Wrote this last night when I'd planned to sleep. I adore Chihayafuru, so naturally, I have a Yukyoru AU for it. Surprise, another fandom which also has a mighty OT3.
The final card flies away, Rin moving so fast yet with barely a ripple in her kimono, deep placid purple. Yuki lets out a breath as the atmosphere flows once more. The reigning Queen retains her title, and Tohru…
Even from here she radiates happiness, orange to yellow as the fire of her determination cools. She exchanges bows with the Queen, stands and smooths her goldenrod kimono.
He glances at Kyo and sees him just as tense as he was during the match, though he starts to relax when Tohru turns. Yuki puts a hand on his shoulder as they both stand, waiting for her.
She walks to them in a stately manner at odds with the beaming smile she wears, and her voice is everything except composed. "Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, did you see? Isuzu-san played beautifully. Ah, I was so happy when I defended that card! I defended against the Queen… Mom was so proud, I could feel it." She chatters on, arms linked between them, and they move away from the riot of cameras, together once more.
Now Yuki can truly breathe.
"I've never seen you this happy losing," Kyo says, and Yuki can't stop a smile at the wonder in his voice.
"I've never lost to such an amazing person," Tohru exclaims.
He chokes on a laugh as all the matches they've played flash through his mind, and nearly stops walking at the wry look Kyo gives him, but Tohru still pulls them and he has to keep on.
As they step out into the sunlight, he feels buoyant. Everyone sees her, the girl with swift hands, fire in her eyes, boundless determination. But they don't see her. Not the way Kyo does; not the way he does. The love she holds for each card, her spring-filled voice when she reads for them, the taste of the air in the room when the three of them play.
He adjusts his hand around hers and returns her smile.
The world gets a glimpse. But the truth belongs to them.