Thanks for keeping up with the story and reviewing the last chapter - eccogris061010, Wonderbabe, James Birdsong and Adrena Bui. Here is the next one. You can probably see where the plot will go from here.
Tomoyo was on the eight and a half hour long flight from Tokyo to Vancouver. As the crew was getting ready for departure, the phone held in her hand buzzed. "Sakura-chan," she said softly as she received the call.
"Tomoyo-chan, is everything alright?" came Sakura's slightly anxious voice from the other end. Sakura had been having a strange feeling for a while that something was not quite right with Tomoyo. The smile on Tomoyo-chan's lips was not quite reaching her eyes in the last few times that she saw her best friend. It seemed that there was some sort of pain that she was repressing, and Sakura was not privy to it, which hurt a little. Even Sonomi-san had asked her if Tomoyo was really fine with the decision to move to a different country after while returning from the airport that evening.
"Hai, we will be taking off in a few minutes now," Tomoyo answered.
"Let me know once you reach OK?" Sakura said.
"Of course, I'll be fine," Tomoyo reassured her friend.
"I know," Sakura drew a breath. "It is just that you didn't seem –,"
"Hey Sakura, give me the phone," Keroberos interrupted what she was about to say.
"Kero-chan," Sakura huffed. "I wasn't done talking!"
Tomoyo could almost imagine Kero sticking out his little tongue to Sakura as he snatched the phone and started to talk. "Fine, I will go and make dinner then," Sakura stomped out of the room.
"Hey Tomoyo, you should take me next time. I promise that I'll behave like a stuffed animal till we reach," Kero said.
"Kero-chan, haven't you already visited lots of different countries with Clow-san?" Tomoyo asked.
"Yeah, but it has been a while you know. Things have changed so much you barely recognize them as the same place," Kero replied.
"Is it just that or you have forgotten a lot?" Tomoyo asked.
"I bet I remember more than Yue," Keroberos said confidently. "Anyway, get me some treats from Canada the next time you visit OK? And study well, too Tomoyo." he said the last bit in the tone of a guardian.
"Ano Kero-chan," Tomoyo called before the sun guardian could disconnect the line. "Was Yue-san around recently?" she bit her lip, not knowing why she even asked that. Yue-san and hence Tsukishiro-san had left abruptly after speaking to her the night before. Fujitaka-san seemed perplexed that Tsukishiro-san was not there for dinner.
"He showed up earlier in the afternoon to get a card. Sakura had gone to the airport with you during that time. Mate ne," the oblivious Keroberos hung up the call.
Tomoyo leaned back into her seat and tried to relax. However, an unsettling feeling kept creeping into her mind. She tried to fight it off unsuccessfully. It was when the plane had already started taxiing for takeoff, she frantically picked up her phone and typed a text message.
Kero-chan, what card did Yue-san ask you for?
As soon as the text was sent, she typed another one. Did he say why he needs it? There was no response immediately. Tomoyo waited for less than a minute before she picked the phone and started calling Sakura again. However, they were already in the air, and the signal was very poor. Soon, there was no signal at all. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips.
When the seatbelt sign went off, and it was announced that the passengers were free to use their electronic devices, Tomoyo asked the crew about wifi access, only to be informed politely that the wifi service was not available on that flight. She felt desperate and helpless at not being able to know what card Yue suddenly needed. The hours that followed on the flight felt like eternity to her. She could not rest or eat or relax, but the privacy of her business suite did allow her to cry silently. Please Yue-san, please don't do anything stupid, you idiot, her mind kept begging him.
As soon as the plane touched down on the runway of Vancouver airport, Tomoyo's phone sounded a message alert as it was back within the signal coverage area. She eagerly held the screen before her screen and read the text.
Yue took the erase card, said it is for something that is not needed anymore. What about it? Keroberos had texted.
The erase card? Tomoyo's fingers started to shake as the information sank in. Oh no no no! Please gods no! She felt lightheaded.
When something disappears it disintegrates into the five constituent elements - the moon guardian had said.
But I don't want you to disappear - Tomoyo had told him.
Farewell - that was Yue's last word to her. She had not known that he had meant it for forever.
He intends to use it on himself. Tomoyo's body crumbled with the wave of sobs that overcame her. She however did her best to compose herself and got off the plane in a daze, while trying to reach everyone that could help save Yue-san over the phone. She tried Sakura's, Keroberos' and Touya's phones but no one answered. It was sort of expected since it was around 4 AM in the morning back home. Same was the outcome when she tried Yukito's phone, and Yue's own phone was switched off. She knew it was kept that way most of the time except on Saturdays when he assumed his own form.
All the other passengers were queuing up for immigration and customs. Tomoyo made up her mind and approached the service desk of the airlines that flew her in. "I need a ticket for the next flight back to Tokyo," she requested the lady at the desk, trying to hold herself together.
"But ma'am, this flight just came from Tokyo," the lady said without looking at her. Her eyes were fixed at something on the screen before her.
"It's an emergency, please," Tomoyo said sharply.
At the tone of her voice the lady looked up. Her face was streaked with tears, and she probably looked like an absolute wreck. From her appearance, the airline associate quickly realized her mistake. "I am so sorry ma'am, let me check," she focused her eyes on the screen. After a few moments, she shook her head regretfully, and Tomoyo's heart sank. "I am sorry ma'am, but we are fully booked for today," she informed in a professional voice.
"Please, I will take any class. Just a ticket for today," she pleaded.
"We can book you for tomorrow. All airlines are fully booked as well today. I checked them for you. Fridays are usually like this," she tried to offer.
"It would be too late," Tomoyo exclaimed in despair. She stepped away from the service desk, and sat down, finally breaking down into uncontrollable sobs. Is it too late already? Will I ever see him ever again? I am such a fool! Why did I even come here? Why didn't I tell him about my feelings when there was still time yesterday? Or perhaps on that day when he almost asked me about it? The pain, the guilt, the anger, and the worry did not subside. She could sense that many of the other travelers were looking at her on their way, and wondering what was wrong. But the hustling folks on their way to their weekend getaway did not care anymore than that. She would have felt mortified to be found sobbing like that in public in any other situation, but at that moment, she did not care either.
Someone finally tried to talk to her. She turned her face to find a lady, probably in her mid thirties. She was speaking a different language which she could not understand. It was probably French. Yue-san would have understood if he was there. He was a polyglot. If they could have a life together, Tomoyo could have asked him to teach her a few of the other mysterious languages he knew. The lady was offering her a small bottle of water and a tissue for her face, and trying to ask her what happened. Tomoyo could only thank her for her kindness in English, and tell that there is a family emergency. What more could she say? That the life of the person she loved was in danger? Then people would ask why she was not calling the emergency services of the country. She would be taken for a lunatic if she told them that someone was planning to use magic to make themselves disappear.
Tomoyo was not sure if the lady understood what she said, but she nodded and moved along, leaving the objects she had offered her next to her seat. The unexpected bit of kindness overwhelmed her and caused more tears to well in her eyes.
"Ma'am," another airline staff member, a man this time, walked over to the poor girl and called her. "There has been a last minute cancellation. I think we will be able to accommodate you on the flight to Tokyo today," he said.
"Hontou? I mean really?" Tomoyo looked up, with a flicker of hope in her tearful eyes. Thank kami-sama!
"Please come with me and we can take care of the formalities," the man smiled kindly.
Tomoyo wiped her face with the tissue that she was just offered by the traveler from before, and rushed to complete her purchase of the ticket. It was in economy class. Tomoyo had never flown economy in her life, but in this situation she was more than thankful to have it. Tomoyo just had a carry-on luggage with her. She did not have patience to pass through immigrations to claim her checked-in luggage, but the staff assured her that it can be sent back to her later.
Finally after getting her return ticket to Japan sorted, Tomoyo tried calling her friends again. She failed to reach Sakura and Keroberos. However Touya answered the call. "Tomoyo? Is everything going well?" the older of her second cousins said in a voice that was groggy with sleep.
"It's not. Yue-san has got the erase card," Tomoyo said, her voice trembling with raw emotion.
"Wait, what?" Touya asked. He was not very familiar with all the cards and their different powers.
"Yue-san obtained Sakura's erase card from Kero-chan. He's planning to use it to obliterate his own existence," Tomoyo covered her face with her free hand, holding her cell phone with the other.
"But it has not been a year yet! He told us that he will decide after a year!" the residual sleep had left Touya's eyes by then.
"It's my fault, I couldn't tell him," her voice cracked with a repressed sob. "Please save Yue-san, Touya onii-chan," Tomoyo pleaded. "Please tell Sakura-chan to find him and take back the card, because I was not able to reach her phone, and –, "
"Tomoyo," Touya interrupted his cousin. "I think if we try to confront him, he might try to do something drastic. It is better that we do not let on that we are aware of his stupid plan. I don't think he will make a move before Saturday. He usually tries to not get in the way of Yuki's daily schedule," Touya said.
"But Touya onii-chan," Tomoyo's voice did not sound so sure.
"Don't worry, I will go to Yuki's place immediately and keep an eye on him at all times," Touya assured her.
"I am so scared, Touya onii-chan. I am coming back," Tomoyo said.
"I know how you feel. I have been there myself when Yuki was about to fade away," Touya's voice sounded heavy.
"What about Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked.
"I will tell Sakura later, once I have managed to take the card away from him. Otherwise she will panic, and Yue might be able to sense it through the magic they share," he explained further. "Where are you now?" he asked her.
"At Vancouver airport, waiting to take the flight back," Tomoyo answered. Touya could hear her breathing heavily over the phone.
"Tomoyo, don't cry. I'll do whatever I can," Touya said.
"I am not strong like you. I don't even have any magical powers. What can I do but cry?" Tomoyo stifled a sob.
"Just come soon and save that idiot. He doesn't need magical powers from you at this point, he needs you to be here for him. He might not listen to anyone else," Touya said.
When Yukito stepped out of his house, he found that the dark haired man he loved was waiting on his porch. "Toya, what are you doing here? I thought we were meeting at the station," he said, secretly pleased at the unexpected visit from his most important person. What he did not realize was that Touya had been waiting there for a few hours already. After he received the alarming phone call from Tomoyo, he got ready in a hurry and left the house. Once he reached Yukito's place, he relaxed a little bit since he could still sense Yue's magic. He was not sure if Yue sensed him too, but in order to be as discreet as possible, he did not wake Yukito up, but waited outside silently. That was when the sun was rising. Now, it was already 7:30 in the morning.
"Yuki," Touya said his name in his deep voice. "Let's go on a date today," he suggested, fixing his intense eyes on Yukito's face.
"Don't joke Toya," Yukito chided lightly, lifting his hand to brush Touya's dark bangs. "Come on, or we will be late," he took a step forward, but Touya held him back by his arm.
"We can have lunch at a fancy restaurant. Then we can go and watch a movie together. We can sit at the park and watch the sunset. After that, let's go back to my place and spend the evening playing board games," Touya suggested.
"Huh? But you don't even like most movies and board games," Yukito commented.
"Doesn't matter," Touya placed a hand on Yukito's shoulder, a little impatiently. "I just wanted to do something with you today," he added a little shyly. "Tell me Yuki, when was the last time we even did any of these things? Just the two of us?"
"It's true, we have been so busy this last year with our thesis," Yukito held back a sigh.
"Now that they are finally done and submitted, I think we deserve a bit of a break," Touya stated.
Yukito looked at the young man who had loved him unconditionally since their high school days. Touya was usually not very forward in their relationship, asking for next to nothing from him. And other than his heart, he had so little to offer anyway. A wave of fondness washed over Yukito at the thought of Touya asking for something so simple like a date. "Fine," he said, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes with his fingers to push back the sudden surge of emotion. "But I have promised to help a junior with their experiment in the morning today. We can leave around lunchtime," he suggested, while adjusting the glasses back on his nose.
Touya smiled, forcing his anxiousness to subside. He could not afford to let Yue get wind of his agitation. As long as he could ensure that Yukito was engaged in something, it should be fine. If he had correctly understood Yue, the moon guardian would probably wait till night time to make his move. Tomoyo was supposed to reach by that time.
Yukito was explaining the last part of the experiment to the younger student later that day, when another of his fellow students called him. "Hey Yukito, how long do you plan to keep your boyfriend waiting over there?" he asked in an amused voice.
"Touya?" Yukito looked up, confused.
"Hmm. The guy has been waiting for a while. Had a fight or something?" the other guy chuckled. The folks in their respective academic departments who studied with them knew about their relationship, and did not care much other than the occasional teasing. In that way, university was a pleasant respite from the rumors they had to constantly hear about in high school.
"No, that's not,-" Yukito briskly walked to the window where the other guy was standing as he made the observation. He looked out of the large window of their laboratory to see Touya standing by the entrance of their departmental building in the yard below. Almost telepathically, he looked up, causing Yukito's heart to skip a beat. He waved and made a signal that he would be outside soon. Then he went back to the desk to finish the rest of the ongoing task.
"Aww, Tsukishiro-senpai is blushing," the girl who was learning the experiment from Yukito said with a grin.
"Let's complete the experiment, ne?" Yukito said with an awkward smile.
"Am I late?" Yukito asked a quarter of an hour later, as he walked up to Touya outside the building a while later.
"No, I just came earlier. Didn't have anything interesting to do today," Touya gave a nonchalant reply, but there was some truth to the statement, as his anxiety about Yue's situation had prevented him from focusing on the work that he intended to do that morning. It was more than apparent to him that Tomoyo would be broken forever if Yue disappeared forever. His Yukito would also suffer from a horrible guilt that would heavily impact their relationship. Besides, Touya would not admit this to anyone, but he actually cared about the blue eyed, silver haired grumpy moon guardian. Touya quietly wrapped his fingers around Yukito's hand as they walked side by side on the paved path of the campus.
Late into the evening, Yue sat at the edge of the house he shared with Yukito, looking up at the starry evening sky one last time. He had used a sleep spell on Touya to escape his watch. The guy had been shadowing Yukito all day. Touya was oddly prescient, and had definitely guessed something. Yue did not want him to block his plan, when his freedom was so close to him. Humans had odd sensitivities, and the humans in Yue's life probably would never forgive him for this decision. It would seem like suicide to them, but Yue knew that it was not, and he did not care anymore. His little songbird had flown away to another land, and he would never hear her voice again. Despite that, Yue felt a strange calm within himself. He took out the erase card, studying the object with cold eyes for a moment. It was time at last to let go of this form that he was forced to take for so many years by someone else's will.
"Yue," the moon guardian stood up at the sound of the familiar voice calling his name. Touya stood on the ground below, clearly out of breath. He panted heavily, and shouted again. "Just drop that damn card, you idiot."
Yue scowled in irritation. He was so distracted that he had failed to notice Touya's presence when he was approaching, and the guy almost caught up with him. There was still time to fulfill his plan though. As powerful as the young human man was, physically and magically, he could not fly. He jumped from the roof, floating even higher. There was no point in arguing with Touya or anyone else regarding his decision. He flung the card in the air, and it floated a few feet away from him with its own magic. He positioned his hand, ready to use his magic to project his crystal shards at the card. Erase was an aggressive card, and would definitely respond to the unprovoked attack. If he could initiate his transformation right away, Erase would selectively wipe him out, while leaving Yukito intact. He aimed his hand in the direction of the card and released his magic in the form of the crystal shards.
Amidst the sound of Touya's voice shouting out Yukito's name loudly, Yue saw a large blob of fuzzy golden fur cross his line of sight orthogonally. As he was about to fold his wings to transform, he could not sense Erase being awakened by the attack and coming his way. Instead, he heard Keroberos' shrill voice. "Did you get the card?" It seemed that Touya had informed his sister, and Sakura and Keroberos had come to interfere in his plan just at the nick of time. However, Yue's heart nearly stopped at the voice that answered.
"Yes. Oh, thank god," Yue had imagined that he would never hear that voice again. He unfurled his wings again and gazed at the ground below. Keroberos landed, and the young girl that immediately fell from his back and tumbled on the ground, seeming to have lost her balance, had a head full of wavy dark hair.
"Tomoyo-chan, you are hurt so bad," Sakura's voice rang out next as she flew down towards her friend, giving Yue an angry stare on the way, the wings powered by her very own flight card attached to her back. The faint scent of human blood had registered in Yue's mind at that point. He swooped down to take a better look, maintaining his cold exterior, but his mind was struck with a terrible fear that he had never experienced before, even in the worst of battles. Those crystal shards he projected would perhaps only slightly wound another magical creature, but they can kill a person if they struck their vital organs at the right angle. Why did she fall from Keroberos' back like that? Yue's whole world started to spin.
The closer he got to the ground, the more details his keen eyes could make out. Tomoyo was sprawled on the ground, one limp arm outstretched beside her. A nasty gash was visible on the back of her hand, running diagonally from her wrist to the base of her little finger. Her other hand held the card that she had snatched from midair tightly against her chest. Yue could not make out any other signs of injuries on her body.
Sakura was beside Tomoyo, crying and shaking her shoulders lightly, and Keroberos was hunched beside them. Seeing Yue approach them, a look of apprehension overtook Sakura's features. She quickly snatched the Erase card and started stepping back. "Yue-san, I cannot let you do this," she said, with a look of hurt, disappointment and shock on her face, presuming that her moon guardian was coming after the card.
Yue, however, did not respond to his master. Kneeling beside the girl on the ground, he lifted her head slightly, supporting it with his hand. Tomoyo's eyes opened for a moment, and her lips moved as if she wanted to say something. Then they closed again, and her body went slack. Without another moment of hesitation, Yue gathered the unconscious girl in his arms, and stood up. He turned to make his way back to the house.
"You are just going to walk away like that? You have some nerves," Touya said pointedly.
The brother and sister followed Yue inside the house, along with the sun guardian. "Yue-san, I can't imagine why you would want to do something like that. You could have talked to me and Kero-chan, right? I didn't even have a clue that you were planning to leave us like that. I never thought that I could be like Clow-san, but I hoped with all my heart that I could take care of you and Kero-chan. Guess, I have failed to do that," Sakura was in tears.
Yue gently placed Tomoyo on the floor of their living room, which was mostly bare of furniture, save a large table, and two indoor plants. "This is not about you," he muttered quietly, as he held Tomoyo, supporting the upper half of her body within his arms.
"Then please tell me what was so wrong that you felt that you couldn't be with us anymore Yue-san? Why didn't you tell us anything? Maybe we could have done something to help," Sakura exclaimed.
"Clow Reed would have been very disappointed in you if he got to know that you have no regard for his creation," Kero shook his head solemnly at Yue, trying to strike at his weakness.
"I don't care anymore, Keroberos," Yue said sharply. "Sakura-san, have you never really thought about the fact that your brother would be married to Yukito by this time, had I not been there? Should I just watch them wither away pining for each other, and do nothing about it? A marriage is between two people, Sakura-san, there is no place for a third person in it," he told her sternly.
Sakura just stared. Touya gave a scornful laugh. "So, now it is about us, is it? Are you sure that you were not trying to escape your own feelings and their consequences?" he snapped at the moon guardian.
"I had offered this as an option before your brother and Yukito months ago. They had agreed to give me that choice when the time came," Yue said, ignoring Touya and speaking to Sakura again.
"Yuki was hopeful, you know. He believed that you would find a reason to live. He was not wrong after all, isn't it Yue?" Touya said quietly.
Yue did not answer. His gaze lingered on Tomoyo's face for a moment. "I am changing back. Yukito is probably the best person to take care of Daidouji-san's injury," he said, as Sakura moved to hold her friend instead of Yue.
"Might I ask what has happened?" Yukito took in the scene before him as he questioned hesitantly.
"Yue planned to use the Erase card to wipe himself off the face of the earth. It is strange that you were not aware. Tomoyo figured it out and told me, so I was keeping an eye on the fool today. Somehow he figured that out, and escaped our house by using a sleep spell on me. When the spell wore off, I realized that he had sneaked away. I then informed Sakura and Tomoyo to come here and help look for Yue," Touya explained.
"Poor Tomoyo-chan came rushing all the way from the airport. We met before your house, when Kero-chan said he could sense Yue's presence. Tomoyo-chan just grabbed him and told him to take her to Yue-san," Sakura tried to fill in her part of the incident.
Yukito sighed. "I can consciously sense Yue-san's activities. But I don't have access to his thoughts. I suppose I was not awake when he took that card from Kero-chan. Or he may have used some sort of magic to suppress that part of my memory," Yukito said.
"Kero-chan, why the hell did you give the card to him?" Sakura shouted, channeling her anger towards Keroberos, who had transformed to his smaller form.
"How would I know what he wanted to do with it? I thought he had some household junk to take care of," Kero shrugged.
"Onii-chan, how did you know that Tomoyo-chan will be here? She had already boarded her flight to Vancouver when I last spoke to her," she asked her brother.
"You are such a slowpoke, Sakura," Touya teased her sister. "She was the one who figured out Yue's intention before any of us," he added. Sakura still looked confused.
Tomoyo's eyes opened to the feeling of something cool brushing her face. Her eyes slowly focussed on Sakura's worried face, who was dabbing her face gently with a damp towel. "Tomoyo-chan, are you feeling alright?" her best friend asked anxiously.
"Oi Tomoyo, why did you fall like that? Did you hit your head or something?" Kero asked, hovering above her face and fluttering his tiny wings
"I think it might just have been exhaustion, and the mental stress she had to go through," Yukito walked into the room with a tray in hand. "Tomoyo-chan, your hand is pretty badly bruised. I made you some soup so that you can take some pain medicine along with it," he said.
As soon as Yukito's voice reached her ears, Tomoyo shot up. "Where is Yue-san? Please tell me he is still here, and I was not too late," she extended her right hand towards Yukto, a numb pain shooting through her arm from the now bandaged gash.
Yukito smiled softly and knelt, placing the items in his hand on the table. "Yes, of course you saved him, Tomoyo-chan, you have been so brave," he said as he held her injured hand gently. "You did not receive any other injury, right?" he asked.
Tomoyo shook her head. "Please, Tsukishiro-san, let me speak with Yue-san. I need to talk to him. I have waited far too long," her eyes flooded with tears again. "Yue-san, I know you can hear me, please show yourself," she pleaded in a broken voice.
"Oh," Sakura gasped, the realization about her friend's feelings for her moon guardian finally hitting her.
"Huh?" Kero muttered, still oblivious, as he flopped on his stomach.
"Daidouji-san," the silky voice of the moon guardian called Tomoyo a few moments later, as the silver glow around his form faded with the transformation. He knelt before her, resuming the posture Yukito had been in a moment ago.
"Yue-san," Tomoyo rubbed her eyes and focused on the beautiful face before her, never having felt more grateful to see anyone else in her life. "Thank heavens," she mumbled as more tears followed the ones that she had just wiped away. Yue calmly waited for her to continue as she took a moment to compose herself a bit.
Tomoyo lifted her face after a few moments, gazing straight into Yue's eyes. "You asked me what you were to me. I should have answered you that time, Yue-san. Gomen ne, I didn't know any better. I would like to answer you now if you will allow me," she said. Yue held his breath and his jawline tightened imperceptibly, although his face remained externally impassive.
"Yue-san, you are the most important person in my world, and thus I cannot let you leave, no matter what it takes. I wished that I could have told you this in a different way, under different circumstances. But today I realized that I have run out of the time to feel coy and reserved with you, just like any other girl would if she were to say such a thing. But, I have nothing to hide from you anymore after today," Tomoyo drew a breath. "I really like you," she shook her immediately, realizing that was not the complete truth. She was not proposing to a high school crush. It was an existential question for the person she had fallen in love with. "Yue-san, I love you, in the most selfish way. I know that it is not right for me to feel this way, but I couldn't help it. Believe me, I had tried everything," Tomoyo momentarily looked away before turning her face towards Yue again, with fire burning within her eyes, and water running down from them. "I know that you also have similar feelings for me, so please don't deny them anymore," she said.
"Hontou? Yue-san too feels that way?" Sakura said. Since she saw her usually composed best friend break down over Yue-san, Sakura had been agonizing, thinking that Tomoyo's feelings were perhaps one-sided.
"Yeah, Tomoyo couldn't be wrong on these things." Touya huffed. A smile crept to his sister's face, as she rubbed the corners of her eyes.
"I won't," Yue's response was terse.
"Oye, Yue," Touya stood up. "The poor girl just confessed her feelings to you, and that's all you have to say?" he demanded.
"So, all this is about love huh? So boring!" Keroberos waved his paw. "I thought Tomoyo was smart, but turns out she's also a fool to fall for this grumpy Yue," he stuck out his little tongue, and crossed his legs, looking quite smug.
"I get it," Touya ran his fingers through his hair once. "Come on, you two, I think we ought to give them some space," he said.
"Wait, Touya onii-san," Tomoyo reached out and grabbed Touya's hand as he was passing by her to make his way towards the exit. "I can't take Tsukishiro-san away from you. He is like my older brother too, and I know how weird this situation is. Even though I want to be with Yue-san, I know that you deserve Tsukishiro-san much more than I would ever deserve Yue-san. I mean, you two have been together for so long, and now I feel that I am intruding so selfishly. Please tell me what I should do," she sobbed.
"You are just being silly," Touya told his cousin. His large hand rested on her head, ruffling her hair a little. "Who told you that the depth of one's feelings in a relationship is measured by how old the relationship is?" he said. "At this moment, you have as much right to love Yue, as I do to love Yuki," he said in a quieter voice.
"Onii-san," Tomoyo looked up to her older cousin gratefully.
"Onii-chan is right, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura stretched out her arms and gave Tomoyo a hug. "Please accept your feelings without any guilt. You have done nothing wrong, and neither has Yue-san. Both of you wanted to be so selfless, but you don't have to deprive yourself anymore," she said emphatically, trying to convince her friend.
"But Sakura-chan, Tsukishiro-san and Yue-san would never be happy as things are. It's all so messed up," Tomoyo said tearfully.
"I can agree with that part. It is time we do something about it," Touya said.
"What do you want to do?" Sakura asked.
"We will have to separate Yuki and Yue," Touya said calmly.
"Impossible," Yue finally spoke. "Only our creator could have done that," he said.
"I have to agree with Yue on that," Kero shook his head disappointedly.
"Then all we need to do is find that clown called Clow Reed and make him fix his mess," Touya balled his fists.
"Onii-chan, he has been dead for ages," Sakura said. "Besides, I have already asked Eriol-kun if he remembers that Clow-san had a solution like that, and he said that there was nothing." she explained.
"I don't care. I will go back to the past, drag him to our time if I have to, and make him find a solution," her brother exclaimed.
"Onii-chan, in that case, then I would go. I had spoken to Clow-san earlier by using the time card to travel back when I needed some answers. I will request Clow-san to return everyone's happiness," Touya said.
"Sakura, you are too soft to deal with a mean person like Clow," Kero said. Even Yue nodded to the statement.
"That fellow needs a good whack on his head to make him see some sense. Forget about nicely requesting him," Touya said. "Sakura, I think my powers are sufficient now for time travel," he mentioned, turning to his sister.
"Perhaps. But your powers would never be enough to challenge Clow Reed," Yue said coldly.
"Can we argue about this later, when Tomoyo feels a little better? Besides, I missed my dessert today, and I am so hungry," Kero said.
"You cannot be hungry, Kero-chan. You are just craving it," Sakura corrected. Kero made a face in response.
"Sakura-chan, can I stay at your place tonight? I really don't think I would want to face okaa-san until tomorrow," Tomoyo requested. "I hope Fujitaka-san does not mind me returning so suddenly and tell mother right away," she added on a second thought.
"Of course Tomoyo-chan. Otou-san is on an excavation trip, so you don't have to worry at all," Sakura reassured her.
"Then I would like to speak with Yue-san a bit before going to your place," Tomoyo said.
"Yeah, do that Tomoyo. We will go ahead, because this idiot would not say more than a word at a time in our presence. He's just a big kid with pretty bad abandonment issues," Touya said, smacking the silver head of the moon guardian lightly.
"Don't touch me so frivolously. I am not your friend," Yue bristled.
"Onii-chan, please don't say mean things to Yue-san," Sakura tugged her brother's arm to pull him away.
"Yue, Tomoyo has been crying since her flight landed in Vancouver more than half a day ago. Perhaps since even before that. I hope you don't make her cry anymore," Touya said in a more serious tone before the three of them left.
The two people left in the room sat in silence for several heavy moments, the only sound in the room being Tomoyo's occasional sniffling. "Daidouji-san, are you still upset?" Yue finally asked.
"So upset I want to scream my lungs out," Tomoyo said.
"Then do it," Yue said quietly.
"What?" Tomoyo gazed at him.
"If it makes you feel better, then you should do it. Although, it is not like you, and would hardly be conducive to your health," Yue answered calmly.
"Still being heartless, Yue-san," Tomoyo said.
"That's why it was unwise to give your heart to someone like me," Yue said quietly.
A violent sob shook Tomoyo. Yue tried to steady her by placing his hands on her shoulders, but she pushed him and hunched forwards, until her face and arms were on Yue's lap. "Yue-san, you were aware of my feelings for you, weren't you?" she choked out.
"After so many years of observing your friends and their silly customs, only an imbecile would fail to figure out that holiday present you had got me," Yue said. His slender fingers that brushed against her hair were gentler than his words.
"Then how could you have decided on such a thing? My feelings didn't matter much to you, right?" Tomoyo felt vulnerable, sentimental.
"It was not that we were in a relationship. You are still quite young, and I had hoped that you would get over it," Yue replied.
"Perhaps I wouldn't have died of a broken heart," Tomoyo said with a sardonic laugh. "But the girl that you protected, sometimes scolded, and cared for, would be gone with you," she added, remembering the photos of her parents she had seen then, and how different her mother had looked in those photos, alongside her husband, as compared to the woman she has seen growing up.
Yue shifted a little, and Tomoyo allowed her limp body to be gathered within a pair of strong arms. "I thought I would never hear your voice again; or see you again. It seemed pointless to continue," he quietly admitted, as he held the girl he loved, chin resting lightly over her head.
"Then why are you so reluctant to accept those feelings, Yue-san?" Tomoyo said, the familiar comfort of being back in Yue's arms already starting to calm her agitated nerves.
"Because I could never assure you of a promising future with me. Judging by the way things are, I cannot even tell you certainly whether there would be any future at all," Yue reasoned.
"Touya-san seemed confident that the issue with your dual identity can be resolved, right? I believe him," Tomoyo said softly, muffling her voice with the white silk that draped Yue's shoulder.
"Perhaps. But Daidouji-san, even disregarding that, I am nothing more than an elaborate illusion," Yue said.
"I have told you so many times that I don't care what you are. When I am with you, I feel protected, tranquil, genuine, even complete. These feelings are not the effect of any magic Yue-san, they are real," Tomoyo said.
"Daidouji-san,-"
A light finger landed on Yue's thin lips to interrupt his sentence, and a pair of soft lips landed on the center of his cheek at the next instant. "This seems real too," Tomoyo lowered her head again, resting it on his chest.
"Maybe I should make you aware that there might be more than two people in this room," Yue said in a serious voice.
Tomoyo looked up to see young man's angelic face colored by a cute pink blush. She smiled slightly even though her eyes had not dried yet. "You mean Tsukishiro-san's consciousness is still present even when you are in this form?" she asked. Yue nodded.
"I sort of suspected that. He seemed to understand our feelings," she said. "I doubt he would mind that I just kissed your face, but if that embarrasses you, you don't have to return it," she said.
"You are only beginning to realize the problems of this relationship," Yue said solemnly.
"Did I say that it is a problem? Please stop assuming things," Tomoyo said a little impatiently. She took a few minutes to compose herself for a few minutes before speaking again. "Yue-san, I wouldn't be here today troubling you with my feelings, no matter how strong they were or how painful they were for me had you not shared them. But since you do, please allow Touya onii-san, Sakura-chan and myself to try our best and find a solution for you and Tsukishiro-san, alright?" she said, brushing away his silver bangs in a comforting manner. "I feel very hopeful that if we all work together, then something good will come our way. But if I am wrong, and the situation is really so hopeless as you seem to think, then I promise, that I will let you go, Yue-san," Tomoyo's voice hitched at that point and fresh drops of tears fell from her eyes.
"Don't be silly," Yue cupped her face, and lowered his head till their foreheads pressed against each other. "Do you think that I will be able to leave you after today? I mean, look at yourself, you are a mess. You have been crying yourself sick. You have passed out once, and you look like you barely have any life left within you. And you got yourself injured," he said, gently placing his hand over the smaller bandaged one that belonged to Tomoyo, the remorse evident in his blue gaze. "All because of me," he sighed softly.
"Yue-san, it's not your fault," Tomoyo said, a bit remorsefully.
"Perhaps," the moon guardian said. "But due to my actions regardless. Daidouji-san, when I saw you today, lying on the ground, injured and unconscious, I realized my mistake. I do not wish to leave you in such a state ever again," he told her.
"Truly?" Tomoyo exclaimed with a new light of hope shining in her violet eyes.
"I shall be with you for long as you want," Yue traced his fingers along Tomoyo's face, brushing away her tears.
"Careful, Yue-san, if you say that you might be stuck with me forever," Tomoyo wrapped her arms around Yue, and leaned against his chest.
"I don't mind. Try to stop crying now," Yue said, as he held her close, and placed a hand over her head.
"I am trying," the girl responded in a muffled voice. She tried to focus on his heartbeat next to her ear telling herself that she was not too late and her Yue-san had not disappeared. He was right here, holding her in his arms, and he just told her that he would stay with her. That was enough for Tomoyo at that moment. Yue too closed his eyes. His poor songbird was back in his arms, tired, a bit broken, but safe. He felt her tremble slightly in his arms trembling ever so slightly. His heart felt heavy with affection as he threaded his fingers through her hair.
"How are you doing with the pain here?" Yue lifted her injured hand by the wrist slowly a little later, when her breathing had become more even, and her tears finally stopped flowing.
"It is alright, not unbearable," Tomoyo smiled. Yue did not look very convinced, so she tried to stretch and rotate her hand, but winced when she experienced a sharp shooting pain.
"That's enough," Yue held her hand to stop the movement. "The medication should help with the pain. But I suppose you need to take it with some sort of food. You have let the soup go cold with all these crying," he picked up the tray that Yukito had brought earlier, and went towards the kitchen. A moment later, Tomoyo heard the beep and hum of the microwave, and minutes later Yue returned to her.
"I have heated it up," he said, placing the bowl of soup before her. Tomoyo thanked him, and tried a spoonful of the soup, its warm thick consistency comforting her throat that was quite ragged and raw from all that crying. Once she finished the bowl, she took the medicine, and Yue moved to take the utensils back to the kitchen. Tomoyo placed her arm on the table and resting her head on top of it, she closed her eyes.
She opened her eyes again at the sound of a soft creak of the table. A pair of concerned blue eyes looked intently at her face. Yue had mirrored her posture. Tomoyo smiled a little to reassure him that she was fine. She slowly reached for his hand that lay between their faces. It seemed that being made aware of Yukito's presence made her slightly more conscious of her actions.
"I was so scared Yue-san," Tomoyo said once their fingers made contact. "I cried so much at the airport, surrounded by so many strangers. I never could have imagined such a thing had it not been for you. I felt so weak, so helpless, so utterly miserable," she wheezed.
"I understand. It is ok now," Yue said, gliding his thumb against her knuckles back and forth gently.
"I finally figured out that dream I have been having," Tomoyo kept on talking.
"A dream?" Yue questioned.
"Yes, a series of them actually. It started with a beautiful full moon. And that moon waned every time I had that dream. No, not waned, rather withered away. Someone was trying to warn me about you," she elaborated.
Yue's brows creased. "Why did you not tell me before?" he asked.
"I tried that time when we were in Tokyo. But you did not want to listen to it or anything else that I had to say," she smiled sadly. Yue's heart broke a little, thinking of all the pain that he had put her through. He lifted his hand and rested it lightly on her face. "Then?" he asked in a whisper.
"I had that dream again on the return flight to Tokyo. I could barely see the moon anymore. Just a sliver. Like you see on the days before and after the new moon. It was then that I knew that I will never see you again if that dream manifested one more time. So, I dared not close my eyes for a moment again even though my tears wouldn't stop flowing," Tomoyo looked like she was about to tear up again. So, Yue drew her into his embrace preemptively. "I was in economy class so there was no privacy to shed my tears and everyone was watching, most driven by their curiosity. It was so humiliating for me. Don't ever make me feel like that again in this life," she buried her face between his neck and shoulder.
"So, the princess had to travel among plebeians to save me?" Yue said, hoping to lighten Tomoyo's mood.
"Don't tease. Your jokes that are beyond bad," Tomoyo frowned at him. "The princess had no choice since the prince in her story is a foolish man who wouldn't rush to the airport, kneel before her and tell her not to leave him before she boarded the flight. Even a phone call would have been sufficient on a less dramatic note. But this fool is too proud to do any of that." she continued.
"And why does the princess still love this proud, foolish man?" Yue whispered the question to Tomoyo's ears.
"Because he is honorable, kind and selfless. Although, he denies the latter two," Tomoyo answered.
Yue sighed. He should have been satisfied with her response, but it just caused his guilt to bubble up to the surface. "I regret several things, Daidouji-san, including hurting you, in more than one way," Yue said his fingers again brushing over the bandage on Tomoyo's hand. He knew that he had every reason to apologize to her, but that was the best he could manage.
"Yue-san, do you think Touya onii-san's plan would work? At least theoretically?" Tomoyo questioned.
"If he successfully travels to Clow's time and manages to convince him, then theoretically yes. It was not beyond Clow Reed's capability to alter the future. But the world has not seen a magician like that again," Yue told her.
"Then you have my entire life to be nicer to me, after we execute that plan. I will not let you live with any sort of guilt," Tomoyo told him.
"For years, I have been wondering what the best solution is for Touya and Yukito. I thought I was doing the best for them, but I ended up hurting you, and possibly Sakura and everyone else as well. Now, your feelings and my own have become tangled with this. I don't even know what's the best path anymore. I suppose I don't have a choice but to let you and Touya handle this for this point onwards," he declared.
Tomoyo nodded and closed her eyes, letting a few silent moments of relative peace drift by. When she had not spoken for a while Yue asked her whether she wanted him to take her to Sakura's place for the night.
"Okaa-san would be so mad when she finds out I am back in Japan like this," Tomoyo said with a heavy sigh. "But I am so tired today. I haven't slept a wink since that dream."
"As I am the one responsible for this, I will be there with you when you talk to your mother, if it makes it easier for you," Yue said.
"Yue-san, I don't want to lie to my mother about your identity. At least, not forever. She is under the impression that you are some sort of distant cousin of Tsukishiro-san, and I will let her hold on to that belief for now. Having you there will raise more questions," Tomoyo tried to explain.
"Suit yourself then. I don't know much about family matters anyway," Yue looked away.
Tomoyo touched his chin and turned his face back towards her. "Yue-san, I would like okaa-san to start seeing you for the person who you are. You know, like Fujitaka-san's affection for Tsukishiro-san. Do you think that he would care at this point if they told him that Tsukishiro-san is not a human?"
Yue thought for a moment. "Most likely not," he said. "In fact, they have been wanting to tell him for some time now," he added.
Tomoyo smiled. "If fate would have it, I would like my mother to first see that we really care for each other and are happy together. If she sees that, then hopefully it would hardly matter to her whether you are a human or gremlin or youkai or pixie. For tomorrow, let her come to terms with the fact that her daughter went to another country to study and left on the same day for this mysterious young man that she is super skeptical of," she told him.
"I see," Yue said, getting up, and helping the girl up to her feet. "I am not any of those creatures though. They are at least real creatures, born, not created, unlike - Daidouji-san!" he stopped flustered as another quick kiss was placed on his jaw.
"I will kiss you to remind you that you are as more real than anyone else to me, every time you say things like that," Tomoyo said firmly. "The alternative is to pour ice cold water over your head. Let me know if you would prefer that instead. Now let's go." Tomoyo said.
Later that night, when Tomoyo had gone to sleep, Yue transformed back to Yukito. The gray haired young man silently entered Touya's room, closing the door behind him. Touya was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Yukito sat beside him quietly.
"Is Tomoyo doing alright?" Touya asked quietly.
"She will be fine. Yue-san has promised her that he won't leave her," Yukito informed him with a smile.
"Nice to see that the idiot is taking some accountability finally," Touya responded.
"Hai, I am happy for them," Yukito agreed. He kept quiet for several moments, contemplating something. "You know Toya, I really enjoyed our date today. I never imagined it was not a real one, although it seemed strange that you suddenly wanted to take me out on one," he said after a lengthy pause.
Strong arms wrapped around Yukito and dragged him down, until he was pinned to Touya's side. "Yuki, I am sorry," Touya tousled the other man's hair. "Yes, the date was fake. It was to keep Yue under my watch. But I really did enjoy going out with you, even though I hated that drama movie you chose to watch," he said truthfully.
"Toya, arigatou." Yukito smiled, the corners of his closed eyes crinkling behind his round glasses. "You did your best for everyone," he said.
"Yuki, when all this is over, let me take you to a real date. Just the two of us. We will send Yue on his own date with Tomoyo," Touya said hopefully.
"I would like that," Yukito brushed Touya's dark brown bangs. "I would love it more if you married me before we went on that perfect date," he snuggled to Touya's side, and closed his eyes with a peaceful expression on his face.
A/N: in The clear card manga, Yukito mentions that he can does not lose memory of the times he transforms to Yue by making some sort of a magical deal.
Hopefully two or three more chapters to go. Reviews are welcomed and appreciated.