew…they were his only chance.

Fully awake now, Fai began to panic but Kurogane did not slow, he couldn't. His pursuer had seen his plan and made a desperate grab for Fai. Kurogane shouldered him away, the vampire instead tearing deep into the flesh of his shoulder but it wasn't enough to stop him.

With one mighty leap, Kurogane propelled himself, Fai tucked under one arm, held tightly to his chest, over the cliff. The vampire he had left behind was only his first trouble. The water was a long distance away, long enough to think about it, which wasn't helping Kurogane. He knew that meeting that water would be painful so he drew Fai to his chest, tucked the boy's head underneath his muzzle and held his breath for impact.

* * *

Kurogane vaguely remembered pulling Fai to a small rock. Everything hurt. Fai was crying but, though he remembered hearing the boy, he didn't remember seeing him then before darkness closed in on him.

When Kurogane woke he was still in pain but his accelerated healing had closed most of his wounds. Fai was lying across his chest, sleeping. The sun was setting which confused Kurogane's groggy mind until he realized that he must have slept through the day. He shook Fai and the teen woke with a start.

"Kurogane." he whispered, hugging the wolf tightly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" he cried, sobbing into Kurogane's fur.

Kurogane grabbed the boy's hair but he didn't push him away just yet. "Why didn't you stay away?"

"Every time they come after me you get hurt. I don't want to be a burden to you anymore. I don't know what I'd do if you died. I thought I could help. But I just made things worse. This is all my fault."

Kurogane shoved him away and turned to push himself up. "I don't need your regrets or your help. And I don't care how many vampires I piss off. If you've noticed, I don't die so easy. Now come on. Let's get back to shore."

Fai took the wolf's offered hand and Kurogane yanked him up onto his back for the swim to shore some way in the distance.

-

The pair did not go back to their previous home. Instead, Kurogane made them a new home in the forest near the shore hoping he could gain some sort of advantage in giving them only one direction from which to attack.

Fai busied himself with any task Kurogane gave him, be it laying traps or gathering herbs and roots. He continued to smile, all too eager to glean approval or attention, but he was more vigilant and more eager to run and there was something continually on his mind, a thing he refused to talk about, waving off Kurogane's suspicions as if he were merely waving away a gnat, smiling to hide himself from the wolf.

Kurogane didn't like this new side of Fai but in this way, and with two more moves, another year passed and Fai grew to adulthood, a willowed beauty with hair the color of sun and eyes the color of the sea beneath it. He stared at Kurogane openly now, laughing it off in the face of Kurogane's scowls.

Kurogane would prowl their new territory in the evenings and Fai would have made his favorite food by the time he returned. When he asked why, Fai would flippantly claim "It's because I love you, Kuro-Kuro!" and Kurogane would roll his eyes. Fai was never serious about anything anymore, it seemed.

The vampires caught up with them again that year, a smaller group which meant that they had come upon them by chance this time. Fai hid himself, covering his ears to block the sounds and when Kurogane had dispatched them, he cleaned and bandaged his wounds. Kurogane watched him the entire time. Fai never once met his eyes.

They moved again and two days after, Kurogane awoke to an empty house. Fai had written on the wall in berry ink. WILL BE BACK SOON. PLEASE FORGIVE ME. Kurogane looked for him but it seemed Fai had vanished from the world so in the end, he returned to the house and waited.

He destroyed half of it in the process.

Where did that idiot think he was going? What was he going to do if he got caught? Kurogane knew that Fai carried guilt around with him like some people carried precious stones so it didn't make sense that he would purposefully put himself in danger. But Fai seldom made sense to him, Kurogane realized. Fai was stupid and confusing and annoying. He was really the only thing in the world that Kurogane cared about and if he didn't come back, somebody would have to die.

A full four days passed before Kurogane felt another presence lurking nearby. He might have mistaken it for Fai if not for the aura that every predator exuded. Vampire. Obviously the house was being watched for signs of Fai. After the initial disappointment that he would never have admitted to, Kurogane couldn't help feeling a little better than he had. He would feel even better after he killed it.

When Kurogane stepped outside, he was surprised to find the creature crouched on the branch of a nearby tree, too shadowed to make out features, but too close to be missed. He frowned up at it. Was it going to actually ask him where Fai was? No vampire had ever attacked him from the open before, giving him time to prepare.

"Are you gonna come down here and fight me or do I have to kill you up there?!" Kurogane yelled.

The creature dropped to the ground and in a blur of movement too fast for Kurogane to track, rammed into his chest full force, sending him to the ground with a thud. Caught by surprise and winded, Kurogane's transformation was delayed but in that small window of time he was finally able to see the vampire by the light of the moon shinning through the trees.

Hair the color of the sun fell down around his smiling face. Kurogane could swear he'd heard his heart break at the sight of it.

Blue eyes the color of the sea below it filled with tears.

Kurogane tried to speak, tried to ask why he would do such a thing. Why? But he knew why and the words wouldn't come.

Fai hesitated but seemed to make his mind up quickly and leaned down, pressing his lips to his rescuer's. His guardian, his most important person. The tears splashed against Kurogane's cheeks.

"Now you're free." he whispered.

And he was gone. Kurogane stared up at the moon with an emptiness he had never known eating him from the inside. Its brilliance had never looked more dull to him than it did that night.

* * *

Leaning against the tree Fai had watched him from, Kurogane found Sohi, wrapped carefully in blue cloth. Fai had gone back for it, thinking of his future.

Kurogane understood why Fai had turned. As a vampire, his blood was toxic to other vampires so he could no longer contribute to their power and if Fai were no longer around him, than the vampires would soon give up chasing him.

Kurogane thought, with Fai gone, he could return to his pack, where he could live "outside their circle", alone, for the rest of his miserable life the way he planned to in the beginning.

But Kurogane remembered a life that wasn't empty and he found that letting that go was not an easy thing to do; was not something he had any desire to do. So he lifted up Sohi, his only possession, and made his way to the beach.

It didn't take a genius to guess where Fai had gone: to the place where wolves, humans and vampires lived together under one roof, the one place he complained about whenever he got the chance, the castle of the witch where they would accept him now that the vampires were no longer pursuing him.

Kurogane built a new raft. He half expected that Watanuki kid to show up when he finished it but there was no sign of him so Kurogane set out for the island himself.

He didn't know what he would do when he saw Fai but he was sure something would come to mind.

Like last time, Saiga was waiting for him on the beach. Kurogane dropped his rudimentary oar at his feet with a scowl.

"What are you, the keeper of the beach sand?"

Saiga grinned back at him, his hood covering all but that wide smile. "If we'd known you were coming we would have sent a ride."

"Well what the hell am I supposed to do, blow a damn horn?"

Kurogane stalked up the beach, leaving Saiga behind but he didn't get far before a figure came running toward him.

Fai.

Apparently word traveled fast on this island.

Fai came to a stop a few yards away and for a moment, they just stared at each other.

"Kuro…"

Kurogane stomped forward with a huff, meeting Fai on the green grass. Fai didn't seem to have anything to say, so Kurogane balled a fist and hit him over the head with it.

"You don't get to decide what burdens me." he told the blonde quietly.

A hesitant smile began to form on the blonde's lips. "You came, even though I'm a vampire?"

"You're you." Kurogane answered stubbornly. "Besides, if I let you hang out with these guys alone they'll turn you into some kind of…" Kurogane looked over his shoulder to find Saiga leaning over to listen in. He put an arm around Fai's shoulders and walked away with him a few feet. "freek." he whispered.

Fai laughed and threw his arms around Kurogane. "You make me happy." he said, his words muffled by Kurogane's chest.

Kurogane ruffled his hair but the way his fingers slid through the silky strands distracted him somewhat. When Fai looked up at him their eyes met and Kurogane decided, he could live here if Fai had to, because Fai made him happy.

-

Saiga noticed the presence of his mate approaching but that didn't stop him from watching the two newcomers kiss on the green some yards ahead.

"You shouldn't stare like that." the man who joined Saiga said, his blonde hair hanging long on the left side.

Saiga laughed. "I have to stare. Yuuko wants details. Ohh…tongue."

"Well alright. I just came to tell you I'm heading to bed. I should be asleep by the time they're done so don't wake me up."

He turned back and Saiga panicked as he began walking. "Hey. Wait. Don't be that way."

"I thought you had to gather details." the blonde said as Saiga caught up to him and kept pace.

"I'll make something up. She'll never know the difference." Saiga slid an arm around the other man's shoulders. "I'll need inspiration though."

"I'll bet."

Post whatevers: I finally got to write for Zima. I love Zima! I need to write for him some more. I wanted Kurogane to say something like "Don't you have a mate to go home to?" when they were visiting but that scene ended up without dialog. Anyway, as always, if you liked, please review. Ja!