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See first chapter for disclaimer, warnings & such
Chapter Two: A Dreary Evening
Fujitaka frowned as he finished up the last couple of dishes from dinner and glanced at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. It was nearly 9:30 and well past the time when Touya should have been home. He had held off dinner for as long as he could, reassuring Sakura that her brother was fine and had probably just forgotten to call to tell them he had other plans. She had nodded in agreement and Fujitaka had tried his best to smile at the sentiment, but he was more worried than he wanted to let on. This wasn't like Touya at all to be so late with no word. The white board clearly indicated that Touya had no practice after school and no part-time job to attend to today. Fujitaka knew that his son often spent the afternoon with his best friend Yukito, but he was always home by dinner if he had no other plans.
He wouldn't have been quite so worried if it wasn't for the heavy thunder and lighting of a spring downpour outside. He could hear the wind whistling through the trees and the sound of raindrops pounding against the roof and windows. It was a nasty storm to say the least and he hated to think of the prospect of his son somewhere out there in the midst of it.
With a heavy sigh Fujitaka wiped the last dish with a towel and set it aside to dry. He supposed that he should call Yukito's house to see if Touya was there before he worried too much.
He dialed the number quickly and waited for several rings before he heard the sound of Yukito on the other line.
"Hello, Tsukishiro Yukito speaking."
"Hi, Tsukishiro-kun. This is Kinomoto Fujitaka. Is Touya there with you?"
"No he's not. I haven't seen him since this afternoon."
"Hmmm… Okay, thanks."
"He's still not home?"
"No. Do you have any idea where he might be?"
"No."
"Well, I'm going to go look for him. Thanks for your help."
"I'm sure he's fine."
"I hope so."
"Bye."
"Goodbye."
Fujitaka climbed the stairs and knocked on Sakura's door.
Sakura opened the door and peered out into the hallway before opening it all the way and inviting her father inside.
"Sakura-san, I'm going to go look for your brother. You stay here in case he comes back before I do, okay?"
Sakura nodded and then looked up at him with concern. "Do you think he's alright?"
Fujitaka forced a smile and patted his daughter on the head affectionately. "I'm sure he's fine and I know that he wouldn't want you to worry about him no matter what."
"Alright."
"Now you should probably get to bed so you get plenty of rest for school tomorrow."
"Okay. Goodnight, Otousan."
"Good night, Sakura-san."
Fujitaka grabbed an umbrella from the bin by the door and slipped on a long brown rain coat on the way out the door.
He drove slowly up and down the streets of the neighborhood searching for some sign of Touya along the way, but his car headlights only illuminated empty streets. No one seemed to be venturing out in such a torrential downpour besides him.
Half an hour later, Fujitaka was just about to give up when he spotted a shadowy figure wandering slowly down the sidewalk a few feet away. He squinted in that direction and tried to make out the identity of the person, but couldn't see much beyond the raindrops smearing his windshield.
As he watched, the dark figure stepped within the circle of a streetlight and Fujitaka caught a glimpse of dark hair and a familiar blue shirt. He parked the car quickly and ran towards the young man shielding himself from the strong gusts of wind. Opening the umbrella he offered it to his son as he came closer.
"Touya-kun! I've been looking everywhere for you! What happened?" Fujitaka shouted against the sound of the storm.
Touya stared up at his father with a blank expression on his face and Fujitaka gasped at the starkness in his deep blue eyes. Not waiting for a response and not really expecting one, Fujitaka wrapped one arm around Touya's shoulder and led his son towards the waiting car. He opened the door and guided Touya into the seat before closing it and getting in on the other side.
"We should get you home. You must be freezing." Fujitaka said after pulling away from the curb.
Touya said nothing in response, but Fujitaka could feel him shivering next to him. He frowned at that and glanced over at his son. Touya sat huddled up against the far side of the car, left shoulder pressed up against the door with his arms wrapped around himself. He hadn't said a word since Fujitaka had found him and he still looked lost. His eyes were red as if he had been crying, but Fujitaka couldn't be certain since raindrops would have long since mingled with any remaining tear streaks that might have graced his face. His dark hair was dripping wet and his bangs pressed against his forehead in sharp contrast to his too pale skin. His light blue shirt clung to his skin soaked to every fiber with rainwater.
Once they arrived home, Fujitaka guided Touya into the house hesitantly. Secretly glad to see Sakura's light off since the sight of Touya was disturbing him and he didn't want to upset Sakura.
"You need to get out of those wet clothes and take a warm bath. Why don't you go do that and I'll heat up something for you to eat?"
"I'm not hungry." Touya answered flatly. "I'll just go to bed after the bath."
Fujitaka stared after his son with concern as he watched the young man climb the stairs slowly and head off towards the bathroom.
He frowned and followed shortly afterwards. Fujitaka waited on the edge of his bed trying to decide if he should go check up on his son. He didn't want to interfere too much, but he couldn't help but be worried. He stood up suddenly at the sound of the bathroom door being opened and the steady sound of footsteps making their way down the hall to Touya's room.
Fujitaka peered into the hallway and called after his son. "Do you need anything, Touya-kun?"
Touya shook his head and stepped into his room. Fujitaka rushed over and propped the door open with one hand just before Touya could close it. "Are you alright, Touya-kun?"
"I'm fine. Goodnight."
"Wait. What happened?"
Touya hesitated for a long moment looking down at the floor, but he clamped down any signs that he might be willing to share such information. "Nothing." He answered simply.
The older Kinomoto let his arms fall to his sides as his son pushed the door closed. Fujitaka stared at it not knowing what to do. He knew that whatever it was he would have to respect his son's decision to keep it secret for the moment no matter how much he wanted to find out what was troubling him. He couldn't even begin to imagine what might have happened to make Touya so upset, but his son had always been quiet when he was distressed. He hoped that Touya wouldn't hold his pain in too long and might confide in him or his sister when he was feeling more up to it.
TBC
Notes: Thanks to everyone who has commented! I really love to hear feedback ^_^ I don't know how long this fic is going to be so 10 parts is just a guess. It might be less than that, but I don't think that it will be more. I'm in the middle of exams here so the next few parts might be a little slow in coming, but I'll make up for it afterwards.
I've never really written Fujitaka before so I wasn't sure what he would do. I kind of wanted him to just give Touya a big hug at the end, but that didn't seem like it really fit. Don't you just want to give Touya a big hug right now? Just wait. Pretty soon you'll want to give Yuki one too I think, but that's a few chapters away. Ah, the suspense…
Yes, I'm rambling, but you're still reading. I'm still trying to decide when to send the next chapter out. It's finished though so I'll probably post it pretty soon. I want to see what people think of this one first.
Oh yeah, and the chapter titles will only get cheesier...
Thanks!
See first chapter for disclaimer, warnings & such
Chapter Two: A Dreary Evening
Fujitaka frowned as he finished up the last couple of dishes from dinner and glanced at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. It was nearly 9:30 and well past the time when Touya should have been home. He had held off dinner for as long as he could, reassuring Sakura that her brother was fine and had probably just forgotten to call to tell them he had other plans. She had nodded in agreement and Fujitaka had tried his best to smile at the sentiment, but he was more worried than he wanted to let on. This wasn't like Touya at all to be so late with no word. The white board clearly indicated that Touya had no practice after school and no part-time job to attend to today. Fujitaka knew that his son often spent the afternoon with his best friend Yukito, but he was always home by dinner if he had no other plans.
He wouldn't have been quite so worried if it wasn't for the heavy thunder and lighting of a spring downpour outside. He could hear the wind whistling through the trees and the sound of raindrops pounding against the roof and windows. It was a nasty storm to say the least and he hated to think of the prospect of his son somewhere out there in the midst of it.
With a heavy sigh Fujitaka wiped the last dish with a towel and set it aside to dry. He supposed that he should call Yukito's house to see if Touya was there before he worried too much.
He dialed the number quickly and waited for several rings before he heard the sound of Yukito on the other line.
"Hello, Tsukishiro Yukito speaking."
"Hi, Tsukishiro-kun. This is Kinomoto Fujitaka. Is Touya there with you?"
"No he's not. I haven't seen him since this afternoon."
"Hmmm… Okay, thanks."
"He's still not home?"
"No. Do you have any idea where he might be?"
"No."
"Well, I'm going to go look for him. Thanks for your help."
"I'm sure he's fine."
"I hope so."
"Bye."
"Goodbye."
Fujitaka climbed the stairs and knocked on Sakura's door.
Sakura opened the door and peered out into the hallway before opening it all the way and inviting her father inside.
"Sakura-san, I'm going to go look for your brother. You stay here in case he comes back before I do, okay?"
Sakura nodded and then looked up at him with concern. "Do you think he's alright?"
Fujitaka forced a smile and patted his daughter on the head affectionately. "I'm sure he's fine and I know that he wouldn't want you to worry about him no matter what."
"Alright."
"Now you should probably get to bed so you get plenty of rest for school tomorrow."
"Okay. Goodnight, Otousan."
"Good night, Sakura-san."
Fujitaka grabbed an umbrella from the bin by the door and slipped on a long brown rain coat on the way out the door.
He drove slowly up and down the streets of the neighborhood searching for some sign of Touya along the way, but his car headlights only illuminated empty streets. No one seemed to be venturing out in such a torrential downpour besides him.
Half an hour later, Fujitaka was just about to give up when he spotted a shadowy figure wandering slowly down the sidewalk a few feet away. He squinted in that direction and tried to make out the identity of the person, but couldn't see much beyond the raindrops smearing his windshield.
As he watched, the dark figure stepped within the circle of a streetlight and Fujitaka caught a glimpse of dark hair and a familiar blue shirt. He parked the car quickly and ran towards the young man shielding himself from the strong gusts of wind. Opening the umbrella he offered it to his son as he came closer.
"Touya-kun! I've been looking everywhere for you! What happened?" Fujitaka shouted against the sound of the storm.
Touya stared up at his father with a blank expression on his face and Fujitaka gasped at the starkness in his deep blue eyes. Not waiting for a response and not really expecting one, Fujitaka wrapped one arm around Touya's shoulder and led his son towards the waiting car. He opened the door and guided Touya into the seat before closing it and getting in on the other side.
"We should get you home. You must be freezing." Fujitaka said after pulling away from the curb.
Touya said nothing in response, but Fujitaka could feel him shivering next to him. He frowned at that and glanced over at his son. Touya sat huddled up against the far side of the car, left shoulder pressed up against the door with his arms wrapped around himself. He hadn't said a word since Fujitaka had found him and he still looked lost. His eyes were red as if he had been crying, but Fujitaka couldn't be certain since raindrops would have long since mingled with any remaining tear streaks that might have graced his face. His dark hair was dripping wet and his bangs pressed against his forehead in sharp contrast to his too pale skin. His light blue shirt clung to his skin soaked to every fiber with rainwater.
Once they arrived home, Fujitaka guided Touya into the house hesitantly. Secretly glad to see Sakura's light off since the sight of Touya was disturbing him and he didn't want to upset Sakura.
"You need to get out of those wet clothes and take a warm bath. Why don't you go do that and I'll heat up something for you to eat?"
"I'm not hungry." Touya answered flatly. "I'll just go to bed after the bath."
Fujitaka stared after his son with concern as he watched the young man climb the stairs slowly and head off towards the bathroom.
He frowned and followed shortly afterwards. Fujitaka waited on the edge of his bed trying to decide if he should go check up on his son. He didn't want to interfere too much, but he couldn't help but be worried. He stood up suddenly at the sound of the bathroom door being opened and the steady sound of footsteps making their way down the hall to Touya's room.
Fujitaka peered into the hallway and called after his son. "Do you need anything, Touya-kun?"
Touya shook his head and stepped into his room. Fujitaka rushed over and propped the door open with one hand just before Touya could close it. "Are you alright, Touya-kun?"
"I'm fine. Goodnight."
"Wait. What happened?"
Touya hesitated for a long moment looking down at the floor, but he clamped down any signs that he might be willing to share such information. "Nothing." He answered simply.
The older Kinomoto let his arms fall to his sides as his son pushed the door closed. Fujitaka stared at it not knowing what to do. He knew that whatever it was he would have to respect his son's decision to keep it secret for the moment no matter how much he wanted to find out what was troubling him. He couldn't even begin to imagine what might have happened to make Touya so upset, but his son had always been quiet when he was distressed. He hoped that Touya wouldn't hold his pain in too long and might confide in him or his sister when he was feeling more up to it.
TBC
Notes: Thanks to everyone who has commented! I really love to hear feedback ^_^ I don't know how long this fic is going to be so 10 parts is just a guess. It might be less than that, but I don't think that it will be more. I'm in the middle of exams here so the next few parts might be a little slow in coming, but I'll make up for it afterwards.
I've never really written Fujitaka before so I wasn't sure what he would do. I kind of wanted him to just give Touya a big hug at the end, but that didn't seem like it really fit. Don't you just want to give Touya a big hug right now? Just wait. Pretty soon you'll want to give Yuki one too I think, but that's a few chapters away. Ah, the suspense…
Yes, I'm rambling, but you're still reading. I'm still trying to decide when to send the next chapter out. It's finished though so I'll probably post it pretty soon. I want to see what people think of this one first.
Oh yeah, and the chapter titles will only get cheesier...
Thanks!