Author's note: Nine reviews for the first chapter? Wow...that's a first for me. ~bows~ I can't thank you enough! Though, I know why you're all doing it. It's Touya, isn't it? ~sigh~ Okay, I'll accept that. ~wicked grin~ So, thank you all from the bottom of Touya's heart. Kira, there will absolutely be Touya envy here. Touya and Clow are the luckiest guys in anime, bar none. Well, in my opinion at least. Peacewish, yes this goes in the Solace timeline, and he'll be going through plenty of hell to get his happy ending. How do I keep track? Gods, don't ask me that! Ever hear of the caterpillar's dilemma? ~shudders~ Dark Ice Angel, there may or may not be Kaho bashing, but if there is it will be slight. Why? Because they end up friends, remember. It would be OOC to have him hate her all through the story. (So, that's why you're not reading Moon's Dance and Shadow, ne?) Embattledcurve, does this answer you? ~smiles~ Askani Blue, I swear I wasn't hiding it from you! I only failed to mention it 'cause you complained how fanfics were getting in the way of RL. ~snickers~ Seriously though, I was planning on getting a few chapters under my belt so you wouldn't pester me so much about updating faster. ~laughs~ Sumimasen. I promise to brag about all my myriad WIPs from now on!

On to the good stuff....

Shades of Discovery

The Best Friend

"This is not your first time riding a bike. It can't be!"

"Honestly, it is! It's not that hard, To-ya." He smiled at me, riding his own bicycle beside me.

I noticed a park bench and pulled up to it, exasperated. In one smooth motion I put my foot down, swung my other leg over to the same side, and put the kick stand down. Yuki imitated me, but with less assurance. It was still too easy a motion to be his first time, but at least I could see that he wasn't as sure of himself as I was about bike riding. I frowned as I pulled up one leg of my pants.

"That scar, there, is from the first time I rode a bike. It didn't take me long to learn, but I didn't just get on and take off as if I'd been riding for years." I felt stupid for my outburst, but it just...it wasn't fair.

"I've always had good balance," he explained with a shrug.

For him that was explanation enough. I sighed, looking at the scar again. It had faded enough that no one noticed it until I pointed it out, but I never missed it. I could still see my mother leaning over, so concerned, as she picked out the gravel and washed off the dirt. It was one of the last times I could remember crying. No, wait, it had been the last time I cried. I didn't cry when Mom died. I didn't cry when Kaho left. Those had both hurt too much to cry, and by the time I could cry about it so much time had passed that I felt stupid considering it.

Of all the stupid things...the last time I cried was over a skinned knee, and I was thinking of that now of all times.

"How long ago was it?"

Could he hear my thoughts? I looked at him, searching for that quality in him, but I knew he just wasn't doing that. He was making conversation.

Not that I could read him that well...there was something about him that kept me from knowing too much.

"I was eight, I got the bike for my birthday." It had been an actual birthday, so I got something special. "I had to take it out right away, even though Dad had to leave for work soon and Mom had to carry Sakura. She tried to keep up, but couldn't, and I got ahead and lost my balance." That's where I broke off with a shrug.

Mom must have been sick by then I realized. She just hadn't told anyone, or at least, I didn't know. I thought she couldn't keep up because she had to carry the baby. Was I wrong?

It didn't matter now. I pulled my pants leg back down, barely noticing the residual warmth against my skin. It was getting close to my birthday and I didn't want to think about it. I didn't like birthdays. They were all well and good for little kids who got their heart's desire, but to me it was just a different number to put down for age. I had never had a good birthday. Sometimes good things happened on my birthday, but something bad always came along to balance that out. Like the skinned knee. I hardly ever had real birthdays anyway, so it made them even less important to me. It was a day that never existed.

Except this year. The big 16. And a leap year.

I sighed.

"Have anywhere you want to go since you mastered bike riding so easily?"

He just shrugged. Right. He was new to the area and didn't know where he would want to go. Well, I knew he wouldn't refuse a snack, so....

"Follow me," I challenged , hopping on the bike. I took off quickly, wondering if he would keep up. A small smile crept over my face when he failed to pop up by my side right away. He wasn't that perfect after all. Still, he caught up with distressing celerity and I stifled a moan at the unfairness of it all.

I lead him around town, past some of the more interesting spots, but I didn't say a word. I didn't have to. I could see him make a mental note of things as we shot past, even without a running narrative. Finally I decided I'd shown him around enough and picked up more speed as I headed to the destination I'd picked out ahead of time.

I looked just in time to see his face light up as we slowed down. "Ice cream?"

The joy on his face warmed me. I was genuinely thrilled that I had made him so happy. Strange. I kept going from irritated to delighted with him, and I couldn't quite decide which emotion would win. No, that was wrong. Part of why he irritated me was because I was delighted to be around him, and we'd only known each other a week. After I swore I'd never trust anyone again. For some reason though, I just couldn't help myself. He was a good friend...he was good at being a friend. This quickly.

At least fate knew what she was doing. If he had to be my friend, he was good at it.

I sighed, glaring out the window as we started to eat our ice cream, and he just let me glare without taking it personally.

~~~~~@~~~~~

We were studying for finals on my birthday, though he didn't know that. Dad had asked if I wanted to have a big party and invite my friends. After all, it's not every day you turn 16. I had laughed and shrugged it off. "It's not even every year that I have a birthday at all, but it's okay. Really. No party, no big deal, and no friends." I hated it when people made a huge fuss over me. I didn't know what to do with all the attention.

Besides, birthdays had been almost holy to my mother, she always made a huge fuss over them, and they just didn't feel the same without her. Birthdays were her thing. They'd never be my thing. Ever.

Again it was as if he read my thoughts, or was in tune with something about me that ran deeper than thought where I couldn't sense. "Is this picture--is this your mother?"

I nodded, not looking up. I kept one picture in my room. One of her and me, when I had run to sit on her lap during a modeling shoot before I knew better. They couldn't use it, but they still loved it and had sent it for our own collection. It was the first picture that had ever been mine, and the only one I displayed.

"She's very beautiful. That little kid is you?"

Again I nodded. When I did look up his smile was happy, teasing almost, and I knew exactly what his next question would be. I headed him off. "Not in this life time."

"What?" He blinked his confusion.

"You were about to ask me when you'd get to meet her, and my answer was, not in this life time."

There was a little surprise there, followed by agreement, then a hint of confusion.

"Why? Because she died years ago." Again I had answered the question before he had a chance to ask it.

"Oh. I'm so sorry."

I rolled my eyes. "If I had one hundred yen for every time someone said that to me, I'd never have to look for part time work again."

He actually giggled at that one. I couldn't help it, I smiled with him.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Why did he look so haunted by it? He just didn't act as if he lived with his grandparents because his own parents had died, but why else would he live with them? Why else would he look like this suddenly? It didn't feel right.

But something told me that he had lost someone. I couldn't understand what the feeling was telling me exactly though. And it wasn't exactly Yuki who had lost someone, but it was and--

My head was spinning and starting to hurt. I couldn't make sense of it.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. I understand."

"No, it's okay. I just don't know exactly how to talk about it. It happened so long ago it's almost not real any more. It was cancer. I was so young that no one explained anything to me, but I was old enough they probably should have. One day she was fine, the next she needed help to do everything. Then one day she was gone."

Should I tell him about seeing her ghost? Should I share my secret? That would lead to questions. That would lead to so much more, and...not yet. I wanted to keep her to myself. I was the only one that saw her, even though it had been years. I wanted to draw out his secrets, but now was not the time, and that was not the way.

"Was it hard?" I started to answer, but he turned away with a self-depreciating grin. "What a stupid question. Of course it was. I'm sorry. I mean, how did you get past it?"

I found myself smiling. He was so...so...kind. Concerned. Genuine. "I couldn't get past it without help. My dad tried very hard, but he was hurting too. I suppose he and I were there for each other as much as we could, and--" I broke off with a shrug. A lot of "getting past it" had come with Kaho's help. I did not want to talk about her. At all. Ever. "I just had some good people to help me through it."

His smile was so perfect as he turned to me. He had no idea what I meant. Whatever empathy we had shared about losing someone was now gone and even the echo of his pain was vanished as if it had never been. He's never lost anyone in his life. "I'm glad. It's good to have people around who can help like that. My grandparents are also very helpful and understanding, so I know what you mean."

He wasn't lying, but he wasn't telling me the truth. It was frustrating. I couldn't tell where the discrepancy was, and I couldn't call him on it. But...maybe I should say something about--no. I couldn't. The golden opportunity was about to pass. I could tell that someone was about to knock on the door.

I put my pencil and pen away, closed my book and stood, just in time to see Yuki answer the door before Sakura knocked. I was going to do that.

"Dad said that supper will be done soon. He said that, if it's okay, Yukito-san is invited, and we'll have your cake after that. Is that okay?"

I shrugged, looking at Yuki for his reaction. He smiled. "I'd love to stay for supper."

She ran off, blushing bright red and radiating happiness as she went to tell Dad.

"Your cake," he asked in his teasing tone.

I sighed, giving in to the inevitable. "Yeah. It's my birthday today. Sorry I didn't tell you or anything."

Not that I was actually sorry.

"You're so modest!" He said it as if it were the best thing about me or something. "Happy birthday! I'm so glad you invited me over for it!"

Genuinely happy.

How did he do that?

I shook my head, somehow glad he was here for my birthday when I had been dreading this day for weeks. I didn't understand it, but there was no denying the facts. Something about Yuki made me glad I had been born for the first time in a long time. It was scary. How would this end? What was going on here?

I couldn't decide between feeling dread or happiness, and it was a dilemma that I was getting more and more used to the more I got to know Yuki.