The Doll Factory

By: delusional lady

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership to the characters of CCS. This storyline, however, is mine. Someday, I'll make a book with this title.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, you guys. Thank you for those who actually took the time to review this chapter and those who constantly nagged me, too. By the way, this chapter has been revised a bit. I also added something else so please read this again before proceeding to chapter 2. ;; Chapter 2 will be posted a few hours after this one. I just need to get some sleep for a yawn while.

Chapter 1

"Look oniisan!" Sakura cried out as she took a doll from the stand and showed it to her brother. It was a cute orange bear with wings. Touya leaned down and peered closely at the plushie.

'The toys they make these days..." he thought. The doll seemed too mischievous for his own taste but then again, he wasn't the one making decisions here. After all, it was Sakura's birthday and he promised to buy her anything she desired.

Along with them was a young girl with long tresses. Tomoyo, Sakura's best friend, came along to video tape what she called, 'Sakura's Quality Time W/ Her Brother.' "You're right, Sakura! That is kawaii!" she gushed.

The owner of the store looked delighted at the prospect of having customers. It seemed like his shop wasn't doing very well at all. "People are forgetting about beauty in the craftsmanship of toys!" he sobbed dramatically.

Personally, Touya thought it was because hardly anyone noticed the old shop. The windows were too dusty and the sign board wasn't exactly legible. He didn't say it out loud of course, not wanting to hurt the feelings of the fragile- looking man.

"Can we get this one please? I really like it!" Sakura pleaded. Touya narrowed his eyes at the plushie once more before nodding his consent.

The shop owner clapped his hands in glee and said, "Good choice, young lady! Its name is Keroberos, Guardian of the Sun!"

"Keroberos…? Kero-chan, then!" Sakura remarked.

"Are you sure that's the one you want, kaijuu?"

"Yes, yes!" Sakura answered cheerfully, too engrossed with her new doll that she didn't even notice what her brother had just called her.

Touya sighed and brought out his wallet. Unfortunately, the old man didn't have change in his cash register and went out the back to fetch some of the coins. Sakura and Tomoyo looked around the shop.

Touya didn't seem to have any other choice but to do the same as well. What did girls see in dolls anyway? He peered at the shelves and blinked when a particular silver- haired doll caught his attention. It appeared to be an angel since it was wearing white clothes and had white wings on its back.

Curious, Touya plucked the doll from its position and wondered if it was a male or female. He had never seen a male doll with long hair before but he had a feeling that there was something strange about it. Staring at the doll for a moment, Touya slid its pants down and looked.

Ack!

Touya almost dropped the doll in surprise. He thought he had heard a voice in his head.

"Here you go, sir!" The old man said, breaking his thoughts. Touya turned around and received his change. The owner smiled as he saw the lovely doll his customer was holding. "I see you've met Yue."

"Yue?"

"Hai. He's the Guardian of the Moon. Unfortunately, he got a little too arrogant one evening and allowed himself to be caught."

Touya looked at the man like he was some kind of crackpot.

"You're kidding right?" He remarked as he looked at the doll once more.

The old man simply shrugged his shoulders.

Touya glanced back at the doll and shivered. There was something odd about the doll and it seemed like it was glaring at him.

"How much?" Touya asked, surprising himself.

The old man raised an eyebrow.

"How much?" Touya repeated.

"He's not for sale." The man answered.

Somehow, Touya got the feeling that there was something more to the doll than the old man was willing to say. Sakura and Tomoyo appeared and admired the angelic doll on Touya's hand.

"It's beautiful!" Sakura cried out. The old man nodded and took the doll away from Touya's hold. "Thank you very much for coming into my store but I'm afraid that I have to close the shop now. Please leave." The old man said, pushing the three away and closing the door behind them.

"Well, that was odd," Touya remarked. Sakura and Tomoyo nodded, wondering why the man would make them leave the shop.

"I thought he needed customers badly. It's still early in the afternoon so why would he close the shop?" Sakura asked aloud. Touya frowned. There was something disturbing about the way the man spoke of the silver-haired doll.

"It's only a doll, after all. Let's not waste anymore time here and return home." Touya declared. The two girls nodded their heads, tired from walking around the city all day.

"Yes, it's only a doll after all," A raspy voice whispered.

That evening, after dinner, Touya spent his time watching the news. Sakura was sleeping over at Tomoyo's with her new toy so he had the whole house to himself. This would have been a great set-up a few years ago, when he still had a girlfriend.

As the weather man droned on about the possibility of a storm, Touya found his eyes getting sleepy. He was tired. Spending the whole day with his sister was tiring enough. He also cooked his own dinner and washed his own dishes.

Just as he was about to call asleep, a loud clap of thunder shook him awake.

Touya yawned as he stood and stretched himself. 'Maybe I should go to bed,' he said to himself. Slipping on his slippers, the young man turned off the television. The rain started getting heavier and the cold seemed to sweep right inside the house. At least he didn't have to worry about Sakura.

"She's always well taken care of there," he murmured.

After brushing his teeth, he changed into a set of pajamas before burying himself in the comfort of his own bed. Not long after his head touched the pillow, Touya Kinomoto fell asleep.

Despite how quickly Touya fell asleep, he was a light sleeper. The slightest noise woke him up. This was the reason why he usually chanced upon his father getting home from one of his trips.

Tonight, he had no idea what woke him up. The rain was still pattering on. Rubbing his eyes, Touya glanced at his watch on the bedside table.

'3:40 A.M.? Is dad home?'

Pushing himself out of bed, Touya went to investigate. He opened his door and went down the stairs. What greeted him wasn't his father.

It was a silver-haired body lying unconscious on the floor!

TBC