Final part, everybody. It's Conciliation, revised. So there's Touya/Yukito and Touya/Yue, plus something else... Ehe. Please don't kill me.
Four: Conciliation
Touya was in front of a house. It was a Western style house, with dark wooden beams set against creamy walls. Tudor, he thought the style was called. At any rate, it certainly didn't look like he was anywhere in Japan.
He looked around him curiously. The entire area seemed completely devoid of modern conveniences. He saw no telephone lines, no power cables, no car parked out on the road - which, he noted, was not bitumen.
Not knowing anything else to do, he walked up to the door and knocked on it.
After about a minute it opened. Yukito gave him a small smile and hugged him tightly. "You came!" After a moment, he pulled away, grabbing Touya's hand and leading him through the house. Their destination appeared to be towards the back of the house, behind an intricately panelled door of burnished timber.
Yukito opened the door for him, and indicated that he go first. Bemused, Touya entered the room to see... Yue.
Yukito closed the door behind him and moved to sit in one of the chairs. Completely confused now, Touya took another one. Yue sat down on the bed, carefully arranging his robes and hair so that it wasn't being pulled on.
"Um..." said Touya. "Where am I?"
"This is a dream," said Yukito, quietly. "This is Yue's dream."
"The countryside doesn't look like anywhere in Japan," observed Touya, curiously.
"It's England," said Yue, quietly. "This is where I lived with my Master."
This was Clow's house, then. Touya wasn't entirely sure when Clow had lived, but it appeared it was in a time before electricity and telephones were widespread, or perhaps even invented.
For the first time, he found himself wondering exactly how old Yue was. If he'd been alone ever since Clow's 'death', and Clow had lived this long ago... The thought hurt him, deep inside.
"Do you miss him?" said Touya, curiously. A second later he wanted to kick himself. Of course Yue missed him. He already knew that.
Yue's eyes were distant. "Not so much as I used to," he said eventually. "I have... other things to focus on, now."
Yukito was watching the pair of them intently. Touya wondered what he was waiting for. He was talking with Yue, right? And that was what Yukito had wanted.
They fell into silence again. After several minutes of this, Yukito stood up. "To-ya. Yue. I'd wanted a way for us to be here together so we could sort this out for so long, and since he have a way, now," he turned expressive hazel eyes on Touya, "Please, To-ya..."
Touya blinked at him, once again confused.
Yukito turned to Yue, who just gave his false form a flat gaze, as if he thought this was a Very Bad Idea and that Yukito was just wasting his time trying.
Trying what? Touya wondered.
Yukito sighed. "Look, I can say it." He turned back to Touya. "Touya, I love you."
Touya started, then glanced past Yukito to Yue, who was looking vaguely hurt.
"Oh, Yue..." said Yukito, turning to his other form. "I love you too, don't you know?"
Yue's expression shifted into one of shock before resolving back into it's usual regal look. "Why?" he asked, softly, not quite managing to keep the surprise out of his voice.
"Because you're loyal," said Touya, without thinking. "You've a kind heart underneath, you're thoughtful, you have a sense of justice and fairness most people should take note of." In dreams, one often says things one wouldn't usually say.
"To-ya!" said Yukito, sounding surprised but pleased.
Touya looked away, embarrassed. Unfortunately for him, looking away from Yukito caused his eyes to meet with an intense violet gaze.
"Is that... how you feel?" said Yue, glancing at Yukito, who appeared to be encouraging him in some way.
Touya nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
Yue closed his eyes. "Thank you," he whispered.
Yukito cleared his throat meaningfully.
Yue's eyes snapped open again. He glanced at Touya, slightly panicky. "I... I feel something for you, too."
Touya smiled weakly. "It's okay, Yue, I know how hard it is to say."
Yukito sighed. "You do understand though, don't you, that I want us all to be happy? And this," he made a wide gesture that encircled all of them, "was not working."
Touya stared at the moon guardian, a suspicion beginning to enter his mind. "Yue... how long have you felt like this?"
Yue blinked. "I don't know. A long time."
Touya frowned. "When we spoke that night after Yukito 'confessed'?"
"I didn't know you very well then." Yue shrugged, gracefully.
"And when you gave me my power back?" he asked.
Yue was silent.
Touya rubbed his head. He began to see why Yukito had been so insistent on sorting this 'issue' out.
For his part, Yukito was beginning to look somewhat frustrated. "Oh, you two... You can kiss, you know. I don't mind."
Touya almost fell off his chair.
Yukito made a small, exasperated noise and stepped over to Yue. "Like this," he said, in a soft, husky tone that was very familiar to Touya. Then he slipped his arms around Yue's neck and kissed him, settling comfortably on the angel's lap.
Yue's eyes widened for a moment, before he closed them and seemed to relax into the embrace.
He should have been jealous. But this was Yue. He'd just all but admitted to being in love with Yukito's other form as well as the adorable little snow bunny. And once he got over his shock, Touya began to feel it was possibly one of the most beautiful things he'd seen in a long time.
After what seemed like far too long, Yukito stood up again, taking Yue by the hand and gently pulling him off the bed and to his feet. The moon guardian seemed somewhat dazed. Yukito gently took Touya's hand in his other one, thus drawing the three of them closer together. Then he moved his hands to their backs and pushed, not gently, so that they practically fell into each other's arms.
Yue looked up at Touya, startled. Touya tried to force himself to breathe.
"Yue, I..." Coherent thought was leaving him. "Oh..." He gave up. There didn't seem to be any reasons left to fight it.
They kissed for the first time, standing together in the memory of a room belonging to a house long ago destroyed. They kissed deep, and long, and it lasted much longer than Touya had thought possible without having to break apart to breathe. But maybe it only felt like forever.
When they finally broke apart, Yukito wrapped his arms around the two of them, one arm per waist, and kissed them each on the cheek. "I love you," he said, the 'you' most definitely plural.
Touya felt the dream begin to dissolve, and he fell back into deep slumber.
~ * ~
Touya woke the next morning feeling somewhat lightheaded - and cold. He was alone in the bed and the sheets had half slipped off, which would explain the temperature difference.
Slightly puzzled, he got up. He could hear sounds from the kitchen and, extending his Power, felt the light presence of... Yue?
The long-haired spirit was standing in front of the bench, gazing at the electric kettle with a somewhat puzzled expression.
Touya slipped past him and quickly managed to ascertain Yue's problem. "You have to turn it on at the wall first," he said, helpfully.
Yue started, and for a moment Touya could have sworn he blushed. "Clow always boiled water on the fireplace," said Yue, sounding more like he was passing judgement than offering excuses.
"Yue..." said Touya, putting a hand on the spirit's shoulder. Yue turned to face him. Touya looked down again. Eventually, he decided that actions spoke louder than words and that he should just show Yue what he was feeling. He gently took both the spirit's hands in his and brought them up to his heart.
Yue moved closer and pressed his lips against Touya's cheek, then against his neck in a gesture that was becoming increasingly familiar to Touya. He released Yue's hands and pulled the spirit into a tight hug.
It wasn't the first time they'd hugged.
But it was the first time they both meant it as a completely conscious gesture of acknowledged love.
The phone rang. Touya picked it up. "Moshi moshi."
"Congratulations!"
He regarded the bench in front of him suspiciously. "What for?" The voice seemed vaguely familiar...
"Getting through to Yue. It took him long enough to get over it --"
Touya hung up.
"Who was that?" asked Yukito, curiously.
"Wrong number," said Touya, flatly.
Yukito blinked at him. Touya moved over and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Just forget about it."
END