(Aboard the China, somewhere on the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco, in the United States, and Yokohama, Japan)
Though he had one of the nicer cabins on the ship, without the lamps lighted the space within was nearly as dark as a closet. Clow removed his spectacles and blinked while his eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. The only light in the room came from the light of the moon, reflected on the black water and shining through the porthole glass. Once he could discern shapes, he pulled the door shut behind him; the heavy, salt-weathered wood thudded softly as door met doorjamb. He slid the brass bolt into the lock and crossed to sit on the small, firm bed.
From the pocket of his heavy wool coat he removed a book, one bound in dark red leather and embellished with gold fittings and red spinel cabochons. The small book was warm from being kept close to his chest; he had kept it close to his heart, because this book was his most dear possession. It held his companions, ensorcelled for now to sleep through this long and public crossing of the Pacific. He placed the book in the bedside cabinet that, like the bed, was bolted to the floor. They were of the same dark walnut color, adorned with brass, as the rest of the cabin's walls and furniture. Furniture was sparse in the small space; besides the bed and cabinet, there was only an armoire and round parlor table with a pair of chairs.
The sorcerer illuminated the darkness of the room without magic. He used a lucifer to bring flames to the lantern wicks rather than invoking Firey because crossing over so much moving water weakened him. Despite the few precautions that he could take, his magic was uncertain, and the little fire sprite could easily get out of his control. For the same reason, he would not use Wave to calm the waters into a gentler current, not even for an hour's peace.
The passing days on the ship were taking their toll on Clow. He had had to forgo dinner once again, and instead spent the dining hour resting against the railing of an out-of-the-way spot on deck and breathing in the heavily oxygenated salt air. The dragons beneath the waters of the Pacific wove far beneath the magician's floating transport; the energies that they moved swirled unpredictably. It was no better in his cabin, but the hour was now late, and he needed to at least attempt sleep. He poured a jigger of brandy from a flask and tossed it back, hoping that the liquor would placate his uneasy stomach.
When sleep continued to evade him, he dressed again, though in the more comfortable wrap of a heavy silk kimono. He removed the Clow book from the cabinet and rested it on the room's table. After only a moment's consideration, he turned it face down. Then, with a quick invocation, he un-sealed Yue.
The symbol of the winged crescent moon glowed and changed, defining itself into the form of a man. Yue's wings covered him at first, but as they pulled away and he became aware, he used his own magic to wrap himself in moonlight and spin it into a draping kimono that matched Clow's garment except for color.
"I'm going to guess that we have not arrived in Yokohama," Yue said, adding together the environs and the ship's rocking. "How far out are we?"
"Not even half-way," Clow admitted, reducing his staff again and tucking it away. He sat down onto the rumpled bed. "I am finding it impossible to sleep. I was hoping that you could keep me company."
Yue sat beside his Master. The moonlight white of Yue's kimono contrasted prettily against Clow's black silk. The contrast of the magician's wan face, however, worried Yue. "You look tired," he said, "and pale."
Clow reclined back onto the covers and placed his feet placed up by the headboard so that he lay reversed on the bed. When his head touched the mattress, he closed his eyes and exhaled with forced steadiness. "Everyone assumes that I am seasick," he said with his eyes still closed.
Yue gazed at his Master. While Clow's eyes remained closed, he savored the opportunity to caress the sickly face with his look. "I am sure that you are not the only one," Yue replied.
"No, there is no dearth of fainting women on this vessel," said Clow with an embarrassed laugh. "But by the time we reach port, most of them will have become desensitized to the ship's rocking. I will be the only one still green around the gills." He sighed. "This is so much worse than coming over from England. The water itself is smoother, but the currents are much deeper and more layered. I feel constantly out of balance."
"I know," said Yue gently. "I can feel the waning and waxing of your magic."
Clow opened his eyes and looked at his companion with pained realization. "Of course," he said. "You must feel as sick as I do."
"Only a reflection of it," Yue replied. "Not as much." He removed his gaze from his Master and looked around the cabin. His eyes fell on the Clow book. Thinking of how the sorcerer had chosen to wake the moon rather than the lion, he smiled softly to himself.
"This is why Cerberus is constantly telling me how selfish I am," said the sorcerer apologetically. He stared upward at the plain ceiling. "I'm sorry for complaining. Should I seal you again? You don't have to go through this with me."
The magician focused on Yue, and Clow's kind attention brought out a wave of shyness in the winged man. Yue became suddenly uncomfortable with their close proximity, but it would have been strange for him to leave the bed for one of the small chairs. Instead, he stretched out supine himself, his direction opposite Clow's. He lay his head down beside his Master's ankles. Yue left his legs dangling over the side of the bed, and the drape of his long kimono covered his bare feet. It was a position of false ease, because Yue's heart was beating ferociously in his chest.
"We haven't spent time in just each other's company for a very long while," said Yue softly. "I like your company, like this." He wondered if Clow could hear the longing in his voice, and if he would know what it meant.
"No, you're right," said Clow. "We haven't been alone together since… longer than I can remember. Has it bothered you?"
Yue carefully considered his words. "It's different when it's the three of us. I feel that you are different with me when Cerberus is with us." Yue breathed slowly before he continued bravely on. "I feel as though you have stopped noticing me," he said, keeping the accusation out of his tone.
Clow hesitated. "Do you think that I take you for granted?" he asked uncertainly.
"Some," admitted Yue.
The sorcerer sat up so that he could look at his creation. "I have gotten used to the way you take care of everything," Clow confessed. "You are so capable, and independent… I don't mean to take you for granted."
It was Yue's turn to study the ceiling. He contemplated the composition of shadows thrown from the lamp on the table. "I'm not independent," he murmured.
"Yue," said Clow, "look at me." Reluctantly, Yue obeyed. Without his spectacles, Clow's eyes showed their rich depth with uncomfortable intimacy. Clow continued speaking in sincere tones. "I do appreciate you. Believe that."
They were just words, but they filled Yue with a liquid warmth. "I do," he answered. The sorcerer reached forward to touch Yue's face, to brush a short lock of Yue's hair with an affectionate caress. Yue wanted to close his eyes and purr at the touch.
"How do I make up for my selfishness?" Clow asked seriously.
Yue wanted to tell him to keep touching his hair. He wanted to tell Clow to extend that touch to other places. For a moment, Yue thought that the sorcerer looked as though he might bring himself down to Yue; the possibility made Yue's heart race so emphatically that he was sure that his maker could hear it resounding in the cabin's space.
"I'm in terror of what your silence means," joked Clow. "Are you plotting something involving manual labor?"
Yue sat up to escape his impossible thoughts. "Of course not," he joked back shakily. "I know how lazy you are."
"Which is exactly why I leave you in charge of everything," answered Clow. "When it was just Cerberus and I, we had a disaster, not a household."
"I'm envious, sometimes," said Yue. He relaxed, knowing that Clow could not see his face now that Clow was sitting behind him. Yue was certain that his longing would show.
"Envious?" Clow questioned.
Yue felt Clow pull at a hair-tie and the shift in the weight of his hair as it was loosened. He sat rigidly, wondering what Clow was doing. "Of the time you had together before me," he clarified. He felt another tie being removed.
Clow ran his hands over the expanse of Yue's hair, making sure that it could move freely. "With all my faults, you know a better me. I was too hot-headed. My efforts in creating the Cards took me down a few notches. Cerberus truly humbled me." The magician freed Yue's hair completely of all bindings. "The more perfect my creations became, the more modest I became. I know how little I deserve any of you."
Clow's dexterous fingers were now weaving through Yue's hair in an industrious manner. "Clow?" asked Yue with trepidation. "What are you doing?"
"I have had neither study nor workroom for days," stated the magician. "I need to do something with my hands."
"Are you braiding my hair?" Yue gasped. Clow made a non-committal sound. "Clow, it crimps when its braided!" Yue tried to turn his head.
"Just hold still," Clow murmured soothingly. "I'll take them back out. And wash your hair until it's satin again," he promised.
Yue was torn between indignity and appreciation of the wonderful sensations tickling across his scalp. He chose to stay still and not think about how he would look with a head full of braids. Clow worked deliberately, deftly separating and weaving the locks. He ran his fingers through to the ends as the braid was built so that the ends would not tangle; in long hair like Yue's, the ends tended to form an echoing braid at the bottom of the strands being woven. The motions were hypnotically repetitive. Yue could hear the soft rasp of his moving hair and the quiet breathing of the weaver.
After an immeasurable passing of time, the magician startled Yue by speaking. "You are a pleasant distraction," mused Clow. "I haven't been bothered by my power fluctuations since I started this. I almost feel unaffected."
"I, in contrast, feel considerably affected," Yue breathed.
"By the rolling water?" asked Clow with concern.
"By your fingers in my hair," Yue admitted.
Clow chuckled, and lifted a handful of thick silver braids. He let a bundle of them run over his hands; his motion revealed Yue's bare neck. "They look lovely," he teased. "Maybe I should leave them in after all."
Yue was unconcerned by the threat because Clow had given his promise. "If you do," he said, "I will have to cut them out."
"You would never cut it," Clow countered. "That is an idle threat."
Yue thought about a reply. He opened his mouth and was about to speak when he felt a cool breath breeze against his exposed neck. Clow was intentionally tickling Yue by blowing in little tingling puffs. Yue tensed. He didn't know how to react. He didn't know if this was merely teasing, or prelude to something more hoped for. He closed his eyes and waited, wondering if he would soon feel Clow's lips follow the tickling breath and if the touch of those lips would be warm or cool on his skin.
"Yue?" said Clow.
Yue's response was a quiet "hm".
"I give you permission to breath, now," said an amused Clow. Using the original ribbons of cloth, he began to bundle the braids so that they re-formed the long, contained cord. While Yue exhaled, the magician laughed softly. He had expected his creation to jump, not to freeze so completely. "The braids really do look lovely," he mused.
"If they please you," said Yue with carefully chosen words, "then you may leave them in."
"Just for now," said Clow. "I couldn't wash your hair yet anyway. But I can have a basin sent in tomorrow." He again ran his hands over the silky ropes, and smiled when Yue shivered.
"What awaits us, Clow?" asked Yue quietly.
"In Japan?" asked the sorcerer. "Since my foresight is strangely quiet about the near future, I hope that means idleness and ease." Yue seemed to be waiting for something more. "For once, the future is pleasantly unknown," Clow added.
Yue turned around to face his Master. "Do you think that you can sleep, now?" he asked.
"Yes. I think so," Clow answered. "If I can wake you again, perhaps we can make up for the time we have not spent together, alone. I would look forward to more time like this."
Yue hid his elation. "I would like that very much," he said with reserve. Sensing his time to be re-sealed, he rose from the bed. "Goodnight, then, Master."
Clow smiled warmly. "Goodnight, Yue."