Bishlov: Ehehehe. Sorry guys. I kinda forgot about this one.
Disclaimer: I do not own CCS or any of its characters. CLAMP does. This plot is a product of my imagination. Any similarities to other fan fictions are unintentional.
Kinomoto's AngelBy bishounen lovah a.k.a. touya_mou
Chapter 11: A Full Circle
Before they knew it they were all standing outside Naomi's apartment. Eriol had managed to transport all seven of them in just a matter of seconds.
The door magically opened by itself to let them in. Eriol led them to the room at the end of the hall. There the anxious Tomoyo and Meiling met them. Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun were standing in the middle of the room, watching all the commotion.
"Lay her down here," Eriol motioned at Touya who was carrying Naomi in his arms.
Touya did as he was ordered and gently laid her down on the couch. He stepped aside although he didn't go far. He wanted to stay by her side.
"How is she?" Ruby Moon asked worriedly. When Eriol didn't answer, the guardian glanced at her master. She was shocked to see that Eriol looked mad. Iie, she corrected herself, he looks furious. I have never seen him like this even when Suppi and I are at our worst.
Eriol handed her Neilan before he focused his attention to the unconscious girl. He raised his hands over her body and closed his eyes. Seconds later, Naomi's body glowed with a soft blue light. It took Eriol quite some time before Naomi's wounds have completely healed.
"Will she be all right?" Touya asked as he knelt down and took Naomi's hands. She still looks pale to him.
"Physically yes. But her spiritual power is almost drained," Eriol quietly said before pausing.
"What is it, Eriol-kun?" Sakura asked.
"If it had gone on any longer, she could have killed herself." Eriol sighed. He felt some of his anger go away when he said that. It wasn't that he was angry because Naomi had blatantly disobeyed his orders although he was surprised that she did. He was angry because she risked her life to save them from Mori. He was angry because he couldn't do anything to help her or stop her.
"Nakuru. Take Naomi to her room and make her as comfortable as possible."
"Hai!" She waited for Touya to release Naomi's hand so she could give him their baby doll. Then she placed her hand above Naomi's body making her float in the air. Naomi's suspended body followed Ruby Moon out of the room and up the stairs.
"It's your turn," he motioned for the others to line up. As soon as they did, Eriol healed them giving them back their strength. Then he slowly walked to his chair and sat down.
"Sakura," Tomoyo said, "what happened?"
"I'm not exactly sure," Sakura replied. "Was Enishi Mori destroyed?"
"Unfortunately, no. Naomi just bound him in another dimension. Judging by the amount of power that she used, he would probably be trapped there for two weeks, maybe less."
"Can you tell us what's going on?" Keroberos said. For some reason he wasn't aware of another card captor except for Sakura. How come Yue knows whom this Mori is but I don't, he shot a suspicious look from Eriol to Yue who had grown more unusually quiet.
Eriol looked at their expectant faces and thought for a while. "Iie. You're all tired. Explanations can wait until tomorrow."
"Demo," Syaoran objected. He wanted to know why Eriol and his guardians were here. But more than anything else, he wanted to know how Naomi came into the picture.
"Don't worry my cute little descendant," Eriol smiled at Syaoran, "your questions will be answered. But don't you prefer it if you hear them from Naomi herself. No. This isn't my story to tell." Eriol briefly glanced at Yue.
Syaoran glared at Eriol when he called him "his cute little descendant" but he didn't say anything. Eriol was right. They would just waste time because Naomi wasn't there to tell them the whole story. Besides, he was suddenly too tired. They had been through enough for one day. It would be nice if they could rest.
"Spinel Sun. Why don't you show our guests their rooms?"
The big cat stood up and led the others upstairs. A few minutes later he came back to Eriol. He took one look at Eriol's tired face before transforming into his smaller form.
"It was that bad?" he asked his master.
"Worse," Eriol grimaced. "He's more powerful than we thought and our powers are completely useless against him."
"Is the Li boy strong enough to defeat him?"
"Iie. Naomi would have to teach him new tricks. Especially now that her power is almost drained. It would take some time before it is completely restored."
The room grew quiet for a few minutes, both of them deep in their thoughts. Then Spinel Sun stood up from the arm of Eriol's chair. "I'm going back upstairs to check up on her and Nakuru," he said as he flew towards the door. "You're staying here?"
"Aa. We have another guest arriving soon."
Spinel Sun stared at his master. Now who could that be this time? Oh well. I'll know sooner or later.
~Upstairs~Touya couldn't sleep. He'd been tossing and turning on the bed for almost an hour now. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened. He couldn't stop thinking about Naomi.
If it had gone on any longer, she could have killed herself.
He remembered Hiiragizawa's words. He couldn't do anything to help her. He just stood there and watched her almost die.
"Kuso," he cursed as he punched his pillow to a pulp.
"We all feel the same way," Syaoran suddenly said.
Touya braced his upper body with his elbows as he looked at the boy lying across the room.
"When Mori said that he had already killed Naomi, I wanted to beat him up. But I couldn't. He was too powerful," Syaoran continued as he pushed his hands under his head. "She sacrificed herself even though she knew she might die."
"I hated myself after the first attack because I wasn't strong enough to save Sakura on my own. But I hate myself even more now because I wasn't able to help the one who really saved Sakura. It feels as though I failed them both."
Touya laid back on his bed as he thought about what Syaoran said. He didn't like that boy because he was jealous of him. He knows it was unreasonable but he loves his sister dearly. He didn't want her to get hurt the way he was hurt when Kaho left him.
But now…well, he still doesn't like him but he respects him. It took a great amount of courage to say what he said, especially to Touya. And he knows Syaoran would risk his life just to protect Sakura.
Just like the way Touya will risk his life to prevent Naomi from getting hurt again. But what can he do? He may have powers but he doesn't know how to use them the way Syaoran can.
Mori was right. He is pathetic. Among all of them he was the weakest. How could he protect Naomi if he was weak?
"If you're still worried about her, why don't you check on her?" Syaoran spoke up again.
Touya looked at the bed beside him. He knows that Yukito was still awake and listening in on their conversation. He didn't want to bother him. Why else would he listen to that gaki even if what he said made sense? Iie, he thought.
He knows that his friend is battling his own demons since Yue is deeply involved in this problem. Much deeper than any of them. But Touya doesn't blame him. After all, he never would have met Naomi if Mori didn't appear.
Finally deciding that the brat was right, he stood up and pulled his shirt and shoes on. He wordlessly went out of the room and started to walk down the hall. But then he stopped. He didn't notice it before but the apartment was magically altered from the inside.
What actually was a small apartment from the outside was changed into a mansion from the inside. He looked at the large second floor. There must be about six rooms in this area, Touya thought as he sweatdropped. Hiiragizawa-san hadn't changed his taste in home décor at all. But which room is Naomi in?
"Touya-kun!" Nakuru suddenly grabbed him from behind. "I missed you so much. Did you miss me?"
"Akizuki-chan, let go of me." Touya said as he tried to shake her off.
Nakuru jumped off his back and smilingly faced him. "Why are you still up?"
"I wanted to go out for a breather." He hoped Akizuki would go away and leave him alone. He wasn't up to any of her annoying stunts.
"Oh? Is that so," Nakuru baited him. "Well I suppose you wouldn't want to come with me to check up on Naomi." She turned her back on him and started to walk away. She had already realized what was going on between him and Naomi.
"Hey wait!" Touya ran to catch up with her. She stopped walking and looked at him expectantly.
"Hai," she said.
Mou! She's gonna make me beg to take me with her. She's so infuriating, he sighed. "Ano, can I come with you?"
"And the magic word is…"
Touya glared at her before saying, "Onegai."
"Hai!"
They walked down the hall and up the stairs to the third floor. He followed Nakuru to the last room and passed her when she opened the door.
The moonlight was streaming in from the window bathing Naomi with a soft glow. Her hair looked very dark against her pale skin and white silk pajama. Propped beside her head was the teddy bear he had given her that afternoon.
He turned when he heard the door click and saw that Nakuru had left the room. Arigatou Akizuki-chan, he thought. He walked closer to Naomi's bed and stared at her for some time. Then he gently sat down on the edge of her bed and stared some more.
"I may be weak, Naomi, but I swear to you…I'll do everything I can to stop you from getting hurt." He pushed strands of hair away from her face and cupped her cheeks then he bent closer to her face. "Aishiteru," he whispered near her ear.
With that he sat down on the floor and took her hand. He touched her hand with his lips in a feathery kiss then laid his head on the bed. Couple of minutes later he was fast asleep.
An hour later, Naomi slowly woke up when she felt a familiar aura in the room. She forced her eyes to open and when she did she saw her best friend floating above her. Naomi's lips moved to say her name but her friend's fingers stopped her from saying it and looked to the side of the bed.
Turning her head slightly to see what her friend was looking at, she saw Touya hunched on her bed, sleeping soundly. His hands were gently cupping hers.
She slowly sat up, not wanting to wake him up for he looked so peaceful. Raising her other hand she touched his hair and his cheek. She smiled as she remembered her dream a while ago. She had dreamt that Touya said he loved her.
"Aishiteru, Touya. I only wish you loved me too." Naomi whispered with a blush. She suddenly remembered that her friend was watching so she blushed some more. But when she looked around the room, her friend was nowhere to be seen although she knows that she was near.
Naomi took one last glance at Touya before she gently pulled her hand away from his. She stood up and went out to search for her friend. The aura led her to the room on the ground floor.
Naomi went directly to the window overlooking the garden. She stared outside for a moment and watched Eriol talking with a man in the gazebo. It was dark outside but she knew whom it was.
"A full circle," she said as the last piece of the puzzle had finally appeared. "Everybody is finally here, ne, Nadeshiko-san?"
The angel appeared from the shadows across the room and glided towards her. They faced each other and smiled their gentlest smiles. It was like they were looking at a mirror for even their smiles looked alike. The only differences between them were their clothes and Nadeshiko's angel wings.
"How are you, child?" Nadeshiko asked the girl.
Naomi glanced away from her friend's gaze. The truth was she felt really bad. She felt weak, tired and, most of all, guilty. She knows that Eriol got mad at her because she disobeyed his orders. But if she was to choose again she won't change anything that she did tonight.
Well maybe there is something that she's regretting. She regrets acting so selfishly during her fight with Mori. All she thought about during that fight was getting her revenge. She wanted to stab him deep with Syaoran's sword. She wanted him to suffer just as much her mother suffered.
That's all she could ever think about that's why she didn't see Mori raise his hand. That's why she wasn't able to jump away from him sooner. If she hadn't heard Sakura shout she could have been dead by now.
It was then that she realized that revenge wasn't why she was here in Tomoeda. She was here to protect her new friends and save them from Mori. And protect them she did, even though she knew how dangerous invoking Clow Reed's blood was.
Fate gave her another chance to change her life. Fate has given her new people to love in replacement for her mother's love. This was what Fate prepared for her. A full circle.
"Neilan is worried about you," Nadeshiko said when Naomi still hasn't answered her.
Naomi faced her friend again, this time smiling sadly. "How long have we known each other, Nadeshiko-san?"
"Long enough. I remember the day I met your mother. She was so shocked to see me because I looked exactly like you. I had to go down and see you for myself."
Naomi remembered that day too. That was the first time she saw an angel. "And even before that day, Okaasan never showed herself to me. She had always sent you to check up on me. She still does."
"Your mother loves you very much. You know that. But she's not ready to see you yet." Nadeshiko sighed when Naomi just bowed her head in despair. "Very well. Do you really want to know why Neilan hasn't shown herself to you? It's because she hasn't earned her wings yet. In all these years she still hasn't forgiven herself for not being able to love you when she was alive."
"Forgiveness," Nadeshiko said as she floated closer to embrace the other girl. "That's what you need to stop all of this hurting. Your mother must forgive herself for what she didn't do. And you must forgive your father for what he did do."
Naomi closed her eyes to shut away the pain in her heart. She knew what Nadeshiko said was right. But she was not ready to let go of the pain yet.
She felt Nadeshiko's hand on the side of her face. "Time will heal everything. You'll see." Then she poised to leave.
"Where are you going?" Naomi asked. She saw her friend shoot a longing glance towards the gazebo. "Wakatta. But it's not nice to eavesdrop, you know," she couldn't help but laugh.
"It won't be eavesdropping if they know I'm there," Nadeshiko replied in defense before looking at the door. She smiled when she saw her son standing there. "Touya."
Touya just stood there in shock. He had seen his mother a few times after she had died but that was in their home. He wasn't expecting to see her here. But, most of all, he wasn't expecting to see her and Naomi together. It seemed to him that they've known each other for a long time now.
He started when he saw his mother glide towards him. "Okaasan."
"I'm proud of you, my son. You've done a good job taking care of Sakura," Nadeshiko said as she hugged him. And before she disappeared, she whispered in his ear "take good care of Naomi too."
Touya closed his eyes as he felt his mother's touch. It wasn't his imagination this time. He really felt her touch. When he opened his eyes it was Naomi who was smiling up at him.
"Daijoubu?" She was glad that mother and son had seen each other again.
"Aa. Just surprised. What about you? How do you feel?"
"I feel great!" In a way she did when she saw Touya. Her smile turned into a puzzled expression when she saw he was looking at her oddly. "Doushite?"
Touya felt his heart bursting with happiness. And it wasn't just because of his accidental meeting with his mother.
~Flashback~He had felt her hand on his face when she thought he was sleeping soundly beside her bed. It was hard to stay asleep when his skin tingled from her soft touch. He had wanted her to touch him more but instead he got something better.
"Aishiteru, Touya. I only wish you loved me too," he heard her say.
It took all of his effort to continue on pretending to be asleep when all he wanted to do was shout for joy. But he continued his charade because he didn't want to scare her off.
When she left the room he thought she was just going to the bathroom. But when she didn't come back, he worried. Maybe she fainted and had hit her head, he had thought. So he went out to look for her. But he couldn't find her anywhere in the third and second floor. It left only the room in the ground floor.
And that's where he found her hugging his mother. At first he thought that his mind was playing tricks on him but then Nadeshiko turned and greeted him.
~End of flashback~
"Doushite?" Naomi asked.
But instead of answering her, she was surprised when Touya suddenly embraced her. She felt his arm slowly circling her body and pressing him close to her. She looked up at him with shocked eyes and asked again, "doushite?"
And again he didn't answer. She watched his head slowly bend down towards hers. Her eyes automatically closed as if a magic spell had woven itself around them. It wasn't long before his lips touched hers.
Sparks flew as though thousands of fireworks were lit and flew into a star filled night. Their hearts thumping madly in unison. When their lips separated, they looked deep into each other's eyes as thought they were looking at each other's souls.
"I love you, Naomi," Touya whispered against her lips.
Naomi felt tears form in her eyes. No one has ever said those words to her before. She felt like she was going to burst with happiness.
"Aishiteru, Touya." Her tears were falling even though she was smiling her brightest smile. She felt Touya brush away her tears before bending to kiss her eyes then the tip of her nose.
Sighing a happy sigh, she laid her head on his chest. They stayed like that for a long time, content in being in each other's arms.
Some time later, Touya hugged Naomi tighter. "Don't ever scare me like that again," he said, his lips on her hair.
Naomi didn't reply. She didn't want to lie to him so she said nothing. There was no certainty on what the outcome of their fight with Mori would be. He was a powerful and dangerous man. If she had to risk her life just to keep him and his sister safe, she would willingly do so.
When she didn't answer, Touya got worried. He tipped her chin up and searched her face. "Promise me you won't put your life on the line," he whispered.
"You don't know how much I want to promise you that," she said as she raised her hand to touch his cheek with her palm. "But I can't. I don't want to promise you something that I may not be able to keep. You deserve better than that."
"Demo," he insisted.
"Iie," she placed her fingers on his lips. Then she thought of something. She moved out of his arms and took his hand.
Facing his palm up, she placed her hand over it. Seconds later, the space between their hands started to shine. Touya felt something cold was forming on his palm.
When Naomi lifted her hand, Touya saw a circular pendant with a cherry blossom carved on it. A soft glow caught his eye and saw that Naomi made a sharp ice. She pricked her finger with it and let a drop of her blood slide down his palm to the pendant. The instant her blood touched the pendant, its translucent color changed into pink.
Then she took his other hand and did the same thing except that she kissed his pricked finger to rob it of its sting. When his blood mixed with hers in the pendant, its color changed again, this time into red. He also felt the change in its temperature. The pendant was no longer ice cold instead it was warm and comforting.
Naomi had cut a few long strands of her hair and pressed her thumb and forefinger on one end. She let her fingers slide from one end to the other magically braiding the hair into a thick black string. She inserted one end of the string through the eye of the pendant and tied off the ends together.
She held the necklace to him and waited for him to bend down. When he did she placed the necklace around his neck and gently laid the pendant against his chest.
"As long as love exists between us, that pendant won't melt," she said as she laid her hands on his chest. "So even if I'm gone it will not melt because death would not stop me from loving you. Death would not keep me away from you. Just as your mother's death did not stop her from loving and watching over you and your family."
This was not the answer Touya was hoping for but he was content with it. It was up to him to keep her from risking her life. He would provide that which she can't deliver.
He felt her body slump against his and knew that she was asleep. Making the necklace had made her weak. I guess the first thing I should do is stop her from using magic until her power is completely restored, he sighed.
He picked her up and went to Eriol's big chair. He sat down and gently positioned Naomi on his lap. He tucked her head under his chin and circled his arms around her placing his hands over hers on her lap.
(AN: Duh! There's a couch in that room remember? But it's more romantic this way. I love mushy stuff.)
That was how Eriol found them when he and his guest entered the room. They stared smilingly at the sleeping couple.
"I guess almost everything is in order now," Eriol said to the man.
"Almost," Fujitaka smiled back.
To be continued…