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I'm going to send this out now because I happen to really like this chapter and I'm happy that I finished it tonight, but I haven't even started on the next chapter yet so it might be a while before I get anything else out.
I'll dedicate this part to my own little sister who isn't really little anymore and doesn't read fan fiction, but I love her and she's cute so it works ^_^
See first chapter for disclaimer, warnings & such
Chapter Six: A Sister's Love
Sakura came bounding down the stairs for dinner when her brother called her. It was just the two of them tonight, but the food smelled delicious. She smiled widely at Touya as he set the last of the dishes on the table and looked up at her.
"Hi Oniichan!" Sakura greeted him gleefully. Her brother had been so melancholy since the other day that she felt the need to cheer him up. "Dinner smells really good."
Touya smiled wanly at her. He knew what she was trying to do and he appreciated the effort. "Sit down and eat, kaijuu."
Sakura glared at him in mock anger. "I'm not a monster!" she stated emphatically as she pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Itadakimasu!" Sakura announced picking up her chopsticks and diving into the food on the plate in front of her. She glanced up at her brother warily every now and then, but she wasn't really sure what to say to him. He stared down at his plate, pushing the food around and occasionally taking a few bites. It was clear that his thoughts were somewhere else. She frowned at the dismal look on his face and decided to make it her mission as his little sister to find out what was wrong and do whatever she could to make it better.
"Onnichan? What's wrong?" she asked hesitantly blinking up at him in confusion.
Touya's eyes widened as he lifted his head to meet her gaze. He hadn't realized he was being so obvious. The last thing he wanted to do was to make someone else worried about him, especially Sakura. "It's nothing." Touya answered simply and continued eating.
Sakura frowned and set down her chopsticks to lean forward a little in her chair. Her sparkling green eyes shown with sympathy, and her voice was steady and serious. "You can tell me anything, Oniichan."
Touya stared back at her in amazement. He hadn't expected such honesty and tenderness from someone as young as Sakura, but he realized that she was growing up even if he didn't always want to admit it. This was just one more sign that the sweet innocent child he had dragged around by the hand and whispered ghost stories to in the dark was maturing into someone that he would someday hardly recognize. That thought saddened him slightly, but also made him proud. He knew she would grow into a remarkable woman that anyone would be proud and lucky to come into contact with. She had always been there for him just as much as he had been there for her and he was grateful. He figured that he at least owed her honesty in returned.
Touya sighed and pushed his chair a few inches back from the table. He brought his hands up to clasp in front of him briefly as he tried to figure out where to begin. Before he could say a word, she started it for him.
"Does this have anything to do with Yukito?"
Touya blinked back at her once more. She was a very insightful 11-year-old to say the least. He started to wonder how much she really knew about him. "Yeah." Touya answered reluctantly.
Sakura smiled in response and leaned back in her chair. "I thought so!" she announced happily and gestured for him to continue. When he didn't she creased her eyebrows in thought and tried to figure it out on her own. The only thing she could think of was that maybe Yukito had finally confessed his love for her brother and Touya had turned him down, but that didn't seem to explain Touya's sadness and she was relatively sure that her brother returned Yukito's feelings entirely. Wrapped up in thought she barely heard him let out a deep breath and search for the words.
"Well… he and I… it's just that…" Touya's shoulders slumped in defeat. He had enough trouble trying to explain the situation to himself and now trying to explain it to his younger sister was proving to be next to impossible.
He paused for a moment and then tried again. "I care about Yukito very much, Sakura, but we have a difference of opinion on the matter and lately we haven't really been able to get passed that." Touya stared down at his hands as he said the words and avoided looking up into his sister's gaze. He was afraid of the disapproval he might find there. After all, he didn't expect her to understand one friend's love for another let alone his own love for another man.
After several silent moments, blue eyes lifted to meet green and Touya was once again surprised to see only kindness and understanding in his younger sister's face. She pushed her chair out carefully and stood to walk over to the other side of the table where he sat. She reached out and delicately placed one hand on his shoulder.
"Do you love him?" she asked, her voice solemn and her gaze steady.
"Yes." Touya answered breathlessly.
Sakura smiled a brilliant smile and threw both arms around her brother. He froze at first not sure of what to make of such an action, but soon he found himself leaning into her embrace and welcoming the comfort and approval she offered. He felt a relief wash over him that he didn't even realize he was lacking. It meant more to him than he could express.
When Sakura finally pulled away, she was surprised to see the sadness still evident on her brother's face. She saw no reason for it. Yukito loved him and he loved Yukito. It was as simple as that as far as she was concerned.
"Why are you sad, Oniichan?"
Touya closed his eyes at the question and fought back the flood of images that darted through his mind's eye of that sunny afternoon outside the coffee shop. He opened his eyes again and stared down at the edge of the table without really seeing it.
"He doesn't feel the same way." The words were quiet and difficult for him to say, but they had a finality to them that hung in the space between the two siblings.
Sakura stared back at her brother in shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Of course Yukito felt the same way. He had told her that himself when she had confessed her own love for him underneath the canopy of stars at the school festival. She shook her head in disbelief and fought back tears of her own. Yukito loved her brother and she was sure of it. She couldn't understand why her brother would believe otherwise.
Sakura stomped her foot on the dining room table adamantly and grabbed onto her brother's arm with both hands tugging at his sleeve to get him to look in her direction.
"But he does love you! I know it!"
Touya looked back at her with a sad expression dancing behind his gaze. He shook his head slowly. "No. He doesn't." The words were calm and heart wrenching at the same time as if he had thought them over for a long time and finally come to this conclusion.
With that, Touya stood up and patted his sister affectionately on the head. "Thanks for trying, Sakura."
Sakura watched as her brother walked away and headed upstairs to his room. His head was bent slightly and she thought she caught a glimpse of eyes too bright with tears glimmering in the warm glow of the hallway lamp.
She wanted to run after him and demand an explanation or call up Yukito and ask him what was going on, but her feet were firmly planted on the ground. She could only stare after Touya helplessly and wonder how so much could have changed in the space of so little time. Only a few weeks ago, Yukito had loved her brother and she was certain of it. At that time it hadn't seemed like the kind of love that would fade away so quickly. It had seemed strong and pure and lasting. She couldn't believe that it had changed at all. Yukito loved her brother so why would he lie? Why would he make her brother so sad?
She couldn't understand it at all.
TBC
Notes: Too sweet? I'm not sure, but I think I like it. Now on to real work - you know, the kind that gets graded and affects your entire college career… Or maybe I'll work on that next chapter just a little more ^_^ Fan fic writing is just as addictive as reading I think.
-------------------
I'm going to send this out now because I happen to really like this chapter and I'm happy that I finished it tonight, but I haven't even started on the next chapter yet so it might be a while before I get anything else out.
I'll dedicate this part to my own little sister who isn't really little anymore and doesn't read fan fiction, but I love her and she's cute so it works ^_^
See first chapter for disclaimer, warnings & such
Chapter Six: A Sister's Love
Sakura came bounding down the stairs for dinner when her brother called her. It was just the two of them tonight, but the food smelled delicious. She smiled widely at Touya as he set the last of the dishes on the table and looked up at her.
"Hi Oniichan!" Sakura greeted him gleefully. Her brother had been so melancholy since the other day that she felt the need to cheer him up. "Dinner smells really good."
Touya smiled wanly at her. He knew what she was trying to do and he appreciated the effort. "Sit down and eat, kaijuu."
Sakura glared at him in mock anger. "I'm not a monster!" she stated emphatically as she pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Itadakimasu!" Sakura announced picking up her chopsticks and diving into the food on the plate in front of her. She glanced up at her brother warily every now and then, but she wasn't really sure what to say to him. He stared down at his plate, pushing the food around and occasionally taking a few bites. It was clear that his thoughts were somewhere else. She frowned at the dismal look on his face and decided to make it her mission as his little sister to find out what was wrong and do whatever she could to make it better.
"Onnichan? What's wrong?" she asked hesitantly blinking up at him in confusion.
Touya's eyes widened as he lifted his head to meet her gaze. He hadn't realized he was being so obvious. The last thing he wanted to do was to make someone else worried about him, especially Sakura. "It's nothing." Touya answered simply and continued eating.
Sakura frowned and set down her chopsticks to lean forward a little in her chair. Her sparkling green eyes shown with sympathy, and her voice was steady and serious. "You can tell me anything, Oniichan."
Touya stared back at her in amazement. He hadn't expected such honesty and tenderness from someone as young as Sakura, but he realized that she was growing up even if he didn't always want to admit it. This was just one more sign that the sweet innocent child he had dragged around by the hand and whispered ghost stories to in the dark was maturing into someone that he would someday hardly recognize. That thought saddened him slightly, but also made him proud. He knew she would grow into a remarkable woman that anyone would be proud and lucky to come into contact with. She had always been there for him just as much as he had been there for her and he was grateful. He figured that he at least owed her honesty in returned.
Touya sighed and pushed his chair a few inches back from the table. He brought his hands up to clasp in front of him briefly as he tried to figure out where to begin. Before he could say a word, she started it for him.
"Does this have anything to do with Yukito?"
Touya blinked back at her once more. She was a very insightful 11-year-old to say the least. He started to wonder how much she really knew about him. "Yeah." Touya answered reluctantly.
Sakura smiled in response and leaned back in her chair. "I thought so!" she announced happily and gestured for him to continue. When he didn't she creased her eyebrows in thought and tried to figure it out on her own. The only thing she could think of was that maybe Yukito had finally confessed his love for her brother and Touya had turned him down, but that didn't seem to explain Touya's sadness and she was relatively sure that her brother returned Yukito's feelings entirely. Wrapped up in thought she barely heard him let out a deep breath and search for the words.
"Well… he and I… it's just that…" Touya's shoulders slumped in defeat. He had enough trouble trying to explain the situation to himself and now trying to explain it to his younger sister was proving to be next to impossible.
He paused for a moment and then tried again. "I care about Yukito very much, Sakura, but we have a difference of opinion on the matter and lately we haven't really been able to get passed that." Touya stared down at his hands as he said the words and avoided looking up into his sister's gaze. He was afraid of the disapproval he might find there. After all, he didn't expect her to understand one friend's love for another let alone his own love for another man.
After several silent moments, blue eyes lifted to meet green and Touya was once again surprised to see only kindness and understanding in his younger sister's face. She pushed her chair out carefully and stood to walk over to the other side of the table where he sat. She reached out and delicately placed one hand on his shoulder.
"Do you love him?" she asked, her voice solemn and her gaze steady.
"Yes." Touya answered breathlessly.
Sakura smiled a brilliant smile and threw both arms around her brother. He froze at first not sure of what to make of such an action, but soon he found himself leaning into her embrace and welcoming the comfort and approval she offered. He felt a relief wash over him that he didn't even realize he was lacking. It meant more to him than he could express.
When Sakura finally pulled away, she was surprised to see the sadness still evident on her brother's face. She saw no reason for it. Yukito loved him and he loved Yukito. It was as simple as that as far as she was concerned.
"Why are you sad, Oniichan?"
Touya closed his eyes at the question and fought back the flood of images that darted through his mind's eye of that sunny afternoon outside the coffee shop. He opened his eyes again and stared down at the edge of the table without really seeing it.
"He doesn't feel the same way." The words were quiet and difficult for him to say, but they had a finality to them that hung in the space between the two siblings.
Sakura stared back at her brother in shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Of course Yukito felt the same way. He had told her that himself when she had confessed her own love for him underneath the canopy of stars at the school festival. She shook her head in disbelief and fought back tears of her own. Yukito loved her brother and she was sure of it. She couldn't understand why her brother would believe otherwise.
Sakura stomped her foot on the dining room table adamantly and grabbed onto her brother's arm with both hands tugging at his sleeve to get him to look in her direction.
"But he does love you! I know it!"
Touya looked back at her with a sad expression dancing behind his gaze. He shook his head slowly. "No. He doesn't." The words were calm and heart wrenching at the same time as if he had thought them over for a long time and finally come to this conclusion.
With that, Touya stood up and patted his sister affectionately on the head. "Thanks for trying, Sakura."
Sakura watched as her brother walked away and headed upstairs to his room. His head was bent slightly and she thought she caught a glimpse of eyes too bright with tears glimmering in the warm glow of the hallway lamp.
She wanted to run after him and demand an explanation or call up Yukito and ask him what was going on, but her feet were firmly planted on the ground. She could only stare after Touya helplessly and wonder how so much could have changed in the space of so little time. Only a few weeks ago, Yukito had loved her brother and she was certain of it. At that time it hadn't seemed like the kind of love that would fade away so quickly. It had seemed strong and pure and lasting. She couldn't believe that it had changed at all. Yukito loved her brother so why would he lie? Why would he make her brother so sad?
She couldn't understand it at all.
TBC
Notes: Too sweet? I'm not sure, but I think I like it. Now on to real work - you know, the kind that gets graded and affects your entire college career… Or maybe I'll work on that next chapter just a little more ^_^ Fan fic writing is just as addictive as reading I think.
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