Before you begin.
I lied: pie was not involved in the making of this story. There is no pie. Those who clicked here looking for a virtual feed should turn back now.
Why is Tsubasa still lumped in with all the CLAMP miscellanea? I'll add my little piece (there's pie in piece!) to the Tsubasa tally; maybe it will get its own section.
I've only read the first two volumes of Tsubasa, so if I've written something that completely clashes with what comes next then I apologize.
Disclaimer: I never claimed anything in the first place, so what do I have to disclaim? I disclaim nah-ting, nah-ting. Hmm, is that I lawyer I see walking towards me, a lawyer with the CLAMP flying egg stamped on his briefcase.
The Empty Kingdom
1. He has lost his star.
King Touya stood on the castle's highest balcony, leaning on the marble banister. From here he could see his whole kingdom, spread before him like a table set for a banquet. First, at his feet, crouched the palace, his home; the curved walls and spindly turrets half-etched in the moonlight, with the formal gardens patches of shadow nestled in between.
The vibrant gardens were an anomaly in this desert land, a rainbow opal in the silver sands. Such was King Touya's might and influence that he could employ dozens of water mages to sing forth the water form the aquifers below, water not just for his people but for the plants as well. Every kind of flower, tree, fern and even mushroom was represented in its bounds. The fire fern of the eastern volcanoes grew next to the leaping Kingfisher lily, which came from the southern marshes.
Just beyond the palace walls, stuck fast like some parasitic growth, in the same way their owners behaved towards their King when at court, were the homes of the Imperial families. Here dwelt King Touya's relations, distant and many times removed but relations nonetheless. An entire floor in the library was dedicated to books detailing how Family A was older than Family B, and how Family X was really a merger between Family Y and Family Z, and how all were connected to King Touya. Every member was interested in the last part, Touya mused that he lived in the midst of a viper pit and that if the desert didn't kill him, his 'family' would be happy to oblige.
Much more welcoming was the next part of the kingdom, the town proper. Here merchants mingled with beggars, scholars with tradesmen. The area was a labyrinth of unpaved streets that twisted around mound shaped buildings. Flocks of kumori were allowed to roam freely, feeding on the paper daisies that grew everywhere, even on the earth-packed walls.
Yet even that sprawl of humanity ended, yielding reluctantly to the desert. Strange that King Touya officially ruled that desert, as if anyone could lay claim to that vast expanse of nothing. Rather, he and his kingdom were here because the desert allowed it. The crystal waves always threatened to crash upon the kingdom, one day it would tire of their presence and swallow them. After every sand storm, the people would emerge from their homes to find everything covered with sand, an echo of the inevitable.
But King Touya wasn't looking at his kingdom; his eyes were fixed on the sky.
A full moon hung before him, reminding him of the hikage pears that grew in the tunnels beneath the palace. The moon had the hikage pears same sickly glow as it rode high in the sky. That glowing orb was the only thing to be seen tonight: the only clouds that ever crossed the desert were made of sand and the flocks of chikara birds had ended their migration months ago. The light of the moon had eclipsed all the stars, even the brightest star, her star.
He had given her that star years ago, on this very balcony, back when she was still young enough to think her brother capable of such a thing. After all, he was tall enough to reach the cookie jar on the top shelf; stars would have been a snap.
It had all started with her mentioning that every star was a world and that she would like to visit them one day, but she wouldn't want to leave him, Touya, behind: he would miss her otherwise. Touya had assured her that she would always be with him, because he loved her (Touya still being young enough to speak of love so easily). Love meant that you carried that person around in your heart, even if they couldn't actually be with you.
But what if you forget them, she had countered. What if the person you loved was gone for so long that you forgot them. Touya had assured his sister that he would never forget her. She hadn't believed him. Once her favorite doll had fallen behind her bed and she had forgotten it for an entire week, even though it was her favorite doll. Touya had laughed and said she should clean her room more. Her bottom lip had started to quiver in outrage, which made Touya laugh even more.
Just when she was about to burst into tears and kick his shins he pulled her into a hug and said that if she had such little faith in his memory he had better find something that would spark it. He then told her that while every star is a world, every star also belongs to a person. He pointed out a star, the brightest one in the sky because it was only fitting, and called it her star, Sakura. If she wasn't around all he'd have to do was look up to the sky and there she'd be, shining like always.
"The Kingdom has survived another day, Your Highness." The High Priest Yukito spoke from the doorway, unwilling to intrude upon the memories of the balcony.
Touya replied with a grunt and kept his eyes on the sky.
"The repairs progress as expected," the High Priest continued, "the extra food supplies continue to come over the mountains and the healers have reported no more fatalities."
Touya didn't respond, he could tell Yukito was building up to a major request.
"However," Yukito nervously adjusted his grip on his staff of office, "people have been talking."
Touya's back stiffened. "About what?"
"Ever since the princess's disappearance," Yukito paused before rushing on, "people have been talking about who is now heir to the throne." There, he said it.
"Sakura is my heir," Touya said flatly.
"Yes, but she is not here," Yukito was about to step onto the balcony but stopped himself. "If anything were to happen to you," he had to pause to undo the catch in his throat, " then the kingdom would be plunged into chaos. It will be like the days before your father seized the throne."
"Sakura is my heir," repeated Touya.
"Sakura," said Yukito in the same flat tones, "is not here."
Touya swiveled towards him then. That's right, Sakura wasn't here: she was out traveling the worlds, looking for the shards of her broken memory. And who had sent her on this quest? Yukito, that's who. Touya didn't even have her star for comfort, the moon had banished that was well.
The High Priest stood silhouetted in the doorway, the winged moon that topped his staff a halo above him. Touya could have struck him: this magician had stolen his star. But then the figure shifted and the High Priest was gone. Yukito stood before him, dearest of friends; he could never hurt him.
"Sakura will be back, " was all Touya could say.
"Yes." Touya was grateful Yukito didn't contradict him, that he also accepted Sakura's homecoming. "And don't you want her to have something to come back to? Or would you rather her home be ripped apart by civil war, the Families at each other's throats, the people suffering? Do you want her and Syaoran to return to a smoking ruin?"
Syaoran. Touya scowled at the name. That twerp, that brat, that dog, was responsible for all this. He was the one that wanted to continue with his father's excavation; he was the one Sakura would follow everywhere; he was the one Sakura would risk her life and her brother's wrath for.
Once, Sakura had asked Touya which star was Syaoran's. Touya had smugly replied that Syaoran's star was too dark and gloomy, and that all the other stars had kicked it out of the heavens. Sakura had flown into a tantrum, called him names and stormed off to sulk in her room; she didn't speak to him for a whole month.
The memory was bittersweet for Touya. His sister had always protected the twerp; from the very beginning she had taken him under her wing. Now, Syaoran was protecting her, and though Touya was loath to admit it, he knew he could count on Syaoran d to keep Sakura safe.
But Touya still wished she was standing on the balcony with him.
"Then what do you advise?" An image of Sakura returning to a palace buried in sand flashed through Touya's mind.
"You need to decide upon another heir, " Yukito said. "I don't recommend picking someone from the Imperial Families. One branch is sure to be unhappy, no matter what you decided."
"Then who?" Touya swept his hand towards the Kingdom and said, "Some commoner from the streets?"
Yukito's voice was steady as he said, "I was thinking that you produce an heir of your own."
Touya reeled, he had to lean back and clutch the railing for support. "My own?" he said dumbly.
"A child of your line would solve everything," Yukito rabbited on, desperate to convince someone. "The Imperial Families would have no choice but to offer their support. This way we give the kingdom a future, a future made the better because it was created by you."
"A child? My own?" Touya floundered amongst these alien ideas, he searched for some steady ground, a place where her could rally his thoughts and actually contribute to the conversation. Thoughts, feelings and fears swept through his mind; he seized upon "You realize that we'd need a woman."
Yukito actually smiled. "Yes, women are necessary for the process of procreation."
"Not one of those Imperial Family wasps," Touya broke in quickly, not that he'd agreed to Yukito's outrageous scheme. He just wanted to be sure that no Imperial 'lady' was going to... With him... He put his face in his hands and groaned.
"Don't worry, I'll keep the lovely flowers of the Imperial court away from you." Yukito seemed to be enjoying Touya's discomfort.
Touya glowered at his long time friend. "Then there's no one," he said and felt a wave of relief when he realized that Yukito's plan was doomed from the start.
Yukito looked contrite. "Actually," he said, "there is." He then pointedly looked over Touya's shoulder.
Touya followed Yukito's gaze, over the wall, the houses, the – he quickly turned back to Yukito. "Oh no," he murmured.
"Technically they are your subjects."
"They're savages," Touya burst out.
"They're different," Yukito sighed. "The bloodline of the Chieftain is as old as your own. No one would say that you made a bad match" Touya kept silent. "I've made some enquiries. They are willing to offer you the Chieftain's daughter in exchange for certain concessions, we shall increase the quota for water we supply, amongst other things."
"What kind of people would trade one of their own for water?" He still wasn't going to agree to this.
"Actually," Yukito gave a little cough, "they will be getting more than water."
"Such as?"
"A king for a son in-law"
It took a while for the words to sink in, but when they did they buried themselves in deep. Yukito's plan was getting ridiculous.
"No," Touya said finally.
"The desert tribes would settle for nothing less. A temporary dalliance would offend them deeply. They want something more permanent," Yukito's voice became more urgent as Touya crossed the marble floor to stand before him.
"I will not be married." Touya took Yukito's face in his hands. He couldn't believe his friend was doing this to him. If he had agreed to this plan he thought he would simply take a consort, theoretically all that was needed was one night and his duty would be done. But marriage, to stand under the world tree and exchange the sacred vows, vows that would bind his life to another, bind him to someone he didn't love and force him to give up the someone he did…
Touya gently stroked Yukito's temple with a thumb. "I do not want a wife," he whispered.
Yukito stared at him unflinchingly and said, "Your kingdom needs hope."
Touya's hands dropped to his side. Hope, a reason for living, a promise of a future, a star to steer by. He stalked back to the balcony. Touya looked at the stars again, but then dropped his gaze to his kingdom.
King Touya said, "Bring her."
Now that you've finished.
I will probably be continuing this story, whether that's sooner rather than later depends on how demanding you readers are. I doubt that I'd get much of a response; Tsubasa readers seem quite laidback, probably trying to emulate Fai, I guess. Anyway, I have a beast of a story (shameless plug) I should be working on so this one will have to take the back seat for now.
Another thing, what is up with Fujitaka's absence from Syaoran's life? Did he disappear, went down to the store for some milk and never came back? Did he die? And if he did, did they find the body? I'm just wondering if he's out there, somewhere. Cue forlorn music. Fade to black.