[fic] kuro_tomo: Days
Title: Days
Fandom: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE
Characters: Tomoyo, Kurogane, Fye
Rating: PG for one swear word. Not even considered a swear word.
Summary: Both of them were waiting for the same person. But one of them had already given up.
Disclaimer: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and all of its characters belong to CLAMP.
Notes: I still cannot believe that this won in the fanfiction contest at kuro_tomo. I've only made it in a couple of hours then submitted it srsly. Anyway... This is an AU fic, set during World War II. Or World War I. Whenever. During the Nihon arc, I started liking the fact that Fye and Tomoyo get along. And it's rather nice writing them both together. It's like writing a KanLee fic with Lavi or Allen in it. They might become good friends really, Tomoyo and Fye.
Days
The passage of time, the changing of seasons. She had not noticed it, had lost track of it. From the comfort of spring and summer, it faded into fall, its harsh, cold winds betraying the warm colors of orange and yellow and red. And then, winter would descend, covering the earthy hues with a white blanket and the sky with a dark, dark velvet robe. Unforgiving. Ruthless. But with the wintry days comes such a joyous occasion that would chase away the cold from every spirit, place a smile on the faces of little kids, a song in every home. It was perhaps the greatest celebration throughout the year.
And she, whose warmth and smile and song had always been felt, seen and heard during that time of the year, stood outside, amidst the harsh winds that blew around her and lifted the dark locks of her hair, amidst the white landscape around her, of ice and snow. She stood outside, a silhouette against the jovial and orange glow from inside the establishment, in her pristine white dress and coat, as pale as her skin. Her thin lips were curved into a small smile, her lavender eyes full of haunting.
“If you’re not feeling well, Miss Tomoyo, we can go home…”
She shook her head, smiling gently at the caramel-skinned female standing beside her. “Fye personally came over at the house to invite me. I wouldn’t want to turn him down.”
Scattered newspapers on the floor, a mess of clippings on the Persian rug, several crumpled papers and hastily opened letters, the room smelled of pine and mint and holy and lit by a few candles and the fire in the hearth. She could still remember the state of her room when the blond young man arrived and cheerily greeted her from her doorway. Even from her seat on the cushioned window ledge, her gaze trained outside the glass, she knew that he surveyed everything with a fleeting glance, from the newspapers to the letters. He mentioned nothing about it but she knew.
“Come to my Christmas party at the café on the twenty-fourth. It’ll be fun. Everyone will be there and Tomoyo always brings the most amazing presents!”
She was grateful for his silence.
“You shouldn’t stand outside for too long. You’ll catch a cold if you do.”
They both looked up at the voice, the aforementioned male standing a few feet away at the front door. Almost immediately, they were ushered out of the cold and into the warmth of the café, quickly surrounded by people, faces both familiar and new. Even her chaperone seemed to have swept away by a number of people, the taller female disappearing from her sight. It was overwhelming yet nice, the welcome very much appreciated, the greetings very much needed. It wasn’t long before the blond host took her arm to steer her away from the welcoming committee but not without a last word from one of them.
“You shouldn’t sulk over someone like him, little princess.” Ichihara Yuuko had raised a glass of wine in greeting, that typical languid smile painted on her lips. She merely smiled at her.
“She’s right, you know.”
Fye’s words were quiet as he brought her to the counter, waiting for her to be seated before he set down a cup of hot chocolate. “But you seemed to have realized that, seeing that you’re here.”
“Sister is already getting worried,” she told him softly, smiling her reassuring smile. Her fingers slowly curled around the cup, the sweet scent and warmness very inviting. “And perhaps it was time, yes?”
He nodded at her smilingly, his chin cupped with two hands as he leaned against the bar. “Two years now. And they weren’t allowed to go home again.”
“I will be all right, I’m certain.”
There was a moment of silence before he spoke, a laugh leaving his lips, as she took a sip of the drink. “Well, if he did not return, then I would have to marry Tomoyo.”
She laughed as well. It was an inside joke they both shared and both laughed at bitterly. The closeness she shared with him was different, entirely different, from the relationships she had with other people. It was the type that only he knew, he understood. To ask Fye to take care of her, he was perhaps thinking of her indeed. She knew that he trusted no one but him, despite his constant tirades and angry outbursts about him. Despite his outward expression of dislike towards the blond. She knew. Fye knew.
But even with such a companion, even with someone who understood the pain of missing someone, she could only smile weakly, laugh hollowly. It was still different, of course. No one could simply replace a person. Even then, through her laughter and smiles, the pain was still evident, the pain she had tried to conceal for two years now since the war had broken out. Even she could not deny it. It was simply too much, having to spend a Christmas alone. It was simply too much for her, she who had never been used to the emptiness of being alone before.
“We would make a rather good-looking couple, don’t you think?” she remarked lightly. “And our children would-”
“How long do you think the war would last? Would you wait that long for him?”
She faltered and looked up at him, an earnest reply dying in her throat. Her mask was breaking, the glass slowly shattering and piercing her. Hesitation and apprehension in her eyes, she lowered the cup back to its saucer and glanced away.
“Waiting… is the only thing I could do right now, as well as praying for his safe return.” Her smile was back, still uncertain but even so, it was unwavering.
“And he had promised me he would be back. He had always kept his promises after all.”
And just as the words had left her lips, the both of them sharing that knowing smile, a secret only the both of them knew, the door opened behind her, the bell above tinkling softly to announce the arrival of a new guest, bringing in a cold breeze blowing from the outside. She paid no heed to the stream of greetings that had accosted her at the door as well but when a name was uttered from over her shoulders, that familiar name, and a voice spoke, that deep baritone, her entire body froze, her hands clenched. A name she had not spoken for a while now, a voice she had heard for two long years.
For a moment, she had stayed that way, wordless, motionless. Fye gazed back at her delicate features, his smile as impeccable as always, and with a slender hand, tucked a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.
“That means I won’t be able to marry Tomoyo anymore,” he said cheerily as he straightened to his full height, his gaze trained past her shoulders. “Will I, Kuro?”
“Damn hell you won’t, you bastard!”
An arm came around her neck, resting just under her chin, a familiar scent assaulting her senses. She felt a stir in her hair from a quiet sigh, a light kiss on her head. There was a gentle brush on her cheek and she heard a soft whisper, so soft, so quiet that it was almost drowned by the noise around them. Only she heard it. And perhaps, Fye too, from that knowing smile on his face.
“I came back, didn't I?”
Fandom: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE
Characters: Tomoyo, Kurogane, Fye
Rating: PG for one swear word. Not even considered a swear word.
Summary: Both of them were waiting for the same person. But one of them had already given up.
Disclaimer: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and all of its characters belong to CLAMP.
Notes: I still cannot believe that this won in the fanfiction contest at kuro_tomo. I've only made it in a couple of hours then submitted it srsly. Anyway... This is an AU fic, set during World War II. Or World War I. Whenever. During the Nihon arc, I started liking the fact that Fye and Tomoyo get along. And it's rather nice writing them both together. It's like writing a KanLee fic with Lavi or Allen in it. They might become good friends really, Tomoyo and Fye.
Days
The passage of time, the changing of seasons. She had not noticed it, had lost track of it. From the comfort of spring and summer, it faded into fall, its harsh, cold winds betraying the warm colors of orange and yellow and red. And then, winter would descend, covering the earthy hues with a white blanket and the sky with a dark, dark velvet robe. Unforgiving. Ruthless. But with the wintry days comes such a joyous occasion that would chase away the cold from every spirit, place a smile on the faces of little kids, a song in every home. It was perhaps the greatest celebration throughout the year.
And she, whose warmth and smile and song had always been felt, seen and heard during that time of the year, stood outside, amidst the harsh winds that blew around her and lifted the dark locks of her hair, amidst the white landscape around her, of ice and snow. She stood outside, a silhouette against the jovial and orange glow from inside the establishment, in her pristine white dress and coat, as pale as her skin. Her thin lips were curved into a small smile, her lavender eyes full of haunting.
“If you’re not feeling well, Miss Tomoyo, we can go home…”
She shook her head, smiling gently at the caramel-skinned female standing beside her. “Fye personally came over at the house to invite me. I wouldn’t want to turn him down.”
Scattered newspapers on the floor, a mess of clippings on the Persian rug, several crumpled papers and hastily opened letters, the room smelled of pine and mint and holy and lit by a few candles and the fire in the hearth. She could still remember the state of her room when the blond young man arrived and cheerily greeted her from her doorway. Even from her seat on the cushioned window ledge, her gaze trained outside the glass, she knew that he surveyed everything with a fleeting glance, from the newspapers to the letters. He mentioned nothing about it but she knew.
“Come to my Christmas party at the café on the twenty-fourth. It’ll be fun. Everyone will be there and Tomoyo always brings the most amazing presents!”
She was grateful for his silence.
“You shouldn’t stand outside for too long. You’ll catch a cold if you do.”
They both looked up at the voice, the aforementioned male standing a few feet away at the front door. Almost immediately, they were ushered out of the cold and into the warmth of the café, quickly surrounded by people, faces both familiar and new. Even her chaperone seemed to have swept away by a number of people, the taller female disappearing from her sight. It was overwhelming yet nice, the welcome very much appreciated, the greetings very much needed. It wasn’t long before the blond host took her arm to steer her away from the welcoming committee but not without a last word from one of them.
“You shouldn’t sulk over someone like him, little princess.” Ichihara Yuuko had raised a glass of wine in greeting, that typical languid smile painted on her lips. She merely smiled at her.
“She’s right, you know.”
Fye’s words were quiet as he brought her to the counter, waiting for her to be seated before he set down a cup of hot chocolate. “But you seemed to have realized that, seeing that you’re here.”
“Sister is already getting worried,” she told him softly, smiling her reassuring smile. Her fingers slowly curled around the cup, the sweet scent and warmness very inviting. “And perhaps it was time, yes?”
He nodded at her smilingly, his chin cupped with two hands as he leaned against the bar. “Two years now. And they weren’t allowed to go home again.”
“I will be all right, I’m certain.”
There was a moment of silence before he spoke, a laugh leaving his lips, as she took a sip of the drink. “Well, if he did not return, then I would have to marry Tomoyo.”
She laughed as well. It was an inside joke they both shared and both laughed at bitterly. The closeness she shared with him was different, entirely different, from the relationships she had with other people. It was the type that only he knew, he understood. To ask Fye to take care of her, he was perhaps thinking of her indeed. She knew that he trusted no one but him, despite his constant tirades and angry outbursts about him. Despite his outward expression of dislike towards the blond. She knew. Fye knew.
But even with such a companion, even with someone who understood the pain of missing someone, she could only smile weakly, laugh hollowly. It was still different, of course. No one could simply replace a person. Even then, through her laughter and smiles, the pain was still evident, the pain she had tried to conceal for two years now since the war had broken out. Even she could not deny it. It was simply too much, having to spend a Christmas alone. It was simply too much for her, she who had never been used to the emptiness of being alone before.
“We would make a rather good-looking couple, don’t you think?” she remarked lightly. “And our children would-”
“How long do you think the war would last? Would you wait that long for him?”
She faltered and looked up at him, an earnest reply dying in her throat. Her mask was breaking, the glass slowly shattering and piercing her. Hesitation and apprehension in her eyes, she lowered the cup back to its saucer and glanced away.
“Waiting… is the only thing I could do right now, as well as praying for his safe return.” Her smile was back, still uncertain but even so, it was unwavering.
“And he had promised me he would be back. He had always kept his promises after all.”
And just as the words had left her lips, the both of them sharing that knowing smile, a secret only the both of them knew, the door opened behind her, the bell above tinkling softly to announce the arrival of a new guest, bringing in a cold breeze blowing from the outside. She paid no heed to the stream of greetings that had accosted her at the door as well but when a name was uttered from over her shoulders, that familiar name, and a voice spoke, that deep baritone, her entire body froze, her hands clenched. A name she had not spoken for a while now, a voice she had heard for two long years.
For a moment, she had stayed that way, wordless, motionless. Fye gazed back at her delicate features, his smile as impeccable as always, and with a slender hand, tucked a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.
“That means I won’t be able to marry Tomoyo anymore,” he said cheerily as he straightened to his full height, his gaze trained past her shoulders. “Will I, Kuro?”
“Damn hell you won’t, you bastard!”
An arm came around her neck, resting just under her chin, a familiar scent assaulting her senses. She felt a stir in her hair from a quiet sigh, a light kiss on her head. There was a gentle brush on her cheek and she heard a soft whisper, so soft, so quiet that it was almost drowned by the noise around them. Only she heard it. And perhaps, Fye too, from that knowing smile on his face.
“I came back, didn't I?”