Author's Note: This chapter's differences from the original are a bit more defined than the previous two, but the storyline is still the same. Just some descriptions and words that have changed…nothing big. There isn't a whole lot to say about this chapter except that I really enjoyed writing it the first time, and it was great fun to touch it up this time. I hope you all like it!

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San-ban: Hitasama Ayamari

Yue set the phone down slowly and turned his sapphire eyes on Touya, who was seated on the couch just behind him, wearing a blank expression. His icy eyes were unreadable as ever and his pale hair was beginning to come undone from the coil Yue usually kept it in; he was, for lack of a better word, a mess. It hadn't been easy to get down the stairs and into the living room, and the three times the youth-turned-angel had stumbled had not been pleasant on his appearance.

But he was still beautiful beyond description, Yue had to admit. Even so rumpled, ribbons and robes askew, there was in inherent beauty to him that would never dim. Yue almost smiled, but caught himself. Such strange thoughts…

"You should tidy yourself up," Yue said at last.

Touya looked up at the dark boy, brow furrowing. "I could say the same thing about you," he said tactlessly, sounding upset. Yue's sapphire eyes took on a vaguely hurt glimmer, visible to the angel only because he knew his own eyes, and Touya let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, I'm just…well…" He looked down at his hands, then reached up to run one over his hair, pulling the long white coil over his shoulder carefully. "She didn't know it was me, and that made me a bit mad." He shook his head swiftly. "No, not mad, but…sad. Melancholy is the word, I guess."

"No one will recognize either of us as ourselves," Yue said, kneeling down on the floor to undo the pale ribbon that held a portion of Touya's hair in place, "nor as each other. We are too different, our tones and mannerisms have changed too much."

The angel let out another sigh as the ribbon came free, bowing his head. "It's confusing," he said quietly, sounding just as Yue would have. "I'm not sure I like it."

Yue remained silent for several seconds, simply staring at the hair ribbon, then let out a sigh and rose to his feet. "If you want me to fix your hair, you are going to need to stand," he declared. "It is…long."

"No, really?" Touya said sarcastically, raising one eyebrow. He reached out and took Yue's hand, though he had not offered it, and pulled himself upright, placing both hands on the Guardian's broad shoulders. Hell, he's tall… he thought vaguely, then closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. He's not tall, he corrected himself, you're tall, moron. It's your body for God's sake. But he couldn't keep that thought in place, and soon found himself awed by the pure strength he could feel in Yue's shoulders. He closed his eyes and began to lean forward—perhaps losing his balance, perhaps unconsciously willing himself to lean against Yue's chest again, even he was uncertain.

"To-ya?"

He realized suddenly that he still held Yue's shoulders, and felt his face grow vaguely hot. Yue didn't blush—or at least Touya had never seen him do so—so he hoped that Yue did not see him flustered. He released with one hand, reached out to grab the mantle, and then pulled himself to it, using the cool bricks for support. Yue pulled Touya's long hair back over his shoulders, letting it fall between his wings again, and began untying the other ribbon.

The way Yue's fingers worked their way through his hair made Touya want to purr, but he settled for closing his eyes and letting out a content sigh. This sensation was oddly familiar, though Touya was uncertain where from, and he found himself struggling to stay upright. It felt wonderful…

"It is…nice," Yue said softly. "Isn't it?" Touya gave a weak nod, and did not see Yue smile. "I liked it very much as well; Clow used to do this for me."

Touya's catlike eyes snapped open. "Clow Reed? The guy who made the Cards?" He seemed surprised—Clow had always seemed to him to be some higher being, like some sort of ancient god brought to life. It was hard to imagine him running his fingers through the moon angel's hair.

"Yes, when I was much younger," Yue continued. "I think that, if he had lived, the two of you would have been friends. Of course, had he lived, you never would have been born…"

Clow had died hundreds of years ago, hadn't he? How could he have lived long enough to meet Touya, whether he had been born or not? The former mortal wondered, but decided it was best to let Yue move at his own pace—this was the most information he had ever gotten out of him, he did not want to shock him into stopping.

"He was calm and quiet, always smiling. Even when he…he…" Yue's fingers stopped their motion and he pulled back, falling silent. Touya listened for an instant more, then turned to look over his shoulder. Yue looked, for lack of a more intense word, heartbroken. The usual melancholy that remained hidden in his eyes seemed to have spilled out at last, leaving him with an expression that no amount of tears would suit.

Touya turned away, hoping Yue hadn't seen him look, and mused to himself, loudly enough for Yue to hear, "He sounds a lot like my mother."

Yue froze, eyes growing wide, but said nothing.

"My mother," Touya continued, "Kinomoto Nadeshiko. She was always smiling, always happy. She loved my father, Sakura and me with everything she had. Sometimes I think she loved us too much, that maybe that's what killed her…" His eyebrows drew together. "It wasn't until after she died that I began to see ghosts and have real magic. I could see her, and I knew she was still happy, but no one believed me. Everyone would say, 'He's just a little kid, he doesn't understand.' But I did understand…" He closed his eyes. "I miss her so much."

Yue was silent, then placed one hand tentatively on Touya's shoulder. "We're not so different after all, are we?" he said softly, leaning close; so close that Touya could feel him press against his wings. He could feel Yue's breath on his ear as he whispered, so quietly that Touya doubted he would have been able to hear him if it weren't for the magic that he now held, "We are really very much the same. I…like…that thought."

Touya reached back and placed a hand on Yue's head. "Yue, I—"

"Hoe?" a high voice rung out.

They both turned, swiftly releasing each other, to see Sakura, looking immensely bewildered, in the doorway to the living room. Touya felt warmth rush to his face again, hoped that no one could see it, and noted that there was a faint hint of scarlet on Yue's dark cheeks as well. He smiled, then turned back to his sister. "Hey kaijuu," he said amiably, "can you change us back or what?"

Her turquoise eyes grew wide, though not so wide as Touya had thought they would, then her face fell. "That's what I thought was going on." She held out her hands, spoke words that Yue had long ago memorized, and the tiny key around her neck grew to a staff. She held it out, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "I don't know if this will work, Onii-san," she explained, "but I'm going to try anyway."

Touya felt a sudden reluctance; was this dream going to end so soon? Was it all going to be over in a flash of azure light, like nothing had ever happened? He almost hoped it would, to save the world trouble, but hoped more that it wouldn't be over yet. He had a chance to know Yue, to learn what he felt, to see as he saw. He didn't want to give it up…not just yet.

"CHANGE!"

The bolt of energy shot toward them again, filling them both with the same painful heat as it had the day before—was it really only yesterday? It felt like years had passed—and then an intense vibration ran through him. He felt almost as though something was trying to tear his soul out, but it held on tightly in defiance. The vibration continued for several seconds, during which Yue fell forward, probably unconscious, and then it was suddenly over.

Touya had lost his grip on the mantle during the spell, and fell to his hands and knees again, breath heaving, drops of perspiration on his brow. He looked up at Sakura and shook his head. "N-Nice try, kaijuu…" he gasped, "but n-no…luck…" And then the world suddenly became a mass of brilliant blue light.

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Yukito blinked to wakefulness, wondering suddenly why he was on his hands and knees. His head hurt distantly—which meant Yue's head hurt, he supposed—and he was breathing heavily. What had just happened? He looked up to see Sakura, looking immensely disappointed, standing before him with her staff held out.

"Sakura-chan?" he inquired numbly. What was she doing here? He glanced up at the clock on the mantle and noted the time, his hazel eyes growing wide. Eleven o'clock?! He had been asleep that long? No—the change in place meant the Yue had been about, probably flying in Yukito's sleep again. But then why was Sakura here? And Touya—He turned with a start to see his best friend laying on the floor beside him. "Sakura-chan, what's going on?!" he asked worriedly.

She sighed and fell to her knees, letting her staff fall from her fingers. "It didn't work… just like before, it didn't work. It won't work on a Guardian in their true form…" Her eyes began to well up with tears.

"Sakura-chan, what happened to To-ya?"

She looked up forlornly and shrugged. "I don't know. I'll ask him the next time you go to sleep." She wore an almost hopeless smile, and that confused Yukito even more. What was going on?!

Touya groaned, then pushed himself up to his hands and knees. He turned to look at Yukito, then let out an exasperated sigh and closed his eyes. "Of course it wouldn't work—it didn't work yesterday, did it? Why should it work now?"

"To-ya?"

The boy sat up and turned to him with a vaguely sympathetic grin, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but no. He's sleeping in there somewhere." He held one dark finger to Yukito's forehead. "He is probably rather worn out. This has been a very long morning."

Yukito blinked in confusion. "What—"

"I'm Yue," the boy said, his voice holding a note of authority that Touya had never had. "Touya and I changed places, somehow, last night. We were trying to change back using Sakura's magic, but it didn't work." He sighed and bowed his head, looking at his hands. "I guess I'll be borrowing this body for a while longer."

The silver-haired boy felt as though the world was crashing in all around him. For some reason, the thought of Touya sleeping somewhere in his mind was unsettling. Touya, in Yue's place, could hear everything Yukito thought, see everything he saw. Touya would know what Yukito knew, and that planted a seed of fear in his heart.

"I-I could switch, if you want me to," he offered weakly.

Touya—no, Yue—shook his head. "He is tired, let him rest."

They were all silent for several seconds before Sakura rose to her feet once more and turned to them both with a bright smile. "You're probably starved! I'll go make something to eat."

"I don't eat," Yue said reflexively.

Yukito turned to him with a vaguely depressed smile. "No, but Touya does. We don't want his body to waste away while you're in it just because you don't remember to eat." He grinned and then rose to his feet, offering a hand to the other half of his soul. "Come on, let's go help Sakura-chan."

The Guardian was reluctantly still for a moment, echoing Touya's actions earlier that morning, then he took the offered hand and rose to his feet, several inches taller than Yukito. He looked down at the hazel-eyed boy and then bowed slightly. "I am…sorry," he said at last. Yukito turned to him with a start, giving an intelligent, "Huh?"

"I fear that, somehow, this is my doing. It doubtless concerns you to have To-ya living within you, and I have no way to put things right. I am sorry—another of my mistakes has ruined your life."

Another? What did that mean? Yukito walked alongside the taller, darker boy in silence, confused beyond any word's capability of describing. Another of Yue's mistakes…he felt a sudden rush of heat in the back of his head, and an image surfaced in painful clarity.

The room was dark, a symbol scrawled on the floor in white dust seeming to glow slightly. A window was open to let the moonlight wash over the sea, making the dust shine like a million tiny diamonds. And there, standing in the center of it, was—

The thought broke off, and Yukito held a hand to his head. What was that? He tried to remember, to bring the images back, but they were already gone. He could recall moonlight, a figure shining in the dark…and nothing more. He knew who that figure was, but could not recall now.

And after a moment it didn't matter, for he was enveloped in silvery blue light, and fell back into the deepest of sleeps.

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The phone was ringing.

Kero awoke slowly, wondering why no one had picked up the phone yet, and hovered out of his drawer, glancing at the clock. It was almost noon, meaning Fujitaka would be gone by now, leaving the coast clear. The only ones home would be Sakura and, possibly, her older brother.

But the phone was still ringing.

He blinked himself awake as he floated out the door and heard the answering machine turn on. "Hello," Fujitaka's voice said cheerily, "you've reached the Kinomoto residence. No one's home right now, so please leave a message after the tone!"

The Guardian Beast of the Seal hovered over the machine as a loud beep rang out.

"KERO!" Sakura's voice hollered over the phone, causing the Guardian to reel back in the air from the shock. "I know you're there, so pick up the phone right now!"

He started, then pushed the phone off the hook, making the answering machine shut off, and called into the receiver. "Sakura? Where are you?"

"Yuki's house," she answered briefly. "Listen, I sent Tomoyo by to pick you up, she should be there any minute. You need to get over here, and fast!"

"Slow down!" he ushered worriedly. "Sakura, what's going on?" He waited for a reply, but none came save the sound of her breathing. A thump rang out, then Sakura's quiet, "Ho-ee?" Kero was growing impatient. "Sakura, what's going on?!"

He could hear the jingling of the key around her neck and the faint rattling of her hair bands, and decided that she was probably shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Kero, but I can't talk right now—I think Yue just fell over." Yue? Now this was serious! "Just hurry up, Kero!" There was a loud click, and then the line went dead.

Kero was still for several seconds, worried and confused, then pushed the phone back into place. Yue fell over? That made no sense—what could have possibly happened that was treacherous enough to make the Guardian of the Moon stumble? He felt himself begin to shake with fear, and then the doorbell rang.

Tomoyo.

The little yellow creature rushed to the door, squeezed out through the mail slot, and disappeared from sight.

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Yue looked up from his place on the floor, feeling the slight weight of Touya pressing against him, and wondered what had just happened. He propped himself up and pushed Touya away slightly, finding that he was still asleep. Why had he transformed just then? It made no sense… He shook the angel softly. "To-ya," he breathed. "To-ya, wake up."

Catlike eyes fluttered open, Touya blinking several times before they came into focus. "What…?" He was quiet for a moment more, then suddenly seemed to realize where he was—laying on top of Yue. His eyes grew wide and he went stiff, suddenly unable to move. "I-I-I…" He struggled to speak, found that he couldn't, and fell nervously silent.

"It is all right," the Guardian said smoothly. "You are not heavy."

Touya flushed a shade of pink so pale it was almost unnoticeable—except, perhaps, to Yue—and nodded shakily. Yue let out a sigh, Touya could feel the fall of his chest more than hear the expenditure of the air, and then sat up completely. Touya attempted to sit up as well, but an immense tiredness washed through him, making him fall back against the Guardian. "Sorry…" he murmured against the youth's neck. "Very sleepy…"

Distantly he recalled a time when Yuki had done this exact thing to him, and wondered if it meant he was going to fade away. No, Sakura had changed all the cards, the moon had just passed its fullness; there was no way he could be fading.

But then why was he so tired?

"To-ya, why did you do that?"

"Do what?" he breathed in reply.

Yue let out another sigh, this one slightly more audible. "Transform just then. You're still far too exhausted to be changing back and forth so suddenly." He let out a faint chuckle. "You scared me half to death, you know. I tried to catch you and we both fell over."

That explained why he had been laying on top of him, at least. "I didn't transform; I thought Yuki initiated it."

Yue shook his head, though Touya could feel it more than see it. He was so tired… "No, I told him not to wake you. There's no reason for you to have—" he cut off, going stiff. "Oh no…" He placed his hands on Touya's shoulders and held him out at arms' length. "To-ya, I need you to do something."

"Wha…?" he said intelligently, eyes half-lidded. "What?" Yue rose to his feet, helping the angel to stand as well, and kept his grip on the silvery-haired being's shoulders even once they were both steady.

Yue did everything in his power to keep calm. "There is a humming, under Yuki's song, that keeps changing pitch. Find it." Touya closed his eyes obediently, not questioning the Guardian even slightly—that made Yue's heart wrench slightly. That Touya should listen so blindly, that he should be coaxed into doing such a dark and terrible thing… No. It was not terrible, it was merciful; Yuki could not know of his birth, not yet. It was still too hard for Yue to look at, much less allow the other half of his soul to view. "Focus on it."

Touya's eyes clenched tightly shut, then he hissed in pain. The hiss grew to a howl, a cry of complete agony, and Yue felt as though his heart had turned to stone. How could he do this? How could he sit back and watch Touya in such pain?

Yue knew the white-hot pain lancing behind Touya's eyes, and felt a rush of guilt at making him feel it. Nevertheless, the memory had to be guarded; his few mistakes had to be hidden from sight, regardless of who was in his body.

Sakura chose that moment to rush in, her socked feet loud against the wood floor of the dining room. She cried out at her brother's state, looking to Yue for an explanation. An explanation he could not give, not even to her.

"Onii-san!"

Touya fell over, unconscious, into Yue's arms, a blue light enveloping him almost instantly. There was a flash, from which Sakura shielded her eyes, and then Touya was gone, replaced once again by Yukito.

The young man blinked several times in confusion, then stood up straight, looking from Yue to Sakura with concern. "What…? Was I just—" He glanced at the nearest clock—which sat on the mantle in the living room, behind him, and his brow furrowed. "I thought you said he was asleep," he said to the Guardian, sounding faintly betrayed.

"Something…came up," he replied evenly. "He needed my assistance, and I gave it. He is sleeping again now."

Yukito, though his hazel eyes betrayed his lingering doubt, stepped back and nodded. "All right. I guess we should see to breakfast, right?"

Sakura nodded, smiling brightly, but lingered behind as the two young men tromped into the kitchen. She gave Yue a look he could not see, a look of concern mingled with fear. What had he done to Touya?

And why would Yue want to hurt Touya in the first place?

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Translation Notes:

San-ban: Number Three. Funnily enough, it is also the last name of Kuki from Codename: Kid's Next Door. That's the little Japanese one otherwise known as Numbuh Three. Funny, ne?

Hitasama Ayamari: Another Mistake. Really.

Hoe: This isn't actually a word, but rather a sound Sakura makes whenever she's confused or interested I something. It is pronounced Ho-ehh.

Onii-san: I should have mentioned this in the last one, but I forgot. This means, basically, big brother. It should be noted that, in spite of how she fights with him so often, Sakura still shows her big brother a fair measure of respect. There are plenty of little girls in Japan that call their older siblings with the chan honorific, (e.g. Nii-chan m, Nee-chan f) and nobody cares. Sakura uses both the O, another term of respect, and san when referring to her brother. Isn't she sweet?