Date Finished: September 6th, 2003
Classification: Romance, Angst
Pairing: Touya/Yuki
Rating: NC-17
Note: Response to the `Stranger In Our House' challenge at
AdoptAPlotBunny: (http://lists.squidge.org/wws/info/adoptaplotbunny ;
http://www.squidge.org/~peja/behindthescenes/plotbunnies.htm)
Love Is...
By Elsewhere
<[email protected]>
All other information in Part One.
Part Six:
Glossary:
aa - yeah
aishiteru - I love you
aishiteru mo - I love you too
ano - um
arigatou - thank you
baka - idiot
chigau - no; that's wrong
chikusho - damn it
chotto matte - wait a minute
daijoubu/daijoubu da - it's okay; I'm okay
daijoubu?/daijoubu ka? - are you okay?
demo - but
doushita nanda? - what's wrong?; what happened?
eto - um
genkan - the entranceway of a Japanese residence, where you take off
your shoes
gomen - sorry
gomen nasai - I'm so sorry
gomen ne - I'm sorry
hai - yes; okay
hayaku - hurry
hora - hey
ii n desu - it's okay
iie - no
imouto - younger sister
iya - no
kaijuu - monster---Touya's affectionate nickname for Sakura
Kami/Kami-sama - God
konnichiwa - hello
kono baka - you idiot
kuso - shit
matte kudasai ne - please wait
moshi moshi - hello (on the phone)
mou - please (whiny <g>)
mou daijoubu da yo - it's all right now
nanda? - what is it?
nande? - why?
nani? - what?
ne - sort of like `eh' or `hey'...a word used to emphasize a point or
get someone's attention
oi - hey
okaa(`kaa) - mother
onegai - please
onii - older brother
sou - yes; that's right
sou da - that's right; that's true
tadaima - I'm home
taku - damn
wakanai/wakaranai - I don't know; I don't understand
wakaru?/wakaru ka? - do you understand?
wakatta; wakatteiru - I know; I understand
zutto - always; forever
*****
Forever
I won't let go
Even if it hurts you
Forever
I'll stay by you
Until this world is destroyed
*****
For the second time in as many nights, Yuki was consciously aware
that he was dreaming, and for the second time, he had the feeling
that his dream was being led. As soon as he began the slow drift
towards awareness, he felt a hand clamp down on his own and pull him
back downwards. At first he struggled. He felt like he was
underwater, and there was pressure on his lungs: he was drowning. But
then darkness surrounded him, and warmth: Yue's arms, and Yue's
wings. He pressed closer, seeking that warmth, until his ear was
against Yue's chest, listening to his heartbeat, and he could feel
Yue breathing.
<Mou daijoubu da yo,> he heard whispered through his mind, and he
glanced up, seeking and eventually finding Yue's eyes. He was hoping
to find a smile there, some hint of gentle lavender within the
silver, but his heart sank in his chest when all he found was chill
sadness.
<Yue...> he whispered, and as he spoke he placed his hand over Yue's
heart, pressing his fingers tightly against the skin of Yue's chest
as though trying to find some physical explanation for Yue's sorrow.
<Iie,> Yue said quietly but firmly, taking Yuki's hand and pulling it
away from his chest. Yuki's eyes flew to Yue's, widening with hurt.
Yue closed his eyes and shook his head. <The answer you seek lies
within your own memory.>
<But I *don't* remember, Yue,> Yuki said, feeling dream-tears
stinging his eyes. <I don't know what you're talking about...>
<Sou,> Yue agreed, tilting his head as he reached up a hand to gently
brush Yuki's messy bangs away from his forehead. <Because you could
not understand at the time, you told yourself not to worry about what
you had seen, and so...you let yourself forget.>
<Forget what?> Yuki whispered. He could feel himself starting to
shake, and felt only mildly comforted when Yue enfolded him in his
arms again.
<Push yourself to remember,> Yue said patiently. <It was no more than
two weeks ago, now. You came home from work late, tired. You could
smell something cooking; To-ya was making dinner. You took off your
shoes and prepared to go into the living room, but you noticed
something was different...what was it?>
Yuki's eyes were tightly closed as he tried to layer Yue's words over
his own vague recollections.
<Home late from work...home late...sou da...I do remember...> Yuki frowned
slightly as he pushed himself to remember more clearly. <I came
through the door and I could smell the curry immediately. To-ya heard
the door...he called out hello, and I answered...I took off my shoes...then
I noticed...>
Yuki reached out his arm, brushing lightly against Yue's wing,
mimicking his memory, in which he'd reached out into the hall closet,
frowning slightly at an unfamiliar jacket hanging there.
<I wondered whose it was,> Yuki murmured, both to himself and to Yue.
<I thought it must belong to one of To-ya's coworkers...that he must
have had one of them over to the apartment because of the project,
and that the coworker must have forgotten it here. I thought To-ya
would probably return it to them in the morning, and then I thought
nothing more of it, except I noticed that the jacket wasn't in the
closet anymore after dinner...>
Yuki stiffened suddenly, and he felt Yue's fingers tighten slightly
on his arm.
<Yue...you don't mean that you think...>
His voice trailed away and he shook his head, but just as he was
about to turn and seek Yue's eyes, looking for some explanation,
looking for proof that his assumption was wrong, he felt himself
drifting upwards again, and this time Yue's hand was pushing him
rather than holding him down...
*****
For several long moments he just lay there numbly under the covers,
staring at the blurry red numbers of the bedside clock.
"Yue," he murmured finally, out loud. Even to his own ears, his voice
sounded cold and dead. "You think...you think that To-ya is cheating on
me...don't you? You think he's being unfaithful."
Yue was silent for so long that Yuki was beginning to wonder if he
was being ignored. Then, finally, Yue removed himself lithely from
Yuki's consciousness and took a slow, quiet breath.
<I do not know what it's called,> Yue said simply.
"You think To-ya is seeing someone else," Yuki said, his voice
softening even further. "You think that jacket belonged to someone
else that To-ya is..."
He had to stop then, closing his eyes against the sudden, very real
pain of tears.
"You think that's why he's been so tired...so strange...why he's been
away so often, and sometimes not at work when he's said he's been...you
think that's why he's lied...Yue, is that really what you think?"
Yue was silent, but there was a tone to his silence that spoke louder
than any words possibly could have.
"Kami-sama..." Yuki whimpered, curling up into a fetal ball beneath the
covers, bringing up his arms to cover his head as though trying to
protect himself from the way his thoughts were suddenly spinning out
of control. "Iie...Yue...iie...chigau...To-ya would never..."
But it made so much sense. Suddenly it all made so much sense...
"Kami..." Yuki whispered, and then he started to cry, desperately
clutching the sheets with one hand and his stomach with the other,
fighting against the shudders that wracked his body. Suddenly he felt
so weak...he wished he was back in the dream, so that Yue could take
him in his arms...all he wanted at the moment was to be held, to feel
*somebody* holding him.
When he finally started to calm down, he became aware of the way Yue
had settled gently back into his consciousness, a calming, sorrowful
influence, and he accepted Yue's touch, glad for the attempt even
though it brought him no comfort.
<Gomen,> Yue murmured into his mind. <I can only hope that I'm wrong.>
Yuki only nodded, unable to speak.
"Where..." His voice came out as little more than a hoarse croak, so he
cleared his throat and tried again. "Where is he now?"
<Wakanai,> Yue said quietly.
"I should try to find him..." Yuki said, slowly forcing himself to sit
up and blow his nose before he fumbled to find his glasses. He
shakily got to his feet and pulled on some clothes, surprised by how
weak he felt. He knew it wasn't just because of the shock he'd just
had.
<Gently,> Yue said softly. <What happened to me yesterday will still
be affecting you as well. That's why you slept so long.>
"Hai," Yuki said, nodding before he reluctantly made his way out of
the bedroom and towards the kitchen. He sighed quietly when he
realized he was alone, and made his way towards the bulletin board,
looking for a note. Sure enough, he found one posted, in Touya's
messy handwriting.
`Yuki,
Gone home for a little while to check up on Sakura. Breakfast's in
the fridge.
-Touya'
"What a time to serve his sister complex," Yuki said with another
sigh as he padded over to the phone, bypassing the fridge. He dialed
the number quickly; he still knew it by heart.
It rang twice before it picked up.
"Moshi moshi," a male voice said, somewhat hesitantly, and Yuki
blinked, startled. It wasn't Touya's voice, but it also wasn't
Fujitaka's.
"Moshi moshi..." Yuki said with a similar hesitation, not as polite as
he would usually be, because of his mood and his surprise. "I was
wondering if Kinomoto To-ya was there?"
"Oh...iya...gomen, he's just left," the voice said, and now it sounded
somewhat sheepish.
"Oh...then could I possibly speak to Fujitaka-san or Sakura-chan?"
"Neither of them is here either," the voice said, starting to sound
more and more uncomfortable.
<Who is that?> Yue said, so suddenly and so sharply into Yuki's mind
that Yuki started, almost dropping the phone.
"Can I take a mess..." the voice began to ask, but before the rest of
the question could get out, Yuki slammed the phone down.
<What did you do that for?> Yue snapped. <Don't you realize who that
might have been!?>
Yuki caught his breath, holding a hand up to his chest as his heart
started to pound.
"Iie..." he whispered, closing his eyes tightly. "Iie...Yue...not To-ya...
especially not at his family's house..."
<Go!> Yue commanded, so abruptly that Yuki's eyes snapped open again.
<Go there, quickly! You may be able to catch that man, and confront
him!>
"Yue..." Yuki began again, his tone bordering on desperate.
<Hayaku!> Yue whispered, and Yuki closed his eyes briefly before he
hurried over to the door, slipped on his shoes and his jacket, and
started out the door, not bothering to leave a note.
*****
He was halfway through the park, bicycling at top speed, when he
spotted Tomoyo and Sakura at an ice cream stand. For a moment he was
tempted to ignore them and keep going, but when they saw him and
started waving, he was forced to stop and say hi. They obviously saw
the tension in his eyes and noticed his harried appearance instantly,
because the smiles on their faces vanished immediately.
"Yukito-san," Sakura said, sounding surprised and
concerned. "Daijoubu ka? Are you feeling well enough to be out?"
"Sakura-chan," he breathed, shaking his head to dismiss her
question. "Have you seen To-ya?"
"Onii-chan?" she repeated, eyebrows lifting. "Not today...nande?"
"I need to find him..." Yuki said, shaking his head again. "He left me
a note saying he was going to your house."
"To my house?" Sakura repeated, eyebrows lifting further. "But
nobody's been there all day...why would he go there?"
Yuki felt his heart plummet to somewhere in the pit of his stomach.
"Never mind...I'm sure I'll find him," he said breathlessly before he
started to peddle again, harder than he ever had in his life.
"Yukito-san, matte kudasai ne!!" Sakura called after him, but he
didn't stop or turn back, his focus entirely on getting to her house
before it was too late.
*****
"Oi, Yuki...tadaima!" Touya called as he slipped his shoes off and
closed the door behind himself, then poked his head into the
kitchen. "Yuki?"
Silence greeted him, so Touya shrugged and made his way through the
apartment towards the bedroom, figuring that Yuki was probably still
sleeping.
"Oi, Yuki..." he began as he pushed open the door. He frowned when he
saw that the room was empty, the bed sheets messily tossed
aside. "Nani...? Where the hell...?"
He'd just finished getting himself a cup of coffee when he heard a
frantic pounding at the door. He hurried over to open it, then
frowned darkly when he saw Li Syaoran standing out in the hallway,
breathing heavily as though he'd just run a marathon.
"What do *you* want?" Touya asked sourly. "Seeing you once in one day
is enough."
"It's Tsukishiro," Syaoran said between pants, and before Touya could
protest, Syaoran pushed his way past the taller man and into the
apartment. Touya watched, astonished, as Syaoran looked quickly
around the apartment. "Is he here?"
"Iie...he wasn't here when I got back. Nande?"
"He called Sakura's house a while ago," Syaoran said, running a hand
through his hair and frowning as he tried to catch his breath. "Just
after you left. He didn't seem to recognize my voice. He sounded
really upset."
"Upset?" Touya repeated, lifting his eyebrows.
Syaoran nodded, his frown deepening.
"You don't know what's wrong with him?" he asked.
Touya shook his head.
"Chikusho," Syaoran muttered, rubbing at his forehead. "I was hoping
he'd be here...he sounded so..."
Syaoran growled.
"Wakaranai," he said after a moment, before he looked to Touya with a
raised eyebrow. "Mind if I get a cup of coffee?"
"Help yourself," Touya said with a mildly annoyed sigh, and Syaoran
slipped off his shoes before he wandered into the kitchen to fetch
himself a cup. Touya chewed at his lip as he stood waiting in the
hall, wondering what could have happened to Yuki that he would sound
upset enough to have concerned Li.
Touya sighed after a moment, resigning himself to the fact that he'd
probably have no clue until Yuki got home and he had a chance to ask
him. He walked to his office, leaving the door open as he went in and
slumped down in his chair, sipping at his coffee and closing his
eyes. He didn't open them, even when he sensed someone standing in
the doorway.
"Come in," he muttered after a moment, and he heard a quiet sigh and
then the sound of the leather of his couch creaking slightly as
Syaoran sat down.
"Can I ask you a question?" Syaoran asked, and Touya finally opened
his eyes, looking over to watch as Syaoran leaned forward, resting
his elbows against his knees, holding his steaming coffee cup
carefully in his hands.
"I suppose," Touya said with a nod.
"Why do you hate me so much?" Syaoran asked, almost conversationally,
his eyes remaining on the cream as it swirled through his coffee.
Only an idiot like him wouldn't stir the cream in, Touya was thinking.
"We've already been over this once today," Touya said dismissively,
turning to place his coffee cup aside before he opened his laptop.
"Iya, we haven't," Syaoran said, a bit of irritation in his voice
now. He'd always had a problem with his temper, which was one of the
reasons why he and Touya usually didn't get along well. "You didn't
say anything important today...you never do. We get together and talk
so often, and you never *say* anything."
Touya sighed, bringing up a hand to rub at the sudden pain he felt
flaring up in his temples. He closed his laptop again and turned back
to face the brat. He had a feeling he wouldn't be getting any work
done anytime soon.
"What do you want me to say?" he growled, fixing a fierce gaze on the
young man before him.
"I just want you to answer me truthfully, damn it," Syaoran snapped,
almost spilling his coffee as he set it violently down on the nearest
clear surface. "Why do you hate me so much? Is it really because of
what happened the first time you saw me with Sakura? Taku, that was
years ago! I didn't know what I was doing, and you know that I would
never..."
"Kono baka," Touya gritted, pinching the bridge of his nose and
trying not to wince. "It's not about *that*. Don't you get it? It's
nothing to do with *you* at all."
"Nani?" Syaoran said, some of the anger leeching away from his face,
replaced by surprise. "What do you mean, `not about me'...?"
"Baka," Touya repeated, his own irritation lifting slightly in his
amusement. He let out a slight chuckle. "It's not about *you*...it's
about *me*."
"...You?" Syaoran repeated dumbly, and Touya nodded.
"Listen," Touya said, leaning back and folding his hands in his lap,
closing his eyes. "When our `kaa-san died when Sakura was just a kid,
I promised I would always protect Sakura. It's...hard for me to think
of giving up that promise at all...wakaru ka? If I let her go...if I *do*
give you my permission to do this..."
Syaoran caught his breath, shock moving over his face, and Touya
smiled, knowing what kind of expression he would see on Syaoran's
face even though he hadn't opened his eyes.
"I know you would never hurt her. I know you love her...I know she
loves you. But she's my imouto, and I made that promise to myself...
it's hard for me to give her up. Do you understand that?"
"Aa," Syaoran said finally, quietly. "I guess I do."
"So even though I think you're a total brat and I don't understand
what she sees in you at all," Touya said, opening his eyes to watch
as Syaoran's stunned look finally dissolved into a grudging
smile, "it's not about you...wakaru ka?"
"Aa...wakatteiru," Syaoran said, grinning. "But does that mean...?"
Touya sighed as he turned back to his desk, reaching out for his
coffee cup and taking a long, slow sip, bracing himself for what he
was about to say.
"Aa," Touya said finally, turning back to give Syaoran a careful
smile. "It means what you think. Aa...I give you and Sakura my consent."
Syaoran grinned back at him for a moment before he frowned slightly.
"Finally!" he said. "Kuso! We were beginning to think you would never
give in."
"Well, if you weren't such an ass, it wouldn't be such a problem,"
Touya said, sniffing as he turned his attention back to his coffee.
"Oi! Chotto matte! Who's the ass, here!?" Syaoran said, holding up a
fist.
"Maybe we should ask Sakura's opinion on that," Touya said with a
snide grin.
Syaoran opened his mouth to answer, but before he could get a single
word out, they heard the sound of the front door slamming open, and
both of them bolted upright in their seats, startled by the sound.
"Is that...?" Syaoran began, but Touya placed a finger against his
lips, shaking his head slightly.
If Yuki had something to say to him, he wanted to give Yuki the
chance to say it in his own time.
*****
Yuki fought to catch his breath as he slowly let the door fall closed
behind him, but suddenly he couldn't seem to breathe. That jacket,
that same jacket, was hanging in the closet. Not only that, but a
pair of running shoes, an unfamiliar pair of men's running shoes, was
on the floor in the genkan.
"To-ya..." Yuki whispered, his eyes flooding with tears as he fought
against the urge to just slide to the floor. He couldn't stop the
thoughts that spiraled instantly through his mind.
/How could you...To-ya, how could you...our own apartment.../
<Calm down,> Yue said firmly in his mind. <Go find him...confront him
with this.>
Yuki nodded, opening his eyes and forcing his heartbeat to calm
before he made his way slowly down the hallway. The sick feeling in
his stomach only grew worse as he approached the door of Touya's
office. As soon as he reached it, he could see Touya sitting in the
chair at his desk, sipping a cup of coffee.
"Konnichiwa, Yuki," Touya said simply, when Yuki stopped and stood in
the doorway. "Where'd you go?"
/Where did *I* go!?/
"Oh, To-ya!!" Yuki almost wailed, bringing up a hand to cover his
face and fighting the urge to flee.
"Oi!" Touya cried, startled, quickly putting aside his coffee and
getting to his feet. He hurried over to Yuki's side. "Yuki, doushita
nanda!?"
"To-ya, how could you!?" Yuki cried, sobbing as he reached out to
place a hand on Touya's chest.
"How could I what!?" Touya asked, utterly confounded by Yuki's words
as he tried to gather Yuki into his arms. He blinked when Yuki tried
to get away, and Yuki stiffened when he almost ran straight into
another warm, tall body.
"Ano...I seem to be here at a really bad time...I can come back later..." a
soft, hesitant voice said, and for the first time, Yuki looked up
into the face of his betrayer...
And felt his heart stop.
"Li...Li Syaoran...kun?" Yuki whispered hesitantly, slowly taking a step
forward towards the young man standing in front of him.
Syaoran nodded, the look of confusion and distress on his face only
growing worse as Yuki started to cry again. This time his sobs were
mingled with an odd sort of hiccup that seemed halfway towards
laughter.
"Li...Li Syaoran-kun..." Yuki said again, before he slowly turned back to
look up at Touya's face, finding there a look almost as befuddled as
the one on Syaoran's face. "Li Syaoran-kun...?"
Touya slowly nodded, reaching up to rub the back of his head. He was
beginning to wonder if maybe yesterday Yue had taken a head wound he
hadn't noticed.
"Li Syaoran-kun!" Yuki whispered, and then he took another two steps
forward and crumpled into Touya's arms, starting to sob in earnest.
"Er..." Touya began, gesturing with his head towards the door, and
Syaoran nodded, looking grateful as he quickly slipped past the other
two, shutting the office door on his way out.
"Yuki...Yuki, onegai...tell me what this is about," Touya said, pulling
Yuki into a tighter hug as Yuki sobbed against Touya's neck.
It took several moments before Yuki had calmed down enough to be able
to answer, and when he had calmed enough, Touya led him over to the
couch and sat down, gathering Yuki into his lap and soothingly
rubbing his back as Yuki struggled to explain. Suddenly he felt very,
very ashamed. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but seeing
Syaoran...he knew instantly that he had to have been very wrong.
"Oh, To-ya, I thought..." Yuki whispered, closing his eyes as Touya
stroked a hand through his hair. "Gomen nasai...I feel so ashamed...I
thought that you were..."
"That I was what, Yuki?" Touya asked, lifting his eyebrows.
"I thought you were with someone else," Yuki whispered, dropping his
head to rest against Touya's shoulder.
Touya blinked.
"You thought I was cheating on you?" he said, and then he blinked
again and started to laugh. "With the brat?"
Yuki winced.
"I didn't know...I...is it Syaoran-kun that you've been meeting all this
time? Those times that you would say you were going to work but then
you wouldn't be there...and then when you would talk on the phone to
someone and you'd be tense afterwards..."
"Aa, that was him," Touya said, trying to stop chuckling at the
thought. Then he ran back over Yuki's words in his mind. "Mm...aa, I
can see how you might think that I was having an affair...kuso. Yuki...
gomen ne. I never thought you would take it that way, or I would have
told you. It's just that Sakura wanted to try to keep it a secret
until it was official..."
"Until what was official?" Yuki asked, lifting his head to meet
Touya's eyes again.
"Their engagement," Touya said, smiling when Yuki's eyes widened. "Li
proposed to Sakura as soon as he got back to Japan three weeks ago.
He's been trying to convince me to give them my consent ever since...
that's why I've been meeting him."
Yuki stared at Touya in silence for a moment before finally he closed
his eyes.
"To-ya...all this...because of your sister complex?" he whispered
finally, and Touya started to laugh again, leaning forward to rest
his forehead against Yuki's as he soothingly ran his hands through
Yuki's hair.
Yuki sighed softly.
"Oh To-ya...gomen nasai. I'm the one who was unfaithful, to have
thought such a thing about you...I should never have doubted you," Yuki
murmured miserably, and Touya chuckled again, lightly tousling Yuki's
hair before pulling him gently into another hug.
"It's not your fault...I don't blame you for thinking that," Touya
assured him, placing a gentle kiss against Yuki's forehead. "I might
have thought the same thing in your situation. And besides...I'm
willing to bet that you didn't come up with this entire theory on
your own...did you?"
Touya leaned back, lifting an eyebrow at Yuki and smirking slightly.
Yuki blushed, turning his eyes downwards.
"This certainly explains why Yue was so angry with me," Touya said,
chuckling quietly to himself as he again gathered Yuki in his arms
and gently rubbed his back. "It's good to know that he cares so much."
"Mm," Yuki agreed quietly, clinging to Touya's shoulders.
"Yuki...in case there was any doubt...aishiteru," Touya whispered,
turning his head to nuzzle into Yuki's temple, making Yuki shiver. "I
will always love you, and only you. I would never deliberately do
anything to hurt you. Wakaru?"
"Hai," Yuki whispered, turning his face towards Touya and sighing
softly when Touya kissed him, so gently. He felt relief settle deep
into his soul, and he heard a soft sigh in his mind and
smiled. "Aishiteru mo, To-ya."
"Hmm..." Touya murmured as he pulled back from another kiss, opening
his eyes to grin at Yuki before he gently gripped either side of
Yuki's mouth and tugged, forming a funny face. "We'd better go rescue
the brat."
Yuki chuckled as Touya got to his feet, making sure Yuki was steady
before he went to the door.
They found Syaoran sitting at the dining room table, idly shuffling
through a deck of his fuda cards.
"Hora, brat," Touya said idly, and Syaoran jumped as though he'd done
something wrong, quickly getting to his feet and shoving his cards
into a pocket.
"E...eto..." Syaoran muttered.
"Never mind," Touya said with a grin.
"Daijoubu da," Yuki said with a gentle smile. "Gomen nasai, Syaoran-
kun...I didn't mean to frighten you."
"Er...that is to say...I..." Syaoran said, blushing deeply as his eyes met
Yuki's, and Yuki chuckled gently, still amused by the way Syaoran
seemed to be affected, even now, by his childhood crush.
"Won't you stay for dinner?" Yuki offered, and Syaoran accepted
before Touya could do more than weakly protest. Before any of them
could move into the kitchen, someone knocked on the door.
"I'll get it," Touya said, walking over and opening it.
"Konnichiwa," two female voices said in unison, as Sakura and Tomoyo
poked their heads in the door.
"We came by to see if Yukito-san was feeling any better," Sakura said
with a friendly waggle of her fingers towards Yuki, who smiled warmly
and waved back.
"And we brought gifts!" Tomoyo said, holding up a bottle of fine sake
and a basket of cheese and fruit.
"Mou, taku," Touya said, letting out a sigh. "All right, come in,
both of you...I guess we'll make an evening out of it."
"Arigatou," the girls chorused again, giggling as they made their way
in.
"Oh, and by the way, kaijuu," Touya said, and before Sakura could
stomp his foot into the ground, he grinned. "Congratulations."
Sakura turned to stare at him, and when he just lifted an eyebrow,
she turned to Syaoran, who blushed lightly and scratched his head.
Then everyone laughed as Sakura took off at a run towards Syaoran,
who begged her to stop but of course went unheeded as she slammed
into him, sending him crashing to the floor. She kissed him, making
him turn beet red.
Yuki jumped a bit when he felt hands fall on his shoulders, squeezing
gently.
"Feeling better now?" Touya said softly, nuzzling his nose lightly
against the back of Yuki's ear.
"Hai...much better," Yuki said, offering Touya a gentle smile as he
turned to look at him.
"Mou daijoubu da yo," Touya said with a smile, squeezing Yuki's arm.
"Wakatta," Yuki said after only a moment's hesitation, and that was
only because he was waiting, making sure that he wasn't the only one
paying attention. "Wakatta, To-ya. Arigatou."
*****
Later that night, after everyone had left, Yuki gathered all the
dishes from the table and carried them into the kitchen, where Touya
was already rolling up his sleeves, preparing to wash them. Yuki
started to take off his sweater, getting ready to dry, but he stopped
when Touya shook his head.
"Never mind...I'll take care of it," Touya said with a gentle
smile. "Go to bed...get some rest. I'll be there soon."
"To-ya..." Yuki began, surprised.
"Go on," Touya said with a quick wink, and Yuki paused a moment
before he finally smiled and then rubbed Touya's arm before making
his way to the bedroom.
He stripped out of his clothes and changed into his pajamas quickly,
not sure why he felt so chilled, suddenly. He pulled back the covers
and curled himself under them, closing his eyes as he felt himself
start to shake. He wasn't sure what it was...reaction, maybe?
Everything was fine now, but...he still couldn't believe how much had
happened in one day.
"Yue?" he whispered after a moment, and after the usual hesitation he
felt the guardian separate himself from Yuki's consciousness.
<Nanda?> Yue asked, sounding a bit irritable.
"Daijoubu ka?" Yuki asked softly.
Yue didn't answer, and didn't seem intent on answering, so finally
Yuki smiled slightly and burrowed even more deeply under the covers.
"Oi, Yuki...are you awake?" Touya whispered a few moments later, poking
his head through the door.
"Hai," Yuki whispered back from his den beneath the sheets and
blankets.
He heard Touya's footsteps, the sound muffled from under the layers
of fabric, and then the warmth that surrounded him was disturbed as
Touya peeled back the covers and peered in at him.
"Anybody in there?" Touya asked, laughing softly at the little curled
up mass of Yuki on the bed.
"It's cold!" Yuki protested. "Either get in or put the covers back
over me!"
"Hai, hai," Touya said, chuckling again before he put the covers back
over Yuki.
Yuki pouted. He'd been hoping Touya was going to go with the first
option.
A moment later the covers were pulled back again, however, and Touya
crawled into Yuki's warm little space.
"Daijoubu?" Touya murmured, and Yuki nodded without opening his eyes.
"Gomen," Yuki whispered again, and Touya smiled as he leaned down to
place a light kiss on the tip of Yuki's nose.
"Ii n desu," he said gently. "Demo Yuki...can I talk to Yue for a
minute?"
Yuki's eyes flew open and then he tried not to laugh at the panicked
thoughts that instantly moved through Yue's mind.
"Right here? Right now?" Yuki asked, eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Sure, why not?" Touya said, also smiling as he pulled the covers
more tightly around them.
<Absolutely not!> Yue sputtered in Yuki's mind. <There is absolutely
no way that I...>
Yue's words were cut off as for only the second time in his life with
Yuki, Yue was forced into transforming. He was still muttering quiet
curses when the light faded and he found himself curled uncomfortably
in a tight space that was far too small for someone as lanky as
himself. Touya was pressed far too close to him for his comfort, too.
"Yue," Touya said firmly, before Yue could speak, and Yue caught his
breath when he realized just *how* close Touya was. Touya was just
inches from Yue's face, and his hand was cupping Yue's
cheek. "Arigatou."
"For what?" Yue asked, trying not to blush, even though he knew Touya
probably wouldn't see it in the dark.
"For worrying about Yuki," Touya said with a smile. Even in the dark,
Yue could see the warmth in Touya's eyes. "But you know, Yue...you
should try to trust me a little more...ne?"
Touya trailed his fingertip down Yue's cheek before pulling his hand
back, and now Yue felt his cheeks burning.
"Hai," Yue said finally, swallowing before he lowered his
eyes. "Gomen ne, To-ya."
"Daijoubu," Touya said with a smile. "Demo...I would never hurt Yuki,
Yue. And I would never hurt you."
Yue swallowed again.
"You can go now, if you want," Touya said with a little grin, when it
seemed like Yue wasn't going anywhere. Yue stiffened a bit, then let
out a quiet sigh, rolled his eyes, and vanished in a flare of bright
light. Yuki was still chuckling when he reappeared.
"I guess he wasn't expecting you to say that," Yuki said with a grin,
leaning forward, seeking a kiss. He grinned when Touya avoided him,
instead gently nuzzling his cheek.
"What about you?" Touya asked, trailing kisses lightly down Yuki's
jawbone.
Yuki sighed softly, closing his eyes.
"Arigatou, To-ya...arigatou."
"That's all you have to say?" Touya said with a smile, leaning back
to grin at Yuki before he gave him a gentle kiss.
"Iie," Yuki said, shaking his head before he leaned up to wrap his
arms around Touya's neck. "I have something else to say.
"Aishiteru, To-ya. Zutto...aishiteru."
*****
Love is my only...
Love is my treasure
*****
THE END