Disclaimer: I don't own Tsubasa Chronicles or any of its characters.
*No stealing stories, thanks*
A/N: I haven't posted in a long time, so I thought I'd finish this short story. It's mostly descriptive stuff, but I put a bit of perspective on Tōya, cause I haven't seen many stories about him, and I really like his character. Enjoy!
The fiery sun cast its last copper beams on the feathered ruins rising out of the sand. As the burning sun set on the horizon, the night crept in from the east, painting the sky azure. The man in the moon peeked out from the curtain of clouds, and diamonds caught in the wind became stars. With the moon high in the sky, it was night in the country of Clow.
Throughout the village, a warm breeze blew, shuffling sand against the doors of the houses. The townspeople were long abed, their lamps and candles dark. Up in the castle, the only light came from the candles of the guards, who were trying in vain to keep from falling asleep on duty. The town was asleep, villagers and royalty alike. The only person awake, a very small person indeed, was sitting on top of the observatory tower.
She sat on the edge of the landing, her bare feet dangling over. She'd wrapped her coverlet tightly around her, although she didn't need it for warmth. The breeze ruffled her hair softly. She stared up at the sky, her tired eyes wandering amongst the stars. Slowly, she yawned, scrunching up her face. Her hands went up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. As she watched the stars once more, a soft footstep sounded behind her. But she didn't hear the muffled noise. Then, a shadow appeared beside her, and a hand rested itself on her shoulder. Her shoulder tensed, and she looked around frantically, to see who was behind her. But when the shadow in question smiled at her, she recognized him and smiled back.
"Tōya." The girl said. "Did I wake you up?"
The shadow shook its head, and grunted as he sat down beside her.
"No, I couldn't sleep either." He looked across at her. Her hair was a dark silver in the moonlight; such a small pale figure perched on the edge of the roof. "How did you get up here?"
She yawned, stretching out her arms as wide as she could.
"There's always a guard here at night. I'm not sure why, though. No one would want to steal all those old books anyway."
In the darkness, Tōya shifted a little. He traced the deep creases of his hands as his expression went blank, recalling the one villager in particular who loved the ancient star maps. Always loitering around the castle, eating up all the attention from Sakura. There had been multiple times during the night when Tōya would sit at his window, weary but unable to sleep. And often, Tōya could see the little figure sitting atop the tower, just a white spot against the dark grey roof. Sometimes she would not be alone. And there was only one person who would ever come to the observatory on a night like this, other than the princess.
"He's not guarding the books." Tōya mumbled to himself. Although Sakura could not make out his words, his face betrayed his thoughts to her. He always got that look around him.
"He's very nice, Tōya. He would never do something like that." With a little sigh, Sakura leaned on Tōya's arm, and peered up at him. "He would never steal from anyone." She nodded resolutely.
Tōya sighed and shook his head. Not knowing she'd missed the point entirely, she snuggled into her brother's side and closed her eyes. Watching her body rise and fall rhythmically, Tōya put his arm around her, and drew her in a bit closer. The corners of her mouth drew up into a faint smile before her body drew limp and she fell asleep.
For a few minutes, Tōya sat there silently, watching the stars shift in their ever changing motion. Then, when his eyes began to grow heavy again, he checked to see if his sister was still sleeping. Slowly, he slid his arm under her neck, and his other under her knees. Drawing her close to him, Tōya carefully stood up, standing away from the edge of the roof. Then, adjusting his grip, he walked away, headed to the castle, carrying her gently in his arms.