Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. If they did, they would throttle me for taking so long between updates.

CH 25 Interlude: Love Stories

Dinner, made by Sakura to be delicious cold, waited for Fujitaka when he arrived home. Sakura interrupted her phone conversation to welcome her father home but quickly darted back to Syaoran's long distance call.

"I hope you don't need your office for another hour," teased Nadeshiko.

Fujitaka exhaled relief to be home. "I'm done with work for today. I'm running out of 'today' to do any more work in." His smile was tired but genuine. He finished his meal with deliberate slowness and cleaned up the dishes still radiating satisfaction. "Would you like to listen to some music?" he asked after the last evidence of the meal vanished.

"I would like to listen to some music with you." She let him lead her to the living room and select a recording. The soft, orchestral notes of a classical composition filled the dimly lit room while she curled up with her husband to listen.

"A day that ends with you," he said, "is a perfect day."

"Fujitaka?" She almost didn't want to ask, "did you forget that the power was going to be turned off for today?"

He went still with realization. "I'm sorry, Nadeshiko." He rested his head against her hair. "I did forget to tell you. I think about you all day, and then I forget something like that," he sighed.

"You think about me all day?"

"I do." He gave her a squeeze. "You are a constant distraction."

"Oh." She smiled, pleased.

"Were you okay, today? What did you do?"

Nadeshiko hesitated. She couldn't lie to Fujitaka, but she didn't want to tell him about going out shopping, either. She changed the subject, instead. "Sakura asked me over dinner about how you and I knew that we would get married."

"That's easy," said Fujitaka. "I knew from the minute you fell on me. Even while I was seeing stars." He laughed softly. "It took me a while to think it could actually happen, everything considered, but I knew it was meant to be." He smiled sagely. "It was later for you, wasn't it?"

"I admired you right away," she answered. "You know."

"But you didn't know that you would marry me…" he started.

"…until you asked me," she finished, "yes." Warmth filled her with the memory. "I was in love with you all that time, before I realized what it was. Sonomi always made marriage sound like something you did when you were so much older. She didn't like talking about who either of us would marry someday. It would be someone dull and wealthy, and probably old, that the family would choose."

Fujitaka just laughed at that. "I hope I'm not dull."

"No," she replied, "you could never be."

"Are you sure?" sighed Fujitaka. "I work. I cook. I read the newspaper on the train. A book now and then. The same as I was when I came to teach at your school, only older, now. You were the one who climbed tall trees to rescue baby birds," he chuckled. With a wistful look, he added, "Even now, you are the one who is never boring." His hands rubbed her bare arms, his way of indicating Nadeshiko's body. "This isn't exactly average."

She shivered with pleasure at his touch. "Adventures find me. I don't go looking for them." All the uncomfortable feelings she had built up throughout the day were melting away at her husband's warm touch and the sound of his merriment. "All I ever wanted was this." She moved closer to him and brought her kiss up to his lips. "To be loved like this. To have the kind of things that make a life full. I loved my family, but you gave me all I could ever want. Including a family of my own."

"I enjoyed the giving." A sparkle of wickedness gleamed in Fujitaka's expression. "If I were less tired tonight… ." His sigh became a yawn that he tried to hold back.

"I think I'm going to be up tonight," Nadeshiko said. "I want to visit Yue."

Fujitaka nodded. "Yes, that's okay. I can hardly keep my eyes open and I'll be asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow." He stood up to stretch his back, then bent back down to give his wife a deep good-night kiss.

Nadeshiko watched him leave the room and heard him walk up the stairs. I wasn't asking permission, she thought to herself. It perplexed her that his permission bothered her.

A few moments later, Sakura popped around the corner, checking the living room since the lights were still on. She looked as if she were walking on clouds. "Goodnight, 'Kasan."

"Goodnight," murmured her mother in return. "Did you have a good conversation with your koibito?"

Sakura made small noise of protest, embarrassment, and happiness. She nodded, her cheeks flushed as pink as her namesake, smiling.

"Sleep well," Nadeshiko wished her. "Sweet dreams."

"I will," Sakura agreed. She almost danced as she headed off to bed. It made her mother smile.

y.y.y

Yukito popped a large bowl of popcorn and put a movie in after Nadeshiko and Kero left. It was one he had seen before with Touya, and watching it again helped him feel as if Touya was on the couch with him. When they spent time apart, Yukito did not mind doing things on his own, but he still felt the lack of his most important person.

A chilly gloom bothered him. It wasn't himself, so it had to be coming from Yue. You might enjoy watching this movie, he told his other self, to get your mind off of thoughts that are making you sad.

Is it humorous? Yue asked without interest.

Just watch it. It's more fun to experience things without expectations of what they are supposed to be. He crunched a handful of puffy popcorn kernels. Happy thoughts distracted him as he remembered a fun evening that involved eating salted popcorn off of Touya's bare chest. Yukito deeply loved snacks.

A testy mental sigh erupted from the personality within. I never have enjoyed surprises, Yue lied.

Watch the movie, Yue, Yukito said kindly. It's Yojimbo. It has one of the greatest actors of all time, who also happens to be very attractive.

Yue made no reply. The credits on the opening of the old movie rolled past, leading into the first scene. Yukito stretched out, making himself comfortable.

Neither he nor Yue had another comment until after the movie ended. Yukito didn't have to ask if Yue liked the movie or not. He had felt Yue's interest as they both focused on the same thing. It was a good feeling, a solid feeling of harmony. Yukito put the movie back into its case; when he returned it to the haphazard stack on the shelf, he pulled out another one and put it into the player.

Yukito took his glasses off for a moment to rub the bridge of his nose and shut his tired eyes for a moment. He listened to as the western began. This one is in English. There is a foreign remake of Yojimbo, but I don't like it much. He opened his, looked at the blurry screen, looked at his glasses, and sighed. Yue, he asked, you don't wear glasses.

No. I do not need them. My vision is above average.

Then why, asked Yukito wryly, do I?

They both contemplated the question. Yukito's characteristic eyewear was part of a disguise that was no longer necessary.

Perhaps, suggested Yue uncertainly, you do not, after all.

I don't think that I do, said the young man with certainty. He paused the movie and closed his eyes for several minutes. When he blinked them open, the view was as clear as if he had his glasses on. Better: he didn't have the curving effect of lenses affecting his peripheral vision.

They were watching the climactic scene of High Noon when Touya arrived home. Touya flopped down next to Yukito and watched the TV screen quietly until the movie finished. He turned to his boyfriend and rumpled Yukito's hair. "Feeling sentimental?"

"Yue," said Yukito pointedly, "and I were watching movies together. I thought he would like this one."

Touya stopped mussing Yukito's hair in acknowledgement of Yue but dropped his hand to cradle Yukito's neck. "I'm going to kiss you," he warned with all seriousness. He looked deeply into his boyfriend's eyes.

Yue did the mental equivalent of moving away to the other side of the room. Yukito felt the change in attention. He leaned into Touya enough for the dark haired young man to know that they had some privacy. Touya made good on his warning.

For a while after that, they simply talked. Yukito steered the topics toward dullness, keeping the conversation to work and school. Touya ate the remaining popped corn, took the popcorn bowl into the kitchen, and made a sandwich for a quick dinner, which he ate while leaning on against the doorway as he talked to his boyfriend.

Eventually, the peculiar silence that indicated that his other self had gone to sleep rewarded Yukito's patience. He gave Touya a long, lustful look over the back of the couch. "We're alone now, To-ya."

"Alone, huh?"

Yukito nodded silently.

"Come here. Is that why you are giving me that sex kitten look?"

Yukito nodded, again.

"Then," growled Touya ,"come here, Yuki."

Yukito, obediently and willingly, did as he was told.

Touya asked him, later, after they had returned to the couch to enjoy lounging in a tangle, "What gives? You don't usually wait until he goes to sleep."

"It's a secret." Yukito smiled coyly.

"A secret, hm?"

"To-ya," said Yukito with a sly smile, "I want you to seduce Yue."

Touya looked at his boyfriend. "Why, Yuki?"

"Because I think he wants it. But won't admit it." Yukito snuggled. "Because you're hot, and he doesn't want to admit it to himself."

"He's there sometimes, when it's you and me. Like the first time. Right?"

"But that's not the same thing," stated Yukito. "I want you to… charm him." He smiled. "The way you do. I want you to get him in bed with you because that's what he wants."

"'The way I do'?" echoed Touya wryly.

"You know." He was the object of his boyfriend's smoldering gaze. Touya's facial expression was as inscrutable as a cat's. The fair-haired young man ran the tip of his finger thoughtfully around the circle of one of Touya's nipples. "I want him to know what it's like to make love to you." Yukito watched the path of his finger tip. He could feel Touya's eyes studying him.

"Yuki," Touya said finally, after a long silence. "I'm not going to give you an answer now. I'll think about it." He stretched as much as he could. "Are we going to bed now? I'm beat."

y.y.y

Nadeshiko stayed downstairs a while longer, after her family had retired to bed, before preparing to leave. Because it seemed right, somehow, she changed clothes. She left the house wearing the pink dress in which she had been reborn as the Star Guardian; her necklace, with its pink jewel, glittered at her breast. And instead of walking, she flew the short distance to Yue's house, winging her way through shadows so no one would see her. Despite her amateur flying ability, it felt wonderful to her to stretch her wings and feel the air breezing against her face.

The house was dark, and she landed in the deeper shadows of the back yard wondering if she should knock at a door. Since she could see nearly as well as in daylight, she simply sat down on the grass and waited for a decision to come to her. She concentrated on a small feeling she had, a tickling sense of magic or presence nearby that she thought might be Yue's aura.

She must have been right, for not long after, she saw a storm of pale feathers moving on the other side of the sliding glass doors. "Hello, my friend," she said as Yue came out into the yard.

…

[Author's note: Ugh. What a craptastic chapter! I sincerely apologize by continuing to work on 26 tonight.

In the meantime, I suggest listening to Vienna Teng's songs "In Another Life" and "Stray Italian Greyhound" from Inland Territory.]