Please don't blame me for the spelling of the manga series; I'm not CLAMP, and I don't title their work.
Before you begin reading: unlike my Deathly Hallows post, I am in no way trying to sum up the manga. I will refer to characters and situations that you most likely will not understand unless you're following the manga, but knowing the series is not crucial to understanding why I am absolutely in love with one of the main characters.
Now, onto why I adore Kurogane:
He comes off as this brusque Mister Manly focused entirely on returning to his homeland (from whence he has been banished by his princess). He states outright that he'll only accompany Syaoran and company on the quest to retrieve Sakura's feathers because it will take him through different dimensions en route (hopefully) to his country (feudal Japan). When readers first meet the ninja, he cares very little for Syaoran's task, and is particularly aloof.
However, this all melts away when battling various enemies the foursome encounters - people threatened by their presence, people out to snatch the same items the group searches for. Kurogane is usually the first to jump into battle, claiming to fight to relieve his boredom, but he recognizes that he is strong where some are rather weak and goes to great extremes to protect his travel companions.
Kurogane takes special interest in Syaoran; I think he admires the kid's tenacity and will to become strong to protect his precious someone - not unlike the ninja himself, as a child (and I think it is because he's lost sight of this that the Princess Tomoyo sends him on this journey; originally fighting to protect his beloved family and country, Kurogane has become ruthless, gaining strength only to be strong). He questions Syaoran's motives for learning swordplay, and is pleased when Syaoran says he only wants to be better able to protect Sakura. And when, later in the series, the real Syaoran reveals himself and proves that his lookalike, the group's Syaoran, is a clone and pawn of the dastardly Fei Wang Reed, Kurogane (unlike Sakura and Fay) takes to the new, true Syaoran, identifying in him the same honest traits that clone!Syaoran embodied. While the others remain a bit detached, Kurogane still looks after the younger boy.
At some point in the manga, Kurogane warms up to Sakura as well; he's still intimidatingly gruff, but he also looks after her well-being, often carrying away her unconscious form as they hop from dimension to dimension. Sakura herself notices that it is Kurogane who worries most for the group. I also noticed, in chapter 86, that Sakura was flying directly over the unintended geyser; it appears that Kurogane, who was flying close behind, rammed his own Dragonfly into the back of Sakura's, pushing her to safety and taking the brunt of the geyser's force himself. Say it with me - "AWWWW!"
He and Mokona have an adorable relationship. Mokona and Fay are the only two who aren't at all intimidated by Kurogane's Ninja-tude; Mokona frequently steals his food, pokes fun at his expense, and claims the large nina's shoulder/head as its riding post, much to Kurogane's despair. Kurogane, in return, constantly barrages the magical creature, chasing it around with pillows, squeezing it between his fists, and pulling its ears. However, in the process of saving Fay's life, he takes the Dimension Witch Yuko's advice and does everything she tells him to do without a second thought - because Mokona trusts the Witch, and he trusts the "white manjuu."
This, of course, brings me to Fay. The other "adult" in the group, Fay constantly harangues Kurogane with absurd bastardizations of the ninja's name, by constantly invading his personal space, and by doing everything to irritate Kurogane's short temper. Kurogane saves Fay's life several times, however, and is able to see past the annoying habits and constant cheer that the magician hides behind. He often probes into Fay's persona with disquieting perception; Fay's face registers surprise every time Kurogane asks one of his insightful questions, as if he hadn't expected to meet anyone who'd care enough to look beneath the mask.
When Fay loses an eye to clone!Syaoran, Kurogane sacrifices his blood to save the man's life. Kurogane's blood, mixed with a vampire's, changes Fay into a vampire as well - a vampire dependent on Kurogane's blood for sustenance. I think Fay would have rather died, and not just for his altruistic reasons, and resents Kurogane's intervention; growing close to the ninja throws Fay's angst-ridden, self-imposed exile for a loop. Fay made no wish to save his own life, however; it was Kurogane who struck the bargain with the Witch. As a result of this irrevocable bond, Fay distances himself with Kurogane - he no longer calls Kurogane by the ridiculous nicknames, and maintains a coldly polite distance – and refuses to forgive Kurogane for saving his life, because then they'd only be closer.
As far as I can tell, Fay's never known anyone who cared for him as anything beyond a tool, so Kurogane presents an interesting alternative that Fay isn't really equipped to handle. Fay is extremely reluctant to open up to others; CLAMP has only just begun to introduce Fay's heinously tragic past to their readers. I think the change in his attitude toward Kurogane has something more to it than just the fact that the ninja saved his emo ass, but I'm still at a loss as to why Fay's taken that action so to heart. He says he doesn't want to see anyone hurt on his behalf (such as his twin), but Kurogane's no child - the man's fully capable of taking care of himself.
Or maybe Fay just wants to deny that he and Kurogane are so totally in LUUUUV.
But despite Fay's suddenly cold demeanor, Kurogane is still invested in the other man's life. After the mage's horrific past (and real name!) is revealed to his traveling companions by his king, Kurogane draws his blade and jumps into battle once more. For a while, it seems like Kurogane is fighting Fay with the intention to kill, but in a twist of events, Kurogane slashes through the real (and really dead) Fay, and, in a dramatic speech (with much posturing and claiming of Fay as his), renounces King Ashura and the inconsistencies in his re-telling of Fay's history, and stands on top of by his friend; he reminds Fay that his past has nothing to do with the two of them so get over it and see the hunk of sexy man standing beside you.
Kurogane is extremely selfless throughout most of the manga. Sure, he's gruff, but he's also caring. He's the Stoic Ninja, but he also possesses a short temper. He's quiet, yet he's discerning to an uncomfortable degree for the likes of Syaoran and Fay.
Plus, he's damned sexy for a set of lines. :D
Right. This one is 1,158 words. I swear, they'll get shorter.
