Finals, friends, are not friendly for fiction writers. Especially for fanfiction. Thus, the latest update could only be released now... Since I have plans for the summer, well, updates won't come that frequently either.
Tarot Woes
Well, I thought Kyou had seen through the trick I pulled on Okazaki, but I guess she was too mad to think straight.
But anyway, we spent that evening and the whole next day together as a couple. Of course, without any of Kyou's bothersome friends or former friends, and without anyone else who could possibly bother us. It was just me and her, and I felt so lucky... If only I could take a picture, and send it back to the past, back to when I was a high-schooler... If only I could say to myself: "Hey, there, bud, check this out: You'll marry Fujibayashi Kyou! Hang in there and don't do too many stupid things, and you might even win her earlier than me." Too bad I can't, though... I had to remain feeling hopeless that I would never get a girl...
But, anyway, after Kyou and I hung out for a while, we (er, it was more like "she") decided to pay Ryou a visit at her hospital. Since Ryou happened to be done with patients, as today happened to be a good day for health, Ryou had time to give us a fortune reading.
So, pulling out her tarot cards, she had us go through a hexagram, predicting the path of our marriage. Of course, I wasn't very thrilled about this, but Kyou really wanted to know, as she saw and heard so many people speaking against our becoming and staying a couple.
Ryou, as Kyou's sister, was also very curious about this, so she was more than willing to give us this reading.
"Please cut the deck." Ryou asked Kyou as she placed the cards on the table.
"Right." Kyou replied as she quickly and neatly split them in two.
"Ok, so this will be a horse-shoe, or hexagram-spread fortune telling." Ryou emphasized on the hexagram. I honestly didn't know what the difference between the spreads were, but Kyou and I nodded anyway.
"Each of the cards of this reading will represent, in order: past, present, future, solution, state of mind, and true feelings. With them, can gain a result, and in accordance with that result you can make a decision as to what to do next."
"Right." I nodded, as did Kyou.
"So I'll set them up." And Ryou did so, placing each of the cards into that hexagram formation.
So Kyou and I stared at the cards, absolutely clueless as to how they meant. I took a glance at my wife and she smiled back at me, but we were both tense, wondering what the cards would say.
Ryou took a breath as she flipped each one of the cards.
"The first card, the one representing the past..."
Kyou and I stared at her.
"The reverse of The Fool... It means bad choices, ill planning..."
Kyou and I looked at each other. This was probably the worst card for us to get... Did that mean that we were incompatible after all?
"The second card, representing the present... The reverse of The Emperor..."
I could hear my wife gulp.
"It means immaturity, gullibility, a lack of character..."
Kyou and I shared a confused look.
"The third card, representing the future... The reverse of The Lovers..."
Kyou gasped, and I winced.
"It means frustration, quarreling, separation..."
"The fourth card, representing the solution to the problem... The reverse of the Hierophant...
"It represents assistance, support..."
Kyou grabbed tightly on my arm, and cuddled closer to me.
"The fifth card, representing the state of being around you... The reverse of Justice...
"It means bias, false accusations, injustice..."
At that Kyou seemed to agree, and I also felt that this reading was probably more accurate than we'd give it credit for.
"The sixth card, representing the state of your unconsciousness, your desires... The reverse of The Sun...
"It means uneasiness, uncertainty about the future, the loss of something valuable..."
Kyou and I stared at each other.
"The last card, representing the result... The reverse of The Devil...
"It means the possibility of an understanding, removing of burdens, release..."
Kyou gave out a light sigh, and I could feel a weight lifting from my chest, but even then Kyou hadn't let go of my arm.
"These are the cards that will lead to your fortune." (1.)
Kyou and I nodded.
"You can talk to each other and try to get over your uncertainties, and figure out what it is that you feel you've lost from your marriage. It would be wise for you to stand strong before those outside biases and injustices and not let them make you insecure or uncertain; stay strong and confident. Remember that you are not alone, and that you will find support. In the end, if you stand steadfast, then instead of splitting paths both of you will continue on with your burdens thrown aside, able to move forward in confidence and happiness..." Ryou spoke with a confident voice, though we both could see the worry in her eyes.
Kyou tightened her grip on my arm.
"Th... Thanks, Ryou." I blabbered out, worried as hell about what would happen next. The last thing I wanted to do was leave Kyou. Even if she was scary and vengeful, in the end I loved her, and I wanted to stay with her for the rest of my days.
Kyou nodded as though she were in a daze. "Thanks, sis, for the reading."
"I know you two will pull through." Ryou smiled as we got up to leave the hospital.
Kyou and Youhei entered the car, and were surprised to find Botan snuggled on one of the seats. (2.)
"Botan? How did you get here?" Kyou was surprised.
"Gofu..." Botan grunted as it closed its eyes.
Youhei's eyes darted around, looking for a black sedan, but he couldn't see Tomoyo's car anywhere. "It had to be them... They're the only ones with the third key to the house..." Youhei thought as he continued to look around.
From a distance, Tomoyo and Tomoya watched them. "They keep Botan cooped up in his pen for so long, it's a good idea for the three of them to spend more time as a family instead of Botan being alone." Tomoyo sighed as she watched Youhei and Kyou cluelessly look around for them.
Then, for a moment, Tomoya noticed something wrong with the pair. When they gave up looking for the Okazaki's, the Sunohara's simply locked up their car and, with Botan, walked off somewhere else.
"That's weird... It's rare to see Kyou or Youhei so troubled..." Tomoya muttered. The pair decided to track their friends, even if that meant that being found out would result in great pain for Tomoya and a fight with Kyou for Tomoyo.
Tomoya and Tomoyo hid behind a few bushes as they heard Kyou and Youhei talking to each other.
"I... I think we should have some alone time and think about it..."
"Hey! Do you want Ryou's prediction to prematurely come true?!"
"I... I never said I want to leave you, Kyou... I love you, but, but I think that just staying here, with both of us stressed and worried, isn't going to help our marriage any more. I heard that people sometimes need time outside of being together as a couple in order to strengthen their bond. It helps them take breaths of fresh air and think about how they should live their lives with their lovers... I think that would work better than what's going on now."
"I..." Kyou seemed to freeze at that. "I guess you're right..."
A pained and worried look filled Kyou's face.
"It's as if he's asking for a divorce..." Tomoya and Tomoyo thought as they watched the couple.
"Kyou..." Sunohara started to feel guilty. "Um... Here, why don't we head back to the house together... I guess the weather's getting to our heads..." He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed at seeing his wife like this.
"Yeah..." Kyou looked so broken as she kept her head down.
"Something had to have happened with Ryou... Maybe an accurate tarot reading? It wouldn't make sense for them..." Tomoya whispered, but Tomoyo froze when she saw Youhei and Kyou freeze.
"... to be like this. Kyou's much stronger than that, and Youhei usually doesn't take anything seriously, even if his life depended on being serious..." Tomoya blabbered on to Tomoyo, as if he was discussing a sports game on TV with her. Tomoyo gasped when she saw the couple approach the bushes.
Tomoyo froze like a deer in headlights as Kyou crouched down and their eyes met. With Tomoyo unable to move out of fear, Youhei creeped around the bushes, and Tomoya continued to chat, unfazed. "I guess they really do believe in that superstitious nonsense, huh?"
"Tomoya is an idiot, isn't he, Youhei?" Kyou smiled while staring at Tomoyo.
Tomoyo had to agree, but she couldn't react or Tomoya would probably scream at the top of his lungs upon realizing that Kyou and Youhei had heard them.
"Wha-?" Tomoya felt surprised. Since when did Kyou go from gloomy to joking about Tomoya behind his back?... Well, he was here, just that she didn't know he was here.
Or did she?
Tomoya felt a tap on his shoulder. "And since when have I not cared about my wife's feelings?" Youhei smirked as Tomoya turned around.
"Gah!" Tomoya gasped, realizing that he'd been caught.
"If you're going to spy on someone, you should make sure that they can't hear you." Kyou sneered as Tomoya slowly turned and saw her.
"So you... Heard everything." Tomoya gulped while Tomoyo remained frozen and speechless.
"No, just that last bit about you figuring out that Ryou's tarot reading had something to do with our uneasiness, and that Youhei and I seemed out of character... Maybe you should apply for a job as a sports moderator or news anchor instead of an electrician. Your voice is loud enough." Kyou chuckled a little at her own joke, but quickly narrowed her eyes.
"And why is fortune-telling nonsense?" Kyou seemed annoyed as she crossed her arms.
"Because, um, well, Ryou never seemed to get it right..." Tomoya stopped smiling, though, when he saw both Kyou and Youhei's faces turn gloomy again...
"It seemed accurate this time, though, a little too accurate..." Youhei mumbled.
"Bad choices... Ah... I think I know why..." Kyou mumbled.
"Hmn?" Youhei, Tomoya, and finally Tomoyo requested her to continue.
"Ryou's fortune telling said that we made bad decisions in the past. It wasn't the fact that we got married, Youhei, not at all... It was because your idiocy and my, well, past reputation made it seem so unlikely that we'd be lovers, and we chose to let only a few people know about our relationship until it was too late. If we told everyone at the beginning, they would have been surprised, but they would have had time to accept it... Our quick marriage caught everyone off guard. That, and, well, we're not exactly the most mature of people, are we?" Kyou stated, embarrassment painting her face red.
"So that's why we have external biases and immaturity... And why our outcome will be a 'release of burdens...' But why the 'loss of something valuable?'" Youhei stroked his chin.
"You need to ask?" Tomoya raised an eyebrow.
"Huh?" Kyou, Youhei, and Tomoyo stared at him.
"Both of you have loved your freedom, yet you were attracted by that warmth of family, which is why you stuck around with Tomoyo and me. Later, when both of you got married, you were more than satisfied with each other, but even then you felt that freedom get sapped away. Even on the wedding day itself, Youhei, you acted worried. Did you even consider why?" Tomoya asked, pointing at Youhei.
For a moment, recognition flashed in Youhei's face, but the words couldn't leave his lips.
"Exactly, you realized that you lost your freedom... You lost the right you had to be an idiot, because you didn't have to worry about anyone or anything, and Kyou could just live her life without having to worry about how she looked or acted much, since there wouldn't be anyone who'd really have the chance to notice. But now the two of you are together, and you have those duties to each other. Being independent and immature in the past, you guys just can't adjust to this new life so easily..."
"Tomoya..." Kyou mumbled. Youhei looked shocked.
"But you have each other, and even if that's not enough, well, we've always called each other siblings, right? Now's a tough time for you guys, since a lot of people are expecting things from you and giving you the raw end of the deal, but you have us to watch your backs." With that, Tomoya grabbed Tomoyo's hand, and she nodded vigorously.
"That's right, Kyou, Youhei. Words do nothing, if they aren't backed by actions. We've always called ourselves your siblings, and now's the time for us to be siblings." Tomoyo added.
"Tomoyo..." Youhei mumbled.
Kyou looked shocked too, and nodded. "Thank you, Tomoyo."
Smirking, she turned to Tomoya. "So, even though you can be a major pervert, you're still a useful friend when we need you, eh?"
"I'm innocent, I swear!" Tomoya growled back.
"Actually, Kyou..." Tomoyo began, and Youhei began to turn pale. "Youhei's the one who set it up..."
Kyou's eyes widened a little, then she turned to Tomoya, then Youhei, and stared at Youhei for a few seconds as her husband slowly backed away. But she suddenly smiled at him. "You had your moment of revenge, huh? Good for you!"
"Wha-?" Youhei and Tomoya blinked.
Kyou pointed at Tomoya while keeping her eyes on her husband. "That other idiot used to bully you all the time, right? Well, you finally get the last laugh... Though, did you really have to make it so scary? Seriously, using my panties and skirt just to get back at him? I guess it worked, though, even if I'm not that happy about it..." Kyou stroked her chin.
"She sure does seem happy..." Tomoyo and Tomoya thought as they watched her.
"Kyou..." Youhei couldn't think of what to say.
But even though they had this chat, Youhei and Kyou agreed that maybe they should split for a little while and think about their marriage. After all, it was best for them to relieve stress somewhere else, or through some other way, since their marriage was the cause of this stress in the first place.
Tomoyo decided to head out with Kyou, while Tomoya decided to stay with Youhei. Naturally, Botan, having been with Kyou and Tomoyo before, decided to hang around with the other guys.
And so, two men and a boar went back to the Sunohara's place.
Youhei always had a messy room. Tomoya never visited Kyou's house (as her parents wouldn't have been pleased at seeing this delinquent boy visiting either of their daughters), but judging by how clean the place was, Kyou had to be pretty decent in hygiene herself. Considering the fact that she had to go to work just as often as Youhei, well, she was pretty efficient and had good endurance if she could pull this off.
So Youhei walked over to one of the couches and sat down, leaning with his back pressed against the mattress, making it bend and dent to support him. With a yawn, he smirked at Tomoya. "Check this out... Botan!" Sunohara called.
The boar, who wasn't so little anymore, came running, and Tomoya actually shot his feet off the ground and got into a cross-legged position on a chair, since Botan was charging and his tusks might easily rip half of Tomoya's leg off (if Botan happened to run towards them.)
Finally, Botan stopped in front of its second master. "Gofu?" He cocked his head to the side. (3.)
Youhei smirked. "Botan, Footrest!"
"Gofu!" Botan immediately stood still, perpendicular to Youhei's legs, and Sunohara waited for Botan to turn rigid and stiff. Once Botan looked frozen in place, Youhei put his feet on Botan's back, and leaned further into the couch. "Ah... Isn't this awesome?" Youhei smirked as he turned to Tomoya.
"I guess Botan obeys you too. Hmn, I thought he'd only listen to Kyou."
"I'm Kyou's husband, so I'm also his master. Of course he'll obey me too, right, Botan?"
"Gofu..."
"See, Botan agrees with me!"
Tomoya couldn't help but smile at the sight. It really did seem like Botan had accepted Youhei as part of the family, even though there was a time when Botan was freaked out when Sunohara picked him up...
Kyou and Tomoyo sat on a bench, staring out to sea. The seagulls flew high over their heads, and all around them surfers, kids with shovels for building sandcastles, bicyclists who wanted to feel some fresh sea breezes, and other beachgoers hurried about, each having a great time.
As for Kyou, well, she was too busy thinking to really enjoy the scenery around her. Tomoyo was beside her, but Mrs. Okazaki knew that she could do little to help her friend. It was Kyou's battle, and Tomoyo could only cheer her on.
That night, when Youhei took Tomoya back to his place, and Tomoyo and Kyou went their separate ways, the Okazaki's found themselves brooding in their house.
"If Youhei and Kyou can't figure this out on their own, then we'll need the advice of someone who can help." Tomoya mumbled to Tomoyo.
"Who are you thinking of?"
"Who else?"
"You really think Yoshiro will be helpful? I thought he'd be too busy taking care of Kouko and Fuko." (4.)
"He's one of the few people Youhei actually admires, that doesn't happen to be a woman, and because of that it would be a good idea to recruit him to help us out."
"But does Kyou even know who he is?"
"He was one of Youhei's best men, so she should know who he is... Or at least know his face..."
"Well, I doubt Kyou would be worried if we drag another guy into the picture, so... For them, let's do it."
So, that weekend Tomoya found himself approaching Yusuke and Kouko's home, with Tomoyo slowly following him. Before he could knock on the door, however, a face appeared from a second-floor window. "It's the Enemy!"
Tomoyo smirked as Fuko glared down at Tomoya, "Fuko! Call your brother-in-law! Can we have a word with him?"
"Fuko cannot let her family get invaded by the enemy! Back off, or you will face the power of Starfish Heat!"
Tomoya rolled his eyes and went to knock on the door. Fuko responded with a sneer. "It seems that Fuko must use her flying starfish tactic to defeat you..."
With a quick throw, Fuko sent a starfish heading straight for Tomoya's forehead. Having dealt with Kyou's dictionaries throughout high school, Tomoya ducked and the starfish flew harmlessly overhead. He proceeded to knock harder on the door.
And it opened, to reveal a half-asleep Yusuke. "Okazaki? What... What's wrong?"
"Did I disturb your sleep?"
Yusuke shook his head. "Don't worry about that, come in, both of you." Yusuke stepped aside to let Tomoya and Tomoyo through.
1. Mind you, I have never been to a tarot card reading in my life, nor do I plan to. These interpretations were taken from a tarot website, and based on the fact that some of them match Ryou's original reading for Tomoya in Kyou's route, I think that they're correct... If any of you readers happen to be interested in Tarot reading, please tell me if this sounded realistic.
And, no, Tomoya did not buy these cards or give them to Ryou (when Kyou bought them.) I might fuse the routes together every now and then, but this fic is still mostly Tomoyo route, with bits of the others merely complementing the story. Ryou's a sucker for fortune telling, and Kyou's always a nice sister. Who says that Kyou wouldn't buy a tarot deck as a gift for her sister's birthday or something?
2. "Car" stands for Youhei's Corolla. "Truck" stands for Kyou's pickup. Tomoyo's car will be labeled on its own, but this fic, as you can surely tell, is more focused on Youhei/Kyou than Tomoya/Tomoyo, since they already got their loving scenes in the Tomoyo route. Kyou's scooter might also make an appearance, since traffic can be quite a bitch.
3. After using "it" for the first few chapters to refer to Botan, it felt weird, so I'm going to use "he," instead, since Botan is a secondary character in his own right.
4. I'm trying to include every character who can be included in Tomoyo's route without screwing up the timeline. This, of course, includes Fuko. Kotomi and Nagisa might have to take a back seat, though. :(