This is my first CCS fanfiction. I was overwhelmed by the desire to write this while re-watching the series, which was obviously a different feeling as compared to watching it as a kid. I am still trying to process why I wanted to write this so badly. I guess the pain in Yue's voice as he spoke to Eriol in that scene from Episode 70 was really tangible especially since it was coming from a stoic character, and it really got to me. I felt that he deserved better.
There seems to be a debate about whether Yukito and Yue should be considered as the same person or not, and I think that the anime series has points both in favor of the idea and against it. However, I felt that it leans a bit toward the idea that they were different people considering that Eriol told Yue that he did not anticipate the path that his temporary form's i.e. Yukito's heart took, while Yue's heart was obviously consumed with his longing for Clow at that point. To me, this suggests that they have different hearts and consciousnesses, and thus the underlying assumption of this fiction will be that Yukito and Yue are different persons.
Other than the obvious Touya-Yuki, this story will contain the eventual development of another relationship which I am not divulging explicitly at this point. It is not a common ship either.
A dark haired young boy sat by himself on a bench at the grounds of Tomoeda Elementary School on a Friday afternoon. Lunch break was just over, and his best friend had been called away to help with the activities of the basketball club a few minutes ago. His dark and expressive eyes gazed at the path ahead for a few moments, before drooping slightly. Had it been any other day, any other time, he would be preoccupied with kicking the soccer ball to the goal post at this time. However, since the events of the week before, he could hardly make it through all the academic classes of the day without falling asleep. Participation in extracurricular activities and especially sports was out of the question for at least a month, much to the dismay of the soccer club and his coach. Luckily, his best friend was almost constantly by his side, and helped him catch up with the parts of the lessons that he missed due to his present spell of dozing off in classes.
"Touya onii-san," a soft and melodious voice next to him forced the youngster to reopen his heavy eyelids.
"Ah, Tomoyo," he remarked in a tired voice as his eyes fell on the form of his cousin.
"My choir teacher is absent today, so we got the class off. May I sit with you here for a while" The small girl dressed in the elementary school uniform asked politely.
"Why do you need to ask?" Touya replied, pointing to the empty spaces beside him. "Go ahead,"
"Thank you," Tomoyo smiled and sat down beside him. Ever since the events that transpired at the stately house of her classmate, Eriol Hiragizawa, she had been seeking an opportunity to speak with her best friend's older brother, who was also her second cousin. Her best friend, Sakura was off to her cheerleading practice, while her choir practice got cancelled for the day, creating the perfect opportunity.
"You are very fortunate, Touya onii-san," Tomoyo said in a sweet voice, breaking the companionable silence between them. Touya was somewhat surprised. Tomoyo was generally a quiet girl, and did not interact with him much. He had expected that she would just sit with him reading something or taking random shots of the school ground with the video recorder that seemed to accompany her everywhere.
"What, to have missed my soccer practice?" Touya replied with a chuckle.
"No," Tomoyo turned to face him and smiled. "To have a kind, caring and intelligent friend like Tsukishiro-san. Of course he is lucky to have you too. I mean, you are both so blessed to have each other," Tomoyo explained.
Touya could not speak for a while. His eyes were fixed on his younger cousin's face. Touya was perceptive. He did not even need his magical powers to know that the girl before him understood a lot more than other kids of her age. She was his little sister's best friend, and yet they were so different. The wisdom in her violet eyes was almost a contradiction to her young age.
"I think that the way you both are always there for each other is absolutely wonderful," Tomoyo spoke again, folding her hands together to fill up the lack of response from Touya's end.
"It is not that simple," Touya finally answered, failing to control the blush that threatened to creep up the tan skin of his face. He was still unsure if he should be having this discussion with a fifth grader anyway.
"Is it because of Yue-san that you say so?" Tomoyo asked.
Touya badly wanted to be surprised, but the fact that he was not that surprised, surprised him in turn. This Tomoyo probably knew the secrets of area 51 and alien civilizations that existed beyond the solar system. Nothing was impossible coming from her, which was pretty remarkable, considering that on the surface she was an ordinary fifth grader, with no magical powers of her own.
"How much do you know?," Touya asked, unable to suppress the curiosity.
"Everything, right from the beginning when it all started. Sakura is my best friend after all," Tomoyo answered with a smile.
"Right," mumbled Touya, internally dreading what she was going to ask next.
"Regardless of Yue-san's existence, Tsukishiro-san is Tsukishiro-san. Nothing could change that, Touya onii-san," Tomoyo went back straight to the topic. It was clear that she came to him with a purpose. She then looked away to face the path ahead. "Not everyone in the world is blessed with the good fortune that the two of you have, you know," she spoke in a slightly different tone of voice.
Touya understood the implication of everything his cousin sister said. Just as Tomoyo had obviously picked up on the feelings that he harbored for his best friend, he was not oblivious to the one she had for hers either. However, Touya also understood that the two were somewhat different feelings despite their outwardly similar appearance. He was 17, and was about to turn 18 in a few days. Tomoyo was only 10 or 11. No matter how matured she acted, she was still a child. Touya was also quite mature from a very young age. His mother's death made him grow up quickly in his mind. Nevertheless, he knew that what he felt for Yuki was different from what he had felt a few years ago for a completely different person. Tomoyo's feelings for Sakura were probably similar to the latter rather than the former. However, she would not understand it if he or anyone else tried to explain it to her at that point. Certainly Sakura didn't when Yuki basically tried to explain the same thing to her, and moped for days. During those years, at the junction of childhood and maturity, those feelings seem very real and immutable. However, they do change eventually, well at least in most of the cases as he liked to think. Perhaps time will show her the difference one day , he thought.
"It will be alright," Touya said, not sure if he was encouraging Tomoyo or himself or both with those words. Tomoyo smiled cheerfully.
"To-ya," at that moment, a pale skinned boy wearing round spectacles and a bright smile on his face came running from the opposite direction, waving at them. He gracefully surmounted the fence that separated grounds of the elementary school and the high school.
"Oye, Yuki," Touya called out in as much of an energetic voice he could muster. He did not want to worry Yuki needlessly after all that the poor boy went going through just a week ago.
"They wanted me to teach some passes to some of the new members of the club. I tried my best to do it as quickly as possible. You alright?" He reached the bench where the other two were sitting, and bent down to face Touya with his hands on his knees. Tomoyo watched with a sparkle in her eyes as the two high school students seemed to only have eyes for each other.
"Geez, of course I am," Touya looked sideways and leaned back a little from his friend's stare, obviously embarrassed a little.
"I am glad," Yukito said. Finally his eyes fell on the girl sitting beside his friend. "Daidouji-san, thanks for keeping Touya company," he said in his characteristic polite manner.
"No problem. I had the class off anyway, so I was the one who came looking for onii-san's company," Tomoyo replied, rivaling Yukito in the politeness of her speech.
"I see. Ne, shall we go To-ya? Math class starts in 10 minutes," he said.
"Hai," the taller highschooler lifted himself from the bench with a half suppressed yawn. "Ja ne, Daidouji-san," Yukito waved back to Tomoyo as the two friends made their way to the fence. The same fence which Touya used to cross with a single leap only a week ago gave him some trouble this time. "Careful," Tomoyo heard Tsukishiro-san say as he supported his friend. Once the two boys were inside their own school, Tomoyo saw her cousin stumble a bit, causing Tsukishiro-san to take his arm immediately. She smiled. Only a week ago, it was her onii-san doting on his friend in a similar manner, but their roles seem to have reversed so quickly. Tomoyo had seen these two grow with each other right before her eyes. She did not miss the gentle manner in which her cousin would support the weight of his friend's head on his shoulder as he would fall asleep in random moments of the day, or the carefully prepared and packed snacks and desserts that he just happened to bring every other day to share with his friend, knowing that he loved everything pertaining to food. She had also been a witness to the soft longing in Tsukishiro-san's stare everytime he looked at his friend, or that he only picked those part-time jobs which allowed him to be close to Touya onii-san. Tomoyo could always sense such things around her, and this time, even the oblivious Sakura-chan seemed to have finally caught on. She had never encouraged Sakura to confess her feelings to Tsukishiro-san since she knew that the person Tsukishiro-san liked the most was not her best friend. But Sakura went ahead and did that anyway, and while she was sad for the sorrow that her best friend experienced at Tsukishiro-san's rejection, in a way she was also glad that the truth came out sooner rather than later. Sakura had mentioned that her former crush had confirmed that he considers someone else as his number one person. Tomoyo did not ask her who it was, there was no need when it was plain and clear as daylight before her.
As she watched the figures of the two boys at the distance disappearing into their school building Tomoyo felt that she would be happy if those two found happiness with each other. She was determined to help them in that task, and for that she had to make Tsukishiro-san her next target. She briefly wondered if she could speak to his other form as well, but from what she had seen the angelic being thus far, it did not seem like an easy feat. Yue-san seemed almost unapproachable, in a polar contrast to Tsukishiro-san's friendly personality. She shrugged the idea off for the present. Maybe later, maybe someday, she thought.
Sakura had invited her two closest friends, Syaoran Li and Tomoyo Daidouji, as well as her elder brother and his best friend to attend the moon festival at the Tsukimine Shrine with her. At the festival, Yukito walked quietly beside his best friend, on their way to buy the drinks for the smaller kids as Sakura had requested them to. So much had happened within the past few days, with him finding out about his true identity as well as the fake memories of his past that he had been happily living with, Touya giving up his powers to sustain him and his true form, and Sakura confessing her feelings to him, it seemed like he would take forever to process everything. He had discussed most of it with Touya, who had only reassured him that everything will be alright in his usual supportive manner. However he had not yet told Touya what he told Sakura the other day. After all that Touya had done for him, he considered that it would be unfair to keep taking advantage of his kindness without being completely truthful to him about everything, which included his own feelings.
"To-ya," Yukito took the other boy's arm despite the fact that he did not need his support this time. In fact, Touya looked a lot more energetic that evening, closer to his former self.
"Nani?" the taller boy said without turning his face. No reply followed immediately. He could sense the hesitation in the eyes behind the pair of round glasses. He took his other hand out of the pocket of his jacket and brought it up to cover Yukitio's hand that rested on his elbow as they walked, in order to gently encourage him to continue.
"There is a second reason," Yukito said. He seemed to draw in a deep breath before he spoke again. "There is another reason why I couldn't return Sakura-chan's feelings for me, other than not encouraging her childish crush," he spoke hurriedly, seemingly desperate to finish the conversation as early as possible. He could feel that Touya's dark brown eyes were intently observing his face by that time.
"Yuki, I already told you, you need not explain anymore. If it was about your true form, Sakura already knew that you are not a human. She understands–," Touya started.
"No," Yukito interrupted his friend abruptly.
Touya's eyes narrowed.. His friend was an extremely well-mannered boy, and it was not like him to speak before the other person had finished speaking, unless he had something really urgent to say. "Yuki," he uttered his name in a low voice.
"It is not about Sakura or my true form To-ya. It's about–," but before he could not complete his sentence, the panicked screams of several people reached their ears, and all the electric lights went out one by one. It seemed that there was a short circuit.
"The circuit breakers for Tsukimine shrine are near the pond, right?" Touya asked worriedly.
Yukito nodded, "Sakura-chan and the others are there, let's go," he firmly took his friend's hand and started running in the direction of the pond.
Later that evening, the group was returning from the Tsukimine shrine. The danger that threatened the festival had been taken care of, and Sakura managed to transform two Clow-cards, Thunder and Glow to Sakura-cards, with Syaoran's help. Tomoyo was satisfied with the videos that she captured for the evening, and the way things were progressing between Sakura and Syaoran. She did her part in encouraging Syaoran to confess his feelings for she knew for certain that Syaoran was the only one who could heal Sakura's heart. She wanted her friend to return to her usual cheerful self as soon as possible. At the same time, she was eagerly looking forward to executing part B of her plan. They were outside the main entrance of Tsukimine shrine. Tomoyo was supposed to be picked up from there by her family's car.
"Oh, looks like they are not here yet," Tomoyo said, referring to her mother's bodyguards and the car.
"It is fine, we will wait," Touya leant against the pillar of the entrance, and covered a yawn with the sleeve of the long jacket he was wearing. \
"It is fine if just one of us waits. I can stay with Daidouji-san till she gets picked up," Syaoran offered generously.
"That's right. To-ya, you are tired again. Please go home with Sakura-chan. I will wait with Daidouji-san. Li-kun, you should return too," Yukito said.
"Oh, I am so sorry, I hope it is not a problem." Tomoyo said with an apologetic face, her hands clasped together. Internally, she was actually grinning ear-to-ear that her plan was falling perfectly into place. She had asked her chauffeur and bodyguards to arrive a bit later on purpose. She knew Tsukishiro-san would take it upon himself to wait with her, considering Touya onii-chan would be tired, and Li-kun was much younger than the two of them.
"No problem at all," Yukito smiled gently to Tomoyo. "See you all later then," he waved at the others.
"See you tomorrow at school, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura waved as she left with her brother and Syaoran. Tomoyo closely observed Yukito, as he gazed after his best friend, following his somewhat heavy steps with his eyes. Finally, when they disappeared at the next turn of the road, he looked up at the full moon shining above them. As she looked at him, for a split second, Tomoyo could almost see the perfect countenance of the moon guardian in the pale, innocent face of the boy beside her. But no, Yue-san would not manifest himself without any cause, she was fully aware of that. She then proceeded to put her plan into action.
"You are really concerned about Touya onii-san, isn't it?" she asked softly.
"Huh?" Yukito drew his gaze back to the small girl's face, somewhat surprised by the question. "I suppose I can't help it. After all, Touya has done so much for me," he said.
"He is a really kind person," Tomoyo added.
"That is why I am thankful that I was able to meet him, to know him," the grey haired boy replied, a content expression spreading over his delicate facial features.
"But Touya onii-chan is shy," the young girl stated, catching her companion by surprise the second time that evening.
Yukito's eyes widened behind his glasses. Did not Sakura-chan say the exact same thing in connection to her brother, when he admitted that Touya was his number one person? Was it possible that Daidouji-san also knew somehow?
"Oh, please don't worry, Sakura-chan didn't tell me anything," Tomoyo quickly said, seeing the look of shock in Yukito's eyes. "I could tell by myself," she added,
"I see," Yukito's face relaxed. "I–, I suppose Touya has always been like that," he said softly.
"That is why, you should reach out to him even if he does not," Tomoyo said earnestly.
Yukito's amber eyes seemed to glisten in the moonlight. "I want to. I suppose I should. But–," he paused. How could he explain the reality of his situation to this small girl?
"I like to think that Yue-san would understand,," Tomoyo said.
"Who is Yue-san?" Yukito asked. Was it someone else who was that close to Touya, and he just happened to not know? His heart ached at the thought.
Tomoyo giggled, finally seeming like the child that she was. "Your true form. You didn't know his name?" she said in a sweet voice.
"Oh," Yukito relaxed at the knowledge that the thought he just had about someone else being close to Touya was just his imagination, but then tensed immediately. "How do you know?" he asked.
"Oh, as Sakura-chan's best friend it is my privilege to record her wonderful magical adventures. Of course I would know," Tomoyo said, placing a hand on her cheek. It almost seemed like she was taking pity on Yukito for his ignorance about everything.
"Thank you for telling me my true form's name, then," Yukito smiled affably.
"Of course. Although I have only seen Yue-san a few times, and he never talked to anyone other than Sakura-chan and Kero-chan, I still think he is a considerate person. He would understand," Tomoyo reassured him.
"I see," Yukito replied.
"That is why, please do your best for Touya onii-chan and yourself, okay?" Tomoyo said.
"I will try," Yukito gave her a faint smile. That evening, he really saw his best friend's young cousin in a new light. He knew she was elegant and acted maturely, but he had never really observed before that she was so thoughtful and caring. At that moment, a car drove up next two them, and a woman in a black suit and dark sunglasses came out and waited, holding the door open.
"That makes me happy. Thanks for waiting for me, Tsukishiro-san," Tomoyo bowed respectfully, and started heading for the car.
"Daidouji-san," Yukito's voice stopped her. He knelt to face her. "Arigato, Tomoyo-chan. I would like to return the kindness some day, when you need it," he said, giving her a truly cheerful smile this time.
"Hai," Tomoyo said, happy that Tsukishiro-san addressed her using her first name. "Sayonara," she waved as she stepped into the car. As the car drove off, Yukito started walking home, his mind somewhat dazed from everything. He knew that Tomoyo was a small girl who was blissfully unaware of the full extent of his problems, and that her words probably originated from her childlike wish of wanting to see everyone around her happy. Due to everything that occurred, Sakura, Touya, himself, and even the kid from Hong-Kong did not seem very happy lately. Nevertheless, Tomoyo's words still gave him a strange feeling of serene hope and confidence. He silently prayed that he could find the strength to tell Touya what needed to be told.
A/N: Please let me know your thoughts on the chapter in comments. It helps going forward, although I have no idea how active this fandom is.
If anyone has any idea about what the other major relationship would be, I would love to hear your thoughts. A hint is that there are hints in this chapter. It will be fun to see the surmises till we get there, and it is going to be a long story. Thanks for being with me.