Disclaimer: CLAMP. Need I say more?

Dedicated: To Chelle-sama; the only other dedicated Fujitaka/Sonomi shipper that I know.

Translation of the title: [toshinokou] (n) (arch) old-man's wisdom Other vocabulary: yousei--a fairy, sprite or elf. A pixie. Chelle-sama and I have the running theme that Grandfather's pet name for Sonomi-kun is 'chibi-pixie-chan' but I really like the word 'yousei'.

Toshinokou

Personally, I don't know who they think they're trying to fool. Half the town knows that they're 'seeing each other socially' as somebody put it. The only reason it's not big news is because the name Daidouji carries a lot of weight to it. Especially when it's backed by the name Amamiya. I think the only people who don't know that Kinomoto-sensei is dating my granddaughter are their kids. Well, my great-grandson knows. Touya-san is a lot like I was at that age; smart as a whip and with a good pair of eyes in his head.

Like I said, I don't know who it is that they think they're fooling. But I'll hold my tongue and wait for my girl to tell me why she's brought me way out into the middle of nowhere. "It's the same as when you and Nadeshiko-san were little, isn't it, Yousei-chan?" This old fairground brings back a lot of memories of my two favorite girls. I used to bring them here in the summers. It's nothing big, nothing fancy, but they loved it. They used to...they used to bring Touya-san here, before Nadeshiko got sick.

"It sure is, Grandfather." Sonomi agrees softly. "I used to sneak away from school and see Nadeshiko, you know." She confesses with a smile. "When she first got married and I wasn't supposed to see her outside of school? I went to visit anyway. We used to come here. When Touya-san was born, we brought him along." I watch as my grown-up little-girl runs her hand along one of the carousel horses. "He loved it."

"Of course he would have." I agree without telling her that I knew all about it. It was years ago and if I could have found a way around my own stubborn, stupid rule of banishment, and my own foolish pride, I would have done exactly what she did. "It was a good little place." It hasn't been open in years, of course. "I think you paid too much for the memories; this place is so far out of the way that I don't think that re-opening it will do you much good."

Oh, now that got her hackles up. "It's not that remote a location." Now, I know it's not me that my chibi-yousei is mad at; she should just tell me that she's dating the professor and I can tell her that I'm okay with that idea. She should know that, already. I forgave him years ago. It just took me a lot longer to actually say those words to him. "It's really not, Grandfather." Quieter now, she'll spit it out soon. "The Tsukimine-shrine is just through that stretch of woods. I was thinking, actually, of having a path made through the trees, so that people could come and go from here to there on the holidays. The priest said I should wait until his daughter comes back, so that she can make the decision since she'll be taking over one day."

"That's a fine plan." I've got to admit that it is. The shrine might have seen better days, but if new management is going to be coming in then I think this will work out fine. "You've got my business sense, all right. I'm proud of you."

She nods, my pretty granddaughter does. Her father, my dear son, doesn't say it to her enough, in my opinion. He still disagrees with the fact that she started her own company. "Grandfather?"

Ah, here it comes. "What do you need, Yousei?"

"I'm engaged to Kinomoto-sensei."

"What?" Sonomi-chan, I'm an old man and you've just given me the heart-attack that will kill me. "You're..."

Taking a deep breath, she straightens her shoulders and looks me dead in the eye. "I'm engaged to be married. I'm going to marry Kinomoto Fujitaka." Time falls away.

The years just drop and it's twenty years past and Nadeshiko-san is looking at me and offering me an invitation... "No." Ten minutes ago I was content with the idea that my Sonomi-chan was dating that man and now...I can't imagine it. "He was your cousin's husband." It's incestuous, isn't it? Isn't it? "Have some respect!"

"I do. I respect myself and my heart." I'm shaking, so why isn't she? How is it possible that my girl is standing so calmly? "And I believe that Nadeshiko-san would want me to be happy."

"We'd never know because she's dead. Kinomoto killed her, or have you forgotten?" Oh god, what am I doing? What am I saying?

Sonomi draws back as though I've slapped her. Now, now she's trembling. "Kinomoto Fujitaka had nothing to do with her getting sick, Grandfather." I haven't seen her this angry since the day I disowned Nadeshiko. "And I'd never, ever, seen her happier than the times I saw her with him. Even when she was in the hospital, Nadeshiko always had a smile when Fujitaka was in the room!"

"I know. I know that, Yousei." I can't resist sinking down onto one of the old iron benches. I did know. I always knew that Kinomoto had made my angel-girl happy.

"Grandfather..." She kneels at my feet and takes my hands, the way she used to do as a small child. "Please...he makes me happy." Her eyes are big, earnest pools of light. "I came here today, even though we have an appointment tomorrow, because I needed to know how this would make you feel." Biting her lip, she lets go of my hands; she used to wait until I'd given them a squeeze. "If you can't accept him, Grandfather, then I'm very sorry. But I won't let anybody try to talk me out of this. He's not allowed to change his mind. You won't be able to disown me out of this decision any more than you could Nadeshiko. Even if Nadeshiko walked up to me right now, I wouldn't let myself let him go."

"Give me a moment." I murmur. My dear, brave girl. "Give me just a moment. What if....how can you be sure he's not..." No, I know better. Kinomoto isn't just using her because he's lonely. He's a better man than that.

A forgiving girl, she puts her arm around me and sits with me. "Grandfather, I love you with all my heart. But I won't let you say these things to him. I came here to tell you first, before anybody else, so that I could know what would happen."

"If I disagreed..." What? Would she bar me from her life? Tomoyo's? "You'd disown me, is that it?" She's a clever girl, my Sonomi-chan.

She smiles and leans her head against me. "No, I don't think so." I'm not fooled for a moment by that sweet smile.

"Yousei..."

Only my Sonomi can laugh at me. "I don't know what I was going to do." She tells me when she stops laughing at the look that makes many a CEO quail. "I thought that I'd just keep you and Fujitaka-sensei away from each other. I'd have cancelled our appointment."

"So, you and he were going to tell me together?" You're as fierce as any tiger, Sonomi-chan, when it comes to the ones you love. The day you told me to come and talk with Kinomoto you wouldn't let me hide or tell you that I still hated him. You loved him then, I could see. I'm so sorry that you felt you couldn't tell me.

"Yes. But I wasn't going to let you tear into him." She shrugs and wanders over to where the concession stands are barely holding themselves up. "Candy floss." She says, suddenly, patting the rickety order counter. "Don't you think candy floss would be a good idea?"

Heh, embarrassed now, are you? "So, tell me...when did you and Kinomoto-sensei decided that dating was an option?" Early fall, if I remember the gossip right. "Ah, wait, it's Fujitaka-sensei now, isn't. He's going to be family." Sonomi-chan, pink always did suit those cheeks of yours.

She smoothes one hand over that furious blush, like I didn't already see it. "Well, I asked him out in the fall." She smiles brightly. "I felt that we'd gotten to know each other very well over the last few years, through Tomoyo and Sakura-san, and since I was lonely and so was he, it seemed like a natural conclusion to spend some of our time together."

Now what is this? Lonely? Yousei-chan, you've never been lonely a day in your life. Plus, and mind that this has always been my own opinion, you'd have run away with Kinomoto if Nadeshiko hadn't beaten you too it. Sixteen and you were half in love with him yourself. And I know you, chibi-chan. I've seen you in love and this is beyond that. So what's with this 'lonely' business? "So, you're getting married because you're both lonely?" Time to ferret out some information.

"No! We're very much in love, Grandfather."

"You are?" Give over, Sonomi.

She looks down. "He makes me laugh, all the time. He does some of the silliest things. He won't let me storm out angry. I broke the chocolates I made for him into eight million pieces and he didn't bat an eye. I started keeping a journal about our dates, so I could remember them." Such a happy smile; I've never seen you look more radiant, chibi-yousei. "I love him. Very much. And he wouldn't be with me if he didn't love me too." Your eyes aren't lying, but I think that I'm going to have to have a little talk with Kinomoto just to be on the safe side. If he's going to marry you, he'd damn well better be so in love with you that he can't see straight. "I have to get home, Grandfather." A sweet kiss on the cheek from my girl. "I need to tell Tomoyo before Fujitaka-sensei and Sakura-san get to our house to celebrate. He's telling Sakura-san and Touya-san this morning."

"Alright." I get another kiss on the cheek. "I'll drive myself back to the hotel and see you and your new fiancée tomorrow."

"Don't tell him I came to see you, Grandfather. He has his heart set on breaking the news to you together." Hmph. Fine then. I'll wait until after our little chat tomorrow to browbeat him.

"I won't. Now go...that girl of ours is probably waiting on you." I wave off my girl and then wander the little carnival grounds, remembering.

I think about what it must have been like to bring Touya-san here and realize that I never really got to see Nadeshiko as a mother. I wonder just how different she and Sonomi were. I was such a fool. I won't be this time, though. If there's one thing a man learns in his life it's that some battles aren't worth fighting. My pager goes off with a beep and I see a very familiar name scroll across. It's only been half an hour or so since Sonomi left. Shouldn't he be celebrating? Something isn't right and some battles are worth fighting and so I'm gruff when I pull out my phone and make the call. "Amamiya."

"Sir? It's Kinomoto Fujitaka." I'm the one who called, I know who you are. "I'd like to meet with you, if that's alright. I can be in Tokyo by three. It's very important, sir."

So the plot is thickening. "I'm in Tomoeda. I have business with Sonomi-san tomorrow."

"Perhaps we can meet sooner?"

Yeah, that's a good idea. I might as well know if I need to kick up a fuss. Sonomi-chan isn't going to get anything but the best. "You can meet me at the old Tanoshii Fair grounds; they're behind the Tsukimine Shrine."

"Alright." Now, I've never known that man to be anything but polite so this short-short conversation has me worried. With good reason. He shows up looking like death warmed him over a few times.

"Kinomoto-sensei." I nodded. "Have a seat with me." I wave at the bench I've set myself to waiting on.

Now, this is interesting. He looks like he's getting ready for the executioner's block. Guess he didn't really have his heart set on telling me as a couple. "Sir, I'm marrying Sonomi-kun."

"You know, Kinomoto-sensei, I used to bring Sonomi-san and Nadeshiko-san here when they were little girls." I gesture to the park. Stew, young man, sit and stew. "I remember it like it was just yesterday...my girls were inseparable. The were so very different that you would have thought that they were sisters. Or twins."

"Sir." He sighs before he sits down. Good man. "I remember Nadeshiko-san talking about this place. She used to bring Touya-kun here before it closed." Now there's a good man...for a moment I thought he was going to fink out Sonomi.

Nodding, I have a look around the old place. I hope that new priestess approves of the path. This place deserves to be alive and full of families. "It's a nice little place. Old, familiar." Kinomoto's nodding, looking around. "Sort of like my Sonomi-san, hmm?"

"What?" That startled him, alright. "Sir, I'm not sure I know what you're getting at."

Of course you don't. Everybody thinks that old men are blind. "I'm getting at the fact that you're marrying my other granddaughter after some pretty long years alone." Sorry to have to insult you, Kinomoto, but I need some accurate results. Think of it like the finger-stick at the doctor's office; sure, it stings and hurts but it's all for the best and it's nothing personal.

I've got to hand it to him, he draws his calm up pretty well. "Sir, I'm marrying Sonomi-kun because I'm very much in love with her."

Which is good, but not enough. You'd better be stupid with love for my girl. "I've been a widower for more years than I care to remember, Sensei." I tell him, which is true. "It's easy to confuse love and lonely." This is also true, but not for me. There's been nobody for me but Takara.

"That may be, sir." Hackles up, that's a good sign. "But it's not true for me." Keep going.

Well, heck. I have to prod you along, don't I? "And what makes you so sure of that? I've got to say, you're going from years of alone, to one of the only living relatives of your wife." If it was good enough to get Sonomi to react, it should work on this guy. "You give me two good reasons I shouldn't object. Two things."

And he goes quiet. Lord help him if he can't come up with two things to convince me.

"The way she says my name." He says, finally. His eyes are closed and he's smiling like a fool. That's what I wanted to see. "Nadeshiko always said it in such a soft, sweet voice. She was never angry. I loved listening to her. But when Sonomi says my name, it's different. Every single time she says it in a new way. Sometimes it sounds like she can see through my soul, when she says it. Sometimes she has such a sweet voice, so gentle. And some days when she says my name she's really saying that she's got my number and no way will I get away with the things I'm planning. Every time, she makes it new." A deep breath and he's relaxing...do you even know if I'm still here, Kinomoto? "And she has enough energy for three people. I've seen her at work and she's never still. She's always moving and yet...she can still see when one of the test-market children is upset. She'll stop to hug that child, or to sing a song, or take somebody to the bathroom. I've seen her pull toy pieces out of their mouths in under a second and still..."

Good enough, Kinomoto. "Alright you've..."

"I know her. I've known her, her energy, her drive, her kindness, for years. Longer than I've known anybody else I can remember. There are plenty of girls in my classes or that I work with who think they love me because I can cook or sew or because of my looks. Sonomi doesn't care. She cooks as well as I do, but she's got a cook even if she didn't. She doesn't want me to sew things for her or help around the house because she's already got that covered. I know that she loves being able to do those things, I know that she probably does her own mending. I know that she doesn't like coffee and she blends her own tea. I know her. And she knows me. She knows my flaws and she knows what I'm like at work and.... It doesn't matter what our social standings are...we've known each other for too long for it to matter." He opens his eyes and looks at me. "I could tell you about how much I love the way her hair smells or the fact that her idea of a good time is to sit home and play Go or watch television; I could tell you that I love her because I can race her at the school Sports Day and beat her and that makes her furious. Maybe you'd rather hear that she's so short she has to take almost three steps to match me."

"Good enough." I tell him. That's all I needed to know. "I've heard what I wanted. Nobody can talk you out of marrying my granddaughter."

He nods slowly. "Only one person."

"One person." It had better be God, Kinomoto.

"Tomoyo-san was crying when she found out." Now I've never, in my entire life, seen my Tomoyo so upset that she'd cry. "Sakura-san and I arrived before Sonomi-kun had a chance to finish telling Tomoyo-san."

Why you son of a..."And Tomoyo was upset?"

"She ran out of the house in tears." I will hang you on a pig-pole, Kinomoto. If she is still crying or if, in running away from her home, she has been hurt in any way at all, you will find yourself on a pig pole in the middle of town. "But I think she's okay now. She was going to call a friend." His eyes are sort of unfocused. Something tells me that he, like Nadeshiko, has more going on behind his eyes than he's willing to let share.

A handful of autumn leaves drift past us as we sit, thinking, together. "Alright. If she's okay in the morning, bring her and Sakura-san with you." I say after a while.

"Yes sir." He agrees before it hits him. "Sir? You already knew that we were planning..." Heh, I knew you were planning to tell me together. I also know that you were just checking in to see if I'd hurt my girls anymore than I once did.

"No. But I sort of figured it out; that my business with Sonomi that had to be done in person might have something to do with all of this."

A smile and a laugh. "I see."

"Better bring Touya-san and that Tsukishiro boy with too." I'm not just accepting a marriage...I'm accepting the whole family. An old man learns to accept things and all the love I've seen, missed out on...I was a fool to not accept it all earlier. "We'll have to make a bit of a morning of it."

"Tomoyo-san has a Choir competition in Tokyo tomorrow in the early evening, sir. We could make an entire day of it, if you wanted. And if you could see your way clear to not mentioning that I was here today?" He winces a bit. "Sonomi-kun wanted to be together when we told you."

I'll find a way to bring it up one day. As for the other thing, of course I want. "A good plan, Kinomoto-sensei." I clap him on the shoulder as he leaves. I'll stay a little longer and remember the good times of the past and look forward to the good times that will come. I've learned enough to know that it's all the little things that you've got to savor and enjoy. And sometimes you're lucky and you get another chance to savor the big moments. And I'm wise enough not to toss it away.