too near

Summary: Journeys are composed of nows. Sixty-three 100 words drabbles- Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. Various characters.

Warning: 100 word drabbles, various characters.

Set: Before, during and after the series. Alternatively: other choices, other places.

Disclaimer: Standards apply.

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

e.e. Cummings, "somewhere i have never travelled"

…

01. Ending. Syaoran.

The sun sank, casting the wing-shaped ruins into a golden glow. The sky was clear, gold and every shade of red. Syaoran had seen many skies – but this one was by far the prettiest.

I will definitely tell you the next time we meet, Sakura had said.

Where he had touched her arm, her skin had been hot. Syaoran knew – it was hard to miss, hard not to see the way her eyes lit up. Hard not to look at her the way he wanted to. The hardest to tell himself not to feel that way.

Impossible.

The sun sank.

02. Encounters. Kurogane.

He was, at that point, very ready to do anything and to put up with anyone to get back. Strange how you only realized what you loved and how much when it was taken away from you.

(He ignored the tiny voice in the back of his head that whispered that Tomoyo sent him away and perhaps she did not need him anymore. Home had been where she was, always since that day.)

The mage was annoying. The white plush thing, too. The boy… The boy.

"I won't bother you."

Such honest eyes. How long would they stay that clear?

03. Pretenses. Fye.

Japan was different from Ceres but then he had known it would be.

The Witch of Dimensions was beautiful and so much older than she looked. The ninja was lost and hid it underneath his anger. The girl was unconscious, a replica of a real princess, and so was the boy though neither of them knew. And then there was Fye: a cursed mage, a spy. Hiding his abilities, his agenda. Ready to betray them as soon as the time came.

None of them were real.

It would have been nice to meet without all the pretenses they kept upright.

04. Gods and Humans. Arashi.

"It is my firm belief that every human in this country is guarded by one of the myriads of gods that exist – is it not splendid?"

Sorata always seemed younger when he lectured. He was so lively, so excitable – so little like her. She had been taught not to show her feelings the way Sorata did: groomed to be a priestess she had served dutifully, waiting and waiting and not knowing for what.

But that night he watched her undress like she was the most precious being in the world. There was no trace of childishness left.

Arashi loved him.

05. Universes. Yuuko.

Mokona's power receeded. The clouds lifted, turning the world a brilliant gold.

She had been waiting so long she couldn't even remember since when. Now that it had happened she felt older, somehow.

Clow. Where are you now?

Being the oldest being in all universes was a terribly lonely thing. People said everyone had a perfect other half – Yuuko had one, too, but he was gone.

Damn you for leaving me like this.

On and on and on and on. Eras would pass, suns would rise and fall; and she still would be waiting.

Except… It has begun. Yuuko smiled.

06. Partners. Syaoran, Kurogane.

Syaoran had learned fighting out of necessity. He'd seen many fights.

Still, it was the first time he saw someone fight like Kurogane did. It wasn't pure lust for battle, or even the arrogance some warriors displayed. The ninja did fight neither too recklessly nor cautious. He took no unnecessary risks, kept his guard up yet did not run from challenges. He was strong, too. Syaoran had noticed it right away.

Kurogane was a formidable fighter, and a splendid teacher. Still, everything in the way he fought seemed to scream of desperate loneliness.

They would be a damn good team.

07. Interlude.

The Princess sleeps. She is beautiful, and his heart aches.

"Good Morning," Kurogane-San says and does not look at him but Syaoran can feel the kindness the ninja is trying to hide.

"Have a cup of tea," Fye-San offers with a smile.

The tea is hot and sweet, warming him from the inside. Outside, the inhabitants of Oto pass by on their daily chores. The café will be opening soon: the scent of coffee and cake already hangs sweetly and promising in the air.

"Syaoran-Kun!" Mokona lands on the table and chatters away and Syaoran thinks I could stay here.