The Oath to Protect, a clamp fanfic

Author's Notes: I'm back with another CCD fic, this time in Suoh's POV. As much as I would like this to be a sequel to my prior work Like Bees to Honey, it's not. But there will be a sequel which I will be finishing soon. Thank you to the people who reviewed it and I hope you will like this as well. This fic is actually for Suoh's birthday. I was supposed to finish it on his birthday but I got caught up with other duties. Anyway, please read and enjoy your travel into his world.

Dedication: To Reeza, thanks for always beta reading before I publish my fics. To Heiko, welcome back and I'm glad you're home. To Fuyuko, I'm very proud of you. To Kasumi and Kaji, good luck in your future endeavors in this crazy world of yaoi. To Hana, hope you can join our reunion soon. Keep the GBS spirit alive!

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The Oath to Protect

You were the one I swore to protect. The one I said I'd do everything in my capacity to keep alive through all the dangers that surrounded him. The one I'd give my life for. The one I'd serve with my life.

It had always been a one-way relationship: the ninja protecting while the one was protected. It had never been a two-way relationship. And that's what I believed in.

But that changed the moment I met you. The moment I said you was the one I was destined to meet. The one I was destined to protect.

I can still remember that night as if it had only happened. The velvety night sky was adorned by a myriad of shining diamonds as we rode on your penguin blip, escaping from Casablanca's clutches. You were saying something about remodeling the blimp and maybe revert its design back to the original one – whatever the original one was.

Then you turned to me, your blue eyes reflecting the concern that also laced your melodic voice. You were apologizing to me, telling me that you'd distance yourself in the future as not to put my life in danger. I remember glancing at you bandaged arm and thinking that you were too concerned about other's well being to be concerned about yourself. Then I smiled at you for the first time, shook my head and said no. You were the person I was to meet someday. The one I was destined to meet and protect.

And for the first time since the short time that I had known you, you were speechless. And the only thing you could do was smile at me.

As I already expected, protecting you wasn't as easy as anyone would think. You were hard to deal with because of your stubbornness. You never wanted to become a damsel in distress. You never wanted me to act like a real bodyguard. You wanted me to be your friend and nothing more. Just someone who'd stay by your side.

Being your friend was tougher. Even now that I've known you for a rough ten years, there are still some parts of you that I don't understand. Though it's quite an honor to say that I know most of your behavioral patterns. I think that was something that Ijyuin always envied in me. He always wanted to able to know what goes on inside that complicated mind of yours. The only assurance he gets is when you still manage to surprise me.

In a way, you were my savior. As I had spent most of my childhood years training, I never got the chance to be friends with anyone. And as result, I became a loner. But with you around, that changed. There was no dull moment, no time to be alone. You saved me from the eternal doom of loneliness that I was bound for.

But not only that. Intentionally or not, you always saved me from the girls who wanted to flock me. You would appear out of nowhere and the girls would miraculously forget about me and turn their attention to their dear Nokoru-sama.

It always bugged me why you never had a girlfriend. You always supported my relationship with Nagisa-san and Ijyuin's relationship with Ohkawa-kaicho, but you never had someone for you. I remember asking you about that one time when we had a ball and you danced with Hikaru-san all night. You seemed to enjoy her company and it was obvious that she loved you. But then, you parted ways without even sharing an intimate moment.

I asked you about her and you told me she was just a friend. You said that you can't risk her life by being with her – just how I thought you'd answer. I always wondered if you felt something for her but your eyes told me you didn't. You were telling me the truth when you said that she was only a friend.

It always bothered me that you never had someone special. You always answered that Ijyuin, Yudaiji and I were your 'someone special'. But still, there was something in your eyes that told me you were hiding a very deep frown behind your wonderful smile.

But if you didn't want to tell me, then I'd respect your decision.

"You're miles away, Suoh."

I blinked. Oh yes. How could I forget that I was dining with you in the extensive backyard of your mansion?

"Gomen."

You smiled. Under the moonlit sky, you looked like an angel – gracing me with a very soft and affectionate smile. Yes. An angelic smile.

Ah yes. The smile that broke through my hardened heart.

Nagisa-san and I had just broken up and I was beyond heartbroken. I would talk to no one. I would not even talk to you. Whenever you tried to talk to me, I would run away. But you were persistent. You tried again and this time, you were fast enough to encircle your arms from behind me the moment I turned my back on you and tried to escape.

You made me look at you. You asked me to let it all out and that you would not think any less of me if I cried. In fact, you said, you found more strength in men who knew now to express how they felt. And so I looked at you and saw you giving such a warm, soft and affectionate smile. And the moment I did, tears began to flow from my eyes.

You comforted my aching heart in ways I will always be grateful to. When I said that I would never love anyone again, you told me that it was not to good to close one's heart. Maybe Nagisa-san wasn't just the right girl, you said. And if I closed my heart, maybe the right one would never get to touch my heart.

I remember you always making an extra effort to make me smile. You'd see to it that I wouldn't eat lunch alone. You'd see to it to attend all the tournaments I was in – even when the time and date would be in conflict with some of your more important engagements. And everything that you did for me was always accompanied by a smile.

A smile that saved me from a lot of things. A smile that protected you and somehow managed to protect me too. A smile that could annoy me endless. A smile that captured the hearts of many. A smile that hid a lot of frowns.

And you controlled the world with your smile.

And it controlled my heart too.

Little by little, I found myself falling for you. I would be held breathless by your smiles. I would stare at you for long hours thinking how beautiful you truly are and sometimes wondering why I hadn't noticed it before. I would notice how your eyes would sparkle. I would notice even how graceful your movements were.

And that's when I noticed that you felt the same.

I had been your 'someone special' all along.

"You're miles away again. Where have you been traveling, ninja?" you asked with an amused smile on your lips.

I smiled. "Traveling into the depths of your beautiful deep sea eyes."

You laughed lightly. "Such a poet you really are, Suoh! But really. Where have you been?"

Deciding to tell him the truth, I answered, "Back in tunnel of memories, thinking about you."

You were blushing. "Mou, Suoh. It's not my birthday – it's yours. Stop flattering me."

I shook my head. "I'm not one for flattery, you know that. And even if it's my birthday, can I not compliment the one I love?"

Yes. The one I love. No more the one I protect because of duty but rather, the one I protect because of love.

You just shook your head. Truly, I was the luckiest person alive. The most beautiful man that has ever walked the earth loved me. And by beautiful, I do not only mean physically. You are a beautiful man who also has a beautiful soul.

You saved me from never opening my heart again. You saved me from the shadows that were bound to close in on me. You saved me with that light emanated from you.

"I'm sorry," you said softly.

I was confused. "For what?"

"I was too busy these past few weeks to even buy you a birthday present. All I could do was treat you to a moonlit dinner. I'm sor…"

I sighed. "Nokoru…"

"Yes?"

I reached across the table to caress your cheek, drowning myself in your eyes. "I don't need any presents anymore. I don't need material things. I don't need anything in this entire universe. I only need you. You are the best present I could ever get."

You closed your eyes looking as if you were trying your best not to cry. Then you opened them once again and graced me with a smile that I knew was only meant for me. You were trying to find the words to express how you felt. It was a good feeling that I could render you speechless with just a few words. Only a few people could catch you like that.

Suddenly, you stood from your seat and before I knew it, your soft lips were on mine. The kiss said the things you could not say out loud and I responded with the words I could not relay with plain words.

"I love you, Suoh," you said as your lips parted from mine.

And it was enough. It was then that I realized that the moment I swore to protect you, you swore the same albeit silently.

"I love you, Nokoru."

-Owari

01Ap2k4

11:21p

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Disclaimers: CLAMP Gakuen Tanteidan and all its characters belong to the wonderful people that compose CLAMP. Only the storyline is mine.