Disclaimer – I do not own Card Captor Sakura or the song 'Three Small Words' from Josie and the Pussy Cats even though at this point in time I'm not sure if I'm even going to use it.
Anyway, this is my first specifically Touya/Nakuru fic mostly because I feel there aren't nearly enough of them. Hope you like.
Three Small Words
Part I
Touya Kinomoto let out the breath he had subconsciously been holding as he walked in the school gates along side his best friend Yukito.
Yukito chuckled as Touya counted off the seconds allowed just in case he had been too hasty in his numbering.
"Three . . . Two . . . One," he said waiting for her to come and glomp him just as she usually did, but she never came.
Touya frowned as his eyes flicked across the university grounds trying to spot her before she attacked. After a while it seemed that for the first time in the whole four years that he had known her, he would finally make it to class without her jumping him at the gate and that seemed to confuse him immensely.
"Why so glum Tou-ya?" Yukito asked teasingly his voice dripping with sarcastic knowingness. God, Touya hated psychics.
"I'm not 'glum'," he replied stressing out the word sarcastically, "I'm just thinking."
"About a girl?" Yukito teased again.
"I am not thinking about Azuki-san," Touya insisted without even thinking about what he was saying. He blushed a little when Yukito gave him one of those ever knowing glances he used so often. The ones used especially when Nakuru was mentioned. "Ok, so maybe I was thinking about her a little but only because it's so unlike her not to be here."
"Like I said," Yukito nodded, "why so glum?"
Touya just growled and shook his head. "Whatever," he mumbled, "let's just get to class."
It was weird for Touya to be able to get to class without the twenty year old sophmore hanging onto him. Now that he thought about it, the only place where she didn't follow him was the men's room and that was only because the principal at their high school had a go at her when she did.
It was a good thing she had learnt her lesson then.
He really wondered where she could be.
At first he had thought that maybe she was sick, but Nakuru didn't get sick. She and Yukito were alike, they were both guardians; they weren't human and because of that they were an exception from human diseases.
So if Nakuru wasn't sick, then why wasn't she here?
Perhaps she had lost some energy in a battle or something, or perhaps Eriol had; I mean it was the same way with Sakura and Yukito. If Sakura was magically drained so was Yukito so perhaps it worked that way with Eriol and Nakuru. Perhaps Eriol had drawn on her power to sustain him self and she was just recovering.
No, that couldn't be right. Sakura would have told him if something like that had happened – so would Yukito or Yue – it had to be something else.
Touya sighed exasperatedly as he stared at her empty seat in the lecture hall right next to him. Sure, it was his own fault it was empty, he had already turned away two extremely attractive girls and a good friend of his from high school. It seemed that subconsciously he was still hoping she would come eventually.
'I guess I'll just have to ask Sakura's blue haired friend after school,' he thought to himself.
The bell rang shrilly as their professor walked through the door shuffling a stack of papers.
"Ok class, I'll presume you all did the prep work and read through chapters three to seven on commercial med . . ."
She was cut off as Nakuru walked into the class her mahogany brown hair a mess of curls hiding her face.
"Gomen Nasai Sensei," she offered quietly as she took her usual seat next to Touya.
He noticed how different she seemed today. He made a note to himself to ask her what was wrong after class.
Touya sighed as he waited for her patiently. The bell had rung only a few minutes earlier and rather than rushing out the door in his usual manner like most of the students he stood by the door just waiting.
Her movements were slow and clumsy, not like her usual energetic gracefulness. He couldn't think of a time when he had ever seen Nakuru so . . . sad.
"What's wrong Azuki-san?" he asked concernedly as he walked along side of her.
She stopped and looked up at him.
For the first time that day he finally saw the face that was hid behind her hair.
It seemed completely unnatural. The girl he had never seen without a smile gracing her face was hardly seen through the red, puffy eyes; tear streaked mascara, pale face and sad smile. For the first time in her life Nakuru seemed undeniably human.
It was almost as if he was looking at a completely different person from the one he thought he knew. As if the annoying Nakuru who had always tried to tackle him whenever she saw him just wasn't there anymore.
"Nakuru," he said softly calling her by her first name as he pulled her gently into his arms. He let her sob into his shoulder not even asking for the explanation he wanted, right now this was what she needed and he knew she would tell him later.
"Sakura just told me," Yukito said as he ran down the hall towards him. Yukito resisted the urge to give him another of those knowing smiles, now was not the time.
"Told you what?" Touya asked still comforting the crying girl in his arms.
"Don't you know yet?" Yukito asked back.
"Know what?"
"Touya, Nakuru is leaving," Yukito said quietly.
"What?" he asked his eyes widening with surprise.
"Eriol-sama," she sobbed into his chest, "he, he said that hic that we have to hic to go, go back hic home."
Touya couldn't help but think how cute it was. He had to force the thoughts out of his mind and concentrate on what was important.
He couldn't believe it, Nakuru was leaving. I mean sure she was often annoying and he usually made a big deal about her jumping him but she was still his friend and she kind of grew on him over the few years they had come to know each other even if he would die before he admitted it.
"Why?" he asked aloud. "What if someone challenges Sakura? The Chinese gaki's already gone and I can't protect her."
"I tried to hic tell him that," she replied. "He wouldn't listen to me."
'Then I'll make him listen,' Touya thought angrily. 'Not only is he deserting Sakura, he's taking Nakuru away from me.'
Touya's eyes clouded with confusion as he tried to shake the odd thoughts out of his head. 'Where the hell did that come from?' he thought as he held Nakuru just a little bit closer than he had fully intended to.
It seemed that the only thing making any clear sense to him right now was the fact that he honestly didn't want to let her go. Something about her being in his arms made him feel complete, as if she was the final piece to a puzzle he'd been trying to solve all his life and now that he found the answer he didn't want to let that go.
Touya sighed sadly at the thought of what was to come. Despite his constant complaining he never wanted her to leave and now he just couldn't quite allow himself to picture a life without her in it.
"Actually," Yukito spoke drawing Touya away from his thoughts once again, "I heard that Syaoran may be able to return soon. He passed the elders tests and in return they have to grant him but one request."
"So?" Touya asked part of him annoyed at the mention of Syaoran. He still hadn't forgiven him for making his little sister fall in love with him. In his mind there wasn't anything worse than that even if he did love her back.
"Kero went to check up on him," Yukito explained with a shrug before he became completely serious. "All he wanted was Sakura," Yukito spoke his voice almost dreamy. "He'll be back in just a couple of weeks. You know they finally gave him permission to marry her."
"What?" Touya asked suddenly paying complete attention to every word Yukito was saying. "There's no way in hell I'm letting that gaki marry my sister. She's only 16, dammit!"
"Calm down To-ya," Yukito smiled. "I didn't say he was going to marry her now, I just know that he got their permission for when he does want to ask her. Oh and by the way, don't tell Sakura about him coming back. He wants to surprise her."
Touya calmly held his breath counting back from ten. This wasn't the time to get angry; he had more important matters to think about, mostly those concerning Azuki Nakuru.
She looked up at him with a slight smile gracing her lips. She always did think he looked kind of cute when he was angry and she couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought that all this was because of her.
She just couldn't believe it. I mean she had always hoped that maybe Touya would someday be able to see her for what she really was but never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that he would be the one to comfort her like this.
It seemed so perfect and it would have been under any other circumstances. But these were the circumstances and in about a weeks time she would have to leave Touya for good.
"I can't believe you Eriol," Sakura exclaimed looking at Eriol with wide angry eyes. "You know Syao-kun is right, you are evil."
Eriol smiled that sinister smile of his as he looked up from his work at his usually cheerful successor.
"She's right Eriol," Tomoyo agreed from where she lay with her head resting in his lap as he carefully threaded flowers through her dark violet tinted locks. "I can't believe you would do that to Nakuru."
"And what about Touya?" Sakura added. "I mean if you're right about his feelings for Nakuru don't you think he's going to be angry when he finds out this is all a hoax. What if he thinks Nakuru was in on it?"
"I am sure Touya-san will not think any less of Nakuru," Eriol replied charmingly in his exact way of speaking. "He will know better than to think Nakuru was in on this and once he cools off he will be thanking each and every one of us."
"Us?" Tomoyo said raising her head. "You are not bringing us into this twisted plot of yours. I've seen Touya angry and I really don't want to have that sort of thing over my head."
"Of course not my dear," Eriol smiled kissing the back of her hand. "By 'us' I meant Yukito-san and myself."
"Yukito-san?" Sakura asked her voice eminent with surprise. "How on earth did you convince him to lie to my brother?"
"It was for a good cause," he replied getting up as the bell rang signalling that it was time to return to class.
So with that he began to walk away leaving the girls to think about what Eriol had just told him.
"Oh and Tomoyo my dear," he added as he remembered one last thing. "If anyone asks we broke up yesterday so try not to look so cheerful."
"What!" the usually placid Tomoyo yelled as she chased after her 'ex-boyfriend' as he had a lot of explaining to do before the second bell rang for class.
Sakura smiled as she watched her two friends walk away. She couldn't wait to tell Syaoran about this in her next email. He'd probably ask her to take photographs for when Touya decided to kick Eriol's ass.
She let out a light chuckle and went on her way to class thinking of Syaoran.
End of Part I
I know that I'm probably alone in my interest in this coupling so I'm not expecting many viewings or reviews of this fic, though I would really like at least five before the next chapter (not that it will guarantee that I update this fic, but its worth a shot). I mean there are all kinds of interesting little tibits to come in the next five or so parts including an almost unnecessary mention of George Michael that puts a damper on his upcoming nuptials.
Not exactly the most mouth watering teaser, but a teaser all the same in the hopes that it will spark some interest. I'm not gonna beg, but I'd love it if you reviewed as it's the only way I know what you think of it whether or not its worth continuing, especially considering the narrow audience I am faced with.