This is set some time after Syaoran arrives, but before the Sakura Cards arc. As with Complexities, there are light hints at events that happen much later in the series, and very subtle hints at 'shounen ai'. Again, Touya, Yukito and Syaoran belong to CLAMP.
Kinomoto Touya was sitting in the fork of a tree, swinging his legs idly against the tree trunk. His foot his the trunk with a soft 'thud' every few second. It was almost soothing. The air was quite warm and smelt of spingtime - that delicate combination of flowers and the smell of the light rain that was dusting the ground. It wasn't nearly enough rain to bother him, and for now he was content to just sit and listen to it pattering on the leaves above him. A few droplets of water penetrated the canopy above him to land on his head, and he brushed them out of his hair tolerantly.
That familiar tickle on the edge of his consciousness and the sound of running footsteps alerted him to the presence of another. "Yuki!" he called, seeing the shorter boy not far away. "I'm over here."
Yukito began to make his way over swiftly, but was interrupted halfway there by the appearance of a blushing ten year old.
Li Syaoran held out a box of chocolates to the pale-haired boy.
"For me?" said Yukito, seeming surprised.
The boy nodded. He thrust the chocolates out again.
"Thank you," said Yukito, taking them from the younger boy with a smile. "Thank you very much." He flipped the box open cheerfully. "Would you like one?"
The boy blushed bright red and shook his head, then turned tail and fled the scene. Yukito was left blinking after him in confusion.
The pale-haired boy made his way to Touya's tree, still looking vaguely puzzled. He swung himself gracefully up into the branches, settling his back against the other fork of the trunk so that he was facing his friend. "Chocolate?" he asked, offering the box to his best friend.
Touya took one, removing the wrapper carefully and slipping it in his pocket.
"That was nice of him, wasn't it?" said Yukito, taking another chocolate.
Touya didn't answer for a moment. He regarded his friend searchingly. "How do you do it, Yuki?" asked Touya eventually, shaking his head.
"Do what, To-ya?"
"How do you act like you don't notice how they act around you and yet somehow manage to not hurt their feelings, by being so amazingly nice?"
Yukito looked at him blankly.
"Oh, don't worry about it," said Touya. "I guess I'm just going to have to live with it."
Yukito blinked at him. "I don't know what..."
"I said it doesn't matter," interupted Touya.
Yukito looked hurt. Touya leaned forward to put his hand on the other boy's. "No, really, it wasn't important."
The other boy smiled, tentatively. "Thank you, To-ya."
Touya stared at him. "For what?"
"For being my friend..."
"Oh, everyone likes you, Yuki. You're one of the most popular people at school."
Yukito shook his head. "But you're the only one that really knows me... You're the only one that teases me and you're not afraid to challenge me."
"Yuki, I..."
"And you listen to me when I say these silly things... Sometimes even I'm not sure who I really am..."
Touya laughed. "Well, that I can answer. You're my best friend, and you're kind and intelligent and wonderful and I wouldn't want anyone else and I certainly don't want you to change."
Yukito glanced at him, startled.
"My Yuki," repeated Touya, squeezing his friend's hand gently.
The other boy smiled again, more certainly this time.
"And don't you thank me for that too, because I was telling me the truth."
Yukito nodded. "I feel the same for you, To-ya," he ventured, shyly.
Touya leaned towards his friend and almost fell out of the tree when he leaned forward too far. He ended up practically in Yuki's arms, with the smaller boy laughing helplessly. Rain from the leaves, disturbed by the sudden motion, splattered down all over them. "Come on, To-ya. Let's get out of this tree before someone hurts himself."
Touya nodded ruefully, and climbed down reluctantly.
The sun through the remaining raindrops painted an iridescent rainbow across the sky.
~ END ~