a/n: I tried to contact someone to correct my German for this one but didn't get a response :( If you happen to speak German, I will love you if you could quickly drop a comment with any corrections! Thank you! (And I'm really sorry if any of the mistakes are awful o.o;;;) I got a reply! :D Thank you to everyone who responded with corrections or just general input! It was a big help and I hope things are looking better now!
There are three instances of Kuro!fail in this chapter to look out for :D Hope you like it!

***

Fye almost felt like a monster watching their little faces drop as Kurogane told them the news.

"But why?" Usui immediately cried. "He stays here now!"

Kurogane felt his teeth grit uneasily, frowning seriously towards his children. "This isn't his home. His home is back in Germany and he needs to get back to it." He glanced towards Fye sitting with a simple melancholy air on the sofa, watching them with a painted smile on his face - weak, thin and fake. However his sadness was reflected all too clearly in his eyes, glinting obviously and painfully as he smiled.

"He can stay here," Usui suggested seriously, his face scrunched stubbornly.

"He needs to see his family again," Kurogane tried to explain, standing before them with his arms folded. "It's been long enough and he needs to go home."

"We're his family now," Mio protested sweetly, tugging sadly at Fye's sleeve though he had no idea what she'd just said, noticing only that it seemed to throw Kurogane off his guard.

"Almost," Kurogane grumbled confusedly, trying to bury his surprise.

"What about the prince of Russia?" Usui asked with a suspicious frown.

"Who?" Kurogane immediately blurted out before he caught his tongue, remembering the little story he wound for them. "He died," he hastily invented.

The two children blinked at him, not quite sure what to think.

"Can we still see Fye?" Mio eventually mumbled.

Kurogane ground down on his teeth again, letting out a heavy and weary breath, battling against lying to his children or telling them a slightly more difficult truth. "It's too far away," he admitted with difficultly, feeling guilt stab him in the stomach as he saw their eyes widen pitifully. "You can hear from him but don't expect to see him too often." The last part was spoken in a far grittier tone than usual, reluctance grating in his voice.

Without thinking, he shifted forward to try to comfort them only to find they'd immediately latched on to Fye instead. Mio clambered up on to the sofa and wrapped her arms about one of Fye's and Usui hurried over, trying to push her out the way as he fought for Fye's attention. And even as Kurogane stepped forward to try to end that fight, Fye had stopped them himself, wordlessly, silently, tugging away Usui and patting the other side of the sofa with his free arm.

If it weren't so heart-breaking the sight might have made Kurogane sick – the two young children cuddling stubbornly into Fye like they were trying to permanently glue themselves to his arm and waist so that he could never leave them, his own arms about them, a weepy sort of sympathetic look on his face.

"You've got all day for that," Kurogane informed them, trying to assume his regular position of spoil-sport even if he understood they were upset, saw every reason why they should be.

"Wir sollten ein letztes Mal gemeinsam backen," Fye finally said, a warmer smile breaking out and glowing down to the children.
We should bake together one last time.

Amazingly, they recognised a single word in his sentence and started smiling, grinning excitedly.

***

The last thing he made for them was cookies and this time Kurogane didn't even bother to pretend to be doing something else – fixed to paper work or bills, leafing through documents or finishing laundry. He sat in a chair at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee languidly watching the scene before him: Fye with his sleeves rolled up and a bowl clutched in hand, beating the mix with easy flicks of his wrist, the children tugging at his clothes and he'd pass them down the bowl with an angelic smile, asking them to beat the mix with an easy grin and gentle voice that seemed to crack the language barrier altogether. Occasionally he'd lick some of the mix from his fingers as sharp blue eyes darted about the children's every move, watching them fondly, warily. He'd tug Usui away roughly and sigh a few soft words when he tried to dump the mix in his sister's hair. He'd clasp and guide Mio's hands with the cutter. He'd smile and he'd laugh and call Kurogane over to reach something from the top shelf even when they both knew he could manage it himself.

He somehow understood the fact he did it anyway was special.

"I hope you're taller when you get back," he grumbled heartlessly and needlessly as he tossed the sugar over, trying to ignore the soft and guilty tremble in Fye's smile.

"I'm finished growing," Fye sighed, his joke stumbling and tripping on his tongue before he turned back to the children, sugar clasped to his chest. "I'm not that young, Kuro-tan!"

"It was a joke," he mumbled awkwardly though he wondered if Fye considered it a pained remark on his age, wondered if he somehow meant it to be about his age.

"Hmmm," Fye sighed dismissively, sauntering over to the mix and shaking the sugar in his hands, that touch of hurt still hinting in the tight furl in his lips, cracking a little as he tried to smile. "You're not very good at joking, Kuro-sama."

Trying to ignore the confused and pouty glances of his children as they became excluded from something of seemingly pressing importance that was clearly upsetting Fye, he grit his teeth and reached out to clamp a hand about Fye's arm, urgently and assertively, muttering low against his ear, "You're not young or immature and I wouldn't have kissed you if you were."

Fye's eyes remained dull and unreadable but a certain warmth reached his smile and he reached out to run his fingers over his hand, glancing cautiously over to the children, wary of confusing them. "Thank you," Fye breathed in a low voice in response then slipped back over to the children with a bowl, forcing a laugh, cracking out his brightest smile and it almost stunned Kurogane, almost sickened him how stupidly easy it is for Fye to act, changing moods like shirts, shrugging the damp ones off.

He gave a smirk as he recognised the dubious, befuddled look in his children's eyes just before they were washed away by his cheer.

***

For a while all Mio seemed to be doing was looping her crayon over and over the paper, dragging it in circles with a sad little pout, putting them down in a scattered heap rather than neatly setting them back inside the box with all the perfect order and array of a rainbow as she usually did. Tidying up at the kitchen worktop, wiping smeared cookie dough off the surfaces and cleaning up bowls, all Fye could do was pass a concerned glance over to her, guilt burrowing tight in his stomach.

Perhaps 5 months had been too long...

In the living-room he could hear her brother playing with his toys, babbles and screeches and little warrior noises, but even he sounded less enthusiastic – a step away from dead-pan; unenthused. The flat seemed sober, silent and lifeless as though mourning his departure prematurely – a dull and infectious sorrow clinging meekly to the air. Fye gave a sigh as he scrubbed, biting his lip and trying not to allow at least a faint and warming smile to fall from his lips. He couldn't appear sad to them on this very last day. He couldn't break their hearts more than he already had.

After spending another few minutes watching the little girl scribbling messily, miserably, he didn't want to stand by any more. Instead, he dropped his cloth and sauntered over, pulling the chair out across from her carefully with a bright smile. As her wide eyes blinked pleadingly up to him, he felt that prong of guilt twist another little notch and tried to dismiss it, simply leaning over and clasping her wrist with a gentle touch, stilling her hand.

"I didn't want to hurt you and I definitely don't want to leave you or your family... especially not your father. But I have my own family. You won't think so right now but if you were ever separated from your brother, you'd miss him terribly. He annoys you and when you're older, you'll wish you weren't in the same family... but if he was gone... it'd hurt... really badly." He stopped as he registered the quiver in his voice, his breath about to catch and keeping the tears seeping into his eyes in check, leaning away and letting his hand fall from Mio's arm as he smiled with a weak and confident tweak in his lips that trembled for just a moment longer than he'd like.

Mio was such a clever girl... she was staring up at him with mild alarm and hurt, clawing out for his hand again and, when he ignored her pleas, merely smiled thinly once more, she slipped off her seat and moved over to his chair, clutching at his arm instead.

It felt like something had just snapped inside of him, began crumbling to pieces, and it was far too much of an effort to maintain his smile when it was folding itself up into a crease, becoming teary-eyed and pained just looking at her trying to give him all the warmth and comfort she could.

He held his arms out as though beckoning her to climb on to his seat and she did so obediently – that same worried gleam shining innocently in her eyes – as he wrapped her tight in his arms, making sure her head was tucked into his shoulder as two drips of tears slithered down his face. No more followed but still he clutched her tight and she wrapped her arms around him in return, trying to heal a broken heart as best as she could and somehow managing to both piece it back together, warm it whole again, and shatter the pieces even further. A feeling in Fye's chest trembled a little and then found itself soothed. Her body was so tiny in his own arms and her voice so small and pitched, squeaking a question into his ear.

All he could do was smile and cradle her a little as though recovering from a momentary shock, as though waking up after falling apart and coming together again. He grinned and set her down, hastily smearing tracks of lonely, pointless tears with the back of his hands and wishing he could make her smile in the same way she'd done for him.

She still clutched his hand, frowning patronisingly and he almost laughed at her concern. He pushed a strand of hair away from her eyes, dotingly sweeping it across her brow and tucked it behind her ear, smiling warmly. "Ich werde dich so sehr vermissen, Mio-chan."
I'm going to miss you so much, Mio-chan...

Blinking up at him strangely, like she was afraid by the tone of his voice he was about to stand and leave and she'd never see him again, she tightened her grip about his hand and tried to embrace him again, only managing to meekly clutch his sides.

Fye gave a sigh, pulling all her hair away from her bowed head and moved to stand, gently peeling away her hands and making a big show of only returning to his tidying. Still, for a while she merely stood and stared at him with a small look of hurt and pain before shuffling back to her seat and clambering back on it to resume her scribbling.

Fye gave a little frown as he began drying some dishes, watching her distantly, both just as hurt before.

That same tension seemed to hit Kurogane as he walked into the room and he passed anxious glances between his daughter and his room-mate... lodger... romantic interest before decidedly taking out the same seat Fye had pulled out minutes before, scraping it forward and leaning in to view Mio's pictures. He frowned concernedly before heaving a breath and picking up Mio's crayons, slotting them all back into place in the box.

Clearly unsatisfied with the order he'd arranged them in, Mio clawed out for the box over the table, reached out with a huffy pout and started ordering her precious crayons again with a meticulous eye. For a moment Fye could swear a tweak of a smile had come over Kurogane's lips.

Her father reached out and grasped her scribbled, messy drawings and peered at them in what looked like concern, poring over them with a frown as Mio tottered on the edge of her seat awaiting his judgement.

In the end, Kurogane simply handed them back, gave a few muttered, stern words to his daughter and left the room but, as she watched him leave, Mio was grinning, and soon Usui had come through to join her scribble and scrawl, devouring warm cookies in a scatter of crumbs. For half an hour or so they'd given up on moping and were drawing so intently that Fye brought Kurogane through to talk to him – planes and cars and arrival times.

The day was surprising quiet and focused, both children preferring to spend their remaining time with Fye in the same room as him, near mutely drawing and cutting and gluing, causing little mess and fuss for two small siblings. Dinner came and went, quietly and painfully, so hushed that Fye felt unsettled merely sitting at the same table as the others, disturbing this wonderful family with all its oddity and warmth.

It was only when they both handed him a picture of himself with their widest smiles, tolerating their sibling to hold it up proudly to him, that he realised every single one of those pictures was for him. They'd spent their entire afternoons drawing gifts for him, little memories in the hope he'd smile and remember them while he was gone.

By the end of the evening, the plate of cookies lay ravaged on the table and pieces of paper were strewn all over the table, dropped on the floor, sitting on Fye's sofa-bed like the heart-felt little blessings they were. They sat on either side of him ending a rainforest just to make him smile, to be certain he knew that he was loved by them... There were balloons and smiles and hearts, cars and dinosaurs, stick-figure girls in stick-figure dresses and all four of them standing together as one whole unity under a happy sickly yellow sun. They practiced their Japanese over the paper and Kurogane shakily corrected them, translated them into unsteady English.

For the most part he sat awkwardly surveying the scene - the focused pouts and tongues poking through lips as his children drew and Fye's loopy, almost distant smile. Kurogane said as little as possible, merely sat back with a warm sense of pride, inspecting a picture every now and then, praising them or teasing them with that blunt tone they all knew too well to be fooled by. If there was ever a quiet lull where not a word was spoken, not a fraction of attention was dropped, then he'd sit back in his seat and draw in the image of the three others together, smiling peacefully.

When it was finally time for bed and he'd herded the two children to their room, tidying up the paper trail with Fye, the scattered pens and scraps of drawings, they drank in the still warm silence hidden soft within the night and smiled without a word. Laden with drawings, leafs of paper sitting neat and heavy in his arms, Fye leaned over to kiss him on the cheek for a moment.

Despite the fact he'd broken their truce, Kurogane couldn't bring himself to protest or complain. The warmth within that smile Fye shone, simple and pure, somehow made up for five months of arguments and painfully slow evolution.

***

The moment he stepped into their room, switching on the table lamps and flicking the main switch off so that all that was left was a whispering warm glow, he found himself under interrogation.

"How did he die?" Usui asked adamantly, with sharp and determined eyes that reminded him too much of himself when he was that age.

"His brother did it," Kurogane invented on the spot, sounding so wise and confident to his young and impressionable children despite stumbling to add, "Fye's twin brother."

"He has a brother?" Mio asked in awe, clutching the teddy to her chest and bobbing back and forward a little, eyes held wide even though she was slowly sinking into sleep.

"Yeah he does but he had to get left behind in Germany... when Fye came here he was in a ... very deep sleep. He got a curse placed on him by an evil witch," he carefully revealed, allowing the story to haphazardly unfold within his mind and praying that Fye wouldn't ever hear or understand any of this. He set himself down on the bed, feeling it bounce beneath him, feeling their gazes bore beneath his skin.

"Did he wake up?" Usui almost snapped.

"Of course he did," Kurogane grumbled with a certainty to his tone, thinking over deeper things beneath the childish skin of the story.

The diamond thief's brother lay in the middle of a garden in a very, very deep sleep. Nothing could wake him it was said. But the garden was filled with apples and roses and oranges and the most delicious of fruit and brightest of blooms. They surrounded his slumbering body lying immobile in the very centre.

One day a boy came along and he was bold and he was fearless. He'd heard of the magical sleeping properties of the fruit and had come all the way from Italy to Germany to steal some apples for his insomniac grandmother. He snapped the rusty lock and leapt over the steep barricade; he plundered through dense undergrowth and swiped at scratchy branches and prickly thorns, but the moment he plucked a rosy red apple from a branch, he heard a yawn and a young man muttering sleepily. To the left of him was a blonde man identical to the infamous diamond thief, blinking off sleep.

It didn't take long for disagreements to ensue and for the sleeping man to start accusing the kid of breaking, entering and consequent theft while the kid pleaded innocence however the young thief was wily. He told the young man all about his brother's misfortunes that had occurred since he'd fallen asleep.

The blonde man was appalled and immediately snatched at the younger previously-thief, declaring that he would end this with his help.

Travelling together to Russia in a golden carriage, the two trundled on to vengeance and, once introduced to the prince, the brother swiftly defeated him in a sweeping, snapping sword fight to the death. The prince defeated, the brother was hailed a hero and gifted his own empire while the young thief was declared honorary side-kick and granted his freedom.

Immediately, the young man called his brother to explain to him that he was safe and avenged, pleading him to return home.

The diamond thief declined.

He sent over all his diamonds and precious gifts to his brother, apologising profusely but claiming he had already settled at home with the ninja who had helped him escape.

He thanked his brother endlessly, praised him for his heroic deeds, thanked the heavens that he lived but still he could not bring himself to leave Japan.

***

"Was he in love?" Mio asked, gleaming eyes prying for her perfect fairytale ending.

Kurogane paused for a moment, awkwardly frozen to the spot, his brow furrowing... "Yeah... something like that," he said, feeling a tight ball catch in his throat as he said the words.

***

It had become almost a ritual, sitting in front of that TV, channel flicking with the mute button on at night even though there was nothing on. This time though, the very last time, Kurogane lounged on his sofa with his arm wrapped hesitantly around Fye's shoulders, frowning like he had no idea what he was doing or why and clenching the top of Fye's arm now and again, something grateful and adoring. It made Fye smile, his head pressed into against the sofa, made him grin and try not to stifle a delighted laugh though even he felt some restraint within the motion, felt something overwhelmingly awkward in their closeness; clumsy in their haste. At the very same time, he wanted to savour as much of this moment as he could.

He raised his face a small fraction and brought his lips lightly and tenderly to Kurogane's neck, a kiss dissolved in all the trapped adoration he'd felt over the past few months. He paused when Kurogane began to shift awkwardly under his touch, tensing slightly, unused to the sudden affection after months spent single and alone, before then confined within an ultimately unhappy marriage. Not to say that he didn't enjoy Fye touching or kissing him, it was just something that would unfortunately take a week or two to become accustomed to after spending so long assuring himself Fye was a neutral companion, a cleaner, a roommate, a tenant, a runaway… He pulled him closer into him, little wafts of blonde hair drifting softly against his face.

With a sad smile and a mournful gaze in his eyes, Fye's arms wrapped about his body, his fingers brushing against the back of his shirt uncertainly. "Kurogane…" he sighed in mild frustration, his voice slightly muffled against Kurogane's shoulder-blade as he rested his head down against him, sitting in that niche comfortably as though it was always supposed to be there, like he was always meant to lie against Kurogane this way.

"…Yeah?" Kurogane asked with a ball caught awkwardly in his throat, channel flicking to set a mood of extreme disinterest as he pretended not to feel Fye's fingers drifting and probing softly against his back.

"Well… first of all," Fye started, twisting his head slightly to look up at him, "you're terrible at faking." A sweet smile curled softly on his lips as he snuggled further into Kurogane, felt his heart beats thudding with a heavy and desperate pace through his chest. "Secondly… the children are in bed…" He let his fingers wander gracefully over his back, let his smile deepen playfully.

Kurogane almost choked, jolting forward and raising his eyebrows. "Isn't it a bit… early?" he grumbled apprehensively, frowning towards Fye curiously.

"Huh?... oh… I didn't mean it that way," Fye laughed, unwrapping his arms from Kurogane's body and drifting away slightly, smiling amusedly. He rested his hands against the sides of Kurogane's face and let out a slow breath that seemed to ease relief and contentment, staring into him fondly and letting his fingers brush lightly against his cheeks. His mouth opened for a moment and then he shut it again, words becoming stuck within his mouth. He glanced almost warily towards Kurogane, seemingly in thought before raising his lips, allowing his face to drift to the side of Kurogane's, to pause there before pressing a small, moist kiss into the corner of skin just beside his ear, his breath trickling hot and thick from his nose against Kurogane's face, causing his chest to knot and unwind, a smirk to appear on his face and then disappear again, reaching for Fye's shoulders and pulling him in.

Fye fell into the kiss without protest, wrapping his arms tenderly about Kurogane's neck as they locked lips, as they seemed to dig softly into each other's flesh, searching and probing gently for that feeling, that sensation that they connected perfectly. It was easily found, something lying just above the surface as if it was waiting for them, sitting just within reach as their fingers moved about their bodies slowly and carefully, both hesitant and hasty, enamoured and lusting. They both opened their mouths slightly wider, sharing more of one another and seeming to plunge ever deeper into that soft feeling as if they wanted to fall into it, nestle warmly within the unity they felt between them. Gradually, with building, budding confidence, Fye slipped a knee over Kurogane's legs, shuffling over until he was perched on top of his lap, sliding his hands to his shoulders and pressing him against the sofa as he brought his lips slowly away from his and took a breath, the air passing softly through to his lungs. He smiled preciously, the hint of a smirk.

Kurogane paused for a moment, shutting his eyes and listening to his pulse throb heavily within him, and then slowly opened them again, gazing up towards Fye and taking his time looking at him, drawing his eyes over his body despite his weight digging into his legs. He took in the small and fragile smile, its almost imperceptible curve, that deep and knowing gaze in his chill blue eyes that sparkled so warmly and yet appeared so afraid of these new boundaries they were pushing together, opening unexplored pathways in a strange and uncomfortable relationship. And then there was his body – something Kurogane wondered if he had ever noticed or ignored; something so beautifully pale and smooth, soft and silky to his touch he could shiver holding Fye against him. It seemed strange to him that only now these thoughts were occurring to him, of how neatly and cherishingly Fye smiled towards him, of how… attractive – yes, that was definitely the word, he realised – Fye was, how there was something pulsing between them. Perhaps it was merely a feeling that had been growing with time. Either way it seemed as though this was something he'd sorely needed, something wonderful and unavoidable that made him feel so strangely fulfilled for kissing a younger, foreign man's body.

He tenderly wrapped his arms about him waist, tugging him gently into him before Fye's knees slipped off his legs, jolting him forward into Kurogane so that he was practically straddling him. For a moment, Kurogane thought Fye was about to blush, the way his eyes widened in surprise, the way he bit his lip as his heart lurched and pounded fiercely in his chest. But instead he inhaled, gently and carefully as though to savour this touch and immortalise it, a warm lump of air expanding softly in his chest. He smiled once more, allowing Kurogane's arms to pull him into his chest, bringing his arms adoringly about his back. He rested his face against his shoulder, a dreamy smile playing upon his lips, sparkling in his eyes and Kurogane knotted his hands about his back, listening to the musical thrum of Fye's heart against him, feeling his chest expand and contract like a warm and fleshy bellow. He supposed Fye was young. He supposed the young and introverted Fye wasn't all that used to any sexual acts just yet, that he wouldn't be accustomed to being held in this way, feeling so much of their flesh connect, feeling Kurogane's body against his in so many places and ways his heart skipped out of sync.

Kurogane let out a warm breath of air through his nose and laid his head against the back of Fye's, inches from brushing his slender neck. His hair was light and ticklish, floating against Kurogane's nose and brushing his face; his scent was soft and almost powdery, so wonderfully pure and calming. Kurogane found something appealing to it almost immediately.

"So…" Fye eventually mumbled into his shoulder, his tone somehow stiff and guilty, "is this right?" His fingers tightened their grip on Kurogane's back anxiously.

Kurogane frowned for a minute, realising how this could be judged. "We're not hurting anyone. I don't see a problem," Kurogane muttered back, his breath pattering against Fye's neck and his voice rippling down his spine. To say he was completely free of concern would be a lie – others finding out about this little liaison would certainly be troublesome for him – but at the same time he saw no need to allow his concerns to prevent him from doing what he damn well pleased.

He brought a hand around and clasped Fye's chin, teased him about until they were face to face, hesitant and adoring eyes staring into firm but uncertain ones, and he kissed him again, a soft and assuring touch.

They separated carefully, awkward smiles and throbbing hearts; strands of blonde hair pushed away behind an ear and Kurogane's arms falling around his back one more.

"I mean wrong for us. Why kiss like this if it can't last..." He gave a sad sigh, smiling softly all the same though it seemed to throb a little with the echoes of heartbreak. "Do you think we've found something?" Fye almost whispered into him as his fingers stroked tenderly at his skin.

For once Kurogane paused and frowned, taken slightly back at the question that seemed so brutally forward to him, breaking into their small and fragile circle. Though he understood the importance of the question as he stared into Fye's eyes, absorbing their thoughtful glint that seemed to fear both time and consequence.

He drew his eyes awkwardly away from his, muttering to the side. "I think…" He stopped and paused, wondering exactly what he thought with all these separate thoughts and emotions seeming to fly about his body and his mind chaotically without end or pause, twisting his conscience and beliefs. "You're someone different... and you mean a lot that way." Vague enough to be the truth and tender enough to be kind, he hoped.

Whether it was the right thing to say or not, Fye was warmed by it, smiling and giving a dry, silent laugh to himself. He glanced down shyly then ran his hand along Kurogane's face like he'd never been told he was wonderful or attractive before, drawing his fingers silkily down his jaw. He grinned with a special sort of preciousness to it, a sense of happiness he'd never shown to Kurogane before and slowly, still smiling, he bent down to peck his lips, leaving a wondrously soft and beloved touch on Kurogane's lips, making a sweet little puckering noise as they separated.

Neither of them said a word, could say a word – staring and smiling meekly into the other with distant, pensive gazes. Fye's tongue steadily swept the inside of his cheek. He closed his eyes, gave a slow and steady smirk and clutched Kurogane's face in his hands. With barely a second's pause, he pulled them tightly together, locking lips suddenly and forcefully, opening his mouth wide and slipping his tongue into Kurogane's mouth with a tiny joyous tremble of his skin, as if this was something he'd always needed to do, this was one connection they'd needed to build and one bridge they were destined to cross. To begin with, it took Kurogane aback, barely able to sense that sudden shift from shy and tender to bold and passionate within Fye but he didn't resist or pull back, placing a hand against the back of Fye's neck, wrapping another about his hips, and pulling his closer in, deepening their kiss. He felt with an almost fateful savouring, his own tongue joining the embrace, skimming against Fye's own tongue and mouth with such pleasure it made his spine shiver and twist, Fye's smooth and long fingers running down his back and his own hand shifting further down and down his body, pulling them closer, causing their blood to pound… it lasted for a long time. Time ticked away without either of them caring to track it.

They were suddenly interrupted, another weight dropping on to the side of the sofa, bouncing it and causing Fye to unlatch from Kurogane, spinning around to stare widely and fearfully towards Mio.

She seemed to stare at them for a few moments with her head tilted to the side, cataloguing this sight as something new and very unexpected she wasn't able to define or make sense of.

"Mio-chan…" Fye breathed anxiously as he gazed towards her, his hands lying loosely on top of Kurogane's shoulders and pausing sat on top of him, frozen in place, as if he felt moving would only deepen his guilt at this point, confuse the poor child even more than she perhaps was.

She broke into a wide and shy grin, waddling over on top of the sofa padding and wrapping her arms about Fye.

He immediately broke into a laugh, both relieved and somehow delighted, gazing cherishingly towards Kurogane's daughter and squeezing her tightly in his arms like a beloved niece, holding her with all the regret and worry he felt at leaving Japan so soon, all the love that had been growing quietly within him for those months he'd spent with them. He tousled her hair lightly, whispering sweetly into her ear, "Du hast nichts gesehen, klar?"
You didn't see anything, right?

Amazingly she nodded. Fye's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Kurogane leaned forward curiously. Both of them seemed to believe she'd merely recognised it was a doting question but still there was something touched in the way Fye smiled towards her. "Ihr werdet mir so sehr fehlen... du und dein Bruder. Aber weißt du wie glücklich ihr euch schätzen könnt, so einen wundervollen Vater zu haben?" He gave her one last final squeeze and then let go, allowing her to fall into her father's chest, wrapping her arms sweetly and sleepily about him.
I'll miss you both so so much... you and your brother. But do you know how lucky you are to have a wonderful father like him?

"Tch," Kurogane muttered, smirking at the emotion of it all. He switched back to Japanese, gripping her arms tight, watching her sleepy eyes blink open. "You should be in bed by now. You should be fast asleep and I don't want to hear another sound out of you, got it?"

She nodded with a tired little bob of her head, falling against him. Fye slipped slowly off his lap, breathing in fresh air free their rushed romantics, grinning contentedly nonetheless and joining Kurogane as he tucked the child back into bed, wrapped the sheets protectively about her and said goodnight.

On the way to Kurogane's bedroom, Fye wrapped his fingers gently about Kurogane's wrist, tenderly grasping it in his own as if they were walking through an autumn dappled park on a beautifully crisp and romantic day. A first date. They shared melancholy look, passing through the doorway and into the dimly lit living-room, thinking of the things altering and shifting between them and the plane tickets cutting this secret blossoming back down to the roots before it was barely budding.

***
a/n: Hope you liked several pages' worth of just making out xD;;;
Again, a huge thank you to shhdonttell123 off livejournal for drawing and putting up so many wonderful pictures based off this story :D And this story was also nominated for the UFO fanfiction awards under WIPs so a gigantic thank you goes out for that too! I think voting finishes at the end of April. If you're interested, I'll try to type out the address without ff dot net freaking out about it – www [dot] dotmoon [dot] net/awards/awards_vote [dot] php (obv replace all the dots in brackets) – because there other great fanfics from Tsubasa there to vote for and other fandoms too!