Snow.
Chapter 5: Fujitaka's foresight.
T: As a proof of how organic this story is I give you this chapter! I had thought to allow Touya his revenge for the plotting but it was so much more fun this way! Warnings remain, as always, the same.
Anyway clamp own ccs and almost all the money I've earned since I discovered them!
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He had suspected Touya would talk to him at some point about this matter, for no matter how evasive his son was in regards to his emotions he knew well how this situation might affect the family.
It had come of little surprise, therefore, when once he had been discharged from the hospital Touya had asked to talk not only to Fujitaka but also to Sakura.
He had listened to Touya's explanation of things as a whole attentively, but when his son had switched to specifics he found that he was concentrating more on retaining a straight face, than actually listening.
He had left then to prepare the afternoon meal and pretend, in his usual manner, not to be able to hear what his children were discussing.
Touya was informing his sister that he had had enough of the state of almost he and Yukito were in and wished to move it up to a defiantly.
He is always making things difficult, that was Nadeshiko, hovering just behind him, her warmth as a comfort and a sooth.
"Do you think we should simplify the matter?"
He felt her smile as a lifting in his chest and an idea clear in his mind he hung up his apron and stepped again into the living room.
"Could one of you look after the food for a few minutes? I have to go and fetch something."
Sakura volunteered and he heard Touya make some comment about her burning the food just by simply looking at it, Sakura's retort was lost in the crisp winters breeze that whisked in as Fujitaka opened the door.
He had never walked this particular rout before, but Sakura had pointed out the general direction a few times and Touya had once described the area to him, thus he had to stop only once for directions before he came upon his intended goal.
Yukito greeted him with slight surprise, but was soon mellowed enough to give Fujitaka a tour of the house.
It was such a large space for one person to inhabit, a fact that had been praying hard on Fujitaka's mind and that had led almost directly to this plan.
He was aware that he was on a rather strict time limit, for his children would be suspicious already of how long his forgotten item was taking to retrieve and thus he cut, rather abruptly, to the chase.
"You must get rather lonely on your own, Tsukishiro."
"I've grown used to it, Mr. Kinomoto."
"You should not have needed to get used to it." A pause as he allowed another interior moment of smugness and then, "We have space enough for one more at the table if you want to come and live with us."
Yukito froze at the almost request and Fujitaka could all but see the scenarios running through his mind.
Eventually he posed what to Fujitaka's mind was a rather sensible question given the circumstances,
"Touya and Sakura are alright with this are they?"
"Certainly," It was just about the truth, Sakura would be over the moon about the new houseguest…as for Touya…
Fujitaka smirked to himself again, that was, after all, the best part of this plan. For Touya was too kind to allow Yukito to remain here on his own and would see quickly how having Yukio so close would be to his advantage.
"If you are sure, Mr. Kinomoto, then I will more than gladly take you up on the offer."
"Good. You can bring a little of your things tonight and we can sort the rest tomorrow after a good nights sleep."
"Thank you, Mr. Kinomoto." With that Yukito was off and collecting essential items that he would need, or wished to bring with him.
He paused in this activity, when he realised what he had done, to apologise and show Fujitaka to the door.
He returned home as rapidly as he could after that, stopping only once to pick up a cheesecake to serve as his forgotten item and made it home in what to his mind was a relatively short span of time given the circumstances.
Despite this he found that the meal was sat waiting for him on the table and that he had a hard time convincing his children that he had been so long because the cheesecake had been made fresh for him.
They bought the story eventually and after that things progressed in a normal fashion for a Saturday; Sakura went to school, Touya vanished off in the direction of yet another part-time job and Fujitaka descended into his study to mark papers.
A knock on the door just as the sun was setting yielded Yukito carrying a very small bag, most likely chosen because it would cause the least obstruction once abandoned.
After that Fujitaka devoted his time to aiding Yukito in settling himself into the house and setting out an extra bed in Touya's room.
Touya arrived a little after that and Fujitaka sidelined him before he reached his room with an explanation of,
"I need a moment if I could."
"Perhaps to explain why Yuki is here?" He enquired.
"You know that I have little liked the thought of Tsukishiro living alone in that vast house and it occurred to me that we had room for one more here and so…"
"He's living here?"
"Unless you have an objection that is."
He could see the same assessment of scenarios trail through Touya's head as had gone through Yukito's, before Touya replied,
"No, and thank you." Before he shouldered his way past.
Of course it was entirely wrong to eavesdrop, but Fujitaka had recalled the more mischievous nature of his previous self and found it nigh on impossible to resist pressing himself against Touya's door.
Yukito was laughing at something Touya said, yet there was an edge to it that suggested that already Touya's mind had turned to more serious matters.
"Yuki."
Fujitaka could picture quite vividly the stern yet caring look on his son's face and the inquisitive yet fearful one on Yukito's.
He also knew that one of Touya's hands was most likely resting against Yukito's cheek in a tender and intimate gesture.
"As you are going to be living with us…with me… I should be entirely honest with you.
"I love you…" A beet and Fujitaka can visualise his son's eyes sliding close, can all but see the certainty fading into doubt before Yukito responds with a tentative,
"I love you too."
Kisses are hard heard things when one is listening through a door, yet Fujitaka caught the sound and he knew now was the time to leave the boys be.
There was the hint of a smile on Touya's lips at the evening meal and Yukito's smile was the brightest at the table until Sakura was informed of the new arrangements.
The remainder of the evening was spent with Sakura asking Yukito questions and then attempting to memorise the replies.
Fujitaka knew that his wife was watching and sighed contentedly.
His family was together at last.
Though Eriol was happy that his previous guardian had at last the one he loved, he had to admit that such a happy thing had its drawbacks.
"WHY!? What does Yukito Tsukishiro have that I don't? I'm bright, energetic and cute as can be."
He wondered sometimes if it had been a mistake to create Ruby Moon with such a childish personality, had he not spent a vast amount of his previous life dealing with a pudding withdrawn Kero, after all?
"You just have to accept that Yukito got there before you…"
"But I'm so much better than he is and I don't have his personality issue."
"I should think that, soon enough, Yukito's personality issues should fade away."
"Errrriooooool…now is not the not the time to get cryptic on me! I'm in paaaaaaainnnnn!"
"I'm sure that you can get over it."
"That's so cruel! I'm going to talk to Supi!" Ruby remarked as she stomped her way into his bedroom.
Eriol tuned away the sound of Ruby whining at Spinnel and turned to glance out of his hotel window.
"Life should prove very intriguing for you, Touya Kinomoto." He remarked and then with a smile reminiscent of his previous self said,
"For you, dear Yue, life will change and perhaps at last you shall allow your heart to thaw again."
He had built a hope in his heart when he had learned, through Sakura's letters, that Yue had become Touya's friend.
A hope that the Yue he had known so very long ago might immerge again, at which point it would be but a matter of time before the difference between Yukito and Yue was as the difference betweenKero and his cool true form .
"This shall be your thanks to me, Touya, that Yue will at last be happy again. That he shall be again of one heart and one spirit."
This had been a fun time indeed, so fun that he thought to return in a few years time. His descendant would be living in Japan permanently by that point and would be attempting to find the courage and the words to ask Sakura to marry him.
He would enjoy seeing that very much indeed.
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T: And on that moment of Eriol evilness I bid you a fond farewell. Thank you to those who have reviewed throughout and have stuck with me through this Christmas hiatus, hope the chapter was worth the wait!!
RR because I'm worth it!