-------------------
This is the final chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who has commented along the way. It's been really fun and I hope you have all enjoyed it as much as I have.
samuraiheart
See first chapter for disclaimer, warnings & such
Chapter Nine: All My Love
Fujitaka stood in front of the stove and stirred the miso soup every now and then as he flipped through the day's newspaper and skimmed over the events of the past few days. It had been nearly a week since the evening he had found Touya in the rain and he still wasn't sure what had happened. He had several theories of course, but he hoped that Touya would just tell him before he had to resort to bringing any of those up.
He folded the pages of the newspaper and set them aside at the sound of someone coming down the stairs. Heavy unhurried footsteps told him it was Touya and he smiled brightly at his son as Touya rounded the corner into the dining room and pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.
"Good morning, 'Tousan."
"Good morning, Touya-kun." Fujitaka nodded at the young man before him and leaned slightly against the counter. "Breakfast will be ready soon."
"Thanks." Touya answered politely.
"It's good to see you're doing better now. I guess everything worked out, ne?" Fujitaka crinkled his eyes closed as he smiled once again.
Touya blinked in surprise for a moment, but soon returned his father's gaze with a smile of his own. "Was I really that bad?"
Fujitaka shook his head slightly. "No, but I'm your father so I could tell."
"Oh." Touya nodded at the statement and seemed satisfied with the explanation.
"Touya-kun?"
"'Tousan?" Touya asked at the same time.
"It's okay, son. You go first." Fujitaka shook his head and gestured for Touya to continue as he pulled the breakfast dishes out of the cupboard and began to set the table.
"It's just… is it okay if Yukito comes over for dinner?"
"Of course." Fujitaka answered without hesitation. Touya seemed to relax slightly after that and Fujitaka wondered briefly why such a simple question would make him nervous.
"Weren't you going to ask something?" Touya looked up at his father with curiosity, but Fujitaka only shook his head and brushed the question away with a wave of his hand.
"It wasn't important." Fujitaka turned back towards the stove to begin cooking the eggs as Touya went upstairs to check on his sister. Fujitaka knew that there were still things his son wasn't telling him, but he was glad to see that whatever had been troubling him recently had resolved itself. He was fairly certain it had something to do with Yukito. He wasn't oblivious to their close relationship, but he also wasn't certain how far that relationship had progressed. He hoped that Touya would share such information with him whenever he was ready.
----------
Touya knocked softly on his sister's bedroom door. He shook his head at the muffled response he got from within and then opened the door. Sakura stood in front of her closet trying to straighten her uniform she had obviously just pulled over her head.
"Oniichan! I still have time. I'm not late yet!" Sakura brushed her bangs away from her face and peered at her reflection in the mirror.
Touya smiled and folded his arms across his chest as he leaned against the doorframe. "I know, kaijuu, I just wanted to thank you."
Sakura glared briefly at her older brother and was about to protest the nickname when she realized what he had said. "Thank me? For what?"
"For everything, Sakura, but mostly for your help with Yukito."
"Did everything work out?" Sakura asked turning towards her brother once again.
"It will." Touya nodded affirmatively.
"I'm glad." She said smiling up at him with sincerity. She really was happy for him and pleased that things had finally worked out for the best.
"Me too. Now, you'd better hurry before you're breakfast gets cold." Touya smiled after her as she rushed down the stairs towards the dining room.
A happy ending after all, at least for the most part. Touya knew that there would be plenty of bumps along the way, but this was only the beginning and all he could do was give as much love as he had to those he cared about the most and hope that they all realized how much they really meant to him. His sister, his father and Yukito - all very different kinds of love, but cherished and important just the same.
~Owari~ Actually, there's still an epilogue...
By the way, the title is from a line in the song "Hearts in Armor" by Trisha Yearwood in case you haven't guessed already. It's a gorgeous song and I highly recommend it!
This is the final chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who has commented along the way. It's been really fun and I hope you have all enjoyed it as much as I have.
samuraiheart
See first chapter for disclaimer, warnings & such
Chapter Nine: All My Love
Fujitaka stood in front of the stove and stirred the miso soup every now and then as he flipped through the day's newspaper and skimmed over the events of the past few days. It had been nearly a week since the evening he had found Touya in the rain and he still wasn't sure what had happened. He had several theories of course, but he hoped that Touya would just tell him before he had to resort to bringing any of those up.
He folded the pages of the newspaper and set them aside at the sound of someone coming down the stairs. Heavy unhurried footsteps told him it was Touya and he smiled brightly at his son as Touya rounded the corner into the dining room and pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.
"Good morning, 'Tousan."
"Good morning, Touya-kun." Fujitaka nodded at the young man before him and leaned slightly against the counter. "Breakfast will be ready soon."
"Thanks." Touya answered politely.
"It's good to see you're doing better now. I guess everything worked out, ne?" Fujitaka crinkled his eyes closed as he smiled once again.
Touya blinked in surprise for a moment, but soon returned his father's gaze with a smile of his own. "Was I really that bad?"
Fujitaka shook his head slightly. "No, but I'm your father so I could tell."
"Oh." Touya nodded at the statement and seemed satisfied with the explanation.
"Touya-kun?"
"'Tousan?" Touya asked at the same time.
"It's okay, son. You go first." Fujitaka shook his head and gestured for Touya to continue as he pulled the breakfast dishes out of the cupboard and began to set the table.
"It's just… is it okay if Yukito comes over for dinner?"
"Of course." Fujitaka answered without hesitation. Touya seemed to relax slightly after that and Fujitaka wondered briefly why such a simple question would make him nervous.
"Weren't you going to ask something?" Touya looked up at his father with curiosity, but Fujitaka only shook his head and brushed the question away with a wave of his hand.
"It wasn't important." Fujitaka turned back towards the stove to begin cooking the eggs as Touya went upstairs to check on his sister. Fujitaka knew that there were still things his son wasn't telling him, but he was glad to see that whatever had been troubling him recently had resolved itself. He was fairly certain it had something to do with Yukito. He wasn't oblivious to their close relationship, but he also wasn't certain how far that relationship had progressed. He hoped that Touya would share such information with him whenever he was ready.
----------
Touya knocked softly on his sister's bedroom door. He shook his head at the muffled response he got from within and then opened the door. Sakura stood in front of her closet trying to straighten her uniform she had obviously just pulled over her head.
"Oniichan! I still have time. I'm not late yet!" Sakura brushed her bangs away from her face and peered at her reflection in the mirror.
Touya smiled and folded his arms across his chest as he leaned against the doorframe. "I know, kaijuu, I just wanted to thank you."
Sakura glared briefly at her older brother and was about to protest the nickname when she realized what he had said. "Thank me? For what?"
"For everything, Sakura, but mostly for your help with Yukito."
"Did everything work out?" Sakura asked turning towards her brother once again.
"It will." Touya nodded affirmatively.
"I'm glad." She said smiling up at him with sincerity. She really was happy for him and pleased that things had finally worked out for the best.
"Me too. Now, you'd better hurry before you're breakfast gets cold." Touya smiled after her as she rushed down the stairs towards the dining room.
A happy ending after all, at least for the most part. Touya knew that there would be plenty of bumps along the way, but this was only the beginning and all he could do was give as much love as he had to those he cared about the most and hope that they all realized how much they really meant to him. His sister, his father and Yukito - all very different kinds of love, but cherished and important just the same.
~Owari~ Actually, there's still an epilogue...
By the way, the title is from a line in the song "Hearts in Armor" by Trisha Yearwood in case you haven't guessed already. It's a gorgeous song and I highly recommend it!