DARK ANGEL RISING
© Nov. 22, 2002 By Rory V. Pascual
CHAPTER ONE:
Yawning, Kinomoto Touya rubbed his knuckles over his eyes to clear away the cobwebs of sleep. It's been two months since he had given his Gift to Yue, in order to prevent his dearest friend Tsukishiro Yukito from disappearing into the ether. The matter of the Clow Cards has finally been settled, with his sister Sakura now the mistress of the mystical cards. What he couldn't understand was why he still felt completely drained.
Touya wondered if it had anything to do with the dreams he'd been having at night, dreams he could not remember, but had always left him shivering in terror.
Why am I fretting over a vague nightmare? Touya mused in annoyance. I have more important things to worry about, not the least of which is that...talk...I'm going to have with Yuki today.
A wry smile quirked up the boy's lips. Now that was a scary thought. After so long, he has, at last, managed to get the courage up to tell Yukito how he truly felt. A difficult thing, actually, considering the fact that his best friend was one of two entities existing in one body. He was a bit more confident about Yukito, but Yue was a difficult matter. What if the cold Moon Angel didn't approve of his relationship with Yuki? What if Yue didn't share Yuki's feelings towards him?
Sighing, Touya mumbled, "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Breakfast first."
Going down the stairs, he donned his apron and headed straight for the kitchen. Touya, however, was surprised to find his father already putting around before the stove, the smell of frying bacon heavy in the air.
"Ohayo, Touya," Fujitaka greeted his son.
"Ohayo, Tousan," Touya greeted in turn. Taking the bowl where the eggs were waiting to be whisked, he asked, "What're you doing up so early? It's my day to cook breakfast."
"It's all right," his father reassured him. "I just couldn't sleep anymore so I decided to make an early start."
Seeing how haggard his father looked, Touya quickly pulled up a chair for him. "You don't look good, Tousan. Why don't you just sit down and I'll finish this up for you?"
As his father sat down at the dining table, Touya took the bacon strips out of the fire before they got burned and distributed it on three plates. After poaching the eggs and placing bread buns in the serving basket, he poured his father a cup of coffee.
"Here you go," he said, smiling, laying the steaming cup before the elder Kinimoto.
Touya was about to fetch the food when a hand closed around his wrist. Turning, he saw his father gazing at him with what looked like genuine worry.
"Tousan..." he asked nervously. "Is something wrong?"
Fujitaka gestured to the chair on his left. Frowning, Touya sat down and waited.
After an uncomfortable silence, Fujitaka began nervously, "Son, you know I've never pried into your personal affairs."
"Hai. You've always respected my privacy, but you also know that I won't keep any secrets from you. If there's something you want to ask me, something you're concerned about, I'll tell you everything. You're my father, and I won't do anything that worries you."
Fujitaka thought for a moment. Looking his son straight in the eye, he said, "Touya, you will tell me if you have an important person in your life, won't you?"
Touya was taken aback by his father's query. Blushing hotly, he murmured, "Actually, I do have someone special in my life right now, but so far, it's just been...friendship. I...I was hoping that I could be honest with my feelings now." Sweating under his collar, he couldn't find the courage to tell his father that his 'special someone' was actually Yukito.
The boy was startled by two hands cupping his face, bidding him to look into his father's eyes.
"Touya," Fujitaka said gently but firmly, "promise me that, before you make any commitments, you would introduce me to this girl, permit me to meet her and get to know her."
"You know I'll do that, Tousan," he answered reassuringly. "I will never...marry...anyone whom you don't approve of." Touya nearly choked at that word 'marry'.
"I know I surprised you with this son. But believe me I only have your welfare in mind, as well as your sister's. Thank God Sakura is still a child for her to fall deeply in love with someone. Which leaves you. Touya, it's very difficult for me to explain, but...but..."
To Touya's even greater surprise, his father embraced him in a desperate hug. "I don't want you to get hurt, son. It would kill me if anything should happen to you."
Touya couldn't care less what the reasons were for his father's sudden display of love and affection. Hugging the older man back, he whispered, "Nothing's going to happen to me, Tousan, because I have you to protect me."
"Aishitteru, Touya," Fujitaka told his son sincerely.
"HEY!" An outraged squeal came from behind them. Breaking the embrace, they found Sakura with hands on her waist, pouting at them. "How I come don't get a morning hug?"
Laughing, Fujitaka opened his arms to his daughter. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Sakura!"
As Sakura leaped into her father's embrace, Touya needled, "Be careful, Tousan. The kaijuu might crush you to death."
Glaring at her brother, Sakura growled, "I'm not a monster!"
Touya beamed at the sight of two out of the three most important people in his life.
Seeing the warm smile on his father's handsome face, he thought wistfully, I love you, Tousan. I sincerely hope you would approve of my feelings towards Yuki.
As the family began to partake of their breakfast fare, Touya found himself gazing at his father and sister. So picture perfect they were, even without his mother. Although he missed her dearly, his father more than made up for the loss.
Chewing contemplatively on his eggs, Touya mused, I hope we could always be like this forever. God, I love them so much! If Tousan and Sakura would accept how I feel about Yuki, things would be perfect.
"Touya, is something wrong?" his father's quiet voice interrupted his thoughts.
Blushing, Touya shook his head. "It's nothing. My mind drifted off for a moment."
"I'll have to go ahead, Tousan, Oniichan," Sakura exclaimed, getting up from her seat and taking her plate. "I'm class monitor today with Tomoyo. We have to get the classroom ready."
"Don't worry about those," Fujitaka motioned to his daughter to lay her plate back down on the table. "I'll take care of it. I'll be leaving a little late anyway."
Sakura turned to her brother. "What about you, Oniichan?"
"I have to return some books to the library first," answered Touya. "Why don't you go ahead?"
"Okay!" she said with a shrug as she ran into the living room and laced on her roller blades. "See you later!"
Fujitaka noticed how his son's dark blue eyes followed his little sister. It was obvious that Touya wanted to speak to Sakura about something, and in private.
"Sakura, wait!" Pointing to the bento on the kitchen counter, Fujitaka told his son. "Please give that to your sister."
But, as he expected would happen, his firstborn had already snatched the bento and sped outside the house.
Touya reached the gate just in time as Sakura was about to skate away.
"Hey, kaijuu! Don't forget your lunch!"
Snarling and with small fists clenched, Sakura cried in exasperation, "How many times do I have to tell you! Stop calling me a monster!"
To her surprise, rather than tease her further, her brother suddenly became serious, an expression of hesitation on his face.
"Oniichan?" asked Sakura in concern. She knew about her brother's sacrifice and there was an unspoken fear inside her heart that the loss of his Gift may have had an adverse effect upon him. Lord only knew how changing the Clow Cards drained her terribly. Infuriating though he may be sometimes, she loved her brother so much. Always her protector, she couldn't bear it if anything should happen to him.
"I...uh..." Touya began reluctantly. "Actually, I don't have any books to bring to the library. But I...uh... Sakura, I was hoping you could swing by Yuki's house and...." His voice trailed off, a becoming blush rising up his cheeks.
Sakura looked suspiciously at her brother. "Did you and Yukito have a fight?"
Touya blinked at his little sister in surprise. "No, of course not! It's just that...."
Pouting impatiently, Sakura stared at him with arms akimbo. "I'm going to be late, Oniichan. Is there something you want me to tell Yuki?"
"No, Sakura. It isn't Yuki...exactly." Realizing that he had no choice but to tell his sister what his boon was, Touya bowed to Sakura, shocking the little girl with that sudden show of respect, and blurted out, "Please. I need to speak to Yue."
That last caused Sakura's brow to knit together in a curious frown. "Why do you need to talk to Yue?"
Flustered, Touya stammered, "It's...private and...Sakura, I...."
"Nani?" Sakura insisted. In truth, she was having perverse pleasure at seeing her older brother so flustered.
Touya released a defeated sigh. "I need to speak to Yue about Yuki...and me."
The reaction he got from Sakura was something he never expected. The girl brightened up at once, a broad grin on her face.
"Is that all?" she exclaimed. "Where do you want to meet?"
"There's a small secluded area in the woods behind the campus. I think Yue knows the place. Yuki and I often eat there when we want to get away from people."
Winking, Sakura gave her brother the thumbs up. "No problem."
Touya breathed in relief, smiling. "Arigato, kaijuu! I owe you big time for this one!"
Surprisingly, Sakura vigorously shook her head. "This time, it's on the house! You don't owe me anything." Conspiratorially, she inched close to him and mumbled, "If you ask me, it's about time!"
"Huh?" Touya looked at the grinning little girl before him, truly perplexed.
Sakura snatched the bento out of her brother's hands and gave him a loving kiss on the left cheek. "There's nothing to be afraid of, Oniichan. Yue will not get in your way. As for Yuki...well...I think you'll be very surprised by what he has to tell you."
From the window, Fujitaka watched as Sakura gave her brother a quick peck on the cheek and wheeled away. Rather than go back inside the house at once, Touya stood at the sidewalk with both hands pressed over his breast. The gentle breeze that ruffled his ebony locks and the dreamy smile on his lips gave the boy's handsome features an ethereal air.
Fujitaka gasped as phantom aches suddenly wracked his body. Turning away from the window, he leaned against the wall, gasping for air. Sweat trickled down his brow as his right arm snaked around his lower belly while his left hand went to his back, slowly descending, only to stop at the point where the crack of his ass began.
Embracing himself tightly, Fujitaka closed his eyes, the nightmare flooding all sense and sensibility. To his horror, instead of seeing himself lying on that dew-filled grass, what he saw was his beloved son. Shuddering, he shook away the terrifying vision.
"Touya..." he murmured his son's name, right hand closing in a fist. "Forgive me, son, but I need to know who you are in love with. Heaven forbid if it should be the one who haunts my dreams." He pounded his fist on the wall. "I won't allow you to be hurt, the same way as I had."
TO BE CONTINUED
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