"Keroberos! What do you think you're doing? Clow specifically told you to let me answer the door, and now you--"
"It's all right, Yue. I'm almost used to him by now."
The sad note in the woman's voice brought him up short. Yue took a closer look at the intruder. "Izumi!" he made a valiant but fruitless effort to hide the elation in his voice. "Come in, I did not see who it was. Kero has a nasty habit of opening the door to unsuspecting strangers in his true form."
Izumi laughed. "It's all right, Yue. I left my scarf here yesterday, and I need it. Do you know where it is?"
"Of course. I'll be right back." someone watching closely might have seen the light in his violet eyes dim slightly, and the erect shoulders slump a bit.
"He's got the hots for ya," was Kero's unasked-for assessment of the situation.
"Do not joke about such things!" Izumi rounded on him angrily. "You know what Clow would do if he thought Yue was trying to court me!"
Kero shrank back. "Sorry."
"Oh, it's not you, Kero. It's just, well, I'm afraid that if Clow discovers how I feel about Yue, he'll kill him!" She sank onto the floor, face in hands. "Oh, what will I do!" she sobbed.
"Izumi!" Yue abandoned the scarf and ran to her side, dropping gracefully to his knees. He placed his hands on her shoulders, his wings sheltering her and partially blocking her from view. "Are you all right?"
"Oh, Yue!" Izumi threw her arms around the guardian, burying her head in his shoulder. "I'm so sorry!"
"What for?" Yue asked, overcoming his shock enough to wrap his own arms around the woman.
"I couldn't help it, Yue, I must leave," she turned her head away and began to remove her arms.
"What is going on here?" Yue, Kero, and Izumi looked up in unison.
"Hey Clow, what's up?" Kero sidled over to the imposing form that was currently blocking the doorway.
The powerful sorcerer shoved him aside easily, striding over to the couple who by now were standing side by side.
"Hello Clow," Izumi tried hard to smile.
"Yue."
The judge returned his master's irate gaze cooly. "Yes, Clow?"
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Please, Clow, it is not what you think! I had tripped and Yue was only helping me up, I--"
"Silence!"
Izumi gave way a step or two.
Clow grasped Yue by the hair, pulling him forward so their noses were barely an inch apart. "Have you been deceiving me, Yue?" he asked, his tone almost even.
Yue dropped his eyes and sagged in his master's grasp. "I'm sorry, Clow."
"Yue!" Izumi came forward again, but Kero stepped in front of her.
"I wouldn't bug him just now," he advised in an undertone.
She nodded mutely.
"Well, Yue? I think I deserve an explanation." The sight was a strange one- to the casual observer just a parent scolding a disobedient child, until one noticed the murderous glint in Clow's eye.
Yue closed his eyes for a moment, steeling himself for an odious task. He sighed. "I cannot lie to you, Clow; I love her. But that is all! I do not believe she returns the feelings. Do not take your anger out on her, please!" His eyes were open now, and fixed on Clow Reed. Yue took hold of Clow's shoulder's pleadingly.
"Traitor!" Clow tossed Yue away from him, and the guardian managed to wing himself up just before crashing into the floor.
"However," now it was Yue's turn to be menacing, hovering near the ceiling. "You created me to protect you, but I have no qualms about using that power against you, should the need arise." To demonstrate his point, Yue casually drew a large ball of blue power, prepared to strike.
As one, the three left on the ground felt their mouths drop open.
Then Kero sprang into the air. "You wanna hurt Yue, you'll have to get through me, first."
Clow began to laugh. "It looks as though I made you a little too loyal," he smirked. With a wave of his hand he sent Keroberos spinning into the wall, and from there to the ground.
"I hadn't wanted to do this, but. . ." Clow seemed genuinely sad as he mumbled an incantation.
Yue gasped and dropped to the ground on all fours. He was breathing heavily as he tried to raise himself up on his arms. Patches of his robes and skin began to grow translucent.
"No!" Izumi wrenched free of Clow's arm and ran to his side, holding him to her.
Yue raised reproachful eyes to Clow. "Why do you do this, Clow? No, not only removing your support from my power, but torturing Izumi this way? If you truly loved her you would want for her what she wanted!" Yue fell back down, exhausted by his outburst.
Izumi stood slowly, considering her options. "If I said I loved you, Clow, and would stay with you forever, would you bring Yue back?"
"I have no need of secondhand love!" Clow cried, but he removed the block on Yue's power. "As for you," he addressed the form that lay still on the floor. "You shall never again love any but me. I was foolish to create you with that weakness in the first place."
"No . . ." Yue moaned, as a reddish glow engulfed him.
"Clow, don't!" Izumi slapped him, hard.
Clow grabbed her arm, wrenching it painfully behind her back. "I banish you from this world forever!"
There was a flash of light, and she was gone.