Disclaimer: Still don't own Saiyuki!

Thanks to all those who read/reviewed Men Don't Cry. Your comments were very encouraging! Also a big thanks to all those who reviewed, the previous chapter. I was going to leave this as a one shot-fic, but as Oscar Wilde was reputed to have said, "I can resist everything except temptation". The temptation of writing a three part fic was too great and I succumbed :)

I remind you that these are very brief scenes from Cho Gonou's life. He should be about 17-18 in this fic, and he and Kanan have met before but have not yet moved in together. Enjoy!

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Part II

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She was standing by the window, green eyes staring pensively at the fields covered by a thick blanket of snow. He felt as though he were intruding on her and he cleared his throat to signal his presence. She turned, and he saw that she had a silk scarf wound round her neck; he felt absurdly happy, for it had been his gift.

He nodded to her as she smiled, and he walked to the fireplace bearing the logs he had brought from the shed. He felt strangely shy of her, and was conscious of how much things had changed between them and of how much he had changed.

"It's cold in here," she said softly, breaking the silence which had dominated most of her visit. "This house feels so empty…"

"I only moved in last week," he replied abruptly, cursing himself for being so sharp as he saw the look in her eyes. He had not meant to hurt her, but he barely knew what he was saying. Her visit to his new house had been a failure; the words he longed to say and the speech he'd rehearsed for so long seemed to stick in his throat and as a consequence he'd been edgy and irritable all day long. The young man turned his gaze away. He bent down and struck a match. It blazed for an instant, but died out before he could light up the fire. He tried again. Nothing. He tried a few times, but with no success, and he sighed with exasperation. He started as she placed her hand on his arm, for he had not felt his sister approaching.

"Let me try."

He surrendered the matches, and soon flames were dancing in the fireplace, slowly at first, but then taking courage and cackling away merrily, sharing light and warmth. His sister laughed, and it echoed round the empty room. "I win!" she said gleefully as she clapped her hands. The young man laughed too as they stood up, and pretended to be angry, but their playful mood evaporated quickly, and they fell silent again. The moment of intimacy had been brief; years of separation can rarely be recuperated in a few days.

They were conscious more than ever of each other's presence. The young man felt too tall as he stood in front of his older sister – his height only continued to remind him the time which had elapsed since they'd last joked or played together freely. He allowed his eyes to travel to her face, and dropped them immediately when they met hers. He felt so… so awkward, so incapable of letting her know how he felt…

He yearned for the sister he remembered, a tomboy with roughish eyes and an easy smile, teasing and comforting by turns. And yet he did not want to lose this woman, this gentle stranger, whose eyes were softened by pain and sweetened by sorrow.

"I'd better leave now, I suppose," she said quietly, as she half turned. He stopped her. He had to, no, he needed to ask her.  

"Come and live with me." His voice shook slightly, for he had never felt so nervous in his life. Forgotten were the speeches he had planned; only one thing mattered. "I can't bear to let you go," he continued as his green eyes flicked anxiously onto her face, half afraid that she would reject his offer, given so simply, so suddenly. He could wait no longer; the young man knew that it was not only brotherly love which made his heart ache every minute he spent away from her, which made him long to hold her tenderly to him…

She smiled, eyes glistening with tears, as she nodded slowly. "I will," she said softly, as she looked at her brother, knowing that her words held a deeper meaning for both of them…

Each was aware of the other so close, knowing that what had been lost would not return, and yet knowing that there was a whole life in front of them to discover each other again, to hope together, to love…

He pulled her close to him and he brushed her forehead with his lips. Kanan rested her head on his chest as she hugged him tightly to her. "I missed you Gonou." She whispered, as he tightened his grasp, as though he would never let her go again.

"I missed you too," he said, almost inaudibly, delighting in the uniqueness of that sweet moment, wishing that it would never end. He knew now that life was precious; she'd given him a reason to live, to dream and hope. No longer would he curse those demons who had let him escape. No longer would he strive to keep himself away from those whom he might care for. He closed his eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of apple blossoms she wore, and the scent of innocence and love…

A sudden fear gripped his soul, and he was terrified that this happiness would not last forever, and that the loss this time would hurt even more… Then he felt the heat radiating from the fire, and the warmth of her body so close to his, and felt like a fool. They were together now and nothing mattered anymore. No evil could ever separate them again. This time, they would live together… or die together. Cho Gonou smiled serenely.

At last, they were home.

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Last chapter will hopefully be up very soon. Thank you for reading! Will be glad to hear from you ^-^