After Tomoyo's classes resumed after summer break, she started carrying her textbooks and homeworks to Yue's place during the weekends. Mostly they just sat in silence at opposite ends of the large desk, focused on their own work. There were times when Tomoyo found Yue staring off into the distance with a faraway expression in his eyes.
One time when she found him staring off into the distance with such a melancholic expression. "Does Yue-san still feel sad sometimes?" she asked gently, leaning against his arm. They were standing side by side on the patio, facing the backyard of the house.
"Do not worry about it Tomoyo-san," Yue replied, continuing to look ahead.
"I want to help Yue-san. Can I?" She looked up at him with hopeful eyes. Sure, she could not change his past, but she hoped to make his present better, as long as she could. Tomoyo perched herself on the ledge of the patio railing, using Yue's shoulders for support.
Yue quickly placed his hands on her upper arms to hold her, afraid that she might fall off the narrow ledge. "Just you being here is enough." he told her.
Tomoyo smiled. The orange rays of the late autumn sun caressed them softly. She slowly drew the man she loved closer to herself, and began to sing in a soft voice. Yue closed his eyes, and allowed his face to relax. Somehow, the girl seemed to know that the melody of her song was a soothing balm to his hurt soul,
During the winter break, Ruby Moon decided to visit, much to Yue's annoyance at the rambunctious girl deciding to stay over at his house and getting on his nerves everyday. Her main agenda for the visit seemed to be to tease Yue endlessly about his relationship with Tomoyo. Instead of supporting him, most of the time, Tomoyo seemed to be playing along with the red-headed second moon guardian. Yue mentally cursed Eriol for creating such an insufferable creature. Next to Ruby Moon, Keroberos' occasional jibes and teases started to seem almost innocuous. The poor moon guardian was rapidly approaching the end of his patience.
The two girls were having lunch, after having tried some experimental cooking which wreaked havoc on Yue's neatly organized kitchen. Although the food seemed to have turned out to their satisfaction judging by the delighted expression on their faces, Yue assessed that it would take at least a few hours to put the kitchen back into order. He did not even attempt to conceal a sigh.
"What's with all these books?" Ruby pointed to the pile of textbooks and notebooks at the corner of the table.
"Sumimasen," Tomoyo bowed. "I thought it is easy to leave them here instead of carrying them everyday since most of the time I am studying here?"
"So, you come to Yue everyday just to study?" Ruby cackled. "I thought you would come up with more interesting activities to spend time together," she said with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.
"Yue-san's busy himself these days with his writing, you know. He is about to finish his second book," Tomoyo replied nonchalantly, but Yue could hardly contain his anger.
"Ruby, if I hear another inappropriate comment from you, I would not hesitate to shove you out of the front door, and toss your bags on the street behind you," he said sternly. Ruby protested, claiming that her comment was totally innocent, and that it was not her fault if someone misinterpreted it.
The fun loving and outgoing moon guardian dragged Tomoyo and Sakura out for stuff like movies and shopping almost everyday. Yue started missing spending time with Tomoyo by the end of the first week of her stay. Ruby playfully called their outings as dates which added to his annoyance.
"Must you spend time so unproductively everyday?" Yue almost scolded Tomoyo when the three girls returned from their shopping spree one afternoon, arms full of bags of different sizes. "Didn't you have lessons to catch up on and homeworks to complete by the end of the week?"
"Ruby-san wanted to choose souvenirs to bring back to England. We wanted to help her," Tomoyo responded, unfazed.
"If you had mentioned that you were pining for your little girlfriend, we would have left her with you," Ruby giggled. "Besides, there is a term called family bonding, which you might not get. My future sister-in-law has the patience of a saint to be with a block of ice such as yourself," she declared.
"You do not have one, as I am not your brother," Yue replied, turning his face away.
"Tomoyo-san, omedetou," this time it was Sakura who chuckled. "Yue-san just confirmed that he would be your future husband," all three girls laughed.
"Well, I hope he does not change his mind," Tomoyo said brazenly.
"Oh, if he ever ignores you, you can always date me," Ruby laughed again, throwing her arms around Tomoyo. "I am cute and way more fun than a block of ice," she winked mischievously. "I have the same cool powers, and unlike him, I am actually fun to be around."
Tomoyo laughed and shook her head. "Say you would consider, he would be so jealous," Ruby brought her mouth to her ear and whispered conspiratorially.
"Arigatou, Ruby-san. But Yue-san's the only one for me," she said, looking at the silver haired man.
Yue gave her a pointed look. "You are so lucky, man! Got yourself a loyal type," Ruby sighed. "Sakura-chan, I am coming over today to annoy your brother and brother-in-law today," she shifted her focus to Sakura. Touya and Yukito who were also visiting for the winter holidays were still the target of her pranks after all these years.
Yue wrapped his arms around Tomoyo pulling her against his chest from the back immediately after Ruby Moon left with Sakura. "Missed me that much?" Tomoyo teased.
"Why did you have to entertain her so much? You were going out with her everyday," Yue sighed into her hair.
"We asked you to come as well, you refused," Tomoyo said.
"I do not think I have the ability to suffer her incessant chatter for such an extended period of time. And she makes such frivolous comments," his sigh sounded heavier this time.
"Yue-san, not everyone is as serious as you," Tomoyo turned her face to quickly peck his check. "Cut her some slack. She only does it to annoy you. She really thinks of you as family you know. To her, you are an older brother," she said using her hand to gently rub circles on his forearm to coax him.
"Tomoyo-san," Yue placed his chin on her shoulders and said softly. Tomoyo let her head fall backwards to rest against his shoulder. "You too think that I am very serious? Like a block of ice, perhaps?" he asked.
"Yue-san is being dramatic now," Tomoyo gestured to him to loosen his arms so that she could turn around. She placed her own arms around his neck as she faced him. "I would call it being earnest. And I love it, along with all other attributes of Yue-san. I would not change a thing about you, no matter what anyone says," she leaned against his chest.
Another year passed by. Tomoyo sat between her mother and Yue at her graduation ceremony, eagerly anticipating her name to be called to receive her degree certificate. Currently, Sonomi held her daughter's video camera, eager to capture the moment. When her name was finally announced, Tomoyo got up from her seat and went to the stage. On her way up the stairs, she turned back to look at where her Yue-san and her mother were sitting, stumbled on the step, and fell to her knees. Both Sonomi and Yue rose from their seats, but before Sonomi could take the next step, Yue was, crouching next to Tomoyo, a protective arm around her shoulders. Sonomi saw him help her daughter up with an eerie feeling. It seemed that the young man just glided across the room to Tomoyo rather than having rushed over to her.
Tomoyo muttered a quick apology and got up to her feet. She then walked up the stairs to receive her degree. Sonomi brushed away the uneasiness from her mind and focussed on capturing the moment on the camera. Yue stood by the stage hidden in the shadows of the dimly lit seating area of the auditorium. After Tomoyo received her graduation certificate and posed for the photo, Yue held out his arm to guide her down the stairs of the stage. The girl in her graduation robe was limping a little as Yue led her back to her seat, letting her lean on his arm for support.
"How did you fall like that?" Sonomi asked.
"I just tripped," Tomoyo sighed.
"You were not looking where she was going." Yue said. After letting her sit down, Yue had bend forward from his own seat to touch her ankle.
"Yue-san!" Tomoyo tried to pull his arm away, squeaking a little.
"Don't be stubborn. I need to check how badly you managed to hurt yourself," Yue replied sternly. "It hurts judging by your reaction to my touch."
"It does, because it is still fresh. It will be better after some time." Tomoyo told him.
After the graduation ceremony, Tomoyo joined her class for taking group pictures in the open space, while Sonomi and Yue waited farther away from the happy group of students celebrating their graduation. This was the first time Sonomi had got a chance to observe her daughter's interactions with the boy she had been dating, and to her surprise, the two seemed to be oddly comfortable around each other. Even in the presence of her mother's judging eyes there was no awkwardness or reservation in the way they talked and behaved with each other. Sonomi observed how the blue eyes of the young man who stood with his arms crossed on his chest followed her daughter who was smiling as she posed for yet another photo with the graduating group of students.
"When Tomoyo-chan started spending all her time with you, I was afraid that her grades would go down," Sonomi huffed. "It is a relief that she continued to perform well," Sonomi said, referring to her daughter, who managed to finish her degree program with great grades, sharing the top spot of her university with another fellow student.
"I shared a similar apprehension," Yue's reply was not something Sonomi had expected. She had half anticipated that he would just ignore her words in favor of frosty silence. "Though I had to periodically remind her to prioritize her education, I always trusted her to be responsible," the silver haired man added.
Sonomi regarded the young man. The long silver hair and the jewelled stud on his left ear, which Sonomi had conventionally associated with the defiance and rebellion of youth, carried a sharp contrast to the formal manner of his speech and the well made tailored suit in which the man presented himself. She still could not figure out the man who had been dating her daughter. Either the man deserved an oscar for his acting skills, or he genuinely cared for her daughter, if the way he told her to lean on his arm so as to not put pressure on her injured leg as they exited the auditorium, or the way he was following her at the moment with his pristine blue eyes was something to go by. Sonomi knew that countless girls would be dying to date someone who was half as handsome as this young man. Yet, if she were to trust Sakura's words, this very person convinced Tomoyo to move abroad for a year to become an exchange student, and was willing to wait indefinitely for her return. So, either he had the patience of a saint or the wickedness of a devil who was waiting for his prey to fall into his trap, and Sonomi was still not sure which one was more likely. But for the first time, Sonomi found herself praying to the higher powers that it was the former rather than the latter. Her precious daughter was either going to become the happiest woman on the planet or she would be broken beyond repair should the relationship end one day. Sonomi suddenly felt a wave of panic course through her as she imagined the worst possible outcome of this relationship.
"Yue-kun," she turned to the man with a stern expression. "It has been two years that you have been seeing my daughter and I still do not know who you are. Tomoyo-chan refuses to tell me. I have not stopped her from seeing you since she seemed happy with you. Can you give me your word that her heart would not be broken in the end?" she asked directly.
Yue sighed. "And what weight would my word carry, Daidouji-san?" he questioned. "Surely, you are not naive enough to think that I would be incapable of inveigling you with such words that you want to hear if I wished to," he said.
"A man of honor would at least try to uphold his word," Sonomi retorted
"A man of honor would not be capricious towards another person's feelings. I consider any words to confirm the same as vacuous and redundant," Yue said. "I would not tell you to trust me. At least, trust your daughter and respect her choice. Her life is not your story to write and neither is it mine. Tomoyo-san is aware of the choice she has in this matter,," he added.
"She would always choose you," Sonomi replied, a little impatiently.
"Even if she does that, your disapproval would be a heavy burden on her heart. Tomoyo-san always tells me that she does not want to disappoint you." Yue said.
Sonomi was about to reply, but Tomoyo came towards them. "I want photos with you both," she declared. The girl was still in her graduation robe, but had taken off her graduation hat. Yue stepped forward and took the hat from her hand and placed it back on her head. He then took the camera from her hand and gestured to her to join Sonomi. Tomoyo gave a bright smile as she posed for the camera beside her mother. At the second click of the camera, a small smile found its way to Sonomi's lips as well.
"I suppose it is my turn to be the photographer for both of you," Sonomi told Tomoyo. Tomoyo who was made to sit on a bench due to her leg being hurt earlier. was looking at the young man who stood beside her with dreamy eyes, when Sonomi told them to look at the camera. It seemed that she did not hear her mother's words until Yue placed a hand on top of her head and gently turned it to face the camera. He did not remove his hand but simply let it rest at the back of her head when Sonomi said that she was ready to take the shots. The older woman could not help but admire the visual. Well, at least they look good together, a quiet voice said at the back of her mind.
"What manner of sorcery have you used to make my Tomoyo-chan so besotted with you huh? I have never seen her stare at anyone like that," Sonomi said, half teasing half serious.
"Okaa-san," Tomoyo squealed in agony.
"Surely, you would consider me blameless in this situation when you learn that it was your daughter who pursued me first," Yue answered without missing a beat.
"Yue-san, stop it," Tomoyo covered her face with her hands. It seemed both Yue and Sonomi had joined hands to tease her at that point.
"So, did you meet Yue-kun's parents?" Sonomi asked over lunch that day. She had planned to take her daughter out for lunch after her graduation ceremony. She had asked Yue to join them, which he promptly refused, and Tomoyo said that Yue-san completely avoids eating outside.
"Yue-san doesn't have parents, okaa-san," Tomoyo told the truth without telling more.
"I see. That must be hard on him as he's still so young," Sonomi actually felt sorry for the boy, beginning to understand the forlorn look that she thought she had seen within the depth of his blue eyes at that point.
"Yue-san has spent a really lonely life, okaa-san. That's why I want to be with him, as much as possible," Tomoyo added.
"I suppose that means that you are going back to his place right after lunch?" Sonomi asked.
"Hai," Tomoyo nodded without hesitation.
Later that afternoon, Yue looked up from the pages of the book he was reading to regard the girl resting with her head on the cushion. Her long dark locks splayed around her head, and her eyes were closed. Yue could not help but admire the innocent beauty of her face for a while. He reached out to stroke her hair. Tomoyo smiled sweetly without opening her eyes. "Sleep", Yue brushed his palm on her forehead and started to draw his hand back, but Tomoyo held on to him.
"Yue-san," she simply said.
"What is it?"
"Two of my classmates are getting married soon; to each other," Tomoyo sighed deeply.
"And what makes you so wistful about it?" Yue asked.
"Just thinking if I could also hope for something like that," Tomoyo told him. Yue leaned back and closed his eyes.
"Am I the only one of us who has this dream, Yue-san?" Tomoyo asked quietly, her hand playing with his slender fingers.
"Tomoyo-san, our relationship would not change by giving it a different name. You understand that, right?" Yue told her.
"Then there's no harm in giving it a proper name, right?" Tomoyo peered up at his face with bright eyes, but the shine in her orbs. "I am sorry if it is too much," she looked away, blinking a few times.
A gentle hand stroked the top of her head. "Has Yue-san ever denied you anything?" Yue replied, leaning to bring their faces closer.
"Iie, but Yue-san never says anything about us," Tomoyo said.
"When the time comes," Yue started, proceeding to interlock the digits of their joined hands. "I will stand beside you and support your decision. That's all that you need to know at this point. Do not waste your time day-dreaming," he said, ruffling her hair a bit more.
"So anti-romantic," Tomoyo frowned. "You know very well it would not be my decision only."
"And you know very well that Yue-san would decide in favor of your happiness," he leaned even closer. "Don't you?" he whispered. When a small smile appeared at the corner of the girl's lips, he kissed her gently.
It was not often that Tomoyo received such attention from Yue, especially when it was not initiated by herself, so she took her time savoring the moment. Her hand was still tightly clasped in Yue's, her digits interlaced with his larger ones, while his other hand rested firmly on her head. She closed her eyes trying to commit the slow movement of Yue-san's lips against her own, their softness and their warmth to her mind, so that she could relive the moment until the next time they kissed.
"Promise?" Tomoyo said as she held up her pinky to him, as soon as their lips separated.
Yue shook his head at the childish gesture, but wordlessly wrapped his own little finger with hers.
Tomoyo slowly sat up and gently guided the moon guardian's face to herself. Her lips found their way to the center of Yue's forehead and then to his left cheek, intensifying the pink blush that bloomed on his pale skin. Yue's lips parted to say something, but Tomoyo placed a finger on them. "I want to adore Yue-san today." Tomoyo sometimes said such things just to rile him and get a reaction, but one look at her eyes, and Yue could see that she really meant it this time. So, he simply closed his eyes and waited. Tomoyo slowly brought her lips again to the other side of his face. Yue was a man who never had any regard for his flawless appearance. In fact, he often thought that it was an inconvenience that attracted unwanted attention. But the way Tomoyo was regarding him made him feel that he was something sacred and beautiful. Tomoyo placed her lips on his chin, his jaw, and then rested on the slight bulge of the Adam's apple at his neck. At that moment, Yue knew that he would never get tired of receiving this soft adoration from his little songbird.
"It's your fault that I tripped today," Tomoyo complained, finally settling again in his arms. "You looked so good that I could not look away." she sighed.
"You should not have invited me if I am that much of a nuisance," Yue replied.
"As if I could graduate in the absence of the most important person in my life," Tomoyo scoffed. "You should not have used magic," Tomoyo said after a moment of silence. "For heaven's sake we were in an auditorium full of people and cameras. My heart was at my throat thinking someone could have accidentally filmed you floating as you rushed to me."
"It was instinctive for me to use the fastest possible means to get to you at that time. Don't worry me like that by being clumsy if you do not want such things to happen," Yue said in a serious voice. "But fortunately, it was quite dark, especially near the floor, and people's focus were on the stage."
After another two years, Tomoyo had completed her graduate school from Tokyo, earning a degree in business, and had started her apprenticeship at the marketing division of her family's toy company. During the same time, Yue had published more writings, which received great reviews, cementing his place as a prominent figure in folklore and children's literature.
On a Sunday night, Tomoyo returned home from Yue's place to find that Sonomi was already waiting for her at the dinner table. Tomoyo apologized for being a bit later than usual and took her seat.
"Itadakimasu," Tomoyo folded her hands and then picked up her chopsticks.
"You are hardly at home these days Tomoyo-chan. You have basically been living with that boy ever since you came back from Tokyo," Sonomi said in a slightly accusatory tone.
"Okaa-san, I am not," Tomoyo protested right away, somewhat flustered. "I just wanted to spend some time with Yue-san since the last months were so busy," she said.
"Honestly, Tomoyo-chan, don't try to tell me that you actually prefer to leave his side every evening just to come home to sleep for the night, and rush to him again the very next morning," Sonomi rolled her eyes. How long do you plan to keep up such a schedule?" she questioned.
"What do you suggest then?" Tomoyo questioned, swallowing the food in her mouth. She was not sure she even wanted to have this conversation, but Sonomi seemed determined.
"If you two are so inseparable that you cannot go for a day without seeing each other, then your precious Yue-san should do something to make such an arrangement more formal."
"More formal?" Tomoyo was mentally not prepared for Sonomi to bring up what she thought she was alluding to.
"What stops him from asking to marry you? I really do not understand this boy!" Sonomi sighed, running her fingers over her face.
"Okaa-san," Tomoyo rose from her seat and knelt on the floor beside her mother's chair. "Do you really mean it?"
"What choice have you left me with?" Sonomi pretended to be upset, but she could see the small smile at the corner of the older woman's lips. "You have all but moved out of the house regardless of my approval." "Besides, that boy is quite good at taking care of you and probably loves you as well." It was not in one day that Sonomi developed such a conviction. During the time that Tomoyo lived in Tokyo to attend her graduate school Yue visited her almost every weekend, driving to the city to see her. Tomoyo had refused to live at the house owned by her family in Tokyo citing that it would be more convenient for her to attend the classes if she lived closer to the university in one of the apartment buildings designated for student housing. Sonomi wanted to send a housekeeper to take care of her, but she had refused that too, saying that she did not want to live differently from other students. There was an argument between them at that time over the issue. Yue had settled it at that time by calling Sonomi and reassuring her that he would check on her every weekend to make sure she was alright. Once when Tomoyo had caught a seasonal flu, Yue had taken her to see a doctor and driven her back to her home in Tomoeda. Sonomi had seen the boy come everyday just to sit beside her bedside for hours and watch over her. So, the fact that he cared had become gradually apparent to Sonomi.
"He's also kind, smart and talented," Tomoyo added with a big happy smile on her face, holding her mother's arm.
"Stop praising your boyfriend and finish your dinner," Sonomi patted her head, signalling her to return to her seat.
"He's also reticent, stubborn and likes to scold people," Tomoyo added, returning to her seat.
"That did not stop you from being head over heels for that boy," Sonomi interjected.
"Hai, but you just told me to stop praising him," Tomoyo chuckled.
"I want to marry him," Tomoyo dreamily declared to her friends one warm summer afternoon as they lay on the ground listening to the buzz of the crickets and watching the sparkle of the stars in the clear sky above. Meiling and Akiho managed to visit at the same time that summer, and the four girls had gone on a camping trip. Meiling was teasing the other girls about whether they were already missing the ones special to them, noticing that her friends were quieter than usual.
"Has Yue-san proposed?" Akiho asked innocently.
Tomoyo sat up slowly. "I think he is avoiding the topic. No matter how many hints I give him, he remains indifferent," she put her head on her knees and sighed.
"But Yue-san cares for you so much," Akiho seems surprised. "I may not be very sharp in these matters, but even I could see how much he dotes on you."
"Maybe he's too stoic for marriage," Meiling declared.
"Meiling-san!" Sakura exclaimed. "Do not dishearten Tomoyo-san like that."
"I will ask him for an answer," Tomoyo turned her gaze back to the sky. "Soon."
So, months later, Tomoyo stood by the pond in Tsukimini shrine on the day of the autumn moon festival. She was dressed in a traditional white kimono decorated with swirling blue patterns, the shade of which matched the color on the hem of Yue's white robe. The young woman looked up anxiously at the sky, which was covered in clouds that hid the full moon from view. Her own moon was yet to make an appearance that night.
"Tomoyo-san," the much anticipated call of Tomoyo's name finally came in a voice she was badly wanting to hear.. The moon guardian came and stood beside her.
"You are late," Tomoyo said softly. It was actually unusual for Yue to show up late on a date. Tomoyo had been down with a fever the week before, and Yue seemed quite busy since then. Even though he visited her everyday, he would live within an hour or two at most.
Yue regarded the person beside him for a moment. In all these years that they have been together, Tomoyo never failed to drag him to his particular spot every year on the day of the harvest moon festival. It has almost become a sacred ritual for the girl. But unlike the previous years, she had dressed up in a kimono, whose color scheme he did not fail to notice. "I was caught up with something," he said, shifting his gaze to the dark surface of the lake before them.
Tomoyo did not press for further explanation. Her mind seemed to be occupied with something else.. "I really hope it clears up enough for us to see the moon tonight.
"It's the same moon every year," Yue replied in a flat tone. His head turned to look in a certain direction on their right. A few hundred meters away from them hidden away in the dark branches of a tall tree was a certain cardcaptor and her sun guardian. They were talking. the sun guardian in his little plushie form was looking through the rather large binoculars hung around his neck.
"Let me also see, Kero-chan," Sakura snatched the device from Keroberos, placing it before her own eyes. "Tomoyo-san seems sad," she pouted.
"As if you can see their face clearly from so far away," Keroberos huffed.
"She wanted to see the moon. She would be disappointed if it does not come out tonight," Sakura looked up at the dense cloud cover.
"Then I suppose she will wait another year to propose. Silly humans!" Kero stuck out his tongue, Sakura smacked his head lightly and pulled out a card. "That's not happening, because I am helping her tonight," she drew a card from her pocket. "Windy," she beckoned the magical being.
"Yue-san, do you remember the first time that I came here with you, I had made a wish, and requested you to do the same," Tomoyo told the silver haired young man, turning around to face him.
Yue nodded his head slowly. "I wished for you to get whatever it was that you wanted,."
"Do you know what I wished for at that time?" Tomoyo took a step forward to stand closer to Yue.
"Enlighten me, if you so wish," the moon guardian calmly responded. Tomoyo raised her hand to brush her fingers against his face.
"Your happiness. That's what I wished for that year and every year after that," she told him, meeting his eyes.
A strong gust of wind blew past Tomoyo and Yue, rustling the leaves of the nearby trees. Yue's silver locks and Tomoyo's dark ones that she had let down from a knot at the crown of her head blew sideways. "Can I ask if my wishes came true?" Tomoyo asked. Just then, the first silver rays of the moon struck Yue's blue eyes, the sheen mesmerizing Tomoyo for a moment.
"The moon's out," Tomoyo turned around and rushed to the edge of the wooden pier delighting at the reflection of the full moon that finally appeared on the surface of the water.
"Careful," Yue chastised, as he placed an arm around the girl and dragged her back a bit, lest she ended up falling into the water in her excitement. They stood close, with Yue still holding the girl."Happiness is not something that could be expressed by a simple affirmation or negation, Tomoyo-san," the moon guardian said at length. "Nevertheless, with the passage of every day that you have spent by my side since that time, your wish has come true, bit by bit."
Tomoyo seemed to reflect on the answer for a moment and seemed quite satisfied by it. "If Yue-san truly feels happier to be with me. Then today I would dare to make another wish," she declared.
"Go on, while the moon is still shining," Yue said pointedly, looking in a certain direction.
"Oh boy, it is getting interesting," Keroberos smirked, looking through the binoculars.
"Kero-chan, we are leaving," Sakura said firmly.
"You leave if you want to. I am not missing this chance of teasing Yue. Heyy–" the little sun guardian protested as his master picked him up by the scruff of his neck like a small stuffed animal.
"Tomoyo-chan would not be happy if she knew we sneaked up on her. Besides, Yue-san would already know that we are here. Let us not ruin their important date." She promptly landed on the ground with the aid of her jump card, stuffed Keroberos into her backpack along with his binoculars, and walked away.
"I want to make a wish to my moon instead," Tomoyo reached out and took both of Yue's hands into her own. Yue nodded, feeling the receding presence of his master's magic.
"Close your eyes for a moment," Tomoyo squeezed his hands a little bit. Yue obliged her quietly.
"Yue-san, look at me," the tall man opened his eyes again at the sound of Tomoyo's voice. The girl was on her knees before him, still holding on to his hands.
"Please become my husband, Yue-sama. It would make me immeasurably happy," Tomoyo gave him a hopeful smile.
"You do not have to call me Yue-sama and you certainly do not have to kneel to ask for that," Yue responded, grabbing her wrists to pull her up to her feet. "Those ridiculous movies that you watch teach young people to perform such submissive acts in the name of romance," he sounded almost offended.
"Yue-san," Tomoyo's facial expression hardened. "Could you give me an answer once you are done with scolding me?" she asked.
"I have to tell you a few things before I give you an answer. Come,," He led her by the hand to the nearest one of the many benches that surrounded the pond. Once they were both seated, Yue spoke.
"Tomoyo-san, a marriage is about mutual respect. You must first respect yourself so that the person whom you marry never fails to give it back to you," he told her.
"Fine. I get it. You did not like the way I proposed," Tomoyo was feeling deeply disappointed with how what she had imagined to be the perfect proposal turned out. Her eyes were burning and there was a lump in her throat. Yue-san had once told her that he would decide in favor of her happiness when the time came . She believed in his words when she decided to finally ask him to marry her. His strange response, however, was not something she had anticipated. "If you are not going to answer me anyway, then I should leave. I do not have the heart to listen to you lecturing me on etiquettes tonight, " she moved to get up, but Yue held her arm firmly.
"I told you that I need to tell you a few things before I give you an answer, didn't I?" Yue said.
"Tell me then," Tomoyo slumped back on the bench tiredly.
"I am not a human, Tomoyo-san," Yue started.
"I never wanted you to be one," Tomoyo replied.
"I am not sure you have fully analyzed the implications of the same on your married life if you choose me as your husband." Yue said resolutely.
"I have, trust me," Tomoyo said in a quieter voice.
"You would not be able to go on dinner dates with your husband like everyone else," Yue said.
Tomoyo almost laughed despite her despondency. "I did not think you would care about such mundane matters," she said.
"I am much older than you and yet you would never get to see your husband grow old with you," Yue came to the next point.
"Well, pardon me if I have not regarded you like my great grandpa so far," Tomoyo scoffed. "And as for the second point, would Yue-san's feelings for me change with the inevitable change in my physical appearance?" Tomoyo met his eye this time.
"That's not possible," Yue answered without hesitation.
"If Yue-san is sure then so am I on this," Tomoyo said.
"I do not have a family, a degree or a job. People might ask questions which might seem unpleasant to you at times," Yue continued.
"What people Yue-san? The ones who are my friends already know the truth about you. The rest are mere strangers. I do not care about them enough to discuss our relationship with them," Tomoyo was growing impatient.
"I do not even have a last name to give you," Yue reached out and took one of her hands.
"Take mine then," Tomoyo said without missing a beat.
"This marriage would not give you any children," Yue said the last point on the list of things that he needed to tell, and closed his eyes.
"I know," Tomoyo mumbled beside him. Eyelids framed by long silver lashes fluttered open to pin her with a questioning look. "When we were in high school, we heard Momo-san talk about it with Akiho-chan once. She was saying that beings created by magic such as herself cannot procreate. Not with humans, and neither with other such magical beings. She mentioned being jealous of Akiho's mother when she was carrying her baby because of that. It seemed she wanted to have a child of her own if she could. I felt sad that she couldn't at that time," Tomoyo continued, her voice becoming wistful at the end.
"I see," Yue said quietly.
"Did Yue-san ever want a child?" she peered up at his face, asking the question somewhat hesitantly.
"Never in my entire existence had I entertained such an idea," Yue responded calmly.
Tomoyo had guessed as much. "Then what bothers you so much about it?" she asked.
"I must account for your thoughts on the matter," Yue responded.
"Yue-san, I asked you to become my husband. Not to father my children," Tomoyo said.
"As far as I know there is a correlation between the two in human society," Yue remarked.
"Yes, I know, But–," Tomoyo moved closer, wrapped her arms against Yue's torso, and leaned against his chest. "I would have wanted to marry Yue-san even if Yue-san was a woman. Or even if I was a man," she declared. "I am happy that we do not have the same gender though. Otherwise, we would have to leave this country like Touya oni-san and Tsukishiro-san, and I don't want to be away from everyone I care about. But if needed, I would have happily done that too, to be married to my Yue-san. Anyway, what I am saying is that a human who loves another human of the same gender also knows that they could never have a child. Does that make their marriage meaningless, in your opinion?" she looked up and awaited his response.
"I never implied such a thought. Nevertheless, it is my responsibility to tell you everything you need to know before deciding to marry someone like me." Yue said.
"None of these would change my resolve. And my feelings," Tomoyo told him. Everything that you said also applies to Touya onii-san and Tsukishiro-san's marriage. Yet they are happy together. Why can't we be the same way?" She sounded determined.
"Except that as Yukito was designed to be a human facade for my true form, he ages like one." Yue said. "But, Tomoyo-san You want to marry me that badly?" he lifted his arm to cradle the back of Tomoyo's head with his hand.
"Hai," Tomoyo mumbled against his chest. "If you can make up your mind sometime soon it would be great, because I am a human, and I certainly do not want to look like your obaa-san in our wedding photos," she grumbled, clutching the lapel of the formal grey jacket Yue was wearing over his white dress shirt.
"You are just twenty-three," Yue told her.
"And how long are you planning to make me wait? Till I am thirty-two? Or perhaps sixty-four?" Tomoyo rolled her eyes at the man.
"What does marriage mean to you, Tomoyo-san?" Yue asked.
"Yue-san, it has started feeling like I am in some sort of interview," Tomoyo sighed, breaking their embrace.
"Just answer me. It's important," Yue persisted, connecting their hands.
"To me, it would be our promise to walk together on the path of life for as long as possible," Tomoyo raised her eyes to meet his own. "It is also a promise to let go if one of us is unable to walk together any longer some day," she added.
Yue closed his eyes momentarily. Though she was young, Tomoyo was wise enough to know their limitations. He was glad that she acknowledged them, and did not dream of their impossible forever. He leaned forward to quickly brush his lips against his companion's temple. "By your definition Tomoyo-san, I would consider us to be married already," he said.
"I know. But those feelings that we have for each other do give us any legal rights," Tomoyo said, looking down at the hands that Yue held on his lap. "Humans are selfish, Yue-san. The always want more." she said.
With a quiet sigh, Yue reached into the pocket of his formal jacket, and produced a small box. As he opened the lid of the box the burning sensation that Tomoyo felt in her eyes gave way to hot tears that rolled down her face.
"Yue-san," she choked, covering her mouth with both her hands. Yue gently tugged her wrist and brought her left hand forward, making her spread out her fingers. A band of silver with a clear blue center stone that matched the color of the eyes of the young man who held it, with two smaller diamonds inlaid on either side, slowly slid onto her finger, resting snugly at the base of the digit. "I would do it then," Yue murmured softly, as more tears continued to fall from her eyes,
"Do what? Tell me properly," Tomoyo demanded tearfully.
"Become husband to a stubborn and silly princess called Daidouji Tomoyo, who also secretly happens to be a big crybaby," Yue's arms drew her in, his eyes glinting with amusement and affection.
"You –," Tomoyo threw a light punch that landed on the stomach of the man who held her, but failed to form a coherent sentence through her tears. "Yue-san, this ring – I – I forgot yours –," she told him in broken phrases a few moments later.
"You went down on your knees to propose to me but you left the ring at home?" Yue raised his silver eyebrow, still pleasantly amused.
"No, not at home," It's here. I had forgotten to take it out for you earlier," Tomoyo turned to the bag she had left beside her earlier, and fished out a box. The ring she produced from within it was almost identical to the one Yue had put on her, except for being designed for a man's finger with its slightly wider band and larger diameter; it's central stone was of a violet color that matched her own eyes. Her hands trembled so much as she held it that the tiny object fell from her fingers and disappeared through the gaps between the slats of the bench they were sitting on.
"Oh no," Tomoyo exclaimed.
"You are being more clumsy than usual tonight," Yue muttered. Although the moon was shining above them, the shadows made the ground dark. He took the phone from his pocket and used its flashlight to search the ground. "Lucky for you it didn't roll farther away," he said, picking it up. Tomoyo extended his hand to take it but noticing the tremor in her fingers, Yue put it inside his own breast pocket.
"You would not get it back until you calm down to a reasonable state," he said firmly. He sat beside her and took her hands, holding them within his larger ones. "I don't understand what makes you so nervous. It almost feels like you are about to propose to a stranger when it is just me." he shook his head. "Honestly, Tomoyo-san, after all this time, did you really not know what my answer would be?"
"As I said, not everyone can be a stoic like you," Tomoyo retorted. "And the way you were interrogating me almost made me scared. You know I have thought of this day since forever. And you kept ignoring all the hints that I gave you about how much I wanted it. So, now that it's really happening, I am overwhelmed," she started sobbing again. Yue firmly pulled her against his chest and held her close. Softly patting her head, then her shoulders and her back, and repeating the motion, coaxing the young woman in his arms like a small child.
Yue's warmth and care helped to calm the girl down significantly. She sneaked her hand into Yue's pocket and took out the ring and pulled Yue's left hand on her lap. "I might be crazy to want to become the wife of this stern and brooding Yue-san," she said, slipping the ring on his elegant finger. She slowly lifted their left hands together and held it up against the sky such that the moonlight illuminated their hands. Tomoyo reached for her phone, and tried to take a picture of their joined hands. Yue held the other side of the device and steadied her hand muttering that she was likely to drop the phone as well and crack it, given how jittery she still was. Once the photo was taken to Tomoyo's satisfaction, she folded her hands and closed her eyes. May the benevolent magic that brought us together and filled our hearts with love also keep us together. That's what I wish for this year with Yue-san and this will remain my wish every year from now on. She prayed silently.
Soon after, Yue suggested that they should leave, as it would be raining soon. Although it might have been hard for Tomoyo to believe that if anyone else had told her so, given that the moon still shone brightly on them, she knew for a fact that Yue-san could sense the weather by his magic, so she did not argue. She did not want to get soaked in a downpour in her kimono and all, and fall sick again, as she had an apprenticeship to continue and a wedding to plan. Surely enough, as they walked back to where Yue had parked his car outside the boundary of the shrine, the sky turned ominously cloudy again, and a thunder erupted in the distance.
"It was clear minutes ago. I guess I was lucky to be able to wish upon the moon this year," Tomoyo remarked.
"It was no luck but magic. Windy's magic could only drive the clouds away for a limited time, before the natural winds blew them back in over the shrine. I do not know what you had told Sakura-san, but remember to thank her later," Yue told her, as he opened the door of the passenger seat of his car, his chin tilted upwards to observe the sky.
"Windy? Oh!" Tomoyo gasped. "Sakura-chan was there?" she asked.
"She was already there when I arrived. She left after summoning Windy though,," Yue informed matter of factly.
As soon as they got in the car, the first drops of rain hit the ground. "Do you want to go home right away?" Yue asked, shutting the automatic windows of the car, and quickly glancing sidewards to make sure that his co-passenger had her seatbelt on.
"Not yet," Tomoyo shook her head. Yue started the car and started driving towards the direction of his house, which was only a short distance from Tsukimine shrine, while Tomoyo lived further away.
Since Yue had removed his jacket after he got into the car, and had his shirt sleeves rolled at his elbows, Tomoyo noticed faint scratch marks on the pale skin of his forearm as he turned the steering wheel, cautiously driving through the traffic, which was worse than usual with the rain causing the townsfolk to return in a hurry from their festivities. She was about to ask him about the origins of such marks when the phone buzzed.
What happened? Sakura had asked. Tomoyo had indeed told her of her intention to propose marriage to Yue on the day of the Tsukimi this year.
In response Tomoyo typed: Thank you for letting me see the moon tonight. And she attached the picture that she had taken of their hands, hoping that it would convey the answer.
After entering the house, Tomoyo immediately pulled Yue into a tight embrace. "Tomoyo-san, I need to take care of something first," Yue said.
"Is that more important than kissing me?" Tomoyo looked up at him, making doe eyes and an innocent face. Yue figured that it would be faster to indulge her than to argue, so he leaned down and joined their lips together for a quick kiss. Tomoyo closed her eyes at the sensation of the warmth of familiar thin lips. Yue pulled back just as quickly after moving his lips against that of his fiancée for a brief moment, but the girl held him back, a silent plea in her eyes, which he could not ignore, There faces moved closer to each other, but before their lips could connect again, Tomoyo yelped, as she felt something fuzzy brush past her leg. Yue's blue eyes darted to the ground, and in a flash, he extracted himself from Tomoyo's arms, and scooped up something from the ground. Recovering from her initial shock, Tomoyo saw a tiny calico kitten, maybe a month old, cradled protectively in the moon guardians arms.
"It must have got out of its box." he mumbled. "It was alone, crying in the rain in my backyard three nights ago," he explained, noticing the amazement on the girl's face.
"She," Tomoyo corrected. "It's a calico so it must be a girl. So, that's what kept Yue-san occupied this week," she tried to connect the dots.
Yue nodded. "I had to take her to the vet earlier this evening. And she needs to be fed every two hours," the kitten meowed loudly, signalling that it was time for another meal.
"So you're telling me that you showed up late for our date, because you were with another girl," Tomoyo reached out to boop the kitten's pink nose with her fingers. "How unforgivable," she jested.
"Tomoyo-san, I do not have time for your crass jokes right now. She needs to be fed," Yue looked around wanting to put her down so that he could get her food.
"Can I hold her while you prepare her food?" Tomoyo asked eagerly.
"You can get scratched. Kittens can't retract their claws. Wait," he went inside the house with the kitten and came back a minute later with a towel wrapped around the baby in a way that its paws were covered. "Here, this should be safer, but still be careful," he told her.
"Your arms are scratched," Tomoyo remarked, noticing the marks on his beautiful skin once again.
"That's why I am telling you to be cautious," Yue said, before proceeding to the kitchen to prepare the kitten formula. When he came back to the living area of the house, she found Tomoyo cradling the kitten, with an excited gleam on her face.
"You could have waited until we were married to give me a baby to raise you know," Tomoyo told her fiancé with a mischievous smile, as he sat on the floor and took the little feline from her arms.
"Tomoyo-san, I am beyond appalled at the mendacious aspersions you make on a gentleman," Yue remarked, holding the baby cat like an expert and letting it suckle from the feeder.
"You look like an experienced cat-dad," Tomoyo chuckled. "It looks like you had raised a pet earlier. Perhaps when Clow-san was still around?" over the years it has become a little easier for them to discuss such casual things pertaining to Yue's earlier life. Nowadays, the mention of Clow Reed did not cause Yue's mood to darken as much as it used to just a few years ago
"Absolutely not," came the curt response
"How do you know how to care for a baby cat then?" Tomoyo asked curiously, leaning in to watch the baby being fed. .
"It is easy to learn things from the internet these days," Yue said. "And as annoying as my publisher is, his knowledge on the matter was actually helpful," he said.
Tomoyo recalled that Yoshida Masaki and his wife were devoted cat parents who had raised their cat from kittenhood. She felt happy knowing that Yue-san trusted the good natured young man enough to reach out for help on the matter.
"You could have asked me for help. You didn't even tell me. Am I not your closest friend?" she still complained, a bit of hurt seeping in her voice.
"As far as I know, you never had an experience of raising a pet. Besides, you were recovering from an illness," Yue told her. "For the first two days after I found her, I was not even sure if the baby would survive each passing hour. Telling you sooner would only serve to make you upset if things had not gone well," he explained.
The hurt Tomoyo felt a moment earlier receded quickly, as she regarded the silver haired young man who was often nicknamed as a block of ice due to his reticence and indifferent nature, but actually had so much compassion in his heart. Tomoyo knew that animals were attracted to Yue-san. Perhaps this hapless little critter who was perhaps abandoned by her mother or another ruthless human knew that this angel would be her saviour as she found her way into his backyard, crying for his attention on one rainy night.
Tomoyo started asking many questions about the kitten. Whether she was out of the woods yet, how old was she, whether Yue had asked the neighbors if they had a missing kitten, was she taking any medicines etc. After answering a few questions, Yue pointed her to the envelope sitting on the centerpiece which contained the baby's vet's reports.
"Do not get too invested in it," Yue told the girl who was perusing the medical reports in her hands diligently. "The baby will get adopted," he informed.
When the kitten was fed, it did not take her long to fall asleep in the warmth of its box bed lined with a small cushion and spare towels. Yue moved the sleeping kitten to his bedroom. When he came back, Tomoyo was looking at her engagement ring curiously. "Yue-san, what made you buy this specific ring?" she asked.
"You were not exactly subtle about what you wanted," Yue said, settling down on the sofa beside her.
It was true. Tomoyo had seen an advertisement for a pair of engagement rings in a magazine she had randomly picked up while out shopping with Yue one day. She had liked the design and had immediately shown it to Yue at that point, with a casual remark that it would suit them as the stones matched their eye colors. Yue did not give her much in the way of a response at that time. She had taken a picture of the ad for future reference, but it turned out that Yue-san had quietly committed the details of the ad to memory in a single glance despite his apparent indifference to the topic at that moment.
"The stone on my ring looks violet when I look at it from some angles, see?" Tomoyo raised her hand, holding it up for the silver haired man to see.
"That's because the stones on both rings are tanzanite, which exhibits the property of pleochroism.". Yue turned his own finger to demonstrate what he meant, and Tomoyo saw the flash of the blue color that matched the shade of Yue-san's eyes in the stone she had assumed to be the shade of violet that matched her own eyes, when she had purchased the ring for him.
"Sugoi!. I never really noticed that!" Tomoyo said. "I thought that I was buying a ring with a violet stone for Yue-san,"
"The dominant color of tanzanite depends on the cut of the stone, and sometimes the heating process. While the stones on our rings appear to have different colors, they were most likely cut from the same mineral, " Yue explained.
"How do you know so much? Did you research this from the internet too?" Tomoyo teased.
Yue shook his head. "I had known this for much longer than the invention of the internet. Gemstones have a role in magic," he told her.
"They are beautiful," Tomoyo placed her hand on top of Yue's so that she could admire the rings side by side.
"Tomoyo-san, incidentally, the rings that had caught your attention happen to represent us in more ways than you initially perceived," Yue stroked her hair with his right hand.
Tomoyo leaned against his shoulder. "I see. One would always find you within me, just as they would find me within you. Even though we are separate, we are one," Tomoyo gazed up at her moon's face with moist eyes. The words that she uttered were the ultimate form of love that could be achieved. She vaguely remembered reading that somewhere. Yue put his arms around his fiancee tightly, lowered his head planting a tender kiss on her soft neck in response.
Before they separated for the night, Yue held Tomoyo's right hand and caressed the scar there with his lips. It was a gesture that he had repeated every day before parting from each other, through all the years that they had been together. It was a different form of intimacy that they shared. Every time Yue-san kissed her hand while looking into her eyes, Tomoyo felt his gaze could see her very soul. "Tell Daidouji-san that I would like to meet her when she returns," Yue said, referring to his fiancée's mother who was away on another business trip. "I have to request her blessing for our wedding," he added with a serious expression.
"I think she would not mind giving her blessing, given she sort of knows how hopelessly I have fallen for you," Tomoyo said. "But I want to tell her everything. Would it be alright?" she asked in a softer voice.
"Honestly, I don't know," Yue sighed. "But you've resolved to tell her anyway. I would not dissuade you from doing that," he added.
Tomoyo had requested one of her mother's chauffers to pick her up from Yue's place. Upon reaching home, she fell on her bed and looked at her phone.
Hurray, Yippee! Yay! - Sakura had remarked on the post. I know you were with Yue-san so I did not want to interrupt your date by calling. But you have to tell me everything tomorrow. I'll come over. Her best friend seemed ecstatic.
Congratulations, Daidouji-san. You too Yue-san. It is indeed great news - Li Syaoran had joined the conversation.
Finally! Though I never understood what you saw in that grumpy guy. He is nobody's type - Keroberos wanted to irk Yue as usual, and received a curt Shut up comment from the moon guardian in response.
Kireina! Yue-san has such exquisite taste, Akhio had commented, referring to the picture of the rings Tomoyo posted. You both are so lucky to have loved each other. I am so happy for you. Momo-san and Kaito-san send their congratulations too. Akiho had messaged,
Tomoyo smiled. Hey, I was the one who selected the rings, she typed. It seemed only Meiling had not seen the message yet.
Tomoyo lifted her hand to the air and looked at the soft shimmer of diamonds and the rich hue of the tanzanite. She already missed the person who had adorned her finger with that ring. I wish we were married already, Then I could have spent the night with you instead of being lonely like this. She typed the first thought that came to her mind and send it to Yue over a text message.
Go to sleep, a stern reply came from her husband-to-be after a minute.
Trust me, I want to, only with you, Tomoyo had a sappy grin on her face, as she typed the message and hit the send button, imagining the adorable rosy tint that Yue's cheeks would acquire on reading the message.
Okaa-san, can Yue-san meet you sometime tomorrow? We have something to tell you. Hope you have a pleasant flight back. Tomoyo texted her mother who was scheduled to return the following day before finally falling asleep that night.
Tomoyo went to a pet store the first thing in the morning. She bought some cat toys, kitten treats and a cat bed. She took a cab to Yue's house with the things she purchased and let herself in using the spare key that he had given her to use, in case he was out on errands. She found the man in his bedroom elegantly seated before a vanity.
"Ohayo," she stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders
"You could have knocked," Yue said, slowly buttoning up the top few buttons of his shirt that were still undone.
Tomoyo raised an eyebrow. "Do I need to? You said we were married in principle. That means this is my room and this," Tomoyo pressed her nose against the soft skin below Yue's jawline, inhaling deeply. "Is my husband," she declared.
Yue shook head to himself. Given that Tomoyo presented herself as a model of propriety to everyone else, he did not imagine that she would be so dangerously flirty with him when they first began dating. He should have become used to her teasing four years later, yet he still found himself flustered . "How's kitty chan?" Tomoyo asked, lips moving against his smooth neck.
"Asleep," Yue briefly responded, starting to brush his long silver locks.
"Did Yue-san read my message last night?" Tomoyo asked, squeezing the man in her arms a little.
"Your words were quite careless, leaving room for misinterpretation," Yue said nonchalantly.
""Yue-san, I might have been teasing you when I said that, but I really do want us to be married soon, so that I could move-in with you," Tomoyo said.
"Tomoyo-san," Yue placed his hand on her arm, tilting his head upwards to look at her. "Do you really want to stay here with me? The space in this house is quite limited as compared to the kind of accommodation that you are used to having," he said. It was true. In that huge mansion where she lived, the total area of all the rooms she had for her personal use would far exceed the area of the house Yue had been living in since his awakening. "Perhaps we should get a bigger place," he said hesitantly.
"Don't be silly, Yue-san. This house is perfect for the two of us. The only space that I would need is here," Tomoyo firmly placed her hand on the left side of the moon guardian's chest, her warmth seeping through the fabric of his shirt and putting his doubts to rest.
"I just want you to be comfortable. At least tell me if you would need anything for the house," Yue said with a small sigh. Even with the things he had added to the house once Tomoyo started spending the bulk of her free time with him, it still felt minimally furnished for Tomoyo to actually move in there. He knew that the girl he would be marrying was not materialistic, but still she was, well, a little princess.
"All that comes later. Yue-san, okaa-san will be at home today once she returns from her business trip. We can go to meet her in the afternoon," Tomoyo told the silver haired man.
Yue frowned later when he saw the things Tomoyo had bought for the kitten. "Just some things for kitty-chan," Tomoyo said sheepishly.
"I told you to not get attached. She will get adopted. I have asked my publisher to look for a good family who can take her in within his social network," Yue said.
Tomoyo wanted to ask her Yue-san to keep the kitten. She wanted to ask him if he wanted to pick a name for the sweet feline. But knowing that the man had issues with attachment, she kept silent at that time.
Shortly, Sakura came with Keroberos. At the door, she pulled her moon guardian into a hug. "Thank you, Yue-san!" She had tears in her eyes as she spoke. "Thank you for saying yes to my best friend."
"Your best friend is quite persistent," Yue said, gently brushing away the brunette's tears.
"You should have proposed to her yourself sooner you fool," Keroberos flew over his head fluttering his tiny wings whacking him with his paw. "You are still the sadist that you have always been to let the poor girl pine for you endlessly." he said.
"That's none of your business," Yue countered.
Keroberos raised his paw and was about to argue, when a soft little meowing caught his attention. "Who's this little guy?" He approached the kitten curiously. The baby cat lifted a paw and swatted at the flying teddy bear-like object that approached her.
"Girl," Tomoyo corrected. "Yue-san rescued her a few days ago.," she said proudly. Sakura cooed at the kitten's sweetness.
"So, the block of ice does have a heart. Never in my life had I expected you to take in stray animals. Or agree to get married. Falling in love has really messed with your head," Keroberos snickered, patting the head of the kitten gently.
"I found her hungry, wet and separated from her mother. Was I supposed to let her die on my doorstep?" Yue looked offended.
Keroberos did not bother to reply. "Hey little kitty, Want to see a cool trick?" In a poof, the sun guardian transformed to its true form. The kitten got suddenly startled by the large beast towering over her and drew back hissing.
"Neat, right?" the sun guardian in his majestic true form took another step towards the small creature.
"Kero-chan, you are scaring her," Sakura scolded.
"Oh shut up. She'll admire my cool form in no time," Keroberos replied in a deeper voice. The kitten hissed and swatted her paw at the creature looming over her. "Ow! That hurts," Kero yelped, getting a taste of the sharp claws of the feline.
"Serves you right," Yue commented.
"Oh yeah? I see her claws did not spare you either," Keroberos countered, noticing the scratches on the man's forearm.
Meiling called amidst the commotion, screaming in excitement. She yelled at Yue over Tomoyo's phone speaker for being stupid and making her friend wait to get married. "Listen Yue-san, you will be married to the kindest and most selfless person that I ever had a chance to meet. Never forget that Tomoyo-chan deserves the best in the world," she told the moon guardian.
Later that afternoon, Tomoyo and Yue sat before the charismatic owner of Daidouji. The girl felt some trepidation about the ordeal of disclosing everything to her mother, but the man beside her seemed poised and unperturbed. "Daidouji-san, Tomoyo-san and I have resolved to get married. She is eager to get your blessing for the marriage," Yue told Sonomi in his usual taciturn manner.
"And it would be easier for me to give my blessing if I had known more about the person my daughter has decided to share her life with. Apparently, you have forbidden her from sharing anything about yourself.. It is quite troublesome for me, that you are for all that matters, still a stranger to me." Sonomi, who did not seem surprised at the declaration, told him, leaning back against the backrest of the sofa.
"Okaa-san," Tomoyo spoke up. "We are sorry for keeping you in the dark. But today, we have decided to tell you everything." Tomoyo said. She took a gulp of air before uttering her next worlds. "As I had told you earlier, Yue-san is truly an angel."
"Tomoyo-san, I know you are besotted with this young man, and I have to admit that he has the looks of one. But I have raised you better than to fall for someone just for their looks. So, this platitude of yours does not really explain anything," Sonomi said a tad impatiently.
"But he really is one, okaa-san. I can prove it to you," Tomoyo got up from her seat beside Yue and promptly went to close the door. She quickly glanced at the windows of the room and was assured to find that the heavy curtains were drawn. She got a confused and questioning look from Sonomi, who probably thought that Tomoyo wanted more privacy to speak about Yue, as it was obvious that there were some secrets pertaining to his life.
"Yue-san," Tomoyo approached the young man, calling his name softly. The two looked at each other for a moment, and it seemed that there was a silent communication between them. This was not the first time that Sonomi had noticed that the two were able to talk through their eyes like an old married couple. The silver haired man nodded and stood up slowly. A moment later, a brilliant glow flashed before Sonomi's eyes, and instinctively her hand flew to shield her eyes from the glow. When she uncovered her eyes another moment later, a man in white silken robes stood before her, his feet floating a foot above the ground, two large wings that were as white as snow spread out on either side of his back.
"What on earth is this?" Sonomi's eyes were wide with bewilderment.
"This is my Yue-san's true form," Tomoyo said, extending her arm to link her hand with that of the man.
"True form? Is he a magician?" Sonomi was still clueless. Her voice trembled.
"No. Yue-san was created by a magician. A very powerful one. He is not a human like us," Tomoyo said.
"Is such a thing even possible? You two must be tricking me with something. This must be an illusion. Something caused by a bizarre spell," Sonomi covered her face with shaky hands.
"Okaa-san," Tomoyo left Yue's hands and went to her mother, sitting down beside her. She held her hands firmly in hers. "I would never do such a thing, please believe me," she pleaded.
"I think I should change back. It's making her feel overwhelmed," Yue said softly. He promptly reversed his transformation, so when Sonomi looked again, he found him dressed in his usual formal attire and entirely wingless.
"Gomen ne, okaa-san. I thought it would be easier to make you believe in Yue-san's story if he showed you who he really is right away," Tomoyo explained.
"I don't know how to process what I just saw," Sonomi still seemed to be in a state of shock.
"Then allow me to explain everything. From the very beginning," Tomoyo said, squeezing her mother's hands gently.
Sonomi raised her head and slowly nodded. Tomoyo started from the beginning, telling her about Sakura and the Clow Cards, about Keroberos and Li Syaoran, about the final judgement and Yue's appearance, about Yukito and Yue's dual existence, and about the way Touya had saved them both. She went on to tell her about meeting Yue at the library years later and slowly growing close to him, only to realize that he was planning to eradicate his own existence so that Yukito could leave with Touya as a regular human. She even told her about her journey through time with Touya to retrieve the split card in a desperate bid to save them both Yue and Yukito, and give them the lives they deserved to lead. She told her about how Nadeshiko had helped her to return back to her own time on that occasion. All through her account Tomoyo held her mother's hand, maintaining steady eye contact. Though Sonomi was dazed by the incredulousness of it all, she could tell that her daughter was sincere, and her voice betrayed how emotional she was when she recounted certain parts of the account.
Honestly, Sonomi did not want to believe anything she had heard. She kept turning the story over and over in her mind to find some discrepancy, something that suggested that all these were part of a terrible joke. But everything seemed to connect. She was not a stranger to the fact that her dearest cousin Nadeshiko used to act strangely on occasions, and she was sure that there were things that the other woman never told her. Back then, she desperately wished that Nadeshiko would trust her enough to share that part of her life with her. Looking back, it all made sense. Tomoyo's sudden decision to leave for an exchange program in Canada, and her even more unexpected return immediately upon landing there, her bruised right hand, her apparent exhaustion after spending over a day at Sakura's place, all made sense. Tomoyo's account seemed to explain why Sonomi had never seen Yue eat anything, why Tomoyo never brought him over for lunch or dinner despite her mother's insistence, and how he was able to reach Tomoyo so fast when she tripped during her graduation ceremony. The man, whose identity baffled Sonomi beyond what her wildest imaginations could, was sitting across from her, wearing a calm and indifferent expression on his beautiful face.
"If all these are true, you could have told me sooner," Sonomi sighed.
"You would have worried endlessly," Tomoyo said.
"And now I would not?" Sonomi asked.
"You don't have to. Yue-san would always protect me," she looked at his direction with complete faith in her eyes.
"She never told me anything of this world," a sigh that Sonomi had repressed in her chest for years before Tomoyo was even born escaped through her lips. I am happy that at least least you did, even if you are late," Sonomi said.
"I did not want to give your blessing to our marriage based on a lie," Tomoyo said. "But okaa-san, you are the first and the last person I am sharing this with. Because if more people come to know and something happens to Yue-san as a result, I will not be able to live with it," she said in a melancholic voice.
"Tomoyo-san," Yue softly called her name, sensing the girl's distress.
The older woman chuckled. "Don't worry. If I tell people that my daughter wants to marry a centuries old angel having a pair of giant wings on his back, they will take me for a lunatic anyway," she patted Tomoyo's hand, reassuring her.
"You can tell them that your daughter wants to marry a smart and talented young writer. They would believe that," Tomoyo offered.
"Listen how your songbird sings your praises," Sonomi decided to tease the man. A look of surprise passed over Yue's countenance, alongside a blush that dusted his cheeks with pink.
"I had taken a look at the books you have published. Tomoyo-chan treasures them greatly, and even brings them along on her vacations with me. You can't blame me for wanting to know more about you. \" Sonomi explained.
"Okaa-san, have you read them too?" Tomoyo asked, surprised.
"I don't have the time or the taste for fanciful stories," Sonomi scoffed. "But it seems people who do have taken quite a fancy to his writing." she continued.
"He gets so many fan mails in the mailbox these days. They are forwarded from the publisher's office by Yoshida-san - I mean by his publisher. Some readers believe Tsukiyo is a woman. But as he has dedicated all his books to his songbird, there are others who believe that their mysterious writer is a man. So, he ends up getting love letters from both young men and women in the form of passionate fan mails," Tomoyo smiled.
"Tomoyo-san," Yue chided again, his blush deepening.
"Tomoyo-chan, it seems your centuries old powerful angel is not much more than a shy young boy," Sonomi could not help but laugh. "It must be challenging to be in love with someone so pretty and popular."
"Hai," Tomoyo agreed. "But I am not jealous since he does not even read them.I am the one who reads them, just for fun."
"I think we are digressing," Yue said. "Daidouji-san, now that Tomoyo-san has told you everything, please tell us if you still have any reservations against her decision to get married to me."
"First tell me your reasons for wanting to marry her," Sonomi leaned forward.
"Okaa-san, we love each other," Tomoyo tried to intervene, knowing that Yue-san was not really good at verbally expressing his feelings.
"Let me hear it from him," Sonomi kept her eyes fixed on the silver haired man before her.
Yue raised his head and met her gaze. "Ever since I have known Tomoyo-san, I observed that she is someone who would always put others before herself. She would always be there for everyone else, but when it came to her own feelings of being sad or upset, she would not let anyone share them with her. She would lock them away in her heart and suffer silently. So, when she did not hide her pain and tears from me, I felt privileged, for the first time in my whole life. Daidouji-san, the truth is that everyone knows Tomoyo-san's smile, and yet to this day, I am the only one who can see her tears. So, there's no one who can take care of her better than me," Yue finished and Tomoyo turned her head away, trying to keep her emotions in check.
Sonomi sighed. "Very well. But don't expect me to treat you differently just because you are an angel or whatever. I don't care if you have magical powers or if you have lived longer than me. You would be my daughter's husband and I shall treat you as such. Which means I cannot call you Yue-sama or even Yue-san," she grimaced at her own words.
Tomoyo immediately hugged her mother at her implicit acceptance. "Arigato, okaa-san. Fujitaka-san also calls him Yue-kun now, so he is used to it," she smiled. It felt that a heavy burden was finally lifted off her chest.
"He also knows everything?" Sonomi questioned.
"Since Touya oni-san and Tsukishiro-san's engagement," Tomoyo said.
"No-one tells me anything," Sonomi heaved another sigh.
"Okaa-san, I had pleaded with Fujitaka-san to keep it a secret from you. I did not want you to hear from anyone else. Gomen ne. I am so sorry that I was not ready to tell you earlier," Tomoyo said earnestly
"It's alright now, Tomoyo. You told me when you were ready. That's enough for me," the short-haired woman patted her daughter's arm. "Now tell me how your angel finally proposed," she asked to lighten the mood.
"He didn't. I did actually," Tomoyo confessed.
"That's untrue," Yue countered. "Your proposal was incomplete," he said impassively.
"Incomplete? Huh?" Tomoyo seemed befuddled.
"Recall that I have been the one to give you the ring first," Yue stated. "A marriage proposal is not considered complete without one."
"Considered by whom?" Tomoyo was not ready to give up.
"By the materialistic human society that you are a part of," Yue said.
"Well, you don't have to be so smug about everything, you know. So what if you had given me the ring first?" Tomoyo pressed.
"Stop this childish argument!" Sonomi said, pretending to be unamused by the banter. "You are not even married and you are bickering like an old couple. I cannot imagine what you will do after marriage. No, I take that back. From the way you two behave, I guess you are already married."
"We are not," Tomoyo and Yue said in unison.
Hope you enjoyed the content so far. Hope you all support TomoYue as cat parents. Next chapter is very likely to be the last one that I'll write. As promised, the story will end.