L-chan's notes: If the last chapter was to get into Tomoyo's head a little bit, then this one is mainly centered around Touya. After that, I'll try to get on with it. Thanks and big hugs to those of you who've read and reviewed, and to those who will!

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Shadows

Chapter 3—Pests

"Finished already?" Touya asked as he approached Sakura and Syaoran's lab table. He'd noticed the two of them talking rather than working on the lab assignment, and he wasn't about to let them sit and flirt during his class.

"Yes, sir," Sakura answered, frowning in annoyance. She didn't appreciate being interrupted in the middle of an important conversation, but she should have known better than to carry on with her boyfriend in front of her brother.

"Let me see your worksheet."

Syaoran handed him the page with an exaggerated flourish. Touya adjusted his glasses and glanced over their work. Each exercise had been completed, the results written in Syaoran's precise pencil strokes. He nodded. "Good work," he admitted reluctantly. Syaoran sat back with a smug grin. Gaki, Touya thought, clenching his teeth to keep from saying it out loud. Gakigakigakigaki. "Since you two are so far ahead, why don't you get started on the review for Friday's exam?"

That wiped the satisfied little smiles off their faces. He managed to suppress the triumphant expression that was lurking beneath his even features as he moved on to the next table. "How are we doing, ladies?"

Meiling set her pencil down and shoved the worksheet in his direction. "Is this right?"

He propped his elbows on the lab table. "What do you think?" he countered, not even looking at the page.

Tomoyo stifled a giggle as she rinsed the test tubes they'd been using. Meiling hated when he did that. She wiped the inside of a beaker with a paper towel while Meiling tried to get more information out of him.

"If I tell you what I think, will you tell me if I'm right?"

"Maybe." He noticed Tomoyo watching them, and when she met his eyes, he smiled at her. "What do you think, Daidouji?"

Idiot, she scolded herself as her heart flipped. She tried not to blush and focused her eyes on their paper. "Well, considering that I did some of the work, I'd have to say it's right."

He nodded. "So, Li, your partner has a great deal of confidence in your results. What about you?"

Meiling's nose wrinkled as she reviewed their work. They'd followed the instructions carefully, measuring each of the chemicals precisely. She'd written the formulas out neatly and checked her math twice. And then there was the fact that they hadn't blown anything up, so that had to be a good sign. "I think that it's right, too," she finally admitted.

"Okay, then." Touya picked up their worksheet and added it to the stack he'd collected from the other groups.

"Well? Is it right?" Meiling asked.

"You'll find out tomorrow," he replied. "For now, finish cleaning up." With that, he went to check on the next table.

Meiling harrumphed and crossed her arms. "Just once, he could help us out a little." She continued muttering as she began to put their supplies away. "And he never did tell me how to make a star out of matchsticks."

Tomoyo wasn't listening to her friend's grumbling. Her violet eyes followed Touya as he discussed the assignment with Chiharu and Takashi. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she watched him smile and distractedly rake a hand through his thick brown hair. Why can't I stop thinking about him?

"Why, Tomoyo-chan," she heard Meiling murmur. She turned around, but Meiling just grinned at her and started copying the exam notes from the blackboard, humming under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing." But Tomoyo could've sworn she heard Meiling sing something about sitting in a tree.

-----

"I'm sorry I'm going to miss Parents' Night," Fujitaka said after dinner as Sakura washed the dishes. "I have to finish my notes for my presentation tomorrow morning."

"We can have our meeting now, then," Touya replied. He always had dinner at home on Wednesday nights. He tossed a quick glance at Sakura, and he saw her ear twitch, even though she was pretending not to listen. "Well, I'm afraid your daughter isn't quite reaching her potential. Her work is sloppy, and she never comes to class prepared. I wouldn't be surprised if she had to repeat the term. We're all very disappointed in her."

"What?" His sister turned around and put her hands on her hips indignantly. "I'm trying really hard, and—" She stopped when she realized he was teasing her. "That's just mean," she huffed, and she continued to pout silently until the doorbell rang. "That's Syaoran-kun. I'll get it."

Touya waited until she was gone before telling his father what he really thought. "Actually, Sakura's doing well. I'm proud of her. But don't tell her I said that."

"She won't hear it from me."

Sakura came back into the kitchen, dragging Syaoran behind her. "Good evening, sir," the chestnut-haired boy greeted Fujitaka politely. Then his brown eyes sparked as they matched Touya's. "Sensei," he acknowledged, his voice tinged with a hint of animosity. Touya just nodded dismissively in reply, but his fists were clenched at his sides.

Sakura knew better than to let these two spend any more time in the same room. She took two cans of juice from the refrigerator. "We're going upstairs to study."

"Don't work too hard. There are plenty of snacks if you want to take a break later," her father responded. She nodded and once again grabbed her boyfriend's arm to lead him away.

Touya had watched this exchange in disbelief. What happened to his father's rules? "You mean you let that ga—" He was surprised that he hadn't bitten his tongue clean off by now. It was certainly perforated. "—Li go up to her room?"

"Of course. They're studying."

Touya snorted. "Yeah, right. I can't believe you let her have her boyfriend in her room."

"There are no double standards in this house," Fujitaka answered calmly.

"Meaning what?"

His father gave him a knowing look. "Meaning there were plenty of times when you and Tsukishiro-kun studied up in your room. The only difference is that Li-kun doesn't sleep over."

Touya frowned, both at the insinuation and the unwelcome memory that surfaced. "That's not fair. You know that we weren't—"

"And neither are they. I trust them. They're good kids." Fujitaka stirred his tea before continuing in a loud whisper. "Besides, I have a spy."

The younger man thought for a second before he remembered his sister's guardian, who had been curiously absent from dinner. "Kerberos?"

His father nodded. "Do you honestly think he lets anything go on up there?"

A new picture formed in his mind, and Touya had to laugh as he imagined Kerberos in his true form, shooting his fire breath at the gaki. They'd bonded over their mutual dislike of Syaoran, spending hours devising various plans, some of them painful, some of them humiliating, to eliminate him from Sakura's life. Unfortunately, none of them had worked so far.

"He asked about you the other day," Fujitaka said suddenly, interrupting Touya's happy vision of flame-roasted gaki skewered with peppers and mushrooms.

His dark brows knitted in confusion. "Kerberos?" he asked again.

"No. Tsukishiro-kun."

Yuki. "Did he really?" Touya asked disinterestedly. That's how he hoped it came out, anyway. He stood up from the table. "Well, give him my regards. I need to be getting back to school."

Of course, there were times when he'd had to see Yukito occasionally over the last three years. As Yue, he was still Sakura's other guardian, and the Kinomotos were the only family that Yukito had. Whenever they were forced together socially, their brief conversations were polite and superficial, as if they were strangers. Yuki had fed him that line about "someday we'll be good friends again," but Touya didn't believe it any more than when Kaho had said it. It just wasn't possible, and Touya had found it easier to just leave that part of his life behind rather than try to salvage something that was so much less than what it had once been.

He knew it wasn't any of his business, but Fujitaka had always wondered what had gone wrong between them. "Want to talk about it?" he asked with quiet concern.

"Not really." Touya didn't feel anything anymore. Not anger, not disappointment. It had taken him a long time to get over it, and in the end it had just left him numb inside. "That chapter is closed. Hell, the whole damn book is closed and gathering dust on a shelf. I'm fine." He didn't care if he sounded convincing or not. He put his jacket on and reached into his pocket for his keys. "Thanks for dinner, and don't let Li stay too long."

-----

Touya greeted the parents of his third period students as they entered the classroom. He'd always wondered what went on at these Parents' Nights, and now he knew. It was actually pretty dull. He'd always imagined the parents and teachers plotting against their children, scheming together to make their lives miserable. Instead, it was just a matter of exchanging a few pleasantries, discussing the class requirements, and gulping down cup after cup of really bad coffee in a desperate attempt to stay awake through all eight sessions. He was about to shut the door when a late arrival appeared, flanked on either side by ladies in black suits and sunglasses.

"I know," Sonomi Daidouji barked into her cell phone. "But what do you expect me to do? Fine. Just put it on my desk, and I'll look at it tomorrow." She violently punched the power button and handed the phone off to one of her escorts. "I swear, if he does this one more time…" she muttered, shaking her stylish auburn bob in disgust.

"Welcome, Sonomi-san," Touya said, ushering her inside. "It's nice to see you."

Her violet eyes blinked in recognition. "Touya-kun? What are you doing here? You're not old enough to have a child in high school."

"I take it she didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?" She looked around for Fujitaka but didn't see him among the parents. "Oh, I see. You're here for Sakura-chan."

He shook his head. "Please have a seat. We'll talk later." He walked around to the front of the room, and it got very quiet as everyone turned their attention to him. If only it were that easy with their children, he thought wryly. "Good evening, everyone, and thank you for coming," he began. "I'd like to take a few minutes to tell you about myself and the objectives of this class, and then I'll be glad to speak with you individually and answer any questions you may have."

This was his third time through his spiel, and each time he finished a little more quickly. Most of the parents left when he was through, probably sneaking out for a smoke or to call home before heading to the next class on the schedule. A few stayed behind, and he briefly talked with them about their child's performance and any areas that needed improvement.

He was surprised to see that Sonomi had stayed and was waiting patiently. She even waved for him to finish with the other parents first. Finally he pulled up a stool across from her. "Well, Kinomoto-sensei," she said, clearly impressed. "Following in your father's footsteps?"

"You could say that," he answered. "He's a great man. I hope I can be just half the man that he is."

"Yes, well…" Even after all these years, she still hated to admit that Fujitaka Kinomoto wasn't the worst villain the world had ever seen. She cleared her throat uncomfortably. "So, tell me about Tomoyo."

Touya wanted to ask her the same thing. Tell me about Tomoyo. Tell me why there's sadness in her eyes. Lately he'd found himself going out of his way to be nice to her. He'd say hello to her before class, give her a little wink when he passed her in the hallways, anything to bring a smile to her face. He wasn't always successful, but when she did smile back at him, it made him feel like he'd been given something special. Tell me how I can help her. Tell me why I want to.

He didn't know where these thoughts were coming from, so he pushed them out of his mind. Sonomi was still waiting for him to answer her, and he hoped he hadn't been sitting there like an idiot for too long. "She's one of my best students," he said quickly with the detachment he'd used with the other parents. "She's always prepared, and her work is excellent."

Sonomi nodded. Of course Tomoyo's work was excellent. Nothing less would be acceptable. "Fine. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I wonder if I could ask you something on a more personal level."

He raised an eyebrow at this, but he could see that she was serious. Personal? He had to be the least qualified person on the planet to help her with a personal matter. This was already the longest conversation they'd ever had, not counting their debate at the last Amamiya family gathering as to whether the coffee was secretly decaffeinated, and, if so, who would commit such an evil deed. But he had to admit, he was intrigued. "I suppose so," he said slowly.

"Will you look out for Tomoyo? I don't want any pests attaching themselves to her."

"Pests?"

"You know," Sonomi said as she leaned forward, her violet eyes narrowing to slits. "Boys." The word seemed to leave a bad taste in her mouth. She sat back in her chair again, her arms crossed in front of her. "I'm sure I can trust someone with your… proclivities."

"Excuse me?" What the hell does that mean?

"Tomoyo is a very special girl," she said, continuing as if he hadn't spoken. "Naturally, little bugs are going to be buzzing around her. They'll be attracted to her beauty and intelligence, and they'll try to make her forget her responsibilities. Well, I won't have it. I won't have them distracting her, and I certainly won't have them hurting her."

That's it, Touya thought. That's what he recognized in Tomoyo's eyes. She's been hurt. Why didn't I see it? I should know better than anyone how that feels. "I still don't understand what exactly you want me to do," he replied.

"I know what a good brother you are to Sakura-chan, even if she did get involved with that Li boy, who, don't get me wrong, seems like a nice enough kid, but don't they all, until one day you turn your back and…" She almost forgot what her point was. "Anyway, it would make me feel better knowing that someone was keeping an eye on her, looking out for her best interests."

Touya still wasn't sure what she wanted. "Am I supposed to spy on her? Interfere in her social life? Beat up any guy that looks at her?" He shook his head. "I don't think I can do that."

"No, no," Sonomi said. Then she sighed, the soft puff of air making her short bangs flutter slightly. "I don't know. You've been the older brother of a teenaged girl long enough to develop some protective instincts. Just use your own judgment. If you see Tomoyo getting off track, being bothered, or anything, I want you to help her. And," she added, pointing a finger at him as if she couldn't stress it enough, "I want you to tell me."

It's not my place, he tried to tell himself, but at the same time, he wanted to do whatever he could for her. If she needs me. "All right," he finally agreed. "But it'll be my judgment, my terms. I won't get involved unless it's absolutely necessary." But he knew that he was already involved, whether he liked it or not.

She closed her eyes briefly and nodded. It would have to do. "Fine." Sonomi Daidouji was a woman used to getting her way.

And Touya Kinomoto was a man who had no idea what he'd just gotten himself into.

-----

I wasn't planning on Sonomi coming into the story yet, but I love irony.